Beta read by Shigiya.
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-Fairy Tail Guild-
"When… when is my dad coming back home?" The blue-haired boy, Romeo, asked the master of the guild for his father's return.
It had been a week since he last saw him and the child was starting to worry.
"I don't know," Makarov answered, taking a sip of his mug. "Don't complain so much, Romeo. The son of a wizard should stay at home patiently waiting for his father's eventual safe return. The only thing you're worrying about is wasting your mind and everyone’s time."
Romeo began to cry at the old man's callous words.
"B-But, he said that he'd be back in 3 days… And it's been a whole week!"
From the side, Broly and the rest of the guild members were listening attentively to the conversation. Just like the kid, they were all worried about Macao. Everyone was family and it was normal to care about the wellbeing of their close ones—especially after he's been gone for twice as long as he was supposed to.
"If I remember, Macao found some work at Hakobe Mountain.'' Natsu said, remembering how just before leaving the guild for Hargeon Port, Macoa mentioned he was heading out for a mission.
"Hakobe?" Sitting by Natsu's side was Broly and Lucy, both were checking each other's guild marks before Romeo came in.
"Yeah, it's the closest northern mountain to Magnolia. I went there a few times with Happy in the past for a few quests. The place is super cold every single day, always snowing without ending."
"It's a manly place to train!" Elfman joined the conversation. "If you want to be a true man, then one must climb the top without any clothes and let out a manly shout to prove his worth! I did that once in the past to prove my worth to the world!"
"You got duped by Max, he just made up a random challenge to mess with you!" Someone shouted from the back, making the giant face fall.
"What!?"
A few laughed at the scene, but the rest kept their eyes peeled for Makarov and Romeo. Mirajane who continued to serve drinks around the hall did so silently and with her gaze focused on the bar. Lucy herself was curious about what was going on. Whoever the boy's father was, his absence must have weighed heavily on his son's heart. Broly meanwhile wanted to see how the old man would handle the situation.
"It isn't that far away!" Romeo shouted, hoping someone would go check on his father. "Please go look for him! I'm worried that something must have happened to him!"
"Don't even joke about something like that! Your father is a veteran wizard, isn't he!? Any wizard who can't take care of such simple things doesn't belong in the guild!"
He left the boy with those words, the latter not taking it well. With a shout of anger, he punched the old man right in the face before running out of the guild while screaming, "You meanie!"
Lucy frowned at her new master's actions.
"He was pretty tough with the kid."
Mirajane passed by their table serving both Lucy and Broly with their drinks, "He may act tough, but I'm sure the master is worried himself about Macao's wellbeing."
And it showed, the old man just got back up from the punch and sat on the counter with a somber face, not even affected by the child's punch. Looking at the ground while lost in his thoughts. Just a few minutes ago, he was laughing and drinking happily with others, but now he didn't even touch his mug. This sentiment was shared with everyone in the hall as the mood plummeted a fair bit.
Creak!
Both Broly and Natsu left the table, heading outside without a word. Natsu looked more emotional as he stomped out of the guild.
"Where are you two going?" Elfman asked, watching the new guild member and dragon slayer heading out the door.
"Getting back the kid's father… and going to help a fellow guild member." Broly said calmly, though it was clear from his frown that something wasn't sitting well with him as well.
Lucy pursed her lips, understanding the Saiyan's feelings. He on many occasions in the past talked about his father and how he was brought up as a kid. Lucy found those stories nothing short of horrifying and inhumane. How could a father treat their own son like that!? In her mind, Paragus was nothing short of a deranged monster who was just using Broly for his own motives which Broly never truly talked about. He did say that his father died, but never into the details and remained vague. She was fine with that, it must have been traumatic for someone as pure-hearted as Broly to relieve such haunting memories, so she never pushed him about it.
Yet even after how he was treated in the past, he still loved his father and missed him dearly. Lucy wanted to make Broly move on from his past, to not cling to memories with that horrible man. Though that was easier said than done. Watching Romeo must have struck a chord inside his heart, one that pushed him to not let the former go through such an experience of losing their father.
Nevertheless…
"Why is Natsu so angry?" she asked.
"Because he and Romeo are similar in a sense." Mirajane answered, with a sad smile on her face.
"Eh?"
"When Natsu was still a child, his father disappeared suddenly one day and never came back, so he went looking for him. When I say father, I do not mean his biological one, I mean the one who adopted him."
Was it this Igneel he kept mentioning about? Poor guy, Lucy knew how lucky she was to still have a living father. Though their relationship wasn't the best at the moment, she knew he didn't hate her considering how he gave Broly all of that money before they left—and she didn't hate him as well.
"Igneel is a dragon."
Crash!
Lucy fell out of her chair by the surprising revelation.
"You can't be serious! Aren't dragons supposed to be extinct!?" she shouted.
"Fufufu, Natsu isn't someone who lies. When he first came here as a kid, he mentioned how he was raised by a dragon named Igneel. The dragon taught him everything, from reading, writing, culture, dragon slayer magic, and basically everything… though Erza did have to teach him manners, regular bathing, fitting in with society for the most part. The boy really wants to meet his father again, he's constantly traveling the world to find a trace of Igneel. Hearing Romeo's words must have hit close to his heart."
So that was Natsu's story… Lucy didn't expect for someone to be raised by a dragon in this day and age. But she agreed with Mira that the pink-haired dragon slayer was not a liar. She learned by observing how both he and Broly shared some similar traits and how they interacted with others..
"So what about Broly?"
"Hm?"
"Your friend also seemed quite upset with Romeo's case. Does he have a similar past?"
Lucy shook her head, she mentioned that Broly's father died which heavily impacted the man. It was not her place to mention how the latter treated his son, as that wasn't something she could share. Lucy told the story of how she initially found him in the forest, living all alone. How he used to be very different from his current self, quiet, mean looking, and just isolated in general. He didn't smile like his current self and didn't even know how to socialize with people.
Mirajane's arms dropped slightly after hearing about the passing of his father.
"It's never easy to lose one's family member…"
Lucy noticed how both Elfman and Mirajane acted somber at that.
"He and Natsu are men! Going to save their guild mates is the manliest thing yet here I am doing nothing. Shameful!" Elfman shouted while hitting the table which surprised Lucy and his sister. "I've decided, Macao needs our help, so it's my duty as a man to go along the journey as well!"
"Eh?" Mirajane was not expecting that from her brother. She couldn't even remember the last time he ever teamed up with Natsu for any kind of quest, even if it was a rescue mission.
"Nicely said!" Wakaba chimed in from the back, smoking his cigar with a heavy frown. "That old bastard still owes me a few thousand jewels from our drinks. He better not die before paying me back. I'm tagging in as well! Let's go together, lil’ missy!" Without wasting any time, he dragged Lucy along, much to her surprise, and ran outside the guild with Elfman following behind.
"Oi oi, what's going on with everyone today? Even Wakaba joined Natsu on a quest!?"
"Drop it, he's probably trying to run away from his wife."
"Heh, I bet he just wants to hang out with the blonde cutie, see how he dragged her away like that?"
"Naw, he's probably gonna beg her to allow the big guy to let him join. And I'm pretty sure that Wakaba was among the people who were the most worried about Macao. Those two always hanging out and are best friends, so it's natural for him to get out of his comfort zone and get his feet moving for once."
Today sure was a particularly bizarre day. A team-up with the new members, Natsu and Wakaba? Mira couldn't help but grow curious about the outcome. She returned to the bar, finding the master now no longer frowning but instead smiling with a small grin on his face.
"Are you for real? Won't they destroy Macao's self-confidence and self-esteem if they save him?" Nab Lasaro said as he continued to hang out near the quest board.
Makarov placed a small smoking pipe in his mouth, taking a deep breath before exhaling. "Others can't decide your path for you, brats! Just let what happens happen!"
Mira smiled, agreeing with the old master's words. After all, Fairy Tail wizards all lived under the same cloud, they were all family and family always looked out for each other.
"This might be good news for us, apparently it's thanks to the new members that Natsu avoided destroying Hargeon Port with the Bora case. Imagine all of the money we'll save if they went on a few other quests together, Erza would be proud of Natsu's clean record for once."
Makarov went completely still, the wooden mug he held in his hand fell to the floor—spilling all of the beer much to Mirajane's dismay as she would have to clean that up.
"W-W-What d-d-did you say!?" he shouted, looking at Mira with pleading eyes. "You're not messing with me, right? Did those two really stop NATSU of all people from damaging public properties?"
It felt like the gods and every previous masters heard his prayers and sent him a gift he desired for so long in his life. A bright light at the end of the bill-filled tunnel. A possible future where he wouldn't be afraid to open up the guild's coffers with trepidation for one his more destructive childrens mishaps.
She found his reaction very funny, her demonic side wanted to crush those hopeful eyes of his by saying that it was just a joke and that the Council already sent a few more bills to his office. It took a lot of effort to keep her smile from turning into a malicious grin.
But Makarov deserved a break at least this once.
"Yes, even the city's mayor congratulated the guild for our effort and sent an extra reward." It wasn't much, but the jewels would be enough to cover up every broken chair and table for the next month.
The old man's eyes watered slightly before a torrent of tears shot out of them. He cried loudly, shouting "finally!" every time.
"Make those two permanent members of Natsu's team! No! Make them EVERYONE'S permanent members! Even Laxus!"
"Oi! What do you mean by th—" Gray tried to talk but was immediately shut down by Makarov's large first hitting him across the hall.
"Shut up, you dolt! You may not cause as much damage as Natsu or Erza, but your stripping habits got me more trouble from both the council and every single family in town for emotional therapy!" Since his previous team up with Natsu worked, he hoped those two would also smack some senses in Gray's ice filled skull one day.
"Master, I think that my team is good enough…" Levy said, feeling a bit miffed at the accusation.
Unfortunately for her, she just got another stink eye from the Master.
"Don't give me that bullshit, young lady. Your team caused an entire greenhouse to be infested by monstrous Venus flytraps and I even got a complaint about how you sneaked inside the mansion of your client just because you wanted to read his library!"
Levy backed down and retreated, she was already embarrassed with that part of her mission and didn't want Makarov to bring up more incidents from the past.
Fortunately for everyone, Mirajane came to their rescue and calmed the man down.
"They are still new members of our guild. I'm all for teaming them up with everyone and giving them the opportunity to make many friends, but we need to give them the freedom of choice. And there is also the danger for them to adopt the bad habits of others and cause even more destruction in the future."
That was enough to bring him back to reality. Yes, his kids were the dangerous sort who could corrupt the new members if given the opportunity.
He sighed, taking another puff of smoke.
"Haaaa, forget it. I'll leave it up to them who they want to tag along with. They have already done so much with Natsu, so I guess I can be grateful for that as well."
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Outside, Broly caught up to the crying child. Consoling the little kid like he did with Lucy when she was younger, he promised to bring his father back home with the help of the others. Natsu cheered as well, shouting out loud for the entirety of Magnolia to hear how they wouldn't be bested.
The small child stopped crying and gave the duo a thumbs up. He trusted Natsu like a brother and this other big person looked trustworthy as well for Happy to casually sit on his shoulders.
"I'll wait for your return!"
"Oi, don't forget about us!"
Behind, running out of the guild was Wakaba with a large red handprint on his face joining the duo with both Elfman and Lucy coming along.
"Don't worry lil’ Romeo, uncle Wakaba will bring that bastard back before dinner!"
Romeo's eyes shined with joy, not expecting for so many people to go out and search for his father!
He bid them goodbye and good luck before going back home.
{Break}
Just near Hakobe Mountain, where the temperature started to drop due to how high the location was, there was a carriage heading towards the foot of the mountain. On the front seat guiding the horses were the rider and Wakaba having a pleasant conversation with each other. The others sat inside the carriage, with Elfman and Broly listening to Lucy while she went on a long rant about the fun activities she would have with Mirajane and possibly Cana.
"Well~! We might end up spending some time chatting at each other's places. We'll talk about our magic, have fun, and just party!"
"You know it's a crime to drug someone's drinks and steal their panties, right?" Happy said.
"Who'd do something like that!?"
Did this cat have a grudge against her? She was a cat person and loved hugging those cute furry balls… but this blue menace was killing her love for felines in general!
"What we're wondering is why you're here, Lucy?"
Thank God at least he got her name right this time.
"What, you got some problem with that?" And she was dragged into this mess by the old man who asked her to talk on his behalf to both Natsu and Broly to let him join—and they didn't even care to begin with!
"Aye, a few to be honest."
Why this little!
"Do I need to remind you that I took out Natsu and threw him all the way to the other side of Hargeon? I'm plenty strong!"
"Well, it wasn't YOU who threw Natsu away but that delicious looking fish lady. Can I see her again?"
"No."
Lucy didn't even hesitate to deny him, but she was tempted if Aquarius would punish Happy, especially after that comment the cat made.
"I'll give you a fish."
"No."
Not wanting to admit it, but watching his increasingly crestfallen face brought her some form of joy. It was Happy's fault, to begin with, so she didn't feel guilty.
"I know someone who collects erotic books, I can give you some of hers." She said slyly, though that smile left his face when he felt a shiver creep all over his body. Even while not here, Erza managed to terrify him! "A-Ah, n-never mind. Forget I said anything!"
While in a far corner of the country, sitting on the driver's of a magically powered carriage with a giant horn fastened on the roof, a redhead suddenly had the intense urge to stab a certain blue cat.
"Anyways, even if that crusty old man hadn't dragged me here, I would have still tagged along. Me and Broly here are the dream team duo, right?"
Broly gave her a thumbs up as he continued to converse with Elfman. They were getting along quite well, for the entire trip, they never stopped talking. It did make Lucy very happy that he made a friend for himself.
"See? He agrees. And I wanted to experience my first quest as an official wizard." She also wanted to start a name for herself and Broly, to increase their fame.
"I have a question." The Saiyan asked.
"Aye?"
"Why does Natsu look like he's about to die?" he said while pointing at the unconscious dragon slayer near him whose entire face had become pale. He nearly vomited a couple of times during the trip, fortunately, he got his head out of the window in time.
"Oh, he's just bad with traveling around, Natsu has a pretty weak stomach."
"Huuuuuuuu…" Natsu tried to talk but all that came out of his mouth was a pain filled moan. Broly swore that he saw his spirit hanging by a thread to the boy's body.
"Eh? But I saw you flying around with him and he seemed fine to me."
"It just happens with moving vehicles like these and boats, but flying is okay."
What a weird and specific weakness.
"Hey, if you're not comfortable with Cana, then you can crash in Natsu's house as well!"
"You can come to my house as well! I'm sure nee-san would be more than happy to have you!" Elfman offered without hesitation. "We have a spare bed in the attic, I'm sure I can set it up for you."
Wakaba heard the entire conversation while he was sitting outside. That kid sure was lucky to sleep in the houses of two gorgeous beauties. He sighed, if only he could go back to his younger years.
Broly smiled at the offer, feeling grateful for the invite. He thanked both of them and the still half dead Natsu.
"Why didn't you invite me?" Lucy asked, though she got used to sharing a space with Broly throughout the years, she still didn't mind if they lived separately with friends. Though Aquarius might drown her if she found out how she wouldn't be seeing him every other day or having a bath together…
"Cause you're too fat."
"..."
A large vein formed on Lucy's head as she had enough.
"That's it! I'm going to rip those whiskers off your stinky face you little—"
"—We've arrived!" Wakaba shouted from the other side, stopping Lucy from turning Happy into a hairless cat.
"It finally stopped!" Natsu got up from his seat, looking full of energy and not as if he was about to throw up for the tenth time.
The door opened and immediately a freezing cold burst of air rushed inside. Wakaba was now wearing a large sweater coat with his cigar still being lit somehow.
"You kids better get off here as the horse can't go any further unless it wants to turn into a popsicle. Come on, chop chop kiddos!"
As soon as everyone left the carriage, they entered a white land filled with a heavy layer of snow and a fierce blizzard.
"What is this climate!?" Lucy shouted. "We are in the middle of summer!" Her body shivered as she tried to warm herself. "S-s-so cold!"
"It's cold because you're wearing thin clothes." Natsu said, staring at Lucy’s limited clothing.
"I don't want to hear that from you of all people!" Like seriously, everyone but her acted like the cold didn't even bother them in the slightest! Was she the only normal girl in the guild!?
Lucy also panicked for a bit when she saw their carriage ride away back to Magnolia, leaving them on the freezing mountain. That fear soon disappeared when she remembered that Broly could literally just fly back any time they wanted to.
'Wait… then why did we take a long ride if we could have just flown here in a matter of minutes?'
Knowing him, he either forgot about it, didn't care, or just wanted to experience the ride. All of the previously stated reasons for knowing him.
Not admitting the fact that she forgot about it as well.
"Hey there missy, you can take my coat." Wakaba tried to offer some help to the shivering blond but she politely declined. Even under the blizzard, she could smell the heavy scent of cigar smoke, sweat, and alcohol on his clothes. That man must have never washed it for years. There was no way she was going to get something so dirty on her!
Maybe she could summon Horologium, it was a while since she last called him.
"You can take mine."
"Okay! Thanks, Broly!" she accepted without hesitation.
"Hey, that's not fair, missy! Why did you accept him and not mine!?"
Well at least she was used to his smell and it was kind of pleasant and didn't reek! Not that she would ever say it out loud.
It was kind of funny just how oversized the piece of clothing was on her body. It made her feel like a child all over again, though his residual warmth was a very comforting feeling.
"It's more comfortable." That was the reason she gave before marching on toward the summit.
"Wow, you got so many scars!" Natsu gushed while checking out the giant's form.
"Hahahaha! You think so? Got them from dangerous fights, I had more but they healed with time."
"We should really have a rematch after this quest!" Natsu said, impressed by just how strong his friend looked. It reminded him of Laxus, and seeing how he was open to fighting regularly, he couldn't help but shake in excitement.
"By the way, why is Macao-san here in the first place?" Lucy asked, walking along the barely visible path while being careful with her steps. The ground was frozen and she could easily slip off with her high heels. If she knew this was the kind of place they were about to head to, then she would have brought along a sweater.
"Eh, you came all this way without knowing that!?" Wakaba asked in shock.
"I didn't know either." Broly said, taking Lucy's side.
"You're weird… as expected from a Fairy Tail wizard!" he said, laughing at Lucy's glare. "To answer your question, Macao was sent here to kill a pack of Vulcans whose number started getting a bit out of hand lately for the locals down the mountain."
What, Vulcans again!?
It was true that they weren't exactly Gorians, but they were practically the same!
Broly perked up from hearing that. Admittedly, he was getting tired from always eating the same monsters every day for years. Gorians were delicious, but he wanted to try something new!
Hopefully, he could catch a rare one and make a quick meal while he was at it. He was sure the others wouldn't mind, especially Natsu, the boy would agree to his plan in a heartbeat if he shared some of the meat.
"Alright kids, it's time to begin our quest to search Macao. So let's start moving and find that bastard before sundown! Now that I think about it, it would be better if you don't scream your lungs out while near a snowy mountain… we might cause an avalanche."
"Aye!"
"You got it!"
"Let's shout like true men!"
“What part of ‘Don’t scream’ that you idiots don't understand!?”
"..."
Lucy hoped that nothing wrong would happen during their first quest.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, ??????, and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.