All Rights to Hiro Mashima

This second to the last chapter is dedicated to samuelbryant17 who has had very insightful and lovely comments on all the chapters. Thank you for your ideas.

BEWARE! THE TALK! THE PINK-HAIRED MENACE! A RAVENOUS DRAGON!

~ Lightbulb ~

Chapter 5: The Relief

In which Laxus finally hears just how strong his mate truly is.

"…It was Mard Geer. He cast the spell that turned that giant cube thing…into a living creature…Alegria."

Lucy takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as she fiddles with Aquarius' new key between her fingers.

"Out of everyone who was fighting, I was the only one left. After everything was over I was told by Horologium that it was him who had saved me…I couldn't find anyone else, not a single person from Fairy Tail…"

Laxus curled himself around her shivering frame. She was so strong, so resilient, but talking about that day that she had lost part of her family would shake anyone's resolve.

"Instead, I found Tartaros. At first…it was only the grunts, and they wanted to have that promotion that Mard promised."

After they had been released from the Plutogrim, no one had even questioned what happened during that time frame from when they were caught in that disgusting spell, to when they were released once again. No one asked how they were let go, not one person had ever thought that their little blonde mage had anything to do with it, because they were all on the inside of the ravenous beast, turned into muscle and viscera and tissue.

She had been keeping this in for too long, and he was annoyed at himself for not asking sooner, annoyed at his brain for not even thinking about it. The looks on everyone's faces confirmed that they knew what he was feeling to a more extreme degree. While he and his team had been unconscious and fending for their lives on the bottom of that cube-monster-thing…Everyone else had been in the middle of becoming part of the cube-monster-thing. And then there was loss…so much loss that everyone had become a little bit selfish with their desires. The Dragons were gone for good, Absolute Zero had taken then all by surprise and some…like Erza…had to leave to keep their sanity.

With Fairy Tail gone – physically and figuratively at that time – there was nothing keeping them all together. Bonds were broken, bonds he thought had been forged by something stronger than steel and iron – namely team destructo – but be had been wrong.

They had all scattered to the four points of a compass at the drop of a hat, leaving nothing but a smouldering building behind for him and his Legion to find.

But he can't place the blame on them, those that had fought Tartaros while he was basically asleep did all they could, but sometimes…things happen to those who are strong that break them down for a while, he is equally at fault here. He had seen the change in her, found her training within an inch of her life, smelling of quiet desperation and determination. He thought she was taking control of her life, becoming what she was always meant to be.

The Star-Bringer, the most powerful Celestial Mage since Anna. She had surpassed her own expectations, he knew that. And he had thought that she was happy.

Her smiles touched her eyes still, and Bickslow had once commented that her soul glowed bright yellow…like the sun she was.

But in reality, she was in pain, mentally in anguish. She was determined to never let any of her family down again and desperate for those she held dear to never leave her. It seemed that all her life, those who she loved…left her alone.

He would never be that person. Laxus had finally found something…someone that meant the world to him, and he would never, not in a million years, leave her behind.

"I called out Sagittarius to help, and he did well against the grunts, but Lamy was too much. So I sent him back and called Virgo instead. I called Loke next to help with Torafuzer. But he wasn't alone. Jackal came for me as well, in a snit over Natsu or something… I tried to use the River of Stars to deal with him, but I was too weak."

Laxus' lip curled as the tension rose, Natsu's guilt practically suffocating him with its stench.

"I forgot about his curse and let my whip hit him. His seal was placed, and the River of Stars exploded. I was left weaponless. The next thing I knew, Jackal set an explosion underneath me, sending me sailing onto the ground. Leo and Virgo kept fighting, but I knew that it was a matter of time before something else happened, and I was right."

Lucy snuggled down into the man who held her, taking the strength she needed for the next part of her story. "Two more Demons found us just after Jackal destroyed my leg…Torafuzer brought the curse of black water, and ugh…Lamy. Gods I hated her."

"Who the hell is Lamy?" Laxus voice cut through the silence like a hot knife, relieving the tension.

"Oh, this really creepy bunny Demon that worshipped the ground Kyouka walked on and thought that Jackal was the hottest thing since sliced bread."

"What the hell?"

"Yah, she had this really annoying laugh too, but she was killed when Jackal wanted to be the one to bring me to Mard Geer. Damn, I was so surprised, but I guess there isn't honour amongst Demons. I've never seen a head explode before…"

Laxus couldn't resist any longer, the Dragon in his mind whined at her hollow tone. She was hurting and he didn't want that to happen anymore. He carded his hands through her blonde and kissed her forehead like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

And it was to him, and it seemed that it brought Lucy back to the present. (Unfortunately for them, the other members of their so-called family watched them with different amounts of credulousness on their faces and Laxus knew they were in for a rough questioning session when all this was done.)

(Especially from Mira and her little sister. Those two just couldn't help but be attracted to gossip.)

"I didn't have any other choice…so while Jackal was distracted by Virgo and Loke, I called a third Spirit…Aquarius from the cursed water. She answered my call, but told me I was stupid to do it seeing as the strain on my magic was almost enough to kill me. But it was either that or give up and die at the hands of the Demons. That's not who I am, not who Fairy Tail is."

A sharp gasp passed through Freed's lips, his mouth gaping like a wing fish. Laxus shot a questioning look at him, but the leader of his Legion either disregarded him completely or didn't see. All he heard (with the help of his enhanced hearing of course) was a quiet "that's not supposed to be possible."

He eyed the blonde in his lap, was summoning three spirits really that big of a deal?

She stopped and collected her thoughts, swallowing thickly, and then she dropped her voice to a whisper. "If it had been any other Demon other than Torafuzer, Aquarius would have been enough to sweep them away, but…"

Gajeel grunted from the back of the room, his eyes far away from the memories. "He can swim through anything, that bastard."

She nodded, and then continued, her whisper getting louder to the point where they didn't need to strain to hear her. "I was going to die, I knew it, and she knew it. I didn't have enough magic to sustain them all for too long. I was running on fumes. Virgo and Leo were gone, sent back to the Celestial Plane from attacks. So Aquarius suggested something that I didn't even know was possible…"

They waited in silence for three heartbeats.

"…She told me to summon the Celestial Spirit King."

Immediately eyes bugged out everywhere, while excited gasps and exclamations of pride came from all sides. Above it all, Natsu's voice called over the din. "That's insane Luce! You should call out Mustache man all the time! He must be so powe-"

"NO! I will never, ever call him again, even if the only other choice is to die." Her voice cracked across the room like her whip, while her eyes flashed with so much hidden pain and anger and hatred for herself that Laxus physically flinched away.

Never had he seen something so revolting in her face, and he never wanted to see it again. The lone tear that tracked from her eye to her chin slayed him, body and soul.

"Why?" Her best friend's voice was small and sad, and Lucy smiled tightly.

"Because, Natsu, the price to summon the most powerful Celestial Spirit is too high, it asks for too much." Her breath caught in her throat. "This was the result of my actions, of my choice, between her…the Spirt that I had the strongest bond to, and my family." At the end of her speech, Lucy pulled a small silver chain from around her neck, at the end, a tarnished once golden key hung dully, the shaft missing and the head twisted and utterly beyond repair.

How had none of them noticed it before?

"I had to destroy her key. I had to actually…w-will her bond with me broken. I had to shatter a piece of my heart. It was the most painful thing I've ever been through." Laxus could see it in her eyes. Lucy had rewritten the book of END, taking on his pain and suffering, but this…this willful act of destruction for Lucy had been too much.

No words were spoken, not a single gasp was heard. So Lucy continued with her tale, just wanting to finish it, get this terrible part of her life out of the way so that she can finally just move on.

Finally, move the hell on.

"The Spirit King came out, destroyed the cube, and set everyone free while battling with Mard Geer. When all was said and done, Tartaros still wasn't fucking dead. Jackal was still there, still alive, and I was…distraught."

Laxus could hear her swallow thickly. "After all of it, everything I had given, Aquarius protected me once more. She gave me her magic, which she can only do once in her whole immortal life, to keep me alive even after she was gone…"

Lucy leant over one of his large arms and stuck a single finger in that forgotten glass of water. The liquid scooted up her arm and made thick bracelets at a single whim like it was a sentient being. "…the ability to use water in whatever way I want." Her voice dropped low into a hum of remembrance. "She said she hated me…but I knew better, I knew she loved me. And this," the water flowed in figure eights above their heads, "is proof of that."

"For a week I thought I had killed her, and forcefully kept Leo from coming out of his gate to speak to me. I collapsed from exhaustion and when I woke up a day and a half later…everything was gone, Fairy Tail was destroyed and nothing was left. Leo finally overpowered me when I was unconscious and was there to tell me that there was nothing left for me here. I moved to Crocus and Leo and Scorpio let Aquarius and I communicate through them. Until the King let her come through her broken gate, just once. Brandish was spewing this absolute horseshit about Momma and I guess she had always loved Layla like a sister, so she came through and talked to us. After, she told me that her key would suddenly show up somewhere in Earthland. That's why I had been taking so many solo missions lately. I wanted to find her before someone else did…"

He knew what she meant when she said "everything was gone" because he had gone through that feeling as well. Waking up from an unconscious state and finding the levelled building that had been Fairy Tail, his grandfather mysteriously gone and his guild mates scattered to the wind. He and Lucy had shared that part with each other already, in their late night slash early morning talks.

Laxus knew where her fear stemmed from…abandonment, as did his own. She had lost too much in one lifetime. Her mother, father, Michelle, Aquarius…then when the walls had caved in and she had given everything in herself to give, including a family member, she had lost the family that she had sacrificed everything for and her best friend had left her with a heavy burden to 'keep the guild together' or 'protect Fairy Tail' while the dumbass trained or something. Lucy – she had told him once after one too many glasses of hard cider – couldn't look Natsu in the eye anymore because she had failed him, failed to keep his home alive and intact while he was out doing whatever he needed to do. She had lost herself to the darkness within her mind for seven days and when she had pulled herself out; her one directive from the person who had opened the world to her had already gone up in smoke.

While he still smarted from a father that had abused and used him, to the fact that he had abandoned his grandfather and the way Fairy Tail had always been when he had set up the Thunder Palace. So caught up in his own head and the need for power and prestige, he hadn't realised that he was turning into Ivan so spectacularly until it had hit him in the gut like a solid fist. He wasn't as scared of someone abandoning him, as he was of being the person to abandon the people that he loves once again.

But…he had found solace in her, and he hoped that Lucy had found a measure of healing in him. She meant the world to him, and the fact that she listened, jut listened to him rant and rave made him so inexplicably happy some days that he couldn't wipe that dopey grin off his own face.

With her part of the story finished, Lucy heaved a great sigh, her shoulders drooping in exhaustion. But, to Laxus at least, she seemed…almost relieved. This secret had been weighing so heavily on her for so long.

She was strong. But stupid and stubborn, and he loved her more now than ever.

His voice rumbled through her back as she pressed herself to him fully (his Dragon absolutely losing his shit over that little action, preening at the fact that his mate was looking to him for comfort and stability) and continued what he knew. "I had been looking out for keys for a while now, and an SS-class request came in from Toma. The reward was that key, which Hisui found somewhere in Seven while on vacation. The Princess had recognised it and brought it back, intending to give it to Lucy somehow."

Lucy caught his eye then with a bemused quirk of her eyebrow as if asking him why he was looking for keys when he couldn't even use them.

He shook his head imperceptibly. Tell you later…

She seemed to understand that, which he was grateful for. He didn't need the She-Demon all up in his business about this shit.

He also loved the fact that they could have these silent conversations without saying one word, it made their bond stronger, more intimate.

An oppressive heavy weight settled in the air. Now that this secret was out and about, what would happen? Would his whole speech about her family not pitying her crumble around his ears? He sure hoped not, because he didn't like to be a liar.

Of all the people he thought would make a statement, it was the last one he had ever thought of.

"What can we do to help you Bunny? I know this shit is heavy, believe me…even though that bastard was ornery as fuck constantly, he was still my Pops. We know what it's like to lose someone, but that sacrifice you made for us…I could never imagine. You're the fucking strongest out of all of us Bunny."

Gajeel. Taciturn, grumpy, pulls-old-nails-outa-stuff-for-a-snack-cause-he-thinks-they-taste-better-that-way Black Steel, showed everyone that he had a softer side. Obviously, Levy was the one that saw it more than once in a blue moon, but who is he to judge? Laxus' mother had told him once that if he kept scowling his face would freeze that way…and he didn't listen. He had a perpetual asshole expression that couldn't be helped and exactly two soft spots. One was reserved for all baby animals of Earthland – because he wasn't a heartless creature dammit – and the other was for Lucy.

But it seemed that lots of people had a soft spot for her.

Lucy giggled and wiped the single tear track off her face, giving Gajeel a tentative smile. "Thanks, Gaj, I know Metalicana and all the Dragons gave their lives for the Slayers, and I know you all miss them still. But we've moved on, we're stronger now…yah? I've moved on from that part of my life now. It'll always be a bad memory, but with Aquarius back, I can focus more on the future." Laxus watched Natsu's face fall a bit, just like it did every time the Dragons or Igneel were mentioned, but that stupid ball of fire bounced back like always and gave Lucy a wide grin and a small nod of his head when she cocked her own in a silent question.

"We're Fairy Tail, Luce. We'll be just fine." Lucy nodded at Natsu's words, and perhaps their friendship could repair those puzzle piece edges that just didn't quite fit before.

Lucy's resolve seemed to let everyone breathe just a little better.

Until a certain sly drunk decided to put her two jewels in.

Loudly.

"So…what the crap is going on with your two anyways? You doing the horizontal tango or what…?" Cana's admittedly rude remark broke the tension surrounding the group of mages in the beer hall. Her eyes glowed with mischief and mirth while guzzling something that smelled suspiciously like his own private stash of bourbon that sat waiting for Laxus in his desk.

Until that moment Laxus didn't truly realise how this all looked to someone who didn't actually know about all this mate business. He was curled around this girl like a territorial Dragon hoarding some gold (her hair was seriously as close to gold as he had ever seen, but that wasn't the point) while Lucy had sat in his lap without saying a single word about it, nor did she move away.

In fact, until Cana had spoken and broken whatever little spell they were under and Lucy held so still that Laxus actually wanted to physically check whether or not she was turned into stone once again – still feeling a bit guilty about that shit – did he realise that Lucy had been methodically stroking over the skin of his large hand with her thumb in slow smooth circles.

Damn, did he ever miss the loss of that tiny movement when it was gone.

"Uhm. What? Come again?" Lucy feigned innocence for a few precious seconds until-

"You two are fucking…right? Doing the do? Mashing sexy bits? Fornicating?"

Dear sweet Mavis, he hated Cana's unfiltered mouth right at this second. He snarled at her, affronted. "Goddamnit Cana! Shut your drunken face hole for once in your life."

"Stop dodging the question idiot! It's a simple yes or no answer!"

"It's none of your damn business alright?"

The drunk's eyes moved off his face to peer at Lucy's. Laxus couldn't see her – as Lucy was still sitting completely still on his lap, her head staring straight ahead – but he hoped that whatever Cana was looking for she would find with his little mate and pull him out of the spotlight.

"…Lucy?"

A choking cough came from the blonde girl and a small stuttering fake-ass laugh left Lucy's lips. "Uhm…no?"

Cana cackled while the She-Demon smirked behind the bar. "You don't sound so sure yourself Lu. He must not be very memorable between the sheets if you're not entirely sure."

That shit…was taking it too far. He was a beast in the sack, he had to be because he literally was half beast. Half-Dragon. He was good. He was the Thunder God and he was very talented with his penis thank you very much.

Just as he was going to yell something at Cana that was probably a little too much information and perverted to be spreading around the guild hall, Lucy's dumbass best friend, full of pink hair and gigantic grins, spilt the proverbial beans as it were.

"Oi! Lucy's his mate so back the fuck off Cana before we hear all about their weird sex acts that would burn our ears off."

Well…shit.

If it was even possible, Lucy grew even more rigid in his lap and he thought that maybe she wasn't breathing properly because she was completely silent for all of three seconds.

Those seconds both terrified Laxus to his core and gave him a small reprieve to think as everyone gaped silently (and confusedly) at the pair on display.

Except for Natsu, who's eyes widened in fear at the shit-storm he had coming to him once all this mate business was sorted out.

One second…was he ready? Did he really want Lucy to know just how much she meant to him?

Two seconds…of course, he was ready! He was a God of Ishgar and a Wizard Saint. He never backed down from a challenge and he loved the woman before him with his whole being. She had a right to know everything, although he could do with not having everyone else being privy to this moment. The peanut gallery was not helping.

Three seconds…he was going to skin the scales off of Natsu and hang that Fire Dragon's pelt on his wall as a fucking trophy. That idiot was in for a world of hurt.

"…mate?"

Her whispered word captured his entire attention. He coughed awkwardly to clear the block in his throat out that wasn't allowing him to fucking speak his mind-

"Are you positive Laxus? Are you sure it's me?"

Now…that was something interesting. She wasn't screaming…or crying at her misfortune. Nor hitting him for being a big perverted Dragon that he thought he was most of the time.

She was speaking to him – slightly strangely as she was still bean-pole straight sitting on his lap while he looked down at the back of her head, but he could deal with that – like two adults would speak about the weather. Interesting indeed.

In a movement that showed off a surprising amount of dexterity and flexibility that instantly had Laxus' mind reeling with the dirt sexy possibilities, Lucy swivelled in his lap to straddle and face him. Hotdamn was this woman making him throb in his too small pants already and she hadn't done anything to him directly.

Lucy snapped her fingers in front of his face with a worried expression – either for his sanity or she could feel just how rigid he was almost directly below her lady bits he wasn't entirely sure, probably both – and the Thunder God remembered that she had asked him a question.

"Uhhhh..." Well didn't he just sound so intelligent? After all those days that he had prepped himself into speaking to her about all this crap that came with his magic and it was finally happening and his upstairs brain had officially checked out.

And not for sexy fun times. Oh no. Because this entire situation was ludicrous and he didn't know what to even say.

Wait.

Why wasn't she asking any questions?

How did Lucy know the connotations that came with a mate? To his knowledge, only he, Gajeel, the short-stack Bookworm, and apparently Natsu knew about all this.

And probably Wendy, but he didn't really want to think about that at the moment, who knew what kind of freaky shit female Dragons had to go through when they found their destined pair. Probably something to do with blood sacrifices or lots of weird rituals…

He peered down into Lucy's big amber eyes – damn could he just get lost in those things for a million years, but not now because it was focusing time – and regarded her sceptically. "How do you know about mates? Hell…I'm a damn Slayer and I didn't even know until the Pincushion over there told me like three and a half months ago."

Lucy snorted inelegantly and rolled her eyes. "I have Natsu as a best friend. As soon as I had found him all wrapped up in every single one of my blankets like a weird little fiery burrito in a corner of my house almost six years ago, I researched their species as soon as possible. I was a bit put out when he sneezed and lit all eleven of those blankets on fire, but at least I knew that they only hibernated around people they trusted. And it only lasted for like two weeks around the longest nights and shortest days of winter, and then I had to feed him crazy amounts of fire after to perk him back up. I thought he was sick, thank the Gods he wasn't."

Huh…Dragon's hibernated. No wonder he felt so lethargic and sleepy around Christmas. It made sense…Dragons were essentially giant talking lizards.

"I know all about mates and shit. Also some weird scenting thing and why they all growl a lot. Apparently, it used to be a language and the Dragon inside you is trying to speak it, but because you're all not quite Dragon enough you can't understand it. Weird right?"

He nodded absentmindedly, his hands – against his will! – had gravitated towards those amazing hips of hers and stroked a soothing pattern of mindless shapes against her soft skin, while her arms snaked their way around his torso so that her glorious breasts were mashed up against his hard chest.

Damn, wasn't that just the best feeling ever? Now…how to get her to do it without clothing on…

The guild was holding their breath, the sexual tension was incredibly obvious between the two blondes who sat gazing at each other on one stool. How in the hell had no one noticed before?

"So…I'll ask you again. Laxus…am I your mate? Is what Natsu said true?"

"…yes."

Lucy reached up as soon as that single syllable left his lips and brought his face down for a truly spine-tingling crazy electrifying (pun intended) kiss that rocked him to his core.

He could hardly believe it.

Lucy was in his lap. Kissing him.

On the mouth.

Was he dreaming? Hallucinating? Hopped up on some weird mushroom that he thought Bickslow might have slipped into his dinner hours earlier?

The feel of her waist in his hands and the sound of her tiny groan when he parted her lips with his tongue begged to differ. The feeling of her wrapped around him so tightly held him down to the earth, while her incredible heat between her legs – which he could feel through his annoyingly tight pants – sent him to the fucking moon.

She was here, with him. She was real. This was real.

A dry awkward cough sounded from somewhere behind them and the blondes broke away from each other, panting practically vibrating in their need for the other.

Yes…this was real. But it was also happening in front of their really curious family who had absolutely no shame in watching them dry hump each other in the middle of the beer hall.

He scowled at all the lewd looks on his guild mate's faces but decided it was for the best that they had interrupted him in the middle of what he could only assume would be the start of that army of lightning babies he had so desperately wanted. He didn't want anyone else to see his mate in the middle of her passion, only him. But he was dangerously close to throwing her down on a table and fucking her so raw that she wouldn't be able to walk around properly for days.

Lucy looked up at him with those eyes that he loved, filled with a sparkle of something that set his stomach on fire and had him raring to absolutely ravish her.

He grinned rakishly down at her, happy to see her blush and fidget at his look. "It's time to go Blondie. Hang on tight."

She latched himself to his chest like a little Celestial barnacle, her giggle making him smile in response. With a last look to his still gaping family – and a one fingered salute from the drunk complete with exaggerated wink – he called fragments of his magic from the lacrima behind his eye and fizzled out into atoms with a resounding boom and flash of lightning.

Hewasn't called the Thunder God for nothing.

There is one last chapter and it's mainly SMUT! YAY! Put on those ponchos and hats people, cause it's gonna get a little wet in here~ :3