The sun filtered softly through the stained-glass windows of the Fairy Tail guild hall, painting shifting colors on the polished floor. The energy of the guild had settled into a relaxed rhythm—no urgent missions, no major brawls. Just laughter, chatter, and the quiet echo of tankards clinking together.
Shinra sat at his usual corner table, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. He'd just finished a light sparring session with Gray and Natsu and was now enjoying the rare serenity of the afternoon.
"Is this seat taken?" Mira asked with her trademark smile, already sliding into the seat beside him.
Shinra glanced up, a flicker of warmth in his normally composed features. "It is now."
She laughed, resting her chin on one hand. "You're getting smoother with your words. I might have to keep an eye on you."
"And here I thought you already were."
That made her blush, though she masked it quickly with a chuckle. She studied him, her lavender eyes soft but curious.
"You've been here for months now," she said. "Fighting, laughing, even drinking with us. But you still keep a wall up."
Shinra exhaled slowly, eyes drifting to the sunlit window. "Old habits. My past... wasn't like this. I was always surrounded by death or duty. There wasn't time to enjoy things like this."
Mira's smile faded slightly. "I know what that's like."
He turned to her. "Do you?"
"Yeah." Her fingers idly traced the rim of her cup. "I used to be different. Loud. Reckless. The strongest in Fairy Tail, back then. My siblings and I—we were inseparable. But after Lisanna..." Her voice wavered.
Shinra didn't interrupt. He let the silence wrap gently around them.
"When she died," Mira continued, more quietly now, "I lost more than my sister. I lost the part of me that believed in fighting, in being strong. I sealed away my powers, and for a long time, I was just... helping around the guild. Pretending I was okay."
Shinra's voice was soft, a low thread of empathy. "But you're fighting again now. You awakened something in the battle with Phantom Lord."
Mira met his gaze. "Because of you. You didn't push. You didn't try to fix me. You just fought beside us. Showed me what it meant to stand tall again."
A silence stretched between them, full of meaning.
"You're easy to talk to," she whispered.
He smiled faintly. "Not many people say that."
Mira tilted her head. "I don't think many people take the time to look past the blindfold."
He chuckled. "Fair point."
"I'd like to know more about you," she said earnestly. "Not just the strength, or the past. I want to know who you are now. What makes you laugh. What makes you happy."
That disarmed him more than any blade could.
He leaned back slightly, setting down his tea. "No one's asked me that before. Not like that."
"Then I'll keep asking," she said, her smile returning. "Slowly. No pressure. I just... like being near you."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the sunlight stretch across the floor, listening to the noise of their family in the background.
---
Later that evening, Shinra and Mira found themselves walking along the river that wound behind Magnolia, the lanterns along the path beginning to flicker to life. The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting orange and pink streaks across the sky.
Mira tossed a pebble into the water. "I used to come here with Lisanna and Elfman. We'd try to skip stones and argue over who got the furthest."
"You ever win?"
She grinned. "Always. Elfman was terrible. Lisanna just let me win."
They walked a little farther before Mira stopped and turned to him. "You've changed a lot since you arrived. You laugh more. You talk more. I think... I think you're healing too."
Shinra looked at her, the breeze tugging at the strands of her hair. "You might be right. And if I am, it's because of this guild. Because of people like you."
She stepped closer. The gap between them narrowed until she could feel the warmth radiating off him.
"I don't want to rush anything," she said softly. "But... would it be alright if we spent more time together? Just the two of us?"
His voice was equally quiet. "I'd like that."
For a long moment, neither moved. The soft rustle of the trees and the trickle of the river were the only sounds. Then, in a simple, unhurried motion, Mira reached out and took his hand.
They stood there under the darkening sky, the stars beginning to blink above them. And for the first time in a long while, Shinra felt like he didn't need to prepare for war.
He just needed to be here.
With her.