#laxus is proud of his kids

[dragon-toad]

HOT TAKE : Makarov was a bad father (and a bad grandfather)

I'm expecting a big wave of hate with this one... BUT LET ME EXPLAIN

We can dive into the generational trauma theory : we know Yuri has been profoundly hurt by his wife's death (giving birth to Makarov) and this is a thing we should consider. In most cases, people live with the burden of the death of their partner until they die, which could have been Yuri's case. And the idea that somehow his wife died for his son... Well, angst potential.

Now : death of a loved one + wife who dies giving birth to his son = difficult father-son relationship

And even if Yuri didn't do it intentionally, there could have been a distance between the father and the son, and it has repercussions on the futur.

So yes, it maybe happened completely differently, but let's consider this hypothesis to understand what comes after :

Makarov was raised in the guild, where everybody is friendly. The only thing is his daddy issues. He ends up considering the guild more important, so the thing to cherish and protect at all cost.

Everything is fine.

Then, Ivan enters the game.

I know it's very fun to have an antagonist in the family of the master, the man presented as the most loving, a father for all the lost children, etc. BUT maybe we can go a little deeper.

We sometimes have this idea that some characters are born meaner than others, it allows us to ignore psychology and sociology, but it's not fun.

We can suppose Ivan was born in the guild, like Makarov and certainly Laxus. And as it's shown every single second that Fairy Tail is a very healthy environment, a "big family", so even if Ivan was a bit twisted, he would not have been so mean with his colleagues, provoking his exclusion, and he would have not tried to destroy the guild.

Unless he have daddy issues too. Let's consider : Makarov has a son and the mother is nowhere to be found. Doesn't it remind you of something ? But Makarov know his relationship with his father wasn't awesome, so he tries differently.

So two possibilities can be explored :

1- Ivan is a spoiled child. Being the master's son allows him to do reprehensible things and not be punished after, or not too much, and Makarov wants to give him all the freedom he didn't have. Until he almost kills another member of the guild. Then Makarov is forced to expel him. He takes away the thing that gave Ivan an almost unlimited power, and he doesn't like it. So if he can't have Fairy Tail, nobody will.

2- Makarov prefers the guild to his son. He doesn't know how to raise a kid, what if he screws like his father ? (Spoiler : he does) So when Precht makes him the new master, he puts all his soul into his job. But Ivan wants a father. So he does everything to make his father notice him, to make his father proud. It leads him to dark places, and thus, being strong = being good enough. Unfortunately, it doesn't work, because he ends up expelled. So, by pure rage, he decides to destroy the thing his father loved more than him. (It's my favorite version)

In both cases, Ivan manipulates his son into believing that being strong is the only way for him to be respected, to be seen.

Which leads us to the Laxus part (finally)

It's canon that Ivan pushed his son to be the strongest (to the point he put a lacrima in his body) so yeah, Laxus has daddy issues. But he has gampa issues too.

Let's continue with the theory we built on this post : Makarov doesn't really raise his son, why would he raise his grandson ?

But we see Makarov taking care of a very young Laxus. Thus, Laxus once loved his grandfather. Except Ivan didn't. So we can suppose he decided to keep his son under his control by manipulating him into thinking he has to be the strongest.

Then Ivan was banned.

The problem with an abusive relationship is that the victim thinks the abuser is on the right, which explains why Laxus was all but happy his father was expelled. But he stayed in Fairy Tail, because despite everything, Fairy Tail is his home. But this home is controlled by the man who banned his father (his abuser)

Laxus becomes a rank-S mage, which means he's the strongest. He has all the rights to make Fairy Tail his home, not Makarov's.

Well yes, but no.

Because there's Mirajane, a prodigy so fucking strong she becomes a rank-S mage too. But Lisanna dies, and suddenly everybody loves Mirajane. She even becomes the right arm of Makarov, because she's too weak now to create problems now.

And there's Natsu and Gray, Makarov's little boys. They're noisy, annoying, but they have potential. They have the potential to become stronger than Laxus. And Makarov loves them.

But more important, because there's Erza, who is so strong, so kind, so nice... Who is his grandfather's favorite. The same grandfather who did nothing when Ivan imprisoned Laxus into a psychological jail and who banned Ivan for somebody else's weakness. And Laxus knows it : she is the future master of Fairy Tail. She will steal his home and make it even weaker.

So he has to take Fairy Tail now, even if his grandfather dies in the process. Better, it will make things easier !

But in the end, Laxus loves Fairy Tail. He loves the guild enough to not betray everybody by joining his father's guild.

Laxus broke the cycle. And I don't think it was thanks to Makarov. If Laxus broke the cycle, it's because despite everything, he has weirdos to stick with. The Raijinshuu are a safe place for Laxus, they are strong enough to be his friends colleagues, they don't call him "psychotic" when he tells them he wants the guild, and more important, they care for him.

Laxus broke the cycle thanks to people who cared for him. They even wanted to follow him when he was banned ! But he said no, because he care for them and he knows they will be better in Fairy Tail.

Now, let's consider : travelling must have felt like therapy for Laxus : he's not part of Fairy Tail anymore and he's sure he will never have the possibility to come back, but he will not join his father because he doesn't want to put his friends in danger. So he has to do something by himself, not under the influence of his father. And I believe this emancipation was beneficial for him. He could learn what it means to be himself, not Ivan's son or Makarov's grandson.

I don't think he fully forgave Makarov for his inaction and for loving other more than him, and he's not completely out of Ivan's philosophy, those things need time, but he escaped the cycle.

[sun-stricken]

More random Fairy Tail hcs

When i said Lucy has Zodiac freckles, I meant actual freckles, not magical.(although that is a very pretty picture and i do love it)

She was born with those specific patches, she has yet to make the connection, but her mother did

also she a perfectionist, she gets upset when she cant do things first try

After running away its mellowed slightly but she still refuses to accept and will keep trying until shes at the very least pretty decent

Laxus cant swim

he says its bc of his magic but he just never learned, he tried, and failed numerous times

Erza is allergic to raspberries

she learned this when her bakery was out of strawberry cake so she decided to try something new

that was the last time she did.

also she had braces as a younger teen

Mira has been been arrested a certain number of times she will not disclose, at least 3 tho

Levy used to headbutt people, growing up it lessened but it still happens

Freed cant ride a skateboard

that may be obvious and something you would never think about

but i needed to put the vision in your head of him falling off one

Gray was the clumsiest kid, he could NOT walk more than 5 feet without tripping

Contrary to popular belief, Fairy Tail is an official guild so Makarov has to keep records; Be it property damage, renovations, past jobs and who took them, and personal (criminal and medical) records

When he goes through the personal ones the amount of times he says “oh wow” is concerning (hes weirdly proud tho)

Gildarts always brings something back from his trips for Cana, sometimes its really cheesy father daughter things

Cana acts like it annoys her but she really does love it

Natsu 100% wears light up sketchers

im not sure how old Bickslow was when he joined the guild but he was illiterate up until after he joined

i like to think Makarov taught him with the help of Levy and Erza

Evergreen has perfect posture

idk why i felt this was important but it is

like actually, perfect

its upsetting

also she has two fake teeth, one of her canines (?) and one of her bottom very front teeth

[punkeropercyjackson]

team natsu headcanons? (or just fairy tail in general)

*Rubs my hands together*Let's go!!

Natsu is brownskin japanese.Obviously?????Also aroace and loves queerplatonic dating and is genderapathetic

Lucy is a natural blonde black biracial trans woman

Erza is black monoracial and transfem butch

So is Gray and he's transmasc and they're all autistic

Wendy is included in this and the black part and she's also a transbian

Gajeel is black but that's accidental coding(darker skin than the rest of the cast even if he's ashy asf,plays blues music and his Edolas counterpart literally had afrotextured hair)

Levy is a lightskin half white afrolatina and a transfem demigirl and she and Gajeel pulled eachother by being autistic

Juvia is a comphet lesbian and trans and bptsd and felt she had to like a man to be a 'real woman'

All Dragon Slayers are trans and autistic,they follow the Spiderpeople rule-Laxus is the dad of the Dragonfam by default at first but he embraces the Dilf role a la Peter B and has a t-shirt Bubbles(my Ft self-insert you and i worked on together i'll post soon)diy'd for him that says 'Proud father of a few dumbass kids'.Also he is bisexy!

[fandomcreatorsguild]

Weekly Prompt Game

Activity: Community Prompt Share

1-25-24 Prompt Options:

Floral, Blood, Denial

Alt prompt(s):

"Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

"I don't know whether to be angry or proud."

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Submitted By: @dawnwynters

Prompt Used: “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”  

Fandom: Fairy Tail

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“You have so many options, Lucky.” Laxus leaned back against the counter in the kitchen of their father’s lake house, a beer in his hand as he looked at Lucy who was sitting on the island counter with her own beer.

“I know.” Lucy nodded, letting out a sigh as she lifted the beer to her lips and took a swing before looking up at the ceiling. “But they’re all so far away. I’d rather just stay in Magnolia and go to the community college.”

“This have anything to do with Natsu and the fact that you’ve been in love with the idiot since you were twelve?” He arched a brow at her.

Lucy felt the smile spread across her face at the mention of her boyfriend of three years, her fingers tightening on the bottle in her hand as her heart stumbled in her chest. “I just,” She bit her lip, looking at the floor as the blush spread across her cheeks.

Laxus chuckled and moved forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I support whatever decision you make, Lucky. I’ll even make sure Jude shuts up about it.”

Natsu hovered outside of the doorway to the kitchen, his hand gripping the frame as he listened to their conversation about Lucy going to college. He had been in love with her since he was thirteen but didn’t have the courage to ask her out until three years ago, when he was fifteen. He loved everything about this girl; how smart she was, how kind she was, how she was just beautiful inside and out. He knew about the colleges she had been accepted into, knew that her father was pressuring her to finally pick one, knew that she was serious about staying here to go to community college to stay close to him.

He knew she deserved so much more than that, knew she wanted so much more than that but wanted to be close to him more. He refused to hold her back, so he took a deep breath as he stepped into the kitchen, his mind made up on how he was going to make her do what was best for herself.

“Laxus, can we have a minute?” He spoke quietly, refusing to meet Lucy’s questioning gaze.

“Sure.” Laxus frowned before kissing Lucy’s forehead again. “One more beer after that, Lucky, then you’re done.”

Lucy rolled her eyes as Laxus left the kitchen before smiling brightly at Natsu. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

“Just been thinking.” He leaned back against the counter across from her, his arms crossed as he refused to look at her face. “You pick a college yet?”

She frowned at his question, a sick feeling building in the pit of her stomach. “I told you, Natsu. I’m going to the Community College.”

“Why?” He scowled, still refusing to look at her because he knew if he did, he wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done. “For me?”

“Well, duh,” She rolled her eyes fondly even though the sick feeling inside of her was growing. “I want to stay-“

“You’re a fucking idiot.” He scoffed, shaking his head and trying to ignore her sharp gasp. “Picking to go to a Community College for a guy? That’s fucking stupid, Lucy.”

Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was holding the bottle in her hand, tears gathering in her eyes at his words. “It’s not stupid.” She whispered. “I’m doing it because I lo-“

“You’re doing it to control me!” He snapped, his heart breaking with his words, but he pushed himself to continue. “For fuck’s sake, Lucy! Did you really think this thing between us would actually last?” He forced himself to look at her, forced himself to glare and ignore the tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Wh-What are you-“ She pressed a hand to her stomach, unable to get the words out.

“I’m saying I’m way too fucking young to be tied down!” His eyes flicked over her shoulder, silently cursing himself for being too loud as he saw several of their friends hovering in the doorway. “I’m going to become a firefighter and I don’t need you around causing trouble when I want to get some action from the women who will want me! I don’t fucking want you around, Lucy! I don’t want to fucking be with you!”

The only sound after his outburst was the bottle shattering in her hands from how tight she had squeezed it and the soft sobs escaping her. “N-Natsu, h-how could-“

He forced himself to roll his eyes as he pushed away from the counter and headed for the door. “Get over it, Lucy. We’re done.” He shoved through their angry friends, ignoring Gray, Loke and Erza as they chased after him because he needed to get away before he ruined everything by telling her the truth.

He sped away on his motorcycle, amazed that he didn’t get into a wreck with how fast he had been going as he drove to his brother’s house, the only place he could stay where no one would find him.

“What did you do?” Zeref’s voice was filled with barely restrained rage as Natsu got off the motorcycle. “Laxus just called and said you broke up with Lucy by telling her you wanted the ‘attention’ you were going to get as a firefighter?”

Natsu pulled his helmet off and set it on his bike before looking at Zeref, watching the anger fade from his brother’s face at the sight of tears on his own. “I had to.” He whispered.

“Why?” Mavis, his sister-in-law, spoke up from slightly behind Zeref, her concerned eyes on Natsu.

“Because she deserves better!” He shouted, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You know how fucking smart she is! She doesn’t deserve to be going to Community College! She deserves to go to a university! She deserves to have that experience and get the degree she wants! I was holding her back! She deserves better!”

Zeref studied him for a long moment before sighing heavily. “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”

“Proud?” Mavis looked at her husband in shock. “Why the hell would you be proud that he broke her heart like that?”

“Because he did it for her, Mavis.” Zeref shook his head. “The fucking idiot just ruined the best thing in his life just so she could have the life she deserves to have.”

Mavis frowned and crossed her arms. “She deserves to be happy, and Lucy is the only one who decides what makes her happy.” She looked at Natsu. “You should’ve talked with her instead of doing this.”

“She wouldn’t have listened.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “You know how stubborn she is. I know her, Mavis. She wants to go, but she wanted to stay here with me. She would’ve stayed.” He gave a weak shrug. “So, I forced her to go. She means more to me than anything. Even myself. I’ll gladly be miserable the rest of my life without her as long as she get to do the things she dreams of doing.”

Mavis shook her head and turned to go inside. “Her biggest dream was being with you, Natsu, and you just shattered that.”

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Submitted By: @teleiapotami

Prompt Used: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

Fandom: Fairy Tail

HYQ SPOILERS

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Memories raged through his mind. Memories that didn’t belong to him. The power of Aquarius’ Stream of Memories was so potent that Natsu could smell the dust and blood in the air like he was back in the ruins of Tartaros. Except he hadn’t been there, not really. The Allegria spell had swallowed him, and Lucy had saved them all. He didn’t know how, or how he knew that, but he’d known it from the moment he regained consciousness.

In the aftermath of losing his father, the feeling slipped his mind, buried under his grief and self-loathing. A feeling which was now made worse by Lucy’s memories coursing through him. The sound of her scream, summoning the Celestial Spirit King…he’d never heard it, but he could feel it in his bones now, shaking loose guilt he thought he had let go of.

The sound of careful steps outside his room drew him out of his brooding, and he heard the hushed murmurs of Wendy and Lucy, then the door slid open, and Lucy knelt at his side. He turned his head to look at her slowly, searching her face silently. She smiled softly at him.

“Wendy says you’ll be okay. It was bad, and with Erza being just as wounded, she didn’t have the power to heal you all the way,” she said, reaching out and brushing his hair out of his eyes carefully. “You heal faster so….”

“Lucy,” he rasped out, catching her wrist. She gasped softly at the strength of his grip, and he relaxed a little with a frown. “Sorry…Lucy, I need to ask you—”

“You need to rest,” she insisted. “Suzaku’s attack—”

“I saw them, Lucy. I saw the memories Aquarius showed you…” he said quietly. Lucy fell silent, staring at him with wide eyes. “I wondered why you didn’t summon her when Ignia set the city on fire…there was plenty of water, but you didn’t…”

Lucy clenched her fist and pulled it away, placing it on her thighs. “You need to rest, Natsu,” she whispered. Her shoulders trembled slightly, making him sit up slowly, letting out a growl of pain when the wound on his abdomen pulled slightly.

“I can’t Lucy. I close my eyes and I see….you. I hear you screaming…crying. I wasn’t there but I can’t stop seeing it now! You never told me what you did,” he paused when she looked up at him sharply. “I-I never asked…” he corrected himself.

Lucy shook her head sharply, angrily wiping her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Are you actually bringing this up now? It doesn’t matter Natsu, it’s over. That was more than a year ago!”

The knot of guilt tightened in his stomach at her words. “A year that….you were alone. I didn’t….I would never have…Lucy, why didn’t you say something?”

“I didn’t exactly have the time…the fights were still going, and then Igneel, and Acnologia. There wasn’t time, and you were in enough pain. You didn’t need mine too,” she said, looking away again.

“Yeah, I lost my dad, but you lost your first friend! The closest thing you have to family, and you sacrificed her?! We could have comforted each other; we didn’t have to suffer alone!” he growled, pressing a hand against the pain in his stomach.

“You want me to believe you would have stayed? That you wouldn’t have gone off for your training if I had told you? Or maybe you would have taken me with you? Not left me behind?” she demanded, glaring at him. Natsu winced back at the heat in her voice and ground his teeth together in frustration.

Lucy sat back on her heels after a moment with a soft huff. “That’s what I thought. You had to go, and my pain wouldn’t have meant a thing. So you saw the moment I did what I had to do, so what?” She cut off for a moment and looked at the door when Gray shouted for her. “ It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now,” she argued, pushing to her feet.

“Lucy!” Natsu growled, reaching for her, but drawing back with a low groan of pain. “You know that’s not—”

“Lucy! They followed us here!” Gray shouted as he ran past the room.

“What I know, is that I have a fight to win, and you need to rest, Natsu. I’ll send Wendy to check on you later.”

“Lucy, we have to—”

“We don’t have to do anything but get through this Natsu,” she said softly, without looking back. She left him there, staring after her and listening to the sounds of her fight. The screams from her memories blended with those she was letting out as she fought, sending Natsu’s mind into a dizzying madness of rage and guilt.

“I’ll fix this,” he swore to himself, laying back reluctantly. “If it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure she gets that key.”

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Submitted By: @blazingorchid

Prompt Used: Floral, Blood, Denial

Fandom: One Piece

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It should have been a time for victory… and for some it was.

Zoro watched as crowds of people swarmed the town square. Bright colors from festive clothing and lights blended together. Laughter and chatter became nothing more than a murmur to his ears. The smell coming from the large cooking pot that was in the center of the square made his stomach churn.

He brought his bottle of sake to his lips and gulped; downing half of it in one go.

“You should go talk to him.” Robin’s voice soft voice carried to him. Zoro didn’t even spare a glance back at her. “You’re the only one he-“

“I can’t help him.” Zoro stated bluntly. “Nothing I say is going to fix the problem.”

“So you aren’t going to offer him comfort?” Her tone turned sharped. Anger bubbled within his chest as his drunken mind detected something accusatory in her voice.

He took another drink until the bottle was empty. He chucked the bottle to the side. The strong glass didn’t break but bounced on the wooden flooring until it settled into a roll. He had his next bottle opened before he heard it clink against the wall.

“Zoro.”

He turned sharply on his heel.

Robin’s face was puffy around her eyes. The redness in them was a stark contrast to ice blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was slightly runny.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Robin cry. He didn’t really care to at the moment anyways. He just wanted her gone; out of this room and far away from him.

“If you’re so worried, you go comfort him! Leave me the fuck alone!” He growled.

She glared back at him, before her eyes fell to his torso. It was only a matter of seconds before her face twisted in devastation.

Zoro followed her gaze and instantly regretted it.

He was covered in blood.

Her blood.

Just another fucking reminder that he failed.

He had every intention to rip his clothing off once he got to the room. To get rid of any remaining evidence that this night even happened… and yet he didn’t. He couldn’t. The thought of trying left him in a daze before he was consumed with the desire to drink.

“He has the sunflower she wore in her hair.” Robin stated softly. Her voice trembled, not able to bear the weight of her grief. “Her blood is staining the petals and yet he just keeps …” she was interrupted by her own sob.

Zoro could only stare.

“When Sanji tried to take it away… Luffy… he…”

Zoro didn’t need to hear the rest. He knew what his captain was capable of when pressed to his limits. He knew that Luffy did not handle loss well and had more than likely kicked the cook’s ass for even daring to take her flower away.

“She’s gone.”

Zoro felt his pain ripple down his spine. His hands clenched; one around the neck of the sake bottle, the other in a simple fist which led to his nails piercing his palm.

“And because you two can’t let her go, you’d rather comfort yourselves with her blood.”

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Submitted By: @notsofluffyunicorn

Prompt Used: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

Fandom: Fairy Tail

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Her eyes immediately sought out the voice that she knew better than her own, and she was confused to find Natsu curved over her with tears streaking a path down his cheeks.

She frowned, concern for him welling inside of her chest. She didn’t like it when Natsu cried. He didn’t ever really do it, not often, so when he did cry Lucy knew that something must’ve seriously rattled him.

“Natsu?”

Natsu’s eyes were locked on hers, wide and panicked.

“Stay still, Luce,” He pleaded. “W - we need to wait for Wendy. You’re bleeding.”

It took a minute for his words to register, but when they did she found that they didn’t make much sense. Because, she wasn’t bleeding but her nails were.

“Natsu, my nails.” She held a shaky hand up in front of her face again, not bothering to mention that her body was starting to feel cold. Natsu was with her, and he always warmed her up anyway. “Look.”

“Are you kidding me?” He growled, using his forehead to nudge her palm back down. “You’re bringing this up now? You’re fucking bleeding from a hole in your stomach, Lucy. I don’t care for your nails right now.”

She found that she didn’t really have the energy to reply, and instead she just watched him.

He was crying, but he still looked as beautiful as ever. Natsu had always been beautiful to her, in all the loud ways a person could be beautiful, but in the little ways too. He was kind and sweet to her, considerate of her feelings.

She blinked up at him tiredly, finding that she just genuinely wanted nothing more than to fall asleep right there on the dirty ground. Nails and Natsu be damned.

“No. No, Lucy! Luce! Don’t close your eyes, baby, please.”

She tried to tell Natsu that she couldn’t help it, but everything faded into the background as soon as Natsu let out a gut-wrenching sob and a searing, blistering heat slammed directly into her abdomen.

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Submitted By: @xfangheartx

Prompt Used: “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud.”

Fandom: Genshin Impact

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The Conqueror's Promise

  “I don’t know whether to be angry or proud…”

  Xiao stood quietly as he stared at Lumine’s back. The sun was setting beyond the rocky outcrops that surrounded the Chasm and the wind blew gently, rustling her hair and making the ornaments at the end of her scarf tingle like two little bells. The Yaksha’s face was one of rare nervousness as they stood there at the cliff’s edge.

They had just escaped from that strange dimension they were trapped in. He remembered the frightened look on Lumine’s face as she reached out to stop him from sending her and the others back up to the surface. He knew that she didn’t want him to do it… but he couldn’t tell her his plan. He knew she’d try and stop him, regardless if he told her or not.

  It was the only way. He just hoped that she had understood.

  As he fell back toward the darkness, all he could think of was that face. The face of the girl that he became so attached to. He was usually so closed-off to others, but with her… he felt different. He felt safe.

  To know that she would live was enough for him… or so he thought.

  The next thing he knew, he was back up on the surface with the otherworldly traveler and the others. As he looked up toward the clifftops, he could see the retreating figure of the Archon that he served. Deep in his heart, he was thankful to Lord of Geo… but now, he knew that he had something to answer for.

  He knew the moment he saw Lumine’s frowning face and then told Paimon and the others to give her and Xiao a moment alone. They walked here, toward this cliff, both of them standing in tense silence before the traveler finally spoke to him in the present moment.

“…I know you must be upset,” Xiao replied.

  “I’m not just upset, Xiao!” Lumine spat as she turned to face him. “Why would you ever do such an insane thing?!”

  “It was all I could think of doing at that moment!” Xiao argued, his voice momentarily rising. “I-I had no choice!”

  “We could have figured something else out together!” Lumine countered.

  “There was no time!” Xiao snapped back. “I had to do something! We were about to fall back down and… and…” He sighed as his shoulders sagged and he glanced off to his left. “I… I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”

  Lumine’s eyes softened and her shoulders dropped. “Xiao… no sacrifice is ever worth it. Did you even think about how much it would hurt everyone if you lost your life, no matter how immortal you are? Don’t you have any idea how much you mean to the people who care about you?” She paused as she cast her eyes to the ground. “Or… how much you mean to me?”

  Xiao’s eyes widened slightly as he looked up at her, his golden amber eyes meeting her honey gaze. The wind blew again, carrying the golden yellow ginkgo leaves and rustling the orange and brown grass. That’s when Lumine approached him.

  “Xiao…” she said. “I want you to make a contract with me.”

  “A… contract?” Xiao asked.

  “Yes,” Lumine nodded. “I want you to swear that you will never take your life so lightly again… do you understand me?”

  Xiao stood there, unsure of what to say… but then his expression hardened with that steely gaze of seriousness before, with some hesitation, he reached out and gently took the traveler’s hand in his own, then slowly fell to one knee as he bowed his head and closed his eyes.

  “I, Adeptus Xiao, Conqueror of Demons… hereby swear that I will never treat my life lightly again.”

Lumine nodded her head. “Good.”

  “Hey, Traveler!”

  Upon hearing that squeaky voice of her companion, Lumine turned to see Paimon waving to her, as well Yanfei, Yelan, Itto, Shinobu, and Razor.

  “Yo, compadre!” Itto called. “We’re off to get some grub! Wanna join us?”

  “Come on! Let’s eat, already!” Paimon added.

  Lumine smiled, a sudden sense of relief washing over her before she turned to face Xiao, who was back on his feet once again.

  “How about the others go eat in town,” Lumine began, “and I’ll meet up with you at Wangshu Inn for some Almond Tofu. What do you say?”

  “…Sounds good,” Xiao nodded.

  Lumine smiled warmly at the Yaksha, who felt his cheeks grow warm as they were dusted a light pink, and he could feel his heart skip a beat or two. As they went to join the others, Xiao didn’t even realize that he had reached over… and had taken the traveler’s hand in a firm yet tender grip. Lumine didn’t look at him… but instead, she just silently locked her fingers with his.

  ‘Thank you, Lumine…’

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Submitted By: @Miskii

Prompt Used: Floral, Blood, Denial

Fandom: Fairy Tail

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She was crying so hard that she feared that she might run out of tears.Her best friend had died trying to protect her and she couldn't help but feel guilty.

If only I was strong enough to protect myself, then she wouldn't have died such a gruesome way.

Earlier

“Zera, stop running, you're going to trip and fall!” Yelled Mavis at the short brown haired girl.

“It's fine.” She yelled back before she fell on the ground.

“I told you so.” Mavis said after she caught up to the girl.

“It's fine really, I'm not hurt.”replied Zera.

“Let's just go back to the tree.” She added.

“Fine,”Mavis replied.

After they reached the tree they were surprised to see that most of the animals had been killed.

They were looking around when they saw a man with short black hair and decided to question him.

“Do you know what happened here?”asked Mavis to the boy.

“I do.” He replied,not happy that he was being questioned but obviously taking interest in the long haired blonde.

“Then what happened?” Zera asked.

“I killed them.Just like I'll kill you two.” He answered.

“W-why would you do that?”questioned Mavis.

“Because I was cursed this way, for every thing that I care about to die.” He replied nonchalantly.

“I won't allow you to kill Mavis, kill me instead if you have to.”Zera said sternly.

“My,My.What fascinating friendship you have.To go as far as to risk your lives for each other.”He said.

“NO!” Yelled Mavis. “Don't kill her, kill me.”she said.

“What are you talking about!?” Zera screamed.

“Well, I suppose I'll kill the white-haired girl,”He said.

As he prepared to kill Mavis, Zera jumped in front of the attack and took the hit for her.She fell to the ground with a thump,blood spilling out of her chest where a hole laid in her body.

“No,No,No,No.”Mavis said. “You can't die, you promised to stay with me.You promised dammit!”she cried out,falling to her knees to cradle the body of her friend.

“You can survive.I promise you will find more friends and family.Just promise me that you will leave this island and travel with the people that you meet.”said Zera

“I-I can't leave you!” Mavis replied. “You're my friend, my family and my sister.”

“Just this once, promise me.” Zera said,choosing to ignore her refusal.

“No!”she cried, still hugging the broken body of her friend.

“Please.” Zera begged.

“Fine!” Mavis said.

“Thank you.” Zera said before taking Her last breath.

Present

“No!!” Mavis cried, feeling her friend's heartbeat stutter till it stopped completely.

She cried and cried and cried, never once letting go of the body or looking at the boy in front of her.

Finally after hours of crying she got up to go bury the body of her friend. She made sure to put flowers on the burial.

That night she cried and cried. She cried the next day and the day after that until two weeks passed since the death of Zera. She was an emotional wreck but decided to push past it.

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Submitted by: @blazingorchid

Prompt Used: “Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now?"

Fandom: Teen Titans

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“That was … something.”

His ears perked at the sound. Her voice wrapping around him like a velvet curtain. The soft growl that was natural in her voice never failed to send a shiver down his spine.

And as much as he always loved being near her… right now was a bad time.

“If you came out here to scold me-“

“No.” She cut him off.

He couldn’t help but look back at her. Her hood was down giving him a clear view of her face. Although always stoic- since her powers were sensitive to emotion, he had become a master at reading her by her eyes. Deep and dark in contrast of her pale skin and yet he found that nothing shined brighter.

“Good.” He sighed. He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to. Unlike her, all he ever did was feel. Too much and all the time. His heart constantly on his sleeve as if it was etched there.

“You’re not that easy to read.” She spoke, sitting next to him.

“You read minds now?” His lips lifted just slightly. He could feel one of his fangs scrap against his bottom lip.

“No. I mean to anyone but me. Even then, it took me a while. You’re actually confusing to empathic powers considering you’re always so optimistic. When we first met, I thought you were a brainless twit.”

He raised an eyebrow. He watched as a bit of humor glimmered in her eyes.

“Now I know you’re a brainless twit with a dark side.”

“Ha ha ha. Saw that coming a mile away.” He grumbled. His ears drooped. And he was all of sudden stricken with guilt.

He had exploded moments ago with Lin the tower. He had said some pretty unfair things to everyone before storming outside to where he sat… and even though he didn’t think anything he said was wrong, it was definitely hurtful.

“I’m so-“

“Don’t.” She raised a hand. “Nothing you said was a lie.”

“But-“

“Garfield.”

He felt his mouth shut upon hearing his name from her lips. A pretty normal reaction since it never failed to shock him with how fucking great it sounded to him.

“Everyone has limits. Robin pushed you to yours.  You reacted just as anyone else would have. Were your words hurtful? Yes… but true. Sometimes the truth just hurts.”

“I never want to hurt you.”

“That is an impossible task.” She countered gently. “Pain is … inevitable. Especially when the heart is involved.”

“Oh yeah!” He perked up instantly. He leaned back into both hands and smirked in her direction. He grinned, his canines poking out from his top lip. “You love me. That’s what you said last night”

“You’re bringing that up now?” She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t I supposed to be comforting you in your time of need.”

“This is comforting me. The girl I’ve been crazy about for years finally confessed to me last night and I haven’t been able to bask in its glory.” He suddenly felt agitated again.

He flinched when the light above them popped; glass shattering and falling to the concrete. He then eyed the empath to his side and smirked.

“The way you can shift emotions like that is actually impressive.” She let out a breathy chuckle. Her eyes lifted to the now busted light. Then she sighed falling back to her resting features. “I hope they don’t ask.”

“Just say I did it. Robin thinks I mess everything up anyways.”

“Hey.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. He leaned into her touch, a purr rolling out from his chest. “Don’t let him get to you. Just cool down and as for a sit down where it’s just the two of you. Then apologize to Cyborg and Star.”

“So I should apologize?” He asked her.

“To them. Star is very sensitive to how people feel about her. She probably thinks you hate her right now. And Cyborg is the closest thing you to a brother so he’s probably crying on the inside despite trying to act tough.”

“Can’t you … tell?” He asked.

“All my focus is on you at the moment.”

He beamed at the confession.

“I’ll do that, but first… wanna fly with me?”

Her reply was the dark shadow disc that was conjured with a flick of her wrist.

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Thank you to everyone who participated this week! We are going to get some monthly prompts moving in February, and keep the weekly ones going for those who like them!! We'd love to see you in our discord!!

[eryiss]

Summary: Lead singer of rock band Raijinshuu, Laxus has been in the closet since the band became popular. His bassist Freed has been out since the beginning. Now that Laxus is ready to come out, he'll do anything to make it happen. Even if that means kissing his friend on stage.

Notes: Hi all. Day three of Fraxus week. This one has a lot of kissing, but also a few references to 90s attitudes to gay people, so be aware. Head over to @fuckyeahfraxus to see the other event submissions.

Links: Ao3, Event Masterlist

A Small Price to Pay

1: The First Time – August 1999

On any other performance, Laxus would have been lost in the music and the thrill that came with it. Normally, when he was on stage, his entire mind was occupied by the instrument he was playing. The ripping of his throat as he sang, the burn of his fingers as they slid up and down his axe, the vibrations of the stage as the speakers blasted out his music. He was a performer through and through, and his mind was always on giving his audience the best show he could.

But tonight, there was something hanging over him. Something inevitable; something that would be the main talking point for Raijinshuu no matter how well they played. They could give this crowd the best show of their lives – the best opening show of a tour in history – and they wouldn't talk about it.

Because tonight, he had to make out with his bassist on stage in front of thousands of people.

It was ridiculous. Freed was a good friend, but not once had either of them considered the other a possible partner. They'd known each other since they were kids, had gone through the horny days of puberty, and spent nights locked in a small room writing love songs and not once had they even considered starting anything. When it came to the two of them, it was simply not on the cards. But tonight, on stage, they had to kiss for the first time.

The reason for it was ridiculous as the situation itself. Freed had publicly come out as gay the day their first album topped the charts; he wouldn't hide it. Laxus had always been proud of him for that, but it did leave him in a situation. Apparently, a band can have one gay guy in it to attract a gay audience, but having two of them was too much.

As such, Laxus had to stay in the closet. Unless he wanted to make out with Freed.

"Look, part of your appeal is you're hot," Their manager, Hades, had said. "People listen to your music because they like you. They come to these concerts because they want you to see them and take them to bed. Sex sells, and you're a product."

Laxus had scoffed. "Girls have wanted to fuck gay guys for years. Don't see the relevance."

"I'm not willing to bank on that," Hades shrugged. "But, as I said, sex sells. So, if you're so insistent on this," he makes a hand gesture, "Gay thing, then we have a way of keeping up the sex appeal. They won't be fantasising about you bedding them. Instead, they'll be thinking that the second you get off stage, you'll drag Freed into your dressing room, and you'll fuck him."

"What?" Laxus' face blanked. "Why the hell would they think that?"

"Because at the climax of your shows – every show - you're gonna storm over to him and kiss him like you can't control yourself."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because it's either that, or you go back into the closet."

So, given that the moment Laxus decided he was going to come out he knew there was no chance of him remaining in the closet, Laxus had agreed. He and Freed had known each other for a long time, they'd gotten past arguments and awkward moments aplenty, they would be able to kiss a couple times and then pretend it didn't happen. It was a small price to pay for being himself in public for the first time. To have what Freed's had for all of his career.

But now, with it about to happen, Laxus didn't know what the hell to do.

Their final song was coming to an end, Laxus' fingers burning against the strings of his guitar, and all he could think about was what was expected of him. What he needed to do to be himself. The stupid rule that he had agreed to.

With a sharp strike of the guitar and the scream of the last lyric, Laxus finished the song. The crowd roared their appreciation, yelling for more in a clusterfuck of excitement. He goaded the crowd with some strumming – teasing their yells out and prolonging the inevitable for a few moments more – and the reaction they got was amazing. The opening night of the tour was always one of the best. The rush was like something Laxus couldn't explain. The euphoria was a high that Laxus craved.

Not thinking long enough to stop, Laxus stormed over to Freed.

The second he was close enough he wrapped a sweaty hand into Freed's drenched hair. He yanked the man towards him, pushed their exhausted bodies together like he did it all the time, bent his back to establish dominance, and kissed the hell out of Freed Justine.

It was… just a kiss.

2: The Time It Became Routine – September 1999

As it turned out, it took exactly twelve shows for Laxus to get over kissing Freed.

They were in their third week of the tour, had fielded and ignored hundreds of interview requests, and kissed each other exactly eleven times. Eleven times Laxus had walked the length of the stage on an adrenaline high, grabbed his friend, and kissed him. Each time, they were hailed with wolf whistles and cheering, as if their borderline smutty act was the perfect crescendo to their music. It had become part of the show; and Laxus always did what he could to make his show as good as possible.

So, at the end of their twelfth show, Laxus strode over to Freed rather than stormed to him. He didn't need to adrenaline to push him now. If kissing Freed was part of the band's appeal, then Laxus would treat it as part of the act.

Once he was close enough to Freed, he stopped with a swagger and took Freed's chin between his thumb and finger. He could see a close up on their faces from the corner of his eye and felt the stagnant apprehension. He leant down slightly, close enough for their noses to rub together but not yet kissing him. Freed looked up at him as if on the edge of insanity. As if Laxus had been edging him all night and he was desperate for this kiss.

Of course, Freed had always been a better actor than Laxus. In that moment, Laxus was sure Freed was equal parts amused and irritated.

Laxus wrung the moment out for as long as he could, knowing that the crowd were waiting for him. He tilted his head and smiled softly, as if to give a more intimate and gentler kiss. Then, just as their lips were about to touch, he pushed Freed against the nearest speaker, pinned him to it with his hips and planted a sweaty kiss on him.

The crowd cheered, Bickslow and Evergreen played their drums and guitar respectively, and the lights on the stage cut off. Once they got the all-clear that the mics were off, Laxus removed himself from Freed's person. Freed's stage persona fell, and he looked at Laxus with a cocked eyebrow.

"So you're slamming me against things now?" Freed asked as if annoyed, but Laxus knew his expressions well enough to see the smile he was fighting.

"You love it," He grinned.

Freed laughed, cracking his back and handing his guitar to a stagehand. "You used to be so awkward about men, I sometimes miss that," Laxus snorted at that. He was still awkward about men, but kissing Freed was different. It made sense; none of it was real. "And you bite when you kiss, did you know that?"

"No I don't," Laxus scoffed, walking off stage and pulling off his damp shirt. He tossed it into the stage side laundry basket and walked to his dressing room. Freed followed him, shut the door with a slam, then pounded his fist against it once. To anyone listening, it might seem like Freed had just been shoved into the door. "Just got sharp teeth."

"Either way, be wary when next find someone to sleep with. Not everyone will be so receptive to a bit of pain in that way."

"Not much chance of that happening anytime soon," Laxus shrugged, drinking a bottle of Gatorade in a few large gulps. He handed one to Freed, who took it but looked at Laxus as if confused. "What?"

"Why won't you be sleeping with anyone?"

"We're together," Laxus answered, confused. "Everyone thinks we are, anyway."

Freed seemed to consider what to say, then smiled and placed a hand on Laxus' shoulder. "I've some bad news, Laxus. Since we've been together, I've strayed in my loyalty and slept with another man. Well, men really."

"Seriously?"

"You didn't expect me to be chaste, did you?"

"Course not. But ain't you scared someone will go to the press?"

"And say what? That the bassist for a punk rock band who might be dating the lead singer had sex with another man? Half of our fans won't care, and the other half will be delighted that we're shaking off the shackles of conventional relationship dynamics," Freed shrugged. "And if people did care, we just put out a statement saying that they're lying and trying to get clout off the back of us. They'd believe us because they want to like us."

"I guess," Laxus hummed, then frowned. "Wait, men? How many guys you been with already?"

"Thirteen."

"It's only been three weeks!" Laxus squawked. "How the hell did that happen?"

Freed looked at him with something close to pity. He took a second to consider his words before speaking. "Laxus, I know sex is something that makes you squirm a little, but I think you need to hear this. Now that people know you want men, you are a god. You could go to any gay bar in any country, and all you would have to do is click your fingers and half of them would drop to their knees without even thinking. They'd be queuing up for you."

"Shut up," Laxus laughed to avoid the weirdness of Freed's words. He wasn't right, was he? "That what you do? Pick a conquest out of adoring fans?"

"Of course not. I find someone who obviously is attracted to me but isn't showing it because he thinks he's better than the rest, and flirt with him until he's entirety… pliable," Freed grinned. "I love the challenge of a man who needs a push."

That sent images into Laxus' mind that he really didn't need. This conversation needed to die off, so Laxus fell onto a safe topic: post show rituals. "Don't you need to do some sudoku?"

"Am I being dismissed?" Freed teased.

"Yeah, fuck off," Laxus grinned.

"Such a cruel man, I don't know why I date you," Freed mused. He unbuttoned his shirt, slid it off, and balled it up. He removed the headband that kept his hair out of his eyes while performing and tossed both articles of clothing to random parts of the room. "I'll see you on the bus. Make sure it looks like we had sex before you leave."

Laxus laughed, and Freed was gone a moment later. He collapsed onto the sofa, pulled some headphones to him and played a recording of a thunderstorm on the ocean: his own post-concert tradition. He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder.

For some reason, he was imagining what Freed looked like when he was flirting with men in bars.

3: The Time When Laxus Realised the Obvious – November 1999

"So, you're not actually dating?" Mirajane frowned.

"We're not," Laxus confirmed.

They were performing in their hometown of Magnolia and had been given the day before the concert off. Laxus had wanted to spend the day relaxing at his grandfather's house and having a short break from the craziness of the tour, but the second he'd gotten into town, Mirajane – an old school friend of the entire band – had called Laxus and demanded a meeting to know everything about his and Freed's relationship. Nobody had ever been particularly good at saying no to her, and that was how he ended up in her kitchen being barraged with questions.

"Really? Are you sure?" She insisted. "Because I've seen some of the kisses on the news and they seemed quite steamy. It looked like the kind of kiss you can only give someone you really want."

"Well, hate to disappoint ya- why was it on the news?"

"Oh, apparently you're destroying the moral core of America and trying to drag the youth into a cult of satanism and degeneracy," She shrugged.

"That's the goal," Laxus sniffed a laugh. "But, me and Freed really aren't together. Just an act."

"But why?"

"I wanted to come out, the label wasn't thrilled. They said part of my appeal was that girls could fantasise about getting me into bed, and that it's a main part of the brand," Laxus shrugged, and Mira huffed at that. "They said that second best thing is them imagining me and Freed going at it. So, if I wanted to come out, I had to make it sexy. Freed agreed to do it. So now I kiss him."

"Right…" Mirajane hummed. "And you signed a contract?"

"No, they don't put shit like that on record," Laxus huffed. "Why?"

"I might regret saying this, because now I've seen you two kissing, I really want you to be a real couple, but I think there's something you haven't considered," She smiled at him. "You don't actually need to keep doing it."

"What?"

"Well, sweetie, you're out," She made a gesture to him. "You're in the national news kissing another guy. I don't think you're going back in the closet ever again. Well, you destroyed the closet during your show in Hargeon. The way you grabbed him by the belt, it looked like you wanted to rip his pants off him right there," Laxus face flooded with a blush. "But that's not the point. The point is people know you're gay. It's out there, your label can't take it back if you stop kissing him."

Mirajane's words stayed with Laxus for the next two days. Making out with Freed had basically become part of his day to day life now, and their friendship hadn't really changed so Laxus no longer thought it weird. He'd accepted that until the tour was over, he would be planting a kiss on Freed after every show. The idea that he didn't have to had never crossed his mind.

So, when he was reaching the end on his final song, Laxus was conflicted.

Time was running out and he had to make a choice. He hadn't talked with Freed about this, so the decision was solely on Laxus' shoulders. Either he doesn't kiss Freed tonight and put an end to it entirely. Or he kisses Freed, and he's forced to confront the fact there's a reason he wants to kiss Freed other than wanting to be publicly gay.

It might have been easier if he knew what that reason was. He wanted to keep kissing Freed and he didn't know why.

The kisses weren't exactly earth shattering. He didn't feel fireworks or electricity through him. They were fine. They weren't bad by any means. But they were stage kisses; objective kisses. One moment Laxus was on one side of the stage, the next his lips were on Freed's and their bodies were pushed against each other. It was an act and nothing more, but for whatever reason Laxus wasn't willing to give it up yet.

"Thank you, Magnolia!" Laxus screamed into the mic, and now he had to make a choice.

He turned to Freed, who seemed to be prepared. Past Freed, he saw Mirajane standing in the wings, a look of fascination on her face, obviously desperate to see what he was going to do. A swirling of conflicting began to bloom inside of Laxus, but the sound of the crowd drowned it out. He looked back to Freed, who had a cocky little smirk as if he were challenging Laxus to do it. In that moment, Laxus understood why he loved kissing Freed; it was a game. An inside joke between the two of them that hold the air of challenge. And if there was one thing Laxus had never been able to do, it was resist playing with Freed.

He strode towards him, grabbed him by the waist and pulled him close. They leant in together, tongues dancing as they pushed up against each other. The usual hail of cheer covered them, and Laxus relaxed into it.

And then, not to be outdone by his bandmate, Laxus lowered his hand and squeezed Freed's ass. The whistles and cheers were so loud at that that Laxus didn't have the time to question why the hell he had done that.

4 – The Time Freed Won the Game – November 1999

"Thank you, Era!"

Laxus yelled his goodbye into the microphone and turned towards Freed. Kissing Freed at the end of the shows had become second nature, and Laxus liked to think that he had gotten damn good at it. The crowds always lapped it up, the news always claimed they were evil, and Freed and him would always laugh about it after the show had finished. They'd crafted a well made routine with it, and rarely strayed anymore.

So, when he saw Freed stalking towards him, rather than the other way around, Laxus was taken unaware.

Freed wordlessly grabbed a handful of Laxus' shirt and yanked him forward, causing Laxus to stumble a little. He grinned, took some of Laxus' hair in his hand and pulled him down with force. Laxus could only gape for a second before Freed's lips were on his own. He bit Laxus' lower lip, and deepened their kiss, leading it in a domineering way that he never had before.

With an explosion, everything that Laxus had thought their kisses lacked burst forward.

The fireworks, the electricity, the passion exploded inside of Laxus. He melted into the kiss in a way he never had before. He became pliant and almost needy, his body relaxing and softening to Freed's control. It became apparent how much Laxus had been leading their kisses so far, because the second Freed asserted any control, Laxus became this needy mess. What was worse, he didn't care even a little.

He went to raise his hand to lace it in Freed's hair, but Freed grabbed his wrist and held it, stopping him. Laxus froze and melted further into the kiss at the show of his strength. A groan of pleasure slipped out and echoed around the stadium. Fuck.

Laxus pulled away and saw Freed's eyes sparkling with amusement and delight. It sent a jolt of pleasure through Laxus.

"You're an ass," Laxus whispered with no heat.

"You sounded like you enjoyed it," Freed whispered back.

The lights cut off on the stage, but they stayed close for a moment, looking at each other's eyes as the stage erupted into movement around them. Freed's eyes, which Laxus had looked into hundreds of times in their years of knowing each other, were suddenly hypnotic. His hand, which still was resting against Laxus' chest, grazed at his skin through the fabric of his shirt. Trails of shivers were sent through Laxus' body, and he found himself entirely weak at the knees.

"All it takes is a firm hand, and you become entirely pliant," Freed teased. "I'll have to remember that." Laxus, his mind racing but no words coming, laughed weakly. Freed patted him on the chest and stepped back. "I'll see you on the bus. If you want to talk about it, we can. If you don't, that's fine," He went to walk away, but stopped and looked back with a grin. "And, no matter what happens, I'm definitely going to make you make that noise on mic again."

Freed turned and walked away, stripping off his sweaty shirt as he did so. As he walked away, Three thoughts struck Laxus. One: he had never noticed just how good Freed looked from behind. Two: he had never known how much he loved a man to take control. Three: if their kisses were a game, Freed had just won.

5 – The Time Nobody Saw – December 1999

On December the thirty first, nineteen ninety-nine, a concert was held to celebrate the end of the millennium. It coincided with Raijinshuu's tour of Fiore, so they were names as guests of honours and opened the show. They'd performed a short set – forgoing the kiss as not to detract attention from the other acts, many of whom were smaller and only just starting out – and had been allowed to watch the rest of the musicians from the sidelines.

It was getting closer to midnight, closer to the new year, and Laxus and Freed were just to the side of the stage. They watched as The Trimens, an up-and-coming boyband, serenaded the crowd into the new year. They sang a romantic ballad that was almost hypnotic in its mellifluousness. They were talented kids; they'd do well.

"You look lost in thought," Freed commented, and Laxus looked down to him.

"Do I?"

"What's on your mind?" Freed ignored the attempts of deflecting.

"Just… new year's, I guess. Always get kinda wistful about it. This year's even worse. New millennia, new world, all that crap," He sighed, leaning on the metal bar that separates them from the stage proper. "Just thinking about growing up, you know. I turn thirty next year and there's a hell of a lot of normal stuff I never got to do. There's always that voice telling me that maybe I missed out. That I should have tried to be a kid when I had the chance."

"Do you regret being part of-"

"Oh fuck no. Best thing I ever did," Laxus said resolutely. "But, well, what d'you think the guys would say if I brought up maybe having a break after the tour? Not a long one, maybe a year or two. Just some time to let things settle, Y'know. Try stuff out before we start the next album."

Freed didn't give Laxus the immediate answer that he wanted. He didn't lie to Laxus. Instead, he asked a question.

"What would you be trying out?"

"I don't know. The things I always wanted to do but never had the time. The things I forgot I cared about," Laxus shrugged. "You remember when I used to take apart computers and make 'em better? There was a time when I could do anything with electricity. That's what it felt like, anyway. Probably wasn't as good as I remember."

"You were," Freed argued. "You were quite the nerd, if I remember. What was it you said after you changed the monitor of your computer for the first time? 'The computer's now my bitch.'"

Laxus chuckled. "Nah. Microsoft was my bitch."

"Of course. Your hatred of capitalism started early," Freed laughed. "What else would you be looking to do if we had a break?"

"Well, I guess… come on, you already know," Laxus tried to let it drop, but Freed wouldn't allow that and Laxus knew it. "I wanna find a guy."

He'd wanted that since November, since that first real kiss with Freed. That has awoken something inside of him that he hadn't known about; a want to be with someone who set him alight. Sex was good, and he'd had a few one-night stands after Freed has assured him it was safe to do so without backlash, but none of it was right. None of those orgasms had been anywhere near as good as those few kisses where Freed had taken charge.

Not that they ever spoke about them. Freed always offered when they happened, but Laxus couldn't do it. The way he'd started to see Freed was new. It went against years of just friendship. It was a risk. He could say the wrong thing and ruin anything they had together. He couldn't risk that.

But he was in love with Freed. It had been easy to admit and had come on quickly. He'd always been in love with Freed in some sense, and the shift from platonic love to romantic love had clicked into place with ease. If he knew the right things to say, the right way to act and the right way to approach it, he would make sure Freed knew the extent of his feelings and let the cards fall where they needed to. If Freed felt the same, it would be amazing. If he didn't, Laxus would get over it and they'd remain friends. That was fine.

Losing Freed because he couldn't say the right things was not fine.

"A man," Freed echoed. "They can be hard to find."

"You been looking for one?"

"Not actively. Not for a while," Freed looked on at the band, eyes unfocused. "I need someone who can excite me. That's what I've been struggling to find."

Laxus went to say something, but the song petered out despite not ending. The lead singer, Hibiki, announced that they were getting close to the end of the year. The screen at the back of the stage flicked to a countdown, starting at thirty and slowly ticking down. The crowd and the Trimens started to count down, and Laxus watched on with a sad smile. The new year was fast approaching and Laxus still hadn't figured out what he needed.

"If you want a break to find yourself, Evergreen and Bickslow will be supportive. They'll be shocked, but realise you need it," Freed's words cut through the echoed countdown. "They'd do anything for you. You know that."

"And you. What about you?"

Freed smiled, turned to fully face Laxus, and cupped his chin. As the countdown rose, Laxus found himself leaning into Freed.

"Three!"

The rush of adrenaline burst inside of him, a swirling of panic and euphoria battling inside. Not one of their stage kisses had been like this.

"Two!"

His eyes flickered all over Freed's face. They hadn't kissed without their stage persona's getting in the way. Freed was softer, gentler. He was beautiful no matter what, but in that moment he was perfect.

"ONE!"

Cheers of 'Happy New Year' filled the stadium as their lips touched in a soft, timid kiss. Laxus place a hand on the back of Freed's neck and gently stroked it, leaning in and truly feeling what it was to kiss Freed Justine. To have chapped lips pressed against chapped lips. To have soft hands roaming up his sides as the man's light bulk rested against his own. To feel Freed's stray hairs tickling his face and his nose bumping against his own.

The Trimens started up their song again, the chorus of the ballad a perfect accompaniment to their kiss. In that moment, Laxus knew what he wanted for the next year. For the rest of his life. Because if this is what it was like kissing Freed when nobody was watching, then he could settle for nobody other than him.

But that was for the future. Now, he had Freed in his arms, and he would live in that moment for as long as he could.

+1 – The Time Where It No Longer Mattered – January 2005

Laxus woke with a bleary head and blinking eyes. Being hungover and awake at seven AM was always going to be horrible, but being hunger and awake at seven AM in a tour bus bed was a particularly bad experience. Still, it could be worse.

He mindlessly tugged Freed closer into his arms, burying his face in Freed's hair to block out the light. Fucking tour bust curtains, they barely kept any light in. He heard a slight teasing laugh through his grogginess and, as he often did, cursed whatever god he could think of that his husband had such a high tolerance for alcohol compared to him. The bastard had drunk more than him and yet never got hungover.

"Fuck you," He groaned, wrapping Freed up tighter.

"Maybe when you're more awake," Freed teased, and Laxus pinched him. Freed really loved that particular joke. "We have a show tonight, if you remember. It's best to wake up now and deal with the hangover earlier. If you don't, tonight will be torture."

"Do we have to do it?"

"We'd let down a lot of fans if we didn't."

"Fuck 'em," He huffed quietly, shuffling down the bed to bury himself in Freed's shoulder now. His hair wasn't good enough. "Why the hell did we agree to do a show on January the first anyway. Stupid idea."

"Because we both agreed that we need a vacation after the tour, and the only way the label would let us have a long break so soon after the last one is if we make them a lot of money," Freed teased, a hand stroking Laxus' hair. "And when they realised that they could make a show based off a gimmick, they took the chance."

"Fucking pricks," he grumbled to himself.

"I agree, but you have to admit it's smart," Freed mused. Laxus would admit nothing of the sort. "Anniversary tours are popular already, but having a show to celebrate both five years on from our first real kiss, and our two-year wedding anniversary is a perfect storm. They certainly know what they're doing."

Laxus grunted but didn't speak. Instead, he shuffled so that he was face to face with Freed, winced at the too bright light, leant down to sleepily kiss his husband. It was as inelegant and messy as any kiss could be, and Laxus relished that.

"Happy new year, Baby," He grumbled, smiling.

Freed smiled tiredly. "Happy new year."

[fae-340]

A bit of a Misunderstanding (FT Next Gen)

Just something I wrote a long time ago, just for fun. I apologize in advance if it’s kinda… cringe, it’s somewhat old.

———————————————————

It was a day like no other at the guild, many of it’s members chat with one another or pick a job out from the board. Others were more loud and destructive, a pink haired mage and dark blue haired mage argued with one another as it escalates into a full on fight. Elsewhere far from all the ruckus, a couple of young mages sat at a table chatting with one another. Hunter and Kai talked with one another while Katalina happily ate a piece of strawberry shortcake while she listened to the conversation Storm, Julius and Layla had going on.

“Layla, I already told you there’s no way that’s happening.” Storm said in annoyance as Layla only pouts.

“Come on! I’m positive we can take one of those S rank missions without a hitch! Besides, barely anyone ever goes to the second floor anyways. It’s an easy steal!” Layla says with enthusiasm, much to the dismay of Storm.

“But an S rank mission takes days to complete, you know? It took our dad and Gajeel almost an entire month to complete one.” Julius says, making Layla rethink her idea a bit. The last thing she wants is to take so long on a mission, worse if she has to take multiple forms of transportation. The thought of it makes her stomach turn. As they continue with their bickering, the doors to the guild open to reveal Maxwell and Lance who wave to everyone as they walk in.

“Hey guys, what are you talking about?” Maxwell asks, but both Fullbusters and Layla stay quiet about it. Kai spills the beans and tells him about Layla’s “plan”, then he glares at her as he warns her about doing such a thing. She starts sweating as she nervously says its just a joke. The two sit down at the table to join in on the fun.

“So, how was the mission?” Layla asks.

“It was nothing. Those idiots really thought they could beat us, but they were wrong as hell.” Lance says with a proud smirk on his face, with Hunter responding with a scoff as he looks away.

“It took us a lot more time than we thought, they were a lot more clever, they even made various traps that caused us a bit of a problem.”

The two had taken a job to help a small town with some bandits, these bandits used all sorts of tricks and magic that barely left any evidence of who or where they were hiding. It took the pair a bit before finding them and swiftly taking care of them, they stayed in town for a day until they were rewarded. Just shows how much of a good team they are.

“Where did you guys stay at? I heard that place had a very fancy hotel.” Hunter said.

“The hotel was being renovated because those idiots blew up the place, so we stayed at an inn. It was crap though, only had one room available with one bed. It’s cozy, at least.” Lance said as he crossed his arms.

“It’s a shame the hotel wasn’t available, but at least the inn was very welcoming. At the very end, we just slept together.”

…

“Huh?”

“IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK! This idiot got hurt during an ambush and I just stayed by his side so… Besides, he didn’t let me sleep on the couch!” Lance said with his face as red as Erza’s hair as everyone stared at them in disbelief.

“Well of course I wasn’t going to let you sleep on the couch, it looked quite uncomfortable. Besides, the bed was large enough for both of us so it was fine. I didn’t mind at all.” Maxwell said as he shrugs his shoulders. Lance coved his face with his hands in embarrassment, the very tips of his ears a very bright red color. Kai and Storm were laughing their butts off as Layla was a bit confused by what was happening, with Julius simply saying ‘it’s nothing’. Katalina sighs at her brother’s obliviousness as Hunter called his brother an idiot. From a distance, Erza and Laxus stared at their sons in disbelief.

“So… when is your kid going to realize what’s going on? Are you gonna to tell him?” Laxus asks her, to which she shakes her head.

“Sooner or later it’ll happen, I’d rather not spoil anything yet.” Erza said with a smile, watching her son look at the others. All Maxwell could do was stare at them with a very confused look on his face, only to blush as red as his hair once Kai told him, to which he heavily apologized.

It’ll take a while, but maybe these two might have a shot with one another. Only time will tell.

[raijindork]

Souls & Spirits - Ch. 60

Summary: Everything seems to fall into place when the right  person comes into your life. That was what Bickslow realised, anyway,  but if it hadn’t been for them getting paired up for a job together, he  never would have realised that Lucy was that right person who would  light up his world in ways he never thought possible. Pairing: BixLu Rating: T/M (Mostly T. Explicit chapters marked.) Words: 5000~ Read on FF.Net.

After several years, the final chapter has arrived.

“You’re a little asshole, you know that?”

Bickslow gasped dramatically, quickly covering his son’s ears with his hands. “You take that back!”

Laxus puffed out his chest and crossed his arms. “No,” he insisted. “Hunter’s an asshole.”

“He’s nine months old!”

“Yeah, and he’s an asshole,” Laxus once again insisted, leaning down just to ruffle his newphew’s short cobalt hair. “Aren’t ya, buddy?”

Hunter merely looked up at Laxus for a moment and started giggling, his tongue just barely peeking past his lips. The first time Bickslow had seen that Hunter had managed to pick up that particular trait, it had been in the middle of the guild a few months early, and at first, he’d thought it was just a coincidence. But then it had happened again, and again, and then Lucy had seen it and berated him for a week for teaching their child bad habits. Now though, Bickslow couldn’t help but feel a little proud every time he saw his son do his little tongue wag.

“He’s not an asshole,” Bickslow argued though, finally taking his hands away from Hunter’s ears—he’d heard far worse anyway, much to Lucy’s annoyance—just to sit back on the soft, cushioned floor of the guild’s new playroom. “Jax is an asshole.”

Laxus straightened back up and narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Now you take that back. Jax isn’t an asshole, Hunter is—“

“Your kids are both fuckin’ assholes,” Gajeel groaned from the other side of the room, his daughter on his lap with one of Levy’s Rune Basics books in front of them both. Gajeel had argued it was too advanced for a kid who wasn’t even two, but he’d lost that war the second it had begun. “Just like their fathers. So both of you, shut it.”

“Ash-hole!” Gajeel’s daughter said triumphantly. Bickslow and Laxus paled when the toddler grinned and began triumphantly echoing her new favourite word. “Ash-hole, ash-hole, ash-hole!” she said.

Laxus wasted no time in scooping up his own toddler under one arm and making a quick departure, mumbling something about going and hiding behind the bar as he went. Bickslow could only laugh nervously as Gajeel continued to glare at him. It was probably a miracle that Hunter wasn’t old enough to talk yet or he’d be saying the same things. “Look, it’s not my fault,” Bickslow defended himself. He would maybe admit he was part of the problem, but it was most definitely not entirely his fault. It was Laxus’ fault, too. “Technically, you said it too.”

“I’m telling Shrimp it was you,” Gajeel said.

“You wouldn’t.”

Gajeel grinned menacingly. “I would.”

And Bickslow knew all too well what that meant. Gajeel would tell Levy, Levy would tell Lucy, and Lucy would… Well, Lucy would yell at him for teaching their friends’ kids bad habits, too. “Hundred jewels and you blame Laxus,” Bickslow offered instead. He didn’t really want to give Lucy more reason to yell at him. She’d only just stopped yelling at him for breaking the living room window a week earlier whilst playing with the babies and Hunter. Granted, it had been snowing all of that week and getting it replaced had taken a few days, but Bickslow really didn’t like it when she yelled at him. She terrified him.

“Two hundred and deal.”

Bickslow would, of course, take that deal. It was a bit of a bargain, especially by Gajeel’s standards. Two hundred jewel was merely a fraction of how much the guitar he’d had to replace all those years ago had cost him. Still, Bickslow groaned as he pulled himself up off the plush mat for a moment just to fish the crumpled jewel notes out of the inside of his cloak and toss them loosely in Gajeel’s direction.

“Pleasure doing business with my, my friend,” Gajeel said, cackling as his pocketed the money and turned the page for his daughter.

Bickslow sighed again and rolled his eyes, turning his own attention back to Hunter still giggling a little too maniackly for his own tastes as he slammed the poor totems into each other. “Yeah, yeah,” Bickslow grumbled under his breath. “Now who’s the asshole, huh?” Only assholes used blackmail as a threat, and Bickslow seemed to know all too well that it was Gajeel’s way of getting under everyone’s skin.

“Ash-hole!” Gajeel’s daughter giggled again.

That time, as Gajeel glared at him and no doubt plotted a murder, Bickslow could only grin sheepishly as he took a page from Laxus’ book, jumping up, grabbing his son, and leaving the playroom as fast as possible. “It’s not my fault!”

###

Lucy stirred awake at the sound of the lock being turned and she stretched her arms above her head just as Bickslow made it inside into and into the dark foyer. “What time is it?” she asked, straining as she stretched out her hands.

“Late,” Bickslow sighed, shutting the door behind himself gently. Hunter would be fast asleep at the other end of that hall and the last thing Bickslow wanted to do was wake him up. Bickslow wasn’t sure what it was about four-year-olds being allergic to bedtimes and sleep, but he knew from experience that getting his son to bed was a nightmare and he didn’t want to wake him unnecessarily. He could wait until morning to see his son. “Too late.”

Lucy didn’t have her keys nearby to check the time, but the street outside was quiet—no quiet conversations just outside in the street as party goers and bar patrons made their way home—so she knew to take Bickslow’s word for it. She shifted slightly, scooting to the front edge of the lounge and then patting the soft back cushions behind her. “Come here,” she said.

The lounge certainly wasn’t big enough for the two of them, but Bickslow would indulge his wife for a few moments in the peace and quiet and quickly kicked off as much excess clothing as he could. His boots, cloak, belt, and wrist guards sat in a pile by the foot of the sofa, and he groaned from aching muscles and a growing bruise on his shoulder as he carefully climbed into the crampled space behind her on the comfortable lounge. Lucy always smelled of home—those days it was apricot body scrub—and he closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair.

“Sometimes I wish I could just stay at home forever, with you and Hunter and the babies and all those annoying spirits of yours.“

“They’re not annoying, thank you,” Lucy scoffed.

He smiled and chuckled quietly as Lucy elbowed him gently in his stomach. “They are annoying. Especially Loke. And to think I kept his secret for all that time.”  

As if to prove Bickslow’s point, Loke cleared his throat from the foot of the sofa, by Bickslow’s clothes. “We are not annoying,” the spirit insisted, pushing his glasses back up his nose at Bickslow’s groan and Lucy’s giggling. “I merely aim to help make Lucy’s life slightly more tolerable and assist in any way I can. Although, given that she married you and refuses to divorce you after all this time, I’m not sure my best efforts really do much.”

“Loke, man. Come on. You hurt me.”

“Oh, no. What a shame.”

Bickslow didn’t miss the spirit’s grin before returning to his own world. He doubted he’d ever be best of friends with his wife’s prized spirit, but after several years together, Bickslow could almost say that Loke summoning himself at inopportune moments just to annoy him wasn’t actually that annoying after all. Still, he would go to the grave calling Lucy’s spirits annoying.

“See? Not annoying,” Lucy giggled. “And, you can’t stay at home forever. I can’t stay at home forever either.”

Bickslow sighed into Lucy’s shoulder. He knew. He knew it was unreasonable. It was just as unreasonable as them leaving the guild before Hunter had been born. Sometimes, part of him still wouldn’t have minded giving up his job—just stop working as a mage, and find a normal, safe job somewhere. He still wouldn’t have been able to stay at home every second of every day then, but he wouldn’t go days, sometimes weeks without seeing his family.

The list of moments and firsts he’d missed grew longer each time he took a job. Lucy’s, too. He’d missed the birth of his son. Lucy had missed Hunter’s first steps. They’d both missed his first words that weren’t just complete gibberish that not even Freed or Levy could decipher. And, Bickslow wanted to say that the next baby would be different, when they came in just a few more months, but he knew it wouldn’t be the case.

“I know I can’t,” Bickslow said. “But I want to.”

“I know you do.”

“Thanks for not divorcing me yet, though. Honestly a miracle you haven’t.”

Lucy laughed, and she turned on the sofa so she could face Bickslow and press soft kissed to his cheek and his lips. “Maybe next year,” she promised. “Happy anniversary, Pixie.”

“Happy anniversary, Cosplayer. I’m sorry we missed another one.”

She kissed the tip of his nose gently. “Don’t be. It’s fine.” As far as Lucy was concerned, they had plenty more ahead of him. Missing a couple was nothing. “But, I did get a little something. Freed called earlier this morning to let me know you probably wouldn’t home until late. Help me up, will you?”

Bickslow didn’t get much of a chance to process Freed being one step ahead of him as he helped Lucy up, and watched her disappear back into the dining and kitchen. She came back a few moments later with a pink cake box, a glass bottle, and some glasses.

“Now, I know it wasn’t for our first date, but, it’s still one of my favourite dates.” Bickslow couldn’t stop grinning as Lucy laid out the plain chocolate cake, save from the messily frosted five in the middle, and popped the cork on the large bottle. Lucy didn’t miss the concerned look he gave her when she poured the liquid into the glasses, and quickly said, “Sparkling apple juice!”

“Cake and wine—well, apple juice,” he chuckled, pulling himself up from the couch just to drag Lucy back onto his lap and smother her with even more kisses. “I love it. I love you. You know, I’m pretty sure I was in love with you then, too.”

“I know.”

“What do you mean, you know? How did you know?”

“You’ve told me,” Lucy answered, giggling around a mouthful of rich chocolate cake. “A few times, actually.”

Bickslow scowled as he snatched away the fork Lucy had been using to pick up the next piece of cake, shovelling it in his own mouth before she could take it back. “Well, fine. But it’s true anyway. Probably.” He shrugged, leaning back into the sofa with another bite of cake. “All I know is, I must have been super fucking in love with you to willingly get hurt that many times. All by this very date, by the way,” Bickslow said, energetically gesturing between themselves and the food on the coffee table.  

Lucy gawked at him. “I never hurt you.” Well, apart from those times where he was helping her train down in Hargeon, but Lucy didn’t count those.

“No, you didn’t. But your team sure did.”

“Oh, yeah? When?”

“Well, there was that time I pissed off Gajeel—“

“Gajeel isn’t with my team,” Lucy pointed out quickly.

Bickslow dismisseed it with a slight shake of his head and roll of his eyes. “No, he’s not. But I broke his guitar and he broke my nose.”

Lucy smiled, a soft turn of her lips that almost had Bickslow concerned. “Oh, I remember that one. That didn’t have anything to do with me though.”

“It kinda did.”

“Yeah? How so?” Lucy snorted.

“Well, it was right after I’d properly asked you out. So, you know…” His cheeks warmed as he lifted the glass of apple juice, hiding behind it some as he tried to sink further into the sofa and away from Lucy’s growing smirk. “I was happy and shit,” Bickslow said bashfully.

Lucy had to cover her mouth from squealing and laughing too loud, lest she wake Hunter up just down the hall. She was vaguely aware of the fact that it was a miracle they hadn’t already woken him. “Aww,” she crooned. She leaned into Bickslow’s side, squeezing his cheek and making it just that little bit more red. “You were happy, huh?”

Bickslow groaned and pouted. “Yes, I was, thank you.” He rolled his eyes and tried to fight off the infectious smile when Lucy giggled again and pressed light kisses against his cheek. “Anyway, the point is, it was your fault I got into trouble with Gajeel, because I had a major crush on you obviously, was super fucking happy because you, for some fucking reason, agreed to actually go out with me, and I was doing dumb shit because I felt on top of the world. Okay?”

“That’s adorable.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is,” Lucy giggled. She settled into his side comfortably, resting the cake box on her lap and offering a bite to her husband. “You’re still on top of the world though, I hope?”

“Oh, abso-fucking-lutely,” Bickslow mumbled around the cake. He didn’t need to think about that answer.

“What about the other two then?”

“Well, then there was that time that Erza threatened me with her swords.” He couldn’t help but grimace slightly. “You know, for the time I apparently stole your first kiss in the guild, in front of everyone, because I couldn’t figure out a way to talk to you in the guild without making everyone question just why the fuck I was talking to you in the first place.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lucy said. “She made you come apologise in the middle of the night.”

Bickslow nodding, sipping on the fizzy juice. “I still have that scar on my hand, you know.”

“No you don’t. I’ve seen your hands.”

Maybe not physically. “Fine,” he conceded. “Anyway, then there was that time after our third date, where I stayed over but then Natsu came to your apartment in the morning and he threw me into your coffee table.”

“I really liked that table too…” Lucy mumbled.

“It was a table.”

“But it was a nice table. It was one of the first things I bought when I moved to Magnolia…” Granted, it really hadn’t been the fanciest table—it was a coffee table, and a plain and cheap one at that. But it had been something she’d done on her own.

But, Bickslow understood that. “I know it was,” he said softly, tilting to rest his cheek against the top of her head for a moment. “But, and I may be biased, but I think I was a pretty damn nice boyfriend.”

Lucy scrunched up her nose, shrugging slightly. “Eh… Better boyfriend than husband, sure.”

“Excuse me?” Bickslow feigned his shock, pulling himself away abruptly. There was a glint in Lucy’s eyes and a smirk plastered on her lips. “And how would you know, huh? Who you comparin’ me to? I know for a fact I’ve been your only boyfriend, ever, Cosplayer.” He wore that badge with pride. Weirdly.

“Yeah, and I know for a fact that you never had a proper girlfriend before me, either,” Lucy said, prodding the Seith mage in the chest.

“…Okay, fair point. But, you did marry me, so at the very least, you thought I was a good enough boyfriend five years ago.”

“Maybe I just didn’t know any better,” Lucy said, almost wistfully as she settled back against her loving husband. “Alas, you knocked me up so now I’m stuck with you… Oh, the misery.”

“Mm. Poor you,” Bickslow agreed. His hands were by Lucy’s waist, poised and ready. “Poor, miserable, Lucy.” He didn’t give Lucy a chance to get away before he tickled her ribs, wrapping his other arm back around her waist as she squealed and planting soft kisses all over her cheek and lips. “I don’t know how you cope, Cosplayer. Being stuck with me, your doting, loving husband, and our wonderful son, and another perfect child, and let’s not forget all of your niblings and my sisters and… Yeah, actually, never mind. I feel sorry for anyone who has to know those two fuckwits.”

Lucy snorted. Years later, she still found the feigned animosity between the Alderwood siblings all too amusing. “My life is just so horrible.”

“So very horrible.”

She craned her neck to look up at him, a soft smile on her lips that reached her eyes and she kissed him again gently. Sometimes, Lucy still just loved sitting there on the couch with Bickslow, on the quiet and late nights, and forgetting—even if it was just for a moment—that a world existed beyond them. The quiet nights were rare, but when they did happen, Lucy cherished them. Her heart was full—Bickslow’s too, she knew—and when Bickslow grinned down at her, with the same goofy, wide grin he’d had since their first date and that their son had woefully inherited, she still felt those gentle butterflies in her stomach.

But, as happy as Lucy was in the warm bubble of her husband’s hug, the sickly sweet scents of apple juice and cake could only mask so much. “You need to go have a shower,” she said, “and we need to go to bed. I’m definitely not falling asleep on this lounge with you, either.”

Bickslow knew better than to disagree, and he was sure his spine would thank him anyway.

###

"Harper! Get back down here!” Bickslow shouted up towards the guildhall’s rafters. “Don’t make me come up there,” he threatened, only causing the small girl clinging to the wooden beams to giggle even louder.

Beside him, Laxus snickered into his fourth cup of coffee for the morning. “You know Blondie’s going to be back any minute now and she’s going to kick your ass if Harps doesn’t have both feet on the ground,” he said.

“I know,” Bickslow said through gritted teeth, continuing to glare up at his daughter twenty feet above them. The second Lucy had left the guild to grab some extra supplies in town for the parade later that night, Harper had run straight for the rafters. The girl had turned four barely six months earlier, but she was already double the menace Hunter had ever been at the same age. But Bickslow narrowed his gaze to the five totems circling Harper, bobbing up and down in the air. “Babies, you know better.”

“Harp! Fly! Harp! Fly!” the babies cheered.

But, Bickslow didn’t get much more of a chance to yell at the babies for taking too many orders from a four-year-old, or try and convince said four-your-old to come back down on her own before he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head from someone getting a fistful of his hair and tugging on it. “Ow, ow—“

“Why in the world is my child hanging from a beam?” Lucy demanded, one hand on her hip as she tugged forcefully on her husband’s hair, having him leaning over just to lessen the pain. It wasn’t her fault he refused to cut it though; if he’d merely let Cancer give him a trim she wouldn’t be able to yank on his hair that was just about long enough it needed to be tied up.

“It’s not my fault!” Bickslow said. He was keenly aware of Laxus snickering at him, and he was sure he could hear the familiar giggling of his daughter above him too.

“Then why do I see the babies up there, huh?”

“Because they keep listening to her!” Bickslow winced, trying to pry his wife’s fingers out of his hair. He didn’t need to glance at her to see the fury that was no doubt aimed at him.

Still, Bickslow would maintain that it wasn’t really his fault. His daughter just really had a knack for bossing the babies about—more than Hunter had ever been able to, and more than Lucy had ever been able to as well. He’d tried telling his babies to just stop helping the damn kid get into mischief too, and it had worked for all of about five minutes, but then Harper had wanted the babies to help her get into the tree in their backyard one day, the babies had refused, Harper had started bawling her eyes out and before Bickslow had had a chance to figure out why his daughter had been having a tantrum, she’d been swinging happily from a tree branch with the babies giggling around her. He’d even tried taking the babies out of their bodies when they were at home, too, but hiding the babies from his daughter didn’t work too well when Harper could, in fact, see them anyway. That much, Bickslow wasn’t too fond of. Lucy, however, had just about wet herself from excitement from finding out her then almost four-year-old had inherited at least some Seith magic. She’d been just a little disappointed when Hunter hadn’t, but that disappointed had quickly dissipated once he’d borrowed Lucy’s Canis Minor key whilst playing and claimed it for his own.

Of course though, Lucy knew she couldn’t do much in the way of Bickslow’s babies doing whatever it was their precious spider monkey asked of them. That was, as far as Lucy was concerned, entirely a Bickslow issue. So, she let go of his hair, finally, crossing her arms over her chest instead. “Harper, honey,” she said gently. The festival parade was beginning in a few more hours and truthfully, the last thing Lucy wanted to be doing was having to coax her child down to the ground again. She had a float to finish decorating! “Come on down now, please. Aunt Mira will make you a nice big milkshake if you come down now!”

“No!” Harper shouted, shaking her head as she continued to cling to the beam.

Sometimes, not that Bickslow would admit it, it was tempting to just let his daughter do what she pleased, mostly because when she got what she wanted she was happy and his childrens’ laughter had long since replaced Lucy’s on his list of favourite things in the world. But even high above him, Bickslow could see the devilish little grin on her mouth and hear her giggling at them because she damn well knew she was in trouble and enjoyed it far too much for reasons that Bickslow would never understand, and even if Harper might as well have been a miniature version of Lucy, he knew for a fact that she got the attitude entirely from him. His sisters had made sure of telling him that the last time they’d visited.

But, while Lucy was fine just promising milkshakes, Bickslow knew it was time to pull out his trump card. “Harps, if you don’t get down here right now, we’re not going to watch the parade tonight,” he said.

Harper sat up, gasping. Even Lucy was a little surprised at his threat. But Bickslow meant business. Sure, he didn’t want to miss the parade, or even the fireworks from his favourite rooftop in town, because he’d not missed a single year since the guild had gotten back together, but Bickslow wasn’t really sure what else he could do to get his daughter to come back down to earth.

“No see Mama?” Harper asked.

Bickslow shook his head. “Nope. No fireworks either. And it won’t be just you that doesn’t get to see the parade or Mama or the fireworks. Hunter won’t be able to go either. You don’t want Hunter to miss out, do you?”

And for a moment, Bickslow thought he’d finally won. It was an offer too good to refuse in his eyes, and as Harper sat quietly, he knew it would be just a few more seconds before she was telling the babies to take her back down to the ground. But then she leant back down to hug the beam, shaking her head again. “Nope! I stay,” she said instead.

“Harps! Stay!” the babies cheered.

When Lucy flicked his ear and muttered something about their kids being brats, Bickslow knew he’d deserved it.

###

Lucy squealed the second arms were wrapped around her middle, and her straw hat when flying in the gentle breeze when she was pulled down onto the soft picnic blanket. “Stop doing that!” she giggled, swatting Bickslow’s arms away and doing her best to wriggle out of his soft grip just to try and fetch her lost hat. “I’m going to hurt you one day, you know that.”

Bickslow shrugged, grinning as he instead leant back on his hands. Sneaking up on Lucy from behind was, undoubtedly, one of his favourite things. “You have before,” he reminded her. As far as he was concerned, it was an occupational hazard. Still, it had been years since she’d last impulsively swung at him, thinking he was just some random creep.

“Fine,” Lucy admitted. With her hat back on her head, shielding her from the harsh summer sun, she sneaked a glance back to her children playing in the field—Hunter was chasing Harper around, with Plue doing its best to keep up—before joining her husband on the blanket and stealing a gentle kiss. “But you’ve deserved it, each time.”

Across the field, Hunter only groaned as he looked over to his parents at an inopportune time. “Ugh, gross!”

Bickslow rolled his eyes at him, all but ignoring the growing blush on Lucy’s cheeks as he did his best to irritate his child even further and take Lucy’s cheek in his palm and kiss her again. The park was mostly empty, aside from a few stragglers, and Bickslow had never cared about being affectionate in public. “Go play, babies,” he murmured, smiling against Lucy’s lips, and when he distinctly heard his son yell at them to quit being gross, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, fine, stop your whining. Jeez.”

“It’s fine,” Lucy said, an airy giggle escaping as she instead accepted just leaning into his side. “We’ll have time for that later. Hunter wants to have a sleepover with Jax tomorrow. As long as you let Harps have the babies for a little bit we’ll be able to sneak away for a few minutes.”

“It’d be better if we could have no kids for a night, but I guess one is fine for a night.”

“Hey,” Lucy laughed, elbowing him in his side. “You’re the one that had baby fever, remember? You don’t get to complain about them now.”

“But that’s for babies,” Bickslow whined. “Teenagers are annoying.”

“We only have one teenager. And only barely.” Although, the fact that her baby boy was officially a teenager did have Lucy feeling just a little wistful from time to time. He’d been so small once, and now there he was, just about taller than her and rolling his eyes at any form of affection she tried to offer him.

“Still counts.”

Lucy tried not to roll her eyes. “Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.

“Speaking of no kids for a night though,” Bickslow began after a moment, trying not to get too distracted by figuring out just what his children were yelling at each other about. “Picked up another job flyer today. Thought we could do it together. I’m sure we could get someone to watch the kids for a day.”

Lucy couldn’t even remember the last time they’d gone on a job, just the two of them. It had been years, at least—before Harper had been born, even. It had been easier when it had just been Hunter. Getting a babysitter or timing it with a sleepover had been fine. But once they’d had Harper, Lucy had just never really liked the idea of leaving the kids without both of their parents for a day or two. But, Hunter was older, and Harper was nearly nine. Leaving them with someone else for a day or two would be different, surely. “Maybe,” Lucy hummed. “What kind of job?”

“Just this small gang that’s taken up residence there, I think. Nothing major.”

“Where is it?”

“Cartervale.”

The corner of her mouth twisted up into a soft smile, and Lucy wasn’t the least bit surprised to turn back to Bickslow and find him grinning at her. “Cartervale, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I guess if it’s just a quick job…” Lucy picked herself up from the blanket, readjusting her hat quickly. It’d been years since she’d even heard Cartervale, but now all Lucy could think about was whether that one little inn still existed. “Should probably still go ask the kids to see if they’d be okay with both of us leaving for a couple days, though…”

“Yeah, maybe.” Bickslow wasn’t going to tell Lucy that he was pretty sure that Hunter probably wanted both of them to leave him alone for a couple days, because she probably already knew it.

He could only watch with with a wide, tongue-hanging grin as Lucy slowly backed away, onto the soft grass and towards the open field where their children were. She was up to something, he knew; the cogs in her brain were ever turning, and the less than innocent smirk on her lips still occasionally had his heart skipping a beat. But Bickslow waited, just for a few more moments, before he rose to his feet, only giving Lucy a chance to sneak up and join in on the fun their children were having, before he went and chased after them all.

[hedgehogcryptid]

Probably no one cares but I need to rant about Fairy Tail now that I finally finished it. Because I feel like it gets a lot more hate than it deserves considering that almost everything it set out to do it did right. Starting from characterization and relationship dynamics. Those were fucking great. They're so fucking fleshed out, I love them.

And I've seen people complaining about Natsu and Lucy's relationship being dragged out but I feel they're missing on the fact that, first and foremost, they're partners, and no amount of romance or lack thereof can change that. Not long after meeting him Lucy jumps out of a window with no hesitation and no back up plan because she heard Natsu's voice and that meant she would be safe. That is not just a high level of trust, that is insane. And that's the entirety of their relationship. Making them romantic wouldn't change anything. It would just mean slapping a different label on it, because their relationship simply cannot be more deep and meaningful than it already is. (And this might be my aroace ass speaking, but I cannot imagine Natsu being stereotypically romantic. Even if they decided that they were, in fact, dating, I feel nothing would change in the ways they act around each other)

Also about Erza and Jellal, really. They're clearly meant to be together, they love each other. But they can't share any amount of time on the same room without it becoming awkward or dramatic because the amount of shared trauma between them is fucking astronomical. They need twenty years of therapy before they can do any significantly romantic thing and that's great. It's awesome! Just because you're in love with someone doesn't mean that being together will be easy! But that doesn't make their relationship any less meaningful or tender.

And the platonic relationships! The family ones! Makarov will risk himself and use the fairy law and Mavis tries to stop him. Tells him she has a plan that will lead to victory. Only for Makarov to say "I know this. But I need it now because the children are suffering and I won't wait a second longer" before obliterating an entire army.

Gildarts might be a womanizer but he's good with kids and he's so fucking delighted at having a child. He's so proud, and so embarrassing. I love him.

The raijinshuu are friends, and it shows, and I kinda love that the one to have a raging crush on Laxus is not Ever, the only woman among them. And the Strauss siblings have such a good relationship too. And thankfully don't fall into any of the worst sibling cliches. Levi and Gajeel spend the whole time they know eachother developing a relationship on the background, and by the time you pay atention they're sleeping together. That's hilarious. It's fantastic.

And speaking of Laxus, he goes from being a crazy fuck to incredibly cool and dependable without it feeling like he got a complete personality transplant. Partly because it soon becomes clear that most dragon slayers are, at any given time, one wrong turn away from completely losing the plot regardless of their best intentions. But also because his core values remain the same. Guild pride is the thing that drives him. When we first see him he's obsessed with making Fairy Tail strong so that it can stand proud on the face of anything. After taking a forceful journey of self discovery he learns that the guild is the sum of every individual person on it, instead of an abstract ideal of power, but the fact remains that the guild is the important thing to him. That's why he gets Natsu to defeat Hades instead of doing it himself. Because at that point he's not a part of the guild, so if he's the one to win it'd mean that Fairy Tail didn't, and that simply cannot stand.

All in all, it does such a good job of depicting good and complicated relationships with care and nuance, and makes a place for the ones that are bad. Lucy's dad has to work to get accepted back into her life, and that's amaizing. Where else have you seen a parent that doesn't get instant forgiveness after saying sorry? It's certainly not as often as I would like.

But I mostly feel like talking about the "darker" things, because it sometimes gets labeled as childish because no one dies (which is a big fucking lie. And I did not sign up for that. At all. I was fucking counting on it, and it was a LIE. And sure, Silver was technically already dead, but still) and like. I get it. Most main characters who "die" get miraculously saved. But that doesn't mean trauma in-world is any lighter.

On the seven year timeskip most people don't care about the characters that stayed behind, because they're secondary, and weaker, and not very cool. But we're told the reason the guild fell behing wasn't because it lost it's stronger members, but because they spent years upon years neglecting jobs for the sake of searching for the missing ones. And that's very fucking big.

But, again. The darker shit. They're not happy go lucky. They're not naive. They declare war no less than three times and every single one they make it clear that it is not about justice, it's about vengeance. About retribution. About "you don't fucking fuck with us". (And, lets remember, declaring war was fucking illegal).

They repeatedly say that they don't do good things because they're the good guys. They do the shit they wanted to do and it might just be that it could be considered good (and if not, they can convince people in high places to overlook it, pretty please. Because they have the friends to manage that).

Natsu has a whole argument with an outright assassin, and it never comes up that "murder is bad". It's framed more as a professional disagreement, rather than a moral argument. Natsu's main problem is that, while taking killing jobs, they call themselves a guild, the thing he asociates with family. The thing he considers sacred above all else. And since killing jobs are dirty (not unethical) they should, therefore, never touch a guild.

Before the final batle he outright says that killing kinda sucks but he will do it if he has to. And then kills around 900 people in a single second. Lucy is ready to kill. She's alone with Brandish in the bath and she's ready to shiv her in the neck. She might feel cornered, like this is the only option she has left. But in that moment she's ready and willing to see it through.

Invel is facing Gray and tells him "yes! Sucumb to the darkness so you may understand and join our purpose". Only for Gray to go "you dumb ass bitch. Do you think I care about going dark? Do you seriously believe I'm playing hero? All I care about is taking you down and if I have to be evil for that then that's how we roll".

All of that. I love that. They don't give a single fuck. Family comes first not because that's good, but because that's the way they are. They don't much care about what place their guild occupies relative to the rest of the world, or where any one member falls on a scale from good to bad. When all is said and done, all that mathers to them is the line between them and us, and they don't care to sugarcoat it.

And so many shows do that wrong. You get good guys who commit untold atrocities that go unaknowledged because they're the good guys! They can do no wrong! And I feel Fairy Tail should get more credit than it does on those grounds alone, but it does help that the character dynamics are good.

And I could write an entire (incoherent) essay on how Zeref is truly the most sympathetic villain I've ever seen. Everything about how he ended up makes perfect sense with his fucked up situation beyond a simple "I suffered so now I'm a self righteous asshole". You can see all the ways his mind had to twist itself into pretzels for him to maintain any semblance of functionality. If you're an hyperempathetic young man who suddenly and involuntarily kills anything he cares about then you really need to convince your brain that you don't care about anything, actually. Problem with that is that you're now convinced that it's true, because it doesn't work unless it's true. But the thing is that you also want to die, and you can't do it while actively wanting to die, so you need to die while thinking you don't want to. What's the best way to do that? You need someone else's help. And the best way to get someone to kill you is probably if they really really hate you. And the best way to do that is to become a supervillain, probably. Which also comes in handy for the whole "convince myself I'm truly an asshole" thing. And you end up becoming a calamity and fucking over the lives of anyone who could have loved you. But at least you can finally die.

And Mavis! The sweet looking, undeniably good person who turned out to be a ruthless strategist, quite detached from the world around her, who has a hard time weighing the value of individual human lives when there's a bigger picture to look at. But she's not an unfeeling stereotype either. She does love people, she wants them to have good things. But that doesn't change the fact that she doesn't relate to people the way others do, even if she could've lived her life without ever realizing (and I love that they tell us the wars the mages participated in were merchant wars. Just a random little tidbit, but yes. Wars do tend to be about money)

And this was a very long post and I said a whole bunch of nothing because I can't keep a train of thought to save my life. I just wordvomited a bunch of things that I liked. Long story short: characteryzation in Fairy Tail is top tier and I won't be taking criticism about it. You can try to critisize me though, I do enjoy arguing when I have enough braincells to put words together in the right order

[happyvoidharmony]

Do you think Miraxus will have children, if so what do you think they will be like?

Hi ! I have pretty expensive headcanons about them but they're not that different from the "general" headcanon and I'm a very poor drawer so I never found an interest in writing or drawing about them.

They're three very blond heads (Mira wanted five but Laxus only one in theory so, ironically, they came to a funny compromise without even trying).

The first one is Rei (pretty sure I took that name from a french fic that I read a LONG time ago) which in japanese can be written as 光, which means "light" (I think, I actually only found one source that says it's one of the possible readings, if it's not then just ignore the whole part about her name). Very unoriginally, she is a blond, looks a lot like her mother with very similar eyes but a very strong jaw, defined eyebrow from her father. I like to make her a lightning demon slayer, she's very strong and about the same age as jerza's kid (pretty sure we got a drawing of him not so long ago) and they get along very well (maybe a little too well according to their parents as they get older).

The second one is a boy which is also a blond and three years younger than his sister (Mira had to let Laxus a little time before getting him to want a second one). I won't tell his name because it's a very open take from fictions but I can't find a name for him that I like. He is very strongheaded and looks a lot like his father except for the eyes and kind of mean to others except for his little brother that he protects with his life, and his cousin (elfever's kid) that tags along. I don't have any defined headcanon about his magic though.

The last one (finally, this answer is way longer than I thought it would be), I won't say his name either for the exact same reason as the other one (if anyone has suggestions, I'm open). He is a boy, as stated before, and only one year younger than the second one (wasn't exactly planned but welcomed with lots of love). He is the most fragile and shy, often sick since his birth (Laxus blamed himself a lot for that) but very devoted to helping his mother, from which he took a lot of features, and siblings. He has the lightest hair of all without it being completely white and is also the only one with his father's green/dark eyes (and he's pretty proud of it). He is not very good at magic (and it's okay).

Here you go, it's longer than expected but I hope it was clear enough. Come to me if you have more questions ^^

[frostfireft]

Can we have more Bickslow headcannons? And maybe Evergreen, Freed, and Lexus too?

Fuck yeah you can! I’m gonna start with a lot of angst and then move into their dynamics as a team. (this got REALLY long but I’m not sorry)

-I gave you all my HC for Freed’s backstory in my last post and mentioned that Freed is the reason that Bickslow and Evergreen joined the guild, so have both their backstories too! 

-Bickslow grew up in a travelling circus with several other child performers. It wasn’t exactly a nice environment. There were lots of issues and safety hazards and abuse going on behind the scenes, but they were forced to keep smiling and performing through it all. 

-Bickslow was especially targeted by the ringmaster because of his magic allowing him to look into people’s souls. The ringmaster is the one who forced him to wear a helmet when he wasn’t using his ability on the crowd for money. 

-Because of that, he only had five friends back then, all children younger than he was, who looked up to him both for his tricks and the fact that no matter how upset he was, he had a smile for them.

-one day the tent caught fire during a practice. Bickslow was the only one to make it out alive. 

-but considering all the traumatic events they went through, most of the children kept there weren’t able to move on, and their spirits lingered in the area... Except for the five kids who were most fond of Bickslow. They stayed near him and talked to him all the time, especially once they realized he could see them. You still have a soul as a spirit after all. 

-the town he was in began to think he was crazy because he was “talking to the air” all the time, and they would continuously call child services to try and take him to an orphanage. The five spirits however, would warn him before they could, and Bickslow used his years of acrobatics skills to stay away from anyone who tried to move him away from where the circus burned down. It may have been a place of trauma, but there were good memories too, and it’s all he had. 

-So the town tried one last gamble. Who better to adopt a child with mysterious magic that Fairy Tail? 

-And Makarov, in an attempt to get Laxus to be more social, decided to send him and Freed. 

-It went about as well as you’d expect. Laxus tried to fight him while Freed did research on the area and what happened to him. 

-Laxus didn’t have as much control over his magic as he thought he did at that age, and Bickslow was kicking his ass before Freed showed up and trapped him so they could talk.

-Freed shared his story with him and offered the same thing Laxus once offered him: a home. 

-Bickslow cracked soon after that, and told them everything after Freed started asking questions about the town thinking he’s crazy while they were on the train back to magnolia. 

-While many members of Fairy Tail were unnerved by him, those around their age did their best to make him feel at home. Natsu listened to all his stories about the circus and about the five ghosts who followed him, and Bickslow listened to his stories about the dragons. 

-Freed used this time to research Seith magic extensively, and he eventually came across the idea of putting the souls into objects. He and Bickslow worked for weeks to figure out how to do it, and the five spirits became his five main “dolls.” 

-He of course, asked them if they were okay with being alongside him before putting them inside the tiki dolls, and if he cried when they said there was nowhere else they’d rather be? Well Freed and Laxus weren’t going to tell anyone about it. 

-Evergreen was both harder and easier to get back to Fairy Tail. 

-Like Freed, She was once a part of the noble class, but under a name she never wants to use again. 

-When she gained her eye magic, she accidentally turned her mother to stone, and it was all downhill from there. Her father tried to keep her locked in a room, and it worked for a long time. 

-Eventually though, she had decided she’d had enough, and snuck out and ran as far away as she could. She kept a ribbon tied around her eyes any time she had to go into town, and learned how to walk while completely blind. This did some damage to her eyesight after several years of doing it. 

-it felt like it was too good to be true. She was free and she did odd little jobs in a town far from her original home to earn money for food. it was all she needed..... Until a child tore the ribbon from her face. 

-the second she made eye contact, the little boy turned to stone. There was nothing she could do about it except cover her face up again and run. 

-her father, however, had notified several guilds about her disappearance and claimed she was dangerous if left alone, so when stories spread about a homeless child turning a boy to stone, it became their first lead in months. 

-there was a lull in fighting missions at the time, and something about her magic intrigued Freed. It was an eye magic like his and Bickslow’s first magics, and they aren’t exactly common. Freed, Laxus, and Bickslow took it upon themselves to take the mission to bring her home.

-She very quickly figured out how to hide herself in the woods and away from people. Freed had to trap the entire area and make it so that eye magics don’t work within his barriers before they could even get close to her. It took almost a month. 

-And much to their surprise, she was nothing like what they were expecting. After all, they were supposed to be hunting down a nobleman’s son, not a daughter.

-Bickslow almost immediately asks her about why she ran away, and Ever looks up at him- then panics as she slams her eyes shut- but he doesn’t turn to stone because of Freed’s runes, and he explains as such. 

-They have a long conversation about why she ran away, and she tells them everything her father did to her, from being locked in her room to being terrified to tell him she’s his daughter and not his son because of his anger issues.

-They realize then and there they can’t give her back to him, and Freed comes up with the plan to tell him that they didn’t find his son, but rather a random girl with a similar magic, and she can join Fairy Tail instead of staying on the run. 

-The only reason she doesn’t agree immediatly is because of her eye magic. She couldn’t control it, and the idea of turning someone to stone again scared her.

-Freed sent Laxus to buy a pair of glasses without a prescription and a nice dress for her to wear, and he etches runes into the glasses to block her eye magic when they’re on.

-She’s sold from that moment on, and the raijinshuu’s friendship is sealed with that secret. 

-Laxus helps her chose her name before they get onto the train, and they solidify the story before then too  

-Makarov Accepts the story without question, even though they have a sneaking suspicion he knows. 

-They become a tight knit group in no time. 

-Then they learn about Ivan and all he did to Laxus, and they start to jokingly refer to themselves as the Laxus protection squad. It’s a lot less of a joke when Ivan’s actually around though, and the guild definitely notices. Makarov even starts to officially call them that in some reports. 

-No one remembers who suggested the name “raijinshuu,” but they all privately agree it’s dumb. Especially since  it insinuates that Laxus is the team leader. Freed’s the captain of their team for a reason.

-Dispite the fact that Bickslow is the tallest of them, both Laxus and Freed are both physically stronger than him. That’s not to say he isn’t strong, but Laxus can carry freakish amounts of weight due to his slayer biology, and Freed does the same due to his demon biology. 

-Freed can carry all of them at once. No one knows how. 

-Freed puts new runes on Ever’s glasses every time she gets new frames or a new prescription. He knows she doesn’t need it anymore, but she’s always grateful for the option. 

-if they share a bed, Freed and Ever cannot sleep next to each other. Their hair tangles together and they’ve only had to make that mistake once. 

-Ever and Bickslow are not under any circumstances allowed to cook, Freed can make fancy meals, and Laxus makes homemade stuff that would make your mouth water. He also stress bakes in secret at four am. 

-That’s how they always know he’s stressed when he doesn’t tell them. It’s kind of hard to miss 6 batches of cookies that spontaneously appeared overnight

-Freed has an unsharpened rapier that feels like getting hit with a slap bracelet at full speed. Naturally, this is the sword he chases Bickslow with when he pisses him off. 

-Laxus likes to pretend he’s one of the smartest members of the guild, but the raijinshuu knows he’s actually kind of a himbo. 

-Bickslow is really close friends with Loke, and when he noticed the man was dying slowly, the others comforted him despite not knowing what was going on.

-Bickslow often helps ghosts pass on from the mortal plane. 

-Evergreen keeps up with all the latest fashion, but she still considers Freed to be more fashionable. Because of this she always double checks her outfits with him. 

-Evergreen’s always the first to sass someone when they’re being rude to her team. It’s earned her her reputation as a “bitch” but she’s far too proud of it to be offended.

-One Laxus was open about his dragon slayer magic, they pushed him to talk to the other slayers to learn about himself and his magic. Freed and Bickslow pushed the hardest though, since they’re friends with Natsu and knew that he would be all too willing to drag Laxus into his little family of dragon slayers.

-Laxus was much happier oncce he accepted that he was more dragon that human anyways, and the more he learned, the happier he was. 

-In case it wasn’t clear: mtf Trans!Ever (she/her exclusively), he/they Freed, and  wtf is gender, is it a food?” Laxus and Bickslow (any pronouns). 

[ignitedbynatsu]

Just give it time

A/N: @imjustmatilde (I can’t tag you for some reason ☹) I'm so sorry you had to wait for so long, please forgive me 🥺 other than that, I really liked your request so I hope I did justice to it ❤️ if you have any more request or just want to say hi, don't hesitate to send me something 🥰

Warnings: none that I can think of?

Genre: fluff and comfort with a pinch of angst

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

The guild that was once rowdy because of the famous fights between Natsu and Gray had been replaced by their just as obnoxiously loud children, some would even say more. The biggest difference was the children actually getting along.

Nalu, Natsu and Lucy's child was counting while Gray and Julia's twins along with Gajeel and Levy's son hid somewhere in the guild.

Squeals could be heard from the child Nalu managed to find, while laughter echoed of her lips. Kei ran away yelling that the other three cheated, resulting in a chase by the said cheaters.

"You look grumpy" you pointed out as you observed the scowl that was placed upon Laxus's face while his eyes followed the playing children.

"I do not" he shot back as his gaze shifted to his son that was curled up in your side in an attempt to shield himself from harm.

"He'll be fine" you reassured him already knowing why he looked unamused.

"I know" he sighed "I just wished he had a better way of communicating"

You smiled softly at the man in front of you. It was a shock to you both when you learned that your son was born with no hearing. But there was never a moment where one of you wished he was different, on the contrary, the moment you found out about this information, you both immediately learned how to use hand signs and did your best to teach him.

Even though a lot of the guild members learned it as well, some excelling better than others, it was a difficult task to ask of the children who were all around the age of 4 to do the same. You knew you couldn't ask that of them because no child at that age would want to study willingly.

Add to the fact that your child was extremely shy, none of the kids really interacted with Noah, until today.

"Uhm, (Y/N)" it was Nalu that pulled softly at your sleeve in an attempt to grab your attention.

"Yes, Nalu?" You gave her a closed-eyed smile, encouraging her to continue.

"Why does Noah never talk? Or even play with us?" She asked as the other kids behind her nodded their head in agreement.

You'd say you were surprised by the blunt question, but it was still Natsu's child, so were you really?

Lucy, who was seated nearby, heard the question and immediately went to scold her, but you stopped the celestial mage "it's alright Lucy" you smiled at her before turning your attention back to the small children in front of you "you see, Noah doesn't hear things as we do, so when you talk to him, he wouldn't be able to understand what you say."

"So how do you talk to him then?" Kai piped up, once again you weren't really all that surprised by the straight forward question as he was Gajeel's son.

"By sign language" you smiled as you turned a bit to your child and signed what you were saying to him "Noah, the kids want to say hi to you"

Noah blinked at you and shifted his eyes slowly to the four children at the other side of you, he was still shielding his body partly behind you but waved back nonetheless.

A smile grew on each of the children who frantically started to wave back, their smile soon infecting your son's.

"Alright! Thank you for the information, (Y/N)!" With that the four kids were off again, playing God knows what.

Laxus signed to Noah that he should go and join them, but the boy rapidly shook his head, crawling back into your side, the safe heaven that shielded him from the outside world.

A sigh escaped Laxus lips at which you giggled softy. "Don't push it, after all, I'd call this progress, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, I know I should be more optimistic, but it's just difficult to see him longingly look at the other playing children, knowing he has no efficient way to communicate with them." Laxus explained his worries.

"It's okay. Give it a bit of time, I'm sure he'll warm up" you smiled at him as you grabbed his hand from across the table and gave it a little squeeze.

What you didn't expect, was the same four children returning to your table and signing if Noah wanted to play with them. Even though it was a little flawed, your son understood them perfectly. He gave them a small nod and crawled out of his spot from beside you.

You and Laxus were left perplexed as your son joined the others in their game "what just happened?"

Lucy and Levy noticed both of your confused expressions and decided to explain what happened the night before "the children came up with the idea to learn sign language after you explained to them how you communicate with Noah. So, last night when we all went home, they each individual asked us if we could teach them some hand signs"

"Granted, it's not perfect, and they'll definitely come and ask what some words mean from time to time, but I believe they learned enough to get little Noah to play along with them" as on cue you could hear Mei and Tobi ask Juvia what hide-and-seek was in sign language. The water mage happily explained and showed them the right hand gestures before the twins ran off again.

"Thank you guys so much" you whispered as happy tears started to form in the corner of your eyes.

"You should thank the kids, it was their idea after all" Levy smiled as the three mothers observed their playing children.

"I'll make sure to bake them something as a thank you," you said as you turned to the man you loved to see that he was still starstruck by the event that unfolded before him. "Who would've thought they'd learn sign language so quick, hu?"

"I can't believe I wanted to change this guild so badly at one point" he shook his head at the thought. He had never been as proud to be a part of Fairy Tail as of right now. The warmth everyone provided for his son was something he'd never forget, and he vowed to repay that feeling, no matter the cost. 

That night Noah was completely exhausted from laughing and running around so much, but that big smile that was still plastered upon his lips as his mind had already drifted to another world, showed it was all worth it.

[windmaedchen-fairytail]

Laxus leaned over the small coffee table in the living room, drawing a nice, happy sun over the big numbers. He was quite proud of his little drawing, which he would gift to his father in a moment. Today his dad had told him about his work. The work he does when he is not at home. He is making stuff for people. Like Laxus is drawing this picture for him right now, he imagined. And that takes 'a lot of time', dad says. It's true. Dad works a lot. But today he was around again (while gramps and mom where out) and had told him about 200 people who wanted his dad to make something for them. And because Laxus didn't know how much 200 was or how it was written down, they had practiced together. Now, he wanted to celebrate this moment with his father and thus he decided to make a very nice version of 200, so his dad would always remember.

But then the crayon suddenly broke in half. The sun remained faceless. No other colour would suit it. The sudden realisation that he would not be able to finish the picture brought up tearful moaning. Laxus wouldn't be able to give this to his dad. Over dreadful cries Laxus buried his face in his arms, staying half-way over the table.

------

Ivan registered the first moans but listened for a few more moments to check what sort of crying it was going to be this time. He absolutely couldn't stand when Laxus cried. It seemed to stir up an annoying emotion within him, that inexplicably made him all soft and loving, where his voice sounded warmer than ever and his touch gentler and more desiring.

It was so despite his intolerance towards the many strange reason for Laxus to cry and it was such a crippling emotion, he was barely able to maintain his composure when anyone else, such as his father or wife, was around. All alone, he gritted his teeth together and endured it.

"Why are you crying now?", he asked annoyed yet much kinder than he felt like.

Laxus didn't react.

Ivan stood up and bend over Laxus to ask again.

"Laxus... why are you crying?"

The boy mumbled something into his arms of which absolutely nothing was recognisable as words. Ivan sighed. He lowered his hands to grab Laxus and lifted his son up and onto his arms. Thankful the young boy put his little arms around his fathers neck and cried a little softer now into his shoulder.

A little bit of blood rushed to Ivan's cheeks as he realised he had rocked back and forth to sooth his son's sadness. The boy was too weak to be crying over no recognisable reason. The drawing on the table was neat, the crayons were everywhere as usual, the sun was green anyway, nothing seemed further off than any other day.

"Stop crying, Laxus. The drawing looks really nice! 200, eh? Still celebrating my success?"

Laxus stopped his sobbing to utter a few more words. This time Ivan understood something about the sun and a face. Never discuss the requirements of things to have faces with kids. A loss is inevitable. With a deep breath he acknowledged Laxus's woes.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. I'll take the drawing home, if I may? I'd like to put it up by my work table."

A now silent, tired blonde boy nodded. His little hand touched the side of his neck and felt his beard and patting his cheek before coming to a rest hanging over his shoulder.

Resigning to the overwhelming power of the unconditional love of a child for his parent, Ivan began to rock again, holding tight to the boy that was his. Never would he say a word to anyone about this, but he was feeling a deep gratitude for these moments. Always undeserving in his opinion they were such a blessing. No matter the annoyance preluding, or the anger lingering, he'd always also love his son.

Albeit... Laxus could do with some strength. Both in body and mind. And as his father, he'd find a way to provide him with both.

Celebrating 200+ followers and posts! Thanks so much! <3

[jemmahazelnut]

A misfit's life - Ch 5

Link: AO3

Here you can find Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four.

Poker

It had been two months since Freed left the hospital. He couldn’t say that he was completely used to his condition, but by now he had gotten over it and was trying to do his best not to be overwhelmed by sadness and anger. Working in the workshop helped him, as well as going out with friends and also shooting and beating the assholes.

He almost didn’t recognize himself anymore, by now he didn’t even have any qualms about stealing if he was short of money, most of the time he was the first to instigate a fight, especially if he met the asshole who had stabbed him. Laxus pulled him back most of the time before he started a fight, but Freed wasn’t always hanging around with him by his side now. He was tired of being an easy victim, he wanted people to be afraid of him, not of Laxus.

Freed came out of the workshop with the month’s money in his pocket, and immediately noticed a group of guys across the street watching him, evidently they knew that this was payday. Freed was tempted to pull out his gun and shoot them all, but before he could even try Bickslow and Evergreen joined him.

“Yo bro, let’s go party tonight?” Bickslow said cheerfully as usual. Freed continued to stare at the departing boys and felt his nerves throb in his temples. Why were they afraid of others and not him?

“Will you stop getting in trouble?” Evergreen snapped pulling his sleeve, noting that Freed had started walking towards the group. Freed growled through his teeth and wriggled away from the grip.

“Of course I’m coming,” Freed told Bickslow, ignoring Evergreen, who was looking at him obviously irritated. The girl, however, didn’t want to drop the subject.

“I understand that you wanna take revenge, but walking around alone is much more dangerous and you risk losing the other eye too,” she said venomously.

“Fuck you,” Freed snapped and the girl started to throw a punch at him, but Bickslow intervened.

“Not between us,” he said trying to calm them down.

“I’m right, Laxus says so too,” Evergreen snapped crossing her arms.

“Fuck him too,” Freed muttered. He was beginning to hate the treatment they gave him. True, he was the newcomer and wasn’t in their business, this didn’t mean that he was unable to fend for himself. Those weeks spent there had made him understand a lot of things, he now knew how to move.

“Freed, we’re just worried about you,” Bickslow said.

“You’ve no reason to,” Freed growled as he picked up his pace. He wasn’t in the mood, he realized he was acting like an idiot and an asshole but seeing those guys waiting for him outside the workshop had made him nervous.

“Impossible. Stop being proud, we all care for everyone and not just for you for who knows what beliefs”.

“Yet no one says anything if Laxus walks around alone,” Freed snarled.

“Fucker,” Evergreen muttered.

“Ain’t true. He doesn’t go around alone either. And if he does, he’s a dickhead like you,” Bickslow said. Freed pursed his lips nervously, honestly he didn’t care much about what other people were doing. He hated being dependent on them, he hated having to be protected and he hated being treated like a naive kid in constant danger.

“Look,” Bickslow sighed. “Surviving alone here is difficult, if not impossible. Everyone goes around in groups, no matter how strong you are. Our group exists because we trust and help each other all together. If you can’t get used to it then go alone, but then don’t complain if you lose the other eye,” he said harshly.

Freed didn’t answer, knowing Bickslow was right. He put his hands in the pockets and refused to apologize, but shot a meaningful glance at Bickslow, he thankfully understood.

***

Freed looked at the cards he was holding and glanced at his fellow players. Laxus was smoking a cigarette, Bickslow continued to have the usual grin on his face, while the other boys tried to keep an expression mostly neutral. It didn’t work very well, according to Freed. One thing they found was that Freed actually knew how to play poker. He had learned in college and thought he was pretty good. Well, he also knew how to count cards, but his teammates didn’t need to know.

“Fold” sighed Loke and ditched his hand in the burn pile.

“Out already, Loke?” Bickslow mocked with a satisfied smirk that concealed little of what he was holding. Freed doubted he was bluffing.

“Bad luck haunts me,” Loke said. “Ain’t too sad, on the other hand, those who are unlucky in the game are lucky in love. Freed, how about a drink just the two of us?” he asked clearly flirtatiously. Bickslow chuckled as Freed ignored him and called.

“You better be careful Loke, someone could electrocute you” Bickslow laughed and Gajeel and Evergreen giggled. Freed frowned and looked up from the cards only to see that Bickslow and Loke were looking at Laxus.

“I know how far I can go,” Loke laughed and leaned over to Freed, reaching for his arm. Freed let him do it, more interested in winning the game. “Besides, someone has to give him a wake-up call,” he added. Freed gave Loke another look, not understanding what he was referring to and Bickslow laughed again. Were they making fun of him? He wasn’t sure.

Laxus called interrupting their chat but Loke didn’t stop his flirting. Not that Freed cared, he was still focused on the cards.

“He doesn’t see you Loke, he’s too focused on cheating,” Laxus growled at one point. Freed looked up at him with an impassive expression.

“How would I cheat?” he asked.

“You count,” Laxus said. Freed was silent for a moment, wondering how he had figured it out. He hadn’t realized that Laxus was staring at him so intently. He quickly realized that lying would be stupid.

“Technically it’s not cheating,” he then said. Laxus raised an eyebrow.

“It is,” he retorted. “If you were in a casino, they’d have kicked your ass out by now,” he grunted, more irritated than he should have been.

“Luckily we’re not there,” Freed said with a smirk.

“I’ve always known counting is illegal,” Gajeel interjected, irritated maybe because he was losing and wanted to kick Freed out of the game.

“Bullshit,” Freed said.

“I agree with Freed” smiled Loke, leaning towards him flirtatiously. Laxus gave him a dirty look and Loke widened his smile. “Maybe the boy is waking up.”

“Maybe you should kiss Freed,” Bickslow chuckled. “But I don’t promise for your life.”

“What are you talking about?” Freed asked, observing his playmates. Evergreen had a smirk that she tried unsuccessfully to hide behind the cards, Bickslow was much less discreet as Gajeel rolled his eyes.

“You’re so naive,” he said. Freed pursed his lips in irritation, he wasn’t fucking naive. He turned his gaze to Laxus but the blonde’s jaw was clearly tense.

“There’s no point in getting angry if I’m more capable and luckier than you,” Freed said, thinking that was the reason. Laxus said nothing and Evergreen giggled again.

“I can’t believe it,” she murmured, amused.

“I said, he’s naive,” repeated Gajeel.

Freed decided to ignore their comments, he was no longer sure he was the victim of their jokes. He just kept playing cards, until they decided to quit with a win for Bickslow. Loke at the end of the game grabbed Freed’s arm and dragged him to the bar.

“Let’s go get a drink,” he offered and Freed followed. They ordered for everyone and Freed glanced again at the table, where Laxus was obviously annoyed talking to Bickslow. More than anything else it seemed that he was growling at him, while Bickslow giggled amused. Who knows what they were saying, Bickslow was probably bragging about winning poker.

“You could sleep with us tonight. After the bar we keep drinking and partying” Loke said with a provocative smile.

“Sorry Loke, but I’m not interested,” Freed said at that point, hoping he didn’t feel bad. He doubted however that could happen, Loke’s interests changed every day.

“Of course you ain’t.” Loke laughed and Freed frowned. If he knew, why the hell was he flirting with him all evening? He decided he didn’t want to know and took the drink, starting to drink as his gaze returned to Laxus. He still looked irritated as Evergreen was saying something to him. Suddenly Freed was curious, he wanted to know what they were talking about.

“You could end up in Laxus’ bed, he has more space,” Loke said and Freed spat out the drink.

“What the hell, Loke,” he growled feeling his cheeks flush.

“Come on, drinks are ready” Loke said taking the tray with the glasses and carrying it to the table. Freed followed him and hoped that Loke didn’t know about his light crush. There was no way that he knew, Freed had been very discreet. But even more, he hoped Laxus didn’t know.

Loke stole Freed’s seat and Freed was forced to sit next to Laxus.

“Another round of poker?” Bickslow asked.

“I’ve already lost enough money,” Loke retorted.

“I want a rematch,” Evergreen said instead. The others joined immediately and Freed started playing again, while Loke continued to pass him several drinks, so much so that after a while the boy’s mental faculties clouded and he decided to leave the game, also because he could no longer bluff.

He was not the only one. Laxus got tired quickly because he kept losing, and Evergreen was getting drunk faster than Freed had thought. Loke must have been as drunk as he was because he leaned on Freed’s shoulder.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to walk all the way home,” he mumbled.

“What? Do you wanna be carried by me?” Freed asked skeptical.

“Yes,” Loke smiled immediately.

“You’ll fall immediately,” Laxus grunted, giving them a dirty look.

“We won’t,” Freed objected.

“You both stagger,” Laxus pointed out as they stood up. Freed refused to lean on anyone, but Loke had grabbed his arm and was practically drooling on his shoulder.

“At least try to stay straight,” Freed said annoyed by his weight, which didn’t help his already precarious balance. Loke laughed slightly and straightened his back. He looked at Freed, looked at Laxus and then Freed again and laughed.

Laxus rolled his eyes. “Someone help him,” he growled in annoyance.

Freed joined Loke.

“Not you,” Laxus snapped annoyed.

“I can carry him,” Freed retorted, passing Loke’s arm over his shoulders. Loke had a hiccup and then ran his fingers through Freed’s hair, pushing aside the bangs and freeing the covered eye. Freed tensed slightly. He hated when someone did it, it reminded him of what states his face was in, and it was definitely not a pretty sight.

It wasn’t like Laxus’s scar which merely passed from one part of the eye to the other and which gave it an almost fascinating aura. Freed’s went directly into his eye, his pupil was cut and he couldn’t open it well, so people could practically only see the scar, which then extended even up to above his eyebrow.

Freed moved Loke’s hand badly, rearranging the bangs.

“You know, you’re attractive even so, you shouldn’t cover it up,” Loke said.

“You’re drunk, let’s go home,” Freed snarled not wanting to talk about that and dragging him out. With satisfaction he demonstrated to Laxus that he could both walk and take Loke with him. He walked a bit wrong and every now and then he had to stop, but he didn’t risk falling with his face on the ground.

They arrived at the building and climbing the stairs was another problem, so Bickslow took Loke, while Freed found himself with Laxus’ arm around his back, pushing him up the steps. Before long they arrived at his apartment and Freed greeted the others as he entered his apartment, followed by Laxus.

“You don’t need to stay here, I’m home by now,” Freed said. Laxus just snorted.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you stumble upon your nightstand,” he objected. Freed didn’t reply and walked to his room. He didn’t even have the strength to take off his clothes, he threw himself into bed with his shoes still on. Laxus followed him and glanced at him. “I said so”.

Freed was about to retort that he hadn’t stumble but when Laxus sat on the bed and took off his shoes the words died in his throat. He was silent as the blonde threw Freed’s shoes on the floor, then pulled the blanket out from under Freed’s body and threw it on him.

“You’re strangely nice,” Freed said after a while.

Laxus snorted and blushed slightly.

“I just make sure you survive the night,” he objected. Freed laughed slightly.

“As if alcohol could kill me,” he retorted ironically.

Laxus turned to him and stared at Freed longer than necessary. He reached out to Freed’s bangs and brushed his hair back, freeing his face. His gaze lingered on the blinded eye and Freed placed a hand on Laxus’s wrist to move it, but the blonde remained still. He kept staring at him with eyes filled with guilt and silent apologies. Freed didn’t want to hear them.

“Loke’s right,” Laxus said after a while. Freed frowned slightly and blushed as he saw Laxus’ face approach. “You’re really attractive,” he whispered. Freed couldn’t say anything, suddenly his throat was dry and his heart was beating furiously in his chest.

Laxus lowered himself even more, his breath tickling Freed’s face now. Then he gently placed his lips on him, giving him the sweetest kiss Freed had ever received in his entire life. He closed his eyes and let himself be lulled by the rough and gentle lips of Laxus, by his fingers that brushed his face with an incredible sweetness.

Freed couldn’t believe that Laxus’ strong hands could touch him so gently, as if he were almost afraid to push too hard. When Laxus lifted his face Freed opened his eye again, looking intently at Laxus.

“You’re beautiful,” Laxus whispered so softly that Freed could hardly hear him. It seemed that Laxus was afraid of doing something wrong. Freed smiled and wrapped his arms around Laxus’ neck.

“You too,” he murmured. He saw the blond’s cheeks blush and Freed craned his neck to kiss him again. Laxus lay on top of him pressing their bodies against each other and Freed’s stomach twisted with emotion.

Laxus was truly beautiful, and he was touching him with a delicacy that Freed would not have attributed to him. The blond’s hands were resting gently on his hips, the kiss was soft and slow, his eyes full of emotions every time they detached only to kiss again a moment later. Everything was perfect. It was just the two of them moving calmly, as if time had stopped just for them. Just to let them enjoy that intimate moment without any rush.

Laxus broke the kiss and rested his forehead on Freed’s, breathing slowly as his fingers caressed Freed’s abdomen.

“Do you sleep here?” Freed asked.

Laxus nodded and moved to take off his shoes. He put his hands on his belt and glanced at Freed, as if he were asking permission. Freed just nodded and Laxus took off his jeans and sweatshirt to lie down beside him under the covers.

“Do you sleep with your clothes on?” Laxus asked quietly.

“I… yes?” Freed asked.

“As you wish. We ain’t to do anything you don’t wanna do,” Laxus whispered. Freed looked at him in surprise, then took off his jeans and sweatshirt and threw them out of bed. He approached Laxus and the boy hugged him in his arms leaning his forehead against him. His hands were warm and his body was welcoming.

“You’re fantastic,” Laxus murmured. Freed smiled with his heart bursting with joy and closed his eyes almost not believing what was happening. He fell asleep shortly after in Laxus’s arms, dreaming of his lips all night.

[fairytail-multishipper]

A commissioned work from the wonderful @jaci-serigala

Gray + Natsu

1. Gray has always been envious of Natsu’s ability to connect with others so easily.

2. Due to his past, Gray has trouble opening himself up to make meaningful connections with others because he’s afraid of losing anyone else.

3. This is one of the reasons Natsu pisses him off so much.

4. Despite his stripping habit, Gray loves clothing design, and even sketches clothes in his free time.

5. He found himself sketching Natsu’s body on the models of his clothing sketches, which shocked him.

6. Gray has never been shy of his attraction to men, but he had never realized he found Natsu attractive until he realized he was sketching Natsu.

7. They are often put into the same room when his team goes on missions, which gives Gray more opportunities to watch Natsu.

8. Natsu’s self-care habits, or lack-there-of, disgusted Gray, but it also drew Gray in.

9. Gray had never noticed just how many of Natsu’s traits were dragon-like.

10. His elongated ears, slitted pupils, sharp fangs, pointed nails, even the small hint of a growl in his voice when he’s angry or excited. It fascinated Gray, for better or worse.

Gray + Lucy

11. When Lucy first joined the guild, Gray did have a crush on her.

12. However, once Team Natsu was formed, he decided against trying to form a romantic relationship with her, fearing it would interfere with their work.

13. He still has a crush on her, shuuush.

14. They’re both coffee addicts, so they often go out for coffee together.

15. They’re each other’s Plan-B option.

16. Meaning, that if neither of them are married or in a committed relationship by the time they’re 30, they’re gonna get married.

17. Gray’s somewhat scared of this, though, because Lucy wants kids, and he isn’t sure if he wants any.

18. So, despite his crush on her, he hints to her to start dating.

19. They talk shit about their guildmates together, out of love of course.

20. They can be really rude though, like, they could make Laxus cry.

Gray + Erza

21. Gray had a crush on Erza ever since they were kids, this is obvious.

22. Every time Gray felt himself ‘getting over’ his crush on Erza, she would do something that would attract him back.

23. It could literally be anything, tucking her hair behind her ear, nomming happily on a strawberry, blinking.

24. Erza caught onto his crush around the start of the series, but when Jellal was brought back into her life, she realized she couldn’t peruse Gray, even though she wanted too.

25. Erza likes to stay updated on guild gossip, even if she acts like she hates it.

26. Gray is often the target for her to spill the gossip too.

27. He pretends to not listen, but he’s just as guilty as Erza.

28. They have a deal that if they’re having a bad mental day, they’ll go to each other.

29. They’ll let each other into their homes, and just relax together.

30. They do this a lot without a single word spoken, because that’s the best way for them to heal.

Gray + Wendy

31. Gray definitely sees Wendy as a little sister.

32. He loves her like one, and he’s very protective of her because of it.

33. When Wendy told the guild that she was dating Chelia, you better believe he made her promise not to hurt Wendy.

34. It embarrassed Wendy too no end.

35. Which Cheila thought was cute.

36. Wendy and Natsu have a much closer bond than she does with Gray.

37. So it always surprises him when she comes to him for advice.

38. But he does his best to help her as best as he could.

39. Gray likes spending time with Wendy because she doesn’t try to fill the silence with words.

40. She enjoys silence as much as he does.

Gray + Lyon

41. There wasn’t a day that past before Guluna that Gray didn’t think of Lyon.

42. He hoped that Lyon was alright, that he somehow found love and peace like Gray had.

43. Eventually Lyon slipped into Gray’s subconscious, where he was only a passing thought.

44. He began comparing his childhood rivalry with Lyon to his adulthood rivalry with Natsu.

45. After Guluna, Gray invited Lyon to join Fairy Tail, but Lyon refused.

46. Lyon went to the Fantasia parade, but didn’t stay long enough for Gray to find him afterwards.

47. Again, after they defeated the Oración Seis, Lyon vanished from Gray’s life.

48. When Gray ‘died’ on Tenrou, Lyon broke down.

49. He was afraid that he would never be able to mend the bond between them, and make Ur proud.

50. He hugged Gray tightly when he returned, but refuses to acknowledge that it happened.

Gray + Ultear

51. Gray had mixed feelings about Ultear when he found out she was Ur’s daughter.

52. He had a crush on her.

53. They swapped stories about Ur.

54. They trained together a lot during the Grand Magic Games.

55. Both have a habit of popping their neck when anxious.

56. Meredy teased them about being siblings.

57. Ultear thought of him as a little brother.

58. Both of their’s favorite color is blue, dark blue.

59. They are both left-handed.

60. They both have OCD.

Gray + Cana

61. Cana is probably Gray’s closest confidant.

62. They can just talk, you know?

63. Gray knew that Gildarts was Cana’s father for years before Tenrou.

64. He acted shocked for Cana’s sake.

65. Gray has saved Cana from drowning in her beer barrel many times.

66. Talk about your feelings to each other, please babies.

67. They dated for a while, they were each other’s first relationship.

68. It wasn’t very serious, but it lasted four years.

69. They broke up before the start of the series.

70. They did hook up a couple times though.

Gray + Loke

71. They dated for a while too.

72. They first started dating a few months before the start of the series and broke up before Loke came out as a Celestial Spirit.

73. Loke broke up with him because he thought he’d die.

74. But they didn’t get back together because Loke wanted to dedicate his time, at the time being, to Lucy.

75. They hooked up before the Tenrou arc.

76. Loke expected Gray would be angry at him for not telling him about being a Spirit, but Gray wasn’t.

77. He understood why he didn’t want too.

78. He was a bit upset about the sudden breakup though.

79. He was also a bit jealous of Loke’s affection towards Lucy.

80. Gray gives the best ear scratches, hands down.

Gray + Makarov

81. Makarov really does worry for this boy’s mental health.

82. He knows about Gray’s destructive tendencies.

83. He also knows about Gray’s attempt at the Iced Shell spell.

84. He made Gray promise never to attempt it again, no matter the foe.

85. He’s tried to give Gray all the counseling and helped he could need, but Gray’s stubborn and can’t admit when he needs help.

86. But he threatened to have Gray’s wizarding license revoked unless he went to counseling.

87. Finally, Gray caved and went.

89. Gray had trouble with writing when he was little, and had worse handwriting than Natsu.

90. Makarov quickly realized it was because Gray was left-handed, not right-handed because he went through the same trouble as Laxus.

Gray + Laxus

91. Gray had a crush on Laxus growing up too.

92. Not as obvious as Natsu, but still noticeable.

93. At least, Laxus noticed it.

94. But Laxus was coming to terms with his own sexuality, so he didn’t chastise Gray for it.

95. They’re both left handed, as mentioned earlier, so Laxus was stuck with teaching Gray how to write.

96. Laxus’s handwriting is surprisingly neat and legible.

97. Gray did his best to copy Laxus’s handwriting.

98. Gray got really into it though, and he practices calligraphy.

99. He and Laxus have the most legible handwriting in the guild.

100. Aside from Levy, Freed, and Lucy.

[excitedlysuffering]

okay what about 18. “It’s too hot in here!” for Freed but his s/o (you can chose their gender) is saying that and Freed happens to be shirtless and teases his s/o about them saying that 🥵

Hot Days- Freed X Reader

(@ your POV just imagine him shirtless🥰🥵) Such an underrated daddy no cap✋🏾😔

You dramatically flopped backward onto the ground of the training circle, groaning in discomfort. “Don’t tell me you’re done already, love, it’s only been forty-five minutes.” You only groaned louder at Freed’s disapproval.

The rune mage had all but demanded that you spar with him since you were on par with his swordsmanship skills. However, you hadn’t taken the blistering heatwave into account, and you were paying dearly for it now.

You had planned on relaxing in the guild with Gray to cool you down, so you had worn pants and a short-sleeved shirt, which you were now figuring out, was one of the worst things you could’ve worn today.

“Freeeed,” You whined, “it’s too hot out here!” You wiped the droplets of sweat from your forehead, grimacing at the wetness. “Oh, is it now, darling?” Freed taunted, coming into view.

You nearly choked at the sight. Somewhere along the way over to you, the mage had managed to lose his shirt. “W-what are you doing? Where’s your shirt?!” He smirked, lending you a hand. “You were right, I’m much too hot.”

You resisted the urge to swoon shamelessly and averted your eyes as he helped you to your feet. “Y-yeah, but you were wearing a tank top!” His devious smile widened as he placed a burning hand on your hip and pressed your front to his bare one.

“Does it bother you, darling?” He murmured lowly. You shivered under his intense gaze and seductive tone. “Is this too hot for you, perhaps?” He continued. You squeaked, not used to this side of your boyfriend.

“N-No! I, uh, I need water!” He chuckled as you rushed away to wear your water bottle was, fanning yourself and willing your flush to go away. What had gotten into him? Not that you didn’t like it, (cause you did) but wow…

“Would you like to continue sparring?” You scoffed, bravely facing Freed, keeping your eyes on his face. “Are you kidding? Do you want me to die of heatstroke?” The smirk was back on his face and you felt your stomach drop.

“Oh, should I put my shirt back on?” Your eye twitched as you forced your gaze to stay on his face. You concentrated on his beauty mark as you took calming breaths. “No, actually, that wouldn’t really make a difference either way,” You smiled teasingly.

The green-haired mage snorted, crossing his arms. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that, if your reaction was anything to go by.” You let out an indignant screech at his mockery. You felt that bothersome blush cloud your cheeks once again, much to your displeasure.

“Just, just- shut up, Freed!” You covered your face with your hands in a pitiful attempt to hide your obvious swooning from him. He tucked you in a tight embrace and you didn’t bother resisting the urge to cop a feel of his abs.

You pursed your lips as he cooed soft taunts in your ear, realizing he knew exactly what he was doing to you. You weren’t exactly ashamed to admit to yourself that it was working perfectly, too.

Over your head ad unbeknownst to you, Freed sent a grateful smile and a wink to Laxus and the rest of the Raijinshuu who were spying, proud grins on all of their faces. It was great to have help sometimes.

Taglist~

@imsoboredatthispoint @alysplxnet @kawaiiipandaa @islandbbbhere @sugarhorizons

[splendidlyimperfect]

we are unbreakable - chapter 16 [a surprise visit]

It’s been thirteen years since Natsu and Gray met in a program for troubled youth - since they both fell apart and helped put each other back together. Now they’re married and happy, loving each other and the shared family they found. But the past doesn’t always stay past, and when the things that broke them come back into their lives, Natsu and Gray have difficult decisions to make - ones that could change their lives forever.

Chapter Summary: Gray visits Neelan in rehab.

Chapters (16/?): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 Rating: Mature Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney, Sting Eucliffe, Freed Justine, Laxus Dreyar, Wendy Marvell, Chelia Blendy, Ultear Milkovich, Lyon Vastia, Lucy Heartfilia, Cana Alberona, Original Characters, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aged-Up Character(s), Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Married Couple, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Drug Addiction, Mental Health Issues, Foster Care, Family Issues, Grief/Mourning, Childhood Trauma, Bipolar Disorder, Adoption, Families of Choice, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character, Genderfluid Character, Forgiveness, Absent Parents, they're really in love but are sometimes dumb, Natsu is a stubborn shit Series: Part 15 of the only hope for me is you, Part 3 of if you jump i'll break your fall

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Sunshine Health Recovery Center looked more like a luxury condo than the hospital Gray had been expecting. It was a long, squat building with brick siding and floor-to-ceiling windows, and the gravel parking lot out front had a path leading down to the beach. The ocean lapped against the sand under a bright blue sky, and it calmed some of Gray’s nerves as he parked the car and turned off the engine.  

He glanced down at his phone, smiling at the lock screen photo. Natsu had changed it a while back to a picture of the two of them at the top of La Grande Roue on their anniversary. Gray was smiling at the camera, but Natsu wasn’t looking, instead kissing Gray on the cheek.

A text from Natsu popped up on the screen and Gray swiped it open. It was a selfie of Noah and Natsu at the playground, both sticking out their tongues that were bright purple from the popsicles they were eating.

Natsu [13:47] love you snowflake, call me when ur done ok? kick my dad in the shins if hes an asshole. noah says hi and hugs & kisses xoxo

Gray smiled, sending back a quick love you, too before putting his phone back into his pocket and opening the car door. He stood and stretched, inhaling the familiar scent of salt and sand. Then he turned to stare at the front door of the building and the letters painted above it in a bright, cheery yellow.

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then headed inside.

“You must be Gray!” The woman at the front desk – Rebecca, Gray assumed – gave him a cheery smile when he walked up. “I’ll just get you to sign in here, Neelan’s down in the common room.”

The hallway past the admin desk led to a large, open area filled with chairs, couches, and tables covered in books and board games. Neelan was sitting at one of the tables, rolling a stress ball between his hands. Gray hesitated, hovering by the door and watching him. It was so easy to see Natsu in him – they had the same eyes. Eventually Gray took a deep breath, then made his way across the room and slid into the chair across from Neelan.

“Hey.”

Neelan looked up, eyes widening in surprise, and the ball rolled away from him and bounced to the floor. Gray leaned down and picked it up, turning it in his fingers a few times.

“What are you doin’ here?” Neelan’s voice was rough, and he looked down at the table, scratching at an invisible mark in the wood.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Gray admitted. “I got your call.” He rolled the ball across the table and Neelan caught it before it bounced away again. An awkward, charged silence hung between them. Neelan looked up at Gray eventually, eyes filled with regret.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know.”

“Is Natsu…?” Neelan trailed off, picking at his fingernails as he glanced over Gray’s shoulder.

Gray shook his head. “He’s not ready to see you right now.”

Neelan nodded, face tight and eyes downcast. “Why are you here, then?”

Gray ran his hand through his hair, looking pensively at Neelan and trying to figure out what to say.

“I was in court a couple days ago,” he said eventually. “At a parole hearing for my brother. He’s been in jail for fourteen years.”

“What’d he do?” Neelan asked.

“Drugs,” Gray replied. Neelan winced, squeezing the ball tightly between his hands. “He made a lot of mistakes,” Gray continued. “Hurt me really badly. Almost killed me, actually.” Gray could see Neelan searching him for signs of what had happened, and he shook his head. “It’s a long story and I don’t want to get into it. But when I saw him in court…”

He paused, looking around the room. It was empty except for them and one of the staff who was sitting at a table near the door. The large window on the other side of the room looked out onto a small garden, and as Gray watched, a flock of sparrows burst from one of the trees and took off into the sky.

“I forgave him,” Gray said. Neelan frowned. “It took me a really long time to see that what he did happened because he was in a lot of pain. It was awful, and it hurt like hell, but it doesn’t mean he’s a monster.” Gray looked straight at Neelan and added, “And neither are you.”

Neelan dropped his face into his hands and took a shaky breath. The gesture was so familiar – so Natsu – that it almost hurt.

“I didn’t want to be right about you,” Gray said softly. “All I’ve ever wanted is for Natsu to be happy, and he missed you so much. He just wanted his dad in his life.” Gray nudged Neelan’s foot under the table. “What happened?”

Neelan sighed, rubbing his eyes and staring at the table. “I didn’t know Becca was pregnant until she went into labor and called me,” he said. “We weren’t together. And then after Natsu was born, it was just… she couldn’t be a mother. She tried on and off for a couple years, but it was too much. She ended up leaving town with some new guy, OD’d after a while.” Neelan chewed his lip and looked up at Gray. “You ever heard a baby cry that’s coming off meth? It’s the most heartbreaking sound. Natsu—fuck, he was so little. He’d have fit in my hand when he was born.”

“He had these seizures ‘til he was ‘bout six months old,” Neelan continued. “Scared the shit out of me. I thought he was gonna die, and… I mean, I never wanted a kid. My dad was a piece of shit and I thought I’d turn out like him. But the first time I held my son, I wanted to be better. For him.”

Gray thought of the picture of Neelan in the hospital, looking down at baby Natsu with eyes full of love. “So why did you leave?” he asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

“I wish I could give you a good answer,” Neelan said sadly. “I tried; I really did. I visited him all the time. We read books together and he loved it, and he’d sit on my lap and laugh, and it made me feel like the most important person in the world. The foster parents always told me what a hellion he was, but I didn’t care. He was mine and I loved him so much.”

Neelan’s wistful smile disappeared as he looked up at Gray with a heartbroken expression. “I just couldn’t be who he needed,” he said. “When it was good – god, it was perfect, and I was sure he was gonna come home with me, and we’d be a family together. But then it got low, and I couldn’t – I wasn’t safe. Didn’t know how to deal, and drugs made it easy, and then…”

He trailed off and Gray’s heart twisted as the pieces fell into place. He studied Neelan for a moment, then said, “Natsu has it, too.”

Neelan’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

“Bipolar disorder.”

Neelan swore. “Of all the things he could’a got from me, had to be that.”

Gray nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s been really, really hard for him. He hesitated, then added, “And for me.”

Neelan’s expression made Gray feel like he was back in the hospital with Natsu, the year after they’d gotten married and Natsu had relapsed, hard. It was the eyes – they both had the same dark, scared, uncertain look.

“I love Natsu more than anything in the world,” Gray said, playing with his wedding band. “And his story is his to tell you, if he wants to, but I think…” Gray sighed. “He had a really, really shitty time, and yeah, some of that’s your fault. He’s had a lot of times where he thought he couldn’t make it. But he’s still here, and he’s doing so well, and I’m so, so proud of him.”

“He’s better than me,” Neelan said, eyes wet. “He’s lucky to have you.”

“That’s the thing,” Gray said. “He has what you didn’t – support. Friends. A family. And when he didn’t have that, things went bad.” The memory of Natsu bleeding out on the floor of the supply closet popped into Gray’s mind.

“I’m glad he has you,” Neelan said. “I dunno what I’d do if he turned out like me. I guess that’s why I never came back, y’know? I thought other people could take better care of him than me. An’ then… god, thinkin’ somebody hurt him.” He swallowed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know you are,” Gray said. “And I think Natsu knows, too. You’re going to have to be patient, though, and give him some time. He might never be ready. He’s really hurt and disappointed, and I’m not letting you off the hook for that. But…” Gray paused, thinking of Lyon’s face when Gray had said I love you. “I think you can be better. You’re getting another chance, like Natsu did. And even with all the shit he went through, he’s done amazing things.”

Gray pulled out his phone and opened his photos, flipping to one of Natsu at the playground with Noah. Neelan’s expression softened as he took the phone carefully from Gray and gazed at Natsu’s face.

“That’s our friend’s son,” Gray said. “His parents were addicts, too. He sees his mom, sometimes, but he’s got a good home now, and great dads. He’s a bit of a handful, but Natsu is amazing with him because he gets it, and Noah’s improved so much over the past couple years.”

“He looks so happy,” Neelan said quietly. “Natsu, I mean.”

“He is,” Gray said. “He’s amazing with kids, even with all the trauma – sometimes because of the trauma. So you can’t use that as an excuse to not be his dad.”

Gray gestured for Neelan to keep scrolling through the photos – Gray had saved all his favorites just for this. One was of him and Natsu at their wedding, looking out over the ocean. Another was of Natsu carrying Sylvie on his shoulders after her first day of kindergarten. There were pictures from Christmas with grand-maman and grand-papa, Thanksgiving at Freed and Laxus’ place, summer days at the park with Sting and Ryos and the kids.

Neelan flipped through them slowly, and when he got to the last one, he stared at it for a long time. Natsu was sitting in front of a Christmas tree with four-year-old Sylvie in his lap. He was holding a book in front of them, and Sylvie was snuggled up against him, almost asleep against his chest. The look on Natsu’s face was soft and open, and the memory made Gray smile.

“That was our first Christmas together,” he said. “Sylvie – our niece – was four, and she adored Natsu as soon as she met him. She’s seventeen now, and he’s still her favorite person.”

A small smile crossed Neelan’s face, then disappeared as he looked closer. Natsu’s sleeve was pushed up in the photo, and the bandage on his forearm from his suicide attempt was visible.

“Did he…” Neelan looked up at Gray with a grief-stricken look on his face. “He didn’t. Please tell me he didn’t.”

“That’s his story,” Gray said gently. “He’ll tell you when – if – he’s ready. I wanted you to see that because it was his first real Christmas, the first time he’d had a family since you left.” He took the phone back from Neelan and looked at the picture with a small smile on his face.

“I’m so sorry,” Neelan said, voice full of regret. “You both have every right to hate me, and I know Natsu doesn’t want to hear from me right now.” He picked up the stress ball and started to play with it again. “I should have done this—” he gestured around them “—a long time ago, but I didn’t really have a reason to get better until I met you two. And even if Natsu never talks to me again, I’m gonna get sober.”

Gray’s hand unconsciously moved to the letter that he still kept in his pocket. It was so long ago that Freed had read out nearly the same words from Lyon.

I know there’s nothing I can do to repair things. I’m going to be in here for a long time, and that is entirely my own doing. It’s probably for the best. I’m clean now, for what it’s worth. It makes the past clearer, though, and I can’t overlook the terrible things I’ve done.

“Natsu might never be ready,” Gray said, watching Neelan’s expression shift from relief to regretful acceptance. “But I didn’t think I’d ever forgive my brother, either. I can’t make any promises, but Natsu has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and if any person would be able to forgive you, it’s him.” Gray tapped the table and gestured around them. “This is a good start. You need help, and you need other people.” He thought of the first time he’d met Natsu, when he’d been angry and scared and convinced he was better off alone. “We all do.”

Neelan nodded, playing with the hospital bracelet around his left wrist. The two of them sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of birdsong outside the open window and watching the light play across the floor as it filtered through the trees. Eventually Gray’s phone buzzed, and he looked down to see a message from Freed.

“I have to go,” he said, standing up and tucking his phone into his back pocket. “My friend is waiting for me.”

Neelan pushed himself up as well, leaving the stress ball on the table and shoving his hands into his pockets. He kept his gaze on the floor. “Thank you,” he said gruffly. “I’m sorry again. I’m gonna do better.”

“I know,” Gray said. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should shake Neelan’s hand, then decided against it and took a step back toward the door.  

“Thanks for seeing me.” Neelan looked up at Gray again, giving him a small half-smile. “And thanks for taking care of Natsu.”

Gray nodded and ran his thumb over his wedding ring. “Always,” he said softly. Then he gave Neelan a wave and said, “Good luck,” before heading back down the hallway and out the doors, into the bright summer sun.