note: This was suuuuper rushed, but I had to ride the wave of what little muse I had. I miss Laxus, and I miss this AU.

This is part three of Sandbox Bullies. For reference, the man being described ins Invel.

keep me warm

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At the ripe old age of 34, Laxus was still growing into adulthood. He couldn't exactly say he had things quite figured out already, but where he was wasn't such a bad place, either. He had a stable job, a sturdy roof over his head, and a great relationship.

All things considered, it would have scored him a pretty decent grade in the adulting report card.

Maybe he felt way over his head sometimes. Like, now. Often it felt like startling out of a haze and finding himself confused at how advanced his life seemed to progress since he started dating Mirajane, and therefore came into Yukino's life as a sort of father figure. For sure, it was great. Laxus liked kids, and Yukino was especially special. But as any bachelor was prone to, he couldn't believe he had the chance to do some of the stuff he was doing, like looking up recipes for healthy, homemade chicken nuggets, or assembling an IKEA Busunge for his girlfriend's daughter. It wasn't a bad sort of disbelief. It just all felt kind of surreal.

Kind of like how he just filed a mental sticky note to remind Mirajane to find a pediatrician closer to home. The one she still brought Yukino to was two hours from where she lived, because she insisted that she couldn't trust anyone with Yukino aside from the grouchy, old doctor they've been seeing since Yukino was born. He still practiced in the town Mirajane left behind, so it was quite a drive just to get checked up for asthma medication refills or to get Yukino's shots updated. Laxus didn't really mind driving them to and from every time Yukino needed a check up, but for the sake of practicality, like maybe if Yukino ever got into an emergency like the last time she came down with a bad fever, maybe it was best to consider a new doctor.

The GPS sounded off on their arrival. Laxus parked the car and waited for Mira to get Yukino out of the car seat.

Laxus hefted the small, yellow backpack that Yukino stuffed coloring books and crayons in, and then followed the mother and daughter out of the parking lot. That is, until Mirajane stopped dead in her tracks, and gave quite a surprised gasp.

Mirajane looked stunned. Laxus thought she almost looked terrified. The man smoking a cigarette leaned back against the trunk of car, and stared back with an air of disregard that was chilling. He wore scrubs under his windbreaker, and he had the same nose and mouth as Yukino. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was the father who had turned his back on Mirajane to continue his studies, despite the fact that she was carrying his child.

A jumpy Mirajane passed Yukino into Laxus' arms. She was too rattled to say anything, so she just let frozen feet carry her forward to meet the man who approached with not a care in the world. Laxus hung back enough that he couldn't hear their exchanged greetings, but near enough that he could see how no emotion moved the man's face despite coming face to face with the mother of his child after years. Mirajane never said much to Laxus about Yukinos father, just that he left her to continue his residency, and that he still lived in the city she left behind. Laxus never asked if they ever saw each other, or if the man offered any support for his daughter. Laxus had always just assumed that there had been none.

Shifting, so that he could hold Yukino more comfortably, Laxus watched Mirajane's entire posture stiffen as the man spoke. He didn't yell, but Laxus could tell that it was worse that way. The man seemed to be pressing every wrong button by the way Mirajane's body language got more and more defensive. The man's gaze flickered up to Yukino, then to Laxus.

Mirajane stepped into the man's line of sight and said something that made the stranger's lips flatten. Before he could get in another word, Mirajane turned her back on him and march back to where Laxus stood with Yukino.

Up close, Mirajane looked like a mess. Her eyes were glossed over and her face was pale. Laxus should have said something. He wanted to confirm what he already knew: that this was Yukino's father, and if Mira wanted him beat within an inch of his life just for putting that miserable look on her face. But something in the air prevented him from opening his mouth. He felt different from the brash man from his younger years. These days, there was a lot more of thinking involved before he ran his mouth.

In an almost desperate manner, Mirajane took Yukino from Laxus. She ignored her daughter's questions about the man ("Who was that, mama?", "Is he a doctor?") and avoided looking at her ex as she made a beeline to the hospital's entrance.

Laxus hastened to keep up with her pace.

In the reception area of the pediatrician's clinic, Yukino sat in her mother's lap, oblivious to how tightly Mirajane clung to her.

There was none of the light-hearted talk from earlier during the drive back home. Exhausted from the fight she put up during her shot, Yukino knocked out the moment she was strapped back into her car seat. While Laxus drove, he was pretty sure he was hearing Mirajane sniffle softly. Words still didn't seem right just yet, so he offered a reassuring squeeze on her knee.

When they got back to Mirajane's house, a re-energized Yukino asked to be taken out for sweets as a reward for her bravery against the needle.

Laxus could feel the fatigue from all the tension settle deep into his bones. He didn't know what to say, ofr if he even had the right for any input. Instead of forcing words he didn't have, he took Mirajane's hand after she shut the door, and pulled her in close enough so he could press his lips against her forehead.

"Talk to Yukino. I'll start dinner."

All that got out of Mira was a quiet sob.

He hated to see her so depressed. This was nothing like the Mirajane he knew, and he wished he was better equipped to comfort her. Laxus did what he knew, and kept himself steady, for her.

"Would you like me to leave, so you two can have some privacy?"

Mirajane shook her head. She leaned in closer, so she could breathe in the smell of him. "Stay, please. I'm going to need you later."

By the time Mirajane and Yukino came back downstairs, the stirfry Laxus cooked was already cold. While Mirajane looked like hell, a mess of swollen eyes and a red nose, Yukino couldn't have looked less bothered than she did.

Laxus said nothing, not for the lack of words this time, but because they didn't feel necessary.

Mirajane came to him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I hate to ask-" she began.

"Ask anyway."

"Can you take Yukino to the pastry shop? I'm- I don't want her to see me like this."

"When do you want us back?"

"Just give me at least five minutes by myself, so I can pull myself together."

At the cafe, Laxus ordered an Americano for himself, and an eclair for Yukino. He helped her up onto the tall bar stool and sat opposite from her.

"So," he started. Yukino gave him a questioning tilt of her head. Cute. But he shouldn't get distracted. "What did you and your mom talk about?"

Yukino took some time biting into her pastry. Some custard stained the corner of her lips, and absentmindedly, Laxus wicked it away with a napkin.

"She said that the man from this morning was my buy-logigal father, and that he chose not to be in my life. And that if I had any questions, I can always ask her. But she was crying really bad, so I didn't."

"That's it?" Laxus prompted.

"Mama cried a lot."

That tore at Laxus' heart. "Did he say something bad to her?"

"Mama didn't say." Yukino looked up at her former teacher with eyes so wide and blue, Laxus felt like he would drown. "Why didn't that man want to be my dad? Did I do something wrong?"

Ah, Laxus thought. What's the proper thing to say? Sure, Laxus had an opinion or two, but he couldn't just mouth off. Not to Yukino, who was bound to get confused. Shit, he needed to consult Mira. Actually, he needed a damn script.

"I'm sure he had his reasons," Laxus said carefully. Whatever those reasons were, they weren't anything Laxus could agree with. Not if they meant turning his back on such a perfect mother and daughter. "I can't judge him for those reasons, because I'm not involved. But I do know that he's missing out, because you're the greatest kid I know."

Yukino fixed her gaze on him for a while, as if she was calculating if she should ask more questions or not. But before the nervous bead of sweat could roll down Laxus' neck, Yukino smiled. "Okay!" She seemed content enough, or so Laxus thought, until she opened her mouth again.

"Laxus? Do you want to be my dad? All my friends have dads."

Laxus choked on the coffee he'd just began to sip. "Ah, that's a little complicated." He cleared his throat to dislodge the bitter swill that went down the wrong pipe. "You know what, I'll talk to your mom about that, and I'll see what I can do. But hey, you know I love you, right?"

Yukino's grin was blinding. "Right!"

Laxus finished the rest of his coffee, mostly out of fear that he would be asked more questions he wouldn't or couldn't answer. It took Yukino two seconds to stuff the rest of her eclair into her mouth as soon as she saw Laxus was done.

"What do you say we go buy your mom some flowers? Would that make her feel better?" Laxus asked as he stood, before helping Yukino down off the bar stool.

As soon as she was on the ground, Yukino offered her hand for Laxus to hold, so naturally, it made Laxus' heart swell just a little bit more. There wasn't anything like Yukino trusting him so explicitly that made Laxus want to do something crazy, like ask Mirajane to marry him already just so Yukino could have the father she wanted.

"Yeah! Or maybe we can get her a tomato plant for the garden instead."

"Whatever you like." Laxus just wanted to get back already and finish up dinner, so he could talk to Mirajane about being his wife.