Take a Hint

Summary: When Gildarts gets drunk he mistakes Cana for Cornelia, and while Cana is firm in her desire to only tell him if she makes S-class… well if she dropped a hint and he figured it out for himself she'd be okay with that.

Disclaimer: I don't own

Warnings: Misunderstandings, drunken idiocy ending in a face plant in an awkward spot, the beginning is going to sound really bad but I swear its not as bad as it sounds.

AN: this one came up totally randomly while I was picking up my cat from the vet (he got snipped- now he is the world's angriest satellite dish), I just started writing it down and laughing my ass of as I did! In my mind Cana's inability to spit out the secret could be something she got from Gildarts and I have him trying to figure out how to tell her and spend time with her at the same time.

Gildarts let out a groan as he slowly woke up to a familiar headache. He definitely over did it. Carefully, he attempted to open his gummed-over eyes and immediately snapped them shut. Bad idea, bad idea. Who the hell turned on the sun that bright?

Ah hangovers, the crash mage definitely had not missed it.

Slowly forcing his body to sit up, regretting every decision he had made that lead him to this point, Gildarts cracked open his eyes again, squinting hard against the light. Huh? Was he hallucinating or was Master Makarov actually sitting in a beat-up rocking chair at the foot of the bed?

"Good morning Gildarts." Oh no, he sounded pissed- what the fuck happened last night?

"Uh… morning Master." The hungover man said hesitantly.

The old man raised an eyebrow at the Ace (he was so screwed) before slamming a stack of papers almost as tall as he was onto the side table with a thud. The crash mage winced at both the sound and the pile.

"Someone had an exciting night." The guildmaster growled, "These are the bills from all the damage you caused on your bender last night."

Gildarts winced again… that was a lot of paperwork this time. He always got messed up when this time of year rolled around, but… but last night had been especially bad. Yesterday had been his wedding anniversary. Eighteen years ago, he had married the love of his life and she had left him two years later.

"And that's not even the worst of it!" Makarov snapped angrily, eyes flashing," You causing property damage- that's forgivable, but assaulting another guild member-!"

"I did what?" Gildarts interrupted incredulously.

Makarov glared at him with enough force to melt steel, gritting his teeth as he answered." Apparently, you mistook Cana for Cornelia and then proceeded to kiss her, after which you then proceeded to collapse on top of her- your face was in her breasts Gildarts." To say Makarov was furious would be an understatement; just seeing how shaken up the card mage had been in the aftermath had broken his heart. He might let Gildarts get away with a lot- but this was totally unforgivable.

Gildarts was in a state of shock. He had-? Cana was a goddamned child and he had done that to her? This was… whatever Master was going to do to him it wouldn't be enough.

"Is she okay?" He blurted out.

Makarov glared again, but responded," A little shaken up, but otherwise she's alright." The man grumbled.

The crash mage was relived, he'd take his beating from Master like a man and then he would get down on his knees and beg Cana for forgiveness.

oOOOOo

Later on, when he was sore in places, he hadn't known he could be sore, he approached the card mage where she was sitting with the other girls- all of whom immediately closed ranks around her glaring at him.

Cana herself seemed an odd combination of exasperated and uncomfortable, though she refused to look him in the eye.

The Ace exhaled before beginning his apology," Cana… I am so so sorry. That… I know it sounds cheap but what I did- it was beyond unforgivable." He was stumbling slightly over his words not sure how to approach this.

"'Sorry'?" Mirajane snarled," You shove your tongue in her mouth, grope her, and you're sorry?!"

"Mira!" Cana snapped at the white-haired girl," For the last time- that's not what happened! Look- can you guys just give us some space?" The brunette looked totally done with everyone present.

The request made all the girls stare at her.

"After what he did- "Lisanna started, only to be cut off by a frustrated card mage.

"He didn't do anything! And even if he did- if anybody knows about drunken stupidity its me. Let me handle this." It was times like this everyone saw the young woman that was an S-class mage in all but name; the leader, the strong-minded young woman that could speak with an authority that made people listen.

Suddenly Gildarts saw exactly how he had mistaken her for Cornelia. With that presence combined with her physical appearance he was suddenly transported back twenty years- helping rescue victims of an earthquake with Conny barking out orders about where to prioritize the search and rescue teams. Damn… he was actually kind of surprised that he had never seen the resemblance before.

After the girls had backed off Gildarts once again opened his mouth to apologize, only to be cut off.

"Look I don't what you've heard but I can assure you its not what actually happened," Cana said shortly," You were so drunk that what probably started off as a weird hug ended with a clumsy peck on the cheek that apparently looked like a full- blown make out session to everyone else, and when you passed out your head landed in my boobs- but that's gravity's fault."

Gildarts let out a breath he didn't know he was holding- it had just been a misunderstanding. He hadn't actually assaulted a teenager and more than that she wasn't mad at him.

"But Master said you were upset!" There was still that, was she downplaying it to make him feel better?

Cana's cheeks pinked slightly as she nervously grabbed at her wrist," Well… beyond me just being surprised at you falling on top of me, I- its just... you called me Cornelia."

"Huh?" Why was that the problem here?

"...Cornelia was my mom's name."

All of a sudden, his tongue was made out of lead and his thoughts ground to a halt. That- this had to be a freaky coincidence, right?

"Really?" He asked dumbly, watching as Cana nodded her head.

"Yeah, Cornelia Alberona."

He couldn't breathe. She had just- was this really-?

"Cana… you're fifteen, right?" Just a freaky coincidence, this couldn't possibly be-

"No, sixteen why?" She asked looking at him quizzically.

"J-just curious. I- see you later." He said quickly, rapidly walking out before he destroyed the guildhall. He had to be jumping to conclusions, but… what if he wasn't?

oOOOOo

He wasn't.

He and Conny were still legally married, despite all these years. They had never bothered with the official paperwork when things fell apart (though 'go to hell you fucking bastard' felt pretty damn official to him). He never thought that he would be grateful for this.

All it had taken was one petition to the records office and he had everything he wanted to know.

Conny had given birth to a baby girl sixteen years ago, just seven months after they had split up. A baby girl that she had named Rebecca Arcana Alberona. Rebecca had gone on to join Fairy Tail after her mother's death… only nowadays she went by 'Cana'.

He had a daughter. He had a beautiful, intelligent sixteen-year-old daughter named Rebecca and he would not have found out if it hadn't been for his drunken stupidity.

That thought made him slightly nauseous- he had almost assaulted his own daughter when he had mistaken her for her mother. What kind of father did that make him?

More importantly- how the hell was he supposed to tell her the truth?

oOOOOo

Cana had taken a weeklong job shortly after she had unknowingly dropped a bombshell on him and… he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

On one hand, it gave him some time to come to terms with this. Some time to process that he had a magnificent daughter who was just like her mother. A daughter to whom he was a total stranger. He didn't know a thing about her (not her favorite color, her least favorite vegetable, or favorite ice cream flavor), he hadn't raised her (Master had done that), and he had no clue how to go about fixing that.

While her being gone gave him time to process, it was also the most nerve-wracking experience he could remember. His child was off doing who knew what. She could be in danger, she could be fighting for her life, she could be held hostage, and he had no way of knowing any of these things!

More than that- what was going to happen once she was back? What was her reaction going to be once he broke the news to her? Would she be happy? Would she let him be part of her life? Would she come live with him? Would their lives even change after this reveal?

The worst outcome he could think of was that maybe she just wouldn't care. Cornelia had died when she had been six- how much did she actually remember? Master had been her father figure and had raised her to become the magnificent young woman that she was today. Was there room in her life for him?

He had been attempting to find out more about her, trying to find out whatever he could, but… it hadn't been going so well. Nobody had forgotten the drunken almost-kiss and breast faceplant; him asking about her didn't go over so well. Though he had tried to play it off as him trying to plan an apology he was pretty sure nobody believed him.

She was going to be back in two days, he had until then to get his shit together.

oOOOOo

He didn't get it together.

He hadn't even gotten a chance to react to her presence, as soon as Cana had checked in with Master she had run out of the guild. He hadn't even been able to move before she was gone.

Later that day he had been heading home when he spotted a familiar head of dark hair out of the corner of his eye. Turning he spotted Cana walking out of a store with wide glass windows showing off an array of musical instruments inside.

Cana had a black tote bag slung across one shoulder and what looked like an instrument case in her hand. Her hair had been pinned to her head in a complicated looking braid, and she had on a tight-fitting long sleeve black top, with a pair of grey sweatpants.

He called out to her before he had even thought about it," Cana!"

The girl blinked in surprise at the approaching figure," Gildarts?"

"I- uh- I didn't know you were back yet." He said lamely- he should be telling her the truth, why couldn't he get the words out?

Cana blinked again, "Um… I got back this afternoon, but I had to get to class so I didn't stay at the guild long."

"Class?" He asked curiously- it was a music store and that was an instrument case, was she a musician? What did she play?

"Uh- I do ballet why?"

"Oh, just curious." He said casually walking beside her, his head filled with images of a younger Cana in a pink tutu- she must have been so adorable! "Do you only do ballet or…" He trailed off; he should be telling her not questioning her hobbies!

Cana stopped walking and just stared at the crash mage long and hard for a moment before answering," …I've started taking alternative and hip hop and I also play a couple instruments. I'm best at the piano, but I've been working on the violin recently."

She was a musician and a ballerina (what the hell was 'alternative' though?). Conny had played the piano, so he got a feeling he probably knew where she had learned that one- but violin? And he didn't even know how many she actually played- she could have been a prodigy for all he knew.

The two walked for a while until they came to Fairy Hills, coming to a stop they stood awkwardly for a few moments before Cana said," Well… this is my stop, thank you for the company Gildarts."

Tell her. He was her father and he already loved her so damn much. "No problem, have a nice night."

As he walked away, he berated himself- seems after all these years he was still the same coward who had let Conny walk away.

oOOOOo

The crash mage was frantically going through his thoughts to find whatever it was that Master wanted to talk to him about. Didn't matter how old or experienced he got, if Master called him to his office suddenly he was twelve years old again being yelled at for whatever had happened that week.

As it was the expression on the smaller man's face made him want to cut his losses and run.

A cleared throat had Gildarts trying to hide a nervous gulp as the stormy gaze of the miniature guildmaster swung his way.

"Take a seat Gildarts."

He wasn't stupid so he sat down on the chair in front of the desk, trying to remember if he had updated his will recently.

"Gildarts, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to explain yourself. Recently both I and multiple people in the guild have noticed a change in your behavior towards Cana- such as going out of your way to walk her home, inviting her on a job with you, and seeking out her company. Now, perhaps this is all a misunderstanding, but these instances combined with you asking about her and the staring episode from the other night- Gildarts what are your intentions towards Cana Alberona?" The old man never raised his voice, he hadn't had to. Each word was delivered in a frosty voice that shot through Gildarts better than any amount of yelling could.

As it was the crash mage had absolutely nothing going through his head as he stared open mouthed at the older man. Had he just- did people honestly think that he was interested in a sixteen-year-old like that?

He had never and would never be attracted to children, and most certainly not his own child.

He sputtered trying to defend himself and express his revulsion at the idea simultaneously- though the only thing coherent that came out was, "What staring episode?"

As master's face darkened he belatedly realized that had not helped his case, though the miniature guildmaster explained," Last night when she challenged Alzack to a drinking contest- I and several others noticed you staring at her almost the entire time." The man finished tightly.

Oh. Yeah that probably looked bad. Cana had challenged Alzack to a drinking contest involving some kind of liquor from the gunner's hometown- she had wanted to see who would last longer. Despite being well aware that his daughter was of legal drinking age the sight of her in nothing but a bikini top that barely covered anything chugging from a bottle of vodka after leaving her opponent passed out in the dust… well he had been trying to figure out what an appropriate response would be. Given that his first thought was something along the lines of 'what the hell do you think you are doing young lady' and that he had to fight from grabbing his cloak to try to cover her up, he hadn't been sure how to act. Cana still didn't know that he was her father, so him trying to parent her probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

And apparently people thought he was attracted to her?!

Oh god- did Cana think that? How screwed up was this whole mess? Did his daughter think he was trying to get to know her because he wanted to have sex with her?! Worse, was her being receptive to his presence some kind of way of her saying she wanted to have sex with him? He had just thought that she was getting more comfortable around him, that if he built a rapport then he would be able to say the words- had he given her the wrong impression?

He was going to be sick. How the fuck was he supposed to rectify this?!

A cleared throat made him remember where he was, and that Master wanted an answer.

"Cana's my kid!" He blurted out in a panic; whatever Makarov had thought that he was going to say that had not been it. "I-I after I talked to her about the- the incident, she mentioned that the reason she was upset was-was because her mother's name was Cornelia. It- we're still married legally so it wasn't hard to find out the truth."

How was it that he could say it so easily to Master but not to Cana?

"Gildarts…" Makarov was at a loss for words, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but that Cana was actually the Ace's daughter had not been it," … Does she know?" Because if Gildarts had told her then this wouldn't be the first he was hearing about this.

The crash mage looked down, ashamed at himself," …no, I- I just couldn't get the words out. I started trying to spend time with her because I figured if I knew her a little better… if I knew her a little better then it wouldn't be so hard."

"…Gildarts, do you want me to go get her now? She needs to know, both for her sake and for yours."

The Ace swallowed past the lump in his throat with some difficulty, before voicing his insecurities out loud," I- I really want to, but… Master she is so incredible. Did you know she plays six different instruments and she dances so well she could easily go professional if she wanted to. The entire younger generation relies on her as a sister and go to her when they need advice or someone to talk to. She can command a room with a word and the way she projects this confidence in herself… Master I just don't know if there is room for me in her life." And there it was, everything out on the table.

The older man just looked at him," Gildarts… I'm not going to say your fears aren't valid, because they are, but… I think you'd be surprised. Cana… for as long as she has been with Fairy Tail she has never truly opened up to anyone, I can't begin to guess why- perhaps it had something to do with her mother- but, maybe finding out that she has a father who wants her will be what finally breaks down the walls she's had up all this time."

The crash mage didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't.

"Now, do you want me to go get her?"

"Yes... I would appreciate that, thank you."

And the smaller man left the office in search of the card mage.

It didn't take very long for her to arrive. She knocked on the door before she came in, an unreadable look on her face as she entered," Master said you had something you wanted to speak to me about?"

This was it.

The red-haired man looked at his daughter before he finally said the words," I'm your father."

Silence.

Then Cana did something he didn't expect, she laughed. It wasn't a belly laugh, more like a short chuckle before she gave him one of the emptiest smiles he had ever seen. "Yeah, I kind of figured that you'd found out."

What-

"You knew?" The whole time she had known the truth. How long had she known? Why hadn't she said anything?

Cana met his eyes with her violet gaze," Mama told me the truth before she died, I actually came here looking for you. I… I've tried to tell you so many times, but I just couldn't get the words out. Eventually I decided that I'd tell you if I made S-class… then when you thought I was mom- "

"You dropped a hint." Gildarts finished for her. Wow, what a pair they were. Of all the things he could have passed down this wasn't something he had thought was inheritable.

His girl had tears in her eyes," What happens now?" She asked in a watery voice, before letting out a slight squeak as her father yanked her into a hug.

As he held her tightly against him (this was how it always should have been) he answered her," We are going to be a family. We can't change the past, but we can control the present- lets make up for lost time. We can go on a mission together and camp under the stars, you can teach this tone-deaf old man how to play the piano- though I warn you your mother tried and failed. If you want, you can come live with me. And I am going to go stand at the top of Kardia Cathedral and tell the entire world that I have an amazing daughter, who I already love more than anything in the entire world."

Cana let out a watery laugh," I'm okay with that… Dad."

They stayed like that for a while, just taking comfort in each other. This… they had both needed this more than they had ever realized. They could worry about telling everyone later, they could worry about details later, somehow, they both knew everything was going to work out just fine.

AN: This turned out a bit sadder than I had expected, I had figured that it would be more funny than anything of him trying to parent her without making it seem like he's parenting her, but ultimately they both won me over with the insecurities. I hope you guys liked this one! In case you didn't understand the beginning it was more a case of everyone assuming Cana was downplaying it out of shock and thinking that it was worse than it actually was (what she said happened was actually what happened), and later Gildarts assumed that she didn't know the truth, so he interpreted her reactions to fit his belief.

If you don't like how I handled the drunken idiocy than please tell me about it, but be polite. Something like that has never happened to me and so I can not write from experience, but with how I laid out the scenario I can't see Cana reacting differently than how I did this. I apologize if I offended someone.

The drinking contest was inspired by 'Make Your Nest and Lay in it' (it's hilarious- you should read it if you haven't)