Age: 15
Gajeel looked uncertain as Reis held out a job flyer looking for someone to find a stolen family heirloom and retrieve it from a small time dark guild. The pay was good, and didn't look too difficult, but this would be Reis' first job. Since it was, someone would have to go with him, meaning Gajeel would be. It made sense the iron slayer would be able to relate to the quiet teen the most. Along with being his pseudo guide in guild life.
It's been a week since Reis has joined Fairy Tail. After receiving his guild mark, black and in between his shoulder blades, Master had ordered Gajeel to take the small teen and clean him up. The two mages had looked at the Master like he was crazy before looking at each other with looks of great suspicion. A great mistrust in the younger's dull eyes.
"Don't bite me. I don't like this anymore than you do." He huffed while he dragged Reis by the back of his ratty shirt to the guild's male showers. Reis glaring with pure hatred at Master as he was unwillingly dragged off. The old man only smiled and waved them off. Wishing Gajeel the best of luck. He was going to need it.
-x-x-x-
"Get back here you punk!"
"OH HELL NO!"
"You can't fucking flush yourself down the toilet!"
"REIS!"
"Why are you like this?!"
"Get off the ceiling!"
"Reis put that shit back!"
"Dumb ass! You can't fucking eating soap!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
"Get back here, so I can skin you!"
"Don't fucking bite me! What are you, an animal?!"
"Stop biting me you punk!"
"Where the hell did you go?!"
"NO!"
"REIS!"
Mira turned to a smiling Master, concern swimming in her blue eyes. "Are you sure we shouldn't send in help? It seems to be getting worse." Master's smile only grew, as he didn't even react as Reis got dragged back into the showers, fighting tooth and nail to get free. Only to be outmatched in strength and reeled back in.
More swearing and yelling coming through the walls. Provided by the one and only, Iron Dragon Slayer - Gajeel Redfox.
"They are bonding Mira. Remember how you use to be with Erza." Mira looked skeptical about the old Master's reasonings, but left it up to him.
-x-x-x-
"It wouldn't have taken us a damn hour, if you had just sat fucking still then it could've been over in 10 minutes." Gajeel hissed as Reis dug into his hot meal. While the teen was only skin and bones, he did put up quite the fight. As could be seen by the multiple bites and scratches that littered his arms. Reis even managed to get three good scratches across Gajeel's cheek.
Gajeel sighed heavily as he leaned back against the bar, his black mane spilling over the counter as he head tipped back in exhaustion. While Gajeel was cleaning the kid, Mira had managed to find some clean clothes that somewhat fit the tiny teen. A black shirt, with sleeves that it went past Reis' fingers by a couple inches, and some sweatpants with a drawstring that allowed the pants to barely hang onto the teen's very skinny hips.
Looking at the greedy way the teen was eating his hot meal before him, made the iron slayer wonder when the teen last made a proper meal.
-x-x-x-
Reis snapped his thin fingers in front of Gajeel's face drawing him back to reality. The teen, a dark peach fuzz starting to grow on his head, pushed the flyer into the older's scarred hands. Giving him an expectant look as Gajeel thought it over. It wouldn't take longer then 3 days. Even that's pushing it. Gajeel, huffed in resignment.
"Fine."
Age: 23
Reis helped Gajeel off the train, once they reached the end of the tracks at Clover. The group will be spending the night in Clover Town and gathering any needed supplies before making the trek to Mt. Hakobe. The closest town would then be Shirotsume, which would be a half a day's hard walk to. Or half a second when your name is Laxus Dreyar and you can teleport with your magic.
The silveret sighed as the dragon slayers were deposited onto a bench in the train station, so they could regain their composure and control over their stomach. Reis looked down at Lucy, who stood abreast to him as they watched their respective slayers, as color returned to their pale faces.
"How did you get the information on the other teams?" Lucy asks quietly, glancing up at him, their eyes meeting for a moment, before Reis looks forward. Focusing on a slowly reanimating Gajeel as his lips stretched into a half smile.
"Unsatisfied?" He questions, his silky voice causing Lucy to blush at the word's double meaning. He's lucky Laxus is still out of it, or else he would be dead. Whereas Lucy would only kick her foot straight through his perfectly white, straight teeth. But she hasn't because that would mean, she wouldn't be able to get the information she wanted out of him.
"No, just seriously curious." She answered truthfully, stomping down her rage as Reis' half smile, turned into a full blown smile that made the corner of his only visible eye, crinkle in amusement. The blonde knew Reis enjoyed teasing people he was comfortable with - just like anyone else - but this was turning the direction away from the subject at hand. Both blatant and discrete. "Just answer the question Redfox." She glared at him when he only continued to smile.
After a moment he turned to her as his smile dropped to a half smile, patting her head, his bright orange eye shone in the midday light. "Wait and see." He tells; irking Lucy's ire from his dodgy and vague answer as she watched him leave the group. Wandering down the street, before disappearing into the crowd.
"Leave 'im alone Bunny. Ye know he's the secretive type." Gajeel groans as he warily pulls himself up off the bench. Giving Laxus a weak shove to the shoulder as he ascended. Laxus glaring at his back as the short shakily makes his way over to the blonde. "He has his ways, you'll find that out during this training mission." Gajeel ruffled her long blonde hair and sent Lily after Reis. "Come on Bunny, let's get going. If we don't find him, he'll find us. Either in town or at the training site." He explains as the last of the motion sickness wears off, unshackling him from the burden of nausea.
"Fine, whatever you say." Lucy let the subject drop with a shrug as she went over to her boyfriend as he readjusted his bag on his shoulder. A smile tugging on his lips as their eyes met. The large blond stooping down and kissing away the smaller's pout. An expression she wasn't aware she was making. But could feel it melt away into a relaxed smile against Laxus' rough lips.
Lucy can wait for her answers. Besides there were a couple things she needed to get.
-x-x-x-
Gajeel was correct in predicting Reis meeting them at the training site. He came as the sun began to set in the mid-spring evening. Baring two, plump rabbits and Panther Lily following, looking a little pale. But none worse for wear as everyone set up camp, Laxus setting the fire as Reis set up the cooking equipment. Skinning the rabbits and putting them on the spit as he started a stew from the wild plants he gathered and the fat and cut-up insides of the rabbits.
It was smelling heavenly by the time everything was set up and people were done washing up. Reis has a strict 'wash your hands and face before eating' rule. He will not feed you until you wash up. There were a few cooks upon the group of nine - Laxus and Gajeel were the others - but their food doesn't hold a candle to Reis'. So they allow Reis to be the cook.
Reis eyed everyone, with a narrowed eye, before handing over a bowl of rabbit stew. He had to send Bickslow back back twice before giving him food, besides that the meal went smoothly, with the slayers asking for seconds, then thirds, then fourths, before Reis cut them off. Allowing Bickslow to get his own seconds, and Reis to polish off the last little bit. That night Gray and Juvia were the ones stuck with dish duty as everyone else got ready for bed.
Reis stifling a yawn, his eyes watering a little as he went into his, Gajeel and Lily's tent. Going through his bag, Reis fished out his sleeping pants and changed into them. His chest and feet bare as he released his hair of its confines. Ruffling it, to release the pressure of his scalp, hair tie around his wrist, as he flipped it over to the left, exiting the tent as another jaw-splinting yawn left him. He settled down next to Gajeel on a log. Lucy was sitting next to Laxus on the log opposite of Reis and Gajeel - Lily munching on some kiwis next to Freed on the long next to theirs - when she decided that now was the time for her answers.
But before she could ask, the question was stolen from her lips when Reis ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it back and started to loosely braid it back into a french braid. Both eyes trained on the fire, before glancing up to Lucy. The blonde gasping when she saw Reis rarely seen left eye. There was no scar, but Lucy knew that wasn't Reis' eye. It was completely black, with the iris a milky silver, that unnerved Lucy enough for her to press herself into Laxus' side.
Before the seven year nap, Lucy was 100% sure, both of his eyes were orange. Did they change then? Or after they returned? Thinking back, Lucy realized, it was after they got back. He still both two orange eyes when he came to greet them at Tenrou and during the whole 'destroy the world with a clock' thing, but after that he had a special mission that had he away until they returned from the Grand Magic Games, he was there to greet them at the newly restored guild hall though. The blonde believes it was then that Reis started to hide his left eye.
The blonde is secretly glad. Her whole body tense when his mismatched eye bore into her. As if trying to pry away all her walls and see into her soul. Lucy releases a breath she didn't know she was holding, when Reis sighs, his gaze dropping back to the slowly dying fire. Another yawn escaped Reis, making his head droop and rest on his brother's shoulder, eyes falling shut. Gajeel just glancing down at him, before wrapping a blanket around the younger's shoulders.
Reis hums, his body going limp against Gajeel's, sinking heavily into a deep slumber he hasn't been able to reach in a week. The iron slayer was wondering how long his little brother was going to last this go around. It seems he pushed himself to the absolute limit - six days without a wink of REM sleep. The slayer was just surprised he managed to not appear as dead on his feet as he was.
"I'm taking him to bed." Gajeel stated as he stood up, dragging Reis up with him, holding him up as he gave everyone a sharp look. "Reis is murderous if you try to wake him up. Let him wake up on his own." The iron slayer warned, an undertone in his voice telling that he has experienced what waking up Reis meant. A haunted look in his red eyes showed it all, before it disappeared as the two brothers retired to their tent, Panther Lily following them in a couple minutes later once he was done with his little snack.
Bickslow smirked to himself as he settled into his and Freed's tent. He was going to test just how 'murderous' Reis can get when woken up.
-x-x-x-
The next morning, as Gajeel cooked breakfast with the help of Gray, there was some rustling, then the loud sound of water crashing against the ground, quickly followed by Bickslow racing out of Reis' tent at a dead sprint. A moment later an aura radiating bloodlust and rage burst from the tent as Reis took a step out of it, completely soaked. The early morning sun causing the drops of water to sparkle against his tan, freckled skin. Stretched taunt against rock hard and well toned, lithe muscles.
"I'm going to kill Bickslow." Reis stated, his hair still braided back, allowing everyone present to see how his odd eye glowed, preparing for battle and a killing of one Bickslow of the Thunder Legion. Eyes narrowed, as fists clenched, Reis went in the direction Bickslow had bolted in earlier. Everyone watching as Reis disappeared, Gajeel turning to the rest of the group, face blank as he spoke.
"Told you, he gets murderous."