fineshrine
by mirajens
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He says I love you before she can.
It's not something she's heard before— at least not something that someone hasn't said in the heat of passion. It never counted until Laxus said it so offhandedly one night while she made him dinner (so rare; he usually cooked a pitiful omelet and that was the extent of their gastronomical efforts), that stupid fucking grin on his face so boyish as if he never learned how to do so past adolescence. It leaves his lips so casually, as easy as breath, so her hand holding the plate freezes just centimeters from the table, her mouth closed but wanting to gape.
And Laxus knows the effect of it all: how it shocks her that he'd blurt it out just like that with no polite preamble as if they hadn't been just fucking for months, as if it was okay for him to make this something more than friendly fun. His smirk turns sweet (God, it's a fucking smile) when he takes the plate from her hands and starts eating mango pilaf and overcooked lapu-lapu with the beer they'd been passing back and forth.
She doesn't say anything the whole night— can't find words to refute or accept so she stuffs fragrant jasmine rice into her mouth as Laxus talks about this new band he wants to see two towns over and would she like to come, it could be fun. Jesus. As if he just hadn't turned her world upside down. What do you even say to that?
When she can't figure it out by the time they're done eating and she feels the fucking pressure to just give him an answer, can't figure out if she feels an affirmative or a rejection, she kisses him. Corners him by the sink where the water is running over their dirty dishes and he looks so surprised when her tongue slips between his lips and she makes it both angry and soothing. Bruising but warm. God, she didn't know what he wanted from her. So she gave him what she knew: her hand sliding over the front of his track pants, feeling him where he was hot, hard and heavy. This was common ground. Safe. She could give him this if he never asked for anything else.
She kisses him until they're both mindless, her barely undressed as she sat on his lap and him equally clothed as he lay on her kitchen floor. When he fucks up into her, she wonders if he thinks them to be making love. The idea makes her panic, her descent on him coming at a feverish pace, her legs squeezing his hips so hard that it feels like punishment, her nails digging into the tense muscles of his shoulders. Sex that is almost harsh so it won't feel romantic. It doesn't last very long; soon he's spilling inside her and she's not that far behind. When she's done riding their releases out in a lazy, sated manner, she feels the quiet settle on her back. Shit.
"What do you want me to say to that?" She asks after a while, her lips trembling against his tattoo, her eyes closed because they burn. She could tell him anything. She could be anything anyone asked her to be, for a night.
"What do you feel like saying to that?" He counters, voice soft, no pressure, just tell me what you feel.
"I don't know. Kinda wanna kick you in the nuts, kinda wanna kiss you, kinda wanna go for round two. But I can't think of anything to say." She doesn't want to admit that she's terrified, nor does she want to ask him to take it back so she doesn't say anything at all.
"Then don't. I'm not asking anything from you, I just wanted you to know." His hands smooth down the curve of her spine— heat that doesn't burn.
"You can't possibly expect me to just brush that off. You asshole." There's a smile in her tone. "Had to show me up like that, huh?"
"If that makes you feel any better, sure."
Cana groans, which makes him laugh. She'll figure out an answer one day.
note: Idt cana is a very "i love you" type of gal. I hc her as aro in the manga so this was hard for me but fun. And i think it's hard for laxus to bring it up but he's a straightforward kind of dude so he just lets her know when he figures it out. Idk i always think laxana is super casual, friendly sex but i can see it going somewhere.
btw this is from my 100Kinks series found on my tumblr (mirajens dot tumblr dot com) or it's on ao3 under the pen name liamneeson. The prompt was "I Love You" for Laxana. Do feel free to send me a pairing and a kink! The list is found on that tumblr.