For the babehz who probably got really mad at me, here you gooo!
Don't forget to Review, Follow, Favorite or do none of the sort, my dear babehz!
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Ride 'em Hard
Chapter Eleven
Levy carefully pulled the comforter up to her cousin's shoulders, letting the blanket rest over the unconscious body of Juvia laying on her side. Mirajane had instructed to keep Juvia on her side with the cuts inside her mouth (the medical student said that Juvia must have bitten the inside of her cheek and swallowed some of her blood that was causing her to throw up whenever she barely woke). Majority of the stitches Juvia received from last night were on her thigh, where the glass shards and chips dug deeply into the skin and caused majority of her blood loss.
Her cousin's cheek had already blossomed a dark bruise that ran under her eye and around the cheekbone, curving down to the tip of her chin. Her shoulder looked to have ink blots until it slipped under the wrap of gauze Mirajane had put on her (the woman said that she felt something odd there, and took wrapping it tightly to stimulate it until she woke up for further examination. The area of her thigh was wrapped tightly, too, with cotton wraps and bandages holding it all together; Levy counted five or more stitches being put into Juvia's legs, and it took forever to make sure that all of the glass had been taken out and cleaned properly before sewing the wound closed.
They had Elfman carry Juvia for Levy, since Gray seemed to be numb at his spot beside the blue haired racer once it was all finished. Levy guided Elfman through her workstation towards her living quarters, a one bedroom apartment with a mattress in one corner and a small living room that had a tiny bathroom attached to it. Levy's place didn't have a kitchen like the other apartments, but she didn't mind the small space since she lived alone. There were no doors beside the entry/exit that led back into her workshop and Fairy Tail's garage.
Cana helped Levy slip on her silk robe she would normally sleep in on her cousin's unconscious body to cover her, being left in her black bra and underwear. When the brunette asked if she needed anything else, Levy mutely shook her head and was left alone. She had stopped crying a little while after Gajeel left the garage, hiding her face in Juvia's hair for a while and feeling her pulse seemed to calm her down a little…
The greatest news that came from the four hours of working to tend her wounds was that Juvia was going to live.
Despite Juvia never reacting to the stitching or being handled around worried Levy the most, surely that her cousin would have woken up at anything so painful and rocky. Mirajane briefly told her that Juvia's body just shut down from her seizure, reacting to the trauma that racked her body for so long that she just fell into a deep sleep. If anything, it was probably better to have her pass out so that all her muscles would relax and make it easier to get other difficult shard out of her skin.
Levy scooted closer on her hands and knees to her bed on the floor, Juvia's back facing her so she was off her injured side. Leaning close that her ear barely touched her back, Levy listened to the slow inhale and exhale of Juvia's lungs before closing her sore eyes in relief. As much as she wanted to drop herself ontop of her cousin and cry for another few hours, Levy really wanted nothing more than to have her sleep and recover.
Sitting up, Levy hovered over the still form and carefully brushed her cousin's long, wavy hair away from her closed eyes and off her bruises. She bent down and pressed a tiny kiss to Juvia's little ear, hoping that it didn't hurt her in her sleep.
"Thank God you're going to be okay, Ju-chan," Levy whispered in a cracked voice. She hasn't slept since yesterday, and even now she couldn't bring herself to the idea of going to bed after seeing the two most important people in her life all bloodied and injured. "I love you so much, Juju-chan. Gajeel is gonna be okay, too, since you're fine…"
A quiet knock came from her door, startling the mechanic to turn her head to see Erza standing in her doorway. The redhead was careful in her expression, tender and sympathetic for the younger woman's current state as she spoke in a quiet voice.
"Master Makarov would like to see you in his office, Levy," she said in a soft whisper. "Jellal and Cana will be right here incase she were to wake up."
Levy swallowed and looked back to Juvia's slumbering form, making Erza bite her lip. "Or, if you don't feel like you can leave her right now, I'm sure he'll understand."
"No," Levy sniffed, rubbing the heel of her palm under her eye. Standing up, Levy wobbled her way over and past the redhead. "I trust Jellal and Cana-chan can handle things."
"Ain't a problem, chica," Cana offered a kind smile at her as she walked by, arms crossed and leaning casually in her pajamas and slippers. "We got the old farts still hanging around if we need backup."
Jellal gave an affirming nod when Erza and Levy made their way across the garage, the mechanic ignoring the result of the night as Macao and Wakaba scrubbed the counter and floor as best as they could while Gildarts carried buckets from the kitchen. Erza put a hand on Levy's shoulder for support as she guided her to the stairs that led up to the office, hearing the voices of Makarov and Mirajane conversing quietly until they came through.
Mirajane stood up from her chair to greet the two arrivals with a smile, and Levy noticed a handful of papers in her hands. Makarov nodded to the two and Levy came closer to the second chair in the office and sat down while Erza closed the door behind her, giving the four privacy.
Once Levy settled in her spot and held her hands tightly on her lap, Mirajane cleared her throat before speaking. "I recorded everything that we found on Juvia and how we treated it. I think it would be best to bring Porlyusica into this for a more professional examination. She'll give a better result than me, for sure."
"We can't take Juvia to a hospital," Levy said. "She...I mean, that I know of, she hasn't been to the doctor since we were little kids, and I don't think it's a good idea to take her now."
"We agree," Makarov nodded. "Hospitals and doctors in general are discriminative with gang members, and it would definitely turn out a lot more nasty if we were to bring her out the way she is."
"However, we already called Porlyusica," Mirajane added in, shrugging to Levy. "Since she is my mentor, she does demand that the patient has a background of whatever we can find on her before she can actually check on Juvia."
Porlyusica is an ally to Fairy Tail and more specifically to Makarov. They had a history together before she became a head surgeon and doctor of the city's hospital. An elderly woman with a horrible temper with anything remotely related to gangs and criminal activity, she doesn't go crying to the station or heads if Fairy Tail were to bring in outsiders for medical assistance. But that still doesn't mean that it would be a snap of the fingers to get her help, being an old-school woman she is - she requires files and research of her patients.
"She hasn't found anything in Juvia's name," Mirajane explained to Levy. "We were hoping you could help us out with that."
"I don't know where Juvia was born or where she went for treatment as a child," Levy frowned deeper.
"Well, Porlyusica is in the next city doing a conference, but she says that she can do a blood test with your blood and use it to match with any files on record with the computer," Mirajane smiled. "Kinda like a DNA test, since Juvia is actually blood related to you through your mothers, it is probably easier when it's from a relative since Juvia's blood is probably of no use. I wouldn't want to make her any more uncomfortable in taking more blood when she lost so much.
"It may be really helpful to share names of your family with Porlyusica, for hereditary conditions from Juvia's mother and possibly her father, if we can find any," Mirajane added in. "Any family member names you can think of from your mother's side and any of Juvia's biological father would be very beneficial."
"But...that means I would have to leave the garage, right?"
"For a couple of days at most. Porlyusica needs someone present to help while she multi-tasks during the conference, " Makarov nodded. "Porlyusica may ask a few questions from you too, but probably on your relationship with Juvia and how she behaves. She hates patients who possibly bite."
"We'll be here to watch over Juvia and will call if anything happens," Erza told Levy with a supportive hand to her shoulder. "Mira will be going with you in Makarov's car. It's best to do this as fast as possible so we can get the treatment Juvia may need."
"Has anyone heard about Gajeel yet?" Levy asked urgently.
The old man sighed softly and scratched the back of his head. "Levy, dear, I understand you have a intimate relationship with Gajeel and you're worried about him," he responded while the other two women remained silent. "I understand where you're coming from, but we haven't heard anything from him or from the station. It's as Gajeel requested, he was never here and Juvia is not here as well."
"Why would you follow Gajeel's stupid -! Wait, you knew a-about me a-and G-Gajeel..?" Levy spluttered with reddening cheeks. Only a few trusted individuals knew about her secret relationship with her boyfriend from another gang. Even though Levy was nowhere a wanted criminal or had a warrant for her arrest, no file in her name besides fraud in a horrible situation, Levy was nowhere from the same background as Gajeel.
Makarov shrugged lightly, as if it wasn't all that important. "It's not a big deal to me, really," he claimed casually before looking to her with a raised brow. "As long as you two used protection and be careful around Jose, I don't mind that Gajeel has found a nice girl to get along with."
Levy's face felt on fire. 'H-how could he have known Gajeel-kun and I had… Nevermind!'
"It's not important, really," Makarov shrugged again. "But, besides that gossip, we truly don't know where Gajeel is right now. I'm not about to pick up the phone and call the station for that either."
Levy's shoulders fell. "You can't ask?"
"We're having...some troubles with the big guys, so to speak," Makarov eyed the older women before looking to Levy. "It appears that there is more to the story than the station is asking us to focus on…"
"What do you mean?" Levy blinked.
"Lets just say, for right now, we're not doing everything by the book," Makarov said simply, making Levy's brows furrow. "It's nothing dangerous as of right now, but for the safety of your boyfriend and cousin, it's best for us to leave them out of our situations."
"You mean we're defying the law right now?"
"No, we're just doing our own investigation on some things that the higher ups aren't taking seriously," Mirajane smiled, as if it was the most normal thing to say. "We're keeping it from the younger members -"
"Like Natsu," Levy interrupted.
The remaining three adults fell silent as Levy looked down to her hands, her fingers knotting together in anxiety as she chewed on her lip for a few minutes. Sighing, the mechanic ran her hands through her messy hair, as if in defeat.
"Only for two days, that's my limit," she said, looking up to Makarov with wet eyes. "I promised Gajeel-kun I'd look after Juju-chan, and I don't wanna be away from her for too long."
Makarov nodded in understanding, holding out his car keys to the platinum blonde woman for her to take. "We'll call if she were to wake up," he promised her.
"We know to keep her rested and drinking lots of water and eat to replenish her body. She's going to need a shower and new wraps anyway," Erza added in when Mirajane and Levy stood up from their seats.
"I should probably call Porlyusica while we're on our way, too," Mirajane perked as she reached into the pocket of her jeans to pull out her cellphone. "She's going to want to know we're on our way so we can get good parking." Her other hand came to guide Levy to the door, where Erza stepped aside and made room for them.
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Natsu woke up to a knock on his apartment door. Hearing it from the open door of the bedroom, the racer opened his eyes and looked down to Lucy sleeping like the dead with dry tear streaks on her cheeks; she was wrapped in the blanket and even had Natsu's white scarf tucked around her shoulders as she clung to him throughout the whole time he carried her back to their apartment.
He had given Lucy his scarf, telling her that it will make her feel better and fall asleep, since she was still crying and shaking in his arms. It took a little while for the familiar scent of Natsu on the scarf to lull her to sleep, but he remained awake for a while longer before sleeping upright against the headboard to make sure she was alright.
Hearing Lucy whimper at the second set of knocks on the door, letting her roll off of him and bury her sore face into the pillow nearest to her, Natsu slipped out of bed and took large, silent steps in his bare feet over to the door and opened to find his friend on the other side.
To say Gray looked horrible didn't define what Natsu saw when he opened the door. Black hair an absolute wreck with bags under his bloodshot eyes, Gray looked a bit pale and messy with his shirt unbuttoned and half on his shoulders. Natsu really couldn't blame him, though, after everything that has happened in the past ten hours.
"Hey, man," Natsu greeted quietly, opening the door more to let his friend inside. Natsu noticed how sluggish Gray's walk was as he entered and went straight to the couch. Closing the door and going over to take a seat on the other side, he watched Gray warily. "How are you doing?"
"Couldn't sleep," Gray spoke in an exhausted voice. "How's Lucy holding up?"
"She's okay, I think," Natsu shrugged. "It was hard to get her to sleep for a while, but I think she's okay for now. Probably stay quiet to let her rest."
"M'kay," Gray nodded before leaning back against the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"How's Juvia?" Natsu asked slowly. "Makarov called saying that she was going to be alright."
Gray ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back with a strained look on his face. "Yeah, she just lost a lot of blood and hasn't woken up for anything. Not when Mira was practically sewing her leg or being slumped around like a doll. I thought she was dead, Natsu."
"But she's going to be fine," Natsu assured to him. "Juvia is a tough chick, you know that. Probably take a whole army to even slow her down."
A huff escaped Gray's mouth as he lightly yanked on his hair. "I read Mirajane's record," he confessed quietly, keeping his voice down for the sleeping woman in the other room. "Around a dozen of glass chunks were removed from her leg, not counting the small bits, and needed a shit load of stitches to stop the bleeding before being able to close the wound. Mirajane had found dissolving stitches in the kit she has for inside her leg. Juvia's got nasty bruising on her whole left body and a deep cut inside her mouth from some kind of trauma…"
"But she'll be okay, right?" Natsu asked in a supportive tone.
"I don't know," Gray groaned, sliding his hand down his face. "Mira said she can't tell if she has a concussion since she's passed out, but she doesn't have any broken ribs or any signs of internal bleeding that she could make out. She wrapped her arm just incase."
"How long do you think she'll be asleep for? She passed out around a few minutes she was put on the counter," Natsu counted with his fingers. "It's around eight in the morning now, right? So, that was probably five hours ago."
"Mira said she may sleep through the whole day, from the shock and seizure." Gray closed his eyes and exhaled roughly. "They're not letting anyone in Levy's room right now. Jellal and Cana are watching over her and keeping everything quiet."
"Juvia is gonna be fine, though, that's all that matters," Natsu smiled tiredly to him. "When she wakes up, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you once she feels up to moving and talking. It's just gonna take time."
"Yeah."
Natsu looked to his friend and reached up with his bare foot. Lightly nudging Gray's knee like he would usually do to annoy the shit out of him, Natsu smacked the spare pillow and blanket that he would use for the first half of the night (before sleep walking to Lucy's bed). "Why don't ya try sleeping here - or relax a bit. You look like you're gonna faint like those chicks in the soap operas, and I don't wanna have to catch you."
"I can just go back to my place, you know," the dark haired man grumbled, his eyes still closed with his head against the cushion.
"I'm just gonna head back in the bedroom to check on Luce," Natsu told him quietly as he got up from the couch, seeing Gray slowly shutting down. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Mhm," Gray muttered, not moving a muscle as Natsu returned into his bedroom to find familiar, tired brown eyes looking to him.
Natsu tilt his head to angle it with Lucy's laying form, offering her a half smile as he came closer to the bed. "I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked her in a quiet voice, seeing her blink slowly and inhale a sigh.
"No," she answered, her voice cracked. "Is Gray here?"
"Yeah, I'm letting him crash on the couch. I don't think he wants to be alone right now, but he's not really in the mood to talk."
"Oh," was all she said in return.
Giving a half-smile, Natsu crawled back into bed and settled himself by her side, just as he was when he first woke up. Carefully grabbing her body dressed in one of his sweatshirts and his scarf, he pulled her far enough so that her head was resting in the spot that connected his neck and shoulder, her cheek pressed against his collarbone as he ran his hand through her blonde hair. Reacting to it after a few heartbeats late, Lucy curled herself against him and threw her arm over his torso, sighing tiredly into his skin.
"Juvia is gonna be okay," he told her in a hushed voice, knowing fully well that it was on her mind. "She's a bit banged up, but she's gonna make it. Thought I should tell you when you woke up."
"She is?" Lucy asked as she peeked up to see him nodding. Her eyes becoming wet, a teary smile perked on her face before she cuddled her head back into his warm neck. "That...makes me so happy. I'm glad."
Wrapping his arm around her after he was done playing with her hair, Natsu made himself a bit more comfortable. "I figured you would," he grinned.
"But," her voice went back into a hushed whisper, "what happened? How did Gajeel and Juvia-chan end up like that, Natsu?"
"No idea, but it's best for now to think of the positive. Juvia is gonna be okay - she may get cranky when she wakes up and finds out she's hurt, but she's gonna be living and breathing," he told her, seeing how she wrapped the comforter around herself a bit more tightly. "And I'm sure Gajeel is fine, too. I have never seen him give up for anything, so he'll probably show up soon and want to see Juvia."
Lucy sighed and tried to relax in his arms. His scarf and body really did keep her anxiety and tears down, but it didn't help with her thoughts. "I felt really useless last night. Everyone was doing something to help, and I just stood there like a tree."
"Hm? What are you talking about?" Natsu blinked to her. "It was a sudden situation that none of us were expecting. No one is gonna blame anyone for not jumping in and pretend to be a doctor with Mira like Cana and Erza did. Everyone reacts differently, but it didn't make them any less helpful."
"Still, I should have done -!"
"Now listen, Luce," Natsu grunted with his eyes closed, making her instantly close her mouth. "Levy did something similar to what you did. She didn't go searching for the first aid kit, or try to help with the stitches. She wanted to know what was going on, like everyone was thinking, and she cried. She stayed by her cousin's side and cried while everyone else was running around. Did anyone stop and say anything about it?"
Glancing down to her with one eye open, Natsu directed her head to rest on his chest. His heartbeat loud and soothing against one side of her ear as she listened to his words. "She cried because she cares for Juvia. Levy's not the type to deal with blood and guts, much like you, but she showed emotions that proved that she really cared about Juvia and Gajeel. You cried because you were scared, right?"
"Yeah," Lucy whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
"And you cried when I carried you back here, because you cared for Juvia and wanted to know if she was okay, right?"
"Uh-huh," she sniffled, her face turning into his neck as she clung to him tightly. His arms wrapped around her and it caused her to shudder a sob.
"Then you did do something," Natsu said. "You cared, and that was really important. You're not used to seeing shit like that, I bet, but neither is tons of people in our world. But that's okay, as long as you care, no one is gonna blame you for not doing anything."
"M'kay," Lucy cried softly as she cuddled herself more into his embrace. She felt his head bend and a gentle kiss press to the top of her head, spreading soothing warmth and ease throughout her whole body as she let tears fall from her eyes and stain the pillow and his shirt. Lucy curled herself more when his hands slowly rubbed up and down her clothed back, gently making her let go of her tense muscles as she melted into him.
"You should go back to sleep," he whispered into her ear, a kind of voice that Lucy wouldn't mind hearing every time she needed comfort. "It's still early, and you need more rest. We can check out everyone later."
"But…" Lucy raised her head to look at him, only to stop with a soft breath when he raised his own head and pressed his lips to her forehead.
His mouth was hot on the skin of her forehead, but it sent some kind of remedy that made Lucy slowly calm down once more and return to her place. Resting her head against his heartbeat, Lucy felt him hold her closer to him to the point she thought she would bleed into his body.
"Just go to sleep, Luce. It's gonna be okay," he told her. He gave her another gentle kiss by pulling her bangs out of the way, sending an electric heat through her that made her feel pleasantly numb. "I'll stay right here with you."
And, just like that, Lucy closed her eyes, feeling warm and safe in his arms.
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Erza saw her husband come from the corner of the garage and out of Levy's workshop. His pace sluggish and slightly out of step, he made his way over to the bar to her waiting arms. Erza smiled when he scurried over to her and planted his face right into her chest, groaning outloud as he wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his knees of the footrest of the stool; she rest her cheek on top of his blue hair, snuggling gently as she rubbed her thumbs on his back.
"How are you doing, honey?" she asked softly, planting a kiss to his head when he burrowed his face further into her white tank. "You holding up alright?"
"Yeah, just sore," Jellal mumbled in a similar volume. Tilting his chin up, he looked over to see Lisanna coming out with a tray of cleaned dishes. "Hey, Lisanna, can you get me a cup of coffee, please? I'm about ready to knock out here in a minute."
"No coffee," Erza shook her head, brushing some of his hair off his face. "Have some tea and you can rest for a little bit. I can take over for a while instead."
"Cana's about to drop, too," Jellal sighed. "I said I'd get her breakfast as long as she stayed in the room with Juvia."
"We can trade with Gray, too," Erza suggested. "I'm sure he will want to watch over Juvia for a little bit. He probably fell asleep, I saw him go up a while ago."
"Yeah, it's around noon, isn't it?" Jellal slurred. "I've lost track of time a while back."
"Yeah," Lisanna answered with a polite smile. "I'll get you guys something to eat and give some to Cana, too. How about some chicken potpie? It's what I'm making for everyone tonight, so you can get first dibs."
"Sounds nice," Jellal smile before plopping his face back into his wife's breast, cuddling them until Erza went as red as her own hair. "Hope it's some lovely chicken breasts."
Lisanna giggled when the older woman smacked her husband's head, making him flinch and groan in pain, but didn't ease up in cuddling his wife. "You moron!" Erza squeaked when his hands grabbed her rear and gave it a hearty squeeze. "Keep it in the bedroom!"
"I'm not judging on display of affection," Lisanna smiled somewhat like her sister, keeping herself aloof to the scene as she turned away and headed back towards the kitchen. "Let me get some fruits for you and Cana to eat while the pies bake."
Lisanna readied the tea for Jellal and made an extra cup for Erza as well, taking some fresh fruit of an apple, two pears and a plum from the fridge and setting them on separate dishes for both Jellal and Cana to eat. She knew Cana loved pears and would probably stuff herself at the sight of food being given to her, so she didn't hesitate to put another plum on there for the brunette racer. Coming out of the kitchen, the young woman set the mugs and plate for Jellal and Erza, seeing that Jellal was still keeping up with giving attention to his wife's body, much to Erza's displeasure.
"Thank you, Lisanna," Erza grumbled as she yanked Jellal's blue hair every time he squeezed or purred against her shirt. "Would you like me to take that to Cana?" she asked pointedly to the plate in the other's hand. If Lisanna didn't know any better, she would assume she was trying to get space from Jellal's forwardness.
But, as she was taught by her sister, Lisanna grinned and shook her head. "No, I got it. You and Jellal need some time to yourself!" she giggled as she walked out of the bar and over to the pathway of the workshop. She didn't miss out on Erza's yelp of frustration as she strolled merrily to the familiar brick wall that separated the workshop from the rest of the garage, noticing the elevator opening to reveal Lucy, Natsu and Gray coming out.
Lisanna waved to them, noticing how Lucy appeared to look a bit better and Gray was more stabled. She noticed Lucy wearing one of Natsu's sweatshirts, a few sizes too big, but looking more comfortable with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Lisanna smiled brighter when Lucy gave a shy smile and a little wave back, all while Natsu was his loud, usual self.
"Oi, Lisanna!" Natsu called out before Gray snapped and smacked the back of his head, prompting Lucy to jump and Lisanna to bit back her laugh when the pink haired racer shook a fist at his friend.
"Try to keep it down, Natsu," Lisanna whispered to them once they got closer. "Juvia is still sleeping, and Nee-san requested we keep it quiet for a while anyway. It's probably best for everyone right now."
"Gray didn't have to hit me, though, the frickin' ice princess," Natsu growled to Gray, who paid no attention as he went past them and over to the bar. Looking to the plate, Natsu tilt his head to his friend. "Is the plate for Juvia?"
"No, it's for Cana," Lisanna smiled. "Why don't you guys help yourself to whatever you like in the kitchen? Mira-nee isn't here to stop you, and I won't tell her as long as you stay out of the chicken pies I'm making for dinner."
Natsu's arm tightened around Lucy with stars sparkling in his eyes. "Ya serious, Lisanna?"
"To a limit, as I'm trusting Lucy will stop you before you empty the whole kitchen," Lisanna winked to the blonde, who smiled lightly at the meaning behind it. "Excuse me, you two, I should get this plate to Cana before she tries eating Levy's pillow, or something."
"Thank you, Lisanna," Lucy said softly as she grasped Natsu's sleeve and began tugging him along, keeping him away from Cana's breakfast.
Lisanna smiled before going back towards the workshop, entering through the opening to notice Jet and Droy's toolboxes on top of the metal table. Blinking, Lisanna looked up to the clock and reminded herself that their college classes got out around this time, and they always made it an effort to hurry here to help Levy. Remembering that her sister left with the head mechanic earlier to go visit her mentor, Lisanna looked around to tell the two men that Levy was not here.
Setting the small plate by the toolboxes, Lisanna turned her heel to begin her search for the two assistance before she heard a small collection of voices coming from Levy's bedroom, her door propped open. Before she could investigate, a large crashing stung her ears and made her take a step back in shock.
Droy rolled out in a scramble from the entryway of Levy's room, wheezing in absolute fear before Jet dropped on top of him with a scream. Jet's nose was bleeding, a little bit twisted from Lisanna's quick observation.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!" Jet coughed as he climbed over Droy and scooted as far away from the apartment as quick as he could, dragging his larger friend as best as he could by gripping his uniform shirt. "Holy fucking shit!"
"S'not Levy-chan!" Droy cried out before spazzing at the emerging form gripping both edges of the door frame, making Lisanna cover her mouth in shock.
Slumped against her good side against the door, Juvia breathed heavily with one eye open as she stared deadly at Jet and Droy. The robe she had on (Lisanna remembers it being Levy's favorite pajamas) was open in the front, exposing her undergarments, but it seemed to be the last of the blue haired racer's worry. Her left leg completely limp with a small spot of blood forming on the pad, Juvia ignored it as she pushed herself off the door and attempted to one of the mechanic assistance with a stumbling leap.
Since the two men were already on the ground, Juvia was able to snag Droy by the collar of his shirt with her left hand and bring back her right hand in a tight fist. Lisanna gasped at the woman's plan and took that moment to interfere.
"Juvia, stop!" Lisanna shouted as she wrapped her arms under Juvia's breasts and began pulling her back. Lisanna stumbled to the floor and did her best to create distance between Juvia and Levy's boys. "Don't hurt them, Juvia! It's okay!"
"Fuck!" Cana's voice came from behind as she slid next to them. Juvia refused to let go of Droy, dragging him along with an unknown strength every move they pulled her back with. Cana tried as gently as she could to tug Juvia's wrist to let go. "Juvia, come on, babe!"
"What happened?" Lisanna asked hastily, barely hearing Juvia's throat cause a deep rumble, as if she was growling.
"I fell asleep, god damn it!" Cana hissed as she raised her slippered foot up and shoved it into Droy's face, trying to get him away as he sobbed in absolute fear as Jet tried to pull him away. It was literally a tug-of-war. "I fell asleep and I guess these two losers wanted to see Levy!"
"We didn't know, damn it!" Jet shrieked. "Honestly, we thought it was Levy-chan!"
"Oi!" Erza's voice roared as she hurried over to the group. Being in the middle, Erza pried each of Juvia's fingers off of Droy's shirt until the two men fell backwards.
Juvia's hand instantly went back to tighten into a fist, shakingly drawing back to her chest as her whole body shuddered. Her eyes were wide open and grinding her teeth to the point a small trail of blood slipped out the corner of her lips, reopening the cut inside her cheek. Lisanna carefully slipped a hand up to Juvia's sweating forehead and led it to rest against her shoulder, keeping a secure hold around her stomach.
"Calm down, Juvia," Lisanna whispered as gently as she could. Her fingers gently massaging the creases on the other's forehead from tension. "It's okay, it's okay…"
A hard exhale went through her gritted teeth, her body shaking against Lisanna before her eyes shut tightly. Lisanna broke into a sad smile as she held Juvia, feeling the trembling body slowly ease in its shakes. "You remember me, right? It's Lisanna," she said to the woman. "It's Lisanna, Juvia. I'm Mirajane's little sister…"
A gurgled noise emerged from Juvia's lips, as if she was trying to talk, and Lisanna nodded gently and carefully stroked her blue hair. "Yeah, it's okay. No one is gonna hurt you, Juvia."
Cana looked over to the two mechanics still on the floor, her eyes narrowed sharply. "What the fuck did you two do?"
Jet pinched his nose as Droy shuddered in fear. "We thought she was Levy-chan," he groaned. "We thought she was sleeping in, so we wanted to wake her up. I wasn't expecting to get a foot to the face, thank you!"
"You didn't see me in there?" Cana roared, holding a fist at them. "That doesn't ring any bells to not disturb?"
"You...fall asleep anywhere when you're drunk," Droy sobbed in apology.
"Do I look drunk to you?"
"It's hard to tell the difference with you anymore!" Jet yelled back before Erza shot all three of them a hard glare. Cana rolled her eyes at the look while Droy and Jet shrunk back in fear. "We didn't know! She looked like Levy from behind!"
Jellal appeared with Gray following at his heels. Juvia kept scrambling in Lisanna's hold as Erza tried to get a hold of Juvia's legs to detain them, speaking in a soft but still serious voice to the woman. Juvia's breathing became shallow as she tried to escape the hold, occasionally coughing.
"Juvia, you need to stop," Erza instructed her calmly. "Jellal, can you get a glass of water?"
"Yeah, sure," Jellal said before disappearing into Levy's apartment, most likely heading to the small bathroom where Levy keeps disposable cups nearby. Gray instead went over to the group of women and sat by Lisanna on his knees, holding his arms out.
"Let me hold her, Lisanna," Gray said, letting the platinum blonde woman hesitantly loosen her hold on her. He was quick to take Juvia into his arms, one holding around her shoulder and hand keeping her head still against his shoulder. The other around her hips, grasping her thigh that wasn't injured, but it made her gasp in pain at the pressure against his stomach.
"Calm down, Juvia," he told her in a low voice, making her head thrash stiffly against his shoulder. "You're getting yourself worked up. It's going to hurt more if you keep fighting and you will pass out."
"N-NII-CHAN!" Juvia screamed, her voice cracked and shaky as she tried to claw Gray's arms off of her. "NII-CHAN!"
Gray held her tighter, making it difficult for her to move. His face was fairly blank as he let her fight against him until she slowed down, becoming weak in his arms, having a small cough attack as her legs went limp.
"It must have been an adrenaline shock," Lisanna spoke softly over Juvia's panting, carefully taking one of Juvia's hands and checking the pulse on her wrist. "She'll probably be very weak in a minute here. Just be careful with her, Gray."
Cracking her blurry eyes open, tears slipped down her cheeks as she shook her head. "Where's Nii-chan?" she sobbed tiredly. "Where is Juvia? Nii-chan!"
Gray let her call for Gajeel for a minute, tiring herself out into another coughing fit. Jellal returned with a cup of water to have Juvia refuse, turning her head away from the offer and trying to curl up and hide away from those present around her. She hid her face into Gray's shoulder, clinging to him as she cried out for her brother. Lisanna gently held Juvia's hand, carefully petting it as she softly hushed Juvia while she cried harder.
Gray's eyes hardened as he looked up. "Someone get Mirajane," he demanded.
"I'll give them a call. I promised Levy I would call when she woke up," Erza explained as she got up from the ground. Looking to Lisanna, Erza got her attention. "Go and tell Master that Juvia is awake, Lisanna. Cana, I want you to ready the showers and bring the first aid kit in there. Extra towels, too."
"Got it," Cana nodded obediently as she helped Lisanna up as well. Looking to Gray still cradling a crying Juvia, the brunette sighed slowly. "Make sure the babe stays awake, got it, Gray? She'll feel better after she gets cleaned up."
The said man made a grunt in reply, looking back down to the crying woman in his arms. Completely spent on trying to fight, Juvia laid limply in Gray's hold, allowing him to fix her pose that she was more comfortable in his arms. She kept crying, hiding her face in his shoulder while he kept her in place on the floor.
"Just calm down, Juvia," he whispered to her, letting her stain his shirt with her tears, her fists held against her chest as she continued to quietly ask for Gajeel.
=xxx=
Lucy was there to help Erza clean Juvia up in the shower and change her bandages (the stitches on her thigh looked a lot better when there wasn't a lot of blood splattered on her skin, but there were still bruises everywhere on her left side). Juvia didn't speak a single word after she calmed down in Gray's arms, and Lucy was worried that she was going to pass out again at how tired and dizzy-looking she appeared to be when Lucy came to tell Gray to help carry her to the locker room in the back of the garage.
The locker room was more for the ladies personal spa on the weekends, but Lucy hasn't had the chance to really test it out until now. Juvia struggled to firmly grasp her undergarments and tried multiple times to take independance in washing herself, but it got to the point where Lucy just took the rag from her carefully and said she was going to help Juvia reach her back, where there was dried blood caked to her pale skin.
Juvia was acting distant with everyone, as if she was becoming more aware of her surroundings the more she forced herself to stay awake. Besides giving everyone the silent treatment, Juvia seemed to trust majority of the gang members but still refused to say anything. Once Erza got ahold of Levy through her cell phone in the locker room, while Lucy sat behind the injured racer and used gentle pressure to the bruises (if Juvia was in any sort of pain, she didn't show it whatsoever), she put her on speaker and approached the two with a small smile.
"Juvia, Levy is on the phone," the redhead woman crouched in front of her in her towel, offering the phone in between them. "She's right here, Levy."
"Ju-chan? You awake?" Levy's voice came through the other end, her voice hopeful and anxious. "Juju-chan, I'm sorry I'm not there right now, but I'm coming back in a couple hours to see you. What happened, Juju-chan?"
Her face was impassive, blinking at the phone before looking away. Lucy stiffened behind Juvia at the sudden cold shoulder, but Erza simply nodded before retracting the phone away. "Juvia doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk right now, Levy. We're cleaning her up right now, but it looks like there was very little blood during the little trouble earlier. You can tell Mira that it stopped."
"On speaker, too, Erza-chan!" Mirajane called out happily. "It's good to know you're awake, Juvia! Please stay awake until we come back so I can check up on you."
Juvia didn't respond to the medical student verbally, but there was an obvious, silent sight as she inhaled and exhaled through her nose. Erza looked to Lucy before smiling and standing up. "I'll be right back, you two. Call if you need me, I'll be right at the lockers," she said before walking off, taking the phone off speaker and bringing it to her ear. "No, don't worry about it, Levy. She appears to be responsive when we speak to her… She just doesn't want to talk about it…"
Lucy swallowed before going back to her small task in removing the dirt from Juvia's ribs. She felt nervous being left with Juvia, in all honesty, after she saw what happened to Jet's face when the two mechanic assistants woke her up. Although, as Lisanna told everyone who heard the commotion, Juvia experienced a adrenaline rush and it wasn't anything to be scared about - Gray held on to Juvia even after she was done calling for Gajeel and carried her by Cana's guide to the locker rooms. Lucy remembered Gray waiting outside the women's entrance with an impatient look on his face.
Mustering up her courage, Lucy watched Juvia reached for another rag from the small bucket and proceeded to clean her uninjured leg in silence. "I'm really glad you're awake, Juvia-chan," Lucy confessed softly to the racer. "I was really scared last night. Natsu tried so many silly tactic to make me calm down… I'm from such a sheltered life of a rich man's daughter, and here I am in a middle of a scary situation."
Juvia slowly eased in her hard scrubbing on her legs, seeming to listen to the blonde's voice. Lucy smiled a little and moved to the next spot on her back. "It's kinda stupid, but Natsu is a really nice guy whenever I start freaking out about something. Even though he's so passive about a lot of stuff I tell him, he's a caring guy."
Juvia strained to look over her shoulder to see Lucy's tinted cheeks. Lucy knew, but she couldn't help it of making small talk with her. "Like, last night, I was crying so hard when he carried me to bed because I had no idea what was going to happen to you," she said. "I knew Mira would help you, for sure, but I was really scared. I haven't cried that hard since my mom died, actually.
"Anyway, Natsu tried the basics, right? He makes these stupid faces to get me to laugh, or told me everything was going to be okay. It didn't work, so he pulls out this hoodie that was obviously too big on me and took off my top - thank God I had a bra on, but I was too freaked out to react to it - and he puts it on me and puts his scarf on me next. He said his scarf was like magic and that it will make me feel better."
Lucy looked down to her hands covered in soap. "He held me then, and then I stopped crying and hyperventilating," she snorted. "I fell asleep shortly after, but it was kinda interesting how a silly scarf and a hug could make me stop crying like that."
Looking up, Lucy peered to Juvia's face. Despite the bruise on her cheekbone and down to her chin, there was no swelling or any damage to how pretty Juvia was. Smiling, Lucy used her wrist to wipe away an invisible tear from her cheek; feeling like she was going to cry, Lucy gulped down the sob.
"I'm just really happy you're okay, Juvia-chan. Really, I was so scared for you," she said, seeing how Juvia turned around halfway on the bench they shared. "I'm not used to this - the gang life, I guess you can call it - so please forgive me for being so childish right now."
Juvia's eyes softened when the blonde shut her eyes and shuddered. Reaching with her bruised hand, Juvia rest her palm on top of the other's hands and offered a tiny squeeze. Lucy bent her head down to hide away from any upcoming tears that may slip, but she froze at the voice of Juvia talking to her in such a soft voice.
"It's a scary world, where Juvia is from," she said, her voice dry but it didn't mask the sincerity in her tone. Lucy's brown eyes shot up to stare at Juvia's neutral gaze. "But Natsu-san will protect you from things like this."
It was obvious that she was gesturing to her own body, looking to her bruised shoulder with a somewhat critical eye. "Forgive Juvia for her attitude right now, but it's the last thing Juvia wants is to scare anyone…or being asked questions."
Lucy blinked, her brows furrowing. "Juvia-chan, what happened?" she asked quietly. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want anyone to know right now, but how did you -?"
"Juvia should have known better," Juvia bit out as she closed her eyes. "Juvia had a feeling, but she wasn't expecting what happened."
"W-what?"
Juvia looked to Lucy, not really angered or sad, but somewhat empty. "Lucy-chan, do you know where Juvia's brother is?"
In response, Lucy exhaled sadly and looked down to their hands. She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Juvia-chan. I wish I knew where he is. I wish I did…"
Juvia's other hand came up and gently rest on top of Lucy's damp hair, as if offering an affectionate stroke in acceptance before she removed herself entirely from the blonde. Lucy accepted it when Juvia scooted a bit away and reached down slowly to the water-filled bucket, dumping it over her head to rinse off the soap from her skin and ring out her long hair. Overcoming with the feeling of uselessness, Lucy shut her eyes tightly as Juvia pushed herself to finish up her bathing and reached for the fresh wraps for her leg and arm.
"Lucy-chan."
Lucy sniffed as she looked up to see Juvia offering her a friendly smile, making her freeze at the sight.
"Natsu-san doesn't take his scarf off for anyone, so it means that you're very important to him," Juvia said sweetly, making Lucy's heart clench at her words. "If anything, no matter where you came from, Lucy-chan, you're already becoming a strong woman. Juvia is proud of you."
Lucy exhaled a dry sob as she nodded, accepting Juvia's words as she sat up straight in her towel and composed herself properly. By the time Erza returned into the showering station, Lucy was helping Juvia dress in a large button-up pajama shirt and matching shorts Cana offered in trade of Levy's ruined robe to clean up.
Juvia returned to her quiet behavior as she sat obediently on the bench as the other two women dressed and called for Gray to come in and take her out (thankfully Erza didn't ask Juvia any questions about her condition, and Juvia verbally thanked them for their help). The dark haired man was quick to enter and carefully lift the injured woman back up into his arms and silently left the room and disappeared with Juvia somewhere Lucy didn't know.
Coming out of the locker room all dressed and spacey, Lucy was surprised to see Natsu waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Erza left before her, understanding that Lucy needed a moment to herself before coming out; really, Lucy didn't think that the pink haired man would wait patiently and quietly for her to come out, a smile perking on his cheeky face when he saw her looking at him. Kicking himself off the wall, Natsu met her halfway and tilt his head to her and examined her face.
"How'd it go?" he asked her in a easy voice, making Lucy blink a few times to come back to reality.
Lucy just nodded slowly, taking another step forward until her face pressed against his chest, her arms coming around his waist as she hugged him. Burying her face deeper into his chest, Lucy exhaled and just soaked in as much of his warmth as she could. She felt his own arms curling around her and bringing her even closer to him.
"You okay, Luce?" Natsu asked her, a bit hesitant by her behavior.
"Uh-huh," Lucy nodded again and sighed. "I'm okay."
"You sure? If you're not feeling well, we can just go back to the apartment," he offered. "It's not a problem if you feel like you wanna go back."
"No, I'm okay," Lucy said, a small smile on her lips as she looked up to see his semi-worried face looking at her. Resting her chin against his chest, her smile grew a bit bigger as she remembered what Juvia told her. "I wanna practice my punching, Natsu!"
"You wanna go to the gym?" Natsu's face twisted in absolute confusion by her idea.
"Yeah, why not," she chirped with a grin. "I wanna be able to kick some ass the next time I have to deal with some loser."
"Uh...sure, I guess we can for a little bit. Lisanna said that there is still time until dinner, so we shouldn't overwork too much. Gray's probably not going to join, so that means more for me!" Natsu smirked darkly at his own imagination of getting so much food, Lucy guessed.
Smiling, Lucy got on her toes and pressed a light kiss to the corner of Natsu's mouth. She didn't miss the way he blinked with total confusion and looked at her, her smile not leaving her face as she grabbed his hand with both of her own and started pulling him down the pathway to the elevator.
"Whatever, you nerd," Lucy rolled her eyes. "Just make sure you pay attention so I don't accidentally hit you."
Natsu blinked as he was being pulled, a half-grin stretching on his face as he snorted stubbornly at her claim. "C'mon, Luce. I got a rock-hard body, it's gonna take more than your practice punches to get me writhing in pain."
"We'll see about that. Cana taught me a thing or two about making guys like you fall over in pain."
"Wait, what?"
.
.
.
=xxx=
AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Did you know whatever foods are mentioned in any of my written works are the foods I'm craving at that moment? I really love food.
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