Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"You're absolutely nuts," Cana practically screamed. She was in the living room, yelling at her mom who was standing in the kitchen. They had been at this for at least thirty minutes by now. When her mom had come home with a "big announcement" this wasn't what Cana expected. She would take anything other than this.

"Cana I think it would be good for you," her mom countered.

"If you think you can just ship me off to church camp then you're out of your mind!"

"I know about your drinking!"

That shut both of them up.

"I know about your drinking and your adult "friends" and all of your partying! You're going whether you like it or not!"

Cana rolled her eyes, furious that her mother had suddenly decided that she could just know about her alcoholism and Macao and Wakaba and all of the fun she had. She was seventeen, she needed to have fun. What was so wrong with fun?!

"You're not sending me there!"

"I've already paid for you to go and made arrangements with my friend's church. You're going to camp in Georgia and you're going in two weeks so I suggest you start packing."

---

Cana was at the store, buying all of the snacks she knew she would definitely need for this very stressful trip. For two weeks she would be at church camp, participating in their stupid classes and their stupid activities. She didn't want to but her mom had paid three hundred dollars for her to go, so she was obviously serious about it. Cana scoffed as she imagined herself coming home from church camp, a perfect little angel, drinking habits gone and stuck studying every Friday night. Her mom could only wish.

"Yeah right," she mumbled. Cana made a short trip through the alcohol section of the dollar store, grabbing her favorites, drinks she knew by heart. She could only pick up cheap wine and beer here so she would have to make another trip to the alcohol section of her local grocery store followed by the ABC Fine Wine and Spirits next door.

The guy at the register asked for her ID which she of course provided. The fake one of course. She only got asked for her ID about fifty percent of the time. It was hit or miss. He accepted it and she purchased her items and then hit the next few stores.

Her mom was asleep when she came home, bags full of alcohol and cheap snack food. She hurried herself to her room and hid all of her drinks in the mini fridge that she hid in her closet. She had invested in it a few years back and it was honestly the best thing she ever bought. As she noticed she was running out of room, she took the almost empty bottle of silver tequila in the back and emptied it into her flask. This created space for her new bottle of Anos Reposado Tequila. It was on sale, only eighteen bucks!

She put all of her drinks away and then flopped onto her bed to sip on her tequila and look through Instagram. She absentmindedly rubbed the engravement on her flask. A big "GC" in big fancy font. Who knew what it meant, all she knew was that she had found it in the attic and she had needed one anyway. She wasn't going to complain about a free flask. Besides, whenever anyone asked what it meant she would say something random like "Green Cases" or "Garden Chickens"; something to confuse people and make them wonder. It was like a game. When Macao and Wakaba had asked, she told them "Ginormous Cock" and the look on their faces gave her the motivation she needed to never wonder what "GC" meant ever again.

Cana saw on Instagram that one of her friends was going to the beach for her summer vacation. Another was going to the Bahamas.

"Lucky asses," she muttered. "I get forced to go to church camp in Georgia. Yay for me."

---

In preparation for the trip, Cana had to actually meet the people she was going with. Meaning she had to go to church. She decided to leave her flask behind on this one, switching it out for a thermos. She parked in the church parking lot at 6 o' clock on a Sunday night. They were having a youth group meeting for the trip in one of the rooms upstairs, or so her mom had said. Her mom had let the youth group leader know she was coming so her arrival wasn't unexpected. When she entered the building, she saw the stairs immediately to her right and heard voices coming from up there.

Loud voices.

"Oh great," Cana mumbled. She was expecting a lot of loud kids in glasses and bow ties screaming along to their favorite gospel song while playing Dungeons and Dragons or some weird game like that. They were nerds right?

She went up the stairs and to the room at the end of the hall where the noise was coming from. Oh boy was she wrong.

"Natsu, you can't bring your cat every time!"

"But Lucy! He's bored!"

"Stop being so good at ping pong Wendy! I'm going to kick your butt!"

"Ms. Erza, you're very frightening!"

"Juvia is rooting for you Erza!"

"Shut up, Juvia, you're so mean! Look! You hurt Wendy's feelings!"

"I'm fine Gajeel-"

"No! Your feelings are hurt!"

Cana stood in the doorway, shocked at the scene that was unfolding. They all looked like normal (dysfunctional) people. It was actually pretty freaky.

They all suddenly went silent and turned to her in shock. They had noticed her presence apparently.

"Oh hi," the red headed one said, making her way over to Cana to shake her hand. "I'm Erza, you must be Cana. I'm the youth pastor, and that is Lucy, our student leader. She's in charge when I'm not around."

The blonde busty girl waved in greeting and Cana slowly waved back.

"Then we have Natsu, Wendy, Juvia, and Gajeel."

They all waved and welcomed her and the meeting quickly went underway after that. It genuinely surprised Cana that the group wasn't comprised of a bunch of squares. Natsu and Gajeel constantly fought, Lucy kinda dressed like a hooker, Erza definitely had some sort of issues that needed to be sorted out, Juvia was kind of a creep, and Wendy was just normal. She was the youngest so she obviously wasn't weird yet.

"Okay so we'll be driving down to Georgia in two weeks, the camp is being hosted at a local university. We'll be staying in dorm rooms, girls and boys respectively, and you will not be permitted to leave the campus without me present. There is a list of rules and regulations that we will receive when we get there. Pack for two weeks, we can do laundry but I would suggest you pack as though you plan not to. We have to bring our own sheets and blankets and any other necessities like trash cans, toilet paper, toothbrushes, etc. Food is permitted but alcohol and drugs are not."

Oops.

"Dress for the Georgia weather but remain modest and be on your best behavior."

This was going to be a long trip.

Chapter Text

Cana slept for most of the trip. She got put next to the window with Lucy and Natsu next to her in the back. When she wasn't asleep, she was listening to her music or sipping on her flask. She already had a run in with Erza like she knew she would. The woman had seen her flask and had confronted her about it. Alcohol this and underage drinking that. But Cana had prepared. She had filled her flask with water and told Erza that she had lost her thermos and this was the next best thing she had. So when Erza took a sip out of it and only tasted water, Cana was in the clear. She could not be separated from her alcohol for two weeks. That would be proving her mother right. Also, she was an alcoholic so... One well disguised bag full of alcohol later and she was good to go.

It was a long drive, just like she had expected. Her fellow teenagers seemed excited about it and she imagined they thought she was too. She just wanted this to go by as quickly as possible so she would just play along, not cause any problems and keep her mouth shut. She was just going to ride this whole trip out and then shoot her mom the middle finger as soon as she got home.

They pulled up to the university, it was a big fancy place made of brick and marble. It looked like any university should. Cana felt sick as she stepped out of the van, looking at her new home for the next two weeks.

"Wow this thing is heavy, Cana," Lucy said as she pulled one of Cana's bags out. Her alcohol bag. "What have you got in here bricks."

"Nah just my stuff," Cana interjected quickly, taking the bag before anyone got too suspicious. It wasn't that heavy. They took their bags and walked to the lobby of the auditorium in the main building. Erza said that was where registration was. It was a small lobby, fancy hanging lights and some benches for sitting. Some of the camp workers were selling merchandise at a booth and at the table across the lobby from it, there were more people handling registration. Cana took a sip of her flask water, already having it checked twice by camp workers, giving them the same story she gave Erza. She couldn't wait until tomorrow when she could actually start drinking. She was only taking sips out of reflex and being sober this long wasn't doing any help for the annoyance she felt for being in this situation.

"This is your lanyard, Cana," Erza said, handing her the tag. Cana studied it for a second. It had her name on it and the name Fairy Tail underneath it.

"What's Fairy Tail?"

"The name of the camp silly," Lucy giggled. "This guy named Makarov runs the whole thing! He said the name made the camp feel more welcoming."

Cana just thought it was a weird name. Either way, she slipped the lanyard on over her head. The next thing she was handed was this little booklet, at least thirty pages long.

"What's this?"

"It's the rules and regulations as well as the curriculum for the next two weeks."

Cana did an imaginary eye roll. Curriculum? This was just like school. She shoved the booklet in her back pocket. She looked at her peers, laughing and having fun and she waited quietly and by herself for Erza to finish filling out the forms. She shook her flask, realizing it was almost empty. She spotted a water fountain.

"Erza, I'm going to fill up on water," she told the leader. She nodded, signaling that she had heard the teenager and Cana made her way over to the water fountain.

She was filling it up when someone spoke up next to her.

"What good is a flask if you fill it with water?"

Cana turned to look at the speaker. It was a very tall, very muscular blond guy with a scar over one eye wearing a fur coat over his Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. He didn't look like a church boy. In fact, the way he was smirking at her made her think that he thought she had actual alcohol and wasn't bothered by it. Well she couldn't let herself go that easily. She decided to joke with this guy instead. Cana laughed.

"Nah, I get into the real heavy stuff tomorrow. Don't tell anyone but I got a secret stash of Powerade hidden in my bag."

She winked at him and walked back to her group, seeing that Erza was done with the paperwork.

---

"And here's your room Cana," Erza said, opening the door to a bedroom. There were three rooms connected by one sitting room and Cana was "rooming" with Juvia and Wendy. Erza and Lucy were sharing a room with a bunk bed as were Natsu and Gajeel.

There was one bed in Cana's room, a desk, a drawer and a door leading to her own bathroom.

"Aww, you got lucky," Wendy chimed in. "Juvia and I have to share a bathroom."

"Lucky indeed. It'll be nice having my own bathroom for once," Cana said. Wendy gave her an inquisitive look. "I share a two room one bathroom apartment with my mom."

That seemed to clear things up and Wendy left to examine her own room.

"We're gonna head to lunch in two hours and then we have orientation," Erza told the girls and then took her leave of them. Cana escaped into her room, knowing she had a lot to prepare.

First and foremost, she made her bed. She was going to need that no matter what. Napping was going to be essential. Next, she unloaded her snacks and her clothes into the set of drawers in the room. She needed the snacks hidden in case anyone decided to screw with her. There was one other thing she needed hidden. She studied the lock on the bathroom. It was just a plain old door lock that could easily be unlocked from the outside with a flathead screwdriver or something else with a flat tip. Luckily, Cana's house key would do just the trick even though the door didn't have a real lock.

She went to work filling her sink with bottles and cans of alcohol and all of the extras went under the bed. In the sink she put one bottle of port wine, a six pack of Bud Light, two bottles of vodka, and one bottle of Baileys. All of her other bottles of whiskey, tequila, brandy, and rum were under the bed. Those could be left at room temperature and still be halfway decent without wasting the limited room in the sink.

The next step was ice. Cana had noticed an ice machine on the way up, it was down the hall from the elevator. So she retrieved her bucket that she had yet to use as a trash can and she made her way down, careful not to disturb Juvia or Wendy. She made her way down the hall and to the elevator, riding it all the way down. She exited the elevator and turned the corner quickly, not wanting to be seen. In her rush, she didn't see the large man coming down the hall and slammed right into him.

"Ow, sorry," Cana mumbled.

"Why you in such a rush? Someone steal your Powerade?"

Cana looked up to meet the eyes of the blond guy she met earlier. She should have known since he was still wearing that fur coat.

"No! I need ice so that my Powerade doesn't get all warm."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really have Powerade," he asked skeptically.

"Of course not," she exclaimed. "We all know there's only three drinks that need to be iced in this world. Wine, beer, and Baileys."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he interjected, stopping her short. "It's wine, beer and Jägermeister! Baileys is perfectly fine served warm!"

"Are you kidding," Cana shot back. "Everyone knows that Baileys chilled is like the most pleasant thing in the world!"

"Okay fine. Sweet liquors chilled in general are good. Can we agree on that?"

"Fine. But only because it's the only way I can get you to admit that Baileys is good chilled."

The two suddenly realized they were in the middle of a hallway at a church camp and began looking around frantically to see that no one was looking or listening. When they were sure they were in the clear, they turned back to look at each other. Cana thought to herself about just how tall this person was. She had to crane her neck to meet his eyes.

"So...you know your alcohol," the man started.

"Yes," she said.

"But you're attending a youth church camp."

"That would be correct."

"Would I also be right to say that you are not of legal drinking age?"

Cana contemplated. This guy might be cool but he could also be a youth pastor or a counselor for the camp. Who knows how ready he was to report her and get her booted out of here. Not like she cared but her mom would have her paying rent for the next three months if she wasted her money so easily.

"Depends on who you are," Cana told the man. He chuckled.

"Smart answer. I'm Laxus. Laxus Dreyar. I get forced to go to these every year so I honestly could care less about whatever rules you're breaking. I'm finally seventeen though so this should be my last year."

Acceptable answer.

"Cana. Alberona. Seventeen. Forced to go to church camp. And for the next two weeks, I'm Fairy Tail's resident alcoholic."

She held out her hand for him to shake. He took it and shook back.

"Nice to meet you Cana."

"Likewise, Laxus."

So, he joined her in walking to the ice machine, seeing they were now acquaintances in this weird place. She didn't invite him, he just sort of tagged along.

"So, how come you get forced here every year," Cana asked as she pushed the button on the ice machine.

"My grandpa runs the place. He's been making me come since I was old enough. I was sick of it then and I'm sick of it now."

"You're not a church boy?"

"Eh. Never was my thing."

Cana could respect that. It was probably the most honest answer she could imagine for a question like that. Cana never had a serious problem with religion. It was for some people and not for others.

"You're an alcoholic?"

"Yup. Have been since my first sip at thirteen. I've never done anything stupid though so that's cool."

He seemed so uncaring, as if her alcoholism at seventeen didn't phase him at all. He was just leaning against the wall as she collected her ice. So far he seemed like the most grounded, cool and sane person here. She really needed one of those to tolerate this whole thing.

"So, Laxus, for the next two weeks, you wanna be pals? You know, just so I don't have to rely on alcohol to tolerate this trip?"

He chuckled a little bit, giving a small smirk that complimented his mature face.

"Sure why not. I'm down to hang out with anyone who can stick it to my old man."

Cana finished collecting ice and began heading back to the elevator, Laxus following her.

"I'm pretty good at breaking rules, and it seems like this camp has some pretty dumb ones."

"You're not wrong," Laxus grumbled as he took his hand out of his pocket to hit the elevator button. "I think one of the rules is "no laser pointers" but I'd have to check the book."

"Oh wait," Cana exclaimed, handing him the ice bucket and pulling out the booklet that was still in her back pocket. The elevator opened and they both stepped in. She found the rules and regulations on the first page.

"Yup, no laser pointers," she confirmed. "No weapons, fireworks, video games, personal music devices, skateboards, rollerblades, skates, alcohol or tobacco."

"See? No personal music devices? Lame as hell," Laxus grumbled. He hit the number for his floor and Cana left it, seeing as it was her floor too.

"Let's see. There's a dress code?! A dress code and a curriculum?! This is just school!"

Laxus scoffed and nodded.

"Finally someone else sees it."

"Modest clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed."

"Look at some of the other rules," Laxus told her, looking over her shoulder.

"Have fun, but not at anyone else's expense? Show proper respect for your peers and yourself? What am I going to do kill myself? Wait," Cana stopped dead in her tracks as they walked out of the elevator. "I've got it!"

"You're going to kill yourself?"

"What, no," she exclaimed stepping up to Laxus and grabbing his collar to drag him down so he could see the list of rules. "This page is like a list of everything they don't want us to do! And it's super lame! "No water battles or shaving cream fights"? How cool would that be!?"

"I still don't get it," he grumbled raising his eyebrows.

"You said it yourself, stick it to the man," Cana explained getting excited. "So that's exactly what we'll do! We break all the rules! They say we can't have fucking laser pointers, so lets point some lasers at stuff! The rules say no loud noise after 11:00 so lets throw a rager!"

"So you're saying whatever this book says not to do, we do it?"

"Hell yes! Laxus, we're going to break every rule this place has one by one! Are you with me?!"

She flung her hand towards him, ready for him to shake her hand and do this with her. He smirked and the look on his face was pure deviousness. She knew that with a man that looked like that, she would have the most fun in the world. Her heart was pounding with excitement, something she didn't anticipate on feeling during this whole trip. And it only sped up when he took her hand and shook it once.

"I'm fucking in."

Chapter Text

Laxus and Cana made a sort of pact to not reveal their mission to anyone, not even their friends. They couldn't risk getting caught. Laxus walked Cana up to her room and they agreed to meet up at the orientation so they could talk about their plan more.

As Cana was filling up her sink with ice, she thought more about this new person that she had befriended. He wasn't too emotional and he definitely wasn't cheery but he wasn't a huge downer. There was some level of charisma to him and a smug sense of humor. She knew she was definitely going to get along with him. He seemed like he didn't get too attached to anyone so the fact that he was willing to go through with this plan with her seemed out of the ordinary. But she only just met the guy, what did she know.

Laxus had given her his number so as soon as she was done with her sink, she took a picture of it and sent it to him.

Ready to break all the rules!

She hit send on the text and then plopped down onto her bed to study the rules some more.

There was a list of rules, prohibited items and prohibited activities. Some made sense like fighting but others like laser pointers or breaking in line just felt like rules for first graders. She continued reading.

"No profanity? Fuck that."

She began devising a schedule. As soon as she knew how the system worked, she could properly create a plan for breaking the rules. There was a schedule on the next page of the little book. There were scheduled worships, meal times, free times and class times. Each of these presented their own unique opportunities. In class there was no note passing or texting allowed. Easy one to break if she had the right person, which she did.

Cana smirked as she looked at the meal times and then another rule. No food fights. Oh that would be a fun one. And if she remembered correctly, she had two particularly feisty comrades who would work wonders in that situation.

"Cana? It's lunch time!"

---

Cana was waiting in line in the cafeteria, trying to choose what she should get. It wan't exactly prison food but she doubted that it was actually good. There were whole arrays of stuff ranging from burgers to salads and tacos you could make yourself.

"The salad is poison but the burgers are pretty good."

She looked up to realize that Laxus was now next to her in line, holding his own tray.

"Were you there just a second ago," Cana asked.

"Nope. But I figured it was a good way to started. "In the dining room there is no skipping in line to be permitted". Well here I am, skipping."

"Good one," Cana chuckled, grabbing a burger per Laxus's recommendation. "So how do the classes work?"

"Well they split us up by age and put us in a bible study type class. We answer questions and read stuff. We do one story every year and the sermons at the end of the evening go into more detail and stuff than the classes do."

"Sounds like school," Cana mumbled. "I mean no offense to anyone who actually likes and believes this stuff but it's just not for me. And that's why I'm going to cause all the chaos I can."

"Well good for us I guess."

"Let's go partner," Cana laughed.

---

Cana and Laxus walked into the auditorium together, sitting one row behind Cana's group. She had her feet on the seat in front of her, chugging down the water in her flask, pretending that it was alcohol.

"Is there anything in there," Laxus asked, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Nope. Just water."

The lights dimmed and the lights came up on the stage. A very short old man walked onto the stage, followed by some older and some younger adults.

"Is that your gramps," Cana asked, gesturing towards the short old man.

"Yup."

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Fairy Tail! I am Makarov and I'll be explaining what Fairy Tail is."

"Who are those guys then," Cana asked again, whispering this time since Makarov was talking, pointing to the people behind Makarov.

"Those are the counselors," Laxus told her, leaning forward to point at them. "That's Porylusica," she was a tall, older woman, looking very grumpy and as if she wanted to be anywhere else. "That's Jellal," he had blue hair and a facial tattoo. He didn't look like he should be counseling for a church camp. "Levy is the chick. She works with the youngest group of kids, she's pretty cool." Levy looked smart. She too had blue hair and she was very small. "That's Elfman, he's weird." Elfman was absolutely massive. Big, muscular and towering over everybody else. "And finally, Gildarts."

Cana's eyes landed on the last man. He looked to be in his forties or fifties and he had red hair and a little bit of stubble. He looked familiar to Cana and she didn't know why. She eyed him a bit longer. He felt nostalgic. The sad kind of nostalgic. Like something sad had happened in his life. But also a sad sort of nostalgic for Cana, the feeling she got when her mom asked her what she had become.

"Where's Gildarts from," Cana asked quietly.

"No clue honestly. Either way, he's actually the coolest guy up there. My grandad has known him forever and he probably trusts him with his life."

She absentmindedly rubbed the engravement on her flask and took another sip, finally tearing her eyes away from Gildarts.

---

Cana and Laxus were walking side by side in a group that was following Gildarts toward their designated classroom.

"So do you wanna go down the list or do you wanna tackle specific ones first?"

"Well," Cana began, thinking the question through, "I think we'll do the easy ones first. The really hard ones need more thinking. Besides, if we save the biggest ones for the last days then we have a less likely chance of being kicked out."

"Good idea."

"We can start with stuff like "no texting" or the dress code rules," Cana suggested. Laxus smirked and held up his phone.

"I got an idea."

...

"Okay everybody, we're gonna do a "get to know you" game," Gildarts told the class as he stood at the front of the classroom. "Everybody come up and stand in a circle."

Cana and Laxus gave each other "really" looks but got up anyway. Cana didn't realize that Gildarts gave Laxus a look. A look that said "what's going on here". Laxus glared at the man, a silent conversation going on between them.

Mind your business, old man.

Oh? Is this something your grandpa should know about?

Do you wanna die?

Who is she?

Like you care.

Gildarts smirked and Laxus evil-eyed him one more time before joining the circle.

"Okay," Gildarts said, addressing the circle, "we're all going to give one fun fact about ourselves. Who wants to start?"

Juvia, who happened to also be in Cana and Laxus's class raised her hand.

"Juvia will go first. Juvia has won sixteen awards in professional and local swimming competitions. Juvia loves swimming."

Cana had to admit, that was pretty impressive. She listened to everyone else give their little fun facts, wondering what hers should be. The most obvious was "I'm an alcoholic" but she knew that wouldn't fly. What else was there? She had been to every strip club in her hometown, Fiore? Her two best friends were almost thirty years older than her? How about that she could drink everyone here under the table?

No, she had the perfect fun fact that was just weird enough and personal enough to satisfy these weirdos.

"Laxus, it's your turn," Gildarts said, snapping Cana out of her thoughts.

"Well, I've known Gildarts since I was seven and my fun fact is that I can tell you the name of every woman he's ever slept with."

That got a good laugh out of everyone and an eye roll from Gildarts.

"For the record, he's been using that as his fun fact for four years now. I doubt it's actually true."

Laxus shook his head and then winked at Cana.

"Moving on, it's your turn young lady," Gildarts said, pointing his attention to Cana.

"Um, I'm Cana Alberona and my fun fact is that I've been carrying the same deck of cards everywhere I go since I was twelve."

She took the deck out of her pocket to prove it and then put it back quickly. They seemed content with that and the next person was up. In about two minutes, everyone had gone and the students were dismissed to their seats so Gildarts could talk more about what was going to happen in their two weeks here.

As they were walking up the steps to their seats in the back, Laxus stealthily put his phone into one of the desks far away from where they were sitting, right on the aisle so it would be easy to locate.

As soon as Gildarts little speech had gotten into full swing, Laxus nodded to Cana. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and positioned it in her desk. She pulled up Laxus's contact in her phone (Big Blond Broseph) and called it.

Gildarts was cut off as the loud ringtone of the phone filled the classroom.

"Okay who's phone is that?"

Everyone pulled out their phones to check and Cana did the same, feigning innocence. She was technically innocent, it wasn't her phone. When everyone shook their heads and began searching for the culprit, Cana hung up the phone, causing the sound to end.

Gildarts just kind of shrugged and then went back to talking. About five minutes later, Cana called again, the same loud sound cutting through the air.

"Seriously guys, the rules say no phones in the classroom."

Everyone checked their phones again but obviously, none of them were responsible. Cana let it continue ringing, forcing Gildarts to get up and hunt the phone down. He eventually found it in the desk that Laxus planted it in. He read the phone screen.

"Is this anyone's phone?"

No response.

"So no one would be getting a call from a Heywood Jablowme?"

Giggles scattered throughout the class.

"What's so funny? Does anyone know Heywood Jablowme?"

"Oh sorry, Gildarts," Laxus interrupted, standing up. "That's my phone. No clue how it got there."

Gildarts eyed the blond, tossing him the phone. Laxus caught it expertly.

"Aren't you going to answer it," Gildarts asked. Laxus stopped dead, not knowing what to do. Cana tapped his leg to get his attention and then hung up on the call. Laxus pantomimed answering it and then raised it to his ear.

"Hey, bro. What's up?"

Cana winked and gestured for him to go on.

"You want what?... no man I can't do it... listen Heywood Jablowme, I can't blow you! Bro that's super weird!"

Giggles erupted throughout the classroom. So even church kids had a sense of humor.

"No man, I'm not sucking your-"

"Okay that's enough," Gildarts interrupted, realizing it was clearly a joke. Laxus put his phone back in his pocket and sat down. As Gildarts made his way back to the front of the classroom and continued talking, he didn't notice Laxus hand Cana a pen so she could cross off "cellphones should be turned off during all sessions" off the list. They had two done, "no skipping in line" and "no cellphones".

The two partners fist-bumped and then leaned back in their chairs, ignoring everything Gildarts had to say.

Chapter Text

"Did you see the look on his face? It was so good!"

"I know right!"

Cana and Laxus were sitting opposite each other at a small table in the cafeteria, away from a majority of the noise. They were having dinner. Laxus had stuck to the burger and Cana had dared to try a taco, which wasn't great.

"So we got two down," Cana said, looking at the list of rules. "When I fill up my flask tomorrow and start drinking actual alcohol then we can mark that one off. Any requests?"

"You got Baileys?"

"Ha, I knew you liked it!"

"I'm just in the mood for it," he fibbed.

"Okay so that's what we'll do tomorrow. Let's see what else could we do?"

"Take a break from that," Laxus suddenly interjected. "Enjoy your food."

Cana smirked and set her booklet down.

"You tired of this already?"

"Nah, but I also want to know that there's more to you than an obsession to break the rules. I don't want to have to worry in the long run."

"I take great mugshot photos," Cana joked, pretending to take them. Laxus gave a small chuckle. "I dunno. Got any questions or anything," Cana asked around a mouthful of food.

"Yeah. What's up with the cards?"

Cana swallowed her food and laughed.

"I knew someone would be curious. In all honesty I thought it would be Gildarts though."

"Come on, spill."

She took the cards out of her pocket and opened the box they came in. She pulled them out and began shuffling them.

"They helped me in a difficult time. I used to get really bad anxiety because of this thing that happened so I would shuffle them and I learned magic tricks with them and played games by myself. Stuff like that. Now I keep them around, I guess as a comfort thing. But if anyone ever gets bored and asks to play, I always have them. I'm great at parties."

She shuffled them expertly, pulling one out and then doing a hand wave to make it disappear, then flicking her wrist and making it reappear.

"So she does have emotions." Laxus had been listening this whole time, his chin resting in his palm, a smirk gracing his face.

"Oh shut up," Cana joked, putting her cards away. "What about you, Mr. Cool and Unfeeling? You capable of any other emotion besides smug?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Laxus said, throwing a smirk her way, further proving the point.

"Oh come one," Cana fired back, taking a stab at her salad. "You don't have like, a happiest memory? Any friends?"

"Well certainly none like yours," Laxus grumbled shooting a look towards Cana's group where Natsu was eating a watermelon covered in ketchup.

"They're not my friends," Cana told him, taking a bite out of her food.

"Okay then. You tell me why you're here with them and I'll tell you about my friends."

Cana swallowed her food, contemplating his deal. It wasn't super personal and she didn't really care either way. Besides, she really wanted to know about the people this guy considered his friends. They must be total bad asses.

"Fine."

Laxus made a big show of scooting his chair forward and resting his chin on his hands in overplayed interest.

"Oh come on, none of that." Cana rolled her eyes and set her fork down. "My mom thinks that being here will fix me. That I'll stop being an alcoholic and stop hanging out with my forty-something year old friends. I don't know, I guess she thinks I'm a whore or something who is going to wind up with alcohol poisoning in a strip club. Either way, I didn't want to come and she's friends with Erza, the red head over there, and she made arrangements for me to come here."

She shrugged and went back to eating. It was awful food but she couldn't exactly go back to her room to get her snacks.

"Well, sounds like it's none of her business." Laxus said, seemingly more to himself than to Cana. He had leaned back in his chair and he seemed to be thinking about something. His face was blank and for some reason Cana found it eerie. She found herself agreeing with him though. It was none of her business.

"You're right but it is what it is. And you made a deal, time to pay up."

Laxus seemed to be back to normal, shooting her a sly smile.

"I have three friends. Bixlow Evergreen, and Freed."

"Weird names. Go on."

"I met them back in middle school. They're pretty fun but they're super weird. They're like my weirdos, you know?"

"How are they weird?"

"Well for one, they are all super obsessed with me."

Oh they were those kinds of friends.

"Bixlow has this weird tattoo on his tongue. Honestly he feels no pain, I swear. Evergreen does this thing with her glasses and eyes when she's pissed and I always feel bad for whoever gets "The Evergreen Glare". Super weird. And Freed. Boy I have no words to describe Freed."

Cana was watching him as he described his friends to her. He had a sort of grin and his eyes were smiling. He looked happy talking about them. They must mean a lot to him. Cana wished she had friends like that. She only had the two old geezers and while they were close they weren't that close for reasons involving their wives.

"What's that look for," Laxus suddenly asked grouchily.

"Oh no reason." Cana winked at him and watched him get flustered and curious.

"No seriously what?!"

"Nothing, I'm serious."

"You mean something! What was that for?!"

"I'm not telling!"

Gildarts had kept his eye on the two teenagers since they had sat down. Laxus never talked to anyone at these things. He chuckled as he watched as Laxus demand something from the girl but she just kept on smiling and teasing him. He hadn't seen Laxus flustered before. He chuckled as the two moved on from that conversation and into another one.

"What are you laughing at, old man?"

Gildarts turned to Elfman who had asked the question. All of the counselors eyes seemed to be on him. His chuckle must have been louder than he thought and interrupted their conversation.

"Makarov's grankid." He gestured with his head and watched as they all turned, including Makarov, to look at Laxus. Having known Laxus for at least a few years of their lives, they were all shocked to see him talking with someone and enjoying himself. Or so it appeared.

"Who is she," Porlyusica demanded, though she didn't mean it to sound so mean.

"Some girl in my class. Cana? Carly? No definitely Cana. Cana Alberona."

"She came with Erza's group," Levy told them, being in charge of registration.

"She was sitting with Laxus in class. They pulled a prank on me. I was too shocked to say anything about it."

"A prank? Is she a bad influence on him," Porlyusica grouched. "Maybe we should punish them!"

"No," Makarov interrupted, silencing the whole group's thoughts. "I want to see where this goes. Who knows. This may be good for him."

---

Cana stretched out in the seat next to Laxus. Makarov had been preaching for a little bit now. It was dark in the auditorium, the sound wasn't too awful and loud, and even though the place was cold, Laxus was warm. It was perfect sleeping conditions. She yawned and watched her eyes start to droop. She snapped them open, trying to pay attention. Even she knew you shouldn't sleep during church.

"You can go to sleep," Laxus leaned down to murmur in her ear.

"You can't sleep during church."

"It's not church. Besides, Gramps plans for half the auditorium to be sleeping the first night. After the long trip and first day? He purposefully makes it irrelevant to the next few nights. Go ahead. Sleep."

She did just that. She fell asleep. He didn't expect her lazy head to fall onto his shoulder. Or more like his upper arm since he was so tall. He watched her breathe for a little bit, finding it mesmerizing. He thought back on the day. He had actually made a...friend. A friend at church camp. This had never happened before. He always did his best to avoid people here, seeing as they weren't his kind of people. And when he bumped into Cana earlier, he didn't expect her to be his kind of person either. But she proved him wrong. She was exactly what he needed even if she didn't know it. Someone to help him have fun during the camp, something he had never had before. She had a goal and she was determined to do it. Laxus respected that kind of person.

After the camp though... she would leave and he would never see her ever again. He had never started any sort of relationship with a person that he knew from the start was going to leave. However, his grandpa would probably know or find out about their rule breaking and neither of them would be allowed back again. Was it a win? Making bad decisions with this girl to his own benefit but then never seeing her again? His mind said yes, but his gut said no. He looked back at Cana. He could figure that out later.

"That'll be it for me everyone. Join us in one more song and then you'll be free to head back to your rooms."

Laxus nudged Cana's shoulder gently. She stirred and then looked up at him. Her eyes were clouded with sleep and her hair was falling down over her face. She looked kind of...

"What's up?"

"It's almost over. They're doing one more song and then we get to go back to our rooms and sleep."

"Okay," Cana mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes and throwing her hair back out of her face, breaking the appearance that Laxus saw earlier. He shook his head and stood up with everyone else in the auditorium, offering his hand to Cana to pull her to her feet, which she took.

The song ended and each of them went back to their rooms, Cana with her group and Laxus by himself. Cana took a quick shower and then changed into her pajamas and laid down on the bed. She brought out her phone to see if her mom had texted her at all. Turns out she had.

Having fun?

Cana really didn't want to respond, so she sent a simple "sure" instead. She looked at her Instagram for a quick second before she got another text. She expected it to be from her mom. But it wasn't.

It was from Laxus.

Don't forget the Baileys tomorrow.

She smiled a little soft smile and sent a text back.

I won't. Nighty night.

Her phone buzzed not even a full minute later.

Sleep well.

Chapter Text

Cana's alarm went off. At six thirty in the morning! Breakfast was at seven thirty so she had to be up early. But still! It sucked. Who's brilliant idea was this?! She checked her phone. She wondered if Laxus was up. She turned on the light in her room and reached onto the desk for the booklet of rules.

Don't forget the Bailey's. Cana thought.

She looked at some of the other rules. What else could they do today? That's it! Cana reached for her phone and texted Laxus immediately.

Break the dress code today! She hit send. Of course that would mean that she would also have to break dress code today. She began to regret sending the text so soon without checking to see if she had anything in particular. She hopped out of bed and started rummaging through all of the clothes she brought. She had to options, find something obscene or make something obscene. She found a white t shirt in her arsenal of clothing. Perfect!

She began searching through her room for anything she could find to cut with. She eventually settled with her keys, making a line through the middle of the shirt. It was messy, it looked awful. One could say it looked like it was done with a key in three seconds. She put it on with a pair of jeans. Her belly button was showing as was most of her stomach. A normal school would not allow it but did it blatantly break the rules? Cana checked the book one more time.

"Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed."

Well it had the modest part down. But it wasn't like she had her boobs out. Then it hit her again. Another brilliant idea. She flung a flannel over her new crop top to rush to Erza's room. She didn't need to get caught so quickly. She knocked on the door quietly but Erza opened it almost immediately. She was clearly ready to go.

"Yes, Cana? How may I help you?"

"Um, do you have a sharpie I could borrow?"

Erza held one up instantly. What the hell? This just solidified Cana's theories that these people were utter wack jobs.

"What do you need it for," Erza asked.

"I'm making a card for my mom," Cana lied. Erza placed the thick pen in Cana's hand and then shut the door.

Cana took the pen back to her room. She took her top off and laid it on the ground. With the fat sharpie and wrote five letters across the shirt exactly where her boobs would be. Now it was no longer church camp appropriate.

She returned the pen to Erza and then went back to her room to fill up her flask. The ice in the sink was melted but luckily the drinks were still cold. She'd get some more ice later. Maybe she'd take Laxus with her. Maybe he had a bucket too and they could keep all of her drinks cold! Cana was a genius. Speaking of Laxus...

Cana picked up her phone to check to see if she had a response from him. She did. It was just a simple "okay" but that was good enough for her. He really was all in with her on this. No one ever really took any of her ideas or opinions this seriously. It was actually really cool to have someone on her side for once. Cana suddenly felt her chest swell with a new sort of emotion. It was foreign to her and she had a hard time putting a name on it. For a second she thought she was having a heart attack. She gripped her chest and then pulled her deck of cards out of her pocket. She started shuffling them with one hand as she tried to describe this feeling. A queen fell out of the deck and for some reason, looking at that card, it hit her.

She felt valued and appreciated. Living with her mom, it was easy to see why she didn't really understand what these emotions felt like. But she felt as if she really mattered to Laxus. Like her plans meant something to him. For the first time in her life, Cana felt like if she were to disappear, it would actually affect someone.

There was a knock on her door and it broke through her thoughts quickly. Cana silently thanked whoever knocked, as she wasn't sure she liked where her thoughts were taking her.

"Cana? It's time to head to breakfast."

It was Wendy.

"Coming," Cana told her loudly. She picked up the fallen queen, placed the deck back in her pocket, took a swig of Bailey's and left her room.

Her group was fast approaching the cafeteria. Cana had been studying the other groups as they had walked through the campus. They were all from different parts of the country. Some were from way up north or even further south. None of them included Laxus. The group was walking in, the door being held open by Lucy.

"Thanks, Lucy," Cana said, since she was the last one in. But the blonde seemed to be focused on something else. Something behind Cana. And she looked awfully frightened. Can turned around to see what was behind her.

"Oh, hey Laxus."

He gave her a small smirk as a greeting.

"You know that scary guy," Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah, this is just Laxus, he's pretty cool."

Once they were inside, Lucy seemed to scamper away as quickly as possible.

"You're not that scary," Cana mumbled, more to herself.

"You'd be surprised," Laxus told her as they made their way to the line. "Sometimes I even have cops pulling me aside to see if I'm wanted for anything."

That made Cana chuckle. She could definitely imagine it.

"Hey," Laxus said, bringing her to look at him. He held open his fur coat, revealing a shirt with an advertisement for Corona Beer.

"Nice, but I think I did one better."

Cana held open her flannel so that Laxus could see the white crop top. And across her chest was the word " DEVIL". It made him break out laughing. Just the sight of the horribly cut, scribbled on shirt.

"Hey, it's not that funny!"

"Did you make that yourself," Laxus asked as he grabbed a plate of eggs from the line.

"Um, yes! I tore up a perfectly good shirt for this. Clearly, I'm dedicated," Cana retorted as she grabbed all the same food he did. She wasn't going to risk eating something gross.

They went to sit at an empty table.

"Well, I think you'll be caught before me," Laxus assured her.

"I hope so. I have a brilliant plan if I do."

"What," Laxus asked.

"I can't tell you, it's a surprise." Cana smirked and then put a bite of egg in her mouth. Not too bad. "So what's on the agenda today," Cana asked her partner in crime.

"Well after breakfast, we do morning worship. Then it's personal time. There's some questions in the book for that. Then class until about eleven o' clock. After that, they have a choice of classes to go to. You get to pick which one to go to. Consider it kind of like electives. There's ones that are about more religious stuff and then there's cool ones. We have an art class that Levy teaches. There's one about sexual immorality that everyone goes to first day but it's not as cool as everyone thinks."

"Well now we have to go," Cana joked.

"Anyway after that is lunch and then free time until seven o' clock. Then dinner and then the sermon, just like yesterday."

"I feel like classes and free time are going to be the best times to break as many rules as possible. You got a pen?"

He handed her one and she opened up her book. She put an "X" right next to the whole section about dress code and then another next to alcohol under the prohibited items list. Cana looked over the whole list.

Rules and Regulations:

• Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

• Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

• Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

• personal music devices

• Video games

X Alcohol

• Tobacco products

• Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

• Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

• False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

• No food fights

In dorm rooms:

• Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

• Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

• No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

• No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

• No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

• No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

Cana sighed.

"We have a long way to go."

"Hey, we have two weeks," Laxus assured her. "And we can knock some out at the same time. Like we've got the cell phone rule done with and the one about disturbing people! If we get our hands on a skateboard and some skates or rollerblades, we can do those at the same time. And tobacco products count as unauthorized drugs."

"I don't suppose you happen to smoke," Cana asked.

"Eh, once or twice. My gramps does though."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. He keeps some cigars in his office. I'll grab them later."

Cana smiled a little and nodded. She looked down at the list. They could do it.

"In class today, you can throw a pen or something at me and I'll chew some gum really obnoxiously," Laxus offered.

"Yes! Good thinking."

She looked up at her blond companion. For someone who just met her, he was oddly good at comforting her. He reached for her flask and took a sip. He licked his lips when he put it down.

"What are you looking at?"

"How did you get the scar?"

"Whoa, a little personal don't you think," Laxus retorted, handing her the flask back.

"Is it?"

"Extremely."

Cana shrugged.

"Fine, I'll just make up my own story."

Laxus seemed to eye her as she took another bite of egg. As if he was contemplating something.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah," Cana retorted. "Why else would I ask?!"

"I'll tell you when we're halfway through the list."

Cana smiled and held out her hand. He took it and gave it a firm shake.

"Deal."

Now Cana had another reason to get through the list. Now, she was even more eager to do just that.

Class went by without a hitch. They broke their two rules and no one really seemed to notice. Oh well, a broken rule was a broken rule, even if no one sees it. Personal time was lame. Everyone was supposed to sit outside in the lawn by a duck pond in their own space and read the paragraph in their booklet and answer some questions. Cana and Laxus kept making silly faces to each other from two trees they were at. Cana told him after that if they sat together, it would technically be a rule break, even if it wasn't actually in the book.

Their two extra rules for the day were broken and they decided to let that be it for the rest of the day. Class ended and Cana and Laxus decided they would go to Levy's art room for their chosen extra class. They decided they would do the "sexual immorality" class the next day, when there were less people.

"Welcome...you two," Levy said as she surveyed her class of two. It was just Laxus and Cana sitting next to each other in the rows of tables. "Shame, really," Levy told them. "Today we're painting a place we'd like to visit. The exercise is supposed to help you envision places you'd like to go for evangelism purposes and learn about new places from your peers."

She handed them pieces of paper and some art supplies and sat in the row in front of them, doing her own work.

"We have to drop by next week," Laxus told Cana. "There's one day where we get to do one of these classes all day and Levy always does something super cool. We did wood carving one year."

"This year, they're letting me do a class on metal working. I'm giving all the students pieces of metal and nuts and bolts and screws and stuff and we're building a representation of our favorite memory from the camp," Levy told them.

Cana had to agree that did sound pretty cool.

"We should probably drop by Elfman's class at some time too," Laxus mentioned. Levy giggled.

"Yeah, he can be pretty amusing. He always talks about how manly it is to believe in God."

The three finished up their paintings rather quickly.

"Laxus what did you draw," Cana asked.

"Let me guess," Levy mumbled.

Laxus held up a painting of a big city on the water with a big white bridge extending into the water.

"Is it San Francisco," Cana asked.

"Nope," Levy answered. "Maracaibo, Venezuela. Every year, Laxus."

"Why Venezuela," Cana asked.

"Maracaibo is one of the cities by Lake Maracaibo," Laxus told them.

"The lightning capitol of the world," Levy told Cana. "He picks it every year no matter what the question is. I think he might as well move there."

"What did you do," Laxus asked Cana.

"Italy," Cana told them. Holding up a painting of a large vineyard being looked down on by a pizza sun.

"Nice," Levy complimented.

"You're something else," Laxus mumbled, catching the meaning behind the vineyard.

"What about you, Levy," Cana pointed her attention towards the small blue haired girl, ignoring Laxus.

"London." Levy held up her painting of a big building with the skyline of London in the back.

"What's the building." It was a weird thing to include in a painting of London.

"The British Library. The biggest library in the world! I would love to visit! It supposedly contains over two hundred million items from multiple countries!"

"Levy is a nerd," Laxus mumbled to Cana.

"I heard that! How rude!"

Levy checked the clock on her wall when she heard people walking around outside.

"Well, looks like I've kept you crazy kids for too long. Have fun. I'll see you around."

Cana and Laxus exited Levy's class, only to find the halls empty. Everyone must have really scurried to lunch. Although neither of them verbalized it, it seemed that they agreed to walk as slowly as possible. They were practically meandering down the hall. Cana wasn't even trying to hide her shirt anymore due to the lack of people.

"So what rule do you want to break tomorrow," Cana asked. They stopped on the stairs to pull out the booklet and look at the rules.

"I'll snatch some of my gramps' cigars and we can sneak out tomorrow night to smoke them. That gets rid of two."

"We can play music super loud on my phone on the way to class or lunch or something. Does that count as a "personal music device"?"

"Sure why not?"

"So that's three down for tomorrow. Good work," Cana congratulated as she put an "X" by each of the rules they broke earlier.

"Um, excuse me?!"

Cana and Laxus turned to look at the bottom of the stairs where a young girl was standing. She was clearly a student and not a group leader. She was young and wearing glasses with her thin brown hair in a braid.

"Yeah," Laxus grumbled.

"What are you wearing?!"

The girl pointed a finger directly at Cana.

"That's not appropriate! I demand you take that off! Or I'll tell!"

Cana put her booklet in her back pocket and took off her flannel. She placed the object of clothing over Laxus's shoulder, earning a surprised look from him. She slowly made her way down the steps towards the girl. As soon as she was right in front of the fellow youth, she pulled the crop top over her head, revealing her bra. The girl's jaw dropped and Cana hung the crop top from the girl's pointed finger.

"Be careful what you ask for," Cana told the girl. She turned back to look at Laxus who looked equally dumbfounded. "Let's go. I'm hungry."

Cana walked away. She just kept on walking right out of the building, leaving the girl frozen solid in her stupor and Laxus running after his brunette partner. He caught up to her as she pushed through the doors to the outside, she was putting her hair up.

"You can't just do that," Laxus exclaimed!

"Incorrect," Cana retorted as she grabbed her flannel off of Laxus's shoulder. "I just did." She stopped to put the flannel on, buttoning the top three buttons and then tying the rest so it was still a crop top. She took a swig of Bailey's and studied Laxus's face. He was red. Really red.

"Oh come on," Cana said. "Don't get cold feet on me now. Or are you just embarrassed that you saw my "bwa"?"

"I hate you," Laxus mumbled as he continued walking to lunch.

"No you don't." Cana smirked and handed him her flask, which he gratefully took a big sip from.

"No, I don't," he agreed.

Chapter Text

Rules and Regulations:

• Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

• Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

• Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

X personal music devices

• Video games

X Alcohol

• Tobacco products

• Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

• Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

• False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

• No food fights

In dorm rooms:

• Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

• Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

• No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

X No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

• No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

X No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

---

Cana looked at her list while she was waiting. It wasn't quite 11:15 pm yet so it wouldn't be breaking the rules if she left. Everyone was definitely asleep by now though. She and Laxus had agreed to meet at the elevator on their floor at 11:20. They had a little bit of an uneventful day, just breaking the one rule with the music on her phone. They had gotten a few stares but no one stopped them. They had decided not to go to the "sexual immorality" class that day and opted to hang out with Levy again when they saw she was doing portraits of other kids in class. That was how Cana ended up with an absolutely awful drawing of herself next to her bag and Laxus ended up with a similar, but slightly better, one of him.

Cana checked her list again. This was where things got fun. This was really one of the bigger rules they were about to break. If they played their cards right, they could get almost all of the dorm room rules out of the way by the end of the night. Cana took a sip of her Bud Light from her flask. It was only the end of day three and she began to realize that she only was looking forward to anything having to do with Laxus. Even now, she was so eager to go see him.

They had been having fun the last few days and Cana could tell they were growing close. She hadn't expected to actually be friends with Laxus but here she was, actually looking forward to being in his presence. She absentmindedly rubbed her finger over the large "GC" etched into her flask. It took her a while to notice that she did that when she was lost in thought. It had actually been Laxus who pointed it out. Cana just found the feeling of the smooth lines that formed the letters calming. She would trace them and it always seemed to calm her nerves.

Finally, the clock on her phone hit 11:15. Cana put her black hoodie on over her purple tank top and black leggings she slept in. She put her phone, her flask, and her booklet and pen in her front jacket pocket and pulled the hood on over her head. Opting to not put on shoes and go barefoot for stealth, she silently pushed open her door. There wasn't a single light on in the shared room connecting hers to Wendy's and Juvia's rooms. Cana moved quickly but quietly, silently pushing open the main exit and stepping into the hallway. As she successfully shut her door without a noise, she noticed there was tape on the door. It hadn't broken so Cana just pushed it back onto the doorframe, making it appear like the door hadn't opened at all. Now she had to bring Laxus back to her room so he could put the tape back. Oh well, she just had to break another rule.

She made her way to the elevators, enjoying the feeling of being in a place where there was nobody else. No one else to get in her way. She practically skipped to the elevators. She was waiting there for only a moment when Laxus appeared from a separate hallway. He was wearing grey sweatpants, a t shirt and his fur coat.

"Do you go anywhere without that coat," Cana asked.

"Nope," he answered, pressing the button for the elevator. They both stepped in, Cana following his lead without needing any instruction. He pressed the button for the highest floor and up they went.

It was odd to Cana. She felt safe in the elevator next to him. Like they were in their own little bubble and nothing could bother them in it. It suddenly didn't matter if they were breaking the rules. Nothing could touch them in their bubble.

"I'm going to be so tired tomorrow," Laxus admitted to her as they went up.

"We could always skip something tomorrow," Cana suggested. "It's in the rules that we have to go to class."

"Nah, not tomorrow. We have to go to the "sexual immorality" class tomorrow, remember."

"You're right. That reminds me, my group leader put tape on the door to my room. You're going to have to reapply it for me when I go back in."

"Check off another rule broken. I'm not allowed near your room."

"My thoughts exactly," Cana told him as she sipped from her flask, handing it to him next. He took a sip right as the elevator came to a stop. When the doors opened, it was practically black in front of them. Laxus stepped out first since Cana didn't know where the hell they were.

As soon as she was out of the elevator, she knew exactly where she was. Cana was glad she brought her hoodie, cause it was chilly at night. They were on the roof. Cana nearly ran to the edge of the building where there was a small stone wall.

"I can see the whole campus," Cana told him, even though he probably already knew.

"Yup. I love it up here."

Laxus sat down next to Cana with his back against the wall. He pulled a fat cigar out from his pocket along with a lighter.

"I have one for you too in case you want it," Laxus mumbled through the cigar in his mouth as he tried to light it. Cana sank down to the ground next to him, mirroring his position.

"If you don't mind, this is one activity I rather not partake in," she told him honestly. "I've never been a huge fan of smoking. I prefer to drink."

Laxus extinguished his lighter and took in and let out a puff of smoke, careful to point it away from Cana.

"No biggie. I'm not a huge fan either. I've only done it once or twice."

"Why don't you like it," Cana asked. She had her reasons and she wanted to hear his. He shrugged as he let out another breath.

"I just never really got it, you know? I have friends and family who have obsessions. Even Gramps is trying really hard to get over his. But it was always just nasty to me. You?"

Cana shrugged, debating how much to tell this man about her life. He let out another puff.

"How about I guess," Laxus offered, seeing her uncertainty. While he definitely wasn't going to force her to tell him anything, he found himself wanting to know more and more about her life. Against his better judgement he wanted to grow closer to her.

"You can try," Cana muttered as she took a sip of beer.

"Did you watch one of those videos that shows you how bad smoking is for you? Oh! Or was it all of the stupid ads online?"

"Nope, neither," Cana told him, though it did make her giggle a little bit. Laxus squinted his eyes in thought as he took another inhale from the cigar.

"Did you know someone who died from it?"

"Not to my knowledge," she answered honestly.

"So you did know someone personally who did it?"

She nodded, rubbing her fingers over the letters carved into her flask.

"Your mom," Laxus asked. When he didn't get any vocal or visual response, he guessed again. "Your dad?"

Cana nodded slowly. She found herself talking before she could stop herself.

"I never knew him. He left my mom before I was born. But one day I found a pack of cigarettes in her closet when I was little. It had belonged to him. I showed her and she screamed and screamed at me. She told me that because he smoked he was going to hell. She must have gone on for an hour about how he sold her stuff and used her money to buy cigarettes and that only the most evil people smoke. Me being the naïve five year old I was decided right there to never, ever put a cigarette or anything like it in my mouth."

Laxus watched her anxiously rub her fingers over her flask. He eyed the half smoked cigar, putting it out in the concrete beside him, suddenly becoming repulsed by it. He threw it across the roof. He wanted to say something, anything. What do you say?

"What does it stand for?"

"Hm," Cana hummed as she was snapped out of her thoughts. She was glad for the interruption, her mind was taking her back to when she was little. Not a good time for her.

Laxus raised a finger and pointed to the large letters on her flask.

"What does "GC" stand for?"

Cana eyed it for a second.

"German Cockroach," she stated slowly. Laxus raised his scarred eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Nah," Cana chuckled, bumping his shoulder with hers. "I have no clue. Whenever anyone asks, I kind of make something up. I told my friends one time that it meant Ginormous Cock. They refused to speak to me for a week."

"Where did you get it," Laxus asked, taking it into his hands to look at it.

"It was in our attic."

Laxus stared at the flask for a few moments in silence.

"Grandma Cana," he suddenly exclaimed. This caused Cana herself to burst out laughing. The real kind of laughter where you have to grip your sides and nothing can stop you from chortling. Laxus turned to look at her, relieved that he had managed to lift her spirit and bring her thoughts away from her past. Besides, he decided in that moment, that laughing suited her much better.

"I don't think that's it," Cana finally managed to say through giggles.

"Well what's your mom's name?"

"Cornelia Metella."

"Where did Alberona come from," Laxus asked.

"It was her maiden name. She married her first husband, divorced, kept his last name, then met my dad. But they never got married so she just gave me her maiden name."

Laxus looked back at the flask, trying to rack his brain for "GC" combinations.

"Gildarts Clive," he said.

"Is that really Gildarts' last name," Cana asked in shock. If he wasn't lying that was one freakish coincidence.

"Yeah actually," Laxus mumbled, also starting to see the weird connections. "He used to drink too. A lot."

"Holy cow..." Cana whispered as she connected the dots. "Gildarts is... a stalker! He's totally a stalker. He must've been living in my house."

The look Cana and Laxus shared after that obvious joke made them both fall into a fit a loud laughter.

They continued to joke like that and talk about all sorts of things. The past, the present. Sometimes their conversations drifted into things that were a little darker and a little more real. Turns out Cana wasn't the only one with a shit dad. Laxus' father was also a disappearing act. And from the way Laxus described him, that wasn't the only bad things about him. Cana didn't want to pry.

But she did. And so did Laxus. What neither of them realized is that they each wanted to tell each other everything and learn everything about the other. They each wanted the other person to become a confidant, one that they both had been yearning for. Laxus wanted to tell her every little thing about his dad and his grandpa and Cana wanted to tell him all about her dad and her mom and her alcoholism. But, in their minds, they thought that it was too soon. That this stranger wouldn't want to hear all about that. They were together to break rules and that was it. But they each wanted so much more.

Laxus had finally found a person that was willing to listen and see past his hard outer shell. Sure he had his friends but they were fine with the tough persona he put on to protect himself. They loved him and they would listen if he said something, but they didn't want to look any deeper. Every time Laxus said anything, Cana's eyes were on him, searching his face and his eyes for any clues as to what lied beneath. He had never seen that before.

Cana finally found someone that made her feel important and like she was worth something. Her entire life she struggled with her mom and herself blaming her for her dad's disappearance and their poverty. She became an alcoholic in the first place to try and numb that fear and that feeling of being a worthless burden. But when she was with Laxus, she felt like he was prioritizing her, like she was the most important thing to him in that moment. He wasn't forcing himself to be around her, he wanted to be around her. And Cana needed that more than anything.

They both needed each other more than anything. But, they didn't say that. Instead, they skirted around the subjects that they so badly wanted to share. Finally, in a lull of conversation, Cana checked her phone.

"Crap it's two o' clock. I have to be up at six thirty since someone won't let me skip."

"Hey we have a sex class to go to," Laxus reminded her. Cana smirked and nodded. She pulled out her booklet and pen. She marked off tobacco, drugs, and almost all of the dorm rules.

"We need to be loud," Cana told him as her hand hovered over that rule. Laxus cupped his hands around his mouth and let out one shout as loud as he could. Cana giggled and then crossed that rule off. She crossed off the rule about boys being near girls dorms just because she knew it was going to be broken.

"Alright," Cana mumbled. "We're getting closer."

They walked back to Cana's room together, seeming to take their time. Cana led the way as they walked in silence, careful not to be caught. She came to her door, stopped and turned to look at him.

"Night," she whispered.

"Good night," he muttered back. Cana turned to open the door but she still felt Laxus' presence behind her. So quickly, she turned and hugged him. She wrapped her arms around his torso for only a moment and then went inside her room, shutting the door quietly. He didn't even have time to hug her back. Laxus pressed the piece of tape back onto the doorframe, and then turned and walked back to his room.

That night he dreamed about a brunette who like to drink a little too much.

Chapter Text

Rules and Regulations:

• Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

• Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

• Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

X personal music devices

• Video games

X Alcohol

X Tobacco products

X Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

• Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

• False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

• No food fights

In dorm rooms:

X Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

X Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

X No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

X No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

• No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

X No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

Cana pressed the little control buttons on her phone, moving her little avatar across the screen. Laxus was next to her, watching her play while also keeping an eye out for Gildarts. They were in class and they had decided that morning that they would break the video game rule, the name tag rule, and the videotaping rule. Laxus had left his name tag in his room, Cana was currently playing video games, and during their "sex class" later, they would video tape Gildarts talking. Yup. Gildarts was teaching their "sex class".

"Dammit," Cana mumbled as her character died, becoming a ghost.

"I knew it was them," Laxus grumbled as they watched the character that killed her escape. They heard Gildarts dismissing the class to go to their next classes and they put Cana's phone away. Of course, Laxus and Cana were staying for Gildarts' "sex class". One other student joined, another blond boy. He sat in the front.

"Welcome class," Gildarts began speaking as soon as he was positive no one else was coming. "This is the Sexual Immorality Personal Interest Class."

So that's what they were called, Cana couldn't help but think to herself.

"Unlike some of the other courses, this one will remain the same throughout the week so there's no need to hear it again after you've listened once. Thus why the room is currently empty." Gildarts gestured to the empty seats and then began pacing as he lectured. "Most people think that this class will be something fun or sexy or whatever because of the name. That is not the case. This class is to teach you about why being sexually active outside of marriage is immoral and why it is damaging."

"Lame," Cana mumbled. Laxus shrugged in response and got his phone camera ready to record. Cana tuned back in to what Gildarts was saying, only because this rule required zero brain cells to break.

"I used to be a sex addict," Gildarts admitted. "And it is something that I have found to be damaging on my relationships with people I love. When I finally met the love of my life and the woman I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, I couldn't give the part of myself to her that I wanted to. More than anything I regretted ever being with any other women once she entered my life. This guilt led to many problems. I became a chain smoker and an alcoholic to cope with the guilt and eventually, I had to leave that woman. So as much as you don't want to hear it, I'm telling you that abstinence is key to a healthy relationship."

Cana felt her eyes fixated on Gildarts. For some reason, everything he said resonated with her. It sounded like a plight she knew all too well but had never experienced before. Her fingers grazed the engraving on her flask.

"When you have sex with someone," Gildarts continued, "there is a part of your soul that will forever remain attached to that person. The more people you sleep with, the less of you there will be to give to the person that you're truly meant to be with. That was my problem with the woman I loved. I couldn't give her myself when she could give me all of herself."

Cana remembered her mom sayin something like that. The soul thing. She had compared it to-

"It's like a band aid. She told me that once. The more you stick it to something and peel it away-"

"The less sticky it gets," Cana finished the sentence quietly as Gildarts said it. Her mom had said those exact same words. How...odd.

"Did you say something," Laxus asked Cana quietly. Cana was snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head "no".

"Nothing."

"Laxus, Ms. Alberona."

They both snapped their heads up. Gildarts was looking at them. As was the other kid.

"Yeah," Laxus grumbled.

"Do you have anything to share," Gildarts asked.

"Nope," Cana blurted out.

"Okay kids, you're dismissed five minutes early," Gildarts told them, not breaking eye contact with Laxus and Cana. "Except you, Laxus, I need to talk to you."

Laxus quickly ended his recording and put his phone down. He shared a glance with Cana. She looked confused and a little nervous.

"You head out, I'll meet you at lunch."

She nodded and did as he said, giving him one last worried look. Once the door shut behind her, Gildarts leaned on his desk, his arms crossed.

"What's going on with your phone there," Gildarts asked.

"I was recording ," Laxus retorted.

"Yes. Which, as you know as a long time student, Laxus, that is a blatant violation of the rules."

"So, it's not like I was bothering anybody," Laxus fired back.

"Except this isn't the only rule you've broken. Laxus." Gildarts' tone suddenly became much more serious. "You broke dress code and multiple class rules by having your phone out and disrupting class with it. What is going on with you?"

"Nothing. Why is it such a big deal?" Laxus rolled his eyes as Gildarts scoffed at him.

"It's a big deal because you've never done anything like this before. You never so much as blink wrong in class. But now you're breaking rules and being disruptive and you're hanging out with someone, which you never do-"

"Shit," Laxus mumbled as he watched the gears turn in Gildarts' head.

"It's because of that girl. Ms. Alberona. Isn't it," Gildarts asked. When Laxus didn't say anything, he knew he had his answer. "Clearly she isn't a good influence on you."

"Or maybe there's nothing wrong with her and you're just being a paranoid old man," Laxus accused, standing up out of his chair. "Who gave you the right to suddenly start caring about everything I do?"

Gildarts' face hardened.

"I may be your friend anywhere else, but here I am your teacher first and foremost. Remember that. If I catch you or Ms. Alberona breaking anymore rules, I will report you to Makarov and have you both sent home."

"What happened," Cana asked as Laxus plopped down across from her at their usual lunch table.

"Gildarts is onto us. He said that if he caught us breaking anymore rules then he's going to have us sent home."

The words hung in the air.

"So I guess we just don't get caught then," Cana said smugly. She leaned in close to Laxus to whisper something to him.

"I found a kid who wants to go home. I paid him twenty bucks to start a food fight and take the blame for it."

"Who," Laxus asked urgently.

"Some kid named Lyon."

Cana pointed him out. He gave her a thumbs up.

"I told him that two of the guys in my group are...shall we say... highly volatile."

They watched Lyon take a hamburger, and launch it straight towards Cana's group. It landed right on Natsu's head.

"Why you-" Natsu began to growl but another burger quickly hit him in the face again.

"Food fight," Lyon yelled and soon, food was being flung from table to table. Once one person got hit, they joined in, figuring it was okay now. Cana pushed her untouched burger towards Laxus.

"Come on, you know you want to." They smirked at each other as Laxus took the sandwich in his hand.

"You know me so well," he joked.

"It's only my job, partner," she shot back as he launched the burger somewhere into the fray. After that, he sat down, content. They watched the mayhem. It didn't take long for Cana's group to get wrapped in. Gajeel and Natsu were very competitive. Lucy was trying to stop them, insisting that they would get in trouble but Natsu ended up nearly throwing her instead. Cana watched one brunette boy jump over the food counter and start grabbing food from back there as well. The cafeteria was a flurry of sound and color. Someone had flipped a table over to use as a fort when the group leaders finally stepped in.

"Everybody, QUIET!"

Cana didn't think that Makarov would ever be capable of a voice like that. The cafeteria did go quiet immediately.

"This is not manly," Elfman shouted at Makarov's side.

"You all should know that this is a direct disregard for the rules which you all agreed to follow by coming here!" Makarov's voice cut through the silence like a knife. Cana could see the looks of shame spreading through the crowd.

"I ought to send you all home right now-"

"It was me," Lyon shouted out. "I started it."

Makarov signaled to Elfman and the large man stepped forward to escort Lyon out. Makarov sighed as he looked out at all the shameful and guilty faces. He knew what it was like to get wrapped up in the moment.

"Since the perpetrator has been caught," Makarov told them, his voice softening, "I will relieve everyone else from any punishment. But remember, any breaking of the rules is grounds for being set home. No more exceptions!"

All of the students let out an audible breath. Not Cana and Laxus though. They took that as a challenge.

Chapter Text

Rules and Regulations:

• Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

X Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

• Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

X personal music devices

X Video games

X Alcohol

X Tobacco products

X Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

• Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

• False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

X No food fights

In dorm rooms:

X Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

X Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

X No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

X No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

X No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

X No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

"Okay," Cana mumbled as she sat next to Laxus before the evening sermon, "there are thirty-five things on the list, we've got eighteen done with."

"Sadly almost everything left is going to be hard as hell," Laxus grumbled. He watched as Cana whipped out her phone.

"Hard as hell, but not impossible if someone did it before," Cana muttered, more so to herself as she pressed buttons on her phone.

"Yeah but if it's a rule, it also means they probably got caught," Laxus said. Cana held up her phone to him and, unbeknownst to her, he used this opportunity to put his arm on her chair behind her and lean in as close as possible without being suspicious.

He read the phone.

35/2 = 17.5

"So?"

"We have thirty-five rules and we've broken eighteen. Half of thirty-five is seventeen point five. Therefore, we've done half of the rules and you have to tell me how you got your scar."

Laxus had to stop his jaw from dropping. He completely forgot about that.

"Fine. Wanna go to the roof again?"

Cana nodded her head eagerly. As the sermon started and she put her booklet away, she didn't realize that Laxus still had yet to put his arm down and that he was just a little bit closer to her.

"Did you have any trouble getting out," Laxus asked as Cana came running towards him down the hall. She was a little later than she had been the previous night.

"Sorta, the tape broke so I had to steal the piece from the boys' room. I don't suppose you have any tape on you?"

"No," Laxus sighed. Then a thought broke into his head. Literally. "But I know someone who might."

He took her by the hand and led her to the elevators, taking them down instead of up. On the ground floor, he took her hand once again and led her out of the building completely.

"Where are we going?"

"The auditorium," Laxus told her. "My gramps' temporary office is in there. That's where I got the cigars from. But, it was left open last time. This time, we will for sure be breaking in."

"Hell yeah," Cana exclaimed. She knew where the auditorium was so she didn't need Laxus to lead her there. But for some reason, she didn't pull her hand away from his.

"You still have to tell me about the scar," Cana teased.

"Ugh fine. I see my noble deeds go unappreciated."

"Come on, just tell me. You can get it over with quicker."

Laxus looked down at her and she gave him the puppy dog face. He let out a dry chuckle and then went silent. Cana could tell he was searching for the right words.

"My dad wasn't the coolest guy in the world. He would get angry at me and my mom and break stuff when I was little. He had never taken it out on us, up to this point. There was one day when I was playing with this little toy dragon I had-"

"You would like dragons," Cana giggled. She was trying to distract herself from what he had said earlier. "Up to this point". The words made her stomach churn and she could suddenly tell where this was going.

"Anyway, I was running around and playing and I turned a corner too fast and I bumped into a table and knocked a lamp over."

He paused. Cana could tell he was reliving the moment. It seemed to be hard for him.

"It was just a stupid lamp. It didn't matter. It wasn't even valuable. But I started crying because I was a little kid and I had done something wrong and he stormed out and started yelling. And the more he yelled, the more I cried. He said later that he had just wanted me to stop crying and that was why he did it."

Silence. Cana forced herself to ask the question that she knew he was trying to answer.

"What did he do?"

"He took one of the shards of ceramic from the lamp and he shoved it right at my eye. My mom had heard everything so when I stopped crying, she came in to check on me. She took me to the hospital and the only way they could save my eye was through some weird complicated surgery. Resulting in this."

Cana felt like she wanted to throw up. She had never been touched by anyone in a way like that. She had argued with her mom, and they had some pretty bad ones. But she never hit her.

"What happened to your dad after that?"

"My mom called the police on him. He was arrested and was in jail for the remainder of my childhood. When he got out, he moved somewhere far away. My mom had divorced him pretty quick after that incident."

"Your mom sounds pretty cool. I'd love to meet this boss bitch sometime," Cana offered to lighten the mood a little bit.

"If you can find her," Laxus said, although it didn't seem to bring the mood down. "She ditched me pretty quickly too. I live with Makarov."

"Gross, you have to live with some old fart?"

"Yup! But he's my gramps and I guess I love him," Laxus finished as they reached the auditorium.

"Thanks for telling me," Cana told him. He stopped in front of the auditorium door and looked back at her. Without her saying anything else, he pulled her into a tight hug. He was half bent over just to reach her but for some reason, it felt right. She wrapped her arms around his torso and they stood like that for only a few seconds. He pulled away slowly.

"Thanks," he whispered. She nodded.

"You're welcome."

Then, as if a switch had been flicked, they were both back in rule breaking mode.

"Okay so if this door is unlocked, then we're good. If not, there's no other way in. Laxus gripped the door handle and pulled. It was open.

"Yes," Cana exclaimed. He stepped in, looking around and she followed. She pulled the door to a close. Laxus moved through the lobby to a door that said "employees only" on it. He took out his keys and fidgeted with the lock. It clicked open. He flicked on the light and stepped inside, Cana right behind him.

The space was small and fairly bland. In the middle was a desk with a whole lot of paperwork on it.

"This area gets used for storage usually but when any sort of group or camp is in town they use it as an office for whoever is organizing it."

Laxus walked over to the desk and began searching through the drawers.

"Aha! Tape!"

He flung a whole roll of clear tape to Cana, which she caught easily.

He adjusted his coat and then opened the door for Cana.

"So does the fur coat have any story behind it," Cana asked.

"It was a Christmas gift from my gramps. He said it used to belong to my dad. I don't know, guess it's just a reminder or something."

He turned the light off and shut the door, going back to lock it.

"What about the alcoholism? Usually there's a story behind something like that."

He successfully locked the office door and they made their way through the lobby to stand in front of the door.

"My mom always told me that it was my fault my dad left. I have no clue if that's actually true or not. But after a while it started to become my truth," Cana admitted it out loud for probably the first time. "I started to view myself as a burden and as worthless. I was the reason that my mom was unhappy. I was the reason my dad left. All it took was one sip and I had convinced myself that it would make me better. And it did. And I guess it still does. I think it's out of taste and habit more than anything else. Alcohol just tastes good. Why do people drink water?"

"To survive," Laxus answered.

"Yeah, that too."

Cana went to push open the door but it was stuck shut.

"What the-"

Laxus shoved on the door hard but it wouldn't budge. They looked down at the lock to see that it was clicked into the locked position. Cana recalled doing it out of pure habit, without even realizing.

"Shit," Laxus muttered, looking around for any other unlocked door.

"Why don't we just unlock it," Cana asked.

"The system is like the system in a car. If you unlock it from the inside, the alarm goes off. Shit, shit, shit."

While Laxus began to run around, searching for any opening or exit, Cana felt genius strike. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her booklet.

"Laxus," she called but he was still frantically searching. "Laxus!"

"What?!"

She held up the booklet to him.

"One of the prohibited activities includes a false use of security or fire alarms."

They stood in dead silence for at least a minute. This suddenly felt a lot more real and the implications of their punishment was very much present in both of their minds.

"How do we not get caught," Cana asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Okay. The teachers are going to come running from the dorms. Hopefully, not your group leader. It will most likely be Gildarts, Elfman, and Makarov. Probably Jellal too. They take care of all the brute stuff. The security office is on the other side of this building, opposite to where we need to be running. Security will show up first and then call Makarov. I don't think the alarms are audible from the dorms but still, it's best to avoid any path that might collide with anyone in charge."

"So we need to run towards the dorms but not so directly that we get caught out after hours," Cana clarified.

"Yes."

"What if we run by the cafeteria? It's on the way but out of the way enough that they won't go by there."

"That might work."

Laxus put his hand on the lock and he and Cana tensed, ready to run.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One!"

They both shouted and as Laxus unlocked the door and pushed it open, they ran as quickly as they could. There was a second long stall before the alarm went off and boy was it loud. Not fire alarm levels of loud but still...loud. Security would be on the building in seconds. Cana and Laxus ran as fast as they could, keeping pace with one another. Cana could feel her lungs burning but the thought of being caught was so much more scary. She had never made a grand escape like this before. They didn't stop running for a second until the cafeteria was in sight and the sound of the alarm was a little more muffled. They stopped by the cafeteria, leaning against the outside wall.

"I've never run so fast in my life," Cana gasped.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Laxus warned her. "The next question is, how long do we wait until we go back? Do we take you directly to your room or do we hide on the roof?"

"They might check the dorms for students out of bed," Cana suggested. "We need to get back in there before they do."

"Okay," Laxus mumbled, considering their options. "The direct path to the auditorium from the dorms has plenty of places to hide. Trees, bushes. We need to hide out there until we see them leaving the building, then get back in."

He took Cana's hand in his and began leading the way towards the dorm. They were nearly to the main path when they heard voices and saw flashlights. They ducked down behind a bush and watched as Makarov, Gildarts, and Elfman were being led towards the auditorium by the main guard.

"Where's Jellal," Cana whispered.

"I don't know," Laxus muttered back. As soon as the teachers and head of security had left, Cana and Laxus stepped onto the path and headed towards the dorm building. Cana could see it and could almost see inside the lobby when Laxus dragged her into the bushes again.

"What the hell?"

"I found Jellal."

Laxus pointed at the building and when Cana squinted she could see the man in the lobby of the dorm building. Which happened to be where the elevators were. They definitely suspected the culprits might be students.

"Shit," Cana grumbled, falling to lay down on the grass. "We're doomed, this is it. Might as well just end it right here. Throw me off the building! Oh wait, I can't even get inside of it!"

"Wait! Cana! That's it!"

"What is," Cana asked as she looked up at the scheming Laxus.

"On the other side of the building is a fire escape that leads to the roof. We won't be able to climb in on any one floor, the windows are locked from the inside. But if we make it to the roof, we can take the elevator down!"

Cana sat straight up.

"Laxus you're a genius! What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

Laxus grabbed her hand once again and led her around the building, being careful to avoid being seen by Jellal. They made it to the back and, true to Laxus's word, there was a fire escape. Laxus held out his hands for Cana to use as a step up which she gladly took. She grabbed the bars of the ladder and pulled it down, providing a way for both of them to climb up. They kept going higher and higher, being careful to avoid windows just in case, until they reached the roof. They pulled themselves over the small concrete barrier and ran to the elevator.

They were on their floor in seconds, and bolting down it as quickly and quietly as they could. They reached Cana's door and she handed him the tape.

"That's the boys' room, it needs to be taped too," Cana whisper shouted. "Thank you," she mumbled. He pulled her in for a quick hug and then shoved her into her room, quietly closing the door behind her. He taped both of the doors and then took off to his own room, ready for a long nights sleep.

Chapter Text

Rules and Regulations:

• Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

X Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

• Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

X personal music devices

X Video games

X Alcohol

X Tobacco products

X Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

• Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

X False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

X No food fights

In dorm rooms:

X Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

X Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

X No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

X No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

X No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

X No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

---

Cana groaned as her alarm went off. It definitely was not pleasant. It didn't help that she had stayed up an extra hour or two texting Laxus. She heaved herself out of bed, deciding she didn't feel like showering this morning. She splashed some water on her face and cracked open a cold can of beer. She began sipping on it as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had taken her tank top off in the night, she had been too hot so now she was just wearing her favorite bra. Her hair was an absolute mess probably from tossing and turning. And holy cow, those bags under her eyes. Yikes.

Today, Cana was in no mood to even try. She flung her hoodie on over her bra and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. A pair of denim shorts completed the look. She checked back in with her reflection. She still looked like a mess. Cana took another sip of her beer and eyed her reflection.

"What are you looking at," she asked it. "You got something on your mind that kept you up?"

She studied herself in the mirror, knowing the answers to all the questions she was asking. But for some reason, hearing them out loud helped her think.

"Or it it someone," she accused. Oh it was someone alright. That girl in the mirror looked guilty. "You're catching feelings aren't you," Cana blamed the other woman. Cana had been up all night thinking about Laxus and the things he told her and what she told him. She had never told anyone those things. And she told Laxus. A stranger she'd known for five days now? Yup this was the fifth day. She still had seven more to go. They started on a Monday and they would be ending next Friday. And then she would probably never see Laxus again so why bother catching feelings.

A knock on her door.

"Cana? Erza needs to see us."

Great.

Cana exited her room into the joint room that she shared with Juvia and Wendy to find the whole group there.

"Did something happen," Cana asked innocently. From the looks of it, none of her fellow youth knew what was going on. Cana could guess.

"Yes," Erza answered. "Last night someone broke into the auditorium."

The students all gasped. Cana's eyes widened not because she was shocked, but because she was genuinely surprised they didn't get caught.

"They don't seem to have broken anything or stolen anything, so the plan is to continue the day as normal. However, we are to be on guard and you guys are to report anything suspicious if you see it. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, Erza," everyone chimed. The woman nodded and lead the group out of the room. And just like that, Cana and Laxus were in the clear.

Cana basically trudged down to breakfast, feeling like shit physically and emotionally. Physically because she was exhausted and emotionally because she was still pissed at herself for quite possibly becoming attached to this new boy she had befriended. So she lagged behind even more than usual. This was not a fun experience. Dealing with emotions and feelings and stuff. All she could think about was Laxus and how she was doomed to some form of heart break when he left. She knew he was going to leave so why would she allow herself to grow close to him? She had brought this on herself.

Cana pulled out her booklet, ready to look for more rules to break. She put a big fat "X" next to the "have fun" rule because she definitely wasn't at that moment. She read more rules to begin to plan the day. But it didn't distract her and she was starting to getting a headache from the words and the lack of sleep.

"Cana, are you okay?"

Cana looked down to see Wendy staring at her.

"My head is killing me," Cana answered truthfully. She took her hair out of it's ponytail to try and relieve the tension.

"Erza!"

The red head snapped her head around at the sound of her name.

"Cana doesn't feel good!"

Erza was on them in seconds, feeling Cana's head and beginning to study her face and body.

"It's just a headache," Cana mumbled.

"But headaches can grow into migraines which can trigger nausea. Go back to the dorm, take a nap. If you feel better by lunch, meet us there."

"Juvia can tell Gildarts where you are," Juvia offered.

"See, perfectly fine! Go back now, shoo!"

Cana was too tired to complain. So she stumbled back to her dorm room and collapsed on her bed. She fell asleep in seconds.

---

Cana was awoken by the sound of banging. She popped up in bed, startled by the sudden noise, and reached to check her phone. She had a bunch of text messages and two missed calls from Laxus. It was only nine o' clock. The banging persisted. It sounded like someone was banging on her door. She hauled herself out of bed, still feeling super tired. She opened her door, expecting one of her fellow girls, but there was no one there. It was coming from the other door into the hallway.

"Who is it," Cana asked, her voice still scratchy from sleep.

"It's me."

Cana instantly recognized Laxus's voice and didn't hesitate for another second before opening the door. He looked just as tired as she did. Huge bags, messy hair. He was even still wearing his grey sweatpants and what looked like a shirt one would sleep in. But the fur coat was still ever present.

"Rough night," Laxus asked. Cana nodded her head slowly and mouthed the word "yeah" to him. She turned around, leaving the door open and began heading back to her room. Laxus wasn't sure if she actually wanted him in her room or if she was dismissing him. She hadn't said anything and she left the door open so Laxus took that as a sign to stay. He stepped in, closing and locking the door behind him. He watched Cana fall onto her bed in her dark room. Literally fall. She just face plopped onto it.

He followed her in, closing that door too. Just in case the others came back. He sat down on the foot of her bed, careful to avoid her feet.

"Were you up all night worrying," Laxus asked her. He made sure to keep his voice down. She shook her head no.

"Just couldn't sleep," she said, her voice muffled in her pillow. She pointed at the chest of drawers next to her. "Snacks are in the bottom drawer." She moved her finger towards the bathroom. "Alcohol is in the sink and shower."

Cana had recently moved her stash of un-iced alcohol into the shower. Easier to hide.

"Do you need any? I had breakfast," Laxus told her. Cana flipped over onto her back, squinting her eyes out of head pain.

"I could really use some fireball," she mumbled. Laxus looked around the room and found her flask on the dresser. He reached for it and took it to the bathroom. He chugged the remnants of the beer within and then rinsed it out with sink water. He found the fireball whiskey in the shower. He held the flask over the toilet so that he could flush any spills easily and carefully filled it with fireball.

He stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door to see that Cana had curled up in a ball. She looked adorable. He sat back on the foot of the bed and held the flask towards Cana.

She sat up next to him and took it in her hands. She leaned against him, her head landing on his shoulder. She was all wrapped up in blankets and only holding her hands out so that she could sip from the flask.

"Are you okay," Laxus asked. "I didn't expect you to break a rule without telling me."

"I didn't mean to break it," Cana grumbled as she put the flask down in her lap for the moment. "I had a bad headache and Erza made me stay. Why are you skipping?"

"You weren't in class. Why would I stay?"

"Won't you get in trouble," Cana asked. She remembered what Gildarts had said to Laxus.

"Nah, I faked a cough and one kid got super jittery. Some germaphobe."

"Cross it off then," Cana told him. Her voice still sounded full of sleep. It was low and gravelly. If anything she was more sleepy now that she had whiskey in her. Laxus reached over to the dresser and grabbed the booklet and the pen, careful to displace Cana as little as possible. She looked like she was about to fall asleep again. She took one more sip of whiskey and then capped the flask and threw it onto the ground.

Laxus opened the booklet to mark off the skipping rule when he noticed one rule checked off that he didn't know about.

"Are you not having fun," Laxus muttered to Cana. It kind of hurt. He had been having the time of his life with her the last few days. He didn't want to be the only one enjoying it. And what was it that made her not have fun? Was it because of something he told her? Did he cross a line? He started thinking back to everything he said or did. Did she ever show any sort of hesitance with any of his actions? Not that he could recall. Did it have something to do with her sharing everything with him?

"Sad," she whispered. It was clear she was barely conscious.

"Why," Laxus asked, feeling a little relieved but not that much.

"Leaving me," came her quiet answer. Laxus felt his heart soar and break at the same time. It broke because he didn't like seeing his partner sad, especially when she was being cute like this. It soared because, he felt the exact same way. He didn't want her to just leave at the end of the camp. The thought had been on his mind for days. He was worried that he was overthinking and there was no way she felt the same. But here she was, admitting that she did. That she didn't want him to leave just like he did.

"Me too, Cana," he muttered to her. When he realized that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder, he dared to lean down and kiss her forehead. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly laid down on the bed, letting her use one of his arms as a pillow and then laying the other over her protectively.

Just a few minutes, he thought to himself. Just let me be with you for a few more minutes.

---

Laxus didn't know what had happened to him. He didn't do things like this. He looked at Cana, still napping. It had been about an hour at this point. She was just barely snoring. He had never held a girl like this before. Contrary to what literally everyone thought about him, Laxus had never had a girlfriend before. He hadn't so much as held a girl's hand before. He just had never felt that way towards anyone. He did have the biggest crush on Elfman's sister, Mirajane back when she was a student at Fairy Tail. He figured out that it was just the idea of being with a much older, pretty and awesome girl that he liked. And that was pretty much the furthest his feelings for girls ever went. Because of his lack of affection towards girls throughout his life, he questioned his sexuality with Freed. That led to the two of them having a long conversation on the roof of a parking garage one night. Freed was openly bisexual and so he tried to help Laxus figure himself out. Laxus went home that night realizing that his "feelings" toward Freed were actually a deep respect and friendship and that was okay. He also went home thinking that he was just incapable of loving anyone.

And he kept thinking that from that night on.

Until now.

He had never felt like this about anyone before. It was like his feelings for Mirajane in the way that he recognized that he would want to be with her. But unlike his feelings for Mirajane, he actually felt something. She made his heart do summersaults and he looked forward to seeing her even though they had only known each other for five days. He desperately wanted to hear her voice and feel her presence next to his. He wanted to make her laugh and he wanted to be with her when she cried. Laxus slapped himself in the face for being naïve when he recognized that he "just knew". He just knew that it was Cana. She was all he wanted right now. He never, ever was put in a position where he thought that he had found "the one" that everyone talked about. He didn't dare want to think all of that right now, lest he jinx himself.

He knew what happened when people let themselves fall for someone too fast. He hadn't been hurt himself but he was pretty sure it hurt like hell.

So just holding Cana and letting the world stand still was enough. He could be alone with her and his feelings.

Chapter Text

Rules and Regulations:

X Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

X Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

X Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

X personal music devices

X Video games

X Alcohol

X Tobacco products

X Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

• Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

X False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

X No food fights

In dorm rooms:

X Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

X Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

X No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

X No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

X No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

X No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

---

Cana and Laxus both awoke with a start to a loud knocking.

"Cana?!"

It was Lucy.

"Shit," Cana whisper-shouted. "Hide!" Laxus looked around and shrugged sarcastically at her. "Bathroom, you idiot!"

She launched herself up, heaved him out of bed and shoved him into the bathroom. She slowly made her way to the door, opening it cautiously, not sure what Lucy knew.

"Hey," Lucy said with a soft smile. "Erza sent me to check on you. It's lunch time."

Cana's stomach churned in hunger. That's right, she skipped breakfast.

"Yeah, the thought of eating makes me want to puke. I'll stay here for now and then I'll go with you guys to evening service."

"Okay," Lucy nodded, she didn't doubt Cana at all. "I'll let Erza know. Just feel better, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Cana agreed. Lucy turned to leave and Cana shut her door. Once she heard the second door close shut, she went to let Laxus out of the bathroom. She opened the door to find him sitting on the toilet seat, chugging some beer, he had already gone through a can and was now on a bottle.

"I wasn't gone that long, relax," Cana mumbled.

"So what do you wanna do for the next hour," Laxus asked, tossing the empty bottle into the bathtub. "Break another rule?"

"What rule could we even break? We've done pretty much all the ones we could do without going to a store somewhere."

She sat on the edge of he tub next to him. He pulled her list out of his jacket pocket. He read it and contemplated. Yes, he contemplated. It was a good look for him.

"You have guys in your group, right?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Show me which one is their room."

So, Cana led him to Natsu and Gajeel's room, curious as to what he had planned. Was he going to sniff their laundry or something? While not impossible, the scenario seemed highly unlikely.

Laxus pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and leaned down next to the door. He pulled out what looked to be his credit card and got to work on the door lock. It took him only about a minute and then he was in. Cana's jaw dropped as she looked at the state of the room. Half of it was pristine and orderly, just like it should have looked when they arrived. The other half was in total disarray. Clothes were strewn everywhere and the dresser on that side of the room was covered in junk.

"Which side belongs to who," Cana muttered in absolute shock.

"Doesn't matter. We need what's in the bathroom," Laxus told her, leading the way there. He seemed completely unfazed by the mess. The bathroom was the same way. Half was orderly and the other half looked like Cana's mom had been there. Or any woman for that matter.

"Aha!"

"What," Cana asked. Laxus held up two cans of shaving cream.

"And they're still mostly full," the blond teenager rejoiced. He seemed to skip back to Cana's room, locking the door to the boys' room behind them. He handed Cana one can and then stood on the opposite side of the room, pulling out his phone.

"Okay so this says we shouldn't aim for the face and make sure we have plenty of water on hand for cleanup."

"What is it?"

"Other than that, no rules," Laxus deadpanned, tossing his phone aside and then spraying one lone streak of shaving cream straight at Cana. It landed right in the middle of her hoodie.

"No," Cana exclaimed, taking it off quickly and then running to the bathroom. "This is my favorite hoodie," she grumbled as she shoved it into the tub and ran water over it. Laxus was laughing in the doorway to the bathroom, either unaware that she was just in her bra now or he just didn't care. She glared at him, understanding that this was war.

She filled her hand with shaving cream and then smacked the arm of his coat.

"Augh! You little shit!"

Laxus took off his coat as well and flung it into the bathtub. He returned Cana's intense stare.

"Bring it on," Cana exclaimed. Within moments, she was dodging a spray of shaving cream coming her way. It smeared onto the wall and Cana grabbed some of it in her hand. She ran at Laxus, aiming for his chest, but he dodged her as well, leaving her running into the dorm room. She turned sharply and blocked a hand of his full of shaving cream, smearing the stuff on his arm in return.

"I don't think I've ever seen your complete bare arms," Cana exclaimed as she rubbed the cream all the way up his arm, reaching his shirt. He jumped back with a start, spraying more at her. She tried to dodge, jumping for the bed, but got some on her leg.

"Dammit!"

Cana squealed as Laxus ran at her with the can. She took the advantage of being on the bed to spray some shaving cream in his hair. He practically tackled her onto the bed but she just kept patting the shaving cream into his hair so that it was all spiky.

"Ew! Gross!"

As he was distracted, Cana snuck out from under him, running behind him and spraying his back!

"Bullseye!"

"Hey no fair! Back stabbing little-"

He turned and showered her neck and chest with a long line of cream. She backed up quickly in an attempt to get away and a lot of the shaving substance fell into the carpet. As Laxus ran at her to attack her again, he slipped and fell onto the ground. Face first. Into shaving cream.

"Laxus are you okay," Cana asked through giggles. He lifted his face up, it was splattered with white. Cana ignored the clear sexual connotation in that and instead chose to laugh at him. He growled and pushed himself up, launching more cream at her. She jumped out of the way, climbing onto the dresser for another strategic blasting of foam. It got all over his chest and shoulders.

Cana didn't want to jinx it, but she was pretty sure she was winning. And she said just as much to tease Laxus. Which only made them get into it more. They were dodging and diving and knocking stuff over in an attempt to one-up the other. At one point, Laxus had created a sort of fort in the bathtub to block any attempts from Cana.

She easily broke through though, slipping into the tub and falling on top of Laxus's chest. Since they were so close, they blasted each other with shaving cream in any place they could reach. It was at this point that their cans spluttered and emptied.

Cana looked at Laxus underneath her. She noticed at this point that she was straddling him and he was covered in white foam. She could not ignore the sexual connotation this time, especially when she was also covered in said white substance and only in a bra. He was clearly also thinking the same thing, judging by the redness showing on his face where shaving cream wasn't covering it. But neither of them moved.

Cana pressed her hands against his chest. He was very muscular. His t-shirt was tight and she could tell. Cana hadn't really noticed before. She looked toward his face and caught him snapping his eyes away from her body. She felt very turned on in that moment and it took everything in her not to lean down and kiss him right there.

It wasn't like that. Right? They stared at each other in silence, sitting in that bathtub like that. They were covered in shaving cream but their eyes stayed focused on each other, locked there. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Each of them were waiting for the other to make a move, to say something, wondering what it would be.

Laxus couldn't tear his eyes away from Cana. Her hair was a mess, her boobs were practically out and her hands were pressed firmly on his chest. Not to mention she was covered in shaving cream and breathing heavily from their previous battle. It would be so easy to just sit up and kiss her. But he didn't. As far as he knew, she hadn't moved yet because she was mortified and disgusted with herself for getting into this position. So, he decided to make a move and break the silence.

"I win," he mumbled. When her eyebrows furrowed and she made a sarcastic smirk, he knew it was okay to sit up and smile back. "That was clearly my victory!"

"No way," Cana fired back, sticking her tongue out at him. She pushed herself off of him and stood to help him up. "You clearly are more covered then me."

"Nah. I don't think so," he said, giving her a once over. Not checking her out.

"Agree to disagree," Cana offered. Laxus nodded and they shook hands.

"Anyway, time to clean it all up," Laxus said, climbing out of the tub.

"Where are you going then," Cana asked. Laxus turned around, clearly confused. She pointed up at the shower head. "Easiest source of water. We can just do it together and get it over with quickly."

Laxus felt his heart drop and his eyes widen. She clearly saw the change because she began to laugh.

"Not like that, just hop in with your clothes on so we can wash them off too."

So, Laxus slowly got back in the tub. He tried to play it cool, geez he tried so hard. He couldn't tell if it was working though. He stood behind her awkwardly as she bent over to turn the shower on. It did and it landed right in between them. He gestured for her to use the stream of water first. He leaned against the opposite wall, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. This was not easy.

He watched her instantly get drenched, the shaving cream falling right off of her body. She lifted her arms to scrub the cream out of her hair and it shouldn't have been hot but it fucking was.

She was still only in her bra and shorts and Laxus had to fight to not watch the water run down her shoulders and stomach and...

"Aww someone's embarrassed," Cana teased as she wiped her arms clean.

"Probably you," Laxus attempted to tease back. But it just sounded sad.

"Relax, it's just me," Cana told him. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into her so he was under the stream of water too. They were chest to chest and because of the water, his shirt suctioned itself to his torso. It felt as if her boobs were right on his skin.

"See? It's just me! No biggie," Cana smiled up at him.

Oh! It clicked in Laxus's mind. She was doing this on purpose. That last move was too obvious. If she wanted to play that way, Laxus could play right back.

"It's just you, huh," he asked slyly.

"Yup," Cana confirmed. Her voice was low compared to the sound of the shower.

"So, if it's just you, then I guess it's okay if I..." He gripped the sides of her ass and pulled her even closer into him. She gasped and put her hands on his chest for support. "That way we can both be in the water. Make it go by quicker," he reasoned. She smirked at him.

"Now you're getting it."

Cana pressed into him and she looked up at him. She was horny, he could tell. It was just something in her eyes. But right behind that was a look that told Laxus everything that he needed to know. She was doing this to test her boundaries. She wanted to know how far she could push this before it was too far. That look in her eyes was one that was searching for assurance, searching for an answer to the question of "is this okay". He could see it right there. She felt the same way as him. She wanted to push the boundaries of their relationship a little bit but she didn't know how he would react. He felt himself slouch his shoulders in relief. A small smile graced his face and her eyes softened.

"Cana," he said quietly.

"Laxus?"

He moved his hands up from her ass to her waist, letting them rest there. He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers.

"If we kiss there's no going back to how things were," he told her. He looked at her eyes and her face. She looked amazing. "We can walk away right now and pretend this never happened. But if we kiss, we can't go back."

She slowly lifted her hands from his chest and cupped his face. And she leaned in and she kissed him.

Chapter Text

Rules and Regulations:

X Everyone must be present in mind and body for all sessions/activities unless excused by an adult leader for medical or other serious reasons.

X Each participant is required to have a name tag for all sessions and program booklet for all morning sessions. (If you lose one or leave it behind, you must buy another one by the next activity.)

X Modest, appropriate clothing must be worn by all participants. If it's questionable, make a more modest choice. Clothing with alcoholic beverage advertising, profanity, or questionable symbols or wording is not allowed.

X Have fun.

Prohibited items include:

X personal music devices

X Video games

X Alcohol

X Tobacco products

X Unauthorized drugs

• Skateboards

• Rollerblades

• Skates

• Laser pointers

• Weapons of any kind

• Fireworks

Prohibited activities include:

• Inappropriate displays of affection

• Leaving Fairy Tail campus without adult leader

• Fighting

X Profanity

• Water battles

X Shaving cream fights

• Anything that damages property

X False use of security or fire alarms

In dining area:

X No breaking in line

X No food fights

In dorm rooms:

X Guys are not to be in or around girls rooms. Girls are not to be in or around guys rooms. Violation is grounds for being sent home.

X Quiet time will be observed from 11:00 pm until 9:00 am. NO LOUD NOISE

X No one should be out of his or her room between 11:15 pm and 6:45 am

• Rooms are inspected before and after occupancy and any damage will be reported and charged to your group.

In auditorium and in sessions:

X No drinks, gum, candy, or food of any kind

X No disturbing others - includes talking, note passing, texting, phone calls, etc.

X No flash photography or videotaping

• No saving seats - all personal items must be removed after each session

X No throwing of objects

X Cell phones should be turned off or set to silent during all sessions

---

"So does kissing in the bathtub mean an inappropriate display of affection," Laxus asked as he looked at the list of rules. Cana had changed into dry clothes but he didn't have any so she was just blow drying him in the bathroom while he read.

"I don't think so. It has to be public and it has to be without a doubt inappropriate. Sometimes people are okay with kissing."

"Plan of action with that?"

Cana thought for a second, moving around to dry Laxus's back.

"I can sit on your lap at the service tonight."

"Is that enough?"

"We can kiss for a long time."

"That'll do it."

They hadn't talked more about what had happened. Cana had just kissed him and they agreed it was time to get out of the shower. The only question on Cana's mind was "what now". It was certainly obvious that they had feelings for each other but what were they going to do about it? Laxus said that there was no going back. A part of Cana's mind was set on the idea that they would never work and it would only end in heartbreak. But she wanted to believe that it would be okay and they could make whatever this was work. It was sort of a silent mutual agreement they had. They both understood the feelings they had for each other, but they were still trying to figure out what to do with them. Or at least, that's how Cana felt.

"You okay?"

Can stopped the hair dryer and looked up at Laxus. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked concerned. He must have picked up on her silent thinking and was worried she was regretting something. Cana smiled.

"Of course I am," she said genuinely. He smiled back at her, one of the biggest she'd seen so far. "So, any other wet spots?"

"No, I think I'm good."

Cana set her hair dryer down and went to fill her flask. She decided on brandy for the rest of the day, it was a brandy kind of day.

"I can save a seat for you at the auditorium today. I don't think anyone has to ask, just as long as I actually do it," Laxus said, his nose still in the book.

"You're really into this now," Cana chuckled.

"Well, yeah! We made a pact!"

He looked really excited. Almost like a kid in a candy store. For the first time Cana really thought about how much this might mean to him. As soon as you started middle school, you were allowed to come to Fairy Tail. That meant different things for everybody. Cana had a friend who started middle school when she was ten. She skipped a grade or some shit. Most sixth graders were like eleven. Laxus had been coming here every year for six years. As a seventeen year old, that was like thirty-four percent of his life or something like that. Not a big number when you thought about it. But Laxus practically grew up in this place. And for all those previous times, he was stuck with nobody to joke with him, be friends with him, or really provide an escape from this whole thing. And according to him, a lot of the lessons were the exact same. He might even have some memorized by now. This was the first year since he was eleven that he actually got to have fun. Of course he would be eating this up.

"Yo, Cana?"

She shook her head and snapped her eyes back into focus.

"Um, yeah?"

"It's almost time for lunch to be over so I'm going to head out. But we should spend free time together! Meet me in the lobby at 2:30 okay?"

"Okay," she answered and then watched him leave the room. She heard the doors click shut behind him. She quickly checked her phone. It was about 2:15. The group should be back any moment.

Cana had flopped onto her bed, scrolling through her Instagram and sipping on her flask, waiting for everyone to come back when her phone vibrated. It was her mom.

They hadn't really talked the last few days. Cana was busy. Clearly. She still had a few minutes to waste so she opened the text.

Hey, are you okay?

Was she worried or something? Or did she mean like, spiritually? Like "are you okay and no longer the alcoholic whore I think you are"? The safe answer was yes.

All good.

Cana expected that to be the end of it. Her mom would make sure she wasn't dead and that would be it until she checked in again in a few days. But no. She called her! Cana stared at the phone for a few seconds, not sure of what to do. So she just answered it.

"Is something wrong," Cana asked.

"No, I just wanted to talk. See how things were going, you know?"

Odd.

"Did you make any friends? Are you learning anything?"

What was the safest way to answer those two questions.

"Um yeah. I made a friend and the classes are all super cool."

Cana rolled her eyes as she tried not to hide the change in her voice. Apparently her voice got super lilt-y when she was lying. A trick that people thought they had figured out but Cana had learned how to make advantage of. One of the many reasons that Cana was the queen of all card games.

"Who's the friend?"

"Some gu- girl from another group. She's really pretty and a lot of fun."

"I'm glad to hear that? And the classes? What are you learning about? Is the teacher interesting?"

Cana chuckled and took a sip of brandy.

"Yeah. We had this one class on sexual immorality with this teacher named Gildarts. He said that same thing that you do. You know, the band aid metaphor? It was super weird. I guess it's just an old person thing."

It was silent for a moment. Guess she just couldn't comprehend someone stealing her thing.

"What was that name again?"

Her mom was almost whispering, her voice sounded a lot more strained.

"Gildarts? Pretty weird, huh?"

"Um, yeah! Hey hun, what was the name of that camp again?"

"Oh it's Fairy Tail. Super dumb, right? I have no clue where they got it from."

"Yeah. Well, I have to go. Have fun with your friend. Bye."

And before Cana could even say "bye" back, her mom had hung up. Pretty rude. What else did Cana expect? Her mom probably remembered that she had something far more important to do than talk to her daughter. Cana was actually starting to get into the conversation. Just a little.

Another big swig of brandy and the emotion was gone and Cana was back to not caring.

Cana could hear voices outside and then the door into the common room was being opened. Moments later, there was a knock on her door.

"Cana? It's Juvia. Erza has an announcement for the group."

Cana got up out of bed and opened the door, joining the rest of the group in the common room. Was it another announcement about the night before? Erza was smiling really wide so she doubted that was it.

"You feeling better, Cana," Wendy asked sweetly.

"Much better. I just needed a good rest!"

"That's spectacular, Cana. And I have some good news to add onto that," Erza announced. "Makarov has announced that on Sunday after morning service, the entirety of the Fairy Tail camp will be going to the beach!"

All of the other kids got really, really excited. Cana felt kind of indifferent.

"Not only that, but there is a shopping district located on the beach and we will be allowed to roam about there as well!"

That perked Cana right up! Shopping district?! She ran through some of the items on the list that seemed impossible to get. Rollerblades? A skateboard?! Fireworks?! All very possible if they had access to a whole slew of shops on the beach in the middle of summer! This would also give Cana and Laxus the perfect place to water fight, determining how they interpreted the rules!

Cana was suddenly very, very excited!

---

Cana practically skipped down to the lobby as soon as they were all released for free time. Lucy had gone to the school library, Natsu and Gajeel went to the gym, Wendy was in her room studying for who-knows-what and Juvia... well Juvia had just sort of disappeared. That was pretty much the norm every day. Cana was going to meet Laxus. Usually she just sat in her room or took a nap but she had done that all day!

Besides, Laxus had texted her and told her that he had a surprise for her. She couldn't wait.

Cana stepped out of the elevator and saw Laxus waiting for her in one of the lobby chairs.

"There she is! Took you long enough!"

"Oh come on. Erza had an announcement for us."

"It wouldn't happen to be about a large body of water that runs along the east coast of the country, would it? I mean, I totally wouldn't know. Not like I had a talk with my grandpa or anything."

Cana stopped in her tracks and her jaw dropped.

"Laxus...are you responsible for this?!"

"Surprise!"

"No way! How did you do it!?"

Cana skipped eagerly next to him as he led her in a direction out of the building.

"He asked how I would handle rebelling students. I told him that I would take them somewhere to help restlessness. And since there's a beach just a mile away, he asked if that would be the best idea. Of course I said yes."

"This is going to be awesome! You and I can just hang out the entire time and swim together and stuff!"

"And break the rules!"

"Yes, Laxus and break the rules."

"Speaking of..."

Laxus reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black pen. Cana looked at him with a face that said "the hell is that". He pressed a button and pointed it at the ground and bam! There was just a red dot there.

"Porlyusica's board is too high for her."

As he waved the red dot around on the ground, the only thing going through Cana's mind was:

"Shit, I think I'm in love"