Double Date

In the back of a moderately crowded café, there was a tiny booth with a basket of bread nestled in the center between the salt and pepper shakers and the tall mug of a broad man. He sat with his back to the wall, looking out at the rest of the restaurant as his girlfriend sat next to him, babbling on like a child or something about nothing. Gah! Would she ever shut up? It wasn't until there was a lull in her jabber that he was able to speak. And even then, he only said,

"Why, Mirajane, would you invite us to go out on a date with another couple?"

"Because, Laxus, it sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"No," he grumbled as he took another sip from his drink. "It doesn't."

"And anyhow," Mira went on as she stared down at her menu. "It's going to help Erza and I settle our differences…again."

"Erza? Erza's coming?"

"Mmmhmm."

"With who?" he asked, glancing down at his girlfriend. "Erza isn't seeing anyone. Is she?"

"I dunno," Mirajane admitted. "But when I asked her, she said that she would be here, with a date, tonight. So she should be arriving shortly. Which means behave, Laxus."

"Yeah, yeah."

As they sat there next to one another in the booth, Mirajane beginning to hum, Laxus took to looking around. Where was Erza and her date then? He was starting to get annoyed. It wasn't every day that Mirajane took off and he was able to take her out to dinner. Most of their dates centered on him sticking around at the guild to hangout. Now he actually had her out, to a nice place, and she was making him spend it with Erza? And whoever the hell she decided to bring along with her? It truly sucked.

"Hey, Laxus, you should get this," she said, pointing something out on her menu.

"Why?" he grumbled.

"Because I kinda want it, but then I kinda don't. So if you get it, then I can-"

"How come I get screwed out of what I want? Huh?"

"I think you're missing the part where I'm the girlfriend."

"And I think you're missing the part where I'm Laxus Dreyar, the fucking strongest-"

"Yes, yes. You're the strongest person to ever live."

"The fucking strongest," he grumbled. She only reached over to pat him on the arm.

"If you wanted to get whatever you wanted at a restaurant, Laxus, you shouldn't have invited me."

Grunt.

"Oh, don't be like that." She turned slightly then to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Tell you what, just this once, you pick whatever you want."

He blinked. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't know what you're-"

"Laxus. Mirajane. Punctuality is something to be admired."

Blinking, he turned away from his girlfriend to look then at Erza, who was sliding into the booth across from then. Next to her was a very disoriented looking Natsu, a knot still formed atop his head.

"Erza," Mira giggled in greeting. Then she said, "I had no idea that you and Natsu were-"

"Yes, well, it is a…new relationship," Erza said slowly before glancing at the pink haired Salamander, who was sliding into the booth as well. "Isn't it, Natsu?"

"Newer than you think," he mumbled. Erza elbowed him, but he only looked at Laxus. Tilting his head to the side, he said, "Bro, you got some lipstick on your cheek."

"What? Mira," Laxus complained as he started rubbing at his cheek while glaring down at her. She was more focused on staring Erza down though.

"New relationship, maybe, but usually I'm the first to know about these things," she was saying, still clearly suspicious. "Especially considering you hang around with Lisanna all day, Natsu. I mean, you'd think that she would have mentioned-"

"Yes, well, Mirajane, who are you to question true….love," Erza asked, almost sounding pained at the word. Natsu just took to banging a fork against the table, looking around for the waiter. He hadn't eaten since his early evening snack! Which, of course, had consisted of everything edible in Lucy's apartment. He'd be in trouble for it later, but whatever. His stomach had been growling!

"Love," Mira said slowly before glancing at her own boyfriend. "Laxus and I are in love. Aren't we, Laxus?"

"I've never said that."

"Laxus." That got him pinched which about got her back handed. When he took to glaring at her though, she only said, "We're in love. Say it."

"Fine," he grumbled. "We're in love. Happy?"

Natsu started snickering until he saw the look in Laxus' eyes. Then he went back to banging his fork against the table.

"Would you stop doing that?" Erza finally asked him, glaring almost.

"Doing what?"

"Banging your fork against-"

"But I'm bored," he complained. "And hungry. I was promised food!"

"Be quiet," Erza hissed. "Before I give you another hit."

Mira blinked at that, turning her attention back to them. "Did he say promised?" Then she grinned and looked, at least to Laxus, like she did when they were kids. If only for a moment.

"Did you say promised?" Mirajane asked. Natsu started to nod, but then Erza hit him again.

"Yes, well, he thought that he had plans today, but I only persuaded him otherwise." Then Erza looked at Natsu. "Didn't I…sweetie?"

Laxus had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from dying. Seriously. He was dead. He had to be.

"Who me?" Natsu scratched his head. "Well, I was gonna go with Happy and Lucy to go night fishing-"

"Night fishing?" Mira questioned.

"Yeah. You know. Sneak up on the fish. Catch 'em at night."

They all shared a blink. Then Mira giggled, Erza sighed, and Laxus snorted. Luckily though, the waiter showing up saved Erza from anymore embarrassment. For the moment anyhow. The second he was gone, Mira was right back to grilling her on her newfound relationship.

"So when did you two bridge the gap then?" Mirajane asked. "Between friends and lovers?"

"I wouldn't put it like that," Erza said slowly. "And I think I most rather the story of how you and Laxus first began dating to-"

"Really?" Mirajane asked. "Or is it just that you don't want to tell me about you and Natsu." Then she gasped. "Let me guess. You hooked up on a job?"

"Mira-"

"Or, ooh, at the guildhall?"

Erza looked uncomfortable for a moment before saying, "Neither. It was on a day that Lucy went off to visit her father's grave and Gray was busy with Juvia. The two of us, Natsu and I, were left to our own devices. And we decided to spar. He was….struck by my beauty. Were you not, Natsu?"

"Not. Err, yes. No? I don't get the question."

Mirajane giggled again. "It's okay, Natsu. I was just curious, is all."

"Well," he said slowly. "Erza and I are friends, but I just, uh, you know. Love her."

Laxus grunted, reaching out to grab his drink and down some more of it. "You sound like a chick."

"Oh yeah? 'cause last time I checked, you're the one over there declaring your love for Mirajane."

"I don't love-" Then he glanced down at Mira who was staring up at him. Groaning, he slammed his cup down on the table. "I love you, alright? Just stop making me say it."

"Oh, I know you do." She rubbed his arm gently as she reached out to take one of the pieces of bread from the center of the table. "I just want Erza to know it."

"Me?" she asked, frowning. "What difference would it make to me?"

"Oh, I think you know."

"No, I-"

"So is this it then?" Natsu asked Laxus then. "Going out on a date?"

"What do you mean? Why are you even talking to me?" He snorted, turning his head up. "Don't talk to me, loser. We're not buddies. I'm here 'cause my woman wanted to show your woman up and make her admit that she didn't have anyone who would date her. And if I wasn't one hundred and ten percent sure I'm getting some after this, I wouldn't be here. So-"

"Well, I'm getting some too," Natsu announced rather loudly then. Mirajane started grinning at the look on Erza's face. The Queen of the Fairies was clearly out of her element and off her game for once.

"Be quiet," she hissed at Natsu. "Just sit here, quietly, and wait for the food."

"You're no fun, Erza," he complained. "Why can't I have what Laxus gets?"

The blond man snorted. "No wonder you're all over those dirty books all the time, Erza, wasting your time with a boy."

"Behave, Laxus," Mira scolded, though she did giggle slightly at his words as Erza turned a darker shade of red. Natsu was just getting annoyed with them treating him so poorly and took to tapping his fork against the table again.

"Did I not tell you to knock it off?" Erza growled at him then before giving him a swift knock to the head. That made Natsu groan and nearly fall out of their side of the booth. Laxus couldn't help it then as he started laughing, even as Mirajane hit his arm and told him to behave.

When their food finally came, Natsu finally chilled out some. Erza was still clearly on edge still though and Mirajane figured she'd finally let her off the hook. It was clear to her then that she hadn't been able to find a date and was depressed about it. How else would she have ended up with Natsu?

Laxus though had gotten about three drinks in himself by the time the dinner was over and was more than ready to just take Mirajane back to his place, forgetting the whole unpleasant experience while marking it down as something they'd never do again.

"Can we go and get dessert now?" Mirajane was asking Laxus as they left the place, leaving Natsu and Erza, who were staying to have a few drinks with one another, behnd.

"Dessert? Mirajane, we're going home."

"Please? Laxus, I just want ice cream or cake or-"

"Mira-"

"I love you."

"That doesn't work on me, genius."

She only crossed her arms. "Dessert or go home alone."

"What?" Growling then, he said, "You said date or go home alone. You can't change it now."

"Yes I can."

As the two off them were leaving, Erza and Natsu were celebrating. Or at lest he was.

"Ha," he proclaimed as he slung back a beer at the bar in the restaurant. "That was a piece of cake. And you paid the bill? Great. Dating you is awesome, Erza."

"Well do not get used to it," she grumbled as she leaned against the bar. "In a week we will have a massive breakup and go on with life. I only needed you to fool Mirajane. And had someone better been attainable or as trustworthy, I would have used them."

"Whatever you say, Erza."

"And do not get any ideas. I do not care how their night is ending, we are not Laxus and Mira."

Natsu frowned. "So no ice cream?"

Blinking, she glanced at him. Was he…serious? In any event…

"No," she told him with a frown. "After this drink, our night together will end."

"That's cool. I'm sure Luce and Happy are looking for me anyhow." He took another sip of his beer before smiling at her. And despite the annoyance she had felt towards the entire situation the whole night, she felt herself grin back at him.

"What should I tell them?" he asked, turning away far too soon for her liking.

"Tell them?"

"Happy and Lucy. Do they get to know that I'm your…sweetie?"

"Do not got hit again, Natsu," she warned. "And I am sure by morning, Mirajane will have told anyone and everyone."

"Hmmm. Well, don't fall in love with me, Erza, before the week's up, huh?"

"Believe me, I do not see that happening."

"Whatever you say." He flexed then. "Not many can abstain from this."

"I'm sure I will find the resolve."

Out on the street, as they headed towards their respective homes, Natsu found himself more than a little buzzed. And Erza, without Mirajane breathing down her neck and with a drink in her own belly, was not as uptight or awkward. In fact, it was almost…nice. He was joking around and wobbling around while she only chided him gently for enjoying being in such a state.

Still though, they were having a rather good time with one another. At one point, when they were out here on one of the empty streets alone, perhaps Natsu got a little too close to running into Erza. And one might say that she was not too resistant when he did fall into her slightly. Maybe, in the right light, one could say that they were both laughing lightly then and, when Erza turned her head, Natsu seemed suddenly more coherent. Enough so to lean forwards, if one saw it that way, and just when he almost kissed her-

"Hey, Natsu! Here you are!"

"Told you he'd be around, Lucy."

And just like that, the spell was broken and, as far as Erza was concerned, the almost didn't happen. And Natsu was turning then, to look at Lucy and Happy racing down the road towards them. With a wink to Erza, he started racing over to his two friends.

"Hey, guys."

"Where were you? And hi, Erza," Lucy called to her. There was another road, bisecting the one they were on and with a wave, Erza headed towards it. Usually she would have gone to greet her friends, but given the moment…

"Erza and I were on a date," she heard Natsu proclaim loudly. That was, of course, met with the snickers of Happy and the right out refusal of Lucy.

"What?" the blonde mage exclaimed. "No way!"

"Yes way. And she kissed me. Didn't you, Er- Erza? Hey, where'd you go?"

But she was already leaving them behind then, for once not blushing or feeling odd at all. Because it was just one night. Err, one week. And then she could put all the silliness she'd created to throw Mirajane off behind her.

Still though, it did bug her that night as she laid down to go to sleep, of what it would have been like to kiss Natsu. Or better yet…why had she even wanted to? Any other man, she'd have chalked it up to that glass of wine she had, but Natsu?

"Maybe I'm coming down with something," she said softly as she laid in bed alone. "Or, well, I am always one to launch fully into a character. Yes. Yes! That is it."

Even though it cleared her mind enough to go to sleep, she still had to wonder, was it?

I'm not usually big on Erza/Natsu, but it was a request. And I could totally see them as a couple. Especially after the Tower of Heaven arc. I'm just more into Erza/Jellal, I guess.