Plot requested by Kittykat5900 This took much longer than necessary for me to write. My sincerest apologies! Writers block is not something that comes upon me often.
Word Count: 1865
(h/c): hair color
(m/t): Magic type
The shines brightly as a nine year old Laxus Dreyar wanders around the city of Magnolia. He curiously walks in and out of nearby shops. Sweet aromas drift out from several sources, attracting the young dragon slayer's attention.
Just as he's about to walk into the aromatic shop a blur of (h/c) rushes past, nearly knocking him down. A soft 'oof ' comes from the smaller being that had run into Laxus. Said boy looks down and sees a small girl. Her clothes are burnt and her skin is covered in ashes. Before he can ask the younger girl if she's okay, her body collapses to the ground.
Panic and worry washes over Laxus. He picks up the little girl and immediately runs to the guild. 'Maybe Gramps can help,' he worriedly thought.
~Time Skip~ At the guild hall
Laxus holds the small (h/c) haired girl to him as he ducks past airborne tables and the occasional guild member as he snakes his way towards his grandfather.
"Gramps!"
"Laxus," Makarov greets Laxus, and notices the younger child in his grandson's arms. "Who's that?"
"I dunno," he replied. "She ran into me while I was walking around the shops. Collapsed right before I could say anything."
The guild master nods, understanding, and leads Laxus and the unknown girl to the guild's infirmary.
~Time Skip~ 13 Years Later
After running into Laxus, Makarov had helped to treat (Y/n)'s wounds. Despite the medical treatment, a large burn was unable to be treated. (Y/n) wears a large coat (similar to Gray's) and long sleeves to hide the burn mark.
The two Dreyars learned that day that a dark guild had invaded and destroyed her town, which was the explanation for the burns. They also discovered something else. (Y/n) is deaf. A curse has been placed on her, but the spell to reverse it has yet to be discovered. Makarov saw potential in (Y/n) and decided to take her in as his granddaughter, which made Laxus happy to have a little sister.
Now, (Y/n) Dreyar is well known to all of Fairy Tail and the majority of Fiore's inhabitants. When she turned sixteen, Laxus had invited her to be a part of the Thunder Legion. She gladly accepted and is currently known to be one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail.
(Y/n)'s past is unknown to everyone except Laxus and Makarov. Since she's not one to talk much, as well as her brother always being by her side, none of the guild members are aware of her deafness. They all assume that the (m/t) mage is extremely shy and never think much about it. All except a certain pink-haired male.
Natsu.
"(Y/N) FIGHT ME!!!!"
Being unable to hear him, she doesn't respond. A frown forms on Natsu's face. (Y/n) has been ignoring him for a long time. Not once has she uttered a single word to anyone, yet Laxus seems to completely understand and doesn't say anything about it. It's frustrating for Natsu.
So he comes to the decision to change that.
"Oi! Why are you ignoring me (Y/n)!" His scream is loud and clear, despite the commotion in the guild hall. Everyone brushes off his scream and assumes that he's fighting a fellow guild member as usual.
(Y/n) remains silent and unmoving. Her head rests on Laxus' shoulder and her eyes droop with exhaustion. The Thunder Legion had just returned from a S-Class quest. (Y/n) was drained of all magic and the walk home just added more to her loss of energy.
Upon hearing Natsu's outburst, Laxus turns his head to see the fire dragon slayer stomping over towards himself and his sister. He quietly growls and sends Natsu a deadly glare that seems to say "Back off or I'll kill you."
Natsu, being the reckless and carefree boy he is, ignores Laxus' glare and continues to make his way over to the two Drayers. He attempts to place a hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder, but Laxus grabs his wrist firmly and stops him before he can touch her.
"Don't," the blond seethes.
"Why," Natsu angrily questions.
(Y/n) stirs and snuggles her head against Laxus' shoulder even more. Natsu's eyes widen in realization that she's asleep. An "I told you" look is on Laxus's face and he lets go of Natsu.
The two dragon slayers begin to menacingly stare at each other for what seems like forever until soft whimpers break their concentration. Two pairs of eyes shift down to see (Y/n) shifting around in her seat with her eyes clamped shut and eyebrows furrowed.
Natsu is frozen in place and watches Laxus as he gently shakes (Y/n) awake. Tear-filled eyes open to see Laxus staring in concern. With a small nod of her head, Laxus engulfs (Y/n) in a comforting hug and gently rubs her back. No words were needed for him to know what was plaguing her sleep.
The fire that burned her town.
Every night, Laxus would allow his younger sister to sleep beside him. He'd often wake up in the middle of the night and witness her thrashing around in terror. Those nights usually resulted in cuddling until (Y/n) fell asleep in his arms. And they still do.
After calling down, (Y/n) looks up and sees Natsu standing next to her. Her form begins to quiver as she remembers what magic type he uses.
Fire.
Natsu tilts his head in confusion and worry. His hand reaches out, but (Y/n) squeaks and backs away from his touch. A quiet 'huh' leaves Natsu's lips.
Is she scared of me touching her?
He warily extends his hand towards her once more. This time, (Y/n) freaks out even more the first time. Her entire body jerks back and she makes a beeline for the guild doors. Most of the guild, as well as Natsu, of course, is confused. Laxus sighs and gets up to find his sister, but Natsu manages to grab Laxus' sleeve before he leaves.
"Laxus.." Natsu begins in a hushed tone. "Did I do something wrong? Why did she leave?"
Another sigh comes from Laxus. The poor boy and other guild members are unaware of (Y/n)'s the circumstances that led up to her current situation.
Should I tell him?
Part of him wants to tell the pink-haired male, while the other part of him doesn't. Telling everyone will make his and (Y/n)'s life easier when it comes to interacting with others ... but does she want people to know? Laxus is in turmoil with the two conflicting thoughts.
He wants what's best for his younger sister, but will his current relationship with her fall apart if he decides to open his mouth to speak? The thought of (Y/n) hating him makes him inwardly cringe. It took Laxus almost two years to build up trust between her and himself.
No.
He doesn't want that bond to be broken. (Y/n) relies on him to keep her secrets and she puts all her faith in him. Breaking that bond will only crush her heart into small, pieces that no one will ever be able to mend.
Not a single person.
Laxus down to the fire dragon slayer. Natsu's eyes widen when he sees a hint of grief in Laxus' eyes.
"It's not your fault, Salamander. Leave her be. (Y/n) needs some time to herself. She'll come around when she's ready."
Natsu nods his head, understanding. Confusion still runs through this thoughts, but he knows better than to push on the sensitive subject.
~Time Skip~ (Y/n) has come back to the guild. She and Laxus have explained what happened to her in the past.
Everyone looks at (Y/n) with pitiful looks. They all feel sorry for the young mage, but she just shakes her head and writes on a piece of paper:
Please don't give me such pitiful looks. I do not mind that I am unable to hear or that my life has been plagued by tragedy. It's a waste of time to wallow in the past. That was thirteen years ago. What matters now is the present.
After reading her words, the guild is filled with shouts of agreement. The crowd of guild members disperses and everyone goes back to doing their usual routine.
Natsu, now knowing about (Y/n) and her reason for running, gently taps the table beside her to make his presence know. A soft smile forms on (Y/n)'s face. She pats the seat beside her and beckons him to sit. Laxus glares at Natsu, but stays silent. (Y/n) knows of her brother's protective nature and has been grateful of it, but knowing that Natsu will cause no harm to her so she motions for Laxus to join his friends. He looks at (Y/n) reluctantly. She just smiles and wordlessly encourages him to have fun with his friends.
"I'm watching you, Natsu. No funny business." Laxus glares at Natsu for the last time before walking towards the Thunder Legion's table.
Natsu sweatdrops after hearing the threat. Laxus can be even more frightening than normal sometimes. A tap on his shoulder brings him out of his thoughts. He looks down at the paper to see what (Y/n) had written. An ear to ear grin grows on his face.
"Of course!"
~Mini Epilogue~
After becoming good friends for two years, Natsu and (Y/n) developed romantic feelings for each other. With Laxus and Makarov's permission, Natsu asked her out on a date, and eventually proposed. Dragneels are now married and have a son named Igneel.
- - - - -
"Igneel! Go to bed right now!"
"NEVER!!"
Natsu sighs tiredly and begins to chase his two year old son around the house. (Y/n) is away on a job with Laxus and has not come back yet. Igneel refuses to listen and hides from his father. His attempt to hide is in vain. Natsu's heightened sense of smell made the search for his son a lot easier.
Just as Natsu is about to grab his hyperactive son for his hiding place, the sound of the front door opening lures Igneel out immediately.
"MOMMY!"
Despite knowing that his mother is unable to hear, Igneel still screeches out the title and bolts towards her. He clings onto (Y/n)'s leg and showers her cheek with sloppy kisses when she kneels down to his height.
An exhausted, but happy Natsu watches his son and wife from the doorway of the kitchen. Three years ago, he wouldn't have imagined that his future would be with (Y/n) as his wife and that they'd have a kid. The life Natsu has is what he deems to be perfect.
"I'm glad that I helped you overcome your fear of fire, (Y/n). Not all fire is bad."