A/N: Yay, another chapter! :D
Thank you for the reviews! And I apologise to Dark-Angel1997 for taking away your sleep - I know exactly how that feels! hahah x
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!
Enjoy!
Chapter 21
It had been a week since Natsu and Lucy finally got together, and Lucy was still getting used to the idea. They were a fairly affectionate couple, but they were still the best friends that argued a lot like before. Really the only thing that they did differently was hold hands and the occasional kiss.
"How long?" Lucy suddenly asked. They were in the library studying.
"What?" Natsu asked, looking at his girlfriend, confused.
"How long have you, uh, liked me?" she asked quietly. She wanted to know how much of what the girls had said was true.
"Well," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I think I liked you pretty much as soon as I met you, but I didn't realise it until you kissed me," he told her. "When I told you about my past, I started to think about it, wonder what I really felt towards you. Then at the dance I started to think that I liked you, but I still wasn't sure – it's all so new to me. What about you?"
"Same," she smiled. "I think I was just being stubborn, trying to prove the girls wrong that I didn't let myself accept my feelings. After the dance I started to wonder, but it was the kiss that really did it," she giggled, leaning in to kiss her boyfriend.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Levy cried, walking in on them.
"Levy-chan!"
"I'll go if you guys want some time alone," she said, winking.
"It's okay," Lucy smiled. "We should be studying anyway," she added, poking Natsu, who scowled at his book.
The three of them sat there in silence for a while before Natsu's head dropped to the table.
He was soon snoring over his book. Lucy giggled.
"So how are things with Gajeel?" she turned to Levy, who turned red.
"I – I haven't really spoken to him since the dance," she admitted.
"Levy-chan! I'm sorry," Lucy said. "You never did tell me how you ended up going together, did he ask you?"
"Well…" Levy sighed. "Sort of,"
Levy was walking back to her dorm from the library, when Jet and Droy appeared in front of her.
"Levy!" they both cried, pushing the other. "Go to the dance with me!"
"Uhh…" Levy replied. "I'm sorry, but I can't," she replied.
"Why not?" Jet asked.
Levy struggled to come up with an excuse. The truth was, she didn't want to go with either of them, because she wasn't interested in them that way. They were always fighting for her attention, but she only saw them as good friends. But she didn't know how to tell them that – she wasn't used to rejecting guys!
"Because she's going with me," a gruff voice said from behind her. She turned and her eyes widened.
"Gajeel?"
"So you two better scram," he continued, and Jet and Droy left instantly.
"Thank you," Levy said, turning to him. "You didn't have to do that,"
"It was obvious you didn't want to go with them," he said. "You're too nice,"
Levy didn't say anything.
"I'll pick you up at seven, then," he said gruffly before he turned and walked away.
Levy's eyes widened. "You don't have to!" she called out. He didn't say anything, but she knew he heard her.
He still showed up at exactly seven to pick her up.
"Levy-chan! He liiikes you!" Lucy squealed.
"I don't know," Levy said. "He hasn't said anything since he dropped me off after the dance,"
"He would not do that for just any girl," Lucy told her. "He's just too shy and proud to let you know,"
"I don't know, Lu-chan," she said nervously.
"I think that you should try talking to him," Lucy said. "Just go up to him, say thank you for a great time, and then you should be able to start a conversation easily,"
"It's not that easy!" Levy cried.
"What's not that easy?" Natsu mumbled, woken by the girls' screams.
"Nothing!" Levy cried, turning back to her book while Lucy chuckled.
Lucy was sitting on the bleachers with the other girlfriends after cheerleading practice.
"So you're finally joining us for real," Bisca winked.
Lucy blushed and looked to the field.
"You would have been here sooner if you'd just listened to us," Mira said.
"Not necessarily," Lucy shook her head slowly. "If I had listened to you and realised my feelings sooner, then I would have just been sitting here heartbroken, waiting for him. I think it worked out well this way," she smiled. "It doesn't really matter how long it's been – we're together now and that's what counts,"
"That's true," Juvia smiled.
Lucy looked back to the field to see her boyfriend waving like mad. She could see his grin from there. She laughed and waved back before pointing to the rest of the guys, who were in a huddle. He looked and quickly ran over to them.
"He really is an idiot sometimes," Lucy sighed. But he's my idiot.
"Luce!" Natsu called, running up to her after he finished training. He hugged her, lifting her off her feet and spinning her round while she squealed.
"Natsu! You're all sweaty!" she complained, but didn't let go.
"So are you,"
"Not as much as you," she scowled.
He let her go, only holding on to her hand as they walked away from the pitch.
"You know, you should really pay more attention in training," Lucy told him.
"Well, it's hard to look at them when I could be looking at you," he retorted. Lucy tried not to smile.
"Well, then I won't stay anymore," she told him.
"That's not what I meant!" he cried. "I promise I'll pay attention next week!" he told her, kissing her on the cheek.
"Okay," she laughed. "Now go have a shower and I'll meet you in the common room," she leaned up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss before pushing him towards his dorm.
Half an hour later, once she was showered and wearing clean clothes, Lucy headed over to the common room to meet her friends. They had organised a light study session – meaning the girls would study, and the guys would give up after five minutes and play games. Lucy had finished most of her assignments, so she wasn't too worried about it.
When she got there, the only one missing was Levy. She sat down next to her grinning boyfriend and got out her Chemistry book.
"You took your time," Natsu teased her.
"It wasn't that long!" she argued. "You know I've taken longer before,"
"That's true," he nodded.
Suddenly, Gajeel burst into the room and headed straight for Lucy. He pulled her out of her seat.
"You need to come with me," he said gruffly.
"Hey!" Natsu growled. "Don't just grab her like that!"
"Trust me, she'll want to come,"
"Like hell she will,"
"Wait," Lucy said, stopping them both. "Where exactly will I want to come?"
"Nurse," Gajeel grunted. "It's the shrimp,"
That's all Lucy needed to hear. She ran out of the common room, hardly aware that Natsu and the rest were following her.
"Levy-chan!" she burst into the room. "Where is she?" she demanded. Natsu and Gajeel were right behind her.
"Through here," he led the way to a bed at the back of the room, drawing back the curtain.
Levy was lying there, unconscious and a mess. She had a bruise on her cheek, her lip was bleeding, as well as a cut on her forehead and her shirt was ripped.
"She's just sleeping," Gajeel told the blonde as she rushed to the girl's side, grabbing her hand.
"What happened?" she asked, tears forming. She vaguely noticed that the rest of their group had arrived.
"I don't know," Gajeel admitted gruffly. "I found her like this behind the bleachers. No one else was around, so I carried her here and found you,"
Lucy nodded. "Thank you," she turned back to her friend. "Oh, Levy-chan, who would do this?" she whispered.
Natsu put a hand on her shoulder, and she put her free hand over it.
Lucy, Natsu and Gajeel stayed there all night, skipping dinner. Lucy tried to tell Natsu that he could go, and she would be fine, but he wanted to stay with her. She knew it meant a lot for him to skip a meal.
"Here you go," Mirajane called, appearing in the room, arms full of microwave dinners. She handed one to Lucy and then five each to the boys.
"Thanks, Mira," Lucy smiled.
"No problem," she replied. "Any changes?"
Lucy shook her head sadly. "She still hasn't woken up, and nobody's found out who did it,"
They were all silent for a moment.
"Not even Laxus and Sting could be this cruel," Lucy finally whispered, voicing what everyone was thinking. "Could they?"
"Well if it was anyone in this school, it would be them," Natsu said grimly.
"I just don't understand!" she cried. "Why Levy-chan? What did she ever do to anyone?"
The only answer she got was Natsu walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest.
"Don't worry," he told her. "We'll find who did this and make them pay,"
Lucy just nodded into his chest.
"You should eat, Luce," he told her, handing her the dinner Mirajane had brought. He'd already finished all his.
"O-okay," she said, wiping her eyes, and taking the food. "Thank you,"
Just then, Virgo came in.
"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over," she told them. "It's almost curfew,"
Lucy nodded, standing up. She gave Levy's hand another squeeze before walking over to Virgo.
"Do you think you could let Gajeel stay here tonight?" she whispered. "I think she would be safer with someone here, and then if she wakes up during the night she has a familiar face with her,"
Virgo deliberated before finally nodding. "I guess I can allow it this once," she agreed.
"Thank you," Lucy smiled. She turned to Gajeel. "You take good care of her,"
He nodded mutely, looking shocked.
"Are you sure it's okay to leave her with him?" Natsu asked when they were outside with Mirajane.
"Yes," Lucy told him firmly. "Just trust me on this,"
Natsu searched her face for something and then nodded. "I trust you,"
He took her hand in his and the three of them walked away, each immersed in their own thoughts.
When they reached the dorm, Mirajane went upstairs quickly, leaving Lucy and Natsu alone.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Natsu asked her worriedly.
"Yeah," Lucy nodded. "I'll be fine,"
"Here," he told her, taking off his scarf and wrapping it around her neck.
"N-Natsu?" Lucy was shocked. She knew how precious this scarf was to him – he never took it off.
"Take this," he told her. "It'll be like I'm there with you," he kissed her on the cheek.
"Thank you," she smiled, holding the scarf.
She hugged him tightly before saying goodnight and heading up to bed.
A/N: Poor Levy-chan! I got really writing this :'(
Let me know what you guys think!
I think I'm going to be finishing this fairly soon - I still have quite a bit to write, don't worry, but I don't think it'll be more than 25-30 chapters - im starting to get writers block :/ haha