The ever so faint sound of thumping wood yanked Erza from her slumber, her senses taking a few moments to reboot and restart before she finally peeled open her eyes. The rhythmic knocking came again, still as hushed as ever.
Blinking furiously, Erza traced the noise to her door, which then prompted her to sneak a glance through her window.
The midnight starry sky was there to greet Erza.
Visitors?
This late?
When the knocking persisted, she finally slid out from beneath her covers with slow ginger movements. Her body, while largely recovered from her getting stomped by Gray, was still none too happy with Erza for its current condition.
Shivering as comparatively cold air hugged bare skin, Erza's red brows furrowed as she crept to her door, groaning irritably.
With a huff, she turned the knob and pulled it open.
Just beyond stood Natsu of all people.
For a split second, Erza believed herself to be delirious, rubbing her eyes with her palms in an attempt to will what should be 'dream Natsu' away.
Natsu remained there, real as can be.
"N-natsu?" Erza whispered groggily, her tongue rough as sandpaper in her throat, "What are you doing here?"
It took her a bit to register what his presence meant, staring at the now grinning dragon slayer with befuddled frustration.
"This is a girl's only building, Natsu!" she hissed, leaning forward to send glances to her left and right. Thankfully, no other residents had awoken.
A dorkish grin opened up across his face, shifting the deep lashes over his features as Natsu announced quietly, "Come on, I got somethin' to show ya!"
Digging the sleep from her eye sockets with the knuckle of a finger, she prayed for patience,
"I-in the middle of the night? You seriously woke me up for one of your middle school pranks?"
He hummed in confirmation, "It ain't a prank, now come on!"
Inhaling sharply, she clenched her teeth, still too sleepy to realize this wasn't the past, the Natsu standing before her was the Natsu who had defeated gods.
The Natsu who didn't have anything in his eyes.
Scoffing to herself for agreeing, she agreed, body shivering, "Alright, alright, lead the way you man-child. But I swear Natsu, if this is one of your little stunts, I will…. I will….uh….."
Erza's mouth slowly closed as she realized there was nothing she could do to Natsu anymore. He was no longer scared of her.
Natsu looked her up and down before remarking, "You wanna put some clothes on first? You don't have to, but its brisk out there."
Following his eyes, Erza was finally made aware of her complete lack of dress. She stood nude as the day she was born.
Erza grumbled yet again, a bright mystical flash quick to cover her nudeness as she requipped into a blouse and skirt.
"Can't believe I'm walking into this one. Fine! Let's get this over with." she jabbed a finger at him as she brushed past him, voice still restrained to avoid reaching a distressing decibel.
"But we are not stopping for snacks!"
"Aww come on, don't be a stick in the mud. You're joking, right? Erza...?"
Erza awoke. Again.
With a lethargic hum, Erza yet again opened her eyes, and yet again, the serenade of black that was the night sky was there to meet her.
"Hey, you're finally awake." Natsu's rumble pleasantly tickled her eardrums.
She looked around, recognizing the gravelly brook that surrounded the same lake Natsu's cabin was built next to.
The dense tree lines nearby grew less and less dense as he walked, scattering to make room for boulder filled prairies.
"W-what?" she mewled, yawning wide, "I-i fell asleep, didn't I?"
He chuckled, the back she was leaning against vibrating in response, "I picked you up, remember? You were complaining about all the walking."
"I'm not the one waking people up in the middle of the night to drag them out to the boonies."
"Aw, don't get your panties inna' bunch, we're almost there!"
She circled her arms around his neck, that wretched embarrassment that was becoming increasingly common was creeping up her neck again. She was too groggy to fight it.
"Did you really carry me all this way?"
"Course I did." he grunted.
Erza mumbled, "Are I not h-heavy-"
"Erza, just the other day I held together two tectonic plates. You weigh like what? A buck twenty soaking wet?" Natsu cut her off, snickering, "I could carry you all the way to Bosco if I needed to, you're fine.
Erza didn't have a reply to that, nestling her face into the crook of his neck appreciatively.
He seemed to be back to his old self somewhat, which dulled the barbed hooks of shame and guilt that hadn't stopped pulling at her insides since their spat at his cabin.
Exhaustion made it hard for her to think right now, even harder for her squeeze back some control or dignity, being carried like this.
At least it was just Natsu. Besides, his frame may be as rough as tree bark and solid as stone, but the ever present warmth his body exuded made him a comfortable mount.
The clacking of Natsu's footfalls against loose terrain was all that could be heard as comfortable silence draped itself over them both.
Erza let out a soft sigh and let her eyelids flutter shut, her fingers finding the tassels at the end of Natsu's scarf to sleepily play with.
It wasn't on her every second of the day like it used to, but she would be lying if she didn't prefer having her armor on. Right now she didn't mind, again, just Natsu around, and he made armor redundant.
As strange as it may seem, Erza was more comfortable not wearing armor during battle than out of it. After all, it didn't define her as a warrior, as a person, or as a Fairy Tail wizard.
The world was cruel, and the armor helped her hide. Kept her safe. Gave her power. Offered her control.
At least that's how it used to be. The Tower of Heaven had changed that. Fighting without armor against Jellal changed that.
Natsu decimating him, ripping her from that tower, and leaving it nothing but a glass crater had changed that.
Because Natsu showed her you could fight the world bare handed, and you could win.
Fighting without armor became more common after that, and Erza had never felt stronger.
The world soon found out the Fairy Queen with a thousand armors was at her most terrifying when she wasn't wearing any at all.
"Yo, over here!" a voice, youthful and masculine, pierced the nighttime slumber, alerting Erza to the presence of another on the lakeside.
Reluctantly withdrawing from the safety of Natsu's neck, she turned, almond eyes squinting as attempted to make out the figure that stood a dozen meters away.
Being gently set down, Erza's knees were shocked into awakening, almost causing the rest of her to stumble.
Airy puffing tides of mist rolled across the ground from the lake, brushing against calves of the two Fairy Tail mages as they closed the distance.
Erza's eyes widened as she finally recognized the figure the voice belonged to.
"Sting?"
Bristles of mischievous blonde hair swayed as Sting nodded in greeting, offering a two finger salute as he grinned brighter than the roaming fireflies infecting the air.
"Sup you guys!"
Resisting the urge to reach out and pinch the Sabertooth guild master on his bicep to confirm he was real, Erza's neck swiveled as she looked to Natsu for explanation.
This was bad. When Natsu and Sting got together, shenanigans always followed.
"Good, you're here." Natsu greeted.
Sting clapped his hands excitedly, "Yep, 3:30 sharp, just as requested."
"Hold on, what are you doing here Sting?" Erza threw in, lines of confusion drawn along her forehead.
Sting look to her then shrugged, "Dunno."
"I-i beg your pardon?"
"I don't know. Natsu didn't break down what I was doing."
"And you still agreed to it?"
"Basically." Sting replied, reasoning, "It's Natsu, figured whatever is going has gotta be a good time."
She eyed the two dragon slayers distrustfully, glancing at her surroundings before giving a listless grumble.
"Okay, whatever prank you wish to pull, I just ask you get it over with." she stated, holding her arms, "I'm right here and vulnerable."
"Bah, it ain't anything like that, just stay put." Natsu reassured as his attention drifted to the lakeshore, nudging aside a moss encrusted log with his foot.
He grinned, "I'll be right back." was all he left them with before he gave a mighty leap into the lake.
With the gracefulness of a dead whale, Natsu sent a buckshot of water every which way before submerging completely.
Erza slid behind Sting to avoid being drenched. She was far too tired to play her usual role of keeping Natsu in line. Not like that was a role she could play anymore.
The remaining dragon slayer merely stood expectantly, unfazed by Natsu's shenanigans.
"So we are just supposed to sit here and wait for him to take a dip?" Erza said, peeking over Sting's higher shoulder to ensure the coast was clear.
As she circled him, Sting responded peppily, "Uh huh."
"Do you really not know what he wants you here for?"
"Nope."
"Do you have anything better to do?"
"Nope."
Her nostrils whistled as she exhaled, folding her arms over her chest before settling.
Erza couldn't last 30 seconds staring at the shore before looking up and clearing her throat, asking, "So how are things? How is Sabertooth getting on?"
Thanks to Lucy, Erza could claim to be far more adept at casual small talk, but she still wouldn't call herself adept at it.
Sting, when not in the presence of Natsu, was rather easy going and friendly. So there could be worse people to be stuck in silence with.
"Quite frankly, boring. For a few weeks after everything ended, it was difficult getting back into the groove of normal life."
"I can empathize with that." she shared, rubbing her bare arm, already missing the warmth of Natsu's piggy back ride.
Sting rested his hands on his hips, "But, I would honestly take boring over constantly fearing the sake of the world. Busy work being a guild master is greatly preferable to having Acnologia seconds away from blowing away the planet."
Erza gave a light laugh, agreeing, "I suppose. Speaking of the guild, how is everyone?"
"Just fine, seems I'm the only one itching for something to happen though. The most entertaining thing that happens on the daily is watching Rogue try to flirt with Minerva."
Her head snapped up and over, face warming with pink, "T-those two? R-really?"
"Weirder things have occurred. Minerva has changed for the better, worked hard cleaned up her act, all of us have. With Sorano joining, it's a much livelier place."
"Yukino's sister? Good for her." Erza hummed, patting her cheeks to rid them of their color, "How is Yukino? None of the other girls have gotten together with her as of late."
"Eh, she has got her hands more than full with me." Sting waved off.
"R-really?"
Once again, Erza's eyebrows curled and the rich color of her hair seeped back down to her face.
She bumbled over her words in a feeble attempt to formulate shock, "I-i had no idea th-that you two… y'know….were uh…."
Sting snickered, a finger rubbing the space beneath his nose, "Well, I'm a real lucky guy though, Lector won't let me forget that."
"C-congratulations." Erza steadied herself, again. Although this time Natsu had nothing to do with her lack of composure.
Maybe Levy had provided her with far too many raunchy romance novels, because now she had a hard time ridding her head of wistful thoughts of love.
First Levy and Gajeel had become a couple with a baby on the way, now the twin dragons of Sabertooth had found that special sort of companionship as well.
She wondered how Jellal was doing.
"Well, I guess you could say things only got real official today when I got Natsu's seal of approval."
She tilted her head, drapes of scarlet hair tousled by a playful breeze, "What?"
Sting bowed his head, chuckling sheepishly, "Me and her were tryna have private time, as a boy and girl who like each other do, when all the sudden Natsu barges in."
"He sees me and Yukino… bonding… and in less than a millisecond, I'm on my ass with a hand around my throat and fist inches from my nose. I hadn't seen the guy in like what, a month? First thing I get from him is an almost trip to the pearly gates."
He scoffed to himself, "The nerve of that guy. Do you see me trying to beat him up when he is canoodling with Lucy?"
Erza's jaw went slack, not even bothering to fight her blush, "You must be kidding."
Sting was the last person Erza ever expected to have this sort of gossip with. Mirajane would be jealous when she found out she had gotten a hold of this information before she did.
Sting nodded in response.
"No, dead serious. Yukino had to explain to him that we were a thing before he punched me back in time or something like that. He apologized and all, but gave me a kinda weak 'if you hurt her' talk shortly afterwards before telling me he needed a favor."
Sting shifted, chortling to himself, "She and him have always been close."
"After she was kicked from Sabertooth back during the Grand Magic Games, Natsu was the first one she came across. He must have felt like he had a responsibility to protect her." Erza theorized.
Scratching an eyebrow with the back of his thumbnail, he muttered, "Figures. You shoulda' seen him storm into our guild that night, he was on a mission to knock some heads. He was hollering about what it meant to be a guild, but I knew he just wanted to get some revenge on her behalf."
"What exactly happened? No one's told me the full story other than he barged in there looking for a fight. When Natsu came back, he was surprisingly tight lipped about it." Erza searched to scratch a curious itch.
She didn't exactly enjoy recalling some of those nights before and during the Grand Magic Games.
"Oh boy, he was throwing hands with just bout' everyone. After Dobangal got stomped, me and Rouge were ready to step in, but that dumbass old man thought it would be disgraceful to use the guild's strongest mages to deal with him." Sting shared all too eagerly.
"And then?"
"The old man stepped up and was getting slammed so hard Minerva had to step in." Sting almost felt bad for laughing as he continued, "Despite her best efforts, she got handled too. Orga tried to help, and that didn't end well for him either."
Erza wasn't sure why she was surprised, but she was.
Minvera had been an extremely challenging opponent that she could only topple after getting lucky unlocking her second origin during their fight. But it seems as if Natsu had no trouble with her.
And he hadn't even accepted the second origin, in fact he had been vehemently against it. No amount of glares or growls or threats had been able to sway Natsu.
She really didn't understand his obsession with his own strength, even if it meant he might put his guild at a disadvantage.
From the sounds of it, Natsu hadn't needed it.
"He probably would have knocked her out if she hadn't kidnapped Happy as a hostage. That was only reason he walked away. Man, we used to be sleaze balls back in the day, didn't we?" Sting had a chuckle at his own expense.
"You've changed and become a remarkable person, you should be proud Sting." came Erza's glowing praise.
"Nah, I don't need praise for being a decent human being." he waved her off, tilting his head in thought, "Besides, Natsu was the one to set us straight."
"Natsu could have done a lot worse, but he didn't. That meant he saw some ounce of decency in you." Erza told him, absently sifting her fingers through her hair in search of knots.
Sting let that statement sit for a moment, the burbles of the lake squishing the shore the only sound made before he eventually tilted his head at her.
"What do you mean by that? You tellin' me the guy could do worse?"
Erza's expression flickered back to its usual sternness as she nodded, "Do you remember a guild by the name of Raven Tail?"
"Yeah, they got murked before the games, someone hospitalized all of them. They had to be healed up before the games, but they seemed pretty shaken. What about them?"
Erza sent him a look.
"Oh... oh."
Sting itched the stubble peppering his jawline, "So what did they do to get their walking privileges removed?"
"They attempted to ambush Wendy." Erza recalled, remembering how Natsu came back that night splattered in blood that wasn't his.
He hadn't spoken much, except for asking Lisanna to convince him to not go back and break what was left of them.
At that, a growl burst from Sting's throat, "That'll do it. Then they got what was coming to em'."
Erza pushed past the memories of that night, dragging the flow of conversation back to its original direction.
"If Natsu is willing to put his protectiveness aside and stop a fight, it means he sees truly redeeming qualities in whomever is unlucky enough to have made him mad." she said.
"Really?"
"You know how protective he is, so despite what he did that night, the fact he didn't break any legs speaks volumes."
Sting laced his fingers behind his head, recalling,
"Heh, that's for sure. One time Frosh got lost, and Rogue was freaking out. We ran into Wendy, and let's just say he didn't ask for help in the most polite of ways, i.e, grabbing the little thing's shoulders and yelling in her face. I didn't even get to sock him before Natsu came out of nowhere and almost sent him into orbit."
Erza tried to add, "I remember that, I was-"
She was cut off when a sizable triangular object broke the lake's still rippling surface, disturbing its already disturbed reflection of the moon above.
The object eventually landed nearby with a heavy thud, lightly rattling the shore.
"What is that?"
Sting narrowed his eyes, brows knitting, "That's…that's…"
She nudged Sting with an elbow, "Spit it out, what is it?"
"A Dragon's tooth." Sting's awe left his answer a measly mumble.
"Dad's tooth, specifically." Natsu's voice chimed in, the sounds of sloshing water nearly overpowering it as he made landfall, soaking wet and covered with over-exuberant lake life.
Yanking a squirming trout off his head, he smiled wide at the gobsmacked Sting and Erza.
"Dad never told me how he lost it" he said, moreso to himself, as he pried a dangling snapping turtle from his forearm.
"It's been here this entire time?" Erza prompted, "You could have shown this to us to prove Dragons were real way back then. But... but you didn't. Why?"
"I was saving this for a special occasion, besides people would steal it. This thing was the only sign I wasn't on like a different planet after Dad disappeared, so I kept it around"
Sting, who had already approached it, walked circles around the tooth as he whistled appreciatively.
Erza had crept close too, running her bare fingers along the tooth's glistening untouched ivory surface, its texture betraying the years of wear it had been subjected to at the bottom of a lake.
Mentally, she marveled at the thought that this once used to belong to the mightiest being in the cosmos, the Fire Dragon King Igneel.
Just thinking of his name made Erza more chilly than she already was, the waves upon waves of brisk wind suddenly smashing against her with heaps more bite.
That night wasn't something anyone liked to think about. Her included.
"Looks untouched, don't it?" Natsu chimed in, "Could've left that old thing in there for a thousand years, and it would still look brand spankin' new."
Sting threw in, "So whaddya gonna do with it?"
"How uh, how accurate did you say you were with your magic?" Natsu prompted, squeezing out excess liquid from his tail of his duster, showering the ground with unsteady crystal downpour.
"I could castrate a honey bee from a mile away." Sting responded without missing a beat.
The grimace on Erza's pale features was a stark contrast to Natsu's nod of approval.
"Good, cause you're going to carve something out of it."
Both Erza and Sting felt their heads buck in surprise, sending each other unsure glances.
"I need something precise n' powerful for the job, so you came to mind. I can't touch it, fire won't work against the tooth of a fire dragon." Natsu announced before either of them could elaborate on their concerns, digging through his pockets before pulling something out.
"You gotta work fast too, or else the tooth will like adapt and become immune to your magic, I dunno, Dad never explained that all too well. Something about some dragons being able to adapt on the fly."
Sting scratched the inside of his wrist nervously, but relented, "Aight, what exactly am I carving though? "
Flapping a wet piece of paper in the air in hopes of drying it, Natsu held it by its top corners and beckoned his fellow dragon slayer with his chin.
"Okay, several questions." Erza groused, stepping away from the tooth, "First one being, what does any of this have to do with me?"
Sting narrowed his eyes as he leaned in to inspect the dripping paper, stare switching between whatever it held and the man who held it.
"I think I get the jist of what you want." At that, Natsu gave a dim yet delighted smile, ignoring Erza's request.
"You up for it?"
Sting shrugged, cracking his knuckles as he stepped towards the tooth in question, "Sure, not sure I can dent something that came from freakin' Igneel, but I'll give it a whirl."
When Erza crept over to spy on what was so important, Natsu held it up and away from her, "Hey, no peeks."
Erza scoffied "You're a child, you know that? Show me the piece of paper."
"Nope." Natsu reaffirmed, popping the 'p'. Erza pursed her lips and reached for it, only for the taller male to ball it up in his palm and dangle it just outside her reach.
She furthered her efforts, quickly pressing herself against him and standing on her toes, her hands shooting up to try and snatch it away, "Natsu, give it here!"
"Uh-uh."
Erza growled, attempting to drag his wrist down only to quickly be reminded that wasn't a viable idea when he didn't budge. "Stop fooling around and give me the blasted thing!"
"You woke and dragged me into a different time zone, I at the very least deserve to know what you're up to!" even after hanging onto his one arm with the intention of dragging it down with her weight, Erza's efforts bore no fruit.
"Erza, I'm up for some rough housing, but let's get done with this first." a strong scarred hand gripped the back of her blouse and pulled Erza away, holding her out like she was a disobedient puppy.
The embarrassment that rose in the form of crimson tints upon her cheeks was a sensation she truly didn't like. Her day had been far too long and draining for her to properly fight it.
Natsu had spent his entire life being submissive to her, but now he was treating her with same childish playfulness he would Lucy, and Erza honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that.
At first she thought she hated it, but all further thought did was remind her of the wrestling she and Natsu and nearly everyone else did as children.
She hadn't hated that. Maybe because she always won. Control was always hers.
Before desperation forced Erza into biting Natsu's arm, a bright magnificent flash of light used the lake's reflective blues and greens as its chandelier.
The two turned to see a thin yet radiant beam of pure white coming from one of Sting's fingers, meeting its end against the surface of Igneel's tooth.
After a few seconds, the beam of light thickened as draconian magical energy pushed down on the air, Sting's teeth gnashing against each other as he poured more and more power into it.
Both him and Natsu could see it wasn't even making a dent against the ivory surface, no matter how long or slow the beam was dragged this way and that.
After a minute of increasingly strenuous effort, Sting ceased his efforts and stepped back.
He breathed out, "Jeez, it ain't budging. I can't even scratch the paint."
As Erza rubbed her sore retinas, Natsu simply suggested, "Take it to the next level."
Doubt flashed across Sting's youthful features as he gave an unsure whine, "Natsu, bud, I don't think I'm strong enough to do anything to it. Old tooth or not, it came from Igneel."
"Hell no you ain't quitting on me." Natsu stated bluntly, voice firming and jaw setting.
"Plant your feet, grit your teeth, and eat that horse!"
A giant blinking question mark could practically be seen floating over Sting's head as he blinked dumbly. Even Erza massaged her temples, patience wearing thin.
"Sorry, wrong motivational speech."
"What I meant to say was power up, and get back at it." he gestured to the unscathed tooth with his chin, encouraging, "Now get up, and push."
At that, Sting's gaze sharpened as his brows creased with conviction.
He stepped forward, puffing his lungs with air before unlocking the cage that held a dragon slayer's power.
Erza noticed that the same determined untempered fire that lit Sting's eyes ablaze once called Natsu's own pupils years ago.
Erza couldn't remember how long it had been since she had seen Natsu wear that excited look of someone genuinely eager to push themselves.
She was plucked from her thoughts when a ballooning shock wave smashed into her, dazzling magical streaks of white balleting around Sting's form before a second sun was created before her.
The second sun lived out its entire life in mere seconds, swelling and flaring before fizzling out in a cloud of sparkling starlight.
Sting was left standing there, standing on the bridge between dragon and man.
White angelic scales messily lined the sides of Sting's face and arms, pulsating bright with jocund magic as the mystic glow surrounding Sting calmed itself.
Sweat dotted Erza's forehead in response to the weight Sting's magic put upon the atmosphere, and after she spared Natsu a glance, she found even he had shock dressed upon his face.
"You two might wanna look away." Sting suggested gruffly, voice deeper and tone rougher.
Erza immediately did as asked, wishing to spare her retina's from whatever was going to happen. Natsu reluctantly followed suit, trusting Sting to the task.
For a solid minute, the energetic hum of Sting utilizing his light magic to create a pin point laser rang out, much greater in intensity compared to before.
The shine that ignited their surroundings anew eventually ceased, the temporary daytime that had been created retreating.
"Think I got it." Sting rasped out after a brief second.
Natsu turned, "Great. Erza, don't look." he yanked off his scarf to tie it over Erza's eyes, batting away protesting hands. "Keep this on."
"Natsu, I don't think I wish to know what the surprise is anymore." Erza confessed as she heard incessant shuffling close behind her, the two men quietly murmuring things she could barely pick up.
Sting and Natsu were a very volatile combination of mischief, there was a reason she forbid them from hanging out without supervision from Yukino or Lisanna.
She went unheard as Natsu whispered a little too loud, "Did you bring the thing-a-majig?"
"You mean the goober?" Sting requested an elaboration.
"No! The thingy, I told you specifically."
"Oh, oh, oh, I get it. Yeah, I brought it."
"Kay Sting, do the thing."
"Which one dude? The pink or the blue?"
"It's salmon, not pink."
The frustratingly vague snippets Erza could pick up left her with more questions than answers.
After what seemed like an eternity, she heard Natsu loudly clear his throat behind her, "Aight, you can take it off."
Expecting to get a pie shoved in her face or a bucket of water dumped on her, Erza pulled the scarf down and swiveled on a heel.
She made eye contact with a very proud looking Natsu holding something out to her.
That something turned out to be a sword, a double edged straight sword to be specific.
The blade, composed of a very familiar ivory material, still had wisps of steam permeating from its surface. Edges finely tapered, the saber's grip was composed of a light pink metal, scarlet wrappings weaving its way down to the hilt.
Right where one's palm would rest, a name had been etched into the steel.
Her name.
Eyes as wide as saucers, Erza switched between the sword and Natsu several times, mouth slowly falling open.
"Look, I know you're feeling down after today, after our argument, but I need you to know Erza that none of it could ever stop me from loving you." Natsu declared, beaming at her, "I haven't stopped looking up to you, and I never will, because you're amazing Erza, and ya deserve all the love in the world."
Erza wasn't sure her heart could take this.
"I said some awful things, raised my voice at ya, n' I never should've done that. You weren't perfect, but no one is. I don't want you punishing yourself anymore Erza, got it?"
Both of them were warriors, but only he had the hands of one.
Natsu's craggy hand encompassed her smaller one as he wrapped her slender fingers around the sword's handle using his.
He continued to fill her speechless silence with gentle words, "So uh, despite the fact I never, ever, held a grudge against you for anything, considering this me saying water under the bridge, okay? You're so strong Erza, and you're gonna keep getting even more amazing, I just know it."
"So don't let these past few weeks get ya down Erza," Natsu chirped softly as he brushed the crimson bangs from her artificial eye, "cuz' if anything, I love ya more now than ever!"
Erza's teary eyes flickered down to closely inspect the blade, a sword composed of something that was immensely precious to Natsu.
It was one of the few physical reminders that he had to remember his father.
A father she had belittled him for believing in.
A father nobody wanted to remember, including her.
And he decided to share a piece of it, a piece of Igneel, with her.
After everything that had been done to him, after everything that had been put in his head, Natsu was still giving.
Meanwhile, Natsu sent a quick glance over his shoulder to check up on Sting, his fellow dragon slayer back to his base state.
Mouthing a 'thank you' to him, he got a dismissive wave and playful wink in reply. Sting's mirth was quickly drained from his face as he looked past Natsu.
Natsu turned back to Erza.
That trembling little girl he had seen at the Tower of Heaven had returned to take her place.
The dragon tooth saber hissed as it seared the onslaught of Erza's falling tears to sparks and steam. From both her eyes those tears came, leaving the sword to seethe that sound like a siren call.
Small.
That's what she thought Natsu had made her feel like at first. That's what she latched onto, not that he gotten stronger and bigger and wiser and gentler.
Just like his father, she thought Natsu had made her feel small.
Hugging back, growing up and out of his fear of her, somehow almost always being there whether in her thoughts or in the flesh when she was at her lowest.
That's all she had been able to think about since their argument. Where she found out he was no longer scared of her. Where it felt like everything changed.
Ironic, since that's where she had accidentally pieced it all together. Of all the things to lead her to this realization, it had been his hugs.
So many reasons she started fighting without armor. Because of Jellal, because of her guild, and because of Natsu.
Because he took everything the world could ever hope to throw at him, and it never slowed him down.
Dragon Force, his Dragon Force, that really did make her feel like a child again.
It had yet to turn up in him again, giving her enough time to really see what it was, how it had been the source of all this.
Safe. Not small.
The armor came off more and more, because she had found something, someone, else to protect her.
Someone with a smile so bright she really did forget how cruel the world could be sometimes.
Natsu.
It was dizzying, going back and recalling all the times he was there, there to let her speak her mind, there to hold her, there to encourage her and shower her with praise.
She never thought twice about it. Because it was just Natsu.
Things had changed.
He had grown up, and she had realized that he made her feel safer than any armor she could ever put on.
The prelude to sobs wobbled her lips, she was about to start bawling like a child, yet Erza didn't hate herself for the control she was about to lose.
Natsu would give it back. And she'd feel stronger than ever. Not to mention her new and already most treasured blade.
So as Erza started to blubber and bawl, managing to clumsily prop the sword up with its tip planted in the earth before the tears came, she didn't hate herself.
Inevitably, Natsu's arms came out to pull her in close and gently squeeze what sorrow remained in her as if she was a soaked rag.
Erza whimpered into her hands like a little girl with a scraped knee, letting Natsu guide her head into the valley of his neck, where his scarf waited patiently to dry up her grief.
"I know today's been rough Erza, I know you probably feel like a kid again," Natsu murmured to her ear, one arm curled around her thinner frame to hold her still as she jerked with each muffled mewl, the other up with a hand combing through scarlet locks.
"I get it, I've been there, but I promise you that you'll pull through. After all, in a lot of ways Erza, you're still so much stronger than I am." that turned her mewls to sobs, and the nearby Sting turn away from the sight with glassy eyes of his own.
Natsu meanwhile kept shushing her, rocking her back and forth much like he would when consoling Wendy.
Natsu held Erza steady until she could steady herself. Until her body had no more sobs left to give.
Erza wasn't sure she had ever cried that long. That had felt... good.
Things inside didn't hurt as much anymore.
All thanks to her strongest set of armor. One made of pink hair and rough muscle and goofy smiles.
With this armor, Erza felt unstoppable. The blade made from the tooth of the Dragon King helped too.
Nuzzling into his shoulder, Erza squeaked out, a noise she didn't know she was capable of making, "H-how? How will I ever be able to thank you?"
"Don't need to. I just wanna cheer you up." Natsu rumbled, scarred lips quirking upwards, "So, how did I do? Ya like it?"
Not wanting to step away from the hug, Erza reached down to find the blade's handle, looking past his shoulder as she held up the dragon tooth saber to admire it yet again.
Never before did she think anything involving Igneel would make her feel strong.
"I-i love it." Erza answered honestly, watching it disappear to nothingness as she requipped it away for the safest of keeping. "I-i can't... I-i will never be th-thank you enough N-natsu, I-i..."
Natsu chuckled, squeezing her just enough to produce another mousy squeak, which had him chuckling that much harder, "Yeah, yeah, I love you too."
"S-stop doing that." Erza hissed weakly at him, devoid of any authority to get him to stop being... Natsu.
"Nuh uh. It's a cute sound."
"I am not cute! Refer to me as that again and I will use this sword on you Natsu!"
"Pfft, what? Nah! You're adorable! Heck, more now than ever!"
Erza feebly squirmed in his embrace, teeth bared and ears burning, yet her spluttering still lacked any actual bite. Embarrassment on the other hand it contained in spades.
"Don't you dare call me adorable or so help me-"
"Hey guys!" with the meaningful moment come and gone, both Natsu and Erza stopped their childish bickering turned to look at Sting, who had long since dried his eyes and was now pointing to the sky,
"Wanna watch me carve my name into the moon?"