So, over the past few months, things seemed to have calmed down in the guild. I hardly heard any arguments apart from the usual from the rowdy kids.
Laxus seems to have mellowed a little bit, partly due to our developing relationship I believe. We cuddle, snuggle, kiss and all that jazz and it's brilliant! I've never felt so happy in my life and I feel like things are really looking up for me and Laxus.
However, Laxus and Master Makarov are still very much apart. Master tries to reach out to Laxus, but Laxus just ignores him or disrespects him entirely. It's gotten to the point where Master has almost given up, but I think deep down he still really cares for Laxus, but Ivan has sneakily ripped the relationship apart at the seams.
But Ivan was only just beginning...
"Are we just gonna sit here all day?" Evergreen complains as she slouches against the table.
Me, Bickslow and Evergreen are all sat on the S-Class balcony. Laxus was meant to join us, but he said that something came up and by the look on his face this morning, it can't be good news.
"There's just no point in going anywhere yet until Laxus gets back." I reply.
"You can't go two minutes without him." Bickslow chuckles.
I blush.
"That's not true! It's just that... we're a team and we should stick together." I explain.
"You're lying, it's spread all over your face." Evergreen teases.
I swiftly turn around on my chair with my arms crossed, causing Bickslow and Ever to laugh.
From above, I see the doors swing open and my beloved with the lightning shaped scar enters the room.
"Laxus is back!" I say excitedly.
Bickslow and Ever look at each other in the eyes with the 'he wasn't fooling anyone' look.
"Laxus! Up here teddy!" I shout.
Bickslow and Evergreen burst out laughing as Laxus covers his face with his hand and tries to walk up to the balcony like he's invisible. What's wrong with me talking to him like that? He is my boyfriend after all.
"Why are you laughing?" I ask with confusion.
"Teddy? Where on earth did that come from!" Bickslow continues laughing.
"He's big like a bear, but cuddly as a teddy bear." I reply innocently.
Bickslow and Evergreen continue laughing with tears rolling down their cheeks and Evergreen complaining of a stitch from how hard she was laughing.
Laxus appeared at the top of the steps and slumped into one of the seats at the table we were gathered around.
"Hey teddy." Evergreen sniggers causing her and Bickslow to enter another laughing fit.
"Piss off." Laxus grumbles.
"I missed you!" I say adoringly as I wrap my arms around Laxus.
"Get off Freed, I'm not in the mood." Laxus says with frustration as he wriggles out if my grip.
My heart tears ever so slightly at his words, but I knew something wasn't right and not just because of what I called him.
"What's going on Laxus?" I question with concern.
SLAM!
Me and the thunder legion jump out of our skins as Laxus slams his hand on the table. As he lifts it, we see a white letter remaining.
I look at Laxus before slowly reaching out and picking up the letter. Laxus sighs and nods lightly to signal that I have permission to read it.
"This is from Ivan." I say in shock.
"What does he want now?" Evergreen questions in disbelief.
"His new guild is progressing... he wants me to leave Fairy Tail and join him." Laxus explains.
"When?" Bickslow asks.
"As soon as possible." Laxus replies.
My eyes widen. Laxus would never consider this... would he?
"You're not seriously gonna take up his offer are you?" I question.
Laxus hung his head causing fear to shoot through my body. He's already agreed, I can tell.
"Laxus..." Bickslow says with worry.
Laxus flings his head back suddenly and starts laughing.
It came as a surprise to all three of us. We looked at each other, trying to figure out what is going through Laxus' mind. Why would he be so upset and then start laughing like nothing happened?
"Laxus, you're scaring us." Evergreen states.
Laxus finishes laughing and looks at me, Ever and Bickslow with a grin on his face.
"Are you kidding? You think I would leave you guys?" Laxus asks.
"Of course not." I chuckle nervously.
"So you're staying here then?" Bickslow asks.
Laxus looks down at the letter for a moment.
Something is not right...
"Well, I was kinda thinking that you guys could come with me." Laxus suggests.
The thunder legion joining Ravens Tail... Is he crazy?
Me, Bickslow and Evergreen looked at one another with uncertainty. None of us want to leave the guild, especially if it's to join one being run by a mad man who experiments on people.
"Laxus..." I begin to say.
"You don't want to join me do you." Laxus says.
"It's not that we don't support you..." Evergreen chipped in.
"But Ivan isn't right in the head man, plus..." Bickslow states.
"We don't want to get on the wrong side of the law." I finish.
Laxus doesn't say anything.
"We all love you very much, I guess that's why we don't want you to go." I say kindly, trying to reassure Laxus that we have nothing against him.
"I know you do." Laxus replies with a light chuckle and a small grin appearing on his face.
Maybe he has changed his mind...
"This was never going to be an easy decision for me anyway. Besides the fact that I want to join my dad, I also wanted to stay here to take over the guild." Laxus explains.
"But Laxus, you know that Master won't hand the guild to you that easily, not the way you've been acting towards him." Evergreen replies.
"I know. I've not been fair towards him..." Laxus says remorsefully.
I don't understand what's going through Laxus' head. On the one hand, he wants to join his horrible father, but on the other hand he's starting to care about Master Makarov again?
"Why the sudden change in heart?" I question.
"I know that the old man is getting on in his years, I also know that his health isn't that brilliant, especially with all the trouble I've caused him." Laxus explains as he runs his fingers through his hair.
This might be the turning point we've been waiting for.
"What are you gonna do then?" Bickslow asks.
Laxus is silent. It's obvious that he's thinking, trying to decide what the best course of action would be to take.
"I'm gonna stay here and reason with my grandfather. He needs to give up his position as Master of Fairy Tail and retire before his health deteriorates." Laxus decides.
Smiles appear on Ever and Bickslow's faces as they jump out of their seats and hug Laxus happily.
That should also be me, but all I feel is doubt.
Why would I think that my boyfriend's lying? That's horrible for me to think of Laxus that way right?
I leave my seat and walk out of the guild in silence.
I'm pretty certain that Laxus was trying to talk to me, but I'm so focused on my thoughts that I can't hear anything else around me.
As I walk down the street, flakes of white begin hitting my head.
I pull my jacket together and button up the front as it gets colder and the snow begins to fall heavier.
I keep walking until I bump into someone.
"I'm sorry." I say quietly, trying to move out of the way.
"What are you sorry for?" A familiar voice questions.
I look up from the ground and see Laxus stood in front of me with his jacket I bought him for his birthday draped over his shoulders.
"I've upset you again, haven't I?" Laxus asks sadly.
I sigh.
"I just- I don't mean to." I reply with frustration, annoyed at myself for making Laxus feel bad.
Laxus grabs my hands and pulls me towards him.
I gaze into his steel eyes as he looks at me with concern.
"We need to talk." Laxus states.
We walk to the nearest park in silence, not holding hands, just like we were strangers. It's a very eerie experience.
Both of us sit down on a bench and look down at the ground, seeing the snowflakes melt into the ground as they try to stick.
"I want the truth Laxus." I say seriously.
"What makes you think I'm lying?" Laxus questions.
I sit back in the bench and look at Laxus as he pays me respect by looking back at me.
"You've not given a single care about Master for many months and you even considered joining Ravens Tail. What's changed all of a sudden?" I ask.
Laxus leans his head back and takes a deep breath in and out, causing his warm breath to battle with the cold air and create a water vapour mist.
It reminds me of when me and Laxus were younger and we would pretend it was smoke and that we were sneakily trying to smoke behind Makarov's back.
"Fairy Tail is my home. I couldn't just leave you guys behind and I realised that you probably wouldn't want to join me, I was mainly just speaking out my thoughts." Laxus explains.
"And...?"
"I genuinely want to help Gramps." Laxus' voice cracks as tears leave his eyes.
I put my arms around Laxus and try to comfort him.
"I'm always conflicted Freed, my only constant is you. I love my dad because of what he's done for me. I've been able to make Fairy Tail a stronger place and been able to go on job requests with you and the thunder legion because of him. I've made lots of mistakes but not been kicked out because of them. I just can't understand why Gramps would kick my dad out for a small mistake when he's done so much for me." Laxus explains.
I had a right to feel terrible about how I felt, Laxus' head is all over the place and he can't seem to decide what's right and wrong anymore. Now he's said it, I understand how he feels. His emotions are just a massive ball of random feelings that he can't seem to control anymore because of his father manipulating him.
I'm Laxus' one constant, I have to be the sturdy support for him that he knows he can lean on.
"You know that Master is unwell?" I question.
Laxus nods.
"It's just one of those things you can feel deep inside y'know? He's been put under a lot of stress, no thanks to me. I just feel that I need to talk to him and explain that I'm happy to take the reigns off of him, even if it's half the work just to help him." Laxus explains.
"That does make sense... however, I think you need to apologise to him first." I reply.
"Of course I will, I know that I need to." Laxus responds.
Laxus smiles gently at me and I smile back.
We lean in close and share a kiss, warming both of us up as the snow continues to fall.
"I'm sorry for not believing you, things are just so crazy at the moment it makes it difficult for me to decide who to trust or what to believe." I apologise.
"It's alright. I'm sorry that I've had to put you through this. I just can't seem to think straight sometimes." Laxus replies.
"Well, why don't we head home and I can make all that stress and confusion go away." I hint as I stroke Laxus' face.
Laxus' cheeks start glowing red and a grin appears on his face.
"I like that idea." Laxus responds.
Me and Laxus left the park holding hands, enjoying the winter scene. We made it home and managed to spend some quality time alone together, I think Laxus appreciated my massage technique.
We eventually fell asleep, huddled together under the warm duvet. The only problem was the fact that we forgot about Bickslow and Evergreen being stuck at the guild, but they forgave us.
The next day...
I managed to talk to Laxus briefly in the morning, discussing his plan to try and redeem himself as well as help Master Makarov as we were sat in bed.
"It'll be okay won't it? I just don't want to get into another feud with him." Laxus asks.
"Don't stress about, it'll be fine. All you can do is be genuine and pour your heart out to him." I reply.
"You're right. Anyway, I better get going now if I'm gonna catch him before he starts his guild duties.
"Okay. Just remember to tell him how you feel." I respond as I kiss Laxus on the cheek.
Laxus gets out of the bed and changes into his clothes before leaving the house.
He arrives at the guild and manages to find his grandfather.
"Um, Gramps?" Laxus asks.
Master Makarov turns around and sees Laxus stood in front of him.
"Laxus... did you just say what I thought you said?" Master replies, stunned by Laxus' sudden respect and affection.
"Yes. I was wondering if we could talk, I've got some explaining to do." Laxus states.
Master smiles.
"Of course, follow me." Master instructs.
Laxus is led to Master Makarov's office as Master shuts the door behind him.
Master leans against the desk as Laxus takes a seat on the sofa.
"Go ahead Laxus." Master says.
Laxus has his hands on his knees and looks down at the ground, trying to gather all of his thoughts and emotions whilst suppressing his nerves so he doesn't mess up what he wants to say.
"First of all, I want to say sorry for how I've acted towards you. I know you had to do what you needed to for the sake of the guild, but I want you to understand that what you did hurt me deeply. Maybe I used to resent my dad, but as I've grown into a man, I've realised that he's done more for me than I initially realised." Laxus explains.
Laxus looks up at Master Makarov and Master appears attentive, listening to every word that Laxus says.
"I forgive you my boy, genuinely. As for Ivan, I'm sorry for what I had put you through, maybe I never truly understood how you felt, but I do now. I still stand by what I did, but, I apologise if the after effects hurt you." Master Makarov replies.
Laxus' eyes begin to water, tears emerging to the surface as the bond between him and his grandfather is beginning to be re-stitched from their apologies, respect and kind words.
Master smiles at Laxus as he approaches him and sits down on the sofa. Master places his hand in Laxus' as a peace treaty between their heartbreaking feud.
"Thank you." Laxus mutters.
"Was there something else you wanted to say?" Master asks.
Laxus wipes the tears away from his eyes.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a touchy subject though." Laxus cautions.
"It's fine, we can figure things out." Master replies.
"Okay. I'm concerned for your health, I don't specifically know what's wrong with you, but I just feel deep down and can sense that something isn't right and I suspect it was probably my fault and I'm sorry for putting that stress on you." Laxus discusses.
Master sighs as he looks Laxus in the eyes.
"You are very perceptive. I've been having trouble with my heart, I sometimes over strain it so there are days where I do feel a little tired or weak, but listen to me Laxus. This is not your fault, it's just down to my age and the amount of responsibility I had to take on for the guild at such short notice years ago." Master explains.
"Maybe it wasn't my fault, but I still think that I should do more to support you. You did so much for me when I was younger." Laxus replies.
"It's because I love you Laxus. I don't want you to get hurt." Master reiterates.
"Same here Gramps. That's why, I want to take on the role of guild master from you, even if it's a transition period and I share half of it with you just to take the strain off." Laxus explains.
Master Makarov interlocks his fingers on both hands together and looks down at the ground, sighing. Concern and doubt crossed his mind and started to show on his face.
"Laxus, I know you have good intentions, but you're not ready to be guild master." Master answers.
Laxus looks at his grandfather with confusion, not understanding his reasoning.
"But, why not? I thought you would be happy to have someone to help you." Laxus replies.
"I appreciate the thought, but you are simply not ready to to take on the huge responsibility of what this job entails, it's not as easy as-"
"No. I get it, I'm not strong enough." Laxus interrupts as he gets up from the sofa and paces around the room.
"That's not it." Master responds.
"Then what's wrong with me! What am I doing wrong?" Laxus questions with anger boiling up and sadness surfacing.
"You're inexperienced Laxus. You just need to-"
"Do more jobs? I can do more job requests, I can practice my magic. I'll do anything that you need me to. Just tell me what you want and I'll do it if it means I can help you." Laxus says as he towers over Master Makarov.
Master Makarov looks saddened as he knows there's no answer he can give to Laxus that will make him happy or make him understand that he can't be guild master yet.
"Laxus, you can do all of those things, but it won't get you to guild master position any quicker. It'll be years before you're even close." Master explains.
Laxus looks at Master with disbelief. Tears trail down his face as he feels hurt that his own grandfather appears to not want his help.
Laxus clenches his fist.
"I see how it is, you think I'm gonna turn out like my father." Laxus growls.
"No Laxus! You're nothing like Ivan. You're just not ready yet to be Master!" Master pleads.
"Bullshit! You don't trust me to run the guild because of the fact that I wanted my dad back in the guild! I thought you said you loved me!" Laxus cries.
"I do! I'm doing this for your own wellbeing, you have too many issues mentally to deal with before you can think about holding a guild together." Master explains as he gets up from the sofa and walks up to Laxus.
Laxus turns his back on Master Makarov and clenches his teeth together in anger.
"You know what? Don't bother trying to make excuses. I'll get strong enough to beat you, then that'll show you that I'm more than capable to protect the guild." Laxus says before approaching the door.
"Please Laxus. I wish you would listen to me. We can discuss this." Master pleads.
"Don't waste your breath. I'll show you my true strength, old man." Laxus replies as he leaves the room and slams the door behind him.
Master sits down at his desk and holds his head in his hands as he begins to cry in silence.
Laxus storms through the guild hall and passes Gildarts, who happens to be drinking at the bar.
"Yo Laxus, what's wrong?" Gildarts questions.
"The old man doesn't think I'm strong enough to help him and take over as guild master to save his health!" Laxus exclaims.
"I'm sure it's not based on that, just calm down and we can talk about this." Gildarts says as he tries to calm Laxus down.
"That's all this guild is, all talk and no action. I'll change all that." Laxus says angrily as he storms out of the guild.
Macao approaches Gildarts with Cana and Wakaba
"What's going on with that kid?" Macao asks.
"Yeah he seemed really pissed." Wakaba adds.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem good." Gildarts replies.
"I'm more concerned about Freed and the others." Cana says with worry.
"I think it's best to stay out of it for now." Gildarts states.
Laxus returns home and begins hitting the wall, causing me, Bickslow and Evergreen to rush to him to find out what's going on.
We congregate in the hall way and I wrap my arms around Laxus in an attempt to calm him down.
"Laxus stop!" I command.
Laxus obeys me and presses his head against the wall.
"What happened man?" Bickslow asks.
"The old man doesn't want me being guild master, I'm not strong enough. We are gonna semi leave the guild, complete as many job requests as possible so we can prove that we are the strongest team in the guild." Laxus explains.
A/N: I hope you enjoy this slightly longer than usual chapter. I'm sorry that it's taken so long, but I've finished uni for the summer so hopefully chapter updates won't be so few and far between. Thank you for your patience :)