The first thing any of the Slayers gang looks for when they hit a town is, as we all know- Food.
The second thing they seek out is an inn with a hot bath and comfortable beds. Which is just what the legendary Lina Inverse and her sidekick Gourry Gabriev have been doing...
Tired and footsore, but full - Lina staggered into her rented room, her mercenary sidekick a step behind. Removing her shoulder-guards and cape, she let them fall to the floor with a dull thud, making a beeline for the bed. Landing on it, the tiny sorceress lay sprawled-out, pleasure on her cute little face.
"This feel so good! I could sleep forever on this bed!"
"Um, Lina - " Gourry ventured from the doorway, dropping both their packs on the floor. "There' s only one bed." He scratched his head. The petite sorceress pointed to a small couch shoved against the wall in a corner of the room.
"That's why you're sleeping there, Jellyfish-Brain."
"But I, uh - "
Lina grunted in reply, flinging a blanket and pillow at him, both slamming into his face. Gourry gave a muffled "ouch" and sank to the floor.
"C' mon, c' mon!" Lina urged, motioning towards the couch. "Hurry up and get settled already! I'm tired and I wanna get some sleep!"
The blonde mercenary struggled with the blanket a moment, trying to get it arranged properly. He succeeded only in tying it into a knot around his left wrist.
"Honestly!" Lina sighed, her eyes rolling skyward. She grumbled under her breath while stomping over to set Gourry free. "Can't you do anything for yourself?"
Gourry simply stood there, a confused look on his face.
"Gimme that," Lina snapped, snatching the blanket from him. She set about getting his sleeping arrangement straight while he looked on. When she finished, she pushed him down onto the couch.
"There. Now go to sleep, will ya?" She turned and moved towards her bed.
"Hey, Lina?"
"Now what?!"
"Could you come tuck me in?" he asked innocently.
Lina facefaulted. "Tuck you in?!" she growled when she recovered. "Whaddaya mean 'tuck you in?'"
Gourry's face went blank."Its just that no one's done it for a really long time and I thought it'd be nice if you'd just tuck me in-"
"How old are we again?!" she interrupted. "Since when does a 22-year-old mercenary need to be tucked in?!! I've been on the road for several years now, and I haven't been tucked in or given a glass of water or even a goodnight kiss since I was eight!!!"
She paused in her tirade for breath, giving Gourry the chance to throw in a simple (Gourry-logic) question: "Would you like a goodnight kiss?"
Now it was Lina's turn to go blank. "I, uh..." A blush spread across her cheeks and a sweatdrop trailed its way down her temple. Hurriedly she threw the blanket over her sidekick's body, gave his chest a quick pat, then sped off to her own bed. Gourry watched her go. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked himself. He shrugged, knowing Lina reacted to the strangest things, and lay down. He was asleep in moments.
Lina, on the other hand, was finding it difficult to relax. Her mind refused to give in to sleep; it kept replaying Gourry's idiotic question. What the hell made him ask that?! Its not like I suggested it or anything. Could it be that he - Nah! Gourry wouldn't know love if it bit him in the ass. He's such an idiot!
But then, she recalled the sincerity in his voice, the look in his blue eyes... Would you like a goodnight kiss?
Lina growled, buried her head under her pillow, and promptly told her brain to "shove it." With that, she curled up under her covers and forced herself to fall asleep.
Somewhere around midnight, Lina felt something cold touch the sole of her left foot. Another something wet and slimy wriggled its way across her big right toe. She opened her eyes and froze when those somethings began making their chilly, disgusting way up her ankles...
Lina yanked back the covers, preparing to fireball the somethings, saw what they were -
And screamed.
Gourry was awakened by the weight of someone leaping onto the couch and crashing into him. Groggily he opened his eyes and saw a petrified Lina, her eyes wide and face pale. She was babbling hysterically and proceeded to latch onto him, her arms around his neck.
"Slugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugsslugs!"
"Huh?"
She pointed a shaky finger towards her bed. Gourry went to investigate, carrying her with him since she refused to let go. Sure enough, at the foot of Lina's bed, three tiny slugs crawled among the sheets. Lina clung tighter to Gourry's neck and raised the intensity of her screams.
The blonde man leaned over and flicked the slugs off the bed. They disappeared amidst the dust bunnies in the corner.
"There, Lina. No more slugs."
"No more slugs?"
He carried her back to the couch and sat down, her still clinging to his chest.
"Nope, all gone."
"You sure?" She looked up at him, eyes all big and watery.
"Yep, I'm sure."
With a sigh she relaxed against him, though her lower lip trembled.
"You need to sleep, Lina." Gourry lifted her once more to return her to her own bed, when she set up another wail like a frightened child.
"No!! What if more come?!"
Again, Gourry-logic came through: "Oh, yeah...Well I guess you'll have to sleep here on the couch, then." He smiled down at her, pausing when he noticed her eyes beginning to close. "That was short," he murmured as her body went limp in his arms. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he lay down, cradling Lina gently against him, and pulled the blanket over them both. Her warmth against his body was soothing, and Gourry too drifted off to dream.
The morning sunlight shone through the smoky panes of the window in bright streaks, laying in warm yellow patches across the couch. Gourry woke to Lina softly snoring into his chest. He looked down at her, his mind wandering. How did Lina - Oh, yeah. The slugs. The light played with her hair, bringing out gold highlights among the red mass. Her face was child-like, relaxed in sleep, her lips slightly parted. Her hands were balled into lax fists which rested against him.
Watching her sleep, something within Gourry stirred. Somehow, he decided, this felt right, waking up to Lina sleeping against him like this. Maybe it should be like this every morning... Though he didn't quite know why he was feeling the way he did, the blonde man slipped a careful arm around the girl, hugging her gently close to him. He didn't really want to let go. He was her protector, but now something inside him wanted to be more than just that. Would she ever look at him with the same emotions he was experiencing shining in her ruby eyes? Maybe someday...
Enjoy the moment while you can, a voice within spoke. Gourry smiled softly, extending a hesitant finger to stroke those red-gold locks, finding they were as soft as they looked. He tucked her head under his chin and sighed, closing his eyes and catching a quick nap. Lina would be up soon...
Lina stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She yawned, attempting to stretch, but found her movements were restricted. Coming to her senses, she found herself within the circle of Gourry's arms, snuggled against his chest. How did I - Oh, yeah, the slugs. She shuddered involuntarily. Have I been here all night? Lina noticed the sunlight pouring through the windowpanes. Hmm...Guess I have. She looked up into Gourry's face. The mercenary's breaths came in a slow, steady rhythm. Why have I never noticed how handsome he really is? And she had to admit, his warmth around her felt good, almost right, as if his arms were meant to be around her. She felt safe, protected...dare she say, loved? It was a feeling she'd not had in years, since her life back in her hometown. Oh, it seemed so long ago.
She looked back up at Gourry. He looks like a little kid when he sleeps. So innocent... Lina reached a gentle finger up to capture a lock of his blonde hair and curl it around the digit. Huh...I never thought his hair would be so soft...I'd love to just lay here, but...we do need to get going... Carefully she pulled out of the swordsman's embrace, tucked the blankets around him, letting her fingers linger on the warm spot on his chest where she'd just lain.
"Maybe someday, Gourry..."
The sorceress went about gathering her things, slung her armor over a shoulder, and sought the baths, leaving her sidekick to dream about a certain red-haired girl who held his heart.