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Gajeel struggles against the thick vines holding him in place. The foliage wraps tightly around his body, suspending him slightly above the floor. The leaves shield his eyes, and several stems create a muzzle around his mouth. The only thing he can achieve, besides wiggling in place, is smelling his surroundings.
Which only reveals that Levy’s also here too.
But considering he can’t hear her and she’s not attempting to free him, leads Gajeel to believe she’s either tied up too or unconscious. He attempts to tug his wrists from his body again but there’s no change. If whoever’s doing this so much as touches a single hair on Levy’s head, Gajeel will make them pay .
The room, at least Gajeel thinks they’re in one, smells distinctly of fertilizer and something else he can’t quite place. Although the fact it reminds him of Phantom Lord is definitely a bad sign. He tries to focus on why the smell dredges up memories of his old guild.
Gajeel mostly spent his time in Phantom alone and if he wanted company, the Element Four. Granted, that mainly meant Juvia, but still, it’s not like Gajeel went out of his way to meet the other members of Phantom. Jose ran his guild on the premise that power was all that mattered.
While most of Phantom’s members were strong mages, they weren’t on the same level as Black Steel Gajeel. Meaning, Gajeel had no reason to interact with them. If Juvia wasn’t a part of Phantom’s elites, he doubts they would have become friends in the first place.
Still, the more Gajeel thinks on it, the more he’s convinced the smell belongs to an ex Phantom member. He’s lucky Juvia convinced Makarov to let him join. He’s never really talked about it but joining Fairy Tail was the best thing to ever happen to Gajeel.
Gajeel knows the importance of forging strong bonds with his guildmates. He understands the importance of being a good person and setting a better example for the younger generations. Hence why he sticks so closely to Team Shadowgear. It’s the least he can do considering how badly he brutalized them.
At least, this way he can protect them from people like him; the old him.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it Black Steel?” The vines slowly pull away from his eyes, revealing a familiar woman covered in plants.
The lady is wearing some kind of black jumpsuit that appears to have several flowers and vines attached. Her skin is pale in a sort of sickly way and her eyes are dull and hollow. Her brown hair looks brittle and dry. It reminds Gajeel of something one would see in someone with a parasite or maybe a tumor. Almost like all the plants on her are leeching her nutrients to survive.
Oh crap, the plants aren’t attached to the jumpsuit, they’re coming out of her!
Levy is held behind the lady, suspended in the air by her wrists. The lady has recreated a plant version of Gajeel’s declaration of war on Fairy Tail. The only things missing are the tree, Jet and Droy. There’s even a Phantom Lord guild mark painted in green across Levy’s body.
When he did this to Fairy Tail; to Levy and her team; he knew it would piss off all of Fairy Tail. He didn’t understand why; just knew they were weak enough to care about all their members. But now, seeing Levy; his friend, his teammate,
his crush
, branded like cattle and strung up like nothing…. He gets it.
Honestly, Gajeel thinks it’s a minor miracle he wasn’t killed during their guild war.
Gajeel can feel his anger increasing. His fangs dig into the vines, his skin tries to harden but any dents Gajeel makes the plants quickly repair. All he can do is hurl muffled curses at the plant lady… wait, is that where I know you?
Gajeel’s hit with a memory from about a year before Jose decided Fairy Tail needed humbling. A new guild member joined, glossy brown hair, rosy cheeks, and bubbly personality. She was nice; nicer than most of Phantom’s new recruits, and stronger too. But not strong enough for the cool kids. Not that it stopped her.
She’d introduced herself to Gajeel and the Element Four, eager to befriend her fellow members. But Gajeel didn’t pay any attention to her. She wasn’t on his level and thus wasn’t worthy of taking up his time. Hence why he only remembered the nickname he gave her, Plant Chick.
Back then, Gajeel reasoned he would learn her name once she was stronger, if she lasted.
Plant Chick, and damn Gajeel really wishes he tried harder to remember her name, laughs. The sound is both raspy and faint. She slowly walks towards him, the vines lowering him down as they tighten around his body.
“You finally remember me. It took you long enough.” She stops right in front of his face, taking a moment to tuck a stray piece of Gajeel’s hair behind his ear. “I took your advice. Made myself stronger.”
Gajeel tries to speak but the makeshift muzzle tightens around his throat.
“Hush now, Gajeel. I’m not finished yet. I have so much planned for us!” She gestures behind her where a stray vine begins wrapping around Levy’s neck.
He freezes in place too afraid that any noise he attempts to make will anger the Plant Chick. Gajeel tries to plead with his eyes, to hurt him instead and spare Levy. Her anger is with him. Levy is innocent. She’s been hurt enough in the crosshairs of Phantom’s schemes.
“Oh, does that worry you?” Plant Chick taunts, her voice light and cheery.
She moves away from him and closer to Levy. Gajeel can’t help the involuntary motion he makes to stop her. Not that anything happens. She gets behind Levy, her hands on Levy’s shoulders, her head drooping on Levy’s shoulder. It’s Gajeel who is held in place, who is stopped.
“Do you care about this little fairy?” She runs a single finger across Levy’s cheek, a faux pout on her face. Her eyes never leave Gajeel’s.
He nods or attempts it. The vines hold his head in place. He tries to shout, ‘Yes, I care about her! She’s my friend. My guildmate! I was wrong before, back in Phantom Lord! Our guildmates matter! I understand it now, our truest strength is in the bonds we make!’
None of his words are voiced aloud.
He must be quite the sight right now. Helplessly trapped in place, shaking in place as sad desperate muffles are heard. Plant Chick seems to enjoy all his struggles. She seems to bask in his pain, her smile growing wider and more crazed.
“ Oh ! Is the big bad Black Steel in love with this itty bitty fly !” There’s a fake sweetness in her voice. One that feels like poison seeping into Gajeel’s veins as she speaks. “Well, we should do something about that, huh?”
The vines holding Gajeel pull him down until he’s kneeling. The vines wrapped around Levy’s wrist begin to pull her higher up until her head is almost touching the ceiling. Plant Chick pulls a rose off of her chest, whispering into the petals. She turns to Gajeel, twirling the stem in her fingers.
She pulls one petal off the rose. “He loves her.” It falls to the floor. Nothing happens. She plucks the next one. “He loves her not.”
As the second petal hits the floor, Levy screams. Gajeel, who had been focusing on Plant Chick, whips his eyes up to Levy. The vines on both her wrists have extended up her arm a little. The new growths have huge thorns on them. They dig into Levy’s flesh and little droplets of blood scatter onto the floor.
“Oh my!” She rips another petal. He loves me,” She pulls another petal. “He loves me not.”
Again, Levy screams as the vines drag new thorns against her exposed flesh. Gajeel can feel his own vines holding down. The Plant Chick continues her sick and twisted game. Levy’s screams continue on with little to no relief.
“He loves her. Oh, that’s the last petal.” She pouts again, twisting the empty stem between her fingers. “Hmm? What to do? What to do? Oh! I know!”
She makes a show of dropping the stem. Three pairs of eyes trailing after the stem as it collapses to the floor. For several moments, nothing happens. Plant Chick plucks a different flower from her body. She sends Gajeel a sickening smile.
She’s covered in flowers. There are several different types too. Roses, daisies, lilies and a whole bunch of others that Gajeel doesn’t know the name of. This sick game can continue on for days.
Sensing Gajeel’s panic, Plant Chick begins to console him. She walks over to him, kneeling beside him whispering soothing words as she pats his head. “Don’t worry Black Steel, I have hundreds of flowers. We can play again and again forever!”
‘Please stop! Hurt me instead! I’m the asshole who hurt you, not Levy. Let her go home. I’ll do anything!’ Again, none of his words are heard.
“Oh no, are you sick of playing already?” There’s a gleam in her eyes, “Well all you have to do is say the magic word silly!”
The plant muzzle unwraps itself from his mouth. Gajeel coughs for a few minutes before trying to speak.
“Please?” Gajeel begs. His voice is rough, and it cracks in several places.
“Oh silly! That’s not the magic word.” She laughs. “If you want to save your little Fairy, all you need to say is my name.”
Gajeel sucks in a deep breath. He doesn’t remember her name. He hadn’t bothered to learn it all those years ago. Juvia would know it, even after all this time. But Gajeel wasn’t that kind of person back then. He looks up at Levy. Her brown eyes are full of pain and understanding. Levy knows Gajeel doesn’t know Plant Chick’s name.