A/N: So... While I am trying to finish 2 upcoming chapters, 1 for Troublesome Complications and 1 for Rumor Has It, I could just not shake the idea of a new story that came into my mind the other day. Do not worry, I will not go off the radar again, I promise. More than ever, I need to write to keep my mind off things, mainly work related. So, this gem came to me the other day. I hope you enjoy! Reviews and IMs are always welcome and are my motivation to keep on getting better.
The small town smelled of soil and decay. The clouds looming above the capital of Fiore were thick and dark and the atmosphere was growing heavier by the minute. The night engulfed the town of Crocus slowly, almost painfully. The lights on the street held a yellow hue, illuminating the shadows of the buildings. The silence was almost eerie, with few to no people roaming the street, a sharp contrast to the town's liveliness during day time. His heavy steps were leading him towards the outskirts of the town, steadily but not fast enough. His palms were sweaty despite the presence of the chilly, almost cold wind. His eyes fell upon his destination and upon spotting the old, dirty shit-hole of a bar, he felt relief. For the first time in days.
He entered the bar with a reborn energy he did know he had inside him. He headed straight to the bar, occupying the emptiest and loneliest corner. He always preferred solitude, especially in times like that. The busty barmaid came upon him, with a flirtatious look painted on her features. She wasn't hard to look at, but he was in no mood for anything more than ordering a drink. She had the same hair colour as Erza he noticed.
"What can I get you, sugar?" she asked him while leaning over the counter, offering him a rich view of her breasts. Her skimpy outfit fulfilled its purpose. He cringed at the nickname she assigned him.
"Scotch, leave the bottle" he ordered her, unamused.
The barmaid got the message and she was back in a few minutes with a low glass and the bottle in hand. She left them in front of him, offering him a grin as she turned around and left him in his misery.
The blonde poured the amber liquid in the glass with a splash, spilling a good amount on the counter, and within a few seconds, he downed its content. He refilled it without blinking an eye.
He wanted to drink himself to oblivion that night, trying to process the events of the day. He could still not believe his father was exiled from Fairy Tail. He was angry, hurt even by his grandfather's decision. Ivan could be shitty at times, but still he was Laxus' role model in his childhood. Maybe he still hold onto the memory of this father, not of what he had become. He even harboured loving feelings for him at some occasions. But he was even more pissed at his father for leaving him behind, without as much as a goodbye. He was always lonely, all 21 years of his life, but it still it left a bitter taste in his mouth to be completely and utterly abandoned.
He drowned another drink down, the amber liquid burning his throat less than the first one he had. He was on a highway to get wasted and he did not mind that one bit. He had decided as well to come to Crocus instead of lounging around Magnolia. In Crocus, he was a nobody. There was no Fairy Tail or his grandfather in the capital and that would be the best option for the day. Otherwise he did not know what he might have done.
In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of silver. He was about to turn the other way and resume his drinking marathon for the night, when a familiar scent invaded his nostrils. He turned slightly to face her and presented her with his best scowl.
"Are you stalking me, She-Devil?" he inquired while eying the woman beside him angrily. He noticed she was wearing her signature skimpy outfit. Purple suited her, not that he would admit that to anyone.
Mirajane looked him up and down, taking in his solemn expression. She had discovered the events of the day when she returned to the guild after yet another S-Class mission she had completed within just a few days. She noticed Laxus Dreyar was absent from the guild hall that, not that it was anything out of the ordinary. She rushed to the board around afternoon and picked up another job, the instructions leading her to the capital. She did not plan bumping into him, she could not possibly know the blond's whereabouts, but when she noticed him walking down the streets of Crocus like a lost lamb, she decided to follow him. "I am here on a job, jackass" the spunky 17-year old replied.
She did not know what had come over her, following the blond mage in this slimy bar. But she wanted to check if he was okay. Despite appearances, Laxus was one of the only people she truly respected. He seemed to have a soft spot for her too, as he acknowledged her as a powerful mage from the beginning, even in their early interactions. He never did that for anyone except for her, so Mirajane had always felt friendly towards him. When he wasn't an asshole, that was.
"Hmph. I hardly believe your job has any business with this shithole" he replied nonchalantly, diverting his gaze to the glass in front of him. It had been refilled and emptied another 2 times since Mirajane had sat beside him.
"I do what I want" she replied angrily. He really was getting on her nerves. The white haired mage had little to no patience these days. She turned her sight around and signalled the barmaid for a glass. Despite being seventeen, she looked older, more mature. Her vulptous body also had developed, leaving no space for anyone to question her age. The barmaid brought the glass over and left them alone again.
Laxus turned to face her, observing her while she poured herself a scotch. She brought the glass to her lips and in an effortless swift motion, she emptied its contents. If her throat burnt from the hard liquor, she did not let it show. He noticed a stray trail moving from her lips down to her neck, ending up in her cleavage. His eyes lingered there for a moment too long.
"Don't be a pervert, Laxus" she grinned, amused.
Despite himself, he grinned as well. "Well, you kind of brought that on yourself, Mira, walking around in this tiny outfit" he said amused. His eyes were now pinned on her cerulean ones, challenging her.
Mirajane, never one to back down from a challenge, she turned her body, so she was facing him. "That doesn't make you less of a pervert" she smiled, in that demonic way that he secretly really loved. Her smile faltered a bit as Laxus reached out a hand and placed it on her thigh, softly caressing her porcelain skin which was exposed. She grabbed his hand and shoved it on his lap and Laxus chuckled loudly.
"Am I making you uncomfortable, Mirajane?" he spoke her name in a flirty yet arrogant way. Mira could not understand why that made her stomach flutter.
"You wish" she replied childishly.
Laxus chuckled again. He turned to his drink and downed it again in one go. Mirajane then noticed the bottle, more than 1/3 of its substance gone.
"You may need to tone it down a little, Laxus. I am not carrying you" she said impolitely, but the lightning mage did not bother to answer. Instead, he resumed his ritual of getting stomped.
"Seriously" she spat again.
"Why do you care?" he asked her perplexed. He did not realise he really wanted to hear her answer.
She contemplated his question for a few moments there. Why indeed? Yes, Laxus was her nakama. Until some years back, he was also the closest person to a role model she had, being one of the strongest in the guild, while not so much older than her. And then, he was also one of the few people to cross her. Most of her guild mates were afraid of the Demon Mirajane, Laxus never was. He treated her as an equal, albeit with a cocky demeanour. "Because, you're Laxus" she replied truthfully.
"What kind of a shit reason is that?" he snorted.
"Well...you are my nakama" she said blushing slightly. "You may not realize this, but the guild would not be the same without you. At least for me...", she added in a small voice, and looked away from the blond, avoiding his eyes. Why was she even embarrassed? He was another guild mate, nothing special. That is why she kept telling herself.
Laxus hmphed and sat in silence. Her words actually made him feel better a tiny bit better. He was Laxus Dreyar. And while other people chose to associate him with his father or grandfather, the little demon acknowledged him for the man he was. And she actually went into trouble to console him, after everything that happened today. He truly felt a bit more in control, and maybe, just maybe, he realised he would be okay, even without his father in the picture. Because he was Laxus Dreyar. And she was here, beside him, in this shitty bar, asking him if he was okay. Comforting him in the only way she knew how. By challenging him. Laxus could not help but chuckle again.
"What are you laughing at?" she shouted annoyed at the lightning mage.
"I can't help it. You are too cute, caring like this" he smirked at her again, trying to make her uncomfortable. He knew the teasing affected the white haired mage more than anyone else. And despite telling himself that it was only a means to annoy her, he was genuinely enjoying himself every time they had these "arguments". It made him feel intrigued, coming up with witty remarks to piss of the She-Devil.
"Shut up" she muttered and went back to her glass for another sip. Alcohol was not her go-to, but at that moment, she felt like she needed the boost from the liquor.
"Oh my, are you blushing Mira?" he teased her again.
"You wish" she mussed out, not daring to look at the blond.
Laxus chuckled again and adopted his cockiest look. "Have you fallen for me, brat?" he smirked. Mirajane was seriously contemplating shoving that look off his face.
"I honestly do not know how any woman could fall for you" she shot back at him.
Laxus was seriously amused. He drew close to the takeover mage until their lips were inches apart.
"I can show you, demon. But I am not sure if you can handle it" he gave her his flirtiest look. The silver haired beauty could not pinpoint why, but at that moment, Laxus even looked handsome. In a rugged, bad-boy way. She could blame the alcohol all she wanted, but it was not the first time her mind left her thinking about the blond. She absent-mindedly licked her lips and moved closer, her lips almost touching his.
"I am not sure you can handle me, sparky" she gave him one of her deadliest smiles and moved back to her seat, bringing a much needed space between them. She crossed her legs, her skirt riding up her creamy legs and Laxus found himself mesmerised. Little Mira was not so little anymore and she was making his dick hard, just by looking at him.
"Oh trust me, Mira, I would make sure to make it worth your while" he replied, taking a sip of his drink and meeting her eyes in a challenge. Laxus' worries from before evaporated, the alcohol and the demon beside him playing their part in that. Then, he suddenly smiled genuinely at her and Mira found herself dumbfounded. Was Laxus Dreyar smiling at her? Was that even possible? That wasn't a smirk or a grin, but a genuine...smile?
"Why are you smiling?" she asked perplexed.
"None of your business, brat" there he went again with that nickname. For some reason, she did not like the idea of Laxus considering her a brat or a child. But she decided not to pay any attention to that. For now.
She hesitantly took another sip of her drink. She hadn't drunk that much, but she was no Cana. The alcohol was getting to her little by little, making her lightheaded. They fell in a comfortable conversation after clinging their glasses together. Little by little, as they sat beside one another at the shady bar, they were both at ease with one another. As the time passed, it seemed that the two were drawn close to each other, their thighs almost touching.
By the time the bar was closing, Mira and Laxus were both tipsy as hell and they were laughing loudly. The barmaid seemed more than eager to kick them out, considering they were the only two customers in sight. They exited the small bar and started making their way back to the town centre and return to their rooms, call it a night. The duo was holding onto each other for support, as both were stumbling noticeably and the mere ordeal was amusing to them, triggering another round of loud laughter.
As Mira was about to take another step, she lost her balance and started falling. She braced herself and was ready to meet the cold, hard ground. But the impact never came. Instead, two muscular arms wrapped around her waist and kept her in place tightly. Laxus' face was inches away from hers. His eyes sparkled in the dim light of the streets and she could not help, but notice how much he had really grown in the past few years. She tentatively reached her palm out, slowly and cautiously reaching for his face and tracing his jawline. Laxus remained still at that moment, without showing any kind of unease. In reality, he was enjoying her light touch.
She had the strongest urge to kiss him right there and then.
That's it for now! If you have like 2 minutes, I would appreciate your comments and messages. Until next time, xx. -T