Break their walls- An Aarmau story [UNDER EDITING](Aphmau/fairytail crossover)

Her Stress Relief

It was nighttime in Magnolia. Aphmau stood up out of bed and quietly crept over to the door. She had set up a mattress for Leona, and the werewolf appeared fast asleep.

She opened the wooden door, which had a slight squeak, but she shut it as quietly as possible.

The cold nighttime breeze brushed passed her face, dancing around her skin and leaving her shivering. Should've brought my jacket.

Aphmau sat by the edge of the slowly running water. She was staring into it, trying to figure out what had happened. It wasn't my fault...but if I had just gone with them in the first place, maybe-.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a soft hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see, "Aaron? What are you doing here?"

"I like to go on nighttime walks. They're peaceful."

He sat next to Aphmau, putting his arm around her shoulder. She suddenly felt the butterflies wake up and start fluttering around her stomach. Aaron wasn't looking in her direction, but he began to speak.

"I don't know what the letter said, but I'm gonna assume the worst. Aphmau, you're allowed to cry and be upset too. You don't always have to be strong for everyone."

"I get to be with my kids again...but they were attacked by shadow knights. My boys are okay, but Zoey is dead. She's dead, Aaron! The messenger fairy was her last moments! How could she make me watch that?!" Her words sputtered out through sobs, each sentence growing more and more incoherent. Aaron asking if she was okay cut the last thread that held her together. By no means was she okay.

"Hey, hey, take a breath." Aphmau was holding her face in her hands to silence the wails of pure agony. Everything hurt. The letter from Malachi hurt enough but the fairy was just cruel.

"I just wish..."

"Please do not tell me that you wish you were there with them. You weren't. You were not there with them, but it is absolutely not your fault. Zoey spent her life protecting your kids, so focus on being thankful for her rather than regretting what's already passed and out of your control."

With Aaron's words implanted into Aphmau's heart, she let herself calm down. She leaned on Aaron's shoulder and instinctively pulled herself closer to him.

Aaron rubbed his female counterpart's back and hooked her chin, so she was looking up at him. She felt the heat creeping onto her face as he wiped her tears and caught her in a warm embrace.

They sat by the water for a while, and Aphmau cried to Aaron. She wiped her tears and just sat with him. She felt safe in his arms, and that was enough for her.

"What were your kids like?" Aaron asked. He was trying to change the subject but also looking down at Aphmau with pure curiosity filling his gaze.

"Well, it's been years. I haven't seen them since Levin was 2, and Malachi was...well...technically, he's over 900 years old, but I'll explain that to you another day. My boys were so loved back in Phoenix Drop. Everyone pitched in to help me care for them so they would never have to be alone." Aphmau could feel her lips curving into a smile while talking about them, so she continued.

"Levin, being very young, was usually confused, but he had a golden heart. He was kind to everyone. When I adopted Malachi, Levin was happy to have a big brother. Malachi is childish but pretty wise. He's a sweet little firecracker. When I adopted him, he was a walking entity who had a need to live. He even had powers that were absolutely terrifying, but I'll get into that topic another day. He was accidentally turned human with a sampling from the forest that Zoey was from." Aphmau paused.

"I think they'll love you." She added, facing Aaron, who looked down at her.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna encourage them to bully you as much as you bully me!" He chuckled a bit at the thought. Aphmau's smile began to falter with doubt.

"I just...hope they won't hate me." She looked down towards the river, seeking the answers to her many questions in its calm domain.

"Just because you couldn't be there with them every single second of their lives doesn't mean they'll hate you. They know you did what you had to do to protect them." She felt the salty tears forming in her eyes once more.

"4 years...4 whole years I was away from them...I'm just gonna be a familiar stranger to them..." She wiped at her eyes in an attempt to make it seem like she wasn't crying. She felt the warmth of Aaron's soft hand grazing against her own.

"Aph...I can't tell if you're talking yourself down because of the stress or because it's 2 in the morning, but they aren't gonna hate you. No matter what's happened, you're always gonna be their mom. You're always going to be the person who took them in when nobody else would."

"Thanks, Aaron, I-...I just realized something."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm gonna have to buy an actual house so they can live comfortably! I built my house in Phoenix Drop, but I obviously can't go there again! I guess we'll have to go on a lot of jobs." Aphmau groaned. She could hear Aaron's soft chuckle.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Aaron pulled her close to him. She pressed herself against him, and they sat still. After about 30 minutes, they said goodbye. Even in the dark of the night and under his bandanna, Aphmau could see the pink tint that had crept onto his cheeks. Maybe he felt the same way she did or was coming down with a fever, but those butterflies never left her stomach.

The way Aaron slid his arms around her waist, dried her tears, and smiled made her feel like she fell even more hopelessly in love with him each day. She didn't know when she'd tell him or even what she'd tell him, but all she felt was love.

After a moment, Aphmau opened the door to her apartment, and the lights flicked on.

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I hope you guys enjoyed!

Until next update~