I know I haven't been posting here very much lately, this is mostly because I post most of my one-shots on tumblr instead.

I'M BACK with something a little bit different from my usual scene~ I have always found Laxus and Lucy to be an interesting pair, so I tried my hand at it! I hope that you enjoy~ Be sure to let me know what you all think about it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"Shooting stars are a little bit like lightning bolts," Lucy mused aloud, completely aware of the somewhat hulking presence that stood not far behind her.

For a long moment, silence followed the blonde's words. It wasn't as though she was expecting a reply, after all… how many times had she and this man exchanged words? In fact, she could probably count the number of their encounters on one hand.

So she was a bit surprised when he did speak.

"Is that so?" He sounded skeptical, yet intrigued.

Lucy smiled.

"Yeah, just think about it for a second." She turned her chocolate eyes back up towards the sky, a soft smile touching her lips. "They both shoot through the sky and make an impression on those who get to see it happen. Doesn't that make them a bit alike?"

Lucy looked over her shoulder once more to watch the blond man's face.

Naturally, it didn't change much from the usual stoic expression that he typically wore.

Though he was looking up at the sky now.

"… Why do you talk about the stars as though you can see them?" He asked after another long moment of silence passed between the two.

The Celestial mage couldn't help but laugh softly at this, earning a look of slight surprise from her unexpected companion.

"Why are you laughing? It's a reasonable question, isn't it?" He sounded a bit unnerved by her response.

"Well… just because you can't see them right now, that doesn't mean that they aren't there." Lucy laughed again, quieter as tears began to cause her vision to blur. "No matter how cloudy the sky is… just knowing that the stars are there, just knowing that they will never actually disappear..." The blonde had to stop talking for fear of her voice breaking.

She could hear him hesitate before walking forward and awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I came out here because the old man says you've been here since the early morning. You're just gonna get sick if you keep this up, you aren't even dressed for the weather. You need to take care of yourself, blondie." When she didn't reply right away, he continued. "I am only out here right now because I know that Natsu would pick a fight with me for letting you do this."

Of course at the mention of his name, Lucy could no longer hold back her tears.

The salty rivers felt warm on her cold cheeks, if only for a moment. She could feel them freezing almost as they fell.

Laxus was right, she really shouldn't be out there.

"I just..." Lucy trailed off before sighing.

What could she say? She was sure that Laxus already knew how she was feeling. Lucy was pretty much positive that everybody in the guild knew how she was feeling.

She hadn't gone on a single job in a whole two months.

Her landlady had been surprisingly understanding about Lucy and her situation, though the Celestial mage knew that she couldn't keep putting the older woman out like that.

Another huff from the tower of a man was all the warning Lucy had before she was swept unexpectedly into a pair of large, strong arms.

"H-Hey!" Lucy tried to protest, but Laxus was already walking and she decided that it would probably be pointless to fight him. That… and it was surprisingly warm in his arms. She couldn't help but close her eyes and lean her head against his chest. He held her close, clearly able to tell that she needed the extra warmth.

"Sorry blondie, I can't let you do this to yourself." Laxus began gruffly, "Gray and Erza wouldn't let me hear the end of it if they found out I did. Even Wendy would probably scold me." The last bit was muttered, though Lucy knew he was right.

She'd been acting as though she were fine for her friends sake. Despite the fact that she… well, Lucy was far from fine. Each day that passed she felt less and less like herself.

She felt empty.

"So… where am I taking you? Where do you live?"

Lucy opened her eyes and noticed that Laxus had stopped walking, probably only just realizing that he didn't really know where he was supposed to actually go.

It was strange to think that her address wasn't known to everybody in the guild, considering how frequently he had visitors.

Well… not as frequently as she used to. Lucy never would have thought that she'd miss the constant invasion of her privacy… but she did. She missed it a lot.

Her apartment felt like an extremely lonely and cold place to be now, it didn't contain the warmth that it used to.

It no longer felt like home.

"Oh um… actually, if you turn around and walk straight for a little while, we'll get there before too long." She said softly once she recognized where they were, thankfully he hadn't gone too far before realizing that he needed to know where she lived in order to get her back home.

Still… Lucy couldn't help but be a bit surprised that he was bothering with her like this at all.

Laxus Dreyer had never shown any interest in her before, so why now? Did he feel obligated as a Dragon Slayer? She knew that all of the other Dragon Slayers seemed to worry about her a bit more than they had before.

Of course, Wendy had always been very considerate of Lucy and her feelings. Though it just seemed a little bit more… intense lately. Even Gajeel would ask her how she was doing every once in awhile, it was strange.

There was even a day where Sting and Rogue both showed up to check on her as well.

Had she truly been that transparent when it came to the feelings that she had towards Natsu? She supposed that was the only thing that would make sense, otherwise… it was just peculiar.

The rest of the walk back to her apartment was accompanied only by the sound of his footsteps as he crunched through the leaves that had gathered on the ground the past few days.

The last of the autumn leaves had fallen from the trees, soon snow would descend from the dreary sky.

Natsu had been so excited for winter.

"This is it," Lucy said when they finally made it to her apartment. "Thanks Laxus… I guess I was being a little bit irresponsible. I'll be sure to wear some warmer clothes the next time I visit him."

Laxus nodded before letting Lucy back onto her feet, though frowned when he had to steady her as she swayed a bit.

"… Have you been taking care of yourself? You don't seem okay."

Lucy tried to wave the Lightning Dragon Slayer off, though instead nearly toppled over. She would have if it weren't for the strong hand that was holding her up.

"Damn it..." Laxus lifted the blonde into his arms once more and swiftly entered the building. At her weak instruction, he found the spare key that was hidden beneath the seemingly brand new 'welcome' mat that lay in front of her door and let himself in with ease.

The place was a quite unkempt. Laxus had a feeling that the apartment was a direct correlation to the way that the Celestial mage was feeling.

"Uh… you think you're gonna be okay here on your own?" Laxus asked as he carefully stepped over some books that were sprawled on the floor so that he could make it to her bed without accidentally breaking something.

"Yes, thanks again." Lucy offered a small smile up at the large man when he finally set her down on the pink bed. "You really didn't need to do all of this, I know you're probably pretty uncomfortable right now."

Laxus opened his mouth to argue, but shrugged instead. He didn't really want to lie. He was pretty uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the guild instead? If you're sick it'll be easier for Wendy to get to you when they return."

"Yeah I'll be fine, I'm just a little tired." Lucy patted her bed, "You got me this far, I really don't need anything else."

Laxus didn't want to leave her, he knew that she was lying. At the same time… he was really struggling.

Lucy was a guildmate. More importantly… she had been a very special person to Natsu. Very special. He couldn't help but feel as though he was now partially responsible for the blonde. As though it was his job to make sure that she would be okay, even without the Fire Dragon Slayer.

He didn't understand it completely, though it definitely appeared as though the other Dragon Slayers felt the same way as him.

"I loved him… you know." Lucy said suddenly, just as he had been about to turn and leave. Effectively causing the Lightning user to freeze in place. "Natsu was special, he…" Lucy lip began to tremble as she paused, "I thought he was indestructible. He was supposed to be indestructible."

The woman began to sob quietly into her hands, making Laxus even more uncomfortable than he already was. There was just something about a woman's tears that put Laxus off.

"Um…" Laxus hesitated, "Yeah… I know. I guess I never gave you my condolences." Lucy looked away when he spoke of this. "Natsu knew what he was getting into when he picked that mission. You know how he was, he'd been wanting to go on an S-rank practically since the moment he learned about them. I don't anything could have kept him from going."

Lucy didn't reply, her gaze was on the snowflakes that were beginning to fall.

"I know that this must probably all be extremely difficult for you, but if you keep this up... it's not going to be good for the baby. I hear that the… little thing is especially weak during the first few months." Laxus' voice was stern as he spoke, "You can't just go outside like that. You need to eat and take care of yourself."

That seemed to stop Lucy cold, even her sobs broke off.

"I know that it probably won't make you feel better… but the whole guild is going to be here for you through it all. Every step of the way, you aren't going to be alone for this."

Lucy's hand had slowly made its way to her stomach as he spoke.

"I…" Her eyes were wet, yet also filled with what appeared to be… wonder? Almost immediately Laxus knew why she had a look like that on her face and he grimaced.

"You didn't know." he stated dumbly.

"I-I didn't..." Lucy trailed off as she looked down at her flat stomach, "But this would explain a few things." Her eyes were back on Laxus within seconds, he looked apologetic. "I really thought you knew… I wouldn't have said it like that if I knew you weren't aware. I guess I shouldn't have just assumed, the shift in your scent is as plain as day to us Dragon Slayers."

"No, I'm just glad that I know now… wow." Lucy shook her head, "All this time, I've had a bit of him with me all this time… and I didn't even know it. I suppose that would also explain why all the other Slayers have been so doting lately."

Laxus had no idea what he was supposed to say in a situation like this one, so he nodded and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but at the pregnant woman who was practically overflowing with joy.

He was glad that she wasn't crying anymore, though he also felt as though this wasn't really a moment he was supposed to be a part of. This was a moment that she should be sharing with somebody who she was closer with, somebody like Levy, Erza, or Gray.

Though the person she definitely should have been sharing this moment with was Natsu.

"I don't think I can tell you how thankful I am, Laxus. I probably wouldn't have known for another few months, my mind hasn't been in the right place… clearly."

"Don't mention it," Laxus muttered, "But will you consider returning to the guild now that you know?"

Lucy nodded immediately in response to this question and was already scooting off of the bed.

"Just let me get some stuff together… you don't need to take me there or anything, I really do feel a lot better now that I know that I'm pregnant." Saying the words alone seemed to be able to make the blonde smile, "It's almost like getting a second wind. I should be fine to get there on my own."

"Sorry blondie, I've already made it this far. I might as well see this 'mission' through to the end." That, and he was pretty sure that his grandfather had told him about Lucy in hopes of Laxus bringing her back to the guild. The Lighting Dragon Slayer really was getting to be a bit too soft, there was a time that he never would have so much as considered going to Lucy.

Laxus had changed quite a bit since she had joined the guild, though really… he never really thought about it that way. He supposed that quite a few things started to change when the Celestial mage joined Fairy Tail.

"Besides, the guild is on my way back to my own place. I might as well make sure that you get there alright. It's not a big deal."

Lucy thanked Laxus again for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day and he couldn't help but watch as she hurried around the apartment. As she gathered items that she wanted to take, she also tidied the place up a bit. By the time she was finished, Laxus no longer felt as though he had to worry about where he stepped.

Was she humming?

Laxus supposed that he shouldn't really be surprised that the news of her pregnancy boosted her mood like that, but he was surprised.

Not a full half hour prior this same woman had been stubbornly sitting beside Natsu's grave in the freezing cold.

She'd been crying.

This was a little bit too much for the blond man, though at the same time… he did feel better knowing that Lucy was feeling better.

He liked it even more because he was part of the reason that she was in this mood. Laxus couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the blonde young woman smile genuinely.

He was shocked by how much he liked it.

"Alright, I'm ready." Laxus looked away from the window and took in the efficiently bundled up young woman, "Sorry! I didn't realize how messy the place had gotten, so I had to pick up some stuff... I'm a little bit embarrassed that you saw it like that."

Laxus blinked, "The way you live doesn't affect me at all. You don't need to worry over how I feel about it."

"Right, duh!" Lucy smiled before she moved to pick up her relatively large bag of stuff, though Laxus was quick to intercept her.

"Baby, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! Okay..." Lucy sighed softly, "It's really going to take quite a bit of adjusting…" That same look of wonder from before was on Lucy's face again as she tentatively rubbed her stomach.

Laxus gathered her things and soon, the two were headed towards Fairy Tail.

They were quiet as they walked, Although pretty much the same thing was on both of their minds.

"So… is it just you Dragon Slayers who know? Or…?"

"I don't think anybody else knows," Laxus said as he stared straight ahead, "I'm pretty sure everybody thought that you were just waiting to make an announcement. I can't believe none of us thought that there was the possibility that you simply didn't know yet."

Lucy sighed softly, "Well… I guess I'm going to have to make an announcement at some point. If I'm already two months in, it's not going to be long before I start to show."

She blinked before her head jerked so that she was looking at Laxus with wide eyes, "Can you tell what gender it is?"

Laxus looked at her, surprised by the outburst. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he shook his head, "No, I can't tell that much. You're just gonna have to wait to learn that little detail."

"Darn," Lucy snapped her fingers as though she were truly disappointed, though she was still smiling. "I bet Mira is going to be especially thrilled. Erza too. I need to think of a really fun way to tell everybody, I'm getting really excited just thinking about it..." Laxus spotted the guild soon after and he noticed that Lucy grew quiet.

Likely because she didn't want anybody to overhear the news.

Once they entered the guildhall, the two received several surprised glances. Nobody had expected to see them together, especially with how down Lucy had been as of late.

"Laxus!" Freed exclaimed, hurrying over from the other side of the room. "The master was just asking about you," his single-eyed gaze fell onto Lucy, as if just registering her presence. "Hello Lucy, it's nice to see you."

Laxus nodded in understanding, "Alright, I'm just gonna take her stuff up to the infirmary." Then without another word to his green-haired friend, quickly made the rest of the trip to the infirmary with Celestial mage in his wake.

"I'll let the master know that you are here when I see him, he will probably either check on you himself, or have somebody else do so."

"Alright, got'cha." Lucy waved goodbye and Laxus closed the door behind him.

Why did he feel so exhausted? Being around that woman was definitely not good for his health.

Yet… why did he feel inclined to be around her?