Rated T for language and mentions of anorexia and self-harm. Please don't read if those things make you uncomfortable.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters.

He sounded like a screeching cat.

Actually, Levy could vouch for the fact that his cat's yowling sounded better than his singing. And twice every day, without fail, the sound of his screeching filtered through the shared bathroom wall between their apartments.

Levy knew pretty much nothing about her neighbor. He had moved in two months after her and, despite living next to each other for five months, she had never actually seen him. He seemed to work later in the day and the evening, while she always took the morning shift at the library, so their paths had never crossed.

It had startled her at first, the singing. A few days after he had moved in, she was brushing her teeth when a terrible screeching filled the air. She had jumped, nearly dropping her tooth brush. She was reaching for the phone before she realized that it was a person singing, not an animal being tortured. Part of her was tempted to pound on the wall to get him to stop, but the larger part of her was too intimidated of a possible confrontation with a strange man to do anything.

A few days later, a cat's meows joined the warbling voice and Levy had to admit that the cat was more in tune than the man it belonged to. It bothered her for the first few weeks, the concert in the bathroom. It was reliable and unfortunately occurred at exactly the same time she used the bathroom.

But she slowly got used to it. In fact, it was more accurate than her clock, some days. Occasionally she would be able to recognize the tune and would hum along quietly. But she was always careful to keep quiet. She was too shy to risk him hearing her.

One day, the singing stopped. It completely threw her off and she wasn't the only one to notice.

"Okay, spill." Levy's best friend and co-worker grabbed the stack of books out of her hands. "You've been out of it all week."

"I don't know what you mean, Lucy," Levy protested weakly.

"Really?" Lucy raised an eyebrow and examined the spines of the books she held. "So you were knowingly going to shelve The Complete Encyclopedia of Fungi, A History of 15th Century Music, and The Philosophy of Aristotle in the young adult fiction section? Where would you put them, between The Hunger Games and Twilight?"

Levy gasped. "I thought we agreed to never speak that name again!"

"You have forced me to take drastic measures," Lucy said playfully. "Now spill. What's on your mind?"

Levy groaned. "You're going to think it's stupid."

"You don't know that."

"I think it's stupid! Actually, you're just going to make fun of me. Or worse." Like matchmaking, Levy thought grimly.

Lucy tapped her foot.

"Fine." Levy sat at one of the tables, Lucy following suit. "The singing guy next door."

"Oh," Lucy said, clearly remembering Levy's complaints after the neighbor had moved in. "He's really driving you nuts, huh?"

"No, it's actually stopped."

Lucy studied her friend's face. "And that's a bad thing?"

"I don't know, I got used to it. It was part of my routine. Now that it's stopped, it's kind of thrown me off."

"So you're upset that the noise you once described as worse than nails on a chalkboard has stopped?"

". . . yes?"

"You realize how ridiculous that sounds."

"Of course I do!" Levy slouched over the table. "I must be going crazy."

Lucy smoothed a hand over Levy's hair. "You could always knock on his door, see if he's okay."

Levy glared at her supposed best friend. "Sure. Then I could run naked through the streets."

Lucy choked on her laughter. "Who knows. Maybe he'd appreciate that."

"Lucy!"

The blonde sighed. "Look, if you're really worried that something has happened to him, you can go next door and see. If you decide it's none of your business, leave it alone and don't let it bother you. Maybe his schedule changed. Maybe he's on vacation. Maybe he's got a cold."

Levy squared her shoulders determinedly. "You're right. It's none of my business and there's probably nothing wrong anyway. I'll just move on with my life."

"You're going to keep stressing out and do nothing, aren't you?"

"Absolutely."

Levy went about the rest of her day feeling more energetic than before. In fact, as she and Lucy were walking to their cars at the end of their shift, she was humming one of the songs her neighbor often sang.

"Since when do you listen to The Dragonslayers?" Lucy asked.

"What?"

"That song you're humming. It's their most recent hit."

"Oh. It's one of the songs my neighbor sings. I guess he's a fan, just like you," Levy teased.

"Hey, they're a great band! Good enough to tempt me to ask my father for money to get tickets to their concert next month."

Levy raised an eyebrow. Lucy refused to speak to her father after a falling out when he tried to micromanage her life. If she was tempted to speak to him, let alone ask for a favor, she must think the band was worth it. Too bad her father wouldn't agree, even if she did ask.

"Admit it, you just think the lead singer is hot."

Lucy turned bright red as she tried to deny it, but Levy just laughed. She had heard too many drunken confessions about Lucy's celebrity crush to believe any denials.

"Well, no matter how he looks, that boy can sing," Lucy finally said. "If I could marry a voice. . . ."

Levy laughed and bid her best friend goodnight. She kept humming the tune all evening. As she was getting ready for bed, she started singing, gaining volume as she lost herself in the music. She sang it slower than her neighbor usually did, and in a higher key. She had just finished changing into her pajamas when there was a pounding on her door. She threw on a bathrobe and peeked through the peephole.

She nearly screamed.

On the other side of her door stood a large man. His face and arms were covered in tattoos and piercings and there was a dark scowl on his face as he lifted his hand to knock again.

"I know you're in there, I just wanna ask you some questions." His voice was gravelly and harsh.

Levy grabbed her phone, texting Lucy a quick message before taking a deep breath and opening her door.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a soft voice. She tried her best to meet his eyes, but couldn't find the courage to do so for more than a few seconds at a time.

"I'm Gajeel, I live next door. I heard ya singin' just now."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you."

"I don't care about that. I just wanna know why you were singin' it like that."

"Like what?"

"All soft and slow and high."

"Oh. Well, I have to sing it higher, I can't hit the low notes. And I like the way it sounds slower, that's all. Not that it's a bad song fast, I just think it's nice when you take time with a song."

"Huh." Gajeel seemed lost in thought for a few moments. "Alright, thanks."

Without another word, he turned on his heel and left. Levy shut and locked her door, slumping against it with a sigh.

"I'm Levy, by the way," she whispered. She grabbed her phone and called Lucy.

"What the hell is going on?!" Lucy yelled upon answering the phone. "You can't just send me a text saying 'Call me in 5 minutes if you don't hear from me first and call the police if I don't answer' and expect me to be okay with it!"

"Sorry, but someone was knocking on my door and he looked kind of terrifying and he knew I was here but I didn't want to answer the door without a backup plan just in case he was a kidnapper or a mass murderer or something like that!" She took another deep breath. "It turns out he's my neighbor."

"You've got a creepy murderer neighbor? I told you we should have gotten a place together, now you're going to get killed in your sleep!"

"He's not going to kill me! He heard me singing and wanted to ask me a question, that's all!"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. He asked the question and went away. No small talk, no trying to come in. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised he even bothered to tell me his name."

"Which is?"

"Gajeel."

"Huh. So he's not a psychotic killer. He's just weirder than you about the whole singing thing."

"I guess."

"Well, you know I'm always here for you. But next time, try not to scare me so badly, ok?"

"I promise. And I'm sorry for making you worry. I just panicked and I didn't have much time to figure out better wording."

"I get it. Now lock your door and go to bed. If I don't see you at work tomorrow, I'll know who to sic the cops on."

"Not funny," Levy said.

"It's a little funny."

"Good night."

Two days later, Levy was walking up to her apartment from the mailboxes. She was preoccupied, flipping through the stack of envelopes, when she tripped and almost fell. She looked around and found that the culprit was a cat.

The cat was black, with a white muzzle and a nasty looking scar over one eye. It rubbed against her legs, purring loudly.

"Hello there," Levy murmured, reaching down to pet the friendly cat. It butted against her hand affectionately, rearing back on its hind legs to rest its paws on her leg.

"Mrow?"

Her heart melted and she couldn't resist picking up the cat (which she couldn't help but notice was male) and cuddled him.

"Well, aren't you just adorable," she cooed. "Where did you come from?"

Heavy footsteps alerted her to another person's arrival. She looked up to see her intimidating neighbor.

"Hello," she said cautiously.

"Hey," he grunted. "Thanks for grabbing Pantherlily."

"Oh, is he your cat?"

"Yeah."

"He's a real sweetheart," Levy said. As if in response, Pantherlily rubbed his cheek against hers. She giggled, his whiskers tickling her.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well," Gajeel finally said. "Thanks for catching Lily, Shrimp." He took the cat and headed back to his apartment.

"My name is Levy," she said softly as his door closed. "Not Shrimp."

Lucy spent the next few days interrogating Levy and analyzing every bit of her interactions with her intimidating neighbor. About a week later, she came into work bursting with energy and news.

"You have to listen to this!" She said, pulling Levy into one of the small study rooms. She pulled out her phone and played a song. To Levy's surprise, it was the song that had been stuck in her head for so long.

"The Dragonslayers just released the acoustic version. Isn't it beautiful? That's Wendy singing. She usually just does backup vocals and plays keyboard, but this version is perfect for her voice!"

It was beautiful. But something about the song caught Levy's attention. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, so she dismissed it. It if it was important, she'd eventually remember it.

It wasn't until she was at home opening her mail that she figured it out. She stared at the plain envelope that had been stuck in between her bills, shocked at the contents. Then she lunged for her phone, texting Lucy frantically.

Code Yellow! Get herre ASPA!

Lucy somehow managed the 15 minute drive in 7 minutes. Levy let her eager friend in and was almost tackled.

"What's the big news?" she asked excitedly. "It must be huge because you didn't bother to correct the spelling in your text."

Levy simply shoved two pieces of paper at her.

Lucy was frozen in shock. "Levy," she finally managed to say. "Are these backstage passes to the Dragonslayers concert this weekend?"

"You see it too?"

"How did you get these?!"

"What are the band members' names?"

"Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel, and Wendy."

Levy swayed on her feet, collapsing onto her couch. "My neighbor's name is Gajeel. I think he's that Gajeel!"

"What?" Lucy joined Levy on the couch.

"I told you about the time he came over, remember? He was asking why I was singing that song so differently. Well according to this note, that conversation was what made him think of doing the acoustic version. So he gave me two passes as thanks."

Lucy lunged for the note. "Let me see!"

Shrimp, the note read, thanks for the advice on the song. Here's some tickets to say thanks. -Gajeel

"Oh my god," Lucy breathed. "You got a note from one of The Dragonslayers! Levy!"

"Please don't go all fangirl on me!"

"Of course I'm going to go fangirl, this is huge!" Lucy pulled out her phone, typing frantically for a few moments. She shoved it in Levy's face. "Is this him?"

Levy looked at the picture on the screen. The four band members stood together and there, right in the middle, stood her neighbor. She nodded, unable to do more than squeak in surprise.

"Oh my god! Levy, you're going, right? You have to go! Please, please go! And take me with you?!"

"Of course! You're the fan, I wouldn't go without you."

Lucy squealed, wrapping her arms around her friend. "Thank you so much!"

"Is it really that important to you?" Levy asked.

Lucy settled back onto the couch, pulling up her knees and wrapping her arms around them. "Yeah," she whispered.

"Can I ask why?"

Lucy sighed. "I didn't handle my mom's death well. I was only six, after all, and my dad certainly wasn't there for me. As long as I didn't embarrass him and acted appropriately, he didn't bother with me. I was depressed and confused and I didn't have anyone to talk to. I was expected to be perfect, not to mourn. I got. . . obsessed with being seen as perfect. Puberty kind of killed my self-esteem and by the time I was 15, I was anorexic. For a while, being perfect got me at least some attention from my dad. But then even that stopped. I was desperate for any sort of attention when I stumbled across an interview with Natsu. He was talking about how his father had left him when he was a kid and he struggled with depression and eventually self-harm. He was so proud about reaching out and overcoming his struggles with the help of his friends. I wanted that. I wanted to have friends, to feel good about myself. So I left home. I got a job and met you and Cana. I started therapy and now I finally feel normal, happy. Natsu and The Dragonslayers have been such a huge part of that. Their music encourages me to keep going when I'm having a tough day. And now I get the chance to meet them, to thank them for all that? It means more to me than I can possibly say."

Levy hugged her. "I had no idea, Lu. I'm sorry for teasing you about them."

"It's fine, Levy. The important thing right now is figuring out what to wear to the concert."

By the time Saturday night came, Lucy was barely able to contain her excitement and even Levy was starting to look forward to the concert. The two girls eagerly made their way to the stadium, showing their passes and making their way backstage. Unfortunately, a side trip to the bathroom got them turned around and they soon found themselves lost.

After wandering the hallways for a few minutes, they ran into someone. He was handsome and looked to be about their age. He smirked at them, running his hand through his dark blue hair.

"Hello ladies," he said in what Levy assumed he thought was a sexy drawl. "Are you lost?"

"Yes," Lucy said. "We're looking for-"

"Bora, of course," he interrupted. "And lucky you, you've found me."

"No, actually, we're here-" Levy tried to say.

"To interview me? So you're reporters then. Sexy. I'd be happy to give you a personal interview."

The two girls shuddered. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," Lucy said firmly, pulling Levy a step back. "We came to see The Dragonslayers."

Bora scowled. "Why would you want to see those damn losers," he spat.

Lucy and Levy froze, taken aback by his sudden change in mood. They glanced around, trying to find a way out of the awkward conversation.

As Bora stalked toward them, frowning darkly, a pink-haired blur raced around the corner, crashing into Bora. Levy and Lucy watched the two fumble, Bora smacking into the wall with the pink-haired young man against him.

"Dammit," the newcomer said, shaking his head. "That hurt."

Bora scowled, shoving the new guy away and making him fall on the floor, landing on his shoulder. "Watch where you're going, asshole."

Lucy gasped, grabbing Levy's arm as they recognized the newcomer: Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he rubbed his shoulder. "You'd better hope I can still play tonight, bastard. If I can't, it's on you. And I know a few people who would be very put out."

Bora tried to look tough, but they could see him paling. "Whatever," he said, slowly walking away.

Natsu turned to the two girls with a warm smile. "Sorry about that, I overheard part of your conversation. No one should have to talk to that asshole more than necessary. I'm Natsu, by the way."

At this point, Lucy was practically hyperventilating, so Levy spoke up.

"Thanks for that, he was sort of creepy. We're here to see The Dragonslayers," she said, digging out the backstage passes. "We have tickets. But we got sort of lost."

Natsu looked at the tickets and his eyes brightened. "Right! I'm Natsu, lead singer and guitarist. Our green room is this way."

Natsu led them through some more hallways and into a room where the rest of the band was relaxing.

"Found 'em!" he announced cheerfully as he slammed the door behind them.

The other band members looked up, Gajeel shooting to his feet.

"This is . . ." Natsu trailed off, realizing he didn't know their names.

"This is Lucy," Levy said, looking at her neighbor. "And I'm Levy."

What's this? Two updates in less than 24 hours? I must feel really bad. ;)

Special thanks, as always, to star-eye for beta-reading and coming up with all Natsu's bad ideas (see below). Speaking of which, star-eye is lobbying for a sequel to this, so let me know if you agree with her!

Also, I wrote a bonus scene from Gajeel's point of view below. I couldn't resist. :D

Catch ya later, lovelies!

-FD

"Alright, what's wrong?" Juvia asked Gajeel during band practice. Their manager had noticed the guitarist acting strangely all day.

Gajeel scowled. "Nothin'."

Natsu scoffed. "C'mon. Even I can tell something's off."

Laxus sighed as rehearsal came to a halt, all the bandmembers looking at Gajeel expectantly. He crossed his arms petulantly, refusing to admit anything. Unfortunately, between Wendy and Juvia's pouts and puppy dog eyes, he quickly relented.

"Fine! You know how I suggested that acoustic song?"

Juvia nodded, a devious gleam in her eye. "It was inspired by your neighbor, wasn't it? How is she?"

Gajeel scowled. "She tried to steal my cat."

"What?" Natsu and Wendy looked horrified.

"He got out earlier and she caught him before he could get outside. Damn traitor was purring and cuddling with her. She said he was a sweetheart! My Lily is a tough bastard, not some pansy cat."

"So, she was being helpful?" Wendy asked, confused.

Gajeel scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Just like she was being helpful when she wouldn't stop singing and bothering me."

"But I thought that was helpful," Wendy said. "Otherwise we wouldn't have the acoustic version of the song."

"She's right," Juvia pointed out. "I hope you remembered to thank her."

As Gajeel avoided her eyes, they all assumed he hadn't.

"You don't have to talk to her, if you feel embarrassed," Wendy suggested. "You could always write her a note."

"I'm not gonna write love notes like you write to Romeo."

Wendy turned bright red.

Juvia frowned. "Well we should do something to show her our appreciation. What's she like?"

Gajeel frowned. "She's small. Likes my cat. Sorta cute, if you like that sort of thing."

That was clearly the wrong thing to say, as Juvia and Wendy started squealing.

"That was a dumb move," Natsu said with a laugh. "Now they'll never let up."

"What's her name?" Wendy asked, bouncing in her seat.

"I dunno," Gajeel said. "I just call her Shrimp."

He was suddenly confronted with an angry Juvia.

"You didn't even ask her name?" she hissed.

He gulped. "No."

She whacked him with her clipboard. "Idiot! You've talked to this girl twice and you didn't even introduce yourself?"

"I told her who I was!"

"But you didn't ask her name?" Juvia's voice was dangerously low.

Gajeel decided silence was his best course of action.

"Well, regardless of Gajeel's dismal social skills," Juvia said, "we owe this girl a great deal. Any thoughts on how to thank her?"

"Give her a tree!" Natsu said.

"You mean flowers?" Wendy asked.

"No, dig up a tree and give it to her."

"She lives in an apartment, Natsu. A tree won't fit in her apartment," Juvia said patiently, used to his outrageous ideas.

"Buy her a cat so she won't steal yours," he suggested next.

"It's never a good idea to buy someone a pet, especially if you don't know them," Wendy said. "She might already have one, or maybe she doesn't want to own one."

Natsu thought for a moment. "I've got it!" he shouted. "Hire an airplane to write "Thank you Shrimp" in the sky above your apartment building!"

No one even bothered to respond to that suggestion. They all just stared at him, incredulous.

"There's one thing no one has thought of," Laxus finally spoke up.

"What's that?" Gajeel asked, trying not to sound too interested.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "You do remember that you're in one of the most famous bands in the country, right? Get her some backstage passes to the concert. Then you can talk to her again, we can all thank her, and you morons can finally shut up so we can get back to rehearsal."

Wendy clapped her hands. "That's perfect! I can't wait to meet her!"

Juvia nodded. "I'll contact the ticket office and get a few VIP tickets. You have to give them to her, however."

Gajeel nodded. "Well I'm glad that some people here have good ideas." He glared at Natsu. "Dumbass. Who hires a plane to write things in the sky?"

"Hey, that was a great idea!"

"You two idiots can compare stupid ideas later," Laxus said. "We've got a show to rehearse for."

Gajeel vowed it would be their best show yet.