Natsu was on a mission... he was looking for Hiccup. For reasons he didn't understand, he was drawn to the older boy. It wasn't anything romantic, regardless of what some of the older members would claim.
It was just...he felt comfortable around Hiccup, almost like he had around Igneel.
He finally located the older boy...working in a blacksmith shop?
Hiccup was wearing only an undershirt, and his jacket was wrapped around his waist as he was steadily working on a piece of metal. Nearby Wendy was reading a book, and Tempest was napping much like a cat on the roof.
Considering this was a town of mages, Tempest's unusual behavior was met with hardly a batted eye so long as he wasn't causing any trouble.
"What are you doing?" asked Natsu, curious.
"Fixing a damaged part of my shield," said Hiccup without looking up. "I told Wendy and Carla they could go shopping, but they decided to take a break here instead despite the noise."
"We would have gone if Tempest hadn't decided to take a mid-afternoon nap," said Carla.
"To be fair, it wasn't like he could take a nap on the road," said Hiccup.
As he finished up what he was doing (Natsu watched in fascination as the metal hissed dangerously once put into the water to cool and set) Hiccup looked up and took his goggles off.
"So what do you need?" he asked Natsu.
"I was hoping to hear more about your dad Veldora, and about the other dragons he knew," said Natsu.
"Actually Veldora is my adopted father," said Hiccup. "My birth one wasn't exactly...fond...of dragons."
Which was an understatement he didn't feel like going into.
Natsu felt like an excited puppy...not much different from Tempest a few years ago really. It was clear that no one had tried overly much to instill basic manners or proper behavior, though considering the chaos he had seen in the guild it was likely no one truly cared since he was an adult (age-wise) and met the bare minimum of what was considered acceptable.
After seeing one guy strip at random, another woman openly drinking enough alcohol she would have likely caused multiple drinking contests in his home village, and a guy flirting outrageously with multiple women and not getting slapped for it, Hiccup figured that polite manners was a low priority.
Fortunately Wendy had him and Carla to set a proper example. He might not come from the most civilized of villages, but Carla had few complaints about his manners.
It was clear Igneel had not prioritized that sort of thing while Natsu was growing up.
Hiccup felt like internally cringing, as he had the distinct feeling Natsu would gravitate to him much like Wendy had.
He mentally compared Natsu to what he had to deal with growing up and deemed him a lesser headache than the idea of having to corral the likes of Snotlout or the twins.
"Big brother, I finished my book!" Wendy called out.
"If you give me a few minutes to finish up here, we'll go find a bookshop so you can get some more, okay? Maybe one of the ladies at the guild will know a good shop for you to get some new outfits," said Hiccup.
Wendy perked up at that, and Carla gave him a look of approval. It was clear Hiccup doted on Wendy like family.
"Will there be fish?" said Tempest hopefully.
"Toothless do you always think of food?" said Hiccup amused.
"Not always. Sometimes Wendy and I think of ways to prank you," he countered.
"Toothless?" said Natsu.
Tempest grinned, his mouth full of sharp teeth. To the shocked amazement of Natsu, they disappeared showing only gums before reappearing seconds later.
"That is so cool!"
Tempest was cackling, but he knew the rules. He couldn't casually go showing off that form in public. There were too many people who would try to take advantage of him if they knew the truth. Besides, there was no telling if Natsu could be trusted, even if he was a dragonslayer.
Wendy knew, and she thought his true form was adorable...even if his breath reeked.
They were an odd pack, but he wouldn't trade them for anything.
Mirajane was delighted to have a little girl to spoil, and agreed to show Wendy and Carla the best places in town to get some necessities. Including certain items that Hiccup was frankly uncomfortable dealing with since 'it' started for Wendy. To be fair, even Carla agreed that sort of thing was best left to a woman.
Hiccup found Fiore rather relaxing to be in. Fairy Tail was chaotic, but welcomed them as one of their own even if Hiccup wasn't inclined to join a guild just yet. He liked wandering and seeing new places, but he could acknowledge Wendy wanted stability.
More importantly he found himself under a mountain of orders from the guild...mostly things that would make repairs easier...that the blacksmith didn't have the skill or inclination to make. It wasn't that he disliked the guild, just that he would have to charge them a larger than normal amount because he would have to hire outside aide, and the guild didn't want to pay that fee.
Hiccup did know how to make the order and he wasn't going to charge them an arm and a leg for it. Though he did pay the blacksmith a commission since he was using the man's shop. So long as Hiccup was willing to pay for the use, it meant the blacksmith could take a vacation.
Hiccup honestly didn't mind the busy work, besides Wendy seemed to enjoy being around the Fairy Tail guild members.
There was one small issue though...
Hiccup's hand lashed out and grabbed a certain blue furball. Happy 'eeped' as Hiccup's hand was a lot stronger than it looked.
"You and I need to have a little chat," he said ominously.
"I swear I didn't steal Tempest's fish earlier!" said Happy quickly, though he totally had.
"Tempest can defend his own dinner. We need to discuss your behavior around Carla before she snaps and deals with you herself. Her methods aren't as nice as mine," said Hiccup flatly.
"I don't know what you mean!" said Happy nervously.
Hiccup gave him an unimpressed look. Several hours later, Natsu called Hiccup over when he came for dinner.
"What the heck did you do to Happy?" asked Natsu seriously. The cat almost looked nervous around Carla.
"I had a chat most older brothers would have towards potential suitors," said Hiccup.
"Oh dear...you put the fear of you on him for his crush on Carla?" said Mirajane who overheard this.
"More like instilled a proper respect towards females of his own race into him. He was acting like a stalker and it was irritating Carla. I wanted to correct the behavior before it got out of hand and something happened," corrected Hiccup with a sigh. He ignored Happy and Tempest arguing over the ownership of the fish on the table. "Just because she's the first female of his kind that he's seen is no excuse for bad manners."
Hiccup was glad he hadn't picked up his beer when Elfman cheerfully gave him a slap on the back that reminded him of his home village. Not that any of the villagers ever did a friendly thing like that towards him. He was the village outcast, someone who preferred thinking to fighting blindly.
"Talk about a manly action!" said Elfman. "Only true men would protect their sibling's virtue without actually hurting anyone."
"Carla is family after all. And I have the feeling Natsu and Happy weren't given any proper lessons on polite manners. No offense," said Hiccup.
"None taken. Fairy Tail might be accepting, but it doesn't really put too much emphasis on manners around here," said Mirajane.
Unnoticed by Hiccup, the older girl was giving him an appraising look. Considering the behavior she had to put up with on a daily basis, Hiccup was practically a gentleman. Not only that, but he showed a higher maturity level compared to half the males his age currently among the guild.
It had been a while since she had a boyfriend.
Makarov had to admit, Hiccup was a rather good influence on the guild, even if it was indirect at the moment. He had already noticed Natsu maturing more than he had in years since he became a member, and some of the older guild members were toning down their less savory behaviors around him.
Not to mention the amusing way Mirajane kept discreetly giving him looks that indicated more than a fair amount of interest in the man.
However he would not force Hiccup or his family to join the guild, as it was clear there was a bit of wanderlust in him.
He was patient...and as luck would have it, the younger sibling Wendy gave him the opening he needed to at least plant the idea in the young man's head.
"So your brother wants to be recognized as an S-rank wizard and enchanter, but all the other guilds demanded he join their ranks first?" said Makarov.
Wendy nodded, enjoying her ice cream.
"Big brother is really strong, but the other guilds won't let him take the exam to prove it unless he's a member. Something to do with bragging rights."
"Hiccup has good taste at least...all those uncouth guilds were a horrible fit for dear Wendy!" sniffed Carla.
"That's not fair...there were some nice people there," said Wendy.
"They demanded far too much of us, and treated you as a lesser mage because you don't like fighting," countered Carla. "And the less said about the way they treated Tempest the better! None of them were worth our time."
Makarov didn't ask, but he could sense there was something about Tempest they were trying to keep quiet. It wasn't his place to ask...for now.
He chuckled to himself and couldn't think of a better way to mess with the Ten Wizard Saints than to authorize a potential S-rank that wasn't affiliated with a guild yet. It was sure to tweak their noses.
"I have an idea... since your brother is currently dealing with the backlog that the blacksmith had to earn some coin, why don't I arrange a special exam for him to try and earn his proper rank," said Makarov. As guild leader he had the authority to do that, even if they weren't part of his guild.
"Really?" said Wendy.
"What's the catch?" asked Carla suspiciously.
"It seems to me that it would benefit Natsu to have someone like Hiccup around. So how would he feel about sticking around the area for six months sound? He doesn't have to take on our mark, but he would have to join some of our members on their quests as an auxiliary member in return. There are some that are too difficult for the ordinary guild members to handle," said Makarov.
"You're not making him join the guild first?" said Wendy, surprised. That had been a mandatory requirement for the other guild masters.
"Forcing someone into a guild they have no desire to join is rather pointless," said Makarov, shaking his head. "I mostly want to see your big brother exert a more calming influence on the rowdier members and help them mature a bit more. If he wants to join, then we'll gladly take you all in."
Just then there was a loud crash, and a figure was blown into the guild. Closer inspection revealed a mostly charred Natsu who looked out for the count.
Everyone looked outside to see...Tempest?
He scratched his cheek.
"Oops... Hiccup told him to never interrupt my naps..."
Makarov stared for a few seconds, before he let out a belly aching laugh.
"I think you and your family would make an excellent addition to our guild if you were so inclined!"
"That idiot...Natsu, what did you do this time?!" shouted Gray.
"Someone make the room stop spinning..."
"Toothless! What did you do?" said Hiccup concerned.
"He woke me up and demanded a fight to see how strong I was!" protested Tempest.
"I am so sorry about that..." started Hiccup. He had warned Natsu not to bother Tempest, who was still a bit impatient and took challenges of strength seriously.
It was part of the reason that they hadn't joined a guild...most of the ones they ran into took his overwhelming power and odd habits poorly, or tried to restrict them in a way none of them liked at all. Or they were stupid enough to treat Wendy as a 'lesser' member because she didn't like to fight directly.
Hiccup was surprised when no one looked offended or angry at the way Natsu was sent crashing into the guild hall. Most of them were laughing and poking fun at the rose-haired teen, mostly at his idiocy.
Especially since even the guild master was laughing it off like it was nothing.