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Laxus sat on the edge of the balcony, looking at the sight of the moonlight illuminating the city of Crocus. His mind was elsewhere, however; so Laxus saw the view of the city but couldn’t really admire it. The matter bothering him was too heavy to find any enjoyment in it.
“Penny for your thoughts?” said a voice from behind him.
He turned his head and recognized the (H/C) young woman who’d posed the question. His answer caught in his throat as she hopped up to sit next to him.
“I don’t think you’d really care to hear.” he grumbled at her.
“How rude!” she exclaimed with a good-natured spirit. “I suppose I can’t blame you for not spilling your guts to me, seeing as you don’t know me well. After all, I wasn’t a member of the guild until a year after the Tenrou incident. I heard stories of all you so often, though, that I feel as if I know all the members, even if I haven’t really spent time with some of them.”
She had an inkling of what was troubling him but was hesitant to approach the subject. Natsu had just challenged the Master of the Sabertooth Guild for expelling that celestial wizard for her loss; she had been thrown out of her family without a care for her. (F/N) felt her face heat up with anger at how that girl was treated but Laxus seemed to be particularly troubled by it.
“You know, when I was younger, I heard amazing stories of a powerful guild. They defeated many enemies but more importantly, they treated each other as family. The more I heard about that guild, the more I admired their bonds, which seemed to be the most powerful magic between them. Even to an outsider like me, their bonds of friendship were apparent through the stories of their battles, particularly when another guild came after one of their members for her family’s money. From what I’ve heard, they suffered so much during that time but still accepted her when she left her blood family.” She stayed quiet for a minute, struggling to find her next words.
Laxus had never heard the young woman who sat next to him at that moment speak so much before and had certainly never heard of her life before joining Fairy Tail.
“To be blunt, my blood family didn’t care for me in the slightest. They kept me fed only because they feared how it would make them look if I died. My mother died giving birth to me and my family made sure that I knew I was at fault. Growing up, I never experienced the love of a family so when I heard about Fairy Tail, I just knew I had to be part of it. When I finally got away from my family, though, the guild was suffering because of the disappearance of the Tenrou Team. They still accepted me. Cared for me. And made me feel like I was one of them within months of joining. They told me stories of all those they had lost and the bonds everyone shared, and I even started forming my own. They also told me about you but they thought you were still traveling around the world, not even knowing what happened on Tenrou Island”.
Laxus could feel how tightly coiled his muscles were and tried to relax them. He struggled to school his features so he didn’t scare her with his anger, though she could still feel it as if it were radiating from him. Laxus tightened his fist as he mulled over what (F/N) said to him. How could her family treat her so horribly? They blamed her for something she had no control over and drove her away from them. From what he’d observed, (F/N) had a caring heart and loved the guild, although her quiet nature hid many of her thoughts and feelings, preferring to observe and listen. He struggled to read her, which made her more interesting to him. His anger almost drowned the shame at the thought that she knew what he had done to the guild that offered her sanctuary and a family who loved her, which brought him back to why he was outside in the first place.
“I didn’t know about your family”, he said. “I’m sorry….”
He couldn’t find the words he wanted to say; about her past, what he had done to Fairy Tail and his shame and guilt over it. He couldn’t bring himself to break the silence. Laxus didn’t want to give the impression of a false apology, concerned that (F/N) would think it done from pity or just trying to save face.
“It’s okay now. I suffered but it allowed me to find Fairy Tail so it was worth it in the end”, she said with a soft smile. “I know it isn’t my place but I wanted you to know why I joined the guild. This way you could understand when I tell you this: The bonds we share are our real power and that is why we will defeat Sabertooth and all the other guilds during these Games. They have nothing on our strength together; no one can overcome it”, (F/N) said with such strength and determination that Laxus was taken off guard. He never thought a seemingly gentle soul like hers would have such a fierce nature hidden within.
Laxus hesitated with speaking what was weighing on him but decided that she opened up to him so he could do the same.
“If they really did tell you about me…”, his voice faltered, “then you know of what I have done to the Guild. The…suffering I have caused my family”, he said looking at the city, his chest heavy with so much emotion that he couldn’t look her in the eyes, which always seemed to shine with happiness at being surrounded by her guildmates. Thinking of how she may look at him for his actions, Laxus didn’t think he could bear to see the disappointment or contempt for him that he anticipated to be in her eyes.
“Yes, I know. That’s why you are out here, isn’t it? You think that you may have turned out to be like the Master of Sabertooth if not for Natsu and Gajeel beating you that day all those years ago. Am I right?” she said softly, hoping he would know that she was not casting judgement on him.
“I would have been like him. There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t have valued my comrades lives and hearts over my desire for strength”. He turned his head to look the opposite direction from where the (H/C) young woman was sitting. “I…I would have been so obsessed with being the strongest guild that I wouldn’t have viewed my guildmates as family. I would have caused their suffering without a second thought. They all know that but have still accepted me back. Looking passed what I have done, they welcomed me back with open arms,” he huffed out a breath.
He kept silent. (F/N) would have sworn she could feel his guilt, anger, and contempt over his actions. She felt sorry for him; the guild had moved passed and forgiven him for what he had done. But Laxus was still haunted by it, to the point, it seemed, of doubting his place in Fairy Tail.
“Fairy Tail is my family; the only real family I have ever known,” she said. “You are part of that family. We can all see how much you care for this guild. You fight with us, feel the sting and frustration of defeat with us but, most of all, you grow with us. I know I wasn’t there when the Battle of Fairy Tail happened but I have spent time with many of the people affected by it. They never once spoke of you with anger in their hearts. Our guildmates often wondered where you were the past six years that I’ve been with them. They were worried for you. I asked about you because I heard your name so often but had no idea know who you were. In fact, that’s the only reason they told me of the Battle of Fairy Tail; I was wondering why you were no longer a member. They weren’t venting to me about it or anything like that. I hope you know and believe that they have forgiven you. Maybe,” she hesitated, “…it’s time you forgive yourself”.
She was worried that she had spoken out of turn because he was quiet and tense for what felt like an eternity. He sighed heavily and finally turned his head to look her in the eyes.
“Thank you. Really, thank you. I’ve held onto this for a long time but I think you’re right. To be able to fight for my family, I need to move passed this. If not for my sake, then for theirs,” he said turning around to stand.
(F/N) followed and craned her neck to look at him.
“I will fight for my family with everything I have in me,” he paused. “That includes you, too, you know”.
Her mouth fell open a bit but no words came out. He smirked at her, finding her expression adorable, though he would never have admitted it.
“You showed your heart tonight and how much you care for all your guildmates, even one that…didn’t deserve it. You’re a member of Fairy Tail and that means you’re my family, too. Thank you for speaking with me tonight and telling me about your past. I understand you a bit better now”.
She huffed out a breath in an attempt to cool the flush of her cheeks.
“Don’t mention it. I was happy to help, even if it was only a little. You all breathed life back into Fairy Tail. We were hanging on by thread before you all came back. Twilight Ogre’s visits were hard to handle and we were losing members left and right. It was too difficult for them to stick around. So, now it is my turn to thank you: for staying and fighting for us”, she said softly, smiling at him.
His neck felt warm as he diverted his gaze to the view of the city.
“Yeah, no problem,” he grumbled at her and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling at him.
(F/N) couldn’t help but feel her chest swell with happiness. Something was starting right now but she wasn’t able say what. Laxus felt the tug in his chest and knew he would never look this brave young woman the same again. The future held an unspoken promise for them and they were looking forward to what it would bring them.