Gajeel thought he might be dying.

Maybe that wasn't quite accurate.

He knew he was dying.

He lay on his side, his lungs expanding and contracting as he took deep, ragged breaths. A feeling was boiling under the surface of his skin that was so totally indescribable. It wasn't painful and yet somehow akin to thousands of tiny ants marching subcutaneous paths across his body. He could have torn his skin off if he would have thought it could help. But the restlessness would never end it seemed; it just felt content to slowly drive the ebony-haired man insane.

The thought of Laxus's golden eyes were close to putting him over the edge. He'd seen those eyes filled with fury, pain, and hungry need but never in his life had he seen them brimming with desire like they were just the afternoon past. He'd witnessed them roll back with a shuttering breath from the blonde, felt his muscles shaking from want, and yet his lips had parted not with begs for more but begs for release.

Red eyes forced themselves open and he pulled himself upright, letting calloused fingers rest against his lips.

"Please don't…"

It had made him sick.

But now he felt like he should have ignored it.

Fingers laced into raven locks while a separate set travelled down to grip his inner thigh.

He should have just bitten him. Should have let sharp fangs sink into ivory fairy skin. Just the thought made a tremor go down his spine. He could have had Laxus in complete ecstasy; he could have seen those golden eyes dilated in pleasure. He wouldn't be in the misery he was in currently but probably in the middle of violating the fair-haired man.

His tongue slithered across dry lips, his hand massaging the harsh erection pushing against his pants.

Seeing him restrained, legs spread eagle, back arched, body so completely open for the taking, had almost done him in. He wanted to play with that beautiful look in Laxus's eyes, hear that gruff voice moan even more. He'd been so receptive to Gajeel's touches that it could have been criminal. He was already hard, his breath already hitching in his throat when Gajeel had barely touched him. He couldn't believe how difficult it had been to stop when Laxus had pleaded for him to do so…

Couldn't believe how much he'd wanted Laxus to beg…

Gajeel bit his lip as he grasped his own member, his mind filling with thoughts of the Lightning Dragon Slayer, face flushed, voice strained, body rolling in passion. He stroked gently at first, envisioning golden eyes glossing over in desire, and then ramped up the pace as his thoughts spiraled into much more erotic images. He wished so badly that he hadn't allowed the man his freedom. He had him perfectly ready, so completely helpless in so many ways.

He rubbed harder, gasping at the forced pleasure he was administering to himself. His body was on fire, begging for release but knowing this would do nothing to satisfy his intense cravings. He moved faster, letting his free hand ghost up his torso, barely graze his quivering throat, until he bit into his knuckle. He released on the ground, his body shuttering against the orgasm. The heat ebbed just slightly, allowing him the ability to straighten himself before it once again began boiling him alive.

For the millionth time he wished he had just made Laxus stay.

He'd been alone all that night and the morning after. How many days had it been since he'd been submitted to a living Hell? Three? He still had four more days. Four. Long. Days.

He let his hands graze the piercings on his arms, rub each bump on his eyebrows and beside his nose. Iron scales cast glittering refracting light onto the ground in front of him. He gripped his shirt and pulled it up and over his head, the fabric agitating his skin in a way not dissimilar to sunburnt flesh. Instead of pain, however, all it did was fuel the crawling warmth that scattered across his skin. He stood and let his pants fall to the earth, turning towards the small lake that he'd made his camp beside.

A waterfall filled the gully with chilled mountain water and a small stream carried the overflow further down the region. He walked into the freezing water and let it numb his senses. He sunk down to his knees; cold shivers making him momentarily forget his previous misery for this new one. His breathing caused tiny ripples across the glass surface, his harsh shivers breaking his sight to the bottom.

He tilted his head back and took a deep calming breath. His tongue pressed against his fangs as he tasted the air. A growl left his lips when he caught a scent on the wind. It was faint, barely making it to him in the chilled air around him, but it spiked his blood all the same.

"Goddamn…" he breathed, his mind breaking into a whole new frenzy. He knew this scent and it baffled him and enraged him at the same time.

He dove into the cold river and took off into the water. He could hear the pounding of water overhead as he swam under the waterfall, finally coming up for air on the other side. The cave was shallow but dark and cool. He'd found this place once when some hikers had strayed near the area. He'd hidden, hoping to god to find the strength in him not to attack the poor saps who'd stumbled so close to his campsite. The waterfall, he had found, cut off anything from the outside. The only sound was that of cascades of fresh water on rocks, the only smell was of pine and sand and ice.

Gajeel huddled in the darkness like a fugitive of the law, his half-naked body shivering from the never-ending heat as well as the cold water that clung to his being. He wrinkled his nose and stopped a growl that was climbing through his ribs. The scent was reaching him through the water, calling a powerful response from his body. He squeezed his eyelids tightly together and bit his knuckle, his free hand balling into a tight fist. He had to stay still, had to keep from rushing out and…

"Gajeel?" the voice broke through every restrictive thought he had. His body was on fire. He swallowed against his throat closing and his nostrils flared, "Gajeel, where are you?"

"Goddamn…" he whispered again, clutching his chest. And he was supposed to remain calm?

He saw a tall shadow pass in front of the falling water, watched as the figure ducked into the flow and reappear just a few short feet away. Gajeel's bloody eyes glared at the offending male, everything in his body screaming to move but the only thing keeping him transfixed was something short of a miracle.

"What… the hell… do you want…?" Gajeel huffed, gritting his teeth.

Golden eyes looked down at him, a sure, confident smile turning the corners of his lips up in a triumphant grin, "You."

The heat that seared Gajeel's skin was almost enough to drive him mad as the tall blonde stalked quietly from the water but there was something so completely wrong that it made his stomach feel sour. His movements were all wrong. Each step was harkening to a feline stalking its prey, slow and slinking and full of purpose. Gajeel bared his teeth at the man.

"Who the fuck are you…" metal began rolling in his gut; his fury was bubbling to the surface.

"A smart one, aren't you?" his voice distorted, became higher in pitch, and the form of Laxus changed. Shimmering light encompassed his form and his sillouette began to shrink and slim until instead of broad shoulders and strong muscles the supple fom of a woman with long black locks surfaced.

Gajeel's eyes widened.

He had enough time to hear the whistling of something in the air and he dodged, rolled to the side and then lunged towards the woman. Excitement filled her features when they collided and he sent them tumbling into the water. He tried to grab hold of her but it was as if her body wasn't even there, ghosting out of his reach in the water and easily pulling herself to shore.

With as much power as he could muster he pounced on her, this time taking grasp of her arms and forcing her down. She hit the ground hard but it wasn't fear that overtook her features. A smug pride had her grin spreading across her face as pain whispered it's way into the muddled mind of the Dragon Slayer. He looked to his arm and saw three darts lodged there and almost immediately felt the limb begin to go limp.

"Maybe not so smart," she grinned and he faultered, falling to the ground in a heap. Cold was icing its way through his arm to his chest and quickly trying to consume his body. She easily flipped them over, straddling his stomach and placing two hands on his bare chest.

"Dragon Slayers really are remarkable," she hummed, "But you are sadly such dull-minded creatures."

Gajeel's lungs were fighting for air. Whatever numbing agent he'd been injuected with was making it hard for him to breathe.

"What the fuck do you want…"

He couldn't find the strength to lift his head anymore and his vision was beginning to blur. He was trying to move, to fight against the pressure that was dragging him down into cold darkness but nothing he did seemed effective. His hands and even fingers couldn't move and he didn't have the strength to push the woman off of him. Shadows of figures were starting to surround his vision and he was suddenly aware of the scents of many people around him.

"I told you already," she laughed, a sound that reminded him of a time months ago but his mind couldn't place what, "I want you. Well, part of you. Let's just hope your body doesn't give out by the time I'm done."

"Goddamn… bitch…" the shadows were consuming him now and he felt like he was falling. The last thing he heard was her laughter.