Sometime later, it soon came to for Zack to leave the home of the Strauss siblings.
However before Zack left through the front door, someone prevented him from leaving when a hand lightly grabbed his shoulder, a hand belonging to Mirajane herself.
"Something wrong?" Zack askes the rebel teenager, who removed her hand from Zack's body, and took a long breath for some reason, before her sea blue eyes turned towards Zack's grassy green eyes.
"Elfman nearly emptied the kitchen, since you are party at fault why it is empty, so… take responsibility, and carry the bags, that is least you can do." Even if Mirajane said this with her arms folded under her chest, looking so arrogant, but a faint blush on her cheeks, tells otherwise.
Zack cannot help to laugh inside his mind, at this not very honest side of Mirajane. And yet, he did not mind it, he does not understand it himself, why he found this so amusing.
And yet, he always found himself either amused, amazed, and other such emotions, when he either watches or with Mirajane.
That is why, Zack flashed a bright smile, a smile that seems like a childish grin, his signature smile in a way.
"I don't mind, after all, this means I can spend more time with you, right?" Zack honestly went, looking at the blank look on Mirajane's face, before a blush came on her face.
This caused Zack to blink his eyes in confusion, when Mirajane turned her face to the side, like she is shyly avoiding looking at Zack for some reason.
Of course, this also applies Mirajane in question, her mind raced, as she did not understand why she avoiding looking at Zack, or what this funny feeling within her heart is.
But she soon coughed, awkwardly so, as she shakes away these unexplainable feelings within her, feelings that makes her uneasy.
After all, how can she not found it uneasy, when at times when these very emotions and feelings will often give her astray thoughts, along with clouding her reasoning as well.
Yet, no matter how much she tried to get away from them… Mirajane always often found herself walking towards them, like a moth to the flames.
Why is that?
Were they hard to apart of?
Or maybe, no matter how she pushes them away, she will always subconsciously move towards them, no matter how she resists them.
(AN: In the original fanfic, the only romance moments were the train, and after 'that' happened. I only mentioned in background, how the two of them are close, and how Mirajane acts differently when they are alone, before 'that' happened.
This time around, I wanted to show not just mentioned in the background, how close Mirajane and Zack are, unlike it was told in the original fanfic of this fanfic.)
"W-What nonsense you on about!? Listen here, you are a bag boy, okay? That is why you here, n-not because I wanted to spent some time alone with you, so stop dreaming dumbass!" Mirajane went with a serious look, a serious look that tells otherwise, with her blushing cheeks.
"I know, but I am still happy… and delighted, was it? To be able to spend more time with you, even as errand boy." Zack went, a little unsure if he used the right words to explain his honest feelings.
One the other hand, Mirajane cheeks are no longer reddish pink, no, now it is the whole of her face, that is beamed in shyness, causing the inner maiden with Mirajane to halt her steps as her heart beats so fast, causing one to think, if her heart wanted to escape from her chest.
Mirajane's mind soon became flooded with unnecessary thoughts, along with her mind also raced like her heart, causing her unable to say anything in response to these strange feelings.
And yet, like always, as soon she felt overwhelmed by these strange, uneasy, and funny emotions, that oddly carried warmth within them. She bottled them up, she put those emotions to the side, with no clue what to do with them.
"I guess… there no helping it, who else would order you around, besides me? Be honoured errand boy, not every day this Majin lets anyone around her." Mirajane went, in a way that may offended anyone.
And yet, her smile wasn't one of arrogance, nor her eyes looking at Zack, were like her arrogant words.
Her smile became faint, but gentle, her sea blue eyes looked at Zack with softness. It wasn't the kind of expression of someone so arrogant will wear.
Maybe this was actually the true Mirajane, that hidden under the layers of the walls known as the Majin.
This is not the first time Zack seen this expression, the gentleness and the softness behind the walls themselves.
And yet, even if this was not the first time being looked at this, he always found his mind coming to a halt, his heart skipping a beat, before it races with something he does not understand, as he blankly stared at Mirajane.
It only until Mirajane's voice itself, that brought Zack back to reality.
"What's wrong? I was only somewhat joking about the whole errand boy thing." Mirajane askes a little worried, as she notices Zack just staring at her, however, this rebellious teenager did not expect his next words, words that startled Mirajane to her core.
"It's just... when I saw that smile on your face… my mind went blank, and my heart also skipped a beat… is this serious? This is not the first time this happened… but it always like this with you, why does this happen? And why do I want to see that smile, and the way your eyes looked at me more?"
Zack honestly told, as clueless as someone as himself, he has no clue why this kept happening, and why it only happened around Mirajane?
It felt very foreign, and yet, a pleasant feeling to this clueless young man.
On Mirajane's end, who heard of all this.
Mirajane found herself frozen in place, her mind even went blank, along with her sea blue eyes blink several times, as if trying to progressed what she just heard.
And like so, her face reddens, her heart beats more wildly out of place, that matches the chaotic state of mind.
She is no fool.
Even if the dumbass himself has no clue what he just done or said. There is no way Mirajane wouldn't understand the meanings behind those words, what they meant.
Upon listening to those words, a part of herself, a part she does not understand herself, felt very glad, happy to heard this.
And yet, she also felt overwhelmed alongside afraid.
Mirajane might be a maiden to her core, but she is a maiden with extreme distrust issues.
From the moment she felt glad and happy for whatever reason that is. A part of herself remembers that day, the very day that prevented Mirajane from trusting anyone, besides them… she does not even trust herself.
That is why, the wall within her, the wall known as Majin refuses anyone who comes close to her within her heart, no matter who they are.
That is why, her cheeks no longer flashed with shyness, fading if it was a lie, alongside a downcast expression surfaced on Mirajane's face.
"Its… properly nothing. Don't over think it… yeah, that is the best for both of us." Mirajane went, in a tone different from her overconfident tone, nor it was a serious tone.
Not to mention, those words, are not just aimed for himself, but also at herself.
Zack just looked at Mirajane who said this, this is not the first time she said such things or shown such unfocused expression on her face.
Something is wrong, something even someone as dense as Zack can tell.
And yet, Zack also felt it is wiser to let this be.
Everyone has their own demons, and some are greater than others. Mirajane's demons just happened to be the heaviest kind.
That is why, it is unwise to kick the hornet nest, especially when it will leave the other party not just uncomfortable, but it will also make things between them worse than anything else.
Which is why, Zack can only do one thing. That is to hope.
To hope when the day when Mirajane can lower her wall enough, so he could understand her more.
But why he wanted to understand her more?
That is still a mystery to our clueless protagonist, who he wanted to know more about her.
Or even how close he does truly wanted to become with Mirajane.
Was this obsession?
To understand someone who is more than just a friend?
Or maybe it was something else.
All Zack do know, when one day those walls around Mirajane will lower enough for him to pass them, only than he will knew, what he truly wanted to know about her, and himself.
"I see, it properly nothing." Zack only said, while Mirajane herself, did not say a word to that. Nor did she look back at him.
The two of them walked in silence, not aware, by chance, there was someone listening to them, and even saw what happened between them.
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I hope you guys enjoyed this, as much I did, rewriting this.
And I also hoped you enjoyed this little romance act, no matter how short it was.
Anyway, thanks for reading like always.