Chapter five's here ! Adult content comes in the next chapters !


Two weeks had passed since that. Two weeks passed way too fast. Two weeks and one single thing wriggling in her mind. She thought about talking to him. Too much thinking had led her to a decision. Her ultimate decision. One made during one of these rare time of clear headedness when she wasn't fantasizing about his goddamn' too well defined lower back or his hypnotic gaze. How did she get in that state?

And yet, she wasn't lacking activities. The guild was increasingly busy with all kinds of visitors, more or less welcomed. New mages came to join, and fled after crossing the path of a runaway table, people from the town came to drink and have a good laugh, travelers… But no one managed to get her attention long enough to get her out of her thoughts. To the great misfortune of his sister, who found herself yelling more than once to get her to pay attention.

The situation was becoming more and more disturbing, especially since, despite her efforts, she couldn't manage to have an alone conversation with the blond. He was always between jobs and spent very little time in the hall, somehow always managing to be there at the busiest time of the day, making it impossible to take a quick break. However he didn't look bothered or embarrassed as she would have imagined. He simply walked around with his stoic look, ordered a single drink, then returned to his place before leaving the next day.

The white-haired woman was a little taken aback by his new behavior. She was still not really used to his playful comments and his mocking smirk, but his indifference bothered her even more. She had spent a lot of time weighing the pros and cons and now found herself without an audience to explain that she couldn't afford go out with a guild member. Especially not with him regarding their explosive relationship whose fragile balance she could just not risk for the sake of the guild. Especially not now that her brother had started getting along with the Thunder tribe's only woman.

So why did she wish to get his attention if she was planning on rejecting him? To put things straight. She reassured her tormented pride at the idea of being ignored by a man she intended to reject herself. What was wrong with fearing rejection? Everyone had experienced it at some point. Maybe, but twice from the same guy is a little too much. She scowled to herself. What an idiot. She cursed in a low voice. She felt so humiliated she barely prevented the tears from shedding on her cheeks. How did she get fooled again? And what kind of asshole gave false ideas to someone he had already rejected years ago? Even if she wasn't planning on giving in.

"Mira-nee!"

Mirajane jumped when she heard the shout through the guild. Was that becoming a habit or?

"I already called three times!"

The eldest smiled in embarrassment as she realized the meaning of those words. How long had she been daydreaming?

"Sorry." She apologized, embarrassed by the multitude of eyes studying her.

The youngest sighed in despair and asked if there were any bottles of alcohol left. The demonic mage sent her to get some in the cellar and got back to work to clean her mind. Unfortunately for her, a more than curious card mage had approached.

"You're okay?" She asked between two sips.

The white-haired woman nodded with conviction and a reassuring smile.

"What were you thinking about?" The brunette went on.

She thought of the dragon slayer, his indifference, his teasing smirk that twisted her stomach, his eyes that shone with a gleam of desire so sharp, and his chest that she found herself wishing to touch…

"You really are miles away." She said, interrupting her friend's thoughts.

Mirajane sighed. Except I'm miles down in Hell.

It was at this moment that the large wooden door chose to open. Letting four figures including a particularly imposing one to walk inside the guild under the greetings of the other members. The master greeted them too and turned to the largest one for notes on their job. The lightning mage answered with a shrug and an almost inaudible groan. The old man sighed in despair and returned to his discussion with one blond constellations mage.

The white-haired woman felt the shiver on her back and her muscles tighten, not quite sure if it was of anger or desire. Maybe both. She heard him order a drink from her younger sister and turned to clean the counter while taking a quick look in his direction. He was turned towards the brunette asking him for details, a beer in his hand and a freshly lit cigarette in his mouth, almost completely turning his back to her without paying her any attention. Her body tightened even more in frustration, wishing to make him swallow back his arrogance.

Instead she swallowed her anger and once again managed to smile to Juvia letting her know she was going on a job. She turned her back to take out the register, her smile faded as she put it on the counter and began to write it down. She looked up at the blue haired woman allowing her to leave. Then she closed the book and wondered if she shouldn't just to leave it on the counter since other mages seemed preparing to leave.

She did that and to confirm, glanced at the board to count the number of future departures. Suddenly, her eyes stopped when golden ones stared at her. The exchange lasted only a few seconds but it was enough for the immaculate to feel her body getting carried away when she turned her back again to find consistency. What the hell was he doing? She kept wondering as she served a drink. She put it on the bar and saw the blond push back his empty glass and got up to leave.

The woman's heartbeat was lost in a race again and she barely kept herself from stopping him. He looked down at her and they stared at each other for a few more imperceptible seconds. His gaze was serious. Far too serious. No trace of amusement swept over his pupils. Just a serious and deeply thinking look. It ended up remarkably quiet compared to hers.

The demonic mage was shaking and confused. She expected anything but that. Her thoughts swirled in her head as she went on with her usual task. What had he been thinking mind to be so utterly different? Perhaps he had followed the same path as she did. Perhaps he wanted to stop, whatever they were doing, and no longer wanted to talk to her. At least, until it all settled down. Maybe he never wanted to talk to her again because she had pushed him away.

Suddenly, she was no longer sure she was okay with that. She felt weak, helpless and a little betrayed... Wasn't that what she wanted? End this nonsense story without hurting anyone? A story which had gone on for far too long? So why couldn't she be relieved? Why did she feel so disappointed?


The afternoon had passed quite fast after Laxus was gone. The night was barely started and the demonic mage was left alone with Cana , still faithful to her position. Lisanna and Kinana had already gone when the number of customers drastically decreased. The woman was silently washing the last glasses of the day when Cana returned hers and stood up with a big smile on her lips.

"You're leaving early?" Mirajane asked, surprised but amused.

"Yeah." She replied with a mysterious smile. "I have a date."

The woman felt ecstatic and asked for details. He was dark haired, tall, funny, liked drinking and had a disarming smile. She had met him two days ago at some bar while trying to cut down her bill, and it was their very first date together. Mirajane wished her friend good luck with all her heart and watched her disappear through the half-open door.

She sighed. The day had been short after all. She cleaned the last glass, put away the register, raised the chairs one by one with unusual liveliness, and then went down to the library to put away a few books. The card mage's happiness warmed her heart. This date seemed destined to be good, like the so many romantic comedies she and her sister had spent their evenings with.

But life is not a romantic comedy. Her small inner voice reminded her, making her recall the events of the day. She felt her good mood slowly die but stopped herself from feeling depressed. There was no way this idiot was going to spoil her night. She quickly walked up the stairs, overwhelmed by the joy of her early departure. She opened the door and froze. Her enthusiasm died and felt the tension growing again.

He was there. Sitting at the counter. Head towards the wood, smoking slowly. He lifted his head and looked at her with his amused glare. The woman hesitated between joy, disappointment and anger. What was he still doing here? She wanted to smile and gently send him home but rapidly changed her mind. There was no way she was going to remain silent this time.

"What are you doing there?" She asked in a troubled tone she meant to be a bit sharp.

He frowned without losing his smirk.

"I knew you'd be the last one left."

The young woman stopped, she did not expect such a direct response and had prepared herself to make him speak the truth.

"And why is that?" She went on, still not sharp.

"I just saw Cana leave." He replied a bit mocking.

"She has a date." She said, shaking her head while getting her things back behind the counter. "But why are you here?" She insisted.

He chuckled a bit more. Sighed and brought the cigarette to his lips to take another deep breath. His hand was shaking slightly. He was tense. He released the smoke for a long time and spoke:

"She didn't end up on the floor?" He mocked, leaning his chest back without taking his eyes off the woman. "Now, there's progress."

She gave a wry fake smile but didn't say a word. She waited for the blond to continue.

"What would you say…?" he started between two breaths, as she stiffened to hear the rest. "if we went celebrating with a drink?" He finally dropped with a tense pout.

She remained silent, fearing her own desires had twisted up reality. Was he inviting her? On a date? Or to really celebrate Cana's alleged progress? There was little chance that he had come back at this time to celebrate an event he hadn't been aware of two minutes ago… Her heartbeat raced again as she realized his words.

"You're serious?" She asked, stunned.

He chuckled even more, turning his head away.

"Only if you say yes."

The young woman's breathing became more and more difficult.

"What if I say no?"

He looked again into her eyes and replied with a tone he wanted relaxed but betrayed the tension running through his jaw.

"Then, it's just a joke." He finally said.

Mirajane didn't know what to think. A few days ago she was determined to reject him if he tried anything. Then, a few hours ago, she felt terribly disappointed not to do so and now, she looked at him, without smiling, without smirking. She looked at him without being able to utter a word. Stuck between her mind screaming to run away and to forget his words, his burning gaze and all the incredibly tempting weird tension she could feel from him. But mostly stuck with the irrepressible urge to feel him against her, to rub against his chest, feel his fingers roam her body and her whole being burning with his touch.

She grabbed her bag, pulled out the guild keys, threw it over her shoulder, and looked at him again, trying to hide her agitation. He watched her do it without moving, trying to decipher an answer in her gestures.

"So, let's be serious." She finally declared with a playful smile.

His cheeks formed the same grin, he stood up and walked to the exit, not without giving her a look she had trouble to really understand. A little playful, a little enigmatic, perhaps relieved. But definitely sexy. The woman breathed heavily as soon as he looked away. Her stomach was twisting so hard she felt a bit sick. She breathed as deeply as possible, everything was going to be fine. With these words, she followed him without really believing it herself.

He took her to a bar she didn't know before. Nick ' s. She read on the blue neon that lit up the entrance. It was located in a somewhat secluded street of the town. The white haired mage wondered how she could never have heard of it before, and remembered her tendencies to stay home these times. A strange atmosphere came from the building, she felt fascinated by the faded stone facade, lightly colored by the multiple neon light. It was, however, not the time to to pay attention to details.

There, among the tables, chairs and partygoers. She stopped. The room was quite large. Half filled with customers, some of whom were huddling around the stage sitting in the back. From it, came out a slow, heavy and overwhelming music. The singer, in her hoarse voice, made the air vibrate, accompanied by three men whose instruments seemed to sing along. All on a charming, intoxicating rhythm.

The woman remained hypnotized by the somewhat dream emanating from the blue or purple light of the neon's. She couldn't tell if it was the music, the light, or the incessant talk, the whole thing, or just the atmosphere in the room that intoxicated her so much that she couldn't take a step.

"Mirajane?" She heard.

She jumped and looked at the lightning mage who was staring at her with amusement.

"Sorry…" She stammered.

He smiled. She swallowed. He could be so attractive when he smiled like that.

They sat down at the bar. The barman walked up to them, he greeted Laxus - who obviously knew him well - and exchanged some small talk with him. The latter seemed to know the surroundings as well. He leaned on the counter with ease, chatting with the boss as one would argue with a friend, relaxed. The mage noticed that, despite everything, he strummed nervously on the wood. Maybe he wasn't so laid back as he was trying to seem.

"What can I get you?" The bartender finally asked.

"Scotch." The blond answered without too much hesitation.

The waiter chuckled. Obviously not so surprised by his answer. He turned to Mirajane.

"Cosmopolitan?" She asked, a little shy.

"Coming right up." He replied with a warm smile that somehow reassured her.

She took a deep breath and turned to the dragon slayer who was watching the group on stage.

"Do you come here often?" She asked to get his attention.

"Often enough." He simply replied.

She remained silent. What was his angle? First, he was inviting her and now he was practically ignoring her? Slightly annoyed, she didn't bother to reopen the conversation and turned to the stage to see the group. It was obviously a rock band. She noted. She didn't expect much else from Laxus. He had always been a big rock fan and was not about to change. But that didn't bother her. On the contrary, she loved it almost as much as he did. The only difference being she didn't reject any other kind of music.

She remembered the time, soon after she joined the guild, when she used to join him at a table to ask him what he was listening to. Then he would suddenly put his headphones on her ears. Classic rock. Every time. That time, when she wasn't a brawler yet and he wasn't a self-centered bastard, hadn't lasted very long. Just a few months. A few months where they had come to an understanding. Until she confessed to him, and they both became distant, except to spar.

She blushed with embarrassment and looked back at him, who had been staring at her for a while. She looked at him as she took a sip from her drink. Trying to divert her attention from his piercing eyes that looked right through her, making her shiver.

"Do you plan on being silent the whole time?" He finally asked with a smirk.

Her eyes widened, having almost forgotten how much he could be irritating.

"Just waiting for you to start the conversation." She replied in the same tone.

"You're the chatty one, here."

Really irritating. At least he would be, if he wasn't absolutely cute when he looked over her slightly.

"If, by chatty, you mean a minimum social, then definitely more than you." She retorted, a provocative little flame in her eyes.

He gave a small amused chuckle but didn't answer. His so rare laugh became captivating. The demonic mage gasped when reality hit her. She was flirting with Laxus in a bar where he had probably taken her to get his way with her. She had decided to listen to her instincts but it reminded her too much of what she was dealing with. God knew how many girls he had introduced to that bartender.

"I'll be right back." She abruptly said as she stood up to walk towards the bathroom door.

She rushed into the room, locked the door and sat down on the toilet, shaking. What the hell was she going to do? Why was she still thinking about that? Her whole body was dying from the fire, but her mind couldn't bring herself to give in. Was it because she was reluctant to be on his list of conquests? Did she want more than that? What was that anyway? Her head was full with so many questions that she couldn't quite hear herself.

She finally gave a slight cry of annoyance, stopped, then looked up in concern that she had been heard. She looked down and uttered the words that had taken shape in her mind. I want to be somebody. When spoken, those words seemed to light up all his thoughts. She wanted to be someone for him. Not necessarily the one, but not one of his vulgar conquests that he would forget the next day either.

She left even more desperate than before. How was she supposed to be a little special in his eyes? She jumped when she passed the bartender who was arranging a few drinks. He looked at her with interest. There was innate sympathy in his dark eyes, and his smile was all that warm.

"You're also from Fairy Tail, right? Mirajane, is that it?" He suddenly asked.

She nodded, smiling, slightly embarrassed to be recognized like that. He held out her hand, she grabbed it. It was warm, reassuring.

"Sorry." He smiled. "I just arrived in town, but I watched the Grand Magic Games. You were awesome."

She was blushing now. He was cute. With his comforting eyes and his almost black hair and his dimple in the corner of his lip. He had a quiet, comfortable, but yet manly presence. She released his hand a little fast.

"Don't worry." He said. "It's just so rare to see Laxus with someone, so with a mage as famous as you..."

She suddenly looked up to him. Rare? Was she among the first to come?

"Really?" She said, hiding her surprise and her smile very badly.

He laughed.

"He actually always comes alone. And he comes often! I think he doesn't like company with his whiskey." He admitted.

She chuckled. Not very surprised by the lonely nature of the blond and at the same time surprised by it. She looked at him from afar, he seemed thoughtful. She was so eager to join him and at the same time terrified. Reassured by the man's words and panicked by the reality of the situation. She wanted to join him, get carried away and fully enjoy it. But at what cost? Unfortunately for her, her feet had already brought her to the counter and her everlasting impertinence took on the show.

"Admit it." She said to the blond while sitting down.

"Admit what?" He frowned.

"How much did you pay the bartender to make you look like a good guy." She went with an insolent smirk.

"I am a good guy in case you hadn't noticed, demon."

She gave him an inquiring glare.

"10 000 jewels and a stripper, why?" He replied sarcastically.

She giggled and took another sip, feeling the alcohol free her thoughts a little. She wandered her gaze over the lightning mage and swallowed hard as she passed over his collarbones which sank under his shirt. She looked up, realizing he could see her and would certainly make fun of her for it. He was still staring at her, without a hint of mockery but with consuming intensity.

The mage felt her whole body inflaming. She finished her drink in one sip and looked at him again, blushing and visibly sweating.

"You're okay?" He asked.

She nodded, trying to hide her shaking. He was close, too close. She had to prevent another shiver when she felt his fingers gently slide down her thigh. She looked at him. His golden eyes pierced hers and couldn't help but to twist her stomach. Why wasn't he trying anything? She felt her body getting carried by the music, the atmosphere and the warmth of his hand against her skin. She leaned closer and whispered:

"Do you mind if we get going?"

He stared at her, and she did not look away, trying to make her gaze as confident as possible but still failing to hide the turmoil and desire that drove her. Strangely, his was rather similar, he got up and looked at her again with burning eyes. She shuddered again and gave him a small casual smile before standing up and inviting him to follow her outside with a slight move of the head.


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