Chapter Text
Leo watched Anna Heartfilia hummed an old song under her breath, her deft fingers moving methodically through the stitches of her half-finished scarf. The old scales collected in her basket were rusty pink but under the afternoon sun they still shone a radiant crimson. As she quietly sang her blessings into each stitch, he could feel the warmness of the protection spell weaving into the fabric. Enchantments made to protect was most potent with magic of the stars after all.
He eventually looked away, not wanting to spoil Anna’s spell work with his brooding. He could still feel the simmering heat of his fury in his veins after an intense argument with Zeref, almost setting off the latter’s curse and causing his most recent disappearance.
He hasn’t seen Zeref for almost a day, something he was half-glad about. He refused to rehash the same disagreement with Zeref again, and seeing the man’s woebegone expression might make him do something incredibly stupid.
“Are you still sulking?” Anna called to him.
He felt the crease between his brows deepened as he turned sharply to her. His first instinct was to deny vehemently, but even in his mind he sounded like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
“No.” He tried to say calmly, but it came out as a growl in his throat. Anna finally put down her knitting needles, raising a knowing brow at him.
He really liked Anna, but sometimes she vexed him so much. Leo was not accustomed to his feelings being seen through so easily.
“You looked like you’re contemplating murder.” She laughed. “What will the children say if they see your face right now?”
He snorted in contempt. Children raised by dragons, frightened of him?
Just as he thought that, the sky overhead went dark, large wings blotting out the sun and stirring a howling gale in the field as five humongous dragons descended to the ground.
“Leo, Anna!” Grandeeney greeted, lowering her huge claws to the ground. “Where’s Zeref?”
“He’ll be back soon.” Anna said smoothly before he could even snarl out a word. He doesn’t know what his face was doing, but whatever it was it must be unpleasant because Anna gave him a warning look as the dragons landed in a circle around them.
“Anna-sensei!” Natsu waved cheerfully from atop Igneel’s back. Before his father could settle completely on the ground, the boy had already leaped off.
“Natsu!” Igneel growled in annoyance, but the boy ignored him.
Gajeel swiftly scaled down Metalicana’s side, determined not to let Natsu reached Anna first.
Always following Natsu’s example, Sting was third to hit the ground. Instead of heading straight for Anna, he went for Leo instead.
“Leooooooo!” Sting screamed, running so fast he barrelled right into Leo’s leg. The impact threw him backwards onto his backside, but he was already jumping up with a wide grin. “Are we going to play tag again today?”
Sting has always preferred Leo, from the first time they met. He suspected it was the boy’s affinity for light that attracted him to Leo.
As the little ones eventually made their way towards him and Anna, he felt the last sting of his anger evaporated. He has always held a special fondness for humans, especially the children. The fact that these little ones were raised to be Dragon Slayers did not dim his love for them.
Aquarius had once said he always loved humans too much. For a Celestial Spirit that once held a bloody reputation of killing any unworthy humans that tried to forcefully take him being told that he loved humans too much nearly made him laughed at the irony.
Still, that was a story for another time.
“Well,” he grinned, not noticing the dragons’ amused looks. “Today, we are going to do something different.”
As expected, Ryos was the first to look up in curiosity. Leo would deny it if asked about his favourite, but he has a soft spot for the dark-haired shy boy. Anna’s favourite was Wendy, of course. Everyone’s favourite was Wendy, and who could deny her adorableness and pureness?
Leo loved little Wendy with something fierce, but it was Ryos who reminded him a little of himself. Ryos was still young, but he has a sharp awareness and genuine interest in wanting to understand anything he doesn’t understand. He was shy and quiet, and tended to melt into the shadows when there’s too many eyes on him but he has a fierce courage in his heart to protect his family.
Standing at the side, Anna watched the children looking up at the Celestial Spirit with the same, familiar gazes of awe and excitement. They were always so fascinated with Leo. As if a Celestial Spirit was even more amazing than a dragon.
Anna was biased, obviously. She was a Celestial Spirit mage, and she loved all her Celestial Spirits. She always found them far more interesting and stunning than any mystical creature.
But of course, logic doesn’t apply to children. When you’re raised by a dragon, what’s a dragon compared to a star in human shape?
Even though she doesn’t have the same special senses as the children, Leo was like sunlight. He carried an odd sense of otherworldliness that drew the eye; childish, yet wise. Fierce, yet gentle. Lethal, yet kind.
“You said that the last time but you just made us played hide-and-seek.” Gajeel scowled.
“And yet you were the first one to be found.” Leo pointed out.
Sting and Natsu cackled in delight at Gajeel’s red face. Even meek Wendy cracked a tiny giggle. Ryos wasn’t sure if he should laugh, so he settled for a smile he tried to hide behind his hair.
“You boys were terrible at hiding as well.” Leo said dryly, placing his hands on his hips as he stared down at Sting and Natsu.
“S-Shut up! You were cheating!” Natsu fumed.
“But you can’t cheat in hide-and-seek.” Ryos muttered in confusion.
Leo decided to interrupt before the boys started to bicker again. Little boys were already annoying to be around when they start fighting. Combined that with dragon-raised ones? The situation could turn explosive in an instant. And when Natsu was involved, sometimes literally.
“Shall we begin then?” He said loudly. “You know the rule. First one to touch me gets a prize.”
“What’s the prize for today then?” Natsu asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Not apple buns for dinner every day again!”
The sheer audacity of this brat. “What’s wrong with my apple buns!” He said in outrage. Even Zeref enjoyed his apple buns. It had taken Leo an entire decade to learn how to bake because his last contractor loved pastries.
“It’s fine but it’s not like we want to eat them every day.” Gajeel huffed, rolling his eyes.
He won tag once, and he had to endure those buns for an entire fortnight. He got so sick of them he forced the other kids to help finish them.
“I like the piggybacks.” Wendy piped up.
Wendy won once in their game of tag and Leo spent the next few visits piggybacking the smallest Dragon Slayer everywhere he went. But judging from Gajeel’s grimace, he would rather set himself on fire than allowed Leo to carry him anywhere.
“You brats are so ungrateful and hard to please.” He mumbled.
He stood back and took a moment to gaze at each child silently. Gajeel, crude and sharp-tongued to protect his own heart, but so protective of the other children. Natsu, boisterous and quick to fight, a mystery even to Leo with his strange connection to Zeref. Sting, cheerful and loud and could perhaps do a little less of looking up to Natsu. Ryos, quiet and intelligent and afraid of his powers. Wendy, a pacifist who hated fighting and hurting others with her magic.
He really hated this plan.
“The origin of the Celestial Spirits.” He said. “I’ll tell the one who wins when they rescue Wendy from me.”
He felt his smile stretched across his face, baring his own fangs in amusement as all five kids started to shift in excitement. He didn’t think that Sting or Natsu would be interested, but they have been curious about Celestial Spirits ever since they met him and Anna.
“Wait,” Ryos frowned. “Rescue Wendy from you?”
“As for Wendy,” he winked, plucking the surprised girl from the ground. “I’ll tell her the secret of my origin.”
“But she doesn’t even have to do anything!” Sting cried. “That’s unfair!”
“Of course, she does.” He let out a loud laugh worthy of any villain. “She’s going to have to try and escape the Great Evil Demonic Lion while her useless boys come and rescue her!”
Wendy let out a shriek as she was tossed into the air and then safely tucked under his arm. She clutched his arm in sheer panic as he sprinted off without warning.
“You have until dusk, brats!” He yelled over his shoulder.
Ryos won, of course, but not before Leo strung Natsu and Gajeel up the trees and tossed the rest of them into the lake. Only Wendy biting his arm as a distraction and Ryos sneaking up in Leo’s shadow ended the game.
That would be the last time any of the Dragon Slayers sees Leo again.