Lucy wanted to avert her gaze. In fact, she tried very, very hard to do so, but her eyes were glued to Gajeel peeling his shirt off his body. The sweat and humidity had caused the thin fabric to stick to his skin, making it harder to pull the shirt off. Not that Lucy complained. Inch by sweaty inch, she watched Gajeel's chiseled abdomen and toned chest reveal itself to her. Her mouth fell open with a soft pop when she saw every contour of his abs. Strangely, she felt like running her fingers over the hard muscle, and quickly clasped her hands behind her back to dissuade herself from touching him.
Gajeel was too wrapped up in the two of them being semi-naked to notice the fact that Lucy was very unabashedly checking him out. With his shirt finally on the ground, he met Lucy's gaze. The blonde held her breath and snapped open the button on her shorts. She felt the garment loosen and slip an inch down her hips, revealing the top of her lacy panties. Now it was Gajeel's turn to try and look away, but he couldn't either. He watched Lucy shimmy her shorts down her endless legs, unintentionally being ridiculously seductive. Pale pink panties, cut high on her thigh, showcased her long legs and pert, round ass. Her underwear definitely showed off more of her butt than she wanted put on display, but she was in too deep now. Gajeel had begun pushing his pants off too, until he was only clad in a pair of black briefs.
Lucy and Gajeel were both aware of the semi-erection Gajeel was sporting, but neither chose to mention it. Gajeel believed that being chill about it would draw less attention to his boner, and Lucy was truly just flattered and a little turned on herself.
Do I… Is Gajeel turning me on? God, I want to lick those abs, Lucy mentally drooled, staring at her partner. Her cheeks were beet red.
"Shall we?" Gajeel asked stiffly, gesturing to the water.
Lucy nodded and hurried towards the pristine pool. She momentarily stopped at the edge to dip her toe into the water, and she found it to be blissfully crisp and cool. The sun overhead was still beating down and the water provided some much needed relief as Lucy waded in. She sighed softly as the exertion and strain from the last couple of days melted out of her into the refreshing water. She walked in until she was chest deep before quickly holding her nose and dipping down. Lucy stayed underwater for a few moments, watching her blonde hair swirl around her face in wispy, ethereal strands. The sunlight penetrating the water cast diamond-like sparkles on the mossy pond floor. Lucy observed her arms and legs, watching golden sunlight bounce off her pale skin. Even her purple injury looked beautiful under the teal water. Lucy stayed underwater until her lungs began to burn, desperately craving oxygen.
She burst through the surface of the water and gasped in a large breath of air. Water trickled off her hair and down her back. Lucy noticed Gajeel standing a few feet away to her side, equally entranced by the refreshing pond. His already long hair hung down to his narrow hips now that it was wet, and sunlight danced off of the drops that clung to his bronzed skin. Sensing Lucy's eyes on him, he turned to meet her gaze.
"Quite something, huh, Bunny girl?"
Lucy nodded dreamily. The only thing missing was chirping birds, but otherwise, this was a perfect place.
Aside from the monsters looming a few feet away, of course, Lucy chuckled to herself. Wanting to share the joke, she called Gajeel.
"Seems a little too perfect, doesn't it? I feel like we need a monster to swim under me and grab me to snap us back to reality," she laughed.
Unfortunately, she delivered the joke to the wrong audience. Gajeel stiffened at her words. He hadn't scouted the pond for monsters and he couldn't smell them if they were underwater. They locked eyes for a brief second before Gajeel dived down into the pond's crystal depths. Lucy had read his mind even before he moved, and half a second later, Lucy was underwater as well, swimming towards Gajeel.
He moved much faster than she did, especially now that he was on high alert for underwater predators, but with some effort and significant strain to her injury, Lucy caught up to him. She wrapped an arm around his bicep and pulled him to the surface. They both came up together, but just as Lucy was about to speak, she disappeared back under the water with a choked scream.
Gajeel panicked, diving down to collect her in his arms.
"What the fuck was that?!" he yelled when they were both above water once more.
"Leg cramped… Didn't realise we were in deep water… My calf… Burning," Lucy gasped out, wincing as her calf muscle tightened painfully. The water was neck-deep for Gajeel on his toes, so Lucy definitely had no hope of being able to stand upright here. With a grunt, he walked back to shallower water, cradling a whimpering Lucy to his chest. Between the wound on her thigh and her miserably cramped muscle, Lucy wanted nothing more than to cut her leg off.
Finding a decent rock jutting out of waist-high water, Gajeel gently placed Lucy on the warm stone before grabbing her ankle.
"Lean back," he ordered, bracing her thigh with his free hand. He was careful to avoid the wound, but a quick peek at it told him that it would heal and be just fine within no time. Then, ever so slowly, Gajeel stretched Lucy's leg. He pulled it towards him while simultaneously pushing her foot back towards her ankle. Lucy screeched in pain as her calf released, but it was momentary discomfort. As her muscle eased, and blood flow resumed to the agitated area, Lucy sighed in relief. She felt Gajeel encase her calf in his large hand and gently knead the muscle, massaging it as it loosened. She let her eyes drift shut as he worked it, leaning back on her elbows to let the late afternoon sun wash over her face.
"Better?" he asked softly.
Lucy nodded. "Mm, much," she replied thickly.
"Right. Well, stay here. I'm going to make sure nothing's in the water," he announced, moving back from her and getting ready to dive down again.
Lucy's eyes shot open and she lurched forward, gripping his arm. "Calm down, Gajeel!" she chastised. "I get you're worried, but we're having such a nice afternoon and the water is lovely. Let's just enjoy it," Lucy pleaded.
"You can't be too careful. Especially not here," Gajeel shot back, but he allowed Lucy to pull him back towards her.
"We'll be alright," Lucy promised.
Gajeel made a condescending "hmph" sound, but didn't comment further. Bracing herself against his shoulders, Lucy slid off the rock and back into the water.
Gajeel couldn't help but admire the way her bra had become slightly sheer and the way it clung to the curves of her breasts. He felt his cock twitch as his eyes landed on her pert nipples poking out through the fabric of her bra and the thin streams of water that flowed into her cleavage. He was so grateful for the waist deep water, because he was on his way to being painfully hard and his mind kept throwing up images of his face buried between her tits.
"What?" Lucy giggled nervously, noticing the way Gajeel hungrily watched her. She couldn't believe the thrill she got at seeing unbridled lust in his eyes.
"Nothing," he replied gruffly, letting go of her waist and turning away from her.
Why do I suddenly want to fuck her?! I've been around her for so long, and sure, she's hot, but I've never wanted to fuck her this badly. Damn it, dick. Get the fuck under control, Gajeel thought irritatedly to himself.
Suddenly a splash of water hit him in the face. He sputtered and turned to glare at Lucy. She giggled once before flicking water at him again. His eyes narrowed and glinted as Lucy devolved into a fit of laughter. Gajeel lunged for her, picking her up around the waist and flinging her several feet away. She screamed as she soared through the air before landing in the water with a large splash. A part of her was mortified at how cheesy and cliched they were being, but she had to admit, it was fun playing with him like this.
All that's left is for him to kiss me. That's all that's left for this to be a moment straight out of my romance novels, Lucy thought as she came up to the surface. I think I wouldn't mind if he kissed me… In fact, I think I'd really like it. How have I never seen him like this before? Also, where is he? Lucy realised that she couldn't see Gajeel anywhere. She looked back to where they'd been standing before he tossed her, but he wasn't there.
Panic started rising in Lucy's throat. "Gajeel?" she called nervously. No response. "Gajeel!" Lucy screamed, whipping her head around. "This isn't funny, Gajeel!" she yelled, frantically trying to spot her partner. His clothes were still where he'd left them, so Lucy knew he was in the water. Her worst fear was beginning to materialise in front of her. There had been a monster in the water, and in the two seconds she was distracted, it had got him.
"Gajeel, please! Stop playing," she tried again, her voice trembling. She looked around, waiting for some movement, somewhere, but the water was still and the air was quiet. Lucy drew in a large breath, getting ready to dive down and search for him. Her knees were shaking as she tried pulling air into her lungs. Her ears had started to ring. One last time, Lucy screamed his name as loud as she could when a pair of hands landed on her hips and she felt a slick body press into her back.
"Damn it, woman. Stop fucking yelling," Gajeel whispered in her ear.
Lucy spun in his arms and punched him in the shoulder. "That wasn't funny, Gajeel!" she yelled, punching him again. "I- I thought something had happened," she stuttered worriedly. Their chests were pressed together and his arms were more wholly encircling her waist now.
"I went for a little swim," Gajeel shrugged. In reality, he had needed to quickly scan the water to ensure there weren't any monsters around. He wouldn't have been able to relax otherwise.
"You disappeared! Suddenly! I thought you were dead," she snapped, irritated by his nonchalance. Had the tables been turned and she disappeared underwater for a minute, Lucy knew that Gajeel would have thrown the fit of a lifetime. She pushed against his hands, breaking free of their intimate embrace. The fifteen seconds when she thought a monster had grabbed him had been the most terrifying fifteen seconds of her life, and now that she saw him safe, tears of fear and anger pricked her eyes.
"I'm done bathing," she said shortly, moving towards the pond bank. Before she could get very far, Gajeel caught her wrist and pulled her back against him.
"Sorry I scared you. I was just playing," he said sincerely. He couldn't see her face but her back was straight as a rod and he suspected that she was very irritated with him. He'd seen her eyes glaze over with tears and he wanted to kick himself in the nuts for scaring her like that.
"I thought a monster got you," Lucy rasped.
Gajeel sighed, wrapping his arms around her middle in a tight hug. His breath was warm against her neck, and he deeply inhaled the faint smell of strawberry that clung to her hair. He squeezed her gently before letting her go and turning her to face him.
"Those ugly sons of bitches won't touch us that easily, kid. Don't worry," he reassured. "I'm tougher than ten of them put together," he cracked a lopsided smirk.
And while Lucy had been petrified not two minutes ago, she believed him. Standing mere inches from him, with the memory of his arms around her still lingering on her skin, Lucy felt safe. She smiled and reached up to brush a lock of hair away from his face. Right before she could do so, she stopped herself and retracted her hand. It felt too erotic to gently caress his face. For some reason, it felt more erotic than when they'd embraced half-naked.
As she pulled her hand back towards her body, Gajeel caught it and guided it to his face. Their gazes were locked and the air around them suddenly felt charged with electricity. Tentatively, delicately, Lucy wrapped the unruly lock of hair around her finger before tucking it behind his ear. She let her hand slide down to cup his jaw, feeling the bristle of light stubble under her palm. Her breath hitched and, unconsciously, she moved closer to him until her breasts were pressed up against his chest. She tilted her face up, and he bent down towards her. Butterflies exploded in Lucy's stomach and she watched his deep pink, lush lips part open.
"We should get back. Your magic power must be low after having kept Horlogium's gate open this long," Gajeel strangled out, his mouth a hair's breadth away from hers.
Disappointment flooded Lucy, but she tried her best to hide it. She moved back and nodded. "Yeah, I am tired," she agreed. Her heart was hammering out of rhythm as she walked back to the edge of the pond. Gajeel followed on her heels and the two of them quickly got dressed, pulling their clothes on over their wet underwear.
Neither spoke on their walk back, but when Gajeel noticed Lucy walking slowly, he wordlessly reached out to hold her hand, intertwining their fingers.
Gajeel didn't know why he hadn't kissed her. She was pressed up against him, looking at him through her long lashes, with her baby pink lips parted so deliciously. She had leaned towards him, presenting her mouth for him to claim. The way her thumb rubbed gentle circles against his jaw was enough to make him cum in his underwear like a fucking twelve year old. But still, he didn't kiss her.
Did your balls fucking fall off? What the fuck is wrong with you? Gajeel screamed at himself.
But still, he hadn't kissed her. Because, in that moment, it didn't feel right. Not with monsters around and not with the two of them being exhausted. He wanted to kiss her when they were out of here and they could focus on each other and not on the forest.
Lucy was inside the tent, changing out of her wet clothes. While she was inside, Gajeel had quickly stripped naked before pulling on a pair of sweatpants. His clothes were hanging to dry on a tree branch while the Dragon Slayer was busy trying to start a fire.
With Lucy's injury, the walk back had taken longer than expected and the sun was very nearly below the horizon. Gajeel could feel the air rapidly cooling down and he knew they were in for another chilly night. The breeze was already frosty against his exposed chest, and his long hair did little to insulate his back.
"Why aren't you wearing more clothes?" Lucy asked, stepping out of the tent. As she spoke, the logs of wood caught fire and Gajeel grunted with satisfaction.
"One shirt's wet, one I tore to wrap your leg," he explained simply. "Speaking of which, I need to put some more of the paste on your wound before retying it for the night." He patted the ground next to him where he'd spread a tarp for them to sit on. He pulled the plant leaves from his bag and crushed them between his fingers before delicately spreading the paste over her cut. The wound was already significantly less purple and it looked like it was healing. Picking up a scrap of cloth, Gajeel bound Lucy's wound before wiping his hands on his sweatpants, staining the dark grey fabric with streaks of green.
"Why did you pack only two shirts?" Lucy asked incredulously once he was done.
"I didn't think we'd be here for this long. It's fine though. I don't need a shirt during the day, and by tomorrow night, I'll have a dry shirt to sleep in," he shrugged.
"Can I give you my coat?" Lucy offered.
Gajeel just laughed. "Bunny, it's one thing to drape it over me at night, but I really doubt your coat would fit me." As if to prove a point, he rolled his broad shoulders.
"Okay, wait one second," Lucy ordered, jumping up. She rushed into the tent before emerging with her blanket. The sky was already an inky purple and the air was cold. She placed the blanket over Gajeel's shoulders before planting herself next to him. Gajeel shifted closer to Lucy before drawing the blanket around the both of them. Lucy leaned into his bare side, letting her knee rest on his thigh.
"Why are you so paranoid about this place?" she asked after several moments of silence.
Gajeel inhaled shakily before speaking. "I was here years ago. After Metalicana disappeared. I'd heard rumours about the place but I was young and an idiot, and I believed I could take on every sucker here. I had nowhere to go and nothing to lose, so I packed a bag and a tent and came here," he paused and considered his next words carefully.
"Lucy, this place has been kind to you. I don't know if it's because we're here together, or because your spirits have been on guard, or maybe it's this dumb nature spirit that's making the monsters wary," as he spoke, the pair turned to look at the nature spirit bound to the tree. It was still glaring and would occasionally snarl, but wasn't being too much of a nuisance otherwise. "Yeah, I don't know what it is," Gajeel continued, "but you've gotten off easy. We've fought what, a hundred, maybe hundred and fifty monsters since you entered the Woods? Lucy, I fought those many, single handedly, in one night. And I was a fucking kid. It's a miracle I made it out of here with my life. I still don't know how I did it, because one moment, I'm asleep in my tent, and the next I'm kicking and punching monsters left, centre, right. Somehow I made it up into the trees and hightailed it out of here. It was, undoubtedly, one of the worst nights of my life, and I have the scar to always remind me of it," he finished.
Lucy didn't know what to say. She reached out and held Gajeel's hand comfortingly. He wasn't looking at her. His eyes were trained to the flickering flames and his brows were pulled tightly together.
"What scar?" Lucy asked softly.
"On my back," Gajeel replied, finally meeting her gaze. He angled his body to present his back to her before sweeping his hair to one shoulder. Lucy gasped when she saw the raised scar that ran from the base of his neck down to the small of his back. She ghosted a finger over it and Gajeel closed his eyes, tipping his head back at the sensation.
"The monsters here did this?" she whispered.
Gajeel nodded. "I didn't know what to do. I just remember jumping through trees, blinding pain shooting through me, blood seeping down my back and into my clothes. When I got to the nearest village, I had to steal medicines and bandages, and somehow, I managed to patch myself up. I did a shitty job though, and it got infected and took forever to heal and I remember lying in a small cave, burning up with a fever, and praying for death. It was a fucking nightmare. I never thought I'd have to ever come back here," he said shakily, turning back to Lucy. The blanket had slipped from around them, so Gajeel moved his arm around Lucy's shoulder to readjust it. He let his arm fall from her shoulder to her waist as he pulled her close. Feeling her pressed against him helped calm him down as he dredged up awful memories. Lucy curled up into his side, resting her head in the crook of his neck and gently tracing a finger over his hand.
"I'm sorry you had to come back," she muttered guiltily.
"You have nothing to apologise for. I chose to do this, and I'm glad I was here. Plus, monsters aside, I've had a good time with you," he admitted with a smile. Lucy returned it graciously, squeezing his thigh. Absent-mindedly, Gajeel dropped a kiss to the top of Lucy's head. It was brief and fleeting, but enough for both of them to suddenly become very aware of how their bodies were molded together. Suddenly, electricity danced between every point where their bodies touched. Lucy felt an incredible urge to turn her face and press her lips to his bare chest, but with some difficulty, she restrained herself. Instead, they sat in silence, arms around one another, watching the flames dance.
A/N: I promise this isn't going to be a veeeeery slow slow-burn. We'll get to good stuff soon! Hope the adventure thing is still working for you guys and I hope I haven't bored you yet! Also I heard you guys and I will elaborate a little more on the whole nature spirit thing in the next couple chaps! It kinda makes sense in my head but I haven't gotten around to really articulating it in words yet, but I will, not to worry!
As always, please review! I can't begin to describe how motivating it is to read your lovely reviews!