Chapter 8
Authors notes: Fairy Tail isn't mine! That is all.
Natsu glared hatefully at the hell box that had the nerve to make such an obnoxious noise. It was the...fifth time it rang? Sixth? Seventh? No it was more than that...Ah he lost count. Though while he hated the box what he presently despised was the person who dared to cause that box to make such a sound... He ignored it and turned over pulling his pillow over his head. Don't they know that he did not function before 11am? Even then only after several injections of caffeine. Last night was very long as he formulated several plans to successfully recruit Ms. Heartfilia. Sleep came later. Sleep...yeah that would be great right now.
Just then his door is all but kicked in causing him to jump awake and prepare to fight the oncoming threat. Grey stands in the doorway and throws a bucket of ice on him causing poor Happy to jump and nearly fly out of the room howling in fear and indignation the whole way.
"AHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PR~!?"
"ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE! IF I HAVE TO HEAR IT RING ONE MORE TIME..."
"SHUT THE HELL UP! THAT IS IT! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" Natsu leaps out of the bed landing on Grey causing a knock down drag out fight. Both combatants are clad in only their sleep wear. Which, admittedly, is not much. Natsu wore black martial arts pants with flames crawling up his legs. Grey...boxers. If you where lucky. Thankfully this morning he still wore them for the moment. All the while the phone rings merrily in the background.
*Twenty Minutes Later*
Natsu growls in disgust. "GAH! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM! PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!"
"THE HELL YOU~? UGH YOU SICK BASTARD! USING THE FIGHT AS AN EXCUSE TO GET YOUR GAY FANTASIES ON!"
"LIKE HELL. YOU DID THAT YOURSELF...YOU ALWAYS DO."
*Ten more minutes later*
Natsu begins to clean up his bed and props his mattress up to air out and opens the window to allow the temperature of his room to even out again. . He was well and good awake now...and pissed. Snatching up his phone he walks out of his room to the living room heading towards the kitchen. For the hundredth time this month he wondered why he ever decided to have that asshole as his roommate. It was only the 5th. They fought constantly sometimes. Grey liked it cold in the place, Natsu loved the heat. With it having been summer Natsu had to constantly watch the thermostat to make sure Grey hadn't turned the setting to Arctic. He absently scratches his arm over the red Tattoo on his upper arm, bare feet padding silently about the carpeted floor. The apartment had an open floor plan and the kitchen was easily seen into. He sets about finding the supplies for coffee. The quest was profitable so he proceeded to haphazardly make a pot. As long as it was black and had that stimulating nectar of the gods in it he would be fine. Sugar and cream could hide a multitude of sins...
He looks into the pot as it brews and frowns.
Except coffee grinds.
"Dammit forgot the filter."
The kitchen was never his strong suit. Not enough fire...too many steps. He always appreciated someone who could take the time to make good tasting food but him? It it took more than 3 steps he probably wasn't going to succeed in making it. Grilling, however, there was no one better than him. "Pit Master" was a title he earned with many local competitions. Staring at the pot he gets a idea...filtering is filtering right?
Pushing a filter into his cup he tries to pour himself a cup through the filter, hoping that it will eliminate the grinds that way. Unfortunately the filter quickly becomes water-logged and sinks into his large Garfield mug adding not only grinds but now a full filter to his cup. He jumps as he tries to catch it only to splash himself with the scalding hot coffee.
He did not notice.
He never did no matter how many times he did it. He sighs shoves the pot back into its holder before turning to get a rag to mop it up. He scans through his messages as he wipes. 15 missed calls from: "Munchkin."
"Wonder what she's calling about...guess I'd better call her back...so she doesn't "
*Knock knock...knockkockknockknockknockknockknock*
"Shit. Too late." Only one person was the only one he knew who could rapid fire knock like that without a rest. Sighing he walks over and opens the door. "Mornin' Levy." he walks away to try to salvage his coffee. "Come on in." Wearing khaki capris and a black t-shirt that proudly proclaimed:
"I'm not short! I'm fun-sized!" across her chest Levy comes trotting in looking just shy of livid. "I've been calling you all morning!"
"I know."
"Why didn't you answer?!" Natsu is rinsing his cup and making another much more careful attempt to obtain the blessed dark beverage. "Because I was ignoring it I didn't get to sleep until early this morning."
"Why?"
"Thinking."
"Bullshit." A gruff voice from the doorway says before the sound of the front door closing was heard. Great just what I need. I don't have enough caffeine and vodka in my system to put up with him so early in the morning.
"Unlike you I actually do it more often than not."
"Holy shit."
"What?" Natsu nearly snaps.
"You said that with a straight face." Said mans' face was rapidly contorting into one of irritated anger. Pot he had recently picked back up now starting to simmer. First Grey now Gajeel...
"It's about Lucy." Levy quickly throws into the fray hoping that her hunch about Natsu's single-mindedness being mainly focused on the blonde. She really didn't want to have to try and stop a fight between these two. They where abnormally strong and she wouldn't be able to break them apart.
"Lucy?" rose-colored eyebrows rise suddenly in curiosity the pot immediately ceasing its simmer only to give away to quite a bit of steam. "What about her? Did you convince her?" Levy takes a breath thankful her bet was spot on. "Yes. I need to tell you something about her. That might make a huge difference in how you...'think' about her." leaning back against the kitchen counter as he just takes a sip of the coffee, black, figuring he needs something in his system fast if Gajeel speaks again and maybe if the news is bad. Levy takes a breath. "Lucy is...special. She would kill me and hang my lifeless body from the signpost of her shop if she knew I was telling you this but I'm betting that you are a good man and that you'll not abuse this information. Because then I have to try to kill you myself." He blinks and simply looks at her eyebrows raised."Fair enough."
"She has a form of ESP. Two actually, if you want to be technical." Gajeel blinks and frowns at her. Obviously he had been left out of the loop too.
"So she's like a psychic."
"Y-yes." Levy is watching them both closely waiting for...something. Finally Natsu moves. "That's how she knew where we where and who Gajeel was isn't it?" Levy nods. "Yes. It is." Natsu proceeds to go about making toast and gives into the habit of putting half and half and sugar into his coffee. "Really? What kind?" he asks very interestedly. Levy stares at him. "Your...not laughing at me...or scoffing." he looks at her then to Gajeel who slightly shakes his head. "You don't know?"
"Know what?" She looks between the two men. "Huh. After all the hacking you've done for Fairy Tail you never thought to look into our own files?" He looks back at her. The entire time he pittles around the kitchen. He eyes her and picks up his phone calling someone. "Yo, Ji-chan. Stop yelling at me...I didn't know that those papers where important. I was bored! ANYWAY, Levy McGarden, Yes her... I will not tell her that! You're a freak you know that right? Moving on. Clearance level 5, was it approved for her? No? I am motioning for it be done immediately in light of the new recruit she wants to bring in. Yeah the one I told you about. Really!? How!? FINE. Thanks." He hangs up.
Levy is staring at Natsu dumbfounded at his actions. Gajeel is refusing to make eye contact. "You've been cleared. That was easy, way easier than It should've been..."
The Dragonrider commander wanders off and can be seen boiling a pot of water. "What was that about?" The blue haired girl shifts on the couch. A similar conversation had happened when Gajeel had brought to the table that she be brought into the family. Though Gajeel called him something diffrent she'd never spoken to or seen the head of Fairy Tail. Natsu looks up from beneath the see through cabinets. "Tell me more about your friend." he replies instead. Levy isn't sure she likes the look Natsu has. He's...intense. Sure he normally is. But this was different. More thoughtful as if he is gauging her reactions and not the other way around as she expected. "What is her power?" sitting up straighter she lifts her chin. "She sees Auras and has a mild form of Psychometry."
"Psychometry?"
"The ability to...read some of a person's history from contact with them or a familiar object of theirs. It's not very strong and seems limited by a few weeks or intimidate events and it's not always right." He nods in thoughtfulness. "She'll fit right in." Gajeel says pensively from somewhere behind her. "What are you talking about?" Brown eyes look back towards the sound behind her.
"In Fairy Tail there are several sections. We are one, Erza's people another and the main office where all the 'official business' happens. Within each of those divisions are special people code-named: "mages." Levy frowns. "Wait...next to some people's names in their files is the letter "M" Gajeel nods. Levy looks at them. "Wait...Both of you had that next to your name..." They stare at her. "Yeah. We do."
"What do Mages do?"
"Well... that's hard to answer. It's easier to show you." Natsu comes back into the living room area with the boiling pot of water. "What's that fo~ OH MY GOD! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!? NATSU!" Levy shrieks and jumps up as he dunks his hand into the pot splashing himself a bit. Gajeel manages to catch her before she tries to take the pot from him. "That's pretty damn hot, you don't want to get too close."
"NO SHIT. Your going to let him burn himself like..."
"He's fine." At first she stares uncomprehendingly up at him before looking over. Natsu is holding up a very wet and steaming hand that isn't hurt in the least. "All Mages can do something normal human's can't. Sometimes many things. There are different levels of it. I specialize in all kinds of heat. Fire is a particular favorite of mine." He turns around and places the pot back on the burner. "And it looks like your friend. Lucy would have to come in with that Classification." Gajeel supplies, as he puts her down now assured that she was not going to get herself hurt. Levy stares then looks back at Gajeel. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why didn't you tell us about Bunny-girl?"
"Who?"
"This Lucy-chick."
"You didn't need to know it was private and how did she get the name 'Bunny-girl?"
"Exactly. She reminds me of a bunny."He shrugs. She just plops back down on the sofa rubbing her head. "Alright, fine. I can accept that. But your going to show me exactly what you can do when we get home." The larger man shrugs again "Fine." She then glares at Natsu. "She's not going to be an experiment I won't allow it!"
"Uh alright. But we aren't science experiments. We never where to our knowledge. Just people who wanted a home." He heats his arm and fist up a bit more simply causing the left over water to evaporate off of him all the while eying his appendage thoughtfully. "Fairy Tail was started for people without families who wanted education and chances to open businesses. A lot of us just happen to be this way and they help hide us." He picks up his toast and bites into it before grinning. "Can you imagine how hard it would be to go to a normal doctor with what I can do? They'd think I was always sick. So do I past the test to meet your friend more often?"
"I wasn't going to test you. Just get blackmail and make sure you didn't hurt her." The blue headed female admits honestly.
"I'm not going to. You'll be around anyway right? I'd need your help to earn her trust anyway." Levy sighs. "Yeah, I guess so since I have insurance too of a sort now. She'll want to be around you I think anyway. It's why I'm here. Her powers are kind of tiring and you help her rest."
"I don't follow you."
"She can get overwhelmed and tired, it's why I was worried about you meeting her. But somehow you don't. In fact you actually dull her senses slightly to make things more bearable." Levy watches in faint fascination and just a tad worry as Natsu's formerly blank and confused look melts into one of calculated thought. Happy jumps onto the couch and suddenly demands petting's from her. Just as quickly the look is gone. Natsu grins. "So..if I was to just show up at her shop one day...alone?"
"I wouldn't stop you." comes the groused reply. "You'd just have to deal with Freed."
"So? How hard could he be to deal with? He looks like a pansy anyway." Levy just stares at him and promptly makes a mental note to hack into Hardbodies cameras as soon as she gets into the car to make sure she records how well that meeting goes. Natsu was underestimating Freed, but who was she to tell him that? After all, they didn't need to know what he could actually do right?