Face Your Fears (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Don't Freeze

{STORM'S POV}
I trail behind Nashi, watching my extraordinary girlfriend practically skip through Crocus after casually bombing a mountain to smithereens from miles away like it's no big deal.

She looks over her shoulder at me and grins, reminding me for the bazillionith time that I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

I casually clasp my hands behind my back so she can't see the angry red skin and scores of yellow blisters forming on my arms.

"It's your turn, Storm!"

"Huh?" Crud, I wasn't paying attention, having been lost in my own world.

Nashi turns her body to fully face mine, walking backwards. "Come on, silly. You stood by me while I faced my fear, so I want to do the same. What are you afraid of? The dark? I can light it up."

She raises her index finger, lighting the tip on fire. Her eyes sparkle mischievously.

I snort. "But if you light up the dark, it won't be dark anymore. Doesn't count."

"Tomayto, tomahto." Nashi shrugs.

I stop walking, causing Nashi to stop too. She raises an eyebrow curiously.

"You're amazing, Nashi."

She flushes, then tries to cover it with a teasing smirk. "Oh? You're only realizing this now? Just how long have we been dating?"

She looks in my eyes and the teasing smile drops when she sees how serious I am. "Storm?"

*at the same time, elsewhere in Crocus*
{LIONEL'S POV}
Remain calm. You tripped. It's just a scraped knee. Remain calm. Don't cry, don't cry.

Tears well up in my eyes unbidden.

The temperature drops. Instantly, the ground I'm sitting on begins to freeze. Unable to control it, I watch helplessly as the ice fractals expand faster.

I'm in the middle of town right now. I can't freeze everything like I could in the arena. There are people here who might get hurt.

Calm thoughts, pleasant thoughts. Yes, repression is good. The ambient temperature begins to rise back to normal and the ice stops spreading.

"Mummy, look! It's Lionel Vastia! I rooted for him against Tear!" A little girl no older than seven runs up to me, her mother bowing apologetically in the background. "Mister, can I have an autograph?"

She steps on the ice and her shoe freezes. Legs encased in ice. A moment of sheer terror.

The temperature drops and the entire street freezes over. Street vendors shout obscenities as their wares are unexpectedly frozen solid. Customers jump back to avoid a deadly array of ice spikes.

The little girl is encased by a thin layer of frost. She stops moving and I fear she's trapped.

Then my fan moves again, shaking snow from her hair and clothes. I let out the breath I was holding. It condenses, the air still chilly. Frost stubbornly sticks to the little girl's skin, making her shiver.

If I can't reign in my emotions soon, she may meet a worse fate. I can't let that happen! I don't want this uncontrollable magic to hurt anybody ever again.

Nashi Dragneel saves me. She lights her body on fire, the warmth emanating from her enough to melt my ice. That gives me the boost I need to calm down.

The frosty girl still looks up at me with giant hopeful eyes, so I sigh and sign her an autograph.

"You good?" Nashi asks. She looks distracted.