Chaos & Salamander

Chapter 87 - Consent

Lucy's POV

Natsu dragged me over to Gajeel and Levy. As soon as I saw Levy, I left Natsu's side and rushed to Levy. "Levy! Are you alright? Did Gajeel...? Argh, it's all my fault" I rambled as I sat next to her, feeling the guilt weigh on my shoulders. Natsu sat across from me, watching our conversation. "Woah, chill Salamander. It was consensual" Gajeel said and I was shocked. "What?" I questioned, hoping to get more of an explanation.

"After you knocked Gajeel out, I couldn't hear anything, so I came out of my hiding spot and found you gone. I went to check on Gajeel and he woke up. He was back to normal, and he explained to me about Mating Season including the part where I'm his mate. So... I gave him my consent" Levy explained with a blush at the end. I felt so relieved and gave her a big hug. "Thank goodness. I'm so glad to hear that" I said as I pulled back and then I sent a smirk towards Gajeel. "So I should expect a mini metalhead bookworm running around soon" I said and the Gale couple blushed. They are so cute together!

A smirk grew on Gajeel's face, "and we should expect a mini chaos salamander playing with our child" he said. Levy whipped her head to me, "are you pregnant too Lucy?!" she asked excitedly. I blushed and Natsu smirked proudly, damn Gajeel's nose. I nodded and Levy squealed while giving me a tight hug. "Our children are going to be the best of friends" she said and I smiled. "Of course!" I replied, excitedly.

I remembered I needed to check on Sting and Rogue, especially after last night's incident. Maybe something in my book will explain their behaviour. I pulled out my Mating Season book and looked for an explanation on their behaviour. "What are you looking for?" Levy asked, curiously. "An explanation on Sting and Rogue's behaviour last night" I replied. Natsu growled and clenched his fists, remembering last night's events. I told Levy what happened and both she and Gajeel looked shocked. "They have their own mates so why did they go after you?" Gajeel said. "That's why, I'm looking for an explanation" I replied and went back to reading my book.

After scanning through the book, I finally found my answer. 'Warning: if a male Dragon/Dragon Slayer is miles away from their mate near the end of the season, they will try to mate with a nearby female Dragon/Dragon Slayer who hasn't finished the mating ritual. Unmated females beware' the book said. Everything made sense now. It's an instinctual behaviour to make sure they mate before the end of the season.

I told Natsu, Gajeel, and Levy what I found. Natsu growled and stood up. I was wondering what he was going to do until I noticed him storming towards the bar where Sting and Rogue were. 'Oh no' I thought as I closed my book and tried to chase after him. Before I could stop him, he punched both Sting and Rogue to the ground. "Sting!" Lector exclaimed, "Rogue!" Frosch cried. The whole guild went silent and watched. When I got there, I quickly stood in front of Sting and Rogue. "Natsu, stop. I told you it was because of the effects of Mating Season. Anyway, you stopped them before they could do anything" I said, but Natsu continued to glare at them.

"It's ok Lucy. We remember what we did. We're sorry, to both of you" Sting said. Both of them had a guilty expression on their face as they stood back up. "You weren't in control and nothing happened so it's fine" I said as I turned around to face them. As soon as my back was facing Natsu, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him. "Mine" he growled as he continued to glare. "What happened after you both ran off? Please don't tell me you forced yourselves onto Yukino and Minerva" I asked. "No, they didn't" Minerva said. Again, I was surprised.

They explained what happened. Yukino and Minerva were coming out of Magnolia train station with Lector and Frosch because they were worried about their friends when Sting and Rogue appeared. They kidnapped Yukino and Minerva and took them to separate locations. When they were safe, Sting and Rogue snapped out of their dragon instincts long enough to explain their situation. After hearing their explanation, the girls understood and gave their consent. While the girls were kidnapped, Lector and Frosch wandered the city towards Fairy Tail until they bumped into Happy, who was looking for Natsu. Since it was late, Happy offered his and Natsu's place to stay for the night.

I was relieved to hear that it was consensual. That means I didn't completely fail in protecting the girls from the effects of Mating Season. I told Sting and Rogue what my book said about their behaviour and they were surprised. "We're sorry again Lucy" Rogue said. "As I said, you both weren't in control and nothing happened, so you don't need to apologise" I replied. "Well, since the worst of Mating Season is over. We were thinking of going home to Sabertooth. Thank you for your help" Sting said. I smiled, "you're welcome. You're always welcome back anytime" I replied.

They smiled while Natsu growled. I turned towards him and he was still glaring at them. "One more punch" he growled while taking a step forward. I turned around and put my hands on his chest to stop him. "Stop Natsu, you've punished them enough" I lightly scolded. "You better go before Natsu decides to not listen to me anymore" I said to Sting and Rogue and they looked scared. "Alright, see you later. If you need any help in the future, Sabertooth will happily help you" Sting replied. With that, Stingyu and Roguerva left the guild with their exceeds.

Natsu tsked, obviously feeling unsatisfied and I lightly punched his arm. "Leave them alone" I said and then he dragged me over to our table on the second floor. As soon as he sat down in his spot, he pulled me into his lap and hugged my waist. He rested his head on my shoulder and rubbed my tummy. Natsu will make an amazing father.