Relationships
"Oh, good, Laxus. You're home."
"Where else would I be?" he grumbled as he laid with his head against the kitchen table, staring blankly ahead. He had heard her come in through the backdoor though. "It's raining so much, there's not much to do."
"Well, when you didn't come into the guild, I thought maybe you had taken off."
"Without saying anything?"
"Don't act like it's not something you would do."
He thought about it before just shrugging. Fit his M.O.
When she moved to walk out of the room, no doubt in search of a towel as she was soaked, he sighed before speaking.
"Right here, babe." He already had one on the table, as he had been waiting for her to arrive. He wasn't a complete asshole, after all. When she came over, he handed it to her, which made her giggle.
"Thanks, Laxus." She immediately started to rub at her hair with the overly fluffy towel. That was one thing about living with women; they always had the best freaking towels. Other than that, living with Lisanna and Mira kinda sucked in most ways. When they weren't giggling incessantly, they were fighting. Then they were crying and promising never to fight again. Then it was back to giggling. Sometimes it was hard to remember why he was living with them.
Then he had moments like that one at that second where Mira's looking completely amazing and it's all he can do not to jump her bones. Then he remembers.
"I didn't think you'd get that wet," Laxus sighed before standing. "Come on. You wanna take a shower?"
"More like a bath. And oh! I have a lot to tell you."
Great. Sighing, he headed out of the kitchen. "Come then."
That was another thing about living with Mira and Lisanna. They were both crazy clean freaks. The bathroom was always spotless. One thing that always made him hesitant about living with a woman was that most guys always complain about hair in the drain or makeup stains in the sink, but Mira's a freaking beast when it comes to that sort of stuff. Everything has to be spotless. Which was great…until she's complaining to him about how sloppy he is or something stupid like that.
Not to mention, their tub was fucking nice. Laxus had no idea why Elfman moved out, but he was glad that the man did. Sure, a guy can't live with his sisters forever, but gah! To give all that up was just crazy. And for Evergreen?
Once he was soaking in the warm water with Mira cuddled back against his chest, she started talking. Ugh.
"Since you were too much of a big baby to come out to the guild today," Mira began as he only rolled his eyes and shifted slightly. "I had to spend my day with Lisanna."
Shocker.
"And as you may or may not know, Natsu and his little team were gone, off on some mission."
Again, shocker. Really, Mira had to learn how to tell a freaking story. Still, Laxus only made a slight noise, acknowledging that he was listening…barely. Really, he was more focused on watching her lather up and begin to wash off. He was truly more of a shower type of guy, but with Mira, baths weren't nearly as bad.
"So anyhow, we started talking. And you know how I told you a few weeks ago how depressing it is, that everyone's all, you know, paired off and happy."
He blinked before nodding. She had literally said that to him more or less. Which would have sounded weird coming from anyone else, but it was Mira. She had more fun setting people up than watching them be happy in their relationships. Then it became less fun for her. Because, you know. That's why everyone on the world was put there, to entertain Mirajane.
"Well, guess what?"
"Do I have to?"
"I forgot Lisanna!"
He blinked. Then he sighed. "Mira-"
"And she reminded me, kind of, in a roundabout way."
"What do you mean?"
"She was talking about how sad it makes her, that Natsu is gone so much and-"
"Mira, you really shouldn't-"
"That got me thinking, you know? Because I've always just written Natsu off for awhile now. You know, because he and Lucy spend so much time together? But what if-"
"Are you going too let me fucking talk or are you on a damn monologue?"
That made her pause. Then, glancing over her shoulder at him, she said, "Sheesh, Laxus. Don't be so rude."
He held down a groan. "Mira, this is your little sister, alright? That I have to live with? So maybe you shouldn't try to fix her life."
"Why?"
"Because you might screw it up even more. And then I'll get stuck listening to even more crying and fighting. Seriously, I can hardly take it as it is now. And when you guys are on your periods-"
"Lisanna and I never fight. Or cry."
He blinked. Was she serious?
"Besides," she began as she went back to bathing. "It's only fair for Lisanna to be as happy with Natsu as I am with you."
Grunt. He fell back against the side of the tub, hanging his head over it.
"So I'll keep you posted, huh? Natsu and his team should be back soon and then I can get to work on setting him up with Lisanna. Ooh! It will be so much fun."
"Mira," he sighed. "You're pitch is killing me. Take it down a notch, huh?"
Giggling, she glanced back at him and winked. "Sorry. Now get my back?"
Well, with an incentive… Sitting up some more, he reached to take the soap from her. "Where is Lisanna anyhow?"
"I dunno. Is she not home?"
"Haven't seen her."
"Maybe she went to go see Elfman. She misses him not living with us, you know."
Grunt.
"Not that she doesn't love that you're here."
"Right."
"Really, Laxus. Lisanna really thinks you're great. Just like me." Then she paused. "Not just like me, of course, but close enough."
"Mirajane," he mumbled as he took to soaping up her back.
"Hmmm?"
"Be quiet."
More giggling. Soft giggling though. Then she whispered, "'kay," and they were able to forget about Natsu and Lisanna for awhile.
And by awhile, Laxus totally meant two days. It was a Friday and he was busy getting dinner ready.
Yes, living with Mirajane and Lisanna meant making dinner. Not very often, as usually he was out on a job or one of the chicks were around to do it for him, but that day, both Lisanna and Mira were working. And he really, really wanted to spend some time with Mira that night after she got off from work. Laxus knew of no better way to get that done than making her dinner. Then she'd be all thankful and shit. So easy to manipulate. So very, very easy.
However, it was Lisanna that came home first, though Laxus had known it was her before she walked into the kitchen. He could smell her, after all.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, taking in her dark look as she came into the kitchen, arms crossed over her chest. "Lisanna?"
"When Mira gets home tell her that the two of you can have this house and you can be as happy as you want in it without me."
He blinked. Actually…that sounded pretty great. But something about her stance and her tone had him hesitant to admit it.
"Did something happen?" he asked slowly. He had learned in the past few months of living with them that it was best to get them both at different times and far away from one another to tell him their side. That kept the chance of the fight flaring up again to a minimum. "Or-"
"I told her in complete confidence. She had no right to go to Natsu and do that."
Oh. That. Honestly, Laxus had forgotten about that. Still, he figured it best to play aloof to Lisanna.
"What are you talking-"
"I told Mirajane that I still might, you know, like Natsu, so she decided to tell him behind my back and-"
"Lisanna," Laxus said slowly. "I don't take the Salamander as an intellectual, but he's not stupid. I'm sure that Mirajane thought that-"
"It wasn't her business!"
"Alright, alright. Keep your voice down. Sheesh, what is it with you Strauss chicks? You reach pitches not humanly possible. Then again, Mira is a dem-"
"Would you stop talking about stupid Mirajane?"
What was she talking about? She was the one that wouldn't shut the heck up about her! Quite honestly, Laxus was more concerned with the vegetables he was trying to chop up.
"Look," he said slowly. "I'm sure that Mira meant no harm. You know that she loves to set people up. That's just her thing. She loves, you know…romance and stuff. And she wants you to be…happy and-"
"Shut up, Laxus."
He sent her a glare for that. "You're the one that's making me talk about it. Like I seriously want to? Yeah right."
"It doesn't matter." Lisanna sounded indignant then. "I'm going to move in with Elfman and-"
"Elfman? So he's offered or-"
"What do you mean offered?"
"Lisanna, your brother lives with Ever now. He can't just-"
"And? Mira lives with you."
"I live with Mira." He didn't like how that sounded and shook his head slightly. "Err, well-"
"And? So what?"
"Just bug off, alright? You know you're not going, so-"
"You always do this, Laxus! You always take her side-"
"Lisanna, she's the one giving me head tonight if this dinner goes as planned," he grumbled as he went back to his vegetables. "So I really have no other option than her side."
"Ew! I never asked-"
"Just go calm down somewhere, alright?" He shook his head. "Is Mira this upset, because-"
"Stop talking about-"
"Look, kid, I was cool for a minute, but I'm done playing nice. Fuck off."
That got another high pitched shriek before she was gone. Gah! He swore that they did it just to screw with him.
"Did you start dinner?" was the first thing out of Mira's mouth as she came through the backdoor some time later. "Because I am not in the mood-"
"Meatloaf." He was at the kitchen table, waiting.
"Good. Because my sister-"
"Mirajane, I told you not to screw with her life," Laxus said as he continued to rest his head on the table, staring at the stove. "So- Ow! No hitting."
She only stood next to him then, arms crossed, as she looked…well, insanely cute to him, but he knew better than to say so.
"If I hit you, you'd go crazy on me," he grumbled as he sat up, still rubbing at the back of his head. "You're supposed to be in love with me tonight, anyhow, so can we get this over with? Quickly? I kinda wanna-"
"Does it look like I care, Laxus, what you-"
"Sit down," he sighed, rolling his eyes while he was at it. "Vent. Get it out. Then get ready to enjoy this fucking meatloaf and then, well, enjoy just fucking."
She was too angry at Lisanna then to scold him on his vulgarity. That was why he was being that way, anyhow. He knew the drill.
"I was trying to help, Laxus," she told him as she did as he asked, sat at the table. "Why else would she have told me what she did if she didn't want me to do anything? And-"
"What exactly happened? So you told the idiot that she…liked him and then-"
"Well, then I guess he went and told Lucy or something, because then Lucy went and spoke with Lisanna and now I'm getting blamed for everything." She stared at him. "How is this possibly my fault?"
Did she really want to know or-
"I mean, come on. I do a lot of wrong, Laxus, but this was not-"
"Oh it wasn't?"
And Lisanna was back. It took everything in Laxus to just lay his head down on the table once more instead of banging it. Ugh.
"No, Lisanna. It wasn't. I was only trying to hel-"
"Meddle. You were only trying to meddle. Admit it."
"What's there to admit? It's just like I'm saying. I wanted to help you. And to help you, was there some meddling involved? Yes, fine, but-"
"That's a problem, Mira! You get involved in things that you have no stock in, so you don't care how they turn out."
"You honestly think that I don't care how your life turns out, Lisanna? Because-"
Laxus didn't care how her life turned out in that moment, if anyone was wondering. No? Oh, okay.
"You must not, Mira, if you think that you can just stick your…demon claws into everything and scramble it all up just for fun."
"My demon claws, Lisanna? Really?"
Kill him. Just kill him.
"Yes, Mira. You always do this. It's fun for you, isn't it? To watch everyone else suffer? Well, guess what? I'm not having fun. I'm not. At all."
"I didn't do it to hurt, you, Lisanna, and you know that. I was trying to help. And if you would just let me-"
"No, Mira. You cannot say another thing to Natsu. Ever. I mean, I can't even say anything to him again. Not after you mortified me-"
"I was helping!"
"You know-" Laxus tried, but they both just kept speaking right over him, as if he didn't exist. And in that moment, he didn't. Not to them. Because he knew the two of them better than anyone. They weren't the bubbly, lovable personas that they passed off to the guild. Oh, no. He saw these two in their real forms; they were annoying, bratty, needy, and overly emotional women. The horror.
"I didn't ask for your help, Mirajane. I-"
"Then why would you tell me-"
"We were talking. Just talking. Not everything I say is a cry for help. I'm not a baby, you know. I can handle things myself."
"No one said that you were one, Lisanna. I only-"
"You always treat me that way. Like I still need you to protect me. I don't, Mirajane. I-"
"Are we really back to this fight?" Laxus groaned. "Really? I swear, this is getting old."
They had had the argument over whether or not Lisanna was child as well as whether or not Mirajane treated her that way over a thousand times. It was truly killing him at that point.
"I'm going out," he grumbled then as he turned off the stove. Something told him that the meatloaf wouldn't only not get him head that night, but it very well might have ended the world. Because when a demon and a freaking penguin…or rabbit…or bird… No, never mind. Mira definitely had the fight. Still though, the aftermath…
Neither woman heard him though as he left out the backdoor. He figured he'd come back in an hour or so and see how things were. If it was a blood bath, at least he was for certain his woman would come out on top.
It was rather late when Laxus got back from Freed's place. All the lights were out and, after a quick check of the kitchen, he found that his meatloaf had been turned back on and eaten. Good. Maybe they at least made up.
It would be an understatement to say when he got to his bedroom he didn't find Mirajane anywhere he was disappoitned. Heading then to Lisanna's, he saw what the problem was.
At some point either in their fight or make up session, Mirajane and Lisanna had fallen asleep in the latter's bed. They were both curled up together, Lisanna snoring slightly.
"My fucking meatloaf can't get me laid, but it can get a demon to admit she's wrong? What the hell man?" Laxus grumbled, turning the light out in the room and turning to leave. Mirajane though heard him sat up slightly.
"Laxus?"
Grunt. He stopped in the doorway.
"Wow, I must have fallen asleep or something."
Or something.
"What's up, sis?" Lisanna mumbled sleepily. "Something going on?"
"No," Laxus answered for her. "There never is."
"Oh, Laxus," Mira sighed with n eye roll. "Give me a minute and-"
"Stay," he grumbled as he shut the door behind him. At least he'd get the bed to himself. If you could call that a prize. Not that he was shocked by the turn of events. After all, it didn't matter if Lisanna was with Natsu, Mirajane with Laxus, or both of them with even better men. Because no relationship trumped the one that they two of them had together as sisters.
"Lucky me," he grumbled as he collapsed in his empty bed. "I'm dating a lover and a fighter, but she only gives me the latter. Fucking demon."
It was about three in the morning when Mirajane climbed into bed with him. Groggily, he felt her snuggle up to his back, but he didn't roll over.
"Love you, Laxus," she mumbled happily against his back.
But she loved Lisanna more. A lot more. Rolling his eyes, he decided it wasn't a bad thing. Besides, he had a sinking feeling meatloaf or no meatloaf, a blow was not in his future. Settle down, they said. Pick a girl and keep her, they said. Snort. All that got him was a crazy demon and a whiny little sister. If that was family, he might not want to ever do with out it again, but he was definitely glad that he had gone around the block a few times before it.
"Lisanna and I made up," Mira whispered to him. As if he had ever doubted they would. "Even though I'm still right-"
Here they go.
"-sometimes you have to give into her, you know? Just to let her think that she's capable of dealing with her own problems."
"She has to learn eventually," he grumbled finally.
"What do you mean?"
"When she moves out-"
"Oh, Laxus," she giggled, kissing his back again. "Like that's ever going to happen."
His eyes opened fully then. She wasn't serious…was she? And that family ideal just got a lot less appealing.
"Now." Mirajane tugged on his arm gently. "Maybe if you roll over I can repay you for dinner?"
That was one way to get him off the Lisanna topic. And he had a feeling that Mirajane would use that for the rest of their lives. The lives they were apparently living with Lisanna. Sigh. The things he gave up for his little she-devil.