Work Text
Speed Boost
Freed hadn't been able to stop looking at Jet ever since they had all returned.It had been little more than a month that the S-Class nominees had returned from their entrapment on Tenrou Island - or a month and seven years, depending on whoever you asked - and it was a task to adapt. Freed had done his best to fit into his new life, but so much of what had once been normal was gone, and it was hard to forget what was gone. His apartment, and his belongings, had all been sold by his landlord. His guild had been downsized and abandoned en masse. Even his favourite restaurant had changed chefs, and this new man was hopeless compared to the woman who used to run the place. It was a lot to come to terms with.Thankfully, he had the foresight and luck to invest in a few companies before he had left. His investments had come off well, and his bank accounts never closed, so he had a small fortune waiting for him. It had been enough to find home for himself, his team, and give the guild's relief fund a substantiation donation. Not everyone could say that.But now, he was bored.Settled in his new home, which was furnished and decorated to his standards, he had no projects to focus on. Normally, he would have occupied himself with a mission, but they were few and far between for Fairy Tail now. So, he spent a lot of time in the new guildhall, watching his guildmates.He had started people watching after Laxus' expulsion from the Guild. The Raijinshuu had agreed they would take a greater interest in their guildmates, become more social, and for Freed that vow had been realised through observation. He had considered talking to people more often but had been told that he could come across as abrasive and obnoxious to people who weren't accustomed to his charms - Evergreen's words, not his - and so people watching was the compromise.That was where Jet came in. Freed, sitting in the guildhall, often found his eyes straying to the speedster. It was becoming a compulsion, he simply couldn't help himself.Had Jet always been so… magnetic?He was handsome, of course. Anyone with eyes could see that, even if it had taken Freed a little while to realise it. He had sharp features, charming hair, and a wardrobe that Freed more than approved of. His confidence was attractive too; who didn't like a man who knew his worth? Freed wasn't ashamed to admit that he was looking forward to the next endurance race so he could see Jet's confidence turn to cockiness. He both had the look and the personality that appealed to Freed, so it made sense that Freed kept looking at him whenever his mind wandered.Freed did miss his hat. He had always loved that hat, even before he noticed the appeal of the man who wore it."This is fuckin' stupid," Laxus grunted, and Freed looked away from Jet and to his friend. Laxus had been sitting beside him at the bar for a while but hadn't been speaking. "I'm done with you.""Done with me?" Freed asked, watching as Laxus stood up. "Where are you going?""Cutting through the pining, it's pissing me off," Laxus said in explanation.He was walking away before Freed could say anything, and with horror Freed realised he was going towards Jet. A rush of panic hit Freed as Laxus pulled up a chair at Jet's table and started to talk to the man. There was the temptation to lay a rune on Laxus to stop him from doing whatever it was he was doing, but before Freed could even think of a fitting torment, Jet was standing up and walking towards him. He was going to kill Laxus but would have to do it later.Jet walked over to him, and he was casting a shadow over Freed. If he were a less in control man, he might have squirmed in anticipation and dread. Freed might have had a small crush on the man, but that didn't mean he knew how to speak to him! Especially when he didn't have a clue as to what Laxus had said!"Laxus said you needed my help," Jet said, and Freed frowned slightly."He did?" He asked. Help with what? Gods above, Freed was going to rune Laxus to hell and back."Yeah, no need to be shy about it," Jet grinned, and Freed's gaze flickered to his mouth. His teeth were slightly odd, and Freed was momentarily hypnotised by it. "You need to buy yourself a new wardrobe, you don't wanna carry a load of bags around with you all day, and I can help with that. You need help, I've got nothing to do all afternoon and I've got enough muscle to share."Jet, to emphasise the point, flexed his biceps. He was on the thinner side for the men of Fairy Tail, but his muscles still bulged in his sleeves and Freed couldn't help the slight jump in his pulse.Forget runes, Freed would simply stab Laxus.But, before a murder fantasy could form, the reality behind Jet's words hit Freed. Jet had nothing to do all afternoon, and he believed that Freed needed help with buying an entirely new wardrobe. The opportunity to spend the rest of the day with Jet was being handed to him on a silver platter, and in a way that would force Freed to buy more clothes instead of circling the same three outfits he had taken with him to Tenrou. It was the perfect opportunity, and so of course Freed's instant reaction was to shut Jet down.Though, why should he? They were both attractive men in their twenties, and Jet obviously wasn't perturbed by the idea of spending time with him, in fact he seemed rather enthusiastic. Even if nothing came of it, he would be getting to know a man who was his guildmate, and that was important."I'd appreciate that," Freed said, standing up. He was about an inch shorter than Jet; he'd never noticed that before. "Are you free now?""Yeah," Jet nodded. "I'll take you to all the best stores; bet there's a load you haven't heard of yet.""I'd appreciate that," Freed smiled, albeit a little awkwardly because he was always awkward around people he didn't know well. He started to walk towards the guildhall's doors and looked over his shoulder with a grin. "Try to keep up, Jet."Jet laughed, used his magic to beat Freed to the door, and waited for him with crossed arms. "That's my line."Freed chuckled and the two walked side by side towards Magnolia's town centre. Freed found himself wearing the smallest of smiles as he walked, all while Jet gave him the rundown of the best clothes stores for guys in Magnolia, while assuring Freed that he'd be giving up to date fashion tips and critiquing every piece of clothing he looked at, so that Freed wasn't out of date in his style.So, he was handsome, self assured, and fun to be around. Maybe Freed wouldn't kill Laxus after all; he'd just maim him slightly instead.
Two Hours Later
A whoosh of air passed Freed, ruffling his coat and his hair, and a moment later Jet was standing beside him again.Throughout the previous two hours, Freed had been taken to the newest and most modern clothing stores in Magnolia. The stores had changed a lot in the seven years that Freed had been absent, and it was odd seeing just how different the highstreet now was. Hell, what was once a cute little bakery that sold the most flavourful cupcakes known to man was now a modernist store that only sold jeans and constantly pumped out techno music. Needless to say, Freed hadn't spent much time there.Eventually, Jet's version of modern style and Freed's personal clothing preferences had found a middle ground, and Freed had brought himself nearly enough to replace his lost clothing. Jet called his everyday clothing formal, and Freed didn't bother disagreeing. He knew his style was eclectic, and not the norm.If Jet had any complaints, Freed could bring up his hat. Where was the hat? Freed really had loved it. That didn't matter.Every time that Freed had brought himself something, Jet had taken the clothes from him, ran them to Freed's new house, and hung them in his wardrobe. It took less than thirty seconds to do it, and Freed found himself amazed each time. He knew that Jet was fast, of course, but the amount of agility and dexterity it would take to get into Freed's house, unwrap the clothes from their packaging, hang them in his wardrobe and return in such a time was extraordinary. He had to wonder what else Jet could do with his hands…No! That was not appropriate. It would certainly muddy the day, and Freed didn't want that.Jet, to put it bluntly, was delightful. He was quick witted, easy going, and fun to talk with. He seemed to take great pleasure in the fact he was now older than Freed and had pulled out the 'respect your elders' card more than once. Better yet, every time Freed had retorted by calling him geriatric and closer to the grave than Freed was, Jet had simply laughed. He was confident and self assured, but willing to take a joke at his expense.It made Freed's insides all… squirmy."It's getting kinda late," Jet said, hands behind his head as he walked. "You fancy getting some dinner?""If you'd like," Freed nodded. "But if you want to return home, don't let me stop you.""Nah, I like spending time with you," Jet said, as if it were nothing. As if it didn't make Freed's insides even more squirmy. "You okay with burgers, I want something greasy and served with fries after all the labour you put me through today.""Yes, I'm sure it was a hardship," Freed deadpanned, before smiling. "A burger sounds divine."And so, five minutes later, Freed found himself in a small diner, sitting opposite Jet either side of a small table. They had just given their orders to the waiter, who had retreated to get their drinks. This was the first time since the guildhall that Jet had been still - he was a fidgety man, Freed had realised - and it gave Freed a moment to look him up and down in a second of weakness.Jet had removed his coat sometime in the afternoon, leaving it at Freed's house to retrieve. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt under it, and his arms looked even better bare. He had a soft smile on his face and, while Freed still missed his hat, his top knot was oddly endearing. Incredibly so.How had Freed missed how handsome this man was for so many years?"So," Jet said, voice quieter than it had been throughout the day. "How are you doing?""I'm fine," Freed shrugged. "Not much else to buy, so don't worry. And I don't expect you to-""I meant in general, Freed," Jet pushed, and he was looking directly into Freed's eyes. The contact was intense. "How are you dealing with everything since you've come back?"Ah. That was certainly a big question."I'm doing well," Freed said automatically. "I'm better off than most, given the circumstances-""Freed," Jet said, voice serious now. "I know when people are lying to me.""Well," Freed said, voice not exactly a whisper, but not loud. "It's not the most pleasant experience, is it?" He could leave it there but didn't want to. He needed to be more honest. He'd regretted keeping people at arm's length when he thought he would die on the island. "It's the little things that bother me the most, really. I lost my house and my belongings, and I could accept that. I could rationalise that because it happened, and I needed to adapt. But, it's as if there's a steady stream of small things that have been taken away from me. I found out yesterday that the cocoa I buy for the winter has been taken off the shelves. Apparently, it's been replaced by something called 'pumpkin spice blend', whatever that is.""It's crap," Jet said. "Takes like a trash can. Don't bother trying it.""I'll remember that," Freed smiled slightly. "Sometimes I just start thinking about all the things I won't have anymore, and it wears away at me. Just slightly, anyway," He sighed, placing his hands on the table. "And then I feel selfish because people lost family members, or their savings, or their family heirlooms. It's just an odd situation.""I guess so," Jet nodded. "But, you wanna know something?""What?" Freed asked."You're Freed Justine," Jet said firmly. He moved quickly, and suddenly he was cupping Freed's hands tight. A ripple of tingles flowed through Freed, and he felt his cheeks flushing red. "And Freed Justine is a monster of a man, who can handle everything that gets thrown at him.""Thank you-""Say it!" Jet demanded, still holding Freed's hands. Still looking him directly in the eye. "Say you're a monster of a man who can handle everything that gets thrown at you!""Jet-""Say it!""Fine," Freed laughed a little at the intensity of the order. "I'm a monster of a man who can handle everything that gets thrown at me."Saying it… helped."Damn right you are," Jet said, with a smile on his face.The odd makeup of his teeth really was endearing- when had Jet started blushing? When had that happened? What had Freed done to cause that? It was a little blush, just below his eyes, and yet so damn attractive! And when had Jet leant in so close, with his damn biceps flexing and- what was he doing now?Jet carefully, gently, took a strand of Freed's hair in his hand. He ran it through his fingers, and Freed couldn't help but smile at the feeling. The gentle tugging on his scalp, even if unintentional, sent those tingles through his whole body. Was Jet… surely he knew what he was doing."Never met a monster this pretty, though," Jet commented, a smile equal parts charming and flirtation on his face."Jet-""And that cocoa brand you can't find, it's not VelvetSoft is it?" Jet interrupted, still playing with Freed's hair as if it were normal. Freed blinked at the sudden non sequitur, before processing the question."Erm, yes. It was," He answered, still looking at the strands of hair Jet was playing with."There was a big outcry when they stopped selling it. The final few days, everyone went crazy buying up what they could," Jet laughed. "I bought five massive tubs of the stuff before I remembered I don't even drink it. I'll drop them by your place tomorrow morning.""You don't have to-"Their server, with their drinks resting on a tray, approached them both and placed them on the table. Jet pulled away and released his grasp on both Freed's hands and his hair, sitting back in his chair as if he hadn't just casually rocked Freed to his core for a moment. Freed leant back too when the server placed his drink before him, but he couldn't look away from Jet. Jet, who still had a little blush on his face.The second the server was gone, Jet was speaking. He was telling the story of how everyone in Magnolia went mad when VelvetSoft Cocoa announced they were going to stop selling their product. There were protests, and panic buying, and Freed found out that Jet was a damn good storyteller too.It was almost enough for Freed to forget what had happened. Almost.But Jet's gusto and enjoyment at his stories carried them both through the meal, and Freed found himself laughing along with the man. He never lost the blush, and neither did Jet, but he realised that talking with the man was a hell of a lot more fun than hyperfocusing on the moment that had been shared between them. That was something else that Freed had promised he would change about himself when he survived the island; he was going to start living in the moment.When the bill came, Freed reached for it. As he pulled out his wallet, Jet did the same. Freed spoke before Jet could pull any money out. "I'll pay for this. It's the least I can do after dragging you around the stores all day.""Nah, I'll pay my own way," Jet insisted."You don't need to.""Yeah, I do," Jet looked up, grinning. "Because if I let you pay for this, then I can't get what I actually want from you as repayment. And what I want is much more fun."Under the grin and the gaze, Freed actually did squirm. Did Jet mean what Freed thought he meant?
Thirty Minutes Later
No. Jet did not mean that."You're joking," Freed gaped, looking down at what Jet had just handed him. "You can't expect me to…""I can," Jet laughed. "You did agree to this."Freed could hardly argue with that. As payment for Jet's services, Freed had agreed to let Jet pick out an entire outfit for him which he would have to wear for a full week. He had agreed to this thinking that Jet would pick him out some clothes that were supposedly fashionable and more of Jet's style than Freed's. When he looked down at the bundle of clothes that had been given to him, he realised he had made a mistake.Well, maybe the mistake had been teasing Jet about the punishment for losing the last endurance game. Jet had been photographed in a bunny girl outfit and a maid's dress, and had those pictures published in Sorcerer Weekly. In retrospect, he shouldn't have provoked him.Still, this seemed obsessive.In his hands were a rainbow patterned tailcoat, a pair of snug black pants, some white velvet gloves, and a damn top hat. He would look like a ridiculous circus ringmaster. He absolutely could not wear this in front of the guild."You expect me to wear this in front of Natsu and Bickslow, I will never live it down," Freed argued."That's kinda the point," Jet laughed. "Oh, one more thing. Kind of important."A whoosh of wind flew by as Jet ran off. He was back a moment later, and Freed gaped at the clothing he was dangling in front of Freed's face. A pair of sparkling rainbow briefs."No," Freed said firmly."Yes," Jet argued back."Absolutely not," Freed stated."Absolutely yes," Jet laughed."I prefer boxers," Freed tried to argue."I didn't ask," Jet brushed it off.They both looked at each other for a moment. Freed with an unimpressed expression, and Jet with restrained glee. Freed huffed, snapped the ugly underwear from the man's hand and stomped off towards the small changing cubicles in the corner of the market.He looked at the hideous outfit with dread - this was so damn embarrassing - before stripping down. Jet had done a lot for him today, and without him he would have spent another evening sitting at the bar drinking and feeling sorry for himself, so maybe he owed the man something. It would just be a week; he could deal with that. Besides, the underwear was the worst part, and nobody was going to see that. He adorned the whole outfit, looked in the mirror and cringed at the multicoloured mess of a circus clown that he now was.The moment he left the cubicle, Jet burst into laughter at his expense. It was a loud and boisterous sound, and Freed would have relished in it - it was lovely - if it didn't draw attention to his ridiculous outfit. He really would never live this stupidity down."Are you happy?" Freed snapped but couldn't help a small smile. "Because I'm not.""I'm happy enough for both of us," Jet grinned. "You look great.""I look like a matador who got lost in a dye factory," Freed claimed, which only made Jet laugh more. "May I change back? At least give me some dignity before I have to wear this for a week.""Sure," Jet laughed, and just as Freed turned, he spoke again. "Wait!"Freed turned, and then suddenly there was a whoosh of wind and a rustle of fabric. Jet returned to where he was, and Freed stood there for a moment before he realised what had happened. There was a gentle wind on his thighs… Jet had pulled his goddamn pants down around his knees!He scrambled to pull them up, but the display of magic mixed with Jet's raucous laughter had attracted attention before Freed could fully right himself and hide the awful, gaudy briefs. He glared at the strange man who was laughing, who quickly retreated. When he turned to glare at Jet, he simply laughed louder.Freed couldn't help but join in. "And you call me a monster.""Hey, they look good," Jet laughed. "And you're laughing, so you can't be angry at me.""You'd be surprised at the conflicting emotions I can feel," Freed said. "I will get you back for this.""Sure," Jet grinned. "Go put your clothes back on. Unless you like the new style, because I saw a pair of rainbow jeans that'd look great on you.""I think this is enough," Freed stated, turning to the changing cubicle again. As he changed, he found himself laughing. Laughing hard and unrestrained.It had been some time since he'd laughed like this. It was nice. He missed laughing like this.
Twenty Minutes Later
"This was nice," Jet said, leaning against Freed's door frame. "I'm glad we did it.""Me too," Freed said, standing in his new house's doorway.Neither man spoke, and they both just stood there, looking at each other in quiet silence. Freed couldn't help but notice just how similar to the end of a date this felt. It felt like neither wanted the night to end, and they both just wanted to lean into each other and have that beautiful first kiss. Or maybe Freed was just engaging in wishful thinking."Maybe we could get a drink tomorrow," Jet suggested. "You're good company when you wanna be.""You're quite entertaining yourself." Freed said.Again, there was a quiet between them both, which Jet broke. "Guess I should go.""I suppose so," Freed said. Jet hesitated for a moment, before slowly walking down the small path of Freed's front garden. Freed watched him go and cursed himself for letting that happen. He didn't want Jet to go yet. Not like that. He was speaking before he could stop himself. "Wait!""Yeah?" Jet asked, turning to look back at Freed."Your hat," Freed said, as it was the first thing he could think to say. "Where is it?""My hat?" Jet asked, and then suddenly rushed forward so he was leaning on the door frame again. He was grinning down at Freed. "Why d'you wanna know?""I liked it," Freed admitted, cheeks stained red again. "I just wondered if you still have it.""I do," Jet nodded. "Stopped wearing it at some point, but I still have it.""You should wear it again," Freed stated. "You looked good.""Maybe I will," Jet hummed, then smiled. "What are you gonna do to make it worth my while?"Freed rolled his eyes but was smiling too. He really did like that hat…"I'll wear that damn outfit for two weeks, rather than one," He offered, and Jet tapped his chin in a show of exaggerated thinking."Two weeks?" He mused. "I don't know. I think a fashion icon like myself-" Freed scoffed at that. "Would need something more than you wearing something embarrassing for two short weeks to get me to go back to an outdated style. Something much more.""A month?" Freed offered and regretted it immediately. Jet was grinning though, and it was such a handsome sight that Freed's regretted was gone as quickly as it came."That seems fair," Jet nodded. "Deal."Jet held out a hand for Freed to shake, which Freed took. Rather than a handshake, Freed was pulled forward. He tumbled into Jet's chest, and a hand cupped his chin faster than he could understand. With wide eyes, he saw Jet looking at him with a slightly dazed expression. Jet leant forward, and so did Freed, and they had a quick, chaste kiss.Tingles overrode Freed. It had been such a small kiss, but it had rocked him so completely."Erm," Jet said. "Bye!"Jet went to run, but Freed somehow anticipated it. Jet may be able to run fast, but Freed could cast fast as well. The runes around his house, which he used to keep out uninvited guests, flared to life to keep Jet inside. Jet halted just before the wall and slowly turned, almost looking guilty at Freed. Freed ignored the expression, walked down the small path to where Jet was standing - squirming - and never once broke eye contact with him.Without speaking, Freed wrapped his arms around Jet's neck, pulled him close and kissed him. There was nothing fast now unexpected about it.The tingles overthrew Freed, and he drowned in it. The feeling of his lips against Jet's, his body pressed against Jet's, was euphoric. It was like no kiss Freed had ever felt before, and Jet was kissing him back with just as much enthusiasm. His hands were resting against Freed's waist, and he relaxed into the touch with a smile.When they pulled apart, they were quiet and still. Freed smiled at Jet. Jet smiled at Freed."See you tomorrow," Freed whispered."See ya," Jet whispered back. "Bye.""Bye."Jet walked through the rune, turned back to Freed with a blushing smile, then ran off at full speed. The wind of his running caressed Freed, and he smiled a little as he placed a finger gently on his kiss swollen lips. He smiled in Jet's wake, and the prospect of seeing Jet again tomorrow suddenly filled him with a roaring need. It had been a good day.
The Next Day
Jet sauntered up to the guildhall with a wide, giddy smile.All of that had actually happened! He'd spent the day with Freed - 10 Wizards I'd love to date winner - Justine, laughing and joking and making him wear stupid outfits. He'd eaten with the man, shared a quiet moment with the man, and had one of the best damn kisses he'd ever had in his life! Who knew a kiss could make your knee's tremble like that?And to think, Laxus was to thank for it.Everything about it had been amazing. He had never known what Freed was actually like, but the moment he saw it, he fell in love with him. He'd long since gotten over the fact he fell for people hard. Everything he did, he did it fast. Falling in love was no different.He was actually whistling as he walked to the guildhall, he was so blissed out. He had fallen for someone who, given how damn good that kiss was, seemed to feel the same way back. And now, he was going to spend the day with that very same guy, flirting and making fun of him while he wore a ridiculous outfit of Jet's creation. That sounded like a pretty damn heavenly day to him! He doubted anything could bring him down off the high he was feeling that morning.Except for what met him in the guildhall.Every wall was plastered with posters. Posters of him, dressed in the damn bunny girl outfit and maids dress from seven years ago. He cringed, looking around in horror as his guildmates laughed at him. His eyes settled on Freed, who was wearing the costume but looking smug, nonetheless.With a burst of magic, Jet ran around the guild and gathered every poster he could. He settled on the table that Freed was sitting at, the pile of posters in his hand. Freed met his gaze with a smirk."You said I had to wear the outfit," Freed shrugged. "You didn't say I couldn't distract people at the same time.""I'm gonna get you back for this?" Jet promised."I should hope so," Freed smiled, then averted his eyes bashfully. "Perhaps you could plot against me at dinner tonight.""Maybe I could," Jet nodded, smirking. "See ya tonight, Ringmaster.""Looking forward to it, Bunny."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Keeping Pace
Looking in the mirror, Jet grinned. He was part way through brushing his teeth when he noticed that, when the door was left open to his bathroom, he had an unhindered view of his bed in the reflection. Normally this wouldn't matter but given that he had someone in his bed that night - someone he loved looking at - the coincidence was something Jet was going to take full advantage of. Especially when Freed looked so blissful, yawning and with the comforter bundled loosely around his waist.Both of them were naked, freshly showered after an evening of eating, talking, laughing and screwing. Freed, Jet noted with a smile, still wore that contented expression and fulfilled glow even after twenty minutes. Jet couldn't stop grinning at that, pride and pleasure settling together.Hm. The night had been a really good night.Not just because of the sex, although that had been jawdroppingly good. Freed had cooked for him for the first time, and Jet was pretty sure he had never eaten anything so good in his life. Once they'd eaten, they'd retired to Jet's living room, curled up on the sofa and watched a horror movie on the TV Lacrima. Jet had hoped that it would scare Freed into curling up against him, but apparently Freed was immune to scares; he still cuddled into Jet's side, let Jet play with his hair all night, and lay with his hand resting on Jet's stomach as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Jet's heart had been hammering in his chest, his body rushing with exhilaration throughout all of it, and every second was perfect.He hadn't been touched so much in years! Again, not just the sex, but the casual stuff too. When Freed had been cooking, stirring something in one of the pans, Jet had been able to stand there with an arms around his boyfriend's waist without thinking. It was nothing at all, but it sent sparks down him and forced a smile on his face that he didn't care to fight.Touching Freed was just amazing.How this sudden overwhelming attraction to Freed had come about, Jet didn't really know. Before the harvest festival, Freed had been a name and nothing more. Then, for a while, he'd been a traitor and someone who should have been kicked out in the guild. Slowly, he'd turned to a solid and dependable member of Fairy Tail, until he disappeared. And when he came back, nothing had changed about him, but somehow, he kept catching Jet's eye. Somehow, he just seemed… different.Suddenly, the way he filled out his coat was a little more distracting. The way he strode rather than walked made Jet smile self-indulgently. His rare, real smile was suddenly breathtaking.Gods, imagine if Laxus hadn't given him an excuse to go up and talk to Freed. He'd still be pining!"I can see you looking at me," Freed said from the bed, meeting Jet's eyes in the mirror as he swilled mouthwash. "If you're going to ogle me, then come closer.""What?" Jet asked. "Like this?"With a burst of magic, Jet propelled himself onto the bed, directly on top of him. His hands were either side of Freed's head, his legs were either side of Freed's waist, and his nose was less than an inch away from Freed's. Freed did a cute little blink of confusion, before that smile returned and his cheeks reddened just a little. That was another cute little thing about Freed; he never flinched when Jet used his magic around him."Much better," Freed hummed, leaning up and slowly pressing his lips to Jets.Jet melted into this kiss the same way he always did with Freed, feeling his limbs grow lax and his mind flood with delight. One hand cupped Freed's jaw while he leant down into Freed, tilting his head as he slowly stroked his boyfriend's cheek.Gods, he and Freed just seemed to click! It was amazing!"I aim to please," Jet teased, pulling away just far enough to see his boyfriend's tired, blissful expression."Then you'll get in this bed," Freed ordered, and Jet curled an eyebrow at him with amusement. "I've grown quite fond of falling asleep in your arms, and I'm incredibly close to passing out from exhaustion; which is your fault I might add. If you're this close and I don't sleep in your arms, you won't hear the end of it.""Well, if I have to," Jet mused. "And what exactly did I do to exhaust you?""You know exactly what you did," Freed chuckled. "And while I enjoyed it immensely, I would like to sleep, and I would like to do so in your arms. So, get to it.""You're so bossy," Jet laughed, leaning down and pecking Freed's lips. "Kinda funny really. When I was getting you all exhausted, you were very quick to do as I say.""Oh hush."With another burst of magic, Jet lifted the covers, tucked himself under them, and pulled Freed into his arms. Freed immediately placed his head on Jet's chest, his hand gently roaming around his stomach while trailing small lines with his fingernail. Jet looked down at him with a smile, holding him tight.He had never felt like this before; like he could happily spend hours like this. It was weird; Jet, by the nature of his magic, lived life in the fast lane. He rushed his way through life, always looking for the next thing to do or the next challenge to conquer, and not often taking the time to relax. Even in his previous relationships, he'd never enjoyed lying in bed with his partners and cuddling. He was always thinking of the next thing to do with them, but with Freed, he was happy to live in the moment. No matter how quiet and slow that moment was, too.Freed let out a small, contented sigh which tickled Jet's chest. Jet moved his hand to cradle the back of Freed's head, and nestled his fingers into Freed's soft, velvety hair. Freed smiled against Jet's chest and burrowed himself in closer, and Jet's heart nearly burst.Gods, Freed had him whipped and he loved it!"I've been thinking about your magic," Freed said, apropo of nothing. Jet looked down at him, humming to let him know he was listening. "It's remarkable.""You like it, huh?" Jet grinned, a hand stroking down Freed's back. Damn, his back was so strong. "Want me to go run some laps of the city, see if I can work up a sweat?" He leant down and pressed a kiss to Freed's jaw. "I can do it naked if you like. Nobody's gonna see me, but you'd know."Freed chuckled, patting Jet's chest. "Not everyone has your recovery rate, Bunny.""You gonna let the nickname go anytime?" Jet pouted, though he didn't actually care."When you wear something even more embarrassing and have it photographed publicly, then I will," Freed smiled, cuddling further into Jet. Their limbs were intertwined, and the warmth of the man was perfect. "And, I meant the implications of your magic. The speed is impressive, of course, but the way you use it is fascinating. You're not just fast, you're dextrous and agile. If I were to suddenly gain your magic, I would crash and fall hundreds of times a second. But your mind can keep up with the speed of your body. The amount of thoughts that must pass through your mind every moment. The mix of instinct and intelligence mingling together to allow you to keep going. It's just… you're just incredible.""Oh, well. Erm, thanks," Jet said, a little taken aback.So, that was something Freed had just said. He had just said those words without realising that they had gone straight to Jet's heart and made him feel both warm and cosy inside, while also filling him with enough energy to run the length of the country three times over without his magic helping him. But the only thing that his mind allowed him to do was look down at his boyfriend, who was blinking away sleep and gently running a knuckle over Jet's stomach."I just wanted you to know that I think you're remarkable," Freed continued, and by the gods Freed was just so damn sweet that Jet could cry. To prove this, Freed leant up and pressed his lips to the underside of Jet's chin, before cuddling back down onto his chest. "Goodnight, Bunny.""G'night, Freed," Jet murmured, his tone a little breathless.He laid in bed for a few minutes, eyes never leaving Freed's face. The sleepiness of the man quickly overtook him, and Jet heard the gentle sound of him snoring against his chest. He smiled, looking down at him with a lovelorn gaze, and before he could stop himself, two quiet words slipped out."Love ya."Aw crap!"Hey Speedracer," Bickslow's voice echoed over the beach, and Jet smirked at the greeting. "Been looking for ya."Jet looked over his shoulder, and saw Bickslow jogging towards him, a beach ball under his arm and a grin on his face. Jet matched the expression - he and Bickslow had become pretty good friends since he and Freed had gotten together - and turned to fully look at the man. He was wearing a pair of swimming trunks and nothing else, just like Jet was, and pulled Jet into a big hug."Hey man," Jet greeted. "You finally got here.""We did," Bickslow nodded, pulling away from Jet.The entire guild had decided that, now their finances were becoming more stable, they could have a day at the beach. Jet had been there since the early morning and had watched the steady stream of his guildmates as they had arrived. He had been part of the setup crew, carting food, sun loungers, and games from the guild with the use of his magic. He'd spent most of the day lounging around, waiting for his boyfriend to arrive. And if Bickslow was there, then it meant that Freed would be there too. He wasn't subtle about looking over the beach to find him."He's coming," Bickslow laughed, wrapping an arm around Jet and walking with him. "I'm sure you'll be happy you waited. But I talked him into playing volleyball with me and Natsu. We need a fourth, wanna join?""Sure," Jet grinned. "I'm gonna guess it's no magic.""Yep," Bickslow laughed, then his gaze caught on something. "Oh, look who it is."Jet turned to follow Jet's gaze, and his throat went dry.Freed was, of course, wearing his speedo. Jet had expected that and had prepared himself for it. But he hadn't prepared himself to see Freed in his speedo, walking out of the ocean, flipping his hair back like a supermodel, with droplets of water sliding down his rippling muscles. He hadn't prepared himself to see a walking wet dream in human form, in tight spandex that covered very little. He hadn't prepared himself to fight off the urge to run to Freed, scoop him up, and take him to the nearest bathroom to take that speedo off and lick him all over."He's such an asshole," Bickslow laughed, patting Jet on the back. "Expect a whole day of this, you're dating an evil man.""I can deal with it," Jet grinned. If Freed's form of evil was looking like sex on legs, Jet was happy to be his victim. But, when Freed looked directly at him, winked, flexed a bicep then turned to show off his incredible ass, Jet rolled his eyes. "But I'm gonna get him back for this.""Hah!" Bickslow laughed. "That's what I like about ya Speedracer, you don't put up with his shit. Can't wait to see what you do to him this time."Jet chuckled, thinking back to what he had done a week ago. He had finally enacted his revenge on Freed for posting the pictures of him in a bunny suit and maids outfit in the guildhall. He had waited until Freed was changing in the morning, scooped him up, ran him to the middle of the guildhall, and left him standing there in his boxers without knowing what had happened. The glare, splutter and barely held back smile had been amazing. He loved that he could do this shit with Freed, and that Freed actually seemed to enjoy it.After showing off for a little while longer, Freed approached Jet with a self-satisfied smirk. Jet crossed his arms with a seemingly unimpressed look on his face, but they both knew he was pretending."You pleased with yourself?" Jet asked."Hm," Freed said, looked Jet up and down, and grinned. "Incredibly so.""You're such a dumbass," Jet said with a grin. He wanted to lean down and kiss the man but didn't. Instead, he spoke again. "I'm playing volleyball with you. Hope you don't mind.""Of course not," Freed smiled, then looked up at Bickslow. "I hope you're ready for the most devastating loss of your life.""Actually, I had a different idea," Jet said. "I think it might be more fun if me and Bix are on a team against you and Natsu. That'll make it a little more fun, and this way we can have a little wager," He smirked as Freed's eyes lit up. Who would have known that the man was so interested in challenges? "Losing team has to cater to the winning team hand and foot for the rest of the day. I'm sure you won't mind doing everything I tell ya, since you apparently love being the centre of attention today."Freed chuckled, a little darkly. "I'd enjoy having you as my manservant. You could hold my drinks while I read.""You think you're gonna win?" Jet scoffed. "Come on, nerd. Sports are kinda my thing. Not yours.""We'll see," Freed shrugged. "So, winning team can make the losers do whatever they want for the day?""That's right," Jet nodded. He held a hand out for Freed to shake. Freed did it, and the chills ran up Jet's arm like they always did when he touched Freed. Gods, he wanted to wrap his arms around Freed! "Good luck.""That's very considerate," Freed said, then yanked Jet forward so their faces were very nearly touching. Jet felt his cheeks burst into redness. "But you're the one who'll need it, Bunny."And, with a peck on the lips that was so gentle that Jet very nearly didn't feel it, Freed pulled away. He walked towards Natsu, leaving Jet to watch his retreating figure with a dopey, happy grin on his face. Gods, he had been so damn lucky to find a man who could rock his world like this so easily. How had he missed how perfect Freed was for him for so many years. It didn't matter, because now he and Freed were together, and he loved him-No! No, he didn't. He didn't.They had only been together for less than a month, and he couldn't be in love with him. It was too soon. Not everyone drove head first into things like Jet did, and he couldn't feel love for Freed already. Not when it might mess things up. Not when he knew that Freed wouldn't be ready to hear it.So no, he didn't love Freed. He didn't. He didn't.Gods dammit. He was so in love with Freed it wasn't even funny."Why ain't you dancin' with 'im?" Gajeel demanded, making Jet jump where he stood.As part of a mission, some members of Fairy Tail had been invited to the Magic Dance Ball as a security team. The intention had been for Team Natsu, along with Gajeel, Wendy and Warren to go, however a slight snag had happened when Erza had been practising dancing. She could dance, but not in any conventional sense. She saw it more as a fight to be won than an exercise to be enjoyed, and as such every man who had danced with her had been spun off the floor and left nauseous and not willing to take her hand again. That was hardly something that could be done if she was trying to fit in and stay unnoticed in the ball.The exception to this rule was Freed. He had been sitting by, watching the mess unfold, before rolling his eyes and standing up. When Erza had demanded for her next victim, Freed had walked up to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and guided her through the song. She had tried to pull the same crap on him as she had with everyone else, but Freed had glared her into submission and danced with her for the rest of the evening.So, Freed had been invited to get her to dance normally. And Jet had been given an invitation on Freed's insistence."They're still dancing," Jet shrugged, sipping at his champagne."Cut in," Gajeel shrugged. "She ain't gonna kill ya here.""I'm fine," Jet assured him, leaning back against the wall he was resting on.It was weird talking to Gajeel; it always had been. Their first meeting hadn't been great - being beaten and shackled to a tree didn't leave you with the best first impressions - and then there had been the slow friendship that formed between Levy and Gajeel. The friendship that had turned to a romance, even if the two of them weren't keen on admitting it. For a while it seemed like Gajeel was the human form of everything that had gone wrong in Jet's life, and the woman of his affections had fallen for him.Then, the S-Class nominees had gone missing. Everything shifted perspective then. All those awful things that Jet had fixated on - and blamed Gajeel for - were put into context. They were nothing, because Levy was dead, and he would never see them again.Of course, then she came back. And she came back with Gajeel as her boyfriend.And dammit, it was the best thing that could have happened to Jet. It put an end to it, closing the door on his feelings. Because Levy was alive, and happy, and that was something to be glad about. When that had been made clear, he suddenly saw Gajeel for who he actually was: a member of Fairy Tail. All the stupid animosity had fallen away, and an odd, slightly uncomfortable friendship had been formed. Gajeel ignored how Jet had crushed on his girlfriend, and Jet forgave Gajeel for how they first became acquainted.He supposed he couldn't be angry about that anymore, not even if he wanted to. Yeah, Gajeel had started off trying to take over the guild, but Freed had done the very same thing and Jet cuddled with him every night and covered his face with kisses.Maybe they should look back over the villains that they had fought and find someone for Droy. So, all of Team Shadow Gear matched…"Your choice," Gajeel shrugged. "But if Levy were here and some guy was dancin' with 'er, I'd be pissed off.""If Levy were here, I'd be dancing with her myself," Jet mused, grinning as he felt Gajeel tense. Now that his relationship with Levy was platonic, it was fun to make Gajeel angry by pretending it wasn't. Even better, Levy seemed to like doing it too."I'd kick yer ass," Gajeel grumbled. "And I'm glad yer guy's dancin' with Erza. Hope he doesn't look at ya for the whole night.""You want me to be single again?" Jet asked. "Thought you were happy when me and Freed got together. Less competition."Gajeel glared at him, grunted a "fuck off" without any bite to it, and walked towards the food table. Jet laughed to himself as he moved his gaze from the dragon slayer and to his boyfriend. Freed was guiding Erza around the dancefloor with majestic movements and firm control. It was weirdly hot, knowing that it was his boyfriend who had tamed the dance floor demon. It was even more hot to know just how quickly that version of Freed, who was in control and in charge, could fall away for the squirming, blushing, panting darling who Jet loved cuddling up to in bed.He looked majestic. In a red tuxedo that flowed down and accentuated his form, he looked like a prince. His hair was tied high in a ponytail, and Jet wanted nothing more than to run his hands through it. Freed really was so damn handsome.Jet stood by the wall for a while, watching as people danced and as his guildmates tried to complete their mission without drawing attention to themselves. As he was eating something, he saw Erza suddenly pull away from Freed and towards one of the doors to the hallway. The rest of Team Natsu did the same, so clearly something was happening, but Freed didn't follow them. Instead, he slowly walked to Jet and offered him a hand. Jet looked down at it with a frown."May I have this dance?" Freed asked."Shouldn't we be helping out with them?" Jet asked, jerking his head towards the doors Erza had just ran through."They can handle it, I'm sure," Freed shrugged, his hand still outstretched for Jet to take. "I'm starting to feel jilted, Bunny. Will you dance with me?""Hm," Jet hummed, thinking hard. "I don't know. I have very high standards and I'm not sure-" Freed took Jet by the hand, yanked him forward and pulled him towards the dance floor as he laughed. "Wait, let's do it in the corridor. More privacy."Freed gave him an odd look but didn't argue as he walked to the corridor the team hadn't entered. It was alone, illuminated by the moonlight that was glowing through the large windows. The band's music was muffled slightly but still loud enough to hear, and Jet smiled quietly to himself.Jet pulled Freed into him and, before Freed could get into position, he wrapped an arm around Freed's waist and pulled him close. Freed had been leading the dance all night, and Jet wanted to see how he would cope being led around. Freed looked at him with amusement, before stepping further into Jet's space and resting his head against Jet's shoulder.Gods he was so cute. It filled Jet's heart to see him like this. He was so perfect. Drenched in the moonlight, with a private and happy smile on his face, in Jet's arms. Jet couldn't look away from him.He loved him. He actually loved him.And why couldn't he tell Freed that? Just because they'd barely been together for a month didn't mean it was too soon. Jet had never clicked with anyone like he did with Freed, so maybe Freed felt the same. And even if he didn't, Freed wasn't going to leave him if he wasn't able to say it back. At this point, it felt like his heart was beating out of his chest with the urge to tell him how much he loved him. He wanted to scream it from the rooftop, and make sure everyone in the world knew how much he loved his boyfriend.But, as he swayed in time with Freed, he knew he shouldn't. Jet was always too quick with things, and he wouldn't risk losing Freed. He could sit on this, let it happen at the appropriate time. He'd follow Freed's lead, he was probably better at the whole relationship thing.Dancing with Freed was enough.The moment Jet walked into the guildhall from his mission with Droy, Freed was walking towards him. It was kinda scary.Freed took his hand and walked him to the middle of the guildhall without saying a word, and Jet had no idea what the hell was happening. Once they were in the middle of the guild, with half of the guild looking at them with the same confusion that Jet was feeling, Freed turned to look at him. The intensity in his eyes was so strong that Jet felt frozen by them. What was Freed doing?"Ever since we started dating, I noticed something," Freed began, speaking loud and clear. "The moment you're alone, you're hugging me and kissing me without shame nor restraint. But when we're in front of the guild, you seem to shy away from touching me. I've been wondering why."Oh Gods. Crap. Gods dammit, he'd screwed it up, hadn't he? Was Freed going to dump him here? He couldn't deal with that.Freed took his hands, stroking his palm gently. Comfortingly."I wondered why that might be," Freed continued. "I couldn't understand it, because you had always been the type of man who wore his heart on his sleeve without caring about who complained. I knew you weren't ashamed of being with me, that wouldn't make sense, not when everyone in the guild has known we've been dating for as long as we've been together. Eventually I realised what was making you hold back from being close to me when we're in front of people. You think that it's what I want, is that right?"Jet's heart was hammering in his chest, and he nodded slightly.Well, yeah, of course Freed was right. Freed had always been a private guy, and clearly, he liked being in control of what people saw about him. Just because Jet would happily hug and kiss Freed all day every day, didn't mean that Freed would want that too."I am so sorry for making you feel like that," Freed said quietly. "But I hope this makes up for that."Freed, with a single step forward, wrapped his arms around Jet's neck in the same way he had for their first kiss. He leant into Jet and kissed him firmly, passionately, with everyone in the guild watching him. Jet melted into it, holding Freed's waist tight and pulling their bodies close and snug. He was kissing Freed in front of the whole guild, and it was amazing."Yeah," Jet whispered. "Makes it better. Not scared of PDA, then?""Not with you," Freed smiled, then swallowed. "But I'm not done.""Oh," Jet laughed. "What else are you gonna do to me? Think there might be complaints if we take things further.""Hush, Bunny," Freed laughed, before speaking again. It was loud enough for everyone in the guild to hear it, leaving no room for subtlety. "I am madly, unapologetically, unflinchingly in love with you, Jet."Jet… gaped!"I am in love with you, Jet," Freed repeated, voice firm. "I love the fact that I can have fun with you, and that I'm never bored around you. I love the fact that you're so clearly passionate and you wear it like a badge of honour. I love the fact you made me dress like an idiot for a month. I love the fact you're still wearing that hat, because it really is adorable. I love the fact you dropped me in the guild in my boxers just because it amused you, although I probably shouldn't love you for that," He laughed, before looking away with red cheeks. "I love the fact that you're always ready to help with the guild. I love the fact you can laugh at yourself and at me. I love that, when I was having difficulty sleeping while on a mission last week, you ran to the hotel I was staying at and spent the night holding me. I love you, Jet. So much that it makes me ache. And I want everyone to know it, everyone to see it, and everyone to understand just how perfect you are to me."Holy crap. Freed had just… had just said all of that.Jet almost cried. Nobody had ever said anything even close to that, and Jet felt his legs wobbling slightly. He was grinning so damn wide, and he didn't care. All he wanted to do was wrap Freed up in his arms and kiss the hell out of him.And now he knew that he could, he did.With his magic, he pushed Freed up against the wall and kissed him. He wasn't like Freed when it came to words; actions were his forte. He gave Freed the best, most overwhelmingly love filled kiss he could manage. His hands slid into Freed's hair, hands cupping his jaw as he kissed him."I love you too," Jet whispered, pecking Freed's lips. "So much," He began peppering kisses all over Freed's face. "You don't know how much I love you," He smiled a dopey smile. "But I love you more than anything.""Oh gods," Freed smiled. "You're perfect.""Nah, that's you," Jet grinned, awestruck. "And, just a little warning, now I know I can kiss ya and hug ya in front of people, I'm never gonna stop myself again. You're gonna have so many kisses and so many touches that you'll be sick of me.""I doubt that very much," Freed smiled."Oh really," Jet laughed at the challenge. "Even if I do this."Jet used his magic to put both he and Freed in the middle of the guild, wrapping his arms around Freed from behind."Or this."Next, Freed was placed on top of the bar, with Jet standing between his legs. He was grinning down at Freed, who was smiling at him wide."Or this."Within a moment, Freed was being held by Jet in a kiss that belonged in a black and white movie. He looked wistfully up at Jet."Or maybe even this."Now, Freed was pushed up against the wall again. His hands were held above his head, with Jet leaning down at him with a cocky smirk. Freed smiled, leant up, and kissed Jet. It was easily the best kiss Jet had ever had.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Pump The Breaks
"Strip."Jet stood in Freed's bedroom, arms crossed as he stared Freed down. Freed was meeting his eye, in a clear act of rebellion, but they both knew that he didn't have the energy to fight. Jet, with a simple quick of the eyebrow, broke down all of Freed's rebellion. His shoulders sagged, his gaze averted, and his cheeks reddened as he moved to undo his cravat. Jet relished the sight of it; he had worked hard for this subservience, and he was going to enjoy it.Today had been the twenty-four hour endurance race, and he and Freed had made a bet. Whoever finished last out of the two of them would have to do everything the winner said. No exceptions, no arguments, no backing down. Jet had of course won, even after fighting off all of Freed's nasty traps. Now, to claim his prize."Ah ah ah," Jet stopped Freed as he moved to place his cravat on the shelf. "Scrunch it up and drop it on the floor.""Jet-""Did I tell ya to speak or did I tell ya to strip?"Freed ground his teeth together, kept eye contact with Jet, and crumpled the tie up and let it fall to the floor. He began unbuttoning his shirt, hands shaking slightly under the intensity of Jet's unrelenting gaze, and he slid the garment off his shoulders. He held it, allowing Jet to leer at him with the cocky little smirk. Once Jet had his fill, Freed looked at his shirt then back to Jet. Jet grinned wider, and Freed sighed exasperatedly as he wrung his shirt together and dropped it to the ground.Slowly, he pulled his belt through the loops and dropped it down to the floor. He unbuckled his pants, slid them off, crumpled them up and threw them to the floor. He stood in his white boxers with Jet just watching him, looking over the hardening bulge in the flimsy fabric, the tenseness of his abs, and the blush on his cheeks."Take 'em off, Freed," Jet ordered. "Quickly."Freed, red faced and stumbling, slid his boxers down and threw them in the pile of clothes. Jet smirked at him and, without thinking, Freed placed his hands behind his back. Subservience was natural to Freed; Jet had found that revelation very sexy.He looked down at his naked boyfriend with an evil grin. Freed's cock jumped as Jet got a step closer, and his body was so tense that all of his muscles were flexing. Jet slowly walked around his boyfriend, looking his pale skin up and down, the grin never leaving his lips. The man's hard cock, pert ass, strong arms and flexing stomach were all so damn sexy. The way he was blushing and squirming just made it so much better."Very nice," Jet hummed. "You ready to start?""Start what?" Freed asked, gaze lowered.Jet, with a flurry of speed magic, ran to the wardrobe and pulled out a large spool of rope. He held it out, a nasty grin on his face. "Your punishment, obviously."Before Freed could speak, Jet was using his magic again. He lurched forward and positioned Freed exactly how he wanted him, with his arms above his head. He tied his wrists together in a tight knot that Freed would not be able to get out of, and then tied it to the lighting fixture on the ceiling. He made sure it was high enough that Freed needed to be on his toes, almost suspended by his bondage. Suspended and hopeless, exactly like a good sub should be.Freed panted, looking up at his new position, and his cock jumped in realisation. Jet, who was still fully dressed and with a grin, watched him for a moment. Freed really was cute when he was all helpless.Now that Freed was restrained, Jet could take his time. He walked slowly back to the wardrobe, ignoring the whimpers that came from his boyfriend; Freed was so needy when tied up. He routed through his and Freed's box of toys, before finding what he was looking for: a black cock ring. He picked it up, walked back to Freed, and showed his captive the toy."Jet," Freed whispered. "Please, see reason.""Nah," Jet laughed. "I wanna do it. Sorry."Jet grinned as he slowly slid the ring up Freed's cock, trapping his balls and cutting off any chance of cumming. He stepped back and looked at his handiwork, the expression of horny misery on Freed's face making everything worth it. Oh, this was going to be so fun."You see, today you kept trapping me in your runes and making me do degrading and ridiculous stuff to get out of them," Jet taunted, circling Freed again. Freed tried to follow him, but Jet walked just quickly enough for that to be difficult. "So, it seems kinda fitting that I trap ya and make you humiliate yourself," He lurched forward, wrapping an arm around Freed's waist from behind while grabbing his chin. He whispered his next words right into Freed's ear. "You're gonna beg me to cum, or you ain't getting out of this."Freed groaned, pushing his naked body up against Jet. "Please Jet, I'll do anything.Jet tutted. "I'm disappointed in you," He chastised, pulling away from Freed. "You really thought pretending to beg was gonna speed me up? I'm insulted." He laughed right into Freed's ear. "But I planned for it. This way, I can be sure you're really desperate."Jet used his magic, shot back to the box in less than a second, before returning. Freed hissed as a hand slowly teased down his stomach, but his eyes widened when he saw what Jet was dangling in front of his face. It was the red ball gag. Freed turned to look at Jet with a pleasing expression, and Jet laughed as he held the man steady with a firm grasp on his hip.Jet carefully filled Freed's mouth with the large ball, before tucking the straps behind his head and buckling them tight. He walked in front of Freed again and relished the sight. Gagged, bound, and with his cock in a ring. Perfect!"Once I've had enough fun with ya, I'll take the gag out," Jet laughed. "Then you can start beggin'."Freed looked at him with pleading eyes, desperately praying for mercy, but that just made Jet more excited to torment him. He walked slowly towards Freed, before dropping to his knees in front of him. He looked up at Freed with a dirty, cruel expression as he leant forward, Freed's cock dominating all he could see. He leant forward so his lips were less than an inch away from Freed's cock, and he let a teasing breath tickle the head of it. Freed groaned into the gag.With a quick movement, Jet shunted forward. He grabbed the base of Freed's cock, lowered his jaw, and took the long member all the way in. Freed groaned, bucking his hips as much as his uncomfortable position allowed. Jet grinned, gagging as the fat cock hit the back of his throat.He pulled back just enough so that his lips were wrapped around the head of Freed's cock, before pushing forward and deepthroating the beautifully big cock. He choked, gagged and slobbered around it, loving every second of it.When he looked up, he saw Freed's head had been thrown back and he was writhing and groaning in unallowed pleasure, sweat covering his naked body and muscles training with the pressure. Jet grinned, pushing Freed's cock so deep into his throat that his nose was buried in Freed's trimmed pubes. He grabbed both of Freed's firm, rounded ass cheeks and pulled him into it, not allowing Freed any escape from the teasing hotness of his mouth. Freed was groaning and drooling through his gag and looked like a damn mess. Jet loved it, because he knew Freed was going to go through a lot more before he got his pleasure.He pulled out his ace, and his tongue began an assault on Freed's aching dick. Freed roared into the gag, trying to buck his hips and failing as Jet kept him still. He sucked the cock in and out of his mouth, sucking with gusto and delight as Freed became undone above him. He was a drooling mess and loved it!"Hm!" Freed shouted into the gag. "Jehd.""Talking to me, Freed?" Jet asked, pulling off of Freed's dick and relishing the full body shudder. "Because if you are, you'll call me sir.""Shur!" Freed complained, words muffled and warped. "Pleesh!""Please what?" Jet taunted, leaning down and licking the leaking head of Freed's cock."Pleesh le m' cum," Freed whined."Let you cum?" Jet laughed. "Nah."Jet was on Freed's cock again, swallowing it hole and letting it batter away at his throat. His hands were back to groping Freed's ass, running his hands over the sweat slicked cheeks. As Freed groaned and pushed up against him, Jet let one hand stray further and further down Freed's ass. With a quick movement, he slid a single finger deep into Freed's ass, probing at his prostate.Oh gods, the music of Freed's desperate, muffled, pleasure filled moans sent a ripple through Jet, and he pushed himself further down the hard cock. With his left hand, he started to palm his own cock through his pants as Freed rucked and pushed his cock as deep into Jet's mouth as he could.Looking up at Freed again, he saw his boyfriend's muscles straining against his skin. He was a powerful man, and Jet loved watching him from on his knees. It was even better seeing Freed in agony, denied his need and loving it.With a careful movement, he pulled his lips off Freed's cock, grinning. "Enjoying yourself?"Freed tried to speak into the gag, but it was a muffled mess of sounds. He groaned into the ball, then nodded slightly."Ready to beg yet?"There was a moment of consideration. Freed's eyes steeled, and he shook his head no. That was fine, Jet could just have more fun that way."Your choice," Jet laughed.Rather than continuing his attack on Freed's aching, quivering cock, he stood up straight again. Freed made a noise of complaint as Jet stepped back, looking his trapped boyfriend up and down with satisfaction. His entire body was flushed red, abs contracted, arms straining, toes barely touching the ground as he fought his binds. He looked desperate and helpless, and Jet loved to see it.Trapping Freed's gaze in heat filled eye contact, Jet began to strip. He was elegant and quick with his movements, and he removed his shirt within a second. Freed's eyes flickered all over Jet's torso, and his heated gaze got even lustier. Jet slowly walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a coat hanger, placing his shirt on it."You told me it's best to hang my clothes up rather than tossing them on the floor," He taunted. "Made a big deal about it too. But, when I tell ya to crumple your clothes and throw 'em down, you do it. You really are a horny little bastard, ain't ya?"Freed glared, and Jet laughed.He shucked off his pants and boxers, placing them in the hamper and turning around. Freed's eyes were devouring Jet without shame, and his cock was leaking with anticipation. Jet sauntered back in front of Freed, placing his hands behind his head and letting his horny little torture victim get a good look at him. Freed's eyes settled on Jet's dick, and Jet grinned at it. He was hung, and Freed loved it."I'll ask again," Jet taunted. "You ready to beg for my dick?"Freed shook his head no. That was all the encouragement Jet needed. If Freed wanted more, he could have it.Jet was gone for less than a second, and when he returned, he was holding a simple, black riding crop. He ran it through his fingers, stroking his palm with it as he let Freed know what was about to happen. Freed looked at him with a challenge in his eye, but Jet saw the flash of worry. With a cocky smile, Jet took two steps forward and stroked Freed's chest with the whip of the crop. He slid it down Freed's stomach, relishing the feeling of Freed's abs under the leather. He rested it against the slit of Freed's dick and pushed it just a little.With a groan, Freed pushed up into the crop. Horny little fucker.Before Freed could blink, Jet was standing behind him. He raised the crop and slammed it into the back of Freed's upper thigh with a nasty, satisfying crack that echoed across the room. Freed's left leg buckled, and he was forced to hand by his binds, groaning in pain through the gag."That was for the rune that made me read that horror novel you know I hate," Jet stated.Another hit of the crop, on Freed's right leg."That was for the rune that made me bark like a dog for three minutes straight."Another hit, on Freed's lower back this time."That was for the runes that made the air as thick as water."Four hits, fast and ruthless. Two on each of Freed's ass cheeks, with splotchy red marks left behind. Freed groaned and whimpered into the gag, and he was hanging entirely on the ropes. Jet ran to the front of his victim, pushed their naked bodies together, and grabbed Freed by both the jaw and by the cock."And they were for not begging when I told you to."Freed gave him a desperate expression and, taking pity on the poor man, Jet decided it was time to move onto the next part of his torment. He reached up, undid the ropes, and supported Freed as he found his footing. Once he was steady, Jet pushed him towards the bed, shoving him onto it. Freed was played across the pillows, his hair sticking to his sweaty body as he leant against the headrest. Jet crawled on top of him with a smirk, hands teasingly trailing over Freed's stomach.Gods he loved touching Freed's body. The man had so much compacted strength to him, like every inch of him was coursing with both magical and physical power. Jet could lick the man over if he wanted, but not today. Today, he needed to put Freed in his place."Look at you," Jet teased. "If the guild knew how obedient you could be, they'd never look at you the same way again. You're lucky I'm too selfish to share this side of ya."Freed groaned and buried his face into Jet's shoulder in a silent beg for touch. Jet reached into the bedside table, routed around until he found the small bottle of strawberry scented lube. He made sure that Freed got a good look at it, and the lusty gave tripled in intensity as he fluttered his eyes shut. Jet grinned at him - all of Freed's facades and defences fell away when he was subbing like this.He squirted a small amount of the lube onto his fingers and crawled up close to Freed. Freed instinctively spread his legs to let Jet settle between them and lifted his hips to give Jet access to his ass."So good for me," Jet murmured. "Except when you should be begging."Slowly, he pushed a finger deep into Freed's ass, stretching and probing at it with the slicked digit. Freed pushed down into it, and Jet smirked at the eagerness of it. He slid another finger inside of him, and began to pull and prod at Freed's hole, prepping him with agonising slowness. Freed was groaning into his gag, his head pushing against the wall and eyes clenched shut.A third finger was pushed up inside of Freed's ass, and Freed started to rut up and down against them as he tried to fuck himself. Jet glared at him, pushed Freed's stomach down and pinned him down to the pillows. He fixed Freed with a steadying gaze, before moving his fingers again.Once he had prepped Freed to his satisfaction, he slowly pulled his fingers out of Freed's hole and lowered his head down. He slowly, masterfully licked Freed's abs in a single stripe, the hot skin burning under his tongue. He started at Freed's naval and went higher and higher, licking the sweat from between Freed's pecs. He ended his teasing at the top of Freed's chest, then moved so he was nose to nose with Freed."You ready to beg, baby?" Jet whispered, and Freed nodded manically."Yeh," He said into his gag. "Yesh Shur.""Very good," Jet praised, cupping a hand to Freed's cheek and stroking it with his thumb. "I'm going to take this gag out, and the second I do, you beg me to fuck you. If you don't - if there's even a moment of hesitation - I'm tying you to this bed and sucking your cock until the sun comes up, and you won't get to cum once. Do you understand me?"Again, Freed nodded with manic need.Jet reached behind Freed's head and unbuckled the gag, carefully removing it from Freed's mouth. He showed mercy and allowed Freed to rest his jaw, but once he was sure that Freed was comfortable, he quirked an eyebrow. Freed picked up the silent demand."Please Jet," Freed whispered, voice hoarse. "Please fuck me. Please. I need you.""Jet?" Jet echoed. "Is that what I told you to call me?""Sir," Freed amended. "Please fuck me sir. I need it. I've needed it all day. I always need it.""I know you do," Jet taunted. "You're sorry for the runes?""Yes sir, I am," Freed whimpered. "I've learned my lesson.""I hope not too well," Jet laughed, and Freed wore a small smile at the sounds. "I love punishing you. How can I punish you if you don't act badly some of the time?""I've learned my lesson for about a week," Freed said, and Jet smirked, reached down, and slid the cock ring off Freed's dick."Good boy."Then, with quick movements, Jet hooked Freed's legs over his shoulders. He knelt in front of Freed, positioned his cock at Freed's prepped, puckered asshole, and slowly pushed inside of Freed. The moan was musical; haggard, cracking and filled with unrestricted need. He knew that his own moan echoed Freed's, and he pushed deeper and deeper until Freed had fully taken Jet's impressive cock. He stayed like that, his balls pressed against Freed's ass as he leant down to peck a gentle kiss onto Freed's lips."You ready?" Jet whispered, voice gentle now. "Because I'm not gonna hold back.""Fuck me," Freed demanded. "Hard and fast. Sir.""Good, boy," Jet repeated.Without need for warning, Jet started to fuck Freed. He infused his thrusts with magic, thrusting hard, fast and nastily. His cock was burning, loving the pleasure of Freed's ass taking and releasing his cock over and over again. Freed was moaning and groaning with unrelenting, spasming and rucking deep into Jet's thrusts.Gods he was lucky. All of his exes were scared of Jet using his magic in bed, but Freed loved it. Loved the burn, loved the pain, loved the overwhelming pleasure. Jet could fuck him as quickly as he wanted, and Freed loved what he could do."Oh gods!" Freed groaned, hands clutching at the sheets. "Gods. Jet. Jet!""Take me baby!" Jet growled. "Fucking take me.""Yes sir!" Freed moaned. "Oh, gods yes. Yes!"Freed's back arched as Jet pushed deeper inside of him, and his eyes shot open, filled with lust. His cock lurched, quivered and spasmed. A second later, cum was erupting from his slit, hitting Jet on the chest as he fucked the man hard. The clenching of Freed's ass around his cock drove Jet wild and made him fuck Freed ever faster and even harder."Holy crap!" Jet groaned, and pleasure flooded through him.He came hard, filling Freed's ass with his spunk as he fucked harder and harder. His grasp on Freed's ankles tightened, and he rose them both through the orgasms with endless power. Freed was a writhing mess in the sheets, and Jet grinned as pleasure gave way to exhaustion."You're beautiful like this," Jet panted. "Love you baby.""Love you too," Freed panted, voice hoarse still.Jet carefully pulled out of Freed, ran to the bathroom, got a warm washcloth and carefully cleaned Freed up. Once done, he tucked them both under the covers, pulling Freed into his arms, face to face with their limbs a tangle. He wrapped his arms around Freed's waist, nuzzled into the crook of his neck, and pecked a kiss before they both fell asleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Slow Motion
Jet hadn't been around when Freed came back, but he'd heard the stories.The door's to the guildhall had been kicked open, and Elfman had walked in with Freed in his arms, bruised and broken and covered in dried blood. He was unconscious, and Elfman had yelled for Wendy, desperate and panicking as Freed got whiter and whiter, blood dripping onto the floor and his leg hanging in a clearly broken position. The guild had clambered to get him help, and Porlyusica had been called immediately. Even under the intense magic of two healing wizards, Freed didn't open his eyes.While on a mission, Jet's communication Lacrima had started buzzing in his pocket. It kept buzzing and buzzing, and eventually he opened it. Mirajane, as calmly as she could, explained what happened. Jet peppered her with an endless slurry of questions, and eventually decided enough was enough. His magic burned inside him, and he began running home.That had been three days ago. Jet still hadn't been able to see Freed.He was locked up in the infirmary, with Wendy, Kinana, Porlyusica and Mirajane tending to him day and night. They worked in shifts and didn't let anyone visit him. Jet hadn't so much as glimpsed at his boyfriend, and his mind was unravelling in panic. He just wanted to see him, to settle all the horrible thoughts in his mind and stop going to the worst case scenarios, and he was getting desperate. At this point he might fight the damn witch Porlyusica to get in and see how Freed was doing.But he couldn't, and he knew that. As much as he wanted to run into the infirmary, he knew there must be an explanation for it. Whether Freed needed to be undisturbed, or they were being kind to Jet by not letting him see how bad Freed was, there was clearly a reason to it. And Jet, as much as he hated it, needed to respect that.Gods Dammit! He needed to do something!That was how he ended up in the guildhall's records room. Everyone was so focused on tending to Freed, that nobody noticed him slipping into the restricted room. He closed the door gently behind him, walked to the large filing cabinet and pulled open the door. With quick fingers and a frown on his face, he flipped through file after file until he found the most recent admission. He pulled it out and clenched it in his fist when he was sure of what it was. The job posting that had landed Freed in such a state. The job posting that would lead him to whoever had hurt Freed so badly.He stormed back into the main room of the guildhall and up to Team Shadow Gear's table. Levy and Droy watched him as he approached, and he slammed the job on the table. They looked at it in confusion, and realisation seemed to strike them both at the same time."Jet," Droy began, looking at him with that horrible worry that he'd been receiving for the past few days. "I know you want to, but it's not safe.""He's right," Levy piled on, reaching out and cupping Jet's hands in a gentle cradle. "I'm sure Freed wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger. Why don't you put this back and then we can ask if we can see him?""I'm going," Jet stated, voice firm and determined."You shouldn't-" Droy began."I am going whether you're happy about it or not. I am going to find this bastard and I'm going to fuck him up just as badly as he hurt Freed," His tone left no room for argument, and the set of his jaw was tense and angry. Both Levy and Droy shared a look of concern, but Jet didn't care. They could feel bad for him, feel worried about him, and feel like he was making a mistake. He wouldn't let them stop him. "You can come if you want. But I'm going no matter what you do."With that, Jet picked up the job listing again and started to walk towards the doors. He heard a whispered conversation between his teammates, but he didn't listen to them. He was too busy focusing on how to get to the town from the job as quickly as possible. The train would be best; that way he could build up his magic and fully focus on the fight. No matter what he was going to be put against, he wanted to destroy it. Obliterate it. Make it feel as scared as Jet was feeling and have it beg for mercy because that's what it deserved for what it did to Freed.He heard the whispering stop, and still didn't stop walking. Jogging footsteps caught up with him. Droy walked to his left, Levy to his right. He knew that they were looking at each other over his head, probably with concern, but he didn't care. It wouldn't stop him. If he couldn't see Freed, he needed to do something. Now, he had a goal. A target. A way to get out his frustrations and get revenge for Freed.Just before he left, he took off his hat and threw it at a nearby table. Freed liked that hat, he wouldn't appreciate it being covered in blood."Droy," Jet yelled, rushing to the left to avoid an airborne boulder that had been thrown at him. "Capture him!"It hadn't been difficult to find the dark mage that had been responsible for Freed's attack. The job listing had been quite clear about where they had been making a base in the middle of the mountains. A conservationist had realised that animals were disappearing in the mountains, and after some investigations, realised that a dark mage had been making animal sacrifices in the hundreds. The conservationist had made meticulous notes about the dark mage's actions, and Jet had quickly been able to find out the building he'd been hiding out in.The mage was a man, his limbs made entirely of jagged stone. He had been in the middle of another sacrifice when Shadow Gear kicked down the door. He had looked at them, then back to the beast he was killing. His arm turned to a rocky dagger, and he burst the animal's heart with a laugh.Jet saw red.If he had treated Freed with as much viciousness as he did the animals, then Jet was going to kill him. If he had laughed a single time when he was hurting Freed, Jet would make sure he could never laugh again.How dare he! How dare he hurt someone like this! How dare anyone hurt Freed like this! Freed was a batted man than this bastard deserved to know!But he'd regret it. Jet was going to make him regret it.He had lurched forward in a flurry of magic, slamming a fist into the cultist's chest, the force of it slamming the man into the wall. He was still laughing, and Jet rushed forward to punch him again. Then again, then again, then again. The man was laughing still, seemingly unbothered by the punches. His blood was rushing through his body in a screaming torrent of burning anger, and all he wanted to do was keep punching the cultist until he stopped his damned laughing.Dory and Levy were behind him a moment later. Droy threw seeds to the ground which sprouted into sharp thorns and flurried towards the cultists. They chipped away at the stone of the man's body, but still the cultist laughed. Levy used her solid script to try attacking with different elements - water and grass and fire - but they all bounced off stone that made up his skin. It all seemed so useless, but Jet was too consumed by anger to care.And then, the cultist fought back.Stalagmites burst through the floor, splintering the floorboards and forcing them all to jump to avoid them. It was a distraction, and a rock burst into existence with a crackle of magic, flying towards Jet and hitting him straight in the stomach. He grunted, falling to the ground and groaning at the bruising sensation. He planted his hands on the floor and pushed up, a glare still strong on his face.Droy acted first, and a wall of wines shot up from the floor to block the next flying stone. The vines took the impact but wilted and needed to be regrown. Again and again, the vines were destroyed and replanted as they plotted their next move. That was how they'd gotten to Jet's demand that Droy trap him."I'll have to lower the shield," Droy said, wincing as a rock cut through the most recent wall of vines. "If I don't, they won't be strong enough to hold him. And I'll need to concentrate, so I can't be hit.""I can cast shields," Levy offered. "But I don't know if I can make them fast enough. He's quick with his magic.""I'll distract him," Jet cracked his knuckles as he spoke. "Just trap him."Jet went to move, but Levy placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. She was wearing that same worried expression that she'd been wearing since Freed had come back. Jet wanted to tell that, just because he was being fuelled by anger, it didn't mean his plan wouldn't work. He knew what he was doing; he wasn't going to get hurt because then Freed would be as scared as he was. He didn't want Freed feeling like he did."Jet-" She began. Jet cut her off."Freed told me about a folktale one night. A bird that lands on a diamond mountain, pecks at the stone every day. It just keeps pecking away, right. Day by day, it looks like nothing is happening. But then, after a lifetime, it cuts a tunnel through the diamond. It just takes time. That's what we've gotta do.""Jet you can't mean to…" Levy spiralled off. "How do you even know it'll work?""I knocked off a chunk of the rock, he's flesh and bone under it, even if the stone grew back quick," Jet grinned, a little manically. "If I go all out, I can cut through the stone and get to him. Then I'll be able to knock him out and we'll be done!""You can't be sure of that," Levy argued. "And even if you could be, you'd cut your knuckles to the bone!""I don't care-""Guys, we need to make a decision," Droy cut through their argument, wincing as he kept up his shield. "I've not got much magical energy left, if you want me to contain him then we're going to have to do it now."Jet moved before Levy could argue again, running out from behind the wall of vines and into the battle again. A torrent of sharp stones flew towards him, hitting the wall behind him as he avoided them. The cultist managed to shoot these small stones at him while he flew boulders at Levy and Droy, and Levy quickly casted shield spells to protect them both from the attack. The room was manic, and Jet rushed around, never getting close enough to hit him. Tables and chairs were destroyed by the spray of rocks, and a few grazed his legs and arms as he ran. He ignored the pain, waiting for Droy to get enough magic for his spell.A wayward rock bounced off a wall, slicing Jet on the back of his leg. He winced and stumbled to a halt, shooting a glare at the cultist. The man looked at him, saw the blood dribbling down his leg, and laughed. How much had he laughed at what he'd done to Freed? Jet wanted him dead."Chain Seeds!" Droy yelled, and magic flared up.Thick and potent vines shot out from the ground, coiling and wrapping around the cultist with vice like grips. They wrapped around his legs, tight and unrelenting. Then his arms. Then his neck. The cultist struggled against them, stone trying and failing to cut through them, but Droy's magic held strong. He spluttered and growled, thrashing in his binds. One vine coiled around his head, forcing itself into mouth to gag him.Hah, he wasn't laughing now, was he?Jet grinned a nasty grin, slowly walking towards the man who had nearly killed his boyfriend. He stood face to face with the cultist, his face a picture of unrestrained fury and antagonistic glee."Twenty four," Jet taunted. "That's how many punches I can land in a single second if I use all my magic. I can keep that up for three hundred and ninety two seconds. You know how many punches that is? Nine thousand four hundred and eight," He leant forward an inch further, grin truly cruel now. "How long d'you think you can last?"He didn't wait for a response. Magic flared, punches flew, and it felt amazing!"Don't upset him," Freed could hear Porlyusica speaking despite the door being closed. "I don't want any excitement, anything that could stress him, and anything that might make his injuries worse. Do you understand?"Someone replied, and the door opened. Porlyusica was actually pushed into the door, and a moment later Freed saw who was responsible. He couldn't fight the smile on his face as Jet, in his cute little hat, a bag over his shoulder, and with a worried expression, stormed over to him. Freed felt his stomach swirl in a warm comfort as his boyfriend looked him up and down; while he knew he was in a bad state, it was nice to have someone that he loved worrying for him. But, when the look of concern didn't lift, Freed remembered just how near up he had become.His leg was held up and covered in plaster as the bone healed, one arm was still in a cast, his face was still covered in scratches and a bruise still blotched over one of his eyes. He felt okay, still in pain but a lot better than when he had teleported away.Frankly, he was lucky the closest Fairy Tail member was Elfman. Who would have known what might have happened if his spell had taken him to someone who couldn't lift him?"Are you okay?" Jet demanded, sitting on the side of the bed and looking at Freed with open worry."I'm healing," Freed said, knowing that a simple 'I'm fine' wouldn't help either of them. "A lot of things hurt, and my leg is going to take some time to heal so I won't be able to walk for a while, but I'm not in danger of things getting worse. I just need to be patient and allow myself to heal.""You won't be able to walk?" Jet asked, looking at his leg with worry."Temporarily," Freed said, moving his good arm and placing a hand on Jet's thigh to calm him. "I can live without it, and I can be happy without it for a while," Jet didn't seem to believe him, and Freed couldn't blame him exactly. Jet's legs were necessary for his magic, losing the use of one would be deviating. To calm him, Freed needed to change tactic. "Don't look too sad about it. I'll be expecting you to wait hand and foot on me. A little servant boy, all of my own. What should I make you wear? A butler's uniform? A maid's dress? Or perhaps we can revisit that cute little bunny outfit again?"Jet blushed, looked away, and shifted. Adorable; Freed would have to make that happen more often."I was worried about you," Jet said under his breath, and Freed felt the mirth leaving the room. "You promise you're okay?""I promise I'm getting better, and I will recover," Freed said truthfully. "And I'm sorry I made you worry. I argued that you should be allowed to see me earlier, but the witch was stubborn and never stepped close enough for me to hit her. It was quite rude, actually."Jet laughed a little and took Freed's hand in his own. Freed looked down and narrowed his eyes when he saw the back of Jet's right hand. The skin was red, covered in scratches and scabs that looked fresh and blotchy. Jet was too busy looking at Freed's leg, so didn't notice that Freed had seen the state his hands were in. Freed squeezed his hand and shifted so that he was a little closer to his boyfriend."What did you do to occupy your time?""Yelled at people," Jet confessed, stroking Freed's hand. "Didn't sleep much. Got kinda pissy with the guild, might need to make a few apologies later.""And that's all?" Freed ran a thumb over one of the scabs. Jet looked down, then deflated."Punched a wall," He mumbled."With injuries like these, I expect you knocked down the building," Freed countered, and Jet winced. "Tell me what you did, Jet."Jet mumbled something under his breath and sighed when Freed gave him an imploring look. Still quietly, he confessed. "I tracked the guy down and beat him up."Freed hissed under his breath. He hated the sound of that. The idea of Jet being anywhere near that cultist made him feel sick. The laughing was as vicious as he was evil, and Freed didn't want to know what he could do to Jet. Not that he thought Jet couldn't look after himself, of course, but the dark mage was powerful and evil and didn't show mercy. But, Jet had made it back, so he couldn't let himself focus on what ifs."What happened?" Freed asked."I beat him the hell up," Jet stated. There was something he wasn't saying, and Freed didn't look away from him. Jet relented. "I was so fucking pissed off at him. I just kept thinking about what he did to you, how I didn't know if you were gonna be okay or what had happened to you. He just kept laughing and laughing and I was pissed off and I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to hurt him, and I wasn't thinking right.""What happened, Jet?" Freed repeated."I kept punching and punching him. Droy was holding him so he couldn't fight back. I kept going and going, and I didn't wanna stop," Jet spat. "He didn't deserve me stopping.""But you did stop, didn't you?" Freed insisted, worry squirming. "You didn't… he's not…""Levy and Droy stopped me," Jet sighed. "I knocked him out but kept going. Droy used his trap spell on me. I tried to fight against it and Levy had to talk me down and make me stop. I just wanted to hurt the bastard and I could see that he was still breathing, and I just wanted to kick him and punch him more because he wasn't as hurt as people said you were. Fucking pissed me off!""I understand," Freed admitted. He would be the same, if the situations were reversed. "What happened?""Droy called the rune knights, the cultist was arrested, and Levy calmed me down. The bastards in prison. In the infirmary," Jet smirked at that. "But he's alive. Don't know if that's good or not.""It's good," Freed said firmly. Because if the cultist had died, Jet would have been the one to kill him. Murder weighed heavy in a soul, even if justified, and Freed didn't want that for Jet. Jet was a pure hearted man, even if he didn't admit it."I guess," Jet shrugged, then remembered the overnight bag over his shoulder. "I got you some stuff, thought it might give you something to do and make you feel a little more comfy.Jet started to pull things out of the bag. First, there was Freed's duvet, which was infinitely more comfortable than the itchy and uncomfortable one he'd been contending with for the past few days. Next, half a shelf's worth of books, some of which he hadn't read and half of which he had. He then pulled out some clothes, which he quickly reloaded Freed wouldn't be able to wear them with his body in the state it was in."Dammit, should have thought," Jet muttered, shoving the clothes back into the bag. "Could've guessed you'd be in plaster. Fucking idiot. Dammit!""Hey!" Freed snapped. "Stop that " He let go of Jet's hand, then cupped his jaw softly. "I'm back, I'm recovering, and the best thing you can do for me is be here and show me that smile.""Don't just say-""I'm not 'just saying' anything. I mean that," Freed was firm but gentle. "When you smile, and I get to look at it, it makes me happy. You're beautiful and I love seeing you happy. So, for as long as you're here with me, that's the best thing you can do.""You mean that?" Jet mumbled."I do," Freed nodded. "Especially when you're so well trained as my servant already. Once I get you an appropriate costume, my life will be perfect.""You're an ass," Jet laughed a little."Is that any way to speak to me?" Freed tutted and turned up his nose. "And here I thought you were a good boy."Jet, for some reason, flushed red. Very red. Oh…This could be fun."Is that what you want to be, Jet," Freed purred, grinning a little as Jet squirmed in the seat and averted his eyes. His cheeks were so red, Freed couldn't look away. "To be a good boy?""Shut up," Jet muttered."I think that means yes," Freed hummed."It doesn't," Jet grumbled."It does," Freed chuckled. "You're aware that, for as long as it takes for me to recover, I'm going to do everything I can to make you blush and squirm just like you are right now, right?""Yeah, I know.""Is that okay?""Yeah.""Hm," Freed hummed. "Good boy."Jet's face was flaming red again, smiling, and Freed loved it. This would be fun.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A Shift in Gears
Jet looked down at the box, pace racing.Maybe he should have expected something like this at some point. Ever since Freed had returned from that mission and called Jet 'good boy' for the first time, Freed had been peppering him with more compliments than he could deal with. They ranged from casual remarks about him looking good in his new coat, to praise based on his performances on jobs, to whispered words of adoration shared when they were both naked in bed together. For the whole time it took for Freed to heal, Jet had been inundated with compliments.He loved them all; but really loved them! They made him feel all squirmy and warm inside, more so than anything else had. He found himself preening at them, craving them and the hot blush that came with them. He was loved, adored, and Freed wasn't shy about making that known.But a flipping stomach and a red face wasn't the only byproduct of Freed's words.Because Freed's compliments weren't just sweet and adoring, they were sometimes dirty. Jet was told that he spread his legs so well for Freed, that his moans were so loud and shameless that the sound of them made Freed hard, and that while his new coat looked good, he would look a hell of a lot better without it. Whispered words said at the worst moments. Freed seemed to love doing that; leaning up against him in public and whispering the naughtiest things he could think of, leaving Jet hard in his pants, horny as all hell, and yearning for more. He loved it, loved the attention and loved how hot it made him feel, and he relished it.That was why the box didn't shock him. Nor did what was in the box.A collar.It was thick, black, and had a small metal loop to attach a leash to. Jet swallowed at the sight of it. It was inelegant and obvious, a clear mark of power and ownership. It was symbolic of just how their relationship had shifted suddenly; Freed knew he could collar Jet because he knew that Jet yearned for the feeling. Jet's cock hardened in his pants.Some unknown urge clicked inside of Jet, a feeling of belonging and rightness. He'd never put all that much thought into submission - he'd enjoyed experimenting in both roles in the past - but something about Freed suddenly made him… pliant. That first time Freed had called him a good boy, things had shifted, and he knew that Freed was a man he was meant to kneel for. A man he was meant to bow his head to. A man who he was meant to obey and be praised by. Not that he was going to make it easy on Freed."Who's that for?" He asked, grinning. "You?""I think you know," Freed smirked, looking Jet up and down. He settled on the hard dick straining against his pants. "And I think you want it.""You in a collar, hell yeah I do.""Of course," Freed tutted, taking a step towards him. "So, you don't want my collar wrapped around your neck, Jet? You don't want me staking my claim? Don't want my… ownership?"Jet's pale cheeks exploded into colour, and his breath stuttered in his throat as he took the smallest of steps back. Freed had been giving hints of his more dominant side, but never this overt. It sent a rush of blood straight to his dick, and his knees felt weak at the display. He wouldn't last long."You wanna collar me?" Jet forced out a laugh. "Nah, I don't think you've got the balls to try.""Oh, don't you," Freed challenged, taking another step forward, and Jet stumbled so his back was pressed against the wall. He swallowed as Freed stepped closer, pressing his crotch against one of Jet's thighs. "Perhaps you should rethink your stance. Because you will wear this collar whether you think you will or not. The choice is this; will you submit to it like the good boy that I know you are, or will punishment and a beating be required?""A beating?" Jet parroted, not sure why that sounded so hot."Correct," Freed whispered. "My title of The Dark exists in all aspects of my life, Jet. Sex included."Fuck, Jet wanted to see that. See Freed's cruelty aimed at his body, and for a moment he considered jerking up his chin and challenging Freed to do his worst, but his eyes fell to the collar that Freed had presented to him. The ghost sensation of leather wrapped around his neck tingled, and with a swallowed breath, Jet nodded slightly."I'll be good," He whispered."I know you will," Freed smiled. "But you did act out, so this is required."Freed suddenly smashed his knee upwards and rammed it hard into Jet's balls. The pain was explosive, and Jet crumbled to the floor as he nursed his balls. He looked up with a pain filled expression and was met with an amused smile. He matched it weakly, rubbing his nuts as he tried to fight past the pain."You understand why I did that, don't you?" Freed asked, and Jet nodded without waiting. Freed's face hardened. "The safeword will be Whiskey. I should have told you before. I'm sorry.""I was being an ass," Jet shrugged, voice slightly high. "If it's how you teach me, guess I'll have to get used to it."The prideful smile on Freed's face made Jet's cock twitch, as did what he said. "Such a good boy, but let's hope it doesn't come to that too often," A strict expression flashed onto Freed's face, and it made Jet's spine straighten, the pain in his balls ignored. "Take off your clothes. And, do it slowly."Jet nodded, then started to move. He wanted to use his magic, speed usually was of the essence in sex with him, but he stopped himself. Freed took a few steps back, sitting in the plush armchair tucked in the corner of their bedroom. He sat with spread legs, watching as Jet shucked off his shirt."You fascinate me, Jet," Freed commented."Do I?" Jet asked as he threw his shirt to the floor, milky torso exposed like a blank canvas for Freed to abuse."Don't speak without permission," Freed snapped, and Jet's mouth shut instantly. "But you do fascinate me, that's true. The contradiction of being such a naughty brat, yet your dick leaks whenever I compliment you. Most people would like one or the other, but you jerk that big cock of yours to both. A charming little enigma, and very fun to play with too."Jet blushed, because that sounded like praise to him. The blush went down to his chest, it always did, and he crossed his arms across his chest."Your pants and your boxers, Jet," Freed insisted, and Jet's hands were on his belt buckles without thought to follow the order. When Freed started speaking again, it was in the same thoughtful yet sharp tone he had used before. "But your mind fascinates me more than anything. The implications of it are beautiful. Your mind can keep up with the speed of your actions, and I have a theory about that. I believe that in a single second, you can process as much as I could in a minute. I think you're a genius, dear, and you just don't know it.""Thanks," Jet mumbled before he remembered the rule about not speaking. He kicked off his pants, leaving him in tight grey boxers, with a cumstain where his dick rested."You're probably wondering why I'm bringing this up now," Freed continued, eyes roaming Jet's near naked body. "You see, if my hypothesis is correct, it leaves me with an interesting concept. If I were to play with your body, torment and tease you, for just a minute, it would seem like an hour to you. So, if I were to play with you all night long, and I will, then it would seem like…" Freed trailed off, a nasty grin on his face. "Well, I simply wonder if my darling little speedster could handle it.""I can," Jet said firmly. His cock strained against his boxers; holy shit he wanted that torture."And that's why I call you a good boy," Freed smiled a fond smile, before his face hardened. "But why are you not yet naked?""I'm sorry sir!" Jet exclaimed, the title slipping from his tongue without him noticing.His blush exploded further across him, and Freed gave out the dirtiest chuckle Jet had ever heard. Wordlessly, he kicked off his boxers, leaving his hard, leaking cock exposed to the room as he threw his clothes to the side. When he settled, he found that he was naturally on his knees, eye level with the bulge in Freed's pants. He swallowed at the sight, loving the pressure on his knees as he looked up at his master.Huh, master. Freed was his master. That felt right. Still wasn't going to make things easy for him, though."What now?" Jet challenged, crossing his arms and trying not to remember he was naked and hard for the man in front of him."Come to me," Freed ordered. "Crawl."Jet did as he was told, crawling on his hands and knees as he approached his master. He settled between Freed's spread legs, kneeling in front of him with his nose an inch away from Freed's hard cock. He looked up at the man with the horniest expression that he could manage and was met with a demeaning gaze.Freed made a small gesture with his hand, runes fluttering to life and something forming in his grasp. It was a teleportation spell, and he had summoned a thick black piece of velvet. Jet swallowed at the sight of it. A blindfold."Ask for it," Freed whispered."Blindfold me, sir," Jet whispered back.With a small laugh, Freed reached down and cupped Jet under the chin. He tilted his head up and placed the fabric over Jet's eyes, blocking the light of the room entirely. Jet swallowed as he felt Freed's hands behind his head, tying the fabric tight so it wouldn't fall off. Once done, he ran a hand through Jet's hair, which Jet leant into, and left his hand against Jet's cheek."You're beautiful, Jet," Freed whispered, and Jet squirmed at the words. "You're so close to perfection that it's incredible. But do you know all you need to make yourself truly perfect?" Jet could feel Freed's breath against his lips. He must be close. "Restrained, controlled pleasure."Freed's hand left Jet's face, and he heard the sound of Freed summoning something else. He could feel movement around him but knew that Freed was still sitting. Without warning, Freed's cold hands roamed up Jet's arms, forcing them above his head. He felt the familiar burn of rope being wrapped around his wrists and moaned as he realised Freed was tying him up. There was a pull, and the slight clinking of metal, and Jet guessed that Freed was tying the rope to the coat hook attached to the wall. Freed was binding him up just like he had done to Freed but keeping him on his knees."Ass up, boy," Freed ordered. "Lean your weight against my thigh if you need to."Jet followed the order, resting his chest against Freed's thigh as he raised up his ass. His arms ached in the position, Freed hadn't left him much slack to move with. The ache fell away when Freed trailed a finger down his spine, then to the crease of his ass. He hissed as a cold digit toyed with his hole.A plastic click filled the room, then a squirting. A cold, lube slicked finger gently pressed against his hole, and Jet pushed his ass into it. He heard Freed chuckle and pushed in further as if bolstered by the reaction. His other hand slowly stroked through Jet's hair, and Jet leant into that as well,Another finger pushed inside his ass, stretching it open and making a needy whine tumble from Jet's lips. He rucked his ass back against the fingers, taking them deep enough to feel the knuckle and groaning at the feeling."Enjoying yourself?" Freed taunted, and Jet nodded weakly. "Let's see how long that can last, shall we?" Freed carefully took his fingers from Jet's ass, and then summoned something else. "I'm going to plug you, Jet."Jet nodded, needing the toy the moment he knew he could have it.A hand gently stroked his ass, and Jet shivered at the feeling. One of Freed's hands stroked down Jet's back, the other slowly was pushing something into his hole. Jet groaned as the foreign object pushed inside of him, raising his ass higher to make Freed go faster. The flare of the plug pushed him open further and further, before settling and filling Jet's ass completely. He whined as Freed manoeuvred him back to a kneeling position. He could feel Freed's eyes on him and found himself smiling with pride. Freed was enjoying him. Jet knew that and it-Vibrations exploded from the plug, and Jet's body buckled. Freed's hands were ready to catch him, holding him upright and a laugh. Once Jet was on his knees, back straight again, he groaned. The plug's vibrations were hitting the right spot."Look at you," Freed hummed. "Tied up and blindfolded. Seems appropriate after what you put me through.""Yes sir," Jet whined."I'll forgive the break in the rules, since you're agreeing with me," Freed claimed, then spoke in an almost breathless voice. "By the god's you're beautiful. You've no idea the effect you have on me, dear boy."Jet whined, squirmed, and felt the plug pushing inside of him further."Looking at you like this, you've no idea the things I want to do to you," Freed was stoking Jet's cheek again. "But right now, there's only one thing I can think of to improve you."Jet heard moving again, and the sound of something running against skin. Freed lowered his hand to Jet's chin and raised it high, stroking his jawbone as he did so. He retracted his hand, and Jet heard the sound of metal clicking and getting closer to him. Jet kept his chin raised high, having a pretty good idea as to what Freed was going to do to him. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought of it.Cool leather slid across his neck, and Jet swallowed his excitement. He leant forward, and Freed chuckled as he wrapped the collar around Jet's neck. He pulled it tight, but not so much that it was uncomfortable, and buckled it firmly.It felt good. Clunky and firm and permanent. It felt right!"Perfect," Freed praised. "A perfect little plaything.""Thank you-""Quiet!" Freed snapped, and Jet grinned at the order. "I think it's time for me to put that pretty mouth of yours to work, don't you?"Jet wasn't given time to respond, as Freed pushed a finger into his mouth and hooked his bottom teeth, pulling his lower jaw open. He heard fabric shirting and then a fly being undone. He swallowed in anticipation, his Adam's apple rubbing against the leather of his collar. His cock leaked a bead of precum at the feeling. Sucking cock, wearing a collar, blindfolded and bound. This was a fantasy he never knew he needed.Freed's finger left his mouth, but Jet knew to keep it open. He readied himself, looking up at Freed eagerly even if he couldn't see him. A moment later, Freed was cradling his cheek again, before he acted.The feeling of Freed's cock sliding past his lips nearly made Jet cum. Freed's hand settled on the back of Jet's head and Jet pushed himself further on the beautiful dick, the taste of it sending shivers down Jet's body as his cheeks caught fire with a blush. His body was burning with both lust and want and the tiniest tinge of embarrassment for how hot the situation was. The restraints, the blindfold, the collar. He felt as though he were property, and loved it."That's it," Freed purred, pushing Jet further down his cock and forcing a gag out of him. "All the way! Good boy."Jet pushed himself forward, spurred on by the praise. He choked around Freed's shaft until he felt his nose pressing against Freed's body and hummed his satisfaction. The vibrations must have turned Freed on, because he jutted his hips forward and slammed deep into Jet's mouth, seemingly without knowing. Jet grinned around the dick and felt Freed's grasp of his hair tighten into a nasty tug, holding him still.The choking and gagging made Jet's cock twitch and leak precum. He rutted into the air without thinking, the head of his dick bumping against Freed's booted foot. The reminder that Freed was fully clothed made him groan. Without shame nor restraint, he started to hump Freed's shoe, the rub of the boot against his dick sending shivers down his spine."Excuse me," Freed said, voice strained. "Who said you had permission to feel pleasure?"Jet slowly, tauntingly thrusted forwards one more time. The rub of his cock head against the leather of Freed's boot drove him wild, and the knowledge that it was pissing his master off just spurred him on. Freed suddenly ripped his dick from Jet's mouth, making him gape and pout for the sudden emptiness of his mouth. He looked to where he thought Freed was, hoping his discontent was obvious as he stopped humping his boot."You do seem to be insistent on disobeying me," Freed said, and his voice was a lot closer than it should be. Freed was face to face with him. "Do you know what I planned on doing to you?""What?" Jet asked, voice raspy."I was going to have you at my knees, sucking my cock and swallowing my cum," Freed taunted, cupping Jet's cheeks with both hands. "Then, I would have taken you to bed, made love to you with all the reverence and splendour that a good boy deserves. It was going to be a reward, a treat for accepting my collar without complaint nor disobedience. I can't do that now, and do you know why?""'Cause I'm not a good boy?" Jet guessed."Correct, you're disobedient and acting in a rather naughty way," Freed whispered the words, and Jet squirmed. "And therefore, punishment is in order. You will not be allowed to taste my cum, nor feel me adoring you. Instead, I will bind you to the bed, keep you blindfolded, and fuck you hard and fast until you can't take anymore. Do you understand me?""I understand you're crap at punishments," Jet snarked, grinning.An exasperated sigh, then pain. It took Jet a moment to realise Freed had punched and then twisted one of his nipples. He hissed his pain."Such a brat," Freed huffed. "But I can change that. You seem to think that you'll be getting pleasure from this. You won't."Freed ran a finger down the shaft of Jet's hard cock, featherlight with it and making Jet groan. He gasped when the feeling of Freed's magic settled into his shaft, and a feeling of dread filled him. A chastity rune; Freed had used it on him once before and it has resulted in a night of teasing followed by a morning of jerking off alone in the shower while Freed laughed."Come on!" Jet whined. "Really?""You're being disobedient, you get punished," Freed mused. "This rune doesn't just stop you from cumming, though. It makes you feel things more intensely. Like this."Freed pinched and twisted Jet's other nipple. It hurt a hell of a lot more.With a chuckle, Freed began untying the knot that kept him bound to the wall, and a moment later Jet could let his arms hang down again, even if his wrists were tied tight together. Freed helped him to his feet and walked him to the bed. Without warning, Jet found himself scooped up into Freed's arms and placed on the bed, face down with his head buried into the pillows. There was a tugging, and Jet quickly realised his hands were being tied to the headboard. He was forced to support himself on his elbows, ass in the air and presented to Freed. This felt right.The sound of fabric shifting behind him told Jet that Freed was stripping, and he swallowed at the idea. Freed was hot as hell when he was naked; the contrast of his well put together side and his nudity made him seem raw and primal. Jet loved that primal side of him.When he heard the sound of Freed's belt sliding through the loops, he spoke before he could think. "You gonna spank me with that, sir?"Silence, for about five seconds."No. You'd enjoy that, I think," Freed said.Pouting, Jet raised his ass higher in the air in the hopes he could tempt Freed into doing something. He heard Freed's quiet laugh and smirked, hearing the sound of Freed's remaining clothes dropping. His smirk turned to a smile as he fantasised about Freed's naked body. The man was muscle through and through, compacted power that Jet loved to adore. Or to lick~Smack. Smack. SMACK!Jet gaped as his ass exploded into pain, taking seconds to realise Freed had spanked him three times fast. The pain was exacerbated by the runes, and his elbows buckled, and he fell face first into the pillow with a groan of pain. Freed laughed at him, stroking a hand down his stinging ass in a comforting gesture."I thought you wanted it, Darling," Freed taunted."Fuck you," Jet griped.SMACK!That one hit hurt more than all the others, and Jet whined and humped the bed covers. His mind was a horny haze, every sensation driving him mad. With quivering limbs, he pushed himself up onto his forearms again, as close to being on all fours as he could."Very good," Freed purred. "And since you took the hits so well, I'll be kind."Light flittered into his sight, and he blinked as the blindfold was removed. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his boyfriend standing naked, hard and sweating. Fuck he looked so good; the man's abs were God like and his dick was still wet with Jet's spit. If he weren't in magical chastity, Jet might have cum at just the sight."You're so easy to rile up," Freed taunted."You're so fucking sexy," Jet stated. Freed just laughed.Freed climbed onto the bed, and Jet steeled himself in preparation. Freed slid out the vibrator and tossed it aside without mercy, making Jet shudder and push back into him. Looking over his shoulder, Jet saw Freed spit onto his ass. Jet's heart hammered at the feeling of the spit going down his ass; Freed was going to fuck him without lube? Fuck yeah!"You ready, Speedracer?" Freed whispered, voice gentle. Jet didn't trust his own voice, so nodded. "Good boy."Before he could melt into the compliment, Freed was fucking him. The fire and burning of the relentless thrusting were a pain filled ecstasy, and Jet found himself slack jawed and drooling as his body was rocked by his man. He could see stars, blind to the world and trapped by a pleasure he knew he wouldn't be fulfilled by.Freed was nasty with the fucking, and Jet deserved it. He knew how to make Jet moan and squirm - knew his body as well as Jet himself did - and wasn't playing around. Every thrust was a battery of Jet's prostate, splintering shivering pleasure though him.He was moaning, screaming even, and he didn't care. The teasing, brutal fuck and constant edging cut through all sense. He would deal with the humiliation of Freed's neighbours hearing him tomorrow."Freed please," He whined, unable to stop himself."No." Freed growled, hitting Jet's prostate hard."Please Freed…" Jet begged again. "Lemme… c-cum!""Why should I?" Freed snapped, but his voice was cracking. "You were misbehaving, why should I encourage that?""I'll suck your cock," Jet panted, hands grasping the rope and pulling at it, his cock aflame with the pleasure he wasn't being allowed to feel. He couldn't even let his cock leak precum any more. "Every morning for a fucking month.""Not enough," Freed grunted, fingers digging into Jet's hips."I'll wear the damn bunny outfit for ya," Jet begged. "For a full day. I'll wait on ya too. Be your little bitch for a day.""Not enough," Freed repeated, with a particularly nasty thrust into Jet."I'll wear the collar," Jet whined. "In public."Freed thrusted forward, balls deep, and stopped. He pushed his sweating body against Jet's, and Jet could feel his abs and chest against his back. Freed removed one hand from Jet's hips, turned his head and stroked his hair as he made Jet look at him."You'll wear it for a minimum of five days. You may not go on any missions, I want you at the guild every day, and if anyone asks, I want you to tell them you're wearing it because I told you to," Freed pressed a chaste kiss against Jet's lips. "If you last a full week, I'll give you all the reverence and splendour a good boy deserves. Is that agreeable for you?""Hell yeah," Jet panted."I'll make you regret that," Freed laughed, then made a gesture with his hand, dispelling the magic.A torrent of overwhelming, dirty, unadulterated bliss flooded Jet in a tidal wave of pleasure. Freed was fucking into him again, roaring into the air like an animal as Jet buried his face into the pillow and bit it, muffling his own screams. The withheld need and Freed's fat cock beating at him was a perfect storm, and a moment later the eye fluttering feeling of orgasm rocked him.He felt his cock pulsing as he spurted cum into the sheets, and his ass was filled with the warmth of Freed's own spunk. Jet rode the orgasm like his life depended on it, rutting back against Freed's dick as pleasure blinded him."Fuck, Freed. Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!""Gods," Fred panted. "You're so fucking hot. My perfect Angel. So good for me. Perfect. You're - ah - perfection!"Jet nearly passed out from the pleasure, and when Freed tugged on his collar, choking him with it, another orgasm rolled through him. The resounding feeling of rightness set into place, and Jet yelled his pleasure into the open room.This was perfect, pleasure and obedience and his sexy, incredible boyfriend pulling at his collar. Jet was in heaven! Jet was exactly where he was meant to be! Jet belonged to Freed!Less than an hour later, Jet sat in a warm, bubble filled bath, leaning his back against Freed's chest. Candles flickered as his muscles relaxed, the slight burn on his wrists from the rope now calming under the hot water. Freed was absentmindedly playing with his hair, and Jet preened and leant into the touch.Freed had pampered him the moment they both faced the come down from their sex, covering him in gentle kisses and washing him clean. He treated Jet with such reverence that Jet almost cried. He didn't know why, but Freed had simply smiled, and kissed him.Now, they were just relaxing, and Jet leant back into Freed and spoke."You're not really gonna make me wear the collar for a week, right?""No, of course not," Freed said, but there was a tone of mischief in his words. "Although, I did say you had a five day minimum. If you go against the deal, I think I deserve some kind of reparations. Perhaps, oh I don't know, a month of you with three chastity spell on. That seems fair, don't you think?""A month?" Jet squawked. "No, that's not fair at all!""And yet, those are the only two options," Freed taunted, kissing Jet on the back of his neck.Jet was sure he could get out of both if he asked Freed, but he didn't want to. His hand raised, going to the collar that was still tight around his neck. He hadn't taken it off after he had been untied, nor had he allowed Freed to take it off for him. It had just felt like he should keep wearing it…"Five days," Jet whispered. "I can deal with that.""Good boy."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Finish Line
Freed woke up to an empty bed and the sound of yelling.Wiping away the sleep from his eyes, he shifted out of the sheets. He wordlessly picked up a pair of boxers, discarded on the floor from the night before, and slid them on. He opened the curtains to his house, looking over the back yard with a small frown. Jet was out there, a scream ripping out of his throat as he punched the tree with as much ferocity as he could, his hands a blur of magic.This… happened sometimes. After being with Jet for over a year now, Freed knew that the man's emotions sometimes dominated him. Unspoken regrets and anxieties would force their way to the surface, and Jet would explode.Truthfully, Freed had expected this was coming. There had been something different in how they'd fucked the night before; Jet had hung on tighter, scratched at Freed's back and clung to him like a lifeline, and screamed louder than he normally would. Once the haze of lust had parted, Freed had realised that Jet was clinging to him for a reason, and he had kept Jet firm in his arms during the night. He would be there for Jet, even if he didn't know what he needed to help with yet.Watching Jet from the window, Freed wanted to go to him, but it wouldn't help. Jet was blinded by anger, and that was fine. Jet once confessed that, when his emotions were roaring like this, he was filled with too much energy to deal with. He needed to get it out, and Jet would let him.Still, he cast a quick spell. It hardened Jet's skin, so he wouldn't hurt himself.Wordlessly, he grabbed a robe from the back of the door and wrapped it around himself. He walked down to his kitchen and filled a bowl with cold water and ice cubes, which he placed on the table and covered in a rune to keep it cold. He then filled the kettle with water and flicked it on, letting it boil as he pulled out two mugs and filled a strainer with tea leaves. As the water got hotter, he pulled out his communication lacrima and quickly sent a message to Laxus.'I won't be attending the mission today. My apologies.'He pocketed his lacrima and got to work making breakfast; a large pot of porridge. He was cutting up a selection of fruit when the door to the kitchen opened, and Jet wordlessly walked in. He sat at the table and dipped his knuckles into the ice water. He hissed, and Freed looked at him in the reflection cast in the window. He was covered in sweat - and perhaps there were tear stains on his cheeks as well - and clearly, he wasn't ready to speak yet. That was okay; he'd get there.Freed poured them both a mug of tea. He'd gone for the blueberry blend, one that tended to calm Jet. He scooped out a large portion of the porridge for them both. He sat opposite Jet at their kitchen table, the cut up fruits and a jar of honey between them. Freed didn't say anything, eating his breakfast while making sure not to look at Jet too intensely.Jet didn't blink when he was like this. That was something Freed had noticed the first time it had happened.Eventually, Jet removed his hand from the bowl of ice water. He wiped away the water from his hand then looked at the food and the tea that had been placed in front of him. He didn't smile, but he did reach for some sliced bananas and slid them into the porridge. He topped it with a generous amount of honey, and silently started to eat. Freed smiled to himself - small victories were important when Jet was in this state.And when, half way through the meal, Jet's leg hooked around Freed's in a silent thank you, Freed didn't hide his smile.Of course, a breakfast together wouldn't suddenly make Jet feel good. Freed hadn't expected it to upend his mood, he simply wanted to make sure Jet was taking care of himself while he dealt with whatever was troubling him. In times like this, Jet's mind was clouded, and all his thoughts were pushed aside by whatever was troubling him. He could forget to eat, drink, and look after himself. Freed made sure to pick up the slack and do what he could to make this easier.At that moment, Freed was in their living room working through some paperwork that he had been putting off, while Jet cleared away everything that had been used during breakfast. Him saying 'let me' to Freed was the only words he'd spoken so far, but it was enough.Sometime during breakfast, Laxus had responded to his message, asking what was wrong. Freed had given him a dismissive answer, with an excuse that Laxus would probably see through but not question. As expected, Laxus told him to take all the time he needed and that he, Bickslow and Evergreen could handle the mission themselves. He thanked Laxus, then put his lacrima aside.A loud shatter cut through the silence."FUCK!"Jet's exclamation had Freed on his feet immediately, and he rushed into the kitchen. Both a mug and bowl were shattered on the hard floor, and Jet was seething with anger, looking down at the broken crockery with pure rage. His chest was heaving, and his face contorted into a snarl, and Freed hissed under his breath. It looked like Jet was almost transfixed by the debris on the floor, and his hands were clenched by his side. He just kept looking at the broken bowl, as if ready to snap."Fucks sake!" He snapped again, still just looking down at the floor.With a sudden movement, he slammed his foot down, cracking the largest romance of the bowl into shards. Freed's eyes snapped to Jet's feet, glad to see he was wearing shoes, as Jet was suddenly smashing the shards further and further, practically turning it to dust."Jet," Freed said, approaching Jet. Jet didn't seem to hear him. "Jet, look at me."Jet's eyes snapped to Freed's, holding the same hostility and anger, but it flashed away within a second. The anger was still there, of course. Freed could see it in the slight hump of his posture, the flexing of the man's arms, and the tint of manicness in his dilated pupils. Freed slowly took a step forward, over the ruined dishware, and placed his hands gently on Jet's shoulders. He pushed him out of the room, and Jet let him. Once the door to the kitchen was closed, Jet almost collapsed and rested his head in the crook of Freed's neck. Freed pulled him into a hug, slowly rubbing his hand up and down Jet's back.They stood like that for a little while, Jet's body unmoving as Freed held him in their hallway. He raised one hand up and stroked it through Jet's hair, in a way that he knew Jet found calming. Jet nuzzled a little closer into him, and Freed smiled sadly."I'm sorry," Jet's words were muffled by Freed's shoulder."Don't be," Freed soothed. "They're entirely replaceable.""But I-" Jet had a tremor in his voice, and Freed pulled him closer into the hug. A silent reassurance that it was okay. "I couldn't even-""It's crockery, Jet. They're practically made to break," Freed attempted the lightest of jokes, and Jet gave a weak and forced single laugh into Freed's shoulder. "Please don't put any more thought to it."Jet didn't respond for a moment, remaining still in Freed's arms, his face still entirely buried in Freed's shoulder. Freed kept his head up, but his eyes flicked down to the back of Jet's head as he stroked through his hair. The anger fuelled tenseness seemed to be slipping away, replaced with a looseness. Jet's hands raised from his sides, and he gently clasped Freed's shirt, grabbing onto it for purchase. Freed let him, smiling down and letting his boyfriend take in all the comfort he needed.He didn't know how long it took for Jet to slowly pull his head out of his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot and red, and Freed carefully raised a hand to stroke at Jet's cheek. Jet leant into it a little."I'm sorry," Jet whispered."Please don't be," Freed murmured back. "You really don't need to be.""I know. It's just…" Jet tensed up again. "I… erm… I-I…""Are you-"Before Freed could finish the question, a whoosh of magic filled the room, and Jet was gone. The door to the house and the front gate to the yard were swinging open, a trail of wind the only remnants as to where Jet had been. Freed sighed a little to himself, the sudden lack of heat from where Jet had been a hollow feeling. He lowered his arms, closed the front door to his house, and walked into the kitchen to clean the mess. Once he was done, he pulled out his lacrima again and sent a quick message to Jet.'I hope you're okay. I'll be waiting for you if you want to talk. Love you, Jet.'A moment later, the lacrima's screen lit up with a return message. Then another. Then another.'Sorry for running. Love you too.''Love you so much.''xx'When Jet came back, three hours later, he was drenched head to toe in sweat, and Freed could feel how much magic he'd expended by how weak his aura was. He was exhausted in a way that was rare for him - it seemed like his magic filled him with an abnormal amount of energy - and despite the state he was in, Freed pulled him into a hug. Jet let it happen without argument, again nuzzling his head into Freed's neck."Come on," Freed had whispered, pulling away and gently cupping Jet's cheeks. "These clothes are soaked, you can hardly be comfortable in them."Jet nodded and let Freed guide him upstairs. Freed had known that Jet would be like this when he came back - dull, regretful, silent and emotionless. The anger of the day had parted way to sadness, and often when that happened Jet would let his darkness take over. He had a propensity to beat himself up, over-analysing what he had done when his anger had been in full force. Freed would simply treat him with the same level of love and care that Jet always deserved, and quietly let him know that Freed didn't think any less of him. Quiet reassurance that Jet was worthy of love.He quietly helped Jet out of his clothes, towelled most of the sweat from his body - he could properly bathe later - and helped him into his nightwear as it was the most comfortable clothes they had to hand. Jet had looked vacant throughout.Once he was no longer dripping with sweat and his heartbeat was slowing down, Freed guided Jet back down the stairs and towards their reading nook. With a wave of his hand, the magical fireplace roared to life and Freed reached for a book that he knew was light and without complication. A collection of short stories, all about romances between men. They were trashy and uncomplicated, and Jet had laughed when he found out Freed owned such a commercial book. He had then done an incredibly dramatic reading in the guild, much to Freed's amused embarrassment.He'd also caught Jet reading it once, alone. He had the cutest little smile, and he was nursing hot chocolate. That was why Freed picked it up this time."Which one do you want," Freed asked, eyes flickering down the page of contents. There were ten stories all together, each of them as cheesy and cliche as the last. Jet glanced at the book, then spoke in a quiet voice."The third one. The scholar and the athlete one."Freed smiled; during Jet's dramatic reading in the guild, he had claimed the story was about him and Freed. That was mainly because the scholar was lovesick and desperate for the athlete, and Jet seemed to take enjoyment in comparing that to Freed. There was something sweet about him genuinely liking that story.They settled into their usual reading position, with Freed at one end of a plush sofa, and Jet lying across it with his head lying against Freed's thigh. He was looking straight into the fireplace, breathing softly and clearly relaxing from his earlier tenseness. Freed, as he always did when they read together, propped his book up with magic and absentmindedly scratched and played with Jet's hair. The man, even in his closed off and quiet state, silently mewled into the touch. Freed kept his smile each time.It was around two thirds into the story - the scholar had just stumbled across the athlete in the locker room showers, and his crush was exploding with passion - when Freed took a breath to sip his tea. It would have been an innocuous moment, if it weren't for what Jet said."It's today," Jet murmured, still looking at the fire.Freed looked down at him. Was Jet ready to tell him what was bothering him? "What's today?""The anniversary of when it happened," Jet answered, voice wavering slightly. Perhaps with nerves. "The, erm, the tree. The thing. The Gajeel thing."Ah, well, that was certainly an answer.Freed hadn't been around when it happened, but he had heard stories. All of team Shadow Gear had been strung up to a grand tree, unconscious, beaten and bloody. It had been an intentional public spectacle, meant to humiliate the three of them - and Fairy Tail as a whole - while also showing a display of strength. By all accounts, it had been a brutal and cruel attack, one that Jet had never spoken about it before. Freed had wondered, of course. Jet confessed to having some anxiety issues, and the mockery he and his team sometimes faced had slowly worn away at him. Logic dictated this attack was probably the biggest hit to his self esteem.And, the fact that Levy was now dating Gajeel probably made it worse.He still didn't speak, wanting to let Jet take this conversation however he wished. If this was all he wanted to say, then it was fine and Freed would let it happen, but if Jet wanted more then Freed would listen."I dream about it sometimes," Jet continued, voice almost hollow. "I woke up before they got us down, did anyone tell you that? I woke up bound to a tree, my body was aching, and everything hurt, and you wanna know what the first thing I saw was?" He scoffed, angry. "Some guy, some random guy who used to be in the guild, I don't even know his name. He was laughing. At us."That… was not what Freed had heard."I thought everyone was angry," Freed confessed. "That they were all united in revenge.""Not everyone," Jet grunted, glaring at the fire as his body tensed up. "You know how everyone used to be scared of you and your team? That was how people saw you. People saw us as idiots. The guys to be laughed at. And just because some of the guild got pissed off because of what happened, it doesn't mean everyone did. To a lot of 'em, this was just another fuck up by the three of us.""Jet…" Freed began, it was horrible seeing Jet like this. He couldn't get out any placating words before Jet was peaking again."And you know what still pisses me off," Jet lurched up, glaring as he looked at Freed. "I never got to be pissed off at him. Not really. Because by the time I was out of the infirmary and was feeling even a little okay, he was part of the guild! He was one of us! I never got to be angry at Gajeel, the enemy of Fairy Tail. I never got to join the fight, or punch him, or yell at him. By the time I woke up again, he was an ally. I was still pissed, and he was on our side."I did fight him, y'know. Me and Droy found him once we were recovered and had a fight with him. But it wasn't a fight, he let us win, and that pisses me the fuck off! Because he thought he could beat the two of us again and didn't want to. And he was probably right, that's what really fucking gets to me. He let us hurt him because he wanted us to hurt him. Would've preferred it if I ended up beaten up, so long as it was a fair fight, and I got a few good hits in on the bastard."Freed didn't know what to say, so he cupped Jet's cheek with one hand and pulled him close with another."And you know what really gets to me? The really shitty thing I never say?" Jet's voice was weak now, anger replaced by resentment. "He's a good guy. Sometimes I wish he wasn't. Most of the time, I'm fine, y'know. He's a different person, he's repented, and he's done a lot more good than bad. But sometimes, I wish it was all fake, and I got an excuse to beat on him for real. To feel the anger, I was cheated out of. To know what it's like to beat up Gajeel when he's, my enemy. That's a really shitty feeling to have about the love of your best friend's life."After a moment of quiet, Freed spoke softly. "I can't say I know how you feel, so I won't pretend to. But what you're feeling, don't police it. Don't contain this anger. If you feel anger, it's because you need to feel it, no matter who it's aimed at nor the nuances that might be attached. You're angry because you need to be, and that's okay."Jet averted his gaze, and his head fell, resting against Freed's chest."He was never punished," He whispered. "Not properly, not really. He got beat up, and that was pretty much it, right. It feels like he got off. Like everyone quietly agreed that it was okay. That what happened was… supplementary to the great redemption of Gajeel Redfox. And sometimes that just feels really crap.""I wouldn't say he wasn't punished entirely," Freed whispered. "As someone who once did something insurmountably cruel to a lot of people, being forced to stay is the worst punishment imaginable. Watching them be happy, watching them forgive you, watching them slowly turn from the victims of your attack to people in their own right. That hurts you more than any beating, torture or admonishment you could ever imagine.""Freed, shit, I didn't mean it like that," Jet jumped up, looking panicked. "I didn't- I wasn't trying to-""It's okay, Jet," Freed smiled at him, pulling him back down. "There are probably people who think of me in the same way you think of Gajeel; that is the repercussions of cruelty. That's fine.""I really didn't-" Jet began, and Freed pressed a finger to his lips."As I said, it's important you allow yourself to feel angry and upset about this. But if Gajeel is anything like me, and I think he might be, he'll never forget what he did. Every time he looks at you, he'll be reminded of it," Freed stroked Jet's cheek. "You say he's done more good than bad. His regret will be fuelling that need to be good. His anger at himself, and the knowledge of what he did, is what fuels him to be better. It shouldn't have taken your pain as a sacrifice to make him kind, but for men like me and him, we sometimes need that.""Freed…""He hasn't forgotten. And nobody thinks you should, either."With those simple words, Jet crumpled, buried his face in Freed's chest, and sobbed.Jet hummed in contentment, leaning against the back of the bathtub as Freed rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. Only Jet was in the water, with Freed sitting behind him on a stool. Jet had, more than once, suggested Freed strip off and join him, and Freed had simply laughed and said this was for his own relaxation and not for Freed's pleasure. Jet wanted to say Freed's pleasure directly contributed to Jet's relaxation, but the knowing look his boyfriend gave him made Jet halt.It had been hours since Jet had broken down in Freed's arms, and things were calming down now. They were in that weird state, where emotions were dispersing but it wasn't quite normal yet. But, Jet felt better.Nobody thinks he should forget what Gajeel did.That was something Jet had needed to hear, and the second Freed had said it overwhelming relief had filled him. The weird thing was, he had forgiven Gajeel years back, he really had. But he couldn't forget what happened, couldn't act like it hadn't happened, and couldn't stop the occasional bouts of anger and fear that struck him every time he thought about it. Everyone seemed to act like nothing ever happened, and like it was something to be forgotten, and Jet had always felt like he was insane for fixating on it. Getting validation from Freed was everything to him. He was allowed to be angry at what happened, and he didn't need to hide it.Weightlessness had filled him after that, and the crying had been more cathartic than any amount of beatdown he could give Gajeel would have been. He was lighter now - lacking burden - and the weight that had been lifted felt almost as good as Freed's hands in his hair."Do you remember about four years ago," Freed asked, and Jet's eyes opened at the sudden sound. "Well, for you it would be eleven years. But, do you remember there was a month where pranks started happening? Almost every day there was a new target."Jet frowned and thought back. The question was… random."I think so," Jet answered, then blinked forward a memory. "Oh yeah, they got me. Every time someone clapped near me for a day, I did twenty burpees. It was hell.""That was me," Freed hummed."What!" Jet exclaimed. Freed had been- what!"I was bored, and exploring a new form of rune magic; temporary control of others. I thought it was funny.""My arms were burning for years, asshole!" Jet yelled, but grinned and flicked some water straight into Freed's face. Freed laughed and didn't block it. "You're a nasty nasty man, Freed, and I'm gonna get back at ya for that.""You didn't even remember until I brought it up," Freed laughed. "And anyway, the products of those exercises are just…" He hummed, then ran a hand down Jet's arms. "Delightful.""Perv," Jet laughed, then settled back into the bath. "Why'd you bring that up?""Well, it's not the most mature response to a serious situation, but I still know those spells. If you'd like, I'm happy to get some petty revenge on Gajeel on your behalf."Jet barked out a laugh, eyes flickering shut, and he leant back into Freed's hands, which roamed over his torso in a stroking motion. He wasn't sure if Freed was actually being serious about the suggestion - he probably wasn't - but it was funny to think about. That was probably why Freed had said it, because the day had been tense enough already and the tension needed to be broken."What's the worst thing you can do to him?" Jet asked, grinning."Well, I can fully control his body, so quite a lot. I can make him sing, dance, put on a show. If you're feeling particularly nasty, I can control his bladder and really tank his tough guy reputation.""Remind me never to piss you off, baby," Jet laughed, before a retaliation hit him. He was laughing. He never laughed on days like this. He turned and looked over his shoulder in wonderment, whispering his next words. "You made me laugh.""It's the least I can do," Freed said it so simply, like it was fact.Something settled in Jet then, something bone deep and completely undeniable. An urge he had never felt before, a screaming from his mind that he needed to act now. That the time was right and that this was the moment he had been waiting for. He gaped at Freed as certainty filled him; this was right.He burst out of the bath and was in their bedroom half a second later.Thoughts barraged his mind, a hundred different priorities hitting him. He knew that Freed would think he was mad for suddenly leaving the bath, and that would give him about a minute to plan things out. This was important, and he needed to settle his mind. He needed to get this right.He couldn't be naked for this- wait? Why not? It wasn't traditional, but that didn't-Again, the solution came at random, but he was certain about it. He reached for the coat hangers on the back of the bedroom door and pulled his tall hat - the one Freed loved and insisted he wear often - and placed it on his head. Then, he flung open the wardrobe, opened the box tucked away at the back, and removed his collar. He slid it around his neck, buckled it tight, then looked at himself in the mirror. Naked, collared and in Freed's favourite hat. It was ridiculous and perfect.Those words were filling his head right as he looked at the outfit hanging up. It was the colourful, ostentatious, ridiculous ringmaster's outfit that Jet had forced Freed to wear on their first date. He knew that Freed needed to be wearing this. He just knew it.Jet in a collar, his hat, and nothing else. That was who he was in this relationship. Honest, open, sure in what he wanted and not scared of judgement.Freed in the ringmaster's suit. That was who he was in their relationship. Fun, without shyness, and just a touch ridiculous."Jet," Freed said, pushing open the door. Jet pushed back against the door before Freed could come in and see him. "Are you okay?""Yeah," Jet said, and even he could hear how happy he sounded. "But you can't come in. But, wait, put this on." He pulled the ringmaster's costume out from the wardrobe and pushed it out the door, making sure Freed couldn't see him. "Now.""Seriously?" Freed asked, amused."Just do it. Tell me when you're done."Freed chuckled, but did as he was told, shutting the door and changing in the hallway. Jet was given the chance to crouch down and pull a trunk from under the bed, where the last thing he needed was hidden away. He looked down at it with a smile, certain that he was doing the right thing. A ridiculous thing done in a ridiculous way, but it felt so right that Jet didn't question it.Soon, Freed called out that he was ready, and Jet took a breath before walking out of the bedroom and into their hallway. Freed was wearing the outfit, top hat included, and Jet grinned adoringly at him. Freed himself looked Jet up and down with amused conduction. Before he could say anything, Jet was moving.He lowered himself down on one knee, and pulled out the engagement ring, presenting it to Freed."Will you marry me?"He could have made a speech, but words would fail him. He needed this now, needed to be Freed's forever and always. He couldn't wait. Couldn't linger. Couldn't live a moment more without Freed being well and truly his. All his impatience was bubbling over, and he looked at Freed gleefully. Freed, like a sprinter at his prime, didn't hesitate in saying the best word known to man."Yes."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Freed Noticed Jet
Freed was walking back from the guild when he saw Jet. He and Jet weren't close by any means, but anyone who knew anything about Jet knew that he was always moving, even just a little bit. He fidgeted and tapped his foot, or was moving his hands with wild gesticulations when he was talking. So to see Jet, sitting on the bank of the canal, completely still, was unusual.He stood for a moment, just watching Jet to see if there was any change. A full minute passed before Freed's frown turned narrow, and he walked to the edge of the canal. His shadow was cast over Jet, and he had to notice, but Jet still didn't move."Jet?" He asked, and there was no response.A bubbling of worry began to grow for his guildmate, and Freed knew it was his responsibility to help him. He wordlessly sat beside Jet, the soles of his boots grazing against the surface of the cold water. He felt his thigh press lightly against Jet, and yet still Jet didn't move or show any sign of even knowing Freed was there. Freed leant forward a little, looking at Jet's face with flickering, assessing eyes. Jet was looking straight forward, unblinking. His body was as tense as it had ever been, and even his neck veins were bulging with the pressure of his clenched he was. Freed knew what this was, and deflated slightly."I'm not going to ask what you're thinking about, but I am going to break you out of this," Freed said, voice gentle. Jet didn't react. "I know you don't want to speak, but I need you to nod so I can continue."Jet nodded, but it was almost imperceptible. It was enough for Freed."I'm going to touch you," Freed said. "And I'm going to speak. If you want me to stop. Tell me."Getting caught up in your own mind was a somewhat regular problem for Freed. His magic, despite what he let in to others, was difficult to contain. Most people saw his need for rules as an obsessive quirk, but being a rune mage of his power meant sometimes stray thoughts and desires could slip out and be forced into reality. Whereas other mages allowed their emotions and their magic mingle, creating powerful combinations and spells, Freed had to keep them cordoned off from each other. This constant vigilance sometimes became too much, and he found himself closed off and locked away in his thoughts.He needed stimulus in those instances. He needed things to remind him that the world was outside of his mind, not inside of it. He needed to bring back the association between his body and his mind. That's what Freed was trying to give to Jet.Randomly picking a mission from his memories, he told a story. It was interesting enough, and had the added twist of Wendy accompanying him rather than any of his teammates, and had enough nonsensical happenings for Jet's mind to never settle. He embellished and lied just enough for the story to remain interesting, rather than falling into background noise.Touch wise, he applied pressure to Jet's leg with his own. Jet didn't push away, so Freed pushed their arms together. Then, with a quick movement, he reached back and gently scraped his nails down Jet's neck. Jet gasped in surprise, and that was at least something.He scratched away at Jet's neck for a while, and noticed how Jet leant into the touch. He roamed his hand up, burying it into Jet's hair and gently tugging at it. Jet let out a tiny mew of pleasure - a cute sound, and unhelpful voice told Freed - before shutting off entirely. His slightly relaxed body went back to being tense, and Freed wondered if it was due to embarrassment rather than whatever was actually troubling him."Why are you here?" Jet demanded, and the fact he was talking at all told Freed he had made a breakthrough. "We're not friends, I don't even like you."Freed could have laughed. He always went to insults when he was in that mood too. Laxus had taken to zapping him whenever it happened."I don't like you either," Freed shrugged. "That doesn't mean we can't remedy the situation. Now's as good a time as any.""Fuck off.""No."Freed watched as Jet tensed up, but it seemed more forced than necessary. Someone other than Freed might not have noticed, but Freed had done this too. Jet was spirally about something, and in a way he wouldn't be able to rationalise later, he felt more comfortable in his negative thoughts than outside of them. But the breakthrough had been made, and Freed knew that all Jet needed to get back to reality was one quick push. It would have to be pretty drastic, and Freed sighed as he realised a quick and surefire way of accomplishing it. He really hoped Jet was worth this.With a push, he shoved himself off the canal bank and submerged himself fully in the cold water. There was a splash, and he gasped out at the cold as he began treading water. He really hated getting wet in his outfit; in that aspect, his clothes were style over substance."The hell are you doing?""It's an investment," Freed panted, flicking his hair out of eyes. "I'm hoping this might make you less angry about what's going to happen.""What's going to happen?"Freed lurched up, grabbed Jet by his collar, and yanked him into the water beside him. Jet squeaked, splashed about and surfaced with a glare. He and Freed looked at each other, and then Freed burst into laughter."What the hell!" Jet exclaimed."You look like a wet dog!" Freed exclaimed back in delight. In a word, Jet looked scraggly. His slightly dark eyes were narrow with anger, his body trying to be tense but too cold and wet to achieve it, and his hair was plastered to his head in an altogether attractive way. Jet looked good when he was wet, and the absurdity of that made Freed laugh even louder. "The noise you made was spectacular! I didn't know your voice could get that high.""Stop laughing!" Jet demanded.Freed tried, he really did, but after a second of biting his lip he devolved into sniggering. Jet shunted forward through the water, grabbed Freed by the hair and forced him under the surface again. Freed tried to batter away Jet's hands, and laughed even under the water.When Jet let him go, he was laughing too, and Freed just smiled. The problem wasn't fixed, but Jet was laughing a raucous, raspy, slightly manic laugh. For now, that was enough.
When Jet Noticed Freed
Jet sometimes forgot about the guildhall's library. Whenever Shadow Gear needed anything research and library related, Levy was first to volunteer. But currently she was on another mission, Droy was out of action after they had a run in with a dark guild and he'd taken the brunt of their attack, so Jet had to take a solo mission to make rent. The only mission had required a lot of prep, so Jet found himself wandering the shelves, whistling mindlessly.A flash of colour caught his eye, and he frowned and turned to it. He walked towards the source of the colour, and halted when he saw what was happening.Runes were flashing, flickering in and out of reality. In the centre of the rune's parameter, Freed sat looking stone faced and frozen. With every flicker of the runes, the effect of the magic was different. One moment, there were fireworks exploding and fizzing around Freed. The next second, it seemed the gravity was affected. Then the colour was drained out. Then storm clouds burst. Then something else. Then something else.Jet acted on instinct, narrowing his eyes. The flicker between runes lasted less than a second. That was enough time for Jet to run through, but only just.With a burst of magic, he ran into the runes.The humidity was insane, but the runes flickered and then he was covered in a deep fog. He pushed forward, ignoring the shifting runes and how they changed everything happening around him. He managed to get to Freed, who looked at him by only moving his eyes. He seemed almost catatonic, and Jet sucked in a breath as he recognised what was happening. Freed was shutting down, and apparently his magic was going haywire because of it."Hey, Freed, hey look at me," Jet said, taking Freed by the shoulders and trying to put a comforting smile. "Can you hear me Freed? Give me a sign if you can."Freed looked at Jet's lips, then nodded. Jet grinned, because if Freed could hear him then Jet could break through all of this and hopefully save Freed before his runes did something bad. Jet took a step forward and cupped Freed's cheeks with both hands, forcing him to meet eye contact."Describe me," Jet demanded. Freed's eyes crumpled slightly. "You're smart. You read a lot. Put my face into prose."He didn't know if this was going to work; he barely knew Freed at all and hadn't cared about him until now. But Freed was always reading and Levy said he was one of the smarter people she knew, so getting his mind working would be a good start."You're… sharp," Freed said quietly. His eyes were flickering all over Jet's face. "Your bones are harsh and obvious, your skull is quite pronounced. Your eyes are a little dark around the edges, you should probably sleep more than you do. Your nose is a little crooked, which I like. And your teeth, they're uneven and poke out of your mouth a little. I never noticed that before. It's nice."Jet didn't focus on what Freed had said, nor did he focus on the fact he'd picked up on all of Jet's imperfections but said them as if they were positive traits. Jet waited, and Freed seemed done speaking."I'm more than my face. Tell me about my body, I've heard it's pretty rocking," Jet grinned."It is," Freed agreed, and Jet didn't have time to process this because suddenly he was describing Jet's body and being pretty damn flattering while doing it. It was almost distraction enough for Jet to miss how the runes were staring to calm down, if only a little bit.Once Jet's entire body had been described and complimented, Jet began spouting off names of their guild mates for Freed to describe. Part way through describing Reedus, the runes suddenly shattered around them, falling to the ground like glass before disappearing. The magical energy left the room, and Jet watched as Freed took a shuddering breath. His body untended as if released by his mind, and Jet didn't move his hands from Freed's cheeks.Before Jet could say anything, tears pricked at Freed's eyes. Jet knew Freed had pride, and didn't cry for no reason, and wouldn't want anyone to see it. Jet pulled Freed into a hug, burying Freed's face in his chest, and stood there letting the man cry until it was out of his system. Freed accepted it, sobbing quietly, clutching at Jet like no man ever had before.