AN: Heya! So this was written in celebration of Gajevy becoming canon. It's been a loooooong time since I've had my ears pierced, so I apologize in advance if it's inaccurate or even completely off.

On another note, I hope you enjoy! It would be amazfantabulous of you to leave a review and tell me what you think, good or bad. Thanks! :D

Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail. Just so you know.

Courage was never Levy's strongest attribute. She wrung her hands and shifted her feet as she stared up at the sign of the piercing salon, wondering if this was actually a good idea. She had thought it was when her best friend Lucy suggested it. Levy had, after all, complained to the blonde about wanting to change up her look.

Letting out a shaky breath, she shook her head. She was already here, so there was no backing out now. Besides, she was only getting her ears pierced. It wasn't like it was anything scandalous. Lots of girls had their ears pierced. Including Lucy, who had assured her that it was nothing to be scared of.

With those thoughts in mind, the blunette pushed the doors of the piercing salon open.

Her first reaction was that it was empty. In all honesty, Levy had expected it to be packed with thugs and gang members who enjoyed shoving metal through every possible part of their body that they could. However, there wasn't anyone there, save two or three people who didn't look anything like they were part of a gang or whatever.

She must have been standing by the entrance for a while because she heard a man's voice behind her. "May I help you, or are you looking for the candy shop? 'S across the street."

For some reason this comment, and the arrogance by which it was said, gave her newfound confidence. She turned to the man. "Actually, I am at the correct place. I came here to get my ears pierced." Her voice came out steady. Levy squared her shoulders when the man shrugged his. He seemed to study her for a moment, so Levy took that time to study him as well.

He towered over her in terms of height, which honestly wasn't that surprising considering Levy knew she was small—petite—compared to everyone else. Though this man seemed to be taller than everyone she knew. He had a sharply defined face, which was tanned and pierced in several places. His red eyes watched her for a second longer before filling with amusement.

"Ya got balls, Shrimp, I'll give you that."

Levy glowered up at him. "What's that supposed to mean? And don't call me Shrimp!"

The jerk rolled his eyes. "Relax, it was a compliment. Most customers I deal with, including grown men, take one look at me an' either turn into a stuttering mess or run fer the hills."

Her shoulders slumped. "Oh." It was the only thing she could think of that would be an adequate response.

He turned to her again. "Are you plannin' on standing there all day? I've got better things to do than wait for you to make up yer mind or whatever it is you're doin'."

At that, Levy righted her posture and headed over to the nearest empty piercing booth, the jerk following after her. She sat down on the chair and watched as he gathered some tools and made his way next to her.

"Do ya want the pearls or the flower studs?" He held out two pairs of earrings for her. She pointed to the pearls and he set them down and put the other pair away. The next moment he was dabbing something onto her ear. She recognized it as rubbing alcohol. "Now I'm gonna mark your ear where so I'll know where to pierce." He explained as he did so. Levy hummed her reply, not wanting to nod her head and end up messing him up.

After he marked her ear, he went to a small machine and fiddled with it for a few seconds. He turned back to her. "I'mma pierce yer ear now. It'll only sting for a second or two."

"Good to know." She was currently clutching the arms of her chair so hard her knuckles were white. She swore she saw him smirk.

"Look, there's nothing to be scared of. Don'tcha trust me?"

"Why on Earthland would I trust you?" Levy snapped, though she was actually kind of touched that he was trying to reassure her, even if it was in a half mocking way. The man looked at her like he wanted to say something, but then just shrugged.

He leaned over her and placed the cold piercing gun against her ear. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't a bit flustered at his close proximity. At first glance, he seemed intimidating and arrogant, but once she saw through that, as she was now, Levy had to admit that he was pretty attractive. In a rocker boy "I don't give a damn what other people think of my appearance" way. And, okay, now that he was this close to her it was hard not to notice how surprisingly good he smelled…

"The name's Gajeel, by the way." His voice, low and rough next to her ear, tore her out of her thoughts.

"Wha—"

Click.

A tingling sensation spread throughout her ear and that side of her head. Then it was gone. It happened so fast that it took Levy a second to realize that her ear just got pierced. She looked up at him in awe and gently touched the it. It stung a little, yes, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it was going to be.

The man—Gajeel—grinned down at her. "Gihee. Now that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

She shook her head. "No." As he moved to do the same to her right ear, she added, "I'm Levy."

He stopped, then looked at her in amusement. "I prefer Shrimp. But Levy's fine too I s'pose."

Her other ear was pierced.

After it was all done and he had told her ways to prevent infections, Levy paid him and turned to leave. She was stopped by a large hand on her small shoulder. She looked over her shoulder at where Gajeel stood. His grip was gentle rather than the expected rough. This man never ceased to surprise her.

Levy forced her expression to stay neutral. "Yes?"

He placed a slip of paper into her hand and grumbled, "Here's my card if you decide you want another piercing… or somethin'." He wouldn't meet her eyes, and… wait, was that a blush on his cheeks?

She smiled. "Sure."

He released her and she left. As she walked back to her house, Levy unfolded the slip of paper and suppressed giggles. It was a normal piece of paper with a phone number scribbled messily across it, almost as if it were written in a hasty, last-minute decision.

Something told Levy that she was going to be calling this number in the near future, but not because she wanted another piercing.