SEPTEMBER 14TH — FUTURE
"A Rose by Any Other Name..."
"'morning, Miss Mira!" Mira looked up from the mug she was polishing to see a fuzzy pink head grinning at her. She smiled sweetly in return, bending over to meet the girl's eyes.
"Good morning to you too, Tsubaki. Orange juice?"
"Nuh!" She shook her head vigorously and climbed onto the bar stool to make them more level. She was eight and five quarters as she'd happily tell anyone who asked — well, she generally was happy, a trait from both her parents. Her hair stuck out in wild curls and she had a laugh that could soften even Laxus's heart, loathe as he was to admit it. Makarov was only praying she inherited her mother's calm spirit as she grew into her magic.
"Don Perry-non, please," Tsubaki went on to say. Mira looked at her with wide eyes.
"You know that's not a children's drink?"
"Duh!" she said with a giggle. "It's for Mama and Daddy!"
Oh. Well, that made more sense. Mira inclined her head curiously. "Did they ask for it?"
"Nuh, it's a surprise for their anniversary. Me 'n Iggy have it all planned out." She smiled triumphantly and stuck a thumb into her chest. That was such a Natsu-ish thing to do that Mira laughed aloud.
"Alright, alright, here..." Rooting through the bottles on the shelves for a moment, she pulled a shiny olive-colored bottle and set it on the counter. Tsubaki nodded seriously and pulled a crumpled wad of Jewel from the chest pocket of her overalls. "No, it's okay. Call it a gift from me for their anniversary."
Tsubaki's eyes widened more than should've been humanly possible, and Mira kept a smile on even as she wanted to explode from the cuteness. Then Tsubaki vaulted over the counter to hug Mira around the waist. "Thank you so much, Miss Mira!"
Mira squealed inwardly as she returned the hug. She didn't think the Master would have much to worry about.
Gray was just about to lay the final card on the tower when the door to his apartment was unceremoniously slammed open. He hit the table and the whole house came tumbling down. Letting out a great sigh, he turned to the only person left without a care of personal boundaries.
"What can I help you with now, Iggy?"
"Need something from you, Ice Princess." Iggy's shaggy blond hair hung untamed around Natsu's loosely wrapped scarf, and he had his hands buried in his jeans as he sauntered in and flopped onto Gray's leather couch. He mentioned in passing he liked the smell of leather, so the couch became his prime bum spot whenever he felt the need to burst in, which was often. Not that Gray minded; he still butted heads with Natsu now and again, but his son, while trying his damnest to be Natsu's carbon copy, was so...alive, in a different sense of the word.
With his magic heightening his senses, he sought every interesting smell, taste, and sight he could find, and he kept a journal that he didn't mind showing Gray, as red-faced as he got on the subject. He had a way with words that certainly came from his mother, which showed as he tried to jot down his experiences with the world, and although he wasn't even twelve yet, Gray felt assured he could be a writer if he tried.
—Not that he ever told Iggy that. Just because his fire was weaker than Natsu's didn't make it any more pleasant to be attacked with.
"A sculpture." He pulled a folded piece of paper from the scarf and handed it over. Unfolding it, Gray saw a drawing most certainly done by Reedus from the level of detail. He raised his eyes back to Iggy's amber ones with a curious eyebrow raised.
"You're interested in my sculptures now?"
"Hell no," he scowled, a blush crossing his cheeks. "It's for my folks. It's their anniversary, ya know. Tsubaki's doing her part so I'm doing mine or whatever." The red of his face deepened under Gray's scrutiny and he shrunk into his scarf in a familiar show of petulance. Gray grinned to himself when he wasn't looking. If only it'd been so easy to get under Natsu's skin, their childhood would have been so much more enjoyable.
"Do you have a way to carry it?" Iggy looked up at him in confusion. "You know you have Fire Magic. It'll melt if you hold it too long."
"I, err..." He skewed his mouth and turned away. Gray sighed dramatically and folded his arms.
"Guess I'll have to carry it for you." Iggy was more red than tan at that point and he muttered something that sounded like gratitude if Gray skewed his ears a little. Yeah, he didn't mind the little Natsu brat so much.
Lucy was just about to take the pot of stew from the stove when familiar arms wrapped around her waist. "Happy anniversary," he said into her ear, a smile clear in his voice. She turned around to press her lips to his, clutching him around the neck. It was still funny to feel warm skin and the short scar there instead of the rugged fabric of Igneel's scarf. She giggled when he moved his lip to her neck, then gasped when he lightly bit there.
"Where're the kids?" he murmured against her skin.
"N-No idea...probably the Guild..." she said between breaths. They learned some time ago not to worry too much about them; Magnolia was very safe nowadays, and in the event something did happen, both had enough magic to cause the damage Fairy Tail was known for.
"Did you just want to get us alone?" He smirked up at her and she smiled breathlessly back at him.
"The stew's gonna burn, you know."
He jumped back from her with hands up like he was under arrest. She laughed to herself as she moved the pot to an off burner to let it cool. "Any plans?" she asked, leaning against the counter. He rolled up the sleeves of his red shirt with a devious grin.
"I plan on eating your delicious stew." she rolled her eyes with a fond smile.
"What happened to all the grand gestures? Our fifth anniversary was you cleaning my apartment for a change. It was almost as shocking as the uprooted sakura tree."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with pink cheeks. Twelve years later and he still wanted to deny it. "And you don't know what'll happen tonight. You haven't seen a grand gesture yet." It was her turn to blush as he laughed. The sound of the door opening caught them off guard, then Iggy's voice rang through the house.
"I'll start serving dinner," Lucy said, reaching into the cupboards for the bowl. Natsu went to the living room and let out a surprised and excited laugh. Lucy smiled to herself — maybe Iggy learned another move? He loved Tsubaki all the same, but something about Iggy having an affinity for his magic turned him into a teen all over again. Of course, Lucy couldn't pretend she didn't feel the same about Tsubaki's budding summoning talent. She set the table and filled the bowls for the three of them, and she was just about to take out some bread when Tsubaki called for her happily. "Coming!" Lucy replied, pulling her apron off and pushing her hair over her shoulders. She walked into the living room with a smile—
"Happy anniversary!"
She was floored as a good portion of their Guild mates crowded into their living room with various gifts and their own kids shouting congratulations. To top it off, the centerpiece of the crowd was an ice sculpture formed into a Celestial Key, and a dragon's head was the symbol in the head. She stared on in shock for a few seconds before a little pink head barreled into her waist. "Happy anniversary, Mama!" Tsubaki said.
"Happy anniversary, Mom," Iggy said from the side, a wide grin on his face. Lucy's smile turned wobbly and she reached up to scrub at her eye.
"Happy tears?" Natsu asked from Gray's side, a knowing look on his face. She laughed a little.
"Happy tears."
Later that night, after Makarov started a drunken round of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall", Gajeel and Levy's twins served Iggy to the ground in a magic fight, Mirajane presented Lucy with a box of "toys" wink-wink, Macao and Wakaba sobbed over their own lost youth, Wendy taught Tsubaki how to braid Lucy's hair, and Juvia made the toilet go awry on accident, Natsu and Lucy lay in bed together, each kid under each arm as they snoozed away happily.
"It wasn't your idea, was it?" Lucy asked him. He blew out a breath and chuckled quietly.
"My idea went up in smoke already. But we'll be revisiting Mira's present later." She reached over to hit his shoulder, mindful of Tsubaki sleeping on his chest. "Even though it wasn't my idea, I can't think of anything better."
"I can." He looked at her with wide eyes and she grinned. "Having the best husband on Earthland."
"Or the best wife." She looked at Igneel's face, line-free and peaceful in his sleep, and kissed his forehead.
"Or the best kids?"
"Nothin' better than that."
"Best Guild?" His mouth skewed into a cute pout.
"Goodnight, Lucy." She laughed and hit his shoulder again.
"Goodnight, you baby."
