AN: I was reading this nalu fic by kenzypirateb that was like a wonderland type of story, but it was really on point with its characterization of Natsu and Lucy. I was surprised it didn't have more follows so wanted to promote it. The title was Down the Rabbit Hole, but there are many fairy tail fictions with that name so watch out.
Overall, not really sure about this chapter because I felt somewhat detached from it... Maybe because I have a harder time from male perspectives, and I was writing from the views of someone I haven't really given much thought to? Same goes with the Laxus chapter. Not really sure what but hope you enjoy this. And eventually I will get back with my Happy short. When my computer crashed, I misplaced the file for the short, and then when I found it again, the subject wasn't appropriate anymore- "C'est la vie"
Chapter 8: Snakes in the Grass
The temperature rose from cool to hell faster than you could sell tamales in main street after a parade.
Sting rubbed his sweaty forehead, wishing he had brought a rag or towel to wipe his face. He was hot, hungry, and restless. Curling wire around the posts and barbing it was just too freaking boring. Sting glanced over at the pink headed ass currently dragging poles toward Elfman. The big man was using a huge mallet to strike each one into the ground. The post for the fence this time weren't wood but iron. Each weighed a good seventy-five pounds. Hopefully the extra weight would be more difficult to move.
So far the work had ran pretty smoothly.
They had gotten a good head start before Lucy had brought the ranger.
All in all, the day was pretty strange. First he had been dragged out of bed by his cousin and soon to be sister-in-law. He swore his ankles would never be the same from their cast iron grip. Then he had been riding across the pasture at the crack of dawn with a stomach barely full from breakfast.
He had forgotten how much grit it took to run a ranch.
How Lucy had been doing it without Laxus around was beyond him. She never showed that kind of gumption before. Not that she couldn't, she just was more like him than his brother. Someone who fled responsibility and commitment.
The day was full of surprises. Lucy had been flirting...
If he hadn't gotten the horrible news about Laxus yesterday, then that alone would have been enough to send his world upside down.
The girl did not flirt.
Ever.
Sure she was nice with a charismatic personality, but single men spooked her more than a deer caught in a quarry with a pack of ravenous wolves.
Maybe it was how she met Dragneel?
The man had not been too impressed with her money or her appearance when she shot his horse. That fact alone separated him from most of the male population in the West. He seem to also be warming up to her spunkiness. She could charm a bear out of his honey if she wanted, her normal self locked away, but with this guy, she was short-tempered, random, and happy-go-lucky.
Maybe it had been because they had a history?
Levy had told him about the advertisement situation last night. The previous communication might have let Lucy drop her guard. Sting had thought it funny that the picture in his wallet led the ranger to finding his devious cousin.
Maybe she was just attracted to him?
Sting's eyes shifted to the strange mop of pink hair, the scars on Dragneel's body, and those slanted eyes that were more catlike than human.
"Attraction?"
"Did you say something?" Dragneel asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously as if sensing the train of Sting's thoughts.
"Hahahaha. No!"
"Then wipe that stupid expression off your face and get back to work."
Sting glared as he started plucking the wire again. His cousin had weird taste, but only a mother could love that face. At least, he hoped Lucy wasn't attracted to him. She could do so much better.
Or maybe she had really changed during the year he had been gone.
He didn't like that thought very much. The blonde grabbed his pliers and twisted the barbwire with enough force that it broke the metal.
"Well shit." He threw the piece over his shoulder before pulling out some more.
Time flew by for the three men, and before long Elfman called for lunch.
Sting threw his tools down before stalking toward the food. "I swear I could eat an elly-funt."
"Eating elephants is manly."
The other remained strangely quiet. Soon Sting noticed why as Elfman ate a sandwhich. Dragneel wasn't eating.
"No food?" What idiot would forget his own lunch?
"No."
"Want to share?" Elfman offered some of his lunch while giving Sting a pointed look that translated You didn't fix your own meal so suck it up and share.
"Thanks."
Sting scowled at the big man almost as if punishing the man for his swift charity. Taking a huge bite out of his own food, he munched on it greedily before an idea hit him. Swallowing, he stood up.
"Pretty strange that neither Lucy nor Levy thought to fix you lunch. Let me check your bags." Sting ignored his own food to check Pantherlily. He unzipped the satchel connected to the saddle, grunting in vexation. He had been correct. Turned out, the pack had more food than his. Just like he suspected, Lucy had made lunch for the officer, which meant she probably did have a crush Dragneel's ugly mug. He poked inside at all the delicious fare. Everything seemed really appetizing, but what really caught his eye were stuffed dumpling things on top. His mouth watered in anticipation at the smell.
"Yep here we go. Hey! This looks better than what I have. Man, you got fried chicken and is that apple pie?"
Natsu sprung up at the mention of fried chicken. Sting's face just turned in time to see Dragneel's arm try to grab the bag. Snatching the food away from his outreaching arms, Sting ran.
He hollered, "You can have mine. I want this one."
"Get back here with my food, boy."
"Nope. Why don't you make me?"
"I already beat you once. Don't make me shoot you in that pretty face of yours."
Sting stopped, batting his eyelashes, "You think my face is pretty?"
"Hell no!"
"Maybe its because my face reminds you of a certain female who made you lunch?"
Elfman and Sting rolled in laughter as Dragneel's face became the same color as his hair.
You're not even worth the bullet." Natsu muttered.
Nibbling at one of the dumplings, Sting almost moaned at the flavor, "WHAT?! HOT?!"
Growling, the ex-soldier stomped to Sting, leaving no doubt to his intent. Sting dropped the sack ready for a fight, until his mouth reminded him that it was slowly dying from the jalapenos and whatever other peppers and spices Lucy had put in that tomato dumpling.
Sting held his hands up, "Please... Have mercy?"
"No."
The scuffle lasted only a few minutes before Sting was lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Grabbing the bag, Dragneel started eating the dumplings as he walked back to where he originally sat beside Elfman. Sting got up brushing off the dirt. He followed slightly rebuffed, rubbing his shoulder and staring daggers at the side of Dragneel's head.
"How can you eat something so hot? My mouth is on fire."
"Prefer spicy things. Told Lucy to do her worst."
"And she delivered" Gulping down water from the buckskins, Sting threatened, "This isn't over." Gulp. "You may have won the battle." Gulp. "But not the war so watch your back." Sting then pushed his sandwich into his mouth to help combat the flavor. Strangely, it tasted like sawdust. He swallowed a couple of bites. He didn't have much of an appetite but needed the energy. Sulking, the boy ate his food in silence.
When he was finished, Sting grabbed a couple of rocks to his chest. "Guess who I am! No wait, these are too small. Elf, let's go find some melons. Then Dragneel will like me."
A stick hit Sting right between his eyes.
"What the hell was that for?" He growled. Elfman started eating the last of his food very rapidly. Natsu sat calmly eating. He licked his fingers deliberately slow, savoring the flavor.
"Don't act like theres a halo on your head. And even if there was, it would be held up by a pair of demon horns."
Natsu didn't stop, just kept on stuffing his face.
"Am talking to you jackass."
Finally, Dragneel spoke, "Maybe it was divine intervention. Punishment for disrespecting your cousin."
"Please don't talk me like I'm actually trying to earn your approval. Really I don't want you to like me. It was a joke."
"Your joke wasn't very funny. Nobody is laughing."
"You think you got us all figured out. You know nothing about me... or her. That's our relationship. She doesn't care what I say. We are best friends. Actually, she's more of a sister than friend. Closest person to me, in fact. "
"Apparently not that close if you left her here why you went gallivanting around the saloons and whorehouses. "
Sting saw red.
Elfman started hitting the posts again, yelling, "Back to work. Breaks over... MEN!"
The boy's fist clenched and unclenched in unspoken rage.
"Take that back!"
Natsu turned away to sip the water in his deerskin.
"If you didn't feel guilty, that comment wouldn't have made such an impact."
Sting didn't care any more. He was going to teach this guy a lesson. Charging, he was unaware when Natsu sidestepped him, allowing Sting to rush past him before place a leg out to trip him. Sting rolled with the fall, kicking upwards into the awaiting leg block by the other man.
Jumping up, Sting brought a upper cut to Natsu's chin who threw his arm around in a defensive position before throwing his own punch.
"How many times do I have to beat you before you will calm the fuck down?"
"Probably many more times than this."
Sting rounded on Natsu with a knee to his stomach, but the experience of the other fighter led Natsu to grab the leg and set Sting off balance. As the younger boy tried to right himself, Natsu locked his head.
"Calm down."
Sting exhaled deeply after stuggling for a few minutes.
"Are you calm now?"
"No."
They both set on the ground with Natsu still holding Sting. Bloodied and bruised, Sting finally was released so he could lay down.
Natsu glanced toward the boy, "Listen man, I don't want to have a problem the whole time I'm here, but just got to let you know. You're a selfish, spoiled, sexist, asshole. Your comments about the people around you is annoying. That's why I gagged you when we left the city. You just won't shut the fuck up."
"Don't hold back now."
"I know you were just joking about Lucy, but that's really disrespectful to make fun of the person who has single handedly taken care of this place while your brother was sick. 'Specially with you was missing in action. From what Sheriff Lyon told me, you gave the town women in Hargeon trouble, which means you probably don't respect women in general. I don't have to know you to see a pattern. I see it in the young criminals I arrest. The ones that have their life destroyed because they get involved with bad crowd. You were raised without a female figure in a high testosterone environment. There seems to be a problem with some of the men in your family. Grandfather and father plus you and your brother. You are use to using your fist and mouth before your head. Being the youngest, you were never forced to do much, unlike your brother." Pausing his speech, Natsu stood, holding a hand out to Sting, "You actually are a lot like me. I never knew my real mother and my step mother died when I was a teen. I was surrounded by my brothers, dad, and cousins. Didn't have a care in the world other than myself."
Sting shrugged and allowed himself to be helped up.
"Why did you become a ranger?"
"I didn't really 'grow up' until I was in the army. The person who made me mature was the man in charge of my squadron, Gildarts Clive. When my dad died, I came back home but couldn't really settle down. Rogue was running the ranch, and Zeref was up in Congress, trying to change the world. My cousin Gajeel was getting into trouble, and I had to track him down. It was kind of fun so just took the next step to being the lawman. Didn't really care about any of the other characters back home, and they really..."
Hooves could be heard in the distance.
"Is that sound coming Love's side?"
"No."
"Phantom?"
Sting nodded. He was pretty familiar with the lines even if Phantom S had tripled in size during the last few months.
Elfman ceased his swinging, moving to where they stood. The crude hammer bridging his huge shoulders behind his neck.
Natsu inquired, "Expecting anyone from that direction?"
"No."
"Doesn't sound like very many." Natsu strolled to where his belt hung over a post with his shirt. He pulled out his gun, checking the chamber. "You might want to prepare for company."
Elfman and Sting didn't move as pair of unfamilar horses broke through the trees. Natsu faced palmed.
"That means stop gawking out in the open, idiots!"
Next Chapter: When Neighbors "Come A-Calling"
Thanks to the Reviewers:
- Lyonsgirl - Silver light of the dawn - SunflowerChrysalis - Phiafairy - J.C. - NaluFTFanatic - Guest - Emperor Zeref Dragneel-