Chapter Four
Lucy felt like someone had ran over when she opened her eyes. It was dark, the moon shining through the stained glass window with a silver hue. She stretched and realized she was alone. She sat up slowly and looked around. Her backpack was back on the table, the pipe leaning against it. She got up stiffly and walked over to it. She opened it and stared. The duct tape was on top. She looked around and saw a glass of water and a plate of food on the other side of the nest. She walked around and picked it up and then walked back to the table. She stood there, next to the stained glass and looked out at the darkened city as she slowly ate. As she finished as much as she dared to eat, she heard steps and turned her head.
He was smiling at her, his eyes glowing in the shadows as he approached. As he stepped out of the shadows, her brows furrowed. He was carrying clothes in his hands. But they didn't look like any clothing she was familiar with. He held them out and when she didn't immediately take them he growled and rolled his eyes and then grinned.
She couldn't stop the smile that tugged on her lips. She took them and as she pulled them close his grin widened into a full toothy smile. "Thank you."
He growled something and then left. She looked down and at the door and sighed. She might as well get dressed. She toed off her shoes and tugged down her leggings and pulled her long sleeved shirt and tank top and shivered as the cool night air hit her skin. She was about to pull on what looked like the bottom part of a jump suit when she heard growling. She looked up and gasped as he stood in the doorway. She jack knifed upright and covered as much of exposed skin as she could.
"Don't come in here while I'm changing!" She screamed but he growled and shook his head and pointed at her. He mimed removing clothing and then pointed to the new clothes he handed her. "I can't wear my underwear under this new stuff?"
He growled again and she stomped her feet but then nodded. She pointed. "Get out. You can't stay and watch!"
He rolled his eyes but left the doorway. She shook her head. Of course he was a perv. She looked back up at the door and didn't see him so she stripped off her bra and underwear and pulled on the jumpsuit as quickly as she could. She looked down once her legs and arms were in to see how it fastened; when it started to close on her own. "What the hell?!"
He came in as she screamed and laughed as she tried to pull the material away as it kept closing. She looked up at him as he laughed and snarled but he rolled his eyes. The suit stopped, finally closing up around her throat. It had covered her feet, down to her wrists and everything in between. She glared at him and he continued to laugh as she rocked on her feet. The material was lightweight and cool, but at the same time she was comfortably warm. She lifted one foot and stared at the bottom of her foot. It was smooth and she wrinkled her nose. That wouldn't be good if she stepped on anything slick. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. There was still amusement in his eyes but he wasn't laughing anymore out loud. It also was turning from a soft gray to a beautifully soft pink color. At least it was her favorite shade of pink.
"You aren't funny…giving me a self-closing suit."
He growled again and pointed at her backpack then threw his head back towards the door.
"Are you…letting me leave?" She asked and he threw his hand up and hitched his thumb over his shoulder. She nodded and grabbed her bag and the pipe. She threw her clothes and shoes into the bag and then stood up, putting it on and sliding the pipe between her back and the backpack. She turned around and headed for the door. He met her out on the thin landing and she looked at the narrow steps. "Are those safe?"
He grinned at her. "I don't like that…Grin!"
She screamed the last word because he'd grabbed her and jumped off of the platform and they fell into the abyss below. She buried her face in his throat, her arms jerked to wrap around him quickly and she held on as tightly as she could.
"Oof." She grunted as they landed with a hard thud. She opened her eyes and they were standing on the marble alter at the front of the church. She glared up at him as his eyes glittered with amusement. She pulled her arms from around him and shoved at his shoulder.
"You jerk." She turned and jumped off of the alter and started to stalk towards the opening. She felt him leap off of the alter and follow behind her. She whirled around and pointed at him. He stopped and frowned, the amusing dying out of his eyes. "Quit following me."
He growled something and she shook her head. She turned back around and stormed down the aisle. At the door she dropped down and poked her head around the opening. She didn't see anything and she could hear the bugs chattering. She stayed crouched and headed out and scurried across the street and headed down the alley. She looked around, seeing the blood and fallen scales of all three types of dragonoids. She picked up some of the scales and threw them in her backpack and got to the door of the market. She tested the handle and it was locked. She looked around, something glistened between the trashcans and the wall. She knelt down and reached for it, her heart picking up its pace. She lifted and smiled. Erza's sword. She held it to her chest briefly before carefully skewering her backpack with it. It was the only way she could think to carry it.
She stared at the door, wondering how she would get it open. Her eyes widened and she pulled off her backpack and grabbed one of the black projectiles. She pulled it out and jammed it into the door frame where the lock should be and moved it back and forth. There was a pop and the door swung in. She caught it before it hit the wall and she looked around. She didn't hear anything inside. She headed into the market. She could smell the residual scent of rotting produce and she sighed heavily. That smell was such a sorrowful thing. She looked at all of the canned goods and started forward when she got grabbed and pulled back. For half a second she thought either a militant or a raider had snuck up on her, but it was just the male.
"Will you stop doing that!" She hissed and pulled free. He was motioning for her to follow him. "No. I have to get this food."
She started down an aisle and heard him growling as he stalked behind her. She was slowly pulling things off of the shelves and putting it in her backpack. She made sure to check the expiration dates as she moved. The backpack was getting heavy, but she didn't care how long it took her to get back to the dorm. She would get this haul to the girls. They could all eat for a month or more on this haul. She turned a corner and her excitement exploded in her veins. Chocolate!
She ran over to the shelf with candy bars and started checking them. They smelt fine through the wrappers so she looked around. She found a netted bag hanging over the counter and she grabbed it and threw all the chocolates in she could. She put them in her backpack and turned. He was right behind her, looking confused. "Don't sneak up on me! Gah…"
He growled and pointed at the chocolates. She looked at the door and could still hear the bugs so she opened one of the bars. She held it out to him. "Chocolate. Eat."
He sniffed it and growled and tilted his head. She rolled her eyes and took a bite of it. She moaned as the taste of chocolate coated her tongue. She held it up and he leaned forward and took a bite. She watched as his eyes widened and he leaned forward for another bite. She giggled and handed him the bar. He took it then frowned as it started to melt out of the wrapper. "Oh shit…you're too hot for it."
She grabbed the bar back and giggled. He looked so genuinely upset she couldn't help but stop giggling. She opened another bar, setting the melted one down. She carefully unwrapped it and held it for him. He took a bite and chewed, his body vibrating with excitement. She couldn't help but think that this is probably what parents felt like when they gave their baby's chocolate for the first time. He finished the bar and smiled at her. She reached out and rubbed at the chocolate at the side of his mouth. He caught her hand and licked it off. She blushed as she pulled her hand free.
She picked up the bar he'd melted and it had solidified a little. She started to eat it as she walked down another aisle. Her mouth dropped. Tampons! And pads! She looked around and spotted a duffle bag. As she approached it, she saw there were were several, on sale to promote a new soda. She thanks the stars and grabbed all of the bags and went back. She filled the bags with all of the feminine products. She set the full bags down and and kept going around. She knew she would have to come back but she wanted to bring as much as she could the first time. When she was comfortable with her haul she went back to the bags. She took off her backpack and looked at the bags. She lengthened two of the straps and pulled them on, to either side of her hips. She reached down and put the third across her body like a cross bag and settled it across her lower back.
She stood up and frowned. It was heavy. But she could still move. She reached for her backpack but it wasn't there. She looked over wearily and the male was holding it and shaking his head at her. "I need that."
He held his hand out and pointed to the bags on her and held out her bag but pulled it back and pointed the other bags. "I'm not giving you my haul. Come on, you have your own food. My friends need this stuff."
He growled and she snarled but took the last bag off. It held more canned vegetables than meat. "Fine you have this and I get my backpack."
He shook his head. "Fine." She took off all three and set them down and held out her hand. He gave her her backpack and she snarled as he started to pick up the bags. He stopped and looked at her angry expression. He looked at her and then the bags and back to her. He picked up the the three bags and mimicked how she'd had them and motioned for her to go to the door. She trudged ahead first and when they got to the alley she looked around before stepping out and waiting for him. He stepped out and she pulled the door shut and started to pile stuff in front of the door to hinder anyone wanting to get in if they spotted it. He stopped her and reached out and placed his finger on the metal lock on the doorjamb and his finger started to glow red. She smelt metal burning and watched with an open mouth as he welded the door shut.
"Show off." She sniffed and headed down the alley. He followed her silently. She ran down the street and turned and saw him over her shoulder. "Are you seriously following me?"
He just stared at her and she shook her head. She wondered if the girls would be okay with him…but then realized they wouldn't have a choice. He probably wanted this suit back. She made her way through the city, constantly aware of him behind her. She stopped a block from the dorm and felt her stomach clinch. Dragonoids were sniffing around the dorm. She could hear them scratching at the door. She bit her lip. She looked and saw movement at the windows in the upper floors.
"Think Lucy…think." She whispered to herself. She took the backpack off and looked out. There were three gray dragonoids. She pulled out one of the black projectiles and Erza's sword. She hid the backpack and started to step out when she was grabbed and forced against the brick wall beside her.
The male shook his head and she nodded and he shook it again. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him in close. "I have to. My friends are in there. If the dragonoids get to them, everything is for nothing. I can draw the danger away."
He growled and she shook her head. She looked at him. "I have to."
He snarled and gripped both of her arms and forced her harder against the wall. He snapped his fangs at her and she forced herself not to flinch. "I have to protect my friends."
He leaned in and snarled against her throat and she swallowed hard. She felt his heat and wondered when he was going to hurt her. He had to realize she wasn't going to change her mind on this one. She may have caved on other fronts, but she couldn't on this one. Those were her friends. If the dragonoids got in, they were sitting ducks. And without Erza's sword, they had no real weapon to even try and defend themselves with. Suddenly she watched as his anger just fell away. He nodded and slowly patted her head. She frowned in confusion. He dropped all the bags he was carrying and walked out of the alley. She wanted to yell at him to stop and come back but she was too scared to alert the dragonoids of their position.
He stalked out, and she watched as he started to glow, and fire started to flicker at his fists. She grabbed all of the bags and pulled them on, running across the street but keeping him and the dragonoids in view. She shivered as the dragonoids noticed him, whipping around and growling and screeching in joy. Lucy felt her heart clench as two raced up on him and leapt. The third hung back and she watched as it snarled when he punched one several feet away and kicked the other into a broken down car. Her mouth dropped.
The third dragonoid leapt and she ran for the dorm. She slid towards the front stoop and slid the bags under the chicken wire that they had wrapped around the shrubs on either side of the stoop. She slid under and grabbed the bags and raced along the side of the building and climbed up to the window on the side of the building. It opened and Cana leaned out.
"Who is that fighting the dragonoids?"
"I don't know. Is he still winning?" Cana turned and asked and looked back.
"No. They have him cornered. Give me your hand." She held it out after the last bag was tossed in. Lucy looked at her friend. Cana's brown eyes widened. "Lucy, give me….Lucy!"
Lucy had tossed Erza's sword into the window, avoiding Cana and hopefully anyone else, but she dropped down and headed back around front. She picked up the pipe where she'd dropped it and the black projectile and slid under the chicken wire. She pushed up and ran. She ran up on the side of one of the dragonoids and swung as hard as she could. The pipe rang as it hit its head and sent it careening over. It hit the ground and twitched. Its two friends turned, giving the male a chance to catch his breath. He looked at her and growled. She tried to mimic his growl and then screamed as one dragonoid swiped at her.
She braced for the claws to dig into her skin but instead the suit shifted, forming scale-like entities and deflected the blow. Sparks went up as the claws raked across them. She opened her mouth and looked at the male and he smirked.
"Your still a jerk." She huffed and leapt sideways as one of the dragonoids leapt at her with its mouth open. She turned, and slashed with the projectile and it cut through the scales and black blood flung wide. It screeched and she flinched away from the sound. She knelt down and ran under the dragonoid's arms. She popped up beside the male and he pushed her behind him.
"Really? I help save your ass and you want to play the macho card?" She snarled and shoved the pipe over his shoulder as he turned to growl at her. It smashed into the teeth of the dragonoids and it broke several of them. It reared back with a pained whine. She pulled the pipe back and looked at it. There was a crack in it and an idea formed. She shoved the projectile into the crack and looked around. She smiled when she saw some rags and grabbed them and wrapped it around the base of the projectile and the pipe. She rocked it and the projectile didn't dislodge. She smiled and looked at the dragonoids over the male's shoulder.
He looked at it then to her and grinned. She winked and stepped around him and swung as one of the dragonoids leapt. The crude scythe sliced through its throat and it fell to the ground. She heard a snarl and turned and nearly screamed at how close the other monster was but then it was pushed backwards. The male was punching it repeatedly and it kept stumbling backwards. He leapt up, his forearms crossed and she grinned, knowing what was coming. As he separated them and the flames erupted; she cheered. He grinned and grabbed her left hand and pulled her towards the dorm. The dragonoids were all down, but she heard the sounds of others coming.
She slid under the chicken wire and motioned for him. He hesitated and she grabbed his ankle. "Come on. You looked after me. Now I'm looking after you."
He growled something and she rolled her eyes. And idea popped in her mind. "I have the chocolate."
He dropped down and started to crawl under. She chuckled and led him to the window and started to climb up. She set the pipe-scythe on the floor as she straddled the windowsill and held her hand out. He waved it off and motioned for her to go in. She did and waited. He jumped up onto the windowsill and climbed in with ease. "Show off."
He chuckled and then his expression went blank. She turned and saw that Erza was leaning on Cana, her sword pointed at the male.