#this is why no one is allowed to get annoyed if I yap about idols

[kdh-tally]

Baby x Reader Headcannons

Prompt : Headcannons of Baby and his Partner.

Author's Note : I might do one of these for each of the Saja Boys and Huntr/x girls. I started with Baby though because he currently has no pairing (and is actually my favourite Saja Boy lol)

You work at a small convenience store somewhere in the Hongdae shopping district. 

Your store is close to one of the popular schools but it’s small so most don’t even notice that there was an actual convenience store there.

One day the bell chimed, alerting you that someone came in.

You looked up from your phone only to come face to face with some cat eyed, blue haired boy. He looked familiar. Kinda like one of the boys on the ramen cups that were flying off shelves (when people actually came into the store).

“Welcome to Y/N’s convenience, what can I get you?”

He tilts his head, as though studying you, and all of a sudden you feel self conscious.

“You have anything spicy here?”

Your eyes widen noticeably in surprise. You didn’t expect his voice to be so deep or rough, especially when he had such a baby face.

Clearing your thoughts, you motioned to the back shelves with your head. “There should be some stuff back there. If you need help don’t be afraid to ask” you nodded before sending him off and leaning back into your seat.

As you opened your social media account, the very first video that popped up had the guy's face on it. “Join the pride,” he smirked at the camera as he stood next to a group of 4 other guys. 

Before you could look into it even more, the guy slammed a thick bottle of jalapeno sauce on the counter. You began to ring him up when he asked, “You wanna hang out?”.

Baby definitely came back the next day and every day after. 

He'd pretend to try new spicy combos, but really he's just standing in the ramen aisle waiting for you to notice him.

When you ask, “Didn’t you come in yesterday?” he just shrugs and responds, “I missed the vibe.”

You didn’t say it out loud, but you fixed your hair the next day before your shift.

He ends up really enjoying your presence, and really enjoying how much he can annoy you.

He’ll “accidentally” knock over the chip display just to hear you sigh and call him a menace.

Would bring you random drinks to “taste test” but makes you guess which is which by sniffing them. 

It was something he had tried on Mystery back in the dorms when Jinu was busy yapping to them about how they would be defeating the hunters. 

He eventually earns what he likes calling ‘behind the counter’ privileges. 

Basically means you allow him into the workers area, and behind the cash register so he doesn’t have to talk to you from across the counter.

He doesn’t do much working though. Mainly just watched youtube on his Ipad.

He always acts like you’re the one flirting with him. 

If you ever blush around him, he has his hands up as though surrendering or calming a rabid animal. “Woah, relax. I’m just here for the spicy chips.”

He calls you “Cashier-nim” for the first two weeks of knowing you, then switches to “pretty thing” whenever he feels like teasing you.

The day you finally found out he was actually THE Baby from Saja Boys, you were mid-bite of your snack and almost choked.

“Wait. You’re famous?”

“Duh.”

“Why are you HERE?”

“You’re here.” he says deadpan.

He once livestreamed from the store without telling you, and suddenly you had a line out the door and business took off.

He likes that you didn’t fangirl or scream when you found out. It makes him feel like a real person.

He also likes how calmly human you are. You’re one of the few that don’t go crazy because of his idol image but also don’t want to kill him. Not that you knew he was a demon anyways.

You’re one of the only people who can see past his teasing and know when he’s actually tired or stressed.

You don’t know why but you're pretty sure it's probably pressure from being an idol or something else.

He’ll sneak into the shop near closing time, hoodie pulled low above his head, hands in pockets, and just sit behind the counter with you while you do restock. No words, just chilling.

If fans ever asked if he was dating anyone, he’d smirk and go, “Maybe.” Not only are the fans shocked but so are the other boys.

They didn’t expect baby of all people to actually fall for a human and not tell them

They insist on meeting you but Baby refuses. He’s so calm about it too. 

Easily avoids all of them and poofs out of the building before they can follow him.

You two don’t do super fancy dates. You’ll walk the streets of Hongdae with spicy corn dogs and bubble tea, trying every new snack he spots.

He loves making you try unnecessarily spicy things just to watch your reactions, knowing you won’t be able to handle them. “C’mon, you survived me. You can survive this.”

He takes horrible selfies with you.

 Tongues out, fake gang signs that make him feel cool (he saw them on tiktok) and captions like “me n my boss lady”

Does he get jealous?

Baby? Nah, not really… Okay fine, a little.

If some schoolboy flirts with you while buying gum, Baby will suddenly “appear” from behind a shelf with 20 spicy ramen cups in his arms like “Pretty thing, help me figure out where to box these up yea?”

He’d dump the cups in your arms so he could take over the cash register and would absolutely glare into the boy's soul as he rings up his order.

The boy leaves.

He would call you things like: 

Cashier-nim : when you first met.

Boss Lady : Whenever you order him around.

Snack : When he tries to resist the urge to bite you. 

Trouble : When he wants to accuse you of flirting with him.

Pretty Thing : To get you flustered

Y/N-ie : Only calls you by your name during quiet and VERY sincere moments.

You call him things like: 

Spice King : You watched him down like 5 ghost peppers with ease.

Little Brat : Whenever he’s being annoying on purpose.

Incompetent toddler : You see the pattern?

Pretty Boy : Only when he’s being sweet.

Baby : It’s literally his name

He would confess to you by leaving a sticky note on the counter that says “Employee discount for boyfriends??”

Though its not super duper straight up, he’s still pretty to the point with it.

When you look up confused, he just winks and says, “I like you. Now say yes before I buy out your whole damn store.”

[miraculouskpop]

EXO Reaction - Members and their S/O as Ladybug and Chat Nior

This is a Miraculous Ladybug AU with EXO starring as Chat Nior and you as Ladybug. 

Note that all GIFs are not created by me, and goes to the respective owners. 

Suho as Cat Nior

Kim Junmyeon would take his role as Chat Nior very seriously considering the possible outcome of his homeland. Although being a new superior gifted with deadly supernatural powers, Suho will be dignified with these abilities and won’t hesitate to remind you the responsibility of taking care of the people. Just like being a mother figure in EXO, he will take charge overseeing everything. In fact, Suho as Chat Nior will be the one leading the team, not you. He can be amusing at times, but overall, Suho as Cat Nior will be very diligent because saving the day is important within itself, after all. 

Lay as Chat Nior

Lay, poor child, bless his heart. 

The nature of Lay’s persona contradicts the destruction of power. He’s unlikely to even use his newfound power, and perhaps give up his ability in order to avoid unnecessary devastation. After some convincing, Lay would gradually accept his new role as Chat Nior, but it doesn’t mean he will like it, however. He hates hurting anyone, even those horrible beings called akumas, but really, they’re just people being possessed, so why should he harm them? You will have to take over majority of the missions and defeat the akumas. Afterwards, you would sit with Lay and have a serious discussion of separating personal with superhero identity. 

“You’re not really hurting anyone, and I need your help.”

“I know, but I feel so guilty about it.”

“But look on the bright side. Your power gives me the opportunity to defeat the akuma and protect the people. It’s beneficial for both of us in the end.” 

“I guess so...”

You’ll have to constantly encourage and praise him to continue his role as Chat Nior. After some time, Lay will feel more comfortable with his power of destruction and selectively choose the akuma to defeat. However, his baton will do fine. 

Xiumin as Chat Nior

“So... How do you like me now?” 

Xiumin would become rather cocky and sensual as Chat Nior. Transforming into a dark, seductive, majestic black clad feline bestowed with supernatural abilities is a girl’s wet dream within itself, and Xiumin knows how to use effectively. As Chat Nior he’ll be such a mischievous tease that sometimes likes to play tricks on you. An example being sneaking up behind you, or wrapping his black tail around your leg much to your annoyance ( not really ). He’s confidant as Chat Nior and knows the time to kick necessary ass, but he cannot help but to show off a little. Sly flirtation is Xiumin’s crafty gift, and he loves to use it on everyone.

Women and men love Chat Nior. 

Hell, he loves himself as Chat Nior. 

He also happens to converse more comfortably as Chat Nior, but careful with his vulnerable expressions. Either way, being heroes will become a pleasant experience for the both of you. 

D.O as Chat Nior. 

Okay, so....

This is awkward. 

D.O as Chat Nior is just... uh, D.O, really. He doesn’t really alter his ego. Sure, he’ll take his position seriously, but he always take everything seriously, so that’s nothing new. As Chat Nior, he’ll remain quiet as ever and will act upon demand, so you will have to direct orders. Of course, don’t get him wrong, he likes being superb and whatnot, but it’s not that significant to worry over. Another day defeating an akuma hellbent on destroying the city. Nothing to see here. 

Between you two is also awkward. He rarely speaks, so you really don’t know what’s on his mind. 

But piss him off... 

And he’ll destroy everything in his path. Thankfully it hasn’t reach to that point, but let’s hope situations never reach to it. 

Chanyeol as Chat Nior. 

*GASP!* 

“No way! You’re joking, right? Me? A SUPERHERO!?” This boy would literally fanboy all over the place at the thought of being a superhero. So, after all the fanboying and squealish screams of joy, Chanyeol as Chat Nior would be... let’s say, destructive. He can barely contain his emotions, so as a superhero it would be very difficult to tame him...- consider Chanyeol as a young child who’s imaginary powers became real. If it wasn’t for your good luck charms, Chanyeol would’ve already burned the entire world into a crisp. He can be provoked easily which leads him to abuse his powers and destroy everything in his path, whether intentionally or not. He happens to become very sad if you don’t praise him for any of his efforts. You try to lecture him on the subject of controlling his powers, but all of it goes out the window. Hot headed, aggressive, and sometimes dimwitted, Chanyeol as Chat Nior would be a bit of a chore for you.

Chen as Chat Nior. 

Chen as Chat Nior would be a little unfitting. 

Chen never really cared for superhero stuff, so doing anything related to supernatural, hocus-pocus, fight an enemy of the day wouldn’t interest him. He has better things to honestly do, but he’s not complaining. Too much. 

Honestly, this will have to grow on him. He’ll try to adapt, and certainly ask a lot of questions...

“Will this cause health problems?”

“Okay, so, I have to be careful because my hair stylist finished my hair this morning...”

And you? More than annoyed. 

“God, look! It won’t ruin your face if you just avoid any akumas’ attacks.” You sigh in frustration, and Chat Nior nodded with a slight smile. “Awesome, because I have a photo shoot at two o’clock today and don’t need my face messed up.” He’ll try to fight, but it’s kind of pointless since he misses his opponents, anyway. 

Baekhyun as Chat Nior. 

“IT’S TIME TO PARTTTTTEEEEEEEHHH-”

Frankly, Baekhyun would be more than excited to become Chat Nior. It gives him the freedom to truly be himself without any judgement. He’ll mostly play around with his supernatural capabilities rather than take responsibility and get to the point, much to your frustration. He often teases his foes and play tricks on everyone with the intentions of saving the day, but just in his own special way. Being Chat Nior also gives Baekhyun the opportunity to find love without lurking paranoia, considering his swift flexibility and heightened senses. 

Chat Nior loves to goof off and find interesting things to do besides work. He explores places during the midnight hours and would introduce you to new scenery.

“Wow, looks amazing.”

“Not as amazing as you, my lucky bug.” 

Oh, and the puns. Lots and lots of cheesy puns. 

“Awe man! You gotta be kitten me!”  

“How about a little... purrsuasion?”

Kai as Chat Nior. 

Like an idol, Kai will have a bit of an identity complex that only increases in difficulty once he accepts the role as Chat Nior. He’s not sure how to act, so he only gauges by how he sees in most superhero films. Creating an alternative personality is like wearing a costume for a special event. As Chat Nior, he projects himself as cocky, aggressive, dominating, flirtatious and all the other stereotypical personalities, but in reality, he’s very vulnerable and uncertain of himself. Of course, he’ll never let anyone see this side of him. In the midst of a dangerous situation Kai will become somewhat nervous of his capabilities and the results of them... What if he fails? What if he’s not good enough? What if he loses control and go crazy with a lust for power? These thoughts plague him at night. 

However, you were there to set things straight. 

“Chat, I think you have what it takes.”

“I don’t know. Honestly, it’s hard enough living as an idol... How am I suppose to tackle being a superhero part time?”

“Just be yourself. Don’t allow these fears to dictate your life.”

“You’re right. I’ll try my best.”

Sehun as Chat Nior. 

Prissy cat. 

Annoying furball. 

Whiny brat. 

Too many names you wanted to call him, but you settled with little kitten just to annoy the shit out of him. 

You two argue quite often over pointless crap. Sometimes, there’s no valid reason to argue, but you guys love one upping each other. He’s such a conceited show off trying to prove how “amazing” and “great” he is, when in actuality he’s nothing more than a stupid, obnoxious brat that’s always yapping at the mouth-

“Look out!” You were so lost in your thoughts you didn’t realize the huge fireball shooting straight at you...- that was, until you found yourself across the building with Chat Nior hovering over you. Okay, so, he’s not that bad. Sure, he can be arrogant, prissy, sissy, and downright rude, but he has some ethical value to him. If the conversation is not pertaining to himself, then Chat Nior doesn’t bother to speak. 

Loves attention, the fame, the admiration of the people around him. Yeah, it’s like a dream come true.  

[tammyhybrid21]

Let’s Talk about Wasted Potential!

(Let’s talk Scrappy Doo)

I know, I know... It’s Scrappy Doo...

I’m going to put most of this under a read more so those who just want to avoid anything Scrappy can avoid it...

So first of all... I actually like Scrappy. Not love him like I used to(I mean seriously, he was always my favourite character after Daphne as a kid...) but I still like him well enough. And I think that’s partially(or mostly really) because I grew up with the Scrappy Cartoons being aired mixed with the other series. So sometimes he was there, sometimes he wasn’t... and he was there kind of from the start... even when he wasn’t... If that makes any sense.

Also I never watched any of the Live Action movies... so I don’t know how that’s made an impact or not...

So... anyway...

Why am I talking about the one character hated by everyone? Well, because I just really, really need to get this off my chest. And because as I basically declared in the title of this post... We need to talk about the wasted potential here. Okay, I’m sure some of you are confused, because really? What potential does or did Scrappy have and well honestly...

He had a fair bit in the beginning.

ISSUES:

The issue is, well, more noticeable in rewatch than it was at the time I originally watched the series, because again for me he was there sometimes and other times wasn’t, but he was a character who I understood as part of the show and the gang from the beginning. Again, the issues with Scrappy are more noticeable now, in rewatch than they were back then, since well, first episode of Scooby and Scrappy is kind of... HE’S THERE! No build up, no explanation, he’s just there...

To be fair, that’s not exactly a bad thing... I mean, it’s certainly not something that’s uncommon for older cartoons, to just suddenly introduce a new character and not explain them.

At the very least Scrappy’s inclusion was explained in the startup... For what little that’s worth...

So that’s issue number one I guess, his introduction wasn’t exactly the best.

Issue two, and this one is actually an issue that I myself have with him, because wow. On rewatch this is painful, Scrappy is a character with a tendency to be shoved in and included in plots where he is absolutely, 100% unnecessary! No but seriously, he is not necessary in quite a few of the plots that he’s included in, the most egregious examples being in the movies. Especially Reluctant Werewolf... and Boo Brothers, I actually somewhat enjoyed his parts in Ghoul School for myself... even if they were kind of superfluous... but still. In Ghoul School he wasn’t really jumping in unnecessarily(or at least not as much).

He just doesn’t need to be in the movies, and honestly without him... the plot wouldn’t have changed. Well, not too much...

No seriously!

But anyway, the issue really is... They started inserting Scrappy into places he really didn’t belong, and he basically ended up as yet another one of those characters who kind of overstayed his welcome. It’s happened before, it will happen again... but Scrappy is one of the more notable ones(followed by freaking Tuffy from Tom & Jerry). In small doses, Scrappy is nice, but constantly, and inserted in places he doesn’t belong like the movies, well... He quickly brings scenes down, and kind of wears on you.

Also, how often he was used to resolve a plot that the other characters should be able to solve on their own... Especially with all the clues in Boo Brothers... Like you really want to sell Scooby and Shaggy as that oblivious to word play and puns? Feels off...

Issue Three! And another one that I have with him... More in hindsight that anything else. WHERE THE HELL IS Scrappy’s Self Preservation INSTINCT?!

No seriously! Where the hell is it?

Nowhere? Dead, gone, buried and forgotten.

I mean, seriously. The moment something spooky and scary appears, Scrappy is always “Let me at ‘im, Let me at ‘im!” and of course his other catchphrase... “Dada da da da dada! Puh-Puppy Puh-Power!” yeah... I am not exactly a big fan of his attack all the spooky and scary things.

Just seriously, I know that kids like to puff themselves up, and pretend to be braver than they are... but Scrappy isn’t pretending. He just doesn’t understand danger, and is constantly go getter, and with zero sense of safety and preservation instinct... As a result, it’s really, really annoying to watch him charge into a dangerous situation and have to be grabbed, stopped all the time.

Which is just... bothersome you know.

I mean... he does sometimes seem to pick up that something is wrong... but 90% of the time... nope. No self-preservation at all.

What they Done Right:

Scrappy’s relationship with Scooby.

No but seriously, if there is one thing that they got right, at least for the most part, it was the relationship that Scrappy had with Scooby. It was obvious that Scrappy adored and idolized Scooby, and Scooby clearly cared for his nephew Scrappy. That was not something that you could pretend wasn’t there.

I mean, most of the times that someone was grabbing Scrappy to stop him from getting into trouble, it was usually Scooby. Also, Scrappy was able to make Scooby show some bravery on occasion. And without the use of Scooby Snacks, just with words. But seriously. As much as they did mess up with Scrappy, I adored the dynamic that there was with Scrappy and Scooby.

I just wish there were more down low moments when they were just interacting with one another...

And even the rest of the gang.

Also, on this subject, I loved Scrappy interacting with Shaggy most of the time as well. Even if it was slightly less well handled. And to a more minor degree, Scrappy’s interactions with Daphne. I just... really like the relationships that they gave him alright. Because it was one of the things that they managed to mostly not screw up.

Secondly...

And this is more... kind of meta wise. Scrappy was actually a good idea. Introducing him to the show anyway. Despite what your opinion is, Scrappy was thrown in as an attempt to save the show... And like him or hate him... He did. He saved the show...

Also, he was pretty entertaining in the beginning. A new element. And he brought in a new perspective. He’s the “young” character. A tagalong kid. And in all honesty...

That brings me to the next thing that they done right.

Scrappy is a good kid character!

His flaws are striking for sure, but, he is a good character in the sense that he fulfils his purpose. And he actually feels like a kid. At least, when he’s not obviously really, really dense and with zero self-preservation instinct. Although, there were a couple of moments where he sounded a bit more mature than a kid... but for the most part. There’s another positive.

And yes... that’s where most of his more annoying traits come from... He’s a child. And he doesn’t have the self-control and maturity to stop himself from doing stupid things... also... well, he talks a lot. But well, it works. And I personally can say that they did it right... even if it’s probably the thing that makes him such a problem in the first place...

So yeah...

What’s the Missed Potential?

Now, let’s actually get to the point of this whole rant/babble thing. What’s the missed potential with Scrappy.

Well...

For one thing. If they were going to have Scrappy have no self-preservation instinct the way that they did... They should have done more with it! They should have let him get into trouble, they should have had him getting himself in over his head, and back stepping sometimes, needing help and calling for it when he realized that he was in trouble... Or not even realizing it, and still yapping and yapping at the spooks, even though he’s in serious trouble.

They should have pushed that a little bit more. Also, on those occasions when he ran in, and attacked whatever, he should have done little to nothing to help at all. Instead it should have been making things worse. Because he’s a child, and has no idea of the danger...

Or they could have taken his bravado and talk in another direction. He talks big, but at heart is just another scared puppy like his Uncle Scooby. That could have worked as well. Although, considering the formula... well, would have made things a bit harder to make it fresh if you just add another cowardly running character, even if it is one who is all bark, no bite. And honestly Scrappy’s scrappy nature fits.

Secondly, let’s have a few more childish moments you know. I mean, as much as I praise them for making him a child and feeling like a child... he wasn’t really that childish... He had his moments, but they weren’t obvious in your face, and they were somewhat rare on top of that. If you’re going to make a kid character, one of the things that you need is to include them being a child. Scrappy should have thrown tantrums at times, been demanding on occasion and want things that he wouldn’t necessarily be allowed... and I don’t just mean in regards to him fighting the spooks that the gang was chasing.

Where was the demands for sweets and treats? The demands to play a game, or for a specific story or comic? A certain music station while they were in the van/car travelling around? Also, he should have been running around a little bit more excited, curious and exploring. While he still feels like a child and acts like one... he’s got a lot of failures in this aspect. Also... honestly there should have been more of him trying to get Scooby to beat up the bad guys in this regard.

Since adoring child with an Uncle who busts bad guys and solves mysteries for a living...

Major missed opportunity there.

Third... They should have made the first episode a proper introduction and explained things properly. Why was Scrappy there? I mean, I think that there is an explanation episode somewhere? Maybe? Anyway... they should have established the Scooby and Scrappy series by EXPLAINING Scrappy’s presence. I mean gosh, for a reference, a cartoon that I happen to love, that only came out a decade or so after Scrappy knew at least that you had to establish changes to the status quo!

Sure they done it in the first episode of each season that they introduced the change but still...

Missed opportunity! Especially because can you imagine that dynamic? With Scrappy brand new and the gang attempting to do their usual thing. And no one is quite used to Scrappy yet? That would have been something you know. Even if the rest of the series continued the formula of vague continuity is vague... You know.

Fourth... Maybe they could have toned down the focus on him... Also, take him out of those particular episodes and movies that he really doesn’t need to be in. The spotlight is something that is best shared after all. And while Scrappy is a fun addition to the cast, the biggest issue could have been resolved had they just not put him in everything. He didn’t need to be in everything and somewhat center stage, the real issue is that he’s a one puppy spotlight-stealing squad. Really.

This could have been fixed by making the episodes slightly longer than seven minutes... I mean really? Really? That’s... actually one of the biggest things that harms the series, each episode is so quick, it doesn’t leave much spotlight for anyone... I mean at least the regular episodes have a twenty to thirty minute runtime you know... So they could have I dunno, made them longer so that there was more time to actually use all the characters. Also, give the watcher some small breather scenes amongst all the chaos.

But still, focus issue.

Fifth, tone down the catch-phrase slinging. I mean, I get it, pretty much everyone in Scooby Doo had their one or two catch-phrases... but when that catch-phrase is said once or even twice in every episode and each episode is only seven minutes long... it gets old... Really, REALLY quickly. Also on this topic... Tone down the dialogue for Scrappy in general.

Like Tuffy the mouse from Tom and Jerry(especially in the movies) when Scrappy starts talking He. Does. Not. Stop. And it’s so, so annoying. Like come on! He doesn’t have to talk that much. And if he did have to talk that much then you should have called him Yappy. But seriously, tone down on the dialogue dude.

Also on that note, give him an accent like his Uncle! Come on guys! Was that so hard to do? Did he need to be so fluent? He’s still a canine! He should have had a bit of an accent because of how hard it would be to pronounce things with a muzzle.

Sixth, let’s be honest here, they should have had more episodes with the whole gang included! Just really, Scrappy’s flaws are not that big a deal when there are more characters to interact with and to share the spotlight with.

Also honestly, I just feel that it’s a missed opportunity that we never really saw how Scrappy properly interacted with Fred and Velma. We saw him a lot more with Daphne in 13 Ghosts, and that was nice you know. Also... another thing about that. 13 Ghosts actually toned him sown somewhat, and since the focus wasn’t constantly or semi-constantly on him, we got a break. It was pretty fantastic.

Finally, let’s just get this one done, because it’s more a nit-pick than anything else... but they should have designed him on all fours like the rest of his family.

Okay but seriously, why is he always on his hind legs standing up the way he is? It just kind of bugs me, alright.

In Conclusion:

Like him, Hate him! He’s a character I see potential in, and whenever I get around to writing some fanfiction that I have on the backburner, he will likely be included. But done right. Well, as “right” as he can be.

Hopefully people will find him annoying in a more annoying bratty child way, than a scrapper and spotlight stealer who should just go away way.

So yeah, I’m done.

[bsidethetrees]

Last Month: Lunchtime Tagalongs

"Where," the man growled as he went around the house, searching, "are my headphones?"

His wife just sat there though, in their bedroom, cradling their daughter in her arms as she watched him, smiling slightly.

"You're the one that wanted such a big house, dragon," the woman reminded softly, almost singing the words.

'Yeah, Mira, I know," Laxus grumbled as he came back into that room, planning on looking under the bed then. "I-"

"Ah!" Their little baby then, Lana, at the sight of him reached out for the man. Coming up on her first year of life, there was little she liked better than playing with her father. At the moment though, he didn't have time for such a thing and only got on his knees, peeking under the bed.

"Dragon," Mira sighed. "The baby wants you."

"Yeah, I know. And I want her. But I have to get going, Mira."

"She doesn't know that."

"Demon-"

The baby was whining then, trying to wiggle out of her mother's hold and, well, he couldn't let her fall.

"Come here," he groaned, getting to his feet before going to snatch her up. "You can help me look, Lana, but after that, I have to go."

She just wanted him to hold her. That was all. And, with what she wanted, she settled into his arms easily.

"They're not in here either," he groaned as he walked into the master bathroom. "Demon-"

"I haven't seen them, Lax." Free of their daughter then, the woman got to her feet before heading out of the room. "And I have to go check on my puppies. I haven't seen them in the past hour or so."

"They're probably the ones with my dang headphones," he grumbled as Lana patted at his face. "Took off with them. Those mangy mutts. Ain't worth nothin'."

Still, regardless of how upset he was, Laxus just leaned down to press a few kisses to his baby's head because, well, she deserved it, just for being his, before heading off again.

"Where are my headphones?"

It took him forever to discover them under one of the couch pillows, him remembering just then that he'd taken a nap there the previous night.

"That solves that," he said as his baby just giggled from his arms. Pressing another kiss to her head, he carried her and the headphones with him into the kitchen where the demon was singing to the dogs as she got some lunch ready.

"Mira," he said as he went to drop Lana in her highchair. "Not to interrupt your little concert here-"

"No, go ahead. The puppies don't mind."

Uh, yeah, they did. Raijin and Tenjin both took to whining when she stopped singing to them and, well, that was just annoying. Laxus thought about kicking them out of the house, but knew the demon wouldn't stand for it.

Heh.

"I'm heading out," he said, slipping his headphones on before going to press a kiss to her head. Mira giggled, looking up from the stove then.

"Have fun. I love you."

She got another kiss before he turned to face his baby. Goodbyes were always the hardest with her.

"Lana." He went to go pat her on the head a few times. "I gotta go. I'll be back tonight, maybe, but you'll be asleep. So I'll see you in the morning, huh?"

She made a few noises back at him that basically meant that was okay, she understood, and that she'd be patiently awaiting him return. Basically. In his mind.

He gave her a bunch of kisses too, to make up for this transgression of leaving before they even got to eat lunch together, before standing up and heading out. The dogs followed him to the door, Tenjin yapping as he went along.

"Leave me alone," he grumbled. "I'm not telling you goodbye too. You don't deserve it!"

As he was battling with the dogs though, on his way to the front door, he heard it. Lana was crying.

"Oh, sweetie, he'll be back," he heard Mira coo as she no doubt went to tend to the baby. "He's just going to go see his friends. You can't keep him occupied all day, you know."

No, she didn't know. And Laxus, well, he couldn't just leave her all sobbing and stuff. What if something happened while he was gone? And he let cry it out the last time they saw one another?

It just wasn't going to happen. Not on that dragon's watch.

"Laxus," Mira complained as he rushed back into the kitchen to check on her. "We've talked about this."

"No, we haven't."

"Yes," the woman said as he took their child from her. "We have. You can't give into her when she does this, Laxus. She has to know that it's okay for us to leave."

"I know," he sighed as Lana snuggled up real close to him. "I just don't like her to be upset."

"Well, she's fine with me. And besides, Elf and Ever are coming over soon to watch her when I go to work-"

"What?"

"Laxus, you knew that. I told you earlier."

"You telling me is not in question. Me listening and remembering is."

"Laxus-"

"Hey, Lana, you wanna stay here with your stupid uncle?" He looked down at his baby then. "Or come with your daddy? Huh?"

"That's not an option."

"It is now." He set off then. "Let's go get your stroller, silly. And, ooh, your diaper bag."

"You can't be serious," Mira called after him. "Laxus."

"Why can't I? I'm just going out to lunch with Bickslow and Freed. Then I'm going to hang out with them. Maybe get some dinner later. And come home. She can come to that. They should expect her to!"

Freed and Bickslow weren't, however, as it turned out. When he got to the restaurant though, he found that the seith had a straggler of his own.

"What," he grumbled at the sight of Lisanna sitting at the table, "are you doing here? This is important Thunder Legion business-"

"Oh, whatever. If it was, Evergreen would be here," Lisanna retorted as he came over to the table. "And Lana wouldn't. You guys were just going to goof off and do nothing. Bickslow told me so."

"Oy, boss," the man said with a nod. "I can't lie to the kid. She's, like, got these eyes that just key in on me and I freeze up. I'm no good."

He couldn't be too mad. He had that same problem.

"Where is Mirajane then?" Freed asked as Laxus moved to take Lana out of her stroller and set her in his lap. "That you have the child?"

"At home."

"Then-"

"But," he went on. "She was going to leave her with Elfman."

Everyone just stared at him.

"Uh, boss? I don't see-"

"Of course you don't, Bickslow, because you're not me. But I've seen what too much exposure to Elfman will do to a person. Look at Evergreen. Completely ruined. Tarnished." He smiled down at his baby then. "But not Lana. No. She's perfect."

"Is it just me," Bickslow mumbled to Lisanna, "or is watching him with her totally ruining your image of the boss?"

"Considering he's not my boss and I have to watch him like this with my sister all the time, not to mention I did live with the guy, as he was acting this way towards his daughter, not really."

"Oh."

Laxus sent them a glare. "I can hear you idiots."

"Just kiddin', boss."

Freed took to shaking his head. "I have already ordered for you, Laxus."

"How'd you know what I want?"

"How did he know? Boss! He's Freed! And you're Laxus! It would be blasphemous for him not to know!"

"Or," Lisanna said, giving Bickslow a look as he only snickered, "you always get the same thing here, Laxus. There's always that little tidbit, Bicks."

"Well, yeah, but it's not as dramatic as what I said. You know I love dramatic."

"Yes, I know."

"If I had known that we were allowed guests," Freed told them both then, "I would have looked into bringing someone."

"Ever's busy and Laxus is already here," Bickslow said. "You're kinda out of people, man."

"I do have other friends, you know, Bickslow."

"Sure."

"I do."

"I'm agreeing."

"Leave him alone, Bicks," Lisanna said. "It's hard not having any friends. Look at Laxus."

"What do you mean look at Laxus?" the slayer grumbled, glancing up from the faces he was making down at his baby.

"And for the last time," Freed complained, "I have plenty of friends."

"He had to bring his daughter," the woman went on. "That's way more embarrassing than having no friends."

"If I had known to, I would have brought someone!"

"Lana is my friend," Laxus told them all harshly. "And she's a way better one than any of you."

"Oy, boss, I get it," Bickslow agreed, nodding his head. "Same with me and my babies."

"It is not the same."

'It is the same."

"It is not."

"Is too."

"No, Bickslow. Not even close."

"Totally is, boss, so-"

"I'm telling you-"

"And I'm telling you-"

"It's not the same!"

Lisanna and Bickslow both looked at one another.

"Someone's touchy, Bicks."

"I can tell, Lissy."

"It happens when your only friend is a little tiny baby. No people skills."

"I was the same, back when it was just me and the souls. Now I got you though."

"Mmmhmm."

"Totally changed my life."

"Thank you."

"Somewhere," Freed told them slowly, "there is someone who had committed a heinous, unspeakable act and they more than deserve to deal with the two of you. But I do not."

"I agree. Boss, you and Lana are just too much."

"I am talking about you and Lisanna, Bickslow, and you know it!"

"I don't blame Lana," Lisanna told them slowly. "I mean, she's just an innocent bystander. And Laxus can't help it. He's just a big doofus."

"Watch it, kid, 'fore I fry ya."

"I blame Mirajane," the woman finished to which her boyfriend nodded.

"Lay down with dragons-"

"Wake up with baby fleas."

"They're completely disgusting together," Freed went on, speaking to his idol then who, after glaring at the two of them, went back to tending to Lana. Err, well, playing with Lana. She made really cute noises when he tickled her. "Why you allowed him to bring her, Laxus-"

"Are you talking?" The man glanced up from his daughter. "What'd you say?"

Freed only sighed. What was the point? "Never mind."

"Are you hungry?" Laxus leaned down to nuzzle his head against the baby's. "Lana?"

"Awe, gross," Bickslow grumbled. "Lissy?'

"Hmmm?"

"I think boss is broken."

"No, Bicks, he just loves his baby."

"Exactly. Mirajane, I could put up with. I mean, hell, I'd screw her."

"Excuse me?"

"The baby though-"

"No, we're going back to you sleeping with my sister."

"-is giving him nothing. At all. She takes his time and his money and apparently his sanity. But what does he get out of it?"

"We're still talking about you saying you'd sleep with Mirajane. Laxus, did you hear that? You're totally on my side, right?"

"Lana," the slayer cooed as the baby reached up to pat at his face. "You're so cute. We should just skip this whole hanging out after lunch thing and just go to the park. You like going to the park? Huh? Little baby. My little baby."

"Laxus, are you drunk?" Freed complained.

"Still only gonna talk about you saying that you want to sleep with Mirajane, Bickslow."

"I'd rather forget about that though, Lissy, so-"

"What did you idiots just say?" That one got Laxus' attention for some reason, lifting his head to glare over at them. "About my demon?"

"N-Nothing, boss, just-"

"Bickslow said that he wants to-"

"Look!" The seith took to pointing. "The food!"

Well, with that sort of distraction…

"You're not off the hook," Lisanna told her boyfriend softly though, at the moment, Laxus found the next best thing to the demon, the baby, and being a total badass. Food. "Bickslow."

"It was a joke, Lissy."

"Have you ever noticed that over half of your jokes never land and just get you in trouble? Or come off as creepy?"

"I reserve to the right to speak my mind. And yes, Lisanna, Mirajane is hot. Even post-baby. And yes, I would if you and boss weren't in the picture."

"You what?"

"And if Mirajane suddenly got brain damage," Freed remarked. "I mean, she can land a man like Laxus, but would slum it with you? Doesn't happen."

"Oh, like Laxus would ever leave Mira for you, Freed. We all have aspirations."

"It's an aspiration now?" Lisanna scoffed. "Seriously, Bickslow?"

He only groaned. "Boss, can you help me out here?"

The man was more concerned with something else. "I think Lana just-"

"Awe, gross."

"Here," Lisanna groaned, getting to her feet. "I'll go change her."

Well, if she was offering…

"Don't loser her or something," Laxus grumbled as he handed off his baby. "I mean it."

"Yeah, like I was ever going to do that to begin with. Sure, Laxus."

After the girls were gone, Freed really thought that they would have a chance to get down to that precious guy time that he had been hoping for all along. Err, well, Laxus time. Bickslow was just a tag along. A necessary evil, as it was. Why that evil thought bring his own little evil along was allowed was beyond Freed, but here they were.

"So," Freed said, trying to keep his voice upbeat as he addressed Laxus once more. The slayer was shoveling down food then though without his daughter to keep him paced and hardly glanced up. "We were supposed to discuss our evening plans at lunch. Lana has derailed a few of my ideas, but-"

"The baby needs somewhere to take a nap after this," Laxus said simply. "Decompress. This has been a lot for her to take in."

"What has, boss?" Bickslow asked all morose like. "Watching me ruin my relationship?"

"No," Laxus said with a frown. "Coming to such a stimulating place."

"W-Well," Freed tried slowly. "I suppose we could go back to my apartment and she could nap there. Or-"

"We'll go to my house," Laxus told them to which Bickslow fist pumped. "But no misbehaving. Bickslow."

"Oy," the seith complained. "Why are you singling me out?"

"Because, not ten minutes ago, you made some sort of remark about my wife to her sister which, by the way, I know is going to make it's way back to the demon and I'm going to have to hear about. So, Bickslow, you big dope, that's why I'm requesting that you behave."

"Sound logic," Freed agreed.

Bickslow just stuck his tongue out. "I love Lissy, but sometimes she tries too hard to ruin my fun. What difference would it make if I did find Mirajane attractive? I could never be with her."

"Mirajane is attractive," Laxus corrected. "And you would be lucky to even get a taste of her. However, you never will."

"Don't I know it?"

"So, how are we going to fix this? Hmmm?" Laxus glanced over at the seith then. "You're going to take Lisanna out after lunch."

"What? But, boss, I-"

"You're going to let her spend your money. Then you're going to beg for forgiveness. Maybe get her a dog."

"Uh, Laxus?" Freed held up a hand. "Not to…intervene, but, well, that sounds a lot like something that would work on, well, Mirajane."

"It is. That's how come I have two dogs. And no money."

"And a swanky house," Bickslow added.

"No," the dragon sighed. "That was the baby's fault."

"Not to be a bother, but weren't we talking about Bickslow?" Freed asked slowly. "And his predicament with Lisanna? Because she does not seem like the type to be bought."

"Oh?" Laxus frowned over at him. "And you're saying that my demon is then?"

"N-No! I was just saying that Mira is much simpler to manage-"

"Are you callin' my woman simple?"

"No! I just-"

"Oy." Bickslow frowned down at his food. "Lissy likes little baby animals. Maybe we'll stop by the pet store to hold a few. She likes that. Or we can go get ice cream. I like that. A lot. Yeah, guys, let's just go get ice cream."

"Guys?" Freed snorted. "Clearly, you heard Laxus state that I was accompanying him back home."

"And when did Laxus say that again?" the man in question asked.

"L-Laxus, you said-"

"I said I'm going home," he said. "And I am. With Lana. To nap. And then play. Then wait for the demon. Maybe throw the Frisbee with the mutts. But I dunno yet. Depends on how I'm feelin'."

"But what about our plans for the day?" Freed asked. "I thought-"

"I told the demon that I would go out with you knuckleheads because she thinks that Lana and I need to spend more time apart," Laxus reasoned. "But now that Lana's with me anyhow, what's the point?"

"I'd like to think my happiness would be the point, but-"

"Don't get weird."

Bickslow only moaned some more. "Maybe Lissy will forgive me if I call Mirajane an old hag to her face."

"Sure," Laxus agreed. "She can do so at your funeral, you damn fool."

"You know, boss, you could just be a tad more supportive," the seith pointed out. "Don't have to kill me just for saying that your woman is-"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't be the one killing you. My demon would." He held his head up high then, pausing his eating in pride. "My woman can take care of herself."

"That she can," Freed agreed with a nod. "And calling her a hag, Bickslow, would be an excellent chance for her to prove that fact. Surely you would enjoy that, right, Laxus?"

"Extremely." He was staring Bickslow down then. "Go ahead. Call my demon a hag. I haven't seen Satan Soul in far too long. And you know how much that turns me on."

Heh.

"I think I'll pass, uh, boss," Bickslow said slowly.

"You sure?"

"Very."

Lisanna was back then, with Lana, and moved to set the child back in her father's lap. This excited her and Laxus alike as he leaned down to nuzzle his face against the baby.

"Laxus," Lisanna complained as she reclaimed her own seat. "You're going to get her dirty. Stop it."

"Don't tell me what to do, girlie," he grumbled as Lana only giggled. He moved to feed her something then, just a bite of his food. She seemed to like it a lot, but that usually wasn't the concern. It was more whether or not her stomach did and what the outcome would be.

Considering Laxus was the one that would be taking care of her for the rest of the day, he hoped it went well.

"Hi, Lissy," Bickslow greeted. His dolls, who were floating around like usual, called out the same message.

"Hi, babies."

Bickslow cleared his throat.

Then again.

One last time.

"Uh, Lisanna-"

"Did you say something, Freed?" she asked, purposely speaking over her boyfriend. The green haired man frowned over at her.

"No," he said slowly. "But I think you are aware of that."

Laxus wasn't aware of anything anymore. Other than his love of Lana. She was so cute when she chewed stuff up. He was pretty sure she got it from the demon, but then again, he was pretty dang great at chewing too.

It was definitely an art.

"Lisanna," Bickslow complained. "Are you ignoring me? Huh? Answer me! Are you ignoring me? How am I supposed to know if you're ignoring me if you don't-"

"Yes," Freed sighed. "It is very clear that she's ignoring you."

"I didn't ask you," the seith complained. "Lissy, can you believe him? Deciding when you were ignoring me or not? Huh? Can you? Lissy, I can't handle this. This has to be the worst moment of my life. Honestly, I might just go crazy and…and… I might just go crazy, okay?"

"Put a sock in it," Laxus grumbled, glaring over at them. "Lana and I are bondin' over here."

Actually, at the moment, Lana was trying to send some brainwaves his way asking for more food, but they didn't seem to be going through. They were usually so in sync too.

"You know," Lisanna said slowly, making a face over at her brother-in-law. "I think I like it more when you're bashful about your love of Lana. A lot more. Why aren't you today? Can we have that Laxus? Please?"

Snort. "I ain't bashful 'bout nothing. You annoying little snot."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"I'm not." Finally, Lana's thoughts seemed to penetrate his brain as he moved to feed her another piece of food. "So there."

"I'm sure it's just that we will be taking off on a job in the coming days," Freed offered, trying to be helpful. That was all he ever tired to be. Helpful. Yet they always turned on him. All of them.

"Shut up, Freed."

See?

"L-Laxus, I was only trying to-"

"I ain't," the slayer grumbled as Lana snuggled back against him, "bashful. Ever. At all. So there."

"Baba." Lana started reaching out then, trying to pick up Laxus' glass of water. "Baba!"

"You're thirsty?" He nodded at Lisanna. "Get me her sippy cup."

"Can I get a please?"

"You can get a now before I boot you from this meeting," he offered. Lisanna didn't seem nearly as thrilled about that option.

"You make one perverted joke about a woman's sister and suddenly she won't talk to you." Bickslow shook his head. "Terrible, ain't it, boss?"

"Groveling over a woman?" It was Laxus turn to shake his head. "Pathetic, ain't it, Bickslow?"

"W-Well, I ain't groveling-"

"Ask Bickslow, Freed, if he thinks denying that he's groveling for me will help him any," Lisanna said as she handed Laxus' Lana's cup.

"What? No. I-"

"Tell Lisanna, Freed," the seith said, speaking right over his teammate, "that I will not grovel. Because I did nothing wrong."

"I am not playing along with you two-"

"And you can tell Bickslow-"

"Tell him yourself, Lisanna!"

"-that," she continued, "I think you're super handsome and hot, Freed. And I totally wanna sleep with you."

"Okay. This took a turn. My interest is waning even more," Laxus said as he glared at all of them. "Stop discussing your personal lives in front of my baby. It's not appropriate!"

"I…I do not-" Freed stuttered, but Bickslow only scowled from under his visor.

"Sleep with?" That got a snort. "I wanna fuck the demon."

"Y-You're sick!" Lisanna crossed her arms. "I wanna blow Freed."

"P-Please," the letter mage tried. "You both do not realize what you are-"

"Same. Only I want the demon to- Oy, boss! That hurt!"

He'd thrust Lana onto Freed, Laxus had, so that he could get up and, with little bolts of lighting wrapped around it, he slammed his fist into Bickslow's head.

"Only," the superior mage growled, "I get to call her that. Or talk about her like that. You wanna lose your life? Huh? Over damn Lisanna? Who'll be over this in five minutes?"

"I would not." Lisanna looked off. "Maybe ten, but definitely not five."

"I think he killed some brain cells," Bickslow complained as Laxus only stood over him, glaring.

Freed, who was trying to keep a grip on a very wiggly Lana while also hide his blush, remarked, "And with so few to start with."

Tilting his head back then, Bickslow stared up at the man he so revered. "Oy, boss, you know that I would never say something so derogatory about your woman."

"You just did," Lisanna whispered. "And it was rude. Very rude. Especially about my sister, but about any woman. And to say it in my presence-"

"I have it in my right mind to dismember you," Laxus growled. "You think you'll like being dismembered, Bickslow?"

"No, sir," he sighed, dropping his head. "Not at all. I have a family to feed."

"Considering your children are spirits of the long dead," Freed sighed, "I found that doubtful."

"And Lisanna," Laxus went on. "Bickslow's an idiot."

"Words hurt a lot, boss."

"Yeah," she replied. "I know."

"Et tu, Lissy?"

"But," the slayer went on, "he's a very…annoying one. And you're annoying too. So just mesh and leave the rest of us the hell alone. And no more tagging along on important business. You hear me?"

"I hear nothing."

"Lisanna-"

"I still have another four minutes," she said. "So leave me alone."

Freed, who was still battling it out with Lana about whether she should stay in his lap or be as free as she wanted to be, only looked to his fearless leader. "Not to be a bother, but I would rather implore you to take your daughter back. Not that I am not thrilled to find that she is so…enamored by me-"

"Dude, she's trying to do everything in her power to get the heck away from you," Bickslow pointed out. "I mean, honestly?"

"-but she does not rather seem to wanna be held right now," the green headed mage pointed out. "At least by me. So perhaps-"

Bickslow got one more bop in the head by Laxus (it hurt like the dickens) before the man returned to his seat.

"No more," he growled as he took his daughter back, "talkin' about my woman. And that goes for any of ya. And Bickslow?"

"Yes, boss?"

"Me and you are gonna have a trainin' session after this, huh? One on one, yeah?"

For some reason, Bickslow figured it'd have less to do with training and more to do with torturing. Still, he only sighed.

"Yes, boss."

Still, Lisanna kept her head upturned. "Three more minutes."

"Oy, Lissy, you're killin' me, baby." Bickslow looked around at his actual babies. "Three whole minutes, babies. What are we supposed to do?"

"You can try eating that lunch that you ordered," Freed pointed out. "Laxus is paying for it after all."

That too got the slayer's attention. Looking up from snuggling his daughter, he growled.

"Laxus is doing what now?"

"Well, yeah, big brother Laxus," Lisanna said, glancing over at him. "You always pay when we eat out together."

"Because the demon makes me," he growled. "You see the demon around? Huh? No. She's not even to be mentioned again!"

"Then why are you doing it?"

More growling. "Look, girlie, I'm at the end of my rope here. You wanna keep this up? Huh? Or you wanna live?"

"Live, Lisanna," Bickslow's dolls pleaded. "Live!"

"Yeah, I'd choose that one," Bickslow said. "Unless you see some anima lying around-"

"How rude." She turned even further from him. "You jerk."

"That's another twenty minutes for bringing up such a trauma," Freed sighed.

"At least," Lisanna agreed.

"Oy." Bickslow focused on his lunch once more. "At least I'm getting free food."

"I ain't paying for this, you punks," Laxus growled. "What do you think I am? Huh? A bank? Just handin' out money?"

"Banks loan out money, Laxus," Lisanna pointed out. "So no. No one thinks you're a bank."

A longer growl. "Look, you little brat, I-"

"Boss," Bickslow whined. "Don't make her even more mad. I'm tryin' to cut down on the twenty minutes and you're not helping. Unless…hey, Lissy, if you get more mad at Laxus, does that mean that you'll be less mad at me? Lissy? Lissy, answer me!" Then he looked to his friend. "Freed-"

"This is the last time," the man grumbled.

"And the first time," Laxus reminded.

"Lisanna," Freed asked. "If you're mad at Laxus, will-"

"No."

Bickslow only stared expectantly at Freed. "What'd she say? What'd she say?"

"You can clearly hear her," Freed huffed as Laxus only sighed.

"Cannot."

"Bickslow-"

"I'll only pay for lunch," Laxus huffed, "if you make up with him, Lisanna. And if he stops talking. You hear that, Bickslow? You two kiss and make up and I'll- I didn't really mean kiss! It's an expression! Hey! Watch where you put your hands on my damn sister, you freak!"

Freed only hung his head as Lana giggled loudly, just from the sound of her agitated father.

He couldn't take the three of them anywhere.

"So, dragon," Mirajane prompted later that night when she got off work. "How was your big day out? Did you have a little adventure with your friends?'

"You could say that," he grumbled from where he sat on the couch, awaiting her return as usual. Lana was in bed and the dogs were out in the yard, playing (forgetting how to use the doggy door to get back in) which meant that they were essentially alone. Coming to fall onto the couch next to him with ease, Mirajane took his novel from him before gently tossing it onto the coffee table.

She deserved his undivided attention, after all.

"No, silly," she giggled as she snuggled against him, Laxus staring down at her with a slight grin. "Tell me everything."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Okay, well, I brought your sister and Bickslow back together."

"How fun."

"Only for them to start groping one another in the restaurant."

"A lot less fun."

"After, of course, your sister hit on Freed, which was weird."

"Super."

"But only because Bickslow was making remarks about sleeping with you."

"I don't think I like this story."

"So I bopped him over the head."

"My hero."

Nodding, Laxus said, "And Lana was amazing today. So glad I brought her. The only one that I cared to actually spend time with."

"But, dragon," she scolded as she leaned up and stared at him, her blue irises as captivating as always. "The point wasn't for you to spend time with Lana."

"That's the point of every day."

"No, it's not." Reaching out, she tapped his nose which, usually, was annoying, but he managed to tolerate, just for her. "The point was for you to spend time with your friends. Remember?"

"I remember you thinking that," he said as it was his turn to tap her on the nose. "But I do not remember me ever conceded to that. No."

"Dragon-"

"I spent time with them," he grumbled. "Had my fill, in fact. Tomorrow, me and Lana sorta just wanna hang around the house together all day, so-"

"You aren't social enough!"

"I'm more social now than I've ever been," he argued. "Just with Lana."

"Lana doesn't count."

"Bite your tongue."

"Laxus-"

"Do it," he warned, "'fore I do it for you."

She stuck it out then, as if taunting.

"Ow, Laxus!"

Then he did it.

"I warned you," he said simply as she pushed him away.

"I think I'm bleeding."

"Turn into Satan Soul and punish me for it."

"You have such weird kinks," she complained before holding her tongue out again, though that time it was to check it for any lacerations.

Laxus only relaxed onto the couch again. "In closing-"

"No, we're not done. You do not bite, Laxus! Sheesh, maybe you are spending too much time with Lana."

"-I have decided that yes, I do need to eat out more."

That made her glance at him. "Oh?"

Nodding, he said, "With Lana."

"Oh brother," she sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"She makes such cute noises when she tries new food." He grinned at the memory. "Did I tell you about how well she chews now?"

"Yes. Just this morning over breakfast."

"Well, it serves mentioning again."

Leaning against him once more, Mirajane only reached up to touch his cheek. When he turned towards her, she said, "I think it's so cute that you love our daughter."

"Well, it's a little stronger than love, but sure."

Nodding, Mira said, "It's kinda hot."

Oh. Laxus shifted then, to better accommodate Mirajane. And, when he leaned down, she leaned up and she-

"Damn it, Mira!"

-bit him.

"That's what you get."

"What is wrong with you? You practically bit right through my lip! I'm bleeding."

"And my tongue just feels so great?" Huff. "Payback sucks, huh?"

That time, the growl was a lot deeper than the ones had been earlier in the morning and much more alluring.

To Mirajane, anyhow.

And who else mattered?

Giggles were all he got in response as he tackled her, finally, onto the couch, burying his head in her neck at the same time. He grumbled against her flesh that time, something about his poor lip or how he was tired of her trying to make him social or some other silly nonsense that didn't matter.

Because as special as his time was with his baby, the time with his demon was just as precious. Laxus didn't waste that on nothing. Every second had significance. Every single one.

Even the ones that were broken up by the dogs somehow managing to figure out that damn doggy door and storm back into the living room, yapping and breaking up the fact that Laxus was very much so enjoying all the parts of Mira that Bickslow had been dreaming of before.

Heh. His demon was a special one, being embarrassed by what a bunch of dogs saw, but she was his one.

That was all he cared about, at the end of the day.

That and his baby. Always his baby. They were both kind of just givens at that point.

"So," Mira whispered much later when they were in bed that night and trying to drift off. "Bickslow said that I was cute? Or beautiful or?"

Laxus, mind laced with sleep, mumbled, "That he wanted you to blow him or-"

"What?"

And man, Satan Soul was a lot less attractive at three in the morning when you're trying to keep her from rushing down to her little sister's apartment she shared with her boyfriend to rip his head from his body.

Not completely, enough to count.

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