Look what has happened with just one kiss
I never knew that I could be in love like this
It's crazy but it's true
I only want to be with you
On the morning of our rest day, I wake up with butterflies in my tummy. I'd never been nervous for a date before, so that was a first. After all this time, I never expected to be going out with two men who'd been so important to me. As I grew up, I explored my sexuality openly. However, besides dating Eve for a few months, I'd never really had long relationships. Laxus had been the only guy I'd ever actually had a crush on, and that had turned out so well. Not to mention the years I spent in anguish over my guild's disappearance. The last thing I wanted was to give my heart to someone just for it to end. I'd given up on ever really finding happiness after everything I'd been through, but here I was. Over seven years later, and I was going an actual date that I felt genuinely excited and nervous for. And it was not only with Laxus, but Bickslow as well.
The girls had, of course, heard about our date, so they insisted on helping me get ready. We all met up in the spacious room Evergreen and a few of the other girls were sharing. They all brought some of their cutest clothes so that we could find the "perfect" outfit. The room was a mess with clothes and shoes and accessories placed all over. Currently, we were all standing over the piles of clothes, trying to decide what I should wear.
"It would help if we knew where they're taking you." Erza muttered, studying the articles of clothing strewn across the beds with a serious look on her face.
"Knowing Laxus and that he's the one planning the date, it's gonna be something fun." Evergreen said "Something where he won't have to talk much, too."
I giggled "Yeah, he's not the best with words. He's a man of action for sure."
"You can't go wrong with a dress!" Levy said, picking up a short red sundress from the bed. She holds it up with a smile and I shrug.
"Eh, I'm not really one for dresses." I muttered.
"How about a skirt?" Cana suggested as she sipped from her flask "Easy access amirite?"
"Inappropriate comment aside, I think a skirt would do well." Erza had an intense and focused look on her face as she gazed at the enormous pile. The requip mage took clothing very seriously.
The other women nodded in agreement at her statement, and we searched through the clothes, picking out the skirts. Everyone had offered to lend me something for today, and luckily we were all basically the same size. I was grateful to have so many friends here to help me get ready. With the amount of options having been narrowed down, I focused on the skirts laid in front of me. Eventually I chose a sky blue high waisted mini skirt with a thin silver belt attached to it.
"This top would look so perfect with that." Levy said, bringing me a black bardot shirt.
"Oh yes!" Evergreen grinned "Try it on and let's see!"
I quickly changed into the outfit, twirling around so everyone could see. The top fit perfectly, and was tight against my skin to balance out the flowing skirt. It tucked neatly into the skirt, the belt contrasting nicely with the two colors. The small sleeves hung off my shoulders, leaving them bare. My guild mark showed proudly, and I smiled as I looked down at my outfit. "I love it."
"We just need to accessorize!" Evergreen declared, walking over to the dresser where we all had some of our jewelry carefully displayed.
"A choker would look really good with that." Cana said, and I grinned excitedly.
"Yes! I have plenty of those." I giggled. They were my favorite accessory. I grabbed my favorite one, black leather with a metal ring on the front. It matched perfectly with the silver from the belt and my black shirt. "This one would go great with my outfit!"
"Shoes are probably the most important part now." Erza said "You want something cute, but practical in case you guys are gonna be walking around a lot."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Evergreen cut me off "No boots! You wear them far too much (Y/n)."
My mouth slammed shut as I pouted "Fine."
They all giggled at my petulant expression, and Evergreen grabbed a pair of lace-up platform heels, shoving them at me. I looked at them skeptically "I dunno Ever, heels?"
"They're not even three inch heels, you'll be fine." She said "And besides, these are different. They're super comfy and so easy to walk in."
Erza suddenly grabbed them from me, inspecting them closely. "Are these what I think they are? The ones they enchant to fit any size, made to feel like normal shoes? I've wanted a pair of these for so long! They're impossible to get!"
Evergreen smirked haughtily, "They sure are! They're my best pair, and nobody is allowed to use them! Except my sister, of course."
"Thanks Ever." I smiled, putting on the heels after Erza dejectedly handed them back to me.
The quality of the shoes was apparent immediately and I felt as though I was wearing a comfy pair of sneakers instead of heels. The black ribbons went around my calves and up to my knees, staying perfectly in place. These heels were the most amazing pair I'd ever seen or worn. I gave myself a final look in the mirror, admiring my outfit. My hair was tied in a high pony tail, some pieces left out to frame my face. My makeup was on point, just enough to make a difference but not enough to be overpowering.
"Looks like your men are ready too (Y/n)." Levy said suddenly, looking out the window. The women all rushed over to the window to get a look at the two men.
"Wow, Bickslow looks damn good!" Cana said "I hardly ever see him without his bulky armor."
"And Laxus is so handsome!" Evergreen cooed, sounding like a proud mother complimenting her son as he waited for his prom date.
I glanced out the window briefly, blushing at the sight of my two handsome boyfriends. Although, I could hardly get a good look with all the girls standing there staring. Laxus must have heard us, cuz he looked up to the window then and glared at the women looking down at them. They all backed away, giggling.
"Guess that's my cue." I chuckled, smoothing out the fabric of my skirt nervously.
They all followed me as I walked downstairs slowly, my heart pounding. It hit me suddenly how important this day was. Our first date as an official trio... I was so excited. There were a bunch of people standing downstairs as we walked into the room, and they all turned to look at me with wide grins.
"You look beautiful (Y/n)." Gramps said, walking up to me. "My grandson is a lucky guy!"
I leaned down, hugging the small man "Thanks Gramps."
"You three have fun alright?" He said as I stood up straight and began walking out.
I giggled as everyone shouted words of support behind me. It felt like I was a kid with my parents waving me off on my first real date with a boy. I'd been on lots of dates in the past, but it was never like this. My whole family was here, wishing me well. It was so surreal. I'd never expected to experience anything like this when they all disappeared on Tenrou. I was so glad to have them back.
My stomach was full of butterflies as I opened the door, squinting at the bright sunlight. I walked out, instantly greeted with the smiling faces of my boyfriends. Back in the room upstairs I had barely seen them through the window, but now I could fully appreciate them.
Laxus was wearing a deep red button up shirt with the top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up, paired with black loose fitting pants. His fur lined coat was in its permanent spot hanging off his shoulders. He had his spiky locks slicked back just a bit, making him look very mature. Bickslow had on a black flight jacket and white button up shirt, paired with jeans and boots. His visor was gone, since he knew how much I loved to see his face, but he still wore a pair of aviators. His babies floated around him, buzzing excitedly. The two men looked totally different, but both were equally handsome. I walked up to them with a light blush on my cheeks, suddenly feeling shy.
"You guys look great." I said breathlessly.
"Not as great as you look." Laxus responded, pulling me gently towards him and kissing me lightly.
"I agree, how did we get so lucky?" Bickslow grinned. His babies chimed along "Lucky, lucky!"
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing." I giggled "So, what's the plan for today?"
"The plan is for us to spend all day with each other." Laxus said "There's a bunch of stuff going on today, but I figured we could start with the street fair they've got going on downtown, maybe grab some dinner after, and walk the gardens tonight when they have all the lights on."
"Sounds great." I smiled, grabbing his hand and silently thanking Evergreen for the shoes. It seemed like we'd be doing a lot of walking today. Bickslow moved to my other side and held my other hand, and we all walked in the direction Laxus led us in.
As we walked, I couldn't help noticing all the strange looks people were giving us. They whispered to each other, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I glanced over at Laxus, because I knew he could hear them, and he scowled. The people hurriedly looked away, afraid of the intimidating man. I couldn't contain my sigh. This really was a strange sight to see, and I could guess what they were saying. Even if our guild approved of our relationship, didn't mean everyone would.
"People just don't know how to mind their own business." Bickslow said, rolling his eyes.
"Let 'em stare." Laxus grunted "I want everyone to know about us."
I felt the corner of my mouth turn up in a grin, and pointedly looked ahead to ignore the looks we were getting. It didn't matter what anyone said, I was happier than I'd ever been.
After walking a few blocks, we could hear lots of noise and music from the street fair. We reached the street it was on and I grinned excitedly at all the decorations. Flowers were strung everywhere, full of color. There were tons of little stalls and carts selling different things like food, jewelry and clothing. Flamboyantly dressed people moved through the crowds, some playing instruments and others juggling random objects.
We walked along for a while, just talking and checking out all the beautiful art work people created on the spot. I didn't have much money, and I was somewhat glad. If I did, I'd probably buy way too much stuff. Somebody handing out free flower garlands walked by and I happily accepted one, placing it around my neck. It would have to be my souvenir from this day.
"This city really knows how to celebrate eh?" Bickslow grinned as we finished walking all the merchant booths "What should we do now?"
I scanned the area, trying to see all the different attractions they had. There was a large ferris wheel and many other rides in an open field nearby. I thought about suggesting that, but realized Laxus couldn't join us on any of the rides with his motion sickness. Instead, I looked over to where they had lots of carnival games.
"How about that?" I said, pointing to the games.
"Heck yes, I'm gonna win you a stuffed animal!" Bickslow laughed, grabbing my hand and running over to a stall with balloons taped to the wall. The man working at the booth handed Bickslow six darts, explaining the rules as Laxus cradled me into his side.
"Bicks is amazing at darts." Laxus muttered as the seith mage got into a throwing stance. I watched in fascination as he hit his target every time "I've lost quite a few jewels over the years to him in dart competitions. The bastard always goads me into a bet when I'm drunk."
I giggled as the worker sighed, handing Bickslow a cute little monkey. The seith mage turned to me with a wide grin on his face.
"That was easy!" He chuckled, handing me the stuffed animal. It was really soft and plush and I cradled it to my chest happily.
"Hey, it kind of looks like you!" Laxus teased, pinching Bickslow in the side.
"You're just mad I won something and you didn't." He responded, sticking his tongue out.
"I didn't even compete." Laxus said, scowling. "If I had I probably could have gotten something bigger."
"Oh shut it. You guys are ridiculous." I said, rolling my eyes. Despite my scolding, I smiled and pulled Bickslow in to kiss him "Thanks Bicks."
"You're welcome baby. And I'll win you something too Laxy, don't worry." Bickslow grinned, throwing his arm around the taller man. The worker at the booth gave us a weird look, and we decided to move on to something else.
We walked a bit further until we came upon a game that gained Laxus's interest. It was called a high striker, and was used to test a person's strength. The player had to swing a mallet as hard as they could to ring the bell at the top. The man trying currently could not get the puck to reach the bell, much to his dismay. He left, and the operator called out to see if there was anyone strong enough to ring the bell.
"Too easy." Laxus chuckled, a swagger in his steps as he walked up and grabbed the mallet.
"I don't think this game is meant for mages." I mutter, seeing the worker's nervous expression as Laxus readied his swing.
Sure enough, Laxus hit the lever and sent the puck flying. It smacked into the bell and knocked it completely off. It fell with a loud clang, and the employee angrily grabbed the mallet away from Laxus.
"Nice one boss!" Bickslow laughed "You really are the strongest." His babies cheerfully repeated "Strongest,strongest!"
"Let's go before he starts demanding payment." Laxus muttered, grabbing the seith mage and pulling him away. I waved apologetically to the man before following my two boyfriends.
The three of us continued on through the street fair, occasionally stopping to buy treats and look at all the art and entertainment everywhere. Eventually we reached a stage where a band was playing and lots of people were dancing. We stopped, enjoying the music and carefree atmosphere. I found myself tapping my feet to the beat, grinning widely.
"Wanna dance?" Bickslow asked, noticing my movements.
"Oh! Uhm," I hesitated, not wanting to leave Laxus alone. This date was for the three of us, and I didn't want to leave anyone out. I motioned down to the stuffed monkey in my arms "I've got to carry this, and I don't want to make Laxus hold it.
"I don't mind. I'm not one for dancing anyway; don't let me stop you (Y/n)." Laxus said, taking the prize and guiding me towards Bickslow. His babies stayed with the dragon slayer, watching us.
The seith mage pulled me into his chest, instantly spinning around. My flower necklace fluttered in the breeze as he spun me. We continued turning until we merged with the crowd of dancers and began to move to the music. I threw my head back and laughed as all the bright colors swirled together. Bickslow was, unsurprisingly, a great dancer. All his acrobatics training left him nimble and light on his feet, especially when he wasn't weighed down by his heavy armor. We danced spiritedly to a few songs before slowing down a bit. We moved closer together, dancing slowly. After a moment, I looked up at Bickslow who was smiling down at me, an oddly serious expression on his usually playful face.
"What?" I asked, blushing at his intense gaze.
"Just thinking about how much I love you." He responded, and my mouth fell open in surprise.
"You love me?" I said, nearly tripping as I was caught off guard. My heart skipped a beat as his confession, and then began pounding wildly.
"I do." He kissed me, pulling me tightly against him as we rocked together gently "It may seem a bit sudden, but I've been falling for you ever since I saw you walk into the guild after we returned. You had such a strong and beautiful presence about you. Your soul was practically blinding."
"Bickslow…" I muttered as I stopped moving, staring up at him. I'd never heard him speak so sincerely. I thought hard about his confession, and realized I felt the same way. He was my best friend (which I would never in a million years let Evergreen know that, lest she strangle me) and we were so perfect for each other. I laughed, biting my lip and grinning "I love you too. I think I've known for a while that I felt this way, which is why it was so hard to make a decision before we agreed to polyamory… You're incredible Bicks, and I couldn't imagine my life without you."
We kissed again, ignoring our surroundings as the band stopped playing and everybody clapped for them. I pulled back after a moment and he let me go.
"We should probably get back to Laxus." Bickslow said, motioning to where the man sat at a bench. He was surrounded by Bickslow's totems and a few fan girls, looking annoyed.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. He hated when people fawned over him, but women just flocked to him. No matter how much he scowled at them. "Yeah, let's do that, before he zaps them all."
We started to walk over to him, and suddenly Bickslow ran ahead of me. He threw himself into the man's lap, grabbing his face and kissing him fiercely. The girls gasped as Bickslow pulled back and snickered "Did ya miss me Laxy?"
I couldn't help but gape at the two when Laxus willing held the seith mage in his arms and grinned "Maybe a bit."
The girls pouted, assuming he was both gay and taken, and left. Laxus turned his attention towards me as Bickslow got off his lap, and he held out his hand. "I missed you too (Y/n), come here."
I chucked as I walked over to him, grabbing his outstretched palm. He pulled me into his lap and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I smirked at him "That was quite the spectacle."
"Not nearly as much as your guy's confession was." Laxus responded and I stiffened, hoping he didn't feel upset. "I guess I've got my work cut out for me when it's my turn eh?"
I looked at him, surprised to see not a hint of jealousy or any other negative emotion on his face. "You aren't upset?"
"Why would I be upset?" He asked, frowning "You guys love each other, that's a good thing. Isn't that what dating is about anyway? Falling in love?"
I blushed, my heart pounding at hearing the word love come from the lightning mages lips. I knew neither of us were to that point yet, but I found myself excited for when it finally happened. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
The two men grinned at me, and I got off Laxus's lap to sit between them. I grabbed the little monkey plush from beside Laxus and placed it on my lap. We sat for a few minutes, relaxing. There weren't any people nearby now that the band had stopped playing, and I enjoyed the quiet time. This had been probably the best date I'd ever been on and it was barely even halfway through.
"I could use a smoke right now, how about you guys?" Bickslow said after a bit, pulling out a metal case that he kept his joints in. I realized it had been a long time since I smoked and quickly agreed. He cut off his magic supply to his babies as he lit the joint, and the little totems dropped gently down onto the bench.
We passed around the joint until it was gone, talking amicably. The three of us shared little stories about ourselves, getting to know each other a bit better. After awhile, I felt myself growing hungry. We hadn't really eaten much besides small treats here and there. My stomach growled loudly and the two men laughed at my mortified expression.
"I think your tummy is trying to tell us something." Bickslow teased, poking my side.
"Shut it." I pouted "I haven't had much to eat."
"I could go for some food right about now too." Laxus said, standing up and stretching. I tried to fight a blush when his shirt rode up and exposed some of his toned stomach. He dropped his arms back down and I quickly looked away. "Let's go, I already picked out a place earlier."
He held out his hand, helping me stand. Bickslow's babies followed along once again as we all left. We walked a few blocks away to a quieter street and Laxus led us to a small restaurant that had a large patio out front. He spoke to the hostess, and she seated us outside. Our table was right next to the railing, facing the road. People walked by, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and we quietly looked at the menu.
"This is a charming little restaurant." Bickslow complimented "Nice pick Laxus."
"Thanks." He said "And this is my date, so I'm paying. Don't worry about prices, alright?"
I nodded "Okay, but next one is on me."
"If the lady wishes it, I won't deny her!" Bickslow chuckles, waggling his tongue "Guess I get the third date."
We continued our pleasant small talk until the waiter brought us waters and took our orders. He paled when Laxus asked for multiple different meals for himself, and I laughed when the man asked if he was sure he wanted that much food.
"Trust me, he's sure." Bickslow informed the waiter, and proceeded to order his own massive plate.
I ordered last, and Laxus asked the waiter to bring us two bottles of wine. The man put in our orders and quickly brought us the two bottles and some glasses. We toasted, sipping slowly on the alcohol until our food arrived. I found myself smiling the entire time, talking with the two men about anything and everything. My cheeks were going to be so sore by the end of the day with how much I'd been smiling.
"So, I never heard the story of how you came to Fairy Tail, Bickslow." I looked at the seith mage as Laxus shoveled heaps of food into his mouth. Thankfully, he was at least clean about it, unlike Natsu.
"Really?" Bickslow said, stopping for a moment to think. "Hm, I guess so. I've never really talked about it with anyone, to be honest."
"I hardly know anything about you from before Fairy Tail." I suddenly realized, frowning. Apparently I knew less about Bickslow than I thought.
"Well, I can tell you. You're my girlfriend, so it's natural you would know everything about me. " He sat back in his chair, having finished his food. I leaned my arms on the table, listening intently as he began his background story. "I grew up in a nearby country called Bosco, east of here. I came from a family with little magic. I learned about seith magic from my grandfather, who passed away when I was young. He was a great guy- you two would have gotten along really well… He was actually the one who gave me my first soul, Pappa."
He has a wistful smile on his face as Pappa buzzed contently next to him. "After my gramps passed away, my parents kind of shunned me. They thought seith magic was creepy. I had an older sister who didn't have any magic, so I was the black sheep. Eventually, I got sick of the mistreatment and left. I packed up what little belongings I had and began to travel on foot. I never looked back…
"I had no real plan or destination in mind as I wandered. During my travels I found two more lost souls, and managed to convince them to join me and Pappa. It really tested my magic having three souls like that, since before then I'd almost never used it. My babies constantly draw on my power, so you can imagine how tiring that could get when you weren't used to using any magic... Eventually, I ended up passing out from exhaustion near Mount Hakobe. I probably would have freezed to death if Laxus hadn't found me. He reamed me so bad, calling me pathetic for fainting like that. I had no idea who this kid even was, and there he stood, yelling at me after he saved me. I ended up getting so annoyed that I used my soul possession on him and made him punch himself."
I looked over to Laxus who pouted "I had a huge bruise on my face for weeks."
"Yeah, you did!" Bickslow laughed "I felt bad, so I stuck around to make sure he was okay. The rest is history, I guess. I joined Fairy Tail and eventually so did Freed and Ever. We've all been inseparable ever since."
"I wouldn't say inseparable." Laxus grunted, a small grin on his face.
"Awh, you know you love me." Bickslow chuckled, sticking his tongue out.
The waiter came to clear our plates then, and set the check down. Laxus paid as we finished off the wine, and we left. The three of us held hands as we walked slowly towards the capital building, Mercurius. Bickslow continued to share embarrassing stories about the Thunder Legion and Laxus as we walked. Laxus scowled as Bickslow finished his story, and I couldn't help laughing.
"Oh man, that's great." I giggled, wiping a tear from my eyes. "You guys are so cute."
It was dark out by the time we reached the vast garden surrounding the palace. There were thousands of multicolored lights along the pathways, casting an ethereal glow on the place. Large bushes were neatly trimmed to act like walls, and flowers bloomed brightly everywhere. It was summer, which was the best time for the blossoms. Mosaic tiles placed in intricate patterns lined the walkways we wandered down, and I felt overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the flower garden. I looked over at my boyfriends, wondering what they thought of the place, only to see them both looking at me.
"What?" I asked, stopping and crossing my arms. "You guys too cool to look at pretty flowers?"
"Nah, we just like looking at you more." Bickslow grinned.
I rolled my eyes "That was pretty cheesy babe."
"Yet you're blushing." Laxus teased.
He was right, I could feel the warmth of my cheeks from Bickslow's declaration. There was no use denying it. I giggled, turning away and continuing down the path. It wound around in random directions, and the high bushes made it impossible to know where you were going. I frowned. "This place is like a maze.'
"Yeah, and it's pretty dead too." Laxus said "I figured everyone would be out doing stuff right now since it's a rest day and there are no competitions, but I haven't even heard any voices since we walked in here."
"Eh, everyone probably got their fill of the place before the games began." Bickslow said "We didn't get to cuz Master made us come in late so nobody would see you guys."
"True." Laxus nodded.
We came upon a bench, and Bickslow suggested we sit for a little. His babies settled nearby as he sat down. He glanced down as I sat next to him and frowned "You must be dying in those shoes (Y/n)."
I looked down at my feet, having totally forgotten I was wearing heels "Not at all actually. Evergreen lent me these; she said they're magically enchanted to be as comfy as tennis shoes. I honestly forgot I was wearing them."
"You sure you don't need a foot rub?" Bickslow said, wiggling his eyebrows and waggling his tongue.
"I'm good." I giggled, leaning against Laxus as he sat on the other side me.
Despite my rejection at his offer, the seith mage grabbed my ankles and laid my legs over his. He didn't rub my feet, and instead rubbed his hands along my calves. It felt amazing, and I closed my eyes and laid my head back against Laxus to enjoy the attention. After a while, his caresses got bolder as he moved his hands to my thigh. His fingers barely slipped under my skirt, and my lips parted slightly as my breathing sped up in anticipation.
As soon as I did that, I felt another pair of lips connect with my own. Laxus was leaning over me, kissing me. He slid his lips against mine, parting them more to make room for his tongue. Bickslow continued to teasingly run his hand over my thigh, growing closer and closer to my core. I moaned into my kiss with Laxus, wrapping my arms around his neck. He leaned in more, wrapping one arm around my front and placing his other hand on the back of my neck for support.
I was overwhelmed by the many different feelings. Bickslow began playing with the band of my thong as Laxus twined his tongue with mine. I parted my legs slightly, desperate to feel Bickslow's touch more. He chuckled, although I hardly heard it over the sound of blood rushing in my ears. Laxus gripped my neck tightly, his other hand sliding up my stomach and nearing my chest. I pulled away with a gasp as Bickslow gently pressed his finger against my clit over my panties. Laxus dove on my chest, nipping and biting at the skin. He held me up, keeping me from falling back as I ground my hips against the seith mage's talented fingers.
We were lost in pleasure when we suddenly heard loud shouting from the direction of the castle. I stiffened in embarrassment, and quickly stood up. My heart was racing as I straightened my skirt, trying to ignore the wetness between my legs. The yells continued, and my eyes widened when I recognized the voices as belonging to our guild mates.
"Man, this keeps happening." Bickslow complained, crossing his arms and pouting.
"Maybe we should stop getting hot and heavy in public." I giggled, smoothing back my hair.
"Let's go see what's going on." Laxus said, standing up "This doesn't sound good."
Our passionate moment was quickly forgotten as we left the gardens, Laxus leading the way. When we exited, we came face to face with the royal guard throwing out the group of mages that followed Gajeel last night. Why are they leaving the palace? Where they there this whole time? I noticed Lucy wasn't with them, and felt even more confused when I saw Natsu looking completely exhausted. The group shouted angrily at the knights as they went back into the palace. Natsu was the only one quiet, and he was leaning heavily on Gray, barely awake. They stopped yelling when Laxus called out as we ran up to them.
"What's happened?" He asked.
"Those damn bastards took Lucy and Natsu got his magic power sapped!" Gray said, "They've got some crazy shit going on. We need to talk to Gramps right away!"
"Here, I'll carry Natsu and we can all go." Laxus responded, effortlessly picking up the pink haired mage and tossing him over his shoulder. Natsu merely grunted in discomfort as Laxus began walking.
"So how come you guys are leaving the palace?" I asked Gajeel as we walked back to the inn. "Did you go there last night?"
"They kept us in cells overnight until they decided to release us." He responded "We learned some top secret information, but they couldn't keep so many Fairy Tail members without rousing suspicion, so they released all of us 'cept Lucy. I think they want to watch her and that Yukino chick so they can't activate the Eclipse Gate."
"Eclipse Gate?" Bickslow repeated, his babies mimicking the question.
"We'll tell you guys everything when we get to the inn, that way Gramps can hear it too." The metal slayer responded, and suddenly his serious expression was replaced with a grin. He eyed me, chuckling "So, what was going on with you guys? Your neck is all red and you reek like these two idiots, gi-hi-hi."
I blushed, before realizing he was the only guild member that wasn't there when we made the announcement. "We're actually dating."
"All three of you?" Gajeel said, his pierced brows going up.
"Yup." I grinned, popping the last letter.
"They're in looovveeee." Happy snickered, flying over our heads.
"Shut it!" I said, as Laxus shouted the same thing at the exact same time.
With that, everyone was quiet. The tension in the air was thick as we swiftly made our way back to Honeybone Inn. Laxus slammed open the door and the few people inside turned excitedly, expecting to hear about our date, but stopped when they saw the lightning slayer carrying Natsu. I sighed as I looked at the three women in the room, Mira, Erza, and Juvia, and they narrowed their eyes in confusion. They stayed silent, however, as Laxus walked up to Makarov who was sitting at the bar.
"What in the world is going on?" He grunted, standing up as Laxus not-so-gently dropped Natsu onto the floor. "Where have you all been?"
"Where's Lucy?" Erza asked, joining the crowd of people gathered in front of Gramps.
Gray proceeded to inform everyone of what happened the day they were gone. The other mages helped fill in the gaps as we were told all about the dragon graveyard and the Milky Way spell Wendy cast to speak to one of the beasts. They continued on, informing us of the Eclipse Gate and their plan to defeat Zeref using it. I was shocked to hear that the games were a ruse intended to steal magic power from wizards. After all this time, they had ulterior motives for the competition that meant so much to everyone. Bickslow grabbed my hand, sensing my unease. Finally, they explained how the Minister of Defense arrested them and kept them imprisoned before releasing everyone except Yukino and Lucy.
Suddenly, Natsu jolted up and began shouting "I'm gonna destroy those bastards!"
Laxus moved quickly, grabbing the smaller man by the scruff of his neck and keeping him from running off to storm the castle. Someone got some rope out and they quickly tied the struggling fire mage to a post. Gray continued on, telling Gramps that the minister said we could gain an audience with the king to ask him to release our nakama if Fairy Tail won the games.
"Screw that, I'm gonna rescue Lucy right now!" Natsu shouted, fire spewing from his mouth. There were heavy bags under his eyes, the only evidence of his weakened state.
"Calm down Natsu, you're still low on magic power." Wendy pleaded.
"You can't just run in there fists blazing Natsu." Happy sighed "Your opponent is the kingdom."
"What should we do Master?" Erza said. We all turned to him as he pondered the question.
"We can't act recklessly against the kingdom." Makarov muttered "But they also can't treat their citizens this way. Lucy is basically being used as a hostage to make sure the Eclipse project is cancelled."
"This is ridiculous!" Natsu shouted, suddenly breaking apart his bindings "I'm going in there to-oof!"
He was quickly smashed by Makarov's enlarged fist. The old man sighed as he kept the fire mage pinned down. "We all feel the same way boy. However, we can't rush into this without thinking it through first. Don't think that we've simply accepted this as it is. There's still one thing we can do…"
He continued on, telling us his plan to send a team in to rescue Lucy while everyone was distracted with the final day of the games. Natsu insisted on going, with Mira and Wendy being chosen as well. However, that left one spot open on the team.
"Juvia would be glad to fight alongside Gray-sama!" The water mage proclaimed, gripping the man's arm tightly as he deadpanned.
"No, I'm sorry Juvia but it's too risky…" Makarov responded. "You get too distracted when it comes to Gray."
"(Y/n) should be the one to do it." Bickslow said, and I looked at him in surprise.
"What? But I lost on the first day; I'm not good enough to be on the final team!" I insisted, flushing as everyone looked at me.
"That's not true." Laxus frowned "You're strong. Besides, you fought a wizard saint, pretty sure most of us would have fared the same."
"Yes, I think (Y/n) is a good choice." Erza said, grabbing me and pressing my head against her armored chest. I winced at the contact with the cold metal.
Juvia spoke up, smiling "If (Y/n) wants to compete, Juvia doesn't mind. (Y/n) deserves the victory after all that she's done for the guild. Just stay away from Gray-sama!"
The entire group was looking at me hopefully, smiles on their faces. I sighed "Alright, I'll do it. I'll compete."
They cheered, and I was pulled away from Erza by my boyfriend Bickslow. He lifted me up, spinning around "I can't wait to see you and Laxus kick everyone's asses!"
Our plan decided, we all began to get ready to bed. I slept restlessly that night, nervous for the next day. I imagine many of my guild mates felt the same way. We were so close to victory, only one point ahead. I hoped I wouldn't let my teammates down again. And now, there was a sinister plot developing beneath the city. Hopefully, they could rescue Lucy without any problems.
But with Fairy Tail, there was bound to be problems.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the date! I know it's a bit of a stretch to have the group in the castle kept prisoner overnight, but it just flowed better with the story. I'm trying to focus less on the eclipse gate and more on Reader. Obviously she's not as involved in all that as the core members are.
Favorite, follow, review, and I'll see you next chapter!