Laxus was not one for displays of emotion or voiced heartfelt revelations. At one time, when he was young and innocent to the expectations that would soon after be thrust upon him, he was not afraid of bearing his heart for all to see. By his late teens however, that same heart had been buried somewhere underneath all of the self-doubt and male bravado he had accumulated over the years. His mother died in childbirth and his embarrassment of a father was too self-absorbed to ever be a good parent, so the responsibility was ultimately left to his grandfather Makarov.

The short man was kind hearted, funny and understanding, everything you would Want from a loving grandfather and Laxus had stuck to him like glue. Makarov repayed the gesture by lovingly raising him as his own and showing him the ropes of international business.

Fairy Tail was a thriving trade company that primarily focused on trade, seeking out products from foreign lands and was known to accept people not based on their credentials but rather on their view on life and their sense of adventure. It was a strange strategy but one that worked incredibly well for them.

At first, Laxus was thrilled to be named as the Heir, but as time went by it became increasingly evident as to what the outside world expected him to be.

"Oh, hello you must be Makarov's grandson."

"Oh, yes I remember you know. Makarov's grandson right?"

"Work hard so one day you can run this company just as well as your grandfather."

"A strong company needs a strong heir."

"Aren't you Makarov's grandson?"

Laxus was no longer Laxus but rather 'Makarov's grandson' and the heir of fairy tail. It was a title many would give an arm and a leg for, though thinking back it did a young Laxus more harm than good. Feeling the pressure, Laxus moulded himself into what he though the heir should be - strong, powerful and intimidating. He had focused so much on what he had to gain, that he overlooked what he would be losing.

It was only now, a pen in one hand and a typed document in another, that he started to regain some of his lost humanity. It was not a thick document per say - only ten pages front and back - but the dotted line for his signature on the last page terrified him nonetheless. When he had first begun to secretly type this document himself, he felt excited and proud. For a while now, Laxus believed that only the strongest of his grandfather's company should prevail and truthfully the majority of the employees (or members as his grandfather insisted on calling them) didn't make the cut. So, to take matters into his own hands, he drafted a document which would eliminate the entire translation and scavenger departments. He had spent months reading through all the contracts that were filed for the start-up of the company and finally found a loop-hole. When the two departments were initially set up, they were not set up as departments in their own right but rather as liaisons which gave him, as the legal heir, the right to terminate them.

But the more of the document he wrote up, the more nauseas he started to feel and the less he slept at night. And who was there to comfort him? Who was always there to comfort him, as they grew up together?

The very people he was planning to sac.

Everytime the pen approached the page, his hand would start to shake and his pulse would start to race - not because of anticipation or excitement but because his heart ached and his head was screaming this is wrong!

Now the day had finally come and he wished he could take it all back. He wished he never wrote the damn contract, wished he never undermined his friends the way he did and wished he was never named the heir to begin with.

I can't - no, won't - do this.

He screamed as he threw the pen at the door of his office. He knew his Gramps had gotten wind of his plan and it was only a matter of time until he found a virtual copy of the document. This was the end for him - he had lost, in more ways than one.

So, like any rational human being he did what anyone in his situation would do.

He went to a bar to drink.

It wasn't like the company's bar - there wasn't any lively chatter, friendly fights breaking out or drunken sing-a-longs. Instead there was heavy music, dim lighting and the stench of sweat, but it was secluded and served alcohol which was really all he wanted. After finishing off two glasses of vodka, some takila shots and turning down three drunk girls and a guy who wanted to dance (not necessarily in that order), he payed a visit to the toilets. As he washed his face he couldn't help but feel as if he was staring in the eyes of a haunted man. With his blood-shot eyes and darkened eye bags, he resembled something out of one of those horror movies Laki would always make them all go see.

As he was making his way back from the bathroom, he was suddenly knocked backwards by a girl who came out of nowhere. She had pale porceline skin, darkblue hair and was sporting a pair of heals and a little black dress. She was a small, fragile creature who looked just as lost and disorientated as him. If he had come across her before this morning, he wouldn't have thought twice about categorising her as a weakling, but now it felt like he was looking in a mirror. She had immediately apologised, blushing and stuttering all the way through while avoiding eye-contact and fiddling with her fingers. He accepted it with a simple nod, too worn out to do anything more. Laxus was prepared to let her pass when silver eyes met golden ones and she suddenly stopped to look at him - truly look at him - searching his face as if there was something earily familiar about it. She suddenly frowned and did the last thing he expected.

She slapped him.

Granted, it wasn't a hard slap, but a slap none the less.

"Snap out of it!" She shouted above the drumming music of the club, and then walked away leaving a very confused Laxus gaping like an idiot. It wasn't said with malice or cruelly, but rather with a sense of strong determination and belief. After the initial shock wore off, he stormed out of the club, hot on her heals.

"Oi!" He called out as he spotted her. She hadn't gotten far, but considering how much she was swaying and feeling the walls, he wasn't surprised, "What the hell's your problem?!"

"This dress. My p-problem is this dress, it's too d-damn tight." She told him.

He sighed. "How much did you drink?" He asked seriously.

"Too much." She answered honestly, as she started to waddle away from him.

"You shouldn't have come here alone."

"I wasn't alone."

"Then you should find your friends."

"I have no friends." He was surprised by her answer and by its bitter tone. Now would have been a good moment to let her go her own way - after all they weren't friends and he wasn't responsible for her well-fare - but he found himself following her none the less.

"You should go home-"

"I have no home!" She snapped back at him, tears already forming in her eyes as she whispered painfully, "They knew. They all knew."

Her face was melded into an angry frown, but her eyes told a different story, one of a broken heart that had been shattered, burnt and had its ashes danced on. As tears started to run down her cheeks, Laxus freaked. Laxus, a usually collected and serious man had one fatal weakness, and that was women crying.

"W-wait, don't cry!" Now it was his turn to stutter,"It's going to be okay." He hesitantly held her shoulders, "you're going to be okay, just uuhh...hang in there!"

Where's Gramps when you need him!

As he continued to spurt out clichéd words of comfort she began to calm down, and just when a comfortable silence fell between them,

"Hinata!" They turned to see a blonde girl, facing the other way in front of the Bart's entrance, calling out that name again and again. From how the drunk-girl's face paled, he guessed her to be Hinata. The blonde girl started to turn towards them and to Laxus' utter shock, Hinata yanked his body towards her until she was squashed between Laxus and the wall, hiding her from view.

"Very mature."

"Shh!"

They stayed like that, frozen and unsure on how to proceed, as they heard more and more voices starting to call her name. Then, it occured to him that she was very petite in comparison to his stature. That together with their close proximity and her looking very frightened may lead others to think that his motives with her were...less than innocent.

He gripped her hips, lifting her until they were face to face and then pinning her there with his body, "Wrapp your legs around me. If we don't make this look more convincing people will think I'm forcing myself on you."

He saw her eyes widen for a moment before she did as he told her, pressing him even closer against her. He rested his forehead against hers and pinned her hands above their heads. Their eyes had met once more, for a breif second, before both of them turned away embarrassed. They concentrated on the sounds around them and the warmth that radiated from each other's bodies. Laxus couldn't help but notice how Hinata smelt of lavender and how soft her skin felt beneath his fingertips. Laxus couldn't help himself and let his thump gently stroke the side of her hand. This immediately caused her to blush a darker shade of red and bite her lips, all the while still looking down. For a split second, as he watched her lips redden and plump from the action, he wondered how they would feel against his own.

A stranger's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Excuse me miss," he heard a guy say behind him, "Have you by any chance come across a girl, about this high, wearing a black dress. She has long dark-blue hair and a fringe."

"No, sorry." He heard a second voice reply.

By the desperate look on her face, he could tell she heard it too. They heard footsteps coming towards them and they knew they were running out of options.

He wouldn't bother us if he thought we were making out, right?

Wrong.

When Laxus felt someone pat his shoulder, he decided he had to take it to the next level to scare them off. He was after all past the point of no return with this girl - he might as well see this to the end. He suddenly slammed his lips against hers hard, grinding against her overexaggeratedly. Hinata 'eep'ed and froze in surprise at first but quickly caught on and played along, sliding one hand up his spine while running the other through his thick blonde hair.

"Hey, I was wondering if- Woah!" The red-headed boy immediately backed away.

They continued like that, rhythmically moving their lips and bodies against each other and grabbing desperately at each other's clothes like animals, until they could no longer hear her friends voice. Well to be honest they carried on for a bit longer than that, telling themselves that it was just to be sure that he had gone and not because they were both becoming hotter with every touch.

When they finally did part, their cheeks were flushed and they panted, trying to catch their breaths.

"I think he's gone. I'm sorry about.."

"N-No, don't worry, it was g-good plan." Well it felt good anyway, "I'm sorry I've dragged you into all this."

"S'okay," he looked around, "You see anymore of your 'friends' around."

"No, they must of widened the search."

"How are you going to get home?"

"I'll call a-" her face dropped, "I forgot my purse and phone in the bar." She said sheepishly.

He nodded as he took a step back, not realising that she still had her legs wrapped around his torso. She had begun to slide down him when laxus instinctively caught her with both hands. Unfortunately where his hands were placed were not...ideal shall we say. Hinata had never had her butt even patted before in her life by any man, so as you can imagine having a stranger - a very sexy muscular stranger at that - grope her ass vigorously with both hands caused her to go as red as a tomato. Laxus took longer than he'd like to admit to take his hands off of her, awkwardly heading back towards the entrance. Upon entering the establishment both were attentive to those around them, not wanting to bump into the search party.

"Hello," she addressed the bartender, a bulky middle aged man with a stubly chin, "I left my purse at the bar here and I was wondering if you knew where it's ended up."

"Oh, don't worry miss, you're friends have it. They're looking for you right now." Hinata resisted the urge to slump on the bar stool in front of her in defeat as she thanks the man for his help.

"Come on." Laxus suddenly grabbed her hand, leading her away and towards the car-park.

'W-where are we going?"

"You can crash at my place. I've got a phone there so you can also call your family to tell them that you're okay."

"That's really kind of you, but I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not a bother." He told her simply as he continued to firmly hold her hand.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly, trying to remember wether she had thanked him at all tonight even though he had saved her in more ways than one, "For everything. Not many people would do what you did tonight."

"I'm not an angel Hinata, I'm only human."

By the sad look on his face, she knew if was better to leave it at that and not press for further details. It was, after all, what he did for her.

When they finally stopped, she was surprised to see his car - it was a golden Hyundai Lightening - currently the fastest, rarest and by far the most expensive car on the market. She should know - Hanabi hadn't shut up about this car for months after it had been released.

"Nice ride." She commented.

"I'm thinking of returning it." He didn't know why he just said that, but he heard himself carry on,"It's not really...me." He sounded so corny he wanted to kick himself, but instead he helped her through the butterfly door. Hinata once again didn't press him further and strapped herself in.

The ride wasn't a particularly long one, but the passing headlights and smooth ride had made her drowsy, as if she was a baby being rocked to sleep underneath a flashing mobile. Before either one knew it she was fast asleep.

When they finally made it to his appartment Laxus, not wanting to wake her, had opted to carry her bridal style from his car to his third-floor appartment in a similar fashion to how a man carrys his new bride over the threshold. He easily layed her on his guest room's bed which was already arranged for last minute guests.

Watching Hinata sleep, he wondered why he went so far out of his way to help her. Was it as some sort of attempt at redemption? To make himself feel better? No, he realised, it wasn't for those reasons. It was because it meant he wasn't alone in his sense of emotional defeat. It was also why he offered her his guest room - maybe knowing that she was just a few meters away he might not be plagued by nightmares tonight.

I'm not alone.

It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

After tucking her in and making sure she was comfortable, he decided it would be better to not go to bed not having dinner. As Laxus rummaged through his fridge in search for something to eat, thinking back at the events that unfolded at the bar and the strange girl he was fortunate enough to meet, the image of her blushing face flashed in his mind and he suddenly got a craving for tomatoes.