The Iron Dragon of Magnolia
Chapter Ten: A Connection Between Dragons and Gypsies
Erza gently slid Natsu off her back and onto the bed that Gajeel offered in a far corner, away from the door from unexpected visitors. Carle and Lily brought a medical kit as Happy sat next to Lucy as she grabbed the kit from the cats. Gray and Erza gave her some room to work, but still near so they can look over Natsu. Levy and Gajeel stood at a spot where the corner opened up to the rest of the tower.
"Who's this person Lucy?" Happy asked as she prepared a cloth with some alcohol.
"A brave person Happy," the blonde said, pausing for a second to look affectionately to the soldier's pained face. His eyebrows were scrunched together and his eyes were shut tightly. His breathing was heavy. "A very brave, and very stupid, person."
"Really now?" Natsu grunted. His onyx eyes opened slowly, taking in his surroundings. "I wouldn't have kept quiet about you and your friend if I was." Natsu flashed her a half-assed grin, it was forced from dealing with his near fatal blow. "Hey guys! How's it hangin'? Oh! You're here too Gajeel!"
"Obviously," Gajeel muttered, "we're in my tower."
"You sound like a troll Gajeel," Levy said with a laugh.
"Sweet! Let's have a-" Lucy pushed him down back into the bed. "Lucy! What was that for?"
"You're still bleeding," she said, pointing quickly to the punctured skin on his chest. "You should stop moving so much until I finish working on it." She wiped the blood from his skin.
"The idiot probably did it on his own," Gray said.
Lucy and Erza shot him a glare that rivalled each other. Dealing with Erza was one thing, but two Erza-like figures, he would be done for. Gray shut his mouth and looked away.
"Please, continue with your work Lucy," Erza said, bowing her head a bit. "Gray and I will be on the lookout." They began walking outside.
"Thank you for carrying him Erza, Gray," Lucy said with a smile before turning back to Natsu.
"Lu-chan, me and Gajeel are going to look on the other side with the cats," Levy said, walking behind Gajeel with Lily and Carle in her arms.
"Oh, okay." She turned to the side of Natsu to see Happy interested in this new visitor. "You're not going with them Happy?"
"Nah, I'd rather stay here with you Lucy and…whoever this person is," Happy said.
Lucy sighed before switching the blood-soaked cloth with the alcohol one. "This might hurt a little," she warned.
"Lucy, do you know who I am?" Natsu asked with a grin. "I've been in countless battles and faced plenty of enemies! I think I can handle a little wound like this and al—HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL LUCY?!"
As Natsu was ranting about his past accomplishments, the blonde had quickly pressed against the wound. And she pressed the alcohol-soaked cloth hard…making sure to disinfect every part of it. Natsu was writhing in pain, his fists were clenched tightly and were drawing blood. Lucy placed a hand of his right shoulder in an attempt to keep to steady.
"Please Natsu…Bear with it a little longer," Lucy begged in a quiet voice.
When the fire Dragon Slayer heard the tone in her voice, he managed to calm himself. He steadied his breathing and closed his eyes, it helped a bit. Once the pain subsided, the man looked up to Lucy bent over him with sweat on her brow. He raised a hand to wipe the liquid from her face. Her eyes looked away from the wound to him.
"The pain's gone," he said. She nodded, taking off the cloth and reaching for some bandages from the kit. "You know, ya could've told me when you were putting the alcohol on."
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"I take it that was pay back for last time?"
"What do you mean?" She looked at him and his head was tilted to the side in a You-Know-What-I-Mean look. "Oh! You mean that day when we got stuck in here. We're over it. You saved the miller and his family. Can you take off your shirt?"
"Well, I didn't know that you, Miss Lucy, were a perv," Happy said, a teasing look on his face.
"I'm not, you stupid cat. I need to cover his wounds," she said, holding up the roll of bandages. "Anyways, I can't be upset over you. Not after you saved the miller and his family. That was an amazing thing you did."
"Just protecting the innocent."
"But, I think you knew that they protected us, didn't you?"
Natsu grinned and winked to the blonde. "I have no clue what you're talking about Lucy."
Natsu slipped out of his torn shirt and Lucy started unrolling the bandages as her hands slipped around his waist. Natsu looked away, noticing that every time Lucy had to pass the roll to her other hand, her chest would brush against him. He tried not to blush, but to no avail. The blue cat noticed and was snickering behind his paw. Lucy heard Happy's snickering but ignored it.
"I'm just glad you're safe," Lucy said, tying the bandages in a secure fashion. She rested her hands on her lap, staring at them.
"Yeah, me too," Natsu said, looking at her with a bright gleam in his eyes. Her blonde hair was a mess, probably after diving in to get him, and there were signs that she was tired, but to Natsu (for some reason) he thought that she was still the most beautiful thing on Earthland. "You know…" Lucy looked up, facing him with a small smile, "I kept looking for you after word that you escaped."
"Did you? Why?"
"I couldn't let Porla get to you before I did."
"Why?"
"Because I wouldn't be able to do this." He raised a hand placing it on the back of Lucy's head, pulling her to his face. He touched his lips with hers, staying there for a moment or two.
As he was pulling her towards him, there were a lot of things running through Lucy's mind. But once his lips touched hers, her mind went blank. All that was left was that Natsu was kissing Lucy.
At first, she stiffened at the sudden contact he had made with her. But, she loosened up and placed a hand on his chest as she applied pressure on his lips.
The blue cat beside them began snickering and started teasing the two. "They llliiike each other."
Natsu pulled away, turning his head to the cat. There was a very large, victorious-looking smile on his face. "Yeah I do. What 'bout it?"
Lucy turned away from the cat in an attempt to avoid more teasing on her scarlet face.
{Line Skip}
"HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL LUCY?!"
"Sounds like Natsu's being taken care of," Gajeel said, looking over the side of the roof to the inside of the tower.
Levy laughed beside him. "Lucy will take care of him just fine." She peered at him from the corner of her eye. "Thanks for hiding us out here."
"It's fine," Gajeel muttered. "Just glad that you're fine."
"Really now?"
"W-well…" Gajeel stuttered, looking out to the city. His eyes caught the images of the flames in the slums. "Fire's dangerous. If Jose was desperate enough, he may burn down the entire city just to find you two."
"He's really only looking for Lucy," Levy said, the happy gleam in her eyes from just moments before disappeared.
"What do you mean?"
"You may not like it, but Jose is an evil man," Levy said. He looked up to her with a scared look in her eyes. "He wants to hurt Lucy, in a…" Her voice trailed off.
But Gajeel knew what she meant. A lot of men would to pretty girls like Bunny-Girl. Even Shrimp would make a fine target. But, he'd rather go an eternity without iron to eat than let those two get violated…especially Levy.
The iron Dragon Slayer stood up, a hand was resting on Levy's head. "Gajeel?" She felt him rubbing his hand on her head.
"Don't worry about Bunny-Girl," he said. "I'll make sure the old man doesn't find out about you to."
Levy blushed. With the light from the city fires, Gajeel glowed in a cool sense. His eyes were set in the horizon, probably where there was no such thing as discrimination. A place where they'd live happily without people humiliating them both. There was a ghost of a smirk on his lips and with his free hand resting on the back of his neck, Levy knew that he looked amazing.
"Hold that thought Gajeel." The two looked down to see Erza looking over the edge where the front of the cathedral was.
"Looks like we have company," Gray added as he motioned for the two to come over. "Unpleasant company may I add."
Levy slid off the roof and Gajeel hopped down. "What are you guys-" He stopped when he saw what the two soldiers meant by unpleasant company. "Jose…" He turned to Levy. "We have to get you and Bunny-Girl out of here!"
"I told you to stop calling me that!" Lucy yelled from inside. "And why do we have to leave?!"
"If you don't, we'll all be dead."