Letting out a heavy sigh as she walked the streets of Magnolia heading to the one place she loved, her home away from home. On a technicality it was more considered her second home away from home since she spent so much time at the guild as well – but that aspect was less important. What was important was the fact that she was finally able to go there after being away for so long. Okay well in truth it had only been a week since she was last there but it felt longer especially with the last job she and the rest of Team Natsu had just completed.
The blonde winced as she thought about the job. The job itself seemed pretty simple; take out several dark mages terrorizing the town. Natsu had chosen it and Erza and Gray both believed it would be simple, with a good reward and they should be able to get away without any collateral damage.
When they arrived they found out that there was only six mages and Team Natsu felt quite confident that this would be done quickly. However when it came to fighting the task was a bit more difficult that what they had expected and for her it was even more so for her, especially since her keys ended up stolen and then she had to forcefully summon Taurus and Loke which of course took a huge toll on her body as she wasn't even close to being ready for something like that.
Luckily for her they both managed to take out their enemy quickly and retrieve her keys before any real damage had been done to her. After the fight they turned in the criminals, got their money – full reward – and returned home. Once there the blonde had practically ran up to her apartment for a long hot bath to ease her aching body before deciding to spend the rest of the day at her favorite home.
Looking up at the large building she couldn't help but smile brightly then climbing the steps to the entrance, entering and quietly greeting the librarian. She took in a breath feeling happy before making her way past the entrance and stepping into the world of books. The shelved lined walls filled the room with so many books it always left her feeling a bit overwhelmed seeing so many books in one place and it was only the first floor. Smiling she made her way to the stairs, climbing them carefully intending to go to the third floor where her favorite genre of books would be awaiting her. Feeling the excitement bubble up inside of her she resisted the urge to suddenly run up to the second floor to find a book and begin a new life.
Continuing the walk as let out a sigh as the scent of books and dust filled her nose as she stepped onto the third floor, the room empty as it always was. In fact the library itself was often if not always void of other people when she visited. She wondered if anyone besides herself had enjoyed the books like the ones here but it never seemed like they did.
She had once brought Levy to her special library, knowing a fellow book lover would enjoy it just as much as she and while the bluenette had said she liked it she preferred the other library as the books were newer and there were more books there than here, along with the fact that it was plenty for her research. The blonde celestial wizard had obviously disagreed as the new library felt so sterile and for a library it was quite loud, not something she wanted when she came to a place to read and enjoy some quiet time away from the rambunctious members of team Natsu.
Shaking her head the blonde began walking down one of the numerous aisles of books skimming the various titles looking for something to spark her interest. Her fingers gliding along the shelves hoping to find a good read this time. A smile appeared as she thought about all of the various books she had read here. Adventure, fantasy, comedy, romance. She loved nearly every genre and of course most of the books she had read were a combination of romance and another. Being a girl she was a bit of a sucker for romance itself. Letting out a sigh she focused on reading the titles of the books hoping one would spark her interest soon.
After walking a few of the aisles she finally found one that caught her attention, pulling it from the shelf she read the back of the novel. "Karina said that his heart was made of iron, that nothing could faze the man. She said that he had no compassion and that he was heartless. At her friend's words Lizabeta smirked, slightly surprising Karina. "Even iron can be melted." Lucy blushed a little at reading the back finding that it somehow made her think of the iron dragon slayer in her guild, for obvious reasons. Deciding to read this one today she maneuvered through the shelves easily and found the small area of the floor where readers could sit and enjoy their book.
Once the seating area came into view she stopped walking, only able to stare in shock, her book almost slipping from her grasp. Giving her head a shake she looked to the man again not believing her eyes. There was no way he was here, it was impossible for this man to be here, sitting on the couch, his legs propped up on the arm, the rest of him lying back, arms up as he read his book.
The expression on his face slightly serious as he read his lips occasionally forming the words of what he was reading. "This is impossible. I can't really be seeing this can I?" She stared for a moment longer before closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh deciding that maybe she was just being delusional.
The blonde celestial mage took a seat in one of the oversized chairs getting comfortable before opening her book only to find herself, distracted as the man not too far from her slowly sat up and spoke the name she feared would come from his lips.
"Bunny girl?" She closed her eyes tightly as it was now confirmed just who was sitting across from her. Looking up at him she nodded her head noticing the tension in his body. "What are you doing here?" He asked his voice low, tone curious.
She blinked. "I come here all the time when I'm not at the guild or out on a job." She glanced around before looking at him once more. "What are you doing here?" He reacted instantly at her question, his body becoming more rigid – if that was even possible – and he looked around as if he was worried someone besides her might hear.
"I come here often." She took note of his voice, it was soft and she could tell there was something about the way he spoke that made her curiosity peek. "When I have any free time. I like to come here and read."
Lucy could only stare at him feeling bewildered at his words. Had Gajeel Redfox, Black steel Gajeel, the iron dragon slayer just admit to her that he liked to read and often? Lucy took a breath, trying to gather her thoughts. Either she was seriously delusional or she just found out that Gajeel may be a bookworm. A closet bookworm. She could feel her lips twitch in slight amusement.
"You say anything to anyone and I'll skin you alive." He threatened.
The blonde blinked in response, her brain finally catching up with her as a smile appeared on her face. "I promise not to say anything to anyone but it is nice to see that you like to read." He leaned back in the seat and she could see him visibly relaxing. "Though I must admit that you teasing Levy all the time is a bit silly since you enjoy reading as well." She teased fighting the urge to giggle when a faint pink dusted his cheeks.
"Shut up about it." He grumbled and Lucy let out a small giggle causing his eyes to narrow as he glared at her. She covered her mouth at the sight before her. An angry Gajeel with a blush on his face. For some odd reason she found it really adorable.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." She shifted in her seat getting comfortable once more. "Books are a great thing; they take you to a new world." She lifted her book opening it to the first chapter. "It's why I love them so much." She turned to her book to begin reading slightly surprised he had agreed with her statement.
A small smile crept onto her lips and she turned her attention to her book once more excited to read it and find out just how Lizabeta could make an iron heart melt.