CHAPTER 4
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Gray stared at Natsu, while pointing at the thick French language book his friend was holding. Natsu gave him a thumbs up.
"Yeah! I'm quite persuasive you know? I'm sure everything will be alright!" Natsu gave Gray a toothy grin. Gray rolled his eyes at his friend.
"Sometimes I wonder where the hell you get your misplaced confidence in yourself" Gray mumbled, he eyed the slight opening of the door in the workshop. He knew Laxus was there, and now his friend insisted in going in there to ask Laxus to date Mirajane.
"Oh good, so you are just gonna go in there and ask Laxus go out with Mirajane, a person he never even met. And then he will just agree to your plan. Mirajane then simply accepts him" Gray said and Natsu nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! That's what's going to happen! And then, I'm gonna go on a date with Lucy. Then, Lucy will lead me to the fish market, and Happy will get his fish!"
Gray landed a hard smack on Natsu's head
"IDIOT! DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE THAT EASY?!"
"What the fuck, dude?! Isn't that the plan?!" Natsu yelled back
"Wish me luck!" Natsu said as he dashed through the doors.
xXxXxXxXxXx
It's workshop. The only class he probably enjoyed since it's the only one that presented any sort of real challenge for him at school. It also held his interest, unlike the other courses he had to take. Plus, he's fond of the class room; messy, mechanic and it was basically his style.
Laxus was fixated on his work to even care about Freed and Bixlow who were fighting over a piece of metal. What a bunch of idiots.
In a way, he felt very comfortable in this place. The sound of clacking metal and sparks from welding tools just relaxes him. He'll be damned if anyone even tries to disturb him in his job.
"Hey, how's it going?" Laxus felt something almost snap in his head. He heard an annoying voice addressing him, and it was disturbing him from his work.
He peered up, enough to catch a glimpse on who the bastard is. It was the pink haired guy from Biology class the other day.
What the hell was wrong with him? It seems like the guy have loose screws in his head if he didn't get the first warning. And the guy was within hitting range, and that was a bad sign.
Laxus turned to him, glaring, and with his drill, he drilled hole straight through the book the guy was holding. Laxus even thought of pushing the drill deeper to emphasize that he doesn't want anything to do with him. But by looking at the surprized look on his face, Laxus knew that what he did was enough to make him go away. The guy made a hasty retreat, and it was enough to make Laxus almost smile.
"He should probably get the fucking message by now. And I'm glad that I still hadn't lost my touch" Laxus grinned as he continued his work.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Jellal looked through the clean hole that was bored into the French book that was owned by Natsu. He had just discovered the guy Natsu chose to go out with Mirajane. And it was definitely not good news. He chose another hellspawn as well! It's crazy, and now he was staring at the concrete evidence that Natsu almost died if ever he did not run away the moment Laxus was drilling the book.
"So, flame brain, how do we get him to date Mirajane?" Gray sighed, as he looked at Jellal who was still fixated on the damaged book.
Natsu rubbed his temples. The fear was still fresh in him. He was almost impaled by a drill for fuck's sakes! Gray was right, the guy is a psychopath, but he's still perfect for the role.
"I dunno, I'm out of ideas" Natsu groaned and Gray sighed heavily.
He put the book down and stared at the two men in front of him.
"We don't have enough money to make a guy like that do the job. We need a backer" Jellal stated, earning interested looks from Gray and Natsu.
"Backer? Who the fuck would that be?" Gray asked
"We need someone who's rich and stupid. Someone that we can play with in the palm of our hands" Jellal grinned, definitely satisfied at the strategy he had just formulated in his mind.
xXxXxXxXxXx
It's lunchtime. Sting was sitting with Rogue in one of the tables. Rogue gave his friend an indifferent look as he watched Sting vandalize the table with undesirable drawings and words with his permanent marker.
"What an idiot" Rogue thought as he sipped his cola. Just then he caught a glimpse of something blue. It was no other than Jellal Fernandez who sat down beside his friend.
Sting stopped what he was doing and glared at Jellal. Rogue didn't talk to Jellal that much, but he knew the guy is respectable, despite being part of the nerd group.
"Are you lost?" Sting asked, clearly dismayed at the presence of the Astronomy Club president. Jellal simply smiled at him good-naturedly, much to his friend's disgust.
"Not really. I came by here to have a little chat" Jellal said and Sting looked at him incredulously.
"We don't chat" Sting snapped, but this didn't remove the confident look on Jellal's face. Rogue found this quite interesting. It's very rare for you to see Jellal and Sting interact since they transferred here.
"Well, I actually came here to run an idea to you. Just in case you're interested"
"No, I'm not. So get lost" Sting said sardonically but Jellal didn't Sting being rude.
"Well here me out. I heard that you want Lucy, right? But she can't go out with you because of the new rule Fairy Tail made, right?"
"Yeah, I heard of that fucked up rule. Does this conversation have a purpose?" Sting frowned as he pushed his empty can of coke away from him.
"Here's what I think you should do, you should hire a guy who will go out with the demon. Someone, who doesn't scare off so easily" Jellal stated, finally earning the interest of Sting when he saw the guy put his marker down.
Jellal pointed at the table not too far from theirs.
"That guy over there" Jellal pointed at the blonde man who was sitting with Bixlow and Freed. Sting saw this too, he quickly recognized who the guy was. Jellal must be insane to even think of bringing that guy into this.
Rogue looked at where Jellal was pointing. And he cannot believe what he was seeing.
"Are you out of your mind, Jellal? That guy is a monster" Rogue sai
"That guy? Laxus Dreyar? I heard he ate a live duck once" Sting said, trying to recall other heinous acts the man did.
"Everything but the beak and feet. Clearly, that guy is a solid investment. You won't waste your money and you get the girl" Jellal finished and Sting eyed the blue-haired man.
"What's in it for you?"
"Hey, I'm just a friend that think you might need a little help with your girl. So, what do you think?" Jellal asked and Sting gave a short nod.
"I'll think about it" Jellal grinned, satisfied with the result of his negotiation. He stood up from his seat and walked towards Natsu and Gray who had unbelieving looks on their faces.
"Why the fuck did you involve that asshole in this?!" Natsu protested
"Hey, I told you we need a backer. And that guy is perfect. See, he will set everything up while you get to spend more time with Lucy. Isn't that good news?" Jellal grinned
"Not bad, Jellal" Gray put his hand on his friend's shoulders, clearly impressed at his friend's plan
"Right, that's perfect Jellal. I'm now getting the upper hand" Natsu said with a grin forming on his face.
It seems like everything is going according to plan.
xXxXxXxXx
After lunch, Laxus ran out of things to do; he had some ideas in his mind, like releasing the frogs in the biology lab or break the welding room's lock open. But then decided against it since it needs too much effort, he's certainly not up for it. He soon thought of taking a smoke in the parking lot, but he changed his mind since it would probably be crowded with idiots playing hockey in the middle of the driveway and people making out on their cars.
And thus he ended up smoking in the gym field. He can smoke there without being distracted by moans from the car beside if he decided to stay in the car park.
Laxus lounged at the bleachers as he put his smoke between his lips. He removed his earphones for a while as he smoked, he didn't feel like listening to any sort of music at the moment, and that rarely happens.
He watched the girls' soccer practice from the bleachers, and that didn't give him any entertainment at all. Freed and Bixlow had classes at this hour, so no one would keep him company. And he liked that very much. He enjoyed his solitude, and whoever tries to breach it, that person will definitely pay.
Laxus was supposed to be in PE class. However, he forged a letter about the critical condition of his lungs that he cannot work himself out. Makarov knew this was complete bullshit, but the PE teacher cared too much for his student's health and decided to keep Laxus out of PE class. What a wuss.
Suddenly there was someone annoying standing next to him; he assumed it was annoying since it was standing too close to his liking. Laxus ignored who it was, not even looking at the person when he greeted him. Laxus inhaled the smoke from his cigarette, waiting for the annoying prick to leave.
"I had some really good duck last night" the guy beside him said.
Laxus glanced over at the guy when he heard the random comment. It was Sting Eucliff, the tube sock model or whatever the fuck he did. The guy looked too sure of himself and it was fucking annoying. But then, Laxus thought there might be a potential amusement there. Sting seemed to notice the Laxus's disinterest in him.
"Look, see that girl over there?" Sting pointed at one of the girls in the soccer practice, having caught on that pleasantries wasn't part of Laxus's social interaction schedule.
Laxus glanced the way Sting pointed, he saw a white haired girl with a high ponytail as she raced across the field, trying to intercept the ball. He forgot her name, but he was sure he saw her in one of classes. The sight absolutely held no interest for him.
"Yeah, so?" he said, looking back at Sting, blowing smoke from his nostrils.
"I want you to go out with her" Sting simply said, though Laxus sensed an authoritative tone when Sting said that. Laxus raised his brow at the loser in front of him. The guy had some balls to talk to him, I'll give him that, Laxus thought.
Unable to help himself, Laxus laughed sardonically, "Sure thing, Sparky" he said, grinning with amusement upon seeing the flustered look on Sting's face. Idiots can be entertaining sometimes.
Despite this Sting continued,
"You see, her dorm mate can't date unless she does. They both stay in Fairy Tail and their master is wacked. He made this new rule where…" Sting began to explain but Laxus wasn't interested. Though he found it amusing when Sting said the master is wacked. He had to agree. His grandfather is fucked up.
And he wasn't stupid to not connect the pieces together, he had heard this new rule from Bixlow. The girls can't date unless the white haired chick over there does.
Putting an end to Sting's useless explanations, Laxus swung around to face him, eyes darkened.
"That's a touching story. Really, it is," he said. His voice dropped as he leaned closer to Sting, "Not my fucking problem" He moved back, amused when he saw a tinge of fear in Sting's expression.
"Would you be willing to make it your problem if I provided a princely compensation?" Sting said when he returned to his cocky composure.
This made Laxus laugh again. This guy is entertaining. If he kept on doing that, he would have enough endorphins in his body to fight the cancer Freed claimed that might have been growing in his lungs, given how he smokes on a daily basis.
"You want to pay me to take out some bitch?" he asked, chuckling. Sting may have been a loser, but the can joke.
"Yeah" Sting said, his voice still cocky.
Laxus scoffed at this; the guy was absolutely serious about paying him to take out a girl on a date.
"How much?"
"Twenty" was Sting's reply
He could use the money for cigarettes or probably enough to pay gasoline for his motorbike; things aren't cheap anymore.
Laxus looked back at the white haired girl again. He watched as she charged at a girl, crashing into her and knocking her to the ground before kicking the ball halfway across the field.
"What's the name of the girl again?" Laxus asked.
"That bitch is Mirajane Strauss" Sting said distastefully
"What a show of violence" Laxus thought. At least it was something to do, and he gets paid for it. He turned to Sting who was scowling at the girl on the field.
"Okay, thirty" he conceded, seeing the brutal tendencies the girl had.
Laxus shifted on his seat, putting the cigarette back on his lips.
"Let's think about this" he said as he stood up and towered over Sting. "Let's say we go to the movies. That's what? Fifteen jewels"
Sting eyed him, listening to every word he was saying. Money was nothing to someone like this loser. It was perfect, and all he had to do was to grab a burger with some violent, soccer-crazed girl once.
"Then let's say we get some popcorn" Laxus continued as he began to circle Sting, a technique useful in intimidating someone or for hyping nerves. "That's fifty jewels"
"Take it or leave it, trash" Sting said, turning around to face Laxus, trying to look threatening. Ooh, scary, Laxus thought sarcastically. What a loser.
Laxus expected some resistance since he was overpricing it a bit. Which is why asked for more than he knew he could get.
"Fifty jewels and you've got a deal, pretty boy" he shot back and Sting groaned
"Fine. Here" Sting said, pulling the said amount from his pockets. Laxus tuck the money in his pockets, grinning as he did so.
The whistle for the end of the practice sounded, alerting Laxus an opportunity to lay out some groundwork for his upcoming date with the white-haired girl. He waited for her to reach her bench before approaching her.
She took a long drink from her bottle, which she needs since she torn up the whole field.
"Hey there" he said, grinning as he leaned closer to her.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Mirajane stared at the guy beside her. She was tempted to raise her brow at the stranger. Well he wasn't really much of a stranger, since he was in English class with her, a class she rarely sees him attend. She didn't even bother to know his name, since he's just one of those unwashed miscreants that go to school. So she decided to call him Blondie.
If there was one thing Mirajane was sure of herself, it's that she's very observant. She may have seen him walking in the corridors, but she noticed that other students, even teachers cower away when he walks through the corridor. It would seem like he had this force field that pushes people away from him.
Now that Blondie here is talking to her, she's not sure what to say.
"How are you doing?" he asked, trying to sound light and casual. He's trying too hard, Mirajane thought.
"Sweating like a pig actually. And you?" Mirajane smiled. It wouldn't hurt to try for a casual talk since the guy didn't offend her in any way. Plus, he wasn't part of any stupid cliques the assholes in this school made to divide the students, giving her no reason to be annoyed at his presence.
The guy raised his eyebrows at her response.
"Now that's a way to get a guy's attention" he said as he flashed a quick grin. Oh, forget about what she said earlier, Mirajane thought grimly.
"Ah, my duty in life" Mirajane said, her voice was oozing with sarcasm. She waited to see if he was annoyed by her outburst, but apparently, the guy seemed to be pleased. Which was weird.
"But obviously, I caught your attention, so it worked. The world makes sense again" the guy chuckled as she walked away. This was making Mirajane think if she had some competition. Normally, she was the one who didn't give any shits at whatever people say and now this bastard over here seems to prove her wrong.
"Pick you up on Friday then" the guy said, keeping time with her walking, as he moved closer to her.
"Oh right. Friday. Uh-huh" she replied again, her voice was dripping with sarcasm, making the guy's grin wider.
"The night where I take you to places you've never been before" he said, his voice cocky. How annoying, Mirajane thought. It seems like it would take a while before she shakes him off her leg.
"Like where, your messy garage?" Mirajane shot back, "Do you even know my name, screwboy?"
"Screwboy, I like that" the man said, much Mirajane's chagrin. Oh, and now he likes that?! Mirajane thought
It surprised her how easily he resisted her insults. Usually people would go away after a few harsh word she had to say.
"Anyway, I know a lot more than you think" the man said as he stopped following her. Mirajane shook her head, as she smiled sardonically.
"Doubtful. Very doubtful" Mirajane scoffed as she sped up her pace. Interesting, Blondie is probably the first person to ever tolerate her barrage of sarcastic statements.
...
"Doubtful. Very doubtful" Was all she said as she walked away. Laxus grinned. Now that's interesting. He had to be honest, he was stunned at how she resisted his advances so easily. Normally, women he approached either run in fear or cling to him. Her blatant disinterest was new to him and it was slightly amusing to him.
A challenge could be fun, he supposed. At least he had something to do, and it would require him more effort than welding a metal in workshop. Plus, he's getting paid by doing so.
"I need a smoke" Laxus thought as he walked away, still intrigued by the person named, Mirajane Strauss.
