A/N: Hey! So this is the first story I've posted, I've been working on it for a while. The world needs more Reader stories! There are some slight event changes in this story, and a bit of an OOC Laxus. It's gonna be slow at first, and will end up as a bisexual/polyamorous relationship. I hope you all enjoy! Rated M- There will be lemons, eventually! :)
June 2024- Decided to continue this story after a ridiculous hiatus, doing some small edits along the way.
"And sometimes you close your eyes
And see the place where you used to live
When you were young"
When I was young, I grew up with pretty much everyone being older than me at Fairy Tail. I had been a mage since I was little but had joined when I became a teenager. I didn't have anyone very close to my age until Wendy joined when I was 14, and she was still two years younger than me. I was at that awkward halfway point between childhood and adulthood and I yearned to be counted among the older mages. Younger me also had such a huge crush on Laxus Dreyar. With me being a storm mage, it was only natural that I gravitated toward him. He was not really nice to me, but I never cared. I always trained hard and learned to control my magic, hoping Laxus would see I was strong.
I was a foolish girl. Laxus ended up betraying all of us and made the guild fight each other. He had even attacked me when I personally confronted him before everything started. I talked to the Thunder Legion a little due to my eagerness to be close to Laxus (even though they did not treat me very well, either) and they had bragged to me about his plan. Silly me thought that maybe I could change the dragon slayer's mind. Of course, he laughed in my face when I asked him not to go through with the Battle of Fairy Tail, even going as far as to hit me with a lightning attack. Luckily I was resilient against lightning magic, or else it would have done some serious damage. It hurt to know that someone I admired would do something like that. I was glad to hear Gramps exiled him when it was all over and hoped that he would find his way, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I could ever forgive him fully.
After he left, the Thunder Legion reached out to me to apologize. It took me a bit, but eventually, I forgave them. They had all shown true remorse for their actions. We started hanging out more and quickly became friends. They were all so much older than me but we got along great. Freed taught me a lot about magic and runes and I very much admired the man. Bickslow and I hung out a lot, and it was always fun being around him. Evergreen basically became like a big sister, we had a great relationship. The four of us went on jobs together a few times, and I learned so much from them. The group of outcasts had once asked if I wanted to join the Thunder Legion officially, but I refused. I didn't want to be a part of a team that was created for Laxus. I still felt resentment towards him. They were disappointed but didn't try to change my mind. Regardless of that, and our age difference, they always made sure I felt included in everything they did. I will be forever grateful for what they did for me.
If only I could have had more time with them...
I remember the day they all left for Tenroujima well. It was 7 years ago. It had been a devastating event for those of us who did not go. I had been rooting so hard for Freed and Bickslow and found out instead that they and everyone else had vanished. Including Laxus. I wasn't really sure why he was even there. We had no idea what happened and fruitlessly searched for clues. Nothing ever showed up. The most powerful members of our guild were gone without a trace. It hurt me so deeply to lose my best friends in an event that was supposed to be safe and esteemed.
During those seven years after they vanished, Fairy Tail was no longer strong enough to keep up. We tried hard in the beginning to keep up the belief that they'd return. Macao stepped up to run the guild until Makarov would return. However, as the days turned into months and the months turned into years, our outlook was bleak. The other guilds like Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus tried hard to help us find them in the beginning, but the searches became few and far between after a while. We eventually were forced to move into a lesser guild hall, since hardly any jobs ever came in. Still, I never gave up hope. I trained hard so that I could make sure to protect my guild, as small as it had become. The new strongest guild in Magnolia, Twilight Ogre, learned the hard way that just because everyone else was gone, didn't mean they could mess with us. I had managed to scare them off enough to leave us alone. So, we sat peacefully in our tiny guild hall, the remainder of wizards trying their best with the scarce amount of jobs Fairy Tail received. I got enough requests to get by with my strong storm magic. There were times when I joined some of the members of other guilds for difficult jobs. Often I helped Macao with the rent payments on our new building. Now, I was 21 and on the same skill level as Freed and the other S-class candidates. I had grown from a young, and slightly awkward, 14-year-old and was now a confident mage. I was actually around the same age as the members of the Thunder Legion when they disappeared. That was a bitter thought.
"I can't believe it's been so long..." I mumble sadly as I look at the picture hanging on my fridge. I was getting ready to leave to let everyone know I was back from my mission and wanted to grab some food first. Of course, I couldn't help but stop and look at the photograph. In it, a younger me sat smiling while surrounded by the Thunder Legion. It was an old picture, but one of the few I owned. Reedus had given it to me after they disappeared and I cherished it.
I sigh, tearing my gaze away from the photo to open the fridge. I grab a handful of grapes from my fridge, eating as I get ready to leave. I walk into my living room, checking over my place to make sure I had everything. I was currently renting a two-bedroom condo in town with a nice little patio. It's a bit far from the new guild, but I didn't mind. I could teleport after all. Many people were surprised to hear I could teleport like Laxus, but it had nothing to do with his dragon-slaying magic. It was all lightning-based, and I could utilize it due to my storm magic.
On my way out, I glanced into my spacious spare room. It was full of as much of the Thunder Legion's stuff as it could possibly hold. That was the least I could do for them. I haven't given up hope that they're still alive somewhere, so I kept most of their belonging for when they return. I sighed again and left, locking the door on the way out. It was a beautiful day and I was in no hurry to get to Fairy Tail, so I decided to walk. Wasn't like anything was happening today anyway, I think bitterly as I walk down the street. I had just gotten back from a week-long mission late last night, and although I had heard another search party had gone out to look for Tenroujima while I was gone, I doubted anything had come up. The path I take to the guild is usually quiet, and the closer I get the more deserted the roads get. After a while, I finally reach the edge of town and start walking up the stone pathway leading to the guild hall. When I reach the doors I realize there's an unusual amount of noise coming from inside. The search group must have returned… But it's usually never this loud. I think, and suddenly I realize what that could mean.
"It can't be…" I mutter, afraid to get my hopes up. I quickly pushed open the wooden doors. They make a loud noise as they swing open, and everyone goes quiet, staring at me. I stand there in shock, unsure if what I was seeing could really be true. The entire Tenroujima group was back, looking the same way they did when they left. I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand as tears begin falling from my eyes.
"(Y/n)! Is that you?" Someone shouts, and I see Bickslow and Evergreen running towards me, Freed following just behind them.
"You guys!" I cry loudly, running and jumping into their arms. Freed quickly joins our group hug and everyone is smiling and watching us. "I missed you all so much!"
They all laugh, and everyone quickly returns to their excited chatter and celebration. Sobs wrack my body as I hug my friends tightly to me.
"I can't believe you all are back! Why do you look the same? Do you have any idea how long it's been?" I wipe away my tears as I pull back and look at the three mages I've missed for so many years. They haven't changed a bit. I'm now around the same height as Evergreen and older as well. I was so incredibly confused but beyond ecstatic.
"Seven years Stormy!" Bickslow says, his tongue rolling out of his mouth and proudly displaying his guild mark. I haven't heard that nickname in so long and it brings back many memories. His babies float around me, calling out the seith mage's nickname for me happily. I smile and laugh, giddiness running through me. "You'll never believe it, it was crazy!"
"You're so grown up!" Evergreen smiles, grabbing my hand and twirling me. I'm wearing a tight-fitting tank top and sleeveless vest, with shorts and my black boots. I've even accessorized the ensemble using a choker with little roses on the front to match the ones sewn on my vest. The outfit is a lot different from the baggy t-shirts and shorts I used to wear as a kid. "You've got a much better taste in fashion too. Wow, it's gonna be weird calling you little sis with you looking like this."
"How have you been (Y/n)?" Freed asks. I feel overwhelmed and I run my hands through my (h/c) hair.
"Damn, I feel like I'm dreaming." I sigh, "It's been rough, but I've been training hard all these years. As you can see, Fairy Tail has gotten a lot smaller, but we get by. I actually just returned from a mission last night. When did you guys get back?"
"A couple days ago." Bickslow said, "We've basically been partying at the guild nonstop the entire time."
"Awh man, and I missed it!" I pout. I could never truly take part in the parties at the guild many years ago, being as young as I was. The legal drinking age was 15 and of course, they'd disappeared right before I reached that age. "I've always wanted to drink with you guys."
"Well, we haven't stopped yet! Better catch up!" Cana shouts as she walks past us, handing me a drink. I laugh and chug it all down in one go.
"Damn sis!" Evergreen giggles, "You really have grown up so much."
I wipe my mouth off and grin. "You guys have no idea!"
"So, it seems that you've become one of the strongest members of the guild." Freed comments as we move to sit down after grabbing another round of drinks. I notice Laxus sitting a few tables away with Lisanna, Elfman, and Laki and I frown.
"Uh yeah, I guess you could say that," I say distractedly. "But that's whatever; I really wanna hear about what happened with everyone. Also, why is he here?"
They look at where I'm pointing and smile. Laxus looks over at us and I can't help but glare at him. I still hadn't forgotten what he did to me, to the guild, and it stung seeing him after all this time acting like everything was fine. He looks much more mature and almost humble and I try to fight a blush. He was too fucking handsome.
"Laxus came to help us when we were attacked on the island by Grimoire Heart and Acnologia." Freed said. He starts telling me all about the events at Tenroujima and how they were saved by Fairy Sphere. Of course, he spent half of the story talking about how amazing Laxus was during everything.
"Yeah, Laxus really saved our asses." Bickslow laughs after Freed finishes his story, his babies repeating "Asses! Asses!"
"Oh, I see." I look down at my drink, not ready to deal with the conflicting emotions of seeing Laxus and learning about everything else. "That's a lot to take in..."
"Man, seven years huh." Evergreen sighs, changing the subject. She no doubt had realized what a sore topic Laxus was for me. "I bet our homes and all our stuff is gone."
I perk up at that, "Actually, I kept some of your belongings! They're at my place. I didn't have a bunch of storage, but I figured you guys would like to have some stuff when you came back. I couldn't save your homes, unfortunately…"
"Awh, you're so amazing!" Evergreen laughs, hugging me tight.
"I knew you guys would come back" I smile as she lets me go. "I never gave up hope."
"(Y/n), if I weren't broke I'd buy you some shots!" Bickslow wraps his arm around my shoulder and I giggle. He still towers over me, and I practically drown in all his armor.
"How about an IOU?" I wink playfully at him and his tongue rolls out of his mouth. The move, which used to amuse me, now makes me blush. It was almost provocative and I really wasn't sure how to feel about that. I laugh again, moving out from under the seith mage's heavy arm. "I'll get us all a round for now!"
They hoot excitedly as I get up and walk over to the bar. Kinana is busy making drinks with Mira, so I sit and wait for a bit.
"Hey." Someone moves next to me, and I glance over to see Laxus standing there looking somewhat tense.
"Yes?" I ask curtly. Although I'm happy to see everyone is safe, I'm still upset about how everything went down with the lightning mage. I can't bring myself to even pretend to be nice to him.
"Look, I just came to apologize to you (Y/n)... I know you'll probably never forgive me for what happened." Laxus says gruffly. "And that's fine. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I hurt you a lot." I stare at him in shock. That was the most he'd ever said to me that wasn't yelling, and it made my heart ache. I realize he's trying to patch things up, but I can't help but be angry.
"I really don't get why everyone is acting like everything is cool, but I haven't forgotten what you did to us, to me." I said, looking away from him. "It's gonna take a while before I can even look at you without getting mad, so can you please just leave me alone? I need time to take everything in. Right now, I just want to enjoy having my friends back."
He crosses his arms and looks away from me, "Yeah, sure. I understand. Just, know that I'm sorry. And I hope someday I can earn your forgiveness."
Thankfully, Kinana finishes helping Mira and comes over to us then. I ask her for a round of shots for me and the Thunder Legion, and Laxus leaves. I sigh as I think about what he just said. It was completely unlike the Laxus I knew and I wasn't sure how to feel. Why does he care about what I think anyway? I wonder as Kinana sets down the shot glasses and fills them. When she finishes, I grab two in each hand and walk back to the table the Thunder Legion is at. We start talking and drinking, and I forget all about Laxus. I tell them about everything I've been doing since they left. Lamia Scale shows up when we're well into the day, and I start laughing and talking with everyone else. There was a lot to catch up on. I moved around the room, taking some time to try to talk to everyone I had missed for seven years.
"So, I heard you've been a big help in keeping the guild safe and stable." Makarov says as I make my way over to him. He grins lecherously, "And boy, you sure filled out!"
I laugh and roll my eyes "Perverted as ever, I see."
He chuckles and takes a drink from his mug "In all seriousness, I really want to thank you (Y/n). I'm so proud of the mage you've become. I would say you're on par with the Thunder Legion now."
"Yeah, I've been working really hard." I smile sadly "I knew that if something happened to the guild while you guys were gone, I could never forgive myself. So I trained hard so I could protect everyone."
Gramps smiles, giant tears forming in his eyes, and I chuckle, "Calm down old man, it's not that big of a deal. Anyone else in my position would have done it."
"Yes, well now we're back," He lifts up his mug "and you can relax and enjoy yourself. You've earned it."
"Thanks Gramps." I smile and hug him. Before I leave, I stop and look around. "Listen, Gramps, I wanted to ask you about something..."
"Yes, I'm guessing it's about Laxus, correct?" Makarov says quietly. He sighs. "That boy has hurt you in the past. He's hurt all of us. I still feel dismayed when I think about everything that happened. However… I can tell he has learned a very valuable lesson. After Tenrou, he's shown himself to be a changed man. Granted, I still think he needs more time. I'll let him make amends with everyone, and himself before I consider accepting him back into our family. Don't worry (Y/n), nothing will happen."
I bite my lip, not sure what to think. There was so much to take in, so I simply nodded and walked away slowly. After my conversation with Gramps and all the alcohol I'd drank, I needed some fresh air. I see Bickslow laughing loudly with a shirtless Gray and Lyon and decide to ask him to join. They all wave to me as I walk up to them and I smile. It was funny knowing I was older than Gray now and I decided to tease him.
"How's it going, kid?" I laugh, ruffling his dark hair like he would always do to me.
"Ha, very funny." The ice mage pushes my hand away and pouts. He's still taller than me, but it's clear that I'm a few years older. "I've been getting enough shit from Lyon you know."
"I just couldn't help myself." I wink, and suddenly I feel a pair of eyes watching me angrily. I glance over to see Juvia glaring daggers at me from behind a pillar and decide to move myself away from Gray. The last thing I needed was the water mage declaring me as one of her love rivals. I grab Bickslow, pulling him away as the two ice mages start arguing with each other.
"Hey, so you remember that thing we used to do?" I ask quietly. When I was younger, Bickslow taught me all about weed and smoking. It was one of our favorite things to do when we hung out.
Bickslow grins "You bet your sweet ass I do."
"Well I could use some right about now, would you like to join me? It's been forever since I've had someone to smoke with!"
"Hell yes!" He hoots as we head to the back door, and his babies move to his pockets as he limits their magic supply. They like to act crazy when he's high, so Bickslow prefers to put them away so they won't cause trouble.
We walk out back and sit on one of the decrepit wooden tables near the small training grounds. It's late afternoon and the sun is just barely beginning to set. As we smoke, I start reminiscing again. It suddenly felt as though seven years had flown by, but so much had changed since everyone left. Neither of us spoke for a while, content to sit and get high. Things were always so natural when I was with Bickslow. He feels comfortable enough to take his visor off when we hang out alone like this. Smoking always helped relax him even further too. When he quickly slips the visor and hood off, I look over at him and grin. It felt good to see his face again. His blue mohawk stuck up all over his head and I laughed, reaching up to pat it down. The wild locks were so soft and I found myself sighing wistfully.
"It feels great to have you guys back." I say as I pull away.
"It feels great to be back." Bickslow responds, looking content and maybe a little drunk, "I can't imagine what it's been like for you with everyone gone for so long. For us, it just felt like we took a nap."
I frown, looking up at the darkening sky, "It was hard, but I knew you guys were still out there. I kept busy with training and whatnot."
"Yeah, I can tell. Your magic energy is super strong. You got sexy too." He says, waggling his eyebrows. I giggle and push his shoulder.
"When did you become such a tease?" I ask. The Bickslow I knew loved making perverted jokes, but never towards me. It was strange hearing these things directed at me. Normally, he and I would just flirt with the same people together, since both of us were bisexual.
Bickslow chuckles, "I was always like this baby; you were just too young for my tastes back then."
"Oh, so that's all you look for in a partner? Close in age? Those are some low standards Bicks." I tease.
"You know you're getting totally wet for me, don't deny it."
His words make me gasp, "You're terrible."
"You love it." Bickslow says, and suddenly he leans closer to me. I stop, watching as his deep red eyes glance down to my lips. There's lots of tension in the air as he moves closer, and I stay still, not sure if I want this to happen. Sure, the seith mage was hot. He was a great guy, funny, fucking built. But, he used to be one of my best friends. It was hard to see him in any other way. Although, things have changed (Y/n), I think, You've changed. You're not the same as you were then. Besides, a simple kiss won't really change anything, right?
I decide to let it happen, and I close my eyes and move my lips to meet his. We kiss softly at first, but soon Bickslow moves his lips and deepens the kiss. He slips his tongue into my mouth as his hand caresses my cheek and I can't fight the moan that bubbles up in my throat. The seith mage tastes like spice and licorice, and it faintly reminds me of one of my favorite liquors. Our tongues wrestle back and forth and I lose my train of thought, focused entirely on kissing Bickslow. After a moment, he pulls back slowly. We look at each other, both trying to catch our breaths.
"So that was…" Bickslow grins widely. I nod, biting my lip.
"Yeah." I giggle, my cheeks red. "I always figured you'd be a good kisser."
"Why thanks!" He laughs, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he winks. "You weren't so bad yourself."
We're quickly back to our normal banter, and it's almost like the kiss hardly happened. Although, I can't help but run the moment over again in my mind. That had been one of the most amazing kisses I'd ever been a part of. We continue talking as we finish smoking. Our conversation starts light but soon gets to be more serious, and I really want to ask the seith mage about Laxus. After finally working up the courage, I quickly blurted out my feelings.
"I don't really understand how everyone could forgive Laxus so completely."
Gramps had said that he was still weary of the lighting dragon slayer, but it seemed everyone else was totally fine. I didn't get it. Bickslow glances at me, seeing the frustrated look on my face. He sighs "Well, me, Ever, and Freed were all close to him before the whole attack on the guild happened. He was always really nice to us, unlike most of the guild. I think he just kind of lost himself back then. When he came back during the battle at Tenroujima, I think he proved that he was worthy of forgiveness. I imagine everyone else feels that way. You couldn't imagine what it had been like for us there."
I ball up my hands, remembering everything they had told me about what happened. "Yeah, I guess you're right..."
"Look, it's just gonna take you some time. A lot longer than it took us because of everything he did the last time you guys saw each other." Bickslow says softly. I didn't want to think about that, but I couldn't stop the images from flashing through my mind. Laxus, sneering at me as I begged him not to follow through with his plan. How he had slapped my hand away as I reached for him, the angry look in his eye as he told me I was just some annoying little kid. When I finally snapped and yelled at him, he pushed me down and sent a lightning bolt from above to keep me from getting up and following him. The dragon slayer wasn't aware of my resiliency to lightning, which was one of the most painful things about it. It had been a frightening experience, and I hated myself for being so fucking stupid. As if he would have listened to me. After that, I couldn't understand why I had cared so much for him.
"It hurts, seeing how nice everyone is being to him. I'm not ready to stop hating him but everyone has moved on. I almost wish I could too. Hell, it's been seven years that I've held onto this anger. What kind of Fairy Tail mage am I if I can't forgive him?" Tears are threatening to fall, and I tightly shut my eyes to stop them.
"You will in time (Y/n), don't worry. Nobody blames you for being upset. He did a lot of shitty things to you." He ruffles my hair and hugs me against his side. We sit like that for a while before I'm ready to head in. I feel a lot better after my heart-to-heart with the seith mage.
"I'm gonna go back inside, you coming?" I ask, standing up and brushing the dirt off my shorts.
Bickslow nods, slipping his visor back on his face. I gather up my stuff and we go back into the guild. The party is starting to wind down, and there are lots of drunk people passed out on benches everywhere. I smile as I look around. Just like the good old days (Minus the tiny guild hall, of course). Evergreen comes over to us looking excited as we make our way through the mess.
"Laxus invited us to stay at his house, Bicks." She says. "We all lost our apartments, but he has tons of spare bedrooms at his home. He even said he had some money and would get us dinner."
"That's awesome! I hadn't even thought about where we would go." Bickslow sighs. "Thank god." Suddenly, they both flinch, seeing the look on my face. "Sorry (Y/n)."
"No!" I sigh and shake my head, "Don't be! It's fine, I have no spare rooms anyway." Although I had planned on inviting them back to my house tonight so I could cook for them, but it would seem I was too late. Damn you Laxus. "Let me know if you guys need anything! Don't forget, I saved a small amount of everyone's stuff, and there should be enough clothes to last until we can get you guys back on track. There are not many missions, but I'm sure once word gets out about your return, we'll get more."
"Sounds good! We'll see you tomorrow morning at the guild!" Evergreen says cheerfully. "Goodnight (Y/n)."
"Bye guys." I smile, waving as she and Bickslow join Freed at the front doors. When they open I catch a glimpse of Laxus standing outside, who grins as he's greeted with a bear hug from Bickslow. The door shuts and I sigh. Everyone seems to have gotten over what happened, but I couldn't bring myself to do the same. It's just gonna take some time, I remind myself sadly.
I'm standing there staring at the doors for a few moments before I decide to head home as well. It wasn't too late, so I could at least make myself dinner before bed. Laxus and the Thunder Legion are luckily gone when I go outside, and I slowly make my way home. When I get home I walk into my living room to turn on some music. It always helped distract me from the loneliness I felt some days, so it had become a habit. After finding the right station, I go into my spacious kitchen and make myself a quick meal with the small amount of food I had in my cupboards. After eating, I take a long hot bath with some bubbles in it. The heat soothes my tense muscles and after a while of soaking, I get out and start getting ready for bed. It's late before I finally collapse onto my sheets and snuggle under the covers. I lay there for a while, thinking about everything that had occurred. This morning, I could never have imagined that the day would have ended like this. Despite all the drama with Laxus, I was incredibly happy to have my nakama back. I smile when I realize I get to see everyone again tomorrow. For the first time in seven years, I fall asleep quickly and have pleasant dreams.