#lisanna continues to be a mood

[fairytail-incorrectquotes]

Freed: When Freud said bisexuality is what happens when you don't fully develop a brain, he was right and Bickslow is proof.

Cana: Freud is a little bitch, my idiocy doesn't have anything to do with my bisexuality and all to do with my own hubris.

Lisanna: I get offended when Freud says I'm a dumbass because I'm bi, because I feel like he's overlooking all the other perfectly valid reasons I'm a dumbass.

Lucy: I'm gonna be a smart bi just to flex on Freud.

[jekde04]

Home

One-shot for Gruvia Day/Greige Day/Gruvia Family Day 2021

Summary: Coming home from a mission is always better when there's someone waiting for you.

Word Count: 2,483 words

You may also read it on FanFiction.net and AO3! Check out my master list for other Gruvia fics.

Tag List: @shampooneko @fbflame94 @juviaafullbuster @unvalley @gruviaftw11​ (Wanna be tagged, lemme know)

“Mommy, we’re back!”

Looking for her blue head of hair had become second nature to him, so he quickly spotted her among their friends as she stood up to gather the running Greige into her arms. He followed right after, though a lot calmer.

“I finished my mission with Daddy!” the four-year-old boy with dark blue hair exclaimed as he reached his mom, still a little breathless from running. “I made big blocks of ice for the party, and Daddy crushed them to make snow cones for everyone!”

Greige prattled on excitedly, demonstrating each point with his hands and arms and making Juvia smile. Arriving at her side, Gray put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and kissed her temple. She embraced him back, giving him a quick squeeze before letting go and turning back to their son.

Gray chuckled. It seemed like ages ago when Juvia would welcome him with a half-hug, half-tackle to the ground while shouting, “Gray-samaaaaa!” Now, all her attention was on their son.

“That’s great, darling,” Juvia told Greige as they all sat side by side, with both of her boys on either side of her. “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

Gray rolled his eyes. It was so like Juvia to get worried over a simple mission of making ice sculptures and snow cones for kids at a birthday party, even though she was the one to spot it on the job board.

At first, she got really excited as she saw it as an opportunity for family bonding. But with her six-month pregnant belly, Gray wouldn’t risk it even if it was just an easy and harmless mission.

It ended up being a father and son bonding with his little ice mage apprentice.

“Relax, Juvia. As if I would let something happen to our son,” Gray answered after taking a gulp of the ice-cold water waiting for him at the table. Mira passed by and set a hot bowl of udon in front of him, giving him a light pat on the back.

“Of course you won’t, Gray-sama,” his wife answered with a smile. “But Juvia will always worry for you two. It’s just the way it is.”

She turned to Greige and held his elbow to pull him closer but was surprised when he yelped in pain.

“Greige-kun? What’s the matter? Where does it hurt?” Juvia asked in a concerned voice, trying to look for any bruise or cut on his son’s well-covered body.

Gray also turned to look at him with worry. “Did you get injured, buddy?”

“N-nothing. I’m okay, Mom,” Greige answered, squirming from Juvia’s fussing and a bit embarrassed about his outburst.

“Don’t ‘nothing’ me, young man,” Juvia said in her stern mommy voice that meant business. She rarely used it to both Gray and Greige, so both of them knew better than to defy her in any way when she was in one of her moods.

And being pregnant, those mood swings escalated tenfold.

Greige let Juvia remove his outer coat, allowing her to quickly spot the source of the problem: a scratch on his elbow. It wasn’t that deep or big, but it definitely should be cleaned, or else it would get infected.

Suddenly, Juvia snapped her head towards her husband and glared at him with her fierce blue eyes.

“Gray-sama! You said you won’t let anything happen to our son!”

Gray gulped and scratched the back of his head. All they did was make snow cones, how the hell did Greige get that?!

“Juvia, I swear, I didn’t let him out of my sight! I don’t even know where he got that,” he answered as he moved to Greige’s other side, examining the wound. “Besides, it’s just a small scratch. It’s no big deal.”

He immediately regretted his words the moment they came out of his mouth. He felt goosebumps prickling his skin as Juvia’s glare intensified.

Really, this woman means the world to him, but she could be scarier than Erza sometimes.

But before he could appease his wife, Greige said in a small voice, “This was from yesterday.”

Juvia turned to their son. “Yesterday? What happened? And why didn’t you say anything about it?”

With his head bowed, Greige mumbled something he couldn’t hear. Gray was about to ask him to speak louder when he saw him chance a glance at the pink-haired girl just three tables away from them...

And blush.

Holy Mavis.

He knew that look. He used to steal glances at Juvia with that look.

But his son was just four years old!

“What did you say, Greige?” Juvia’s voice broke through his thoughts (and internal panic), and he tried his best to focus on his son’s answer instead of his pink cheeks.

“I-I... scraped my elbow while Nasha and I were trying to hide from Aunt Lucy,” Greige answered, and Gray swore his son’s cheeks flushed some more.

Okay, he and Greige need to have a long talk when they get home. He was just four, but who knows what ideas and thoughts were running through his head now? Better nip it in the bud while it was still early.

And maybe he would tell Juvia tonight, but he had to be really careful because it might trigger the waterworks. And God knew how extremely sensitive she was, especially now that she was pregnant. Just last week, they ran out of milk, and she bawled her eyes out over it.

“Next time, be more careful, darling,” Juvia said, seemingly oblivious to what just happened and already arms-deep into her first aid kit.

Juvia had always been like that whenever he returned from a mission. She would have a first aid kit by her side and a glass of cold water and a serving of whatever the meal of the day was already ordered for him. At home, there would always be a feast.

He had to thank her failproof Gray-sama radar for always getting the timing of his arrival right.

She started dabbing alcohol on Greige’s wound while blowing at the spot to ease the pain. Greige flinched a little, but he put on a brave face while his mom cleaned his wound, his eyes traveling now and then to the nearby table where his bubbly friend was busy playing with her mom’s keys, unaware of his stolen glances.

That talk was definitely happening the moment they get home.

“All done!” Juvia exclaimed, lightly patting the band-aid she placed over the abrasion. “Now, for the finishing touches.”

She puckered her lips and lowered it to Greige’s elbow to kiss the boo-boo away, as she always did whenever her son injured himself. But just when her lips were a mere inch away, Greige saw Nasha looking at him with her big brown eyes, causing him to push his mom’s lips away from him.

“Ahh, stop it, Mom! I’m a big boy now!” Greige blurted, crimson cheeks and all.

Lisanna, who was delivering some drinks to a nearby table, smiled widely and ruffled Greige’s hair. "Aww, you are so cute, Greige-kun!" This made the boy even redder.

Surprised, Juvia locked eyes with Gray, and he tilted his head towards the table where his rival’s family was staying. She saw Nasha looking at Greige, and she looked at her husband and raised one of her eyebrows.

“Okay, Mommy understands,” she told Greige as she smiled at him and smoothed the band-aid on his elbow. “But promise me one thing, darling.”

Greige looked up at her and waited.

“Promise me that even though you’re a young man now, you won’t give Mommy a grandchild yet, okay? Mommy’s too young for that.”

Greige just continued looking at her, brows furrowed in confusion. Gray, on the other hand, almost choked on his udon and shouted, “Juvia!” at his giggling wife.

“Really, I can give Mommy a grandchild? How?” their son asked, excitement twinkling in his eyes.

Gray took a gulp of cold water before turning to his son. “Alright, that’s enough. Greige, don’t listen to your mom. And Juvia, stop putting ideas into your son’s head!”

Juvia covered her mouth with her hands. “Juvia’s sorry, Gray-sama. Juvia just thinks it’s so cute that Greige-kun already has a --”

“Greige?”

A little girl’s voice interrupted them, and they all turned to look at Nasha, who had quietly made her way to their table. Gray stole a glance at his son and saw him giving the girl the tiniest of smiles.

Just like the smile he used to give Juvia when he was still fighting his growing feelings for her.

All of a sudden, the innocent-looking girl jumped on Greige and locked his head under her arm, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Aunt Juvia, Uncle Gray, can Greige and I get some ice cream?”

“Ow! Let go!” Greige exclaimed, suddenly finding himself in a headlock with a giggling Nasha. He escaped her grip and glared at her while his mom answered, “Of course, sweetie. Just don’t go far and don’t take too long.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Nasha excitedly answered, dragging a sulking Greige after her. “Come on, weirdo. Let’s get some ice cream!”

“But I just ate a snow cone!”

“Whatever, you’re coming with me!”

Gray followed the two kids with his eyes, watching them hold hands as they made their way to their Aunt Mirajane.

That was his son, alright. Before long, he would be all grown up and meeting Nashas from different worlds and seeing snow dolls of Nasha and having enemies conjure up fantasies of him and Nasha in a perfect, happy world and --

“Relax, Gray-sama,” he heard his wife say, bringing him back to Earthland. “It will be a long time before all your thoughts would come true.”

His wife’s Gray-sama radar probably got an upgrade as it apparently developed mindreading powers now. And since when did his mind start running off to fantasy world? After all these years, Juvia’s powerful imagination must have rubbed off on him somehow.

Gray stretched his sore muscles and popped the joints in his neck. “Don’t joke about grandkids again. It’s scary.” He placed his hand at his wife’s round belly. “‘Sides, we’re not yet done having kids.”

Juvia looked at him, the most beautiful smile gracing her face. “Juvia knows. Now, get naked.”

“N-now?” Gray stammered, surprised at his wife’s sudden request. Sure, he would love to try having more kids, but --

“-- so Juvia could examine you thoroughly for any wounds. And change your bandages,” she continued, eyes feigning innocence. But he could see a small smile tugging at her lips, satisfied with the little joke she pulled.

Gray rolled his eyes and took off his shirt. He let Juvia’s light fingers explore his body and carefully remove the old gauze wrapped around his broad chest. “It’s almost healed already,” he remarked.

Juvia just continued applying antiseptic on his injury, not looking up at Gray. His wound was by no means fresh, but it was a deep gash he got from one of his missions with Team Natsu. He threw himself in front of a kid to protect her from one of the bandits, which earned him a cut over his breastbone. Good thing Wendy was with them; it could have been fatal if she didn’t treat it right away.

“Still not totally healed. Gray-sama should keep the bandages clean to avoid infection.” She looked up at him and added, “And Gray-sama should be extra careful now that our family is growing.”

Despite her steady tone, he could see her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. He remembered the first time she saw his injury and how she tried to muffle her sobs so that Greige wouldn’t think something was wrong.

Gray wiped the tears that escaped her eyes and kissed her forehead tenderly. “I will. And no matter what, I will always come back home to you.”

Juvia nodded and gave him a small smile. She wrapped fresh bandages around his chest in silence.

“All done now, Gray-sama.” She patted her handiwork and started putting all the stuff back inside the first aid kit. When she was done, she stood up and was about to return the kit to Mira when Gray thought aloud, “How come she does it for Greige but not for me?”

Juvia turned to look at him. “Are you saying something, Gray-sama?”

Gray looked at her sheepishly while scratching his cheek. “Ah, nothing.”

“Juvia’s sure she heard something about doing it for Greige but not for you. What is it?”

Gray’s cheeks turned pink. “Well, it’s just that...” He puckered his lips towards her.

“Eh?” Juvia asked incredulously. “Juvia’s not sure she understands what Gray-sama’s talking about.”

Gray sighed and picked up his shirt. “Forget it. It’s silly.”

Juvia sat beside him again, thinking aloud to herself. “Hmm. What does Juvia do with Greige that she doesn’t do with Gray-sama?” After a few moments, her face lit up. “Aha! Does Gray-sama want Juvia to kiss his boo-boos too?”

Gray’s face flushed some more, but he couldn’t help the smirk from crawling on his face. “Well, you used to do it, right? I’m just curious how come you don’t do it anymore.”

It was now Juvia’s turn to blush. She put her hand over her mouth and said, “Is Juvia hearing this right? Gray-sama wants Juvia to kiss his body right in the middle of the guild?”

Realizing what she was saying, Gray suddenly burst out, “What? No! I was just asking!”

But it was too late. Juvia’s lips were already pressed onto a scar by his collarbone.

“Does this still hurt, Gray-sama?” She then moved lower to his chest where the bandage started, and kissed it softly. “How about here, hmm?”

Gray froze as Juvia’s lips traveled even lower, now kissing his hard abs covered by his bandages. He clenched his fist as he could feel something else hardening.

“Is Gray-sama feeling better now?” Juvia asked in a sultry voice, looking up at him with those beguiling eyes, a tiny smirk on her luscious lips as if challenging him.

Oh, she was definitely teasing him.

But why did she have to look this sexy?

Around them, he could hear some of their guildmates snickering and hollering.

“Get a room!”

“They’re being lovey-dovey again.”

“Give your wife what she wants, Gray!”

He was flustered alright, but he only knew of one way to turn the tables on his wife.

He grabbed her shoulders and straightened her so that they were at eye level with each other.

“You missed a spot right here,” he said, pointing to his lips. But before she could react, he angled his head and kissed her full on the mouth.

That will teach her, he thought.

Amid all the teasing, gagging noises, and catcalls, a little boy eating his ice cream a few tables away yelled, “Eww, Daddy and Mommy are being gross again!”

***

Happy Gruvia Family Day, loves! 😘

[xfangheartx]

A Fairy Tail Christmas Miracle- Ch. 1

Yes, I know, cheesy title is cheesy.

I was suddenly in the mood to do this, so I wrote the first chapter just a short while ago. This isn't really canon in my fanon-verse by any means, but it's just for the holiday.

And don't worry, there's a happy ending.

@thenaluarchive @rougescribe @petri808 @ljf613

December 24th, Year X784. Christmas Eve in Magnolia was usually such a magical and beautiful time. A time for families to huddle up against a warm fire, eating good food, and decorating their trees with all sort of colorful ornaments and tinsil garland.

However... this was not the case for the Fairy Tail Guild on this night. Instead of spending the night at the guildhall... they were out in the East Forest, holding lit lanterns as they traversed the snow-covered trails. They had spread out in different directions, but also made sure to stay close so as not to get lost... and as they did, they called out a name.

"NATSU~!!"

There was no response. Just the sound of the wind and the silence of the falling snow.

"Natsu?!" Romeo called as he held up a ball of Purple Fire while his father did the same. "Are you out there?!"

"Hey, Natsu, where are you?!" Macao asked.

"Answer us!!" Mirajane cried. "Please!!"

"Natsu! Where are you?!" Elfman shouted with usual manliness.

And yet, there was still no answer from the Salamander. Wendy was being carried by Carla, flying alongside Gajeel, who was being held aloft by Panther Lily, as well as Lisanna in her Take Over: Harpy Form.

"See anything yet?" asked Carla.

"Just snow, snow, and more snow!" Wendy answered.

"Dammit," Gajeel cursed. "It's freezin' cold out here! You'd think Salamander would at least some kinda trail!"

"He has to be around here, somewhere!" Lisanna called as she kept flying. "Keep looking!"

Down below, Erza looked around as she held up her lantern with Gray standing behind her. At that moment, Cana walked up to them with Juvia at her side.

"Any luck yet?" Gray asked.

"No," Juvia shook her head. "No sign at all."

"Not even tracks or anything," Cana replied.

"Keep looking," Erza urged. "There's bound to be something."

"Natsu!" Levy called out as she held up a lantern that she had made using her Solid Script while Jet and Droy walked behind her. "Answer us! If you're out here, give us a sign! Natsu!!"

"Natsu, honey?!" Elektra called as she walked alongside Makarov and Laxus. "Natsu!!"

"Where are you?!" Makarov shouted.

"Natsu!! Say something!!" Laxus called out, his coat flapping in the wind... and yet, there was still no answer. Nearby, Alzack and Bisca stood close together, their hands clasped around the hands of their little girl, who looked up at them with big, bright, and worried doe eyes.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she asked. "Where's Natsu?"

"That's why we're out here, darlin'," Alzack replied.

"I miss him," Asuka said, sadly. "I want him to come home."

"We miss him, too, sugar," Bisca said as she held him. "Look... it's cold out and it's past your bedtime. Maybe we should get you home, huh? You want Santa to bring you lots of presents, right?"

"No!" Asuka cried. "I don't wanna go home! I wanna find Natsu!"

The two Gun Wizards glanced at each other, sadness and concern welling up in their chests. They knew that Asuka must have been so tired, but they also knew that they couldn't just leave knowing another member of their family was lost. That's when Erza walked up and placed a hand on Bisca's shoulder.

"Take her home and make sure she gets plenty of rest," she told them. "We'll continue the search." She then knelt down in front of Asuka, gently cupping her face. "Asuka... I know you're very worried, but we promise we're going to find Natsu and bring him back home. Right now, you need to go home and get nice and warm and get some sleep, okay?"

"...You promise, Auntie Erza?" asked Asuka.

"I promise," Erza smiled as she stood up, and soon after, Alzack scooped his daughter into his arms and he and Bisca carried her off back to Magnolia.

Meanwhile, Blue Fang trudged his way through the deep snow, sniffing the ground for any kind of scent trail while he pulled a large sled behind him. In that sled was Haru, who sighed as she looked around with her oil lantern... and yet, she found nothing. No sign of her older brother, at all, and that only made her heart drop more. That's when she glanced back at the two passengers: Lucy and Happy.

The Celestial Spirit Wizard had the little blue coat wrapped up inside her coat, holding him close to her bosom to keep him warm. They both stared distantly into the forest, expressions of great worry on their faces. As Happy whimpered, Lucy gently stroked his head in an attempt to calm him down... even though deep down, she was trying not to panic.

Natsu left on a job 4 days ago... but he never came back. It wasn't even anything hard for him to do. Just defeat a gang of robbers in a neighboring town, and the reward was supposed to be quite hefty two. The town wasn't even that far, to begin with. He could have easily walked from Magnolia to there and back again... but he never turned up.

At first, everyone simply thought that maybe he decided to stay at an inn in the next town over... but when they got no such report and as time passed, they started to realize that something was definitely wrong. Thus, the search party was formed, and they spread out, searching all over the forest... but with the darkening sky and the encroaching snowstorm, things were starting to look bleak.

As Lucy looked up at the sky... all she could do was hope and wonder...

'Where are you, Natsu?'

[pencilofawesomeness]

htryds microshot: book nerds

October 7, X778

 It was starting to get colder, but secretly, Levy couldn’t wait for it to be colder. Then, nobody would complain if she curled up inside of her dorm-apartment and read all day long.

Not that there wasn’t stuff to do in the guild, of course, or with Jet and Droy. In fact, there had been a ton of new members this year, and some of them were even her age, which was nice, so Levy really should get to know them better.

The Strauss siblings were nice, even though the oldest one had quickly gotten…intense. Lisanna and Elfman were very kind though (and she was sure Mirajane was too, but she wasn’t the most approachable, so Levy wouldn’t know), and then there was the other group of… siblings? They seemed like siblings, with the way they stuck together, though Levy also knew that that wasn’t always indicative, but she, Jet, and Droy only knew other from the orphanage, but they were like brothers to her, and they stuck together like they were family, too.

Although the youngest boy and the older one did look similar. They both had black hair and red eyes, and red eyes weren’t something that was common. Not that the girl, Wendy, looked anything like them though. Wendy and Rogue she had the most contact with. They were delightful children—and quite young; it was amazing they could perform magic at their age—and very polite. She had been helping them with reading material ever since she found out they were still learning. And of course they were—they were only six or seven. The older one, Gajeel, was closer to her age, but he was more…stand-offish. And intimidating. She wasn’t sure if it was all of the piercings or the way he always glared and sulked in corners. What was it about the oldest of a group of three being the scariest? (Well, there was nothing scary about Jet, so that observation was limited to the two new groups of Fairy Tail.)

Enough about that, though. Levy had properly introduced herself, and that was what mattered. Not that that was recently, or anything. Meeting new people was still the difficult part of being in the guild, not that she regretted joining for one moment.

Levy knew the way to the bookstore by heart. She was positive she could navigate the building itself blind by now, though that wasn’t a large feat; it was pretty small. Although, she had still yet to read the store’s entire selection, so it was still plenty large enough—for the time being.

What was she in the mood to read this time? Hm, maybe fiction. Levy enacted her normal strategy of browsing until she had a suitable stack, wandering between the aisles and sections and stopping whenever she saw something interesting.

Or she stopped when she ran into somebody. Literally. Which wasn’t supposed to happen because there was never anybody in this section, but it happened this time and—

Levy blinked, wondering if she was imagining things. “Gajeel?”

The boy would have jumped out of his skin if he could. “What? Nothing, I wasn’t doing nothin’—!” It was his turn to blink. “Oh. You’re from the guild.”

“Yeah.”

They stared in a moment of silence. Levy wasn’t sure what else to say in a situation like this, especially since he was blocking the bookshelf she was wanting to look at.

Wait a second—there was a book in his hand. He was trying to hide it behind him, but she could recognize that cover anywhere. “Do you like the Detective Danger series too?” Levy blurted.

It was so hard to find other people to talk about it with, because it wasn’t exactly a popular series. It was simple, corny, and a little predicable—but it was charming and heartfelt, and it was enjoyable to read nonetheless, especially for relaxation. Not that Levy had a lot of people to talk about books period with, but the Detective Danger series was not something people followed beyond a stray book or two, so Levy never had anyone to discuss it with.

Gajeel’s face started to turn red. “Wh-what? No,” he denied quickly. Then he seemed to realize that he was holding the fourth book in the series. “I-I mean, it’s okay. Easy read in between training. And stuff.”

Levy resisted the urge to giggle to herself, but it was a hard thing to suppress. Ah, to see the denial up close. There was a time when Levy too would deny her enjoyment of the series (because honestly, it was designed for kids, and even though she was a kid, technically, she had long since moved past that reading level) but the series started to really get interesting around book nine, so she might as well see it through to the end.

“Okaaaay. How��d you like the ending of the ski-lodge case, then?” she asked, feeling devious. If there was anything to have a strong opinion about, it was—

“Are you kidding? It was awesome! The way he choked a guy with a hat, stopped a bullet, and caught that chick, all while skiing down the Deadly Hill? I— I mean… i-it was okay I guess.”

Her face split into a grin. “Busted,” she giggled, and Gajeel deflated like he had been caught doing something embarrassing.

Levy was just thrilled that she would have someone to discuss that twist in book nine with. “Have you read the Underwater Case yet?” she asked.

He looked down at the book in his hand awkwardly. “Ah, no… I haven’t read any since I was in Denish, and even then, there wasn’t really time.”

“I’m sure you’ll get there soon. I remember I read that one—” She pointed to the Volcano Case in his hands “—really fast. Oh, and when you get to the fifth book, I even got the special edition with the extra scene.”

“They make those?”

“Only a few! I got really lucky with that one. Would you…want to borrow it?”

For a second, Gajeel looked overwhelmed. Oh no, she had gone too fast again, hadn’t she? It had just been so long since she could talk about books with people, and even then, the librarian might not count…

“Yeah, that’d be cool. Er, thanks.”

But maybe she can add one more person to her list.

----

You can’t convince me that Mr. Long-coat-tie-and-fedora didn’t internalize cheesy detective fiction at least once in his life. (I headcanon that he did read some stuff post coming to the future to, ya know, learn that modern language stuff, so kid’s fiction is simple enough for that.) He might have been too stubborn to continue it in Phantom Lord, but Gajeel has time (and a fellow reader) now. Meanwhile Levy went through the classic introvert “I don’t know how to talk to people unless it’s about <special interest> and then I can talk a lot.”

Ah, the simple friendship of twelve and thirteen year-olds. 

[jemmahazelnut]

Romantic date

Summary: Mirajane sets up a very (overly) romantic date for Laxus and Freed. [Freed / Laxus]

Link: AO3

Romantic date

-1-

“What’s that face?” Mirajane asked, setting the beer down in front of Laxus.

“Nothing” he objected, glancing at the guild door, wondering when Freed would be back. The boy had told him that they would complete the mission within the week and that was the last day of the week, so he’d most likely arrive by that evening. And, Laxus had to admit, he was pretty happy to see him again after two weeks away.

He grimaced slightly wondering when he had become so pathetic. Maybe since he'd started dating his teammate. After Laxus kissed him one night when he drank too much, he found that Freed reciprocated his feelings for him and the two decided to date. For the moment they had only had a few appointments due to the constant commitments of both, but those few times that they saw Laxus' mood rose drastically. Being with Freed and spending time with him taking some extra liberties that as a friend he’d never have allowed himself to do was exciting. Kissing him was always nice, having intimacy with him so much that he could be more physical than normal excited him. In fact, he liked practically everything about Freed.

“God, I'm getting sentimental” he thought. But it wasn't bad, in fact, it was a good feeling.

“Ok, now you're smiling because you're thinking about Freed” Mirajane smiled in amusement. Laxus gave her a dirty look. He had nothing against the girl, but she did a little too much business with him, especially since she had discovered that the two were dating -Laxus hadn’t yet understood how she had done it.

“I'm not smiling” he retorted. Mirajane spread her smile.

“Yes, you are. You organized a surprise for him, right?” she asked. Laxus snorted.

“Why should I do this?” he muttered, not really wanting to know the answer.

“Well, you haven't seen each other for two weeks, and I know that the last time it was he who invited you out” she said as if it were obvious. Laxus wondered how she knew what they were doing but he decided to overlook it. “Laxus, you absolutely have to prepare a surprise for him. Freed deserves it” the bartender insisted. Laxus thought that Mirajane didn't quite understand. He and Freed weren't as romantic as she thought, and they were both fine with that. Neither of them made great gestures, nor did they want them.

“So, you want me to help you?” Mirajane asked. Laxus looked up at her.

“I don't need help” he said right away.

“So, you’ve already organized something for him? And what?” inquired the curious girl.

“I'll make him a dinner” he replied dryly, knowing that otherwise the girl would have exasperated him to get the answers she wanted. Mirajane lit up her face.

“How romantic. Oh, that's a great idea. Come on, I'll help you!” she exclaimed.

“I said I don't need help” Laxus muttered.

“Of course you need it, you’ve to throw him a nice surprise, and I know you wouldn't” she told him. Laxus groaned slightly and glanced at Cana, hoping that at least she would help him. But the brunette smiled at him and waved 'bye bye' with her hand, while she reached out to another bottle of wine.

-2-

Laxus didn’t know why he accepted, and swore to himself that if Mirajane walked into his house with another bouquet of flowers, he would kick her ass out. When that woman got an idea in her head she became maddening. He didn't even understand why she cared so much about arranging a date for him and Freed.

“Doesn't that seem exaggerated?” Laxus asked looking at how she had reduced his living room. It felt like another room after the changes Mirajane had made.

“Not at all. I’ve turned off the light, so you’ll have to have dinner by candlelight” she warned him and Laxus stared at her in amazement. That girl was out of her mind. He wondered if by chance she wanted to take revenge on him for something or if Cana had made her drunk, because it was not normal. “Don't make that face, I know otherwise you'd throw the candles out and turn on the light” Mirajane told him. Laxus ran his hands over his face wearily.

“Just tell me we're done” he said exhausted, as the girl had forced him to cook up until then as well as having him move furniture from his house.

“Yes sure. I got you a new bottle of wine in the kitchen. The risotto is ready, you just have to heat it in a pan and I threw away the cookies you had made, they were burnt. I've made others” said the girl, who seemed to be organizing the date of her life. Laxus continued to stare at her more and more thrilled. “Oh, and give him the flowers. This bouquet is for Freed, see I bought the flowers with every meaning. Respect, love, fidelity, promise…” she began to list a lot of things pointing to the flowers one by one, but Laxus didn't have time to hear that he had already forgotten everything. Of one thing he was sure: he wasn't going to give Freed flowers.

“You will give it to him, okay?” Mirajane snapped. Damn, since when had that demon been reading minds?

“I don't know if you've noticed, but Freed is a man and... all this stuff here has nothing to do with our typical date” snapped Laxus, who was now starting to get nervous. Because he was sure as death that Freed would be amazed to enter that watered-down version of love lair, and that he’d most likely make fun of his romantic soul. Which Laxus didn't have, what the fuck. It was all Mirajane's doing, but he would tell him right away!

Why then the candles? Was the light not good? And why the fuck did Mirajane have to make oysters too? It wasn't a gala dinner, it was just him and Freed. And why were there flowers everywhere? Wasn't the huge deck that the girl had made him buy to give it to Freed enough? And why did he have to give him a bouquet of flowers? Laxus was looking forward to Mirajane leaving, so he could throw all those flowers in the garbage and clean up the house.

“So what? It's all romantic and perfect, and you won't ruin my work” she declared and then looked at him. “And you dressed like this are not good. Freed is always so elegant, you must be too” she told.

“Mira...” he growled in warning, but the woman wasn’t frightened by anything and dragged him into the room. “Freed doesn't care about these things” Laxus clarified annoyed, because he realized he was getting late. Freed was in danger of arriving at any moment and he wouldn’t have time to put the living room back as it was before.

“Of course, he cares” Mirajane said convinced as she opened the wardrobe.

“I hang out with him. Not you” he pointed out irritably. He knewwhat Freed liked, and such an evening would be embarrassing for both of them.

“Exactly, and he wouldn't tell you. But he has a romantic soul, he has never told you so as not to make you uncomfortable because he knows that you are incapable. That's why I'm here to help you” she said pulling out a dress shirt and a pair of dark pants. Laxus was about to retort but a doubt crept into his mind. Was it really so? It could have been, after all, Freed hadn't wanted to push anything with him. A certain nervousness began to build in his stomach. So, Freed liked the romantic types?

“Don't be swayed by the demon” he thought irritably, glancing at Mirajane, who held out his clothes.

“Get dressed and move. Freed will be here in a moment” she told. Laxus didn’t object and as he entered the bathroom he thought of the green-haired boy. Laxus thought he knew him well, but Mirajane wasn't entirely wrong. He didn't know every side of him, that last month had proven it. Freed could actually be very romantic in words, undoubtedly more than him who, if he put in the effort, would come up with a predictable phrase. It was normal that Freed would have liked it if Laxus had been with him too. And if he had been able to, Laxus would have done it. But he just couldn't. And now that Mirajane had put reality in his face, he was beginning to feel a certain anxiety.

He finished washing and dressing you and left the bathroom. The girl smiled at him joyfully and she approached him with gel and comb.

“I'll fix your hair” she told. Laxus didn't reply, trying to convince himself that Mirajane was wrong. But it was a bit difficult. Especially since the girl kept talking about sweet things and what he should be doing. Give him flowers, a welcome kiss, pour him wine, bring dinner to the table saying he had prepared his favorite dish just for him, then put on some music and dance -Laxus didn't know how that idea came from her brain , he couldn't dance!- and something else he must have forgotten.

The doorbell rang and Laxus felt anxiety crawl up his skin. Was he Freed? What the fuck was he supposed to do? All of Mirajane's advice and chatter had sent him into confusion.

“You understand everything?” the girl asked. Laxus just stared at her with a fairly eloquent expression, and the girl rolled her eyes and then smiled sweetly. “You just have to be sweet, Freed deserves it”. Of course Freed deserved it, he knew it too. Just... he had no idea what to do and how to behave. It was going to be a disaster, he already knew it. Why had he allowed the girl to do all this?

But he didn't have time to think about anything that the girl dragged him into the living room, she put the bouquet of flowers in his hand and then opened the door. There was Freed.

-3-

Freed was in a great mood. Since returning to Magnolia, he had found out from Lisanna that Laxus had a surprise for him, and now he was beginning to be curious. He only knew that he had to go to his house. He walked the way faster than necessary. Freed was actually excited to see Laxus again after two weeks, and knowing that the blonde had arranged something for him made him blush more than he should. He couldn't help it, since Laxus had kissed him, he felt like he was flying two meters off the ground.

He arrived in front of Laxus's house and rang the bell. He waited and after a while he found himself in front of Laxus with a huge bouquet of flowers in his hand. He was so focused on seeing that exaggerated amount of flowers that he hardly noticed Mirajane walking out of the house.

“They're for you” Laxus grunted obviously uncomfortably and Freed found himself blushing slightly as he picked them up.

“Oh, uhm... thanks” he said a little uncertainly. Of all things, he hadn't expected Laxus to buy him a bouquet of flowers.

“Well, uhm... I know you're a man” the blonde snapped and Freed looked up at that point. He noticed Laxus blush and found himself smiling in amusement.

“The opposite would be worrying” he chuckled and Laxus snorted as Freed entered. The rune mage reached out to him, leaving him a sweet kiss on the lips. “Thank you” he said softly this time and Laxus's face turned even more red. Freed smiled at his reaction but decided not to say anything, as the thought was really nice. Of course, the bouquet of flowers was a bit exaggerated and he suspected that the blond had asked Mirajane for help, but just thinking of Laxus in a florist's shop while he was buying something uncomfortable made him smile. He would have liked to see it.

When he entered the living room, however, he was stunned. He stared at what looked like a… a… Freed really couldn't define it. The sofas had been moved, leaving the room free, candles had been hung on the walls, in the center there was a table with two candles and a vase of roses in the middle, and the floor was covered with flower petals. And there were at least twenty bouquets of flowers for the rest of the living room. It was all very… romantic. Too much, to tell the truth.

“You can sit down” Laxus clarified in a snarl. Freed gave him a puzzled look, not understanding the contradiction between what he saw and what he heard from the blond. He decided not to ask questions, set the bouquet of flowers on the dresser part and then sat down at the table, wondering why Laxus had decided to do something like this. But the blond went into the kitchen. At that point Freed waited until the Dragon Slayer returned with a pan that definitely smelled inviting. When he saw what he had prepared, his eyes widened.

“Oysters and mixed fish risotto?” he asked him stunned.

“Uhm... you like it, don't you?” Laxus muttered and Freed nodded with a small smile.

“I didn't know you could cook oysters” he admitted as Laxus sat down across from him.

“Well, it's the first time I've done that” he revealed in a mutter as he looked down at his plate. Freed looked at him with an expression mixed between surprise and tenderness. He had to admit it, Laxus was really committed and it was nice to see him like that, also because he realized that the blonde was definitely out of his comfort zone and had done everything for him. On another occasion Freed would have enjoyed making fun of him, but at that moment he really didn't feel like it.

He thus began to eat discovering that it was also good. Laxus remained silent while he ate without much desire. Freed could feel his discomfort from there, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

“You know, we met another Seith wizard on the last mission” he began to tell. Laxus looked up at him and seemed to relax as Freed began to talk to him about what they had to do. The evening went on quietly, Laxus told him what he had lost there in Magnolia and the two chatted about guildmates. At least until a music started from the Lacrima.

Freed turned in surprise as Laxus took his head in his hands, moaning slightly. Freed found himself giggling.

“It's dance music” he noted.

“I can't dance” Laxus said immediately with some nervousness. Freed smiled and stood up holding out his hand, while the blonde stared skeptically.

“Come on, it's just the two of us” he pointed out. Laxus shook his head.

“I don't dance” he said stubbornly.

“So why did you put the song on?” Freed asked, arching an eyebrow. Laxus started to answer and then snorted, giving up and taking the boy's hand. A smile appeared on Freed's face as he placed a hand on Laxus's side pulling him towards him. The blond was indeed stiff and looked even more awkward than before, but still the runes wizard decided not to say anything. He was already happy enough to have convinced him, and he really didn't care how Laxus danced. It was enough for him to be with him, even if he would have preferred the blond to have fun too. For that reason, he decided to stop the dance before the song was over, and Laxus seemed very relieved.

“I'm going to get the dessert” Laxus said immediately and quickly left the living room, leaving him alone. Freed at that point decided to turn off the music and approached the Lacrima, but noticed that someone must have enchanted that object, because it didn’t turn off in any way. He frowned slightly and kept trying, at least until he heard swearing from the kitchen. At that point he turned and walked into the small room, seeing that Laxus was throwing away bowls full of food.

“What are you doing?” Freed asked and Laxus turned surprised to face him.

“Nothing, go back there” the blond growled.

“Why are you throwing... oh” Freed stopped short and felt his face flush at what Laxus was throwing. Heart-shaped cookies with 'Love you' written on them. Laxus blushed.

“That's not what you think” he growled. Freed blinked for a moment in perplexity. “What a shit night” Laxus muttered to himself as he threw away the sweets. Freed, however, really couldn’t see him a second more so agitated just for a surprise that he had wanted to do. He was also beginning to feel guilty.

“Laxus, I'm really enjoying myself” Freed told him taking a bag full of cookies so the blonde wouldn't throw it away. Laxus grunted.

“Good for you” he said irritably.

“Laxus, I'm serious” Freed said at that point, seriously wanting to calm him down, because otherwise the blond would have a nervous breakdown and really didn't want to see him in those states. He put a hand on his arm. “I know how much effort it took you to organize all this, and I know it's not really your kind of date, but I'm serious, I really liked it, it's...” he paused for a moment not knowing how to define that overly mushy dinner “... romantic” he said, staring intently at him. Laxus stared at him for a few seconds before shoving him badly away from him and Freed was stunned, wondering if he had said anything wrong.

“Well, great” Laxus muttered.

“What's wrong?” Freed asked worriedly. Laxus put a hand to his head.

“Honestly? Everything” he snapped to the limit “Starting with that fucking bunch of flowers I gave you. Or rather, that Mirajane forced me to give you. Do you want to know how much effort it took me to do all this? Virtually nothing, Mirajane has thought of everything. The flowers, the candles, that music that never goes out…” he growled, throwing a bolt of lightning at the Lacrima and throwing it out the window so he wouldn't have to hear that song again as it started to hurt his nerves. “The petals, the candles, the cookies, and the oysters. Do you think I can cook damn oysters? I don't know how to do anything!” Laxus snapped out of his mind “So you won't have fun like this anymore! And if you want this fucking shit… well, just don't expect it from me” he threw out. Freed found himself smiling. He had assumed that Mirajane was behind it all. Sure, he'd thought Laxus had asked her for help, but apparently that hadn't happened either.

“Are you telling me that Mirajane did it all?” he wanted to assure himself.

“Yeah” Laxus snarled. “Honestly I didn't want to do any of that” he snapped and ran a hand through his hair. “You know what, it doesn't matter. Go out with a noble, a prince, who the fuck you want. I'm not made for these things”.

At that point Freed decided to silence all the boy's nervousness. Without saying anything he pushed towards him trapping Laxus against the wall and captured his lips in an intense kiss. Immediately Laxus' hands landed on his hips, holding him close as he reciprocated with equal passion. He let Laxus run his hands wherever he wanted, until he felt his breath fail. At that point he pulled away and looked Laxus into his eyes, who finally seemed to have calmed down.

“First of all” Freed began. “I figured there was Mirajane's hand behind all this. Secondly, I really don't care about nights like that, I just want to have fun with you. And finally, I like you the way you are. You don't need to try to be someone else, I'm already completely in love, you don't need to surprise me” he told, not without some embarrassment. But after what Laxus had done, it seemed small to him to admit he had such strong feelings for him. Maybe it was a little early, but after the years they had spent together, Freed realized he had completely lost his mind for his friend. He hoped he hadn't made Laxus even more uncomfortable with that last statement.

The blond stared at him in shock and immediately relaxed his shoulders.

“You love me?” he was still stunned. Freed felt himself blush but nodded. Laxus's face broke into a smile and soon he leaned over him to kiss him. Freed felt his heart rate increase as he pushed towards him returning the kiss, which quickly became more and more intense. Laxus's arms gripped him tightly, and his hand ran through his hair. It was more than Freed had expected and it was fantastic. When they broke apart, they were both out of breath.

“I love you too” Laxus revealed with red cheeks. Freed smiled and rested his head on his shoulder, enjoying that moment in his arms, thinking about how good those words sounded. Laxus reciprocated. He still didn't believe what he had heard, and it was a wonderful feeling.

He looked up at him and noticed that Laxus had a small smile and looked much more relaxed than before as he continued to slide his hand down his back in a gentle caress. They looked at each other for a moment in silence, before the blond spoke.

“I really do Freed, just… I can't do this to you. If Mira hadn't forced me, we would just have dinner and go for a walk, or see a wizarding competition, or… whatever” he said more calmly but seriously in the face, continuing to run his hand along Freed’s back. Freed smiled and reached out and placed his hand on Laxus' cheek.

“As I told you, I like you the way you are” he repeated. “And to be honest, I'm relieved to know you don't have such an overly romantic soul. The evening was beautiful but… Mirajane really overdid it” he said letting go of a chuckle, thinking back to how absurd all that had been. Laxus smiled in amusement.

“Fuck Mirajane, I knew she was just talking bullshit” he said.

“What did she tell you?” Freed asked curiously, as he reluctantly dissolved the embrace.

“That you dreamed of such an evening” Laxus muttered and then fixed his gaze on him. “I mean, something romantic with... flowers and dinner and... all of that” he said. “But you liked it, didn't you?” he then asked uncertainly. Freed looked around and then decided to be honest.

“The idea of you making me a dinner is good, but you really don't need to make me meals like a king. And as for the flowers, it's a nice thought, maybe next time take a smaller bouquet, I really don't know where to put it. As for the atmosphere...” he said, alluding to the floor strewn with petals and candles everywhere “It really isn't necessary” he concluded. Laxus sighed looking very relieved at that revelation.

Freed took the blond's hand. “So, you said you wanted to take me to see a magical competition, right?” he asked. Laxus nodded and smiled slightly.

“Do you want?” he asked.

“Obviously” was the immediate reply. He found himself smiling as Laxus put his arm on his shoulders as they left the house and started down the street.

“So, I really want to know what the florist looked like when he found himself in front of Laxus Dreyar buying about twenty bouquets of flowers” Freed began in an amused tone. Laxus groaned.

“No, please” he said but Freed insisted.

“I'm serious, and I also want to know how you got Mirajane to persuade you to fill the house with candles. I'm sorry I missed you too learning to cook something different. You know, if you miss something funny, I'll ask Mirajane directly” Freed continued with a mocking smile.

“You're an asshole” Laxus muttered and Freed laughed openly. Laxus began cursing that woman as he told Freed how Mirajane had literally dragged him from side to side without even giving him time to think about what he was actually doing. The two found themselves giggling together along the way as Laxus talked about his hellish afternoon. Despite everything, the evening had really taken a pleasant turn and the two could not but be happier.

[eryiss]

Chapter Ten - The Hollidays

Summary: Freed and Laxus live incredibly different lives. Freed is a corporate lawyer in the capital city, and Laxus works as a handyman in a countryside hotel. Despite their differences, their lives collide when Freed inherits a house in Laxus’ village, and hires him to make the derelict building liveable. But the closer they get, the more they seem to offer each other. [Fraxus Multi-Chapter]

This was written as my admission for Fraxus Day 2020, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus​. Happy Holidays Everyone. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

You can read this under the cut, on Fanfiction, or on Archive of Our Own. You can find the chapter masterpost here.

Chapter Ten – The Holidays

They hadn't spoken about it. They hadn't spoken about anything. They hadn't even seen each other since it happened.

Laxus had woken up in Freed's bed, wrapped up in the man's crisp sheets without a bedpartner. The sound of movement had stirred him, and through bleary eyes he had seen Freed moving through his bedroom. He'd watched as Freed had retreated quietly into the cottage's bathroom, followed by the sound of a shower. He returned a little bit later, to dress himself, and for reasons he couldn't explain Laxus pretended to be asleep.

With closed eyes, he had heard Freed's sigh. He'd shaken Laxus' shoulder to wake him, but the blonde continued to keep up the pretence of sleep. He had eventually given up, and the sound of pen against paper filled the room. Laxus should have made it known he was awake at that point, but he didn't.

And then Freed left, but not before gifting Laxus a featherlight kiss and whispering, "Happy Christmas my love."

Laxus only opened his eyes when he heard the locking of the front door followed by the sound of Freed's car engine starting. When he did, he sat up in Freed's large bed and rested against the headboard with a sigh, already regretting his stupid decision to remain silent as Freed woke. But he couldn't hang out the window, yelling in the hope that Freed would hear him and turn around so that Laxus could…

Could do what exactly?

Thank him for a night he would most likely never forget? Try to take back his words and all but beg for the opportunity to see if a long-distance relationship could work between them despite his disdain for them? Convince both Freed and himself that he wouldn't mind battling Freed's job for the man's attention for as long as they were together? It wasn't… those weren't things that Laxus could do.

So instead, he had sighed, and looked to the bedside table where Freed had written a note for him to find. A note that Laxus still had on his person, tucked into his jeans pocket, a week later.

It was pathetic really.

New Year's Eve was meant to be a night of celebration for young people, if Laxus could still be considered young. Admittedly, living in a town like Magnolia meant there wasn't much to do on New Year's Eve other than a few bars, but at least that would have been something. But, instead of doing that, he found himself at his grandfather's party, surrounded by people considerably older than he was. He was sat on the sofa, attempting to find some entertainment in the TV coverage of New Years in Era.

The location felt like a kick in the teeth. Because Freed would most probably be out there somewhere, with Evergreen and Bickslow, enjoying themselves and taking advantage of the night long party that the city became. Perhaps Laxus should have asked Freed if he could go with them.

He'd been tempted. But after what had happened, Laxus didn't know what to say to him.

They'd texted a couple of times, but never anything of substance. Laxus had wished Freed a Happy Christmas, they'd had some small talk but that was it. Laxus had wanted to ask how he was coping without any family members throughout the day, remembering how bad the holidays had been without his mother for his first time, but couldn't find the guts to press send. It was ridiculous, because before their night together things had been so easy. But after, Laxus didn't quite no where he stood with Freed.

Because the end date was coming. Only the bathroom needed to be finished in the house, and that would take a few days at most. Once that was finished, Freed would look into selling it, and his time spent in Magnolia would be over. And Laxus couldn't help but wonder if their promise of only having one night together was meant to be an ending to their relationship as a whole.

It was a thought he tried not to linger on.

And to stop it from ruining his mood, he stood and walked to the kitchen, where an array of drinks had been placed for anyone to take. Laxus picked up one of the flimsy plastic cups and assessed all of the drinks on offer, before settling on beer. He doubted his grandfather would be pleased to find a pint of his wine gone.

As he gulped down the drink, he unfortunately didn't instantly forget his anxieties about Freed leaving his life, but it at least gave him the confidence to be optimistic. Because Freed wasn't just going to pack up and leave his life like that; he was the kind of man who made friends cautiously but stuck with them through thick and thin. Even in the note he had left Laxus, he mentioned wanting to continue their friendship.

Pathetically, he found his hand grazing his pocket as the urge to reread it grew.

But the urge was more powerful than any good sense that he had left, so he reached into his pocket as he leant on the kitchen counter. He unfolded the now crumpled paper, placing his beer to the side of him, and began to read through the words that he had already committed to memory.

He tried not to let the feeling of melancholy consume him as his eyes roamed the page.

~~~

"You know, if you're gonna be like this all night, you could at least tell me why."

At Cana's words, Laxus let out a small grunt. She and Mirajane had arrived at Makarov's party a few hours prior, which had been enough time for Laxus' mood to get worse and worse. The more he stood around Makarov's house, surrounded by old men and women who had known him since he was born, the more he was reminded of his life before he had met Freed and his life had gained more purpose.

Because this party was what his life had been. Just standing around with nothing to do, wishing the hours away and the day to end, only to have another day of the same boredom. Every day had been like that, and Laxus had a horrid feeling that it would be like that again.

At least with the party, he could step outside and get away for a while.

"You should at least try to cheer up before he gets here," Mirajane sighed.

"Before who gets here?" Laxus muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Your boyfriend, dipshit," Cana taunted, and Laxus' eyes flickered to her in alarm. Her expression faltered. "You do know he's coming, right?"

Laxus shook his head, a little dumbly.

Why didn't he know that; he should have known that? He was, at least to Laxus' knowledge, the only real point of contact that Freed had in Magnolia. How would Freed have even found out about the party, since Laxus had never mentioned it was happening? And even if someone had mentioned it to him and invited him, surely he would have at least told Laxus to expect him there. Their texting had been limited, but it had still been there.

A flush of both excitement and dread filled the blonde. It was very possible that every concern and worry about the future of their relationship would be either confirmed of denied very quickly, and he hadn't been given the time to prepare.

"Lisanna's getting him from the train station right now, she left a while ago," Mirajane explained.

"Why her?" Laxus asked, though the real question of 'why not me?' was obvious.

"When Freed was staying at the hotel, they saw a lot of each other. She insisted on waiting his table when he had breakfast in the restaurant," Mirajane shrugged a little. "I think that, other than you, she's probably the person he's closest to in Magnolia. Apparently he wanted to talk to her, but I wouldn't worry. It's not like she's Freed's type."

"Maybe he wants to make you jealous," Cana grinned. "Maybe he thinks it'll make the lovin' bett-"

"Can you just stop with that shit for one fucking night," Laxus raised his voice, aggression clear as he glared.

Nobody spoke for a moment.

"I'm gonna get a drink," Cana muttered, leaving the front garden, and going back into the house.

Laxus sighed. "I didn't mean to be-"

"I know you didn't," Mirajane smiled placatingly. "She's just a prideful woman, and she can take things too far without realising it. I should go and check on her," She pushed off from the wall she was leaning on and smiled at Laxus. "And, if the reason you're feeling down is because of Freed, then try and make up."

"It ain't him," Laxus lied.

"Well then you should make the most of him being here then," She suggested, though Laxus doubted she had believed him. "Because he makes you happy, and that's important. Don't throw it away."

She walked into the house, and Laxus raised the cigarette to his lips again, looking up the road in the hopes of catching sight of headlights coming towards the house.

~~~

A car eventually did show up, and Laxus' heartbeat increased sporadically when he saw that it was Lisanna's. He quickly dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out, not knowing what Freed's opinion on smoking was; whenever he had smoked over the past few months, he had done it in private and never where Freed would find him, though he'd found the urge a lot less overpowering and had indulged a lot less since meeting Freed.

He supposed it was the by-product of having things to do with hit time.

The car pulled up on the road outside of Makarov's house, and out from it came both Lisanna and Freed, dressed in his obnoxiously tempting suit; made more tempting now that Laxus knew what lay under it. That thought went as fast as it came, however, as when their eyes met Laxus found his mind blank.

Lisanna said something to Freed, patted the man on the shoulder and walked into the house, smiling at Laxus as she passed him. This left the two men alone in the cold night air, looking at each other in a moment of almost stupefied silence.

"Laxus," Freed eventually said, and the sound of his voice was like music to Laxus.

"Hey," Laxus said, and his voice only barely wavered. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Freed nodded a little. He visibly swallowed, and took a step towards Laxus. "Could we talk, please?"

"Yeah, sure," Laxus also moved, meeting Freed in the middle. He motioned to the small brick wall that separated the front garden from the pathway. "You wanna sit?"

"Thank you," Freed nodded again.

This wasn't going to be a good conversation, Laxus could tell. The very fact that Freed was willing to sit in the cold winter air near the middle of the night said quite a lot. But, Laxus could see Freed gently grazing the palm of his hand while he moved, a nervous tick that Laxus had picked up on a while ago for when Freed was feeling overwhelmed and nervous. This couldn't be a good conversation, and Laxus forced himself to breath calmly before sitting beside him.

"I should apologise," Freed began, his voice low. Regretful. "For kissing you, and certainly for suggesting that we have a night together. You made it clear that it wasn't for the best, and I should have listened."

"I wanted it as much as you did," Laxus admitted. "I enjoyed it, so you don't need to feel guilty. It's just, that's all it could be."

"I know," Freed sighed, looking down at his lap rather than at Laxus. Laxus wished he was looking at him. "But that doesn't change the fact that, the reason I did it was because I was being selfish. I was too focused on what I wanted to think about what was best for us both, and I am very sorry for that. Because if I hadn't kissed you, if I hadn't wanted more from you than I should have, then we'd probably not be out here, having a conversation like this. We'd be inside, enjoying ourselves. But we can't do that, can we?"

"I guess not," Laxus sighed, admitting to a truth that he hated. Because as much as he wanted things to be normal, they weren't.

"I really am sorry," Freed whispered. "Everything you said was right, though. Why we couldn't be together. But I need you to know-"

"Freed," Laxus quivered. "Don't."

"I need you to know that I want to change. That I'm trying to-"

"Please don't do this," Laxus' plea was barely audible.

"-become a better-"

"Freed," Laxus almost begged, voice cracking and getting Freed's attention fully. "You can't do this, you just can't. Because the more you speak, the more I'm gonna believe you. You're like a… a fucking drug to me. I don't get why exactly but I knew you were gonna be big in my life the second I saw you but… I can't get addicted to you. Because it's only gonna end badly."

"Why do you think that?" Freed asked, voice bordering on breaking.

"Because it would," Laxus swallowed. "Because your moms dead and you're refusing to deal with it, and I know what happens when you do that. Because you've got a job and a life that I don't know anything about, and I couldn't work with. Because you're not the kind of guy I could have something casual with. For whatever reason Freed you're the first guy I know to ever make me want more than just a quick fuck or a few weeks together. What I want from you, you can't give me right now. And if we get together, and if you keep saying that there's a chance we can work out, then one day it'll all go to hell."

"Laxus," Freed started again. Laxus wouldn't let him.

"You said one night, that was it," He tried to make his voice strong. "And that's what we did. And I can't risk tainting it. You're more important to me than you know, and I can't ruin it. And I think if we do anything more, then I can't see a way that we end up happy."

"I see," Freed whispered.

Neither spoke for a while after that, instead sitting side by side as the cold winter air flowed over them. Laxus found himself blinking back tears, unable to look anywhere but at his feet as seeing Freed might be too painful. He suspected that Freed might have been doing the same.

"Laxus," Freed said eventually. "Do you remember when you invited me to live in Magnolia? You told me that, in certain circumstances, you can't just carry on doing what you're doing because its easy, and that you sometimes need to remove yourself from a situation to find out who you are now," Laxus nodded. "I think I need to find out who I am without you. Or at least without the possibility of something happening between us."

And didn't that feel like shit.

"So you need to take a step back from me," Laxus whispered, blinking harder now.

"I think so," Freed sighed. "Not permanently, I hope. But you're right, the more time we spend together, the more I'll want to be with you. And if you're as certain as I believe you are, then I think we shouldn't see each other for a while. That we shouldn't… torture ourselves with something that we can't have."

"Yeah," Laxus voice broke. "Makes sense."

"I'm sorry Laxus."

"Don't be," Laxus forced himself to shrug. "I'm the one saying we can't be anything. You're just respecting that."

"Are you okay?"

"Fuck knows," Laxus laughed a little. "You?"

"No," Freed admitted. "I think I should leave, though. There's no good that can come from dragging it out."

"Guess not," Laxus took in a quivering breath. "You wanna call a taxi or something?"

"I'll stay at the house tonight, I can walk there," Freed sighed. "I really am sorry, Laxus."

"It's not your fault," Laxus whispered. "It just is what it is."

"I suppose so," Freed's voice wavered. "Goodbye, Laxus."

"Goodbye, Freed."

With an audible, quivering sigh, Freed stood up. The sound of shoes on tarmac became quieter and quieter as Freed walked away from Laxus, and the blonde only looked up when he knew that Freed was out of sight. He let out a strangled breath, looking at nothing as a wash of misery overtook him. He found his hands moving towards the note in his pocket without realising it, and a moment later he was looking down at it with tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.

'Dear Laxus,

I would first like to explain why I'm not here for when you wake. This was in no way my intention, but my train to Era was looming and, despite my best efforts, you are nearly impossible to wake. You have a rather endearing habit of gently snoring, so I can forgive you for that. I do wish I could have spoken to you before I left though.

Our time together last night was incredible, I expect I won't ever forget it, and it is entirely because I shared it with you. You seem to enlighten my existence in a way I can hardly put into words, even though I intend to try. You seem to brighten me, challenge me, and make me a better man. It's as if I have been struck by lightning just by being in your proximity, and your influence on my life has been only positive. When we kissed, it felt as though life was reinvigorated for me. Please know that you are one of the best people I have met, and your kindness is something I'll never be able to thank you enough for.

But I understand why last night is all that we can have as anything other than friends. I know why we can't be more, and as much as I would love to indulge my urges to keep you in my arms for as long as you'd have me, I understand why we can't.

I only wish we can still remain part of one another's lives still. I hope to see you soon, my love.

Freed.'

As the fireworks exploded behind him, bringing in the new year, Laxus let himself cry.

[gruvia4ever0910]

My Miss Independent

CHAPTER 1: HEARTBREAKS

It is cold evening at the month of May, but the job of a fireman still continues. A group of a firefighters are trying their best to eliminate the fire that is spreading around the tall building. A man with a pink-colored hair named Natsu, who is the leader is ordering some men to focus on the entrance, so that a rescue team can go inside and look for some casualties.

There are two groups of the rescue team, Natsu is included. They enter the building with a complete gear, and he is instructing his team with their tasks then they all went to their assigned floor. Natsu is heading to the fifth floor with the other two firemen; their names are Loke and Gajeel. They are using the stairs since the elevator is impossible to use.

As they open the emergency door and starts searching the area, they see a middle old woman and a young boy, and both are hiding under the table.

Natsu: Let's go! Gajeel take the woman and you Loke take the boy…

Both: Yes Captain!

Natsu: I'll search for more casualties…

Gajeel and Loke walk towards to the two persons who needs assistance. They carry them and went back to the door. Natsu didn't find any more casualties in the room, so he follows Loke and Gajeel then walks out from the room.

They succeeded to rescue more people and after three hours the fire finally disappeared. There is no news of loss of human lives, just some injuries and Natsu and the other firemen are grateful for that.

***

Back to the station, Natsu is in the locker room removing his uniform; with a clear view of Natsu's body he is a lean, muscular young man of average height with a slightly tan skin tone. Then a man with black-colored hair, toned skin and muscular as well, named Gray appears then went to his given locker.

Gray: That was a great rescue…

Natsu: Yeah, it was…

Gray is also a captain like Natsu, but he is in a different group. Natsu is the captain of Group "A" and Gray is the captain of Group "B". Their groups were the one that was assigned from earlier incident. They are good friends. They knew each other since college, and they trained together to be a fireman.

Gray: You seems to be in a good mood…

Natsu: (smiling) Oh yeah… I'll be seeing Lisanna tonight…

Gray: Oh, I see…

Natsu: How about you? It is Sunday. Supposedly, it's your day-off. No date with your girl that you have no intention of introducing to us.

Gray: (smirks) Not anymore…

Natsu closes his locker then confusingly looks at Gray.

Gray: We broke up 2 days ago…

Natsu: Who let go? You or her?

Gray: For the first time in my life, it was a girl who broke up with me…

Natsu knew Gray when it comes to girls. Gray never took a relationship seriously and Natsu is always lecturing him about it.

Natsu: What, she found you cheating? (Gray laughs) I'll take that as a yes. You never learn Gray (pats Gray's shoulder). You are my best friend, but you need to change…

Natsu walks past him.

Natsu: I'll see you tomorrow… (left the locker room)

***

2 days ago.

A girl with a azure blue wavy hair, a snow skin complexion, and with a two beautiful midnight blue eyes; named Juvia was hiding behind a big and thick tree together with her best friend that has a mid-back length brown hair, with flawless tanned skin, and has a large brown eyes; her name is Cana.

Juvia: Cana, what are we doing here? I didn’t come here to hide behind this tree… (irritated)

Cana: You will know soon, just relax, will you? I did not force you to come here without a reason…

Juvia glanced at her friend and just rested her back on the tree. After a few minutes, Cana suddenly hit Juvia's shoulder and it surprised her.

Juvia: What?!

Cana: Show time (pointing her finger at the bench that was 20 meters away from where they were hiding) …

Juvia looked at where Cana was pointing her finger and she gasped with her eyes wide open. She was seeing a man who happened to be her boyfriend and he was with pale-skinned woman, dark purple hair, and brown eyes. They were so intimate; the man was stealing kisses from the girl.

Cana looked at Juvia and it may be hard for her to see her friend hurting, it was the only way for Juvia to believe her that her boyfriend was cheating on her.

Cana: I'm sorry for letting you see this, but it is the only option for you to believe me…

Juvia: (sighed) It's okay… I'm sorry if I didn't believe you before… (stood up straight then composed herself) Let's go, Cana. I still need to return to the restaurant…

Cana: But, what about them?

Juvia: (faced Cana) I don’t want you to be involved in this. I can deal with him later…

Cana: Are you sure?

Juvia: Yes… (walked away)

Back in her apartment, Juvia was sitting on the sofa with a laptop on her lap. Then her doorbell rang, she stood up then checks the small monitor and she saw the person she doesn't want to see anymore. She was just staring at the monitor and took a couple of minutes to open the door

Juvia greeted Gray with an emotionless expression, but he chose not to give it any attention. He went inside then leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek, but Juvia stopped him by pushing him lightly.

Gray: (frowned) What's the matter?

Juvia: (still with her poker face then sighed) You are no longer allowed to go here…

Gray: (smiled) What are you talking about?

He was trying to get close to her, but she was dodging his hands and it was making him annoyed.

Gray: Juvia…?!

Juvia: I saw you!

Gray: Saw me? What do you mean?

Juvia: Oh, please Gray! Stop denying it already! I saw you earlier at the park near where you work, and I was with Cana. You were with a girl and both of you were kissing each other and that was enough proof for me.

Gray can’t look at Juvia, and it was obvious that he was feeling guilty.

Juvia: You need to go, and I already packed your stuffs…

Juvia crossed her arms and just looking at him fiercely then Gray glanced at the bag near the door then back at Juvia.

Gray: Juvia, please… (walked towards her)

Juvia: (stepped backwards) Don’t touch me… I should've believed Cana before when she first saw you, but I chose not to because I trust you… But after what I saw, it's over now. So, please leave my apartment this instant.

Gray knew that Juvia doesn’t want to talk anymore, because when she sets her mind, it is final, and no one will change that. He nodded, then picked the bag, opened the door, took a last glanced at Juvia then left the apartment.

When Gray was gone, Juvia fell on the ground. She released the tension she was feeling and let go of the tears she's been holding a while ago. She tried to compose herself in front of him, but when he left, she just had to let all the emotions she's been hiding.

***

Natsu just parked his car in the parking area of the restaurant called, Lluvia. It is small, but a well-known restaurant in Magnolia and it is towns favorite. The restaurant opened a year ago, and it bloomed quickly because of its delicious meal, very cozy, the ambiance is pleasant, and most importantly; a friendly staff, including the owner itself.

Natsu opens the door of the restaurant and the staffs immediately greeting him. He smiles at them then immediately spots his girlfriend. He waves at her and she just gives him a half-smile. He kisses her on her cheek then sits on the chair in front of her.

Natsu: I have got to admit, this is a really nice restaurant…

The girl just smiles again, and she is avoiding his eyes. He then senses that something is wrong.

Natsu: Lisanna, are you okay?

Lisanna: Uhm, yes. Why don’t we order first?

Natsu: Hmm, sure. I'm already starving…

Lisanna calls the waiter then when they are done ordering, they look back at each other.

Lisanna: So, how’s work?

Natsu: (grins) Earlier, we had another fire incident. Luckily, no one died and just a few people who got injured. How about yours?

When Lisanna is about to answer Natsu, a sudden noise interrupted them. Not only them, but the whole customers in the restaurant. When Natsu turns around, he saw a woman customer just slaps the girl waiter.

Woman: Are you blind?! Look what you have done! My dress is ruined!

Girl waiter: I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn’t mean to ---

Woman: I don't care! How are you going to compensate me! Where is your manager?!

A woman with long white hair, with large blue eyes, and curvy body named Mira approaches the woman who is causing the disturbance calmly. Natsu recognizes the woman with long white hair and he looks back at Lisanna who gives him another half-smile.

Mira: Hello, ma'am. My name is Mira and I am the manager…

Woman: Great. Now, I need my money back. (pointing a finger at the waiter and Mira) This dumb waiter of yours spilled the drinks on me!

Waiter: (Mira looks at the waiter) I swear Manager, it is not my fault. Someone tripped me…

Woman: Really? You are defending yourself?

All the attention is with them, even Natsu is curious of what will happen next even if their foods are already been served. The manager is talking calmly with the woman, but the noisemaker is not making it easy for them.

Then suddenly, a woman with a slender curvaceous figure and blue wavy hair passes by Natsu's table. His eyes follow the woman and she stop beside the white-hair woman.

Mira: Juvia…

Woman: And who are you? Are you going to solve what is happening here?

Juvia: As a matter of fact, I do ma'am…

Woman: How?!

Juvia: You don’t need to shout, ma'am. Can we please talk in my office, so we can't disturb other customers…?

Woman: And why would I follow you? You need to fire this waiter of yours! And you didn't answer my question. Who are you?

Juvia: (smiles) I am the owner of this restaurant, ma'am. Juvia is my name. There are surveillance cameras here, so we can check what really happened and I can decide from there…

Woman: I am not going with you…

Juvia: (sighs) Alright, if you don’t want to, I'm not going to force you… (the woman smirks)

Woman: Compensate me then I'll leave…

Even if Natsu is not part of the commotion, he is getting pissed of the woman. He thinks that the blunette is handling the situation very well and he can't help but smile.

Juvia: I am afraid I can’t do that, ma'am. (Juvia faces at Mira) Can you please get my tablet in my office…

Mira: Of course.

Mira hurriedly went to Juvia's office and just a few minutes she came back with the tablet. Juvia took the tablet and began watching the footage then shows it to the woman.

20 minutes earlier, actually Juvia already saw what happened. She was watching it from her computer. Since Mira approached the scene, she waited but when she saw that the woman was pointing her finger to the waiter and Mira, she decided that it was time to step in.

Juvia: It is very clear ma'am that you were the one who tripped my staff on purpose and it just happened that she spilled the drinks in your direction. I am not permitting anyone to insult my staffs, especially if it is not their fault and you are no longer allowed to set foot in my restaurant. That is your compensation…

The woman is now being cornered and because the evidence is clear, Juvia did make a fair decision. The customers awed with what Juvia did to the customer and with her staff and a certain pink-haired man is also amazed.

***

It is now back to normal, Natsu and Lisanna are done eating their meal, but Lisanna is now feeling uneasy and it is bothering Natsu.

Natsu: Lisanna, are you alright? I've been observing you and you look like you want to say something to me. (Lisanna stares nervously at him) What is it?

Lisanna: Natsu… (biting her lower lip)

Natsu: Tell me…

Lisanna: (releases a big sigh) Let's break up…

Natsu is confused for a second, he is just looking at Lisanna.

Natsu: What did you just say?

Lisanna: (her expression became firm) I said, let's break up. I don’t love you anymore Natsu…

Natsu: W-w-wait… Lisanna, you can't be serious…

Lisanna: I am… I found someone and I love him… He can provide more for me…

Natsu: What do you mean? I can also provide for you…

Lisanna: It is not enough, Natsu… I want my life (rolls her eyes) --- I don’t need to explain it to you. I need more Natsu and you can't give me that (stands up) … I'm sorry, but we are over…

Lisanna left the restaurant, leaving Natsu alone with an unclear reason. He can’t believe what just happened. "She wants more. She needs more.". He thought. The girl he loves the most and willing to do everything for her just left him.

***

3 months later…

The room is filled with fire fighters and there is an old man who is standing in front of them and explaining some details to them. Makarov Dreyar, the Fire Chief of Magnolia Fire Station.

While Makarov is still talking, he notices that one person is not paying attention. He calls his name, but he didn’t get any answer and he keep on calling this person’s name.

Loke: Natsu…

No response again, Loke punches Natsu's shoulder really hard and finally Natsu is back in his senses.

Natsu: (stares at Loke with a frown on his face) What was that for?!

Loke: Chief's been calling you…

Natsu looks at their Chief who has a serious glare.

Makarov: Everything okay, child?

Natsu: (clears his throat) Yes, I'm sorry…

Makarov: As I was saying --- (he continues to explain some details to the fire fighters)

Inside the locker room, Natsu is just sitting then he receives a smack on his head. When he looks up, a tall and muscular man with a blonde hair and has a lightning bolt scar on his right eye is looking at him with an angry stare.

Natsu: Laxus! Can anyone of you stop hitting me!

Laxus: What is your problem?

Loke: Yeah man. What happened to you? You've been really distracted these past months…

Natsu didn’t answer the questions that's been throwing at him, instead he just looks down on the ground.

Laxus: Look Natsu (his arms are crossed), as your group's Deputy Chief, I want you to focus… I don’t want to see anymore flaws in our next mission. You've been making a lot of mistakes and I don’t need that, especially if saving lives is our job…

Natsu: I'm sorry… It will never happen again…

Laxus: I'm counting on that… (walks away)

Natsu stands up then walk towards his locker, he opens it and his eyes falls on Lisanna's picture. He remembers the day when Lisanna broke up with him and he sighs.

Gray: You need to forget her, flamebrain… It's been 3 months…

Natsu: (smirks) Easy for you to say. Oh yeah, it is easy for you because you are good at that…

Gray groan angrily at Natsu, but Loke stands between them.

Loke: Relax both of you…

Loke pushes Gray slightly, telling him to leave Natsu alone and he did. He pats Natsu's shoulder then also gives Natsu a space. Loke is also a close friend of Natsu, they became really close when they were placed on the same team.

On the other side of the room, another tall man (not as tall as Laxus) with a long black hair, has red eyes with no eyebrows, and has tan-skinned is just watching them then give them his unique way of laughing, "Gihihi".

Loke: What are you laughing at Gajeel?!

Gajeel: All of you has problem with girls…

Loke: (smirks then roll his eyes) As if you don’t have one!

Natsu closes his locker holding his phone, then sits beside Loke.

Natsu: Oh yeah, metal head. You think we don’t know? You've been eyeing one of our Inspectors, the petite blunette… (smiles)

Loke: Oh man, Natsu's right…  (faces Gajeel) So? No progress?

Gajeel: I don’t know what you are talking about.

Gajeel pouts, closes his locker with a little of force then left them. Natsu and Loke laughs with their friend child act. When Gajeel is gone, Loke faces Natsu with a serious look on his face.

Loke: Natsu…

Natsu: Hmm…?

Loke: This is off the topic, but why don’t you try to date someone again? Or maybe do a blind date?

Natsu: (soft laughs) A blind date? I don’t know man. I'm not into that kind of thing…

Loke: There is no harm in trying… Lucy told me that she has a friend who is also single and really pretty… I’ll talk to Lucy so she can set the two of you…

Natsu: I'm okay, Loke…

Loke: No, you are not… I can see that… Ever since Lisanna left you, you were acting different… You are supposed to be fun, energetic, and always smiling, but I cannot see that anymore…

Natsu: How is Lucy? I haven’t seen her in a while…

Loke: Don’t change the subject, but she is fine… We are doing pretty well… (smiling shyly while rubbing the back of his head, he is also blushing)

Natsu: (half-smiles) Good for you…

Loke: So, what do you say?

Natsu: I don’t know… (stands up) I'll think about it…

Loke: Yosh! I'll tell Lucy…

 ***

It is a great afternoon, but Juvia just wants to remain in their apartment. Juvia and her best friend Lucy are sharing an apartment. She moved out from her previous apartment 2 months ago and when Lucy was looking for a new apartment, they decided to look and live together.

Lucy is working in Heartifilia Publishing Company as an editor-in-chief, and it is owned by her family. Yes, she is rich.

Juvia and Lucy has a different family background. Lucy came from a wealthy family, but she chose to be simple and not live with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her mom died when she was still a kid due to an illness while her dad is focused more on their family businesses. When her mom died, her father stopped giving her attention, she was raised by her nanny. When she reached the right age, she decided to leave their mansion and find a work on her own, her father agreed of her leaving the mansion, but he gave her a condition of working in one of their businesses and she chose the publishing company because it is always been Lucy's dream to become a writer.

While Juvia was raised in the orphanage, she didn’t know her biological parents. She was adopted at the age of ten and her adoptive parents were sent by angel's. They treated Juvia as their own and they really loved her. A car accident happened, and it killed both of her adoptive parents. In the age of 15, it was the start of her life to be on her own, but her adoptive parents did not leave her with nothing. They gave her quite enough funds and she used some for her education, tried different jobs to earn more money, and she worked hard to pursue her dream.

Juvia and Lucy were in the same university and they met because of a friend. Then they started to be more comfortable with each other and became close friends.

Juvia just got out from the bathroom near her room and she is only wearing a towel and it is still showing her curvaceous shape. When she enters her room, Lucy is sitting on her bed with a bright smile on her face.

Juvia: (raises one brow) I know that smile. What now?

Lucy: (stands excitedly) Well, I talked to Loke earlier and he said that his friend agreed to do a blind date…

Juvia: Okay…? Why are you telling me this?

Lucy: (holds both if Juvia's hand) Because you are going to be his blind date…

Juvia: What?! Lucy…! You know that I'm not into that kind of thing…

Lucy: (laughs) That what Natsu told Loke too…

Juvia: Natsu? So, you know him?

Lucy: Well, yes…

Juvia: Okay, wait. Can we talk about this later and let me put some clothes first…?

Lucy: Oh yeah… Okay, I'll wait for you outside… (she went out from Juvia's room while humming)

Few minutes later, Juvia comes out from her room and she sees Lucy sitting on the sofa while watching her favorite program on the television. Lucy pats the sofa, telling Juvia to sit beside her. Juvia rolls her eyes, but still sits beside Lucy.

Lucy: So, do you agree?

Juvia: No, I don’t have time for that (focuses on the tv) …

Lucy: Oh, come on, Juvia. It's been three months; you need to move on…

Juvia: (faces Lucy) I already moved on. It is just that I'm busy with the restaurant…

Lucy: You're busy, but you are here?

Juvia: It’s my day off…

Lucy: But still…

Juvia: And how do you know this guy?

Lucy: He was my classmate in high school, we are good friends and it just happened that Loke and Natsu has the same job…

Juvia: (stares at Lucy with a questioning look) He is also a fire fighter?

Lucy gasps when realized that Juvia's ex-boyfriend is also a fire fighter.

Lucy: Do you think they knew each other?

Juvia: Possibly, you mentioned that Loke is in Magnolia Fire Station, right? (Lucy nods) Gray is there as well…

Lucy: So, his name is Gray… Well, you never mentioned anything about this ex-boyfriend of yours; except that you two broke up…

Juvia: You also did the same with this Loke…

Lucy: You know that I'm not introducing the guys that I'm seeing unless it is serious, and I don't know anything about this Gray as well…

Juvia: Because he was busy playing with someone else… (suddenly frown) Wait, so this thing between you and Loke…

Lucy: About that, (smiles) I think this time is serious and I am going to introduce him to you, I swear…

Juvia just smiles then she stands up, walk towards the kitchen and Lucy follows her.

Lucy: Juvia…?

Juvia: (sighs) I don’t know…

Lucy: Natsu is a good guy. He is one of the sweetest men I've ever met…

Juvia: Are you sure that you and this guy never dated?

Lucy: (eyes widen) No, (shaking her head) we never did. He is my friend, but he is not my type…

Juvia: Lucy…

Lucy: Just try it… If you and Natsu didn't worked out pretty well, I will never force you to go on a blind date again…

Juvia: Are you forcing me because he is your friend?

Lucy: Yes, and I'm sure he will treat you well… He is a fire fighter, he saves lives…

Juvia: (sits on the dining chair) Are you forgetting that the last guy that I dated is also a fire fighter and he cheated on me…

Lucy: (smacks Juvia's shoulder) Natsu is different… Maybe he is the fire fighter that is meant for you…

Juvia: I don’t know about that, but (sighs) fine…

Lucy: (gasps) Really? (shaking Juvia's shoulder)

Juvia: Yes, stop shaking me, but only this time…

Lucy: Sure, sure. Oh mavis! I'm going to call Loke now…

Lucy excitedly jumps from the chair then went to her room.

[nalu4emily]

The Unexpected Reward - Chapter 4

Summary: Natsu and Lucy go on a job together, but what they bring home is something neither anticipated. Forced to make a life changing decision, they have to adapt quickly, but that's never easy, especially given the circumstances. As they work together on their toughest adventure yet, they find themselves drawn to one another, in ways they never realised. Nalu/cute/fluff/multi-chapter. 

Lucy groggily opened her eyes at the unwelcome sunlight shining through the window and onto her grimacing face. She had woken abruptly, feeling an emptiness on the mattress beside her. Actively seeking out the warmth that accompanied the dragon slayer, she turned over to cuddle closer and noticed he was no longer there. About to call out his name, she stopped in her tracks as soon as she caught sight of him. Natsu was perched on her couch, pink hair wild as ever, smiling and talking to the little baby in his arms. She could hear little Haru coo every time Natsu would smile or say something silly. It was so cute to watch them, he had done this every morning since they’d brought him back with them, it had become part of her day to wake up early and get a front row seat to Natsu bonding with his son.

Haru had been with them nearly a week now, and it was scary how quickly they'd had to adapt. He was such a sweetie, even when he was upset. Natsu had been so attentive and protective of the little one, he never took his eyes off of him, especially when they were out or at the guild. It was reassuring to have someone around like that who seemed so natural at this.

Lucy still struggled with the tremendous amount of uncertainty she had when it came to her parenting abilities, she would question every decision she made for the boy. And yet, Natsu never seemed to doubt himself. She knew that when she agreed to take him in that she would be taking joint responsibility with Natsu, but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she wasn't very natural at this. Those original doubts were still there too, she really didn't know what she was doing. There were no amount of parenting books or advise from her parent friends that she could use to educate herself in being a good mother. She was kinda jealous, in a way, of Natsu's innate ability to just be a dad, no questions asked. But, hell, did it suit him!

Lucy loved watching him be so fatherly, it was so sweet and made him all the more attractive. She had always found him good-looking though, any one with eyes could see that he was handsome. He had this alluring ripped body which she would discreetly ogle, loving the way he flexed his muscles when he moved. His crazy, pink hair seemed to have a mind of it's own and yet it perfectly framed his face. His skin was darker than hers, it was more tanned which complimented his beautiful green eyes, the same green eyes she would so often get lost in. They told her every emotion he was feeling even when he couldn't express it. He was like an open book, but only to those closest to him. Every smirk and stupid grin told a different story, adding another chapter to the endless mystery that was Natsu Dragneel.

She sighed in contentment, as she continued to watch the fire breather play with the little fella, thinking back to the other night when she had bathed Haru for the first time. She remembered the way Natsu had looked at her, was he about to kiss her? Damn that cat for ruining the moment! She thought about how she'd felt as he slowly moved his face towards her, they were so close, a few more seconds and maybe-

"I know you're not sleeping." She heard his gruff voice say from across the room, snapping her out of her haze. Busted! He hadn't even looked in her direction, how the hell did he know? She quickly bolted upright, pretending to have just woken up, doing a fake, over the top yawn and began rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Stop being a pervert and come join us!" He blurted, glancing over to her briefly to gauge her dumbstruck expression before returning his attention to Haru. Smiling to himself, "Your mama's being weird again!" He whispered to the baby, snickering when he responded by flailing his arms, "See Luce, even Haru agrees." He looked over to her and laughed when he saw her puffed out cheeks.

She scowled at the dragon slayer before heading over to give Haru a kiss on the head to say good morning. Glancing up at Natsu, still pretending to be annoyed, she flicked his forehead playfully, gaining a pretend gasp from him, before entering her bathroom to get showered and ready for the day. Natsu couldn't help but laugh out loud, she was so easy to wind up, it was one of his favourite things to do.

When Lucy walked out of the bathroom, Natsu looked up, about to tell her something when his words got trapped in his mouth, she looked stunning. He watched as her heavenly blonde hair cascaded down her back, he liked it when she let it down, it had grown so long. Her smooth, milky skin looked almost edible and the way her clothes seemed to hug her curves, made him drool. There wasn't any particular difference in the way she looked, yet, he was mesmerised. He couldn't look away, in his eyes she was just so beautiful.

"Natsu and I cooked you some breakfast Lucy, it's super yummy!" The little Exceed exclaimed with a mouth full of food. Knocking Natsu right out of his trance, he quickly looked away, attempting to hide his pink cheeks. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, she walked over and sat down, helping herself to some of the food on the table.

"Porlyusica said she wanted to do a full check up on Haru today at the guild hall." She said out loud, directing her gaze towards the dragon slayer who had just finished stuffing his face.

"I'll be there! There's just a few things I need to do before hand. But it shouldn't take too long." Natsu said cheerily, "Actually, I better get going. Are you going to be alright for a bit Luce, I'll be as quick as I can?" He asked, saying a quick goodbye to Haru and placing him in his crib, before making his way over to the window.

She nodded, unable to speak from all the food in her mouth. He grinned at her as he jumped out of the window and started running down the street. Lucy did wonder where he was going everyday, it had become quite a regular thing for him to just up and leave the past week, never telling her where he was off to. She had to admit she was curious, but he always returned and she had Happy to help her until he got back.

Once she had finished cleaning the awful mess that'd been left in her kitchen, Lucy, Happy and Haru made their way to the Guild hall. It was such a warm, sunny day as she walked along the canal, Lucy contemplated taking Haru for a walk in the park later. Her mind habitually drifted back to Natsu, focusing mostly on his absence. Should she have asked him where he was going? She did want to know where he kept running off to, but at the same time, she knew that he would tell her eventually. She sighed, as much as she loved Haru, being alone with him made her feel a little uncomfortable. And yes, she had Happy there to help, he was great with the baby, but Natsu seemed to just have this way of calming him when he cried, a way that Lucy hadn't mastered yet.

She couldn't help but panic when he started to wail, anxiety would course through her when he refused his milk. She felt a sense of helplessness, what was she doing wrong? Was there something wrong with him that she was missing? She didn't know, but each time he would cry for apparently no reason, Natsu had been there to soothe him. The more she thought about it, the more her good mood was fading. She couldn't help it, she wanted to be a good mother to Haru, he deserved it, but at the moment it felt like she was failing him. Natsu had tried to be encouraging when she told him about her worries, he was so supportive, but there was always this crushing doubt in the back of her mind that just wouldn't go away.

Before she knew it she was standing outside the Fairy Tail guild hall. She opened the door and walked in, greeting her friends as she sat down at the bar with Haru. Happy had flown off to go see Carla, that cat was hopeless. She chuckled to herself before starting a conversation with the girls that were so eager to hold the baby.

"Juvia wishes to have a baby. But her darling Gray won't give her one." The water mage said solemnly, looking a little defeated. Lucy kind of felt sorry for her, having a baby was a big thing as she had quickly found out, not that she regretted it but maybe Gray had the right idea for now, it wasn’t something to take lightly.

"I'm sure you'll have a family one day Juvia, you just have to be patient." Lucy said, trying to console her friend, "Gray will come around to the idea, I'm sure."

"Haru is so cute! I think you and Natsu should have more sweet babies, Haru will need siblings eventually." Mira said, gushing over the baby, whilst imagining more Natsu and Lucy babies.

"Siblings? Mira! Natsu and I aren't together in that way, how could we give him siblings?" Lucy turned the colour of a tomato, what was Mira trying to suggest? Surely they all knew that their situation was a little different to other parents.

"You say that, yet you chose to adopt a child together, you practically live with one another, you're inseparable and don't make out you don't see him that way, I've seen you staring at his fire dragon!" Cana blurted, whilst swigging from her barrel of beer, "There's just so much sexual tension between you two, it's suffocating!" She finished, wagging her eyebrows up and down, enjoying every second of teasing the young blonde. Lucy’s eyes were like saucers as she glared at Cana, wanting to give the brunette a piece of her mind when someone else decided to chip in.

"Open your eyes Lucy, you wouldn't have taken in a child with someone like Elfman or Laxus, right?" Lisanna asked, raising her eyebrow at the celestial mage.

"W-Well… I…er-" Lucy felt so flustered, she didn't know what to say, was this pick on Lucy day?

The worst part of it all was that they had a point. She wouldn't have done it with any one else, and yes, she did only have eyes for Natsu, how could she not? It wasn't a recent development, it was something that she had buried for a very long time. Taking in Haru had only made her attraction for the dragon slayer worse, so much worse in fact. But there was one problem with all of this, one detail they were failing to point out and that was, Natsu. She had told them time and time again, he simply had no interest in romance, if he did then surely he would have done something about it by now? She took a deep breath, trying to calm her rattling nerves.

"Guys, Natsu doesn't see me like that, he's just not interested." She said feeling sad about the whole situation, couldn't they see how much it affected her to know that? To truly like someone that didn’t like you back was heartbreaking. She thought back to the almost kiss the other day, that was the only time Natsu had ever looked like he was about to do something, but they had been interrupted so now she would never know.

"Lucy, I've known Natsu since we were children, believe me, he shows plenty of interest in you, he's totally smitten." Mira looked over at the blonde, from the little baby she’d been staring at, "He would never have taken in this sweet little baby if you hadn't agreed to it. Have you not noticed that you guys are all he talks about? He's so proud of his little family, and you're the one that gave him that." Mira smiled sweetly once she'd finished her speech, hoping that her words had been taken in.

Lucy sighed in defeat and smiled at the she-demon, she hoped that what Mira was saying was true, but she assumed only time would tell. If anything was going to progress between them, they'd created the perfect situation for it. They shared responsibility for the sweet baby boy currently cuddled in Lucy's arms, and that excited her for the future, a future that might involve her and Natsu being more than just best friends.

"What Mira's trying to say Lucy, is just do it already. Bend over and let him ram it home!" Cana bursts out laughing at Lucy's horrified face, sticking her tongue out and thrusting her hips suggestively.

Much to Lucy’s chagrin, every one in the entire guild had heard what Cana had just said, she was glad Natsu wasn't present. That was until she felt his strong arms wrap around her shoulders, his breath fanning against her ear, sending spine tingling shivers through her body. Quickly spinning around to look at him, bringing Haru up to her chest from her lap. He looked so casual, surely he'd heard what Cana had just shouted out if he had been that close?

"H-Hi Natsu, I didn't hear you come in." She stuttered, trying to push down the heat rising in her face.

"I didn't want to disturb your conversation, it sounded… interesting!" He smirked at her, he had only heard what Cana had said and that was enough to know what they were talking about.

He watched as the very flushed Lucy before him started to sweat as she took in his words, he could hear the other girls sniggering in the background. But as he was about to tease her further, little Haru woke with a start and began to cry loudly.

His smirk instantly dropped into a worried frown. He leaned in to get a closer look at Haru's little puffy face, wanting to find the cause of his distress. It was so heart wrenching when he cried, especially when he couldn't be soothed by milk or cuddles. Lucy tried for several minutes to calm the little boy down, but to no avail. She looked to Natsu, worry written across her face, who quickly took him into his arms and held him close. Warming his hands and stroking his back softly, he sat down at a bench and gently rocked back and forth. The wails slowly turned into whimpers as Natsu began to talk to him.

"That's it, good boy! There's no need for all of those tears." Natsu smiled lovingly at the little one in his arms as he continued to comfort him. Lucy couldn't help but watch, she loved to see Natsu like this. And apparently so did all the other girls, but for very different reasons.

"You seem to have a handle on this daddy business Natsu, maybe you two should have more babies." Lisanna giggled from behind the bar with Mira.

Lucy just wanted the ground to swallow her whole, why couldn't they just leave it? They just had to mention it in front of him. Natsu smiled but didn't respond, too preoccupied with Haru. He had heard the white haired mage, loud and clear. However, he wanted to save Lucy from any more embarrassment, especially with regards to their relationship.

"Luce, when do we have to go see that old woman?" He asked, still rubbing little Haru's back as he looked up to a now fully composed Lucy, smiling at her.

"Now actually, I think she's down in the infirmary, we should get going." She said as she stood up and gathered herself.

Natsu joined her, and gave her a reassuring grin, he could see she looked a little nervous but that was natural. He laced his hand with hers and made their way down stairs. They knocked on the door and entered, happy to see Porlyusica with the addition of Wendy, Erza, Gray and of course Happy. Lucy smiled at them, they'd remembered her telling them about the check up today.

"You all remembered! Thank you, this means a lot to us." Lucy chirped graciously.

"Of course we remembered Lucy, we wanted to be here to lend our support for you both." Erza said, as she greeted little Haru.

"Yeah, I think the girls just wanted an excuse to be around the baby, I didn't get a choice in the matter." Gray rolled his eyes, trying to act as if Haru’s cuteness wasn't getting to him.

"Well, now that we have that settled, take a seat and I'll begin. Give me the child." Porlyusica barked, not remotely amused by all the people surrounding her.

She took the baby from Natsu's arms and laid him down on the table. Lucy felt her worries grow with each passing moment, her heart was beating so rapidly she was sure the two dragon slayers could hear it. The others kept offering reassuring nods and smiles as she looked at them, even Happy had come over to snuggle into her lap, but she just couldn't shake her uneasiness.

It was a check up to see how he was doing after being caught in that fire, but why was it affecting her so much? Natsu could see her growing fear the longer the old crow kept them waiting. Natsu pulled Lucy closer to him and wrapped his arm around her back, with his hand resting on her hip, caressing it softly, while the other hand rested on top of hers, lacing their fingers together.

The baby had woken up at this point and had started to whimper, obviously not recognising the woman in front of him. His whimpers turned into cries as he urgently tried to get his parents attention. Lucy instantly tried to get up and go to him, but Porlyusica told her not to intervene and to sit back down. Natsu held her closer, he wasn’t entirely pleased himself with not being able to comfort the little one, especially as his cries became louder and more desperate.

"Don't worry Lucy, he'll be back in your arms in no time." Wendy said to try and reassure the blonde, who's face had started to sweat. Lucy didn't reply, too taken by the noise coming from her little frantic baby. She gripped Natsu's hand tighter, this is exactly what she had worried about, this and bad news, but Porlyusica hadn't said a word yet. Why was it taking so long?

"Luce, try and breathe." Natsu whispered against her ear, noticing that she was holding her breath, if she kept doing that she was going to pass out.

Little Haru had cried so much, that his entire body had gone completely red, his wails sounded pained and all Lucy wanted to do was pick him up and cuddle him. To show him that he hadn't been left alone, that mama and daddy were right here waiting for him.

Her mind drifted back to the day that they had found him, had he cried like this then? Was he just as scared? With no one there to help him, he must have screamed until he could scream no more. It was horrifying to think of such a helpless and vulnerable little newborn baby being stuck in that mess with no one to save him.

She couldn't take it any longer, her thoughts had become erratic and the dread she felt was unbearable. She needed to reassure her baby, he needed her, he was crying so hysterically. Without warning she stood up, pulling herself away from an equally troubled Natsu and walked over to where Porlyusica was standing and grabbed the little one from the table and held him close, rubbing his back whilst she spoke to him softly, letting him know that everything was alright until he gradually calmed down. Porlyusica stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, before piping up.

"Stop being so ridiculous! I wasn't hurting him, you've interfered unnecessarily and now I'll have to do it all over again!" Porlyusica huffed in annoyance, she couldn't understand what the problem was.

"Ridiculous? How dare you! Do you have any idea how hard it was to sit there and listen to him cry like that?" Lucy was seething, how was she being ridiculous? "He's just a baby! An innocent baby who was scared and as his parent- No, as his mother I needed to comfort him!" Her voice was raised, teeming with anger.

Surely any decent parent would want to comfort their child, regardless of the situation. She looked over her shoulder, Natsu had stood up and started to make his way over to her, probably to try and console her. But the other's were just staring at her, dumbstruck. Why were they looking at her like that? She hadn't done anything wrong, all she'd wanted was to comfort Haru so that he stopped crying and then they could have continued.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" She spat at them, not caring how they’d react, she couldn't be bothered with this.

"Luce?" Was all Natsu could say as he stood behind her and tried to reach out for her hand, stopping in his tracks from the death glare she'd given him. Before he could stop her, she bolted towards the door, Haru held safely against her and stormed out of it, walking up the stairs and out of the guild hall, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to her. She needed air, that room had been suffocating and she just couldn't shake the horrible guilt she'd felt as she’d listened to the helpless cries of the little boy in her arms.

She walked to the park and sat herself under a large tree, when she had thought about going to the park today, this wasn't what she had in mind, but she wanted to be left alone right now. She was still so angry, what had gotten into her? She never usually reacted in this way, but she just couldn't help it. Watching that woman prod and pull at her little Haru and not being able to comfort him as he cried had sent her over the edge.

She looked at the unhappy baby, who was still red and blotchy from crying, she knew what would cheer him up and took out a bottle of milk from her baby bag and fed it to him. She loved watching him feed, it was one of her favourite things. It felt like they were bonding as he looked up at her, with milk dribbling down his chin as she adoringly smiled back at him.

She didn't want little Haru seeing her so angry, and she definitely didn’t want to further upset him. Just watching him had managed to calm her down, how could she stay angry when she had the cutest little baby in her arms. Once he had finished with his milk, she brought him up to lay on her chest to gently burp him, humming a quiet tune. She relaxed instantly, taking in his newborn baby scent as he fell asleep so peacefully.

It had been a little while by the time Natsu had found her under the tree. He had wanted to run after her straight away but had been stopped by the others, wanting to give Lucy some space. She hadn't noticed him yet, he wanted to gauge her mood first before he approached, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Lucy's wrath, especially when it sometimes rivalled Erza's.

He stood back and watched her for a little while, she was singing some sort of lullaby to Haru, the sight of her leant up against the tree with the baby laid against her, as she gently rubbed his back to soothe him, melted his heart. It stirred feelings within him he couldn’t place with words, what a truly breathtaking scene it was.

She was always so worried about whether she was doing the right thing, that she couldn't see just what a good mother she undeniably was. She had spoken to him over her fears of not being good enough, not being 'maternal' as she put it. But he just couldn't understand how she didn't see it, she cared so much for their little boy. She always made sure he had everything he needed, so why was she so quick to put herself down?

It baffled him that she doubted herself so much, that she felt she wasn't good enough, when it was so clear to him that, together, they were little Haru's entire world. He'd decided that enough was enough, she was going to listen to him. If she was so ready to run herself down, then he would spend every minute of the day building her back up, if that's what it took.

He slowly approached, until he was standing in front of her, looking down at her almost intimidatingly so. Sensing his presence, she sighed, and looked up to him. What was she supposed to say? She felt so stupid for the way she'd reacted and the fact that she’d stormed off with Haru, without saying a word, how was she going to explain that to him? Natsu crouched down in front of her, staring deep into her eyes, she looked so lost, this was going to take some work.

"How you holding up, Luce?" He spoke softly, it sounded silly, but he didn't want to startle her and he definitely didn't want her running off again.

"I-I don't know. I can't explain what happened back there, I don’t know what came over me?" She answered, trying to think of the best way to tell him how she was feeling.

He remained silent, waiting for her to speak. He knew how her brain worked, he'd known her long enough by now to let her work through everything before she spoke.

"I'm sorry Natsu, I shouldn't have reacted that way towards you or stormed off like that, god knows what the other's think." She stopped, unable to meet his gaze, feeling utterly ashamed of herself, but she needed to carry on, to get everything off of her chest, "But I just couldn't control it, I felt so useless as he cried and my mind kept drifting back to when we found him and how terrified he must have been. He has lost so much already, and he's barely begun to live. I just wanted him to know that we were there waiting for him, that he didn't need to be scared. I let my emotions get the better of me and then I ran off with him in my arms without saying anything to you.” Her voice wavering as she found the courage to finally look at the dragon slayer in front of her, feeling completely overwhelmed by all of her conflicting feelings.

Natsu didn’t respond straight away, sensing she wasn’t quite finished. He reached out for her hand and held it, encouraging her to go on. He had a feeling that there was something more to this, something hidden that she was reluctant to tell him. He waited patiently, watching her contemplate the best way to say it.

“Why am I so bad at this, Natsu? Do you think it’s because I didn’t actually carry and give birth to him? I didn’t have those extra nine months to bond with him like other mother’s do. Surely that would have an effect?" A few tears started to spill down her cheeks, she laid Haru down in her lap to free up her arms so she could quickly wipe the tears away.

And there it was, he knew there was something eating away at her, making her doubt herself when there was just no need for it. He had to put a stop to this once and for all, to make her see that these worries were a waste of energy.

"Lucy, I need you to listen to me and listen closely." He said, voice stern and his face serious. He leaned in closer to her and made himself comfortable, eyes still locked onto hers, "The way you reacted back there, was totally normal, so there's nothing to be sorry about. Don't most parents want to comfort their children when they're upset? But you need to stop doubting yourself so much. You are Haru’s mother, so it doesn’t matter who carried him or brought him into the world. You're so good with him, you give so much of yourself and you still can't see it. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, then you'd never put yourself down again. We're a team Luce, and now we're a family, and I want you to know just how important you are, not just to Haru, but to me as well. You always have been since the very beginning."

Lucy couldn't hold back her tears, how is it Natsu always knew the right things to say? She knew deep down he was right though, she needed to stop doubting herself. She would never be able to enjoy the time she has with Haru being so young with that kind of attitude, he wasn't going to be a baby forever. Natsu moved to sit next to her against the tree, he pulled her into his warm chest and wrapped his arm around her waist. She laid her head into the crook of his neck, savouring his warmth as they both glanced down at their baby.

Little Haru had woken up when Lucy had moved him a few minutes ago and now he was staring wide eyed at the two mages above him. Lucy moved her hand to slowly stroke his cheek, she couldn't stay upset for long, not with that sweet face to look at. She sighed in contentment this time, they really were a little family, her own little family that she loved dearly.

"Thank you Natsu, thank you for everything." She looked up at him, desperate to convey all her unspoken emotions.

He meant so much to her, he really had given her everything and even in times where she felt hopeless, he was always there, to offer a helping hand. He glanced at her still teary face, taken aback slightly, he wasn't expecting her to say that. And he definitely wasn't expecting her to climb atop of his lap, baby laid gently on the blanket next to them and pull him into a bone crushing hug. He couldn't complain really, the most gorgeous girl he'd ever known, had just straddled his hips and his face was currently nestled between her breasts. She smelled so good, and her skin was so soft, he could stay like this forever. He moved his hands to rest on her hips, fingers touching her exposed skin.

She pulled back to look into his eyes, she was so full of these feelings with no way to express them. She wanted to hold him, to touch him, to show him just how grateful she was to have him in her life, but not just as her best friend, as someone who meant so much more than that. She reached her hand up and gently moved a strand of hair away from his face, there was anticipation present in his eyes as he stared at her, waiting to see what she would do.

His hands had gone slightly under her top, touching more of her soft skin, stroking his thumb lightly over her hips. She let out a soft whimper at the feel of his warm hands, there was a hunger in her eyes that Natsu had never seen before. If they weren't out in public with a baby to look after he may have just taken her there and then. But he had to proceed with caution, if he got too excited, it was going to become very apparent between his legs, right where Lucy was sitting.

Lucy had moved ever so slowly, closer to his face wanting to taste his lips, and explore his mouth with her own. She figured that if he didn't want this then he surely would have pushed her away by now, but he hadn't. If anything he looked at her wantonly and that gave her butterflies, Happy wasn't around this time to interrupt them, which meant they could finally-

"Well, Miss Heartfilia, fancy seeing you here." She heard an old woman's voice coming from beside them. Why were people so insistent on interrupting them, couldn't they just wait? Lucy turned, about to tell the person to go away, when she recognised who it was.

"Oh, er, hello. This isn't what it looks like." Lucy felt her entire body flush as she quickly retreated off of Natsu and back against the tree. Natsu grabbed the cooing baby from the blanket and held him close, looking at the dumpy woman glowering at them. Out of all the people to catch them in such a compromising position it had to be Lucy's landlady.

"Don’t play coy with me, it's exactly what it looks like. I must say, you're looking well for a woman that's only just had a baby. Although, I don't ever remember seeing you pregnant, but then that baby's so tiny it must have just slipped out." She looked to Natsu, not taking any notice of Lucy's mortified expression, and glared at him, "I take it you're the father, I always knew you two would end up together. Teenager's these days, you just can't keep it in your pants and now look at you both." Natsu was utterly speechless, completely gobsmacked by the woman's rudeness. This was the first time anyone had assumed the child was biologically theirs, though he knew it would happen eventually. He just wasn’t ready to hear it so nastily, especially towards Lucy, from this old bat.

"Er, I think you've got it all wro-" Lucy started before she was interrupted by Natsu.

"Yes, Lucy and I have a child together which makes me the baby's father, I'm not entirely sure what you’re trying to get at here or what your problem is, Lady?" Natsu blurts, not really thinking about what he was saying but letting it come out anyway, he didn't understand what their situation had to do with her and why she was being so damn rude about it. He could feel his magic burning under his skin, he wanted nothing more than to torch this woman’s ass.

"Well, it would have been nice to be told that you were having a baby and had moved in together in the apartment you rent from me. I'm sorry Miss Heartfilia, but my apartment is for single people only. Now that you have a baby you'll no longer be able to stay there. You have two days to pack your things and leave, so I can find a new tenant." She said sternly, not taking any prisoners.

"Two days? What the hell, you're kicking me out?! Is this about rent money because it's not even due yet!" Lucy felt her little bubble of happiness burst as she realised she was about to become homeless in a matter of two days. What was she going to do? Her landlady didn't say another word as she trotted off out of sight.

Lucy just wanted to this day to be over, why was everything going so wrong? She leaned back against the tree and put her hand over her face. Wanting nothing more than to scream as loud as she could to get rid of all her pent up frustration.

"Why me! What kind of a person kicks out a mother and her baby?!" She shouts out loud. She was infuriated, what an absolute bitch!

Natsu hadn't said anything, he couldn't believe that old woman had done this to Lucy but he wasn't going to let it get Lucy down. He leapt to his feet with the biggest grin on his face, holding little Haru close, he looked down to Lucy and held out his hand.

"Come on, Luce. I gotta show you something!" He waited for her to take his hand but instead she just stared at him, deadpanned.

"Huh? Did you not just hear what that woman said? I've got two days to find somewhere new to live, and you're smiling!" She yelled, perplexed by his happy demeanour.

Her mind was frantic, what was she going to do? Where were all her and Haru's belonging’s going to go? Lucy felt as if the ground beneath her had crumbled and Natsu was still standing there, being so irritatingly calm about the situation, how could he be happy at a time like this?

"I'm smiling because you're gonna love it, I can't wait to see your face! Let's go Lucy!" He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her up to her feet and before she could say another word, he sprinted off, Lucy and Haru in-tow, towards his surprise.

[fairiesnova]

Impostor

Lisanna Week Day 6: Edolas (let’s pretend its not after midnight and this is on time)

Summary: Lisanna has taken over the life of her Edolas counter-part to spare her siblings the the devastating reality of Edolas Lisanna's death. But that means dealing with the heartbreak of the woman Edolas Lisanna left behind.

This was inspired by some headcanons I did for @whiskeyscreativitycenter​ a couple months back. Angsty Edolas Luli is one of my favorite headcanons!

Read on Ao3

The days had fallen into a simple routine.

Wake up with Elfman and Mirajane

Laugh and play along with their guildmates

Ignore the knowing eyes subtly tracing her along the guild hall

Remember that magic is different here than Earthland

Leave with Mira and Elfman

Hug and kiss Mira and Elfman goodnight and pretend not to question the two holding on longer than what would be considered normal

The last part depended on the mood she was.

Some days she was able to fall asleep no problem

Others she would spend hours staring up at the ceiling wondering how everyone in the Earthland was doing and how they compared to the her guildmates here

She tried to avoid thoughts of her real siblings, it hurt too much. Instead she thinks of the others

Did sassy Cana really grow to become so soft-spoken?

Was always-Gray-complaining-about-the-heat Gray really bundled up under so many layers at the moment?

Was Natsu, her wild and untamable best friend, really like the man she had gotten to know here?

Was Earthland Lucy at Fairy Tail too or-

She never allows herself to finish that thought either.

Instead she sits in a field under the star-filled Edolas sky and waits for the person she knew to be coming. It never takes long for the girl to take a seat a few feet beside her.

She never sits any closer or looks at her when they’re like this. Lisanna suspects it’s for the same reason she has trouble looking Elfman and Mira in the eyes sometimes. It hurts too much.

“Did I tell you she used to come here too?” A soft voice breaks through the night. The tone was much different from her daytime one. Ever since Lisanna first came to this new world, she knew she gets to see a side of the fierce woman that no one else did.

“All the time.” Lisanna whispered back.

“You know…every time I climb this hill and see you from behind my heart starts racing. Every time I get here and think maybe this is it…you’ve come back to me and I’ve just been in a fucked up nightmare these past years thinking you were dead-”, her voice breaks but she continues on pushing back the sorrow now clear in her voice, “and then…then I remember you’re not her.”

Lisanna digs her nails into her hand suppressing every need to go comfort the hurt woman beside her. She knows from past attempts that she will be rejected. That soft words and gentle touches would just hurt the other woman even more.

Comfort is not the reason she comes meet Lisanna on these nights. It took over a year Lisanna to really understand it, but the other woman does this as a way to heal.

Closure.

And Lisanna is willing to give this beautiful woman whatever she needs in order to fix the damage that was not caused by her, but she still feels responsible for nevertheless.

So Lisanna keeps her hands to herself. She rests her head on her knees and says, “you still haven’t told me about her.”

“I told you I’m not going too.”

“At least tell me how you met?” A bit of desperation comes through in her voice. It was the one question she really wanted answered.

“It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t be the same in your world and you know it.”

Lisanna couldn’t hold in her frustrated groan. Yes, she knew that statement was probably true, but she still had some many questions about just how different things were in Edolas than Earthland.

After all, there was no Lucy in Fairy Tail when Lisanna was there.

“Besides it’s my turn to ask the questions today…were we friends? In your world I mean?”

“I didn’t know you,” Lisanna answered truthfully, “not yet.”

“I figured. Are you in love with someone else then? Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

“No and no. Why?”

Instead of an answer, two warm hands reached out and pulled Lisanna face out of her knees. Before she could question further, a set of lips were pressed against hers.

The kiss ended almost as soon as it started.

Lisanna drew back to see the look of heartbreak wash over Lucy Ashley’s face. Unable to stop herself, she wrapped her arms around the shaking girl and pulls her into a warm embrace. Let’s her let out her tears and wails over Lisanna not being the girl she knew. The one she gave her heart too.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers into her ear.

“Don’t be.” Comes the broken but firm response. “This isn’t your fault. But-” Lucy lifts her tear-stricken face to look Lisanna in the eyes. She takes a hold of Lisanna’s shoulder and grips it tight. She looks so desperate and wild and beautiful that Lisanna might have missed her words if she didn’t dig those sharp nails into her skin. “But don’t you dare leave her the way she left me. When you find her, you hold onto to her with everything you have. Don’t make her mourn you too.”

Lisanna isn’t given a chance to respond before that head is once again buried into her chest. As if Lucy was taking this time to truly say goodbye. A privileged that was robbed from her the day this world stole her love.

So, when Lisanna’s body gets called back to Earthland and she learns the shocking revelation that her siblings knew the entire time that she was not their Lisanna, it’s Lucy Ashley she sees. The smile she wears is one Lisanna never got the privilege of seeing before. It was soft, so soft and warm, and before the sight of it disappears for good, she manages to make out the last words mouthed to her:

‘Go get her’

[fairytail-incorrectquotes]

Can I get some Luli (Lucy/Lisanna) quotes?

Lisanna: If I was dating you... heh. Let's just say horses wouldn't be called horses anymore.

Lucy: What the fuck does that mean

Lucy: I'm shaking what the fuck does that mean

[happyvoidharmony]

Just a look.5

rating : M (next chapter) pairing : Miraxus (Laxus/Mirajane) found : FF.net AO3 Chapter : 5/7

Two weeks had passed since that. Two weeks passed way too fast. Two weeks and one single thing wriggling in her mind. She thought about talking to him. Too much thinking had led her to a decision. Her ultimate decision. One made during one of these rare time of clear headedness when she wasn’t fantasizing about his goddamn’ too well defined lower back or his hypnotic gaze. How did she get in that state?  

And yet, she wasn’t lacking activities. The guild was increasingly busy with all kinds of visitors, more or less welcomed. New mages came to join, and fled after crossing the path of a runaway table, people from the town came to drink and have a good laugh, travelers… But no one managed to get her attention long enough to get her out of her thoughts. To the great misfortune of his sister, who found herself yelling more than once to get her to pay attention.

The situation was becoming more and more disturbing, especially since, despite her efforts, she couldn’t manage to have an alone conversation with the blond. He was always between jobs and spent very little time in the hall, somehow always managing to be there at the busiest time of the day, making it impossible to take a quick break. However he didn’t look bothered or embarrassed as she would have imagined. He simply walked around with his stoic look, ordered a single drink, then returned to his place before leaving the next day.

The white-haired woman was a little taken aback by his new behavior. She was still not really used to his playful comments and his mocking smirk, but his indifference bothered her even more. She had spent a lot of time weighing the pros and cons and now found herself without an audience to explain that she couldn’t afford go out with a guild member. Especially not with him regarding their explosive relationship whose fragile balance she could just not risk for the sake of the guild. Especially not now that her brother had started getting along with the Thunder tribe’s only woman.

So why did she wish to get his attention if she was planning on rejecting him? To put things straight. She reassured her tormented pride at the idea of being ignored by a man she intended to reject herself. What was wrong with fearing rejection? Everyone had experienced it at some point. Maybe, but twice from the same guy is a little too much. She scowled to herself. What an idiot. She cursed in a low voice. She felt so humiliated she barely prevented the tears from shedding on her cheeks. How did she get fooled again? And what kind of asshole gave false ideas to someone he had already rejected years ago? Even if she wasn’t planning on giving in.

“Mira-nee!”

Mirajane jumped when she heard the shout through the guild. Was that becoming a habit or?

“I already called three times!”

The eldest smiled in embarrassment as she realized the meaning of those words. How long had she been daydreaming?

“Sorry.” She apologized, embarrassed by the multitude of eyes studying her.

The youngest sighed in despair and asked if there were any bottles of alcohol left. The demonic mage sent her to get some in the cellar and got back to work to clean her mind. Unfortunately for her, a more than curious card mage had approached.

“You’re okay?” She asked between two sips.

The white-haired woman nodded with conviction and a reassuring smile.

“What were you thinking about?" The brunette went on.  

She thought of the dragon slayer, his indifference, his teasing smirk that twisted her stomach, his eyes that shone with a gleam of desire so sharp, and his chest that she found herself wishing to touch…

“You really are miles away.” She said, interrupting her friend’s thoughts.  

Mirajane sighed. Except I’m miles down in Hell.

It was at this moment that the large wooden door chose to open. Letting four figures including a particularly imposing one to walk inside the guild under the greetings of the other members. The master greeted them too and turned to the largest one for notes on their job. The lightning mage answered with a shrug and an almost inaudible groan. The old man sighed in despair and returned to his discussion with one blond constellations mage.

The white-haired woman felt the shiver on her back and her muscles tighten, not quite sure if it was of anger or desire. Maybe both. She heard him order a drink from her younger sister and turned to clean the counter while taking a quick look in his direction. He was turned towards the brunette asking him for details, a beer in his hand and a freshly lit cigarette in his mouth, almost completely turning his back to her without paying her any attention. Her body tightened even more in frustration, wishing to make him swallow back his arrogance.

Instead she swallowed her anger and once again managed to smile to Juvia letting her know she was going on a job. She turned her back to take out the register, her smile faded as she put it on the counter and began to write it down. She looked up at the blue haired woman allowing her to leave. Then she closed the book and wondered if she shouldn’t just to leave it on the counter since other mages seemed preparing to leave.

She did that and to confirm, glanced at the board to count the number of future departures. Suddenly, her eyes stopped when golden ones stared at her. The exchange lasted only a few seconds but it was enough for the immaculate to feel her body getting carried away when she turned her back again to find consistency. What the hell was he doing? She kept wondering as she served a drink. She put it on the bar and saw the blond push back his empty glass and got up to leave.

The woman's heartbeat was lost in a race again and she barely kept herself from stopping him. He looked down at her and they stared at each other for a few more imperceptible seconds. His gaze was serious. Far too serious. No trace of amusement swept over his pupils. Just a serious and deeply thinking look. It ended up remarkably quiet compared to hers.

The demonic mage was shaking and confused. She expected anything but that. Her thoughts swirled in her head as she went on with her usual task. What had he been thinking mind to be so utterly different? Perhaps he had followed the same path as she did. Perhaps he wanted to stop, whatever they were doing, and no longer wanted to talk to her. At least, until it all settled down. Maybe he never wanted to talk to her again because she had pushed him away.

Suddenly, she was no longer sure she was okay with that. She felt weak, helpless and a little betrayed... Wasn’t that what she wanted? End this nonsense story without hurting anyone? A story which had gone on for far too long? So why couldn’t she be relieved? Why did she feel so disappointed?

.

The afternoon had passed quite fast after Laxus was gone. The night was barely started and the demonic mage was left alone with Cana , still faithful to her position. Lisanna and Kinana had already gone when the number of customers drastically decreased. The woman was silently washing the last glasses of the day when Cana returned hers and stood up with a big smile on her lips.

“You’re leaving early?” Mirajane asked, surprised but amused.  

“Yeah.” She replied with a mysterious smile. “I have a date.”

The woman felt ecstatic and asked for details. He was dark haired, tall, funny, liked drinking and had a disarming smile. She had met him two days ago at some bar while trying to cut down her bill, and it was their very first date together. Mirajane wished her friend good luck with all her heart and watched her disappear through the half-open door.

She sighed. The day had been short after all. She cleaned the last glass, put away the register, raised the chairs one by one with unusual liveliness, and then went down to the library to put away a few books. The card mage’s happiness warmed her heart. This date seemed destined to be good, like the so many romantic comedies she and her sister had spent their evenings with.

But life is not a romantic comedy. Her small inner voice reminded her, making her recall the events of the day. She felt her good mood slowly die but stopped herself from feeling depressed. There was no way this idiot was going to spoil her night. She quickly walked up the stairs, overwhelmed by the joy of her early departure. She opened the door and froze. Her enthusiasm died and felt the tension growing again.

He was there. Sitting at the counter. Head towards the wood, smoking slowly. He lifted his head and looked at her with his amused glare. The woman hesitated between joy, disappointment and anger. What was he still doing here? She wanted to smile and gently send him home but rapidly changed her mind. There was no way she was going to remain silent this time.

“What are you doing there?” She asked in a troubled tone she meant to be a bit sharp.  

He frowned without losing his smirk.

“I knew you’d be the last one left.”  

The young woman stopped, she did not expect such a direct response and had prepared herself to make him speak the truth.

“And why is that?” She went on, still not sharp.  

“I just saw Cana leave.” He replied a bit mocking.  

“She has a date.” She said, shaking her head while getting her things back behind the counter. “But why are you here?” She insisted.    

He chuckled a bit more. Sighed and brought the cigarette to his lips to take another deep breath. His hand was shaking slightly. He was tense. He released the smoke for a long time and spoke:

“She didn’t end up on the floor?” He mocked, leaning his chest back without taking his eyes off the woman. “Now, there’s progress.”

She gave a wry fake smile but didn't say a word. She waited for the blond to continue.

“What would you say…?” he started between two breaths, as she stiffened to hear the rest. “if we went celebrating with a drink?” He finally dropped with a tense pout.                  

She remained silent, fearing her own desires had twisted up reality. Was he inviting her? On a date? Or to really celebrate Cana's alleged progress? There was little chance that he had come back at this time to celebrate an event he hadn't been aware of two minutes ago… Her heartbeat raced again as she realized his words.  

“You’re serious?” She asked, stunned.  

He chuckled even more, turning his head away.

“Only if you say yes.”

The young woman's breathing became more and more difficult.

“What if I say no?”

He looked again into her eyes and replied with a tone he wanted relaxed but betrayed the tension running through his jaw.

“Then, it’s just a joke.” He finally said.  

Mirajane didn’t know what to think. A few days ago she was determined to reject him if he tried anything. Then, a few hours ago, she felt terribly disappointed not to do so and now, she looked at him, without smiling, without smirking. She looked at him without being able to utter a word. Stuck between her mind screaming to run away and to forget his words, his burning gaze and all the incredibly tempting weird tension she could feel from him. But mostly stuck with the irrepressible urge to feel him against her, to rub against his chest, feel his fingers roam her body and her whole being burning with his touch.

She grabbed her bag, pulled out the guild keys, threw it over her shoulder, and looked at him again, trying to hide her agitation. He watched her do it without moving, trying to decipher an answer in her gestures.

“So, let's be serious.” She finally declared with a playful smile.  

His cheeks formed the same grin, he stood up and walked to the exit, not without giving her a look she had trouble to really understand. A little playful, a little enigmatic, perhaps relieved. But definitely sexy. The woman breathed heavily as soon as he looked away. Her stomach was twisting so hard she felt a bit sick. She breathed as deeply as possible, everything was going to be fine. With these words, she followed him without really believing it herself.

.

He took her to a bar she didn’t know before. Nick ' s. She read on the blue neon that lit up the entrance. It was located in a somewhat secluded street of the town. The white haired mage wondered how she could never have heard of it before, and remembered her tendencies to stay home these times. A strange atmosphere came from the building, she felt fascinated by the faded stone facade, lightly colored by the multiple neon light. It was, however, not the time to to pay attention to details.

There, among the tables, chairs and partygoers. She stopped. The room was quite large. Half filled with customers, some of whom were huddling around the stage sitting in the back. From it, came out a slow, heavy and overwhelming music. The singer, in her hoarse voice, made the air vibrate, accompanied by three men whose instruments seemed to sing along. All on a charming, intoxicating rhythm.

The woman remained hypnotized by the somewhat dream emanating from the blue or purple light of the neon’s. She couldn't tell if it was the music, the light, or the incessant talk, the whole thing, or just the atmosphere in the room that intoxicated her so much that she couldn't take a step.

“Mirajane?” She heard.  

She jumped and looked at the lightning mage who was staring at her with amusement.

“Sorry…” She stammered.  

He smiled. She swallowed. He could be so attractive when he smiled like that.

They sat down at the bar. The barman walked up to them, he greeted Laxus - who obviously knew him well - and exchanged some small talk with him. The latter seemed to know the surroundings as well. He leaned on the counter with ease, chatting with the boss as one would argue with a friend, relaxed. The mage noticed that, despite everything, he strummed nervously on the wood. Maybe he wasn't so laid back as he was trying to seem.

“What can I get you?” The bartender finally asked.  

“Scotch.” The blond answered without too much hesitation.  

The waiter chuckled. Obviously not so surprised by his answer. He turned to Mirajane.

“Cosmopolitan?” She asked, a little shy.  

“Coming right up.” He replied with a warm smile that somehow reassured her.  

She took a deep breath and turned to the dragon slayer who was watching the group on stage.

“Do you come here often?” She asked to get his attention.  

“Often enough.” He simply replied.  

She remained silent. What was his angle? First, he was inviting her and now he was practically ignoring her? Slightly annoyed, she didn't bother to reopen the conversation and turned to the stage to see the group. It was obviously a rock band. She noted. She didn't expect much else from Laxus. He had always been a big rock fan and was not about to change. But that didn't bother her. On the contrary, she loved it almost as much as he did. The only difference being she didn’t reject any other kind of music.

She remembered the time, soon after she joined the guild, when she used to join him at a table to ask him what he was listening to. Then he would suddenly put his headphones on her ears. Classic rock. Every time. That time, when she wasn’t a brawler yet and he wasn’t a self-centered bastard, hadn’t lasted very long. Just a few months. A few months where they had come to an understanding. Until she confessed to him, and they both became distant, except to spar.

She blushed with embarrassment and looked back at him, who had been staring at her for a while. She looked at him as she took a sip from her drink. Trying to divert her attention from his piercing eyes that looked right through her, making her shiver.

“Do you plan on being silent the whole time?” He finally asked with a smirk.

Her eyes widened, having almost forgotten how much he could be irritating.

“Just waiting for you to start the conversation.” She replied in the same tone.  

“You're the chatty one, here.”

Really irritating. At least he would be, if he wasn't absolutely cute when he looked over her slightly.

“If, by chatty, you mean a minimum social, then definitely more than you.” She retorted, a provocative little flame in her eyes.

He gave a small amused chuckle but didn't answer. His so rare laugh became captivating. The demonic mage gasped when reality hit her. She was flirting with Laxus in a bar where he had probably taken her to get his way with her. She had decided to listen to her instincts but it reminded her too much of what she was dealing with. God knew how many girls he had introduced to that bartender.

“I'll be right back.” She abruptly said as she stood up to walk towards the bathroom door.  

She rushed into the room, locked the door and sat down on the toilet, shaking. What the hell was she going to do? Why was she still thinking about that? Her whole body was dying from the fire, but her mind couldn't bring herself to give in. Was it because she was reluctant to be on his list of conquests? Did she want more than that? What was that anyway? Her head was full with so many questions that she couldn't quite hear herself.    

She finally gave a slight cry of annoyance, stopped, then looked up in concern that she had been heard. She looked down and uttered the words that had taken shape in her mind. I want to be somebody. When spoken, those words seemed to light up all his thoughts. She wanted to be someone for him. Not necessarily the one, but not one of his vulgar conquests that he would forget the next day either.

She left even more desperate than before. How was she supposed to be a little special in his eyes? She jumped when she passed the bartender who was arranging a few drinks. He looked at her with interest. There was innate sympathy in his dark eyes, and his smile was all that warm.

“You're also from Fairy Tail, right? Mirajane, is that it?” He suddenly asked.

She nodded, smiling, slightly embarrassed to be recognized like that. He held out her hand, she grabbed it. It was warm, reassuring.

“Sorry.” He smiled. “I just arrived in town, but I watched the Grand Magic Games. You were awesome.”  

She was blushing now. He was cute. With his comforting eyes and his almost black hair and his dimple in the corner of his lip. He had a quiet, comfortable, but yet manly presence. She released his hand a little fast.

“Don’t worry.” He said. “It’s just so rare to see Laxus with someone, so with a mage as famous as you...”

She suddenly looked up to him. Rare? Was she among the first to come?

“Really?” She said, hiding her surprise and her smile very badly.

He laughed.

“He actually always comes alone. And he comes often! I think he doesn’t like company with his whiskey.” He admitted.

She chuckled. Not very surprised by the lonely nature of the blond and at the same time surprised by it. She looked at him from afar, he seemed thoughtful. She was so eager to join him and at the same time terrified. Reassured by the man’s words and panicked by the reality of the situation. She wanted to join him, get carried away and fully enjoy it. But at what cost? Unfortunately for her, her feet had already brought her to the counter and her everlasting impertinence took on the show.

“Admit it.” She said to the blond while sitting down.  

“Admit what?” He frowned.  

“How much did you pay the bartender to make you look like a good guy.” She went with an insolent smirk.  

“I am a good guy in case you hadn't noticed, demon.”

She gave him an inquiring glare.

“10 000 jewels and a stripper, why?” He replied sarcastically.

She giggled and took another sip, feeling the alcohol free her thoughts a little. She wandered her gaze over the lightning mage and swallowed hard as she passed over his collarbones which sank under his shirt. She looked up, realizing he could see her and would certainly make fun of her for it. He was still staring at her, without a hint of mockery but with consuming intensity.

The mage felt her whole body inflaming. She finished her drink in one sip and looked at him again, blushing and visibly sweating.

“You’re okay?” He asked.

She nodded, trying to hide her shaking. He was close, too close. She had to prevent another shiver when she felt his fingers gently slide down her thigh. She looked at him. His golden eyes pierced hers and couldn’t help but to twist her stomach. Why wasn’t he trying anything? She felt her body getting carried by the music, the atmosphere and the warmth of his hand against her skin. She leaned closer and whispered:

“Do you mind if we get going?”

He stared at her, and she did not look away, trying to make her gaze as confident as possible but still failing to hide the turmoil and desire that drove her. Strangely, his was rather similar, he got up and looked at her again with burning eyes. She shuddered again and gave him a small casual smile before standing up and inviting him to follow her outside with a slight move of the head.

[theink-theiron]

Melting Iron

Chapter 1 - A Medival Fantasy Gajevy AU fanfiction

Read Here on AO3 

“I’m sure you’ll be fine Levy; you have nothing to worry about” reassured Princess Dragneel, the motivation however, fell on deaf ears as the bluenette continued to fret over the thought their new arrivals, her eyes unfocused, her heart racing and her mind working a mile a minute trying to figure her way out of the inevitable.

She had no problem meeting new people, sure she was not the most social person in the kingdom, but she could withstand the average amount socialness required to not seem abnormal or rude. It was however a certain group of individuals, that at the mere thought of them had the young lady’s skin crawling and her fight or flight mode kicking into hyperdrive. Scholars, professors, court advisors any job within a kingdom that required a high level of knowledge or education, it was not the position itself that infuriated her but rather the type of people that held these positions. Being a woman had its fair share of challenges as did being small, as did being young, when mixed these three factors create a brilliant target. She had struggled all her life to be taken seriously despite her clear unchallengeable intellect and because of this she could fill a book with all the times she has been unjustifiably belittled, and she fears something similar is going to happen soon.

The day was bright unfitting to her mood as the two ladies strode down the hallways into the entrance hall in preparation to greet their new guests. King Natsu was already stood tall and proud, with guards and servants posted around the hall. All the necessary preparations were already in order, the food was harvested from their thriving farms, and the most luxurious wines bought from the finest vineyards, all put together by Mirajane the lovely head chef and her dedicated team. The palace was scrubbed to withing an inch of its life, and the marble floors glistened and the light from the stained windows giving the palace a magical glow. Everyone was in place as the princess stood at the head of the entrance next to her husband. Levy took her place near them as she was a vital part of what was about to take place.

The giant doors opened and Prince Redfox ‘The Iron Dragon’ emerged, a hulking form of a man, all eyes were drawn to him, his intimidating presence demanding their attention and the room fell deathly silent. He had the eyes of a warrior who had seen a hundred lifetimes, his black steel armour thick and seemingly impenetrable covering him entirely from the neck down as his heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hall. He was quickly followed by several guards and a few servants all impressive in their crisp and tidy uniforms, but that was to be expected, and finally, three old grey gentlemen walking gracefully in their drab and old-fashioned cloaks, by the gods she already bored to death just looking at them.

She could not look away from the fascinating prince as she was entranced by the display. He showed no clear sign of emotion on his face as he marched along to stand at the foot of the Dragneels. A smile graced the royals faces as the formalities began. “Prince Redfox we are pleased to welcome you to the fire kingdom” The king began “I hope you had a safe journey” It was clear to all that knew him that he was trying his best to be formal though it was not something he was suited for or enjoyed, although she can hardly blame him as she felt the same way.

The talked for a small while exchanging pleasantries that neither were that interested in doing, until it was time to depart. “Miss Lisanna would you be kind enough to escort Prince Redfox to his room” It was getting late and the official work would start in the morning. Just before the prince turned to leave his eyes ghosted over Levy, taking in her petite form and colourful dress as she stood out from the crowd with her blue hair and a long flowy orange dress that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, it was only brief but their eyes met and it felt as if she was holding his stern gaze for an eternity. And just like that he was gone, everyone dispersing and getting back to work as the prince and his entourage were all heading to their rooms and getting prepared for a grand meal that would be hosted later that evening.

Levy released a breath that she did not know she was holding when the room was almost emptied, and the new arrivals were out of sight. Turning to the princess, they smiled at each other and both visibly relaxed. “Well that went rather well I think, don’t you?” Lucy seemed pleased as she should, the next few weeks are going to be particularly important for both parties and a good first impression could make all the difference. “yeas, it was quite successful, I think he’s pleased” Lucy’s eyes lit up at this and a mischievous smile appeared on her face “Oh yes, I would definitely say he was pleased with what he saw” She teased. The two women had been friends since childhood, so this kind of informality was common when no one new was around, newcomers would probably be surprised or appalled at the way a servant would speak to a queen so they kept up formalities in front of quest as to appear professional.

A blush covered the smalls girls face “What are you talking about Lu? You are crazy”

“Please, I saw that little look you two gave to each other” She was trying to contain a squeal as she inched closer to the girl, Levy crossed her arms and shook her head. “That wasn’t anything he was just looking around the room and we made brief eye contact, hardly anything to gush about” Natsu just playfully shook his head at the two of them already knowing what they were like and gently wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulling her away muttering something about getting washed up before the banquet, he gave a passing look at Levy and she nodded at him for saving her from her friends incessant interrogation, he really was life saver in more ways than one.

Brushing off those childish remarks, Levy made her way back to library which was basically her second room judging by how much time she spends in there and on more than one occasion accidentally slept there. It was silly teasing and nothing more she assured herself, Lucy did that sort of stuff all the time, even so there was no way a man such as himself, a prince and soon to be king and esteemed warrior would be interested in her and just on look alone no less, she never really considered herself a prize. He wasn’t even her type, most brutish were mean, hard headed and stubborn, who usually wanted nothing more than a simple little wife to sit still and look pretty and birth a healthy heir, and surely prince Redfox was exactly the same, that was not the life for Levy she decided that long ago.

 Later that evening when the moon had risen, a handful servants and butlers arrived and began to serve the food with practiced elegance, everything looked delicious anything you heart or stomach could desire was placed perfectly on the elegantly decorated table, the room was lit with candles creating a wonderfully calming atmosphere, the plates and cutlery adorned with gold, the dining hall was exemplary from ceiling to floor and most certainly fit for a king.

There were few places set at the small table, as this certain dinner was only for the people involved in the plans for the alliance and approaching war, it was meant to make the stay more hospitable and hopefully ease the tension between the royals.

Everyone took their seats Natsu at one end with Lucy by his side, and Prince Redfox at the other with who she expected to be his right-hand man on his right, she heard from Lucy that his his name was Pantherlily. The three ‘ancients’ as she has nicknamed them, sat stiffly together looking as dull as ever, a long blue haired beauty was also there although her role at the moment was unknow, our captain of the guard Erza Scarlet sat opposite me, her eyes were stern as she scanned the room for anything potentially dangerous, she was seriously devoted to her kingdom and her job, she was a lovely woman but she could be truly terrifying when the time called for it, and to her left Jellal Fernandes a brilliantly clever battle tactician and although they never showed any outward affection in public everyone knew they were courting. Levy was a communication expert and all round ‘know it all’ she helped with anything she could usually involving books, scrolls, languages, or even runes and she was damn good at her job despite her young age.

Everyone began tucking into the gigantic feast and the mood lightened as everyone was dazzled by the display of food and put at ease by the abundance of alcohol, light chatter filled the room as people began to become familiar with one another when one of the ancients began to speak up “I am looking forward to this impressive team of scholars that you have spoken so highly of your King Natsu” His words were polite but his tone was dismissive. Thankfully Natsu swallowed the abnormal amount of food in his mouth before he spoke. “You already have” he stated at then motioned towards me with one hand and grabbing more food with the other. The room went silent and all the new arrivals were clearly shocked, it was unusual for a woman to be in such a position so this feeling was hardly new to her, especially the old ones, everyone was looking at her and she began to feel a bit awkward so she did a quick little wave and hoped that would do. “This one woman?” It was not so much of a question as it was an accusation, it was evident that he did not like the fact that I was a woman not many noble men did but he didn’t want to be so open about it and risk damaging a new relationship.

She looked over to the prince to try and get a gage on how he felt about the issue, but she could still tell nothing, his eyes were locked on her but so were everyone else’s. She hoped it would not cause a problem as it had in the past. “Is there a problem with that?” Natsu’s tone was raised slightly. Despite not knowing the king for long he had already grown protective over his wife’s best friend and it was extremely sweet, but she desperately did not want to be the cause of a big scene. “No, no, no your highness, of course, that is not a problem at all” he backed down thankfully, but he shot a nasty glare at Levy before averting his gaze that no one seemed to notice, or so she though, so things slowly began to settle down again.

The prince stayed quite throughout the majority of the meal but their eyes met every so often, she was beginning to worry that he would think that she was weird, so she took to chatting to the fellow bluenette on her left. She was a shy lady, but they seemed to get on quite well and she did not know who this Gray man was but the way she described him made him sound like a god.

Deserts came and went and Erza nearly stabbed the king she swore an oath to protect for trying to take the last of the strawberry cake. All were merry and having a good time just as Cana promised, why we trusted her to choose the alcohol was beyond her as even she was beginning to fell a bit tipsy from the two small drinks she had. As the evening progressed people began to filter out of the room until it was just her and the prince who still seemed unaffected despite the large amount of alcohol he consumed, not that she was watching or anything mind you.

You could taste the awkwardness in the air, as she took another sip of her drink successfully finishing it, and in her mind planning on a quick yet courteous exit. But just as she was about to get up to leave, he grabbed a somehow unopened bottle of whiskey names ‘Los demonios beben’ also known as ‘The Devils Drink’ no wonder it was untouched nobody would dare at an event like this, it was most likely Cana’s work that it was even got here. “Would you care to have a drink with me?” He asked but he was already poring it into his small glass and was moving to grab hers. “I am not sure if I should” She was a little bit of light weight but did not want to admit it. “Why? Can’t you handle it?” There was a small glint in his eyes and a slight smirk on his lips as he challenged her, fine if that’s the game he wanted to play, she would bite. “That’s rich coming from you, a man who’s basically swaying on his chair” It was subtle, but she was observant and just managed to pick up on it.

She was a bit taken back from her own response as her mind stopped working, she had just insulted the fearsome prince! just as her mind started whirling trying to put an apology together he let out an odd little gihi as he placed her drink back in front of her. It was far too strong for her taste but there was no way she would let him know that, after her first small sip she glanced back at him to see he had already finished, his cockiness all over his face, that smug bastard. Now determined she gulped her drink down as fast as she could without spilling and then snatched up the bottle and pored herself another. What had gotten into her? This was not like her, plus this was an especially important mission she could not embarrass herself like this in front of a prince. But it seemed it had the opposite effect as he looked rather impressed. But of course, he had to one up her by taking a large swig straight from the bottle, and as to not fall behind so did she.

Before she knew it, the bottle was empty, and she realised they were entering dangerous territory as his predatory eyes raked over her. “Well I have had a very nice evening, but it is time I turn in for the night” she said standing and giving light bow and hoping it didn’t look like she was stumbling, luckily she didn’t slur her words too much or at least she didn’t think she did. His dazzling smile only wavered for a second before he too stood up and starched out his hand “You’ve been a worthy adversary, but I’m sorry you lost” Ever the diplomat she grasped his hand in a solid handshake and returned his light hearted banter “please I let you win, goodnight Prince Redfox” And with that she left.

On her way to her bedchambers she passed by Mirajane and Lisanna who both smiled at her and nodded she prayed they didn’t realise she and the prince were the last ones out or she would never hear the end of it from any of the girls and that’s really not what she needed right now.

[ft-dads-au]

Dancing to the Beat of Your Heart

Gratsu Weekend 2020 Prompt: Soothe Pairing: Gray x Natsu A Collaboration by @mdelpin​ and @oryu404​

AO3 | FF.Net |Takes place after Into the Lion’s Den

June 27, 2021

“We should get going,” Gray murmured, not wanting to wake the two boys who had fallen asleep between them while watching the movie.

Hana, who was snuggled up against his other side, immediately complained, and Natsu couldn’t help but laugh. They looked so right like that. Hana had been shy towards Gray in the beginning, but now she seemed to accept his presence, even welcome it. Natsu felt a pleasant warmth fill him as he looked at all of them huddled together, looking so much like a family.

One that was made up of the somewhat broken remains of two others, but he couldn’t help but feel like they fit well, and seeing his kids so comfortable around his boyfriend made him feel more confident about his choice.

The noise of rain pit pattering against the house was soothing, and he could see that the boys weren’t the only ones affected by the sound. Gray seemed like he was getting drowsier by the second, and Natsu was reminded that Erza was away at some flower show and wouldn’t return until the following afternoon.

“You don’t have to go, “Natsu offered, “You were coming back tomorrow morning anyway. Just stay, Aki can sleep in Atlas’ room.”

Gray peered at him in surprise, but after a moment or two, he replied, “Okay,” his eyes returning to the television. He shifted slightly to allow Hana to curl into him more.

Natsu honestly hadn’t really thought about anything other than the fact that he didn’t want the night to end yet, but the moment Gray agreed, he realized what he’d done.

He’d asked his boyfriend to spend the night without giving any thought to where he was going to sleep or what it would mean for them to share a bed.

Shit!

It was too late to take it back, and it’s not like he wanted to. He just wasn’t ready to do more than what they were already doing, and now he was afraid he’d given Gray the impression that he was eager to take the next step.

The movie ended, and after turning off all the downstairs lights and checking all the doors and windows, they headed upstairs. Each of them held a sleeping little boy in his arms while Hana ran ahead, turning the lights on for them. She got ready for bed on her own, entering Atlas’ room to kiss them good night, and Natsu left Gray with the boys so he could tuck her in.

All the while, his heart was fluttering, joyful, and anxious. He already knew he was in love with Gray, even if he’d never dared to say the words out loud. Experience had taught him that bond had to have been in place before he saw Gray as anything but a close friend. While he hadn’t really given much thought as to where he wanted their relationship to go moving forward, this taste of domestic bliss made him wonder.

Could they have something like this sometime in their future?

He really hoped so.

He read Hana a short bedtime story and kissed her goodnight one last time before returning to Atlas’ room to make sure both boys had everything they needed. Neither had woken up, and they had already snuggled into each other in their sleep.

Gray waited for him there, and Natsu could tell that he was a bit nervous as well. He grabbed his hand and led him to his bedroom, heart racing with every step they took as the door loomed nearer.

“This is it right here,” Natsu chuckled nervously before entering, thankful that for once, his room wasn’t too messy. He let go of Gray’s hand, immediately moving to his dresser to find a pair of pajama pants Gray could wear, trying to keep himself busy so that he didn’t say or do anything stupid.

“Uhm, the bathroom is over there, I think there might be an unopened toothbrush in one of the drawers,” Natsu babbled, tossing the sleepwear to his boyfriend and pointing him toward the en suite before moving to remove the cushions from his bed.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re kind of adorable when you’re freaking out?” Gray snickered, quickly closing the door of the bathroom, only narrowly escaping the cushion Natsu had thrown his way.

His entire face burned from Gray’s teasing compliment and the realization that he hadn’t been as smooth as he’d thought. He placed both of his hands on the dresser pushing against it in an attempt to calm down his racing heart at hearing Gray say he was adorable.

Once he’d calmed down some, he grabbed another pair of pajama pants for himself, ignoring the sound of the bathroom door opening and of his bedsheets rustling as Gray lay down on them. Taking off his pants, he quickly replaced them with pajama pants, not sure whether Gray was watching him or not. He thought about leaving his t-shirt on, but he knew he tended to overheat at night, and he reasoned that Gray had seen him shirtless plenty of times.

He turned around slowly, attempting to prepare himself mentally for what he knew he was about to see and failing miserably. Gray was casually sprawled on his bed wearing his pants and looking every bit the male model he was.

It was rather unfair that any person could be that effortlessly attractive. And to his dismay, Natsu felt his body respond with interest as his eyes trailed over his boyfriend, from his intense dark blue eyes, settling on the lips that felt so good against his when they kissed. He swallowed thickly as his eyes continued their journey south over broad shoulders and taut pectorals, down to the well-defined abs that he longed to trace. He stopped himself before he could continue, quickly moving his hands to his groin in utter mortification, trying to keep Gray from noticing how much seeing him like that had affected him.

Gray kindly chose not to comment on Natsu’s predicament feigning interest in the room’s decoration instead. However, his eyes lingered on a framed picture of him and Lisanna far too long for Natsu’s liking, and that helped with his problem a bit.

“Are you planning on coming to bed soon?” Gray asked in a neutral tone, “I’m kind of tired.”

“Uhm yeah, just need to brush my teeth,” Natsu called out, hurrying to enter his bathroom. He grabbed the toothpaste and began to brush his teeth, all while trying to give himself a pep talk.

He was turning it into a bigger deal than it was. They were just going to sleep. Next to each other. In the same bed. Nothing to worry about at all. He took a few deep breaths and exited the bathroom.

His body may have been overwhelmed by the sight of Gray in all his beauty, but it was nothing compared to what it did to his heart to see him lying comfortably under the covers, but he had no words that could express that. Instead, he griped, “Scoot over, you’re on my side of the bed.”

“And here I thought romance was dead,” Gray muttered, but he moved, lying on his side so he could look at Natsu, who had finally braved his bed after turning off all the lights.

“Not dead, just kind of petrified,” Natsu admitted at long last, lying on his back and covering his eyes with his hand.

Gray chuckled, “Are you afraid that you’re so irresistible I’ll have no choice but to jump you?”

The words had been said in jest, but Natsu knew there was some truth to them, he was sort of afraid.

“I don’t know,” he hedged, “I guess I’m more afraid of what you think this might mean.”

“I think that I was tired, it was raining and you offered me a place to sleep,” Gray assured him, pulling Natsu’s hand away from his eyes so that they could look at each other in the dim moonlight. “It doesn’t have to mean anything more than that unless we both want it to.”

Natsu thought about that, trying to decide what he wanted, but Gray’s voice cut right through his thoughts.

“Hey dumbass, wasn’t it you who said you’d tell me if I did anything you weren’t ready for? Or have you already forgotten?” He moved closer and pulled Natsu into his arms, kicking the blanket away with one foot so he could put his leg on top of it. “Geez, what are you, a furnace?”

Natsu snickered at the comment and found himself relaxing again, getting comfortable in the embrace.

“Is that your subtle way of telling me I’m hot?”

Gray snorted at that, “I think we’ve established I don’t really do subtle.”

“Ain’t that the truth! Or tactful, or patient,” Natsu began to giggle loudly when Gray cried out, “Why you little jerk!” and promptly began to tickle his sides.

Natsu let out a high pitched squeal as Gray’s fingers poked and danced across his sensitive spots.

“Shh, you’ll wake up the kids,” Gray taunted, challenging him to remain quiet despite his onslaught.

“Jerk,” Natsu managed to pant out as his stomach began to ache from all the laughing.

“But you love me!” Gray exclaimed as he stopped tickling, and though he was trying to play it off as part of their game, Natsu could hear the underlying question hiding in the quip.

He turned to his side to look at his boyfriend worriedly, “Are you really ready to hear me say that to you?”

Gray frowned, remaining silent for a moment, “I don’t know, I-” he fumbled around for words as he lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Natsu moved until his head was on Gray’s chest, draping his arm casually over his boyfriend’s stomach.

“I thought I’d never have this again,” Natsu murmured, “but here you are, and you’re so much more than I could have ever asked for.” He kissed Gray’s chest gently, not really in the mood to start anything when Gray seemed so lost, “I’m so grateful I met you, and that you’ve been so understanding.”

“You’re worth the wait,” Gray whispered, making Natsu feel shy. Gray chuckled, searching out his lips for a sweet kiss, and even as it deepened, their tongues played lazily, neither wanting to start something that might complicate the moment. With one final kiss, Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu, each shifting until they found a position where they were both comfortable.

“You know, for a minute there, I was afraid I was the one who was going to get jumped.” Gray teased as he caressed Natsu’s arm in slow circles. “Don’t think I didn’t see what your eyes were doing,”

Natsu could only be thankful he’d already turned off the lights because the burst of red that was surely spreading across his face couldn’t be seen in the dark.

“Goodnight, love,” Gray snickered, the triumph in his voice unmistakable.

“Good night,” Natsu could still hear Gray chuckling at him, but he shrugged it off, refusing to give him the additional pleasure of getting a rise out of him. So what if he saw him? It’s not like it was a bad thing. He closed his eyes, vowing to get him back tomorrow before drifting off into the most peaceful slumber he’d had for a very long time.

0-0

Gray awoke to the sound of snores. Blinking his eyes open, he peered at his boyfriend. Natsu was splayed out over most of the bed, arms stretched out, mouth gaped wide open, pink hair sticking out every which way, and yet Gray still thought he looked stunning.

He turned on his side so he could get a good look at him, reveling in the intimacy of the moment and the elation that came from having Natsu invite him into his bed. He smiled as he remembered some of the things they’d said to each other before falling asleep. It had been peaceful and pleasant, a breath of fresh air compared to the way he’d been treated by his husband. It was everything he had been starving for.

Siegrain had always been in the mood for sex, but he rarely allowed himself to be vulnerable enough to do something like cuddling. And while their sex had been pleasurable, it had lacked affection. Their encounters, while frequent, were meaningless and disconnected. More often than not, Siegrain would turn on his side and go to sleep immediately after they were done, or he’d go off to a club claiming he was scouting, leaving Gray alone to wonder what he’d done wrong.

That was why, while Gray was definitely looking forward to having sex with Natsu at some point, he wasn’t in any hurry. He was beyond happy to enjoy what they had right now. Knowing that he was in this bed because Natsu cared about him as a person was incredibly satisfying, in a way he’d only experienced briefly in previous relationships.

Every touch, every word out of Natsu’s mouth, while sometimes idiotic, was honest and full of affection for him. Filling him with a sort of pleasure that while different from what he was used to felt infinitely more satisfying after years of being treated as nothing more than a pretty face or a piece of meat.

When he was with Natsu, he felt loved.

He moved a little closer and stroked Natsu’s hair carefully so as not to wake him just yet. The rays of the sun slipped through the gap underneath the door. The house was still quiet, aside from Natsu’s snoring, and Gray wanted to savor the serenity of the moment for as long as he could.

However, not even two minutes had passed when he heard the footsteps of two pairs of small, bare feet. Tiny, hushed voices and giggles were quickly coming closer. Gray couldn’t help but smile when the door handle went down oh so slowly, and as the door opened, Atlas and Aki came sneaking in.

He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep until the boys had climbed on the bed, and it took almost all of his self-restraint to keep a straight face and hold back his laughter. How those little monkeys thought they were stealthy was beyond him, but even more surprising was the fact that Natsu was somehow able to sleep right through it. He waited, keeping perfectly still until he was sure they were both close enough, and then he sprung, wrapping them both in his arms.

The two boys squealed and giggled and thrashed around a little from being startled so suddenly, and only then did Natsu began to stir, opening his eyes and grinning at the scene that was unfolding. Gray had started a tickle war, and Natsu didn’t need more than a few seconds to catch up and join in. Once the boys were exhausted from laughing so hard, they moved them in between them, letting them catch their breaths as they all formed a big cuddle formation.

“Morning boys, did you sleep well?” Natsu asked, ruffling Atlas’ hair.

They both nodded happily chattering words at the same time, “Hungwy dada, down, eat!” Though a bit overenthusiastic, the message was loud and clear. But mostly loud.

Hana appeared in the doorway and hesitated for only a few seconds before joining them, and Gray was more than surprised when she didn’t give just Natsu a soft peck on the cheek but him as well. They barely fit in the bed with all five of them, so it wasn’t particularly comfortable, but none of them cared, content just to be together. And although Gray knew it was way too soon to be having thoughts like these, he couldn’t help but think that this was what being part of a family felt like.

“Hey dad, can we have pancakes?” Hana cajoled, really selling it with fluttering eyelashes and all.

“Sure-” Natsu stretched, or tried to as the lack of movement space was making it hard for him to do so, “but you all have to get off us first if you want us to get up.”

He didn’t have to say it twice. The kids scrambled off the bed, cheering and making their way downstairs ahead of them. Natsu got up as well, after a yawn and a proper stretch, but when Gray didn’t follow, he turned around to look at him, “You coming?”

“Yeah, I’ll...be right there,” Gray nodded.

“Kay,” Natsu smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss, “but I don’t want to hear any complaints when you take too long, and we already ate everything!” He then quickly went after the kids before they decided to get started without him or raided the pantry for snacks to bridge the wait for breakfast.

When Natsu was out of sight, Gray finally gave in to the emotions he’d been suppressing, not because he wanted to hide them from him, but because he didn’t want the kids to worry or get upset. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he thought about moments like these in his past.

Waking up to Aki trying to climb into his and Siegrain’s bed, only to receive complaints and a foul mood if Siegrain had been in bed at all. Seeing the disappointment on his son’s face when he got scolded because he “smelled”, “drooled” or was “too loud.”

But he also remembered better days from his own childhood, when he was the one sneaking into his parents’ room. Times when his mother was pregnant with Rogue and let him feel her belly, how excited he’d been to feel the kicks and how he had promised to be the best big brother ever.

He had failed at that, and he felt like he had failed in his marriage as well. Not for his own sake and definitely not for Siegrain’s, but for Aki’s. He’d deserved to wake up to a loving family too. Like Atlas and Hana did and Gray and Rogue used to in the past.

He thought about all the times he’d failed Rogue after he left for college. He’d neglected to live up to the promise he had once made to always watch over him. But out of all his failures, Rogue was the one he could still do something about.

With that thought in mind, he sent his brother a text asking if he wanted to hang out sometime that week, just the two of them. And after that, he dried his tears and got up, ready to join Natsu and the kids for breakfast.

0-0

Gray could hear music playing on the radio as he came downstairs still wearing Natsu’s borrowed pajama pants, it was some catchy tune that had been popular that summer, although he didn’t know the name of it. The sound of Hana singing it made him smile, but not as much as Natsu singing offkey, more than likely in the hopes of annoying her if his laughs at her protests were any indication.

To his surprise, both Atlas and Aki were also in the kitchen, not planted in front of the TV set or in the playroom. Natsu was asking them to bring different ingredients from the refrigerator or pantry, and it had turned into a game, each boy trying to be the first one to figure out where the ingredient was located and bring it back to Natsu.

Aki was smiling, looking every bit as if he belonged there with the others, and Gray couldn’t help but to stand back and watch for a bit longer, feeling shy and a little out of place. None of them had noticed him yet, and as the next song came on, Atlas tried to dance, wiggling his butt and bouncing from one foot to the other. It wasn’t long before Aki tried to imitate him while Natsu and Hana looked at each other and burst into giggles. Each one doing their own version of the dance.

Gray snorted, and they all looked up at the noise, but rather than being embarrassed, Natsu coaxed him to join them, offering him his hand in invitation while the kids yelled out his name, welcoming him into their game.

“Get in here Princess, let’s show them how it’s done,” Natsu grinned, well aware of how much he hated the nickname and not caring in the slightest.

Gray shook his head at him in disapproval, but grabbed on to his hand all the same, letting Natsu lead him around the kitchen in complicated twirls and dips that were harder to keep up with than he’d first thought, especially while laughing. The kids ran after them, giggling at their antics and yelling encouragement.

He noticed Natsu staring at his face, brow furrowing in concern as he examined his puffy eyes, the remains of his earlier crying.

“Is everything okay?”

“It will be,” Gray smiled, caught up in the moment, in the joy of being part of something. It was like he had stolen a peek at his future, and he was already in love with it.

Almost as if he had heard his thoughts, Natsu’s eyes flashed with mischief as he teased, “Just think all this could be yours someday.”

God, he hoped so.

He wanted nothing more than for this to become his new normal. To wake up with the man he adored and be part of a loving family. One that actually enjoyed each other’s company. And while it was too soon for them to take such a big step, more than ever, he was determined to free himself of Siegrain’s shadow for good, so that someday when they were ready, they could.

Gray turned the tables on Natsu, smirking as he noticed his boyfriend had trouble following his steps, not used to being led, and when Gray dipped him, making sure he held on to him tightly so he wouldn’t fall, he teased, “Who’s the princess now?”

Everyone laughed as Natsu fluttered his eyelashes, playing along. Gray could feel his eyes well as he realized just how lucky he was to have fallen in love with this ridiculous man who had accepted him into his heart. He only hoped that they could heal each other and move forward into their very own future. One that Gray was determined would be full of laughter and love.

[mdelpin]

edit by @mdelpin

I Take Pride In What I Am 2019 Prompt: “Are We Just Friends?” Pairing: Gray x Natsu

Part 1, Part 2

Natsu Dragneel was not in a good mood, in fact, he was as far from a good mood as he could possibly get. First, Loke had not let up about Gray the whole time they had been on their disastrous job, and that was most definitely the last time he took Loke on a job with him without Lucy.

He couldn’t understand how Cana and Gray could have possibly enjoyed it when they were a team. When Loke wasn’t trying to build Gray up or get Natsu to admit to feelings he wasn’t entirely sure about, he was openly talking about his conquests, including men.

Natsu was now armed with more knowledge about gay relationships and sex than he’d ever wanted to know. To be honest, at this point, he just wanted to keep Loke as far away from Gray as possible. And that in itself confused him. He’d been grateful when Gray had offered to go get Wendy because he just wasn’t capable of looking at him at the moment.

To make matters worse, he was stuck in the infirmary with an apologetic Celestial Spirit, a doting Mira and an Erza that was just acting... weird. It was irritating. Ugh! Why the hell did Gray have to say that to him?

Natsu closed his eyes, trying to block everyone out, but when he did that he was accosted by the memory of Gray kissing him, and the knowledge that before he'd freaked out, he had most definitely kissed him back.

And he didn't know what it meant. Was he in love with Gray too? Was he just surprised at being kissed? It's not like anyone else had ever kissed him before, not like that. He'd shared a few pecks with Lisanna, but he hadn't really felt much, and he was pretty sure she hadn't either.

Dammit!

He stiffened as he scented Wendy entering the guild, but relaxed again when he could only smell Lucy and Happy with her. Wendy entered the infirmary and asked everyone to leave so she could examine Natsu properly.

"Thank you," Natsu smiled at Wendy, who only nodded, keeping her expression impassive as she looked at his injuries.

“I thought you might like to be left alone for a bit,” Wendy smiled sweetly, “It’s been an exciting day around here.”

“Exciting?” Natsu pouted, always unhappy to miss anything that might be fun.

“Mhm,” Wendy mumbled, now content that the injuries were nothing too serious she began to use her magic to heal Natsu.

“How did you get all these anyway?” Wendy commented as she worked, “These types of injuries are unusual for you.”

“We got ambushed,” Natsu volunteered, “I got in the way of a few hits that were meant for Loke.”

“Loke?” Wendy stopped for a moment, her features scrunched in confusion, “I didn’t realize he went on jobs on his own.”

“He doesn’t usually,” Natsu explained and then muttered under his breath, “I should have realized what he was up to.”

“Up to?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Natsu smiled, then remembering some of the things that Loke had said he quickly added, “Just promise me you’ll never go on a job alone with that guy.”

Wendy looked surprised by the request, but she agreed. "Natsu-san, can I ask you something?"

“Sure, kiddo what’s up?”

“Are you and Gray-san together?”

“Not you too!” Natsu whined, “Why would you think that?”

"There was a lot of talk at Fairy Hills today, people were saying you and Gray did something, but they wouldn't tell me what it was."

Natsu groaned, why was everyone in this guild so damn nosy? “Nothing big happened,” Natsu assured the healer, “I swear, people in this guild need to mind their own business.”

“So Gray-san didn’t tell you he loved you?” Wendy stared at him with wide innocent eyes and an impish grin, the combination disconcerting to Natsu.

There it was again, those words that were wreaking havoc with his entire system. He wanted to deny it, but of all the people in the guild, Wendy was the one he couldn't lie to.

“He might have said something like that,” Natsu muttered, scratching the back of his head in exasperation.

“Do you love him back?” Wendy waited for his answer with obvious excitement.

"I," He took a deep breath, admitting the words out loud was physically painful to him at the moment, "I don't know."

“Oh,” Wendy looked saddened by his reply.

“What’s wrong, Wendy?”

"Nothing, I just," Wendy caught his gaze and refused to let go of it, "I was just hoping that you loved Gray-san back because I think he's loved you for a long time and he's very kind, and I think lonely."

“What do you mean he’s loved me for a long time?”

"Why else would he reject Juvia?" Wendy pointed out with a roll of her eyes, "Do you love Lucy, then?"

Natsu sighed, knowing that was part of the problem he was facing, “I do love Lucy, but not like that. More like I love you or Erza.”

Wendy nodded sadly, “So you don’t want to hurt Lucy or Juvia by admitting how you feel?”

"What?! Hey, I see what you're doing!" Natsu protested, folding his arms across his chest. "Don't go putting words in my mouth, you've been spending way too much time with Mira," He said accusingly before reiterating, "I said I don't know, and I mean I don't know."

“Fine, fine,” Wendy put her arms up in a gesture of surrender.

'Where is the Icicle anyway?" He didn't like to admit it, but as much as he didn't want to see the ice mage, part of him was disappointed that Gray hadn't come to see how he was doing.

“He stayed behind to talk to Juvia,” Wendy informed him before patting him on his knee, “You’re good to go, but don’t overdo it.”

"Yosh! I'm all fired up! Thanks, Wendy, you're the best!!" He gave the blushing girl a big hug before getting up from the bed and looking for some clothes to replace his blood stained ones.

Xxx

Gray stood in the Fairy Hills garden, Juvia still attached to his side. She hadn’t let go since Lucy had left with Wendy.

"Juvia," He began bravely before looking into the depths of her eyes. There was so much hope in them, and once again he felt terrible for not being able to return her affections. It certainly would have made his life so much easier.

But Gray was not one to hide from tough situations, and as much as he didn't want to hurt his friend, he couldn't let her continue to waste her life away in pursuit of him. He wondered briefly if this might be the way that Natsu felt about him but quickly shook the thought away. He'd have an answer sooner or later, Natsu would not extend this for long.

“Juvia,” Gray began once again, this time bracing himself for what was to come. “I told you a while back that I would give you my answer, and I think you’ve waited long enough.”

"Yes, my darling?" Juvia looked nervous and excited, but there was also something else hiding in her expression, and for the first time, Gray thought that maybe she already knew, had always known that her love was unrequited.

Juvia was an amazing woman, of that he’d never had a doubt. He couldn’t help who he was any more than she could.

“I’m sorry, but I’m in love with someone else,” Gray made sure to look into her eyes, he wanted there to be no doubt as to his feelings after today. He hoped that once she understood, she could move on and find love with someone who truly deserved her.

“But, but how can Gray-sama be so sure if he never tried to love Juvia?”

“Juvia, I’ve been in love with the same person for a long time now,” Gray explained firmly, “I finally told him yesterday.”

“Him?” Juvia cried in dismay, “So it’s true? Gray-sama loves Natsu-san?”

Gray closed his eyes and nodded. He waited for the inevitable mocking or tears and was surprised when they never came. He opened his eyes to see Juvia studying him thoughtfully.

"Does Gray-sama like women at all?" Juvia asked, and Gray could hear some vestiges of hope in her question, so he was quick to dash them.

“Not sexually or romantically, no,” He admitted honestly, it was a fact he’d known about himself for years even though he didn’t make a point of bringing it up to others.

"Do you mind leaving me alone for a bit?" Juvia asked pleasantly, but he could see the storm brewing behind her eyes, and he got up quickly, wanting to give the privacy she was asking for.

“Goodbye, Juvia,” Gray gave her one last smile before turning away and heading back to the guild.

“Goodbye, Gray,”

Gray pretended not to hear the way her voice broke on this new version of his name, just like he pretended to ignore the drops of rain that fell on his naked torso. With everything that had gone on, he wasn't even surprised to have lost his shirt. He was happy Juvia seemed to have taken things so well. He really hoped they could become friends.

Gray made his way back to the guild slowly, he wanted to make sure Natsu was okay, but he also wanted to think about what his next step was. If nothing else, he knew he could live with a lifetime of pining after Natsu, but if his feelings ended up being one-sided, he didn't want their friendship to suffer because of it.

He wished he’d waited for a better time, that they’d been able to talk about it calmly, although considering who Gray was in love with that idea was laughable. It would most likely only be discussed after many punches and kicks. But that would have been fine, it was who they were.

The same thought kept playing over and over in his mind like a broken record.

Are we just friends, or could we be something more?

Gray stood in front of the guild door, he could hear Natsu inside being his usual loud and lively self. He worked his courage up, opened the door, and walked inside.

To be continued...

A/N: Okay, one more part left. This one should absolutely be the last one, I promise!

[fallen029]

Crush.4

Previous Chapter

.

"Ever get tired of me, kid?"

"Apparently not, since, you know, we're dating and all."

Lisanna said this with evident malice and Bickslow didn't hold it against her none, that the statement in itself wasn't very heavy, because, well, he figured she wasn't too used to being that way. No, the nice, simple Strausses just didn't have it in them to trade barbs with a pro like him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lisanna," he remarked simply as he allowed her entrance to his apartment. "You gotta wine me and dine me a little, yeah? Before we get too hot and heavy. Or, well, actually, no, I'm up for it, I guess."

She just stared at him, Lisanna did, with this dark gaze that, if he were a lesser man, or even one who wasn't sued to giving out pretty dark gazes of his own, might have brought the seith some shivers. But as it stood, he was the darkest of dark knights, with the darkest of dark gazes, and he stared her down from behind his visor.

Only a few hours had passed since Mirajane had her entire week made and would no doubt be gushing to anyone and everyone right about then, back at the bar, all about Lisanna's new boyfriend. Which meant that the bar was the exactly last place that Lisanna wanted to brave, finding it much better to eventually make her way over to the seith's apartment, so that she could unleash her anger on him.

And plan, for the upcoming date.

But mostly unleash.

Bickslow was right though. Lisanna wasn't too versed in anger and it all kind of deflated as the man snickered along with his floating about babies at his own joke before going to face plant into his couch.

"So," was what she thought he said, maybe, against the fabric of the furniture, "what now? We fuck?"

Lisanna gagged at first, then remembered the power she held in this situation. Sort of. They were partners, at least, in their misdeeds and misdirection, and while she typically found herself the reserved, go along with anything girl down at the hall, that stopped now. Exactly now, too, because even she could admit that she'd more than let Bickslow run the whole show (while also accusing her of being the one to sabotage it), but that was coming to an end.

It had to.

Prior to the park, she and Bickslow could have shook hands and gone there separate ways without anyone even knowing they were spending time together (except for maybe Freed). Now though, Mirajane thought that the two of them were, ugh, whatever she thought and that meant that if it was revealed to all be some elaborate ruse then...then…

Wasn't that what she wanted from the beginning though? The end result of that? For Mirajane to be embarrassed?

But she felt like admitting to pretending to lower her standards enough to find Bickslow even remotely attractive only for the big reveal of, ha ha, aren't you the immature one, big sis, really wouldn't yield the results Lisanna was looking for.

"Wow," Bickslow remarked as he lifted her head after she relayed this. "So you can say hurtful things. I do have feelings, by the way."

And Lisanna broke, maybe, just slightly, as she considered that she had just insulted the man deeply and that wasn't right. But as she started to backtrack, he only shifted to sit up, looking towards the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Although, a dark knight such as myself, I suppose it would make sense that you would think that my cold as steel armor would be impenetrable. But oh, how wrong you would be, Lisanna. I am a mere man, in a suit of armor, attempting to portray myself as merely the latter. And yet-"

"You make it so hard," she told him with a frown, "to feel bad for you."

"Another one of my many faults, sure."

"My point," she went on then as it was rather clear, hurt or not, Bickslow would always manage to bounce back effectively, "is that I'm in control now. Alright? We're going to plan each and every single thing that we say and get Mirajane and Laxus to...date or whatever it is that you want. And then, after showing her up over it, you and me are going to have a very public breakup and we can go back to just being guild mates. Understand?"

"Mostly," he agreed with a nod of his head. "By which I mean that, yeah, this bossy shit? Who wouldn't wanna break up with ya?"

Undeterred, Lisanna only held her head higher as she added, "Glad we're on the same page."

For once.

And after over an hour of tortuous planning and plotting, Bickslow was more than happy to see the woman on her way. Once he was alone in his apartment once more, he only fell into the couch with a smoke, hoping to decompress a bit.

Tricking the boss and pretending to bone Mirajane's little sister took a lot out of a guy. But what a pay off it would be. Getting the boss all happy and shit, with the she-devil, and then awaiting the inevitable demise of the relationship so that he could then get with the…

Wait a minute.

Now that Mirajane thought that he and Lisanna…

Shit.

He puffed angrily now at his smoke, realizing that in his joyful decimation of Lisanna's own reward in the whole ordeal, he'd made sure to sour his own as well.

So no, Bickslow wasn't in a great mood not soon after, where Freed strolled into their shared apartment. In fact, the seith eyed him heavily as the rune mage returned it and Bickslow was prepared for it. The gripes about his cigarette. But no more! Bickslow didn't care about yellowing photographs or contributing to his friend's possible health deterioration; he needed to smoke.

In their shared apartment.

And nothing could stop him!

Well, Freed might have been able to, maybe, but he didn't seem to be concerned with that as he instead only came to stand before his roommate, arms folded across his chest, as he remarked, "I wish for a full explanation, Bickslow, of your dealings with the youngest Strauss sibling."

He stared rather blankly at the other man, Bickslow did, smoke dangling from his lips. It was rare, honestly, for him to lack any semblance of expression, but for some reason, he felt tapped that day. If anything, after the dressing down Lisanna had given him (and it wasn't even the good kind), as well as the hammering in of the need for a true, honest plan, well, Bickslow was on flying on conservation.

The next day would require a lot of cutting remarks and quips and, well, he couldn't just burn through them right now, on Freed.

"Ain't ya heard?" Bickslow gave a bit of a shrug. "We're in love."

"Oh, shut up."

"Serious, deep love. Ask anyone." Then he paused. "Ask Mirajane."

"I plan to," Freed warned. "I plan to speak to her on many things. As well as Laxus. You are not allowed to go around, corrupting others in the hall, Bickslow. It goes against everything we stand for!"

"You do stand for a lotta things, I'll give ya that," he agreed with a nod. "But I dunno if I have anything. At all. I'm pretty unscrupulous."

Narrowing his eyes further, Freed remarked simply, "Dark knights have morals. They just question them. So I suppose that means you're not a-"

"What a low blow, man!" Bickslow couldn't help it that time. He loudly griped and even removed the cigarette from his mouth so his tongue could flap freely. "Fine. I got some scruples. Don't mean I gotta tell ya shit though."

But Freed had more resolve and reserve. Always. Still, keeping the other man's gaze, he threatened, "If you are doing currently what I fear you are-"

"Do you think that I'm tryin' to get the boss to fuck the older Strauss sister so I can fuck her, in doing that, I made it to where I might have to fuck the other?"

Freed had no reply as, honestly, he imagined this to be some sort out outrageous lie, as Bickslow was prone to these sorts of things, and only huffed as he walked by then. Over his shoulder though, he did say, "I would find it best, Bickslow, for you to terminate your friendship with Lisanna. It is not good for either of you, as it would seem."

"You got no idea," he muttered into his cigarette as he pulled it back up to his face.

That would only last another minute before, through his daze of concern, the scent of it would waft it's way tot he rune mage, who would make a big stink over it, but for just that minute, Bickslow was able to sulk, on his own couch, the way that he truly desired.

He'd feel much better in the morning, anyways, as he knew he would, when all the self-loathing faded and his overriding need for near constant pleasure and entertainment won out. Yes, he was still pissy that Lisanna thought she could just tell him off like that. And yeah, sure, he wasn't feeling all that great about the fact he almost certainly wasn't going to get anything out of all his very hard work he'd put into all this, the past few days, other than, hopefully, the boss getting laid and then perhaps even the hatred of two of the Strauss siblings, once he pretended to breakup with the youngest. But at the same time, he was going to make the boss so fucking happy. And even if he didn't, regardless of Lisanna's commandeering of the plan, it was still a scheme and man, Bickslow loved scheming.

So he donned his best the next afternoon (which, actually was just what he usually wore, but whatever) and set out to meet his supposed girlfriend to continue their trickery.

But Freed on to them. Somewhat. Maybe. And he was certain that it was far more inline with treachery. And he was not going to allow the innocent Strausses to be brought down by Bickslow's typical antics.

Mirajane didn't feel as if there were anything odd going on, however, when she and her sister met up with the seith at the restaurant. Lisanna eyed Bickslow wearily, but Mirajane only bounded over to him with a bounce and cheerful greeting.

"Well, you look nice," she remarked with a giggle, eyes bright as her grin. "Bickslow."

"Dapper is the word you're struggling with," he corrected her as he pushed up his visor to wink at the woman and Mirajane giggled and Lisanna wasn't quite sure why she was needed in this dumb excursion at all.

"Lisanna looks nice too," Mira remarked, glancing over at her sister with a glint in her eyes. "Wouldn't you say so, Bickslow?"

"Lissy?" He whistled, Bickslow did then, lowly, and it caused his dolls to flutter about in excitement. "It's hard to not just pull her off to behind the building right now and-"

"Where," Lisanna cut him off because she seemed pretty done with him, still, and Bickslow only frowned, "is Laxus?"

"Oh, who needs Laxus?" Mirajane certainly didn't. Having a date of her own was nice; getting her sister and her new boyfriend all alone to question and torment was nicer. "Just the three of us-"

"I'd like for the boss to be here, actually," Bickslow assured the woman as he came to toss an arm around Lisanna who only eyed him wearily. "It's not often that I get to show him what an upstanding member of society I really am."

"How are you showing him that right now though?" Mira asked softly because, apparently, she wasn't able not to play into every single one of his stupid gimmicks. Lisanna, who was resound not to fall into any of them that day, tried hard not to blame her sister of her naivety.

"A guy like me, a typically hopeless dark knight," Bickslow began and Lisanna tried hard not to groan, "doesn't often find themselves paired up with a pillar of their community, like Lissy here. What a doll she is. What a babe. Whaddaguy."

"What?" Lisanna questioned with a frown up at him, but Bickslow only beamed, showing all his teeth and his waggly tongue, while Mirajane only clapped her hands in excitement.

Oh, it would be a lengthy lunch.

Laxus arrived soon enough, still the same mess and bundle of nerves he'd been since the whole scheme was formed. At the sight of Bickslow all snuggled up to Lisanna, he groaned some, but just as quickly was confronted with Mirajane grabbing his arm.

"You clean up well," she offered with a grin at the man, "for a lunch date."

And gah! Laxus looked off uncomfortably, grumbling to her to cut it out. Mirajane was rarely someone that he had trouble hanging around, much less handling a conversation with, but recently…well…

"Look at us, boss, huh?" Bickslow did that whistle thing again, when they were inside of the restaurant, being seated. "Me and you. Both on a date. With the two Strauss women. What a life, huh?"

Mira made some sort of noise of approval at this, beaming over at her sister and the seith as she and Laxus took their seats across from them. Lisanna returned it, but Bickslow only had eyes for Laxus then as the man was glaring at him, while pulling Mirajane's chair out for her.

"Lucky me, I guess," the seith went on, staring over at his idol as his tongue tumbled from his mouth once more and ugh, Laxus wanted to cut it right off. "I get my Strauss until our love runs dry. Which will be never." Then he paused. "Unless, for some unforeseeable and completely unplanned event happens in, oh, a few days that devastates us both to our core and we're forced to separ- Ak!"

Lisanna stomped on his foot, hard, beneath the table and Bickslow almost did it for Laxus, biting right through his tongue. Just about. When he looked down to glare at the youngest Strauss though, she was glaring right back up at him and Laxus knew, oh, he knew, that something was going on, but Mirajane only clapped with her oblivious glee.

There was some uncomfortable moments following that for everyone other than the head barmaid though as they all glanced over their menus and there was very little natural conversation. Bickslow had warned Lisanna of this; natural was the way to go!

Except, you know, the other two times they'd tried this whole getting Mirajane and Laxus together plan.

Third times the charm?

"So," Mirajane began as she sat to attention the second the waitress had their orders and left the four of them alone at the table. "The whole reason we came here was for the two of you to tell me how you fell in love."

"Love," Lisanna started then with some hesitance, "is a strong word."

"And yet," Bickslow declared as Laxus rubbed a palm into his forehead, "not strong enough."

"I always thought that I would be the one, you know, Lisanna," Mira remarked to her younger ister then, "to have to sit you and Elf down and tell you that I was so truly, deeply in love. But you've really outdone yourself."

"You got the boss right here," Bickslow countered as Lisanna decided not to mention to her sister that, actually, she had set both her and Elfman down, many times, and expressed her deep love for some guy though it would always eventually dissolve, usually not soon after that fact. The seith though only flashed his idol a bright smile. "Maybe the two of you are meant to be together for ever and always. Ya think of that, Mirajane?"

"I don't think about most things," she remarked thoughtfully and yeah, they all could see that, but still, the woman only giggled as she said, "But Laxus and I are just friends."

"Ooh. Friends, boss, eh?" Bickslow whistled lowly that time and his babies, who'd mostly entertained themselves by floating annoyingly around Lisanna's head, let out a cry in a similar pitch. It was enough to get a few glances from tables around them. "Been there. But look at me now! You keep at it and you too could land a great woman like Lissy here. Or Lissy herself, should this all soon go to- Stop stompin' on my foot, kid!"

"Then stop talking so much, you stu- Bickslow." Lisanna turned from glaring at the man to grin at her sister. To Mira, she said, "We just...spend so much time together, sometimes we get a little agitated-"

"A sign of a good, healthy relationship," Mira deemed and Laxus only lifted his head, just a bit, to stare over at the two of them. Lisanna and Bickslow. Yeah fucking right.

Taking in a deep breath, Laxus managed to grumble, "I don't want your stupid little girlfriend, Bickslow. You freak."

"Ah, boss." Just like that, the joy was stolen from the seith. "You know how I feel about that word."

"I do," Laxus agreed with a glare. "It's why I used it."

"Anyways," Lisanna began then in something close to a commanding tone, maybe (she wasn't too used to steering a conversation in such mixed company). "Don't you wanna hear all about how we got together, Mirajane?"

"It's literally the only thing that I've ever cared about, ever, at all, in my entire life," Mira said all in one exhale and that time, when Bickslow whistled, it was because he was impressed.

"Well," her sister answered, "it's probably not all that interesting. Bickslow and I just both always saw one another, hanging around, and you can only spend so much time around someone, you know, before you just..."

"Have to be with them," Bickslow finished for her with a nod as his babies snickered in the air. "There Lissy was, serving me, you know, up at the bar? Like a good, non-interrupting waitress. Clearly, Mira, this is why you missed the mark with me. You just pop up at the most inopportune times. I'm a poet, you know? With my words? You get me all tangled up and I lose my train of thought."

Mira's grin was slowly falling then as Lisanna elbowed him that time, but Laxus had taking to sigh, down at his lap, and was hardly listening. Which was no good. He had to listen, so he'd be unknowingly convinced into realizing it was okay, you know, that he had the hots for Mirajane. Lots of people were into her. Or Lisanna. Or anybody. Who happened to be a waitress.

And sometimes, it was okay to hit on them.

Usually not. It was extremely frowned upon and super toxic, but Bickslow figured the boss wouldn't mind risking some dignity and respect to get with the she-devil. Well, he wouldn't once he saw how great it worked out for the seith.

And it had worked out great.

Supposedly.

"Why," Laxus complained as he happened to glance up at that moment, "are you winking at me? Bickslow?"

"Eh?" Subconsciously, he shoved up his visor and done just htat, over at the boss, and onw he was just blinking dumbly over at the man. "What are you talkin' about, boss?"

"You just fucking winked at me. You freak."

"I put up with it, once, boss, but at this point, I'm starting to wonder if you just don't care about my feelings."

"Stop wondering," Laxus ordered. "I don't."

"Bickslow just meant," Lisanna took over easily, "that sometimes, a person is right there, for a long time, but you just don't think about them in that way. Until it just hits you."

"And when it hits you," Bickslow began. But that was it. The full statement. And there was an awkward beat that passed as all the others looked at him, awaiting more. But no.

"How did the two of you approach it though?" Mira questioned, more to her sister as, though she was still enthralled by Bickslow, his antics were proving to be...kind of annoying. But still great boyfriend material for her little sister. Exactly her type. You know, breathing and stuff. Part of the guild. Easy for Mirajane to get all the gossip on. Gave him little places to run if he broke Lisanna's heart. At the moment though, she was letting the joy take her over once more as she asked, "Who made the first move?"

"Definitely Lissy," Bickslow assured the woman's sister, per the prearrange story the youngest Strauss had forced him to go along with. "All over me."

"It was all your pushing, I think, Mira," Lisanna took over then, giving her sister a very pointed look. "Insisting that I start dating. That I was really missing out on my second chance at life."

"You drove her right into the arms of me," Bickslow cackled along with his floating dolls. "Gotta thank you for that."

"W-Well," Mira started then, hesitant, "I wouldn't say-"

"I would," Lisanna agreed with the seith. "If it wasn't for your pushing, I would have never gotten with Bickslow."

There was some unease then as Mirajane considered her choices and Bickslow and Lisanna both had some sort of air about them that Laxus couldn't place, but he only kept tapping his foot, glancing around uncomfortably.

"Where's our food?" he griped finally, breaking the silence. "I don't got all day to be here."

"But don't ya, when you think about it, boss?" Bickslow had dropped his visor once more, but Laxus was certain he was wagging his damn eyebrows beneath it. "All you've wanted for days now is to be alone with Mirajane. Just admit it."

"Bickslow," Lisanna complained as Mirajane finally gave the slayer a real glance. But oh, he was gripping his fists then, tightly, as he bore holes right through the damn bars of that visor. As always, however, Bickslow felt protected by them.

"Aw, Laxus," Mira beamed over at him. "If you ever wanna hangout, you can just say so. You don't have to crash me, Bickslow, and Lisanna's date."

"Our what?" her younger sister balked, but Laxus only seethed in his usual silence as Bickslow slowly surrendered in their impromptu glaring match, instead taking to a loud remark instead.

"Where's our food?" he complained as Lisanna rolled her eyes. "I do wanna be with the two of you all day, you know, Mira and Lisanna, but boss here-"

"I mean, he is right, I guess," Lisanna ventured herself then. Working with Bickslow was either a mad dash towards a definite crash or a painstaking stroll through unnecessary attempts at humor. If she could cut right to the source, what brought them together, finally get Laxus to just freaking admit he was attracted to her sister (and then, of course, throw it back in Mira's face and prove that it wasn't so nice, to be pressured into unwelcome situations and all that, obviously) so they could just all move on with their lives. The past few days felt extremely and needlessly drawn out...probably like any amount of time with the seith appeared. "Laxus. Is there...something that you've been wanting to say to Mirajane? Because you can just say it. Or ask it. No pressure, but-"

"This," Bickslow declared with a nod of his head, "is a safespace, boss. We can admit anything to each other here, now that me and Lissy are, you know, unioned and all that."

"Unioned?" she griped at the word, but Bickslow only kept right up.

"I think the word's unionized," Mira offered, trying to be helpful. "Master says the bar staff can't have one."

"Right, sure," Bickslow agreed with a nod. "Boss, now that we've unionized, we're a family. Me and Lisanna have joined our houses. Her, the Strausses, Me, the Thunder Legion and their super cool, awesome, fearless, amazing idol. A family. And you know what? A family is honest with one another. Here. I'll start. I once ate two whole cakes, back to back. Just bought 'em and ate them. No shame. Not around you guys. My family. See, boss? Open." When he still on continued to get the glares of the man across from him, Bickslow decided to continue. "Sometimes I go without changing socks for weeks. Weeks, boss. I like to swallow the mouthwash after swishing it about in my mouth. I pee in the shower. A lot. Once, when I was a kid, I started a fire that nearly burned down an entire-"

"Okay, maybe we don't have to confess all our crimes to one another," Lisanna cut him off with a glance. To Laxus though, she said, "But if you did wanna tell something to Mirajane...I'm sure we'd all love to hear it."

It was with a deep, heavy breath then that Laxus looked off for a long moment before slowly remarking, "Fine. Fucking fine. Mirajane, I have to tell you that-"

"Oh, I get it!" But as she'd been since the start of their 'date' Mira was wholly uninterested in the slayer. She'd sat up straight suddenly, clapping her hands together as she said, "Bickslow and Lisanna are… You said that we're all a big family now and I just… Are you getting married?"

"What?" was the joined exclamation between the two of them, drowning out whatever Laxus was about to get out, but that was where their similarities ended.

"Absolutely not," Lisanna told her with a frown. "Mira, how could you even think that? Much less be excited about-"

"You caught us. Mira." Bickslow, per the plan, had been told to go along with any and everything Mira said. Though he knew in his heart of hearts that this clearly didn't fall under that jurisdiction, he also found that it was infinitely more fun, making Lisanna miserable, than any other event that had gone on that evening. "We're getting hitched."

Mira seemed confused then and, though they assumed it was due to their vastly different responses, she eventually asked, "Hitched to what?" and man, oh damn, did Bickslow need a laugh that deep.

As Lisanna glared over at him though, now joining Laxus in this (he'd resumed upon the interruption), Bickslow only felt his smile slowly dwindled. Not from any of the actions of those at the table. Nope. Rather, he spotted someone headed for their table.

Unfortunately, it wasn't their waitress.

He'dda just nicked her in the eye with a coin and commented on her horrible timing if it was.

No, what was coming for them was much worse and definitely a mood ruiner if he'd ever seen one.

"Bickslow," Freed remarked in that tone and ugh, he was in for a lecture. Gross. Everyone else glanced up at the sound of the rune mage's voice, shocked to find him there. Well, Lisanna and Mira were. Laxus had taken to glaring down at his lap once more and seemed unbothered by Freed.

It was quite typical for the two of them.

"Freed?" Mirajane frowned before smiling just as brightly as she said, "Oh, you're here for the hitching?"

"That hitch- So you are selling women? Is that what this is?" Freed scoffed as he came to a stop at their table, hands in that posture and oh, it was going to be a big once, this lecture. Bickslow could just feel it.

And not even for the right reason this time!

"I assumed," Freed griped harshly at his teammate, nearly choking on his next words, "that it was some sort of...sexual thing, but to go as far and make it some sort of...wedding, marriage scam? Is that it? You take the poor innocent Strausses, fill their feeble minds with luxurious male companions and then sell them off to men on other continents? Or, no, worse, Laxus are you… I am appalled, to see you involved in this misdeed, but if I am to find you are partaking in it-"

"You," Lisanna told him simply, "are making massive leaps in logic. And reality."

But after spending the week with Bickslow and prior ones hanging around her brother when he was with Evergreen, who was prone to fantastical accusation leveled at Elfman's head, she was starting to see how the three of them got along so well. When no one lived in reality, you never had to face the harshness of it.

Mirajane though was now totally lost and, glancing about the table, felt her joy being stolen from her. "I'm sorry, guys, what's going on? Exactly? I… Are you not getting married? Lisanna?"

"No," she told her sister with a glare. "I-"

"I will not allow it," Freed assured Mirajane. "Whatever lies Bickslow has told you, I will disprove them right now."

"Go ahead." Sour now, mostly cause, wow, he never thought about a sexual side of things existing prior to the boss getting his, but man, wouldn't his schemes have a much better pay off without it, Bickslow only gave his teammate the stink eye. "Everything I said was the truth. I did burn down a village once, as a kid. Killed some farm animals in the ensuing chaos. And yeah, fine, maybe they are the souls that I carry around now, in my little wooden baby bodies, to atone for the sins that I carry. What of it?"

"Bickslow, what are you talking about?" Lisanna complained as Freed only blinked.

"I'm so confused," Mira remarked which, yeah, that wasn't too out of line for her usual disposition either. Glancing up at Freed, she asked, "How did you know we were here if you didn't just come to be a part of Bickslow and Lisanna's engagement reveal?"

"Their what?" Freed felt like he was going to be sick. "Bickslow, not only am I disappointed in your business operation as a whole, but also your practices within it. To partake in your own stock-"

"And maybe sometimes I do think about it," the seith was going on then, to himself, not looking at the others. "Freein' 'em. My souls. To pass on. I only ever did it to repay my sin, but what if I'm only compoundin' it, you know? By forcing them to carry on through this meanin'less life."

Mirajane looked at Lisanna then, clearly wanting answers, but Lisanna was busy sinking into her chair, hoping to just melt away. For a long time, growing up, she'd always kind of looked up to the Thunder Legion. Even when they were doing the guild and its members dirty, they always looked so strong and powerful while doing it. The more into their circle she found herself, however, the more she was coming to realize not only did they suffer from the same insane plights as the other members of Fairy Tail; they seemed to be magnified to the extreme.

But there was someone else at the table who could no longer just stew in silence. Instead, suddenly, Laxus stood to his feet and Lisanna was sure he was going to rebuke them, all of them, and then disappear for months, hoping to escape the madness that was his family guild. Instead though, he took in a deep breath and, when he released it, she really wished she and Bickslow hadn't pushed him so hard the past few days to do so.

"Mirajane," he began in that heavy tone of his, "there's something that I have to tell you and… Look, I'm super sorry, but… It's not my fucking fault, okay? Really? When you think about it. And I have. A lot. These past few weeks. I… I didn't even know it was your dog. Stray. Whatever. Until I overheard you talking about it up at the hall one day. That you were missing it."

"Uh, boss?" Apparently, Bickslow wasn't too far gone into his own perceived dark knight backstory to key in on this unraveling of the slayer. "What are you gettin' at? You're kinda just supposed to tell Mirajane you wanna bone her."

But Freed and Lisanna both fell silent as the former stared in curiosity as his idol and the latter in a slowly recognized horror.

"You know what Alexandria is?" Mira asked, slightly hopeful then, looking to Laxus. Alexandria, the stray dog she enjoyed feeding and caring for, hadn't been by her home in weeks for a meal and she'd begun to get worried, honestly. But only slightly. He was a roamer. Free range. He'd make his way home again soon. She was sure of it.

Laxus, however, wasn't nearly.

"I was riding my bike. Motorcycle. And I… I get motion sick, okay? Real bad, sometimes, but I still love it and I just… I was feeling ill and...he just...came running out of an alleyway and I just-"

"Dude," Bickslow whistled, that time quite lowly. "Did you fucking kill her pet?"

"No!" Laxus barked that at, to be honest, probably his least favorite follower. Considering Freed was such a strong candidate, this wasn't too shocking, until you got to know Evergreen and then, well, it really painted Bickslow in a bad light. Looking to Mirajane, her flesh turning about as white as her hair, the slayer insisted, "He's been in the dog hospital. What's that called? A vet. I took him there. He's been in there for weeks. Recovering and all. I just...didn't know how to tell you because I'm not too sure if he'll make it and I really can't do- Don't cry. Mirajane-"

"Laxus, how could you?" she sobbed openly as Lisanna rose to her feet as well, rushing to comfort her sister.

"I didn't do anything!" he complained right back.

"Other," Bickslow remarked slowly, "than hit her dog with your motorcycle."

"Which you have kind of just admitted to being improperly able to handle." Freed coughed after this, into his palm. "To clarify."

"This hasn't been easy for me either, okay?" the slayer complained. "I've been trying to do the right thing."

"By not telling her?" Lisanna piled right on as her sister finally was able to gather herself enough to rush from the restaurant. After her shake of her head a the man, she quickly headed after her sister, calling over her shoulder, "Ass."

And then it was just the three guys, all in varying states of process just what had gone down. Slowly, Laxus fell back into his seat and Freed cautiously claimed the one beside him, gently patting at the man's shoulder.

Bickslow, who'd taken to leaning back in his chair, slammed down suddenly, to sit up right and give his two friends a wry smile.

"Women," he snickered, hoping to ease the tension. "Am I right?"

He was not.

And just as the other patrons though they could settle back down after the outburst from the table only moments prior, Laxus lunched across the table about the same time the waitress was arriving with their plates. As he choked (the debatablely) poor Bickslow and Freed tried rather unsuccessfully to separate them, they were all three well aware they were probably not going to be invited back to that establishment any time soon.

Although, Bickslow would be sure to point out, once all the dust settled, considering this had all gone down while following Lisanna's plan of action, clearly, all these failures rested securely on her shoulders.

Fuckin' kid.

[mamabearcat]

Fairytail Cafe - Third Course

So sorry for the delay in this chapter! Still school holidays here in Oz, so I’m looking after little people that need my attention, and it’s been so hot, my brain has been totally non-cooperative on the writing front. But, here it is. Only dessert left after this one. 

Here are the links to the Entree and Second Course, or if you prefer, here’s the whole meal all at once on my AO3! Bon appetit!

Lucy took a deep breath and squared her shoulders as she walked into the café, quenching her desire to turn around and run the other way. She could do this. She pushed her chin out defiantly and walked forward, forcing herself to concentrate on the members of her team already seated in a booth near the kitchen, with Lisanna patiently waiting to take their order. Happy was flirting with a scowling Charle, badly, while Wendy giggled at his efforts. Erza was perusing the desserts menu with a fanatical gleam in her eye. Gray turned his exasperated gaze from Erza to Lucy, smiling at her as she approached, and she did her best to return it, not her best effort, but an effort, nonetheless.

All morning, her mind had been seesawing. She would try to convince herself that what had happened wasn’t so bad - she wasn’t even really injured comparative to other jobs she’d been on with her team, so she should just shrug it off, finish the mission. Then the feeling of sheer panic and revulsion she had felt when she had been groped so intimately would roll over her, and the cyclical thoughts would begin again. She was filled with grief that he had been the first that had touched her that way, had left bruises as marks of passion unasked for on her skin.

She had been brought up to believe that her allowing that sort of touch for the first time was a gift to give someone that she truly loved and desired, and to have that choice taken away by a man without her consent… there could never be another first time. She felt tainted, broken… her stomach roiled again in protest.

The only bright spot in the darkness of her thoughts was Natsu. His warmth, his caring. She was starting to dare dream that maybe he liked her more than as just a friend. They were best friends, yes, were as close as any two people could be, but the romantic love she carried for him, hidden and squashed into the recesses of her heart, was beginning to unfurl tiny tendrils of hope. She recalled with joy the way he held her last night, the way his rumbling purr had surrounded her and kept the dark thoughts away. It had almost felt like she belonged in his arms, and she’d felt a sense of calm and completeness that she couldn’t ever remember feeling before.

She tensed suddenly when loud male laughter erupted at a table nearby, then felt the heat of Natsu’s comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It’s not them”, he said quietly. “Nothin’ bad’s gonna happen Luce, I promise.”

She swallowed and nodded. “Okay.” They both slid into the booth seat, Natsu’s warm thigh solid against hers. Gray was staring irritably at Erza as she continued looking at the different dessert options while Lisanna waited, pen and notebook at the ready.

“I don’t see why you’ve got to even look at the menu Erza. You know exactly what’s on it, you’ve been taking orders all week! Just hurry up and make a decision.” He huffed under his breath, “We all know you’re gonna choose the strawberry one anyway.”

Erza targeted him with a steely eye, the other hidden behind her long scarlet fringe. “I will not be rushed Gray”, she stated, enunciating her words carefully. She returned her gaze to the menu, and Gray sighed, throwing his hands up in the air to signify his exasperated surrender, as Wendy giggled at the pair’s antics.

Lisanna grinned cheerfully, not bothered by the delay. “Do the rest of you know what you want, while Erza’s still choosing?

“Fish!” chirped Happy. Charle glared at him.

Lisanna laughed. “I’ll do my best Happy. Natsu?”

Natsu grinned. “The Natsu special of course!” Erza looked at him with one eyebrow raised.

“You do realise that we’re starting work soon Natsu. That’s a large amount of… never mind”, she shrugged, as if suddenly remembering Natsu’s capacity for eating.

“Lucy?” inquired Lisanna, looking at her expectantly, her pen poised over the order pad.

“Um, just green tea please”, she said. Her stomach was tied up in knots, there was no way she was going to be able to eat anything. Erza looked at her over the top of her menu and opened her mouth as if she were about to comment, but then shut it again. Lisanna turned to Erza.

“I believe I’ll have the ‘Titania’s Delight’, she said, pointing to the strawberry themed dessert on the menu.

“Big surprise”, Natsu and Gray muttered at the same moment, and then glared at each other, both making an annoyed ‘tch’ noise and turning their heads.

Lisanna rattled off their orders. “So that’s the Peaches and Cream sundae for Wendy and Charle to share, an Ice Make Sorbet and black coffee for Gray, a Natsu Special for Natsu, a green tea for Lucy, and a Titania’s Delight for Erza. I’ll see what I can do about the fish, Happy, but no promises, okay? Be back soon.”

Lucy looked around the café furtively. There seemed to be different groups of people today, teenagers hanging out together, couples gazing at each other lovingly, a couple of families with small children. No businessmen. No suits. Her fists unclenched a little in her lap. It was going to be okay, just like Natsu said. Nothing bad was going to happen. Just a nice, normal day.

A loud crash of plates near them had Lucy twisting in her seat defensively, clutching her keys, then sighing in relief as she realised it was just Elfman stacking dirtied plates on his trolley a little forcefully. For a second, the sound had dropped her back in that moment when she had been pushed to the floor, cups shattering around her, right after he had… she dropped her head down so her face was hidden by her long fringe and shut her eyes tightly, desperately pushing the image out of her mind.

A warm hand found hers under the table, and she grabbed on to it like a lifeline.

‘Nothing bad’s going to happen, nothing bad’s going to happen’ she chanted to herself like a mantra, willing her heart to calm, her breathing to slow down. Natsu’s fingers entwined with hers, and his thumb rubbed small warm circles on her wrist. She breathed out and raised her head, feeling calmer. Happy was looking at her quizzically.

“Are you okay Lushee?” His question turned the gaze of everyone else at the table towards her, and she quickly plastered a smile on her face.

“Sure Happy”, she said in a bright voice. “Just a little tired.” She mimed a yawn, covering her mouth with her other hand.

“Did Natsu’s snoring keep you awake? He’s so loud sometimes that it makes our windows rattle”, teased Happy.

“Oi”, began Natsu belligerently, but then paused as he heard Lucy’s small giggle. Happy gave him a quick wink and Natsu grinned his thanks back at him.

Lucy did her best to relax, leaning back into the pale blue leather of the seat behind her, listening to her team banter back and forth, and the gentle murmur of the café noise behind them. Natsu’s hand was warm in hers, the comforting heat calming her, giving her something to concentrate on other than her spiralling thoughts. He only let go of her hand when Lisanna arrived with the food, giving her fingers one final squeeze before pulling away.

Lisanna placed all the food in front of them with a ready smile, then headed off to look after her other tables.

Lucy wrapped her fingers around her cup of hot tea, relishing the warmth after having to let go of Natsu’s hand, taking a sip, the bittersweet aftertaste suiting her mood.

“Hey Luce, I know you said you’re not hungry, but you’re welcome to have some of my food if you like”, said Natsu, pushing his plate a little closer to her and beginning to tuck into the veritable mountain of food in front of him. The entire table turned their heads to him, mouths open wide in surprise.

“Wha?” he said indistinctly, his mouth full of burger, red hot sauce running down his chin.

“The last time I tried to take food off your plate you punched me in the mouth” snorted Gray.

Natsu swallowed. “Yeah, take being the operative word, icicle dick. I didn’t offer you any a my food. I offered it to Lucy. If she wants some, she can have some. It’s no big deal.” He shrugged and went back to shovelling food into his mouth. Gray rolled his eyes and dug his spoon back into his blue sorbet.

“Thank you Natsu”, smiled Lucy, genuinely touched.

It was true though, he never shared food. Happy was probably the only one able to get away with stealing food off his plate, and he would still grumble about it. Because it was such a heartfelt gesture coming from Natsu, she forced herself to take a couple of potato wedges, finally finding two off to one side that weren’t covered in jalapeno sauce and chilli flakes. She munched on one, taking small bites until she finished it, and Natsu smiled and nodded approvingly, before going back to stuffing his face.

Lisanna walked past, her tray full of drinks. “Hey Lucy”, she said “Master’s out in the storeroom. He asked if you could come talk to him before you start your shift.”

Suddenly the second fried potato wedge tasted like ash in Lucy’s mouth, and she put it down on the saucer next to her half-finished cup of tea. She stood slowly, her gaze directed downwards.

“I’d better go, don’t want to keep Master waiting”, she said in a quiet voice. She was surprised by a soft touch on her hand.

“Do you want me to come with you Lucy?” asked Natsu quietly.

“Natsu, you’re still eating. You don’t have to…”, began Lucy.

“Do you want me to come with you?” repeated Natsu. When she nodded, a tiny, barely audible “yes” passing her lips, he scrubbed at his mouth with his napkin and stood up.

“Don’t let ‘em chuck out any of my food, numb nuts”, he directed at Gray, before following Lucy out towards the storeroom.

Gray watched them leave a little apprehensively, helping himself to a wedge from Natsu’s plate.

“Erza, do you think you should have gone with Lucy instead?” he said quietly. “I know Natsu loves her, but let’s face it, he’s an oblivious idiot. Maybe Lucy needs a female friend with her at the moment after what happened yesterday?” He crunched down the potato wedge, then helped himself to another one.

Erza had her eyes closed, savouring her final mouthful of cheesecake. “I believe Lucy would have asked me had she wanted me to go instead of Natsu”, she said. “He is doing splendidly, much better than I would have expected.” She sighed. “Even though yesterday’s events were traumatising for Lucy and Natsu, I believe this will finally open their eyes to how each feels about the other.”

Gray sighed but nodded in agreement, coughing a little as he crunched on a wedge with too much chilli.

“It’s about time”, added Happy. “It’s not like I haven’t been letting them know they liked each other right from the very beginning.” He munched contentedly on the pile of crumbed fish fingers that Lisanna had brought him from the children’s menu. It wasn’t quite what he was hoping for, but in a pinch, it would do.

Wendy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Erza had come by early this morning to let her and Charle know what had happened to Lucy, and it had horrified her. “I wish I could help heal her, make her feel better”, she whispered to Charle. Charle patted her arm sympathetically.

“I know you do child, but there are some wounds that can only be healed with time. Time and love.”

________________________________________________________________

Lucy hesitated before knocking on the door of the storeroom, Natsu right behind her.

“It’ll be okay Luce”, he murmured comfortingly. “It’s just Gramps.”

“I know, but he probably wants to talk about yesterday”, she said nervously, rubbing her upper arm with her opposite hand.

“Gramps won’t push you”, said Natsu. “He probably just wants to make sure you’re okay.”

Lucy sighed and knocked on the door, before opening it. “Let’s get this over with.”

Makarov was sitting down, perched on a pile of boxes at the back of the room, lit by a single naked lightbulb overhead. Stacked around him were various boxes of supplies for the café, and hooks holding bags and jackets belonging to café employees covered the wall behind him. But he wasn’t the only one in the room.

Off to one side, slightly behind Makarov stood a tall woman, blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail, garbed in the white jacket and pants worn by members of Magic Council’s Custody Enforcement Unit. Natsu was immediately on the defensive, stepping in front of Lucy and shielding her from the council woman’s gaze.

“What are ya playin’ at Gramps! Lucy ain’t done anything wrong, none of us have!”

Makarov looked at Natsu with a grave expression. “I’m not suggesting anything of the sort Natsu. And I don’t remember asking for your prescence.”

Lucy stepped forward and laced her fingers into Natsu’s. “Master, I asked him to come with me. I… I want him to be here.”

Makarov turned his gaze to Lucy, gazing with surprise at their tightly clasped hands, and smiled for a moment. Then he sighed. “Lucy my child, I am so very sorry. Loke came to me and explained what happened yesterday.”

Lucy bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry too”, she said. As Natsu began to sputter beside her, she said softly, “Natsu, he and his friends made me feel uncomfortable all week, but I decided to ignore it, even when you advised me to talk to Gramps about it. It was my decision to let their behaviour slide. Maybe if I had been more forceful in the beginning…”

The woman sitting in the corner spoke. “Ms Heartfilia, it’s not your job to police the good behaviour of others. You were completing your assigned job more than adequately from what I hear. The fault was entirely that of the customer who touched you inappropriately. A person is never, under any circumstances, responsible for somebody choosing to assault them.”

Makarov gestured to the council woman. “This is Astrid Ferguson, a long-time friend of mine, and a member of the Custody Enforcement Unit. She’s off duty, here in a non-official capacity today, but I wanted her to speak with you Lucy, about whether you wanted to press charges.”

“Press charges?” repeated Lucy hesitantly.

Astrid nodded. “From what I understand, that man committed a sexual assault. You have the right to press charges against him, and if you choose to do so, he will be charged and tried by the Magic Council.”

“I’m pretty sure he wasn’t a mage”, interrupted Natsu.

“That is true. But he committed an offence against a mage. We therefore have the right to charge him, and if he’s found guilty, he will be turned over to the crown for sentencing.”

“What would happen, if I decided to do it?”, asked Lucy softly.

“You would need to come to the Magic Council branch office here in Magnolia, and you would be assigned an investigator, female if you prefer, who would be involved in the whole process, all the way up to court proceedings” explained Astrid in a calm steady voice. “You would need to make a statement, remembering and recounting as best possible, all the details of the assault.” Lucy began trembling, and Natsu stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and folding his body around hers as much as possible, tucking her head under his chin.

“You can have a support person with you, but they cannot assist with the interview itself, and they should also not be a potential witness or otherwise involved in the investigation”, continued Astrid. “We would also request that a forensic medical examination be undertaken, which may involve swabs and other physical evidence being collected.” Lucy shuddered, but nodded, showing she understood. “Family and friends may also be interviewed and asked to give evidence if they are aware of what occurred.”

Lucy swallowed, closing her eyes. “I just want to forget that it ever happened”, she said, trying to take comfort from Natsu’s warmth behind her. “But I also don’t want what he did to happen to anyone else.”

She opened her eyes, looking directly at Makarov. “Master, I don’t know his name, but from the way he was dressed, and the rings he was wearing, I’m assuming that he is wealthy and powerful, or works for someone wealthy and powerful.” She swallowed again. “He reminds me of colleagues of my late father. You remember as well as I do what happened with Phantom Lord. I don’t want to make things difficult for the guild. What if he decided to retaliate, if I pressed charges? What if he threatened other members of the guild?”

Makarov sighed. “Lucy, I already know who he is. He’s a nasty piece of work, as corrupt as they come, and I don’t doubt there will be some sort of backlash from this.” He jumped down from the box, walking over to her and taking her hand in his, looking imposing despite his diminutive height as his gaze held hers. “But, my dear, that is not your concern. If you want to press charges, you will have the full backing of Fairytail.”

“What if he comes after Lucy Gramps”, Natsu rumbled, hugging Lucy tighter. His hunter green eyes flashed angrily. “I ain’t gonna let anyone touch her again, not after yesterday.”

Astrid replied to Natsu’s question before Makarov had even a chance to open his mouth. “Natsu Dragneel, as a mage you are allowed to use reasonable force to restrain someone that has intent to inflict bodily harm against another”, she said sternly. “But, should you use unnecessary violence, he would be able to bring charges against you.”

Her tone softened as she regarded the way he had his arms wrapped around Lucy, and the way Lucy had turned her face, so her cheek rested over his heart. “If you were charged and imprisoned, who would protect Lucy then?”

“Wait, how do you know who I am?”, asked Natsu, startled. Astrid rolled her eyes.

“Everyone at the council knows who you are Mr. Dragneel.”

Natsu grinned a toothy grin, as Makarov sighed, dragging one hand down his face wearily, and Lucy elbowed him in the ribs.

“I don’t think she meant it in a good way Natsu”, she whispered with a slight smile.

“I know”, he cackled. “That’s what makes it so good.”

Lucy turned in Natsu’s arms to face Astrid. “Would it be alright if I spoke to our team about this first? If there’s a possibility they might be questioned, I want to discuss it with them.”

Astrid nodded. “There’s no time limit on reporting an assault. But remember, the longer you leave it, the less physical evidence we will be able to gather. The more evidence we have, the stronger your case.” Lucy nodded.

“Well, my shift at the garrison begins soon, so I need to go”, said Astrid, swatting the dust off the back of her white pants where she had been leaning on the boxes. “Just one last thing Lucy. I can see that this has affected you deeply. I’ve worked on cases with many mages, both women and men who have been sexually assaulted, and most have said that reporting the event and going through with the charges has given them back a feeling of control against the person who hurt them.”

She smiled at Lucy and nodded at Makarov and Natsu before walking out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

Makarov squeezed Lucy’s hand. “Are you sure you feel up to working today my dear?”

“Yes”, said Lucy firmly. “I want to be busy.”

“Very well”, sighed Makarov, letting go of her hand. “Natsu, I hope you took note of what Astrid said.”

Natsu growled. “I still think if I went and broke his legs, he wouldn’t be able to come after Lucy at all.”

“Idiot”, yelled Makarov, increasing his hand size to swat Natsu on the back of the head. “He’s not a mage. You can’t go around injuring civilians, just because it would make you feel better and you think it’s justifiable. He’d just get you put behind bars and send someone else.”

Natsu scowled, removing one hand from around Lucy’s waist to rub the back of his head.

“You can’t settle it with your fists this time, brat”, continued Makarov in a more gentle tone. “I know you feel like you need to avenge Lucy, but you need to learn some self-control. You are allowed to protect Lucy, make sure she comes to no harm, but you are not allowed to go looking for trouble. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yeah”, muttered Natsu.

“Do I make myself clear?” repeated Makarov, his amplified voice echoing around the small room.

“Aye Sir!” snapped Natsu, his face mutinous.

“All right, it’s nearly time for you two to begin work, so I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything at all, you know where to find me Lucy. My door is always open”, said Makarov, waving a hand at them and stepping out the door.

Natsu slid his arms away from Lucy’s waist. “I guess we better get going too, huh Luce?” He turned towards the door, but Lucy’s featherlight touch on his wrist made him pause. Suddenly her arms were wrapped around his neck, squeezing him tightly, her face burrowed into his chest.

“Wha?” said Natsu, taking a step back, his arms out to his sides, quickly regaining his balance after the force of Lucy’s unexpected embrace.

“Thank you Natsu”, said Lucy, her voice muffled against his chest. “I couldn’t get through this without you.”

“Idiot”, said Natsu, returning the hug gently, his arms squeezing across the middle of her back, “I told you last night, you’re stronger than you think ya are. But you don’t have ta do things alone. I’ll always be there for ya Lucy.”

“Always?” whispered Lucy, looking up into his dark eyes, her fingers twisting into the soft pink hair on the back of Natsu’s neck, tugging gently.

“Always”, replied Natsu huskily.

Lucy trailed her fingers lightly down his neck and over his shoulders and chest until they both rested on the soft fabric of his white shirt, over his heart. She felt Natsu shiver at her touch, his eyes closing, mouth slightly open as he exhaled a shaky breath. The soft expression on his face and the rapid pulse of his heart under her fingertips gave her the courage she needed to continue.

“Natsu”, she said softly, “there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time now, but I’ve always been too afraid. I don’t think I’m afraid anymore.” She stood up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his in a tentative kiss.

She watched Natsu’s eyes open in surprise as she pulled back, her expression anxious. He leaned forward, chasing her retreating lips with his own, his arms moving upwards to cup her jaw gently in his hands, tilting her head. His lips touched hers softly, pursing gently. Her eyes drifted closed and she sighed in relief. She felt Natsu smile against her lips, the corners of his mouth quirking up against hers.

“Lucy”, he sighed pulling back, his eyes locked on hers, his thumb rubbing gently against the soft skin of her cheek, “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long, but I just wasn’t sure…”

He dipped his head and kissed her again, his surprisingly soft lips slanting across hers. His lips were warm, and the soft noises their lips made against one another as they kissed each other gently had Lucy’s pulse racing. She’d dreamt of this for so long, she couldn’t help her soft breathy moans as the kiss became a little more heated. The rough rumbling noise Natsu was making in the back of his throat as he kissed her made her heart pound. With a sigh, he pulled his lips away, leaning his forehead against hers.

“We gotta stop”, he said, panting a little. Lucy pulled back uncertainly.

“You weren’t enjoying that?” she questioned hesitantly. Her cheeks heated. Maybe she had this whole situation wrong. Maybe she was seeing things that weren’t really there. She started to step backwards, but Natsu pulled her to him tightly, his hot breath ghosting her ear.

“Luce, I was startin’ to enjoy it a little too much”, he chuckled. “I gotta settle things down before I go out there in front of other people.”

“Oh”, said Lucy, her face flushing. She buried her hot cheeks in Natsu’s chest, rubbing her face backwards and forwards trying to hide her mixture of desire and embarrassment. Natsu growled.

“Lucy, that ain’t exactly helpin’.”

Lucy pulled back a little so she could look up into his face. “You like it when I do that?”

“Fuck yeah”, said Natsu, his dark eyes glittering. “You’re rubbing your scent all over me. Shit, now I’m gonna have a boner for this whole goddamned shift.”

Lucy stepped away from him, her cheeks still pink, twisting her fingers behind her back shyly. “I like the way you smell too”, she said. “It’s sort of dark and smoky. It’s comforting, but at the same time…” she blushed even more, “it makes me feel a little fired up if you know what I mean.”

“Gods Luce, helpin’ even less”, growled Natsu, rubbing his face with both hands. He unwound his scarf and gently arranged it around her neck, tucking the ends so they draped down her back. He grinned at her, a teasing glint in his eye. “Now we’re even. If I’ve gotta smell you all day, you gotta smell me.”

Lucy pushed the soft scaled scarf against her nose, closing her eyes and breathing in. Not surprisingly, his scarf smelt so much like him, because he rarely took it off. It was calming, and with his smell close to her she felt safe, protected.

Natsu cupped her cheek and she leaned into his touch. “My Lucy”, he breathed, and then looked at her hesitantly. “Are you my Lucy?”

Lucy looked back at him, her eyes full of happy tears. “If you want me to be”, she said tremulously.

“Oh, I want”, said Natsu, his voice shaking with emotion. “I want you to be mine, just like I want to be yours Luce.” He kissed her forehead tenderly. “My Luce, my star, shinin’ so bright she puts the real stars to shame.”

A gentle tap on the door had them both turning in surprise.

“Uh, guys?”, Wendy squeaked on the other side. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, but we’re starting our shift in five minutes, and Erza told me to come get you.” Lucy could hear the embarrassment practically dripping from the young teen’s voice.

“Thanks Wendy”, hollered Natsu, “We’ll be there in a moment, okay?” He sighed, dropping his forehead to hers and resting it there for a moment, and Lucy understood. She wanted this moment to go on forever too.

“Are ya ready Luce?”, he asked, pulling away with a grin and holding out his hand to her.

“Ready my dragon”, she smiled, taking his hand and entwining their fingers. She giggled at the heated look that Natsu gave her.

“Fuck Lucy, if ya want me to self-combust, you’re goin’ the right way about it”, he muttered, squeezing her fingers. “C’mon, lets get this over with.”

Lucy steeled herself, expecting the rest of the team to tease them as they emerged from the storeroom, her fingers entwined with Natsu’s, her wearing his scarf, their cheeks blazing a matching shade of pink. Like always, their team handled things in their own way.

Erza, Wendy and Charle offered gentle smiles and murmurs of congratulations, Erza’s cheeks almost as pink as theirs.

Grey gave her a furtive thumbs up when Natsu’s back was turned for a moment, and then punched him on the arm.

“What was that for, ice freak”, grumbled Natsu.

“For taking so long to tell her how you felt”, said Gray calmly. Happy giggled behind his paws.

“Yeah Natsu, I’ve been telling you that she liked you for years. It takes you forever to take a hint”, he teased. Natsu muttered under his breath but didn’t contradict Happy.

Erza clapped her hands together. “Okay team, time to get to work!” With one last squeeze, Natsu let go of Lucy’s hand, and she smiled at him and picked up her order pad and pen, ready to begin.

________________________________________________________________

Natsu’s leg jiggled in frustration as he and Erza sat on the hard chairs outside the interview room, waiting for Lucy to finish giving her statement. They’d come straight after their shift at work, the team fully supportive of Lucy’s decision to press charges. She’d been in there for nearly an hour already, and he was almost at his limit. He’d wanted to be in there with her, but Lucy had reminded him that as a witness, he needed to give his own statement.

“Natsu, your leg movement is a little annoying”, said Erza calmly. Suddenly his leg stopped bouncing and Erza sighed in relief, but then took in his sudden rigid posture, and the low growl rumbling from his chest.

“She’s cryin’ Erza”, he said brusquely, his white knuckled fists resting on his thighs.

“How do you know?” Erza said, believing him, but surprised, nonetheless. “There’s meant to be a magic barrier around that room that stops all sound escaping.”

“Doesn’t stop smell escaping”, rejoindered Natsu bitterly. “I can smell her tears. And I can smell her sweat. She’s freaking out Erza. Fuck, I hate this!” He stood up and began pacing backwards and forwards in front of Erza, fists clenched, heat haze shimmering around his body. Every instinct was telling him to break down that door and save her. He knew she wasn’t in any physical danger, but his heart ached at the thought of her in there by herself with no one to comfort her when she was frightened.

“Natsu, I know you’re upset”, cautioned Erza, “but you’re going to have to lower your body temperature. You don’t want to accidentally set off the sprinkler system.”

“She should have someone in there with her she trusts Erza, not two strangers”, he muttered, continuing to pace.

“I was a little surprised she didn’t ask Levy to come”, agreed Erza.

“I suggested that. She didn’t want Levy to get upset”, growled Natsu. He slumped back down on the seat next to Erza. “Levy would’na cared, she would’ a been glad to be here for her. But you know Luce, she’s always worryin’ about how other people feel. And I think…”

“You think?” asked Erza gently.

He swallowed. “I think she still feels ashamed Erza. I think she didn’t want Levy to hear exactly what happened because a part of her thinks she’s to blame. Even though I told her that she didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t think she really believes it.”

“Then keep telling her”, replied Erza. “We’ll all keep telling her, until she does believe it.”

She hesitated, as if trying to decide something, colour in her cheeks rising, then said, “Natsu, I know you and Lucy have only just become a couple, and this probably isn’t my place to say, but I think that until Lucy is stronger, perhaps you should…”

“We’ve just kissed Erza”, Natsu growled. “Just kissed, and that’s all that’s gonna happen until Lucy tells me otherwise.”

“Right. Good. I’m glad”, said Erza quickly, looking away from Natsu and up to the ceiling as her cheeks blazed. After a minute, she lowered her gaze back to him. “Can I just say though, I’m very proud of the way you are looking after Lucy at the moment. It’s a very pleasing thing to see.”

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “I just… I wanna be near her. I wanna look after her. I wanna do things for her, keep her safe.”

“Sounds like love to me”, smiled Erza. “I’m happy for you both Natsu, I truly am.”

The door to the interview room opened and Lucy emerged. Her face was red, eyes swollen from crying, and Natsu’s heart nearly broke at the sight of her. In two strides he was at her side, his arms wrapped around her, stroking her hair, his chest rumbling with calming purrs as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Erza’s usual strong expression had fallen at seeing Lucy so upset, but she smiled, blinking away tears at seeing Natsu so attentive. She silently stood and walked towards the interview room as Astrid and another female officer stepped aside to let her in.

Natsu walked Lucy over to the chairs and pulled her onto his lap as he sat down, rocking her gently, continuing to stroke her hair. After a few minutes Lucy calmed, wiping her eyes on the back of her hands. Natsu kissed the remainder of the tears away.

“I was doing pretty well at first” said Lucy shakily. “I told them how he had been looking at me all week, and all the things he said, and what… what happened. I answered all their questions. And then I had to strip down for them to take photos. I didn’t l-like that much, but it was still okay. And… and then they had to take the swab and I… I panicked Natsu.”

“I know”, he said grimly, still stroking her hair. “I was so close to busting down that door. If Erza hadn’t been here, I’m pretty sure I would have.”

“I still let them do it, but I was so frightened.” Fat tears ran down her cheeks. “Natsu, I…” She took a deep breath. “I want us to have a real relationship. When you kissed me today, it felt so good, and I want more than that. I want that so much. But what if I…”, she bit her bottom lip hard, teeth bruising the tender flesh.

Natsu placed his thumb against her bottom lip, gently pulling it away from her teeth. “I want that too”, he said, rubbing his thumb gently against her chin. “But right now Luce, whatever you’re able to give me is more than enough”.

Tears still rolled down Lucy’s cheeks. “But what if you get tired of waiting?” she hiccupped.

Natsu smiled at her as he swiped the tears away with his thumbs. “Don’t be stupid. I would wait forever for you, baby girl. I hope I don’t have to”, he teased with a grin, “but I would.” He pushed her fringe away from her forehead and kissed it tenderly. “Just let me look after you and show you how much I love you. For now, that’s enough.”

“You love me?” squeaked Lucy.

“I love you, Lucy Heartfilia”, grinned Natsu. Lucy threw her arms around his neck.

“Natsu, I love you too!” she sobbed.

“You don’t sound very happy about it”, teased Natsu, trying to ease her back so he could look at her face, but she resisted, burying her face in his neck, so he resigned himself to stroking her hair again and purring his contentment.

He felt like his heart would burst with joy. Lucy loved him. She loved him. They just had to get this stupid court case over with, and then their lives could go back to normal. Better than normal. He breathed in her smell, letting the scent of her cherry blossom shampoo and conditioner chase away the acrid smell of her tears. So much better than normal, with his Lucy by his side.