Motion Sickness

The booming sound of thunder roared overhead and bounced off the walls of the train station, sending a terrified shudder down Pantherlily's spine. The small Exceed clamped his paws over his ears, flattening them against his skull in hopes of muffling the noise. He stood frozen in a dead stop except for the small shivers that shook his body. The cat no longer gave off an aura of power or intimidation as he did hours earlier when he was faced with a group of mischievous bandits, now he only looked like a small kitty cowering beneath the bellowing sky.

Standing beside him was Gajeel, a hulk among the sea of gathered travelers, all taking shelter under the same roof from the oncoming downpour. The area was crowded, barely enough room to breathe, but thanks to Gajeel's piercing glares and unfriendly vibe, no one had dared enter the little invisible bubble that separated him and the rest of the crowd. No one except for his loyal partner and a small bookworm.

Levy had become accustomed to the dragon slayer's presence, although it wasn't a warm, bright ray of sunshine like her own (in fact, it was quite the opposite) she learned that under all the threatening glares and layers of annoyance, he must at least have a small urge to stay. Gajeel was entirely capable of leaving without a second thought, but he never did, no matter how unsatisfied he pretended to be. Somehow, the thought made Levy happy, even though she was unsure of why he stayed, but a part of her that she didn't understand was pleased about the fact that he just did.

Then again, it was only after hours of arguing had she been able to convince him to take the train back to Magnolia instead of spending days on foot making the trek back home in the midst of a thunderstorm. After Gajeel's severe motion sickness had developed, he would firmly refuse transportation of any kind, never wanting to experience the dreadful sickness that roiled in his stomach ever again. But of course, Levy had out-stubborned him this time in a way that only Levy McGarden could, with some help from the occasional puppy dog eyes. Hours later they had ended up stuffed onto the waiting platform along with what seemed like hundreds of other people. The trio looked like the most odd group of travelers there, with the brooding presence of Gajeel, a frightened cat, and a little bluenette, which only earned them a few stares that were quickly directed another way once Gajeel sent them a venomous scowl.

Gajeel grunted then, a small noise of irritation and anger. "Been too damn long, we could've gotten halfway home by now."

Levy sighed at his unwavering impatience. "The train isn't even late, Gajeel, it's supposed to be here in a couple of minutes."

She knew her words wouldn't reassure him in the least but she continued, "We have only been waiting for twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes too long," the ever so optimistic dragon slayer muttered.

"A few hours on the train beats days walking in the rain," Levy pointed out.

"For you," he said almost accusingly.

"You'll manage, unless you really don't think you can do it…" her voice trailed off with a teasing tone that questioned really how much he dreaded the motion sickness.

Gajeel scowled darkly, she knew exactly where to push his buttons. "I ain't afraid to get on some fuckin' train if that's what you're thinkin'."

Levy laughed, earning a glare from the subject of her laughter. "You get so defensive over the littlest things!"

Gajeel's glare morphed into a smirk as he caught an unintended double meaning. "You never complained."

Levy pouted, turning slightly pink as she caught onto what the dragon slayer meant. Lily inwardly sighed as he watched their little exchange, lately the two had been acting like a pair of flirtatious teenagers, or a married old couple, and of course everyone could see it except for the clueless mages beside him. The Exceed knew both Levy and Gajeel at least had a tiny inkling of their feelings for each other, they pretended to be dense, but nobody was denser than Natsu. It was only a matter of time before one of them made a move, whether on accident or not it was inevitable, the entire guild was deep in anticipation and Lily would be lying if he said he wasn't a little impatient for the two to take a hint. Though Gajeel's ways of showing affection weren't exactly ideal-

A clap of thunder echoed through the skies with a white flash and Lily's fur sprang up on its ends.

Gajeel glanced at his cat and snorted. "Pansy."

Levy shot him a glare. "Says the one afraid of riding a train."

"I ain't-!"

"Attention, passengers, the train heading for Magnolia Town has now arrived," A feminine voice sounded over the crowd. "Please board the train once the door opens, the train will be leaving in five minutes."

"Come on, no time to argue," Levy urged as she scooped up a still panicked Lily into an arm and grabbed Gajeel's wrist with her free hand. She weaved through the hoard of people, dragging Gajeel behind her with a firm grip in case he made a run at the last minute. Ignoring the annoyed protests coming from behind her, Levy sought out a suitable cart to settle in. Walking towards the end of the train she chose the last empty compartment available and slid the doors shut once everyone was inside. Letting go of Gajeel's wrist, Levy plopped onto the comfy seat with Lily in her lap. She brightened at the aspect of going home, after days spent sleeping on the ground, her own cozy bed within her fortress of books appealed more and more by the second.

Their job had taken longer than expected, spanning for almost a week rather than a few days, mostly because of her own fault, she had to admit. Levy had dove into the small library of ancient tomes the small village had to offer. While Gajeel and Lily took care of the bandits that terrorized the village, Levy spent the days engrossed in old scrolls and teaching the younger children how to read and write while their mothers took a day of rest.

Outside the train's window, was a forest of trees, blurred by the onslaught of the continuous rain. The thunder boomed once again, sending a shock through Lily.

"I-I'm going to go get a drink of water," the cat stuttered.

"Do you want me to come with?" Levy offered but Lily refused with a shake of his head and franticly exited the compartment. Lily walked down the narrow aisle with his paws covering his ears until he reached the empty bathroom, shutting the door behind him, he climbed onto the sink counter and turned the knob for cold water. After a few splashes of icy water, he deemed himself ready to return. Just as he placed a paw on the doorknob, the thunder rumbled around him, sending the cat into waves of terror and panic, and due to his panicked state, he had somehow managed to break off the handle to the door, again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Gajeel sat a little ways beside the bookworm, arms crossed over his chest, brooding in his own annoyance. Ever since his motion sickness had kicked in, he couldn't as much tolerate being on any from of transportation, minus Lily. Which of course complicated traveling, but he much rather walk in pouring rain than endure hours of headaches and an unstable stomach. Of course, Levy had refused to let him have his way and he knew he wouldn't win that argument anytime soon. He counted down the seconds until the train would depart, dreading the sickness that he knew was coming.

"It'll only be a few hours," Levy said, as if sensing his thoughts.

"I know," he grunted back in which Levy didn't bother to reply, she knew there was no making the experience any less dreadful.

After the last seconds of being at a complete stop passed, the train came to life, slowly edging forward on its track as it gained speed. The effect was immediate, Gajeel's stomach lurched at the movement of the vehicle, and the motion sickness took over, making his head dizzy and his body want to throw up its contents.

Levy tried to ignore the sick dragon slayer beside her, she knew he would be alright once the train stopped. She contemplated bringing out one of her novels to pass the time but then realized she had given them to the children at the village. She decided she would just have to wait out the ride.

"What's taking Lily so l-?" Levy started to wonder out loud but was cut off as the train hit a bump, shaking the cart with more force than Levy thought was safe. The shaking threw an unstable Gajeel sideways and he landed against Levy. The train calmed down, and traveled down the track as if nothing happened.

Levy squeaked with surprise as Gajeel suddenly landed against her, the dragon slayer groaned at the turbulence. His weight kept Levy pressed against the wall of the compartment and she didn't know whether to push him off or-

The sudden press of a nose against the side of her neck made her freeze. Gajeel buried his face into the curve of her neck, nuzzling past the blue strands of hair until he was pressed against the warm skin. Levy sat awkwardly still, with no idea of how to react in a situation like this. Gajeel's actions were puzzling, she had no clue of what he was doing.

Gajeel took a long, deep inhale. Her familiar scent filled his sensitive nose, almost clouding his mind. It wasn't a sickeningly sweet perfume scent that so many females sported, it was a mix of her natural scent, with soap, and a hint of the old papery smell of dusty books. He breathed in again, eyes half open, lips quirking into a small, content smile.

"G-Gajeel?" Levy nervously stuttered, confused by his strange actions.

"Don't move." Gajeel's deep voice was husky, his tone sent a furious warmth into her cheeks and her heartbeat rapidly increased but she kept still as Gajeel extended his arms around her and slowly slid her onto his lap. His arms caged her against him with her side pressed against his stomach.

Gajeel took in steady breaths, focused on the warm body cradled in his arms and the comforting scent soothing his headache. Levy sat in his lap, slowly relaxing into his chest with the silence of the air and rhythmic vibrating of the train. His stomach had stopped doing somersaults and the queasy sensation had left his system and was replaced by another feeling of butterflies.

Gajeel closed his eyes and rested his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder, maybe transportation wouldn't be so bad as long as he had her.

Wordlessly, Levy sunk into his arms, letting herself rest her head on top of his, a silly smile taking over her face. A low sound of satisfaction escaped from Gajeel as Levy ran her fingers through his thick hair.

He should've known, of course she would've been his cure.

"You smell good, Shorty."

I apologize for the wait until I updated! I haven't had as much time as I would like to work on fanfics but I squeeze in whatever time I get. On top of homework and a small case of writer's block, I can't promise regular updates so please bare with me. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are really encouraging! Hope you enjoyed this one.