They stayed sitting like that long after the fire had died down into orange embers. With the moon waning, the forest was nearly pitch black, save for the weak starlight filtering down through the trees. At some point, Lucy had moved to sit between Gajeel's legs, with her back pressed into his chest. The blanket swaddled them both as he held her close to him. Her head was tipped back onto his shoulder, and his chin rested in the crook of her neck. They barely spoke, but their hearts hammered loud enough to wake the dead. Occasionally they'd hear something walk by, crunching dry leaves underfoot. Sometimes, it would be accompanied by a low snarl, and Gajeel would stiffen, tightening his grip on Lucy. And then, whatever it was, would pass and Gajeel would close his eyes, exhaling shakily. Lucy had one hand on his thigh and the other was intertwined with Gajeel's fingers. Everytime Gajeel froze, Lucy would gently squeeze his hand while stroking his thigh, silently urging him to relax.
"We should go back inside. It's cold," he rasped, noting the way Lucy was shivering and pressing herself deeper into his warmth.
She nodded. "I want to try talking to the spirit first, though."
"That… may not be the best idea. I doubt you'll get anything out of it anyway," Gajeel dissuaded.
"Still. I should try," Lucy said, standing up. She walked to the tree where the spirit was bound. It had so much hate in its onyx eyes, filling Lucy with sorrow.
"Are you cold?" she tried, standing several feet away from it. When it didn't respond, Lucy took hesitant steps towards it. It watched her approach, unmoving, until she took one step too far. Suddenly, it lurched forward, baring its sharpened teeth. Lucy immediately retracted that step and the spirit calmed down once more.
"Okay, I won't get too close. Understood. Can I bring you some food?" she asked.
Again, no response. Lucy ran to her bag and fished out an apple. She walked back to the spirit, stopping at the point she knew the spirit was comfortable with. Then placing the apple on her open palm, she stretched her hand out.
"Food?"
The spirit looked at her pointedly before looking away disinterestedly. Lucy scratched her head, wondering what she could do to make the spirit more comfortable.
"Gajeel, can you bring me my keys?" she asked as an idea struck her.
The man sauntered over, pouch in hand. Her fingers quickly found the key she was looking for, and Virgo popped into existence next to the pair.
"Want to punish me, Princess?" she asked as her standard greeting.
Lucy chose to ignore that. "Virgo, could you please re-tie the spirit so that it is comfortably sitting on the ground? And don't tie its arms down, just handcuff them. No one should be forced to stand for this long," she looked at the spirit empathetically.
"Right away, Princess," Virgo chirped, moving towards the spirit. It snarled and roared and even tried biting Virgo, but the pink-haired maiden was unfazed. She made quick work of redoing the bonds to allow the spirit to sink down to the ground, with its back against the tree. Virgo clasped silver handcuffs onto the spirit's wrists, and, once satisfied, stood back to admire her handiwork. The spirit snarled ferociously at her intrusion.
"Do you want me to give it a gag, Princess?" she asked enthusiastically, to which Lucy very clearly said no.
"I just needed help with this. Thank you, Virgo," Lucy said, before bidding her spirit goodbye.
Then, turning her attention back to the beautiful spirit chained to the tree, Lucy crouched down and rolled the apple towards it.
"I don't know if you eat, but in case you get hungry, I'll leave this with you. I guess snarl or growl or something if you need anything at night. I'm sorry I had to do this, but I swear, you'll be okay soon. In three nights it'll be the new moon, and hopefully, you'll be alright then," she explained slowly. She wasn't sure if the spirit even understood her, but there was something about the way its eyes narrowed and head cocked as she spoke. It was almost as if it was trying to comprehend what she was saying. Lucy stared intently into its eyes before nodding and standing up. She looked over her shoulder to ensure the apple was within the spirit's reach before slipping her hand into Gajeel's and leading him back to the tent.
"How did you do that?" he asked in awe as he zipped the tent door shut.
"Do what?" Lucy looked up at him as she knelt by her sleeping back. Gajeel tossed the blanket to her.
"Talk to it. It stayed so calm when you talked to it."
Lucy shrugged. "Loke was right. Its magic is similar to the magic my spirits wield. I didn't sense it as quickly as Loke had, but after being around the spirit for a couple hours, I'm starting to understand it. It isn't very different from my own spirits, and I guess it sensed that my magic was somehow familiar. Or maybe, because it's so close to the new moon, it's starting to calm down," she ideated.
"Well, you're truly something special," Gajeel smiled. He pulled Lucy's bag and arranged it as his pillow, but instead of sleeping at the other end of the tent, he positioned the bag a couple feet away from Lucy's head.
He flicked the lantern inside the tent off and got ready to lie down when he heard Lucy's soft voice.
"Gajeel?" she called into the dark hesitantly.
"Yeah?"
"It's cold tonight."
"Did you want your blanket?" Gajeel asked half-heartedly. Of course he'd give it to her, but then he'd positively freeze.
"No, it's not that. Uh… I mean, I'd be fine if… You can share my sleeping bag if you want," Lucy tripped over her words. She was grateful for the dark, because her face was burning with embarrassment.
Gajeel's jaw hit the floor. "Is that so, Bunny?" he crooned seductively.
"Yes," Lucy said, ignoring the suggestiveness in his voice. Her voice wavered awkwardly, but she was positive that she wanted to sleep next to him.
She heard Gajeel move in the dark before the corner of her sleeping bag opened and he slid inside. It was close quarters, but even shoulder to shoulder, they managed to fit. Lucy turned to her side and Gajeel moved his arm under her body to hug her to his chest. Lucy sighed happily as his warmth radiated through the sleeping bag and she snuggled into him, tucking her nose into his chest. She inhaled his warm, cinnamony, rust scent and it reminded her of summer rains.
"Goodnight," she purred, content in his arms.
"Goodnight Bunny," he responded softly, combing his fingers through her blonde locks.
"Gajeel," Lucy called softly. "Gajeel, I can't move," she whispered, struggling in his arms. At some point in the night, they had turned until Gajeel was wrapped around Lucy, his chest against her back. His arm was looped over her waist, crushing her to him, and his bent knee rested on her thigh. Lucy wriggled in his arms, trying to push him away, when her butt grazed his groin and she felt something hard poke into her soft flesh. Immediately she blushed, but didn't jump away. It would be hypocritical of her to react dramatically, considering she'd woken up with an ache in her core and the familiar fluttering of a charged up libido. Gajeel's breath on her neck continued to send shivers up her spine and part of her wanted to stay like this, cocooned against his body. But she desperately had to pee, and Gajeel keeping her trapped was not helping.
Finally, having been left no other option, Lucy screeched his name at the top of her lungs. In a fraction of a second, Gajeel was crouching at the ready, his arm now an iron club.
"Where is it?" he hissed, scanning the walls of the tent.
Lucy felt so guilty. She got up on her knees in front of his and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, Gajeel. Nothing's there, but you weren't waking up and I had to go pee. I wasn't able to push you off of me. I'm sorry," she apologised again.
Gajeel sat down heavily with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair.
"Damn it, Bunny. I nearly had a fucking heart attack," he gasped.
"Sorry!" Lucy apologised guiltily once more before leaping to her feet. "If I don't go pee right now, I may die," she exclaimed before darting out of the tent. Gajeel tried shouting after her, reminding her to be safe, but she was long gone and he knew better than to follow her now.
He lay back down, arms folded underneath his head. Gajeel couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so soundly, which was especially surprising, given that they were in his least favourite place in the world. There was something about her honey-vanilla skin that was so incredibly soothing, while also being ridiculously intoxicating. The memory of her smell caused a stirring in his pants, and with sudden panic, Gajeel realised that he'd probably had morning wood. And Lucy's tight, round butt had been right up against it.
Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I had my boner in her ass. Okay, just be chill. It happens all the time. She probably didn't notice, he thought, soothing himself. He tried very hard to steer his thoughts away from the blonde and how good she felt, curled up in his arms. He thought about the monsters, and the spirit bound outside, and Natsu, and finally, Gajeel felt his excited member start to calm down.
Just then, Lucy bounded back into the tent and flopped down on the sleeping bag next to him.
"Okay, I'm better. Did you sleep good?" she asked, turning to face him.
"Mm," Gajeel grunted contentedly. "How's the wound?" he asked in return, lightly drumming his fingers on her thigh.
Lucy sat up and undid the bandage, revealing just a reddened gash, with no purple discoloration surrounding it.
"Good. And it doesn't hurt?" Gajeel confirmed, to which Lucy shook her head. "Then I think you can let it stay open. It'll heal faster if it's exposed to oxygen, and I don't think we need to worry about an infection anymore," he advised.
"I'm sorry you had to tear your shirt for this, though," Lucy offered. Secretly, however, she wasn't sorry at all. Getting to wake up to a shirtless Gajeel, rippling muscles and tight abs on display, made her entire day. Her eyes roved his defined body and she felt drool pool in her mouth.
"Are you sorry though, Bunny? Because with the way you're checking me out, it doesn't seem like it." Gajeel's voice was low and smooth as he sat up, bringing his face close to Lucy's. Her cheeks were tinged a bright pink, but as if possessed, she lifted a hand gingerly and reached for his abdomen. Just before her fingers could graze his skin, she looked up to meet his eyes, silently asking for permission. Gajeel nodded almost imperceptibly and let his eyes flutter shut.
Lucy closed the distance and let the tips of her fingers just barely skim his body. He'd been pressed against her several times over the last two days, including just last night, where they slept in a tight embrace, but this was deliberate. Lucy touched his chest with the intent of feeling every dip, curve, and contour. Her hand went up to his neck, and then slowly trailed down his body, stopping an inch above his waistband.
"Hold me," she whispered throatily, moving her other hand to the nape of his neck. She laced her fingers through his unruly hair before moving them up to cup his jaw.
Gajeel's hands were on her waist in an instant. He pulled her gently and she readily climbed into his lap. Softly, Lucy ran the pad of her thumb over his lips and Gajeel drew air in sharply. Their noses touched and their breaths intermingled. Gajeel opened his eyes to see Lucy looking at him. As they made eye contact, Lucy gently shut her eyes and angled her head. Her lips parted as she brought them to Gajeel's, but before they could make contact, he pulled back.
"What?" Lucy's voice shook. "Why won't you kiss me?" she looked at him accusingly. She felt rejected and sad and she wanted to slide off his lap and go hide behind a tree, but his hands on her waist kept her trapped there. "Did I cross a line? Do you not see me like that?" she continued. "I thought we were…" Lucy trailed off.
With a sigh, Gajeel dropped his head to her shoulder. He swept her hair away from her neck and planted a hot, open kiss to her throat. Lucy sighed dreamily as arousal coursed through her.
"Lucy, you don't know how much I want you. God, not kissing you right now has been the hardest thing I've done, possibly in my entire life. And I don't trust myself to stay good and not absolutely ravage you. But I don't want to kiss you here, Bunny. Not in these Woods. Not when I am constantly, constantly paranoid about monsters and other weird shit attacking us. I don't want to kiss you if even ten percent of me is focused on something else. Because when I kiss you, Lucy, I need it to be just you and me. And then," Gajeel's smooth voice turned to a growl, "I'm going to do so... much... more... than just kiss you," he said, punctuating his words with little nips along her throat. "But not yet, and not here. Please," he strangled at the end. He held her face in his hands, and looked deep into her eyes, begging her to understand.
"Okay," Lucy whispered. She was still dejected, but hearing him say that he intended to kiss her and more made her heart flutter with excitement.
"I want you, Bunny girl. You don't even know how much I want you," he breathed, touching his forehead to hers. "And the second we're out of these Woods, I will have you," Gajeel growled again. Teasingly, he brought his lips to Lucy's, before, at the last second, moving his head to kiss the corner of her mouth. He then kissed her jaw, then her throat, and finally, he kissed the skin right above the swell of her breast.
"Stop being such a fucking tease," Lucy moaned, sinking into his embrace. She flicked her tongue over the shell of his studded ear, giggling when he groaned in pleasure. Involuntarily, Gajeel bucked his hips up into her warm centre, and Lucy responded by enthusiastically grinding herself against him. Gajeel's hands tightened on her waist and he kissed her throat again.
"Okay, we need to stop," he gritted, pulling himself off Lucy's neck and swatting her butt. "Up. Let's go. Breakfast, spirit to check on, things to do. C'mon, Princess," he said, lifting Lucy off his lap. Gajeel stood up and his massive erection was more than prominent through the soft fabric of his sweatpants.
"I need to go pee. And find my shirt. Stay outta trouble, don't do anything risky, I'll be back soon," Gajeel ordered before stalking out of the tent.
Lucy watched hungrily as his muscular back and gorgeous ass marched out of the tent before she followed to go visit the bound spirit.
"Your eyes… They're blue today," Lucy gasped in shock as she neared the spirit. It didn't snarl when Lucy drew near. Her gaze flicked to the uneaten apple still lying on the floor next to ethereal being. Its eyes were no longer filled with hate, but they weren't warm either. The spirit watched Lucy with cold indifference.
"They were black yesterday, but they're dark blue now… Does that mean it's working? Is whatever caused you to go rogue wearing off?" Lucy probed. She was crouching down about five feet from the bound spirit. It was a couple feet closer than she'd been able to go yesterday and she counted that as a victory.
"Please talk to me. Or signal. Do something so I know you're comfortable," Lucy pleaded desperately. Her heart twisted, seeing the spirit confined to the tree. There was something about its overall blueness that reminded her of Aquarius and she felt tears well in her eyes at the memory of her friend.
"I just want you to be okay… I don't know what's wrong with you, or if this is even helping. Is it? Are you feeling okay? Please, tell me," Lucy urged, leaning closer to the spirit.
The spirit studied Lucy for several long seconds before nodding once.
"You understand me?! Oh my god! You understand me! You're okay then?" Lucy asked excitedly. She waited eagerly for the spirit's response, but it never came. Its face settled back into a scowl before looking away, and that was the extent of interaction Lucy managed.
She sat there for a few more hopeful minutes, just in case the spirit decided to communicate with her again, but she had no luck on that front. With a sigh, Lucy got up to dig through the bag for food, only to find that they'd run out.
"Great," she muttered sarcastically. "Should I risk going and finding food by myself?" she asked, turning to the spirit. It was still ignoring Lucy. "Hmm. You're right. He'll kill me if I wander off alone. Good point, spirit," Lucy commented, entertaining herself by playing out both sides of the conversation. "I shall read a book until he gets back. Want me to read out loud to you? No? Okay, your loss," Lucy shrugged at the spirit that was presently paying zero attention to her.
She disappeared into the tent and pulled up her sleeping bag to retrieve the book she'd left hidden under it. Then, after slipping out of her pajama pants and into shorts, Lucy found a sunny spot under a tree where she parked herself and flipped the book open.
"Sure I can't interest you in a read-aloud?" she reconfirmed with the disinterested spirit. This time, it turned to shoot her a glare so withering that Lucy instantly clammed up and focused her gaze on the words in front of her. But, before she could get too lost in her novel, she thought about what Gajeel would do in her position.
After a few moments of prep, Lucy sat back down, whip by her side, keys hanging from her waist, and ears trained to the various sounds around her. Satisfied, she settled down to read, making sure to flick her gaze up and around her every few seconds.
Gajeel's boner was miserably uncomfortable, straining against his pants. A small part of him wanted to give up this ridiculous notion he was carrying, and just go back to Lucy, pin her to a tree, and sink his cock into her tight, wet, warmth.
"Stop it, Gajeel," he grumbled irritatedly.
When he felt sufficiently far enough from camp, with little chance of Lucy finding him, he stopped and leaned back against a comfortable tree. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but he also didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't walk around with a hard on for the rest of the day.
"Won't it be just fucking hilarious if a monster attacked me with my dick in my hand?" he chuckled humourlessly.
But the only other alternative was fucking Lucy, and he'd much rather get attacked with his dick in his hand than get attacked with his dick buried inside Lucy. He needed to tend to his impatient and excited cock, because, right now, every drop of blood in his body was flooding his member, which meant none of it was in his brain, which meant he wasn't thinking straight. His mind was solely focused on wrapping his lips around Lucy's gorgeous nipples and pumping his dick into her undoubtedly pretty pussy. He wanted to hear her moan his name and grip his hair as he fucked her into oblivion.
With a shaky exhale, Gajeel slipped a hand into his pants and pulled out his rock hard cock. He gently wrapped his fist around it and began stroking its length. His eyes fell shut, and behind his lids, he envisioned Lucy on her knees with his cock disappearing between her pink lips.
A low moan left Gajeel's throat and he knew he didn't have the time to slowly, tantalisingly bring himself to his release. She was waiting for him all alone, and he needed to be quick.
Gajeel felt like a damn teenager, jerking himself off rapidly and covertly. His eyes were screwed shut and he changed the image in his head to Lucy from yesterday afternoon.
He saw her dusky pink nipples peek through her bra and the outline of her pussy, framed by her wet, pink panties. She was in the pond, hair dripping around her face as she watched him with hooded eyes. Gajeel fantasized about holding her against a rock, water swirling around the both of them, as he pushed himself into her. Gajeel pumped his cock in time to his imagined thrusts and he let soft gasps slip out of his mouth. His cock was slick with precum, and if he focused hard enough, he could pretend that slickness was Lucy's juices, coating his length.
With how horny he'd been, it wasn't long until Gajeel felt his balls tighten. He vigorously stroked his dick, urging himself towards his climax. Then, with a final tug, he felt ecstasy wash over him as he spurted his seed onto the forest floor. He was careful to not let any jizz get on his pants, lest he walk back to camp with incriminating white stains decorating his clothes. Gajeel sighed contentedly as his balls emptied themselves. He felt better and the haze of lust that clouded his ability to think straight began to lift.
He cleaned himself off on leaves, all the while muttering about how embarrassing this was and how much of a degenerate he felt like, before tucking his soft cock back into his pants.
With his sex drive moderately under control, Gajeel moved on to the next item on his agenda - food. He was fairly certain that they'd run out and he didn't want Lucy to stay hungry. He quickly scaled a tree before leaping through the branches until he found one that held an abundant supply of mangoes. He perched carefully on that branch, plucking enough for the two of them to eat before gracefully jumping to the ground. Cradling the fruit in his arms, he jogged back to camp, worried at having left Lucy alone for so long.
"Hey Bunny," Gajeel called as he rounded their campsite, "I got-" his voice broke off in a hoarse strangle and the fruit tumbled out of his arms and to the ground.
"Lucy!" Gajeel cried, running towards the unconscious blonde, crumpled on the ground mere inches from the bound spirit.
A/N: Fanservice was requested, fanservice has been delivered. We got some PG 13 (not really) steamy moments. And a fun cliffy! I almost never do such dramatic cliffhangers, but oh well, gotta throw a couple in for some spice y'kno
Please make my day and review thank u very much. Im still so insecure about writing adventure that any and all feedback is just going to help w everything!