Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Fairy Tail and Final Fantasy XVI.

Author's Note:

Hello & a Happy New Year to everyone! I'm back again with another Laxus x Lucy fanfic. :3

Quick backstory: I grew up playing Final Fantasy games ever since PS1, so when I finished my FFXVI playthrough a couple of months ago, I've always wanted to incorporate some elements of FF to FT. I'll try the best that I can to explain what those elements are throughout the story. If it's confusing, I apologize in advance & will add in a link for reference at the end of every chapter.

Timeline: Post-Alvarez Arc | 100 YQ has not happened yet

Chapter 1: Whispers

The Fairy Tail guild hall buzzed with life, its usual chaotic energy filling the air. Conversations were overlapping, laughter rang out, plates and mugs clattered as its members carried on with its daily routines.

On one of the tables in the hall sat Team Natsu, their faces marred with unease. Natsu and Gray were miraculously not up to their usual fighting antics, Erza sat right in front of the duo, her fingers tapping rhythmically against the wood, her visible eye staring straight ahead. Wendy sat quietly, her small hands fiddling with the hem of her dress, while the two Exceeds mirrored her worry.

Everyone knew why Team Natsu had the cloud of gloom looming over them.

After a few moments of sitting in tense silence, Erza stood up and strode purposefully towards the bar where Mira and Kinana were busy cleaning and serving customers. Makarov sat nearby, perched on the counter, nursing a mug of beer with a relaxed expression.

"Master."

Makarov glanced up, his ears catching the hardness in Erza's voice. He opened one eye to see her standing before him, her arms crossed and a frown on her features. "What's the matter, Erza?" he asked, though he already had a good idea of what was coming.

Her brows furrowed deeper. "It's been more than two weeks already and we haven't heard a single thing from her."

Makarov's grip on his mug tightened subtly. He sighed, setting his drink down carefully. "Erza, you should have more faith in her."

"I know she's strong, there's no question about that," Erza countered, a frown still clear on her features. "But what concerns me is the fact that she wouldn't tell us anything about the job because you specifically told her not to."

"Because the client insisted that the job remain strictly confidential," Makarov responded, his voice calm yet firm. He understood Erza's worries. If he were to be honest, he was worried about her too. While the job was simple, the weather of the location was very unforgiving.

Mira and Kinana exchanged worried glances, their hands pausing in their work as the conversation drew their attention.

"I assure you Erza, the job she's on is pretty simple," he added, hoping to ease Erza's worries. "It's just far, that's all."

"Can you at least tell me where -"

"No," At this point, Makarov leveled Erza's glare, his small form radiating the authority he held. "We will all wait until I say otherwise."

Erza clenched her fists, but didn't argue further. Instead, she turned on her heel and returned to the table, her frustration evident from her stiff posture.

On the second floor of the hall, four pairs of eyes lazily tuned in on the exchange below. "That's the third time she's asked this week," Evergreen commented, her eyes shifting from Erza and Makarov to the solemn-looking Team Natsu. "It is a bit weird to see the team without her."

"Maybe the job's just far, as what Master seems to repeat," Freed commented, eyeing Team Natsu as well.

Evergreen sighed and stood up from her seat, not really knowing what else to say after that. "I'm hungry. I'm heading down for a snack," she looked at Freed with questioning eyes. "Wanna come?"

Freed simply nodded and accompanied the Fairy mage to the bar. Meanwhile, Bickslow leaned back in his seat, a knowing look directed towards the Lightning Dragon Slayer. He could get away with staring. It's not like people can clearly see through his visor anyway.

Laxus could feel Bickslow boring holes into the back of his skull. He wasn't taking the bait though.

The rest of the day passed by without much incident, the usual chaos of the guild settling into a lull. But despite the passing hours, there was still no sight of a one Lucy Heartfilia.

"Next stop: Onibus. Please watch your steps as you get off the train."

A woman wearing a white cloak sluggishly hopped off the train as she finally reached her destination, Magnolia. "Home sweet home…" she uttered softly, her voice cracking from exhaustion. Her amber-toned eyes gazed at the hanging clock sitting at the top of the archway by the exit - 1:41 AM.

Just another 10-minute walk, and she should be back to her apartment.

Magnolia at this hour was quiet. The cobblestone streets, usually bustling with townsfolk, lay empty under the soft glow of street lamps. The river that wound through the town mirrored the moonlight, its surface rippling gently with the occasional breeze. Moments like today was something she completely cherished. It offered her a chance to breathe, to let her thoughts wander without the chaos of Fairy Tail.

As the woman slowly made her way back to her apartment, the faint sound of another woman's soft giggles reached her ears, accompanied by an unmistakably smooth, honeyed voice of a man.

The woman's eyebrow twitched - she recognized that nauseatingly suave voice.

She dipped her head lower, hoping that the man was preoccupied enough to not recognize her. Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief as she passed by the couple, a burst of laughter rang out, followed by a sudden jolt as someone collided with her right shoulder. Instinctively, the woman turned, her hand darting out to steady the person before they could fall.

But instead, her hand was swatted away. And the faint scent of alcohol wafted from the woman who had bumped into her.

Unbeknownst to the cloaked woman, the man's eyes saw the pink Fairy Tail guild mark on her right hand.

"Watch where you're going, you wench!"

The cloaked woman can't help but roll her eyes. 'Of course it's my fault…' she thought sarcastically. She was about to step away and leave the situation before it got any worse, when a rough hand clamped around her wrists.

"Lucy?"

Lucy flinched, suddenly feeling the aches of her body. She looked up and saw Bickslow's deep red eyes staring right at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Hey…" she trailed off, giving the Seith mage an awkward smile. "I'm heading to my apartment, so you two can go ahead and - "

"I'll take you home," Bickslow cut in, his tone firm. Without waiting for a response, he placed a steady hand on Lucy's back, gently guiding her as he turned on his heel, leaving the woman he'd been sweet-talking with moments before.

"Are you fucking for real?!" The woman shouted indignantly.

Bickslow waved a hand, not even turning around to acknowledge the woman as him and Lucy continued to walk away. "Sorry," he shouted back. "I don't do bitchy women."

Thankfully, they heard the woman's stomping footsteps go in the other direction. Lucy sighed and half-glared at her new companion. "Did you really have to blow her off like that?" she said, her voice low.

Bickslow shrugged. "Like I said, I don't do bitchy women."

Lucy shook her head. "You're unbelievable," she muttered softly.

"What's unbelievable is you coming back to Magnolia this late at night with a fever."

Lucy turned her head away and pouted. "I do not have a fever," she said petulantly. She had not expected Bickslow to figure out that she was sick. "And how was I supposed to know that the train was going to be stuck in the middle of a 20-foot high bridge?"

A thought suddenly came across Bickslow's mind - now that she was back home, maybe she can finally spill the beans about her job. "Where did you go for this job anyway?"

"South-western border of Iceberg, Isfrost."

Bickslow's eyes widened. "That far?"

"Yeah," Lucy responded thoughtlessly as they turned a familiar corner, her apartment building coming into view. She glanced at Bickslow who was also eyeing the familiar structure. "I'm fine here, Bicks. You don't have to -"

"You're sick," he interrupted firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll make sure you get inside before I leave."

"How did you know I was sick anyway?"

Bickslow kept his gaze right in front of him. "Your face is all red and your hand feels like it's on fire." He snuck a glance at the petite blonde right beside him who seemed pretty ready to drop dead at any point in time. "Drink some medicine before you sleep. Your team has been pretty antsy without you."

As they reached the steps of her apartment building, Lucy suddenly felt the full weight of her fatigue setting in. But, Bickslow was right - she needed to rest if she wanted to show up at the guild tomorrow. She turned to him and offered a tired but sincere smile. "Thanks for walking me home, Bicks. And hey, try not to pick up any weird girls on your way back, okay?"

Bickslow couldn't help but laugh at that. He waved as he saw Lucy turn on her heel and walk up the stairs to her apartment door. "I'll try my best, Cosplayer."

And with that, she unlocked her door to head inside and silently prayed for a restful night.

Bickslow sighed as he heard the door click shut. He kicked off his boots and removed his visor, running a hand through his blue hair. He wasn't expecting any of his team to be awake at this time of the night. Well, maybe except for -

"Bicks."

Ah, speak of the devil and He shall appear.

"Yo, Laxus," he waved at his leader and shrugged off his coat, placing it on the coat rack right beside the door. "Can't sleep?" He tried his best to sound as nonchalant as he could. He knew Laxus could smell her on him. Lucky for him, he wasn't in his usual teasing mood.

Laxus' grey, stormy eyes narrowed at Bickslow. He knew where the Seith mage had been and he wasn't expecting the man to return to his house considering his nightly activities. What bothered him was the faint scent of alcohol and strawberries that stuck to him and there was only one person who had strawberries as their signature scent - Lucy Heartfilia.

"I wasn't expecting you here tonight," Laxus said as casually as he could, leaning against one of the shelves. He usually leaves Bickslow alone to his own devices because seriously, the man's a grown adult. But when it came to their resident Celestial Wizard, he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Just a little.

As much as Bickslow wanted to tease his leader, he was exhausted and wanted to get some shut eye. 'Lucky bastard…' he thought for a second. "I ran into Cosplayer," he said as he walked into Laxus' kitchen and got himself a glass of water.

Laxus' eyebrows furrowed at that information. "At this time of the night?" Good to know that she's back, but he didn't peg Lucy to be a night owl. But then again, he didn't know a lot about her so who was he to say anything about the girl?

Bickslow pulled one of the chairs from the table and sat lazily. "Fresh from the train station," he responded as he took another sip of water. "She just got back from her job and has a fever. I offered to walk her back home. She looked like the walking dead."

A smirk finally appeared in Laxus' features. "Sounds like her," he thoughtlessly gazed at the Seith mage who was now rinsing the glass that he just used. "Did she say anything about the job?"

"Didn't have enough time to ask," Bickslow responded, wiping down the glass with a clean cloth. "Her job was at Isfrost though."

"That far?"

Bickslow smirked at his reaction. He said the exact same thing. "Same thoughts." He tossed the towel on top of the faucet, letting it hang, and stretched out his limbs. "Well, I'm calling it a night," Bickslow continued as he started to make his way to the stairs. "Catch you in the morning."

Laxus grunted in acknowledgement and dropped onto one of the couches Evergreen had chosen for his living room. He grabbed the remote, flipping idly through the Lacrima Vision channels, none of them managing to hold his attention. Eventually, he left it on some random show, the low hum of voices and faint light filling his living room.

Weirdly enough, he leaned his head back and finally felt exhaustion tugging at him. He closed his eyes and it was then he noticed it - the faint, sweet scent of strawberries lingering in his home. And for some reason, it eased the tension that he didn't know he had in his shoulders.

Before long, he drifted off, the scent wrapping around him and pulling him further into the haze of sleep.

"I found you."

"..-cy?"

"Gr-….-ld?"

"I don't -….?"

"..tsu-san?"

A flurry of voices woke her up from a deep sleep. Added to that, she can feel some sort of heat flowing through her that felt familiar. Groaning, she opened her eyes and through her blurry vision, she could make out three figures hovering over her. She didn't have to have the most perfect vision to recognize her teammates.

"He-hey," she croaked out, her voice cracking from probably the lack of hydration. Her throat felt scratchy. She looked to one side and saw her best friend, Natsu, holding her hand and their hands were encased in what looked like a glowing red-orange ball.

"Hey Luce," Natsu greeted his blonde best friend with his usual toothy grin. "I'm just warming you up. I don't know what that Ice Prick did -"

"I said I didn't do anything!"

"- but your body was unusually cold."

Well, that's weird.

She felt the edge of her bed dip down a bit and saw Wendy. "Bickslow-san told us about what happened," she started, a sweet smile plastered on her face. "We immediately came here and I worked a bit of my magic on you, so I hope you feel a whole lot better now!"

Lucy couldn't help but smile at Wendy's kindness. "Thank you, Wendy," she said softly, her voice still carrying traces of fatigue as she sat up slowly. The lingering ache in her body had eased considerably, and she could already feel her strength returning.

"Glad to have you back, Lucy," she turned to face her raven-haired friend who was seated at the foot of her bed with Erza standing right behind him.

"We're all proud of you as well," Erza chimed in, a look of pride crossed her features as she gazed at her. "Now that you're back, Master finally told us that it was a retrieval job?"

Lucy nodded, enjoying the warmth from Natsu's fire magic. Now that her job was officially done, she can tell them the details. "If only Lady Albrecht had lost her ring somewhere near, I wouldn't have been gone that long," she explained, a wry grin on her face. "She lost her ring in Isfrost and requested me to get it because I knew what it looked like."

"That sounds boring."

A very typical Natsu response.

BONK!

"Ow, Erza!"

And a very typical Erza response.

"You did a good job, Lucy." Erza said as she once again stood behind a now-snickering Gray. "Master does wanna talk to you though, if you're up for it."

Lucy nodded and swung her legs off her bed. "I'll take a quick shower, then we can go."

Mest strolled into the Fairy Tail guild hall with his usual nonchalant demeanor, his steps headed to the second floor. As he neared Makarov's office, he caught the rough voice of his guild master, accompanied by a softer one that he was certain belonged to a woman.

Just as he was about to knock, a familiar gruff voice made him pause.

"Gramps is in there with Lucy."

Ah. Laxus Dreyar - the one and only grandson of Makarov Dreyar. He turned around to acknowledge the man who was sitting alone on one of the tables. "Yo Laxus, it's been awhile."

Laxus grunted in greeting, keeping his gaze ahead. "Is Gramps sending you out again?" he said as he took a sip of his drink, his eyes lazily roaming over the chaos of Fairy Tail.

Mest took the empty seat right beside Laxus and waved for a drink from Kinana. "No, but I heard something worth looking into," he responded, nodding his thanks to the purple-haired barmaid who was pretty quick with his drink.

"Whatever that is, I just hope it doesn't spark another war," he responded. The sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention, and he didn't need to glance up to know who it was. His team had been itching to go on a job, so he told them to look for one at the request board.

As he was about to ask his team what the job was, he heard a door creak open. His eyes immediately darted to the figure that got out of his grandfather's office, the scent of strawberries wafting through his nostrils.

For a moment, Mest kept his eyes on the blonde, his eyes quickly raking over her shapely body. "I'm curious," Mest said, leaning in slightly with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Is Lucy… available?"

Laxus' eyebrow twitched.

Bickslow cackled.

Evergreen snorted and snapped her fan open.

"If you have a death wish," Freed said casually as he walked past the Memory Control mage and handed a flier to Laxus who took it rather forcefully.

"What do you mean?" Mest asked as his eyes followed the Rune mage.

"Watch," Bickslow chimed in, a wicked grin on his face as he made his way towards Lucy who was making her way towards the flight of stairs.

Laxus glared at the Seith mage, already knowing the dirty trick up his sleeve.

"Cosplayer!" Bickslow called out to the blonde.

Lucy turned around, her hazel eyes wide as she looked at Bickslow. "Bicks," she greeted, a sincere smile on her features. "What's up?"

Without warning, he immediately hooked an arm around her shoulders, his face dangerously close to hers. "Nothing much," he said as his free hand reached up, gently running through her blonde locks. "Your hair feels soft today."

Lucy sighed, already knowing that the Seith mage was just teasing her. "Did you need anything, Bicks?" she asked, folding her arms right in front of her.

Before Bickslow could respond, he suddenly felt a sharp, cold metal press against the back of his neck. He knew that if he turned, his skin would split open.

He always wondered when Erza had the time to sharpen her wide collection of swords.

"Erza," he heard Lucy call out, her gaze fixed on her red-headed teammate who was enjoying a slice of strawberry cake looking all-too-innocent. "He's good. I needed to ask him something anyway."

Back at the other group, Mest's eyes were wide as saucers. "No way that Erza is a huge cockblock…" he muttered softly under his breath.

"Correction: her entire team," Evergreen added, crossing her leg over the other. "And yes, that includes Wendy."

Mest felt like he could get a whiplash for how fast he turned his head to look at Evergreen. "And how does little Wendy do that?"

Laxus smirked, a memory surfacing at the back of his mind. The face that 'Darren' guy made was hilarious, he couldn't help but laugh.

"She claims Lucy as her 'mom' and drags her away," Freed explained coolly, keeping his focused gaze on his book.

Mest blinked and glanced at Lucy who was now sitting with Wendy and Gray, chatting happily. "Have they always been that way?"

"Nah," Bickslow finally joined the group, leaning against the railing. "It was because of a guy named Jack. Gray and Wendy bumped into him and his friends at a pharmacy and overheard that he was getting sick of waiting for Lucy to put out and planned on dumping her once she does."

Mest's face twisted in disgust. "What an asshole," he remarked. "I assume Gray and Wendy beat his ass?"

"Lucy did," Laxus responded this time, remembering how she Lucy-kicked Jack's jaw so hard, he could hear the sickening crunch of his bones. It was so satisfying. "That woman's no push-over."

Mest chuckled and downed the rest of his drink. "At this point, the only person who could ever get through to that entire team is Gildarts."

Bickslow had to pull in all of his strength to not laugh out loud. Instead, he settled into a snort and grinned widely at Mest. "I'm with you on that!"

He was sooooo going to get electrocuted later.

Mest set his mug down and rose to his feet. "Well, I should go and talk to Master," he waved at the group and started making his way towards Makarov's office. "It was nice catching up with you guys."

"Try not to be a stranger," Bickslow called out, already sliding into Mest's vacated seat.

Mest nodded and disappeared inside Makarov's office.

Just as Bickslow was about to tease Evergreen, he felt the charge of Laxus' lightning. His eyes widened in panic.

"Yo boss, you know I was kid - GAH!"

Lucy sighed as she looked up at the dark, pouring sky. If only she had listened to Wendy earlier, she wouldn't have this problem. She could always call Horologium, but she didn't wanna inconvenience her spirit just because she didn't listen to her teammate.

"Pu-pu-puuun~?"

She gave Plue a sad smile. The last thing she wanted was for her adorable spirit to get sick. "I'm sorry Plue," she said gently, crouching down to pat his head softly. "But I need you to go back for now. When I get home though, I'll call you and we can take a nice bath together, okay?"

Plue shakily raised a paw. "Pu-puun~?"

She raised her hand and winked. "It's a promise."

And with that, Plue disappeared into a small cloud of smoke with a soft pop. She sighed again, not really liking her plan. "Wendy's going to kill me…" she uttered to herself, not looking forward to the scolding she might receive if she ends up getting sick again.

Steeling herself, she made a move to leave the guild under the pouring rain when a strike of lightning appeared in front of her. She instinctively leapt back, narrowly avoiding the lightning strike, only to find herself pressed against something solid - warm, firm, and unmistakably alive. A crisp, minty scent surrounded her and before she could react, an arm slipped securely around her waist.

She turned around slightly and looked up… only to be met with the grey, stormy eyes of Laxus Dreyar.

"Are you trying to get sick again?" he asked, his low, rough voice vibrating through his chest that Lucy could feel.

Lucy blinked. She wasn't sure if she should apologize first for accidentally bumping him or respond to his question.

"No."

She chose the latter. He didn't look all that pissed.

Still holding his gaze, she continued. "I don't usually bring an umbrella."

Laxus sighed, finally letting go of her waist and crossing his arms in front of him. "You should've listened to Wendy. Stay right there."

"Um, okay," she responded, her voice soft. She wasn't exactly sure how to act around Laxus, but she'll follow his lead. She certainly didn't wanna get electrocuted, especially not in this type of weather.

A few moments later, he came back with a black umbrella in hand. Lucy tilted her head. "Is that yours?"

"No," he responded as he shook the umbrella before clicking it open. Stepping beside her, he held it steady above her head. "I'll walk you home."

For some reason, Lucy felt her cheeks heat up at that. She nodded and sidled up closer to him. "Thank you, Laxus."

He simply grunted in response and the two blondes started walking together beneath the umbrella as the rain poured steadily around them.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of large, blue eyes sparkled at the sight of them together. How had she not thought about them before?!

"Sire, you'll get sick if we don't go back to the inn soon."

He ignored his attendant and continued to gaze at the beauty of Magnolia atop the Kardia Cathedral, completely ignoring the downpour.

"I can feel it, Bard," he muttered as he closed his eyes, breathing in and out. "It's here."

"What are you referring to, Sire?" Bard asked, keeping his posture straight despite the rain. Standing right behind his liege, he could see that his deep blue shirt was getting soaked.

He slowly opened his eyes, revealing iridescent blue orbs. "I finally found you…" he mumbled softly, his gruff voice almost silenced by the pouring rain.

But Bard caught it. Loud and clear. "Are you sure, Sire?"

A few moments of silence reigned upon the two before he turned his head slightly towards Bard. "Let's head back."

Bard simply smiled and bowed, well-acquainted with his liege's fickle moods. Closing his eyes in concentration, a small, dark circle materialized beneath their feet, its shadowy tendrils twisting around their bodies as if trying to consume them.

And in a blink of an eye, they were gone.

Author's Note:

Happy New Year! Hope y'all enjoyed the extended holidays because I certainly did. XD

Let me know your thoughts on this one. :) The next chapters will be longer than this, I promise! I prefer to keep my first chapter short as it only serves as an introduction. Some of the terms will be explained in the next coming chapters as well, so don't worry.

Love lots,
nana