Fairy Tail x Reader Oneshots

*Laxus x Depressed!Self Harming!Reader*

A/N, This was requested by @Raiderthecat so please enjoy~
Warning: triggering topics

•Alone•

Y/N's POV:

"It's so pretty!" Lucy breathed in awe, clasping her hands together at chest height as you, her, Levy, Erza, Wendy, and Evergreen all walked out into the main bathing area of the mountain hot spring resort where you were staying for the week.

"It truly is spectacular." Erza agreed approvingly, looking around in admiration at the view of the seemingly infinite blue, cloudless sky against the green valleys and snow-capped mountains, with their grandeur sitting in contrast to the somehow humbled crystal-clear spring water pools that ever so gently lapped at the gray stone basin edges, sparkling in the sunlight like gold dust. It was an undeniably serene and almost ethereal place, for which you would have given anything to have the ability to properly enjoy it like the rest of your friends could.

There was silence for a moment as everyone took in the sights, broken only by the soft summer breeze and gentle trickling of the waterfall that fed the pools, until Wendy tapped on your arm and gazed up at you with concern in her warm eyes. "Y/N-san, why aren't you joining us in the pool?" She asked innocently, tilting her head to one side slightly like a lost little puppy.

That was the question you feared, as the answer wasn't one you were willing to give, so, yet again, you'd have to lie through your teeth directly to you closest friends' faces.

With a feigned remorseful look and true sad smile you replied to the young mage. "I want to, I really do, but I already promised my cousin that I'd meet him in half an hour." You lied, reciting the excuse you'd made up earlier, as no such plan had ever been discussed with your family member.

"What about tomorrow? You'll be missing out otherwise." The sky dragon slayer persisted, her innocently worried tone and expression shooting guilt through your veins. It felt awful to have to lie to your friends, and especially Wendy of all people, but it was all for their benefit, as well as your own.

"We'll see." You smiled gently, catching her eye for a moment before you turned away to leave them be, "I'll see you all tonight." You called over your shoulder, waving as the group bid you disappointed farewells. You retained the masking calm and content demeanor you'd adopted until you were properly out of sight – all the way back down to the lobby of the hotel resort.

Only once you had left the front doors did you let your fake emotions go, with a blank and dark, yet broken and exhausted, expression creeping in instead. Despite being the height of summer you were wearing a long sleeved top underneath your t-shirt, so as a defence mechanism you pulled the cuffs down over your hands and folded your arms tightly over your chest as you made your way towards a quiet area of the resort where holidaymakers were sparse, eventually finding yourself tucked away on a secluded bench about half way down a path that led from the main area and into the forest, after roughly ten minutes of blind wandering.

The area you sat in was shielded by trees on all sides and out of sight and earshot from the main walkway; it didn't seem to be used that often as the gravelled clearing was free from any litter and had the odd weed growing here and there, and there wasn't another soul around, which to you was an absolute blessing. The air was still and the only noise to fill your ears came from the chirping of summer cicadas and the faint rusting of overhead leaves, which, instead of being peaceful and calming as it should have been, the soft noises only mockingly juxtaposed your inner turmoil.