Scent
If you were to ask the one-year-old, it was perfectly normal for your father to just routinely smell you. The man even, at times, would snatch her up from the floor where she was playing with her blocks just so that he could hold her up to his face and take a deep whiff.
He couldn't help it.
She just smelled so much like him.
Not to anyone else, of course. But to Laxus, it was clear that she was his. There was never any doubt or anything. He and Mirajane had been very committed for many years. Even though the baby resembled from the beginning more her and her siblings, he never doubted that she was his baby. He could feel it when he held her, just that swell in his chest from seeing her, that she was his.
And that overwhelming scent of hers helped a lot.
Mira didn't get it. She complained frequently that Laxus was annoying that baby or that what he was doing was weird. It was just because she couldn't smell what he could. Himself. On that baby.
It was feint, of course, as everyone had their own distinct scent. And there were traces of Mirajane mixed in there as well, fine, but it was him that stood out. He couldn't explain it. And he knew eventually the enjoyment of it would wear off. But smelling his baby, being able to know that she was there and safe and that he had her smell so memorized was just comforting to him.
He did it a lot in the beginning. When he'd get home from a job and just want to spend some time with her. So that she knew who he was. And he'd lay her out on the bed as he laid on his side, watching her sleep or, occasionally, just lay there and kick her little feet because she was just so smart, seriously, how did no one else see it, but him? Madness. Completely.
There came a time though, before her first birthday, that he just stopped taking jobs. Mirajane was the one that worked, up at the bar, and he got a chance to just stay home. It was a win-win for both of them, the way they were able to stack their schedule. Mira got some time to work for a few weeks, which she loved, without having to worry about the baby and Laxus got some time just bond with Lana. He'd been a tad resistant to it at first, as he'd never taken so much time off before, but it was great. He hardly even missed going out on jobs. Being with his baby was just so amazing.
He sure loved Lana.
And she loved him too. Again, the smelling thing was normal to her. His other idiosyncrasies just fell in there as well. Like the way he would grumble at the doggies as they ran around the house, being their usual bad selves, while he complained noisily only to buy them new toys and bones that he claimed Mira requested he do, but everyone was pretty sure he just did out of love. Or like how he loved to sing. Loudly. At all times. Err, at least the times that Mirajane or someone else wasn't around. Except her. Lana. He loved to sing to Lana.
She was the only one that truly appreciated him.
At the moment, it was just the two of them (plus the dogs, but Laxus was busy pretending like they didn't exist that day) in the house. Lana was lazily sucking on her fingers as she sat on the floor of the living room, watching a puppet show the man was putting on for her.
They were just two little hand puppets. One was a dragon with really pretty, sparkly scales while the other was just a plain human that usually shifted between being the different adversaries the man had. He'd use them to regale her with tales of courage and bravery that the dragon faced, but most of it just went over her head.
She really liked when the dragon would win though and attack the other puppet. It made her giggle. Every single time. She was pretty sure that her daddy loved it too.
After the puppet show, it was time for a nap, but Laxus didn't seem to be getting to his feet. Only slowly pulled each puppet from his hands before moving to stretch out on the ground.
"Ugh," he groaned as Lana came to nuzzle up with him. "Today's been too long. And it's only noon. But when the demon gets home, I gotta cut the grass and then she wants me to go out and fix the fence. You know, so those dang mutts don't get out. Like I should care if they do."
Lana would care. Mirajane told her that they were her brothers and, well, even though sometimes they got on her nerves, she'd never send them away.
Yawning, she patted at the man's shirt with her spit covered hand, babbling something to him about how it was time to go take their nap now. What was he doing?
Mmmm. Just a pre-nap rest. That was all. Pulling her up real close, Laxus took a bit whiff of her, knowing that she was freshly changed and therefore wouldn't appall his senses. All he got was Lana's special little scent that he loved so much. Mmmm. And the lingering smell of bologna from her lunch, but that was alright. It'd pass.
Her little tuff of white hair was prefect for him to nuzzle his nose against. Lana loved this, giggling as she tried to nuzzle back, almost bopping him in the nose in the process.
She was so great. Laxus and Lana. Forever. Mmmm. He wondered if her scent would change as she aged. He sure hoped not. He wanted it to stay just the way it was.
"We gotta get upstairs," he whispered to his baby. "To nap."
But he didn't want to. If he went upstairs, he ran the risk of by the time he got up there, being reenergized and no longer tired. Or, worst of all, he'd get up there to find out just what it was that the two dogs, Raijin and Tenjin, were so caught up in that they hadn't been downstairs in over an hour. He did not feel like cleaning up whatever it was they'd done. Not yet anyways.
Not wanting to risk it, Laxus eventually shoved up and just took Lana to one of the downstairs bedrooms, which usually served as guestrooms, and collapsed into the bed, Lana giggled as they snuggled up.
"Dede."
"Mmmm. Hatchling, I'm so lazy now, it's not even funny," he yawned as he kicked down the covers before pulling them back up around them. "You got me all morphed into your schedule. Your mom wants to go out this weekend, but I don't think I can. I'm so used to going to bed at seven now."
Lana liked it that way. With Laxus always there. Don't get her wrong, Mirajane was great too. And if it was up to her, she would have both of them all the time. But as it was, it seemed to be a trade off. Either get Mira constantly and have Laxus off on a job, gone anywhere from days to weeks, or have Mira work shifts and the guild and get constant access to her father.
She liked the latter the best.
Who wouldn't?
That's how Mirajane found them when she got home, all snuggled up in the downstairs bedroom. She also found her two dogs upstairs where Laxus apparently had forgotten that he'd left them locked up in Lisanna's old room and, well, they more then went to town ripping stuff up.
So after cleaning all that up and punishing the dogs (they got the most intense finger wags ever), she went to wake Laxus and Lana finally.
"Go 'way," Laxus grumbled as she gently shook his shoulder. "We're nappin'."
"Nap," Lana agreed though she'd long woken up and was more just sitting in bed, dividing her time between patting at Laxus' chest and trying to escape his grasp. "Mama."
"No," Laxus growled when he realized, along with her coming into the room, Mira had brought in the dogs. Raijin jumped right onto the bed as Tenjin took to standing at the edge of it, yapping loudly at Laxus. "Mira, get them outta here."
"Oh, dragon, they just wanna snuggle with Daddy."
"I'm not their daddy!"
"Besides, you gotta get up." She shook his shoulder again and, when he moved to bat at her, he accidentally let go of Lana who took her freedom to mean that she could just go pet and love on Raijin. Which it didn't. And she couldn't. Laxus only glared while Mirajane finished what she was saying. "You have to cut the grass, remember? And fix the fence. And ooh, the gutters-"
"I hate this house," he growled as he shoved up to glare at her. "It's just constant work!"
"Oh, please. The last four times you weren't even the one to mow the lawn," Mira pointed out. "You made Bickslow. And you had him do the gutters the last-"
"Of course I did," Laxus grumbled. "Why wouldn't I? If he offers, he's more than welcome to. Hey. I know. I'll go out and get-"
"He's out of town on a solo job," she said before pointing out the bedroom door. "So just go."
"You could do it yourself, you know."
Oh, she knew. But why would she when he was around?
"Please, dragon?" He didn't know how she did it, but somehow she managed to make her eyes get even more devastatingly beautiful when she wanted something. Like she did right then. "I just got home. I wanna spend time with Lana and the boys."
Growling, he got to his feet, having to be careful not to step on Tenjin as the dog tried mercilessly to get a good bite in at his ankles (the dogs only bit Laxus for some reason, go figure; Mira called it male bonding, but for some reason when he tried to spank them for it, that name didn't apply), before heading out the door.
"Fine," he grumbled. "But my baby needs her afternoon snack and I get to make it."
That was more than fine with Mirajane. Going to collect the little girl into her arms, she giggled at both Laxus' attitude and the way Lana called his name after him.
"You two just love each other so much, huh?" Mira snuggled Lana until the little girl gave up on her father and took to cuddling back into her mother. "But I love you too."
Laxus made Lana her favorite, a chopped up apple with some peanut butter, before giving it to her and pressing a kiss to her head. Then, with the dogs in tow, he headed outside to get to busy on his yard work.
Lana had a fun time playing with Mirajane. The woman had been up at the guildhall since before the baby woke up that morning and, well, it was always nice to send time together. But halfway through their story time, the front door open and closed and Lisanna called out her entrance.
"Uh-oh," Mirajane giggled. She was upstairs with Lana, in the baby's room, sitting in a rocking chair and reading a picture book to her. "We're up here, Lisanna!"
"Why," she heard the younger woman say as she headed that way, "is your husband outside chasing the dogs with a hammer?"
"Oh, he's fixing the fence."
"I think he's about to murder your dogs."
"They're his babies."
"Sure."
When she got into the room, Lisanna immediately headed to go lift her niece into her arms and coo at her a bit. Lana really liked that and all, but they were sorta in the middle of a story and her aunt was ruining it. Sure, she'd only read the story a thousand times before, but still. Rude.
"Did you need something?" Mira asked as she got to her feet. "I thought that you were going to work the nightshift? Don't tell me that you're canceling."
"No," Lisanna was quick to say. "But Master's requested you down at the hall and sent me on my break to come get you."
"What?" Mirajane frowned. "I just came from the guildhall an hour or two ago."
Nodding, Lisanna said, "We might have had a…panic there."
"Panic?"
"You know, the usual," she said with a shrug. "Someone spilled a potion on someone and then in the craziness of trying to find a cure, we might have all wrecked the hall."
"What?"
"And we're pretty slammed," Lisanna went on. "Poor Kinana's up there all alone right now. I gotta get back. But Master wanted to know if I would come and get you to help out for the night. He said if you can't-"
"Well, I wanted to be with Lana, but…"
"Then I'll tell him-"
"No, wait." Sighing, Mira moved to take her daughter from her younger sister. "I think Laxus was fine with keeping her all night by himself anyways."
"Well, considering he's about to be in jail for animal homicide-"
"Let me go talk to him. You can go back to work. I'll be there in a bit."
They went downstairs together and headed outside at the same time. Laxus was out there, standing over Mira's poor pooches as they coward in fear from the stern talking to he was handing down.
"-not eat nails! That's bad! Do you want to die? Huh? Do ya? 'cause I can make it happen you worthless-"
"Dragon," Mira sang as she and her sister headed over to him, their baby all snuggled up in her arms. "Can you take a break for a sec?"
He gave the dogs one last glare before turning to face the two sisters. "What is it?"
"I gotta go," Lisanna giggled as she only walked on. "But watching you yell at your babies was cute, Laxus."
"They're not my babies!"
"Which is your favorite son?"
"Neither!"
"They can carry on the Dreyar name."
"You-"
"Enough," Mirajane groaned as, with a giggle, Lisanna headed down the walk and away from the house. "Laxus, listen to me."
Lisanna got one last glare before he looked back at his wife. "What is it?"
"Master wants me to work tonight," she said simply. "You can finish the yard stuff tomorrow, alright? You gotta watch Lana now. And I'll see you when I-"
"Wait, what? Mirajane, you were supposed to be off tonight," he complained. "We were gonna make dinner together and I promised Lana that we'd con you into baking us a cake-"
"I'm sure she'll get over it."
"Demon-"
"Dragon, I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised before holding their baby out to him. "I mean, unless you want me to stay. Because I can. I just-"
"No," he groaned as he kicked at the ground. "I guess you have to go."
"Good. Now here. Take Lana. She wants you."
She always wanted him, so that was really a worthless statement.
"Dede," the baby giggled as she was transferred into his arms. "Hi."
"Hi." He nuzzled and sniffed her as she did the same to him. And man did he stink. To Mirajane, he only said, "If you really gotta go-"
"I do." He got a kiss on his sweaty cheek and his hair tussled a bit. "But I'll be home as soon as possible. I'll bring you a steak home, huh? Would you like that?"
Well, with an incentive, he could handle her leaving. And, when he nodded, she went to kiss on Lana some and give her dogs some love as well before going inside to get ready to go back out. And once she was, she left them, all alone again.
Laxus only looked down at the baby in his arms before going to put his tools back in their place, figuring the fence would hold for one more day.
"I'm smelly, I know," he told Lana when they made it back inside and she wiggled to get away from him. "And I'm sorry. I'll go wash up. You want me to wash up?"
Yes! And as soon as possible.
Tenjin and Raijin had come in with them and followed them upstairs. Laxus left Lana on the floor, right outside of the bathroom, as he left the door open and went to run some water in the sink. Using a washcloth, he wiped down his face and arms and even pulled off his shirt because it was just so drenched in sweat.
The demon used to think he looked hot, all sweaty and out working on something. Now she just ditched him for the guildhall. A baby does change a lot…
While he was rubbing his chest down with the cloth, he glanced over at Lana to make sure she was still fine.
Oh, more than fine. The doggies had came to give her a bath of their own, covering her in their slobber as they licked her face and hands and even tried to get at the top of her head, they were so overzealous. Laxus knew though that though she was laughing in that moment, it only took a second for them to get a tad too rough or her to get annoyed that they were disturbing her and send her into a crying jag.
He rescued her before a problem arose, lifting his baby into his arms while she was still giggling and trying to give both doggies kisses of her own. She just shifted her efforts onto Laxus, snuggling right up to him.
"I gotta get a new shirt," he told her as he shook the dogs off when they tried to jump on him and get back at Lana. Heading over to the closet, he bounced Lana a bit as she just buried her head against him.
And if Laxus liked the way Lana smelled, her literal scent, then she liked his too. Or at least his manufactured one.
He wore a very distinct cologne. She never smelled it on anyone, but him. And, out of habit, after he'd finished washing off and before going to save her from the clutches of those evil mutts, he'd spray a bit on his neck. Lana loved it. It made her feel safe. Mainly because it made her think of him. That was what Daddy smelled like. To her, that was his scent. And she too hoped that he never changed it.
"There we go," Laxus sighed as he dropped her gently down on the ground before moving to pull a shirt on. The dogs tried to get back at her, but he had her back in his arms once more before they had a chance to get more than a couple licks in. "Now, what were we gonna do with our day before Mommy came to disrupt it? Hmmm. We can go in your room and play with toys. You wanna do that? Huh? Lana?"
Yes. Of course. That sounded grand. And, upon entering, when Laxus found that book lying in the rocking chair, he figured that Mirajane had been reading it to her and stopped to finally finish it.
Thankfully. Lana had waited long enough to know if the lost ducks got back to their mother or not. And they did. All of them. Which they had also the last umpteen times they'd read the book, but you never could be too sure until you finished it.
Then there was some more snuggle time and play time. Then even more snuggle time because Laxus was just feeling that that day. Holding and cuddling Lana calmed him down. A lot. And made him forget how annoyed he was at his grandfather for once again forcing Mirajane to work long hours with little pay off.
When the demon finally did get home, Lana and Laxus were lounging on the couch with the dogs lying beneath them, all asleep other than the slayer. He was actually talking on his communication lacrima to Freed, but got rid of the other guy the second his demon came through the front door.
"Lana took my spot," she remarked at the sight of the little girl snuggled up on his chest.
Laxus only leaned down to kiss and sniff his baby, taking comfort in her scent, as he always did.
"Yeah, well, you don't deserve it. Ditchin' out on us."
"Oh, Lax."
"The first box is my steak, I'm sure," he remarked at the sight of the two she had in her hands. "Right?"
"With a baked potato, just how you like it."
"And the second is…"
"That cake that you wanted, silly."
"Really?" Laxus sat up so quickly that he disturbed Lana. He and Mirajane traded them, him taking his sweets and dinner to the kitchen as the woman only went to put her baby to bed, truly, finally.
When she got back to her dragon, he'd already cut the steak in half and shoveled most of the potato onto a plate with it, clearly meant for his demon. Giggling, she took her seat as the dogs, both yawning and ready for a late night snack, came to beg their parents for their meal.
"I got the morning off," Mirajane offered as Laxus, with bleary eyes, got right into eating. "Dragon."
Grunt.
"I figured you could get up early and train. Then be with Lana in the afternoon, when I go in."
Grunt.
"Are you mad at me?" Mirajane asked, taking in the way he didn't even glance at her. Shaking his head, Laxus swallowed before speaking.
"I was thinking."
"About?"
"About what kinda person I would be to leave you all alone with Lana on the one morning you had off."
"I wanna be alone with her," Mirajane assured him with a grin. "I think it's about time that you went back to taking jobs and I stayed home a bit more. Don't you?"
No. His baby needed him! Mirajane didn't do puppets shows the way he did or know that Lana liked for her feet to be tickled before she put her shoes on. Okay, so maybe she did know the last one, but she just didn't do it right! Not like Laxus did. Like Daddy did. Like Daddy Dragon did when he was taking care of his baby hatchling.
…Oh, jeez. Maybe he did need to start going out on jobs again…
"It's whatever you want, demon," he told her with a shrug. "You work to much, anyhow. And you know that I get restless if I don't work enough, so yeah, I should take some jobs. You're right."
"Well, I just don't want you to feel demeaned or something. Getting stuck home with the baby all the time."
Snort.
"I'll have you know that my baby is twenty times as great as any person in the world and I'm damn lucky to get to be around her."
Mirajane blinked. Then she said, "You need a job that bad, huh?"
"Maybe just a few small ones," he agreed with a sigh. "You know me. I spend too much time with Lana and I never want to leave."
Grinning, she said, "If that's your only fault, dragon, I think I'm willing to manage."
After dinner, Mira claimed she was going to take a bath before bed. But the way she said it more than tipped Laxus off that it meant he was supposed to get the wine and candles and shut the dogs out of the room for the night.
First though, he had to go check on Lana. She was priority number one. Always.
But she was sleeping when he got in there, her little fists balled up as she breathed softly. Laxus only grinned, cooed, and leaned into the crib to adjust her blanket a bit before brushing a kiss against her head and taking a big whiff of her.
Mmmm. His baby was safe.
"Lax," he heard called from the bedroom. "Are you coming?"
Most definitely. Before leaving though, he gave Lana a few more kisses, because she deserved them, never knowing that it correlated into her dream, which mostly was consisting of nothingness up till that point, as the smell of his cologne wafted over her and she felt safe and began to dream that she was being snuggled up real close by someone that smelled good. Familiar. Like Daddy.
No. He didn't know that. But he would have understood if he did. Because he felt the same way about her. Just knowing that she was near made his day better.
Not that knowing the demon was in the bathroom, waiting to scrub him down didn't help, but hey.
And more Lana and Laxus because they just make me happy. They should make everyone happy.