The Not-Quite Strongest Team

By:

Mystwalker

A/N: Since you guys asked for it, there's more Gale in this chapter. Also, Alex, but I won't give him his own chapter until I explain his backstory, and since his backstory's a little more serious, I need to tone down the light-hearted mood before jumping straight into it.

Also, this chapter didn't turn out so well. I've been really busy thanks to school, so my sense of humor seems to have failed a little. . I was also going to explain what Gale was making, but the chapter seemed to lead away from it, so in order to avoid making it seem forced, I'll explain it in another little update.

Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Fairy Tail.

XxXxX

Gale stared down at the chunk of metal on the tabletop in front of him, tapping it with his finger as if that would suddenly get it to behave. It just wasn't shaping the way he wanted it to shape, and it was driving him up the wall. He concentrated, his finger slipping straight through the metal as if it were made of nothing more than water. Gale drew his finger out of the metal piece, a string of metal following. He looped it around, pushing it into place.

Someone crashed down onto the bar next to him, causing the entire set up to wobble. Gale cursed as his control was broken and the metal hardened again. He looked up, his eyes narrowing at the redhead that was lying on his arms on the bar.

"Alex!" he yelled. "Can't you sleep somewhere else?"

Alex's only response was to groan and bury his head further into his arms. "Too loud…" he muttered.

"Sheesh, stay home if you're going to sleep all day," muttered Gale, running a hand through his dark hair. It had gotten longer now, falling down to his shoulders. The thirteen-year-old looked back down at his project, but it was ruined beyond repair at this point. He sighed and waved his hand, the half-finished patterns sinking back into the metal as it became a blank square again. Beside him, Alex mumbled something that sounded like "No food."

"Let Alex rest," said Aqua suddenly, rising up from behind the bar and causing Gale to fall out of his seat in surprise. "He worked hard yesterday."

"Where the hell did you come from?" asked Gale.

Aqua shrugged. "I dripped down from the ceiling," she said.

"Can't you use a DOOR like normal people?" asked Gale, pointing at the guild's front doors. "There was a door, you know!"

Aqua glanced at the door with apparent disinterest, then shrugged. Gale sighed. Convincing Aqua to enter and exit a room like a normal person was like trying to convince her father to keep his clothes on, or to convince her mother not to refer to herself in the third person. There was probably something in the water at the Fullbuster household.

"At any rate, let Alex rest," she said. "You know he needs it."

"If he would just let me tear up that chunk of useless metal that's giving him grief, he wouldn't need it," muttered Gale, getting back onto his seat.

Alex muttered something that sounded like "I can control it." That, or "I have a dried fish." Gale's eyes flicked over to him, taking into account his disheveled appearance. "Yeah," he said. "Sure."

Alex ignored him. "Aqua," he said. "…Food?"

"Breakfast ended about two hours ago, slacker," said Gale, tracing a circle with his finger on the metal. A groove followed his finger, going all the way around.

"I'll find something," promised Aqua, seeming to slide back under the bar. Gale decided against commenting that the door was right behind her. He adjusted one of the plain metal bracers that he wore on his arms, loosening the fit slightly.

"Aqua-chan, me too please!" said Layla suddenly, sitting down on the other side of him.

"And here comes Slacker # 2," said Gale dryly, prodding at the metal block again.

"Oh, shut up, metal head," said Layla.

"Lead by example, firefly," muttered Gale, pinching off a part of the metal and drawing it into a coil. He concentrated for a moment, before turning towards Alex.

"So…" he said. "What were you up to yesterday."

"Job," replied Alex.

"Alone?" asked Gale. "You're gonna kill yourself someday."

Alex shrugged in reply.

Layla frowned at him. "You need a—duck—." The three of them lowered their heads to the bartop in unison as Natsu flew overhead, crashing into the wall behind them. As soon as he passed, Gale and Layla straightened back up. "You need a team," finished Layla, as if she had never been interrupted. "Hey, Dad."

Natsu raised an arm in acknowledgment, then sprang back up.

"GRAY, YOU BASTARD!" he shouted, jumping back over the bar.

"Like who?" asked Alex, stretching out on his arm and turning his head to face her.

"Like us," said Layla with a grin. "Me and Aqua. Since our parents are all part of a team."

"You?" asked Alex, giving her a flat look.

"Why not?" asked Layla.

"How many attacks do you know?" said Alex.

Layla frowned, counting on her fingers. "Um…three…and a half?" she asked.

"And how many don't cause massive property damage?"

Layla blinked at him for a moment, before lowering her hand. Alex sighed. "I thought so," he said.

"If you're going to pick a team, I should be on it," said Gale. "I'm older than Layla and Aqua, and besides, I can stop you if you go completely psycho one day."

"That's encouraging…" muttered Alex sarcastically.

Gale shrugged. "I'm not the one lugging around a possessed chunk of metal."

"His name is Muramasa," said Alex, "And he doesn't like to be called names. You need to learn that if you're going to be on a team with me."

"Don't forget about me," said Aqua, appearing out of nowhere again with two plates in her hands. Gale jumped, but managed to stay in his seat this time. She set one plate down in front of Alex, and another in front of Layla. Aqua picked up a match and set Layla's plate on fire, then snuffed out the match with a wave of her hand and sat down as Alex and Layla both perked up and began to eat. "I should be on this team too."

"The four of us on a team?" asked Alex, swallowing down a mouthful of food.

"Let's call it Team Layla!" said Layla, looking up from her meal.

"Don't go naming things after yourself, idiot!" said Gale, placing his hand under the metal coil he was forming and smoothing it out.

"It was my idea!" said Layla.

"Oh? You guys are forming a team?" asked Natsu, breaking away from his fight with Gray and leaning over the table at them.

"We're thinking about it," said Aqua, propping her chin up on her hand and smiling.

"That's great!" said Lucy, joining the conversation as well. "It'll be just like when we were younger!"

"Oh, you four will make such a cute team!" exclaimed Mirajane, joining the conversation.

"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" asked Alex.

"We are not calling it Team Layla, firebreath," said Gale, completely ignoring him.

"Then how about Team Dragneel?" asked Layla, completely serious.

"Absolutely not!" said Gale.

"Well then, what do you want to call it?" asked Layla, folding her arms and frowning at him.

Gale paused, blinking at her. "…I…don't know," he admitted.

"Team Dragneel it is!" said Layla.

"Anything but that!"

"I think the team name should have something to do with all of us," said Aqua.

"We're a Dragon Slayer, a Metal Mage, a Water Mage, and a guy with a cursed sword," said Gale. "How the heck are we going to find a name that relates to everyone?"

"…Team Asylum?" asked Aqua, raising one finger.

Gale and Layla turned at the same time and gave her a flat look, falling silent for a moment.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" they both roared.

"Team Property Damage is what they're going to end up being," whispered Lucy to Mirajane as the three began to argue.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Mirajane with a nod. "But who do you think they take after?"

Alex sighed in defeat, slumping forward and lowering his head to the tabletop as everyone began to argue over his head about the team name. He looked up suddenly, as if realizing something.

"Aqua?" he said, interrupting their argument.

Aqua blinked and looked up, releasing the globes of water from around Gale and Layla's heads. "Yes, Alex?" she asked.

"…How did you know I was out on a job?" he asked. "I didn't tell anyone I was leaving."

Aqua blinked and stared at Alex for a moment. Then, her face reddened, although her expression didn't change. She suddenly turned around. "Uh…I have to go home and…uh…water my cat!" she said hurriedly.

"Wait, Aqua!" said Alex, reaching out a hand over the counter to catch her.

She walked briskly, moving out of his reach and heading towards the supply closet. Aqua threw open the door with one hand, stepped inside, and closed it behind her. Everyone froze for a moment.

"…Closet?" asked Gale, exchanging a glance with Layla.

The both of them got out of their seats and crept over to it, standing on either side.

"Count of three," said Layla. "One…two…"

"Three," finished Gale, throwing the doors open.

The closet was empty.

"She's gone!" said Layla, wide-eyed.

"Where'd she go?" asked Gale, staring at the inside of the closet. At the same time, the both of them jumped inside, overturning buckets and looking in several of the supply crates.

"Aqua-chan!" called Layla.

"Aqua?" asked Gale, checking behind the mop.

Alex stared at them with a puzzled look, scratching his head. Meanwhile, at another table, Gray looked up from over his drink and sighed.

"…At least she's more subtle than Juvia," he muttered to himself.