Mirajane coughed pointedly. "Um…Lucy? Your hand is on fire again."
Lucy took one look at her hand, shrieked, and instantly fled to Juvia, who put it out with an expression of someone who already did this more than once.
This is all your fault, Natsu. She groused.
O.O
It all started when Kinana began overhearing conversations from across the room with perfect clarity.
Levy plunged into her research and emerged with very interesting, albeit embarrassing information.
"There could be side effects with lying with a Dragonslayer." The bookworm's slightly red face hid itself behind her book, trying to read the innocent words without stammering. "The melding of powers could be explained by the union of the two's….uuuhhh…."
"I get it." Kinana held up her hands wearily. She subtly noticed that across the hall, Gajeel was choking violently, a concerned Pantherlily pounding him on the back. "That explains it."
"Aw, Ah didn't know ya and Cobra were THAT close!" A very drunk Cana slung her arm around Kinana's neck, hiccupping, the smell of rank alcohol wafting in the air. "That shurprised me, you being all shweet and innoshent…."
"Cana, please." The violet-haired girl's face was flushed, and as she pushed a bowl of broth to Macao (who was pretending that he wasn't totally eavesdropping), a muscle in her cheek twitched. "I think that's enough drinking for today?"
"Oh, puleeze!" Cana waved her mug vaguely in the air, splashing froth over the rim and onto Kinana's skirts, "I live to drink, and I drink to LIVE!" She gulped down another mouthful before swallowing thickly and continuing, "Besides, I find you adorable with that snake man."
Kinana gently extricated herself from Cana's grip, murmuring an excuse to go change her clothes, and fairly fled from the guild hall.
The next day, Lucy arrived at the guild with both a panicked expression and a flaming hand.
O.O
It all started after that first night.
It wasn't meant to be so intimate at first. Just a kiss right? But then Lucy found it was SO interesting to make her beloved Fire Dragonslayer emit all sorts of noises that he hadn't made before, and then Natsu decided that it was only polite that he returned the favor…..and then…yeah.
The next day, her hand caught fire.
They were on a quick mission to deliver some groceries to an elderly lady who lived on a treacherous peak, and as they climbing the rocks with heavy goods weighing them down, Lucy reached out and clasped another handhold. Just as she had been doing for the last half hour.
Her hand unexpectedly burst into flame.
Her scream echoed around the mountain, startling the elderly lady so that she hobbled to her window to see the nice blonde wizard she hired clinging to the rocks with one hand while waving the other hand frantically, shrieking at the pink-haired boy who yelled back with confusion evident in his voice. All the while, a flying blue cat laughed and laughed as he hovered above their heads.
Young people. The lady thought fondly. So lively these days.
O.O
Then, there was news being brought in of Yukino glowing like a nightlight in the middle in the dark, then later, of Kagura habitually dissolving into smoke. Sting and Rogue both claimed ignorance.
Eventually, one summer day, when Levy found herself craving iron bits and pieces, she marched to Gajeel and promptly clocked him on the head with a heavy encyclopedia detailing the rituals of Fiore matrimony.
Ironic.
Laxus focused on his beer, trying to ignore Evergreen at his shoulder chattering about the fact that Mirajane complained of being electrocuted almost daily when she touched metal.
Romeo watched all these proceedings with amusement, not realizing that in a few years he would be complaining of powerful sneezes that sent gale-force winds to erupt.
O.O
And yet, despite all the women's complaints and exasperation, there was nothing more secretly pleasing than the fact that the reasons for all this fuss and bother.
That despite the flaming hands, the unnatural hearing, the iron cravings, the electrocutions, the unexpected illuminations and the unforeseen dissolving…(and the future hurricane sneezes)….
Being with their Dragonslayer was better than a life without the occupational hazards.
O.O
Fin