Summary: Modern AU! Natsu, Lucy, Mavis, and Zeref attends Nashi's first nativity play….Zeref suffers traumatic flashbacks.

Pairings: Zeref/Mavis, Natsu/Lucy, implied Gray/Juvia, Brotherly Zeref/Natsu, implied parental Igneel/Natsu, parental Natsu/Nashi, parental Gray/Ur, and several other family and friendship feels.

YouTube Prompt: Fairy Tail tribute to 'I May Fall' by Jeff Williams, Casey Lee Williams, and Lamar Hall.

Zeref didn't know how he got dragged into this event.

One minute he was planning a quiet evening where he would read his book, take a relaxing shower, and go to sleep with his lovely wife beside him, and the next thing he knows he's being dragged out of the house – forced into a smart suit as well – by his wife and was now currently sitting in the school hall with Mavis smiling radiantly on one side and Natsu yawning on his other side.

And a primary school performance of the Nativity being re-enacted before him.

"Why are we here?!" he hissed to Mavis. "We don't have any children…do we?"

"Of course not!" Mavis rolled her eyes. "I'd like to think that you would notice another person living in our house and calling you Daddy. And we're here," she said much more crossly, "because we're supporting your niece. Now shush! Nashi is speaking."

Zeref blinked rapidly as he tried to process the sight of his five year old niece dressed in a sweet blue and white dress and veil. She looked like butter couldn't melt in her mouth….how deceptive, Nashi was the most troublesome, cheeky, and sly child Zeref has ever known, after her father that was.

Zeref almost dozed off at several points during the play as they went through the same songs and actions that not only did he and Natsu do but probably their parents too when suddenly the next thing he knows 'Joseph' was guiding Nashi as Mary on the stage as they looked for inns.

"I am sorry, Sir," one kid said loudly and nervously, "but I have no rooms at all to give."

"That's okay you can put her in the barn," the boy playing Joseph said unbothered. She's as fat as a pig. Ouch!" 'Joseph' squeaked when Nashi's foot suddenly flew out and smacked him in the shin. "What's that for?!"

Nashi glowered at the boy. Her cheeks were bright red with fury as she crossed her arms defiantly. "You just called me fat as a pig!" she shouted shrilly.

"Well you are!"

Zeref didn't know much about women (he often thought it was a miracle he was actually married) but even he knew you didn't call a girl fat. This boy, he decided, was a moron of the first degree.

"They're pillows!"

"As fluffy your brain," the boy sneered, "cotton head."

"Why you-"

The audience all gasped when Nashi suddenly tackled the boy onto the ground and the pair of them wrestled as they both bit and scratched at one another. Lucy, and what Zeref could only assume was the boy's mother, stood up screaming furiously about being grounded at the children which was unfortunately drowned out by Natsu and the boy's father standing up and shouting encouragements.

Zeref sank lowly in his seat as he wondered if he could pass himself off as that sweet, shy, quiet lamb's uncle instead of what had to be the naughtiest Virgin Mary to ever grace the stage.

"NASHI DRAGNEEL! UREY FULLBUSTER!" the Headmaster boomed furiously. "YOU WILL CUT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME GOD YOU'LL NEVER BE OUT OF DETENTION!"

The children froze and this allowed their mothers to descend upon them and drag them away as they lectured them loudly and angrily. As it became apparent that this was the end of the show, a lot of parents could be heard muttering about how disgraceful the children were as they moved to collect their own.

Zeref moaned, mortified.

Mavis, however, looked delighted.

"Well that was rather entertaining," she declared cheerfully as she put her coat on, "Nashi certainly knows how to put a show on. I've never had so much fun at a Nativity play be…Zeref?" she said worriedly when she realised Zeref was frozen in his seat and as pale as a sheet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…yeah…." Zeref murmured numbly as he stared at the empty stage "…just suffering traumatic flashbacks."

…It was Natsu's first ever Nativity Play, and the five year old boy was proud about being a donkey. Zeref was still part of the whole event but thankfully he was in the choir where he could mime singing and be unnoticed. He was hiding crouched down amongst the other eleven year olds when suddenly a donkey tackled a sheep and the pair wrestled.

It takes Zeref five, long, embarrassing seconds to realise that the donkey was Natsu and the sheep he was wrestling was one of the boys in his class.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL! GRAY FULLBUSTER!" the redheaded Virgin Mary screamed furiously. "YOU WILL CUT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME GOD YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN AGAIN!"

Zeref didn't know what was worse, the fact that a five year old girl had more discipline over his brother or the fact that his brother needed to be disciplined in front an entire audience of parents and teachers.

Either way Igneel was face-palming just as hard as Zeref was.

…Natsu was now seven and he had been promoted to the inspiring role of Shepherd Number Two. It wasn't something Natsu particularly cared about and it became apparent on opening night when it was his cue and the blank look that usually appeared during homework time reared its head and Zeref sighed quietly to himself.

He told Natsu he could help with his lines but Natsu insisted he could remember the one sole line.

"Erm…." Natsu said dumbly. "I like sheep?"

"Pfft!" Shepherd Number Three snorted. "That's not the line. God you're such a moron, ash-br-oomph!"

Shepherd Number Three – also known as Gray Fullbuster, who apparently was one of Natsu's best friends which Zeref didn't get at all – doubled over as Natsu whacked him in the stomach with his stick.

(Why did the teachers think giving Natsu and Gray sticks was a good idea?! Zeref knows that the pair of them spent rehearsals having sword fights. Gajeel snitches.)

Gray retaliated with a whack at Natsu's head and before Zeref knew it another sword fight broke out…

"NATSU DRAGNEEL, GRAY FULLBUSTER!" the redheaded angel stomped her foot. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT RUINING MY PERFORMANCE?!"

Natsu and Gray whimpered.

Zeref sank down in his chair as he covered his face in embarrassment….as did Igneel and Silver who sat on either side of him.

…Natsu is nine and got placed on stewarding which meant that they shouldn't have to go but Natsu wanted them to see how cool and smart he was at helping people to their seats, and so they had to go.

Zeref was utterly bored out of his mind until he could hear what must be a fist fight going on in the back and then –

"NATSU DRAGNEEL! GRAY FULLBUSTER!" the Headmaster bellowed. "YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THIS SCHOOL. DETENTION!"

Natsu was completely unbothered by this but Zeref and Igneel were definitely embarrassed. "How is it even when you're not in the Nativity play you find a way to disrupt it?!" Igneel asked disbelievingly.

"I'm special," Natsu said proudly.

"That's one way of putting it," Zeref muttered.

…it was the last Nativity Play that Natsu would ever be in and of course that meant it couldn't end peacefully. Though Zeref had to concede that it wasn't Natsu's fault this year. The two boys were stood as far as possible on the stage as they sang in the choir when Gray Fullbuster, who had gotten an attitude since his father's death, suddenly drawled out as loudly as possible:

"God Natsu can't you sing in tune?! You're making my eardrums break."

"I sing damn better than you do," Natsu retorted furiously. "You naked pervert!"

Gray flushed as he hastily picked up his shirt from the floor. "It's a psychological problem!" he protested. "And there's nothing wrong with my singing! At least I can get the words right!"

"You're so flat that flat tires can make better music than you."

"That doesn't make any sense you moron!"

"You don't make any sense!"

"Oh that's so clever!"

"Why yo-"

"YOU TWO AREN'T EVEN ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE STAGE!" the Headmaster screamed himself hoarse. His moustache twitching furiously. "HOW CAN YOU ATAGONISE EACH OTHER?! DETENTION!"

Zeref snapped back into reality in time to see thirty year old Gray Fullbuster shove his face into Natsu's. "This is your fault Natsu!" he yelled.

"My fault? My fault?!" Natsu cried out furiously. "Your brat was the one that insulted my daughter!"

"Your daughter looked fat!" Gray snapped defensively. "He wasn't wrong. And your daughter is hardly innocent, she kicked him!"

"Not my fault your kid can't fight."

"You wanna repeat that?"

"Yeah," Natsu and Gray's foreheads were pressed together as they glowered at each other furiously. Any second now one of them was going to punch the other. Zeref desperately looked round for Lucy but the blonde was huddled in a corner with a blue-haired woman as the pair of them were blatantly pretending to not know their husbands. They both had hold of their misbehaving children who both looked utterly ashamed, not just at their own behaviour but of their fathers' behaviour too. "Your kid ca-"

"MR DRAGNEEL! MR FULLBUSTER!" the redheaded teacher that looked achingly familiar to the redheaded Virgin Mary/Angel of Natsu's school days. "YOU'RE HARDLY SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE EITHER! TIME OUT! NOW!"

Much to Zeref's mortification Natsu actually then huddled down in another corner sulking like a five year old as Gray Fullbuster sat in the opposite corner.

Why was this Zeref's family?