Chapter 94:

Gajeel took a sip from his mug before spilling the eggs he'd just cooked onto a plate. He could hear the stairs complaining under Laxus's feet as he came to join him in the kitchen. He felt warm and strangely humble, singing to himself as he pulled another mug from one of the cupboards. He poured fresh coffee for the presence drifting lazily up behind him. Two arms circled his waste. A nose pressed into his neck. He was suppressing a grin when he felt fingers delicately move his hair out of the way for a gentle kiss to be planted in its place. He couldn't help the giddy flip his stomach did. How could he? Those lips sent a lovely chill across his throat.

"Good morning," Laxus murmured against his skin, voice husky from the sleep he was still fighting.

"Mornin'."

There was a yearnful pause where Laxus buried his forehead into the dip of his shoulder. Hands wandered their way down to the raven's hips and Laxus pressed his chest against his back, pulling him in like he couldn't be close enough. Gajeel felt a sour pang flash through his stomach.

"It's just a couple of days," Gajeel chuckled.

"You just got back," he replied.

"I need to make money to pay you back somehow, don't I?"

"You know I don't give a damn about you paying me back," there was something foul mixed in with Laxus's tone. He freed one of his hands to intertwine it with his, "You're home but I feel like you always have one foot out the door."

Gajeel focused on not gritting his teeth, on keeping his tone light. His mind flurried, "C'mon, Sparky, it ain't like that. Juvia just wanted to go on a mission, is all."

"I know," his reply was terse, "I could come with you…"

Gajeel took a sip of his coffee, letting his mug be a mask for him to hide behind, "Ya know if ya did, she'd just cry the whole time because Grey isn't there. 'Sides, it'll be good for us. We drifted apart real bad when my head was messed up. I sorta owe her a little of my time, don't I?"

Laxus grunted in response, not refuting. He wouldn't argue with it, Gajeel knew, which was why he'd thought it up in the first place. And it wasn't an outright lie. This trip was going to be good for them, for a lot of reasons. He was doing this for a reason, he told himself, and the more he could keep Laxus out of it, the better. So, he clutched at his mug and pretended like there wasn't guilt wrangling his insides into a knot.

His head went fuzzy when Laxus's exhale shivered down his chest, dipping beneath his shirt, "I saw you smoking by the window this morning."

Rueful heat made his throat itch, "Ah... you caught me."

"Mhm..." a pale hand thumbed at the seam of his shirt, fingers began tracing down the tops of his pants, "Anybody told you those things are bad for you?"

"Oh, several have tried," Gajeel shakily set down his coffee, humming the words more than saying them, "but 'til recently, there ain't been nothin' I couldn't leave behind."

Laxus made a noise that Gajeel could have, and would have, only described as a purr, "That was a lot of double negatives."

Gajeel laughed, "I promise I've been cutting back."

"I've noticed," his thumb flicked over the button on Gajeel's pants, "I'm proud of you."

His other hand had dipped beneath the fabric of his shirt and Gajeel shivered as it wandered up over his stomach, tickling across his ribs as they searched over his dips and curves. He could feel the blonde's quiet insistence pressing against his lower back, relished the way that body practically folded over him.

"Laxusss..."

"Hm?" his voice held nothing but innocence as his other hand helped itself down the front of his pants. His hips grinded roughly against him, and Gajeel pressed his palms on the countertop, holding himself aloft as he vainly tried to ignore how much his blood was heating.

"I have to leave soon."

"Or... you could stay?"

"And break Juvia's heart?" Gajeel caught his hand before it could travel any farther south, "You're tryna make me late for my train."

"That's a pretty big accusation..."

Gajeel breath hitched from the humidity of Laxus's mouth as it pulled at his shoulder. He let out a taxed sigh. Smug teeth weathered his neck and resolve. Hadn't it been a while since they'd had sex? It hadn't really been on purpose. Gajeel had just noticed Laxus seemed more tired as of late, that he liked more lazy times together. Gajeel had also been distracted between therapy and writing down emotions and planning...

He lost grip of Laxus's hands as they wandered, adept and triumphant. Gajeel's legs betrayed him, responding to his love's hips as they swayed into him. The hand slipping up his chest found its way to his neck, digging nails into his skin as Laxus's lips turned more adamant. Fuck, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to go back upstairs. He wanted to turn around and kiss the hell out of the blonde, drag him down onto the bed, fill the room with the scent of amber lightning.

"Gajeel..." he groaned into his ear, fixing them into a rhythm. Gajeel's hips snapped into Laxus's hand as his fingers circled around his shaft, "...please stay..."

He was supposed to say no, but he could barely string a single thought together when Laxus was being so insistent. He leaned into his chest, lolling his head back against Laxus's shoulder. He could just barely see the liquid sphene of his irises, strangely distant. Gajeel brought his hand up to the side of his face and ran his thumb against his cheek. Did he seem... pale?

"Laxus...?"

"Gajeel!" Juvia's voice broke the quiet, quickly followed by her sharp knock at the door. Gajeel felt Laxus's arms become rigid around him, like a cage, "Gajeel! We're going to be late!"

"Ah... she's here..." Gajeel said lamely, but Laxus didn't move. He was staring at the door, brow pulling down like he didn't trust it, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Laxus hesitated, "I... it's nothing. M'sorry."

He slowly untwined his arms from around him, and to Gajeel it just felt off. The way Laxus's hands strayed across his chest, his shoulders, the way he didn't stop leaning over him protectively... it was strange and unsettling, like he was scared something would happen if he let him go.

"Laxus..."

"Gajeel needs to hurry!" Juvia called, knocking harder this time, "Does Juvia need to come in and get you?"

"You need to get going," Laxus sighed, retreating towards where Gajeel's bag was already waiting by one of the chairs.

Gajeel took a hard look at him, "Sparky, what's wrong?"

Laxus sort of stood there for a minute before letting out a tight breath. He rolled his eyes and pulled a smirk to his face, fidgeting with the strap on Gajeel's bag as he held it out to him.

"Just bein' a kid," he said dryly.

"And that means...?" Gajeel quirked an eyebrow at him, trying to return Laxus's grin.

He shrugged, bringing his hand up towards his face only to suddenly change the motion and scratch at the back of his head, "Well... I mean, fuck, Gajeel. I miss you, ya know."

Gajeel's lips twitched. He watched him for a moment, the way he shifted his weight on his feet, how he was suddenly intent on shoving his hands into his pockets. His stomach churned to the point he tasted iron. Was Laxus... lying?

"You miss me?" he asked softly, and dammit if Laxus didn't immediately glance at the ground. Gajeel didn't clench his jaw, he kept himself relaxed and open. His grin widened, "It won't be like this for much longer, Sparky. I promise."

"I know," his voice was sharp, and he must not have meant to sound that way because his face betrayed a bit of remorse, "I know."

"Gajeel!" Juvia's knocks sounded even more persistent, "Gajeel, we must leave!"

Gajeel walked up to him and let Laxus help him sling his pack over his shoulder. But he didn't head for the door, instead he leaned up and welcomed the blonde down for a kiss. He knew it was cheating, and he sort of felt wrong for it, but Gajeel took in a deep breath of him as he captured his mouth. He took time to run his tongue across his lips, to draw it out, to taste him. There, intermingled in their warm breaths and the subtle vibration of static, Gajeel could scent something bitter, nearly brackish. Of course, Gajeel recognized the smell of fear immediately, although it was watered down and reduced to something wretched, warmer. Why in Earthland would Laxus be scared? Scared and so insistent he didn't want Gajeel to go? Could he just ask, or would it alert Laxus that Gajeel had been prying when maybe he shouldn't have been?

Sort of at a loss, Gajeel rocked back onto his heels and found himself looking into Laxus's eyes as if they might divulge all the answers to his questions. They didn't, but they did give him enough time to clear his head before the next round of Juvia's knocking.

"I'll be back in a day or two," Gajeel said softly, tangling his fingers into the blonde's and running his thumbs up his palms. He took a step forward, swaying his hips into his and let his eyes trail down the open buttons of Laxus's shirt, "When I get back, do you want to go to The Garden's Edge? If I remember right, I still owe you a nice date... and some good drinks."

When he flicked his eyes back up, Laxus's face had dissolved into something impossibly soft, "You do, don't you?"

"And I think we talked about making love together..."

Laxus's cheeks tinged pink, "We did that, yeah."

"That's something you've done before."

"And you haven't."

"Since you're the expert, I'll let you plan our evening, then," Gajeel allowed himself a weak smile, "and I'll plan our afternoon?"

A smirk broke across Laxus's face, genuine and refreshing. It made Gajeel's pulse quiet just slightly. "I think you're tricking me into being the one to kick Lily out."

"Like I could trick the Thunder God Laxus," he teased.

Laxus laughed but it sounded restrained, "Oh yeah, nothing gets by me."

"It doesn't," Gajeel assured him mildly before leaning back up to steal one more kiss, "I love you."

"I love you, too,"

Gajeel held his gaze, a bit of the humor fading, "And I'm not goin' anywhere."

Laxus's tight-lipped smile vanished. Ah, was that it? Gajeel remembered their conversation the night of the party, of how Laxus had seemed devastated thinking Gajeel was going to leave. He squeezed his hands gently.

"I promise."

"...yeah," his voice was strangely quiet. This time, he didn't stop himself from rubbing at his scar, "Yeah, I know."

"I'll call you when I'm headed home," Gajeel said gently.

He hurried out the door just as Juvia started threatening to leave without him.