Hi :)
This is my second fanfic. This was originally a one-shot but after some requests...
So it's turned into a full-fledged GaLe fanfic!
A/N I don't own Fairy Tail.
Chapter 1 - If You're Listening
It was a sunny day in Magnolia.
In the guild, Fairy Tail was being, well, Fairy Tail. Erza was chasing around Natsu and Gray while Juvia stalked them from the shadows. Lucy and Wendy were chatting with Mira at the bar. Elfman was yelling about something manly, and Makarov was chuckling like a maniac.
Levy McGarden sat at a table, happily reading a book about a princess who was talking to a witch.
...then the princess begged the witch, "Tell me the secret to softening a young man's heart!"
"What do you think I am? A love adviser or something?" the witch replied, narrowing her eyes at the earnest girl. "Why should I care about your love affairs?
"N-no, I don't like him! I just want to be his friend," the princess said, blushing.
"Fine, fine. The secret-"
"Hey, Shrimp."
Levy screamed.
Then she turned and found herself looking up at stern, red eyes, a cold scowl, and simple metal studs over his eyes, by his nose and his chin. He also had studs on his arms. His haircut consisted of long, spiky black hair slicked back. He had a dark, studded, sleeveless tunic and studded belt. Her book lay sprawled over his thick black boots.
"Whoa, calm down, Bookworm," Gajeel said, a little awkwardly.
"..."
"..."
"...What are you doing here?" Levy said, blushing.
"Just wanted to say hi, but... uh... I guess it's weird having me around, right?"
"N-no, not at all-"
"Don't worry, I understand. I won't bother you anymore," Gajeel said, hurt.
He turned.
"W-wait! Gajeel!" Levy stammered, forcing herself to move.
But it was too late. He was gone.
Gajeel slammed a fist down on the bar counter.
A few people stared at him. He turned and gave them the evil look. They quickly turned around.
"Sake," he ordered, his mind on Levy.
Is she still mad about the Phantom Lord thing? That was a long time ago, wasn't it?
Do I scare her?
Frick, what do I care? She's just a shrimp.
Mira handed a mug of sake over and leaned on her side of the counter.
"Love troubles?" she said with a smile.
Gajeel glared at her. "Shut up."
Mira giggled and went to serve another customer.
Levy ran out of the guild, tears streaming down her cheeks, and turned the corner onto the street where Fairy Hills was located.
She hurried up towards her bedroom and landed on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.
Why does this always happen? Whenever he's around, I just never say the right things. What's wrong with me?
What should I do?
Her thoughts turned to the book she was reading. The witch had just been about to share the secret to softening a young man's heart.
"That's it!" she cried in triumph.
...Then she realized she'd left the book at the guild.
Dangit. Oh well, I guess I'll go back.
She went back to the guild.
Levy walked through the icicle-framed doorway.
Icicle-framed?
A bunch of napkins floated past her.
Floated?!
And then it happened. It was so fast she couldn't even see it until it was right up against her face; a massive blue pillar of blazing hot water, propelling her backwards and soaking all her clothes. Spluttering, she surfaced from the wave and wiped the water away from her eyes.
She wasn't the only one. All around her in the guild, mages were surfacing above the foot high wave of water, coughing and shaking themselves vainly to get the water out of their clothes. Ruins of tables that had first been eaten away by fire, then punched to bits were floating miserably like dead ants in a tsunami.
Basically Gray had been fighting Natsu, and half the guild was cheering for Natsu, half for Gray. Juvia noticed all the people who were cheering for Gray and decided that they were all love rivals (even the guys).
And voila!
Wakaba's voice rang out between splutters. "GETCH YER LOVESICK GIRLFRIEND UNDER CONTROL!"
"Get off me you daughter of a fire giant!" Gray shouted (Juvia was clinging onto his leg).
"Is that really an insult?" mumbled Lucy as she floated past.
Juvia shook her head stubbornly. "NOOOO JUVIA WILL NOT LET GO OF GRAY-SAMA! And Juvia is the daughter of a kappa. Juvia and Gray-sama will have kappa babies!"
"Kappa babies?" Erza wrinkled her nose (she was hovering in the air thanks to her armor).
Juvia nodded wistfully. "They will be cute and swim beautifully and they will all be named Gray-sama. But first... Juvia must destroy all her love rivals!"
"We're not gay!" Wakaba, Macao, Max, and Warren groaned in unison.
"What? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..." Gray's cries echoed throughout the whole guild.
"You're not so cool now, eh, icebrain?" Natsu snickered.
"You try having a woman stuck to your leg," Gray shot back, "if you ever get one." He looked down at Juvia. She gazed up at him with adoring eyes. "Er.. want mine?"
Natsu grinned, shaking his head. "Not a chance."
As Levy stepped in carefully, she noticed Natsu glance at Lisanna, who was hovering beside Erza using Animal Soul: Bird.
Grinning, Levy went over to the bar where Mira was.
"Levy! Is this your book?" Mira asked, holding it up.
Levy gasped. "Omigosh thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
She hugged it. Mira laughed.
"Levy," Mira said. "Are you going to the party tonight?"
"Party...?" Levy repeated, confused.
"Yeah. Today is Valentine's day!"
Levy blinked ...Now that I think of it, I recall seeing a poster somewhere. "I see, what time is it?"
"If you're talking about the party, it's at seven. But right now, it's lunchtime! Levy, want to join Lisanna and I for lunch?"
"Oh, okay!" Levy grinned.
Mira wiped her hands on a towel. "Lisanna, come down now, we're leaving!"
Fifteen minutes later...
"I see..." Mira frowned, crossed one leg over the other, and nodded.
"Let me get this straight," Lisanna said thoughtfully, "So you want him to have friends but you don't know how to approach a stoic guy like him?"
"He's not stoic!" Levy huffed. Then she paused. "Okay, so maybe he's stoic. But anyway, what should I do?"
They were sitting in a small cafe at the corner of a street. Cars zoomed by once in a while but the only constant noise was the clattering of dishes and clacks of waitresses in high heels.
Mira sighed. "I don't want to resort to this, but..." Levy failed to notice the glimmer in her eye as she continued, "I think you should suggest for him to go to the party tonight with you."
"Mira-chan!" Lisanna squealed, shocked.
"He doesn't have to spend the whole time with you, but he's not going unless someone asks him. And I think he'll be very pleased if the person he tormented before he joined - sorry, Levy-chan - accepts him as a FT member by inviting him to the party!"
Levy saw the logic in that. She no longer winced at the mention of his 'adventure' while he was still at Phantom, but it was no secret that they didn't really communicate. She had even overheard rumors about their shared sense of hate, so she could understand a bit how he felt about the seemingly anti-acceptance aura in the guild.
"But then how should I ask him?"
"I think, you should refer to your book." Mira gave a small smile. "Judging by your bookmark, you should be very close to learning a certain secret?"
The bluenette blinked, surprised. "Yeah, but how-"
"Did I know?" Mira waved her hand sheepishly. "I, er, sort of read the entire book..."
Levy gaped. "But that book is over six hundred pages!"
"I used Gale-Force Reading Glasses," Mira said, flicking out a pair. They were bright pink with curled demon tails jutting out the sides.
"Oh. Right," Levy said.
"Well if you want I could tell you what happens -"
"NOO! I want to read it myself!" Levy exclaimed, blushing furiously. When it came to books, she was insane.
Lisanna giggled. "I think I know why Gajeel calls you Bookworm."
"Why don't we go back to the guild now and you can finish off the book," Mira suggested. "You'd better be quick before he goes out on a job or something."
Back at the guild, Levy sat cross-legged on the edge of the bar counter and flipped open the book to where she had left off.
"The secret," the witch said. "is this: Don't. Give. Up."
"Whaaat?!" the princess said, confused. "That's simple!"
"Yup. Be nice and don't give up. And sometimes you should knock some sense into him."
"Oh... okay," the princess said.
"Now shut up and go away," the witch snapped.
The princess hurried away, back into the light green sunlight of the forest.
"Reached it yet?" Mira's voice interrupted into her reading.
Levy nodded. "Uh-huh. Should I go ask him now?"
The white haired barmaid grinned. "Yup. Go ahead."
Levy hopped off the bar and headed towards Gajeel, who was lying on a table all to his own, staring at the ceiling.
"Gajeel-kun?"
"Huh?" Gajeel looked up. His eyes widened. "Shrimp?"
"Yeah. Um... do you want to come to the party with me tonight?"
"The WHAT?"
Levy blushed. "You know. Tonight there's a Valentine's Day party. N-not that you're my valentine or anything. I mean, you don't have to come if you don't want to..."
Gajeel smirked. She's blushing.
"Fine, I'll come."
"O-okay!" Levy smiled and skipped away.
Gajeel smiled. She was sort of cute.
Wait. I did NOT just think that.
She's just a cute SHRIMP. Yeah, that's it. A cute shrimp. Haha.
Oh frick. I sound stupid. Why am I talking to myself?!
He slapped himself on the head.
At the party that night...
Levy entered the guild which was already decorated with paper crepe, hearts, cupids and any other Valentine's Day decorations possible. She could see Mira and Master Makarov talking, Erza chatting with Natsu, Gray and Lucy, Juvia gazing at Gray from a distant table and other early arrivals.
She looked about for Gajeel. I hope he's not here yet, then when he does come I can welcome him with the present I have! She had prepared a card wishing him a happy Valentine's Day, and iron in the shape of six letters forming his name, tucking in an iron box shaped like a heart.
She couldn't see Gajeel. Just then she turned to see him walking into the guild in his usual outfit - studded everything. He was holding something rectangular.
She bounded over to give him a big hug. "Gajeel, you came!"
"I said I would, didn't I, shrimp? And, uh, don't hug me." Gajeel's face turned just a shade of pink.
"Yeah, you did, didn't you?" Levy let go of him and grinned. "I have something for you!" She took the heart-shaped iron box and put the card on top. "Here!"
"Uh, okay..." The big dragon slayer took the card, opened it, read it, and then took the heart shaped iron box.
Levy smiled. "Open it!"
Gajeel took the lid off and saw the iron letters forming his name. "Uh - er -"
"You're welcome!" Levy squealed. "You can eat them!"
"Yeah, later." He shrugged. "Since you got something for me I might as well give you something. Here." He handed the perky bookworm the rectangular shaped present.
"Oh, for me? Thanks!" Levy tore off the wrapping and gazed, surprised, at the present. "Gajeel you didn't! Thanks so much!" She was holding a book, the sequel to book with the princess and witch! It was the book she didn't have yet.
"It wasn't much." The dragon slayer looked embarrassed.
Levy grinned. "It is to me!" She gave him another [little] bear hug, then skipped away to show Lucy.
Gajeel watched as she left, then looked at his name in the iron letters. No one had ever given him a gift before.
The party was coming to an end. Some people had left already and the night was not quite young anymore. He turned to exit the guild when a voice stopped him.
"GAJEEL-KUN!"
The dragon slayer frowned. Not again.
"What is it this time?"
Levy ran up to him. "Hi! Leaving now?"
"Yeah."
"Just wanted to say thanks for coming! And thanks for the book, I'm gonna read it all night! See ya tomorrow Gajeel!" She exited before he could reply.
When he finally arrived at his doorstep, the streetlights were blazing and the sky was black. There was barely anyone out, stray cats besides. He formed his hand into a key and inserted it through the keyhole. The brief click, and his hand felt the vibrations as the lock slid out of place. He walked in.
Closing the door gently, Gajeel walked down his dark hallway into his one-room house. He didn't bother to turn on the lights, because he didn't have any. Half a blanket dangled from his worn-out futon, a limp pillow on the floor. A cold, empty fireplace stood at one end of the room. A small section of the room was curtained off to make a WC, another corner left open with a counter and sink for his little food. Even after his recent leave from Phantom Lord, he visited the trash pile regularly for hunks of metal and scraps to eat, and very rarely brought any real food home.
That was one of the reasons he hated Natsu so much, because he took all his food for granted and was a careless idiot with friends despite his foolishness.
Gajeel stood in the middle of the room, holding the heart shaped box Levy had given him. Its cold iron frame weighed heavily in his hands, yet felt warm at the same time.
He opened the lid to look at the iron letters spelling out his name.
How am I supposed to eat this?! he thought. This wasn't normal iron. It was a gift from "her".
He placed it on the fireplace mantle in his room and stepped back to look at it. If you're listening, shrimp, then thanks.
