Chapter 32
Vacation
"What do you mean 'you lost him'?!" Axos slammed his fist on his desk, pissed off that Jade let the dragon slayer live.
"I guess I missed," Jade shrugged, referring to the Death Orb she threw at Gajeel.
Axos was seething. He didn't understand why they were being so nonchalant about the whole situation. He paid them to do a job, and he'd be damned if that job didn't get done. The only thing standing between him and annihilating the last McGarden was the slayer, and he needed to eliminate that obstacle.
"What the fuck am I paying you for then?"
"I assure you," Revan started. "We will find the dragon slayer. Just give us time."
"Well, I assure you," Axos mocked. "You will not receive any more Jewel from me until you kill him. And fast, too."
Jade stood up, her hand on her hip. "I'd watch who you speak to with such malevolence. I have no problem adding another kill to my list."
"Jade, my dear," Revan grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back down. "It's alright."
Axos looked her up and down, contemplating snapping her neck right there. Who did she think she was? He wanted to kill them both for missing their target, but they were supposedly two of the best bounty hunters in Fiore, and damn expensive. He planned on getting his money's worth.
"Just get it done. Get the hell out of my office," he said shooing them away with his hand.
"I could kill him instantly, you know," Jade says, walking down the wooded path leading away from Axos' hideout.
"I am well aware, but he is not," her white-haired partner said. "You must remember, dear, that my powers hide yours."
"I suppose it's for the best," she sighed.
"Do you ever wish you were in a different profession?"
Jade thought about her response. She could never die, and there were only two other people in Fiore, to her knowledge, that shared the same curse. This was something that happened right before she met Revan, and he was the only one who showed her kindness and wasn't afraid of her. It was all still new to her. She had yet to watch any loved ones die, so she wasn't truly affected yet.
"No. This is what I'm best at."
"I remember when we first met, Jade. You would cry after each job," he said, reminiscing.
"What child wants to kill?"
"We had no choice, dear," Revan said, taking notice of his partner's solemn look. "What is it?"
Jade hated thinking about it, but she knew Revan's death would be her first heartbreak. He was not cursed, and they'd grown so close, she wasn't sure how she would cope when it finally happened.
"I wish you could stay with me forever," she said, looking at the ground.
"I know," he said, wrapping an arm around his best friend. "I believe we will find a common ground eventually."
Jade gave a soft smile, but she knew the curse couldn't be lifted, and there was no way he could become immortal. She was grateful to be able to control her miasma enough to keep it from killing everyone, but the more she cared, the harder it became. Somehow, she was able to care for her partner, and that's all that mattered to her.
Gajeel and Levy were on the train headed to the beach. It'd been a while since they'd seen the ocean and Gajeel was looking forward to using the hot springs. He was finally glad to relax a bit, and not be on guard for a week.
"Hey, you," Levy said. "You're looking more relaxed than usual."
"That's 'cos I don't have to be on my toes for a few days, and I finally get to relax with my Shrimp," he said, pulling her onto his lap.
"I'm glad your motion sickness is finally under control."
"It's because you're here with me." He rested his hands on her growing bump. "Do you feel that?"
Levy put her hands over his, trying to feel what he felt. "No, not yet."
Since his senses were fine-tuned, he could feel and hear the small movements the baby made, each one making him feel warm and fuzzy inside.
"I feel bad for leaving Lily," his blue-haired mate said, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"It was his choice."
"Yeah, but I still feel like we left him out," she said. She knew he probably needed a break from them and would gladly take a week alone.
"That's ok, because now, I can do this," he swiftly sat her on the bench and had his hand up her dress.
"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed, swatting his hand away. "We can't do that here!"
"Why not? It's not like you don't want it." He snaked his fingers around her panties, finding her clit.
"Ga…jeel…" she moaned, trying not to give in. She tried to move his hand away, but her body wouldn't cooperate; as it never did whenever he touched her. He had the power to make her body do anything he wanted, and he definitely took advantage of said power often.
"Don't ya wonder what we could get away with?" He said, his large frame hovering over her small frame.
"Gajeel…" she whispered as he continued playing with her pussy.
"You know you want it," he growled low in her ear.
Levy nodded ever so slightly, but it was more than enough for him to pick up on. He lifted her off the bench and sat down in her place, resulting in her straddling him.
"You want it like this?" He grinned, a handful of her ass in each hand.
She tugged at his shirt in response to his question, signaling him to take it off.
"Gihi." In one swift movement, he had his shirt around his neck, his abs in full view.
Levy marveled at the sight before her, tracing her fingers down his pecs and abs. He had the body of an Adonis. He lifted slightly to bring his pants down just enough to release his member, groaning as she started grinding against it.
"God, woman, you're so hot," he said, his grip on her ass tightening.
She slid her panties to the side and slowly lowered herself onto his dick.
"You like when I do this?" She asked, kissing his neck.
He hissed in pleasure as she slowly bounced up and down.
"I'm close already," she said in his ear.
"We can't have that," he said as he slammed her down on his dick and held her there, resulting in a pretty loud moan from his lover. "I want to enjoy it first."
He kissed her, exploring her mouth with his tongue, one hand in her hair, the other on her ass. They heard footsteps outside their cart, making her nervous.
"I told you this was a bad idea," she whispered.
"There's no point in stopping now," he smirked, bouncing her up and down, swallowing her moans.
It'd been a few days and the two were über relaxed, Gajeel enjoyed some time in the hot spring, while Levy relaxed on the beach, working on her tan. He had somewhat of a hard time letting her go off and do her own thing with all the drama in their lives, but with much protest, he agreed to let her sunbathe while staying in eyeshot.
Gajeel needed this relaxation more than anything, it seemed. He was good at keeping everything under the surface, but in reality, he was a mess. He acted as a sponge that soaked up all of Levy's stress, but there was no one to soak up his stress when he was at his limit. It sucked that she came with this baggage that was now targeting him, but it wasn't her fault.
He wished they could stay on the beach forever, but even if they weren't being hunted, he preferred to raise his kid around the guild. He felt it was a good environment for a possible dragon slayer to grow in, and he knew his mate would love the idea of bringing up this child around all of her friends. Though, the members of Fairy Tail were considered more family than friends.
He glanced up, looking at the spot Levy was in, but saw no Levy. He grumbled, having to leave comfort and find her.
Levy was sunbathing, enjoying the feeling of the sand between her toes when she was struck with sudden hunger. She rested her hand on her stomach as it growled.
"Oh! The baby's hungry," she said, standing to go to the bar at the inn they were staying at.
Once she got there, she sat down and ordered a burger and fries, which surprised herself because she rarely ate burgers, but she craved meat. As the bartender set the plate down in front of her, she dug in, savoring every last bite.
"Where would you like to sit?" She heard a familiar voice in the room.
"Anywhere is fine," a woman's voice responded.
The script mage turned around to see her new friends Jade and Revan approaching the bar.
"Fancy seeing you here," Revan said as he approached the bar.
"Hey guys! What brings you here?" Levy asked cheerfully.
"We're here on work," Jade said.
"Unfortunately. It's beautiful here," Revan said, pulling out a chair for Jade.
"And you?" Jade asked.
"I'm here with my boyfriend. I'd always wanted to come here, but never had anyone to come with," the blue-haired woman explained, pummeling fries into her mouth.
"That's nice of him to bring you," Revan said, flagging down the bartender.
"Yeah, we'll be leaving in a few days, though. Can't stay here forever," Levy chuckled, rubbing her belly.
"How sweet," Jade said with a soft smile.
The three ate in silence for a bit, enjoying the food and atmosphere.
"Darling," Revan said, getting Jade's attention.
"Excuse us," she said to the petite woman.
Levy watched as he pulled her to the side and spoke with her for a few seconds.
"Sorry to have to cut this short," Jade said, walking back over to her. "Duty calls."
Levy nodded, understanding completely. She didn't know the nature of their duty and didn't really care to ask. She continued to eat her burger as she watched the pair leave the bar.
Gajeel looked everywhere for his mate and was getting a bit frustrated that she just up and left without telling him. It then dawned on him that she could very well be hungry, as she was most of the time. He went to the bar at their inn and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her talking to Jade and Revan.
"Oh, come on, Levy, what the fuck?!" He exclaimed to himself as he ducked behind the door frame.
Why? Why did they have to be here while they were on vacation? Why did she have to be talking to them? He assumed they didn't know who she was, which made him feel a little better, but still. The situation was very dangerous. He slipped into the shadows and got a better look at the three of them. Levy looked mighty chummy with them, meaning she didn't know the nature of them being there. He just might be able to get out of this one.
He was still watching quietly as Revan pulled Jade to the side.
"Excuse us," he heard Jade say to Levy.
Gajeel tuned into his senses and listened in on what they spoke about.
"I believe he's near," Revan said under his breath.
"Let's get to work," Jade said.
The dragon slayer panicked and darted off as he was still in the shadows, hoping Levy wouldn't get mixed up in this. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he had to figure something out. He realized he was going to have to tell Levy. There was no way they could stay there with that big of a threat so close by. He decided to try and lead them around, that way he could circle back to Levy and tell her to pack their things while he kept them distracted.
He was almost halfway through the circle when he felt her presence. 'Shit.' He thought to himself. 'She must be alone.'
"Do you really think you could escape me that easily?" She purred.
Gajeel whipped around, ready to fight.
"Oh?" She walked toward him. "Relax, I'm not here to kill. Not yet, at least."
He knew what she was trying to do, and he had to get as far away from her as possible. He attempted to dart off into the trees, trying to get away from her, when he was somehow halted by an invisible fence of sorts. The dragon slayer figured out immediately what was happening. Revan's power was similar, if not the same as Freed's, both using letter magic. Times like these, Levy would actually come in handy, but hell would freeze over before he put her in harm's way.
"I have to have you," Jade said as she licked her lips, walking toward him. "You're extremely handsome. Don't you think I would be better as your mate?"
"Please," he snorted. "You are nothing compared to her." Gajeel equipped his iron sword and aimed it at her neck.
"You and I both know, that sword won't kill me," she chuckled.
"This isn't to kill you," he smirked, shoving his sword deep into the earth, causing it to rise and crack around them.
He blended with the shadows and quickly left the area.
"Cracking the ground, thus breaking the enchantment," Revan said, jumping down from a considerably high tree branch. "Not bad."
He strolled up to Jade, seeing the annoyance written all over her face.
"It seems you'll have to work for this one, dear."