A/N: Huzzah! New chapter!

I don't own Fairy Tail!

Please enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Good Doctor Is In

April 3, X792

The trip to bring Gordon back to the guild was an awkward one. Ace was silently glad Cordelia had made him come with her. He was certain that the pair never would have made it back to the guild otherwise. When they managed to find him, it took way too long to convince him to get in the boat with Cordelia. Then after about five minutes of him being in the boat, he and Cordelia started arguing which led to a physical fight which led to the pair falling into the water. Once Ace had gotten them both in the boat again, he forced them to sit on either side of him, facing away from each other so they wouldn't be tempted to start in on each other again. He was ready to smack them with an oar if either of them started arguing again.

Ace let out a sigh of relief as they came to the guild, making their way towards the long side ship that was used as a training area. It also held a number of the smaller boat used to take on missions, the rope to pull themselves back up still waiting for them.

Once Ace and Cordelia had prepped the ropes to pull them back up, it was time to pull.

"Oi! Gordon, we could use your help here!" Cordelia snapped.

"You threw me off the ship, you can get me back on."

Her eye twitched at his response, "Your fat butt is making that a bit hard."

"What I'm hearing is you admitting you're not strong enough to do something simple like this," Gordon said, his back still facing her, "Might as well give me the guild master title back."

Cordelia stomped over to the man and slamming a fist across the back of his head.

"Ow, you bitch!"

He stood, making the boat shake. Ace was stuck on the other side of the boat unless they wanted the entire thing to capsize. And while Gordon stood much taller than herself, Cordelia stared him down as if she were the one towering over him.

"Grab the damn rope and start pulling, otherwise I'm leaving your ass down here," she said through clenched teeth.

"And get in trouble with your old man? Not fucking likely."

"I can deal with my dad being miffed at me for a night. Can you deal with holding onto the side of the ship for a night?"

The pair stared each other down before Gordon rolled his shoulders, huffed, and grabbed the ropes.

"Tch, that's what I thought," she mumbled before walking back over to Ace to help him pull.

"You could have just asked nicely," Ace said quietly.

Cordelia rolled her eyes at him, "You really think that would have worked?"

Ace thought about it for a moment, but any scenario he came up with, someone got punched in the end. He decided to let the subject drop after that, instead focusing on helping to pull them all back up on deck.

As soon as the boat was in place and locked in, Gordon was the first out of the boat, not wanting to stick around the woman who had humiliated him for the day.

"Gordon!"

He clenched his teeth to the point where they felt like they were about to break when he heard Cordelia's voice again, "What?"

"You should go see Jack."

That was all she said as she walked off with Ace following her, but she hadn't missed the dark bruise that was starting to form at Gordon's ribs. He had probably broken a couple after taking a hit from her howitzer and Tsar Canon.

It was Gordon's turn to twitch in annoyance. He wasn't used to Cordelia being…nice, and he had hoped that no one would notice the bruise appearing on his torso. He let out a heavy sigh, the action causing him pain though. He ran a hand through his black hair, wanting to try to fix it a little as it had been tossed out of place from the fight and landing in the water…twice. Though, it didn't do much as a few pieces hung out of place. He sighed again, momentarily forgetting that it would hurt him to do so, before deciding that Cordelia was right, and he should go see Jack. He made a face at the last thought, hating the way it felt to admit that Cordelia was right.

He had to make his way to the other side of the guild, the infirmary being on the opposite training ship. He refused to hold a hand to his ribs, not wanting to be seen as weak, but he wore a heavy scowl to keep anyone from approaching him to ask him about the bruise. Everyone moved out of his way as he made his way across the middle vessel and down to the infirmary.

Gordon didn't bother knocking upon entering the infirmary, knowing the place quite well for several reasons. As soon as he walked in, there was a young blonde woman attending to a sick sailor in the back, but her head popped up and she smiled at him with cheerful green eyes. Unlike Cordelia, this woman did tower over Gordon and just about everyone else on the guild at 7'3". Gordon had simply become used to the unusual height and paid it no mind. He gave her a curt nod when she waved at him before she turned back to her patient.

"Hölle."

Gordon looked towards a seat in the front of the infirmary when he heard the low grumbling in another language. Though, he easily understood the language as he had been learning it from the man who had spoke it from a young age.

"Sie können nicht einmal richtig bürsten!"

The man grumbled louder this time as he pulled hard, yanking out a tooth in the process. His patient yelped as the tooth came out, the doctor dropping the rotted tooth into a silver dish before handing his patient a cup of water.

"Rinse and spit, don't swallow!" he said as he handed him another, empty cup.

"Telling them they don't brush properly in another language won't help them actually do it, doc," Gordon said.

"I tell half these people that very thing all the time and it hasn't worked so far. Perhaps yelling at them in another language will do the trick."

Gordon watched as the patient rolled his eyes before spitting into the cup, "Not likely."

The doctor turned in his chair to fully look at Gordon, showing off radiant gold eyes. Though, under those eyes were bags that he had gained throughout his tiring and seemingly never-ending work. Hanging from a pocket of the white lab coat he wore was a tag that said, 'Hi, I'm Jack'.

"So, what are you doing here?" Jack asked as he turned back to his patient, beginning to stuff gauze into his mouth.

"Can't I stop by to say hi?"

Jack looked up at the metal mage without stopping his work, giving him a flat stare, "No."

Gordon rolled his eyes before motioning to his chest, showing off the large bruise that had spread across his skin.

Jack's eyes roamed over the bruising, but no surprise or shock crossed his face, "I figured as much would happen."

"You watched the fight?"

"Of course, I watched the fight. You were being an idiot when you thought you could stop that last cannonball, even with that metal skin of yours."

"I don't need a shitty attitude from you too."

"I'm just stating the obvious, my dear boy," Jack said with a sigh before he finished up with his patient. He waved the man from his chair, and as he was walking out, shouted after him, "And remember to brush your damn teeth!" He then looked back at Gordon, motioning for him to take a seat at clean bed, "You let your anger take over during the fight…again."

"You think I don't fucking know that?!"

"Now who has an attitude," he said with a roll of his eyes, "Lay back while I take a look."

Gordon did as he was told, Jack quickly analyzing his torso, gently pushing down on it a few times and causing Gordon to let out a hiss of pain.

"Yes, just as I thought, you have two broken ribs."

Gordon let out an annoyed groan.

"You're lucky it wasn't any worse than that," he said with a frown before turning to the blonde in the infirmary with him, "Zhuue, please get me a bottle of the extra strength painkillers."

"Pain killers? That's it?"

"Unfortunately, there's not much to do for broken ribs aside from letting them heal on their own. And before you ask," he said, seeing Gordon's mouth open to retort, "No, I don't have any potion or secret medication I can give…at least not any that I'm willing to waste on a couple of broken ribs. You're lucky you're getting the pain killers as they will help you heal a bit faster than normal ones. Ice your ribs as well, it will help, but no binding them and no fighting. If you want them to heal faster, you'll relax for a few days at the very least. Understand?"

Zhuue showed up next to Jack then, a white bottle in her hand full of the painkillers. She smiled widely at Gordon as Jack took the bottle and wrote a few things on the label. Gordon normally didn't focus on her neck as it was usually covered by a long violet scarf, but the scarf had inched down low enough to show off the part of the massive scar that covered her throat.

Before Gordon could question what he was doing, he reached out to lift the scarf back into place, knowing how the woman felt about people seeing the scar. He knew that feeling all too well. It had taken him time to accept the scar on his back.

Zhuue looked embarrassed for a moment, rubbing the back of her head before signing a 'thank you' to him.

Gordon quickly signed back 'you're welcome' before waving her off. He couldn't let anyone walk in and see him being…nice. He then turned his attention back on Jack to give him more of a hard time about the whole rib situation, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the doctor easily shut him up again by shoving a blue sucker in his mouth.

"Your visit is finished," Jack began with a smile that Gordon knew was anything but warm, "The sucker is for being such a good patient. Just follow the instructions on the bottle and remember to use ice as well and you'll be good as new in no time."

Gordon rolled his eyes, taking out the sucker but not throwing it away, "Yeah, whatever, doc. Thanks for your help, I guess."

Jack took that as a compliment, considering who it was coming from. The doctor then turned back to the last patient in the room Zhuue had been tending to as Gordon made his way out of the infirmary, the metal mage heading out to find ice and a quiet place to lie down.

. : + : .

Cordelia made her way to the large middle vessel, Ace separating from her when they reached it. She smiled and waved and nodded to people in thanks as they congratulated her on her victory. She sighed in relief as she made it behind a curtained off area that acted as a small, cozy restaurant. No one in particular ran the place. Mostly, it was whoever volunteered to work it. There were some days that the place wasn't even running, but the few people dotted around at tables eating and drinking indicated that someone was cooking today.

"Delia!"

Cordelia smiled when she heard a woman's voice call out to her. She knew exactly who it was before she even felt the thump of their body against her back, "Zi!" she replied, letting out a laugh as her best friend hugged her from behind.

"You did it! Just like I knew you would!" Zinnia said as she let Cordelia go and guided them towards two seats that were open at the bar, "And that new cannon! Wow!"

"I know, right? With my firepower and your defenses, we'll be unstoppable now!"

The two women threw their arms across the other's shoulder in celebration. As they celebrated, the door that led back to the kitchen was kicked open and a rather large man stepped through it. His thick, muscled arms easily carried two trays of food towards a table, a wide and proud smile across his face as he set the dishes down in front of his customers. As he turned back around, his now free hands showed off black and gray tattoos of demon wings going up his arms.

"I thought I smelled your cooking, Zain!" Cordelia said as the man moved behind the bar.

"I'm flattered, sweetheart. You just became guild master and the first thing you do is come eat my food."

"Of course! Your food is the best!"

"She's right!" Zinnia beamed, "If she made me wait any longer, I would have ordered without her."

"Yeah, I guess I am pretty good in the kitchen," he said as he slid a couple of beers towards the two women, "Those are on the house."

"Hell yeah!" Zinnia said before she clinked her glass against Cordelia's.

"So, what'll you two have?"

Cordelia set down her beer first, "Whatever special you're making today."

"Easy enough, I'll be back soon then."

Zain left the two women alone, disappearing back into the kitchen. The two women continued to chat excitedly and drinking their beers while they waited.

"You seem awfully cheery for someone who just took over a guild that was being run into the ground by a fucking metalhead."

The pair stopped their conversation to look across the bar. Sitting on one of the stools and drinking his own beer was a blonde with a grumpy face. That same face was marred by two thick and deep scars, one going down the right side of his face and the other down his left cheek and jaw. Several other deep scars covered the skin of his arms and chest, the man seeming to have no issue showing them off with the white tank top he wore. Though, the most striking thing about this man was the light pink color of his eyes.

"Always so charming, Wyot," Zinnia said, her smile never breaking.

"You fucking know it. People line up outside my door to be charmed by me. It's a goddamned lucrative side business," he said with a cocky grin, "But that's also none of your business, you fucking smiling sprite."

Zinnia only shrugged, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"The guild isn't being run into the ground," Cordelia interrupted them.

"We can only hope not anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"You damn well know what I'm talking about. That dipshit, Gordon, didn't know what the fuck he was doing. Check out the books and the vault if you don't believe me. It's no skin off my back if you don't, but you sure as shit better do a better fucking job than that twat. I didn't become S-Class to take orders from a fucking idiot."

Cordelia had her suspicions about Gordon as guild master and the finances of the guild. It was why she decided that it was finally time for her to go for the guild master position. She didn't have any hard evidence against Gordon yet, but it seemed that she wasn't the only one that was questioning the metal mage's choices.

Before she could question the blonde further, two large bowls were slammed down in front of her and Zinnia. She looked down to see a steaming bowl of ramen filled with corn, mushrooms, green onions, fishcakes, eggs and the biggest pieces of tempura shrimp Cordelia had seen in a long while.

"Holy crap! These shrimps are huge!" Zinnia said before digging in.

"The closer we get to Caelum, the bigger the shrimp get. Enjoy!"

Cordelia nodded a thank to him as she, too, began to eat, but Zain could see that something was bothering her.

"Oi, the big grump over here didn't say something stupid to you, did he?"

"The fuck?!"

"I wasn't talking to you, was I?" Zain said, his golden eyes landing on the blonde. He smirked when Wyot glared at him, "It's hard to be intimidated by someone with cotton candy puffs for eyes."

"Fuck you! You can just go fucking throw yourself off the guild right now!"

"You're such a charmer," Zain said, earning two birds from Wyot.

"That's what I said!" Zinnia said in between bites, giving the golden-eyed man a high-five.

"You're just fucking lucky that your food is so damn good."

"Sure, that's why you're here," Zain said with a wink, earning another bird before Wyot turned back to his own food. Zain's focus then moved back to Cordelia, "Now then, sweetheart, what's the problem?"

"I'm worried about the finances of the guild. We all had our suspicions as S-Class," she said, looking up at the man behind the bar.

He nodded in agreement, "True, but you can't really change much right now, yeah? So just enjoy your food for now and take care of that issue later. I don't like people eating my food with a frown."

Cordelia weighed her options before deciding he was right. It's not like she could suddenly change the last three years and whatever she was going to face when she went into the guild master's office, now her office, was still going to be there after she ate.

"Thanks, Zain!"

"Anytime," he said, smiling as she dug into the food, "So then, any plans for who will be taking your spot and joining us as S-Class?"

"Yeah, it better be someone fucking competent!" Wyot said, though he was quickly shut down when Zain threw a bar towel in his face, "You fucking asshole!"

"Please, not another vulgar flamingo reject."

Cordelia looked up at the two men with a bright smile, "That'll be up to the mages of the guild. It's gonna be a battle royale!"

A/N: And there we are! I hope you enjoyed it!

Credits

Jack Stahl – Benthino

Zhuue Krytek – Benthino

Zinnia Jenkins – MyDearWatson

Zain Oriax – XLil MEkoX

Wyot Boone – MyDearWatson

I really had a lot of fun with this chapter! Jack was just so great with this reboot! And I used google translate for his German, so hopefully that's right, so yes, it is German that he's speaking. Also yes, Wyot has a horrible potty mouth, lol! But that's just who he is.

I have also closed the OC spots for now. Thanks to everyone who sent in a character! They have all been great and wonderful! You can always join the discord as well, just ask me for the invite, as announcements will be made there for future OC spots.

I'd like to thank everyone for favoriting, following and reviewing this story! I really appreciate it! So, a big thank you to Momochan77, Dreadburner94, Benthino, XLil MEkoX, mrady, AkumaXHwaorang, Derekjay2000, Grimnack, Hawk725, Kaizer1008, SmilingPrince, gold crown dragon and cyrilalbar06 for the wonderful reviews!

Also, a big thank you to the discord server as well! Y'all are super awesome with all the ideas and motivation and everything!

I did a quick once over the chapter, so I may have missed some things. I will read over it again in the morning in case I need to fix any spelling or whatnot.

I don't have much else for now.

So, see you all next chapter!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson