It took the better part of the dark morning to make their way to the town Jose had mentioned. The MC had flown as fast as he could, but the sparse landscape made hiding difficult. The long stretches of moonlight replenished her depleted reserves of magic, but it sucked the energy from the MC's shadows, forcing him to take shelter in whatever shadows he could find. Even Lily began to whine in protest with every passing mile.
Levy could understand their frustration. Wendy had been missing for hours now and yet they were still no closer to finding her. As much as she wanted to urge the MC to try and fly faster, she knew that he was doing the best that he could. With a heavy sigh she stroked Lily where he rested in her lap and hoped that her fuzz provided the creature with at least some protection from the lightening sky.
The dog-like creature had shapeshifted soon after they exited the city and immediately took residence in Levy's lap. Not that she minded; even with his rough exterior, Lily's soft and gentle personality somehow reminded her of Wendy. Levy sniffed, emotion filling her eyes.
Hold on Sweetie, we are coming for you!
Blinking back the emotion, Levy stroked Lily and studied the horizon and the landscape that gradually became easier to see. She wished there was something she could do to help, but she had to admit that she was...indeed...weaker than the MC.
She knew she had a few strong points; she was the only one that could infiltrate Wendy's Dreamland and place the proper protections around her precious stories. But when it came to nighttime monster encounters and flying across barren landscapes in search of missing children, the Monster in the Closet was the clear leader of their small rescue group.
The sky continued to lighten overhead until it turned a deep blue. Levy squinted, frantically searching for any sort of landmark large enough to help them get through the burning light of day.
Transportation vehicles rushed past, the ever lighter sky signaling the early hour for the persons to begin moving about. Large and small transportation vehicles blew gusts of wind against her fuzz. She watched them travel down the road, seeming to almost rise into the air before disappearing entirely. With a frown, she leaned forward and patted the MC on the shoulder.
"MC, I think there is something up ahead."
"Could you be, I dunno, a bit more specific maybe?"
She wrinkled her nose at him and struggled to find the right words. "It was strange. It was almost as if the vehicles were traveling up into the air, then abruptly fell on the other side."
The MC paused under a large bush, the straggly branches proving a bit of deep darkness to help ease his heavy breathing. His body tensed and she watched him lean forward in the direction she indicated.
"Looks like an overpass. Good eye, Shorty."
Before she could remind him of her hatred for his new nickname, the MC launched them out of the shadows and sprinted across the landscape. Levy lowered herself onto his back, trying to make herself as small as possible while he rushed to beat the rapidly rising sun.
The blues and violets of the cool night had just turned to burning pink when the MC sped across the rise in the road and ducked under the arching road. He clung to the dark ceiling, his entire body quivering. She patted his shoulder, resuming her job of searching for a good spot to rest for the day.
"Over there, MC," she said, patting his shoulder and pointing to a jutted surface of the ceiling.
The smooth, shining surface seemed wide enough for their small group to rest comfortably, but still close enough to the edge that the overhang provided plenty of coverage. The MC fluttered to the spot, oozing onto the surface the moment he landed.
"'Course it just had to be metal…"
Levy quickly hopped off his back, giving him precious time to regain his strength. His heavy breathing filled the space and his body quivered. Levy frowned and after turning her back to the MC, gently rolled up the fuzz on her appendage to reveal her true arm underneath. With a final glance behind her, she placed her hand on the surface, shocked to feel the cold immediately seeping into her skin.
"Hmmm."
Rolling her fuzz back into its rightful place, Levy stood and scurried up and down the long, cold beam. She felt the MC's eyes boring into her back, but paid him no mind as she collected all the dust she could find.
"What are you doing?" he mumbled, lifting his wings.
"Be good and lay down. I am trying to help you."
"Sorry Shorty, but I ain't gonna be wearin' dust like a little MUB I know."
Levy collected a large clump of dust and tried not to gag at the musty scent emanating from the clump.
"It is not for you, you dummy!" she coughed, turning her nose away from the dust. "And I know you are laughing, so you can stop already."
A final snort drifted her way and she rolled her eyes, taking several more minutes to collect a satisfactory dust collection. After spending several moments to properly repair her own dust, she hurried back to the MC's side and laid the fuzz in a giant pile next to them.
"Now what are you-"
"Oh hush!"
She settled onto the smooth surface, inching close to the MC. Ignoring his protests, she pulled his weak body closer to her until his head rested in her lap and his wings draped around them. Lily settled next to her side and she shifted her dust to keep him from eating it.
With everything properly arranged, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling her energy flow from within her chest. She stretched out her appendages, channeling her magic into the dust she collected. Her magic pulled and tugged on the dust, forming it into the lattice work she imagined in her mind. The trio rose into the air and after a few seconds, she cut off the flow of magic, opening her eyes to admire her handiwork.
They swung several inches away from the cold surface, but still remained safely tucked away in the overhang's shadow. Trails of dust stretched from the ceiling to the wide canopy underneath them. A soft breeze flowed through the overpass, making their small hammock sway in the air. Levy watched the anchors attaching it to the roof, nodding in satisfaction when anchors held fast.
"There! Your body will rest much easier now that it is away from that cold surface."
The MC shifted positions and looked at the beam below them. "Isn't this gonna drain yer energy?"
Levy shook her head, adjusting her position when Lily switched sides. "It will be fine. Once I use my magic to shape the dust, it will remain in that shape until I decide to change it."
"Huh...handy little trick."
Her fuzz grew warm and Levy pushed down a bolt of static that threatened to escape. She peeked at the MC, watching him shrink his shadows until he was in his persons-form. He settled his body into the hammock, draping an arm across his eyes and sighing heavily as his eyes closed. She swallowed, praying he could not hear how her heart beat wildly in her chest or discover how she studied his strong jaw and dark, streaming hair.
Clearing her throat, she tried to distract herself from the sleeping monster next to her and watched the activity underneath their resting place.
Several transportation vehicles passed below them, many of which were longer and louder than any she had seen before. Their deep rumblings filled the air and she hoped the MC would be able to get a proper rest with all the noise. As the sky brightened, more and more persons walked on what the MC had told her was a sidewalk. Several familiar units and parentals walked with their young children.
Each child hesitated at the underpass opening, staring straight up at the dark corner where she and the MC rested. They refused to walk underneath the area until the parentals had no choice but to pick them up and carry them through the overpass. Gusts of wind allowed her to hear the muted conversations of safety precautions and how to properly watch for transportation vehicles.
Levy smiled to herself, fuzz tingling with contentment from at least helping keep some children safe, even if she was currently on the search for her own.
"I am shocked that you haven't asked how I know Jose yet," a deep voice rumbled from her side.
Levy startled and the hammock shook, making Lily hiss in his sleep. The MC chuckled and she smacked him on the head, not caring if he was supposed to be resting.
"I thought you were sleeping! And, well...when I think about it, I suppose I am brimming with curiosity."
The MC chuckled, his voice thick and heavy. "I used to work for him when I was still a wild shadow, when I was just a Runalong and could gather information to bring back to the alleyways."
"How then did you become an MC?"
Not that she could blame him if he left that horrible monster leader on his own, but knowing what she did about the MC, there had to be more to his story than simply giving up his old lifestyle.
He lowered his arm, staring at the ceiling. "Well, one of the nights I didn't time a jump correctly. Ended up gettin' hurt pretty good. Old Boogeyman Makarov just happened to be slinking by and he helped get me back on my feet. Told me how to contact him if I ever wanted a change and to get on the straight and narrow."
He shifted on the hammock and sat with his knees bent. "At the time I had taken a liking to following Wendy's transportation vehicle. It was the cooler weather time right as the nights were startin' to get longer, so I taggin' along with them on many of their trips. I had kinda maybe taken a shine to the squirt." He pushed Levy on the head with his finger. "Ya might be dense, but yer right about one thing; that child does have a good imagination."
Levy swatted his hand away. "So the Boogeyman arranged for you to be in Wendy's room?"
"Yep, told me to do a good job and I could follow the familiar unit if they ever moved, or at least move to a different closet if Wendy outgrew hers and needed a different one."
"I wonder if he knew we would be working together," Levy murmured, thinking back to those early days when she first started working under the Base for Entering Dreams.
Wendy had just recently become old enough to need monsters in her room to keep her safe. It had taken her much longer than other children to develop the desire to disobey her parentals and leave the BED after she was tucked in. Levy worked overtime those first few quarter moon cycles; it had been a constant struggle to keep arms and legs from dangling over the edge of the BED while also fortifying the child's dreams when she finally fell asleep.
And when she developed the habit of walking in her sleep? Levy had nearly died of exhaustion, until one night when the shadows of the room darkened and thereby frightened the child back into her proper sleeping place.
The Boogeyman Makarov had stopped by the BED-room for a brief moment to explain Levy's new working partner before slinking away to check on the other monsters in his territory. She could never find the courage to venture to the bowles of the closet territory to greet the new monster and had only seen the MC's dark, writhing shape briefly and rarely from where she hid under the Base for Entering Dreamland. The journey to find their child was the longest she had ever interacted with the Monster in the Closet and a deep, hidden part of her fuzz wished she would have found the courage to tell him hello much sooner.
The MC's deep voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Oh, he knew alright. The Old Man sure seems to be the meddlin' type."
"You cannot call him that! He hates it!"
"Well, it's his own fault then for putin' me in such a tiny room."
Levy picked at her fuzz, trying to cover the way her voice suddenly shook. "So...you...do not like working in Wendy's closet?"
"Well...I never said that. She is pretty cute and all. And I guess I can't really complain about the other monster workin' with me. Even though she is just a tiny MUB that asks too many questions - ouch!"
Levy shook out her appendage, wrinkling her nose at the MC. "I do have a name, you know."
"But I like Shorty. Or do you prefer Shrimp, gihee?"
Her cheeks puffed and she waved an appendage in his face. "Urg, it's Levy, you big dummy! LE-VY!"
"Ah, such a tiny name. Just like it's owner."
"Why you-" She raised her appendage to whack him again and he flinched, protecting his face.
"My name's Gajeel!" He yelled quickly.
She froze mid-swing, fuzz growing warm. She lowered her arm and ducked her head. Gajeel cleared his throat and a quick peek showed him scratching his face. He glanced down, caught her eye, and they both jerked their faces away. She scratched her own fuzz.
I do not think I have told my name to anyone before. Perhaps...I am the only one the MC has told as well?
She bit back a smile, willing her fuzz to go back to its usual temperature, and fiddled with a piece of fluff.
"But, um," she muttered, tongue tripping over a plethora of words, "I thought they...thought your name was Kurogane."
Gajeel shifted next to her and coughed. "Nah, that's just what the gang decided to call me. I only tell my real name to my actual friends." He closed his mouth with a loud snap, eyes darting to her and his shadows glowing with a bright sheen.
Sparks shot across her fuzz and her glow threatened to burn right out of her fluff. She averted her gaze, wringing her appendages together. Her heart quickened in her chest and a giggle almost slipped past her clamped lips.
"You...you got...some of your glow is. Ya know...shining through."
With a jerk and a small squeal, Levy glanced around her completely covered body. She looked up at Gajeel and frowned.
"No I do not?"
"Oh...n-never mind then."
They turned away from each other and Levy frantically fanned her face. She peeked at Gajeel, caught his red eyes staring at her, and jerked her head away. A giggle escaped before she could stop it.
"So um...blue hair, huh?"
Her body tensed, the bubbles of laughter dying in their throat.
"Sorry! I shouldn't have asked, I know how you MUB's are with it, so-"
"No, it is fine, honest!" She shifted her body, careful to avoid moving Lily, and faced Gajeel. "It was just...our true forms are very important to us, as you know. It is because it is the form our child gave us when we were first brought into this world. So one could say that it is the most honest projection of ourselves, that is why we only show our closest friends or those we trust completely."
Gajeel rose to his side and stared at her. "Then I'm even more sorry Juvia did that to ya."
Levy shook her head, eyes filling with emotion at the sincerity in Gajeel's voice. "Thank you, but I really am alright. It is not as if we do not show our true forms to anyone ever! It is more like how a female parental can walk in front of her own family without painting her face first, but cannot do the same thing with other people." Levy scooted closer to Gajeel, words flowing from her lips.
"I have also been told that if there is more than one MUB in a familiar unit, then they will oftentimes gather together in one room with no fuzz at all, just their true forms, and simply talk. I think it is just like how children will change into their Dreamland clothing and socialize together. Can you imagine being that comfortable with someone, that you can show all sides of yourself?"
"It would be nice, I guess, to be that close to someone." Gajeel smirked and winked. "Guess I can learn something new from a little MUB like - ouch. Really, again?"
He rubbed his forehead and Levy shook her head at him. He flicked her on the forehead and she smacked his arm. They batted at each other, laughing and hollering until Lily rolled over in his sleep with a groan. They froze, Gajeel's hand holding her appendage tightly.
Her heart pounded and she suddenly realized how close they were becoming. Not just on the shared hammock, but the bond that had been steadily growing over the past several hours. He had carried her over countless miles, tolerated her when she ripped off his shadows and brandished them against his former bandmates, and even trusted her enough to follow her plan to find them a place to sleep for the day.
He was the first friend she had ever made. The first monster she felt she could be completely honest with and share the innermost thoughts which plagued her mind.
She gave a heavy sigh, pressing her appendages together. "Hey, Gajeel? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure?"
"Will I...are we really going to save Wendy?" She asked softly, voice thick with emotion. "As you have said many times...I am not strong. I am weak, I can only really take care of dreams. I am covered in fluff and not scary like you or Lily." She lifted her appendages and brought them back down with a loud flop. "I am terrified of everything, I was screaming and crying during our entire venture in the alleyway and-"
"But ya still went through with it, didn't ya?"
Levy blinked, chest tight. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is," Gajeel crossed his legs and shifted until his knees almost touched her. "Yeah, you were terrified. It's as plain as the fuzz on yer face. But ya still went into that alleyway, ya still beat Jose black and blue and ya still kept the rest of the goons from harassin' us any further."
She shook her head and looked at her lap. "But-"
"Being brave don't mean that yer not scared ever. It just means that ya still face yer fears, even if yer afraid. So I guess technically," he lifted Levy's face until she was forced to look him directly in his deep red eyes. "That means yer the bravest one in the group, gihee!"
He flashed a smile and she gave a shaky laugh. Rolling up the fuzz covering her appendages, she grabbed Gajeel's hands with her own and held them tightly.
"Thank you, Gajeel. For your kind words and for believing in me."
"No...no problem," he whispered, eyes drifting to his hands inside hers.
With a start Levy released her hold, but Gajeel caught her hand before she could pull her fuzz back over her fingers. He cradled hand gently in his much larger one and laced their fingers together. His thumb traced the back of her hand, his cool, rough skin sending sparks down her fuzz. Hardly daring to breathe and break whatever spell had come over them, she watched as Gajeel closed his eyes and slowly brought her fingers to his mouth. His breath brushed against her knuckles and his warm lips traced her fingers.
Gajeel opened his eyes and gave her smile so soft it turned her heart into a puddle of goo. "Thanks...for believing in me too."
Heart pounding in her chest, Levy snatched her hand from Gajeel's hold and pulled her fuzz back over her skin. Sparks covered her fluff and she batted them away.
"W-well, you must be exhausted. You...you should get some rest while you can."
"Oh, right. Yeah, we should do that. We have a long night ahead of us." He cleared his throat and Levy fiddled with her fuzz.
"Yes indeed, a long night. Those fiends will pay dearly if they harmed our Wendy."
"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure they get a taste of this!"
Gajeel lifted an arm, his hand balled into a tight fist, and bumped Levy with his jostled movements. They both froze, Levy's fuzz turning warm again and a sheen forming in Gajeel's shadows.
"Good-day!" They both squeaked, flipping away from each other and laying on their sides.
Levy pressed her appendages to her mouth, desperately trying to quiet down the sound of her beating heart. Gajeel shifted behind her and she hoped the sparks would not cause her fuzz to spontaneously combust.
It took several moments for her heart to settle back into its normal rhythm. She wiggled her shoulders and lowered her appendages just enough to whisper into the quiet space.
"Good-day, Gajeel. Sleep well."
A slight movement and she felt something bump into her back.
"Good-day, Levy."
Moving her appendages back over her mouth, Levy closed her eyes, wondering how in the midnight she was ever going to fall asleep.