She stood glancing around taking note of her surrounds, not entirely sure how she ended up in the forest. Her brows furrowing as her brain tried to comprehend the past twenty-four hour period. The stellar mage could clearly recall being in the guild, drinking a strawberry smoothie as she hung out with some friends but after that it sort of seemed to blur together.
She didn't know when it happened but she did remember at some point in time Gajeel suddenly approached her demanding her for a job and before she could make any form of protest she found herself where she was now; in the forest with Gajeel not too far ahead of her – although now that she thought about it she couldn't remember what said job was for.
"Bunny!" Gajeel barked, pulling her out of her head, forcing her to run to catch up with him. She followed the slayer closely, frowning as she slipped back into her thoughts.
Wasn't it just three weeks ago she told Cana and Levy that she wasn't going on another job with the slayer? It was true and as far as she knew it had been a onetime partnership for a single job merely because of Mira's mistake, however – she glanced to the man ahead of her. She was on a job with him again for some unknown reason.
Shaking her head the celestial mage decided to figure it out later though now that her mind was going, Cana was definitely going to tease her relentlessly about this and most likely try to suggest that something really was going on between her and the iron eater.
Suppressing her urge to groan at that thought she refocused on trying to figure out why Gajeel was dragging her through the forest of Waas, when she misstepped, cringing at the pain that shot through her foot, realizing now just how achy her feet were from walking so much. "Gajeel, can we take a break?" She asked.
"No." He replied gruffly.
"Please?" She whined. "My feet hurt."
"Quit whining bunny, you should have packed some damn walking shoes."
Lucy ground her teeth in irritation. "Well, excuse me for not packing properly when I had an impatient slayer suddenly demanding me to quickly pack my things after dragging me out of the guild and to my apartment and then on a random trip through the forest of Waas!" She huffed angrily.
"You still should have packed properly. Aren't you supposed to be a smart blonde?" He asked glancing back before continuing on. "And it's not a random trip, we're on a job. I brought you because I need your spirit."
The stellar mage gave an eye roll, suddenly recalling the last time she was suddenly needed and it was for her spirit. "Let me guess you need Virgo?"
"Yeah."
Lucy sighed, shaking her head. "Why don't you just make a shovel and dig yourself?"
"Because if I get it done before the deadline the reward will be doubled which means you get 175,000 jewels, bunny."
Lucy blinked before quickly catching up to him a smile on her face. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" She heard him let out a snort and she made sure to ignore the noise.
Their walk continued on in silence for another hour before she could hear Gajeel sniffing, his movements slow as he tried to pinpoint the location. Another few moments passed and he stood, marking an 'X' in the ground.
"Summon your spirit and tell her to start digging here." He looked up at her, expectantly and Lucy tried not to roll her eyes and summoned Virgo.
"Good morning, princess." She bowed and Lucy smiled.
"Morning Virgo."
"What can I do for you today princess?"
Well, we need you to –"She paused and looked at Gajeel. "How deep is it?"
Gajeel was silent and she wondered if he heard then he spoke. "Roughly ten feet. Have her dig six and be careful the last three. I've got the rest." Lucy nodded.
"We need you to dig where that 'X' is. Please dig nine feet but be careful for the last three."
"Of course, princess"
The duo waited patiently as Virgo dug as told, quickly finishing up. She soon came back up, brushing dirt off her dress. Lucy noticed Gajeel jump down into the hole and she turned her attention to Virgo. "Thank you Virgo."
"You're welcome princess; though I apologize I went a little further than nine feet. Do you wish to punish me?"
Lucy tried not to cringe. "No, Virgo, thank you for the help. You can head back now."
"Yes, princess." Lucy sighed in exasperation at her spirit. She was never going to stop with asking for punishment no matter how many times she told her no or to stop asking. Shaking her head she glanced down the hole, noticing Gajeel had a shovel and was digging.
"Do you need any help down there?" She called, receiving a grunt in response before an actual reply.
"No, just keep an eye out for me." Lucy nodded her head.
"Okay." She looked around the area, humming to herself as she waited for him to finish, a smile coming to her face at the thought of getting so much money. She'd have enough for rent and food and some extra to put in her savings. Giggling to herself she looked down the hole once more to check on Gajeel. "You okay down there?"
"I'm fine." He growled out. "Getting close to it." Nodding her head once more she realized she had yet to thank him for bringing her on the job.
"Gajeel I – thank you for bringing me on this job, even though you didn't have to."
"I only brought you because I needed your spirit since it's quick at digging."
"True, but if you hadn't brought me then you wouldn't have needed to split the money with me. You could have had it all for yourself."
Gajeel could feel his irritation grow the more she spoke. "Shut up and be grateful I brought you along, damn it." He barked out, smirking to himself when he received silence. After digging for a few more minutes he grinned as he finally found the box. Pulling it out he glanced up calling for the stellar mage, his brows furrowing upon receiving no response. "Oi, bunny girl!" He called once more, cursing as he realized she was gone.
A couple moments after he managed to figure a way out of the hole, he glanced around the immediate area, still not seeing her. His nose picked up her scent along with a couple others, taking a step forward he paused upon hearing the sound of metal, glancing down he moved his foot and his eyes met with a familiar set of keys. Picking them up he let out a growl of annoyance, of course she would get kidnapped.
"Gajeel." A voice called and he was surprised to see Virgo. "I'll hold the box and princess's keys while you retrieve her." She held her arms out and he nodded, handing them over to the spirit before following the stellar mage's scent, his nose picking up on a metallic scent, forcing a low grow from his throat. He was familiar with the scent, especially from her.
Moving quicker he soon found two mages and an unconscious Lucy on the ground not too far from them. In an instant the two mages were up and began an attack, putting him on the defense for a few moments before he took care of them both with one blow, his ears picking up on the sound of the celestial mage waking.
"What's going on?" He could hear the confusion in her voice and he struggled not to growl in annoyance. Walking over to her he took hold of her arm and jerked her up onto her feet, his eyes quickly scanning her in the process before he began dragging her back to where they were so he could finish the job.
"Gajeel, what? S-stop for a moment and let-let go of me." Ignoring her he continued to make his way through the forest however unable to keep his irritation to himself.
"What the hell were you doing?" He bit out. "I only asked for you to keep a damn lookout for us so we could finish the job quickly and you go and get your ass kidnapped."
"It's not –"She cut herself off suppressing a whimper. "It's not my fault! I tried to fight, I don't know why you think I wouldn't but I didn't have a chance. They used a sleeping spell and it's not like I have the ability to fight something like that."
Gajeel growled, releasing her arm the moment his red eyes landed on Virgo, taking the box from her. He passed Lucy, feeling more irritated than usual. "Damn useless bunny girls." He grumbled out, making his way out of the forest and back to the client's home to finish his job.
Lucy swallowed thickly, trying to suppress any tears as he passed her. She let out a ragged breath; of course he would call her useless. What else had she expected? Turning she was slightly startled to see Virgo out, sure she had already told the spirit to head back. "Oh, Virgo" She cleared her throat. "Thank you, for your help."
Virgo was silent for a moment as she handed her, her keys. "Princess, your arm i –"
"It's not broken Virgo, at least I'm pretty sure it's not but it will definitely be bruised." She assured her spirit, returning her keys to their rightful place.
Virgo nodded her head. "Very well, is there anything I can assist you with princess?" Lucy smiled and shook her head.
"No, that's all. Thank you Virgo, you can head back now." With that the celestial spirit bowed before returning to her world.
Taking a deep breath Lucy turned and began making her way out of the forest, keeping her pace slow not wanting to catch up to Gajeel and needing the time to attempt to gather her composure. Letting out a soft sigh as she dried her eyes she turned her focus to her arm, still feeling the weight of his hand wrapped around it. His grip was iron tight and painful, reminding her of that day when he had – clearing her head she caught herself as she nearly tripped, quickly putting her focus on not tripping over anything else and keeping a clear head. Reaching the end of the forest she looked up, surprised to see Gajeel waiting at the border for her.
Keeping her attention on anything but the man beside her as they walked together in silence she let her mind be distracted with just getting the money and then never going on a job with him again, even if he dragged her out of the guild or out of her own bed. Nodding to herself in agreement, she startled upon hearing Gajeel.
"I'm sorry." He apologized gruffly; she glanced toward him not saying anything. "Just try and be more careful. Next time someone comes, just scream or something."
Her brows instantly furrowed at his words and she looked up at him. "Wait, you don't think I can't handle anyone myself?"
"That's not what I'm saying, bun –"She shook her head in disbelief.
"That is what you're saying. You think that I'm just a useless bunny girl that gets myself, into too much trouble!" She accused angrily,
"It's not what I'm say –well you do get into a lot of trouble but I –"
She let out a strangled noise of frustration. "Go screw yourself, Gajeel! I'm going home!" She turned on her heel, feeling completely irritated.
He stared after her confused; looking down at the box in hand he called out to her. "You go home you won't get any of the money!"
"Keep your fucking money! I'm going home." He blinked, his lips curling in amusement as he watched her head home.
Shaking his head he made his way to the client's home, handing the box over and receiving full payment. Putting the money away he made his way home, kicking off his boots before making his way to the bathroom for a hot shower.
Once cleaned and dressed he pulled the money out and counted it out, finding a bag to put it in before heading out to find the blonde bunny girl.
He made his way toward the guild contemplating talking to her, but the mere idea of conversation made him cringe. More often than not, when he spoke, the situation would end up worse, which was why he preferred to just act and keep talking to a minimum.
Juvia and the shrimp had come to understand and easily accept that about him, however when it came to Lucy, that felt like a different situation. The bunny girl seemed like she couldn't understand that inability to communicate; how could she anyways? The girl wouldn't stop talking for five minutes to save a life; then again he did like that about her.
Tightening his hold on the bag of money he decided he'd at least make an attempt to patch things up with the bunny girl.
He quickened his pace a little, pausing briefly when his eyes landed on the stellar mage not too far ahead of him. Using that as an opportunity he quickly caught up with her, casually placing the bag of money atop her head. Gajeel's lips quirked as she paused in her step, her hand reaching up to remove the bag, looking from it and then to him.
"Look, I didn't mean to call you useless or imply you couldn't take care of yourself." He began, her brows furrow slightly at his words.
"Then what did you mean by calling me a useless bunny girl or telling me to scream for help when something happens?"
He frowned unsure how to continue. "I meant nothing by it; just don't get kidnapped again okay? I don't like having to chase after bunnies."
Lucy nodded her head, a smile coming to her face as she looked at the bag in her hand. "Okay."
Satisfied with the result he began walking once more in the direction of the guild, the blonde silently walking beside him. The pair entered the guild, both making their way to the bar, however he found himself distracted briefly with a fight before reaching the bar, his hunger taking over.
She smiled to herself as she took a seat on a barstool, turning to Mira when she was questioned by the barmaid, delivering her smoothie.
"Lucy what happened? I was worried when you were dragged out of the guild so suddenly"
Lucy smiled, noticing Gajeel take the seat one over from her. "There's nothing to worry about Mira. Gajeel just needed Virgo's help on a job."
"Mira" Gajeel called her name interrupting their conversation. Mira held up her finger and set about making Gajeel's meal and pouring him a mug of alcohol. Once finished she served it to him before turning her attention to Lucy.
"If you were using Virgo how'd you end up all covered in scratches." Mira eyed her curiously.
Lucy laughed lightly. "I was actually taken by surprise by some mages and luckily for me Gajeel was there and took them out."
"I'm glad to hear things turned out." Mira said as she sent the slayer a warm smile in thanks before turning back to Lucy. "Oh, by the way, you'll never guess what's happening tomorrow."
Lucy laughed at the barmaid's barely suppressed excitement. "What?"
"Lisanna and Natsu are going on their first official date!" Mira nearly squealed. Lucy bit her lip as Gajeel snorted, both already knowing the pair had been involved with each other for some time and were just now making it public.
"That's great Mira." She smiled. "I hope it goes well."
"Oh, Lucy of course it will!"
Lucy giggled. "We'll, you'll have to tell me about it afterwards." Mira nodded.
"Oh! You know what; we can have a girl's day since I have the day off!"
Lucy smiled nodding her head in agreement. "Let's do it!" She paused and eyed Mira. "Am I to assume that this is going to end up at my place and it's somehow going to end up being a sleepover?" Mira sent her that familiar smile and Lucy rolled her eyes as she laughed. "Fine, go ahead." Mira squealed in delight, already making plans to invite Cana, Lisanna and Erza before heading off to tend to the calling guild members.
Lucy shook her head, smiling. Turning to her forgotten smoothie she took a long drink, sighing in contentment.
"You didn't have to lie to the demon."
Lucy blinked and looked toward Gajeel shrugging slightly, fiddling with the straw. "I know I have a nasty habit of getting kidnapped by one thing or another." She confessed. "And honestly, if you hadn't been there then there's a possibility that something really could have happened to me." She looked toward him again. "And even though you're a gruff, impatient and occasionally rude dragon slayer, I'm really glad you were there. So, thank you." She sent him a smile before finishing her smoothie, sliding off the bar stool and making her way over to Levy.
His red eyes followed her as she made her way toward the blue haired shrimp, caught off guard by her genuine smile and appreciation. He hadn't expected that from her especially after what had happened during the job, perhaps she wasn't what he assumed her to be. He continued to watch her for a few more moments until feeling something touch his face.
Turning his eyes landed on the exceed, curious as to when his cat had gotten back from his visit with the other Exceeds. "What's so interesting Gajeel?"
"Nothing" He turned his attention to the plate in front of him, picking up another piece of metal. "When'd you get back?"
~x~
He walked alongside Carla and Wendy having just returned from a visit with the other Exceeds, happy for the opportunity to catch up with Shagotte.
Entering the guild he immediately sought out his partner, a small smile coming to his face when he saw him, though curious as to why he was sitting at the bar rather than at their usual spot. Activating his Aera, he made his way over to him, landing atop the bar counter.
"Afternoon Gajeel" He greeted the slayer, his tail swaying as Mira placed a bowl of kiwi in front of him. Picking up one he took a bite of it, turning to his partner with a frown when he received no response. "Gajeel?" He called once more receiving the same response he placed his kiwi down and poked the slayer to garner his attention.
Curious as to what held his attention he glanced behind him. "What's so interesting?" He inquired.
"Nothing." At the slayer's gruff reply Lily continued his search in the general direction, his eyes immediately landing on Lucy, a smirk coming to his face as he realized what the iron eater was doing.
"Very well." Turning his attention to his partner once more, he decided to see if they had anything planned. "Do we have any jobs lined up?"
"No." Gajeel ate a piece of metal. "Nothing's up yet so we're training until something good comes up." Lily nodded his head in approval, sending a glance toward Lucy before focusing on finishing his kiwi and following Gajeel out to the training grounds.