I hope y'all are staying healthy. I will try to get some writing done to help y'all stave off boredom. It's about the only thing I can do from quarantine myself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.


Title: Dreams Realized

Pairing: Max x Laki

Requester: wanblismusehub

Prompt: "I realized I was in love with you when all of my decisions began to revolve around you."


Next time she saw Cana, she was going to tell Gildarts exactly where to find her. It would be a fitting punishment for pushing her into this incredibly uncomfortable situation, from which Laki could see no clear way out. All Laki had wanted was a little advice from her friend, someone who was more used to expressing interest in other people than Laki was. Or rather... someone who had a better handle on being understood by the other party.

"So..." her companion began, clearing his throat mildly. "How are you doing, Laki? I don't think we've had the chance to talk since the guild got back together."

"Normal. Stayed with Kinana and summoned a lot of new projects to whittle away the leaf turnings. How about you, Max?" Laki informed him. So long as she kept her sentences short, this shouldn't be an issue. "Haven't seen you at the guild for a couple of days, though. You been watching money fly and vanquishing the hordes?"

Max nodded with a smile plastered across his face. "I'm glad to hear that you kept busy! And yeah, I've been putting more hours in at the shop lately. With the guild's reinstatement, the demand has increased for more merchandise. Not to mention Warren's new lacrima devices are getting pretty popular so it's been brisk business." He paused to take a drink, his eyes never leaving Laki's over the brim of his tankard. "You know..." he stated, lowering the tankard and leaving a bit of foam behind on his lip. "I'm a bit surprised you asked. Most people don't pay attention to my comings and goings that much, or they'd assume I was out on a job. I'm honestly shocked you noticed I wasn't around, but even more so that you guessed where I was correctly. How did you know?"

That she spent an unhealthy amount of time watching him was probably something best kept to herself. "I'm more observant than most people extend to me." He had been sorely missed.

A short laugh burst forth from Max, the sight filling Laki's head with brightly colored bubbles. "I guess you're right, we don't give you nearly enough credit!"

Laki tapped her lip with a fingertip. "Bream."

Visibly startled by the action, his eyes widened and Max swallowed thickly. Then he quickly wiped his upper lip. "T-thanks for catching that!" Picking up his tankard, he took another swig, depositing the froth mustache right back where it had just left.

Laki decided to just let it be.

His smile returning, Max gestured at Laki with an upturned palm. "I'm glad that you're doing well. You said you had worked on a lot of carpentry projects over the last year, right? Can you tell me about any of them?"

Brightly, she did just that. She had tried to downplay the last year's doings at the start of their conversation, but the truth was that there was a lot she wanted to tell him. Like when she'd helped Blue Pegasus with the platform for Wendy and Chelia's performances, or when the royal family themselves had commissioned her for some detailed paneling work at the winter residence.

It had been during that year without the guild that she had come to realize some things. Things about herself... and things about her relationships with her then-former guildmates. Or maybe just about one, in particular.

At first it had been small. When the guild had first disbanded, she had been uprooted in the flash flood that had ensued. Lost in the darkness of her future, she had found comfort in the thought of "I wonder how Max is handling this?" The very next day, she went out and procured a carpentry apprenticeship. It was what she had always wanted, why she had turned to wood-make magic in the first place, why she had scrimped and saved her money from her guild jobs. It was something that she'd had in common with Max, who had joined to earn expenses for business school. It had felt good to finally pursue that dream, and to share her progress with him now.

It had been far from the last time she'd asked herself that question over the year, but it had been the most important one. And it had led her to an answer to a question she had never even asked.

'I realized I was in love with you when all of my decisions began to revolve around you,' she thought to herself. But like his frothy mustache, that was something best kept to herself. At least... for now. The night was going good so far, she'd hate to ruin the fair weather for them with heavy admissions. Her nervousness was finally draining away as they continued to talk into the night.

And since it was going so well... maybe she wouldn't have to hold services for Cana, after all.