Merry Christmas, everyone! For those that don't celebrate Christmas, Happy (belated) Hanukkah, Happy Yule, Merry Festivus, or thank goodness 2021 is nearly over.

I've just realised when reading back through these that Lucy's not actually wearing a bra. She doesn't typically in the anime from what I can see, but from my own experience, large breasts are heavy and require a marvel of engineering for support.

Before she could reach the light, Lucy was crushed into the hulking dark figure as his arms wrapped around her, a rumbling sound coming from deep within his chest. She gasped, and his arms tightened a moment before loosening so she could comfortably breathe. She took a breath, and tasted rain.

"Laxus?" She asked cautiously, and he rumbled at her again.

"I'm sorry, Blondie, I couldn't stay away. I know you don't want this, but I really don't have a choice." He whispered in her ear, and her stomach flipped pleasantly at the sound. She pushed lightly against him.

"Let me turn on the light." She suggested gently, and his arms tightened around her before letting her go. Flicking on the light, they both blinked in the sudden brightness, and Lucy was surprised to find an uneasy look on his face. The frown eased as his eyes traced over her features, and he reached for her again, taking in a deep breath for her scent, and he groaned lightly.

"What do you mean, you couldn't stay away?" She asked, absently drawing her fingers along his arm. He sighed.

"I didn't realise why you were trying so hard to stop things moving so quickly. I thought I just had to prove I was the best dragon slayer to protect you, and you'd be okay with that. Knowing now your old man tried to sell you to the highest bidder, I get why you don't want this." He paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I asked Freed to put me in a barrier. I wanted to go after you, but you didn't want us to. It got to the point where Freed had to let me go."

His mind flashed back to only a few hours ago, where he was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, throwing punches and lightning bolts at the rune barrier, his team watching him silently, identical worried looks plastered across their faces.

Freed had been squirming in his seat, guilt building as he watched his friend hurt himself by throwing himself at the barrier over and over, and eventually he had snapped and cancelled it.

"Just go." He told a surprised Laxus. Bickslow and Evergreen were standing behind the green-haired rune mage nodding in agreement. "I can't stand seeing you hurt yourself like this just to keep away from Lucy. Go to her. The barrier won't keep you out." The blond didn't look back as he tore off on his single-minded mission, his team watching with trepidation as he ran.

Lucy looked up at him, eyes soft. He tried to follow her wishes, and stop himself from claiming her against her will. She knew he'd changed from the power-hungry, angry man he'd been years earlier, but she didn't know he'd come this far. To have him be so open with her, so vulnerable, gave him the depth her image of him was missing. Now that he was in front of her, she knew her option to choose had flown out the window, but she wasn't upset.

The notion of building a life with the blond wrapped around her was hazy, indistinct. She had no idea where the path would lead, but she had to be willing to follow it right through to the end. To do anything less would sentence him to death, and she couldn't stomach the thought.

"Are you okay?" She asked, running her hands over what she could reach of him. He gave her a dangerous smile.

"I'll be better once I have you." He purred. She squeaked at his sultry tone, and a flash of heat rolled through her in her excitement. Tilting her head up with gentle fingers, he kissed her, and she melted against him. A thought struck her, and she pulled away from him.

"Wait, wait a second. How did you get in here?" She asked, confused. He smirked unrepentantly.

"Freed wrote an exception into the barrier for me." His tone was smug, and he pulled her in again as she rolled her eyes. Of course he did, she thought in amusement. All thoughts flew out of her head as Laxus aligned his hips against her, and she could feel his hard length pressed into her stomach. Her eyes widened, and she gasped into his mouth. It was far bigger than the two others she'd experienced, and she shivered at the thought of taking all of him inside her.

She was surprised when Laxus broke off from her, storm grey eyes hungrily watching her.

"I want to see you, Lucy. All of you." He purred, and a bolt of heat flashed through her, straight to her core. His fingers trailed down to her waist, then up to play with the edge of her crop top, watching her steadily for any sign of hesitance. Slowly, he slid his fingertips under the fabric, and her breath hitched as he caressed the underside of her breasts. He pulled her top up and over her head as gently as he could, making sure to avoid tangling anything in her hair. As soon as her arms were free, Lucy covered her breasts self-consciously, and Laxus rumbled his disapproval.

He took one of her hands and kissed her fingers, one for each of her fingertips. Her lips parted as she watched him, and, with eyes locked together, he delicately kissed the inside of her wrist, tongue darting out to taste her pulse point, and began slowly making his way up her inner arm. By the time he reached the inner crease of her elbow, Lucy was panting as if she'd run a marathon, and her heart raced.

"Will you let me learn you, Lucy?" He asked, his voice low and smooth, and she nodded dumbly at him. A smile flashed across his face, then he continued kissing up her bicep, and up to her shoulder. He trailed his hot, wet mouth tantalisingly slowly up the column of her neck, and by the time he was kissing her mouth again, her other hand had dropped to clutch at her skirt, and her legs were shaking.

Gasping as Laxus picked her up, Lucy clutched at him until he gently deposited her on her bed. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and half shrugged it off, pausing a moment as he caught Lucy inspecting him, warm brown eyes darkened with lust and trailing up and down his body. He posed for her, and her cheeks darkened as soon as she realised.

"Like what you see?" He teased, and she nodded her approval.

"I think… I think I need to see if my big, bad dragon is up to the task. I know you can protect me, I saw that earlier today, but…" She trailed off, voice thick with desire. He arched an eyebrow at her, and a smile spread across his face.

"Do you want me to strip for you? Your big, bad dragon?" He asked playfully, and she blushed again. Mentally pulling together everything he'd learned at Blue Pegasus, he inwardly thanked his training, even though he'd despised every second of it whilst it happened. Having his mate stare up at him like he was the most delicious thing on Earthland was a heady thing, and he was glad to make it worthwhile for her. He was thankful he'd had the presence of mind to pull his boots and socks off earlier, as the plan rapidly forming in his mind would have been disrupted. She'd be screaming his name by the time he finished.

His tongue darted out to lick his lips, and she was captivated by the tiny movement. The corner of his mouth lifted as he regarded her, and his eyes were half lidded as he let his own desire show. He shrugged his shoulders again, and let his shirt slide down his arms slowly, watching Lucy as her eyes followed the movement, inch after inch of hard, muscled body coming into sight. His shirt floated to the ground, and she licked her own lips as she dragged her eyes back up his arms, and down his chest to the trail of blond hair below his belly button, disappearing into the waistband of his pants.

Trailing his hands down to his waist, his fingers crept across to the buckle of his belt. Angling his hips out and towards the captivated blonde in front of him, he flicked it open with a practised move, and pulled it out of the belt loops. Letting it clatter to the ground, his hands rested against the button of his pants, fingertips dipping underneath in slow motions, teasing her with the motion.

Lucy had changed her position on the bed from sprawled backwards to sitting, knees spread and bent underneath her. She leaned forward slightly, bracing herself with her hands between her legs, unconsciously jutting her breasts out towards him. Her lips were parted, and darkened eyes watched intently every slow, sensual movement from the man standing in front of her. Inwardly marvelling at his muscular physique and the way he was watching her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, she unconsciously whimpered, and his eyes flashed in response.

Laxus was barely holding himself back from ravaging the Celestial mage in front of him. He hadn't been lying earlier when he said he wanted to learn her, and he fully intended on taking his time exploring her body, but the noises coming from her mouth, combined with the mouth-watering scent of her arousal coming from between her legs made him want to stop teasing her and get to the main event.

Finally, he flicked open the button on his pants, and slowly opened the zipper. Dark eyes honed in on the movement, and she licked her lips again, mouth suddenly dry. He allowed his pants to softly drop down his legs, and his erection sprang free, having forgone underwear that day. Lucy gulped as she eyed him, suddenly unsure if it was going to fit, but needing to try anyway.

His eyes intent on hers, Laxus stepped out of his pants towards her, and he lightly pushed her backwards to lie on her bed. He tugged at her skirt as he loomed over her, and Lucy nearly broke the zipper trying to pull it off as quickly as possible. All that was left between then were her soaked lace panties, and she fidgeted, wanting them off. He gave her a wolfish grin before he knelt by her feet, and Lucy gazed down at him, mystified.

Bending his head down, he pressed his lips to the inside of her ankle, and his eyes met hers again as he slowly moved upwards, trailing blazing hot kisses up her legs. Lucy's heart rate skyrocketed, and she bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from bowling the Lightning dragon slayer over and impaling herself on him. Throwing her head back against her pillow as his tongue probed a sensitive spot, she moaned his name loudly and blindly she reached down and tangled her lithe fingers in his hair.

Finally, he reached her inner thigh, and he nipped at her, causing her to buck her hips against him with a gasp.

"Please, Laxus." She urged, and he looked up at her.

"Please what, Lucy?" He purred, and licked along the line of her panties. She moaned and bucked again.

"Please!" she cried. "Please touch me, I need you Laxus, I need you inside me!" Her face was burning, and she was panting, dark eyes roaming desperately over his face. He smirked up at her.

"I think I'm going to have a little taste first." He rumbled, and her lips parted at his words.

"Oh, Mavis." She breathed, and he pulled her panties down her legs, tossing them somewhere behind him. Her knees parted, and he stared down at her in awe.

"You are so beautiful." He murmured to her, and without waiting for a response, dove between her legs and licked up her slit to the little bundle of nerves, and Lucy screamed his name in response. She was already so wet, so ready for him, and his careful ministrations had her on the edge so that a single lick with his skilled tongue had sent her catapulting into the stars. Her hands flew into his hair again, unsure if she needed to pull him closer or push him away, and he started his attention on her core in earnest.

Lucy moaned and panted as Laxus licked and sucked like a man starved. Her hips rolled against his face, and he brought her to screaming orgasm a second time. Her legs started to shake as he carefully inserted a finger inside her, inner walls clamping down on the single digit as he slowly pumped it inside her. A second finger joined the first, and he curled them against her inner walls, and she came again, breathless in the wake of her latest release. A third finger helped stretch her out, and he gently scissored his fingers to make sure she was ready for him.

Lucy cried out as he pulled away from her, reaching for him again, and finally he positioned his hips above hers. He dragged the blunt head of his cock up and down her drenched folds, and she moaned again as her hips tried to follow the movement. Gritting his teeth, he fought the urge to slam himself into her and take her with wild abandon. He knew he was large, and he needed to make sure he didn't hurt her in his hurry to please her.

Slowly, carefully, he inserted himself part way in her, rolling his eyes into the back of his head at the feeling of her velvety walls surrounding him, gripping him with wet heat. He started with slow, shallow, controlled thrusts as Lucy clutched at him, hips rising to meet his.

"Laxus, please, I need more, please Laxus." She gasped, and he groaned her name, rolling his hips into hers. She felt so full as he began to thrust into her, and she saw stars as he fully sheathed himself in her.

"Lucy!" He groaned as she tightened around him, and his hips snapped against hers in response. She moaned wantonly as she ground herself against him, rolling her own hips to catch the best angle. His thrusts wound the coil in her core tighter and tighter, and suddenly she was flying, toes curling and knees gripping his hips as she screamed her release again, his name falling from her lips like a prayer.

He changed his angle, and watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head from the sensation, hips snapping against his as she rolled into another orgasm, her walls tightening around him. Laxus knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer, not with her tightening core wrapped around him.

He bared his teeth and lunged down to bite the junction between her neck and collarbone, and Lucy howled at the sensation, electricity crackling in the air. The pain and pleasure warred within, but ultimately pleasure won out as he thrust into her again, winding her up to a frenzied pace, and they came together, Lucy screaming his name, and Laxus with a roar.

Shuddering in pleasure as he finished, Laxus growled as the walls of her passage twitched around his softening length.

"Are you that eager for round two?" He asked, and amusement flashed through him as she looked up at him in shock.

"What?" She asked intelligently, and he chuckled, pulling out of her. Easing himself off to the side, he collapsed onto the bed, and pulled Lucy close.

"Sleep." He told her. "We'll go back to my place for round two, the other idiots won't be looking for us there, and my team knows to stay away."

"Okay." She sighed, and snuggled up next to him, closing her eyes.

They spent the next week at Laxus' house, exploring each other's bodies and minds. Natsu had tried to storm the house in protest, and the Lightning dragon slayer watched as he ran headfirst into a rune barrier. The resulting tantrum coming from the salmon-haired dragon slayer had been hilarious, and the blond had been very glad Lucy hadn't woken up while the firestorm raged outside, too tired from the morning's activities. Eventually, Gray and Erza had come to drag him away, the redhead waving an apology to her fellow S-class mage.

When they finally arrived at the guild, the celebration had begun immediately, the Master declaring a party, and wading in to be the first to congratulate his grandson and the blushing blonde. Mira had gone into planning mode even as she tended the bar, and was calling out suggestions for their wedding.

Eventually, Lucy came face to face with Natsu, and the Fire dragon slayer was careful not to touch her as her mate gave him a warning look from halfway across the room.

"Are you happy with him, Luce?" He asked quietly, dark eyes searching her face. Lucy gave him a small smile and looked over her shoulder to find the hulking blond, and snorted in amusement as she saw Freed attached to his arm, tears streaming down the rune mage's face.

"Yeah, Natsu. I am, and I think I will be, too. He's already started talking about kids." Her face flushed as she recalled the conversation and how earnest his face had been between his kisses. Natsu watched her for a moment, and his face relaxed into a grin.

"Guess I can't kill him now, hey Luce? If he ever hurts you, though, I'll take him down." He slammed a fist into the palm of his hand, and he looked excited at the prospect of finally defeating the Lightning dragon slayer. Lucy laughed at her best friend, and shook her head. Natsu will always be Natsu, she thought in amusement. Gray hummed in approval, appearing over Natsu's shoulder.

"Count me in." He added, and glanced behind him. "I know Erza would want to get some good hits in, too."

Lucy leaned around the two men and watched as the redhead re-quip mage happily ate another bite of her cake, eyes closing in bliss as she chewed, and a smile spread over her face. Her family were always looking out for her, and she loved them all dearly.

It was several months later when Laxus finally told her he loved her, and another few months before she told him she was pregnant. In the privacy of their home, he stared at her, words echoing funnily in his ears, heart pounding, and he fainted dead away. When he came to, Lucy was hovering over him, torn between laughing and worry.

"You're pregnant? I mean, really?" He asked in excitement, and when she nodded, he scrambled to his feet and picked her up, whirling her around as he whooped for joy, Lucy clutching at his arms for dear life. Eight months later, little Layla Dreyer was born, all blonde tufts of hair, red cheeks, and squalling, and Laxus was instantly enthralled by his tiny daughter.

Lucy sighed as Layla finally quietened down, falling asleep in her mother's arms. Crossing over to the crib, the Celestial mage carefully placed her down, and slowly withdrew, holding her breath that the baby wouldn't wake again. Tiptoeing out of the room, she made her way to the bedroom, where her husband was waiting for her, and she collapsed in bed next to him. He turned, and drew her closer to him, idly stroking her arm.

"I love you, Lucy Dreyer." He whispered, and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. Brown eyes met storm grey, and she smiled at him.

"I love you too, Laxus Dreyer." She responded, and his face split into a wide smile.

"Now, your big, bad dragon has a surprise for you." He purred, and pulled her closer to him. She giggled, and threaded her fingers through his hair as she drew him in for a kiss.

And there's Laxus! I thought it would be adorable for him to be utterly wrapped around their daughter's tiny fingers. Am I including the curse on the Dreyer men? No, no I'm not. I didn't want to have to deal with it, to be honest, it would make things far more difficult. Next up is the man you've all been waiting for, Cobra!