Laxus had barely managed to keep his dragon from killing Bacchus. As it was he still wasn't in control if it. It was like living the Fantasia incident all over again. His dragon was controlling him completely. He had no say over what his body was doing or how he acted. He had to pled with his dragon not to break Bacchus' neck. It had thankfully listened to him but it had refused to give up control.
Laxus got several looks as he walked back to the main level of the guild. He still had claws and scales covering his hands and arms. People cleared out of his way as he headed right to Cana's table. Some people were afraid of him, some curious. The only one who might have been able to tell what was going on was Gajeel and he was at the other side of the guild, looking at the request board.
Leave her alone! Laxus shouted at his dragon as it stood behind Cana. Levy and Lucy were watching him closely, Cana was looking a little scared.
You made a promise to me. I'm done waiting. I want my Mate. Laxus didn't say anything to Cana when he reached her. He simply pulled her out of her seat and into his arms, his lips meeting hers.
Cana had been scared when she first saw Laxus approach her. She had never seen him do a public display of his Dragon-Slayer side like this. She had only heard about him doing it once, and that was during Fantasia. All her fear faded away when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her body came alive and tangled her fingers in his hair as she kissed him back.
Her mind knew that he was bad for her. She knew that he would probably hurt her again. She knew she had a baby she had to worry about now. Her body didn't care about any of that. Her body wanted him, it always had. Her body craved him and even more so when he looked like this. When his fangs scrapped against her lower lip, she obediently opened them for him.
Cana wasn't sure how she ended up pinned against one of the support beams and she didn't care. Laxus was trailing kisses along her jaw and down her neck, his fangs lightly teasing her skin. His claws sent shivers over her as they ran down her sides before grabbing her hips and pulling her against him. She could feel his was as aroused as she was. She shamelessly rolled her hips against his. He was pulling all sorts of noises from her, mew and moans, breathless pleading. Laxus was constantly purring, he was fucking purring, she loved when he purred.
Cana forgot they were in the guildhall. She forgot about all the people watching her. She forgot about everything but the man in her arms and the need she had for him. Laxus grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her into another hard kiss. She knew the emotions were coming the moment his hand moved to her neck. She had been expecting to feel his deep love for her like she had in Crocus. Her body missed it, felt empty without that feeling. That isn't what she felt now. What she was feeling now was more basic than that. Lust. Pride. Desire. Jealousy. Possessiveness.
The sudden jolt was enough to clear Cana's mind slightly. She tried to push Laxus away but he refused to budge. He growled and pressed her back against the support beam behind her. His fangs scrapped against her throat and panic started to bubble up in her, pushing away the rest of her lust filled haze.
"You're my mate. You can't refuse me." Laxus said as she tried to push him away again, using more force this time. His voice was deep and rough. He didn't sound like the man she knew and loved.
"Laxus, I have a child. You can't do this anymore." She was speaking quietly, well aware that everyone in the guild was now watching them.
"My kin …" His still clawed hand rested over her stomach. Cana saw something in his eyes soften, the golden glow fading into stormy gray for a second before they flashed back and fixated on something to her right.
"You would give my kin to him." He snarled, baring his fangs at Bacchus who had come back downstairs. He was rubbing his neck where Laxus had been holding him. There was some blood from where Laxus' claws had broken skin. Bacchus had seen everything that had just happened and was staring, open mouthed, at the couple. A semi-circle had formed around the couple and Bacchus was standing just on the inside of it. The urge to attack the man was strong but his pesky human was yelling at him again. If he attacked now he would lose his mate. It was that thought that kept him in check.
Two hands were suddenly on his shoulder, pulling him away from Cana. He roared and struggled against the hold. Two sets of arms wrapped around him to keep him moving back, away from Cana. Bickslow and Gajeel were forcing him away from his mate. Freed came in front of him, blocking his view of Cana, protecting her. Levy and Lucy both ran to their friends side. Laxus tried to summon his lightning to get free of the two men holding him but this time it was his human that denied him access to his magic, kept it locked away.
"Take him up to the master's office." Freed told them. "I have it warded, it should hold him."
"You really got to lay off the steroid, Boss." Bickslow said as he and Gajeel were struggling with the angry Dragon-Slayer.
"Now's really not the time to be pissing him off." Gajeel pointed out.
"Be careful." Cana told them. She was using a loud, clear tone that everyone in the guild was sure to hear. "That's not Laxus."
It took a lot of effort, and the help of Natsu and Gray, to get Laxus up to the master's office and the door locked. Mira had contacted Makarov and told him he needed to return to Fairy Tail right away. She didn't explain what was happening, only there was an emergency evolving Laxus. Dragonfly had started sobbing outside of the master's office, which made Laxus more riled up. She was now sitting in Cana's lap where she had cried herself to sleep, while everyone was gathered around Cana and Gajeel, looking for answers.
"What do you mean that isn't Laxus?" Lucy was the first one to speak.
Cana sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked to Levy as she explained, knowing she would understand. "When he touched my mark, he felt … wrong. He's normally really complex, conflicted even. This time it was … animalistic?" She couldn't think of a better word for it.
"Your mark?" Mira asked. Everyone in the guild was listening to the conversation, most were worried about a repeat of Fantasia.
Cana sighed. "My mating mark. We were mates. Happy?" She knew that Mira had been plotting against her and Laxus for a while.
Mira gave her a sad smile and shook her head.
"I told ya I didn't like that guy." Bacchus was standing over Cana. His neck was starting to bruise but the bleeding had stopped. "Guy's crazy."
"That's not true! He's not normally like this!" Cana snapped at him. She looked around at her guild members for support. Most wouldn't meet her eyes.
"He has always been a bit of an asshole." Macao said.
"And there was the whole Fantasia thing." Wakaba added.
"He attacked Levy before that." Droy said.
"After laying a beat down on Gajeel." Jet reminded them.
"After the two of you were beating him up too!" Levy suddenly stood up, glaring at her team. "And don't forget what he did for us on Tenrou Island. He nearly died for this guild."
"Not to mention everything he did during the games and the dragon attacks." Lucy added. Cana gave both girls a grateful smile.
"I thought Fairy Tail didn't hold grudges." Gajeel grumbled at them. "If ya did then what the hell am I doing here?"
Slowly mummers of agreement went through the gathered guild member. Laxus had been working hard to fix things with his guild members and, while he couldn't change everyone's mind, most now agreed Laxus was a different person.
"Ya don't even know the guy …" Bacchus started but Cana cut him off.
"Bacchus! Stop! This is a Fairy Tail problem and last I checked, you're not Fairy Tail." Cana glared at him. She did not need him telling everyone in the guild her dirty laundry. It wasn't anyone's business. "Maybe you should just leave."
"Whatever. But I don't want ya anywhere near that guy. Not while you got my baby in ya." He told Cana, turning to leave.
"Bacchus, I'm sure the Master will want to talk with you when he gets back." Mira told him.
"I ain't going far. Got something that means too much to me here." He waved at them over his shoulder before leaving the guild.
Cana was looking down at her lap, eyes on both her slightly rounded belly and the Exceed sleeping there. Whatever tenuous relationship she had with Bacchus, she was sure was ruined.
It took a while after that for the guild to return to normal. Things were awkward and quiet but slowly people went back to their tables, talking to their friends. Eventually it was just Cana and her friends gathered at the table.
"What's wrong with him?" Cana asked Gajeel once the rest of the guild was no longer listening.
Gajeel didn't have a clue what was wrong. Laxus had seemed to have things under control up until now. Dragonfly had seemed to ground him when she came into his life. He had been happy, even after Cana showed up with Bacchus and a surprise pregnancy. Gajeel was sure that if Laxus was going to have a breakdown it would have happened days ago when Cana first showed up. "It has to have something to do with that thing in your belly."
"I told you I didn't think Laxus would handle you getting pregnant very well." Levy said. She sounded worried, not judgmental.
"Well it's not like I planned this. It just kind of happened." Cana wanted to cry but she wouldn't allow herself. She had to stand strong for Laxus because no one else would right now.
"We're not judging you, Cana." Lucy said, trying to comfort her. "We're just worried about you. You and Laxus."
Cana knew her friends meant well. Makarov wasn't going to be back to Magnolia until at least the morning so she had time to think over what she was going to tell him. Evergreen was going to take Dragonfly for the night. They had all agreed to keep Laxus locked in the master's office until he returned. Cana got up and headed upstairs where the Thunder Legion was watching over Laxus. She handed the still sleeping Exceed over to Evergreen.
"Would I be able to see him?" Cana asked Freed. He had placed extra protection on the room and now nothing could enter or leave without his say. She wanted to see him though, something he had said was still bothering her.
"I do not believe that would be wise." He told her.
"Do any of you know what he means when he calls something Kin?" She asked, looking at the three people closest to him. All three looked at each other before answering.
"He calls Dragonfly his kin." Evergreen said.
"He does the same with Wendy. He views them as his children." Freed added.
"Some weird dragon instinct, or so he says." Bickslow shrugged, "Why do you ask?"
Cana's hand went over her stomach. He was claiming her child as his, why? She almost jumped when there was a banging on the door behind Freed. "Let me out. I can smell her. My mate." Laxus' voice still had that deep, rough tone.
"You probably shouldn't be this close to him right now." Freed said but Cana moved close to the door. She felt drawn to him and she wasn't really sure why.
In the office Laxus was still fighting for control over his own damn body. Now that his dragon had control it wasn't willing to give it up for anything. Laxus had come close to winning when they heard Dragonfly crying for him. He had almost talked his dragon into giving up control so they could see her but she had been pulled away and with her gone he lost the leverage he had. Now Cana was there, he could smell her, and his dragon was tightening its hold on him. It wanted to go to their mate, to hold her and the child she had.
That damn thing isn't ours! Laxus snapped at his dragon. I don't know much but I know she ain't no six months pregnant.
Our Mate, our Kin His dragon insisted. It had been saying this over and over since Cana returned to the guild. It had been fighting for this type of control since then too. When Cana and Dragonfly had almost been hurt by the fighting his control had slipped significantly. The breaking point had been when, after he had helped her back from her panic attack, she had given her affection to Bacchus. His dragon had still been demanding blood from Gray and Natsu and when it's mate had allowed the other man to touch her, it gave it the push it needed to take over and act.
When they had been alone with Bacchus, the mans throat in their claw, it was only the pesky human inside that kept him from squeezing until he felt bones break. As it was he still wanted to go after that man. The man who thought he had a right to their mate and child. He had been determined to remind Cana who she belonged too. He had shown the whole guild that Cana was his. He hadn't wanted to stop where he had been forced to either. He wanted to claim her in front of everyone. Make it clear that no one was to touch her again. But Cana had stopped them, his mate rejected him. Then his friends and that other Slayer had forced him into this room. They were keeping his mate and his children from him. All of it was fueling an anger he had no outlet for.
Makarov arrive early in the morning and ordered that the guild be kept close until they had things sorted out. Mira had made sure everyone that needed to be there was, including Bacchus. The bruising on his neck was even darker today, Cana couldn't even look at it. Freed and Bickslow had stayed at the guild all night, taking turns watching over Laxus. Gajeel was also there, more as an expert of Dragon-Slayer behavior than anything. Makarov gathered everyone at the bar to hear what happened before he was going to see Laxus.
"We don't really know what's happened. Laxus let out his full power and now he's kind of stuck like that." Cana explained, it was the best way to describe the immediate problem.
"That ain't his full power. Not even close, baby mama. It's just a taste of what his dragon's got." Gajeel told her.
Makarov's eyes went to Cana and then her stomach. Cana was wearing her normal bikini top and pants today, making her rounded belly more noticeable. "Congratulations, although I wish things were happier right now." Makarov told her before he sighed. "I knew that boy was nothing but trouble."
"This isn't his fault." Cana was again standing up for Laxus with everyone looking at her like she was crazy. "His father forced a dragons soul into his body and no one ever taught him anything about it. He has been stumbling around in the dark with no idea what to do about that thing inside him. Any time he makes a mistake or messes up you're all ready to just throw him aside. Do you want to know where you messed up with him, Master? It's when you didn't even try. You toss his father out and then send him off with those two," She pointed a finger at Bickslow and Freed, "who are just as fucked up as he is and expected everything to work out. You were more focused on reaching out to Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mira, and me. You didn't even see the pain you were causing your own grandson. Now he needs your help again and you're already blaming him and wanting to push him away before you even know what's wrong!" Cana hadn't realized her voice was raising as she spoke until she was yelling at the Master by the end.
"I understand how you can see it that way …" Makarov said.
"That's not how I see. It's how he see's it. All he has ever wanted was for you to care about him half as much as you care about Natsu." Cana knew she was starting to cry and she cursed her hormones. She didn't want to be yelling at Makarov right now, she wanted to help Laxus, but this would hopefully help in the long run.
"Cana …" Bacchus reached for her but she slapped his hand away. "Ya can't keep protecting him."
"You hardly even know him, Bacchus." She snapped at him, angrily wiping her tears away.
"I know what he's done to ya. I saw the bloodlust in his eyes when he attacked me. He wanted to kill me. He's almost killed ya before." He gestured at his neck and her shoulder.
"Don't you bring that up! That has nothing to do with any of this!" She shouted.
"Ya have panic attacks because of what he's done to ya." Bacchus was getting frustrated with her.
"Enough!" Makarov yelled to stop the fighting. "It seems there is a lot going on with Laxus that I am not aware of. The most pressing matter is his current situation." He looked to Gajeel. "Can you explain what is going on?"
Gajeel had been thinking a lot about it, been up most of the night. "Best I can figure, his dragon took over, completely. I've never heard of it happening, didn't think it could."
"What does that mean for Laxus?" Freed asked.
"Well, you see, all Dragon-Slayers have a bit of a dragon soul in them. It's what gives us our power and guides us and shit. Me, Natsu, and Wendy, we only got little bits from our dragons. Best I can figure, second generations like Laxus got much bigger chunks from their lacrimas. Sting and Rouge got even more then that. Makes your magic stronger but also harder to control. On top of that Laxus didn't even know about his dragon until after he was mated, that's not a good thing." Gajeel was trying to make the complex world of Dragon-Slayers make sense to everyone.
"Why would it make a difference if he was mated or not?" Cana asked. Her hand went to the mark on the back of her neck.
"Don't really know if it does. Mating just seemed to make my dragon stronger, figured it did the same to him. I already had control over my dragon though, Laxus doesn't even listen to his." Gajeel looked up to the second story. "My guess is it got tired of being ignored. I told him at the games he had to sort this crap out."
"So how are we going to put dragon boy back in the box and get boss man back?" Bickslow asked. Everyone looked at Makarov, hoping he would have the answer.
"Let me see him. He wants me, why not let him have me?" Cana suggested.
"No." Bacchus tone was firm. "He's burned ya, destroyed ya shoulder, gave ya a damn concussion. What more does he have to do to ya before ya learn?"
"I'm not stupid. I know what he can do, but I also know he won't." She glared at Bacchus.
"Giving it what it wants will only calm it down, it won't let Laxus have control." Gajeel pointed out. "We got to put Sparky back on top. I say we throw his kid in there. Wendy worked pretty good during the game, the kid should be even better."
"You're not throwing Dragonfly in there! What if he hurts her? She's just a baby." Cana argued.
"So, you're not worried about your pregnant self but you think he'll hurt his adoptive daughter?" Bickslow pointed out.
Makarov sighed. "It is the only course of action we have. Freed can take her inside. Laxus shouldn't see him as a threat."
Laxus was pacing in his grandfathers office. He hadn't been able to sleep at all last night and it was starting to catch up to him. He still had his claws and scales out and that too was starting to ware on him. He was exhausted but his dragon refused to stand down, refused to listen to him, refused to behave. Laxus had tried everything, bargaining, begging, even brute force, but his dragon would not stand down. Laxus was starting to understand its frustration. Being ignored and pushed aside all the time really sucked.
Laxus turned to look at the door when he heard it open. Freed must have lowered some of his enchantments to allow someone access. Before he had time to really register what was happening, Dragonfly slammed into his chest. He held the little Exceed close as she cried on him.
"Papa" she sobbed over and over. She had clearly missed him.
She needs me Laxus tried talking sense into his dragon once again. He was nuzzling her and purring, trying to calm his daughter down. Please just let me fucking take care of her!
"Papa?" Dragonfly could tell there was something wrong with her father, she just didn't know what.
I can take care of her. She is my Kin. His dragon said, kissing Dragonfly on the forehead.
You care more about Cana then about my daughter!
"Scary." Dragonfly was looking at his claws. She tried to get away from them but Laxus didn't want to let her go. "Help!"
Freed came over, he was moving cautiously. "You are scaring her, Laxus. She doesn't know what is wrong with you."
Laxus fought his dragon. It took more effort than he thought possible but he did it for Dragonfly. Seeing her so scared of what he became gave him the strength he needed to push his dragon back. Slowly his claws receded and his scales faded. His eyes went back to his normal gray. He collapsed to his knees, cradling Dragonfly to his chest.
"Papa's back little one, Papa's here." He whispered to her and she slowly calmed down. Laxus just knelt there on the floor, holding her tight to him. He could still feel his dragon, close to the surface. He still had to focus to keep it back. It knew it could take control now and it wanted more.
"The Master would like to talk with you." Freed told him, speaking softly.
"Yeah, big surprise. I'll be right there." He laid back on the floor, his breathing was ragged and his whole body hurt. He felt like he had been fighting a real dragon all night, not just a mental one. He wasn't even sure if he was going to be able to move right now, let alone stand or walk.
He was going to have to face his grandfather at some point. He was probably going to be kicked out of the guild again. He had attacked Bacchus, probably hurt the man, and he made a scene in front of everyone. It was probably a good thing he was going to be kicked out. He didn't think he could face his guildmates again after that. He had worked hard to earn their respect back and his dragon had thrown it all out the window.
"Papa really messed things up little one. What are we going to do?" He lifted his head up enough to look at the orange ball of fur on his chest.
"Love." She said, hugging him the best her little arms would let her.
"Yeah, I love you too."
Wow Chapter 21 is done. This is the longest thing I have ever written and I love to hear people are still enjoying it. I'm going to be working towards an end to thing but I still see a few more chapters before we get there. Thank you all for reading and for all the reviews. I love you all.