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votestaynight2 · 10 months

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1st Day - One day (I) (Scene 3)

I feel sorry for Issei, but I should prioritize work. I didn't promise to be there, but I said I'd do my best to be there, so I should do so.

"No, sorry, Issei. I've got plans, so can we finish it some other time?" "Plans…? Oh, you must mean your work. Sorry to trouble you. This isn't an urgent matter. Don't worry about me and go to work."

"Sorry. I'll continue first thing tomorrow morning, so can we call it even?" "Hm? I told you, it's not that important. The urgent stuff was finished this morning. You can finish the rest when you're free, Emiya." "I see. Then can I finish it when I don't have work?"

"Sure. I'll rely on you again then, Emiya." Issei says farewell and leaves the classroom.

"―――Well." I should hurry off too. Even though there's no set time to be there, I should head for the neighboring town if I'm going to go to work.

"…Geez, I thought I was only helping out, but they gave me 30,000 yen." Call it receiving a windfall, I guess.

Copenhagen, the place where I worked today, is like a liquor store and a bar, and a lot of people are needed to restock inventory. It's a big job that takes at least five people, and it doesn't hurt to have more help.

But the boss just said to everyone in his usual tone, "If you can come and help, please do." …Completely relaxed about it.

But as it turned out, I was the only one who came, along with the boss and his daughter, Neko-san.

"You idiot! There's no way people will come if you ask like that!" Neko-san was scolding the boss, but I showed up to be a victim, defying their expectations. They welcomed me with a cheer, and we decided to clean up the storage area as best we could.

――――And so, before we realized, two hours had passed and we'd finished restocking the inventory.

"I'm surprised. Shirou, are you some kind of Brownie or something?" After work, the boss eats a brown cake while being impressed.

"Not at all. I'm just used to heavy jobs and I've worked here long enough to know where things are. I haven't been working here since I was small for nothing, you know!"

"Oh yeah. Has it been five years already?" "About that long. You were the only ones that would hire me right after my father died." "Whoa. No wonder I'm feeling old."

He eats his rum cake. Neko-san is drinking hot sake next to him. The family is well balanced, as the boss likes sweet things while his daughter likes spicy things.

So. "But you really helped us out. I can't just give you a cake for all this work, so here's a token of my appreciation." He hands me three 10,000 yen bills. A reward unmatched for the three hours of work I did, much more that I would get for even a week's work.

"Oh, thank you." I hesitate, but decide to accept what I'm given.

And as I'm leaving Copenhagen… "…Mmm. Hold on, Emiya-n. Who'd you hear about today from?" Neko-san stops me while curled up in front of the heater.

"Um, I think it was Furukawa-san." "…Man, that idiot. Don't push your work onto a student. Well, so you came here today even though you didn't have to?" "Uh… well, it was like, 'come and help if I wasn't busy'."

"―――Furukawa's an idiot, but so are you. Oh well. You never turn down anyone asking for help, do you? You took care of the store when dad and I got sick too."

"Hm? I don't think that's true. I don't take impossible jobs. I only accept things I can do."

"…Hm. But you were sick too back then. I don't really care. But what I'm saying is, you're a good person and a bit stupid, so I'm a bit worried. Tell Fujimura to come and see me from time to time."

Neko-san circles her finger while drinking some hot sake. She seems to think I'm a firefly or something.

"Okay. …So, just tell Fuji-Nee that?" "Right. See ya, don't push yourself too hard."

"…Wow, I'm already past the bridge." I made it from the neighboring town of Shinto back into Miyama City while I was daydreaming.

I walk through the moonlit town. Walking up the road, I notice that there aren't any people around.

The time is around seven-thirty. There should be people around at this time, but there's no sign of anyone.

"…Oh yeah." There was some crime here in Miyama City a few days ago. A burglar murdered someone, I think. That must be why there's no one around and why the school curfew became six o'clock.

"…Gas leaks and murder, huh? It's been getting dangerous lately." No wonder there are fewer people walking around at night. It's getting too dangerous to let Sakura go home on her own. Sakura's house is in the residential area on the other side of town. Starting tonight, I should walk her hom―――

"…Huh?" For a moment, I can't believe my eyes. There is someone on the road which I thought was empty. The person is standing above me as if looking down at me.

"―――――――" Without realizing it, I hold my breath. The silver-haired girl smiles and descends the hill without a sound.

As she passes…

"You'll die if you don't summon it soon, Onii-chan."

She says something strange.

I go up the hill and reach my house. As the lights are on, Sakura and Fuji-Nee must be home already.

I smell dinner the moment I enter the living room. At the table are Sakura and Fuji-Nee, in the middle of dinner. It seems the main dish tonight is chicken in cream, and Fuji-Nee, who loves white sauce, is in a good mood.

"Welcome home, Senpai. We're sorry for starting without you." "Sorry I'm late. I wish I could have come home earlier." "No, you made it. Could you wait a bit? I'll get your dinner ready right away." "Yeah, all right. I'll go and wash my hands, so make sure Fuji-Nee doesn't eat my food." "Yes, I will."

I return to my room. It's a fairly empty room compared to the shed, but since I don't have any hobbies, I think it's quite decorated. Most of them are random things Fuji-Nee has left here, though.

I wash my hands, change, and return to the living room to find my dinner ready.

"Itadakimasu." "I hope it is to your liking…" Sakura is terribly modest.

Her cooking skills have vastly improved in the past year. She has me completely beaten at Western-style foods, and I can barely beat her at Japanese food. Neither of us have touched Chinese. I'm pleased my pupil is getting better, but it's kind of depressing when the teacher is defeated by the student.

"―――Mmm." It's as good as I expected. Chicken becomes harder the longer you cook it, so it's juicier and tastier if you roast it before cooking it even though it's tedious. That's done perfectly here. It's a master's skill, forever beyond the clumsy Fuji-Nee.

"How is it, Senpai…? Um, I think I did quite well today…" "It's perfect. The sauce is great too. I guess you have me completely beat when it comes to Western food."

"Yeah, meaty food is much better since Sakura-chan started cooking." With that. Fuji-Nee, who had been preoccupied with her food, lifts up her head.

"Oh, Shirou. A student mustn't come home this late." …Ack. It seems she's in a bad mood now that she's seen my face, even though she was happy because of dinner.

"Geez, I bet you were helping someone again. That's good, but at least come home early at times like this. I even told you it was dangerous in homeroom. I said it for your sake, you know?"[l]

"…Uh, can't you tell me that at home instead of in homeroom?" "You wouldn't listen if I told you here. It's more effective if I tell you at school." "…Sensei, I think that's abusing your authority. You shouldn't mix work and private life."

"No, it's not enough for Shirou unless I go that far. He's always on the losing side because he's the one helping everyone else. He should at least come straight home and relax sometimes, that idiot." "Hey, what do you mean by idiot? I'm not on the losing side if I help someone and they're helped by it."

"…Man. I wonder if you got that from Kiritsugu-san. I worry because you're like that." I don't exactly know how she's worried, as she's energetically munching down her dinner.

"…Um, Fujimura-Sensei. From what you said, has Senpai been like this since he was small?" "Yup, he's always been like that. He's the type that goes to help people in trouble. But he's not meddlesome, he's just a bit precocious."

Fuji-Nee laughs dangerously. "Fuji-Nee, I'll get mad if you say too much. You too, Sakura. Don't ask such boring questions."

I glare at them. Fuji-Nee clicks her tongue and backs down, but… "Fujimura-Sensei, please continue." Sakura is taking the lesson seriously.

"Then I shall. See, Shirou is a person who can't ignore someone in trouble. It's like helping the weak and defeating the strong. In the essay he wrote as a child, he said 'My dream is to become a superhero'."

"――――" …She's talking about things from so long ago. But it's all true, so I don't interrupt. Anyways, becoming a superhero is a goal I must not stray from even now.

"Wow. Senpai was a real kid." "Yeah, he was some kid. He would go and help girls being picked on by much older kids, and he'd do the chores around the house because Kiritsugu-san wouldn't.

Man, he was so cute and innocent back then, so why did he grow up so crooked?"

"Probably because of you. Kids think a lot when they see bad adults. Learn to make your own dinner before you say anything like that." "――――Wha…" Fuji-Nee crumbles. I thought she might drop her head and repent, but…

"Uhh, Onee-chan is sad. Sakura-chan, can I have another bowl?" Fuji-Nee asks for her third bowl.

Relaxing after dinner, it's almost nine o'clock.

"Well, what shall I do?" There's some time before my evening training. I should―――

#votestaynight

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thedamageofherdays · 3 years

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This week's reading log is here and there is a lot. Stucky Week provided me with lots of incredible fics to read and it was honestly a delight! There are a couple of things I didn't get around to reading just yet but I'm hoping I can get to them very soon <3 Make sure to check out the @stucky-week tumblr to see some incredible non-fic creations too.

Favourites are marked with a 🌻

🌻 Move Before We Lose It by dontcallmebree @iamthe-wo-manwhocan [Stucky, 59k words, Mature]

“The two of you are ridiculous.” Okoye grabs a bag of M&Ms and starts picking out all the greens. “If I knew that hiring you would turn Steve into an unbearable goof, I would’ve voted for the guy who claimed he came up with Got Milk?”

“I thought that asshole hit on Wanda as soon as he came out of his interview.” Bucky makes an unpleasant face.

Okoye raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, so imagine how obnoxious the Steve and Bucky show’s been for the last five years.”

With the help of his brother T’Challa, Bucky Barnes lands a job at Danvers Advertising right out of college. He never would have seen the family and life he’d build with his team coming, or the lifelong friendship with one Steve Rogers.

Couch is Synonymous with Matchmaker by oh_i_swear @oh-i-swear-writes [Stucky, 5k words, Teen]

Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain American is living a good, if lonely, life.

However, a new tenant with an awful couch moves into the Brooklyn Brownstone that houses Steve's apartment and kind of turns everything upside down - but in the best possible way.

A shrunkyclunks meet-ugly-turned-meet-cute in which the awful couch accidentally becomes a matchmaker (of sorts, anyway).

How to Make a Million Dollars by Getting Fired by isolatedwriter [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

Bucky never liked SHIELD, but he didn't think he'd ever been on the run from them. However, clearly his past self didn't account for finding Steve Rogers being strapped to a bed against his will. Something like that seems to turn your whole life around.

In which Bucky frees Steve from SHIELD and they end up on the run together.

The Importance of Being Stevie by alexcat @alexcat45 [Stucky, 711 words, Teen]

Steve heads to Wakanda and meets Bucky's other sweetheart - his goat.

The Artbook by luna_rainbow @luna-rainbow [Stucky, 1k words, General]

Steve notices Bucky doesn't like using the new arm, so he brings something with him on his next visit to Wakanda to explain why it was okay.

🌻 Running Out Of Time by The_Glacian @steve-x-bucky [Stucky, 1k words, General]

When Bucky returned home from work, they popped open a bottle of cheap red wine that burned all the way down when Steve took a cautious sip.

to hoping by christywantspizza @christywantspizza [Stucky, 1k words, Explicit]

"If I can still be useful here, maybe I can find a purpose."

"More than a purpose, Steve. You can find a life."

If I could tell you I was yours by christywantspizza [Stucky, 2k words, General]

Steve meets a scared Bucky in the streets of Brooklyn one day and helps him find his way home.

🌻 The Weight of Gold by dreamsinthewitchouse @dreamsinthewitchouse [Stucky, 860 words, General]

”Your arm,” Steve says, his voice still weak from the cold. ”What happened to it?”

OR:

Steve is trapped under ice in the Arctic Ocean. Merman!Bucky finds and saves him.

The Sweet Escape by The_Glacian [Stucky, 823 words, General]

In a few strides, Steve covered the distance between them and wrapped him in his arms.

I Can See That This Love Was Meant For Me by HNJ [Stucky, 2k words, Explicit]

“What’s this?” Nat says. She hands him a page and Steve touches it with careful hands. The paper is faded and brittle, but the drawing it carries is still the same.

As he stares at the image, lost years curl around his heart. They tangle around him like vines until they’re all he can feel. He puts the paper down.

“Just a portrait.” He says.

It's A Beautiful Arm by buckybarnesdeservestobehappy @buckybarnesdeservestobehappy [Stucky, 100 words, General]

Steve reunites with Bucky in Wakanda.

Cradled in Love by The_Glacian [Stucky, 879 words, General]

It was no secret that Steve was a delicate creature.

Wrap Your Hands Around Me (Show Me I Belong) by whenwordsmakesense @whenwordsmakesense [Stucky, 963 words, Teen]

Post Mission, Bucky can't sleep, and Steve's super-hearing picks up on it. Cue late-night cuddles and some of Steve's inner-thoughts.

🌻 En Pointe by Oh_i_swear [Stucky, 8k words, Teen]

Bucky Barnes is an ex-professional ballet dancer now running his own dance school. He's kind, compassionate and clearly cares about the kids in his class and their dreams and goals - most of which involve getting to the stage where they can dance en pointe.

Steve Rogers is a perfectionist and owns En Pointe, the dance wear store nearest to Bucky's dance studio. It's almost light a right of passage when the kids in Bucky's class get to visit the store, not only because they finally get their pointe shoes, but because they get to see the infamous squabbling between Mr Barnes and Mr Rogers who clearly rub each other up the wrong way.... but is everything as it seems?

Listen Close by fandomfluffandfuck @fandomfluffandfuck [Stucky, 9k words, Explicit]

The Barnes And Noble podcast is run by two best friends - life long friends - Steve and Bucky. They talk about a multitude of topics but when the topic at hand turns to the quite often laughable quality, or lack thereof, of the pornography industry and things like fake moans come up... with examples (at least, examples on Bucky's part) it's pretty damn hard (pun not intended) for Steve not take, uh, interest with that sound. Or with other sounds Bucky may or may not make.

...and, well, that conversation isn't one they're ever going to publish as it turns out.

The Office Romance by isolatedwriter [Stucky, 4k words, Teen]

It had become a joke around the office, the fact that Barnes and Rogers acted like an old married couple.

In which Steve and Bucky are already dating, but their co-workers haven't exactly caught on yet.

🌻 Pyxis by The_Glacian [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

Pyxis, ‘the compass’ – a constellation in the southern hemisphere.

(Being single didn’t directly translate to having a prime deficiency. Yet a break-in was what Bucky needed to realise that his life could use a little variety.)

Moonlight Kissed by The_Glacian [Stucky, 782 words, General]

The problem was, Steve had very little experience in the physical aspects of dating.

A Wish Upon the Fireworks by jesm @jesmme [Stucky, 676 words, Teen]

Steve & Bucky watch the 4th of July fireworks and Steve gets a birthday wish

🌻 Lips That Touch Liquor by millesable @marvelousescapism [Stucky, 6k words, Teen]

“I can’t lose you, Buck… you’re the only… you’re all I got in this whole world, Buck, I can’t…”

“Lose me? Where you think I’m goin’, huh, pal? I’m right here.”

“You’re gonna leave me. When you find out.”

“Find out what, Stevie?”

🌻 A Good Cause by apkidd @deletexforever [Stucky, 8k words, General]

When Steve reluctantly covers the charity kissing booth, he catches the eye of a handsome stranger with a wallet full of cash.

Dreaming Wide Awake by The_Glacian [Stucky, 928 words, General]

It was a fine summer evening that found him at the kitchen counter, experimenting with rye bread, when Bucky let himself in through the front door.

A couple of kids from Brooklyn by unremarkable @otp-holic [Stucky, 1k words, General]

Bucky comes back home after a few days out on a mission and finds Steve in the middle of a research of its own.

🌻 evening glow by PurpleStarship @inthelapofthewhiteqwen [Stucky, 1k words, General]

They're watching the cars pass by down on the street, the children playing ball in a dead-end, the way they used to all these decades ago. Bucky wonders if some eighty-odd years down the line two of those kids will be sitting by the window in their own little place and say: "We used to play ball in that alley. Look how far we made it, sweetheart."

***

Bucky and Steve spend a quiet evening at home:3

#stucky #stevebucky #r's reading log #fic rec #stucky fic rec

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stellaluna33 · 2 years

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i’m so sorry for your loss. <3

i hope you and your family are doing okay. 🙂

Thank you. 🖤 It happened almost two years ago now, so we're doing fine most of the time, and I WOULD be fine, except that I have to drive past the place so often, and it's like re-opening a wound that was almost healed. I'll explain more about the situation below if you want to know the details (wouldn't mind the chance to vent, honestly), but I'm hiding it behind a cut in case you don't want to read about it. It's not pleasant, so I wouldn't blame you. (Content about injury and death below.)

So, my half-sister's ex-husband was hired to paint the exterior of a store. While he was working, he lost his balance (his daughter implied he may have been drinking), fell off the scaffolding, and broke his neck on the pavement below. I found out by reading it in the newspaper. He had divorced my sister years ago and we weren't in touch, but I would have rather heard the news from a family member instead of just happening across it like that with no warning. His long-term drinking problem was in part because he blamed himself for the death of his youngest son (my nephew who committed suicide), which is another family tragedy that I hate being reminded of (now you see why I wanted to hide this behind a cut).

The issue is that the store he painted is not only very close to me, but a significant place. Before it changed hands, it was a bakery that I'd gone to for years and made my wedding cake. But now, every time I pass by, I think "bakery" and then remember that it's now a liquor store (OH, the poetic injustice), and I can't help noticing that it's painted a bright color, and the reason that it's a bright color is that my ex-brother-in-law painted it that color before smashing his head on the pavement. I'm so sorry. I'm sure you didn't want to read that. But anyway, that's why I hate living so close to this place. Because this was almost two years ago and I don't want to think about it anymore.

#death tw #injury tw

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fallen029 · 7 years

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Parenthood.4

Previous Chapter

When they arrived back at his apartment, Laxus wanted nothing more than to go find another bottle of liquor and down it. But he had Mirajane and the kid with him.

The kid. His kid.

Ugh.

"Okay, so I think he's getting sleepy," Mirajane announced softly once they were there. She'd taken to not being so forceful with Laxus since they'd left Porlyusica's place. He figured that she was trying to be courteous of his feelings. "So do you want him to sleep in your bed or should I make him a little bed here, on the living room floor?"

His blank stare gave her enough of an answer.

"Okay, Nate. Stay in here with Laxus, huh?" Mirajane sat the boy on the floor. "I'll be right back. Laxus, I need to go into your room to get some blankets and a pillow. Is that fine?"

Nothing. He only went to sit on the couch. As she took that for a for a yes and went off, Laxus only took to resting his head in his hands.

What was he going to do with a kid? He wasn't someone that could be a father. He wouldn't even be able to care for one of those damn cats the other slayers had. He'd probably forget to feed it or it would talk too much and he'd kill it.

No. Laxus Dreyar was not someone that could care for things.

But okay then. Alright. So that meant that he had to do like Mirajane said. He had to find someone else to care for the kid. He'd agreed with her not to just drop it off at some orphanage and forget about it. Okay. There had to be tons of nice families that wanted a baby, but couldn't have one.

Right?

Something about being left alone with his now confirmed father upset the little boy. It probably had more to do with the fact that Mirajane, the person who'd been caring for him for the past day and a half, had disappeared. Either way, he threw his head back and began to wail.

"Mira," Laxus called immediately. "Something's wrong with it."

"Mama," the toddler was screeching, stomping his feet. "Mama."

"Oh, no." Mirajane came rushing back, arms full of his blankets from his bed and a pillow. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I think it's dying."

"Laxus," she groaned as she dropped what was in her arm when she was close enough. Reaching out, she took the toddler into her arms, snuggling him close to her. "Are you okay, baby? Huh?"

He didn't wanna be calmed down that time though. He'd had enough. He wanted to go home and see his own mother and sleep in his own crib and be far away from the horrible people Mama had left him with.

"Mira, get to him to shut up," Laxus finally growled, annoyed. Getting up from the couch, he headed off to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

She only rolled her eyes though. She'd deal with him later. At the moment, all her attention had to go with the actual child, not the man acting like one.

It took making that pallet for him on the ground and laying down on it with him to get the toddler calmed down. She only laid on her side next to him, gently rubbing his tummy, and singing to him until he eventually drifted off.

She was in the kitchen, fixing lunch, when Laxus poked his head in.

"It didn't die, did it?"

She was busy making sandwiches and hardly glanced at him.

"From now on," she said simply, "we know not to skip naptime."

"All that to get it to go to sleep?"

"Stop calling him an it."

"I can call it whatever I want," he grumbled, coming further into the room. "And what are you doing in here, Mirajane?"

"Keep your voice down, unless you want to wake him again," she told him with a sigh. "And I'm making lunch, Laxus. I did just sacrifice my entire work day to be here with you, so the least you could do is spare some lunchmeat."

"Well-"

"Here's yours," she said, holding out a plate to him when he got close enough.

"You made me-"

"Well, it's your house, isn't it? What would I look like, not making you anything to eat?"

He only narrowed his eyes at her, as if suspicious. "Why are you being nice to me? Huh? Mira? I ain't ever been overly kind to you. So why-"

"I don't care about you, Laxus," she told him. "I think you're in a bad situation right now, but honestly, I don't care. I just care about the baby getting somewhere that he can be well taken care of. You're only a byproduct of that."

Snort. Then, glancing down at the plate of sandwiches, he said, "So what now? I'm the father, fine. What do we do now? You said that I need to find him a family. How do I do that? I can't…sell him. Or can I?"

"Laxus-"

"Just tell me what to do."

She let out a slow breath. "I don't know. If I had a baby, there'd be no way that I'd give it away. So-"

"Well, do I have a deal for you."

"Laxus-"

"I don't know anybody that would want a baby," he told her then. "I mean, if it's a product of me, you'd think that everyone would want it though, right?"

"I'm not in the mood, Laxus. This is serious."

Growling, he went to take a seat over at the kitchen table. "Are you gonna help me out then? To find someone to take the baby? I mean, you work in modeling. Do any of your people there want a baby?"

"I can ask around," she said slowly. "But-"

"And what am I going to do with him tonight? Are you going to take him back up to the guildhall with you? Or something? Because I can't… Mira…"

"I'll stay," she told him softly then, still not glancing over at him.

"You'll stay?"

"Here. With you," she told him. "Just for the rest of the day. And I guess the night too, to make sure that he's fine here."

"Mira-"

"But I am not a babysitter, Laxus. I work at the bar. That is what I do. So you need to start calling all your women to find one that wants to take care of this baby for you," she told him.

"But all the women that I hookup with are…I dunno. I wouldn't think they'd be any good with kids."

"I don't care," she told him. "I really don't. This isn't my problem. Not really."

"You've made it your problem up until this point, so-"

"But I have to work, Laxus. I need money. It's just me and my brother and sister in that house. If I'm not making money-"

"Can I pay you?"

That made her pause. "Pay me?"

He shrugged. "You're the only woman I know that isn't a whore."

"Laxus, that's a really derogatory word. And just because a woman sleeps with you, I mean, yeah, she has horrible judgment and taste in men, but that doesn't make her-"

"You're annoying me," he warned then, just to get her quiet. Once she was, he went on. "How much does Gramps pay you at the bar?"

"It's not about the base pay, Laxus. I make so much more in tips and-"

"I'll double what he pays you."

"Laxus-"

"Triple," he said, shutting her right up once more. "And extra when you spend the night. Please, Mira? I don't… I don't want him, but I can't just ditch him either. So...help me. I'll give you the money for the rest of this week up front. Just let me go to the bank and-"

"But what about the bar? And-"

"Tell your sister to watch it. Or Kinana. Or have them do whatever the hell they did while you were trapped in Tenrou. I don't give a damn," he said with a shake of his head. "I need you here. You know how to…make it shut up when it starts screaming and change it's diaper and I mean, hell, Mirajane, other than Ever, you're the only woman in my life that I actually remotely thinks is kinda okay. I mean, I guess I could ask Erza, but she-"

"Erza?"

"Well, if you say no and I know that Evergreen'll say yes because I'm asking, but won't be good with it, I really don't have a lot of-"

"I'll do it," she said without thinking. The mention of Erza possibly taking care of the child instead of her was something that made Mirajane feel funny inside. It wasn't like she and Erza were still rivals or something. Oh, no. They were friends. Great friends.

But still…

"Really?" Laxus asked, as if in shock.

"Mmmhmm," she said, nodding her head slightly. "But you're going to have to keep looking for someone, Laxus. This isn't a permanent fix. This is only-"

'I know," he said. "And I'll pay you too, Mirajane. Just let me finish eating and I'll go down to the bank, huh? Pull out the jewels?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't all have to be right now."

"But I'll pay you for today, at least."

"Well, you also need to get a few things for Nathan."

"Huh?"

"He needs more diapers, Laxus," she told him with a sigh. "And some things to play with. He only has a few toys in his diaper bag. And-"

"What if I give you some cash and you go get all this?" he asked. His tone was one that she'd never heard from him before. Almost…panicky. Or maybe as if he were begging. Groveling.

He must have been really afraid to be alone with the baby.

"Not the money I'm paying you," he went on. "I'll give you some jewels just to buy him things. Do you know what he needs?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. But-"

"I'll go get the cash. Then when he wakes up or whatever, you can-"

"Yeah, Laxus. That's fine."

"Okay," he said, letting out a slow breath. "I-"

"But this isn't going to be cheap," she told him. "He needs, most importantly, some actual blankets and pillows. Or, better yet, a playpen would be nice. I could make him a little-"

"Mira," he cut her off, his tone taking that his usual swagger once more. "Money is no problem with me."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Fine. Then I guess we're in business, Mr. Dreyar."

He only cocked his head to the side. "Guess so."

"Laxus, are you even looking at the price tags?"

He only tossed another stuffed animal into the basket. "Should I be?"

"Well," Mirajane said slowly as Nathan, who was holding onto her hand, started to pull away. He was really interested in all the different things around the toy store. "Toys aren't exactly inexpensive. And we don't know how long we'll be keeping him. Not to mention, we still need to hit a store to get his diapers, playpen, some food-"

"Did you not hear me tell you money was no object?" He put a set of action figures into the cart Mirajane was pushing. "Besides, if these will all keep him quiet and get him to leave me alone, he can have whatever the fuck he wants."

"You can't curse in front of-"

"You're the hired help now," he reminded her. "So shut up."

Mirajane only frowned as they went to store after store, buying more and more things. By the time they got back to Laxus' apartment, he had to have spent more on the child than she made in a month.

She dropped all the bags with toys inside of them while Laxus, who'd had to carry the box with the playpen in it, went to put that in the corner. Nathan was overly enjoying pulling all his little stuffed animals from the bags though and paid the rest of them little mind.

"We still have to go back out," Mirajane told Laxus. "We only came to drop stuff off. Remember? We still need to buy some food."

"I got food."

"Not things a toddler can eat, Laxus," she sighed. "And we need a few more changes of clothes for him."

Grunt. He'd pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and began cutting the tape around the box before opening it and peeking inside.

"I gotta put this thingy together," he told her. "Then we can go back out."

"Or you could give me some jewels and I could just go out. Me and the baby."

Nathan didn't seem like he was planning on going anywhere, honestly. He was living the high life at the moment and was busy snuggling all his different stuffed toys to him.

"Whatever." Laxus reached into his pocket before tossing his wallet at her. "Take it, if you wanna."

When they left him, the slayer was optimistic. No way a silly little thing like a playpen could get the best of him, he insisted. Whatever. Mirajane only took the whining Nathan who insisted on at least carrying one of his stuffed dogs along with him back out of the apartment to go back shopping.

First though, she stopped off at her own home.

"Mira," Lisanna complained when she walked into the living room. "Where have you been? I waited up at the guild for you to come back, but-"

"The baby is his," Mira sighed as she closed the front door behind her. "And he is not happy."

"What?" Lisanna, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine, sat up. "Are you-"

"Hi," Nathan, who had been holding onto Mirajane's hand, called out. Lisanna frowned before waving at him slightly.

"Why do you still have him?" she asked, getting up then to go pick up the toddler. Nathan only shoved his stuffed dog in her face. "Mira?"

"I have a new job venture," she said simply. Lisanna only stood there, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm a nanny."

"Mira-"

"He's paying me more than I could make at the guild in a week, Lisanna, just for a day. And for what? Taking care of a cute little baby?" She gave her sister a look. "You know how we've needed to get the guest bathroom sink fixed forever? By the end of the week, I'll have more than enough to do that. And we can finally buy Elf a new bed. You know he needs one. And you can go shopping. I mean, if I stretch this into a month, I could buy myself that new living room set I want."

Lisanna only stared at her. "Laxus has this type of cash?"

"Supposedly. And if he doesn't, then I guess he'll be taking some S-Class missions to make up for it."

"Hmmm." She took to staring at the little toddler in her arms. "So I guess I have to be making up for you at the bar?"

"Just for a little bit. I'm sure Kinana will get most of the work done. You know how efficient she is these days. As good as me."

"Not quite, but-"

"And look at him," she said, gesturing to the child in her sister's arms. "He's an angel. This is going to be the easier money I've ever made."

Lisanna only stared hard at her sister. "Is he keeping him then?"

"No," she sighed. "He's going to be looking for someone to take him. A family that wants a baby."

"Then you better be careful, Mirajane," she sighed as she sat the wiggling baby back down on the ground.

"Careful of what?"

"I know you," Lisanna told her. "You get attached to things far too easily."

"Oh, Lisanna," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I won't."

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously," she insisted. "I would love to have a baby. My own. But this is just Laxus' kid. Laxus. Who I'm not even close to. I'm just going to babysit for him until he finds a more real solution to the problem."

"Alright," Lisanna sighed. "It's your gig, not mine."

Mira only let out a soft breath. "This is going to work out fine. Trust me."

Then, in a more teasing tone and with a glint in her eyes, she said, "You know what they always say about the father and the babysitter."

"Lisanna-"

She only giggled. "Don't fall for the employer, Mirajane."

She only made a face before going to find where Nathan had run off to.

"Trust me," she said simply. "That won't be a problem."

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