A bit about me: funnel cake is life, yo. Treat yo'self! The moving situation has made getting to editing difficult, so I would like to apologize to anyone waiting for my other fics to update. I had quite a bit already written for Healing Hands so I have been able to edit whats here without too much additional writing. Wildflowers had a lot at first but I've reached a point where I'm going to need to put in the time to hash it out and make it pretty for you. Electric Love has been a write as I go project, so its purely updated by inspiration. Then there is Aqueous, who I have a small part of the next chapter done, and another fic in the AU Haikyuu!! universe I cant seem to let go of since its a smutty one-shot and I had a decent start on it. BUT, rest assured my dear readers... I shall uodate when I am able. my creativity builds with putting entirely too many creative irons in the mental fire. Much love to you all... enjoy Gajeel being a little sensitive.

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Chapter 3: Cheat Day

Gajeel hadn't slept the best, his mind still full of new thoughts he hadn't known what to do with. Despite the occasional yawn or two, he wasn't ill-tempered the way he normally would be if he had underslept. It may or may not have had to do with the greeting text he had woken to early that morning. It didn't surprise him that the rune mage was an early riser.

"Good morning! I hope you slept well- my own was a little preoccupied... I wonder why... ;)"

The dragon now knew what it felt like to have a fire in his belly. No wonder Natsu was so irritatingly expressive all the damn time. How annoyingly wonderful.

"Morning. Mine 2. Must be something going around. Doing anything fun today?"

Shuffling from his bed and dressing, the faint anticipation of seeing Freed at the guild hall had him grooming himself a little more that morning. Gajeel brushed the knots from dancing out of his main and tried to smooth the stubborn cowlicks from the mess, only to create a bit of a frizz. The unruly strands had him pull a grimace in the mirror that immediately faded with a fateful buzz.

The dragon quickly walked grabbed his lacrima from the charger and invaded the kitchen, shoving a haphazard pile of bread, cheese and meat into his maw.

He could get used to these little boosts of energy.

"There's a festival downtown that I'll be heading to. Call it childish, but I never can resist the promise of a funnel cake."

Half way out his door, he re-read the text, sticking his key in the door and balancing most of his sandwich between his jaws. So, he wasn't going to be at the guild??

An ache rammed into his gut.

Holy fuck. How was he THIS obsessed?

Out of principle, he forced himself to walk to the guild, chew and taste his food fully, and gratefully swallow. Had he been alone so long that any opportunity for companionship had him eagerly chomping at the bit until he bit off more than he could handle?

Well, he guessed he'd always been alone before Lily.

And now he knew exactly what he was afraid of. How long would it take for Freed to dismiss him? How long would he entertain Gajeel before finding out his real identity and casting him aside?

Or worse; what if he wasn't cut out for love at all? Destroyed the relationship from the inside with his shitty temper and inability to correctly express himself.

Suddenly taking his time walking to a common area to stalk his crush didn't seem like such a bad idea.

By the time he entered the guild hall, he'd worked himself nervous over the idea of confessing to the Rune Mage. The building was quiet, still to early for Natsu to be awake or Cana to have slept off her hangover from the previous bender and he ate his second breakfast in relative peace.

The later it became, the more curious he got as to where everyone was.

Right. The festival.

Standing from his bench with a creek, he stretched his restless arms, trying to rid himself of nerves. In a crowd, there would be no way for him to know exactly where that gorgeous green hair would show itself and he needed to prepare himself properly.

The streets had emptied as well, save for the stray struggling parent with young children all alight with joy. Steadily as the noise of celebration neared, he hunched, his nerves giving him a stomach ache the likes of which many a train ride had seen. His facial piercings broke through his skin painlessly, a reflexive counter to his anxiety.

The metal that coated his magic, spirit and body leapt forth to help him feel protected in a small way. It was no dragon's force form, but he certainly looked less friendly. Less approachable.

More dragon slayer.

The rambunctious festival goers flitted about, laughing and playing games. Socializing and becoming intimate with their partners. Arbitrarily, he spotted a young couple hold hands shyly for what appeared to be the first time. Under the guise of shopping a leather vender wares, he watched a young man fidget with his fingers before boldly taking his date's hand in his own. The kid avoided her pointed stare and the deep red of her cheeks and kept them walking toward another booth.

A small smile struggled against his resolve and weakly won; Gajeel had to acknowledge it, and his guild mate that seemed to have changed him in days. He was ready to find him now.

Funnel cake sounded good anyway.

Following his nose to the tune of butter, salt and dough, he bought a cake and lifted it to his mouth. Was Freed eating one now? Could they share one between them one day?

He chucked at that, licking his fingers clean from where the food had oozed onto him. Like he'd share something this sinful with a nerd like him.

"Can I have JUST ONE day of peace!?"

Gajeel's ear twitched, his eyes sharpening, looking past the stuffed bears, neon lights and colorful yukatas to find that beautiful heart-shaped face contorted in fury. Unblinking, he pushed his way through the crowd, his hackles rising at the answer to the rune mage's question.

"All I'm saying is I miss hanging out!" Laxus verbally rolled his eyes at Freed and Gajeel could barely contain the growl grinding behind his clenched teeth. "It'd be good for you- Bicks says all you've done this morning is stare at your phone."

'Shit! I never answered him!' Gajeel panicked, making a dead stop and juggling his cake in one hand to produce his phone from his pocket. He scrolled through three new messages he had received while he'd been utterly preoccupied with being a complete idiot!

10:41am

"What about you? Doing anything fun?"

11:37am

"Okay seriously, this whole funnel cake situation is a must. It would be crazy if I saw you here but I don't know what I would say! You make me so nervous!! Additionally, in case you were not aware, it is quite difficult to text one handed and delight in said delicacy, but oh so worth it."

1:45pm

"Good feeling gone. The bane of my existence is here. Wish someone would come along and just… oh I don't even know anymore. I just wanted to enjoy my second cake. Don't judge me, it's a cheat day."

In a hurry, he did what he'd done twice already today and shoved the entirety of his food into his mouth, bits of powdered sugar and cake sticking to his cheeks. Sticky fingers moved a bit easier over thr keys now that he had had a little more practice texting last night.

"Want me to sock blondie in the face for ya?"

As he hit send, his stomach dropped.

'Oh… SHIT.' He thought.

It was lucky he was near a tree and a trashcan all at the same time, because several things happened at once. Upon realizing his mistake, he violently choked on about ten ounces of straight funnel cake and had to hack the excess from his lungs. The powder sugar burned, but even as his eyes watered, he tried to keep himself inconspicuous and failed, as many of the patrons were now gawking at "that very large delinquent from Fairy Tail" who seemed to be having a fit against a tree.

At the same time, Freed's lacrima received his message. However Laxus, who was long passed being pissed off about being ignored, had grabbed it from his hand and was now giving him a lecture in paying attention to people who were speaking to him. From his hiding spot, Gajeel seethed, his sharpened nails scraping the bark of the tree. He had to calm down. He had to or he would do something he'd regret and this would all be for not.

"Give me back my phone, or... I'll call my very large love interest and have him pummel you until you do!" Freed growled, his words coming in short bursts to the man behind the tree as if he were leaping in place to attempt to get his phone back.

Love interest, huh? If Freed kept talking like that, he'd have to punch the electric bonehead just for sharing his angelic air.

"Love interest?? You have a boyfriend, now??? Well where is he??" He must have done something the other disapproved of, because that melodic honey voice that was beginning to stir some very real draconic possessiveness squawked in alarm.

"Th-that's PRIVATE! GIVE IT BACK!"

"'Want me to sock-'... dude, the 'bane of your existence'?? Really??" Gajeel heard the raised eyebrow in his question before he saw it, now unable to hide himself. He dusted powdered sugar off of his chest and hauled forward, cracking his knuckles. He was going to rearrange that pretty face the groupies wouldn't stop cooing over.

"Whatever. See ya round I guess."

Freed's phone was tossed back to him as Laxus pushed back through the crowd, the stench of betrayal rolling off of him in unfair waves.

Gajeel froze, his cover now too many angry steps behind him to be useful. Maybe he wouldn't read…

Freed's eyes widened, his grip on his phone tightening, and suddenly his gaze was up, and swinging wildly. He was looking for him in the crowd! Gajeel's heart raced, his smile unable to be contained when he saw the rune mage's nervous grin.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the iron dragon couldn't breath, couldn't look away from the cerulean gaze that captivated him two nights previous. 'Hey there,' his heart said in his chest, 'It's me… it's me you're looking fo-'

Freed looked away, his eyes continuing to search among the crowd, his eyebrows slowly drawing together. Like his own.

A well of sadness opened in his chest and consumed him, his whole body tensed and then became placid. Gajeel walked back to his home, unsure what exactly he had expected.

After all… he was simply a monster in no uncertain terms.

The angry little voice in him whispered, 'He doesn't even see you. Who would? It's not like you're capable of love'.

Gajeel ran the rest of the way home. The burn in his lungs unable to surpass the jagged wound, the chip on his shoulder made to fester due to circumstance. Pantherlily greeted him on his way to join the festivities but was met with a nonplussed grunt. Used to his surly moods, the exeed shrugged it off and continued on his way.

That afternoon Gajeel put his fist through another wall. It was in the livingroom, and he knew he couldn't hide it from Lily. His cat would just have to deal with it. At the moment he could care less. He was losing control… he couldn't keep this up, his facade of being a human decent enough to explore love.

He knew it wasn't fair, knew it wasn't something he could blame Freed for in the slightest. It didn't take the edge off of his utter disappointment and self-loathing, but it did make his longing body itch. These hands weren't those of a healer. They weren't gentle or clean, and they were scarred more than they weren't.

His hands had done terrible things. This was just another reminder, another nail in his lonely coffin and plunged carelessly into a dilapidated hillside plot of truth.

Texts flooded him that evening, but his heart was so blistered he couldn't bare to respond even after Freed became overtly concerned.

1:52pm

"YOU ARE HERE??! WHERE ARE YOU?"

2:00pm

"Seriously, come find me!"

2:10pm

"It turns out one and one quarter fried desserts is my limit. I'm heading home."

5:09pm

"My angel, I feel like I said something wrong?? I know you don't know me well, but I absolutely guarantee I didn't intend to upset you…"

9:36pm

"I hope we can talk tomorrow. I know it's silly… but I miss talking to you. I'm a little distressed and, well, I'm worried I seem desperate to you… I just wish for you to know that if it is indeed something I did, it was unintended."

9:45pm

"Goodnight, my angel. Thinking of you."

The late evening was still, the wind not caring to blow the stagnant air and yet Gajeel was restless. He tossed and turned to find a comfortable sleeping position, but it was impossible when his whole body was wracked with discomfort. Guilt had finally found him, and he couldn't stand the thought of being the reason Freed was upset.

With a frustrated growl he yanked his phone from the charger, twisted himself in a mess of blankets and pillows and began to jam his thumbs into the device.

"Sorry. I hope you're not mad. It's not your fault I'm such an idiot."

The dragon looked at the time and hissed; it was nearly three in the morning. He'd probably get the message in the morn-

Bzzt…

His hands shook, unsure what he'd find when he finally unlocked his phone. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?? Gajeel nuzzled anxiously into his comforter and finally read the response.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Gods, he didn't deserve this beautiful creature.

"I was sad. It's not your fault. Saw you read my text, then you looked for me, and…"

There was no way to make this sound less juvenile than it was. Gajeel bit the corner of his pillow and continued.

"...you looked RIGHT AT ME but of course you didn't know it. That's why I'm sorry."

There was an agonizing pause while he waited for Freed. He hoped he wouldn't have to explain himself further, but it seemed his guild mate's patience had worn thin in the time it had taken Gajeel to get back to him.

"What exactly made you sad? I'm having difficulty understanding why you wouldn't say something. I was concerned, obviously, seeing as I'm wide awake at 3:30 in the morning."

Gajeel tightened his grip on the pillow in his arms.

"I didn't want to make you worry, that's wasn't why… Freed, I'm afraid you won't like me. I'm afraid once you know about me, you'll change your mind. I haven't felt like this before and I'm convinced you're not going to be able to handle my baggage."

The wound was opening, and he felt ill-equipped to stop it.

"I'm going to ask you a question and I would appreciate your honesty. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

He couldn't suppress the dark chuckle that leaked out between his sheets.

"No. I have had my fair share of past mistakes tho. I was with a guild that didn't have the greatest reputation- not a dark guild but close enough in my book."

Honesty.

"So you're a mage! We have something in common! Troubled youth? Not to stereotype, but I had guessed that already. Remember, my angel, you can't change the past only your present. No use crying over it now… tell me more about yourself? Please?"

What could he say without incriminating himself?

"I'm 28, I take jobs that allow me to be physical. It is what I do best, I think."

Safe and honest.

"Oh! A younger man! Does four years bother you terribly? I myself use magic that allows my knowledge to shine, but it can be quite physical when used for such purposes. What about this obvious self-loathing you're sporting? Have you ever intentionally hurt someone through this old guild who didn't deserve it?"

The dragon's breath shot out of him. Baby steps.

"You being older doesn't bug me. Honestly, yes. I have."

A quick response surprised him after that. He'd thought that would have cut the contact for sure.

"How did that go for you?"

What an odd question to ask.

"I did what I could to make up for the shitty things I did in my life before my current guild. Those I hurt... we actually get along well. They're good people. Taught me what it meant to be decent."

Wasn't that the truth. He wouldn't be here baring his soul to a potential interest if it weren't for them. He wouldn't have so many things.

"Sounds like you're lucky to have them."

Gajeel stretched himself out, feeling more relaxed in the moonlight shimmering through his curtains. It made him feel romantic, and he wished more than anything he had that uptight nerd here to share it with.

"I am. Damn lucky. Not that I'd tell them that. Have I scared you off yet?"

He wouldn't blame him.

"Not remotely. I too have done my fair share of unfavorable deeds. All for a man who couldn't even look me in the eye when I left our shared home."

Memories of the Raijinshuu attempting to take control of the guild swam in his mind. Laxus didn't exactly have a great track record and Freed still had a thing for him. Maybe there WAS hope.

"Dude sounds like a real asshole. Then again, so am I. I nearly busted his face in when he took your phone from you. God, that's not your type, is it? Assholes??"

Sure seemed like it from where he was standing.

"Certainly not. Although, apparently 'rough around the edges' is. I've finally calmed myself enough I think I can sleep. It's late, are you feeling alright now?"

The dragon's heart swelled, his needy digits clutching his naked chest beneath his shirt.

Fuck… this feels like…

'Stop,' he told himself. 'It's too early to think like this.'

"I feel better. Thanks. I'll sleep really well now, Freed."

A low hum in his chest rumbled affectionately. If he thought really hard, he could imagine those pale fingers taking his hand just as they had that night.

"Allow me one last question?"

Gajeel grinned, his brain foggy already with sleep.

"Anything."

He meant it too. Anything, except…

"I'd like to know your name."

Fucking hell.

All that flowing positivity turned to snakes in his insides.

What could he say? What could be done? He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready for reality to stun him and push this gift away.

"Please, beautiful… not yet."

He nearly drifted away with the sleepy tide before his answer came.

"This isn't over, my angel. You're lucky you're a catch and I'm quite fatigued. I'll have you know I'm capable of great tenacity when awake. Sleep sweet."

That, he didn't doubt. The tired stress nearly had him whining, his fingers texting the last message of the evening before he fell over the edge into his dreams.

"Thank you. Sleep sweet."