Knock Knock Knock

The man in the room grunts his response while biting back yet another curse word as he tries to button his shirt. Whose bright idea was it to make these things so small? He abandons his task as soon as the door opens and a sweet familiar fragrance makes its way to his overly-sensitive nose.

"Mirajane..." he whispers before raising his head to look at the beauty that was smiling before him.

To say she was beautiful was actually an understatement: the woman was a goddess and nothing less. All the men she crossed stopped in their tracks to get a good second look at her long silky white hair, her ample breast, and her perfectly curved body. That was usually the only things that people noticed about the Fairy Tail cover girl. Most of them failed to notice her enticing baby blue eyes and her sparkling smile; most of them didn't know just how powerful she was; most of them didn't know the struggle she had to go through to acquire that power. But he did. He knew all those things and so much more. He was there when she first came to the guild with her siblings in tow, he was there when she needed help controlling her first Satan soul takeover, and he had been there when she lost everything.

She closes the door behind her and stifles a giggle as she watches him with his shirt half buttoned up.

"Need help?" She offers with a smile.

He only grunts in response as she got closer and starts undoing his shirt buttons. "You started it wrong." She said.

He lowers his head to stare at her and silently wishes she would hurry up; having her this close to him isn't good for his sanity. Once upon a time he might have had a chance, but now he knew he had a lot of things to be forgiven of before she even considered him as a potential maybe. Unfortunately, while his mind knew the facts and accepted them, his body had a longing for her.

"You look good in a shirt." She says to break the silence. It is the only comment she offers, but he knows she has much more to say. It was a gift that she had given him some years ago, and he is quite sure that she had recognized it. Why did he pick that shirt in particular to go fight the final battle? If only he himself knew the answer...

"So I've been told." he answers smugly.

This is as long as their conversation lasted these days, and it pains him to say that he misses the days where she would actually talk to him normally about everything and nothing. He looks down again and notices she is at the last button; not wanting her to leave just yet he blurts: "Going after Blondie?"

Silence.

He waits for an answer, but instead gets a tug on his shirt and he feels a small weight on his chest. He looks down once more to see a mop of white hair sprawled on his chest. Tentatively he raises his hands and circles her petite frame, bringing her closer to him. It's been a while since they've been this close and he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss it. To feel her this close to him, without struggling, he can't help but think that maybe they're starting to cross that distance again.

"Don't die." She states simply after a while. He's left speechless by her statement and freezes on the spot, she takes that opportunity to push herself off his chest. He immediately notices that her eyes are a little shinier than usual, he curses himself for making her cry once more.

"Suddenly care?" His mouth spits out before he can stop. He hates himself for always pushing her buttons, but he'd rather see her mad than sad.

Except this time she doesn't get mad, instead she grips his shirt a little harder, raises her beautiful baby blue eyes to meet his grey ones and says: "Only a monster like you could ever love a demon like me; so don't die." she says softly. He stares at her wide eyed; unable to find the words to express what he feels as he feels her eyes burning through his soul.

Noises are coming from the hallway, interrupting his train of thoughts; it's time for both of them to leave. She releases her grip on his shirt and smoothes it out before turning the other way. She grabs his massive coat that's sprawled on the chair next to her and hands it to him with a sad smile.

He hates that smile; he wants her to smile as brightly as she usually does. He wants her to brighten his day with his smile like she usually does. He grabs his coat from her hands, and take extra time to linger to feel the softness of her skin against his. Without a second thought he roughly grabs her by the waist and crashes his lips against hers. She tastes exactly like she use to and for a second he's brought to all those years ago when he first kissed her. Her arms snake themselves up his chest and in his hair, her lips dancing with his as he remembers how much he has missed this. He pulls her closer to him, wanting to feel all of her; to memorize this moment. It's not so much a romantic kiss as it is a desperate and passionate one. The need for the other's presence is needed; to make sure that everything is real just one last time. When finally he runs out of breaths he pulls away and stares at her slightly flushed face; she's still so beautiful and if he doesn't leave now he's afraid he'll never leave. He pulls away silently; words were never his strong point, gives her a quick peck on the forehead that meant to say "Be careful.", and he quietly walks away.

He freezes at the door, and realizes for a moment that, with everything going on, this might be his last chance at redemption. He grabs the handle, opens the doors, but waits. Without turning around, because seeing her face would be much too hard for him he says: "I love you Mirajane."

Before the young mage has time to gather her thoughts he's gone, but as she speaks loud and clear she knows that her dragon slayer will hear her: "I love you too my monster; Laxux."