A/N: I've been debating about writing a Fairy Tail fanfic for a while now and the other day, this idea just came to me. I was sad to see there were barely any Laxus x Erza stories on this site, so here's my contribution to it! I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
Cleaning Complications
"Oh, god! He's going to kill us!" Erza whispered in fright, her hand going to her mouth as she dared to peep out the window. Two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back though, just as angry shouting resounded from the ground below.
"Do you want him to catch you in the act?" Laxus asked in annoyance and she frowned at how he treated her like a child.
"Me? You're the one who tipped the bucket over the ledge!" She hissed, shrugging him off of her.
"I was only kidding around, you're the one who got all freaked out and tried to stop me. If it wasn't for you and your butter fingers we wouldn't be in this situation right now."
"I do not have-"
"Oh shut it, now come on, if we don't get out of here, then he'll know-"
He was cut off as thunderous footsteps resounded from outside, shaking the ceiling and floor as the angry victim clambered up the stairs. Erza merely stared at the door in fright, waiting for Gildarts to storm through - probably soaked with dirty water - and end their pitiful lives in his rage. The only thing that jarred her from her fear was Laxus tugging her to the side and into the small closet in the corner of the room.
She blushed fiercely as he closed the door behind them, allowing little space to move. Shelves stuck into her back and her hands were pressed up against his chest as she tried to wiggle away. It was only when his grip tightened on her back, did she realise how close he truly was to her. In a way, she was glad for the dim light of the closet, at least he couldn't see how red her face had gotten.
How had it come to this? One minute they were on cleaning duty as punishment for tearing up half a town on a mission and the next, she had dropped a bucket on Gildarts and Laxus had shoved her in a closet with him.
She squirmed uncomfortably, every nerve in her body tingling and telling her to get out. The heat of his chest was radiating into her body through his old, thin clothes and she wasn't much better. She had shed her armour, opting for the simple Japanese clothes she usually wore in order to make sure none of her good things got dirty.
"Was this really necessary?" She questioned, raising a doubtful brow at him in the darkness. "We could've jumped out the window."
"Too late for that now and I didn't see you coming up with any bright ideas, Scarlet."
"You call this a bright idea?" She hissed.
A sigh from him. "I never said it was a bright one."
"We are in a closet!"
"I can see that, thank you. Now stop squirming and be quiet, unless you want to get caught," he shushed her, his tone annoyed and low.
"This is ridiculous," she huffed, "he's going to find us-"
She was cut off by a hand clamping over her mouth, muffling her sentence. She soon stopped her efforts to speak as she heard the door slam open and heavy footsteps resound on the floor of the other room. She held her breath as she sensed the anger in Gildarts' magic power, it radiated through the door of the closet like a toxic fog and Laxus must've sensed it too by the way he tensed beneath her touch.
More footsteps came, along with the sound of the window being shut rather fiercely. The door shook with a bang as something hard and metallic collided with it and she knew it wasn't one of her weapons. She flinched at the noise and tried to calm her rattled mind. She couldn't believe she had dropped a bucket on Gildarts' head, she was supposed to be the disciplining member of Fairy Tail, not the one who caused trouble. This would probably go on her permanent record, she would have to do even more cleaning, she could be even kicked out of Fairy Hills. What if they took away her S-class status? Mira would never let her eat any strawberry cake in the guild again!
Her rambling thoughts came to a skidding halt as the footsteps ceased but a creak resounded through the floor, as if he had turned in a certain direction. She could almost feel his glare pierce her soul through the door and she braced herself for the worst as he trudged towards them, each step heavier and louder than the last.
"Say nothing and play along," Laxus commanded in a hushed voice, his hands sliding down her back and holding her closer.
Before she could even question what he meant, she felt something soft touch her lips. Her eyes widened and she froze up, her muscles clenching and body tensing in his embrace. He didn't stop though, coaxing her to respond and after a few seconds her mind shut down and body naturally reacted to his touch. Her lips began to move against his, slowly and uncertainly at first before she grew more confident, hands sliding up his shoulder and around his neck to pull him down further.
She never realised Laxus could be so gentle and... appealing. Her eyes fluttered shut in enjoyment and she melted into the kiss, her body nearly going slack against his when she felt his fingers in her hair. She forgot about the fact that they were in a closet and so close to getting into a mountain load of trouble until the moment ended when Gildarts swung open the door.
They broke apart immediately, a guilty look on her own features as her cheeks became an all new shade of crimson, nearly blending in with her hair. Her eyes flickered to Laxus, who rather than guilty and ashamed, looked annoyed and angry. He kept one arm around her, holding her firmly in place while he glared at Gildarts who had now turned his own shade of red.
"What the hell? Don't you knock?" Laxus demanded, brows drawing together in fury and Erza mentally commended him for his skills in acting. She, however, was not acting, her embarrassment was a hundred per cent legitimate but she would never let Laxus know that. She would call it improvisation acting for the moment.
"Woah! I-I'm sorry," the older mage stuttered in reply, his anger all but faded and he took a couple of steps back. "I had no idea that you and Erza were-" he paused and scratched his head in confusion. "Wait a second, you and Erza...?"
She felt Laxus tense slightly beside her and she knew that this wouldn't turn out right, Gildarts wasn't stupid, especially when it came to sneaking around with women. He would catch onto their act and he would know that of course they weren't really together. As soon as he discovered that, he'd know it was them who had soaked him with filthy water and public ally humiliated them and then they would be dead. She'd never see a strawberry cake again.
"Yes, now if you don't mind," Laxus regained his composure, using his free hand to grab the handle of the door and yank it closed harshly. They were squished again and she held her breath, blinking rapidly in the darkness to see if this was all just a dream, if she was really in a tiny room with Laxus of all people.
They waited for a few seconds, just long enough to hear Gildarts scratch his head in confusion before walking out. The door shut with a firm click yet neither of them moved. She felt his warm breath on her face, steady and even in comparison to her own. Her arms were still around his neck and ever so slowly, she drew them downwards, admiring the feeling of his toned body beneath her palms.
"G-great acting," she whispered softly, not sure what to say to him.
"It was nothing," he said shortly in return.
She wasn't completely sure if he was referring to just the acting or the kiss as well. Her lips still tingled with the after-shocks of his touch and she fought not to bring her fingers up to feel them. Neither of them made a move to exit and she wished that she could see his face for a split-second, to try and decipher what he was thinking.
His hands were still around her, and she waited anxiously to see what he would do, if he would push her away or pull her closer. The temptation to stand on her toes and capture his lips again was so strong that it frightened her. It frightened her that she had the urge to kiss Laxus.
"We should probably finish cleaning," she suggested, releasing one last shaky breath and moving towards the door.
"Yeah. Good idea."
She walked out first, careful not to make anymore contact with him and remained silent as he closed the door to the closet. There was an awkward silence between them and she found she couldn't meet his eyes, instead opting to study her surroundings. Her eyes trained upon the barely distinguishable piece of pink metal in the centre of the floor and she released a groan of despair when she recognised what it was.
"What now?" Laxus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He destroyed my favourite cleaning bucket."
