A/N: Happy Holidays for everyone who celebrates! I hope you had a great weekend!
Chapter 18: Banned From Participation
Master Makarov sat on the edge of his desk, kicking his feet like a child, with a wide smile on his face. He looked doubly silly with his orange and blue striped hat on, especially since he was tugging on its long ears in some kind of anticipation. He'd been quite giggly and happy lately, which could only mean he was up to something devious.
"You wanted to talk to us, Master?" Dreamer and Midnight stood in front of him, both in their usual attire.
She read the mood in the room. Nothing suggested that she and Midnight were in trouble. If anything, the master was giddy and distracted. Which was a relief. She and Piper had been taking turns escorting Midnight on small jobs lately, and there was about a fifty percent rate of them going horribly wrong and Midnight scaring away the employer. When Master had summoned the two of them here, she was convinced they would get a lecture. Luckily, nothing about Master Makarov's emotions suggested that this was the case.
"Do you know what time of the year it is, Dreamer?" He asked, grinning toothily.
"Um… Summer?" She watched his grin widen even more.
"It's time for the 24-hour endurance race, my child!" He practically squealed with glee.
She sweat-dropped. So that was why he was so excited. The Master had probably concocted some horrid punishment for the losers of the race this year. She cringed and looked at Midnight standing next to her. She wondered if he'd be required to race, since he wasn't "technically" a member of Fairy Tail. Without the use of magic and being as sleepy as he was, he'd get the punishment for sure.
"Wait, Master!" Her eyes lit up as realization dawned on her. "Does that mean that I'm—"
"Still banned from participation." He cut her off. She shrank in defeat, releasing an audible sigh.
Midnight made a sound that was something like an amused chuckle. "What did you do to get banned?" He raised an eyebrow at her, smirk dancing on the corner of his lips.
"I didn't know that putting the other racers to sleep and charming Master into believing I hadn't taken a shortcut were bannable offenses…" she mumbled in response.
He laughed out loud-a sharp, mocking sound. She blushed, embarrassed, and pointedly ignored him. "Okay, well if I can't participate, then why did you want us here?"
Makarov stopped kicking his legs. His face took on a more serious expression. "How long has it been since you brought this young man to the guild, Dreamer?"
She looked at Midnight again. "It's been…" She thought back. "Over a month now, Master."
Midnight's expression was guarded. Hard. She had a feeling he could remember the exact date down to the hour he'd been "trapped" here.
"Yes…" Makarov closed his eyes in thought. "Just long enough for him to get noticed by some of the more astute citizens of Magnolia." He stroked his mustache. "The Council has issued wanted posters. They've also tried just about everything they can think of to make me give them information about the two of you."
She inhaled sharply. She'd completely forgotten about the threat of the Magic Council hanging over them. Midnight was still a fugitive and Dreamer was still the person responsible for sheltering him.
"They still don't have any conclusive evidence that Midnight is here at the guild, thankfully, though it's clear they have their suspicions." He sighed. "At any rate, I think it would be best for the two of you to skip town during the race."
She blinked. Midnight narrowed his eyes.
"This race is always highly publicized," he explained. "And this particular race will be thoroughly covered by that new Sorcerer Weekly reporter. The last thing we need is for him to get wind of an ex-Oracion Seis member amongst the members of Fairy Tail."
She nodded somberly. He was right. She could imagine the headlines now: "Fairy Tail Harbors Fugitive!" "The Infamous Night Terror Turned Fairy? Has Makarov Officially Lost It?" "Scandal: Midnight of the Oracion Seis Spotted with Dreamer Cumula? Let's take a poll! Who thinks they're a couple?!" She blushed despite herself, and shook her head to make herself focus again.
"So, I'd like to ask that you leave Magnolia for a couple of nights. Just long enough for the excitement to die down." He swung his legs again.
Midnight was carefully expressionless still, leaning on one foot as if bored.
"You'll have Jezran with you," Master continued. "And you can take Syllest, unless she'd prefer to stay and cheer on Romeo, that is." He chuckled warmly. "Consider it a vacation, and a reward for you, Midnight—for the hard work you've been putting in to serve Fairy Tail."
Midnight scoffed, looking startled and enraged by the praise. "I'm not serving Fairy Tail," he said darkly.
"Whatever you say!" Master waved him off without so much as a blink. He was already tugging on his hat again.
She thought for a moment. Her eyes drifted down to Midnight's right ankle, where a faint purple glow circled the material of his boot.
"What about his magic limiter?" She looked back up at Makarov. "Are you going to take it off?"
Makarov's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Certainly not. I could never, in good conscience, send one of my children away from home with someone potentially dangerous so irresponsibly." If Midnight was offended by the accusations of being called dangerous, he definitely didn't show it. In fact, he might have been smirking.
"But, if what you say is true and the Council has set a reward for his capture, we could run into bounty hunters. Limiting his magical power might actually be taking away needed protection in the case of an emergency away from home. Isn't that irresponsible too?"
Makarov narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do you trust him that much, Dreamer?"
The sudden question startled her. She felt her cheeks take on some heat when she felt red eyes staring at her as well, waiting for her answer.
"I… I'm just saying it goes both ways…" She calculated her words carefully and made a point not to return Midnight's gaze. Her fingers absently rubbed a crease in her shirt.
Makarov shook his head. "The limiter stays on. And you, young man…" He looked at Midnight, who simply stared smugly back at him. "You may want to consider changing your appearance a bit if you don't want to be recognized. Or, at the very least, covering that guild mark on your arm."
Bright red "Six Prayers" symbol on his upper right arm—not conspicuous at all.
"Not a chance." Midnight shot back at him.
"It was a simple suggestion, young man. It's you who will pay the consequences if you're recognized by the Council. However…" His expression turned grim. "You are also putting Dreamer in harm's way by advertising your identity while with her." He looked serious, threatening.
"It's okay, Master, really." Dreamer spoke up. She splayed her hands out defensively in the air. "It doesn't bother me."
"It bothers me." Makarov said, not looking at her. He kept his gaze locked on Midnight. "I am ordering you to get a change of clothes while on this vacation and to cover your guild mark. Be thankful I do not have Levy remove it from you."
"You wouldn't dare." Midnight's muscles tensed, his eyes narrowed and retracted.
"I will, if you do not compromise." Makarov was unthreatened. "This is to protect my daughter. You may choose your own style, though I suggest at least changing your lipstick choice." His eyes twinkled teasingly. "Maybe try white or sparkling gold."
Midnight's temple pulsed. Dreamer put her hands on her hips. "Stop picking on him, Master!"
"What?! Red lipstick would really make his eyes pop." He giggled in childlike mischief.
"Come on, Midnight." Dreamer grabbed his hand and turned toward the door. "Don't listen to him, he's just trying to get you riled up."
Master Makarov laughed and waved at them. "Oh, I've given a calling card to Jezran in case anything happens!"
"Try to be nice with your punishment this year, Master," Dreamer called back while tugging Midnight out the door.
"Oooh, I can't wait…" Makarov gave a girly giggle before the door shut.
Dreamer spoke up once the door shut. "Honestly, I'm kind of relieved," she said as they walked along the hall. "That race is horrifying… Looks like Piper will be obligated to participate too. He won't be too happy about that." She chewed on a thumbnail and thought. "Where are we going to go, though? I wish he'd told me about this sooner so that I could plan a trip. I have to talk to Syllestra and see if she's going to go or stay… We could always go to the Excalibur Estate, but… I don't think you'd like that very much…" She rambled on for a moment before she caught the dark smirk on his painted lips. "What? What are you thinking about?"
"I'm just wondering how long you plan on holding my hand." His eyes were taunting. She stopped walking and looked at their interlaced fingers. She gulped and released it, immediately turned her head to hide the coloring of her cheeks.
"What's wrong, sweet Dream?" He turned his body to face her. "The way you were standing up for me in front of your master, I was beginning to think you actually like me."
She shivered at the way his words drawled, deep and entrancing, but also frightening. "Of course I do," she snapped. "If I didn't like you, I wouldn't put up with you all the time. I consider you my friend, Midnight." She knew better than to call him by his real name at this point.
"You must have a death wish, looking for a friend in me." He stepped completely in front of her, blocking her exit from the hall. "Is that what it is, Dream? You want to die?" He cocked his head slightly, making that strand of braided white hair sway in an almost trancelike way.
"Stop calling me Dream. I don't like it. You only do it to demean me." She folded her arms over her chest. She met his blood-red eyes, hoping she looked brave or confident or really anything besides nervous. "Come on, Midnight, stop being a jerk and let me walk."
His smirk grew wider. "You're actually irritated, aren't you?"
"Yes." She sighed. "I can only tolerate so much of your constant death threats and sadistic teasing." This had become the norm as of late. Sometimes Midnight was cruel and terrifying, and she wanted to be nowhere near him. Other times, he seemed to seek her out for sport—he was still cruel, but he also seemed to be fixated on her, teasing her and watching her reactions with eyes that felt like they could peel back skin. At these times, she felt strangely drawn to him.
"How far would I have to push you to see you break, I wonder?" His eyes gleamed and he closed more of the space between them. He wasn't touching her, but his body was less than a hair's breadth away—so close that she could feel his cold breath on her forehead. His obscure scent. The weight of unreadable emotions-intensity.
"Here's an idea…" She swallowed. Her confident facade was faltering. It was obvious by the quieting of her voice. "How about you stop trying to break me, and let me walk down this hall?"
"You know, the more you protest, the more I want to watch you suffer." He lifted a hand and ghosted it over the skin of her arm, but still didn't touch her.
"Do you even hear half of the stuff you say?" Goosebumps rose where he'd almost touched her, and she felt a bit lightheaded. "It's scary!" She side-stepped to get out of the uncomfortable closeness, but he snatched her hand.
"You should listen to your master." His voice was suddenly deathly serious. He interlaced his fingers in hers and pulled her roughly against him so he could whisper in her ear. "I am dangerous. So don't make stupid suggestions like having my magic limiter turned off. Unless you really do want to die."
Her heart pounded in her chest. His fingers were a vice, tightened painfully around her own. They were chest to chest, close enough that she was sure he could feel her stampeding heart. All she could do was nod in obedience. This was a good example of a time when he wasn't teasing—he was plain terrifying.
He stood there like that for a long moment, his breaths on her ear and neck, sending goosebumps down her spine. Chamomile and rust brushing her skin. She expected him to release her after this threat, but his fingers remained tight. His body remained in the same space as hers.
"Midnight…" she trembled. "How long are you planning on holding my hand?" There was a quaver in her voice, but she made herself smile teasingly.
He released the bone-crushing grip on her fingers at last and then walked past her, in the opposite direction. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when it's time to go." He plunged his hands into his pockets and did not look back at her.
"Okay! Bye." She waved and darted out the door. She wiped cold sweat from her forehead and slowed her breathing. She tried to sort out her own confused emotions. A mixture of terror and excitement? She shivered involuntarily as she looked at her fingers, where moments ago they had been intertwined with his.
Vacation for two nights with Midnight?
How long would it be before she finally broke?
A/N: Shout-out to Simana! First off, thank you for your kind reviews! I swear I sustain my weekly nourishment from the reviews all of you guys leave me! Secondly, I forgot to make a note about your suggestion in one of your reviews for how Midnight might gain some acceptance in the guild. I wanted to commend you for not being too far off point! The next few chapters will be vital for developing Midnight's newfound place in Fairy Tail. ;) So buckle up and enjoy the ride!