So it's my first time writing a Fairy Tail story (hopefully the first of many), so I'm not so sure how good it will be, but we will see.
Now, I'm normally a hardcore Jellal/Erza shipper, but, since pairings between Gajeel and Erza are pretty rare (plus he's one of my favourite characters), I figured I'd give it a go. Feedback would be most welcome :)
Rated T for mild suggestive themes.
For those of your more familiar with my HP stories, I promise you that I'm working on one of those too!
It was a quiet day in the Fairy Tail guild. Natsu and Happy were off fishing, Lucy and Levy were checking out a new book store that had just opened in Magnolia, Gray was nowhere to be seen, neither was Juvia for that matter, and most of the others were away on jobs.
Erza Scarlet, however, sat at the bar in thought, her eyes fixed on another member of the guild, sitting in a dark corner tuning his guitar.
Gajeel Redfox.
Erza still didn't trust him.
It was true that he had proved his loyalty to the guild before, his performance in Edolas was evidence enough of that, but something still didn't sit right with her.
"What's bothering you?" Asked Mira, leaning over the counter. She may not be the Mira that Erza knew and loved anymore (not that she didn't still love her), but she still was as sharp and observant as ever.
"Yeah Erza." Added Cana, shifting her attention from the half empty barrel in front of her. "I haven't seen you stare that hard at something that wasn't a piece of strawberry cake in a while."
"It's nothing." She lied, not wanting to express her distrust in one of her fellow guild mates. It didn't feel right, and she knew it would do no good to share her worries with the others, she was almost ashamed that she still felt this way about him when everyone else seemed to have moved on.
"Whatever you say." Said Mira, her smile sweet, but Erza could see the old Mira behind her eyes, the one saying 'I don't believe you.'
'Fine' Thought Erza, I'll do something about this once and for all.
She jumped off the bar stool and marched over to Gajeel, making little attempt to appear less intimidating than usual, not that she expected Gajeel ever felt intimidated anyway.
He looked up as her shadow covered him, not fast enough to stop his eyebrows from raising in surprise at her presence.
"Erza." He greeted with a low grumble, having enough sense to be polite enough to acknowledge her it would seem.
"Gajeel." She replied firmly. "I need to do some training. Come with me."
He looked at her as if to ask 'what did you just say?', but Erza didn't give him enough time to argue, simply turning and walking towards the doors.
She doubted he would follow, the man clearly had no respect, and she was preparing herself to drag him out when she heard heavy footsteps behind her, the light clinking of metal.
Erza was surprised, she had expected him to fight her on this, perhaps she had underestimated him…
Once they were out in the streets of Magnolia, he easily caught up with her fast pace and fell into step beside her.
"So, where are we going?" He asked. "Can't imagine it would do the city any good to have the two of us clashing swords."
"No, I wouldn't train within the city anyway, I wouldn't want to give the town council another reason to give master Makarov any more grief than usual."
"Glad to see someone in this guild has some sense." He agreed, clearly with someone in mind.
Erza was struck by that. She had always thought Gajeel was one not to care about others, or for that matter, have any regard for the consequences of his actions, always charging into things without a second thought like Natsu. Perhaps some of the time he was like that, but again it would seem that she didn't know this man as well as she thought she did.
"We're heading into the fields at the edge of the forest, just outside of town." She explained.
He nodded and they spent the rest of the walk in surprisingly comfortable silence.
Erza had been expecting him to question her actions further, at least ask her why she was doing this, it's not like she had ever really spoken to him alone before, but he just seemed to accept it.
They finally came to the clearing she liked to train in, it was out of the way enough that it was unlikely anyone would stumble across them, and the landscape was quite versatile offering the opportunity to use it to your advantage.
In truth, Erza wasn't entirely sure why she had decided to do this, but she did always find that fighting someone was a good way of getting to understand them, at least for her it was anyway.
Gajeel began silently taking off his black cloak, preparing himself, and Erza started to think how she should be preparing too.
She could not deny that Gajeel was strong, he'd been suggested as a candidate for this year's upcoming S Class trials after all, but she herself had insisted that he was not yet ready. His iron was powerful, and as much as she hated to admit it, she worried that her Heart Kruez armour might not be strong enough, were he to land a hit on her of course.
Although she knew that re-quipping into something stronger didn't show weakness, only an appreciation for the potential damage you could incur, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it, still so stubbornly proud at times, especially with him.
His muscles rippled as he stretched, and Erza was surprised to feel something that she hadn't in a while, not since…Jellal, a feeling that settled between her legs, one which was not supposed to be happening now.
She pushed the feeling aside, focusing on the fight.
"So, just training right, want me to go easy?" Gajeel asked with a mischievous smile, accompanied by one of his signature laughs.
"I think it is I who is going to have to worry about going easy." She replied, her mouth curling up into an unbidden smile of her own.
"Gihihi, we'll have to see about that." He retorted, taking a fighting stance.
"Ready?" Erza asked, unsheathing her sword and focusing on the task at hand. She still didn't know exactly why she was doing this, or for that matter, what it would achieve, but she had a feeling that she would be able to trust him more after this.
"Always." Gajeel replied, his right arm turning into a jagged sword as he sprinted towards her.
She almost laughed, this man wastes no time. She liked his recklessness more than she should have.
Judging by his initial attack, Erza thought that Gajeel would fight exactly as she expected him to, head on, straight forward, hard hits that could get the job done. It was a tactic that would only work well if you were truly powerful, which judging by the force she felt when she blocked his attack, was very, but didn't work when your opponent was also skilful. Did she forget to mention that she blocked it easily? She only took the hit to feel how strong he really was.
Their swords started clashing at a rapid pace, and if she was being honest, Erza was surprised that he was keeping up with her. It was good to fight like this again, sword to sword. It had only been just over a week since her fight with Knightwalker, which she was still a little sore from even now, but it still felt like far too long.
Erza wasn't using her full force, it was a training match after all, but she expected that he wasn't either, and for now they seemed fairly evenly matched.
She decided it was time to up the game a bit, re-quipping into her Adamantine armour, all thoughts of pride forgotten. She was enjoying this fight, it was sending a thrill through her, and the harder hits she could risk taking, the better.
"Gihihi." He laughed when she saw her change. "Now we're talking."
Gajeel propelled himself high into the air with surprising agility using long iron beams from his arms, and Erza prepared herself for the shift in their battle.
"Iron Dragon Roar!" He bellowed from above her, a monstrous beam of metal now racing towards her.
Erza had never been hit by dragon slayer magic before, apart from Cobra's venom of course (something she had tried to forget), but, deciding now was not the time to experience it, especially from an iron dragon slayer, she quickly dodged, having to stop the end of the blast with her shield.
Impressive, he managed to land a hit, not that it did much damage.
He landed back down with a loud thud, the ground crumbling under his feet. Just how heavy was he? Erza wondered.
She decided that he was clearly strong, she knew that much before, and determined, but just how smart was he?
Erza re-quipped again into her Black Wing armour, it would provide her with good enough defence but would allow her to move more swiftly, giving her the advantage.
She slashed her sword into the sandy ground beneath them, creating a cloud of dust, and made for the forest. The large trees would restrict Gajeels movement, and their shadows offer ample opportunity for ambushes.
Perching high in a tree, it wasn't long before Erza saw him sprinting into the forest, clearly not without purpose. The man was smart, using his dragon sense of smell to find her it would seem.
She launched herself from the branch before he could pinpoint her location, and her sword swung, sparks flying as he raised his arm and stopped her hit, his feet grinding into the ground as he was propelled backwards.
They danced amongst the trees, their swords colliding again and again, sweat starting to drip down their backs. Gajeel roared in frustration as another one of his attacks was deflected, his arm transforming into a great jagged blade. At first, Erza thought it brutish, not to mention idiotic, considering all the trees, but when he swung it, the trees fell. He cut through them as if it were nothing, their wide trunks cleanly cut from their roots as he slashed through them.
She had to dodge, she knew there was no stopping that hit, she knew her limits.
He panted as his attack missed, his shoulders heaving with his deep breaths.
"Sorry." He said in a gravelly voice as he scratched the back of his head. "Got a bit carried away."
"It's fine." She said with a smile. "It is clear to me that you have a strong fighting spirit, you fight from within."
"Is that what this is all about?" He questioned as he made his way towards her.
For a moment Erza hesitated. She had gotten so involved in their fight, was enjoying it so much, that she had almost forgotten why she was doing this in the first place.
"I-" She started, but was cut off by Gajeel.
"I know you don't like me." He said, his voice slightly raised. "And I can't say I blame you for it, but haven't I proved it to you yet, don't you trust me after everything I've done?"
"After everything you've done?" She shouted angrily, taking a step towards him, now only a foot away from him. "Let's not forget what you did to our guild hall, my friends, Levy!"
He visibly flinched at the mention of Levy, his eyes falling to the floor as he let out a deep breath.
"I could never forget that." He said solemnly. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about it. Now, don't go telling anyone, I've got a reputation to uphold after all, but every time she smiles at me, every time she tells me she forgives me, it hurts." He almost whispered. "It tears me apart that I was that monster, and I know I don't deserve anyone's trust, let alone their forgiveness."
Erza was stunned, she never thought that Gajeel felt that way. It was clear to her that he was remorseful for his actions, and that he did care about the guild and its members. She felt so bad now that she found it so difficult to trust him, it had just been so hard for her after what he had done to her friends, her only true family…
"No Gajeel." She said strongly, lifting his face back up so his eyes could lock with hers. "I will not let you feel that way. You do deserve forgiveness and trust."
"I don't…" He said, trying to look away again but her hands held him strong.
"Yes Gajeel, you do. You've helped our guild, you've protected us, fought for us, I can see it, that spirit you fight for isn't just for yourself, I can see that it's for your friends, for the ones you love. How am I ever going to make you believe that it's true?" Erza asked as she looked into his deep crimson eyes.
Within them she saw so much confusion, so much hatred for himself, a pain so similar to the one she carried deep within her, one which was so hard to keep buried just beneath the surface. But in his eyes, she saw it all.
Seemingly without thought or hesitation, she slowly pressed her lips against his, her eyes closing of their own accord. She would show him just how much she trusted him, just how much she cared.
At first Gajeel seemed stunned, but soon she heard a low growl, his lips vibrating with the sound, and they started to move against her own. His tongue licked along her bottom lip, begging for entry which she willingly gave him.
What was happening to her? Erza was so confused. She didn't know what had possessed her to kiss him, surely this was just to comfort him? Then why was he reacting like this, for that matter, why was she reacting like this? She thought as she moaned when his rough tongue started to fight for dominance with her own, discovering that, yes, he did have a piercing on it, not that she was surprised.
'What about Jellal?' Part of her asked. She knew she loved him, had fought so hard for so long to deny it, surely she shouldn't be feeling what she was feeling now for Gajeel. Yet she felt safe in his rock hard arms, felt free to show him her true being, as if she knew he would understand all her pain, and she knew she'd be lying if she said she didn't find him ridiculously attractive too...
Jellal was locked away, for who knows how long, and she didn't even know if he felt the same way about her… Right now, she needed someone, in more ways than one, and here was Gajeel, apparently more than willing. Perhaps, just for now, this could be something.
Their lips parted for air, foreheads leaning against each other, Gajeel's arms still tightly wrapped around her waist, his thumbs absentmindedly drawing circles into her skin leaving a tingling in their wake.
"So." She said breathlessly. "Do you believe me yet?"
"I don't know Titania." He chuckled with a devilish grin. "I think I might need a little more convincing."
And with that his lips were once again on her own and she knew she would do whatever it took to convince him, no matter how long it might take.
"You'll never guess what we just saw!" Said Gray as he ran into the now busy guild hall that evening, Juvia following him.
"What?" Asked Lucy as the pair sat down at their table.
"A giant fish?" Asked Happy hopefully.
"No, you big blue fur ball, not a fish." Gray said with exasperation. "Guessing flame-brain here didn't catch you any 'ey?"
"Hey! Who you calling flame-brain punk?" Shouted Natsu as he leapt up and banged heads with the ice wizard, both of their fists ready for a fight.
"Come on guys." Said Levy, always the voice of reason. "Stop that, we want to know what Gray and Juvia saw."
"Fine." Said Natsu, sitting back down and eating something off the plate piled high in front of him. "Spill."
"So, Gray-sama and Juvia were in the forest on the edge of town and-"
"Hang on." Interrupted Lucy. "Why were you and Gray in the forest?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow, causing both Gray and Juvia to turn a deep shade of pink.
"Uh, I was going for a walk and I came across Juvia training in the river." Said Gray unconvincingly.
"Yes." Juvia nodded in agreement. "Gray-sama and Juvia certainly didn't go there together."
"Mhmm." Lucy replied, thoroughly unconvinced.
"Anyway." Continued Gray, clearly trying to move on. "We were walking back home when we heard the sounds of a fight, a pretty intense one at that. So, we made our way towards the commotion and saw Erza and Gajeel going head to head with each other."
"What?!" Roared Natsu, slamming his fist on the table. "Gajeel gets to fight with Erza and I don't!"
"Shut it Natsu, let them finish." Said Lucy as she pulled him back down to his seat, sure he would go on a rampage if he wasn't stopped soon.
"I'm surprised." Said Levy. "I didn't know they trained together."
"Neither did I." Admitted Gray. "Didn't even know that they talked much…"
"But that's not what we came to tell you about." Said Juvia excitedly.
"Well what is it then?" Asked Lucy.
"Oh yeah." Said Gray. "So, they finally stopped fighting and then started to have some sort of argument, not that we could hear what they were saying, and then all of a sudden-"
"They started kissing!" Squealed Juvia, unable to contain herself any longer.
"What?!" Shouted Natsu and Lucy in unison.
"Yep." Confirmed Gray.
"What happened next?" Asked Lucy, leaning forward in anticipation.
"Well it started to get a bit heated, and then Gajeel had her pressed up against a tree…"
"And then we thought we should leave." Said Juvia, her cheeks turning pink again.
"Yeah, didn't want to stick around and see where that went next." Agreed Gray.
"Finally." Said Levy with a smile, everyone turning to her and giving her a curious look, all of them assuming she had feelings for Gajeel.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked her friend tentatively.
"Well Gajeel's had a thing for Erza since day one, but he's been convinced that she hates him, not that I can blame him for thinking that…and I've been helping him work up the courage to do something about it for weeks." She explained with a smile.
"Clearly the forest is the place to be then." Said Lucy with a laugh, sending a wink to Gray and Juvia who were trying to look anywhere but at each other.
"Yeah!" Said Natsu beaming. "Come on Luce!" And suddenly Lucy found herself being pulled out of the guild by a very eager dragon slayer, "To the forest!"
"NAAATTSSUUUUU!"
So, there it is, my first Fairy Tail story.
This now has a sequel 'Breaking The Rules'