The house was still and silent, other for the soft, hushed strums of an acoustic and random subdued half-truths of a man who'd been gone for far too long from a woman who was far too good for that sorta treatment. She was no fool and knew that the tales he were spinning, of his massive adventure across Fiore for an SS-Class job weren't without their fallacies, but had few problems with this. He'd been gone for more than half a year and short of him bringing home a bastard, there was little that would have elicited an opposite reaction than the one she was having.

They'd missed one another.

He'd dressed, after their reunion, but only to slip on a pair of boxers once more while she sat nude, other than his purple shirt, draped over her shoulders, and he wondered a few times if the cool surface of the guitar bothered her thigh. Winter was upon them, but neither felt the need to get under the blankets, too comfortable how they were lying currently.

Occasionally, their eyes would meet and she'd laugh slightly while he'd smirk, but other than that, his eyes drifted from the ceiling to shut as hers fell to the bed lazily. It was enough, then, to be near one another, in that moment. He'd tell her in the course of days, honestly, all that he needed to about his journey and eventually she'd share with him all she'd done. Truthfully.

"Need a new house," he muttered eventually too her as Mira took more to plucking. "One with a fireplace. In our bedroom. Keep cozy."

"Sounds nice."

"You wan' it? Dragon can get it for you."

"Mmmm."

"Go on some more jobs. Earn us some more jewels." His head lulled to the side then, away from her, as he stared in the dim light of the candles she had on the dresser and bedside tables over at the window, watching the snow drift down in the soft light of the moon. "In the spring. No time soon. Too cold. I got frozen up in a cave, while I was gone. Nearly died."

"Mmmm."

"Missed my baby. Thought about my baby." One of his hands came to fall over his left pec, still watching the snow outside. Grinning to himself, he whispered, "Can't die before we make a baby. A real one."

"You're the one always gone."

"I'm saving up before I make my baby. Not no deadbeat. My baby? Gonna have the world. My woman too." He was still smiling, his teeth showing through a bit then. "That's what you'll be then. Once I have a real baby, you'll become my woman. Full time."

"When am I your woman and when am I your baby now?" She just kept strumming. "I never learned the difference."

Instead of answering (as there was no answer), Laxus only whispered, "Mirajane?"

"Hmmm?"

"I miss your music. When I'm gone. Recording it on my headphones isn't ever enough."

"Maybe I could come with you."

"Don't tease me."

"Bring my guitar. Be your cheerleader."

"I'm about to need a new pair of boxers."

"Not sure the implication-"

"I'm gonna jizz in them."

"Go back to being quiet. Please."

But it was said with a giggle and he only turned his head once more, so he could stare at the ceiling. "Just miss you."

"I know."

"Loyal. Eight months is a long time. I fuck around on my baby?" Snort. "Nah. Never. Not my demon."

"Not your demon."

"Not my demon." Laxus grinned then, but it was sleepily and as if in a haze. Softly, he told the woman, "You and I work so well together, you know."

"I know."

"I would never do this with another woman. Never," he sighed. "Lay around. Talk. When you finish with your guitar, snuggle you up real tight."

"And what will I have done to deserve such an honor?'

"Been mine. The only. Only one that matters. Fuck."

"Hmmm?"

"I ain't snuggled with another woman the way I do you since...since my mother.'

Her strumming faltered a bit, but Laxus only hummed.

"She liked for me to sleep in bed with her, you know, when...when Ivan was gone."

"Oh." Mira's notes changed then, as she strummed two minors in a row. "We, you know, lived in a tiny little house. I shared with Elf and Lisanna. Sometimes if Elf was kicking too much in his sleep, I might go try to crawl into their bed, but it wasn't much more comfortable. My father wasn't exactly a tiny guy, you know."

"My mother liked for me to be close to her. I was always so...sick."

"I know. It's cute." Mirajane giggled. "I'd let my kids snuggle with me in bed."

"Mmmm." He was done then, it seemed, with that, and only said, "Play that song."

"What song?"

"That song."

"Which-"

"You know."

She knew.

He wanted the final song. The last song she always played. Not the one she'd close sets with, up at the bar. The one she'd play him before bed. The lyrics were soft and Laxus knew them by heart. It wasn't anything relevant to him. Just one of Mira's typical songs. Bubbly nonsense.

But he felt a connection to the song.

It had been the one that she was playing one night as he was up at the bar, getting drunk, that time when they wound up going home together. It was what he slurred to her, the words, on the walk to his place and Mira, ever sober, only giggled politely. Because she wasn't drunk. Nope. She was charged with getting Laxus, the only person left after closing, home.

Which she did. Walked him all the way to his apartment. Helped him in. And, when he rushed straight to the toilet, she sat with him the whole night.

Yep.

That first night they spent together wasn't sexual in any way. It was just Mirajane, with him, all night, caring for him through his dangerous closeness to alcohol poisoning.

It wasn't all pretty. And she surely had no reason to think she needed to aid him through this. The two were cordial in those days, at best, but certainly no more than guild mates. Distant guild mates. Not wipe your face with a cool towel when you vomit guild mates.

He didn't recall a lot of that night, honestly. But he did remember someone there with him. Someone nice. Who sang to him. Rubbed his stomach. Kept him hydrated with water, regardless of the fact he tried to refuse it at every turn.

In the morning, when he awoke, how shocking it was to him to realize it was Mirajane Strauss in his bathroom, showering.

She'd only apologized as he blinked dumbly at her after she got out, having transformed into a new dress. She claimed she had to get to work and needed a shower, after the night before. And Laxus, quite dumbly, asked if they'd slept together, to which Mira laughed, came closer to gently pat his stomach, before leaving him standing there, hungover, and confused.

Eventually, of course, she explained the night to him in full and, rather embarrassed over all this, Laxus mumbled out something that could be construed as an apology while the woman only giggled in her special way and told him if he took her out to dinner, they could call themselves even.

Which he did.

And enjoyed himself.

Of course, he couldn't admit this to himself immediately. No way. He went away on a job. Hummed the final song of hers that he couldn't get out of his head. Picked up a woman in some bar far away from Magnolia, trying to fuck and forget Mira. That was a thing, right? After being with someone, you need to be with someone else to truly get over them. But hell, he hadn't even fucked with Mira yet.

Not to mention it didn't work.

He just… He wanted to hang out with her again.

So he went back to town and offered to take her out again. Which Mirajane found extremely odd. She'd enjoyed herself as well, of course, but she enjoyed herself in most situations. Still, there was no way that she was going to turn the man down (it was always a miracle to see him interact with those outside the Thunder Legion, so no way was she going to diminish the obvious steps at socialization she assumed he was taking) and boy, was Mira in for a shock when after a very nice dinner where he listened to her gab on about the hall (pretended to, actually, but rather well for a man who hardly ever faked something such as that) which he paid for, the man tried to shove his tongue down her throat on the walk home.

She shoved him off, of course, surprised for a moment, but Laxus seemed even more so, having assumed Mirajane knew what they were doing. That it was a date. That the first was kind of a date too. And they didn't need a third because they'd known one another for years and, therefore, could just go ahead and fuck already.

He assumed Mira ascribed to the three date thing purely because she seemed like the type. Typically, he was a one and done kinda guy, but he could put on airs. Pretend.

Anything to get the woman out of his mind.

Until...until that moment, when she wouldn't cooperate. And he had to kinda mutter under his breath about how he though they were on a date and, you know, he was just testing the waters is all. Mira still only stared.

It was summertime and nice out though so when Mira eventually spoke, it was an offer for him to take her to the park, for them to walk around for a bit, if he'd like.

Which wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it wasn't like he could say no and risk her rushing off to Fairy Tail to tell them all what a perv he was, so of course Laxus agreed.

She told him about how she didn't date often and that she wasn't really sure what his intention was. If it was as some sort of payback for her caring for him, there was no need to worry about that; she'd have done it for anyone. And if it was for some sort of silly hooking up reason, don't waste his time; she didn't enjoy those sorts of games either. Lastly, as they continued their slow trek down the paved path in the park, she informed him that if he honestly wished to go on a date, then he could ask her in the near future and they could go from there. But only if he were truly interested. If not, she was just as content to pretend that the evenings events had not occurred.

Which wasn't getting turned down really, but also wasn't being received either. He walked her back to her house, at least, because he felt as if it were the right thing to do.

Another three weeks would pass, in which Mirajane would assume he decided against asking her out and Laxus tried actually to forget.

But it was impossible.

So, after lot of heavy consideration, Laxus took Mirajane out on what she called their first date.

Which he considered their third.

But...he could pretend for her sake.

He would get pretty good at it as their relationship deepened.

The first time he actually slept with Mirajane was about a month following that. They'd gone on one other date, which him taking a job in between, and then, when he was back, she wanted to hang out and one thing led to another and…

Elfman and Lisanna were out. On a job. Together. Mira had the night off, as Kinana could handle the place when it was slow (and boy, was it that night) and invited the newly returned Laxus over to her house, where she'd make him dinner, she claimed, which she did. A nice one. But then, most everything the woman made was nice.

Eventually, of course, they wound up in her room, but once all that was over and Laxus found himself, while sated, not the least bit over his demonic sickness, he muttered out a request while lounging on her bed, nude, one leg hanging off the edge.

He wanted her to play him a song. On her guitar. And Mira, breath just as gone and just as wine infused, only giggled softly. She called him drunk, but he only muttered that it had been stuck in his head, one specific song, for far too long, and he couldn't wait another year or so for her finally have a long enough break up at the hall to actually get on stage.

Compliance was in Mirajane's nature and it was through laughter that she watched him drift off before the final chords were strummed.

It wasn't hard for that to become the norm.

"I know?" she repeated then, as they laid in bed with one another, on the eve of another one of his returns, but in a far more stable relationship with one another. "Dragon?"

"You know," he sighed. "Demon."

He didn't fall asleep during it this time, but it took a bit of effort on his part, as he honestly had to fight it. Laxus wanted to hear it, but he also wanted to lie with one another for a bit, following it. The reward was sweet for his consciousness upon her completion as the she-devil only laid her guitar beside the bed, not leaving it herself, before falling more into it, to lie correctly with the slayer.

Neither whispered words of admiration or love, but the need wasn't felt anyhow. That wasn't this thing, really. In fact, in the morning, when she'd get up for work and he'd stay in bed for most the day before heading out to locate the Thunder Legion, the two wouldn't even speak with one another. Nor up at the hall, as he had no reason to place an order, for Mirajane knew it by heart and would bring him exactly what he wished for upon his entrance, and he'd never dream of bothering her with petty things while she was working.

She would never do it to him either, should he be out on a job, and he held the same respect for her during her shifts.

To someone that didn't know the two and their relationship, they might even assume there wasn't one, just observing them up the guild hall. Mira had even giggled to him, sometimes, at home about how someone up at the hall attempted to ask her out, only for her to snicker and inform them that she was very much so taken.

Which never served to not stroke the slayer's ego.

As they lay next to one another, however, Laxus did tug her close to him. She didn't sleep on his chest (that was too uncomfortable for the both of them), but he didn't mind the feeling of her breath and hair tickling his side while she always loved being as close as possible.

He watched out the window for a bit, entranced wind whipping flakes of snow all around.

Man, he was glad to be back home.

She had a big fluffy blanket for them to snuggle up under and Mira's head disappeared under it, though that was only because she was resting so low on the bed. His hand rested above her head, toying with her hair as he tried to drift off.

"Next time," he yawned softly, still carefully watching the gathering snow, "I won't be gone for so long."

"It's alright, dragon."

"No, it's not. Miss you. When I'm gone."

"I miss you too." She pressed her cool lips to his side beneath the blanket, causing his fingers to still from their toying for a moment. "But you miss going on adventures when you're here with me. And I think I'm getting a bit spoiled off your S-Class jewels."

"You do know how to spend."

"You can't take it with you to the other side, you know."

"Not with your filthy demon claws in it, I can't. And gods never die."

"Is that right?"

"That's right."

"Neither do demons." She let out a low moan. "From what I hear."

His fingers went back to tangling themselves up in her white locks. "Guess we're pretty great together, huh?"

"The greatest."

"Mmmm," he sighed. "Demon?"

"Wha'?"

"I'mma take you to dinner. Tomorrow. Tonight. Whatever. If you can get off."

"Think I have enough pull up at the bar to swing that."

"Nice dinner. Promise."

"'kay."

"Mmmm. You sleep yet?"

"Jus' 'bout."

"Wanna hear my story again? Till you drift off?"

Giggling softly, she whispered, "Please."

His own eyes shutting then, he took a deep breath before whispering, "I's in a cave and the blizzard had hit it's highest point..."

Been trying to get back into the swing of things as far as writing for Fairy Tail goes and have been pretty into the idea of Mirajane and Laxus having the most laid back, boring relationship in the world. Just haven't really had a new story idea to insert it into, so somehow this just happened. A new origin story, I guess, for how they got together.