Chapter 21
The cool shower tiles that his forehead rested against helped give a soothing opposition to the hot water pouring down Laxus' back as he tried to shake the lingering desire to sleep. Even after a solid eighteen hours he desperately wanted to crawl back under the thick comforter that he had been cocooned in. Lightly thumping his head against the tiles to reminded himself of why he had been awake so long in the first place Laxus decided to finish his shower.
When he felt presentable Laxus left his house and had to stand squinting into the bright afternoon. After checking the time and internally reprimanding himself for sleeping so late Laxus made his way to the guild.
Along the way he couldn't ignore the tightness in his chest that urged him to go faster. Even a warm breeze that blew through the streets seemed to push him on. He swept into the guild ignored Mira's greeting, took the stairs two at a time, and froze in front of the infirmary door when the sound of laughter reached his ears.
Ivy was awake. Time seemed to slow for Laxus as he listened to her laugh his heart thunding painfully as he imagined her smiling at him. Coming back to reality he reached for the door knob before stopping just above it.
What if she regrets it? The doubtful snake of his insecurities had been sneaking into his thoughts since they had returned. Laxus swallowed several times when the urge to throw up hit his stomach. Dropping his hand Laxus ran to his office, and slammed the door behind him.
Slumping onto the couch he placed his head into his hands and tried to breath normally. It was almost impossible feat with the urge to burst into the infirmary pushing at his insides. Shaking his head he tried to ignore it knowing it was his dragon, and also knowing he wasn't ready for the rejection that could be in that room.
They had moved too fast. He was certain the only reason Ivy had slept with him was the unknown future that had hung over them. Now that didn't exist. She could go anywhere she wanted, do anything, and not live in fear. Would having friends in the guild be enough to keep her around? Laxus' shoulders slumped as he wished just him alone would be enough for Ivy to stay, but that wouldn't happen; they weren't in love.
Growling to himself he flopped back onto the cushions knowing just a little more time was all he needed. He could see it happening, falling in love with Ivy would be easy… Shaking his head in disgust he couldn't help but laugh at himself. Who was he kidding it HAD been easy and he was already there. Watching over Ivy in the infirmary had sealed it, and Laxus knew there was no going back. The problem was Ivy probably didn't feel the same way, and she didn't have a dragon inside pushing her along.
With a hollow feeling weighing down his heart Laxus stood up and brushed away the moisture that was starting to collect at the corners of his eyes. The walk back to the infirmary was quicker than he had hoped, and without taking a pause he pushed the door open.
Ivy sat cross legged in her bed with Lucy while Levy sat in a chair next to them. The girls paused mid conversation to look over as the door let out a loud squeak. As soon as Ivy saw who was standing there she found something interesting to look at on the blankets; letting her hair fall over her face.
After a few moments of silent tension Lucy jumped down from the bed and pulled Levy from her chair. "Well, Levy and I are going to start packing up her apartment. See you later Ivy, Laxus." she spoke a little louder than normal as they made their way to the door. Lucy only paused her march for a moment to push Laxus further into the room as she and Levy moved around him.
After Laxus heard the two start descending the stairs he shut the door making the silence absolute. He shifted on his feet unsure what to do as Ivy refused to look in his direction. How did he always end up here when Ivy was involved? Before her Laxus could control a room. Now he was entranced and rendered speechless just by her curtain of hair. He had gotten used to the fuzz that had been left, even enjoyed running his hand over it while she had been unconscious. Laxus flexed his hands wanting to get them tangled in those long wild curls not realizing until now how much he missed them. Taking a breath he held back.
"So," his voice came out rough causing Laxus to cough before trying again, and changing what he planned on saying. "So… Levy's moving out of her apartment?"
Ivy didn't look up but nodded her head and said, "Yeah. She's going to move in with Gajeel."
"That's nice."
Ivy turned her head just enough for Laxus to catch a glimpse of her eye through her hair. "She already paid her rent for the next few months, and she said I could stay there. That way I can start work…"
"You're staying?" Laxus rushed forward and started to reach for her before he saw Ivy jerk back and turn her head further away. The surge of joy left him just as quickly as it had come leaving his heart hollow. Dropping his hand Laxus sagged into the chair Levy had left. After studying his shoes for what seemed like an eternity Laxus looked over to Ivy and and decided to apologize for what he believed had lost her trust. "I'm sorry, about the transportation rune."
Pushing back her hair to reveal the right side of her face Ivy squinted one eye at Laxus'. "Why are you apologising for that? I get why Makarov did it and if you hadn't forgotten to remove it you wouldn't have found us in time."
"Then why are you mad at me?" This time it was Laxus' turn to look away. This was it. She was going to tell him it had all been to fast and that they should just be friends, but that's never how it worked out. They would be done. Laxus focused on not ripping the fabric of his jeans in his fist as he waited. He was debating leaving, just running before she could speak when he felt her warm hand on his. Looking down he watched as she eased his hand open and gentle held it before rubbing circles on the his knuckles with her thumb. Even though he knew, he knew she was just trying to calm him before the let down he couldn't help the sense of ease that washed over him. His shoulders relaxed as he watched her thumb and he let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"I'm not mad at you." Her voice was barely a whisper, and when Laxus looked up she continued to look at their hands. "It's just… my… my face is…"
Sudden realization hit and caused Laxus to pull his hand from hers and reach for the hair still hanging down; covering the new eye and scaring. He didn't stop when she tried to turn away instead just moved slower. "I've already seen your face. I've been here everyday."
"I know but I wasn't awake then." Muttering softly she let him brush back the hair and turn her head towards him.
The skin around her eye was a patchwork of scars slashing across at different angles. There was maybe a third of her inner eyebrow intact and a chunk had been taken from the side of her nose. It didn't surprise Laxus, like he said he'd seen it before. What he was interested in was her new eye. Even this close he couldn't tell it was fake, and the only difference from the original was that this one was a little bluer.
Ivy began to shake and bite her lip while Laxus examined her face. As her right eye began to fill with tears and she was about to reach her breaking point Laxus leaned forward and placed a kiss next to the outer corner of her eye. He continued to work his way over the damage skin with his lips. As Ivy shivered under his touch Laxus felt a tingle, an itch that urged him to press harder but he held back. When he had finished tracing every line he leaned back noticing he had been holding his breath again.
Ivy seemed to be in a similar position as she sat with bright red cheeks and her eyes closed. Taking a moment to ground himself Laxus' gaze found her left hand. Taking it in his he was glad to see that there weren't many scars and that it no longer had to be bandaged. Without thinking he squeezed it, but stopped as Ivy let out a small gasp and jerked back.
With his voice laced with concern Laxus spoke softly, "I thought Wendy had finished healing it?"
"She did but… Well if I don't move it frequently it starts to stiffen up and then it aches. I've been given instructions to stretch it out everyday." As she said this Ivy started moving her fingers and massaging her hand. After a few moments she sighed before smiling at him while reaching for his hand.
Laxus took it feeling the calluses that rubbed against his own and wondered where they stood, and if he should just ask her. Directness always being his fall back Laxus opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.
"I was wondering," Ivy was blushing again as she focused on their hands, "if after I get moved into fairy hills...you would like to go on another date?"
Laxus couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as his heart jumped a beat. "That sounds perfect."
Levy jerked awake gasping for breath. The nightmares weren't as bad as they had been, but could still leave her panicked. As she calmed down Levy realized that the solid arms that would be pulling her into a broad chest were strangely absent.
Rolling over Levy was greeted with an empty bed. The clock on the nightstand showed 4am and thinking that Gajeel was simply in the bathroom she decided to wait.
After she had finally told him everything bothering her Levy had been more open with Gajeel. Even sharing her nightmares as he rubbed her back. Twisting the sheet between her fingers Levy wished that the nightmares would go away. Talking to Ivy had eased her fears, but that didn't stop them. She knew it would take time. Like after Gajeel had attacked her.
Instantly regretting that thought Levy shook her head and then slammed it into the pillows. How could she think of that now? With a sigh she tried to chastise herself even though Levy knew why she would think of that. How many times had she woken up alone in the dark waiting for angry red eyes to come get her? It had been months for those nightmares to go away. They were then replaced with something more pleasant involving those same eyes but no longer angry. Giving her head another shake she focused on where herGajeel was. Her Gajeel, yes that sounded better.
Pushing herself out of bed she wondered what he was doing in the attic. As she distractedly walked toward the door her foot hit a box. Catching herself before she fell Levy whispered a curse under her breath. She had forgotten about the boxes of her things littering the floor. Everything she owned was now at Gajeel's house and Levy was planning on spending the day unpacking. A groan slipped from her as she thought of all her books. Packing had been a breeze with her friends help, but she was the only one who could put everything away and organized how she liked.
Moving more cautiously she made her way to the landing where she could see light from the cracked attic door. Smiling wickedly to herself Levy decided to have some fun and cast silence in a bubble around her. Pushing open the door she moved quickly up the curved stairs, but when she got the top she froze. Gajeel's attic was a library.
With her hands over her mouth Levy finished ascending the stairs. In her shock she let her spell fall as she looked around. When she was standing on the floor she noticed all the boxes containing her books had been brought up. As her shoulders began to shake and tears formed in her eyes Levy heard a curse to her side.
"Ah, shit. You weren't supposed to see this yet." Turning Levy saw a slightly sweaty Gajeel standing with his arms crossed in a t-shirt and shorts. His hair was pulled back and he looked tired, but there was a warm glow in his eyes as he smirked at her. Unable to talk Levy lurched herself at the man. He easily caught her as she hugged him with all the strength she had. Wrapping his arms around her he chuckled. "Are you trying to squeeze me in half?"
Relaxing her arms Levy stepped back to look up at him with wide eyes. "When… how…"
"I hired Laki while we were away with Lily supervising, and I've just been adding the finishing touches."
"Finishing touches?"
"Yup, come on."
Levy allowed herself to be pulled around the shelves until they came to the other side of the attic. There was an open space that was in the shape of a rectangle. Closets to them was a table with a small lamp next to her desk that had been in her apartment. Stepping forward Levy ran her hand along the dark wood imagining herself laying out books for research. Moving past the table her eyes landed on her favorite reading chair and lamp placed in front of the large circular window that looked out at the city. A smaller bookshelf was next to it along with a crate holding several soft looking throw blankets. Spinning in a circle trying to take it all in Levy felt tears start to run down her face.
Gajeel was immediately there scooping her up before sitting on the chair. He kept silent as Levy hugged him again with shuddered thank you's leaking out every few breaths. When she had calmed back down Gajeel nudged her face up to look into her eyes. "I'm guessing you like it?"
Levy could almost feel the pride and smugness rolling off him as she wiped her face. Any other time she would have slapped his chest and killed that ego, but looking around she couldn't find that in her. It was just too perfect. She could see the time and effort that he had put in with the iron details around the edges of the shelves. How everything was spotless and carefully placed. How he had brought things from her apartment. This was no longer Gajeel's house. This was their house, their home. Smiling she turned back to Gajeel whose smirk was still standing strong. "No I don't like it. I love it."
-FIN
Holy crap I finished it. I'm kinda in shock and super happy to the point I might cry.
I want to thank everyone who has commented on and followed this work. Your support has been huge in encouraging me to write.
Now that I'm done with this I will be focusing more on my other FairyTail fic "The Accident" which I hope you will all read and like as much as this.
Love -P.P.V
