Levy had her nose buried in the document she was supposed to be translating for a new client. She had taken up an entire table in the guild hall, and made a fort of books around her; all the books she thought she might need for this particular assignment, all within the arm's reach. She was in full battle mode (if breaking down complex new languages into layman text could be counted as battle), with her hair tied in a knot behind her head and her uncharacteristically large glasses. She was so focused on her work that she didn't even notice when Gajeel sat down on the chair opposite her.
"Hey shrimp" he said. She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I brought you some lunch. You've been working on that document for four days straight. I miss you. Why don't you take a break?" "It's noon already? I didn't notice". Gajeel grinned. "Hardly surprising", he mused, and added in an undertone, "but it's refreshing watching you work your magic. You're awesome. You know that, right?" She blushed furiously. That's what she loved about their relationship. To the others in the guild and the outside world in general, Gajeel was this powerful, manly and badass dragon slayer. But with her, he was also sensitive, funny, and relaxed. She loved that she was the only one who got to see this side of him; it made her feel really special.
"Sure, I could use a breather. Let's take the lunch outside, and have a picnic. It's a lovely day". Gajeel beamed. He loved taking long walks with her. He loved how petite and cute she was; how she had to practically run to keep up with him. He loved teasing her by putting stuff out of her reach. The face she made when he did that always made him chuckle. But she didn't mind. It was one of the ways he showed affection.
It was a cool, breezy day. Gajeel was walking, picnic basket and sheet in hand, and Levy was trying to keep up, a book clutched against her chest. "What did you bring that for?" he asked, eyeing the book with exasperation, "I don't want to compete against a book for your attention". She chuckled. "I have to do something when you nap under the tree after eating like an elephant". He grunted in response. It was true. Every time they went out to lunch together he would eat a mountain and take a nice nap. She took a couple of steps before noticing that he had stopped. She turned around and asked, "What's up? Why'd you stop?" "I'm sorry", he said darkly. "What for?" she asked. She looked where he was, and immediately realized what he was talking about. They had decided to cut through the park, and had come across the tree to which he had nailed her and her team. She walked up to him, and gave him a hug. He was quite tall, and she only reached his chest. "I've told you, you don't have to keep apologizing for that. That was a long time ago, and you've really changed". He wrapped his free arm around her and kissed her forehead. "You know, I-" "I know". She cut him off. He didn't have to say anything. "Let's go". She took his arm and pulled him along. He caught up with her and smiled to himself. He knew he was incredibly lucky to have her, and swore to himself to do everything in his power to protect her till his last breath.
After that he eased up quite a bit, and they reached their favorite spot; a large tree just outside the forest, and grassland stretching out for miles on the other side. He spread the sheet and they both sat down, and opened the basket. He had packed Mirajane's delicious Ham sandwiches and some orange juice. They each took one, and he started wolfing it down. "Slow down cowboy, what's the rush?" she asked. He shrugged and downed his bottle of juice in one gigantic gulp. "Ah, refreshing" he slurped. After a while, they were done eating, and Gajeel sat against the tree. He spread his arms wide and motioned for her to cuddle. She gladly accepted, resting her back to his chest, and opened her book. "Hey, why don't you read it to me, let's see what you find so interesting" he said. "Really?" she asked, positively beaming. "Okay, here we go. The Eurithanian is one of the toughest languages to learn and translate. Most of the meaning of sentences relies heavily on the context, with the same sentence meaning different things in different situations. However, the one part that is actually easy is-" she stopped mid-sentence, since Gajeel was fake snoring. She punched him playfully and they both burst into laughter. He stopped before her, closed his eyes and enjoyed her tinkling laugh. Turning her around, he kissed her deeply. After what seemed an eternity, they broke off. Levy was caught off guard and felt dizzy. "Uh I, um-" she started, but he cut her off. "I know, shrimp" he said, and smiled.
"We made such a good team on Tenrou island, let's do some missions together. That way we'll get to spend even more time together" Levy said, clearing her throat. "I would love that!" he exclaimed. "Well, the document you're currently working on is supposed to be sent in the mail to Badger island, right? Why don't you hand-deliver it, and I will come along as your bodyguard?" "That'll be awesome!" she said, "in that case, I'd better go finish it up". "I'll go run a couple of errands in the meantime. Why not we meet in the guild, and you come to my place afterwards? I'll cook, and you can stay over", he said. "Sounds great. Let's make a couple of changes to the plan though. Why don't you come over to my place, and I'll cook. Pack your bags and bring 'em too, we can leave tomorrow for Badger island" she said. "Done". With that, they got up, and left for the guild, hand in hand.
There was a knock at Levy's door in the evening. She opened it, and Gajeel walked in, a solitary drawstring bag slung over his shoulder. "That's it? That's what you're carrying for the mission?" she asked, surprised. "Yep, I like to travel light". Her hair was disheveled, and her apron was covered with flour. The kitchen was a mess too, with a couple of cookbooks lying around and several pots and pans with burnt food in the sink. "What happened here?" he asked. Levy shot him a sheepish look and said, "Well, you know, I offered to cook since we always eat at your place, but the thing is, um, you know, I've been meaning to tell you-" "You can't cook", Gajeel said, grinning. "Fine! It's true, okay? I did everything those damned cookbooks said but I kept burning everything". "Books can't help you in everything, shrimp" he said, with a consoling smile. "Come on, I'll teach you". He walked over to the cookbooks and checked what she was trying to make. "Ah, pasta!". "Please help me", she squeaked. "Sure, come on".