A Caring and Doting Family
Category: General Fluff
Fandom: Fairy Tail
Characters: Wendy Marvell, Mirajane Strauss
Hello, everyone! Here’s my story for the Fairy Tail Reverse Big Bang for 2020! I had the pleasure of working with @lucykirkland for this event (here is the art associated with the story) and @reachingforme as my beta. I hope you all enjoy :) Thank you @ftguildevents for hosting!
Wendy squirmed uncomfortably as her belly twisted in tight, uncomfortable knots. Whimpering quietly, she draped herself over the wood of the table and tried not to seem too conspicuous. The young dragon-slayer wasn’t sure what had aggravated her tummy so, but it was not something she wished to bother anyone else with. Thus, she suffered in silence, watching through teary eyes as the guild went about its daily business.
It was an ordinary day in Fairy Tail, about one in the afternoon. Cana had begun her daily ritual of draining the guild of its alcohol; she eagerly gulped ale straight from the oak barrel. Loke had elected for a jaunt to the human world and was striding about with meek little Aries clinging to the hem of his waistcoat; little tufts of her fluffy fur rolled on the floor from where she had tugged it out.The guild’s Exceeds now batted it around with their little paws. Juvia and Levy avidly discussed a recent article in the weekly mages’ magazine. Natsu and Gray were embroiled in one of their daily scraps, upending tables and chairs as some of the other adults looked on with hoots and hollers. After a few punches and kicks, Erza grabbed them by the collars and hauled them off for a fierce talking-to. Mirajane meandered through the crowd, delivering platters of food and tankards of drinks. Eventually she wandered up to the table where Wendy sat alone wriggling in pain.
“Wendy?” Mirajane inquired quietly. She set down the plates of food she was about to deliver when she noticed the young girl’s apparent distress. “Are you sick, honey?” Wendy vehemently shook her head, not wishing to bother the pretty model-slash-mage with her stomachache. However, the movement sent her stomach twisting further into pretzel knots, and she whined miserably. Mirajane eased onto the table bench beside her, looking at her with raised eyebrows.
“... My tummy hurts,” the pigtailed girl admitted finally. Mirajane blinked puzzledly; then, her expression softened, and she reached over to rub soothing circles into the small of Wendy’s back. The blue-haired mage sniffed and buried her face into her forearm, embarrassed to be seen in such a compromised state. How weak was she, to be incapacitated by a mere stomachache? “I’m sorry…” she peeped on instinct.
“Wendy! There’s no need to be sorry,” Mirajane laughed amiably, her long white hair swishing as she rose from the seat. Wendy peered over the curve of her arm to look up at her. “Why don’t you come back to the sick bay?” Mirajane offered kindly. “I know just the treatment for a tummy ache!” Her blue eyes sparkled as she offered a hand to the younger mage. Wendy gazed at the presented hand with a small measure of hesitation. She didn’t want to burden Mirajane with her silly illness. Although, when her insides contorted into another painful position and sent ribbons of pain flaring across her abdomen, Wendy abandoned her pride.
“Okay,” she murmured and took Mirajane’s hand. She slipped off the bench, cringing as her ailing stomach protested loudly to the action. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she clutched at the skin of her stomach as the twisting, contorting pain clawed at her insides. Mirajane tutted soothingly and pulled her flush to her side, drawing an arm around Wendy’s slim shoulders. Simpering, Wendy pushed her forehead against the flesh of Mirajane’s side. She was soft and warm, and Wendy found herself relaxing in her soothing presence. Somehow, the roiling in her stomach settled down just a smidgeon.
Mirajane steered the ailing girl towards the back of the guild where a small room with a bed and medicine supplies lay. Despite the proclivity for Fairy Tail members to end up in all sorts of trouble that resulted in wounds, from small to grievous, it was unoccupied. When Mirajane opened the door, Wendy immediately tore from her side to scamper over to the bed and crawl in. The freshly cleaned sheets smelled of vanilla and lavender; as Wendy inhaled the calming scent, she crooned in gratification. The fabric was soft and silky on her skin, which she now realized was flushed with mild fever. Mirajane chuckled as she strode to the bedside and leaned over to tuck her in.
“Feeling better already?”
“Mhmm. I feel like a pampered princess!” Wendy laughed as Mirajane pushed the sheets and comforter under her body to envelop her in a nice, warm cocoon. Her intestines were still writhing like a beast inside of her, but the pain had lessened some. Mirajane hummed and laid the back of her hand against Wendy’s forehead.
“You have a slight fever,” the woman frowned. She retrieved a glass of water and two fever-reducers. Wendy gulped down the pills, grimacing at the uncomfortable feeling of the smooth tablets against her throat. She coughed a little before settling back down into the bed, squirming uncomfortably at the smoldering pain in her tummy. The mattress dipped as Mirajane eased down onto it; her hand reached out to stroke Wendy’s stomach over the soft down comforter. “Don’t worry, Wendy,” she smiled kindly when the girl pouted uncertainly at her. “I’ll stay with you until you feel better.”
“Are you sure?” Wendy frowned deeply. “I feel bad… You have work to do, Mira.” Mirajane chuckled warmly and shook her head.
“No work is more important than making sure our cute little Wendy is okay!” Wendy blinked, then smiled bashfully. Mirajane is so kind, she thought happily. She snuggled further into the warm, cozy bed, appreciating the way the sheets and blankets enveloped her like a hug. To occupy herself, Mirajane brought her bin of silverware and napkins into the room so she could fold them and replenish the store. The Fairy Tail guild members collectively had insatiable gullets, meaning that the kitchen was constantly under some strain or another. Wendy watched through lidded eyes as Mirajane wrapped the silken black cloths around forks, knives, and spoons and tied red ribbons around them. She dropped them into another empty bin beside her. She was meticulous yet efficient, so very soon she had filled the bin nearly halfway.
In the interim, various members of the guild meandered in and out of the sick bay to see Wendy. Lucy popped by to deliver a warm cup of chamomile tea that she had prepared using Mirajane’s bar equipment. It’s soft floral flavor melted into Wendy’s bones, pulling her into a sense of ease and tranquility. It also made her a little sleepy, so she caught a quick cat nap; when she awoke, her belly pain had dulled considerably, but was still mildly uncomfortable.
Gajeel and Levy came by to see her. Gajeel got halfway through one of his senseless, raspy original songs before the bookish girl ushered him out bleating about how he was disturbing the sick girl. Levy hopped back in to give Wendy a plush rabbit she had bought at the local antique store. Its threads were frayed and it carried the aroma of mothballs, but it was incredibly soft.Wendy hugged it tightly to her side.
Next came Erza, who brought her a strawberry shortcake. The redhead seemed very pleased when the sugar aggravated Wendy’s upset stomach too much to finish eating it and she was given the opportunity to polish it off. Natsu and Happy stopped in too but didn’t seem to understand Mirajane’s annoyance when they insisted that a nice cut of roasted meat cured all ailments. Gray and Juvia came in also, and Wendy was very entertained by the way Juvia insisted on wrapping her head in a scarf to stave off her fever. Laxus even came to see her, though he grew very flustered about what to say and just sat uncomfortably in a chair for five minutes holding her hand. Wendy found his hesitant caring very charming.
Wendy was very grateful for all the attention she had received over the course of the day, though she was only suffering from a stomach ache. Her guildmates regaled her with silly jokes and funny faces and kind words. By the time the sun was sinking below the horizon to cast a golden glow into the room, her pain had faded into a mild dull throbbing. Mirajane had finished preparing silverware and was now polishing the glassware they used on special occasions to prevent the accumulation of dust.
“Mirajane?” Wendy asked quietly. Sapphire blue eyes locked on her, sparkling and content. Wendy blinked slowly and squirmed in the bed. She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to ask, now that she thought about it; she had just been compelled to call out to the model. To save face, she sputtered, “Th-thank you for sitting with me.”
“It’s no problem, Wendy!” Mirajane smiled sweetly. Sensing that something troubled the younger girl, she abandoned her current work and turned to face her fully. “Is something on your mind, Wendy?” Meekly, the little girl nodded. “What is it?”
“I just… This kind of feels like how my old guild used to dote on me,” Wendy explained with a small blush. The rest of her guild was familiar now with her origins and were usually careful not to bring up her disheartening past. Though Wendy was exceptionally happy with her home in Fairy Tail, of course she still thought about her old friends- no, family- from time to time. They were the first to embrace her when she became lost in this strange and foreign world. Though they had faded from existence, Wendy still treasured them very much and sometimes descended down the bittersweet road of memory.
Her bottom lip wobbled as she fingered the stitched hem of the comforter. The tears budded again in the corners of her eyes, blooming like little dewdrops before slipping down her cheeks. “O-one time… I ate some bad meat and got food poisoning. It was so awful; I was terribly sick… The whole guild stayed up with me all night, telling me funny stories and bringing me water and medicine and just helping me through it.” Dark stains appeared in the fabric where her tears had soaked through. “I-I’m sorry, Mira. I must sound so ungrateful right now!” she fretted and rubbed at her teary eyes with the heels of her palms.
“No!” Mirajane interrupted quickly. She scooched up the bed to lay on her side beside Wendy, hugging her head and bringing it to her chest. Wendy sniffled as Mirajane tenderly embraced her. “We could never, ever ask you to forget your former family, Wendy,” the woman told her gently. “They are as much a part of you as we are.” The tears continued to roll down Wendy’s cheeks as she whimpered in relief. She wasn’t sure if telling the truth would offend Mirajane, and the last thing Wendy wanted to do was upset the motherly woman that she so looked up to. Mirajane tutted and pressed her cheeks against Wendy’s head, twirling one of her long pigtails around her hand. “We love you, Wendy, no matter what. Frankly, I’m glad that we’re able to give you feelings that remind you of your old guild.”
“Really?” Wendy asked, peering up at her with wide eyes. Mirajane smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes! That means that we’re doing our job as your new family and taking good care of you! If you feel safe and loved with us, that is all we could ever ask for.” Wendy trilled delightedly and threw her arms around Mirajane’s neck to snuggle happily into her. Mirajane beamed and embraced her tightly. “You are our guild’s treasure. Never, ever forget that.”
“Thank you, Mirajane,” Wendy giggled elatedly. Mirajane pulled back to smile happily at her.
“Is your stomach hurting anymore?” Wendy perked up and her hands flew to her stomach. Sure enough, the dull pains in her stomach had ceased. Wendy grinned ecstatically at Mirajane.
“No! I’m cured!” she squealed. She threw the covers off herself and jumped up in the bed, flinging her arms triumphantly in the air. Mirajane chuckled good-naturedly as the blue-haired girl did a little happy dance across the mattress. “Thank you for your help, Mira!”
“Of course. Since you’re feeling better, would you like some cookies?” Wendy shrieked in delight and vaulted off the bed to dash out the door, yelling, “Yay! Cookies!” She ran out into the main guild hall and dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on her.
“Hey, everybody!” she cried, cupping her hands to her mouth. “I’m all better and Mira’s making cookies!” she shouted just as Mirajane came strolling out of the room. A chorus of excited shouts and hollers rang through the room. Mirajane clicked her tongue and teasingly leaned over to tickle Wendy’s sides.
“Hey! That was gonna be our secret!” Screaming in laughter, Wendy wriggled away from her and fled to scramble up into Gajeel’s lap. His big, strong arms wrapped around her middle and he regarded her with raised eyebrows.
“Protect me, Gajeel!”
“From Mira? You’re on your own, squirt,” the iron-eater snorted playfully. Wendy giggled and climbed up to sit on his shoulder like a parrot, heels kicking into his back as she watched Mirajane walk behind the bar to begin preparing the cookie dough. After a few seconds, she hopped down to run over.
“Can I help? Can I, Mirajane?”
“Of course. Here, can you get me the flour?” Nodding, Wendy ran to the cabinets to begin looking for the bag of flour. As she pulled it out and brought it over, she paused to look out into the guild hall, drinking in all the friendly faces.
I miss my old home sometimes, she thought, but I’m very grateful to have found such a caring, lively, and amazing new one! Wendy scampered over to Mirajane and climbed up into a chair to deliver the flour. As Mirajane handed her a whisk to stir the dry ingredients, Wendy prepared to add this moment to the plethora of happy memories she had made at Fairy Tail.
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