Chapter Two
"We are Grieved to place such a Burden upon Your Shoulders but place it We Must. Whatever We can do to ease Your Way need only be asked. Understand We Cannot Do All We Ought but We Shall Do What We May. If You are found, however, Know We Cannot Help. You Must Depend upon Yourself and One Other, for We are not Heartless and Shall Allow You a Companion—a Champion—of Your Choosing."
The bang of the heavy oak door shutting—roughly though not an outright slam—behind Laxus was lost amongst the soundtrack that others might consider a Fairy Tail party but what anyone familiar with the famous guild would know to be just another Fairy Tail evening. Idly, Laxus wondered what was wrong with him that the sounds of brawls, wood scraping against wood as glass shattered (he made a mental note to again suggest replacing their glass with plastic the next time Gramps made him and Mira do inventory—shattered glass being an "authentic" Fairy Tail experience be damned), and cackling laughter amongst cheers, some boos, and not-so-encouraging encouragements –heckling, really—was the closest feeling to home he knew. He blamed his shitty pops for being so, well, shitty, at the parenting thing and his gramps for thinking an unfiltered Fairy Tail was in any way a normal environment to raise a sickly child. Okay, maybe gramps wasn't the best parenting figure around but he beat out the shitty pops (though considering who raised said shitty pops, maybe that was better put as testament against Makarov's notoriously loose parenting style).
Speaking of loose parenting style…
Orange eyes scanned the crowd below to spot the only other blonde in the guild. Thick brows shot up at the sight of a table of blondes (and one pink-head) though keen eyesight showed only one was natural. Amidst what was apparently a blonde-wigged group sat Lucy Heartfilia, the one person in the entire guild Laxus thought could give Natsu a run for his money in the trouble department. The difference, of course, was that while Natsu created and relished in trouble and destruction, the Celestial Mage did her best to avoid it but had the misfortune of serving as a magnet for crazy. It was probably the reason why she and Natsu got on so well and why Team Natsu was so overly and unhealthily attached to her. Having overheard a brief overview of her ancestor's plans with Zeref and having rejected numerous suspicious requests for the blonde, Laxus suspected Lucy's innate trouble-attracting skills were half-genetic, fifteen percent the result of having some connection to Zeref (which, really, could be traced back to genetics), fifteen percent the result of being a Celestial Mage, which gramps had given him to understand automatically came with a huge shiny, jewels-encrusted target sign on your back, ten percent Fairy Tail mage, and ten percent shitty luck.
He suspected it was the last thirty-five percent responsible for the hours of curse-filled conversations he shared with his gramps for much of the day. Frankly, Laxus thought his suggestion of telling the Royal Family to go fuck themselves had more merit than was given but despite reservations, the oldest Dreyar was adamant that Lucy go on this mission and Laxus accompany her. Both because the mission allowed for two mages and because no one else was qualified and knew just how much danger lurked and attempted to ensnare the oblivious blonde. Laxus was additionally under orders by Makarov to figure out what the Royal Family had up their sleeves for their guildmate though both suspected Lucy already knew. If only the girl had a proper sense of self-preservation, Laxus might feel some relief at the knowledge.
Feeling eyes on him, Laxus turned his attention to pink-framed blue eyes staring at him from its position next to the blonde subject of his thoughts. He couldn't place a name to the face but knew the pink-haired maid to be one of Lucy's spirits, the one who had unexpectedly popped up from the floor beneath Bickslow (causing the large man, who had been teasing the blonde with innuendos regarding her whip, to let out a hilarious shriek, both legs—and hands— wrapping tightly around the spirit's head at the unexpected loss of balance) while his babies scattered in five different directions. The spirit nonchalantly offered Lucy a cat o nine tails, unmindful of the seith mage clinging to her face. Lucy, however, was not and not even dragon slayer eyes could see the moment her muscles began to contract as she sent Bickslow flying from her spirit with a Lucy Kick that managed to dislodge his hold on the pinkette without actually touching or harming the spirit. Faster than anyone could blink, the Celestial Mage had grabbed the cat o nine from her spirit's hand and was menacingly smacking its handle to the butt of her palm in front of the barely conscious seith mage as she warned him against acting inappropriately with any of her spirits. The lightning dragon slayer could have sworn that, behind her master, the pinkette actually pouted at the time.
But she was not pouting now. Laxus considered himself reasonably good at reading a person, a snotty rebellious phase he'd rather not think about notwithstanding, but he got nothing from the emotionless spirit studying him before she turned to face her master and said something, a hand coming up to point a finger in his direction.
The Lightning Mage couldn't hear what the spirit said over the cacophony that was Fairy Tail but it was evident she spoke of him to his fellow (natural) blonde. Whatever she said drew the attention of the entire table who turned, as one, to face him. A platinum-blonde Cana broke into a grin even while Lucy shook her head at her spirit, evidently answering her in the negative.
"Oi, Laaaaxus! What're yous doin' ova theeeerrr?" The drunken card mage slurred, "Come plaaaay!"
"Juvia thinks if Laxus-san is invited to join, Gray-sama should be too!"
"No, no men!" A sword-wielding strawberry-blonde Erza made a decisive slice in the air with her weapon. Fortunately, it was Levy next to her and though the petite bluenette—dirty blonde now—ducked, there was no need as the sword struck a clear half foot above her. "We are here to allow Virgo to properly experience a slumber party and pillow fight. We shall enjoy the festivities here then leave for Fairy Hills to create girlhood memories we shall always cherish. There will be no males to ruin our innocent maiden experience or taint our memories!" The last bit was growled out as the Titania sent a death glare towards a group of sulking men that included the likes of Macao and Wakaba.
"No fun," Cana murmured, clearly audible in the now silent guild (no one, but no one, dared speak when Erza was making a declaration, no matter how ridiculous) while Mira (who, despite her normal silver locks, looked incredibly odd as a bleached blonde) pouted.
"But the babies…" she whined, index fingers twiddling together as her sister comforted her.
Honestly, Laxus didn't want to know. Ocher eyes scanned the group of girls, unamused, before landing on anxious chocolate eyes. His scowl deepened and he saw, rather than heard, the Celestial Mage let out an "eep!" as she appeared to try and curl into herself. One metal-gauntlet hand on her shoulder had her immediately looking up, a bright (too bright, too…fake) smile on her face. Whatever she said to Erza was too low for him to hear from this distance but it seemed to please the natural red-head who turned to face the rest of the table.
"Ladies, let us finish here and then commence to the Slumber Party." Raising a fist in the air, one foot sturdily against the floor while the other rested on the table top, Erza let out a battle cry. "To the cake!" A chorus of cheers rose from the table, one lone, "and the booze!" slurred out in between. Laxus blinked as suddenly, Asuka was in Erza's arms, cheering just as loudly as the older females.
Did she? Did Erza just pluck Asuka from her—?
No…no way. Laxus shook his head. There was absolutely no way he just saw what he thought he did. Sure the guild had its share of busty mages but no one was so busty as to allow a child to hide between their bosoms. Plus Laxus was sure Bisca would have some words about that. No, Laxus had to have been seeing things. Putting the thought out of his mind (but filing it away for future perusal), the guild-master in training watched as it seemed a horde of girls stampeded all at once to the bar while Mira and Kinana disappeared into the kitchen. When they reappeared, it was with what appeared to be several multi-layered cakes. One was set before Erza while the others were divided amongst the rest of the girls.
Gramps said he was supposed to talk to Lucy about the mission today—well, tonight, given the time—but it was evident that would not be happening. Meeting Lucy's gaze, he let out an irritated breath as the girl sent him a nervous smile and small wave while the spirit beside her merely cocked her head, as if examining Laxus. He felt a buildup of magic, oddly enough both beside him and closer to Lucy and was on guard instantly. There was no possible way anyone could know about their upcoming team up, right? No one was seriously going to try and attack them at the guild, surely?
"Easy, Lightbulb," came the voice of Fairy Tail's celestial spirit member. Downstairs at the bar, another pinkette had appeared in a puff of smoke, heralded by the sound of a doorbell and an, "I'm sorry!"
Laxus grunted his greeting to the lion spirit, keeping an eye on the Celestial Mage and her two spirits below. "Why're you here, furball?"
"Well that's just rude," Loke huffed, but leaned against the railing beside Laxus anyway. "So you're going with her, huh?" Keeping an eye on Lucy and his two fellow spirits below, Loke sent a side glance at the behemoth of a man beside him. A shrug and disinterested grunt was all he received but it was not as if he didn't already know the answer. He allowed the silence between them to settle for several minutes, a small but genuine smile curving his lips as he watched Virgo's eyes light up when Lucy wiped some frosting on the earthen spirit's nose while Aries went cross-eyed when the same was done to her.
"You gonna tell me what's going on?" Surprisingly, it was Laxus who broke the silence. Loke didn't answer but let out a deep sigh as he leaned further against the railing, resting his chin on both hands. "That bad, huh?"
"I'm not entirely sure I know," Loke confessed, voice somber as his eyes focused entirely on his laughing blonde keyholder.
"You don't know?!"
"Contrary to popular belief," Loke glared at Laxus from the corner of his eyes, "we don't spend our entire time in the Celestial World spying on Lucy or everyone here. We know only what Lucy wants us to know—well, most of us." Loke amended, thinking of the Southern Cross who essentially knew everything but was forbidden from sharing said knowledge without the proper authorization. Unfortunately, in this case, the grandfatherly spirit was unable to tell the rest of Lucy's spirits anything. He had a feeling Layla's former spirits knew but none had confided in him. Cancer merely snapped his scissors in answer and Loke, Zodiac leader or not, was not going question someone with lightning-quick reflexes, an infinite supply of sharp objects and impeccable aim borne from thousands of years of patience and practice. Capricorn was…well, Capricorn. Beyond increasingly long meetings with the Celestial King, the old goat showed no evidence of acknowledging Loke's question, choosing instead to read his latest poetry attempts out loud for Loke's (never-given because Loke never stayed to hear the whole thing) input. And then there was Aquarius…she had to know, if the random curses and sudden flash floods in the other world was anything to go by but Aquarius had been in a terrible mood—worse than usual—since ordering Lucy to break her key and only the Celestial King and Scorpio was exempt from her temper. When Loke first approached her following the return of the Celestial King to their world, Aquarius had glared at him and then…
Loke shuddered and mentally put up more concrete, steel and rebar-enforced walls around that memory.
Laxus let out a muttered curse under his breath and Loke bit back a smile. At least with the monstrous Lightning Dragon Slayer with them, he could breathe a little easier about Lucy's safety…just a little. "So you don't know anything?"
Raising a brow at the gruff dragon slayer, Loke allowed a smirk to color his tone. "Oh, I know some things…" he trailed off, voice serious as he turned to face Laxus fully, all traces of mirth gone. "Like the fact that Lucy doesn't want you—or anyone—to go."
"Already knew that," Laxus grunted, annoyed. Who the hell did Lucy Heartfilia think she was, planning on going on a mission on her own when even Happy could figure out the mission was obviously dangerous and very likely a trap? Laxus didn't care how much stronger she was compared to before, she was a part of Fairy Tail and he'd be damned if he let her or any of his fellow guildmates place themselves in unnecessary danger without any backup.
"No, you don't." Loke argued with a bitter smile as he reached a hand up to adjust his sunglasses (who the fuck wore sunglasses indoors at night?!) and lowered his voice, making it so even Laxus strained to hear him. Given the presence of slayers downstairs, it was a wise move, Laxus acknowledged as the lion constellation continued speaking. "Lucy hates being alone."
Again, Laxus grumbled. Everyone knew that—hell, it was one of the original reasons so many in the guild would unexpectedly drop in on the petite blonde when she first joined Fairy Tail. Her company and the apparent "snuggly wuggly cozy cocoony" (Ever's somewhat drunken words, not his…well, she went into a lot more detail about cocoons and emerging a beautiful fairy…or something, Laxus had tuned her out by that point) she called an apartment was what kept the guild returning again and again, unwittingly disturbing the blonde's peace.
"Lucy hates being alone," Loke continued choosing to ignore Laxus, "hates it." He stressed, as if Laxus ought to understand anything from having that fact repeated. It was obvious he didn't and Loke sighed, exasperated (truthfully, Laxus was itching to punch the stupid playboy in the face and was sure his tenuous hold on self-control would slip if the spirit continued dragging out this conversation unnecessarily) before massaging the bridge of his nose just between his eyes. "Lucy hates being alone," he repeated, "so why would she rather go on this mission alone?"
That was but one of the multitude of questions Laxus had for the pretty blonde mage. Sure she told his gramps she didn't want to place anyone else in danger but that was a piss poor excuse as far as the Thunder God was concerned. His gramps may have bought the excuse but he didn't and wouldn't. Already he had come up with—and discarded—several theories and hypothesis regarding the blonde's reasons but found no matter how much he discounted it, there was one idea he kept circling back to. It must have shown on his face somehow because Loke closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"You know, don't you?"
"Say it," Laxus growled lowly. Whatever his theories, they were just that—ideas about a fellow guildmate who, truthfully, Laxus was not particularly close to and did not know nearly as well as the immortal man before him. He could take any information he had concerning the blonde and create a hypothesis no one could argue with but it would never be real unless someone who knew the girl said it, acknowledged it. Laxus truly hoped the celestial spirit would say nothing.
The spirit in question looked pained, letting out a bitter chuckle as his eyes looked away to find his keyholder.
"You know," the lion's voice was flat, eyes blank, "we—her spirits—use to pray the guild would reform when you split up. For a time, we thought if Fairy Tail would come together again, it would fix everything…goodness knows whatever we did, we couldn't. And then Natsu pops up and decides to reform Fairy Tail and we thought, yes! Yes, finally! this must be what she was waiting for, what she needed. And she said no."
That fact had surprised Laxus when he first heard it, when the guild was still only just getting back together and before it was official. He and the Raijinshou, like the rest of the guild, all received Lucy's letter announcing plans to rebuild the guild and asking everyone to meet at the site of its former building. When they arrived, nearly all the members of the guild were there—but notably, the blonde responsible for their coming together was absent. Natsu had loudly complained that she turned him down about joining him as he set about getting the guild back together, saying she would help but likely wouldn't arrive and officially rejoin Fairy Tail until after everything was official. At the time, Laxus thought little of it as Gray made a snide remark concerning Lucy possibly being turned off the guild by Natsu which led to a fight which rapidly grew into a traditional Fairy Tail free-for-all and Laxus had just been so damn happy to experience some semblance of normal again, it was easy to push his curiosity away.
"When she decided it was time to return, we knew things would be different. How could they not be? But we had hoped…" Loke trailed off and Laxus thought he tasted salt in the air for a second before it vanished. "Nothing was the same. Everyone was different—she was different." Shaking his head, as if the act could shake away his melancholy thoughts, the Zodiac leader turned to his fellow guildmate with whom he once shared something akin a lopsided rivalry. "Laxus, you know as Celestial Spirits, we are bound to our contracts with our keyholders." Taking the grunt Laxus made as an affirmative, Loke continued. "Whether we agree with them, we are bound—compelled—to help them with their tasks so long as it is within our contracts or they do nothing to erode our trust in them. Sometimes, what they wish is for us to not interfere, for us to remain in the Celestial World."
Laxus hadn't considered that idea and raised a curious brow.
"You understand, don't you? There may be times we Spirits wish to protect Lucy but are unable to, either because she will not let us or because she truly does not wish for us to be there. If, during this mission, anything should happen and We fail to show up—on our own powers or hers—you have to be there for her, to protect and keep her safe in our place."
"Why wouldn't she want you there?" Laxus licked his too dry lips and found his tongue was dry as well and instead of moistening his lips, it merely stuck to it.
Loke didn't take his eyes away from his master as she laughed at something Levy said while carefully maneuvering away from Evergreen and her fan.
"Loke…" it was a warning growl.
"Would you want your friends there if you decided to kill yourself?"
Lucy had barely just drifted off to sleep in her own bed the following morning when three swift knocks on her door jerked her back to reality. Unaccustomed as she was to the noise, it took several seconds to realize what the sound was and three additional knocks were made before she reached the door on shaky feet, her key pouch in hand.
"Laxus?!" The scowling visage of the dragon slayer—and her soon to be partner for the upcoming mission—was the last thing she expected to see upon opening the door though she supposed she should have expected it. After all, they did have much to talk about, to prepare for. If nothing else, she needed to give him a general idea of what the actual mission was.
"You gonna stand there all day or invite me in?" At his words, Lucy flushed and immediately stood off to the side, gesturing for the large man to enter her apartment and quickly scanning the hallway to make sure no one else was privy to her company. The last thing she wanted was any gossip regarding her and the lightning slayer or for her landlady—a scary woman with a surprising weakness for romance—to get any odd ideas in her head. Noting she was in the clear, she shut her door with a relieved sigh only to turn and have her nose brush against the far too close sternum of one Laxus Dreyar.
The man himself seemed unaware of just how close they were to one another, his eyes focused on Lucy's face as he searched for something Lucy could not know.
"You look like shit," he finally muttered, stepping back as he took in her wrinkled state, the bags beneath her eyes and the redness that lined it.
"Prince charming," Lucy snorted, rolling her eyes and swore for a second a smirk flitted across her fellow blonde's face. "The girls and I had a slumber party last night."
In truth, Lucy had merely mentioned her promise to Virgo for a pillow fight to Cana to let the brunette know not to try and find a way to sneak into her apartment. Since the "Change," which was what the guild called Lucy's lock change and subsequent refusal to give Mira a copy of her new keys, Cana had tried, and failed, numerous times to drunkenly enter Lucy's apartment and crawl into her bed (or her bath) and the few times she succeeded was because Virgo let her in. Virgo took a sort of sadistic pleasure, when Cana was around, of taking the card mage's alcohol and hiding it, as well as any alcohol in the vicinity of the card mage, in the Celestial Realm. Cana in turn tended to try and wrestle the (all too willing) spirit to submission to return her "babies" even though Lucy told her it was just what the spirit wanted and doing so would only encourage Virgo to continue collecting and hiding her alcohol. As a result, Cana recently made it a point not to try and enter Lucy's place when she knew the spirit was expected to be present.
What Lucy ought to have known, and she mentally smacked herself for not thinking of it, was that Cana's reaction would be a loud, "Sweet! Slumber party!" which attracted the attention of those around them. A delighted squeal from Mira (who, like Cana and the rest of the girls and for reasons then unknown to but accepted anyway by Lucy, was currently sporting a blonde wig...the reason, it turned out, was to put to rest once and for all whether or not blondes had more fun), the hurt eyes of Levy and Wendy at the thought of not being invited, Erza's assumption of leadership for the slumber party Lucy was futilely explaining wasn't an actual slumber party so much as a small get together with her spirits, and then some odd zing of rivalry between Erza and Mira concerning some former match they needed to finish resulted in one exhausting night for Lucy. The pillow fight, and Erza, Mira's, and oddly enough, Virgo's participation in it—as well as Evergreen deciding this was her chance to avenge herself on Lucy for Mira's innuendos and the very real fear of Mira possibly slipping fertility drugs into her food—lasted until the early hours of the morning, especially once Aries was convinced to use her wool for the pillows and fortification.
Still, her spirits were extremely pleased, Virgo especially as the presence of so many other participants meant while she could make it so Lucy hit her with a pillow once or twice, she could not only avoid hitting her master back but in fact, under guise of it being duty, take many hits (mainly from the self-proclaimed Fairy Queen) targeting her keyholder. Knowing Virgo and her eccentricities, Lucy was willing to allow her guildmates to hit Virgo with a pillow just this once but anyone who targeted sweet Aries found themselves under a barrage of pillow hits (and the order of a wool bomb) from Lucy.
That might have allowed the slumber party to end with a massive sleepover if Laki and Chico hadn't decided to sneak a hit on Aries when Lucy was preoccupied fending off Evergreen, Virgo and Cana tussling about (Virgo's eyes gleaming under the card mage's chokehold as she grinned, almost malevolently, while transporting Cana's many bottles of alcohol into the Spirit World), and Mira and Erza engaged in an outright brawl that, thankfully, did not include their powers. Well, okay, Mira was in her Sitri form and Erza had on one of her armors but both women seemed content with simply inflicting physical abuse on one another and though bloodied and bruised, the damage was restricted to their persons. Aries' surprised squeak triggered Lucy's rage (subsequently, Evergreen decided that she was done being upset with Lucy) and despite being the spirit of the ram, Aries' face upon first being hit with a pillow from behind reminded both Erza and Mira of a frightened bunny, prompting their protective instincts towards the timid spirit and what had been a (sorta kinda) pillow fight became war as the combined fury of Lucy, Mira, and Erza saw to it no one and nothing at Fairy Hills remained unscathed. Poor Laki and Chico would never be the same (Laki would break out into hives at the sight of wool and Chico would enter something akin a catatonic state at the mention of it), Wendy would forever start gathering first aid supplies at the suggestion of a slumber party, and only Levy's quick thinking and Virgo's ability to near instantaneously rebuild had Fairy Hills still standing, albeit in several unconnected pieces, when the sun broke across the sky.
Since Laki was unconscious and no one else capable of fixing up the dormitory without causing greater structural damage was present, Virgo offered to fix the building as gratitude for allowing her to experience a slumber party. This led to a massive group hug which, oddly enough, seemed to actually disturb the maiden spirit and it took a good half hour before the spirit was able to begin the rebuilding process. Another hour later had Lucy exhausted, Fairy Hills good as new (and if it was larger and now housed a dungeon underneath, no one need know), and Virgo and Aries returning to the Celestial World. All in all, the night had gone better than Lucy suspected it would but she was still adamant about returning to her own apartment to sleep and several pointed arguments (where the few mages still conscious seemed genuinely puzzled by the idea of Lucy not wanting to be groped, nearly strangled in a crushing embrace, or possibly have pictures of her taken and bandied about so men could imagine the "beautiful babies!" they could possibly have with her) eventually saw her making the lone trek back to her apartment.
Where her much-needed sleep was disrupted by this monster of a lightning mage who was currently snapping his fingers in front of her face. Scowling at him, she pushed his hand away and took some measure of pride at the surprise he was unable to hide. Motioning for him to sit, Lucy offered him a drink as she made her way to the kitchen to make coffee. If she was going to get through the day—and this conversation—she was going to need coffee—copious, copious amounts of the beautiful, caffeine-filled liquid heaven. The studio apartment meant Laxus could watch her as she heated the water, quickly ground the coffee beans and then proceeded to take out two mugs, placing a single sugar cube in one and dumping the entire bowl into the other.
"How the hell do you have teeth left?!" Lucy didn't respond to him, merely shot him a glare over her shoulder as the kettle whistled. Once the coffee was made, she poured it into the two mugs and, bringing them over to where Laxus sat, handed him the single-sugar cubed mug before sitting across from him with her sugar-laden one. Choosing not to question how she knew how he wanted his coffee, Laxus chose to let the steaming drink cool and watched as she took several deep gulps from her mug, impressed she didn't even wince.
Seeing his expression, Lucy shrugged. "Natsu," she said by way of explanation and oddly enough, Laxus found that one name did answer his unasked question though he was unsure how. "I'm sure you have questions," she began once the minutes stretched on in silence and she had refilled her mug, once again with a bowl worth of sugar while Laxus had only just taken a couple of sips from his. "You don't have to go," she prefaced. "I don't expect you to and it isn't fair to ask—to have—you come with me when I'm not even sure what I can tell you."
"Might help if you tell me why you're tryna kill yourself." No one, least of all Laxus, ever claimed the Lightning Dragon Slayer to be subtle and as he watched Lucy choke on her drink, coughing furiously and face a bright red as she attempted to regain her breath, Laxus reckoned no one ever would. If ever he was to be guild master, he should probably work on that.
"I—wha-where—I mean, you—" Lucy's spluttering shouldn't have been amusing and perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps Laxus was just tired, irritated and incredibly grumpy that this slip of a mage apparently had so much shit going on, she was apparently suicidal and no one knew. Not even him, even though he (and by extension, the Raijinshuu) had been keeping a close eye on her since Gramps made him aware of the ridiculous amount of trouble that was always just lingering in her periphery. That stupid lion spirit of hers had disappeared after letting out that bombshell and he could hardly call the oversized fuzzball out to answer his questions without bringing her into it. Whatever the case, watching the petite mage gasp and simultaneously attempt to take in air while dealing with the hot liquid that traveled down the wrong pipe was somehow hilarious and Laxus had no compunction snickering and then, for some reason, roaring with laughter.
Perhaps he was going mad.
Honestly, if she was planning on dying, then why the fuck had he and his gramps worked so hard to keep her safe? Screw that—if she wanted to die so badly, Laxus would end her damn misery for her. There was enough shit going on and even though the country—continent, really—at large seemed perfectly happy to pretend Alvarez wasn't one mad man's whim away from invading Ishgar—again—Laxus and Makarov knew better. They, along with Mavis, had been brainstorming contingency plans for the inevitable day things would go to shits again.
"It's not funny," Lucy mumbled when Laxus' laughter began to fade.
"No, it's not," Laxus agreed and immediately, any levity between the two was gone. "So?"
Lucy murmured something that sounded like "stupid lion" and possibly threatened to stick his finger in a light socket so his hair would frizz and give him the look of a perpetually startled cat, which honestly amused Laxus to no end. Hell, he would be only too happy to shock the feline spirit for her if only because he and Loke didn't ever get along. They didn't fight nor did they consider each other rivals, per se, and while there was no active avoidance of each other, both generally gave the other a wide berth. There was something about both men that rubbed each other the wrong way (according to Loke, Laxus was just jealous of all the, erm, ladies, who naturally flocked to him while Laxus had taken one look at Loke and declared him a blowhard) and this had been true from the moment the then-secret spirit entered Fairy Tail.
"You gonna spill or what?" Laxus growled out when it was clear Lucy was lost in her own thoughts about various ways to punish the apparently loose-lipped lion. Any other time and Laxus might have encouraged her (though she really didn't need it—her imagination was a thing of wonder judging by the many and extremely creative scenarios he could hear her muttering) but according to her spirit, she was essentially on a suicide mission sanctioned by their government and according to gramps, he had less than a week to get all the information he could together to prepare for whatever hell would be sent his way.
"I'm not trying to kill myself," she mumbled darkly and Laxus was inclined to believe her if only because the idea of a suicidal Lucy simply seemed so…contrary, to what he knew, or thought he knew, of her. Of the front she put up in the guild and while the two weren't friends or particularly close, Laxus liked that Lucy was always—or at least had always appeared to be—genuine. Sure, she had her secrets—it was practically a requirement of the guild to have some deep dark secret one was constantly at war with—but in general, she was unfailingly and unapologetically honest. At least that was what Laxus had heard, observed, and truly believed.
With a sigh, Lucy leaned against her seat, curling both legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, chin resting between her knees. It occurred to Laxus she was hugging herself, seeking comfort, and he felt all the awkwardness of a man who did not—could not—offer it. Emotions and all the intricacies it entailed were better left to other members of his team, namely Freed or Ever, while actions, brute force and bluntness were Laxus' forte. Laxus was a cut and dry sort of man and he wondered what Fate was thinking, placing him with the infinitely more complexed Heartfilia for however long this still unrevealed mission would last.
"Your lion seems to think so." He felt, rather than saw, the buildup of magic as it coalesced into a single bright spot beside Lucy and prepared himself, resigned, to whatever drama would ensue with the arrival of the flamboyant spirit.
"Forced Gate Closure, Gate of the Lion, Leo." Lucy's voice was flat and, having not witnessed, nor known about, a forced closure before, Laxus was curious by the sudden dispersal of magic.
"You can do that?" he was truly stunned. He was certain Lucy had not summoned Loke which meant she was counteracting her spirit's own magic to force his gate closed.
"Mhm," she was up and moving towards her closet, standing on tip toes as she pulled out a box from the upper shelf. Back still towards him, she took out what Laxus assumed to be a key hanging from the chain around her neck and unlocked the box, taking out a small communication lacrima. The key, and chain, properly in place again beneath her clothes, Lucy sat beside Laxus.
"Hisui Fiore." She called out and the lacrima lit up, flickered, and then took on the image of the Princess of Fiore.
"Lucy," the teal-haired female smiled warmly, if not tiredly. "Have you—oh, you have company." The princess broke off as Lucy adjusted the lacrima so that both she and Laxus could be seen.
"You remember Laxus—he'll be my partner."
Laxus nodded his greetings as the princess's eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly. "Your—oh, oh! So you finally changed your mind!" Recalling her manners, the princess flushed slightly before greeting Laxus properly. Once the usual pleasantries were exchanged, the subject returned to the business at hand. "Does," Princess Hisui looked from Laxus to Lucy cautiously, "Does he know?"
Laxus frowned at being spoken of as if he wasn't present.
"No, I wasn't sure what I could and couldn't say," his frown deepened at Lucy's words and he shot a side-long glare at her that was promptly ignored. "I..is your father free to speak?" Laxus' suspicion was reignited when the princess glanced to the side of the camera, eyes sad before hardening and looking at Lucy. "Now is not a good time to speak with him. Lucy, when will you be—"
"We'll be there at the end of the week, as promised." Lucy's tone was clipped. "I need to tell Laxus what's going on—it's not fair for him not to know, especially given that he got roped into this blind."
"Of course, of course, We trust You." Hisui's attention was divided between them and something occurring off camera. "Use your best judgement and make sure everythi—" she cut off, alarmed by whatever was happening off screen. "Fa-," she bit her tongue and looked at Lucy, face drawn tight. "Tell him what he needs to know to successfully complete the mission—no more. When you both arrive to the capital, come to the palace immediately and We will inform You of anything else necessary." A glance off camera, "Please, as quickly as possible Lucy!"
Laxus blinked when the princess' image flickered once, twice, then faded out altogether and the lacrima began to crackle with excess energy. He barely managed to grab it from Lucy before the lacrima let out what would surely have been a fatal charge of electricity, frying itself and any data it once held.
"What the fuck?!" he looked from the, evidently disposable, communication lacrima in his hand to the stunned girl beside him. "You okay, blondie?"
"Y…yeah," she seemed surprised by the self-destructive nature of the lacrima so he concluded whoever sold it or gave it to her (he wasn't a betting man but he'd bet an entire S-class mission reward they had just spoken to one of the sources of the lacrima). "Thank you…oh, are you—"
"Lightning Dragon Slayer, remember?" Laxus smirked, amused at her unnecessary worry. "Would have preferred a better snack but, eh, whose gonna complain about a freebie? I take it you didn't know this was a burner lacrima?"
"No," Lucy shook her head, letting out a breathy sigh. "You would think, considering everything, they would tell me! At the very least, they need me alive long enough to complete the mission."
Her words did nothing to settle Laxus' reservations nor Loke's words and he was brought back to why he was here in the first place.
"You planning on dying?" Lucy flinched at the intensity of his glare, the harshness of his voice, cutting through her and promising retribution for any lies.
Gathering her strength, Lucy turned so she was facing Laxus directly and squared her shoulders.
"Is anyone around?" she asked him and despite himself, he did a quick scan of the area, using his heightened senses to detect a third party.
Shaking his head, he asked, "Should Freed?" Taking his cue from her, he made sure to be vague as well. Lucy's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before they shot up in understanding. Smiling at him, almost relieved, she nodded her head and he frowned in concentration as he put up the ruins that would prevent anyone from being able to overhear—or understand—the conversation. Apparently, Freed's insistence that he and the Raijinshuu learn some rudimentary ruins was spot on. "So?" he asked once he was done.
"The King is dying." His brows shot up but Lucy pressed on before he could say anything else. "It's an Ancient Curse on the Royal Family and the reason my Father is dead." The only way Laxus' brows could go any higher was if it could detach itself from his face. Turning slightly away from him, Lucy let out a bitter laugh.
"Wh—"
"It's funny, isn't it?" Her voice might have been described as crazed if it were less calm as she interrupted him. "Learning about Zeref and the Heartfilias, no one—not even me—thought about my father."
"How does the King being cursed end up with your old man croa—erm, gone?" Laxus quickly corrected himself at the glare Lucy shot him from the corner of her eyes.
"Because," briefly, Laxus wondered if perhaps Lucy had gone insane. Well, insane by Fairy Tail standards. Maybe by legal standards as well. "What my parents never thought to tell me was that before dad met mom, he went by a different name." Lucy shook her head and Laxus, though known more for his brawn than brain, was intelligent enough to connect the dots.
"Your father is…"
"Judicas Fiore, younger brother to King Toma E. Fiore and the idiot," her voice was unnaturally high and Laxus winced at its savage pitch, "who chose to die so his brother didn't have to." Her words ended in a strangled sob and Laxus cut his eyes away from the struggling girl as she attempted to pull herself together. Several minutes passed before a soft, "I'm sorry," forced Laxus' surprised gaze back on the mage he was coming to realize was just barely holding everything together and had been struggling probably since before the guild reformed. Her pain, the crack in her tone, the shuddering breaths and the depth of the sorrow in her eyes that, for a brief but all too long minute could not be hidden, was not recent nor one that built steadily over days. No, this had to be the work of months, perhaps even years and Laxus considered if he was the wrong man for the job.
She would be better off with Mira or Erza—hell, even Gramps or another one of her teammates, S-class or not, would be the better choice for the suffering girl. Sure, there would have to be some finessing about if Gramps disappeared—again—but Laxus was sure they could come up with some plausible reason. The old man had disappeared once, who was to say he wouldn't or couldn't again?
Laxus could provide fire power, he could provide brute strength and near instantaneously grab the girl and bring her to safety as his gramps told him to do if things got too dangerous. What Laxus could not—did not—provide was comfort. He could hardly give something he himself was so unfamiliar with.
But he was who she was stuck with.
"So we just gotta break this curse, right?" he grunted, looking at his feet and hoping he didn't appear anywhere close to as awkward as he felt. "I'm guessing you at least have an idea how to do it?"
Lucy nodded, still rubbing some of the tears from the corner of her eyes. "I don't know how to break the curse but Anna Heartfilia was, in her lifetime, called to consult about the curse and made some adjustments. She passed before she could determine how to break the curse completely but left behind her notes. Even if we don't succeed in breaking the curse, I can at least stave it off for a few years or more. If the curse isn't broken by then…well, we'll still have bought extra time." She didn't look at him and once again, Loke's words rang in Laxus' ears as his gut sank and pieces of the puzzle slowly clicked into place.
"It's a curse on the Royal Family."
"Uhm."
"Your father died so the King didn't have to."
"Mhm," Lucy still wouldn't look at him and he wondered how the fuck she could sit there, so calm, when his stupid leg wouldn't obey his mind's command to Just. Stop. Tapping. Already.
"But the King's dying now anyway." Narrow eyes watched for even the most minute of movement from Lucy, for a wince, a smile, a shrug—hell, Laxus would have been pleased with a friggin inadvertent muscle twitch. But he got nothing.
Lucy was by far a better actress than he—or anyone—knew.
"Your father was an idiot." That got a reaction, albeit muted.
"Yeah," Lucy sighed softly, leaning back against her sofa.
"And you?"
"Me?" Lucy looked at him, a smile he didn't understand twisting her lips, voice as soft as the look in her eyes. "I guess I might be an idiot, too."