Does Mommy Lay Eggs?

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"Big brother? Where are you?" A fair little child skirted across the floors with the beat of rhythmic pattering beneath the tiny pads of her feet. Down the hall, down the stairs in a frantic search. She stumbled a bit on the last step, she always had, but she refused to hit the ground. Little white wings appeared at her back with a burst of golden glitter; the aerial resistance catching her as she fell. She landed a few steps forwards and smeared her bangs to one side, quickly checking to make sure no one saw her fumble. "Alex? Big brother?"

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"Over here, Lye."

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Lyra's pale golden waves bounced as she whirled around and corrected her trajectory to the living room.

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"You know you're not supposed to use your magic just 'cause you're clumsy." Alex scolded.

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"I know…" She whined. "I'll try harder… I just didn't want to fall when I was going so fastly."

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"Then stop running in the house."

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"What chu doing?"

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Alex didn't raise his gaze from the Kho'Misika N'Ahrai as he directed his little sister's gaze to where their baby brother was crawling around the floor alongside the couch he was laying in. "Babysitting." The ten-year-old assured her. "Mom had to go visit dad at the guild real quick."

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Lyra popped her head up by the couch arm, laying her hands on the cushion to help her see over the fluffy hump. "Lazy," she scolded. "You're not even playing with him."

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Again, Alex didn't raise his gaze as he pointed to the little scorch marks on the carpet. "Am so." He assured her, another little spark of electricity skittering over the carpet. Lyra watched as their baby brother stuck his tongue out and crawled after the glittering strand.

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"Boop, bleh… BOOP!" He lurched forward, falling onto his belly as he stretched himself thin to try and catch the evasive strand. He made an unflattering raspberry noise with his tongue still hanging out of his mouth before he began to drag his belly through the carpet ply like he was swimming.

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"Ryky could get hurt." Lyra reasoned hesitantly, reaching the baby blonde's side. She heaved exasperatedly and sat her brother back upright. "You use daddy's really super strong magic and if you're not careful, it could go bad." She looked down at the baby in her lap who simply looked back up at her with bright blue eyes and repeated his crude noise.

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Alex sighed and slid a bookmark in his grandmother's old diary. Honestly, he had only learned his father's magic out of necessity after he and his mother were attacked by the cultists who had tormented her in her youth. He wanted to know more about his mother's magic. He was fascinated that his grandfather was really a dragon and was desperate to learn more. His mother had started teaching him the ancient language of demons, Alra'Bekthian, and on his own, he was starting to translate small passages in the Kho'Misika N'Ahrai. Trying to do so, though, was proving difficult with two younger siblings crawling around.

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He flipped his mop of dark auburn bangs from his eyes and sat up on the couch to offer his younger siblings a seat. "You were lookin' for me, right?"

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Lyra beamed her beautiful smile, cobalt eyes shining as she dragged her indifferent baby brother along with her. Alex helped her heave Rykaylan onto the couch between her legs. He used to enjoy making jokes about how she'd broken their baby brother, who always seemed to have a goofy half-grin on his face with his tongue pushed out the middle of bubbling lips. Unfortunately, teasing her as such just made her cry, and even if they were good at distracting him, he loved his little siblings and would do anything to make them happy.

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Lyra settled the ragdoll child between her legs on the couch and looked up at her big brother. "I had a question."

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Alex looked back at her and nodded. There was a four-year gap between all three children congregating on the couch. Alex was the oldest at ten, and Rykaylan the youngest at two. "I'm all ears."

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Her smile broadened, and with no hesitation, she boldly stated her inquiry. "Does mommy lay eggs like a dragon?"

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Alex shook his head. "I don't think so, Lye. You weren't an egg when you were born."

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"What puts the baby in her tummy then?" Being older than Ryky, she had seen her mother carry him. The specifics of where he originated from didn't elude her. She wanted to know how he got there.

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Alex's look of humble discontentment was one certainly inherited from his father. "You didn't seriously think that mom ate an egg and then laid Ryky, did you?"

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Lyra's giggle was over-exaggerated as she pretended that wasn't exactly what she had thought. "Nauo!" She assured him through her broad smile. "I want to know though!"

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"Know what?" Alex pried.

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"How babies are made?"

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"Isn't it obvious?"

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Lyra looked back at him, her smile fading with her curiosity. "I don't think so…"

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Alex smiled and patted her head. "Blood and battle."

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Lyra's already pales skin faded even ghastlier when she thought about his words.

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"Boop…" Ryky cooed beneath her.

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"Right after you were born, I asked mom where I came from and she told me blood and battle," Alex assured her. He and Rykaylan had been born as a result of their father's near death igniting passion between their parents the night they'd almost been taken from each other. Blood and battle was not far off the truth. "She said it's what'll make us strong."

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Lyra's glowing orbs started to gloss with the presence of tears. "But… I don't want to be made with blood and battle."

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The congregation of azure gazes all shifted to the door when the tumbler clicked over. Alex smiled and helped Lyra from the couch with Ryky in tote, careful to detour the child from tripping over the black sheppard that had been sleeping at the foot of the couch. "Sorry, Niko." He assured the dog casually upon passing.

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Neirah opened the door to her home, met by a herd of little family members and their furry companion. She gave Niko an affectionate pat before she was met with Lyra's teary wails.

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"Mommy, I don't want to be made of blood and battle!" Lyra demanded through big glossy tears.

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It took Neirah a moment to process what her daughter had just told her but it all became clear when Alex joined her side with an explanation.

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"She was asking how babies were made so I told her."

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Neirah smiled softly and took baby Ryky from Lyra's arms, giving him a firm kiss on the cheek as he wobbled dorkily in her arms. "Well, that's true of my boys." Neirah cooed, reaching down to take her daughter's hand. "We haven't always had peaceful times. Sometimes mommy and daddy had to fight to make things right again."

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She led Lyra to the couch and sat her on the opposite knee as her baby brother. "But that's not what made daddy's little angel." She cooed affectionately. "She was made of flowers and bubbles."

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Lyra giggled as her mother nuzzled her cheek with her nose. Alex, on the other hand, simply knotted up his face with disbelief. "I don't believe you." He reprimanded sceptically. "Dad doesn't even like flowers."

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"Who says?" Neirah snorted playfully. "You think your father's too cool to enjoy the finer things?"

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"Yeah," Alex admitted without thinking. "Dad's tough, he doesn't like girly things like that."

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Neirah reached out and snatched him by his collar, drawing him between his younger siblings for an assault of kisses and giggles. "Excuse me, prince! I am one of those finer things your father enjoys!" Neirah scolded, pinning a sniggering Alex between the kisses she and Lyra bombarded him with.

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"Agh! Mom! Cut it out!" He scolded through laughter.

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"What? Is my prince too tough for kisses? Your father's not too tough for kisses." She teased. "He likes them here, and here, and here."

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Alex squirmed as she kissed his forehead, his cheek, his head. "No! Stop! Stop it!" He chided, trying to shove her face away. His ears perked when he heard the door open again and his eyes widened with hope. "DAD! Dad! Help!"

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Laxus looked down at the mess of Dreyar's on the living room couch, unsure of what exactly was happening. Niko was barking like a mad dog, and by the looks of it, his son was under attack.

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"Master daddy's home!" Lyra sang, leaving her brother one attacker short. She ran to her father and leapt up into his arms.

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"And just in time to witness a crime, I think." He rumbled softly, settling her against his shoulder.

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He joined the rest of his family, his son reaching out to him like he was being sucked into a loving wormhole.

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"Dad! Tell mom you don't like flowers!" Alex demanded it from his father like he was tattling on his mother. "Tough guys like us don't like flowers!"

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Laxus looked down to where Ryky was bopping his head off of his leg. The child would crawl forth, bop his head, and then back up again to repeat the assault. One of his children greeted him affectionately, one was begging for his aid in combat, and the other was trying to plough his feet out from under him with invisible horns.

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"Ok, dad's had to deal with a zoo full crazy Fairy Tail wizards all day. Can we try the, 'Hi honey, welcome home' card and see how that goes?"

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Neirah released her squirmy son and took her husband's side. She scooped up the triceratops trying to slay a giant and gave Laxus a delicate kiss on the cheek. "This is what happens when you're master of the kingdoms rowdiest guild and master of your castle at home." She purred affectionately. "All disputes must be settled by you."

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Alex finished wiping the kisses off his face before standing in front of his father, his hair a cow-licked mess as a result of his struggles. "So? Tell mom and Lye that you don't like flowers!" He demanded. "Mom said that babies are made with blood and battle! Not flowers and bubbles!"

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"Bubbles?" Laxus snorted with gentle amusement. "But she's not wrong," he agreed. "You and you brother were made with battle."

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"Told you." Neirah mused, sneaking another kiss to her son's cheek.

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Alex recoiled as his triumphant mother circled him, his cheeks colouring with his frustration. "But what about Lye! She needs to be strong too!" He demanded.

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"Not with two brothers to look out for her."

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Alex flailed his arms to detour his mother's second kissing offence. "Mom, stop instigating!"

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Neirah openly laughed. She thought it was absolutely adorable to hear her children speak so refined.

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Alex ran to his father with a desperate look in his eyes as Laxus set Lyra on the ground to play with the gentle giant dancing at their feet.

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"Come on, Blue!" Lyra cooed, running alongside the large dog that took careful heed not to accidentally barrel into her. "Let's go pick flowers for master daddy!"

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"Dad!"

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Laxus looked down at his eldest expectantly. Alex had always held him in high regard and the child seemed devastated that his father would even consider constructing a child with such fragile means.

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"You're too tough, right dad?"

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"Tough guys can like flowers."

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"DAD NO!"

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Neirah snickered to the side of the conversation, Ryky blowing bubbles in her arms. The youth honestly made it sound like his world was coming to an end.

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"Well, I'd hope so." Laxus instigated. He dropped his palm to his son's ruffled mane. "I'd like to think my boy's pretty tough."

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"What? Agh, not me dad! You!" Alex defended. "Mom's tryin' to say that you-"

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"But you like a flower too."

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Alex grew eerily silent with his father's insinuation.

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"Don't you like Lily?"

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Neirah stifled her laughter behind a knotted face until her son had stormed out of the room with crimson stained features puckered like a fish. As soon as he was out of earshot, Neirah burst out laughing. "Oh my, smooth daddy." She exclaimed, most impressed with her husband's quick thinking. Right from when they were young, Alex had always favoured Gajeel and Levy's daughter to the other kids his age. Lillian and Alex had become great friends, something Gajeel feared would bloom into something that a first-time father wasn't ready to deal with.

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Laxus wrapped his arm around his wife and took a moment to enjoy the first bout of silence he'd experienced all day. "Don't tell your brother I said that." He silently pleaded.

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"Your secret's safe with me." She purred, giving him a tender kiss on the lips.

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His lips curled into a playful smile as he lowered his face to her shoulder and settled his nerves with an inhale filled by the sakura scented strands woven into her braid. "Flowers and bubbles, huh?" He murmured through his grin.

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"Don't get any ideas, daddy."

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Laxus rose to meet Ryky's large and vacant stare, the child's tongue still hanging out of his face. "Remind me never to let Bickslow babysit." He rumbled reaching out to grab the infant's tongue. Ryky slithered it back into his face moments before his father could snatch it.

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"What are the chance it'll stay there?" Neirah whispered light-heartedly. Moments after she'd spoken, Ryky was flopping his tongue back out again and repeating his signature raspberry blow.

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Laxus' expression faded dismally as he closed his eyes and puffed out a heavy sigh.

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"He gets the dog from you." Neirah teased enthusiastically.

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"Can we try for a normal one?"

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"I said no more."