Chapter 26

Gajeel only stayed in the guild's infirmary for a couple days before Laxus insisted he take care of him at his own place. It was difficult, explaining to Makarov just why he wanted Gajeel to himself so badly, especially with him hovering over the smaller dragon slayer the entire two days. With Gajeel healing just fine there was no real reason he needed to leave the guild, but Laxus was able to bring up the fact that the guild was loud; Team Natsu constantly barged in to check on the man and disturbed his peace, the guild's rowdiness would often keep him awake, and after everything he'd been through Laxus figured Gajeel could used some actual quiet.

Makarov had questions, but he didn't ask. He waved them off, and Laxus quickly escorted Gajeel back to his home. He offered Pantherlily to stay with them, as he was Gajeel's partner, but the exceed shook his head, grinning at the blond. "Don't put me in between you two," he said, "Besides, I'm sure Gajeel would like to spend some quality time with you."

And so there they were, just the two of them once again.

It wasn't as peaceful as Gajeel would have liked, however. He was mentally and physically drained. He could barely move without pain, and speaking was difficult, so most of the time he stayed silent. Gajeel's bandages covered a lot of his body, and they caused a bit of discomfort, even when lying down. The mighty dragon slayer was completely bedridden, so he needed to treat him like royalty for a little while.

"You awake?" Laxus asked, knocking on his own bedroom door. After receiving a grunt in response, Laxus slowly opened the door and looked at his boyfriend, whose eyes were tightly shut. "You're in pain."

"Mmm."

"Did you want a bath now?"

"...Mhm."

Gently, Laxus lowers himself and wraps his arms behind Gajeel's back. One would probably think this was tedious, spending every day for an entire week bathing someone else while you're also walking back and forth making them dinner that you then feed them yourself. If it were anyone else, Laxus would have turned down the job, and he even dreaded the day he may have to do this for his own grandfather. Gajeel was very different. It could have been the recent trauma, feeling starved of Gajeel's full embrace, but Laxus truly appreciated every minute.

The water was warm and soothing, and as Gajeel was slowly lowered into the bathtub he could feel the aches in his body fade to a degree. He lulled his head into Laxus' arms as the larger man helped wash him up, carefully avoiding his wounds and the covered bandages. Eventually, pouring warm water over his body. Gajeel was falling asleep again.

"Hey," Laxus chuckled, "I have to check your food, okay?"

Letting Gajeel relax and soak was fine, he knew, but Laxus never liked leaving him alone. He needs some space, Laxus thought. The lightning dragon couldn't keep hovering so much, and he knew how independent Gajeel usually was. Still he often feared the worst about the other, but he could only chalk it up to stress for now.

He was never the best cook. Most of the recipes he learned were from Freed, Mirajane, or, eventually, Gajeel. The first night Laxus had brought him home, Porlyusica showed up unexpectedly. The moment Gajeel had been put to bed and Laxus descended the stairs to face the woman, she scolded him greatly. Despite it all, instead of telling him to return Gajeel to the guild immediately, she left Laxus with medicine and fresh bandages, instructing him to feed Gajeel only "soft foods" for the time being. Laxus felt like she read him like a book, but he only nodded and thanked her. Soup was remarkably easy to make, after all.

By the second night Laxus was able to figure out a schedule. He would rise very early to prepare breakfast; unfortunately for Gajeel, breakfast would be oatmeal, or applesauce for a while until his jaw healed well enough to chew without major discomfort. Gajeel would rest and for lunch and dinner, Laxus would just heat up leftover soup. There was a tinge of guilt in him not knowing any other recipes he could make for him, but Gajeel didn't complain. He would spend the rest of the time doing chores and letting Gajeel rest. He'd always offer to run the iron dragon slayer a bath or give him a massage in the evenings. Tender as it felt, there really wasn't a moment where Laxus wasn't doing anything.

"Your food's ready," he said, stretching as he came up the stairs, speaking to his boyfriend from the hallway, "I'll take you out in a second."

"Mmm.."

Gajeel felt bad.

The entire week he'd been there he wanted to do something on his own. Actually, in all honesty, Gajeel wanted to do absolutely nothing. The mage was exhausted. He didn't want to even think about going to the guild after Spirit Park. Still, watching Laxus treat him like a prince while he stayed completely bedridden left him feeling useless, and the guilt was getting to him.

He'd simply want to get up to snack on something in the middle of the night on his own, so as to not disturb his sleeping partner, but just bending his legs ever so slightly caused great pain, and Gajeel would make just enough noise to wake the other dragon slayer anyway. He could have sworn the lightning mage was a heavy sleeper just weeks ago, or, maybe the pain was just that bad, and Gajeel was louder than he'd realized.

Pantherlily would come by occasionally. He'd bring some iron for Gajeel to eat. The dragon slayer couldn't chew well, but he certainly wouldn't wait until he could, and sucked on them like lollipops, grateful he wouldn't have to eat Laxus' utensils. He'd ask about how Gajeel was doing, help out around the house and head back home at the end of the day. Laxus was surprised he never spent the night. The two never did anything, and the exceed was welcome to stay with them, but he shrugged it off, knowing Lily wanted them to have privacy. (He did want privacy with Gajeel after all.)

The Raijinshuu came over quite often as well. The iron dragon slayer always felt a bit embarrassed when they dropped by, being seen in Laxus' room, often wearing Laxus' clothes...but they didn't say anything about it. Instead, Freed would scold Laxus for every little thing around the house in disarray, while Bickslow and Evergreen bothered Gajeel gossiping about the guild. Most of the time Gajeel didn't respond by speaking, but he was at least attentive. By this time he was able to sit up, eat foods that were a little chewy and move his arms on his own, but Gajeel still preferred lying on his back and eating soup all day, as he found it...easier.

Speaking hurt less, as did moving and even standing-it still hurt, but much less considerably-but Gajeel found himself still preferring avoiding these things. He wasn't sure if he was being lazy, or if he was still drained and burnt out, and he considered perhaps he appreciated these luxuries a little too much. Regardless of whatever it was, Laxus never pushed him. Gajeel almost wished he did. He wished someone or something

His eye twitched. He tightened his grip on the bed sheets, holding his breath as his eyes shot open. Gajeel's body was aching again but he desperately wanted to keep quiet. He couldn't stop fucking shaking, though. Gajeel swore so quietly when Laxus stirred, turning towards him.

"Gajeel?"

Laxus stared at him for a brief second. He could see him clearly as the lamp was left on; Gajeel had tears running down his face, and his grip on the sheets were tight. He gasped for breath, hyperventilating and Laxus sat up to lean in closer to the other.

"H-hey, Gajeel," He called his name again, sleepily, gently grasping a hand around Gajeel's. "You're having a nightmare again, Gajeel...It's alright."

Gajeel could hear Laxus speaking into his ear, and he could feel the gentle hand on his own as he loosened the grip on the bed sheets. What was he talking about?

"I...C-Cadaver's…"

"He's not here."

They were staring into each other's eyes. Gajeel's parted lips had shut, and Laxus left a kiss on his chin. "He's gone, Gajeel," Laxus continues, "and you're at home. You're safe."

Laxus laid back down, still facing the other, but shutting his eyes to go back to sleep. Gajeel stared at the ceiling, coming back to reality as his nightmare ended and Cadaver left his head again. He felt a numbness taking over-he figured he was falling back to sleep, but he didn't want to. He feared his nightmares. He feared waking up back in Cadaver's catacombs as if he'd never been rescued, but Gajeel didn't want to tell Laxus that.

Gildarts came to visit once more before he left Magnolia. It was a surprise to the both of them that he was still there, but the man claimed to be "getting acquainted with his daughter's new girlfriend." Laxus noted that that was a lousy excuse, and that it had been four weeks, an odd length of time for Gildarts to stay in town, but he quickly changed the subject to Gajeel.

He was on the couch, still in bandages, but much less now. He was dressed in Laxus' spare clothes, staring at the floor, sheepishly.

"He's better." Laxus answers for the other, turning a heel towards Gajeel and slowly kneeling to his height, "I think it's been...tough...but he's better."

"Good, good," Gildarts nods. He leans on the end table beside the couch "Hasn't been giving you a hard time, Gajeel?" He chuckles.

Gajeel gives a slight smile and shakes his head. He watches them talk for a moment, but he's not paying attention to what they're saying. Gajeel barely knew him. He knew he was a dear friend to the guild, Laxus especially, and that he was Cana's dad. Eventually, Gildarts would leave, but not before rubbing Gajeel's head, smiling at him and wishing him well. He solemnly watched Laxus walk him out the door, knowing it'd be a long time before they'd all see him again.

When he was able to eat more, Mirajane came over with food. Good stuff. He would have a field day when she came over, as much as he actually liked soup he absolutely missed Mirajane's cooking and appreciated that he didn't have to pay a cent for any of it this time. Sometimes Mira would show up with the Raijinshuu, and Freed would insist on teaching Laxus some recipes, which lead to a full day of learning to cook and a messy kitchen.

Despite all of this hope, Gajeel would often relapse back to eating either nothing or the bare minimum. He would still refuse to see the guild, even the thought of leaving the house miffed the dragon slayer, so Laxus rarely brought up a simple walk.

Juvia had come over that day. She'd bought some gifts for the two; a basket of buns and various other snacks she'd made.

"Juvia made food for the guild, she did not want Gajeel-kun and Laxus-san to miss out," She said, smiling at them gently.

Juvia had been the best help, on par with Pantherlily. She'd call and come over frequently to check on her friend. She'd help with chores and groceries when Laxus was busy tending to Gajeel, and she understood Gajeel's needs better than anyone. Of course, sometimes Cana would with her, and she would only tease and annoy Laxus all day, but blocking out Cana's ramblings to watch Gajeel's long hair be gently brushed by Juvia was somewhat calming, albeit, it made him somewhat jealous that it wasn't him in the water mage's place.

After two months of Gajeel being in Laxus' care, Juvia noticed his changes. He was quite timid; at first she'd considered the lack of being around his rowdy guild mates, but Gajeel was much too weak, it simply wasn't the time. Still, it was unusual of him to be so silent and bashful towards her. It was unusual of him to not want to eat, or leave the house. Gajeel hid himself away again in Laxus' room, while Juvia, Pantherlily and Laxus met in the living room that evening.

"Gajeel-kun's habits are irregular," Juvia pointed out, speaking in a hushed tone, "He looks very tired often, Juvia can see it."

"'m sure the others can see it…" Laxus mumbled, slumped into his chair, arms laid on the rests. He tilted his head to the side as he eyed the other mage. Laxus was also very exhausted, only in a different sense. "He's...depressed. He's always been-you know that-but I think he's gettin' worse. Gajeel's nightmare's are worse than they've ever been. Cadaver's still in his head...I-I don't know what to do."

"Cadaver?"

"It's starting to feel as if he never died," Laxus spoke, and it sent chills down his spine. The thought of Cadaver somehow actually still haunting Gajeel saddened him for a moment, but he continued, "Gajeel wakes up in the middle of the night more often. Sometimes he'd scream, but it hurts. He doesn't tell me what he's dreaming about exactly, but every night this happens and I have to calm him down...He tells me it's him."

"Do you think...he sees him during the daytime?" Pantherlily furrowed his brows.

"..." Laxus paused before sitting up. "Yeah. I do," He answered, "I thought he was just staring into space, but he stares at the same spots around the house when it's just us two. I have to pull his attention away, but it's hard...but I don't see anything, no one else does."

"And Gajeel-kun's never talked about it, has he?"

"Never."

"..."

"Did Porlyusica say anything?" Pantherlily asked. Laxus shrugged and shook his head.

"She had nothing," he answered, "Said she only dealt with physical stuff, didn't deal with 'psychological-human-' shit."

"Maybe Gajeel-kun should see a mage who does?"

Laxus and Pantherlily stared at the water mage. She blinked. "Juvia is only suggesting, but it might be the best thing for him right now."

"I have a feeling he's not gonna agree to that," Lily frowned.

"He's not," Laxus sighed, "But it...probably is the best thing for him."

The lightning dragon slayer stared at the same corner in the living room, letting the image of Cadaver appear there. Laxus sat still, anger brimming but silently as he stared knowing he was just projecting, unlike his partner, however, whose illusions of the man felt painfully real.

Gajeel laid in Laxus' bed, watching the other undress. His eyelids were heavy with drowsiness but still he stared at his lover, who embraced him tightly with large arms as he came down onto the bed with him. Laxus sighed, fluttering his eyes open to look at his partner who was already halfway asleep. He chuckled, "You look better."

"I feel okay."

"That's a good thing."

Gently, Laxus rested the other's head back onto the pillow as he himself rested comfortably into the bed. "What'd ya' talk about…?" Gajeel murmured.

"Hmm?" Laxus piped, "Oh...We were...actually, Gajeel," He paused, leaning back up on his arm, "We were concerned about you. Your nightmares, and seeing things, it's...not good. It's all only gotten worse."

"...oh. Sorry."

"Why did you-Don't-It's alright," Laxus sighed again, taken aback by the apology, and placed a hand on Gajeel's cheek. He was tired, and looked plenty guilty, as though he'd truly done something wrong. "Look, I want to help you, Gajeel, you don't deserve to deal with any of this mess. I'm not gonna have you having nightmares about him forever. So...I want to fix this."

"Why are you fixing this?"

"...What?"

"Laxus? This is my own damn fault." Gajeel's voice shook. He pushed himself off the bed, stopping suddenly as he sat up with pain shooting up from his waist to his chest. He held his breath, bringing a hand to his chest and let out a groan with his exhale. Laxus reached out to him, but the iron dragon slayer swatted him away impulsively.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked, sitting up with Gajeel and placing a hand near his waist, mindful not to touch him, "Your fault? None of this was your fault, you know that!"

Gajeel was staring blankly at the bed, away from Laxus again. He balled his fists, grasping onto the blanket. "...No," He disregarded Laxus' statement, "This was my fucking idea-"

"Your idea was to spend time with us at an amusement park. That was it. You had nothing to do with the spirits, you had no way of knowing about Cadaver."

He gritted his teeth. He wanted to scream, but not at Laxus. It hurt too much to hold in, however, on top of the other pains. Gajeel knew Laxus had to be right, but he couldn't fathom the idea for some reason. He held his breath again, gaze slowly moving around the room, looking at as much as he could see from the bed. His eyes landed again in the darkest corner of the room. Gajeel's heart was racing and nausea overtook him once more.

A tight grip held the back of Gajeel's neck. Another hand held his mouth shut. His body was stiff, twitching through pain, and he felt as though the room were spinning around him. Gajeel could no longer hear Laxus speaking to him or calling his name. Instead, a voice spoke into his ears, his hot breath reminiscent, swirling around him and making the room feel as though it were boiling, but he did not move. He did not move his head from the bed sheets. He did not jump when he heard Cadaver's voice again.

"Your friends will die, and it's all your fault."

Gajeel hadn't heard Laxus yell out his name when he collapsed into his arms, fainting. Laxus caught him, panicking for a moment, knowing it happened again.