Macao was all talk, but it turned out he really did stay overnight just like he said.
Some people had dozed off slumped over tables, others lay on benches or leaned against the makeshift counters.
Rhodes had taken the latter option.
A warm blanket covered Mira, who had curled up against him during the night. Her soft body pressed against him through the thin fabric of her nightgown, and Rhodes instinctively held her close, probably worried she'd catch cold. Mira, in turn, hugged him tightly too. Maybe she was cold, or maybe it was just comforting.
Rhodes vaguely remembered she had a big pillow back in her room. He wasn't sure if Mira mistook him for the pillow… or if the pillow was just missing out.
Honestly, either way felt like a win.
Mira stirred. She nuzzled into his arms, then slowly opened her eyes. The puzzled look she gave him said: 'Why is this pillow firmer than usual?'
She was still groggy, adorably so. Rhodes had the sudden urge to kiss her.
And he did, gently brushing his lips against her forehead.
That woke her up in a flash. Mira looked around in a fluster, only relaxing once she confirmed that everyone else was still fast asleep.
Then, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Rhodes' cheek before quietly getting up.
As she rose, Rhodes realized his shoulder had gone stiff. He instinctively reached to stretch, only to hurriedly pull the blanket back over himself, a bit embarrassed.
Mira blinked, immediately catching on.
They had slept in the same room many times before, and after getting together, close contact like this was hardly unusual.
Still… if this sort of reaction only happened once or twice, maybe it was Rhodes' own fault. But three or four times? Well, maybe she should reflect on whether she was teasing him too much.
Not that here was the place for anything else.
With a rosy smile, Mira sat down beside him and gently kneaded his shoulder. "Does it hurt?"
Rhodes shook his head. "Nope. This feels like a reward."
Her soft but surprisingly firm hands pressed into his shoulder muscles, and Rhodes couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.
Once his nerves relaxed and his head cleared, he folded up the blanket and stood beside Mira, watching the post-rain morning unfold just beyond the tent's edge.
In the corner of the tent, Bisca cracked one eye open and peeked at the couple's backs, her gaze filled with quiet envy.
'Why didn't Alzack show up last night?'
'If he had... maybe… no, he probably wouldn't have dared to be so bold anyway.'
Bisca sighed silently to herself. 'When will we ever catch up to Mira and Rhodes?'
'Those two are already saving money for a home. They'll probably be married soon. I'm so jealous.'
The sun had just peeked over the horizon. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, and golden light spread across the hillside, gleaming off the tarps that now protected the construction site.
Below, the rain-slicked ground was muddy, dotted with shallow puddles of yellowish-brown water.
Not exactly the kind of picturesque scenery you'd find in a painting.
But that didn't matter. For Rhodes, the most beautiful view was right beside him.
Mira suddenly tugged his sleeve and pointed toward the clearing.
"There's the Master."
Sure enough, Makarov was sprinting toward the construction site at full speed.
"Oh no! The lumber, cement, I forgot to cover it last night!"
The old man dashed across the grounds in a flurry of panic, leaping over obstacles, dodging puddles, his small frame moving with a surprising agility that belied his age.
Mira called out gently, "Careful, Master! The ground's slippery!"
"Huh?" Makarov tried to stop, but his momentum betrayed him. His feet slid on the wet ground, and bang!, he smacked headfirst into the side of the temporary counter.
Everyone else in the tent jerked awake.
"Wha—who the heck's making all that noise this early?!"
"You're the one making all the noise!"
A bunch of cranky guild members sat up, groaning and cursing as they woke, only to immediately start arguing and brawling like they hadn't just spent the previous night drinking together in perfect harmony.
Makarov peeled himself off the counter where he'd crashed headfirst and smiled, teary-eyed with pride. "Wonderful. You're all so reliable!"
Late the next morning, Natsu finally arrived. His small wooden house was farther out near the edge of town, so he'd missed the chaos. The moment he saw everyone else's rumpled clothes (except Gray, of course), it was obvious they had spent the night at the construction site.
"What? You all had a sleepover without me?" Natsu complained. "Why wasn't I invited to the pajama party?!"
Happy, ever the straight man, explained helpfully, "Aye, because Natsu sleeps too deep. Not even thunder could wake him."
"That's not fair! But Lucy came, didn't she?"
Lucy paused, suddenly flustered. She couldn't exactly explain that she'd slept unusually well because, for once no one had barged into her house in the middle of the night.
In fact, it was too peaceful… and that made her suspicious.
"Well... I did want to join too," she admitted. "I like hanging out with everyone."
Mira beamed and clapped her hands together. "Then let's host the next party at Lucy's house!"
"Agreed!" Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza all raised their hands without hesitation.
"It's settled then," Mira declared with a cheerful smile. "Let's pick a date!"
"Wait! At least let me agree before you all decide that!" Lucy protested, waving her hands.
Rhodes patted her on the shoulder. "Might as well give in. Your house is about to be Fairy Tail's branch office."
"How did it end up like this." Lucy sighed, eyes glassy. But despite her grumbling, she didn't really object.
…
The days went on in a blur of laughter, teamwork, and exhaustion.
By mid-August, the first floor of the new guild building was fully complete, and work had begun on the second floor.
Every time the walls rose higher or a beam was set in place, everyone's spirits lifted. Seeing the guild come back to life with their own hands brought a fresh wave of motivation with each passing day.
Even the professional builders who'd been hired to help sometimes paused in awe, secretly wondering if these rowdy mages were pushing them just to keep them from slacking off.
After all, it was hard to get lazy when Fairy Tail was working harder than anyone.
Still, everyone was simply riding the high of excitement.
Elfman had been following Rhodes around like a shadow all day. Whenever Rhodes lifted something, Elfman did too. If Rhodes took a drink of water, Elfman took a drink. When Rhodes went to the bathroom, Elfman went too.
As they stood side by side washing their hands, Rhodes finally asked, "What's going on with you?"
Elfman glanced at him seriously. "Today's the 16th."
"I know that."
"Don't tell me you forgot what tomorrow is."
"As if I could…" Rhodes smiled faintly. "Mira's birthday is on the 17th."
He paused for a moment before asking, "I was actually going to ask you, how do you guys usually celebrate it?"
Last year, he hadn't known her well enough. Their feelings had only just started to grow, and no one had mentioned anything specific. Mira hadn't acted any differently that day either.
Elfman, seeing the uncertainty in Rhodes' expression, decided to explain. "After we got older, we stopped throwing big parties. It's usually just some of her favorite food at home, maybe a small gift. We haven't even gotten a cake the past couple of years."
He smiled a little as he added, "The last big celebration we had was for Lisanna's birthday when she first joined the guild. She was still little back then, and everyone wanted to make her feel welcome."
So that was the pattern, quiet, simple, and close to home.
Rhodes nodded in understanding. It seemed that Mira's birthdays were more about warm, intimate gestures than big surprises.
At least now, Elfman seemed to treat him as part of the family.
That breakfast bonding session hadn't been for nothing.
"Come with me later," Rhodes said. "We're going shopping."
Elfman raised a brow. "If we go together, won't Mira immediately figure it out?"
"Ask her to go out when she's busiest. If she's swamped, she won't question it. Besides," Rhodes smirked, "even if she guesses, that's fine. She knows us too well. We're not going to fool her completely."
Elfman gave it some thought as Rhodes continued.
"It's not about keeping it a secret. Mira will probably guess right away anyway. What matters is that we put our hearts into it."
...
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