Gajeel and Lucy walked back from the pond hand-in-hand. Their bath together had been a couple hours of flirtatious touches and teasing. Lucy spent several minutes running her hands over Gajeel's body, feeling his abs flex under her palms. Gajeel grabbed Lucy's ass and pulled her up, coaxing her to wrap her legs around his waist.
Lucy ground her wet core into Gajeel's erection and the pair moaned, lips a mere inch apart.
His hands occasionally slipped under the strap of her bra while she sucked on his neck, but they never went further than that. Lucy could tell that Gajeel wasn't fully present. He would pull away every now and then to look into the trees, or his head would whip to the side when leaves rustled.
Lucy understood why he didn't want to be with her more wholly yet. But that understanding didn't help the fact that Lucy was incredibly horny.
Walking back, her hand in Gajeel's, Lucy was maniacally fantasising about Gajeel pinning her to a tree, tearing her bra off, pushing her panties to the side, and sinking his gorgeous cock into her. Lucy had seen enough of his erect dick through his tight briefs to know that he was big and the very thought cock made her drool.
She felt arousal leak out of her and into her underwear.
"Calm down, Bunny," Gajeel chuckled.
"What?" Lucy asked indignantly.
"I can fucking smell sex on you, babe," Gajeel smirked, leaning into Lucy. "And you smell so good," he purred in her ear.
"Damn it, Gajeel, if you aren't going to fuck me right now, you need to stand four feet away and stop teasing me," Lucy whined.
Gajeel laughed, pulling Lucy into a one-armed hug. "Just a couple more days, baby," he winked.
But, abiding by Lucy's request, Gajeel moved four feet away from her.
Lucy giggled and reached out to hold his arm and pull him back. "I was kidd-" she started, before her sentence turned to a scream. Gajeel lunged forward, but the bastardised ape that swung down from the trees already had its arms around Lucy and had pulled her up into the canopy.
"Lucy!" Gajeel screamed after her, scaling the tree at record speed.
The ape monster swung through the trees, with an arm wrapped around Lucy, faster than Gajeel had expected.
He jumped through branches, desperately trying to reach her, but the monster always stayed too far away. And then, in front of Gajeel's eyes, the monster disappeared.
"Fuck!" Gajeel yelled. He knew what he could do, but he risked hurting Lucy in the process. He didn't have time to waste debating these things though, and he quickly dropped back to the ground. Aiming up into the trees, Gajeel drew in a deep breath.
"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel shouted through the trees. The branches shook and broke as Gajeel's magic ripped through the forest. His arms turned to long iron saws and he in a single swoop, Gajeel knocked down twenty trees. With a second roar and another swing of his arms, another twenty trees fell, and this time, a scream followed immediately after. Gajeel darted towards the scream in time to see the ape running away. Gajeel's arm became a club that shot out and knocked the monster in the back, pinning it down. Then, with menacing brutality reminiscent of his Phantom Lord days, Gajeel began clobbering the monster.
The monster wailed under Gajeel's iron club, spitting and hissing as every blow broke a different bone. Purple ichor spilled to the ground, oozing from the multiple gashes Gajeel was leaving.
Eventually, the monster stopped moving. Its breathing stilled and eyes went blank. But still, Gajeel continued bashing the creature.
"Gajeel, stop. It's dead," he heard Lucy croak from somewhere behind him. In his blind rage, he hadn't even noticed her lying on the ground. He didn't register her words, continuing to slam his clubbed arm into its back.
"Gajeel! Stop!" Lucy cried, and finally, Gajeel took a step back. His arm went back to normal and he wiped the purple splatter off his face.
He turned to face Lucy. She was still on the ground, foot bent awkwardly under her, with tears streaming down her face.
"It's dead. Just… Let it be," Lucy pleaded. The sound of Gajeel hitting that creature sickened her.
Woodenly, Gajeel walked back to Lucy.
"Where are you hurt?" he asked mechanically. Rage still coursed through him and it wasn't enough that the creature lay dead. He wanted to kill every single thing in this forest.
"My ankle. I don't think it's broken, but I hurt it as I fell. Also my ribs. They hurt," Lucy responded. She was confused by Gajeel's clinical coldness, but emulated it. She was still in shock, and hadn't yet processed her own emotions.
With careful fingers, Gajeel eased Lucy's foot out from under her and gave it a gentle roll. Lucy winced, but otherwise seemed fine.
"Yeah, it's just a sprain. You'll be okay in a couple days." Then reaching for the hem of her shirt, Gajeel looked at Lucy. "May I?" he asked.
Lucy nodded, allowing Gajeel to lift her shirt up to her bra, revealing her midriff. But when he saw the purple marks on her side, his coldness melted away. A prominent handprint marred her body, perfectly replicating the ape's hand. It spanned the entirety of her abdomen, starting right below her breast and ending at her hip. While the creature hadn't broken skin, it had significantly marked Lucy with a bruise that looked terribly painful. Concern for her surpassed his rage and Gajeel collected her in his arms.
"Oh God, Bunny. Are you okay?"
Lucy looked down at the offending handprint. Now, in the warmth of Gajeel's embrace, Lucy allowed her emotions to surface, and, with a choked gasp, she broke down. She threw her arms around Gajeel and sobbed into his neck, remembering the fear she felt as the creature swung her through the trees.
"I was so scared," she wept desperately, clinging to the Iron Dragon Slayer.
Gajeel began shushing her calmly. "I know, Bunny. I know. I'm so sorry I didn't protect you. Fuck, Lucy. I'm so fucking sorry. I will kill every bastard in this place, I swear. You never have to go through that," he committed.
Lucy sat back and dried her tears. "No. Don't kill everything. Just… Don't let me go, okay? And I won't let you go. Stay with me, Gajeel," she sniffled.
"Okay. I'll never let you go. You'll be safe with me, I promise, Lucy. I'll never let that happen to you again," he said, tenderly stroking her bruise.
The memory of the monster suddenly hit Lucy again and she once more devolved into a puddle of tears. Being lifted and swung through the trees by a large, ugly, smelly, horrifying monster had been the worst experience of Lucy's life and she felt sick just thinking about it. She didn't know what the monster intended to do with her, but every option was too horrific to consider. Once again, she thanked her stars that Gajeel was with her, because she knew that without him, she'd be lucky to leave this forest as a corpse.
"Let's get you back to the tent," Gajeel whispered. When Lucy tried standing up, Gajeel growled protectively before scooping her into his arms.
Neither of them said a word on their walk back, but they held onto one another as if each was the other's life raft.
"Can you heal her?"
"Gajeel, it's a sprained ankle. It'll heal on its own."
"Shut up, Lucy. Can you heal her? Fix her ankle?"
"My cut was poisoned, Gaj. That's why the spirit healed me. Why would she waste her magic on a sprain? Just help me back to the tent."
"Why are you being so difficult?!"
"Why are you babysitting me so much?! I'm fine, Gajeel!"
"Like fuck you're fine! I know you cried on the walk back here! I felt your tears on my chest!"
"Yes, Gajeel! I got abducted by a monster and hauled through trees! I was fucking terrified! Of course I cried! I'm scared!"
"And I'm not? I'm fucking scared too! Because the last time you were hurt, I thought I healed you, but I hadn't! Your wound was still poisoned. So excuse me for wanting the spirit to fix you, because clearly, I can't take care of you! I broke my promise to your friends and you've been hurt and abducted and poisoned and bruised on my watch!"
Lucy stopped yelling and let her shoulders slump.
"What do you mean, Gajeel? I got hurt. It happens. But without you, I'd be dead. You haven't broken any promise. We can talk about this more if you want, but can we please do so in the tent?"
"Fine," Gajeel grumbled. He slipped an arm around Lucy's waist, supporting her weight as she limped back to the tent.
"You're unravelling, Gajeel," Lucy stated as she awkwardly sat down.
"No need to be so subtle with your criticism," Gajeel mumbled sarcastically. "I'm trying to protect you, Lucy, and you are making that very difficult for me."
"So it's my fault I got picked up by a monster?! I'm sorry my fucking abduction has been such an inconvinence to you!"
"Don't be dramatic, you know what I mean. Obviously I don't think you getting picked up by the monster was an inconvenience. But I don't know why you insist on being so obstinate about things like having the spirit heal you! Or why, after me saying it only a billion fucking times, you still won't be more careful," Gajeel gritted.
"It's not like you stopped that monster from picking me up either! So don't blame me for not hearing it! You and your heightened senses should've known it was there! Even you weren't able to stop it from taking me!" Lucy shrieked.
Gajeel's face fell and he recoiled like he'd been slapped. "It's my fault you're hurt… I knew it. And you know it. Fuck," he whispered. He rose to his feet and grabbed Lucy's keys from next to her. He didn't know if this would work, but it was worth a shot.
"What're you doing? Gajeel, sit down. I didn't mean that. You know that's not what I meant," Lucy tried, but Gajeel pointedly ignored her.
"Loke?" he called, holding all the keys in his hand. He didn't know which one was the Lion's or if Loke would even respond to him, but he tried anyway.
"I don't appreciate someone else using my key," Loke drawled, snapping into existence. "That key is only for Lucy."
"Watch her," Gajeel commanded shortly before slinking out of the tent.
"Gajeel! Come back! Gajeel, I didn't mean it was your fault! Please, Gaj!" Lucy cried, trying to go after him, but her ankle couldn't support her. "Gajeel! I'm sorry! Please," Lucy screamed after him, but the Dragon Slayer was long gone. Tears pricked Lucy's eyes as she stared at the tent door.
"What was that about?" Loke asked, wrapping an arm around Lucy who had begun to softly cry.
"He's just… He's just so aggravating!" Lucy yelled, snapping her head up. Her watery eyes glinted with anger. "He treats me like I'm this porcelain doll who he won't even touch because he's afraid I'll break. I know he's worried, and so am I! We're both scared, but he goes overboard! I just need him to trust me and trust that I am trying my level best to stay alive! And he can't take it personally if I get hurt! It's a mission! We get hurt on missions! But no! God forbid little Miss Lucy Heartfilia hurts herself!" Lucy stopped to draw in a breath. She felt herself start to calm down. "I'm so grateful for him. I am. I don't mean for any of this to sound like I'm not. But I just need Gajeel to not work himself up over this…" Lucy sighed.
Loke waited several moments, allowing Lucy to entirely centre herself.
"Princess… What Gajeel has gone through in these Woods… The memory of the experience alone would have broken many strong people. I know how capable and skilled you are, but for someone who has had to fight his way out of here, nearly losing his life multiple times as he did so, his concern isn't unfounded. I don't like watching him coddle you either, but I can't blame him for being overprotective. If I went through what he did… Princess, I'd have handcuffed us together," Loke admitted.
Lucy cracked a small smile before reaching out to squeeze Loke's hand.
"You're a good guy, Loke," she whispered to her friend.
"I can stay if you want, but I suspect you want to talk to Gajeel," Loke said, returning her gentle squeeze.
Lucy nodded.
"Right. Well, I'll go find him and send him back, I guess," Loke grunted, getting ready to exit the tent.
"Don't bother. He'll be back soon enough," Lucy deadpanned. She bid her friend an enthusiastic goodbye before stretching out on the sleeping bag and flipping her book open.
"I thought I fucking told the Lion to stay," she heard Gajeel growl not ten minutes later.
"I sent him away," Lucy replied coolly, putting her book down. She knew that, sooner or later, Gajeel would realise that he couldn't smell Loke in the tent and so he'd come back. She also knew that Gajeel hadn't gone very far at all. If she was right, he'd most likely have been sitting in a tree a couple hundred meters from the campsite. Close enough to smell the tent's occupants, but far enough to not have to listen to their conversation.
"Lucy!" Gajeel groaned exasperatedly. "Why are you so damn stubborn?"
Lucy glared at him. "Help me up," she bit out sharply, holding out a hand. With a sigh, Gajeel hoisted her to her feet. As soon as Lucy regained her balance, she threw all her weight into her arms and shoved Gajeel. He stumbled back, eyes wide in shock.
"Gajeel, stop! I know you've been through some fucked up shit and I know it isn't easy being back here, but please, Gajeel! Please, you need to trust me!" Lucy cried.
"I trust you! I don't trust the Woods!" he rebutted.
"Still! I can-" Lucy began screaming back before she stopped with an exaggerated sigh. "This is a pointless argument that neither of us can win. So let's drop it. I will try and not lose my temper when you get overprotective, and you try and not treat me like I'm made of glass. Can we do that?" Lucy asked resignedly.
Gajeel considered her offer, and though he felt fully justified in his reactions, he nodded. "So, where do we start? You want to go out and look for food by yourself? I promise to be good and not follow you," Gajeel suggested.
"No. I want to start with this," Lucy whispered huskily before limping the distance between her and Gajeel. He quickly caught her, gripping her waist in his large hands. Lucy looped her arms around his neck and used that as leverage to get up onto her toes. She looked him firmly in the eye, letting him see the lust that clouded her gaze. And then, with determination, Lucy pressed her lips to Gajeel's. His tongue didn't ask for entrance, and she didn't attempt deepening the kiss either. Just soft flesh against soft flesh, Lucy and Gajeel kissed firmly in their tent. When Gajeel moved his hand down to cup Lucy's round ass, she moaned into his mouth. Her core tightened with desire and she pulled away before she lost herself in his mouth. Gajeel's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"I know you didn't want to kiss in the Woods, and I'm sorry I kissed you. I promise to not do anything more until we get out of here. But I wanted to prove to you that we are going to be fine, and that you don't need to worry so much. We'll be okay," Lucy said gently, cupping Gajeel's face between her hands.
"You're ridiculous, Bunny," Gajeel huffed, but his eyes were warm and kind. He pulled Lucy's hand to his lips and kissed her palm gently. "Now let's get some food. All this stress is not good for me," he grumbled.
Lucy nodded, intertwining her fingers with his. She began to hobble out of the tent when a light tug on her wrist pulled her back into Gajeel's chest. He spun her until they were chest-to-chest.
"I know we'll be okay," he rasped before dipping down and capturing Lucy's lips. He ran his tongue over the pink flesh, coaxing her to part her lips. Their tongues danced together as they tasted one another, savouring every moment. Lucy bit down gently on Gajeel's lip and he groaned in response.
"I can't wait to continue this with you when we're out of here," he moaned in her ear.
"It'll be worth the wait," Lucy promised.
"I know. You're always worth it," Gajeel responded with a gentle smile.
Later that night, Lucy lay snuggled in Gajeel's arms. Though they had both promised that they'd behave themselves until they were out of the Woods, they couldn't help but exchange kisses when wrapped in the others embrace. They kissed each other softly, delicately, with whispered promises of things yet to come. They kissed languidly and gently until Lucy fell asleep with her face tucked into the crook of Gajeel's neck. Her breathing was soft and even, as light puffs of air caressed Gajeel's throat every time she exhaled. Gajeel turned his nose into her hair and deeply inhaled her intoxicating scent. He felt the early tugs of sleep pull at him, and he let his eyes fall shut.
Lucy. Disappearing into the trees. Lucy. Crumpled on the ground. Lucy. Crying in pain. Lucy. Unconscious. Lucy. Bruised. Lucy. Hurt. Monster. Ape. Bear. Lion. Bull. Morphed.
Gajeel's eyes snapped open. A cold sweat had formed on the back of his neck. It didn't feel real that Lucy was safe and in his arms. He wasn't sure if he was still dreaming, because the image of a fallen Lucy and the image of a gruesome monster felt so real that it seemed impossible that she was, in fact, safe.
"Lucy?" he called, softly shaking the sleeping blonde. "Bunny?" he tried again, shaking harder.
"Hmm?" Lucy muttered groggily.
Gajeel sighed in relief. "Nothing. Sorry. Go back to sleep."
"I'm fine, Gaj. Sleep. We'll be okay," Lucy mumbled, sleepily kissing his chest. "I'm okay," she reassured one last time before falling asleep.
Gajeel drew in a shaky breath. A part of him was touched that Lucy knew him well enough to know why he was waking her up in the middle of the night, but his fears hadn't been entirely abated and he wasn't able to focus on anything other than keeping her safe.
"Fat lot of good you'll do if you're an exhausted motherfucker… Get some fucking sleep," he grumbled softly to himself.
Screwing his eyes shut and willing sleep to wash over him, Gajeel pulled Lucy into his chest tighter, with his arms wrapped around her like a vice, and eventually, he drifted off into a restless, nightmare-fueled sleep.
A/N: For people who've been reading my stories for a while and know that I normally upload every day, I'm terribly sorry. Life has suddenly become insanely hectic and I'm barely keeping all my chickens in their coop or some dumb saying to that effect. I am trying very hard to write because it relaxes me, but I seem to be finding very infrequent moments, so I shall no longer commit to rapid uploads, but never fear, I won't go weeks on weeks without an upload. I should still manage a new chap every week to 10 days at most!
Now that that's out of the way, did you like this chapter? We finally got a kiss! I aim to build more on the lore and whatnot, but would love to know what specifically you'd like to know more about! Please leave me all your gorgeous gorgeous thoughts about everything and I'm hope you're enjoying this lil fic so far!