A/N: Another one I posted on Tumblr buuuuuut forgot to post here! :D This is actually one of my favs!
Prompt: 'I can't cook for shit and my mother keeps telling me I'll never become anything if I can't even make a proper meal and I somehow stumbled upon your food blog and it has now saved me so many times I just wanted to let you know about my gratitude in this oddly long, ridiculously personal email' AU
"Levy! You cannot live off of fast food and microwavable meals!" Her mom demanded over the phone as her daughter placed said microwavable meal into the microwave.
With a huff and press of buttons on the appliance she responded, "Mom, I don't have time to cook most nights and I'm a terrible cook. You know this."
"You're a very smart woman who struggle making minute rice. How is that possible?"
"That was one time, mom!" Levy argued back, "I should've known better to start a new book while I was cooking and I've learned from my mistake."
Her mom let out a deep sigh, hearing the older woman shake her head over the phone. "I'm just saying, sweetie, you will become nothing more if you don't try. How do you expect you're going to get a husband if you can't cook?"
Rolling her eyes at the same argument they've been having since she was 16, she leaned her back against the counter, rubbing her temple. "Well, I guess I should find a man that can cook, shouldn't I mom?"
"Levy McGarden!"
"Mom, I have to go! Lots of manuscripts to read and books to review. Love you, bye!" She spoke quickly, hanging up the phone before her mom could speak another word of her short comings.
Sucking in a deep breath and letting it out, Levy hung her head in defeat, pinching the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. Secretly she knew her mom was right, but clearly didn't want to admit it. She tried reading cookbooks and recreating the recipes but for some reason they turn out overcooked, under cooked or just terrible. Then it was videos she saw on Facebook but she had a hard time following the fast pace of the videos they played. Not being able to keep up, constantly pausing and going as she went making her feel like she was missing basic steps in the cooking process.
Her phone vibrated in her hand and she prayed that it wasn't her mother calling back, as the microwave beeped. Lucy's name and photo brightened her mood a little as she pressed the green answer button.
"Hey, Lu." She said somberly, taking out the hot plastic dish.
"Aw, what's wrong Levy? Everything ok?" Her blonde friend chirped, sadness coloring her tone.
Shaking her head as if Lucy can see it, Levy let out anther puff of air. "Just got off the phone with my mom."
Lucy let out a grunt of understanding, "Let me guess," she said clearing her throat, "Levy! You need to learn how to cook, because if you don't you're not a woman and I want grandkids that won't die from starvation." She said speaking in a tone that sounded similar to her mother.
"I told her, I could try to find a husband that can cook, so I don't have too." She smiled when she heard Lucy gasp.
"Levy, dialing up the sass with Momma McGarden. Is it harsh to say I'm proud?"
She let out a humming noise as if thinking as she took her food to the table and sat down. "No, I guess not." They both laughed, talking about the previous argument and the different things she's tried, her meal being finished quickly.
"Have you tried Tumblr? I'm sure they have some cooking videos that may help." Lucy suggested, as Levy made her way to her bedroom.
She grabbed her laptop off her desk as she climbed into bed, waking her computer up with a press of a button. "No, I actually didn't think about that. I got my computer open now, maybe I can look up some blogs before I go to bed."
"Great idea. And you can check the email I sent you on the latest manuscript." Lucy said with a smile in her voice, as her friend squealed with delight.
Tapping rapidly on the keyboard, Levy beamed, "Please tell me I'm the first to read."
"As always!" She chuckled, "I have to go, though. Natsu is knocking on my window."
"Give that boy a key for goodness sake." Levy demanded, with a roll of her eyes as she opened her email.
"I tried! For some reason he likes to climb to the second floor window."
Levy giggled, shaking her head, "Your boyfriend is weird, but I have the email and I'm ready to immerse myself in your wonderful words."
"Good! Bye, I'll call to check on your food search tomorrow."
"Ok! Bye!" The girls hung up, with Levy quickly immersing herself in her friend's words like she said.
When her clock on the computer showed, 2:16 AM, she knew it was best to give it a rest for now and get some sleep before her body made her go to sleep.
The next day, she scrolled through hundreds of blogs trying to find someone, anyone that could her help with her severe lack of proper nutrition, her mother likes to call it. She was about to give up when she came across a blog by the name of 'Chef_Iron_Dragon'. He had a picture of an apron that said, 'Kiss the F*cking Cook', with a banner picture of a black cat with a scar on his left eye, laying lazily on a kitchen counter.
"Cute cat," Levy mumbled through a sip of green tea. She scrolled down a little to see his bio and laughed a little harder than she thought she should.
'Name's Gajeel. I'm the Kickass Iron Dragon Chef that makes food so good, you'll slap yo momma. Future restaurant owner and owner of an even badass cat and sous chef named PantherLily. P.S. Please don't slap yo momma, she might slap you back and I'm not responsible for any medical bills.'
It took her a moment to get her giggles under control as she scrolled through his blog. Half of his post were videos and others were answering questions people asked about the tools he used and what food product he liked best. Watching one of his videos, she noticed the most recent ones never showed his face. Only his hands and arms were shown in the videos as he walked the viewers through the meal preparation and cooking.
"He must work out a lot, his arm is the size of my thigh." She stated munching on a pop tart.
His voice was rough and deep and she found that extremely attractive. Deciding already that if he was added to the list of people that couldn't help her she would still listen to him, purely for his voice and beefy arms.
A few hours later, she was home from the grocery store after picking up items Gajeel the voice of a God, Levy dubbed him for the time being, requested for making a simple spaghetti dish with marinara sauce.
Taking a deep breath, she propped her laptop on the counter laying out everything she needed before pressing play on the video. Gajeel walked her through everything, showing her tips and tricks along the way. When she was done, she plated the spaghetti hesitantly, eyeing it as if the noodles themselves said something insulting to her.
Sticking the fork into the noodles, she twirled it around the edge of the plate like Gajeel showed her. "Ok, here goes." She said sticking the fork in her mouth quickly with a grimace, preparing for overcooked noodles and crappy sauce.
Her eyes shot open wide as she chewed, a wide smile splitting her face. "Oh my god," she groaned with her mouth full, "this is delicious! Thanks Gajeel, voice of a God!"
A few weeks later, she was eating like a normal person thanks to Gajeel's helpful videos and to show her thanks she sent him a quick message to his inbox thanking him for his help and how she was now able to utilize her kitchen in the apartment without burning it down. She let out a squeal of happiness when he posted her message saying he was happy to help.
The following weeks later, she was scrolling through her own timeline when a picture of a man made her stop dead in her tracks. The man had on a tank top that read, 'Real Men Love Cats,' and dark jeans. One hand was holding the camera and the other was holding a thumbs up. Levy was intrigued by the piercings that decorated his arms and face, entranced by the fanged smirk and piercing red eyes. His black hair was wild and clearly long enough to reach his butt, and almost hid the black cat that sat on his head with a satisfied smirk of his own. Levy must've sat glued to her seat at her desk as she nearly drooled at the picture of her new Tumblr crush.
Finally scrolling down, she saw the caption under the picture read, 'You guys been asking for another selfie of me and Lily so here it is, folks. He was really proud of himself when I finally let him sit on my head for the photo. Shirt given to me by a friend.'
Liking the photo, she clicked on one of the tags he had labeled #personal. She regretted it as soon as she did, as more pictures of the handsome man popped up. A few were of videos of food he made for his sister Juvia and a birthday cake he made for her and his baby cousin he didn't show. One video she couldn't help but click on was of him looking so happy, smiling brightly and eyes sparkling.
"Guys! I made the spiciest dish due to my crazy cousin request and he's crying!" He laughed, a unique sound that made Levy fall even more for him. He quickly switched the camera from him to a man with pink hair that sat at the table with a red face, tears streaming down his face.
"NATSU!?" Levy cried in confusion staring intently at the guy in the video and as soon as she heard him talk she knew for sure it was him.
"Oi! Iron head! I'm not crying! It's a natural reaction and I'm still eating aren't I?" Natsu stated still stuffing food in his mouth as tears streamed down his face and his nose dripping.
Gajeel laughed again, "Doesn't matter, you're still crying!"
Levy quickly paused the video, grabbing her phone to call Lucy. She prayed her best friend would pick up. Lucy has heard for weeks, Levy talk about her Tumblr crush and how he helped her and she had the perfect opportunity to meet him.
"Hey, Levy. What's up?"
Her heart leaped out her chest at the sound of her friend's voice, "Lucy! Where are you?"
"I'm at Natsu's, everything ok?"
Thanking the God's above for her luck, she beamed as she told her friend to put her on speaker.
"Yo! What up, Levy?"
"Natsu! Do you have a cousin named, Gajeel and does he cook?" She asked standing up from her seat, suddenly feeling like her desk was too cramp for her liking.
"Yea, why?"
Jumping in excitement she cheered, "That's great! I've been following his blog on Tumblr lately and he helped me learn how to cook and even though I sent him a message a few weeks ago I want to thank him face-to-face. Do you think I could-"
"Wait," Lucy interrupted a smile in her voice, "is this your Tumblr chef crush and what do you call him again?" Lucy asked.
"Yes! It's the Voice of a God Tumblr crush and I should change that to complete God cause he posted a selfie earlier and that man is as sexy as one!" she said fanning herself as she paced her floor.
She heard Lucy chuckle as someone in the background choke on something. "So, this is the guy you also said you would love to kidnap his cat and keep him for yourself?" Lucy egged on.
"Can I kidnap them both and use him as my personal sex slave and his cat as just a pet. I mean Lu I'm sweating over her at how hot this guy is." She said hearing booming laughter on the other end as whoever was choking earlier cough harder. "Is Natsu, Ok? What is he choking on?"
Lucy's laughter continued as Natsu's voice came through the phone, "Oh, no it's not me. It's Gajeel."
Halting her pace, her body went stock still as her brain stopped working and all the blood in her body rush to her face. "D-D-Did y-you say, Gajeel?"
"Yah, say hi, Gajeel." Natsu commanded a smirk clear in his tone.
Levy's face went pale when she heard someone clear their throat and the familiar voice she heard for weeks say, "Um, hello."
She didn't know what to say or do, but she knew one thing. Lucy totally betrayed her, so with as much courage she could muster she screamed, "Lucy! You're dead to me!" before hanging up the phone and crumbling to the floor with a whine.
The urge to toss herself out of her window or even completely disappear without a trace seemed like good options in Levy's mind. With another groan and a whine she desperately wanted to cry as she grabbed her phone to type out a quick message to her so called best friend.
'I'm gonna kill you the next time I see you.'
A response was sent quickly after, 'Ok, I'll be there 15 with food.'
'Good!' she sent back slamming her head on her carpeted floor wanted to just dissolve into it.
15 minutes later her doorbell rang and she jumped up from her balled up position on floor stomping to the door, her fluffy socks muffling the sounds. She was done mopping and whining and her anger was in full force as she pulled her door open, yelling. "Lucy, I swear to go-" she stopped, midway frozen once again.
'Oh why, didn't I look before I opened the door?' she cried in her head as Gajeel stood there on her doorstep wide eyed, with a food container in his hands. They were both understandably shocked to see each other, but Levy was quicker to recover than Gajeel as she started to slam the door in his face ready to pack her bags and suddenly become a free spirit.
"Wait!" He yelled, stopping the door with his foot, the force of his action throwing her off guard as she stumbled back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He spoke softly stepping into her apartment looking at her with concern. "Can I come in?"
Gulping dryly, she nodded her head, watching as he shut the door behind him. They stood there in awkward silence for what felt like hours as the air grew thick with tension. Even though it was only a few minutes, Gajeel cursed his crazy cousin and girlfriend for talking him into doing this. Levy couldn't meet his gaze, more like refused after what she said on the phone.
Gajeel watched her wring her fingers, trying desperately to stay still as he observed her. He thought she looked incredibly cute when she was angry when she swung the door open, and added that she looked even cuter when she was shy. Her fluffy yellow socks, orange shorts and oversized old P.E. shirt looked way too adorable on her.
"Look," He said finally breaking the tense atmosphere, "I can ignore what you said if you want or I can leave, but I did bring food and you can keep it no matter what you decide."
She looked up at the container in his hands weighing her options, as she mulled it over in her head. Steeling her nerves and taking a breath of courage she looked him dead in his eyes and said, "What I said was true and I would like it if you stayed and ate with me."
His eyes went wide at her bold statement, watching as her nerves creep back. Leaning in close to her face with a fanged grin, he stated, "I find you just as attractive, so I'll gladly be your sex slave."
Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead, before she burst into a fit of laughter he soon followed.
One year later
"Alright guys," Gajeel spoke into his camera as he smiled, "today I have my lovely girlfriend trying a new cake recipe. Say, Hi babe."
Gajeel turned the camera to Levy who sat at the same table Natsu was crying at, waving at the camera with small smile. "Hi, everyone."
"Isn't she cute, guys?" He asked zooming into her face as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Ok, enough of the shorty antics, we are here for a food review." He said placing a cupcake topped with blue and white swirly icing in front of her.
She happily accepted, taking a bite, humming in delight when the sweet taste hit her tongue. Gajeel kept the camera on her as he chuckled in the background, watching as icing smeared on her nose and around her mouth. He clearly made the cupcake the size of a muffin on purpose and put way more icing than necessary.
"So, what do you think?" he coughed, trying to play off his laughter.
"It's really good Gajeel, maybe your best one yet! I probably wouldn't make it so big though," she suggested, wiping the corners of her mouth. Gajeel laughter couldn't be contained as she looked at him confused. "What? Is there something on face?"
He tapped his nose, watching as her eyes crossed trying to see the big glob off icing on the tip of her nose. Doubling over from laughter, he shook as the camera lost focus pointing towards the floor as he lost it.
"Gajeel, you ass!" she yelled jumping from her seat, running towards him ready to attack. Reacting quickly, he dodged her tiny fists quickly fleeing away from her.
With the camera now facing him, he smiled like an idiot as he ran down the hallway of his apartment a fuming Levy close on his heels. "Stay tuned for our next review guys, if I'm not dead by then!"
"Oh, you're so going to be dead!" she yelled chasing him. Lily came bounding towards them, tripping Gajeel as the big man tried not step on his cat. "Good job, Lily!" Levy praised as Gajeel tumbled to the ground.
He screamed curling into a ball as she swatted him, "Babe! Babe! I'm sorry!" He laughed, as he took a few more hits before grabbing her arm and pulling her down with him. A squeak left her lips as she came crashing into his chest, his arms securing around her in a tight hug.
"I love you," he laughed softly into her hair, his smile spreading wider when he felt her hug him tighter in response a muffled, "I love you too, stupid Gajeel."