Natsu x Reader Mating Season

Hang On... What?

I do not own Fairy Tail!
...

You originally thought today would be a normal day. You thought you'd go check out the job board, have a drink, visit with your friends- Oh, yes, you imagined the first day of spring to be just like any other.

Oh, how terribly, terribly wrong you were.

"Hey, everyone!" you greeted upon entering the bar. In one second, someone tackled you to the ground, trying to cover your body with their own.

"What the- Isn't it a bit early for a barfight?!" you demanded, struggling beneath... Gray?

"Shh!" Gray hissed, trying to cover your mouth with his hands. "Do you want to get us all killed?"

You shoved his hands away from your face. "What are you talking about?"

Before Gray could reply, he was suddenly yanked off of you. You saw Erza pinning him against the wall.

"Back off, Gray," she ordered. "We've got things under control."

Gray sneered. "Whatever. When Natsu burns this place down because he heard (Y/N)'s voice, don't say I didn't warn you."

You stood up, confused. "Uh-"

"How do you think he would've reacted if he'd seen you on top of his mate?!" Erza shouted.

"His mate?" you repeated.

Erza unceremoniously dropped Gray to the ground. "(Y/N), today is the first day of spring. Do you know what happens during spring?"

"Flowers start to bloom?" you guessed.

"The animals, I mean. What do the animals do?"

You shuffled awkwardly. "They, um, they make more animals. Baby ones."

Erza nodded. "Good. They reproduce. And in order to do this, an animal needs to mate with another animal." She walked closer to you, staring at you. "You understand that dragons mate during spring, as well?"

"Sure..." you said, wondering where this was going.

"And you understand that Natsu is part dragon?"

You paled. "Oh..."

"Yes."

"So, Natsu is... mating?" The suggestion made you feel a little sick. You'd had a huge crush on Natsu for a while, and you didn't like the idea of him mating with someone else.

"No," said Gray. "For now, we've got him in solitary confinement so he doesn't hurt anybody."

Everything they said made you more and more confused. "Why would he hurt somebody?"

Gray scoffed, crossing his arms. "Natsu becomes like an animal in more ways than one during the mating season. He'll latch onto whomever he believes to be his ideal mate. By any means necessary, he'll fend off any challengers who may try to take his mate away from him."

You gulped. Was there some sort of history of this behavior? How many girls had Natsu mated with? "Has he... done this before?"

"No, he was too young during previous springs. This is his first mating season, which is why we're nervous. We're unsure of what to expect."

"Then... how do you know Natsu's gonna get all crazy?" you asked.

Now Erza and Gray looked awkward. "We saw it last year with Gajeel and Levy," Gray said quickly.

"And where are they now?" you asked.

The awkwardness exacerbated. Erza cleared her throat. "Mating, most likely."

"Yeah," Gray agreed. "We won't be seeing them for a while."

You blushed slightly. "Okay... So, why are you worried about me?"

Erza and Gray shared a look. "I'm the only girl who's been cleared," Erza replied. "We might bring in the other Fairy Tail girls one by one to see who Natsu could possibly want to mate with, but that's dangerous."

"And awkward," Gray added.

"So until then," Erza continued, "we have to make sure every girl stays away from Natsu."

"Until springtime is over?" you asked incredulously. How violent could Natsu get during the mating season? And would mating with Natsu really be that bad? You actually quite like the idea. As soon as you thought that, your blush darkened even further.

Gray nodded. "Erza, I think we should go check on him."