Rust
Chapter 9 - Carnage
Ladies night, Gajeel had decided was a ridiculous endeavour. He'd sat and watched the two of them primp and preen for hours, nose crinkled at the scent of perfumes, of cosmetics and hairspray burning under hot tools. Nothing about the process of 'getting ready' made any sense to him, and he'd been transfixed by the way Doireann had morphed into a glamorous version of herself, watched with curiosity as Xally had all but transformed into a completely different person, her disguise near impossible to detect save for her scent, almost indistinguishable where it lay buried under layers of chemicals.
The house was uncomfortably quiet, the sound of conversations and of feminine laughter still ringing inside his skull, while nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing chimes on the porch, the creak of foundations settling in to rest could be heard in the evening air, the whirlwind of activity and energy of earlier a fading memory, still warm to the touch like a barely glowing ember.
In the hours since their departure, Gajeel had taken himself on a run around the neighbourhood; cooked a meal; cleaned the kitchen, as was polite to do; wandered the halls; lit a fire; found, and read, a collection of short history journals; meditated; wandered the house again, checking every latch, lock and fastening; and now sat on the floor near the fireplace, his back resting against the heavy couch, as he gazed at the cloudy lacrima in his hands. There was no delaying the moment any longer, no more excuses or idle tasks to occupy himself with, and with a sense of resignation, Gajeel sent a spark of power into the crystal, watching as the colours danced, swirling and shifting into the features of the person he'd been so terrified to see.
"Gajeel? What's wrong?"
"Hey, Levs. Ain't wake ya, did I?"
The music was pumping in her chest, lights strobing in her eyes, and Xally was losing herself in the sea of bodies that swayed, jumping and gyrating to the pounding of the beat. Letting go of all the worries that weighed so heavily on her heart, remembering how to be in the moment, the sensation of flesh pressed against her, hot and slick and electric after so long without these attentions.
"Xal! Xally!" Doire had to shout to make herself heard, even with her lips pressed to the shell of her friends ear, gesturing away from the dance floor and towards the quieter lounge area when blue eyes masked as hazel caught her own, hands clasped tightly together as they wove through the crowd and stepped through the curtains, into the room where the near deafening music faded to nothing more than a dull thudding, echoing through the floor.
"Lord, can't barely hear myself think out there!"
"That's the point!" Xally giggled, slinging an arm around the taller woman's waist as they wandered, looking for an empty chair or two, somewhere soft to rest their aching toes. "Well?"
"Well, if ya weren't so keen on Mr tall, dark and handsome waitin' on you at home, you'd have your pick of just 'bout every one in this place. Couple of 'em seem overly interested, if you catch my meanin'." Doire nodded, gesturing over Xally's shoulder towards the bar area, and at the trio of smartly dressed men lingering near the end.
"Well, I guess I'm in need of a drink". With a wink, Xally rose from her seat and strode confidently across the room, heels clicking against the floor as she moved, taking a perch at the opposite end of the bar where she could eye off the curious group from behind her glass.
Interestingly, they split into different directions, the tallest of the three moving far too close for comfort - even through the sweat lingering in the air, and without the heightened senses of a slayer, Xally could tell something was intrinsically off about him. He looked mostly human, but he smelt like blood and earth, tongue almost reptilian where it flicked out, tasting the air as he whet his lips.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing here, drinking alone?"
His voice sent chills down her spine, the hair on her neck standing up as if a sudden cold breeze had blown across her, and not for the first time that night, Xally wished Gajeel was there with her.
"Who says I'm alone?"
"I don't see anyone else sat beside you. Just me. So, lovers quarrel? Or are you just trying to get rid of me?"
The smirk that crossed his face had Xally fighting to keep her stomach from roiling violently - it was entirely too smug, too greasy... It was the mark of a predator who knew exactly what he was doing, what he wanted, and how to get it.
"She's in the bathroom, if you must know." Her voice was calm, fingers steady still where they rested loosely around the glass before her, belying the hammering of her heart, so loud and fast she was sure everyone in the room would surely see it leaping from her throat any second now.
"Ah, I take it I'm not to your tastes then?"
"You could say that.
Xally spun her stool, watching the room, waiting for Doireann to come and give her an exit strategy. The second the taller woman had spotted her friend in distress, she stood and laid on her best smile. Unfortunately, she hadn't taken more than three steps, long legs tanned and shimmering under the dim lighting, before the world around them exploded.
Gajeel was restless, his mind still spinning a million miles an hour the way it always did after a heart to heart with Levy, the small woman still able to get under his armour and to the crux of the issue with merely a few words. Their conversation had been long overdue, the sight of her - and his growing god babies - a balm for his homesick soul, yet he still found himself wandering foreign streets aimlessly, lost in thought.
The air was still, almost stifling in its calmness. The atmosphere crackled with electricity, the kind that signalled Laxus bringing his power to bear; the kind that signalled a storm was on the way; and to Gajeel, the night felt reminiscent of the calm before war, the Dragon similarly uneasy with the situation.
With good reason, as it tuned out, because as he rounded the corner into the more populous downtown area, his ears rang with the unmistakable sound of magic detonating into explosive force. Some unseen force, some instinct, had him running towards the heat and the acrid smell of burning flesh while everyone else ran in the opposite direction - the smart direction, Gajeel thought to himself, a little bitterly, but Fairy Tail mages on the whole weren't exactly known for their intelligence, and who was he to start thinking before acting now?
Following the tortured and agonising screams, and the faint but familiar scent of spring showers that worriedly, was leading directly to the centre of the wreckage.
What had been a respectable night club, a well known and long established place, was completely decimated, rubble strewn halfway down the block in a sight that could only be described as pure carnage. There were people huddled around the perimeter, some covered in dust and blood, others clearly just spectating on the unexpected disaster that had befallen their usually peaceful town. And through it all, Gajeel could hear her.
Somewhere, behind or possibly underneath all the concrete and the twisting masses of steel, was Xally, her voice ringing clearly in his head as he could hear her directing survivors and calling out, looking for anyone who needed aid.
He followed the sound of her, carefully picking his was across the most stable sections of the collapse, not wanting his movements to bring further weight down to bear on anyone still trapped underneath, and found the opening people were slowly climbing out from, helping to pull them free as slowly, the helpers began to arrive.
The street lights were almost painfully bright after her eyes had spent so long in the grimy darkness of what was now a crater underground, but what really surprised Xally was who was waiting for her at the top of the crack in the cement.
Gajeel, who's tanned face was almost ashen with concern, and Doireann, who Xally had almost given up home of finding. She looked pale, sweaty, was covered in blood - though who's it was almost impossible to determine - but she was alive and in one piece, something Xally had thought was an impossibility, given her proximity to the blast.
"Oof, easy there girl. Dontcha know I narrowly avoided gettin' blown up just now?" Doire laughed, though the sound was ragged and pained, easing Xally's arms off from their stranglehold around her middle. "Come on, we oughta get back. Only medical facility in town and it's about to get swamped. Redfox, you got any training?"
"No ma'am, but I kin stitch a wound right quick."
"Good enough for me, you're hired. Xal, would you be a doll and fix these ribs for me? Gotta be able to breathe so I can yell at the morons I work with."
Swiping the tears from her lashes, Xally ran faintly glowing fingers over her friends torso, fixing what she could as they almost ran back to the house.
Dusty and bloodied clothes were exchanged for medical scrubs, as the clinic filled with employees and volunteers, all of whom snapped to attention the second Doireann arrived, still scraping filthy hair into a bun.
"Eyes and ears people! We caught ourselves a bomb over at Merkaba. Folks are gonna be in a bad way - Zim, out front with Xally. Y'all are triage - green for bandaids, yellows can wait, reds come in here, and blacks get your prayers and not a damn thing more. Anyone needs sewing up, Gajeel's gonna be your guy. Everyone else, find a room - or make one - and get ready!"
What followed was close to twelve hours of the exact reasons Xally had loathed emergency and trauma medicine - so much pain and suffering that she could do nothing for; a facility under staffed and under supplied; the crying and the agony; the torture of deciding who was living and who was beyond saving. No, there was a reason she favoured obstetrics - bringing life into the world was infinitely more rewarding than handing out black tags with nothing more than an apology and a brief muttering of prayer.
Conversely, Doireann was in her element and while everyone else felt like death stood upright, she was still buzzing around the clinic on a rush of adrenaline. No one liked seeing people under these circumstances, but she revelled in the challenge, delighted in the unknowns and the improvisations that trauma situations made necessary.
Gajeel, for his part, had tried to stay out of the way and not fuck up. Pretty easy to do when his only job had been sewing wounds closer, something he had a lifetime of experience doing.
As the last of the patients were stabilised, or sent home, the three collapsed onto the couch semi naked, too exhausted to do more than shed anything that had blood on it, and pass out in front of the embers of the dying fire.
Awakening in a jumble of naked limbs had quite possibly been one of the more awkward experience of Gajeel's life, thankful that his back was the only body part exhibiting any stiffness. He rose slowly, carefully, because his body ached and he was physically incapable of moving at any speed, and because he was loathed to wake the sleeping women, the exhaustion still visible in the deep purple under their eyes, the concern still etched deeply in the lines on their brows.
The pounding water, so hot it was almost unbearable, eased the rigidity of muscles that had spent too many hours in the same position, the steam chasing away the chill that lingered in the air. Stood under the water, letting it fall on his face, Gajeel did his best to reconcile all he had witnessed last night, a stray tear falling occasionally at the injustice of it all.
"You okay?"
The chilled flesh sliding against his back startled Gajeel from his musings, so lost in thought that he'd completely missed her entrance, slender arms wrapping around his waist as Xally rested her face against his back.
"We gotta stop 'em, dywysoges."
"We will, whatever it takes. I'm proud of you, haearn."
Her admission floated into his ears, as if carried by the clouds of steam themselves, and the Dragon felt as though it could burst from happiness alone, the warmth blooming in his chest and spreading, a wholly new sensation, uncomfortable in its unfamiliarity, but one Gajeel was rapidly growing to appreciate. All his life, all he'd ever wanted was someone to replicate the moment his father had first expressed pride in him, and finding in the arms of the woman he loved was an emotion like no other.
"Jus' tried ta help best I could. I ain't never seen ye work 'fore - not like tha' anyway. Yer somethin' else, annwyl."
The look on Xally's face threatened to buckle his knees as he spun in her embrace, gazing down on her soft smile and wistful eyes, gratitude shining through the pain, the humidity and the spray slicking blonde curls straight and flat against her neck, the water rinsing the remnants of chaos, of blood and soot from the tendrils.
She was bare to him in a way that had nothing to do with their nudity, every glance, every touch a conversation, their souls connecting under the steady pressure of falling water, a depth of intimacy Gajeel had never dreamt possible. When he raised a hand to gently cup her jaw, Xally sighed softly as she leant into the embrace, the sound almost imperceptible as it brought the Dragon roaring to life in his ears, suddenly acutely aware of the sensation of forbidden flesh sealed tightly against his body.
'It would be so easy. One quick motion, we could set our claim and she will be ours forever'.
The quiet pur was enticing, the Dragon right with how easy it would be to just give in and take her here and now under the water, Gajeel's body shivering to life, shuddering under the realisation, and he fought to shake himself free of the fog that was Dragon lust.
'Not 'ere, not like this. She's our queen, oughta treat 'er as such.'
There was a snap of jaws in his mind, a show of displeasure at being wrong - a warning. None of which Gajeel paid any heed, too busy gathering his girl into his arms, pressing her back into the cold tiles and kissing her senseless, swallowing the hiss of displeasure at the temperature change, tasting her moans as his hands roamed her body, teasing the sounds from her as he set about reaffirming that she was here, she was alive and they were alright.
Xally had been stunned for a brief moment, the change in Gajeel had been instant, catching her unawares, but she was never one to roll over and be at the complete mercy of another. No, her hands were free and she took advantage of that fact, fingers dancing across soaked skin, nails catching and dragging red lines down shoulders, digging crescent moons into angular hips. It was no effort at all to swing her legs up, ankles locking in the small of his back as she pressed her pelvis against him in request, an invitation, and the sensation of metal studs sliding against her most delicate nerves sent Xally's brain into meltdown.
"Gajeel. Haearn, please."
She was pleading - begging him. Begging them. Gajeel stubborn in his desire to get the moment right; the Dragon raging to give in, to give her anything she wanted; the dichotomy between them almost painful as the friction built, the heat rising as he kept them ground together, Xally's silent gasps ringing in his ear like a banshee's scream.
"Oi! Y'all ain't the only one's in need of a shower!"
Happy Spoopy Season!
I really did try to get this out earlier, but this last week has just been one thing after another. I'd like to hope it'll calm down soon, but the reality is that just ain't gonna happen, so I'll do my best to adjust and keep posting more regularly!
Starrat - glad to see you're sticking around and enjoying it!
Dragonfly - I love that you're loving it!!! Your reviews always make me smile, and keep an eye out for a new Scars chapter soon (it might just give you what you're looking for!)
Nic - believe me, I do too! They just seem to keep getting interrupted, poor things. I hope it'll be worth the wait for them though!
Rao - thank you! I'm glad you got a giggle, hopefully they'll get back to their usual antics soon.
Desna - thank you! Your approval (for lack of a better word) means the absolute world to me - because, after all, it is your world and characters. I hope I can keep doing you proud!
As always, I can't wait to hear your feedback on this one and your thoughts for what's still to come! Stay safe everyone!
Much love
- A.V xxx