Hey guys! Well, there's officially no more school, HOORAY! Get ready for lots of new stories :) In celebration, here's a GaLe oneshot! If you think Gajeel is OOC in this, well maybe he is. This fic captures a softer side of him that lies beneath his cold exterior…haha that sounded weird. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please do leave a review :3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail.

"And then I realized—it was the toilet!" Levy exclaimed, and she and Lucy erupted into a fit of laughter, their table one of the loudest in the guild hall.

Gajeel took a sip of water, observing the laughing bluenette. The corners of her eyes were crinkled perfectly, and her small hands were cupped around her face as she continued to laugh.

Her eyes were breathtaking, as usual. The brown orbs were so down to earth, reminding him of hot chocolate: warm and sweet and…almost impossible to look away from.

"Oi, metal mouth, did you hear what I said?" Natsu asked. His question went unanswered; Gajeel was still looking past the pink haired freak at Levy, his red eyes almost squinted and his finger circling the rim of his cup.

"Sorry, Natsu. Looks like Gajeel's got something else to pay attention to." Gray, who was beside Natsu, remarked.

"More like someone to pay attention to." Freed, sitting beside Gajeel, added, and he and the ice mage exchanged smirks.

"I think it's love." Gray said.

"Not infatuation?" Freed smirked.

"Definitely not. Look at his face; I bet he doesn't even remember his name."

"Huh? Waddaya mean?" Natsu asked, looking from Gajeel to Gray to Freed.

"Just look at who he's staring at, Natsu." Gray muttered.

Natsu looked from Gajeel to Levy, and then his face lit up in realization. "I got it!" he exclaimed, and Freed, Gray, even Gajeel looked at Natsu expectantly.

"Gajeel wants to fight Levy!" Natsu revealed.

Gajeel immediately glared at Natsu, and then reached over and smacked his head. Gray and Freed laughed at the salamander's obliviousness.

While Natsu was slumped over on the table, holding his head in pain, Gray turned to Gajeel.

"So, Gajeel, do you love her?" he asked. Freed smiled knowingly, and Gajeel's eyes widened.

"W-what?" Gajeel stammered, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

Gray just smirked. "You know what I mean."

Gajeel looked over at Levy, who was laughing again. His heart was pounding, louder and faster in his chest.

She's so cute.

"So?" Freed asked.

Gajeel thought of how unintentionally cute Levy was.

…Do I love her?

At that moment, Levy made eye contact with him; brown eyes catching red ones.

Yes.

His grip on his glass tightened slightly as soon as he heard his heart pounding in his ears.

Since the day I met her.

"Nah." the iron dragon slayer replied and downed his glass of water, hoping it would wash the lie out of his mouth.

Gajeel was lying down on his bed, but he was still awake. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking about what Gray had asked earlier that day.

He knew a couple things. For one, he would always get nervous around Levy. Of course, he would always cover it up with his cold and emotionless exterior, or with a remark on how small she was.

Second, he definitely cared for her. Whether it was a mission, or if someone made fun of her, he was there to step in and defend her. He didn't even mean to, it would just happen.

What the fuck is wrong with me? he thought, a hand over his tired face.

He was a ruthless dragon slayer. He ate metal like Happy ate fish. He even led Phantom's hate towards Fairy Tail. He was supposed to be tough and brutal, but she changed him. One small bluenette had a huge impact on him.

Knowing very well that he was in love, he almost shivered before going to sleep.

Gajeel was walking towards the guild that afternoon, the warm sun shining on his back.

"Gajeel!" a melodious voice called from behind him. He didn't have to turn around, knowing that she would be next to him in a few seconds.

Sure enough, Levy caught up and fell in step with him, holding a stack of books to her chest. "Good morning!" she greeted.

Gajeel ignored his rapid heartbeat and focused on keeping his face smug. "Hi." he spoke, managing to sound like himself.

"Jeez, you're always so grumpy! You'll have a horrible day if you act like this." Levy commented, "Anyway, I wanted to ask, do you want to go to the library with me?"

Gajeel shrugged, pretending like it was no big deal. "Sure, books."

Levy rolled her eyes and laughed. They walked side-by-side to the library, her hand so close to brushing his side as she swung her arms.

He was watching her again. Jeez, he was being such a creep. But he couldn't help it.

They were now sitting in the library, quietly reading. Gajeel had a small book in his hands, the object clearly not being used. Levy was across from him, her legs crossed as she read her book.

Her glasses were slightly lower than how one would normally wear them, magnifying her eyes. Her small finger twirled a lock of her hair, and her lips were pursed as she read the material carefully, batting her long eyelashes at the words.

Levy noticed him staring at her, and spoke, "Yes, Gajeel?"

I think I like her.

"Gajeel?"

I think I really like her.

"Are you going to keep giving me that look, or are you going to tell me what's going on in that brain of yours?"

Gajeel snapped out of his thoughts, and realized that his jaw had gone lax. Clearing his throat quickly, he shook his head. "I-it's nothing." he covered up, secretly hoping that she would notice his odd behavior.

Her eyebrows furrowed in doubt.

Please say something.

Her lips pursed again.

Tell me that we share the same feelings.

But unfortunately, she just shrugged and simply nodded, and then went back to reading.

Gajeel quickly excused himself and went outside, closing the library door behind him.

Leaning against the cold door, he sighed.

Maybe someday…he decided, and walked off.

Meanwhile, back in the library, Levy had thrown her book to the side, and propped her head up on her knee. She knew that she shouldn't be affected by this, that this was just Gajeel's way of acting, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Maybe one day…I'll be able to tell him that I love him." she murmured into the empty library.