Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome back to "The ABCs of Natsu and Erza!" Today's letter is... H for Home!
I know, I know, I was supposed to do a lemon or sequel to Edolas, but I got some bad writer's block on the latter, and I just couldn't bring myself to write the former. *shame*
But then I decided to share a glimpse into home life with the Dragneel family, and this was what came out. And notice the Dragneels are plus one! Say hello to Tyson "Tai" Dragneel! He's the son of Erza and Natsu... or is he? That I haven't decided yet. As for Edolas, I do have a Dragion/Knightwalker story in mind in which Mystogan volunteers Knightwalker to join the Fairy Tail Guild in an effort to establish bonds between them and the Kingdom of Edolas, much to the former Fairy Hunter's fury. Also, I may give a new fandom a shot, but I'll ask about that at the end of the chapter.
Usual disclaimer is usual. I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters. I do own Faye and Tai Dragneel, and I also own the TV show "Maggie the Mage." As to how this world has television, let's just say Fairy Tail TV uses Satellite Lacrima (something else I own) to broadcast its programs.
Natsu was lying on the couch, complete with Happy on his stomach, bored out of his mind. The Magic Council had put him on probation for destroying a museum on his last job, and even though this Council was far more lenient towards Fairy Tail than the one before, they still had to enforce order within the magical community.
Until that job, Natsu hadn't caused any (massive) property damage since Erza was pregnant with Faye. He remembered Makarov giving him an earful about his destructive behavior, saying he had to support Erza and his child since she was in no condition to. It really struck a chord with Natsu, and he would silently thank his late Master for kicking his ass the way he did.
The probation was for 90 days, and the Titania was working herself ragged in order to compensate for Natsu's inability to work. She'd come home just long enough to eat, sleep, play with the kids, maybe make love with Natsu depending on her mood, then head on back to the guild for her next job.
But the probation was up the day after tomorrow, and that would be when Natsu took the highest-paying job he could find (Bar the 10- or 100-Year Jobs – Gildarts was an easygoing Master, but if you told him you were attempting the 100-Year Job, he would freak out like you wouldn't believe) and give Erza the break she deserved. Until then, he was stuck watching Faye and Tai watch some asinine little kids' show.
Asinine? Okay, he really needed to get out of the house. Meh, after Maggie the Mage.
Faye sat on the floor watching the show with rapt attention, her long pink hair framing her face. Next to her was her three-year-old brother, Tai. He looked rather bored with the show (it was kind of girly) and was fiddling with his bright red hair.
Natsu heard the front door slam; he raised his head to see a tired looking Erza, who apparently had just enough magic to Requip into something more comfortable. "Move," she commanded. Happy scrambled to the armrest, and Natsu sat up straight, leaving Erza to belly flop onto the couch in a heap, her head in Natsu's lap.
"Rough job?" asked Natsu as he started to play with Erza's hair.
"Not really. Just exhausted," replied Erza.
"Glad at least one of us is having fun," said Natsu. "Meanwhile, I'm stuck at home with five- and three-year-olds watching reruns of Maggie the Mage! I'm going crazy here, Erza!"
"Aye, me too!" said Happy.
"Well, it's your own fault for not controlling your magic," said Erza in that "I-know-better-than-you" voice.
"Hey, I didn't start that fight!" Natsu protested.
"Doesn't matter," said Erza. "You shouldn't have finished it." She sighed before adding "But then you wouldn't be a true Fairy Tail mage, or for that matter, the man I love, if you didn't."
This compliment stoked Natsu's ego a bit. "Awww, gimme some more of that sugar, Baby Red," Natsu said with a smirk.
Erza summoned the energy to glare at her husband. "Exactly what part of 'exhausted' did you not understand?" she asked dangerously. Natsu instantly shut up.
"Too bad you can't eat fire like me and Daddy, Mommy, or you'd feel better in no time!" said Faye brightly, causing Erza to look up in alarm.
"You have her eating fire already?" she exclaimed.
"But I've been eating it since I was three!" Natsu complained.
"I know, but I just worry if Faye's magic is strong enough to handle the consumption of actual fire at this point in her development," said Erza.
"Of course it is!" said Natsu adamantly. "Trust me, I'm teaching her the way Igneel taught me!"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," said Erza with a sigh.
It was at this time that Faye decided to chime in. "Daddy, how come there aren't any Dragon Slayers on Maggie the Mage?" she asked.
The question his daughter asked took Natsu by surprise. Composing himself, he said, "Well, Faye, the thing about Dragon Slayer is that it's a Lost Magic…"
"But why is it lost?" Faye asked.
"Because only Dragons can teach it, as well as the children that learn it from them," said Natsu. He knelt down to Faye's level. "You have a very important responsibility, Faye. You have to teach your children the way of the Fire Dragon someday, or else the magic will be lost forever."
Faye's eyes were rapt with wonder as her father explained the importance of Dragon Slayer magic. She smiled brightly. "Okay, Daddy! I'll be a great Dragon Slayer just like you and teach my children everything you taught me!" she said enthusiastically. However, something else occurred to her, and she started to frown. "But what about Tai? Is he going to be a Dragon Slayer too?" she asked.
Natsu panicked. Tyson didn't have the same potential to be a Dragon Slayer as Faye did. How would his daughter react to the news that her brother wasn't as special as her?
Fortunately, Erza saved his ass.
"Actually, I wanted to teach Tai Requip magic when he gets a little older," the Titania told her daughter.
Faye's eyes widened. "Just like you, Mommy?" she asked in awe. Erza smiled brightly and gave a simple nod.
"Wooooow!" Faye exclaimed. "I wanna learn Requip just like Mommy!"
"Awww! But what about Dragon Slayer?" Natsu pouted.
Faye giggled. ""Don't worry, Daddy. I still wanna learn Dragon Slayer," she said. "If I can combine your magic with Mommy's magic, I'll be the bestest mage ever when I get big!"
Natsu chuckled. "Well, you'll have to be even scarier than Mommy then!" he said.
"I don't think I can handle anyone scarier than Erza!" Happy added. However, they failed to notice a seething Erza prepared to enact her own brand of justice on her husband and his cat.
"Look, Tai. Daddy and Happy are in trouble and now Mommy's going to beat 'em up," Faye told her brother excitedly, who was tearing up at the thought of his parents hurting each other. "On second thought, maybe I should cover your eyes."
And so she did.
Later that night, Erza and Natsu were in bed together. Erza, still tired from her earlier job, was half-asleep in Natsu's lap, while the Salamander had his back propped up against the headboard. Happy was fast asleep at the foot of the bed.
"Hey Erza," said Natsu. "Remember when you were pregnant with Faye, and you were freaking out about whether we'd be good parents or not?"
"Mmhmm," grunted Erza.
"Well, I've come to a realization this morning," said Natsu. "It comes and goes as it pleases, and it's always satisfying when it's there. Erza… you and I are awesome parents."
Erza sat up. "I know," she said. "You're great with the kids. It's like you were born to be a dad." She sighed. "I wasn't exactly the best mother these past three months, no thanks to your probation."
Natsu flinched. He had gotten beaten up by his wife once today, he wasn't about to risk it a second time. Composing himself, he replied, "Idiot. You've always made time for your family in between jobs. How does that make you a bad mother? It doesn't, it makes you Mom.
"I've always held fast to the belief that kids don't need to spend every waking moment with their parents. That's quantity time, which is no good for anyone involved. As long as you spend quality time with your family that they'll remember for the rest of their lives… Hell, you're doing something right."
Erza smiled. "Natsu, you have a way with words that always amazes me. And sometimes, it creeps me out, too."
Natsu blushed. "If I told you I got that from Lucy's novel, would you still think so?"
"No, but I would say Lucy's a good influence on you," replied Erza. The couple shared a laugh and a kiss.
Raising a family was hard on Erza at first. She was constantly balancing her home life and her work as a mage. But whether or not Natsu stole his words from Lucy, he was right about matters like this.
It was the time they spent as a family that always drove them both home.
Yeah. Fluff. Much better than a lemon or a crack pairing. Then again, you don't really need to think shit like this through for it to turn out fine.
Now for that question I was going to ask: Would you all enjoy seeing me write for Young Justice? I don't follow it faithfully (or not as faithfully as I'd like), but I have started to ship Superboy and Miss Martian, or Conner and Megan. So I may yet have an idea or two for them, but only if someone will read it. Actually, you know what? I'll just wait until I've seen all the episodes before passing any judgment on a story.
But that's for another day. For now, peace and love from Nightlingbolt! Bye!