Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hiro Mashima
Set in Stone - Chapter 1 - A Second Fall Out
"Gajeel Redfox look at you, 10 years later and your still going through your rebellious faze."
The tall man with long wild black hair in a black leather jacket covered in studs turned from the bar and let his eyes fall on the blue haired Levy McGarden wearing an orange dress, like she always did back in high school. Gajeel paused for a second a quick debate on what to comment on as he looked at his old friend.
"Yeah and the Shrimp is still a Shrimp I see." He said with a smirk, he was going to add that she still looked like tangerine so neither of them had changed much but he didn't want her to know he remembered her signature color.
She smiled, the small jabs they made at each other was probably her favorite part of there... friendship? She didn't really know what to call it back then and she still doesn't really know what to call it now. But she continued with out missing a beat, smiling she said "Yeah well, you choose that atrocious hair style and those atrocious piercings I didn't choose this height."
She took the seat next to him at the bar despite complaining about this high school reunion to Lucy over the phone last night she knew as long as she got to catch up with Gajeel she'd enjoy it. He was the only person she lost contact with that she really missed, Lucy still goes on after everyone of Levy's failed dates about how 'the two of you clicked' and how she's 'never seen two people more meant for each other.'
Gajeel's words pull her out of her wondering mind "Um, 'atrocious' height. Stick with your own theme pocket women." He takes a swig of his drink and turns in the bar stool to face her more. Her cheeks still rosy and hair still breathtakingly blue, the only person he missed from that god damn school sat next to him with a smile on her face while he tried to hide his.
Levy laughs pulling her hand up to cover her mouth she replied "Really? Pocket women? I don't remember that one. You've been thinking about me these past ten years Gajeel? Coming up with new names."
Her laugh is like music, he doesn't dare speak until her song is over. "Nah, thought of that one on the spot. Trying to be more creative with my nicknames." his voice coated in pride over his new nickname for her.
She smiles, although most people wouldn't think him calling them by something they might be insecure about in a mocking tone a nickname, she know he probably doesn't mean any harm. "Some would call them insults." She added.
And here she goes again acting like there is something wrong with a personalized nickname "Some would be to sensitive." He responds rolling his eyes and squaring his seat off with the bar. Gajeel is no longer looking right at her but out of the corner of his eye he can see her puff up her cheeks and cross her arms.
"Oh there it is!" Levy barks out with annoyance. She had forgotten how their "playful banter" always escalated to an argument and how mad he could make her so fast.
"There what is?" Gajeel responds whipping his head to look at her. His booming voice demanding an answer, although the party was so loud they doubt anyone else could hear there yelling.
"Last night Lucy asked me why we never got together in high school. I just remembered." Shrugging her shoulders she answered quickly knowing that if she waited a second longer she wouldn't have said what she wanted, scratch that needed, to say.
Gajeel looked down at her intently, even thought she had her eyes locked on the bar in front of them. The slightest bit of pink spread across his cheeks as he replied "Oi! We didn't get together cause I didn't want ya!" He lied and they both knew it was a lie but Gajeel didn't care he wasn't letting himself get all squishy over some girl. Even if it was Levy McGarden, even if she was the only person he felt he could be 100% himself around.
She scoffed still looked at the bar if she had a drink in front of her, her eyes would be lost as she spined it "Oh yeah sure. Like I believe that at all." She said voice heavy with sarcasm.
The pink gained a darker shade as it traveled across his face "Oi! Wh- What does that mean?" Gajeel managed to cough out.
Levy calmed down a soft smile spread across her face as she looked up at him. The brown of her eyes were so warm, so welcoming. "Come on Gajeel remember when we danced at prom," she turned around in the stool and leaned her head all the way back till it rested on the bar, head facing up eyes closed she continued her voice getting softer "I thought that was it," she said "I thought we were set in stone after that." her smile fades as her eyes glace over at Gajeel cheeks unmistakably red now although he tried to hide it behind his hair, head leaned down ever so slightly. You wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know him like Levy did but that was a look of regret.
Gajeel didn't speak for a while and when he did he sounded like he was starting a whole new conversation "Yeah everyone else thought so to. No one could stop talking about it till graduation." He laughed now but at the time his 'mistake' as he called it made people look at him differently, it made them less scared and he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.
Levy sighed she knew it was unlikely but she was hoping he'd finally tell her what happened. But instead she went along with the new flow of conversation. Forcing a small laugh she said "Ha! Imagine people speaking nicely of you."
Gajeel looked at her and in a joking voice he added "People speaking about you at all, past ya know, the basic 'prom queen's best friend' statement."
Levy laughed for real this time still convinced she would have been completely invisible in high school if her best friend wasn't the 'new popular' girl. "Pretty sure that was still how they referred to me." Her voice slowed down as she thought about what could have been, she smiled "Who would have guessed, the delinquent and the bookworm." Levy tried to ease Gajeel into the previous conversation. Going back to her serious tone, looking up at him the sadness really stood out on Levy's usually happy face "What happened? After the dance you wouldn't answer my calls? I lost one of my closet friends over something that I was hoping would have brought us closer together." She said hoping he will finally tell her. She had waited so long for an answer.
The silence between the two sat in the air like a thick fog. Gajeel didn't speak for a while not really wanted to discuss this he brings back his stern voice. "You always do this. You try to talk about feelings you know I don't like that." He ends up sounding way more aggressive then he intended.
His voice rang through Levy's ears and before she would need to have to start fighting back tears she decided maybe it just wasn't worth it, maybe he just wasn't worth it. Her voice soft and broken she spoke slowly "Yeah, I guess I do, sorry for the inconvenience." Levy stood up from the bar and turned around but before she started to walk away she spoke, her voice stumbling over the first few words "Well, I'll see you later, okay. I'm going to go see if Lucy is here yet."
Levy walked away, Gajeel hung his head as he watched her leave. Hurting her was the worst thing he ever did and he didn't realize but his been hurting her for ten years now. He slams his fist down on the bar and takes a big swig of his drink, 'This is going to be a long night' he thinks to himself as he calls over the bartender for another drink.
a/n: so wow ok i have a lot of plans for this project and im super excited the next chapter will be coming out in about 2-3 weeks ill try to get it out as soon as possible. i hope you guys like it please review i'd love to hear what you all have to say have a great day