Disclaimer - Between the first and second horizontal lines there is Lemon. So, if you're just here for the plot, feel free to skip
Makarov walked back into his makeshift office to see Bacchus talking animatedly on the communications lacrima, feet crossed and resting on the desk, while Cana sat in the other chair furiously writing down notes. Another wave of sadness washed over him. Here was one of his children busily working even though she had been through so much while a wizard from another guild entirely was burdened with the job he should be doing.
"And I'm telling you, he is spending time with his family. Now, you can either talk to me or you can sit on your fucking arses until he's finished."
Makarov sighed. He was always worried when one of his children brought a member of another guild into their family, and that panic increased tenfold when he found out that Cana had chosen Bacchus Groh, of all people. But now Makarov listened to him arguing with the council on his behalf, and a smile broke across his face for the first time since he had been pulled from his meeting with the 10 Wizard Saints. He moved over to the other mage and signalled for him to pass over the phone.
"Thank you, Bacchus. I can talk to them now. You and Cana go and get some rest, you deserve it."
Bacchus stood from the chair and passed the lacrima over to the guild master, who jumped up to the desk and prepared to take notes on what the council had to say. Cana stretched up, moaning as both of her shoulders popped, before joining Bacchus at the door. With one last look at the master before she left the room she closed the door to the office behind them and stepped out into the hospital corridor. She knew that if she turned right she could head out of the building and across to the Intensive Care Unit, whereas to the left lay all the other members of her guild. Choosing the right path, she grabbed a hold of Bacchus' arm as she walked along the long corridor. If her memory served her correctly, there should be…
With one hand still grasped onto Bacchus' wrist she tried the door, breathing a sigh of relief when it opened. It was dark inside, but she scrambled around in her bag to pull out the correct card. Activating it so it threw out all the light they would need she tossed it onto one of the shelves in the cupboard, her bag following shortly after. The room was small, but it would do. She ignored the confusion on Bacchus' face as she checked that no one was looking, before pulling him into the cupboard and slamming the door shut behind him. His back hit the door seconds later, and not a moment passed before her mouth crashed into his. He froze in surprise as his mouth moved by instinct alone, and it wasn't until he felt Cana's cold hands fumbling with his belt that he came to his senses. He grabbed her hands in his, forcing them to stop and hold still so he could think clearly.
"Cana?"
His voice was louder than he was anticipating in the small enclosed space that he guessed was a broom cupboard. Cana's eyes looked up at him, shimmering purple in the light, and she pouted as she spoke.
"What, Bacchus?"
Her tone was annoyed and clipped and she struggled against his grasp, but Bacchus' magic was in his hands and she didn't have a chance of winning. She tried kissing him again but he pulled away, making the most of the few inches of height he had on her.
"What are you doing, sweetheart?"
Cana moaned, pressing her chest up against his. He clenched his teeth as her breasts rubbed against his bare skin and cursed at his crotch for reacting so strongly.
"I'm tired of the sadness, I'm tired of being fucking useless. I need to do something I'm good at, and I need the release."
Bacchus forced her hands behind her back, wrapping his own arms around her waist. He dropped his head down to her shoulder, revelling in the softness of her hair and the slight scent of sweat that covered her. His lips moved against her skin as he spoke, but for once she didn't giggle at the sensation. Something had to be seriously wrong for her not to be ticklish.
"Babe, you're not useless. You've been brilliant, so much better than anyone would have…"
Her skin was torn away from his and he looked up to see her face twisted in anger. He hadn't been with her for long, but he knew that she didn't like it when she didn't get her own way.
"Are you going to keep arguing? Because I can go and find someone el…"
Her sentence trailed off as Bacchus spun them both around, and before she knew what was happening she was crushed between the hard wood of the door and the solid mass that was his body. His mouth was back on hers, kissing her deeply and desperately and something in the back of her head told her that he needed it as much as she did. Her hands roamed over his back as his fingers made short work of the clasp at the front of her trousers and they hit the floor along with her underwear seconds later. His trousers followed soon after, and before she knew it his hands were on her thighs, pulling them around his waist as he entered her.
Their moans were muffled by each other's mouths as Bacchus started to move inside of her. He picked up a fast rhythm, and Cana was left clasping onto his shoulders for support. His movements were frantic, and his mouth devoured hers as if he needed her for survival. Their fucking sessions had never been particularly gentle, but this was hurried and urgent and exactly what she needed. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she came, and she felt the grunt escape into her mouth as he followed soon after. It hadn't been romantic, and it hadn't been the best sex she had ever had, but it was exactly the thing to make her better. He pulled out of her, dropping her to the floor before fastening his trousers back up. Cana's knees were weak, but she managed to pull her trousers back up over her hips before leaning back against the door. Bacchus propped himself up on his arm over the top of her head, and kissed her hair.
"You feeling better now, babe?"
Cana nodded, pulling him closer by his waist and this time just enjoying the warmth of his skin on hers.
"Thank you. For understanding."
He didn't reply, simply winding his spare arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. He felt her breath dance across her skin as she sighed, and closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling as completely as he could. He didn't know how long they both stood there, purely enjoying each other's company until it was interrupted by a deafening scream from somewhere outside their sanctuary. Bacchus pulled away, smiling down at his woman as he did.
"No rest for the wicked, eh babe?"
The noises of the hospital around him got slowly more deafening as Cobra started to regain consciousness. He tried to bury his head further down in the hard pillow he had been provided with, but it was useless. He may as well had been resting his head on a brick for all of the comfort it was providing him. As soon as the noises were drowning out his own thoughts, he yanked his heavy hands up to his ears, only to be greeted by a blaring siren that chased away the last of his sleep. His eye shot open, and he looked around frantically for a way, any way, to make that incessant noise stop.
He could see wires hanging off his bed, and knew that it had set off an alarm in whatever machine they had been connected to. He looked down at the last two wires that were the only thing between him and sanity and ripped them off his skin. He ignored the pain that shot up his arms, it was nothing compared to the pounding in his head anyway and clasped his hands over his ears as he stumbled out of the bed in search of silence. He vaguely sensed the other Dragon Slayers in the room as his shoulder barged into door. Despite the sound of the alarm fading slightly the noise of the rest of the hospital flowed into his ears, and he struggled to pinpoint just where was the quietest. The smell of fresh air entered his nose from somewhere to the right, and he forced his still painful legs to move one in front of the other to reach the outside. If he got outside, he could get away from the hospital and away from the noise that was currently assaulting his ears.
His shoulder connected with the door to the outside, and when it slammed closed he enjoyed the brief respite it gave him. He removed his hands from his ears, testing which direction to go into which would be the most useful to him. He strained his hearing for the closest gap in noise he could hear and headed in that direction. As he walked past the open window of one of the rooms, a scent he had never expected to smell here wafted into his nose. He had just enough time to curse before all control was ripped from him.
He heard the shattering of the glass as what he assumed was his own hand shot through the window to the side of him. He could see he had entered Dragon Force without his knowledge, something that had happened many times before, but all he really cared about was getting to Kinana and making sure she was safe.
As soon as his hand made contact with the glass he could see a wall of iron spring up between him and the beds on the other side, the glass from the window clinking off it and falling to the floor. A growl erupted from his throat, and before he knew what was happening he had climbed through the window, his shoulder connecting with the metal on the other side. It didn't budge and he stepped back in order to take a run up to the barrier again. When it still didn't even dent he placed his palms to the cold of the metal and allowed his poison to seep out of his hands and along the smooth surface. It wasn't long until he picked up the sizzle as the iron eroded away underneath his fingers. He could hear periodic growling from the other side and it made every hair on his body stand on end, but he continued his work on the wall until he had made a hole big enough to clamber through. He landed on the other side, standing up to his full height before he saw the next obstacle in front of him.
Gajeel was stood blocking his path, arms crossed in front of him while his skin covered in iron and shadows whipped around him. A growl came from deep within his throat and Cobra replied with one of his own. The poison Dragon Slayer pulled his arm back, fist clenched tightly before he powered it forward towards the other man's face. Before it could connect it was caught firmly in Gajeel's hand, and both men growled, each sizing the other up without speaking. Cobra narrowed his eye, staring into the bright white of Gajeel's. He could no longer hear the steady breathing of the girl he had came here for under the growls that filled his ears, and he relaxed his arm down to his side. He took a step forward, but the other man refused to let him pass. Cobra wasn't used to begging, but when it came to her…
"Please. I just… I need to see Kinana. I won't touch Levy. I don't know why, but I need to make sure she's okay."
Gajeel stared at the man opposite him, the Dragon inside of him sensing his. He had felt the Dragon rise when the other man was outside the window of the hospital room and had managed to throw up a barrier in time when he realised he was planning on breaking through the goddamn window. Now he could sense the Dragon in front of him shrinking away, starting to ask for his permission to pass. Cobra's Dragon was submitting to him like a hatchling did around much older individuals in the nest. His own Dragon felt the immediate danger subsiding and smirked. Gajeel stepped to the side, allowing the other man through before returning to his post at the side of Levy's bed.
Cobra made his way over to the bed, able to fully hear her heartbeat now the growling had died down. There was still beeping coming from the many machines in the room, but all of his senses had zeroed in on the girl in front of him. Her thoughts were all over the place, tiny snippets of noise that told her she was deep in a dream. At least she was happy. His eye glanced over her skin that was exposed and he recognised the marks that littered the surface. He had seen them many times before, they were poison burns. The ones that occurred after his victims had been burned by his acid. This was his magic, his power that they used to hurt her. All of the adrenaline drained from his system and was replaced with utter despair. He fell to his knees at the side of the bed as his ears were filled with the scream that unintentionally left his mouth.
A/N - Many thanks to everyone for their reviews and comments on the last couple of chapters, and thanks once again to the wonderful amazing Gajeelswoman for sarcastically pointing out that Bacchus does not have a button on his trousers.Also a huge shout out to Kmmcm for sending me some beautiful covers for both this and Soul Squared, I'm absolutely in love with them. Go check her out on Tumblr for some incredible art!
