The sun had set some time ago, and the moon had come out to play. It shone its pale light down on the world below, watching with satisfaction as those tired from a weary day laid their heads down to rest.

  However, a curious sight caught its attention. There were two men who were not heading for dreamland. One was pacing back and forth at speeds that were purely unnatural, wearing a deep groove into the dirt road. Another sat on some steps watching him.

  "Who are they?" the moon wondered, curiously. Who were these humans who eschewed the natural order, staying up way past their bedtime? What reason could they possibly have for doing so?

  "Where is she?" Jet mumbled, walking back and forth in front of the inn/tavern, completely unaware that he was about three inches shorter now. He'd been at this for some time now, his worry preventing him from rest.

  "Listen, I'm sure she's fine. You know her, once she gets absorbed into her work it's almost impossible to drag her away," Droy mentioned, hoping to calm his friend down, even if he was just as anxious deep down.

  "I know that, but she's with that… guy. Who knows what he has planned for her," Jet said, his own words fueling his anxiety and making him speed up even more, kicking up a small cloud of dust in his wake.

  "Well, maybe he isn't actually up to anything. Maybe we just misjudged him," Droy suggested, making Jet stop and stare at him in disbelief. A few moments went by with them just staring at each other.

  "Ok, yeah, he's up to something," Droy finally admitted, unable to lie to himself.

  "Right! Why else would she say those things last night? He clearly brainwashed her somehow. Maybe with Charm Magic," Jet mumbled, his mind wandering back to the previous night.

  Levy had just come back inside after running off, due to no fault of their own. She then approached their table, and for a moment, Jet believed she would apologize, admit she was wrong for yelling at them like that and everything would go back to normal.

  Except… that's not what happened. Instead of apologizing for her mistake, she doubled down. She told them, under no uncertain terms, that she never wanted to date them. That they were friends and would never be anything more than that.

  It was like being told your dad is the mailman. Devastating.

  Then she left, going back outside to be with… him. Hearing those words brought their whole world crashing down, leading to the unfortunate events that followed. Namely, them drinking themselves sick.

  Which is exactly what that bastard wanted! Jet and Droy saw how quick he was to offer himself to the Quest, and that's when the two of them realized his true motives. He clearly charmed their friend, made her say all those lies to them, and probably even had a hand in them drinking so much, all to get Levy alone with him.

  That sneaky bastard!

  "That means it's up to us to protect her. He could be trying to take advantage of her right this very instant!" Jet continued, eyes brimming with determination and no small amount of fear.

  His words caused the two of them to start imagining what that might look like.

  Levy, all alone in the ruins, cowering in fear on the ground as Luke approached her, his face set in a malicious grin. He licked his lips with desire, staring at the helpless girl before him.

  "No, stop, please! I'm not that kind of girl!" she yelled, backing away as far as she could, only to run into a wall. Once she realized she couldn't escape, her eyes went wide with terror.

  "Muahahaha, there's no one here to protect you now! I have tricked you into believing your friends were awful and that I was someone who could be trusted. You should have listened to your friends, who are way more handsome than I am," Luke said with a mocking laugh, horns growing from the top of his head, revealing he was a demon the whole time..

  "Oh no, how could I be so foolish! Jet, Droy, please come and save me! I'm helpless without you!" she cried out. But no one would be coming.

  "Foolish girl, no one is coming to save you! Now, prepare yourself as I violate you with my incredibly small penis! Don't worry, I'm also a quick shot, so your agony won't last very long! Muahahahaha!"

  "Nooooo!"

  Their eyes snapped back into focus at that, their panic increasing tenfold. If someone were able to see inside their minds, they would think the two of them were completely delusional.

  Which wasn't far from the truth.

  "We have to save her! We can't let that vile beast have his way with her!" Droy shouted, jumping to his feet. The two of them agreed wholeheartedly. They needed to get to her before something awful happened.

  "I agree, now come on! Who knows what could be happening right this very moment!"

  *Line Break*

  Levy couldn't believe what was happening. She was alone in a deep, dark, and not to mention, damp cave with a hot naked guy right beside her. The poor girl's face was practically glowing from the embarrassment.

  It was a good thing Jet and Droy weren't here. They would probably be freaking out. Actually, given how late it was, they probably already were.

  But you might be wondering what led to Luke stripping and baring it all to the bookish girl. Well, after sitting in the dark for about 30 minutes, give or take, Levy felt she had regained enough of her magic to pull something out of her Requip space, namely, a Heat Lacrima.

  The temperature in the cave wasn't too bad, probably in the mid to low sixties. (Fahrenheit) Still, she wouldn't exactly call it comfortable either. So, that was what drove her to selecting this particular Lacrima. She could have chosen a light one, but she figured it would be best to save that for when they're ready to head out. The Heat Lacrima would make waiting to recover just a bit more manageable.

  No to mention the fact that it did produce light, but mostly as a byproduct of the heat. Pulling it out, she placed the egg shaped thing in between her and Luke. It was about the size of a person's head and swirled like an ice cream cone.

  "What's that?" he asked curiously.

  "You'll see," Levy said with a smirk. She then activated the device, which started to glow with a warm, orange light. It almost looked like a small fire, which is probably what the creator had in mind.

  She saw Luke's face through the dim light, watching the object with wonder. He reached out and gently poed the thing, mouth making an "O" shape when he realized it gave off heat. She couldn't hold back the giggles as she saw it.

  "What? What's so funny?" he asked. But Levy merely waved him off, giving him a smile.

  "Nothing, nothing at all," she said. Luke gave her a suspicious look, feeling like he was the butt of some joke, but decided to drop it. There wasn't much point in starting an argument over it.

  The two of them sat for some time, simply enjoying the warmth of the heat giving object. After several minutes, Luke opened up his rucksack, rummaging through it. Levy had almost forgotten he even had the thing.

  "Whatcha lookin for?" she asked, peering through the gloom to observe.

  "A change of clothes. I should have some in here," he said. Levy nodded her head at that. Given how wet he was, it made sense he would want to change. Even with the Lacrima taking away most of the chill, it couldn't be very comfortable. Thankfully, she herself wasn't nearly as wet, having been riding him like a toboggan while sliding down the sewer system.

  She watched him pull out clothes one by one. A black shirt, a pair of pants, some red boxers, and socks. Seeing his underwear made her blush a bit, which it shouldn't have, considering how often Gray walked around in nothing but his skivvies, but for some reason, this was different.

  He was different.

  "Alright, that should just about do it," he said, before peeling off his soaking wet shirt. Now her face was really red as she got a face full of hunk.

  "W-wait a minute! Don't tell me you're changing here!?" Levy shouted, or at least, she meant to. But she couldn't get past the embarrassment to actually form the words. And by the time he started taking off his pants, there was no hope for her.

  Her hands went to her face to cover her eyes, listening through her rapidly beating heart as his clothes came off. She tried to resist the urge to look, but she was only human. Parting her fingers, she was rewarded with quite the eyeful.

  "Oh my God his ass is perfect!" she squealed in her mind, unable to take her eyes off the specimen in front of her. A part of her was hoping he would turn around, so she could get a glimpse of something else.

  "What am I thinking!? Damn it Cana, I blame you for this!" she thought. She could just picture the smug look the other girl would give her if she knew.

  Which meant she could never know.

  The whole scenario was like one of those trashy romance novels she not so secretly indulges in. Well, her and Erza. But there was no way it would end up like that, right? Luke wasn't about to push her onto the ground and have his way with her, was he?

  Why was she imagining how it would go!?

  She was sitting down on the cold hard rock, the warmth from the Heat Lacrima starting to fade. She wrapped her hands around herself, trying to keep warm

  "Levy, are you alright? You're not too cold, are you?" Luke asked, looking at her with the utmost concern, wearing only a pair of pants. The soft glow of the Heat Lacrima gently exposing each and everyone one of his mouth watering muscles.

  Her heartbeat quickened at the sight. She tried to deny anything was wrong, but he could see right through her.

  "I'm fine. This is nothing. Ah…Achoo!"

  "That doesn't sound fine. You're not getting sick are you?" he asked, sitting down next to her. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body, warming her better than any Lacrima ever could. She could feel herself instinctively leaning closer to the source.

  "Of course not. Like I said before, I'm not a delicate little flower that needs to be constantly protected," she said, doing her best to glare at him. Unfortunately, her body chose that moment to betray her, releasing a violent shiver from the cold.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "And didn't I tell you that getting help from your friends doesn't mean you're weak. Won't you please let me help you?" he asked, taking her hands in his own and staring deeply into her eyes.

  "How?" she asked, barely above a whisper. He then cupped her face with his hands, giving her a look filled with unbridled passion.

  "Like this," he whispered back, pulling her body against his and leaning in to plant a kiss on her lips…

  Back in the real world, Luke stared at the nearly comatose girl with worry. Her eyes were glazed over as she seemingly stared at the wall, unblinking. Not only that, but he could see a small trail of drool coming out of her mouth, a peculiar smile on her face.

  But the worst part had to be the small giggles she would release from time to time. He worried she might have hit her head or something and was having a stroke.

  "Hey Levy, you alright?" he asked, receiving no reply. Now getting really worried, he made his way over to her, waving his hand in front of her face.

  Nothing.

  "Now what?" he asked himself. With no other options available to him, he decided the best course of action would be to startle her out of whatever trance she was in. To accomplish this mission, he pulled his arms back, and clapped them together as loudly as he could, right in front of her face.

  "Wah!" she yelled, jumping in fright. The sudden departure from her debaucherous thoughts, right when it was going to the good part, sent her careening backwards over the rock she was using as a seat.

  Not that Luke knew that.

  "Levy!" Luke shouted, racing over the where his friend fell over, wondering if he may have made a mistake. He saw her, laying on her back, her legs up against the rock she fell off of, moaning in slight pain.

  "Hey, you ok?" he asked.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. What was that for? " she asked, glaring up at the man she was just daydreaming about. As she did so, she took notice of his current state of dress. He had some pants on, which was… good. Yes, it was definitely a good thing. But he was still missing a crucial piece of clothing.

  Namely, his shirt.

  "Sorry, you'd been spacing out for several minutes and I didn't know how else to get your attention. Here, let me help you up," he said, holding out a hand to her. She stared at it for a moment, noting the concerned look in his eyes. It reminded her far too much of the beginning of her fantasy.

  "Oh God, this is so embarrassing. And is that… am I drooling!?" she thought in a panic. She quickly wiped away the offending material before reaching up to grab his hand. She couldn't believe she had been fantasizing about him for that long.

  As he pulled her up, she desperately tried not to think about how warm it felt, or how rough and manly it was, just like they were in her imagination when his hands started traveling up her shirt and…

  Levy violently shook her head at that, confusing Luke who was watching. "Don't go there girl. That's the last thing you should be thinking about. You need to cool off and that is not helping!" she mentally chastised herself.

  But it was easier said than done.

  "You sure you're ok? You didn't hit your head or anything did you?" he asked after getting her to her feet.

  "Um, no I'm good… Thanks," she mumbled, refusing to look him in the eye, glancing bashfully over at anything else.

  "No problem. Sorry about scaring you. Just what were you thinking about so hard anyway?" he asked, making her face go red.

  "Nothing! Nothing at all! More importantly, why did you start stripping in front of me!?" she asked, turning her embarrassment into rage. Luke had the good grace to appear bashful at that, taking a cue from her and looking away.

  "Yeah, sorry… Wasn't really thinking, I guess. I just really wanted to get out of those smelly, wet clothes. Probably should have gone behind a rock or warned you at least," he mumbled, looking apologetic and utterly exhausted.

  Levy sighed, shaking her head. She supposed she understood. They did just go through a sewer system after all, she'd want to get out of those clothes as well. But still, to just start removing your clothes without even thinking about where you were or who you were with?

  "Apology accepted. Just try and think these things through next time, will ya? We already have one stripper in the guild, we don't need another," she stated, making him sigh in relief. He'd been a bit worried she wouldn't forgive him for flashing her.

  "Right, I can do that. No more stripping outdoors," he agreed.

  "Close enough," she responded with a sigh. It was at this point that Levy took a glance at his bare torso, something she had been avoiding but she just couldn't help taking a little peek. What she saw made her eyes widen in shock. Not because he was hot, which he was, but because of the nasty, black and purple bruising that covered his whole upper body.

  "Oh my gosh, are you ok?" she asked, staring at the injury with growing horror. It wasn't just the bruising that caught her attention, but the rips and tears marring his flesh as well. They were peculiar in shape, appearing almost perfectly circular.

  That's when she realized what they were from. The suction cups on the kraken's tentacles. They must have pulled off part of his skin when they were removed. It looked incredibly painful.

  "Hm? Oh yeah… Didn't really notice it at the time, but that damn fish sure did a number on me. It's not as bad as it looks," he said, trying to assuage her worries. But if the look she was giving him was any indication, she wasn't buying it.

  "Nice try. Sit down, I have some cream that should help," she commanded.

  "No, it's fine, really. You don't have to waste it on me," he told her.

  "It's not a waste to help my friend. Now stop being stubborn and sit down," she ordered once more. Luke sighed, seeing he wasn't getting out of it. But deep down, he was happy someone cared enough to voluntarily use some kind of healing ointment on him.

  His parents would only do so begrudgingly, not wanting to waste any resources on something other than his brother. Made him want to injure himself sometimes, just to spite them, but he figured if they ever found out he would be left to wallow in pain, likely in a psych ward as well.

  "Yes ma'am," he said, sitting down on the rock near the Heat Lacrima, legs on either side of it. Levy nodded with satisfaction before she began concentrating on her Requip Space. Seeing a small flash of light made Luke turn to look back at her.

  "Hey, you sure you should be using your magic right now?" he asked with worry. Both of them were pretty much on empty after escaping the kraken, and he himself was only back to around 5 or 6 percent his full capacity. He doubted she was doing much better.

  "It's fine, this doesn't use up much magic. Besides, it's too late anyway," she said with a cheeky grin, holding a container in her hand. Luke sighed, shaking his head at her sass.

  He heard her sit on the rock behind him, as well as the hiss she made at seeing his back. It made sense, considering the kraken slammed him against the rocky floor earlier. Even though he couldn't see how bad it was, he could sure as hell feel it.

  "Geez, and I thought the front was bad…" she mumbled, reaching out to gently trace her fingertips along the bruises. The color was so much deeper than the front.

  Once her fingers made contact, he jumped, making her retract her hand in worry. "I'm sorry, did that hurt?" she asked.

  "No, sorry, just startled me a bit is all," he assured her, making her sigh in relief.

  "Alright, I'll start applying the cream. Fair warning, it's probably a bit cold," she informed him, twisting the cap off. Luke hummed in acknowledgment, waiting for her to apply it.

  He didn't have to wait long. As soon as he felt it touch his sensitive skin, he gave another little jump.

  "Woo, that is cold," he said, before settling down.

  "I told you. Now hold still," she said, before continuing to doctor the man. She gently rubbed the thick cream into his wounded flesh, taking note to be careful around the wounds that were seeping small drops of blood.

  "So, what exactly is this supposed to do, doc?" Luke asked after a minute. The cream itself stung, like he was being bitten by ants, or poked with needles. It didn't really hurt, per say, but it was uncomfortable.

  "It should help reduce the swelling as well as keep it from getting infected. It also has a mild numbing property to it," she informed, moving lower on his back.

  "Really? So it's not supposed to feel like I'm being swarmed by bloodthirsty ants?" he joked, making her roll her eyes.

  "Don't be such a big baby," she replied, a small smile on her face. After several more minutes of making sure it was rubbed in properly, she gave a satisfied huff.

  "There, all done. How does that feel?" she asked. Luke slowly swiveled his hips, stretching his back. He did so carefully and cautiously, not wanting to risk further injury, especially not when Levy was there to chastise him.

  "Feels pretty good. That numbing sensation finally kicked in," he told her.

  "Good, now turn around so I can do your front," she said. Not bothering to argue, he did just that, standing up and flipping around to face the pretty blue haired girl, her face lit up by the soft glow of the Heat Lacrima, a determined look on her face.

  Not saying a word, he let her get to work, gently rubbing the cream into his torso, starting with his chest. He tried to say something, to start up a conversation, but the intimate atmosphere prevented him from doing so.

  He wanted to tell her he could handle the front, that she didn't need to worry about it, but it seems like she didn't even notice how close they were. How that could be, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to be the one to make it awkward for her, not when she was going out of her way to treat his wounds.

  Maybe later, when they were all out of this mess, he could tease her then. But for now, she was safe.

  It took several more minutes before she was satisfied. Luke thought for sure she would realize their closeness when she moved onto his abs, but nope. She continued to be extremely professional about it.

  And he continued to enjoy the touch of a beautiful woman. Sure it was diminished somewhat by the pain her touch brought as well, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

  "There we go, all done," she said, leaning back with a satisfied smile. "How does that feel?"

  "Better. Thanks Doctor Levy," he said, making her roll her eyes at him.

  "You're welcome, glad I could help. What about your ankle?" she asked, remembering he had twisted or sprained it when he shot himself out of the water.

  "Hmm, let's see," he said, standing up. Placing some weight on his ankle, he did give a small wince. "Not as bad as earlier, but I'll still be walking with a limp."

  "I thought so. Here, put some of this on it," she said, offering him the nearly empty jar.

  "So that's where you draw the line huh?" he joked, taking the jar from her.

  "I'm not into feet," she shot back, a little smirk on her face. She then began stretching her body out, removing the kinks built up from the slightly awkward position she was in. The action didn't distract Luke at all. Nope, not even a little bit.

  Sitting back down on the rock, with both legs on the same side now, he grabbed his left foot and began to apply the cream. Levy flipped over to the same side to watch, making sure he did it right.

  Once he was done applying it, he sighed in relief as the numbing took effect. Hopefully it wouldn't be a hindrance in getting out of here. Staring down at the now empty jar, he felt a bit guilty for using up all of her medicine.

  "Hey, what's that face for?" Levy asked, giving him an annoyed, half lidded glare. She had a sneaking suspicion about why he was looking so glum all of a sudden.

  "Nothing. Looks like that's the last of your cream. Guess I won't be doctoring you now," he said, sounding sad. Levy's face went red at the thought of him rubbing the cream into her skin. His big strong hands gliding all over her body…

  "Nope, sorry. You're the only one injured here," she rapidly put out. She really hoped he didn't hear the stutter in her voice.

  "That's too bad…" he said, before noticing her raised eyebrow at the statement. Realizing what he said, he quickly tried to backtrack.

  "I mean good! It's good that you're not injured! Yeah…" he trailed off, looking away from her smirking face. Levy gave a snort as she gently gave him a little shove.

  "You are such a dork."

  "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Here," he replied, holding the jar out for her, still refusing to look at her. But she rejected it, pushing it back towards him, making him turn back towards her.

  "Nope, that's yours now. You used it, so you must deal with its remains," she said.

  "You made me," he pointed out. But if he thought logic would sway her, he had another thing coming.

  "And?" she replied, a smug grin on her face. Seeing as he wasn't going to win whatever this was, he settled for rolling his eyes at her before placing the empty jar in his rucksack.

  No one would accuse him of littering, no siree!

  But as he shoved his garbage into his pack, he took note of the rations he had left. Barbara saw fit to give him a few days worth, probably figuring he would get lost in the wilderness. Well jokes on her!

  He got lost in a cave! Wait, did that still count as being in the wilderness? Naw, he didn't think so. Those were two totally separate things. One had trees.

  Seeing them made him realize they hadn't had dinner, and his stomach took the opportunity to confirm his hypothesis. Well, no time like the present. Not like they were going anywhere anyway.

  "Hey, you hungry?" he asked, pulling out a couple of bars. Each one had roughly 600 calories to them, meaning he needed to eat at least four of them a day to meet his needs. More if he expended extra energy.

  Levy opened her mouth to answer when her stomach did so for her, joining his own in a hunger fueled duet. It sounded like two bullfrogs having angry sex.

  "I could go for some food," she admitted with a small blush. Chuckling, Luke handed one to Levy. He also took out his Blanket Canteen so they had something to choke it down with. The ration bars weren't bad, but they did tend to be on the dry side.

  "Thanks," she said, taking the offered food. She opened the package and gave the plain looking bar a suspicious look. She's had these things before, and decided from there on, she would only eat them in an emergency. While they weren't in any danger of starving yet, they were very low on mana, and the calories from the food should help speed up the recovery process.

  Tentatively taking a bite, she was pleasantly surprised by the taste. "Peanut butter and jelly?" she asked in disbelief. The last rations she had tasted like cardboard left in the sun too long.

  "Not bad huh?" Luke said with a grin, taking a bite of his own. The two ate in comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth provided by the Heat Lacrima.

  "By the way, how long is this thing supposed to last?" Luke asked, swallowing a bite before taking a swig of water. He then passed the canteen over to her, which she gratefully took her own drink from.

  "At this setting it should last approximately three hours," she said. He nodded, taking another bite of his meal. That should be enough time for them to recover enough magic to continue on.

  Hopefully, there wouldn't be any more surprises like the kraken waiting in store for them.