A/N: This is the first story I decided to publish. I have yet to go through with the grammar and spell-checks, but I will when I find time to do so. It's a one-shot but I may write a sequel depending on the feedback, so try to leave a review. Oh, and if you find mistakes within the story, do feel free to point in out to me. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, the lovely manga belongs to Hiro Mashima.
An exasperated sigh was heard amongst the loud chattering that filled the Fairy Tail guild's hall. The blonde-haired Celestial Spirit mage sat on one of the bar stools, with her left hand supporting her head.
Beside her comrade, who was chugging her very own liquor-filled barrel.
"What's wrong, Lucy?" asked the lovely Mirajane from behind the bar while wiping an empty beer glass.
"Aww Mira, why do you always do that?" groaned the blonde mage in response.
The former S-class mage just smiled innocently, "I don't know what you mean."
"That thing earlier," frowned Lucy, before taking a sip at her drink.
"What are you two talking about?" asked Cana, who was chugging off her beer barrel not too long ago.
"Cana, take it easy on your boyfriend," calmly stated Mira, obviously referring to Cana's drinks. "Make sure you leave some for the others."
The Card mage frowned, and quickly stated a quick 'I cannot live without my liquor' before continuing to down all the contents of the barrel in one go.
"Wow, Cana sure is on the roll," stated Lucy, staring at her former partner. She suddenly didn't feel like consuming what's left of her drink.
"Of course! I need to make up for the seven years that I wasn't able to drink!" Mira and Lucy just chuckled at Cana in response.
"That aside, what were you two talking about earlier?"
"Oh, that," Lucy rolled her eyes and explained how Mirajane tried to get her and Natsu together by locking the two of them in a room, with the help of Freed's runes, and how she lost half of her life because Natsu was trying to burn the door, which resulted to more destruction.
"We were there for over three hours!" exclaimed the blonde mage, turning her head to the smiling barmaid. "Really, out of all your attempts, this one takes the cake!" Lucy stated, her face turned as red as a tomato.
Mira grinned at the Celestial spirit mage, "You wouldn't have had to stay in there for too long if you immediately obeyed what the runes stated. In the end, you kissed him either way and got out, right?"
"Say what?" exclaimed Cana, who almost spilled the contents of her new barrel. She grinned and nudged Lucy with her elbow. "So the little girl has finally started to grow up," Cana stated, giving Lucy a couple of pats on the back, "I am proud of you, partner!" she exclaimed before throwing a laughing fit with Mira.
Lucy sank in her seat and hid her face behind her arms. "Ugh, why does it have to be me?"
"Nice work, Mira! That makes it two! So after Levy and Gajeel comes Lucy and Natsu. You're doing quite a great job at this," stated the brunette in between her chuckles. The barmaid just winked in return, and went on with pouring drinks.
"That makes me wonder, though…" stated Lucy, "Mira always tries to get people together, but she isn't in a relationship herself... or is she?"
Lucy's question left Cana a bit speechless, and both of them glanced at the barmaid, who was busy fending off old man Wakaba's advances with her clever retorts.
"I mean look, she just turns down all the guys that ask her out. It seems Freed has also developed feelings for her but she turned him down as well. She told me yesterday that she isn't seeing anyone. I understand her reasons for rejecting Wakaba but Freed is actually a pretty decent guy... just a bit obsessive though, when it comes to Laxus."
Cana momentarily stopped drinking, and chuckled at Lucy's words. "She has her reasons. Although I think it is best that she tells you about it herself."
The brunette signaled for Mirajane to come over, to which, the latter complied to.
"Mira, you have time right now?"
The white-haired beauty quirked her eyebrows in wonder, but nodded in response anyway.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Lucy has been wondering about your past love-life. I thought it would be best if you told her in your own words."
"Oh, I see," the former S-Class mage responded, her face contorted to that of an enigmatic, yet longing look. She smiled sadly and replied, "It isn't really anything; nothing that passes for a novel."
Cana snorted at her statement, and Mira in turn, decided to nudge the brunette with her elbow.
"Uhm, with the way you are like right now, Mira, that is pretty hard to believe," stated Lucy with a look of wonder in her face.
"Pff, yeah," snorted Cana, "Girl, the look on your face says it all."
Mira's eyes switched between the two, "Is it really that obvious?" she asked, earning a nod from both. She gave out a long sigh, and leant on the bar.
"It was about… a year after Lisanna died," Mirajane started, instantly earning the attention of both Cana and Lucy. "We were in a very complicated situation a year after she died…"
"Mira, I think it would be better if you told Lucy who the guy is, before continuing," the heaviest drinker stated, before turning her head back to her beer barrel.
Mirajane nodded and sighed, "It's Laxus."
"WHOOOOO?" yelled Lucy, standing up and earning the attention of the other people in the guild. She noticed the looks being given to her, and she instantly felt her legs go jelly. She sat back down scratching the back of her head and telling everyone else that it was nothing. The guild immediately went back onto their separate businesses.
Lucy scooted closer to Mira and whispered, "YOU, AND LAXUS? Are you kidding me, Mira?"
"I wish I was," replied the take-over mage, smiling.
Lucy couldn't believe it, "Ehh?" was the only reply she could give, coupled by a look of utter disbelief.
"Wait, are you two still…you know..? Hold on, wait, uhm, that can't be possible, right? Since he was such a – sorry for the term – bastard not too long ago… well, uhm, I guess it has been over seven years now."
Mira smiled sadly and looked away, over to the set of liquor arranged on the shelf. "We were never together officially. It really wasn't anything…" she sighed.
Lucy just stared at the barmaid in wonder. "I don't get what you mean."
"When we were alone, we used to talk and act like lovers. It started off as a joke – he instigated it just to help me forget about what happened to Lisanna."
Mira smiled at the memory as she recalled how she and the Laxus used to be. She leant on the bar, taking a sip of the drink she prepared earlier. "No one really knew about the 'relationship' – it was just us. In the company of other guildmates, we were the same, except that I gradually changed."
The barmaid chuckled, turned to Lucy and gagged, "I'm pretty sure you know by now about how I used to be." Lucy smiled and nodded, gesturing for her to continue. Cana just smiled at the two, listening in to the S-class mage's story while drinking – this time, she drank a lot slower.
"It went on for about a year," Mira took another sip at her drink, making Cana quirk her eyebrows as she noticed that the barmaid was actually drinking hard liquor. "Somewhere in between, I just… I fell in love with him – and let me tell you this; I fell hard." Her words stung, even for both Lucy and Cana. The two felt the weight of Mira's statement – through the way she said it, through the way her hands balled into fists, through the way her eyes twitched, and through the way her body sort of froze.
Instantly, Lucy knew it didn't end well for her friend and idol. Cana, on the other hand, knew of it already, but still ended up looking at Mira in pity.
"It was gradual, but it started to hurt because back then, I thought that perhaps it was just him pitying me. There was never a time we said 'I love you' to each other – so I didn't know how he felt." The white-haired beauty's voice cracked, she was trying not to cry. At this, Lucy took hold of her friend's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Mira took control of her emotions by taking a deep breath, "Just looking at him, I knew he wouldn't approve of a relationship either way, because it might cause conflict within the guild if we split. I went on with him until the hurt was too much for me to handle. After that, I decided just to avoid him without saying anything – so we drifted apart, just like that."
"He understood what I was trying to do, and so he started going on long-term S-Class missions to help make things easier for me, while I just remained at the guild managing the bar. Up until now I don't know how he feels… but I know I still harbor feelings for him, that's why I don't go out with anyone – I don't want to leave them hanging, waiting for a lady who is haunted by her love for someone who never got to know of her feelings."
Mira gave out a long sigh and smiled. "And that's how we ended up here."
Lucy and Cana could only stare as the white-haired beauty stood up, and went back to managing the bar – smiling, as if she hadn't been holding back tears just moments ago.