The tension inside the guild was palpable as everyone stared at Natsu. They had just found out that Natsu had a girlfriend—well, according to Asuka, he was sleeping with his girlfriend. A majority of the guild was surprised, with a couple of them having their expressions; Makarov felt great joy that Natsu found himself a lady, and with the recent revelation that he was the most eligible bachelor, she was probably stunning. Gray was glad that Natsu found someone to love, even if he wasn't going to express it to his rival outright. But not all were happy finding this out, specifically the four ladies who spent last night trying to stalk the Dragon Slayer only to leave because their suspicions were proven false prematurely.

"SPILL IT! Which one of you snuck into Natsu's house and slept with him?!" Mirajane shouted as she pointed her fingers at the three most likely culprits.

"Why are you pointing your finger at me? You woke me up today!" Lisanna replied, shocked that her sister suspected her of being the culprit but also angry that someone got into Natsu's bed.

"C-Carla can back me up! We always sleep in the same room, isn't that right, Carla?" Wendy asked her Exceed, who gave out an exasperated sigh, "Even if you all are arguing over something so ridiculous, Wendy did not leave her room last night." Carla said, not wanting to be involved in something so trivial but doing so to protect Wendy.

"Yeah, right! You're probably just saying that because you want to see Wendy with Natsu! I can see it in your eyes!" Lucy retorted, and just as it was about to boil over, Asuka spoke up.

"It wasn't any of you guys here. She had beautiful pink hair, and I think her name was Merry, or was it Melody?" Asuka said, somehow forgetting Meredy's name.

"Her name was Meredy." Natsu helped Asuka remember but instantly regretted opening his mouth. If Asuka had placed the dynamite down, then not only would Natsu have added more explosives on top of the dynamite, but he also lit up and watched it explode right in front of him.

"I KNEW WE SHOULD HAVE STAYED! That's why Erza and Jellal were there! They discretely snuck Meredy in when we didn't notice." Mirajane shouted at her fellow rivals, who all looked down in disgrace as they didn't investigate any further.

"YOU GUYS WERE STALKING ME?!" Natsu incredulously shouted as he attracted their attention once again, even though he had a brief window to escape from all of this, ' Me and my big mouth…'

"Never mind that! How can you let her into your house?" Lucy asked as she grabbed the whip from her belt and wrapped it around Natsu, ensuring that he had no way to escape.

"G-guys… help me out!" Natsu shouted in fear as the four girls slowly dragged him into the cellar.

"And get in front of that? It's your fault they're all acting like that." Gray said.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of Natsu Jr in your absence!" Cana shouted as she felt a small amount of pity for him, but nothing would help get rid of that pity better than another barrel of alcohol.

"YOU GUYS ARE THE WORRSSTTT!" Natsu shouted as they all presumably saw the last of their salmon-haired guildmate.

"Well, I think it's time for a minute silence for a fallen family member." Makarov grumbled as the guild stayed quiet for a minute as they heard multiple blood-curdling screams coming from Natsu down in the cellar. Some of the members quivered in fear at what they were all doing to the poor Dragon Slayer.

"So, what made you interested in Natsu, Meredy?" Juvia asked as they found themselves in a store, skimming through some of the best outfits they could find for their double date.

"I know this sounds bad, but I picked up the new edition of Sorcerer Weekly and read that Natsu is the most eligible bachelor. But that's not the main reason I want to be with him." Meredy said as she fiddled with her thumbs. Juvia grabbed Meredy's hand and looked at her kindly.

"If you don't want to tell Juvia why, then that's fine with Juvia. She's going to help you before any of those harlots get their grubby hands on your beloved." Juvia declared, fire in her eyes, and Meredy chuckled as she hugged her best friend.

"Thanks for the help, Juvia. The biggest reason that I want to date Natsu is Ultear." Meredy said as she took a small breath before she continued to talk, "I never really told anyone this, but I had a small crush on Natsu when I was a part of Grimoire Heart."

"How does Ultear fit into this?" Juvia asked, interrupting Meredy from her monologue.

"I was getting to that!" Meredy huffed before she composed herself, "Every time I wanted to see if anything happened to Natsu, I always bugged Ultear to buy me a new copy of Sorcerer Weekly just so that I could see the damage Natsu caused. It's so weird; he's so destructive, yet he's very gentle with all of his friends."

"Aside from the constant fighting he has with most of the male guild members, you're right. Juvia doesn't remember Natsu laying a finger on any of the female guild members. In fact, Natsu was one of the first people to welcome Juvia to Fairy Tail." Juvia added on, saying that he, alongside Mirajane, was one of the very first people to go out of their way and speak with Juvia.

"Yeah, so when you guys disappeared after the events of Tenrou Island, I felt devastated for a long time, and I would always find solace in Ultear, who would talk about everything she knew about Natsu, especially when they first crossed paths at Galuna Island, and how he mistook her as a guy because she was under the disguise of Zalty at the time. Fast forward seven years to your guys' return; I was ecstatic and desperately wanted to tell Natsu about these feelings I held for him, but I could never find the chance to tell him." Meredy said as she clinched her first, "But now, I'm a free mage, and I'm going to act on my feelings and make Natsu my boyfriend!"

"Juvia's right behind you, Meredy! Let's continue our search for the perfect dress so that you can make Natsu yours!" Juvia declared, and Meredy cheered on as they continued their search for the perfect dress.

(A couple of hours later)

"I don't want to experience that ever again…" Natsu mumbled as he sat down at a table with Gray and Makarov, making sure they were as far away from Mirajane and the rest of the group.

"That's the beauty of love, Natsu. It makes people do crazy things." Makarov said.

"That doesn't make any sense, old man. I love nearly everyone in this guild, and you don't see me doing anything insane." Natsu tiredly retorted. After what he's been through, he just needs some time for himself.

"Says the man who constantly destroys half the town whenever he's out on a mission." Gray retorted as Natsu stuck a middle finger out to him.

"I would beat your ass so hard, Ice Princess, if it wasn't for the fact that you're going on a date with Juvia later tonight." Natsu grumbled as the door to the guild swung open and gulped as he saw Meredy and Juvia walk up to them, "M-Meredy, what are you doing here?"

"I told you I was going to see you soon. Now, what are you doing sitting in a dump like this? Hurry up and get ready for our date later tonight." Meredy said loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Did she just say date?!" Mirajane whispered in Lisanna's ear as the glass she cleaned broke, cutting her hand, but ignored the pain as she stared at Meredy, who blew Natsu a kiss before she left alongside Juvia.

"I think so. How about we teach that girl a lesson!" Lisanna said as she was about to leave her post before she, alongside Mirajane, fell asleep.

"Woah! What happened to those two?" Cana gasped as she heard two other bodies fall behind her. She turned around to see Lucy and Wendy sleeping on the ground.

"I just used sleep magic on the four. Now, Natsu, go out on that date and make us proud!" Makarov pervertedly said as he gave the Dragon Slayer a thumbs up, picturing Meredy and Natsu in bed as they make the next generation of mages.

"Why would I go out on a date?" Natsu asked, still trying to understand why Meredy asked him out of all the people on a date.

"It's not manly to pass up on a date! Isn't that right, Ever?" Elfman said, with Evergreen sitting on his lap, he went up to kiss Evergreen but was met with a slap by Evergreen's fan.

"What did I say about calling me Ever? But this idiot is correct, Natsu. It would be best if you went on a date with Meredy. Who knows, you're probably going to find yourself enjoying more than you think." Evergreen added.

"Fine, I'll go on the date. I don't even know why you guys are interested in stuff like this." Natsu grumbled as he got out of his seat and left to return home to see what he had.

"They grow up so fast." Makarov said as he, too, got up and walked up to Mirajane's sleeping form. He was about to grope her heavenly chest when he felt a murderous aura behind him and turned around to see Cana looking down at him.

"What were you planning to do to them, Master?" Cana asked as she stared down at the old man with murderous intent behind her voice.

"Uh… I was going to take them to the infirmary. Yeah, that…" Makarov gulped as he quickly grabbed Mirajane and carried her to the infirmary as Cana walked with him, ensuring that their pervy Master wouldn't do anything to them unless he had a death wish.

Natsu was going through his outfits when the window was forced open. He turned back to see Happy wearing his suit and a bag that most likely contained fish.

"Sup pal, I haven't seen you all day. What were you doing?" Natsu asked as he rubbed the top of Happy's head before going back to picking his outfit.

"Did you forget? I'm planning on asking Carla out for a date today! I went all the way to Hargeon and brought her favorite fish to impress her!" Happy said as he opened the bag to show Natsu the best salmon he could find.

"Have fun with that. I'm forced to go on a date with Meredy." Natsu sighed as he found a black tuxedo and changed into that before looking at the mirror to fix the red tie around his neck.

"You're going on a date! No offense, but you're like the last person anyone should date." Happy said offhandedly.

"If you want your fish to stay in one piece, I suggest you stop making fun of me." Natsu threatened as he lit his hand on fire, causing Happy to shriek as he covered his fish, "I was joking. I wouldn't ruin something so important for you. But before you talk to Carla, you should transform and give her a little surprise. Who knows, you might even impress her."

"You think so, Natsu?" Happy asked as he looked up at his partner, who nodded back, "Alright, here it goes!" Happy focused on the small amount of magic he had inside himself until a sudden flash covered the entire room. Natsu covered his eyes, and when he opened them, gone was the small blue cat, and in its place was a blue-haired boy who was slightly taller than Wendy. He had a cheeky grin plastered on his face, and some markings on his cheek looked like whiskers.

"You look great, buddy. Hope you enjoy your date!" Natsu cheered as he watched Happy jump out the windows and sprout his wings before flying back to the guild. He gave himself one final look in the mirror for any final adjustments before leaving his house and searching for Meredy.

"Thank you for helping me out, Juvia. You don't know how much this means to me!" Meredy thanked her friend as she looked at herself in the mirror and admired herself. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder red dress with a deep neckline, exposing a good amount of her cleavage. The dress ran down just below her knees, and matched it with some black heels and a bit of makeup. She didn't need much since she already considered herself beautiful.

"Don't mention it, and now that Juvia is getting a good look at the dress you picked out, it looks similar to the outfit you wore when we first reunited, just less decorated." Juvia said as she went for something more modest and wore a strapless dark-blue dress that ran all the way down her legs with a slit that went up to her left thigh with a sweater over herself to protect herself from the cold air.

"Are you sure you don't need a sweater?" Gray asked, wearing an outfit similar to Natsu but replacing the red tie with a black one. He looked over at Meredy, who was slightly shivering in the cold.

"Wow, it kind of does. I didn't even realize that, and no, I don't need a sweater when my personal heater is coming here any second now." Meredy said as she heard somebody call her name. She looked up excitedly, recognizing the voice, and saw Natsu walking up to her.

"You know, I should have guessed when Meredy asked me for a date that I would be joining you two," Natsu said as Meredy walked up to him, wrapped herself around his warm body, and melted against his chest.

"Just make sure not to burn the restaurant when they get your order wrong." Gray joked as he grabbed Juvia's hand and walked to the fancy restaurant they reserved.

"And you make sure you don't freeze anyone caught staring at Juvia." Natsu returned the joke with his own, causing Juvia to blush and Gray to grumble under his breath. Meredy, who was on top of Natsu's back, decided to chime in with her own joke to embarrass Natsu, "You know, I wouldn't mind seeing you burning a couple of people if they look at me~" It was Natsu's turn to blush as he tried to ignore the chuckles that were directed at him.

They approached the restaurant and quickly got seated. Due to the weather outside, there weren't many people here, so they didn't have to wait long to place their orders. As they waited for their food, Natsu and Gray talked amongst themselves while Juvia and Meredy indulged in some of the wine the waiter left for them.

"We haven't gone on any missions as of late. What do you say about going on a couple of missions for old-time sake?" Natsu said.

"Sure, only so that I can laugh at you whenever we're forced to hop on a train." Gray retorted, "Did any mission catch your attention?"

"Fuck you, Ice Princess. Anyway, there was a mission up north that interested me—taking down 20 Ice Wyverns that made their nest up the mountains." Natsu asked as he could hear Meredy giggling and turned to see that both she and Juvia already drunk all the alcohol.

"Don't tell me you guys already drank all the wine?" Gray asked as she stared at the two drunk girls.

"Juvia is sorry she didn't save any for you, Gray-Sama." Juvia sniffled as Gray let out a small sigh as he wrapped an arm around her to stop her from crying and causing a storm outside.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Gray. We can always ask for more~" Meredy giggled as she crawled up to Natsu and nuzzled against his cheek. She looked up at him and gave him a peck on his cheek before pulling away as the waiter came in with their food, "Excuse me, sir. Can we get another glass of wine?"

"Make sure you save some for us and not drink it all." Gray said as he took a bite out of his dinner. Juvia loudly apologized before Gray kissed her on the lips and made her quiet down.

"Natsu~ Can you feed me? In return, I'll feed you~" Meredy cooed as she gave Natsu her spoon and grabbed the fork out of his hand.

"As long as I get to eat." Natsu said as he scooped Meredy's soup and guided it to her mouth. She took a piece of his steak and fed him. It felt weird; he had never done something like this before, but it felt nice, so they continued to feed each other until they finished their dinner.

"Why don't you ever do something that romantic, Gray-Sama!" Juvia whined as Gray quickly swapped utensils with Juvia and began feeding each other. But unlike Natsu and Meredy, they made a couple of mistakes, the most common occurrence being that either one would drop their food on the other. The two pink-haired mages watched on in joy as the couple kept on apologizing for every mistake they made.

"Who knew this restaurant came with entertainment, Meredy." Natsu chuckled.

"Don't be so mean, Natsu. They obviously don't have as much experience as we do~" Meredy giggled as the waiter finally came back with their wine, and they all poured each other some wine to wind down, with Juvia and Gray pouring more than usual as they tried to forget their attempt of being romantic. After they finished their second bottle of wine, each person had a varying reaction to the amount they drank. Natsu was the least affected by the alcohol, thanks to his body burning most of the alcohol that entered his body. Gray was slightly drunk but still had control of most of his cognitive functions. Both Meredy and Juvia were very drunk. Juvia fell asleep with how much she had drunk, while Meredy could barely stand and had to rely on Natsu carrying her in her hands to move, not that she minded as she drunkenly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are you good for the mission tomorrow, Gray?" Natsu asked. He decided to be kind and warmed up Juvia's sweater so that she wouldn't catch a cold as they walked back to their home.

"Yeah… but I don't think Juvia will." Gray said as he waved Natsu and Meredy goodbye before going their separate ways.

As the pair walked back to Natsu's house, Natsu felt Meredy slightly tug on his shirt, "Is there something you need, Meredy?"

"Can we sleep… in the same bed again?" Meredy slurred, her voice low as she dozed in and out of her slumber.

"Are you sure? I think Asuka is sleeping with somebody else today, which means you can have the guest room all by yourself." Natsu answered as he didn't want someone to break into his house and catch him cuddling with Meredy.

"No… I want to sleep in the same bed with you!" Meredy begged, and Natsu thought it over before looking down at Meredy and seeing how adamant she was for another opportunity to sleep with him.

"Okay, I'll sleep with you again. When we get back home, do you want me to help you out of your dress and put you into something more comfortable to sleep in?" Natsu asked, and Meredy nodded, a blush growing on her face as she dreamed of Natsu admiring her voluptuous body before taking her virginity and claiming her as his mate. They spent the next couple of minutes in silence as they reached Natsu's home and quickly changed into something more comfortable before going into Natsu's guest room to sleep.

"Hey Meredy…" Natsu whispered as he checked if Meredy was asleep or not.

"Yeah?" Meredy mumbled as she rested her head on Natsu's chest.

"Do you know what happened to Jellal?" Natsu asked as he placed a hand on her back to warm her up, which she greatly appreciated.

"I don't know… maybe he's still with Erza." Meredy yawned as that seemed to be enough for Natsu, and he quickly joined Meredy as they both slept soundly in each other's arms.

(Inside Erza's Room)

"What a wonderful way to keep ourselves warm during the cold, wouldn't you say Jellal?" Erza sighed as she and Jellal were underneath the covers of Erza's bed, both of them extremely sweaty after a long night of getting to know each other on a more intimate level

"H-how could you go for so long?" Jellal peeped as he could feel Erza move a hand down to his most secretive area.

"I need to be an example for all my female guildmates, and that includes being in bed. I'm surprised that you were able to stay awake for all of that." Erza said as she kissed Jellal on the cheek and had fun playing with Jellal's little soldier.