Captive Dragon, Iron Princess

By: DemonClowSorceress

Disclaimer: I don't own Levy, Gajeel, or anyone from Fairy Tail. I only play with the characters in this storyline, which is mine.

Where the fuck did that midget go now? Gajeel cut his gaze across the rowdy bar in search of an elusive flash of blue hair. Sitting next to him, Pantherlily snorted. "Looking for someone?"

"What's it to you?" grumbled the black-haired Iron Dragonslayer.

Lily snorted again. "If you're searching for a tiny bookworm, she left about an hour ago. Said something about looking for some rare book in the Archives."

Gajeel huffed. "Never said I was looking for her, dumbass." He crossed his arms and strode over to check out the mission board.

This recent string of not seeing Levy around was beginning to bother Gajeel. Which irritated him, because he didn't know why it bothered him. He knew Levy had her own life to live; not like he had any say in what she did.

But now she was wearing his ring. Had been for about a week. So he kind of did have a say.

That did change their day-to-day relationship. With each other, and with the guild.

People began to notice it, and when they did, it started what Gajeel would forever refer to as "The Fantasia Parade, Insane Version." He referred to it as such (only in his head) because, much like that Magnolia Harvest Festival starring Laxus some time before, he wasn't sure if the passing Fairies were going to attack him. Then again, it was always a fine line with these weirdos.

First were the girls, led by Erza, who merely glared at him and said, in no uncertain words, that she better not see Levy cry on account of him. Mirajane and Lisanna came by after, the former beaming with pride while her little sister explained with a shy, sheepish smile that the Demon Take Over mage had collected a lot of money on him and Levy, but she was glad too! Juvia congratulated him on confessing his feelings (unaware that he'd done that long before he'd given Levy the ring) and announced that his example had given her new hope with Gray-sama. Lucy stopped by and also congratulated him, and she gave him a very helpful idea on what kinds of books Levy liked. Bisca merely touched the brim of her hat as she passed by, a smile on her face that spoke louder than words.

The guys were more vocal about it. Natsu slapped him on the back and said he was surprised the junkyard-dragon had actually manned up. Gray merely shrugged and said he'd expected as such, then went in search of his pants. Elfman cried and said the ring was a very manly thing for Gajeel to give his woman, while Fried and Bixlow exchanged money in some side bet they'd had going. Alzack, like his partner, merely nodded his congratulations to the Iron Dragonslayer. Next came Levy's two accessories...ahem, teammates, with their customary blustering of how Levy had better be treated right or else while flexing whatever tiny muscles they possessed in a supposedly threatening manner. This had easily been the most amusing of them all; Gajeel was easily powerful enough to knock them down with a sneeze, if not a cough.

Then came Master Makarov, who silently indicated that Gajeel come with him. Gajeel had already thought this might happen, so he got up without grumbling and followed the Guild Master to his private office. "I understand that you've decided to go public about your relationship with Levy," was his opening statement.

"Yeah," Gajeel replied. He'd long since moved past blushing; Pantherlily's constant teasing for the two days after had solved that. "What's it to you?"

"Is that wise, given your current assignment?" Makarov questioned. "Ivan may order you back to his side in a matter of weeks, maybe days."

The Iron Dragonslayer crossed his arms, his scowl deepening. Not for the first time did he regret accepting this double-agent assignment to spy on Ivan Dreyer's Dark Guild, Raven Tail. Living a lie was tough, but living a lie while caring about someone other than himself was beginning to annoy Gajeel. And he did care about Levy. "If you'd let me tell her..."

But Makarov shook his little white head vehemently. "No. Nobody outside this room can know."

Well that's probably already a bust, thought Gajeel, recalling Lily's somewhat unusual interest in what Gajeel was up to when he disappeared to speak with Ivan's shikigami. The black Exceed was incredibly perceptive, and if he hadn't figured out what was happening yet, he was damn close to. Aloud Gajeel said, "Then stop griping about it. I said I'd do this, and I will."

The Guild Master nodded. "All right then. But remember. Ivan is a master of finding and deciphering a person's weaknesses. If he even thinks you care about Levy, he can and possibly will use that to his advantage."

Gajeel had a fleeting image of Levy nailed to a tree, just like he'd done to her when he still wore his Phantom Lord mark. Except in his vision, she wasn't still breathing. "That won't happen," he swore, letting the protective dragon's growl enter his already deep voice. "I swear on my honor as a Dragonslayer. I won't let anything hurt Levy." Never again, he added silently.

Makarov nodded. "I believe you won't."

Two days later, Ivan's shikigami appeared and delivered a message. Be at my side in three days. There is work to be done.

The night before he had to go, Gajeel stood outside Fairy Hills, his eyes unerringly locked on Levy's balcony. He had to fight every instinct and shred of common sense he possessed to just leave without a word. But he couldn't. He couldn't leave without seeing her one last time. Goddammit, I'm so fucking whipped.

So he climbed through her open window. Levy squeaked and dropped the large tome she was reading. "Gajeel! Stop doing that!"

"Stop leaving the window open," he retorted with a grin. "Find what you were looking for?"

She smiled as she retrieved her book. "Yes! See?"

God, she made him feel almost decent when she smiled like that. "I'll take your word for it, shorty." Crossing the room to sit behind her on her bed, he rested his chin on her head. One hand slid down her arm to raise her hand up to his eye level, making her ring glint in the light.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. "It always makes me think of you."

Well, didn't that just fuck all, he thought. Now he knew what Makarov had meant - when, not if, he left to "join" Raven Tail, Levy would always have a tangible reminder of him, the asshole who broke her heart.

He enveloped the solid script mage in a tight hug and inhaled her parchment-and-ink scent. "Keep that window shut, and get that bastard runeweaver to set up a barrier," he said thickly. "Or lock the window every night. Just don't leave it open anymore. Got it?"

"Gajeel?" Levy's small hands pressed against his muscular arms, twisting her body in his embrace until she was looking up into his red eyes. "What's the matter?" she asked, cupping his face gently. "You seem...well, odd."

"It's nothing." Gajeel let his eyes slowly close, feeling the warmth of her hands and the small spot of cold iron that marked his ring on her finger. "Just..."

He hesitated, biting his tongue before the truth came out. He wasn't big on sharing his doubts and fears with others; years of being bullied and teased by Metalicana for wimpyness was a key reason for him developing his gruff exterior. But that wrecked hell on his ability to show his emotions when it counted.

Fuck emotions. Gajeel was more of an action kind of guy. And since this would be the last time he'd probably ever see the solid script mage, he decided to make it count.

"Just...ah, just forget it, dammit," he swore, leaning down to capture her mouth with his. She squeaked with surprise, then responded to his kiss as her hands crept up his chest to hold him closer.

As he tried to erase the guilt of what hell he was about to put this pure-hearted girl through, his hand drifted down to clasp her hand. Caught in his fingers, the ring slipped off Levy's finger without her noticing.

I'm sorry, Levy.

The next morning, he was gone.

Makarov had known that the disappearance of the Iron Dragonslayer would raise some alarm among the Fairies. While still viewed with some wariness, Gajeel had redeemed himself twice over with the mages of Fairy Tail. He'd become their nakama.

So obviously, leaving the guild in a broken shambles was the Iron Dragonslayer's clearest way of showing that he was breaking ties with Fairy Tail. However, that wasn't even the worst blow. He left a snide note behind, saying that he'd left "this pansy-ass weak guild for some real strength at Raven Tail" and told them to "go the fuck to hell" to summarize.

All in all, Makarov found the entire delivery very convincing.

But Natsu had smelled the note and deemed it confusing. Wendy seconded his findings. When pressed to explain, the Fire and Sky Dragonslayers said that yes, Gajeel had written it, but his emotions didn't match with his words. If anything, he'd smelled of remorse and duress.

Makarov declared that nobody would go after the Iron Dragonslayer. There was more than one protest to this order, but the Guild Master backed his decision with logic. Since Raven Tail had one of the Dragonslayers, not to mention a Dragonslayer who had an intimate knowledge of Fairy Tail's strengths and weaknesses, they had to proceed with caution.

Five days passed like this. Nobody wanted to believe that Gajeel was truly gone. But aside from Levy's insistance and Natsu swearing that the words conflicted with the emotions on the note, nothing was definitive.

Levy's reaction was surprising. The most noticeable change was in her wardrobe. Her bright, cheery sundresses began taking on metallic accents, buttons and zippers and clasps that were more decorative than useful. It was like she was keeping a part of the Iron Dragonslayer alive by mimicking, however cutely, his metal-studded appearance.

But other than that, she appeared to remain her usual cheery self. She sat with Lily and spoke with him like always, a bright smile on her face. Everyone thought that she'd be the most distraught about Gajeel's defection. But the blue-haired girl merely smiled and assured everyone that he wasn't really gone. She could tell. Even if he'd taken back the ring he'd given her, Levy believed in him.

No matter that everyone could see that she was devastated.

Levy confiscated the note when nobody was looking. Then she went back to her room and fell to examining it. Something in her bookworm mind was telling her that there was another story on this crass, completely Gajeel-like note. There had to be. He wouldn't leave her like that. She knew it in the marrow of her bones.

Lily stopped by a day later, flying through her open window. "Oy, Levy," he said in greeting. "You eaten or slept recently?"

"Couple hours ago." She glanced up at him and realized something. "When we found the note, you didn't seem surprised by it, or angry. Why?"

The black Exceed shrugged. "Because after he finally came clean about your relationship, I knew he'd rather swallow acid than leave you dangling without an explaination. Plus, that metalhead's been acting dodgy ever since I can remember, and he's been meeting with Makarov a lot recently. I figured that's got something to do with it."

"Master Makarov knows?" Levy repeated. Putting Gajeel's note aside, she started to pull on her coat. "C'mon Lily, let's go talk to the Master."

As expected, Makarov really wasn't in an informative mood. That changed, however, when Natsu, Wendy, Erza, Gray, Lucy, and various other mages started to crowd around him demanding to know what was going on. But nobody was more insistant than Levy, who was right in the Master's face and asking the really hard-hitting questions.

Little by little, the truth came out. Ivan. Raven Tail. Double agent. Plots and counter-plots. Lies, deception, and secrets. With every explaination, Levy felt her broken heart slowly beginning to heal. Gajeel hadn't abandoned her; he'd done it to keep his cover.

That's when a tiny metal dragon - Metalicana in miniature, Levy was shocked to see - sped into the guild and bumped against Makarov's chest like a tiny rubber ball. Everyone clustered around it as the living object crawled to him and delivered a tiny etched bit of iron. It only bore two sentences: He found me out. It's time.

"It means that Raven Tail is massing its strength to destroy us," Makarov explained. "And that Ivan discovered that Gajeel was a double agent."

Levy scooped the tiny dragon into the palm of her hand. It looked up at her, shook like a dog, and hopped along her hand to curl around her ring finger. The movement shocked her, as did its implication.

Gajeel's messenger was her ring. He'd sent it back to her. He believed that he was going to die.

Levy felt her anger surge through her tiny body, making her stand straight and strong. She was done waiting around like a weak little girl. For as long as she'd known him, Gajeel had always come to save her. In her book, it was her turn to be heroic and save him. So when she said she was going to Raven Tail and getting him back, nobody dared to step in her way.

Already gearing up for a fight, Natsu punched the air with his fist. "Let's go get that idiot!"

"YEAH!" shouted the rest of the guild as one.

The mages of Raven Tail were very surprised to find the Fairy Tail mages at their doorstep come sunrise. Having been expected to have at least a few days to gather, their forces weren't as powerful as it could've been. But still, enough Raven Tail mages were there to prove a match for the incoming Fairies.

But more surprising than the unwelcome arrivals was the tiny blue-haired girl at their head wearing a brightly colored sundress studded with metal buttons. She threw the word EXPLODE at their doors to blast them open, sending many mages scrambling into battle formations. Surrounded by the most powerful guild in Fiore, this tiny girl stood firm and spoke in a rough, dark voice that reminded the Ravens uncomfortably of the Iron Dragonslayer that had joined them days before.

"I'm here for my boyfriend Gajeel Redfox. He's tall with spiky black hair, slanted red eyes, piercings all over his body, and he is perfectly capable of kicking all your asses. Give him over or stand out of my way."

Needless to say, the Raven Tail mages immediately attacked. Dodging the fighting Ravens and Fairies, Levy and Lily quickly fell to searching for their Dragonslayer partner. When they were waylaid by more Ravens, Lily merely switched to his larger form and easily dispatched them with his Musica Sword. "Keep going," he told Levy. "He's down there somewhere."

Levy knew it too. She could hear the Iron Dragonslayer's voice shouting profanities somewhere in the depths of the guild. Using her ears and casting LIGHT, she carefully descended. When she reached a fork in the passage, she glanced from side to side. Where is he?

"Ivan, you bastard!"

Yup, there he is, she thought, turning left.

"Get the fuck back here!"

He sounds annoyed. Mildly.

"Son-of-a-bitch! Don't touch her!"

That made Levy hesitate a second.

"If you hurt her, I swear I'll cut out your innards, slice them to ribbons, and make you choke on them!"

Is he worried...about me? Levy thought. His tone was pure terror mixed with rage and not a little fear. She'd never heard Gajeel's voice like that before, and it scared her. Gajeel was strong, and tough, and fearless. He was not supposed to sound like he was about to watch his lover be executed in front of him. He was not supposed to sound helpless.

The thought made her pick up the pace, following his yells to a locked door at the end of the hallway. One EXPLODE later, and the lock was history. Gajeel was trapped in the wall, held by some sort of rock from the chest down, his arms fully encased in the stuff. Blood dripped from his head and chest to the floor, and she could barely hear him breathing.

"Gajeel," she whispered, walking right up to him and cupping his face in her hands. "Gajeel, can you hear me? It's Levy. Answer me, please." She pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. "C'mon Gajeel, answer me!"

Tortured red eyes widened when they looked up. "Levy?" he said hoarsely. "What are you doing here?"

Relief made her eyes water. "I'm here to save you, idiot scrap-metal dragonslayer," she joked past her tears, using one of Natsu's insults. Sharp brown eyes regarded the stone that imprisoned him. "We all are."

"But I...I left the guild..."

"The Master told us the truth. Lily had his suspicions and knew you wouldn't do this to us...or to me." She smiled at him. "Besides, I knew you'd never do something so boneheaded."

For a minute, the ghost of his razor-sharp grin lifted the corner of his mouth. "You're pretty damn smart, aren't you?"

"That's why I'm the brains in this relationship." She swiped her hands decisively. "PULVERIZE!" Twin words burst from her fingertips and slapped the rock wall, turning it to dust and releasing Gajeel. "IRON!" she added, creating the now-familiar word with its heart-shaped inner O. "Here. Hungry?"

"Thanks," he said, cramming the word into his mouth and devouring the metal. A note of surprise entered his voice. "You're wearing it."

At first she thought he meant the dress she'd made, but then she remembered her lone piece of jewelry. "Yeah. It is mine, after all," she replied.

"Hey!" Dragonslayer and solid script mage turned to see Lily standing in the doorway, back to his chibi form. "Can't you two wait until after we get home before getting sentimental?"

"What about Ivan?" asked Levy.

"Master Makarov's buying everyone some time to get out. We'll fight Raven Tail another day." The black Exceed shot an exasperated but relief-filled glare at Gajeel. "We only came to rescue you, stupid oaf of a Dragonslayer. Now let's go!"

Thankfully there were few serious injuries to the Fairy Tail mages. In truth, most of the wounds were superficial. Only one Fairy had been severely injured, and he was being healed by one solid script mage with a razor-sharp tongue lashing.

"I swear to God, if you ever do that to me again, I will PULVERIZE you within an inch of your bones," Levy said crossly, wrapping another injury in gauze and antiseptic pads. "Do you understand me, Gajeel Redfox?"

"Yes Shorty," drawled the Iron Dragonslayer. "I'll try not to make you worry. Can't promise none, though."

"And the next time you're sucked into a boneheaded secret mission - "

"Wait, next time? You're expecting me to be that fucking stupid again?"

" - you will tell me everything, understand?" she continued, not even bothering to listen to him.

Gajeel felt a little annoyed at being railroaded, but then again, it was Levy. She was rarely this adamant about anything, and when she was, you'd better be damn sure she'd back her words up. So he just smiled at her and said, "Fine. If I'm ever stupid enough to do some damn undercover secret-spy clusterfuck mission, I will tell you. Happy?"

She had the nerve to mull it over in front of him. "I guess that's good enough." Then she threw herself into his arms, gently so as not to make his stitches come apart. "I missed you, moron."

It was sappy and stupid and Damn he was such a pansy of him, but Gajeel held her close and whispered into her ear, "Missed you too, Levy."

"Don't ever leave me again."

"Trust me, I won't. I'm not letting you out of my fucking sight."

Ivan would return for retribution. Raven Tail would appear again to take them all down. But at that moment, Gajeel didn't give two shits.

He had Levy. His Levy. She was safe, alive, and back in his arms.

He'd never let her go again.

Lolz, Gajeel being rescued by Levy. The story begged to be written.

Review please!