Caught in Motion

Unprecedented Change

"Are you insane?" Growled Gajeel as he landed a heavy blow to the heavyweight bag, dark eyes sliding from the bag to his manager. "Erza, he's not good for you the way he is now." His flat tone was painful as she moved to steady the swaying bag, closing her eyes for a moment to steady herself as well.

"I love him, Gaj. Can't that be enough?" The same old practiced line spilled from her lips for the millionth time that week since she and Natsu had gotten back together. It was more to convince herself than anyone else by then.

She purposefully avoided looking her coworker in the eye as she stepped back from the bag and adjusted her new gloves, the pink reminiscent of the old, worn pair Natsu had bought her before they'd gotten together the first time. Except these were different, Erza Dragneel embroidered in red along each glove respectively in a show of possession. As if on cue, she caught Gajeel's eyes locked on the gloves before pinning her with another judgmental stare.

Erza tried her best to ignore his gaze, instead focusing on her workout, taking stance and throwing three quick jabs at the bag. A hook. South paw. Jab. Jab.

Her strikes seemed to slow as she forced herself to keep going. Faster. Harder.

She knew the brunet was watching her, silently scrutinizing her not for her ironclad routine, but for her decisions. Partially expecting him to speak, she broke the quiet first between her trained breaths.

"How're things with the cardio bunny?" She finally asked with a huff as she took half a step back, whirled, and landed a solid knee on the side of the bag, sending the black sack swinging back and forth unsteadily on its rattling chain, a small dent fading from the side. The base rocked lightly with the bag it held. Gajeel bit his lip. He'd hardly seen her move aside from her setting up the shot, and she knew it by the small gasp that passed his lips.

"Don't change the subject," he ground out after a few beats as the redhead grabbed the bag and centered it before going back to her routine. She scoffed as she went for another uppercut. "What's the deal with you getting back with that hotblooded punk?"

Erza hit harder, each blow echoing through the gym, the sounds loud enough to give the sense that she was trying to block him out. In her eyes, he could see the pain, the raw emotion that she was pouring into her routine now. But then she switched her practice back to kicks, landing blow after blow with different parts of her leg.

The sound of her hitting the bag echoed in the near-empty gym as her breathing became labored, movements quickening and becoming sloppy. The brunet asked again, but she hardly heard it, or so she told herself.

"What's with you and the cardio bunny?" She asked again, eyes flitting to him briefly before training back on the swinging bag. She didn't take a moment to breathe, an action both too like herself and not at all herself, setting back to practice with vigor he'd respected but suddenly found himself hating. The redhead was abusing it as an excuse to dodge him.

"Red, tell me damn the truth," he huffed in blatant frustration. Gajeel barely saw her brow furrow with a scowl, lips curling as she pivoted mid-kick. His arm came up on instinct to defend his side, hardly making it in time—

Except it didn't connect.

"Don't try and dodge me, Metalhead," she snarled, eyes narrowed at him as he peeked at her, frozen mid-kick, shin hovering hardly two inches from his braced arm. On a whim, he threw a punch at her face, watching her brace but tumble backwards as her balance failed momentarily. Her back hit the mats, arms up in a defensive pose, crimson hair splaying over the navy blue as she glared up at him.

He smirked down at her, flashing a toothy grin as he offered her a hand. "Don't be a hypocrite, then, Red," he laughed as she frowned but accepted his outstretched hand anyway. But he didn't pull, his dark eyes locking onto a certain head of blue hair.

At Erza's loud guffaw and yank to pull herself to her feet, he snapped back to reality, though not entirely in time to catch himself on the padded wall. His face hit the surface with a soft pmft that had the redhead behind him snickering.

On the other hand, Levy rushed over and giggled softly as she eased him back upright by his shoulders. Except her efforts yielded unintended results, Gajeel standing upright and nearly lifting her off the ground. Erza caught the shorter woman before she could hit the mat-covered floor in her fall, knowing all too well that, despite the padding, it wasn't a soft landing by any means.

Setting her back down, the redhead took the opportunity to flee. Though the brunet opened his mouth to protest, the words never passed his lips as Lisanna swept in to grab Erza for a moment.

"Yo, Erz! I was wondering if you wanted to come with us for lunch," the white-haired teen offered, motioning behind her to where her two siblings were finishing toweling off and Cana was nursing her shake by the door. She fought the urge to avoid looking at Mirajane as she smiled and shrugged.

"I'll have to check if I have any plans, but count me in," the manager answered honestly before walking right past the blonde towards the locker rooms.

But it was in the women's lockers that she found Lucy Heartfilia waiting. As if that weren't bad enough, she looked pissed in a tamed, Lucy sort of way, like she was planning some diplomatic discussion instead of a blunt confrontation.