Narration:
Magnolia woke in soft colors—shopkeepers lifting shutters, the canal whispering under the bridges. Ryuji walked with his hands in his pockets, scarf tucked, the new emblem on his left shoulder a steady weight beneath his shirt. Feels... different to walk toward something, he thought, surprised he didn't mind it.
At the canal crossing, a familiar door clicked open. Lucy stepped out of her apartment, keys jingling in the early sun.
Lucy (bright, mid-yawn): "Good mor—oh! Ryuji! Good morning!"
Ryuji stopped. The old habit was to nod and keep moving. Instead, he made himself speak first.
Ryuji (stilted, sincere): "Good morning."
Lucy blinked—then smiled, a little glow of surprise and approval.
Lucy (teasing soft): "Wow. You said it before me. That's new."
Ryuji looked away, faint color at his ears.
Ryuji: "I'm... trying. To be a little more open. At least with the team."
He hesitated. "And... thank you."
Lucy (tilting her head): "For what?"
Ryuji: "For last night. For how you welcomed me. For... not pushing too hard before I was ready."
Lucy's smile gentled; she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, keys tapping—tick, tick.
Lucy (warm): "That's what family does. Also, I'm nosy in a nice way."
She started walking; he fell in beside her. "Come on. If we're early, Mira might have fresh cinnamon bread."
Ryuji (under his breath): "That... doesn't sound terrible."
Fairy Hills
They cut up the hill past ivy walls and the crisp FAIRY HILLS placard. Dorm windows opened one by one—curtains tugged back, voices floating out with the morning air.
Levy burst through the gate first, satchel bouncing.
Levy (waving): "Lucy! Ryuji! Morning! Did you see the banner now that I fixed the spelling on the back?"
She leaned toward Ryuji, stage-whisper. "Welcome—again."
Ryuji (awkward, but trying): "Thanks... again."
Evergreen emerged next, sunglasses on; Elfman (clearly not a resident) trailed behind with a stack of boxes.
Evergreen (airily): "Out of the way, morning people. Some of us sparkle only after tea."
Elfman (puffed): "Helping your guildmates move boxes is what it means to be a—"
Evergreen: "Careful with that one."
Elfman (instantly softer): "—careful man."
Juvia stepped through with a graceful spin of her umbrella, sighing dreamily despite Gray being elsewhere.
Juvia (polite to Ryuji): "Good morning, Newcomer-san. Juvia welcomes you... as long as you do not steal Gray-sama's attention."
Lucy (dry): "He can barely steal his own shirt."
Footsteps padded quick behind them. Wendy came down the path with Carla; Wendy raised a hand, shy-smiling when Ryuji looked up.
Wendy (soft): "Morning, Ryuji! Lucy!"
Ryuji's posture eased a fraction.
Ryuji (small nod): "Morning."
Carla hovered at shoulder height, evaluating him like a checklist she was willing to pass—for now.
Carla (prim): "Punctual. Acceptable."
Wendy laughed once—small, clear. Under Ryuji's shirt, the emblem's icy-blue edge glinted like frost catching light. He stilled, surprised; the feeling wasn't unpleasant.
They fell into a larger knot together, voices overlapping, shoes clicking on stone. The city opened as they descended—the river flash, the wind between buildings, the guildhall's roofline ahead.
Alley Interruption
A blur dropped from a windowsill into their path. Gray landed in a crouch, already missing half a shirt.
Gray (deadpan): "Not late. Right on chaotic time."
From a pushcart, Natsu popped up holding a bread roll like a trophy.
Natsu (grinning): "Beat you to morning!"
They locked eyes, then speed-walked ahead shoulder to shoulder—competitive silence, aggressively fast.
Happy zipped after them.
Happy: "Aye! This is speed-walking justice!"
Carla (long-suffering): "Children."
Lucy (watching them go, then to herself): "Today I am a responsible adult who will absolutely pay rent on time."
She paused. "Probably."
Her keys chimed like a rimshot.
Ryuji (quietly amused): "You all have... strong rituals."
Lucy (grinning): "Canon, not chaos."
Street to the Guild
Lucy (light conversation): "So, mornings. Any routines? Don't say 'brooding on rooftops.' That slot's taken."
Ryuji (actually thinking it over): "Walk. Listen. Try to... name sounds."
He glanced at the water. "Cart wheels. River. Someone humming off-key."
A beat. "It wasn't me."
Levy (delighted): "You do field notes in your head! We should make you a tiny notebook."
Ryuji (horrified at the idea of tiny): "...Regular-sized is fine."
Wendy (encouraging): "You could write your songs there, too."
Lucy lifted her keyring; it chimed softly.
Lucy (playful): "If we meet trouble, I'm feeling a Taurus kind of morning. Very 'smash bandit' energy."
Carla (sidelong): "Let us hope we encounter no bandits between dormitory and door."
They crossed the last square. A familiar, chaotic warmth rolled from the guild—mugs clinking, arguments blooming like weeds, laughter loud as the sun.
Ryuji (quiet, mostly to himself): "...Home. Slowly."
Lucy heard anyway. She didn't comment; she just bumped his shoulder lightly, like a punctuation mark.
Lucy (soft): "Welcome back."
The doors swung wide.
Happy (dive-bombing): "RISE AND SHI—oh! Ryuji! Try the new fish buns! Aye!"
Natsu (already on a table): "Training after breakfast!"
Erza (without looking): "Breakfast first. Then training. Then cleaning the table you just scuffed."
Mirajane (calling from the counter): "Cinnamon bread just came out!"
Ryuji stepped over the threshold with the others, the emblem warm under his shirt, the noise not pushing him back anymore.
I can do this, he thought, steadier now.
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.