Hey Jealousy - A Fairy Tail Fanfic - Chapter 13
Happy endings!
All characters property Hiro Mashima
Chapter 13 – Guys, Gals and Gophers
Wendy Marvell bounded into Fairy Tail, followed closely by Charle, Happy and Pantherlily who hovered around her like bees to a flower. Windswept and breathless, the petite Sky Dragon had run straight to the guild from her home at Fairy Hills eagerly anticipating the day's adventures. Charle, ever the lady, had wanted to fly at a leisurely pace, but the others couldn't wait to get to the guild. They were sure that today was going to be the day. It had to be!
The click-clack of Wendy's shoes on the wooden floor, though, was the only greeting the small group received as they entered the near empty guild. A quick glance around the hall confirmed their fears - Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, Gray and Juvia, who had disappeared earlier in the week, were still nowhere to be seen. Wendy and Happy's hearts sank at the thought of another boring day without their friends, while Pantherlily frowned, but said nothing.
"I told you we didn't have to hurry," said Charle, smoothing the white fur around her ears that had been ruffled in their haste. "They're not here today either."
Happy drooped. "But I miss Natsu! Plue said it would only be for a few days!"
"These things cannot be rushed, Happy," said Pantherlily, who, being much older than the other two exceeds, could understand why the others had not returned just yet. "I miss Gajeel too, but they need their privacy. Besides," his eyes gleamed, "I've quite enjoyed staying with you. So many things to organize! Don't tell me you don't feel a sense of accomplishment at our cleaning efforts?"
This was too much for the blue exceed who simply could not face another day of scrubbing down the home he and Natsu shared. "Wendyyyy!" he cried, flying into the arms of the little mage, seeking solace.
"Don't worry, Happy," said Wendy, giving him a hug. "Let's talk to Mirajane, maybe they came in this morning and went on a quest before we got here." Still holding Happy, she walked to the bar as Charle and Pantherlily floated around her. Happy wiped his eyes with a paw and stifled a sniff as he snuggled closer to Wendy. "Yeah, maybe."
Mirajane greeted the quartet with a warm smile over her steaming mug of chamomile tea. "Good morning!" she chirped. Setting down her drink, she took Happy from Wendy's arms. "How are you all doing today?"
"Not so good," said Happy, who was placed on the bar. "We miss our friends!" Mira glanced at the other two exceeds who alighted next to Happy. Pantherlily was nodding in agreement, but Charle seemed more interested in adjusting the bow on her tail than the absence of the more boisterous members of Fairy Tail.
"By any chance have you seen Natsu and the others today, Mira?" asked Wendy, as she struggled to hop onto a bar stool that was still too high for the young girl. "We were hoping they'd have returned by now."
Mirajane leaned over the bar to extend Wendy a helping hand. "Not yet, but it's still early." She pulled up the small Sky Dragon Slayer onto the barstool with little effort. "Keep heart, I'm sure they'll turn up soon! Now how about a nice glass of milk for everyone?"
The exceeds eagerly agreed to the offer of their favorite drink. "Thanks, Mira, I'll take one too," said Wendy, her legs dangling from her perch. "Not that I don't care about our other guildmates, but everything seems so dull without our team!"
Charle took a dainty sip from the mug of milk Mirajane handed to her. "I rather enjoy the quiet," the white exceed huffed. "They're usually the ones causing all the noise, and it's been nice not to have to worry about my dress getting ruined in one of their fights!"
"True," said Mirajane, "but things wouldn't be the same without them!" Pantherlily, who downed his mug in one swig, agreed. "Things are quite lively when they are around. And no disrespect, Charle, but you have not been missing your Dragon Slayer." Charle only shrugged in reply.
"Do you really think they might come back today?" Wendy gave Mira a hopeful look as she took her mug of milk.
"I'm positive! In fact," said the transformation mage, whose cheeks dimpled at the image she saw over Wendy's shoulder, "I'll bet they'll be here much sooner than you think!"
At that moment Wendy heard the guildhall doors fly open with a crash followed by a familiar loud and cheerful voice. "HEY EVERYBODY! WE'RE BACK!"
Wendy spun around on her barstool and nearly fell off when she saw that walking through the doorway was none other than Natsu, with his arm twined around Lucy's waist. The Fire Dragon Slayer waved at the girl and exceeds. "Did you miss us?" he called.
"NATSU!" Happy flew up and made a zip line straight into the arms of the pink-haired mage. "I'm so glad you're back! Pantherlily's been making me CLEAN our house!"
The fire wizard looked horrified. "WHAT?! That's awful!" But before he could continue commiserating with Happy, he was tackled at the waist by Wendy. "We missed you so much!" cried the sky girl, who made no secret of idolizing Natsu like an older brother.
Natsu broke into his trademark grin, ruffling Wendy's hair with one hand while squeezing Happy with his other arm. "It's great to see you too!"
Lucy, who had been pushed aside in the commotion, placed her hands on her hips. "Hey! Isn't anybody happy to see ME?"
"I am, Lu-chan!" Lucy turned around to see a glowing Levy bouncing through the doors towards her, shadowed by a protective Gajeel who had a look on his face that Lucy would have described as 'relaxed' if such a word could ever be applied to the surly metal mage. Catching sight of the blonde, the Iron Dragon Slayer took a step back and waved his free hand in front of his nose. "Oi, smells like burnt bunny in here!"
"Gajeel, stop!" Levy swatted her boyfriend on the arm, which did nothing to stop his rumbling laughter. "That's not nice!"
Gajeel responded by giving her a playful slap on her bottom. "Never said I was nice!"
The solid script mage stuck her tongue out at the raven-haired wizard. "You're gonna pay for that later!"
"I'm countin' on it," he countered with a smirk. "NOW WHERE'S PANTHERLILY?!"
The bluenette shook her head but smiled as she turned her attention back to Lucy, who did look a little sunburnt despite not leaving her apartment for the last few days. "I see that kidnapping suits you as well as it suits me, eh Lu?" She gave her best friend a wink.
The celestial spirit mage burst into giggles as she hugged the bluenette, while Pantherlily flew over the duo to give Gajeel a welcome back bro-fist. "Good to see you Levy-chan!" cried the blonde. "I guess you've been just as, um, busy as I have?"
Levy nodded. "Yup! Don't ask me how long we've been gone though. The last few days have been kind of a blur." The solid script mage gave a sidelong glance at her boyfriend, who had turned his bro-fist with Pantherlily into an all-out bone-crunching hug. "Dragon Slayers are pretty, er, hungry, aren't they?"
"I know exactly what you mean," said Lucy in a confidential tone. The girls gave each other meaningful looks before bursting into another set of giggles.
Wendy hopped over to the girls, leaving Natsu to listen to all of Happy's gory details about their clean house. "Hi Lucy, Hi Levy!" The petite girl's eyes widened when she caught sight of the glittering necklace that hung over the top of Levy's yellow dress. "Levy, is that a DRAGON on your necklace?" she gasped.
The bluenette beamed. "It sure is! Gajeel made it for me!" She held the dragon charm in her hand to give Wendy a closer look. "Isn't it gorgeous?" she asked, showing off her boyfriend's creation with pride. All eyes turned towards Gajeel, whose cheeks turned slightly red as he crossed his arms defensively. "It was no big deal," he shrugged, but his chest puffed up in spite of himself at Levy's praise. He couldn't remember anybody being proud of him before, and he found that he liked it. A lot.
"Oh, Levy-chan, it's beautiful!" cried Lucy. "And it suits you so well!" Natsu, who didn't care about jewelry but was interested in anything related to dragons, peered over Lucy's shoulder to take a look. "Hey, that's pretty cool!" he said. "I can't believe Gajeel made it, though!"
The Iron Dragon Slayer bristled. "What's that supposed to mean, flame brain?"
"It means I didn't think those meat hooks of yours could make anything other than knuckle-sandwiches!" shot back Natsu, who despite expending a lot of energy in the previous days was missing a good old-fashioned fight.
Gajeel snorted. "Look who's talking. I'm surprised your bunny doesn't have grill marks all over her from those branding irons you call hands."
Natsu was just about to give a fiery retort when Wendy interrupted. "Gajeel," the girl placed her hand on the metal mage's arm. "Could you make one that looks like Grandeeny for me?"
"Huh?" Gajeel scratched his head, taken aback. "I dunno. The one I made for Levy looks like Metallicana, but I don't know what Grandeeny looks like."
Wendy clasped her hands together. "I once described her to Reedus and he painted a really good picture of her for me! If I show it to you, will you be able to make it? Pretty please?"
"Please, Gajeel?" added Levy, sidling up to him and twining her arm through his. "It would mean so much to her."
Gajeel was already a sucker for blue hair and brown eyes, so he was easily steamrolled by the two girls who had both those traits. "Alright," he sighed, "I guess I can give it a try."
Natsu's eyes popped wide open as a thought flashed in his head. "Hey, then you can make one of Igneel for Lucy!" He pulled Lucy to him and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "That way every time I look at you, I can see the two people I love most in the world at the same time," he whispered. Lucy nuzzled his cheek back. "I'd like that too," she smiled.
Evergreen, who had joined the group when she heard the word "necklace," took Levy's charm into her hand and eyed it critically. "That really is exquisite handiwork," she purred. "If you're taking requests, I'd like to have a fairy."
In a flash, Gajeel found himself surrounded by other female mages making similar requests.
"I'd like one of a shotgun," said Bisca Alzack, pointing her fingers at Gajeel in the shape of a pistol.
"Count me in for one that looks like a wine bottle!" said Cana, taking a swig from a rather large one in her hand.
"Should I have wings or a bow?" wondered Mira to the other girls, who all began chattering their opinions.
"Now wait just one freakin' minute!" snarled Gajeel. "If you think I'm gonna…" but before he could finish his sentence the lights in the hall were turned down and replaced by a spotlight that shone on the stage at the front of the guild where Gray, Juvia, Makarov and someone he had never seen before were standing.
"Attention everyone, attention!" bellowed the tiny guildmaster. "I'd like to introduce you all to one of the newest members of our guild. Previously of Lamia Scale, this tracker mage has been instrumental in bringing together our newest lovebirds Gray and Juvia!"
Makarov was interrupted by a series of whoops and hollers that sent wild blushes on the faces of the ice wizard and water mage. Juvia gave a shy smile while Gray sweat-dropped. "Uh, Master, have you ever heard of the phrase 'too much information'?" he hissed.
The guildmaster patted Gray on the arm. "Nonsense boy, nonsense! We're all nakama here! And so," Makarov turned his attention back to the audience, "let's all give a big Fairy Tail welcome to Preston Pathfinder!"
Applause echoed throughout the guildhall. "HI PRESTON!"
The brown-haired tracker mage wiggled his nose and waved to his new guildmates. "Hi everyone! You can call me Gopher!"
"HI, GOPHER!"
After the lights had turned back on, the three mages stepped down from the stage and were immediately encircled by a crowd of well-wishers.
"Nice to meet you, Gopher!" said Romeo Conbolt, shaking the tracker mage's hand.
"Way to go, Juvia!" Lisanna Strauss gave the blue-haired girl a tight hug. "That's my S-Class partner for you!"
"Now that's a MAN!" Gray winced as Elfman elbowed him in the ribs.
Seeking a means of escape, Gray grabbed Juvia by the hand and Gopher by the arm. "Come on you two, let's go see the rest of our team," he said, pulling the other two through the crowd.
The ice-mage breathed a sigh of relief when they reached his teammates. "Hey everybody, long time no see." In answer the group welcomed the trio with a chorus of helloes, hugs and handshakes. Gopher, who already knew of everyone from his days of tracking Juvia, found himself quite comfortable with the group, although it would take him a few days to recover from Natsu's scorching grasp and Gajeel's steely grip.
Gray looked around the little group. "Hey, where's Erza? I wanted to talk to you all about Juvia and Gopher joining our team but she's not here."
Natsu shrugged. "I dunno, Luce and I just got here." Levy and Gajeel nodded. "Us too," said the bluenette.
Concern gnawed at Lucy at Erza's absence, but her thoughts were interrupted by Juvia. "Oh, Juvia sees Gaj gave Levy the necklace!" said the water mage. "It looks so lovely on you!"
Levy's eyes widened. "You knew about it?"
Juvia smiled and nodded. "Gaj told Juvia about it a very long time ago. Juvia thought it was a very good idea!"
Gajeel found himself the center of attention yet again as everyone turned to stare at him. "Dammit woman, don't be tellin' all my secrets!"
Levy hid a smile, not wanting to further embarrass her boyfriend. "The other girls like it too!" she said, turning back to Juvia. "In fact, Gajeel's gotten a ton of requests from them for their own necklaces!"
Gajeel rolled his eyes. "I suppose you're gonna be wanting one too," he muttered.
"Nah, she doesn't need one," said Gray, putting his arm around Juvia's shoulders. "Show 'em, Juvia."
The water mage reached into her blouse and pulled out a silver necklace adorned with a cross that hung from her neck. Lucy and Levy squealed in excitement when they saw it was none other than the same necklace Gray always wore (sometimes, the ONLY thing he wore).
"Juvia has Gray's necklace now," said the water mage, who caused several eyebrows to shoot up at her omission of 'sama' to her boyfriend's name. "But perhaps Gaj would make one of an umbrella for Gray?"
Gajeel sputtered as veins popped out on his forehead. "There is no way in HELL I'm gonna make a necklace for a GUY!"
Levy, seeing that her boyfriend was reaching the limit of his patience, decided it would be wise to turn the conversation in another direction. "So, Gopher," she said to her new guildmate. "What exactly can a tracker mage do?"
Gopher smiled with pride. "Well, I'm awesome at finding anything - people, things, places - you name it! And I can dig tunnels like nobody's business."
"Dig tunnels, huh?" asked Lucy. "Just like my celestial spirit, Virgo!"
At the sound of her name, the pink-haired maiden appeared before the group in a burst of magic. "Is it time for punishment, princess?" asked Virgo hopefully.
"No it isn't!" said Lucy, who sweat-dropped at the scantily clad Virgo. "And, why are you wearing a bikini?"
Virgo looked puzzled. "Should I not be wearing a bikini?"
Gopher's jaw dropped at the sight of the swimsuit-wearing beauty before him. "Virgo! What a lovely name for such a lovely girl!" He dropped to one knee and took the celestial spirit's hand into his. "My name is Gopher and your wish is my command!"
"Eh?" cried Virgo, stunned. "No one has ever wanted to be MY servant before! Princess, help!" The maiden spirit ran behind Lucy then quickly burrowed into the ground, followed closely by the love-struck Gopher who tunneled after her.
Lucy giggled along with everyone else at Virgo's predicament, but stopped when out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of red. She turned just in time to see Erza pull a posting off the request board and walk out of the guild doors, without so much as a backwards glance.
The blonde mage's heart lurched as she thought of her teammate who had done so much to bring love to her and her friends, yet could not be with the one she loved herself.
"I will do everything I can to help you too, Erza!" thought Lucy, as she clenched her fist. "I promise!"
Lucy's thought was interrupted by a strong hand grabbing her arm. "Come on, bunny, we're on in ten!" The blonde looked up to see Gajeel in his white suit that he saved especially for his onstage musical persona. "Oh no!" she thought.
"Oh, Luce, you didn't!" Natsu's look of horror was matched only by Levy's red-faced embarrassment. "Lu-chan, how could you?"
"Sorry, everyone!" Lucy sweat-dropped. "But as Erza said, all's fair in love and war!"
"Shooby-do-bop!"
THE END
A/N - This was my first fanfic, hope you enjoyed it!
Poor Erza. :( As you can see, I left room for a possible sequel!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
