【Re:Freezing】 | Gray Fullbuster x OC

7. Time Flies

"Hey," Karissa crossed her arms and looked up at him. "The heck are you doing?"

"Sleeping here. What does it look like?" Laxus walked past her and dumped his bag on the bed nearest to the door, not caring about intruding.

"You have your own room."

"Yeah, and you might freeze this room in your sleep and make me pay for your mess. No thanks."

Karissa gaped. "Who do you think I am?! I'm not some lousy mage who loses control in her sleep! Pandora told me not to sleep in the same room as you!"

Laxus laughed mockingly and walked past her to go to the bathroom with clothes he pulled out from his bag. "Yeah if there was one bed. Look, don't worry, I'm not interested in eleven year old girls."

"Ew! You're gross!"

Laxus rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him, leaving Karissa in a confused and fuming state. She didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to sleep in the same room as her when he clearly had another key for his own room! Sure, there were two beds but it still felt weird.

With haste, she quickly changed into some clothes for the night. Loose black pants and a blue t-shirt with white socks to keep her feet warm. She folded her clothes and neatly set them on the chair before opening her bed to settle inside. She didn't want to sleep next to the window but it seemed like she didn't have a choice since Laxus already claimed his territory.

He might just toss her back the other bed if she tried to steal his.

When he got out of the bathroom, he was in more casual clothing that was suited for bed. He walked over to her and held out his headphones to her while she was getting comfortable.

"What?"

"I'll let you borrow it."

Karissa eyed it with an unsure look on her face before sitting up and glancing up at him. Laxus never liked it when Karissa took his Sound Pods from him since he always liked having music in his ears. It was rare for him to give them up without saying anything.

"Have you lost it?"

With an exasperated sigh, he just put them on her ears and forced her to lie down on the bed before taking her blanket and throwing it on her face.

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Karissa opened her eyes slowly. As she squinted from the brightness, she realized that the train stopped. She recognized the station outside the window. She was back home in Magnolia. Without wasting another second, she uncrossed her legs and she reached in front of her to snatch her backpack off the seat in front of her so she can get off the train. She took her time walking out of the station.

When she stepped out of the entrance, she felt a breeze blow her hair and her hood off, messing her bangs in her face. With a yawn, she rubbed her eye as she walked into town.

Karissa rolled her shoulders back and brushed her long bangs away from her face. She noted how long they were and thought that she should cut them soon. Unlike when she was eight, her hair was no longer parted in the middle and curled behind her ears like her sister. Now, she had bangs that fell towards her left and sometimes hid her left eye whenever they got longer.

She tugged on the sleeves of her sweater to hide her hands. She had the habit of hiding her hands ever since another kid in the guild had made a comment about the hair on her fingers, causing her to cease drawing inside the guildhall or even showing her hands at all. It made her feel self-conscious about them when she was around other people. It made her want to hide away her skin that could be covered such as her arms and legs.