A Death in the Family
Warning - Spoilers ahead
When the fight was over, Laxus watched the rest of his guild celebrate. He guessed he was celebrating too, but it didn't feel like it. The beer tasted bitter in his mouth as he watched his family enjoy life now that another crisis had been averted.
It didn't feel like a victory to him. The price had been too high. He was happy for the rest of them, but once again, Laxus felt completely separate from his guild. Cut off and they didn't understand, or at least not in the same way he did.
His grandfather was dead.
Laxus took another swig to wash down the awful thought, as though if he got drunk enough he would forget. He'd forget the only person in his life whoever gave a damn about him. He wouldn't long for one more moment with the man who'd pretty much raised him. He wouldn't regret the fights, the years of resentment, his exile, all wasted time to be with someone who wasn't immortal. With the fight for Fairy Tail against Zeref, he hadn't even had proper time to grieve.
It was all hitting him now and Laxus set down his drink to move out of the bar and into the alleyway behind the guild, desperate to be alone for a while. He was happy for his guild, but he realized now he no longer had any family in this world. Ivan popped into his head, but he had a hard time accepting that man as family. Family doesn't plot to destroy each other. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.
"What are you doing out here, all alone?"
Mira's soft voice nearly made him jump. But instead he just turned, cocking an eyebrow up. "Don't you need to be at the bar?"
"Kinana's got it covered." Mira wrapped her arms tighter. It was a little chilly out here. "How are you doing?"
"Fine." Laxus grunted, hoping Mira would take the hint and go back inside.
"You're not fine." She put a hand onto his forearm. "I miss him too."
Laxus' eyes met hers. Yes, Mira might be the person who loved Gramps just as much as he did. She might understand what he was going through. Laxus noticed the goosebumps covering her arms. He pulled off his coat and thrust it towards her. "Here."
Mira hesitated, but wrapped herself up in it. The smell of Laxus drifted into her nostrils. "I was thinking about visiting his grave in a couple of days. You know, after everything dies down. Care to join me?"
He wanted to say no. He wanted to say that visiting a grave should be a private thing, done alone. "Sure."
She gave him a small, sad smile and they stood in silence for a moment.
"I keep wondering if I should tell Ivan. He probably has a right to know his father is dead." The thought kept tumbling around in his head and he thought a second opinion might help.
Mira wasn't sure how to respond to that, as she knew how rocky the history was concerning all three Dreyer men. "You don't have to. You don't owe Ivan anything, Laxus."
"No, I don't owe him, but if I want to claim to be the better man, I have to act like it." He looked down at his feet. "Would you..." He cut himself off. It was too much to ask. Mira had enough on her plate.
She picked up on his hesitation, answering the question he didn't ask, "Yes, I'd come with you, if you'd like."
Laxus nodded once. The two of them stood together for a moment, not saying anything, just letting themselves feel the cold and the pain.
It began to snow as they stood in silence.
Mira said, "We should probably get back in."
Laxus wanted to disagree with her. She probably should go back in, but he should go home. But instead he opened the door for her and followed her inside.
It took Laxus a few days to find his father, who was holed up a few cities over. He thought about just going by himself. He could lie and say he'd forgotten about taking Mira with, he didn't want to hold her to it anyway. But he worried that would only cause more problems. So he went to the guild, assuming that's where she was.
He assumed correctly, finding her in her usual spot behind the bar. "Hi Laxus. Can I get you anything?"
Laxus shuffled a little, looking away from her bright eyes. He was hardly ever nervous, but for some reason asking her to come with for this made his palms sweat. He decided to handle it as he always did, pretend the nerves weren't there. He walked over in what he hoped was a confident manner and asked her directly, "When are you off work? I found Ivan."
Mira's eyes widened as if she hadn't been expecting that. Crap. He knew it was a mistake to hold her to her promise of coming with him. He should have just gone alone. She interrupted his thoughts, "I'll call Lisanna to cover for me. She can probably get here in 15 minutes. Where are we heading? I need to know what to pack. Then we can take off."
Laxus let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Maybe he had hoped she'd come with him. He told her where they were heading. "I'd prefer not to take a train if at all possible, so it'll be a couple of days on the road."
She smirked at him, "Motion sickness?"
His eyes narrowed at her, "I never should have told you that."
She smiled again. "We don't have to take a train if it will upset you. But we should visit Master's grave..." Her words drifted off. Makarov wasn't their master anymore, Erza was, and he had a grave.
Laxus noticed the tears welling in her eyes and hoped she didn't start crying. He never did well with crying women. But she wiped them away and continued, "...we should visit the grave while we're at it. We may need a train for that."
Laxus nodded. "Okay, I'll meet you in an hour."
Mira agreed and he left her to work. He realized as he walked away, they hadn't agreed on a meeting place. "I can pick you up from your house, if that works?"
Mira bit her lip, but nodded.
"I don't understand. Why are you going with him?"
Mira sighed. Getting Lisanna to cover for her at the bar had been surprisingly easy. She merely smiled and winked when Mira said she would be doing something with Laxus. Really, that girl saw couples everywhere, even when there was nothing going on. Mira didn't know where she got it from.
Elfman was different. He'd been questioning her throughout her packing. "We're friends. I don't want him alone out there in case something happens." It was a weak excuse, Mira knew. Laxus was one of the strongest in the guild. There wasn't much he couldn't handle.
"Why can't the Thunder Legion take him then? They like guarding him for some weird reason."
"He didn't ask them." The the question gnawed at her though. Why hadn't he asked them? They were his friends and companions. But she put that question aside and finished packing. As soon as she shut her bag she heard knocking at the front door. Perfect timing. "Elfman, don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll be back in a few days." She went to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I love you. Take care of Lisanna."
He grunted and she left to join Laxus.
So far the journey had been uninteresting. They'd gone over the plan, covered the distance they needed and with nightfall approaching, Laxus decided that they should make camp. She cooked a simple dinner and they ate in silence.
When they were both sated, Mira looked up at the night sky. She hardly ever got to see it outside of the city. "I can't remember the last time I camped out in the woods."
"Really? I feel like a spent a lifetime out here." Laxus thought about his time in exile and the many solo missions he'd been on.
"We never really did talk about that. How was your time in exile?"
"Hard at first, but it gave me time to think." Laxus hated talking about this, as that entire time felt like a private journey to him. Even the Thunder Legion had only been given the barest details. But Mirajane looked like she was waiting for more, so he continued. "I decided that I didn't want to be like my dad. He was always angry, always had a chip on his shoulder about something. And I acted the same way. I would have rather been like Gramps..." He paused, wondering if he was ready to talk like this, but powered through. "...but I couldn't be him either. I never had his personality. So I would have to take my own path," he chuckled, "like I was insisted I was doing."
Mira had never heard Laxus open up this much before. She scooted closer to him. "I think you're like your grandfather." She smiled. "You were his favorite after all."
Laxus snorted. "Please, you were his favorite and everyone knew it."
Mira blushed. "No, you..."
Laxus interrupted, "Mira, if he'd been a few decades younger, he would have proposed."
"If he'd been a few decades younger, I might have said yes."
Laxus smirked. "You know, I heard when he was younger, Gramps used act just like Natsu."
Mira paled. "Okay, maybe I wouldn't have."
Laxus' smirk grew. "So you don't approve of your sister's little boyfriend? Interesting."
"I approve of whoever makes my little sister happy. That doesn't mean I would want to be with who she chooses, we're different people with different tastes."
Not ready for sleep yet, Laxus decided to probe. "So who is your type?"
"What?"
"Describe your type. And none of those stupid, vague magazine answers." His pitch shot up, "As long as he has a big heart."
Mira laughed, completely surprised by this side of Laxus. To stall for time, she asked, "What's your type?"
"Big boobs, has a brain and a dark side, is a little bit aggressive, and knows when to leave me alone." Mira was surprised by the quick response. Laxus looked at her. "Your turn."
Mira thought about it for a moment. "I like a man with muscles, but he has to be kind. And he has to love music. And family. And not mind being alone since I don't want to give up my work."
The sat in silence for a while. Neither would admit it out loud, but they were thinking about how well they fit the other's person's type. Pretty well they both decided. Their silence turned awkward as neither was sure what the other person was thinking.
Mira decided that a subject change was in order, "Have you thought about what you're going to say to your father?"
"Not really." Laxus knew that no matter what he said, it probably wasn't going to go well. What worried him most was he was afraid his father would use Makarov's death against him, pressure him into joining the only real family he had left. Laxus had mostly figured out that Ivan was a liar who couldn't be trusted, but the man was still his father and Laxus wanted there to be some good in the man. That's why he'd wanted to bring Mira along, to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.
"Why did you ask me? Why not the Thunder Legion?"
Laxus knew the Thunder Legion would listen to him, if he was convinced to stay with Ivan, they would stay with him. Mira would know the right thing to do and this time he would listen to her. He debated how truthful he wanted his answer to her question to be. "They are powerful wizards, but I don't want them getting taken in by Ivan's tricks. You'll be strong enough."
"You worry for them."
"Yeah, I do."
Mira scooted in again, almost touching him now. "You've grown into a really good man, Laxus. Your grandfather would be so proud of you."
Laxus could feel the tears gathering, but he refused to let them fall and really didn't want Mira to see them. "We should get some sleep. Big day ahead of us tomorrow."
He put out the fire and went to his tent.
They arrived at the cave where Ivan was supposedly hiding in sooner than Laxus wanted. He still didn't know what to say to his father, still didn't want to be here.
Mira touched his arm, "Do you want me in there with you?"
"No," he replied firmly. "I can do this." He hoped he was telling the truth as he went in to look for his father.
The entrance of the cave was filled with wrappers and leftovers from whatever his father was eating. How far the mighty have fallen, Laxus thought. His guard was up, as he assumed his father had traps through out the caves and would come out blasting at the sight of an intruder, whether he recognized his son or not.
Then Laxus thought of the last time he'd seen his father, in the Grand Magic Games, he probably would deserve a little punishment. Ivan might not be a great dad, but he wasn't exactly winning any son of the year awards either.
That was the moment paper dolls surrounded him, cutting his with sharp edges and attempting to trap him in. Laxus lit himself up, lightening surrounding him, "Ivan?" he called out. "I'm not here to fight. I just want to talk to you."
"We have nothing to discuss." Ivan's voice bounced off the cave walls. The paper dolls squeezed in closer, but they were nothing compared to Laxus' lightening and never got close enough. "Damn it. I never should have given you that Lacrima."
It was something Laxus had heard before, but he still felt a sting in his gut. How does a father regret helping his son get stronger? "I don't want to fight you," he repeated.
"But maybe I do," Laxus spotted Ivan now. He looked terrible. His once shiny armor was tarnished and he wasn't eating enough. "Maybe I want a rematch with my ungrateful, weak son."
Damn, Laxus wished the sting of his father's words no longer affected him, but everything the man said hurt. He could feel himself turning back into that powerless, weak child he'd once been.
He shook the feeling off. He'd beaten his dad and his entire team before, he could do it easily now. Laxus expanded his lightening taking out all of his father's dolls. Ivan looked annoyed and sent a blast toward his son.
Laxus dodged it without any powers. His old man had gotten sloppy. "Stop this."
Ivan either didn't listen or didn't care, continuing to attack his child. Laxus continued to dodge each attack. He thought about sending his own, but Ivan was tiring quickly. He wouldn't last long.
It was over after a few minutes. Ivan collapsed, out of magic. He was so weak now. Part of Laxus wanted to throw his father's weakness in his face, but he knew that wouldn't help anything. Ivan snarled up at Laxus. "Why are you here, boy?"
"Gramps is dead. I thought you should know." That was easier to say than Laxus had thought it would be.
Ivan began to cackle, "The old man is dead. Fairy Tail is finally weak enough. It can be mine now."
Laxus sighed, squatting down to look his father in the eye, "You're still not over that? Fairy Tail will never be yours. If you spent half the energy you spend on revenge on trying to get back into the guild, you probably would've been reinstated by now."
"I don't want back into the weak guild. Besides, that's not how exile works. You'd know that if you were any kind of a mage."
Laxus shook his head, standing again. "I was exiled and reinstated. You'd know that if you were any kind of a father." Or a mage, Laxus left unsaid. "I have to go. Someone's waiting for me."
"Who?" Ivan asked. He looked for a moment. "One of those stupid friends of yours? Or that bikini whore that always hung around my dad?"
Without thinking, without looking, Laxus sent a blast of lightening towards his father. "You don't talk about her like that. You don't ever talk about anyone from Fairy Tail like that." Laxus glanced over. His father was lying down, but still breathing. "Good-bye father." He hoped he'd never see the man again, but felt it wasn't the last time.
Mira was waiting for him outside. He wasn't sure if she'd heard any of what was said, but she hugged him as soon as he walked out. "Good for you, Laxus."
Laxus returned the hug, but was too exhausted to talk about what had happened. She seemed to understand, letting go but taking his hand into hers. "Let's go visit Master Makarov."
Laxus didn't let go of her hand, surprising them both. But it comforted him to know that someone still cared. That he still had family in his guild.
The headstone didn't seem grand enough to Laxus, the man was a giant in life, had done so much and his legacy should show. Makarov wouldn't have wanted anything grand though, he saw his legacy in his children. Their entire generation of wizards had looked to Makarov as a father, whether they had one already or not.
Laxus thought of the future. He'd always pictured himself married with a couple of kids in his 30s, and he deeply regretted that his grandfather wouldn't be around for that. He hated that any children he might have would never know their grandfather (Ivan would never hold that title for them).
He noticed Mira was crying over the flowers she'd placed on the grave. He swallowed, still not comfortable with crying women. But he knelt beside her, putting a large hand on her shoulder.
She instantly turned to sob into his chest, clutching at his shirt. Laxus shifted, thinking that his shirt was probably ruined now. But Mira had been there for him, he could return the favor. So he put his arms around her, hugging her like she'd done for him.
It felt like hours before she quieted. Laxus looked down, Mira was still clutching his shirt, but she began to pull away after a moment, looking down. "I can't believe he's gone," she whispered.
Laxus lifted her head, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "Me neither." Her eyes were so big, so bright.
She was so beautiful.
Laxus had an overwhelming urge to kiss her, but he resisted. This was not the right time. It would almost being taking advantage of her.
But Mira beat him to it, pulling him down so that his lips met hers. The kiss started softly, sweetly. It was slow and mostly closed-mouthed.
The second kiss wasn't. Neither was the third or fourth kiss. They were passionate, fiery and much better reflected the people kissing. Laxus scoped Mira into his lap, and she began to grind against him. Their tongues battled as they began clawing at each other's clothes. Not quite taking them off, but pushing them out of the way.
A random memory popped into Laxus' mind and he tried to repress it, knowing it would kill the mood, but it was no use. He began to chuckle.
Mira pulled back, confused. Finally noticing what she was doing and where, she began to blush, moving out Laxus lap as she asked, "What is it?"
"I'm sorry," he said around his laughter. "But I just remembered something and I can't stop laughing." He noticed she looked just confused and explained further. "It was after your first photo shoot, a bunch of guys were looking at the magazine, and I said, jokingly," only he hadn't really been joking. He was just being an asshole and he knew how quickly Mira's anger could come and how bad it could be, but in for a penny. "I announced that I was going to fuck Mira."
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't immediately attack him, which Laxus took as a good sign. He finished his story, "And Gramps said, 'Over my dead body.' I'm sorry that's terrible. I know I need to stop." But Laxus didn't stop, his laughter on the edge of hysteria now.
Mira didn't react for a moment. Then a burst of giggling escaped, which bubbled into full-blown laughter." "That is completely inappropriate."
Both tried to stop laughing at the morbid thought, but the more they tried the harder they laughed. It eventually tired them both out, and they found themselves in each other's arms. "We should really get back," Mira said.
"Yes we should," Laxus agreed. Neither moved.
Mira looked at the gravestone again. "I'm going to miss him."
Laxus' head turned as well, his eyes roving over the engraved letters. "Me too."