Chapter 35

Stormy Mountains

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas

.:+:.

The air was prickling, little bursts of electricity dancing on a sweet-smelling wind winding it's way through tree, rock, stream and every bend of a mountain pass. A calm and soothing precursor to a storm brewing, one being lead in by that wind, and a distant rumbling echo of thunder.

It reverberated in her very core, pulsing faintly and mixing with the steady thumping of her own heart as that stormy mountain air enveloped her on all sides, flooding her senses and overtaking everything. Her entire world was taken hold by it, floating lazily in the darkness dotted with blurry images born of the scent and what it spoke to- but it was far off, and murky. She wasn't really there, some part of her knew, but all the same it was almost overwhelming to the point it seemed real. So much so she found herself falling readily into the sensation.

It was just so nice, so peaceful, calm... It smelled amazing, almost intoxicating-

She shifted faintly, moving herself closer into that scent and what warmth was buried underneath it, her body and mind sinking further into the bliss it brought. The blurred images in her mind's eye shifted from muddy figures of trees and mountains to the dark storm clouds hovering above them, soft flashes of golden light arcing across the shadowy curtain, prickling at her nose and at her center too.

Warm, sweet, and so so familiar... So natural even, to simply fall into it and let herself be overtaken with the smell, the blurred images they invoked, and the sensations stirring in the base of her soul for them.

-intoxicating, swirling all around her and entwining itself tightly with her being, like something that... That belonged there, somehow.

Something... Something-

THUMP

Frea blinked slowly, the blurry images and the all-encapsulating feeling getting pushed out of the forefront of her mind, chasing away that willingness to let herself sink further into it and bringing her consciousness back up to the waking world (though a little unwillingly). Her eyes flashed, only halfway open and glinting faintly in the dim as she did her best to shake off the haze, then focus and determine what that muffled thump had been that pulled her from the pleasantness. She tilted her head faintly, pulling her cheek away from resting against that warmth she was pressed close to for a moment, and blinking once or twice more as the world sharpened into focus a little further with each one.

She honed in on the coffee table directly ahead before anything else in the space. As soon as she managed it she was reminded all over again of where she was, and the it was definitely not her room in Fairy Hills. And it was certainly not her bed she was alone in- she wasn't even alone at all.

Frea's attention moved off the table and back in toward herself, silver eyes glinting faintly as she glanced up slightly, focusing in on the quiet sound of Laxus' breathing and gaze steady as she watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest for a moment, before she tilted her head up just a bit. She could only catch a glimpse of his face, since she couldn't move too much with his arms wrapped about her shoulders like they were, but what little she managed told her he was still fast asleep. Though from his breathing she already knew that.

The room was dark, the sun outside was gone in a sky that was bleeding violet. Both of them were still where Laxus had put them before, pressed together on the couch with her pinned between him and the back cushion, their legs all tangled up now and not a smidge of space to be had between them.

Frea let out a short breath before letting her cheek come down to rest on his chest again, silver eyes flashing.

Thump

She heard it again as she settled her head back down, and her ear pressed against his chest with it. A soft and gentle thump that came in steady rhythm, easy to hear and feel faintly under touch, and even easier to find herself honing in on as her mind got wrapped up in it's beat.

His heartbeat was what pulled her out of sleep- the same heartbeat he'd told her focus on back in the Infirmary when she'd started to crumble, just a few months ago now. And just like back then she found herself focusing on it without really meaning to, the rhythm of it just the same as it had been- steady, strong, and so calming too... It wasn't just the sound of his heart that had that effect though.

Frea let out a quiet sigh at the thought, her eyes drooping despite herself as she did.

No, calming was just this all around. Being here in his place, on that couch, with her person all tangled up with his and not a shred of the concept of personal space to be had... Here where he'd brought her after saving her a situation she was in no good place to be put in, sticking close, being attentive, and so unbelievably nice and gentle where he rarely was with anyone- but had been more often than not with her. The same gruff, moody, strong as hell Lightning Dragon Slayer who she had known for so long, and yet the idea of something like this coming about with him had never crossed her mind. So that feeling of this being almost natural was all the more surprising.

But surprising or not, that was the truth of it, and truth still even when she couldn't make much sense of it then, or come to terms with how it could have come about, or when really. She didn't know, couldn't place it to a specific time or reason why- and it mattered little.

Because this... This feels right.

Thump-thump

She blinked slowly, the thump of Laxus' heart suddenly interrupted with the quick interjection of her own heart skipping in her chest in the quake of the thought... Or truth she supposed, and one dancing on the edge of a larger whole that still seemed to flit above her just out of reach. Something buried deep and there suddenly where she'd not known of it until just recently, something she couldn't name or place but something that almost yearned to be named. Something that yearned and pushed at her center with even more a fervor as she took in a breath of air and his scent flooded her nose, prickling and sweet with a sudden twinge of open earth and sky to it- and so suddenly intoxicating where it never had been.

Seriously, why have I never noticed he smelled this good before now...?

She hummed faintly to herself for the question but let it go. She had no mind to question the scent too much, nor that unknown thing stirring in her center. Her head and her senses were foggy still with drowsiness that kept firm hold on her with the help of the warmth of the embrace she and Laxus were stuck in, and the still persistent beating rhythm of his heart in her ears. All she really wanted to do was let herself linger in the calm and bliss of the moment- of which both sensations were sorely needed after all the turmoil as of late, and with the sleeplessness spurred by being wound up too tight and hounded by nightmares.

There had been no nightmares this time around though, not the whole while through and it had clearly been several hours, given the sun was now starting to set outside. She'd managed to get some sleep without being stalked by awful things, or getting dragged under the surface of water and memory. Instead she'd not even dreamed, her mind had fallen into a warm haze of sheer nothing that was much more calming than nothing should ever really be.

No dreams, no nightmares, just calm emptiness and warmth settling on a torn and frayed mind and body that needed nothing but that relief it brought. Just like it had brought, back in Adgnei and after crumbling and confessing so many things she never thought she would.

Frea hummed once more and all to herself as the memory of that night flared for half a second at the back of her mind, but she wouldn't let it come to full fruition. Remembering it in full would put a wrench in the moment she didn't want nor need, and probably do a pretty good job at undoing some of the at ease she'd managed to earn. She wanted to keep all the turmoil and dark twisted things at bay for as long as could be managed, so she kept her mind from wandering and stayed stuck floating in that lull of warmth, quiet and peacefulness for... quite a while, actually.

Her mind teetered back toward sleep a few times as she simply let herself lay there, the sound of his heart in her ear making it difficult to keep from letting her consciousness slip away entirely, but she resisted it. While she didn't really want to put a stop in letting herself linger in the calm, and the prospect of falling asleep again was surely a tempting one- some portion of her mind did keep her from nodding off for the fact that it had been several hours already, and the sun was definitely setting.

It was getting late and she'd been out and away from Moon and the rest of the Guild long enough the Beach Day was surely over. It probably wasn't wise to stay away too much longer once it did end, lest people start getting curious as to what she was up to, or worried, or whatever else. So she couldn't let herself doze off again and risk another several hours going by before making her way back, not even when nearly every part of her wanted nothing less than to actually stay awake and eventually do that; head back.

Hell, no part of her even wanted to move let alone get up and head out. She had to eventually, she would eventually, but it took quite awhile for her to work herself up to even trying.

Frea let out a weary sigh that was near a grumble, blinking hard once to rid herself some of the heaviness of her eyelids after having been fighting them falling shut for that quite awhile.

She shifted, her cheek and ear coming off Laxus' chest as she tilted her head up a bit to cast a glance up at him, her left hand brushing against his chest as she moved it further up toward his shoulder and tapped him gently.

"Laxus." She mumbled, the sound of her voice suddenly breaking the quiet (even if quietly) making her wince a little. It was apparently an abrupt enough break in the quiet for Laxus too, because even with the soft tenor her voice was at he twitched almost immediately, the low rhythm of his breathing picking up slightly as he took in a deeper breath. She heard a tiny, tired grumble rise up from the back of his throat, his eyes still closed and not bothering to open them as he let out another deep breath, and then mumbled a reply that wasn't quite full words, but worked well enough.

"... Hmm...?"

"It's getting late." Frea told him softly, "It's almost sundown, I should probably get back to Fairy Hills before it gets too dark." She mumbled. He seemed to lag a little on the explanation, eyes still closed and nodding his head once and slowly in sign he heard it, but he did not immediately move to unwrap his arms from around her shoulders. Instead his hold on her almost seemed to tighten just faintly for a heartbeat, the blonde letting out another low and heavy breath that washed down into her face and ruffled her bangs faintly.

"... You don't have to." Laxus rumbled softly after a moment, Frea's eyes widening in surprise for the statement out of nowhere. "... Everybody's probably drunk off their asses by now... You can stay if you don't wanna deal with anybody else tonight." He mumbled quietly, the words low and drowsy since he seemed only partly awake still. Of which kept him unaware of the way Frea had stalled, silver eyes wide and glittering in the growing dim as she stared up at him in stunned silence, her cheeks flushing faintly in no time at all and her heart skipping a quick beat to boot at the offer.

You can stay

Her gaze softened, glinting like mad still as her attention dropped from his face and down a bit, her fingers gripping faintly around his shirt a moment and her core warming and aching all at once.

An offer he made while still half asleep and not really thinking about it, but one he surely meant all the same. And one he was not at all hesitant to give- partly because he was half asleep, and was too drowsy to get hung up on nervousness or whatever else... But even if he hadn't been half asleep, part of her figured he wouldn't have hesitated much to offer it still, if how quickly he agreed to her request to do the very same thing was any indication.

Maybe the willingness and lack of hesitation on either shouldn't have caught her surprise, after everything else he'd been doing and acting like with her lately. But it did still catch her by surprise, and make her stomach churn a bit, and her face heat up. Worse it made her hesitate, and then had her heart earning that little ache alongside the sudden warmth of the feeling behind the offer- because he offered something every part of her wanted to give into, but rationality and her mind could not let her have it.

Shit... You shouldn't tempt me like that, Lightning-Boy...

Her shoulders sank a little under his hold, earning Laxus to finally crack one eye open just barely and cast a glance down toward her. Her eyes weren't on him, they'd moved away and to the side, shining faintly pale yellow-grey with the dying light from outside. Her face was tilted down far enough he couldn't really gauge her expression very well, but he could tell she was hesitating... though where it was gonna lead, he had no clue (not that he had to wait long).

"... no, I do." Frea murmured after a moment, her eyes dropping closed for a heartbeat or two as she shook her head once, her nose bumping against his chest as she did so and she let out a small sigh. "At the very least I have to check in with Moon, I don't want her to worry about me being out all day... but thank you." She mumbled, her head tilting back up so her eyes matched with the one he'd cracked open, flashing slightly.

"For today, and for everything. Getting sleep was a good idea, and it was really nice actually, I'm not so wound up and stressed anymore... I feel a lot better, so thank you." She whispered softly, Laxus pausing for half a second at another round of thanks she really needn't give him, especially after he'd already told her it wasn't necessary. He was about to repeat himself too, tell her not to worry about it and reassure her it wasn't something she had to thank him for at all- he'd said he would be there, whenever and for whatever and he did mean it.

But he stopped himself from saying it over again, just at the last second. He stopped himself, because though he didn't need the thanks, he wasn't going to tell her to quit it. Not when she did it and was being as sincere about it as she was. Not after what she'd said before, and what it meant for her to give that so simple a thing such as a 'thank you'.

.:+:.

"You don't gotta keep thanking me." He mumbled, but Frea shook her head once at it, her hand atop his chest curling slightly around the fabric of his shirt.

"No, I do." She told him quietly, "Today was really nice... everything was... you're being way nicer, and way more patient and understanding with me than I probably deserve... and... I honestly can't tell you how much all you've been doing actually means, Laxus... so just..." She murmured, her voice dropping to something just shy of a whisper and he blinked, his face falling a little and his stomach churning faintly.

"... just... thank you..."

.:+:.

... If saying it several times over was the only way she knew how to make it clear what she was feeling, he wasn't going to tell her to quit. Especially not when this was Frea- Frea who generally kept her mouth shut and hid so many things for way too long when she'd be better saying them aloud.

It'd taken a long time for her to work herself up to telling him any of what she had, and what she had told him was more than he could have ever imagined. And then how honest and open she'd started to be as she let the walls come down between herself and him was even beyond that, even to the point it was almost unbelievable- but she was doing it. Trying to be honest, trying not to hide everything and let herself rely and lean on someone- on him- where she'd always tried to do anything but, even when it did nothing but hurt her.

She was trying, she had been trying for awhile now and it was slow going, but she was getting there. Getting closer to stop hesitating and hiding so much with him, and closer where he'd ended up- or well, where he hoped she was closer to getting to anyway.

Laxus blinked once and slowly, a silent sigh escaping him for that thought of hope that seemed almost ridiculous a thing for him to be doing in the first place. But he did hope for it, where he'd have never imagined he ever would for all his life, and least of all about her.

But now he did, and he could imagine it, and he knew exactly why it was about her... and him knowing was enough, at least for now.

If she needed a little longer than he did, so be it. And he'd be damned if he was going to do something that might make her backtrack on or rethink letting herself be as open as she was being with him, or anything to mess up that comfortable she'd said she felt around him too.

So he kept his mouth shut and let her say the thanks without a word to it, the Lightning Dragon Slayer nodding once in reply and nothing else. Frea's eyes flashed at the silent response, her lips twitching a little at the corners in a fleeting expression of a smile before she let her eyes drop closed a moment, taking in a deep, silent breath that had that sweet scent of stormy mountain air flooding her senses all anew, warm and familiar and settling itself in her very core as if it was supposed to be there-

Thump-thump

Frea cracked her eyes open only barely, the little skip sounding off in her ears so faintly she didn't really hear it, but she certainly felt it... For half a second she wondered if Laxus did too.

He didn't, but he did hear it, at least faintly so and just on the edge of his senses. He'd fallen into a habit lately of honing in on her heartbeat- something spurred by the still haunting echoes of hearing it beating much too fast and on the verge of giving out back in Adgnei. He couldn't help himself, and though he knew it was a bit obsessive he couldn't bring himself to stop either, just in case.

So he did hear that little skip, subtle and barely there where her heartbeat had been low and steadier than he'd heard it in a long time. He heard it and his still slightly drowsy attention sharpened quickly to a finer point, his eyes opening to look at her, intent and searching. But Frea didn't react in anyway to that skip of her own heart, she remained calm and content, silver eyes half-lidded and failing to move even a little or start to get up despite insisting she needed to head out. The tiny hitch didn't seem to affect her in anyway, so it must not have been anything to worry over.

He forced himself a small breath and relaxed a bit, his eyes dropping back down the little they had opened, and everything falling into silence again.

Frea didn't move still as the moments went by, Laxus' lips twitching a bit at the edges in a tired smirk when three minutes ticked by to five and she still hadn't budged- though she certainly hadn't fallen asleep again either.

"... I thought you were going?" He mumbled softly, his tone earning a bit of a sly edge to it that he couldn't help. Frea let out a tired huff at it, the Energy Dragon Slayer grumbling as she tilted her face down and her nose buried itself into his chest, shaking her head once and her bangs mussing up as she did so.

"I am." She replied, her voice muffled faintly. He chuckled once,

"Clearly."

"... Shut up..."

Laxus chuckled a few times more, the sound rumbling deep in his chest and reverberating through her slightly. She tilted her head back up, her chin dropping down on his chest and silver eyes glinting. He wasn't looking her way, and he didn't open his eyes even with her quick retort (and one entirely without bite), Frea letting out another softer breath.

She felt it again, that thing she hadn't even given a single thought before- that strange, new, unfamiliar feeling that had first hit her back in Adgnei, right before the encounter with Time. A feeling somewhere deep down in a part of herself she had never felt before that first time, and which seemed to stir all anew and with a bit of fervor after he told her she could stay, and then further more as that scent overtook her nose. Something that hit her again, again where some part of her had come to a conclusion, and settled in a place that felt right... her mind still lagging and not quite on the cusp of knowing exactly what it was, but all the more sure now she had felt it somewhere from someone else before.

Hell if I can remember who though... or what it is

She chewed on the insides of her cheeks a bit, silver eyes gleaming as her attention remained on Laxus, the Lightning Dragon Slayer breathing softly and completely content where they lay. There with no space between them, all tangled together still and so comfortable she couldn't just yet bring herself to actually getting up and going like she said she would. Her expression softened faintly, her eyes dropping closed again as she sank a little further against him, none of the stiffness or rigidity from too tightly wound muscles left, and all the tension from earlier that day a distant memory.

... I can't place it... but whatever it is... It's nice.

.:+:.

"Oh, you're back...!"

Moon's voice came as a slightly surprised, but no less pleased purr, the Exceed's pale blue eyes twinkling as they landed on Frea making her way inside the front door of Fairy Hills... the Fairy Hills that was very much filled with noise and bustling activity despite the sun being near set, and night was coming in quickly.

Frea slowed up beside the door as she came in and closed it, her attention dancing over Moon briefly before giving the common area ahead of her a quick once-over. There were pillows and blankets tossed everywhere among the furniture with plates of food and drinks scattered about with them- a great many of those drinks alcoholic in content, judging by the smell that raced up to meet her upon coming in. And then confirmed further when her attention darted over all the girls sitting in something of a circle among all the furniture and plush things, chatting and laughing as they raised their bottles and drank, eyes glassy and cheeks tinted red, all of them on a high, their pleasant, cheery, buzzing moods making the air crackle like electricity.

They were all wrapped up in their conversation with their heads in a surely dizzy state (some more than others), enjoying themselves and so much so they didn't notice Frea come in, nor Moon nearest to the door breaking off to approach the Energy Dragon Slayer. They just kept up with their laughing and whatnot, totally unaware and much more at ease and full of mirth than they had been in a very long time- what with all the heartache as of late that had not seemed to cease.

Frea's slightly surprised expression softened a bit for the thought and the pleasant atmosphere. Her core churned a bit to know it had been too long since she'd seen them so happy and at ease, while it also warmed at the same time to see it and feel it spark against her skin. It seemed the Guild's day out had been a success in lightening their spirits, and quite significantly by the feel of it. She almost regretted she'd not been able to spend it with everyone else, but only almost.

As sad as it was she'd not been able to go, her day had been just as good as theirs seemed to be. And hers had done her too much good to really get caught up in any regret for not being able to join all the rest of the Guild.

Frea hummed under her breath, her lips twitching at the corners for a moment as her silver eyes moved quickly among the smiling faces and back toward Moon, the Exceed smiling still herself and more softly when she gave the Energy Dragon Slayer a quick once-over.

The difference between how tense and subdued Frea had looked this morning to now was almost unbelievable. There was no hunch in the woman's shoulders, no rigidity in her posture or wear to be seen faintly in her eyes and face, as well as no exhaustion that had been dragging at Frea's heels that morning (of which Moon had been aware of no matter how much Frea tried to hide it). When Frea walked in her steps were smooth and light, no amount of that stiffness from the morning to be seen in her movements or posture. And even the tiny smile that broke across her face just then was so at and ease and so much more calm than she had seemed in... well, a long time honestly- but certainly in the last few days especially.

Moon purred slightly under her breath, her tail-tip twitching behind her as her eyes flashed and her heart warmed a bit.

She'd not really doubted that whatever Laxus and Frea got up to wouldn't end up being just as good a time as everyone else in the Guild had had at the Beach, but seeing the sudden (albeit perhaps subtle) change did make her all the more glad... and all the more thankful to the Lightning Dragon Slayer for being so quick to whisk Frea away when she needed it.

"I wasn't expecting you back tonight." Moon hummed lightly, the words earning a slightly surprised blink from Frea, but the Exceed did not linger long on it. "You look like you had a good time though, hmm?" Moon asked and Frea paused, before nodding slightly, her eyes falling for a moment while her expression seemed to soften too.

"I did." The Energy Dragon Slayer replied quietly, Moon's whiskers twitched, her own smile still there and getting a little wider for the response. Frea shook herself out a bit and glanced back up as she tilted her head a bit in the direction of the room and toward where everyone seemed to have hunkered down. "It seems like everyone else had a good time at the beach, hmm?" She asked, and Moon nodded brightly.

"Yeah, and we managed to avoid anybody starting any huge fights too." Moon chuckled lightly, the words earning an amused smirk from Frea right away.

"Oh really? That's a little hard to believe." The Energy Dragon Slayer hummed, and Moon shrugged, still grinning.

"Well, Gray and Natsy did get a little too intense with the volleyball, but they mostly kept their anger in the game rather than breaking out into a full-on brawl." Moon told her, "They did end up destroying like twenty volleyballs though." Frea laughed a little at that.

"Heh, of course they did."

"Oh, Frea..!"

Frea and Moon glanced about quickly, their attention diverted from one another and toward the other women when Lucy's bright (and perhaps a bit slurred) call of the Energy Dragon Slayer's name hit the air. And no sooner did Lucy announce her arrival than did the other women finally spot the Dragon Slayer standing near the door, all heads snapping her way and all smiles as they spotted her- and then promptly rushed up to her.

Frea blinked, jumping faintly for the sudden flurry of movement as all the girls darted across the common room to where she was, many of them rather unsteady on their feet and near all of them with drunken dustings of a blush on their faces, but all of them still so happy and excited, especially at seeing her. They cleared the distance between them and herself in little time at all, crowding all around, grinning as they bunched in, all their gazes alight and buzzing with no small amount of mirth and energy.

"You're back just in time!" Levy chirped brightly, her little hands coming down to hold onto Frea's left hand while Lucy tugged at her other.

"Hell yeah, we're about to start playing some drinking games!" Cana smirked, the alcohol in the glass bottle she held to sloshing as she slid in next to the Dragon Slayer on the right and draped an arm around Frea's shoulders. Frea blinked at it, sweatdropping slightly when the scent of the liquor increased exponentially when they crowded in.

It seems like they already started though-

"You've gotta join!" Lucy grinned, Lisanna nodding eagerly along with her and leaning in with her hands on her knees. Bisca beside her nodded too, hip cocked and missing her usual hat already- and also here, despite not having lived at Fairy Hills in a very long time. Beside her Laki and Kinana were there too, even despite them also having left Fairy Hills in the seven year stint the Tenrou Team and Co. had been gone.

"Yes! Come Frea, this will be fun!" Erza told her, the redhead linking an arm in Frea's on the opposite side of Cana and very, very drunk already given that her face was near as red as her hair. Levy and Lucy began tugging Frea gently forward while Cana and Erza ushered her that way with little room for argument, or even asking. Frea stepped forward with them and without complaint, though she smiled a bit nervously.

"You know I don't drink..." Frea mumbled,

"Yeah yeah, we have some kiddy drinks too for Wendy- you can have those!" Cana told her without missing a beat, Frea's eyes shifting toward where Cana gestured and catching Wendy's eye as the little Dragon Slayer smiled nervously, Carla floating nearby. Juvia and Evergreen were not far from the two of them, tipsy a bit themselves, though a bit less so and certainly seemingly more focused on what was going on (Frea especially, not that she noticed it just then).

"Do I have a choice?" Frea hummed quietly with a bit of a weary smile, though her tone was mostly amused even despite it.

"Not really." Mirajane and Solana said in near perfect unison. Frea let out a breath at it, while many of the other girls laughed a bit themselves, and the non-surprised comment Frea let out;

"... Didn't think so..."

Frea was pulled into the heart of the common area and the pillows and blankets and whatnot all spread about, the hold of the other girl's released as she was directed into sitting atop a pillow on the floor, while everyone else settled in a circle with her. Moon took up a place on her own pillow just to the left of Frea, Carla and Wendy settling down on Moon's other side while (a little surprisingly) Evergreen took up the space on the Energy Dragon Slayer's right without a word, wedging herself between the blonde and Cana who had previously been standing with her arm around Frea's shoulders. Everyone else took their seats quickly, sitting on pillows or cushions, knees brushing and all bursting with excitement as they settled in, grabbed their drinks again, poured some more in their glasses, or pulled snacks closer to boot.

Cana tossed a can of soda over toward Wendy and Frea both, the Energy Dragon Slayer catching hers with a little more grace while Wendy sort of fumbled with it. Cana didn't linger on it though and nor did anyone else, all their eyes tuned in on Card Mage as she took her own seat beside Juvia, who was near directly across the makeshift circle from Frea. Frea's eyes moved off Cana and to a bowl of chips a little ahead of her, the Energy Dragon Slayer pulling it closer and popping a few into her mouth while the brunette lift her bottle of wine into air, grinning as she called for everyone else to quiet down.

"Alright! So what do you ladies want to start off with?" Cana smirked, the bottom of her bottle thudding as she set it down rather decisively on the floor in front of her.

"How about 'Never Have I Ever'? Let's see who's been up to no good the most, huh?!"

Frea chewed, the chips cracking between her teeth as she shot Cana a quirked brow at the announcement, while most everyone else looked quite thrilled with it.

"Oh I know that game! Yeah, let's do it!" Lucy smiled, Lisanna, Laki, Bisca and Mirjane nodding in agreement.

"Hmm? I've never heard of this one, how is it played?" Erza asked immediately, Cana smirked.

"Super simple! We go around each taking turns and we say something we've never done before! Anybody else in the circle who has done that thing has to drink, and we keep going until someone runs out of booze and they lose!" Cana explained and Erza perked, a glint coming into her eyes and nodding quite thoughtfully.

"Ah I see! Then the play is to come up with things you know will make the most people drink." Erza hummed,

"Yep, and the more naughty the thing the more fun!" Cana chuckled, Wendy beside Carla blushed furiously at the words, staring at her soda and wilting a little when the comment earned a round of even more excited voices and calls to start.

"Great!"

"This'll be awesome, let's give it a try!"

"Surely you don't have to come up with something crass." Carla grumbled a bit, Cana shrugged.

"I mean no, ya don't have to- it's just funnier that way!"

"Hmph."

"So, whose first?"

"I'll go!" Laki butted in quickly, linking her bottle between her fingers in her lap and humming. "Never have I ever... been to Tenrou Island!"

"Starting off with a big hit huh?" Cana smirked, "Well, bottoms up girls!"

Wendy, Carla, Erza, Mirajane, Lisanna, Juvia, Bisca, Evergreen, Cana, Lucy, Levy and Frea all tipped their heads back for a drink, Laki smiling to herself for the rather far-reaching first move (even if it wasn't as 'naughty' as what they might have liked). Kinana and Moon smiled a bit as they waited for the rest to drink, before all of them finished and their eyes landed on Kinana next in the line, expectant.

"Uhm... Never have I ever played in the Grand Magic Games?" Kinana smiled nervously with a small shrug,

"Boring, but that works!"

Erza, Mira, Lucy, Wendy, Solana and Juvia took another gulp while Bisca next seemed to muse for a moment on what she wanted to say.

"Mm... Never have I ever had my underwear stolen when I was still wearing them." Bisca hummed, a smirk playing at her lips while Erza went red as a beet a few people down from her, and Lucy did too, with Mira looking a little embarrassed herself. Cana burst out laughing at it, the brunette lifting her own bottle to her lips as the former two tried to take rapid sips themselves, and Mira took one (though more slowly... and with Lisanna covering her mouth as shot her sister an incredulous glance).

"There we go that's more like it!"

Frea chuckled a bit under her breath as she shot Lucy and Erza slightly sympathetic looks, the Energy Dragon Slayer tossing a few more chips in her mouth.

"Alright, Mira you're turn!" Cana said after her drink, Mirajane tilting her head into the palm of her hand.

"Never have I ever had a child." Mira hummed, Bisca pausing at it before sighing, her drink rising to her lips.

"That's no fair, you aren't supposed to target one person at a time." Bisca mumbled, Mira just smiled a little more.

"Alright Evergreen, you're up!" Cana kept on with little a pause, Evergreen spinning her wine in her glass a bit while she flared her fan out and pressed it under her nose.

"Never have I ever been so drunk I've ended up naked out on the street." Evergreen murmured lowly, and if Erza had been red before she looked ten time more so now, especially when several people burst out laughing at her being so flushed. Frea kept from laughing, but she did smirk a little and chew another chip or two.

That's why drinking is a bad idea

"Hehe, okay okay! Frea you're turn, no more single person attacks yeah?" Cana laughed, her eyes landing on the Energy Dragon Slayer with several others. Frea swallowed the last of her mouthful and hummed.

"Never have I ever been in the Miss Fairy Tail Contest." She said with ease, the words earning pauses from most everyone, before the whole lot of them minus Wendy, Carla, Moon and Kinana took a big drink.

"Still boring, but that was a good one." Cana smirked after her drink, her head tilting toward Moon next. "You're turn." Moon's ears twitched as she mused for a moment, before smirking a bit slyly.

"Never have I ever bought lingerie." Moon said simply, the statement earning blushes from a few and grins from others for the quick (and somewhat unexpected) step up in the rating from the Exceed. Carla even shot Moon an incredulous look, to which Moon simply smiled and shrugged a bit to her friend.

Following Moon there was a steady slope down to the things people saying getting more and more R-Rated, though in some cases it was very slow-going. Wendy never said anything all that out of turn, and Frea was pretty much the same... though given they were the only two not actually drinking any alcohol, that probably had something to do with them not slipping into more explicit things.

Not even two full turns around the circle of woman, it wasn't much of a surprise when Cana ran out of booze first- not that she let it draw an end to the game. She simply filled her glass again and called for another go, and then it kept on.

Mirajane, Lisanna, Laki, Lucy and Bisca were the next few who seemed to empty their glasses the fastest, while Erza, Levy, Evergreen, Solana and Juvia were more slow going- leaving Frea, the Exceeds and Wendy trailing behind. It became pretty clear pretty fast there wasn't much more 'daring' things that could be said that would earn the last four drinking from their glasses, most of what they drank for were more specific to them and not just general things; such as being S-Class, or going on an S-Class Mission in Frea and Moon's cases. Or actually having been to the Celestial Spirit World, as Wendy and Carla had those three months before the GMG.

That streak of actually targeting specific people quickly got more frequent with each drink and each shade darker of the flushing on the girl's faces, like Evergreen and Bisca calling out Erza on something specific they knew she'd done (her underwear stolen and getting drunk and naked). People began targeting their friends with things they knew but weren't really normal topic of conversation, and then getting back at each other for it- while everyone just kept getting all the more drunk.

"Well I've never shared a bath with Natsu!"

"I didn't want to he just got in!"

Lucy, Erza, and Lisanna all drank to that one... though in the case of the latter two, it had been more when they were all kids.

"Never have I ever had any siblings!"

That one was shot at Solana as retribution for a rather thinly veiled jibe at Lucy with a turn made up of 'never have I ever had someone fall face-first into my chest more than once'. The blonde stuttered and shot the less than creative 'never' back at the Sun Dragon, red in the face and hugging herself despite what had been pointed out not being a surprise to anyone in the circle. And while it was aimed at Solana in particular, it also had the Strauss Siblings taking drinks and Moon taking her own as well... with Frea rather quietly taking one herself, silver eyes down on the floor and entirely unaware of the sympathetic look she earned from Wendy and Carla alike, or the questioning one she got from Evergreen beside her.

"Never have I ever been proposed to! Seriously or otherwise!"

This had most of the girls drinking, spare Moon, Wendy and Laki- you know, because of all those child crushes over the years, the adoring fans, Happy, and the little stint in the GMG where everyone had dressed up in wedding clothes. Lucy even couldn't get out of that one, not when Moon rather cheekily reminded her that Dan from Zentopia had mentioned something about it during the Infinity Clock mess.

"Never have I ever gone out in public in my underwear!"

Cana drank to that one, though she did grumble a bit about it being swimwear (it most certainly wasn't all the time), and Mira had no choice but to drink with all her modeling gigs. Erza had to as well, though in her case it hadn't been as a choice and just the consequence of a battle sometime back.

There came to be less taking turns and more a bit of back and forth as Erza, Lucy, Levy and Solana all got into a bit much- with them being some of the most drunk- and on the back of a round of laughs aimed at Lucy for her being forced to drink because of 'never have I ever had my underwear drawer rooted through'. The blonde bristled, red-faced and eyes glittering as she shot one back at Levy rather pointedly;

"Well, never have I ever slept with someone!"

Everyone in the room went some amount of stiff following it, two minuscule seconds passing after she said it where it seemed to ring on the air, and then they all seemed to simultaneously come to terms with the fact that Lucy did not mean catching Z's with someone else.

Wendy went bright red, the little Dragon Slayer quickly hiding her face in her hands while her furious blush became echoed in Erza, Juvia, Carla, and Levy especially. Erza's posture bent over as she seemed to try and hide herself in a sudden show of flusterdness not all that common from Titania, the redhead near steaming from the head while Juvia was much the same- though in her mind it was for a different reason.

Everyone else in the group blushed a bit themselves, their eyes diverting a bit and clearing their throats nervously, or a bit haughtily in Carla and Evergreen's cases. Cana and Solana didn't look nervous at all, and instead were incredibly amused with the collective reactions. Kinana blushed hard herself and looked down at her lap, while Laki and Bisca stayed mostly quiet, and seemed the least perturbed with it than anyone- to which they stayed that way when they took a drink from their cups. Moon smirked though she looked away rather shyly herself, the grey she-cat shooting a sputtering Levy a slightly sympathetic glance while Lucy seemed to huff a bit, her cheeks puffed up indignantly.

Mirajane and Lisanna flushed faintly and looked away and not at anyone directly, and especially not one another when they both silently took a drink from their glasses. They were joined by Evergreen, who turned her head from the group and seemed to scowl even as her cheeks reddened and the liqueur hit her tongue, a little of that scowl soon directed at Solana and Cana from the corner of her eye when the two (still laughing) women clicked their cups together and then took their own drinks. Levy's hands trembled slightly as she took a sip from her own cup, shoulders hunched and blushing furiously still as she drank from hers and seemed to chew on the insides of her cheeks all at once.

"This game is ridiculous." Carla grumbled hotly as she crossed her paws over her chest and huffed, though she of course couldn't help her own blushing anyway. Moon's ears twitched a bit at the comment, smiling slightly in amusement and exasperation both as she rubbed at her hot cheeks a bit fruitlessly, her head spinning a bit from her own somewhat intoxicated state- Carla was the same, though she certainly didn't show it.

"Well it is getting a little intense..." Moon hummed softly, "... Everybody's drank a lot, and that's not helping, heh."

"Yeah, but they're having fun anyway and that's the important thing." Frea commented lightly, her hand falling and her soda with it back into her lap after taking a drink. Moon glanced up at her with a smile for the words, nodding a bit.

"True." Moon agreed easily, her pale blue eyes scanning those across from them, landing on Levy and Lucy still red-faced, very drunk, a little miffed, but still talking and playful even despite the little bit of back and forth targeting all the same- wait.

Moon's head snapped back around toward Frea in a sudden double-take, eyes widening and ears pricking as her gaze settled on the Energy Dragon Slayer who was much too interested in watching Lucy and Levy squabble a bit to even notice Moon staring now, let alone the fact that Moon was not the only one doing it. Evergreen on Frea's other side was peering at the Energy Dragon Slayer from behind her fan half-hiding her flushed face, rigid in her space with Mirajane a few places down blushing more now than she had a few moments before, blue eyes glittering. Wendy peered out shakily from behind her fingers, steaming from the head even more now and nearly not breathing while Juvia across the way was frozen stiff in her seat, much unlike Solana and Cana beside her that were grinning rather impishly, a certain twinkle in their eyes- like cats that had gotten into the cream.

All of them staring, all after doing a sudden double-take just like Moon, because they all saw it, but even then it didn't seem right... right..?!

Because did Frea just take a drink?!

Moon's eyes flashed, the grey she-cat motionless as she kept staring, her mind whirling and working in overdrive as it tried to come to terms with what Frea taking a drink just then actually meant.

Or rather more importantly, with who the drink implied!

S-Seriously...?! But when-?!

Moon stiffened faintly, her eyes going even wider in and her heart skipping a slightly startled beat.

Wait, was it today-?!

Frea seemed aware of Moon's staring after a heartbeat or so, the Energy Dragon Slayer's silver gaze shifting toward her Partner and quirking a brow, looking confused.

"What?" Frea mumbled, Moon jumped, looking away quickly and smiling nervously though she tried not to.

"Nothing!"

Frea hesitated as Moon looked away, the Exceed quick to call attention to herself, bring a break into the little argument going on between Lucy and Levy, and suggest an end to this game and the start of a different one. She wasn't sure what it was about, the sudden shock and nervousness sparking off Moon was slightly subdued with all the rest of the energy and emotions dancing about and on a high with all the drinking. And how quickly Moon seemed to try and avoid it made her all the more unsure and confused without being able to read her emotions well... but she forced a breath and let it go.

The game and Moon's odd behavior became a distant memory as the girl's decided to have a go on a bout of Truth or Dare, and one that really didn't last long at all before there ended up being a pillow-fight that nosedived into an all-out war.

Pillows, blankets, food, cups, and just about everything in between were being launched through the air at one another, everyone dodging about the furniture and the common area trying to avoid the projectiles and getting their own hits in. Most hits never hit the mark, given the women's aim were pretty off with the drunken haze heavy on the air, but there were more than a few that landed, or that Frea herself had to be careful to block, lest it break something or cause more harm than good. The Energy Dragon Slayer found herself acting as a mediator and a voice of reason fairly quickly once everyone really got into all the throwing, running, whatever. She was the only one actually thinking straight at that point besides Wendy, but unlike the Sky Dragon Slayer, Frea wasn't afraid to get in the middle of the zooming objects in air, or warn people like Erza and Mirajane to tone it down when they needed to.

Laxus had been right about everyone being drunk off their asses, and it might have been the better idea to stay and not get stuck dealing with it... but it was too late to go back now, and honestly?

This is actually kinda fun

Frea smiled to herself, chuckling a bit under her breath as she caught a cup that had been tossed with ease, stalling it's movement in Wendy's direction and earning a relieved sigh from the little Dragon Slayer when it was halted. She set the cup down on a nearby table, her hands falling on her hips and rather non-bothered by the rush of movement going on all around the room and the plethora of other things still being tossed without end. She smiled a little bit more as she watched everyone dart about, dodge things, call out and egg one another on- all the while very unaware or uncaring of the mess they were making, and likely to regret later when they sobered up. They hadn't broken anything yet (thanks to her stepping in several times already), but there were a few pillows that had burst and had feathers and stuffing drifting about on the air and over the floor in little flurries as the women darted about.

Evergreen let out a rather haughty breath as she ducked under the bag of chips Erza launched directly at her head, the woman's scowl barely holding the displeased look and wanting so badly to turn into a smirk as she rather expertly sent her fan streaming through the air toward Erza in retaliation (though of course Erza dodged it). Solana threw a pillow out toward Lucy with so much force the blonde was knocked over, though it didn't hurt too much as she fell back on the couch directly behind her. Solana laughed loudly as her KeyHolder rushed to get her hands on the pillow that had just knocked the air from her and send it back, only to have Cana toss another at Lucy and only barely miss her when Levy jumped in to aid her friend and caught the pillow before it made it contact. Virgo even suddenly popped up behind the couch and the two of them, her arms full up in pillows and supplying them to Levy and Lucy both as they began an almost merciless onslaught on Cana and Solana.

Laki on the far side of the room quickly produced a wooden bat in her hands that she used to swing at an empty bowl that came her way, Kinana hovering behind the Wood-Make mage while Bisca seemed to be having plenty of fun betting on herself to knock items out of midair by throwing other items she found nearby- or things she was handed as ammunition by Lisanna near to her. Moon and Carla were involved in their own little sort of dodgeball among all the action, the grey she-cat actually convincing Carla to loosen up a bit and join in a bit earlier while Wendy stuck close to Frea and avoided getting caught in the crossfire as much as possible. Juvia laughed as she warded off the splash of liquor that spilled from a half-empty bottle coming toward her, the bluenette's hand snapping up a couch cushion in one fluid motion and smacking it against Mirajane as she dodged passed the Take-Over mage in almost rapid-time, Mira for once a bit slow on the uptake and laughing as she got hit.

Frea smiled a little more as she watched them all, her left hand moving up deftly to erect a small wall of silver between Lisanna and a chair that was suddenly in the mix, the wooden seat thudding against her Magic and then the floor instead of taking Lisanna unawares. In the same movement of her hand with that flare of Magic another appeared on the other side of the room, a box made up of softly swirling silver held aloft with a Magic Circle beneath it suddenly encasing a glass bottle and stalling it midair, rather than having it shatter when it hit the floor.

Frea let out a small breath as her eyes shifted toward another few items she used a few more Energy Boxes to trap less than ideal items being thrown out, the other girls still going hard and not even blinking twice for the quickly growing numerous silver cubes hovering all around... hell, a few of them actually ducked behind the boxes and used them as shields, or platforms to launch themselves off on in Juvia, Erza, and Solana's cases. Frea smiled wearily when they did, her hand still raised slightly at her side and her index finger mimicking a swirling motion for a moment in a ghostly reminder of Gweo and Saige doing the same- though the objects in her Boxes stayed right where they were.

Heh, maybe I should ask the Old Geezer to teach me that Spell

The thought faded to the back of her mind when she honed in on Erza off to the left, her free hand raising along with the other, an Energy Box coming to life and trapping the stool that the redhead had suddenly grabbed in midair, then subsequently ripped it from her grasp as she tried to throw it and it wouldn't budge.

"You can't throw chairs Erza, you're gonna hurt someone." Frea told the redhead lightly, Erza faltering for a moment and looking at her empty hand before glancing back at Frea, eyes glassy and rather unfocused. She seemed to take a moment too long to register the words, before her cheeks puffed up, pouting slightly.

"No fair." She mumbled, Frea shrugged a bit.

"Sorry, someone's gotta keep you guys from killing each other." The Energy Dragon Slayer replied easily, Wendy beside her looking a little nervous for the statement and the still pouting look Erza gave her for it.

"That's so boring though!" Solana suddenly butted in, the Sun Dragon with a glint in her eye and a rather large couch cushion clenched tightly in her hands. "Come on Frea, quit acting the referee and get your hands dirty, yeah?! Or are you too chicken to join in?!" Solana smirked, the challenge earning a small, calm smile from Frea.

"If I jump in things are gonna get way too out of hand-" she started, only to break off when she caught sight of a pillow suddenly coming at her from the right. She leaned back and out of the way of it, the pillow whisking an inch passed her nose and silver eyes narrowing slightly as they landed on Moon, who had thrown it. Her Partner smirked as Frea caught her eye, tail flicking behind her and all buzzing energy and mirth.

"Chicken." Moon teased, her tone bordering on a challenge too. Frea's calm smile turned into an amused one at it, her eyes flashing.

"Heh, fine." The Energy Dragon Slayer smirked, a sudden glint and fire burning in her eyes as she quickly stepped sideways and scooped the pillow up and threw it straight at Erza in the blink of an eye. The pillow made contact with Erza's face with an audible thwump, Frea already on to pick up the next one, her fangs flashing as she grinned.

"Bring it on!"

The battle continued on, a new kind of energy and drive igniting on the air as the fight got back into full-swing in no time at all after the little pause. Wendy even joined in this time, her hesitation from before quickly a distant thought as she got caught up in the rush and excitement of it all.

The number of Energy Boxes floating about increased steadily as Frea dodged about, halting a few of the things that got thrown her way, though mostly she used them to lock down the rest of the items that didn't really fall in the realm of a pillow fight. And it didn't take long for the other girls to lean more toward pillows and blankets as weapons when Virgo seemed to manifest a multitude of them, the Spirit handing them out as she popped up behind people and furniture- not in the fight herself, but certainly funding the war.

Frea caught a pillow mid-throw and wasted no time in spinning around to hit Levy with it- not hard of course, but it was enough to knock the Script Mage into an armchair. Lucy was quick to come to her friend's defense, the blonde swinging a cushion out toward the Energy Dragon Slayer she didn't try too hard to dodge, the Celestial Mage looking triumphant as it made contact with her shoulder before Frea stepped out of reach again.

Frea of course could have easily avoided most, if not all of their attacks if she wanted, given how drunk everyone was and a little less accurate or as fast as they might normally be. But she didn't evade all of them, she purposely let herself move slower and without too much of a rush or care, letting them actually land blows and even going so far as to curb her own hits and miss a few herself. It wasn't a fair fight to start with, and it wouldn't be much of a game if she avoided them entirely or didn't let herself get hit here and there. Letting them hit her, missing her throws- none of that mattered, the only thing that did was that they were having fun, and that was more important than 'winning' or whatever else.

She was having fun too, though probably a little less so than the rest of them since they were on a bit of a high with the drinking- but fun nonetheless. In fact she'd actually gotten a bit sucked into the whole thing she'd failed to notice that everyone else seemed honed in on her and only her. She only registered the fact that they had stopped throwing pillows at one another for just a millisecond before all the other women seemed to rush at her all at once, bunching in and quick to drive her backward in a sudden blitz attack.

They all jumped at her, several pillows making contact with her body before they were replaced with the hands and figures of the girls themselves. Frea felt herself suddenly knocked backwards, the weight of several of the girls suddenly pulling her down in a bit of a dog pile that sent her crashing back into a mess of blankets and pillows scattered on the floor. The breath was knocked from her for the slightly harsh impact, even despite the cushioning, though she didn't really mind it. She was surprised with how quickly they seemed to surround and gang up on her though, the dog-pile definitely catching her off guard... But she didn't actually fight it.

They all ended up laying on the floor in a heap, their bodies and limbs tangled together and with most of the other girls laying on top of Frea in some way (and some more than others). The Energy Dragon Slayer let out a small breath, smiling as she let them, and their several hands pinning her down, be. She didn't resist being pushed back, nor kept on the floor with no chance to wiggle and squirm (not that she would have anyway). She just let herself fall and didn't try and fight back at their hands or them pulling her down and pushing her back, her head falling back and the initial tautness in her limbs fading quickly while a sort of weary, and entirely soft smile pulled at her lips.

"Alright alright you got me, I surrender." Frea hummed lightly, the words earning several laughs and chuckles from the other girls that were slightly breathless as they fought to catch their breath again from all the moving around. Nobody bothered to get up off the floor, and there wasn't much movement from any of the other girls to actually get off her or one another, though they did all shift at least a little to be more comfortable. But other than that they just stayed where they were, all tangled together, their weight against and on top of each other, littered about the floor in a heap among an array of scattered pillows, cushions, and all else- and seemingly content to stay where they'd fallen after jumping forward all at once. The only person who moved at all was Virgo, the Celestial Spirit quietly making her way around the room and grabbing those items Frea still had trapped in her Energy Boxes, allowing the Energy Dragon Slayer to let each one fade from existence until there was none left, and then Virgo herself faded away with a smile when she was all done.

And just like that the rush and the energetic atmosphere shifted, all the girls seeming to have spent the last of their energy (liquor-induced or otherwise). They were probably tired already from the day out at the beach, but now they had finally hit their wall and once they hit the floor they didn't really have it in them to try and get back up, or move hardly at all. Them being like they were was probably not the most comfortable in normal circumstances, but just then it was comfortable, almost insanely so... But really only almost.

It had been so long since they'd just had a day, played, and so genuinely enjoyed themselves without having to worry about anything or anyone- Frea in particular. Hell, it had been so long since they'd spent anytime with the Energy Dragon Slayer where everything was content, not in the middle of some disaster, not with her injured, and where everything and her was just okay. Better than just okay even, but good and happy and carefree and fun.

It seemed sort of insane by now after all that had been happening and continued to happen that they could even manage a single day like that. But here it was, and they had needed it so bad.

Frea let out a quiet breath, her eyes flashing as she heard the slightly panting ones of the other girls gradually deepen.

The Guild had needed one good day, just as badly as she had needed one. One good day after all the many bad ones, and today they all got one- albeit in different ways.

Frea shook her head a bit, her eyes that had stuck to the ceiling as the room fell quiet around her finally shifting for the first time since getting knocked over.

Solana had ended up on top of her nearly the most of everyone, the Sun Dragon Slayer with her arms linked around Frea's shoulders and neck with her head tucked under Frea's jaw a bit. Frea couldn't move her head much for it, but she did manage to make out the tips of Moon's ripped ears poking passed Solana's head where the Exceed seemed to be leaning up against Solana's back, Carla and Wendy nearby. Lucy's head lay on Solana's hip with Levy doing the same, the two of them hugging almost.

Kinana and Laki were beside one another and brushing up against Frea's right side lower down to her hip, Bisca with her back hitting up against the Wood-Make Mage while her cheek lay against Frea's thigh. On Frea's other side and against her other hip were Lisanna and Mirajane, the older Strauss Sibling holding the younger while they let their heads lay against Frea's stomach. Erza was laying on her side facing away from Frea with her back against Juvia's, the redhead's fingers still curled around where she'd been pinning Frea's arm to the ground and Evergreen snuggled up with her, Evergreen's own hand resting in Frea's palm lightly where it had gotten heavier as everyone began to doze off.

Juvia was the second of all the girls who was most on top of Frea, the Rain Woman hugging around Frea's torso and her face nuzzled up against the Dragon Slayer's chest as her head lay on Frea's shoulder. Her blue hair tickled slightly against Frea's neck and the underside of her chin, Juvia very much asleep and with her face still flushed from all the drinking... The drinking that seemed to have made Juvia forget what distance she'd been careful to keep around Frea as of late, and had now had the space and caution rather thrown out the window.

Frea blinked when she realized it, her eyes flashing and rather taken by surprise because she hadn't even registered how close Juvia was at all until that very instant. Though once she noticed it she felt herself stiffen instinctively, the smell of the liquor on Juvia's breath heavy and hot as it washed up to meet her. It was a smell that was heavy on the air given all the other drinking that had gone on, but the scent of water and rain under it was unmistakable.

But... It didn't come with that rush of unease and even panic that it had elicited the last week.

Frea faltered, her eyes widening and her heart skipping a tiny beat- but only a tiny one. And her heart didn't start racing when the scent hit her nose, nor did it make her muscles lock. In fact the initial stiffness tapered off a bit from what knee-jerk reaction tensing up in the first place had been.

There was the churning in her stomach, her heartbeat did pick up a little bit, and she almost instantly held her breath to keep from smelling it any further, but none of those was anywhere near the intensity she had expected. Nor were they of the same intensity that she had been hit with the whole of the week before now whenever she'd gone out with Juvia and started on trying to get used to her again.

Juvia's scent and the overwhelming smell of water with it hit her nose and made her uncomfortable almost immediately, but it did not make her feel that overwhelming urge to either flinch away or freeze. Her body did not wind itself all over again until those dozens of knots that had been unwound earlier by Laxus, and her mind did not get totally derailed by the scent. Ascent which was muddied with all the other scents and alcohol sure, but that unmistakable scent all the same. The one that she'd not been able to be around for any amount of time at all since Adgnei without having every inch of her person and soul wanting to recoil, let alone let her be pressed so close to it as she was now, even when it came from a friend.

She'd had to avoid Juvia since Adgnei, had to force herself to be around the Rain Woman and actively keep herself from freaking out when the inevitable scent of death made an appearance where it had no place being... But just then?

Frea's eyes softened, her heart twisting as she swallowed a little hard, and she forced herself to quit holding her breath. Her head tilted a bit, her nose bumping softly against the top of Juvia's head as she let herself take another slow, cautious breath, her heart fluttering a bit again when the Rain Woman's scent flooded her senses and it seemed to... Somehow settle in the base of her core, just a tiny bit where it had refused doing so every time before now.

Rain in the middle of an icy winter, but still warm even despite that. Just as warm as Juvia was as the woman held on to her.

Frea bit the insides of her cheeks, lingering a heartbeat more before forcing a sigh and tilting her head back up and away again. She tilted it toward Solana a bit more instead, letting the Sun Dragon Slayer's scent of summer and stars filling her nose in place of Juvia's. She couldn't keep herself with her head tilted the other way too long, she didn't want to risk her body getting to the point of reacting in a less pleasant way if she did... It was probably lucky enough she'd not already done so, but even then she had to pause.

All of the girls smelled like saltwater and sand- like the ocean, even despite the number of hours away and all the drinking and whatever. That scent has been there underneath everything else from the moment she walked into Fairy Hills, but just like with not realizing Juvia had gotten so close- she'd not actually registered the scent of the sea before now either. And when she did catch little whiffs of it, it had the same effect if not making her so uneasy, or stiff, or deeply afraid.

Frea's eyes dropped closer as she let out a heavy, quiet breath that ruffled strands of Solana's fiery red hair.

I guess maybe it is helping after all, being around Juvia like I have... At least a little, and slowly...

Her fingers twitched, the tips of them brushing faintly against the back of Evergreen's hand resting in her own, her stomach churning as the ghost of a scent of a mountain trapped in a storm made it's way over her senses, creeping in with no reason along with a sudden warmth in her heart and cheeks.

... But I don't think... It... it's not just that... Is it...?

Maybe it is working a little bit, but this is more because... I managed to sleep without having any nightmares, or getting snapped awake because of the pain, and I'm not in so much of a knot anymore.

Because I actually managed to relax where I haven't done so at all for... For way to freakin' long. And all of that only happened because-

Thump-thump

She chewed on the insides of her cheeks, shaking her head once as her heart skipped again out of nowhere, the scent of that mountain air in a storm getting a little stronger on her senses, though it was certainly not actually there. It was lingering, a wisp of something from a few hours earlier and something that had faded since, but somehow it was still strong as ever even despite it. The scent of that person to whom all of the aforementioned had only happened because of- that now she'd actually settled enough she was beginning to manage to reclaim a bit of herself and her emotions, to a point that she didn't end up a mess at the simple scent of water from anyone or anything. That she'd managed to sleep nicely for once and have a day where she had been content and at ease, even when she wasn't. Because at least she'd been around someone she didn't have to put up face or hide from, and not having to hide was so much less of a strain than she could ever imagine, or have ever thought she'd be able to do with anyone, let alone him.

All of it, because of him. Because of that moody, strong as hell, sometimes annoying, and incredibly caring Lightning Dragon Slayer to whom she had never once before today realized actually smelled so good... Let alone smelled like that, and not just the simple prickling of storm clouds and electricity brewing on high, and much too far above the earth and mountains both to smell even remotely like either.

Frea's lips twitched at the edges, a ghost of a smile stirring as she let herself sink a little into the floor and everyone else bunched in around her. Her mind began to ebb away toward the edge of unconsciousness, the warmth of the girls and the quiet of Fairy Hills giving way to blurry figures of trees perched upon a peak, outlined against a dark grey backdrop that was torn across with blinding bursts of golden light dancing on the edges of her mind, and a distant rumble of thunder echoing on her ears. Buried in the rumble there came a murmur of something else, of something spoken in a tongue long since lost on this age but so deeply imprinted on her very soul. Something familiar, and something that seemed to belong there as it danced on the phantom stormy air and in her thoughts, and it's namesake sparked across the sky with gold.

Aleuruen

.:+:.

A short and somewhat filler-y chapter, but a wholesome and lowkey one too. Next chappy we're gonna lead into a bit of a mini-arc for Frea, where there will be plenty more LaxusXFrea content for you all as their relationship continues to morph- and maybe Frea keeps getting closer and closer to where she needs to be? XD

I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward the next! Frea will get awhile longer of her break from anything bad, and what's next will be more bonding time and character development for more than just our two favorite Dragon Slayers!

Thank you all for your patience and continued support!

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