"What?!"

A sudden outburst broke through the early morning chatter in the guild hall, making the members in the half-renovated space jolt and swivel their heads towards the noise. They filled the room with a tense silence, as their focus shifted to the standoff in front of the mission board.

Romeo glared up at his father, the older man's imposing figure blocking the rest of the mission board. Clenched in the child's fist was a paper that served both as a mission request, and the source of their argument.

The youngest family member felt the eyes on his back, but he didn't pay much attention to them. He couldn't spare the irritation at his nosy guildmates, not when his father was currently threatening to make Romeo's rage boil over.

Macao let out a frustrated sigh. "Romeo, you heard what I said. You're not taking that mission, you're not going on a mission, that's final-"

"Why not?!" Romeo boldly demanded.

The Guild Master's face remained ice cold. "I don't need a reason-"

Romeo interrupted again. "Yes you do!" He pointed accusingly at his dad. "You told me that whenever I say 'just because' about what I do, it's not a real reason. If I need to have one, then so do you! Why can't I take a mission?"

"You don't have your guild mark yet."

"Then give me one!"

"I will not. You're too young to-"

"Bullshit!" Romeo swore without hesitation, too angry to care about Macao's disapproval. "Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, and so many others got their guild mark when they were kids! I've always wanted to be a Fairy Tail mage! Why won't you let me join?!"

Macao did nothing except stare, his face twitching with several emotions the child didn't care to discern. Romeo stared back, unrelenting. The tension radiating from the father and son was suffocating, to the point that Wakaba scurried away from that side of the bar to avoid the atmosphere.

After what felt like an eternity, Romeo stubbornly straightened his back, and narrowed his eyes. "Give me one good reason why you won't let me join Fairy Tail."

His challenge hung in their air between them. Nobody dared to speak or interject, afraid of what may occur if they got in the middle of the argument. The Guild Members watched, their eyes moving between their leader and his son.

When Macao didn't budge, Romeo continued,"You can't say I'm not ready! I've been practicing my magic for ages now! Natsu says my fire is really good! I'm not helpless anymore! I can do it! Why won't you give me a chance?!"

"Romeo!" Macao snapped, using a voice that was usually reserved for the guild when they got too rowdy. "I'm done talking about this! You are NOT going on that mission, that is my decision. This discussion is over!"

The child stared up at his father with wide eyes, shocked by the outburst that had been directed at him. For a moment, he felt his eyes burn with the threat of tears, but the return of his anger shoved the sadness away.

He furiously crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it towards his father. "I hate you!" He cried out as he turned and stormed out of the guild hall as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Romeo didn't stop running even as his father and several other guild members called out for him, he skirted around the building and darted into the thick trees that filled the hills, knowing he'd lose them there. When his lungs started to burn he stopped and ducked behind a thick bush, waiting to see if anyone was following him.

The forest behind him was empty, only his heavy footsteps in the dirt showed that anyone was there. Good. They didn't follow me. He thought as he stood up with a relieved sigh. I don't want to hear whatever dumb words are going to come out of their mouths. It's always an excuse! They tell me no, they say I can't, but why?!

His fist clenched at his side and he swiftly spun around, punching the nearest tree with all his might. At the same time, a loud explosion shook the ground and sent a shockwave through the trees. Romeo yelped in surprise and stumbled backwards, his eyes frantically searching for the source of the noise.

After a beat of silence he heard another explosion, followed by a bright burst of flame to his right. Instantly, his sour mood lifted the slightest bit and a bright smile exploded on his face. He knew that flame anywhere, there was only one person it could belong to. Natsu! He must be training! Maybe I can join!

The thought was quickly snuffed out as he found the clearing where Natsu was, and realized he had stumbled upon an intense training fight. Jet, Droy, Reedus, and Kinana were all circling Natsu with determined expressions. The pink haired mage wasn't focused on any one of them, remaining in a defensive position, his muscles tense and prepared for an attack.

For a long and tense moment nobody even breathed, and then Reedus raised his paintbrush into the air, already glowing with paint. Natsu whipped around to face his direction, his hands bursting with a bright flame. At the same time, Jet used his High Speed to fly towards the dragonslayer with a battle cry.

Natsu's attention quickly shifted as he swung his hand in an arc through the air, sending a burst of flame towards Jet and forcing the man to dodge his attack. He swiftly returned focus to Reedus, managing just in time to use his flames and dispel the painted boar that was charging at him.

Droy had been creeping along the edges of the battlefield, but seemed to notice an opening. He threw his chain plants onto the ground at Natsu's feet which quickly began to burst from below him. Natsu stumbled backwards at a frantic pace, but had no time to adjust his footing as Jet and Reedus charged him from his sides.

Natsu quickly ducked down and slammed his fist into the ground. Flame pillars erupted out of the grass, forcing the three challenging mages to stumble backwards, though they were still left slightly singed. They all looked exhausted, but prepared to attack again as Natsu stood up, his flame pillars still burning brightly.

Before any of them could make another move, there was a blur of moment and a high pitched battle cry as Kinana burst her way through a gap in the pillars. She sent her foot flying, slamming into Natsu's stomach. It wasn't that strong of an attack, but caught Natsu so off guard he couldn't stop himself from crashing to the ground, his flames vanishing all at once.

Instantly all ferocity in Kinana's attacks disappeared. "O-Oh my gosh! Natsu, are you okay?!" She hurried to his side, helping the dazed dragonslayer sit up. "I'm so sorry!"

Natsu blinked a few times before a bright smile emerged on his face. "What are you apologizing for, Kinana? That was badass!"

"Yeah!" Jet roared in agreement. "Talk about a sneak attack!"

"I didn't see that coming!" Droy complimented. "You won that match for sure, with just a kick! How cool is that?!"

Reedus gave a small nod. "Good job." He softly whispered.

Kinana blushed in surprise from all the praise, and quickly looked down as she twisted her hands together. "I- I didn't expect that to actually work…"

"But it did!" Jet reminded her with an encouraging nudge. "Remember a few weeks ago when you were too scared to even join the training? Look at you now!"

Somehow, her blush grew even worse. "I- I still have a lot to learn…"

Natsu chuckled as he raised his arms above his head and stretched. "So do I." Hemotioned to the general area around him. "We all do, that's part of being a mage, and a Fairy Tail member, you never stop learning!"

"Hell no! Not when there's so much to learn! And so many cool bad guys to beat up!" Droy eagerly agreed. "And especially when those bad guys keep getting stronger!"

"I dunno…" Jet looked unsure. "Can any bad guys be stronger than the apocalypse dragon?"

Droy shrugged. "Probably. It seems like everytime we beat up the 'strongest' bad guy, a new 'strongest' one shows up. Maybe we'll fight the god of death or something one day!"

For once, Reedus was quick to join the conversation. "Please don't predict something like that." He muttered desperately.

At that moment, Romeo decided to step out of his hiding spot. "Uh… Hey guys." He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to act chill and hide his internal fanboying at getting to witness such awesome training battles. "Are you all training over here?"

If anyone knew he had been watching, they were kind enough not to say anything.

"We are!" Kinana happily replied, still shining from her battle-win.

"We're training our own skills, and helping Natsu with his magic sight thing, so it's a win-win!" Jet casually supplied as he began to stretch his legs.

Romeo turned his attention to his idol. "I thought you had your magic for that all figured out?"

Natsu gave a half smile. "I do. It's just that when I'm in crowds of people or if there's a lot of magic being thrown around, it's hard to separate it all and figure out what's coming from where. I start to get overwhelmed, and that's not something I want to happen during a battle."

He motioned to everyone again. "So we've been doing one on one fights, and fights like these. That way we all get to train and get better together!"

Reedus fiddled with the ends of his paintbrush as he softly added,"You are improving too, Natsu. Last time, Droy's chain plants were able to grab you."

"Yeah! You dodged them that time, that was really cool!" Droy pointed out, and then puffed his chest out proudly. "And it's even cooler because I'm even stronger than I was when that happened!"

"Didn't that happen yesterday?" Kinana asked, genuinely confused.

Droy froze, and then broke into a huge grin once more. "It did! And I'm already even stronger than that! I'm just that awesome! Sorry, but you wouldn't really 'get it'. You gotta be one with the vines to feel the growth of the vines; It's a plant magic user thing!"

The rest of the gathered mages responded with blank, confused stares.

Jet snorted with a mischievous grin. "Can't reason with crazy, Kinana. Believe me, I've been trying for years."

"Oi! What did you say?!" Droy instantly charged at his friend, the two rambunctious Shadow Gear teammates descending into a good-natured brawl.

Natsu shook his head with a fond sigh, and then turned to face Romeo's general direction once more. "Was there something you needed, Romeo?"

"Are you here to join our training?" Kinana asked as she stretched, ignoring the kicking and screaming men three feet away from her.

Romeo was about to eagerly agree to join them when an idea wormed its way into his head. He leaned on the scorched tree next to him, and tried to look as casual as possible. "We could do that... Or, maybe we could take our training butts back to the guild hall, go to the board, and find out just how good our training has gone by doing a mission! You guys can pick the mission!"

Yes, yes! If he could get his guildmates to agree to get a mission, he could have one of them grab It, and then they'd be off before his dad even had a chance to realize he was gone and get lectured again. It's the perfect plan!

For a moment it looked like it was going to work, too. Jet, Droy, Kinana, and Reedus were all sharing excited glances and chatting idly about the possibility of taking a mission. It just might work! But then he turned his eyes to Natsu, and saw the dragonslayer face was marred by suspicion.

"Did your Dad say it was okay for you to take a mission?" Natsu questioned.

Instantly Romeo's veins flooded with red hot anger, but he did his best to keep calm. "Uh… of course he did? I wouldn't be asking if he had said no!"

"So if we ask Macao if he agreed to this, he'll absolutely say yes?" Natsu pushed further, his arms crossed over his chest now.

The young boy's mind frantically tried to come up with a way to escape the lie he'd cornered himself in, but quickly realized he had no way out. "Fine! He didn't agree. I was lying!" He snapped, then motioned towards the dragonslayer. "But Natsu, you have to understand where I'm coming from, right?"

Natsu sighed. "I know you're eager to start going on quests, I was too when I was your age, but if Macao said you can't yet, then I'm not going to argue with him."

"What?!" Romeo balked. "But… How can I become a true Fairy Tail wizard if I never get to do missions?!"

Kinana moved to stand by Natsu's side. "Romeo, you're only eight, you have all the time in the world to start missions-"

The young boy fumed. "I don't need more time! I'm ready! I know I am! Why can't any of you see that?! Why aren't any of you listening to me?!"

Natsu's expression melted into a sadder one as he reached out. "Romeo-"

"Forget it!" Romeo snapped, turning away from the useless adults. "I'll just go and sit in a corner or something, since that's all I seem to be good for!" Without another word, he stormed off back out of the forest.

With nowhere to go and nobody who would listen to him, Romeo climbed up a random tree and sat up on the thick beaches, his knees pulled to his chest and silent tears streaming down his eyes.

He sat like that for a while before a quiet chirp made him jump. He looked up above him, and found Natsu's pet lemur, Tree, staring down at him with those wide, green eyes. The animal chirped again, tilting his head.

"Oh, hey." He reached up and gently scratched behind the animal's ears. "I guess you'd probably not want to be around during all the fighting, huh?"

A glutton for attention, Tree eagerly grabbed Romeo's arm and used it as a bridge to crawl into the boy's lap. He curled up into a ball, closed his eyes, and melted under Romeo's gentle petting.

The simple, rhythmic motion helped Romeo calm down a little bit, but he still felt so frustrated. "I don't understand it… Why do grown ups have to be like that? Why can't they just be honest and talk to me? I know I'm just a kid, but I'm not stupid!"

Tree chirped in what the child hoped was agreement, nuzzling his cold snout against Romeo's free hand to encourage more petting.

"And so what if I'm a kid? Natsu was my age when he started doing quests! I don't know why he and dad suddenly care now! I can do it, I know I can!" Romeo insisted as he scratched behind both of Tree's ears. "But if they don't give me a chance, how am I supposed to show them that?!"

The sound of footsteps made him freeze, his wide eyes quickly looking down to see Nab pacing nearby as he stared down at a quest paper with a pinched expression. Vijeeter was standing next to him, gracefully leaned against the outside of the guild hall.

"So is that our mission or not?" They asked.

Nab let out a long, suffering sigh. "I don't know. How do I know if this is the special mission I'm looking for?"

This time, Vijeeter let out the suffering sigh. "I don't know, man! Maybe it isn't, but that's not the point right now. We're trying to make sure Laki has enough money for the renovations, remember? Like Natsu and Macao asked us to do?"

Romeo, despite his frustrations, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the two mentioned names. His dad had truly come into his role as master now that he knew the guild was behind him, his shining confidence helping him escape from Makarov's large shadow.

Natsu had surprisingly fallen into the role of advisor quite smoothly, and had almost even taken up Erza's guild role as well. While he was still their fiery, excitable dragonslayer, the entire guild had already grown to fear those dangerous glares and stern talking-to's that he'd give when they screwed up badly. (He was pretty sure Warren and Max still had nightmares about Natsu's ferocious lecture after they nearly toppled half the guild's newest extension during a brawl).

When he realized he was smiling at the memory, his anger suddenly returned and he quickly shook off those feelings and refocused on the conversation below him.

"B-but…" Nab's stuttering was cut off as he gave a tearful pout. "S-special mission…"

"No buts!" Vijeeter grabbed the mission from Nab, grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged the blubbering man behind them. "We're going on this mission! You won't suffer too long, it'll take less than a day! And if you try to abandon it halfway through like last time, I'm tying you to a tree and force feeding you celery sticks!"

Looking a little green at the threat, Nab let them drag him away without protest. Romeo watched them walk away, his growl of frustration causing the lemur in his lap chitter nervously.

Romeo waved his hand towards the two departing mages. "Look at them! They don't know how good they have it! Nab can stand in front of the request board all day until he finds a mission he likes, I'm not even allowed to look at the damn thing! How is that fair! How am I supposed to prove myself if they won't let me?!"

An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he eagerly scooped up the lemur. "You know what, Tree? Who needs them! I know what I'm going to do. I'll sneak into the guild hall tonight, grab a mission, and do it before anyone can stop me! Then, when I come back with the reward, they'll see they were wrong! They'll see I'm just as strong as any of them!"

He scooped up the lemur and hopped out of the tree, running back towards his house to pack his bag in preparation for the trip he would soon be going on. It's a foolproof plan!


Romeo knew the guild hall would be empty that night. Though usually there were some stragglers, the plans for the party that would celebrate Alzack and Bisca's return from their honeymoon kept everyone busy. He knew there were still a few hours before the couple would arrive at the station, and that he had at least an hour before his Dad would come back to finish up paperwork. This small window was his best chance to do what he needed to do. He'd be on the road before anyone knew he was gone.

The wooden doors groaned as he pushed them open. He didn't shut them, that would waste too much time and he didn't have a lot of that. He began slowly sliding across the grainy floors. It was nearly pitch black in the guild hall, but he'd been staring at that mission board so long that he knew exactly where it was.

Nobody could stop him now, he was almost there. He held his hand out as he crept forward, until it came into contact with the feeling of cork board and paper. The mission board! Now he could just grab a mission and-

"Going somewhere?"

Romeo whipped around, found himself staring into eerie blue and black eyes, and couldn't stop himself from jumping backwards with a high pitched scream of terror. In his panic, he lost his footing and crashed to the ground, but his gaze never left those terrifying eyes.

After a few, panicked seconds his mind caught up and he realized that there was only one person those eyes could belong to. "Natsu?" He croaked.

"Yup." The dragonslayer casually waved, as if he hadn't just scared the living daylights out of Romeo.

The young boy balked. "H-How did you know…" He trailed off, unable to find the courage to verbally admit to his idol what he had been about to do.

There was a moment of silence, as if Natsu was waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, the guild advisor let out a soft sigh. "Did you forget about Galuna island? When me, Lucy, and Gray thought it would be a good idea to steal an S-Class mission?" Natsu reminded him. "It didn't take me long to figure out that you might try something similar."

Romeo has completely forgotten about that. He blushed with embarrassment and turned to glare at the floor. He felt so angry, both at Natsu for catching him and at himself for thinking his stupid plan would work. Why did he even think he could do this?

Without his permission the tears began to fall. He furiously rubbed at his eyes, but the waterfalls wouldn't stop. It was like the dam had finally broken.

"Romeo…" Natsu's voice was soft and gentle. "Please, talk to me."

"What's the point?" Romeo tried his hardest to sound mean, but it just came out sad. "Nobody listens to me…"

Natsu's shadowed form moved to slide down the wall, sitting down in a relaxed position. He patted the ground next to him, an open invitation. "I'm listening right now. Tell me what's on your mind, you've got my undivided attention."

The boy sniffled a bit longer. Part of him wanted to refuse the request and show Natsu what it felt like to be ignored, but a bigger part of him just wanted to let it all out.

He carefully made his way over to the wall and sat down next to his idol, with his knees pulled up to his chest once again. He took a few deep breaths, gathered his thoughts, and opened the floodgates.

"I don't understand why Dad won't let me get a guild mark, or why he won't let me go on missions… I've been training for this for my whole life, and I thought that he supported me! But now, whenever I ask, he says no! He won't even listen to me when I try to explain! Why doesn't he listen to me?!"

The tears began to return in full force, and this time he didn't even bother to try and stop them. "I just want to be a mage like him, why doesn't he want that anymore?" He looked up at Natsu. "Why?"

For a long moment, Natsu was silent as he contemplated Romeo's questions. "Well, I can't speak for your dad, but I have a feeling that he and I are dealing with the same thing right now."

"Dealing with what?"

"Fear. I'm scared." Natsu admitted without a hint of shame.

"Scared?" Romeo echoed in disbelief. "You? But you're Natsu! The Salamander! You're one of the best fighters in Fairy Tail! What could you be scared of?"

"I'm scared of a lot of things. After what happened on Tenrou…" Natsu's winced, his expression darkening. "Whenever someone leaves on a mission, I'm scared that they won't come back. I'm terrified of losing any more of my family. I wish I could protect you all from everything forever, but I know that's not possible and it hurts."

Romeo couldn't help but stare in awe at his idol. He had never even thought about how Natsu might feel about what had happened. He lost sight and so many of his guildmates to that horrific dragon. Though the rest of the guild also mourned their lost family, Natsu was the only one of them who saw Acnologia and survived to tell about it. It was likely by miracle and complete chance that he was alive, no wonder he was scared.

Unconsciously, Romeo scooted closer to Natsu and slowly moved to lean against the young man's side. Natsu responded to the affection with an arm around his shoulder, holding him in a close, protective hold.

"Do you…" Romeo paused, trying to phrase his question right. "Do you think dad is scared like that too?"

"Of course I am."

Romeo jolted in shock, while Natsu didn't react at all. He turned towards the source and found his father standing in open guild doors, the moonlight illuminating his strong form.

"Dad!" Romeo jumped to his feet, took a few steps toward his father, and then hesitated. "Um… How much of that did you hear?"

Macao's face melted with sadness. "I heard enough." He moved closer and knelt down to match his son's height. "Romeo, I'm so sorry. I should never have snapped at you like that. I shouldn't have shut you down like I did, I should have explained myself to you, and even if I was scared, I should have listened to you."

Romeo sighed. "It's okay, I… I shouldn't have said I hate you. I don't hate you. I was just mad, but… I shouldn't have said that." The traitorous tears returned again, and he quickly wrapped his arms around his dad in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry."

His father hugged him back without a hint of anger. "It's okay, Romeo. I forgive you. I understand."

Romeo squeezed the fabric of his dad's coat, and somehow managed to find the courage to keep talking. "Dad… Why don't you want me to go on missions?"

This time, instead of snapping or refusing to explain, Macao let out a large, sad sigh. "I'm scared. Just like Natsu is. After losing a master who practically raised me, kids I watched grow up, guild members I spent so many years with… I don't want to lose anyone else important to me." He placed his hands on Romeo's shoulders, and the boy could feel his father shaking. "Then when Twilight Ogre attacked us and you almost got hit, all those fears felt even more real."

The young boy easily recalled that day, it had been so exciting that it had been hard to concentrate on anything other than celebrating, but he did remember how tight his father's smiles looked for the rest of the night whenever he looked at Romeo.

"Oh…" He looked down, he wasn't sure what to say. How did one respond to that? He twiddled with his thumbs for a moment, and then looked up. "Does this mean that… I can still become a mage?"

He was immediately swept up into another hug. "Oh, buddy, that was never out of the question. Your magic is already so much stronger than mine was at your age, and I know one day you'll be one of the best mages in Fairy Tail, but… You're only eight years old, I want you to still have time to be a kid. You deserve that much."

"But what about the guild?" Romeo frantically asked. "We need money, right? For food and housing and stuff? If I took missions, I could help pay for things!"

Somehow, his father looked even more sad. "Romeo, that's not on you. I'd never put that much responsibility on your shoulders."

Romeo sniffled again, rubbing his eyes. "I know, but… I- I just feel so useless. Everyone else is doing so much for the guild, but I'm not helping at all. What am I even good for?"

"Well, I can think of plenty of things." Macao didn't hesitate in his response. "You're my son, you're Natsu's little brother, you're family to everyone in the guild. Most of all, you're a kid with a bright future who we all love and cherish very much. It's our job to take care of you, not the other way around."

Still, Romeo wasn't satisfied. "I know that, I do, but… I still feel guilty. I feel like I should be doing something to help…"

Macao hummed softly, scratching at his stubble. "Well… What if, instead of missions, you help Kinana with the chores sometime? Dishes, sweeping, stuff like that?"

It wasn't the missions he wanted to do, but the more Romeo thought about it, the more he found that he liked that idea. Even if it was just busy work, he wouldn't mind helping Kinana. It would be nice to do something. He looked up at his father and gave a small nod.

"Alright. You can help Kinana whenever you feel up to it. " Macao gave him another tight hug. "Don't forget, we all love you no matter what. You're a strong, brave young man and I am so, so proud of you."

"I know, Dad." Romeo said, and then realized he really did believe it. Though there was still a simmering of guilt and sadness within him, it was beginning to fade away with the kind, genuine words from his father.

The past year was extremely rough. Romeo had lost so many people in one day, then lost his childhood home, and the guild had fallen into ruin. Even now, when the guild was back on their feet, it was hard to let himself accept that fact and act his age. It was hard to remember that he was just a kid, that it wasn't his responsibility to pay bills or keep the guild from falling apart. It was hard to remember that he wasn't a burden.

But then he looked up at his smiling father and saw the warmth in his eyes, the love that was constant and unfazed by any dangerous force. He knew without a doubt his father loved him more than anything. Even if Romeo one day changed his mind and never joined Fairy Tail, he knew his father would still love him. That would never change.

He thought about himself. He knew he had changed, he could feel it in every step, every thought, and every flare of his magic. He was never going to go back to that innocent kid from almost two years ago, he had lost too much in such a short time, and he still did want to become a mage with all his heart. However…

"I think I want to be a kid a little longer," Romeo softly decided. "I still want to train and learn more magic of course, and I can help Kinana with chores around the guild hall, but I don't mind waiting a little longer before I start going on missions."

Macao looked momentarily surprised, and then smiled. "That sounds like a good plan. In a few years, we can revisit the mission idea. You can have a small team, and see how you feel before and after the missions. If you still don't feel ready, we can wait until you are. Does that sound good?"

The boy gave an eager nod. "Yeah! I don't mind waiting a bit longer because in a few years, I'll be even stronger!" He flexed his arms and grinned. "And then, no mission will be too tough for me and my teammates!"

His father laughed and ruffled his messy hair, his tired face alight with a happy smile and the guild hall brightened by the sound of his laugh. He pulled Romeo into one last hug. "Thank you for talking to me, son. I love you."

"Thank you for listening." Romeo hugged him right back. "I love you too."

When they pulled away, the father and son felt lighter than they had in months. The tension between them had faded, replaced with understanding. Though there were still plenty of conversations to be had, it was a start.

"Unfortunately, I have paperwork to do, and lots of it." Macao suggested. "Why don't we all head down to the station? The paperwork can wait, Alzack and Bisca should be arriving anytime now."

From his spot against the wall, Natsu suddenly jolted up in a panic. "Wait, it's been that long?! Oh shit, the fireworks! I need to set off the fireworks!"

"Fireworks?" Macao echoed, looking slightly nervous. "Who thought it would be a good idea to set off fireworks for them?"

"It was Jet and Droy's idea, but I told them couldn't light them without me because with my fire, I'll make sure it's an excellent light show!" Natsu explained quickly as he scrambled to his feet. "But if I take any longer they'll set them off without me, and that will be such a boring welcome home!"

"N-Natsu, I'm sure regular fireworks are fine!" Macao desperately tried to argue.

The dragonslayer wasn't having any of it. "No way! We need this to be just like their love! Bright and explosive!"

Macao looked even more pale. "We really don't-"

Ignoring the guild master, Natsu turned towards Romeo. "You know, two flames are better than one!" He gave a mischievous grin. "What do you say we use our fire to make things more exciting?"

"Say no more, I'm in!" Romeo declared loudly, charging out of the guild hall with an excited Natsu and a panicked Macao following swiftly behind him. "This is going to be the best 'welcome back' party ever!"

The party was incredible, lasting several days and several nights as they celebrated the return and union of the couple. And though both Natsu and Romeo were both banned from ever touching fireworks again, the delighted looks on Alzack's and Bisca's faces at the sight of the brilliant light show was well worth it.

As he danced and feasted with his guildmates, Romeo realized he felt happier than he had in a long while, like a weight on his shoulders was suddenly lifted. With his family around him, he knew that he didn't have to try and be an adult, he didn't have to worry about the guild's money anymore. For now, he could just be a kid, and make some more amazing memories.