Exploring the various booths within the bazaar, Juvia's mind was somewhere far, far away. Her blond companion had taken space in her head. It wasn't the first time, of course. From time-to-time, she thought about him, often wondering how he was, was he eating well, how was he feeling.

Even thinking about the events that happened last night, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed for falling asleep on him while they were speaking. It wasn't my fault, she thought, it just felt like the right time to pass out. It's funny. She was never the time to suddenly doze off, especially outside of her home. She was trained to always be on guard - something she kept from her Phantom Lord days. Falling asleep randomly was such an out-of-character thing to do.

How did I get so comfortable to the point that I let my guard down? How did I get so comfortable sleeping in his presence?

Laxus had a rule: he never slept over people's houses and he never let guests sleep over - no matter how close they were. The thought of him, after noticing that she was asleep, picking her up and giving her his bed instead of waking her up to go home was such an out-of-character action. Juvia's fingertips lightly stroked the leather-bound spine of a notebook. Come to think of it, we've been pretty out-of-character lately.

Even the tea set came as a surprise. Whenever they talked, she did most of the talking. Laxus, in his typical brooding fashion, would nod and, from time-to-time, provide his inputs. The fact that he not only remembered her love of teas but thought of her enough to purchase her an expensive tea set with her favorite assortment meant that he was listening and not just tolerating her.


Stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Laxus kept thinking.

Why would she even say that? He ran his fingers through his scalp.

Evergreen had left his place over an hour ago yet he's still sitting in the same place. Her words to him stuck to him.

"C'mon, you don't have to lie to me. It's quite obvious you do." Evergreen stepped closer to him, "You're probably afraid that she still has feelings for Gray, don't you?"

No, he didn't have feelings for her. He couldn't. It didn't make any sense.

When he thought of Juvia, he only felt fondness. He always thought it was something comparable to a pet. Something - or someone - that would provide companionship. Something he could watch over, something to protect. It's been a while since he found something new that he could feel protective over.


Laxus was not a man of many words - the only part of his reputation that was correct. He was not someone that could easily make friends like a Natsu. He has always been a guarded person. It was how he was raised.

He was the first-and-only grandson of the legendary Makarov from the Fairy Tail guild. It was only natural that he assumed the title of guildmaster as his grandfather and great-grandfather before him. Being a leader means that he could never be weak, not when his teammates were counting on him. He couldn't afford to be.

Growing up, he got to see some of the most iconic mages that ever lived pass through the guild doors. He idolized them. He wanted to be like them. The amount of battles that he either witnessed or heard about. The lore of the original founders of Fairy Tail. These were the stories that he dreamt about. He wanted to be one of them.

His mother died when he was young. He had very few memories of her. All he knew about her was from his grandfather and father (on very few occasions) would tell him. They hadn't spent much time together as she was ill for most of his life. He knew she was kind, that she loved him, and that she was afraid of what his father would do to him. The last part was told to him by his grandfather.

His father, Ivan, was different from his mother. He was ambitious and valued strength. Sometimes, while disciplining a young Laxus, he would sneer that his mother died because she was too weak. That scared Laxus. At the time, he was known for his kindness around the guild. With every act of kindness he showed, Ivan would get upset. Every nice act was punished. Harsher and harsher with every act. Eventually, Laxus would retreat to himself.

One day, his father came up to him, hands behind his back. He told the young Laxus that he had a surprise for him. Something to make him strong. Something that would prevent his fate from being like his mother. When he showed his surprise, Laxus saw a flash-colored lacrima in a jar. His eyes widened. He had never seen anything like it before.

Ivan, taking advantage of his curiosity, told Laxus that, if he swallowed the lacrima, he would be the most powerful person in his guild. Something he dreamt of. So of course, he did it. His reality changed shortly. He wasn't the same boy he used to be. He could never go back to previous life.

He went from playing with friends to having a very rigorous training schedule. He didn't have time to "play with the weak," as Ivan said. He was supposed to be destined for greatness. After all, he was mightiest of them all: a dragon slayer. Very few people were in the world.

From dawn to dusk, Laxus would train with Ivan. He was supposed to be the ultimate Fairy Tail mage with the founder's bloodline. One day, he would master not only all of the ancient dragon slayer arts but also the future welder of the secret spells that were a part of the guild's lore: Fairy Law. His future was set. He was supposed to become guildmaster and together, he and his father would kick out the useless, weaker members of the guild and establish a guild full of powerful S-Class level mages. No one with power levels beneath them could ever even think of becoming a member.

Unfortunately, reality hit Ivan hard. He never thought that his own father would figure out what he did…or what he was planning. See, Ivan assumed the old man was oblivious. He sure acted like it in public. But behind the bumbling old man act was an astute and observant man. Once Makarov figured out that his son was grooming his own grandson to become a super soldier and eventually start a coup, he was promptly kicked out and Laxus stayed with him.

Losing his father was such a blow to Laxus. He had looked to him, his only living parent. To have him removed from his life by his grandfather just to keep these strangers in the guild, hurt him. To see his grandfather choose strangers over his son when he wanted to keep the guild's reputation strong was just something he couldn't understand. It hurt him to the core. For many years, he resented them, Makarov and the guild.

The bitterness over the years of losing his parents and living in what he would then-misguidedly call a "foster home," turned him to an angsty, combative teenager and later an angry young adult. He had so much anger inside; he could never fathom that he would never stop resenting them. He learned that he couldn't trust anyone - not even family.

He trained.

He trained a lot.

Every day.

With headphones in, he would practice his magic. One day he would take revenge for his father. One day, he would become the man that his father had bred him to be.

Unfortunately for him, that same reality that met his father would eventually meet him. He was defeated. He was humiliated. And worst of all, he was excommunicated from the only home that he knew. All of it, he thought at the time, wasn't worth it.

That aloneness, the one that he craved so much growing up, soured on him quickly. He realized during his travels that he did, in fact, need a friend. A companion. Someone he could actually talk to.

Coming back to the guild, he thought he had that with The Thunder Legion. All he wanted to do was protect him. No matter their quirks or his perceived indifference, they stood by him. He was their leader and like how a team needs a leader, he needed his teammates. His year in isolation definitely solidified that.


Laxus thought that was all he needed. He was a part of the guild, he had his group of friends, he was respected as a strong mage. He didn't need anything more. However, once he hung out with Juvia, he realized that he wanted more - no, he needed more.

Sometimes, in his mind, he wondered why he took to her so quickly. It's not like they just met. They've been guild members for years now. They've even worked together on a team during the Grand Magic Games. They've known of each other's existence for many years. He even tried to attack her. He knew all about her and her weird personality. He's seen it in action many times. And many times, it annoyed him.

Those few weeks together that they spent as a so-called "couple," instead of teammates, he got to understand her. They were a lot more alike than they realized.

Sometimes he wondered if the reason he became fond of her was because she filled a hole inside of him that his upbringing left him. She was so nurturing to the point that it was maternal. Perhaps that might be why he felt the urge to protect her. He knew that she could protect herself (like all of the women in the guild) but he felt like he had to go a step further.

Suddenly, those jokes about Gray rejecting her weren't funny. The "Juvia is crazy" narrative didn't amuse him. It felt very cheap to him. He couldn't laugh at her expense. He only felt anger whenever they were brought up to him. People were fascinated by their dynamic. He couldn't lie; he would've felt the same if he was on the outside looking in.

But even so, all of the fanfare surrounding their pairing bothered him. He didn't like them mocking her and what they assumed was her behaviors. She was more than Gray's fan girl. She was a powerful, S-Class level mage on her own accord. She could battle with the best of them. And if she weren't so level-headed (at least in comparison to him), she could easily have shoved water down their throats for even whispering about her.

Maybe that was why he liked her so much? She was unapologetically herself even when she sounded delusional to other people. She never pretended to be anyone else or put on airs. Even he had to play pretend despite having nothing to prove. His masculine pride would never allow him not to. The strong and silent type was his schtick. One of the few things about his reputation that he enjoyed. But she was not. She was loud and proud and stood for what she believed in. Even when she was going through a change, she never half-heartedly changed, she did a full transformation. It was something about her that he could respect.

Anyway, he's going off topic here. It still could not explain why he wanted to protect her.

Why did the thought of her and Gray together made him upset? In fact, why does her and any man make him upset? It didn't matter who it was: Lyon, Rogue, Gajeel (of all people). It was more than an irritation. Irritation was something that could go away. This feeling was more than that. Something that could not settle anytime soon.


Juvia stirred a bit in her sleep, causing the upper area of her blanket to slide off her shoulder. Laxus quickly adjusted it, making sure she was appropriately tucked in. He looked over at her face. He found himself slightly dragging his index and middle fingers across her cheek.


He didn't know exactly the reasoning behind this but what he did know was this: she was precious to him. She was a connection that he didn't want to break.