A/N: This was written for the Destiny Competition of Love-Fairy-Tail on Deviant Art, where my team won 2nd place. The prompt was "A Forgotten Memory." It's my first time writing about Levy. It was inspired by reading through the guild cards, seeing that Levy dislikes dark places, Jet holds the record for fastest rejection, and Droy holds the record for fastest unrequited love.
Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, I own the ugly toy. It's based on a real toy I got at a carnival.
The Ugly Toy
a Fairy Tail fanfic
by Rhov
Levy was finally moving out of Fairy Hills and—she blushed to admit this—in with Gajeel. Normally men were not allowed in the girl's dormitory, but the landlady was giving a special exception this day only. Levy's numerous boxes of books were too heavy for most of the girls, yet Gajeel could lift them with ease.
As he lifted one box, something fell out. He paused at hearing the thump, bent over, and picked up a stuffed animal.
"Yo, shrimp," he called over.
Levy stepped out dressed in her work clothes, hair pulled up, glasses on as she labeled boxes. "Stop calling me that!"
"What's this toy? Looks cheap." He began shaking it around to see if it did anything.
"Toy?" She took the stuffed animal from him before he tore it apart. "I didn't even realize I had any plushies. That's odd."
"It's hideous. Get rid of it." Then Gajeel stomped away with the box on his shoulders.
Levy was curious now. Where did this hideous toy, something like a mutated purple giraffe mixed with an octopus, come from? "Why in the world would I even buy something ugly like...?"
She paused as an old, forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.
It was many years ago, before Lucy joined. The neighboring town was holding a summer festival. Since they were coming back from a mission, Team Shadow Gear decided to go and have some fun.
Jet entered a race and won, of course. Droy took his hand at a few games. They both got huge stuffed animals, which they offered to Levy. Not that she wanted anything so useless. Still, she felt bad that she could not win any of her games.
Then they went on rides. Levy loved the merry-go-round, although Jet and Droy looked ashamed to be on it. The ferris wheel was awkward with three people. Levy screamed loudly on the roller coasters. Finally they went to the haunted house. Levy hated dark places with a passion, yet Jet and Droy somehow convinced her to go inside. She felt like such a wimp, shrieking at every monster that leaped out at them, yet the two guys seemed to enjoy holding her as she trembled. She hated that they were having such a laugh at her expense.
Then they somehow got separated from Jet. Droy alone held her as they walked by a spooky indoor graveyard. Suddenly, he pulled Levy aside behind a creepy, black, gnarled tree.
"Levy," he said with a deep, trembling voice. "I...I have to admit something." He looked down at her with determination and gulped hard so he could speak. "I...like you."
She looked up at him in shock for two whole seconds, then said, "Sorry, we're teammates," and she dismissively walked away, leaving him stunned at such a fast rejection.
She was so stunned at the confession, and in such a horrible place, that she meandered in a daze. Droy...liked her? That was crazy! They were nakama. A relationship like that would ruin the team atmosphere. What would happen to Jet?
So she felt a little relief when she saw Jet's tall hat up ahead. He ran over to her, looking relieved.
"I found you! Let's get out of here. I know you hate dark places. That idiot Droy, he's so mean to drag you here. He doesn't understand you, not like I do."
"Jet?" she asked, now on guard and suspicious.
He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I'll protect you from all your darkness, Levy, because...because I like you. I was wondering if maybe..."
"Sorry, we're teammates," she said fast. Levy ran the rest of the way out of the haunted house.
She reentered the festival fuming. Those idiots, dragging her into a place that would weaken her purely to take advantage of her like that! She needed to work off her anger, so she headed to one of the booths. There were balloons taped to a wall, and the player had to pop them with darts. She paid the carney and began throwing the darts, imagining Jet and Droy's heads.
"Stupid men!" she grumbled, yet missed the first time. "Confessing in such a place. Stupid, stupid...rawr!" The second dart popped a balloon. "They're going to ruin everything. We have such a good team, but now...those idiots, falling in love with me! Is that the only reason they're on this team? Idiots!" She popped a second balloon in a fit of anger.
"Congratulations!" the carney cheered. "Here's your prize."
It was the ugliest toy she had ever seen, but it was at least proof she could do something on her own. She didn't need her team to always support her. She was a strong woman, and she could stand on her own.
"Levy," came two meek voices.
She looked back and recoiled a little to see both Jet and Droy with their heads bent in shame.
"I'm sorry," Jet said first.
"Can we still be a team?" Droy pleaded.
Her anger faded. These were her two best friends, after all. She came up and gave them a hug, wrapping together both with one arm each.
"We'll always be friends, and we will always be Team Shadow Gear, no matter what happens in the future. Now let's go home."
Levy sighed at the memory.
She wondered what those two thought about her and Gajeel. Likely disappointment mixed with jealousy, yet it was better than picking one of them over the other. That would only tear their team apart. She loved Team Shadow Gear too much to ruin it.
She put the weird toy back in a crate she was packing with special memorabilia. That thing, ugly as it was, contained a special memory to her. She was with Gajeel now, but she always wanted to remember the emotions of her two best friends.
The End