(Note: Sorry for missing Wednesday, my PC was having a whole bunch of problems)
While Erza and Mirajane fought, their incredible power creating a no-man's zone around them whenever they clashed, I was finally far enough away to rise to my feet without worrying about being flung away.
Using a tipped-over table as cover, Carla and I watched them fight; the way Erza would swing her sword to intercept Mirajane's fist or how Mirajane would coat her arms in darkness magic to deflect Erza's sword. Compared to Natsu and Gray, they were on a completely different level, let alone me; although terrifying, it was also an eye-opener.
'I-If Erza and Mirajane are this strong, t-that means I'll also get this strong one day.' Despite their behavior, the world of mages was almost always dominated by men, so to see a fight between two women that no one dared to intervene in was inspiring.
"I-I want to be like them when I grow up, Carla!" Firmly nodding, I set my goal to strive to become as strong as Erza and Mirajane. "Um, a-are you sure, Wendy?" As I glanced down at Carla's hesitant expression, snapping out of my thoughts, I once again heard their voices.
"MIRA!" "What did I say about calling me Mira, red-bitch!?" "Stop calling me bitch, bitch!" "Fine, I'll call you red-slut!" "That means so much from the whore queen!" "The fuck you say!?" "WHORE. QUEEN."
Hearing the intense profanities Erza and Mira were throwing at each other, I wryly smiled while shifting my gaze back down to Carla. "Well, m-maybe just as strong as them." Sheepishly scratching my head, I quickly ducked behind the table as the two clashed once more, the shockwave of their magic power traveling throughout the guild, causing it to intensely shake.
"I-Is he not going to step in!?" Worried the guild would collapse at this rate, I shifted my gaze to Gray, who was also hiding behind a table with Juvia sitting on his lap. "Tsk, he he usually would by now… Yo, Master, ain't you going to do something!?" Clicking his tongue, Gray nodded and stood up, facing Makarov, snapping him out of his perverted trance.
"Huh, oh, don't worry, Gray, Cooper's on his way, he'll deal with them." "Big bro's back? Perfect." At the mention of Cooper, all concern and worry left Gray as he plopped down behind the table. "G-Gray, who is Cooper?" Yelling over the constant clashing from Erza and Mirajane's battle, I glanced at Gray, though before he could respond, the entrance was opened.
Shifting my gaze to the entrance, I saw two women, both very beautiful, though I blushed at the sight of one of them, who was only wearing a bra. 'I-Is she a pros-' My thoughts were cut short when I noticed the Fairy Tail symbols on their bodies, prompting me to shake my head, ridding myself of such dirty and naughty thoughts.
The woman who dressed more appropriately grabbed a key from her pouch and summoned a grandfather clock, which they hid behind for protection as they headed in our direction, before eventually taking cover behind a knocked-over table.
"Lucy, Cana, you're back!" "Nice to see you guys returned." Juvia and Gray greeted the two women, named Lucy and Cana. "Yeah, we're back, seems we arrived at a bad time though." Smiling, Lucy waved at them and peeked from behind the table. "Tsk, I swear, if those two damage the bar, I'll fight them both!" Cana clenched her fists in anger while Juvia chuckled. "Hehe, I'll get a tombstone ready first."
"Oh, whose this little girl?" "That's Wendy, she's joining Fairy Tail… Anyway, when is big bro arriving?" As Lucy finally noticed me, I awkwardly waved at her while Gray introduced me. "Uh, he should be any moment, he said he needed to make a pitstop, so we went ahead."
Just a few moments after Lucy finished speaking, the entrance was opened once more, prompting me to turn around, though when my eyes landed on the figure standing in the doorway, I felt a palpable sense of fear.
His caramel-colored figure stood tall; his physique was incredibly muscular yet just as lean, a body built for battle. His long white hair cascaded down behind him, and his red, vertical slit pupils held an air of arrogance, as if everything was beneath him.
Compared to the average mage, as a dragon slayer, my instincts were much more attuned, so when I stared at that man, I felt nothing but a primal inferiority. He was a predator, a true predator, and I. I was nothing but helpless prey.
"W-W-Who i-is t-that?" The terror he sparked in me was so intense I could barely muster three words as I pointed to him with a shaky hand. "Heh, that? That's Cooper, our big bro." Smirking, Gray gestured to the man, who walked towards Erza and Mirajane.
As I saw him approach the two, a smirk graced his face, revealing his sharp canines, which were akin to fangs; for the first time, I wasn't scared of the person approaching Erza and Mirajane; I was worried for them.
'T-They aren't a match! H-He's on an entirely different level!' Erza and Mirajane, two mighty mages, I could tell they were nothing but children compared to that beast of a man.
When he arrived before them, I couldn't even see his movements; one moment, he was walking, and the next, he had used one leg to intercept Erza and Mirajane.
"Oi, stop it, you two, you're going to take the guild down with you." His voice was deep, powerful, and didn't allow any chance to argue. Reluctantly, Erza and Mirajane dropped their guard, though they continued to glare hatefully at each other.
"Look, I've brought presents." Raising his arms, which had been carrying something this entire time, he reached into his bag. "A slice of strawberry cake for you, and a pair of earrings for you." He handed the cake to Erza and the earrings to Mirajane.
"Cake! Thank you, big bro!" Erza practically leaped in joy and took the cake from him. "Oh, looks like you already have these exact earrings, Mira." Gesturing to Mirajane's earrings, which were identical to the ones he'd bought, she promptly removed them and destroyed them, all with a charming smile.
"What earrings? Fufu, thank you, big bro." Taking the earrings, Mirajane put them on and walked back to the bar while humming.
As I watched it all, I slapped my cheeks and shook my head. 'What is wrong with you, Wendy? Look how nice he is, just because he is powerful doesn't mean you need to be scared of him.'
Seeing everyone start to fix the guild, save for the two who caused it, I gathered my courage and approached him. 'To think Natsu, Erza, and Gray would try to make me scared of Cooper. Hmm, not cool.' Folding my arms, I shot the three an annoyed look before approaching the man.
However, now that I pushed the fear aside, I was able to view him properly, and one word quickly came to mind. 'So handsome.' Feeling heat rise to my cheeks, I stopped, placed my hand on my head, and rapidly shook it, but whenever I looked at him, those thoughts would return.'S-Stop being perverted, Wendy! B-But h-he is handsome.'
I was left standing in the middle of the guild, unable to overcome my internal dilemma.
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Cooper POV
Placing the final table on its legs, I did a bit of stretching and yawned before turning around, finally shifting my attention to whoever had been constantly staring at me. "Tch, I'll need to teach them some manners, don't they know staring is rude?"
Muttering under my breath, I looked for the person staring at me, only to spot a young girl I've never seen before as well as a small cat standing beside her. "The hell?" Scratching my head, I approached the girl, squatted before her, though as I did, I realized her scent was awfully familiar.
"Smells like Gajeel, Natsu, and Laxus." "You smell it too, big bro?" Munching on some scrap, Gajeel was standing beside me with his arms crossed, causing me to nod. "Yeah. Is she a Dragon Slayer?" Although confident, I'd prefer to hear it from her.
"Oi, little girl, are you a dragon slayer?" Poking her head, she finally snapped out of her daze and silently looked at me, only for an intense blush to creep onto her face. "Y-Y-Y-Yes."
"Oh, you are? What kind? Your smell is pretty non-existent. Darkness Dragon slayer? Light Dragon Slayer? Air Dragon Slayer?" Those were the only types of magic I could think of off the top of my head that lacked any kind of scent. "W-Wind Dragon Slayer." "Ho, I guess correctly." "Anyone could've guessed that." "Tch, are you asking for a damn fight, Gajeel?"
Shooting Gajeel a glare, he grunted and looked the other way, prompting me to shift my gaze to the cat. "So, what about you? You Happy's girlfriend or something." The cat seemed somewhat offended at my words. "Ugh, girlfriend? I would never be in such a relationship with such a brainless fool."
Glancing over at Happy, who was happily eating fish, I nodded in agreement. "Fair… Anyway, what makes a Wind Dragon Slayer?" At my question, Natsu, Erza, and Gray suddenly rushed forward, intercepting Wendy.
"B-Big bro, why don't you relax? She's been through a lot." "Y-Yeah, why don't we fight instead?" Raising an eyebrow, I stood upright, grabbed Natsu and Gray's heads, and tossed them aside before stepping towards Erza. "I'll buy you a whole strawberry cake." With a troubled expression, Erza looked between the girl and me several times before deeply sighing.
"2!" "A third?" "O-Okay, 1! 1! Haa, sorry, Wendy." Stepping to the side, I glanced back at Wendy, who huffed. "Hmph, it's not going to work, guys. I've already figured out your prank." After shooting them a glare, she shifted her gaze back to me.