. Heartbeat Song .
"You, where the hell did you come from?
You're a different, different kind of fun,
And I'm so used to feeling numb.
Now I got pins and needles on my tongue.
Anticipated what's to come,
Like a finger on a loaded gun."
~ "Heartbeat Song" by Kelly Clarkson
Lucy sighed softly as she eyed the entrance to the community college Levy was going to present at, her fingers gently gripping her friend's arm. Levy grumbled under her breath as she slammed the butt of her cane firmly into the ground to determine where it was beneath her. "Lucy," the cranky blue-haired historian snapped, "I'm fine. I can get out of a car by myself."
"I know," Lucy reassured. "I'm just trying to help, Levy. You know that."
Levy always got cranky and irritable when she went to deliver talks, no matter how much she enjoyed them. Lucy had done enough of these with her to not be bothered by Levy's severe attitude about the matter of getting there. She released Levy's arm and then rubbed her hands together as she and Levy set off for the building. Lucy held the door open for her friend, who sniffed and stepped past her.
It was while Lucy was stepping after her that her phone went off. "Hello?" she said, lifting it to her ear.
"Lucy!" the voice on the other end wailed and Lucy winced, holding it away from ear. Ow. "I'm so sorry, but please! You have to come to the bakery."
Lucy sighed heavily. "Hold on, Levy," she said and Levy faltered to wait for her, not daring to go much further without Lucy. Lucy shifted the phone into her other hand and said patiently, "Calm down, Lisanna, and start at the beginning. What happened?"
"I was making some of that cinnamon toast for today's breakfast special," Lisanna said, voice quivering. "You know, the one with the special jam we purchased from the local farm? Well, you know how the toaster is, and the toast got stuck in the toaster and I didn't notice-"
"Lisanna," Lucy said calmly. "Do not tell me you lit my bakery on fire."
"I lit the bakery on fire," she wailed.
Lucy groaned in exasperation. "What's the damage? Was there any injuries from our customers?" She ran through the expenses in her mind. The money didn't worry her. She had plenty of insurance, and if absolutely necessary, her greedy father would trade a night out for repairing it. But she'd prefer to avoid that.
"No, no injuries. Minor damage," Lisanna reassured with a sniffle. "I just...I'm sorry! I know you trusted me with the bakery while you were out - can you come back and help? The police want a report and I don't know what to do, since you have all of the information in your safe-"
Lucy pressed her lips together. She and Levy had an unspoken agreement about Levy's outings to talk to people about what she did and the museum's representation that she gave it: Lucy did not leave her blind friend alone surrounded by strangers. "I'll see what I can do," she promised and then added, "Don't panic, okay? See you later." She hung up and then turned all of her attention on Levy, whose lips were twitching with amusement.
"Did Lisanna light the bakery on fire?" she said with an almost teasing lilt to her voice.
"Yes," Lucy admitted, running a hand through her blonde hair. She looked at her blind friend in distress. "I need to go, but I always help you, and I can't just leave you here - how would you even get back to the museum?"
"Go," Levy sighed, "I'm a big girl, Lucy, I can deliver the talk all on my own. As for getting to the museum, there's this thing called a taxi, or even another staff member here, if they're willing." Lucy shifted, still reluctant. "Lucy, go. I'll be fine." She knew what a big deal the bakery was to her friend. It had been her way to achieve freedom for so long.
"I can't," Lucy whined. "Not...I can't just leave you unless there someone who can help you."
Levy was getting irritated now. She loved Lucy, was grateful for the determination her friend felt when it came to helping her out. "Lucy, I'm not a child. I've been blind for a few years now. I think I can deal with it."
"Okay, okay, but let me find someone who can at least help you get there, okay?" Lucy took a quick look around, grimacing when the only person who was close enough and even around was a tall man who was somewhat terrifying, with long dark hair pulled out of his face and a wide variety of piercings covering his face and arms. "Hey!" she called, lunging for him. He sent her a cranky glare when she grabbed his arm and Lucy briefly worried it had been a bad idea as she stared into irritable red eyes. He arched a pierced brow, waiting for her to speak, and Lucy flushed in embarrassment before saying faintly, "Are you going to the talk?"
"Yeah?" he said suspiciously. "Why? Who the hell are you?"
A loud clatter brough Lucy out of her thoughts. She spun around, the man she'd grabbed doing the same, and they stared in equal surprise at Levy. The blue-haired woman was clearly in shock, her body shaking and her mouth dropped wide open. She'd dropped her cane and after a long, long moment, in which she closed her mouth and pressed her lips into a tight line, she slowly dropped to the ground on her knees. She sought out her cane and Lucy hurried over, pressing the cane into her hands after picking it up. The man didn't move, reluctant to leave without figuring out what they'd wanted.
"I'm sorry," Levy whispered, voice shaking. "I just...I…"
"Levy," Lucy said gently, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Levy's voice was surprisingly fierce. She shook off whatever had startled or scared her, grabbing her cane firmly in her fingers and climbing to her feet. She pressed her lips together, flinching when the man suddenly spoke.
"Look, I gotta go-"
"Take her with you," Lucy pleaded, whirling to face him with wide eyes. "Please. She's the one giving the lecture, and I can't help her get there. I have to get to my bakery." She pressed her hands together, begging. "Please?"
"Lucy," Levy said crossly, "I can find my own way there, I'm not a helpless child."
"Sure, I'll help," he said, surprising them both. Levy's hands shook again. He jerked his chin at the blind woman. "I'll make sure she gets there." He pushed his hands into his pockets, studying her, and Lucy beamed.
"Thank you." Lucy turned to face her friend, grabbing her shoulders gently. "Levy, I don't know this guy, but stick with him, okay? I'll pick you up after, I swear."
"Okay, but really, I'm-"
Before Levy could finish her sentence, Lucy was gone, sprinting down the hallway of the university, leaving Levy alone with the awkward strange man beside her.
"Uh, this way, I guess," he offered, and she turned her face in the direction of his voice as he squinted at her. After a moment of watching her, he said pointedly, "You're kind of a shrimp, ain't ya?"
Rather than bristling as she would have at anyone else, Levy's lips trembled. "Yeah," she said after a moment, laughing hoarsely. "I guess so. Thank you for helping me. I'm Levy McGarden." She offered her hand to shake.
Her body tensed when he took it, calloused fingers gripping hers. He frowned a little, feeling the way her hand trembled in his as he shook it. "Gajeel Redfox," he said, smirking despite the fact that she couldn't see it. "Need a hand to hold, shrimp?"
Despite everything, Levy grinned. "Bite me, Redfox."
Rewritten as of July 10th, 2018!
