Parenthood

Chapter 27

"Missed you."

Laxus stopped for a second as he entered the apartment before shaking his head.

"You up late, demon?"

"Mmmm. Just didn't wanna go to bed alone again tonight," she sighed as he came over to the couch, where she was stretched out and trying to sleep. "Didn't know you'd be back tonight."

"Finished up early."

She hummed as he dropped his bag to the ground in front of the couch before letting his coat fall from his shoulders. Just as quickly, it was laid over Mirajane in place of a blanket.

"I'll come and get you in a minute," he told her then before heading off, to the kitchen, to find something quick to eat. Just as quickly he was in the shower, washing away the past few days. Jobs used to be fun for him. Recently, they just meant, at first, escaping Mirajane's craziness, but far too soon spent missing her and Nate.

He was turning soft.

Maybe it was having the kid?

"No," he grumbled as he stood under the spray of the shower, not moving as he stared down at himself. That wasn't right. Having him hadn't changed Ivan. Babies didn't change men.

Had he always been soft?

"Wrong again," he sighed, the dirt and grim rinsing easily from his hair and body. There was no way it was that. He had, at one time, been the most hardcore guy around. What had happened?

"I couldn't wait."

He didn't even look up as, suddenly, the curtain to the shower was pulled back and Mirajane stepped in behind him. Didn't take stock of her body. Didn't need to. It was burned into his memory already.

"You stink, Laxus." She took to pressing up against his back, tossing her arms around his middle, and hugging the life out of him.

Was it the woman?

"You're hardly getting any water, demon," he sighed, shifting as best he could then in the cramped space to let her stand in front of him. "Don't get cold on my account."

It was the woman.

"Mmmm. Me and Nate were gonna bake a cake tomorrow. I thought for sure that was when you'd get home," Mirajane said as Laxus only grabbed the bar of soap, taking to washing her before himself. Always her first. "It's just too quiet around here without you. You know?"

Grunt.

He wouldn't even have anything to do with the kid if it wasn't for her. She was the one that made him care. She might not have given birth to the boy, but she certainly had been the one that had forced him into Laxus life.

He owed her. He owed her big.

"He'll be so happy, you know? When he wakes up in the morning to see you. Maybe you can make him those pancakes that he likes? The ones that you make for him?"

"I just put chocolate chips in 'em."

"Well, he thinks that they're special," Mira reasoned. "Ooh, I just can't wait! He gets so sad when you're not there."

"No," Laxus told her, tone even. "He just gets annoyed that I'm not there to bother. It's you that he'd hate to see gone. Even for a day."

"What he feels for me doesn't have anything to do with you, Laxus," Mirajane said, glancing over her shoulder at him. "You can't compare the two. I'm awesome and you're…you."

"Mira-"

"He loves us both. Why do we have to constantly compare the two?"

"We don't."

She giggled some. "I almost want to wake him up right now and tell him that you're home. Do you think we can? And let him sleep in bed with us? I mean, these days won't last forever, Laxus, that he can. We should-"

"Tonight, demon," he began, moving to set the soap back down before gently resting a hand on her shoulder until she turned around, "I get you. He has you all the time. I never get you anymore."

"I think I balance things pretty well."

"I don't."

"Awe, Laxus." She was picking up the soap then, tugging at one of his arms as well so he stepped closer. As she began to scrub tenderly at his chest with the soap, she watched the resulting suds with interest. "Do I not give you enough attention?"

He didn't like it when she talked to him like a child. "Mira-"

"It's okay. You don't have to go getting all jealous. Especially over a toddler."

"I'm not jealous."

"Mmmm." She raised her eyes then, but not her head, locking irises with him as her bangs practically covered hers. He liked her with her bangs down. It made her look…there wasn't a word strong enough for it. "Fine. But in the morning, I want you to get up early and make him pancakes. And I want to be there when he gets to see that you're home. Deal?"

Bowing his head, he rested it against hers. "Not so sure about making deals with a demon."

"Well," she said slowly as she only turned her head from his and went back to washing his chest. He had a tendency to get muddy and then not washing off for days. She had to get each and every inch of him with some soap or else, well, he'd just stay nasty. She didn't want that. After all, they did share a bed together. "The way I see it, you have two choices?"

"Oh?"

She nodded slightly. "You take the deal and things turn out okay-"

"Like that idea."

"Or you refuse it and the demon destroys you and all you care about."

"Huh."

"Mmmhmm."

"But what if," he asked then, reaching out to take her chin in his hand and tilt it up. When he had her eyes, he began again. "What if the demon is one of the things I care about?"

She blinked. Then she shook her head free of his hand before saying, "I dunno. Quite the conundrum."

"You can see how a silly little dragon could get confused by this."

"Well," Mirajane said slowly. "I think that you should just go ahead and accept the deal."

"Do you now?"

"So we don't have to sort out the mess if you happen to not."

That time when he bowed his head, it was to press kiss to her forehead, having to do so against her wet bangs.

"Jokes on you, demon," he whispered as she only leaned forwards to escape him, resting her head against his chest. "The dragon was going to accept from the start."

"Bigger joke on you," she whispered against his flesh. "The demon was going to make you do all of those things whether you agreed or not."

"I figured."

"Did you?"

"Uh-huh."

So, Laxus decided, even if the woman had changed him, so be it. Everything had been for the better after all.

And besides, who can change a man, but a woman? No one. At all.

"So what are we going to do today?"

"I dunno," Mira sighed as she sat at the tiny breakfast table, Nathan in her lap as he scarfed down his pancakes with gusto. "What do you wanna do?"

"Well," Laxus said s he stood over at the stove, still making his and Mira's pancakes (it was out of the question to ask Nate to wait for them, completely). "I was thinking if you didn't have to work-"

"I don't."

"That we could go out and do something."

"The two of us? Or the three?"

"Either or," he said with a slight shrug. "Makes little difference to me. We can take the kid somewhere fun, if you want."

"You wanna go somewhere, Nate?" Mirajane asked, glancing down at the three year old in her lap. "Huh?"

"Go train. Choo choo."

"Of course he wants that," Laxus grumbled as Mirajane only giggled. "Every time we ask if he wants to go somewhere, he thinks that means we're going on a dang train."

"Ride train," Nathan told them, looking up at his father with his syrup covered face, as if excited. "Go choo choo. Yes? Laxus?"

"I dunno, buddy. I-"

"What if we make it a short ride?" Mirajane asked. "And we go just a few towns over. And we can eat dinner somewhere nice. I've been working on taking him out in public. He's becoming quite the little gentleman."

Laxus looked over at her little gentleman then to find him picking his nose. "I bet."

"Nate," Mirajane complained when she noticed to which the little boy only giggle and went back to eating. "Well, he knows he's at home right now. Besides, Laxus, you do some pretty disgusting stuff too."

"Like wh-"

"You burp a lot, you pass gas, you walk around in your boxers-"

"One, I drink a lot. It happens. Two, you're the one that feeds me things that make that happen. And three, I'm seducing you, babe. You're just not too receptive."

That got an eye roll.

"My point, Lax, is that he's picking up all his habits from you."

"No way. He mimics you more than me," he grumbled. "He likes playing house and making me pretend food and shit. If I had wanted a daughter-"

"Laxus."

"What?"

"That's not nice. And I know that you're joking, but really, just don- Nathan! You don't do that either."

He only ignored Mirajane as he continued to lick his plate clean, trying to get up all the syrup he could. It was the best part. Laxus only shook his head when he saw him.

"You're all sticky now, buddy," he said. "And Mira and I still have to eat, so we can't clean you just yet."

"Here." Mirajane stood up, setting the boy on the ground first, before going to get a washcloth and wet it. "This will have to do until your bath."

Nathan hated when Mira scrubbed at him with washcloths. Or when she would spit, sometimes, on her finger and rub at dirt or other stains. It was annoying. Who did she think she was? Huh? Huh?

Oh yeah. She was Mira. She could do anything she wanted.

Anything.

As far as he was concerned at least.

"Mira." He patted her chest as she sat on her knees in front of him, washing all the stickiness off. "Go see Elf?"

"Not today, baby," she sighed, taking each of his hands and washing them off too. "Maybe tomorrow, huh?"

"See Na'su?"

"Nope. Not him either. It's just you, me, and Daddy today."

"Daddy," he repeated before giggling. "Mira. Nate."

"That's right."

"Love you."

"I love you too, baby. But I love you so much more when you're all clean."

"Go fish?"

"Now you wanna fish?" Laxus grumbled. "What happened to riding on the train?"

"Go train! Choo choo. Huh, Laxus?"

"Daddy," Mira corrected. "Don't call him Laxus. Remember?"

"Huh, Daddy?" Nathan looked over at him. "Ride train?"

"Yeah," he grumbled as Mirajane only finished cleaning the boy off and, after giving him a kiss to the cheek, got to her feet once more. "We can, I guess, buddy. But just know that I'm going to hate every minute of it."

That was fine with Nathan as he only marched off to the living room to go find some of his toy cars so he could play with them in the kitchen. He liked rolling them into Laxus' feet and making him complain.

He complained a lot.

Laxus was such a baby.

With a sigh, Mira went to sit back down at the table. "Can you think of anything else to do today, Laxus? If we're not going anywhere until tonight, then did you wanna just stick around here?"

"We can," he said. "I just want to rest."

"Yeah, that happens in guys your age."

"Ha ha." Over he giggles, he added, "But I know how much you hate it."

"What? You're age?"

"Mirajane."

"What?"

"I meant how much you hate sitting around and doing nothing," he said, glancing over at her. "I mean, you get up before dawn usually and have your day packed of things to do. Can you just sit around the house all day today? And then not even make dinner. Have to go out and eat?"

"I think I can," Mira told him with a slight smile. "Although there is one thing that me and you need to discuss."

"And that is?"

"You know," she said as, finally finished with her pancakes, he came to bring her plate to her. She gave him a kiss when he leaned down for one before saying, "About my dog."

"Oh, you have a dog now, demon?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Even though before it was just a-"

"And he needs a home, Lax. With his mommy."

"Mirajane-"

"You like being Nate's daddy so much. You can do it again. Please? He loves you."

"Mira, the apartment is already cramped with all your stuff in it. How do you expect-"

"He won't take up much room. Honest."

"And he's wild, Mirajane," Laxus went on as he started on his own breakfast. He always came last for his boy and woman. Always. "He likes to be outdoors. Where he can run and chase things. And hopefully get hit by a train."

"Laxus."

"Well."

"And your lease here is coming up," she pointed out. "So-"

"We're not moving again, demon. Not for at least another year."

"Laxus-"

"No." He usually let her make all the major decisions or would only give a little resistance, but she heard it in his tone as well as read it in the look he gave her over his shoulder. "I am not moving again. And neither is Nate. You're going to make do here for awhile."

She was planning on pouting for a minute or two about that before she suddenly remembered what the original conversation had been about. Mira knew, too, right then, that she had won. As there was no way that he'd turn her down for two requests in one day.

"So about my dog-"

"Yes, Mira, you can get your stupid dog in here. If the super allows it."

"Oh, I already asked."

"Of course you did," he sighed. "But Mira, you're going to be the one to take him out and make sure that he doesn't rip into things. And I don't want to hear it if he dies or something. No tears or any of that. It's an animal. Not a human."

"You sure are talking a lot of noise for a man that about had a heart attack because his three year old cut his knee."

"There was a lot of blood!"

"Uh-huh."

"And when are you going to stop bringing that-"

"I go potty."

They both frowned as Nathan jumped up then from the floor before marching off to the bathroom. With a sigh, Mira left her food and went to go make sure that everything turned out okay.

More frequently than not, it didn't.

"What am I going to do with a fucking dog?" Laxus grumbled to himself when he was alone in the kitchen. Then, after a moment, a thought accorded to him. "Although…the others got damn cats. My dog'll eat 'em alive!"

Which was great, because he had a feeling Mirajane would have been bringing that dog into the house whether he told her she could or not.

But they weren't moving. He was putting his foot down on that one. And even Satan Soul couldn't move it.

"Can't believe I actually caught you at home," Elfman sighed as he stretched out on her couch, Evergreen laying against his chest. He had just arrived back in Magnolia a few hours ago. He and Lisanna had been gone for a full two weeks on some job a good ways away, per his younger sister's request. Not that he minded. It gave him a chance to get Lisanna away from stupid Bickslow.

Had he mentioned that he didn't like the two of them together?

"We're not together, Elf," Lisanna had groaned about a thousand times on the trip. "Seriously. You're making this all into something that it's not."

He couldn't help it though. Fine, Elfman had dropped the ball on Mirajane. He felt bad for her, bad for himself, after Lisanna had, well, not died, but in their mind had, and had allowed Mira to date whoever she wished. Let her do those nasty modeling shoots where guys…they…

Ugh! Things were so much easier when they lived back in their village, where he'd have been able to find her a real man to take care of her. Instead he was stuck in a big city like Magnolia where Mirajane could just date whoever she wanted.

And boy, did she date.

Err, well, she did, anyhow, before Laxus. Mirajane was a committed woman then though, or so she told him frequently.

And if committed meant certifiable, he was inclined to agree.

Bleh. Laxus.

Bleh any man, really, that wanted to get with his sisters.

"I thought for sure that you'd be out on a job," Elfman went on as Ever only snuggled closer to him.

"Bickslow and Freed went on one, but I stayed home. I haven't…felt well recently."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"You have?"

"Of course, Ever," he said, tilting his head to look down at her. "I notice everything about you."

Apparently not everything…

"Well," she said slowly then, keeping her head against his chest. He'd showered when he first showed up and she'd been kind enough to make him something to eat, but they had never rightly made it to the bedroom. Only both fell onto the couch and had yet to feel like getting up. "I'm not sick. So that's good."

"That's great."

"But…"

"Hmmm?"

"Elfman," she whispered then, against his chest as she only shut her eyes. She didn't want to have to look at him. Her voice was hardly audible as she said then, "I'm pregnant."

There was that moment of silence where she only kept her head pressed against his chest and felt herself being torn. Part of her wanted him to immediately ask her to get rid of it, as it was the thing that she wanted as well. There was another half of her though, one that she found herself hating, that wanted him to want the child.

It was the womanly part of her, she figured. The idea of him loving her and their child was just, like, something that was a common feeling, right? A normal human desire.

A bad one, of course, but a normal one.

"Evergreen."

She could tell just from the way he said her name what his feelings were. Honestly, why was she expecting any different?

"This is amazing," Elfman insisted as he quickly wrapped his arms around her. Ever fought him though, moving to get off his chest and off the couch. That was fine though as Elfman was moving to sit up. "How long have you known?"

"It's not amazing, stupid. It's-"

"No, I know," he said. "I mean, it happens all the time, but I… Did you plan this?"

"Of course not! I-"

"You did, huh?" Elfman was getting to his feet. "This is the best surprise ever!"

"You are the weirdest man I know," she complained as he only wrapped his arms around her. "Elfman."

"I love you," he told her. "And I love babies! This is… I can't even… I have to go tell Mirajane and Lisanna and everyone. Especially stupid Laxus. My baby's with the woman I love! Ha!"

When he dropped her, she only took to crossing her arms and glaring at him. He didn't understand this though, he never understood her anyhow, and only took to reaching out and patting her stomach gently.

"I can't believe this," he whispered. "I-"

"I don't want to keep it."

"A secret? Me either."

"No, Elfman. I don't want to-"

"So I'll go tell people now." He was quickly heading to go find his shoes and coat. "You wanna come?"

"Elfman, don't."

"How come?"

"I don't… We're getting rid of the baby."

That put a stop to him. Slowly, he backed away from the front door.

"We're what now?"

"I don't want to be pregnant," she whispered, staring at him. "Or to have a baby. I wouldn't have even told you, but-"

"Wouldn't have… You can't do this."

"Elfman-"

"Why would you have planned this if you were only going to-"

"I never said I planned this! You did," she hissed, turning her nose up as she said her next words. "As if I would ever plan to have a baby with you."

Elfman's chest hurt. Before, it had been pride. Then it was…heartbreak, probably.

"Elf-" Ever groaned when she saw the look in his eyes.

"No." He turned right back around. "I can't believe you."

"I don't… You know that I've never wanted a child. You-"

"Then why did you-"

"I didn't mean to!"

"But… Ever, I thought that you loved me."

"Elfman-"

"No." He was opening the front door then. "I don't… I can't be here. I can't be around you."

She didn't come after him. He didn't expect her to. Not that he even wanted her to. She was horrible. She was a monster.

But then, hadn't she always been?

No one was at home when he got there, but that was just as well. No one was ever home anymore.

He sat down at the kitchen table with a sigh. Used to be that when life threw everything at him all at once, it'd be okay. It'd always be okay. But the things that it'd been tossing his way recently just weren't things that he could shake off.

Had he been fooling himself the whole time? Had Ever never really been as in love with him as he was with her? Was she even in love with him at all?

It was while Elffman was sitting there, busy contemplating it all (and crying a few times) that the backdoor opened and Mirajane walked in.

"Hi, Elfman," she greeted in her usual peppy cadence. "Didn't know that you were home."

"What are you doing here?" he mumbled, hardly glancing at her. "I thought that you were all moved into Laxus' place?"

"Mostly," she said. "But he's taking me and Nate out to dinner tonight and I had the perfect dress. Or at least I thought. But I couldn't find it over at his place. I think it might have gotten into Lisanna's closet by some-"

"Ever's pregnant."

There. He just got it out there before she had the chance to ramble any longer. If he let her, the woman could go on that way for the entire night.

Mirajane only stood there in the kitchen, matching his gaze. Slowly, she said, "O-Oh. Really? That's so-"

"You already knew," he realized dryly. Mirajane could do many great things, but being able to feign shock was not her strong suit. "How?"

"W-Well, I might have spoken to her and-"

"She doesn't want my baby."

"Elfman-"

"But you knew that too, didn't you?" He sighed. "Why should I be surprised? You know everything."

"Not everything."

"Yes, you do," he complained as she only came over to rub his shoulders. For so long it had only been the two of them. They'd weathered Lisanna's death and their own personal changes together. They could handle anything with one another.

"No."

"Mira-"

"I don't know what to tell you now," she told him, taking to leaning down so that she was resting against him. He only sat there though, facing the table, allowing her to use him as she needed. She could bleed him dry. Lisanna too. Ever could have, but apparently, he wasn't good enough for her. "Elf. Just that I know that deep down, Ever's only scared."

"She told me-"

"It doesn't matter what she told you," she said. "Because you know the same things that I do. She loves you. She knows that. But at one point, she was scared to be in love with you. To be in love with any man. So what did you do, Elfman? You showed her that it was okay. So now you have to convince her that this will be okay. Because it will. I know it and you know it, but she doesn't. But there's no one in the world better at teaching than you."

Elfman only sighed as Mirajane wrapped her arms around him as best as she could, as if to hug him, before releasing him and heading off, further into the house.

"Thought you said you didn't know everything?" he sighed as she only giggled.

"I don't know that I do know everything. If that helps."

Grunt.

"Where's Lisanna?' he heard her call as she headed to her bedroom. "With Bickslow?"

Yuck. "No. We ran into Natsu and Lucy on the way into town. They were meeting up with Gray, Juvia, and Erza to do something and she went off with them."

"When and if she gets in tonight, let her know that she works tomorrow."

"Okay."

"And Elf?"

"What?"

"You'll make a great father."

"Mirajane-"

"You know that you think so to."

Oh, he knew so. He was a real man! Just like a father should be.

Now he just had to convince Ever of that…