"Laxus,"
"No, I need this," he growled, biting hard in the exposed flesh.
A gasp and a whimper filled his ear as he kept thrusting harder and faster, rocking Mirajane's heavenly body to the brink. The way her body shudder and convulse deliciously beneath him egged him, if still possible, to speed up even more, making the woman cried out in pleasure as her vision burst out and blinded her in a state of euphoria.
"God, Laxus," Mira moaned breathlessly, knuckles turned white as she gripped her side table as she rode her orgasm, while the frantic dragon slayer continued pounding her from behind, desperate for release. She let out a squeal as she felt calloused fingers began to rub her still sensitive nub, and as the scent of sex assaulted her nose, she began tweeking her nipple with one hand as another twisted, tingling sensation began coiling in her lower body.
"Again, Mira,"
As if his wish was her command, another earth-shattering cry eacaped from her lips as waves and waves of white pleasure devoured her, as electricity surged from her lover's fingers towards her abused clit. She was in a fucked-up state but at that time she couldn't, wouldn't care, even as her throat became raw from screaming Laxus' name as he made her reached nirvana again and again. Her core convulsed deliciously as she felt his shaft swelled and after a couple of hard, deep thrusts, Laxus pulled out suddenly and pushed her back against the wall, and it was then that she saw the face of the man fucking the life out of her, looking at her predatorily. His eyes were glazed with lust as his labored breath made his muscles flexed, and as he approached her dangerously, cock throbbing painfully, and as he lifted her legs and wound them around his waist, Mirajane knew she will not be walking for a few days.
~oOo~
"Ouch! Can't you do it a little gentle, Luce?"
"You can just ask Erza to do this, you know," Lucy snapped, dabbing the small, wet cloth in his broken skin, still avoiding eye contact. She knew she owe him an apology from her sudden outburst back in the guild, but after Natsu followed her to her apartment and willingly told her about the plan in exhuming the water mage, Lucy paled and felt the need to throw up. The idea of digging the dead up gave her the creeps and goosebumps, and though the very possibility that Juvia might be alive was something they didn't see coming, she was sure everyone will be happy if one of this days, the water mage comes back waltzing in the guild with a bright smile and a 'Gray-sama' in her lips.
Gray.
He had taken the toll more than the others. He had taken her rain away and introduced her to the guild and gave her a new family and a new start. He was the first that she knew in Fairy Tail, and as she closed her eyes forever two agonizing years ago, still, it was Gray that she saw last.
"...not listening,"
"Huh?!" She quickly jerked her head and looked at the dragon slayer who was now looking at her, minus the stupid grin. She realized she had been spacing out and felt her blood flowed to her head in embarrassment. "Sorry, I..."
"No, I never said you should repeat what I said," he cheekily said, scratching the back of his head.
"Repeat what?" Now she had really no idea what he was talking about, except for the fact that Natsu seemed uncomfortable under her gaze. "Just what did you..." And realization dawned at her. "Natsu,"
"Yeah Luce. I'm really sorry for being a jerk, but, you know, with me and Gray, things are not normal, and Gray needs time and, and... just sorry, okay? It's all good now." Natsu was stuttering. "You know I'm not good with words."
'Yeah, you're good with your fists,' she snorted inside, but with the way things are going, she can't say she's not pleased and relieved with the development of Natsu and Gray's relationship. When two years ago at the battle against Zeref, the two mages were just wounded soldiers, desperately trying to conquer each other in a delusioned state: Gray losing every ounce of his sanity because of Juvia's death, and Natsu believing that Lucy also died while feeling the pull of the power of Zeref as E.N.D. awaken inside of him, now they were two healing mages, brothers, looking out and beating the hell out of each other the moment their paths gone astray. It was the moment that Lucy realized that maybe all the lousy cat fights both mages had inside and out of the guild was their way of telling each other 'I'm here, dumbass.'
They were great friends. Her great friends. Her family. That's why her heart can't help but break as she watched them suffer and get hurt. Why had fate dealt them such cruel hands?
She wanted to cry for Gray. It kills her everytime she sees the ice mage beating himself job after job just to keep himself sane. Or is it the other way? Everyone used to know him as someone who wouldn't waste time doing a simple request, but now even the job of finding Cinderella a couple of dwarves because of jealousy at Snow White perk his interest. It's like he really wanted to get wasted. All after Juvia Lockser's death.
'It's a sacrifice.' Once, Gray corrected her. 'She did not die. She sacrificed herself for me.'
She was sane enough not to answer back.
Everyone knew he had a thing at her dating back even before the Grand Magic Games. The whole guild had expected him to come around but being the Gray who had the thinking that 'love kills everything,' he held his ground, unaware that behind the radiant smiles and quirks and 'Gray-samas', she will be taken away from him for a lifetime. He wanted to assure her things will be alright, that after the war things will surely go the way she had wanted them to be. He promised her, and that promise added fuel to the guild. Winning the battle means Gray will finally confess his feelings to Juvia, and everyone will be happy.
But she was snatched from the battlefield.
She died.
And Gray snapped.
He is E.N.D.
He was the reason for everything. He has every pain combined. Guilt. Pain. Grief. Betrayal. Suffering. And he didn't deserved any of it.
He is a loyal friend. Her family. If Gray was the one who introduced Juvia to the guild, the same goes for them with Natsu. But as Juvia proved her unending love for Gray, she, as a friend and family, was unable to do anything for Natsu.
She was not the Fairy Queen Titania - strong and independent.
She doesn't channel Satan Soul like Mirajane - sweet with a devil's kick.
She was not Cana whom Mavis believed and entrusted one of Fairy Tail's greatest magic - Fairy Glitter.
She was not Evergreen whom their present guild master, Laxus, acknowledge and respect.
She was not Juvia of The Deep - a natural element who has taken down one of Tartaros' Gates of Hell, Keith using her own power.
She was just a Celestial Mage - useless without her spirits.
If not for Loke, she would still be dancing to Bickslow's tune. [ref. The Battle of Fairy Tail]
Without Holorogium, she might've froze to death. [ref. Saving Macao in the Ice Mountain]
And without Aquarius, she would be dead. [ref. Lucy vs Jackal]
Without them, she would only be a bunny girl.
And she hated herself.
"Why? Why did they need to die? Why Natsu?!"
Before she knew it the words where already out of her trembling lips. Shocked, she looked to Natsu and saw a forlorn expression, and something she couldn't put words into. Her voice began to break and she shook. "No, I didn't mean..."
She didn't finished her sentence as Natsu pulled her to his chest in a tight hug, an act that made Lucy's facade crumbled and she began to cry in his chest.
"The master. Then Juvia. My family..."
"Shh, it's gonna be okay, Luce. It's gonna be okay," Natsu whispered as gently as possible, rubbing Lucy's back as she cried herself out. 'The cry baby's really back,' Natsu thought. Two years ago, while mourning for their fallen comrades, Lucy surprised everyone for not shedding a tear. Hell, he could even swear he heard Laxus wailed! Though the hurt, grief and pain was evident in her eyes, not a single tear fell. "Just cry it out."
In any normal scenario, Nastu would've bark questions like who made her cry and stuffs, but in what they called as Fairy Tail's Darkest Hours, everyone, even Natsu learned that sometimes, it's better to just stay quiet in reaching out a friend, and as a guy who's only good with his fists, he decided to just let her have a go. After all, the trembling mage in his arms is the one who was keeping the guild from breaking apart, and the least that he could do is to give comfort to her when she needed it the most. Also, it was the first time that she cried after their loss two years ago, her eariler outburst in the guild not counting.
'And I thought at first Erza had lose it,' he smirked as he continued rubbing Lucy's back for Mavis knows how long, who was then sobbing and starting to breath in rythm. 'Damn you, Erza. You got me there,' he added as a memory of a dignified red head flitted in his mind.
"I nominate Lucy Heartfilia as next Guild Master."
~oOo~
The pub was located in the outskirt Magnolia, kilometers away from the bustling port of Hargeon. At first look, one would think that the pub they entered was really going to the dogs as a heavy, murky smell hit their senses, making Rogue growled under his breath. The floor boards creeked as their boots made contact with the filthy wood, loud enough to attract the attention of the customers inside who looked at them wityh beady, bloodshot eyes. He scanned their surroundings and he internally groaned. Out of all places and he chose a mouse hole as a meeting place! Used to living in their castle-like guild building, he eyed with great disdain the walls decorated with grimes and at a certain part with a gaping hole, he could see a couple of coakroaches playing tug of war. Rogue squinted his eyes as a customer, a lady in a skimpy outfit headed his way, swaying her hips seductively, earning catcalls from the males inside the pub.
"You're her type, I think,"
"Fuck off, Sting," he flatly replied, throwing a deadly glare at the lady, who hurriedly turned away from them.
"Keep doing that and you'll find yourself with blueballs every night," Sting shot, grinning triumphantly at the sudden tinge in Rogue's cheeks. He then walked to the bar man and faked a cough. "We're lookin' for a 'Rusty,"
"Back door, last room to the left," the bar man answered without looking up from his cocktail mixing, and the act made Rogue scowled and Sting just shook his head in disbelief.
"Seriously, Rogue, you have cleanliness and manner issues, sheesh," Sting drawled as they made their way in to where the back door was located, and heard another groan behind him.
"'You first?" Sting asked, looking at Rogue and pointing at the closed door, and he swore he saw veins popped in mage's head.
Said door was equally filthy, its hinges eaten by rust and a meer kick would send it, no, pulverized it, or turned it to match sticks. Sting knew that his friend will not be touching it. But what made Rogue almost lose his shit is the scent of the place. It reeks of sex.
"This is a brothel, Sting," he said, trying to control the urge to strangle his friend, who looked at him with a raise brow.
"And?" the blonde mage asked, yanking the door open and stepping inside. "You coming?"
"You said we were supposed to meet in a pub. This is a brothel, Sting." Rogue snapped, also stepping inside but careful not to get in contact with anything from that place. He also made a mental note to burn his clothes when they get home.
"Sheesh," Sting quipped. "A pub and a brothel, what's the worst? You get drunk first, then you get laid," he added as they continued walking the dark hall way.
"You're too cozy about this, Sting," Rogue said, mentally blocking his hearing from the moans and cries from behind every single door they passed. 'Cursed dragon slayers and their sensitive hearing.' Well, even a normal human being can hear it, but with a dragon slayer's amplified senses, damn it all. "You really okay that that bar man and everyone in here knows someone booked a room for us?"
"We'll yea...WHAT?!"
If Rogue didn't know how sensitive the matter they were going to discuss there, he would've laugh his intestines out. Sting was beet red from embarrassment, having realized the implications of having two males booking a room at a run down brothel. "Stupid."
"Urgh! THAT DOES IT! WHERE IS THAT OLD BASTAR..."
"Shut up, Sting. You're gonna take too much attention," Rogue deadpanned, blocking his way. We're halfway there, beat it. I don't want to stay in this place for long."
"I'm going back later for that bastard, though," Sting growled as he turned in his heel and they kept walking till they reached what seemed to be the end of the, as Rogue had put it, mouse hole. Another door was in their way and Rogue didn't even batted an eye and kicked the door flying out of its hinges.
The room, much to the twin dragon slayers' relief, was a meeting room, stripped of decorations with only a six seater table without chairs, a broken chandelier hanging dangerously in loose, rusted chains, and a bend candelabria on top of the table. Left side from the door where a little window was located, a bulky man was leaning beside it with his eyes closed.
"Gajeel-san" Rogue started, looking at Gajeel who cracked an eye open. Sting stood beisde him, arms folded in his chest, looking annoyed.
"Gihihi. What? Ye fucktards disappointed I'm not in a blasted lingerie with a dildo in a bed?"
"No, thank you. I can manage, Gajeel-san," Sting replied, brows twitching as he tried to mentally picture the older dragon slayer in a lacy lingerie, and found out that it was not a good idea to entertain.
"That so? Pity, I was in the mood,"
"I am not, though, metal brain,"
"Yer late, salamander. Was bunny girl clingy today?"
"Natsu-san" Sting greeted, though it was just yesterday that they meet up and talked in their guild.
"Yo, Sting. Rogue," he greeted, making his way inside the spacious meeting room.
"Shall we start?" Rogue asked, hands sweaty as he noticed the tension started brimming inside the room. The heat of the weather is not helping also, and he could still vividly hear all noises around their doorless room.
Emerging from the shadows, Gajeel looked at them with a grave face. "Everything we discuss in this room stays in this room, ye hear, runts?"
"Loud and clear, metal face," Natsu coldy said, giving the Light Dragon Slayer beside him goose bumps.
"First, why is Laxus and Wendy not in here? And Cobra?" Rogue asked. "If this, as you said, is a secret mission for the dragon slayers, then we are lacking by three?"
"Idiot," Gajeel snapped at him. "Wendy is just a child, an' she talks to bunny girl. They talk rubbish. An' then bunny girl'll tell booze girl, an' booze girl'll tell Erza, an' then we're dead."
Hearing Erza's name, all four of them shivered and nodded together.
"Laxus is an artificial dragon slayer, he's not touched by Zeref's magic, making him not one of us, but really one of us," Natsu said.
"Dumbass, make up your mind," Gajeel seethed, slamming his hand in the table which immediately broke into half. "Tch. Am not payin' fer that. An' Cobra's on the run."
"So, to narrow it down, it all boils on us four," Sting said, pinky stuck in his ear, looking at his companions.
"We need to move. We don't know when they will exhume her," Rogue said quietly. "We can't just let something happen now that we know something's going on."
"But did we really made the right decision in keeping this from Gray? He needs to know. He has the right to know," Sting said testily, looking up at the dragon slayers from Fairy Tail.
"If there is someone who has every damn right to decide what and who need and don't need to know about Juvia, then that'll be damn me." Gajeel steely said, and all of them kept quiet. "I'm her fucking bestfriend, so deal with it,"
Yes, they know that. Sweet, loving Juvia. Best friend with Gajeel Redfox. Oh, the irony.
Pacing up and down, Gajeel added through gritted teeth, "I will not stop until I know why Juvia's scent have Zeref's scent on it. And that bastard will pay."