Edit 1: I know on actual Tinder, if you set your sexual preference as a straight woman, a gay man's profile wouldn't appear. I made up 'Finder', and it just shows all the available male profiles, cause I liked the Gray photo thing and didn't wanna change it.
Edit 2: I decided to make Levy more of a low-key tomboy kinda girl, and I think it actually works for her.
Edit 3: This takes place in Japan, but uses American terminology. Weird I know, but just go with it. Also, I thought it would be cool to give characters ethnic backgrounds.
Edit 4: The autistic thing is a joke, and I'm hoping you see it that way and don't take offense to it.
Edit 5: This was originally posted as the first chapter of a one-shot series, but I decided to just make it its own story, seeing as it focuses on Levy and Gajeel mostly. I'll be posting a college one-shot collection purely on Natsu and Lucy soon.
Chapter 1: Netflix & Chill.
Characters mentioned: Levy, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel & Cana.
Pairings mentioned: Lucy x Natsu, Levy x Gajeel, Cana x Lucy's boobs.
I hope you enjoy.
"Oh, what about him? He's cute!"
Reluctantly looking up from her textbook, a small, blue-haired girl peered at the brightly lit iPhone screen in her friend's hand. She was presented with a picture of a young man with wild orange hair, glasses, and a cheeky grin. Glancing downwards, she read his name was Loke, he was twenty-two, and, apparently, he can show her a good time.
"He's alright...I guess," she replied lamely.
"Oh come on Levy!" the girl beside her whined, "At least pretend to be interested!"
Waving her hand dismissively, Levy returned to her book, "I can't Lu, I have a deadline."
'Lu' cocked a perfectly waxed, blonde eyebrow at her, "Oh come on. Your paper isn't due until next week, and you're practically finished anyways. I think you're good."
Contemplating her words for a moment, Levy supposed her best friend had a point. She had woken up early with the sole intent of finishing her literature report today, only to...well, not. Skipping breakfast in favor of coffee, and throwing on a pair of grubby-blue jeans and a Metallica sweatshirt she found on the floor, Levy headed over to the library. It was still relatively early when she arrived, which meant the library was quiet.
And Levy loved the quiet.
Plopping herself down at a vacant workstation, she pulled out her laptop and books, rearing to get started. Half an hour later though, Lucy joined her, and the only thing she'd done was change her font about twenty times, testing out which ones were the prettiest.
And it certainly wasn't Comic Sans.
Slumping back into her chair, Levy rubbed her tired eyes harshly before giving a defeated sigh. In all honesty, she really wasn't in the mood to spend yet another day stressing over assignments.
But she wasn't really in the mood to deal with Lucy's strange desire to land her a boyfriend either...
The blonde had already set up a profile for her using the University's dating app, Finder, on her own phone as well! Besides...she was giving Levy the puppy-dog eyes.
Reluctantly, she gave a weak nod.
"Fine."
Lucy squealed happily beside her.
Swiping right, Lucy continued to flick through various profiles until she came to one she thought would be well received. Levy wondered how her best friend could do such a thing with her perfectly manicured fingernails.
"Ooh, what about him?"
Scooting closer to get a better look, Levy came face-to-profile with a tall, handsome blonde with sharp features, piercing blue eyes, and a scar on his forehead.
"What kind of name is Sting?" the shorter girl snorted.
"The kind your future husband has."
Sticking out her tongue playfully, Levy swiped left.
"No thanks, he looks like an asshole anyway."
As the two girls continued to browse through profiles -with Levy swiping right to a select few to keep Lucy happy- she began to question why this bothered her.
It's not as if Levy wasn't interested in dating, Finder (although not her preferred method for meeting someone) or even men for that matter. In fact, the blue-haired girl would like nothing more than to have a boyfriend of her own. At least then, valentines day wouldn't be as lonely, she'd have a spooning partner, and she'd have someone to split Two for Tuesday's with!
Besides, after being single for twenty-one years, it was starting to get a little boring.
However, there was just one problem: Levy lacked the ability to talk with the male species. Her awkward side had a nasty habit of appearing whenever she was around anyone she deemed attractive, which has, made her look like an idiot more than once.
Cringing slightly, she silently recalled her last encounter with the hot guy from her study group. Weirdly shy chick who can't maintain eye contact and only mutters one worded responses? Yeah, not a good look.
Besides...
Guys never seemed to be interested in her anyway.
Lucy's high-pitched feminine laugh pulled the blue-haired girl from her thoughts. Looking up, she noticed Lucy was pointing to the screen, and shaking her head in amusement.
"Okay, so Gray obviously didn't make this. I wonder if he knows about it?"
Looking down, Levy noticed a profile with their mutual friend, Gray Fullbuster's, photo on it. The picture used wasn't at all a flattering one. The usually handsome, stoic-faced male was pictured passed out, beer still in hand. His raven hair was tied into two short ponytails, and there was crudely drawn penis on his forehead. Reading the screen, it seemed Gay was interested in men, and...offering a list of peculiar services.
"I doubt it, otherwise Natsu would be dead."
Grinning knowingly, Lucy's velvety smooth voice feigned innocence.
"And what makes you think my sweet Natsu had anything to do with it?"
Rolling her eyes, Levy leaned over the blonde's shoulder and swiped a hard left on Gray's fake profile. Looking back to Lucy, she couldn't help but chortle.
"Who else's boyfriend is lame enough to set up a fake gay profile, and actually think it's a hilarious prank?"
Laughing, the blonde nodded in agreement, and went back to her search.
Maintaining her gaze on her best friend, Levy noted that she had dressed rather simply today, which was unusual since Lucy typically liked to make a statement wherever she went. She wore a pair of cropped, light gray yoga pants -which no doubt hugged her figure rather nicely- pink and white Sketchers, and a large, pink University of Magnolia sweatshirt. Her long, light ash-blonde hair was swept into a messy bun, with a few strands hanging loosely around her face. She had decided to keep her make-up simple today, instead of the usual...what was it again? Full-face contour and highlight? A whole bunch of crap that Levy didn't know about anyway.
Instead, the blonde opted for a more natural, bare-faced look. From what Levy could tell, Lucy wasn't wearing any foundation or concealer (not that she needed it anyway) allowing her flawless, tanned complexion to breathe. She appeared to have a light coat of blush on her cheeks, which made her skin look dewy and bright. She had a little shimmer down the bridge of her thin, button nose, and on top of her cupid's bow, too. Her long lashes were coated with black mascara, complimenting her doe-like hazel eyes, which somehow, accentuated the beauty mark that just beneath her right eye. Trailing her gaze downwards, Levy couldn't help but be slightly envious of her best friend's naturally plump lips, which had been carefully coated in a sheer, pink gloss.
Even in her casual attire, Lucy Heartfilia was still absolutely breathtaking.
Which was partly the reason why no guy ever, in the history of life, found her attractive.
Scowling, Levy looked away, feeling slightly ashamed.
Why did she still let this bother her? It wasn't exactly Lucy's fault she was blessed with good looks. Besides, Levy had already accepted the fact that she was the better looking out of the two a long time ago. All the way back to fifth grade, in fact, when her long-term crush, Erik 'Cobra' Nicholson, asked Lucy out right in front of her. Levy was...crushed, to say the least, but Lucy rejected him rather harshly and invited her over for a slumber-party in an attempt to cheer her up.
Levy smiled fondly. They had a lot of fun that night, and she quickly forgot all about being burned by Erik.
Lucy has always been such a good friend.
Feeling the blonde-haired girl poke her side, and excitedly shove the phone into her face, Levy was only half-listening to her hyper chatter. The blue-haired girl nodded absentmindedly and scrolled right on the profile, not even bothering to look at the pictures at this point.
Out of the two of them, Lucy was always referred to as "the hot one", and how could she not be? Her mixed Russian, French and Icelandic heritage had certainly blessed her with an amazing figure: big boobs, a tiny waist, long slender legs, and what Natsu like to call, a "phat ass." She was slim, but thick, and had a pretty face to top it all off.
It just wasn't fair.
As Levy's dislike for herself grew, the blonde's delighted squeals were completely drowned out by this point. Gazing at her own reflection from Lucy's pocket mirror, Levy frowned. She knew she wasn't ugly, but she knew she wasn't exactly stunning either. Her plain old Japanese heritage made her feel boring and...non-exotic, especially compared to Lucy. It also meant that her facial features were a lot smaller, giving her more of a "cute" appearance rather than sexy like she desired.
Running a hand through her unkempt, naturally wavy hair (which looked more like a birds nest since she never bothered to comb it this morning) she winced as she noticed how awful she really looked. Her pale white skin made her look as though she were sick, and the stress of finals was creating more pimples and dark circles than she'd like to admit. Bringing a hand up to touch her face, Levy wondered if maybe she should start investing in a little make-up. At this point, what harm could it do?
Being a more of a tomboy, Levy never bothered indulging in all that girly stuff. Unlike Lucy, she'd rather go for a few beers with the guys than go get her nails done. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't try to be a little more feminine! It's just that...well she sucked at it. Her hair had a mind of its own, so attempting to style it was simply out of the question, and make-up was confusing as hell. She would always poke fun at Lucy for wasting time watching beauty vloggers on youtube showing off their numerous make-up tips and tricks. Although it was fascinating to watch, Levy couldn't help but think it was stupid.
Sure, she had flaws she wishes she could change (her small lips definitely being one of them) but why waste time creating the illusion of a different face when all it takes is a splash of water to reveal what you really look like? It just seemed pointless. Levy would rather binge an entire season of Sons of Anarchy, all the while doubling her body weight in pizza than learn how to properly apply foundation.
Speaking of body weight...Levy's gaze trailed downwards. The petite girl was sorely reminded that she was not as full-figured as the blonde bombshell beside her. Her chest was significantly smaller, with her only being a B-cup, and her hips were a lot narrower. Levy was slim, slimmer than Lucy, but she felt it looked unattractive. She had a rather boyish figure, which is why she tended to hide away under baggy clothing, much like the oversized black sweater she was currently drowning in.
Lucy would, every now and then, try and encourage her to buy something a little more revealing whenever they went shopping, but Levy declined every time. What would be the point? Clothes that were designed to show off a little skin always looked awkward on her, since she could never fill them out as intended.
Feeling a wave of insecurity hit her, Levy sighed. Her brown orbs trailed down to her jean-clad thighs. The only thing she really had going for her was her backside, which was rather toned from all the hill-walking she did, but even then, it wasn't as mesmerizing as Lucy's. The smaller girl had no doubt that the blonde probably captured a lot of attention walking into the library this morning with those yoga pants.
As awful as it sounds, being friends with someone like Lucy was...frustrating, sometimes. Whenever she was around, guys didn't even notice Levy. If only she were a lesbian, the blue-haired girl deduced she'd probably have an easier time attracting a potential partner.
However, she bet she'd end up having a thing for Lucy, which only made her chuckle to herself.
"So anyway," Lucy's voice suddenly broke her from her thoughts, "If we leave now we, hopefully, we'll be done for about twelve. Then, we can grab a McDonalds and head back to my apartment to get ready. Sound good?"
...Uh, what?
Confused, Levy dumbly watched on as Lucy gathered up her things and carelessly stuffed them inside of her white designer handbag. When she was done, she stood up from her seat, then turned around to look at Levy expectantly.
"Well, are you coming?"
"Um...huh?"
Putting one hand on her hips, as the other held her bag, the blonde raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.
"Shopping? I can't do it without you."
Still not understanding what Lucy was talking about, Levy mentally berated herself for not listening to her ramblings from earlier on. Smiling sheepishly, she anxiously rubbed the back of her neck.
"Uh, what exactly are we going shopping for again?"
"...You weren't listening to me this whole time, were you?"
"Uh...no?"
"Levy!" Lucy whined, "Are you serious?"
Glowering at her, Lucy reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. After a minute of searching for what she was looking for, she presented the screen in front of the smaller girl, all the while smirking triumphantly.
"This...is your date for this evening."
Taking the phone from Lucy's hands, Levy peered down at the screen hesitantly. Upon looking at the photograph, her eyes widened in surprise. Since when did she score a date for this evening? As far as she knew, she had a Netflix appointment. More importantly though, since when did she score a date with this guy?
There, on the screen, was the profile of a devilishly handsome young man. His height was the first thing Levy noticed: He was tall, really tall, standing straight with broad shoulders and dressed all in black. Donning a tank top, gym shorts, sneakers, and a light gray gym bag that was hanging from his shoulder, she deduced he was into fitness. He had long, dark shaggy hair that was almost level with his hips, and he wore a brown headband that kept his bangs from covering his face. He was pretty muscular too, but not overly so. His toned, slightly tanned arms were crossed over his chest, and they were most definitely to her liking. Just like those strong, athletic legs of his, too.
The blue-haired girl couldn't help but wonder if what was underneath his shirt was also as impressive...
She'd bet her coffee addicted ass that it was.
According to his bio, he was really into his sports, just as she'd suspected. He did kick-boxing twice a week, karate three times a week, and he also liked to hike up in the same spot Levy went to at the weekends. The literature student wondered how she'd never bumped into him before, considering she went there at the same time too. Looking back up to stare at his picture, she was captivated by his stony stare. His eyes were a deep crimson and were slightly slanted (indicating an Asian ethnicity possibly?) while his lips were pulled into a frown. He also had a shit-ton of gray-studded piercings on his face: above both of his thin eyebrows, down his nose, his ears, and snake bites. Although he looked rather mean, it worked for him somehow. If there was a look for the classic "bad boy" you read about in novels, Levy guessed he would be the poster boy.
Upon reading further, she learned his name was Gajeel Redfox, and he also attended Magnolia University. He had mechanical engineering listed as his major, which was actually pretty impressive, and holy crap he was in a metal band too?
God damn. He's perfect!
"Why the hell have I never seen this guy before?"
"Yeah, I showed you his profile, 'member? You swiped right on him? I had a feeling you'd like him."
The blue-haired girl remembered swiping right on random profiles, but she wasn't really paying attention. She couldn't believe herself. How in the hell could she not have been paying attention to this glorious man before her?
"He swiped right to you too, so obviously he's interested. And, Natsu just text me. That's his old gym buddy, and he's actually a 3rd year here. Natsu convinced him to go to Cana's tonight, and so are you."
"Cana's? Tonight? Oh god..."
Closing her eyes and sighing in defeat, Levy pinched the bridge of her nose in one hand, looking slightly pained as she did so while holding the phone in the other. She had completely forgotten about tonight.
Cana Alberona, another mutual friend of theirs, was hosting a party tonight at her apartment complex. She was one of their more...adventurous friends, who was one more drunken decision away from effectively ruining her life. Over the course of the couple of years she'd been studying at Magnolia, Cana had quickly built a reputation of being a bit of a wild child. Near enough every weekend, she'd have "small" get-togethers with a "few friends" that almost always got out of hand. Levy wondered how her room-mate, and how everyone else living on the block for that matter, could stand it. The constant noise and lack of privacy would drive her up the wall.
She faintly recalled Cana telling her about the party a week prior and had invited herself and Lucy –while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively– to come along. Cana was bisexual, and Levy was darn certain she had a thing for her blonde-haired best friend. Nevertheless, Levy politely declined her offer. The bookworm was a pretty introverted person, so house parties (and any sort of social gathering, really) were the stuff of Levy's nightmares. She hated being around large groups of people. It was too much noise, and too much work to keep up with the latest conversation topic. Not to mention it was claustrophobic as hell.
"But wait a minute, did she say he swiped...right? On me?"
Before Levy could think any further, Lucy quickly grabbed her things, ungracefully forced them into her book-bag, then pulled her up by the arm and dragged her towards the exit.
"Come on, we've wasted enough time here. We need to hurry before the mall closes!"
Oh shit.
Well, looks like the final season of Sons of Anarchy was going to be put on hold for now.
"I changed my mind. This is stupid, I'm stupid, I just wanna crawl under my duvet and never come out!"
Rolling her eyes at her friend's dramatic outburst, Lucy carefully applied a final coat of lipstick. After admiring her appearance for a few seconds, she turned to address Levy and her current crisis.
"Chill out. What's the problem?"
"This!" Levy shrilly pointed to herself, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I look ridiculous in this!"
Lucy's face scrunched up in confusion at her words.
"I don't get it, how do you?"
Sighing in frustration, Levy stepped towards the body-sized mirror plastered on the otherwise bare, white-tiled wall. Staring at her reflection, the smaller girl felt she looked extremely out of place.
Currently, the two were locked inside of Cana's bathroom. After being dragged out the library like a ragdoll, Lucy drove them both to the mall in search of "hot new outfits" specifically for tonight. After trying on what seemed like a never-ending amount of clothes (some of them way too skimpy for Levy's taste) Lucy finally managed to convince her to buy the yellow figure-hugging dress she was currently wearing.
The garment in itself was pretty simple: a long-sleeved, off the shoulder type of dress that clung to her figure like a second skin. It wasn't low-cut, so her chest wasn't exposed (which she was thankful for). The only things that were on display were her legs, and they actually looked a lot more toned than she remembered them being. She was also a few inches taller due to the open-toed yellow wedges she wore, which was a little confidence boost in of itself. Turning to her side, she noted how petite she really was: The dress did a wonderful job showcasing her trim waist and pert behind if she did think so herself.
She couldn't believe she let Lucy talk her into buying this. She looked so oddly girly and it felt...weird, but she liked it. Feeling shy all of a sudden, the blue haired girl guessed her desire to impress Natsu's friend was stronger than she realised.
Nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Levy began to scrutinize her face. Lucy insisted on doing her hair and make-up, and she actually did a pretty good job. Her hair was down, straight, and neatly tucked behind a yellow headband. Her face looked immaculate too. No more dark circles under her eyes, and the pimples that were forming on her chin were completely hidden from view. Her eyes looked larger due to the way Lucy did her liner, and her cheekbones looked more prominent as well. She raised a hand to lightly touch her glossy lips. They might not be as large as the blonde beside her, but they did look a lot fuller.
She looked...nice. She felt nice. Good even, for a change.
Maybe the countless hours Lucy spent watching beauty tutorials weren't such a waste of time after all...
However, one quick glance at her made Levy's insecurity come crashing back in full force.
The blonde looked stunning, of course. Dressed in a skin-tight mini dress that left little to the imagination, Lucy could easily pass for one of those annoying Instagram models that Levy hated with a passion. The thin straps of her lacy, red dress appeared to be struggling to contain the weight of her ample bosom, and the see-through slits that went up either side of her thighs made it impossible to forget Lucy's rather generous backside. Her long, tanned legs were supported by a pair of strappy black stiletto's, and her hair was down in loose curls. She decided to keep her makeup simple: long, fluttery lashes, winged liner, and red lipstick that matched her dress perfectly.
She looked like a classic Hollywood beauty.
After a pregnant silence, the smaller girl hesitantly spoke up.
"Come on Lucy, get real. I look like a kid standing next to you. I'm not as...noticable as you are."
A look of sadness washed over the blonde's face at Levy's harsh words.
"What are you talking about? You look amazing."
"No...I really don't," Levy whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
Setting her lipstick down on the bathroom counter, Lucy walked towards her best friend, pulling her into a hug.
"Levy, you're gorgeous. I don't understand where this is coming from," she said softly. She gently stroked the smaller girls hair and studied their reflection in the cracked, dingy mirror.
"You know, sometimes I think I look awful," Lucy admitted, "Sometimes I think I'm fat. Sometimes I wish I had smaller boobs, and yes, I'm being serious," she sighed at Levy's skeptical look.
"For real. My back is sore all the time because of them. Sleeping on my stomach is impossible, shopping for bra's, bikini's and jeans is so frustrating. I put weight on easily, I have awful split ends, I sweat super easily which is so embarrassing. That's why I never go hiking with you, I'd be a puddle of goo by the time we got to the end...my point is, we all have our flaws, Levy. Me included. Start having more confidence in yourself because you're a lot more attractive than you give yourself credit for."
The blonde's words sat heavily on Levy's shoulders. However, before she could respond, Lucy's phone lit up with a text message.
Natsu: Were near the front door babe xxx
"C'mon, they're here. You don't want to keep Gajeel waiting, do you?" Lucy teased, wiggling her eyebrows. Becoming a blundering mess, Levy was unable to protest when her friend forcefully pulled her out of the bathroom in an excited flurry.
Meandering through the crowd -which had gotten so much busier in the span of a half hour- they headed into the small living area where Natsu was standing with Gray, looking rather bored. Unlike herself and Lucy, the two boys were dressed pretty casually: both of them wearing white sneakers, dark gray sweatpants, and black UoM t-shirts. Natsu's pink hair looked a little damp too, as though he hadn't bothered to dry his hair properly after showering. Once he noticed them both approaching, however, his face lit up instantly.
Gray sneaking an appreciative glance at Lucy didn't go unnoticed by Levy either.
Greeting her boyfriend with coy eyes and a pretty smile, Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck.
"Hey you," she practically purred, "It's not nice to keep a lady waiting, you know?"
"Haha yeah, well, you can blame fuckface for that..." Natsu seemed as though he was about to go off on a tangent, but decided against it once he got a closer look at his girlfriend, "Well, don't you look nice?"
"I always do, don't I?" she smiled rather smugly as he snaked his strong, tanned arms around her waist. Natsu's eager eyes drank in her appearance, the shit-eating grin he wore was a clear enough indication he liked what he was seeing.
"I'll fucking say. Damn Luce..." If he said anything after that, Levy didn't hear. Leaning closer, his hands traveled lower to squeeze her buttocks -while not at all trying to be subtle about it- and began to, what Levy could only assume was, whisper dirty promises to her. The way Lucy's face lit up like a Christmas tree and began to chortle like a schoolgirl, the bookworm guessed she was right.
Clearing her throat, the smaller girl made her's, and everyone else's, presence known to the randy couple.
"Uhh...I really don't want to be apart of your foreplay, so please, save it for later?"
"Yeah, don't you dare get horny around me," Gray snapped, smacking Natsu on the back of the head, "and who are you calling fuck face, squinty eyes?"
Suddenly becoming aware of the elephant in the room, Lucy detached herself from Natsu with a nervous laugh. Pulling him closer to herself and Levy, as she could see he was about to retaliate with one of his own insults he saved especially for Gray, she awkwardly attempted to change the conversation.
"Right, s-sorry. Um, so...where's Gajeel?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, he's outside trying to find a parking space for his bike."
Levy's eyes widened slightly, "He...drove here? Like, on a motorcycle?"
"Yeah, he's real into cars and shit. Why you like that?" Natsu teased, playfully jabbing Levy's side.
"N-no, I was just asking!" she retorted, swatting Natsu's hands away.
Actually, she did like that. She honestly thought that was really fucking cool, but she wasn't going to admit that because...reasons.
"Well, when he's done, bring him into the kitchen, kay?" Lucy instructed the two boys as she made her way to the back room, taking Levy with her. Before the bookworm knew what was going on, she was handed a shot glass containing a clear coloured liquid.
"A bit of Dutch courage, you know? It helped me when Natsu and I...well...you know, after our third date," Lucy confessed bashfully. She clinked her own shot glass with Levy's, and in the blink of an eye, the drink was gone.
"What are you talking about? You slept with Natsu the first night you met him. Remember? Cana's Halloween party?"
Scowling at her, the buxom blonde grabbed two plastic cups with straws from the kitchen counter and began mixing together a couple of cocktails.
"Uh...that doesn't count. We were really drunk and couldn't remember. I meant, it was our first time having sober sex, thank you very much."
"Not completely sober if you had a couple of shots beforehand..."
"I was nervous, ok?" Lucy hissed, handing her one of the cups, "I slept with a random guy, which was a total first for me, who I actually ended up dating. It was just...weird and backwards and a lot of pressure."
"One to tell the grandkids," Levy snorted at her own joke. Taking one last look at the shot in her hand, she shrugged and swallowed its contents. The sudden burning sensation in the back of her throat made her face scrunch up in disgust. The taste was so horrific, she practically guzzled down the other drink Lucy had made her.
After a few moments silence, the bookworm eventually spoke up.
"...I'm not planning on sleeping with him or anything. You know I'm still a virgin."
"Oh I know, I just mean in general. I know how...nervous you get," Lucy remarked softly, playing with Levy's hair in a motherly fashion.
"I'm not suggesting you do anything you're not comfortable with, I just want you to relax and have fun."
Levy smiled bashfully, stirring her straw idly.
"You're a cute girl, out enjoying her Friday night with her friends, here to meet a cute guy and have fun. If you like him, awesome! If not, you know our code word. I won't leave you alone with some weird dude, but you know Natsu can always kick his ass if he doesn't get the hint."
Laughing, the blue haired girl gave her friend a suggestive smile, "You know, usually I would agree with that statement...but, did you see how built my guy was?"
"See how built who was?"
Levy almost choked on her straw at the sudden presence of Natsu. Looking to her right, she saw himself, Gray and the man of her dreams as of a few hours ago, standing there with beers in their hands and quizzical expressions on their faces.
"Uh...my lit professor?" she offered lamely.
Lucy snorted, like actually snorted, and Levy was certain a little bit of her Black Russian went up her nose. Not that she could blame her. Her literature professor? Really? What the hell was that?
Natsu gave her a weird look.
"Isn't that old man Makarov?"
"Uh..."
Coming to her rescue, Lucy wrapped an arm around Natsu and nodded in Gajeel's general direction.
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"
"Oh yeah, this is Gajeel. Gajeel, this is my girlfriend Lucy," Natsu indicated to the blonde beside him, who smiled politely and waved, "and this right here is one of my good friends, Levy," he finished, pointing to the girl in the yellow dress.
"H-hi, nice to meet you," Levy muttered shly.
Gajeel nodded in acknowledgment, replying with a gruff "Sup."
"Anyway," Gray chimed in, gesturing to Natsu, "This squinty-eyed bastard bet me twenty dollars he could beat me in a game of beer pong, and I feel like claiming my money now."
"Your money?" Natsu repeated sharply, "That's awfully big talk for someone who already owes me fifteen."
Ignoring him, Gray looked to the rest of the group, "You guys coming?"
"Sure, you two making asses of yourself never gets old," Lucy playfully stuck her tongue out at them.
"I don't feel like watching you girls fight, so no," Gajeel grunted, "'Sides, you both suck ass at that game. My dead, armless grandma could aim better than you two faggots."
Levy stifled a laugh.
"Levy? How about you?" Lucy asked, as she widened her eyes slightly and looked over to Gajeel, then back to her, then to Gajeel again, as if to say "Stay here, with him!"
Catching onto her message, Levy shook her head, "No thanks, not after last time. You guys get way too intense at that."
Natsu, Gray, and Lucy then made their way into the living room, leaving Levy, all alone, with the guy she may or may not have been having sexual fantasies about all afternoon.
"Uh so...finder, right?" she awkwardly blurted out.
"What?"
Yeah...what?
"Well, uhh...we met...on finder...and here we are. Hahaha."
"Yeah. So?"
"Just...trying to make conversation," she muttered, fiddling with the hem of her dress nervously.
"This is conversation? You must not get out much."
"Uh...well...a-actually, no. I haven't been out in a long time...at parties, I mean. Not outside in general, I go outside...I'm not a total hermit!"
Gajeel just stared at her as though she were an idiot, which in all honesty, Levy thought was appropriate given how strangely she was acting. Why was she so bad at this? How is it possible to be this socially inept?
Turning away from her, Gajeel leaned back onto the kitchen counter behind him, while lazily scanning his surroundings. One hand was shoved into his pants pocket, while the other held what appeared to be a non-alcoholic beer. Getting a good look at him, it seemed as though the black-haired male had just come from the gym, as he was wearing gray sneakers, red gym shorts, and a gray basketball top. Not that it mattered much if he did, he still looked amazing. The shirt he wore made it easy to eye rape his sexy arms.
Composing herself, as she was about to go off in the deep end, she made a gesture to his drink.
"Playing it safe I see. You got stuck being the designated driver?"
He merely grunted in response.
Feeling a little frustrated, both by his rudeness and her inability to converse like a normal person, Levy began sipping her drink furiously. Great, what the hell was she supposed to do now? Clearly, this wasn't going well, but what did she expect? The literature student theorized she'd have an easier time pulling teeth at this rate, or being on fire. Or perhaps both.
Then, an all too familiar slurping sound broke the tense silence. Upon realising her cup was empty, Levy began pouring herself another. Fast. The sound must have caught Gajeel's attention too because he turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What? Being around me that bad?"
"No, but you're not exactly making this easy," she confessed.
"Neither are you, shrimp."
"Yeah? Well, I...suck at socialising, okay? Leave me alone."
The muscular man simply stared at her, his piercing red eyes making direct contact with hers. It was a little intimidating, actually. So much so, Levy began to panic she'd said something stupid again. Then, as if he shared a mutual understanding with her, he nodded in agreement.
"Same."
"Yeah...and I just think—wait...what?"
He narrowed his eyes at her as if being annoyed he had to repeat himself, "I said me too. I hate most people, and talking is a lot of work," he finished, crossing his arms over his chest.
Surprised by his admission, the blue-haired girl couldn't help but smile slightly at him.
"Oh...well, I guess we're not the kind of people you want at a party then, huh?"
"Nah. Who the fuck would have 'em?" he joked, taking a drink of his beer.
Levy laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down to her shoes shly. Perhaps it was the alcohol buzzing through her system, but his icy exterior seemed to be slowly –-and slowly being the key word- chipping away. He looked more relaxed than he did five minutes ago, which in turn made Levy feel more at ease. He didn't say much, but somehow the bookworm appreciated that, and clearly he wasn't all that comfortable in social situations either. Perhaps they shared more in common than she realised.
"So, Mr. 'I hate socialising', what brings you here tonight then?" she asked, looking back up at him.
"Natsu told me I needed to get out more, plus Cana is always good for weed."
"Oh..."
"And, I was supposed to meet a cute girl."
"Oh?" she sounded hopeful, "And did you?"
"Yeah, but she's fucking weird and seems kind of autistic."
It was a good thing Levy had a twisted sense of humor, otherwise, he would have ended up with her drink all over him and a fat lip. She burst into a fit of laughter, not even caring how much the sound resembled that of a donkey.
"Yeah...I came here because of Lucy. She told me I was supposed to meet a cute guy, but so far I've just been talking to this asshole."
He smiled, which until now Levy didn't think he was capable of, "Fair play, shrimp."
"What's with the 'shrimp'? I haven't deligated nicknames to you yet."
"Cause you're tiny, and I like tiny. Get the fuck over it."
"Well, maybe I could...if you lowered the bar for me slightly."
Now it was his turn to laugh.
All of a sudden, a loud crash came from the living room, followed by what sounded like Cana screaming, "Oh. My. God. Natsu! Gray! What in the name of ever loving FUCK!?"
Gajeel turned to look at her, a crooked grin spread on his face while pointing in the direction of the noise.
"Wanna go watch those two get their asses kicked?"
Levy looked at him with a devious glint in her eyes, "Um, yes times squared times infinity!"
"Wow...you're a huge dork," he commented, face falling flat.
This time, not feeling offended by one of his quips, Levy responded with one of her own, "Yeah? Well, ...you're a big, giant, stupid...uhh..." she trailed off, while Gajeel gave her an amused look.
"Fuck. I don't know, let's just go!"
As the two made their way into the next room, they were quickly met with chaos. The make-shift beer pong table had been flipped over, sitting awkwardly on top of Cana's sofa, and about a dozen cups were scattered across the floor. Most of the people that were in here had cleared out, either because of Natsu's and Gray's recklessness or because of Cana's yelling. She was standing there, looking slightly tipsy but seriously pissed, while Natsu and Gray both looked like they wanted to die.
"You fucking idiots, how many times do I have to tell you? No more beer pong! You keep wrecking my apartment!"
Natsu held his hands up in defense, "It's not my fault! His bitch ass couldn't handle he was losing!"
"Bitch? Last I checked, I wasn't the one crying when Bambi's mom died."
"Hey!" Natsu yelled, looking genuinely hurt as he said that, "low fucking blow, man!"
All of a sudden, Lucy appeared, drink in hand and looking slightly tipsy herself.
"Oooh, Sorry! I was supposed to keep an eye on them, but I got a little side-tracked," she said with a sheepish smile, "The neighbor's dog was outside and I had to pet it!"
"Lucy!" Cana cried happily, seeming to forget all about her anger, she rushed over to the blonde and embraced her in a tight bear hug.
"I totally didn't see you there, hey girl!" she commented, pulling away from Lucy to get a good look at her. Her eyes traveled up and down, then up, then down again, until they came to an abrupt stop on her chest.
"Not sure how, considering your tits are like, right there," the brunette grinned. Then, she moved behind Lucy, wrapping her arms around her waist, her head sitting on top of her shoulders.
"Aaaand, they look even better from this angle."
"Cana!" Lucy whined, face glowing red from embarrassment, "Oh my god, stop!"
"Natsuuu, can I borrow your girlfriend for tonight?"
Stepping towards the two girls, Natsu pried Lucy away from Cana's death clutch, pulling her closer to him in an almost possessive manner.
"Fuck no, I don't share."
Gray just looked at him like he was sprouting two heads, "What kinda idiot would turn down some good 'ol fashion girl on girl action?"
"Hmm..." Contemplating his words for a few seconds, Natsu seemed to have a change of heart as a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Well, when you put it like that..."
"Natsu, I swear to god..." Lucy warned.
"Alright, enough of this shit," Gajeel hollered, stepping towards the commotion, "Cana, you were about to beat the crap out of those two pussy's and I wanna watch."
"Yeah, thanks man," Gray muttered flatly.
Seemingly bored by his suggestion, Cana waved her hand dismissively, before turning back to the red-faced blonde and wrestled her away from her boyfriend.
"I can always do that later after Lucy and I have some special girl time," she cooed.
Lucy squeaked in defiance.
Watching the scene before her, Levy chuckled to herself. Her friends were so fucking weird, psychotic even, but she loved them dearly. So far...tonight hadn't been so bad. At least, in her mind, it was going to be a lot worse. She was having a lot of fun with the guys, and Gajeel seemed to be warming up to her too. She was actually able to hold a conversation with him! And he spoke back! So that must mean she was sorta interesting, right? She smiled to herself, if things continued to go well, maybe she would be leaving with his number.
"And to think, I could have been stuck in my room watching Sons of Anarchy by my lonesome..." she muttered to nobody in particular.
Not noticing said man appear beside her, his sudden voice made her almost jump out of her skin.
"Sons of Anarchy?" Gajeel asked, sounding impressed, "Damn that's a shit-hot show. You like that?"
"Uh, of course, what's not to like? I'm actually almost finished, just got the last season to watch."
"No shit, me too. I was gonna blow off tonight to watch it, but Natsu's faggoty-ass wouldn't let up."
"Really? Me too!" Levy exclaimed excitedly, "To be honest...although I'm having fun, I'm half-tempted to go home just so I can watch it."
The crimson-eyed male stayed silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. He just...stared at her, in silence, brows furrowed slightly as if he were trying to decide something. The literature student grew slightly nervous under the intensity of his gaze. She was so close to him she could smell him, and damn did he smell good.
"You wanna?"
"Um...excuse me?"
"You wanna go watch it? Now that we're talking about it, I'm in the mood to binge it."
Feeling her face heat up at his suggestion –-because really, she thought of something completely different when he said that–- her mind went into overdrive trying to process what he had just asked her. Did he mean he wanted to just watch it? Or was he...
"Are you...asking me to Netflix and chill? In the traditional sense?"
The engineering student gave her a puzzled look.
"The fuck? What's the traditional sense?"
"Are...are you asking me to bed?"
"What the fuck? Who actually talks likes that first of all, and secondly, what the fuck?"
"Idunnookay!" Levy fumbled nervously, "I'm just checking cause sometimes guys use that as a cover up for-"
"Yeah well, I'm not a pussy, alright?" Gajeel countered, "I don't need no cover-ups. If I want to fuck you, you'll know all about it. Relax shorty, I'm just asking you to watch an episode with me. No hanky panky, unless you wanna."
Blushing madly, Levy suddenly found her shoes very fascinating to look at.
"O-okay then—to the show. Not...you know."
"Cool," Gajeel nodded, "We're picking a good time to leave, cause this sounds like it's turning into a gangbang," he pointed behind him.
"Gray, fuck off. If Lucy and Cana are gonna do some hot shit then you're not watching. I ain't letting you see Lucy naked."
"You fuck off, asswipe. Like hell I'd be looking away if they started making out!"
"For the last time, Cana and I aren't doing anything and nobody would be watching!"
"Yeah, this is getting...weird," she chuckled dryly, "let's just go."
Without saying their goodbyes, as they'd hardly be heard at this point, the two stepped outside and made their way to Gajeel's motorbike. Levy pulled out her phone to send a quick text to Lucy to let her know what was going on, only to be surprised to find out it was only 10:45. It seemed a lot later than that.
"You know," Levy began, putting her phone away while turning to look at Gajeel, "When you told me earlier you were tonight's designated driver, I didn't know you meant for me."
"I didn't either," Gajeel confessed, strapping a shiny black helmet to his head, "It all depended."
"On what?"
"On you being a bitch. I don't let bitches ride Crystal," he patted his bike proudly as he said so.
Ignoring the bitch remark, Levy just scoffed, "Crystal? Really?"
"Yes, really. Now shut up and helmet up, small fry," he demanded, tossing her a spare.
Catching it with ease, the blue-haired girl began fastening up.
"But before we go, I got one question for you shrimp, and I'd 'preciate an honest answer."
She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.
"Your lit professor...he's pretty built, huh?" he asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Hopping on his bike behind him, she wrapped her arms around him, her face turning completely red.
"...Oh, Shut up."
Thanks for reading!