Lighting Dreams

Stubborn Love

I wasn't a crier.

Crying is for the weak, and re-quip mages didn't show weakness.  At least, that's what my father taught me. So why was I sitting here, crying in the lap of my 'big sister' Mira? Crying over a man, nonetheless? A man that I was positive had ice in the place of his heart.  

"W-what did I e-ever do to him?!" I sobbed. "A-all I e-ever did was be there for him, and he j-just  pushes me away." I haven't felt this hurt since my mother died, leaving me to deal with a broken heart and a cold father. His way of proving his "love" was non-stop torture and training to become stronger, mentally, and physically. I could hear his words echoing in my head. 

"Crying is for the weak...there is no place for the weak in this family..." "...nobody will ever love you if you're weak!" 

My body shook at the memory of his leather whip, breaking my skin. 

"Y/N, Laxus has had a hard life," Mira said, running her fingers soothingly through my hair. "He's stubborn, cocky, and doesn't trust easily,"  she said, giggling lightly. "You can blame his father for that." she sighed, rubbing small circles in my back. 

"That didn't stop me!" I snapped, sitting up. "My father tortured me for years...made it hard for me to trust anybody..."  I sighed, looking down at my shaky hands. I spilled my heart to Mira, telling her everything about my life before joining Fairy Tail. She was the only one that I could tell everything to and not feel like I was being judged. "Y/N, do you love him?" I raised an eyebrow at her question. Did I love Laxus?  I felt this pain in my chest when he started pushing me away. I missed him when he was gone; I felt so gloomy in his absence, but when he would walk through the guild doors, my heart would skip a beat, and I felt so happy and light. If that is what love felt like, then yes, I love him.  "You wouldn't be sitting here crying to me if you didn't." she beamed.  "You know you have to tell him, right?" 

~A Few Days Later...~

"Laxus, can we talk?" I asked anxiously, standing against the balcony. "Go away." He snapped, closing his eyes.  I was beyond tired of being ignored by the lightning bastard. He was going to hear me, whether he wanted to or not. "No!" I yelled, stomping toward him, poking him in the chest. He growled, standing to his feet, pushing past me as he walked down the stairs.  "What have I ever done to you, Laxus?! "I shouted, catching the attention of our guildmates. "You know that you can trust me, right?!" "You do know that everyone's not out to hurt you like your father?!" I spat, immediately silencing the usual rowdy guild. Lightning crackled around him as he walked towards me. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MY FATHER!" He roared, clenching his fist. 

"Oh, I don't?! " I turned away, lifting my shirt over my head. I could hear him gasp, his lightning instantly dissipating. I never showed anyone the scars on my back, but I felt that this was the only way to get through to him. "This is a reminder of MY father..." "...he whipped me every time I cried...until I could no longer shed tears." I exhaled, facing him as I re-covered my chest and back. "He made me believe that loving someone would make me weak" "I didn't realize how wrong he was until a few days ago." I sat on the bench, looking at my hands. "I never realized how much love is here at Fairy Tail. I haven't felt this loved since my mother died." I mumbled. 

 "Y/N, I did-" I held my hand up, cutting him off.  "Let me finish, please," I said, my voice shaking. "Ugh! I hate crying!" I mutter, wiping my eyes. "It took me a few days to realize that crying doesn't make me weak." "It means that I have emotions; that I shouldn't be afraid to  feel pain, fear,  remorse, or love." "I have spent the last few days, wondering how to say this..." "...how to deal with this fear of not being good enough, of being too..." I exhaled slowly. "...being too weak," I mumbled, fighting to slow my pounding heart. 

"I love you, Laxus," I whispered, praying that he heard me. "W-What did you say?" I sighed, speaking louder. "I love you, Laxus. I've loved you for a while now, but I didn't know how to say it." I placed my head in my hands, hiding my face. "I was afraid that I would lose you what we have." 

We sat there in silence, tears filling my eyes. After some time, I heard him stand from the table. Of course, he leaves when I finally open my heart to him. My body trembled as I sobbed at my thoughts. My father was right; nobody loves the weak. 

I felt strong arms wrap around me, and I jumped, looking at the blond in front of me. His gray eyes were filled with sadness as he stared into mine. "Please stop crying, Y/N," he said, swiping his thumb across my cheek to remove my tears. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm sorry that I hurt you, and I'm sorry that I never told you how I felt." He blushed, nervously slicking his hair back. "Y-you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met...you're caring and most definitely not weak." "I love you, Y/N, and I-I will spend the rest of my life showing you that\" he stuttered, as I blushed, smiling at him. He grabbed my face and connected our lips, startling me. I naturally wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him tight, my body craving to be closer to him. 

He was the first to pull away, chuckling softly. He pecked me once more on the lips before he stood up, holding out his hand. "Have dinner with me?" I looked over his shoulder, spotting Mira, giving me a 'thumbs-up.' I smiled, grabbing his hand. "Of course." He pulled me to my feet, intertwining our fingers as we headed toward the guild doors, hand-in-hand. 

*AUTHORS NOTE*
Holas,
Still haven't given up on fluff yet. Hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Until Next Time,

~Redd