Thanks to everyone that's been supporting this story! Unfortunately, this is the second-last chapter… But don't worry! It's got a lot of Laxana!

Enjoy!

-(^_^)-

"WE'RE BACK!" Natsu roared. The whole of Magnolia started cheering. People were congratulating us, and praising our fights.

"Hey, hey Laxus! Is it true that you beat Raven Tail?!" a random voice yelled.

"Of course, you dumbass! He even beat Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints!" a different voice answered.

My attention was elsewhere, however. "Celebration booze!" she yelled.

"Lay off the sauce, Cana." I told her.

A lot happened. But we were finally back, and I could take some time off. Of course I wasn't going to slack off. I had a tough time beating Jura, so now I have someone to surpass even further. That monster…

"Oi, catch!" My head perked up and I was just in time to catch the bottle Cana tossed at me.

"Cana, it's the middle of the afternoon!" I told her.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked me. I sighed, and she gave me a wink.

-(^_^)-

I was finally starting to understand my feelings for a certain drunk. Of course, a white-haired barmaid helped me realize these feelings.

You see, I had just returned from an S-Class Mission. I sat down at the bar and asked for a beer. Mira handed me my beer, then suddenly threw a question. "So, what do you think of Cana?"

Surprised as I was, I choked on my drink. "Wh-What?" I asked, as soon as I was able to breathe in air.

"What. Do. You. Think. Of. Cana?" she repeated, word for word.

"What kind of question is that?!" I asked.

"Come on, Laxus. The others might not see it, but I can. You two are spending a lot more time together." She told me.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" I asked, acting like I knew of nothing.

"You're a horrible actor." She said. Is that true?

I stayed silent, finishing my drink in one gulp. I handed her the mug, then left as fast as possible. On the way home, my mind wandered. What did I think of her? She was nice, beautiful, challenging, drunk, strong, fun to be with, and… So, in other words pretty much everything I was looking for in a woman. Did I like her? I was so confused. I stayed up night after night, thinking about her. Her brown hair, waving down her back, her blue bikini top covering her chest. The Fairy Tail stamp located on her abdomen, the white purse she was wearing. But most of all her eyes. They were beautifully brown, quite large, with barely noticeable eyelashes. And I cursed Mira every night for putting me through this torture. It was getting annoying. But every time I closed my eyes, I just saw her. So I'd decided to take some free of sleep and train instead.

…

"Oi, Laxus!" A bucket of ice cold water was poured over my head, and I shot up in my chair. "What the hell?!" I roared. Surrounding me were Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, Lucy, Juvia, Natsu and Gray. "You weren't waking up." Lisanna answered. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah." I was too tired to beat anyone up, so I let it slide and rubbed my face.

"You don't look so well." Lucy continued.

"I'm fine." I answered, getting annoyed.

"What's wrong, Laxus?" Mira asked. This was all her fault! So I grabbed her wrist and pulled her with me outside of the guild, into the backyard.

"Damn you!" I roared at her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You know what you've done! This is all your fault! Ever since you put that idea of Cana and me in my head, I can't sleep!" I yelled at her. That reminds me, I still have to thank her for that.

"That's not my fault! I just asked you what you thought of her!" she yelled back.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I THINK OF HER, OKAY?! I'M SO DAMN CONFUSED!" I roared, breaking a tree with a punch.

"Laxus, calm down." She told me.

I took a deep breath and did as she ordered me. "Sorry…." I muttered.

"Do you love her?" She asked. Honestly, at the time, I didn't know. I got so confused. Well, we did kiss… and share a bed…

"I… I don't know…" I answered, and she saw how confused I was. I ran my hand through my hair in a frustrated way. I sat down on the bench, and Mira sat beside me.

"I'll help you. You seem very frustrated and new to love." She told me. I didn't answer. So, she continued. "Why can't you sleep?"

I hesitated, then decided I needed to tell someone, and she would be one of the best people, since she was so close to Cana. "I think of her. Every night. This is torture." I muttered the last part.

"In what way?" She asked again.

"Just… you know… about the fun we've had together, and how beautiful she looks and… shit." I said, realizing what had left my mouth. I glanced over at her, and she was smiling widely. "So… I'm in love…?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yup!" she answered cheerfully.

"... What now?" I asked.

"Well, you confess to her, of course, silly!" She said.

"But, what if she doesn't feel the same?" I asked, voicing my fear.

"Of course she does!" Mira answered.

"I don't know…" I answered.

"Well, I'm here to help you, alright?"

That gave me an idea. "You can cook, right?" I asked.

"Yeah." She answered.

"Could you… possibly help me… cook something for her?" I requested. I never asked for help, but I was new to this.

"Sure!" She answered, smiling widely. Then she hugged me. "Thanks for opening up to me!"

"Right…" I answered, hugging her back lightly with one arm.

And so I spent my afternoon learning to cook. When I finally made something worth calling 'edible', I headed over to Fairy Hills, sneaking into Cana's room. She was lying on the bed, drinking non-stop. "Cana?" I asked.

She turned to face me, then gave a drunk giggle. "Well, if it isn't Laxus! Were you having fun?" Now, I didn't know what to make of that. But she explained afterwards. "You bastard. I hate you." She pouted, turning away. She was clearly drunk, more than usual, but it still hurt. "Why are you saying that?" I asked.

"I saw you, you know! You were being all lovey-dovey with Mira!" She yelled. Then everything clicked together. She saw me with Mira, then thought I liked Mira.

"No, it's not what you think! You see, I made this-" I started, but she threw her bottle at me. I dodged it, but she picked another one up and thrust it at my face again. For a drunk, she sure had a good aim! I put the box down, and walked over to her, dodging her assaults. "Damn it, listen to me!" I roared when I reached her, gripping her arms. "I. Do. Not. Love. Mirajane." I told her. Cana looked scared, so I laid her down on bed and wrote a note, telling her to meet me somewhere outside of Magnolia tomorrow, leaving it next to the bento I made.

…

The next day, she arrived at the time I'd written down. Somewhere in the evening. When I saw her coming, my heart skipped a beat. It was like that now I had realized my feelings for her. Every time I saw her, or thought about her, my heart beat faster. "What is it?" She asked, scowling and looking away.

"Why are you mad at me?" I asked.

"Because…" She started, but then went silent.

"For as far as I know, I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" I pressed on.

"No it's just…"

"It's just what? Answer me, Cana." I told her, taking a step towards her.

"No, I-"

"You what?" I cut her off.

"I was jealous, okay?! Of you and Mira!" She screamed. I let out a sigh of relief and started chuckling at my own unnecessary worry.

"What's so funny?" she asked, glaring at me.

"I'm in love with you." I said simply, confidently, staring her in the eyes.

"Wh-What?" She asked, her face going red.

"I love you." I repeated, smirking. She just stared at me, confusedly. So, to make her understand, I took long strides towards her, lifted her chin and pressed my lips against hers tenderly. Her lips tasted like the booze she had been drinking. I smiled into the kiss when she responded.

After we broke the kiss, she hugged me, and whispered: "You're a horrible cook too."

And that, My Dear, Sweet Little Brat, was how I confessed to her.