Chapter One

'Man I hate this….. Laxus is so much stronger than me and no matter how many times I challenge him I lose pretty miserably. Not to mention, Gray and Lucy have been having to save my ass in battle a lot lately This is worse than that time I got motion sickness in front of that jerk Kageyama from Eisenwald during the lullaby incident!' Natsu thought glumly, drinking his 4th round of ale that morning.

He sat in the far left corner of the Guildhall, attempting to drink away his despair and awaiting a reprieve that never seemed to come. Happy suddenly flopped down onto Natsu's head, grabbed a couple tufts of his bright pink hair, and tugged yelling "NATSU! SNAP OUT OF IT I MISS YOU!" before sobbing into said young man's hair uncontrollably. Natsu didn't even blink; he seemed to be too far lost in thought to notice his best friend trying to save him from spiraling depression.

Eventually, Lucy couldn't bear to watch Happy cry anymore and went over to pick him gently off of the pink haired boy's head, promising him a ton of fish and companionship for the rest of the day. That seemed to stop the little cat's crying and brought a smile of sympathy to her face.

'Damn you idiot, can't even get it together for Happy. Some best friend you are. I am going to make sure he is well cared for and you better get well again soon…or else' She thought to herself as she strode away with the blue exceed, a secret grin slowly making itself known.

Just as Mira was beginning to go consult master Makarov about the issue, the Thunder Tribe strolled through the front doors after their latest mission. Laxus didn't appear to be in a bad mood so she hailed him over to see if he could help instead.

"Whatcha need Mira? Better get me an ale first though, it's been a while since I've had one and I'm dying for one" Laxus said, leaning on the counter and smirking. Mira took out a large mug and filled it to the brim with the amber alcohol before setting it in front of the large man and took a moment to ponder what to say, then launched straight into the issue.

"Laxus, I'm worried about Natsu. He's been hogging that corner over there every time you guys leave for missions and looking overly down. He sits there drinking like crazy until you guys get back and then he finally sulks his way back to his apartment. Lucy tells me that when they're on missions he barely even fights anymore either. Can you see if you can help him out? Oh and please be gentle on him, he's not doing anything bad which is part of the reason I'm worried. He and Gray haven't fought in about 3 months you know."Mira explained motioning the blonde to Natsu's brooding corner with a soft, sad smile on her face.

Laxus peered around her shoulder to get a good look at him and did a double take. 'Woah, annoying twerp looks like a damn train wreck. Guess I better give it a shot though or the old man will probably bitch and moan about it till the day I die' He sighed deeply before slamming back the last of his drink and making to amble over to Natsu's table.

'If anyone can set that knuckle head straight, it's Laxus. He may be cold and callous to pretty much everyone, but under that he truly cares' she thought while cleaning a mug and watching said man's approach. The lightning mage strode up to Natsu, and in an uncharacteristic show of friendship, placed his hand on his shoulder.

"So pinky, care to explain to me why the guild hall is clogged up with the stench of your misery?" he inquired with a small smile, looking genuinely concerned. Natsu weakly turned his head towards him and then looked at his lap murmuring so softly that Laxus almost couldn't hear, "I won't talk with you about it here. Let's head outside and then maybe I'll explain." Laxus nodded his head and followed Natsu as he got up from the table to exit the guild.

The pair headed towards one of the fire Dragon Slayer's favorite places, where Lisanna and he had made a play house when he had first found Happy's egg all those years ago. Laxus was a little surprised that he would share such a personal place with him but kept a neutral expression on his face as he was led into the tiny and well-kept hut.

Once he and Natsu were sitting cross –legged across from each other on the dirt floor, the latter sighed and scratched the back of his head almost sheepishly. " The reason I have been so upset is that... well… You're way better than me. No matter how hard I try or how much I train I can never defeat you. EVER. You on the other hand basically get handed whatever you want on a silver platter, no struggling, no strife, no issues. All I ever wanted was to be the number one mage in Fairy Tail so I could make Igneel proud, but lately all I seem to do is screw everything up." Natsu sat there sadly picking at his nails and look dejected.

The lightning mage sat silently, pondering what he should say to the clearly distraught teen that sat before him who was brimming with self-disgust. He never thought that someone as boisterous as Natsu could ever be stuck in a slump because of something like this but, as he sat there, he realized that said teen kept many of his troubles to himself.

He could understand not letting other people in on his issues; he himself was the same way and did not like consulting other people for help. However, there are always times when help is needed; Laxus had learned that over his many years in the guild. Sighing and rubbing his temples, Laxus thought carefully before replying in a low tone "Natsu, you are not as much of a screw up as you think you are. Your fire magic has improved exponentially since you first arrived at the guild. Despite what you may think I have worked hard for everything I get, no one just hands it to me. I receive what I deserve for my efforts and don't let people try to jip me when I know what I deserve." He paused to see if Natsu had anything to say but when it was apparent that he didn't he continued, "Anyways if the reason you are upset is because you aren't as strong as me then maybe you should train your magic more so you can be stronger. If you want I'll even train with you on occasion until you are on par with my level."

He offered, his expression one of seriousness and commitment. The pink haired teen stared at the floor, debating on whether or not to accept the offer, It was definitely tempting and he was sure that Laxus didn't just go around handing out offers to train everyone who looked blue, but the man was know to be volatile and God only knows what might happen if he pissed him off.

'On the one hand, Laxus is an arrogant jerk who likes to make fun of me and I am a little wary of agreeing to this. On the other hand, he is the strongest mage in Fairy Tail and would be an excellent mentor for helping me become stronger, plus he's a much better alternative to Erza *shudder*… She'd just murder me constantly, no teaching would actually happen…I guess... I guess there's nothing else to it then…."

Continued in the Next Chapter