Scoreboard

Like most things start in Gajeel's life, even romance starts with a fight. And for once, he was rolling down the losing hill fast- without so much of a chance.

The Dragon Slayer wasn't sure at what point he'd been wearing these boxing gloves of love, affection, and all words forbidden in the world of iron and bad ass, but one thing he was sure of, was that he was a sore loser.

"I won't- I won't let you hurt them!"

The petite woman screeched in a voice larger than herself, all her physical effort poured into keeping upright as he approached the trio. If there was anything noticeable about this woman, it was her unwavering determination.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't just hurt them," Gajeel promised.

There wasn't any point in lying. Gajeel became dangerously bloodthirsty from the musk secreting from her overworking sweat glands - her fear. It was that smell that made him go for her first.

"All right, you fuckin' fairies, time for some past due punishment," the then Phantom Lord Guild member declared as he swooped in to attack the two chivalrous knights blocking his way from his target.

After dodging a simultaneous and testosterone filled Falcone Soar and Plants of Summer Blooming, Gajeel Redfox was flanked by an unexpected Solid Script Fire spell in which he smoothly evaded as well.

"What's the matter? Why can't you pussies touch me?"

She screamed something that was absorbed by the chaos- therefore inaudible to the Phantom Lord member.

The fight must've lasted about three minutes, but to Shadow Gear, it must've felt eternal. At the time, Gajeel was numb to Fairy Tail's passion, and was merciless with their beating. Her stomach was smooth under his rough handling and even as he traced the shape of his guild's brand over her skin, he could feel her eyes penetrate him in what he at first assumed was anger.

The split second he matched eyes with her before she lost consciousness, the iron-eater discovered the he was mistaken.

It was pity.

As Gajeel walked away from the aftermath that he'd left on display, he noted a feather burnt from his tunic.

One point. Levy.

He had a second chance at encountering that same musk of hers when he joined the very guild he had tried to annihilate.

"Eh, what did you say to me?"

"You heard me. If you touch any of my family members, I'm coming for you," Natsu warned him on his first day, after the initial hostility he received from the rest of the guild. He was beginning to wonder if listening to Makarov was a shitty idea after all when he continued down the hall and ran straight into a piece of furniture. Now wearing the beer that was filling his mug moments ago, he looked down to see the damage.

His bad. This wasn't furniture.

She was blue, in hair and in her current state. Levy, was her name, and she was shaking like a leaf beneath his presence. He remembered hearing her upon his entrance. "I'm not bothered at all," she said, her words clearly not matching her body language. Briefly, he recalled the singed feather that she had caused during their first encounter and smiled. Unfortunately, this made the situation worse.

"Hey, listen-"

"I-I'm sorry," she cried before running past him, seemingly for her life. Before her speedy exit, she'd thrown what he realized was a handkerchief at his chest. Perhaps she hoped this would prevent him from chasing her and repeating their first encounter.

Shit. He was never good at talking to the ladies.

The regret that the macho mage would never admit feeling, kept him sleepless for days. And then opportunity struck - literally.

"Gajeel!" she yelled as he took the brunt of Laxus' attack for her. After allowing Droy and Jet to vent their leftover resentment on him and then receiving attacks from Laxus, Redfox decided that this making friends thing wasn't worth the bullshit it was.

"Is that all? I have work to do."

Levy moved to speak, but at this point, he'd long run out of patience.

"Don't bother," he mumbled.

Gajeel. One Point.

"Break down the rogue characters' arrangement data into basic character material..."

Gajeel was watching her, probably the most he'd laid eyes on her since his arrival, in fear that she'd break to pieces under his scrutiny. But since the Laxus incident and with Magnolia at stake, he was once again confronted with the passion she displayed during their first encounter. Buried amongst books he'd never bother to read, Levy narrated to herself as she tried to break Fried's enchantment.

Now she was confident and judging by what his nose was telling him, she was no longer afraid of him despite that he was sitting a few feet away, leaving her back defenseless to him.

"You're incredible, you know? I can't understand a word you're saying."

Finally she matched his gaze, without shying away, and brimming with the determination he had given her props for in the past. "Please. Stop Laxus."

As she returned to writing, he continued to observe. Whatever miracle she was working, it was a different kind of magic from what he was used to and it wasn't to be underestimated. From that point on, Gajeel realized he'd never accidentally call her furniture again.

Levy. Two Points.

"Grab my hand," Gajeel demanded as he reached down to lug his partner up the sharp crag they were climbing. Halfway down their chosen path, the S-Class exam was becoming more of a challenge. With the smoldering one hundred degree heat, the variety of carnivorous animals that competed in height with the thousand year old trees, and the fact that Levy was continuously having a wrestling match with the thick flora yanking at her arms and legs - he was finding that more time was being spent untangling her from the frequent vine than actually progressing.

Although Levy hadn't rejected his offered help thus far, despite her hesitance when he first volunteered himself as her partner, the script mage made it obvious that she didn't like it.

"I will make you big."

That was a hell of a promise to make. But if Gajeel was one thing, he was a man of his word.

"I've got it," Levy assured as she pushed through thick shrubbery, her pout suggesting that perhaps, doubt was setting in. And speaking of negative emotions, the Dragon Slayer was becoming rather cranky due to the lack of battles during their exam.

"I just wanna punch Salamander and Erza!"

"So, you don't care about me?"

"What? Does she want to get punched too," he thought sarcastically. Leave it to a woman to twist a man's words-

"I'm not sayin' that."

"But you always fight with everyone, Gajeel! You never look at me!"

And leave it to his dumb ass to say something to further piss the woman off.

"You want some attention, Shrimp," he patted her head, "Then fight seriously with me. Get stronger!"

Her face was as red as a tomato and just as he expected her to explode into a tuft of smoke, she yelled, "Stupid Gajeel!"

Shit. She was gone before he had the chance to give chase.

If untangling her from the damned forest was a pain, finding her in it was a bitch. Inwardly he cursed himself, because if anything would happen to her, he'd lose the trust he worked so hard to gain from the other guild members, and he wasn't sure if he wanted her to be so angry with him either. Maybe he cared more about that than the guild's feelings for some odd reason.

Just as he was about to vent his frustration on a nearby tree, Gajeel picked up on scents that were not familiar- scents that were not on the ship that took them to Tenrou Island.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, the man ran at full speed towards the odor and upon arrival, skidded to block an attack on his partner in the nick of time. Levy was laid out on the grass, her hair tousled and tangled as if it had been yanked.

They would pay for that...

"It's hard looking for someone so small," Gajeel said to her, "So don't leave my side."

When he woke up, he was wrapped in bandages, Levy hovering over him with a smile. The fight and his journey here was hazy, so he asked to confirm.

"Wh-what? How'd the hell did I get over here?"

As if it were a confession, Levy cocked her head to the side and snickered. "I carried you of course. Don't you remember?"

Regardless of the pain he was in, he managed to return her grin. With all that trouble she had getting through the forest before, somehow she had managed to lead them to safety, bearing weight that was more than twice her own.

Levy. Three points.

Since that moment, the scoreboard had unfortunately become one-sided.

"I'll kick your ass right here, right now!"

"Eh? Let's do it!"

Typical day at the guild, Salamander confronting him eye to eye and forehead to forehead. However the argument started, he didn't recall. The two Dragon Slayers were moments from having it out when a small presence came between them.

"L-Levy-chan! You should probably move from there!" Lucy warned from the bar area, concerned for her friend's safety.

Gajeel turned to hum at his former S-class exam partner. And she beamed with happiness because he stopped to actually look at her. He'd been making a habit of it as of late. Didn't want her repeating another Tenrou Island incident again.

"Gajeel, umm, can I talk to you?"

"Eh?"

"She's trying to be discreet, Gajeel, follow suit," Panther Lily explained to the dull muscle head gawking at her. Sensing the mood shift, Lucy snuck up to drag Natsu away.

"L-Lucy! Oi! I'm not done here! I haven't kicked his ass yet!"

When Levy grabbed his fist that had still been upright to strike the Fire Eater, his arm had turned to jelly. Apparently, she'd developed a new habit too. Grabbing his hand.

He'd done it multiple times through Tenrou to keep her from becoming a victim to the deep crags they were climbing. And when Acnologia soared above them, ready to strike them down, he remembered how easily her small fingers snapped between each of his before everything washed out into white.

"Uh- where are we going?"

The script mage ignored him as she continued to lead him away from the main hall, as much of his large hand in hers as she could grab. Perhaps she was leading him to carry groceries again, or worse, her new orders from the bookstore.

Turns out, they arrived at the guild library instead. Whenever Levy was missing in action, Lucy was always the first to nonchalantly point upstairs where Gajeel would find the Script Mage face down and asleep with ink smudged on her face.

Just as the Dragon Slayer was about to take a seat in the middle of her collection stacked on the floor, she threw his hand down and spun around so fast, her hair whipped.

"Why didn't you invite me?"

"W-what?"

"You know what? You and Lily? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Midget."

"Don't call me midget!"

"Woman."

"Don't call me that either!"

"Little gi-"

"Don't you dare!" Levy hissed through gritted teeth, backing him into her desk as she demanded an explanation.

Gajeel sighed, raising his hands in surrender. These so-called metaphorical boxing gloves were beginning to grow heavy.

Had this been years ago, the Iron Eater and former Phantom Lord S rank would have easily broken her into itty bitty pieces, and that's if she ever had the gall to close the distance between them the way she was now. Times had indeed changed however, and short as she was, she was stomping her foot and punctuating her finger in the center of his chest.

"It won't be too long of a trip," he admitted.

"But if you're going to train, why don't you ever take me along?"

"Because."

"Because why? Because I'm a girl? Because I'm a burden? Because you don't think I can keep up-"

The man opened his mouth to speak, but words weren't coming out. Damn her and this game of theirs. Damn it all.

Sensing her posture relax, Gajeel was about to take it as his opportunity to escape when she stepped further in him, his legs straddling hers as he sat on the desk behind him.

"Gajeel," she pleaded, her anger melting away and her tone, chipping at his will.

"Damn it, if it's a fight that you want," he grabbed her shoulders to move her aside, but she had him by the vest.

"I won't let go until you give me an answer."

"Levy, move!"

"Make me!"

There was a quick scuffle where Levy clamped onto Gajeel as if he were a cliff she was hanging from, and whatever the man did, he couldn't seem to get her to budge-

"Oww," she squeaked.

"I told you to- damn it, what did I hurt?"

"Everything!"

"What? Ok, now this is getting stupid-"

"Everything!" she repeated with more fervor and Gajeel finally gave in.

Their positions had been reversed in the course of their tussle, and he hadn't realized his large hands had gripped so much of her shirt until he reigned her in to meet him halfway. When he kissed her, she froze, his lips only warming hers for the briefest of moments. This being the closest he'd ever physically been to her, in a matter of seconds he was able to decipher everything on her. Musty book pages, some unfamiliar hair product, orange spice, and her perspiration being excreted due to her now throbbing heart beat.

He only left an inch between them when he backed away to speak, "That's why. That's why I won't take you on anything dangerous-"

"So you'd rather me go on something dangerous on my own?" She challenged with an unwavering gaze.

For the first time, it dawned on him that even if he never took her along, she was still a respected Fairy Tail Mage that went on missions without his overbearing protection. And if there was anyone and anywhere that would be safest for her - it would be by his side.

It was now official that Gajeel had lost this battle - no matter how hard he resisted, he was already hers.

"Fine. You win."

This time Levy pursued, unclamping a hand on his vest to secure around his neck instead. The Dragon Slayer grunted with approval as they met again, all traces of hesitation dissipated. Between each nip and nibble she had managed to mumble, "I won? Just now?"

"Mmm? What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," she giggled coyly as Gajeel kissed into her neck before he effortlessly lifted her. Now sitting on her desk, the script mage grinned from cheek to cheek before she welcomed him back into her embrace.

"I'm sure that I've won some time before this."

The Dragon Slayer paused for a moment to flick her forehead and soothed it with a kiss.

The scoreboard would forever be in her favor...

UPDATE: Took Ulcaasi's advice and put in some rulers to break the scenes a bit. Hope that helps.

A/N: Still getting the hang of writing them. Any improvements I should make?