Levy wanted to murder something.

She wanted to cry and scream and throw up at the same time.

She wanted to track down the blasted pharmacist who gave her the painkillers, rip out his innards, and force feed them into him. Through his rectum.

She groaned as she rolled over in bed, counting the minutes till she felt normal enough to try to move. For now, the cramps that incapacitated her were enough to bring even her dragon slayer to his knees. Normally, the cramps were rather tame and easy to deal with; just pop a pill at the first sign and deal with the rest of it as best she could. Cramps like this were rare for her; she supposed that she was due for a belly buster one of these days anyways.

But what made this cycle particularly irritating was that she was supposed to start training with Gajeel and Lily in an hour, and she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to walk by then, let alone be able to spar. Hopefully the painkillers would be enough to dull the pain to where she could just manage.

~~~*8*~~~

Running was a lot harder than she had anticipated, but she wasn't about to complain when Gajeel refused to let her do anything else. Rather, he was very close to sending her back home when she shuffled onto the training grounds, white as a sheet and breathing heavily. He hadn't even asked what was wrong, instead glaring at her when she winced, victim to another cramp. 'Stupid dragon senses,' she thought darkly, huffing as she pushed through another wave of cramps. She winced as she nearly tripped over a stone, jarring her sensitive body more than it needed.

She had been adamant that she at least tried training, not wanting to let the boys see her as a weakling wanting to drop training due to not feeling well. Gajeel didn't buy her tough girl act, however, and to her frustration Lily had agreed with him, offering to fly her home so she didn't have to walk. While it did sound tempting, she refused to leave without a little bit of a workout.

"Fine, run the track and that's it," growled Gajeel, crossing his arms over his chest. "I ain't having you pass out when the real training begins. You showed up and that counts enough for today." Lily nodded in agreement, copying Gajeel's pose. She opened her mouth to protest, but Gajeel merely pointed to the track, looming over her a bit. "Track, Levy."

Defeated, her shoulders slumped as embarrassment burned hot in her face, and she turned to hide her quivering lip as she made for the path. She could barely hold in the tears once she started jogging, wondering if humiliation just made the pain worse. To add insult to injury, he had left the training grounds, leaving Lily behind to watch her as she ran (or rather, fast walk at this point). She didn't even try to hide her tears at this point, gasping as she stopped for breath. How many laps had she managed since she started? She'd lost count of the turns, too focused on not passing out or vomiting to pay attention.

A soft paw touched her forehead, and she looked up to see Lily frowning at her. "That's enough for today, Levy," he said, concern lacing his voice. "Anymore and you really will get sick."

She blinked, about to argue again when she spotted Gajeel returning to the field, a plastic bag in hand. Curiosity won over determination then, and she sighed as she nodded, finally accepting their words. She felt a small measure of relief as the dragon slayer made his way across the track; she could at least say that she did something rather than limp home in agony. But she was far more interested in what was in the bag, for he was reaching into it the closer he got to them.

To her utter surprise, he pulled out a bottle of sweet tea and passed it to her. Stunned, she couldn't say a word as she took it from him, and was even more shocked when he touched her forehead. His rough palm was cool against her skin, and she released a breath she hadn't realized that she was holding. What on earth...?

"You feelin a bit better, Lev?" He asked, and she suddenly wasn't sure what to say, perplexed by the show of concern he was showing her right now. His version of care (at best) was usually to tell others to suck it up and get over it, but then again she was rarely ever sick. Was she hallucinating? Had she passed out and was having a fever dream?

"Ah, not too much better," she admitted finally, biting her lip as his hand began to thread itself through her sweaty hair. Definitely not a fever dream.

His eyes narrowed, and he huffed before pulling back. He passed her the plastic bag, grunting at her to take it. As she did, she could've sworn that there was a bit of a blush on his cheeks, but didn't mention it was she peeked inside. Her own cheeks started warming up when she saw the items; a box of tampons, painkillers, chocolate and vitamins.

"Juvia used to have killer cramps as well," Gajeel said, and she glanced up at him. He was scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away from her. "I know it's a bit weird, getting ya all that stuff, but I get it." He turned his eyes back on her, and her heart skipped a beat as she clutched the bag to her chest. She bit her lip, trying to keep the tears at bay, but she was incredibly touched that he had gotten her the stuff, even if he didn't need to. She nodded slowly, still at a loss for words when he leaned closer, taking her chin in his forefinger and thumb, and tugged her closer.

"That's why I said to go home and rest, Lev," he said gently, stroking her lower lip with his thumb. "Training ain't as important as your health, so you gotta keep that in mind. I don't want you hurting yourself either cause of cramps." He was close to her face now, his breath brushing over her skin. Time was beginning to slow as she stared at him, conscious of his warmth as his nose just barely grazed hers. She could feel her own breath starting to hitch as she leaned closer, suddenly desperate to close the distance between them.

"Ahem."

Startled, Levy jerked back from Gajeel as Lily cleared his throat and flapped up to them. Blushing madly, she awkwardly mumbled as Gajeel sighed, deeply disappointed that the moment was gone far too soon.

"Sorry to interrupt, for I'm sure you two would have continued had I not," Lily said, crossing his arms while shooting Gajeel a sardonic look. "But I think it's past time to call it a day for Levy." She jumped a little, then sighed, nodding as weariness began to settle in. Rest was beginning to sound like a wonderful thing, and her stomach was rumbling as well, but with hunger this time. And thankfully, the raging pain that nearly crippled her earlier was now a dull throb, giving her a small measure of relief.

She was about to bid them goodnight and hobble off the field when Gajeel swept her up, cradling her close. Too tired to even squeak in surprise, she didn't resist as he carried her away, muttering something about taking care of her for the rest of the night. She smiled softly, wondering if his nurturing would be just as gentle as he had been.