Frozen Heart
Chapter 42
Jack slept for two weeks after that.
It was the longest two weeks of all their lives.
Despite Porlyusica’s curt assurance that the half-Spirit was only sleeping and not in some sort of coma, the entire guild worried and coped in their own ways.
Mirajane spent all her free time making all manner of chocolate sweets, from cakes to ice cream, a whirlwind in the new kitchen of Fairy Tail’s guildhall as she prepared the winter-girl’s favorite treats.
Elfman sat at the bar to keep her company, assuring everyone that Jack was too manly to die or some variation of the same.
Macao and Wakaba grumbled into their mugs, trying not to be too obvious about their worries as they tried to drown them.
No one, however, was doing a better job of that than Cana, who refused to be even intelligibly drunk at any point in the day.
Jet and Droy sulked at their usual table, without their teammate, and watched the other members pass by on their way to the request board.
Makarov kept himself busy sorting through letters from Fiore’s children, all of whom sent their best wishes and hoped for their guardian’s swift recovery, locked in his office as he brooded over her health.
Who would do something like this?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the hospital, sitting by the winter-girl’s bedside, Levy wondered the same thing.
She had been discharged weeks ago, the blow to her head minor, but refused to leave Jack‘s side.
None of the nurses could say no to those big hazel eyes.
Gajeel, bruised arms crossed over his bandaged chest, brooded across from her and refused to admit he was thinking along the same lines.
None of the nurses dared tell him to leave.
Fidgeting with the cover of her book, ‘A Collection of Fairy Tales’, the blue-haired mage bit her lip, a question catching in her throat like barbed hooks.
Eyeing the quiet Script Mage, Gajeel could not help his heart melting at the uncertainty on her face.
Damn…
“What’s with the book?”
Levy practically jumped out of her skin, wide eyes snapping up to meet crimson-red, and he huffed, looking away to keep his face from heating up.
“You’ve been messing with the damn thing for an hour.” He grumped. “What‘s the big deal?”
Before this whole debacle, Levy was sure she would have misunderstood and stayed quiet, unwilling to share her feelings, but now…
Well, now she knew Gajeel was a big softie and honestly wanted to know.
“It’s just…” Levy started, trying to find the right words. “Jack read this book to me when I was in the hospital, after…”
Damn it, but Gajeel knew what ‘after’ meant.
“Go ahead.” He grumbled, purposely ignoring the hope that lit up those big hazel eyes. “Better than just sitting here.”
Blinking once, Levy nodded, trying to hide a smile as she opened the covers and skimmed through for a fairytale to read first.
One caught her eye, sparking a memory, she relaxed at the heavy weight of a book in her hands and Jack‘s deep, steady breaths.
“Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle…”
Leaning back, Gajeel closed his eyes as her voice washed over him, the soft rustle of paper settling his worried thoughts…
Bright blue eyes watched the pair sleep, slumped in the hard plastic chairs, and Jack smiled.
Honestly, those two…
It was the longest two weeks of all their lives.
Despite Porlyusica’s curt assurance that the half-Spirit was only sleeping and not in some sort of coma, the entire guild worried and coped in their own ways.
Mirajane spent all her free time making all manner of chocolate sweets, from cakes to ice cream, a whirlwind in the new kitchen of Fairy Tail’s guildhall as she prepared the winter-girl’s favorite treats.
Elfman sat at the bar to keep her company, assuring everyone that Jack was too manly to die or some variation of the same.
Macao and Wakaba grumbled into their mugs, trying not to be too obvious about their worries as they tried to drown them.
No one, however, was doing a better job of that than Cana, who refused to be even intelligibly drunk at any point in the day.
Jet and Droy sulked at their usual table, without their teammate, and watched the other members pass by on their way to the request board.
Makarov kept himself busy sorting through letters from Fiore’s children, all of whom sent their best wishes and hoped for their guardian’s swift recovery, locked in his office as he brooded over her health.
Who would do something like this?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the hospital, sitting by the winter-girl’s bedside, Levy wondered the same thing.
She had been discharged weeks ago, the blow to her head minor, but refused to leave Jack‘s side.
None of the nurses could say no to those big hazel eyes.
Gajeel, bruised arms crossed over his bandaged chest, brooded across from her and refused to admit he was thinking along the same lines.
None of the nurses dared tell him to leave.
Fidgeting with the cover of her book, ‘A Collection of Fairy Tales’, the blue-haired mage bit her lip, a question catching in her throat like barbed hooks.
Eyeing the quiet Script Mage, Gajeel could not help his heart melting at the uncertainty on her face.
Damn…
“What’s with the book?”
Levy practically jumped out of her skin, wide eyes snapping up to meet crimson-red, and he huffed, looking away to keep his face from heating up.
“You’ve been messing with the damn thing for an hour.” He grumped. “What‘s the big deal?”
Before this whole debacle, Levy was sure she would have misunderstood and stayed quiet, unwilling to share her feelings, but now…
Well, now she knew Gajeel was a big softie and honestly wanted to know.
“It’s just…” Levy started, trying to find the right words. “Jack read this book to me when I was in the hospital, after…”
Damn it, but Gajeel knew what ‘after’ meant.
“Go ahead.” He grumbled, purposely ignoring the hope that lit up those big hazel eyes. “Better than just sitting here.”
Blinking once, Levy nodded, trying to hide a smile as she opened the covers and skimmed through for a fairytale to read first.
One caught her eye, sparking a memory, she relaxed at the heavy weight of a book in her hands and Jack‘s deep, steady breaths.
“Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle…”
Leaning back, Gajeel closed his eyes as her voice washed over him, the soft rustle of paper settling his worried thoughts…
Bright blue eyes watched the pair sleep, slumped in the hard plastic chairs, and Jack smiled.
Honestly, those two…