"What the actual F-" Gajeel yelled.

"Do NOT use that language around Wendy!" Erik ordered.

"Fu-" Gajeel began.

"Don't you do it!"

"Natsu! You charred the carpet!" Sting cried.

"Shut up I didn't mean to!" Natsu retorted.

"Nice going flame head," Gajeel growled.

"What did you call me!" Natsu roared.

"You heard me!"

"Fight me!"

"Both of you, enough!" Laxus growled

Acnologia moaned as a crash echoed from behind the door. He stood in the hallway before his apartment door. He had left them alone for two minutes, just long enough to run downstairs pick up the groceries he had asked Makarov to get for him. Slowly he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Gajeel and Natsu were wrestling on the ground at Laxus's feet. The young Laxus looked like he was about to explode. Erik was sitting on the floor at the coffee table helping Wendy draw, Cubellios sat on the table and watched both of them intently. Sting was... Sting was...

"Get down," Acnologia growled at the blonde who was now on top of the refrigerator. Sting froze and looked at the dragon king.

"I found a bug," he said flatly.

"Get down," Acnologia repeated.

"But the bug," Sting said pointing.

"Now."

The blonde pouted and jumped off without any hesitation nearly giving Acnologia a heart attack. He didn't know why he was so protective of the kids when he didn't want to strangle them, he just was.

The dragon slayers had been staying with Acnologia for a month now, they had adjusted to their new life rather well. They enjoyed the house more then the guild only because the house was their new nest and hatchings always wanted to stay close to their nest, it was only natural.

"Hey!" Rogue yelled, "quiet down!" Acnologia looked down the hallway to the bedroom to see Rogue in the hallway. He had laid out on his stomach and was studying the maps of Fiore.

Gajeel and Natsu did not quiet down.

Acnologia growled some unflattering words in draconian and began unpacking the food. In less than three minutes the vultures had descended.

"Sting out of the bag! Gajeel do not eat my silverware! Natsu, that's raw chicken you idiot! NO YOU CAN'T EAT IT, YOU CAN'T COOK IT NOW! LAXUS GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER! Rogue back away from my carrots. Wendy please don't eat that! LAXUS! ERIK GET YOUR DAMN SNAKE OUT OF THE FOOD! WHY ARE YOU EATING THAT! CAN I PLEASE JUST PUT FOOD IN THE FRIDGE! SOMEONE GET THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER!" were only a fraction of Acnologia's next few sentences.

Eventually, he banished the kids to the outside with instructions to terrorize the rest of the world and stick together. Natsu and Sting went racing towards the forest intent on exploring and finding a monster to fight, Erik was on their heels trying to make sure they didn't die. Rogue pleaded and eventually got Laxus to show him around town. Wendy was just happy to find the nearest playground and Gajeel was happy that the playground was made of metal.

Two forest fires, a dead monster, an electrified street vendor, and a terrorized police officer later the dragon slayers decided to call it a day and see what was for dinner. Natsu and Sting chased each other into town, finally, Sting tackled Natsu.

"HA! You're it!" he cried in victory.

"Shut up! I want a rematch!" Natsu grinned pushing Sting off him.

Sting didn't answer, he was smelling the air.

"What is it?" Natsu asked doing the same.

"I smell Gajeel!' Sting smiled mischievously.

"Let's go fight em!" Natsu grinned taking off towards the smell.

The boys ran around the corner and came face to face with Gajeel. He looked battered and bruised something that both boys were surprised by.

"Whoa!" Sting gaped.

"What happened to you?" Natsu asked tilting his head.

"Did you tick off Laxus again?" Sting wondered.

"Nothing," Gajeel growled shoving past them.

"Gajeel!" Wendy cried from across the street. She ran up and hugged Gajeel.

"Thank you!" she cried and then followed it with an, "I'm sorry!"

"What happened!" Sting asked.

Wendy looked up at Sting and broke into tears, "I was o-on the slide a-and these kids came up a-and asked me if I was n-new," Wendy began.

"Punks," Gajeel growled.

"I-I told them I was in Fairy Tail a-and that I was with my Uncle... A-and then I told them about Grandeeney," She continued to ball.

"What happened!" Erik asked running up.

"Something upset Wendy," Sting explained before turning back to Wendy.

"Then what?" Natsu asked Wendy.

"They called m-me a liar," Wendy cried rubbing her eyes.

"What? For being in Fairy Tail?" Sting asked.

"They said that Grandeeney didn't exist because there were no more dragons," Wendy sobbed, "they told me I made Grandeeney up!"

The boys were silent for a moment.

"THOSE PUNKS!" Natsu roared before taking off towards the playground. Erik reached out and grabbed him by his scarf stopping him cold. 

"Gajeel already took care of it," Erik said coldly.

"They were punks, Gihee" Gajeel chuckled looking rather prideful.

"He looked at them and t-told them to take it back," Wendy sobbed, "then they attacked him!

"You fought them all by yourself!" Sting gaped.

"There was only a few of em," Gajeel shrugged.

"He fought all of em... he won too... but he's hurt!" Wendy sniffed.

"You jerk, you should have left me some!" Natsu objected.

"You weren't there Salamander!" Gajeel retorted

"You still could have left me one!"

"That's not how it works!"

The dragon slayers met up with Rogue and Laxus and began to walk home. Wendy shared her story and told the tale of Gajeel's bravery that impressed Rogue and made Laxus want to go punch someone. They began to walk home when they were stopped by five older boys.

"Hey," one said making the group freeze.

"What?" Laxus asked not liking how the boys looked.

"That brat there beat up our brothers," another said pointing at Gajeel. Gajeel snorted and looked away.

There was a second of stunned silence. The dragon slayers couldn't frankly believe these boys had the guts to face them like this.

"They didn't do anything to him," another boy said crossing his arms.

"We'd like to repay the favor," another older boy laughed.

"Come and try it!" Natsu roared breaking the group's silence.

"I don't need you to defend me Salamander!" Gajeel growled.

"Well too bad!" Rogue snarled.

"You five go home," Laxus ordered.

"NO WAY!" Sting shouted.

"Go on," Erik grinned, "we'll be right behind you."

"No freakin way am I gonna leave you to fight my fight!" Gajeel objected.

"Go," Laxus ordered.

The four boys huffed and Natsu was about to object when Wendy looked at them.

"Come on guys," she pleaded. The boys sighed and slowly turned around and turned into an alley that also led home.

"Do you think this is fair?" Laxus asked looking at the five boys.

"Five boys, all older than us, they're also all wizards," Erik shrugged, "yeah it's unfair."

"Really?" Laxus asked a hint of smugness in his voice.

"You two really think you can take us?" the eldest laughed, "We're some of the strongest kids around, we're planning on making our own guild one day, it'll be the strongest guild around!"

"You've obviously never heard of us," Erik smiled, "or Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail? Please, half of their power comes from tall tales and the other from that one wizard, what's his name Acnologia?" another boy scoffed.

"See," Laxus growled, "I could beat you up for many reasons. My guild, my uncle... me... but there's only one thing that you've done that's done ticked me off."

"I'm scared now," another boy laughed as his hands began to glow with magic power.

"You threatened our brother," Erik smiled, "and that means all bets are off."

The fight was hardly a fight, in less than two minutes the boys had run off terrified of the two "demons."

"Told you it was unfair," Erik sighed as he watched them go, "now if there had been twenty of them... that would have been fair."

"Thirty," Laxus corrected.

"Whoa!" someone called, there was a lot of shushing that followed.

"Was that Sting?" Laxus sighed.

"Yep."

"Are they all there?"

"Yep."

"Did they watch the whole thing?"

"Yep."

"Dammit Erik, you're supposed to tell me these things."

"Language Laxus, Wendy is listening."

The dragon slayers had come home at a reasonable hour, the sun hadn't set yet and Acnologia had enjoyed his afternoon of peace. Of course, then the kids had come home, three of them injured, four of them ranting about Erik and Laxus's power and one of them crying the whole time... peace gone.

Acnologia set out dinner for them and watched them wolf it down before he got around to eating and getting the Odyssey of the day because Sting just dragged every story out. 

"I'm sorry Uncle," Laxus said not sounding at all sorry.

"No need to be sorry," Acnologia said leaning back in his chair, a scary grin came to his face, "you did everything that I would have done."

"Those guys are gonna tell their folks, they have mage's as parents... those parents may come after you next," Erik warned.

"Good," Acnologia grinned, "This is how a nest works."

"A nest?" Natsu asked cocking his head.

"A group of dragons that live and work together," Rogue explained.

"Exactly, we are a unit, a family, and if someone hurts or threatens our family, we do not hesitate to exact revenge," Acnologia breathed.

"Uncle?" Sting pondered, "do you think of us as your family?"

"Of course," the words rolled out of Acnologia before the mental debate in his head could even start.

"So, you would do anything to protect us? Kinda like our parents?" Sting pressed.

"I think so, it's what dragons do. Greedy dragons protect their treasures, nesting dragons protect their eggs, powerful dragons protect their power. Dragons... and humans. Both of us protect what is ours. You all are my hatchlings and so, I will defend what is mine just as I hope you will defend each other. We protect what is ours."

For once the dragon slayers stayed silent but as Acnologia spoke pride sparked in their eyes and they sat up a little straighter. This was their nest, their family, they would fight for it, no matter what it took.