Grateful

"But my fingers hurt."

"Laxus, just do it."

"But my fingers-"

"Do it. You said you wanted to do this. So do it."

"But-"

"If you don't wanna-"

"Fine," he grumbled before shifting slightly in his seat. "If you're going to be that insistent-"

"How else would you learn to play, Laxus, if you didn't just do it?" Mira had her own guitar perched in her lap as she sat across from her boyfriend, down in the book room. They'd gone down there for some privacy. As Mira worked such long hours, the only time she had to help him out was during her breaks. Laxus was hesitant to ask her to sacrifice those for him, but she had done so without a second though.

"Teaching people things is super fun, Laxus," she'd told him the second he'd requested her help. Then she'd grinned and thrown her arms around him before mentioning how attractive it was, someone trying to learn something new.

So that's how he found himself, that random day where he wasn't on a job and Mira wasn't too swamped, down in the book room as she neglected the plate of food she'd brought down to eat and instead focused on him. They'd had two lessons so far and, as it was turning out, learning the guitar was a lot harder than Mirajane made it look.

"Who taught you?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Mira-"

"I've known how to play since I was a kid," she told him as she reached out then to adjust his fingers as he had them laid wrong on the frets. "This is how you make a C chord, Laxus, not like that."

He only grunted. "This is a bunch of bull. I just want you to teach me to play my songs. Stuff that I like. Not all this other shit."

"You keep cursing and this is over. Now behave." She sighed, glancing up at his face before over at the table where her plate of fish and rice laid untouched. She really was hungry.

Laxus only kept glancing down at his guitar, trying to mimic the way Mira had her fingers. It was hard. The tips were raw from pressing against the strings so many times. After his lesson the other day, he'd gone to his apartment and practiced all the things Mira showed him. In vain, apparently.

"I spent all those jewels on this damn guitar," he was grumbling. "And the amp-"

"Just take it slow," she sighed. "You always want to rush into things, Laxus. Just think about it. You didn't learn how to be the mage you are in one day, did you?"

Grunt.

"And besides, I know your finger tips are sore, but you just have to build up calluses and then it's not so bad. I figured though that you'd be a little tougher than this-"

"And I thought you'd be a better teacher than this."

She narrowed her eyes at him, once, before moving to prop her guitar up against one of the tables.

"You know what, Laxus? Teach yourself."

"Mirajane-"

'No." She turned her chair then to face the table and begin eating. "Really, you need to practice some on your own. How many times have I shown you how to make those chords?

"I don't wanna learn chords! I wanna learn-"

"The find someone else to teach you. I heard Gajeel is-"

"Yeah the hell right."

Mira only shrugged. "Either do it the way I teach you or teach yourself."

Grumbling then, Laxus went back to his guitar. "You know, when you need me for shit, I'm a lot more patient."

"No cursing. And what are you talking about?"

He gave up on the chords then and tried that scale that she taught him.

It did not turn out well.

Frustrated, he moved to set his guitar up against the table as well. "You know, woman, you're lucky that I don't just-"

"If you're about to tell me how strong you are, how I should thanks the heavens that you like me, or that you could kill me right now, don't. I don't care."

He let out a short huff of breath. "Mirajane-"

"Laxus, I'm trying to help you, alright? I'm giving up my stupid break for you and you're acting like a jerk. I work all day most days, so I'm sorry that when I get a little bit of free time, I'm not the most patient teacher. But you're annoying me, alright? To the fullest degree."

"How am I annoying you? Huh? You're the one that-"

"You're complaining, Laxus, about me doing something nice for you. You always do that. Always. I can make us dinner after working all day. But you're upset, because it wasn't exactly what you wanted. I can clean your apartment for you. Grateful? Nope. Because now it smells like bleach."

"I have a dragon nose, Mirajane," he grumbled. "It burns."

"I can go out on a date with you and you'll tell me to pick wherever I want. But it's never right. It's the wrong restaurant, the wrong play, the wrong-"

"What are you getting at, huh? That I complain a lot or something? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"I'm not trying to say anything, Laxus. I'm telling you flat out," she said. "You treat me like a jerk half the time and-"

"Why is this suddenly coming out? Huh? What-"

"Because, Laxus, I'm done, alright? I do nice things for people and don't expect a lot in return. Just them to be happy and appreciative. And most of the time, they are. But you never are!"

He blinked. Then he made a face. "All this because my fingers hurt and I don't wanna practice guitar today?"

"It's a combination of things, Laxus. Were you not listening?"

"I'm trying," he told her. "But you're making it a lot more complicated than it needs to be."

"I'm making it complicated?"

"Yes! Tell me what's wrong. I don't…thank you enough? Because you just shower me with thanks-"

"I do, Laxus. Constantly. I tell you that you're the best dragon slayer ever, that you're the strongest mage to ever live, I thank you when you buy me gifts, I thank you for taking the trash out at my house, I praise you for actually not tracking mud on the carpet when you come over."

"…I'm not following."

"Because you don't want to, Laxus. You think that I'm just here to screw you, make you dinner, and apparently teach you to play the guitar."

"Well," he said slowly. "I do like all of those things about you, yes. And the way you clean."

"Laxus-"

"What do you want me to say? If I say you're wrong, you'll say I'm lying. If I agree, you only get mad." He stood from his chair then, walking slowly over to her. He only laid a hand on her shoulder though, looking down at her plate of food.

"I don't appreciate you, Mira? I don't thank you enough? Me being here right now's more than enough thanks."

"What-"

"You think any other woman would be allowed to sit here and tell me my flaws?" He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Only you, Mira. Because I… You're my demon, alright? And so sometimes I don't say thank you. Never, actually. And fine, you do pick some really shitty restaurants-"

"Laxus-"

"But I thought you liked me like this."

"Like what?"

"Like…me," he said, letting her shoulder go then. "You know. This is how I am. How I've always been. How I was when we first started hooking up. What? Did you think it was going to change? I mean, come on, Mirajane, you're smarter than that."

"I just… It's nice to be appreciated! I'm skipping lunch for you and you can't even thank me? I mean-"

"Thank you."

"Laxus-"

"No, seriously." He moved then to take a different seat, the one right next to her. When she moved to look at him, he said, "Thank you, Mirajane. You do a lot for me. You take care of me like no woman ever has. You cook for me, clean, do my laundry. You're there when I get home from a job, you come over when I need you. When I got the stomach flu a few months ago, you cleaned up my puke. My fucking puke. There ain't no love stronger than that."

She only stared at him for a moment, glancing away after a second to gather her words. Her food was only getting colder, but…

"Are you saying that I love you? Or…that you love me?"

She was so close then that he just leaned over a little, shifted his body slightly, to kiss her forehead. He'd never done that before. Kissed her head. It made her giggle a little bit, as that alone was a deep sign of intimacy, coming from that specific dragon slayer.

"I didn't think I had to say it, Mira, but if I do, fine. I love you." He nuzzled his head against her then. "Silly little demon. Did you think I didn't? I- No, Mira. No tears."

"I can't help it."

"Yes, you can." He reached up to wipe at one of her eyes when it began to water. "It's not like you didn't know, huh? That I love you?"

"Twice in one day?"

"I love you." Then he kissed her again, that time on the lips, before moving to stand. "There. Three."

"I love you too, Laxus."

He only grunted. Yeah, he knew.

"Now are you going to help me with this damn guitar or-"

"Mirajane!" they heard then from upstairs. It was Lisanna. "Are you coming back? We're getting slammed!"

Laxus made a face then as Mira quickly finished her meal before standing.

"Sorry, Laxus," she said. "Maybe during my dinner break I can-"

"Don't worry about it," he sighed, going to take his seat once more. Lifting up his guitar, he rested it in his lap before grinning at her as well as throwing down a wink. "Just go get back to work. I'll stay down here and practice."

"'kay." She giggled then. "Since you love me so much and all."

"Mira-"

"I'm leaving," she said, though she only stared at him for a minute. "My love."

He only growled. "Go."

"Alright, alright…lover."

"Mirajane-"

"I love you, Laxus."

He only waited until she was up the stairs and it was just him in the book room before shaking his head and getting back to work on learning that damn scale.

"Love you too," he repeated back once he was alone. "Damn demon."