Coming home for Midwinter

She sat on the sidelines and kept watching the others while she hummed along the music. She chuckled softly as Natsu and Lucy awkwardly passed her while they twirled around in more or less elegant circles. It felt strange for her to sit there while everyone else was dancing. The wings on Evergreen's elaborate dress threw fragile shadows against the pale blue walls and for a second, she nearly remembered. And while she sat there, a song of sadness and remorse danced through the air, wistful and bittersweet like a last kiss or a last smile before someone had to leave sometime in the winter.

When she tried to remember, she only remembered warmth and laughter because this was what Fairy Tail had always been made off. They were like fearless knights, riding into a battle through the thickest storm. The woman on the sidelines shook her head once more as she watched how Erza and her blue-haired suitor danced gracefully. It was ridiculous how she had kept waiting for such a long time yet her heart ordered her to keep waiting while her mind yelled at her that she was being unreasonable because he had been gone for such a long time that it wasn't likely that he would return. But she decided to listen to her heart even if it might hurt terribly one day.

Far away from where the woman was waiting, a man was fighting. Long ago, he had worn a long coat but somewhere along the battles he had fought for his guild, for his family he had lost the coat and therefore was freezing as he dodged a blow to deliver his own attack to kill finally the last of the monsters his father had sent to murder him.

Talking about a smooth father-son-relationship.

For a moment, the blond man stopped and stared at the pale moon that shone above this winter night before he remembered a faint smile that reminded him of things his heart used to know and that he yearned to have now. There had been a woman, a fellow mage who had never cared about his father or his grandfather, one that had only cared about him as his own person. And he longed to be with her again. So he walked away from the fight to take the next train back home … and if his bastard of a father would try to stop him again, he would face the wrath of the lightening dragon slayer who had been born to kick his ass.

Despite earlier annoyance with the loud and troublesome guild he was member of, he was missing it along with a certain brunette card mage as he walked through the snow because Fairy Tail embodied warmth (and slight insanity but no one cared about that one).

The woman in the hall was getting more and more anxious as she got up and left the others to step onto the balcony to catch some fresh air. She wrapped the scarf closer around her shoulders as a cold breeze touched her skin. It was December and he had been gone for nearly ten months by now. A part of her wanted to go to look for him but she knew that she had no chance against anything that had defeated him and this realisation had made her cry bitter tears many times before but by now, she had been able to accept this truth despite hating it more than anything.

"You alright, Cana?" Mira asked as she rested on hand on the other woman's shoulder. "He will be back sooner than you might think. I mean … he isn't one to be killed on a mission … none of us is … and unlike Natsu and Co., he isn't reckless at all."

"I know," the card mage said as she toyed around with some of her cards. "I know that he is still out there … the cards never lied to me before after all…"

"That's the spirit we love you for, Cana," Mira smiled. "That made you S-class after all, right?"

"Yeah…" the brunette said in agreement. "Anyway, maybe we should hit the dance floor again since it looks like Gajeel managed to write a danceable song this time…"

"Yeah, looks like Levy was right and the guy is really a man of many talents…"

He missed her like crazy as he sat in the cold and dark train that would bring him back home. He would always dance with her when she asked him because even though he hated it, he loved to see the way she moved to the music because among all the female members of the guild, she had the least doubts about her own body which was something he liked about her because she never asked if she was fat (which she was not). Sometimes he would run with her and never look back because it was the future that counted and never the past. A part of him died whenever he saw her crying and his heart cried as well when tears touched her cheeks. In a way, she was his saviour and his soul ached to be with her again because he missed her just this badly. He loved the way her knees trembled when he kissed her because she loved him just as much as he loved her … sometimes, they were both laughing at all the time they had wasted before everything had started and yet, they wouldn't have want it any other way because to them, it was perfection.

Deep down, he knew that he would die for her, for the only one he truly loved yet he still hoped that he never had to because that meant that he could hold her in his arms a little bit longer and somehow, he wasn't ready to let go of her again.

During the job he had often wondered if she was ready to swear that she would always be his the way he would always be hers … because he knew that he wanted to keep her for the rest of his life which would hopefully be a few more decades because any time less would mean that the time he had wasted would be even more in comparison to the time he had done the right thing and had been Cana Alberona's boyfriend and closest confident … but in the end, she would always be his hero because she would always take his pain and his breath away with a simple smile … and he loved being her hero as well.

It was the green-haired master of Dark Écriture who sat down next to her for a moment when she recovered from dancing with Mira, Erza and the other girls. "I miss him as well, Cana-san," he said. "I am sure that he will return very soon for he isn't the kind of man that drags out the return if he knows that someone is waiting."

The relationship between him and the brunette card mage had improved greatly after the S-class exam because while he had never apologised because this was not his style and because his pride would never allow something like this, he had let her pass during the exam and this had been his own, slightly awkward way to tell her that he was sorry for attacking her and Juvia during Laxus' attempt to take over the guild which had failed.

"Thank you, Fried," she smiled as she stared into the distance. "I will still keep waiting here and today because it might be the day he returns."

"Didn't you try to predict the date of his return with your cards?" he asked. "Shouldn't you know when he comes back, Cana-san?"

"The cards don't give me a precise date, Fried," she replied as she shuffled them again. "Look, they only tell me that he will return once the first snow falls in December … and that means that I will have to wait a little bit longer because it isn't snowing yet, you see?"

"A foretelling ability has to be pretty annoying at times like these," the green-haired mage said. "Let me guess … you asked the stripper to let it snow so he finally comes home, huh?"

"It was Mira who asked since she doesn't tolerate me moping around all the time," Cana muttered. "But he said that wouldn't work and would only exhaust his magic powers."

"Well, I assume that this makes sense," the mage muttered. "Anyway, you really shouldn't mope around all the time. Laxus wouldn't want that you know?"

"I just feel like he fought the whole time I've been spending on minor jobs," she admitted. "And that makes me feel like a horrible girlfriend. I am supposed to support him … and not to party all night while he is in trouble."

"That's why you stopped drinking when he wasn't back in time, huh?" the Dark Écriture master shook his head. "I believe you caused Levy-san to have a mild heart attack when you borrowed these books from her, Cana-san. She looked like someone had tried to assassin her when I walked into the library. You might want to stop messing with her mind."

"She's dating Gajeel," the card mage said. "She should be used to stuff like that."

Back in the days of his youth, Laxus had always enjoyed to drive home for Midwinter along with the Thundergod Tribe because despite her harsh exterior, Evergreen had always had a great skill when it came to Midwinter carols and since Fairy Tail mages had no reputation to ruin, they had always sung them on the train back home. This time, however, he was alone and the feeling of anticipation was bothering him slightly yet he had to admit that he couldn't wait to see all those faces after such a long time of being away. He would even be able to tolerate Natsu for this evening because it was Midwinter and no one – not even Natsu – deserved to be treated anything but kind on Midwinter Eve which was one of the most important events in the guild each year.

Everyone would be there and the ball and the party wouldn't stop for three whole days so he could be sure that he would get the main event since they started their party always one day early so that everyone would be really happy when the real party started.

And just as always, the way back home was paved with thousand memories, some great and some not so great ones but it didn't matter because he would see his girlfriend in a few hours.

He took a short look at another passenger who was sitting on the other window. He looked just as annoyed as Laxus felt since he had boarded the train because it just didn't go fast enough and everyone who was out now was on the way back to the beloved ones and despite knowing that his card mage couldn't hear him, he hummed her favourite song, only for her and he promised that once he got home, he would hug her and he wouldn't let go of her for the rest of the evening which sounded like a really good plan to him.

For a moment, the other passenger looked at him and Laxus was surprised, no, shocked to recognised the less annoying one of Sabertooth's dragon slayers, Rogue, who nodded friendly at him. "Driving home for Midwinter as well?" he asked.

"Yeah, Cana is probably waiting for me," the blonde sighed. "Raven Tail messed up my last job and I haven't been home for half an eternity…"

"In my case, it's all Sting's fault," the black-haired Shadow Dragon Slayer muttered. "Just because he wanted to get home to Minerva, he ditched me in some godforsaken village where the train only stops once each month. Yukino is going to murder me. She loves Midwinter."

"Got a present for your girl?" Laxus asked.

"You mean my wife, I guess," Rogue grinned. "We got married in July but Cana already mentioned that you were M.I.A. when she and your grandfather visited the wedding."

"What the hell? You already got married? You only started dating her last winter!"

"Where's the big deal? I love her and she loves me. That's why people get married, right?"

"True," the lightening mage admitted. "I've similar reason after all…"

"You took that job no one wanted, huh?" the other man sighed. "Sure, the reward was great but I read it and knew that I would never come home if I would take it on."

"He will be back soon enough, Cana," Lucy said as she held out a hand. "C'mon, Lisanna got some drinks for us. We are on the roof and drink there."

The Card Mage sighed deeply as she rose and allowed the blonde to drag her along to the corner where Lisanna was standing, somehow balancing three glasses and a bottle of gin in her hands. "Look who I managed to convince to drink with us!" the Celestial Spirit mage chuckled as she let go of Cana's wrist. "Did you ask Juvia whether she wants to drink with us as well?"

"I was going to when Gray dragged her off," the white-haired girl laughed.

It was strange but the four female mages spent a lot of time together. Cana who had been a member of Fairy Tail for longer than anyone but Laxus from their generation and Lisanna had often hung out together while their respective male best friends (Gray and Natsu) had been out to chase down Erza or to fight each other. Juvia and Lucy had been added to their original merry band of two after the dramatic S-class exam.

Laxus sneaked into their apartment, brushing the snow from his shoulder and carefully avoiding stepping onto Juvia's Lucy's bag that had been left forgotten on the floor. He entered the kitchen and switched on the coffeemaker before he picked up Lisanna's jacket and hung it over a chair. He sat down at the kitchen table and did not even turn his head as Lisanna entered the kitchen from one of the guest rooms, tired and probably hungover. He held out a few pills – with Cana living here, painkillers were never out of reach – and a mug of coffee.

"Good timing, really," the young takeover mage groaned as she swallowed the pill and grabbed the mug. "You know, Cana did exactly the same when she was the one to come home."

"Yeah – she gave Freed the shock of his lifetime when she sat in the kitchen, dried blood on her face and everything," Laxus nodded. "I think he screamed so loud that even Evergreen woke up."

"Mornin', guys," Lucy muttered as she staggered into the kitchen. "Coffee, now. Talk, later."

The Lightening Dragon Slayer chuckled as he handed her a cup of coffee as well. "You partied a little bit too hard, I'd guess," he smirked as he leaned back and wrapped his hands around his own mug. "Did someone burn down the tree again?"

"Natsu behaved this time," Lisanna said as she rolled her eyes. "What about you, Laxus?"

"Daddy dearest sent out his minions to kill me," he shrugged. "Is anyone up for breakfast?"

Lucy nodded, still too tired to speak properly.

Cana awoke and if the scent of coffee had not given it away already, she would have seen the snow on the window sill. She rose faster than usually, wrapping her bathrobe around her herself and heading for the kitchen where she hugged Laxus from behind before sitting down at the table. "You sure took your sweet time to come home," she said as she crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry, Thunder," he said with a shrug. "You know that I didn't do it on purpose … like I just told Lisanna and Lucy, daddy dearest didn't want me to come home in one piece."

"Bastard," the Card Mage muttered as she kissed his cheek. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Thunder, it's me," he said with a huff. "Only complete losers get hurt on jobs."

Lucy looked up from her breakfast plate. "Laxus, I am trying to eat over here," she said with her face scrunched in disgust. "Can't you act sickly sweet when I am not there?"

"It's okay, bunny girl," he said with a grin. "Oh … Thunder? I bought something nice for you."

"New cards?" she looked at him with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"Nope," he said as he watched amused how her excitement vanished. "Marry me, yes?"

She caught the box with the ring without any effort and sighed deeply. "Say, could you please find a way not to propose this casually?" she asked as she opened the box. "Looks good, I think I'll say yes – just because it's you."

"Yeah, hopefully because it's me," he grinned as he slipped the ring onto her finger. "Perfect fit."

Lisanna lowered her fork and shook her head. "I hope you know that this qualifies as the biggest proposal fail the guild ever saw, yes?" she sighed. "That's worse than Gray's way of proposing!"

"Be happy that no one saw how he confessed," Lucy said with a shrug. "This is a far cry better than that to be honest."

"You are cruel, Lu," the white-haired mage said amused.

"I know," the blonde smirked.

AN:

Okay, first of all, I apologise for taking so long to upload the last two stories.

Secondly, I got a second account which is mainly Fullmetal Alchemist at the moment but also a bit of Fairy Tail~
The link is on my profile so check it out :)

Ava~