Broken Fairies

by EnergyMageFrea

Light Magic has won over Dark in the battle to decide the Balance of the world, but shadow has never settled so thickly over the Fairy Tail Guild as it has now, and that darkness does not seem to want to leave. Is it possible, after all the evil and the pain suffered, lived through and triumphed over by the Guild- that Fairy Tail has finally broken? {Fourth Story in Series!}

34. Chapter 34- Just One Good Day

Chapter 34

Just One Good Day

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

.:+:.

Huh...?

Moon's ear twitched, a low grumble escaping the she-cat as some fraction of the waking world started to worm it's way into her unconscious mind... And the first thing that filtered in was some obnoxiously bright amount of light behind her eyelids.

She blinked one eye open halfway, squinting at the influx of light immediately blinding her. She shut it quickly, grimacing to herself and rolling over onto her stomach slowly before trying to peek her eyes open again.

Warm sunlight was pouring in from under the curtains with a fervor- way too much for it to have been morning, and Moon blinked in surprise at it. She rolled over, finding the bed empty beside herself and lacking a certain Energy Dragon Slayer, and given the bed itself was cold to the touch where Frea would have been, she'd had to have gotten up awhile ago, while Moon was none the wiser... With that, and the way too bright light out the window, Moon realized when must have slept in.

She was a heavy sleeper naturally so it wouldn't have been a huge surprise if she had, but the fact that Frea hadn't bothered to wake her up had her curious. What time was it even? And where was-?

Moon faltered, her ears swiveling forward and perking when her attention caught a glimpse of silver-tipped blonde hair poking just passed the edge of the bed.

What...?

Moon pushed herself up onto her knees, shuffling forward to the end of the bed and peering down toward the floor, blinking several times in question, her head tilting.

Frea was sitting on the floor, her entire top half bent over, legs out straight and hands holding lightly around her ankles in a... Stretch...?

Moon blinked again and settled down to sit on her heels, her tail-tip twitching behind her.

Frea was bent forward so far her forehead nearly brushed her knees, and she didn't seem to be paying Moon any attention or even really be aware she was up. And Moon didn't say anything right away, her eyes instead scanned the blonde quickly, immediately taking note of the fact she wasn't wearing pajamas anymore. She'd switched them out for some black shorts and a thin long-sleeved shirt that was light blue in color, and that hung off her shoulders so loosely you could see the scar on her chest poking passed the fabric, as well as the scar between her shoulder-blades, the one running over the top of her left shoulder, and the spiral one on the right shoulder-blade all too. Frea hadn't any shoes on at that moment but she'd clearly gotten dressed- and taken a shower too, her hair was still damp, and pulled into a loose (and rather messy) bun.

It surprised Moon she was already up and more or less ready to go, though. And it surprised her more that Frea hadn't bothered to wake her up, especially when she cast a glance at the clock and found it almost near 11:30 now.

"What are you doing?" Moon asked, her eyes leaving the clock and finding Frea again, and at the question the Energy Dragon Slayer jumped slightly in surprise. Frea sat up slowly and out of the stretch, blinking once as she met Moon's eyes and she seemed to lag for a few heartbeats on registering the question, or the fact the Exceed was up at all, before she shook her head slightly and let out a sigh.

"Stretching." Frea replied and Moon wilted a little at the reply, smiling in faint amusement.

"Yeah I got that." The Exceed replied lightly with a shake of her head. "I meant; you're all dressed, and it's almost noon, so why you didn't you wake me up?" She elaborated slightly and Frea blinked.

"Oh, well... I'm not in a rush or anything, and you were pretty deeply asleep, so I didn't see a point in waking you." Frea replied, and Moon smiled a little at it.

"Hmm, well I appreciate it... I don't usually sleep in so much, so I must have kinda needed it." Moon hummed, and Frea nodded slightly. "Why are you stretching though? I thought today was gonna be a day off... You aren't planning on training or anything are you?" Moon asked next and Frea paused for a half a second, her eyes eyes flashing.

"No, I just... I kinda slept wrong." Frea mumbled slowly and Moon's head tilted at it. The Energy Dragon Slayer's eyes moved from her and she let out a small sigh, leaning back onto her hands as her eyes dropped closed wearily.

"I'm really stiff, and a little sore, so I was trying to work out the kinks." Frea explained lowly and Moon's expression softened slightly at it, blue eyes glittering.

Moon could imagine so, given how tense and on edge Frea had been the last three days without stop, since all the time spent with Juvia and around water- being a little sore was bound to happen... though it was a little sad all the same.

"I see." Moon murmured softly, "Well, I'm up now, so I can get ready. Did you want to go to the Guild?" She asked and Frea cast her a sideways glance, nodding slightly. Moon nodded back and started pushing herself to her feet with a stretch. "Alright. Have you eaten yet?" The she-cat asked next, and Frea seemed to hesitate a moment, before shaking her head. Moon nodded again and arched her back, a small series of pops following the movement as she let out a sigh, and Frea wilted a little at the sound, looking weary a moment.

Because in that moment, stupidly, Frea found herself envying it; the fact Moon could crack her back and so effortlessly-

"-Alright, then are you hungry? We could get something to eat at the Guild, or stop somewhere on the way." Moon went on, shaking herself out a little and her paws falling on her hips. "With everybody out on jobs this week Mira might not be around to cook anything. If she isn't I could probably whip something up, if you'd rather not go out for something in town." Moon told her and Frea nodded a little.

"Let's try the Guild first." Frea murmured, "I should pop in for at least a little, even if we don't eat there... Like you said, the Guild have probably been getting a little fidgety since we haven't shown up the last few days." She mumbled and Moon smiled at it.

"Alright, to the Guild first then."

.:+:.

"Wow, it's really nice out today!" Moon hummed brightly, smiling as she floated at Frea's shoulder while the two of them made their way through the familiar streets of Magnolia toward the Guild Hall- the sun shining strong overhead and the air warm and pleasant for it. There was a slight breeze winding it's way through the town, but there was scarce a cloud in the sky, and those that did hang overhead were all bright white and fluffy.

Frea cast Moon a glance from the side, the sunlight reflecting in her silver eyes and smiling faintly herself for the very much happy, at ease, and pleased emotions bouncing of Moon as she soaked in the sunlight.

"It hasn't been this warm in months!" Moon purred, and Frea nodded slightly.

"It's probably the last warm day we're gonna get before winter really sets in." Frea commented quietly and Moon let out a little breath, but nodded.

"You're probably right." Moon relented with ease, shrugging a little. "But might as well enjoy it while it lasts~!" She hummed, stretching her paws up above her and her head tilting back toward the sky, whiskers twitching as she let it bask her face, but kept floating forward at Frea's shoulder all the while. Frea smiled a little more at it, before glancing back ahead again and letting out a silent breath.

The weather was likely even nicer now after having spent three days of walking in the rain nonstop. Moon wasn't the biggest fan of rain, or being soaked for too long- though she hadn't complained or said a thing about it, since she'd wanted to be there for support more than her own comfort. Frea could feel the rain wearing on her patience though, and she was glad it was nice out now, for Moon's sake more than her own. Moon deserved a break too, after being so patient and watchful after all of this. She'd been worried about Frea a lot, just like the Guild, but more so since she understood more than most everyone did. Moon needed a chance to not worry for at least a little, and the weather being nice was a great addition to their 'day off'.

The Guild Hall rose into sight ahead of them, stark against the bright blue sky. Frea and Moon moved passed the gates into the courtyard without a word, a rumble of noise and voices reaching them before they'd even made it halfway up toward the door.

"Sounds busy today." Moon commented brightly and Frea nodded once,

"Yeah, most everybody is here actually." The Dragon Slayer commented, her eyes gleaming as the familiar Energy Signatures came into sharper focus as she turned her attention inward, the slightly dulled and muffled sense of them from the Dampening of the Limiter on her wrist lifting the instant she honed in.

And most everyone was there- Natsu, Gajeel, Lily, Levy, Erza, Lucy, Happy, Master- everyone. Hell, even Jynx and Mavis were there... Well, everyone was there minus Aisha and Chase, of course. They were still in Adgnei-

"-that's a great idea!" Lucy's voice filtered toward Moon and Frea just as they pushed the doors open and stepped inside, the blonde sounding quite excited... everyone actually sounded excited, come to think of it. And there was a wash of it, along with anticipation and energy dancing on the air too- all of those ramming into Frea with a fervor as soon as the door was even sort of the way open.

Moon and Frea blinked, looking confused as they stepped inside, their eyes falling on a large group of people standing in the center of the hall, all of them looking eager and some of them barely able to stay still. Both Moon and Frea went unnoticed by the whole of the group as they came in, and apart from a few solitary persons like Reedus and Nab standing on the edges, no one else really took note of them arriving either. They were all tuned into that group and whatever conversation was stirring such enthusiasm.

"Heck yeah, let's go!" Natsu called much too excitedly from where he was beside Lucy,

"Aye sir!" Happy trilled soon after,

"I'm down!" Gray smirked,

"Me too!" Levy added in,

Frea and Moon slowed to a halt a few paces behind the group, drawing up next to Mira and Lisanna who were back near the edges. They earned bright smiles from the two Take-Over Mages once they noticed the pair,

"Hello you two." Mira greeted them, Lisanna echoing a hello of her own.

"Hey." Moon replied with a small smile, and Frea nodded a bit in her own silent response.

"What's going on?" The Energy Dragon Slayer asked, her head tilting toward the group of excited people.

"Erza suggested the Guild have a day out, since the weather's so nice." Mirajane replied with ease, and both Moon and Frea blinked in tandem at the news.

"A day out-?" Frea mumbled reflexively, but she got cut off by a rather loud voice soon after.

"Yeah!" Natsu nearly yelled, the pinkette quickly catching notice of both Moon and Frea now and jumping toward them with way too much energy and vigor. His movement and attention was quickly mimicked by the rest of the group, all smiles and anticipation as people began to shift and look their way, bursting at the seams and ready to head off... minus Juvia, who nearly jumped out of her skin when she caught sight of Frea there. The bluenette started to sweat up a storm as everyone pushed passed her to crowd in front of the Energy Dragon Slayer, and even the Thunder Legion- who had been back by the bar and listening in quietly- they seemed to grow anxious too... Not that anyone noticed it, and Frea certainly didn't either.

Her attention had landed on Natsu backed by Lucy, Levy, Gray and Erza as they pressed in closer and stopped right in front of her. The Energy Dragon Slayer quirked a brow, still a little lost and not at all caught up with the conversation.

"We're gonna have a Beach Day!" Natsu announced, the words earning excited nods from those around him- but both Frea and Moon's faces fell flat in nearly an instant.

"You guys should come with us!" Lucy beamed,

"We're gonna have lots of fun- I'm gonna kick everybody's asses at Volleyball!" Natsu smirked,

"Like hell you are Flame-Brain!" Gray, and even Gajeel a little bit behind shot back instantly.

"The beach is gonna be so nice with it so sunny out, and the ocean might not be too cold yet!" Levy piped in happily,

"I'm really excited, we haven't gotten to hang out and have fun for awhile...!" Wendy hummed, clapping her hands together softly.

"It would be nice to take a day off and enjoy ourselves." Carla commented, Lily nodding firmly in agreement beside her.

"I do think it will be quite a wonderful outing." Erza smiled coolly,

"Beach day! We can catch lots of yummy fish~!" Happy purred in a sing-song voice.

Moon's eyes flicked quickly toward Frea on her right, blue eyes glittering and her heart doing a nose-dive into the pits of her stomach. Juvia's eyes had locked to Frea too, as had the Thunder Legion's, and though there was nothing about the Energy Dragon Slayer's face or posture that gave away even a hint of discomfort- they could see it in her eyes, ever so faintly, and they held their breath.

Frea only sort of heard what everyone said, all their excitement and anticipation for the outing ringing on her ears, but muffled. And the only thing that wasn't muffled was Natsu's initial comment, which echoed on her ears over and over;

Beach Day

She froze and she didn't mean to, everyone's eager emotions and bright attitudes not making a dent on just how jarring the words 'Beach Day' were right then.

Beach Day- the Beach.

Down by the ocean, down by the water.

She couldn't-

"Oi, not happening."

Frea sucked in a startled breath of air, a flash of yellow flitting passed her from the corner of her eye before someone's hand came down firmly around her wrist, tugging her back without warning. She stumbled slightly, mind whirling and struggling to catch up with the fact she'd gotten jerked back- and then struggling some more when someone's arm wrapped around her torso and lifted her up into the air with absolute ease. She sputtered slightly, a dull ache running across her ribs and through her stiff muscles as she got thrown over a broad shoulder and pinned in place with that hand on her back now. Then whoever had her in their grasp now started walking toward the front doors of the Guild without pause- and she was still reeling.

"W-What the fuck...!?" Frea hissed quickly, her head whirling around and immediately squirming in the hold, but he just curled his arm tighter about her torso, and she couldn't get loose. She caught sight of spiky blonde hair as she strained to push herself up and look around, her neck aching a tad more for the extreme angle. He'd thrown her over his shoulder so her nose bumped his back, and for it she could see everyone else in that group still standing in their spaces even as he walked away, and took her with him.

"Don't even think about it. You're supposed to be working with me today, and I ain't letting you ditch me woman." Laxus grumbled lowly, not bothering to catch her eye and still walking without a pause nor a care to her rather fruitless squirming- though his eye did twitch a little at the loudness of her voice in his ear.

Frea stiffened at the words though, her eyes narrowing to slits and instantly all the more confused.

Because what the hell did he mean? They weren't supposed to be wor-

Frea faltered, the thought breaking off as soon as it came while her heart skipped a beat when it hit her what he was doing, and she swallowed hard, silver eyes flashing.

Laxus let out a low sigh when her fidgeting and squirming broke off rather abruptly, and he could feel the tension in her body under his hold amp up a little too. She grimaced, looking a little frustrated now and not altogether pleased- but at least she wasn't fighting.

Laxus shook his head once and waved his free hand over his shoulder nonchalantly, aiming it toward the rest of the Guild who were rather stunned and standing in the places they had been, reeling themselves for the rather sudden and entirely unexpected intervention. It all happened so fast, one second they were all talking and raring to go- and then Frea was gone from in front of them, and more or less tossed haphazardly over Laxus shoulder without warning. And more shocking still he walked away, effectively snatching her out from underneath everyone else who had been talking to her.

It was a seriously not normal thing for Laxus to do, like at all. And Frea, though she did seem a little less than pleased to start with- she was letting it happen.

Laxus was strong as hell, but this was Frea. If she really wanted to be let down she could have forced it, but she stopped squirming almost right away. And though she did look a little frustrated, she still didn't protest any further, and the Guild was stunned into stillness for it.

Because what...?!

"You idiots have fun messing around. We have shit to do." Laxus called flatly over his shoulder as he waved his hand back that once.

The front door shut behind Laxus and Frea with a heavy thump, both Dragon Slayers lost from sight and the Guild still frozen in place, staring at the door and dumbstruck.

"... eh... what the hell just happened...?" Natsu mumbled after a moment, the question clearly echoed in many other people's faces, though they didn't ask it out loud.

Moon smiled sadly, her ears dropping slightly as she let her eyes stay stuck on the door for a few seconds more, while her heart lifted and twisted all at once. The feeling was echoed in the Thunder Legion, and Juvia too, the last four smiling faintly and wearily to themselves at the quick intervention on Laxus' part- and the rather needed one.

"Heh, well shit." Cana smirked, tipping a cup up to her lips but pausing for a second as she shot Mirajane and Erza beside her a look, "Guess you guys were on to something, huh?" The brunette chuckled lowly toward the pair, and both S-Class women smiled coolly in reply to it, but otherwise said nothing.

"Oooooh yeah~" Bixlow chimed in, sticking his tongue out and popping up beside Cana without warning. Cana jumped a little at the sudden appearance, but smirked a little more at the comment and chuckled too, Bixlow's Tiki Dolls circling them and chanting a similar 'yeah~!'.

"Bet you guys pegged them awhile ago, huh?" Cana asked slyly, and Bixlow stuck his tongue out, grinning wider.

"Yep~!"

"Very interesting." Loke smirked, the lion Spirit's eyes glinting as he shot the door a smirk, and Solana beside him snickered a little under her breath.

"Eh? Whatcha mean? On to what? What's interesting?" Natsu asked quickly with a very lost look aimed toward Erza, Mira, Cana, Loke, Solana and Bixlow all. But they all just smiled and kept their mouths shut, which made Natsu all the more confused.

Master Makarov sitting at the bar let out a soft breath, eyes gleaming as he looked slowly from the exchange in the center of the hall and back toward the front doors, smiling faintly to himself.

He was surprised of course, but only a little, given all that had gone on and he'd seen while in Adgnei. And more than the surprise, the Old Man found himself both amused and glad- his heart feeling like it lightened and warmed faintly all at once.

Heh, those two brats really have changed.

.:+:.

Frea let out a low grumble, frowning to herself and glaring half-hearted daggers down at the ground as Laxus kept walking steadily away from the Guild Hall and out the front gates toward the street- all with her still slung over his shoulder, and making no move to let her go.

She tuned out the Guild Hall and everyone in it, her attention steering far away from the emotion coming from them all and for a moment just honing in on everything else; the still persistent hints of unease that had rammed into her at the idea of going along with the outing to the beach, her own reaction to it, her freezing, Laxus snatching her up, coming up with an excuse... How annoyed and frustrated she was with herself for freezing at all, and needing to have him come up with a story to get her away. Because he knew full well a Beach Day was nowhere near being within the realm of something she'd be able to handle, and she hated it.

Laxus turned right after passing the front gate and she lost sight of the Guild Hall behind the stone wall of the perimeter, and still he said nothing or stopped walking. Frea let it be for a few moments more... All the way until her back, stomach, ribs, and neck all began to ache even more terribly than they already were with the awkward position, and she huffed.

"... Please put me down." Frea muttered softly and Laxus blinked in surprise at the fact she'd said 'please', as well as just how tired and totally not in the mood she sounded. He drew to a halt and titled his head back, but Frea was still staring at the ground and didn't catch his eyes- so he hesitated half a second, before letting out a huff and bending forward, his grip on her loosening to let her slide off his shoulder so her feet could touch back down on the ground. Frea stepped back from him, sighing heavily as she crossed her arms over her chest, and she shook her head once, shooting him a weary stare. "You didn't have to throw me over your shoulder, ya know." She grumbled a touch haughtily, and he blinked once, expression neutral.

"It was the quickest way to get you out of the Guild, and snap you out of it." Laxus replied evenly, "Would you rather I have left you be?" He asked lowly and she stiffened at it, the little bit of annoyance toward him faltering as she dropped her eyes to the ground.

"... No..." Frea mumbled at length, her eyes falling closed and her arms over her chest tightening a little. "... I don't think I could have come up with a reason not to go, or... Just..." She muttered lowly, before shaking her head stiffly at herself.

Damn it

"Thank you, for doing that." She mumbled quietly, "I honestly wasn't expecting to show up and the Guild to be doing a 'Beach Day'... And I didn't mean to freeze... But... I couldn't help it." Frea muttered lowly and Laxus bit the inside of his cheek at it. She swallowed hard, shaking her head one more time at herself before glancing up slowly, her eyes flashing as they matched with his. "So thank you, really." Frea told him softly and Laxus seemed to wilt a little, before nodding faintly.

Frea let out a little breath and unhooked her arms from about her chest, casting a glance back toward the town as she set her hands on her hips instead. "... Well, now that we have to avoid the Guild, that means I can't eat there like I planned to..." Frea mumbled, changing gears without warning and letting out a weary sigh. "... So I guess food from somewhere in town is the next bet." She said nearly all to herself, before glancing back toward him and offering up a small smile. "And since you won't let me 'ditch you', do you wanna come with?" She asked softly, and he blinked just once. "Lunch will be on me, if you do." She added, and he shook his head slightly, waving a hand at her in a gesture for her to start walking.

"Yeah sure, why not." Laxus hummed, taking a step forward and Frea turning in tandem with them so they could start walking. "Might as well if you're gonna pay." He relented, and Frea smirked faintly.

"Good to know you can be bribed by food." She commented, and he huffed.

"You're one to talk." He shot back without skipping a beat and she let out a low chuckle at it.

Frea let out a quiet sigh as they started off, eyes ahead and dropping halfway as she fell into a comfortable rhythm- aware of Laxus close by even as she let her attention move off him. They fell into something of a content silence as they made their way through the town, Frea a step and a half ahead of Laxus as she wound her way through the streets with ease toward wherever she intended to take them both for food. He didn't ask where they were going since he wasn't all that interested in it, and he wasn't really interested in the food either, though he could eat. And even if he hadn't been hungry at all it still wouldn't have mattered, he would have gone regardless.

It didn't take long of walking through the streets to reach their destination, Frea slowing up slightly as a little cafe came into sight ahead of them. She lead the way into the small patio attached and they sat down at one of the tables pushed up against a low stone wall and in the shade of a tree. A quick order of food later and drinks set down on the tabletop between them, the two Dragon Slayers remained quiet as they were left alone by the server to await their food. Frea's eyes fell on her iced tea, a silent breath escaping her as she linked her hands around the glass and pulled it closer to her, though she didn't move to take a drink of it... She actually ended up staring at it for quiet a while in sheer silence, and Laxus quirked a brow at, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Oi." He grumbled after a few too many minutes of it, and Frea jumped slightly, blinking once and looking up at him in question.

"... Hmmm...?"

"You're staring." He deadpanned quietly and she blinked again, smiling nervously for a moment and straightening up a little from having been starting to slouch.

"Ah, am I...?" She mumbled, shaking herself out slightly and unlinking her hands from around the drink. "Sorry, I kinda... Zoned out I guess." She apologized quickly and Laxus' brow quirked a little more, his lips a thin line and watching her closely. Frea paused slightly under the look, the quick smile she'd offered up wavering nearly as soon as it came, and she bit the inside of her cheek, silver eyes darting to the side and sighing heavily. "... Sorry..." She apologized again, and more softly this time around.

Laxus grit his teeth faintly for it, annoyance flaring slightly for the completely unnecessary apology, but Frea didn't linger long on it and looked up again-

"... Ah, you didn't ask me something, did you?" She asked slowly, and he quirked a brow further at it, looking a little wary for half a second, before shaking his head once.

"No." He mumbled flatly and she nodded slightly, looking a little relieved that she hadn't actually failed to answer when possibly spoken to. Laxus bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes narrowing to slits and grumbling silently to himself for a moment as he watched her shake herself out a bit, silver eyes trailing back up toward him slowly and a little unsure still- more so for the prickling sense of unease and hesitation she felt coming from him all of a sudden.

"Is something wrong..?" She asked slowly and Laxus grumbled at it, looking away quickly and sighing.

"No." He grumbled again and Frea blinked at it, but he just shook his head once and settled her with a level stare. "It's nothing, just leave it be for now." He told her flatly and she looked ready to argue it- but the smell of food wafting on air and the movement of the server coming up to the table diverted both their attentions briefly. The young man set the plates down and Frea mumbled a small thanks while Laxus simply gave a nod, and when the Energy Dragon Slayer cast Laxus a look he shook his head again, and waved a hand at the plate in front of her. "Leave it and eat your food." He ordered lowly and she paused, chewing the insides of her cheeks for a moment, before nodding slightly.

"... fine..."

For a little they didn't talk again and just ate, the both of them taking their time and quiet through it- though Laxus finished all of his food much more quickly than Frea regardless of 'taking their time'. And that was mostly owed to the fact that she was sort of picking at her food, and almost seemed rather disinterested in it, actually. She did eat some, but little more than half before her picking became mindless and she made no move to eat anymore, her hands pulling back from the plate altogether- Laxus grimaced faintly for it. He forced a sigh and shook his head once, eyes flashing as he leaned in and his elbows set down on the table, arms crossed and head tilting subtly while Frea's hands came up slowly and found the back of her neck, and not for the first time.

Frea frowned faintly to herself for the ache running down her spine, through her shoulders, and just about everywhere else- completely oblivious to Laxus leaning in or with his eyes on her. It all got swallowed up again in how tightly wound she was, and how achy she felt for it. Getting tossed over Laxus' shoulder hadn't done anything but make the ache a little worse, and it was slow to taper off to the level it had been before all that, to now... You know, the same level of all wound up way too tightly, tense as hell with no way to unwind, and every part of her just one giant, painful, aching fucking knot-

"Is it helping?" Laxus asked slowly, quietly so and out of nowhere, causing Frea to stiffen slightly for the question, faltering for a second and glancing up warily.

"... What?" She mumbled,

"Being around Juvia." Laxus elaborated evenly, and Frea frowned faintly for it- because of course that's what he was asking about... Hell, she was surprised he'd waited all the way until just then to ask it. Because it should have been the very first thing that had been brought up, but he'd let it be until just then, and still she instantly tensed all the more for it. Her eyes darted away from him and her hands resting on the table moved, curling tightly around each other.

She knew he'd ask eventually, or it'd be brought up, or rounded around to in some way- she knew that... But hell if her stomach didn't immediately twist and churn around with the food she'd just eaten, and she swallowed hard against it. She grit her teeth, her hands holding tighter around one another and eyes stuck on them and not him.

Laxus heard her let out a small grumble, low and slightly shaky, while her the grip of her hands tightened so much her knuckles turned white. He grimaced a little for it, his eyes flashing in the shadow provided by the tree above them, and his heart twisted a little when her voice reached him after a moment- quiet, tense, and almost too low to hear at all.

"... I don't know..." Frea mumbled lowly, swallowing hard again and shaking her head at herself stiffly. Her shoulders hunched slightly and she sighed heavily, "... I don't... A little maybe...? I think...?" She grumbled, shaking her head again. Frea growled under her breath, her hands unlinking and her posture deflating some more, her hands hooking behind her neck and her head tilting down so far he couldn't see her face anymore. "... damn it... I just... I can't really tell if it's doing anything... helping, or not helping... or even... maybe making it a little worse..." She admitted tensely and he bit the inside of his cheek faintly for it, his expression twisting faintly as she seemed to fold in a little on herself.

"... I just... I don't know..."

Laxus grit his teeth a little, grinding his fangs pensively as he watched her for a moment or two. With her bent over, her hold on her neck rigid, tense as all hell and absolutely aching... And some part of him ached a little too, to be able to see it so clearly just how much was hanging over her head and locked up inside, weighing her down, tearing her apart and suffocating her. He'd been able to see it more and more clearly so often now, and more than he ever had- those walls she'd put up for everyone else slowly crumbling around him and letting him see it all. But this was too easy to see right in that moment, and his stomach knotted a bit for what that meant.

He probably shouldn't have asked about it, and he hadn't planned to bring it up at all. He'd figured it would do little good to ask about it, and might just make her all the more uneasy- if her freezing earlier had been any indication. So he'd avoided pressing about it, or bringing it up at all.

But he had to ask, if only to just to get a better gauge of how lightly he ought to tread... And that answer, and that reaction, was more than enough. He almost hated he'd asked, but again, he had to. Ignoring it and brushing past it would be too much like what he used to do and act like with her. He couldn't go back to ignoring things, letting them go, or anything of the like.

Laxus forced himself a silent sigh and shook his head, shaking loose the thoughts and focusing in on the Energy Dragon Slayer across the table from him.

"You don't have to know. If you can't tell if it's helping or not, that's fine. You've only been at it for three days." He rumbled quietly and at length. "It ain't a race, you can't expect it to fix anything right off, or work right away either. You gotta take it slow, and give it time... I already told you not to push it too hard, remember?" He mumbled, and Frea glanced up slowly, her eyes glinting faintly. Laxus shook his head once and let out a small sigh, Frea blinking slowly as he leaned back a bit in his chair and crossed his arms about his chest.

"I ain't gonna ask any more about it, and you don't have to talk about it either. In fact it'd be better you don't, not for today." He went on levelly, and slightly changed gears too. "Do yourself a favor and listen to me for once. Give it a break, leave it be, and stop brooding about it- you're just gonna work yourself up more than you need to. And that sure as hell isn't gonna help anything." He murmured lowly, and Frea blinked once more, her eyes falling for a second.

"I'll try." She replied softly after a few heartbeats of nothing. "I don't know if I can stop 'brooding'... It's easier said than done, but... I will try and listen to your plan." She relented softly and he nodded once.

"Good." He murmured flatly, and she smiled faintly in amusement for the rather matter-of-fact tone that squirmed its way into the otherwise level tone of his voice for just a second.

Frea let out a sigh and unhooked her hands from behind her neck slowly, grumbling faintly under her breath as she did her best to shake herself out a bit and relieve some of the extra tension that had flared- but of course she couldn't get rid of it, and her body ached a little more for just trying. She grumbled quietly again but let it be, straightening up and shaking her head once before glancing back up toward him.

"Well, we have the whole rest of the day, and since I'm not supposed to be brooding, and we're supposed to be 'working'... what do we do now?" She asked lightly and Laxus blinked once, his head tilting ever so faintly to the question. Frea smiled faintly, leaning forward on her elbows and her chin meeting the back of her hands, silver eyes reflecting bits of spotted sunshine breaking through the leaves overhead... Laxus let out a single, silent breath at it, his shoulders sinking slightly and his expression softening ever so faintly as she cast him that small, tired smile of hers- where some amount of all that tension from moments before was replaced with some sort of at ease in near no time at all. The same thing she managed to do without fail, always.

"Any ideas?"

.:+:.

"... Hey, isn't that Laxus Dreyar?"

"Oh...! The Fairy Tail Wizard who defeated Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints..?!"

"Yeah..! That's totally him, right...!?"

"Yes..! But... who is he with?"

"... Hmm...? She looks kinda familiar, but I dunno why...?"

"Yeah... oh! She's got a Fairy Tail symbol on her shoulder, so she's part of the same Guild, yeah? Maybe that's why she's familiar?"

"Maybe... but what are they doing?"

"It... kinda looks like they're just walking?"

"..! Oh my gosh, are they on a date?!"

Laxus grit his teeth slightly for the voices of two women standing away at the other side of the street, both of them muttering to themselves in hushed voices- but of course he heard them easily enough, and more so for the rather high-pitched and only sort of hushed squeals they let loose after that last conjecture. His hands balled slightly into fists where they were in his pants pockets, huffing faintly under his breath and tuning them out entirely, his attention falling on Frea a step ahead of him instead, the Energy Dragon Slayer walking slowly and totally at ease... if she heard anything from the two women gawking she didn't react, and it seemed more likely she didn't hear it at all.

"You know, walking around town seems sort of like a boring choice." Frea commented after a few heartbeats, glancing back at him and smirking slightly. Laxus blinked, settling her with a flat stare and huffing.

"Are you seriously complaining?" He deadpanned and she chuckled once, shaking her head and looking forward again.

"No, I'm not complaining." She murmured lightly, "I was just wondering if you're sure you don't wanna brawl, or go on an actual job, or do something a little more exciting instead?" She hummed, shrugging slightly as she did it- but the motion broke off about halfway, hitching almost- which made his eyes narrow, but Frea kept going;

"I just don't wanna do something that's gonna bore you. Especially if you only suggested a walk for my sake." She told him softly with a small, stiff shake of her head. "This is nice, actually... But I'd rather we do something you'd enjoy too, not just me." She murmured, glancing back over her shoulder slightly again to catch his eye. Laxus bit the inside of his cheek a little, holding the look for a second before sighing, and shaking his head once.

"I ain't bored." He told her levelly, quickening his pace slightly to be level with her and one hand lifting out of his pocket. His hand came down on her head and forced her to look ahead again, ruffling her hair a bit as he did it and let go again. "I wouldn't have suggested this if I wasn't fine doing it, so don't worry about that." He mumbled, and Frea blinked, her eyes still on him from the side and quiet... before her lips twitched in a small smile and she nodded once.

"Heh... softie." She murmured lowly, and Laxus stiffened at it, his eye twitching faintly and lips a thin line.

"Shut up." He shot back lowly and she chuckled at it, but let it be.

They kept going, shoulder to shoulder and quiet again as they had been since laving the cafe behind... and it was content that way. That same content that had found a place between the two of them before either knew it was there.

It was nice, she had meant it when she said so, and that content and quite was sorely needed. Hell, her mind even began to wander after awhile and empty- growing less broody, less worked up, and just enjoying the sounds of the town around them, as well as the constant sensation of him beside her, his scent, and the feel of his Energy Signature. A little bit of the weight of everything else got a little less heavy the more they kept going, and the more her attention was allowed to dribble away and get swallowed up in that near peaceful sensation brought from just... Walking together, not talking, and not having to. It was an air of total at ease between them that was so foreign, and so familiar as of late.

Frea's eyes dropped closed eventually and she relied more on her nose and ears to tell her where to go, instead of actually looking. She even stepped half a centimeter closer toward Laxus at her shoulder, and her sort of divided attention honed in on him more- to stay level with him, and let him guide their walking too, so she didn't have to think about it too much.

Laxus shot her a look when she did it, saying nothing to the fact she wasn't looking where they were going anymore and just letting them stay in that peaceful quiet. He didn't care much she'd seemed to sort of fade off into her own head again, and he didn't mind she slowed up in her walking a little subconsciously either. He kept pace and kept close, watchful in case she accidentally faded off into her own head too much she might trip or something- but he never said a word all the while. It was fine they were being quiet and not saying anything, and he didn't see a reason to break the silence either. She seemed more at ease now with their walking than she had since snatching her out of the Guild, and he wasn't going to disrupt the peace and quiet.

He'd wanted her to quit brooding and relax, right? And this seemed to be working toward making that happen, so he wouldn't throw a wrench in unless absolutely necessary.

Neither Laxus nor Frea were altogether sure just how long they ended up walking, weaving their way slowly through Magnolia's familiar streets, and all while carefully avoiding any path that would take them too close to the ocean-side of town, or the canals running through. They kept going, not caring much for the time or length spent doing it, and eventually it did end up leading to a small fraction of the tension and unease hounding Frea letting up... But of course even that small smidge of it going away just let more of the ache and soreness in, as well as the exhaustion.

Frea grimaced, grumbling silently under her breath and hands moving up to hook behind her neck, gritting her teeth against the more vibrant flare of an ache that came to life under the little bit of contact, and prickled all the way through the rest of her taught muscles and down her spine. Everything hurt, and was throbbing more and more as she unwound even the little- any amount of moving her neck and shoulders was just unpleasant, and had an even more unpleasant sensation like her muscles might snap if she moved too far one way or another.

... Oww...

With the more sore and achy she felt, came there being even less energy for her deal with it... She'd been dealing with it for days, and not sleeping well because of it- which only made dealing with it still now all the worse.

... Tch... This sucks, even with me relaxing just a little, I still feel like-

"-Oi, I said stop for a minute."

Frea drew up rather abruptly, her thoughts snapping back to reality and the present at the sudden order... But more so she came to a deadhalt for the fact that a hand had come down on her arm and pulled back, firm and steady as it kept her from taking another step forward. She blinked slowly, glancing to the side and back, her eyes landing on Laxus- who of which it was his hand on her arm stopping her- and he looked... Wary..?

"... What...? Why?" Was all Frea managed to mumble, and rather lamely at that as her mind struggled to make sense of why he'd stopped her at all, and what the shift in mood was for. Laxus on the other hand looked a little more wary with the reply, the blonde gritting his teeth slightly and stepping up to be directly in front of her, his hold on her arm not letting up for even a second. His other hand lift and the back of it came down against her forehead, the blonde still frowning as he did it and Frea confused for a second more at it.

What is he...?

"Are you feeling okay?" Laxus asked lowly, his hand pulling back from her head slowly and she blinked in surprise at the question.

"... Hmm? Yeah I'm fine, I'm not sick or anything." She replied quickly, but he looked little convinced with it.

"You sure?" He deadpanned slightly, "You hardly ate any of your food earlier, and you keep getting lost in your own head... at least way more than you usually do." He grumbled, "And I can tell you're not moving right, like you're sore." He added flatly, and Frea bit the inside of her cheek slightly, a heavy sigh escaping her.

"... mm... I am fine... mostly." She replied wearily, "I'm just... tense and wound up, so my whole body is like a giant freakin' knot and I can't get it to unwind at all- so I am sore, yeah. My neck is killing me... and my shoulders..." She sighed, shaking her head slightly only to break off in the movement when a prick of pain ran down from her neck and all through her spine for it. "... tch... but it's just that. I'm sore, and it sucks, but it's not anything to worry about." She finished slowly and his eyes narrowed faintly.

"And that explains you not eating, or zoning out...?" He asked slowly and she frowned a bit, looking away from him almost indignantly.

"I wasn't super hungry to begin with... perks of being all tightly wound up and in a giant knot means my stomach is mostly the same way too." She grumbled, and upon sensing the still unconvinced look she earned from him, though she didn't see it, she huffed. "And I'm tired too... I haven't slept all that great the last couple of days, okay...?" She muttered, a little annoyed now and Laxus blinked once, a silent breath escaping him.

"You could have just said that to begin with, dumbass." He mumbled lowly, and Frea stiffened slightly, her silver eyes shifting back toward him warily and a little more annoyed with the name. Laxus shook his head once with a sigh, tugging gently on her arm where he'd yet to let her go, and pulling her along with him slowly as he started walking again. "Come on." He mumbled, his hold on her arm slackening a little once she instinctively started to follow, though she was still rather lagging, and not super pleased with the questioning or whatever else.

".. Where the hell are we going..?" She mumbled,

"My place." He replied flatly, and Frea blinked, her eyes narrowing and all the more confused-

"-Why..?" She asked quickly,

"We're quitting with the walking." Was another flat, and entirely not helpful reply. Frea frowned, agitation still flaring in her core and getting a little worse now, so she stopped walking- which halted him too, since he'd not let go just yet- but her coming to a stop managed to pull her arm from his grip, and he sighed. "You are stubborn as hell, you know that?" Laxus muttered as he turned slightly to look back her way, and she just shot him a small glare in return.

"You're one to talk." Frea muttered back without missing a beat, "All you have to do is answer the question, it isn't hard." She grumbled and he paused, his shoulders sinking with a heavy sigh and looking weary now.

"You're tired, and sore, so walking around all day isn't gonna help anything." Laxus muttered quietly in reply, "We're gonna give it a rest and take a break, and since we're avoiding the Guild, and I can't get into Fairy Hills- we're going to my place." He told her rather point of fact, and Frea paused, a little of her agitation subsiding for a moment. Laxus shook his head once, the hand that had been holding on to her arm falling with the other into his pants pockets. He tilted his head up the street, motioning for her to follow him again, aqua blue eyes glittering and so very, very calm.

"Trust me and just come with, alright?" He murmured and Frea faltered, her eyes widening ever so slightly for the request- trust me

She swallowed, taking a step forward to be level with him again, silver eyes flashing as they reflected the warm sunlight overhead as she nodded once, and slowly.

"Alright."

.:+:.

Frea stepped inside the doorway slowly, directed ahead of Laxus behind her to head in first and enter the silent house. She stopped not far from the doorway, looking over the living room just ahead and quiet in her space while Laxus shut the door and came in himself. Daylight spilled in over the room from the windows and glass doors directly across from her and on the other side of the living room itself, her shadow casting behind her as she gave it all a quick once-over in mild interest. After all, she'd not paid much mind to it the first time she'd been here... you know, once she was conscious and alert.

"Sit down." Laxus ordered softly with a wave of his hand toward the same section of the couch. Frea hesitated half a second at it, but slowly made her way over and sat down stiffly, watching him from the corner of his eye as he walked passed where she was and shrugged his jacket off his shoulders, draping it over the back of the couch and headed for the kitchen. "Do you want some tea? Or would you prefer water?" He asked without looking back, and she hesitated half a second in surprise, before finding her voice again.

"... Ah, tea's good..." Frea mumbled slowly, and Laxus nodded, still never glancing back as he pulled a kettle out and got in on the tea making... which was kinda odd to see him doing, honestly. Especially considering she'd never really seen him do anything other than fight, or hang around the Guild, or when being out on a job. She'd never even seen him in a kitchen before, or cooking, or making tea- there had just never been a time for it, or a reason to be around while it happened before now. Naturally so, since they'd never really spent much time together just for fun, or had even been in a good enough place to enjoy one another's company and not start fighting. Them managing to be content with one another was still a new thing, and the spending time together much the same... Hell, this was only the second time she'd ever actually been in his house, and the first time had only come because she'd passed out and was about to go into shock.

Frea wilted slightly at the thought, her eyes flashing and chewing on the insides of her cheeks when she realized that... well- most, if not all of the time they spent around one another the last few months had been wrapped up in hurt, worry, fighting, fear, and all manner of terribly awful things.

From what happened with Mordren, to recovering from it, breaking down and then to what happened after Era, Adgnei too- and before then even, with all that awful that had gone on with DeathBolt. All of the time they'd been in one another's company had been consumed with nothing but her being hurt, breaking down, collapsing, fighting for her life, or being whisked away and nearly dying. Or on the other hand, with Laxus being the one hurt and nearly losing his life too, like with what had happened with Ivan.

With all of it, every one thing after another, and with nearly no time to breathe or think in between- they'd been together, and talking, and everything else more than they ever had in their whole lives... and yet so much of that was only born from something bad, and having to contend with whatever danger or awful thing had happened, or was happening.

The only time for so long that had been calm and without any pressing, urgent danger, or worry over how the other was or how hurt they were- the only time it hadn't been about bad had been all the way back at the Rainbow Sakura Festival. And that felt like a lifetime ago now, and not the few months it had been.

Frea's eyes dropped from Laxus for a moment, her attention landing on her hands in her lap and twirling the ring on her thumb slowly once or twice.

Today was the first time since then that they'd just been around one another for no reason other than to spend time together... but even this had only started since she'd frozen when confronted about 'Beach Day'.

It wasn't a pleasant thing- that realization that whatever had come into being between the two of them was started by so much bad- but even then, she couldn't complain much. Even with all of that, she couldn't ever be unhappy that things between them had become like... this.

Just being able to be together, calm, not fighting, and even content- minus all the bad. To a point where he was being so nice, and patient as all hell. Him being the one person she'd ever come to a point of being able to share so many things with, to being able to lean on him when things were so hard and she hadn't the energy or will to think she could keep going. To be able to go to eat, walk around town and be happy just doing that... and trusting him, wanting to prove him right and really believe he was right about all of it. About her.

Things were drastically different now between them than all that time ago, in so many ways- and now forever different after all of that had happened before, and till now. And even if the change came riding in on the back of so many bad and horrible things, this... this is nice.

A nice different, a nice change, and one she still wasn't sure what would have happened, or what she would do if it hadn't gotten to be like this. If he wasn't doing what he was, being there, and being so... patient, attentive, helpful... And much kinder and more loyal than she probably deserved, after all the goddamn trouble she was causing him and everyone else- without all of that, she just... didn't know.

Honestly I don't know what I'd do without him, and everything he's been doing... I'd definitely be dead, without him... and him giving up his Chance... but everything else after that...

... all of that... it's all been worth just as much... maybe even more...

Frea's eyes flashed, glittering as she sighed, shaking her head at herself and glancing back up toward him slowly. She leaned forward, crossing her arms atop the back of the couch and settling her head in them, watching Laxus quietly as he moved about the kitchen and continued what he was doing. She let out a quiet breath, silver eyes gleaming as she watched in silence for a few minutes more- until she smiled faintly to herself, and shook her head once.

"Do you cook?" She asked lightly, shattering the silence rather abruptly and Laxus stiffened slightly, glancing back over his shoulder toward her and stalling in pulling some cups down from a cabinet. He quirked a brow, blinking once,

"What the hell kind of a question is that?" He grumbled, and she smiled a little more at it.

"It's just a question, and a simple one." She replied lightly and he paused a second or two more, looking wary.

"Why are you asking?" He elaborated slowly, and she shrugged a little.

"Just making simple conversation." She murmured, "And I was just wondering, really. You have a whole kitchen, so I have to assume you use it... but I'm having a hard time imagining it." She hummed, and he narrowed his eyes at that, while she smirked faintly. "I actually sort of imagine that Freed probably does all the cooking when you and the Thunder Legion go out on jobs, you know?" She commented and Laxus huffed a little under his breath, turning his head and finishing pulling the cups out and setting them on the counter.

"Hmph... I can cook." The blonde replied flatly.

"... Sooo Freed doesn't do all the cooking then?" She asked, and his shoulders hunched faintly, a little flare of annoyance reaching her and she smirked a little more.

"... He usually cooks when we're out. But I can cook." He grumbled lowly, and she chuckled softly under her breath.

"If you say so." She hummed and he grit his teeth, filling the cups up from the now steaming kettle and turning her way, looking a touch annoyed as he gave her a pointed look.

"Can you cook?" Laxus countered lowly, and Frea stiffened at the question, her smile disappearing a little as she buried her chin further behind her arms. He noticed it immediately, shaking his head once as he started to move out of the kitchen and toward where she was, cups in hand. "I assume Moon does all the cooking since she jumped into making the food when everybody invited themselves in last time. So before Moon, did you make all your own food?" He asked flatly, Frea's eyes shifting away from him and grumbling a little under her breath.

"... no..." She mumbled softly and Laxus smirked faintly for the rather disgruntled reply,

"That's what I thought. You can't cook for shit, can you?" He said in a matter-of-fact tone, and she shot him a small glare, her cheeks puffing up slightly in agitation, but he only smirked more for the look.

Laxus stopped in front of her, one hand holding a cup out for her and she gave it a small look, glancing between it and him warily as he let out an amused breath. She just grit her teeth more for the sound though, huffing while he chuckled once, and then inched the cup forward half an inch more toward her. "Don't be stubborn, take it." He murmured evenly and Frea hesitated, stubborn still for a second or two, before forcing an exasperated sigh and doing as he said. She took the cup from him and pushed herself away from leaning into the back of the couch, grumbling a few things under her breath Laxus couldn't quite make out- but he was still smirking faintly to himself as he made his way around the couch and to the other side.

Frea leaned back against the couch haughtily, holding the cup in both hands and against her chest as Laxus made his way to her side and settled into sitting not far down the couch to her right. She didn't look at him though, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, and she knew he was still smirking, which just made her grit her teeth and grow all the more annoyed with how quickly he'd turned her teasing back around on her.

Stupid Lightning-For-Brains... tch.

Laxus shot her a look from the side, smirking to himself for a few more seconds at how disgruntled she looked. He shook his head once and let his eyes drop closed, pulling his own cup up to his lips, but pausing before taking a sip.

"Heh, you started it." He pointed out simply and Frea hissed, her grip on her cup tightening.

"Shut up." She shot back lowly and he smiled, shaking his head once.

"Heh, fine. But drink your tea." He replied evenly, finally taking his first drink of his own. Frea frowned at it the little order, not moving to do as he said for a heartbeat or two, before forcing herself a breath and taking a small, slow sip... And then another, and a third- and with each drink of the warm liquid making its way into her stomach, a little bit of her annoyance started to melt. And it took really very little time at all for it to melt into nothing, her attention being caught up in that same tiredness that had been hounding her for days, and now seemed to get a little heavier with the pleasant warmth brought by the drink in her knotted core.

And let's be honest, she wasn't all that mad or annoyed to begin with- but hell if she'd admit it. She was stubborn after all, and even if it was all just playful teasing or whatever, she still wasn't about to just let it be without being agitated for at least a little... but not even that stubborn streak of hers could last long against the exhaustion, and soon enough her stubbornness and short-lived annoyance both got swallowed up entirely.

Things went quiet again for a few minutes where Frea was left to make progress on emptying her cup, while Laxus finished half of his in near no time at all, but didn't move to drink anymore. He watched her quietly from the corner of his eye, easily able to see the little flare of a temper fade to nothing, and rather fast too. It was good she'd had the energy to get all annoyed with him to start, at least she wasn't tired or feeling terrible enough it affected her personality too much... But with how quickly it went away again, she clearly didn't feel great.

The words 'tired and sore' probably weren't near as descriptive enough for how she was actually feeling, truth be told... And seeing her posture deflate slightly, but only just so- because her muscles still wouldn't unwind enough- that made him bite the inside of his cheek. And then more so when she grumbled under her breath, one hand moving from being around the cup and up to holding the back of her neck, again.

She'd been doing that a lot more often today than she probably even realized, and the consistency of it had been one of the main reasons he'd thought something was actually wrong, or she might be getting sick. And while being sore wasn't near as bad as actually being sick, it still wasn't fun- and especially not when it was all brought on by being as wound up and stressed out as she clearly had been while being around Juvia, and trying to work through all the unpleasantness made worse by what went on in Adgnei.

Laxus stayed quiet where he was for a few moments more, Frea bending over with her elbows on her knees and grumbling to herself lowly. Laxus let out a silent sigh and set his cup down on the coffee table ahead of him, before shifting in his seat and turning her way, earning her eyes as he moved and Frea blinked at the small wave of his hands he did toward her, unsure of the gesture.

"Come here." Laxus rumbled lowly and she paused, her eyes narrowing and head tilting as she slowly unhooked her hand from being on her neck.

"... What?" She mumbled in question after a moment or two, and he shook his head once.

"You heard me." He sighed, but instead of waiting for her to do as he asked, he moved.

The large blonde leaned forward, his hands falling on her waist and easily pulling her across the couch toward himself, so she was just next to him now with hardly any space between them at all. And he did it with such ease, and much too quickly for Frea to really resist the motion, or have the mind to do so. In fact she was rather reeling for it- being grabbed a second time and still without a say in the matter- and she still didn't get why he wanted her to 'come here' or what he was doing at all. It took every bit of her self control just to keep the cup she was holding steady and not to spill it, the Energy Dragon Slayer shooting Laxus a confused glare.

"Oi, you can't just grab people and move them wherever you want! You're gonna make me spill damn it!" She snapped hotly,

"If you'd have moved on your own it wouldn't have been an issue." He replied much too calmly and she grit her teeth at it.

"Tch, well for one; you didn't give me any time to get around to it, Lightning-For-Brains." She muttered lowly, "And two; you didn't give me any reason to go ahead and do it either. Why do you want me over here?" She asked, and he blinked, tilting his head forward a bit, his expression neutral as can be.

"Turn around and you'll figure it out." Laxus replied simply, and so, so vaguely. Frea frowned at him for it, silver eyes narrowed to slits and not budging an inch. He held her stare for a few heartbeats, steady and unflinching- and not budging an inch himself, so she huffed once, before forcing a heavy sigh.

"... Fine..." She mumbled lowly, shifting slightly in her seat and turning from him all the way till her back was facing him, settling her tea in her lap. She was aware of Laxus moving a little behind her to face her a little more directly, but she paid it little mind. "Now what the hell am I supposed to 'figure out'-?"

Frea cut herself off, stiffening faintly and the breath catching in her throat when Laxus' hands came down lightly on her shoulders without warning. She instinctively went to turn her head and glance back at him, but his hands moved up to lay gently on either side of her neck, stopping her.

"Don't move. Just let me help you out, alright?" Laxus rumbled lowly, his breath washing up against the back of her neck and making her freeze for a moment. "You've been constantly rubbing at your neck without ever making a dent, and seeing you do it over and over is exhausting." Laxus sighed, Frea swallowing slightly for it and wilting a little, some of the stiff posture she'd adopted in surprise unwinding for the comment to be replaced with bits of exasperation.

She honestly hadn't been aware that she'd been doing that much at all... Though to be fair, she'd been zoning out a lot (as he'd put it), and that was probably when she did it, and didn't even realize what she was doing.

"You're clearly wound up to hell, and you just keep making it worse trying to do it yourself. I'm gonna have better luck, so give it a rest and try and relax, alright?" Laxus went on quietly, his thumbs moving up slowly along the back of her neck and Frea bit the inside of her cheek against the pressure and slight ache that came from it... It wasn't painful though, it was more pleasant than that. A good sort of ache, and one she let out a low breath for without even thinking about it. However Laxus heard it and smirked faintly to himself, easily able to feel the rest of her stiffness born of surprise, or stubbornness, or whatever else melt under his hands as she leaned ever so faintly back into him.

"... Mm... Fine..." Frea murmured quietly and at length. "... If you actually can make me feel less like a giant knot, that'd be great... If not... Well, I'm not gonna say no..." She mumbled and he let out a slightly amused breath for it, but said nothing.

He simply kept going, aqua blue eyes fixed on to what he was doing, hands moving slowly and carefully as his palms and fingers glided over her skin and up along her neck to the base of her skull, easily feeling the rigid muscles and tendons resistant to the movement at every turn. They immediately jerked back into place every time he worked to unwind them, and Frea held her breath slightly against it, but she didn't dare pull away, even when it hurt... Because slowly but surely it hurt less, and turned into only a dull sense of being sore- which she could handle well enough. And it was definitely a step up from feeling like every time she moved in the wrong way her muscles might snap altogether.

Laxus worked a little while longer on her neck, before his hands moved down and over her shoulders, the side of his hands grazing along the edges of the low neckline of her shirt. The slightly raised feel of her skin from the scars on her left shoulder, shoulder blade and center of her back made him swallow slightly, but he kept going regardless, pushing away the little churning that arose in his stomach for it and forcing a quiet sigh. His fingers dug in along the top of her shoulders and around the base of her neck, kneading carefully for a few moments while Frea's posture wilted ever so slightly under it, her eyes dropping closed after having been falling slowly with each passing second.

"... why the hell are you so good at this...?" Frea sighed, and Laxus hummed a bit, smiling a little to himself for the question for a moment.

"I take it this is helping?" He murmured coolly and Frea let out a little breath,

"... yes..." She relented quietly, "... you were right, you're definitely having better luck than me..."

"I told you."

"Yeah, yeah... don't get cocky there, Lightning-Boy..."

He chuckled once under his breath, leaving it be as his hands shifted, fingers circling down passed the center of her back and running small circles around the ridge of her shoulder blades. They fell quiet again for a few minutes until Frea flinched faintly when he ran into a rather large knot butting up against the center of her left shoulderblade and not far from the edges of the scar near there- one of dozens more little knots he'd already come across, but none quite as bad as that one.

Laxus stalled for a second and grimaced faintly, waiting for her to untense again after going rigid for a moment. "... You good?" He mumbled, and she nodded once, and only faintly.

"... yeah... that spot hurt more than I expected... but I'm fine..." She mumbled, her head tilting slightly and half-lidded silver eyes catching his from the side as she glanced over her shoulder. "... you can keep going though... I'll be okay." She murmured softly and he paused half a second, before nodding slightly.

"Alright, but tell me if you need me to quit, got it?" He mumbled, and she smiled faintly nodding once more and looking back ahead, one hand raising wearily to her forehead a moment and doing a half-hearted salute.

"Yes sir." She chirped softly, her hand falling back into her lap while he shook his head at it, clicking his tongue but sounding amused all the same.

"You're an idiot."

.:+:.

"-I got it, I got it-!"

WHAM

Moon flinched slightly, ears falling back against her head and wincing as Natsu smacked into a rock hard enough the impact was audible- the volleyball he'd been chasing after bouncing on the sand harmlessly a few feet away while the pinkette slumped, eyes whited out and breathless.

"... I don't... got it..." He coughed, Lucy nearby sighing heavily while Happy floated to be over his Partner's head, smiling slightly.

"... Aye..."

"... that hurt..." Lily mumbled quietly at Moon's left, the tomcat shaking himself out slightly after having winced himself, and Moon nodded, smiling faintly despite herself.

"Definitely." She murmured, blue eyes glinting in the dim provided by the umbrella they were sitting underneath. "But at least he gave it a good go, yeah?" She offered and Lily smirked, nodding once.

"That is true." He relented, ears twitching faintly as Moon's smile faded a little, her eyes on the game still going on ahead, and the dozens of others from the Guild spread around- basking in the sun, swimming, chatting, and all manner of things. Everyone was having so much fun, and they all looked so happy and at ease- a thing they hadn't looked or seemed in such a long time now.

It was nice, and Moon herself was having plenty of fun herself. It had been too long since she could just relax and enjoy a day... though a part of her was still a little upset that Frea wasn't able to enjoy it with everyone else. She deserved a good day too, and one with the people she loved and cared for, and who cared for her just as much- but it wouldn't have been a good day if she'd come down to the beach, and Moon knew it.

She also knew Frea was likely just fine with Laxus and off doing whatever they were doing... but still, it was a little sad.

"Hey."

Moon jumped faintly, Lily's tail flicking gently across her shoulder, the tomcat's head tilted faintly and searching slightly as their eyes matched. "Are you alright?" Lily asked softly and Moon blinked, before nodding once and offering up another smile for him.

"Yeah I'm okay." She purred, and he paused a moment, still looking unsure. Moon noticed it and shook her head, her own tail shifting behind her and twining around his for a moment in a reassuring gesture. "Really, I was just wondering what Frea and Laxus are getting up to is all." She told him and Lily smiled faintly,

"Ah, well hopefully they aren't doing anything too crazy." He chuckled, "But whatever it is, I'm sure they're having just as good a time as everyone here... they do seem to have gotten rather comfortable with one another lately." He commented and Moon smiled a little more for it, pale blue eyes glittering.

"Heh, that's one word for it." She murmured, her smile softening a tad as she cast the ocean a glance. "Hmm... I'm glad they're getting along so well now, though. It's wonderful for the both of them... even though it's been slow-going to get to this point." The she-cat hummed and Lily nodded in agreement.

Moon let out a quiet breath, watching the shoreline for a few heartbeats, her eyes moving among those in the Guild dotted about- both in the water, walking along the shallows, or further up on the beach and enjoying the sun. She glanced slowly from the volleyball game raging between Team Natsu, Juvia, Loke, Solana, Gajeel and Levy to those splashing about in the water like Wendy and Carla, the Strauss siblings and the Thunder Legion close by, either floating lazily in pool tubes or splashing one another in a makeshift splash war egged on most fiercely by the duo of Lisanna and Bixlow. And up on the beach Cana sat with Laki and Kinana close by, drinking away and sunbathing while Reedus and Master Makarov watched from the shade- Reedus sketching away while Master had his eyes on all his Guild and all his children in it. All of them with smiles on their faces, genuinely enjoying the time spent together and more calm, at ease, and happy than they had been in so long a time.

It had been so long since any of them had a moment to simply enjoy themselves in something as mindless and carefree as this Beach Day was, not a shred of unease or worry to be seen in their faces or felt in their hearts- now looming threat or thought to something amiss, or worry it might turn suddenly... as things had turned so badly over and over as of late.

It was just one big happy family, playing, enjoying time together, and it was near bliss.

They were missing people still though- Aisha, Chase, Gildarts, Frea, Laxus... and Moon even felt for a moment they were sort of missing Iki and Uno too. It was so nice, it was so happy, even with those gone and doing their own things- and it was sad all the same they were gone... but...

Moon glanced from the beach and up toward the sky, her eyes trailing along the cliffside reaching up to where the Guild sat overlooking the ocean, a small breath escaping her.

... But even with all of them off doing their own things... I'm sure they're still just as happy as everyone else is right now.

Moon smiled faintly at the thought before shaking herself out a little, glancing back toward Lily, blue eyes glinting.

No use worrying about Frea or anybody else- she'll be fine, I know it. So I might as well make sure to have just as good a time as she probably is.

Moon hummed, her tail unwinding from around Lily's for a moment as she got to her feet and held out a paw for him, the tomcat perking at the gesture, and the smile she settled on him.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Moon purred lightly, and Lily smiled, nodding once and taking her hand.

"I'd love to."

.:+:.

Laxus paused, his hands stalling where they were pressed down against the middle of Frea's back and just above the scar lower down, swallowing slightly for the several different crackling sounds that flared to life under the extra bit of pressure he'd put on- her spine popping and cracking rather loudly, and out of nowhere.

Frea underneath him let out a deep breath of air for it, the Energy Dragon Slayer by now having moved (or more been prompted by Laxus) to lay down on the end of the couch that lacked a back to it, and was more two or three big sections of just flat cushion. It'd been easier on her to do so rather than to keep sitting up, once his attempts at trying to get rid of some of the knots in her muscles had moved further down from just her neck and shoulders- and Frea hadn't complained about it when he suggested doing so. In fact she was rather willing, given what tiredness had already been dragging at her heels, and was only getting heavier the more her body unwound with Laxus' help- which was making her not so rigid and tense anymore.

Laxus hesitated half a second before moving even an inch further, the breath Frea let out underneath him ending along with a small and slightly relieved sigh, her eyes closed and head in her crossed arms.

"... You okay...?" Laxus asked warily after a moment, and Frea nodded once, and only faintly.

"... Mhmm... That was... So nice..." She replied quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, and he let out a silent sigh for it.

"... You weren't kidding about being a giant knot." He mumbled lowly, starting in again though with a little less pressure than before. And she really hadn't been kidding at all, when she'd called herself as such earlier- through the whole of this his hands had not been able to move one inch before running into another knot woven into her body, or her muscles being so rigid they were like iron under his touch. It was like layer after layer of tension had been being stacked on top of her, and whenever he managed to work through one there had just been another waiting- he'd never seen anybody so tightly wound in his entire life... Not that he was surprised by it, given all that had been happening and she had hanging over her. But it did make his core knot a little, and had exasperation paired with weariness settling in further and further as time ticked by.

It wasn't fair for her to get to a point of being as tense as this. To be aching, clearly tired as hell, and so strung out- Tch.

Laxus grit his teeth, forcing himself a breath of air and shaking his head stiffly.

"Hmph, I'm surprised you can even move... Or that you got out of bed this morning." Laxus grumbled lowly, Frea hummed a bit in reply.

"... Didn't have much choice..." Frea murmured softly, and he blinked at it, eyes narrowing slightly in question- though she never elaborated on it. "... But this is really nice, by the way... You're helping a lot... I haven't been any sort of relaxed in... Forever... So thanks..." Frea went on softly, and Laxus paused half a second, biting the inside of his cheek for how low her voice dropped as she said it... Before nodding faintly in reply, his shoulders sinking a little despite himself.

"... Yeah..." Laxus replied softly, the one word hanging on air for a few moments before it all went utterly quiet again. He kept going, his attention honing in on what he was doing, trying his best to work out as much of the knots and tension still etched into every fiber of her being as he possibly could. And he could have tried for hours and still never manage to undo all of days, weeks, months- years of so much strain that had brought that tension on, and had just kept building up to the point that she'd been little but a giant ball of stress, and it had kept her from sleep, eating, and whatever the hell else... hmph.

No, none of it was fair. And there was so much hanging over her and constantly weighing her down that he could do so little about... But at least this was something he could do, even as simple- and maybe even as small- as it was.

But as long as it helped, none of that mattered- not as long as it did something.

It didn't take long at all before Frea's breathing started to grow slower, her mind and attention drifting off as the sensation of his hands gliding over her person had her muscles finally unwinding, and started lulling her into some place away from all that heavy, nagging sense of being on edge and always on alert the last few days. She didn't let her mind wander, not at first, she was too focused on everything he did, just taking it in and riding through it- but eventually that lull did come in, and she found herself sinking... but not into a dream, or nightmare, or a storm of unpleasant thoughts.

Just quiet, and calm bliss.

Laxus slowed up after a bit, his attention leaving his hands as he tuned into the sound of her breaths getting so low it was clear she was starting to drift off altogether. He let out a quiet sigh and his hands came to a halt, adjusting himself from leaning over her and moving to take a seat on the edge of the couch just next to her, blinking. His head tilted, one hand lingering on the center of her back as he leaned forward a bit, her face half buried in her arms, silver eyes closed and breaths low, and so very slo-

"... mmm... you done...?" Frea mumbled breathlessly, her voice groggy and hardly above a whisper- and he was thoroughly surprised she was awake at all.

"Yeah." He murmured quietly, pulling his hand off her back slowly. "You're barely staying awake, I think that's a pretty good reason to quit."

"... hmm... probably..." She relented, taking in a deep breath of air and shifting, turning her head to lay her cheek in her arms and blinking up at him slowly. "... I feel a lot better now though... so thank you." She hummed softly and he nodded once, but said nothing. Frea smiled faintly for the non-answer before moving, rolling over on to her side and pushing herself up from laying down slowly. Laxus grimaced faintly for it, but let it be as she settled again, sitting cross-legged and letting out a heavy sigh, rolling her shoulders once or twice and smiling a little more for the distinct lack of pain or sharp ache flaring while doing so.

So much better~

Laxus watched her do it for a few seconds, before she gave it up and she leaned back onto her hands, her head falling back a bit and yawning rather heavily as she did so. Her eyes dropped closed again, watering a little at the edges for the yawn, and Laxus bit the inside of his cheek, shaking his head slightly as he pushed himself carefully up onto his feet. Frea glanced up as he did, head tilting slightly as he picked the cups up off the coffee table, shooting her a look from the side only briefly, before he started walking- making his way quietly out of the living room and back into the kitchen, Frea blinking in surprise as he went.

"You need to go to sleep." Laxus mumbled lowly as he walked, and she paused, eyes flashing at the words.

"... sleep..?" She echoed uncertainly, and he nodded again, though he didn't glance back her way.

"You look tired as hell, you can barely keep your eyes open, and that was a huge yawn just now." He grumbled lowly, stopping at the sink and setting the cups down in the basin slowly. "You said already you were exhausted, and that you haven't slept all that well in a couple days... that's why you kept zoning out, yeah?" He mumbled quietly and Frea stiffened faintly at the mention of it, her eyes falling into her lap and away from him, silent.

Laxus cast a fleeting look over his shoulder when there wasn't a reply, aqua blue eyes flashing to see she'd wilted a little where she was sitting, and he let out a quiet breath for it. He left the cups where they were and turned, starting back her way slowly and stopping on the opposite side of the couch from her. Frea kept her eyes down, grimacing faintly and her hands curling around one another in her lap. She didn't glance up even as he approached her, and he frowned a little himself, before his expression softened just a tad.

"Look at me." He ordered softly and she bit the insides of her cheeks, glancing up warily to match gazes with him. "I know you're all in knots, stressed out, and been having a hard time sleeping... And I also understand why trying to sleep might not be something you wanna do right now." He murmured and Frea swallowed against the assertion, though Laxus stayed as calm as can be. "I do get it, but you gotta sleep, even if you don't really want to. You're not gonna feel any better about any of it until you do... Not sleeping is just gonna make it all worse, and make it harder to work through it ya know." He told her softly and she grimaced, her eyes flashing as they darted away from him quickly and she grit her teeth.

She hated it was that obvious, the why, the reasons behind it- how stressed out she was- all of it... but hell, what chance was there he wouldn't come to that conclusion?

That painfully fucking obvious conclusion- damn it.

"... I know that..." Frea mumbled, shaking her head stiffly and shutting her eyes. "... Its not like I haven't tried. I am tired as hell, and I have been trying to sleep but... It's not happening... And when I do manage to get there, it doesn't make me anything other than more tired, and... Tense..." She hissed and Laxus blinked once, his shoulders sinking slightly.

"... Maybe you ought to try something else." He suggested after a moment and Frea stiffened, blinking in surprise and confusion both. She glanced up slowly, eyes narrowed in question and Laxus faltered at the look, chewing on the inside of his cheek and glancing away for a moment almost... Nervously.

"I meant... However you've been trying, its not working- so doing something different might help... Or make it easier if..." He mumbled quickly, before frowning to himself when he realized it wasn't really more of an explanation at all, and he trailed off. Frea tilted her head, a little more confused and more so for the feeling of nervousness and uncertainty from him getting a little stronger. Because why? And what the hell was he even trying to get at...?

Laxus sighed, eyes dropping closed and arms crossing over his chest, grumbling under his breath for a moment and all too aware of how lost she was, and how terrible and even bumbling his words had gotten so suddenly- but shit.

He almost said what he actually meant outright, and would have, if not for some small corner of his mind popping in (rather annoyingly) saying he might be pushing too much, or going a little far or too fast. Because after everything else- going to lunch, walking around, being here and whatever else- he rounded back to that realization he had in Adgnei; that some things could, and probably needed to wait a little.

Frea wasn't there yet, and Laxus knew it. And if he had to wait, he would... But he might have started getting a little ahead of himself and strayed out of that plan to wait now. So he caught himself, shut up, and quickly began to rethink and second-guess what he'd started in on possibly suggesting- which is why it'd ended up rather bumbling, and he hated it.

Frea blinked slowly, silence falling between them for a moment as Laxus seemed to fall into his own head and brood... And she didn't know why...?

... What does he mean try something 'different'...? Like... What exactly...?

Something that'd 'make it easier if...'? If what...?

And why is he so unsure all of sudden?

She hadn't a clue, and honestly she was rather lost, her already frayed and tired mind struggling all the more so with the sudden shift she didn't understand- or understand at all what he was trying to get at.

Frea glanced away from him, her eyes landing in her lap and chewing on the insides of her cheeks faintly.

... Try something that'll make it easier to sleep...?

I don't... I don't know what would really-

She paused as soon as the thought ran across her mind though, cutting it off as something else flared to life in the forefront of her thoughts, her eyes flashing.

-well... Actually...?

I was so wound up... After telling him everything I did, back in Adgnei... It was just as bad as all of this now, with Juvia... The water... But... I still ended up falling asleep after that and...

.:+:.

... This scent... it's everywhere... It's almost like...

... it smells... like a mountain trapped in the middle... of a storm...

She pressed a little, trying to bring it closer, drink it in... It smelled good, and soothing almost... familiar, and warm, and... Peaceful.

So much so she found herself lost in it, and something tugged in her chest... something deep down that was stirring where it never had before- something new, and unfamiliar.

.:+:.

Frea swallowed, something in her core tugging again and churning all at once.

... When I fell asleep that time... It wasn't bad... No nightmares, no spending hours struggling to get to sleep- nothing... Because...

She glanced up again slowly, silver eyes gleaming as she shot him and small look and hesitated half a second, before shaking her head at herself once and taking in a small breath.

"... Uhm... This is kinda weird to ask, but it might... 'Make it easier'...?" Frea started slowly, Laxus' eyes snapping open in surprise at the sound of her voice and the Lightning Dragon Slayer instantly at attention. Frea held his eyes for only a second or two before looking away again, almost nervously so, her hands in her lap twisting around one another and she seemed to chew on her cheeks a few seconds. Laxus stiffened, his eyes widening as her face suddenly flushed ever so faintly, pink dancing across her cheeks while the mumbled out the next bit;

"... If it's not a bother, maybe... Can you just... Sit with me...? Sit... Or I guess... Stay." She mumbled, her voice just shy of a whisper- Laxus felt his heart skip a beat.

"... It's just... Last time, even after all the shit in Adgnei, and telling you everything... Having you there... It made it easier to sleep... It was... Comfortable..." Frea murmured, her eyes still down and flushing a little more despite herself. "... You being around... I'm comfortable around you... So it might make it easier to fall asleep, with you...? If you don't... mind..." She mumbled, trailing off at last and swallowing again, her face quickly burning all the more and she bit her cheeks hard against it.

Shit this was a stupid thing to ask-

"Come here."

Frea jumped, her head snapping up and heart skipping a beat in surprise for the words- and then skipping another beat to realize he'd moved himself to be on the same side of the couch as her, and she'd not noticed till just then.

But the words... They were the same two he had said earlier that day, but this time his voice was much softer than that first instance, and she blinked.

Laxus was standing a little ahead of her, expression nothing but unreadable as he held a hand out her way, patient as can be and aqua blue eyes glinting. Frea faltered for half a second, her eyes darting from his hand and then up to lock eyes, and he inched his hand forward.

"I don't mind." He murmured quietly, and Frea's expression softened for the low and nearly gentle answer from the blonde- his voice both of those things just now where it rarely ever was until recently, where it became a little more frequent in all the chaos.

She swallowed, silver gaze flashing as she reached her hand forward and let it land in his, Laxus smirking faintly to himself for it and easily pulling her up onto her feet, and then moving them both to the other end of the couch instead. He directed her to sit down on that end of the couch, scooting her in against the back cushion and taking his own seat directly beside her- both of them settling in side by side, Frea pinned between Laxus and the couch itself, and with no room between them to speak of. Frea flushed a little more despite herself for the closeness and positioning- before her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red when Laxus pulled her legs up to cross over his lap without a word, and then he hooked one arm around her shoulders, pulling her even further into his hold... All with Frea not resisting to any of it. Not even when it inevitably made her stomach churn and flusteredness grow more fervent in her core.

Because while all of it wasn't exactly what she'd asked for, she wasn't about to try and make him stop, or pull away- because hell

Even though the sudden closeness caught her a little off guard, and it made her a little nervous too- all of that quickly got overshadowed by the overwhelming and utterly pleasant sense of warmth that rose with the embrace. She felt her body melting into the hold long before he'd ever settled all the way and stopped moving, his scent dancing on her nose- prickling, light and sweet like it always was... But there was also that same sort of difference she'd noticed before, where it had become less like a lightning-storm by itself and more like one hovering over a mountain, with all the trees, streams, rocks, and whatever else.

... damn... He actually smells... Really nice...

... why have I never noticed that before...?

Laxus settled all the way, head tilting and smirking faintly to himself for the blush still dusted across her cheeks, and the fact that she'd almost immediately sank against him, the rigidness her figure had adopted at first quickly disappearing. He heard her let out a small sigh, her head bumping against his shoulder and silver eyes dropping halfway despite herself.

"Better?" Laxus asked quietly after a heartbeat or two, and Frea nodded, snaking her arms hesitantly around his torso, nudging herself a little further underneath the arm he'd wrapped around her shoulders.

"... Yes.." She mumbled, her eyes dropping all the way and her head leaning against his shoulder a little more heavily with another sigh. "... Thank you..." She added softly.

Laxus shook his head once at the thanks, and just faintly. "You don't gotta keep thanking me." He mumbled, but Frea shook her own 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..."

Laxus bit the inside of his cheek, a low sigh escaping him as he nodded, his hold around her shoulders tightening ever so faintly. "... You got it..." He mumbled, "... And you don't gotta worry about asking for things, me minding anything, you 'deserving' it, or whatever else, Frea..." He told her levelly, his voice quiet and soft- and so, so steady.

"... Whatever you need, whenever... I'll be there, alright...?"

Frea swallowed, holding her breath a moment for the words and feeling her heart skip a beat, while her core wrenched at the same time. She shut her eyes tight and buried her face against his chest, fighting back the surge of emotion that flared for it- appreciation, ache, warmth and a million other things all at once.

... You really are... Being way too nice... Lightning-Boy... And...

... I really don't know what I'd do... without you...

She swallowed hard, nodding once in reply to what he said but nothing else, while her mind and soul... whirled.

And because of that... what he said before... it's... the same way for me too.

'... It's enough to just have you...'

Her shoulders sank a little, her stomach doing a little tumble as the warmth of his body against hers and the tiredness hanging over her started to drag her down... and even while she began to sink, her heart skipped a beat.

She felt it again, that thing she hadn't even given a single thought before- that strange, new, unfamiliar feeling. A feeling somewhere deep down in a part of herself she had never felt before, not even once, not before feeling it back in Adgnei and after Talarr had brought up her behind 'Bonded'. It was almost like something sort of clicked, the same thing that clicked back then and fired again now. That thing she didn't know exactly what clicked, even still, but it was there, and closer to being clear.

Closer to putting a name to it, and maybe even understanding it. It was right there on the very edge of her mind and so close she almost grabbed it, just before she fell thankfully into the throes of sleep enveloped by blissful warmth, and that sweet and prickling scent that had never smelled so... Wonderful.

Laxus let out a small breath, Frea's weight against him getting heavier than ever as the last shreds of wakefulness escaped her. He wilted a little, sinking deeper himself into the couch and head tilting forward and down to let his nose bump ever so lightly against the crown of her head.

It'd be a lie to say her asking him to stay hadn't caught him off guard... And an even bigger one if he were so say a part of him hadn't leapt for it.

Maybe... Maybe she was a little closer to being there than he had thought she was.

He took in a deep breath, her scent washing over him- sweet mountain air in the middle of a storm.

Laxus let the breath back out slowly, that breath ruffling her hair slightly and aqua blue eyes glinting in the steadily growing orange light washing through the windows from outside as he pulled back faintly and looked down at her. Her, and her expression that was nothing but calm and peaceful, the same as her breathing, as well as the slow rhythm of her heart, which he could feel beating faintly under his touch and hear on the edge of his senses.

Maybe she was there, or maybe he was assuming something that wasn't even true... He hoped it was, though. Maybe more than he'd ever hoped for anything before, or thought he would- outside of simply hoping she didn't slip out of his fingers and from this world forever.

His stomach churned a little for the unpleasant thought, the Lightning Dragon Slayer shaking his head stiffly at himself and banishing it from his head as quickly as he could manage. There was no point thinking about that now, and he had no want to bring it up again- lest it ruin how pleasant everything was.

Laxus faltered slightly, Frea adjusting against him suddenly, hugging him a little more and snuggling in closer- so much so their faces got to be only a few inches apart. Laxus went utterly still for half a second, her breath washing up against him and sending a small shiver down his spine. He swallowed, blushing a little despite himself for it and biting down on the inside of his cheeks when some small resurgence of that... Instinct or whatever from the morning after she'd collapsed coming back from Era stirred again in his center.

Something that tugged in his chest, some pull, some feeling, something deep down inside of him that was stirring where it never had before beside that first time- some strange pull inside of him, the want, and the need to bite.

Bite and mark as-

He bit down harder on his cheeks, squashing the feeling and stalling the unconscious movement he'd started in on- cutting down the already small distance between himself and the bare skin of her neck and shoulder. He halted both with the little flash of pain that arose when he bit down on his cheeks hard enough to taste copper on his tongue.

He jerked his head back enough it hit the arm of couch behind him, his hand moving off her shoulder and covering his mouth, grumbling quietly to himself and shooting the roof a slightly agitated glare- but he didn't dare move any further than that, or try and put some space between them. He couldn't, it'd wake her up and he wasn't about to do that, not even if he was having... Issues.

Tch... But that needs to quit damn it.

He huffed at the thought, his eyes falling closed and gritting his teeth.

And you need to get a hold of yourself, you idiot.

He shook his head once after a few moments of staying absolutely still, the taste of blood in his mouth fading to none before he tilted his head down again, and looked toward her. She was still fast asleep, and so very unaware of any of those emotions and feelings that were swirling in his core, and that she'd usually be able to sense so easily... Which he was rather glad for it in that instant.

Laxus forced himself a big sigh, glancing away from her briefly as his hand moved from covering his mouth and unhooked from around her shoulders for a moment so he could grab his jacket that he'd abandoned on the back of the couch. He pulled it up, draping it over the both of them and tugging it carefully over Frea's shoulders, before replacing his arm where it had been before moving. His other hand adjusted his Magic Headphones hanging around his neck, placing one side only over one ear and adjusting the volume to a low, low drone. He let his head fall back against the arm of the couch all the way again, free hand settling into a comfortable space on Frea's hip and eyes dropping closed wearily. The sound of the music on one ear mixed with the sound of her breathing on the other, the two melding and weaving together surprisingly well, filling what was otherwise mostly silence and tugging at his own ability to stay awake- and much faster than he anticipated... But he knew why he was dozing off so fast, even so.

It was like she'd said; 'You being around... I'm comfortable around you...'

It was just the same for him too, though he wasn't altogether sure exactly when it had become that way on his end... Not that the when really mattered.

Laxus hummed softly under his breath, the hand he had on her shoulder shifting slightly, his fingers twirling around a lock of her silver-tipped blonde hair lazily.

Discounting the unpleasant bits at the start, and the little bouts where it had been uneasy- whether asking her about her time with Juvia, or having been worried she was getting sick, or whatever else... Overall? In that whole day being out, eating lunch, walking, and everything else...?

It was a good day

---

Hey!

LOOK AT ALL THAT FLUFF GUYS QwQ

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! This slow burn is finally starting to turn into little bits of flame, how exciting! And it only took us four books! XD

Lmao, I am so sorry for such a long wait to get to this point- but I do appreciate all you guys' patience!

And thank you all for sticking with me so long too! I cannot thank you enough for all the time you have given me and this story! ;w;

Anyhoo, please follow, fav, and Review if you can! Thank you!