Hear me

9❤️

Natsumi had stopped crying shortly after Laxus had carried her out of the guild, feeling too awkward to ask to be put down. Plus, she had no idea where he was taking her. Peeking out from where she had stayed buried in Laxus's shirt, she noticed they were heading toward the tree line of the forest.

She sighed, "Hey, you can set me down now." Her head was a jumbled mess from what had happened at the guild, but for the first time in weeks, she felt neither anger nor sadness, so she counted that as a good thing. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now, but she felt like everything had changed. They'd misunderstood each other the whole time, and she'd felt way too shocked to think about what that meant other than a sense of relief so overwhelming that she'd fallen apart, sobbing into his arms. She hadn't given it any additional thought; she'd only collapsed against him, wanting comfort from the only person who could give it to her. He'd freely given it, too, she thought with a sense of detached wonderment.

"You sure you're not going to bolt the second I put you down?" He shocked her back to Earth with his question, though he didn't look at her when he asked.

"I promise. Just put me down. I can walk on my own."

She was a little surprised that he did what she asked with no further protests, though to be fair, he knew he was on thin ice at best, so maybe it wasn't so surprising after all.

"Where are we going?" she asked, falling into step beside him as they walked beyond the forest boundary and started on a path.

Laxus had shoved his hands into his pockets, and she noticed that he hadn't bothered to pick up his coat when they left. He looked almost bare without it, since he never seemed to take it off in public except to fight. She figured Freed or Evergreen would probably have taken care of it, though.

"I thought we'd go to the bluffs. Figured it'd be quiet enough to sort through this bullshit without interruptions."

She nodded, stretching her arms above her head and resting them on the back of her neck, massaging the sore muscles there.

Noticing her actions, his expression darkened further. "Are you okay?"

Natsumi scoffed, "I've faced Hades and managed okay. No offense, but I'm pretty sure I'd have to give up my guild mark if I was hurt after that pathetic excuse for a fight." It felt comforting to slip back into banter. Easy. She was surprised once more to realize that it didn't feel like the act she'd put on the past few days, either. It felt nice to just be plain, uncomplicated Natsumi again, even if she was still confused about what was happening.

"Excuse me for caring, Short Stack. And plus, it didn't seem pathetic when you were shaking and everything."

"Don't call me that! I'm taller than Levy, so you don't get to do that. Plus, stop stealing Gajeel's nicknames. At least be creative."

He huffed, but didn't comment any further.

"Plus," she continued, "I was mostly angry. I wasn't legitimately fired up like I get in actual battles or sparring matches. I don't fight well when I get upset and it's not for anyone, you know? I was fighting for myself, and so I was sloppy." And sad. And guilty. And hurt. But she didn't tell him that. It's not like it mattered now, since he'd finally told her the truth behind everything he'd done.

He raised his eyebrows a fraction, looking over at her as they made their way up the gradually increasing incline of the path. "I thought sloppy was your style."

"Unpredictable is my style, asshole."

They managed to keep up the banter most of the way up to the bluffs, only falling silent as the path narrowed to only accommodate one person. For more reasons than one, Natsumi felt the playful attitude drop as their elevation increased. Despite this, when the path opened up onto the bluffs, Natsumi was once again struck by the beauty that was the view, no matter how often she had seen it throughout her childhood. Before her lay the entirety of Magnolia, surrounded by the forests and the Hakabe mountain range in the distance. She wasn't often one to appreciate pretty things, but Natsumi had always loved the beauty of nature in a way that wasn't totally due to being raised by Igneel in the wilderness.