Fairy Tail Musical | 1

| e i g h t |

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-ˋˏ [V I C T O R Y] ˎˊ

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

HE SLOWLY cooled down as they headed toward the locker rooms before Natsu's game, turning her body to him and she found his expression to be unreadable but still held his hand firmly in hers. "Natsu, don't pay mind to that idiot." She said softly to him as some students walked past, chatting to one another in excitement as they headed toward the gym entry. His eyes followed them as he stood silent for a moment, but she captured his attention by stepping closer to him and turning his head to look at her by cupping his cheek. His eyes turned soft slowly, taking in her features for a moment before letting out a sigh through his nose. "I didn't like the way he talked to you.." He said, squeezing her hand.

"I know. Don't let that ruin your game or your day, though. You're gonna kick his ass anyways," She said, smiling at him smugly. The corners of his lips twitched upwards and he pulled her into his arms, embracing her. She froze for a moment, but wrapped her arms around his waist. The two stood in silence, wrapped in each other's arms for a few minutes until she turned her head to look up at him, resting her chin on his chest. "I wish I could stay and see you play, but I have to do one last rehearsal with Wendy before call-backs. Will you be okay?" She asked quietly as she looked at him. He chuckled and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead, "I'll be okay, I'll meet you there during game break if everything goes according to plan."

Her face flushed, but the smile on her lips widened at his gentle actions. They swayed side to side in their hug and maintained eye-contact, but their moment was soon interrupted by a male clearing his throat. His father avoided looking at the female in his son's arms as he simply motioned Natsu to enter the locker rooms to prepare for the game before disappearing into the room as the door automatically shut behind him. "I'll see you later." He said, putting a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she nodded and let him enter the locker room before he'd get into trouble. Her eyes lingered on his form as the doors closed, sighing with a smile as she started heading toward the music room.

~♫~

IGNEEL PUT on his blazer, looking through the locker rooms for his son and found him seated alone on a bench, lacing his sneakers. "Are you ready to go?" He asked, leaning against a locker. "I guess I don't have a choice," Natsu replied, glancing back at his father as he continued focusing on the laces. Igneel shrugged in response, adjusting the tie around his neck before taking a seat on the bench opposite Natsu. "I'd be on the court with you if I could." Igneel said to which Natsu shot him an amused smile, "You'd break a hip." Igneel scoffed at his son's wit, grinning shortly after.

"Do you know what I expect of you?" Igneel asked, leaning forward slightly. Natsu turned, putting on his dragon slayer team shirt. "The trophy. Scholarships." He replied with a shrug, a quiet sigh escaping him. "Maybe in the future, sure." Igneel responded, earning a confused look from Natsu. "I want you to have fun. Be yourself. I realize I have been extremely controlling, and I've put too much weight and pressure on your shoulders these days. I don't want to see my son stressed and stripped from the joys of being young... I want to see my son having fun and living his life as a teenager. Do that and I'm proud regardless of the game's outcome." Igneel said.

A smile slowly spread onto Natsu's face, "So...does that mean you'll cut (Y/n) some slack too?" He asked, glancing at his father to which Igneel sighed but the smile never wavered. "I'll make an exception for her, I guess." The elder male replied. They shared a grin at one another before standing and heading out, ready to go out onto the court.