Apologies apologies apologies apologies apologies ;n;
Mentalbreakdownexamsstresspi llsawholelotofbullshit anyway, next chapter has finally arrived!
Many many thanks to my amazing Beta Aikoyu Saotome, you rock my socks ;3;
Deirim – I know, it was terribly short, I'm sorry ;w; this one is nearly three times the length, hope it makes up for it ;3;
Kaito – thank you so much, all of that sounds too good *3* so so so sorry this update is late as well, hope you haven't lost faith yet ;w;
Synk – they're both pretty stubborn, makes things pretty interesting sometimes when I have to figure out how they interact with each other lol XD
11. Devil On My Shoulder (Billy Talent)
As I get closer, my dreams get farther
I climb that ladder, but you kick it over
Thirsty for water, you give me vinegar
When I drink your medicine, it just makes me sicker
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
And I just can't sink any lower (lower and lower)
The hounds of hell are getting closer (closer and closer)
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
Follow the rainbow, my lucky omen
There ain't no pot of gold, just copper tokens
I found the key to life, the lock was broken
All my accomplishments, are best left unspoken
I dug a hole so deep
I'm gonna drown in my mistakes
Can't even sell my soul
'Cause it ain't worth shit to take
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
And I just can't sink any lower (lower and lower)
The hounds of hell are getting closer (closer and closer)
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
My horror story is nearly over
I said I'm sorry, but I was sober
I beg for mercy from my infernal friend
The one that drops the nails into my coffin
I got the devil on my shoulder
I got the devil on my shoulder
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
And I just can't sink any lower (lower and lower)
They come to take me, take me over (closer and closer)
I got the devil on my shoulder (over and over)
"Gajeel! Will you slow down? Where are you going?"
Gajeel ignored the worried shouts of his former Phantom Lord guild-mate, bashing through the bustling crowds milling around the streets leading away from the guild house. Juvia gave an exasperated sigh and picked her way over the dazed people left in his wake. The man was charging ahead at full speed like he was possessed or something. They had already reached the outskirts of Magnolia before she finally got him to slow down just long enough for her to catch his attention.
The blue-haired mage planted herself firmly in front of her former guild-mate, hands on her hips and a frown on her face. Gajeel looked ready to murder her if she didn't move, but Juvia stood her ground.
"Juvia is not moving until Gajeel tells her what the matter is!" she snapped. "Gajeel-sama never acts this way!"
"Juvia, get out of the way!" Gajeel growled threateningly, his glare boring into her. He was in no mood to discuss his motives with nosy people – he had to find his idiot of a partner before she did something stupid and got herself killed.
"Juvia is concerned!" she retorted. "Whatever it is, Juvia can help!"
Seeing that the stubborn mage wasn't going to let him get anywhere anytime soon, Gajeel relented. Clenching his teeth and hoping he wouldn't regret letting her tag along, he ground out, "If you want to help, you'd better not slow me down."
…
Shock had barely made it into the outskirts of the town, and she could already sense that something was gravely wrong. The town was deathly quiet – not a single soul stirred in the cobbled streets, all of the windows were fastened shut and doors locked. It was approaching dusk in the town, and the only sign that it was actually inhabited was the dim flickering of candles in a few dusty windows. Shock's booted footsteps echoed loudly between the wooden buildings as she tried to find someone – anyone – who could explain the mission sheet she had clutched in her hand.
Pausing under a flickering street light, Shock read over the job sheet one more time in the fading light. A slight chill was starting to creep into the air, and she shivered involuntarily. She was used to the cold – her years in the frigid conscription camp had seen to that – but this was a different type of chill. It had an ominous feel to it, a kind of chill that seeped into your very bones and froze you from the inside out. Pushing the uncomfortable sensation to the back of her mind, Shock turned her attention back to the crumpled sheet in her clammy grip.
It was no wonder why this particular job had been on the S-class notice board – the bounty for it was astronomical. Shock was sure if she could pull it off, she'd be living like a queen for months. Maybe she could even move out of the boarding house and find a small place of her own, where she could train with her charms in peace.
Her eyes scanned the page for any clue of what she was meant to be doing, but all that was printed on it were the town name, bounty, and an extremely brief description of the problem.
Demon infestation .
Shock swallowed down the pang of unease rising up from the pit of her stomach. She had faced far worse adversaries than a few measly demons. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.
Shock caught her resolve weakening and mentally slapped herself. There was a purpose to her being here. She had taken an S-ranked mission for a reason. She sure as hell wasn't going to act like a coward and back out now. She had something to prove, and she was damn well going to prove it. She would show Gajeel – and anyone else who doubted her – that she was as strong as any of the S-class mages. As strong as Gajeel. Maybe even stronger. Then they would see who needed the acceptance – her or her knuckle-headed partner.
That's if they were even still partners.
Shock grimaced. She grudgingly admitted to herself that her reaction may have been a tad over the top when Gajeel had even come all the way from Magnolia to offer some form of an apology. The fact he had felt the need to show any sort of repentance should have counted for something – but she had been too hurt and angry, too blinded by her own feelings of rejection, to acknowledge it. She would completely understand if he never wanted to work with her again when she got back.
But she had to appease her own feelings of inadequacy and complete the job before she even thought about going back to the guild. Gajeel's words – although rash and harsh, and admittedly unnecessary – had struck deep. They were like a thorn Shock was having a hard time dislodging from her side. And only the satisfaction of knowing she had completed a mission far above her rank would help get rid of it.
Taking a deep breath, Shock folded the job sheet and slipped it into the pocket of her cargo pants. She looked around, noting that it was already twilight and she had yet to contact anyone who could help explain the mission. She forced herself to move to the nearest doorway with a candle burning in the window. There had to be someone who knew what was going on; who knew why the town was near deserted.
She rapped on the door. No one answered. Shock knocked again and stood on the damp porch for another ten minutes, and still no one came to see what the ruckus was about. She peered in through the dusty window but the curtains were drawn. The candle light was muted through the flimsy material, and there were no shadows flickering in the light to indicate that anyone was even home.
Frowning, Shock retreated from the apparently deserted town and stepped back out into the street. The light was fading fast, the dim glow of the street lamps only just barely providing enough for Shock to see where she was going.
"Hello?" she called uncertainly. Her voice echoed between the silent buildings, making it sound empty and hollow.
Still, no one answered.
Uneasiness mounting, she decided it would be her best bet to find a tavern or something – there were bound to be people in there. And if not, at least it was some place she could go to escape the heavy chill settling in around her. She didn't know what was making her so uneasy, but she knew for sure that she didn't want to be caught out in the open when night set in.
Shock steadily found herself drawing more and more on her repressed training techniques to keep calm and level headed when door after door appeared locked and barred. Not a single public gathering place seemed to exist in town. Maybe there was no public left to gather.
…
"Excuse Juvia's bluntness, but Gajeel-sama is an idiot."
Gajeel shot the blue-haired mage beside him a venomous glare. They may have been former team mates at Phantom Lord, but that wouldn't stop him shutting her mouth forcefully for her if she carried on with herberating. He was worried enough about that stupid little charm mage without Juvia having to constantly remind him what an ass he had been about it.
Yeah, he was worried about Shock. It was a completely foreign emotion to Gajeel, one he definitely didn't like and didn't want to keep around, but it was definitely there. He frowned. She had managed to grow on him, like an annoying kind of fungus or something.
"Thanks for the news flash," he growled sarcastically. "Tell me something I didn't know." He wished the hired carriage they were in would move faster. Knowing Shock, she had probably managed to get herself into a whole heap of shit already, and the carriage was taking far too long to get anywhere.
"Juvia thinks the Shock-sama was right about you," she sighed, reclining against the seat. Her hands twisted absent-mindedly in her lap.
"About what, exactly?" Gajeel huffed, rolling his eyes as he glanced out the window. Night was rapidly approaching. Strange shadow-like smudges flitted in and out of the trees. Gajeel's feeling of unease increased, as did his frustration with their mode of transport.
"Gajeel-sama needs to learn how to open up more, and stop being so antisocial," Juvia replied, looking out of the opposite window. Her tone wasn't commanding or anything of the sort. It was more matter-of-fact, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Gajeel-sama can't carry on living alone. It won't make you happy."
"Who needs happiness?" Gajeel scoffed. "It's overrated. Unnecessary."
"Everyone needs some happiness," she countered. "It's what keeps people going when they have nothing else. Everyone has something that makes them happy."
"Is that so?" sarcasm managed to drip from every syllable leaving the dragonslayer's mouth. He wasn't one to discuss trivial things like emotions with anyone, especially someone like Juvia, who hardly knew him.
Not like many people actually knew him in the first place. The only one who even came close to that description was Makarov. And, the more Gajeel thought about it, Shock.
Juvia snorted dismissively at Gajeel's tone. "Gray-sama makes Juvia happy. And Juvia thinks the little Charm mage makes Gajeel-sama happy, as much as he will deny it."
…
Shock gripped her Light charm tightly in her hand as she wandered through the seemingly deserted town. If there ever appeared to be some life in this place, it sure was gone now – not a single candle burned in a window and the only light was cast from the pale sliver of the moon overhead. Not even the streetlamps in this part of the town were lit. Apprehension formed a tight ball in the pit of her stomach and she began jumping at every noise. The whistle of the wind through the silent houses, the rustling of rats in the gutters… at least, Shock hoped they were rats.
Shock forced herself to calm down and think rationally. If she could just find some place to stay for the night, she would stay put and wait until it was light enough for her to get out of this ghost town and back to Magnolia. She'd dispose of the job sheet and claim she'd never seen it – who knew, maybe it was old and out dated, and maybe that was why the town seemed completely deserted. Shock gulped nervously. Maybe the demons had cleared the town out before anyone had come to help. If that was the case, then Shock just hoped they had moved on and weren't still lingering around, waiting for her.
There was a rustle behind her and she whipped around to face the source of the noise... butthere was nothing there but an empty street. Behind her, shadows flitted between buildings. Eyes widened and heart hammering, Shock slowly turned back around and resumed her walk. Her grip on Light tightened exponentially. Every whistle of the wind seemed a hundred times louder, every rustle sounded like the shuffling footsteps of some grotesque monster creeping around in the shadows.
A chirping noise sounded somewhere off to Shock's right and she jumped about a foot in the air. Heart hammering in her throat, she whirled around in a tight circle in a vain attempt to see what had made the sound. All that greeted her saucer-wide eyes was inky black darkness, thick and impenetrable. Something glinted in a dark alleyway between two dishevelled buildings, catching Shock's eye. She stopped moving and peered cautiously into the shadows, trying to make out whatever it was that had caught her attention. The chirping noise came again, making the charm mage's skin crawl uncomfortably. Her stomach twisted in a tight knot of dread, her palms clammy. Bitter fear clawed its way up her throat, and Shock fought to shove it down again.
Out of the darkness, a pair of blood red eyes materialized.
Shock's breath caught in her throat. She froze as the eyes blinked lazily. They focused on her with a hungry intensity that made her skin blaze with white-hot fear. The chirping sound morphed to a low, gutteral growl.
Another set of eyes appeared in the darkness, reflecting the silvery glow of the moon. Another pair opened, and then another, and another, until Shock was surrounded by glittering ruby orbs. The growls and chirps came together in a terrible cacophony, surrounding her like a wall of pulsating sound. Shock tried to swallow, but all the moisture had evaporated from her mouth. Fighting down the waves of panic threatening to consume her, she slowly brought Light to her lips.
As if willing it to give her all of its strength, Shock held the glittering charm to her mouth, drawing on its untamed power. She was immediately surrounded in a glowing halo of light, eradicating any traces of darkness from her immediate vicinity. The red-eyed creatures hissed and shied away from the blinding light, seeking refuge around corners and in sheltered, decrepit doorways.
As suddenly as it had come, the light vanished, leaving a transformed Shock in its wake. Her hair hung in white-blonde waves down to her shoulders, polished silver armour covered her white-robed figure. A pair of snow-white feathered wings stretched in a wide arc from her shoulders, glowing softly. The pale light emanating from Shock's transformed state illuminated the street and buildings around her – but when she saw what lay waiting there, she wished it hadn't.
Grotesque, bony, deformed bodies. Leathery, scarred, pock-marked skin. Elongated skulls bristling with horns and teeth. Razor-sharp claws tipping knobbly, disjointed fingers. Blood-red eyes, shining with an insatiable lust for death and destruction. It took all of Shock's will and self-control not to scream.
The demons surrounded her on all sides, the horde stretching so far down the street that they disappeared back into the oily shadows.
"You have got to be kidding me," she breathed.
…
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Gajeel cast a sceptical look over the dark, deserted town. A few scattered streetlamps led down the overgrown path towards the town gates.
"Juvia is very sure. This is exactly where Erza-sama pointed to on the map," Juvia shrugged, adjusting her hat as she started down the pathway.
Gajeel grumbled something under his breath and followed her. Erza had better be damn right about this place – they couldn't afford any setbacks at this stage. Who knew what kind of mess Shock had managed to get herself into by now?
The chirping of the crickets carried miles through the still night air. At least, Gajeel thought they were crickets. The sound was a little too loud and high pitched for insects. But when the chirping changed pitch to a low, reverberating growl, Gajeel knew there were definitely no crickets hiding in the long grass. He swore loudly and began sprinting towards the town, Juvia hot on his heels.
…
Shock brought her Light blade in a wide arc around her head, lopping off the limbs of another four demons who had made the mistake of venturing too close. The bodies of their fallen were steadily piling up around the glowing charm mage, but still the demons kept coming. It was like a never-ending sea of pitch black skin and blood-stained eyes.
Her once-white robes were splattered and stained with whatever tar-like substance coursed through the demons' veins. She had made the mistake of letting it touch her skin a few times, and now had angry red burns wherever the vile substance had splashed.
A demon vaulted off a wall to her left, aiming straight for Shock's head with obsidian talons outstretched. Kicking another leathery foe viciously in the jaw and shoving its limp form away from her, Shock just barely had time to block the creature's claw with her sword. A shower of sparks resulted from the impact, making the surrounding demons hiss and shrink back. Snarling, the creature jumped back nimbly from Shock's spinning blade, melting back into the seething crowd of its brethren to try an attack from another angle.
Shock's breath came in short, laboured pants. No matter how many of the demons she slew, ten more seemed to spring up from the shadows for every one she killed. Her arms were beginning to ache, and her blade felt heavier and heavier with every blow she landed. Her chest burned and her throat was raw, the skin of her hands and arms seared and burning from the noxious demon blood. All she could hear were the guttural snarls and shrieks of the creatures surrounding her. All she could see was an ocean of shining red eyes and glinting talons. She wanted to scream in frustration; scream for help.
But she knew no one would be around to hear her.
Not for the first time that night, Shock cursed her temper and irrationality. She cursed her stubbornness, her cockiness at thinking she could take on an S-ranked mission by herself. She had been in Fairy Tail for what, six months? Maybe more, maybe less? She had barely even trained since joining the guild. The jobs she had been taking were menial – nothing to do with combat. And if there had been any element of combat, Gajeel had always been there to help her out. He had always been there to watch her back.
She cursed herself again. She had been so stupid.
As much of a callous ass as he was, Gajeel had always supported her in some warped way. Even his constant belittling and taunting served as an incentive for her to train harder, to get stronger. That was all Shock had ever wanted – to get stronger. And since she had teamed up with Gajeel, she had felt as though she definitely could get stronger. If not just to shut him up and prove a point, anyway.
Lost in the bitter torrent of her thoughts, Shock let her guard slip for the slightest of moments. That was all an attacking demon needed – it launched itself at her from deep within the snarling mass of the horde and knocked her sword from her grip. Shock yelped in surprise, flailing wildly for her weapon as she was knocked forcefully into the side of a building. The sword clattered to the cobblestones at her feet, just within stretching distance. But Shock was in no position to retrieve it.
The attacking demon had her pinned to the splintering wooden wall, clawed hands tearing into the wood on either side of her head as its gaping maw snapped at her throat. Shock was only just managing to keep it from sinking its multitude of oversized fangs into her trachea, her small hands wrapped around its much larger neck. She could feel the tendons tense and stretch beneath its skin as the demon made lunge after lunge at Shock's throat, coming a little bit closer each time as her strength began to wane.
The other demons saw this as an opportunity to wage an attack of their own, nipping at her legs and midriff while her hands were otherwise occupied.
A particularly zealous demon took a slash at her thigh with its razor-sharp claws, tearing through the fabric of her robe and slicing clean through the chainmail beneath it. Shock swallowed a scream of pain as the knife-like appendages ripped through her flesh in a jagged line. The scent of her blood drove the rest of the horde wild.
Dismay sat like a lead weight on Shock's chest as her strength faded. She was just barely managing to keep the demon at her throat from ripping it out, and the horde was howling and shrieking all around her, deafening her with their manic screeches. They sensed that their prey was weakening.
This is it.
The single thought repeated itself over and over again in Shock's head. She greeted it numbly.
This is the night I die.
Shock kicked out with her one good leg, managing to weakly deflect the claws of another eager demon. She slouched a little against the wall, her arms burning with the strain of keeping the creature on her chest at bay. She was beginning to feel light headed from loss of blood, the wound on her thigh throbbing painfully. Her vision began to blur.
I just… I just wish…
The demon pinning Shock to the wall dragged out clawed hand out of the wood and sunk its talons into her shoulder. Shock screamed.
That I'd havebeen able to say sorry…
The creature on her chest roared in her ear, making Shock's head spin. Gritting her teeth, she used the last of her strength to shove the demon off her. Not expecting the sudden force, the creature fell back into the writhing horde. Shock managed to snatch her sword back up from the cobblestones, levelling it shakily at the demon horde before her.
Levy…
Another demon swatted at her from the right. Shock slashed at it, managing to cut its disjointed fingers off. The demon howled in pain, shrinking back.
Gajeel…
Another demon raked its claws down Shock's midriff through the chinks in her armour, eliciting another shriek from her.
I'm sorry.
Shock dropped to one knee, teeth gritted against the pain of her injuries. Her breath hissed out between her clenched teeth as she glared up at the approaching demons. They were moving slowly; moving in for the kill. The hissing and shrieking intensified to an unbearable din. Shock screwed her eyes shut and looked away.
But the claws and teeth and death never came.
The tone of the shrieks changed from threatening to petrified in a second. Shock's eyes snapped open just in time to see a whole group of demons hurtle through the air, landing somewhere down the road in a broken heap. The rest of the horde's attention snapped to the new threat, Shock immediately forgotten. Yowling and screeching like banshees, the demons threw themselves at whatever was attacking them from the other end of the cobbled street. From her position against the wall, Shock couldn't see what was around the corner.
The demons suddenly came flooding back down the road, away from whatever it was they had attacked, chittering and shrieking in fear. A low rumbling sound filled the air, drowning out the panicked noises from the demon horde. The rumbling intensified until the very ground became to shake, jarring Shock's aching bones where she lay slumped against the splintering wooden wall.
Shock pushed herself weakly against the wall, as far out of the road as she could go, shielding herself from whatever had caused the demons to flee in such a state. If it had the horde on the run, it couldn't be good.
The rumbling and shaking got more and more forceful as the demons continued streaming down the street. A second later, a hurricane of molten metal hurtled after them, obliterating any shadowy creatures in its wake. The roar of the attack was deafening, and Shock curled herself into as small a ball as she could to shield herself from the force of it as it rushed past her.
And a second later, it was over. Blood pounded in Shock's ears, her head still spinning from a combination of blood loss and the blast. The silence that followed was almost as deafening as the blast itself. None of the demon horde remained.
As Shock's strength continued to seep away, the Light charm took its magic back, leaving her vulnerable and defenceless in the dark. Her breathing became shallower and shallower, and through the rushing of blood in her ears, she could hear the dim thud of footsteps. She could also hear someone shouting, but the voice was muted and she couldn't make out any of the words.
Through her dimming vision, Shock could just make out two blurred figure silhouetted against the light of what looked like a floating orb following behind them. The figures drew nearer, and everything faded to black.
…
The first thing Shock became aware of when she regained consciousness with the soft mattress beneath her. The next thing she noticed was the feeling of warm sunlight on her face. She scrunched her nose up, screwing her eyes against the glare of the sun. She tried to move, but her muscles screamed in protest. She groaned, her throat raw. She felt weary down to her very bones. As her mind became more aware of her surroundings, uneasiness became to sit heavily in the pit of her stomach. Bits of prior events started filtering back in scattered pieces. The last thing she remembered was lying in a dark alley, surrounded by a ravenous demon horde… now she was lying in a soft bed, and it was daylight… it wasn't adding up. Then again, nothing much was adding up in her sleep-addled brain.
Cracking an eye open, Shock hissed as bright sunlight almost blinded her. She moved a hand slowly towards her face to block out the harsh light, biting back a few choice words at the pain following such a simple movement.
"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"
Shock's first reaction to the gruff, familiar voice was relief. Maybe even a little bit of joy. But as soon as the feelings came, they were eclipsed by a set of much more negative emotions – shame, anger, but most of all, an overwhelming sense of guilt. Shock was surprised Gajeel had even waited around until she regained consciousness.
He took her silence as a cue to continue his lambasting.
"I don't know what the fuck you were thinking, taking on an S-ranked mission. What the hell made you think you were even remotely strong enough for something like that?" Shock could hear the intense irritation and disbelief in his voice. She stayed facing the window. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"Do you have any idea how worried Levy was about your stupid ass?" Shock's guilt trebled when she heard the unvoiced question – Do you have any idea how worried I was?
As slowly and carefully as she could, Shock managed to push herself up into a sitting position. Every muscle shrieked in protest, every wound groaned and stretched in agony. Her head spun and her vision swam. But she was alive. Shock kept her eyes downcast as she leaned against the wall at the head of the bed she lay on. The blanket that had been covering her pooled around her waist, revealing the miles of bandages wound around her petite frame. Her face flared at the thought that someone had actually treated and dressed her wounds.
"You should thank Juvia for that. If it had been up to me, I would have let you suffer a bit more. Would have served you right."
As guilty and ashamed as Shock felt, her temper flared. "You should hardly be acting like the wounded party here," she snapped, her voice coming out as a hoarse croak.
"What, were you expecting some sympathy just because you got a little beat up?" Gajeel sneered. Shock whipped her head in his direction, immediately regretting the sudden movement as her vision swam.
She leaned heavily against the wall, fighting the dizziness. "I'm not expecting any sympathy from you, of all people," she growled, glaring at the dragonslayer.
He sat slouched in an armchair on the other end of the small room, elbows propped up against the armrests and legs stretched out infront of him. "What's that supposed to mean, pipsqueak?"
Shock inwardly flinched at the coldness in his tone, but her expression didn't falter. She avtered her eyes though, focusing instead on her battle-scarred hands lying in her lap. "Why would you even care where I ended up? I would have thought you would be glad to be rid of me," she said bitterly.
"Don't be stupid," Gajeel snorted. "You're my partner, you're kind of stuck with me until I say otherwise."
Shock's head snapped up towards Gajeel again at the unexpected comment. She was at a loss for words. Gajeel was never usually this… forgiving, if she could put it that way.
Shock slouched against the wall, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chin on them and stared down at the sheets. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Gajeel scoffed, pushing himself out of the chair. "Don't go soft on me now, pipsqueak. That ain't like you."
Shock snorted, rolling her eyes. "One of us has to suck it up with an apology, and I think we've already established that apologies aren't your thing."
"Don't need any damn apologies," the dragonslayer sauntered casually over to the widow, leaning against the sill as he looked outside. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."
Shock paused, her mouth half open for a rebuttal. She thought that was the closest Gajeel had come to an actual apology. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Shock allowed the smallest of smiles to curve her mouth.
Out of the corner of his eye Gajeel caught sight of her expression and scowled. All this sappy stuff wasn't sitting well with him and he didn't need his knucklehead of a partner gloating over it to boot.
"I still think you're a bloody idiot for sneaking off with a job like that," he growled, folding his arms.
Shock's expression soured and he smirked. He was much more comfortable with antagonizing her - it added some spice to life.
"Tiny little thing like you, you're just lucky Juvia and I managed to find you before those demons had a midnight snack," he sniggered, pushing himself away from the window.
"I don't have to sit here and take this from you, you pompous ass," Shock seethed, throwing the covers off and climbing unsteadily to her feet. She wobbled a bit, still a bit woozy from blood loss.
Shock yelped when her bad leg decided to give out on her, and would have crashed to the floor had Gajeel not caught her. But instead of depositing her back on the bed, he wrapped his arms around her and tucked her under his chin.
Taking advantage of her shocked silence, Gajeel muttered, "Yeah, I'm an ass – but you're stuck with me."
Sorry if the last bit was a little OOC, but I've gotta try weave this stuff in somewhere… hope it's not bad ;n;
Anyway, I'd really like to hear what you guys thought, and thanks to everyone who puts up with my inconsistent updates – you guys really make me so happy, all of you ;3;