Summary: A possible happy ending to the manga. After Zeref has been defeated, the guild struggles with the new recruit Natsu wants to join.

Pairings: Implied Natsu/Lucy, Implied Mavis/Zeref, brotherly Natsu/Zeref, implied Zeref/Lucy friendship, implied Wendy/Mavis friendship, implied Gajeel/Gray/Zeref friendship, and lots and lots of other friendship feels in general.

YouTube Prompt: Gray/Juvia video to 'Mama Mia' by Abba.

"So," Natsu said nervously, "what do you say?"

"….No," Gray deadpanned.

Natsu's forehead twitched but he didn't argue or punch the frosty arsehole in the nose just yet, he needed to persuade them all to agree with him, not set them all against him. And unfortunately Gray was the one he needed to persuade the most. Damnit.

Everyone else apart from the odd kind soul all nodded in agreement with Gray. "I am sorry Natsu," Lisanna said apologetically, "I'm sure he's very nice now but that doesn't change the fact that we've all been in hell and back-"

"Literally," Bickslow stressed.

"- because of him," Lisanna finished.

"Oh come on!" Natsu whined. "Please! Pretty please! With strawberries and icing on top!" Erza looked as if she was relenting. She could never resist anything that came with strawberries and icing on it. "I'll take care of him, and feed him, and make sure he doesn't do anything bad, just let him join the guild, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"HELL NO!"

"Natsu," Zeref sighed, "first, I'm not a dog, please don't talk about me like I am one, and then secondly you shouldn't force this on your friends. They made a valid point."

"But it wasn't you!" Lucy protested. "Most of the stuff done in your name was made by insane cult people and demons who only thought they knew what they wanted."

"Besides you're harmless now," Natsu argued passionately, "I beat that crappy curse out of you and you're back to normal. You can't do anything."

Zeref's eye twitched slightly at that. "I am not useless," he mumbled, "I think your friends are quite right to-"

"Oh ignore him!" Mavis interrupted cheerfully as she hugged Zeref's stomach tightly. The dark haired made groaned as he could have sworn she broken a rib or two. "He's just being all noble again. Trust me, Zeref is harmless as a fluffy bunny," she told the rest of Fairy Tail, "and he's cute like one too!" she squealed. "Just look at him, isn't he adorable?"

"MAVIS!"

"I don't know First," Laxus said hesitatingly, "there is still a risk that he might turn evil again, not to mention the crazy people who might get it into their head that we kidnapped him, and-"

"Mavis," Mavis corrected him sweetly, "I am just a regular Fairy Tail member now, remember?"

Everyone sweat-dropped. There was no way in hell they were ever going to see the previously dead founding Master of Fairy Tail as just another member. No matter how much of a cute school girl she looked like in Wendy's clothes (which Wendy was really hoping that Mavis would stop stealing and buy her own).

"Yeah, Mavis," Gray mumbled awkwardly, "It's too much danger and trouble for all of us. And it's because of his demons a lot of us are orphans!"

"I am solemnly sorry for that," Zeref bowed his head, "I hope you will one day find it in your heart to forgive me though I would not blame you if you never do. I understand if you want me to leave, I only request that I can spend my remaining days on this planet visiting my brother and Mavis and Lucy."

"Aw crap!" Gray cursed as he saw many people, mostly the girls, get teary-eyed at Zeref's humble and heart-felt words, and then suddenly glare at Gray. "How can we say no now?" Natsu grinned and pumped a fist in the air as Lucy, Mavis, and Happy all cheered happily. "But! But that does not mean we trust you," Gray said hastily, "or that you're one of us just yet."

"Understandable," Zeref nodded in agreement, "would it help if I told you some embarrassing stories about Natsu? I have some excellent ones about his bed-wetting and how he tried to hide it."

"What?!" Natsu yelped as he flushed bright red. "No! Zeref, don't you dare!"

"….welcome to the family, my brother!" Gray said cheerfully. He draped an arm round Zeref and herded him to the bar so he could tell Gray more. "Are you going to tell me if Natsu also had a blankey or a teddy bear he carried everywhere?"

"Zeref if you tell him anything about Grumpy I will kill you, like you asked!" Natsu hissed viciously.

"Grumpy?" Lucy murmured. "What is with you and naming things after the Seven Dwarves?"

"The Seven what now?" Natsu asked weirded out. "I just named the teddy Grumpy because it had this really weird scowl on it."

"I don't know," Gajeel smirked as he joined Gray and Zeref, "I don't fell just stories is enough to make us trust you."

"I also have all of these baby photos."

"IT WAS FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO!" Natsu exploded. "HOW?!"

He was ignored as everyone had immediately crowded round Zeref to look at the photos. "Ha!" Gray barked. "There's one of Natsu's nappy being changed here!

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" Lucy cooed. "You were such a cute baby, Natsu!"

"LUCY!"

Natsu ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in a corner, completely depressed, and ashamed, as Zeref proceeded to bring out every embarrassing aspect of Natsu's life from stories to pictures to even memories being played out on a lacrima….why didn't he kill his brother when he had the chance, again?