Parenthood

Chapter 9

"-get us a room," Laxus was saying as he walked down the road with two women he'd just picked up at the bar, an arm strewn around both. "Alright?"

"How come we never get to go home with you?" the redhead whined as she leaned against him.

Laxus was in full charm mode at that point and only turned his head towards hers, nuzzling it slightly.

"You don't wanna go to my place," he told her as the other took to staring up at his as well. "I- Mirajane?"

He came to a stop there on the mostly empty sidewalk as he saw someone on the other side of the street. The women looked over as well as Laxus dropped his arms from around them. Sure enough, there was, Nathan snuggled up in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other.

Leaving the women behind, he headed over there before she came to him.

"Hey, Laxus," she greeted as he moved to take the sack of groceries from her. "I didn't know that you were back in town."

"Got in this afternoon," he mumbled. "I was gonna check in with you soon, but-"

"I think your dates are getting jealous," Mira said simply as she shifted Nathan in her arms.

Laxus didn't even glance over there to see what she was talking about. "It's late. What are you-"

"It stormed all day and I didn't want to take him out in that. The storm only broke about an hour ago and I needed to get food and stuff." She held her arm out, waiting for her to give him the bag back. "Now-"

"I'll walk you home. I-"

"With your women tagging along? No thanks." She reached out to take the sack then. "I'm not going home anyways. Not to your home. Nate's been staying at my place since you've been gone."

"Oh."

"Mmmhmm. So… See you tomorrow? We'll be at my place if you want us." She smiled at him. "Say bye-bye, Nathan."

"Bye-bye," he yawned as he only snuggled closer to her.

Laxus felt funny as he headed back over to the two women he'd left over on the other side of the street. One, the dark headed one, was glaring at him, as if jealous, but the redhead was only staring at him in shock.

"Who was that?" she asked. "Laxus?"

Grunt. He didn't put his arm around them again. The moment was over. He just wanted to get down to it at that point.

"Come on," he grumbled, not looking at either of them. "And no more stupid questions."

He got a good use out of that room, but then, he always did. If he was paying for it, he was going to put it to good use.

"Where are you going?" one of the women asked him some time later when he left them there, on the bed, before getting up. "You're not staying tonight, Laxus?"

"I got shit to do," he grunted. "Room's paid off. Stay for all I care."

Once that was all done with, he forwent heading home, instead for another destination.

"Laxus?"

"Where's my kid?" he grumbled as he pushed Lisanna to the side before coming into the house.

"Sleeping," she said, making a face. "You know, you don't live here. If I tell Elf that you pushed me-"

"Your sister around?"

"In the-"

"Laxus?"

He frowned as Mirajane came out of doorways. Glancing in there, he found it to be the kitchen.

"Hey," he grumbled, coming closer. "I know it's late, but-"

"Nathan's asleep," she said, frowning as he came closer. "You-"

"Want me to wake up Elf, Mira?" Lisanna asked, scowling over at Laxus. She only grinned at her younger sister.

"No. Go to bed, Lisanna," she said. "You have the morning shift at the guild tomorrow, remember?"

Laxus got a cold stare from the youngest Strauss sibling as she headed out of the room, down the hallway that he assumed led to the bedrooms.

"Did you need something?" Mira asked Laxus as it was just them then in the dimly lit living room. "I was about to head off to bed. Honestly, I'm a little shocked that you even know where I live."

"Of course I do," he grumbled. "You've lived here for years, Mira."

"Yeah, but-" Then she stopped herself. "Why are you here? Did… Did you find someone to take Nate?"

"What? No." He shook his head, his hands finding their way into his pockets. Honestly, he didn't have a true reason for being there. He was just…he'd…

His hand brushed his wallet, which he immediately pulled out.

"I wanted to pay you," he said quickly. "For the week. I just got back from my job, so-"

"And you couldn't have tomorrow?" She wasn't going to make it easy for him. "Honesty, Laxus, it's late. And I just saw you, what? Four hours ago?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I mean, I know that you just slept with those women and probably got, what, a three hour and thirty minute nap in-"

"Mira," he warned.

"-but do you really have to bother me now? You couldn't have just stayed with them or go find some more to toy around with?" She gave him a look. "If you wanna pay me, go ahead. But I'm tired. You-"

Crying stopped them both from talking. With a frown, Mirajane headed out of the room.

"I'll be back, Laxus. He gets upset if he wakes up and no one's there," she sighed. "Just…sit on the couch. It'll only take a minute."

He glanced around, thinking about following her, but he never did like crying. Then he glanced over at the front door and thought about going right back out that, but still, that would only make things more awkward. So, slowly, he went to take a seat on the couch, per her suggestion.

"Hey. You."

He blinked. Then he glanced at the hall to see the big form of Elfman coming out.

"What are you doing here?" the muscular man grumbled. "Something wrong with Ever?"

"No," Laxus said, frowning. "Why would I come here if something was wrong with her?"

Elfman was into the room then, out of the shadows, and only blinked. Then he narrowed his eyes.

"Then why are you here?"

"Don't see it as any of your business," he grumbled. "So scram. I got business with the man of the house."

"I am the man of the house!"

"Please. You don't even pay the bills."

"You-"

"I mean, you might be the boy of the house-"

"I'm a man!"

"Hardly. You still live with your big sister. You're-"

"I'm more a man than you. I-"

"Elf, he's just riling you up," Laxus heard then as Mirajane walked out the hall as well, Nathan in her arms. "Which isn't nice, Laxus."

He only grunted as she came closer. "I just want to pay you and get out of here."

"I don't know why you came to begin with," she said. "Did you want me to go back with you or something? I didn't see it as a big deal where Nathan slept and spent his time. Without you in the apartment, I felt awkward being there, so I came home. I'm sorry."

He only got to his feet quickly. "I don't want you to come back with me. I only wanted to do like I said. Pay you."

"Well, do it, please, so I can go to bed." She bounced Nathan in her arms. When she saw that Laxus' gaze was elsewhere, she glanced over at her brother and made a face.

"Goodnight, Elf."

"But-"

"I'm talking business," she told him with a giggle. "Sorry we woke you."

He only narrowed his eyes at Laxus before turning to head back out of the room. Once he was gone, Mira addressed the man before her once more.

"Pay up, Dreyar."

He waited until Elfman was gone before taking a step closer to her. "How much do I owe you again?"

She noticed that he took his time too, when he was counting out the jewels a moment later, laying the bills in her waiting palm. Then he took to looking off.

"So you like keeping him over here better than you do my place?"

"It was just easier," she told him. "Now that you're back from your job, I'll take him back to your apartment tomorrow."

"Whatever." Turning to walk off then, he said, "I'll be asleep most tomorrow. So don't wake me up when you come in, demon."

She only giggled though. "Bye, Laxus."

After he was gone, she went to lock the door and turn out all the lights before carrying Nathan back to her bedroom.

"What did he want? Was it about before? When you said you saw him out with those women? Or what?"

"I said go to bed, Lisanna," Mira sighed as she came into her room. "Not wait up for me."

"Well? What did he want?" she asked, standing there in the darkness. "Did he-"

"Just to pay me," her older sister told her as she went to drop the sleeping boy in her arms on the bed, his stuffed animals still strewn around it. "That's all."

"Right. Pay you."

"Lisanna-"

"What did he say though, Mirajane? I mean-"

"I don't know, Lisanna. I thought it was weird too, alright?" She gave her sister a look. "But I assure you, whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me seeing him out with his dates."

"Dates. Yeah right." Lisanna looked up then, as if thinking. "Maybe he thought you were jealous? And came to smooth things over? I mean-"

"Jealous?" Mirajane was about done with her, honestly. "Why would I be jealous, Lisanna? And of what?"

"You know, it's like Lucy said that day," Lisanna went on. "You guys are kinda living together. Just not sleeping together. I mean, Mira, it can't be that hard to find someone to keep a child. He just wants you around and thought you seeing him in his element with those chicks would ruin everything. He-"

"Go to bed, Lisanna," she said as she went to lay down in her own bed. "And close the door on the way out."

"Mirajane-"

"Go." She huffed slightly. "Laxus is trying everything he can to get rid of Nathan and I'm only being helpful."

"It's been over a month, Mira. You-"

"Laxus isn't interested in me. And I'm not interested in him."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

"Then… Why don't you go out on a date, huh?"

"What?"

Lisanna only stood there, over her, arms crossed over her chest. "If you went out on a date with someone, then that would prove that you're not interested in him."

"No, Lisanna. I'm not… I don't want to date. I-"

"Because I know a few guys that-"

"Did you not hear me say no?" She shifted to face Nathan on the bed, giving her sister her back. "I wasn't dating before all of this anyways and I don't feel like starting again. It's a waste of time. Time that I don't have. So-"

"Or," Lisanna said slowly, "you just don't want Laxus to know that you're off the market."

"Lisanna-"

"What about the guy that you broke up with? You could give him another go."

"Did you ever think that I broke up with him for a reason? I mean come, Lisanna. Now you're just trying to-"

"I just want you to admit that you like being a part of Laxus harem."

"You are going to get it if you don't stop."

"You're kinda like the wife that just turns a blind eye to-"

"That's it." Mira pushed out of bed then, literally taking to shoving her little sister out of her room, much to the girl's protests. Elfman stuck his head out of his bedroom, staring at them in shock.

"Something going on?" he asked.

"Lisanna's going to bed and so are you. So stay out of my room. Both of you." She closed her door behind her. "Goodnight."

"What'd you do?" Elfman asked as Lisanna only stuck her tongue out at the closed door.

"I was just messing with you," she yelled at her sister from out in the hall. "Unless…do you really like him, Mira? Is that why you're-"

"Go to bed!"

Lisanna took to snickering as Elfman only closed his bedroom door. He did not want to get dragged down with Lisanna. No way. Being punished by Mirajane was one off the worst things in the world. Even worse than breaking a date with Ever.

A few days later had Mirajane right back into her old routine of spending all day at Laxus' apartment, taking care of his son, as he occasionally helped out, but mostly just moped around.

Until one day, as Laxus napped on the couch and she played her guitar softly for Nathan, there was a knock at the door.

Not even expecting Laxus to get up, Mirajane got to her feet before heading over to open it.

"Master," she greeted, excited to see him. "What-"

"Hello, Mirajane," he greeted. "I've come to see-"

"Fuck off, Gramps," they heard his grandson grumbled from his spot on the couch. "I'm sleepin'."

"And I don't care, Laxus."

Mira stepped aside, letting Makarov into the apartment, before closing the door behind him. "He was napping, Master."

"Hi," Nathan greeted before looking over at Mira and giggling. She smiled back at him, heading over to resume playing her guitar.

"I've come to see both of you, really," Makarov sighed as he took a look around. "I have found that though Kinana and Lisanna are both more than adequate, Mirajane, that having you at the bar is much more helpful. And-"

"She works for me," Laxus grumbled as he laid there, not even opening his eyes. "You can't come in here and poach her. You basically gave her to me."

"I did not. I-"

'You sent her home with me that day. What did you think? Huh?" Then he sneered, peeking and eye open. "She's mine now. So run along, Gramps."

"Behave," Mira told him to which Laxus only grunted and shut his eyes once more.

"Master," she said to Makarov who'd gone over to Nathan to look down at him. "I have to take care of Nathan. I'm sorry. I'll be back to work the second that Laxus finds a family-"

"Is this finding a family? Laying around and doing nothing?" Makarov shook his head at his grandson, but Laxus still didn't arise. "You are not doing the child justice, either of you, by having him grow accustom to you just so you can throw him away in the near future."

"What would you rather us do?" Mirajane asked. "We can't-"

"I would rather Laxus keep him."

Snort. "Yeah, right, Gramps. Like that's going to happen."

"It's happening right now," he argued. "And I can't not have Mirajane at the bar, Laxus, because you two want to play house. Whatever you wish to do on your free time is between the two of you, but-"

"Ew." Mira got to her feet once more as Laxus opened his eyes to glare at his grandfather. "Does everyone think that we're… Ew!"

"Don't act too disgusted, demon," Laxus grumbled as he sat up. "I'm way more of a catch than you anyhow."

"My point is," Makarov went on, "that the two of you are going to have to get another situation figured out. Lisanna's dropped five pitches and broken them just this week, Mira. And neither her nor Kinana get there before sunrise-"

"That's because they're not supposed to, Master," she sighed, bowing her head slightly though she was still a little upset about the whole playing house insinuation. "I just do so that I can clean up some around the place."

"That's why I need you, Mira. So please-"

"I'd have to bring Nathan," she said with a slight shrug. The little boy looked up at his name. "It's the only way. And only if it's okay with Laxus."

Grunt. He laid down again. "Like I want you here anyhow."

Makarov nodded then. "I'm fine with him being up there, I suppose. But only if you keep an eye on him."

"Of course."

"Then you can come in tonight?" he asked, hopeful. Mirajane hesitated, glancing at Laxus.

"Well, I still have to make dinner and the bathroom really needs to be-"

"But tell me again that the two of you aren't doing this for the fun of it," Makarov remarked before heading to the door. "Tomorrow then. Bright and early, yes?"

After the master left, Mirajane tried hard to get back into playing with Nathan, but it was tough. She kept glancing over at Laxus, who seemed oblivious to her stare. Or at least she though that he was.

"What?" the man growled eventually.

"Huh?"

"You keep looking at me," he told her. "Stop looking at me."

"I'm not looking at you."

"You are too."

"How do you know? Your eyes are shut."

"Which you wouldn't know unless you kept looking at me."

She let out a soft sigh as Nathan waited for her to get back to her guitar. Glancing fully over at Laxus, she said, "It's just… I think people think that we're acting inappropriately with one another."

"Inappropriately," he repeated slowly. "Like what?"

"Like…" She blushed. "Lisanna accused me of being a part of your…circle of women."

He opened his eyes for that one. Then he thought about it and shrugged, shifting onto his side so he was facing the back of the couch. "Do you wanna be?"

"W-What?"

"Do you?"

"No!"

"Then why do you care?"

"I-" She stopped herself. "Do you want me to be?"

"Do I want to get sex out of this? Mira, I want sex out of everything."

She was blushing so deeply then, but he didn't turn around to see it. He didn't need to.

"L-Laxus-"

"I'm not coming onto you or anything," he told her just as quickly. "I'm just saying."

"Well stop saying," she told him. "I don't…want to sleep with you."

"That's fine."

"No, Laxus, you don't get it," she said. "People think that we are."

"More the reason to go ahead and do it."

"Laxus-"

"What do you want me to say? Huh? If we start going into the guildhall yelling about how we're not, they'll all think that we're just trying to cover. So why even bother with it?" He yawned slightly. "Now be quiet. I'm going back to sleep."

"But-"

"Do you want to still work for me, Mirajane?" He paused. "'cause I can get someone else, if this is a problem."

"I just… I want this to all be resolved. Soon. Please."

"No problem," he said. "I'm working on it."

"Good."

They didn't speak to one another for awhile after that. It was during dinner, in fact, that they found themselves in an awkward silence as they sat across from one another at his tiny table, Nathan more than happy in his spot in Mirajane's lap. The two of them, however, weren't too thrilled.

"Your sister really asked you that?" he finally asked after sitting there in silence for awhile.

"Huh?"

"If we were…"

Mira let out a slow breath. "She said that I was part of your harem. That I just looked the other way when you-"

He choked on his food at that. "H-Harem?"

"That's basically what you have, yeah."

Reaching out to get his water glass, he said, "No, I don't. That makes it sound…sick. I just have some women that I know that like to sleep with me. Why is that a bad thing?"

"I'm not judging you," she said with a shrug. "I'm just making it very known that I am not a part of that."

"And I didn't say that you were. I-"

"But other people see it that way, Laxus. And I'm not… I don't sleep around." Then she blushed. "Or do any of those weird things that you do."

"What weird-"

"You know. Being with two girls at once. That's… I don't do that."

"I…" He was getting rather bothered by the conversation and really wished that he hadn't brought it up again. "Let's just forget it, alright?"

She shrugged slightly. "You're the one that-"

"I know."

"And then you basically told me that I could-"

"I was kidding," he grumbled.

"Oh, I know."

"What do you mean you know?"

Another shrug. "Just that…you know. All those girls are like…"

"Like what?"

'Laxus."

"What?"

"Just…"

Then he was finally able to look her in the eyes. "You're just as hot as any of 'em, demon."

"Stop it."

"No. You are. So just…" He shook his head, pushing away from the table. "I…"

Instead of finishing his sentence, he went off, out of the room, and she didn't call him back.

"That was the worst conversation ever," she mumbled to Nathan who only giggled, grinning up at her, before going back to his food. "Not that you noticed. Huh?"

Nope. Not at all. He started eating again with a grin.

When Laxus came back to the table, neither of them could look at one another and, well, it was probably just for the best. Mirajane figured starting the next day, she'd be back up at the guild and everyone would see that no, her and Laxus weren't doing anything with one another.

At all. Because that would just be…bleh. They would never workout. So…

So why couldn't she stop thinking about it?