Archive of Our Own ^beta

The town of Magnolia. A grand city along the water with bustling townspeople, an inviting culture, and history etched into each stone. The walls themselves seemed new - the buildings surely being rebuilt over and over - but the strength and resilience of the town and its people were clear throughout every brick and every bone. Their history, and their stories, reached far across Fiore and the roots of all these stories, along with the reason the town was constantly rebuilt, was because it was home to a certain guild. 

Fairy Tail. 

Taking a breath, Kabe shifted the bag on his shoulder as he stood face to face with the home of the fairies. Fairy Tail’s flag sat proudly in the center of the massive guild hall along with others of the city and country. Kabe eyes drank in the building from the banners at the top to the massive wooden door at the bottom. It was a truly regal building, even housing a sort of lacrima in a tower at the top where a bell would go. There was a gift shop off to the side as well, a doll or two catching Kabe’s attention. It almost gave him pause, but he shook it off. He was here on a mission and he needed to focus. Kebe pushed open the doors.

Yes, the guild was home to many exceptional wizards. One of whom was a fable among Kabe’s family, someone he traveled all this way to meet. 

“Oh, hello there!” A kind woman with silvery hair greeted, “you must be new!” 

Kabe exchanged pleasantries with the woman he knew to be Mirajane. His research into the guild showed the women of Fairy Tail to be beautiful in their own right, Mirajane’s side-gig as a model was nothing to sneeze at. At least, from what he could gather from Sorcerer Weekly, during the train ride here. 

“The guild master is right over there!” she pointed, “I suggest you talk to her first.” 

“Thank you,” Kabe gave a short bow and marched forward. 

“Good luck.” Something in Mirajane’s tone made the young man turn. He blushed when she offered him nothing but a wink. Kabe whirled back around, shook his head, and continued on towards his goal. 

Following where the barmaid pointed, there was a group of people talking at a doorway, underneath a sign for ‘library.’ It was safe to assume they were speaking to the guild master, who was just out of sight. 

Kabe wasn’t sure what he wanted out of this meeting exactly. At the very least, he wanted to thank her for her kindness. He wanted to express his family’s gratitude for her heroism against their oppressor and clearing their name. Even more so, for mending the bond between his father and grandfather. Plus, the revitalization of Kabe’s grandfather’s legacy, along with the defeat of the local tyrant, allowed for their family to prosper. They weren’t wealthy by any means, but they no longer lived off scraps. Lucy Heartfelia’s cunning and strength truly meant a lot to them. 

On behalf of his family, Kabe wanted to let her know they were okay - if she even remembered them-  and that her work was important. Kabe wanted her to know that they were grateful. 

Kabe approached the group; a young man with wind-swept dark hair and a yellow scarf and a young woman with blue hair and a white cat, noticed him and started to move. 

“Anyway, see ya, Master!” The boy waved. 

“Bye Lucy!” The girl tacked on before following. Kabe thought he imagined it but the little white cat in her arms seemed to regard him closely, almost with suspicion. He was too busy contemplating to notice the presence behind him. 

Fairy Tail’s ninth guild master: Lucy Heartfelia.

The one he’s been searching for, who his family praised to the skies, and the only reason he sought Fairy Tail in the first place.

“Hello!” Someone kind greeted, “can I help you?”

Kabe turned. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Oh, Lucy Heartfelia was doing just fine. 

Really fine. 

When Kabe turned around he was face to face with a woman who made him believe in all the cliches romance novels had to offer. Tall and fair, soft and firm, dainty yet mighty. Fairy Tail’s ninth guild master had a round face with large, doe-like brown eyes. Long golden hair tried to reach a curved waist, with the top layer pulled back to rest atop her head like a crown. A black corset was held tight around her center with a gold string. From underneath was a crimson skirt stopping mid-thigh in the front and swaying by her ankles in the back. As the dress stretched to reach her shoulders, it disappeared around the sides of a ruffled white shirt with thin black lines that fought to hold her bosom. Kabe swallowed and quickly dropped his eyes to the floor, refusing to allow his gaze to wander up black thigh-high boots. 

“You must be new!” She sounded so excited, “my name is Lucy, it’s nice to meet you!” 

Kabe struggled to open his mouth - tongue heavy and useless like a wet comforter - only for someone else to cut in.

“Psst, Lu,” a blue-haired woman whispered, “introduce yourself properly.” 

“Oh, right,” Lucy laughed, a pleasant and cheery sound, “I’m Fairy Tail’s guild master. Welcome to our guild!” 

Kabe tried to force down the heat in his face.

He bowed, “th-thank you.”

She didn’t seem to mind his shyness nor his manners.

“So what’s your name?”

Finally, the opening he was waiting for. Kabe lifted his head and cleared his throat. He had rehearsed the speech several times during the journey here and now it was finally time to remind this grand wizard of such a small stepping stone in her journey.

“My name is Kabe Melon, seven years ago you helped my father-”

“Kaby!” The absolute joy in her voice brought Kabe’s speech to a grinding halt. Hands clasped together, her eyes shined like stars as nothing but recognition filled her expression.

“Kaby Melon! I get it, so you’re his son? That means you’re Kemu Zaleon’s grandson! That is so awesome! How is everyone doing?” 

Kabe blinked, “E-everyone is doing just fine thanks to you. Actually, I came here because I wanted to thank you.” 

“You don’t need to thank me! It was my pleasure!” Lucy beamed, “besides, that job will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first one, afterall!” 

Kabe felt his heart get punctured from something he couldn't see and it caused red to stretch to his ears. Her choice of words was one thing, but that new piece of information was downright fascinating.

“Really? I had no idea,” Kabe said. 

Lucy looked off to the side, the pink dusting her cheeks causing Kabe to sweat. 

“Yeah, it was because he- well, never mind! Looking back, it was a lot of fun!” She waved a hand with a pink guild mark. He wondered why she picked that color. 

Suddenly, the goddess grabbed him and his arm was pressed against something far too soft for this world.

“You have to tell me everything! I’ve finally collected all of Kemu Zaleon’s novels!” 

Kabe was pleasantly surprised, “Wow! Really? I thought I was the only one!”

She led the young man to an open table and then they just…talked; like two old friends wanting nothing more than to catch up, rather than a famous guild wizard and a stranger. 

Lucy Heartfelia was a marvel; a caring soul, a leader, a beauty among men, an accomplished novelist, and an unrivaled mage. There was a lot to admire about her, a lot to be drawn to, but Kabe found her to be a truly insightful person with a brilliant view and deep understanding of the world. 

All around them, the guild was full of life and merriment. Wizards from the endless stories Kabe had only heard of stolled in and out, starting fights and swaying along to music. Hours into their conversation, when a body was tossed across their table and broke all their glass mugs, the guild master stood and hollered at the men to knock it off. They gave a meek apology and she sat back down with a polite huff.

“It’s always like this around here,” she said with a slightly apologetic tone. Still, their was fondness in her eyes as she laid her head in a guild-marked hand and watched the boys try not to let their tussling get out of hand. Kabe eyed something shining and bit his lip. 

Suddenly her head popped up, “so! Are you looking to join Fairy Tail? Are you a wizard like your grandfather?” 

“M-me? Well,” Kabe truly considered the offer, “I’m…not sure yet. I mostly came here to talk to you, but…I can tell this lifestyle is what helped shape you into such an incredible person. So perhaps I should give it a try?” 

A pretty red painted her cheeks and Kabe swallowed, pressing on.

“At the very least I came all this way, I suppose I can stick around for a little while? Just to get a taste of what it’s like to be in a guild like Fairy Tail. If not to join, then for my own novel.”

“You want to write too?” Lucy gasped, almost ecstatic, “I totally get it! Nothing beats getting inspiration from real-life experience!” 

She leaned across the table and Kabe’s eyes were lost in hers. 

“I can take you on some jobs with me! There’s a few that I’ve been meaning to take on since a lot of our mages are out handling a slight emergency and I have some big expenses coming up.”

“Uh, y-yeah! That would be great!” Kabe found looking at her made it hard to breathe so he looked down - jolted - then looked down even further. He eyed the mark on her hand resting across the table.

She leaned back, “this is our home. Everyone here is my family. They made me their guild master because they believe in me and I work hard every day to live up to their expectations.” 

Fairy Tail’s ninth guild master caressed the mark on her hand. 

“It means the world to me, you know? This mark - this place - is everything,” her laugh was carefree, “we’re a unique and rowdy bunch. But I wouldn’t have us any other way!”

“I can tell,” Kabe replied honestly, “I imagine that’s what makes you such a great master.” 

Again a blush dusted her cheeks and it fueled Kabe’s ego and imagination. In an effort to control himself, he looked around. It was already sunset and the wizards were returning home for the night, but they all said such kind goodbyes to each other, as if they didn’t see one another every day. There was true comradery and love in the place Lucy Heartfelia oversaw, it was astounding. 

“Everyone here is unique, and that’s what makes it so beautiful and lively. You can tell with just the guildmarks alone, the placement and colors are special to each person,” Kabe gestured to hers, “what about yours? Why did you join Fairy Tail?”

“Me?” Lucy blinked and took her mark into consideration. She held that fond expression again, but this time it was deeper, full of affection and longing as she stared out of the open guild doors. 

“Well…I guess you could say it was fate?” Lucy supplied cryptically. Still, she said it with such wisdom that Kabe couldn’t take it as anything other than fact. 

“Then again, you could also say I was dragged here, more or less.”

“Dragged?” 

“Yep! He just grabbed me by the hand and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. As for the pink,” she beamed as she held her guild mark up, “it’s my favorite color!”

That something glittered again and it gave Kabe a funny feeling. He managed to push it down for a few more hours. They continued to talk about everything and anything, Kabe with his mother’s dresses and Lucy with her many adventures. She told him all about her favorite spots around Magnolia and Kabe bounced some writing ideas off her. It wasn’t until the stars she loved so much came out that she walked him to the nearest inn. 

“Normally I would offer you to stay with me, but, you know, he would know right away. I rather not cause you trouble.” 

“Uh-huh…?” Kabe didn’t understand what she meant, but that nagging feeling bubbled up again and his eyes dropped to her side. Brown irises tracked the glittering shine that swayed like a hypnosis trick. In a last attempt to put off the inevitable, Kabe asked about her keys. The magic celestial summoners that she’s collected over the years. Lucy was clearly happy to talk about them and her glee once again proved to ease his worries. It wasn’t until the inn appeared at the end of the street, did Kabe decide to ask. There was no telling how busy a guild master was, no telling if she meant what she said about taking him on a quest or two - just the two of them - nor if she really wanted to speak with him. But, no, Lucy was kind, and Kabe really felt they had a connection. He had to ask.

“Here we are-”

He cleared his throat, “I have something else I’m curious about, if you don’t mind.” 

Lucy offered an easy smile, “yeah, sure, what’s up?” 

“Your, uh, your ring?” Kabe pointed, “it’s, well, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. What is it made out of?” 

“Oh, this?” Lucy brought the jewelry up to the light of the inn. It seemed to be made of some sort of gem, the entire thing cut ruggedly, but also just so to where it fit her finger perfectly. Overall, Kabe would say it was a deep red color, almost purple, but when it hit the light, it dulled into a whitish gray. The white speckled across the stone like stars, adding to the allure of the gem. 

“Its a dragon lacrima,” Lucy explained, “well, sort of. We had found it on one of our quests and, you know, some things happened and we had to use up all the actual dragon power within it.” She waved her hand flippantly, as if people went on one-in-a-lifetime adventures and procured infinitely rare and powerful items every week. 

Kabe gave a sigh of relief, “oh, I see. How fascinating.” He could finally put his concerns to rest. 

“Yeah,” Lucy smiled so brightly, “so now it’s my wedding ring!” 

He was wrong.

Very wrong. 

He thought he was safe far too soon and the weight that had been building all day, lifted off his shoulders, then slammed back down with double the gravity. Lucy didn’t seem to notice the young man wheezing from the sudden pressure on his chest.

“My husband doesn’t know the meaning of restraint. After we got married, every time he fought his wedding band would melt right off! He felt so guilty about it the first few times, he tried fighting one-handed!” She laughed and continued. 

“We tried everything! At one point, Happy and I started just carrying around extra rings for him. But then we found this! And once we used all the magic, my husband said we would make it our rings.” Lucy gushed. 

Buckled over, Kabe was on the cusp of admitting defeat. What else did he expect? Of course such a goddess had her white-knight already. But Kabe needed to know what kind of man he was. At the very least, he needed to know his family’s hero was well taken care of. 

“He said it was much cooler this way and I totally agree!” She continued, “one of the best decisions we ever made.”

“Who’s uh,” Kabe cleared his throat, “who is your husband? I assume he’s a guild wizard?” 

Lucy smiled with pink, plump lips and warm eyes. 

“He sure is! You've probably heard of him. You would know him as ’Salamander.’” 

—-----

Salamander.

Salamander.

Salamander.

The very name haunted Kabe’s dreams and caused the poor man to pace in his room well into the morning. 

Salamander. 

The Salamander. 

Fairy Tail’s Salamander. 

Has Kabe heard of him?

Heard of the fire-mage argued to be the king of dragons and dragon slayers? 

Victor in the battle against the dark mage Zeref and black dragon Acnologia?

A monster among men who is said to brim with unimaginable power that can set fire to the entire continent?

Has Kabe heard of him?

Who hasn't heard of him?

If it had been someone else, anyone else, Kabe would have left Magnolia content that Lucy Heartfelia - or rather, Lucy Dragneel - had found someone that was just as quaint, intelligent, and well-regarded as she was. 

But not the fearsome dragon-slayer. 

Everyone knew of the destruction Salamander caused everywhere he went. It was said he could level an entire town in a single attack, scorch the earth and sea, and that he was banned from the Grand Magic Games due to the very walls melting in his presence year after year. He showed no mercy to those who wronged him and was an unstoppable force against every foe who dared face him. 

Some even whispered that he was a demon, and while Kabe felt that was too harsh a term for any wizard, there was always some truth in the roots of all crazy rumors. 

No. 

There was no way. 

Kabe couldn’t leave the savior of his family without confirming she was truly happy. But how could she be when she was tied to such a brute of a husband? 

Afterall, didn’t she say Salamander dragged her to the guild? Against her will? And why is she afraid to bring over guests? She was positive he would find out and not be happy, why was that? What happened when he was not happy?

Kabe would get to the bottom of it. 

——

Unfortunately, things just got worse from there. 

As Kabe predicted, Lucy Heartf - Lucy Dragneel - was exceptionally busy. She was already at the guild when he arrived, even though he arrived rather early, and was bustling back and forth. She counted the shipment of food and drinks, documented the amount of jewels coming in and going out, and organized any magic items left by the wizards who completed their jobs. Next came the new intakes of job requests, followed by what sounded like a nasty call from the Magic Council regarding Fairy Tail wizards in the capital. She even took the time to put all the clean dishes away and straightened out the tables and chairs. 

Kabe did his best to help and keep up with the guild master, even if he was rather weak and useless in comparison. What’s more, for some reason her celestial spirits seemed to be against her moving around so much. They also seemed to snicker behind Kabe’s back about some joke he didn’t understand, only asking loudly when the Salamander would return. 

It rubbed Kabe the wrong way. Especially since the man in question was brought up a lot throughout their daily chores, and the lore that Lucy revealed about her husband, did not paint a pretty image. 

“Just listen to me, you probably think I’m strange! You know, my husband always says that! That I'm ‘just so weird.’ He insults me constantly!” 

“Not that this new lock is going to really do anything, the wizards here have no respect for doors or privacy. Natsu especially! Every time I came home, I would find him in my living room. He always just broke in! No matter how many times I kicked him out!” 

“And then he burned off all my clothes! Can you believe that!” Lucy dropped the pile of papers on the bar, “I wish he would stop doing that!” 

Kabe gawked as the blonde woman plopped down on the barstool. She made such horrid ideas sound like mundane laments. A sickly feeling settled like rotten snow in his gut as everything Lucy said only added to the horrible picture Kabe painted in his head. While he could understand any husband of Lucy’s wanting to see her in all her glory at any time, it was still wrong. Burning your wife just because you don’t like her clothes? Disgraceful. 

Behind her, Mirajane giggled at the woman’s woes.

“Are you talking about your beloved husband?” She asked. 

“Who else?” Lucy kneaded her forehead, “You know, this morning I opened my closet and found a pile of ashes. How did I miss that? I don’t even know what it was but I bet it was mine…” she whined.  

By now it was mid-afternoon and Kabe was beyond tired from following Lucy around. His body couldn’t keep up with all her energy and his heart couldn’t take the strain of listening to her talk about Salamander every chance she got. The man slinked forward to take a seat beside her, laying his spinning head down on the bar with a groan. A glass mug slid towards him, foam splashing on his nose. 

“And I see you still have a lost puppy with you…” Mirajane hummed. A bright red blush worked it’s way from Kabe’s collarbones to his hairline as Lucy put down the water she was chugging.

“Huh?” 

“N-never mind!” Kabe quickly cut in. The barmaid gave an innocent giggle but the glance she gave Kabe that was the furthest thing from innocence. Kabe shivered, the she-devil’s gaze had been almost…sadistically pitying…mocking…like she knew something but wouldn’t say out of enjoyment of what was to come.  

“So,” the woman purred, “Natsu should be back any day now…are you excited?” 

Kabe flinched as the woman seemed to read his fears and predictions. A blush formed on Lucy’s face, tame, as she scratched her cheek.

“Y-Yeah…although I wish I had more time…” Lucy did not sound excited at all. 

Despite only knowing her for a day, Kabe could tell her beautiful smile was strained. When she answered, her doe eyes fluttered down towards the floor, a tell-tale sign of a lie. The guild master even brought her hands to her stomach, in an effort to stave off any nerves or nausea.

“Now, now! I’m sure Natsu can’t wait to see you! He and Happy are probably being so impatient. Poor Erza must have her hands full.” 

Lucy suddenly looked sick again. 

“Things have been pretty quiet here, but I’m sure whatever money we save on construction will be spent tenfold on damages.”

“Since this was a request from her majesty, hopefully they’ll let it slide.” Mirajane added cheerfully. 

Lucy forced a laugh and Kebe almost said something. What, he wasn’t sure, but the way Lucy’s supposed friend saw no issue with how Lucy was treated by her husband was fueling some sort of nasty fire in Kabe’s gut. He needed to work out a plan. 

“How-!” Kabe swallowed when his sudden outburst startled the two women. He cleared his throat and forced down the words ‘how much time do we have left’ to something more practical. 

“When is he due back?”

Lucy sighed and looked up in thought. 

“It’s hard to say…this job could still take them a while…” 

“Has he been gone that long?” 

Lucy smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes, “almost two months. There was an emergency in the capital and they requested our help. A dark culmination of magic controlled by a dark guild…last I heard Natsu and the others had chased them out of the capital, but the Queen asked they erase the threat for good and dissipate any traces of the dark magic.” 

“It’s that dangerous?” Kabe’s brows rose. At the very least, the job sounded difficult and needed a power like Salamander’s. 

“Yeah,” Lucy huffed a laugh, “but he’ll be fine. Actually, he was really grumpy about it and didn’t want to go. I eventually got him to listen but, you know.” She waved her guild-marked hand. 

Kabe frowned. This man sounded like nothing but a headache. 

“But, surely it’s his duty as a-“

Suddenly, they were under attack. 

It was as if the sun itself decided to grave them with its presence. The guild was blasted with a stream of blazing light. Kabe jumped to his feet but Lucy and her wizards were quicker, a few running outside to see the damage caused while the others yelped and cursed. Watching long blonde hair flicker as she ran ahead, Kabe clenched his fists and willed himself to follow after. If everyone was fighting, they might be too distracted to protect their guild master. 

Kabe would be there for her. 

Lucy, Mirajane, the blue haired woman, the two teenagers from yesterday, and a few others stood just before the guild, necks bent to look high above. Kabe did the same. 

“F-fire! The guilds on fire!” Kabe yelped in alarm. The grand lacrima had its once brilliant blue hue, was now dyed an angry red. Kabe could feel the ferocious heat from the ground as the fire blazed within the clock house. 

Kabe turned towards the guild leader in panic, “Lucy, what to we-“

Mirajane squealed.

“Speak of the dragon!”

“Huh?” Kabe looked around. 

“Natsu’s back!” The teenage boy cheered. He ran inside to share the news, the blue haired teen following. 

“Wait up, Romeo!”

“Wendy!” Her cat called after her. Before the feline could fly off - wings? - Mirajane snickered. 

“That means Happy is coming home too, Carla.” She grinned. The cat quickly covered what might have been a smile and flew off. 

“Does this mean…” Kabe turned slowly towards the guild master, trying to keep his hands from shaking. 

“Salamander?” His voice came out weak and strangled. That blast had come from the outskirts of town, stretching from the foot of the mountain to the guild on the lake’s edge. With such pinpoint accuracy, no less, and such power too. 

Lucy watched the fire dance on the lacrima for a few moments longer before her gaze turned to him.

Her lip quirked, “you might want to brace yourself.” 

“Huh?” 

The small stones by their feet began to tremble. 

“Its the Gildart’s effect!” Mirajane helpfully supplied, “we set it up to protect the town from his clumsiness, but its activated by any Fairy Tail wizard with strong and dangerous magic. Like Natsu!” 

“I remember when it first activated for him,” Lucy chuckled, “we were coming back from a job and he fell to his knees and cried, he was so happy. Then he and that cat dashed straight through town, leaving me in the lurch!” 

Mirajane giggled at their antics but Kabe was not amused. Whos to say Lucy wasn’t the one to activate this ‘Gildart’s Effect’? 

Within a few moments, the ground began to shake and sirens sounded. Kabe became unbalanced and struggled to stay on his feet while the two women beside him remained unbothered. 

“Between him and Gray, I’m just grateful the town still tolerates us.” Lucy sighed, “Juvia even activated that one time when she and Grey got into that fight.” 

“I guess Erza failed at keeping him away long enough for the Salamander to cool down.” Mirajane leaned in close to her master with a smirk covered by a dainty hand.

“He probably left the moment her back was turned. I bet he missed you terribly.” 

“Yeah…” Lucy’s response could barely be heard over the city rearranging itself and the sirens warning the citizens of an incoming dragon. The shaking earth was nothing compared to the nauseating feeling Kabe had at Mirajane’s words. It was only when the ground finally stopped that Kabe was able to stand properly. He was prepared to say something - anything - to question Mirajane’s humor in all this or to let Lucy know she had support. But whatever sentiment he had was wiped clean from his mind as all the noise quited just in time to hear Lucy’s confession.

“I missed him.” She said.

Just like that, the wind was taken out of Kabe’s sails. Even if their relationship wasn’t a good one, who was he to try and butt in? Lucy was his family’s savior but she’s only known him for a day. And it sounded like she had known Salamander since he dragged her to this guild against her will and forced her to stay by his side while he recklessly destroyed towns, pushed her into danger, and spent all their reward money so she had none for rent…even if Kabe wanted to return the favor and save this poor woman, saying something without thought might make her double down and resent him. Besides, Kabe understood he was biased and that Lucy was a smart and capable woman. As someone who valued intelligence, Kabe at least needed to look the man in the eye before he could sign off on all the evidence as fact.

The angel's name was shouted from the heavens. 

“Lucy!” 

White feather wings glowed in the sunlight and Kabe squinted to make out the figure. A blue ball of fur barreled into Fairy Tail’s ninth guild master, who accepted it with open arms. 

“A cat?” Kabe gawked, fully expecting to see either a dragon or another blonde angel. 

“Happy!” Lucy cheered. She squeezed the tiny ball of fur, kissing his head. Kabe bit his lip in jealousy. 

The cat, Happy, picked his head up. 

“We’re back!” He cheerfully announced. 

Lucy’s smile was breathtaking, “welcome home.” 

Happy nuzzled her chin and returned Mirajane’s greeting. 

“Sorry about the town, Lucy. I tried to get him to relax before coming home but you know how he is.” Happy shrugged. 

Suddenly the cat’s attention was on the poor author and his dark eyes narrowed. 

“Who’s the guy?” Happy let his claws sink into Lucy’s clothes. Kabe swallowed, never once imagining he would tick off a talking, flying cat. 

“This is Kabe! Kabe Melon! You remember, from our first job!” Lucy chirped, clearly still excited over the connection. Pink flooded Kabe’s cheeks but the warmth was quickly smothered by the flickering tail of the cat. 

“Uh-huh, never heard of him.” Happy replied. It was unclear if he actually remembered but Kabe could see he didn’t care either way. Still, if this cat was important to Lucy, Kabe would respect that. Besides, how often can you talk to a cat? 

“It’s nice to meet you,” he offered a hand, “I’ve never met a flying cat before, that’s incredible!”

Happy looked at it as if he didn’t expect Kabe to address him so genuinely. Eventually the cat beamed and stuck a tiny paw in Kabe’s palm. 

“Nice to meet cha!”

“Thank you,” Kabe smiled back, “Miss Lucy has been showing me around. Your guild truly is a special place.”

“Yeah it is,” Happy agreed. He took his paw back and wiped it on Lucy, then crawled on her shoulders. 

“You can hang out with us if you want to, I guess. You seem non-threatening enough.” 

Kabe blinked, “Huh?”

“Happy!” Lucy hissed. 

It was strange being scrutinized by a judgemental cat; nerve-wracking, even. Kabe found his mouth dry as he tried to swallow, his clothes feeling too tight as he pulled them off his neck. In fact, it was getting hard to breathe and his entire body was covered in sweat. It wasn’t until he noticed Lucy was in the same state that it clicked. 

The temperature in the air was rising. 

And it was rising quickly. 

“It’s so hot!” Some in the guild complained. 

“Does he have to do this every time?” Another chimed. 

“I can’t tell which is worse: Natsu’s sudden summer or Grey’s frigid winter!”

There was a figure just down the road. 

Broad shoulders, sharp up-turned eyes, and a mane of spiky pink hair that would put a lion to shame. The Salamander approached Fairy Tail with steady footsteps and a smoldering heat. Baggy white pants were tucked into black boots, just brushing the gold trim of a red, sleeveless tailcoat. It dawned on Kabe that the man’s color pallet matched that of the guild master standing beside him. 

The smallest details became apparent as Natsu drew closer. The gold cloth holding up Lucy’s hair was the same as the thick fabric Salamander had wrapped around his waist; the pattern of his white scarf matched the thin-lined squares of Lucy’s shirt; and his wrist band was on the same hand as Lucy’s ruffled black bracelet. 

They matched. All the way down to the ring on his finger. 

“I’m home!” Natsu announced with a wave. 

“Welcome back!” Lucy greeted. The few standing outside did the same - minus Kabe - and Natsu regarded them jovially. He stopped just before his guild master, his smile as unfading as the summer sun. 

The man wasn’t particularly intimidating. Just a head taller than Lucy and slightly wider, the Salamander didn’t compare to the size of some of the other wizards in Fairy Tail. Pink fluffy hair and a boyish smile only added to his non-threatening presence. He lacked the scales and horns Kabe pictured in him to have but Kabe could see the small lines of scars on his exposed skin, peppering a solid form of tense muscles. The Salamander was stocky and nothing short of a threat. 

“Come on,” Natsu shifted the large bag on his shoulders, “aren't cha going to ask how it went?”

He was cocky too. 

Lucy shook her head and replied with an easy smile. 

“I don’t have to, I have faith you handled it.”

The dragon-slayer’s grin only grew and the two beamed at each other with such warmth, Kabe felt he was intruding on a private, intimate moment. It lasted several beats before Natsu made a move. Kabe braced himself for the man to sweep his wife off her feet or engage in a passionate-welcome home kiss. Natsu took two steps towards his wife, then swerved.

“Oi!” He shouted into the guild, “we’re back!” 

“Welcome home!” Was shouted back to him. The cat leaped out of Lucy’s hands to follow after Natsu and greet the rest of the guild. 

“Huh?” Kabe couldn’t hide his shock. He gawked at the man - who was supposed to be a husband to the lovely Lucy - walk away and not even spare her another glance. Instead, Natsu picked a fight with the dark-haired teen from earlier, eating any fire thrown his way and actually hitting the poor kid with enough force to send him flying. Kabe flinched as this started a guild-wide brawl that sent tables and chairs flying in every direction, along with other people. 

“It’s always like this! Isn’t it charming?” Mirajane explained to Kabe in a way that was meant to be comforting.

Lucy sighed, “It’s definitely something. I love them for this but couldn’t he wait? He just cooled down.” 

A long, solid wood table come flying out and Kabe screeched and clutched his head. The table was shattered by a punch from the She-Devil and a swift kick from the guild master. Kabe couldn’t bring himself to stand even as the splinters scattered around their feet. 

“Hey!” Lucy shouted, “you just got back so don’t wreck the joint! This is the longest I’ve kept it clean!” 

No one listened to her. Fists clenched at her side, Lucy huffed and marched inside. Kabe sputtered, his tongue tripping over the pleas for her safety that he held back. Mirajane offered a cute smile and nodded her head inside, trying to show it was safe. Kabe’s eyes immediately darted to Lucy’s backside as she walked easily through the chaos, stopping once to scoop up Natsu’s bag. The man stumbled after her. 

As they passed, Kabe couldn’t stop himself from looking for her husband. The man was rolling on the floor, choking one of his comrades in the crook of his arm while holding another to be kicked in the stomach. Another jumped on him to bite down on his shoulder which caused Natsu to blow fire in that general direction. Kabe flinched at the heat while his stomach rolled at the poor man being suffocated by a bicep that was bigger than Kabe’s head. 

“Ugh!” Lucy plopped back on the bar stool, “I don’t know what I expected…” She dropped the bag by her feet. In a pitiful attempt to find safety, Kabe crawled on the stool beside Lucy as Mirajane returned to her spot behind the counter. The three of them watched the fight for a few moments which now involved almost every guild member.

How? How could anyone be away from the Lucy Heartf- Dragneel, for so long and not remain glued to her side? At best, Kabe expected some form of marital greeting or maybe for Natsu to square up on Kabe and try to intimidate the smaller man. At worst, Kabe thought the temperamental man would grab her, interrogate her, or drag her away for various boorish reasons. 

But flat-out ignoring the beauty? 

That was a crime. 

“Is he always like this?” Kabe wanted to verify.

Lucy groaned and threw her head back, “yes. Always. Since before I met him. I just wish he would…I don’t know.” 

That was all Kabe needed to hear. The man slid off the stool and marched towards the bar brawl with hackles raised. Natsu seemed to be well-liked in the guild - or, at the very least, feared and respected - so it would be hard for an outsider like Kabe to come in and pull the wool off their eyes. He would need to show that Natsu wasn’t good to Lucy and it needed to be in front of everyone. That way, their guildmates would have to come to terms with the fact themselves, then address Natsu, while Kabe remained by Lucy’s side to help her through it.

“Where are you going?” He heard Lucy yelp behind him.

“Oh my,” Mirajane’s gasp barely hid her amusement, “I wouldn’t go in there, if I were you.” 

The end of her sentence was covered by shattering glass and howls of pain as Kabe tiptoed over unconscious bodies and ducked under a stray elbow or two. In the midst of the chaos, Natsu Dragneel stood toe-to-toe with another beast, a man with wild black hair that stretched down his back and fangs that rivaled the fire dragon. Kabe recognized the man as Black Steel Gajeel, another dragon slayer of Fairy Tail. Before Natsu could ignite, Kabe cleared his throat.

“Mr. Dragneel, can you explain why-” 

“Stay out of it!” The dragons tossed a small body at Kabe, sending the author’s grandson flying back to the bar. 

Whoever the human-cannonball was scrambled off of Kabe and dove back into the fray. Dazed, Kabe groaned and opened his eyes to see a blurry pair of creamy legs and three faces of an angel spinning. 

“Am I dead?” Heaven was a wonderful place. 

The Lucy-angel scowled and turned to glare at the fighting. She took a deep breath. 

“Natsu!” Her hollar temporarily put a halt on the fighting, followed by cooes and snickering. 

“Ooooo!” One jeered. 

“You’re in trouble now, Natsu.” Another teased.

Gajeel gave him a shove, “Your girlfriend’s callin’ you.”

Natsu slugged him in the side, “she’s not my girlfriend, she’s my wife, you fatty!”

“Fatty?!” 

Gajeel went ignored as Natsu scampered away towards his wife. 

“Here, let me help you,” Lucy picked Kabe off the floor and dusted him off. Heart hammering, Kabe suddenly felt very much alive and thanked her as he sat back on the stool. By the time Natsu approached, Kabe was ready to face the dragon head-on.

“What’s the matter Lucy? Why you always gotta yell?” Natsu gripped. 

Lucy pointed a finger right in his face.

“Could you be any more reckless?” She huffed, “I don’t mind at all if you want to roughhouse in here but you just-!” 

Natsu grabbed Lucy’s hand and brought her finger closer to his face. The three on-lookers jolted as Natsu sniffed it then dropped her hand. He took a step forward while Lucy took one step back. Soon, Natsu had his wife backed up against the bar while he invaded her space, his nose inhaling and exhaling with a purpose. Unable to get away, Lucy watched him with clear fear in her eyes as she leaned back, a one hand up in a pitiful attempt to put space between them, and the other on her abdomen. If someone else wouldn’t stop this, Kabe would.

“Hey-!” 

The Salamander’s piercing gaze whipped towards Kabe, their sharpness slicing through whatever words he had prepared.

“Who’s this guy?” Natsu’s eyes shifted back to his wife, “and why is his scent all over you?” The question didn’t sound threatening or accusatory to the common ear, but Kabe could only imagine the implications. Besides, was that supposed to be an insult? From the man still caked in dirt and sweat? 

“Maybe if you sit down to listen, I can tell you.” Lucy’s hands came up to squish Natsu’s cheek, pushing him back and onto a stool. 

“This is Kabe Melon! He’s Kaby Melon’s son! You remember, from our very first job!” The woman explained with just as much excitement as she did the first time. To Kabe’s surprise, Natsu seemed to share her enthusiasm. 

“Oh yeah! How could I forget a tasty name like that?” Natsu leaned across Lucy to extend his hand, the guild master forced to sit back on the bar. 

“Nice to meet ya, man!” 

“...likewise…” Kabe took his hand and held back a flinch when the dragon-slayer nearly crushed his bones. Lucy pinched Natsu’s cheek, forcing him to let go.

“Kabe here wanted to check in and see how we were doing, then you threw someone at him!”

“Shorry…my bad,” Natsu apologized. His face was released. 

Lucy went on to explain, “he was also interested in how Fairy Tail wizards do things, so I said he could come along on a job or two.”

Natsu perked up, “we’re taking him on a job?” 

“Oh, uh, I belive just Miss Lucy will be taking me,” Kabe cut in. When the couple turned to look at him, he immediately backtracked, attempting to be more tactical. 

“It’s just-! You must be tired from your most recent mission! Lucy and I will probably be talking about books and such, and I doubt that would interest you. Plus, I don’t plan on doing anything too dangerous, so there’s no reason for you to come.” 

“Lucy, Happy, and I are a team,” stated Natsu. 

“Surely, one job isn’t a big deal?” 

“Wherever she goes, I go. Lucy and I go on jobs together.” 

“Even though you just went on a job without her?” Kabe shot back. He wasn’t sure where this tenacity came from, but Kabe prepared for the blow-back. 

Instead, Salamander lowered his chin to rest on Lucy’s leg, pouting.

“Not because I wanted to,” he said, “I only went ‘cause Lucy made me.” 

“I did not ‘make you,’” Lucy huffed. She threaded her fingers through pink hair in a way that made Kabe shiver. “I asked you to help out our friends and the queen since everyone else was busy. And I couldn’t go with you because of the counsel meeting I had, to discuss the mess from our last job.” 

“But we’re a team,” he whined. 

“You knew I would sometimes have to do guild master things. We talked about this, remember? You said,” she lowered her pitch, “‘being a guild master is so cool, Lucy! If you want to do it you should go for it cause you’ll be great at it, Lucee! I can handle the small stuff no problem, Lushee!’”

“I can handle the small stuff no problem,” Natsu grumbled at her giggling, “that doesn’t mean I hafta like it. And I don’t sound like that, Lushee.”  

“Trust me, I would have rather gone with you…” 

Fairy Tail’s guild master muttered about strongly-written letters and overdue fees. Under her palm, Natsu smirked and Lucy scoffed good-naturedly at the expression. 

Kabe inwardly gagged and rolled his eyes. The man thankfully didn’t seem like a nasty, temperamental demon that everyone was too afraid to stop from hurting Lucy. Instead, they seemed like the classic cliche, Lucy’s beauty and brains wasted on a bumbling idiot who didn’t value or treat her right. 

With the bar fight finally dying down, everyone started to return to their day. Mirajane came with plates of food, scooting Lucy off the counter and - thankfully - shoving Natsu off her lap.

“Beer, Lucy?” Mirajane asked. She was sent away with a sharp look but the barmaid hardly looked bothered. It was starting to become clear that Mirajane was a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing; a poor influence on the sweet and innocent Lucy.

Kabe tried to at least pay - to show that he wasn’t as much as a burden as the other man beside her - only for Lucy to insist it was on her. The gesture renewed Kabe’s goal and fanned the flames of his feelings. Flames that surely burned hotter and stronger than any dragon, Kabe would take these feelings and face the beast head on. He would become the main character of his own story and take hold of his fate. 

“Natsu!” Lucy shrieked and dropped what was once her hamburger back on her plate. The now-giant piece of coal clattered on the wood. 

“Sorry,” Natsu wiped his nose, trying to clean himself off after a flammable sneeze. 

“That was my food!” His wife whined. Kabe eyed the pinks of her finger tips, biting his lip at the thought of her husband burning her hands with his own fire. 

“You already ate,” Natsu stated, “I could smell it on you.” 

“W-well maybe I wanted another meal!” Lucy snapped back. 

“You do? Are you trying to gain even more weight, Lucy?” Natsu asked as he licked his fingers.

“I-I am not!”

Lucy flushed as her mouth opened and closed in such a way, Kabe sensed this particular comment cut deep. Her hands returned to her stomach and she almost sank in on herself. The complex emotions she must be dealing with, having to defend her choices to her husband who made such constant, flippant comments about her appearance.

“For your information, Miss Lucy puts in a lot of work to keep this guild functioning.” Kabe blurted out. 

Natsu quirked a brow, “I know that.” 

Kabe couldn’t seem to stop the word-vomit from pouring out of his mouth. 

“How could you, when you’re not even here? If you did know you wouldn’t be making such comments about her body. Which, by the way, seems completely unaffected by the amount of food she eats, all of which she deserves!” 

Both of Natsu’s brows jumped to his hairline. He blinked, then let his gaze shift to his wife who seemed just as flabbergasted. Kabe held those big, brown eyes, hoping to convey that he meant every word. She needed to know that she could have a man that would give her genuine compliments. 

“Right…” was all Lucy said. 

The Salamander regarded the both of them for a moment, gaze resting mostly on his wife. 

“Hey, Mira!” Natsu shouted, “give us two more! Lucy’s tryin’ to out-eat me but I won’t be beaten! My stomach’s practically empty after running all the way back here!” 

Lucy seemed to swoon at that and Kabe could rip his hair out. Her standards were simply too low. She didn’t understand she could have more. 

Yet Kabe had clearly put Lucy in an uncomfortable position - for all he truly knew, he could have put her in danger - so he would wait and address it later, this time much more tactfully. 

The second round came and went, with Lucy claiming she was nauseous and sliding her plate over to her husband. Kabe oscillated between feeling smug that Lucy offered him her fries first, and guilty for causing her such distress in the first place. 

Plate devoured, Natsu licked his fingers and stood, “welp! I think I’ll head home for a bit!” 

“H-huh? You’re leaving already?” Lucy couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice. Even her dimwitted husband picked up on it.

“I'll be right back, I just want to drop my stuff off, maybe change my clothes.” Natsu threw the large bag over his shoulder and gestured to all the rips and stains on his outfit. 

“No, no-! I mean yeah-! You go, uh, you go do that! I-I’ll see you later.” Lucy sputtered, gaze fluttering about. 

Natsu’s eyes narrowed, “you’re acting weird Lucy.” He didn't say it like a question, it was a loaded statement. Lucy merely pouted.

“I am not, you’re weird.” She shot back. The couple held thier gaze for a moment before Lucy stood and fiddled with his scarf, fixing it so it sat neater around his shoulders. Kabe had to look away so he wouldn’t start to feel nauseous as well.

“I don’t gotta leave, you know. I’ll stay at the guild all night no problem.” 

Lucy chuckled, “It’s okay, I know you’ll come right back.” She flatted one end of the scarf against his chest slowly.

“Just…save some time for me later, okay?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Natsu responded just as soft. When Lucy was done she stepped back and offered a much braver smile, one that wasn’t reciprocated. 

Natsu gave a short nod, “I’ll be right back.” 

The man turned on his heel only to be grabbed by a harsh hand on the shoulder. 

“Hold it.” Lucy commanded. Kabe was surprised to see The Salamander begin to tremble, turning slowly with a blue hue over his expression. Leaning in close, Lucy’s smile was threatening at best.

“Why are you in such a rush to get home? What exactly do you have in that bag?” 

“C-clothes?” 

“Your one set? Try again.” 

Natsu trembled for one more moment, then two, before turning around with a slight bravado, crossing his arms protectively over his chest. 

“You said I could bring back five things!” 

Lucy copied his stance, “uh-huh. Five. Five single things. Things that were not dirty, that don’t melt, have curses, explode, or attract bugs. Not five groups of things.” She pulled one of the straps on his shoulders. 

“And this bag is too heavy for five things.” 

Natsu started sweating. 

“Well, you know, five, eight, twelve, it’s all the same! Maybe one of the things are heavy!”

Lucy’s hands returned to her hips. She narrowed her eyes at him. 

“They’re really cool stuff, Lucy! I promise! You weren’t there this time so I wanted it to be like you went anyway!” 

The guild master softened, but only slightly. 

“I’m not falling for that again, Natsu. You know the deal. Five nice things go in our house, the rest go in the cabin.” She thumbed over her shoulder in a direction Kabe could only assume was the forest. A possible weekend home or dragon’s den of some sort?

“Fine.” Natsu pouted, “but I’m doin that later.” He turned back around and walked away, leaving no room for his wife to refute. 

“What am I going to do with him? Well, I guess let’s just-!” Like lightning down the back, suddenly Lucy stood straight. She whirled back around before Kabe could question her and reached towards her husband.

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t!” 

It was too late. The Salamander walked straight through the guild wall, causing the brick and wood to explode and crumble. Members of the guild shouted profanities at the buffoon, all of which went ignored. Someone grabbed him to yell in his face and suddenly there was another scuffle. 

Lucy all but sobbed in her hands, “why? I knew he was going to do that but I forgot.” 

“He’s just like Gildarts! How cute!” Mira swooned from her spot cleaning dishes. Kabe flinched, forgetting she was there. The barmaid seemed to be enjoying every second of the scene before them. 

“Hey! You guys started eating without me!” Happy suddenly complained from above them, “and what happened to the wall? Did Natsu leave already?” 

“That seems to be a running theme for him,” Kabe muttered under his breath. 

Lucy twitched.

“Uh-huh. Okay,” she offered the cat a tense smile, “Don’t worry, Happy, we’ll be right back. I’ll get you some fish.” Lucy promised. 

Lucy then turned that beaming expression onto Kabe, “you want to come with me?” 

“Yes.” Kabe stood, “let's.” 

The author’s grandson walked primly behind the guild master. Kabe glanced over his shoulder and down his nose at the dragon-slayer, this win had been fairly easy, but it further fueled Kabe’s hope that-

Natsu suddenly met his gaze. 

The pink-haired man took a slow breath through sharp teeth, then set the rubble around him ablaze. It took all of two seconds, a simple release of breath and the surrounding debris was nothing but a pile of ashes. His simple sneeze barely held a candle…this clearly held intent behind it. Just as Kabe’s eyes widened, Lucy pulled him through a doorway and out of sight, Natsu watching the whole way. 

Swallowing, Kabe took a moment to fan himself, thankful for the blessedly cool and quiet hallway to gather his thoughts. Perhaps Natsu wasn’t as oblivious as Kabe thought, but that was okay…Kabe didn’t expect this to be easy. He had gotten ahead of himself for a moment there, but this was serious. Lucy needed to see that her husband was no good for her. That he was hardly a husband in any sense of the word! In fact, the idea that Natsu knew more than he let on made Kabe all the more furious. That meant that rather than being clumsy in both his words and actions out of ignorance, he did it with malicious intent. Lucy deserved better and now that Kabe was taking the dragon by the horns, he would have to go all in. 

Taking a breath, Kabe started, “Miss Lucy, I-”

“What’s your problem?” Lucy whirled around with her hands on her hips, her tone dripping with an agitation that did not match her adorable pout. 

“Wha-huh?” 

“I mean, why are you being so rude to Natsu? What did he ever do to you?” Lucy questioned again. Kabe took a deep breath. Now was his chance, Lucy was clearly begging for help and if none of her so-called friends were willing to step in, Kabe would be her white knight.

“I’m sorry, Miss Lucy,” Kabe began, “I know my behavior has been unbecoming lately, but I simply cannot stand to watch you suffer at the hands the Salamander any longer.” 

“Excuse me?” 

The man took a step forward, “Miss Lucy, please, as your friend, I worry about you. Now I know I don’t know the Salamander very well personally, but based on everything I’ve seen and heard, I can tell he’s no good for you. Even if he isn’t cruel, he’s careless and only thinks of himself! He takes advantage of your giving nature-”

“Stop,” Lucy held up a hand, “you’re right. You don’t know my husband - like, at all - so stop talking like you do. I don’t know what you’ve heard but Natsu is kind, one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and he fiercely cares for me and the guild. Natsu is the furthest thing from cruel and selfish, he only thinks of the guild. His family.” 

“He insults you! At the very least, Miss Lucy, you don’t deserve that.” Kabe tried to stay calm. He had to. If he got too angry at her, he would drive a wedge between them and she would run back to her husband. Still, her delusion was difficult to navigate. Perhaps he should have gained more of her trust first, but something had to be done. Even if he just planted the seed, Kabe would be able to save her and she would come around in due time. 

Lucy sighed like he was a toddler throwing a tantrum, “My husband is basically a child. The name calling thing…yes, he calls me weird, but that’s cause I am! Well, I’m not, but to him I am just cause he’s practically feral-ugh.” She once again kneaded her forehead and Kabe felt a wave of offense for eliciting the same reaction out of her as her husband did. 

“Besides, I insult him too! I call him an idiot at least once a day! Because he is one! But, that doesn’t mean we hate each other. It’s the opposite, Natsu and I have been together for a very long time…he’s my best friend and he acts like it.” Almost laughing to herself, she took a deep breath through the nose, fingers pressing her sinuses to calm herself. 

”I don’t even know why I’m defending my marriage to you.” 

The small smile she tried to cover as she talked about that man was the last straw that set Kabe’s blood boiling.

“Look, as a writer, I understand wanting to romanticize relationships, I really do. I was like that when I was young too. And I know relationships are hard to understand when you’re on the outside looking in. Especially without knowing any of the history. But we truly love each other and I wouldn’t have Natsu any other way. And trust me, I’m no walk in the park either.”

“But Miss Lucy, it doesn’t have to be this way!” Kabe insisted, “I know you fought side-by-side and I know that might have confused your feelings, but you don’t have to settle! You can have someone who is kind and protective, without the fear of them hurting you!” 

“Hurting me?” Lucy's tone held a warning, “I am not afraid of Natsu.” 

“You said it yourself! Apparently he carelessly wreaks havoc on Fiore knowing you’re the one that will have to deal with it!” Kabe exploded, “and I’ve seen it! He burns you without a thought, destroys the things you care about, and doesn’t acknowledge any of your feelings! ”

The wizard cut him off with a single, heavy step forward, “Natsu is what I care about. He doesn’t destroy my things, he protects them, builds on them, and supports me no matter what. His power is unruly, yes, but he’s never harmed an innocent on purpose. I’m not afraid of his fire and it’s only ever burned me when I jump into it, which he tells me not to, but I do anyway! On top of that, the only thing he seems to actually ‘acknowledge’ or even pay attention to are my feelings. 

“Now I don’t know what you think you’ve heard, but I don’t need saving or protecting, and I won't stand for people talking badly about my husband.” 

The hallway rang silent for a moment as Kabe mourned the confusion of such a kind soul. Lucy was worth every good in the world, yet she was blinded by her own heart. She needed to see that she was worth it, even if it hurt. Kabe had to try once more for the sake of his family’s savior. 

“Miss Lucy please,” Kabe reached and held her guild marked hand gently in his, “I know that I am weak, that I’m not a famous author or wizard, and this must sound strange coming from someone you didn’t think much about. But I wouldn’t say this unless I truly felt it had to be done. 

“Please, consider it. I promise I will remain at your side the entire time so we can face him together. At the very least, I want you to see that you deserve better. Someone who won’t cause you such distress and who fits by your side.”

He took another step and Lucy’s eyes widened, captured by the heart pouring out of his chest. 

“Please, Miss Lucy, I’m begging you. Even at his best, the Salamander destroys entire towns and is capable of scorching the very earth. No matter how you look at it, he’s a monster wh-!”

Kabe groaned and woke up in a hospital bed. 

The ceiling was made of stone, which was odd for a hospital, and the area was cool and quiet. His head throbbed, pain pulsing from the bottom of his chin, shooting up his jaw to the top of his head. As the world faded back into focus, Kabe shifted his limbs under a thin, scratchy blanket. His fingers jolted and flexed which only sent more pain up his spine. Suddenly, someone spoke next to him far too loud.

“Hey! You’re awake!” 

Kabe groaned again as the Salamander’s voice bounced around his aching skull. The author let his eyes drift to his left, finding the dragon-slayer seated at his side; an ankle resting on his knee and an elbow on the propped leg. 

How long had he been out? The last thing Kabe remembered was trying to profess his undying love to Lucy then suddenly blacking out. 

“Guess you said something that really ticked off my wife,” Natsu continued, “I’ve been there, those Lucy-kicks are not something to mess with.” 

She kicked him? Now that the memory was returning, Kabe could recall the way Lucy’s brows knit  at his words - the hurt and fury in her pupils - and the sudden force that hit his chin. He could remember the loud thud that had echoed deep within his bones from his teeth being knocked together and his vision blacking out like a curtain being slammed shut on his performance. He didn’t even remember hitting the ground.

“So that’s…what happened…” Kabe slurred slowly. Surely he was concussed, his entire body feeling heavy and vibrating with pain. He looked back to the man at his side.

Natsu grinned a sharp-tooth grin that caused Kabe to break out in a cold sweat. Now more awake, the man realized he was alone in a dungeon hospital with the very dangerous wizard he happened to insult just a few moments prior. Kabe took a deep breath, wondering how he was going to attempt to talk his way out of being mauled a second time. Tears were almost pricking his eyes when Natsu stretched and continued filling the silence.

“Yep! I don’t know what you said that pissed her off so much, but boy was she mad!” Natsu laughed good-naturedly. 

Kabe paused. 

“...She didn’t tell you?” 

“Nah,” the dragon-slayer shrugged, “she waved it off and said something about you being a jerk and storybooks, I don’t know.” 

“...I see…” The incessant weight on his chest only seemed to get heavier, his entire body was shaking. 

Wait.

Kabe picked his head back up and peeked down his swollen chin to see a cat curled up on his stomach. 

“Happy and I promised Lucy we would keep watch over ya,” Natsu explained, head returned to it’s rest on his large palm. 

“She forgets how weak normal people can be. Even though she was pissed, she was worried about killing you,” Natsu grinned, “Wendy told her you would be fine but she just kept insisting. That’s just the kind of person she is.”

The Salamander wasn’t talking to him any more. Piercing eyes gazed straight ahead, unfocused. For a moment, Kabe got a sense of daja vu that he couldn’t place, until the wizard’s smile quirked up in such a soft way that it hit him. Like wife, like husband. 

Kebe was a curious soul to a fault, his mouth getting him in far more trouble than his heart. Hopefully, he could actually put his words to good use and make amends. 

“You really love her, don’t you? You care for her?” 

Natsu’s head raised slightly off his palm. He blinked then dropped his chin back in his hand.

“...‘Course I do. I wouldn’t have married her otherwise.” 

Kabe understood.

It was the way Natsu’s cheeks puffed out before he looked away - showing off very pink ears - that betrayed his thoughts. Lucy’s description of her husband’s child-like nature came forward with more clarity. Natsu’s answer made it clear he couldn’t fathom marrying someone for anyone other than a deep, honest connection. The kind that nothing could come between. Or no one. 

“And she loves you.” Kabe stated as he stared at the ceiling. 

Natsu hummed but said nothing. If Kabe had to guess, the man was still looking stubbornly off to the side, as if a blush didn’t mare his features. 

“Salamander, I owe you an apology.” 

“Hmm? What for?” 

“I…I wrongly assumed things about you…I let my emotions and wild imagination get the better of me…I’m sorry.” 

“…”

“…”

“Nah it’s cool. Don’t worry about it.” 

“Huh?” Kabe picked his head up, fully prepared to confess to all the slander he had said and release the burning sensation at the back of his throat. 

Natsu shrugged a shoulder, “people say a lotta crap about me! I don’t care! They're just jealous! It’s Lucy who cares about that sort of thing, but I keep telling her she shouldn’t. It just stresses her out, ya know? We’re awesome no matter what people say”

“Yeah…that’s true,” Kabe murmured, unraveling Natsu’s words.

With a few grunts, Kabe tried to sit up. 

 “I actually came here because I am a big fan of Lucy…I should have listened to her more…understood her as a person…and trusted her, I guess?” Kabe sighed, “I think I just got too ahead of myself… and…I think you’re right…I think I was just jealous and I…let it get the best of me…”

“You can say that again!” Natsu laughed, “at least you learned your lesson!”

When Kabe said nothing, Natsu blinked at him. The dragon-slayer crossed his arms and shifted his shoulders in a shrug. 

Natsu loudly continued, “I totally get it though, my wife is real smart. She always knows what’s going on, even when I don’t. I’m sure she already knows whatever you're thinking. She probably knew before you even did!” 

Despite himself, Kabe chuckled at the thought. 

“You’re probably right…”

Turning everything over in his throbbing head, Kabe concluded that Natsu was an instinctual person. Someone who acted on pure thoughts and marched to the beat of his own drum, while caring for those who cared for him. His chaotic nature was a solid contrast to his wife’s, who seemed to ground him, and keep his energy focused. Kabe could imagine having someone like Natsu around made the constant over-thinking settle within one's head. Lucy probably found comfort in his spontaneous and passionate personality. 

Natsu patted his knees, “Welp, I better go let Lucy know you’re okay.” 

 He stood and stretched “she’s been trying not to think about it by keepin’ busy. Runnin’ around the guild and all. I think she’s trying to fix the wall? I told her not to bother since Erza and the popsicle are coming back soon.”

Natsu scratched the back of his head and shrugged, “I’ll try to keep that sort of thing under better control. Just so Lucy doesn't gotta keep walking around with her brows all pushed together.” He mimicked knitted eyebrows with his fingers and Kabe couldn’t help but give a weak laugh. 

The Salamander scooped up his furry companion, the cat yawning in a way Kabe thought was cute.

“Mmmn, no…my warm dead-body-bed,” Happy whined. A cold jolt shocked down Kabe’s spine…he hoped the cat understood he was alive. 

“…And don’t worry about Lucy, she'll forgive you, that’s just the kind of person she is.” Natsu gave a heavy pat on Kabe’s shoulder. 

Kabe heard something sizzle, then smelled something burning, and his shoulder grew far too warm for comfort. Biting back a yelp, Kabe watched the dragon-slayer lean in with a smile so dangerous, it eerily resembled the woman he married.

“Unlucky for you, I’m not so forgiving. I don’t like people who make my wife upset. So tomorrow you’re gonna leave town. Got it?” Natsu’s warning was emphasized by the cat on his shoulder flexing his claws and baring his fangs. They grinned with equally sharp teeth as Kabe swallowed.

He gave a shaky nod, “g-got it,” Kabe stammered. He watched the man retreat down the hall, holding his breath for a moment before falling back onto his pillow with a sigh.

Later, he would have to apologize properly to the guild master, and later to his grandfather’s grave. But for now, he would ask for some burn medicine. 

—-

“Alright, so that’s one problem solved.” Natsu decleared. 

“Aye!” Happy agreed. The two were pleased their threat successfully terrified the poor man. Natsu immediately sought out Lucy’s scent, catching it down the hall and out the back. Probably helping out in storage to bring in construction supplies. 

Unable to help himself, Natsu automatically followed the trail. Even though he wanted to solve all her problems, he couldn’t stand to be away from her any longer. Not when she was acting so weird. Besides, he truly meant what he said before; going on a job without her felt hollow and he missed her presence terribly. They were adults, of course, so Natsu handled it without much issue. The job had its fun moments and wasn’t unbearable by any means, but he was glad to be home. 

“Hey, Happy?”

“Hmm?”

“I know you miss Lucy too, but do you mind making yourself scarce so I can see what’s up?” 

“Sure buddy,” Happy floated off his shoulder, “actually, Charla has been acting funny too. She’s been super snippy with me, I don’t know why.” 

Natsu remembered what that melon-head said earlier, along with a certain memory that never failed to cause a wave of guilt. 

“You don’t think they’re mad at us for going on that job do you? Even though they were the ones who said we should go?”

“I don’t know, but that’s probably it.” 

“What makes you say that?”

“Women are wild in their ways,” Happy gave a playful shrug, shaking his head as if to say ‘what else can we do, we love them’ or something. 

Natsu hummed but said nothing. Something about that didn’t seem to fit right, but Natsu would at least let Lucy know the man was alright. He waved Happy away and made his way out of the basement and towards the back of the guild. Hopefully solving this one problem would make his wife feel better and then they could sneak away so Natsu could show her all the neat stuff he gathered for her. 

And get that guy’s scent off her.

Natsu’s nose wrinkled at the reminder. He didn’t even notice the poor bastard until he was reunited with his Lucy. They must have been tied at the hip for a day or two while he was gone. Not that Lucy’s kindness was anything new, but that didn’t mean Natsu wasn’t entitled to his wife’s attention now that he was home.

Chatting in the large open doorway, Lucy held another one of her clipboards - they have a collection now - and counted the amount of wood they were going to use to fix the wall. Fairy Tail had repairs down to a science, so Natsu could imagine the wall was just about done and she was figuring out how much they had left. The guild master noticed his approach and handed the clipboard off to Nab. 

“Hey,” Natsu greeted as he trotted towards her.

“Hi.” Lucy’s smile did not reach her eyes, “I’m guessing he’s awake?”

“Yep!” 

“...Is he mad? Does he think I’m some,” she rolled her wrist to think of a word, “monstrous brute?” 

“Nah. In fact, I think he’ll be back to apologize any moment.” 

Lucy raised a brow, “uh-huh… What did you do?”

“Nothing!” 

“Nothing?” 

“I swear,” Natsu gave his best honest expression, “he even apologized to me too.” 

“Oh,” Lucy blinked, “oh, well, good. He should have.” 

Natsu snickered, “I guess you knocked some sense into him, huh?” 

“I guess…” his wife tried to laugh as well, but couldn’t. Natsu’s smile fell slightly.

“Lucy, is something wrong? Are you mad at me?” 

Her head popped up, “no! No, no! I’m not mad! There’s nothing- wrong at all just…” Brown eyes trailed away as a soft blush spread her cheeks. 

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, “Can-can we go somewhere more private, please?” 

“Oh.” Natsu suddenly became aware of the many eyes on them. Guild members pretending to move the same piles of wood and cement from one spot to another. 

What was strange was that their gazes didn’t feel curious or prying in the normal, nosey way all their guild mates were. It lacked the playful hunger for gossip. Instead it felt like they were already in on the secret. They weren’t watching ‘them’ so much as they were watching ‘him and Lucy.’

Natsu pressed his lips together. His wife was smart and she always knew what was going on - or could at least take a pretty good guess - and Natsu could always count on her to explain things in a way he could understand. He hadn’t been gone too long, but something big was up and despite what others might assume, Natsu hated being left in the dark. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

Natsu’s senses let him know the library was empty, with Freed and Levy off on a job. Plus, there were no other dragon-slayers present, so the noise of the main hall should give them some privacy. 

The couple ducked inside and down the hall as discreetly as they could. The heavy air seemed to fade off them as they walked. Unable to help themselves once inside, Lucy took him by the hand and led him towards one of the tables. She spun to lean against the wood as her other hand reached for his cheek, and he leaned forward. Their kiss was sweet, held for just a little bit longer than their goodbye kiss. Lucy’s fingers brushed the hair hanging over his ears.

“You need a haircut.” She murmured.

“Yes please.” He didn’t mind his hair being unruly, but Natsu hated when it tickled his ears. Lucy knew that. 

“I brought back some fancy new books, and a letter from the queen. She figured it was faster than sending it in the mail.” 

“Yay!” Lucy tried to be humble about being a penpal to the queen, but she was secretly smug about it. Natsu knew that. 

They smiled at each other for a moment, grins stretching toward their ears. Lucy pulled him into a hug, arms squeezing his shoulders tight. Natsu was just as fast, arms wrapping about her waist and holding her close. His nose buried in her hair while she pressed her face in his chest. 

“I missed you.” She breathed.

“I missed you too.” Natsu responded. He squeezed her tighter.

Lucy mimicked the action, a little tighter.

His arms tightened more.

She squeezed back harder.

Her husband squeezed even stronger.

“Nhg.” Lucy grunted. He could practically picture the determined furrow of her brows but he would not be beaten. 

“Mfph.” Natsu huffed.

His wife squeezed him back so hard her arms started to tremble. Natsu felt the wind leave him and he grinned. He pulled her as close as he could, leaning back so Lucy’s toes barely touched the stone floor. Her giggling was contagious as she kicked in the air.

“No fair!” She protested through her laughter.

“It’s totally fair!” Natsu almost lost his balance, “woah, I think you put on a few Lucy!” 

A sharp intake of breath. 

Natsu reacted too late and his wife pushed him back. She was on her feet before he could set her down. Her hands remained on his chest but Lucy wasn’t looking at him. It was like she was holding him back, or holding him steady. 

More of what whoever-that-was said came in and Natsu felt an apology bubble on his tongue. 

“I have something to tell you.” Lucy said quickly.

“Okay…” Natsu answered slowly. He waited for that ‘something’ but when it didn’t come, anxiety began to grow. He wasn’t good at words at the best of times. 

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” Natsu asked again. He watched as the dragon lacrima wrapped around her finger was twisted back and forth with her thumb and forefinger.

“Do you…still want to be married to me?” 

“Of course I do!” Lucy exclaimed. She grabbed his face and peppered it with kisses.

“Of course I do, don’t be stupid! That’s not what this is about!” She waved off the idea. 

Alright, that did it. Natsu took two steps forward, slamming his hands on the wood on either side of her, successfully trapping her against the table. 

“Then what? What do you have to tell me?” 

Natsu stared at Lucy. He watched her gaze flicker off to the side and her hands come to her stomach. Lucy took a deep breath.

—

“Do you have everything?” Mirajane asked. Her tone sounded less jeering than before - or perhaps that too, was just Kabe’s perception - as she handed Kabe his coat. The guild was bustling now, lunch just wrapping up. With full bellies and broad smiles, wizards were preparing to embark on epic quests with their friends at their sides. 

Kabe couldn’t help but envy them. Here he was, a man just like them, standing before the guild doors with a backpack strapped to his back, yet the world he’ll step into was entirely different. Kabe’s view was so small compared to theirs, it lacked the true depth and richness of life that he only pretended to have through the pages of his books. He would have to do better, work on meeting people and knowing them for who they were, rather than what he wanted them to be.  

“I do, thank you,” Kabe responded. The barmaid’s smile went from cherry to something more soft.

“Well, good! We enjoyed having you!” Mirajane said, “I hope you got everything you came for.” 

“...I did…“ Kabe confessed, “but I doubt everyone enjoyed my company…”

“I don’t think so! You definitely provided some of us with good entertainment.” 

Kabe coughed, “uh-huh…” Maybe his perception wasn’t as far off as he thought. 

“Besides!” Mirajane continued, “you’re not quite done here, right?” 

The author’s grandson blinked at her, then nodded. 

“Good! Because you caused our guild master a bit of stress, at a time she really shouldn’t be having any, and we can’t let you just leave without addressing that, can we?” Her smile was dangerously innocent as she cocked her head, “You’ll have to make up for it. One way or another.” 

 “R-right!” He felt his body sweat like it did when the dragon-slayer was in the room. “I’ll get on that right now! Better late than never!” Kabe sped off. With Mirajane’s helpful shout behind him, Kabe was directed towards the library. 

The cool air of the stone hallway - along with hazy traumatic memories - caused Kabe to shiver. As he took slow, light steps towards the library (an effort to not shoot pain up his jaw) Kabe slowly went over everything he learned. He sorted all his lessons into categories and formulated  proper apologies to both Mrs. and Mr. Dragoneel. These lessons would be ones he would reflect on everyday, and live with them as a reminder to do better and not hurt the good people he would meet along the way. Maybe then, one day, he could return to Fairy Tail as someone Lucy and Natsu could be proud to say they once saved. 

Starting right now, when Kabe heard Lucy shriek in a way that sent his heartbeat in his mouth and his feet running towards the library. He slowed when Lucy dissolved into laughter, holding a hand to his chest and sighing in relief. Kabe kicked himself for thinking he had been right all along, but also pleased for thinking of calling the Salamander for help if he was wrong. The heart was a complex and fickle thing…he would have to work on that.

Peeking into the library, a smile grew on Kabe’s face as he watched Natsu spin his wife around, Lucy’s boots kicking in the air. Lucy held Natsu’s face in her hands, placing a chaste kiss on his grin. Eventually, Natsu set her on the table, Lucy’s arms resting on his shoulders, legs swinging off the edge like a schoolgirl. Kabe got bits and pieces of their conversation from rushed whispers and giggling.

“So, it's real right? Like, - for sure?”  

“Yes! I wanted to make sure before you-”

“-an egg? - laying an egg right? And it’s mine?” 

“Of course it’s yours! - told you not to say that! And it’s not an egg-”

“I know, I know, I know,” The Salamander shook his head, as if in disbelief. 

Kisses were shared and Lucy pulled Natsu even closer and he stepped between her knees. The Salamander’s smile was so wide it almost split his face, it stretched to watery eyes that were trained solely on his wife. Lucy’s expression matched his, her thumb wiped under his eyes, while her other hand cleaned her nose. Natsu’s foot tapped rapidly, like a jittery child being forced to contain his energy. They hushed a few more words, foreheads coming to rest against each other. Suddenly Lucy pulled back with an expression that was meant to be stern. 

“But no more jokes about my appearance! I’m sensitive to it now!” 

Natsu nodded frantically, “I know! Mira and Lisanna told me! Shape-shifting is hard and it's not nice to make fun of people doing it for the first time!” 

“Wha-“

“They told me I have to make sure to keep the kitchen stocked with your favorite sweets, and to go hunting when you ask, and rub your feet every night, run all your baths whenever you want, and keep you extra warm all the time!” 

“Th-that’s not-” Lucy’s mouth clicked shut and she suddenly wore a sly expression, “every night, huh?” 

Natsu nodded and leaned in close enough for their noses to brush, eyes focused only on her. 

“I promise I’ll take care of you, Lucy, whatever you need. I’ll stay focused and I’ll listen to anything you say. I’ll take care of us.” 

Smiling to himself, Kabe turned away. How could anyone match such unwavering devotion, let alone question it? The way Lucy melted at her husband’s words was more than enough proof for any foolish ideas Kabe could conjure up. Her absolutely assured response of ‘I know you will’ was only the cherry on top. 

He left the married couple to their moment and walked back towards the main hall. Whatever milestone they were sharing did not need to be stained by the drama of the other man. Kabe was only a small part of their world, after all, soon to be a distant funny story they might share between the two of them, if at all. But they would mean everything to Kabe, so the least he could do was wait to give them his apology before leaving them be.

—

The next morning came far too quickly, in Kabe’s opinion. 

The Salamander and his master took such a long time in the library, Kabe was half-way through his second apology letter when they greeted him. One had to wonder what they were doing in all that time but Kabe was glad to see Lucy was in much better spirits. With the quickness of a proper guild master, she beat him to the punch and apologized before Kabe could produce his speech. Lucy Dragneel did not apologize for the reason behind her actions, merely that she did not hold back and should have tried harder to solve the issue with words. Kabe bowed low and explained that it was exactly what he needed and thanked her for her kindness. 

Then Kabe shoved both essays into their hands, babbling out his apologies anyway. Natsu eyed the pile of papers in his hand for a moment then passed them to his wife. Lucy read through them both with lighting speed as Kabe talked. As he yammered, Natsu’s brows raised at Kabe’s apology to him. Out of respect for Lucy, Kabe didn’t confess to his exact assumptions of the Salamander, and Natsu merely flashed Lucy a questioning glance but said nothing. 

As Kabe paused to catch his breath, Lucy fixed the pages in her hands and smiled at her husband. Natsu beamed and threw an arm around Kabe, inviting him to stay one more night for a time of music and drinking. At first Kabe attempted to decline, but was quickly swept away in the magic of fairies. 

A wizard named Grey came with a mighty snow storm that caused the earth to shift once more and for a quick snow-ball fight between the locals. The Salamander was quick to level out the temperature as he started another brawl with the man. Grey’s wife, who Kabe learned to be a talented water wizard, quickly washed away the melted snow. A much scarier woman- the great Titania - came and put an end to the guild-wide brawl at hand. The guild master thanked the returning wizards for their hard work and introduced Kabe with just as much joy as she did when they first met. It brought tears to his eyes. This only got worse when Kabe was drunk under the table by some of the other wizards, and once again apologized to Lucy and Natsu; with much less tact and far more sobs. The guild master and her husband both abstained from alcohol and were nice enough to carry Kabe back to his room at the inn. Even going so far as to leave some medicine at his bedside, and a souvenir mini guild flag.  

Now, the man finally stood at Fairy Tail’s doorway one last time. Per the couple’s request, he stopped by for breakfast, one last apology, and to say goodbye. The author’s grandchild - someone with no power and no fame to his name - stood proudly with Fairy Tail’s guild master and Salamander at his sides. Just down the street, a bus turned towards the guild hall and Kabe shifted his bag. 

“Well! I suppose that’s my que,” Kabe turned to beam at the wizards, “thanks again…for everything. I’m sorry to leave without going on a job with you, but I think it’s best if I find my own way for a while.” 

Lucy’s smile was angelic as always, “we understand. Just let us know if you ever need anything, okay? You’re always welcome at Fairy Tail.” 

Kabe was touched. For once he couldn’t think of anything to say, and just nodded. 

“Yeah! And if you ever need help, just let us know!” Natsu grinned, “besides, it’s probably best you didn't come on any jobs with us anyway. You probably wouldn’t’ve survived!” His laughter was cut off by a quick whack from Lucy, leaving the cat on his shoulders to snicker behind a paw.

“Eh-heh…right…” With a small bow, the man left the doors of Fairy Tail to find his own place and his own adventure. 

When the bus doors opened, a sun-kissed man in tribal garb stepped off with a starry look in his eyes. He spoke quickly to Kabe, who put a hand on his shoulder and sadly shook his head. The two men boarded the bus and were driven away.

Natsu crossed his arms and reared back, “gee-eez! Why do you always attract the weirdos, Lucy?” The man leaned heavily on his wife, who snorted and nudged him off. 

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering that myself…” 

Nose scrunched, Natsu narrowed his eyes at her. Lucy playfully mimicked the expression. After a beat or two, they leaned forward for a quick kiss. Happy gasped and covered his eyes. 

“I agree! Ever since Lucy became our guild master, more and more new members have been showing up!” 

The two sprang apart.

“M-Mira!” 

Mirajane’s ‘innocent’ smile only grew as she cocked her head. 

“It’s strange though, most of the men that come don’t stick around too long. I wonder why that is…” Blue eyes shifted to Natsu, who suddenly took up whistling. 

“There’s been some women too! And not all the guys are total tools, some stuck around!” Lucy argued. 

Mirajane’s voice softened, “That’s true. You two have helped and inspired so many people, our family has been growing and growing in a way I’ve never seen before.” 

“It’s cause she’s such a great master!” Natsu beamed.

“Aye!” Happy agreed.

“Aww, you guys,” Lucy blushed. 

The She-devil giggled, then held up a job request.

“By the way, Master, I was just going through the jobs and I think this one would be perfect for your little family. Oh-! I mean team.” She covered her smile. 

Lucy took the paper sheepishly, “It’s fine I already told him. And you really don’t have to call me master.” 

“I thought you liked it?” Natsu questioned as he took the request from her hand.

Happy looked like he was just presented with the world's largest fish. 

“It’s not-! I didn’t mean it like that! It just sounds funny when Mira calls me that! I’m not an old man and she’s been here longer than me! And- shut up you two!” 

Lucy’s face burned bright red at the misunderstanding as Happy floated onto Mira’s shoulder to coo and share teasing looks. 

“And give me that!” Lucy snatched the paper back. Natsu held his hands up in defeat. He took a breath - sly remark on his tongue - but one look from Mira got him to back off. 

“Woah!” Lucy suddenly exclaimed, “is this for real?” 

“What is it?” Natsu leaned over her shoulder to read, Happy returning to his perch to join.

“Yep!” Mira chirped, “there’s a new resort opening up down south and they want famous wizards to stick around there for a while to help bring in revenue and increase the prestige.” 

“And they asked for Fairy Tail?” Lucy blinked.

“Didn’t we destroy that place a few times?” Natsu asked. 

“Yep!” Mira replied, “but ever since Lucy took over, our reputation has gotten a lot better in places like this.” 

“Lucy’s a party-pooper.” Happy teased. 

“I am not!”

“Besides, your names proceed you,” Mirajane continued, “and once they find out our guild master herself took on the job, I can’t imagine they’d say no!” 

“Still,” Lucy read the flier again, “this almost sounds too good to be true. A fully-paid vacation at a resort just for us to - what - walk around and get our pictures taken? And it’s for….a month?” Lucy paused.

“Is that alright?” Natsu craned his head to peer at her expression.

Lucy jolted, “well, uh, yeah I guess? I don’t see why not…” 

“It won’t be for too long, but people will start to notice…if you’re okay with that,” Mirajane said quieter, “I think it will be good for you two.”

“That’s true, you might want to relax while you still can!” Happy tacked on. 

“I’m down! Sounds easy!” Natsu agreed. 

“Really? You want to?” Lucy asked her husband, “even though you just got back?” 

“Sure, why not? We’ll need the cash, right? Besides, it’s your turn for a job.” He smiled at her. 

“Still…something’s bound to happen…it always does…” Lucy mourned the trouble that always seemed to follow them. 

“That’s even better!” Natsu grinned, “vacationing is fun and all, but it gets boring without a little excitement!” 

He rubbed his hands together, like he could already taste the fires of the explosions he’ll cause. 

“Besides, I won’t let anything happen to ya, so you can just relax!”

“We won’t let you lift a finger! Unless you’re being lazy!” Happy jeer meant no harm. The cat flew to her shoulder and nuzzled under her chin, lifting her smile. 

Lucy laughed, “yeah right, you guys will be hopeless without me.” She scratched behind Happy’s ear. 

“So that settles it!” Natsu beamed. He took the paper and stuck it in his pocket. 

“Hmm, well actually,” Lucy started, “as far as they know, it will take us a few days to get there…maybe we should stick around here for a bit…just to, um, celebrate the news with our family first?” 

Natsu gave a quick nod, “sounds good.”

“Aye! Before Lucy’s fat belly is all over magazine covers!” Happy’s grin was grabbed by Natsu who pulled his buddy away from danger. 

It was too late, the loud snap of her last nerve could be heard, even by non-dragon-slayers. Their guild master was shaking like a damn failing to hold back her righteous fury. That comment being the final crack in her wise-angelic-guild-master facade. Natsu took off with the blue cat in his arms, Mirajane calling after them to learn their lesson or get used to it. 

“Get back here!” Lucy charged after them with waving fists. The boys soon discovered - through the squeeze of a whip - that Lucy’s new strength was nothing to mess with. Not even Natsu’s grand declarations of love would save him. 

“What a cute little family.” Mirajane smiled to herself as she watched. Eventually, she re-entered the guild and pulled out a small box, collecting from those who placed an unlucky bet.