*A/N- Before anyone says anything, I am well aware that this isn't how social workers really work. My sister is a social worker, I know, I just really don't care. I think it's interesting.
X x x
Natsu's voice drifted down the stairs as he had what was apparently a very animated, though one-sided, conversation with the cat. Zeref sighed, smiling, as he tidied up the living room, listening to his brother ramble on to the cat. It was apparently very important that the cat know every single detail of his life that way they could bond properly. Zeref choked when he heard his own name though.
"And Zeref has a girlfriend and she's really pretty and nice and you'll get to meet her tonight but you can't say anything because I'm not sure that Zeref knows she's his girlfriend yet because he's dumb. But I know because I can tell." The cat meowed as Zeref fumed.
That little brat, he stewed. I'm going to kill him.
"And she'd going to help Zeref cook. Zeref is a good cook, I don't know if Mavis can cook, but I'll be nice even if she's bad at it." Zeref smiled. Even if he was an annoying little brat, Natsu could be sweet sometimes too.
Zeref moved from the living room into the kitchen and began to do the dishes so there would be clean dishes to cook with. Zeref couldn't hear Natsu's one sided conversation over the sound of the sink running, but he was sure the little squirt was still prattling on to that cat. He grimaced when he pictured what the social worker would say about them having a horribly deformed blue cat, but Natsu seemed so-for lack of a better word- happy now. Zeref knew Natsu was a lonely kid, he didn't get along well with the other boys his age, and even the Heartfilia girl's father didn't like him.
Now that he thought about it, Mrs. Heartfilia had died recently as well, so Natsu and Lucy had bonded over that a little. Zeref pitied them, losing someone so important to you was always hard, but especially for kids so young. Zeref wondered if by the time Natsu was his age if he would even remember their parents all that well. Zeref had been lucky enough to have them for his entire childhood, but Natsu would have to grow up without parents. Zeref's eyes burned as he thought about all the fun experiences he'd had with his mom and dad. Tears slipped out of his eyes, his shoulders shaking. No good, idiot, he thought, get ahold of yourself.
A tug on his pants leg startled him and he looked down to see Natsu looking up at him, eyes concerned, the cat riding on his shoulder. Wordlessly Natsu lifted his arms above his head and Zeref leaned down and picked him up, forgetting that his hands were still covered in soap and water.
"Ew!" Natsu said, squirming, "you're all wet!"
"Sorry," Zeref chuckled, wiping his hands off before drying his face. Happy climbed off Natsu's shoulders and onto Zeref's wrapping it's long tail around his neck. Natsu hid his face in Zeref's hair and hugged him tightly.
"I love you, Zeref," he said. Zeref softened.
"I love you too, kid." They were silent for a few minutes, and Zeref wondered how exactly Natsu always seemed to know when he was sad and how to fix it. How did I ever get to deserve a little brother so sweet? He pecked a kiss on Natsu's cheek just as the doorbell rang, and Natsu shrieked excitedly right in his ear. Ugh.
"Mavis is here! Mavis is here!" Natsu chanted, bouncing up and down in Zeref's arms while they cat meowed, clearly unsure about the sudden level of noise.
"I hear you, I hear you," Zeref said, pushing Natsu's face away from his ear so his shouting wouldn't be quite so painful. "Could you maybe stop shouting?"
"NOOOOOO!" Natsu yelled in response. Zeref was fairly certain that Natsu was just trying to be mean to make up for being nice earlier at this point.
"Just be quiet you're scaring the cat!" Zeref snapped as he opened the door. Mavis was smiling up at them when he opened the door. He saw her shock briefly when her eyes landed on Happy, but she recovered well.
"I had heard you guys got a new member of the family!" She said stepping in over the threshold. Natsu withdrew his arms from around Zeref and reached out for Mavis, who obligingly took him in her arms.
"Zeref says you're a part of the family too!" Natsu said, and Zeref felt his face flush. This damn brat, I'm going to kill him. "And he say's you love your family so that means he loves you! Do you love him?" I'm going to kill him. I'm going to do it. I'll sew his mouth shut and lock him in a closet oh my God Natsu stop talking.
"Of course! Mavis replied, "I love both of you!"
"Really?" Natsu asked, looking delighted.
"Of course! How could I not, you're both so cute and sweet!" Zeref's ears felt hot, but smiled when Mavis kissed Natsu on the cheek and he grinned happily.
"I'm glad you're here now because you can help me cheer up Zeref!" Zeref's jaw dropped in horror. "He was crying just a minute ago." Why. Why do you do this to me. Why would he say that. I'm going to die.
"Well he looks much happier now, so I think you must have done a pretty good job on your own," Mavis told him.
"Yeah, but his face is all read and splotchy still." Zeref, unable to take this torment for a moment longer, turned and fled, walking into the kitchen to finish the dishes. I hate that stupid brat. The sounds of Mavis and Natsu giggling- probably at his expense- followed him. He continued to fume about Natsu and his big mouth as he finished the dishes, not making eye contact with Mavis when she came up beside him and began drying.
"Natsu says he wants macaroni," She commented. Zereef rolled his eyes.
"We've had macaroni every night for a week," He murmured, glancing over his shoulder to be sure Natsu wasn't listening in. "If I never see an elbow noodle again it'll be too soon." Mavis chuckled.
"Somehow I thought you'd say that. I brought something else to make instead."
"Thank God," Zeref breathed. "I thought I'd never eat a normal meal again." Mavis snorted.
"What would you do without me?"
"Live in a macaroni and cheese hell with only Natsu and a deformed cat as companions."
"You're lucky I'm here then," she replied.
"So lucky," Zeref agreed. "Am I allowed to ask what's for dinner, though?"
"Breakfast for dinner!" Mavis said. "I thought Natsu would like it." Zeref grinned.
"That's a great idea, I don't know if we've ever done that before. You know, because you don't eat macaroni at breakfast." Mavis chuckled again.
"Anyway, I was planning on doing french toast with some strawberries maybe, gotta sneak in those fruit and veggies when Natsu's not looking, and also waffles and blueberry muffins on the side." Zeref was quiet for a few seconds.
"You're a genius. Getting Natsu to eat right is like pulling teeth. You're so much better at this than me."
"Nah," Mavis said, "I'm just a better cook." Zeref laughed.
"Well thank you, that sounds like a lot of work."
"Oh it is, but that's why you're here. Not because it's your house but because you're going to be my cooking assistant." Zeref grinned.
"I'd be honored, Chef Ramsey."
"Does that mean I get to call you an idiot sandwich?"
"Only if I mess up royally." Mavis grinned.
X x x
Zeref had a lot of fun cooking with Mavis, and she didn't just have him running around fetching things for her, most of the time she spent actually teaching him to do it so he could make these things for Natsu later without her. Mavis was a very good teacher, and Zeref couldn't help but notice how cute she looked with her hair tied up and wearing one of his mom's old aprons. The front said "Kiss the cook" and has a Hershey Kiss on it. His parents had loved corny humor. In fact, his dad had a matching one, but Zeref elected not to wear it. It turned out there were a lot more than strawberries on the french toast that Mavis was making, Zeref told her she'd have to write down that recipe because otherwise he would never remember it.
"Natsu, set the table for us!" Zeref called, plopping a piece of toast into the pan while Mavis watched.
"I don't wanna!"
"I don't care!" The sound of Natsu grumbling approached and he entered the room, his face set in a pout. He grabbed a handful of forks from the drawer and a moment later there was a clatter as he obviously threw them down on the table in protest.
"Natsu do it right, or I'll take away the baton Mavis gave you for a week!"
"You're so mean!"
"I know how horrible for you!" Mavis giggled.
"You guys are so cute," she said.
"He's a demon," Zeref said, trying to peering over his shoulder to be sure Natsu set the table properly.
"I'm sure you were just like him as a kid," She replied.
"Was not!"
"Uh-huh."
"Is the food nearly ready?" Natsu asked, laying plates down in front of three chairs and placing forks next to them.
"Almost, Natsu," Mavis said, grinning at him, "just be patient."
"What are we having?" Natsu asked, approaching them and reaching his arms up. Mavis picked him up and moved next to Zeref again.
"Breakfast for dinner!"
"Really?" Natsu asked excitedly, "that's so cool!"
"And we're having lots of sweet and sugary breakfast foods that you've never tried before!"
"Yay! Sugar!" Natsu chanted. "You're so much cooler than Zeref, Mavis."
"Thank you!" Mavis said. Zeref rolled his eyes good-naturedly and slid the last piece of french toast onto the plate with the rest and stepped around Mavis and Zeref to place it on the table. Mavis grabbed the muffins and Natsu took the waffles and set the food down on the table, then sat.
"This is a lot of food," Zeref said, looking around.
"Please, I'm not even sure this is enough. I've seen the two of you eat." Zeref felt himself blush slightly.
"I'm a growing boy!" Natsu said. "I need lots of food!" Zeref blinked. Now where exactly had Natsu heard that?
"What do you mean, growing?" Zeref teased. "I already decided you're going to be two foot tall for the rest of your life. You're done growing."
"I am three whole feet tall, Zeref!" Natsu protested. "And I am not! I'm gonna be big and strong like you and dad!"
"But Natsu, I don't wanna be the shortest one! So you have to stop growing when you get to be my size!" Mavis said, starting to cut up her toast.
"So just grow some more!" Natsu said, like that was the simplest thing in the world. Zeref and Mavis laughed. "Ur 'onna 'afta eat 'orean at if u 'ana 'ow." Natsu said, shoving half his first piece of french toast into his mouth.
"What?" Mavis asked, looking like she was desperately trying to stop herself from laughing. Zeref, on the other hand, was horrified.
"Natsu, don't talk with your mouth full!" In one great swallow Natsu down the entire piece of french toast.
"Sorry!" Zeref rolled his eyes and reached out with a napkin to wipe off some of the syrup that Natsu had somehow gotten over his entire face.
"You're so messy," he said gently, smiling.
"So Natsu, what's your cat's name?" Mavis asked.
"Happy!"
"Why'd you name him happy?"
"Because I knew when I saw him he was gonna make me and Zeref happy, so it fit!" Mavis smiled, reaching for a muffin. "I told him he'd have to help me snuggle Zeref when he cries, and he didn't seem to mind, and he even helped earlier when Zeref was crying!" Zeref wasn't sure if he wanted to blush, tell Natsu to shut up and stop embarrassing him, or cry some more. Even if he could be a pain, Natsu really was a good kid.
"I'm sure Happy is a wonderful cat!"
"Do you wanna meet him?" Natsu asked excitedly, standing up in his chair.
"No cats at the dinner table," Zeref interjected. He had to draw the line somewhere.
"Aww, but what if he's hungry?"
"People food is bad for cats," Zeref said, "It would make him sick."
"Well Happy is a special cat, so I think it wouldn't make him sick."
"We aren't going to test it and find out." Natsu made a pouting face and reached out and grabbed three waffles. He opened his mouth like he was going to try shoving all three of them down his throat at once. Zeref was assaulted with a very clear vision of Natsu choking and having to go to the hospital again.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Zeref said, grabbing Natsu's hand. "One at a time. Here," Zeref leaned over and began cutting Natsu's waffles into bite size pieces so maybe he wouldn't die trying to eat them.
"Thank you," Natsu said, beginning to shovel the cut up waffles into his mouth. At least he's got some manners, Zeref thought.
When Erik pulled up in the driveway, he was a little surprised to see another car there. It looked to be the same one that had been there yesterday which meant...he could just see Zeref and that girl and Natsu sitting at the dinner table. While he watched Natsu tried to shove three waffles whole into his mouth, and Zeref leapt out of his chair to stop him and cut the waffles into smaller pieces. Natsu grinned before he began shovelling the waffles into his mouth.
His stitches from yesterday were only just visible, but he didn't seem to be in pain. After he set the table he walked over to the girl, Mavis he'd learned, and she picked him up, smiling. Zeref had looked into Mavis after yesterday as well, mostly out of curiosity. What kind of person was she? She seemed to spend a lot of time with Natsu and Zeref. What he'd heard about her had been curious as well. She'd been described as warm and loving, but also scary, analytical, and insanely smart. Why did those two get such mixed reviews with everyone he asked? It was strange.
What was more, Erik wasn't sure how he felt about him either. Those eyes from the other night… but maybe he had imagined it? There was no trace of the man he'd thought he'd seen in the back of the ambulance that day. This Zeref appeared soft and vulnerable, and he certainly cared about Natsu, judging by the way he kept fussing over him. Erik decided to let them finish their dinner before he barged in and ruined the night, it looked like they were having fun.