Feeling Special and Hungry

The first time that it happened, they both agreed that it was a drunken mistake that would never happen again. The second time it happened, he was feeling really down about getting injured on a mission and it just kind of…happened. And the third time was just one last time to get it out of their system. And…and…and…

And now that they were on, oh, the twentieth or so time, there were really no excuses. Whatsoever.

Laxus let out a soft sigh as he walked around his apartment in only his boxers, trying to be as quiet as possible. He didn't want to wake the sleeping woman in his bed after all. He wouldn't have even gotten up had his stomach not been growling. He was half starved, it felt like.

The problem was that his fridge was practically empty. He had just gotten back from a month long S-Class mission, after all. He had some rotten eggs, but there was no way he was eating those.

It was too late to go out and get anything though. Sigh. He was just going to have to suffer through his hunger.

When he got back to his bedroom, he found her just as he had left her. Sleeping in a horrible awkward position. She seemed to always end up like that though, as she tried her hardest not to get too close to him when they slept. She was probably afraid of being kicked out of bed or something.

"Mira," he called softly as he stood at the side of the bed, watching her. She didn't even twitch. Groaning, he reached out to shake her none too gently. "Hey. Get up."

"Mmmm?" She opened her eyes quickly, panicky. Then she relaxed slightly when she saw it was just him. "Laxus."

"It's getting late," he told her gruffly. "Last time you flipped out and said you had to get home or something. To your sister and brother."

She smiled at him then though he just continued to stare down at her with a bored look. "Last time I did not tell them I would be late and you know how Elfman worries. This time I told them that I would be busy for most of the night."

Heh. He just grunted then before pointing. "Scoot over."

"Do you still want me to leave?"

"If I'm telling you to scoot over, do I really need to tell you?"

She giggled a little bit, the exact opposite effect that he liked to have on people. Ugh. Once she was on the other side of the bed, he laid down, trapping her between himself and the wall. There. Now she couldn't manage some sort of weird sleeping position… Not that he cared or whatever.

"You cold?" he asked. He was rather warm and didn't feel like getting an actual blanket. He usually slept with just a sheet, but sometimes when she stayed over, he had to get her something heavier.

"No."

"Good." He rested his hands under his head then, staring up at the ceiling. She was curled towards him, as if timidly awaiting permission to snuggle. He gave her none.

She eventually relaxed just laying there next to him. There wasn't a lot of room for her, but she didn't complain.

"Your stomach's growling," Mira giggled at one point. That was true. Laxus just grunted. "Here. Did you want me to make you something?"

"There is nothing," he told her with a shake of his head.

"There has to be something I can-"

"Nothing," he repeated. "At all."

"Oh." She was staring at his face then, just watching him, and it was starting to annoy him.

"What?"

"Hmmm?"

"What are you looking at?"

"What are you-"

"You're looking at me," he told her then, trying hard to sound irritated. He couldn't let the chick feel too special. Every other woman would have been kicked out by now, if even lucky enough to be taken back to his place. Mira was special, fine. But she didn't need to know that. "Stop looking at me."

She giggled again. "Would you like I face the wall?"

Groaning, he shut his eyes tightly. "Just go to sleep."

They were silent for a long time then. Eventually, Mira did cuddle against him slightly though that was in her sleep. Laxus couldn't go back to sleep however as his stomach was keeping him up.

He was so hungry. Why, oh why, hadn't he gone out to go get food before coming home?

…Oh yeah. Because when he got into town, all he wanted to do was screw Mira. And taking her out to get dinner would mean admitting that they very well might have a relationship and that was just…scary.

It wasn't so much the idea of it of Mira being his girlfriend. No, it wasn't that. She was freaking hot. It was more or less the concept of having a girlfriend. That meant that he was not only committed to someone, but also completely off the market. And even though since taking up with Mira he hadn't been with anyone else, it was the thought of no longer having the option that scared him.

"Laxus?"

It had been a few hours or so he guessed. He was losing track of time. What could have woken her up?

"Hmmm?"

"If you're that hungry, we can go to my home. I'm sure Elfman and Lisanna are in bed if that is what worries you. And I can make us something."

Grunt.

"I was only trying to be nice."

"I'm not that hungry," he told her simply.

"Your stomach-"

"I said I'm not that hungry so shut the fuck up about it."

She took to giggling again. Gah!

"What is with you, woman?" He looked down at her then to see her staring sleepily up at him, a smile gracing her features. "Every time I say something rude to you, you just laugh it away."

"Because it's funny," she told him.

"What's funny about you getting on my fucking nerves?"

She only grinned some more. "Because I know that I am not truly."

"Oh yeah?" He shifted away from her slightly. He didn't really have much room, but she got the gesture. "What makes you say that?"

"I know you, Laxus. You're just trying to act all tough with me. It's really cute," she assured him before closing her eyes again. "I-"

"Bull. I'm not trying to act anything. You-"

"What are we, Laxus?"

Her question caught him off guard.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why do you keep inviting me over? Are we…friends?" She opened her eyes again then to stare at him. "Is this a game? What? Because if it's a game, then just give it up. You can't possibly be having fun."

"It's not a game," he told her frowning as he glared down at her. "It's… Why does it have to be anything? Huh? Why can't we just like having sex together?"

"Because if that's all it is, then believe me, we've both had better."

That didn't just get a frown. That one got a scowl.

"What are you trying to say, Mira?"

She didn't give in. "I'm serious, Laxus. If that's all this is, then I want out."

"What gave you the impression that it was anything but?"

That got no answer. Instead, she told him simply, "Decide right here, right now. Do you want to…be together? For real? Because if not, then I think I should just go home and we can go back to pretending that nothing happened."

That got his eyes back up the ceiling. Grunt.

Sighing, she pushed up slightly, staring down at him. She had never dressed and it was hard not to stare.

"It was dumb of me to think any better of you, I guess." Then she giggled, that really girly childish one. "It's been fun, Laxus."

He really was ready to let her just leave. Really. It wouldn't be that hard to act like nothing happened between them if it ended right then. After all, they had hidden their relationship (if one wanted to call it that) up to that point, so burying it wouldn't be too hard.

Still, when she tried to climb over him to get out of his bed and no doubt leave, he just couldn't let her. Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her back down to the bed.

"Laxus-"

"It's the middle of the night," was his excuse. "You shouldn't-"

"Believe me, I'm not afraid of a single thing."

He believed that. The little effing demon.

"I don't care," he told her as he shifted to lay her back down on the bed, moving to lie on his side as well. "I'm not letting you leave."

"Laxus-"

"Fine. If you're going to whine about it, yes."

"Yes to what?"

"Yes, I'll be your, like, boyfriend or whatever it is," he grumbled. "Now go back to-"

"Wait. I never said anything about becoming my boyfriend."

"What? You just-"

"I meant that we could, like, start openly seeing one another. Go on dates and such," she told him. "Boyfriend would imply, well, monogamy. And what have you shown me so far that would make me want to submit myself to that? So maybe in a few weeks or so, Laxus, we can reopen this issue, but right now, you're coming off as a tad clingy."

He blinked. Then, slowly, he released her as he moved to sit up that time.

"What are you trying to say, Mira?" His anger wasn't a farce that time. "That you, like, have been seeing other guys this whole time?"

"You were the one, Laxus, that said-"

"How many? And when? While I was gone on missions?" He was working himself up over something that, quite honestly, he had only some time before thought was perfectly alright for him to partake in. The thought of her though, having other guys all over her, was completely and utterly off limits. Game and point.

She settled back into the bed, giggling. "Laxus-"

"No, Mira. You tell me right now who it is. Right now."

Another giggle.

"Mirajane-"

"I was wrong," she told him then. "You're way cuter when you're really angry than when you're pretending."

"Mira, if you don't-"

"I haven't been with anyone, Laxus. Honestly, take a breath. Are you even listening to yourself?"

He didn't stop glaring at her though. "Are you telling the truth?"

Making a face, she rolled over so that she was facing the wall. "If this is you trying to convince me that you'll make a good boyfriend, you should rethink your plan, Laxus."

"Mira-"

"Who have you been with then, Laxus? Since we started this?"

"No one," slipped out before he could think up some sort of cool remark. Like telling her to go eff herself or that it wasn't any of her damn business what he did. Damn the truth.

"Good. Then what are we fighting about?" She shivered then, wrapping her arms around herself. "Laxus-"

"No. I am not getting up to get you a damn blanket." There. Back to being gruff.

"Please?"

He didn't feel like getting up though. They had stripped earlier right next to the bed, so he just made do with what was around, reaching over the side of the bed and coming up with his coat.

"Mmmm." She glanced over her shoulder at him when he laid it over her. "It feels weird, having it on right now."

"Yeah, well, unless you want to get your ass up and get a damn blanket, get over it."

"I didn't say it was a bad weird." She curled up under it, giggling some more. Ugh. Was he ever going to get used to that? "Mmmm. How many get this honor?"

"What honor?" He was growing annoyed with her truly then.

"Of wearing your jacket."

"You're not wearing it anywhere, but this apartment, so don't get any ideas."

"So no one?" She giggled. "I feel special."

Oh God. Now he'd gone and done it.

"Well, don't."

"Too late."

"Mira-"

"Laxus," she sighed then. "Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

"We? We don't have to do anything," he told her with a snort. "You might have to go to work, fine, but I-"

"You're coming with me, silly."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to make you breakfast. And then, on my lunch break, we're going to go and get you some good food to fill your fridge up with."

He frowned at that. "Yeah, no. That sounds like a really…couple-ish thing to do and-"

"Well, you are the one that wanted to be my boyfriend," she reminded him through a yawn. "I wonder what everyone will say when they hear that the great Laxus Dreyar begged me to be my boyfriend and I had to tell him that I would think about it."

"That is not what happened and you know it."

"But who will people believe? Me or you?"

"Careful, Mira," he warned dryly. "Before you lose that coat."

She only pulled it tighter around her, giggling. "Never."

They got quiet again then. He rolled back onto his back because he was most comfortable that way, but she wouldn't roll back over to look at him. Just stayed facing the wall. Sigh.

…Not that he wanted her to or whatever. At all. So whatever.

"Hey," he whispered at one point. When she didn't respond, he reached out to lay a hand on the back of her head, stroking her silvery hair.

"Mmmm?"

"It was never a game or whatever."

"I know," she told him before giggling tiredly. "But I had to turn it into one to get you to come to a decision."

"Yeah, well."

"If it makes you feel better, I won't tell anyone about the whole boyfriend thing."

"Yeah, that's- Wait." He frowned over at her in the darkness. "Were you seriously going to?"

Another giggle. "You're so cute."

"Mira-"

"Goodnight, Laxus."

He stomach growled in response which only made her giggle louder. Sigh. He rolled over on his other side, giving her his back as well. It would be a long night.