chapter one

Levy sighed, twirling her straw around in her fruit smoothie, no longer feeling the desperate thirst that had made her buy it in the first place.

"What's up? I thought you were thirsty." Lucy said, licking her lips and slurping her own.
"I know, I was..." Levy replied slowly. She hadn't been feeling herself for a few days, but she felt more lethargic than ever now. Lucy frowned.
"Levy, what's wrong with you? I've noticed you look down, but I thought it was about that fight with Jet and Droy. Is that really all there is to it, or are you not telling me something?" she reached across and took Levy's hand with a warm smile. "You can trust me, you know. We're not best friends for nothing!" Levy returned the smile and nodded.
"Yeah. Well, to be honest, I don't really know what it is. I've been feeling... lonely, I guess. Not alone," she continued quickly, seeing Lucy about to interrupt, "but like... I want a relationship. Or just... I don't know." she mumbled, blushing a little. She didn't know what had come over her- a boyfriend had always been at the bottom of her priorities. "I mean, I'm almost eighteen years old, I'm not as helpful on missions as you, Natsu, or Erza... I just want a change. I... I want some excitement." Levy mumbled into her drink, taking a long sip. She chanced a look at Lucy, who looked surprised, but overwhelmingly excited.
"Oh, Levy! I know exactly what you need. You need a change of pace! I felt the same way, not so long ago, and I began to look around me, and see people differently. I wanted different things from them than I did at the start. Is that it?" she asked suddenly, as though worried she was taking the conversation in a completely different direction. Levy nodded emphatically.
"Exactly! I mean, I spend all my time reading, and I love it, I adore all my books, I get excited about finding new things to learn... but then I look up and I see..." Levy fidgeted a little, but steamrollered on anyways. "..and I just... I get this feeling, like I start thinking about what I could do right then to shake things up. Change the situation. I start thinking..." her face felt very hot, but Lucy's constant nods gave her confidence. "I start thinking about what would happen if I did this or if I said that... I don't know... I think I'm just bored... or impatient with how my life is right now. I want..." she trailed off, but Lucy grabbed her hand, nodding enthusiastically nonetheless.
"Levy, I'm so glad you came to me! Now I know I'm not the only one who's a pervert.." she cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
"L-Lucy, don't-" Levy protested in embarassment, freezing as she noticed the other customers glancing over at their table. "I'm not a pervert!" she insisted in a whisper. "I didn't mean anything perverted!" Lucy laughed and shrugged.
"Oh well. But the real question here is, are you looking at anybody in particular when you feel you want something to change? Or in general?" she asked. Levy frowned.
"Well...I don't think those things about my team, if that's what you mean. I think teammates are too close to become anything more." Lucy grinned.
"Poor Jet and Droy..." she murmured. Levy sighed. "But... well, don't tell anyone!" she said suddenly, shaking her head passionately.
"I promise." Lucy said, pressing the hand with her Fairy Tail stamp on it to her chest.
"Well... you know since my room flooded after Juvia's sleepover with Aquarius? And Jet and Droy didn't have any room for me in their apartment?"
"To Jet and Droy's eternal disappointment, yeah.." Lucy nodded.
"And you were away with Natsu and Gray, so I couldn't ask you..."
"That's right, I forgot! Where exactly are you staying, again?" Lucy asked, surprised that she'd forgotten about her friend's troubles.
"Well... I mean... Master suggested it, but... even before, he offered... sort of..."
"No way!" Lucy exclaimed suddenly, her chair falling back as she leapt to her feet. "No way!" she repeated, leaning straight over the table in excitement.
"Lucy, your boobs are in my face..." Levy said, embarassed as her friend's titanic titties swung back as she sat down again.
"Sorry. But I cannot believe Gajeel asked you to stay with him!" Lucy marveled.
"Well, I mean... it was a coincidence, because he was sitting in the guild when I was telling Master I didn't have a place to stay until my apartment dried out... and then he kind of looked over... and then Master asked him if he had any room... and he said that as long as I didn't mind sharing with Pantherlily..."
"Oh my god, oh my god, Levy!" Lucy said excitedly, after chugging what looked like half of her smoothie in one go. "This is so fun! So you've got a crush on Gajeel still?"
"What do you mean 'still'?" Levy demanded hotly. Lucy laughed.
"Don't get all defensive on me! It's been months since the S-class trial, you've been blushing like a virgin in sex shop ever since! I know you've got a king-sized crush on that guy and his abs of steel! And I think he likes you more than you think."
"Don't say things like that, it's not true." Levy protested. "Gajeel doesn't like me. I'm annoying, I'm weak, and I'm small."
"But didn't he say he was going to 'make you big'?" Lucy said, her hand hardly covering her wide smirk as she imitated his voice. "That sounds like a euphamism if ever there was one."
"Lucy!" Levy protested again.

Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to confess to her friend- after all Lucy was enthusiastic about everything, so that certainly seemed to include other peoples' love lives. Not that Levy had a love life to speak of... but perhaps that was what was bothering her? She sighed again. As somebody who always knew what they wanted in life, and who knew themselves very well, it was difficult for her to cope with this gnawing sense that she wanted something new, but she didn't know what or why.
"But is it Gajeel who you feel this way about? You think about what you could do to... to what?" Lucy asked, chewing her straw, her drink gone. Levy bit her lip. "Well... to make him notice me. He never notices. Even now we're living together, he doesn't... pay attention. I mean, I don't expect him to, because I'm not the type of person he likes... I'm not strong." Lucy rubbed her best friend's shoulder. She never found it difficult to be positive, but it certainly was an uphill climb trying to boost Levy's self-esteem when it came to her physical capabilities.
"By 'take notice', do you mean... you want him to notice that he could fall in love with you? Or do you want him to notice that you're sexy?" Levy blew a stray lock of hair out of her face and rested her chin on her fist.
"Well, y'know... let's be honest here. I'm seventeen. I've got tits the size of thumbtacks in a guild full of F-cup chicks. It wouldn't be unwelcome to be found attractive." she said with a grin. Lucy laughed before realizing that under Levy's joking tone was a genuine feeling.
"Tell me the truth, Levy. Do you just want sex, or do you want Gajeel?" she asked, planting her palms down flat on the table. Levy blushed and gripped her knees tightly.
"It's hard to admit... I'm not brave at all like you, Lucy... but... I can't say it, but when you asked me, there was only... only one feeling in me. So..." Lucy grinned.
"Well, alright then. Let's get this love boat out to sea!" she cheered, raising her fist in the air. Levy raised her glass half-heartedly.
"...Right..."

Levy walked home, the early evening air blowing through her choppy hair, making goosebumps rise on her bare arms. She sighed at the pink sky above the setting sun as she remembered the tail end of her conversation with Lucy.

"Okay, we're working under the assumption that Gajeel already has feelings for you."
"Why are we doing that?"
"Because I think he does, and I am in charge."
"Fine, Lucy, but-"
"The first thing we need to do is get Pantherlily on the team. Tonight, you go home and interrogate him. Ask about Gajeel. Ask what he thinks of you. If it comes down to it, tell him your feelings, but only as a last resort- cats are tricky little animals. Be cautious."
"Okay and-"
"Once that's done, do exactly what you usually do, but spice it up a little. If you excercise in the morning, leave the door open and wear something cute. If you have a shower, come out wearing your towel. If you have lunch together, make it special. Meet me for lunch tomorrow at Taco Tail, and dish it all!"
"Okay, but Lucy-"
"I'm meeting Loke at the hot springs, see you later!"

Levy sighed again. She wished she hadn't got Lucy into this- she wasn't even sure that she wanted to go on with the plan, but Lucy was waiting for her to 'dish it all' tomorrow...
"Well, there's simply no helping it." she murmured.
"No helping what?"
Levy jumped in surprise and looked up at Gajeel, who was leaning against the wall, his arms folded, Pantherlily on his shoulder.

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