Gajeel dropped the unconscious quake mage beside the tied up illusion mage. He rolled the shoulder that the man had been slung over. After having cornered and forced the cowardly illusion mage to surrender, Gajeel had left Nyx to watch him while he went and retrieved the other man.

"Gajeel!" Nyx grinned. "Welcome back. Authorities should be here soon, I contacted them on the inn's lacrima crystal." Gajeel nodded, then motioned outside.

"Some of the villagers are wanting to thank you." Nyx blinked.

"Me? You're the one who-"

"Just come on Jewels," he growled. "You deserve it," he added, his tone gentler. He held a hand out to her. Nyx looked at it for a moment, somewhat surprised, then smiled. She took his hand, which dwarfed her own, and stood, wincing from the pain. Gajeel sighed. Without any warning, he turned and lifted her up on to his back, holding her under her legs. "You really are pain…" he grumbled, making sure she couldn't see his slightly flushed face.

"Well, you don-" As he took a couple steps towards the inn's door, she felt unbalanced, and to keep from falling she quickly clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She buried her red face in the crook between his shoulder and neck, some of his thick hair tickling her. "You don't have to carry me…" she mumbled. As he opened the door, he shrugged.

"I…" Gajeel started to say something, but seemed to change his mind. As they walked down the dirt road of the village, the inhabitants walked up to them, greeting them with huge smiles and gracious words. Nyx carried on conversations with the grateful citizens, and left Gajeel's back to interact with the kids. Gajeel simply replied with grunts and shrugs. He wasn't much for praise. That, and he could only seem to focus on Nyx. Her bright smile and her clear laugh. He was almost blind to her scars now, as he watched how sweetly she behaved with the children. When she looked up at him, grinning, he looked away. Once the the two mages were picked up by authorities, and the villagers calmed down, Gajeel and Nyx settled in their room for the night, which would now be free, courtesy of the actual innkeeper.

"This has been a lot of fun, huh Gajeel?" Nyx asked, sitting on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest. Gajeel was busy digging through his knapsack for the bandages he had thrown in there earlier.

"Sure, whatever you say." He found what he was looking for. He turned to face her. "Get your clothes off," he ordered. Her eyes widened. When he realized what he had asked of her, his own crimson eyes widened as well. "I was...uh, your wounds, I…" he stumbled over words, his face growing warm. Finally he just held the bandages out to Nyx. "You can just do it yourself," he mumbled, looking away from her. It hadn't bothered him before, he had hardly noticed. He had just been in a rush to stop the bleeding. Now that she was wide awake and there was no urgency, the embarrassment overwhelmed him. He wasn't used to feeling embarrassed. Nyx let out a laugh. This was a side of Gajeel she had never seen, and she found it rather endearing. She took the bandages from the flustered dragon, and headed towards the bathroom.

"Thank you Gajeel, I'll be right back." She went into the bathroom, and closed the door. Starting with her leg, she unwrapped the old bandages, and rewrapped her wounds with fresh bandages. When she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Gajeel standing, staring out the window. She walked over, and leaned on the window sill beside him. He didn't look at her. "We make a pretty good team,"she stated, trying to break the silence. "Maybe...we should go on more jobs together." Gajeel glanced at her, somewhat surprised. His magic still frightened her, he couldn't understand why she'd want to work with him.

"Just...don't do anything reckless." For some reason, his tone became frustrated. "Pull any stunts like what you did this morning Jewels, and I swear I…" He pushed away from the window sill with a huff, and went over to sit on his bed. Nyx's brow furrowed.

"What are you-"

"I'm going to bed." He laid down, back to her, signaling the end of the conversation. She sighed, went to her own bed, and turned out the lamp. Gajeel laid in the dark, vexed by himself. He just couldn't manage to express his concern for Nyx without frustration. He just wanted her to know how frightened he had been that morning.

After getting their bags packed up, Nyx decided it was time to wake Gajeel. She rested a hand on his shoulder, over his Fairy Tail mark.

"Gajeel, come on." She shook him slightly. He simply grunted and rolled over."Gajeel, wake up," she said slightly louder.

"Damnit Jewels, there's no rush," he grumbled groggily. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes there is, we're going to miss the boat." This got his attention. His eyes snapped open, and he bolted up.

"Excuse me?" He cocked a pierced brow.

"I said we're going to miss the boat," she repeated. He shook his head.

"I ain't taking a boat. We're walking. Just like we did on the trip here." Nyx's expression became somewhat pouty.

"I can't walk that far Gajeel, my injuries aren't healed. The boat ride will only be a couple of hours," she argued.

"I'll carry you." Nyx's face grew warm.

"N-no, I think it would be best for both of us to relax on the boat." Her ice blue eyes wandered the room, avoiding contact with Gajeel's. Gajeel eyed her. Her bashful behavior was almost...cute? He shook his head. 'Cute' wasn't something he cared about, or paid any mind to. At least, he didn't used to. He sighed.

"Fine, whatever," he gave in, waving his hand. She smiled.

"Well then, we have to get to the harbor before we miss it." Gajeel sighed again, dreading the ride back, knowing he would come to regret his decision.

Nyx ran up the plank to the deck of the boat, and turned to look at Gajeel.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Gajeel just stared at the boat, his heart sinking. It was a simple brown ship, some of the wood had various marine flora growing on it. Gajeel shook his head.

"I'll just meet you back in Magnolia. I'm going to-" Her eyes became pleading. Gajeel sighed, and took his first step onto the plank. Slowly he walked up to the boat's deck. Standing on the deck, the creaking of the wood as the blue waves rocked the boat became much more noticeable. Despite this, the ship felt fairly stable. Gajeel relaxed somewhat, thinking perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

"Lets go to the front of the boat!" Nyx suggested, running in that direction. Gajeel followed taking slow, deliberate steps. She leaned on the ship's railing. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked in a dreamy tone. Gajeel couldn't help but notice her charm yet again. He let out a soft growl, trying to snap himself out of whatever daze he was in, and looked out over the water. The sun glistened off of the water, making it shine, almost like Nyx's diamond make magic. At that moment, the boat began to set off from the port. As Nyx looked out, admiring the water as it pushed against and tugged at the boat rhythmically, she noticed that Gajeel was being more quiet than usual. She turned, and gaspd. He was doubled over, holding his stomach with one arm, and covering his mouth with the other hand. "Gajeel!" She moved over beside him. "Are you alright?"

"I have-" He retched. "-pretty bad-" Again he heaved, coughing slightly. "-motion sickness," he finished, gagging a bit.

"I had no idea! That's why you didn't want to take the boat…" She took Gajeel's arm and sat on the deck, pulling him down with her. "Come here, I'm sorry…" She positioned herself so that Gajeel could lay his head comfortably in her lap. She rested a hand on his forehead. "Close your eyes." He did as she said with a miserable groan. "You're so much like Natsu," she said with a small laugh.

"I'm nothing...like that idiot," he mumbled, trying to keep from heaving again. She laughed again. She looked down at the sick iron dragon, and watched as his expression slowly became more relaxed. She couldn't believe that this was the same man that once haunted her nightmares. His personality could be rather abrasive, but there was more to him. She moved her hand from his forehead to the side of his face, her thumb softly stroking his cheek. Gajeel's nausea melted away as laid on Nyx's lap, her sweet scent filling his nose. He couldn't believe how relaxing and comforting her presence. Her delicate hand was pleasantly cool on his forehead. His breath caught slightly as her hand moved to the side of his face. Her thumb brushed back and forth on his cheek as rhythmically as the water's waves. His surprise faded, and he allowed himself to be lulled into a serene sleep.

Nyx had let Gajeel sleep on her lap for the entirety of the trip to Magnolia, and now that they were in the port, it was time for her to wake him up.

"Gajeel, get up," she said loudly, knowing now how difficult he could be to wake. He blinked his crimson eyes open, his sleepy gaze meeting Nyx's bright expression.

"Nyx?" he questioned, still not completely awake. He reached up, cupping the side of her face in his hand. She was surprised by his sudden tenderness. As Gajeel came fully to his senses, he pulled his hand away quickly.

"W-we're here," she stated, her face red. He sat up and looked to see the familiar harbor of Magnolia. He scratched the back of his head.

"Right...sorry for falling asleep on you."

"It wasn't a problem." She wouldn't meet his eyes. They gathered their knapsacks and left the boat. Gajeel was happy to be back on solid ground. They made their way up a set of steps and stopped. "Well...I guess this is it," Nyx started awkwardly. Gajeel just looked at her and gave no response. She sighed. "It was fun." Still no response. "I guess...I'll just see you around the guild." She turned, ready to head for her home. She could feel his red eyes still boring into her.

"Jewels." Suddenly he stopped her, grabbing her by her arm. She froze. "I…" She turned to look at him. Their eyes met for a moment. Without any warning, Gajeel bent down to her level and planted a small kiss on her cheek. He quickly straightened up, scratching the back of his head. He turned around his back to her. "I'll catch you around," he muttered quickly, then, letting go of her arm, walked off. Nyx stood stunned. By the time she realized what happened, Gajeel had already disappeared into the crowd. She turned to go home, and gasped. Gray stared at her, mouth agape, and navy eyes wide.