Beauty of Fairy Tail (Gale/Gajevy AU)

Chapter 15

Juvia, Juniper, Wendy, and Erza walk home with me. That afternoon, Master had made the announcement to the guild members, who were all shocked, and told everyone to keep a sharp eye on the girls. Natsu walked Lucy home and she was letting him stay "on her couch" to which I rolled my eyes. We all know they're going to get cozy

I wish that Gajeel were allowed to stay in the building, even if he could never leave my room. Instead, he's camping out in a tree next to the front gate. He's taking shifts with Jet and Droy, watching the grounds.

I set up runes around my apartment. The only ones who can enter are people with the Fairy Tail symbol. After that, I crawl into bed with Juniper. She wanted to keep me company and cuddle for a night. We sleep soundly and there is nothing reported in the morning.

Later, after we eat breakfast together, Erza and I walk to the guildhall with Gajeel and Pantherlily. I explicitly refuse to talk to Gajeel. I still want to keep up the charade that we're having a disagreement. The only one who actually knows about Gajeel and me is Pantherlily.

I decide that it would be best not to go on jobs for a while, but I do need money for food and supplies. Jet and Droy agree, after some coaxing after I told them that I wasn't going, to go on a quick job to help me out and I can pay them back later.

I sit and drink a peach smoothie at the bar with Lu-chan, who sips on a strawberry smoothie. We talk about what happened to me. I tell her about the encounter I had with the men in the alley and how Gajeel saved me. She stays quiet and wide-eyed. By the time I finish, by telling her about him asking about a job, she looks on the brink of tears.

"How come you never told me? We're best friends, aren't we?" I put a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"You are, but I didn't want you to worry, or start screaming when I told you that Gajeel helped me." I made Lucy laugh with that last part. She knew that if she started making fun of me and Gajeel, I'd make fun of her and Natsu. Though, not much anymore, because they're officially together.

"Hey, Luce." Speaking of, Natsu walked over to Lucy and I and draped his arm over her. "You good?" He nuzzles her neck and makes her laugh.

"I'm fine, Natsu," Lucy says, still giggling, "but I am ticklish, there."

"Sorry, Luce," chuckles Natsu, wrapping both arms around her shoulders resting his chin on her shoulder. Lucy ruffles his hair and kisses him on the cheek, then they leave, to pick out a new job. Lucy waves to me as they're walking out he door.

"Well, they've certainly let it slip." Gajeel sat down behind me. When I turn around, he's pointing over the bar where Mira is on the floor. "And this one still isn't over it." I smile and turn back to my smoothie, but my peace is short lived.

As Gajeel is jumping over the bar to grab himself a beer, Jet and Droy hobble through the doorway. Jet is on Droy's back. His foot is dangling at an odd angle and his leg is oozing blood. Droy looks like someone tried to slit his throat and he still has a knife in his shoulder. The pair collapses, but Macou, Gray, and Erza are there to catch them.

Wendy and I follow the group to the infirmary. Gray tries to stop stop me, but it's my team. I should have gone with them. I could have helped them fight. I try to assist Wendy and help her with carrying Droy, who seriously could lose a few pounds.

"Levy, I need you to hold Jet down, while I work on his leg. I can't have him moving and this is going to hurt," Wendy instructs, standing over Jet. I nod and strap him down. I hold his hand is preparation. A moment after Wendy's magic takes hold, Jet begins to scream. He squeezes my hand so hard that it's white.

It takes an hour, but Jet's ankle and tibia are finally reconstructed. One of his metatarsal had to be completely regrown, because it was shattered. Whoever did this showed no mercy.

Juvia and Cana, who I hadn't seen enter the room, are bandaging Droy's shoulder; the bloody knife they had to take out is on the table. I can't take my eyes off of it. Even covered in Droy's blood, I still know what it is. How it feels pressed against my neck right before the attempted rape and kidnapping.

"It was them," I whisper in my head. "Those men. The ones that..." I run to the corner of the room, where I throw up in the trash bin.

"Damn! I haven't seen someone that sick, since my last hangover," Cana hollers. I can feel hot tears crawling down my face to mix with the vomit.

"What's wrong, Levy? Are you sick? Do you need to go home?" Wendy kneels beside me, holding my hair back with one hand and my shoulder with the other. I cough and sputter and try to stop the heaving.

"N-no. It was... them. The men who attacked me. They used that knife. How could I have let this happen?" I brake down sobbing. Cana and Juvia try to console me, while Wendy moves to patch up Droy. "This is all my fault."