Fairy Tail: Metal and Threads

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.  

July 5, x791.  

After a wonderful dinner with most of his family and a few members of the guild, Alfonzo helped bathe his children. Then, after putting them to bed, he got back to work on the magic item that would be used to jump between timelines. And despite losing several hours because of his exhaustion, he somehow made it up before the sun rose.  

Now, the only things left to do were to actually build the magic item and get the proper temporal readings. However, with Future Rogue in captivity aboard the Blackbird, that should not pose much of an issue.  

And by the time the sun rose, Alfonzo was already on the Blackbird performing all sorts of experiments on Future Rogue. However, unlike his insinuations back when he first found out about all the time travel shenanigans, Alfonzo did not actually harm him when doing the experiments. Because there simply was no need to.  

Instead, the only thing he needed to do was check the differences in the wavelengths he and Future Rogue gave off to find the best way to open a portal between timelines. Though, he would admit that it was much more difficult than creating an Anima that would send him to Edolas.  

Even so, around dinner time, he had gotten all the information he needed to finish building the magic item. So, after making sure Future Rogue was properly secured in the Blackbird once again, Alfonzo stepped out onto the hotel's roof.  

"I trust everything went well, Master Alfonzo." Ai asked, greeting Alfonzo as he left the Blackbird.  

"Yeah, about as well as I expected." Alfonzo replied. "Could have done without all the struggling and insults, though. Actually, had to put a muzzle on that bitch just to hear myself think. But what made it even worse was the fact that I couldn't use anti-magic restraints because I needed to be able to study his magic power. *Sigh* And I was planning to send the mother fucker home, but this is how he thanks me..."  

Seeing how dramatically Alfonzo shook his head, Ai could not help it when a small smile curled the corner of her lips. Even so, she remained as professional as always.  

"You've been in there since just after sunrise, Master Alfonzo." Ai said, falling in step with Alfonzo as he passed her and started making his way into the hotel. "Would you perhaps like to have a meal?"  

"Now that you mention it, I could eat." Alfonzo said while placing his right hand on his stomach. "In fact, until you said something, I didn't even realize just how damn hungry I was."  

"Very well." Ai replied while bowing her head slightly. "Then, I will inform Grayfia and Maria that they should prepare a meal for you. Will you be taking your meal in the dining room, your suite, or in the office?"  

"I'll eat in the office." Alfonzo said. "I can start inputting the information into the device before I eat. After that, I'll head back to the suite to spend time with the family."  

"Understood." Ai replied politely.  

With that, the two reached the elevator door and Ai pressed the call button. A few moments later, the elevator doors opened. Then, Ai pressed the buttons for the top floor and the ground floor, where Alfonzo's office and the kitchen were, respectively, once the two stepped inside.  

After another moment, the elevator doors opened once again. However, just before Alfonzo stepped out, he exchanged an amused glance with Ai. Yet, the two did not exchange any words.  

Meanwhile, in one of the rooms on a lower floor, Brandish was sitting alone. However, like most of the Fairy Tail wizards had gotten into the habit of doing any time they left Magnolia, she had [Magic Power Detection] active. And just like she had been doing for a while now, her attention was focused on Alfonzo.  

"*Gasp*" With her eyes opening wide in surprise, Brandish drew in a deep breath. At the same time, she shot up to her feet. "*Sigh* He's finally alone. Now's my chance."  

["Your chance to do what?"] Hecatoncheires asked in a skeptical tone. ["You're not just gonna throw yourself at him, are you? You know how he feels about that, right?"]  

Once again, Brandish ignored Hecatoncheires, her mind too focused on finding Alfonzo before someone else could show up.  

["*Sigh* Something tells me this isn't gonna go the way you want it to."] Hecatoncheires muttered to herself. ["Then again, I doubt you even know what you want at this point."]  

With Hecatoncheires words being little more than background noise at this point, Brandish quickly made her way through the halls of the Sixth Sense Hotel. All the while, she continued monitoring Alfonzo's position, eventually reaching the elevator.  

However, when she realized that the elevator Ai was riding had not reached the ground floor yet while the other elevator was currently in use, as well, Brandish decided to skip the elevator altogether, choosing to run up the stairs.  

["Seriously, Brandish?"] Hecatoncheires asked in an exasperated toen. ["It would only be a few minutes. Do you really have to be so thirsty?"]  

"You never know when someone will show up." Brandish said, finally replying to her [Armament Spirit]. "So, every second counts."  

["*Sigh* If you say so."] Hecatoncheires replied while shaking her head.  

Using [Command T] to shrink the distance between landings in the stairwell, Brandish took less than a minute to reach the top floor where Alfonzo's office was located. She then only took a few seconds to reach the office door.  

"*Pant* *Pant* Finally made it." Brandish said while catching her breath. "And no one came to see him."  

After a few more deep breaths, Brandish straightened up. Then, with a resolute gaze, she reached out and grabbed the doorknob before opening it in one motion.  

However, when she saw Alfonzo, who was sitting at his desk, smiling at her mischievously, Brandish froze, not expecting him to be, seemingly, waiting for her to enter.  

["Did you forget?"] Hecatoncheires said, sounding even more exasperated than usual. ["Alfonzo created [Magic Power Detection]. So, why would you think that he didn't know you were coming? Especially when he also popularized the practice of keeping it active at all times when outside of magnolia."]  

'Plus, his magic power control is good enough to recognize wen other people are using it.' Brandish thought to herself after Hecatoncheires explanation. 'So, that means he probably knew I've been watching him for almost a week straight, doesn't it?'  

{"I think I told you that already."] Hecatoncheires replied while rolling her eyes. ["but you couldn't be bothered to listen."]  

Immediately after coming to that realization, Brandish paled, not knowing what to do next now that her metaphorical peeping had been exposed.  

"Hey, Brandish." Alfonzo said, his smile widening after he saw the realization in Brandish's eyes. "Why don't you come in. I'm guessing you wanted to tell me something, right? I would appreciate it if you'd knock next time, though. I mean, you never know what I could be working on. It could get pretty dangerous if I'm interrupted like that."  

Nodding dumbly, her brain on auto-pilot, Brandish entered the room, closing the door behind her as she did so.  

"So, what can I do for you?" Alfonzo asked while steepling his fingers atop the desk as Brandish approached.  

"I… I… I…" Brandish, having never expected to be exposed while on her way here, had completely forgotten what she came for, resulting in her stuttering.  

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, seeing the deer-in-headlights expression on Brandish's face could not help chuckling to himself. He wanted to laugh out loud. However, he figured it would scare her away if he did so.  

"Alright, I think I have an idea of what this is about." Alfonzo said, his smiling turne gentle. "You like me, right? Well, as it just so happens, I've gotten pretty fond of you over the years, too. So, will you be one of my girlfriends?"  

'God damn it…' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'Even though I'm used to the harem life by now, it still feels weird to ask someone if they want to be ONE of my girlfriends. In my past life, a line like that would definitely land me a swift kick to the nuts.'  

Meanwhile, Brandish once again fell into a dumbfounded, mortified, silence.  

'How did he know?' Brandish asked herself. 'He sounds so sure of his guess. How is this possible?'  

["Oh yeah, because you've been so subtle."] Hecatoncheires said sarcastically. ["I mean, watching him like a hawk every time you're in the same room, starting to play with yourself whenever you happen to walk in while he's having sex… yes, you've been completely subtle and undetectable with your feelings and desires."]  

The silence in the room was deafening. At least it was for Brandish. Alfonzo, on the other hand, never lost his smile. Instead, he only tilted his head when he saw the shock on Brandish's face.  

"Well?" Alfonzo asked when the silence stretched.  

"Oh… Um… Uh huh…" Brandish stammered, Alfonzo's follow-up question pulling her out of her disbelief.  

"Excellent." Alfonzo said with his smile widening. "Then, why don't we…"  

Unfortunately, Brandish was no longer in the state of mind to listen to what Alfonzo had to say, as she had something totally different on her mind.  

'We're dating now.' Brandish thought to herself excitedly.  

["Yes, it would seem so."] Hecatoncheires replied.  

'Then, that means it won't be a one-night-stand.' Brandish continued. 'So, we can do it. We can do it right now!'  

["Technically, that's true.":] Hecatoncheires replied, her tone turning exasperated again. ["But maybe you should listen to what your new boyfriend is saying. It sounds like he's trying to make plans to go on a date."]  

Yet, Brandish had stopped listening to Hecatoncheires, as well. And that happened as soon as she said that Brandish was technically right. Instead, with her heels clicking across the floor of the office, Brandish quickly approached the desk.  

However, instead of stopping in front of it, she circled around it before pulling Alfonzo's chair back and spinning it around. She then straddled his lap while pulling up her legs so that she was basically sitting on her heels with her ankles resting on his thighs and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.  

All the while, Brandish did not notice that Alfonzo's smile was widening as if he had predicted every action she would take beforehand.  

"Hmm… So, you're not a fan of that idea, huh?" Alfonzo asked playfully while looking into Brandish's hungry green eyes. "Maybe I should have just chosen Eight-Island. Everyone else seems to love it. But that's where I had my--- Mmph!"  

Still smiling brightly, Alfonzo's speech was eventually cut off when Brandish smashed her lips into Alfonzo's initiating their first kiss in a rather aggressive, thirsty, matter.  

About an hour later, Grayfia and Ai, each pushing a trolley filled with food, drinks, and dessert, approached the office door.  

"*Sigh* We're gonna have to clean up the mess in there, aren't we?" Ai said, sounding annoyed. Though, to those who knew her, they would be able to tell that she was not quite as bothered as she seemed.  

"Perhaps." Grayfia replied. "But it's only been an hour. There is a chance we may be called on to pick up the slack. Because from what I can tell, Miss Brandish is unconscious."  

Immediately, Ai's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. However, her eyes began shining brightly at the same time. Yet, only a moment later, she shook her head, her expression turning professional once again.  

"Master Alfonzo would never ask us to do that." Ai said. "He doesn't think of us as just maids or tools."  

"And that is exactly why you've fallen in love with him, is it not?" Grayfia asked.  

"Maybe…" Ai replied, turning her head slightly to hide the blush that was returning.  

Grayfia, usually so stoic that her facial expression hardly changed, let a smile grace her lips when she heard Ai's response.  

"Well, since I've grown rather enamored with our master, as well, perhaps I shall show you the proper way to get what you want."  

In response, Ai's eyes widened as she snapped her head in Grayfia's direction. However, Grayfia had already started to move again, raising her hand to gently knock on the office door.  

"Hold on, wait!" Ai said, wanting clarification before she stepped into the room.  

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*  

"Master Alfonzo, dinner is ready." Grayfia said, ignoring Ai's protests. "May we enter."  

"*Sigh* You may." Alfonzo replied from the other side of the door, his tone making it obvious that he was both exasperated and amused at the same time.  

With Alfonzo's permission, Grayfia opened the door. And when she did, she saw Brandish, with her eyes rolled back, her hair a bit messy, and her tongue lolling out of her mouth, which was in a goofy, satisfied smile, lying on her back on the desk, completely nude. As for Alfonzo, he was sitting in his chair behind the desk while shaking his head at the sight in front of him.  

Stunned at the sight in front of her, Ai did not move. Grayfia, on the other hand, took a step forward, pushing the trolley into the room. However, just before entering, she whispered into Ai's ear.  

"Just watch." Grayfia said quiet enough that Alfonzo' would not be able to hear.  "This is how you're supposed to get things done as a maid." 

Grayfia then led Ai, who was snapped out of her daze by the whisper, into the office before the door was closed behind them.