Rhodes began unpacking the gifts he'd brought back, some for Mira, some for everyone else.
Just as he pulled out a doll meant for Lisanna, the door opened and Lisanna and Elfman stepped inside.
"Brother-in-law, you're back!" Lisanna said brightly.
"We bought the things you asked for," Elfman added.
Rhodes blinked, confused. "The things I wanted? What things?"
The two of them dropped their loads onto the floor with a heavy thud. Lisanna held two boxes, while Elfman had six balanced on his shoulder.
Lisanna explained, "It's six years' worth of the Fiore Daily and Weekly Sorcerer."
Elfman nodded. "Sis asked us to pick them up this morning. We had to run all over Magnolia to collect them."
"Ah, " Rhodes finally remembered mentioning it to Mira. He hadn't expected her to act so fast, roping in her younger siblings right away.
Mira pouted at him from across the room, her expression saying I'll help you, but I'm still mad at you.
Rhodes chuckled, then turned to Lisanna and Elfman. "You two worked hard. Come here, I've got gifts for you."
"Wow! A Stream Squirrel doll and a brand-new Kuri doll!" Lisanna rushed forward, hugging the two half-human-sized plush toys with sparkling eyes. "Kuri dolls are impossible to find in Fiore! Thank you so much, brother-in-law!"
Lisanna adored fluffy dolls. Most of the ones she'd had as a child had been ruined over the years by rats and bugs, so this gift hit her soft spot perfectly.
Elfman, however, looked bewildered.
He opened his two gift boxes and found perfume in one and cosmetics in the other, items he clearly had no use for.
"These are for me?"
"Yes and no."
"?"
Rhodes grinned. "I bought them for you, but not for you to use. They're for you to give to someone."
"Oh." Elfman immediately turned to hand them to his sisters.
Rhodes stopped him quickly. "Not them. Think harder."
Mira and Lisanna exchanged glances, then looked at Elfman with expectant smiles.
Elfman frowned in thought. If not his sisters, then who? "I'll give them to Nab. I lost to him in an arm-wrestling match once. …Why are you making that face?"
He was met with three looks of pure disdain.
Lisanna sighed. "Elfman, don't you know these are gifts for girls?"
"Hm…" Elfman scratched his head awkwardly. "Then… maybe Cana? Or Erza? Ugh, this is such a hassle."
The way he said it made it sound like giving gifts to women he grew up with was some kind of life-or-death mission.
Mira and Lisanna were nearly in despair watching Elfman fumble through his options.
"Just listen to me." Rhodes sighed. "Honestly, this is about repaying a favor."
"A favor?" the siblings echoed.
"Yes. Back during the S-Class Exam, you had a partner who stood by you, didn't you? She went to Tenrou Island just to support you, and faced all that danger with you. So give these gifts to her. Take her out to dinner too. There's that floating restaurant in the south of Magnolia, Mira and I went the other day. Nice place, great view."
Before Elfman could even protest, Rhodes had arranged everything for him, practically writing the speech he needed.
Mira immediately stood, neatly rewrapped the perfume and cosmetics, and shoved them into Elfman's arms. Lisanna joined in, and the two sisters spun him around and pushed him straight toward the door.
"It's settled, go!"
Lisanna threw Rhodes a thumbs-up, and Mira's gaze toward him softened into something very gentle.
Rhodes kept a calm smile, but inwardly he was grinning. 'Looks like I won't be sleeping on the floor tonight. Might even earn a few extra privileges… Go get 'em, Elfman.'
That afternoon, the Thunder God Tribe had just returned from a mission. The three of them sat around Laxus, eating and drinking while chatting about what they'd seen on the road.
At the next table, Rhodes, Mira, and Lisanna stacked two boxes of Weekly Sorcerer issues, pretending to sort them but in truth watching Elfman like hawks.
He approached stiffly, clutching the rewrapped boxes. Laxus was the first to notice, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Freed's eyes followed Laxus's. Bickslow sensed drama brewing and had his dolls spinning in excitement.
Evergreen turned at just the right moment, and Elfman all but shoved the gift box into her hands.
Rhodes couldn't hear their words, but he saw Evergreen's face flush red. Laxus and Freed shared knowing smiles.
Then came Bickslow's exaggerated voice, tongue out: "Are~ you~ two~ a~ thing~?"
The dolls joined in with a singsong chant: "A thing~! A thing~!"
"So noisy!" Evergreen snapped, swatting them away in flustered embarrassment. She adjusted her glasses, glanced at Elfman, and muttered something under her breath before finally blurting, "Fine! I'll accept it, just don't get the wrong idea! This is only because you know how to be grateful, absolutely nothing more!"
Elfman returned to the others in a daze, his cheeks faintly flushed against his darker skin.
Rhodes, Mira, and Lisanna high-fived triumphantly.
It wasn't until he sat down that Elfman realized what had just happened. Almost instinctively, he turned his head.
Across the way, Freed was stroking his chin with a sly smile while patting Evergreen's shoulder. Bickslow and his dolls sang chorus lines, and even Laxus smirked in silent amusement.
Evergreen argued with her companions, face flushed bright red.
"It's just a gift! Just dinner! It's not a date!"
But when her eyes accidentally met Elfman's across the hall, both of them instantly turned away, cheeks burning.
From the other side, Laxus raised his cup with a sly grin, toasting toward the Strauss siblings' table like an approving older brother.
Rhodes and Mira also lifted their cups with knowing smiles, like parents proud of a successful engagement they had just arranged.
The next morning, Rhodes cracked open his eyes only to see Mira already rushing around the bedroom, frantically pulling on her clothes.
He rubbed his eyes, confused. "It's still early. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"It's Elfman's first date!" Mira declared. "I have to help him style his hair and pick out his outfit."
"..."
Rhodes gave up immediately. 'Alright, fair enough.'
Mira slipped on one slipper, hopping on one foot as she scrambled to find the other. "The room's yours!" she called out as she hurried out the door.
Rhodes yawned, pulled the quilt over himself, and hugged the spare pillow.
'Five more minutes… Just five more minutes…'
He wasn't sure how many "five minutes" had passed when the sound of the front door caught his attention.
Dragging himself out of bed, Rhodes peeked through the window curtains.
Down below, Elfman had been "escorted" out of the house by his sisters, well, kicked out, more like. His hair was slicked back neatly, his clothes looked surprisingly formal, and in his hands was a bouquet of flowers.
The proud manly man of Fairy Tail was now walking stiffly, every step betraying just how awkward he felt, as he headed toward the girls' dormitory.
Two minutes later, Mira and Lisanna sneaked out after him, tiptoeing like conspirators.
Rhodes sighed. 'They're really planning to tail him the whole time…'
Shaking his head, he started getting dressed. 'What's so exciting about a date? It's just our straight-laced little brother and a tsundere girl with glasses out for dinner. At most, the girls will force them into shopping afterward.'
Still, the thought crossed his mind… maybe he should send one of his Crabs to tag along as his "eyes."
...
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