Lucy could remember the first time she heard of Fairy Tail's coveted S-Class honor. It came with prestige and recognition, and access to the once-exclusive upper level of the guild. To be recognized as S-Class meant to be one of the best, and she'd wanted it so badly back then because she was tired of people writing her off like a joke. She could still remember how it felt to be treated as a spoiled little rich girl playing magic.
She wanted to be S-Class.
Through babies and marriage and everything else, her personal dreams were still quite alive. They might have changed, but she knew she wasn't the first woman who still wanted accomplish things for herself.
One thing that surprised her was that it took loyalty to those dreams to hold onto them. It was easy to get lost under the titles: "Wife." "Mother." And the one that held the most power over her was MAMA!
But she had three baby girls of her own, and she wanted to achieve her dream not only for herself, but for them, so they'd know they didn't have to chose between this or that. If she could have both, then they could too.
Yet, getting away from them for a few days made her think about them: was Chelia taking good care of them? Were they up at the right time, and in bed at the right time? Were they behaving? Had Mavis' little sniffle developed into a cold?
"The baby's fine. Mavis is a Dreyar and Dreyars don't get sick. And fuck, ugh…" Laxus hung over the edge of the ship.
Lucy snapped out of her thoughts to her husband as he vomited off the edge of the ship. "...you say as you succumb to nausea and barf."
"...what…"
While not running the S-Class trials this year to avoid charges of partiality toward his wife, Laxus had decided to come along and observe from camp. The war with Grimoire Heart had not gone forgotten and he wanted to be around just in case anything went awry.
Lucy hadn't been back to Tenrou Island since the x791 when they reappeared, and when she leapt from the boat and swam ashore ahead of the other participants, she had brief flashbacks.
Every year was different, and this year, the Gildarts instructed them that the first of two events was a race to Tenrou Tree that would disqualify half the candidates. On the beach, she paused briefly to put on her running shoes and then ran soaking wet in her bikini toward the tree, ignoring the sting of the branches against her skin.
Most of the participants in this year's trial were younger or newer, and unfortunately for them, Lucy was from a different class of Fairy Tail wizards. Her generation was the 'suck it up or die' generation, and as they aged into their twenties, they were a tough group from the things they'd had to overcome as teenagers.
In the modern world, there was no such thing as the Balam Alliance, no Zeref, and the removal of the Dark Mage from the world had taken with it countless other threats that were connected to his magic.
It was a somewhat peaceful time in the world of magic, so the Romeo Conbolts of the world didn't know as well as she did what it was like to get in a fight and know all your friends would die if you didn't keep getting up no matter how bad the injuries were. Power was one thing, but Laxus called what they had the 'power to get the fuck up' and make people ask whether or not one was actually human.
So a few twigs snaps on her bare skin meant nothing, although if she'd known this would be the first challenge, she would have worn proper clothes on the ship.
She'd spilled blood on Tenrou Island before, and she didn't mind doing it again.
She really wasn't on any particular route, as Tenrou was unsurprisingly completely overgrown had very few of what might be called paths. But she realized some of the other participants were following her and, unwilling to give up her spot to anyone as it had taken far too long to get there, she purposefully ran toward a rocky gorge up ahead.
There was a seamless transition to Capricorn Star Dress and, channelling her companion the goat, easily navigated down the rocks while Laki and Romeo and Wendy were left on the sidelines.
Wendy, unchallenged by the terrain, used her dragon muscles to jump down to where Lucy was, and the two of them continued on their way, climbing up on the other side. She was from the 'win or die trying' time of Fairy Tail, so she and Lucy cut across the island together, having flashbacks of what happened where.
There were places where the island still bore marks from their battles.
That was where Lucy and Natsu battled Kain Hikaru, and over there...that was where Bluenote Stinger had left her feeling desperate and weak.
And somehow, while she made her way to the tree, she couldn't help but think about the things that had delayed her in getting there that day.
She'd had a plan before Laxus came along, and in her plan, she'd become S-Class, travel the world, and go on great adventures as a powerful wizard and maybe at some point after that she'd settle down.
Falling in love at the age of nineteen wasn't part of the plan, but when it happened, she embraced it. She'd lived a life that didn't include real affection or love since her mother died, and even though she loved her friends and her guild, it was something else to be in love.
It felt special and magical to have a boyfriend, and she could still remember how those first kisses and first touches and first awkward confessions really were. She knew he loved her because he was patient with her anxiety about sex, and because he always listened to her and tried to make her happy. Laxus was a surprisingly wonderful boyfriend, and despite his personality, he really was a considerate and incredible guy to be with.
They talked about the future...she could still remember him asking her if she wanted to have babies and get married and live together with him. Time wore on and those things she wanted in the distant future stopped being things she wanted someday and started becoming the desires of her heart. It happened to him too, and as time went by, they spoke with increasing frequency about the life they could live together and the family they wanted to have.
Eventually an engagement ring came, and Lucy could still remember when he told her he wanted to have a baby.
She almost told him she wanted to wait until after her S-Class trials, and a part of her had second thoughts until the day she'd found out she was pregnant. From the first conversation that mentioned the word 'babies,' she'd thought he'd be a good father, but as her stomach grew she watched him kiss and rub and talk to the little bump.
Lucy could never forget what it was like to be a new bride and pregnant for the first time. Everything was new and exciting, and she discovered more about him and about herself as they prepared to become parents. They decorated a nursery together, and spent countless hours talking about the kind of parents they wanted to be and what their unborn baby might look like.
Their son made an abrupt appearance on a summer morning and the first hands that held him were his father's. They were so happy that day, and they laid in bed just staring at him for days, unable to get over the little miracle of Yuri Dreyar.
Right around the time she was preparing to focus on herself again after seven months of being all about their son, two little pink lines on a pregnancy test informed her that the S-Class trial had been delayed again.
Layla had been unplanned, and frankly, a somewhat embarrassing accident at first. She giggled a little at people giving her husband dirty looks for getting her pregnant again, but having babies back to back was like advertising they'd had a little oops.
But that was just how Layla was, really. She was going to come when she wanted to, and she didn't ask anyone for permission. Even the nature of her conception was stubborn and independent. She was in effect saying, "I don't care if you're ready for me. I'm ready for you!"
When Layla was a newborn, they had two tiny kids, and she prioritized her precious babies above her career. She told herself she'd get to it in a year, but in that year, Ivan died, and Makarov had his heart attack, and then Laxus became guildmaster and everything about their lives changed.
Two professional wizards who went on separate jobs, they were often not home at the same time and they'd never gone on a job together. In the new era, she and Laxus started spending almost all day, every day together. Raising babies, going to the guild to work, taking care of the guild members...they became true partners in all things and fell in love all over again during conversations across their desks as they worked through accounting and bickered about nonsense.
That rascal of a man she'd married talked her into a big family and since she wasn't going on jobs anymore, she tried to surprise him with Baby No. 3. This strategy backfired as she was the one that was surprised when Porlyusica told her there were two heartbeats.
And then there were four.
If it had been easy to get into shape after one baby, it was harder after two. But twins? Carrying twins was a whole different story as the last two months came with the grotesque transformation of her hips and pelvic region as her body struggled to accommodate her pregnancy.
That was how she ended up taking the S-Class exam several years late and why she was busy thinking about her four kids and not about the monster she'd run into on the way to Tenrou Tree.
By the time she completed her thought process, she'd summoned two spirits, incapacitated it with a whip, and left Loke and Taurus to their grand work.
Wendy was stunned when she caught up to Lucy, because Lucy seemed so calm, like she was busy thinking about something else.
Then again, Lucy had some 'Mom Magic,' as Makarov called it.
At any given moment Lucy was always doing at least five things at one time. Wendy had seen her cooking dinner while reviewing expenses as she held Yuri on one hip and answered Layla's thousand questions while keeping the twins entertained.
Anyone who saw Lucy in her element knew there was no one like her in the world and as she moved ahead, Wendy noted she had extremely powerful arms from wagging around babies, which were actually pretty heavy, especially the oldest one who was an unrepentant mama's boy and constantly wanted her attention at times.
Lucy was unfazed and unflappable, made wiser by the years and tempered by rough experiences as a wizard during darker days followed by the motherhood experience.
Scared of a monster jumping out of nowhere?
Only scary to someone who didn't have two kids that licked electric outlets.
Wendy struggled to keep up, amazed at Lucy in this form. She knew Lucy had been training hard, but everyone just assumed that because she hadn't been going on jobs that there would be some kind of gap in her skills. Instead, Lucy was mentally in a more mature, controlled place and she paced herself well.
She made the sprint seem effortless, addressing every miscellaneous challenge with practiced grace and ease, because that's what being the mother of a houseful of kids did.
Lucy panted as she touched the bark of the tree and felt a somewhat relieved 'am I already here?'
Romeo and Wendy came skidding to a stop at the tree a full four minutes later.
"M-Monster…" Romeo said.
"Huh?"
Lucy coolly laughed at their wonder; she knew everyone thought she'd gone a little soft.
But:
"Romeo, I'm not sure how you, an eighteen-year-old guy probably in the best shape you will ever be in, let a twenty-five year old of mom of four outrun you. Pretty sure you should be asking yourself some serious questions right about now."
It actually made her happy to best the Conbolt boy, because he'd become quite self-assured and cocky as he grew into a man. This attitude could be a little bit annoying, especially to Wendy, with whom he often went on jobs.
He'd made a comment in the guildhall about competing with a 'soccer mom' at the S-Class trials.
Romeo panted as he leaned against the tree. "Aren't you tired?"
"Tired?"
"Yeah, like, you just ran like two miles through the jungle, climbed down into a rocky pit, and then climbed back up again, like…you should be exhausted!" he started, but he was simply at a loss.
Lucy gave him a pat on the head. "That word means something completely different to anyone who has ever had newborn twins. It's a shame, losing to a soccer mom."
When the others caught up with them, Gildarts knew why Laxus had excused himself from conducting these trials. He felt like every time he came home over the past few years, Lucy was pregnant and had a baby in her arms at the same time. They were a family of six, and she'd temporarily put some things she wanted for herself on hold while they were growing their family, but as she faced the S-Class trial, she was calm, composed, in great shape, and more than qualified.
It was more than a little impressive, especially when Gildarts considered how smart she was and how much she else she was able to do. He believed the source of their children's raw potential probably mostly came from their mother.
He really had no idea how Makarov's jerk of a grandson grew up so well anyway. The older wizard believed that Lucy was to blame for his domestication and success as an individual, husband, and even guild master. Without her, Laxus never would have come so far in life.
And now she was proving that she wasn't just strong with guild administration or when it came to their family. She was more of a kickass wizard than she'd ever been, having grown more mature over the years and developed a temperament that helped her fighting game significantly.
In some ways, Gildarts viewed it as a 'fuck you' to the idea that just because a woman took some time off from active fighting to raise a family, that she would be less of a wizard.
Besides, she'd just run halfway across Tenrou Island in a bikini, and she looked pretty damn good for a mother of four.
"Laxus is such a lucky bastard," Gildarts mumbled.
Lucy smiled. "What's next?"
"Lunch!" he chuckled.
She really didn't care at all about sandwiches, only fighting and finally becoming S-Class. But sandwiches would give her a little extra strength, so they headed back up the path to where the others were setting up base camp.
Lucy learned that of the ten participants, five had been disqualified for not making it to the tree, which meant the only ones left were Wendy, Romeo, Bixlow, Jet, and Lucy. The first test was designed to allow for only five people to advance.
During the next phase, she would choose one of five paths and end up in a brawl with one of five S-Class wizards Gildarts selected: Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Erza, or Gajeel.
The real twist was this:
Each of the five participants had a choice. They could select a current S-Class wizard from Levy, Freed, Cana, Max, or Elfman and their objective would be to defeat their opponent.
OR
They could fight alone and the only goal would be to push them to a specific place and knock them down. If they knocked her down first, she would lose.
Lucy thought about it for a long time, trying to weigh her options. She considered partnering with Levy or Cana. She considered Elfman or Freed or Max. Then she decided that the real test wasn't the fight; it was this decision and maybe a little luck.
With any partner, Lucy believed only Juvia was completely defeatable. So if she chose to take a partner, she would only pass the exam if she encountered Juvia, which meant she only had a twenty percent chance of passing the trial.
By herself, she only had to push her opponent back and make them fall. It was intimidating to face any of them alone, but it was a test of confidence that she could face a difficult opponent and stand.
Laxus sat down next to her while she was absentmindedly eating from a sack lunch that included two sandwiches and some chips. She was sitting a little secluded from the group, which meant she was thinking.
"I heard you were first," he said.
"I'm thinking right now," she curtly replied, staring off into space as she ran simulations in her mind of each match.
"I knew it."
"Shhh."
Laxus was amused, and he wanted to give her space to think. After a few minutes, he knew she was over-thinking the situation and that wouldn't go well for her because she was prone to changing her mind over self-doubt. She had excellent instincts and he knew she already knew what to do.
"Let's have another baby," he said.
The blonde jerked out of her thoughts and she turned her head and glared at him angrily. "What is wrong with you?"
"Just wanted you to pay attention to me, that's all."
She grinned at him. "You're so sweet. Want a bite?"
He was confused by this sudden sweetness but decided to play along. He opened his mouth and she abruptly shoved an entire sandwich in his mouth, then mashed it in with the palm of her hand.
"MMauughggffff!"
"That's the only thing I want to hear you say for the rest of the day. Today is my day. I know you can't live without my attention, so let me do this, and then tonight take care of you," she said.
When he finally managed to swallow, he said, "Can I get a definition on 'take care of?' I'd like to try-"
"Nope," she quickly answered, "we are never doing that ever."
"But-"
She said, "Butt is right. My butt, my rules. And rule number one is 'NO.' Do you know what rule number two is?"
"What."
"Hell No."
"Is there a third rule?" he asked.
Lucy stood up and gave him a pat on the head. "Yes. I'm glad you asked. Rule number three is if you ask about rules one or two, I get to take a hot bath and go to bed early and you can jerk off alone by yourself in the bathroom. Any questions?"
He shook his head. "No questions, only disappointment."
She kissed him on the cheek. "You're such a good husband. I love you and I really do appreciate how much you support my dreams. But it's not happening."
"I'll never give up."
"Have fun with that."
The wizard gave him a pat on the shoulder and shook her head as she paced around a little waiting for her food to settle. She stretched and thought about life, and worried about Mavis and her sniffle a bit more.
When it was time for the last stage to start, everyone was a little astonished that she'd chosen to compete alone. All the other competitors chose a partner and Lucy believed the only one who would pass was whoever arrived at Juvia, unless she was the one. If she encountered Juvia, she knew her chances of winning were low because knocking down someone made from water was quite a task.
Gildarts gave pointed them to a crossroads where five paths broke off and told them all to pick a number, although no explanation was given to what the numbers might mean, if anything.
Five was the number of years she'd been waiting to take the exam, so she picked that one and began a long solo trek across the island.
On the way there, she ran into a several monsters, a pitfall, assorted geographic challenges, quicksand, and a swamp. Tenrou Island was such a strange place with all it's little pockets that didn't seem like they should be next to one another.
She thought about her life, and her kids, and sadly enough, about anal sex. And she didn't want to because she knew in the future, she was going to look back on her memories and someone was going to ask what she thought and felt on that day. She would have to lie because she wasn't about to admit she was considering the pros and cons of butt sex in the hour before her S-Class certification.
Married life was so weird!
And then she saw a figure awaiting her on the beach when she reached the end of the path.
She smiled, and he smiled back.
"Natsu!"
"Luigi!"
Behind Natsu, there was a glowing rune carved into the sand.
"Alright. All you have to do to pass this trial and become S-Class is either defeat me, or make it so I fall down behind this line. If I knock you off your feet or defeat you, the test is over. I'm not going to go easy on you," he said.
Lucy nodded in understanding. "I would expect as much."
It seemed right that it would be Natsu and no one else, since it was Natsu and no one else who brought her into the world of Fairy Tail. Now he'd be the one to open the door for her as an S-Class wizard if she could just move him back and knock him down.
Natsu waited patiently for her to start the match.
She moved, so her back was at an angle to the water, and then she summoned Taurus and Sagittarius. She used Leo Star Dress and watched Natsu rush forward to her spirits. He deftly dodged arrows and quickly sent Taurus back to the celestial spirit realm, and then surged forward to handle Sagittarius.
He knew this wasn't Lucy's game. She was smart, so whatever he was doing, it was only a prelude to what her actual plan was. When he moved in close, she summoned Loke in an instant and before he knew it, they'd used Regulus magic to blind him for a few seconds.
When he stumbled sideways, he stomped into a wave.
Water.
Water.
Water.
Water.
Water.
His heart started pounding because he knew he'd fucked up.
You don't fight Lucy Dreyar next to a body of water, because she was ten times more dangerous.
His vision was just starting to return when he felt a Lucy Kick to his side right into a wall of water. Suddenly he was swept out into the sea and spinning, spinning, spinning, in a vortex of water thrown from Aquarius' vessel.
His stomach turned, and he clenched his eyes shut as he was swept further out.
This was Lucy, and Lucy played her advantages.
What she didn't have in raw power she made up for with intelligence that was second to none.
Aquarius made him so sick he threw up in the water and then abruptly threw him towards the shore. He collided mid-air with Lucy's foot and came crashing down, skull-first on a sharp rock.
The good news was that it happened on the other side of the line, and he was done for the count. The rune that caused the line to glow emitted a tall tower of light, signaling to the main camp that someone had successfully passed their trial.
Lucy dove next to him, but he was out, and there was blood on the back of his head.
She didn't have anymore magic power left or she would have made Capricorn carry him. With no other choice, she hefted him up and and balanced him awkwardly as she started back to the camp.
Ultimately, when Lucy was retelling the story about how she became S-Class, she'd tell her children that the hardest part wasn't the foot race, or the battle; it was dragging Natsu's disgustingly hot, sweaty, dead weight halfway across Tenrou Island.
After a while, he groaned and opened his eyes, then clenched them shut. "O-Oww. Go easy on me next time, Luigi."
"Are you sure you want to be calling me that? There are plenty of sharp rocks for me to crack your head on," she answered.
"Sorry, I'll be good. Am I heavy?"
She grinned. "It's okay. I'm used to carrying big babies around all day."
Lucy heard a noise and Gray stepped onto the path.
"You guys are late. Gildarts send me to find you," he said, taking Natsu who leaned on his shoulder until Gray punched him in the stomach. "Suck it up, will you? Making a woman carry you around, you deserve to get your ass kicked."
"You want to fight?" Natsu weakly said.
Gray shook his head. "This guy…Anyway, congratulations, Lucy."
"For what?"
"Lucy? Do you not realize? You just passed your S-Class exam," he said.
The blonde pointed at herself. "M-Me? I-I guess I did. I...I'm S-Class?"
She turned and ran down toward base camp and when she spotted her favorite dragon, she collided with him so hard he almost fell. Lucy let out a scream of triumph against her husband's chest and squeezed him as tightly as she could, feet dangling off the ground.
"Congratulations, Babe. You've deserved this for a long time. I know you've been waiting for a long time," he said as he hugged her back.
When he put her down, she was calm for a second, and then jumped right back into his arms again.
"I love you so much. Thank you for supporting me," she said.
"I love you too," she answered as his hand drifted downward.
Lucy's expression deadpanned as he held her against his chest. "I will punch you in the stomach if you grab my butt in front of everyone."
He did it anyway, and she made good on her promise.
Gildarts interrupted them. "I see you two are trying for baby number six or seven or whatever number you're on now, but our newest S-Class wizard should really celebrate with her guild first."
Lucy nodded. "Sorry. Right. Who else made S-Class?"
"You're the only one that passed Stage Two," Laxus said.
Lucy suddenly looked around and found the others who started the same journey with her that morning had come to an end of disappointment. There was a part of her that felt something not unlike pity, but she knew there was a time and a place for everyone to advance. Her time had been after everyone else's, but it didn't make her less of a wizard.
They boarded the ship back to Hargeon, and once there, after showers and changes of clothes, went to the private room of a local restaurant to party on and reminisce about all that had come before and reflect on all that was going to come after.
Natsu rebounded spectacularly well in true dragon form and Lucy had a couple of glasses of champagne with him that left her feeling warm, dizzy, and then two more with Laxus.
Then she had a couple of more glasses of champagne, and a little more after that…
By the time Laxus carried her piggyback to their hotel room, she was nothing but giggles and kisses. "Honestly, Lucy, getting drunk…"
She bit down on his ear and pulled.
"You better be nice. I'll bite you back."
"Maybe I'd like that," she purred.
And suddenly, he took a short detour down a dark alley, then around a corner to a narrow, dark place where no one was in sight. Lucy slid off his back and he pinned her against the brick wall of a closed store, reaching under her skirt for her panties.
It felt like it had been an eternity since they'd fucked in an inappropriate place. He unbuttoned his pants and pushed his boxers down a little.
She always felt so good.
Her body was never anything short of perfect to him and she was never anything less than the best he'd ever had, everytime.
Sex was actually better in the phase of life after they were done having kids and they didn't have to worry about getting pregnant or not getting pregnant.
And once they'd finished, he carried her home, helped her undress, and tucked her in.
XXX
Upon arrival home, they were greeted by screams of excited children.
Yuri ran and jumped, and Lucy caught him and raised him to her hip.
"You're getting kind of big, you know," she said.
Yuri asked, "Are you the strongest, Mama?!"
Laxus nodded. "She beat Natsu up so bad she had to drag him home."
Her son smiled. "I knew you were the best!"
Laxus rolled his eyes. "Babe, put him down. No son of mine is going to be a titty baby."
His wife glared at him. "I'll stop when you stop."
Laxus already had Layla and Anna in his arms, and Mavis was standing up holding onto the leg of a table near the door. "I will never stop."
"Good, we've agreed then."
He looked down at Mavis and said, "Oh, you think you're grown now since you can stand up and give me that look?"
Her mother beamed at her. "I think the Aloof One missed us."
Yuri slid to the ground and said, "Daddy and Mama are back. It's okay."
He offered his baby sister a hand and she took one shaky step, then another, and Lucy snatched her up from the ground and felt her claw at her clothes and wrap around her tightly, holding onto her mother as well as she could.
And then she cried just because she was pissed off her parents left her.
There was snuggles, and playtime after that, and then the couple made a nice dinner and ate with their little ones, the nanny, and Makarov.
Bedtime stories were read, snuggles were had, babies were tucked in, and finally the husband and wife made their way to their bedroom. More snuggles were had and Lucy sighed contentedly.
"So about that thing you wanted to do…I've decided we can try it one time, but if you get it wrong, you can never speak of it again," she said.
His eyebrows rose. "Can I be completely honest about something?"
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Laxus looked over at her. "I don't even want to. I just keep asking because I know it pisses you off to no end. I can't believe I actually talked you into it."
Lucy sighed, rolled over so she was facing the wall. "You've been pissing me off on purpose for two years about something you don't even want to do? Don't talk to me right now."
He reached an arm around her to snuggle, and she slapped it.
"So, you were going to let me have anal, but now I can't snuggle."
"Leave me alone, Laxus!"
He snuggled up to her anyway, and she let him anyway. By this point, she knew he was just going to be a jerk and an idiot and she was fine with that. He was an amazing husband and a great father, and whatever he did to annoy her was nothing compared to how much he loved and supported her.
She really did enjoy it when he bothered her and she still didn't know why after all their years together.
They drifted off to sleep, thinking about their family, their guild, and their future together.
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Next up: Time Skip!