Happy Friday! This is the last chapter of Can't Catch Lightning and this week: full on angst.

More flashbacks this week... long-time Mazeverse readers may find them familiar. Except this time, we get them from Laxus' point of view.

- K. Chandler

Coming back to the guild was hard. Putting aside his anger and his hatred had been even harder. Letting go of Mira was the hardest thing of all.

"I love you, Mirajane," he had said.

And he had meant it, through and through.

Laxus could still remember the night he had told her that. The rainy night when he had wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, and his dearest wish had come true.

Things were so perfect that he never thought they'd ever end. He had never thought his heart could be fuller.

But just like that, they were over, and nothing was the same anymore.

Some people might assume that Laxus would consider Mirajane to be one of his biggest regrets.

But he didn't. He never could.

Mirajane might have been one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

And letting go of her was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

Mirajane slid another drink in front of him. "That was cute, wasn't it, Lax?" she asked.

Laxus traced his finger through the condensation forming on the mug. He didn't look at her. He couldn't. "Sure."

"I suppose this really isn't your type of music," she continued.

He chanced a look at her, catching a glimpse of her starry blue eyes. She was prettier than ever and ever-so-sweet. But that only served to remind him of what he didn't have anymore. What they didn't have any more.

She had changed. Just like he knew that he had changed too.

Even though Mira stood right in front of him, he missed her.

He missed her smile. Her laugh. Her wicked sense of humor. He missed what they used to be.

Some might say that she had matured and grown out of her rebel phase. But where Laxus was concerned, that so-called rebel phase was what made Mira who she was.

There were days when Laxus felt like he was looking at a stranger.

"I think it's nice that he decided to let her know how he feels," said Mira softly, referring to Gajeel's public declaration to Levy. There was a hope in her voice that made Laxus' chest well with guilt.

Laxus pressed his lips together to keep from saying anything. He wasn't an idiot like Dragneel and he knew a hint when he heard one.

Laxus could feel the disapproving glance that Freed flicked towards him. That was the most insubordination that his lieutenant had ever shown.

"I agree with you, Mira," Freed offered.

Laxus sighed, his stool scraping harshly across the floor as he stood.

He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't give her what she wanted. He couldn't be what she wanted. And he didn't want to be.

The Laxus that Mira loved was an illusion. He wasn't real.

That wasn't him anymore. He couldn't go back to what he used to be. He couldn't spend his days living in the past. When he was on his own, Laxus had changed, tried again, moved on.

He wanted to be someone that Gramps could be proud of. He wasn't there yet, but he was getting there. He was no longer the type of person who would so easily be consumed by his jealousy or his hatred.

There were things that he had done that still made Laxus feel a little ashamed. He had crossed some lines that shouldn't have. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with the person he'd become after the surgery, and it hadn't been easy to put aside his resentment and stop blaming everyone for what had happened. But he'd done it.

There were days he still felt like he didn't deserve to be back with the guild. With his grandfather and his friends—no, his family. But they had accepted him and welcomed him back with open arms. And not just Freed, Ever and Bicks, who had stood by him from the start. But some of the others—Dragneel, Fullbuster, Levy, Cana and Erza—had forgiven him too. He'd even started to make friends with some of the newer members: Lucy, Juvia and that other Dragon-Slayer, Redfox. Even Mira had forgiven him.

Even though Mira might have forgiven him, but there was a part of Laxus that would never forgive himself for what he had done. He'd been awful to her. He didn't deserve her kindness, and he knew it, but he appreciated the effort she put towards becoming friends with him.

Laxus knew that it wasn't fair to expect her to stay stuck in time while he moved forward. But she couldn't expect it of him either.

The truth was, they were just kids when they first fell in love. But since then, they had both grown up. And while that wasn't the end of the world, they hadn't grown up together. Instead, they had grown apart.

Even though what they had would always cause them both pain and heartbreak, Laxus didn't regret any of it. Not even the stupid dragon lacrima. That was what had saved their hides against Hades, after all.

No, he wouldn't trade any of these painful experiences for anything. All of these things had shaped them both into the people they were today. But they had both changed so much as people. It just wouldn't work anymore, no matter what she thought.

Eventually Laxus had accepted reality.

Mira's smile didn't leave him hoping. Her touch didn't leave him yearning. And the only time he dreamed of her, she was still a sassy teenager with a wicked glint in her eye.

He had loved her so much back then. And she had meant the world to him.

She still meant the world to him. And he didn't dislike who she was now. But he wasn't in love with her.

"This will be fun, won't it Lax?" Mira had asked, expectation in her eyes after Master had announced that Fairy Tail would be hosting the Victory Gala.

"Sure," he said, shrugging.

"I'm kind of excited," she said. "I can't remember the last time I got all dressed up!"

"Yeah?" he asked coolly, hoping she wasn't getting her hopes up.

"It should be a good time. I wonder how many people will show up with dates."

"Ever's probably expecting your brother to take her," he said, trying to change the subject. "You might want to warn him so she doesn't get upset."

Mira giggled. "We can't have that! I'll be sure to say something to him."

Crisis averted.

"What about you? Are you planning on going with anyone?" she asked.

"Mhm?"

"To the ball. Are you going with anyone?" she pressed.

Laxus sighed. She had to go there, didn't she?

"I only found out about it five minutes ago, Mira," he said lamely. "Haven't really thought about it."

He had to leave. He had to remove himself from the situation before she turned it into something it wasn't.

"I've actually got to see the old man about something. He said it was important. So if you'll excuse me."

She couldn't see it, but he knew the truth…

As much as it hurt to admit, but he just wasn't in love with her. Not anymore.

Those days were long gone. And all that he had left of them was a photo in a frame.

Flipping the picture face-down, Laxus pulled open the drawer of his nightstand. He set it down gently.

Then he shut the drawer.

And that's the end of that. Sort of. That was the backstory. In a few weeks, we'll get some of the aftermath, including an angsty Laxus / Mira scene!

I hope I you had fun laughing and crying with Mira and Lax. If this piece gave you feels, please consider leaving me a comment or favoriting this fic. Boosting the stats helps guide other readers to this fic when they're looking for some Miraxus to read.

But enough of that. Time to return to the present. Starting next week, we revisit the guild post Victory Gala to deal with the fall-out of the dance. If you remember, we had a pretty significant shake-up. (If you haven't read it, go check it out while you're waiting for the next story!) We'll catch up with most of the crew through three interconnected shorts that bring us up to speed.

Stop back next Friday for [Mazeverse] Blurred Lines, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.