Rolling snare drums echo

The rain sounds like applause, yeah

I finally found you

The one that I've been waiting for

I finally found what I'd already stopped looking for

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of rain still pouring outside, and the smell of breakfast. I shift slightly and feel Bickslow still sleeping next to me, which meant that Laxus was cooking. That's good, I don't have to worry about my kitchen going up in flames. The thought makes me giggle sleepily, and I carefully slide out of bed. Bickslow grunts before turning over and settling deeper into his sleep. I smile fondly at the seith mage before walking into my bathroom. I quickly use the toilet before brushing my hair and throwing on one of my over-sized t-shirts. Afterwards I make my way to the kitchen, enjoying the sight of Laxus wearing just his briefs as he cooks.

"Good morning." I speak quietly, walking up to him and running my hands along his back "You didn't have to cook, I could have done it."

"Mmh, but I wanted to." Laxus responded, glancing back at me "How're your wrists?"

I glance down to check, seeing minor bruising. They didn't hurt much, and the soreness in my arms was nearly nonexistent "They're fine. I didn't injure them too much last night."

"That's good."

"Have you heard from Freed and Evergreen yet?" I asked, sitting at one of the bar stools and watching as Laxus made massive amounts of eggs and sausage, along with diced potatoes and toast. "How's their job going?"

"Yeah, Freed called this morning." Laxus said "He said the client left out some important information in the flier, so it's gonna take them longer to complete than they thought."

"Do they need help?" I frowned, worried. Laxus simply shook my head, calming my fears.

"They'll be alright, it's nothing crazy. But we should probably head out on a job ourselves since they'll be gone for a bit."

I rested my head in my hand and sighed. I'd been looking forward to going on a big mission with everyone, but oh well. That just meant more alone time with Laxus and Bickslow. "Alright, yeah. Maybe we can take a quick mission and be back around the same time they get done."

Laxus simply nodded, and started to grab plates for the food he made. I watched him as he dished up the breakfast, giving himself a huge helping. It was such a simple morning, but I felt so content. My heart felt so light, but completely full to the point of bursting. Never in a million years would I have expected to be here, in my home, with a half-naked Laxus cooking breakfast as Bickslow slept soundly in my bed. I was seriously beyond lucky. It hasn't been very long since we made our relationship official, but we've been through so much. After everything was said and done, I knew I wanted nothing more than to return to the arms of my two boyfriends. Always. My heart skipped a beat when I realized how strongly I felt about both men. I loved them and trusted them with my entire being. There was no denying it now. I felt the urge to share my feelings, and spoke before I even knew what I was doing.

"Laxus…" He stopped and looked at me questioningly. I simply smiled, deciding to let my heart lead the way. It may be sudden, but I was tired of waiting to tell Laxus how I felt. Why have I been holding back anyway? He once told me that our lives as mages were dangerous, we had enemies around every corner, and that was true. There was no telling what could happen to us. So when we had the chance at happiness, there was no point in holding back. "I just want to let you know that you really mean a lot to me… You've become such an incredible man and I'm happy to be a part of your life. We've only been together a couple weeks, but we've been through so much. I don't know why it's taken me so long to say this, but I'm tired of ignoring how I feel. I love you Laxus, and I want you to know it. I love you so much."

He stood there, staring at me with wide eyes. For a moment I feared that I shouldn't have said that, but then his face softened. He dropped the spatula he was using to plate the eggs, and came up to me. My heart was pounding in my chest as he pulled me off the chair and into his arms, and without a word he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, sliding my fingers into his hair. He gripped me tightly, as if he never wanted to let go. After a moment he pulled back, whispering "I love you too (Y/n). I've been wanting to tell you for a little while now but couldn't find the right moment to say it. I love you, and I couldn't imagine spending my life with any girl but you."

We kissed again, and again, and again, until the food grew cold. The rain pounded outside, the soundtrack to our intimate moment. It couldn't have been more perfect. After a while, I began feeling lightheaded and giddy. I pulled back, giggling breathlessly as Laxus playfully nipped and kissed my neck. He was wearing a grin on his face, and I ran my thumb down across his scarred cheek.

"Why did it take us so long to admit our feelings?" I asked, chuckling as I looked into his grey-blue eyes.

"Because you two are emotionally handicap."

We look over at the sudden remark to see Bickslow walking out of the bedroom, his hair disheveled. His babies trailed along behind him, and he'd put some sweatpants on before coming out. He rolls his eyes at our dismayed expressions as he continues "I was wondering how long it would take you guys to finally get your shit together and tell each other how you felt."

I tried to frown at the seith mage, but one look at Laxus had me giggling. The dragon slayer simply shrugged "He's got a point."

"Damn right I do." Bickslow chuckled as he walked into the kitchen, "Now, not to ruin the moment, but I am starving. How about we reheat this food and eat breakfast?"

I smiled, and Laxus kissed me one last time before letting me go. We finished plating the food, heating it up and talking playfully with each other as we did. It wasn't long before the three of us sat down to eat, and I looked at my boyfriends with delight. Although, I was interested in something Bickslow had said earlier, and couldn't contain my curiosity. As we ate, I asked "So Bicks, what made you realize how we felt about each other before either of us had?"

"Your souls." Bickslow said simply as he took a bite of toast "I could easily see how they had started to mold together when you two kissed last night. It was actually really beautiful."

"Do your guys's souls do that too?"

"Nah, our love for each other is different." He responded "It's more like two different pieces completing each other, similar to yin and yang. Whereas you and me, or you and Laxus, our souls begin to mesh together, nearly becoming a new, unique entity."

His explanation was fascinating, and I smiled at him in admiration. "Your magic is so beautiful Bicks."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly "Eh, most people think it's kinda creepy to read souls."

"No, she's right." Laxus said "It's incredible."

Bickslow grinned, his cheeks flushing under the praise "Jeez, all these lovey-dovey, mushy feelings going around today. It's overwhelming."

We all laughed, content to continue with the blissful high in our relationship. I supposed after all we'd gone through with the games and the dragons, we were feeling so relieved to be together, enjoying a simple breakfast.

"So, we going a mission today?" Bickslow asked as we finished eating and I began washing dishes.

"Yeah, Laxus said that Freed and Ever are gonna be gone for a bit so I think we can take a quick mission to get some jewel." I responded.

"Sweet, I'm so excited to get out and start working!" He grinned, stretching his arms over his head "It's been too long."

"We should probably head to my place and get ready." Laxus said.

I nodded, glancing back at the two "Yeah, that's a good idea. I can meet you guys at the guild if you want? It'll probably be in an hour or two, is that alright?"

"Works for me." Laxus said, coming up and kissing my cheek "Prepare to be gone for probably three days, no camping gear."

"No problem!" I smiled, leaning into the kiss before turning back to the sink "I'll see you guys at Fairy Tail in a little."

"Careful on your way to the guild." Laxus said "You never know what kind of crazy ass people are out there."

I rolled my eyes as I finished the dishes and dried my hands "I think I'll survive."

Bickslow chuckled as Laxus scowled at me, and the seith mage quickly kissed me before gathering up his belongings. The two men got dressed and I walked them to the door as they left. Then, I finished up in the kitchen and started getting ready. After quickly showering, I brushed my hair and put on a light amount of makeup. I then go to my closet to choose what I wanted to wear. It had to be cute, but comfortable since we'd be travelling. Eventually I decide on a black cotton dress with half sleeves and an upside down heart cut out on the chest. I pair it with (f/c) shoes and a belt.

Once I finished getting dressed, I started to pack my essentials along with a couple outfits. Like usual, I pack a bit extra. You always had to be prepared as a mage to have your clothes ruined in a fight, or any other crazy stuff. Along with my regular clothes, I pack a bathing suit and a pair of thigh-high tights. When I'm all ready, I glance at the clock. It's been a little over an hour, so I decide to hurry to the guild. I lock up my house, taking a moment to look over everything with a smile. Just recently, I was spending time here with my boyfriends after being away for so long. It was nice, and I was a bit sad to be leaving again. However, I really needed the jewel. Can't keep my house if I have no money for bills, after all.

I nod with resolve before turning and walking down the front steps, my pack slung over my shoulder. I get clear of the building before I teleport to the guild.

When I walk through the large doors, I see that there's barely anyone here. Most people had already left for jobs, and some were already on their second request. Mira is at the bar chatting with Kinana while Gramps talks cheerfully with Macao and Wakaba. I continue looking around, surprised to see that Laxus and Bickslow aren't here yet.

"Guess I was quicker than I thought." I giggled, walking towards the mission board. Since my boyfriends were slow, I got to choose the mission. The board was full, despite everyone being out on jobs. I nod in greeting to Nab before scanning the fliers. There are a lot of small jobs, so I shouldn't have any problem finding something good. "Hmm, I wonder what I could choose that would play on all three of our strengths…"

Suddenly I see something that catches my eye. The word "ghost" is written in giant letters, and I grab the flier to read it.

Help us get rid of a ghost that has been disturbing our guests at Ume Spa!

A frightening figure dressed in white only comes out at night, scaring people as they bathe in the spa. It has even attacked a few people, including our employees.

Please find a way to get rid of it!

300,000 plus one room with a two night stay for free.

"Hell yes, this is perfect." I grin, glancing at the back to see the location of the village. I'd never been there before, but it was only a four hour train ride northwest of here. If the place was actually haunted, Bickslow could easily take care of it. If not, the three of us would have no issues finding out what it was and getting rid of it. As I walk over to the bar to get the approval from Mira, I see Bickslow and Laxus walk in. They both look around, and I wave as they finally see me and start walking towards me.

"You three going out on a mission today?" Mira asks as she finishes up with an order. I nod, leaning on the bar top and grinning as I hand her the flier. She glances over it and smiles "Oh, you guys are gonna have so much fun! This job is gonna be simple, plus you get to stay at a spa!"

"Exactly." I grin, turning to greet my boyfriends as Mira goes to log the mission in the book. "Hey slow pokes, I picked out a mission for us. You're gonna love it."

"As long as it's not some awful bodyguard deal, I'll be happy." Laxus grunted and I arched my brow in question at him. "Don't ask."

Bickslow cackles loudly "Oh god, I totally forgot about that! Don't worry (Y/n), I'll tell you about it later."

I could only giggle as Laxus rolled his eyes, grimacing. Mira returned with the flier, and wished us luck. We began to leave, saying goodbye to everyone before walking out of the guild. While we walked towards the train station I handed the mission paper to Bickslow, who grinned as he read it.

"Hell yes Stormy, this is gonna be sweet." He said, his babies repeating "Sweet, Sweet!" Bickslow then handed the flier to Laxus so the dragon slayer could read it as well.

Laxus nodded "Nice pick. I hope they have a unisex spa."

He winked as he handed the flier back to me, and I felt my cheeks heat up at the implications behind his statement. Bickslow laughed loudly, throwing his arm around me as I folded the paper and stuck it in my pack. We continued walking, reaching the station about ten minutes before the train was set to leave. Laxus bought us tickets, and we sat on a bench while we waited. It was early afternoon, so we'd get to Ume village a little before sunset. We'd be meeting the client right away so they could assign us a room and we could get all the details of the job. Tonight, we'd get started on helping the client with their ghost problem.

The train pulled up not long after we got there, announcing its arrival with a loud blow of the horn. It came to a stop, and soon we boarded. The three of us grabbed a private compartment, shutting the door and placing our bags under the seats. I sat beside Bickslow, his babies nestling into my lap as Laxus settled into the seat across from us, instantly putting on his sound pods and closing his eyes. The train began moving, and Laxus breathed in deeply to fight his motion sickness. I watched him with a frown, wishing I had some way to help.

"Ya know, I hear that when Natsu gets sick on trains, Lucy lays his head in her lap and strokes his hair." Bickslow said offhandedly with a sly grin. "Laxus zapped me every time I offered, but I bet it would help him."

I giggled, looking thoughtfully at Laxus. I could hear the music pounding from his sound pods. It was a song I was very familiar with, and I grinned. Seriously, I loved this man so much. I really did want to make him feel better. However, I look down at the totems in my lap and pout "I don't wanna disturb your babies though."

"Eh, they'll be okay. Come here babies." Bickslow said. The totems moved, but they seemed reluctant and if they had faces I was sure they'd be pouting. "(Y/n) needs to comfort Laxus, so you guys can hang out with me, alright?" The totems quietly repeated "Alright, alright."

I giggled, watching the interaction. He treated his babies like they were children sometimes. Briefly I wondered if any of the souls were children when they passed, but that thought was interrupted as the train shook and Laxus sucked in a breath and tensed. Bickslow watched me as I stood up, settling next to Laxus. The large man peeked one eye open to look at me, and I patted my lap. His eyes opened fully and he watched me for a moment, glancing at Bickslow. The seith mage smiled a genuine smile free of any teasing. Laxus sighed, before finally giving in to our wishes and moving. He laid on his back, putting his head on my lap and keeping his sounds pods on. I instantly moved my hands to his spiky hair, running my fingers through the blonde locks and being careful not to hit the sound pods. He breathed in deeply, only this time it was in delight.

"You two make a great couple." Bickslow said, grinning "Although I think you and I look the best together."

I laughed, looking down at Laxus as I laid my other hand on his chest. He placed his large hand on top of mine, holding it against him. I looked up at Bickslow and smiled. "I dunno, you and Laxus make a pretty sexy pair."

"I won't deny that baby!" Bickslow cackled, throwing his head back as he laughed "Man, I sure am a lucky man."

I smiled, winking at the seith mage. The rest of the train ride went by quickly. Laxus ended up falling asleep, and soon I joined him, my head resting against the window. Before I knew it, Bickslow was waking me with a kiss as we arrived at our destination. I slid Laxus's sounds pods off his head, calling his name quietly as I rubbed my hand against his chest. He opened his eyes to look at me, slightly muddied from sleep. My breath caught in my chest when he smiled at me, and I seriously could have stayed like that for the rest of my life; looking into his deep grey eyes while his sharp teeth glinted behind his grin. It was stunning.

"C'mon Stormy, you'll have plenty of time to eye fuck Laxus tonight in the spa." Bickslow chuckled as he grabbed our bags. Laxus and I rolled our eyes before we both stood up and took our packs from Bicks. The three of us made our way off the train with Bickslow's totems following along behind us. We headed straight to the Ume spa, where the client was waiting for us.

"Welcome Fairy Tail wizards, we're so glad to have you." The man greeted us warmly. He was a tall, lanky man with jet black hair and a square jaw. He had slanted greens eyes and a pleasant smile. We took turns introducing ourselves, shaking the gentleman's hand. "My name is Vincent. Thank you so much for taking the request. This apparition has caused us so many problems!"

"So what makes you think it's a ghost?" Laxus asked.

Vincent sighed "Well, the thing only comes out in the night. Guests and employees report a chilling aura and a disembodied voice before a white figure appears. A few times, when confronted, the ghost has physically attacked people. I've had many good employees and regulars leave and refuse to come back."

"That's terrible." I frown, shaking my head sadly "Don't worry, we'll figure out what this thing is doing here and get rid of it."

"Is there any reason you can think of why this ghost would be sticking around here?" Bickslow asked "Anything strange happen recently?"

His babies loudly repeated "Strange, strange" and I could only giggle at Vincent's weary glance at the totems. He probably hadn't expected them to speak at all.

"Hmm..." Vincent furrowed his brows, rubbing his sharp chin thoughtfully as he ignored the souls "I suppose there was a guy that gave me an odd feeling. He came through here one night when we were busy, demanding a room. We had nothing available, and he got visibly upset when we turned him away. But I don't know if that's connected."

The three of us exchanged glances, internally sighing in annoyance. This job could turn out to be more than we thought. If that man had cursed the place, it would be really difficult to get rid of the apparition. Or he could be a necromancer, which meant we'd need to find him and take him down. Either way, this would take some time.

"Well, that does help us with figuring out where to start." I said, crossing my arms "Tonight we'll check everything out and hopefully find what's causing this ghost to haunt the place."

"Good, good." Vincent nodded, smiling gratefully "If it ends up taking you guys more time, we'd be happy to let you stay for free as long as you need to. It's a small price to pay for the safety of my guests and employees. Not to mention, getting my business back."

"We appreciate that sir!" I smiled politely, nudging Laxus when he continued looking annoyed. He simply frowned more, looking away as Bickslow quietly snickered.

"Yeah, thanks." Laxus muttered. I glared at him, a bit mad that he was being so impolite towards the client.

"Right, well let me show you to your room!" Vincent said, ignoring the tense atmosphere "I'm assuming you guys are aware you'll have to share, correct?"

"Yup, that won't be an issue at all." Bickslow responded, grinning widely. The man cocked his brow in question, but didn't say anything.

We were then led down a long corridor to the left where our room would be. He opened up the door and the three of us walked in, looking around. It was very open, with a few thickly padded bed rolls and a small little table with fluffy cushions to sit on placed in the center of the room. There was a door leading to a small bathroom on the right side, and another door that led to the patio that surrounded the hot springs. On the left side of the room there was a large wardrobe with a few robes inside, and a dresser with a mirror next to it.

"I'll let you guys get situated! Unfortunately I won't be around tonight, gotta get home to the wife." Vincent said as we began setting our packs down "If you have any questions, my evening secretary at the front desk will be happy to help you. Her name is Annette."

"Thanks again sir." I said, bowing slightly. When he left, Laxus sighed and I spun around, crossing my arms and glaring at him "What's your problem? He offered to let us stay as long as we needed to for free."

"Yeah, that's the least he could do." Laxus responded "This is gonna be a pain in the ass if we have to take out another mage. We should be charging him more than 300,000 jewels."

"Eh, it won't be so bad." Bickslow said, shrugging "If it's a necromancer, he's probably working alone and should be easy to defeat. But the mission only says we have to get rid of the ghost. We may be able to do that without even needing to find the guy."

Laxus rolled his eyes, and I frowned deeply as I watched him. This shitty attitude was something I hadn't seen from Laxus in a while. It was reminiscent of the way he used to act, and I wondered if there were always going to be little things I noticed in him that reminded me of the old Laxus. "Why are you being so rude? The money is enough for us to live off of until we group back up with Evergreen and Freed for a big mission, and we don't have to pay for the room or the spa. So seriously, what's the problem?"

Laxus looked at me, his brow furrowed. After a moment, he blinked and ran his fingers through his hair, his expression calming "I don't even know. I just get annoyed when clients try to screw mages over by offering them less than what a job is worth."

After a moment I nodded, his explanation helping me to understand why he was acting so impolite. "I get that. It's something I had to deal with a lot when you guys were gone, so I've just learned to grin and bear it I guess. As long as I got paid, it didn't matter to me. Missions were already scarce, so you couldn't be picky…"

Laxus frowned, and Bickslow hugged me into his side. The seith mage pouted as he spoke "Man, I always forget how bad you guys had it during that time."

"Yeah..." Laxus said, looking guilty "I'm sorry for being an ass."

"No, don't be." I shook my head, pulling away from Bickslow "You're just looking out for our best interests. Thank you… But maybe next time, try to tone it down alright?"

I offered a smile, and Laxus chuckled, pulling me in to kiss my cheek "Got it."

With that, we all started to unpack our belongings. Laxus and Bickslow started to argue about who would get the top drawers of the dresser. So, I took the chance and began putting my clothes in. The two had deadpanned when they saw me finish, and decided to do rock-paper-scissors for the second drawer. I found myself smiling contently as I watched them. These little moments together honestly meant so much to me. Bickslow and Laxus were so fun to be around.

It was evening now, so we decided to head into town to get some food. The spa didn't have a place to eat, so we walked a few blocks away to a place that had Chinese take-out. Laxus paid for us once again, and I made a mental note to repay him as soon as I had money. I really wondered just how much jewel the dragon slayer had. He seemed to be pretty frugal, and with his s-class missions and no rent payments, he had to have a ton saved up.

The food came out relatively quickly, and Bickslow carried the bags as we made our way back to the spa. As we walked in, the secretary greeted us warmly. I couldn't help noticing the suggestive smile she gave to Laxus, and shook my head in exasperation. Seriously, if I didn't trust him so much I'd be a bit worried. The man constantly attracted attention.

Bickslow noticed my irritation and grinned "Stormy, I wonder if you ever notice all the looks you get from men when we go out."

I give him a surprised look and Laxus sighs "Honestly, I can't believe you don't. If it weren't for us scaring them off you'd get harassed constantly."

The mental image of my two boyfriends giving mean looks to guys pops into my mind and I giggle. I can only imagine how frightening it would be to get on their bad side. "I never realized."

"Yeah, that's pretty obvious." Laxus responds as we walk into our room. "And they say I'm oblivious."

I roll my eyes, trying to think back to all the times I'd gone out with the two. Before them, there were some guys who would approach me, and I can't help but remember the instance with that Sabertooth mage in Honeywort. Since then, I'd not had another occurrence like that. I'd also barely been out without having Laxus or Bickslow with me, which was probably why. The realization makes me giggle. Those two had been scaring people off this whole time and I didn't even notice it.

Bickslow set the food down on the small table, and we gather around it to eat. We take our time, enjoying the carefree atmosphere before we'd have to get to work. The ghost only comes out in the middle of the night, so we had time to kill before we had to start. After eating we change into the fluffy robes and start exploring the spa. Bickslow's babies follow along quietly. It was pretty slow, which was probably due to the ghost scaring any potential late night guests from leaving their rooms. The hot springs were sectioned off by gender, much to my two boyfriends' dismay.

"Well, we're gonna need to check out both sides of the spas to see if there might be a clue as to what's keeping the spirit here." Bickslow said, grinning. "So we can take a soak together tonight."

"Yeah, and get attacked by a ghost while we're all butt ass naked." Laxus responded "Sounds great."

I giggled, looking around "Yeah, I think we'll have to wait on the spa time. Honestly, there's no telling when or where this ghost will show up. We should probably split up and cover more ground."

Bickslow grimaced "I dunno Stormy. They said this spirit has attacked people. I don't want you getting hurt and us not being there to help you."

"Oh please. You think I can't handle a ghost?" I said, shooting him a disbelieving look. I went to speak again to tell him off, but felt something touch my back suddenly. My skin rose up in goosebumps and I nearly screamed. When I whirled around I saw Laxus deadpan, his hand in mid-air.

"Really (Y/n)?" He smirked, holding up his hand "I was just getting a piece of fuzz off your robe."

My face went red as the two men shared a glance before busting out with laughter. "Shut it you two!"

I huffed, fighting the embarrassment as I stormed off down the hallway. The two idiots kept laughing, eventually stopping long enough to call out to me. I ignored them, feeling annoyed. It seriously felt like they didn't trust me to be able to take care of myself. I understood that Laxus was protective, but even Bickslow was trying to tell me I couldn't do something.

"(Y/n), come back!"

"No!" I called, fuming. My magic started to act out, little sparks of lightning shooting off my body. It had been awhile since that happened, but I was so upset. "I'm tired of you guys treating me like I'm helpless. Do you forgot just how long I lived by myself, taking solo missions? Not once did I fail. So you guys can just go sit in the spa and relax cuz I'm going to do this job myself! I don't need you two!"

There was no response, and I had the slight urge to glance back and see what my boyfriends were doing. However, I kept walking, my arms crossed as I turned down a hallway towards the women's bath house. Hopefully they realized how annoyed I was with them constantly trying to shelter me. I wasn't some damsel in distress, always needing to be saved and protected from harm. I could easily take care of myself.

"If anything, Laxus is the damsel in distress." I muttered angrily. "He always has the Thunder Legion following him around to protect his ass."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a pang of guilt. I was part of the Thunder Legion now, but here I was bad mouthing them. My teammates, my nakama. I'm not even sure why I got so upset. By now, I was totally used to being teased by those two. Why had it bothered me so much? Not to mention how drained I felt after losing control of my magic. It felt like something was soaking up the lightning, which reminded me of all the times Laxus had done that for me when I got upset. I slowed down, feeling tears of frustration fill my eyes. My emotions felt out of control and I had no idea why.

Feed the anger. Give in to the rage. Feel it flowing through you.

My stomach dropped at the disembodied voice, and I whirled around. However, there was nobody there. Actually, there was nothing there at all. I was suddenly surrounded with black walls, and the room started growing cold. I pulled my robe tightly against me as I shivered.

"God fucking dammit."

"Damn, she's really mad." Bickslow rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and Laxus rolled his eyes at the man's obvious declaration.

"No shit."

"Should we go after her?"

Laxus frowned, staring down the corridor where their girlfriend had stomped off. They'd lost sight of her as she turned the corner. "Let her cool off. We'll scope out the other side of the building for a while and then go find her."

"She was really upset." Bickslow said, his babies sadly repeating his last word. "I wonder why she got so mad this time. I've never seen her react that way."

The two men went quiet as they began walking, thinking about the kindhearted and sometimes headstrong storm mage. She'd made it very clear why she was mad. Had they honestly been too overprotective? Laxus was always that way, but normally Bickslow was laid back. After seeing her die in his arms though, the seith mage had latched onto her side, afraid of what would happen if she left it. It never seemed to bother her before though, had it? They thought back to all the times she'd gotten annoyed with their protectiveness. Maybe they just hadn't realized how much she hated it. But they didn't act that way because they thought she was weak. They knew just how capable (Y/n) was. She was their girlfriend though, and they wanted to take care of her and carry the heavy burdens she'd held while they'd been trapped on Tenroujima.

"Do you think we should back off?" Bickslow muttered, glancing at Laxus "I mean, do you think we should start letting her go off and do her own thing more?"

Laxus stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about the man's question. "I don't know… I've never done this kind of shit before."

Bickslow snickered "Yeah, same. We're bad at this whole relationship thing."

"Eh, I think you're doing better than I am." Laxus responded, tucking his hands in his robe pockets as they walked the halls. "You and (Y/n) are so natural together."

Bickslow stopped, turning to the other man "But you two have such incredible chemistry. Honestly, I think she would have chosen you if we had made her choose."

Laxus's eyes went wide at his confession "Really? I think she would have picked you, considering the rocky past she and I had."

The two men both chuckled, shaking their heads. It seemed they never realized just how insecure the other guy had felt before agreeing to polyamory. They felt so lucky to have been able to have this chance with (Y/n). Bickslow's heart dropped when he realized they could be fucking it up by trying to keep their girlfriend chained to their side.

"We should go apologize."

They both stared at the other in shock, having said the same thing simultaneously. However, before they had the chance to do anything else, the lights flickered and they felt a surge in magic power coming from the direction (Y/n) had gone. Laxus cursed, and the two started to run towards the other side of the spa.

A/N: Oh dear. I just love a damsel in distress, not gonna lie. It's cliche but so fun to write. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'm not entirely happy with it, but oh well.

So sorry for the delay! Updates are gonna be kinda slow, this story is starting to catch up to what I have written and I just don't always have the time/energy to write :( Also, writer's block is kicking my ass. I just wanna get to Tartaros .