So sorry for the wait you guys! I promise that I haven't abandoned 101 Reasons I'm just getting my ideas together.

That, and I've freaking FINALLY found some time to writer. You see, I live in Michigan, and we're on our fifth snow day in a week. Essentially, I've been out of school for roughly eight days in a row and I'm snowed in. Like, up to my windows. It's horrible, I can't go anywhere, and I have a horrid case of cabin fever, which I've decided to remedy with writing. Lots of chapters as well as maybe a new story will be coming out today.

I don't own Fairy Tail. I own this seven year old laptop, my wireless router, and all the five-foot drifts of snow on my property. And a shovel. I REALLY need the shovel.

~MM~

After being rescued by Natsu and his new friend – what was her name again? Lily? Lucy? Eh, she had a rockin' bod', so it didn't really matter – Macao had fallen promptly asleep. Like, passed out, not-even-Natsu-falling-down-a-mountain-could-wake-him-up asleep.

He'd passed out cold. Pun totally intended.

Now though, as he rode back to Magnolia, on a train this time, Macao was wondering when a good time to "wake up" would be. Truth be told, he'd been awake since the group of three plus one feline had arrived at the small, dingy train station in the next town over. In fact, he'd woken up in the wagon that Lucy had commandeered off the side of the road from a passing farmer, who happened to be heading in the same direction as them, with a shouted "We are NOT walking back to Magnolia!". That was when Macao figured out that the defense mechanism he'd cultivated running from jealous past lovers and quick-eyed husbands from his many escapades was still very much alive. The yell of a woman full of anger never failed to put some steel in his spine and hammer it flat.

Then commenced the journey back, in which Natsu, predictably, became motion sick and Lucy, predictably–– well, Macao didn't know her all the well, so her reaction was a bit of a judgment-maker for Macao and when she started laughing, he knew right away that Natsu was well on his way to being well and truly whipped.

Then she'd started sneezing and shivering and cursing Natsu out without any really malice and Macao knew that it's be sooner than later when Natsu got completely taken in by the lovely lady.

As soon as Natsu grumbled and upped the temperature around them – to which Lucy scooted closer to him on the bench, still leveling a lethal glare at the dragonslayer turned portable heater – that Macao decided that Natsu had to the end of the summer. Roughly three months away.

The kid was so done for. Hopefully Romeo would learn from this and never get taken in by a pretty face and a fiery spirit (who was he kidding? Romeo was his kid, emulated Natsu at every turn, and grew up in Fairy Tail. Macao was inevitably going to end up with a terrifying daughter-in-law).

Once they got to the train though, Macao wondered if Natsu even knew how much he was giving up to Lucy – he was riding a train, voluntarily, with minimal complaining – but almost as if he heard Macao's thoughts, Natsu crossed his arms over his chest and bit out loudly from the corner of his mouth that it was "easier to make her (Lucy) shut up when she got what she wanted". To which Lucy responded with a series of high-pitched insults and creative cures he could try to get rid of his motion sickness. Evidently, she'd be glad to help; absolutely delighted; but seeing that the most common cure was death by some grisly means, Natsu backed off and Macao silently sent his approval. There was no arguing with that tone in her voice; Macao happened to know that tone very well. He might have snickered a bit though at Natsu's easy defeat.

Natsu had literally dropped Macao on the booth bench for that.

Now Macao was caught in a battle of the most peculiar sorts between Happy and Lucy. It had started off with a comment from Happy about Lucy's magic from earlier and if she had any keys that could manifest fish. Then Happy had backtracked and told Lucy that he was sorry for thinking that she'd ever have something so useful on her. That trail of conversation had degraded and now they were nearly at each other's throats, gritting out comments about their resourcefulness and prowess (Lucy) and the dumb luck and other small details that obviously had contributed way more to her success – if she could even call it that – than anything she'd done (Happy). Finally, Happy made a comment about her never having had to do anything for herself, probably because she was some sort of royalty, that Lucy had thrown her hands in the air and stormed out without a word.

The blue cat had looked at the door with a befuddled expression before his ears dropped along with his tail. Out of the slit he'd dare open his eyes, Macao watched Natsu shakily pat his best friend on the head and tell him not to worry about it, that Lucy was just a little strange, kind of a weirdo, but that he should probably apologize because it was wrong to make assumptions about people they didn't know that well.

Happy had nodded his head and floated out the door in search of the blond, his apology muted through the walls but still audible.

"I'm sorry too, Happy, I overreacted. I'm not used to having people around to tease me and banter without it actually meaning something." The two continued to talk outside the booth and Macao finially decided that now would be a good time to wake up.

"She's a keeper, that one. Got enough spirit to keep any man on their toes and enough sense not to go too far."

"What? You've been awake this entire time, ya' old coot?"

Macao chuckled and stretched out his arms, "Didn't want to ruin the atmosphere," Natsu snorted, "but seriously, I feel like she's a good girl. I hope Romeo finds someone like that."

"You're delusional, old man, Romeo's too young for any of that."

"Hmm," Macao hummed in agreement, peering at the window where Magnolia was coming into view, "but you're not." Natsu sputtered, but his retort was cut off by a rough bump in the tracks and his words were cut off in favor of holding his stomach and covering his mouth. Macao laughed and he was thrown a rude gesture from Natsu's direction before the fire-magic user fell against the window with a groan.

The seed had been planted. Macao'd give it a month before checking the progress the plant had made.

~MM~

Erg. It started snowing again. I will NOT being going outside.

I love Macao's character; I see him as a kind of uncle to Natsu. And I apologize if this seems choppy. I word vomited it in about half and hour.

R&R Please!