A/N: SURPRIIIIIISE! CHAPTER 7! :D

Alright guyz, now off I go to Ireland. I'll see you all again in 2015, alright? ; ) Y'all have a great Christmas, a great New Year, and whatever feasts it is you celebrate around that time! Personally my religion doesn't celebrate Christmas, but since it's a family tradition I'm still obliged to participate. xD

Don't forget to REVIEW!

Heisei 26, Last. 3

~Tenshi

CHAPTER 7: Exogenesis: Overture

Gajeel heard the muffled sounds of Laxus' footsteps on the dried earth outside, and huffed a little when he didn't hear the door closing behind the other man. Leave it to the Lightning Dragon Slayer to always leave doors open behind him. He'd never known the man to close a single door behind himself – not if he could avoid it. Lazy arse.

He stepped out of the kitchen and through the living room, walking up to the entrance door and pushing it shut gently, so as not to wake the sleeping Lucy up. Not that he really cared. He just didn't want her waking up too soon, because he had no doubt that when she did, she'd start invading his private life and space.

He went back to the kitchen and went back to his task of cooking, surveying the eggs on the pan and the beans in the casserole. If there was one thing about him that people didn't know, it was this. When Gajeel Redfox was stressed about something and wanted to relax, he stepped into a kitchen –preferably his own since he'd rather know where everything was – and cooked. Nothing complicated – he wasn't a chef by any stretch of the mind, and couldn't actually cook anything past the most basic of dishes – pasta, eggs, beans, pudding, sausages. But the things he could actually make, he never messed up.

The difference with the present experience was that though he'd first stepped into his kitchen with the firm intention of calming himself down with his usual favourite activity, he'd soon realized that Lucy wouldn't be surviving on his usual diet of screws and bolts. She needed food; proper food. And that was were the beans and eggs currently sizzling on the stove came in.

Food. He was cooking for someone else. And hell knew that was a first. He'd never cooked for anyone else before, and though he hated to admit, he was a little nervous about what the unconscious girl would say about his cooking.

He took the eggs off the pan when they were ready, and a few minutes later poured the beans out into a bowl. Behind him, he could hear the couch creaking a little, and figured that Lucy must have been starting to wake up. Just in time, he thought.

"Kitchen," he called out to her, and he heard her pause and her breathing hitch before she stood up, probably wondering why the hell she was here – if she even recognised the house in the first place.

"Gajeel?" he heard her call as she moved toward him, and he suddenly remembered that she probably didn't even know where the kitchen was.

He took a few steps from the stove and stuck his head out the kitchen door, surprising her. "Here," he said simply, and went back in. She followed him shortly, sniffing the air as she caught the smell of the eggs and beans. Her eyes lit up as she saw the bowl of beans and plate of eggs, but as she took a step toward the table on which Gajeel had laid a place, she looked up at him questioningly.

He gave her his best imitation of a smile. "It's for you," he said gruffly, gesturing toward the chair and the plate. "Eat."

She smiled right back at him, and Gajeel mentally laughed at the contrast between his forced smile and hers, so brilliant and natural. She had always smiled like that.

She pulled the chair from the table and sat down, picking up the fork and knife set beside the plate and beginning to eat. After a few mouthfuls, she felt Gajeel's eyes on her and looked up, confused when he just stared at her with his head cocked to the side.

"Hum…so, what happened?" she chanced, swallowing her mouthful of beans.

Gajeel shrugged noncommittally and turned away, beginning to pick up the dirty pan and utensils he'd cooked with. "You collapsed," he said simply, busying himself as Lucy resumed eating. "Makarov asked if I could keep you here for now, until you felt better. I said yeah. T's'not like I had anythin' else ta do."

There was a short silence, and then he heard the chair scraping the floor as it was pulled back, and as Lucy's scent washed over him, he froze in complete shock. Right on cue, confirming his disbelief, Lucy's arms went around his waist, and she placed her cheek against his back as she squeezed herself against him.

Gajeel suddenly remembered where he was and tried to shake her off, gently attempting to peel her arms from around his waist. "Hey," he said gruffly, "watcha doing? Get'off me," he protested.

"Thank you," she said, "Gajeel Redfox," and he shivered when she said his name.

"Okay," he murmured after a stunned pause, and his voice broke. "You're done, now get off me. Please," he added with a second thought.

Lucy laughed and her arms slipped from his waist. He didn't turn around as she went to sit at the table and finish the food he'd made her. "Relax," she said giddily around a mouthful. "I was only saying thank you."

Gajeel huffed, still a little weak in the knees from shock. "You don't – I'm not – used to people touching me."

"It's okay," he heard her say, listening to the smile in her voice. "It's what friends do. You'll get used to it."

Gajeel froze suddenly, midway to the sink. Friends?

He opened his mouth to ask, but stopped when he heard her push her chair back once more, then picking up her plate and beating him to the sink to place it in it. "Is this okay? I'm not seeing a dishwasher anywhere, and you were putting your stuff there just now, too."

"Yeah…yeah, that's fine. Just…leave it there. I'll take care of it."

Lucy smiled and stepped away, watching him curiously as he finished clearing up his cooking space and set himself to washing the dishes in the sink.

"I…I never really pictured you as the cleaning-up type. Or as the cooking-type, for that matter. I kind of expected your house to be a mess all the time. I didn't think you'd bother cleaning up at all."

Gajeel snorted. "I'm a Dragon Slayer. We've got sensitive noses. A dirty house ain't for us. If ya went to Laxus' house, it'd be the same as mine. Sparkling clean."

"Natsu's is always a mess."

"And how often do you see the kid at his own place? I hear he crashes at your apartment most o' the time, right?"

Lucy started. "That makes sense, actually."

He shrugged. "Dragneel's too lazy to clean up. But it also means he can't stay at home most of the time. He sleeps outside when he does have to go to his place, and only inside when it rains or snows." He didn't add that most of the time, he also slept outside, and left his own bed for Lily to sleep in.

"What about cooking? I didn't think you ever cooked anything. I mean, you don't need or eat regular food. You can just eat iron."

"I don' eat the stuff I make. Cooking relaxes me, but it doesn't make me like what I make. I just throw it out when I'm done with it, or give it to Lily when he's there."

"But that's a waste of food! The stuff you throw away…you shouldn't do that!"

"Why not? T's'no use to me, is it?"

"No, but it is to other people. You could…I don't know, give it to the homeless, or to the orphanage in town."

Gajeel snorted again. "Hell no. I don't do that shit."

"Then I'll do it. Let me stay here for a few days. Whatever you cook, I'll bring into town to give away where it's needed. I can't go home now," she added quickly when Gajeel turned to look at her. "I haven't paid my rent for the month yet, and if my landlady sees me coming in empty handed before I've paid the rend…" The girl grimaced, fidgeting on the spot. "Would you mind if I stayed here for a few days? I won't be here much anyway, I'll go to the guild today, find Natsu, Erza and Gray and go on a quest. I'll leave your home as soon as I can pay my—"

"I get it," Gajeel cut her off, looking at her critically from the corner of his eye. "Fine," he huffed, turning back to the sink. "You can stay here. T's'not like I've got anyone else comin' here. Stay as long as ya want." Then he thought of something else, and slowly let his soapy hands fall, letting the plate he'd been washing slip from his grip. He shook the water from his fingers and grabbed a dry rag from the counter. "Bunny," he said slowly, turning around and resting a hip against the sink. "There's somethin' else I oughtta tell ya."

She cocked her head at him. "What is it?"

"Dragneel…I mean, Natsu… He won't be going on a quest for a while."

"Natsu! Natsu, open up! It's me, Lucy! Please, open up for me! I…I'm sorry! I just—"

"Lucy?"

Lucy started at the Exceed's high-pitched voice from behind the door. "Happy?"

"Yeah! Wait, I'll let you in."

There was a series of ruffling sounds, then a click from the lock, and the door swung open, revealing a flying Happy. The blue Exceed, smiled at his blonde friend, launching himself at her before letting his wings pop away. Lucy caught him against her chest, and Happy snuggled in as she stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

"How are you, Happy? How was your date with Charla?"

Happy looked up from her breasts, a pout on his cute face. "Lily stole her from me! Again!"

Lucy laughed a little, but sobered up quickly enough as she looked down at the blue Exceed. "Don't worry, Happy. I know you'll get to take her out on a proper date someday. Is…is Natsu home?"

Happy's wings popped out again, and he pushed himself from her, sliding away and towards what Lucy knew to be Natsu's bedroom.

"Yeah, he got home a few minutes ago. He's in there. It's weird, he normally doesn't like sleeping in his room. I wonder why. I think it's because it smells so bad." Happy glided back towards her, hovering over her ear, one paw over his mouth. "Don't tell him I told you that."

She laughed wholeheartedly. "I won't, Happy. Don't worry."

The Exceed smiled at her and showed her to the door, then drifted away as she hung behind the door, hesitant. She raised a hand, fidgeting on the spot, about to knock, but Natsu beat her to it.

"Come in, Luce."

Her hand fell to the handle, and she pushed it open.

Natsu was sitting on his bed, his back to her and facing the window in front of the door. The sheets were rumpled and he'd obviously just pushed himself up from them, probably on hearing Lucy come into the house. The fact that he felt like he needed to change his image in front her sent a pang into her heart.

"Hey," she said, her voice breaking. He didn't say anything. Her eyes fell on his hands where they gripped the sheets, and her heart contracted again when she saw the bandages wrapped around them. "Natsu…"

"Don't, Lucy," he interrupted her. His voice was bitter. "Don't you dare say you're sorry. You wouldn't even know what you'd be saying sorry for."

"For hurting you," the girl breathed, throat tightening painfully. "Your hands…-"

Natsu jumped up to face her suddenly, the bed still between them and acting as a makeshift barricade. The Dragon Slayer's face was twisted, in rage, in disbelief, and in pain as his burnt fists tightened at his sides. Lucy sucked in a frightened breath, stepping back in the face of his fury, expression pained.

"You think I care about that?" the boy shouted in her face, eyes burning. "They'll heal! These wounds heal," he said, waving his hand about for emphasis. "They heal," he repeated, anger fading as his body relaxed. "You know what I'm angry about, though? What's really fucking annoying me?" And Lucy flinched again, shocked at his language as he fired up again. "What pisses me off is that you didn't tell us! You didn't tell any of us! Mirajane only knew because she was there the first time you lost control, but Erza, Gray, and me! Were you ever going to tell us?! Were you ever going to trust us?!"

"Natsu…"

"Gajeel knew, didn't he?" Natsu accused, staring at her as he shouted. "You trusted him. You told him for some reason, but not us. Lucy…" Natsu sighed, suddenly drained, and ran an unsteady hand through his hair before looking back up at her. "I don't understand, Lucy. I don't get it. I don't get why you'd tell him and not your best friends. Did something happen? Something that convinced you we wouldn't support you? Something that meant you thought you could tell him and not us? Did we do something to make you think that? Tell me, Luce. Because I don't get it. Because the fact that you never told us anything, but told him, hurts more than the burns on my hands do. Tell me."