Here ye lies: Destruction (Lucy's poor, abused apartment); family (Fairy Tail's got your back, even if you don't want them); Caring (in the Gajeel-is-awkward way); grabby hands (our tsundere Dragon Slayer); inferiority complex (poor Lucy, why do I do this to you?);

Ola. It's been a while, I know, but for those of you who've been following me for a lil' bit, you'll know I have serious medical issues. But meh. Excuses, excuses.

More 'romance' inbound. If you can call it that. You can't really. Gajeel doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. Lucy might, though.

Umm, sort-of edited. Edited-ish. And all those words.

Song by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Chapter 13 – Angel's Cry

As a highly ranked and esteemed mage of Fairy Tail, Lucy had seen a lot of destruction in her time in the guild. Admittedly, most of it was inflicted by Natsu in a show of enthusiasm, or Erza in rage… and occasionally Gray when he wanted to. Gajeel had his fair run of breaking stuff, and she wasn't even going to touch Mirajane's passive-aggressive rage issues. But the point was that although destruction was a casual and expected part of Fairy Tail life, it had never been personal before.

Well, once, when the guild was razed to the ground, but Lucy had much more pressing issues at that time then a broken building. Ironically, also the first time she met Gajeel.

But that wasn't the point – the point was there was a hole in her floor where her beloved mismatched chairs and table were. She could see right down into Mrs. Brightman's apartment kitchen, and what she could see down there was shreds of her furniture, clothes and personal life. Her brand-spanking new bed was dangling off its broken frame, and Lucy knew enough about broken things to know it was a complete write-off. Her beloved (god she loved it) bathroom now had a very open floor plan, and her bathroom sink was now embedded in the far wall. It was tragic, yes, but the thing that really set it off was the crumpled and slightly burnt piece of paper next to her shoe.

The letters to her mother

They were little more than a smouldering heap next to the woodchip pile that was her desk, and she could feel her eyes watering just looking at them. A soft hand slipped into hers, and Lucy didn't have to look up to see it was Mirajane, just like she didn't have to open her eyes to know that the small arms around her waist now were Levy's. She had promised herself that she wouldn't cry if she came back here – she would be angry and rage and find those bastards who did this to her home – but now she was sobbing, tears slipping from her eyes and fuck, they wouldn't stop.

Gajeel had warned her that if she started 'any of those girly fuckin emotions' that he would drop her off the side of the building into the river to cool her head. She had never heard the Dragon Slayer give such an empty threat before, but it gave her the strength and courage to come back here, where there was fear and pain and sadness and Gajeel. She could hear the not-so-subtle thundering footsteps of the agitated slayer, the soft flapping of exceed wings, and God she wanted Erza so much right now. Erza made everything better, and she could sure as hell use a Gray-hug, and maybe even Natsu's inept show of worry and affection.

Lucy hiccupped loud enough for Mira to gently cradle Lucy in her arms, Levy still attached to her waist, and Lucy tucked her head underneath Mira's chin. This was how her mother's arms used to feel – it was one of the few things she remembered about the woman. Lucy let herself sag a bit in the arms of the two Fairy Tail mages - Stars, she loved these people - and let herself cry a bit. It was a perfectly natural feeling to have, seeing your life scattered and destroyed like this, but it still made her feel that little bit weak. She already knew that she was weak compared to a lot of the Fairy Tail mages - hell, she was the weakest in her 'team' (probably why they had left her behind) - and it wasn't a feeling she relished but the tears just wouldn't stop.

Mirajane held her until Lucy ran out of tears, and the blonde knew that Mira was crying too, but didn't say a thing. Thinking Lisanna was dead for so long made Mira very sensitive to other's feelings, and Fairy Tail was family to all of them - and the Take Over mage couldn't handle actually losing a teammate. The whole time Lucy could hear the crunch crunch of Gajeel's heavy boots on the scarred timber floor, going from here to there, but always close and always circling her. It was an odd thing to notice, but it was rhythmic and puzzling until Lucy realised that Gajeel was pacing around her.

It made her heart race, but Lucy tried to push it to the back of her mind - there were more pressing things to think about than Gajeel (and Stars that man could kiss!). Lucy sucked in a breath between her teeth and gently detached herself from the women comforting her – Mira let her go gracefully, Levy not so much. Her apartment was trashed, yes, and she had lost all her letters and clothes, yes, but she was alive, and that was the real achievement. She was alive and Gajeel was alive, and Fairy Tail was now out for blood against Tartaros, and Lucy couldn't think of a more dangerous enemy than Fairy Tail. They were crazy and silly and a little bit angry at times, but they were reliable and they were strong.

Cana was stalking around like an angry leopard, slinky and dangerous; Bisca and Alzak were oddly stern, their weapons drawn and faces dark; Elfman was somewhere pouting and scowling, which probably looked threatening to anyone who hadn't seen him in his underwear. Lucy wondered what Natsu would do, coming back to see Lucy's (aka his) apartment in this state; Erza would flip out in anger, and Gray would be livid until he saw Lucy and hug the crap out of her, but Natsu was an unknown. He cared about his nakama without a doubt, and while being thick-headed and stubborn, he had a volatile temper at times. What surprised Lucy the most, though, was that Makarov and Porlyusica were there, huddled in a mostly-walled corner and whispering in hushed voices.

Makarov caught her eye and beckoned her over, his face stern but his eyes soft - after all, one of his "children" had been hurt. Threading a hand through her shortened hair in nervousness, Lucy carefully walked over the shattered wood flooring towards the Master. Gajeel pasted closely behind her, and she could feel his large hand gently skim along her lower back before disappearing with the Dragon Slayer. A light blush came to Lucy's cheeks, and she felt that little more confident approaching the Master and the ever-grumpy Porlyusica.

"Lucy, child. How are you doing?" Makarov asked

His old face had softened, and she could see his eyes straying to her arms and face. Gajeel had told her the extent of her injuries, how she had lost some length on her hair and why the skin on her arms, neck and cheek were a slightly different colour and texture to the rest of her. He told her that she had fractures and broken bones from him crushing her, but never mentioned what Lucy had already figured out: he had saved her. That huge, annoying, pathologically psychotic Dragon Slayer with a soft streak had saved her.

"I'm okay, Master Makarov," Lucy replied quietly.

Porlyusica was eyeing her off like a piece of meat, and it was making Lucy more than a little nervous. But refocusing on Makarov made her chest hurt because he was looking at her like she really was his child, just like how Lucy wished her real father would look at her. It made her eyes blur again, but she had cried too much with Mira to start up again.

"What do you remember, my girl?" Makarov asked her.

His tone was gentle but commanding, and Lucy found herself nodding without permission.

"I was going up to my apartment," Lucy told him. "Everything looked normal, but….umm…. my mind was on other things."

Like his large hands on her, his body pressed against her, his lips…

Her face went bright red, she was sure, because Porlyusica cleared her throat and the Master had a hint of a smirk on his face.

"I fumbled with my keys a bit," Lucy admitted "and when I found the right key, I put it in the door, then Gajeel came storming up the stairwell."

She could remember the look on his face, eyes wide with surprise and worry, sharp teeth bared and angular jaw clenched. It was so clear in her mind, the look on her face - Lucy doubted she'd ever forget it.

"I opened my door and there was just dead quiet. There was this clicking noise, and then there was wind and heat and… and…"

Lucy was crying again. She could feel the heat of the fire on her skin again, feel the pelting wind on her face, see the white-orange-red flames and smell burning flesh and sulphur. And then her vision went dark, and there was something covering her eyes, and Lucy damn near freaked out until she threw her hands up to pry away the thing covering her face and felt metal studs imbedded in flesh. The body behind hers was big and very male, and she could smell iron and sweat and something that was just him and only him. She let her body sag back against his, and Lucy didn't know that she was shaking until she felt the tremors through Gajeel's body.

Lucy calmed down listening to Gajeel strong heart beat, and although it took a few minutes, Gajeel didn't move - he just sort of propped her up with his own body. When her shaking had stopped and her eyes had dried, Gajeel removed the hand from her face. Makarov and Porlyusica were still there, concern in their eyes but Lucy was more focused on the large body still behind her. Tilting her head up, Gajeel was staring straight ahead at the two older mages, his eyes narrowed that little bit, jaw stiff. Everything about his face said hostile to Lucy, but the look fled as quickly as she had seen it, morphing back to his usual impassiveness.

Makarov's hand gently touched Lucy's arm, and she turned her eyes back to the guild master of Fairy Tail.

"Head back to the guild and rest, m'girl," he told her.

Again, while his voice was soft, there was an underlying tone that made her nod placidly.

Gajeel shifted away, his heavy boots stomping across the brittle floor as he resumed his angry pacing - or whatever it was that Gajeel did. Her fingers threaded back into her shorter-than-she-remembered hair, anxiously tugging at a handful of golden locks. There was no doubt that Fairy Tail was the safest place to be anywhere, but with all the mages in her apartment, Lucy could only imagine how dead quiet the guild would be. She would be alone. It was something she was used to since her childhood, but joining Fairy Tail had never given her a moment of quiet or loneliness. Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, alone again.

The thought made her jaw quake, but she couldn't trouble her friends more – they were already flat out trying to defend her from real-life threats; they didn't need to defend her from fake ones too. Steeling herself, Lucy gave a short nod to Makarov, turned on her heel, and marched herself to the door. There was no point in balking or lingering, even if her heart was hammering that little bit at the thought of being alone.

The stairwell was mostly untouched from then blast, and Lucy found herself standing in it, mind drifting away. She turned in a slow circle, eyes drifting from wall to wall. She could hear Fairy Tail down the hall, sifting through wreckage and debris, but there was something about this spot that seemed so familiar, so…

Oh.

It had been in this exact spot that Gajeel had been standing before the blast, and the looks on his face…

Gajeel Redfox wasn't exactly known for his emotions, well, for positive ones, but she had never seen such an expression on his face before. If Lucy had to put a label on his expression, she would have gone with terrified, but Gajeel didn't have a scared-reflex, or even seem to acknowledge it existence. She could remember him calling her name, before the fire and the wind and the white nothingness - and it was the first time he had ever called her by name. Bunny girl was what he always called her, never Lucy.

"Oi, bunny girl."

Gajeel was standing on the landing, his sharp red eyes locked onto her, but what caught Lucy's attention was the canvas bad under his arm. She didn't own a bag like that (and even if she did, she doubted it would have survived) and she doubted Gajeel would, so how and why did he have it?

"Yeah?" she found herself saying, and ye gods, could she sound more dejected.

Even Iron Gajeel's lip quirked downwards as he approached her, and it was nearly unnoticeable, but Lucy had been giving Gajeel too much damn attention lately. A light blush graced her cheeks as he stopped before her, one step higher then her and so much taller. She came up to his chest at this angle, and she could almost remember where that scar on his clavicle was…

Dangerous thoughts, abort.

Her eyes darted up to his face, and he had a studded eyebrow raised, and it took Lucy a few moments to realise he was holding out the canvas bag to her. She dropped her head so she couldn't meet hid eyes and took the bag, glancing past its open zipper. Clothes. She could see clothes and little bags of toiletries, some scavenged from her apartment, but a lot she noticed weren't. White Diamonds – Mirajane's perfume. Soul Scrub – Cana's favourite bodywash and hair treatment sets. There were a handful of books peeking out from under the clothes, more than likely Levi's contribution, and she could see Bisca's clothes in the bag. The women of Fairy Tail had pooled together their things for Lucy, and it made her lip tremble dangerously.

"Don't fuckin start," Gajeel warned

Lucy gave him what she thought was an offended look, but it made Gajeel's mouth quirk downwards again, and she should just give up. Today was clearly not her day at getting across her point non-verbally. Lucy scrubbed at her eyes – she had cried enough today, and too much of that in front of the jackass Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail. Gajeel made one of those grunty noises that usually meant he was irritated or indifferent, and he shifted heavily from one side to the other. Lucy noticed that he was favouring one side over the other, but never brought it up with the stoic Slayer – she had already figured out that it was from an injury he got from protecting her.

Lucy numbly took the canvas bag Gajeel had loosely in his hand, turned and shuffled down the stairs. She hated being this weak, and what was worse was how much she wanted her nakama to reassure her that she wasn't. And that pathetic little part of her that wanted Erza, Natsu and Gray back to make herself feel better – that hit Lucy had at how much she relied on them; over-relied, more like it. And Gajeel was falling dangerously into that category, too. She was relying on him too much, misplacing all her feelings of abandonment onto him and imposing herself on his very private life. He must really hate her.

And now she was going back to Fairy Tail, alone. Sad little Lucky Lucy.

"Stupid blonde," she heard Gajeel growl behind her.

The Dragon Slayer shoved past her, snatching at her wrist and dragging her out the building. Fairy Tail was north-ish of her apartment. Gajeel dragged her west.

"What? Where are we…?" Lucy started

"Shut up and follow me," Gajeel groused.

Lucy frowned at his broad back, but her heart skipped a beat. She had an inkling where he was taking her, but she never thought in a million years…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Never in a million years did Lucy think she'd ever seen…this.

Lucy had her back against the ridiculously heavy iron door inside Gajeel Redfox's apartment, and just stared. Lucy always kept a clean place, despite how much she had visitors, wanted or otherwise, but this place was scarily reminiscent of a trash dump. There was a carefully worn and repetitive path through what Lucy assumed was metal debris that laid a foot thick on the floor. In some places, it was piled up as high as her hip; chunks of metal with familiar bite marks missing from them, scraps of other things that Lucy hadn't the faintest idea what they were. It was actually kind of scary, and how could he live in these conditions.

And that door was ridiculous. There was no way that Lucy could even open that monster of a door, and the window she could see had heavy metal bars on them, the gaps just big enough for Lily to squeeze through. It was a very open design, and Lucy could only see one other door, to which she hoped was his bathroom and simultaneously that it was debris-free. He had a tiny, cluttered kitchenette that looked like it had never hosted human food before, and she could see no furniture except for one thing. Much to her surprise, there was a make-shift metal bookcase filled with ratty-looking books, but they were well-worn with use.

Gajeel threw her bag across the room, and Lucy squeaked and rushed to grab it before its contents could break. That jackass! But when it landed, it bounced, which made Lucy stop at what could only be Gajeel's bed. When she said bed, she meant in the loosest terms; it was a mattress on the floor that was pushed up underneath the window, blanket rucked up at the end and pillow on the windowsill (?). Why the pillow was there, Lucy had no idea, but this was, without a doubt, Gajeel's bed. All the blood in her face rushed to her cheeks as Gajeel stood behind her, and ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod she was next to his bed and he was behind her.

Her mind flushed with a myriad of fantasies, and all those dirty books that she and Erza shared sure as hell weren't helping.

Lucy let out an alarming squeak when Gajeel moved past her, enough to make him stop and look at her with a raised eyebrow. She was pretty sure that her face couldn't get much redder than it already was, but had a feeling that would be tested out very soon. Gajeel was looking at her with those eyes and all Lucy could think about was god that man could kiss. His eyes were on her and Lucy couldn't help but wet her lips, but that was a big mistake, because Gajeel's eyes locked onto her lips and she could see his pupils dilating….

Gajeel let out an angry growl and jerked his head away like he was, well, his usual up-tight self.

"Go," Gajeel ordered harshly.

Lucy looked at him, eyes wide with shock. Was he…was he kicking her out? No. No no no no no. Gajeel made another rumbly sound, though this one sounded more displeased than anything.

"Go get changed," Gajeel clarified.

Lucy gave a squeak as an answer, scooped up her bag from the bed (ohmygod ohmygod) and dashed into what she had pegged as the bathroom. She was right about that innocuous door leading to the bathroom, and despite the shoddy lighting, it was relatively clean. The shower door was frosted from all the times that Gajeel didn't clean it, and the fixtures in the sink looked like they were ready to fall apart, and there was the usual male 'take clothes off, put the on floor' in the corner. Despite all this, still not as bad as Lucy thought. It wasn't so much as dirty as it was very old, and apparently Gajeel couldn't be bothered with replacing anything with newer versions. Then again, judging by the room out there, she wasn't all that surprised.

Her face still hot, Lucy yanked open her bag and began to root around, looking for something to wear for what she assumed was sleep. It may be just approaching dusk, but she had been weary ever since she had woken up earlier in the day, and she knew that Gajeel wasn't running too hot either – he had still been there when Lucy awoke in the infirmary. A further inspection of her bag revealed an over-sized shirt she recognised all too much – it was one of Gray's many discarded shirts. Someone (her bet was on Cana) must have broken into Gray's dorm room and snatched his clothing.

With a wry smile on her face, Lucy yanked off her shirt and pulled on the one so kindly packed for her. The shirt come down to mid-thigh, so Lucy quickly shed her shorts and went to her bag for…nothing. Lucy frantically dug through the canvas bag of supplies only to find no pants whatsoever. With an odd sort of terror, Lucy stared at the closed bathroom door.

It wasn't the first time she had been lacking in the pants department while around Gajeel, but the atmosphere is odd out there. The Iron Dragon Slayer was a very hard man to read, and she had barely scratched the surface with him. The older mage had a very short fuse, something that no doubt had been tested a lot these past few weeks, and Lucy rued to see what Gajeel actually looked like when he finally loses it.

But the looks he had been giving her had changed so much. A few weeks ago they were angry, full of contempt and he thought she was crazy – but somehow it had all changed. Gajeel was surprisingly gentle with her despite his rough demeanour, and he looked at her so intensely that it made her skin prickle and her heart beat faster. And she couldn't stop herself being just that little bit conscious of him, and she had never particularly been aware of any man at all before… man… oh HELL no…!

"Oi"

Lucy jumped out of her skin at the single heavy thump on the door. A quick look around reminded her that she was in Gajeel's apartment, and there was a Dragon Slayer on the other side of that door. Without thinking, Lucy opened the door. Gajeel had changed into casual clothing consisting of black sweats. And. Nothing. Else.

Later, she would reflect on the irony of a shirtless Gajeel and a pantsless her, but it was far from her mind right now. Well, she was suddenly aware that she had forgotten that particular article of clothing before she opened the door, and Gajeel's crimson eyes were already dragging over her body…

Lucy's cheeks flared bright red, and she immediately twined her hands in the hem of Gray's shirt and… and Gajeel grabbed her. Completely shell-shocked, Lucy was led to his bed (eek!) and tossed roughly down on the mattress. A thousand different scenarios went through her mind, the most prominent coming from a very racy book she had been reading a week before. And Gajeel was lowering himself down onto the bed, his eyes locked on hers, and Lucy's chest heaved for breath at the intensity of his gaze. He reached out and… smacked her upside the head.

Lucy blinked blankly. Did he just… did he just assault her? There was a distasteful look on his face when he growled "sleep" to her, turned his back to her, and presumably went to sleep. Lucy was sitting not a foot from him, just staring at the prone Dragon Slayer and what the hell?! That's not how it went in books! In the books, the man threw her down and lavished attention on her, not smacked her and ignored her.

Oh shit. Lucy cringed, flung herself to the far side of the bed and curled up in a little ball. She had wanted Gajeel to touch her. She wanted to feel his rough fingers again curled against her back, his steely arms wrapped around her. Lucy smacked herself this time, wrapped her arms around herself, and dreaded her night of sleeplessness next to him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Love me, hate me, but god I love writing scenes like that.

:p

Ave.