Some angst, some smut, some fluff. Enjoy.

From Afar

He had always watched her from afar.

Against his best interests and the dragon roaring in his head, Laxus stayed away from Lucy. In the beginning, he didn't mind simply keeping an eye on her. He enjoyed watching her complain to Mirajane at the bar, he smirked whenever she transformed into Scary Lucy and kicked Gray or Natsu across the guild hall, he laughed at her constant financial misfortunes due to her teams' recklessness, and he loved watching her smile, laugh, pout. And he was satisfied with this. He didn't think he deserved her after he nearly shocked her stone form out of existence during Fantasia.

But then Tartaros happened and the guild disbanded, and as much as Laxus didn't want to admit it, Lucy was different. He didn't notice it at first. Then there was a guild brawl and Lucy somehow ended up flying across the room and into his arms and that's when he realized. Fairy Tail's innocent Celestial Spirit Mage wasn't so innocent anymore. She no longer smelled like the strawberry-scented virtuous girl she was before the guild's disbandment. Some time in their year apart, Lucy Heartfilia lost her virginity. As Laxus held her in his arms, he inhaled her scent and nearly dropped her in his shock. Mixed with her natural scent lingered a distinct masculine odor and Laxus' dragon just about lost its shit.

Lucy stared up at him wide-eyed. Her chocolate eyes clashed with his blue and she gasped at what must have been a sinister expression on his face. When Laxus tightened his arms around her and his chest vibrated with a deep growl, she struggled to leave his grasp. He let her go and watched in distress as she made her way to her teams' table. The dragon inside him whined and whimpered for the one person in the world made for him and Laxus reveled in his dragon's pain. He felt it too. So stark and so deeply, his chest hurt like he was inhaling bane particles again. He left the guild immediately, a loud thunderclap echoing in the air.

For weeks Laxus suffered. He acted his usual standoffish self at the guild so no one dared to question the permanent scowl plastered on his face, but his team was growing worried. He had been acting aggressively during their missions and he nearly snapped their heads off at their bickering more than usual. He always chose the difficult quests that required killing monsters and each time he took them all on himself. And Lucy, his Lucy, every time he was close enough he smelled a different man on her. His inner dragon was reduced to pitiful whimpers whenever he was around her.

"Laxus, we need to talk." Laxus looked up from his beer to meet Gajeel's eyes across the table.

"What do you want?" Laxus grumbled.

"You're in pain," Gajeel said softly. "Why haven't you claimed her? Why are you torturing yourself like this?"

"I don't deserve someone like her." Laxus gulped down his beer and slammed the empty mug on the table. He stood to leave. He didn't want to have this conversation.

"Bullshit." Gajeel stood and moved towards Laxus until they were nose to nose. "Do you think she deserves to be sleeping around so much, never feeling satisfied or loved because the only person she could ever feel that with is you." Gajeel forced his finger into Laxus' chest. "You better get your shit together and make a move. No more pity parties. You're in pain and she is too, but at least you know why."

"Wait, what?" Laxus grabbed Gajeel by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "What do you mean she's in pain too?"

"It's not pain pain," Gajeel pushed Laxus' hands off of him, "but emotional. Mental. She feels empty and she's trying to fill that void. I don't know why it happened so suddenly. It must have been the gap year. How far apart were you two?"

"I don't know. I was with Blue Pegasus, but I'm not sure where she was. By the time I recovered from inhaling the bane particles, she was gone. And my nose isn't as good as Natsu's is, I wasn't able to follow her," Laxus explained.

"Well fuck." Gajeel rubbed his chin thought.

"Well fuck, what?" Laxus asked desperately.

"I don't know. Something must have fucked with the mating bond. Or something happened that triggered her sexcapades, I don't know. You need to talk to her," Gajeel surmised.

Laxus sighed heavily, "I've never really spoken to her. I don't know how."

"Well you better learn or she's going to end up hurt, or she's going to settle and you're going to lose her forever. Lucy's loyal." Gajeel reached over to pat Laxus on the shoulder. "Good luck man."

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering how he could have let things get so fucked up. He had no idea Lucy felt things on her side of the mating bond. If she could feel pain, shouldn't she have felt the attraction too? Why hadn't she ever come up to him? Stupid question, Laxus. Of course she wouldn't come up to you after everything you did.

"Hey Laxus, would you like a refill on your beer or are you heading out?" Laxus turned to look at the subject of his thoughts smiling brightly and pointing at the empty mug he left on the table. She was carrying a tray with empty glasses and wore an apron around her waist. Her hair was tied in two low pigtails and in classic Lucy attire, she wore a revealing crop top, mini skirt, and knee-high boots. Today she only smelled like herself. Laxus' dragon whined, begging the slayer to connect with his mate.

Laxus took a deep breath to inhale her delicious natural scent of strawberry and vanilla. Then he steeled his nerves and uttered words he hoped wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass. "Lucy, will you go on a date with me?"

"Eh!?" She shrieked. Her cheeks blossomed with heat and she tittered on her feet, shifting her weight back and forth until she finally stopped. "W-why would you ask me th-that?"

Laxus almost smiled at her expression. "Because I want to take you on a date."

She chewed on her bottom lip before meeting Laxus' eyes. "Okay."

"Yeah?" Laxus tried to keep the shocked hope out of his voice but failed.

"Yeah." Lucy blushed prettily as she brought her free hand up to twirl hair in her finger.

"It's a date then," Laxus grinned. Hope and happiness spread across his whole being, he felt like flying. Even his dragon let out a soft trill of joy.

Lucy and Laxus dated for a month before they had sex for the first time.

After another month, Laxus revealed to Lucy that she was his destined mate.

Another month later found the couple in Laxus' office, his pants gathered around in his ankles, Lucy's skirt bunched at her waist as she bent over the desk. Lucy mewled in pleasure as Laxus took her from behind, one of his large hands pinching an exposed nipple between his fingers, his other hand pressing a thumb against her clit.

"That's it, baby," Laxus breathed into her ear. "I want to hear you. Show me how good I make you feel."

"Laxus!" She shuddered in his grasp as he used his magic to send small currents of electricity through her nipple, feeling as it rushed through her entire body to meet his fingers at her heat.

Laxus groaned as he thrusted into Lucy as her orgasm exploded around his shaft, her heat gripping him as her walls convulsed and fluttered around him. He released her breast to grip her hips with both hands as he pounded into her, the sound of their skin slapping echoing around his office. Lucy panted underneath him, gripping the edge of the desk for balance.

"Harder, Laxus." She turned her head to meet his eyes over his shoulders. Her eyelashes fluttered as she demanded. "Give me more, Laxus. Where's my dragon?"

Laxus gripped her hips hard enough to bruise and growled, "I'll show you a dragon."

Suddenly golden scales spread across his cheeks and arms as lightning began to arc off of his body and onto Lucy's. She moaned loudly underneath him and ground back against him, the glittering mark on her shoulder sparking to meet his magic. Laxus shifted and began hitting Lucy at an angle that had her arching her back into his body. Laxus brought his arms around Lucy's waist to hold her close to him as he pistoned his hips against hers with bruising force. Her head fell back against his chest and Laxus had a clear view of her pouty lips open in silent pleasure. He bent his head to kiss and suck at the creamy skin of her neck and shoulder, biting down on her mark with his canines. Lucy screamed, and Laxus held her as her body convulsed from an earth-shattering orgasm, his magic sparking even more around them. The office was filled with electrical currents, the lights overhead fading in and out.

"Are you ready, Lucy?" Laxus kissed her temple as she nodded in daze.

He pulled out of her only to flip her on her back so they stood face to face. He gripped her thighs as her legs automatically moved to wrap around him, his length slipping back inside her with ease. He set her gently on the desk, the wood scorched with lightning. The couple shared drunk grins before their lips met in a heated battle of lips and tongues. Magic sparked around them as Laxus moved again, Lucy's nails biting into the skin of his back as she moaned into his mouth.

When Lucy suddenly clenched around him, he was nearly done for. He growled against her lips as she grinned. As his lips moved to the mark on her neck again, Lucy's fingers trailed from his back around to his front and up his sculpted chest to push his shirt aside to reveal an identical mark on his shoulder. They both shuddered as they grazed each other's marks. Lucy shifted her head ever so slightly to bring her lips to Laxus' broad shoulder, his mouth still trailing hot kisses along her neck. With a final thrust, Laxus and Lucy simultaneously bit down on the other's mark.

Lightning arced off the couple as Lucy opened her mouth in a silent scream and Laxus groaned against her neck, each experiencing intense pleasure and blinding orgasms. A particular bolt of lightning struck the ceiling light and with a sound almost like an explosion, the couple, and the rest of Magnolia was shrouded in darkness.

"Godsdammit they did it again!" was heard from the guild hall below.

Lucy giggled against Laxus skin as he grinned and rubbed her thighs. She pulled back to meet Laxus' gaze and her heart fluttered at his adoring gaze. She leaned forward to nuzzle his nose and he hummed contentedly.

"I love you, Laxus."

"I love you too, Lucy."

She pecked his lips before unwrapping her legs from around him, his spent member slipping from between her legs. Laxus bent to adjust his pants while Lucy adjusted her top and skirt.

"You know, as fun as this is, we won't be able to keep doing it against the desk like," Lucy's voice sounded behind Laxus as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Why not? Scared Gramps will bill us for shutting down all the electricity again?" Laxus chuckled as he turned in her arms to wrap his own around her.

Lucy hummed. "Not exactly."

"Then?"

"You might hurt the baby if you keep bending me over the desk," Lucy said softly.

"What baby?" Laxus bent to lift Lucy and carried her to sit on his lap as he found his desk chair. "You're my only baby."

"This baby, dummy." Lucy dragged his large hand to rest on her lower abdomen. "Our baby."

"Y-you're pregnant?" Laxus asked in wonder, his fingers spreading to cover her tummy.

"It must have been the 7 rounds of sex during our mating," Lucy giggled.

"Lucy this is amazing," Laxus choked up towards the end. "Thank you." He kissed her hair. "You're my greatest gift." He kissed her temple. "You're my life." He kissed her cheek. "And now you're the mother of my child." He tilted Lucy's smiling face towards his and met her lips in a tender kiss.

"I'm so glad you asked me out on a date that one day," Lucy smiled softly. "Took you long enough."

"Oi, you already know why I waited so long," Laxus scowled.

Lucy laughed, "Yes and I still think you're an idiot. You could have had me years ago if you had just asked. I always thought you were handsome, if a little pig-headed and egotistical."

Laxus' arms tighten around her. "And I will regret that forever, but I'll spend the rest of my life giving you mind blowing sex to make up for it."

Lucy huffed, "You better. I—"

The door to Laxus' office slams opens, the door hanging on its hinges. Holding a glowing orb of magic in her hand, Mira stands menacingly in the doorway, in full Satan Soul form.

"What did I tell you two about having sex in the guild?" Mira's eyebrow twitches.

"Sorry Mira, we were celebrating," Lucy tried to placate her.

"Celebrate what, exactly? Destroying the city's electrical framework again?" Her expression twisted and she took a step towards the blond couple.

Laxus growled, standing swiftly and putting Lucy behind him. "Don't you dare, Mira."

Mira sneered, "You don't scare me, Laxus." The orb in her hand glowed brighter.

"Threaten Lucy and my kid again, Mira. It's a battle you won't win." Laxus growled, dragon scales spreading across his skin.

Mira faltered, her expression shifting. "Kid?"

"I'm pregnant, Mira," Lucy called from behind Laxus.

Instantly, Mira's Satan Soul disappears and in her place is a squealing barmaid. She runs out the door and yells over the balcony, "Laxus and Lucy are having a baby!"

The guild erupts in cheers as Lucy moves forward to calm her mate. She grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers. Laxus looks down at their joined hands and the scales fade to be replaced by the loving expression that always makes Lucy's heart skip a beat.

"Ready to face the rabble?" Lucy winked.

"I'll electrocute anyone who gets too close to you," Laxus growled.

A/N: Expect more frequent updates because writing Lalu is how I de-stress from work these days. I just got a full-time job and while I love it, I also hate adulting and this is too much adult for me. I have an idea brewing for a potential multi-chapter Lalu fic, so I'll keep you all updated on that.

Take care and stay safe!