Chapter Text
When Natsu entered the guild hall this morning, he didn’t expect to be stuck in a magic bubble that even he couldn’t break. He leaned against the side of the translucent bubble, watching his friends try to come up with a way to get him out. He closed his eyes and relaxed, something others would believe uncharacteristic of him. In all honesty, Natsu was tired of fighting, and not from just fighting his current confines.
The dragon slayer was tired of fighting in general. He boasted about becoming the strongest, strong enough to best Erza, Laxus, and Gildarts, but now the notion didn't hold much merit. A deep fatigue seemed to have settled into his bones. There was no way he’d let his guild know about it though! They needed him, if only to be a tool for destruction, that he later would get reprimanded for. Yep, that was Natsu’s purpose, and if it meant his family’s safety, he’d keep his discomfort and thoughts to himself.
Vibrations in the bubble brought him back to the present. Lucy, his beautiful, golden haired teammate stood with her arm still raised from knocking. Worry had seeped into her dark brown orbs, staining them. Look at him, being a terrible friend and making her, and likely the others, worry about him. Guilt began to swirl in is gut. He quickly slapped a wide, toothy grin on his face and dropped easily back into his routine charade. Good thing he was so practiced and believable, he thought as some of her worry seemed to alleviate and her eyes brightened slightly.
She was saying something, but he couldn’t hear her. As it turned out, the bubble was sound proof, but they didn’t know that. Earlier, when they’d originally tried to get him out, he’d cursed in defeat and the group had heard him, but he couldn’t hear their admonishment about his ‘language’ because Wendy was around. He didn’t want to worry them more than they already were with the surprise bubble and all that, so he’d elected to read their lips instead.
Lucy came over to reassure him, apparently. On her lips he’d read something along the lines of “We’ll get you out” and “Just hang on for a little longer”. He gave her a thumbs up and she returned to the group.
And boy, was he hanging in there. Initially, this bubble had been a pain in the butt, but the longer he was stuck in the silence of it, the more he came to realize he didn’t really mind. It was nice, to finally have some quiet, and no one in danger to save in all his flames and destruction.
He was watching his family work to free him when he stumbled a bit. Natsu blinked slowly, his head wasn’t this foggy a minute ago, right? He…He was actually feeling pretty dizzy. He stumbled forward and caught himself on the bubble wall, breathing getting deeper. The fuzzy feeling in his mind grew. Why did he suddenly feel so tired?
Natsu let out a quiet groan, but in the uncharacteristically quiet guild hall, it was loud.
The pinkette’s eyes fluttered and drooped. What was happening to him?
In his fight for consciousness, he didn’t notice the turned heads, the widened eyes, and shouts of his name. All he saw was a pair of large, calloused hands pressed against his through the bubble and dark, worried eyes before he succumbed to exhaustion and fell into the calming embrace of darkness.
~
When a random magic bubble appeared out of the blue and decided Natsu was the best person to swallow up, Gray hadn’t been very surprised. Weird and wacky magical incidents were commonplace in Fairy Tail, this would just be another one to add to the ever expanding list of them.
Natsu not being able to cancel out the magic on his own was strange, and even stranger when their S-Class mages couldn’t so much as put a dent in the thing. Eventually they’d put Freed and Levy on the job. There was probably some magic unraveling thing to do that Gray would never understand, they just had to figure out how.
Natsu was also taking being stuck inside a random magic bubble surprisingly well. There was no yelling, no fiery fists pounding on the unbreakable, translucent walls, or pouting. Odd. He was vaguely aware of Lucy going over to the bubble a few times to check on their teammate, but there was never any real change.
Gray watched his pink haired rival out of the corner of his eye. They fought a lot and pissed each other off more often than not, but Gray cared about that idiot dragon slayer. The raven watched Natsu lean against the wall, closing his eyes in a content sort of way. He didn’t think he’d ever seen the dragon slayer so…relaxed before.
“Ah, dang it!” Levy threw her papers at the table in frustration. “I don’t understand this! There isn’t any kind of magic to reverse or nullify, so how do we get Natsu out?!"
Freed put a hand on the blue haired girl’s shoulder, trying to be comforting. “We’ll get him out Levy, besides, he's not in any danger-”
A low groan cut the rune mage off and Gray whipped around in time to see Natsu stagger and press his hands on the bubble in front of him. The pinkette looked like he was about to pass out, his eyes drooping dangerously. That was all Gray had to see before he was by his rival’s side and trying to find out what was wrong.
Gray pressed his hands against Natsu’s slightly smaller ones and tried to get his attention. Whatever was happening, Natsu was fighting, and losing, a battle of consciousness. The idiot was fine a few minutes ago! What happened in that short amount of time that made his condition change so drastically?
“Natsu! Come on, you gotta answer me! Natsu!”
He was vaguely aware of Lucy, Erza, and the others calling out and trying to break through the magic that held their friend.
“Natsu!” Gray screamed the dragon slayer's name as the pinkette lost his battle and collapsed limply, like a puppet cut from his strings.
He immediately dropped down to meet Natsu’s level, where he’d slumped against the bubble’s wall. Gray watched Natsu’s chest rise and fall steadily, but slower than a normal humans, even in unconsciousness. Gray frowned at that, but it was good he was still breathing. Gray felt some of the panic in his chest alleviate, Natsu looked like was asleep.
“Guys,” His guild mates didn’t calm down. “GUYS!” his shout quieted them some, bringing them back from their panic for a moment. “He’s still breathing, I think…I think he’s asleep. I don’t know what put him under though, something’s wrong with, whatever this is.” He gestured to the translucent bubble.
Erza crouched beside Gray, and put her hand on the bubble, as though she was trying to place her hand on Natsu’s cheek for comfort. Lucy stood close behind them, cradling a crying Happy close to her chest.
“He was fine for so long though! What could have…What could have knocked him out like that? Natsu has a ridiculously high tolerance to sedatives and things like that. And he’s good at detecting them too, so he would’ve known if there was something wrong with the air.” Lucy rambled, a comfort for herself.
Gray ran a hand through his hair. “I know that,” he almost snapped back. “I’ve never seen the Flamebrain just collapse like that.”
Erza stood, taking charge of the new situation. “Freed, Levy, work on getting him out. The rest of us will-“
The scarlet haired woman trailed off as she looked past the group gathered by the bubble. There was a glassy looking cloud floating in front of the tables Freed and Levy had been working at.
“What…is that? Is that the same magic as the bubble?” Someone asked. Gray was more concerned about what he saw next. Flickering to life, like one of those new lacrima projectors, we’re words.
Stop future
Change it
Save him
By this point, Gray was over the weirdness of the situation. “And what the actual fuck is that supposed to mean?!”
Materializing onto the cloud was Lucy’s living room, Natsu splayed on the couch, poking at Happy mindlessly. Lucy was sitting on the floor, writing something on the papers scattered around the coffee table.
“Stop future…Change it...Save him?” Levy repeated, deep in thought, “Could it be…Natsu’s future we need to change? Something happens to him that we need to save him from?”
“It’s possible. Watching this might be our only real chance to get Natsu out of the spell at this point.” Freed murmured. It wasn’t everyday that a future showing bubble decided to swallow up your friend and give you a concerning message about his future.
That was enough for Erza to put everyone into action. “Everyone sit down! I know there aren’t many of us here at the moment, but it will be our job to relay all important information to the rest of the guild. So pay attention!”
Everyone took a seat near the cloud. Freed, Laxus, Mira, Levy, and Gajeel sat at the table with all of their textbooks and paper, while Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Lucy with Happy sat at a table together. Levy and Freed prepared to take notes, pens already in hand. As soon as the group was situated, the scene in the mist began to move.
(Better Together - Us The Duo)
Lucy hums as she writes, focused deeply on her project. Natsu messes with Happy, but is quiet enough not to disturb his partner as she works.
Lucy’s eyebrows furrow. “This looks like it’s going to happen soon.” She squints, then points, “Look! There’s my calendar! It’s still x784!”
“Good job, Lu!” Levy praises, “Date’s are important, so always be on the lookout for those!”
The blonde’s humming turns to a soft song.
“There’s no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard.”
Natsu turns his attention to her as she continues.
“No song that I can sing, but I can try for your heart,
“Our dreams, they are made out of real things” She starts tapping her fingers to a rhythm only she can hear. “Like a, shoebox of photographs with sepia toned loving.”
Gray whistles in appreciation. “I didn’t know you could sing, Lucy.”
The blonde blushes a little in embarrassment. “I don’t do it much, and definitely not in front of people!”
Mira grins deviously. But you did it in front of Natsu~"
Lucy flushed bright red, "We're just friends!"
“Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like, why are we here, and where do we go, and how come it’s so hard”
Something in her face twists, as though remembering something she’d rather forget.
“It’s not always easy, and sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing, it’s always better when we’re together”
Happy giggles as he recognizes the line, and Lucy's blush grew impossibly brighter.
Natsu smiles and starts humming with her.
“It’s always better when we’re together.”
Her blonde head whips up at the sound of his voice, unnaturally soft, singing with her. Once the initial shock passes, she smiles fondly, going back to her writing.
“It’s always better when we’re together,
Yeah, we’ll look at the stars when we’re together
It’s always better when we’re together
Yeah, it’s always better when we’re together”
The group is in shock at their friend’s voices. They harmonize beautifully, and have a talent none of them had any idea about.
“Who knew the Salamander could sing too.” Gajeel joked. The group sweatdropped as they remembered Gajeel and his "music".
The two go back to their own activities, but keep up the song, enjoying each other’s voices and company. Natsu picks up the song this time.
“And all of these moments just might find their way into my dreams tonight,
But I know that they’ll be gone when the morning light sings, and brings new things.”
He flicks a balled up wad of paper at his partner, grinning.
“For tomorrow night you see that they’ll be gone too, too many things that I have to do,
But if all of these dreams might find their way into my day to day scene,
I’d be under the impression I was somewhere in between.
With only two, just me and you, not so many things we got to do,
Or places we got to be.
We’ll sit beneath the mango tree now.”
He looks pointedly at the blonde in question. She at least looks a little sheepish at her worrying, and joins back in their quiet song.
“It’s always better when we’re together,
We’re somewhere in between together, well it’s always better when we’re together.
It’s always better when we’re together.”
They lapse into a quiet only broken by their humming. Natsu starts again.
“I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty while I sleep. Hey now, and when I wake up
You look so pretty sleeping next to me.”
He laughs at her embarrassed expression, and she chucks more balled up paper at her best friend. They continue together, tossing objects at each other.
“But there is not enough time, and there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say,
But I will still tell you one thing; we’re better together.”
The group sat there, mesmerized by the domestic scene between their two friends, and transfixed by their voices.
“I thought we had to save the Flamebrain by changing his future, not seeing something…cute.”
Lucy tried to get her red face under control. “I think we do, but it might just be showing us other smaller parts of the future as well. Maybe so that everything we see isn’t…horrible? Or maybe what leads up to whatever happens to Natsu in the future?” she mused.
"Or maybe we'll see Lucy finally confess to our cute little fire dragon~" Mira giggled, but it somehow seemed sinister.
Lucy shivered. "I don't like him like that!"
Levy hummed in consideration, ignoring the white-haired demon. “That could be, and I suppose it would make sense. If we know events leading up to, or in a similar time frame, we’d be able to work on preventing anything bad from happening.”
The girls were about to continue their conversation when the images started up again.
(Boyfriend - Dove Cameron)
Natsu is sitting alone at the bar, watching the crowd with a bored expression, twirling his drink. He sighs, bored and ready to go home, watching the man who’d asked him out dancing with other people.
“SOMEONE ASKED THAT FLAMEBRAIN OUT ON A DATE?!?”
"Natsu agreed to go out with a man?"
Erza smacked the ice mage on the side of the head. “Of course someone asked him out, just because you don’t desire Natsu doesn’t mean no one does.” She addressed Freed, who'd also spoken. "I've long suspected Natsu wasn't the straightest line in the sand, but if we want to know more, we'll have to ask him about it. In any case, we'll accept him, and his partner, as long as he is happy." The redheads gaze darkened. "Unless he is like that asshole in the scene there, we can skewer that guy."
Gray just grumbled something about a “fire eating freak” and “how dare he” while the others digested what Erza said.
A large hand places itself on the pinkette’s shoulder and turns him around to face, of all people, Laxus.
“Laxus?”
“I can't believe we're finally alone
I can't believe I almost went home
What are the chances? Everyone's dancing
And he's not with you”
“LAXUS?!”
Laxus, for his part, looked just as confused. “What? It’s not like I know what’s going on.”
“It is odd, though, that you’d express anything to Natsu at all, Laxus. I wonder what brought this on?” Freed stared at the screen, seeming to try and will the image way with his mind. There was no way his Laxus had an interest in Natsu of all people.
Natsu stutters out something incomprehensible, face flushed at the situation. He has no romantic feelings for Laxus, and the lightning dragon slayer obviously has his sights set on either Mira or Freed.
Natsu pulls back, ready to start yelling about how this couldn't possibly be Laxus when he’s grabbed again.
Natsu’s attention is turned to Mira, who bowed and placed a chaste kiss to the back of his hand chivalrously. Natsu flushes more, completely confused and taken aback by what was happening.
“MIRA TOO?!”
The white haired mage just giggled. “Oh, would you look at that, maybe I’ll date Natsu in the future~”
The present mages had never seen Lucy growl like she did in response before.
“M-Mira?”
She placed a finger to his lips.
“The universe must have divined this
What am I gonna do? Not grab your wrist?”
She glanced toward the crowd, and Natsu’s asshole of a date.
“I could be a better boyfriend than him
I could do the shit that he never did
Up all night, I won't quit
Thinking I'm gonna steal you from him
I could be such a gentleman
Plus all my clothes would fit”
She winks mischievously and the pinkette just about passes out.
Wendy giggled. “I’ve never seen Natsu so flustered before! It’s cute!”
“Gihihi! I won’t let Salamander live this one down!”
“Do you think he’d really fit in Mira’s clothes?”
“Wendy!”
Meanwhile, in her own little world, Lucy imagines flustering Natsu herself, and then flushes so red she could start steaming. Why was she having thoughts like that?!
The two lead him into the crowd, Mira pulling him along by the hand, Laxus with a hand on his arm. The fire dragon slayer could barely believe this was happening. Mira? Yeah, this is a stunt she would pull, but Laxus?
Natsu must have died or something, Laxus never would have done something like this for him. Ever.
A new person ruffles his hair, and Natsu knows it’s Gajeel, but can’t for the life of him figure out why.
“I could be a better boyfriend
I don't need to tell you twice
All the ways he can't suffice
If I could give you some advice
I would leave with me tonight”
“Gajeel too?! But I thought you were with Levy!” Gray exclaimed.
Levy just laughed. “I don’t think Gajeel’s cheating on me with Natsu in the future, you guys.”
Mira spun him around and pulled him close like they were dancing.
“The universe must have divined this, mmm, mmm”
Mira bowed, demonic glint in her eyes.
“Ladies first, baby, I insist" The boys step back, letting Mira lead Natsu around the floor.
"I could be a better boyfriend than him
I could do the shit that he never did
Up all night, I won't quit
Thinking I'm gonna steal you from him
I could be such a gentleman
Plus all my clothes would fit”
Lucy hummed, a little bit jealous of Mira’s closeness to Natsu. “I’m honestly surprised he’s letting the three of you manhandle him like that. Usually he’d have started a fight by now.”
“Pfft- That Flamebrain is probably worried Mira and Laxus will kill him on the spot if he tried to run away.”
Erza rubbed her chin, armor clanking. “I want to know why Laxus, Gajeel, and Mira followed Natsu to a bar though. They must have had a bad feeling about his date.” She frowned at how the man in question had ditched Natsu for others after asking the pinkette to accompany him. “With good reason too.”
Happy finally stopped munching on his fish for a moment. “I wonder why Lushy, Erza, and Gray didn’t follow him instead since they’re on the same team.”
The three in question froze for a moment. That was a good point.
She pulled Natsu along in their little dance, her grip on him protective, almost possessive.
“Mira, I don’t-”
“I could be a better boyfriend than him”
Laxus’s large hands yank Natsu over to stand in front of him.
“I could be a better boyfriend
I never would have left you alone
Here on your own glued to your phone
Never would have left you alone
For someone else to take you home”
Gajeel clamped a hand on Natsu’s shoulder, firmly, but comforting. At least in Gajeel’s own way.
“I could be a better boyfriend than him
I could do the shit that he never did
Up all night, I won't quit
I'm gonna steal you from him
I could be such a gentleman
Plus you know my clothes would fit”
Natsu just stared at the three of them flabbergasted by how they were acting.
He blinked once. Twice.
Oh. Ohhhhh.
A smile lit up the pinkette’s face as he realized what was going on and laughed to himself. His guildmates were being possessive of him, a draconic and demonic trait they got from their magic. They saw Natsu not being treated right by someone outside of their horde and made to reassure him as they saw fit.
“At least the Flamebrain is enjoying himself instead of sulking by the bar.”
The mages turned to look at the ice mage incredulously.
“What?”
“I knew you cared about him!” Wendy exclaimed.
Gray stuttered. “What! No way! I just don’t think anyone should be dumped like that!”
Mira grabbed his hands again as Natsu laughed, the three of them with a small, satisfied smirk on their faces after cheering Natsu up and keeping their horde member happy. She began dancing with him again, smiling and laughing with him as the two dragon slayers growled and snapped at anyone that got too close to either of them.
She hugged him close again.
“I could be a better boyfriend than him
I could do the shit that he never did
Up all night, I won't quit
Thinking I'm gonna steal you from him
I could be such a gentleman
Plus all my clothes would fit”
Natsu returned her embrace with a content smile.
“I know. Thank you for everything Mira, Laxus, Gajeel."
The two older men smirked in satisfaction. Their job here was done.
Now, just to find that asshole who decided to hurt their guildmate.
The mist went blank once more as the viewing ended.
Levy scribbled another note on her notepad. “I think this blip, I’m calling each part of the future we see a blip, is pretty close to blip one on the timeline. Both of these blips will happen soon then.” She chews the top of her pen in thought. “How much time will we really have to change the future though, if these blips are going to happen so soon?”
Gajeel placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find a way, it’s what Fairy Tail does best.”
She smiled. “Yeah, you're right. Everything will be okay.”
Lucy glanced back at Natsu’s unconscious form for the umpteenth time since the viewing began. “What do you think happens to him that is so horrible that someone or something had to send us parts of their past to change it? You don’t think he…dies, do you?”
“I’d bet on it.” Gray mumbled. “He’s always getting himself into some kind of trouble, but I think him dying is the worst that could happen to a guy like him.”
“Dying isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you, Gray. There are much worse things than death.” Erza commented. “I just hope that Natsu doesn't experience some of the things I’m thinking about.”
Happy paled, worse than death!? The Exceed didn’t know there was something worse than that! “Lushy! You’ll save Natsu, won’t you? Don’t let bad things happen to him!”
Lucy hugged the Exceed close. “Of course I will, Happy. Natsu’s important to me too. To everyone.” She smiled softly.
The mist began moving again, signaling the next blip of the future.
“Let’s see what happens next, we have a future to change.”