Just a minor warning that there is a semi-graphic scenario at the end. Basically just blood/gore, but nothing too horrible that it would make you sick, I would guess.
Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, Review or scream into the abyss because I am a loser for updating so late! I love you!
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Ride 'em Hard
Chapter 10
Lucy covered the top of her head with her arms when debry of dust and cement particles clouded her vision, protecting her head from any sharp rocks. Waiting until the scuffle coming from behind her hiding spot of the giant barrels, Lucy cracked one brown eye open and listened as best as she could with her ears, even though they were ringing a tiny bit from the echoing crash.
Before she could pick up anything, a large mass dropped itself by her side, making her squeal in shock as she swung her head around to see Natsu all covered in dust and sneezing like the dork he was. "Natsu!" she yelped before lightly pushing his shoulder when he made a questionable snort. "What happened?"
"Fell through the wall, is all. Wasn't supported well enough," Natsu said as he shook his hands through his pink hair, removing any pale dust off of his head and brush his shoulders clean. He was wearing a white shirt and black jeans with his racing boots, a couple tears exposing his torso, he didn't look to be bleeding and Lucy took that for a good result. "You doing okay?"
"Can I come out now?" the blonde sighed as she willingly reached up and fluffed his hair, where he missed the spot to remove the dust. "We're suppose to find that safe, not tear down the whole place."
"Yeah, yeah," the racer grumbled in a pout before standing up, grabbing the slender hand along with him to bring Lucy to her feet. "I couldn't find anyone in here, so we're all good to go!"
The job was simple. All Natsu and Lucy had to do was go to this abandoned warehouse outside the limits of the city and look for a safe that belonged to a name that was found on the files Lucy obtained back in the train - the station was ecstatic with the newfound information the files gave once translated - and asked Makarov to look into it. Makarov had explained to Natsu and Lucy that the files noted about a safe holding on to more documents on future deliveries, which the dealers would sneak into and take without notice (trespassing was fairly simple, if you do it right). Natsu and Lucy just got permission…
They drove into the parking garage to find motorbikes leaned against the walls, so Natsu - the overprotective partner he is with Lucy - told her to hide away from the car while he scoped out the area. As usual, the pink haired racer must've thoroughly searched the garage for any cameras or wires, just incase. Some of the garage had construction around, and Lucy found the wall he fell through and onto a pile of debris and rubble that knocked over.
Lucy shook her head with amusement when Natsu strolled lazily over to the doorless entryway that would lead into the warehouse before following close behind him. Her taser strapped to her belt and her blonde hair in low ponytails, she felt confident in her given task as she kept up with her partner in the hallway, looking into rooms that they passed by, either trashed or empty.
"Where do you usually hide a safe in the drug dealer's world?" Lucy asked when she hopped closer to his side, looking to see him somewhat ignoring the rooms on his side. "You seem to know where you're going, Natsu."
"In the office?" Natsu guessed dumbly, making Lucy twitch at his answer.
"Really?" Lucy sighed before slapping her palm to her forehead. "Haven't you done something like this before?"
"Well, yeah, but every drug boss is different!" Natsu shrugged before smiling to Lucy like he always does. "Some keep it in the most obvious spots and others tend to hide it, and it gets really annoying sometimes. One time, Erza told me to go find this guy's safe who was running an illegal operation of child labor, and I couldn't find it whatsoever! Funny thing was that the safe was in the dude's bathroom under the sink."
"Sometimes I wonder if you make some of these stories up," Lucy sighed again, but smiling nonetheless at how serious he was being in actually starting to look around for clues.
"I ain't gonna lie to ya, Lucy," Natsu grumbled like a stubborn child, making Lucy giggle and reach to grip on to the hem of his shirt as he hurried in his pace. He seemed to have his attention in seven different places at once. "It was in his bathroom, and it was a nasty-lookin' place to be, I swear to God. You walk in there and it hits you like when Laxus tried to electrocute me while I was sleeping."
"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Lucy said bluntly, stopping Natsu by tugging on his shirt to go into a room that resembled a trashed bedroom you would see in a crime movie. Paper littered with empty beer cans and a torn up mattress in one corner, Lucy used her foot to kick a small pile of crumpled paper to see names written on it.
"What'cha lookin' at?" Natsu asked when she reached down and picked up a pink paper.
"This paper has train routes and delivery stops on it," she said, holding the paper up for him to take. "The file didn't have any deliver routes, did it?"
"Not that I remember," Natsu shrugged before tapping a corner of it. "This is dated from last week, too, and it's crossed out the train we got into to get the drugs. Looks like they were going someplace in the city after the trains top."
"Does it say where?" she asked, frowning to see him shake his head.
"Wherever it was gonna go, they scratched it out. I can't tell what it says, but we can probably hand it over to Gramps to give to the station when we get back," he offered with a half-grin. "You're good at this, Luce! Like a detective, or something."
Lucy rolled her eyes and got up to look around the room. "I don't see a safe in here, but they seem to look over junk in this room. Wanna check out another room?"
"Hold on a moment," Natsu reached into his pack pocket and pulled out a switchblade, making his way over to the shredded mattress. The blonde watched with a raised brow as her partner dug the knife into the torn part in the middle, yanking out chunks of the stuffing and throwing it over his shoulder, littering the room more before he perked.
"What is it?"
Natsu pocketed the switchblade before reaching in with both hands into the stomach of the mattress, pulling out a small-sized, silver safe with a black spin in the middle. A dorky grin on his tanned face, the racer snickered like a naughty thief as he placed the safe on his toned shoulder. "Looks like we hit the jackpot after all, Luce. Wait until I get to rub this in ice prick's face!"
"Calm down there, cowboy," Lucy chuckled as she got to her feet. "We should still check out the rest of the place, you know. Just incase there's more than one safe or we find something to bring back."
"Oh shit, that sounds pro," Natsu's eyes opened wide at Lucy's serious idea, dropping the safe into his palms as he weighed it carefully. "Alright, we'll check the rest out. I'm gonna put this in the backseat. You wait here until I come back, then we can check it out."
With that said, Natsu hauled the safe out, leaving the blonde in the trashed room to look around boredly for one minute. The mattress stuffing and shredded paper all over the place, Lucy couldn't pick out anything else that was of importance to their job.
'It's not gonna hurt to look in the next room,' Lucy thought as she came to the doorway, looking both ways of the hallway before stealing a sneaky glance to the closed door a little ways ahead. She was above the garage, so it was going to take Natsu a couple minutes to get to the car, dispose of the safe inside and come back. And, honestly? Lucy hates waiting when there is so much more to explore.
'Come to think of it,' she thought as she walked over to the door and opened it, 'I don't think I've ever been this brave until I came to Fairy Tail. It's kinda funny how an undercover gang can make me feel more alive and confident with little things!'
Opening the door and walking inside, Lucy couldn't help but smile. 'I probably have Natsu to thank for that, honestly. He's the more adventurous and wild one compared to everyone else when it's on the job…'
A cough stopped Lucy from taking another step, brown eyes coming up to meet bloodshot, ugly ones from across the room near the window. A grunt with heavy tattoos and lack of hair stared straight back at her; dressed in a stained tank and torn jeans, the man was unclean and gnarly-looking as he turned in his cushion, a syringe in one hand and another arm bound with a rubber strap. Lucy stiffened when he moved, her fingers shaking and knees wobbling.
"A...ah..!" she stuttered with her back straightening to a point when the man sloshed to a stance.
"Whad'ya doin' 'ere, hah?" the man slurred, obviously angered by being interrupted for his intended drug-intake. Lucy barely noticed the bottles and cans of empty alcohol around the floor and a heavy stench of the beverage and other unpleasant odors in the air to know fairly well that he wasn't all in the right mind. "Who sent ya in 'ere? 'm busy! Tell 'em I ain't interested in a whore right now!"
Lucy's teeth clattered when his eyes sharpened a stabbing glare at her. Her hands slowly reaching to her belt loops, trying to remember where exactly she placed her taser. When she did so, the man seemed to have noticed what was going on.
"What are ya -? Hey!" the man's voice raised when Lucy took a step back and he slammed his syringe on the floor, shattering it. The grunt began taking hard stomps towards her. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE -!"
By some magical way, Lucy was able to grasp her taser and point it at the man, pulling the trigger and watched in slow motion as the probes shot and aimed perfectly on the man's dirty chest. The addict stiffened and suddenly shuddered to the ground, causing a hard thud to the floor before going completely limp. Lucy let out a shaky exhale when the taser died down and retracted to the gun, her heart pounding hard in her ribcage.
"Oi! What's goin' on?" another alien voice came from up the small flight of stairs to Lucy's right, making her eyes widen. "We're tryin' to sleep, ya fuckin' asshole!"
She refused to hesitate as she dashed to her left, where she and Natsu came from, not looking behind her when footsteps came closer and noises of men started shouting at the surprising sight of their companion on the floor. Nearly stumbling down the steps into the garage, Lucy dove towards the familiar body of Natsu rising from behind the driver's side door, jumping on him with tears in her eyes.
"Luce, what was -?"
"They're coming. We gotta go!" she gasped urgently before scrambling to her side of the car, ripping the door open and leaping inside. "Come on, Natsu! I got their attention!"
Natsu was about to speak before a shout came from the doorway that lead into the building. "HEY!"
Natsu saw four dirtied men pulling out their guns from their pockets, making the pink haired man blink before ducking at a flying bullet. Getting inside the car rather calmly, Natsu slammed the door shut and locked his vehicle before looking to Lucy with narrowed eyes.
"What are you doing? We gotta go!" Lucy screamed at him, seeing the goons trying to open the car doors and shooting at the windows. However, the Lancer was equipped to be bulletproof and stubborn as a tank.
"What did I say about waiting for me, Luce?" Natsu scolded with a serious tone in his voice that made the blonde freeze for a second. "I told you to wait for me to come back before leaving the room!"
"I didn't mean to run into a fucking drug addict!" Lucy yelled back at him in her seat. "I tased him when he tried coming at me and I freaked out! I woke them up, okay? I'm sorry!"
"Wait, you used your taser someone?" Natsu blinked with surprise. He suddenly smiled with interest. "Ya serious? Where'd ya get him, Luce?"
"Natsu!" Lucy shrieked when one of the men slammed their fists into her window, making her lean away from the window and grip onto Natsu's torn shirt.
"OPEN UP!" one of them screamed, causing Natsu to go still.
"Why ain't the bullets breakin' it?"
"Some kind of bulletproof shit!"
"Just get the fucking whore, alright!"
Lucy peeked up to see Natsu with a grumpy expression, seeing how one of the men were trying to climb on the hood of his ride. Sitting back in his seat, Natsu turned on the car and reversed the gears, hitting the gas to cause a ear-piercing screech as they flew backwards into the dusty field, the man stumbling back onto the floor of the garage as his friends screamed. Lucy yelped at the sudden force, gripping tighter to Natsu as she lost her balance and landed with her face into his rock-hard abs, hurting her nose.
The remaining three ran to their bikes and readied to chase after them, prompting Natsu to casually reach over to the glove box and pull out a handgun. Lucy squeaked in shock when he spun the car around with one hand on the wheel as the motorbikes made their way towards them; the city was in sight, but at a great distance away, Lucy knew, and she felt her heart in her throat.
"Luce," Natsu called her name for her to look up from her spot against his lap. He gave her a kind smile, but his tone was the opposite of his usual, childish self. "Stay down, okay? I'm opening the windows."
"What?" Lucy gawked, but her partner was already doing so already.
Aiming the gun to one side of the opened window, Natsu waited until the first motorbike came to view, shooting at the front tire to explode and cause the rider to crash. Lucy figured none of them bothered to put on helmets, so the agonyzing scream she heard gave her the idea of what kind of mess it was.
"GET 'EM!" one of the men shouted at Natsu's side of the car, prompting the pink haired man to switch his aim to the remaining two on their own bikes, closing one eye to aim directly at the grunt's shoulder. A horrible scream came from the man's mouth, making Lucy plug her ears as the swivel and crash came afterwards.
The last biker remained in Natsu's out of range, but the racer didn't need his gun to finish the job as he pocketed it in his pants where Lucy wasn't holding on too tightly. Spinning the wheel, Natsu rammed the side of his ride to the bike, forcing it to skid and make the rider fly off forward on the trail. Lucy watched as Natsu changed the gears and spun a half-circle to a stop, making the car lurch.
With careful handling, Natsu peeled Lucy's arms off of him and settled her upper body on his seat as he exited the car, allowing her to see him approach the fallen biker feet away from his bike; his leg twisted at a horrible angle and a bad wound to his naked back, the man groaned painfully before looking up to see Natsu hovering over him.
Dropping down to rest his elbows on his knees, Natsu grabbed the back of the man's dirty hair and rolled his head back, forcing eye contact. The man whimpered in pain as Natsu glared darkly before standing, still holding to the man's head and turning around.
Holding the man's injured body to the opened door, Natsu ignored the pained groan and begging from the biker as he spoke in a low voice. "Ya see her in there? Do you see her in the car?" he barked darkly, making both Lucy and the man flinch at his tone. "Answer me!"
The man nodded, tears swelling in his eyes. "P-please, man..! D-don't -!"
"She's not a whore, you understand?" Natsu stopped him, gripping his scalp tighter to make him shriek in pain. Lucy slowly sat up, her breathing deep and hard. "Now, apologize to her."
"I-I ain't the one who -!"
"APOLOGIZE!"
The man sobbed before going limp in Natsu's hold. "I-I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry!" he sobbed to Lucy, his eyes begging for her to do something. "I'm sorry! Sorry!"
Natsu dropped the chanting man and stomped on his head to knock him out, a blank expression on his face as he left the man with his face planted in the dirt. He made his way back to the car and got inside, making Lucy watch him close the door and put on his seatbelt. She didn't get much to say when Natsu leaned over her and slipped her belt over her torso and locked her in properly before resuming to his driving towards the city with no one after them.
Lucy swallowed thickly, stealing a few glances to her driver before coming up with the smallest amount of courage to talk. "N-Natsu…"
"I'm not mad that you nearly got caught, Luce," he said, his voice calm and casual. The kind of Natsu she was used to, and it made her feel a little bit better. "I'm actually really glad that you used your taser before someone was able to grab ya. That would've turned out messy if you hadn't."
Lucy turned her head to him with furrowed brows. She didn't say anything as she watched him take a deep breath and kept his eyes on the road ahead of them - coming onto a paved trail that would lead back to the city. "It bothered me that one of those shits climbed on the car - not like it was already dirty, but you don't go rubbing your dirty self all over my ride like that. But, besides that, that didn't get to me as much as it normally does."
"T-then what made you so mad?" she asked in a quiet voice, her hands twisting on her lap nervously.
"Because they called you a whore, and I didn't like it," he said seriously, head coming back to rest against the headrest of his seat. Lucy noted it that it was something he did when he truly felt stressed about something (Erza's scolding was usually the cause of this move), and hearing him say the inappropriate word sounded strain to her ears.
Lucy's eyes stun for some reason, but her heart was feeling light and sweet in her chest. It felt like her stomach had butterflies inside, so it was pointless to try to hide that tiny smile from emerging on her lips. Exhaling slowly, Lucy relaxed in her spot and leaned over, resting her head on Natsu's strong shoulder, right where his gang tattoo poked out from the short sleeve of the white shirt. Natsu peeked down to her to see her relaxed, yet he blinked in confusion.
"You doin' okay, Luce?" he asked her, now sounding concerned. "You're not hurt, are ya?"
She shook her head slowly against his torn shirt, her smile still present. "No, I'm good. Thank you, Natsu," she whispered to him.
"What for? I didn't do anything," Natsu whined with a huff, making her smile a bit bigger and hide her tiny giggle. "Those assholes had it coming!"
"Mmhm," she sighed against him. 'You honestly have no idea how much you've done, you idiot,' she thought, wishing she could have said that instead. However, she didn't feel like it was right to say it outloud, even though she knew she could at this point.
"Oi, ya feeling hungry at all? Feel like I could go for a cheeseburger or two right now, after all that trouble we went through."
Lucy's eyes cracked open and her smile turned to a firm line of irritation. "We literally just ate before coming out here. That was no longer than two hours ago, Natsu," she reminded him through clenched teeth.
Natsu, however, as usual, was his giddy self in the end of it all. "But think about the cheeseburgers, Lucy!" he snickered with delight the closer they got to the city. "Should we get Mira's cheeseburgers, or go through a drive-thru? Ooh, how 'bout both?"
"No, Natsu," she told him sternly. "Wait until dinner, so you won't get sick so easily when you and Gray do that stupid brawl you two do after every meal."
"You know he starts it, right? I didn't do anything!"
Lucy rolled her eyes before closing them, mumbling to Natsu to shut his mouth as she held onto his arm gently that was casually laying on the gear shift while he drove with one hand. The driver asked her if she felt okay after being chased and using her present for the first time, Lucy smiled once more and told him she was just fine.
'Really more than just fine,' she thought, feeling how Natsu relaxed under her touch. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest, but she kept that for herself. 'Definitely more than just fine…'
=xxx=
Gray cracked his neck in his usual spot at Mirajane's bar when he noticed Laxus walking by with certain gear on. Studded belts with holsters for his guns grenades around his waist. Blinking, Gray spun around in his stool, seeing the white haired woman scurrying with Laxus' old vest in her arms.
"Laxus-kun," Mirajane called sweetly to her fiance, making the blond man stop and turn to see her holding it out for him. "Don't forget your lucky charm!"
Makarov's grandson went a little pink in the cheeks, refusing to look anywhere as he allowed Mirajane help him put it on. It had matching studs with his belt and a tiny, white patch over where his heart was with a red lipstick kiss on it. Gray remembered it being something Mirajane gave him to pin on his vest for extra luck when he used to race, but that was a while ago…
Way back when Laxus and Mirajane said they were getting married and she was retiring from racing while Laxus took time off.
"Oi," Gray called out as he jumped off his seat. He didn't have a shirt on, having worked on his ride and got it dirty a while ago, he shoved his hands in his pants pockets as he made his way over. Laxus looked boredly to Gray's way while Mirajane blinked. "Where ya going, Laxus? You look like you're going to a race, or something."
"Why don't you stay out of my business, princess," the blond bit back stubbornly.
Mirajane lightly pat Laxus's chest. "Be nice. He's just curious!" she scolded with a small smile before looking back to Gray, offering him that look that made the dark haired man know that this definitely wasn't his place to ask questions. "Laxus-kun is just going to take care of something for Master Makarov, that's all. The usual messenger errands, Gray, you know how that is."
Gray blinked slowly before shrugging, making Mirajane smile bigger. "Please excuse us while I give Laxus-kun a proper goodbye, Gray," she waved him off gently. Not wanting to anger either of them, Gray sighed and spun on his heel to make his way back to the bar.
However, Gray kept his ear open to listen in on their whispered conversation.
"Don't worry about it," Mirajane told her fiance in a sweet voice.
"How the hell does Gramps expect to keep up when the kids are nosey little shits?" Laxus grumbled in annoyance, making Mirajane giggle at his attitude. "Swear if it was Natsu, I would've thrown him outta the garage."
"No, you wouldn't," Mirajane cooed before giving him a light kiss. "Otherwise I would have made you sleep outside for three days."
"Such a mother hen," the man sighed. "I'll be back in a hour or so, 'kay?"
Gray slid back into his seat and looked to Lisanna, who was cleaning a glass with a rag. "Oi, Lisanna," he snipped for her attention, making the youngest Strauss sibling walk over without looking up from her task at hand. "Got any idea what's going on around here? I've noticed Macao and Wakaba out more often than usual."
"No clue," Lisanna shrugged before looking up to him. "I haven't noticed much. Maybe they're taking more jobs from the station?"
Gray sniffed before stealing a glance over his shoulder, seeing Mirajane wave off a yellow 2000 Honda Civic with black lightning stripes on the side. "There's gotta be something they're not telling us."
"It's probably nothing, Gray," the short haired waitress told him with a half-grin. "You're just paranoid because Erza has been on your ass about getting out of the garage lately."
"Am not!"
"Yes, you are," Cana slurred from the other side of the bar, making Gray tense and glare her way. The brunette winked at him and shot him a gun hand before grabbing her bottle of whiskey. "Ya shoulda seen him last night, Lisanna. Erza actually did a Falcon Kick when Gray got on his bike! I'm surprised he's still even walking straight!"
"Shove it, Cana," Gray snapped at his friend, only to see her splutter a half-fart-half-laugh noise from her mouth as she got up from her spot and moved closer.
"Look," Cana sang, "just because you're only allowed to see Juvia-chan at races is not the end of the world, Romeo!" The racer smiled and pinched Gray's cheek. "Even I have been worried about what's going on - think of Levy, too, Gray! Get on the boat with us!"
"You're hammered," Gray stated bluntly, seeing Cana hiccup drunkenly. "Go crash somewhere."
"Gray, be nice!" Mirajane pouted from behind, startling the racer to see how close she got to their conversation. She didn't look mad, so it was a good sign for now. "You know Erza-chan is keeping you out of trouble, right? She just doesn't want you to get in trouble at Phantom Lord right now with everything that's going on."
"Just because of the possibility of Acnologia being out there doesn't mean I can't go out and ride," Gray snorted and rolled his eyes. "The man's an old fart now, isn't he? Even if it is him, he doesn't stand a chance with us. Hell, I can probably tag his cane or oxygen tank for those losers back in -!"
"Don't go spouting shit, Gray," Erza's voice sent a chill up his spine when he turned around to see Erza coming out of the curtain of the kitchen. He didn't know she was back there helping with the cleanup. "You remember what Master said to us, right?"
"Just get his attention, tag him, let the FBI deal with the rest. End of story," Gray repeated to the redhead. "I know, I know. It's just that I don't see why we have to lift our skirts and tiptoe everywhere."
Erza's brown eyes softened a bit as she glanced to Mirajane, who offered her a tiny smile. "This may be nothing, yes, I can certainly agree with you on that," she told Gray, crossing her arms under her chest. "And it's true that Acnologia is an old man at this point, but he holds as much power as all the drug lords we've caught combined with a rank of the highest you can imagine.
"I don't expect you to get it, Gray, I don't," Erza continued. "You haven't experienced what it's like to be under Acnologia's control like I have."
Gray's eyes widened a bit. "No, I didn't mean -!"
"But I expect you to know that I don't plan on losing anyone else who is close to me to that man," she told him seriously, her brown eyes piercing his dark ones to silence him. "I have Fairy Tail as my family, and I intend to do whatever it takes to keep you younger ones out of his way - if it is him, that is - and that goes for Phantom Lord, too. The more you go out and spend time at another gang's establishment, it can cause people to stare and start whispering around."
Erza took a deep breath and slipped her hands to her waist. "Whoever this guy is, funding these races with all this money, he's got to be looking for something. I don't want anyone I hold dear to me to experience the pain I've been through. I've seen you kids grow up and I want you all to be safe."
Gray swallowed and looked down to the counter. "It's not like we're that young, Erza…"
The redhead couldn't resist to smile and reach over and plop her hand on top of Gray's messy hair. "Still, who has been the one to keep you and Natsu in line since working here, hm? I count that for something, that's for sure. You two are more like cranky toddlers that I don't think I'll ever consider having kids."
"Bahaha!" Cana laughed at Gray's reddening face of embarrassment, making Erza smirk sweetly at the change of atmosphere.
"That goes for you too, Cana," Erza added in, making the brunette grin lovingly to the older woman. "To everyone, basically. You know I care."
"Ahh, you're so sweet, Erza-chan," Mirajane cooed sweetly, holding her cheeks with both hands and blushing. Gray rolled his eyes at the other older woman's reaction to her closest friend - sometimes Gray questions some Fairy Tail members he lives with, but he wouldn't change it for anything else, really. "Ah, and it's around that time. Erza-chan, wanna help me ready dinner?"
"Dinner?" Natsu's voice perked, making Gray groan as he saw his friend and his blonde partner approach. He didn't hear them roll in or leave the car, but he could tell that their job was pretty interesting with the amount of dirt was caked onto Natsu's car - and a small, colored scratch on the driver's side.
Gray raised a brow and didn't bother to question it when he turned in his spot and greeted them. "What took you so long, flamebrain? Thought you and Lucy got stuck asking for directions."
"Oi, Luce is a kickass navigator, you flimsy snowflake!" Natsu grouched, taking Lucy's wrist and pulling her closer to his side as he got them both a stool. Gray noticed Lucy's cheeks going red and Cana making a quiet wolf-whistle under her breath and a additional cat meow. "Ya should've seen her kick someone's ass today. She used her taser and everything!"
"Oh God," Lisanna gasped before looking to see Lucy's whole body tense beside Natsu and go deep red that spread to her neck. "Lucy, are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"No! I'm fine, really!" the blonde weakly laughed back to her friend, trying to ease the short haired woman's nerves with a smile.
The vivid image of Laxus in his gear made Gray want to turn to Natsu. Despite the two probably itching to wrestle and try to kick each others' ass was probably still on their to-do list, Gray knew he could definitely look to the pink haired man for his input on the whole situation. Gray knew he wasn't paranoid or going crazy, and something was totally happening behind their backs (or, as Erza would say, behind the kids' backs); and Gray could just tell that Natsu wanted all the details in as much as he did, there was no question about that.
However, when he looked to see Natsu wrapping an arm around Lucy and held three fingers to Lisanna with that stupid, dorky grin on his face, asking for that amount of cheeseburgers, Gray held his tongue. As much as it was probably driving him up a wall to know what is up around here and what could be going on at Phantom Lord right now, Gray couldn't bring himself to interfere with Natsu looking normal.
Normal is a stretch, but the subject of the possibility of Acnologia and the disappearance of Natsu's father would definitely have the said racer wrapped around their finger and locked tight. Usually, when something came up that Natsu would think dealt with his dad, the young man would devote every breath of his life into digging deeper into it with no one holding him back. Gray could remember times when Natsu refused to sleep or even sit down the last time a rumor came up of Igneel somewhere out there - even recalling the one time when Natsu went on a trip to nearby cities asking around. That definitely got his ass kicked when he came home to a angry Makarov when he was only fourteen and drove illegally.
Something was different with Natsu for sure, Gray could tell just by listening to his happy-go-lucky shouts of trying to get Mirajane to approve of his meal. Looking a bit past his best friend, Gray looked to the tense but appearing to be content Lucy Heartfilia still under Natsu's muscular arm, biting her lip as she shut her eyes tightly when Natsu moved them both around from side-to-side.
'I hate it when Levy is right about something,' Gray frowned deeply, looking away with slight irritation.
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.
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Juvia looked up from her meal when her brother's phone went off on the table between them, vibrating that irritating ringtone that signaled the both of them that it was Jose calling (Juvia told Gajeel to pick the most annoying one, so he would actually answer to shut it up). Glancing to her sibling across from her, she watched him place his bottle of beer down and grab the device, flipping it open with a sigh and putting it to his ear.
"What do ya want, Jose," Gajeel said flatly, making Juvia offer him a sweet smile before going back to her food, biting into the soup Totomaru made for everyone. "We're eatin' here, ya know."
"Hades called saying he has a bonus for you two to pick up," Juvia heard Jose on the other end, being that Gajeel always had the volume up when he was on call so she could hear it. Sue and Boze stopped eating to look to their table. Totomaru was currently folding rags and towels for the kitchen, freshly cleaned at the bar. "Something 'bout how you two turned it up a notch after your little 'vacation', and Hades' boss appreciated that."
"Then we'll pick it up on our next call," Gajeel snorted. "There's no race tonight and we already have plans on workin' on our rides for the next one."
"Hades said they'll be out of town and they want you to pick it up now for safety measures," Jose sighed, obviously not happy with Gajeel's attitude. "Look, I would've told Hades the same fuckin' thing, but he was pretty insistent that you and Juvia got it tonight. He didn't take a rain check for nothin', so I'm guessing his boss was pretty hard on him about it."
"Then why go for all that trouble to give us a fuckin' bonus?" Gajeel snapped.
Juvia rolled her eyes and held out her hand to him, silently asking for the phone. Knowing that he couldn't refuse, Gajeel placed the phone in her hand while she used her other to wipe her mouth with the napkin. Pressing the phone to her ear, Juvia did her best not to sound too cranky as her step-brother.
"Master Jose, do you think they'll be fine if we just finish up eating here and head out?" she asked politely. Jose really never had a bad attitude with her as much, and when he found out about Juvia's accident a week ago, he ordered Sol to get a small heater for Juvia to remain warm in their bedroom for the two days she took to rest. Juvia was grateful for the temporary gift, and she recovered quicker than expected and got herself and her brother to take on jobs for both Jose and Hades to make up for the lost time.
It was even better to see Levy and her friends happy to see her at the track, even though Natsu and Gray didn't know what made the girls so giddy with small tears.
"Don't take too long, he's expecting you two within the hour," Jose grumbled. Juvia grinned then, thanking him for allowing the two to finish eating. "I'm stopping by tonight to go over bills and shit, so whatever the bonus is that Hades' boss is giving ya, make sure you record it."
"You mean Nii-chan and I can keep it all?" Juvia blinked, ignoring Gajeel suddenly choking on his food and Sue gasping in shock.
"Why not," Jose drawled. "You two brought in a lot of money this past week - a lot more than what I would ever expect from you guys, for that matter - so keep it for yourself. Unless it's material, then you know what that means."
Juvia frowned. "Master Jose knows you can keep whatever powder we obtain for gifts."
The gang boss chuckled on the other line, making Juvia roll her eyes again and hoped to whatever God existed that the bonus didn't contain anything else other than cash. "That's my girl, Juvia. Now hurry up and don't piss 'em off. They'll be meeting you at the parking ramps by the shipyard. I'm sending the directions to the phone."
"Thank you, Master Jose. We'll see you later," Juvia said respectfully before waiting for Jose to hang up to close the phone. Looking up to see Gajeel having a stink face, Juvia offered him an amused smile. "What's with the face, Nii-chan?"
"Don't know why we gotta see Pirate Santa Claus on our day off," he grouched. "Can get the money some other time, ya know."
"We need to keep the big man happy, Nii-chan," Juvia sighed before looking to Sue and Boze. "What do you guys think the bonus will be?"
"Hopefully enough to get an operation to get that pole out of Boze's ass," Sue said strongly, making her relative stiffen and curse her three different ways while Totomaru chuckled in the back. "It's great, though, Juvia-sama! We're actually getting money this time, and Jose is letting us keep it!"
"We ain't makin' shit, Sue," Boze reminded her. "Gajeel-sama and Juvia-sama are the ones who's making money, not us."
"Either way, it's a nice treat," Totomaru said to break the little fight between the younger gang members by slamming down two cans of drinks on their table, making them freeze. Smiling to the older young adults, the retired professor tilt his head forward to them. "Congratulations, you two. You deserve every penny of it."
"Probably the dude's hand-me-downs, thinking we're uncivilized brutes," Gajeel rolled his eyes before looking back to Juvia finishing up her soup and bread. "Ya want to go now?"
"The sooner we get it done, the quicker we come home and work on the rides," Juvia sang before standing up. "Nii-chan, Juvia is gonna finish with changing her wheel, then we can head out. Hurry up." She encouraged him by lightly patting their table, making Gajeel retort with his usual 'I ain't a little kid, you little kid!' before she headed past the bar Totomaru was at, slipping through the curtain to the back garage.
"Hurry up, Gajeel-sama!" Juvia heard Sue call in an excited voice as she made her way over to her shared toolbox in the corner. "I wanna see what you guys got!"
"Don't rush me, kid! I'm a grown ass man!" Gajeel hissed, making the blue haired racer smile before crouching down. Reaching into her tank, between her breasts, Juvia pulled out her small set of keys and found one specific silver one that fit perfectly into the last drawer of the box tower.
Unlocking it, Juvia quietly opened the drawer to display her layout of her guns, bombs and other weapons she carries on her person. This was her own drawer that her brother gave her to use for whatever she wanted to keep safe, giving her the key that would only open that one when she wished.
Picking up her two black handguns and four packs of magazines, Juvia carried them to her cranked Nissan and dumped them on her passenger seat through the window. Reaching in halfway, Juvia checked to see her switchblades still in their place, wedged between the radio and the controls of her radio and internal gear.
Sighing, Juvia ran a hand through her wavy hair as she pulled back from her car, resting her other hands on the top of her car. 'This isn't going to end too well,' she thought grimly in her thoughts, her stomach twisting.
"Oi, squirt," her step-brother came through the other curtain, chewing on his last bit of bread to find her contemplating to herself. Raising a studded brow, the tall, burly man approached to the other side of her car and rest his arms on it.
"What's up, kid?" Gajeel asked her. Juvia tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear before looking to her brother with a semi-worried expression.
"Juvia has a bad feeling," she confessed to him quietly so that none of their other members could hear.
"What, ya feel sick?" Gajeel tensed and tried to study her face for any signs. When she shook her head, he relaxed somewhat. "Then what the hell?"
"About going to pick up the bonus," she explained. "Juvia can't explain it, and she knows Jose is too oblivious to notice it, and maybe Nii-chan too -" she ignored her brother muttering a 'hey!' at her "- But Juvia just has a feeling that something is up. Juvia wants Nii-chan to prepare."
"For what? The apocalypse?"
"Nii-chan, seriously," Juvia narrowed her eyes at him.
Gajeel groaned, craning his neck back before giving in. "Fine, I'll bring a gun with me, but I highly doubt there's anything wrong with picking up a client's payment for us. How about after this, we go pick out a chocolate cake to bring home. Will that make you feel better? Maybe it's your -?"
"If you bring Juvia's uterus into this, I will not hesitate to castrate you while you sleep and give the jar to Levy-chan," Juvia said seriously, making Gajeel blink at her tone. "This is not Juvia's time of the month that's making her feel this way."
"Jesus Christ," Gajeel sighed before pushing himself off of the car and over to the worktable, where he picked up his favorite gun and shoved it into the holster that was always attached to his pants. "Happy now, squirt? Will you calm down now?"
"After we get the cake."
"What!" Gajeel freaked. "I thought you said you weren't having your time of the month!"
"Yes, but Nii-chan offered to buy Juvia a cake and Juvia wants it," she smiled sweetly to him before picking up her lug wrench. "Very sweet of Nii-chan to spoil his little sister with cake, no?"
"You're an evil little thing, you know that," the studded man growled lowly, watching Juvia drop down to finish with her task of changing her tire. "You would've given Dad a run for his money if he saw you now."
"Daddy would give in quicker than Nii-chan would," Juvia pointed out to him, grinning at the image of her step-father and brother bickering about Metalicana buying the cake Juvia picked out. She remembered how she was little and would politely ask her father for a candy bar for her to share with her brother before dinner, and he would always give in despite Gajeel freaking out that she was ruining her dinner.
"Yeah, probably," Gajeel grunted before snorting a laugh. "Just finish up so we can get outta here and back. We're taking separate cars, I'm guessing?"
"Just incase," Juvia answered, spinning the handle to tighten a bolt.
"Yeah, okay, just incase."
=xxx=
"Ahh! All done in a day's work!" Levy cheered brightly as she ripped her mechanic onesie open, revealing her orange sports bra underneath for the whole garage to see (as it was a normal site for them). Oil smudges and dirtied hands, Levy clapped before looking to her partners and old classmates, Jet and Droy, who were equally dirty from their cleanup. "Good work today, boys. We're making record time here! I think the project will be done before my expected date."
"It was really nice kicking it up a notch, especially when Droy got off his ass for once," Jet chuckled as he used a rag to clean his face.
"Oi," Droy whined before Jet slapped the rag to his face, letting him take his turn in trying to clean up. "Better than you crying over your midterm essay. Levy-chan had to calm you down about, what? Five times?"
"Stop bickering, you two," Levy ordered when the three made it to the opening of the garage, making it easier for Lucy to see them. "You both got class in the morning, right? Get your butts home and get to bed. I kept you two longer than expected and I'm sorry about that, but you can fight on the way home."
"Yes, Levy-chan," both men saluted, making Lucy giggle when Levy had a triumphant pose of her hands on her hips before they marched towards their own ride. Jet and Droy didn't live with Fairy Tail, since they weren't official members of the gang but rather Levy's assistants in the garage; they were both still students at the college Levy used to attend and spend their time here before going home.
Levy spun and skipped towards the bar, where Lucy, Natsu and Gray were being served their drinks for the night by Mirajane. "Miraaa! Can I get a cup of chamomile tea? My muscles are gonna be sore tonight," she perked joyfully as she stole the spot next to Lucy, actually kicking Natsu out of his spot since the blonde was at the corner.
"Hey! I was sitting there, Levy!" Natsu whined like a toddler, stomping his foot on the ground.
"You sound like you had fun today, Levy-chan," Lucy smiled to her friend, resting an elbow on the counter.
"Oh, hell yeah I did," Levy snickered, kicking her feet between Lucy and Gray as she spun around in the stool. "My secret project is coming along beautifully! I can't wait until I'm done with it."
"Then we'll see what you've been hiding under the tarp for the past ten months?" Gray raised a brow to her, watching from the corner of his eye as Natsu sulked his way over to the other side of him to sit on a cold stool. "You nearly skin anyone alive when we go into the shop while you're working on it."
"I only chuck tools at you guys because you're nosey as hell," Levy pouted cutely, grabbing a napkin to try and clean under her fingernails before her drink arrived. "And yeah, I'm nearly just about ready to let you guys see it, but I want it to be running before you can check it out."
"You can always tell me, Levy-chan," Lucy smiled naughtily, making the blue haired mechanic snicker. "Give me some hints and clues to what's going on behind the brick wall?"
"Oi, no fair, Luce!" Natsu cried out, leaning forward to point at his partner. After their job this morning, Lucy and Natsu spent the rest of their day chilling around Fairy Tail and even help Erza remove her car's 'armor' to change it to a new design she was working on. Since there were no races for the night, most of Fairy Tail's members were lounging around and asking the Strauss sisters for refills and snacks. Makarov was working in his little office, but with the door open to keep up with the conversations he was having with the more senior members, Macao, Wakaba and Gildarts with Cana from below.
"Don't go testing us, Lucy," Gray inquired with a snarky smirk as he brought his mug up to his lips. "We have tools and skills to get you talkin'."
"Is that so," Lucy challenged her pal with narrowed eyes. Levy joined in at marking Gray down as he took a long gulp of his beverage.
"Oh yeah, Natsu's gotta know your tickle spots and where it makes you weak at the knees, right?" Gray said casually, making Natsu and Lucy freeze suddenly by his forwardness. Using his thumb to clean up the corner of his lip, Gray chuckled. "I mean, I can practically hear you guys from my room. What are you guys up to in there, huh? You guys trying out for the wrestling team?"
"Fuckin' ice prick!" Natsu shouted before grabbing Gray into a headlock. Lucy didn't miss how her partner's cheeks were red as tomatoes as he hauled them both out of their seats and onto the ground. Gray and Natsu went to their timely brawl, leaving Lucy to look up to a smirking Levy and a surprised Mirajane with the mechanic's cup of tea.
"I-it's not what it sounds like," Lucy stuttered, knowing well that her face was probably just as flushed as Natsu. "Really, get your heads out of the gutter!"
"I never pegged you to be so rough, Lulu-chan," Levy purred as she took her cup of tea and blew across the top. "However, I suppose you're a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets, no?"
"Oh my!" Mirajane gasped as she fanned herself with both hands. This wasn't turning out right.
"Eat my shoe, Gray!" Natsu ordered, somehow the two positioned themselves to do a german-suplex move, yet it was sideways and completely wrong.
"Eat ass, hothead!" Gray retorted, keeping the same grip on the other.
Erza, from the distance, noticed the two trying to fight from her spot with her husband at his Dodge Charger. Lucy saw the redhead roll her eyes and steal a kiss from her amused husband before beginning to make her way across the polished floor towards the bar, hands on her hips.
"You two idiots!" Erza called to the small group, making the two girls look up and Mirajane wave to her best friend. "What do you think you're -?"
A high pitched screech of tires made Erza stop in her tracks and turn out to the giant opening of the garage. Fairy Tail had four garage doors that could allow two semi-trucks through each and all of the were open to let in the cool breeze from outside and also give a nice skyline view of the city in the distance. They were in the middle of nowhere, really, but the familiar looks of headlights from a car was making their way over.
Frowning, Lucy tilt her head. Every member of Fairy Tail was present (minus Laxus), but the headlights didn't match the color of the man's ride in the shade of green - something Freed and Evergreen did and Laxus was too lazy to switch them back. Silence took over the inside of the garage as heads turned to the outside world and the growing lights. Erza's back straightened a bit more before looking up to Makarov's office, seeing the old man coming out and looking out at the railing of his office with a confused expression.
"Unknown ride, coming in!" Jellal shouted, hopping away from his car and going to his wife. Lucy watched him pull out a gun from behind as he wrapped his free arm around Erza and ushered her to a cluster of the gang's cars. "On alert!"
Natsu and Gray sprang apart from each other as Levy carefully grasped Lucy's shoulder, making them stand and to go a cement pillar right next to the bar as Mirajane ordered Lisanna to remain in the kitchen as Elfman came out with his girlfriend. The platinum blonde woman reached under the bar and pulled out her own firearm as Elfman asked Evergreen to go back with Lisanna and watch other as he pulled out his gun.
Lucy's throat went dry as she watched Natsu and Gray reach into their work boots and yank out their guns, on their knees and readying to shoot at the incoming car as the rest of the members shielded themselves behind cars and other obstacles that were within the garage. Lucy felt a little bit out of place with everyone having a gun, even though Levy was unarmed, the short woman had a ready stance to fight.
Lucy looked up to see Makarov's eyes narrowing to the incoming car, now closer than before and still not easing on the speed. The driving was erratic with some jerks, but it was definitely obvious that it was heading towards the garage.
Levy suddenly perked, eyes widening before putting her voice as loud as she could. "Stand down!"
"What?" Erza snapped at the mechanic as she slipped from the pillar, leaving Lucy dumbfounded.
"Are you nuts?" Cana shrieked from her spot beside Freed and Gildarts.
"It's Gajeel's car!"
Levy stood close to the open space in the middle of the four doors, waving her hands high above her head as she paced left and right, as if she was trying to guide the car in easier. Makarov blinked before leaving his perch, coming down the stairs as fast as he could.
The car slammed on the brakes and drifted into the building, screeching on the tiled floor and leaving nasty marks on the polished floor as dust clouds faded into the air. The distance between Levy and the Hellcat were good, showing that the driver was infact in the right mind while driving as the driver's side stood ten feet away from her outstretched arms.
The door was kicked open by the familiar black boot of Gajeel, stumbling out of the car in a complete wreck. His whole right arm was in shreds, bleeding from massive cuts and covered with dirt and blood all over his body and clothes. He was out of breath, one eye closed as he appeared to have a cut on his cheek and a broken nose.
He stumbled to his knees a little bit, but the Phantom Lord member used his good arm to catch himself on the door, making Levy's eyes widen. "Gajeel-kun!" she cried out, running over to close the distance until her lover gave her a hard, deadly stare.
"Don't!" he snapped in a deep voice, forcing himself up to try and properly stand. Lucy couldn't tell if his leg was broken by the amount of grime and stains on his jeans, but he looked half ready to fall about. Levy stopped on command, tears already filling her eyes as she watched him grunt in pain.
"I need help," Gajeel panted out gruffly. "Juvia -" a hard intake of breath "She's hurt and needs help. Please. Help Juvia!"
Levy tried to say something, but Gajeel already turned and limped into his car, shakingly pulling out a familiar blue haired woman wrapped in his long, black coat. She was awake, but Lucy barely noticed the blank expression as she shook and breathed in hard labor. Blood was streaming from the left corner of her mouth and the left side of her nose - minor scratches and tears into her pale skin peppered up and down her cheek.
Cana followed Makarov to the opening as Gray sprung to his feet with Natsu tailing behind him. Gajeel somewhat slid down to the white floor with his sister's upper body in his arms, not caring for his own injured limb. Lucy came out from her hiding spot and went to Levy, who froze in place at the sight.
"Mira!" Makarov called over his shoulder, getting the said woman's attention in a snap.
She nodded before looking over to Jellal and Erza. "Get me the first aid kit, please!" The redhead nodded before taking off to the nearby wall, where a white cabinet with a red plus sign hung locked. Jellal followed after her to help her open it.
Gajeel stiffened when Cana approached the two and she knelt down to take Juvia from him, nearly on the brink of snapping at the woman until he saw Gray and Natsu in his vision before loosening his hold on the trembling body.
"She's hurt. Help her," Gajeel bit out sorely, letting Cana support under Juvia's shoulders as he slid away from them to give Gray space to reach for the rest of her body sliding out. "Help my sister. She needs help!"
"I got her, Cana," Gray told the brunette firmly as he cradled Juvia's body into his hold and stood up…
That was when they noticed the blood dripping from the coat she was wrapped in.
His eyes widening, Gray spun around and went past Levy and Lucy over to the bar, where Elfman cleared the counter with his arm, spilling drinks and breaking glass for him to carefully lay Juvia on top. Cana hurried over to help Gray, whose hands were shaking beyond control in trying to open the coat, tearing it open to reveal the hidden results.
"Fuckin' shit!" Gray shrieked at the sight of Juvia's whole left body was torn and damaged. Glass shards were embedded into her left thigh, causing the mass amount of bleeding and obvious bruising and cuts all over her body. Her whole form was stiff as a bored, lightly shaking from the seizure she was having. Her tank was torn and her whole upper body was wet, eyes blurry and struggling to breathe from her mouth as her head rolled to the side, gagging up a mouthful of blood.
Lucy felt Levy slipped from her hands as she ran over to Gajeel, who forced himself to stand and stare at Natsu, towering over him even though he was off balance and had to use the driver door to keep himself upright. With his good arm, Gajeel grabbed the front of Natsu's shirt and scarf, pulling him close.
"Help her," Gajeel ground out in a dark voice, but the tone was so pleading that it was shocking to hear it from the toughest man himself.
"We will," Natsu nodded to him seriously, his face determined and promising to the other.
"Keep her away from the hospital. Keep. Her. Safe."
"She's in good hands with us, Gajeel," Natsu nodded again, taking a step back when the other man released his shirt and gave him space to re-enter his car.
"Gajeel-kun!" Levy shouted, ramming herself into her lover on his uninjured side. "What happened? What happened to Juvia? What happened to you? You're bleeding!"
"I gotta get outta here," Gajeel told her, trying to get her off of him. "Don't let anyone know that she's here, you understand?"
"Gajeel!" Levy begged, grabbing his face with both hands and turning to force eye contact. Tears slipped from her eyes as Gajeel's own widened at the sight. She bit her lip, trying to contain her sobs as she silently begged to him.
With his good hand, Gajeel gently grasped her wrist before turning his chin to press a kiss to her palm. Nuzzling his face into her hand, he gave her an unsatisfying look of apology. Levy let out a breath of shock, dropping her hands from him.
"I brought her here because I know she would be safe," he told her softly. "She's safer here. Please, if anyone comes looking, keep her hidden. I was never here."
"Gajeel -!"
"It's going to be okay," Gajeel forced out. "Just look after Juvia for me."
Natsu carefully pulled Levy back so that Gajeel could reach for his door. Looking down to the gang boss, Gajeel resumed his serious character. "Don't let Jose know," he demanded bitterly to the old man.
"Understood, Gajeel," Makarov nodded, making Levy's head snap to her boss and choke out a sob before looking back.
Closing the door, Gajeel hit his foot on the gas and sped out of the building, nearly hitting the edge of the garage door he came through. Levy watched in absolute horror at the shrinking image of Gajeel's car fading into the night of the city, dust blinding the view before slowly turning around to look at the occupied bar counter with wide eyes. Tears practically poured down her face as Natsu gave her shoulders a small squeeze before letting her take a few shaking steps.
Gray was cradling Juvia's head for support, staring into her lost face with hard eyes as Mirajane and Cana worked together to cut off Juvia's shorts and tank with scissors provided by Elfman. His thumbs tenderly stroking her clammy cheeks as she shook hard.
"Stay awake, Juvia," he whispered to her carefully, not caring if she could hear him or not. "You're going to be fine."
Erza slammed the first aid kit at Juvia's feet, letting Mirajane hop over and yank out the tools she needed for the moment. "What can I do?"
"Hold her leg up to reduce the blood flow," Mirajane instructed to her friend, who nodded and jumped over the bar. "She's losing too much blood and I need to remove the glass from the wound before stitching it. She's bleeding fast."
"Her pupils are really dilated," Cana said as she hovered over Juvia and Gray for a moment before finishing the task of getting the jeans off.
"She's having a seizure," Mirajane said sternly. "She may pass out soon, but we need to stop the bleeding. Gray, keep tracking her pulse!"
Gray could feel every breath she was taking and how much she was struggling, her head tossing to cough out blood and startling him. He vaguely heard Mirajane and Cana coming up with a flashlight to shine into her mouth, saying that she had a cut on the inside of her cheek. He could feel her blood rushing through her body in a frenzy as she shivered under his hands. She felt really warm to the touch, but was behaving like she was dumped in an ice bath.
His fingers tangling in her wet hair, Gray tried to keep her eyes on him. "It's going to be fine," he told her softly, probably more to himself really.
Juvia's eyes began to roll close, a gurgling sound escaping her lips while the others kept working on moving her body and keeping attention to her wounds. Her head became more heavy in his hold as she went limp on the counter, but her pulse was still strong against his palms.
Lucy felt helpless as she stood frozen in her spot. Tears were escaping from her brown eyes as she noticed other members of the gang scrambling around to get rags and towels, some stitching wire and anything else Mirajane might need. Looking over, Lucy hiccuped at the sight of Natsu approaching her and unspokenly pulled her into his embrace, hiding her head in his warm chest.
"Don't look, Luce," he whispered to her softly, his hand behind her head as he kept her flushed against him. "Just don't look."
"L-Le-Levy…"
"It's okay, just don't look," he told her, lips against her hair as he watched the said mechanic slowly go to Gray's side and forced space for herself to reach Juvia's unconscious head. The dark haired racer offered her the space, and Levy simply rest her head on the counter next to Juvia's and hid her face in her cousin's long, soggy hair to quietly cry.
"Natsu, why don't you take Lucy upstairs," Makarov said quietly beside him, looking down to see the gang boss having his hands behind his back as he watched Mirajane begin pulling out glass shards of all shapes and sizes from Juvia's skin and tossing them in the waste basket before going back. "She's going into shock, son…"
Natsu mutely nodded before whispering into Lucy's ear. When the blonde woman leaned more against her partner for him to lift her legs to wrap around his waist and carry her with such care, the pink haired man looked down to the older one once more.
"Let us know what happens, Gramps," he said before walking over to the elevator after Makarov nodded.
Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his scarf as she cried as hard as she did when she was told her mother had died. Natsu gave her the intense warmth of his hands and gentle voice to lull her into a black void of her consciencess.
.
.
.
=xxx=
AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - I await your Reviews, babehz.
