Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima.
Surprisingly Different
This, wasn't how he expected his night to turn out in the end. Although if there's one thing that he'd learned through life – among other things – is that you should expect the unexpected. However, this unexpected was not something he was expecting.
The day started out as usual, like any other typical day at the guild; there was brawling, socializing, and merriment. Then the evening time came about and the atmosphere settled for the musical entertainment, to which he had chosen to perform the new song he had written. Once nighttime finally arrived the guild was back to its usual high-spirited ambience, along with encores, laughter, and blasted drinks to go around.
Nearly everyone was feeling daring enough to drink their fill and more, and get wasted participating in a nightly game of Kings. Those involved had wound up creating a shit-storm of themselves that damn well wrecked the guildhall, leaving the elderly Guild Master – in his drunken state – to pass out in comical dismay. Fortunately for himself not much action had been sent his way; he wasn't up to busting a few heads, but he was all for watching the pissed mages putting on a show and making fools of themselves. It was one thing that he never got bored of seeing from his guildmates – they were their very own comic relief.
After the, calamity, had ceased – with the guildhall left in a chaotic state that seemed that it had been struck by a whirlwind, or a full powered breath attack from Wendy – those who'd been sober throughout the mayhem had been tasked on Mirajane's behalf to escort those who were incapable of making the journey home by themselves. For obvious reasons.
Some people required more help than others. Thus, one person in particular – who was intimidating when clearheaded and a walking Armageddon when not – was somebody no one in their mind wanted to take home. Save for himself, unpredictably. He supposed that meant he wasn't in the right frame of mind then. Either way, here he was walking through Magnolia; Gajeel Redfox playing chaperone to a hammered Erza Scarlet who he was carrying by piggyback.
"I AM THE QUEEN!" Blurted the drunk woman; words loud and punctuated for emphasis.
'She really can't hold her liquor.' Thought the Dragon Slayer. Once they'd left the guild Erza had been talking nonstop – fiercely – making proclamations about her "prestige". 'Damn that She-Devil for lettin' her drink so damn much.'
"Un-MATCHED IN ERA!"
"Yeah…" If it was never clear to him beforehand then now he knew, that some women in Fairy Tail became freakishly bizarre when drunk. The Rain Woman turned into an emotional teary-eyed basket-case; Bunny Girl turned into some lovey-dovey affectionate weirdo; and Shrimp went from a cheerful and intellectual bookworm, to an overly energetic laughing maniac. 'Not ta mention the Sky Dragon just zones out instantly and her cat becomes a bossy bitch. When did the kid have a chance ta get her hands on alcohol anyways?'
And as for Erza, she turned into an angry tyrant. Too temperamental and quick to assault any and all who opposed her.
"ENEMIES QUAKE BENEATH THE WINDS OF MY MAJESTY!" plus pride shifted into inflated egotism, "AND MY SUBJECTS FLOCK TO THE ROAR OF MY CALLING!"
"Uh-huh." He responded drearily. It was crucial that he agreed – as half-assed as he sounded – with the angry red often, otherwise she would turn sour and become very unhappy. He'd already suffered a blow to the back of the head. 'There's bound ta be a complaint about disturbin' the peace after t'night.' Gajeel had to let out a scoff, thinking Makarov was bound to suffer a migraine or an aneurysm should his already tall stack of paperwork reach any higher.
"I Am An AMAZON!"
"Sure ya are." He said with a sigh.
"Men AND Women, MARVEL AT THE SIGHT OF MY MAG-NIFICENT BOSOM!" She says, puffing out her chest so that her breasts squashed against Gajeel's back.
Let it never be said the Dragon Slayer was incapable of being nice, and patient. He felt so tempted to dump Erza somewhere on the street for abusing his heightened sense of hearing with her annoying prattle, but decided against it because even if he did manage to somehow ditch the redhead she was bound to track him down like a deranged bloodhound. Plus, he wasn't too keen on receiving an earful from Mirajane as to why her friend never made it home and was instead causing a ruckus someplace in town.
"You think I have a mag-nificent bosom don't you Gajeel?" She asked the Dragon Slayer, speaking at a normal volume. Resting her head on Gajeel's shoulder Erza stared at him expectantly.
Right now he wondered if he should actually answer or just stay quiet. Considering that the redhead's mind was distorted from drinking so much she was unpredictable. Admitting that her "rack is amazin'" could have the aggressive mage snapping his neck for giving the wrong answer. But then was there even a right answer in this situation.
'If I don't say anythin' she might snap my neck either way.' He thought, not liking his chances one bit.
"Gajeel." Erza said his name menacingly, her patience wearing thinner and thinner by the second.
At this point Gajeel figured he might as well meet his end. Perhaps she'll make it quick. Perhaps he'll barely feel a thing.
"Yeah, I do." He finally answered.
"SAY I HAVE A MAGNFICENT BOSOM!"
'Honestly the lungs in this woman.' "Y'have a magnificent bosom." He says in a mild manner, groaning with irritation.
An eerie silence had followed seconds after he replied. It seemed as though the world's time had slowed to a crawl before coming to an imminent stop; himself and Erza being the only two individuals still functioning as normal. Gajeel could feel the redhead's gaze on him – her eyes boring into flesh, watching him in his own words, "like a fuckin' hawk". So he just kept on walking, waiting for her to react, or say something. Anything at least. With the suspense Gajeel didn't feel up to talking, especially with a woman whose expression was unreadable and thoughts hidden.
The Dragon Slayer was thinking of the different ways she could – spontaneously – end his life. Choked to death, bludgeoned, impaled with swords, or spears, or she could dismember him. Just thinking of having to defend himself against an angry drunk Erza made him feel less confident in his defensive power.
'Jeez woman say somethin' dammit!' He never thought the scarlet-haired knight could make him feel so uncomfortable.
"OF COURSE YOU THINK I DO!" Her sudden bellow caused the black-haired youth to flinch and nearly choke on his air.
Grateful to not end up suffocating Gajeel never felt so relieved to still be breathing.
"Gajeel…" Erza spoke with a hushed tone.
"What?" The black-haired Slayer noticed that she had spoken awfully close to his ear, lips brushing against the shell.
"I have a great body, don't I?" She asked with an obvious growl.
'Oh for fuck sake.' If this was her attempt at trying to sound sexy then he hadn't the faintest clue. It was hard for him to tell. "Yeah, that also."
"Obviously," she said with an unbidden snarl, "I Am An Amazonian GODDESS! HEAR ME ROAR!" Releasing a prideful roar whilst pumping her fist into the air, Erza was oblivious to the fact that she was wringing Gajeel's neck.
'Repressing – RE-PRESS-ING!' Gajeel's internal mantra was the only thing keeping him from retaliating against the scarlet-haired woman.
He really, really hoped, that the female dormitory wasn't much farther away. The sooner he could throw the redhead into bed the sooner he could go about his own business and get some much-needed therapy for his neck.
"…You're a good person, Gajeel." Erza said to him, voice sullen. Even though she wasn't entirely back to her usual self it was nonetheless uncharacteristic of her to sound solemn towards Gajeel. Her difference in behaviour was unnerving to him, and he became more unnerved when she started nuzzling his black mane. "You have my sincerest apologies, for the way I have acted towards you in the past."
Apart from being wary, distrustful, and giving him withering glares at every convenience, what more had she done to him? 'This is weird.'
"You have done so much for Fairy Tail, and you have helped its people in your own way. People like Master Makarov, Mirajane, Wendy, Lucy… Wendy…"
"You said Wendy twice."
"DON'T INTERUPT ME!" Whilst yelling Erza dramatically threw her head back before delivering a strong headbutt to the back of Gajeel's head.
"GAH! DAMMIT WOMAN!"
"Oh nooo." Crooning, she nuzzled Gajeel once again and tenderly, stroked his sore spot, "You are mad at me. Please, hit me."
Tempting proposal, however, "I'm not… mad."
"You're not?" Now Erza sounded timid and anxious, as though she had become Wendy when she first became a member of Fairy Tail.
"No." It wasn't a lie. Annoyed? Yes. Ticked? Certainly. Aggravated? Definitely. But mad? "I'm not."
For a short time the two travelled in silence. They had now reached a grassy highland where Gajeel began to trek up a rocky pathway.
"You are very hard."
'Here we go again,' Gajeel thought lamely, rolling his eyes in the process, 'and I wouldn't be hard if ya weren't feelin' me up woman.'
She explored him with unnecessary touching, "And strong also." Prodding his body and caressing just as much.
The Dragon Slayer wasn't used to anyone touching him, let alone being on the receiving end of any sort of physical display of affection.
"You are a strong and independent man, who does not need a woman."
'What the fuck!?' a bead of sweat trailed down the side of his face, 'isn't it supposed to be the other way around?'
"Why do you not have a woman in your life?" The redhead asked out of curiosity, looking at the male with a weak leer.
"Coz I don't." He answered heatedly. Gajeel had no intention of divulging Erza with the details of his love life – or rather lack thereof.
If she were regular, Erza would have persisted in gathering more information to satisfy her interest, however it seemed that alcohol had a delayed effect of making her more humble of another person's privacy, 'I believe I may have crossed a line.' Noticing the Dragon Slayer's tensed facial features, Erza wanted to lessen the strain with an idea her tired mind had just thought of.
"This is a space base~."
"!"
"This is a space base. Can you hear me~?"
"Those are my lyrics." Gajeel recognized, surprised that Erza could remember his song, as well hearing her sing at all.
"You are supposed to sing with me." She said vehemently.
Exhaling an exasperated sigh Gajeel turned to his companion, "Fine, start from the top."
Clearing her throat Erza began to restart.
"This is a space base~."
"This is a space base. Can you hear me~?"
"Air is enough…"
"No need to worry~."
"At least enough for two~."
[Music: Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator – Freesia]
This is space base.
Information, resources, You have everything.
Find what's lacking far more difficult
Except for one little thing.
The Whole world is kind to me
But sorry, sorry, sorry.
Wearing a fine suit, paying by a credit card
But I cannot prove myself.
This is a space base.
This is a space base. Can you hear me?
The world may crumble down with
Just one piece missing.
The Whole world is kind to me
But sorry, sorry, sorry.
Wearing a shining crown
Paid by a blanc cheque
That still will not convince myself.
This is the centre, of the universe
But without her, I'm not here.
Only my shell remains here
Lonely my soul left somewhere.
FREESIA!
Here I am
And sorry, sorry, sorry.
Flying through the galaxies
Hands shaken everywhere
But I, but I want you by my side.
The Whole world is kind to me
But sorry, sorry, sorry.
Wearing a fine suit, paying by a credit card.
But I cannot prove myself.
As he sang the last note Gajeel felt calmer than before, but quite unsettled - the song was quite the emotional sort, and while he was expressive with his performance he tried not to overwhelm himself with the emotional depth contained in the song, especially when in her presence. Nevertheless, he had to admit to himself that for a woman who he never saw participate in song and who always remained in the audience, Erza didn't sound too bad, believing that she would sound better if she were fresh.
"Hm?" sited at the top of the hill was their destination; Fairy Hills, "Not long now Scarlet."
Raising her head and managing to discern the tall establishment through weary eyes Erza started to bounce in Gajeel's hold.
"Faster. MAKE HASTE MY DRAGON STEED!"
When her companion ignored her demand Erza re-quipped a gauntlet which she used to smack the Dragon Slayer across the head.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?"
"I SAID MAKE HASTE!" She continued to assault her black-haired carrier until he broke off into a sprint.
"ALRIGHT-ALRIGHT I'M GOIN'." He retorted as he sped up the hill, running at breakneck speeds.
"RUN TOOOO THE HIIIIILLS."
'Fuck Me!'
After a heated argument – started by Erza – about Gajeel being allowed to enter the building and taking the redhead all the way up to her room, and the young woman funnily enough retaining enough sense to "abide by the rules", Gajeel had pushed his luck and succeeded in carrying the sleepy Re-quip Mage to her quarters.
"Would ya let go of me already."
The problem now though was that Erza wouldn't free him from her hold. He was seated on the edge of her bed, with a drowsy S-Class Mage clinging to him like a baby koala bear.
"No!" Erza said in defiance sounding like a petulant stubborn child.
"Yer the one who didn't want me in 'ere t'begin with." Reminding her in hopes that she'd let go.
"I want you to tuck me in." She said with a temperamental whine.
"I ain't tuckin' ya in."
"Tuck me in."
"No." Gajeel reprimanded.
"Tuck me in!" Erza persisted.
"No dammit!"
"Gajeel I demand you tuck me in this instant!" She barked with an authoritative tone of voice, pulling Gajeel backwards so that he was lying on top of her.
"For fuck sake what are ya doin'!?" Indignantly the Dragon Slayer flailed his limbs like a prone turtle stuck on its back.
"T'k mrr 'n."
Sighing and resigning himself to being Erza's hostage the studded youth just laid on top of the redhead, letting time pass till it seemed like hours had flown by. Soon enough the young woman's hold on him loosened and Gajeel could hear a light, muffled snore coming from the person beneath him.
"'Bout time." Untangling her limbs he rose and stood from the bed.
As he made his way to the entrance of her very spacious apartment Gajeel stopped in his tracks. With a heavy sigh – which he seemed to be doing a lot of recently – he turned back and reentered Erza's room. Now that she was mostly unconscious and less of a pain to deal with he decided to heed her demand and tuck her into her bed. "Can't say I never do anythin' nice for ya."
Whilst he fixed her form and covered her up a long tress of his hair fell onto Erza's face.
"Mmm… long…" She mumbled, fading in and out of sleep; her eyes fluttering open and closing.
Stopping his actions Gajeel stared at her, watching the half-asleep knight as she turned her head away with his hair gliding across her mouth.
"Too… long…" Mumbling for the second time Erza's face fixed into a scowl; spinning roughly onto her side so that she was facing away from Gajeel the sleepy redhead kept groaning, reiterating those two words.
'…'
Once she had settled Gajeel left her apartment and the building without issue. Leisurely walking to his own isolated home Gajeel was lost in his own contemplativeness.
'It's not that long is it?'
Next Day…
To be expected from last night's events the guild was quite empty. It was clear those who'd gotten carried away were at home nursing killer hangovers.
Since it was a quiet day there wasn't much for Mirajane to do. The mages present had already been seen to, and with her siblings elsewhere the barmaid was left to ponder.
The sound of the guild's doors opening had the platinum-haired barmaid's eyes wandering over to the entrance to see a brooding Dragon Slayer stalking towards her bar with his black Exceed partner sitting atop his head, cushioned in the young man's thick hair.
"Morning guys."
"Good morning Mirajane." Lily greeted.
Gajeel simply gave the eldest Strauss sibling a grunt in response, too lost in his own mind to give a vocal reply.
"Don't mind him, he's been on edge since this morning." Said Lily observing his closest friend from his perch.
"Really?" Mirajane tilted her head, quite eager to know why the male was so withdrawn, "do you happen to know the reason as to why he's so, apprehensive?"
The black Exceed shook head, "Unfortunately not, but I found him in the bathroom earlier staring at himself in the mirror."
"Oh?"
"Mm-hm, I was certain lasers were going to shoot from his eyes."
Giggling, Mirajane leaned in close. The studded mage was so deep in thought that she figured she could snap her finger and he wouldn't react. 'I wonder what's on his mind?'
Moving away she turned her attention to the black feline, "Would you like a kiwi smoothie in the meantime Lily?"
Eyes sparkled like starlight as Lily nodded fervently.
"Alright then, won't be long." With a smile the barmaid headed into the kitchen to prepare Lily's beverage. Not long later she returned with a smoothie in hand. "There you go, enjoy."
"Thank you kindly." Drinking down the beverage with delight his black tail swished from side to side. "Mm~"
"Mirajane." Snapping his head up Lily was jolted by Gajeel's sudden action, which had the warrior cat panicking at having almost dropped his drink.
"Welcome back." A little bit surprised that he called her by her given name rather She-Devil or Daemon. "Are you doing okay?"
Looking fearful and feeling his heart pound rapidly the Dragon Slayer took a moment to relax his nerves before speaking, "I… need a favor."
This got both Mirajane and Lily to raise their brows. What would Gajeel need the Satan Soul user to help him with that he would sound reluctant to ask?
"What would like for me to do, Gajeel?"
"Well…"
Sometime Later...
"Are you sure that you want to go through with this?"
"Yes." Gajeel said gruffly.
"I can't believe you're actually doing this." Said Panther-Lily, sounding shocked at what his friend was putting himself through.
"Well believe it."
"We don't have to, you know." Mirajane spoke; even though she was partaking in this funny, and rather sad situation, she did indeed feel worried for the black-haired Dragon Slayer. The poor man looked like he wanted to cry.
"I-Want-To!"
"It's not too late to stop, this, Gajeel."
"I GOTTA LILY, IT'S TIME!"
"Fine. If… If you must." The black Exceed hung his head, mind in such disarray that he couldn't understand the reasoning behind his brother's… rash decision.
"Lily." Scared, Gajeel called his friend's name.
"Yes?"
"Hold my hand will ya. Please."
"O-Of course." Resting a paw turned enlarged hand on Gajeel's the transformed feline gave the brave young man's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"M-Mira-j-jane."
"Yes?"
"B-Be gentle alright." Neither of them had ever seen nor heard the Dragon Slayer sound so distraught before; his fierce and rebellious draconic eyes wreathed with despair and uncertainty.
"I will." Mirajane assured him.
"P-Promise?"
Giving his side a gentle stroke the platinum-haired beauty moved towards his ear and softly spoke, "I promise. I'll start off slow just for you, okay."
Gajeel responded with a shaky nod before thanking her.
"Alright, let's begin."
The Following Day…
"I will not be playing a drinking game for a long, long, time."
The Celestial Mage spent the whole of the previous day and night resting in the comfort of her home, wrapped up nicely in her bed like a burrito. The blonde wasn't particularly one to drink, neither did she mean to drink at all that night. But after joining Fairy Tail and embracing more of her newfound freedom Lucy eventually began to indulge herself with more of what life had to offer, unlike her years of adolescence from when she was an heiress. Unfortunately, her guildmates – one drunk for certain – had made her a bit too free in some regards, and without a doubt playing Kings had made her the worst thus far.
"I really need to thank Virgo again for taking care of me," the ever-dutiful virgin zodiac had come to her mistress's aid at her own behest, escorting the blonde home and maintaining her existence in the physical realm to play caretaker, "she does way too much for sometimes." Thinking of the pink-haired maid spoiling her had Lucy smiling at the level of attentiveness Virgo gave to her.
Reaching the entrance to the guild Lucy made her way inside, entering a packed guildhall of mages who had already established a whimsical air. Seeing that her team was not present she headed over to the bar, sending Mirajane a wave in greeting.
"Well hello there Sunshine," the barmaid/model smiled, "feeling all better now?"
In a sheepish moment, Lucy dropped her head and rubbed it nervously, "Yeah, as better as I can be I guess. Virgo made sure I'd be as right as rain when I next came by." She said, taking a seat on a vacant bar stool.
"I have no doubt about that." Said Mirajane. "Strawberry shake as usual?"
"Yes please."
As Mirajane left to make her drink Lucy surveyed the guild before her eyes landed on the request board. Noticing the cluster of job flyers pinned up she felt that it would be a good idea to take a request and get away for a while.
'I can start saving up jewels for my next payment.' She thought, always thinking ahead when it concerned her rent.
"Here we are." Returning to the bar the platinum-haired barmaid handed Lucy her drink.
"Ah, thank you." Breathing a sigh as the cool temperature worked its way through her something had caught her attention from the side of her vision. "Hm?"
A few seats away was a person the blonde did not recognize. From first glance Lucy was able to ascertain a tall and muscular man, but with them sitting with their back towards her she couldn't see their face.
'Must work out a lot.'
The man was wearing a form fitted midnight t-shirt; tight enough that even with the dark color Lucy could make out the contours of his broad back.
'And he's lean too.' She observed, also noticing the visible lines of the tri-cep muscle of his tanned arm that was resting on the bar counter.
He wore a pair of baggy, dark leaf green coloured trousers tucked into a pair of brass tanned boots, and a brass colored belt tied around his waist.
"So, will you be taking a job anytime soon, Lucy?" The abrupt question had Lucy being drawn out of her focus.
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm going to stay for a while." She answered, turning back to look at the man; unable to see what he had brought to his face, but the sound of crunching was heard. "Um, Mira…"
"Yes?"
"Who's that?" The blonde questioned, gesturing towards the enigma.
Following the blonde's line of sight the eldest Strauss sibling quirked a brow, "Him? why, can't you tell?"
"What?" Confused, Lucy gave the barmaid a quick look before turning away.
Mirajane responded to her as though the person's identity was obvious. Lucy couldn't understand what she'd been missing. Too focused, she once again failed to see what the man had grabbed and brought to his face. The sound of crunching was heard again, so Lucy chose to move closer, and her eyes widened when she saw a bowl of, "Metal… chips?" That, and the now clear sighting of four silver studs embedded in his forearm had the blonde reel back and stutter, "N-No way…?"
Mirajane was giggling at her friend's surprise. Lucy was one of the many people in Fairy Tail who possessed a sharp and analytical mind with keen insight, but it seemed that even with the zodiac spirits efforts, the Celestial Mage's brain was still running a little slow.
"Yes way."
"B-B-But…?"
"Hey girls." The sound of Cana approaching had no effect at snapping the blonde out of her surprise.
"Hello Cana, Gray." Mirajane addressed, noticing the raven-haired Ice Mage trailing behind the brunette.
Aware of Lucy's state the Card Mage attempted to grab her attention, "What's got you so awestruck girl? Lucy?" Snapping her fingers in front of the blonde's face had little effect.
"Ooh~, she's just surprised, that's all." Mirajane informed, unable to keep her laughter in check.
"By what?" asked Gray who was becoming as equally curious as Cana herself.
Gazing at the seated man that her friend was staring at, Cana let out a whistle, "Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"
Spotting the man Cana was ogling Gray cocked his head to the side, "Who's the new guy?"
Choosing to break the suspense Mirajane reached over and grabbed the male's arm, "Come on now, you might as well show yourself. Better that they see you first before the whole guild notices."
"Mira?" Gray watched as the Take Over Mage was trying to coax the man into showing himself; the two of them whispering amongst themselves. "You know who this guy is Lucy?" the blonde seemed to be only one out the three of them that had a clue of the man's identity, her face being the dead giveaway, "Lucy?"
"G-G-G-Gajeel?" the Celestial Mage stammered, earning looks of bafflement from Cana and Gray.
"Gajeel?"
"Come on. Don't be shy." Said Mirajane in a reassuring tone of voice.
The now identified man, who was Gajeel, slowly turned in his seat to face the threw mages, "I am not, shy." The Dragon Slayer claimed, grinding his teeth.
"GOSH, GAJEEL!" Lucy was the first to breach his personal space, stand directly in front of him and leaning in very close – standing on tip toes and levelling her eyes with his head.
"What the heck did you do man?" Stepping forward Gray examined the black-haired mage.
"Oh my…" voiced Cana.
Apart from the change in attire Gajeel wasn't all that different; he sounded the same and acted the same. However, when you looked higher up his person, that's where the actual change lied.
"For fuck sake quit yer starin' dammit!"
No longer did the Dragon Slayer have a long black mane which was one of the few features he was commonly known for apart from his silver studs, trademark laugh, and Magic Arts. Instead his thick hair was now short and spikey – slicked back with a single strand hanging down at the center. In addition, despite his clear irritation, Gajeel's face was much more relaxed rather than the tensed expression he displayed with his usual seriousness.
"I can't believe you, cut your hair." Lucy was astonished. Gajeel obviously loved his long hair; took pride in it. So for him to give it up was evidently surprising, and questionable.
"Not bad, right?" Mirajane chimed, "I wanted to give the sides a bit more work," pointing out the two long strands that were pulled back with the rest of his hair, "but Gajeel couldn't handle much more."
"You did this to him." Asked Cana grinning ear-to-ear.
"Sure did."
"Was this all part of some dare?" asked Gray finding it hard to believe that Gajeel would willingly cut his long hair.
"Nope." The She-Devil answered, "In fact Gajeel asked me to cut his hair for him."
"…Why?"
"None-Of-Ya-Business." The short-haired Dragon Slayer growled, baring his fangs and showing a blush on his cheeks.
The Ice Alchemist held his hands up in defeat, "I get it, touchy subject."
Lucy brought her hands up and combed her fingers through Gajeel's hair, which caused the male to freeze up.
"What are ya playin' at Bunny Girl?" Even if she didn't have a sharp object to hand Gajeel was still a bit shaken at having a pair of hands touching his hair. The time of the previous day still very much fresh in his mind.
"I, just wanted to feel, that's all." She had always been curious about how his hair felt. In her mind, Lucy always considered it'd be like a thick fur blanket that would be ideal against cold weather. She even fantasized about snuggling up against it, in the process of writing a novel whilst staying warm.
Walking to stand at his side Cana followed the blonde's lead, "Hmm~, very nice. Still, I wanna know why you cut your hair Stud?"
"He refuses to say." Said Panther-Lily who appeared out of nowhere.
"This ain't show 'n tell." Said the attended Dragon Slayer, groaning from the treatment he was receiving.
"Sorry," laughing nervously the Celestial Mage unwillingly retracted her fingers, "got carried away."
"HEY MIRA CAN YOU COOK THIS PLEASE?" Running towards the group Natsu was carrying a largely sized fish.
"DON'T DO IT MIRA. IT'LL GET RUINED IF YOU DO!" Happy; the blue Exceed flying overhead and arriving at the bar before the Fire Dragon Slayer.
"YOU'RE NOT EATING IT ALL." Natsu shouted to the blue feline.
"Why don't you just go halves?" Questioned the young Alberano, regarding it as though it were a no-brainer.
"Happy won't share. Just because he caught it he wants it all to himself." The Fire Dragon Slayer answered giving his surrogate son a sour look.
"Of course, I forget who we're dealing with." Cana replied dismissively. When it came to fish Happy was as greedy and gluttonous as they came, so not sharing his favorite – and only – choice of food was a given.
"Hey! I'm right here you know." Ears flopping the blue Exceed glumly floated down to the bar counter, upset at being ignored and insulted.
"Sharing is caring Happy."
"HAH!" Gray exclaimed, seeing the irony in rival's statement, "That's rich coming from you matchstick."
"You looking to start something popsicle?" Said Natsu, glowering at the exhibitionist.
"Here we go." Sensing that the two were about to start bickering Lucy made herself scarce and moved to sit closer to Cana, who'd already taken a seat at the bar next to Gajeel – who was hiding his face.
"Stop flailing that damn fish you blow torch." Yelled the Ice Mage avoiding the lifeless animal.
"MY FISH!" Cried the blue Exceed frantically shaking.
"Take this you ice cube." Natsu swung the fish with a wild swing aiming for the raven-haired teen's head.
Ducking by a hair's breadth Gray dodged the wild swing.
* SMACK *
Unfortunately, the aquatic animal was still in motion and had collided with someone else's head.
"Salamander."
Knocking the fish away the black-haired Dragon Slayer shot his fire breathing counterpart a feral glare.
"What the-METALHEAD!?" Natsu wasn't concerned at all about possibly receiving a beating from the man, he was too surprised at seeing his kin's different hairstyle.
"Don't fuckin' make a scene." Gajeel growled at the younger mage.
"AYE-KARUMBA! GAJEEL CUT HIS HAIR!"
"DAMMIT CAT!"
The Exceed's exclamation had drawn the attention of those stationed around the guildhall; a collective gasp resounding as they finally noticed the man of discussions startling change.
"Gajeel did what?"
"He cut his hair!?"
"Finally decided to cut that hedgehog huh?"
"SHUT IT!" Gajeel shouted. They had no idea how difficult it was for him to make this… traumatic sacrifice.
"He actually looks good with short hair." Said the guild's female gunslinger from the across the hall, "Quite sophisticated." Her opinion of the Dragon Slayer's new look had Alzack looking at Bisca with a slack jaw.
As the mages talked amongst themselves Gajeel sent Happy a death glare.
"Why you little."
"Ayeeeee!" in a fit of panic the blue feline threw himself at Gray and held out the Ice Mage's cross-shaped pendent, using it as a substitute holy cross, "Ankhseram repels you! Ankhseram repels you!"
"Oi! Happy cut that out now!" Reprimanded Gray, not appreciating his silver necklace being messed with.
"What is all this commotion about?"
With all the fussing the group were unaware of the scarlet-haired mages arrival.
"You're looking rather chipper today Erza." Mirajane comments taking in the redhead's appearance.
Instead of her usual custom made Heart Kruez armour the S-Class mage had her tied in a high ponytail. She opted to wear a form fitting black, long-sleeved roll neck shirt that she had tucked into a yellow plaid short skirt. Lastly, a pair of black high boots.
"Yes, it was a very productive day for me yesterday." She told the barmaid.
"What did you do?"
Folding her arms underneath her bust she began to tell the group of her time spent the previous day, "I hand spent many hours sweating out the alcohol from my system with a rigorous training session." Lucy, Cana and Gray should've expected as much from the redhead but just the thought of training with a hangover was ludicrous. "Afterwards I spent my time having a nice and relaxing hot bath, and after a good night's sleep I feel greatly refreshed."
It shouldn't have come as a surprise that Erza recovered quickly from her hangover, but it did. The woman had a paltry tolerance for alcohol – becoming tipsy after one shot in no time - and with the amount she drank they were certain the redhead would be absent for at least another day, or two. However, Erza always had an uncanny quick recovery time in most circumstances, but for her to spend an entire day training after a night of drinking was nothing short of absurd, even if said person was Erza herself.
"Well it's good to have you back. You were extremely heated that night." Said Mirajane.
"Surely I wasn't too harsh with my behavior?" Erza questioned.
'Yes you were!' was the group's shared thought, Gray and Natsu in particular reliving the nightmare of the night party when Erza had decided to participate in Kings and ended up downing her first drink. The Queen of the Fairies was a living scourge when under the influence, and her cluelessness of her behavior made the remembrance even more disconcerting for the two rivals.
"Oh~ you could've been worse." Said Mirajane, playing fickle for amusement.
"I see. Ah, that reminds me. Do you know of Gajeel's whereabouts at all?"
The redhead's enquiry was met with questioning eyes from the barmaid, "Why? Are you perhaps looking to thank your escort for taking you home safe and sound?"
Erza nodded, "Yes."
"Well, look no further." As she pointed to the man in question Erza quirked a fine brow at the unrecognizable individual who sat at the bar with hunched shoulders and a lowered head.
"Gajeel?" When he did not answer to his name Erza stepped forth and gave the introverted male and domineering stare. "Gajeel?" She said his name once more.
The black-haired Dragon Slayer glowered. Apart of him really didn't want to deal with the redhead; subconsciously rubbing the back of his head where he'd been struck multiple times when he carried her home. It may have been the booze working through her but that didn't change the fact that she was still a piece of work to deal with. Nevertheless, the situation was different, but just to be on the safe side and avoid receiving more brain damage he sighed and turned towards the scarlet-haired woman.
"What?"
Confronting the man for the purpose of saying thanks had been trounced by her newfound curiosity of his sudden and unexpected change.
'No, that can wait.' Getting her priorities in order, "I wanted to say thank you for sparing the time to take me home after the party."
"Was just doing what the Daemon asked." He said with modesty mixed in with his gruff tone of voice.
"Either way, I greatly appreciate your consideration." She offered him a gentle smile, "In my inhibited state, I hope that I was not too much of an inconvenience throughout the journey?"
"Y'were an annoyin' and abusive loudmouthed egotist who just wouldn't shut the fuck up", is what he wanted to actually say to her, but be it soft-heartedness or the fact that there was one moment during the journey that made putting up with her "bullshit" worth handling her in the end, Gajeel chose to lie for her benefit, just in case she went on an over-the-top guilt trip.
"Nah, ya weren't so bad." He told her.
"Positive?" She asked, not entirely convinced due to the Dragon Slayer's half-hearted assertion.
"Yeah," he replied, "Besides, it was kinda nice havin' a singin' partner." His confession had warranted more of the groups attention.
"So, our Titania has a singing voice does she?" Cana asked with a grin.
"I–"
"I didn't know you could sing Erza?" Said Lucy with interest.
"I can't-"
"Oh, maybe you could perform on stage next time. You can even sing along with Gajeel." Mirajane suggested ardently, hands clapped together at the possibility of a duet between the two guildmates.
"I can't sing Mira." Erza interjected forcefully after being interrupted twice.
"Oh, don't sell yourself short Erza. I'm sure you're not that bad, right Gajeel?"
"The alcohol botched her voice a little. But she'd sound better without the booze."
The redhead looked unconvinced, "I doubt there would be much significant improvement."
Gajeel kissed his teeth, "My opinion still stands." He declared whilst filling his mouth with metal chips.
Although her memory was still a haze, she did vaguely remember engaging in song with the burly Dragon Slayer. They had at first started together, and as they reached the end she became less involved until Gajeel was singing on his own.
While a proficient songwriter Gajeel wasn't particularly known for having an, eloquent, singing voice. But with the debut of his new song he sounded far better than before. His husky voice had wound up soothing her to some degree on their journey and she could feel herself slipping into unconscious. Comfortable; supported by his arms, and snuggled up against the providing warmth of his long black hair.
'Hair!' she remembered, "Gajeel?"
"Yeah."
"Why did you cut your hair?" She asked the one question that had been left hanging in the air for ages.
He came to a halt; a metal chip held inches from his mouth, "Why does it matter?"
"Well," she briefly paused, "your hair is an aspect that you gain much gratification from, no?"
"What are ya gettin' at Amazon?"
"I believe your decision to cut your hair was one of haste, unless–"
"Haste!" he was incredulous as he turned to look at the redhead, "Ya think this," pointing to his hair, "was 'haste'?"
"Then, why did you do it?" Asked the blonde Celestial Mage.
"I am curious as well Gajeel. It was no doubt sudden, and clearly difficult for you to follow through with the decision." Spoke Lily who looked at his partner. "You took great pride in your long hair, so why the change?" No matter how much he asked Gajeel refused to give him a reason. He should've been the first to know, but it seemed he would find out the same time as everyone else.
"C'mon Stud, tell us."
"Drop it Cartomancer."
"Maybe he was catching fleas." Said Happy, who was still latched onto the Ice Mage's person.
"I DID NOT CATCH FLEAS YA DAMN CAT!" Gajeel really wanted to send the blue feline flying skyward; badly.
"Perhaps you had become a bit haphazard with caring for it?" Was Erza's thought.
'The fuckin' nerve of her!' The Dragon Slayer turned livid. "It's yer fault I got it cut in first place!"
. . .
"My fault?" She was confused; what could she have possibly done to lead the black-haired Slayer into cutting his hair.
Gajeel cursed, muttering profanities for his slip of the tongue.
Something clicked inside the black Exceed's head. Connecting the dots he came to discover the truth behind Gajeel's actions. 'But even so, that shouldn't pose as an issue. Unless this was all done to…'
'Shit.' He had no doubt Lily had figured it out. The problem now was Erza herself; she wouldn't leave him alone until she was given an explanation, plus, the She-Devil had her ways of extracting the truth – persuasive ways. 'Like hell I'm lettin' her get inside my head.'
"Gajeel?" Erza stepped closer to the man. "If I had done something that may have in anyway offended you, then I apologize."
He groaned despondently, messaging his temple with a fixated scowl. "It wasn't what ya did… but what ya said."
"…What did I say?"
He didn't want to tell her with an audience; it'd be so much easier for him to tell her if they were alone.
"Ya said my hair was too long." He told her reluctantly.
The group started to wonder why a mere comment would make the Dragon Slayer cut his hair.
"When did I say this?" Erza asked him.
"When we were in yer room."
"Her room you say?" Spoke the brunette playfully making an implication.
Erza was about to exact the proper punishment on the Dragon Slayer – Cana's frisky insinuation filling her head with the notion that the man was being inappropriate with her – but she then recalled arguing with Gajeel and that eventually she conceded with allowing him to take her all the way to her room.
"I'm sorry. But my memory is still a bit of a blur."
Gajeel clicked his tongue, "Y'were half-asleep. Looked pretty pissed off when my hair touched ya."
"Half-asleep?" Erza was vaguely aware of her lucid state that night. In her reverie, she distinctly remembered regarding something as 'too long'. She did not however, recall referring to his hair. "Too long… too long… too… oh?" It hit her.
"Do you remember now Erza?" Mirajane asked from across the counter.
"I believe there has been a misunderstanding." All eyes turned on her. "I did say the words 'too long', but I was not referring to your hair, Gajeel."
Eyes widening by a margin he shoots the redhead with a hard look, "What?"
"I was thinking about swords." She informed him with a simple mannerism.
"…Swords?"
"Yes, specifically an Ōdachi. With its length and design, such a weapon would be best suited to being a ceremonial object. Personally, I don't find much particular use in it, considering its limited practicality. Nevertheless, I must admit that such a weapon would best be applicable for broad strokes and decisive, heavy strikes."
Whilst she had expressed her opinion of the traditional weapon Gajeel remained silent.
'All because of a sword?' He was too withdrawn from the outside world that he did not feel Panther-Lily nudging him.
"Gajeel, are you alright?"
"Sword…" he muttered. Rising from his seat with a melancholic aura the Dragon Slayer began to trudge his way towards the guild's entrance.
"Gajeel?" Panther-Lily sprouted his white wings and flew over to the depressed mage, futilely trying to earn his attention.
"I cut my hair… over a sword." He sounded with clear disbelief.
'He's going to be like this for a while.' The black feline mused.
As the black-haired Dragon Slayer left the guild the group of friends looked on with confusion.
"What was that about?" Questioned the Fire Dragon Slayer who had surprisingly refrained from making any noise throughout the conversation.
"No idea."
"He got really depressed all of a sudden." Noted the former heiress.
"Looked tragic if you ask me." Said Cana who was drinking from a bottle of wine.
The S-Class redhead wasn't sure how she should proceed. The misunderstanding had been resolved but she felt that there was more that she remained ignorant of.
"Well it all makes sense now." Said the Satan Soul user. Watching the draconic mage's exchange with Erza helped to tie up the loose ends she had worked join.
"What makes sense?"
"Is there something you know about Mira?"
"C'mon girl spill the beans."
The platinum-haired woman placed a finger to her chin, sapphire eyes aimlessly looking elsewhere, "Well~"
"Mira, if you know something please tell me." Erza wasn't going to rest until she knew why Gajeel had up and left appearing discouraged and hollow.
"Hmm~, since it involves you, then I suppose I can share just a little~."
The knight sighed; she did not like it when the barmaid played idle or held information whilst being mischievous, but at least she would get something, hopefully, "Thank you."
She snickered. "He cut his hair because he thought you believed it was too long."
"We know that already." Stated the Ice-Make user.
"Don't interrupt me, Gray." With a sickeningly sweet smile and a demonic aura the group paled.
"Y-Yes m-ma'am." He stammered, shivering on the spot.
"But that wasn't the case, was it Erza?" She continued from where she'd left off, returning to neutral.
"No."
"Now, Gajeel loves his hair, more than most woman do their own," her announcement had a few of the group members laughing, "Yet he chose to cut it anyways, even when he misunderstood you. There's obviously more to it than him simply misinterpreting your words. After all, Gajeel wouldn't let two simple words get to him, yet he chose to give up his long hair because of something he thought you thought." She leaned over the bar counter. "Why do you think that is? Why go through all that trouble over a misunderstanding?"
Blinking, the redhead had drawn a blank.
"I know-I know." Happy had flown over to the barmaid's side, whispering into her ear. Both started to giggle like a pair of kids finding humour from an inside joke.
"Hey! I wanna know." Natsu jumped over the counter to find out what the two laughing members found funny.
"Oh~ he's got it bad." Said Cana, who was now laughing at the realization.
"Can't believe he went that far." Lucy thought, finding it sweet that the absent Dragon Slayer went through so much trouble over a mistake.
"Um…"
"Jeez c'mere." Leaning in between the two girls Cana whispered the truth to the Ice Mage, whose jaw dropped.
"Damn. He really has got it bad." Gray turned to look at the scarlet-haired woman who was deep in thought still. "Uh, should we tell her?"
"No-no." Said Mirajane, leaving the bar to take an order from a mage of the guild. She had no doubt her friend would eventually figure out the truth – but like Lucy was from earlier on, it seemed Erza's brain was also running a bit on the slow side seeing as she was contemplating harder and longer than usual – but until then. "Leave her to ponder."
Fin
Ands that's that. One thing I should point out, the lyrics. As I partially noted in the brackets it's from the Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator Vocal Tracks. I wasn't entirely sure who exactly sung the song whilst I was listening to and typing the lyrics(I believe it was someone by the name of Naoki Hashimoto) and since I couldn't find any official lyrics I just typed up what other people were able to interpret plus what I was able to understand. Hopefully it's all correct. But I'll list the names of those involved with the soundtrack in general (Daisuke Ishiwatari, Norichika Sato, Junya C. Motomura). Also, to have a better image of what Gajeel with short hair looks like heres a link: pin/553379872939769487
If by some chance the link acts dodgy for... reasons, then just type "Gajeel short hair" in google images - or whatever search engine you use - and the picture will be linked to/found in Pinterest, among other pictures.
Anyways, that's all for now. Later.