We've come too far to give up who we are
So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars
The last several weeks of training fly by, and all of our abilities have grown exponentially. There's only two more days until the Grand Magic Games and I feel that we're ready to win! My attacks have gotten much stronger and more precise. My magic power had grown immensely and I could easily access my Second Origin. All around, I had improved my stamina, strength and speed. Unfortunately my rune magic did not improve as much as everything else had. It was incredibly difficult to practice two types of magic, and I chose to focus more on my main magic. Besides, I had a good enough grasp of rune magic to where it would be easy to use, and would work well. It simply didn't need to be worked as hard.
In the end, our training had been a success, and I wonder how much stronger everyone else has gotten these past three months too. Surely Natsu and his group had been working just as hard as we had. I was looking forward to facing off against them just as much as the other guilds. After being away from everyone for so long, I was really excited to see my guild mates. Laxus and the Thunder Legion were great people, but I missed the others.
Summer was here, and the townspeople buzzed excitedly about the upcoming tournament. The Grand Magic Games was incredibly popular all throughout Fiore. Laxus and I would have to arrive at the capital last minute and keep ourselves hidden the night before the games. Apparently Gramps didn't want anyone knowing about Team B, so he hasn't told them. I can only imagine the look on their faces when we reveal our team as fellow competitors. He also let Laxus know that our teammates would consist of Gajeel, Mira and Juvia, with Cana as a reserve member in case anything happened to one of us. It was a strong team, and I couldn't wait to work alongside them.
Since it was the last day before we left, we were taking full advantage of our free time. With the small amount of jewel we had, Evergreen and I went out to the town to go clothes shopping. We were all going to go out tonight to drink and celebrate, so she wanted to get a new outfit for it.
I slowly browsed the aisles of clothes, trying to decide what I wanted to wear. I'd never really been too big into fashion. Buying nice clothes all the time was hard when you barely had enough jewel for rents and necessities. Whatever I had left usually went to the guild, which I was happy to do. Fairy Tail was worth more to me than clothing and jewelry.
Besides, did she have to choose some place that was so expensive? I deadpan, quickly walking away from the item I had just looked at. Evergreen was grabbing random clothes and trying them on. I laughed at her carefree expression as she gushed about finally getting to go out with me. Doing this kind of stuff was something that made Evergreen happy, so I was glad to go along with it. Besides, every girl liked to spoil herself every once in a while.
"This would look perfect on you (Y/n)!" Evergreen suddenly shouts. She comes up to me as I'm browsing, holding a (f/c) dress that had one sleeve. "You should try it on!"
I agree instantly, loving the design. She hands it to me as I go into one of the fitting rooms. I quickly change, and admire the way I look. The dress had my left shoulder and arm bare, showing off my guild mark, while the single sleeve on the right side was long and flowing. It was a short dress and fit like a glove.
"I look damn sexy!"
Evergreen laughs at my shout from near the fitting rooms, telling me to come out so she can see it. I walk out and show off the dress to her, spinning a few times before doing a silly pose.
"Awh, my little sister is so gorgeous!" She coos "I'm so happy to have someone to shop with! Dealing with those boys all the time is such a pain."
"I bet." I laugh, imagining Bickslow trying on dresses and showing them off like I had done. The sight is not a pretty one, but it makes me laugh even harder.
I go back into the fitting room and change out of the dress, putting it back on the hanger and taking it with me. The price tag was not so bad, and it honestly looked incredible. I couldn't have found a better outfit. Evergreen has her own dress she's picked, and we get some accessories to go with our clothes. I buy some black boots and a choker to go complete my outfit. We pay for out items and head back to the cabins to get ready.
It's late at night when we finish, and I give myself a final look in the mirror. The dress looks so great and it pairs well with my choker and thigh high boots. Evergreen stands next to me, wearing a sleeveless green dress and fishnet tights with heels. Our makeup was on point, and her hair was left flowing loosely while mine was tied back, a few pieces left free to frame my face. We looked damn hot and I couldn't wait to spend time partying with my best friend and sister.
We link arms as we walk over to the boys' cabin. They're all dressed and ready to go, and I can't help admiring the two older men. Laxus is wearing a black button up shirt and maroon pants, which he had bought recently. With all the training, his muscles had gotten even larger than before. He didn't even fit into most of his old clothes. He was a beast of a man, and the sight of him made my mouth water.
I look over to Bickslow, who is wearing a blue t-shirt with a black leather jacket and jeans. His visor and hood go great with the outfit, giving him a unique look that he pulls off seamlessly. Although I wished he would take the damn visor off, because I loved his eyes. Unfortunately, he was paranoid when it came to large crowds and alcohol so he kept his eyes covered. His totems have been put away, but the souls were most likely still with him somewhere. He never went far without them. I wave in greeting to the three mages and Bickslow whistles.
"Hot damn Stormy! You look sexy!" He laughs loudly "I say we all do a shot before we leave!"
"I'm down." I grin
"Ooh, me too!" Evergreen says "Whatcha got?"
We all walk into the kitchen where Bickslow grabs a bottle of Jägermeister from the cabinets. It's one of my favorite liquors, and when I tell him so, he remarks that it's his favorite. That probably explains why he tasted like that when we kissed, I think, remembering his spice and licorice taste from that night long ago.
"Ew, I hate drinking that stuff." Evergreen says, sticking her tongue out and interrupting my musing.
"Don't worry, I've got some whiskey." Laxus says, pulling out a bottle of his own. Of course those two would have alcohol stashed during our training. I can't help but giggle.
"That's much better." Evergreen sighs in relief. She was very particular about her alcohol. And honestly, she and Bickslow were just absolute opposites on almost everything.
The two guys pour the drinks into glasses for everyone, Freed choosing to drink the whiskey along with Laxus and Evergreen.
"Oh well, more for us!" Bickslow grins as he hands me a glass that was much fuller than a single shot. "I know you have a high tolerance, so I got you some extra."
"Oh, thanks Bicks!" I smile, looking down at my drink. I don't notice the seith mage shooting Laxus a smug grin. Laxus scowls, rolling his eyes and grabbing his glass. "We should toast!"
"How about we toast to all the hard work we put it these past three months?" Freed says, grinning softly.
"That's perfect." I smile, holding up my glass. Everyone follows along, raising theirs up with mine.
"To hard work!" We all shout, and I quickly add on afterwards "And winning the Grand Magic Games!"
We all clink our glasses together, quickly downing them. I relish the warmth of the liquor as it travels down my throat, enjoying the black licorice taste. We put our glasses in the sink and gather our belongings to leave. The club was part of the resort we were staying at, but it was built closer to the town to attract more off-season business. However, it still wasn't far of a walk. There were way more people here now than there were three months ago, but it wasn't super crowded.
"Wow, this place is wicked!" Bickslow shouts when we walk into the club.
The music was pounding and I felt myself grinning excitedly. The decor was extremely modern, and there were lots of bright lights flashing everywhere in time to the beat. Everyone was having a great time, and I knew this would be an amazing night.
"Let's go get some drinks!" Evergreen says, pulling me along. She turns back to the guys as we walk away "You guys find us a place to sit!"
We walk away and I giggle "I doubt there will be any open tables."
"Trust me," She grins "Those three know how to run people off! They'll find a table."
We get to the bar and order drinks for everyone, sitting and chatting while the bartender fills the large glasses. I carefully grab three, while Evergreen grabs the other two, and we go looking for the boys. It's not hard to find them, considering how much they stick out in crowds. I can't help but laugh when I see girls ogling the grumpy dragon slayer while Bickslow teases him from across the table.
"We come bearing gifts!" I call over the music. Everyone grabs their drinks and I sit beside Evergreen and Laxus. The women gathered nearby glare at us and I roll my eyes.
"Typical Laxus fan club. This happens all the time." Evergreen whispers to me.
The dragon slayer rolls his eyes when Freed turns in his seat next to Laxus and glares daggers at the women. They quickly leave and I laugh at the rune mages annoyed expression.
"Vultures." He grumbles over his glass as he takes a sip, watching the crowd.
We sit and drink for a while, content to talk and hang out. A woman comes by every once in a while to get our orders and I order alcohol way more often than the others. The excitement and lively atmosphere just made me want to let loose, especially after all the grueling training these past three months. I'm quickly feeling buzzed and I smile fervently when my favorite song comes on.
I stand up and turn to Evergreen "Sis, you should come dance with me!"
She nods excitedly "Yes! I'm so happy to have someone that's not these three losers to dance with!"
I laugh at her teasing of the other three. The only one who would even be willing to dance was Bickslow, but I'm sure he always just irritated her the whole time. We finish off our drinks and link hands as we walk together out onto the dance floor, quickly moving into the crowd of people and finding a good spot. I stayed close to her the whole time, and we started dancing to the loud beat of the music. The alcohol in my blood had me feeling carefree, and I enjoyed my time with my sister. A few guys come up to us, wanting to dance, and we simply ignore them. Normally, I'd happily dance with some of them, but not tonight. Besides, two sexiest guys here were already at my table, willing to wait for me.
A few songs go by before I glance over to where the guys are at. Laxus was in the middle of a card game with Freed, and Bickslow was flirting with a waitress with blonde hair and dark lipstick. The sight of him flirting with someone stings slightly, but I ignore it. That's just the way Bickslow is,so it's no big deal... Right?
I'm nearly too drunk to care anyway, so I quickly look away and focus back on dancing.
After a couple more songs pass, Evergreen breathlessly suggests we go back to the bar for more drinks and I agree. We both do shots of vodka, and I feel it numbing me. I do a second one while Evergreen orders herself some water. My second shot sends a shiver through me. Evergreen notices my grimace and offers me a drink. I take a small sip before I hand the glass back to her. She says something to me that I hardly hear and I look at her questioningly.
"Let's go sit down!" She shouts, pulling me away from the bar.
We stumble through the crowd as we head back to our table. I sit down next to Freed and Evergreen starts talking to him. I briefly notice that Bickslow is still chatting the blonde waitress, and I can't help but listen in on them. Right away I can tell he's convincing her to give us free drinks and I giggle. Of course, it's Bickslow. Why did I even doubt him? He did that often, and it never really bothered me because I knew he wasn't being mean or thoughtless. Besides, he told me honestly that he only wanted me, so a little flirting was harmless.
I sit quietly, not really paying attention to anything and eventually she leaves. It's late into the night when Evergreen then tells us that Freed is going to walk her home, and I decide to stay and hang out awhile longer. I was looking forward to spending more time celebrating. I wave brightly to them before they walk away, not noticing the devious looks on their faces as they leave me with Bickslow and Laxus.
"I got us some free drinks." Bickslow says as he leans over and gently pushes on my shoulder.
"Of course you did. You could probably flirt the pants off a nun." I laugh, my words slurring terribly. He grins widely at me and Laxus rolls his eyes.
"Hey, whatever works right?" Bickslow says, and quickly goes quiet when the girl walks up to us and sets down a few shots. She laughs at something he says and then leaves, busy with other tables.
I quickly down the shot offered to me, realizing a minute later that I've hit my limit. My mind starts growing fuzzy and I lean back in my chair. Laxus and Bickslow sit and talk for a while and I simply watch them quietly. I find my mind wandering to all the feelings I have for them both. It was going to be so hard to choose between the two, and it made me sad to know I'd be hurting one of them. I find myself once again wishing that I didn't have to choose. I wished we could all find happiness together. Tears sprang to my eyes without permission, and my mouth moved before I knew what I was saying "I wish I could have both of you."
They stop talking, looking over at me in surprise. I turn away, blushing brightly and bite my lip. Why did I say that?! "Uh, sorry. I didn't mean that… I think I'm gonna head home!"
I stand up quickly, feeling my head rush and I nearly fall. Laxus catches me and I briefly remember standing back up before my memory grows black…
(Third Person POV)
Laxus sighs when he looks down at the drunk mage he caught in his arms. Her eyes are totally glassy and he realizes she'd gone past her limit. She licks her lips as she looks up at him, her breasts pressed against his chest, and it tests his control. "Damn (Y/n)."
"Wow, she's hammered." Bickslow comments with a laugh and Laxus shoots the other man a glare.
The storm mage giggles and wobbles slightly when she stands, pulling away from Laxus. Her voice is heavily slurred when she speaks "Sorry Sparky! I just got up too fast. And probably took to many shots, ha!"
The lightning mage deadpans at the nickname "I think we should probably get you back."
Bickslow stands up "I'll help."
The two men stand on either side of (Y/n), letting her walk on her own and making sure she doesn't trip. Both guys are pretty drunk themselves, and they all shuffle to their cabins slowly.
"So (Y/n), you said something back at the club that caught my interest…" Bickslow suddenly grins, and she giggles. "You want both of us, eh?"
"Bicks…" Laxus growls lowly in warning. He knew the man could be pushy, and he was sure (Y/n) didn't want to talk about it. She was drunk, and she could say something she'd regret. He didn't want that.
She looks away from them and doesn't respond for a while. Bickslow starts to feel like maybe he upset her, but her face suddenly gets red and she giggles. Laxus catches the slight scent of her arousal and his eyes go wide as he looks at her.
"God, if we had a threesome I would get smooshed… but it would be so hot!" She hiccups as she talks, and they groan, instantly picturing dirty things. "You guys would never be okay with that though, huh…"
Bickslow cackles, sticking his tongue out "Hey, I'm down for anything!"
Laxus scowls, annoyed by the younger man's constant pervertedness. He saw the hurt look in (Y/n)'s eyes earlier when she saw Bickslow flirting with the blonde waitress."Of course you are. You don't care what's going on as long as you get your dick wet. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't take that other chick home."
"Like you're one to talk!" Bickslow says, frowning. Why was Laxus suddenly giving him a hard time about that kind of shit? "You fuck random chicks all the time. It's not a big deal, even (Y/n) has done it!"
The girl laughs, not having grasped the seriousness of the two mage's conversation. Laxus stops and turns angrily towards the seith mage. The alcohol in his blood gave him the courage to speak his mind.
"Yeah, but how do you think she would feel about it now? With both of us trying to date her? I don't even bother looking at women when I have a chance with her. If you're not serious about being with (Y/n) then you should just fuck off. She deserves better than someone who'd probably dump her in a second if someone else showed any interest."
"You think I would do something like that to her?" Bickslow asks heatedly "I've been her best friend; I've been there to cheer her up when she was sad and make her laugh when she was angry, even before the seven year gap. I would never hurt her, unlike you! All you've ever done is ignore her and treat her like shit, so don't come at me about my flirting when you only gave her the time of day after she grew up and got strong!"
"That's not how it is at all!" Laxus growls, his voice lowering dangerously.
Bickslow was right though, he had hurt her. Did he ever deserve the chance to be with her after that? He wasn't sure.
The two men glare at each other while (Y/n) stands between them. She had finally noticed the heated argument and realized what it's about. Huge tears collect in her eyes and she sniffs. The sound gets their attention, and they look down at her.
"What's wrong?" Laxus asks awkwardly. He was not good with crying.
"This is exactly what I didn't want!" She says, furiously wiping away her tears "I'm not worth fighting over, so you guys just need to stop. You're too good of friends to argue over some chick."
"Hey, don't cry Stormy." Bickslow says, feeling guilty about making her upset. "We were just messing around."
"Don't lie to me." (Y/n) growls, pulling away as the seith mage tries to reach for her.
Laxus sighs, gently grabbing her shoulders and turning her to look into her (E/c) eyes. She tries to hide her face but he grips her chin to keep her facing him. "You need to stop that thinking in its tracks (Y/n).You are not just some chick, you're important to both of us. Honestly, I don't even deserve the time of day from you after what I've done."
"That's not true..."
Laxus turns in surprise at the masculine voice to see Bickslow rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Both sets of eyes are watching the man as he continues.
"You made some mistakes, but that's in the past. You've done more than enough to make up for what happened... If anything, I don't deserve (Y/n). I'm self-centered and inconsiderate, and I'm not good enough for someone so beautiful and kindhearted. You're right Laxus. I'll only end up hurting her, even if it is on accident..."
"Bickslow…" Laxus begins, but his words trail off as he stares at his oldest friend. This man had been by his side through everything, and of course they'd had their fair share of arguments. Often they led to fist fights, but never before had they fought over a girl. They'd especially never made amends with each other as quickly as they just had. This was something entirely different for them.
"You two are ridiculous." (Y/n) sighs, brushing away the remainder of her tears "You're both incredible people, so don't say things like that. And please don't fight anymore. I don't want to come between you two."
"You're not (Y/n)." Bickslow says, smiling softly at the storm mage. "We're friends above all else, something like this wont tear us apart."
"He's right." Laxus says, turning back to the woman, "I'm sorry we dragged you into our bullshit. You've been trying to avoid all this and yet we brought it upon you anyway. Don't worry, alright? Your happiness matters more to us than some stupid disagreement."
She smiles and he brushes away some hair that has fallen in her face. Laxus can hear the way her heart is pounding and it makes him pleased to know how he affects her. He pulls her closer, hugging her tightly. As he holds her, he can't help but wonder when he started falling for the young storm mage.
After a moment, Bickslow folds his arms and loudly huffs "Don't start acting all lovey with me right here!"
(Y/n) laughs, pulling away from Laxus and turning to the seith mage. He grins as she walks up to him and throws her arms around him. Laxus watches as they hug, and he realizes it doesn't really make him jealous like he thought it would. Normally any competition would cause his inner dragon to roar, demanding he take out the rivaling male.
He wonders if maybe it's because of how much history he has with Bickslow. They had been friends from the day the seith mage joined the guild. Back then, Laxus saw a strong mage who didn't fit in with the other kids, just like himself, and it drew the two together. Through their teen years, the two had experimented sexually with each other, although if anyone asked Laxus would deny it. Perhaps that had something to do with why Laxus didn't mind.
As he thought about their fight just now, he realized it wasn't jealousy or rivalry that caused it. Laxus was simply worried that the seith mage wasn't truly interested in (Y/n) and would hurt her, but the seith mage had shown otherwise. Bickslow was just a flirt, plain and simple, and (Y/n) didn't seem to mind too much. Those two went so well together, and it had Laxus wondering if maybe the best thing for her was for the two men to come to an agreement. Laxus didn't want to give up, but he didn't want to hurt (Y/n) by making her choose.
Maybe we could try to share? Laxus thinks, surprised that the thought of doing that with Bickslow isn't totally disturbing. Could they just all three be in a relationship together? Was that possible? Laxus had long ago admitted that he found the seith mage interesting and attractive, but never thought about being involved with him in any kind of way. It was something he would be willing to try though, especially if it made (Y/n) happy.
Bickslow notices Laxus's intense look and grins, somehow understanding what the dragon slayer had just been thinking about. "Come join the hug boss."
He rolls his eyes, but complies. He presses against (Y/n)'s back and she sighs happily, leaning her head back against his large chest while her arms stay wrapped around Bickslow.
"You guys are amazing." She mutters. They hold each other for a while, letting the alcohol give them to courage to try something new. The men give each other a meaningful look, promising to talk when they got back to the cabins. The trio finally parts, and they walk quietly home.
(Y/n) waves from the front door as the two men watch her go inside, and she quickly passes out when she reaches her bed. Bickslow sighs "Man, what I wouldn't give to be in there with her."
"Keep it in your pants dude." Laxus says.
The seith mage laughs, and the two men go into their own cabin to talk quietly. They wonder if (Y/n) will remember everything that happened, and hope they could talk to her soon to work through these emotions. Laxus mentioned his idea to Bickslow, who informed the older man that it actually had a name. Polyamory... Was that something (Y/n) would be okay with? Both mages agreed that they could deal with each other if that's what the younger woman truly desired.
(READER POV)
I wake up with a dry mouth and no memory of getting home. The sun is shining brightly and I cover my head with the blankets to block it out. I lay there for a few minutes trying to remember my night. Last thing I could recall was Bickslow handing me a shot from the blonde waitress. After trying to remember more, the best I could come up with was saying something to Laxus and Bickslow and trying to stand up. Maybe I just went home?
"I really hope I didn't do anything embarrassing" I mumble, getting out of bed and going to the bathroom. I brush my teeth thoroughly after using the toilet, trying to get the grimy taste out of my mouth. My hair and makeup is a mess, but I can't be bothered to care. It was still too early. I leave the bathroom and head towards the kitchen. Evergreen is drinking her morning tea and silently hands me a glass of water when I plop down at the table.
"Have fun?" She grins, looking at my disheveled appearance.
I groan, laying my head on the cold counter after downing the glass in one go "I don't even remember getting home."
She shrugs "Freed and I left before you guys, so I don't know. I fell asleep as soon as I got back. I'm sure Laxus and Bickslow took good care of you though."
"Yeah" I agree.
They were two great and honest men, and I was confident that nothing bad happened while I was with them. I just hoped I didn't say or do anything stupid.
"We leave for the train station in two hours, so you should probably start packing and get ready." Evergreen says. I look at the time and see it's already well past noon.
"Damn, I slept for so long!" I pout, slowly standing up and grabbing a snack before I go back into my room to settle my stomach. I take my time packing up all my clothes, leaving out some comfy pants and a t-shirt to wear today. I take a long hot shower and by the time I'm ready to leave I feel a lot better.
The guys come over to our cabin while I'm lying on the couch waiting for Evergreen to finish packing her stuff. Of course, she was rushing me to get ready and here we are, waiting on her. They men have all their belongings with them and they set them down next to mine by the door. I grunt in greeting as they enter the living room..
"Wow, what a warm welcome (Y/n)." Bickslow jokes and I sigh at his loud tone. My headache had just barely started to subside.
"Yeah, well I'm still getting over my hangover." I say "What happened? All I remember is taking that shot you got from the waitress and then nothing."
"You tried to get up and ended up almost falling, so we took you home." Laxus shrugs, and I get the feeling he's hiding something.
I glance at Bickslow who is simply grinning. I decide to ignore it for now, not having the energy to interrogate the two men. "Right…"
Evergreen walks out, carrying her luggage bags. "Alright, everyone ready?"
"Yeah, we've all been waiting for your slow ass." Bickslow teases and she smacks the back of his head as she walks past him. I stand up, silently grabbing my stuff and we all leave.
That conversation had left an odd taste in my mouth. I wish I could remember what happened. That's what you get for getting so drunk, dumbass.
It takes us a little while to check out of the resort, and soon we're turning in the keys to the cabins and leaving. We then make the long trek back to the train station on the other side of town, reminiscing on our time here. I was going to miss Honeywort, but I was so ready to get to Crocus. It'd been so long since I'd seen everyone, and I couldn't wait for the games to start! We buy our tickets for the capital city and have to wait for a few minutes before boarding the train. It's only a few hours to Crocus, and we all spend majority of the train ride sleeping. I can't shake the odd sense of foreboding I feel the entire time...
A/n: Let me just say I am so glad to be done with the training arc! Things are gonna start happening finally, hope to see you all next chapter :) On to the Grand Magic games!