The fireworks had long since faded, leaving only the faint scent of smoke lingering in the air.
Above them, a slim crescent moon hung quietly in the sky. Distant lanterns from scattered houses barely reached this quiet corner of the city.
Rhodes and Mira stayed close, neither of them speaking. Ti passed in a gentle silence, the mont suspended like a held breath.
Then, without warning, Rhodes let out a long sigh.
Mira froze, cheeks flushed red-hot, and tucked herself deeper into his embrace to hide her face.
Her thoughts were a chaotic ss, and her heart was racing uncontrollably.
Rhodes buried his face in her soft silver hair. He held her close for a few more seconds, then finally loosened his arms.
"I—"
He was about to say, "I'm going to go take a shower," but before he could finish, Mira sprang up like a startled kitten.
"Don't follow !" she yelped, tugging at her vest as she leapt nimbly from the rooftop and dashed off into the night in a flustered panic.
Of course Rhodes had to follow her. But not like this.
Instead, he quietly made his way downstairs and headed for the bathroom.
The warm water cascading from the shower helped cool the leftover heat in his chest, slowly washing away the whirlwind of emotion.
Now that he had a mont to think, Rhodes found himself... oddly calm.
Breaking it down logically, it was ridiculous how tense he'd gotten.
They were already dating. They'd even talked about their future together. It was perfectly natural for things to occasionally get... close.
Still, it had caught him off guard.
He used to joke with Elfman about guys who obsessed over legs, never imagining he'd understand the appeal so clearly one day.
But what really mattered now wasn't what he thought, it was how Mira felt.
There was no handbook for this. No experience to guide him. With a sigh, Rhodes turned the water temperature lower to help collect his thoughts.
anwhile, under the soft glow of a distant streetlight, Mira had run quite a ways without realizing it.
Only when she reached her own front door did she finally stop, pressing a hand to her chest and breathing heavily.
She couldn't go back just yet, not like this.
After a mont to catch her breath, she straightened her clothes, untied her hair and let it fall freely before tying it back up with care. Then, she bent slightly to adjust her stockings.
But the mont her fingers brushed the pale strip of skin just above the stockings—her "absolute zone"—a mory surged back uninvited.
That feeling.
That sudden, unshakable, electric touch.
The blush that had just begun to fade suddenly returned, brighter than before. Mira's cheeks burned hot with embarrassnt as the mory replayed itself in her mind.
What was she even doing back there?
She groaned quietly, wanting nothing more than to bury her face in her pillow and pretend the night never happened.
Back at his place, Rhodes switched on the fan and summoned Warm.
He sliced off a small piece of cake and held it out. "Here, a little celebration treat."
Warm bounced over joyfully, but when it realized the plate was still empty, it turned and stared at its master with wide, expectant eyes.
"This is Mira's birthday cake," Rhodes said as he finally plated it and set it down. "Co on, wish Mira a happy birthday."
"Hululu?" Worm blinked innocently. You think I can talk?
"Eh, whatever. It's the thought that counts." Rhodes chuckled and gave Worm a pat on the head. "Be good and stay here. If she gets mad and throws out later, I'm calling you for backup."
"Hulu~" Worm gave an enthusiastic nod. 'As long as snacks are involved, I'm all in.'
Rhodes took a deep breath, steeled himself for the worst, and made his way over to Mira's house.
From the street, he could see the soft glow from her bedroom window, she hadn't gone to sleep yet.
He walked up to the front door and knocked gently.
No answer.
He tried again. This ti, a small side window creaked open, and Elfman poked his head out with a tired look.
Rhodes gave him a sheepish wave. "Hey, it's . Mind letting in?"
Elfman scratched the back of his head. "Sis said not to open the door if you ca knocking."
Rhodes gave an awkward laugh. "We didn't really fight. It's just... complicated. What exactly did she tell you?"
"Nothing specific," Elfman replied, resting his arms on the windowsill. "She ca back acting weird. Kinda mad, but not all the way. I tried asking, but she just snapped at ."
He narrowed his eyes. "You sure you didn't do sothing dumb?"
"I swear it's not what it looks like." Rhodes gave a helpless smile. "She's just... sorting things out, I guess."
Elfman paused, then shrugged. "Well, I'm not supposed to open the door, but... you wanna climb in through the window instead?"
Rhodes blinked. That was unexpectedly cooperative.
If this were the old Elfman, fists might've been flying by now. But instead, he'd shared intel and even offered a way in. Growth.
Rhodes grinned. "Nah. If I was gonna sneak in, I wouldn't use that window."
He took a step back, looked up at Mira's second-story window, and called over his shoulder, "You go get so rest. No need to get caught up in my drama."
Elfman sighed and shut the window. 'Don't get caught up,' he says... 'And he claims they didn't argue?'
'Whatever. I'm staying out of it.'
Back outside, Rhodes crouched, sprang up with a light kick off the wall, and grabbed the edge of Mira's bedroom windowsill with practiced ease.
Was sneaking in through the window a good idea?
Rhodes hesitated for half a second before deciding, if anyone asked how he'd gotten up to the window, he'd just say he learned it from Natsu.
He hoisted himself up with ease and peeked through the window...
Thud!
A pillow ca flying with a shrill whistle and smacked him square in the face.
The force behind it actually knocked him down.
'A normal pillow shouldn't be able to hit that hard.'
His face stung slightly from the blow, but compared to the brawls he'd been through, this was child's play. Still, Rhodes figured it was better to play along.
He caught the pillow midair, landed lightly on the ground—and then, without another word, flopped onto his back and covered his face with the pillow like he'd passed out cold.
Mira waited.
But... no sound. No snarky coback. No movent.
Her expression shifted. She leaned out of the window, a flicker of panic rising in her chest, and then she jumped down.
But the mont her feet touched the ground, she realized sothing felt... off.
"Liar."
She marched over, snatched the pillow away, and was t with a ridiculous face: eyes rolled back, lips curled into a crooked smirk.
Whap! She smacked him again with the pillow, her cheeks puffed out in irritation.
"I told you not to chase !"
Rhodes grinned from beneath the flurry of fluff. 'If I didn't co today, I might never get the chance again.'
Dusting himself off, he stood up and stretched lazily. "Actually... Worm didn't get enough of your birthday cake yesterday. I ca to see if there were any leftovers."
"Absolutely not!"
Who would believe that kind of nonsense?
Mira turned away, exasperated, and walked back toward the door. Before heading inside, she tossed one final warning over her shoulder: "Go ho. Get so rest. Try again tomorrow."
Rhodes did go ho.
And he slept like a log.
The next morning, he showed up at the house fully refreshed and ready for another day.
But today, it was Elfman who was on breakfast duty again.
Mira ca down the stairs yawning, looking a little grumpy and sleep-deprived.
Rhodes opened his mouth to ask—
But the look she shot him stopped him dead in his tracks.
It wasn't just a look, it was a warning.
'Say one word about last night, and you'll regret it.'
Rhodes closed his mouth. Point taken.
'Best to pretend none of that ever happened.'
Still, he couldn't help but glance at her now and then.
And in that quiet mont, one thing beca very clear to him:
'I have to save up. Fast.'
'And propose.'
But to do that, the guild needed to be finished first.
From that day on, there was a new workaholic on the construction site.
Rhodes wasn't the only one, everyone's excitent grew as the building neared completion.
Near the end of the project, many guild mbers stopped taking outside jobs just so they could stay and help out. Their hands were dirty, their clothes soaked in sweat, but their hearts were light. They were rebuilding their ho.
And at last, by the end of the month, it happened.
The new headquarters of Fairy Tail was finally topped off.
DONG~~~
The grand bell atop the tower rang out for the first ti. Makarov, who had climbed up to ring it himself, called out in a booming voice,
"Fairy Tail is complete!"
"OOOOOHHHH!!!"
The crowd below erupted into thunderous cheers.
Rhodes and Mira stood in the midst of them, hands raised high, shouting together with joy and pride.
"FAIRY TAIL!"
"IT'S DONE!"
Rhodes looked up at the gleaming building with shining eyes. His first real ho in this world—the most important place in his life—was standing tall once more.
Sure, the interiors still needed finishing, and the scaffolding hadn't been fully cleared...
But just seeing the new guild hall take shape made his chest swell with excitent.
The sound of the bell echoed through the town, drawing in curious townsfolk from nearby.
When they saw the familiar emblem and the joyful atmosphere, many of them joined in.
Makarov raised his hand again, beaming, and shouted,
"The party starts now! Everyone's invited!"
"OH!!!"
...
Bonus Chapter
Stones PLZzz
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