Erza's taking a mission at Crime Sorciere, going after the man she thought she always wanted. Is she leaving behind the man she thought she'd always have?
Natsu has friend-zoned himself, leaving Lucy and Lisanna in the lurch. He'd rather avoid them both than risk being a two-timer like Gray.
Gray (not actually a two-timer) just can't seem to catch a break. Maybe he just wasn't meant for romantic happiness. Or maybe it's time for a new direction.
Mira's stuck in the past, unable to accept that Laxus has his sights set elsewhere. Freed's never, never giving up on her, even if that means a broken heart.
Juvia's having second thoughts about Gray, but Lyon's ready to call it quits. Can she get her feelings sorted out in time, or will she be left with nothing?
And Toby's dating Jenny Realight. The Jenny Realight. Wait, what?!

Something's gotta give.

This is the Mazeverse series, a post-Tenrou AU where we put your ships in a blender and beat 'til smooth. Lyvia, Gruvia, Jerza, Grayza, Nalu, Nali, Lolu, Graylu, Bixanna, Gale, ElfEver, Miraxus, Laxana, MiraFreed as well as a handful of crackships and rare-pairs as we try to pair the spares. This is the Mazeverse. No ship is safe ;)

Happy Friday! This is story starts off Mazeverse Season 2. Do you need to have read any of the prior stories to read this one? Not really, as long as you're the sort of person who can suspend disbelief for an AU. Like if I claim that Natsu's friend-zoned himself, then you sort of roll with that assumption instead of searching canon for evidence, 'cause you won't find it. :)

The focus of this story in particular is on Laxus and Mira's relationship. The title of this fic is borrowed from the Alex Goot song 'Lightning' which is about this elusive, but all-encompassing sort of infatuation. I thought that was really appropriate for Mira and Laxus, because y'know, Laxus and lightning. But also, at this point in the story, Mira's admitted to still having a crush on Laxus, though we haven't gotten his side of the story, beyond the fact the doesn't seem to be reciprocating. She's got expectations and he's got reservations. There's history here and we're going to get to the bottom of it in this fic.

As a female romance-writer, I feel that it is important to get the guy's side of the story too. One of my pet peeves with (some) romances is that I've seen a lot of YA novels where we focus so heavily on the heroine that we lose sight of our male love interest(s) and their emotional needs. That's why I want to put Laxus front and center here. His perspective on this situation is just as important as Mirajane's.

This was my first time playing with flashbacks, so I'm a little bit clumsy with it, and not horribly creative. Since I finished this, I've used flashbacks in other stories (Journey to the Past), and I've got a better grasp on how to make it work for me. But I wasn't about to redo this piece, mostly because I feel like each of my stories (along with the accompanying authors notes) are a little mini time-capsule of where I'm at as a writer. It's fun for me to look back, even if my older stuff makes me cringe.

Enjoy!

- K. Chandler

Laxus woke with a start.

He'd been having that dream again. The dream.

Rolling over with a groan, Laxus pulled open drawer of his bedside table. He reached for the familiar photo frame that he kept hidden away from prying eyes.

It was a picture of a couple against a simple photo booth backdrop. The boy was tall and gangly, with blonde hair spiked up like lightning bolts. The girl had twined her arms around his neck possessively, beaming up at the camera.

Mirajane Strauss. Her blue eyes dancing with mischief, lips pulled in a smirk. Hair held up in a purple ribbon and wickedness in her eyes.

He still dreamed about her sometimes.

Sometimes it felt a bit wrong, fantasizing about a fifteen-year-old like that. But in his dreams, he was still only a couple years older than that.

This was back before he'd been expelled from Fairy Tail. Back before she became Mirajane of Sorcerer Weekly fame. No, this was back before it happened.

He remembered what things were like in those days. Back when things were still simple.

Mira had asked him to meet behind the guild that afternoon. She was waiting for him to arrive, her arms crossed impatiently.

"You're late," she said. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him back behind the tree-line.

"No, I'm not," said Laxus.

"I was waiting for fifteen minutes," she complained.

"Not my fault you showed up early," said Laxus with a lazy shrug.

"Hurry up," she said. Her words were harsh, but excitement danced in her eyes.

"What did you drag me all the way out here for?" complained Laxus. This was a favorite training spot for the rest of the guild. Each of them had their own little pocket of forest they liked to train in.

Apparently, it was also a prime make-out spot too, if the rumors were to be believed. Not that he'd ever seen anyone come back here, but…

"Would you believe it if I said I wanted to get you alone?" Mirajane crooned.

Laxus snorted. "If I heard it from someone else? Maybe. From you? Not so much."

Mira's lips turned up in a teasing smirk. "Oh, ye of little faith."

"Can you blame me for that?" asked Laxus.

Mira tugged on his hand, pulling Laxus further into the woods. "This is it."

"This?" Laxus arched an unimpressed eyebrow.

They were in a grassy clearing where the trees had thinned out.

Mira's beautiful blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "Isn't it pretty out?" she asked, snaking her hand up his arm, fingertips ghosting his skin.

"What are you up to?" asked Laxus, narrowing his eyes. He tried to ignore the way her every movement compelled him to respond, powerless to the spell she wove.

"Why would I be up to anything?" she purred, her voice sultry.

"Don't give me that," said Laxus impatiently. If she had been any other girl, he would have bought the coy act. But she wasn't just some other girl. It was Mirajane.

"You really think I'm up to no good?" she asked, smirking. She tangled her arms around his, one hand on his shoulder.

"I don't have to think. Just one look and I know it…" muttered Laxus.

"If you say so," said Mira.

Mira jerked his arm up and back, the sudden pressure in his shoulder sending him crashing to his knees.

Laxus blinked… Did she just put him in a shoulder-lock?

"I win," Mira chirped cheekily. She flipped her pony tail with her free hand.

So this was how she wanted to play it. Well, she'd get what she had coming.

"You sure about that?" asked Laxus, giving Mira one last chance to back off.

"Clearly," said Mira, gesturing at their positions.

Laxus snorted. Well, she had her fun. And he was no push-over.

Growing up, Laxus had been a sickly child, not to mention a little on the scrawny side. He had worked hard to build up his strength, and he was definitely not the kind of person you'd write off anymore. But the fact that he hadn't always been the strongest made him feel a little self-conscious.

With her hand off his shoulder, Laxus was able to wrap his large arm around her waist. He pushed Mira back, sweeping her feet right out from under her. Surprised, Mira squealed like a girl. Laxus tugged her slight frame into his chest as he rolled, pulling her down with him.

He landed on top, pinning her to the ground. Mira's eyes were wide with surprise as he hovered over her. The grass tangled with her fair hair.

"What about now?" Laxus asked, smirking. That'd teach the sassy little minx.

Laxus held her down for another couple of seconds before he pushed himself off of her, sitting back on his heels. They were just playing around, and he didn't want to hurt her.

Suddenly, Mira bucked, flipping Laxus over her with a startled yelp. He landed flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him. With inhuman speed, Mira rolled backwards and pinned him down before he could so much as blink.

"My point. Again," she breathed, her chest heaving.

Laxus huffed. He appreciated a girl who could kick his butt, but this was just embarrassing! Frankly, he had to give props to that new girl with the armor. Anyone who thought they could take Mira on was just plain insane.

Mirajane was in a class all her own.

"Hey, Lax?" asked Mira sweetly. She still straddled his hips, her hands pinning his wrists.

"Hm?"

Eyes locked on his, Mira lowered herself towards him slowly. Her lips curved into a small smile. She hovered above him, her face just inches above his.

His heart was pounding, erratic against his ribs. The scent of honeysuckle and vanilla tickled his nose. Laxus could feel each the heat from her body and each breath as it ghosted against his suddenly too-warm face.

Mira's eyes glittered in amusement. "Best of five?" she whispered. She paused for just a moment before shifting off of him, leaving Laxus feeling cold and his arms empty.

It took Laxus a second to register what had just happened.

He groaned. And here he was, thinking that she had been about to kiss him. She always was a tease!

Laxus wondered if she knew how badly he wanted her. How crazy he was about her. How thoughts about her kept him up at night?

Judging from her unapologetic laughter, Mirajane knew exactly what she did to him. And if Laxus had to guess, he'd say that she was enjoying it.

"You really are the She-Devil, you know that?" he muttered.

Mira just smirked, extending a hand to pull him to his feet.

The feel of her fingers in his in his sent a jolt through him. It was like lightning during a summer storm.

But like a summer storm, those days had ended too quickly. Now they were just a distant memory. And now the memories just left him hollow.

He missed it. Sometimes he wished for just one more day. But he knew that was nothing more than a fantasy.

This was reality. And they were out of time.

Long-time readers might have noticed that I didn't start the A/N by framing up where this story belongs, relative to others in the Mazeverse timeline. That's because the vast majority of this story takes place in the past, a few years prior to Mazverse. (Some chapters start with an anchor in the present, like this one does.) The flashbacks are presented in a non-linear fashion, to make it feel a little bit like we're sifting through memories, but hopefully I've left you enough clues to place when each event takes place.

Next time, in [Mazeverse] Can't Catch Lightning, Mira's turn for a flashback: "It's… kind of complicated," said Mira. She remembered a time when things hadn't been so complicated.

Stop back next Friday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.