How to Train Your Dragon Slayer
Chapter 5
Gajeel Redfox would never, ever admit it aloud, but he still held out hope of finding his foster father someday.
That familiar scent-of dragon, of safety, of home-had brought all those memories rushing back, and he knew he had to find her again.
After that chance encounter, Gajeel found his thoughts returning to the strange girl and all the questions that her scent created countless times.
God, but she was small, even smaller than Levy, and probably half the bookworm’s weight.
Honestly, that big wool sweater-dress probably made up most of it, and the way she had ducked into the stretched folds of the neck was admittedly adorable, the freckles scattered across her cheeks standing out thanks to a growing blush.
After the first couple of days, with that image stuck in his mind along with a certain blue-haired Script mage, Gajeel grudgingly admitted-only to himself-that his type seemed to lean towards small and cute.
Pantherlily never failed to point it out, however, though he often joined the Iron Dragon Slayer in his multiple walks around Magnolia without saying so.
It took two weeks for them to cross paths a second time.
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Yawning widely, Hikari shifted her bag of groceries to one arm and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
After so many late nights repairing weapons at the local forge, she was more than ready to get back to camp and curl up under Toothless’ wing for a nice long nap…
Hikari squeaked as she was picked up by the back of her sweater, curling into a ball at the sudden lack of ground beneath her feet.
Green eyes blinked up at narrowed red, tongue tying itself into a big knot as she recognized the man holding her up.
“O-Oh, um…Hi?” She choked out, confused by this unexpected situation.
“Who are you?” He demanded, not making a move to set her back down anytime soon.
“Uh…Hikari?” She supplied, brow furrowing slightly in thought. “Unless you mean it more like ’who’s your family’ or ‘where are you from’ than ‘what’s your name’, because that’s kinda an awkward question right now-”
The girl squeaked as he gave one good shake, blinking up at the pierced, dark-haired man as innocently as she could, lower lip held firmly between her teeth to keep from letting the rest of that rant loose.
“I mean,” He growled, obviously not willing to listen to her rambling this time. “Why do you smell like a dragon?”
In that moment, her old fight-or-flight reflex kicked in with a rush of adrenaline, pupils dilating and heart leaping into overdrive.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hikari replied, kicking her legs in an instinctive urge to run like hell. “So just-just put me down already!”
“Oi, stop that!” He hissed, shifting back just enough so her wild swings would not connect with anything too sensitive.
“Not until you put me down!” She shouted back, twisting around in an attempt to wrench her sweater free.
With a yelp, she found herself pinned between a brick wall and a hard chest, going still at the growl that rumbled through her bones.
“I’m not gonna hurt ya, damn it!” He nearly shouted, stunning the girl into silence. “I just-!”
Hikari felt him deflate just the slightest bit, thumping his head on the bricks with a sigh, red eyes soft with something almost pleading.
“I just want to know why.”
It was like that first moment Toothless touched her palm, hesitant and wary but so hopeful, and the knot in her chest loosened.
“How could you tell?” She whispered, curious and resigned.
He cocked his head just the slightest bit, a familiar move that hinted at the answer even before he admitted it.
“Because my father is a dragon.”
That familiar scent-of dragon, of safety, of home-had brought all those memories rushing back, and he knew he had to find her again.
After that chance encounter, Gajeel found his thoughts returning to the strange girl and all the questions that her scent created countless times.
God, but she was small, even smaller than Levy, and probably half the bookworm’s weight.
Honestly, that big wool sweater-dress probably made up most of it, and the way she had ducked into the stretched folds of the neck was admittedly adorable, the freckles scattered across her cheeks standing out thanks to a growing blush.
After the first couple of days, with that image stuck in his mind along with a certain blue-haired Script mage, Gajeel grudgingly admitted-only to himself-that his type seemed to lean towards small and cute.
Pantherlily never failed to point it out, however, though he often joined the Iron Dragon Slayer in his multiple walks around Magnolia without saying so.
It took two weeks for them to cross paths a second time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yawning widely, Hikari shifted her bag of groceries to one arm and tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
After so many late nights repairing weapons at the local forge, she was more than ready to get back to camp and curl up under Toothless’ wing for a nice long nap…
Hikari squeaked as she was picked up by the back of her sweater, curling into a ball at the sudden lack of ground beneath her feet.
Green eyes blinked up at narrowed red, tongue tying itself into a big knot as she recognized the man holding her up.
“O-Oh, um…Hi?” She choked out, confused by this unexpected situation.
“Who are you?” He demanded, not making a move to set her back down anytime soon.
“Uh…Hikari?” She supplied, brow furrowing slightly in thought. “Unless you mean it more like ’who’s your family’ or ‘where are you from’ than ‘what’s your name’, because that’s kinda an awkward question right now-”
The girl squeaked as he gave one good shake, blinking up at the pierced, dark-haired man as innocently as she could, lower lip held firmly between her teeth to keep from letting the rest of that rant loose.
“I mean,” He growled, obviously not willing to listen to her rambling this time. “Why do you smell like a dragon?”
In that moment, her old fight-or-flight reflex kicked in with a rush of adrenaline, pupils dilating and heart leaping into overdrive.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hikari replied, kicking her legs in an instinctive urge to run like hell. “So just-just put me down already!”
“Oi, stop that!” He hissed, shifting back just enough so her wild swings would not connect with anything too sensitive.
“Not until you put me down!” She shouted back, twisting around in an attempt to wrench her sweater free.
With a yelp, she found herself pinned between a brick wall and a hard chest, going still at the growl that rumbled through her bones.
“I’m not gonna hurt ya, damn it!” He nearly shouted, stunning the girl into silence. “I just-!”
Hikari felt him deflate just the slightest bit, thumping his head on the bricks with a sigh, red eyes soft with something almost pleading.
“I just want to know why.”
It was like that first moment Toothless touched her palm, hesitant and wary but so hopeful, and the knot in her chest loosened.
“How could you tell?” She whispered, curious and resigned.
He cocked his head just the slightest bit, a familiar move that hinted at the answer even before he admitted it.
“Because my father is a dragon.”