Levy tried to convince herself not to go after him. He had told them to let him be and let him get on with his work. He didn't want to be bothered; she should turn around now and go back to Jet and Droy. No matter how hard she fought it though, she just couldn't turn around. Gajeel was hurt, he needed, deserved help and she'd be sure he got it. She swallowed the nervous knot at her throat and continued down the path she thought she'd seen Gajeel take.
Time seemed to have sped up; she reached the door of the inn before she thought she should have. Steeling her nerves, Levy opened the door and looked around the common room. There was no sign of the man she sought. I hope this is the right place, she thought as she stepped up to the receptionist.
"Excuse me ma'am, I wonder if you can help me. I'm looking for a f-friend, he should have just come in. He's a big guy, black hair, piercings." The shrunken, wrinkled, but kind woman behind the desk smiled knowingly at the girl and sent her up to room number 5.
Levy's nerve faltered again at the bottom of the stairs. She really should just leave; he didn't want her around. But an image of the iron dragon slayer laying on the ground defeated and docile made her heart jump in a way she did not expect. He needed help. He needed her, so what if he didn't want her.
She ran up the stairs before she could talk herself out of it and stopped for a moment out side the door to straighten her bright blue hair and smooth out her equally bright orange dress. As she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open. Levy jumped back startled, as a half naked Gajeel stared at her confusion warring with anger in his eyes. Anger won. "What the hell are you doing here? Didn't I say to let me be?"
Levy recoiled from his furious shouting, pressing her self against the far wall and trying to make herself as small as she could; not a hard task for the tiny girl. Gajeel instantly regretted his actions. He was supposed to be turning over a new leaf. He was supposed to be a member of the guild now; not that they had gone out of their way to welcome him. He couldn't blame their reactions any more than he could blame the girl for her fear now. He was the one who had left her and her idiot friends bolted to a tree to die. He had hoped not fighting back earlier, holding in his need to defend himself and taking his licks, would be enough to show them all he was ready to move on. Apparently he was wrong. All the anger he'd held in then came pouring out now, "look if you're here for revenge or whatever, could ya make it quick? I have work ta do." He tried to sigh rather than growl, but the girl still cowered against the wall.
He took a moment to take in her petite frame,noticing the gentle feminine curves and the thin fragile bones that seemed barely strong enough to support a body, even one as small as hers. He doubted the girl was any threat to a fly, let alone him, so if attacking him was what she needed to move on with her life, it was the least he could do. "Look if you're gonna hit me, stop cowerin' and do it already."
Levy blinked at his words, hit him? He thinks I'm here to hurt him? Stupid Levy, of course he thinks that. She forced herself to straighten and stand tall, well as tall as she could manage. She tightened her fists and took a step toward him, still unable to look at his face. "Th-thank you," she whispered.
Gajeel was only able to hear the small voice because of his dragon's hearing, but even if she had shouted it, he wouldn't have believed he heard it. "What?"
Levy took a deep breath and forced herself to look at the bare chested man before her. She looked straight in his smoldering red eyes and, louder this time, "Thank you Gajeel." She bent into a stiff bow at the waist.
Gajeel stared at the top of her head for an incredulous moment, what is she on about? "What the hell are ya doing?"
Wthout standing up, Levy looked up at him, and said, "Um, thanking you for saving my life?" She stood to her modest full height. "I thought that was obvious." His seriously confused look gave her the confidence to be sarcastic. "I also wanted to apologize, for Jet and Droy, for Laxus too. They were upset, surprised by Master's announcement. We didn't think we'd ever see you again and then there you were, suddenly a part of the guild. They were angry, shocked, sc-scared." She was rambling now. Shut up Levy! "Sorry."
"Go. Away." Gajeel said the words as calmly and carefully as he could without yelling. The girl couldn't stop the involuntary flinch at his harshness. He couldn't do it though. He couldn't stand here, letting her apologize to him. It should be the other way surely. He opened his mouth to ask her more politely to go, but she interrupted him.
"You're bleeding." He thought he heard a note of genuine concern in her voice.
It was his turn to flinch as Levy, losing all sense of her fear, closed the distance between them and standing on tip-toe, reached out to touch his temple. He leaned away from her touch, causing her to stumble.
Levy reached out an arm to catch herself, it landed on his sculpted chest. Of their own accord her fingers traced an old, faded scar across his chest taking in the contour of the well built muscles and surprisingly tender skin. A blush rose to her cheeks as she realized she had started to let her mind and body both wander too far. She moved her hand away quickly as she could, and without looking to catch his reaction, she pushed her way into his room.
Gajeel stood in the door way for a moment struggling to understand exactly what was happening and coming up with nothing. Seeing no alternative he followed Levy into his room and closed the door. He should tell her to leave, make her go.
"Well, sit down. I can't reach you way up there." Levy said pointing to the bed as she poured a pitcher of water into its matching bowl. She carried the bowl carefully over to the bedside table and waited expectantly. "Come on, now, you have work to do, remember?"
Gajeel wordlessly stalked to the bed and silently sat on the edge, his body rigid and uncomfortable as his mind uselessly grasped for understanding. When he was settled, Levy carefully dipped a wash cloth in the cool water, wrung it out and stepped between the man's spread knees to reach his injury. She could feel the blush rush to her checks as she began to dab lightly at blood starting to dry on Gajeel's forehead. She made slow, gentle circles around the already bruising skin from his eye to the hairline of his raven mane, one hand on his chin to hold him steady. How many times had Laxus kicked him, stomped on him? He shouldn't have been conscious after the abuse he took, much less able to run to her in time to stop Laxus's attack.
"You don't have to do this." Gajeel was finally able to speak. "I was going to do it myself."
His words snapped Levy out of the mild trance she hap slipped into, she flinched again, involuntarily.
"You don't have ta push yerself ta be nice ta me; I'm fine on my own." Gajeel looked away, but not before she caught the rejected expression on his face. "It's obvious you're afraid of me. You should be. You should go and leave me be."
Something in his voice made him seem smaller. Levy longed to reach out to that bit of him, to sooth it and help him heal. He had been a victim in the whole Phantom Lord nonsense too after all. A willing victim perhaps, he made the choices that led him to that guild, and he decided to follow the order to attack her and her friends, but he also made the choice to try and make amends for those choices. She was sure that was why Master let him join, to help him make better choices. She wanted to tell him she wasn't afraid of him, but decided honesty would serve them both better. "Of course I'm afraid you you," she whispered as she continued to was his face, cleaning away the dirt and blood. "You nearly killed me and my friends. You destroyed my guild. How could I not be a little scared."
Gajeel's shoulders slumped as his fears were put in to words. He was a monster and always would be. He didn't need friends, didn't deserve them. Especially not tiny, blue-haired bookworms who followed people they shouldn't. "Just go."
Levy couldn't help what happened next. He sounded so sad and alone. She could tell his words hurt him. Her body, again acting on its own, threw her arms around his neck. She clung to him as tightly as she could, trying to let him no she was there for him. She felt drawn to this man, this lonely, rough man. "I'm sorry. I can't lie to you though. I'm scared, right now, I'm scared of you." She could feel him stiffen in her arms. "But, I don't want to be. I want to forget that night ever happened. I want to forgive you and be your friend. I want to help you." She began to run one hand through his thick hair. "I want you to love our guild as much as we do and make it your home."
Gajeel let her words sink in. Could she really mean it? No one had ever spoken to him like this before. He wanted all that too. As gently as he could he raised his arms and engulfed her slight form. He was surprised by how right she felt there, pressed against his chest. He had never had a real home before, but in this moment he felt it may be possible to find one at last.
They stayed that way for a few moments, neither knowing how to break the contact, or wanting to. Every second that passed she felt safer and more confident and he grew more comfortable and relaxed. Each felt the other's need for the contact, for the support and understanding.
Gajeel couldn't believe the girl was still here. She seemed to honestly want to be by his side, to help him. Maybe he did need the nosy book worm after all. No one had shown him this much kindness. As she pressed her warm flesh into his and stroked his hair he made another decision. He was going to be the friend she deserved. He was going to live up to her expectations of him. He would protect her and keep her safe. She was the light Makarov had spoken to him of that day in the junk yard. He tightened his arms around her as much as he could without crushing her. To his relief she tightened her own hold on him.
"Thank you," he whispered gruffly into her shoulder. The words were foreign to him, but he needed to say them.
Levy wasn't sure what shocked her more, the words or the hint of tears she heard in his voice. She turned her head to reply, "You're...you're bleeding again."
The small trickle of fresh blood made her remembered her reason for coming to find him in the first place. His arms feel from her waist as she reached back to the bowl of water. Both instantly missed the closeness. It wasn't his imagination that she stood a little closer this time, as she continued her task. There was a very comely blush lighting her cheeks, he felt an answering blush on his own cheeks.
Feeling his eyes on her, Levy looked him in the eye. She was right earlier, there were tears in his eyes, longing to escape but kept in check. She placed her hand on his cheek, feeling the cold studs beneath her hand. He leaned into the embrace as a single tear ran down his face. She wiped it away with her thumb. "None of that now, you'll rust." She smiled brightly then busied herself clearing up the used water and rags so he could comport himself. When she turned around again, he had gone to the other side of the room and was pulling on a clean shirt. She watched the muscles of his abdomen flex as he pulled the shirt over himself, slightly disappointed when it was put in place. He raised a studded eyebrow at her frank observation and chuckled, "gihi."
Caught, her faced drained of all color she said, "Sit back down, I'll put a bandage on before it starts to bleed again." He obeyed her orders, and she quickly and deftly taped a bit of gauze to his wound. "So what work do you have to do?"
His expression turned serious, "Just a mission from Makarov."
She could tell she wasn't going to get any more details. She nodded her head. "Will you be leaving today then?"
He nodded. "Well, be careful and come home safe, Okay?" She said as she squeezed his hand quickly.
"Don't worry about me Shrimp." he replied as he reached to tuck a stray bit of hair behind her ear. At the last minute, he decided to lighten the mood a bit and instead ruffled her hair. "Gihi."
Levy ducked away from his hand and straightened her hair. "It's Levy." He only smirked at her.
"Good luck then. I'll see you when you return?" The last part came out as more of a question or invitation.
Levy left then. As he watched her scurry down the stairs he whispered, "I'll see you later, Levy." He slung his pack over a shoulder and started down the stairs as quick as he could. The sooner he finished the sooner he could come home.