TRIGGER WARNING: SENSITIVE TOPICS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH! A CLEAN SUMMARY IS AT THE END OF THIS PAGE!
April 26th, X820, Fairy Tail ~1am
Sssssshhhhh—eek!
A shower curtain parted to a small, steamy room. A young woman stepped out and approached the mirror. Through the fog she admired her curvaceous body, and large bust size. She ran a hand through her flattened, wet hair. Her delicate fingers separated the blond strands down to where they ended at her hips.
"Too bad this b*tch will be spiky by tomorrow morning," she grumbled.
She wrapped a towel around herself and grabbed her shower caddy.
Almost as soon as she opened the door she saw Metallico standing there in nothing but underwear and his chain necklace!
"M-Metallico!" she cried, tightening her grip and blushing. "What are you doing up?! You're not usually a night owl like Addy and I!"
He half blinked and scratched his bare yet well built chest. His face was flushed.
"Wha? Sorry, Lex. Needa take a piss," he mumbled.
The duo awkwardly exchanged places.
Lexi rushed directly across the hall, shut the door, and leaned back against it.
"Phew. That was close."
She tucked a few wet locks behind her ear.
"He must have been drinking again. Although, his abs...did look rather nice."
Lexi sighed to herself.
She dropped the towel and threw on fresh night clothes. The towel was hung up and the covers were pulled back. Lexi put one knee on the bed.
Knock knock knock
She rolled her eyes and sauntered over.
"Oh for Mavis' sake, Addy it was–" Lexi cracked open the door and saw Metallico! "–nothing," she muttered.
The darkened hallway and small light in Lexi's room highlighted his eye shadows.
His mouth half-hung open.
His eyes were half-closed.
The redness in his face seemed to increase by the second.
"Wha?" he droned.
"Nothing."
"You were saying some'in as ya came t'the door," he drawled.
Lexi rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry about it. Do you need something?"
"Can we talk?" he slurred.
Lexi blinked.
"This is new. You want to talk?"
"...Yea."
"Uhh...why?"
"Som'in's been on my minda lot," he mumbled, rubbing his face.
Lexi bit her lip and tapped her foot. She stepped into the hallway and pushed Metallico back a few paces.
She looked to the right, where the hall ended with a door on each wall. The room directly to the right of the bathroom was shut with the light on. The other two were closed and dark.
She looked to the left where the hall continued into the unlit living space.
"Is Raiden here tonight?" she wondered.
"Why wouldn' h'be?"
"Sometimes he sleeps over at Jace's house."
"Huh?"
Lexi shrugged.
"I don't know. I don't ask."
"Oh."
The young woman sighed and tapped her foot.
A wave of silence washed over between them.
"Very well. Come in," she invited.
Metallico staggered in and sat on the foot of her bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. Lexi half-closed the door and took a seat next to him.
"What's going on?" the blond mage asked.
"Blake," the blue-haired mage mumbled.
She winced.
"In terms of?"
"Jace brought a snake into the guild named after him. Apparently he got lonely when his older brother went on quests with us. And today I encountered a little girl that I could've sworn shared his scent."
"I-I see."
Her eyes welled up.
She fidgeted her fingers.
Short, shaky breaths left her chest.
"Lexi?" Metallico croaked.
Lexi flinched.
"...Do you...d-do you think w-we'll ever f-fi-f-find B-Blake?" he squeaked.
Demonic Dreyar bit her lip.
She swallowed a quiet lump.
Her blue eyes lifted up to the ceiling.
A deep, shaky breath filled her lungs.
"Uh...I...I don't think he's dead...His body would have been found, uh, found sooner. Also, he didn't have any horrendous enemies that wished, um...death upon him, uh, every day," she answered.
No response.
She twisted her head to her nightstand where her phone sat.
Lexi leaned back and barely snagged the device.
She opened up "messages" and navigated to "Devil"
Me: Help.
Devil: With what?
Me: Wow you're fast.
Devil: I'm still awake, moron.
Me: Your room is dark. Metallico is in my room.
She heard a loud thump down the hall.
Me: Addy!! He's not hurting me!!
Devil: THEN WHAT'S GOING ON?!
I swear I'm going to fry his duck one day!!
*d*ck
Me: He misses Blake. He looks ready to cry.
Devil: Why do you need help then?
Me: Addy, he's drunk. I'm worried what might happen next. And I just need to know that someone else is up who can help if something goes awry.
Lexi watched the three dots appear...and disappear...and appear...and disappear.
Me: Please don't interfere unless I scream.
Devil: Why?!
Me: Because maybe Metallico just needs someone to be there right now!
Devil:...
Me: Please. Not yet.
Devil: Fine. But I'm not going to sleep until I see that metalbrain get back to his own room.
Me: Okay.
Metallico took a shaky breath.
Lexi immediately shut off the lacrima and quietly put it aside.
"Lexi," he muttered, "Blake was like a brother to me. Levi wasn't born until two years prior to Blake's disappearance. And Asuka was like our older sister. Before we had to take on the challenge of more 'siblings,' we did everything together. Asuka taught us how to swim, fish, and hunt. Yes, our parents taught us about fighting with magic, puberty, and some other crucial life lessons, but the rest we learned from each other. Believe it or not, Blake and I had a great time trying to figure out who to get you and Addy to listen even though we were kids. But, you know when I was fifteen I thought I was the stuff. And so did Blake, you know being fourteen. And yet, you two were impossible!" he confessed.
Tears ran through his fingers and down his arms, outlining the individual muscles.
"Did we ever tell you why we agreed to take you and Addy onto our team in September X809?"
"Umm, no, you didn't," Lexi admitted. "I just know that we were banned from quests for two months because Master was swamped with paperwork just from the Dreyar Twins. But that lasted two weeks because we ran rampant in the guild hall."
"Uh huh. And when Team Natsu and Crime Sorciere were gone, just me, Blake, and Asuka were able to handle you."
"That's the reason why?"
"That's the reason the Master asked us at first. Heh. All three of us said 'hell no we ain't doing that'. He tried to reason that our camaraderie would help settle down you two. We protested it was because of our sibling-like bonds. Then that man tried to bribe us with spots in the Grand Magic Games. Asuka and I were furious he would try that. But Blake...," Metallico gulped, "Blake was perceptive. He asked 'Master, why would you stoop to such a level? This isn't like you.' And...,
"...and?" Lexi pressed.
Metallico's hands tightened around his face.
"Master Laxus admitted the Council had said the Dreyar Twins were on their third strike. One more, and they were going to take away you two for juvenile delinquency. Even though you didn't break any rules. They just wanted you out of the picture."
Lexi felt her body squeeze out every ounce of breath.
Metallico clenched his teeth.
"Your father got down on his hands and knees," he gritted, "So Blake immediately stood up and declared that we would help you stay in Fairy Tail no matter what. And...Asuka an' me couldn't resist...you both were two months away from being thirteen!"
Air slowly started to refill Demonic Dreyar's lungs.
"Oh, Mavis," she breathed.
Small streams started to leak out of her eyes.
"Oh Mavis," she said a little louder, "We owe Blake more than we thought."
"Yeah...so do I...," Metallico squeaked, "When I was eleven I chased after a group of town kids who were being jerks. At some point I tripped and fell into the river. I couldn't swim so I sank. Fast. But before I knew it I was on the sidewalk coughing and sputtering. Someone asked me if I was okay and I looked up to see Blake. Apparently he jumped in the river, swam to me, and hauled me up. He was ten. Ten! To think that he's going to be twenty-five this August...,"
Lexi gently rested a hand on his bare and broad shoulder.
Metallico coughed and regathered his breath.
"I was doing well for a while. I thought maybe I was going to recover the whole way. And that I would finally get over it all. But then Jace had to bring along that damn snake on the Rover! I'm so pathetic! The fact that a snake who happens to have the same name as my best friend can bring me to this state is ridiculous," he sobbed.
His entire body trembled. The Iron Dragon Slayer caved and burst into tears.
Lexi hesitated. A moment later, she wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed as hard as she could. For a solid five minutes, she didn't let go.
Metallico finally calmed down enough that he could at least take breaths without new tears coming. Lexi released her grip. Metallico laid back on the bed and began to fall asleep.
"Hey! This is my bed!" she hissed.
He started snoring loudly.
She sighed.
"Fine. But if you do anything perverted, I will not hesitate to castrate you," she muttered. Then she crawled under the covers as far away from her teammate as possible.
"You could carry him over to his room. You're certainly strong enough to do that," a deep voice said. Lexi lifted her head and saw Addy leaning against the doorway in just a pair of boxers. His bulking pecs and abs shone in the small light.
"If I do then he'll wake up and start drinking. He looks like he's had plenty of alcohol already," she pointed out.
"Hmf. Then he should at least sleep on the floor," her brother grunted.
"That's just rude. Besides, he's already passed out," she argued.
He blinked.
"Wait, did you say something nice?" Addy questioned.
Lexi rolled her eyes. Using her feet under the covers she kicked the Iron Dragon Slayer off the bed.
Thud!
The twins watched as Metallico groaned and rolled around for a little bit, but his eyes remained closed.
Lexi turned onto her side away from the door.
"Kill the lights, bodybuilder," she mumbled.
"Whatever, diva. If I hear anything suspicious I'm coming back," he grumbled.
Nonetheless, he flipped the switch and retreated to his own room.
The young woman furrowed her brows and fiddled with her fingers.
After what seemed like hours of debating, Lexi crawled out from underneath her covers and stood over the sleeping drunk.
"He looks so pitiful," she muttered.
She immediately shook her head.
"Men have different instinctual priorities, during intoxication," she declared.
Lexi grabbed Metallico's ankle with one hand and dragged him across the floor. She opened his door, turned on the light, and hauled him in.
Immediately she reeled back and gagged. Metallico had beer bottles both full and empty littered around the room. His bed was a wreck and it smelled as if he hadn't washed his sheets in months. Or maybe the odor's source was the high mountain of dirty laundry in the corner. The trash can next to the doorway was overflowing and oozed up to three feet away.
Lexi gulped.
A shadow loomed behind her.
"What the hell isth that sthmell?" a deep voice hissed.
Lexi whirled in place.
Addy stood there with his nose plugged.
Immediately his sister relaxed while his eyes widened at the sight.
"When was the last time we saw his room?" she whispered.
Her brother furrowed his brows and shrugged.
"Now that I think about it. His door is rarely open," Lexi commented.
She looked down at the sleeping drunk.
"Oh Mavis," she breathed.
"If this is how he's coping, then no wonder he's relapsing," Addy mumbled.
Lexi refaced the mess. She bit her lip and tapped her foot.
"Okay. Tomorrow Team Danger is going to talk," she declared.
"Uh-huh. This is unacceptable," Addy growled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the morning light increased, Metallico opened his dull brown eyes to haziness.
He rubbed his forehead as a splitting headache started to form.
'Great. Another hangover. How much did I drink this time?' he wondered to himself. The almost-twenty-six-year-old slowly sat up.
'Where am I? I vaguely remember talking to Lexi in her room. Or was it in my room? No, she's never entered this landfill. Then when did I talk to her? Hell, when was the last time I left his cave of despair for anything but alcohol and a piss?'
"Oh, that's right. The S-class quest in Needleworks. The one we blacked out on," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his forehead. "Let's see, day one was when we started the quest. Day two I was sleeping in the infirmary. Day three I woke up and went home. If I should call this place home. Day four passed. The end of day five was when I encountered that little girl. Today is the beginning of day six. In other words, it's been five days since I willingly left."
The Iron Dragon Slayer groaned rolled out of bed. He staggered as sifted through his endless collection of alcohol.
"Do I have a full bottle?" he mumbled.
He found one, sat on the edge of his bed, and began to drink.
'Soon, the pain will be numb and maybe I can get some work done. Perhaps I'll go with Layla and Levi again. They always appreciate my help and don't ask too many questions. Plus, it's nice to spend time with that cheery little bro. That's what Blake would have wanted me to do.'
Metallico stared at the closed door with wistful eyes.
"Oh, Metallico, it's fine. You're in the isolation phase of your cycle. You just need to be alone. Soon you'll be active for weeks," he muttered angrily.
Then he continued to chug the bottle.
'How old is this bottle? And where did I get it? Heh. Doesn't matter anymore.'
He wiped his dripping mouth on his bare arm. The man looked down at his near-naked self.
"I knew I undressed last night because it was too hot, but damn I went far."
He rubbed his head again.
"What the hell happened?"
He shook his head and continued to chug.
After he finished a swig he sat hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his hands loosely holding onto the bottle. Once his chain necklace stopped swinging, the ever-present silence trapped within the four walls echoed in his mind. Then he looked up at a pile of clearly dirty laundry.
"I should probably do actual laundry instead of washing my clothes with bar soap and body wash in the bathroom," he mused.
He ran his fingers through the greasy, slicked back, blue locks.
"To hell with leaving," he muttered.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Metallico jolted upright.
"Who is it?" he half-snarled.
"It doesn't matter. Open up," a familiar voice retorted.
Metallico gasped.
He stood up and rushed to the door. He opened up to see a woman with a long, dark braid. She had a serious frown on her face and her arms were crossed over her semi-large chest. Her outfit was still the regular hot pink v-neck shirt underneath a cream vest with peach buttons. Underneath she wore simple brown pants and black socks. Around her waist she wore a peach belt that held two pouches. On her right hip it was a double pistol holder. On her left hip she had a pack for storing bullets, rings, and other gadgets. Her peach guild mark was half-visible on her right breast.
"Hey, Asuka," he grumbled with a half-smile.
Asuka winced and covered her nose with her hands.
"Oh my Mavis, what is that smell?!" she cried.
"Huh?" Metallico asked.
"Your room, Metallico! It reeks! How have the others not noticed?!" she exclaimed.
"It always smells this way. What're you talking about," he replied in a nonchalant manner.
Asuka looked him dead in the eyes.
"Metallico Redfox. When was the last time you showered? Or washed your clothes? Or your sheets for that matter?" she questioned.
He thought for a moment. Then he shrugged his shoulders.
Asuka sighed underneath her hands.
"Go get a shower, change your underwear, drop the bottle, and then join us in the living area," she ordered.
Metallico groaned like a child.
Immediately he stopped.
"Us?" he asked.
"Shower. Now!"
"Okay okay! I got it. Mavis."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Metallico staggered into the living area as he zipped up the leather vest over his bare chest. He looked down at his half-dirty jeans and bare feet.
He blinked against the morning light as the room opened up. To the right of an island in the center was the kitchen. To the left of the island was the living area. A large lacrima TV sat between two windows. In front of the lacrima TV sat a five-seater couch. Perpendicular to that was a loveseat with two suitcases nearby.
The man blinked and saw Asuka, Lexi, Addy, and Everett on the couch!
"What the hell?" he snarled.
"Sit, now," Asuka ordered.
Metallico shrugged but took a seat on the couch in between Lexi and Addy. He rested his elbows on his knees. Asuka rose and stood in front of him.
"What's going on? Don't you four all have work to do?" the blue-haired mage grumbled.
"The money can wait this time," Addy responded curtly.
Lexi took a deep breath.
"Metallico. Last night you came into my room and talked about Blake. You recalled how he saved you from drowning and how he saved Addy and I from going to jail as kids. You also talked about how you encountered a snake of the same name and it broke you down," she started.
Metallico groaned and dropped his head.
"You ended up crying yourself to sleep and passed out on the floor," Lexi continued, "So, I dragged you into your room. However, I became very concerned by what I saw. Addy saw it, too. But, Metallico, because I want you to come clean," Lexi explained.
A heartbeat roared in the Iron Dragon Slayer's ear.
He gulped.
"W-what do you mean?" he half-squeaked.
"Metallico, as a Fairy Tail member, I cannot leave you in the dark. However, unfortunately that's exactly what we've done. For nine and a half years. It's not very family-like, and for that we sincerely apologize," Everett declared firmly.
Addy nodded.
"I agree. You have been mentally destroyed, and instead of helping you, we've all turned our heads the other way. We honestly thought you would get over this yourself. However, even two years of this was a red flag that we ignored," he added in a solemn manner.
Metallico's eyes stung with tears.
"Metallico," Asuka said in a rough voice.
He slowly gazed up into her unhappy eyes.
"Great," he grumbled, "I'm gonna get scolded or berated for being weak and dishonest. I know I'm an idiot for letting it all get to my head."
Asuka gulped and squatted down to his level. She rested a hand on his shaking forearm.
"We're not trying to interrogate you. We're not trying to force you to do anything, although Lexi certainly implied that," she stated.
Lexi rolled her eyes.
"Metallico, we're just trying to understand," Asuka continued, "You've fought this alone for way too long. And...I'm sorry."
Metallico blinked.
She dropped her head slightly.
"I'm sorry. Just as Everett said, we left you in the dark. We're all to blame," she mumbled.
"However, we don't want that to be the case anymore. We want to help," Lexi confirmed. Metallico abruptly turned his head.
"S-seriously?" he croaked.
"You're our teammate. Our friend. Our family," Addy reminded.
"It's certainly fine to sort things out alone, however, it's also okay to ask for help when you're at the bottom of the pit and can't get out," Everett declared.
Metallico felt a thud in his chest.
"Even I didn't follow Blake's words to help you stay in Fairy Tail no matter what," Asuka said in a soft tone, lifting her head.
She gently squeezed his arm.
Metallico's gaze drifted at the floor. The Iron Dragon Slayer's lips quivered as he opened his mouth to speak, but only tears came out. A strong warmth embraced him. He sobbed with relief into Asuka's shoulders and held on tightly. She stood him up so that the other three could join as a group hug, breaking Metallico down even more.
"You need a fresh start," she muttered.
After a very long time of the twenty-five-year-old withering away the shell around his heart, he finally calmed down enough that he could breathe without crying.
Metallico sunk back into the couch and threw his head back.
Asuka sat next to him.
Lexi stood up next to Everett while Addy sat on the other side of Metallico.
"Lexi, you told me to come clean," Metallico mumbled.
"I did."
The Iron Dragon Slayer sat up and cracked his neck, shoulders and wrists.
"So that's what I'm gonna do," he stated.
His teammates gathered slow breaths.
"I'll start with the fact that I refuse to eat unless I'm desperate for food. I have no motivation for laundry and cleanliness in general. The thought of leaving my room terrifies me. Truthfully, the only reason I really leave is because one, you drag me out with quests, and two, rent needs to be paid. I've always used our little adventures as a secret excuse to look for Blake. And...,"
Metallico licked his dry lips.
"...I...I've tried to kill myself–" everyone gasped, "–Many times...In many ways..But every single time I've lacked the courage to do it. At the last second I would realize that if I went through, then I would never find Blake and that he might come back, but to my gravestone," he said solemnly.
"I've tried ropes, medication, alcohol, overexhaustion, starvation, dehydration, and drowning, among other things. Nothing seemed to work. The ropes wouldn't hold me. I'm resistant to medication and alcohol. And somehow I never could go through with no food or water. The swimming didn't work, either because I remembered Blake being a good swimmer and teaching me," he stated.
A deadly silence filled the room.
Lexi bit her lip.
Addy covered his mouth.
Asuka was on the verge of crying.
Everett clenched his teeth.
"That's pretty much everything," Metallico admitted.
Nobody moved, much less spoke.
"How much do your parents know?" Asuka whispered.
Her friend shook his head.
"None of this. I hide from them more than you guys," he admitted.
Asuka nodded and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Well, tell you what, Metallico. I said you needed a fresh start. So we're going to do that by helping you clean up."
His watery, brown gaze met her steady one.
She smiled and nodded.
"Your room is stinking up the entire apartment," she stated.
He half-laughed.
"I'm serious," she said, rising up.
Addy stood up as well.
"My dad once told me that depression is like being thrown into a tar pit at the bottom of a foggy mountain while everyone else is at the top," he admitted. "He said that people with depression struggle up the mountainside every day, one foot at a time. Yet, the tar pulls back hard the more you fight. Some days it's just easier to fall back in the pit and sit there. Other days the tar practically drowns you."
"How the hell would he know that?" Metallico growled.
Addy gulped.
"Because he's been dealing with it on and off since Grandpa Makarov died on December 26th, X808. Had it not been for my mom and the Thunder God Tribe as well as weekly therapy, I think he would have disappeared a long time ago."
The Devil Lightning mage reached out his hand.
"So sometimes all you need is a hand or four to start hauling you out."
The other three mages reached out their hands as well.
Metallico's face started to melt.
His chest swelled against his worn, greasy vest.
A shaky hand slowly lifted up.
As soon as it started to drift down, Asuka snatched it. The other three grabbed on and lightly pulled.
"Come on, Metallico," Asuka encouraged, "You have enough strength."
The Iron Dragon Slayer clenched his teeth.
He reached out another hand. All four friends clamped onto that one as well. He inhaled...and exhaled...
"Okay, here I go," he whispered.
A moment later he heaved his body out of the cushions. Asuka, Addy, Lexi, and Everett pulled him the rest of the way. Even after his legs steadied themselves they held on.
"Metallico," Lexi said, "We promise, we're never going to let you slide this far down the mountain again."
Addy released one hand to playfully punch his teammate's chest.
"Now let's clean up everything," he commanded.
Metallico nodded with a faint smile. Asuka promptly stormed down the hall. Everett followed shortly after. Lexi and Addy escorted their friend.
Summary
Basically Metallico is severely upset about Blake's disappearance because they were like brothers back in the day. Lexi and Addy were almost restrained by the Magic Council due to their high aggression as 13-year-olds. Laxus asked Asuka (25), Metallico (16), and Blake (15) to take them under their wings as a last resort for keeping them. Blake stood up for them and agreed to do so.
Since Blake's disappearance, Metallico has been living in awful mental and physical conditions. With the help of Lexi he came clean to the rest of Team Danger. All of them felt guilty for leaving him in the dark for years and promised to help him shape up before they leave for Tenrou Island with Team Freedom later on in the day.