Author's Note: This is what happens when I think of headcanons instead of studying and the headcanon in question views Gajeel as someone who really doesn't like seeing stuff lying around when it has a designated place (read as: books are supposed to stay on bookshelves, not on the floor). Sorry if it doesn't make a lot of sense, enjoy and please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

On a Pile of Books

Levy's apartment in Fairy Hills was one of the largest, but certainly not the tidiest. Books and scrolls laid scattered on every plain surface, bed, floor and kitchen counter included. So naturally, amidst that mess, at first she didn't notice when some of her books disappeared and reappeared a couple of days later on her bookshelf. But as time went by and more books seemed to follow the same path, she slowly realised she wasn't the one distractedly moving them. Her suspicions were confirmed when she came back early from a mission only to find the most improbable of sights waiting for her at home. Standing in front of her bookshelf, with his back to her and a stack of books in his arms, was the last person Levy expected to see.

"Gajeel!" She cried out in surprise, making him turn at the sound of her voice. He had been so taken by his task that he hadn't even heard her come in.

"You're back early." Was all he said before he turned back to her books. He didn't seem to care that she had just found him in her house without permission.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" She asked, still shocked. He merely pointed at the window without turning.

"Relax, shrimp, I'm only returning your books."

"What?! You can't just burst in here and move my stuff around as you please! And who said you could take my books?" This time he turned with an honest look of confusion on his face.

"Salamander does that with bunny girl all the time, why can't I?" He almost sounded like he was offended. She felt her face go pale and then turn a bright shade of red. What was it with Dragon Slayers and their misunderstanding of privacy and social conventions?

"It's not the same thing!" She said, blushing even deeper.

"Yes, it is." She took a deep breath and tried to remember that he didn't know what was going on between Natsu and Lucy so he couldn't mean what it sounded like he was meaning.

"It's different, they're… well, they're together…" She saw the implications of that hit him when his red eyes widened and a little "oh" left his mouth. He quickly turned and finished placing the books on the shelf, then reached for the window.

"Wait." She called and he stopped in his tracks. "First of all you should use the door. And second, when did you start stealing my books?" She hoped she didn't sound angry asking that, she really was just curious as to why he was so interested them.

"It's not stealing when you just leave 'em around the guild, shrimp. A couple of weeks ago you forgot some books and I came here to return them… then I found some good stuff in this mess," he emphatically pointed at the books on the windowsill "and I borrowed it. That's all." She shook her head, sighing in exasperation, but still smiling at the absurdity of the situation.

"You know, it's not really borrowing unless you ask…" He huffed.

"Ok, can I borrow your books?" He really sounded like he was saying that just to make her happy and her smile widened.

"Yes. But no more breaking in through the window!" She admonished with a fake scolding look that made him roll his eyes.

"Fine. But you have to tidy up this place."

"What does it have to do with this? Besides, it's not messy, it's cozy." An idea came to her mind as she said that, an idea she knew she should have regretted the moment she thought about it. "And having piles of books around is useful." She stated as she approached one of said piles and moved it in front of him. She really hoped she wouldn't make a mess out of this; she was already embarrassed enough by the mere thought of what she was going to do.

"For what?" He asked skeptical in the meantime. She stood on the top book to demonstrate and stared straight into his eyes with a triumphant look at the reduced height difference.

"You're still short." He stated unimpressed.

"I know. But now I can do this." And without thinking of it twice for fear she might change her mind she grabbed the back of his neck and crushed her lips to his. She felt his sharp intake of breath, signalling his surprise, but then he relaxed and started kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. The stack she was standing on wasn't as stable as she thought, but his grip on her kept her from losing her balance. Not that she would have noticed if the books had suddenly crumbled beneath her feet, she was too busy with the wonderful feel of his mouth on hers. She didn't even notice that she had buried her fingers in his hair, or that one of his hands had left her waist to cup her cheek, angling her face so he could kiss her better. It was over all too soon in her opinion, but she couldn't help but smile at his crooked grin and laugh softly as he murmured on her lips:

"Definitely useful."