Chapter Text
It was early in the morning and after a particularly rambunctious party the night before the guild was a little quieter than usual, with many of the revellers either still abed or currently nursing a hangover. The only exception as always was Cana, who was sat at the bar, cards scattered in front of her and a fresh mug of ale at her side, despite Mira’s scolding when she’d ordered it. All in all, it was a perfectly normal day at Fairy Tail – perfectly normal that was if you ignored the deep, guttural growls echoing through the room at seemingly random intervals. Noises that were only growing louder and more frequent, to the point that even Cana had finally looked up from what she was doing to gaze askance at the two Dragon-slayers just as Natsu growled again, seemingly blind to his audience.
At the other end of the bar, Lucy and Erza were joined by a worried Mirajane who had finally abandoned all pretence at trying to clean the bar, their gazes were drawn to Gajeel as it was his turn to growl.
“What are they growling about?” Lucy hissed, trying not to draw attention to them. She had been running late that morning, and she had walked into the guild in the middle of a particularly vicious snarl from Gajeel, and while his attack on her was long forgiven, the sound had sent her scurrying across to Erza for protection in case the noise turned into something more than a threat.
“I have no idea,” Mira replied, and there was an anxious note to her voice, her gaze moving from Gajeel who was currently slouched in the far corner, glaring around the hall with an irritated expression on his face that didn’t seem that different from his normal one. Across to Natsu, who was sat on the other side of the hall in his team’s usual booth, his head bowed and attention fixed on the table in front of him, and seemingly unaware of the many growls escaping him. “They don’t seem to be growling at one another though because there’s always a gap after one of them growls, and they’re not in a set pattern,” she added thoughtfully, having been keeping an eye on them all morning since this strange behaviour had begun. In fact, there had been no sign that the two were remotely interested in one another, not even their usual competitiveness, which was strange but also a relief, because she didn’t want to imagine the damage they could do if they were genuinely irritated with one another.
However, that didn’t answer the question of what was going on with the pair, and as more people arrived, the rest of the guild was beginning to take notice of what was happening. It was slow, but gradually the rest of the guild were moving away from the Dragon-slayers, and newcomers were quickly waved to seats out of the direct path between the two. Everyone knew just how destructive the Dragon-slayers were capable of being, and with the tension growing in the air, there was no ignoring the growing potential for an explosion. Even Happy who was used to his partner’s destructiveness and who’d initially been sat with Natsu was moving away, flying across to sit beside Cana, eyeing the Fire mage with concerned eyes.
It was in the middle of all this that the doors opened again, and Wendy stepped inside with Carla in tow, the pair of them chatting animatedly about something and seemingly blind to the tense atmosphere that they’d just walked into.
“Wendy!” Erza called, relieved to see the younger girl, hoping that as a Dragon-slayer she might have some idea of what was going on. Wendy jumped at the shout, glancing at Erza and opening her mouth, presumably to respond when she abruptly faltered, going completely still for a moment before she cautiously sniffed the air. Whatever she smelt made her wrinkle her nose, and not for the first time Erza wondered what it was like to have Dragon-slayer senses. However, that thought was forgotten as Wendy turned to look at Natsu and then Gajeel, frowning slightly before her expression cleared and she nodded thoughtfully. Seemingly satisfied with whatever she had learnt, she turned and headed towards Erza and the other mages who had gathered around the bar as it was a safe distance from the growling Dragon-slayers.
"Wendy, do you know what's wrong with them?" Lucy demanded as soon as Wendy reached them, ignoring the way Charla bristled at her tone, gesturing at Natsu and Gajeel. Before the younger girl could reply, Gajeel snarled, and the Celestial mage flinched, shrinking back slightly, although a quick glance showed that he didn’t seem to be focused on her.
"They're in season," Wendy explained cheerfully, only to blink as she was met with blank expressions as the others exchanged confused glances, her expression falling a little when she realised that they didn’t understand. Before she could try and think how to explain, she was cut off by another growl ringing out, and a quick glance told her that Natsu was the guilty party this time and she frowned again, tapping a finger against her chin. “Gajeel-san is about the right age, but I would’ve thought that Natsu-san would take a little longer. Maybe it’s because they’re in such close proximity,” she mused, glancing across at Gajeel.
“I…What do you mean?” Lucy began, then changed what she was going to say, unable to hide her curiosity although she was a little hesitant about whether she really wanted to know the answer. In ‘season’? That wasn’t a word that you usually thought about in relation to people, she mused, but then again it might be fitting in this situation she thought as another growl rang out.
“Male dragons rarely spend a lot of time in close proximity, especially during mating season, as they can set one another off,” Wendy explained, drawing everyone’s attention back to her. “It doesn’t happen often, but it can be awful, especially if both want the same mate. Grandine said that those battles were horrific and usually fatal.” Her voice had dropped off, and it was only when she looked up and saw the alarmed expressions on her guild mate’s faces that she realised where their thoughts had gone. “That’s not the case here though! Look at how they’re staying away from one another that wouldn’t happen if they going to fight,” she added hastily, holding up her hands placatingly, almost able to feel the sigh of relief that went through the group. None of the older members had forgotten the battle between Gajeel and Natsu during the Phantom Lord troubles, it had been awe-inspiring to watch, but it had been destructive enough, and the mere thought of an all-out, to-the-death battle between the two was terrifying.
“If that’s the case why are they growling so much?” Erza asked, her gaze focused on Natsu as she spoke. His growls seemed to have grown in volume, far more than Gajeel’s had, and at this point, he was growling nearly continuously she realised, although his attention seemed to be riveted to the table in front of him, although she knew better to think that he wasn’t aware of them. It was making her nervous, and even though Gajeel’s growls were more spaced out, they were just as intense at Natsu’s, and a small part of her wondered if Wendy was wrong and they were going to lunge at one another at any moment.
Wendy tilted her head, startled by the question as the answer seemed shockingly clear to her, but Erza seemed earnest, so she shrugged. “It’s just their way of warning people away from their mates,” she explained matter-of-factly, not sure what to make of the shocked expressions that greeted her words or the way everyone was looking between the two older Dragon-slayers.
"Mates?" The entire group started at the new voice, having not noticed Gray joining the group and the Ice mage scowled at them. However, it wasn’t long before all eyes had returned expectantly to Wendy, who sighed as it dawned on her that right now she was the only one here who had any idea of what was going on. Privately she wished that the Master was around, after all, he seemed to know most things, and he would be better suited to answering the questions they seemed to have, but Makarov was away at a conference, so she supposed that it did fall to her and she grimaced, almost wishing she had stayed in bed.
Claiming a chair, because there was no way she was standing to do this, especially when most of her listeners towered above her, she wracked her brains for the best way to explain what was happening to them. To her, it was just part of being a Dragon-slayer, a part of life, and it had never really occurred to her that other people might not grasp that part of them. “Mating season is one of the most important times in a Dragon’s life,” she began, swallowing at the sensation of being the centre of attention, before squaring her shoulders as she continued. “Dragons mate for life and that was one of the traits that was passed on to us Dragon-slayers. Once we find our desire mate, it becomes a case of them or no one else.”
“But…”
“When Dragons or Dragon-slayers go into season, they have approximately a week to a week and a half to claim their mate,” Wendy continued, not sure who had tried to interrupt but wanting to get everything out before she dealt with questions. “If they don’t claim them, or worse, if their chosen mate rejects the bond, then they lose their chance, and they will remain unbonded for the rest of their life.” Her expression grew sorrowful at this part, and she had to look down. Grandine had been rejected by her chosen mate a long time before Wendy had come along, and her foster-mother had always seemed lonely, the pain of that rejection having never left her, although Grandine had never let it hold her back. “It’s a lonely life if that happens…”
“What happens if they haven’t found a…mate? Does that even happen?” Lucy asked hesitantly, feeling herself blushing. There was something about all this that felt intensely private, and she couldn’t help but think they shouldn’t be asking, that this was too much information, even as she wanted to find out more so that she could help her friends. It didn’t help, that she was finding it odd to think that Natsu – who normally had to be one of the most oblivious boys she had ever met, was one of the ones going through this. She knew he wasn’t as idiotic as he often pretended to be, but there was always a part of him that seemed totally oblivious to the idea of dating and romance and settling down with someone.
“It does happen, and if it does, then they will just be really irritable for the length of their season, and they will go into season every year until they do find their mate,” Wendy replied, before smiling as she glanced between the other two Dragon-slayers. “However, I don’t think that’s something we need to worry about, as from the way they’re acting, they’ve both chosen someone.” As though to emphasise her point another series of growls rang out.
Silence greeted that display and her proclamation, as those closest to Natsu and Gajeel swiftly moved away and Wendy rolled her eyes. Unless they directly interfered or did something to whoever the pair had chosen, then the rest of the guild was in no danger. It was Erza who broke the silence as she glanced across at Levy who had joined them, no doubt worried about Gajeel’s strange behaviour, and a smile crept across the Requip Mage’s face. “Well, I would say that Gajeel’s choice is obvious enough.” Her pointed look was enough to make Levy turn bright red, waving her hands in nervous denial as she backed up under the sudden scrutiny that Erza’s words had bought down on her.
"W-what do you mean?" Levy asked, her voice catching and further proving Erza’s claim, even before the red-head reached out and pushed Gray a few steps closer to Levy. The effect was immediate, as a particularly loud growl rang out from Gajeel’s direction and seeing the dark eyes that were now fixed on him, Gray immediately scrambled back, glaring at Erza who merely smirked before arching an eyebrow at Levy.
“He’s been growling everytime someone steps too close to you,” Erza explained, silencing the entire group and causing more than one person to gape at her, startled that she had been able to pick up on that while being in the centre of the discussions. “Besides, it makes sense. You’ve been going out for a while now haven’t you?”
If Levy hadn’t been red before, she certainly was now, eyes flicking towards Gajeel for a moment before she looked down and gave a tiny nod. She didn’t know how Erza had found out about that as they had been trying to keep it quiet, and with so many eyes on them, she decided that she didn’t want to know. Instead, she took a moment just to breathe, to try and ignore the fact that she was currently the centre of attention as she weighed up what Wendy had said, finally, lifting her head to look across at the younger girl. “Once in a lifetime chance?” It wasn’t that she was sure about her choice, but she wanted to know what lay ahead of them and what weight her next actions would carry. Wendy nodded nervously, glancing between Levy and the watchful Gajeel in the distance, feeling very much out of depth, but she needn’t have worried because a beautiful smile crept across Levy’s face.
Without a word to anyone else, Levy straightened, squaring her shoulders before pushing through the group and marching across to Gajeel whose attention had snapped to her the moment she began to move. His next growl catching in his throat as she approached, and she closed the distance between them, capturing his lips in a quick, but fierce kiss, silencing the growl entirely as his eyes widened. It had also silenced the rest of the guild, and Levy threw them a cheeky grin and wave as she pulled back, before she held out a hand to Gajeel, heaving him up when he finally nervously accepted it and leading him out of the Guildhall, neither of them looking back.
“Well, I suppose that’s one way of doing it,” Lucy muttered under her breath, stunned by her usually shy friend’s boldness. Still, she was happy for her and looking forward to the gossip she’d be able to get later, and she had to bite back a grin as she glanced across at Jet and Droy who was staring, open-mouthed after their team member. They seemed to recover after a moment, but then she realised they were whispering to each other about what they would do to Gajeel if he hurt ‘their’ Levy, and she hoped for their sake that they never felt the need to try and carry out those threats because Gajeel would make mincemeat of them.
“Well that.’s Gajeel taken care of, but what about Natsu?” Erza asked, turning her attention back to the other Dragon-slayer who was still growling, although he seemed to still be wrapped up in his own world. “He isn’t seeing anyone at the moment is he?” She glanced at Lucy as she said this, honestly curious this time, although there was a small smile playing around her lips.
“Me?” Lucy demanded. “Why are you looking at me like that?” No-one answered, but they didn’t need to as she glanced around and saw that everyone was staring at her now, and she blushed, easily rivalling Levy’s from earlier as she urgently shook her head. “No way, we’re just friends.” She glanced around, searching for a distraction and her eyes lit up as her gaze landed on Mirajane. “What about Lisanna? He’s known her a lot longer than he’s known me.”
“Lisanna isn’t here though,” Mira replied, tilting her head towards Natsu as he growled again. “She left three days ago with Elfman to do a job, and from what Wendy said, his mate should be someone who's in the guild right now based on his behaviour.” The group groaned – those had been the two names at the top of everyone’s list of people that Natsu seemed vaguely interested in. Vaguely, being the world – because most of them had assumed that Natsu was either completely unaware of girls based on his sometimes stupid behaviour around them or at least unaware of them in that sense.
"Wendy?" Cana suggested, purely as a joke, looking up from her tankard for a moment, and grinning when Wendy squeaked and turned bright red. However, she was the one to choke when a moment later someone suggested that it was her.
The group whispered and muttered amongst themselves, bouncing names and possibilities around as they tried to work out whose Natsu’s growls were aimed at, a seemingly impossible task as the growls were constant now. In the hubbub they failed to notice Gray slipping away from the group, having refused to contribute any names to the discussion, and they missed the way he glanced at Natsu and the disgruntled…almost unhappy expression on his face as he slipped out of the door. All of them, apart from Mira that was, who had noted both his departure and the fact that Natsu had actually fallen silent for a moment, and when she glanced across at the Dragon-slayer, she saw that his head had come up and he was staring at the door. He remained taut for a minute before he slumped back in his seat, head bowed again.
Mira was torn between a desire to squeal with delight, and go across and give the Fire mage a shove in the right direction, but considering what Wendy had been saying, she had a feeling that wouldn’t go across too well. Trusting that they would sort it out, she turned back to the discussion that was still raging around her, a secretive smile on her lips even as she shook her head at the obliviousness of Natsu’s best friends.
*
Contrary to appearances, Natsu wasn’t blind to what was going on around him, unable to avoid the discussion on the far side of the guild with his sharp hearing. It irritated him, not only because this was his mate…his business, not theirs, and because no one seemed to have realised where his interests lay, or the reason why he was sitting here, trapped by raging doubts and thoughts. It didn’t help that Gajeel had acknowledged his chosen, and been accepted in turn – although he wouldn’t have wished for it to go the other way, even if Gajeel had still been his enemy.
That kind of loneliness…
He shuddered, he wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy. And didn’t that just highlight how hopeless his own situation was? Irate, he got to his feet and headed for the door, trying to ignore the scent that called so enticingly to him as he followed it’s path, unable to bear the thought of staying around other people when he felt like this. He knew that the answer was to accept what was happening and talk to his chosen, but he couldn’t do it. There was too much at stake, and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing his friendship with his mate. He would just go home and hide out there for the rest of the week until this was all over, and then they could all go back to how it was…and how it would always be.
Natsu could hear the debate raging around him, and it irritated him that no one seemed to have a clue about how he was really feeling…and who he was feeling it for. It didn't help that he was aware that Gajeel had acknowledged his chosen, and she had accepted – it only helped to highlight that his situation was utterly hopeless. Irate he got to his feet and headed out of the guild, unwilling to put up with other people while he felt like this and reluctant to risk losing his friendship with his mate. He would just hide out at home until the week was out, then they could all go back to how it was…and how it would always be.
***
The next morning found Erza, Lucy and Happy following the path up to Natsu’s house, the latter having spent the night with Wendy and Carla after the youngest Dragon-slayer had pulled him aside and suggested that Natsu might need some time. He hadn’t been happy about leaving his partner alone given the situation, but he hadn’t argued, realising that this was beyond his experience. However, now he was beginning to regret that decision especially when Erza knocked on the door when they reached it, and there was no response from within. The three of them exchanged worried looks, and the Requip mage knocked for the second time, a third and a fourth time.
“Natsu? Natsu let us in!” She called on the last one, scowling when there was still no response, knowing that there was no way Natsu wouldn’t be able to hear her. Sharing a glance with Lucy, she reached for her sword, determined to break down the door if she needed to. They’d all be alarmed to realise that he’d disappeared from the guild the day before, somewhat ashamed that they had been so caught up in guessing who his mate was that they hadn’t noticed, but they had decided to give him a day to hopefully get himself together…and to stop growling. However, now it appeared more and more like they had made the wrong decision, and her fingers tightened on the hilt of her sword, just as there was a shout from inside the house.
“Go away!” They all froze, stunned. Natsu never denied Erza. Never. Even Gray had rebelled more than the Dragon-slayer ever had in front of their friend’s wrath, and there was a sinking feeling that this was only just the beginning.
“Natsu…” Lucy started, hoping to intervene before the two could come to blows, but she had barely got a word out before a fierce snarl rang out from inside. She stumbled back, eyes wide as she stared at the door, half expecting either Natsu or flames to come erupting out of it. This wasn’t the Natsu she knew, unable to remember a time when he had lashed out at any of them with real anger, and she found herself backing up another step.
“I said go away,” his voice was little more than a growl now, and they were startled by the raw emotion they could detect in his voice, a desperation that they had never heard from him before and they exchanged an uneasy glance. “I don’t want to see anyone.” Before they could formulate a response, they heard movement on the far side of the door, followed by the sound of a door slamming somewhere inside, marking his retreat deeper into the house.
Happy mewed softly, before darting up and round to the window that was usually left open so he could come and go if he was flying, coming up short when he found it was shut. He’d known that Natsu had to be aware he was with the girls, knowing just how good his partner’s sense of smell was and his ears dropped as he drifted back down to the others. He could almost understand Natsu ignoring them, but ignoring him? Shutting him out? He was scared, and he made no effort to hide it as he informed them of the situation, drooping further when they looked more worried than ever. “What are we going to do? He shouldn’t be alone!”
“I think that we should tell the Master about what is happening,” Erza replied after a moment, tapping her fingers against the sword for a moment before finally releasing it, realising that bursting in wasn’t going to help right now. Normally, she wouldn’t have hesitated, but there was something in what Wendy had been saying that made her nervous to do anything that could make the situation worse for the Fire Mage. “He might have more information about what is going on, and how we can help.” I hope, she added silently. However, Makarov had been one of the first to believe Natsu about being a Dragon-slayer when he was younger, and she knew that he would’ve done some research into it in case anything happened. Which might mean he had some extra insight, that even Wendy was missing because while she was a Dragon-slayer, she was a lot younger than the others and her information came from years before, from a Dragon that had now disappeared.
Gajeel would generally have been there go to, but he and Levy had yet to reappear after yesterday, and they had the sense not to try and disturb them. That and Wendy had almost growled at them when they had half-heartedly suggested it earlier that morning.
Happy worried at his bottom lip, not entirely sure that involving someone else would help the current situation and not liking the idea that they were going to lose more time in finding Makarov and explaining what was happening. Natsu was on his own, something that the Dragon-slayer hated with a passion, but the Exceed couldn’t see any other options, and after a moment he nodded, floating down to land on the doorstep. “I’m going to stay here in case Natsu decides he wants to come out or to talk,” he explained, curling up on the step, the very picture of feline concern. Erza nodded and offered him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, knowing that he had to be even more worried than they were, as it was unheard of for Natsu to shut him out entirely like this. Even their most heated spats had never lasted more than a couple of quarrels, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to last longer.
“We’ll be as quick as we can,” she promised, before gesturing for Lucy to follow her, not missing the nervous glance the other girl shot at the door or the speed at which she followed.
*
The two girls were quiet as they walked away from the house, waving farewell to the lonely figure of Happy on the doorstep before they passed out of sight. Once they were in the clear, Lucy took a deep breath and glanced at the sky, trying to bury the unwelcome fear that Natsu’s snarl had triggered, and when she felt calmer, she glanced across at Erza. “I wonder why Natsu won’t let on who his mate is?” Admittedly, she hadn’t known about Levy and Gajeel, but she had a feeling that even if Erza hadn’t called the Solid-Script mage out, the pair wouldn’t have waited long to resolve the situation, but she couldn’t understand how they hadn’t worked out who Natsu was interested in. Or why he hadn’t said anything or apparently approached anyone.
“I’m not sure.” Erza’s reply had been quick, but she seemed to hesitate before her shoulders shook under the force of her sigh. “But Natsu has always been shy about stuff like that, so maybe it’s just that?”
“Shy?” Lucy echoed, unable to hide her disbelief, thinking of all the times that Natsu had climbed into her bed without invitation, or walked in on her and seen things he most definitely shouldn’t have seen. He had always seemed oblivious, and she couldn’t recall him ever blushing or being genuinely awkward about it, and even Gray had shown more awareness than the Dragon-slayer, and he was usually blind to Juvia’s infatuation.
“Natsu doesn’t like to talk about relationships or emotions beyond friendship,” Erza continued after a moment, seemingly ignoring the question, but then she paused and glanced at Lucy with an amused smile. “Most of the time he really is oblivious.” Lucy ducked her head, feeling caught out, but then again it was Natsu they were talking about, and they’d both had plenty of experience with his denseness. “However, I think the main reason is more to do with his childhood.”
“What…?”
“Natsu has no idea what happened to his real parents, and Igneel left him,” Erza murmured, remembering how many times she had watched Natsu running out of the guild, chasing down the slightest rumour that might lead him to his foster-father and she closed her eyes. “I think that part of him is afraid of admitting how he feels, in case this other person…his mate, leaves him behind as well. It’s a fear that’s never really left him, despite how close he is to everyone in the Guild.” That thought made her falter – he had his reasons, maybe they were doing the wrong thing in going for help? Yet, she couldn’t forget her concern or the sight of Happy’s dejected form as he realised that Natsu had locked him out and she ruthlessly suppressed her doubts. Valid fears or not, they needed to do something to help.
Lucy, on the other hand, was nodding thoughtfully at what Erza had just said. It made her sad to imagine what Natsu had gone through, and what he must be feeling now because of it. However, she still couldn’t really understand not wanting to pursue the person you wanted to be with, especially with everything that was at stake with him being a Dragon-slayer. None of them had missed the emphasis Wendy had put on the consequences of failure, or the sorrow in her eyes as she’d spoken about it, and the thought of that happening to Natsu… she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Natsu, why are you ignoring this?