"Shut up, you fucking idiot!"

"I can say that right back, stupid metal face! Shut up!"

"Guys, please…"

"NA-TSU! NA-TSU!"

"GA-JEEL! GA-JEEL!"

"Psst! He's going to wake – "

"I'M HUNGRY!"

A loud yawn interrupted the dragon slayers.

Their mouths snapped shut. Five pairs of eyes stared at the giant figure before them.

He had awoken. The black dragon, destroyer of worlds, he who brings chaos and destruction, the bringer of the apocalypse, the most vicious dragon slayer to ever walk this earth. Acnologia.

The beast slowly opened his eyes, not fully awake even after a long night of sleep. His pupils widened, adapting to the dim light of the cave. Acnologia lazily watched the dragon slayers before him. A pink haired young man with tanned skin and a strangely scaly scarf around his neck was growling at a slightly older and way bulkier young man with messy black hair and a face covered in men glared fiercely at each other, the only thing stopping them from brawling was a little girl with long, dark blue hair and kind eyes. Leaning against a nearby wall, were two more men cheering on them. One had flashy blond hair and… remarkable bright clothes, while the other had black hair and an equally dark outfit.

The huge dragon smirked, showing off his razor sharp teeth. The faces before him blanched.

"Hey hungry, I'm dad."

The way his adopted children's faces fell was downright comical. His booming laughter mingled with their pain filled groans and pleas for him to stop.

"Give it to me!"

Acnologia couldn't suppress his snort when the 'ball' smacked Gajeel solidly in the mouth.

After a huge breakfast – they were all at least part dragon, after all – Acnologia insisted his hatchlings calm down for half an hour so they could digest their meal without running the chance of barfing. But it was apparently too peaceful for Natsu, the boy starting to twitch with excess energy.

Soon enough, the slayer picked up a rock and started throwing it against the wall.

And thus began… that. Whatever that was. Acnologia didn't really understand the rules of this weird game his rugrats were playing, but at least they weren't complaining anymore. And the occasional hit on… unfavorable places were pretty amusing, too.

Like Rogue, who suffered a hit right into his gut.

Acnologia rolled his eyes at his family – because that was what they were. Although they shared no blood and even were enemies once, they now were nest. The war had opened his eyes. He saw how the dragon slayers worked together. Saw how they fought together, full of desperation and hope, lost in a war they had no fault in, fighting to survive.

And suddenly he was thrown into another time, where his father had still been training him. Acnologia remembered the warmth of his father's body and the smoothness of his scales. His father's deep voice and bad jokes – he had to get them from somewhere, after all. Acnologia remembered being a kid, just like them. Lost in the middle of a war he had nothing to do with. And suddenly all the destruction and death seemed so meaningless. All the hate and resentment that had been boiling in him, eating him from the inside out, consuming his entire being had just…left. Leaving behind nothing but an awful sense of emptiness.

So he changed. He found a new place to stay – a cave in the middle of the forest, with much prey running around and far away from any big cities. He changed, calming himself instead of exploding when he got upset – he was far from perfect, but it was impossible to deny how he improved ever since he tried to kill his children. And he adopted the five dragon slayers currently throwing projectiles at each other. Training them and feeding them and treating them as if they were his own children. And they are, in a sense.

A hit to his head ripped the former king of dragons out of his thoughts.

Wendy opened her mouth – probably to apologize for the rock, which he knew for a fact that Sting had thrown – but a warning glance in her direction made her snap it shut again. While he appreciated the sentiment, it was something they were working on. She shouldn't apologize for things that weren't her fault, just as saying no was a struggle for the shy girl.

In the beginning it had been hard. The dragon slayers had been surprisingly forgiving – it had only made himself feel worse for all those centuries of resentment and anger – but he hadn't been used to sharing his cave with anyone else. Especially not with people as loud and energized as the dragons slayers. He had developed a bit of a soft spot for the sweet and, most importantly, calmer Wendy in this time – not that he would ever tell her brothers.

Acnologia sighed as Wendy used a Sky Dragon's Claw to divert the stone flying towards her face – starting a discussion if it was cheating to use magic. He already knew it would end with a brawl. Again. Acnologia smiled fondly. He didn't mind when his kids fought each other. He knew they would never seriously hurt each other and it was a fun way to train. Besides, they would all go crazy if he didn't allow it.

The predicted brawl started. He ducked his head to avoid a flying Wendy and a not-nearly-as-gracefully cart-wheeling Gajeel. He had almost forgotten how hyperactive his nest could be…

It was rare that all dragon slayers were here together at the same time. After two years of training they'd gradually left, until Acnologia had the cave all to himself again. He couldn't blame them – he knew they had a life outside his nest. They wouldn't just abandon their guilds – especially Sting, who was the master. And Acnologia had the suspicion that a few Slayers already had a marked one waiting at home, although he wasn't sure if even they were aware of it.

He scowled when he was hit again – this time with Rogue. Wendy apologized (it was actually her who blasted him this time), before mercilessly sending torrents of wind against Natsu. As much as the black dragon loved his kids and was more than happy that they could all be there at the same time, he had forgotten how annoying they could be. When another rock hit him in the face – yet again – he had to work to suppress a growl.

Had he been so bad as a kid?

He smiled when he thought back to his father, a chaos dragon named Luan. He remembered climbing on his huge snout to wake him up in the morning, always so eager to start the day. And being a bit of a hothead – patience had never been his strong point. But what he remembered the most was lizard hunting. He and Luan would go outside, the blue sky stretching above them, and go in search of the tiny reptiles. They wouldn't eat them – it would take lots of lizards to feed a dragon after all – but it was incredibly fun. And it was good training. His grin grew as more memories resurfaced. How proud he had been after catching his first lizard. How he kept trying to –

He didn't hold back his growl when the next chunk of rock smacked his snoot. "Okay, enough!"

The kids actually listened, all of them dropping their rocky weapons. Acnologia took a look outside and nodded in satisfaction. The weather was perfect, the season was right, the hyperactive children would be outside and they would be able to spend some quality bonding time together. Perfect.

"What do you think of going outside on a little hunting trip?"

"Is it a cyclops monster?" asked Natsu.

"Shut up."

"Is it a Leopard?" Natsu kept up his line of questioning.

"Leopards don't even live in the forest you fucking idiot!"

Wendy quietly snickered. When Rogue exploded, you knew that things were bad.

If centuries of being alive hadn't taught him patience, Acnologia was sure he would be in a similar predicament. He honestly didn't know how his daughter was still so calm. When he saw that Natsu was about to suggest another huge monster, he decided that it was enough. Time for some payback. "Besides, it would be no fun to hunt a leopard."

He had to hold back a snicker as his children watched him wearily, not sure if he would actually give them some advice or terrorize them with another one of his jokes.

"They're so easily spotted after all"

They groaned as if in physical pain. His smirk widened when he heard Sting muttering how he'd 'rather have Natsu's stupid monsters' and Rogue straight up banged his head against a tree.

If Acnologia had to deal with their fighting and screaming, it was only fair that they dealt with his amazing jokes.

They walked in a companionable silence for a while. He took a deep breath, filling his nose with the familiar smell of plants and earth and something he could only describe as forest. He smiled in contentment.

Normally, every single moment together was filled with action. They were either yelling or brawling or training or hunting or doing something. But moments like these – just a quiet walk in the forest together – were rare. And he cherished them. In moments like these, he felt connected to his family. In a different way. It was… peaceful. Peaceful and n –

"Is it a whale?"

He turned around, only to be met by a fuming Rogue. The guy looked ready to slowly and painfully murder his brother. Before the dark-haired boy could actually go through with any unspoken threats, Acnologia stopped, successfully attracting their attention and (for now) halting any attempts at murdering Natsu.

He let his gaze wander through the small clearing they were standing it. The sunbeams descended upon the treeless spot – the perfect place for a sunbath. He nodded in satisfaction and faced his kids again – only to be met by a fighting Natsu and Gajeel. Acnologia sighed. Honestly, why was he even surprised?

As soon as the two brawlers noticed his gaze, they froze. It was a comical pose, really. Gajeel's fist in Natsu's mouth while Natsu tried to secure the other in a headlock.

He shook his head and let a huge smile overtake his features. He was almost as excited as he'd been when he was a fledgling. "We are going LIZARD HUNTING!"

"… can't we hunt Vulcans instead?"

He growled, irritated. While he knew that Natsu had never been one to bother with politeness, this was just plain rude. "Where are your manners, boy?"

"I don't know, my father didn't teach me any!"

Acnologia growled playfully as Wendy bristled on his behalf. Without any warning, he lunged at Natsu. The boy's mischievous grin was soon augmented with laughter as Acnologia rubbed his fist against his son's head. "I dare you to say that again!"

"You're fucking old, pops!"

Acnologia would never forget the first time he was called a father. Wendy had already been half-asleep – he wasn't even sure if she remembered her muttered 'goodnight, dad,' but he knew he would never forget it. Rogue had been next. Then Sting. And Gajeel. Natsu had been the last one. He now knew why the dragons had chosen to raise these children, so long ago. He still felt a surge of warmth whenever they addressed him like that, and he didn't think it would change anytime soon.

The chaos dragon laughed and let the boy go after a last strong rub.

"So. About the lizard hu-"

"Psh!"

Sting looked annoyed on Rogue's behalf, but Acnologia warningly pressed his finger on his lips so he wouldn't speak. He'd caught a movement from the corner of his eye and – indeed. Sitting on top of a stone was a brownish, little lizard. He pointed at his prey, bathing innocently in the sunlight, and his nest immediately quieted down in understanding.

The air shifted. The dragon slayers went into a stance, ready to jump into action within seconds. They were on full alert, their heightened senses picking up every single movement in their vicinity. The playful air from before was completely gone; dragons were predators, after all.

"Lizard hunting is like normal hunting." Acnologia was so quiet, a normal person would have a problem distinguishing his words even if he was whispering them in their ear. But with their heightened senses, the slayers had no problem understanding him.

"First, you sneak up on them. Then, you wait for the right moment and poun –"

"POUNCE!"

Acnologia looked behind him in irritation, but Natsu was already gone, lunging after the tiny lizard. The jump was good, he noticed, not without pride. When they'd first arrived, the slayers had been awful at hunting. Fighting? Sure. Acnologia had experienced on his own body how good they were. But sneaking up on animals that more often than not were faster and had as keen senses as them? No. it had been a very… amusing experience, watching those almost grown-ups running helplessly after rats like little fledglings. Well, everyone besides Rogue, that was. That kid was a natural.

Natsu's sudden attack would've probably worked – if he hadn't loudly announced his presence beforehand. At least Natsu was more than happy to chase after the little reptile when it fled into the depths of the forest.

Acnologia shook his head exasperatedly before turning back to the rest of his nest. "Like that. Or similarly, at least. But without the screaming. Oh, and I almost forgot. Pay attention, because lizards can –"

"I've got iIIIiiihhh!"

Acnologia smirked gleefully as the others laughed. If Natsu had only stayed long enough to listen…

"Oi! Who's the girl screaming over there, Salamander?"

"Shut up, metal face! It's… THE TAIL!"

"You caught a lizard tail, Natsu! Isn't that the name of your guild?"

"It's FAIRY TAIL, you old coot! And you know it!"

His sensitive ears caught the sound of quickly distancing steps. Seemed like Natsu still hadn't given up on the lizard. He turned back to his little pack to finish his explanation. But as infuriating as Natsu could be, Acnologia couldn't be angry at the boy. He had been just like that when he was little, after all.

"When Lizards get scared, they can detach their tail to confuse obnoxious and clumsy kids trampling after them. Like it happened to our dear Natsu."

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Good!"

Acnologia decided to search for another clearing after that – Natsu's screams had undoubtedly chased away any other potential prey nearby. He turned his back on his son and started walking. Natsu could be as loud as he wanted as long as he didn't disturb Acnologia's hunt.

But as soon as they started moving, any thoughts about his energetic son disappeared. The atmosphere was once again charged with the thrill of the hunt. The slayers were careful not to make any sound, focused intently on their surroundings.

So it wasn't surprising when a nearby rustling bush immediately caught the attention of the whole hunting party. It was almost less surprising when Gajeel decided to sneak after it. At least he had the decency to mumble a quiet warning before leaving.

He suppressed a chuckle when he heard Gajeel whining that he, 'would catch more lizards than that flaming idiot could even imagine.'

Acnologia decided to leave that lizard to Gajeel and continued moving – they'd only disturb him after all. He was considering taking a turn, when he suddenly heard a light shuffling from his left. He turned abruptly, but found nothing but leaves and rocks – no signs of potential prey. Maybe it had just been the wind? He turned around to ask his runts for their opinion and blinked confusedly when he did so. Four pairs of eyes looked at him – not six like when he'd last checked. "Where's Rogue?"

"What do you mean 'where's Rogue'? He's right –" Sting now had a similar expression to Acnologia earlier, blinking dumbfounded at the spot where he swore his brother had been mere seconds before.

Wendy chuckled at his incredulous face. Acnologia shrugged and resumed their hunt – not like waiting would do them any good.

The next kid to leave was Sting. Acnologia couldn't say that he was surprised when he heard a loud brawl starting in the distance. Of course his energetic sons would meet eventually, and of course their bragging of who was the best hunter soon turned physical – Acnologia knew he wasn't supposed to be biased, but he couldn't help but agree with Rogue. He remembered one of their first hunts: Rogue had caught five mice, while Natsu and Gajeel caught three. Together. They had moped the rest of the day, to the amusement of everyone else.

The only surprising thing was that it had taken so long, really. And the only less surprising thing was how eager Sting was to join them. Acnologia didn't even have to look at him to know that he was longingly staring at the source of the laughter and playful insults in the distance while shuffling his feet in excitement.

Acnologia sighed. "All right, go on." He shook his head at Sting's rapidly retreating back. He really was too soft on his children. His gaze shifted to his only daughter. "Don't you want to join your brothers, little one?"

She raised her gaze from where her brother had stood seconds ago. Wendy slowly shook her head, but stayed silent.

Acnologia frowned. "Are you okay, my little angel?"

She didn't say anything.

Neither did he – giving her all the time she needed.

She took a deep breath. For a moment, Acnologia thought she was going to say something. But instead of opening her mouth and telling him whatever it was that was clearly bothering her – or, Acnologia thought with blazing eyes, whoever dared to hurt his little angel – she turned away and started walking.

Acnologia followed helplessly. He was a dragon who had lived for over a century. He'd survived two wars. He had been a father for over a year now. And yet he had no idea what to do in situations like these. Should he say something? Should he ask her what was bothering her? Should he just stay quiet? Should he change the topic and pretend their weird little moment didn't happen? But it was his responsibility as her father to address and help her with her worries, right? But what if she started crying?

He wondered what was wrong. He'd noticed it. Of course he did – she was part of his nest, after all. The faraway look in her eyes. How she never seemed to be fully there. How she isolated herself from the rest of their little family. At first he'd thought it was only his imagination. Then that it was because of her age – puberty wasn't an easy time for anyone, after all. But now…

He was ripped from his thoughts by a flash of green. Barely a second later, he saw his youngest chasing after it.

Wendy didn't let him wait for long. He barely had time to ponder over her weird behavior before she suddenly was in front of him again. She was proudly showing off her hands, where a little green lizard sat.

She beamed and animatedly retold how she caught the fast reptile. She almost seemed younger - so happy and excited and proud of herself. The forest wasn't as dense where they were, and her eyes almost seemed to be glowing in the warm sunbeams descending between the leaves.

But then the lizard jumped away from her hands and - just like that - their little moment was gone. Neither attempted to run after the little animal. The atmosphere was getting heavy again. He swore he heard her gulp quietly.

"I – uh. I – I'm in love."

As soon as the words registered in his head, he felt his heart grow heavy.

He knew the day would come. The day she would finally find her… her ma- partner – like most other dragons did. But just because he knew it, didn't mean he was ready for it. Acnologia knew she wasn't a fledgling anymore. She hadn't even been a fledgling when he took her in, over two years ago. But she was Wendy; his shy little girl who hid more power in her body than anyone could expect. His Wendy with a heart of gold. His…

He shook his head. Now was not the time for this. He could mope by himself later at home. When all his kids left again. And his little Wendy – wait, no. She wasn't little anymore. She –

"A-Are you okay?"

He pushed his thoughts away and focused on the important thing right now – his daughter. She was looking at the ground, trying – unsuccessfully – to hide her bright red cheeks with her long dark blue hair.

"Of course, Wendy. Who is it that stole your heart, little one?"

He hoped that he managed to keep most of his negative emotions out of his voice. As mixed as his feelings were, he wouldn't let them get in her way. He wasn't sure how successful he was. His daughter was very empathetic and could read people surprisingly well – especially those she was close to. She started fidgeting, staring at the floor as if it contained the answers of the universe. He could almost smell her nervousness.

Finding a m- this was one of the most important milestones in the life of a dragon. The beginning of adulthood. Well, for those who had one, at least. What a pity that she wasn't mateless like him...

In the next second he immediately shoved the thought away. He knew that there was nothing wrong with not falling in love, just like there was nothing wrong with falling. Resentment was an ugly feeling, and he had learnt that lesson the hard way. Good grief, he hadn't been ready for this when he proposed they hunt lizards.

"I-It's Chelia"

Acnologia frowned. He could've sworn he'd heard that name before…

"As in your friend Chelia? The Wind God Slayer?"

He watched as she visibly tried composing herself.

After a last deep breath, she curled her hands into a fist and looked up, glaring him right in the eyes. "Yes, that Chelia! My friend Chelia! She… my girlfriend Chelia!"

Acnologia swore his heart stopped beating. "You- you already mated?"

"Wha – n-no!", her eyes widened, as if she just realized what she had said. Acnologia almost felt faint in relief. While it was… difficult to see his kids growing up, the mating dances and rituals was something he looked forward to teaching them. "We – we're not together. Not – not like that…"

She sounded so… sad. Acnologia felt the conflicting urge to kill that Chelia girl – god slayer or not, nobody could stop a protective father in a rampage – or start planning her and Wendy's wedding. Anything to make his little girl happy.

"It's just… Chelia is my friend. And she's a girl. A-and I'm in love with her."

Acnologia didn't know what to say. What should he do? Congratulate her for finding her mat – no he couldn't even think that word in conjunction with his precious child. Ask her to take things slow? Lock her inside their cave so she could stay his little girl forever?

It didn't help that he himself didn't have one. That didn't happen often, although it wasn't as rare as one might think. Dragons fall in love exactly once, when they find their mate. That was it. Which was why it was so important that she was in love – why he felt as if his heart could burst out of his chest any minute and he got the ridiculous urge to cry. The mating was an important milestone for every dragon – it represented the beginning of adulthood.

Of course he also became an adult dragon – even without a mate. At first he'd been confused when all his friends fell in love – even the ones younger than him! – while he didn't. He never fully understood all those cheesy love poems his dad liked – still didn't. But he had learnt to accept it. It wasn't something bad. He'd even found more dragons like him eventually.

"…Dad?"

He refocused on his daughter – and clenched his jaw. All her previous confidence was gone. She now was an even bigger mess than before, twitching and biting her nails – a bad habit she'd gotten from Sting and Rogue – and… was she stifling tears?

Acnologia held back a growl. He hadn't even said anything and was already messing up. What a great father he was…

"I – I'm… I'm not sorry! Yes, I am in love with a girl! Bu – but I'm not ashamed of it! Why should I? She's a wonderful person and I am happy to have fallen for her. You always taught me to be myself, right? Well, this is me! I like girls!"

Acnologia blinked.

It took him some time to finally understand what she was talking about. Most of the time he was glad he hadn't destroyed humanity in the end. But in some moments – moments like these – he wanted to hunt down every hateful little human and disembowel them with his claws; one by one.

For dragons, mates were something almost holy. Nobody had control over who they were mated with. Or if they had one at all. Some said it was destiny or fate. Some said it was decided by an omniscient deity. Some even thought it was mere coincidence. But it didn't matter in the end. What did matter, was that they were. Mates were the being they would spend the rest of their life with. They became family. No matter the gender or the breed – mates were sacred. Acnologia couldn't even start to imagine how it would feel like to have one, but he'd heard enough bad poems about finding 'your other half' to know it was a very big deal.

However, most part of his brain was focusing on a completely different matter. Wendy was… actually taking his advice to heart. She was being confident. Wendy was being herself – showing unashamedly what a wonderful person she was. And she wasn't sorry for it. Just like she should. Just like he taught her.

He knew he should be focusing more on the fact that she was feeling romantic attraction – she now had a ma–… a mat… a mate. Wendy had a mate and he was so proud of her. Of the beautiful woman she was already becoming. Whoever that Chelia girl was, she was one lucky woman. And she'd better not even think about hurting his daughter. He'd have to have a word with Chelia soon. Oh god. This was all happening too fast.

Acnologia was so caught up in this odd mix of pride and sadness and joy and melancholy and excitement and whatever more, it took him an embarrassing amount of time to remember the predicament his daughter had been in before he zoned out.

Acnologia sighed. He really was no good with speeches. He had always been more of a 'kill first, talk never' kind of guy.

"Hey, Wendy. Look at me, my angel," he used the time it took for her to look up to sort through his thoughts. He'd killed over ten dragons. He'd survived two wars. He was known as the bringer of the apocalypse. Surely he could tell his daughter how much he loved her without making a fool of himself or making her hate him. He took a deep breath, focussed on her warm and worried brown eyes to give him courage. He knew he would do anything to keep her happy. "I know that this is a time of much change and you might feel uncomfortable in your own skin and your sudden… attraction to Chelia is probably very… confusing as well. But I want you to know that this is completely normal. I don't care that the one lucky enough to… to win your heart..."It almost hurt to say it out loud. His Wendy was already such a fine lady,"...is a girl. As long as she makes you happy and you have a good and healthy relationship, I am happy for you."

She slowly lifted her head. A small smile had overtaken her features. It was fragile and perhaps a bit wobbly, but it was one of the most honest and happy smiles he had ever witnessed. And one day – soon, too soon – she would be directing that adorable smile to her ma-

"Thank you, dad!"

He took another look at his now beaming daughter and all his worries disappeared. In that moment he knew, no matter what happened, he would always be her dad. And she would always be his daughter.

Acnologia kneeled down to her height and carefully pressed her forehead against his. He wasn't sure what she was thanking him for – being a good father? Nailing his speech? Not having burst into tears yet? But it was clear that it was important to the girl. His soft smile matched hers. "You're welcome, little one"

They stayed like that for a little while, smiling at each other in a comfortable silence. Until his knees started hurting, to be more specific – give him a break, he was literally hundreds of years old.

"I – hick!"

Wendy's eyes widened. Acnologia smirked mischievously.

"Don't you dare!"

He stood up. "I'm not doing anything!"

Her suspicious eyes didn't leave him for a second. A smart girl he had. A lady already. He took a deep, steadying breath. It didn't matter if he felt ready or not. This was something that had to be done. "Wendy, are you familiar with the," he gulped, he could and he would do this, "the mat- buh!"

He chuckled in delight when she gave a high pitched screech in shock. It only worsened when she glared at him. Without hiccupping. She rolled her eyes at his smugness.

"Okay, jokes aside. I'm serious, Wendy. I know for a fact that you aren't aware of all the m-m-mating rituals yet, and I'd be more than honored to teach you."

She nodded, although a bit uncertainly.

"Great! We won't leave this forest until you memorize the entire dance –"

"Dance?!"

"Dances. We can even catch some lizards to use as an audience! And – "

Acnologia kept expounding on his plans and Wendy nodded along, bemused and thankful her father saw her for who she was and supported her with his whole heart.

A/N

And this is my entry for the Fairy Tail Reverse Bang 2020!

There is beautiful art ( post/628171235471360000/ft-reverb-2020) by pan-princess-levy and lots of thanks to nalufever for being an awesome beta - without them this would've been a mess.

I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and faves are always super appreciated - and needed!

And if you've read this far: I hope you have a great day :)