This is an old request that I got way too into when I started writing it, hahaha. It snowballed and got away from me a bit. Way too much fun. Since it got a bit long, it ended up its own oneshot.

I hope you all enjoy it!

Prompt: nerd!Elfman, jock!Evergreen

Requester: unashamed-shipper

Sweat ran down a strand of Evergreen's hair, rending it heavy and repeatedly slapping her in the eye which stung mightily from the salt. Freed wasn't fairing much better, to her absolute glee – his own hair escaping every which way as his ponytail slowly came undone over the course of their bout.

Which Evergreen decided to end, judging Freed to have had quite enough abuse for one day. Boxing wasn't really his sport, anyway. "I think it's time to call it a day, Freed."

Relief washed over his face and he sagged in place. "Thank god."

Unstrapping and pulling off her gloves, Evergreen patted him on his extremely slick shoulder. "Next time I'll be your fencing partner," she promised, heading for her water bottle.

"I'll hold you to that," he promised, struggling to get his gloves off. Then he paused, and turned to her slightly with curiosity dancing in his eyes. "I didn't know you were working with Elfman."

Evergreen took a swig from her water bottle and gave him a strange look. "Elf-who? I don't know anyone with such a weird name," she said, capping the bottle and picking up her towel.

Her friend raised an eyebrow but diplomatically chose not to point out the irony in her statement. "Elfman Strauss," he told her, with a jerk of his head at the entrance to the gym. "He's in my study group. And it looks like he was watching us. Since I know he's not here for me, then he's gotta be here for you."

The brunette glanced in the direction Freed had indicated and wiped her neck with the towel. Sure enough, there was a guy standing around by the punching bags, half obscured but visible enough for Evergreen to determine that she'd never seen him before in her life. He was a really big guy, she noted. "How do you know he's not here for you?" she countered Freed idly, perplexed as to how someone of that sheer size had escaped her notice at the school. Not many people could compete with the dude, that was for sure. Laxus was the only one that immediately came to mind.

"He explicitly turned me down for a joint project earlier today," Freed informed her, finally finished wrestling with his boxing gloves and joining her side. "Said he had something going already."

Evergreen groaned. "This isn't for that huge national science-y-thing, is it?" At Freed's answering nod, she covered her face with her towel in exasperation. "Then he and I definitely don't have any business," she mumbled through the cloth.

"Regardless, he's finally worked up the courage to start walking over here," came Freed's all-too-amused response. Ignoring her snarl of annoyance, he called out, "Hey, Elfman. Looking for Evergreen, I take it?"

"Yeah," came the other man's response, his deep voice booming in the enclosed space. "If I'd known you'd be here, though, I would have asked for an introduction."

Evergreen uncovered her face, curly hair falling onto her cheeks. "What do you want," she asked him bluntly, not interested in what it could be in the slightest.

"Can we… uh… talk in private?" he asked. "No offense, Freed."

"None taken." Freed grabbed his towel and climbed down from the boxing ring, announcing, "I'm hitting the showers." He smelled absolutely rank and boxing with Evergreen always made his hair despicably greasy.

"There, it's private," Evergreen stated once Freed had made himself scarce. "Now tell me what you want. I have training to get back to."

Elfman shifted uncomfortably.

Seeing how his eyes shifted away from her, Evergreen bit back another groan. Great, another 'manly man' who couldn't take the sight of a female athlete in an impact bra. Well he needed to get over it. Fast. "Just spit it out already!"

"This is kinda embarrassing, but… I was wondering… if you could help me out with a project I've got going."

"I hate to break it to you, but Freed is the brainier between the two of us," Evergreen confessed. "And I'm the brawn. If you need help with your project, ask him, not me."

"Wait!" Elfman pleaded. "I need your help for this! Not Freed's!"

Curious, and not exactly displeased by being needed over Freed, Evergreen did not immediately leave. "What's your project? If I like the sound of it, and if it doesn't cut into my training time, then I might be willing to go along with it."

"I wanted to study how different training techniques combined with diet affect muscular definition," he answered easily, much more comfortable talking about his project. "Specifically, for female athletes. You wouldn't be the only one in the study – Juvia Lockser, Laki Olietta, Erza Scarlet, and my sister Mirajane have all agreed to participate."

A swimmer, a gymnast, a fencer, and a mixed martial artist, plus her as a boxer, Evergreen noted. Different types of musculature and training style. It was a well-rounded group, but he could stand to add a runner, probably.

And now she was also kicking herself a bit, because of course she should have recognized Elfman's surname from the get-go. Mirajane Strauss was a terrifying fighter with an impressive reputation.

But it was the inclusion of another name that set Evergreen's teeth to grinding. "Erza Scarlet? She's in on this?"

"Yeah," he replied, confused by the nasty expression she was making, but forging ahead anyway. Not doing so wouldn't be manly, after all. "Uh… is there… a problem with that?"

Exhaling forcefully through her nose, Evergreen shook her head. "No, it just tells me that you're serious. She and I have a personal beef, but she's a damn good athlete. So as long as she and I don't have to cross paths, and so long as you can keep your eyes off my chest, I'm in."

Perplexed, Elfman stared at her.

"It means on my face, big guy," Evergreen informed him.

"I wasn't staring though?" Elfman questioned, still extremely confused.

"Don't give me that. You kept glancing at the floor, earlier; couldn't look me in the eyes at all. If the way I dress for training bothers you, then this isn't going to work out." She lifted the ropes on the ring, slipping past them and landing on the gym floor.

"I think you have the wrong idea," Elfman stated. "Mirajane is my sister, remember? I don't have a problem seeing sports bras. That would be pretty unmanly of me to disrespect an athlete like that."

She found herself believing his words. Mirajane Strauss was, again, a terrifying woman. "Then what was the problem before?"

"You're intimidating," he confessed.

"Would've thought having Satan herself for a sister would render me pretty mediocre by comparison." Evergreen knew she had an ego problem, but only idiots challenged Mirajane in a physical contest.

"It's because I have Mirajane for a sibling," he grumbled. "I just saw you wipe the floor with my classmate, and compared to Freed I'm probably no more intimidating than a fly."

Evergreen somehow doubted that Mirajane's younger brother wouldn't be able to defend himself quite well. She reached over to the stand she'd left her glasses on, and put them back on her face.

Now able to clearly see the man, his own musculature stood out in high relief.

Yeah, he could probably hold his own. He may be a nerd like Freed, but Evergreen knew better than to underestimate the type. He looked like a beast, to be honest. Was he really a highschooler?

"Well, I'm in," Evergreen stated, sticking her hand out for him to shake. She smiled when he did, and he smiled slightly in return.

This was going to be entertaining, if nothing else.