As always, there's some swearing and implied sexy times.
"So help me, ya better not be naked!" Gajeel's voice was gravelly as he yelled from the entrance. He had little regard for the fact that he was barging in, unannounced and uninvited, or that it was so early the morning sun was only just peeking over the horizon. Following his nose, he turned down the hallway and, hearing nothing other soft noises coming from behind the door, simply shoved it open with a bang. Once he swatted away the barrage of wooden totems who seemed intent on slamming against his head, he took in the sight before him with a smirk.
He could see Levy from the shoulders up, laid out atop a mountain of pillows, cheeks flushed and hair tangled. There was also a Bickslow sized lump under the sheet, resting between her legs.
"Nice ta see ya can use yer tongue fer somethin' other than sarcasm". Gajeel almost felt bad for disturbing them when he watched Levy jump out of her skin in fright, her knee nearly colliding with Bickslow's jaw. But then he remembered why he was there, and the grumpy dragon slayer realised he didn't have the luxury of taking his time, being apologetic.
"Jesus fucking Christ, Gajeel!" Levy screeched, fixing wild eyes on him, and he briefly noted that they weren't glowing anymore, although they didn't look how remembered either. "What the hell are you doing?"
Shrugging, he turned to give the couple a modicum of privacy, knowing it was the last one they were going to get for a while. "Gramps sent me. Apparently, ya need babysittin'."
Not usually one to care about modesty, Bickslow felt it was kind of inappropriate to walk around his bedroom naked, with a hard on, while his mates ex-boyfried stood there watching. Nope, entirely too early for that level of weird, even for him. "I mean, we don't, but also, couldya just stand in the freaking hall or something, man?"
"Tch, just get dressed already. I gotta talk to ya's".
Thankfully, the house was quiet save for the rustling of clothes and Levy's angry muttering under her breath, all of which Gajeel could hear - slayer hearing wasn't always a blessing, after all - and it wasn't long before the three of them were sat in awkward silence at the kitchen bench, sipping at steaming mugs.
"So, uh..." Gajeel started, but a glare from Levy had him snapping his jaw shut.
"Stop. It's too early. Just shut up and let me drink my coffee. Then maybe I'll be able to listen to you without wanting to rip your testicles off."
Gajeel gulped, suddenly remembering how much of a morning person Levy was not, he didn't doubt the sentiment behind her threat. Plus, there was something different about her, he'd noticed it ever since his return. She carried herself taller - not that it helped, poor girl was always gonna be tiny - and she gave off the kind of aura that made him hesitate, something about her was dangerous and fuck if that realisation didn't do all kinds of inappropriate things to his dick. Not that the skin tight leggings she'd thrown on were helping. Gajeel just groaned internally as he refilled his mug, resigning himself to the knowledge that it was going to be a long few days.
Bickslow, for his part, was doing his best to ignore the tension permeating the kitchen. He could feel Levy's frustration rolling off her, even without their bond he would have been able to see it in the set of her shoulders and the clenching of her jaw. He did his best to soothe her via their link, knowing she was set on edge after being interrupted before they'd even got passed foreplay, and by her ex no less, who'd probably seen more of her than either of them would have liked. Couple that with the waves of arousal he could practically see Gajeel trying to squash, and Bickslow was suddenly wishing there was something far stronger than tea in his mug, even if it was the ass crack of dawn.
"You. Speak". Levy glared at the iron slayer as she set her empty mug down, pointing a slender finger in his direction.
"Oh, right. Er, Gramps sent me to keep an eye on yers, somethin' about stayin' put? 'Parrantly whatserface was seen lurkin' round the guild, an' seein' as I'm the only one who can pick 'er, I'm here as yer 'advance warning system' or some bullshit." He frowned at the matching scowls he was suddenly on the receiving end of, noticing for not the first time just how alike Levy and Bickslow had become. Gajeel held up his hands in a sign of peace. "Look, I don't like it neither. Rather be literally anywhere else, but I don't gotta choice. So just, er, stay here an' we ain't gonna have any dramas. I hope to shit Laxus sniffs her out soon an' I can get the fuck outta yer house, no offense."
Bickslow softened a little at he watched the slayers shoulders drop, his posture slumping over in what was either defeat, or a show of submission. Or both, because who could really tell what was up with those weird dragon insticts. Regardless, it suddenly dawned on him that Gajeel was probably just as pissed at the situation as he was, if not more so, and that as much as Bickslow didn't want him around his mate, Gajeel probably wanted to be there even less. Chancing a look at Levy, he could see the firey passion burning in her eyes, see her brain spinning a million miles an hour the way it always did when she had a puzzle to solve. He took a sip of his tea as he opened the tether between them, smirking as she jumped at the sudden intrusion of his baritone in her mind.
'You know, we could always test those silencing runes against a slayers ears, amica'.
When she turned to face him, eyes wide and a blush on her cheeks, it was with a string of curse words in a variety of languages ringing in his head.
'You've got a dirty mouth, Bluebell. Wonder what else it's good for?
Following his teasing with a flash of images, a fantasy of his, really, Bickslow took delight in the way Levy's breath hitched in her chest, the feeling of her arousal rolling over him thickly, until he noticed Gajeel's nose twitch.
"Whatever weird mind shit yer doin', fuckin' quit it." He screwed up his face, trying to block the scent of lust from entering his nostrils, but it was too little and too late, the sweetness of Levy's arousal and the spiciness of Bickslow's desire were imprinted on his brain and with a groan, Gajeel let himself fall into the shadows on the floor, trying to regain some measure of control over himself.
Levy just blinked, stunned at his sudden disappearance, before some part of her brain clicked on and reminded her that, as a dragon slayer, Gajeel had a heightened sense of smell, and her thighs were slick with the evidence of her arousal. With a squeak, her cheeks were instantly aflame, and she dropped her head heavily to hide against the countertop.
Levy was finding it difficult to concentrate on their daily meditation. Between the knowledge that whoever was after her man was close enough that he needed a guard, and the feeling of Gajeel's eyes boring into the side of her head, it was taking all her focus just to keep her breathing in time with Bickslow's, let alone anything else. Seriously, even she understood Makarov's thinking in sending Gajeel over, she didn't have to like it - having him in her house, her safe place, had her feeling frazzled, panic hovering around the edges of her carefully built confidence.
"Relax, Bluebell. Stop thinking so much." Bickslow chastised her gently, squeezing her hands in reassurance as he opted to ignore the snort from the direction of the couch. "Just pay attention to your breath, don't hold on to any one thought." At her determined nod, he replaced their hands back down and closed his eyes once more.
When they got it right, a feat which was occurring more and more regularly, Levy would feel like she was watching a pair of screens, side by side. One would play her own thoughts, the other broadcasting Bickslow's. His was constantly changing, cycling through things as he let his thoughts wash over him and then let them go. Levy was still stuck with that, her own images seldom changing. Except, today was different. Bickslow's screen kept coming back to one image - a woman, with tanned skin, dark hair and violently green eyes. She was beautiful, Levy couldn't help but notice, the mystery woman, with her exotic looks and a figure that rivalled even Mira.
"Who - who is she?" Levy hated how small her voice sounded. As secure as she was in her love for Bickslow, the whirlwind of the last few weeks coupled with the presence of her ex-boyfriend all combined to have her off kilter and in need of reassurance.
"Vassenia". Bickslow's voice was dull, hollow, and she could hear the pain - and the fear - all layered under that one word, and Levy knew she was in for a story.
"Oi, come up here an' share with the class" Gajeel called, trying to break through the unease. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't just a little curious though, the only thing Bickslow had told him the other night - apart from her name - was that she was bad news. The kind of bad news that made Zeref look like a pussycat. Which, he kind of was, if you ignored the fact he was completely batshit crazy.
When they were all comfortably seated on the couch, Muu clutched firmly in Levy's arms as she sat on the floor, the rest of the babies hovering unsettlingly close to Gajeel's head, Bickslow curled his arms around his knees and opened his mouth to tell them what was quite possibly the most ludicrous story either of them had heard in their entire lives - which, as members of Fairy Tail, was definitely saying something.
So, I'm splitting the chapter here for a reason, not because I'm a bitch. It's by design! I hope it'll make sense why with the next update - which I've already started on.
Would you prefer longer chapters in the future? They wouldn't come as frequently is the only thing. So it's like, do you want short updates regularly, or longer chapters more spaced out?
Remember, your reviews fuel me! I have them all saved and I read them all when I need motivating.
Also, does no one have any guesses as to why Bickslow's colour is green? C'mon guys, it's basic colour theory! I'm trying to see who's paying attention.