He had a point. The world of coffee was a wide one from what Ari knew, and she was interested in seeing exactly what it had to offer. "So then what's your favorite drink? To drink and to make?" She was curious, and she nods.

"I gotta admit, I'm glad I'm standin' in front of ya too, Ari. I missed ya,"

He'd technically been a monster, for a little while at least. So those rumors were, at the most, partially true. Ari knew that already though he'd told her everything she needed to know while they were hooking up. To say he'd missed her was a bit of an understatement though as his positive thoughts and dreams were usually filled by thoughts and images of her. Even if they weren't ALL naughty.

He was a lot happier than he'd ever been in the past. Aside from the times where he spent longer than a single night with Ari. She knew he was capable of showing emotion it was just incredibly hard for him to do so was all. Especially while he was in Phantom Lord. Positive emotions being banned and all. He showed what he could with her but there weren't many instances of it that he could remember.

"When I was with ya I could relax and open up 'bout shit that I couldn't with anyone else. Ya were like my rock back then, Ari. Ya meant a hell of a lot more to me than just a hole for me to stick my dick in."

He'd essentially admitted that he'd been IN LOVE with her for all these years. Which would explain him having 'given up' on trying to "move on" as he'd mentioned about an hour prior. Before they got to her house where they now stood inside and all.

"Gihi, yeah ya have me for my ENTIRE vacation. Ain't sure how long it'll be but at least a month. I've got plenty of Jewel and we can even go to my place so ya can see my handiwork at some point if ya like."

It was a statement rather than a question because he knew she wanted to see his house. Especially since he'd mentioned having building it all himself. He'd done all the work alone and it'd taken him almost two full years to finish it. He did wonder what she'd think if he admitted that his good dreams weren't as common as they likely will be in her company though. He'd grin at her again.

"Eh, MOST of 'em were pretty dirty but some of 'em weren't. They were just nice. Especially when compared to what I tend to dream 'bout and all."

She'd likely be able to tell that the nightmares he'd told her about resumed after they lost touch and likely got WORSE as a result. He'd been so convinced that she'd forgotten all about him which was one of the main reasons he'd never tried to seek her out before. He felt kind of stupid about that now. It just meant they had a few years of time to make up for now.

"Oh, ya had dirty dreams 'bout us huh? Hopefully I live up to those dreams, Ari."

He'd all but purr her name out, purring was something he'd mentioned knowing he COULD do but he'd never done it in the past because it was linked to happiness. Something he'd been banned from feeling. Now though? He had a feeling she was going to make him purr A LOT. His hands would already be working on his coat, to get it off. He'd hang it up if she had a coat holder, and if not he'd drape it over a chair or her couch.

The removal of the coat would reveal that he was much more TONED since the shirt he wore beneath it was skin tight. If she wanted to she could literally trace his muscles including his Adonis lines with her fingertips and he expected her to want to do so at some point. As they parted from their last kiss, he'd smile at her. A TRUE smile.

"Alright then, though I wanna see yer beautiful face, see yer expressions, and hear yer noises with our first time together after so long. Hope ya don't mind that."

Gajeel, though? Gajeel was different. Never once did he promise her something he wasn't willing to follow up on. It was why their relationship had worked. He had been honest with her, and now he was being honest with her again.

His honesty was something she LOVED about him.

A smile can't help but to find its way to her face, and she nods, "I missed you too, Gaj. So damn much."

Now that she was with him again, she wasn't letting him go. That is, unless he WANTED to go, but she was certain that wasn't the case with how he was saying that he missed her.

She knew that now that he was here, her own dreams could settle down. They did say that whatever you dreamed about is what you needed most, or something like that she was fairly certain. Even if that wasn't the case for everyone, it was certainly the case for her. How often had she lay awake wondering if she'd ever see him again? How many nights did she cry wondering if she had done something wrong to make him leave?

Now, though? She saw that wasn't the case and she wondered how she could ever be so SILLY to think that he was upset with her and had left without a word? He was honest to the highest degree, and she knew that if she had truly done something to upset him, he would have told her.

At his confession, her heart does butterflies, thinking that she was the person he opened up to, that she was the person he wanted to talk to at the end of the day.

"Oh I'd LOVE to see your house!" THAT was something that brought a sense of EXCITEMENT to her, seeing as she had never been to his house before. She just KNEW that it would SCREAM Gajeel, because she couldn't see him living in a house that didn't reflect who he was as a person. Maybe she should invest in some more decorum that reflected who she was rather than just picking little knick knacks here and there that she liked. Or maybe that WAS who she was as a person.

An unorganized person that truly didn't have much order to herself.

"Well then, since I have you for the whole thing, let's make the most of it!" She had so many ideas floating around in her head that she wanted to execute with him, from showing him around the city that she had come to love to making love with him, it all excited her.

And speaking of that last thing, his comment makes her blush. "I have no doubt that you will."

A shiver runs down her spine at the purring of her name, and she watches as he takes off his coat and drapes it over her couch. The kiss lingers on her lips, and she can't hide the fact that she's eyeing him up and down, not that she wanted to hide it anyway.

"You'll get all that and more-- I just know you're gonna hear those noises A LOT."

“You’re certainly an interesting one, aren’t you?” Her tone is teasing, and she lets out a chuckle, “What’s your name?”

He'd never toyed around with a thought of what it would be like to hang out with Minerva outside of her quarters, or a hotel, or inn. Mostly because most of their trysts happened in the confines of her personal room at her guildhall. Everyone in her guild already knew what her and the Dragon got up to and nobody said anything about it to her or while anyone who could HEAR them were around.

"I'd say it's fuckin' temptin' but then people MIGHT get the wrong idea 'bout what we do in here,"

He had no intention of leaving. He also didn't think he was relationship material, after all, who would want a man who was more Dragon than he was human? His agreement with Minerva helped BOTH of them and he'd be an idiot if he put a stop to it for any reason. She felt GOOD and he told her that on more than one occasion. He'd never shied away from her when the demon came out and he had no intention of doing so. Just like SHE never shied away when more of his Dragon came to the surface during their sessions.

"Ya still feel so damn good 'round my cock, Minerva."

They'd begun using one another's actual names some time ago and just didn't seem to stop, it was fine. They were, after all, fucking and it's be weird if they didn't, right? After a few more HARD thrusts, he'd line his cock with the rivets to give her more friction, and he'd even drive himself deeper into her after shifting JUST slightly.

All of their time was spent in Minervas room. Never at his place, certainly never where anyone would be able to see them going into or leaving. Besides, the hotels around the towns surrounding Sabertooth weren't exactly the most savory places, and Minerva would be DAMNED if she were to be seen going into one of them.

She can't help the pang of disappointment at the idea that he wouldn't leave marks where they could be seen. Wait.. what? That didn't sit right with Minerva at all, but for now she'd brush off the feeling and focus on the pleasure at hand.

She knew their relationship worked for one reason and one reason only: there were no strings attached. Neither of them garnered feelings for the other, and both of them got off. It was the perfect arrangement, and Minerva had no plans to stop it anytime soon.

Her mouth continues to hang open as he thrusts, and moans spill out in the form of sounds and of his name. If you had asked Minerva months ago if she ever expected to moan SOMEONES name out during the act of sex, she'd have laughed at you, but now? His name felt GOOD slipping past her lips in the most carnal way.

Moans turn into screams as she feels the rivets against her most sensitive areas, against her walls, and combined with the feel of his lips and fangs on her nipples, the feel of cold metal against them, she can't help the words that come out next.

He could tell Ari was caught off-guard initially. He'd expected that though, since it had been a while since his initial invitation to her. He wanted to show her his house and his land, show her what he did over the those years whilst recovering from various battles, AND wounds. His lips would curl upward, fangs glinting as he chuckled softly.

"Course I'm fuckin' serious, Ari. I told ya before I wanna show ya my house. I think yer gonna be surprised with it, honestly,"

Considering his house was a massive two-story that he'd built from the ground up, most people who knew about that were shocked. He'd also planted every flower, rose bush, fruit, nut, cacao, herb, and vegetable in his various gardens. The Dragon had put a LOT of work into his place and it honestly showed. Plus, he'd also hand stained the floor, the various wood adorning various parts of the house, did all the plumbing, and electrical work himself too. He'd been incredibly thorough.

"We can go whenever ya want. This afternoon, evenin', tomorrow mornin', any time works for me. As long as ya have the free time."

"Wow-- I had a feeling you were but I still just.. wanted to make sure you know? But of course I wanna go!"

She wondered, what did his house look like? She was sure that no matter what she envisioned in her head, nothing would live up to whatever image she could possibly conjure in her mind.

"I'll ALWAYS make free time for you, Gajeel--" It was true. No matter what she was doing, she always wanted to make sure she had enough time for him. Whether it was after she was done doing what she was doing, or whether it was before she started her tasks, he ALWAYS took priority to her.

The Dragon would grin wider, his fangs would be rather obvious but since she KNEW his name, she likely knew what he was as well. She seemed well informed. He couldn't help but be slightly curious.

He wouldn't know that she was as hurt as he'd been the night she asked him to leave all those weeks ago.

He wasn't sure who in their right mind would want a man like him to be with them. To DATE him? He didn't know anyone that DESPERATE. Was it desperation? He FELT it was but that was not likely the case, not the true one, anyway. Why would anyone want someone like HIM?

"Ya think I give a fuck that ya 'only hurt people', Minerva? I knew what I was gettin' into fuckin' ya and I happened to LIKE yer claws makin' me bleed,"

They were in the same boat there, truthfully, perhaps that was one of the main reasons they OUGHT to try dating one another? He wasn't sure she really WANTED to date him though. Why would she when he's nothing more than a violent brute of a Dragon? He was awful at that kind of thing, right? He WAS good at fucking though.

"The FUCK is that supposed to mean? Yer not GOOD enough for ME? Ya sure it ain't me who ain't good enough for YA?"

He knew she was able to be herself around him. She could let her demon out and all it did was MAKE him fuck her harder. They'd broken her bed, shredded her sheets, and he'd ruined her MULTIPLE times. He'd gotten her to cry his name out so much while plowing into her like the fucking Dragon he was. He even got to let more of his Dragon out while with her.

"Ya don't have to live up to any fuckin' expectations with me, Minerva. Ya can let yer fuckin' demon out, and I can let my fuckin Dragon out. We can be ourselves with one another."

Perhaps that would be something that led her to realize that MAYBE the two of them COULD work out somehow. He didn't think much would change between them. Even if they 'dated' he had a feeling most of their time together would be in the bedroom. Which he didn't mind, truthfully.

He didn't know Sting and Ryos had tried to help her see that she didn't NEED to be the machine her father had tried to create. That Tartarus had turned into a demon. She didn't NEED to be emotionless and alone. She could BE with someone. Be HERSELF and be FREE to enjoy her life. Of course, the shit she'd been 'programmed' to do would probably be a hard thing for her to get over too quickly. However, the dragon was WILLING to help her if she'd let him.

"No, ya don't but I'm willin' to fuckin' help ya LEARN, Minerva. If yer willin' to fuckin' let me, I mean."

He'd tighten his hold on her briefly before loosening it. If she left now, it would hurt both of them, but he KNEW it would hurt her more than him. Especially since she'd told him HOW she felt. He wasn't sure what all she really wanted with him but he wasn't going to just let her close herself off again. Not now that he knew she CARED for him.

"I know it is, I get that. Trust me, I do, but I mean it too. If yer willin' to fuckin' try DATIN' then we can try."

As she answered in the affirmative, in her own way, he'd nod. He'd grin slightly, and look down at her face.

She can't fathom why ANYONE would want a relationship with her, why they'd not just push her away once they find out about the MONSTER that she truly is. That's all she was and ever will be: A MONSTER. A tool for crushing your enemies. What even did she DO in a relationship?

She wasn't desperate. Far from it. She had gone this long without a relationship, she could keep going just fine without one. Oh, but she couldn't BEAR the thought of going on without HIM. Without Gajeel. If he had rejected her, she would have turned around and ran, hiding herself away and never bothering to show her face around the same place that Fairy Tail existed. Maybe she WAS a coward like so many people had called her before.

"And what if I hurt you? What if I get so scared and just run off just like before?" A genuine fear. She didn't WANT to hurt him, but what was she supposed to do? How exactly did relationships work? It was all so new to Minerva, what if the first time they fight she tells him to go away and he doesn't come back?

THAT was something Minerva didn't think she could handle.

"No--!" She snaps at him, "You're more than good enough for me. I can't... I can't STAND the thought of you not thinking so."

If anything she wasn't good enough for him. She didn't know how NOT to hurt people. Didn't know how to be kind, didn't know how not to be this THING that her father had turned her into.

Another tear slips past her duct and down her cheek. He had said exactly what she needed to hear, and she buries her face deeper into him. "Everyone gets tired eventually, what if.... what if you get tired of me? What if I can't CHANGE who I am and you realize you don't want someone as jaded and broken as I am?"

She knew that in relationships people went on dates, and she wanted that more than anything. To be able to go on a date with him without being seen as weak for it, to sleep with him after their trysts, she wanted all of that.

"It's not exactly easy to just change everything you've ever been taught but.." She hesitates, would this make her weak? "I want to. I don't-- I don't want to just be seen for the power that I can dish out, maybe I just want to be NORMAL for once."

THIS   WORK   WAS   TOUGH.   and not for the faint of heart.   wendy,   a healer,   get's all sorts of quests involving her magic.   so she wasn't surprised with lottie asked her to join.   but did wendy think she would be on a small boat like this,   rowing away to an unknown island that she has never seen before.   nope.   and oh mavis she was tired of rowing.   but she was glad she didn't have motion sickness because if she did,   this trip would've been so much worst.

She didn't feel the best about the entire situation. Something was wrong, and she wasn't in the vicinity close enough to help this person. Tack that onto the fact that Wendy had already been working SO HARD, she wanted to let the girl sleep, but they were so close, they couldn't give up now. Not when a life was on the line. She couldn't deal with ANOTHER loss.

He wasn't good at EMOTIONS either. That was something they had in common. Well, hers were more repressed and his were more buried, but that wasn't too shocking given how they grew up. The way they grew up COULD also be something that led to the eventual development of FEELINGS but neither of them were likely to speak up about that.

He KNEW he was the first man to ever SHOW her what it was like for her to be SUBMISSIVE. He was likely the first MAN who genuinely got her off in more than ONE way too. He couldn't know if that was true or not since they tended to fuck and then he'd leave before she woke up. There was NO aftercare nothing that a REAL couple did. They'd showered together ONCE and he'd fucked her against the wall.

He really didn't WANT her to leave. He wanted her to STAY. Something that surprised even HIM though not likely as much as it surprised HER. They weren't a COUPLE. They weren't DATING, there was NO emotions involved in their agreement. Just raw, primal FUCKING. The thing about the Dragon was that he'd NEVER once looked at Minerva like she was a monster. Even when her DEMON came to the surface. She never seemed to get turned off by his DRAGON coming to the surface when they were together.

Romantic shit was stupid. Right?

Ruby eyes would focus on her as she GROANED. He'd heard it, of course he had, but that didn't really MATTER did it? Did it matter? He could tell that something DEEP was bothering her, was it linked to the emotions that she'd been feeling? He wasn't SURE and wouldn't be until she SAID something about them.

"Tch, if ya were fuckin' SCARED, Minerva, ya wouldn't be here outside my fuckin' house talkin' to me 'bout whatever the fuck is goin' on with ya,"

The idea she could get SCARED was odd to him. She didn't seem the sort to FEAR anything but then again, feelings were SCARY, right? There was that. He knew that all too well even if he never felt ANYTHING for anyone. At her admission that her NOT being good at whatever the hell 'this' was he wasn't surprised. Not at all. He didn't think he was GOOD at emotions either.

"Ya think I fuckin' know what this is? I don't I'm 'bout as clueless as ya are when it comes to this kinda shit, Minerva."

He knew she had Sting in her life now, someone who was essentially a beacon of positive energy. Someone he KNEW she could learn from if she spent enough time around him. He'd seen how she'd changed a bit since the games. Sure, he hated her for what she'd done back then, but he couldn't deny the fact that he'd wanted to FUCK her for a while.

Now though? Since being apart from her he'd realized that perhaps the kiss, had been his instincts had decided that he needed to REALIZE he cared for Minerva. CARED for her in a way that the Dragon hadn't realized was possible. He wasn't in tune with his emotions at all prior to the kiss CASCADING them down over him. Her asking him to leave that night and him doing so had been HARD for him. He'd LEFT because he told her that if she ever told him to go he'd DO so without question.

"Minerva it AIN'T fuckin' weakness to want somethin' to want... whatever the fuck is goin' on between us. Whoever told ya carin' for someone was weakness was WRONG."

He knew it took strength to LOVE someone but he couldn't say that it WAS what they felt or she felt, rather, but still. If she were WILLING he was too. He wasn't SURE how it'd WORK given they were from different guilds, but... their guilds were close enough they COULD be together as often as possible.

"Fuck vulnerability, Minerva. I want ya to be fuckin' honest and ya ARE bein' fuckin' honest."

He'd take a few steps closer to her. A hand would move to rest on her shoulder for a moment before he'd wrap his arms around her, tucking her head against his chest. He'd let out a soft sigh himself before sort of loosely holding her against himself.

She had broken her own heart when she told him to leave.

And who even wanted something romantic with her? She had a demon inside of her, and as much as Sting and Rogue had helped her to look HUMAN, there was no denying that the demon side was still there. She appreciated everything they had done for her, but at the same time there was no amount of magic in the world that could undo what Tartarus had done to her.

He was as clueless as her. In a way she had expected that. Had a hunch. Still, she expected that he was better at things like relationships than she was. She balls her fists, "You could have someone better-- better than someone who's only good at hurting others." Her true feelings about herself coming out.

"I'm not.. I'm not good enough for ANYONE. ESPECIALLY not you."

And what would make her believe otherwise? He had treated her well, even if it was in their tussles in the sheets. "It's EASIER being alone. You don't have to live up to expectations." What was she on about this time? He hadn't put any expectations on her. She could BE herself around him. Not some silhouette of the person that her FATHER wanted her to be, not who her guildmates wanted her to be, she could be HERSELF.

Or at least, she could be who she wanted to be. She avoided her guildmates like the plague between them not wanting her back and her not wanting to show any kind of WEAKNESS around them, and in her mind? Showing emotions WAS weakness.

And then he said it. That her father was wrong. That it wasn't wrong to want something. Her lip bites back, almost in a snarl. But it wasn't an expression that held any anger in it, no there was something else within her expression this time, and she fights back those tears again.

Sure, she had heard that her father was wrong from Sting and even Rogue, but this was DIFFERENT. This was someone she cared for DEEPLY telling her that she didn't have to be the machine that her father had built. That she didn't need to focus on winning, that it wasn't WEAK to want something like this.

"You don't just UNLEARN that in a day, Gajeel--" Her voice wavers, and she stiffens when he places his hands upon her shoulders.

She practically recoils when he pulls her closer, but resists the urge. Everything in her at that moment is SCREAMING at her to run the other way and to tell him that she doesn't care about him. To LIE and hurt him more, though? She couldn't do that. It would hurt her more than it would hurt him, and she's already told him how she feels. What would be the purpose in backtracking now?

Her heartbeats faster and she doesn't know if it's because of her anxiety or if it's because of how she's feeling towards him.

Her breathing quickens, and she fights back all the anxieties that are rearing their UGLY heads. She places her hands on his chest as she tries to steady her breathing. This is unfamiliar, and those thoughts of just turning tail and running away are back.

"It's vulnerability to be honest with you. I--" She pauses, and listens as he speaks and hesitates before wrapping her arms around him.

He knew he'd HURT her in some way, which... was something. He'd never wanted to hurt her in ANY way but he'd still done so with his actions. Sure, it'd been a kiss but the thing that likely hurt her was him NOT fighting to STAY that night. He'd wanted to stay but he'd promised her, if she EVER asked him to leave, he'd simply do so.

He'd never judged her, nor had she judged him for their 'other sides' he'd seen her demon form, and he'd FUCKED her with it out with more of his Dragon out than he'd EVER let out with someone before. When be wasn't in combat. Of course. Perhaps their non-judging of one another had been what caused the FEELINGS to bloom. Not that he was really AWARE if he had any genuine feelings for her yet.

"Minerva, I ain't really SURE what's goin' on, but I don't want ya to LEAVE, not without us figurin' out what the fuck's goin' on,"

She'd come to HIM for a reason, after all. Hearing her words though, confused the Dragon quite a bit. What did it mean? What did ANY of it mean anymore? Was there genuine AFFECTION for the Dragon inside Minerva? He wanted to know but at the same time what would it mean for their ARRANGEMENT?

"I ain't, REJECTIN' ya. So don't go fuckin' thinkin' that. What do ya WANT this to mean?"

As she continued he'd step closer to her, he could smell her tear, of course, but he wasn't going to point that out. There was a bit of respect between them, after all, and he INTENDED on allowing her to process whatever was going on with her, at her OWN pace.

The Dragon wanted to help her, but he wasn't SURE how to help it was mostly because he had NO idea what was going on with her. At least, not to the fullest extent yet. As she spun to face him, he was closer, but not too close. If she stepped toward him they'd be within arms length of one another.

"I've been thinkin' 'bout ya a lot too. Kept readin' our fuckin' texts... I didn't understand what was goin' on, or WHY I fuckin' cared so much. Since it was just supposed to be fuckin'."

As she asked him what exactly he meant by his words, he'd sigh and shake his head. He had to answer her and since he wasn't a liar he'd tell her the truth, obviously.

"It means exactly what it sounds like, Minerva. As much as I wanna kiss ya over and over, and probably spend a ton of fuckin' time with ya... more than just INSIDE ya, but... ya already said ya don't do that kinda shit."

He'd sigh again, turning his head to the side, basically he was looking at a tree or the ground in the woods. They were near his house when she'd stumbled across him. The issue was, maybe he DID want to try dating her, but he knew that COULDN'T happen.

After all, she said she didn't date. She fucked and that was it. She didn't want to date it didn't interest her, right?

"I'm gonna ask ya 'gain, Minerva, what do ya WANT to happen between us now? Is this yer way of sayin' ya wanna... DATE me?"

FEELINGS? What were those? Minerva Orland only knew the feelings that her father had instilled in her: the need for power and control, pride bordering on arrogance, and dismay at the thought of losing.

Anything else was USELESS. Anything else was a hinderance to progress and a hinderance to the power and control that she CRAVED. She HAD to be in control, in everything down to in bed, but that had all gone out the window when it came to Gajeel. EVERYTHING she ever knew was out the window when it came to him.

He didn't want her to leave, but everything in her was telling her to retreat, to run with her tail between her legs, to hide away from whatever it was that she was feeling until they were SNUFFED OUT; and with enough time, wouldn't that eventually be what happened? She'd get over him, get over these feelings that he was making her feel, and she'd go on with her life, still feeling like the MONSTER her father had turned her into.

Romantic feelings be damned.

She lets out a frustrated groan, albeit one that only he could hear. Putting how she felt into words when it came to THESE feelings was definitely NOT something that Minerva was used to. Every single word or phrase she used was calculated, and she couldn't get her thoughts to stop being so jumbled enough to speak in such a formal manner.

He didn't WANT her to leave. Well, they had that in common, then. Even if she swore to herself that leaving was what would be best for both of them, she didn't WANT to leave. Didn't want to stay away from him.

What DID she want this to mean? She was still having trouble expressing it in words, having trouble saying what it was that she wanted because for so long it didn't MATTER what she wanted, it only mattered that she was the perfect fighting machine. THAT was what she was good for. From how her father had raised her, to joining Sabertooth, even when Tartarus had turned her physical appearance to reflect the monster that was inside of her, she was only good for fighting and winning.

A bitter laugh escapes her, "What does it matter what I want anyway? What if I just push you away because I have no fucking clue what I'm doing and I get SCARED?" Minerva Orland? SCARED? Impossible. Or was it? Right now she was fucking terrified.

"Gajeel -- I've only ever been good for one thing, I'm not good at this. I'm not good at... whatever the hell this is." Her father never reinforced positive emotions, and without a mother in her life, only ever hearing how her mother was so weak that she'd died in childbirth, it never came up to Minerva to actually have a positive role model in her life. Hell, the closest thing she had was Sting Eucliffe, and she was still trying to unlearn everything her father had taught her.

"I CAN'T want what I want. What I want only shows the WEAKNESS in me." But she DID want that -- DID want those feelings to come to the surface rather than pushing them down. Feelings of... love? No, that was impossible. Minerva Orland had never loved before and she damn sure wasn't about to start. Perhaps denial would be better, it didn't leave her hurt.

"I CAN'T be that vulnerable -- I WANT to date you.. I WANT to spend time with you outside of the bedroom and-- just BE with you." Talk to him, tell him her problems, but all of those desires? It only showed how WEAK she really was.

He'd not done it out of maliciousness, she'd be right about that. He had no reason to WANT to hurt or confuse her, and yet he'd seemingly done both. The Dragon was at a loss there as well, honestly.

They'd had a good thing going. They both got off, and the sex was rough, primal, and messy. Just the way the two of them seemed to like it. He'd taken her in nearly every possible position imaginable and none of their sexual encounters were gentle by ANY stretch of the imagination. They always let the demon and dragon come to the surface as they fucked. Skin bled, there were bruises and bitemarks that lingered for WEEKS after each tryst.

He'd worry his bottom lip with his fangs for a moment as she started to speak. He didn't WANT their agreement to end. It was GOOD for both of them, that much had been obvious already. Even Sting and Rogue had stopped trying to keep the older Dragon away from Minerva.

"Ya, can't stop thinkin' 'bout me?"

Now he just looked CONFUSED, head tilted to the side and everything. He understood more than she might realize though, but he had a feeling her thoughts were only due to the kiss and not any genuine FEELINGS. After all, she'd said she didn't DO feelings, or relationships. Their agreement was, just sex, after all.

"Feel the same? Minerva, do ya even realize what yer sayin'? Yer soundin' like, for some reason, ya LIKE my ass. As in more than just for the sex. I-"

He'd frown, what could he say to EASE her concern? The main reason he'd stayed away was because he THOUGHT she wanted him to. He didn't want to make things weirder than he had when he kissed her. He did find himself going back to that, and he wanted to kiss her again, and again. Had he genuinely caught feelings for her, too? It seemed plausible.

"Minerva, I ain't sure what ya want me to say. We agreed that our agreement was just fuckin' just 'bout gettin' off and doin' it as many times as we wanted cause it felt fuckin' good."

He'd purse his lips before looking at her face once more. If she was admitting to feeling SOMETHING for him what did that MEAN now?

But the damage had already been done. He had HURT her, however unintentional, and all she wanted to do was to run and hide, hide away from HIM, and hide away from her FEELINGS. No, he hadn't hurt her intentionally, he wouldn't do that. It also wasn't his fault that her emotions were such a jumbled mess that she couldn't make hide nor hair of them.

He was the only person that got to see THAT side of her in a way that wasn't a fight. And he didn't judge her for it. Perhaps THAT was what had caused her feelings to blossom and bloom, that and the fact that he didn't seem to view her as some kind of person that was only good for fighting. She could just BE.

It had been a long time since Sting or Rogue had tried to keep them away from each other, and she knew that it was because she had basically told them that they could try as hard as they wanted to but that she was going to get what she wanted regardless of if they interfered or not. And they KNEW that the Lady of Sabertooth always made good on her word.

Minerva nods at his question. "Mhmm--"

There had only been a few times that Minerva Orland was genuinely terrified. Once was during her childhood anytime her father made good at his attempts to mold her into who he wanted her to be. Twice was when she had lost her fight to Erza Scarlet. Thrice was when she first encountered Kyouka. And fourth was now, when she was finally FORCED to confront her own feelings and get them off her chest, lest they drive her more crazy than they already had been.

She turns away from him, her arms wrapping around themselves as she can't face him for what she's about to say, for what HE had said.

REJECTION. It was the only thing Minerva was hearing. "And maybe I DO. Maybe I DO like you. More than just for sex -- more than--" Her voice wavers, "If that's not what you want to hear then I'm sorry--" A set of words Minerva NEVER ushered. Apologies were a sign of weakness. It was why Fairy Tail still HATED her. "But I can't keep going on like nothing happened, like there's nothing there when there clearly is."

He wouldn't see the single tear that rolled down her cheek, he wouldn't see her be vulnerable. Nobody EVER got to see Minerva Orland be vulnerable.

"And maybe somewhere in that agreement it got lost on me, because I wasn't supposed to feel this way. I wasn't supposed to feel like I wanted more." To go on ACTUAL dates, to kiss him again and again, for her to cook for him, for her to just do things that regular couples do, because Minerva was NOT a regular woman. She was a monster, and in her mind, she'd do good to remember that.

Not even a modicum of regret lay within his body for that action.

It was entirely possible he'd developed SOMETHING for her, the issue was, their agreement. He wasn't going o break one of their rules. They'd laid them out in the beginning. It was JUST sex. Primal fucking and nothing more. Right? Of course... the kiss had awoken something that he was doing his best to keep at bay, which was hard given that she was standing in front of him now.

"Ya... came to find ME? Why?"

He'd frown before drawing his own conclusion. She likely came to formally end their agreement so they could move on to others should they so prefer, right? That HAD to be it. Why else would she come to find him if not to do that?

"Well, ya found me. I ain't sure why ya would be lookin' for me of all people given what I did. Unless yer here to end our agreement formally."

No, she knew he wasn't like that. He wouldn't do something to her maliciously, she should know better than to even ENTERTAIN that thought.

Still, why did she have to go and catch feelings for him? Their agreement was nearly PERFECT, he got off, she got off, he gave her exactly what she wanted: rough sex, primal, raw, fucking. SHE was the one that had ultimately broken their agreement, not him.

She knew that he could likely hear her heart beating faster than before, and that made her more nervous. What was he thinking in that moment?

"I.." Another pause as he spoke, and she felt anger rising up in her. He thought she was there to end their agreement when that wasn't the case at all. If she wanted to formally end their agreement, he should know that she wouldn't be acting how she is right now.

"No-- it's not that at all." She swallows back her nerves, and she tries to think of what to say, but her brain is all jumbled up. "I came here because.." Should she just say her thoughts as they come to her?

She takes a deep breath, and she feels her eyes water before she'd blink them away. What if he told her he hadn't thought of her the same way? "I can't.. I can't stop. Thinking about you. And I don't care if you don't feel the same, I need to get this off my chest."

Perhaps he'd grown FOND of her over their months long agreement and that was why he'd wound up kissing her. They'd agreed to no string and no emotional attachments. It was ONLY sex that was all it was ALLOWED to me. After all, they were both monsters. She, a demon, and him? He was a fucking Dragon.

Like her, he was good at keeping people away. He kept his heart guarded, covered in thick layers of iron so he couldn't have it broken again as it had been in the past. Something he refused to even acknowledge had happened. Mostly because he'd lost himself at that point and turned into a full Dragon. He'd been stuck in that form for almost a month. He couldn't understand why she was HERE. Why now? What had led her to where he WAS?

"If they didn't send ya then why're ya here?"

Given that he had no less than sixty missed calls or unread messages from the two he'd not bothered to look at, he thought they were why she was there. When she admitted to being on her way to Fairy Tail, his ruby eyes would widen. Why, why was she headed THERE?

"Why would ya head there? What's goin' on?"

She wanted to ask him why he had kissed her, but at the same time what would it accomplish, really? It would only stand to make things more awkward, but then again it was something that NEEDED to be addressed.

Had he developed the same feelings that she had? Or would he be prepared to reject her and she'd go crawling back to Sabertooth with her pride a little more hurt? Either way, both outcomes SCARED her. It SCARED her to think that someone could care for her, SCARED her to think that someone might have feelings for her, and her first instinct is to push them away, just like she had done with Gajeel when he kissed her.

"I--" She couldn't finish that sentence. Why WAS she there? She wasn't the type to outright say her feelings, did she even know how?

Her heart beats faster, and she knows why. Her anxiety hadn't been this high since her defeat at the hands of Scarlet.