Staying Over

Chapter 1

"I'm really not okay with this."

"Of course you are, Laxus," Mira insisted as she bounced around the room in excitement. "You have not only a broken leg, but also a broken arm. It only makes sense that you would stay with us for awhile."

Elfman, who Laxus begrudgingly let help him into bed, said quickly, "Real men like for their women to care for them."

Grunt. Settling better into the bed, he said, "I still don't get why we couldn't go to my place, Mira, and you could just take care of me there. Or why I couldn't stay at the guild."

"You're the one that didn't want to stay at the guild infirmary," she reminded him as he shifted on her bed. He had never really slept in it before, as, since he had his own apartment where he lived alone, they usually spent all their time together there. This would be the first time he slept over at Mira's place, and he wasn't planning on enjoying it. "You said that you didn't want all the other members making noise and bothering you."

"And I stand by that," he agreed. "But my place-"

"You know that your apartment is on the second floor of the building," Mira went on as she happily went to work trying to pull the covers on the bed over him. Laxus just shoved her hands away as Elfman looked on, clearly enjoying seeing the usually strong willed man being treated in such a manner. "You couldn't very well climb the stairs."

"Yeah, yeah."

Mira looked to her brother then, quickly going to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for your help, Elfman. You can go now."

"No problem, big sis." He winked at Laxus then who only frowned. "Real men know how to ask for help when they need it."

"Right," Mira said then. "If you need anything from Elfman and Lisanna, just ask, Laxus."

He grunted.

"No, Laxus. I mean it." Mira gave him a hard stare. "You ask if you want something. You do not demand my brother or sister. You hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah. I won't bother your brother or sister."

"Good." She clapped her hands together then. "Now, do you need anything from me?"

He waited until Elfman was gone before saying, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to put out right now?"

That stopped her bouncing. Then, slowly, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm being nice, Laxus, by letting you stay here. Do remember that."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Laxus-"

"What do you wash your sheets with?" he grumbled then. "I mean, God, they smell, like, flowers or something. Even the pillows. Are you-"

"Sheets are supposed to smell good, Laxus."

"Good is one thing, Mira. This is overkill."

She only giggled before grabbing one of the pillows behind his head and fluffing it up. Then, she lifted his broken leg, setting the pillow under it as to elevate it. There! All done. "Okay, well, now that you're all set up here, Laxus, I have to get back to work. Lisanna and Elfman are around if you-"

"Wait, you're leaving?" He moved to sit up. "But Mira-"

"What?" She glanced back at him. "Do you need something else? You want something to drink?"

"I want you to stay."

"Laxus." She giggled. "I can't. I have to get back to work, silly."

"But-"

"Just got to sleep, Laxus," she told him before winking. "I'll be home before you know it. Lisanna's going to cover the night shift for me, so I'll be here to care of you then. Alright?"

He didn't want to agree to that (he didn't agree with that), but he had to let her go. He didn't want to come off like the clingy one in the relationship. Because he wasn't. She was. Totally.

It was all his own stupid fault that he was stuck in Mira's room at that moment anyhow. In his overly confident mind, he had taken on way more than he was capable of and had ended up with a broken arm and leg. One would have been bad enough, but two?

When he got back to the guild, Mira had immediately taken to caring for him. It wasn't until his casts were all set that she mentioned that she would be taking him back to her place to better look after him.

Her take care of him. Her. Not her stupid siblings!

He really did try to sleep. Mira's bed wasn't wholly uncomfortable. It was rather small though and he wasn't sure how they were both going to sleep that night on it together. He'd probably end up with her all snuggled against him, which wasn't completely terrible. Not completely.

But sleep eluded him.

So he just laid around, trying to think of boring things that might lull him off to sleep, but it was no use. Gah! Even his music wasn't giving him any reprieve from the agony of boredom. He just laid there in Mira's too small, smelly bed with his headphones at maximum volume, trying to find some peace. He couldn't.

"Laxus!"

Suddenly the door popped open and Lisanna was in the room, grinning widely at him. He only stared blankly back at her.

"You weren't sleeping, were you?" She totally had this weird problem where she always made eye contact whenever they spoke and it was getting on his nerves. "Mira told me to check in on you ever half hour, that you won't just ask for the things that you need. So do you need anything?"

Grunt. Unlike Mira, she didn't just giggle and decide from that grunt exactly what he wanted. Instead, she took a step closer.

"Mira didn't say that you had a black eye too." Lisanna was next to the bed then, staring down at him. "Why didn't you let Wendy look at it?"

Grunt.

"Do you need anything to drink or eat? Mira said I might have to make you lunch."

That didn't get a grunt. Instead he just took to closing his eyes. Smiling, she turned to leave.

"I'll make you something then, okay?"

At least that got rid of her. After she was gone, Laxus pushed himself up into a sitting position, shaking his head slightly. Honestly, he was just glad that it was his left arm in a sling and not his dominate one.

His shoulders were bothering him though and he wanted Mira back to rub them. Why did she have to work anyhow?

"Hey, Laxus." The door opened again and Elfman walked in. "Lisanna said to come get you and take you to the kitchen. Less you wanna eat in here. But fair warning, you mess up Mira's bed and she might just kick you out on the street."

Grumbling, he slowly got to his feet. "I can walk just fine. Get me that crutch. I think Mira left it in the living-"

"Nonsense! Real men can help each other out, huh?" And with that Elfman hauled the other guy's arm around his shoulder, taking the weight off his injured foot. "Especially the two of us. The way Mira talks, we're practically brothers."

Laxus widened his eyes, but kept his mouth shut. Okay, maybe, once or twice, when he was drunk, he had told Mira that maybe, eventually, they'd get married. But that in no way was a concrete thing. And even if it was, it wouldn't be for a few years. And by then there was a strong chance that both he and Mira would have totally grown out of each other.

…So yeah.

Mirajane's house was actually pretty nice. Laxus had never really spent any time in it, but that was more due to the fact that he had zero desire to be around her siblings. And now he was stuck with them.

"How much money does Gramp pay Mira to run the bar anyhow?" Laxus grumbled as Elfman led him to the kitchen.

"She makes most her money off tips," Lisanna assured him as she stood over by the stove. "Men rather like to tip Mira."

That made him scowl though Elfman didn't seem to like the idea much either. He helped Laxus into a chair at the table in the room with a frown.

"Anyhow, Lisanna, you think that the two of you will be fine here for awhile?" Elfman clapped his hands then. "I really would like to get down the guild now. Unless you need me to stay, Laxus? Because-"

Snort. "Yeah, right. What use have you been to me so far?"

Elfman didn't laugh that one off. Instead, he stared hard at Laxus. "What's your problem then, huh? My big sis took you in to help you and all you're doing is-"

"Elfman," Lisanna chided. "Remember what Mira said. No fighting with Laxus, no matter how intolerable he is."

Making a face, Laxus asked, "She called me intolerable?"

They both ignored him though.

"Yeah, but-"

"Big brother," Lisanna sighed. "Maybe you should just go to the guildhall then. Alright? I think I can handle Laxus."

"Handle me?" Snort. "I'm not a fucking dog. And I'm only here because Mira wants me to be. I can take care of myself."

Still, they just spoke around him.

"If he gives you any trouble, Lisanna, just come get me." Elfman flexed then which about made Laxus start laughing. Please. As if stupid Elfman scared him. Not in the slightest. "I'll-"

"I'll be fine, Elfman," she assured him. "Laxus wouldn't hurt me. After all, you love Mirajane, don't you, Laxus?"

He wanted to kill both of them then and took to just crossing his arms over his- No! His damn sling. Gah! How was he supposed to show his annoyance if he couldn't even do something like cross his arms?

Now twice as irritated, he merely said, "How about you just get me my food then, Lisanna? Thought that's why you were here."

"A real man knows how to talk to a woman," Elfman told him, his jaw setting. "I let you treat Mira however she likes, but Lisanna is only trying to be nice to you. If you do not-"

Laxus clinched his right hand then. "If you want to settle this, Elfboy I think I know the right way to go about it."

"Enough now!" Lisanna turned from the stove fully then to glare at both of them. "Elfman, just go. Do you want Mira upset with us?"

"No, but-"

"Then go. We're stuck with him for awhile anyways. You want to get into a fight on the first day?" Lisanna looked at Laxus then. "And Mira told you to be nice to us. Remember?"

Grunt.

"It'd be a shame if we told her that you were rude, wouldn't it?" Lisanna stared him down. "I think that she'd be pretty upset with you, wouldn't you say?"

Snort.

"And-"

"Just give me my damn food," Laxus told her with a slight snarl. "Losers."

"Now that's not nice." Lisanna giggled then and it almost sounded like Mira. Almost. That made him relax some finally and look off. She was Mira's baby sister. And if he made her upset, he was as good as dead. As would be his relationship. Sigh. "What would Mira say, Laxus?"

Probably something about how cute he was when he was hungry. She never really seemed to get that when he was annoyed, it wasn't the best idea to bait him.

In the end, Elfman left after warning Laxus that if he made his little sister cry, why, he'd beat what a real man was into his skull. Lisanna only giggled and assured her brother that that wouldn't be an issue.

Then it was just Laxus and Lisanna seated at a table, both with a plate of food in front of them. She was smiling at him, waiting for him to take a bite so that she could ask how he liked it. He was just sitting there though, still seething about Elfman.

"Aren't you going to eat then, Laxus?" She cocked her head to the side. "Or is something wrong?" Before he had a chance to say anything, she made a face. "Oh, can you not use your right hand to eat? I can feed you if-"

"I'm fine, thanks," he grumbled, some of his fight gone then as Elfman wasn't around. There was always a clear possession struggle between the two of them that usually made any contact with one another tense.

"I bet you'd let Mira feed you," she taunted before giggling into her palm. Laxus only grunt. "Because you love-"

"At least we know where the damn cat gets it," he grumbled which made Lisanna fall apart with laughter. That was not he effect he was hoping to have. Another grunt.

"Happy is rather obsessed with love as well, I suppose." Lisanna cocked her head again. "Are you not hungry then?"

"I'll eat when I fucking eat, alright, woman?"

She wasn't laughing anymore. Instead, she only sat there and stared at him for a moment before slowly getting to her feet.

"I honestly don't care for you, Laxus," she told him as she headed out of the room, taking her plate of food with her. "You're mean to Natsu and you're rude to nearly everyone else. You call us weak, but from what I've heard, you're not even a real dragon slayer. So maybe you should just consider yourself lucky that Mira even wants you, huh?"

He was done then. So completely and utterly done. He tried to be nice to them…sort of. A lot harder than he would anyone else. Not to mention, he didn't want to be stuck with them either. It was stupid Mira's idea. And she wasn't even around to care for him! So why did she want him there anyways?

As much as he hated to admit it, Lisanna's food wasn't bad. Not that he'd admit it aloud anyhow. Just to himself. Silently. Then, once that was done, he planned on heading back to Mira's room to-

Shit. He didn't have his crutch.

"Lisanna!" He tried to get up, but his balance was too far off. "Lisanna!"

She appeared in the kitchen doorway, her plate in hand. "You rang?"

He only glared at her. "Get me my crutch. Now."

"That sounds a lot like a command, Laxus. And I could have sworn that I heard Mira tell you-"

"What, you eavesdrop then?" He snorted. "Lisanna, go get my crutch."

"Hmmm. Still came off as a command. If you said a please, perhaps-"

"Fine." He sat back in his chair then, glaring at her.

"Fine?" She took his plate over to the sink with her. "Then what? You are just going to sit there then? The entire day? Until Mira gets home? Or Elfman? Ooh, not Elfman. When he hears about how you yelled at me-"

Grunt.

"So we're back to this then" She shrugged. "I guess that you're just going to sit there then."

He wasn't going to break. Not to stupid Lisanna. He thought of something really mean then, something really horrible to say, about how he liked her better dead. But then he caught himself because there was no way that Mira would excuse that if she found out about it. No stinking way.

After she finished cleaning, Lisanna left the room for a few minutes before returning to him. Then she just sat down across from him, a deck of cards in her hands.

"You wanna play a game, Laxus?"

He turned his head from her, staring off. Grunt.

"You sure?" she asked, grinning slightly. "I think that it'd get mighty lonely in here all by yourself."

Grunt.

"Because I think that you really don't wanna be mean to me, Laxus. That you just don't want me to know how kind you really are."

Snort.

"Because Mira tells me things."

He still wouldn't look at her.

"She says that you're actually really sweet," Lisanna went on. "And when ever Elfman complains about you, she's always the first to bring up all the great things you do."

She hadn't broken him (no way a weakling like her ever could), but she was starting to annoy him. So he didn't consider it losing when he opened his mouth to challenge her.

"Your sister's delusional. I treat her just like-"

"She told me about how you make her dinner all the time."

"That's-"

"And every time you come back from a job, you bring her flowers back."

"I-"

"Except this time, of course, since you were so hurt, but she said that you told her the second you could, you'd go and-"

"Would you shut up?"

Giggling. That giggle that she got from her sister. He wondered if their mother giggled like that.

"You like to buy her things, huh?" Lisanna smiled. "I think that's very cute that you-"

"If I play fucking cards with you, will you shut up?"

"Only if you play whatever I want."

"Fine." He wasn't giving in. He hadn't broken. He was just finding a compromise. Exactly what Mira would want him to do in that situation as opposed to what he usually would do. After all, his other option was to just go off on her and something told him that Mira would never find that as an acceptable answer to his problems. Especially ones dealing with her little sister.

When Mira got home that day, she found her boyfriend already curled up in her bed, listening to his music. It had been a long few hours of cards for him with Lisanna before she finally handed over his crutch. Still, he knew Mira couldn't have had much fun either. She smiled at him, but he only stared back.

"Were you okay while I was gone?" she asked him. "The longer I was gone the more I was afraid that you were miserable."

Grunt.

"Poor Laxus. Did you even leave the bedroom?" She came over to his side then, staring down at him. "Elfman said that the two of you, well, had a little disagreement."

Snort.

"Well, I'm home now so did you need anything?"

He just shifted on the bed before looking up at her. Smiling, she easily fell onto it with him, resting her head against his chest.

"So you were okay then?"

"Guess so. Bored out of my effing mind, but other than that yeah."

"Did you even see Lisanna? I told her to make sure you got taken care of, but she didn't even mention you when she showed up at the guild."

He thought back about playing cards with her before shaking his head. "She made me lunch, but that's all."

"Well, I just don't want you to get bored while I'm gone. Maybe you can invite Evergreen or someone over?" She stared up at him then with a slight smile. "Tomorrow, I mean. Because right now I just want to sleep."

"Sleep? It's hardly even dark out."

"And? I never get to get off so early." She kissed his chest. "Your arm and leg okay?"

"Fine."

"Mmmm. I worried over you all day, you know. When I got back to work, everyone was asking about you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Everyone?"

"Well…Natsu asked if you would ever be able to fight again and if so, when."

Grunt.

"And Ever asked about you."

Grunt.

"And…Erza did say that it's a shame whenever someone from Fairy Tail gets hurt."

He blinked. "Anyone else?"

"Um…Lucy and Levy both said that they hope that you don't die, but that's because Natsu was going around telling everyone that wasn't there when you showed up this morning that you were dying."

"The punk."

"I think it was just wishful thinking."

"Doubt it."

"Hmmm?"

"If he doesn't get to be the one to do it, he'd never want me to die."

Giggling, she said, "I don't think he'd ever want to kill you anyways. Just beat you repeatedly."

Snort.

"If it makes you feel better, I worried about you enough for twenty people."

He closed his eyes. "I believe you."

She reached up and took one of his headphones before replacing his ear with her own. "I'm so glad you're here, Laxus."

Grunt.

"I'll go to your apartment tomorrow morning and pick you up some things and bring them over here. Alright?"

Grunt.

"And I'll make you breakfast before-"

"Mira?"

"Hmnm?" She lifted her head slightly to stare up at him.

"Did you tell your brother that we're, you know, thinking about getting married or something? Because-"

"Laxus, I'm sleeping."

"No, you're not."

"Sleeping."

"Mira-"

She only giggled, cuddling closer to her. "Goodnight."

Groaning, he gave in and just curled his uninjured hand up to stroke her hair while leaning down to kiss the crown of her head.

"You're lucky you're cute."

"I have a feeling cute isn't what attracts you to me," she mumbled softly. That made him pause before sighing.

"Well," he told her softly. "It sure ain't your wit."

As she drifted off, he figured he gave it another day, if that, before he gave in and had to go back home. Because he had only spent a few hours there so far and zero part of him wanted to still be there.

Especially when not ten minutes later Mira was sound asleep, effectively killing any activity for the rest of the night. Sigh. She really was lucky. Because if it was anyone else…

Oy. This will only be a few chapters long. Five is usually my standard with this type of story, but I might stretch it to ten. Probably not though.