Parenthood

Chapter 13

"We need to talk."

Laxus only laid there, on the couch, arms behind his head, not moving in the slightest. "Talk."

"Now, Laxus. Get up."

"Mirajane-"

"No. Sit up and look at me."

She sounded serious. Sitting up, he saw her go and put his son in his playpen before coming back over to him with her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I thought you were going to the market?"

"Oh, I was. And I did. But then-"

"Did you not get my bacon like I asked? Because this morning's breakfast was remiss without it."

"No games," she said, glaring so heavily at him that he had to sit to attention. "What have you been telling people about us?"

"What are you-"

"What, Laxus?"

"Nothing! I-"

"Then how come I was just walking down the street when I ran into two women who were very intent on making me feel-"

"What are their names?' He stood at that, frowning slightly. "I'll take care of it. What-"

"You're missing the point."

"The point? The point is that they think it's okay to bother you," he grumbled, his gaze turning dark. "I told all of them to-"

"So you did tell people that we were together."

"No," he said then, frowning. "Just that…well… The two of us have been taking Nathan out a lot recently, together, and people see us together and I only… I mean, Mira, what do you want me to say?"

"I'm only babysitting. I-"

"If that were true, you wouldn't need to be around when I am," he said before sighing. "I just told them that you were looking after the kid and that you were… That you weren't one of them. That you were above them. And that if anyone-"

"Great. Great, Laxus. So what? They think I'm your girlfriend?"

"I don't know. What difference does it make? You're not, so-"

"So I don't like women that I don't know coming up to me and making fun of me, Laxus," she said, her arms finding there way across her chest. "They were laughing and being rude, talking about how I was raising that other woman's baby and ooh, aren't I so desperate? When they can have you whenever they want, but here I was, having to-"

"I'll take care of it."

"No, Laxus, I-"

"Mirajane." He was staring down at her then, reaching up to grab her chin and tilt it back. When he had her eyes, he said simply, "I'll take care of it."

She sniffled. "I'm not a whore."

"I know." Letting her go then, he patted her on the head before saying, "If you tell me who they were, I'll go deal with it."

"I don't know, Laxus. I've never seen them before."

He gave her a long look before nodding slightly. "I have to go out anyhow. I was just waiting for you to see if you wanted to come with- But you don't know, do you?"

"No."

"Alright. That's fine." He turned then to go and get his boots as well as his coat. "I'll see you then. Tonight?"

"Sure."

After he took off though, Mirajane felt even worse. It was one thing for the people at the guild to giggle or joke about it, but did people really think that she was…what? The woman that was so desperate to be with Laxus Dreyar that she would let him run around on her as she raised a child he had with another woman?

And more important, was that what she was?

"No," she reminded herself as she went to free Nate from his prison. "He's paying me."

That relieved her for only a moment, because just as quickly she thought wasn't that worse? And wasn't it? So he was paying her to…to…what? Play house with him? Wasn't that what Master said?

But on the other hand, she really liked Nathan. A lot. She thought that he was great. And yeah, she told Laxus and everyone else that she would treat any child the same way, but she questioned herself at times. Was she getting a little bit too into her role?

It wasn't until she was, once again, snooping through his mail that she found something.

"Unbelievable," she whispered as she stared down at all the letters. "I can't believe… How could he?"

Needless to say, when Laxus got home, it wasn't to a woman ready to make him dinner and then play him guitar. No. Instead it was to Nathan already in bed and Mirajane standing with the bag of her stuff, guitar in hand.

"I can't stay here anymore," was the first thing out of her mouth. "And I don't know what you thought was going on, Laxus, but it's not."

"What are you talking about?" He frowned, shutting the door behind him. "I thought we already went over-"

"I read your letters, Laxus, that came in. The ones that you were sending out." She only corssed her arms. "How long have the families that you hit up in the beginning been asking about Nathan?"

"What?" He moved to unhook his headphones. "Mirajane-"

"I read at least three saying that they were ready to take him and asking you to bring him. At least. And I saw a letter you had begun to write to another one stating that he'd already been placed. So what-"

"You were going through my shit?"

"Don't try and make me into the bad guy, Laxus. You-"

"No, Mira," he growled, stalking over to her. "You are not allowed to do that. Just go through my shit or whatever? What, you think that's cool? You little-"

"You've been lying to me, Laxus. You've been wasting my time. What don't you get about that?" She was glaring at him. "What is it? Huh? Funny to you? To have me wasting my time here, doing nothing, but take care of one of your kids? Do you make fun of me with your stupid bodyguards? Do you-"

"You shouldn't go through my-"

"I'm leaving. Ask one of those families to take him. I'll bring him there myself. But I am done playing-"

"Mirajane-"

"No, Laxus. You-"

He grabbed her arm when she tried to get by him. Staring into her eyes, he said, "Fuck, Mira. It's not a game, alright? It's… I want you here, stupid."

"I'm not st-"

"I know." He let her go when she jerked against his hold. "I'm just… I wanted you here, alright? That's why I've been… And you wouldn't stay if Nathan wasn't here. And I know that's wrong. I was going to give him up eventually. But I didn't…"

"So what? You want a maid? You-"

"I want you, demon," he growled then. "What don't you get about that?"

"L-Laxus-"

"I want… I don't know what I want, Mirajane. All I know is that these past few weeks have been…" He set his face then, turning it from her shocked one. "Just go. I'll pick one of the families and have him gone by tomorrow."

"Laxus-"

"What part of go don't you get? Huh?" He was growling then, eyes shading over. Stalking away, he said, "Get the fuck out of here. Stupid bitch."

Mira only stood there for a minute, staring at him, before shaking her head. "I don't know why I even ever tried to help you. Good luck, Laxus. And don't ever ask me for a thing again."

He wanted to break things after the door shut and she was left. He wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to hurt himself.

Instead, Laxus only went to collapse on the couch, trying to use his music to blare it all out. It didn't work. It wasn't that same.

It must have been an hour or more that he just laid there, miserable in his own lies and partially angry with Mira for, one, not trusting him and for two, going as far as to dig through his letters.

But maybe…maybe he wanted to get caught? Somewhere in his subconscious? Because…why else would he have been so careless/

And really, could he be that mad? He had been lying to her for one. And for two, he had left them right in her view. She wouldn't have had to dig through that much stuff. Just poke around a little, which of course he knew she'd do. She always did.

Perhaps it was himself that he was most upset with, for ruining it. Not like it could have gone on forever. He was just hoping for a few more weeks. A couple more days. Even a few more hours.

Why did his whole life have to suck? Huh?

"-do this to me? I mean, he's always a dick, but to do this?"

Lisanna only sat in Mira's bed with her, trying to comfort her. It was odd though, almost like a role reversal, as it was usually Mirajane trying to get her back to normal after a meltdown. Mira was usually so well put together around her.

"But didn't you hear what he said, Mira? What you told me he said? That he wanted you there. So that means-"

"So what, Lisanna? He wants to sleep with me? And have me keep house for him? And take care of his baby?"

"Well-"

"That's exactly what I don't want."

"I don't understand."

Mirajane sniffled, looking up from the pillow her face had just been buried in.

"I don't do that, Lisanna. If I'm with a guy, then I'm the only one that gets to be with him," she said. "But he won't be like that."

"How do you-"

"He came home after spending time with another one of those women," Mira sobbed, moving to press her head into the pillow again. "That's all he'll ever want."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. And he was holding poor Nathan hostage. Using him against me. Now I'll never get to see him again!"

"Mirajane-"

"It's not fair, Lisanna," she said. 'I mean, I love him. Nathan. I really do. He's…"

"I know."

"And I've been taking care of him for awhile now. He really cares about me too," she went on. "I sang him his favorite songs tonight, to put him to sleep. But he didn't want to. He just wanted me to keep snuggling him and…and… He's going to forget all about me!"

"Isn't that what you want, Mira/ I thought-"

"I do," she said. "But it still makes me sad. I mean… I can't be his mother. I just can't. And I don't want to be. Not really. But the thought of him without me makes me cry."

"But why can't you?"

She sniffled some more. "What do you mean?"

"What if you take him? From Laxus? And we can raise him. Me, you, and Elf!"

"Lisanna-"

"We raised each other," she insisted. "So therefore, we could no doubt raise him. And what's the worst Laxus can say? No? He won't. He'll just want to get him off his hands now that he can't use him to get at you."

"Yeah, but-"

"We can, Mira. Me and you. We'll work it out. You're practically taking care of him all on your own now. And he'll love it here. I mean, he already likes you. And his crib can go in your room until he's ready for a bed. And by then, Elf should be moved in with Evergreen."

"For some reason, I doubt that."

"Then he'll sleep in the same room as me. In his own little bed. Or with you. You never have men over anyways."

"Thanks for that."

"Mirajane," Lisanna said, staring so hard at her that she had to lift her head again. "We can do this. We can have a baby."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. And if his mother ever comes back, she can have him, but Laxus…"

"I really thought he was different," Mira told her sister as tears stilled in her eyes. "Now. That he'd change. But every time I gave him the chance to show me that, every time I gave him an opportunity to show that he'd grown up some, he'd mention something or do something that showed that he didn't. That proved that he wasn't any better. He's just a sleazy, disgusting man that's going to die alone and never rightly figure out why."

Then Lisanna started crying, making Mirajane frown.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm going to die alone too," she sobbed as then, the roles were back in their proper places as Mirajane moved to wrap her arms around her sister. "No one even likes me. I mean, I'm in a guild with a bunch of pervy guys and none of them even hit on me. And then Natsu and Lucy are… I'm not compatible even for the guy that I've loved my whole life?"

"Lisanna," Mirajane groaned. "It's not like your fifty. Your life hasn't been that long."

"But it has. And it's sucked. No one wants me, Mira and I-" Then she stopped herself. "I mean, well… It's not like your situation is any better. Laxus Dreyar wants you. And that's just-"

"Let's just sleep tonight, huh?" Mira asked then, her eyes still swollen from crying. "And maybe things will look better in the morning."

"It's doubtful," Lisanna mumbled, not moving to get out of bed. That wasn't wholly unusual for either of them though as typically, when she was having a breakdown, they'd fall asleep after staying up talking all night. She figured the same would be said for Mirajane's little tantrum.

Mira only snuggled her closer. "I have to get down to Laxus' place in the morning early. Or else he might get on a train and try to take of with Nathan."

"No way," her sister said through a sniffle of her own then. "He's our baby now. Right?"

"Right."

"Wonder where boss had to go," Bickslow said as he sat on the couch, his babies dashing around, inspecting their surroundings.

"I do not know," Freed said as he stood over the playpen of the small child, who was still sleeping. Laxus had called them both there by use of his communication lacrima, claming that he needed them to watch the child. "I also wonder what happened to Mirajane. She has been his childcare provider from the start. Why-"

"Maybe they got into a fight."

"Hmm. It is possible, of course."

They were still there too, when around seven that morning, Nathan woke up. And immediately began crying.

"What are we supposed to do with him?" Bickslow asked.

"I don't know," Freed said as he moved to lift the child into his arms. "Shouldn't you?"

"Why would I-"

"You are the one with babies."

"They're wooden, dude!"

They went through diaper change, tried feeidng him, but nothing. And then, about the time that Laxus arrived back up, the child began throwing up.

"I leave you knuckleheads alone with him for a few hours-"

"We didn't do anything, boss!"

"I am so sorry, Laxus. Do with us what you see fit."

But he didn't even think about them. Nathan felt a little warm and, according to them, had been screaming his lungs out for the past hour or so. That didn't sound good at all.

So that was his excuse, if one wanted to call it that, for banging on the Strauss house that morning. He'd have found one anyways, though.

"What are you do-"

"He's throwing up and crying and Bickslow and Freed think he's sick, but I just-"

Mirajane frowned, staring at a panicked Laxus on her doorstep. "Well, come in, but-"

"What if he has what I had? What if-"

"Let me see." Without even a thought, Mirajane took the snot covered child into her arms. It wasn't instant, but nearly so as his crying shut off just like that. "There you go. Did you just miss me?"

Yes. Nathan laid miserably against her, almost giving out then. He'd woken up to Mira every day for over a month and suddenly, she thought that she could just disappear on him?

"Well," Mira said slowly, looking back at the man on her doorstep whose hair was a mess and eyes were wide with concern. "Come in, I guess, Laxus. We need to talk any-"

"Is he okay?" He'd forgotten then all about what he'd spent the morning doing. "If something's wrong with him, Mirajane, tell me now. I-"

"I'm no doctor, Laxus, but I think he'd just worked himself up when he couldn't find me," she said, turning to walk further into the house. "And all that crying probably made him spit up little bit. Has he eaten?"

"Bickslow and Freed said that they couldn't get him to."

"Shhh, Nathan. I'm here," Mira sighed as she carried the toddler with her into the kitchen. "It's okay."

Elfman and Lisanna were already up, both of them, her seated on one of the counters and him over at the stove, shirtless as he made pancakes.

"What are you doing here?" Lisanna grumbled, crossing her arms. "Did you come to hand over our baby?"

"Lisanna-"

"What are you talking about?" Laxus grumbled, cutting Mira off. "He's sick, so I brought him to Mirajane."

"Yeah, well, you might as well just leave then," Lisanna told him. "We're keeping him. Elf'll go get his things later."

"Elf will what now?" her older brother asked, glancing around. "Something seems fishy around here. You guys all know more than me, don't you? You guys are just like Ever. She never tells me anything. Even-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Laxus looked to Mira then. "What's she-"

"Me and Lisanna want him," she told him then as she sat with Nathan in her lap. "So you don't have to-"

"No. No way. You-"

"You don't want him, Laxus,," Lisanna said, jumping off the counter. "And we do. So just get out. And if you ever make our sister cry again, we'll-"

"He what?"

"Elf," Mira groaned.

"I'll kill you," Elfman growled then, leaving the fry pan to go over to Laxus. He wasn't paying attention to Lisanna or Elfman though. Only Mirajane.

"This is true then? You want him?" he asked.

"If that's an option, yes, Laxus. I want him. I… He won't have to know that you're his father. I'll tell him that he's dead or that he left me. Whatever you want. But I just… I love him."

"Mira," Nathan said then, reaching up to pat at her. She only kept her eyes on his father though.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Mira," the little boy tried again. Still, he got nothing.

"Then why can't you do that with me, Mira? Why can't-"

"It doesn't work that way, Laxus."

"But why not? Huh? Why-"

"It just doesn't." She finally glanced down at Nathan. "Now, if you don't want me to have him, that's something we can discuss. But as far as him being sick, I don't think so. I think he just missed me. He probably-"

And then he did it. Just like that, instead of just spitting up or something, the child literally threw up. Pretty big too. He must have eaten a little of what Bickslow and Freed tried to give him at least, because yuck. Little kids were nasty.

"Ooh," Mira said as it got all over her dress. "Nathan."

He started crying again, almost immediately.

"Lisanna, can you-"

"No way," she said with a frown. "That's gross."

"Weren't you the one that was all gung-ho about us raising a baby together?"

"Not a disgusting one."

Laxus finally came over to pick up his son, though he too only held him at arms length.

"Maybe it's dying."

"Laxus," she complained as Elf came over with a dish rag to help her clean off. "He's sick. We have to take him to Porlyusica. Just let me change first."

"I'll go," Lisanna said. "I-"

"No," Mira told her with a frown. "You lost your chance."

Laxus only took to staring at his son who was crying loudly once more. As Mira rushed off to go get cleaned up so they could head out, Laxus only took him over to the sink, to wash him off.

"Maybe you're not so bad, kid," he grumbled softly as Lisanna went to help her sister and Elfman went back to his pancakes. "At the very least, we seem to be on the same side."

"Are you talking to the baby?" Elfman frowned over at him. "Laxus?"

"Shut up, Elfboy," he grumbled as Nathan only called out for Mira once more. "You don't get it. And you never will."

"Ever says that to me about a lot of things too," he sighed.

When Mirajane returned, she took Nathan in her arms and took to comforting him as they headed out. Laxus felt rather awkward around her, as she'd more or less go from yelling at him and being mad at him for keeping the kid to wanting him for himself.

Women were confusing. And demons even more so.