Hear me

21

Laxus wasn't sure if he regretted his actions the night before as he bent over the toilet in the small train station bathroom, heaving up what felt like pure stomach acid. Between the party and the train, it sure has been a hell ride
He spent half an hour with his face pressed up against the cool window of the train, taking in deep, gasping breaths that made him gag half the time before he couldn't take it anymore, not bothering to announce where he was going before sprinting full tilt to the bathroom
Where he proceeded to think about his actions as what felt like a week's worth of meals came back up.
Getting up from the floor on shaky legs, he moved to the sink, opting to just stick his whole head under the faucet. The pounding of the water helped soothe the pounding of his brain against his skull, in a weird way, and he took the opportunity to take in huge gulps of water, hoping that his body would forgive him for letting it get so dehydrated.

He didn't bother attempting to dry his hair as he exited the bathroom, letting it instead flop everywhere, uncaring of how ridiculous he must look. The other passengers seemed to sense that he didn't have the energy or the mental capability of dealing with them, and he was spared their questioning looks as he hobbled his way back to his seat.

Natsumi, for better or worse, was completely unconscious in her seat, hair plastered down on her forehead from the same cold sweat he suffered from.

Part of him was thankful she'd passed out. When she got like that, he felt the need to take care of her, and he just didn't have it in him right now. The most he could do was make sure her head was turned to the side so she wouldn't choke if she puked, then he collapsed in his own seat and slid his sound pods over his ears, hoping he'd be lucky enough to sleep for a few hours.

He wasn't lucky. The next four hours were a whirlwind of disoriented nausea as the train rattled forward. About halfway through the ride, Natsumi woke up just long enough to copy his earlier journey to the bathroom, clutching both hands over her mouth as she ran. When she came back looking pale and drawn, he let her cuddle up next to him despite how awful he still felt. She seemed to understand, though, and managed to fall back asleep after she tucked herself into the soft fabric of his coat.

Laxus didn't think he ever felt a greater since of relief when they pulled into the Magnolia station that afternoon. Though he was pretty sure his hangover was gone, he still felt like shit, and on top of that, Natsumi didn't wake up when they intercom announced their arrival, so he had to carry her as well as both of their bags off the damn train.

He debated just saying to hell with it and going back to his place, not really in the mood to face the rest of the guild when he was feeling so poorly. But when he looked down at Natsumi in his arms, he knew she'd probably want to see Lucy and that damn cat as soon as possible, so he sucked it up and headed down the familiar streets to the guild.

As he walked, the lingering sense of disorientation disappeared, though his headache remained. Natsumi stirred in his arms, wiggling against him as she yawned.

"Careful," he warned her, "or I'll drop you."

She groaned, trying to stretch. "Mean," she sighed, but smiled, eyes still closed. "You're not supposed to be mean when I wake up."

"Not everyone got to sleep on the ride over. And I'm serious, stop moving or I really will drop you. I feel like shit," he explained.

She frowned. "I'm sorry. You can set me down."

"We're almost there anyway," he said as he kept walking.

The girl nuzzled into him. "Never mind about what I said about you being mean."

He rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.
The sound of the door pushing open, followed by a loud wolf whistle, brought Laxus crashing back down to Earth.