A/N: So, after reading DragonsHost's Jellal/Erik drabble "Stains," (Chapter 67 of Dragon Did a Request Thing) this idea came about. So, here's my take on what precipitated that particular story of hers. Huge thanks for the permission to write this!

Down and Dirty

Erik sat at the foot of a looming tree, staring out into the distance and stretching his Soul Listening magic as far as he could. He could just barely hear Kinana, she was so far from him, but at least he knew she was safe. Happy. Wherever she was at, his old friend was at least protected in the company of Fairy Tail's Strauss trifecta. But he wanted to hear her more clearly.

Now that Fairy Tail was gone, decimated in the aftermath of the war with Tartaros nearly a year prior, they had all moved on. And the Seis had joined Crime Sorciere. Things were running smoothly, all things considered.

Especially since, as Jellal had come to realize, the five members he had recruited really put their all into something when they were interested. Macbeth and the others had taken a liking to getting rid of the dark guilds they'd once held control over, and the new ones that cropped up in the name of Zeref. Erik felt much the same way, to a point. He liked being able to let loose and wreak some havoc - even if it was controlled and more covert than before - but there was something else he'd found he wanted more than that.

And it came in the form of a blue-haired bastard who led their shoddy little guilt-ridden guild of criminals. Ex-criminals, he had to remind himself.

The first time had been a surprise, to say the least. He'd been so sure that Jellal was head over heels for the redheaded monster in Fairy Tail but, upon further inspection, the Poison Slayer had found that Jellal harbored the same feelings for Erza that he had for Kinana.

Friendship. Deep, unending loyalty. A love for the woman that went no further than the bond they had through shared torture in the Tower.

But one night, well after the others had fallen asleep in their tents, while he and Jellal were sitting up together and keeping watch, Erik heard it. A sliver of a thought, clouded with doubt and uncertainty.

'I'd be blind not to see how handsome he is… But I've hurt him too much for anything else… I've hurt them all… Maybe I can make it right one day, and then… No… Nothing more.'

True to form, he'd called Jellal out on the heavy thoughts weighing him down. Except what had started as trying to make the man even more miserable suddenly became Erik moving forward and pressing their lips together, not giving Jellal a moment to second-guess himself or what was happening. There hadn't been any drawing back to look into each other's eyes, no secretive smiles as they came together again.

Jellal hadn't even told him to wait or stop when Erik pushed him down onto the grass and slowly took him right there in the camp.

The next morning, he'd been able to hear Jellal worrying about what they'd done, that someone would mention having heard strange noises in the night, but no one said a word. Not even Erik. And for months, they'd been secretly enjoying the other's body. Quick stolen kisses when no one was looking, late nights when they occasionally had watch together.

It wasn't that they were ashamed of the things they did. The Seis had known almost as long as Erik did that he was attracted to men. It was Jellal's insistence that they kept their private activities… well, private. And Erik didn't mind it all that much. He didn't need to validate the way he felt about Jellal by having anyone's approval, and if Jellal felt too guilty to let anyone else know that they were together - in some sense of the word, since they'd never really bothered with defining it - then so be it.

"You look lost in thought again."

Erik tensed at the soft-spoken words as Jellal came around the tree to take a seat beside him. Sunlight drifting through the canopy speckled his hair and cheeks, his downcast eyes. "I guess," he said.

"I know you won't take me up on it, but you can talk to me, Erik. You know that."

"I do," he nodded, casting his gaze toward the riverbank a short distance away and the trees just beyond. "Nothing to talk about though."

Jellal, for his part, had a feeling that was a lie. There were plenty of times he'd known that Erik wanted to talk to him. To even just hold his hand or kiss him - although that might have been wishful thinking on his part - while they were around the others. But Jellal just couldn't let them know about what he had with the Poison Slayer. Whatever it was.

'We haven't even tried to define it… Is it really just physical?'

Sometimes, that's all it felt like between them. Those times when Erik would pin him to the ground or a tree, bite at him to the point of bleeding with a ferocity he'd never known before, but never kiss him.

Other times, Jellal almost felt like the maroon-haired mage had fallen for him. Stolen glances across the campfire from that burning indigo eye and the smallest quirk to his thin lips, spoke of volumes of emotion all bottled up, tucked away in a corner and draped in a blanket made of lead. In the way those calloused fingers gently brushed through his hair, pulling it from his eyes so Erik could see them more clearly while they were in the throes of passion.

Jellal just didn't know which was more often, or if it was all imagined on his part. That first time had been unexpected, and for so long he'd worried that being with Erik had been his own subconscious screaming that he needed to submit to the man he'd once been the abuser of. He'd never considered being the one who took another into his body, but with Erik there just wasn't any other way. It was obvious the Poison Slayer wouldn't want to switch roles like that. Especially not with him.

"You're sort of wrong."

"Hm?" Jellal mumbled.

Erik turned toward him slightly, just enough so they could look one another in the eye. "What we do," he said slowly. "It's not you atoning for the past. I would never have done a damn thing if that's what your soul wanted."

"What do you mean?" Jellal frowned. "I hurt you and the others, Erik. My actions put you in Brain's path, and we all know what happened after that."

"Right," he chuckled. "But you didn't let me fuck you because you felt bad. It wasn't pity or guilt or any other shit like that."

"Then what was it?"

Erik gave him a sly smile before looking back toward the riverbank. Really, it wasn't that far of a stretch for that line of thinking. Because when they'd been kissing that first time, Erik had been of the firm belief that Jellal was letting it happen simply because he felt guilty for all the pain he'd caused. And Erik - still having refused to be called anything other than Cobra at that point - almost wanted him to want that, just so he would have a reason to cause Jellal some pain as retribution.

But when the man had been lying beneath him, so hesitant while reaching up to unbuckle his belt, Erik felt and heard something else entirely.

"You're not going to tell me, are you," Jellal muttered, staring at Erik's profile.

"You'll figure it out eventually."

"... Can I have a hint?"

"It's your soul," Erik said, his smile widening, "Why should I tell you what your own soul says?" His eye closed a moment later when soft lips brushed across his cheek. Just a gentle kiss with no intent to do anything more. No begging question for something else, something more physical, from Jellal's soul.

He had to admit, it was just a little sad that the man kept such a heavy burden on his shoulders. He wanted the world to be a better place, and he wanted to make up for his past, but Jellal was so locked down that he nearly smothered himself in guilt.

He never let himself want happiness. In his eyes, having a reason to smile meant he was being selfish - a slippery slope that would only lead to darkness once more.

Before he could pull away, Erik turned and captured Jellal's lips with his teeth. His tongue slithered out to tease the blue-haired man into a breathless stupor once their lips were connected. Seconds stretched into minutes with the only contact between them in their slow-moving mouths and gently dancing tongues.

He could feel the tension leaving his lover the longer they were like this, just like every other time. The soft sigh of relief in his soul that echoed into Erik's, brushed through his mind as a gentle breeze. It was like this every time they were together, when no one was watching. He was the reason Jellal had to smile, even though it was mostly in his soul.

And being able to surprise him was always a great deal of fun. Especially right then, as their lips separated and Erik gripped the edges of Jellal's cloak, dragging him down to the ground. On top of him, instead of Jellal being under him.

"E-Erik!"

He chuckled quietly, watching as Jellal tried to push himself up and pull away with his cheeks flaming. "You're fucking adorable," he whispered. "Now come here."

It really didn't take much prompting to get the red-faced mage to collapse on top of him once again. And thankfully, they had plenty of time before anyone came looking for them. Macbeth was asleep in the camp almost a mile away. Richard and Sawyer had gone to one town in search of some sale they'd heard about. Meredy and Sorano went in the opposite direction toward another town to replenish their supplies.

"No sex," Jellal whispered between kisses that grew more intense the longer their lips were connected. "Not right now."

"It's been a week since… Mm… Since I saw you."

He felt Jellal smile into their next kiss. He knew what it meant though, just a small roundabout admission that Erik wanted to see him writhing and flushed with arousal. Erik shivered as long, familiar fingers feathered up the column of his throat, danced behind his ear and finally sifted through his hair.

Jellal ground his hips into Erik's, pulling a possessive growl from the Poison Slayer.

"Not making the no sex thing easier," Cobra snarled. Still, he kissed the Heavenly Body mage, pulled his thin hips closer. And that was when he realized Jellal wasn't wearing the heavy layers that kept him protected during raids. The plated armor around his stomach and chest was gone. The extra fabric over his pants bearing Crime Sorciere's crest, missing. It meant his meandering, grasping hands could feel everything. The hidden muscles tapering into a thin waist, rounded cheeks clenching as Jellal thrust against him again and again.

Erik gulped as Jellal's lips finally left his to skitter shakily over his jaw and down to his throat. And still, he couldn't stop himself from touching everywhere, exploring every fabric-covered plane of his lover's body.

"Fuck!" Erik whimpered when Jellal's lips and tongue began teasing the gold hoop of his earring. His hips flexed of their own accord, sending his lover's low groan soaring through his flesh. "You saucy bitch… You know wh-what that… Damnit…"

If he'd thought he was hard before, seeing Jellal's head lift so slowly, how his cheeks were flushed with arousal and balled as a genuine smile shined down on him, set Erik well on the path to bursting from his pants. He'd never been able to get enough of this look. Half-lidded eyes, darkened to a deep mocha, sent his head spinning. Seeing the red tattoo curving to accommodate Jellal's sudden happiness was a gift, he was sure.

'... So sexy like this… He curses at me all the time, but why do I hear something else under it all?'

Just before Erik could bring Jellal into a melting kiss that he was sure would change the blue-haired man's mind about losing themselves in each other, he found himself shocked into stillness. Jellal's hand rose from where it had been running along his hip - how had he not noticed that before? - and Erik watched with no small amount of desire as he licked from palm to fingertips. A long, wide swipe of his too-tempting tongue.

Jellal smiled down at the breathless, wide-eyed stare from the Poison Slayer as his hand lowered and pushed beneath Erik's pants to grasp his straining arousal. "Erik," he whispered, "No sex right now."

"L-Later then," Erik rasped. His hands shook while working to unbuckle his belt and pull his pants down. Jellal's hand shifted, gently stroking his full length. "Gimme something now… Just to hold me over."

"I was planning on it," Jellal whispered against his lips. They met for several short kisses that grew more heated as Erik began writhing under Jellal's ministrations. The usual quiet growls and groans became harsher, louder, echoing through the small clearing and across the riverbank. "You're louder than normal."

"I want you," Erik hissed. He reached between them and nearly tore the fabric of Jellal's pants while unbuttoning them.

"Erik, I said-"

"Something," the Poison Slayer growled. He pushed Jellal's hand away and grasped his lover's hips, groaning as he felt that hot length resting against his. Twitching with excitement. "Just like this, Jellal."

Jellal stilled and stared down at Cobra, ignoring how it felt to have their bodies pressed together this way. "Did you just… say my name?" Erik never said his name. In the months they'd been doing this, in the year he and the others had been a part of Crime Sorciere, Erik had never called him by name. The slow smile from his caramel-skinned lover had his heart suddenly pounding.

Erik lifted his head just enough to nip at Jellal's shock-slacked lips. "I did." He should have expected the sudden movement, how Jellal collapsed on top of him and ground shamelessly against him with only his cloak as a shield from the outside world. How those thin lips would claim his so forcefully.

But Erik hadn't. Just like he hadn't known something so simple could send his lover's soul soaring higher than ever before. Brilliant splashes of pale pink danced through his soul as their lips met in one flurry of biting kisses after another.

"E-Erik!"

"That's it," he groaned, his hands gliding beneath Jellal's shirt and up his sculpted back, fingers digging into his sweat-slicked flesh. "Shit, Jellal. Yes!"

There was no need for lubricant. Not with the fluid leaking from both of them, dripping down as they moved in unison.

"God, Cobra… I'm gonna… O-Oh-"

It wasn't even a conscious thought to push Jellal off of him just enough to slide down the length of his body. Erik didn't even notice the scratch of twigs on his bare ass as he honed in on his goal. His flushed genitals, so ready for more, twitched above Erik's lips as they parted. Jellal reached down, guiding himself between Erik's lips and across his tongue before dipping inside in short, rushed strokes.

One hand sifted through the maroon strands, holding his head to the ground as Jellal shifted. He was restless, but Erik knew he was trying to be careful not to choke him. His single eye lifted to watch Jellal's face, only to find his focus solely on where he disappeared between Erik's lips.

'Gonna cum… Gonna… Fuck, he looks so good like this! Gonna… Shit! Shit, shit, shit! His teeth are… God, what's he doing with his tongue - Fuck, it's so deep! So tight! Oh, god… Fuck, this is gonna hurt him… Erik, don't move my hips like th… Yes! Yes, I want it like that! Shit!'

All he could hear were his own harsh breaths, the sounds of his hips slapping against his lover's mouth, each growl rumbling through Erik that was cut off on a small, wet grunt. But he couldn't stop himself any longer. Jellal's hips moved faster when Erik urged him to.

"E-Erik! I don't…" He didn't want to hurt him, but it just felt too good like this. It wasn't often he was able to feel his lover's mouth around his aching shaft, maybe only a handful of times before, but it had never been quite like this before. Never so rough, so forceful. "O-Oh, Cobra!"

Tears dotted Erik's lashes when he choked, but he forced Jellal to keep going.

'He likes it when I call him Cobra? It slipped out on accident, but…'

Jellal had to test it, though. "Cobra," he panted. "Just like that!" He cried out in surprise as a finger eased its way inside of him, soon followed by a second. "Cobra!"

'Oh god! He's driving me crazy like this! So close now… Please don't move like that… God, not so hard… Yes! Harder! Finger me harder, Cobra! Don't… Don't do THAT! Shit… You're gonna… If you suck like that, I'll… I'm…'

"Fuck!" Jellal shouted as his release raced up the length of his rigid shaft, just when Erik's fingers hooked inside him. He felt each soft growl in time with every quaking pulse, how Erik gently sucked at the tip until he was too sensitive to keep himself upright. "E-Erik…"

Jellal shuddered as his lover's fingers slid out of him, his hips twitching a final time before Erik carefully moved back up to lie fully beneath him. And once he had, Jellal fell in a tired heap atop the Poison Slayer.

"Mission accomplished," Erik whispered, smiling secretly as he nestled his nose in Jellal's hair.

"Huh?"

Erik chuckled, letting his hands run over Jellal's back and down to his still-quivering thighs. "You called me Cobra." He wasn't going to mention the fact that his real goal had been to get Jellal to loosen up, to relax even just a little bit.

Jellal let out a short, huffing laugh and shifted, then frowned when he found Erik was flaccid. The prominent arousal he'd been more than ready to slide down and suck between his lips, was soft. "What-"

"I can wait," Erik said. "You know how I feel about delayed gratification."

Oh, Jellal knew. Erik had quite the penchant for denying himself, sometimes to the point of excruciating pain. This wasn't the first time he'd gone soft in the middle of their secretive time together, but Jellal refused to question just what caused it. In fact, one time he'd even watched as Cobra simply willed himself to lose an erection, only to feel the effects of the Slayer forcing himself to wait to be satisfied.

It also meant that they would need to leave the camp that night so no one would hear Jellal crying out with each heavy thrust into his body. And he was going to need gauze with him, so the bites that would be left in the Poison Slayer's wake across his shoulders, back and chest could be treated once they were finished.

"I'll be sure to say your name more often though," Erik continued as his arms wound around Jellal's waist, "If that's how you're gonna react."

The two were silent for several minutes, with Jellal simply listening to the steady beat of Erik's heart as they watched water running in a never-ending current down the river. It was calm, peaceful. Serene, even.

Erik hummed at the gentle waves thrumming in Jellal's soul the longer they laid together. This was definitely different. He never got to hear things like this in his lover.

"We should probably get cleaned up," Jellal whispered. Part of him hated that Erik didn't try to stop him from getting up and fixing his pants. He waited as Erik slowly stood and did the same, then took a halting step forward to adjust the Poison Slayer's cloak where it sat on his shoulders.

This was the only time Jellal could do what he really wanted, when he could touch Erik without making sure no one was watching. They could kiss without him worrying that someone would see.

Jellal let out a slow breath and brought a hand to Cobra's scarred cheek. There was no way to describe the feeling of being able to look right into his eye, of seeing the entirety of Erik's face without either having to look up. They were the same height, and instead of having to dip his head to press their lips together, it was equal parts moving forward on both sides until their bodies were flush once again.

This slow, heady dance between them with only their lips meeting and no sense of urgency, was what Jellal lived for. These stolen moments with the drug of his choice and the cure, all in one.

"I'll see you back at camp," Erik said. "I'm gonna sit out here for awhile longer."

Jellal nodded and pressed one last kiss to Erik's pliant lips, then turned and started walking back through the forest.

Once Erik was alone, he let out a heavy breath and removed his cloak. Then he glared at the back of it, stained with grass and dirt.

This shit was never going to come out, he was positive of that, but he needed to try. So, he simply made his way toward the river and knelt on its bank, then dunked his cloak in the water.

.The End.