I've seen better days

So unafraid in my youth

I can't breathe, much less believe the truth

The next day, I get to the train station early and see that everyone is already here. There are even a few groups of other Fairy Tail mages here taking the first train out. I wave to Gajeel and Panther Lily who are standing and talking to Laxus and Freed. The iron dragon slayer was one of my favorite members of the guild. We always had fun teasing each other when I was a kid.

"Hey shorty!" Gajeel grins as I walk up to them. His arms are crossed over his chest and he unfolds them to rest his elbow on my head. "Man, you may look older but you're still tiny."

"Tch, I'm not even that short anymore. You guys are just giants." I retort, pouting as I push his arm away.

"Mhm, sure." He snickers "So, you're teaming up with these misfits eh?"

"Who're you calling a misfit?" Laxus sneers and the petulant expression on his face makes me giggle. He sees my reaction and looks momentarily pleased, but the look goes away before I even realize it.

"Gi-hi, don't get yer panties all in a twist, Sparky!" Gajeel says, taunting the older slayer. Laxus simply glares and Gajeel ignores him, turning back to me and Freed. "So, where ya guys headed?"

"Up north to a town called Honeywort." Freed responded, holding a map of Fiore in his hands. He opens it up and points out the location to Gajeel and Lily as he continues, "There is a mountain nearby which is the tallest in Fiore. There is constant snowfall at the top. It will be very useful for endurance training."

"It's gonna be awesome!" I say excitedly. I was looking forward to this trip more than ever. "Where are you two going?"

"I've got a super secret training location in the forest." Gajeel has a smug look on his face and I roll my eyes. "I usually prefer to train alone, but I'm glad Lily will be there to spar with!"

He fist bumps the Exceed and I grin playfully, "Not to mention, he'll be there to help your sick ass off the train!"

Gajeel glares at me while Panther Lily tries to hide his laughter. The dragon slayer growls "I don't need no help, I use sheer willpower."

"He tried to insist we walk, but the forest is so remote it's nearly impossible to get to without taking the train to the closest town. After that, it's about a week of walking." Lily sighed "So there was no way we were walking the entire way."

"Yeah, yeah..." Gajeel grumbled "But we're walking back!"

The Exceed simply rolled his eyes and I giggled at their bickering "Well, I hope you guys have fun! Can't wait to see you at the games!"

"Looking forward to it." He says, ruffling my hair. "We're gonna kick some ass."

I push his hand away and chuckle as I walk away to buy myself a train ticket. My hair is a mess from the dragon slayer disheveling it and I fix it as I wait in line. When I finally get my ticket, I head back to where the rest of the Thunder Legion is sitting. I sit next to Evergreen who looks like she's about to doze off. Bickslow is already passed out on the bench next to her, his babies nestled in his lap. Neither of them were very good with mornings.

"You look tired! Had a long night out with some cutie?" I tease the fairy mage as I sit and she huffs.

"No! God, you're just as bad as Bickslow!" She pouts, crossing her arms and I can't help but giggle. She makes it so easy.

"Mhm, you're just upset cuz it's true." I respond, sighing as we wait for the train "Man, I'm so excited to start training!"

"I'm excited for the spa!" Evergreen says dreamily. "We can have a girl's night tonight before we start training and stuff. There's so much I need to catch up on!"

I smile at her "Sounds good to me."

The train comes into view then, and soon the roaring sound of the engine wakes Bickslow up. He grumbles as the conductor loudly blows the horn, further announcing his arrival. We all stand, grabbing our packs and grouping back with Freed and Laxus. Gajeel and Lily wave to us as they continue waiting for their own train, which would be going in a different direction.

We board the train after the passengers get off, and grab a spacious compartment for ourselves. I sit between Bickslow and Evergreen, with Laxus and Freed sitting on the other side. Laxus leans against the window and puts on his sound pods. I can hear loud music coming from them as he closes his eyes and lays his head back. I chuckle when I immediately recognize the song he's listening to. Laxus and I had a similar taste in music. I had a love for classic rock long before joining Fairy Tail. When I found out that Laxus and I had that in common, it was something that I often used as a kid to try and get him to talk to me.

I internally groan when I think about the ways younger me had tried to get his attention, but I never changed who I was at the very least.

Evergreen falls asleep as soon as we start moving, bundled up with a little red pillow resting behind her head. Bickslow and I play cards for a bit while Freed immerses himself in a book. Laxus spends the entire time with his eyes tightly shut, fighting his motion sickness. Thankfully, the trip goes by relatively quickly and we get to the northernmost town after a 5-hour train ride. The town, Honeywort, was a busy trade city and was far enough away from the mountain that there was no snow at all during the off-season. The resort we're staying at is a bit further north of Honeywort, at the base of the mountain. We walk for a while before we finally reach the mountain resort. There were small patches of snow and ice around but it actually wasn't too cold. I had put on a coat when we got off the train, and everybody else had as well. It was more than enough to keep me warm, and I almost considered taking it off. With all the stuff we had to lug with us, we didn't need jackets to stay warm.

"Finally!" Evergreen groaned as the resort came into view. A large three-story building with red walls and a white roof stood at the front. The sign over the entrance declared it as the "Snowberry Resort and Spa". There was a structure behind the main building that was built around the hot springs to close them off from the elements. The resort had many small rooms, and for longer stays you could get private cabins. We decide to rent out two separate cabins, thanks entirely to Laxus's large sum of jewels. He had been S-class for so long and built his home himself to avoid rent payments. I could only imagine the amount of jewels he had, considering he hardly ever spent money on superficial items either. As Laxus stood talking to the lady at reception, I found myself admiring how generous he was. The Thunder Legion seemed extremely grateful, and truly I was too. I wondered how much he did things like this for his team. If this was the man he was away from the guild, it was no wonder these three respected him so much.

After finishing all the necessary paperwork, Laxus is handed the keys. We leave the reception desk and he hands a set to Evergreen "Don't lose these, I don't want to have to pay to replace them."

She nods, grinning excitedly at me as she hands me my key. The five of us leave the office and start walking toward the cabins. They were set along a forested pathway that had several other cabins placed periodically down the line, barely visible through the trees. Since it was the off-season, there was nobody here and we got the first ones. The two structures are connected by a large wooden deck, so we're still right next to each other. The cabins unfortunately have only two rooms, so the guys do rock paper scissors to decide who gets the pull-out couch in the living room.

"Awe man, I always lose." Bickslow groans as we stand on the deck outside our separate cabins. There's a small table with some tables in the middle, looking out into the woods behind us.

"Not our fault you suck at that game." Laxus grunts and we laugh while the seith mage pouts.

"(Y/n), can I sleep with you?" He asks, turning towards me and grinning lecherously. Evergreen hits him in the back of the head and I laugh as he rubs the spot and sulks. Evergreen had some power behind her smacks.

"You wish!" She yells. "There's no way I'm letting you set foot in our cabin."

"But I don't wanna sleep on a pull-out couch the whole time..." Bickslow grumbles.

"How about a compromise?" Freed sighs. "You sleep on the couch bed the first half of training and I'll take it the rest of the time."

"What about Laxus?" Evergreen asks.

Freed looks over at the lightning mage fondly. "I would never make Laxus-sama use the couch, especially since he was so generous as to pay for this trip!"

"Fine, I guess it's better than nothing..." Bickslow says before glancing at Laxus "Although, I don't suppose you'd like me to cuddle up with you, eh Boss?"

"Tch, as if!" He growls, zapping the seith mage harshly in response. Bickslow yelps, jumping away from the jolts of lightning. I find myself smiling widely as I watch them all interacting with each other. This group of mages was definitely unique, and it was a lot of fun being around them. I was glad they were willing to invite me along with them.

We soon parted ways, all of us agreeing to meet outside after getting settled so we could get some food and supplies. Evergreen and I explored the cozy building, picking a room and putting all our stuff away. I changed out of my comfy traveling clothes and put on jeans and black boots paired with a long-sleeved shirt cut low on my chest, showing off my (f/c) guild mark on the left side. Evergreen came out of her room wearing a strapless dress and leggings with a white coat and fuzzy boots. Her guild mark stood out on the right side of her chest, which made me smile. We hadn't planned it, but it was something we had bonded over when we realized that our marks lined up when we hugged. Sometimes, she would go out of her way to stand on my left so that our marks were close when we walked together. It was silly but cute.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with so we can relax!" She says as we link arms and walk outside. The guys are already standing there waiting for us.

"Daaamn Stormy! You look fine even all bundled up. Your ass is screaming in those jeans." Bickslow cackles as his babies excitedly shout "Ass, ass!"

I punch the seith mage playfully "You're such a pervert."

"I mean, he's not wrong." Evergreen adjusts her glasses playfully and I raise my brows at her in surprise. Normally she's the one admonishing him for his jokes. She simply shrugged, giggling "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

I laugh loudly, leaning into her as we all begin walking into town. We get a bunch of groceries and supplies to last us for about a month or so, having a fun time exploring the town a bit while we do. Everyone's arms are full of bags by the time we're done, and even Bickslow's babies are helping us carry stuff. It's mid-afternoon when we finally get back to the cabins. Thankfully we didn't have to worry about gathering any firewood before dark since the rooms had lacrima-powered fireplaces. We brought everything into the boys' cabin since that was where we'd be hanging out together. Our cabin was off-limits to the boys, per Evergreen.

I decide to make everyone a nice warm stew for dinner and they leave out all the ingredients for me to start before they put the rest of the stuff away. The few times I'd gone on missions with the Thunder Legion, I was the one who would cook, so it felt natural to be doing it again. Those three were no good at cooking, so they didn't bother. The three mages leave the kitchen, and to my surprise Laxus offers to help me. He began silently chopping the vegetables while I went to the stove to brown the meat. I didn't need much help after he finished preparing the ingredients, so he grabbed a beer from the fridge to drink as he leaned against the kitchen island. I find myself growing self-conscious as Laxus watches me and I try my hardest to ignore it. As soon as the meat is done I throw the ingredients together in a large pot and fill it with broth. I throw in the seasonings before setting the heat to simmer and setting a timer. When I'm done, I grab a beer from the fridge to drink a little while we wait.

"I'm glad there's someone else here that's good at cooking. Usually I have to do everything." Laxus says as I open one of the kitchen drawers to find a bottle opener. These were not twist-off bottles, even though he had apparently opened his by hand.

"Eh, I'm alright." I shrug, closing the drawer after finding nothing, "Stew is pretty easy."

"Oh please," Evergreen calls from the living room as I check another drawer, "This girl made some amazing meals for us when we went on missions with her."

"Yes, I'm sure without her expertise we would have starved on the road." Freed smiles fondly at me. The rune mage is sitting on the couch next to Evergreen with a book in his hand.

"You guys are exaggerating." I can't help but grin at their praise. Laxus leans over and grabs the bottle from me before he effortlessly flicks the cap off with his thumb.

"Eh, not really." Bickslow says from the giant plush chair he's sprawled out on. "We definitely woulda starved, unless we got lucky and found a food stand in the middle of the forest, but that seems pretty unlikely. " He picks his head up slightly to look at us as Laxus hands me the open bottle, "Oooh, get me a beer too woulda Laxus?"

The dragon slayer grabs a drink for Bickslow as one of the seith mage's babies floats toward us. I can't help but giggle as Laxus casually sets the bottle down on the little totem and it carefully floats back to the living room. Bickslow winks at me as he grabs it and chugs half of it. He's taken most of his armor off and is wearing a black shirt and pants, his hood and visor sitting on the table next to him. He sets the beer next to them and crosses his arms over his chest, settling deeper into the chair "Man this thing is comfy, I might just sleep here... Oh, and I hope you guys don't mind, I like to sleep in the nude!"

"You will absolutely not be doing that!" Freed says as we all deadpan.

"I so didn't need that mental image before dinner." Evergreen whines, rubbing her eyes as though that will erase the thought of Bickslow sleeping naked.

Ah shit, now I'm thinking about him naked! I shake my head, trying to fight the blush on my cheeks by taking a large sip of my beer. Luckily everyone else is too busy cringing and they don't notice my reaction. I couldn't help it. Bickslow was undeniably an attractive man, one of the more toned men in the guild, and the thought of him naked was very pleasant. To me, at least. Not so much to the others.

The timer for the food goes off, and I thank the kitchen gods for the timing. I taste-test the soup and it's ready. I start serving it up and everybody joins me and Laxus in the kitchen. We all sit around the kitchen island and talk while we eat. I was really enjoying hanging out with this group, it felt so natural being around them. Freed pours wine for everyone, and we toast to the rigorous training ahead of us. They all compliment me heavily on my cooking, and I'm glad I could be helpful in some way. If I couldn't help Laxus pay for stuff, at least I could do this. I really didn't want to feel like I was a freeloader.

After dinner, Evergreen and I go back to our cabin and grab our bath supplies. The guys walk with us to the spa and we part ways inside. The hot springs were divided by gender with a bamboo wall and both had separate bath houses connected with a small area for changing. The changing area had a stock of clean towels for guests and little square compartments to store your clothes. Everything was decorated with Japanese influence, splashes of red and black dotting the mostly white interior. We undress and store our clothes in the compartments, wrapping fluffy towels around ourselves as we walk to the hot spring. There's nobody here since it was off-season and I'm glad we won't have to deal with anyone else.

"Man this is amazing." Evergreen says as she hangs up her towel and sinks into the water. "We've basically got this all to ourselves!"

I hang my towel next to hers and quickly get in, sighing as the warm water soothes my muscles. "Yeah, no kidding. This will be even better after a long day of training."

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm trying to relax." She groans, and then suddenly she grins excitedly at me, moving in close "So, I've missed out on seven years of your life. I need to hear all about it, give me the juicy details girl! Is there a special someone you're seeing?"

I laugh and think back to everything that happened while she was gone. Dating had never really been that interesting to me, to be honest. Most of my time was spent on solo missions and training. I had a few people who I tried to date, but not seriously. Long-term relationships were often messy and difficult when you were a mage. I never found someone who was really worth it. Instead of wasting my time, I would just find someone at one of the bars in the towns I traveled to and have some fun with them. I shrug as I respond, "Not really. I haven't taken the time to date anyone in a while."

"Really?" She asks, lowering her voice and whispering conspiratorially "So, are you still a virgin?"

"Not even close." I giggle. Evergreen was somewhat innocent, even at the age of 20. She tended to scare men away with her headstrong ways and fierce attitude. If it wasn't that, it was her Stone Eyes. She'd also been raised to believe that sex was meant to be with someone you loved, which was different from my casual approach to sex. "I actually lost it to a mage from Blue Pegasus not long after you guys disappeared. You know Eve right?" I know she's going to freak and it's funny to watch her expression when she realizes who I'm talking about.

"What? That little snow mage playboy who always calls girls 'Big sis'? One of the Trimens?!" She shouts in disbelief, her voice getting progressively shriller.

"Sssshhh! Keep your voice down!" I warn. Laxus was in the building somewhere and I didn't need him hearing us. She nods her head, eyes wide and I continue. "He was always really nice to me, and he and his guild helped us out a lot when you guys were missing. Besides, I'm two years younger than him, so he never called me Big Sis."

"That's fair..." She says slowly, "So what happened? You guys aren't together anymore, obviously."

"No, that was a long time ago. We didn't have much in common and the sex was boring so I broke up with him. It was hardly a serious thing anyway, he was such a flirt. I haven't really dated anyone else, usually I just find someone I enjoy hanging out with, we fool around and then go our separate ways." I shrug. "It's just easier that way. Besides, nobody has really caught my interest lately..." LIAR.

"Yeah, I get that." Evergreen smiles, a dreamy expression on her face "I just recently found someone who caught my interest."

"Ooo," I lean in, excited to hear about this new love interest of hers "Who?"

She peeks sideways at me, hiding her blush "Nobody important…"

"Oh whatever, apparently they are." I roll my eyes. She could be such a tsundere. "So have you made a move yet?"

She pouts. "If he was a real man, he'd make the first move!"

I laugh loudly at her word choice, instantly knowing who she must be talking about. "He's probably too dense to realize you like him."

"Yeah, probably." Evergreen giggles, and we sit for a while longer gossiping.

It's late night when we eventually return to our cabin, and Evergreen goes to bed. I change into warm pajamas to step outside for a little on the shared deck. The weather was beautiful and I enjoyed looking at the night sky with a joint to smoke. There's a nice little sitting area to hang out at and to my surprise, Laxus is out there smoking a cigar. He nods in greeting and I sit next to him. We don't say anything for a while until he offers me a drag.

"I thought you quit?" I ask, turning down his offer with a grimace. Cigars were not my thing, I was not a fan of them.

"Yeah me too... " He grunts, looking at the offending item "This shit just hits the spot when it's cold."

"I can think of something better to smoke." I chuckle. Bickslow and I weren't the only members of the guild who smoked weed. It was actually completely legal and many people enjoyed it. It was used primarily by mages, who found that it was also extremely useful for many different ailments in addition to its relaxing and uplifting effects.

"That'd be nice, but I'm fresh out of that right now." Laxus says as he stamps out the cigar into the ashtray on the table.

"Well lucky for you I brought plenty." I said, pulling out my stash container and grabbing one of my joints. "I always keep some ready."

"You're so much like Bickslow it's almost scary." Laxus says as I light it and take a drag.

"I'm prettier." I giggle and hand the joint to the lightning mage.

"I won't argue with that." He grins and I can't help blushing. We continue passing the joint back and forth as we talk. "So, Gramps was telling me his plan for the games before we left. He's gonna have two teams compete."

I nod my head thoughtfully "That'll be good, I hadn't even thought about that being an option. The more members we enter the better our chance of winning."

"Yeah. There's gonna be Team A and Team B." Laxus continues "You'll be with me on the B Team. He hasn't really said who else would be with us though. Team A is basically Team Natsu. I'm not sure it's a good idea to do two teams, but he said the winning team gets to order the others around for a day. I can't wait to make Natsu my bitch."

"That's awesome." I laugh, noticing the eager glint in his eyes. "I'm so excited to be competing with everyone! I'm gonna kick some ass."

"Just you wait until our training begins." Laxus grins widely and I can't help but admire the determined look in his stormy blue-grey eyes. "When we're done, we'll be five times stronger than anyone else."

"You might just be able to take out an entire team yourself." I tease. Although, knowing him and some of the other guilds, I wouldn't be surprised. Laxus grunts at me, and we sit in quiet for a while. For once, the quiet between us is not at all awkward, and I feel content. The wind starts to pick up after a bit and I shiver. The temperature had dropped considerably from earlier.

"You cold?" Laxus asks when he sees my shaking.

"Eh. I'm fine." I lie, not wanting to admit to any weakness to this weather "Gotta get used to it if we're gonna be out here for three months anyway."

He rolls his eyes and stands to remove his large fur-lined coat. Before I have the chance to react he covers me with it. My face is red, but I sink into the warmth. I could faintly smell cologne along with the overpowering scent of thunderstorms and oak that was Laxus. He sits back down, looking out towards the forest "No use getting sick at a time like this."

"Thanks." I smile gratefully. I hadn't wanted to leave, I was actually enjoying our time together. But with the wind picking up I wouldn't have lasted long. I notice Laxus is wearing just a plain long-sleeved shirt and frown "Won't you be cold though?"

"Nah, I'm pretty impervious to the cold. Dragon slayers have really strong defenses." He says, lifting one arm and flexing it until the shirt is pulled tight. He grins, "My muscles protect me from inclement weather."

I laugh loudly and roll my eyes "Okay, sure."

Despite his teasing, I can't help but glance over him. It was weird knowing that Laxus was still nearly the same age when he left. I was so much older now. Being with him like this made me realize all the feelings I thought I had gotten rid of for Laxus, had simply been buried beneath my anger. Now that we had reconciled, they were rising back to the surface and I didn't know what to think. I was hyper-aware of every little action he made, every slight change in his expression. He seemed so closed down and serious, but that wasn't completely true.

I decide to change the subject to save myself the embarrassment of ogling the man. Regretfully tearing my eyes from his built form, I ask "So, I've heard all about what happened on Tenrou from everyone else. How did you end up there though?"

"That's a long story…" Laxus says, and he goes on to tell me some of what happened to him while he was exiled and how he came to Tenrou during the fight against Grimoire Heart. He gives me his experience of the events that followed until their face-off with Acnologia. We talk for a long time before both of us realize how late it is. I don't mind though, it was nice to finally have the complete story of the past. I was ready to move on and look to the future.

"I guess we should probably head to bed..." I say after a long silence. I stand up with Laxus's coat draped over my shoulders and stretch. As I gather my belongings off the table I see that Laxus is still sitting there, staring at me. "What?"

He smiles softly, and the look is unlike any I've seen on him before. He reaches over and tugs on the sleeve of his coat. "You look good in that."

I blush fiercely, trying to ignore the stupid fluttering in my stomach. "Thanks for letting me borrow it." I mutter as I begin to take it off, but Laxus stands up and holds it closed. Before I can ask, he pulls on the fabric and I'm pushed up against him. "Laxus…?"

"I really am a selfish bastard..." He mumbles. I look up at him and his face is closer to mine than before. He kisses me suddenly, gripping the coat tightly. I can't move, but I don't really care to anyway. I close my eyes and kiss him back.

How often had I fantasized about this when I was young? Too much, that's for sure. After the Battle of Fairy Tail, I'd never believed this would happen. I'd given up on my childish fantasies and moved on. I still felt something for Laxus, but it was different now, more subdued and mature. Them disappearing for seven years and giving me the chance to develop fully before they returned felt almost like fate. Who could have known that something could happen that would give me a chance to be doing this with Laxus?

At the same time, I can't help but think about my kiss with Bickslow. This one with Laxus was totally different, more of a hesitant step forward than a passion-fueled venture. However, they both left my heart pounding. My stomach was full of butterflies as Laxus gently pulled back, looking down at me intently. We're quiet for a moment, and I can't even think of what to say before he bites his cheek and turns away.

"Keep the coat; I'll just get it from you tomorrow."

He quickly goes inside, leaving me standing in the cold, dazed and feeling lost. "Laxus…"

A/N: Woo cliffhangers! Don't hate me.

Okay, so I wanted to take a moment further explain how weed works here. I've imagined it basically being like alcohol or cigarettes in this world. Free to be used within reason, and commonly sold and bought in certain places. Reader prefers to use it in its natural state, but sometimes buys it in premade packs. It also is used in potion making and healing. Hope nobody really minds!

Anyway, leave a review and let me know if you're enjoying the story! I love getting feedback :)