Fiore's Games

Cave Dwellers

Gajeel stumbled to the stream by the cave, washing off the blood from his face and shoulder, before he went into the cave. He made sure to block it up with rocks again before he settled with Levy. "Hey. Wake up." He shook her awake. Her eyes were unfocused and glossy with sleep, but she woke up immediately when she saw the needle he pulled out.

"Oh no, Gajeel, don't--" She tried to protest but he jammed it into her arm. She cried out at the sudden, sharp pain as he injected her with the medicine. "Dammit, that hurts!"

"You shouldn't have tensed up then!" He snapped back. That's when she noticed the cut on his shoulder and the thin one on his face.

"You're hurt." She shifted up a little, taking the edge of her shirt and tearing it. She wet the cloth with some water and dabbed at his cuts, hoping to help him. He didn't protest, but made a face when she pressed too hard. "Sorry." She mumbled. "What happened out there?"

He gave her a brief overview of what happened. "Think Pantherlily took off with Lyon's pack too. He'll chase him down, meaning we're safe for now."

"He saved me earlier. Why?" Levy wondered quietly. "He must have seen Wendy and I as allies because he said it was for her."

"I asked him to help me, in exchange for me not killing him." Gajeel said bluntly.

"No I know... I remember him saying that. But that's a debt I'll never be able to repay him." She explained. "Do you get that?"

He was very quiet for a moment, then he spoke. "Yeah. I do." They were both poor. They both knew what it was to owe someone your life. Levy didn't know it, but Gajeel owed his own life to her.

"I want to go home." She said suddenly. He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw how tired she was. She looked so tired, so ready to give up. These Games would suck the life out of you before you even died. It was truly, purely hell.

"We will go home." He promised, and hoped he could keep that promise.

----

Gajeel slept for most of the day, having not slept much during the night. Levy stayed awake, going through their supplies. She catalogued mentally the things they had, keeping in check the food supplies they had. Her mind was slowly clearing of the feverish infection from before, and going through everything distracted her from what was going on. As evening came, rain started. They would be stuck inside the cave until it let up, at least until she was 100%. Gajeel slowly woke up, grumbling and pulling her close to him. It made her face flush, not from fever.

"Gajeel?" She whispered. He looked up at her blearily, his red eyes tired.

"Hey." He mumbled. He noticed he was hugging her close, but didn't try to move away from her when she didn't move either.

"It's evening, but it's raining. I don't think we should leave with the rain." She told him quietly. "I took stock of what we have though. We're nearly out of food." She added, her hand moving to run through his dirty hair.

"How's your leg?" He asked, shifting so he was sitting up better, still having her be close to him. He liked having her close, he realized. His fake feelings might even be real. Except they couldn't be. He was too broken, too damaged. These Games only made him more so.

Levy looked down at her leg, still wrapped snuggly to protect it from the elements. "It hurts, but it's duller than before. I think the fever is gone too." Gajeel looked at her, silently asking her permission. She nodded and he slowly unwrapped her leg. It looked a lot better. He wrapped it back up, smiling a little.

"Looks better." He sighed softly. He remembered the food they received from Makarov before, after he kissed her. Guess I gotta play up the romance. He thought. He was very out of his element, and there was no real way to tell her about it either.

"Thank you. For going out there for me, risking your life for the medicine." She said quietly. He looked down at her and smiled a little.

"You think I wouldn't do that for ya, shrimp?" He chuckled a little and she shrugged.

"What do I really know about you?" She teased, mirth in her eyes for the first time in a long time. He was thinking about kissing her again, but she beat him to it. It was feather-light and barely there, on the side of his mouth, but it was genuine. It was shy and sweet and crowds at home would eat it up. It made him smile. No one was hurt, or dying. It was real.

"You should rest." He finally said in the growing silence.

"You should too. And it's cold, so we should share the sleeping bag." She pointed out, red dusting her cheeks.

"I'm way too big for that." He opened the bag and laid it across them, then pulled her closer to him, making her squeak. "Calm down. This way we both are covered up, and you don't have to lay on the ground." He muttered, acting like it was nothing. Tentively, she curled into his chest. She felt safe with him, which surprised her. He was a very terrifying man, but he made her feel safe, even if he dwarfed her in all ways.

----

The next morning, it was still raining. Gajeel didn't want to risk her going out with her leg still on the mend, but they needed food. He knew he would have to do something, but he didn't want to do anything drastic. He finally struck a conversation with her. "Do you even remember much of me from back home?" He asked her as they laid there, curled up together lazily. It was a rare moment of peace.

"I do... you were mean to my brothers." She raised an eyebrow at him. "But I remember some good things too. You'd get in between me and a bully. I remember seeing you in the Hob one day, selling things. My brothers tried to buy from you, but you sneered them off. I tried to buy from you and you let me, albeit begrudgingly." She mused quietly. "My turn. Why did you kiss me?"

The question caught him off guard. "Cause you're.... you. You're pretty. You like me, apparently, and.... I dunno." He muttered. "Was it wrong?"

"No." He didn't know she was being brutally honest. "You know how I feel." Her voice was soft, and slow. He wanted to kiss her, for real this time, but before he got the chance, he heard the noise of a package being dropped. He shifted so he could get to the entrance and pulled in the soaked container. Inside was a simple meal, cheese and fruit and bread. It was a meal, though, and neither would complain. They ate and talked about what it would be like if they won.

They would be set up in the Victor Villiage, with nice houses. Makarov would be their only neighbor. Gajeel would be alone, but Levy's brothers could come with her. They wouldn't have to work in the mines. They would have food, they would be well off. It was a fantasy for those who were poor in twelve.

At night, Levy convinced her large ally to peek through the barrier to see who was gone. He did, and had sad news to report. "Pantherlily is dead." He sighed roughly. If Gajeel couldn't win and make sure Levy got home, he would have wanted the big man from eleven to win. "That leaves some chick who's really good at hiding, and Lyon." He frowned. They were so close, so close to going home.

"Tomorrow we should hunt. And maybe find those two, and go home." Levy said meekly. Gajeel nodded in agreement and settled down with her again. The days felt shorter. The Gamemakers were likely screwing around with them. He told her to sleep, he would keep watch for a while. Her steady breathing against his chest reassured him and made him feel better about everything. He was going to win, and she was going to go home. He was certain.