A/N
I'm going back and editing these before I do an update. For new readers this is cannon up until the end of the Tenrou Island arc. I released this story during that time and guessed that they would make it back without a time skip and with Purehito still alive.

So for all intents and purposes, this becomes AU after Erza's fight with Azuma.

Ch1. What Does Comfort Mean To You?

"Oh my god." Levy groaned. Her hand found its way into her blue hair. "I don't have time to deal with this."

"Aww, it's not that bad!" Lucy said lightly patting the smaller girl on her back. "I mean, he showed me the letter. It was really…cute."

"But I barely even know him!" Levy whined. She looked up at her blond friend and blushed. "I was his partner for a day and all of a sudden he's saying he'd do anything for me. That makes no sense." She said softly, trying to control her reaction.

"Maybe he's just shy and never said anything before?" The heir to the Heartfilia fortune offered, bending down. She took the slip of paper that was tossed from the petite girl's hands and straightened the crumpled edges. "Well," she offered scanning over the carefully written scrap again "He thinks you're really pretty. He mentioned it three times in this sentence alone." she said laughing a bit and ruffling up the girl's wavy hair. "You know you can't really avoid him, I mean you are stationed to help out at the C block of the Guilds Festival today."

Levy let out a low whine through her nose "And it would be just my luck that his next shift isn't until tomorrow?"

"Mhmm." Lucy hummed folding the paper and placing it in Levy's hands. "And that gives Max Alors alllll day" she continued in a sing-song voice "to stalk you through the festival." she said twirling around the blue haired girl and skipping over to a couple white boxes labeled 'fish'.

'Why, today of all days?' Levy thought looking up, seemingly through the ceiling and straight into the face of the entity that convinced Max that asking her out was a good idea "You're a horrible person." she muttered cursing them.

Lucy sneezed from behind her.

"Well," Lucy sniffed rubbing some of the imaginary dust from her nose "You can always go to the stall Erza made." Lucy grabbed one of the boxes. "I mean it is really out of the way but you'd be a lot less noticeable there than at Mirajane's maid café."

"Do you think she'll be angry if I don't show up?" Levy asked.

"Nah," Lucy said smiling, "Lisanna and Elfman volunteered to help out as servers!" she said giggling.

'Oh god' Levy thought, picturing Elfman in a tiny maid's outfit bursting at the seams "Just like him" her girlish laugh filled the room as she stood up to grab one of the white boxes.

"Mhmm," she hummed, leading her blue haired friend out of the storage room and through the streets filled other mages. "And I heard Mira convinced him to stay because of Evergreen."

"Yeah?" The script mage asked picturing the cold fairy mage. Evergreen had always seemed cold to her. "Doesn't Evergreen hate Elfman?" Levy said thinking of the harsh words she spat at him on a regular basis.

"Well," Lucy said turning straight into a small corner and going through a suspicious looking door labeled 'Caution: Erza at work.'

"Mirajane has it in her head that if the two of them are left alone for more than an hour they'll make some mutant baby. So she set him up to stay with her all night."

"Oh." Levy chirped straining to see the ground in front of her "Why is it so dark in here?" she mumbled trying not to knock in to her friend.

"It's part of Erza's stand." Lucy said stopping and kicking something three times before a muffled voice called out for a password.

Lucy sighed and straightened up her back. "The password is Shoo Bi Doo Bup." She sang. A door opened up from in front of her.

"Ah" A pleased voice said "I am glad, Lucy." Erza said ushering them into the narrow street. A simple wooden table was set beside the door. A single chair was pushed to the side of it. "You remembered my favorite song." she said giving her a confident nod of the head. "I see you've brought a volunteer." she said her eyes peering at Levy's slightly nervous form.

"Haha. No." Lucy said bluntly, setting her box on the table. "Levy and I will stand in the ally. You, Natsu, and Gray are the only ones who are supposed to be participating in this house of death thing." She said jerking her thumb back at the room they'd just left.

Erza hummed and rubbed her chin. "Natsu is busy getting Happy to advertise. I believe Gray is getting his friend Leon to make him a companion so he may participate as well." Erza looked over at the two girls. A friendly, dangerous smile spread upon her lips. "You know you can participate as well with one of your summons Lucy. I'd suggest Plue, he is by far your strongest." Erza said pointing at his key which sat at Lucy's hip.

Lucy gave her a horrified look covering Plue's key with her hand. "Are you crazy? You'd murder Plue the second he gets out there!"

Erza gave her a piteous look. "It shames me to see what little faith you hold in your most powerful summon." She said gravely turning to the blue haired mage. "What about you McGarden?" Erza asked her eyes bright again at the possibility of a new challenger. "Do you have any sort of animal companion?"

Levy shook her head in a negative. "I specialize in solid script and runes. I haven't studied summoning scripts yet." she said frowning and making a mental note to look up some books on it after the festival was over. "Sorry Erza."

"It's fine." she said shaking her head and getting a determined look on her face. "I guess I can keep up training Edel until he can stand up to Plue." she said clearly not listening to anything Lucy had just said.

"Why exactly do you need a companion for?" Levy asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Glad you asked," Titania said excitedly, a familiar sparkle gleaming in her eye. "I have set up a training exercise for mages and their partners, animal of course, to see if they are the best duo around." she said grinning like there was no tomorrow.

"Interesting." Levy said looking at her peer. "But what's with the boxes of fish?"

"Those boxes are the coveted prize for beating me." She said oozing confidence. "Happy assured me that all participants would be clamoring for this prize."

"That totally makes sense," Levy reassured getting a final nod of approval from Erza before she left to get the last of her attraction set up. "…If you're a cat."

Levy sighed.

"I don't understand how someone so smart can be so dense sometimes."

"I know what you mean." Lucy said, eyeing Levy with a knowing look and suggestive smile.

"What?" Levy asked her face burning red at the knowing smile splaying across her friend's face. "Get over your silly perversions, Max is-"

Lucy leveled a sly look at her, a Cheshire grin breaking out across her features. "Right! I was talking about Max." She turned and crossed her arms over her chest.

Levy just sighed opting to let it go. "So...what can I do to help?"

"Hmmm," Lucy mumbled running a hand through her blond hair. "I think you should advertise. Go along writing flashy script to lure people in. Even if they just show up to watch we can charge admission."

"But, ummm…"

Levy knew the more time she spent wandering around, the more opportunity Max had to find her. Her gaze lowered, she resigned herself to her fate.

"You know what," The blond started, almost as an afterthought. "I'll summon Gemini and have them run around the fair for a while disguised as you. If they copy your abilities you won't have to go!" Lucy stated matter-of-factly, smiling at her friend.

"That way Max will follow them instead of me. Lu you're a genius!" Levy exclaimed tossing her thin frame against the more voluptuous blond.

The Heartfilia heir moved more of the boxes and began taking out Gemini's key "I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!" he said engulfing the narrow street they were on in the pale golden light of her summoning "Gemi" she said smiling and rubbing the head of the left twin spirit "Mini" she sighed, bending down and holding both of them in her arms

"Can you guys do me a favor?" she asked seeing them nod their heads "I want you two to walk around the festival looking like her and casting pretty script advertising where our attraction is" Lucy said softly, pointing towards Levy "But don't talk to anyone," she said waving her hand around haphazardly "After you're done you can come here for some fish before going back to the spirit world" she promised eliciting excited yelps from the twins.

Levy giggled, the cute alien-like spirits were dancing and floating around in the air. "I guess Erza was right on some level, even your spirits are a fan of first prize." She said as the two floated over to her letting their wispy arms pass over her hands and cheeks.

"Hiya!" the mirror image of Levy stated winking suggestively.

"Oh, they're good." Levy said in approval, nodding at the two. Until they began pulling down their shirt and exposing 'her' chest. "Ah-what-why are you guys-stop it!" Levy mumbled franticly trying to cover her amused impersonator's chest.

Lucy nudged Levy out of the way settling a firm gaze at her summons "Now Gemini, don't make me tell Loke you've been bad again." She said firmly, seeing the fake Levy frown at her, as she fixed her shirt. "Good. Now, if you complete your mission without flashing anyone I'll give you whichever fish you want." She said as they scurried off towards the distant sound of people.

"They're a handful." Levy mumbled passing a hand over her face

"It was worse when I first summoned them. They went through this whole rebellious faze where they mimicked Elfman, Natsu, and Mystogun for a whole week." she said pulling a banner and taping it to the front of their wooden table "Everyone got used to the twins impersonating them and knew not to trust it when they heard of random Fairy Tail members walking around nude." She said tapping a finger lightly on her chin "Everyone except Juvia, who flipped when she saw Gajeel with her beloved Gray-sama." Lucy sighed, shivering at the memory. "Of course they were just Gemi and Mini's versions."

Levy laughed "But doesn't Gray usually run around with no clothes on? He is an exhibitionist." She said patting her deeply disturbed friend on the shoulder "It's fine now, Juvia calmed down enough to listen after you had 'Gray' glomp her."

"Yeah," Lucy mumbled rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to remind herself that Juvia did not, in fact, make good on her promise to destroy the evil demons and their summoner. "I'm gonna go get some markers to decorate the banner a little. Feel free to use your script to liven up the place." she said entering the door and leaving Levy in the dismal ally

"Alright," Levy mumbled to herself, cracking her knuckles 'Some light fireworks maybe.' she thought to herself, looking up at the closely encroaching brick walls. 'Yeah, hundreds of them, only tiny' she thought imbuing her imaginings with her magic, a pale green circle engulfing the air above her

"Pretty." She mumbled to herself, seeing a myriad of fly sized sparking words spreading out and hanging haphazardly around the ally. She reached to touch one of her solid scripts and felt a comforting warmth before it flared up then faded out of existence.

Levy sighed pulling out a chair from behind the table and sitting on it, mumbling to herself about having to make new ones soon. She closed her eyes waiting for Lucy to come back.

"Hey," a breathy voice called placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone in a place like this?" The stench of alcohol invaded her nose.

Levy froze.

"Whattsah matter?" The drunken mage slurred, moving to stand in front of her. "Happy got your tongue?" He asked snickering at his own joke.

Levy let the breath she had been holding go, leaned her head back, and pressed her hands against the chest of her invader. "Laxus you're drunk." she said attempting to push him away and only succeeding in tipping her own chair back into the ally wall "And what are you doing here?"

"Nothing." The blond bit out gruffly looking down at the younger girl's hands as if fascinated her small limbs could hold him off. "Just wondering if a bored looking girl wanted me to liven up her night?" he looked at her through clouded blue eyes

Levy sighed. 'So, he's still upset about his dad's death.' She looked at him, pity gleaming in her eyes. She had been the one he confided in, finding a stranger to hold his confidence. She had kept her silence, although they had not developed a close friendship. He did begin acknowledging her, and she lost her fear of him. "Look if you need to talk I'll listen," She said smiling at him "But you're gonna have to back up." She said gently shoving against his chest.

"I don't wanna talk," he said in an almost whiney tone "I just want to forget." he said pressing a fist against his head.

Levy's expression softened. "What happened?" She inquired tilting her head, blue hair falling in waves around her face. "Talk to me. I can help you."

Laxus's eyes followed the tumble of her hair "Help me Levy," his drunken slur taking on a sharpness, his eyes turning hungry. "Help me forget…" He mumbled out pressing his forearm to the wall directly by her head. His lips ghosted over the skin under her jaw "…everything." He pleaded, covering her in the overwhelming scent of vodka and burying his head into her shoulder. She felt something warm and wet along the back of her earlobe. One hand went to her ever present headband, tugging it off. The other slid around her hip, easily covering the curve of her body with the palm of his hand.

I will be editing this and From Iron To Fluff before making updates. But updates will come, just be patient.

Also, reviews remind me that someone else likes this story besides