A/N: Read, review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own fairy tail
Day 10
Laxus fingered his phone through his pocket, outlining its familiar curves over and over, fighting the urge to lift the fog of monotony and text Cana. He knew once he did there was no going back, that she would never forget it, and even if she did, she had concrete proof that he got bored without her antics. Plus there was the problem of his texting on the job not being particularly professional, but after all that Clive had put him through, surely he owed him a little leeway, especially since he'd be texting his charge.
No, he wouldn't text her.
He shouldn't text her.
Tomorrow she'll be back and he'd wish she was at home.
No, he won't text her.
OOO
Laxus stood next to his car fumbling with his keys in a vain attempt to avoid Mira. But, in some miracle she appeared right next to him, hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to walk me home again tonight." Mira asked innocently, but Laxus knew she was just trying to get him over to Cana's. After last night's not so subtle insinuations, he knew exactly what she was planning and he wanted no part of it.
"Sorry, I have a meeting with our manager early tomorrow morning and I can't be late." Laxus said, still unable to find the right key which was usually not a problem. "Maybe next time?" Laxus asked half-heartedly. Mira wasn't impressed, she pouted, snatching his keys from his hands, keeping him exactly where she wanted him.
"Now you listen here," Mira snapped, getting surprisingly angry very quickly, making him remember Cana's comment about how Mira could take him down, in this moment he didn't doubt it. "Cana's our friend and she's under a lot of stress right now and the least you can do is come and check on her." She snapped, holding his keys dangerously tight- was it possible for her to bend them?
"Cana is your friend so you go check on her, I'm just her body guard." Laxus replied, determined not to get dragged all the way over there after such an exhaustingly boring night. "I don't see why I have to go over there! Now can you please give me back my keys so I can go home and get some sleep." He said, hoping that it would be that easy, but alas, he was wrong.
"If that were true you wouldn't have stayed at her place last night." She countered, eyebrows raised in challenge.
"I was there for an hour! And you left pretty much as soon as we got there! How is that checking up on her?" Laxus asked but regretted it instantly as her eyes widened almost in sync with her stance, like she was about to slap him, but thankfully she didn't. Laxus regretted that the longer this conversation went on, the less chance he would have of ever having some kind of un-Cana related relationship with her, but he'd be damned if he was giving in now.
"For whatever reason, Cana has fun when she's hanging around you so you better suck it up because tonight we are going to her apartment and making sure she's ok." She said before turning on her heel and walking down the street, his keys still firmly in her hand. He considered calling out to her, demanding she return but he had a feeling she would only ignore him, or worse-throw his keys somewhere it would take hours to find. So, beaten, he trudged unhappily behind her down the now familiar streets in furious silence. By the time they past the fake apartment building they were side by side, Mira now with an excited bounce in her step was almost comical next to Laxus' irritated shuffle. They reached the door, Mira knocked and Laxus silently hoped that she was asleep but once again she was talking to someone.
"Are you expecting someone?" a masculine voice asked, and there were sounds of shuffling.
"It's just Mira saying goodnight, if you could give me a second, I'll be right back." Cana said followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. The door swung open hastily and there was Cana in a formal looking purple blouse and tight knee length grey skirt, her usual perfect makeup taking centre stage with her hair braided to one side. Laxus liked this professional look on her better but he couldn't say that of course. He offered her an apologetic smile but was greeted with a panicked glare. Cana stepped out into the hallway, closing the door partly behind her to limit their view of her guest.
"What are you two doing here?!" Cana whispered quietly, glaring at Mira who was almost certainly behind it. Mira placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, obviously unimpressed with the cold welcome.
"We came to check on you, you sounded stressed on the phone earlier- I was worried about you!" Mira exclaimed, making no attempt to conceal her voice which only provoked Cana more.
"You should have called first! I told you I was going to be busy tonight!" Cana snapped before turning to Laxus who had his palm outstretched towards Mira, smugly waiting for his keys. "And you? What are you doing here? What was the point of me giving you my number if you don't use it to text me?!" she snapped, her question answered as Mira reluctantly returned the jingling metal. "Mira?!" Cana reprimanded, exasperated and stress quickly building. But before she could snap anything further the door creaked open revealing a sandy haired man in a perfectly pressed suit, Laxus noticed his perfectly manicured nails as he grasped Cana's arm inquisitively.
"Is something wrong Cana?" he asked, a concerned tone leading to his perfectly shaped eyebrows creasing slightly. He looked up, greeting Mira with an overly sincere and to Laxus he quickly concealed his surprise and offered his hand for a handshake.
"Hello Hibiki..." Mira said dryly, looking at his outstretched hand with distaste. Cana shot her a desperate warning look. Hibiki ignored Mira's attitude and turned back to Cana, trying to put her at ease with a glowing smile that made Laxus' stomach lurch.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Hibiki asked, and when Cana paused he merely patiently waited.
"Hibiki, this is my friend Laxus, he works at Guildarts' club as a bouncer, Laxus this is the friend I was telling you about, Hibiki." Cana said, giving lots of nervous smiles. Laxus knew how important Hibiki's support was to her business, keeping him happy was obviously her priority so he decided the fastest way of getting out of there was some platitudes, providing Mira kept her mouth shut.
"Cana's told me a lot about you," Laxus offered, "she told me how grateful she's been for your help the last couple of days." This seemed to satisfy Hibiki who gave Cana's arm a gentle squeeze.
"What are friends for?" he asked rhetorically, "I'm sorry that I'm going to have to steal her away but we really do have a lot of work to do." He said, his apology more of a warning. "I'll give you a moment." He said, giving her arm one final squeeze before retreating back into her apartment. As soon as he was out of sight Mira aggressively grabbed Cana's arm, forcing her back out into the hall.
"What is he doing at your place at 3 in the morning?! Please tell me you're not sleeping with Hibiki again?!" Mira demanded, which was Laxus' que to leave, with a backwards wave he headed back towards the lift. Cana shrugged her off, giving her a glare.
"No I'm not, we are just working. And even if we were it would be none of your business!" she snapped back, sprinting over to Laxus who was now boarding the elevator. "Wait a sec!" she panted, Laxus pushing the re-open button at the last second. She grinned which he found himself mirroring, finger holing down the button.
"I'm sorry about Mira, and all this drama…" she said, though her mischievous grin showed no apology. "I'm guessing this is the most hectic first two weeks you've had on a job, huh?" she asked.
"Nah, but it's pretty close." He replied with a chuckle.
"You'll have to tell me about it tonight." She said with a wink, sauntering off towards her apartment before he could object.
So she would be at the club tonight….
