#and maybe slightly improve your mood after having to work when you didn't expect to

[the-jellyfish-graves]

Will keep an eye out for any heart shaped ones then!

I was planning on going today, but realized I worked and was not a day off, so I had to cancel that small trip 😞

But yes, wish me luck!

[megxplryxb]

More Than This Part 2.

Authors Note: I am beyond sorry for the 9 month wait for this. I just lost my motivation for writing but its slowly and surely coming back. Thank you all for being so patient. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: GIF is not mine.

Link for Part 1: More Than This

The last of your salty tears trickle down the bathtub drain as you wrap yourself up in a well-worn motel towel. The shower had done little to improve your mood, switching from hot to cold just as you had been with Steve for the past several weeks. You had been doing so well up until recently, trying to avoid him and your feelings but now that you were sharing a room and bed with him for the night, it was going to be next to impossible to hide the fact that you were hopelessly in love with your best friend.

The rusty faucet dripped little beads of water into the sink despite it being turned off while you carefully applied your make up, hoping Steve and the others wouldn’t notice the slight puffiness under your eyes from crying. Admittedly, you were taking a little longer than usual to get ready, making sure your eyeliner was just right, lips perfectly glossed and kissable and your outfit was showing off all your best features, ‘cause although you felt like utter shit, you didn't want to look like shit too.

As you began to gather up your things, folding the towel back on to the rack, you heard a tap on the bathroom door. “Hey, are you almost done in there? I need to take a piss really bad.” Steve said in a seemingly more relaxed tone than earlier. Unlocking the bathroom door, you find your best friend standing shirtless in his Levi's, leaning against the doorframe and you curse him for looking so damn beautiful.

“I did ask if you needed to use the bathroom before I went in.” You huff, quick to brush past him, clothes and make up bundled in your arms as his eyes follow you around the room, nostrils filling with the scent of your vanilla perfume, jaw a little slack as he scanned your body.

Steve couldn't help but notice the little black dress you were wearing along with your signature converse, how it sparkled and fit perfectly on your body, breasts spilling out over the top ever so slightly. He knows it’s wrong to think of you that way, because you’re his best friend and he's seeing someone else but sometimes he wonders if you know just how pretty you are.

“Uh, the air cons not working in here, the room's like a god damn sauna.” He informs, scratching the back of his neck, trying to avert his gaze from your frame.

“Well if you hadn’t made such a fuss about the sleeping arrangements, at least one of us would have had working air con tonight, Harrington.” You mutter, tucking your things back in to your duffle, pushing by him. Steve presses his tongue to his cheek, realising that whatever the hell was bothering you, wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon. Defeated, he shuts the bathroom door, leaving you to finish getting ready alone.

He emerges fifteen minutes later, freshly showered, smelling great and you hate how good he looks in his tight jeans and white t-shirt, hair perfectly in place, not that it wasn’t always. It wasn't exactly the attire you expected someone to wear to a Metallica concert, but it was Steve after all, he wasn't exactly into Heavy metal.

You can feel the tension rising between you with each passing minute of silence, unspoken words hanging in the air as his hazel eyes burn a hole through your head while you both walk on eggshells around the small room. With one quick look in the mirror and one final spray of perfume, you grab your purse and head for the front door, not being able to stand the awkwardness a second longer. “I’m gonna go see if the others are ready.” You say, reaching for the door handle but you already hear his footsteps behind you.

“Wait, can we just talk for a sec?” Steve pleads, eyes wide with concern when you sigh loudly.

“About what?” You ask as he scoffs at your response. “Seriously? Oh, I don’t know, maybe about why you’ve been acting weird with me all day?” He replies, folding his strong arms and you immediately regret not just walking out of the room to find your friends because you aren't ready to have this conversation with him.

“Steve...”

“Not just today actually, it’s been going on for a while and honestly, I don’t know what I’ve said or done to piss you off and believe me, I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure it out. But I’ve obviously done something because you’re so angry at me and.….”

“I’m not…I’m not angry.” You reply, not really knowing what else to say to him.

“You’re not?” He asks, raising his brows in surprise.

“Look, you haven’t done anything to upset me, alright?” You say, giving him a fake smile but he’s not convinced at all.

“Come on, give me some credit here sweetheart. We’re supposed to be best friends, yeah?” He asks moving closer towards you.

“Mhm” Is all you manage to say when he takes your hand but you’re quick to pull it away again, feeling the heat on your cheeks start to rise, placing a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“Then what's going on huh? Why are you staying at Robin’s? I really miss you.” Steve confesses with such a mixture of sadness and sincerity that you almost consider telling him everything right there and then but you're not ready to hear that he doesn't feel the same way and so instead, you lie.

“There’s no big reason, Steve. Robin mentioned that you were on a couple of dates and I didn’t want to get in the way of anything, I think it’d be a bit awkward with me in the next room, don’t you?” You joke, trying to make an effort with him and you can see the confused expression on his face.

“Robin told you about Tracy?” He asks, surprised by how cool you were being about this, but the minute you hear the name fall from his mouth, he instantly realises Robin never told you who it was he was actually dating.

“Wait, did you say Tracy? As in Tracy Turner from high school, that’s who you’re dating!?” You question, furrowing your brows as Steve takes a step back, sensing the air getting thicker between you again.

“Uh, yeah. Sort of, I mean it’s pretty new and…”

"How....when did...where did you even..."

"She was at the video store a few times and I don't know, we were talking one day and she just sort of asked me out." Steve explained nervously.

“And you said yes?"

"Well, girls haven't exactly been lining up to date me recently if you hadn’t noticed.” He muttered, trying to make a joke out of it but it wasn’t working.

"I can’t believe you’d date her after what she did to me!” You yell, shaking your head in disbelief.

Tracey Turner had been one of your closest friends, once upon a time. That was until you found her in the back seat of a car with your then boyfriend Matt Anderson. It wasn’t that you’d been with Matt for long or even loved him but she was supposed to be your friend and she didn’t even apologise for hurting you. Now here she was, a couple of years later trying to take Steve away from you too. Your Steve. Steve, who you actually loved.

“Come on, that was years ago! She’s changed since then.” Steve says, panic apparent in his voice when he sees the look in your eyes and he knows he’s said the wrong thing again.

“Don’t you dare defend her!” You growl and he’s wincing at how angry you are now. “Can you just calm down for a second?” He begs, hands in the air, surrendering to you immediately, not wanting to fight or upset you anymore than he already had.

“Calm down? My “best friend” is dating a girl who FUCKED my boyfriend and you want me to calm down?” You yell, enraged at the new information you've discovered, seeing nothing but visions of them together in your head. Had he slept with her already? Had she occupied your side of Steve’s bed that you’d sleep on when you watched movies late in to the night? Had she seen pieces of your clothing lying around his house? Had she seen the pictures of you and Steve on his bedside table? Had he told her he loved her? Oh god, you were going to be sick.

“I’m sorry, alright? Shit, I didn’t think it would be such a big deal.” He exhales, throwing his head back.

“Oh really, Steve? If it wasn't such a big deal to you then why didn't you tell me about her, huh?” You ask bluntly as Steve's face begins to harden.

"You didn't tell me about Hargrove."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I had to find out from Henderson that you were dating that asshole and that’s only because he caught you making out on the couch while you were supposed to be babysitting!” Steve argues and you can't help but laugh at how immature he was being.

"That's completely different, we were barely even friends back then."

“But we were friends and you knew I hated him but you went out with him anyway!" He fires back, leaning against the old chest of drawers.

"Yeah, only because you were still getting....." You start to say before you stop yourself, realising that you'd almost blown your cover when Steve looks at you confused.

“Because I was still getting what?” He asks with a heightened interest, just as a knock comes to the door.

“What the hell is going on in here, we could hear you yelling outside!” Eddie shouts when you open the door, seeing the distressed look on your face as Steve stood silent, still waiting for your reply.

"Nothing, let's just go." You mutter, moving by your friends to exit the room. "You are SUCH a dingus, dingus." Robin rolls her eyes at Steve before chasing after you, figuring that you've somehow found out about Tracy Turner, praying that you won't be pissed at her for not telling you.

"Yeah, I know Robin, thanks." Steve sighs heavily, trying to follow but Eddie holds him back, placing a hand on his friends chest. "Dude, take it from me, let her cool off for a while."

"Eddie, I need to talk to her man, I need to fix this." He attempts to push by again but the metal head refuses to budge.

"How are you going to fix it Steve, huh? Do you even know what's going on with her?" Eddie questions, as Steve sighs, placing his hands on his hips.

"No, but I guess she told you, yeah? You two looked pretty close in the parking lot earlier." Steve grunts, while Eddie lets out a smug laugh. "Careful big boy, you almost sound jealous."

"I'm not jealous man, I'm just...fuck, I don't know!” He exhales loudly, leaning against the wall of the motel room. “Maybe I am." Steve admits, putting a hand through his hair, slumping to the ground. “I just, I don’t know what’s going on with her y’know? She's always talked to me about everything and now? I can barely get her to look at me.” Steve sighs as Eddie takes a seat beside his friend, patting him on the shoulder.

“Look dude, there’s nothing to be jealous about ok? There’s nothing going on between us, shit I’d be so lucky.” Eddie chuckles and Steve feels a sudden feeling of relief wash over him. “Sadly, she’s only got eyes for one lucky son of a bitch and unfortunately, it isn’t me.” Eddie smirks, as the other boy lifts his head in a panic.

“She’s seeing someone?”

“No dumbass, fuck– do I really need to spell it out for you?" Eddie asks, his eyes rolling back in his head when Steve still hadn't gotten the hint. “Come on man, you’ve gotta know she’s fucking crazy about you?”

“What?” Steve exhales in disbelief as Eddie's words reply in his head. “Did she tell you that?”

“She didn’t have to.” Eddie replies letting out a heavy breath. “Steve man, you didn’t see her that night on the lake. You didn’t see the fear in her eyes when you got pulled under the water. She jumped in after you so fast, she didn't even look back to see if the rest of us were following."

Steve remembered that night vividly, probably better than anyone else. Hell, there were still nights that he woke up in a cold sweat, thinking those bats were feasting on his flesh. Those were the nights that he missed you the most. How you’d wrap your arms around him, pull him close and tell him everything was ok now. That you could finally all move on with your lives. He missed the feeling of your fingers running through his hair, the sound of your heartbeat as his head rested on your chest. You never told anyone about those nights, he’d made you promise. Cause he had to be strong for the kids.

He thought back to that night in the Upside Down, how he feared he'd never see your face again, that he'd never be able to tell you how he really felt about you. Then suddenly, you were there, eliminating the demobats one by one, tears in your eyes as you ran to him in a panic. He should have told you then, should have made it clear that you meant everything to him but then the others appeared and so he decided to choose another time. A time when you weren't in immediate danger. A time when it was just you and him and fuck, he'd tried to tell you so many times after that but every time he got close to saying it, something stopped him.

Fear.

What if he ruined everything?

What if you laughed in his face?

What if you didn't feel the same way?

What if it didn't work out and you left him like Nancy did?

Steve couldn't bare the thought of losing you, so instead of telling you the truth, he decided to bury his feelings deep down inside. Deciding, that he'd rather have you as a friend than not have you in his life at all. So, when Tracy Turner boldly asked him on a date, he begrudgingly accepted, hoping it would stop him from thinking about you.

It didn’t.

“Jesus Eddie, I’ve been such an idiot." Steve sighs angrily. "I’ve been trying so damn hard to pretend that I don’t have feelings for her instead of just..”

“Instead of what?” Eddie asks as Steve moves his head to look at his friend.

“Instead of telling her that I love her. That I’ve been in love with her since the moment she answered Henderson’s door three years ago.” He reveals and Eddie lets out the smallest of laughs.

“Yeah Harrington, you are an idiot and out of all the dumb shit you’ve ever done, pretending you don't love that girl is probably way up there. But from what I can see, she’s always gonna carry a big ol’ torch for you. So come on, go make this right and go get your girl. I’ve got a fuckin’ mosh pit to get to.”

When Steve and Eddie finally get to the entrance gate of the concert, they see Robin pacing back and fourth with a stressed out look on her face and Steve instantly feels a knot forming in his stomach when he realises you’re nowhere in sight.

"What the hell took you both so long?" She yells frantically.

“Had to knock some sense into Harrington here.” Eddie smirks, winking at Robin who offers him a confused glance.

"Where is she?" Steve questions his friend and Robin throws her hands in the air.

"I don’t know Steve! She took off by herself with some guy, went in with him, she didn't want to talk to me. She's pissed with a capital P!" Robin yells, angry at her friend for ever telling her that he'd been seeing Tracy Turner. Angry that she’d been put in the middle of this situation.

"Calm down Robs, we'll find her." Eddie reassures, placing a supportive arm around his friend.

"No, I'll find her, this is all my fault and I’m going to fix it." Steve says adamantly.

“I think you’re the last person she wants to see right now dingus.” Robin grunts but Steve’s already making a beeline for the entrance to the outdoor concert.

"Harrington!" Eddie yells as Steve takes a quick look back to his friends.

"Don't fuck it up." He shouts as the boy nods back before marching through a sea of bodies.

“What the hell is going on?” Robin questions, earning a grin from the metal head standing beside her as he throws a lazy arm over her shoulder.

“Fifty bucks says they’re fucking by the end of the night.”

Thirty minutes later and Steve is no closer to finding you. The darkness beginning to bleed in to the sky, the smell of weed and cheap alcohol lingering in the air as he looks for you in every queue, at every stand but it isn't until he hears the familiar laughter coming from behind him that he finally sees you. You’re sitting on the ground with a beer in hand, looking very cosy with the attractive tattooed stranger that’s much too close to you for Steve’s liking and your smile fades immediately when you see the boy standing in front of you.

"What are you doing? I've been looking everywhere for you." Steve asks, clearly annoyed by the presence of the other male beside you.

"I'm just making some new friends, not that it's any of your business." You mutter, taking a sip of your beer.

"This your boyfriend, sweetheart?" The man sitting next to you asks, grinning at Steve who keeps his eyes solely focused on you.

You shake your head instantly. "Nope. He's just a friend, or at least I thought he was."

“Can you please come with me? We really need to talk.” Steve begs, holding out a hand to you but you refuse to move. “We don’t have anything left to talk about.”

“I think we both know that we do.” Steve says, staring at you and you’re sure you see new determination behind his caramel tinted eyes.

"Don't worry about her pretty boy, I'll take good care of her, you go enjoy the show." The man smirks, placing a hand on your thigh as Steve’s jaw clenches.

"Get your hands off of her." Steve warns and suddenly you feel the tension in the air. Your eyes widen as Steve's fists begin to ball up, finally removing his eyes from you to look at the man sitting beside you.

"Why? She just said you're not her boyfriend and I don’t see her saying no.” The man responds, finally standing up to meet Steve face to face.

“Listen man, she’s coming with me, alright? Now get out of my face.” Steve threatens and you’re quick to jump to your feet now.

“Or what pretty boy?” The stranger smirks, shoving Steve back before you could get between them.

“Steve, don’t!” You warn, as his fist connects with the mans jaw, knocking him to the ground.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” You yell at your best friend but he’s too focused on the impending retaliation to hear you. But just as the tattooed stranger tries to take a swing at Steve, his arm is dragged back by the security guard who had witnessed the whole altercation, deciding enough was enough,

“You three, you’re out of here now!” He demands, getting in the middle of the two males who had been fighting over you.

“He fucking suckered me, dude!” The other boy argues, holding his jaw but the security guard just laughs, ignoring his pleas. “You shoved me first, pal.” Steve replies smugly as you’re all led to the exit.

You don’t even try to defend yourself or make an argument as to why you should be left stay to watch the concert, deciding that going back to the motel was probably for the best, the night had already been ruined for you long ago and you just wanted to be alone.

“Hey, where are you going now?” Steve shouts after you, following you back towards the direction of the motel.

“Just go away Steve, haven’t you already caused enough trouble for one day?” You fire at him.

“Look, I’m sorry, I know I’ve been a jerk but I really need to talk to you.”

“I already told you, I don’t have anything left to say, so just leave me alone.” You beg but Steve shakes his head, catching up to you.

“I can’t do that.” He says as you roll your eyes trying to pass him but he gets in your way again. He was never going to let you walk back to the motel alone in the dark. Not when you were both well aware that things do in fact, go bump in the night.

“Steve, why can’t you just–"

“Look, I know you hate me right now and trust me, I really hate me too. But I just need to know one thing, please? Fuck, I’ll even switch with Robin so you don’t have to share a room with me, alright?” He bargains, as you finally give in. The prospect of not having to share a bed with him being too much to turn down.

What? What do you want to know, Steve?” You question, folding your arms as he takes a deep breath before placing his hands on his hips.

“I want to know what you were going to say before Eddie knocked on the door earlier."

"What are you talking about?" You say, eyes widening in panic as Steve lets out a breath, pleading with you to be honest.

“You know what I'm talking about."

"No, I..."

"When we were arguing and I brought up Hargrove, you said you were only with him because I was still getting–?" He questions softly as you shake your head, looking anywhere but at him.

"I don't remember."

"Honey, please just–"

“I don’t remember Steve! So just drop it, ok?” You interrupt, starting to walk away as you hear his voice calling behind you.

“Because I was still getting over Nancy?” He asks, as your whole body freezes.

How did he know?

When you turn back to face him, he’s still standing there, staring at you, waiting for you to say something. Anything.

“You really are full of yourself, you know that?” You reply, voice trembling as he begins to close the space between you and you're not sure how much longer you can keep this up.

“If that's not what you were going to say, then tell me?" .

"Why does it matter?" You question, raising a frustrated brow at him, not understanding why he couldn't just let it go.

"Because I need to know–"

"Need to know what Steve? If I had a crush on you three years ago? Fine, ok, yes, I had a crush on you. Who fucking didn't? You were the most popular guy in school! And yeah, I did go out with Billy because I knew you were still getting over Nancy but you know what? I actually liked Billy. He was different with me but he just couldn't stand me being friends with you. He kept saying that I had feelings for you, that what I felt for you was more than a friendship and so he made me choose: him or you.…and I picked you.” You reveal, tears beginning to fall from your eyes as you finally decide to be honest with your best friend. “Cause all this time, Billy fucking Hargrove was right. I did have feelings for you, even if it took me almost losing you that night on the lake to figure it out." You cry, finally feeling a huge weight lifting from your chest and for the first time in months, you could breathe again.

Steve was frozen, pink lips pursed as he put a hand through his hair, heart aching at your admission and how much it was killing him to see you so upset. He wishes he hadn't been so stupid, hadn't been so afraid of losing you and just told you the truth when he had the chance. You’d never told him or anyone else why you and Billy broke up, always keeping it to yourself and he was more than a little shocked to realise it was because of him.

Because you chose him.

“I..I didn’t know I was the reason you guys broke up.” He confessed, a sorrowful look on his face. “M’sorry.”

“Forget about it, it was a long time ago.” You shrugged coldly, hoping this would be the end of the conversation.

"I can't believe you picked me." He whispers as you let out a sarcastic huff, lifting your head to look at him.

"And I can't believe you picked Tracy."

You fire back, turning on your heels to walk towards your motel room, heartbroken, tired of arguing with him, tired of wanting him, tired of loving him and just as you were about to close the door, Steve’s hand stops you from shutting it, from shutting him out, a hurt look in his eyes as he stares at you silently for a moment before speaking.

"You think I picked Tracy over you?" Steve asks with sadness and anger in his voice as you wipe your tears, resting your head on the side of the door.

“Steve, I told you what you wanted to know. Please just-”

“No! You can't actually think I'd pick her over you?” Steve quizzes again, brows knitted together, voice more stern than the last time he asked.

“Why not? You wouldn’t be the first one.” You reply, referring to your old High School ex boyfriend Matt and Steve scoffs bitterly, hurt at the comparison.

“I can’t believe you could even think that, after everything we’ve been through, you know me better than that!”

“No Steve, I thought I knew you better than that! I thought we were best friends and that you would never ever hurt me but then you went and slept with her!” You fume, shoving him backwards as he grabs your arms gently but sternly, holding you in place. Finally letting himself inside, closing the door with the back of his foot.

“I didn’t, I didn’t sleep with Tracy!” He growls back at you, frustration apparent in his voice as you sneer at him, well aware of the notches on his bedpost. "Oh please, how stupid do you think I am, Steve?"

"I'm telling you the truth!” He snaps, as you get in his face. "Cause you've been so good at that lately, huh Harrington?" You reply, a harsh tone in your voice, refusing to back down.

"Jesus Christ, will you just listen to me for one god damn minute? I haven’t had sex with her alright? I couldn't."

"And why is that Steve? Did you realise she's a fucking–"

"Because of you!” Steve interrupts loudly, silencing you. "Because I'm in love with you! Because for the past three years since that night you answered Henderson’s door, it’s only been you.” He finally confesses, cupping your face, begging you to believe him as you see the sincerity written all over his face.

“Honey, do you really think if I had known that you had feelings for me– if I thought that me and you being together was even a possibility, that I’d be seeing anybody else?” He questions, as you stare silently at him, heart beating out of your chest as he looks into your eyes. His lips ghosting over your own as you try to catch your breath.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" You manage to ask as he shakes his head and smiles.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He retorts before cupping your face again, taking a deep breath. "I tried to, so many times. But every time I got close to it, I just...got scared." He admits, as you stare at him confused.

"Scared of what?"

"Of you not feeling the same way, of ruining our friendship, of us not working out... I was just scared of losing you." He mutters, lowering his head as you grab his face, forcing him to look at you.

"That would never happen, Steve."

"But it almost did! And it's my fault because I decided to be an asshole and date someone else instead of just telling you that I love–" You cut him off, placing your lips on his to stop him from talking but before Steve could even fathom what was happening, you broke the kiss again, resting your forehead on his.

"I love you too, Steve." You whisper, as he pulls you in for another kiss.

There were no words left to say, you’d said them all.

Two hours later, after the concert, Robin and Eddie decided to head back to the motel, having long given up on their search for you and Steve at the venue.

“What if she’s killed him Eddie? What if they’re fighting so bad that none of us can hang out anymore? What if we have to meet up with them at different times because they can’t stand being around each other? What about the kids?” Robin panics as Eddie laughs, rolling his eyes as he knocks on your motel room door.

After a few seconds, when the door remains unanswered, Robin begins to walk towards her own room, anxiety getting the better of her as Eddie continues to wrap on the door resiliently.

“Will someone open the god damn door before Buckley files a missing persons report?” The metal head pleads for his own sanity as he finally hears shuffling on the other side of the door.

His eyes light up and a shit eating grin spreads across his face as Steve finally answers the door, shirtless flushed and struggling to zip up his Levi’s.

“Sorry Munson, we were just, uh…sleeping.” Steve lies even though he knows it’s pointless. He can hear you giggling under the covers as Eddie notices your underwear on the floor behind Steve.

“Atta boy Harrington, I knew you had it in you.” Eddie winks. “I’ll leave you lovebirds get back to sleep. Don’t snore too loud, we’re in the next room.” He subtly teases as Steve smirks, quickly closing the door to join you in bed again.

“Did I hear Steve? Are they ok?” Robin asks, as Eddie enters their room smiling.

“Oh yeah, they’re fine. By the way, you owe me fifty bucks Buckley.”

Taglist: @freezaz123 @pbs-theundeadmaggot @season4steve @param8re @is-this-a-febreze-commercial @kathieycarrerarosshley @somethingvicked @l0ve-0f-my-life @hotelfohn @iheartjennaaa @whisperingwillowxox @chickenxdrum @eddiesguitarskills @mgchaser @mgmolina2000 @keerysfolklore

[empresskadia]

Blue Team [Master Chief | John-117 + Fred-104] relationship headcanons

Didn't realize that Tumblr now has a character limit, so Kelly and Linda's will be on another post.

Kelly + Linda

It took less than a week into your relationship to realize John's love language is doing acts of service. He's great at listening and if he hears you're having a problem and he can fix it, you bet your ass the Master Chief will go out of his way to help. You're hungry? John will disappear for ten minutes and bring you back a plate of food with too much on it. John sees that you're struggling to carry something, this man will appear at your side and take it from you. Is someone bothering you? Not anymore.

Maybe not immediately, but John will eventually abuse his position for you, whether it's to keep you safe, or reroute orders to have you on his team to simply seeing the joy on your face receiving something you've wanted, he has no shame. John's had too much taken from him, and he's not abusing his power to hurt anyone so it's okay in his mind.

Kelly just stares at him with her mouth slightly agape when she witnesses him do something like this for the first time. She was certainly not expecting it but also John says it's okay, so it's okay.

Firstly when the rest of Blue team find out John's in a relationship, Fred drops whatever he's holding, Kelly calls bullshit and Linda is the one to stop Kelly from approaching his partner and grilling them for answers. Once the surprise dims down, they're all pretty supportive and protective of his partner. You're something good that's happened in his life and they respect that, especially once they find out you asked John out.

They want to know everything, so they can tease the hell out of the Master Chief. Especially Kelly, Fred's here for the ride and Linda will simply find out one way or another.

Patience is a key virtue when in a relationship with any Spartan, more so, the lls and llls. They were taught to be soldiers and get missions done, regardless of the sacrifice. Interacting with anyone outside their Spartan families was almost frowned upon. This being said positive reinforcement and communication with John is a must. He doesn't know what he's doing, this is all new for the spartan, so please talk with him. And he'll do his best to work on his communication with you if something is bothering him.

John is awful at telling you he's uncomfortable with certain things, whether it's something he doesn't understand or with how fast things could be proceeding. He won't say anything but when he tenses up, that is his dead giveaway. So you'll need to ask him what's wrong or tell him you know something bothering him.

After a certain point, you'll be able to recognize meaning in his movements, not fully understand Spartan gestures unless they teach you but you can tell when he's annoyed about something or when he's excited to see you and visa versa, John's able to tell what kind of mood you're in from across the room.

Unless you're adamantly against it, be ready to learn how to defend yourself if you don't already. John makes it his personal mission to teach you how to use different weapons and how to spar, hell even if you know how to defend yourself John will be teaching his partner new ways of sparing and pointing out mistakes you're making. He knows the training you received, if any, wasn't like his but he can help you improve.

John is also one who will gladly go on morning runs with you, yes he is faster, but he doesn't mind slowing down his pace to stay with his partner.

There isn't any doubt that John's protective by nature, if he has to pull rank to get you to listen, he will, especially if you're injured. John knows you can take care of yourself but he can't help it, he's lost too many.

You'll notice that John will stand closer to you after the relationship is first established. He does it subconsciously like he's ready to jump in front of you to protect his partner at a moment's notice.

There is an unspoken agreement among the Spartans to watch out for each other's significant others if they have one, so you can bet if you get into a fight with anyone, Kelly will be the first to jump in.

In the beginning, you'll need to instigate most things until he gets comfortable enough to do, more often than not behind closed doors.  However, when he needs to reassure himself you're safe and there, the only thing he'll do is gently grab your hand and give it a squeeze before letting go if you happen to be in public.

The man might never admit to your face, but Fred likes hugs, specifically your hugs, and everyone on Blue team knows it. As do you. It's really not a secret even though he refuses to talk about it. He just likes holding you, or when you hold him, Fred isn't picky. He's lost alot of people and when you're in his arms, he feels like he can protect his partner from the realities of the world. The first time you asked to hug him, the lieutenant tensed up so visibly that you thought you offended him. Fred was so confused and might've short-circuited, don't mind him, he's just being our confused puppy.

Kelly did in fact tease him about how quickly he melted into your embrace and how it took him a full minute to mirror your actions. She likes telling him, 'Don't freeze this time.' whenever you show up. Linda had also boarded the 'tease Fred over this' train and you bet your ass she will tell John when they see him next.

The first time you kissed Fred's cheek, completely flabbergasted, he didn't know what to do with himself and just said 'thanks?' after a few minutes of staring at you. He makes you swear to never tell the others.

Never let him live this down. The Ferrets heard about it and now make fun of him for it [in a very loving way for Spartans]. Anytime he does anything for them, they just say 'thanks?' and he's confused before he hears one of them snicker softly. You have witnessed Mark of all people doing this to him while off his smoother, to say you almost died laughing is an understatement. tbh Mark is really proud of himself for this.

Also if you ever kiss Fred on his helmet in front of the Ferrets, Olivia will gasp and say "What about me?" then pretend to be offended. You hugged her once and she hella tensed up before forcing herself to relax and after a minute remarked, "This is nice."

Fred only starts understanding how touch-starved he is when you come skipping along into his life. Like, he didn't believe that was a thing until recently because he will take every chance to hug you when in private. He gets genuinely happy to have your attention at any given second as it makes him feel validated, and if you voice that you like his hugs or attention, he feels like he's doing great and could conquer the world.

Please tell him he's doing good in the relationship. We all know Fred's got some anxiety, so positive validation is important to him, whether he realizes it or not. He stresses when he hasn't seen you in awhile because he thinks you might be upset but you knew what you were signing up for when getting into a relationship with him. Tell Fred, he's fine and that yes, you still love him and will continue to love him, regardless of the distance.

Sit with him while he does paperwork, Fred enjoys your company and likes sitting next to his partner when working.

On the unspoken agreement to watch a Spartan's S/o's back, Olivia has stood behind you getting ready to jump into a fight about to throw down between you and an ODST. She's not going to stop you simply out of respect nor get Fred but you bet she's gonna help and if Ash or Mark find out, you got the gammas rolling up their sleeves.

This stresses Veta out when the ferrets disappear to have your back, only to find them celebrating their win and the only defense they have is "it's the spartan agreement."

Some Retirement! Blue Team headcanons next anyone?

[strawberry-cowmilk]

Idk if your requests are still open, im still quite new to tumblr :,) If they are not then feel free to ignore this :D Also, i’m really fond of your work, and i hope your taking care of yourself too!

And to not waste yer time, heres a request(?)

The brothers with an angel mc (maybe with lord diavolo and barbatos too) Tho its completely up to you, just take care of yourself!!

Hi! Welcome to tumblr! And yes, my requests are open. I was actually running out of creativity so thank you from saving me. I'm happy you like my work, and it's sweet of you to care about ky well being, I hope you're doing good too!

Anyways, on with the request. I hope you like it!

the brothers, barbatos and diavolo with an angel mc

-> brothers, barbatos and diavolo x mc

mc's gender is not mentioned, this is not proof read

content warnings: lesson 16 spoilers, very mild angst

-----

Lucifer

he never thought the day would come where he'd be interacting with angels other than simeon

you honestly remind him of his old days, and that fact made lucifer slightly unhappy to be around you

but, after he sees how strong the bond between you and his brothers is, he starts letting his walls down

you two eventually start building a strong bond, you sometimes help him out with all the paperwork, which he appreciates a ton

angel, demon or human, it doesn't change lucifer's affection towards you in the end

Mammon

you are actually able to stop mammon from any weird scemes to make money, such as gambling at an illegal casino or stealing his brothers' wallets

he will act like he's sad about this, but deep down he will be grateful for what you are doing

you encourage him to earn money in a legal way, like picking up jobs

it's still mammon, so he will be impulsively spending the grimm, but because he is stealing less, his relationship with his brothers has improved

he will show gratitude by buying you nice gifts

Leviathan

levi expected you to treat him like a gross shut-in otaku 'like everyone else'

but... you didn't, you were nice

you often have to remind him to not speak so negatively about himself though

as a result, levi became attached to you and despite his shy tendencies, he will ask you to hang out in his room

he is also kind of curious how things are up in the celestial realm nowadays, but he doesn't ask about it

Satan

unlike all of his brothers, satan has never been an angel before and he's lowkey curious what it's like to be one

sure, he's read his books, but he's more interested in hearing your experiences

you are more than happy to tell him and from what you said, satan was glad he had never been an angel

thus, you two often spend late nights together, having conversations about these topics, or really anything else

satan feels the most comfortable around you, regardless of his internalized dislike towards angels

Asmodeus

oh, he adores you

there won't be a day where asmo won't tell you how beautiful and ethereal you are

often, when you are hanging out, and you show him your wings, asmo will gush over them and start decorating them with ribbons and flowers

after the fall, he found it hard to accept his new form and he honestly still isn't 100% comfortable being a demon, but seeing you made it all easier to deal with

expect to have many impromptu photoshoots with him

Beelzebub

his first reaction was to ask you to make food from the celestial realm

he was half joking, but you actually did it and it tasted better than any of the store-brought celestial realm delicacies

every time you are on cooking duty, beel will stand outside if the kitchen waiting fir you to finish

food isn't the only thing you bond over though

you also attend a lot of his games, every time he sees you in the crowd, his mood and focus immediately improves, you're his cheerleader

Belphegor

first of all, the whole lesson 16 ordeal won't take place, so your relationship won't start off rocky like that which is good in a way

it is also bad in a way because belphie will continue hating humans

you, being the angel you are, decided to teach belphegor how to accept humans again

it was a long proces, but eventually he stopped hating them

thanks to this, he is also visibly more happy and at peace with himself

he has you to thank for that

Diavolo

the prince of the devildom and an angel in the same room? what is this, a crossover episode? (sorry I had to, please somebody get the reference so I don't look like a fool thank you)

diavolo is happy to meet you though, he wants to improve the bonds between the three worlds after all

he spends his time around you like a kid in a candy store, he's so excited to hear your stories about the celestial realm

yes, there's simeon as well, but diavolo feels more at home around you

he will often invite you to fancy dinners or parties, he likes your company

Barbatos

well, diavolo wants to improve ties with the other realms so at first he doesn't really pay attention to you outside of his lord's needs

however, he can't help but slowly start to admire you from afar

he had seen angels before, but never one as gentle and kind as you

barbatos will start interacting witn you soon enough, for example by inviting you to bake sweets with him

he will show his admiration by performing acts of service for you, like bringing you warm tea when you're tired

the more he is around you, the more his attraction grows

[canipickthisnamelater]

oops... wrong timing

mammon x GN! reader

warnings: none

"ah, these exams are just a bunch of bull if ya ask me," mammon complained as he ambled behind you. "we all know i'll get a low score, it's like they expect me to improve."

you roll your eyes and give a lighthearted exhale before turning into the room lucifer gave you when you arrived in devildom.

"that's the point, mammon. you're supposed to study. you can't just half-ass it and expect improvement." you wished it was like that. but when it came to you and mammon both, school didn't come very easy unlike lucifer, who was just naturally smart.

you grit your teeth in annoyance. it sucked being the type who had to work hard for school.

you slip your backpack straps off your shoulders and let it fall with a loud thunk to the floor carelessly. exhausted, you then throw yourself onto your bed, mammon soon following after to lay next to you, facing the ceiling.

"i guess so. at least i got you at school, i can't imagine how miserable i was before," mammon turns his head to face you, and you two lock eyes. he quickly turns away.

"i mean, not that i like hanging around you or anything... but.. your presence is nice.. i guess." you snort at his lame excuse to cover up his emotions for you. it was funny at times, like today, but when you felt particularly more in love with him and he shot you down, it hurt worse than when beel had accidentally stepped on your foot while cooking with him.

mammon turns his head back to face you, and you stare at mammon softly, watching the demon's cheeks slowly fade from his tan skin tone to a flushed salmon pink. "w-what?"

you usually weren't bold like this, but something must have triggered you to say something. you parted your lips into a smile and whispered lowly: "i love you."

it took a moment for both of you to process what words slipped out of your mouth.

when you did process it, your face turned from relaxed to flustered, throwing your hands up to your cheeks. were you an extra kind of stupid? what idiot would say that out of the blue? something so intimate and you had to ruin the mood.

you quickly sit up from your bed and rest your head in your hands. "i-i am so sorry i don't know why i said that i didn't mean it—"

you get cut off from a hand on your forearm. the coolness from mammon's big rings shocking you.

"whoa what do you mean 'you don't mean it'?" mammon scoffs. his hand pushes your arm down to reveal your blushing face and he smirks. "how could you not love me? i'm mammon for diavolo's sake!" mammon exclaims with a few stutters, attempting to wipe away the obvious awkward air. you break into a sputtered laugh, relieved that this goofball had such a talent for bringing stressful situations down. "okay maybe i did mean it but it was not the right time to say it."

mammon looks down at your comforter and plays with his rings. "well, the timing didn't change how i would respond.."

you watch the top of mammon's head in shock. was he really owning up to his feelings? was devildom going to freeze over?

"i... love... you too." mammon choked out, embarrassed. he lifts his head to turn away, but you pinch his face in between your thumb and forefinger. "hey that's not fair, you gotta look at me and say it too," you tease, gently tugging his hot face to meet his eyes. he was nibbling on his bottom lip nervously, and he finally raises his eyes to look at you. the flecks of gold seemed extra bright now, a beautiful mixture of blue and yellow taking in your expression. although mammon was extremely embarrassed to the point of passing out, his eyes screamed excitement and you knew he was jumping around in his mind, practically freaking out.

"iloveyoutoo." mammon quickly spits, shifting his eyes to look at your nightstand. you break into a laugh and roll onto your back to giggle. it was mammon's turn to sit up and freak out, watching you clutch your stomach and gasp for air. "h-hey i didn't laugh when you confessed! stop it!" without thinking, he straddles your waist and puts his hands on your shoulders to stop your rolling. you sigh happily to catch your breath and wipe your eyes of tears before shaking your head at him. mammon blushes harder and you push his hands off your shoulders to reach up to mammon's face and pull him down into a surprise kiss. you both were already embarrassed as is, so might as well go all the way.

mammon gasps right before your lips meet and he hovers over you, stunned. you finish off the kiss with a loud "mmmmwah!" and pull your face away. god you wanted to do that for so long.

"muh-me too." mammon utters. you purse your lips, realizing you had said that out loud, but you keep your hands on his face to watch him. his cheeks were smushed slightly and it made his lips pout a little, inviting you to kiss him again, but you wait for him to regain his sanity to even function. it only took a few seconds before mammon bent his arms to instead rest his forearms on either side of your head, leaning down to give you a deeper kiss. your hands snake around his neck and you play mindlessly with mammon's snowy hair.

it was a beautiful moment, although sloppy. one of your favorite people you've yearned for for so long, now hovering over you and kissing you in a slow movement that seemed too good to be true. you always had a feeling he liked you, but it was a matter of if he would push aside his guarded personality to admit it and your ability to give him a chance.

the two of you break away from the kiss and you keep your eyes closed for a moment, letting the pressure of his soft lips linger before fading away. "it's better than i expected." mammon admits with a laugh. you join him and give him a loving look, sliding your hands to rest on his shoulders.

"i agree," you smile. "it's the best i could get." mammon grins, flashing his adorable fanged smile.

"it was me you were kissing, so you couldn't expect anything less than amazing."

[eryiss]

Summary: Freed and Gajeel were total opposites in every way, only connected by the guild. When they were forced to train together under Makarov's orders, they expected antagonism and mistrust. Instead, they were given a lesson in how quickly opposition can turn to attraction. The issue: let the budding relationship simmer away, or let it explode. [Freed x Gajeel Multi-chapter]

Notes: Hi all. Thanks for your continued support. This time, now they've decided to give each other a chance, we can see them seeing the benefits of each other's company.

Links: FFN, Ao3, Chapter List

Chapter Five - Cracking The Code

Day Four: Thursday

"Damn," Gajeel murmured. "Maybe I wasn't as harsh on you as I thought."

He didn't know exactly what time it was, nor did he know exactly where he was, but he didn't care. The train journey had been long and, despite Freed's runes taking a lot of the strain off him, Gajeel's stomach had started to squirm and bite against him. The growing nausea mixed with the sparsely healed injuries from the day before and the overall exercion of the past three days had caught up with him, and all he could think of was the bed that Freed had promised him.

By the looks of the building - a large ranch, large enough for Freed's entire team despite the fact he lived alone - the bed would be luxurious. Gajeel had been presumptuous about Freed's wealth in the last few days, and was starting to feel guilty about it, but maybe he hadn't missed the mark.

Sure as hell made his one room apartment look like crap.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, I have a barn at the edge of my property that has some hay you could sleep in," Freed mumbled under his breath, but Gajeel heard. "I wouldn't want to force you to live outside of your elements, would I?"

"Nah," Gajeel grinned, because he felt guilty about the last three days and didn't wish to get into another argument. "I can try a bed out if I have t'."

Freed explained what was happening during the train ride home, that his demon was influencing their moods and making them more antagonistic. The conversation came from out of nowhere; Freed had a habit of scuffing his feet, Gajeel had gotten annoyed, snapped, and an argument had begun. After some insults, Freed clenched his right fist, rubbed his suddenly glowing eye, and explained the effect that his demon was having on them. After that, they made a decision to think about the reason behind their anger before they spoke, to understand if it was truly what they thought.

It was a tense and fragile truce, and they were acting at being friends. It was a difficult situation to understand; Gajeel didn't really know what he thought of Freed. He knew he was impressed by his resilience, and at some point the slight resentment at the previous day's attack would make way for intrigue and him feeling reluctantly impressed.

Was he really holding back a demon at all times?

"I'll call for Wendy to come here for when you wake up," Freed kept speaking, walking up the staircase with the expectation that Gajeel would follow him. Gajeel did. "She'll be able to be sure I didn't hurt you too badly."

"Sure," Gajeel said, a yawn sneaking out. He didn't miss the small grin on Freed's face when he heard. Dammit, he had been told his yawns were somewhat… feline like. To distract the man, he kept talking. "We doin' any training today? Or just a rest day?"

"I intend to train with you, if you've not got an injury we don't know about," Freed said. "But we should focus on resting first. It's not overly time dependent."

Two days ago, Gajeel might have made a comment about Freed's training regime being too cushy and pampered, but now the words would have come out as bitter and kind of pathetic. Also, his aching body and swirling stomach wanted nothing more than to collapse into a bed and sleep for an age. Damn the tournament and damn the weird forfeit that Makarov had planned.

He followed Freed through the small landing of the upper floor until they stopped by a door, which Freed opened. It was clearly a guest bedroom, nice enough and stocked with more comforts than Gajeel would have been able to fit in his apartment, but definitely not lived in.

"You got a lot of rooms going spare?" Gajeel asked, planting a bag of clothes he'd picked up on the floor.

"Six," Freed said, allowing Gajeel to wander around the room that would be his home for the next three days. "Originally it was intended for the Raijinshuu to all live here, but they need their space, which is understandable. And they stay here from time to time, so normally it doesn't feel so… unoccupied."

Gajeel might have said lonely rather than unoccupied, but it wasn't his place to say.

"You've a bathroom attached to your room and it's stocked with everything you need," Freed explained, then frowned a little. "Well, maybe the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner might not do for you like it does for Laxus, so perhaps you could borrow mine," Freed reached up and curled a lock of Gajeel's hair. "Yes, you keep your hair well. You'll need my products."

"Right," Gajeel said a little curtly, looking at Freed's hand that held his hair with slightly dilated pupils.

"Sorry," Freed said, removing his hand and taking a step back. "I'll be having a shower before sleeping, so if you want me you may need to raise your voice. I'll leave you some time to get used to the room."

"Thanks," Gajeel huffed slightly, not sure what to say.

They looked at each other for a moment, giving each other a nod in goodbye. Freed turned and walked to what was clearly his bedroom, and Gajeel closed the door behind him. He glanced at where Freed might be, absently wondering if this false politeness between them would make way for something more passionate. It felt like he was missing something now he and Freed weren't arguing; maybe Freed was one of the people Gajeel was meant to feel passionately about.

Nah, it was the demon's influence. Must have been. And there was no point in focusing on how they were acting around each other, it wasn't like it would change anything.

He shucked off his jacket, then his shirt and pants. His skin was hardly the cleanest and the blood from his earlier injury wasn't exactly clean, but Freed probably had a change of sheets for him. He climbed into the bed, the mattress a hell of a lot softer than the stained, spring filled piece of crap that made up his own bed. He groaned a little at the soft, cool covers as he wrapped them around his body, burying his face into them. God, whatever they were made of, Gajeel was becoming addicted to instantly.

Maybe he could guilt Freed into giving him these sheets once they were done.

Tiredness overtook him, and he was nearly asleep within a moment. The only thing stopping him from dropping off immediately was the sound of movement in the building. One of few perks of Gajeel's apartment was that the walls were soundproof - he didn't dwell on why that needed to happen - so other people making noise when he was trying to sleep was abnormal.

Not entirely unpleasant. The shifting of fabric followed by water hitting tile was soft, and slightly muffled by the walls between them. But it was comforting, and the sound rhythmic humming that Freed indulged in as he stepped under the water sent a slight shiver down his spine. It had been a while since he'd worked with other people, and the eclectic mess of sounds that accompanied their movements had been missing in Gajeel's life for a while.

He didn't think too much about it, and instead buried his face in the pillow further, a little smile on his face.

——

Gajeel had known Freed was a powerful mage.

The first time they had met one another, if you wanted to call what happened at the festival a meeting, Freed had filled Magnolia with unbreakable rune traps. Though he had been kept in the Cathedral, Gajeel had both seen and heard stories about how many runes had been placed and how complex the traps had been. So clearly he was a powerful man with a lot of magical potential, but he was apparently a genius with his power as well.

For his half of the training, Freed was going to use a 'Simulation Program'. He had explained he had created a selection of runes that would create a training environment made for their specific needs. Apparently it was a complex system that Freed had used many times to push himself.

"So, when we both place our hands on the column, my runes will create a simulation designed to improve our teamwork," Freed explained, motioning to a shaft of runes in the middle of his basement.

"And you ain't gonna be controlling it?" Gajeel asked, looking at the runes with a slight tilt in the head.

"No, the program essentially has a mind of its own," Freed explained, placing his hand on the column without hesitation. The runes seemed to glow under his touch. "I can cancel it, of course, should it get too intense or if the simulation just isn't working out. But so far it's always been an achievable task and always helped me with training."

"You got any idea what it'll be like?" Gajeel asked, stepping towards the runes.

"Not at all," Freed had a near giddy look on his face; like Natsu before a fight. Maybe he was more Fairy Tail like than Gajeel thought. "When you're ready."

Gajeel shrugged, placed his hand on the column, and allowed it to take some of his magic.

Eight walls of runes suddenly lurched upwards, glowing and dripping with magic. The basement seemed to fall away, replaced by pristine whiteness that seemed to be like a void. Gajeel knew he hadn't been teleported - the teleportation had felt different - so clearly they were still in the basement, but the reality of the room had changed. Gajeel looked to the side; Freed could literally create runes that could change the world around him. All whiteout breaking a sweat.

What would he be able to do without the runes keeping his demon contained?

The thought was gone as quickly as it came. On one of the eight walls, letters began to form as if written from fire. They weren't runes - Freed's runes were square and angular, these letters were more flowing and rounded - and Gajeel didn't have a damn clue what it said. He glanced towards Freed again, to see an expression of open confusion.

He scrunched up his nose when he was confused. Hah.

Before either man could say anything, a wall of magic appeared before them in a language that both Gajeel and Freed could read.

'To finish the simulation, you must complete two tasks. One mental, one physical. These tasks will bring you closer together and highlight your potential as a team.

Task One: Translate the Words and Speak Them Aloud.'

"Yer good with languages right?" Gajeel murmured. "Should be easy."

"This language is incredibly old," Freed frowned, walking to the wall where the statement was written. "Frankly, I've never seen it before. I wouldn't know where to start."

"Yer magic knows things you don't?" Gajeel frowned.

"Apparently."

This wasn't the type of thing that Gajeel could help with, so he leant on one of the walls and decided to watch as Freed worked. The other man was scribbling things down on a wall of runes that he's created which seemed to only allow for writing. He still had his nose all scrunched up while he was thinking, and he kept tucking his hair behind his ear when it fell. It was funny to think this was the same man who had gone primal and all jungle-man the day before.

He really had misjudged Freed, hadn't he? Now he knew the demon had been affecting his mood - and knew how to ignore that influence - it was easy to agree that Freed was powerful. Hell, maybe if they hadn't gotten off to such a bad start, they would have been good teammates.

They could still, that's what the point of the simulation was, right? To bring them together.

Gajeel didn't know how giving Freed a task that Gajeel would be no help with might bring them together, but the simulation seemed pretty impressive so far. He let his gaze fall on the untranslated words again, and actually looked at them this time. It still looked like a selection of random lines, and Gajeel nearly gave up and went back to watching Freed again. It was only when he saw a familiar spiral looking shape in with the rest of the lines that he realised how this was meant to bring them closer.

"Fuck," Gajeel cussed, and Freed immediately looked towards him. "It's Draconic."

"Draconic?" Frred said incredulously. "That language has been dead for millennia. You know it."

"No," Gajeel shook his head. "Well, not really. Even when I was a kid there was no point in learning it since it was forgotten by everyone but the dragons. Metalicana, he was basically my father, insisted that I be able to write my own name in my language," He walked to the writing and pointed at the single spiral. "That's an 'A', I could never get that right. Pa used to yell at me, so I remember it."

"You don't happen to remember the rest, do you?"

"Not of the top of my head," Gajeel spoke under his breath. "Can I use that writing rune thing?"

"Of course," Freed said, making a motion. The small slab of runes that Freed had been scribbling on flew towards him, and Gajeel sat cross-legged on the floor like he had when he was a kid. Suddenly, he felt like he was back in the fields where he had grown up, writing with chalk on stone under his Pa's instructions. He didn't often think about his youth; it was nice.

His arm moved without him thinking. Writing his name was muscle memory, and the familiar pattern of lines that was his name in Draconic quickly was printed on the runes. It had been years since he had seen it. It was nice.

He couldn't dwell on it. He certainly couldn't get emotional about it.

"I'm pretty sure it's similar to how we write. There's a letter for A, a letter for B and so on," Gajeel murmured a little. "Give me a second."

He wrote his name normally under the Draconic counterpart, showing what each letter's counterpart was. Freed made quick work of finding all the letters of Gajeel's name in the statement written on the wall. On the wall there was one G, one A, three E's, one L, four R's, one D, two F's and three O's. Not enough to find out what the statement was, but it was a starting point. Freed had immediately began trying to look for patterns in the letters they already knew, hoping to reverse engineer the alphabet. By the look of frustration on his face, it didn't seem to be working.

"You need help?" Gajeel asked, taking a step towards Freed. "Anything I can do?"

"Did your father only teach you how to write your name?" Freed asked, and Gajeel found it oddly comforting that Freed didn't seem off put by the fact Gajeel called a literal dragon his father. "Is that the only link to your Draconic ancestry you have? Do you know any history? It might help."

Well Gajeel could do that.

Years worth of history lessons seemed to spew out without Gajeel thinking. Everything from how dragons used to live, to the nesting patterns of hatchlings, to everything else that Gajeel had thought had left his head years ago. Once he started talking it felt like he couldn't stop, and Freed didn't seem to want him to. It was kinda nice to be able to talk about his past openly; the only other people who might have understood were Natsu and Wendy. They already knew everything, Freed didn't.

Once Gajeel had run out of things to say, Freed asked him more about the nesting patterns. Gajeel went through it all again, and inadvertently explained the types of mountains Dragons used to nest in. From this, Freed figured out which continent the Dragons lived on, and what cultures developed from Draconic influence. Somehow, he managed to reverse engineer the Draconic alphabet from that of a language currently in use.

Gods, how did the man's mind work?

"There's good news and bad news," Fred eventually said, looking back at Gajeel. "We've translated it, but it seems my magic has an agenda of sorts."

Before Gajeel could ask what that meant, Freed motioned for his writing runes to fly towards him. It was incredibly weird, and funny, seeing just how bad Freed's handwriting was, but he quickly ignored that. As much as he wanted to make fun of the man for his near incomprehensible writing, they weren't close enough to say things like that to one another.

Hm. Gajeel had kind of forgotten he was nervous about his relationship with Freed for a moment.

Rather than fixating, he looked down to the runes again and saw what Freed had translated. He grinned a little when he saw what they had to say to progress; Freed's magic did have an agenda, and didn't seem to be very subtle.

"We gotta say it at the same time?" Gajeel asked.

"I expect so," Freed agreed. A moment later, they both spoke.

"Our similarities outweigh our differences."

With a flurry of movements, the runes glowed and the room shifted around them. The words on the walls disappeared, and a small metal rod rose up from the ground. A metre away from the metal rod, a spark of lighting appeared in the air, flicking with powerful magic. A moment later, the instruction appeared in front of them both.

'Task Two. Conduct the electricity from the lighting into the metal rod. Touching the lighting will fill you with enough pain to render you unconscious, meaning you have failed the simulation.'

"Shit," Gajeel whispered. "Yer runes can be brutal."

"They're usually not quite so bad," Freed mused, walking towards the lightning and inspecting it, though not closely enough to touch it. "I intended the simulation to make us work well as a team. I suppose after the way we have been treating one another for the past few days, my magic believed we need something intense to bring us tougher."

"Guess so," Gajeel mumbled, a little guiltily. He was responsible for that. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Freed dismissed, seemingly fascinated by the challenge. "Honestly, I think the challenges are aimed at challenging my preconceived ideas about you. I had written you off as an idiot who could only utilize your fists, so my magic put us in a situation where you would talk about something you're well versed in and passionate about," Freed was still looking at the spark, a little wistful in his expression. "Frankly, the way you described your culture was beautiful. It certainly destroyed any ideas I had about your mind being anything but… well, wonderful."

Gajeel flushed a little at the compliment, looking away. He wasn't great when people said good things about him, and he tended to deflect when it happened.

"So, yer magic worked. We respect each other at least now, right?" Gajeel said gruffly, Freed nodded. "Other than respect, the only thing I need to work well with another guy is trust. So, guess this is made to make us trust each other."

Freed hummed a little, and his nose scrunched up again.

Fuck, it was kinda cute.

"Say, hypothetically, that this lightning didn't cause you any pain," Freed mused aloud, glancing between the spark of lighting and the metal rod. "Would you be able to use your magic to transform your body into a conductive metal. So you could stretch your fingers from the spark to the rod and have the current pass through you?"

"Yeah, I think so," Gajeel shrugged a little. "Don't exactly wanna touch it if it'll knock me out. Had enough of that this week," He had spoken before thinking, and Freed averted his gaze. "Shit I didn't mean to say that."

"No, no. It's fair," Freed said passively, but didn't seem to believe his words.

"Why'd you ask anyway?" Gajeel asked, trying to avert the topic.

"I've crafted runes that will lessen the effect of lighting magic, a necessity of working with Laxus," Freed explained, looking at the spark again. "If you're correct and this is to make us trust one another, then perhaps it's as simple as you using your magic to make a metal bridge between source and the rod, and you have to trust that my runes will stop you from hurting."

"Guess it makes sense," Gajeel agreed, frowning. "You sure it works?"

"It has worked against every type of lightning I've used it to deflect from before," Freed said, looking to Gajeel. "I can't promise that it will work, though. This is made of my magic, not natural lightning, so there's no way of knowing for sure yet."

Gajeel thought for a moment, before stealing himself and shrugging. "Fuck it, we ain't got any other ideas. Lay it on me."

Freed moved to stand behind Gajeel, and a moment later a cold hand was pressed against the back of his neck. He heard muttering in a language he didn't know, then the familiar feeling of magic rolling down his skin. The sensation of a rune on his skin was unknown to him - a rune not meant to hurt him anyway - and it sent a slight shiver down his spine. Maybe that was just because Freed was cupping his neck; it was a part of his body that people didn't often touch, after all.

A sheen of magic flowed over his skin, and Gajeel watched as his body flowed purple for a second. The spell was obviously completed, as the magic seemed to seep into his skin, but Freed still kept his hand on Gajeel's neck.

"You gonna let go?" He asked with a frown.

"No. If my rune fails, we should share the pain," Freed's tone left no room for argument.

"It's yer funeral," Gajeel mumbled.

He placed his hand on the iron rod, covering his skin with his iron. Slowly, he extended one of his hands towards the flickering sparks of lighting, wincing a little as it got closer. He really fucking hoped Freed's runes worked, because even after Wendy had come by to heal him, Gajeel wasn't fully recovered. Another bout of unconsciousness would only make things worse.

With a flinch, he forced his metallic digit into the lightning. It didn't hurt as such, more like a tingle that spread through him and perhaps Freed. The lightning passed across him, into his hand, and lit the metal rod up. The room turned green.

"Guess it worked," Gajeel grinned a little, turning to Freed.

When he turned, he was taken aback by the sight of the other man. Freed was hot, Gajeel hadn't bothered to hide that even when they were arguing, and he was handsome too. But when he was smiling a victorious smile, a slight magical haze in his eyes, expression equal parts cocky and satisfied, he looked fucking beautiful. The glow of the purple runes illuminated his pale skin, made his eyes shine, and made Gajeel damn near breathless.

He was staring at him, and suddenly something fell into place. He had wondered what would take the place of the antagonism between them, and suddenly an option was shown to him. Freed was now sexy, handsome and beautiful. He had a scrunchy nose, hummed in the shower, and had a wild side.

"It did," Freed's voice, which sounded like honey now Gajeel paid attention, cut through his thoughts. "Thank you for trusting me, Gajeel."

"Ain't a problem, Pretty-Boy."

The slip of the tongue made Gajeel freeze. Freed didn't comment on it, but Gajeel didn't miss the slight upturn of his lips. Fuck he had a pretty smile, didn't he?

Gods dammit.

[stardustseulgi]

hi hello ! could you write a wenrene smut with dom!irene. maybe something like irene trying to help ( a needy ) wendy relieve stress after a long day at work. you can pretty much take this in any direction you want, fluff, angst, whatever floats your boat ! oooh if you're comfortable, maybe a lil bit of thigh riding too ! thank you 💛

-

Wendy was losing her mind. Her work was taking too much of her life. It seemed like more and more often she kept getting held up. Working overtime. Forced hours that she didn't want to stay for. Being made to work through her breaks just to keep up. The demand was getting way too high, and she just couldn't take much more. If it wasn't for the fact that she could go home to Irene, she wouldn't be able to make it.

The work situation just had no improvement in sight. Every week it was getting more and more stressful. She thought the rising curve would have broken by now. But it just seemed to bet getting more demanding by the week. And things had started taking their toll at home too. Wendy was getting bitter. Trying to vent ot her girlfriend was all she could do. But she was starting to get cut off. Irene was sick of her always sounding so negative all the time. She wanted to be there for Wendy, but it was beginning to drive them apart. But Wendy couldn't help it. She was needy by nature. She just wanted the comfort she could only feel at home. Even if it was pushing things to the point of making her risk losing that.

* * *

One day, Irene had a plan to help smooth things out. She got home before Wendy, and started to prepare a surprise for her. And just on time, Wendy came walking through the door. Irene's ears perked as she heard the sound of the latches in the other room.

"Is that you?" She called out. She knew it could only be her. But she wanted to make sure she could keep her girlfriend where she wanted for a moment.

"Yeah!" Wendy shouted loud enough to be heard on the other end of their home. "It's me alright..." She said to herself in a much more exhausted tone.

Wendy slipped her shoes off, and her bag fell to the surface of the table with a loud bag as she dropped it. She just couldn't care anymore. It wasn't even sunset yet, and she was already so defeated she just wanted to go straight to bed and never have to leave again.

"How was work?" Irene called out to her.

No reply was heard back. The younger girl couldn't bring herself to even say anything. She knew she'd just go back to being upset and make things worse between them again. She took a moment to look through the fridge, and get herself a cold drink. Leaning her butt against the counter, she took a sip and let herself rest for a moment. Her mind was too tired to even think properly.

After resting for a few minutes, she decided to just head into the living room. Expecting to see Irene there already. As she walked through the hallway, she left a familiar hand rest on her back.

"How about we set your drink down for now?" She said, as she guided the girl to the living room. Her hand still lightly touching her, and staying slightly behind and out of her view.

Once they got there, Wendy was about to take her seat. But before she could turn her back to the couch, she was stopped.

"Set it down first." Irene told her in a coy voice.

Wendy wasn't in the mood for games right now. She almost let out an annoyed groan. But she caught herself. Closed her eyes, and tok a deep breath. When she opened them, she bent over and set it down. As she straightened herself back out, she could feel Irene was closer. Almost up against her back. Reaching around to her front, and undressing her blouse. Wendy didn’t mind it. She was planning on getting out of her clothes soon anyway.Anything to help get her mind away from her job. Once her top was off, she helped out and got herself down to her underwear.

She waited for a moment ot see if anything else was going to happen in this weird game that the older girl seemed to be playing. But nothing was happening. Taking that as a sign they were done, she finally tried to sit down again. As she turned her back to the couch, she caught a glimpse of what was behind her the whole time. Irene had been dressed in lingerie she had gone out and bought on her way home today. She stood there smiling. In nothing but a red-pink lacey set she had found. Wendy was stunned. Her mind felt like it was melting, and she could feel her heart picking up the pace.

"Let's try something new tonight. Maybe it'll do a little more to help you than talking did." Irene said to her.

The girls sat down on the couch together. Irene took her hand, and kept Wendy's head and focus turned toward hr. She left her fingertips placed on the side of her face, as they closed their eyes and started to kiss. While trying to focus on mixing their tongues around each other's, the younger girl started to undo her bra, and slipped it off of herself. Irene could feel her fidgeting, and assumed what was happening. She took her free hand, and started to play with Wendy's chest. Gently grabbing her and flicking her nipple with her thumb. It didn't take long before she could feel it becoming harder.

Irene laid Wendy on her back. She started to lick her nipples. Taking her time to tease them and watch her chest move as her breathing changed with her growing excitement. She took one between her lips and sucked on it for a second. Before pulling her mouth away. She started to leave kissed between her breasts, and was slowly working her way down her stomach. Planting a kiss every inch, going back and forth from the sides. Trying to draw things out as long as she could, and make her girlfriend impatient. Knowing how needy she already was, she wanted to intensify her feelings. She wanted her to feel like she was about to burst if she kept being played with.

When she finally made it down to her hips, she started to slowly peel away her underwear, and pulled them off of her legs. Carelessly tossing them aside onto the carpet. Wendy tried to sit up to help her remove them. But Irene held her hand down firm on her abs, and refused to let her sit up. Once they were off, she spread her legs open wide, and started to suck at her clit. Wendy moaned as she put her head back and let herself give in to the pleasure. As the older girl continued, she slipped a finger inside of her, and started to play with her g-spot. Her finger was already soaked the instant it got inside of her.

Wendy panted heavily as she started to cum. Her hips squirming a bit as the feeling hit her. Irene let up, and changed to rapidly rubbing her thumb on her clit over and over. Wendy shouted as she felt herself already getting close to her climax again. Her girlfriend watched as her body twitched a little, as she orgasmed.

The younger girl took a moment to breathe. And then decided she was going to pay the favor back. But Irene was already removing her underwear on her own before she could get to her. Wendy sat up, and was about to take over as the top. But Irene refused to let her. Instead positioning her in a normal sitting posture. She climbed onto Wendy's lap, and sat down. The girl wasn't sure what she was planning. There wasn't much they could do with her legs closed tight like that. But she decided to try to remove Irene's bra for her while she waited to see what she had in mind.

As she reached out, her wrists were caught by her girlfriend's hands. Her arms being held still in the air, and away from her body. Irene pressed her bare pussy against one of Wendy's thighs. Putting her weight down on it. She looked Wendy in the eye, and started to grind herself along her leg. Her dripping juices were rubbing off on the girl's light skin. Making it glisten as she covered it.

Harder and harder, Irene continued to grind on her thigh. She face starting to show a bit of her growing arousal. Her eyes starting to involuntarily shut a little now and then as waves started to run through her body. She was getting close. And Wendy knew it. She wanted to help her girlfriend. She wanted to be part of her nearing orgasm. But the older girl wouldn't let her. She wanted her to leave it all up to her. Wendy whimpered without even realizing it. She was so close, and yet couldn't help at all. Between that fact, and the rubbing on her leg, she couldn't help but get more and more turned on.

Both girls were soaked. And Irene was so close. She was breathing hard, and just needed a little more. Her grip on the other girl's wrists were loosening as she lost her focus. And before she knew it, she finally orgasmed. Wetting the soft skin beneath her. She moaned and sighed as she let herself release. She sat still for a second. Not even opening her eyes yet. But finally she let Wendy's hands go. Allowing them to drop down.

Wendy wanted to hold her close, and thank her for the help. But Irene wasn't finished yet. She pushed on the couch to help steady herself, and climbed off of her. She got her face close, and started to lick up along her thigh. Making sure to lap up every inch of the mess she made on her. And when she was done, she sat back on her lap again, and started to kiss her. Sharing her taste with her girlfriend. This would have been enough on it's own. But Irene clumsily tried to get her hands between Wendy's legs again, and awkwardly tried to finger her one last time. Wendy's muffled moans came out as she was forced to cum yet again.

After the girls had finished up. They both sat together on the couch. Neither one wanting to get up just yet. Wendy laid her head back against the cushion, and tried to rest her mind and body. Not even noticing that she had fallen asleep soon after. When she noticed it, Irene quietly got up off the couch and made a phone call. She let Wendy's job know she wouldn't be coming in tomorrow, and she'd be taking a personal day to rest herself up.

[gone4neow]

The New King ♔ dks

Chapter Thirteen

- kyungsoo x reader, royalty AU, prince!kyungsoo

- warnings : swearing, mature content, arranged marriage, good looking men

- word count : 3,033

chapter twelve or chapter fourteen or masterlist

♔ ♔ ♔ ♔ ♔

After having a discussion with Kyungsoo, the princess felt highly encouraged to return back to her home kingdom - with Chanyeol by her side. It was hard to depart from the princes, but she eventually got them to accept that they were not going along. This was something that she and her brother needed to do on their own. She briefed her brother about her mother along the way there. Her mother was spiteful, cunning, entitled, and downright evil. Chanyeol learned that the princess had never spent much time with her mother, even as a young infant, and that they had an ill relationship. He was sad to learn this. The princess may have gotten more time with their father, but at least Chanyeol had a loving mother to fill that void. The princess must've been lonely as a child while their father was busy being a king.

His eyes brightened at the familiar sight of the village. It was the place he had grown up in. He had made his first friends here, had his first kiss here, and even gotten his first job here. He missed it dearly. Months ago he had moved to the northern kingdom for better career opportunities. After his mother's death, he found it hard to afford food.

He grew nervous as they approached the castle. He had dreamed of living in the castle as a young boy, even before he was aware of the king being his father, and now he was finally getting the chance to step inside. The princess must have noticed his nervousness because he felt her slip her small hand into his large one. She gave his hand an assuring squeeze just as the carriage came to a stop. The princess was the first to slip out of wooden structure, followed by her clumsy brother. He laughed sheepishly when he almost tripped out of the carriage. The princess laughed lightly at his actions before she instructed him to follow her.

He was in awe of his sister as he watched her march through the halls of the castle with her head held high and her shoulders rolled back challenging. Her mood had went from excited to something darker as they had gotten closer to the castle. Now that they were inside, he was almost too intimidated by the woman to even speak to her. She led him up a set of stairs before they came to a large set of double doors. The princess made sure he was ready for their next step before she pushed through the doors. Chanyeol could feel eyes on them from every inch of the room. He tried to appear as confident and bold as his sister did, but he failed to do so. He came off as shy, too shy to be the king.

"Daughter, why am I not surprised to see you with yet another man?" The queen spoke as soon as she seen her daughter strutting towards where she sat on the throne. The woman's voice was eerie, matching perfectly with her dark expression. If Chanyeol had ever seen a witch in person, it was this woman. She was beautiful, but radiated darkness. He wondered how someone like his sister had been created by someone like this.

"Mother! I hope you're not too comfortable in my father's chair!" The princess replied with faux enthusiasm as she looked up at her mother with a bright smile. The tension in the room seemed to amplify at the princess's words. Her mother sat up straighter in the throne, looking down at the princess with anger on her face.

"You dare challenge me today? On what terms?" She snapped.

"I have a little story for you - one that I'm sure you were expecting to hear one day. Once upon a time ago, a time before you were married to my father, my father was in love with one of the village women. He loved her so much that he would sneak out of the castle to see her every night. It turns out, they had a child together. Does this sound familiar?" The princess spoke with confidence. Her voice was stern, almost taunting, as she looked up at her mother with a fierce stare. She watched as her mother open and closed her mouth, desperately trying to find the right words to say. There was nothing for her to say.

"I have proof!" The princess announced to the room's guests. They all watched as she pulled out several pieces of parchment from the satchel resting against Chanyeol's hip. He gave her an assuring smile and held out his hand. She placed the documents in his hand and drew in a deep breath as he took a step forward.

"I am Park Chanyeol, son of King Munso and your future king. I request the commanding officer views these letter from my father that specifically state that I am his firstborn son and only son," her brother demanded in a voice as stern as hers had been. Her eyebrows raised slightly, impressed by how natural it seemed for him. There was no doubt about it, Chanyeol was going to be a good king.

A man emerged from the corner of the room. There was complete silence, apart from the sound of his metal armor, as he walked towards the strange man. Once he reach Chanyeol's side, he took the documents in his hand and his eyes skimmed over them with keen interest. Everyone watched as his eyes grew two sizes bigger. He glanced up at Chanyeol with amazement on his face.

"You're the new king," he breathed out quietly. He turned to look at everyone and held the documents up high in the air.

"This is King Munso's handwriting! Park Chanyeol is the new king!" He exclaimed loudly. The queen stood up with rage on her face. She marched down the steps that led to the thrown and made her way towards the princess and her brother. Her eyes were locked on the princess.

"You will regret doing this," her mother told her in a low voice once she stood in front of her. The princess sighed at her words. A part of her had hoped their relationship would improve after the passing of her father, but deep down she knew her mother would never change.

"Mother, I prepared you a place to stay in the village. You have one hour to gather your belongs. I suggest you work quickly," Grace told her mother. Chanyeol watched the pair cautiously. He expected the older woman to lash out at any moment. He watched as his sister's eyes narrowed. For the first time in her entire life, she watched as her mother's eyes filled with tears.

"That's how this ends? You get to live in a castle for the rest of your life while I'm stuck in some shack?" Her mother asked.

"Yes, and for the first time in your life you will understand that your choices in life have consequences," The princess answered. Her head was held high but Chanyeol could see that the conversation was slowly breaking the princess down. He ordered one of the guards to guide the former queen out of the room before he let his long arms wrap around his sister's shoulders comfortingly. She let her own wrap around him in return and drew in a deep breath. They did it - they had removed her mother from the castle.

After her mother officially left the castle entirely, the princess found herself guiding her brother around. His eyes were wide with amazement. They lingered on everything he saw, especially the paintings hung on the walls. His father had gifted him several pieces of art when he was a young child, so he knew that these had belonged to his father. He imagined his father walking through the halls, adoring his collection every day with those honey eyes of his, accompanied by a smaller version of his sister. This had been their home - now it was his home, too. The very thought had his eyes glistening with fresh tears. When the princess noticed, she let her hand find his.

"Welcome home," she told him softly.

"So Prince Kyungsoo is actually the eldest child, therefore he's the one who's supposed to become king, but he's only becoming king because Sehun doesn't want to be king?" Chanyeol thought aloud as he waved his spoon around wildly. The princess and him were sitting at a table on the balcony located outside her room. Their dinner had been brought up to them earlier. While they ate, the princess explained the northern kingdom's situation.

"Yes, but you see - I don't think Kyungsoo really wants to be king himself. Their father has created quite a mess for them to clean up in the village and if they don't fix it I'm worried there will be a rebellion," The princess replied before she took a bite of her food. Chanyeol hummed as he took in the new information.

"He must be a very good brother to take on all that responsibility just so his brother won't have to," her brother commented. The princess simply nodded. She looked out at the evening sky as she felt her stomach twist. She hadn't even been gone an entire day, but she already yearned to see her love again.

"Maybe it's not a matter of not wanting to be king. Maybe Sehun is scared to become king because of the duties he will have," Chanyeol suggested when his sister didn't reply. He didn't miss the distant look in her eyes as she turned her head to face him.

"Were you?" She asked softly. Chanyeol gave a small shrug before he nodded slowly.

"Of course I was. I still am, perhaps I always will be, but this is where father wanted me," he answered. The princess smiled softly.

"It's certainly where you belong," she told him. Chanyeol stared at her without speaking for a moment. He took in the features of her face, the light patch of freckles across her nose, and the warmth of her eyes. He never wanted to forget what she looked like. He knew she would return to the northern kingdom without him tomorrow, and that made him feel terrible. He had just gotten her.

"I love you sister," he spoke to her quietly.

"I love you, too, brother," she replied.

The inevitable came the next morning. Chanyeol gave his sister a giant hug before she was sent back to the northern kingdom. An agreement was made to keep the fact that he was the new king quiet - as quiet as they could, anyways. There was not a doubt in the princess's mind that more than half of the village had already learned about their new king.

She watched the scenery roll by as she sat in the carriage. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of her brother, her father, and, as she grew closer to the castle, Prince Kyungsoo.

Her heart almost leaned out of her chest when her carriage pulled up to the castle. She had barely gotten out of the wooden structure before she saw the princes step out of the castle to greet her. A wide smile formed on her face. She momentarily forgot about her luggage as her feet carried her across the courtyard and to the princes. Sehun rolled his eyes as he watched the woman jump into Prince Kyungsoo's arms before his. They made him sick. He had to resist rolling his eyes again when he heard the sound of his brother whispering sweet nothings against the princess's ear.

"Hey! It's my turn!" He demanded after a few seconds. The princess immediately found her way into his arms and a satisfied smile formed on his face. Jokingly, he began to whisper in her ear just as his brother had, but his words were only complaints about her and the prince - not sweet nothings. She couldn't help but laugh at his childish antics and pulled away to push at his chest playfully. He glanced over at his brother and was met with a harsh glare. The smile on his face seemed to vanish instantly.

"No Chanyeol... things went well?" Sehun asked her, looking away from his brother.

"It's official; Chanyeol is the new king," she announced in a low voice. There was pride on her face as she spoke. It was clear to the brothers that despite the siblings only being together for a few days, they already had a bond that most dreamed of having. Kyungsoo smiled sweetly at her, expression his happiness for the royal siblings in a gentle voice.

"I, um, wanted to talk to you guys about something," The princess told them suddenly.

"What is it?" Sehun asked immediately. The princess glanced over her shoulder at the man waiting for her to come back and get her luggage before she turned back around and glanced between the brothers.

"Let me get my luggage and then we will go somewhere private," she said. Just as she went to turn around, Kyungsoo gently wrapped his hand around her wrist and stopped her. She met his eyes with surprise swimming in her own.

"Let me go get your stuff," he told her softly.

"Come with me while I get my stuff," she replied. She had already turned and began walking away before he could protest. Sehun watched as his brother followed like a lost puppy behind the woman until he was walking side by side with her. They sent loving expressions in each other's direction, probably not even realizing they were, and Sehun felt his heart twist in knots. He decided in that moment he would face his fears and confess to the baker's son the next time he seen him.

About ten minutes later, the three were sitting in a circle on Prince Kyungsoo's bed. The princess was being secretive. She had made sure to double check the lock on the balcony door and hadn't spoke in more than a whisper since they stepped through the door. Sehun snickered at her actions, but Kyungsoo was concerned.

"I think Sehun should be king," she eventually told them. Sehun's eyes widened and a series of scoffs and nervous laughter left him. He shook his head at her, glancing at his brother with disbelief in his eyes. Kyungsoo's expression was blank as he stared at the princess. What had caused this opinion to occur?

"Sehun, this is what you've been preparing for all your life. If you aren't king then where do you see yourself? It'll get boring just roaming the castle halls," The princess spoke again when neither brother made an effort to speak.

"I - I don't know," Sehun answered her with a sigh. He looked over at his brother, yet again, and asked him what he was going to do if he wasn't king.

"I'll marry the princess anyways and then we can build a cottage together. I've always wanted to be a farmer. Would you farm with me?" Kyungsoo answer, directing his question to the princess. She looked at him with a small, sweet smile on her face. Of course, Sehun thought, only my brother could plan out two different futures for himself.

"Of course," Grace answered. Sehun could tell by her tone that she was completely smitten by the idea alone. Sitting out in the sun all day while wallowing around in dirt? How romantic. He wasn't able to resist rolling his eyes this time. Then another thought ran through his mind. Uncle Sehun. He could see it now: a little cottage full of all his nieces and nephews, waiting for his visits with so much excitement their little bodies almost couldn't take it. He knew they would live the best life - they would have the best uncle, after all.

"Sehun!" The princess called him name out and brought him back to reality. He blinked a few times, coming out of a sudden daze.

"You really think I'll be a good king?" Sehun questioned, his voice quieter than it had already been. The princess and Kyungsoo had barely heard him.

"One of the best - and if you need help with anything, you'll have us to back you up," The princess assured him. A smug smile formed on his face and he glanced between the two with a suggestive look in his eyes.

"You're right; I'll be the best king. You know what I'd be even better at though?" The pair raised their eyebrows curiously at his question, having completely no idea where he was going or why he had that look in his eyes.

"Being an uncle," he revealed with a toothy grin. The princess laughed nervous, glancing over at Kyungsoo, who was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. What were they supposed to say to this? Neither one of them had even considered children until this moment. Kyungsoo sat and thought about it, and the more he did was the more he liked the idea. The princess was flush with embarrassment and her fingers were picking at the material of her dress.

"I hope you'll be patient with us then," she told Sehun with a small smile. He sighed but nodded, despite knowing he was going to be anything but patient. Kyungsoo finally released a laugh that he had been holding in the depths of his chest. His hand reach out and took the princess's. He gave it a light squeeze as he laughed - ignoring the scowl his brother sent him.

"I think we should make one right away," he announced between his laughter. The princess gaped at him, wondering briefly if the brothers had been drinking while she was away. Sehun was thrilled by his brother's words and the smile on his face grew, which seemed impossible seconds ago.

"Why?" The princess asked curiously.

"I had this thought about ours kids and how I could teach them to beat my brother up... the opportunity seems too good to pass up. We need at least 10," Kyungsoo explained, as his laughter came to a gradual halt. The smile on Sehun's face vanished.

a/n : hi!! this story is coming to an end soon, sadly, but i am already working on my next story and i’m very excited about it. it’s a chanyeol story (currently) but i hope you all will enjoy it. any criticisms about my writing is welcome! i really want to grow as a writer and this story has been a great trial run for me. I’ve learned a lot. thanks for reading, as always! don’t be afraid to talk to me!!

[rogue-barnes-16]

CAREFUL, SWEETHEART (part IX/?)

Summary: sadness and alcohol can lead us to make a mess of a situation, and a mess can lead us to the biggest mistakes, but can the biggest mistakes lead to something else?

Pairing: Tony Stark x enhanced young!Reader

Genre: angst-fluff (with a bit of fun)

Tags:

Careful, sweetheart:

@tone-stark @mugglebucky @sofreakinmanyfandoms @cryforfandoms @lilulo-12 @rebeccaitsnotwhatyouthink @vxidnik @edwisenpai

Permanent taglist:

@notexactlythatgirl @thisismysecrethappyplace

Warnings: language, mentions of injuries (this part is lame, sorry guys)

A/N: remember when I said there were just 1-3 parts left? Well I'm not sure anymore lol. Just enjoy my chaotic series, sweethearts (^3^). Feedback is always appreciated <3.

Careful, sweetheart masterlist

Rogue-barnes-16 masterlist

TONY'S P. O. V.

“... Tony. I’m sorry for...”

“... I promise... ever again. Not even...”

“... said ‘I love you’, I meant it...”

“... sweetheart.”

I opened my eyes slowly, just to shut them again due to the painfully bright light of the room. I rolled to my side, wincing in pain. Goddammit every part of my body hurt.

I opened my eyes again, and this time I noticed it wasn't a bright light, it was just the sunlight.

I blinked a couple of times, thinking about what I heard. It had seemed Y/n's voice, but I highly doubted it. Maybe it wasn't even real, maybe I dreamt it. "Good Morning, Tony."

"Doctor Cho" I greeted her. I had to have been in a very critical condition if Dr. Helen Cho herself came to the compound. I tried to turn around again, but I was feeling too much pain. "so... That bad, huh?"

Helen walking to the opposite side of the room, so she was able to see my face. "well, it sure wasn't a scratch." for her scolding tone, I could tell she wasn't in the mood for a joke. "you fractured your cheekbone, badly." she added the last word looking into my eyes. "you even needed stitches. You also had two fractured ribs and a thoracic contusion."

I scoffed, which was a bad idea, since it only made my pain increase. "just a fractured cheekbone and a couple of bruises?" she darted me a deadly glance. "c'mon Cho, I came back with much worse things than that"

She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing tiredly. "you had internal bleeding and an almost second-degree burn over your ribcage."

"wait" I frowned, placing my hand over my side, feeling the bandages covering said burn. I understood the fractured ribs and cheekbone, and even the thoracic contusion. I didn't really know why I had had internal bleeding, but the weirdest thing was the burn. "what exactly happened to me?"

Helen started to write down some things, checking her tablet while doing it. "Sergeant Barnes told me your suit shut down, and Wanda had to stop you from crashing. However, she ended up throwing you into a lake." she explained distractedly.

"what about the- fuck!" I hissed, trying to sit up and failing. Helen sent me a warning glance before going back to her notes. "what about the burn."

She shrugged, turning of a couple of devices in the room. "they didn't say anything" she walked to the door, disappearing from my view. "God morning, Natasha"

"Morning Helen" Natasha said. "is he awake?" I guess Dr. Cho nodded in response, because Natasha murmured an 'Okay' before I heard the door closing, followed by a few steps toward the bed. "you gave us quite a scare."

Natasha sat down in front of me, and I just grinned. "isn't it my whole purpose?" I asked jokingly, but I just earned a sad smile from her. "how did I get the burn?" I asked, every joking tone fading from my voice.

Natasha crossed her arms loosely, leaning slightly and resting her elbows against her thighs. "you were choking, so Y/n and Barnes broke your suit." I knew there was more, so I just waited for her to finish. "Y/n had to use her pyrokinesis, and her hands reached your skin."

"Oh" she had saved me. I didn't care if I had a burn, she had saved my life. Maybe, after all, I didn't imagine those words. Maybe Y/n had come here, and maybe, just maybe, she had said those three words.

"Anyway" Natasha got up from the chair smiling at me "you have to rest. Doctor Cho said you had to stay here for a few days" as soon as she said that, she made her way towards the door.

"Natasha" I heard her steps stop, and a questioning hum coming from her. "has Y/n come to see me?"

There was a few silent seconds before she replied. "No. She went to her room as soon as we came back."

Okay, so I had dreamt it. I don't know what I was expecting, though. After all, I had pushed her away, I had shut her out, and I had avoided her for a long while.

She probably had moved on, since it was supposed to be something temporary, something passing. We weren't supposed to fall for each other.

But I had fallen so damn hard for her, and I didn't even know when. Maybe she figured it out, and that's why she didn't try to talk to me again, she was really smart after all.

"Okay" I said, closing my eyes "thanks Natasha"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Did Helen let you get to work already?" Bruce asked. He came in to the lab with a frown showing up in his face.

"Nope" I stated plainly, discarding one of the parts of the hologram's left side. "But I don't work for her. I'm a free man who makes his own decisions"

"what the..." I glanced at Bruce, catching a glimpse of his shocked face "Tony, are you listening to yourself?" he got closer to me, however, I didn't look at him, but I noticed how he stared at my current project "that's Y/n's suit?" he asked confused. "I thought you updated it a couple of weeks ago."

I darted a glance at him "are you spying me now, Banner?" I questioned, more bitter than I meant to. "Sorry. Yeah, I did, but it needs more improvements" I explained distractedly redirecting my attention to the now incomplete design. "Wilson took her to the medbay this morning. He said one of her suit's external protections got burnt"

I saw how Bruce opened and closed his mouth a few times. "how do you know that? I mean- you know- I" he sighed, walking to his own work space "I thought you two didn't talk anymore?"

"we don't" I tried to sound emotionless about it, I tried to sound like I didn't care if we talked or not. And I prayed for Bruce not to notice. "I just saw her there when Cho was checking my stitches."

A few minutes passed by in a comfortable silence, until Bruce broke it "You know, I think you should talk with her." I looked up confused. "with Y/n, I mean."

"That's not happening" I replied, finishing with Y/n's suit and starting with Steve's shield's new prototype.

"you two are so..." Bruce let out a tired sigh. "you know, maybe she's just feeling guilty because she caused you a second-degree burn." he kept talking, turning on his laptop. "so go and talk with her." he stared at me before speaking again. "Now, Tony. Go to talk with her now."

I nodded, leaving the prototype over my table, and heading out of the lab, walking to Y/n's room. Probably Bruce was right. Probably she was feeling guilty and I was being an ass by ignoring her.

I knew talking to her would be awkward, but before anything else, she was my friend, and friends are there for each other.

I knocked her door a couple of times before she answered. "it's open" I took a deep breath before turning the knob and pushing the door, getting in her room.

I didn't look at her. Not while I was getting inside, because I knew if I did, I would probably back out, and I couldn't.

So when I closed the door, I turned around, realizing she had her eyes closed. It was logical, she was probably resting since she had gotten hurt earlier that day.

"Hey, sweetheart"

[eryiss]

Summary: Freed and Gajeel were total opposites in every way, only connected by the guild. When they were forced to train together under Makarov's orders, they expected antagonism and mistrust. Instead, they were given a lesson in how quickly opposition can turn to attraction. The issue: let the budding relationship simmer away, or let it explode. [Freed x Gajeel Multi-chapter]

Notes: Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, and thanks for sticking with this. It’s quite fun to write for this ship, and I hope you’re all ready for homoerotic exercise and another argument between men who don’t know how to communicate :)

Links: FFN, Ao3, Chapter List

Chapter Three - Proving a Point

Day Two: Tuesday

Gajeel woke in a pissy mood. This wasn't going like it was supposed to.

Freed was meant to be a smug, self important man with no practical skills, no world-hardened experiences, and no way of keeping up with what Gajeel was demanding of him. His three day plan had focused around humbling Freed, telling him that he wasn't hot-shit like he clearly thought, and making him realise that his cushioned life didn't mean he was Gajeel's equal.

What was not meant to happen was for Freed to be competent! He wasn't meant to make a shelter, he wasn't meant to be able to make a fire without a match, and he wasn't meant to be able to cook the damn fish and make them taste good! Even Gajeel couldn't do that.

Worse, the fucker knew. Oh he knew what Gajeel wanted but wasn't getting.

He hadn't been so smug when he'd lost though, had he? He hasn't been running his mouth when he'd been in the stream, gurgling his pathetic little surrender. Nah, he'd looked exactly how Gajeel wanted him; weak, embarrassed and unable to deal with the fact he was out of his league.

Sure, it hadn't taken long for Freed to recover and spout some bullshit about Gajeel being intimidated by his magic, or whatever the hell it was he said. He was trying to save face and Gajeel wouldn't let him; he had lost their fight because he couldn't live without his spells. That was impractical, short sighted and the way a spoiled brat of a man worked. No doubt if he had to rely on his fists more, he would have seen the stream as something to take advantage of and used it, rather than falling into Gajeel's trap.

Hah. At least one thing had gone Gajeel's way.

Mostly.

Kind of.

Look, Gajeel might hate the man and the things he seemed to stand for, but Freed wasn't bad looking. And Gajeel was just a man, who had been stripped to the waist with Freed in the same state of undress, wrestling one another. He was bound to get distracted for a moment. Thankfully, Freed's nasty kick to the balls and the ensuing tantrum after had quickly quelled any growing interest.

Gajeel knew what he had to do today, though. Because if he was going to fight with Freed at the end of the week, he needed to respect the man. He wasn't going to respect Freed if he couldn't take a defeat, and if he couldn't handle himself without his magic. So today, Freed was going to prove he had the ability to back up his words.

Okay, it was a tenuous reason for what he had planned, but fuck it. Fuck Freed too.

It was tempting to wake the prick up by dumping some of the water Gajeel had gathered over his sleeping face - a nice little reminder of how the fight had ended - but he decided against it. He needed to have everything prepared before he woke up, so it would be better to check that everything was in place. That, and Freed apparently snored a little when he was sleeping, and Gajeel certainly didn't want to interrupt the possible blackmail that could come from it.

And perhaps it was nice to have something cut through the silence of the forest.

Gajeel had trained in this forest many times, and as such had come to know how to utilise it's assets. He wandered slowly, blinking away the sleep in his eyes, and eventually found what he was looking for. A large tree that had fallen down years ago, and stumbled down a hill. What remained was a leafless trunk at the bottom of a steep incline, perfect for strength training.

Next, he walked to the largest upstanding tree within reasonable walking distance. Gajeel had often climbed this tree to push his agility and upper body strength, and it was the perfect way to test Freed's practical skills. The tree was still standing tall, the branches Gajeel used to climb still attached. Perfect, no excuses for when Freed fucked up.

When he got to the lake, Gajeel grinned a little. The morning was cold and the water would be freezing, the worst temperature to take a swim in. Normally Gajeel would have hated to swim in weather like this, but it would certainly be a nice wake-up call for the spoiled little Prince.

Yeah, this was gonna be fun. For Gajeel anyway.

——

"I think yesterday proved pretty damp conclusively that you're out of luck if you don't have your magic," Gajeel said with crossed arms, looking down at Freed. "So, today I'm gonna teach you a couple techniques that'll come in handy when you're in a situation where you can't spell yourself out of trouble."

Freed clearly wanted to make a comment, but held his tongue. He was learning, huh.

When Gajeel had returned from his check of the forest, Freed had woken up, set up a new fire and was using the rest of the fish (and a few berries that he had picked) to make them both a breakfast. Gajeel had wanted to reject it out of hand, but it had smelt great and if it was anywhere near as good as his meal the day before, refusing it would be a mistake. It had tasted amazing, so Gajeel had huffed out a thanks and gave a short nod of thanks.

Soon after that, Gajeel had motioned for Freed to follow him. Freed had done so without complaint - Gajeel couldn't prove it, but liked to think it was because the asshole was too embarrassed after his loss - and allowed himself to be led down the stream, towards the lake.

"You've got wings right, when you use yer magic?" Gajeel asked. "So yer probably gonna use 'em to get over every little thing, right?"

"Like you do with your little cat friend, I expect," Freed commented, and Gajeel stiffened slightly. Freed noticed and smirked a little. "My apologies, I interrupted you. Please, go on."

"Don't need yer permission," Gajeel grunted, more to himself than to the man standing before him. "But if yer using yer wings as much as I think you are, you ain't ready to deal with terrain that ain't easy to walk through. So, if this week's about improving then this is gonna help you get over that flaw. We run from here towards the lake, taking us through forested ground which ain't even and ain't safe, and then we swim from one side of the lake to the other."

"So it's a race then?" Freed asked, annoyingly not intimidated by the proposition.

"If you want," Gajeel shrugged. "But I ain't got a prize or anythin'. Definitely not one for participation, like yer probably used to."

Freed rolled his eyes at that, but didn't ride to the bait. Instead, he said, "Perhaps when I win, you'll cook for once."

"You ain't gonna win," Gajeel claimed.

"We'll see," Freed hummed a little, far too smug for his own good.

"Stretch up," Gajeel muttered, even though he wanted to push the man further, maybe even see if he could add an actual forfeit for losing, something to really make the fucker squirm. But, well, Gajeel didn't know for sure he would win, so couldn't risk things just in case.

Just as Gajeel went to start stretching his calves, he heard the sound of ruffling fabric and frowned. He ignored it for a moment as he felt the gentle burn of his muscles working, but caught sight of Freed's white - now dirt stained and crumpled - shirt now hanging over the branch of a nearby tree. With slightly furrowed brows, he turned towards Freed to demand an explanation, only to see him kicking off his pants and placing them right next to his shirt, leaving him only in his boxer-briefs. His tight and eye-catching boxer-briefs.

Before the thoughts could even form about how Freed was wearing his underwear to perfection, Gajeel forced his memory back to the night before. About how he'd acted and how he had tried to make Gajeel feel like crap just to feed his own ego.

Freed had lost a wrestling match, and had thrown a fit about it. Gajeel couldn't respect a man like that, and he couldn't find a guy hot if he didn't respect him.

"The hell are you doing?" Gajeel demanded.

"If we're going to swim, then I'd rather not get my only set of clothes wet when it could be avoided," Freed explained, and Gajeel was momentarily thankful that he didn't look ready to remove his boxers. He couldn't think like that, so spoke again.

"Cause you can't stand a bit of discomfort, right?" Gajeel grumbled.

"No, I just don't see the point of making things worse for myself to prove a point," Freed looked pointedly towards Gajeel when he said that. "The water is clearly going to be cold and the weather doesn't look like it'll improve, meaning it'll be a struggle to dry ourselves already. The fire can only do so much, and we'll either have to lounge around in wet clothes out of stubbornness, or remove them and wait for them to dry while we ourselves get dry. That extends the time we'll be cold, making us both uncomfortable and wasting time before whatever inane task you've got next. That, coupled with the fact that this is flu season, seems like good enough justification for avoiding a stupid problem."

Gajeel could hardly argue the point, so instead he mumbled, "We ain't gonna be lounging around."

"What an astute and well thought out argument," Freed deadpanned, and Gajeel wanted to punch him again. He didn't, instead averting his eyes as Freed started to stretch his arms. "Nobody is forcing you to do the same if you're shy, Mister Redbox. To me it just feels like the reasonable course of actions."

Rather than speaking, Gajeel turned his back. He also removed his shirt and boots; but he wasn't getting half naked like the pervert next to him.

Calling him a pervert was maybe a stretch.

He pushed back that thought, as well as the thoughts of how damn good Freed's ass looked in those boxers - Gajeel was only a man, and he couldn't deny what he saw - and instead got himself into line with Freed. The race is what he should have been focusing on, not the fact that Freed didn't look half bad when he was taken away from his pampered and luxurious sheen. Tangled hair and the odd spec of dirt really did wonders for the pretty-boy.

The race. Focus on the race. And the fact the guy couldn't deal with a loss.

"Ready?" Gajeel asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "Go."

He lurched forward before he could think, sprinting through the undergrowth of the the forest as he ran towards the lake. Years of guild work in places like this had allowed for the perfection of running through the forest; you kept alternating your gaze between the ground and on the trees.

Usually he would have turned his skin to iron so he wouldn't have to focus on the branches in his way, but he was trying to prove a point. He winced a little as a sharp end to a twig scraped against his cheek, far too close to his eye, but didn't let it stop his pace. He could hear Freed's breathing very close behind him, so evidently Freed knew how to run through a forest as well as Gajeel did, so he couldn't let up for a moment.

When they were out of the forest, there was a short run towards the lake with more space than there had been in the forest. Gajeel forced himself to run as fast as he could, not wanting to let Freed overtake him now he had the width to do so. And not having a view of the man's body might-

The race. The way he'd acted the night before. Focus dammit!

If telling himself wasn't enough to cut off his libido, the face first plunge into freezing, dirty water certainly did. He let out a shuddering gasp when his head broke the surface, but couldn't allow the ice-cold water to stop him. He quickly started to swim, smirking a little when he realised he still had the lead.

The smirk died when Freed overtook him pretty damn quickly.

Gajeel saw nothing but ripples of water ahead of him, and gritted his teeth as he tried to speed up. He was a man built to brute force his way through a problem, while Freed was apparently more agile. He should have expected that, but he had wanted to leave Freed in the dust during the run so it wouldn't be an issue.

All he could do now was swim to the other shore of the lake, pissed off.

When he reached the end of the lake, he saw Freed resting on one of the large boulders that made up the shoreline. He was panting, soaking wet and still wearing those fuckimg boxers. When he saw Gajeel haul himself up from the water, he looked towards him and smirked.

"That didn't end up how you wanted, did it?"

"Shut up," Gajeel snarled. "Get yer clothes, we've got a busy day."

When Freed laughed, Gajeel nearly pushed him into the lake again.

——

"So, you think ya can beat that?"

Gajeel had more than got his confidence back now, and he was smirking at Freed with his arms flexed intentionally.

Both he and Freed were stood at the bottom of a steep hill, where the dead tree-truck sat. Gajeel had explained this challenge; they would both have to push the tree-truck up the hill as far as they could. The justification for this exercise was that Freed might one day find himself in a situation where he was trapped without his magic and needed to force his way out with his strength alone, and the exercise was meant to simulate that. Freed clearly saw that Gajeel just wanted to push his limits, but he didn't say anything.

This was the last task of the day. They'd already attempted the tree climbing that Gajeel had planned, and Freed had been obnoxiously good at it. Gajeel had been faster, but they both knew that he had a natural advantage because he'd had practice. Gajeel could hardly boast about being slightly better then Freed at something he had done many times and Freed was new to.

Gajeel had just finished his attempt at pushing the trunk, and was fucking delighted when he saw he'd beaten his own personal record. This was how he would regain his control over things.

Freed didn't stand a chance.

"I'm sure I'll be a worthy contender," Freed stated, walking towards the tree-trunk. "Which is a feat, I expect, given that you've clearly been setting me up for failure from the beginning."

"Maybe if you weren't so predictable then I wouldn't have been able to plan things out so well," Gajeel grunted.

"So you predicted that, in everything other than tasks that relied solely on physical strength, I have exceeded your expectations and beaten you in completion, I suppose?" Freed taunted quietly as he positioned himself against the tree-trunk. "I expect you did all of this simply to prove your inferiority."

"Inferiority?" Gajeel scoffed. "You ain't done anything but bitch about this because it's not going yer way."

"Not going my way?" Freed laughed, turning from the log and looking at Gajeel again. "You are joking, aren't you?"

"All you've done is make yer little comments about how you don't think it's fair," Gajeel challenged, taking a step forward and glaring the other man down. "And when ya lose, you throw a tantrum."

"I throw tantrums," Freed demanded, sounding equal parts exasperated and annoyed. "As opposed to you, who has been acting perfectly rational throughout this? It hasn't escaped my attention that you clearly see Makarov's initiative as some sort of personal affront to you, and you have apparently seen it fair to force all of these grievances onto me. So for you, a man who has been as close to stomping his feet and wailing as his pride allows, to complain about me throwing a tantrum is practically laughable."

"You think that's what I'm doing?" Gajeel took another step forward. "I'm doing this because yer clearly a spoiled little city-boy and I ain't associating myself with something who can't-"

"Can't what?" Freed snapped. "Can't make a shelter? Can't start a fire? Can't swim across a lake faster than you? Because I've done all of this despite your clear hopes otherwise. Or would you rather judge my worth as a mage by seeing me push a dead tree up a hillside, or to wrestle you without the weapon I use nor the magic I wield? Because, Mr Redfox, if you need to force such strict parameters to best me and you consistently lose, then perhaps your plan isn't a good one."

Fuck, he wanted to punch the guy. Fully encase his fists in iron and beat the shit out of the guy. It would be damn satisfying to see the guy knocked out, while the smugness straight out of him.

"Nothing to say?" Freed continued, a patronising look on his face.

"Fuck off," Gajeel growler, turning around and going to walk away. Before he could take a step, a wall of glowing runes shot up in front of him, blocking his exit. He turned to Freed with an expression of fury. "What the hell is your problem?"

"You," Freed snapped, and magic seemed to emanate from him.

He looked feral in that moment, with all the shields of fancy clothes and smart ass words replaced by anger and magic. His shirt was billowing in the magic induced winds, and the glare on his face was accentuated by the purple swirling in his eye. Fuck, he looked like a man on the edge and it shot straight to Gajeel's dick. Freed was a gentleman gone wild, and if that wasn't one of Gajeel's most well-buried fantasies then he didn't know what was.

The expression was gone as quickly as it came, and the magic swarming Freed's eye fell away. For a moment, Freed looked worried, but he was talking again before Gajeel could understand why he looked like that.

"Neither of us are happy about this, but at the end of the week we have to fight side by side, and the biggest issue we have right now is that we can't stand one another," Freed seemed more calm now, as if the bubble of anger had burst. What the hell had caused that? "So, either you plan something that might make us work together, or at least respect one another, or we both stop trying and say to hell with the consequences."

Gajeel didn't say anything. It felt like the rug had been pulled from under him.

Suddenly, a wave of shitty realisation hit him. Freed had a point when he said he was taking his anger out on him, when he really just didn't want to do the damn training thing at all. He wasn't being fair.

"I think that's enough," Freed sighed. "I'll gather my things and go home. You needn't contact me again."

Freed was walking away before Gajeel could react, and the walls of runes fell around them both. A horrid feeling of regret filled Gajeel, and he quickly jogged to catch up with Freed, who was clearly ignoring him. He kinda deserved it.

"Shit, Freed, wait," He placed a hand on the man's chest, and Freed glared at him. "Yer right, I ain't been fair," It wasn't a fun thing to admit. "I had some ideas about who you were, and didn't wanna let ya prove me wrong, even when you were kicking my ass," He sighed. "And yer right about me wanting to fuck you over, that's why I did this shit, and it wasn't right. That was shitty of me."

"Well, I can hardly blame you for judging me. We were both guilty of that," Freed admitted. "And thank you for admitting that. But I don't see how we could suddenly become a cohesive, effective team, we're hardly compatible."

Gajeel sighed, Freed had a point.

But if a Fairy Tail mage was good at anything, they were good at being stubborn.

"What if we have a fight?" Gajeel proposed, and Freed frowned at him. "Talking like this ain't gonna get rid of the attitude we have for each other, right? You're still pissed at me, and you said some things that made me wanna sock a punch in yer jaw. Maybe having the chance to beat the shit outta each other might break through the attitude problems we have."

"That's not too bad an idea," Freed admitted, glancing at the evening sky for a moment. "It would be cathartic to make you scream."

"Buy me dinner first, city-boy," Gajeel teased before he could think. Freed all but gaped at him, and Gajeel was speaking to fill the silence before he could stop himself. "Y'know, I ain't ever seen you fight before. Don't know how you work."

"Then I have the advantage," Freed grinned slightly. "And you're voluntarily giving it to me. Perhaps you really are repentant."

"Nah, just wanna kick yer ass without you having an excuse."

"We'll see," Freed smirked, and Gajeel found himself grinning back.