Frozen Heart
Chapter 31
Levy sulked in her hospital bed, glaring at the book on her nightstand as if it was the cause for all the world’s problems.
The wilting flowers beside it, grown brittle and dull with age, did nothing to lift her spirits.
She was sore and thoroughly bandaged, even a full two weeks after the battle, and her hands were still far too weak to hold even the lightest paperbacks.
Everyone from Fairy Tail had already visited, assuring her things were going smoothly with the new guildhall and her rooms at Fairy Hills were being kept clean.
While Levy appreciated the thought, she could not help keeping an eye out for long white hair and big blue eyes.
True, she had not been awake very often in the beginning, but the flowers had been kept fresh until a few days ago…
A knock on the window distracted her from such thoughts, hazel eyes widening in surprise.
“Jack?”
Crouched on the sill in such a way that the soft fabric of her leggings pulled tight over strong thighs and a pert rear, Jack smiled wide, the bundle of flowers in her hand forgotten.
“Hey, Levy. Like the new outfit?”
Dragging her gaze up from the extremely distracting tautness of blue cloth over soft breasts, Levy bit her lip in a vain attempt to keep the blush down.
“It’s…different.” She managed, doing her best not to think of how those legs would feel straddling her hips and focusing on Jack’s face instead. “What happened to your sweater?”
“It got kinda…ruined.” The winter-girl admitted sheepishly, hopping onto a breeze and floating to her bedside.
Levy frowned in thought, wondering what could have-
A foggy memory, of soft arms and a cold heartbeat, flashed before her eyes as a reminder.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry…”
“Hey, no big deal.” Jack assured, carefully removing the dying bouquet to replace it with the fresh ones. “Just a sweater.”
Yeah, a sweater that she had never seen the winter guardian without.
Makarov had pointed out at least once that even he had never seen Jack go anyway without it, and the thought made Levy even more guilty.
After years of travel, battle, and rough handling by children, she had been the one to finally damage that sweater beyond repair…
“Hey, enough of that.” Jack scolded lightly, poking the other girl’s forehead. “I told you it’s not a big deal. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, given the chance.”
Blinking big hazel eyes up at her, Levy felt her throat tighten with emotion.
“R…Really?”
That special smile, all warmth and affection, filled Jack’s face like falling snow.
“Really really.”
The moment stretched for a long moment, filling Levy’s heart with something she had no name for, before Jack averted her gaze, smile turning lopsided and nervous.
“It, uh…looks like everybody has been by already.” She noted, frost glittering across her cheeks. “There weren’t this many books last time.”
“Um, yeah…” Levy replied, doing her best to calm the racing pace of her heart. “Lucy brought most of them for me.”
Taking in the unopened stack of books, without so much as a bookmark or dog-eared page to speak of the bookworm’s use, Jack realized the problem.
Picking up the thickest tome, a volume on old fairy tails, the winter-girl opened to the first page, smiling at the curious look Levy sent her.
“You mind?”
Flushing, the blue-haired girl shook her head as the half-Spirit settled into a cross-legged position hovering by the bedside.
“Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle…”
Jack’s voice seeped into her, like sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winter’s night with hot chocolate and a good book while huddled under a thick blanket, and Levy relaxed as the story was weaved around her.
Cursed princes, intelligent maidens, enchanted servants, True Love’s Kiss…
Jack finished the story quietly, gaze softening at the sight of Levy’s sleeping face.
Closing the pages on a bookmark, she set the book aside and floated up over the bed, carefully tucking the girl in.
“Sleep well.”
On her way to the window, Jack freed a fingertip to brush against the violets, enshrouding the bouquet in preserving frost.
With one last glance, she hopped into wind’s embrace and was gone, missing the smile that crossed Levy’s face as the cool breeze touched her face.
Sweet dreams…
The wilting flowers beside it, grown brittle and dull with age, did nothing to lift her spirits.
She was sore and thoroughly bandaged, even a full two weeks after the battle, and her hands were still far too weak to hold even the lightest paperbacks.
Everyone from Fairy Tail had already visited, assuring her things were going smoothly with the new guildhall and her rooms at Fairy Hills were being kept clean.
While Levy appreciated the thought, she could not help keeping an eye out for long white hair and big blue eyes.
True, she had not been awake very often in the beginning, but the flowers had been kept fresh until a few days ago…
A knock on the window distracted her from such thoughts, hazel eyes widening in surprise.
“Jack?”
Crouched on the sill in such a way that the soft fabric of her leggings pulled tight over strong thighs and a pert rear, Jack smiled wide, the bundle of flowers in her hand forgotten.
“Hey, Levy. Like the new outfit?”
Dragging her gaze up from the extremely distracting tautness of blue cloth over soft breasts, Levy bit her lip in a vain attempt to keep the blush down.
“It’s…different.” She managed, doing her best not to think of how those legs would feel straddling her hips and focusing on Jack’s face instead. “What happened to your sweater?”
“It got kinda…ruined.” The winter-girl admitted sheepishly, hopping onto a breeze and floating to her bedside.
Levy frowned in thought, wondering what could have-
A foggy memory, of soft arms and a cold heartbeat, flashed before her eyes as a reminder.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry…”
“Hey, no big deal.” Jack assured, carefully removing the dying bouquet to replace it with the fresh ones. “Just a sweater.”
Yeah, a sweater that she had never seen the winter guardian without.
Makarov had pointed out at least once that even he had never seen Jack go anyway without it, and the thought made Levy even more guilty.
After years of travel, battle, and rough handling by children, she had been the one to finally damage that sweater beyond repair…
“Hey, enough of that.” Jack scolded lightly, poking the other girl’s forehead. “I told you it’s not a big deal. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, given the chance.”
Blinking big hazel eyes up at her, Levy felt her throat tighten with emotion.
“R…Really?”
That special smile, all warmth and affection, filled Jack’s face like falling snow.
“Really really.”
The moment stretched for a long moment, filling Levy’s heart with something she had no name for, before Jack averted her gaze, smile turning lopsided and nervous.
“It, uh…looks like everybody has been by already.” She noted, frost glittering across her cheeks. “There weren’t this many books last time.”
“Um, yeah…” Levy replied, doing her best to calm the racing pace of her heart. “Lucy brought most of them for me.”
Taking in the unopened stack of books, without so much as a bookmark or dog-eared page to speak of the bookworm’s use, Jack realized the problem.
Picking up the thickest tome, a volume on old fairy tails, the winter-girl opened to the first page, smiling at the curious look Levy sent her.
“You mind?”
Flushing, the blue-haired girl shook her head as the half-Spirit settled into a cross-legged position hovering by the bedside.
“Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle…”
Jack’s voice seeped into her, like sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winter’s night with hot chocolate and a good book while huddled under a thick blanket, and Levy relaxed as the story was weaved around her.
Cursed princes, intelligent maidens, enchanted servants, True Love’s Kiss…
Jack finished the story quietly, gaze softening at the sight of Levy’s sleeping face.
Closing the pages on a bookmark, she set the book aside and floated up over the bed, carefully tucking the girl in.
“Sleep well.”
On her way to the window, Jack freed a fingertip to brush against the violets, enshrouding the bouquet in preserving frost.
With one last glance, she hopped into wind’s embrace and was gone, missing the smile that crossed Levy’s face as the cool breeze touched her face.
Sweet dreams…