Chapter 27:

Gajeel's skin was on fire.

He was in the dark, praying for it to stop. This wasn't the Heat he was used to. This wasn't right. His body didn't belong to him anymore. It belonged to whoever had him pinned down and was sticking him with an endless number of needles. There were voices but no faces. People were speaking as if he weren't there listening, as if he weren't a person, as if he weren't alive.

"Nothing can ever be easy."

He was strapped down on an examination table, an IV hooked to his arm. There was no relief. He arched his back and thrashed against his restraints, having just a little bit of his sound mind returning as the potion wore off. How many times had they done this? Three? Four? He could feel the leather giving way. If he could just pull a little harder he'd be free…

"He's in heat… like a fucking aimal."

He could hear footsteps. Not again. They weren't going to get that needle into him again…

A flash of gold and the feeling of electricity striking through his veins. He could feel the searing heat of blood covering his fingers. A picture of Caetus's frozen eyes rolling back into his head as Gajeel shoved a needle into his neck. A scream of pain. The fear of the afterlife in the eyes of every man he could get a hold of.

It felt amazing to be doing this again.

Bianca's reptilian were eyes staring at him in terror – finally her terror. He was watching her die. Her labcoat was a shimmering red dress that leaked from her throat and she was gasping for air. He could have killed her again if he'd had to… a hundred times and he'd still be burning for retribution for what she'd put him through… for what she'd put Laxus through… for those kids…

Gajeel's eyes flew open.

He was gasping for air. A sick feeling in his stomach made him sit up in flight but he was quickly stopped by dizziness from the quick motion. He glanced around, squinting into the harsh white of a hospital room.

"Redfox?"

Gajeel snapped his head around to the sound of his voice. Laxus was sitting a few feet away on a hospital bed of his own. His shoulder had been bandaged and Gajeel could see the bright scarlet still trying to break through. That wound had been nasty and Gajeel was surprised to see him sitting up.

"You alright?" Laxus eyed him with clear worry on his face, "You're safe now… we're in Magnolia."

"Magnolia…" Gajeel was surprised to hear that name. They'd been transported and he'd been passed out through all of it? He was suddenly very aware of how sore his body was. All of his joints ached and as he glanced down at his arms he noticed the yellows and greens of healing bruises. His wrists had it the worst, "How long have I been out?"

"About three days… although they said as soon as you woke up you could probably leave."

"How's yer arm? That serrated blade… must've been rough…"

"Could have been worse."

The words hung in the air like the smoke from a cigarette. Gajeel just stared down at his hands. They were clean and smooth, tanned skin. No more blood. No more restraints. He remembered vividly what he'd done when he'd finally gotten free. He'd enjoyed it even and didn't regret a single action he'd taken, except maybe that Laxus had seen him like that. The man he was that day wasn't who he was anymore… it wasn't who he wanted to be.

"Listen… about… Bianca…" Gajeel swallowed, balled his fists into the pure white blankets covering him, "I don't want you to think… well… shit… that's not…"

He jumped at the sound of Laxus shifting on the bed. He stood, wincing slightly as the movement caused his shoulder pain, and walked wordlessly to Gajeel's bed. He sat down with a huff beside the stricken Iron Mage, his breath slightly more labored than before.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the words sounded strange coming from Laxus and the blonde didn't make eye contact as he spoke but his voice was low and concerned and it took Gajeel back to hear it.

"I…" he leaned a little from the Lightning Dragon, put off by the closeness. This wasn't what he needed right now. If anything, he wanted space, "I don't know."

Laxus was still for a moment, taking a moment to massage the area around his wound, "I wasn't around here when the attack on Phantom Lord happened… I know Mirajane had told me before you were S-Class. I guess I didn't really believe it."

Gajeel didn't speak, just listened and found the whole exchange strange. Laxus was talking to him… seriously talking to him… the way comrades do. It wasn't something Gajeel was used to coming from the usually silent and observant man, "But that look you got in your eyes… honestly, it was terrifying."

"Yeah… I don't… that's not me. That was who I used to be but since I'd joined Fairy Tail I never had to…" he ran his tongue against the backside of his teeth as if the name might leave a poisonous film on the inside of his mouth, "be Kurogane."

"So… Bianca knew who Kurogane was." Laxus regarded him quietly, golden eyes glimmering down at him. Gajeel didn't meet his gaze.

"Well… I mean… It was… I was known for taking down targets. Most people in her type of field didn't want to hear that Kurogane was being sent after them."

"Shit… I didn't know that," Laxus breathed.

"No one does… not even Lily."

There was a long moment of silence before Laxus mustered up the courage to speak, "Why?"

"It's not exactly something I'm proud of."

"So why?" Laxus's voice took an edge to it and Gajeel regarded him coolly, "So then why do it? Why bring back the part of yourself you hate so much?"

Gajeel dropped his gaze to his hands, "You're naiive, Laxus."

Laxus looked startled, as if Gajeel's words had taken him off guard. Those golden eyes relected confusion back at the Iron Mage. Gajeel refused to look at him, just kept his eyes and head down.

"Do you know what happened to Jose Porla after the fall of Phantom Lord?"

"No… no I don't."

"He was sentenced to ten years… given a slap on his wrist for starting a guild war and in the aftermath, when the underbelly of Phantom Lord was exposed he was left looking like an angel."

"Eh? How?" Laxus's voice was barely a breath in between them. His eyes widened and Gajeel drew his eyes up to meet his gaze.

"It seems Aria orchestrated everything… or that's what they told the Magic Council. Master Jose claimed he had no idea what shit had taken place within his own walls. In the end, he disowned all of us and when the dust cleared everyone thought that he was just an unfortunate man who got the wrong guy to be his second in command… well, everyone except Gramps."

Laxus's brow furrowed as Gajeel spoke. As he continued, Laxus could begin to see the malice in Gajeel's eyes. He was running his tongue against his fangs and gripping the sheets between his fists.

"People like Bianca… Jose… they never get what's coming for them… not really," when he finally dragged his eyes up to meet Laxus's, they were cold and hard and once again had that disturbingly calm look, "they always have a fall guy. If Caetus had made it out alive it would have been him, or anyone else she could get her hands on to take the blame. If she got jail time she'd buy her way out or find one of her clients that can't live without her life's work to buy her out instead. A couple months of laying low and she'd be out doing business again… hell, maybe not even that long give her talents."

Laxus didn't move, didn't speak, hell he hardly even breathed. Gajeel felt a tsunami of emotion swelling up inside of him.

"Say what you want about me, about my choice. Call me a monster or say it was the madness from whatever drugs they put into me if it helps you sleep at night. But if you gave me the option to turn back time there's only one thing I'd do differently,"

"Yeah?" Laxus didn't know this side of Gajeel, didn't even pretend to know. He wasn't just vehement, he was malicious and filled to the brim with hate. Laxus could see the man in the hall again blanketed in red light with blood dripping from his hands. He even called himself a monster, "And what's that?"

"I'd find a way to kill her sooner."

The two locked eyes, Gajeel's shimmering rubies and Laxus's liquid gold. Gajeel didn't know what response he'd expected from the lightning mage but it wasn't that he'd reach out and put his hand atop his raven locks. He pulled Gajeel's forehead into his chest and against the protest of his wounded arm he wrapped himself around Gajeel. He could feel him shaking and to his utter surprise Gajeel didn't resist or pull away. He folded like a house of cards once it met a stray breeze. He gripped onto Laxus's shirt as if it were his lifeline and pressed his face into the fabric. He'd never appreciated the way the blonde had smelled before. He smelled like Fairy Tail and clear air, like home.

"Tch…" he clicked his teeth as he sqeezed his eyes shut. Why was there a lump forming in his throat? And why did his chest suddenly feel so tight? He was clutching onto Laxus like a child and he almost hated himself for it, "What is this… fucking weakness?"

"Probably…" Laxus muttered, refusing to glance down even as the smell of tears began to fill the air, "You know how Fairy Tail Mages are…"

"Yeah… it must be rubbing off." Gajeel bit his lip. He hated it, but despite his inhibitions, he sat there in Laxus's arms and cried.