Wedding Wars
Chapter 1
"I like these."
Laxus moved to stand. "Then those it is. Now let's-"
"But," Mirajane started again making the man groan and take his seat once more. Nathan, who was sitting in Mirajane's lap, giggled as he stared at his father. "I also like these."
"Then we'll take both."
"Laxus," Mirajane sighed as the decorator they were speaking to only smiled. "You can't, silly. Just… Which do you like better?"
"The ones that you do." He knew that game and he knew it well.
In the few weeks that had transpired since he first proposed, Laxus was more beat down than ever. He had known, of course, that Mirajane was going to go a little crazy about the wedding, but there was nothing that could prepare him for it.
Don't get him wrong. This was going to be her only wedding ever as far as he was concerned and he wanted her to get everything perfect. She deserved it. Fine. But did they really have to pin down every little detail?
Yes. Apparently.
And Mirajane wanted the wedding soon. Very soon.
Not that he blamed her. He wanted it to be quick to. After all, they were already living together and had a son as Mira began to pray that they could get pregnant with another real soon.
Which was why Laxus had suggested to her numerous times at that point that they just go ahead and get it over with. Forgo the wedding and just get married.
That was not something to suggest to the demon, apparently.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Laxus, that you think that I don't deserve the one thing that I've always dreamed of," she complained when he said that. "But-"
"Okay, okay. We're having a wedding. Never mind."
So they were having a wedding.
Yay.
Ugh.
Lucky him though, he wasn't alone in the misadventure. A few days after proposing to Mirajane, he found himself up at the guildhall where Master Makarov wanted to have a few words with him.
"I want to pay for the wedding."
Laxus blinked, as he stood there at the bar, in front of where his grandfather was sitting. "Really? Wow. Uh, thanks. I-"
"Not because of you, boy," Makarov grumbled, looking off. "Because of Mirajane. You think that if you just brought any woman into this guildhall, I'd pay for it? No."
He narrowed his eyes then. "Why are you so ardent about me and Mira all of a sudden? You've never liked us together. From the beginning."
"Yes, well," he said slowly. "Mirajane has done many good things for me. And I've spoken to her quite a few times these past few months and she seems to truly love you."
"Y-You talked to my girlfriend about me? Old man, you're my grandfather. Not hers. You're not allowed to like her more than me!"
"I am entitled to my own-"
"So let me get this straight," he grumbled. "I could have picked any woman in this guildhall and-"
"Did I say that?"
"Then why-"
"I don't enjoy her with you, but Mira seems to enjoy being with you," Makarov said, glancing at his grandson again. "And besides, at least if the two of you marry, she'll have some claim to the boy."
"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked as he glanced over his shoulder, just at the mention of his son. Nathan was sitting with Asuka, playing some sort of game. "Gramps?"
"If you take off on her-"
"I wouldn't-"
"-and his real mother showed back up, what would Mirajane do? At least she has some sort of a tie to him now."
"I'm not taking off on her. Or on the kid. I-"
"If you die then, Laxus," Makarov told him with a shake of his head. "I just meant that it won't be good if-"
"She's not coming back," Laxus told him then, looking back at the old man. "Women don't do that. They don't give up their kids and then come back for them. When they leave, they leave. That's their thing."
Makarov only stared at his grandson for a moment before saying, "There were certain circumstances that your mother-"
"I don't give a damn about either of my parents," he told him then, voice not wavering in the slightest. "But she's not coming back for Nate."
"She won't be," Makarov agreed. "But she might be coming back for you."
"What do you-"
"You're the one that would always brag about how obsessed women are with you."
"I don't brag to you. What? You eavesdrop on me, old man?"
He only stared at his grandson. "She probably only kept him originally hoping that you would come for him. If she sees that now you are with Mirajane, she'll think in her mind it is solely for the child."
It was actually the opposite. In the beginning anyhow. He kept Nathan to get with Mira.
"It won't matter. If she comes back, I'll be here, with Mirajane and Nathan. She can't have him now. It doesn't work that-"
"What are you guys talking about?"
They both glanced up as Mirajane came back over to the bar.
"Noth-"
"Just how I'm going to pay for your wedding," Makarov told her with a smile as Laxus went back to drinking. Of course Mira was excited then and Laxus had to listen to her gush and watch Makarov act like a freaking god or something, like the wedding wouldn't been paid for without him.
Bleh.
But that brought him back to where he was in that moment, at a coordinator's house, once more going over the plans for their wedding. Mirajane and the older woman (Mira said that she planned beautiful weddings) hit it off from the start.
Laxus and the woman though? Not so much.
"You know," the older woman said to Mirajane as they went back to deciding which flowers would be appropriate for her bouquet. "I have a son about your age who would just love a wonderful woman like you."
Mirajane only giggled though, as if it were a joke. One stare from the woman told Laxus that it very much so wasn't.
"I don't like her," Laxus complained as they left that day, Nathan riding up on his father's shoulders. "At all."
"Too bad I don't care."
"Mirajane-"
"You wanted Freed and Ever to plan our wedding," she said with a frown.
"Yeah. They're both, like, great at that sort of stuff. Parties and…organizing things. They do all that sorta stuff for me."
"They both hate me."
"They do not."
"Yes, they do. They think that I'm taking you away from them."
Grunt. Then, "Your little wedding's gonna cost some jewels, I'm noticing."
"You only get married once." Then she glanced at him. "You do get that, right? This is for life. Until death."
He only grunted again as Nathan took to patting his father on the head. "Yeah, I know."
His breath was hot against her cheek as she turned her head from him, abruptly stopping their kissing.
"Lissy," Bickslow complained as he only sighed, moving off her to lay down on the bed. "Seriously?"
"I said no," she said, trying to get her breath in check, the feeling of his hands only moments ago having been working on slipping into her jeans having her slightly flustered. "Not…not yet."
"When though?" he complained. This waiting game was starting to get him antsy. "I mean, Lisanna, come on."
"I don't want to yet, Bickslow. If that's a problem-"
He groaned, rolling onto his side so that he could stare at her. "No. I just… No."
It was awkward between them then, just like it always was when that happened. Slowly, Lisanna pushed up from his bed.
"I have to go."
"Don't. Lissy-"
"No, seriously. I would have had to anyways," she told him as she moved to exit his bedroom. "I told Mira that I'd meet her for lunch. She spent all day with the wedding planner or something. Did you want to come?"
"Is Laxus going to be there?"
"Probably."
That was enough for him.
When they got to the place, Mirajane and Laxus were already there with Nathan, who was happily listening to Mirajane tell him jokes.
He loved jokes.
Err, well, he loved Mira. And Mira was the one telling them. Therefore, in that moment, he loved jokes.
Duh.
But when Lisanna arrived, Mira's attention shifted to her and Nathan went back to waiting for his food.
"This wedding stuff sounds like a drag," Bickslow mumbled to Laxus at one point. The other man only shook his head.
"You don't want to know."
Lunch was going rather smoothly too. Mirajane and Lisanna got to gush about the wedding while Bickslow and Laxus mostly just tried not to bash their skulls in. Nate though was more than a little fussy.
"No," he told Lisanna at one point as she began, once again, to ask Mira something. "No. No talk."
"No talk," Bickslow's babies agreed, floating around their master's girlfriend's head. "Lissy."
"N-Nathan," she complained as he only gave her a dirty look. Laxus took to snickering as Mirajane only frowned down at him.
"Behave," she said. Being Laxus' son, Nathan knew exactly what that word meant and only took to pouting. Mirajane used it enough anyhow.
That turned out to not be the worst thing of the day though as, after that, Lisanna got down to mentioning to Mirajane that she'd been relying a lot on her and Kinana to cover for her at the guildhall, skipping work more than she ever had.
"Well, Lisanna," had been Mirajane's reply. "I'm so sorry that I'm not around to cater to everyone else's needs for once. I'm trying to plan a wedding, take care of Nathan, and-"
"And you chose all of that stuff for yourself! No one else did! You're the one-"
"Don't yell at me, Lisanna. You-"
"I'll do whatever I want!"
"Oh great," Laxus groaned as Bickslow's babies only dove for cover in their father's lap.
"Papa?" they asked, but he only shook his head.
He'd never seen them fight before.
But Laxus had. A lot. And it ended just how he expected.
"Well," he sighed as he and Mirajane left the restaurant, Nathan between them. "That could have gone better."
Mirajane only went off once more on him about how rude Lisanna was and why was it that she didn't see the situation that Mira was in? Huh? Huh? She was stressed beyond belief. So why was Lisanna only trying to add to that?
"Mira," Nathan said, tilting his head up to look at his father. "Rawr! Yell."
"Shhh," he told the little boy as Mirajane just kept ranting. "Just let her go."
Bickslow, who was back at the restaurant still with Lisanna, was having about the same reaction to it.
"Where does she get off anyhow?" Lisanna complained as they sat at the table, now just the two of them and the babies. "Huh? I mean, seriously? All I said is that she's been missing a lot of work recently. Which she has! So-"
"I didn't know that you guys did this," he said simply as his babies hung around Lisanna, as if to comfort her.
"Did what?"
"Fight."
She blinked. Then she gave him a look. "Everyone fights, Bickslow."
"Yeah," he said. "I know. It's just… You guys always seem so perfect, you know? I mean, it's a great story."
"What is?"
"Your whole life," he told her. "Your sister taking care of you guys after your parents died, then getting run out of town, only to find Fairy Tail. And you guys were happy there, until you were killed, and your sister did a total 180. Got into modeling. Really shaped up, yeah? And your brother, he changed too, I guess, but he was always annoying to me."
"Bickslow-"
"Anyhow," the seith went on. "It's just a real great thing, you know? You coming back to them. And the three of you being so happy. Lovin' one another and whatnot. At least I thought you guys did."
"I love Mira," she told him, though it came out rather grumbled. "I just get a little fed up with her sometimes. That's all."
"I know ya do, Lissy." He snickered then, making his dolls do the same. "Of course you do. I just never get to see you guys like this much. All up close and stuff. You guys got some serious drama going on."
"Most families do," she said, with a shrug, slightly annoyed that he was mentioning it. "I mean, you fight with yours, huh?"
"Me and the babies? No."
"I meant Ever and Freed. You guys are kinda like a family. You're close like one, at least."
"We're just friends."
"Just friends?" She rolled her eyes. "Lucy and I are just friends. Erza and Gray are just friends. You guys are…I dunno. But as bad as you are to others, you look out for one another. And that's all family is, huh? Looking out for one another?"
He couldn't help it then as smiled at her. "I guess that's right, yeah."
Lisanna only ducked her head, as she'd suffer from random bouts of bashfulness when it came to him.
"Mirajane and I will make up," she said finally.
"Of course."
Then, after a thought, she added, "Just after I get her back for this. Because you have to agree, she has been kinda high and mighty recently."
"Lisanna-"
"She has."
He only shook his head, tongue falling from his mouth as he opened it to say, "Don't go stirring the pot too much, kid. The last thing we want is for it to overflow."
Wedding's were so taxing that even Nate was pooped when they got home that day. Mainly because he'd taken it upon himself to officiate weddings between him and his dog and his toys and other toys and toys to his dog for the past few days. Mirajane thought it was cute at first, but it was beginning to get annoying.
It was stupid Elfman that explained to him what a wedding was and even bought him this little picture book about weddings and what took place.
The kid thought he was a master of them at that point.
And wasn't he? He was married to half the house!
He only went to climb up on the couch and collapse the second they got home.
Mirajane had calmed down some at that point and only went to join him, though she only sat there.
"So anything else we need to do today?" Laxus found himself asking. Just to be sure. When she shook her head, he only let out a slight sigh. "Good. I'm gong to go change clothes and then go train. You wanna go, Nate?"
He only laid there against the couch, making a slight noise. Even though she was still a little miffed at her sister, Mirajane did smile at that and moved to rub his back gently.
"I think he's going to go take a nap, Daddy," she sighed as she moved to pick the child up. "Alright?"
"Whatever." He headed off to the bedroom to dress into some workout clothes. "I'll be home late, so you two are on your own for dinner. If you cook somethin' though-"
"You know that I always leave you a plate, Lax."
After he left, Mira only went to lay the little boy down in her bed, the dog eventually finding his way in there as well.
"You want a story or a song?"
"Song," Nathan mumbled as he cuddled up to Laxus' usual pillow. It smelled like him. "Mommy."
She had hardly started playing when he conked out. But Mirajane just kept it up because she had felt rather out of practice recently.
Not to mention it relaxed her. Ugh. Lisanna had really riled her up. And why? What did Mirajane care if Lisanna thought that she was slacking off at the guildhall? That wasn't any of Lisanna's business. It was between her and Master. And he didn't care anything about it. At all. He always told her to take more time off. Everyone did. Constantly.
So why when she finally did, were they all freaking out on her?
Nathan liked her being home more, at least. Then again, he liked her no matter where they were.
Mirajane had never seen her life that way. With…a stepson. Or any children that weren't really hers. She always saw herself ending up with the guy of her dreams who loved her and made a butt load of money, which he showered her and their many children with.
What she was getting was a little boy who she always had a sinking feeling would grow to resent her, thinking that she'd somehow driven his real mother out, and a guy that seemed to love her, but then again, Laxus always kinda just seemed to go with the flow.
But what happened when the currents changed and his drifted away?
She was psyching herself out, of course, she knew, as she went to put her guitar away. Her mind was just racing, that was all. Nathan loved her. And she hadn't done anything to his mother. She'd chosen to leave him before Mirajane even knew about him. And if she ever came back…
Well…
Ugh.
The point was though that Nathan loved her and so did his father. Why did she need to contemplate anything more than that? It was what it was. Laxus was ready to settle down. He'd more than sowed his oats, one would figure. So much so that he'd probably sowed a few other guys while he was at it!
They would be fine. They really would. And as Mirajane moved to lay down on the bed with her dog and Nate, she knew that.
She loved her boys and they loved her. And what was stronger than love?
I finished with Lost and Found for the day and figured I'd work on this a little, so here we are. Ten chapters max. Seriously this time. And anyone waiting on a Fast Forward update, that's what I'm working on next, so I can't promise anything, but maybe the next two days and I'll have a new chapter up. Maybe.