Chapter Text
Lucy looked over the room she claimed and frowned. Her bookshelves were in order, her kitchen neatly put away, and her bed...
That was it. Her bed. It was in the middle of the room instead of by the window like it should be. She grabbed one end of the bed and called over her shoulder, “Hey, Virgo?”
Immediately, the pink-haired maid spirit looked up from her sorting of Lucy’s clothes. “Yes, Princess?”
“Could you help me move my bed to the window, please?” Lucy asked.
“Of course, Princess,” Virgo replied, moving the bed with a single push to the window. Lucy stared for half a second, hands posed to grab the headboard and help push the bed before Virgo pushed it herself. She gave her spirit a dry look and said, “You know, I had meant ‘moving my bed together,’ not by yourself.”
“Does that mean punishment?” Virgo asked, sounding a little eager. Lucy felt her hair stand on end; why did Virgo always want to be punished?
“No!” Lucy snapped, heat coming to her cheeks. She sighed and looked around again, this time with satisfaction. Her apartment was as it should be, and while she missed having Magnolia’s river to lure her to sleep, the ocean lapping at the shore would do just fine. Her room was perfect.
“Thanks again for all your help, Virgo,” Lucy said, turning to the maid spirit.
“It was my pleasure, Princess. I am glad that you are able to summon us again,” Virgo replied.
“Yeah, I think Aquarius took care of that,” Lucy chuckled nervously. A shiver went down her spine at the memory of Aquarius chewing out Igneel, and she prayed that Aquarius wouldn’t give her a little “chat” the next time she summoned her. Though she did say that we learned our lesson, Lucy thought to herself.
“Head home, okay? You did a great job today,” Lucy praised.
“As you wish, Princess,” Virgo replied, bowing before poofing away. Lucy sighed and flopped onto her bed, watching as the setting sun bathed her room orange. Her body felt like jelly after four summonings and helping fix the ruins so that they were habitable. Plus painting Igneel and running from his son really wore her out.
Natsu, Lucy thought. How am I going to deal with you? And why haven’t I heard about you from the guild?
A knock on her door alerted her of guests. Lucy groaned as she stood up and crossed the room to the door. Gingerly, she opened the door to see Erza, Gray, and Jellal. She smiled tiredly at them and said, “Hey, guys! Come in!”
“Thanks, Lucy. I know that you’re probably tired, but there are things that we need to discuss with you,” Erza said formally as she entered.
“Mostly to do with the Flame-Brain you tangled with this morning,” Gray grumbled. Lucy stared at him as Jellal followed Erza in and took a seat at the kitchen table.
“So the guild knows Natsu? How come I’ve never seen him before?” she asked confused.
“To my knowledge, he isn’t an official member of the guild,” Jellal agreed. Lucy looked at him nervously; it wasn’t that long ago that the Tower of Heaven incident happened, followed by the Oración Seis and battling Zero. He may have changed, but it was hard to let go past experiences. But it seemed like he really was different than in the Tower, and he made Erza happy. And if Erza was happy with something other than strawberry cake, then that’s fine with her.
“He isn’t,” Erza said bluntly. “He’s a freelance wizard that likes Fairy Tail. He never officially joined us on account of ‘protecting his family.’”
“After meeting them, I don’t blame him,” Gray grumbled. Lucy couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the nest being discovered. The only country that coexisted peacefully with dragons was Ishgar to the east of Fiore, and their borders had been closed to outsiders for generations. Everyone else either screamed for the army or ignored their giant scaly neighbors.
“So now what?” Lucy asked hesitantly. “Is he going to be a member of the guild now?”
“Mostly likely,” Gray answered easily.
“The Master won’t send just anyone out to do jobs, and everyone has known Natsu since he was a little boy,” Erza added. “He won’t send you out with just anyone, Lucy.”
Lucy’s heart sank at her words. Great. How am I going to deal with that pyromaniac after I attacked him? she thought nervously.
Gray must have seen the nervousness on her face and said, “Don’t worry. Natsu maybe an idiot but he’s fairly good-natured for a fire wizard. I don’t think he even knows the word ‘grudge.’”
Lucy looked at him, a little surprised. “Really?”
Gray nodded. “Really.”
“How come I never heard about him until now?” Lucy asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.
“If he was so well-liked, he would have popped up in conversations before, correct?” Jellal asked.
“True, but the last job he had with us was....somewhat disastrous,” Erza answered. “He goes from guild to guild, months at a time, never coming twice in a row.”
Lucy cocked her head curiously at Erza. How did she know that? Igneel never mentioned anything about what Natsu did for work. Then again, he never mentioned that his son was human either...
Erza must have noticed her look, because she continued, “The guildmasters talk about him at their conferences. Most are annoyed about how he hasn’t picked a guild to join.”
Lucy nodded; a person wasn’t considered a full wizard until they joined a guild, even if they had powerful magic like Lost Magic. It was a way of making sure that guilds were held accountable in case legal issues came up and the Magic Council can easily find the wizard.
“So, he’s been hopping around so that his dragon family doesn’t get discovered?” Lucy reasoned.
“Sounds logical to me,” Jellal agreed.
“And the reason why he’s not in a guild,” Gray finished. Lucy looked toward Erza and said, “What about Levy and Gajeel? He isn’t part of a guild too, right?”
“According to Juvia, Gajeel did the same thing as Natsu, going from guild to guild,” Erza informed her. Lucy looked at the requip mage in surprise.
“Juvia knows Gajeel?” Lucy asked, surprised. She knew the water mage’s past involved being a part of Phantom Lord and its elite squad known as The Elemental Four, but she never mentioned anyone else from her old guild.
“Yes. Apparently, Gajeel stuck close to Phantom Lord the same way Natsu did with us,” Erza explained, her face stony and voice grim. Lucy didn’t blame her for her attitude toward Phantom Lord; the two guilds worked with each other only once with Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale to defeat the Oración Seis, but once was enough. The only good thing Fairy Tail could say about Phantom Lord was that they gave up Juvia to them.
“Juvia volunteered to talk to Levy about Gajeel since she knew him best,” Jellal added. Lucy felt relief rush through her with the knowledge that her best friend was being informed about their new...bodyguards? neighbors?
Still, she had so many questions, but none of which her friends could answer. She would have to talk to Natsu, and while the others may have said that he didn’t hold grudges, Lucy wasn’t eager to talk to him anytime soon.
“C’mon,” Gray said gruffly, standing up to sling an arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “We should meet up with the others for the party.”
Lucy couldn’t help but giggle as she was dragged out of her room by her friends. Master Makarov had declared that they should have a celebration for the reunion of the guild and surviving a week long voyage across the sea. And if there was one thing she learned about her adoptive family, all they needed was an excuse to have fun.
The guildhall was established in what probably was a mead hall or something similar. It was large enough for two floors, and according to Levy, a basement in desperate need of help. Makeshift tables were littered everywhere, as well as some of Laki’s magicked tables. Mirajane had claimed an entire wall for the bar, and had already had Freed making enchantments on the hastily built shelves to protect the liquor from any fights that break out.
Everyone in the guild was at a table, either unpacking a bagged lunch or drinking heavily. Lucy felt her heart sink a little at the sight. Her guild was rundown, a bit scared, and exhausted. But they were together again, Lucy thought firmly, trying to push back the negative thoughts. And now, they had dragons as potential allies, or enemies.
But Master will make everything right, Lucy thought hopefully. He’s one of the ten Wizard Saints. He can figure something out.
“Lucy!”
Lucy turned around to see Lisanna’s blue grey shirt in her face before being pulled into a massive bear hug. The Celestial Spirit mage had barely put her arms around her friend when she felt massive arms pick both of them up and her feet were no longer touching the floor.
“Elfman, you giant lug! Put them down!” Lucy heard Evergreen berate the largest of the Take-Over siblings as he cried, “These are manly tears!”
Lucy laughed quietly to herself as she felt her hair become damp and as other members began to gather around them, yelling at Elfman to let them breathe.
Fairy Tail always seems to bounce back, she thought to herself as Elfman finally set her and his sister down. Lisanna hadn’t let up on her own hug, and Lucy playfully gasped, “Lisanna! Need...air!”
“Right! Sorry!” Lisanna said as she finally released Lucy. “But you are okay, right Lucy? I hadn’t seen much of you today and Natsu didn’t hurt you, did he? I’ll kick his ass for you if he did and gods, how did he even find you?”
Lucy shook her head as Lisanna continued to ramble before finally cutting in.
“Lisanna! I’m okay! Nasty didn’t hurt me, and I think I might have done more to him than he did to me.”
“Yeah!” Elfman cheered as Lisanna caught her breath. “It’s way manly of you!”
“She isn’t a man, you ape!” Evergreen scolded, and the two of them began to argue, not even noticing how they were being pushed away by the other guild members. Lucy was lost in a whirlwind of questions and reassurances that she was all right. She could barely answer before another guildmate interrupted. She merely rolled her eyes with a smile and let her guildmates talk.
It wasn’t until she spotted Levy sitting down at a table that Lucy began to wiggle her way out of the crowd that surrounded her. She had to squeeze her way out, barely able to escape and make her way to her best friend. Jet and Droy were sitting with her, unsurprisingly. What did surprise Lucy was that Juvia was sitting with them, and the boys were pouting, for lack of a better word. Lucy strode over to them, hoping to hear what Juvia and Levy were so enthusiastically talking about.
“So he really did lose his hair?” Levy was giggling.
“Oh yes! His pride was really stung that day. That dark guild didn’t know what hit it, and he was temperamental for weeks after. I believe that he was fourteen at the time? It’s hard to say,” Juvia replied, laughing as well. Jet and Droy were the only ones not laughing, and Lucy had a feeling that it had to do with Juvia’s story.
“Hey, guys!” she greeted. Jet and Droy looked relieved to see her, Juvia looked up at her with a nod, while Levy stood up with a “Hey, Lucy!” and a hug. Lucy gratefully returned the hug and slid into the seat next to Levy.
“You okay, Levy?” Lucy asked worriedly. Levy nodded and replied, “Just bruises. Gajeel could have done worse.”
Lucy nodded, remembering how the dark man was with Pantherlily.
“But he didn’t,” Juvia said. She turned to Lucy and continued, “Love Rival shouldn’t worry about Gajeel. Juvia knows him. It just takes time to get to know him.”
Lucy rolled her eyes at “Love Rival,” but didn’t try to protest. She and Gray were only friends, and Juvia can pursue him all she wanted. Juvia gained a sparkle in her eye and said, “Juvia won’t have to worry about Love Rival soon, especially with Gajeel’s brother here.”
Lucy muttered, “Not even a rival for you,” before realizing what she said. “What do you mean?”
“Gajeel’s brother, Natsu, was chasing you,” Juvia explained mischievously. “He seemed very interested. Was he going to take you back like a caveman?”
Lucy felt her cheeks go red hot all the way up to her ears at Juvia’s suggestion.
“No!” she snapped peevishly. “If anything, I would have been scrubbing Igneel’s paint off.” She crossed her arms and purses her lips, trying not to pout. Juvia and Levy giggled a little before Lucy rounded tow Levy and demanded, “I thought that you didn’t know Natsu! Why did you act all surprised?”
Levy raised her hands in protest and exclaimed, “I didn’t know that Igneel meant our Natsu! I knew that Natsu knew Fire Dragonslayer magic, but I thought that he was from Ishgar! It only made sense!”
Lucy shifted in her seat uncomfortably as Jet added, “Pretty sure everyone thought Natsu was from Ishgar.”
“Yeah, think the question that he got the most was ‘Why did you leave?’” Droy continued.
“Juvia thought the same about Gajeel. She thought that he was from Ishgar as well because of his magic,” Juvia admitted. Lucy nodded in agreement at the logic; Ishgar had the largest population of dragons, so it only made sense that everyone assumed that the Dragonslayers were from there. But something was nagging in the back of her mind.
“If they were from Ishgar, then how would they have left? And did their dragons come from Ishgar as well?” she asked worriedly. What if they left because of some sort of taboo they committed? Or some crime?
“Juvia doesn’t believe that the dragons are from Ishgar,” Juvia said thoughtfully. “I’ve seen some dragons on the Ishgarian border of Fiore, and they don’t look like Ishgarian dragons, nor do they sound like them. They have a more hissing accent, and Gajeel would have picked that up living with them.”
Lucy nodded in agreement, thinking about her own upbringing and having to speak in a pompous and “proper” tone before realizing that a member of Team Shadowgear was missing. She asked, “Where’s Pantherlily? I thought that he would be on bodyguard alert with Gajeel on the island.”
“He’s exploring the island,” Levy explained with a smile. “The word he used was ‘patrolling,’ but we know that he’s really exploring.”
Lucy giggled as a deep voice said, “He shouldn’t have gone.”
Heart pounding in surprise, Lucy whirled around to see Laxus, Master Makarov’s exiled grandson, behind her. Freed Justine, his boyfriend, was standing next to him, looked at the blond in adoration. Lucy immediately snarled, “What are you doing here?”
Laxus has been expelled from the guild for attempting a coupe with the help of his Thunder Legion. When the guild caught on what he was doing, Master Makarov expelled him and sent him away, but allowed the Thunder Legion to stay.
Laxus raised an eyebrow and replied, “Grandpa was convinced to let me come back until this mess with the Council was over.”
“Gildarts pointed out that any member of the guild, present or expelled, would be in danger,” Freed said in his matter of fact way. “So the Master sent a message to Laxus to meet in Hargeon.”
Lucy scowled at the pair, not happy with this development. Before she could saying anything else, Juvia asked coldly, “Why do you think that Pantherlily shouldn’t patrol?”
“Natsu and the dragons,” Laxus said arrogantly. “Dragons are very prideful, and what happened today really would have stung.”
Lucy looked over at Levy and rolled her eyes. Her best friend merely shrugged her shoulders, shrinking a little away from Laxus at the same time. Lucy turned back to Laxus and said, “The dragons and dragon slayers aren’t going to be an issue because they aren’t coming back until tomorrow. They made a deal with the Master.”
Immediately after she said that, the guildhall doors slammed open, and wailing filled the hall. Lucy whipped around to see Pantherlily in his battle form, carrying two wailing hatchlings under each arm, looking like he fully regretted his decision. Lucy’s eyes widened as she saw the green scaled hatchling.
“Verdi?”
“Sweet Pea?” Levy squeaked.
“Told you,” Laxus said smugly.
Lucy jumped up and rushed over to Pantherlily, making sure to step on Laxus’s foot. Levy followed her, worry etched on her face.
“Sweet Pea! What are you doing? Why did you leave the nest?” Levy cried out over the ruckus of the guild. Lucy immediately took Beryl from Pantherlily, who looked like he was relieved to get some help with the wailing hatchlings. Levy took Reisha and held her close as the pink hatchling continued to cry. Lucy stroked Beryl’s back as she wailed in her arms.
“Little Verdi, what are you doing here? What’s wrong?” Lucy asked, using the nickname she had given the little green hatchling.
“You leeeeffffft!” Beryl wailed. “You left us!”
“Come back!” Reisha cried, burying her head into the crook of Levy’s neck. Lucy’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest at hearing their wailing. She looked over at Levy to see the same conflicted look on her face.
“I’m sorry, girls. I found them while patrolling,” Pantherlily explained apologetically. “I know that you two are exhausted, but they kept crying for you and I couldn’t leave them alone.”
“It’s okay, Pantherlily,” Levy assured the giant Exceed, cuddling Reisha. Lucy began to stroke Beryl’s back, trying to calm her down.
“No, it’s not!”
Lucy turned around, wincing as Beryl dug her talons into her shoulders. Droy was standing up, Jet next to him. Lucy glanced around to see that the rest of the guild had reduced their volume to murmurs and whispers, interested in the action. Jet picked up where Droy left off.
“If they’re here, then their parents will be here soon! And they’ll be pissed off at us!” he snarled.
Lucy rolled her eyes at the Speed mage. She argued, “If they come here pissed off, it’s because these two snuck off. Dragons can be rational.”
“Luuuucy! Please come back! We’ll be good!” Beryl begged in her arms, wrapping her tail around her waist.
Lucy sighed. “Verdi, Levy and I wouldn’t have a lot of room to work with. We would be all cramped in the nest. Besides, we can be neighbors! Neighbors can be together, right?”
Beryl shook her head against Lucy’s chest and wailed, “Nooooooooo!”
“Please stop crying, Sweet Pea. We can’t come back with you guys. We just finished unpacking and we need to stay with our nest,” Levy begged. Lucy couldn’t look over to her best friend. She was too busy trying to calm down.
“Come, little ones,” Makarov chided, appearing next to Lucy and scaring her. “You wouldn’t want Lucy and Levy to be sad, do you?”
Lucy stared as Beryl hiccupped and quietly said, “No.”
“No,” Reisha echoed, sniffling.
“They would be happier with their family, and you can still visit with permission from your parents,” Makarov continued. Lucy’s stomach began to untwist itself from the nervous knot it was in. Beryl looked between her and Makarov, eyes still watery.
“But,” the green hatchling started. Lucy’s heart sank a little.
“But we want them hoooooooome!” Reisha wailed, causing Levy to wince. Lucy winced as well as Beryl started to cry again.
“Little ones, please!” Pantherlily attempted. The hatchlings just wailed harder.
Suddenly, the guild went on alert, standing up and pushing tables back, arming themselves with their magic. Lucy looked toward the direction that they were facing and her heart stopped. In the open doors of the guildhall, there stood the Dragonslayers, and Natsu was looking right at her.
“Well, this is a party now,” she heard Laxus grumble.