Lucy POV
I woke to the feeling of cold wetness along my neck, which made me draw up my shoulder to try and protect my throat from the ticklish sensation. When the cold wetness only dug deeper to try and nuzzle my chin, I let out a giggle as my eyes opened and I saw Rahu with his muzzle snuggled into my neck ashe was trying to lick me awake, just like he tended to do most mornings.
I turned my head when I heard Laxus let out a groan at my sudden wiggling. Pushing Rahu away a bit, I leaned up and looked down on Laxus's face. I marveled at how peaceful he looked with his face relaxed. He looked like a much younger man, who had never gone through the horrors of an abusive, neglectful Father, or had a lacrima shoved behind his eye at a young age either. I reached up and ran a finger gently over his scar, careful not to put any kind of pressure on the puckered flesh. I can still remember when he told me that it still hurt sometimes. The memory always made my chest ache, wishing that I could take all his pain away from him. I leaned down and pressed my lips to his eyebrow gently before pulling back to find his storm gray eyes open and staring at me.
As we made eye contact, I could see the love he held for me in his eyes. This is what I always enjoyed most. Getting to see something that no one else could. When he and I were alone we were both more open than we were with everyone else. Laxus smiled and leaned up, giving me a chaste kiss, which I returned readily, when a thought occurred to me and made me giggle again.
"What's going through that devious little head of yours, hmmm?" Laxus said as he pulled back with a playful smirk.
"Just thinking of when we first started dating and you caught me staring at you when you woke up." I replied quietly. The atmosphere was just too peaceful for me to break it with loud words.
"Heh. I remember that. I have never seen someone's face turn such a violent shade of red in my life. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing you've done to date. Or at least, it's in the running."
"Hey. You know how shy I used to be. You can't blame me for blushing."
"You say shy, I say adorable." He said. Before I could reply, he pulled me all the way on top of him so that our bodies were making full contact. I couldn't even complain. He was just too comfortable.
"Hey Luce, I need to ask you something." He said a little more seriously than I had expected. He wasvery rarely serious around me, and that knowledge worried me.
"What is it Lax? You know you can ask me anything."
"Marry me. I know I don't have a ring right now, but I don't ever want you out of my life. You've turned into my best friend, confidant… my light. I know this might be too soon, but you're so much stronger than I could ever be and I want you by my side, alwa—holy shit, babe, please don't cry. You don't have to say yes I promi—"
"Laxus Dreyar, please shut up."
He just stared at me, wide eyed for a moment before I finally found my voice again, "Of course I will marry you, you idiot. I don't care about a ring, or what others might say. I love you and I want you by my side too. Propriety be damned, my answer is an overwhelming yes, Laxus."
I've never seen him smile so bright, or felt him squeeze me so tight.
Laxus POV
After I proposed to Lucy and she accepted, 'holy shit I almost can't believe she said yes', I dragged her into yet another snuggle session and we talked about how long we wanted to wait until the ceremony and how we were going to tell the guild that not only were we in a relationship, but that we were engaged.
I felt another tidal wave of happiness crash though my chest at the thought of Lucy as my fiancé. There were very few people who I was open with and even then I wasn't nearly as open as I was with Lucy.
I finally walked up to what remained of the guild and noticed that a lot of the other members were there. Erza was among them as she was leading the rebuilding effort.
"Laxus!" I turned around, careful to keep my expression as blank as possible. I quickly recognizedthe pink head of hair running towards me with some stupid smile on his face and his fist lit with fire. Before Natsu could so much as get a hit in, I slammed my bare fist down on the top of his head and watched as the cobble stone street beneath him cracked a bit. Smirking a bit I made my way towards Erza to get the general idea of what she needed me to do.
"Hey Erza." The red head turned at the sound of my voice and she put her hands on her hips.
"Hello, Laxus. Have you seen Lucy anywhere? I know you were one of the people helping to look for her. No one else could find her at all and I'm beginning to worry."
"Yeah. I found her last night in the forest laying on some grass. I ended up taking her to stay at my place Because hers was demolished in the fight. She's okay other than some various cuts and bruises."
"Well then that is good. Is she still at your home? I will go get her. I'm sure she would rather stay with someone she knows a bit better."
I growled. I already knew that Lucy's old team would probably not quite like me and her together, but I didn't give a damn. Erza was pushing my buttons right now, "She's fine where she is. You will leave her alone and let her rest. Either way, my home is protected with runes which forbid anyone from entering without my permission, with very few exceptions." Like Lucy.
"She is my teammate—"
"Yes. Your teammate who you left behind for an entire year." I glared down at the armored woman, feeling my ire rise at her need to always tell everybody around her what to do. It had been like that since she was younger and I had always found it annoying.
Erza was staring at me as if I had actually hit her when I heard a soft voice call to me from behind me.
"Guys, please don't argue over me. I'm fine, see? Virgo came and put some healing ointment on meand it fixed me right up."
I turned to see my fiancée walking towards us and I immediately made my way to her with a frown on my face, "Blondie, you should be still in bed. I told you not to come out today."
Lucy smiled softly before simply waving me off with a motion of her hand then turning toward Erza with a small frown, "And Erza, I am perfectly okay with staying with Laxus. I'd prefer it right now actually. Now, what are we doing and what do you need me to do?"
Erza gaped at Lucy for a moment before recovering herself and clearing her throat, "Well first, ask if Wendy can look you over for injuries. If she clears you, then you can begin by helping us move the building materials to their designated areas and after that is done, since I know you are good at drawing and math, I will also have Levy, Freed, Warren and you begin to draw up the blue prints while the rest ofus are setting the foundations. Is this amiable to you?"
My frown deepened at the thought of Lucy doing anything really physical right now but she must have had other ideas, "Sounds great, Erza! I'll go find Wendy right now."
And then she was off and walking away. I started to trail behind her when I felt an armor clad hand onmy shoulder, stopping me.
"What is your connection to Lucy?" Her tone was dangerous, and if I were anyone else, it'd probably intimidate me. But I was me, and I was getting pissy with her prying.
"None of your damned business." I pulled my shoulder out of her grip before moving over to the largepiles of metal beams before picking five up and carrying them off to their designated places.
Time skip to a month later, the town is rebuilt*
Third Person POV
The town of Magnolia was finally rebuilt, as well as the guildhall of Fairy Tail, and the townspeople went about their days with smiles on their faces, as they were finally able to hear their resident mages beingas rambunctious as ever. Inside the guild, however, there was some noise being made that was not the normal morning brawl.
"Absolutely not!" "What?!" "But Luce!"
Lucy sat at her teams table. She had made the decision a while back to be a less active part of Team Natsu. They were far too destructive and now was the time that she needed to be saving for the wedding. The one that no one but Mira (she had seen the ring that Lucy had begun wearing on her ring finger and demanded to know everything), Levy, and the Thunder Legion knew about. Yet. They already planned on announcing things to the guild next week with a bash of sorts.
As of this moment, she had just told her team that she was going to begin going on more frequent solojobs, instead of only going with them or just Natsu. She would still be on the team, but she wanted to go alone sometimes too. Calmly, Lucy explained, "I'm not leaving the team, you guys. But I do want to beable to take a solo job without you guys almost bringing down the guildhall when Mira tells you. I am 20years old and a very accomplished mage thus far. I am definitely strong enough to do things on my own and I would greatly appreciate not being smothered and overprotected by those who should trust in my strength most of all."
On the second floor, Laxus was listening to the situation very carefully. Lucy's apartment had been rebuilt but she had decided to live in his house with him, which he loved to no end. He also took close notes to how Rahu was sitting at her side, with his head in her lap. He knew that if the other three morons were to get out of hand, the Rahu would back her up without question. As it were, Laxus wasnot liking how they had reacted at all. They should be willing to go along with her wished, but heknew that their reaction had hurt her deeply already.
"Well I suppose you have a point," Gray was the first to say anything after she finished, "and as long as you aren't leaving the team, I'm fine with whatever. I can see that you're serious and I trust that youcan handle yourself. Just try your best to come back in one piece, alright?" Gray had always been more laidback than the other two, and Lucy viewed him as a brother that she never had. He had been a cool,steady hand for her many times in the years they had known each other and his approval probably meant the most to her out of the three.
"I still say no, Lucy. I suppose I could understand the sentiment, but I do not like the idea of you going alone at all. We are a team for a reason."
"Luce, I don't want you going alone either. I think it's a stupid idea." Natsu said as he crossed his arms and pouted.
Lucy felt the hurt setting in. She was very thankful to Gray for understanding her feelings, but to be dismissed so quickly by those closest to her hurt her. She couldn't understand why they were treating her more like a porcelain doll than a well accomplished mage. It just didn't make any sense to her.
"Well then I guess it's a good thing that neither of you are Master then huh? I asked you guys what you thought out of respect for the team—by the way, thank you Gray for understanding—but that doesn't mean that you get to tell me no. I didn't want to leave the team, I just wanted to be able to go on my own sometimes. But this? This just tells me that you two don't trust me and my magic to be able to handle jobs on my own, and I find that very hurtful. Natsu, you are my best friend, but I have been working on my own for the most part and training very hard, and this just shows me that you only see me as a damsel in distress."
Natsu gaped at Lucy. He had never seen her as a damsel in distress. He promised her that he would always protect her and be there for her, and he supposed that maybe he was being a little over-bearing. But the thought of some jerk trying to hurt her angered him beyond words. He cared very deeply for Lucy. So much so that he had once wanted something with her, but he didn't think that she felt the same. Finally, Natsu drooped his shoulders a little in defeat. She was right. The way he was acting was very hurtful towards her. She had always told him that she believed in him, but right now he needed to be the one to do the same for her.
"Erza," Lucy said after seeing Natsu finally understand a little better, "you well and truly are the big sister I never had. I have always looked up to you because of your strength of will and how much you truly love and care about our Fairy Tail family, and that someone I look up to and love like my sister doesn't believe in me hurts almost more. I even discovered an aspect of my magic that is similar to yours because I wanted to be strong like you for so long."
Erza was disappointed in herself. She had seen Lucy as a sister and her closest confidant for a very long time. They had girl days and talked about underwear and fashion all the time, and Lucy was the only person in the guild other than Wendy who didn't fear her at all. Lucy always treated Erza like a normal girl, which no one else did. When Erza was feeling some type of way, she always went to Lucy. When she wanted to rant and scream, Lucy would listen; if she wanted comfort, Lucy would cradle and sing to her until she was calm; if she just needed to work through something in silence but still wanted company, she would go to Lucy, because Lucy understood and never felt a specific need to fill the silence like so many others always did.
"You're right, Luce. I'm sorry that I wasn't understanding. I just want to protect you. I promised myself that I would never let anyone else hurt you and I guess I let that promise cloud my ability to see your feelings too. I understand if you want to go solo more often. I trust your mind and your magic to get you through any obstacles you face. And I can promise you right now, I never viewed you as a damsel in distress."
Up on the second floor, Laxus was all too surprised by Natsu's little speech. He found it unusually deep for the dense slayer, but he also supposed that it was possible the little monster had actually grown up a bit over the last year and after losing his father for good. As he heard Erza begin her speech, he refocused on the conversation.
"I am also sorry, Lucy. You are my sister, as far as I care, and always will be. I suppose that I wasn't very understanding either because I care so deeply for you. You are so much stronger than me and I honestly just wish I could do more for you. So please, strike me for my rudeness!"
Lucy simply giggled at her two friend, glad that they finally understood her feelings, "I forgive you guys. Just please don't try so hard to protect me, and let me do some of the protecting too, ya know? You guys are my family and I love you too dearly to not help you guys out too." She could feel her heart swelling with love for her teammates as they all smiled each other and grabbed each other's hands.
After a few more minutes of lounging around and talking to her team, she got up and went to the job board to look and see if there was anything interesting she could do to earn some shopping money. After the decimation of her apartment, she had found that about half her clothes were beyond repair and she needed to get some new ones. As she was looking, the guild doors blew wide open and a blue ball of fur came hurtling into her chest, a panicked look on his face, "Luuuuuccyyyyy!"
She easily caught the little Exceed and held him against her chest as per usual, "Hello, Happy. Is everything alright?"
The blue Exceed shook his head quickly, "No! You gotta hide, Lucy! That creepy guy that's super obsessed with you is on his way here right now! He could be here any minu—"
"Oh Luuuuucy! My darling, sweet, beautiful muse! Where are yoooou?"
At the sound of Dan Straight's voice, Lucy visibly paled. She dropped Happy quickly and turned around to run out of the back of the guild when he caught sight of her and she could feel the shiver of disgust run up and down her spine.
Above, Laxus already knew that he hated the guy. He wasn't necessarily the jealous type, but he definitely did not like that someone else was calling his fiancée theirs. He especially felt his ire rise at the sight of Lucy paling and turning to run away. He'd finally decided he had enough when the stranger reached out to grab Lucy and she shrieked.
Using Lightning Body, Laxus flashed down to the first floor, zapping the man and grabbing Lucy before flashing back up to the second floor where he sat in his previous seat, cuddling Lucy to his chest protectively and glaring down at the now twitching auburn haired stranger. In the silence left behind his actions, he could hear the clicking of Rahu's nails on the wood as he made his way upstairs, completely unperturbed by the commotion Laxus caused, nor the stifling silence now.
The rest of Fairy Tail were left stunned as everything happened too fast for anyone to really understand it. When they looked around for Lucy, the were shocked by the sight of her in Laxus's lap, with his arms securely wrapped around her, and her cuddling her head into the crook of his neck, and her left hand pressed against his chest.
The first to speak once they found their voice was Erza, "What do you think you're doing with Lucy?" the vivacious redhead asks tersely.
"Holding my fiancée." He responded just as bluntly.
Erza was gob smacked at the response, losing her focus for a moment before turning towards Lucy and demanding, "Is this true Lucy?!"
Lucy, having lost any sense of sheepishness or bashfulness (mostly thanks to Laxus and his incessant teasing), simply lifted her head and smiled gently, "Well we were waiting to announce it until next week, when we were going to throw a party and explain everything. But to put it simply, yes. He is my fiancé."
"EH?!" was the whole guilds reaction, minus Mira, Master Makarov, and The Thunder Legion.
Natsu was the first to recover, and he grinned broadly, though his feelings were a little hurt, he understood that Lucy had her reasons for not immediately telling him about things, "Well congrats, guys! You better treat her right, Laxus. That's my best friend you're gonna marry."
Laxus simply rolled his eyes and smirked, giving a one shake nod towards his fellow Dragon Slayer.
Gray was next, "Try not to give my little sis too much grief. She's strong enough to put you in your place, and she has me to help."
This time, Laxus chuckled, knowing that the ice mage was only half joking and he found it a relief that someone like him was on Lucy's side.
"I know this may come across the wrong way, but I must ask the question. You do not feel pressured at all, do you Lucy? I only ask because this is very sudden." Erza had a genuinely concerned look on her face and Lucy understood the mage better than most.
So while Laxus was growling at the question, Lucy simply smiled and shook her head at the woman she considered her sister, "No, Erza. I love him. I know that this seems very sudden, but I promise you that I am so very happy with him. I feel like I can just be myself and he cares about me too."
Erza smiled and nodded at Lucy and Lucy felt relief that her team understood and accepted her decision.
Suddenly turning, Laxus heard the stranger which he had zapped start to regain consciousness and he tightened his grip on Lucy, letting her know that it would be okay and that she was safe with him. Lucy looked up at Laxus for a moment with a grateful smile before turning once again towards Dan, who was finally coming to.
The first thing Dan realized was that the infamously rowdy guild was dead quiet, and that they were all looking at him.
The next thing he saw was Lucy sitting in the lap of the equally infamous Laxus Dreyar.
"What's going on, Lucy? Why are you letting him hold you like that?" Dan asked.
"Dan, I have told you over and over again that I am in no way interested in you. And for your information, this is my fiancé."
The rest of Fairytail watched in awkward amusement as the auburn hair mage cast a downward look and began trudging towards the guild doors once more. Most everyone had known that Dan had had a borderline obsession with their Celestial Mage that toed the line between just odd to creepy on a regular basis.
As soon as Dan was far enough away, all of Fairytail proceeded to lose their damn minds. Asking Laxus and Lucy question after question and the two betrothed firing off answers just as quickly.
All the women demanded to see the ring that rested on her finger. It was nothing too special, a simple gold band inlaid with a salt water pearl and a beautiful swirling engraving circling the outside. It was simple, yet elegantly beautiful, much like it'swearer.
"I'm surprised that it is a pearl instead of a giant diamond though. I mean, Laxus certainly has the money to do something like that." That comment came from Evergreen.
Lucy smiled at her comment, knowing that she meant no ill will, "Actually, I hate diamonds. I remember telling him that very early on when he got me a necklace with a moonstone in it and I told him that I had been worried that it would be something diamond, and that I adored the necklace."
"You hate diamonds? Why?" That was Levy.
"Because of the way I was raised. Diamonds were always considered extravagant and many suiters would buy me diamond jewelry. I always found it all so gaudy and horrible. I like simple and elegant jewelry, or other types of gift that come from the heart. I even asked him if he'd like to get ring tattoos instead, but he wanted to go the traditional route."
"That is just too cute! And I totally understand, Lu."
Lucy looked up just as she felt a familiar magic nearing her and the group, "Blondie, I think it's about time for us to head home. We've had a long day and you need your rest if you and Cana are still planning on going on a job soon."
Smiling she heard Cana yell from across the guild: "Bet your sweet ass!"
The two blondes chuckled at the woman before making their way back home, Rahu trailing behind.
As they arrived home, Laxus swept Lucy up in his arms bridal style and walked her into the house, "Sparky, what are you doing?"
"Practicing"
Hey guys! I managed to get this update out a lot sooner than any of the others. I don't know what came over me but honestly I just couldn't stop writing! I hope this is enough for now. I know I said that this chapter would include the talk about Aquarius but honestly that probably would have taken too much time and I was seriously enjoying writing about Fairytail's reaction, and I decided that it was time for Lucy to show off her independence. Also, thank you, my dear reviewers, for all your support and understanding. Things just keep getting more complicated by the minute but I take real enjoyment from writing and it helps me to relax. Also, I want to formally apologize for the super short chapters previously, but they were a necessary evil. The time for those is over though and I promise that for the foreseeable future I will have very long winded chapters. I am so glad that you guys are enjoying my story, and prepare for some minor timeskips in the near future (next chapter). Also, I want to warn you guys (and I'll remind you with another A/N) that there will be some minor smut next chapter, but nothing too much. Alright, I'll stop wasting y'all's time and hop off. I will post again soon, if life permits and I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening, everybody!
