music
summary; she wasn't worthy of the title…yet (dragonslayer sibs)
He watched her silently from across the guild.
His sister.
He frowned. The word still didn't sit right with him.
He'd spent the last few days listening to Natsu and Gajeel yammer on about looking out for the other dragonslayers, and he got that. He really did. But he didn't understand why they were going so far as to call them a family.
"It's cause you're not a real dragonslayer," Gajeel had sneered when Laxus promptly told him and Natsu that he thought they were crazy (his exact choice of words had been more explicit).
He leaned forwards against the railing as he watched her scurry about the guild, clutching something against her stomach. For the first time in…well, forever…he wondered if Gajeel was right.
It was plain and obvious for anyone to see that Gajeel and Natsu cared for her like a blood relative. They watched her from the sidelines, cheering her on, coaching her, laughing with her and scolding her. They were a family.
A family he had been invited to join.
He frowned as he watched her skip up the stairs. She was just a guildmate to him. One he'd barely interacted with at that.
"Laxus!"
He blanched as his name left her lips. So soft and innocent.
He grunted in reply, watching wearily as she bounded up towards him, a shy smile on her face.
"Here," she reached out and handed him the item she held, "you left it by the bar."
She handed him his headphones and sound player before nodding and turning away.
It was warm where she had held it too tightly and…
He paused and tentatively brought the headphones up to his nose. He sniffed.
"Yo," he called, stopping her in her tracks, "you listened to it?"
She turned around slowly, her cheeks a bright red, "I…I…" she stammered, "I hope you don't mind…I just wanted to know wha-"
"Did you like it?"
She blinked, "huh?"
"Did you like it," he waved the sound player gently in the air, "the music?"
She fiddled with her clasped hands before nervously walking close to him, "I did," she admitted, "I've never heard sounds like that before."
He grinned as he leant against the railing. She copied him, the blush still evident on her cheeks.
"It's called Classic Rock & Roll," he said proudly before scowling, "not that shi-" he coughed, "not that crap Gajeel listens to."
She giggled, "you don't have to censor yourself. Gajeel and Natsu don't."
He hummed in response. He wasn't sure why he had censored himself, it had just seemed…necessary.
"Do you…um…do you have any CD's I could borrow?" she asked quietly.
He smirked, "yeah, I might have a couple."
She smiled brightly and for the first time he found himself looking at someone more than a guildmate.
No, he wasn't going to go as far as to call her his sister. Not yet anyway. But he saw the potential, and that was good enough for him.