An Unknowing Confidant
Lucy sat with her team for a few hours after Laxus swayed up to his office. She was really happy to see him again even though it hadn't been for long and he was in a grumpy mood.
She hadn't talked to him in almost two weeks because of her team's mission and she had missed spending time with him; just like she always did when one of them was away for an extended amount of time.
She was stuck between wanting to laugh at him and worrying over the way he had shown up to the guild today. It was always a treat to see the mighty Laxus Dreyar in such a vulnerable state; but at the same time, she was concerned that something else was going on with him that he might be keeping to himself.
A few years ago, on one of her late night walks after she couldn't sleep, she'd found him passed out in an alley, propped up against a wall with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He'd had a split lip and an eye that was starting to blacken from a fight he must have gotten into.
At that point, she'd been helping him with his paperwork for almost a year and she considered them to be good friends. She still hadn't known much about his personal life then because he didn't like to talk about it, but to say she was surprised at finding him passed out in an alley would be a bit of an exaggeration. He gave off a certain vibe and this occurrence fit right into that.
Even though he was the Insanely Powerful Lightning Dragon Slayer of The Fairy Tail Guild and there wasn't a person in their right mind who would dream of sneaking up on him, there was no way she was going to leave him there vulnerable to an attack. Not with Fairy Tail's track record for attracting danger. He was drunk and unconscious and that didn't sit well with her. So she decided to take him home.
She had only been over to his house one other time at that point, but she roughly remembered where it was. So she summoned Taurus to carry the massive man and they walked to his house. By the time they had gotten there, he had come around enough to tell her where he kept the spare key and she thanked and dismissed Taurus when they finally got upstairs to the master bedroom.
He sat barely vertical on the edge of his bed as she took off his coat and, with his help, his jeans. He swayed slightly as she cleaned up his cuts and Virgo brought her some ice for his black eye, but when she bent over to take off his shoes, the shattered key she always kept on a necklace and under her clothes fell out of her tank top and dangled between her and Laxus. It was a secret literally hung out in the air. If she had been wearing a t-shirt, like she knew she should have, this would have never happened, but she hadn't thought she'd see anyone out on the streets at 3 am in Magnolia.
It felt like time slowed as he stared at the object dangling between them.
She saw the gears turning in his head as slow recognition began to show in his eyes and his alcohol flooded mind had made the connection with the obvious and suddenly his arms shot out; one to grasp the broken key and the other to take a firm hold of her wrist, to keep her from running away.
She remembered how pained he had looked as he asked her, "Lucy, this is one of your keys...why is it broken?" When she didn't answer right away he continued, "I don't know a lot about your magic, but I do know that your keys are unbreakable...but this one is...its shattered", he'd finished with a mumble as he stared at remains of Aquarius' sacrificed key. But then he had looked up into her eyes, obviously waiting for a response and it was then that she had broken out into tears and let everything out for the first time since she had to summon the Spirit King, two years prior.
She had cried on him for a solid ten minutes before she started to calm and it was only then that she had noticed the position they were in.
At some point he had moved her into his lap, sideways. She was wrapped in his arms as he gripped her waist firmly to offer his support. When their eyes met again she saw that they were glossy with unshed tears and he thanked her for saving their lives as he pulled her into a tight comforting hug and then flopped down onto the bed and fell asleep.
That was the first time she had ever seen that side of Laxus and, even though he had been drunk, she was truly grateful to finally be able to tell someone, other than her spirits, what had happened.
The next day, he'd stormed into the guild, broke the doors off their hinges and had nearly drug her up to his office. It turns out that when he woke up that morning he couldn't remember anything and the only clue he had to the events of the previous evening was that his bedroom had smelled of her.
It had taken lots of convincing to get him to believe that they hadn't slept together and that all she'd done was take him home when she'd found him, but once she'd got that through his thick skull he physically relaxed and thanked her for caring for him. She remembered that it pulled on her heartstrings to see him so worried and, not for the first time, she noticed how tired he looked and how worried his features were. She'd outright refused to leave his office until he opened up to her and surprisingly it didn't take much convincing.
Truthfully, she was grateful he didn't remember her admission about Aquarius because when she had seen the tears and guilt in his eyes when he had found out, it had only solidified her resolve to never let her guild know the truth.
Over the next few years, as they spent many hours and many nights in his office sorting through guild paperwork, they grew to be the closest of friends, almost inseparable when they were together. Her team had even elected her to be the one tell Laxus of the damages their latest missions had caused because she was the only one he wouldn't fry.
Well, he wouldn't fry Erza either, he wasn't stupid; but they would get into very heated arguments that often resulted with several dozen swords to his neck, so yeah, Lucy was the obvious choice.
Truthfully, she didn't mind; he was a completely different person when it was just the two of them alone, and she really liked him when he was like that. He was caring and gentle when she needed him to be, but he was also rough and charming when they would tease and poke at each other.
Not to mention handsome. Mavis, was that man a sight.
Over the years since that night she had confided in him, she had been consciously aware of her growing affections until one day last year when she realized she'd finally taken the plunge.
She had come to him after a mission and broken down to tears in his office. He had just let her cry out all she needed and then soothed her back to the real world as he cuddled with her on the couch. She had been upset that Erza had needed to save her on the mission because she failed to notice a mage that had snuck up behind her in the middle of battle, preparing a blow that could have been deadly. It had been a long time since she'd needed her teams protection like that and it had just brought up a lot of her self-esteem issues from years ago.
She was disappointed in herself for letting her guard down enough to be open, but what Laxus had said to her then, she would always remember.
"Lucy, look at me. You're an S-Class mage and you're one of the most versatile mages I've ever met. You've got the brains to always manage to keep the advantage in a battle and you kick some serious ass, but every once in a while even the strongest of mages need to depend on their team. Mine has saved my ass more times than I can count. You just remember, the next time you feel like this, that you managed to knock Gildarts Clive on his ass TWICE with your strategies during your S-Class trials and that's something to have pride in."
It was with those words that she fell in love with him, no turning back.
He believed in her, he saw her as strong and capable, he held pride for her and that just meant more to her than she would ever be able to put into words.
The next time Laxus woke it was to a gentle knock on his door. He thought about just ignoring it to reclaim the sleep he was actually catching for once, but when the knock came again he remembered he was in the guild. So he sat up and called for whoever it was to enter.
The door cracked open revealing the beautiful Mirajane.
"Laxus, Master's just come back from the council and he wants to speak with you. He's in his office." Laxus grumbled like a child, but got up nonetheless to go see his grandfather.
As soon as he stood though, Mira gave him a stern look and gestured to the tray full of food that she was placing on his desk.
"Eat this before you go." she glared at him in challenge, "You haven't eaten anything all day and I won't stand for that."
He nodded and thanked her as she left, knowing that if he didn't comply she would probably throw him through a few walls as punishment. He was so in his head most of the time that he'd forget to eat on occasion and if it wasn't for Mira and Lucy bringing up food to his office while he worked, he wouldn't eat nearly as much as he should. They took care of him. At one point he would have found that to be pathetic and weak, but now it just made him feel like an important part of his crazy family.
Once he finished the tray, he looked around his office and sighed as he realized he hadn't gotten anything done today. That just meant he'd have more to do tomorrow. So, he got up and strolled into the old man's office down the hall and sat down across from him.
"What do you want Gramps?", he stated in usual greeting.
"Nice to see you, too, my boy. You look terrible, are you feeling alright?"
"Just peachy, old man. Now out with it, there's always something."
Makarov looked like he wanted question him further on his exhausted appearance and the dark circles under his eyes, but instead he chose to innocently ask, "What makes you think I want you to do something? Can't a grandfather just want to catch up with his beloved grandson?"
"Not when its you," Laxus sighed.
Master Makarov let out a pouty "humph" as he crossed his arms, pretending to be offended.
"Gramps…" Laxus growled out through his teeth.
The master chuckled to himself a little and then crawled from his seat to sit on his desk, cross-legged, before his smile turned mischievous and he stated, "Very well, our dear council has decided that they haven't taken up enough of my time and have sent a summons yet again for a meeting at the end of next week and I have decided, rather geniously, that I am not going."
"Great for you" Laxus rolled his grey eyes, "Why do I care?", Laxus asked, raising his eyebrow in suspicion. He had a sinking gut feeling that he already knew the answer.
"Well that's simple really, my boy. You wanted to be guild master, so you'll go instead!", Master stated triumphantly.
"Oh no. No fucking way am I going all the way to Era to do your job, old man!", with a large tick in his forehead, Laxus complained, "I do the paperwork, you deal with the council; that was our deal!"
"Come now, Laxus. I'm an old man, I won't live forever! Its time you start learning more about relations with the council. In a few years you'll be guild master and I can finally retire!", he said with a twinkle in his eyes, "This also just happens to have the additional benefit of me not having to do it! It's a win-win really. Quite genius," he smirked.
The sigh Laxus let out could only be described as exasperated.
While he couldn't deny his grandfather's point that he was indeed going to need to know how to deal with the idiots at the council, he was also frustrated that the old man was just going to throw him to the sharks all so he could relax.
"Gramps, you can't just send me alone. I've never dealt with them before in a situation like this. I'll completely fuck it up, you still gotta come with me."
"I never said you were going alone," he smiled deviously, "you're taking Lucy!"
The look on Makarov's face was that of the ones often found on the demon barmaid when she was matchmaking and Laxus looked at his grandfather with an expression of disbelief.
"Oh no, keep your Old. Pervy. Nose. Out of it! What you've got runnin' around in your brain right now ain't never gonna happen; so just stop right there!" Laxus scolded, pointing an accusatory finger at his grandfather.
"But Laxus!" he cried; tears comically trekking down his face, "I want great-grandbabies! I'm 101 years old, I'm not gonna live forever!"
"Maybe not forever," he countered, "but you'll probably out-fucking-live the rest of us at this rate. It's not gonna happen, I'm not just gonna start a family because you beg me with your crocodile tears," he said as he placed his elbows on his knees and hung his head, finishing in a mumble as he ran his large hand over his tired features, "especially not with Blondie, that can't ever happen."
The Master caught that last part even if he wasn't meant to have heard it and it only caused him to grow sad.
He'd been in this world for quite a few many years and he could recognize the signs and tells of when someone was in love. His grandson was very much so. He was pretty certain everyone but Laxus and Lucy could tell that they were both in love, but he knew the boy had never truly forgiven himself for the attack he'd set on the guild 14 years ago. It wasn't likely that he'd ever be able to see that with all the good he'd done to make up for the bad, he deserved to be happy and the woman he loved would gladly make him that if he gave her the chance.
The old guild master found it almost tragic that Lucy and Laxus both knew they were in love but neither knew of the other's affections. They were two of his favorite brats, if he had favorites, that is.
He hoped that by sending them on this brief journey together, without anyone from the guild around, that maybe something would happen between the two to put their relationship on the right track. He firmly believed the two would be good for eachother.
Sighing, he realized that maybe the man he had raised still wasn't ready to see he'd already atoned; but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try anyways.
"You're turning 37 this year, Laxus -", Makarov started, but was cut off by his grandson's irritated correction
"No, I'm turning 30 this year, Gramps. Just because the damn Magic Council decided that it would be easier on their stupid fucking filing system for us to have aged like the rest of the world while we were frozen in time, doesn't mean I'm ready to be 37." He said sternly. "That makes you 94 by the way, so stop trying to pull the triple digit card with me!"
Makarov sighed in resignation, but pushed on still.
"Fine, my boy. No grandbabies...yet. But you're still going and you're still taking Lucy with you. She knows how to interact with the people on the council without making them want to plot out our painful deaths, yet another benefit to her heiress training. That and she seems to be able to keep your temper in line enough that maybe you won't desemate the meeting hall. This, I'm telling you to do as your Guild Master," his voice transitioned from assertive to endearing, "but as your grandfather, I'm asking you to begin considering what it is you want from your future because after you obtain the title you've sought after since you were a child, you will need something else to strive for."
Laxus knew he wasn't going to win this battle and he rarely ever did with his gramps. He was tempted to try anyways though, but his headache that had been absent when he woke up had come back during this conversation and all he wanted was to leave.
"Alright, Old Man. I give. Just….when do we have to leave?"
"The meeting is next Friday and it's a day's journey by train, which means you should leave the prior Wednesday in order to have some time to recover from transportation issues," Makarov added slyly, at which Laxus let out a warning growl, "so you have just under a week to get yourself organized and let Lucy know you'll be going!" he clapped his hands together to signal he was done and Laxus froze mid-standup.
"You mean to tell me, you haven't told her yet?" he let out another low, terrifying rumble as he stood up to his full, intimidating height.
But the Master just shrugged it off and simply stated, "I've only just gotten back and came right up to talk to you upon doing so. I figured I'd just let you handle it, she was just saying her goodbyes for the evening when I walked in. You might want to let her know sooner rather than later so that she doesn't end up taking a long mission with her team and you end up going this alone," he playfully warned.
"Tch. Whatever, Old Man; but that just means you're doing my paperwork while I'm away", he saw the Wizard Saint blanch and he chuckled. He knew the geezer hadn't thought about that and now, feeling he'd at least won a small victory, he turned and walked out his gramps' office, headed down the stairs and out of the guild.
The Master watched him go knowing the boy would do as told even if he didn't want to. Laxus needed Lucy and just like he knew that the guild's light could heal the oldest slayer of his past demons, he knew that Laxus could help Lucy too. The master could tell something had wounded Lucy's soul and he'd wanted to ask her everyday what had happened, but he also knew from experience that the only way for her to heal was if she did it at her own pace. He was certain Laxus would be able to patch her up, somehow."
And Mavis damn it all! They would make the most adorable babies in the guild and nothing was going to change his mind about that!
