Dreyar Family Vacation:
Laxus took a deep breath and stretched his arms above his head as he examined the front of the resort he had brought his family to. He'd volunteered to bring all their luggage up to their room. The others had offered to help him but he wanted to do it on his own so he could both catch his breath and give his stomach a moment to settle down. Laxus took another breath before piling the suitcases onto the trolley he'd brought out. So far everything was going great! The trip, though sickening to his and Farrah's stomachs, had gone without a hitch, he'd just confirmed that all their luggage had made it, and no one had called him to ask what to do in his absences. (Though that may have been due to Mirajane channeling her inner demon to threaten them should they interrupt their vacation before they left).
Laxus began pushing the trolley into the lobby of the resort, groaning at the prospect of riding up the elevator. Still he decided to grin and bear it as the doors closed behind him and his stomach lurched. He waited anxiously to reach the floor their suite was on, breathing a sigh of relief when he was able to walk away free. He slid the door key into the lock and pushed the door open.
"Papa!" Cato called as he bounded up to his father and grabbed him by the hand. "Come and see this!"
"Hey, wha-Whoa!" Laxus said as Cato dragged him along behind him. He couldn't help but smile a bit. What was Cato bringing him to see exactly? Some fancy new household contraption that hadn't hit Magnolia yet? The view of the ocean?
No.
Instead Cato dragged him to the couch where Farrah was seated cross-legged as she held July out in front of her. Mirajane sat next to them, a smile on her face. Laxus arched an eyebrow, what was happening?
Farrah crinkle up her nose and play growled at July with an "Argh!"
"IKE!" July "growled" back, pumping his tiny limb and lunging forward to snap at Farrah, as he too wrinkled his nose.
Mirajane and Cato both giggled as a smile spread over Laxus' face.
"What's big sister doing to you?" Mirajane asked July who just turned and smiled at her.
"Argh!" Farrah said again, crinkling her nose once more.
"IKE!" July called, snapping his gummy jaws at his sister.
"Argh! Rawr!"
"IKEYAH! IKE!" July frowned as deeply as a baby could as he kept snapping, kicking, and flailing his arms.
"Oh, you gettin' mad at me now?" Farrah asked.
"IKE!" July pumped his limbs again, causing his whole family to laugh. He looked about, a bit of a bewildered look on his face. But he soon smiled and joined in the giggling.
"Argh!" Farrah growled again.
"IKE!" July snapped at her once again, then began to fuss when he still didn't succeed in actually having any effect on his older sister.
"Oh, dear, I think that's enough play time for now," Mirajane said as she took the baby into her arms and stood up. "Besides we need to get unpacked, don't we?"
"Yes, Mama," both Farrah and Cato sighed as they walked to the trolley and got their suitcases. Mirajane set July on her hip as she grabbed her suitcase, or tried to.
"Here, I've got it," Laxus said as he set both his and Mirajane's suitcases on his shoulders and carried them to the master suite. His lips curled into a smile at the sight. A giant bed, two nice wardrobes, a jacuzzi tub, and a large walk-in shower. He and Mirajane would definitely have fun in here (after the children were in bed asleep). He plopped both suitcases the bed and popped them open so he could start unpacking. Mirajane reached to pull her clothes out of her luggage when she heard a:
"Farrah, get down!"
Mirajane sighed as she set July in Laxus' now empty luggage, hoping he wouldn't try to climb out of it and get in trouble. She walked back to the livingroom to find Farrah and Cato on the balcony, Farrah balancing precariously on the rail.
"Farrah Rei you get down this instant!" Mirjane shouted.
"Aw," Farrah whined, hopping down from the railing. "I just wanted to get a good view of the beach."
"You'll get a good view once we head down there. AFTER you have unpacked all your clothes," Mirajane said before ushering both children back into the suite and closing the balcony doors behind her. Both children went to their respective rooms and Mirajane headed back to the master suite. She stopped in the doorway and placed a hand to her chest. Laxus laid on his back upon the bed and tossed July in the air. July fell back into his father's hands in a burst of giggles.
"Gotcha," Laxus said as July squealed in frun before tossing him again. "Gotcha!"
July squealed as he batted his tiny hands in his father's face. Laxus playfully snapped at his son's hands as he laughed and then tried to cover Laxus' mouth to ward off any further attacks, only to have Laxus blow raspberries on July's palms. July pulled his hands back and giggled. Mirajane giggled as she lied down next to Laxus, smiling up at their son.
"How are you doing Happy Boy?" she asked July who just babbled incoherently.
Laxus grinned as he lifted July up and down and up and down as he giggled. "You are a happy baby, aren't you?" he asked. "Just like your Mama."
Mirajane smiled as she kissed Laxus' cheek. Laxus set July down on his chest and then turned to peck Mirajane on the forehead. July continued babbling, tapping on his father's chin. Laxus playfully snapped at him again, causing another burst of giggles.
"Okay, we unpacked, can we go to the beach now?" Cato's voice called as he skipped into his parents room.
"Well, let us get unpacked first," Mirajane said.
"But you told us to unpack ages ago," Cato arched an eyebrow. "Why aren't you-"
"Don't pester your Mama, just go get ready," Laxus said as he sat up, setting July on his hip.
"Yay!" Cato cheered as he bounced off.
Mirajane narrowed her eyes at her husband. "You know it's your fault I'm behind, right, distracting me like that."
"Eh," Laxus shrugged.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"YYYYAAAAAYYYYYYY!" Farrah cheered as she ran straight into the ocean and dived into an oncoming wave which then promptly dumped her onto the sandy beach. Cato helped her to her feet and then they both took off back into the ocean as their parents set up their towels, umbrellas, coolers, and beach toys. Laxus lied down in the sun, setting his hands behind the back of his head as he relaxed. Mirajane sat on the towel next to him, setting July in her lap. July looked about with wide, curious eyes at everything going on around him.
"Whatcha see, baby?" Mirajane asked.
July cooed and pointed towards Farrah and Cato splashing each other in the ocean.
"You see brother and sister?"
"Aba!" July rocked back and forth until he managed to push himself onto his hands and knees, his hands touching the warm sand.
"ACK!" July shouted as he squirmed frantically back onto the towel, causing both parents to laugh.
"What the problem, squirt?" Laxus asked as he rolled on his side to watch the baby.
July leaned forward, staring at the sand with a bewildered look on his face. "Ah?"
"It's sand," Mirajane said as she ran her fingers through the fine, white grains. "You gonna play in the sand."
July watched his mother for a while longer with a contemplative look on his face, not too sure about this new discovery.
"It's not gonna hurt you, squirt," Laxus said, scooping up a handful of sand and letting it seep through his fingers. July watched on, blinking curiously, cocking his head from one side to the other. July finally mustered up the courage to reach out and grab a handful of sand. The grains fell through his chubby fingers, tickling them, causing him to wave his arm in the air and squeal. Mirajane and Laxus both giggled, until July began bring his hand to his mouth.
"Oh, no, we don't eat sand," Mirajane said, gently grabbing his hand and dusting it off. "Sand is yucky."
"Ah!" July yelled in protest, though he wasn't able to do anything against his mother.
"'Scuse us!" Cato called as he and Farrah, both soaking wet, bounded up to their patch of the beach and snatched up buckets and shovels before bounding back to the water edge.
"Let's go see what they're up to," Mirajane said, setting July on her hip and following after her two older children, who had already begun digging at the sand. "What are you two doing?" Mirajane asked.
"We're digging a moat so we can build a sand castle!" Ccato said as he beat his shovel into the sand. Mirajane knelt down and helped them out as well as she could do with a baby in one arm. The moat had just been completed and she and Cato had just begun setting the towers when she noticed Farrah was nowhere to be found. A quick turn of her head and she spotted the young teen back at their chosen patch of the beach. Laxus seemed to be gone, though, and in his place was a pile of sand.
"Oh, no!" Mirajane grinned as she stood up and walked back towards the umbrellas, Cato following along behind her, curious as to what his mother had spotted. He soon realized what it was as he, Mirajane, and July busted out laughing.
"What did you do!?" Cato shouted between the laughter.
"What's it look like I did?" Farrah said proudly, hands on her hips. Laxus stirred from the brief nap he'd taken and looked up to see that he had been buried from the neck down in sand, patted into the shape of a mermaid.
"Wha-" He asked as his family laughed at his predicament. It didn't take him long to find the perpetrator as Farrah was covered head to toe in sand.
"Aw, c'mon, Farrah, you could have at least given me bigger hips," he quipped, much to the young girl's horror.
"Papa!" she shrieked as she blushed.
"What? If you're going to bury me alive at least do me a favor first. Papa needs a-"
"Ew! Gross!" Farrah covered her face to hide her blush as Laxus laughed.
"Alright, enough of that," he sat up, dusted himself off, then charged at Farrah. "Now come here, you!"
"Ah!" Farrah shrieked as she took off down the beach.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Cato rubbed a towel over his hair as he stepped out of the bathroom. The sun had set so the Dreyars had gone back to the hotel, smiling from the fun and sun-kissed tan.
"Hey, Cato!" Farrah called as she all but tackled her brother to the floor in the hallway.
"Far-ah! Warn me before you do that!" Cato grumbled.
"Did you know there's an arcade here?" Farrah asked.
"What, really?" Cato lightened up.
"Yeah, wanna go?"
"Go where?" Mirajane asked as she appeared in the doorway of hers and Laxus' room.
"To the arcade," Farrah answered. "Can we? Please, please, please, please?"
"Please?" Cato asked meekly.
"Hm," Mirajane set a finger on her chin. "What do you think Laxus?"
"Well…" Laxus mused from where he was lying on the bed, arms tucked behind his head.
"Please!?" both Farrah and Cato begged, clasping both hands under their chin.
"It's alright with me," Laxus shrugged.
"Yay!"
"Just take a lacrima and car key with you," Laxus called.
"Yeah, it will be hard for you to play anything without a card key," Mirajane giggled.
"And don't go crazy!" Laxus called as the two children began digging about for said items. "We've gotta pay for every game you play, after all."
The door slammed behind Cato and Farrah as they bounded down the hall. Mirajane tip toed over to the crib next to the bed to make sure July was still asleep before slipping into the bathroom to turn on the jacuzzi.
"Gonna take a dip in the hot tub, babe?" Laxus asked.
"No," Mirajane said coyly as she poked her head back into the bedroom. "We are taking a dip in the hot tub."
Laxus chuckled seductively as he stood up and followed her into the bathroom.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Hey, Cato, are you hungry?" Farrah asked smugly as she swiped the card key for both her and Cato to play a game of ski ball.
"Hungry?" Cato asked, confused.
"Yeah, 'cuz you're about to eat my dust," Farrah said as she rolled her first ball up the alley.
"Oh, we'll see about that!" Cato shouted as he began rolling his balls up the lane as well. Bright lights and loud noises buzzed about as the two siblings concentrated on their game. Both their times ran out and the winner was clear as Farrah held her hands above her head and sang:
"I am the champion, my friends!"
"Aw, man," Cato grumbled.
"And I'll keep on fighting 'till the end!"
"Rematch! Rematch!" Cato cheered.
"Alright, you asked for it," Farrah grinned as she pulled the card key out of her pocket.
"Hey," a voice called from behind her. She turned to see a boy, about sixteen years old, walking up behind her. "You know where the canteen is?"
"Erm, I think it's that way," Farrah pointed in the indicated direction. "Can't remember exactly, I do know it was next to the trampoline course, though."
"Okay, thanks," the boy smiled and walked off.
"Alright, ready for beat down 2.0, bro?" Farrah asked. But before he could respond, another voice came from behind Farrah.
"Um, excuse me?" a very preppy sounding voice called. Farrah turned to find a trio of well dressed girls standing behind her.
"Erm...hi?" Farrah asked, confused.
"Yeah, uh, I just saw you talking to my boyfriend," the leader of the girls said, sizing up to Farrah. "So, I'm like, coming to check you and tell you to calm your nonexistent titties and keep your hands to yourself. I know he's fine, his name's Jordan, but he's mine, so back off and stay in your lane, and-yes, little boy, can I help you?" the girl asked as Cato stepped in between Farrah and the girls.
"Yeah, let me explain something you," Cato said in a level voice. "We don't care about you, and we don't care about your Jordan. Baic manner lesson number one, when my sister says 'hi' to you, you say 'hi' back like a normal human being."
"Oh, okay, hiiii," the girls said in a mocking voice. "Now can I continue checking her-"
"No, you're not checking anything," Cato said. "We're the only ones checking things here. We're checking games off our list, we're checking off wins, we're checking away living our best lives, but you're not checking anything."
Farrah blinked in surprise. This was new! Cato was usually the calm peacemaker of the group! This, however, tough calm, was anything but peacemaking.
"Okay, we'll I'm going to finish business with her, little boy, you-"
"No, you're not," Cato insisted. "You're going to turn around, walk away, and we're going to keep on having fun. So unless you have something nice to say, you can go away."
"Pfft! Have fun? Something nice to say? What do you think this is, Christmas?" the girl scoffed.
"Yes, and you three are the hoe, hoe, hoes."
Farrah nearly spat with laughter as the girls all exclaimed in disgust.
"Uh-uh!" the leader shrieked.
"Yes, honey, you wanna play some ski ball?" Cato asked, pointing to the games behind him.
Farrah covered her mouth as she kept laughing.
"No, I wanna check her for talking to my-"
"You got a problem with a guy asking for directions for once in the history of male-kind, take it up with him. But you're not checking my sister about anything," Cato put a finger to his forehead. "Memory-make clone."
White silhouettes of Nashi, Roman, Storm, Persephone, and Koree appeared next to Cato, all with their arms crossed.
"Wait-Wha-You two are Wizards!?" the girls shrieked.
"Yup," Cato lifted his shirt enough to reveal the mark on his abdomen. "Fairy Tail, how ya' doin'? You wanna go get yourself a frosty, or something, because you look like you need to cool down a bit."
The girls opted to simply leave and the clones disappeared. Farrah laughed as she tackled her brother from behind.
"That was epic!" she cheered. "But you know I could have handled it on my own, right?"
"Eh," Cato shrugged. "Let's do that rematch!"
Farrah slid the card and the both began the game.
"What kinda spell was that, by the way?"
"I little something I've been tinkering around with," Cato answered plainly. "If figured it I could use my magic to recreate spells why not use it to kinda-sorta recreate a person. Not fully, obviously, just a clone. I don't think I could actually remake a person. And even if I could, that sounds a little...well...bad."
"Yeah, still, that's pretty cool. Are the clones any good in a fight," Farrah asked as she scored another million. "Yes!"
"Haven't really battle tested them yet, but they seem to be pretty flimsy. Even the smallest bit of damage and they disappear."
"Guess you gotta tinker some more."
"Yeah. AW, MAN!"
The game ended and Farrah lifted her hands over her head. "I am the champion, I-I-I I am the champion! Gone is the loser, 'cuz I am the champion!"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Mirajane carefully tiptoed through the hall, tilting the doors open to check on Farrah and Cato. Both were sound asleep, Cato curled up into his usual tiny ball, and Farah all sprawled out all over the mattress. She smiled as she walked through the main room and out onto the balcony. She leaned against the railing, letting the ocean, salt-scented wind blow in her face and tug playfully at her bathrobe. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the peaceful moment, listening to the waves, smelling the salt, feeling the warm breeze.
She heard a set of footsteps behind her, soon followed by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her. She set a hand on Laxus' forearm, snuggling up against him, but not opening her eyes. The feel of her husband's arms around her only added to the relaxation of the moment. He leaned his cheek on her shoulder, closing his eyes as well. He occasionally kissed her neck, not in a lustful or seductive way, just affectionate and appreciative.
"I needed this," he finally whispered, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I think we all did," Mirajane agreed. "We should do this every year."
"You won't hear me complaining."
Mirajane giggled before turning so that she could wrap her arms around his middle and lean her head against his chest, over his heart beat. He set his chin on top of her head, burying his face into her hair, taking in her scent, never wanting this moment to end.