Many have I loved, and many times been bitten

Many times I've gazed along the open road

Many times I've lied, and many times I've listened

Many times I've wondered how much there is to know

Many dreams come true, and some have silver linings

I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold

When I wake the next day, I lay in bed for a while just enjoying the comfy blankets and cuddling with my little stuffed monkey. Eventually I decide to start my day with a yoga routine. I grab my (f/c) mat from its spot next to my couch and bring into my spare room. Really can't wait to decorate this place- I thought as I set my yoga mat down in the totally empty space. After about 45 minutes I'm satisfied, so I go rinse off in the shower before taking my time getting ready. I put on a small amount of makeup just for fun since it would be a while before I got to wear it again, and afterwards I pick out a tight-fitting black crop top and some loose gray shorts cinched around my waist by a belt tied into a large bow just below my bellybutton. I leave my hair down and finish up with a pair of boots laced up to my knee. We'd be in the desert for the job we were taking, and I didn't want to deal with sand in my shoes. Before leaving I grab a quick breakfast. I figured we wouldn't be leaving for the mission right away, so I left my pack behind. My place was on the way to the train station anyway, so I could grab it on our way out of Magnolia. I decide to walk to the guild, and to my surprise there are a bunch of townspeople who stop to wave to me, they all know my name, some of them call out to me to congratulate me and Fairy Tail. It was surreal, and apparently my new normal now that we had actually won the GMG.

It's a little past 10 in the morning when I finally make it to the guildhall and neither of my boyfriends have arrived yet. There is a decent number of people here currently though. Nab is at the job board like always, while Makarov, Macao and Wakaba sit at a table smoking. Romeo is over by the stage talking animatedly to Bisca and Alzack, with little Asuka coloring next to them. I head up to the bar where both Mira and Kinana are working while chatting with Cana and Laki. They stop and smile at me when I walk up, and I wave cheerfully as I move next to Cana to hang out for a bit while I waited for my men. "Good morning!"

"Hi (Y/n)! Laxus left a message for you earlier." Mira says as I sit down, "Freed and Evergreen got back a little over an hour ago, they're going to spend some time at Laxus's house getting ready before coming here to get the mission paper signed off. He said you could were welcome to come over if you wanted, otherwise, they'll meet you here!"

"Okay!" I nod, taking a moment to think over the message "Thank you Mira!"

It wouldn't take much for me to just teleport over to the dragon slayers house, but I decide to wait here, content to be around my guildmates and enjoy these moments with them before leaving for who knows how long. I loved spending time with the Thunder Legion and Laxus, but it felt good to be around everyone else too. I spend awhile chatting with the other women and soon I'm coerced into a few drinks by the resident drunk. A few turns into a few too many, as I end up waiting quite a while for my team to show up. I'm just starting to feel a pleasant buzz when Bickslow and Laxus arrive with Freed and Evergreen in tow behind them. They're carrying all their gear for the mission and looking every part the badass team they were. I admire my boyfriends especially, staring a bit longer than sober me would have and they both totally notice.

"Jeez Cana, drunk already and pressuring my sweet, innocent girlfriend into drinking too? Tsk, tsk." Bickslow says teasingly as they walk up to us, his babies repeating the sound. He swiftly kisses me in greeting, and Laxus does the same.

"Innocent?! Bahaha! She sure didn't take much pressuring!" Cana grins, playfully poking me in the side to tickle me until I laugh.

I smack her hands away, ignoring them in favor of turning to Freed and Evergreen with a smile "Welcome back guys! How was it?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle of course!" Evergreen smirks proudly, tossing her long wavy hair back. Her smirk grows playful "I'd ask how your time was with these two brutes but I'm pretty sure I'd rather not know."

I can't help giggling at her teasing, and Laxus and Bickslow chuckle along, sharing a brief knowing glance at each other. We all spend a moment talking together before Laxus requests the job flier from Mira to show to the other two members of our group.

"I think this sounds like a very worthy job for Laxus and the Thunder Legion." Freed says as he finishes reading it over. He flips to the map on the back showing the location "Looks like it will be quite a journey. The town of Marigold is only reachable after a two day walk through the desert."

"Really?" Ever asks, pulling it closer to look "It doesn't look that far from the train station."

I catch the subtle tinge in Laxus's face at the word train and inwardly chuckle.

"The dunes make it much harder to traverse," Freed says, "And it is very, very hot which only adds to the difficulty."

"Oh lovely." She sighs as she hands the paper back to Laxus.

"Hey, don't forget, we have Stormy now!" Bickslow throws his arm around me as he speaks "She can conjure us a lil' ice storm or something and cool us down."

I grin, leaning into him "He's right, we totally got this!"

"So, it's settled then? Everyone agrees?" Laxus asks, and we all voiced our agreement, although Evergreen was somewhat unenthusiastic. He hands the paper back to Mira who logs it in the books before giving us the official paperwork, which bore the initial description along with contact info and a map. Before I know it, I'm finishing off the last of my drink and saying goodbye to my guildmates. I hug Cana who wishes us luck, and many people call out to us as we all head out the front doors. I let my team know I needed to stop by my place to grab my travel pack as we made our way to the station, and it only takes me a moment to run inside and grab it. It's mid afternoon by the time we make it there.

"I'll buy the tickets." Laxus says, pulling out some jewels as we walk up to the ticket counter. "After this mission though, you guys are on yer own."

His voice is gruff, but his grin gives him away and we know he's mostly teasing. Laxus was not one to go throwing around his money, he constantly tried to save, but he was always willing to help out his friends. But we would be making a lot of jewels from this job, so it was only fair we started to return the favor. After Laxus buys the tickets, he hands them out to us as we stand around discussing the journey for a bit while we wait.

"The train ride will take three hours," Freed says, scanning the map "And from then on it will be about a two day walk. Now, I personally feel we should try to do as much walking as we can tonight when the sun is down."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." I nod "We can get some rest on the train and stay up a bit later."

"Easy for you to say." Laxus crosses his arms with a petulant scowl on his face.

"Awh, I'm sorry hun." I rub his arm gently, hiding a giggle behind tightly closed lips at his unfortunate weakness. "You can lay your head on my lap like Natsu does with Lucy."

"Tch. I don't need to do that, I'm better than that flame-brained idiot." He says, rolling his eyes and looking away from us. The train starts coming down the tracks then and I see his face grow pale when he sees it. I share a playful look with the Thunder Legion which they return, and we all silently gather up to board.

When we get on the train we manage to find a large enough compartment to fit all five of us and our belongings, which we stow under the seats or above on the luggage racks. Freed and Evergreen sit on one side, and Laxus quickly shoves himself in the corner on the other side, leaning against the wall away from the window. Bickslow smiles at me as he sits next to him, patting the small spot between the two hulking men innocently. I chuckle, looking over at how much more space there is on the other side with Freed and Ever. It was only a few hours on the train though, and I could just cuddle up to Bickslow for comfort and take a nap if I wanted, so I squeezed myself happily between my boyfriends. The seith mages totems float lazily around us. Soon the train horns blow to signal departure and Freed pulls out a book to read while Evergreen does some crochet. Laxus throws on his soundpods, blasting some classic rock and closing his eyes to ignore the world. Briefly I hear the sultry voice of Robert Plant and knew exactly which song he was listening to, which made me smile. I slide my hand into his, squeezing it gently which he returns a bit more firmly. I lay our connected hands on my lap, stroking the back of his hand soothingly with my free hand. Bickslow leans against the window, throwing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to lay against him. I smile sweetly up at him, and we kiss once before settling in for the trip.

I end up sleeping for most of the ride, and before I know it, I'm being woken up by the sensation of the slowing train as it arrives. Vaguely I register my hands still holding Laxus's in my lap as I sit up from my spot against Bickslow. The dragon slayer is the only one not sleeping as we pull up to the station, but his head is laid back and eyes are still shut tightly. It makes me smile when I realize he'd spent the entire time with his hand there, not bothering to move it even after I fell asleep. I move his hand to my mouth and kiss it softly. He peeks over at me and grins slightly until it's broken by the sudden jerk of the train coming to a full stop. He looks very green, and I quickly let go of his hand in case he hurls. The train whistle blows loudly, waking the rest of our group. Everyone moves slowly as we gather our gear, still drowsy from sleep (and one of us still recovering from the ride). As we walk off the train, the dry desert air hits us like an oven and I groan inwardly when I realize that Marigold will be even warmer than this place is.

"Let's stop by a market real quick and grab some food to pack with us." Laxus says as we walk towards the small town. "We'll eat a quick meal and then be on our way."

"Everyone make sure your water pouches are full too." I add, checking mine briefly. "If we run out of water on our hike, I can summon a rainstorm to replenish them but it will be hard without something to catch a lot of rainwater."

Freed finds us a suitable little corner shop that carried all the essentials we needed to make it through the desert. There was no way we could make a fire, so we couldn't bring any food that required cooking. We grab a few easy items to carry that would be just enough to sustain us until we got to our destination in Marigold. After that we grab a real meal from a local food stand and sit down nearby in the shade to enjoy it. It's a bit past 6:30 when we finally depart the town, ready to start the demanding journey through the desert. The terrain is full of difficult to traverse dunes, and most of them we are forced to climb over with no option to avoid them. It's nearly 8pm when the sun mercifully starts to set and provides a few degrees of relief from the relentless heat. Freed writes up some light runes to illuminate our path and we continue on. We walk for many long hours, none of us bothering to expend much energy on talking and instead focusing on the trek. This desert was unpredictable and unforgiving to those who were not careful. It was past midnight when we finally agreed to stop at the base of a small plateau sticking out of the sand. Now that the sun had been down so long, it had grown considerably cooler and very windy, so the rocky structure provided some respite from the elements.

"We made good time. If we continue at this speed, we should make it there late midday tomorrow." Freed states, checking his watch and referencing the map again. "Let's set up camp and get some sleep before the sun comes up."

I sigh in relief as I slide off my backpack, taking a moment to stretch and roll my shoulders. Thankfully the pack weighed less with hot weather gear than it did when I went somewhere cold, but it was still easily over 30 pounds. "I'm going to sleep so fucking hard."

They all chuckle at my comment, and we get to work setting up. Freed puts up protection runes to keep any sandstorms from blowing through our camp and we lay down tarps to keep the sand out of our bedrolls. I lay mine down near the cliffside, and Bickslow sets his directly next to it which makes me chuckle.

"What? We gotta cuddle for warmth, it's gonna be cooold tonight." Bickslow teases, sidling up to me and wrapping his arms around my bare waist. He kisses me, and I lean into it eagerly. We'd barely gotten to kiss or anything today, so I was happy to indulge. I reach up to wrap my arms around his neck and I slip my tongue into his mouth. He inhales sharply through his nose, tightening his grip around me and meeting my tongue with his. I slide his visor and hood off his face, gently tossing it onto his bedroll before threading my fingers into his deep blue locks. I nearly forget where we are until Evergreen scoffs loudly.

"Gross! Keep it in your pants you guys!" She calls from her spot a little way away, and we part after just a moment longer.

Bickslow winks at me as he releases his arms from around my waist, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. I giggle, turning away to finish getting ready for bed. Laxus lays his bedroll next to me, nearly as close as Bickslow had, and it makes me smile. We all get changed into clothes for sleeping before settling into our bedrolls and bidding each other good night. Freed cuts off his light runes and it's exceptionally dark without them. The moon was a small sliver in the sky, providing very little light. There were thousands of stars visible, and I take a moment to lean back on my hands and stare up at them in awe. After a minute I lay back and turn on my side, facing Laxus. I reach out to the dragon slayer for a kiss to match the one I had with Bickslow, and he happily complies. I run my hands along his chest softly as our tongues lazily move against each other. When I pull back, I feel the seith mage slide up behind me and I settle against his chest. He reaches one hand under my shirt to slowly stroke my skin as he peppers kisses on my neck. I close my eyes to enjoy the affection and Laxus sneaks another kiss. There was no hunger in our movements, we were simply enjoying each other's company after a long day. Laxus lays on his back after a moment, pulling me along. I snuggle in close to him, throwing one leg over his hips and laying my head against his broad chest. Bickslow shifts closer, his arm sliding over my hip to rest against my stomach. I reach down and intertwine our fingers together and we all eventually fall asleep, cuddling contently. The sun returns with a vengeance the next morning, and we're forced to get started again as it was too hot to sleep any longer. I get up and get dressed in a lavender tank top and white shorts before throwing on my boots and gathering up my belongings. We stand in the shade of the plateau and eat just enough to keep our energy up before heading out. Freed uses a rune barrier to keep the sandstorms at bay and we make great progress through the desert. When midday hits, the sun blares down relentlessly and it's considerably warmer than yesterday.

"Uuuugghhh. It's so hot!" Bickslow groans loudly as we slowly climb our way up a rather large sand dune. His babies unenthusiastically repeat, "Hot, hot."

I giggle, tugging on his cape. "If you weren't wearing so many clothes, it would probably feel a lot cooler."

"But then my beautiful skin could burn." He pouts, dramatically tossing the purple ponytail on top of his helmet back in imitation of Evergreen. I giggle as I glance behind me at the fairy mage who is carrying a mint green parasol with white lace along the edges to protect herself from the sun's rays.

"Just ask Ever to share her umbrella, I'm sure she'd be happy to. Right sis?" I look back at her, and she scoffs.

"As if!"

I snicker, turning back to Bickslow with a shrug. "Sorry babe, I tried."

"You're such a little shit." Bickslow cackles, throwing his head back "I love it!"

"I learned it from you Bixy." I wink, sticking out my tongue at the seith mage in imitation of him. His cackling only grows more maniacal at the action. "But really, if you want I can block the sun a little with some storm clouds for a bit, that should help."

To my surprise, everybody shouts out at me to do so, and quickly, desperate for some relief. I chuckled at the group before instantly gathering up some magic energy to summon a small snowstorm. The thick clouds roll in above us and block out most of the sun. We immediately feel some relief from the agonizing heat and everybody is extremely grateful, even me. I was so glad to have magic that was useful outside of battle. The snow melts the instant it touches our skin and provides much needed cooling. Since we wouldn't be needing our magic to fight or anything today, I willingly used as much of it as I could, holding the storm clouds until the sun began to set and we no longer needed them. The desert cooled off quickly once it got dark. We continued walking after the sun went down for some time before we eventually stopped to settle in for the night in the middle of nowhere. I fell asleep as soon as I laid my head down, exhausted from the trek and the strain on my magic power. The next morning came way too quickly for my liking, and the five of us barely spoke to each other as we made our way through the last leg of our journey. It was nearly noon when we finally saw the town of Marigold peaking over the horizon, the heat's reflection making it appear to shimmer.

"Oh, sweet relief!" Bickslow cries, his babies repeating "Relief, relief!"

"God I can't wait for a shower." Evergreen groans, her shoulders slumped with fatigue.

"Fucking same." I sigh, feeling sticky and gross and sore. We all gather the last of our strength to finish off the remainder of our journey as fast as we could.

When we arrive, Freed speaks to some of the locals to make sure we had the right directions to our job contact. The flier stated we would be meeting the mayor at the town hall, which is located near the center of the city. They set us onto the right path, and we quickly make our way there. The town is a little smaller than Magnolia and not nearly as colorful. The buildings are made from yellow limestone and many bore beautifully carved columns and towers. Several people are out and about, living their lives as usual despite the heat. Thankfully, the tall buildings provided plenty of shade so it wasn't as bad as the open desert. Eventually we make it to the city hall building, crossing a large open courtyard to the front doors. When we get inside we see a large open space with a sitting area in the center and a grand marble staircase behind it leading up to the second floor. There are several different doors for offices, with bookshelves set between each one.

Bickslow lets out a whistle, gazing up at the giant crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the room. "Damn, this place is pretty nice."

"So many books!" Freed mutters, walking towards one of the loaded bookshelves.

"Please don't touch anything." A curt voice calls, and we look to across the room to see a man in a gray suit shuffling down the stairs. He has dark green hair cut short and slicked back on his head and is about the same height as Freed. "No offense, but you folks look rather dirty."

"Yeah, well, we've been traveling two days through the desert to help your city." Laxus sneers.

"Oh you must be the mages from Fairy Tail of course, welcome!" The man says as he walks up to us, shaking Laxus's hand firmly. "My apologies, I should have known based on your appearance."

I raise my eyebrow at his comment and share a look with Bickslow. I hide my face behind Laxus and stick out my tongue, pulling down one eyelid with my finger and mocking the uptight man as he continues speaking. Bickslow snickers, hiding the sound behind a cough as he covers his mouth to conceal his grin. Evergreen elbows me hard in the side and I stop with a grunt, scowling at the fairy mage. She gestures at me to cut it out and I go to retaliate until Freed shoots us a stern look and we all quickly stop and pay attention. The man, who turned out to be the mayor, tells us his name, Gareth, and gives us a detailed description of what exactly they wanted from us. From what he tells us, the enchanter is dangerous enough that he's wanted dead or alive. The city soldiers had tried multiple times to rid him from the sacred ruins outside the city, and several did not make it back. Those who did had a myriad of different spells placed on them that the city healers had not been able to fix. They believed his spells would be released if he were killed, so they were offering us an extra 100,000 jewels if we did the job for them. Either way, this man was marked for death.

"I've never killed someone…" I mutter quietly as we leave the building and make our way to a nearby inn where the mayor offered us to stay for free while we were here.

Laxus glances at me with a blank expression. "Don't think about that (Y/n). We'll come to it when it's time."

I look at him for a long time, thinking hard about his response. It honestly sounded like it was something he was totally fine with doing if he needed to, and I shudder as I realize just how dangerous he was to have as a foe. The rest of the Thunder Legion looks equally unbothered, and I understood that this was just their normal as S-class mages who took some of the most perilous and demanding missions our guild offered. That might take some time getting used to. I think to myself as we arrive at the inn. The wooden sign over the door boasts the name, The Sleeping Serpent Inn. It's mid-afternoon, so we decide to get cleaned up and relax. Tomorrow we would begin our job. The innkeeper hands us five keys and we all head upstairs to our rooms.

"Dang, we don't even have to share?" I grin as Freed hands me my key "S-class missions sure do have their perks!"

"Man, I was hoping we could room together Stormy." Bickslow sighs, taking his own key to the room across from mine. "I guess I'll just have to sneak over later."

He sticks his tongue out suggestively and Evergreen sighs "No, please don't. We don't want to hear any of the things you guys do behind closed doors!"

"You probably won't hear anything," Laxus says, gesturing lazily to his door which sat between mine and Evergreen's. "My room'll block the sound from reaching yours… Then again…" He looks over at me with a devious grin, "(Y/n) is pretty damn loud."

"Ugh, you're becoming just as terrible as Bickslow!" She huffs, shaking her head "I need some time away from you guys. I'm going to take a shower and relax, don't wait up!"

She saunters off towards her room, shutting and locking the door behind her.

"I too am going to go get cleaned up." Freed comments awkwardly, shuffling his pack "I suppose we shall regroup tomorrow morning then?"

We all agree, and the rest of us part ways to get settled in. I walk into my room and see a moderately sized bed with crème colored sheets. The walls are a rich brown and there is a small desk in the far corner and a wooden wardrobe, otherwise it's pretty bare. There is a door next to the bed which leads to a small bathroom with a single sink, toilet, and a shower with a tub. I toss my bag down onto the ground outside the bathroom, pulling out all my bath supplies and a change of clothes too. I set my clean clothes on the counter and place my bath items on the shelves in the shower before turning on the water to let it warm up. As I start pulling up my tank top to undress, I hear a sound from outside the door and I freeze. After a moment the bathroom door swings open, and I'm greeted with a shirtless and bare-faced Bickslow smiling brightly at me.

"Bicks!" I gasp in surprise and drop my shirt, looking behind him to see if a certain dragon slayer came too. It was just him and I looked back at him, confused. "What are you doing?"

He chuckles, locking the door behind him. "I just wanted to join you in the shower, if that's alright with you."

His dark red eyes are hooded as he looks back at me, a mischievous look on his face and I know he has more than showering on his mind. He moves up to me and starts to pull my shirt up over my head, tossing it to the side. I gasp as he grabs my ass and pulls me up against him. "What about Laxus?"

I worried the dragon slayer would feel left out or maybe even get upset that we were doing this without him, but the seith mage waves it off, "It's okay baby, Laxus and I have talked about this before. He's fine with it, trust me."

I briefly wonder when the two talked and what exactly that conversation entailed, but the thought is lost when Bickslow kisses me fiercely. I moan softly into the kiss, happy to have his affection after the past few days. He deftly unclips my bra and pulls it off without breaking the kiss, and I unbutton my shorts, pulling both them and my underwear off in one go. I'm fully nude, and Bickslow greedily runs his hands over my bare skin.

"Fuck you're sexy." Bickslow mutters against my lips with a grin "I just can't get enough."

He grabs my ass again, kneading the flesh in his hands and pulling my hips to grind against him. I barely suppress a moan when I realize there is a dragon slayer with sensitive hearing nearby. Even though Bicks said that Laxus was fine with this happening without him, I didn't want him hearing everything. I pull away from Bickslow to quickly write up some silencing runes before happily giving myself over to pleasure. The seith mage slides off his pants as I finish the spell before kicking them into the corner. He hops into the shower, turning and holding his hand out to help me step in.

"What a gentleman!" I giggle, and he kisses the back of my hand with a wink before pulling me under the shower head with him. The water feels wonderful on my skin as it washes away all the dirt from our time in the desert. I pull the seith mage in for a damp kiss, running my hands through his wet blue hair. He wraps his arms tightly around my waist, pulling me up against him and my feet barely reach the ground. Our kisses quickly grow desperate as I feel desire pooling below. Bickslow's hard member presses against me, and I reach down to stroke it. He hums before reaching one hand up to grip my hair at the base of my head and pull it back. The seith mage slides his long tongue out and runs it up my exposed neck provocatively, which makes me shiver with longing.

"Fuck me Bickslow." I sigh, squeezing his cock harder as I stroke him.

"Beg for it."

I look into his eyes at his demand, completely willing to do whatever he told me to. "Please fuck me, I need you inside me."

"That's my girl." He grins, shifting suddenly to lift me and hold me up against the shower wall. I wrap my legs around him and he wastes no time, positioning himself to enter me swiftly. His cock reaches deep inside me and I grind down against him eagerly. Bickslow moves his thick arms under my legs and lifts me as he moves away from the shower wall, fully supporting my weight. He begins rocking into me, using his strength to move me up and down on his cock. I throw my head back with a shout and grab his shoulders as he drives into me particularly hard and deep. He grins wickedly before he speeds up, gripping my legs so tightly I think they might bruise, but I feel more pleasure than pain. I move my mouth down to his chest, licking the wet skin before sinking my teeth onto his flesh and biting hard.

"Fuck!" Bickslow cries out, tossing his head back and gritting his teeth. I suck lightly as I let go, soothing the skin with a few kisses afterward. Bickslow is panting as he looks down at me when I pull away. "Fuck that was hot."

I giggle breathlessly, too lost in pleasure to say anything in response. He moves in for a wet kiss full of tongue, his strokes long and expertly timed. I grind my hips as he thrusts into me and it only takes a few more minutes before I feel my orgasm building quickly.

"Oh god, I'm gonna cum!" I moan, clenching Bickslow's shoulders tightly. He continues at the same pace, watching me with a sinful grin on his tattooed face. I blush under his gaze, closing my eyes tightly and tossing my head back as my orgasm comes rushing through me in powerful waves. "Bickslowwww!"

He gradually slows down as the intense feeling subsides, and I realize he hasn't finished yet. Before I can say anything, he pulls out of me and sets me down. I open my mouth to ask but he grabs my chin and kisses me quickly before he says, "Get on your knees baby."

Bickslow positions himself to block the shower water and I happily comply with his demand. He grips his cock, stroking it a few times before I push his hand away to grab it. I lick my lips to wet them before sinking my mouth down around the throbbing member. I teasingly slide my hands up his muscular thighs as I pleasure him with my mouth. He reaches his hands into my hair, pulling it away from my face and holding it tightly. I grab his hips as I envelop his cock completely, the tip reaching back into my throat. I moan around him and he groans loudly before he begins to carefully thrust into my mouth. Before long I can tell he's about to reach his peak. His moaning gets more desperate as he suddenly pulls my head back with one hand, grabbing his cock and stroking it fiercely with the other. I know immediately what he wants so I open my mouth, sticking out my tongue and panting breathlessly as I wait for him to finish.

"Yes, fuck yes!" Bickslow comes with a loud, depraved moan, the white liquid coming out in spurts. It hits my chest, face and tongue and I'm thankful we are in the shower. The seith mage slowly comes to a stop before he releases his grip on my hair and helps me stand up. He grins wide at the mess he's made before I rinse off. "That was so hot, thank you for letting me do that."

I giggle, kissing him passionately "You can do whatever you want. Seriously, just like, activate your Figure Eyes and have your way with me any time Bixy."

"Oooo. Don't tempt me baby!" He cackles, sticking his tongue out. We kiss for another minute before we decide it's time to get clean and get out. He insists on helping me lather up with soap, something I'm sure is going to be a regular thing considering how he was during our bath with Laxus. He just loved to fondle wet soapy skin.

After we dry off, we take our time getting dressed. Bickslow throws on a gray t-shirt and some baggy black shorts, foregoing his usual gear. He kept his visor on in case we went anywhere tonight which was bittersweet. I loved seeing his face, but Bickslow in his hood and visor with street clothes was uniquely sexy. I put on a dark green lace bralette and a black high-waisted skirt with a pair of flats. I drop the magic runes from earlier and briefly wonder if Laxus will make any comments on our actions. Even if he didn't hear anything, I'm well aware he's going to be able to smell it on both of us and it makes me kind of nervous. The three of us had been dating for just about two weeks now and of course, my bond with Bickslow was already progressing much differently than the bond I had with Laxus. We'd all three spent our time together so far, but the seith mage and I were clearly much closer. And now we'd had sex without Laxus involved... Bickslow and I walk out of the bathroom holding hands, and I stop for a moment to talk with him privately about Laxus. He knew the man better than anyone and I wanted to get some advice.

"Hey Bicks..." I spoke softly, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"What's up Stormy?" Bickslow turns to me, his gaze questioning when he sees my expression. "Something wrong?"

"Not exactly." I said, "It's about Laxus..."

He cocks his head at me but doesn't say anything and I take a deep breath before asking, "I'm just not sure how to get closer to him, you know? He's... confusing. Like, sometimes he's so open with me, and other times it's like he's pulling back..."

Bickslow smiles softly "Yeah, I know what you mean babe. Don't take it to heart, it's just how Laxus is at first."

"I just feel like things with you are so much easier." I pout slightly, "And I don't know if that's okay."

"Of course it is." He frowns, pulling me onto his lap as he sits on the bed. I put my arms around his neck and his arms wrap around my waist to hold me close as we speak quietly to avoid being overheard. "You and I have way more history. It's totally normal for poly partners to be at different stages throughout the relationship. Not everybody loves the same, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true..."

"Don't worry so much sweetheart. Laxus really likes you, I promise." Bickslow grins and I can't help but blush at his declaration, "Just give him his space, okay? Don't try to rush things, just go with the flow and it's going to work out."

"If you say so." I smile halfheartedly, wishing I could be as free-flowing as the seith mage was.

"Tell you what. When we get back to Magnolia, I'll spend some time away to get my apartment ready and you and Laxus can go on some dates, just the two of you."

"Really?" I look intently at Bickslow. With my face this close to his I can just barely see his eyes behind his visor.

"Of course. You two need some time alone to connect more." His grin suddenly gets perverted as he continues, "You can have some good sexy fun with him like we just did."

"You're ridiculous." I giggle, rolling my eyes as his tongue lolls out of his mouth. However, his comment reminds me of another worry I had and I frown, "You sure he's not gonna care that we did that without him?"

"Absolutely." His face is totally serious as he sees my worried expression. "I asked if he wanted to join before I came over but he wasn't in the mood. He doesn't have the same sex drive as I do."

The seith mage reaches down to grab my ass at that comment and I giggle. I was glad to hear that Bickslow had actually asked Laxus first instead of just assuming. I can't help but smile at him, my worries put to rest for now. "Thanks for talking this over with me, I feel a lot better. You're the best."

He snickers, "I know it, baby."

We kiss for a moment before I pull back.

"You hungry?" I ask, "Should we go see if Laxus wants to get dinner together?"

"Sounds good to me." He smiles a toothy grin, squeezing me tightly around my waist before we stand.

We head next door and Bickslow swings the door open without bothering to knock as we enter our boyfriend's room. If he cared, he would have locked the door, according to the seith mage. Laxus has already showered and is neatly unpacking his clothes and hanging them in the wardrobe when we walk in. I feel better after my talk with Bickslow but I'm still kinda nervous being around Laxus after having sex alone with the seith mage. I'm a bit quiet as the two men talk while Laxus finishes putting his clothes away. When he finishes, we head out the door to go get food. Bickslow takes the lead, and as Laxus moves next to me he takes my hand in his. I look over at him, slightly surprised and he simply brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses it gently. The action makes my heart leap and I smile brightly, my nervousness completely gone. We head out into the warm evening air and walk for a couple of blocks before finding a casual restaurant to sit inside and eat. Laxus orders an even larger amount than usual to make up for the lack of food on our travels. We take our time eating, enjoying each other's company. When we finally make our way back to the inn, the sun is setting and the sky is a beautiful shade of pink and it feels very romantic.

"Is this considered a date?" Bickslow asks as the three of us stroll leisurely, holding hands.

"I don't see why not." I giggle happily from my spot between the two men.

"That would be date number three, I believe." Laxus says, grinning slightly.

"Third date means I get to third base, right?" The seith mage cackles and Laxus and I can only roll our eyes and chuckle at him, beyond used to his perverted jokes.

When we get to the inn we spend a bit more time talking before finally parting ways to our separate rooms. The mattresses here were much too small to share with one man, let alone two. I wanted a good night's rest after sleeping on the ground the last two nights, so I was okay not having them sleeping next to me. When I get into my room I move quickly through my nightly routine, excited for the comfort of a real bed. It's just past 9 pm when my head hits the pillow and I fall asleep instantly.

A/N: Can I just say that I fully didn't plan for Bickslow to join the shower he literally just started walking in as I wrote the scene? It's totally something he'd do but super helped with relationship development lol