Hold Hands
"Gajeel! Are you dressed?"
He grunted, not looking away from the foggy mirror as he grumbled, "I'm just shaving. Why?"
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Levy was standing there, staring back at him.
"Because I need to get down to the market, but the kids can't come with me."
"Why not?"
"Because, Gajeel, it'd just be too hard to keep up with two of them. And Haven's so little that I'd practically have to carry her. And then she'd whine to walk and Locke would be trying run off-"
"This is why you don't have a kid."
"Gajeel!" Then, huffing, she said, "Look, they're right over there, playing on our bed, huh?" She pointed behind her, into their adjoining master bedroom. "Dragons or something. And you know that can occupy them for hours. They're both already dressed and fed, so just finish getting ready and then take them down to the guildhall with you, alright?"
"But-"
"Please, Gajeel? Then all you have to do is give Haven to Laxus or Mirajane and keep Locke until I get home. It won't be long. Promise. And Lily's here too. Somewhere. Just do it, huh?"
He grunted then, making a face in the mirror as he ran the razor down the side of his face once more. There was no arguing with Levy, he knew, as she had been the one to facilitate the sleepover the night before with Locke and Haven. Cooked them dinner, played games with them, got them to bed on time. He couldn't complain that she wanted him to do one little thing. Could he?
…Yes, but he wasn't going to.
After Levy left, Gajeel took his time finishing getting ready. Locke and Haven didn't need to much supervision anyhow as far as he was concerned. Mirajane and Levy were just too protective. When he was a kid, he ran around in the mud with a dragon that could have ripped the flesh right from his bones! But his kid so much as falls and scraps his knee and Levy goes crazy. Ugh. The world those days.
"Alright, brats," he grumbled eventually when he was finally all set for the day. They'd ruined the bed that Levy had no doubt made, the sheets thrown every which way, the pillows were askew and right in the middle of it was a giggling toddler and the four year old that was making her laugh.
At the sound of his father's voice though, Locke sat right down on his butt, turning to face the man with his head tilted up. Haven only giggled though.
"Time to go to the guild," he told them then. Reaching out, he picked Haven up before setting her on the floor. Locke began to climb off the bed as well, his joking attitude gone. His father was a very serious man, after all. "Go gather up all of Haven's stuff, huh, Locke? And I'll find my cat. Lily!"
It wasn't until they were all four out of the house that there arose a problem. And, of course, Haven spawned it.
Lily was walking between the two children, Locke grasping one of his paws, Haven the other. Slung on the older child's back was the younger one's backpack full of overnight things and toys. Lily had offered to carry it, but Locke was adamant about it.
That wasn't the problem though.
"Hold hands," Haven complained, glaring up at Gajeel as they walked down the road. Nearing three at that point, her grasp on the English language could still use some work, but those were two words that she had down pat.
"You are holding my hand, Haven," Lily told her, very matter-of-factly. "Therefore, you do not need his hand. You-"
"Hold hands," she told Gajeel again, holding out her other hand, up towards him. He was walking next to her, more to keep her out of the street than anything else. That's all he needed to do was kill a demon and dragon's daughter. Not to mention the Master's great-grandchild. That had finding a new guild written all over it.
Gajeel only grunted at her though, keeping his arms crossed over his chest as they continued on down the sidewalk. Locke, glancing over at his friend, only shook his head.
"No, Haven," he giggled, his unruly black tangles falling in his face then. "Silly."
"Hold hands," she kept up. She even stopped walking then and, as not to drag her along, Lily came to a stop as well. She kept her gaze on Gajeel. "Hold hands."
Mommy had made it very clear to her at a young age that when you left the house or guildhall, you automatically held hands with everyone in the group. And if they had bags in their hands, you held onto their pants leg. Because if you didn't, you'd get lost or someone might take you. And she never wanted to get taken. Not from Mommy and Laxus.
And she didn't want Locke's daddy getting taken either! Even though he was grouchy and a little mean, he was still Locke's daddy and that meant that he had to stay around. It was just the way that the cookie crumbled.
Gajeel narrowed his eyes down at the kid then because he did not take shit. From anyone. But arguing with her seemed pointless and if he showed up with her crying to the guildhall, Mira would lose it.
"You're annoying," he grumbled as he slowly uncrossed his arms and dropped a hand down there for her to latch onto. Happy then, Haven immediately took it, swinging slightly.
"Hold hands," she told them all before walking again. Locke was in shock, as was Lily, but neither was brave enough to say anything to the man, so it was left at that.
When they made it to the guild, Gajeel immediately steered the kid over to her nearest parent, which happened to be Laxus. She was headed for him anyhow.
"Laxus!" Haven immediately moved to cilimb into the man's lap. He had been seated at a table, having a serious looking conversation with the Thunder God Tribe, and she had startled him some. "Hi!"
"Yours," Gajeel grumbled slightly, nodding at the girl. Then, reaching towards his son who was at his side, he slid the backpack off his shoulders before tossing it down on the table. "Say bye, boy. We've got stuff to do."
"Bye, Haven!" Locke waved to her and Lily, who was still standing with him, gave a slight wave. Haven giggled and said goodbye, but it was clear that she was more concerned with her father.
"Haven," Laxus complained after they had walked off, back out of the guild. She was trying to reach up and unlatch one of his headphones. "Just sit still for a minute, huh? I'm busy."
"Oh, come here, Haven," Evergreen spoke up from her seat. She had been filing her nails, but grinned at her practical niece. Though she and Elfman weren't married and she proclaimed to never have any intention of doing such a thing, it was very clear that she cared for Haven very much. Part of it, truly, had very little to do with Elfman and more to do with the child's father. After all, she did idolize Laxus. "You wanna sit with me?"
"Ever," she said before shaking her head and settling in Laxus' lap. If being calm kept her there, then she'd be calm…for a little bit. "No. S'ay Laxus."
"You like your old man then, eh?" Bickslow, who was also at the table, leaned back in his chair then before having some of his babies fly around the toddler's head. She only giggled. "My babies love me too."
"Back to business," Laxus grumbled then as he messed with his headphones. Turning them down some then, he moved to latch them to Haven's ears right after. She giggled, snuggling back into him. "You were saying, Freed?""
So Haven sat at still as possible the whole time, as not to disturb her father. She knew that if she was a brat, he'd send her off to go be with Mommy. Don't get her wrong, she liked Mommy, but she was no Laxus. No one was.
At one point, Aunt Lisanna came by with a plate of food which she slid in front of Laxus. It was obvious though that it was meant for Haven, given the finger foods placed on it. And the little girl only giggled in thanks, reaching out to snatch some of her snack up. Her father only grumbled about how he always got such shitty service when Lisanna was working and that she had better get him another beer and soon.
"You're so cute, big brother Laxus."
"I'm not your brother!"
It felt like Laxus talked forever. A few times, he'd tap her on the head to see if she was alright or ask if she wanted down, but she only said yes to the first and no to the latter, always. Laxus was her best friend. She never wanted him to put her down.
Eventually though, he did finish business with his bodyguards and stood up, taking her with him. They went over to the bar, where her mother was wiping down the bar. Nearing eight months pregnant, that was all anyone let her do anymore. Being who she was though, it still brought in a pretty nice tip base.
Laxus hated sometimes the he'd lucked out and gotten such a sexy little demon.
"Mommy," Haven greeted as Laxus sat down on a stool, holding her in his lap.
"Hi, sweetie." Mirajane smiled at her. She'd been rather clingy to Haven recently, though the child didn't fully understand why. Mirajane knew though that it would be a big adjustment for Haven, when the new baby came, and was attempting to make up for any attention that she neglected to give her when that happened. "Did you have fun with Locke last night? Huh?"
"P'ay dragons," her daughter told her as Laxus only rubbed the baby's stomach. "Eat i'c'eam."
"Ice cream, huh?" Laxus leaned down to nuzzle her blonde head. "You didn't have to go over there to do any of that. You could have just stayed home."
"Laxus," Mira complained.
"She could have."
"Locke 'n' 'evy 'n' Lily 'n' Ga'eel!"
"You love them, huh?" Mirajane reached cross the counter to rub the top of the toddler's head. "Maybe next week Locke can come stay at-"
"No."
"Laxus-"
"Locke," Haven told them all then with a giggle.
He was her other friend. Not as good as Laxus, but a nice substitute at times. Sometimes Laxus went away for a few days. He said he was working, but that meant nothing to her. Just that he wasn't home to play with or to nap with, leaving her to eat Mommy's cooking (which was great, but Laxus made the best peanut butter sandwiches ever…as far as she was concerned) and get stuck listening to her bedtime stories. Laxus told much better stories. Much.
When they finally left the guildhall that day, it was with them then going straight to their home. It was getting rather late and Mirajane was tired. She disappeared not soon after arriving into the bathroom, where she took a long soak and relaxed some.
"I tell the woman that she doesn't need to work right now," Laxus was grumbling to Haven as they started dinner. "But does she listen to me? Huh? No. Insists on going up to that dang guildhall every day."
"Laxus," Haven giggled as she sat up on the counter next to the cutting board he was chopping vegetables on. He was making a meatloaf. "Mommy."
"It's that dang baby she wanted that's got her all tired all the time, Haven. And you know what I'm going to have to do tonight? Huh? Rub her feet. Or her shoulders. Something. Because she'll insist on it." He huffed slightly. "And then tomorrow morning, we have to go take that damn train to a few towns over. Why? Because she still needs more shit for the baby. Shit that she can't just fucking get here for whatever reason."
Haven yawned then, reaching up to rub the top of her head. She was a little itchy. She wanted a bath too! Sometimes Mommy and her would bathe together, but she had whined when Mommy offered before, instead wanting to help Laxus make dinner. Now though, she wanted to go get in the tub with Mirajane.
Laxus wasn't done ranting though.
"She was the same way with you, kid. Wanted to go places constantly. Well, you know what? She can't! She's pregnant and needs to be resting. What if she, like, overdoes it, huh? And goes into labor on the train? And I can't help her none. No way." Then he frowned, glancing down at Haven. "You ain't ridden on a train with me, have you, kid, long as you remember? Since I got back from being sick, before? Well, it ain't pretty."
She only giggled then, when he reached over to poke at her tummy. Batting then at his hands, she nearly fell off the counter. He'd never let that happen.
"Down you go then," he said, putting her back on the floor. "Don't roam far then, huh?"
She did though. As Laxus went back to grumbling to himself, she toddled out of the room and into the living room. She wasn't done though. She headed then to the bathroom, where the door was just cracked enough for her to push it open.
"Mommy," she giggled when she found her mother in there, just as she had thought. Mira seemed shocked to see her for a moment, sitting up in the bubble filled tub. Then she relaxed once more and smiled.
"You escape Daddy then, huh?"
Haven only headed over to the side of the tub, holding her arms above her head. She wanted her bath too then. Especially if there were bubbles involved.
So Mirajane leaned over the side of the tub and stripped her down before pulling her in as well, much to Haven's amusement. Bubbles were so much fun! They-
"Haven!"
That sounded like Laxus. Mirajane only giggled though before calling back to him.
"I have her, Laxus! She wanted a bath too." Then, to her daughter, she said, "Didn't you baby?"
Oh yes. Listening to Laxus was rather boring compared to bubbles.
He wasn't content, however, until he was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, looking in on them. When Laxus found that his wife and daughter were both safe and neither missing, he relaxed some. Maybe even smiled a little.
"The meatloaf's in the oven," he grumbled then, because he wasn't supposed to feel that way. Loving. He just wasn't. "I'll be in the bedroom, huh?"
Mirajane told him okay, but Haven just focused on, well, bubbles. Duh.
After her bath, Mommy dressed her in her favorite pajamas before letting her go play with Laxus while she went to prepare some mashed potatoes to go with the dinner. Whatever. Haven only cared about one thing.
"You play dragons with other people, eh, kid?" Laxus was currently rubbing his head into Haven's neck as she squirmed on the bed, giggling and wiggling away. "Huh?"
It wasn't until Haven began pulling at his hair that he finally released her. It used to be cute, but recently, she'd developed quite the grip.
And at dinner, she wanted to sit in Laxus' lap. Usually he wouldn't mind, but he was rather hungry. Still, if she wanted him, there were very few cases where he wouldn't make himself available.
"It's fine, Laxus," Mirajane said at bedtime when Haven insisted on sleeping in bed with them. "It'll be easier to get her ready in the morning. Remember, we have a train to catch."
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he and Haven carried some of her more favorable stuffed animals into the master bedroom. Glaring down at his daughter, he said, "You kick me again in your sleep, kid, and you're dead."
She only grinned up at him. "Laxus."
"Yeah, yeah."
Once they were all in bed, surrounded by stuffed animals and Haven snuggled up on Laxus' chest, Mirajane began to speak.
"I am so glad to get off tomorrow," she told Laxus as he busied himself with stroking Haven's head. She was slowly drifting off, whining sometimes when his pets bothered her.
"You need to take the rest of the time off, Mira. Lisanna and Kinana can watch the-"
"No, Laxus. I can't. I-"
"But you can," he insisted. "You just-"
"I can't take off from the bar for that long, Laxus. And I'm going to have to take off for when I have the baby, so-"
"It's really not good for you, Mira, to be up there with a bunch of drunks, serving alcohol, while you're pregnant. What are you afraid of? That someone will take your job? No one can tend bar like you. You know that."
"What would I do all day, Laxus, if I didn't-"
"You would stay home, rest, and take care of Haven."
The baby made a noise at the sound of her name. Mirajane only sighed though, laying on her back as she gently rubbed her stomach.
"I take care of Haven just fine as it is. And I don't feel like resting. That's so boring. Just laying around all day. I can't do that. I've never been able to."
"Mira, it's more than just you I have to worry about, huh? The baby in there, it needs you to be well."
"I am well, Laxus."
He only grunted. "It'd be one thing, Mira, if you needed to work. But you don't. I got us covered. So why-"
"We have to get up in the morning, Laxus. Go to sleep. You're keeping Haven up."
He wasn't. She'd finally gone off to sleep, he was pretty sure. But part of keeping Mira healthy was not stressing her or upsetting her. And it was so easy to upset her. So very easy. Even when she wasn't pregnant!
"Don't look so uneasy already, Laxus. We haven't even gotten on board yet."
He only grunted, not looking at Evergreen as he bounced Haven in his arms. She was still sleepy and was huddled up in his arms. Evergreen had met them at the train station, as apparently, she was going with them. The horror. Sure beat bringing Lisanna long though. All those giggles would only further Laxus' headache.
Once they were on the train, Haven perked up some. She rarely rode one, as far as Laxus knew. At least, he'd never been on one with her. Ever.
"Alright, Haven. You sit right here next to Laxus, huh?" Mirajane said as got to their seats. It was a set of four, facing one another. "And me and Ever'll sit right here, huh?"
Haven only hummed though, smiling up at Laxus. On her other side was the window though and, the second the train whistle blew, she turned to look out it, waving bye-bye to the station and all the people. Ever laughed slightly, watching her, but Mirajane was more focused in on her husband.
"You gonna be okay, Laxus?"
He only hunched over in his seat, holding his head in one hand. Groaning slightly, he said, "I'm fine."
"Laxus?" Haven turned to look at him then, frowning slightly. She only ever called him by his first name, despite Mirajane's insistence of her doing otherwise. Still, Laxus thought it made him special, made them close. Plus, the way she said it was super cute.
"Daddy gets a tad motion sick, Haven," Mirajane told her then, smiling at the little girl. "He's fine. Just leave him alone."
But she couldn't. Laxus was the strongest man in the world to her, other than when he got a cough sometimes, lingering still from a sickness a few months back. Besides that though, he never got sick. He never got sleepy. He never even got a tummy ache! He was invincible.
…Except for the moment. He was all hunched over, eyes skewed shut, while groaning slightly. He even looked a little flushed.
"Laxus?" Haven patted his arm, but he wouldn't look at her. Frowning then, she reached up some, to grasp the hand he had against his hand, before tugging it down. Then she slipped hers in it, holding tightly to him. When Laxus glanced over at her, she only smiled at him, looking so cute in the way that only she could. His baby.
"Hold hands," she said as he shifted to better accommodate the gesture. Then she brought his hand up to her mouth and gave it a kiss. "Hold hands."
And even though it didn't cure it completely, didn't stop the rolling in his stomach, it did help, just a little. Unconcerned with the fact that Evergreen and Mirajane were watching, he leaned down to press a kiss to Haven's head, making the toddler giggle.
"Laxus."
"Hold hands," he mumbled back to her, relaxing somewhat in his seat. "Silly."
"Laxus." She sat up real tall then, grinning at her mother and aunt then as they smiled back. Laxus only shut his eyes though. It would be a long train ride.
And it was. When they finally got to the other town, he was more than ready to get off the train. And he was going to have to ride it back home? Ugh.
"Bye-bye," Haven called to the train as they left it, snuggled up in Laxus' arms, waving goodbye over his shoulder. "Bye-bye."
And from the train, only more hell followed. Laxus got stuck in the middle of it all. Evergreen and Mirajane basically just used it as a chance to go on a shopping spree. Which, of course, meant that he was stuck holding the bags. And Haven was pretty much bored for the most part. Honestly, it was the promise that if she behaved the whole day, she'd get to go to the big toy store and pick out whatever she wanted that kept her in line. Mirajane had been hesitant to make such a promise, but Laxus wasn't. His baby could have whatever she wanted.
It wasn't until late in the day, after shopping for hours and eating lunch and then shopping some more, that Haven finally got her toy shop visit. And even then, it was only Laxus that went with her. Mirajane and Evergreen went into a coffee shop to talk and relax some after their exhausting day. Not that Laxus cared. He'd rather be with Haven anyhow.
"Okay, Haven," he said as they walked into the toy store, her little hand clutching his tightly. "It's just like I said. You get one thing, huh? Anything you want."
The store was huge, so it took some time. That was okay though, because they had another hour or so before the train left for Magnolia. So they walked up and down the aisles, inspecting every stuffed animal, every wooden toy, and all the other things around. Then, just when Laxus was about exasperated from searching for something, Haven decided upon a toy.
"This?" he asked as she pulled it out a bin of stuffed animals. "This is what you want?"
Haven only snuggled the oversized toy to her. It was about as tall as her, really. "Yes!"
"Okay," he sighed, taking her hand once more and leading her up to the register. "If that's what you want."
And so, when they made it back onto the train, all of Mira and Ever's shopping bags all around, and Haven's little hand clasped in Laxus', it took everything in him not to vomit. But…he couldn't help, but to smile slightly as, her lap, Haven snuggled her huge stuffed dragon to her.
"What's his name, sweetie?" Evergreen asked at one point as the baby kissed her dragon with a giggle. She loved dragons. It was her favorite thing to play. Laxus liked to think it was because she was a dragon. She just didn't know it yet.
Haven thought about it for a moment before wiggling her little hand out of Laxus' to hug the dragon fully to her.
"Laxus!" she exclaimed making Mirajane and Evergreen frown.
"You can't name it after Daddy, sweetie," Mira tried to tell her daughter.
There was no correcting her though. Even after they got home that night, all of them tired and ready for bed, Haven continued to call the yellow dragon Laxus, rushing immediately to go put it up on her bed with all of her other stuffed animals.
"Maybe it'll be good," Mirajane said sometime later that night, after they had put Haven to bed. They were in the living room, going through the bags of things they had bought, sorting them into piles. Clothes for the baby, blankets, toys. Those sorts of things. "For her to call the dragon after you."
"What do you mean?" Laxus asked, cocking his head to the side while staring at her.
"So when you go away, Laxus," she told him. "On jobs and such. Then it's almost like you'll always be here."
He frowned then before shifting on the couch to kiss Mira's head.
"I will always be here," he told her softly then. "Even when I'm gone, I'm here, Mira. You, Haven, the new baby. That's my reason for being here. I wouldn't be half the person I am now, without you. You guys are my world."
She only giggled while he only nuzzled her neck then. They were. They were his world. And finally, finally, one of them had given him a cure to his motion sickness. Now he just had to take Haven everywhere with him for the rest of his life and he would be fine.
I had the idea for this during Remember Me, but because of the time skip between chapter 9 and 10, it wasn't possible to squeeze in. I think it's a nice stand alone, anyhow.