Dragon Kin
Chapter 1
"Levy! I need you at the register!" Levy jerked, nearly knocking into a bookshelf in the process, at Zekua's voice.
"I'll be right there Mr. Melon!" Levy replied as she hurried over behind the counter where a line was starting to form.
"I told you just Zekua is fine," Zekua muttered, but Levy saw the kind smile as she took position at the register. As she dealt with the customers, Levy's mind couldn't help but wander back to a certain book she'd been looking forward to reading for sometime now.
'It sucks I couldn't get it when I first laid eyes on it, not when I had to pay for rent and um… my last book purchases. But I'll finally be able to get it for myself today!'
A movement out of the corner of her eye shifted her attention to it to see that it was a man browsing the shelves and if she was honest he looked out of place in the bookstore. The man had long, spiky, black hair that went down his entire back, and though his back was facing her he wore a sleeveless shirt that exposed thick, tanned, muscular arms, she couldn't tell if by exposure to lots of sun or if that was his natural skin tone. It also exposed two other things on his right arm that was in the midst of reaching up for a book that peeked her attention.
'Whoa, those are nasty scars. How does someone get scars like that? And… are those piercings?'
"Um, miss."
"Wha!" Levy jumped back from the waving hand that appeared inches from her face, only to blush when she realized she had zone out while holding the customer's book and cash at hand. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Here you go!"
Once the customer left, she spared a glance back at the man but to her surprise he was gone.
'Where did he… Focus Levy! You're on the job! No time to think about some random guy. Focus on getting that book after work instead!' Levy mentally scolded herself along with a headshake and launched herself back into her work with only a passing thought of the man that seemed familiar somehow.
Finally after a long day of helping customers and browsers, stocking and shelving books, and completing the end of the day clean up, Levy was finally free to purchase the book she wanted.
She found Zekua at the register. "Everything's clean up and ready for tomorrow, Mr. Melon." Levy cheerfully reported with a playful salute.
"Thanks Levy. Besides that little spacing out incident earlier, you were a great help as usual." Levy let an embarrassed laugh escape as she scanned the counter for her book.
"Sorry about that, I'm just really excited that I'll finally be able to…" she trailed off. She scanned the counter again. She looked at each book that was on display but her book was not there. "Um Mr. Melon what happened to the copy of Grimoire's Book of Fairy Tales and Creatures that was here?"
Zekua looked at her for a second before realization dawned on his face. "Oh shoot I'm so sorry Levy. That copy was just sold to our last customer and it was the last one we had in stock. I forgot you had a copy on hold till you mentioned it just now."
Levy felt her heart sank along with her head, she had only been able to sneak a read here and there on the days that she worked but what she managed to read was enough to have her hooked on it and craving a copy of her own. Now it was suddenly snatched away from her at the last minute
'Last minute. Last customer.' Her head snapped right back up.
"The last customer! Did they just leave? How long? What did they look like?" Levy questioned in such a rapid pace that it was thanks to him dealing with her excitement for books that Zekua was about to understand what she was asking.
"It was a young man with long black hair and piercings, why a man would dressed like that and put himself through all that is beyond me. Anyway he just left about twenty seconds before you came up here but Levy-"
"Thank you Zekua! I'll see you next week!" Levy dashed out the door in hopes of catching them in time.
Zekua stared at the door for a second before shaking his head. "I had already ordered more copies of that book."
Levy scanned the streets, looking down both ways, till she saw that same man from earlier at the end of the street. It took only a second to realize that he must also be the same man who bought her book.
"Hey! You with the long hair!" she almost slapped her forehead at that, like anyone would respond to that. "Ah… piercings!" she did lightly slap her forehead this time. "I need to talk to you!" she ran down the street as the man started to cross the street.
She has almost reached the crosswalk when the lights changed and Levy had to jump back to avoid getting run over. "Dam it."
Levy could only watch the man disappear down the street as she was stuck waiting on the other side. "Come on. Come on." She urged the lights to change as quick as possible, hoping that luck would be on her side, till finally the lights changed.
"Yes!" She took off across the street and down the one where she last saw the man disappear down to. 'Please don't be gone.'
Levy ran till she reached the end of the street. She looked around for the man, only to realize too much time had passed. The man and her book were long gone.
"Seriously?!" Levy huffed in frustration and disappointment, forced to accept that her book was gone and had to wait who knew how long for another copy to appear. She sighed, letting some of the tension out. "No point in standing here then."
With that she headed back home to think of ways to salvage her weekend, though she couldn't shake that nagging feeling that she had seen that man before.
"Stupid…alarm..." Levy muttered between breaths, trying to regain some as she hunched over outside the classroom. 'Seriously, this weekend has been nothing but terrible and my week is already off to a wonderful start.'
After a few more huffs she was finally able to catch her breath from her marathon run from her apartment to Crocus University. She adjusted her book bag on her shoulder, trying to take comfort in the fact that at least she was starting the day with her favorite class, and headed in.
"Levy, you finally made it!"
Levy barely contained a yelp as an arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her nearly face first into a pair of large breasts, barely able to avoid suffocation with a quick turn of her head.
"Cana!" Levy cried as she struggled to free herself. Cana laughed as she tightens her hold for a few seconds before granting Levy mercy, letting her go.
"Cutting it close their Bluebell. What happened, you were so absorbed in a new book that you forgot to set your alarm again?" Cana teased, earning a pout from Levy.
"If only. No, my alarm clock decided to die before resurrecting itself but succeeded in killing a part of itself, the part that's suppose to wake me." Levy grumbled. There was a pause.
"Someone had a bad weekend. You're only this morbid with appliances and other inanimate objects when you're feeling like crap."
Levy sighed, trying to get some of the stress out. "I don't really feel like crap per say, but the book I've been wanting was snatched right from under me and I'm still down from it."
"You really take your books seriously huh?" Cana teased as they took their seats.
"And how would you feel if someone just swiped the last of your favorite brand of beer right in front of you?" Levy countered. Cana's eyes turned murderous.
"I would hunt the bastard down and kick their ass!" Cana shouted, earning a few odd looks from the other students around them. Levy blushed and slouched in her seat in embarrassment while Cana didn't seem to care. "So why don't you do the same if you want it that bad?"
Levy shook her head, "I actually tried. I almost caught the guy too but the streetlights apparently liked him more than me." Cana let a chuckle and then a whistle.
"Go Bluebell, taking the initiative."
"I didn't catch him though."
"Meh, at least you tried." Levy groaned and was tempted to face plant her desk and bury her head in her arms. "Anyway, can I have look at your assignment? I forgot to do mine." Levy gave in to the temptation.
The professor came in soon after, bringing everyone's attention to the lecture. Levy tried to pay attention but today they were discussing a topic she had already gone ahead a read, a mixture of wanting to get ahead and founding that chapter topic interesting, so she soon grew bored from hearing the same material she already covered herself.
Levy's eyes soon began to wonder the classroom. Any other time of year and this classroom would be completely filled. However, since this was a summer college class the students here were either trying to make up for last semester or getting their required classes out of the way so they can get their degrees sooner. For Levy it was the latter but it was also part of her scholarship, which covered all her school expenses as long as she kept her grades up and attended summer classes.
With so many classes though, along with a part-time job at Zekua's bookstore to pay for her other expenses, it didn't leave her much free time except for the weekends but even then some of them were filled with either her taking extra shifts when she need the money, working on assignments and essays that need to be done or both.
'It'll be worth it in the end though. In less then two years I'll have my bachelors' degree and in that last year I'll get that internship at Crocus Times and from there be able to get my dream job there as a editor.'
Levy couldn't help but smile at the thought as she lazily grazed around the classroom. She suddenly freezes when she sees a familiar black, spikey mane.
'No way.' Levy stared and even blinked several times but he was still there. The longhaired, arm pieced man that stole her book was sitting several rows ahead of her. 'What's he doing here?!'
"Oh, looks like tall, dark, and handsome decided to attend this week."
"Huh?!" Levy whipped her head towards Cana who was looking back and forth between them with a sly grin.
"Why are you so surprised? You're the one who pointed out that he didn't attend every class remember?" Cana asked. Levy didn't reply though as she thought over what Cana said.
Levy then remembered back when summer classes started she noticed him seated in the middle row without any textbooks or notebooks, but appeared to be listening very intently to every word that the professor spoke. When he didn't show up for the rest of the week though she figured he dropped the class, but then he appeared again the next week. It varied but she noticed that he seem to appear for at least one of the classes per week, sometimes twice.
Normally she never really paid attention to the other students around her, preferring to focus on her work, but she kept noticing him because he looked so out of place in the class.
'Just like how he looked so out of place in the bookstore!' No wonder she felt that she had seen him before back then, it was because she had been seeing him here over the course of the summer.
"Checking him out Bluebell? Didn't know he was your type." Levy snapped out of her thoughts and blushed at Cana's words.
"It's-it's not like that!" Levy whisper and buried her head in her textbook to avoid Cana's teasing. "Just pay attention to the lecture okay."
"Whatever you say Levy." Cana said, still grinning there but decided to give her a break and turned back to the lecture.
"Thank you." Levy tried to take her own advice but couldn't stop the occasional glance at the man even as she resolved to confront him about her book as soon as class ended.
After what surprising felt like forever the class ended. Everyone headed down to the professor's desk and lined up so they could sign the sign-in to prove that they had attended this class today.
"Man, why doesn't this guy just hand this out in the beginning and let everyone sign and pass it around like everyone else does. I want out already!" Cana groaned behind Levy.
"I guess its just one a way to make sure everyone stays for the entire class instead of signing in at the beginning but taking off shorty." Levy explained.
"That's just cruel."
Levy let a little giggle escape as she signed the sheet. Stepping out of the way she looked around for the man, expecting him to be in line. But as she scanned the faces in line she realized he was not among them.
'What! But I'm sure he wasn't ahead of me in line! He also couldn't have left already, he didn't go through the door.'
The click of a door opening caused Levy to turn towards said door but that door was still closed. She suddenly realized her mistake, she was watching the door by the professor's desk since that's where everyone leaves but everyone enters the class through the other door in the back.
Levy spun towards the back and saw the door close right behind the man she was looking for.
"I'll see you Wednesday Cana!" Levy bid farewell to her as she took off towards the door, she heard Cana say something but couldn't make it out before she reached the door, flung it open, and dashed down the hall. "Seriously, how fast can this guy move?"
She ran down the hall but there was no sign of the man. Figuring he already made it outside she hurried towards the end. As she ran passed a flight of stairs something black caught the corner of her eye, nearly causing her to trip over her feet as she skidded to a stop. Levy ran to the railing, looking over to see the man making his way across the lower landing towards the next flight of descending stairs.
"Hey wait!" Levy called out. The man stop, pausing for a few seconds before taking a few stops back and looked up at her with a bored yet curious expression. Levy opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to as she finally seeing the man's face for the first time.
His facial features were sharp which were made more prominent by the stud piercings that decorated his face; five along each ear, two on each side of his nose, two more on his chin, and a pair of threes that ran along where his eyebrows should be. But what really held her attention and curiosity were his eyes, they were red and though it was difficult to be sure from this distances the pupils looked slitted. She had never seen eyes like that before. Than again she'd never seen anyone like this man before either.
"Do you want something Shorty or are you going to stare at me with your mouth hanging open all day?"
His gruff voice cut through her thoughts, snapping her mouth shut she glared down at him when she registered the 'shorty' comment.
"I was not staring and who you calling short? I'm literally higher than you right now!" Levy retorted, her glare never lessening.
"Oh right, you were checking me out then. And you may be above me but I can tell even from down here that you're a shorty."
Levy swore she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks in what she could only believe to be in anger and not embarrassment. "That's not it either! I'm just finally placing a face to the book thief."
The man raised a pieced brow at that. "Book thief? Why would I steal a book? Especially from a shrimp?"
'I swear I'm going to smack him if he keeps this nicknames up.' "Friday you went to Zekua Melon's Books and bought a copy of Grimoire's Book of Fairy Tales and Creatures."
"You stalking me Shorty?"
"I am NOT stalking you! I work there!" Levy protested, "And you bought the last copy that I had reserved for me that day!"
"Then why was I able to buy it?" The man question, his brow still raised.
"Mr. Melon forgot that that copy was on hold me but that is my book."
"Well how was I suppose to know that?" he raised his arms briefly before letting them fall.
Levy was about to reply with her winning argument but stopped and instead hanged her head when she realized she didn't have one and that he had a point.
'How was he suppose to know that? He had no way of knowing it was meant to be on hold me for especially since he was able to buy it no problem.'
"Sorry, you're right. You couldn't have known and here I am lashing out at you. I'm so sorry." She felt weird bowing her head to him from above but she owed him an apology for yelling at him, even if his nicknames were rude and annoying. When she raised her head she was surprised to find that he looked confused. He just looked at her as if trying to figure out if she was being genuine or had a hidden meaning behind her apology. Only a few seconds past before the confusion faded and an easygoing smirk took its place.
"You really wanted that book huh?"
Levy chuckled nervously as she scratched her cheek, "Yeah I did, I do. I was really looking forward to reading it. It doesn't help that my weekend was pretty bad, but that's no excuse for my earlier attitude towards you."
The man just shrugged in response, "Don't worry about so much. I'd be pissed too if someone took something that was mine."
"But still…" Levy trailed off, not sure what to say.
"I just said don't worry about it. You already apologized, that's more than other people have ever done."
Levy couldn't wonder what he meant by that, but before she could comment on it she remember something. "Oh! Did you sign the sign-in sheet before you left?" the man looked puzzled at that, "Sudden change in topic I know, but if you don't sign it you won't get credit and-"
"I'm not enrolled here."
"Huh?" she blinked in confusion as his smirk and easygoing attitude disappeared and started to appear guarded, "But I've seen you in that class. I mean I haven't seen for every one but you still-"
"I'm not a student here. I heard about that class and decided to sit in on a few of them." He looked to side, refusing to look at her in the eyes anymore, "I knew it was a bad idea. I won't come anymore if I stick out that much."
He started down the stairs, prompting Levy to start after him.
"W-wait! Hold on-"
"Don't worry about your book Shorty, I'll take it back and get a refund. Everyone wins." Levy froze for a moment, trying to process and understand what had just happened as he descended and vanished from her sight.
'Wait, what am I standing around for?!' she hurried down the stairs but he had already disappeared. 'How does he do that?' She looked down both ends of the hallway for any sign of him. When she didn't she decided to towards the campus grounds, knowing he had to cross them to actually leave the campus.
She didn't know why she was searching so hard for him. Was she feeling guilt for making him feel like he shouldn't come anymore? It might have been a factor but she knew that wasn't it, nor was it about the book anymore. This was something else entirely and something told her that she would regret it if she let him leave before she can find him.
Reaching the doors she flew them open as she stepped outside and looked around for him. 'Come on where are you?' It was towards the other side of the grounds that she spotted him heading towards the exit.
She ran and weaved through other students and campus staff, mindful of her book bag, and for once was grateful for her defective alarm clock since she was able to build up her stamina thanks to all the marathon runs. Just as the man reach the sidewalk she reach the gate and caught up with him.
"Please wait!" she called out to him as she tried to slow down to avoid crashing into him. However the momentum she built up continued in her book bag as it swung forward and caught her off guard, throwing her forward and off her feet. "Whoa!"
Levy braced herself for the impact, but her fall was halted. Instead of face planting into the pavement she was being held up by a muscular, scarred, pierced arm. She looked up to the man's face who's expression probably matched her own, stunned and confused. Though did she detect a hint of concern in his eyes?
"Um, thank you for catching me," Levy mumbled.
He looked away, not meeting her eyes, but Levy could have sworn that he cheeks were a little red. From embarrassment or something else? "No problem Shorty." He quickly yet gently righted her up so she was back on her feet before removing his from around her waist. They stood in an awkward silence; neither one knowing what to say till Levy mentally shook herself.
"Listen I don't know if it's about you being a student here or not, but if you really want to come to that class just to listen in you don't have to stop. In fact if you do come back," she opened her bag and took out her textbook and showed it to him. "You can even share my textbook with me so you can really take part in what's being discussed. And don't worry about the book you don't have to return it. We can share that too, read it together after the classes you come to. If you want to that is."
He just stared at her, guarded expression gone as shock took over. She waited patiently for his response, textbook still held out. She said what she felt was enough, any more and she'll feel like she'd be pressuring him. She wanted him to decide but she hope would agree, for she wanted to get to know this man. It would be nice to have a friend here.
Finally she got a response. The shock faded away a smile replaced it, it wasn't teasing or easygoing smirk from earlier but a genuine smile.
"Gihi, why not? Hell I'll bring that book with me next I come then."
Levy couldn't help but beam up at him and let her own little laugh join his. She stopped when she realized something else. "Oh I never told you my name. I'm Levy McGarden." She moved her textbook in one hand and held out the other.
He smiled again and took her hand in his much larger one and shook it.
"Gajeel Redfox."
First chapter of my new story! I have a pretty good ideal of how this story will go so hopefully updates won't be too far in between but I'll make no promises. I have a Halloween special chapter planned and hope to have it up in time for Halloween. Don't know if I'll put it here since I originally planed for the events in the chapter to be part of the story or post is separate since it has a little time skip since this was originally suppose to be part of the story but a few chapters later. Free feel to leave reviews and let me know what you guys think. Also I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters, they belong to Hiro Mashima.