A/N Thank you for waiting! Adulting sucks…
The morning sun rose over the city of Magnolia, peeking through a growing layer of darkening clouds. The warm sun's rays were welcoming and helped combat the cold front coming in from the North. Lucy shivered as she walked down the cobblestone street as she headed towards the Guild. She held Plue in her arms and snuggled the little Spirit to her chest.
Laxus had been gone eight days.
Two weeks ago, Lucy wouldn't have given the Dragon Slayer much thought. However since the events of last week, everything had changed. She couldn't get the image of Laxus' limp body out of her mind. The fact that such a powerful Mage had lost control of his magic and control of his emotions, terrified her.
"I can't sleep at night, Plue," Lucy said softly. She hugged the little Celestial Spirit closer, nuzzling her cheek against the top of its head.
"Puu?"
Lucy sighed and tilted her head towards the sky. "I have this gut feeling that something bad happened." He should've been back by now.
"Puu puu!" the little Spirit exclaimed, tapping it's paw under Lucy's jaw.
Lucy turned her attention forward and the little Spirit pointed it's paw. A horse-drawn carriage, embossed with the insignia of the Magic Council, waited in front of the Guild Hall doors. A lump formed in Lucy's throat and her chest tightened. She picked up her pace, holding Plue tight, and ran towards the Guild Hall.
…
"I'm terribly sorry for any trouble my brat of a Grandson has caused," Lucy heard Fairy Tail's Master say as she entered the Guild Hall. Master Makarov stood before several Rune Knights of the Magic Council, his head down in a deep bow.
A Rune Knight, dressed in darker robes than the rest, stepped forward. He frowned, his eyes stern. "The criminals' were wanted dead or alive," the Rune Knight, who Lucy assumed was the Captain, said. He paused to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But for a member of your Guild to display that level of violence-"
"Please, Gentlemen," Master said, interrupting the Captain. "Let's take this conversation to my office."
Hugging Plue to her chest, Lucy ran over to bar counter as Master and the Rune Knights disappeared upstairs.
"Mira, did something happen?" Lucy asked the Takeover Mage behind the counter, her words rushed.
Mira frowned. "It seems Laxus encountered some trouble in Bosco," she said quietly.
"Where is he now?" Lucy asked. Her heart began to race.
"I believe he's at ho-," Mira said and Lucy took off towards the Guild Hall doors before Mira could finish her sentence.
…
Lucy ran through the thick forest and up the creek that led to Laxus' house. The clouds in the sky darkened the further down the path she traveled. Thunder roared and rocked the earth around her.
I should have listened, Lucy thought. Her heart was in her throat and her pulse was deafening. She panted, out of breath, her legs burning.
I should have trusted my instincts.
Lightning flashed and Plue shivered in Lucy's arms.
But I didn't want to be a bother. I didn't want to stick my nose where it didn't belong. I didn't want to push Laxus into talking.
The pine trees thinned and Lucy ran into the clearing that was Laxus' property. Screw that. She stopped running and kissed Plue on top of its head.
"You go home now, Plue," Lucy said, out of breath. The little Spirit smiled before disappearing in a flash of golden light.
Thunder roared and the dark clouds above blotted out the sun. Darkness surrounded her and Lucy clutched at her chest. She stepped towards Laxus' private lake, her heart still racing. Arcs of lightning crackled along the lake's surface, bounding towards the center. Lucy caught her breath when she saw him, swimming in the center of the lake.
Golden scales covered his broad shoulders and back. The scales shimmered and glistened in the low light and were as beautiful as they were terrifying. He dived into the water, disappearing for a moment, before surfacing at the shoreline.
"Laxus," Lucy whispered.
The Lightning Dragon Slayer rose from the water, lightning arcing off his shoulders. The golden scales that covered his shoulders and upper arms, glowed in the reflected light of his magic. His eyes narrowed as they met Lucy's and a growl escaped his throat.
"Laxus," Lucy said softly. "Is this what you were hiding?"
He vanished in a flash of lightning before reappearing inches before her. Lucy gasped, startled. She took a step back as Laxus towered over her. Her eyes traveled down his body as water trickled down his bare chest and chiseled stomach. She cleared her throat.
"You," she said, her lashes fluttering, her eyes widening. She met his gaze. "Is this what's wrong?"
"What are you doing here?" Laxus growled. His forehead was lined and his eyebrows were knitted. His eyes feral and golden.
Lucy's eyes softened. She reached out, her fingertips ghosting over the golden scales on his shoulder. His muscles tensed and he recoiled from her touch. Lucy brought her hand to her mouth.
"Does your team know?" Lucy asked.
Laxus gritted his teeth. "Mind your own business, Blondie."
Lucy narrowed her eyes and straightened her back. "No, I'm making this my business," she said raising her voice. "I don't think they know!"
He closed his eyes and his temple throbbed. "Blondie," he warned.
"Does Master know?" Lucy continued, ignoring his warning tone. "Don't you think you should tell the people who care about you?"
He clicked his tongue. He exhaled slowly, his nostrils flaring.
"What happened in Bosco?" she asked. "Did you lose control like how you did at the lake? Like at the restaurant?"
His hands balled into fists.
"Laxus, people are worried about you," Lucy said. She reached out and placed her palm against his chest. "I'm worried about you," she whispered softly.
His muscles contracted under her palm and a spark of his magic jolted through her. He grunted before doubling over, clutching his stomach. His face winced in pain.
"La- Laxus?" Her voice cracked.
He fell to his knees. His fingers curled in the damp grass, hands digging into the Earth. He bit his lip, blood trickling. Sparks flew off his back. His skin glowed white hot. Sizzling, searing, his blood boiling then cooling as new scales formed along his collar bone and upper chest. He cried out and Lucy's eyes filled with tears.
Her hands covered her mouth as she muffled a scream. She forgot to breathe, her heart racing, her body shaking. She was scared, terrified.
She turned to leave, to get Master, but Laxus grabbed her wrist. He pulled her to him, closing the gap between them. He buried his face in her stomach.
"I'm fine," he said though gritted teeth. His body shuttered and his grip on her tightened. "Don't tell the old man."
Lightening whipped around them and though it lapped at Lucy's skin, his magic didn't hurt. Tears fell from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. He's trying so hard to stay in control, she thought.
He convulsed, crying out in pain as more scales appeared. Lucy held his head to her chest, supporting him as best she could. She stroked his hair, softly. His fingers dug into her hips. She winced from the pain but held onto him tighter.
And then, his body became still. His breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed.
Lucy continued to hold his head to her chest. She slowly stroked her fingers through his short hair.
"Laxus," Lucy said softly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm great," he said into her chest, his voice muffled.
Lucy sighed. Her shoulders relaxed and her heart felt lighter.
"Cana was right," Laxus continued.
Lucy frowned, puzzled. "What?"
"You've got amazing tits."
She looked down with a start and realized that Laxus' face was buried right between her breasts. His hands on either side, he squeezed her breasts and heat rushed to Lucy's face.
She pushed him away, stood up and slapped him across the face.
"Jerk!" She yelled, tears streaming down her face. "This is no time for jokes!" Her fists balled as she stomped her foot.
Laxus remained kneeling in the damp grass. His expression was flat, despite his joke and having copped a feel of her breasts. Lucy realized then, that his eyes had returned to their normal stormy blue color.
"I'm worried about you," she yelled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "But I don't know why I even bother to care!"
Laxus stood up. He dusted off the damp grass from his shorts. "Then don't care, Blondie," he said, his voice gruff.
Lucy flinched, her anger replaced with hurt. If only it were that simple, she thought.
"Now if you don't mind," Laxus said, walking towards the back porch to his house. "I'm going to hit the shower."
"Oh," Lucy said softly. What can I do? How can I help him while still keeping his secret?
Laxus smirked. "You can stick around if you want to join me?"
Lucy snapped from her thoughts. "What, join you where?" she asked, clueless.
Laxus raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "The shower."
Heat rushed to her face. "You are impossible!" she shrieked. "One moment you're on your knees in pain, the next you're-" She stopped, her face growing redder.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Laxus said shrugging his shoulders. "Nothing happened."
"UGH! Not this shit again!" She threw her hands in the air. "I'm done, I'm so done."
"So no shower?"
"No, no, NO! Not now, not ever." She grumbled in frustration as she spun around on her heels and stormed off down the creek trail.
Stupid, Laxus, she thought as she left the Dragon Slayer's property. Stupid, stubborn, pigheaded, idiotic, Laxus.
A/N Thank you for reading and to everyone who fav'd, followed and reviewed! My schedule is starting to free up, so I'll be updating faster (Will try my hardest for weekly updates!) Also I want to congratulate LovelyLovelyLove who won 2nd place in the LaLu Xmas Contest and requested a 5k word fic! I'm working hard on the story and it will be posted soon :D
Who else wished Lucy had joined him? Darn slowburn… lol. All I can say is, never say never Lucy!
