A/N: So I'm trying to make it a point to upload something at least every other day (And this is, pretty much, two days late but still). So that's where this one-shot comes in. I'm not going to push for reviews but I hope you enjoy the story. That's good enough for me :)
Oh and by the way, expect the characters to be a bit OOC (I love them the way they are, but they do have a little bit of changes). But anyway. Rated T for the language at the end (I don't know if this type of language falls under the T rate -I'm pretty sure it does- but I'll do it anyway although I'm paranoid. But if that isn't the case, please tell me). Just fair warning; this chapter starts off light but then it get's seriously heavy (at least for me) at the end. But you're free to think otherwise.
(P.S. I don't know if this counts as a SPOILER ALERT but I just watched the new intro for the Anime and I LOVED it!)
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima
Description:Modern!Fairy Tail AU (Taken place in a story that's still in the works... so yeah. Maybe look at it like a sneak peek?) temporarily told in Gajeel and Levy's point of view. Otherwise, everything is the same except for the fact that they have no magic whatsoever but I assume you already knew that so now I feel stupid.
Summary:He's an ex-convict that stirred up some trouble with the guild, yet, Fairy Tail's owner let him join. Much to the others bemusement. Levy finds herself explaining to him what made Fairy Tail, well, Fairy Tail (While defending her friend's honor). Giving both her and the man the push in the right direction to become better, prouder Fairy Tail members. And... and maybe a bit more.
Pairings: Heavy Gajeel/Levy (Towards the ending mostly), implied Natsu/Lucy, usual friendship/family feels, and Fairy Tail being Fairy Tail.
Things You Do
Levy lifted her hand and waved at her blonde haired friend who was currently waiting by the door with a salmon haired man. They were preparing to go out on a job but now they were waiting on two more people. She had a hard time that the blonde had only joined the Guild a couple of months ago. In the first week, Lucy had adapted quickly to the rowdiness and strange atmosphere that Fairy Tail had brought. She even gained the full trust of Fairy Tail's own salmon headed Pyro. Levy figured that she shouldn't be too surprised, she had warmed up to the blonde in the first three days she had moved in.
The blue-haired woman smiled, shaking her head before indulging herself back into her book.
"You think she'll be alright?" Lucy's not-so-quiet whisper reached her ears, she could practically feel the blonde's gaze burn through her.
"I think that you're worrying too much," Nastu returned, not bothering to lower his voice.
Even though she wasn't looking, Levy could practically see the salmon-haired man roll his eyes at the blonde. She just shook her head in amusement and turned the page in her book. Currently, the hero was locked in fierce combat with a ferocious beast and he was sure to win. Levy expected nothing less. The hero in this story always came out last but she felt it deep in her bones that this was the turning point for him. It gave her a sense of anticipation and a quake of excitement that only an avid reader could describe and relate.
"I'm serious, Natsu."
Levy peeked over her book at the pair. Lucy folded her arms across her chest, sternly looking up at the salmon-haired man who settled for grinning back down at her. The blonde's cheeks were comically puffed up in frustration, a hint of worry shining through her chocolate brown eyes. Natsu pulled one of his hands from his pocket and gently knocked her on the side of her head before giving a quick motion to the bluenette in question. Levy immediately dropped her eyes back to her book.
"Well she looks alright, doesn't she?" Natsu chuckled, ignoring the her feeble hit to quiet him. "Look, here comes Erza and the Ice Princess. You worry too much, Luce."
"But-"
"Nope. C'mon, we'll be late!"
"Wait! Natsu let go-"
"I can tell that you're having second thoughts, Luce. So we're heading towards the station before you can change your mind," Natsu told the blonde sternly, his voice holding no room for argument. Levy smiled at that, Natsu's random change in tone both surprised and pleased her at the same time. Her childhood friend always seemed to be a different person these days. A far fetch from who he was when they were growing up. "Now hurry up, we're going to be late for the train."
"You actually want to catch the train?" Lucy's skeptical voice floated to Levy's ears before she heard her friend let out a startled gasp, "Don't get sick just by thinking about it! At least let my wrist go before you barf!"
"You have to do something about that stomach, Pyro Idiot," Gray chuckled as his voice mingled with the others.
"W-what was th-that, F-Frozen Face?"
"Are you two fighting?"
"N-no, Erza!"
"Are you really going to wear you uniform on this job?" Lucy asked the red-headed woman.
Levy looked up to see Erza in her Police Uniform, as usual. Deciding to finally tune out of their conversation, the bluenette flipped the page to her book and continued to read.
She was faintly aware of the yelling in the guild, mostly by the door, before there was sounds of fighting, Erza yelling and Lucy screaming before the rest of the guild joined in. Tables were flying and there was one crash of glass right as her eyes skimmed a description of a vase hitting the castles marble flooring. That's one thing (of many) that she loved about this guild. Sometimes, she doesn't have to even imagine the sound effects, the guild would do it perfectly for her.
Once the guild settled down by the usual method (Erza pulling her nightstick off of her tool-belt and threatening the people -usually Gray and Natsu- who caused the most problems. Lucy occasionally tearing up about the money that was flying out the window -along with the mugs and a few chairs- before grabbing Natsu by the scarf and forcefully dragging him out of the hall. Or Mira accidentally getting hit by either her brother's big body or a table.), Levy turned the page of her book. She was waiting for either another trigger or for someone to leave on another job.
Her ears picked up murmurs from other members every so often, occasionally they talked about who they clipped during the latest brawl. Then she felt the sunlight pour on her when the door was open. The entire hall flooded with light before groaning close, indicating that the team had finally left.
"Eavesdroppin' is rude," A deep voice grated flatly, drawing the bluenette's attention away from her book.
She honestly forgot about him being there. The man, Gajeel Redfox, had propped his chin on his palm, his red eyes blank as he stared at the guild doors. His unruly, jet-black hair somehow managed to keep out of his face. Which was funny because Levy had to hold her hair back with a bandana and her hair was three times shorter than his. She felt a little bad for him, though. Master Makarov (which he was called even though he insisted on the term 'Dad' or even 'Gramps') had confined the man under house arrest and she had to watch him. Master said that was the only way and that she was the only one.
And she had no reason to doubt him.
"That's classic coming from an ex-convict," Levy muttered, turning the page to her book again.
"You say that like it was supposed to hurt me," Gajeel scoffed, turning his blank eyes to her. The bluenette briefly pulled her eyes away from the worn-out page.
"Did it at least sting?"
"Not even a little."
Levy turned her eyes back to her book, "That sucks for you then."
"You said you'd at least try," Gajeel snorted, turning on the stool so he could use the table as a backrest, "Damn that old man and his stupid damn house arrest."
"That 'old man' let you off easy, Gajeel," Levy spoke absentmindedly, flipping the page and scanning the contents, "Mavis knows that anyone else would have subjected you to a worse punishment."
"Yeah? Like who?"
"Natsu, definitely. You nearly destroyed the Guild, hurt me, Jet and Droy. You did this all when they were gone and you kidnapped Lucy. He went on a rampage and you were the receiving end of it," Levy laid the book flat on it's spine and propped her chin with one hand, her eyes never missing a beat of reading, "Beat you down and I'm sure he's itching to do it again."
"Like that Salamander reincarnate could do anythin' to me," Gajeel smirked, flexing his muscles at the thought of fighting that Pyro again, "Who else?"
"Erza would subject you to that punishment," Levy shuddered just thinking about it, "Gray, Mira, Laxus, Cana, Macao, Wakaba, Max... Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if Jet and Droy wanted to get you back."
Gajeel hummed, relaxing further onto the table, "Who else?"
"Me."
"Eh? Is that right?" Gajeel asked, lifting his head and raising a pierced brow. He leaned closer to the woman, smirking when she paid him no mind, "And what would you do, Short Stuff?"
"Dunno yet."
"Fair enough," The dark-haired man muttered. Levy drew her eyes away from her book and set a questioning stare, never looking away even when Gajeel turned to stare back. When she hadn't looked away for a good minute, he frowned. "What?"
"Nothing," Levy replied, continuing to give him a questioning stare, "Just wondering why you wanted to know."
"Well," The man sighed, turning away first and running a hand over his unruly hair, "Just bein' weary, I guess. Gotta know who to defend myself from."
"Hmm," The bluenette hummed, slipping her bookmark between the pages and closing the book carefully, "Then I guess it's my duty to say that you don't have to worry about anyone trying to beat you up."
"Why, you goin' to protect me?" Gajeel scoffed, shooting the woman a dark glance.
"In a way, I already am," She replied, dropping her chin onto her hand.
"Yeah?"
"Mm-hm."
The dark-haired man sighed, slightly twisting in his seat to give her his attention, "I have a feelin' you're not going to explain so I'm goin' to ask. How are you protectin' me, Shorty?"
"The nicknames you give me are quite endearing, Gajeel," Levy rolled her eyes.
"Short Stack."
"Nearly there."
"Tiny Tuff."
"Mm-hm."
"Shrimp."
There was a pause and Gajeel smirked, knowing he got her.
"Now that one was insulting," Levy glared spitefully before waving her hand dismissively, "Besides, I'm not doing much anyway. You should thank Lucy."
"That Bunny Girl?" Gajeel asked, a bit of surprise leaking into his tone, "And what do I hafta thank her for?"
"It doesn't take much to hurt me, I'm easily bruised," The bluenette explained, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the cover of her book, "But Lucy has a much stronger will and it takes a lot to break her down. She's also kindhearted through and through, she has already forgiven you. She's the reason why Natsu isn't all over you like heat on fire and why everyone else is trying to find it in their hearts to accept you."
"An' you're prasin' her like she's the center of the universe," Gajeel snorted, "It's no wonder why her head is so far in the stars."
"That's not the case," Levy frowned, "You hurt her a lot and that's saying something. This is the woman who ran away from her own kin to find a new home within Fairy Tail and that's extremely humbling."
"If you're tryin' to get me to take back what I said, it's not workin'."
"I'm just saying that we don't think Lucy is the center of the universe," Levy denied, shifting in her seat to face the man. The sudden seriousness in the woman's eyes shocked even Gajeel, leaving him in a loss for words. Levy had always been quiet, dismissive even. He had to admit, it was... captivating.
"That woman has a big heart and she has big dreams despite the little opportunities she was given. She confides all of that, every single one of those dreams, into Fairy Tail. We respect her, not worship her. She would do anything for us and that's why we hold back. Not because we think she's better than us."
"Natsu. Erza. Gray. Cana. Mira. Master. Everyone. We are the glue that holds Fairy Tail together. We are all of equal importance and we would do anything for each other, not just for one person. If any of us had a choice to put someone or something in the center of our universe, we would all agree without hesitation that it would be Fairy Tail as a whole. Not individually. People come and then people leave but between that, they are Fairy Tail. We are more than just Nakama; we are brothers and we are sisters."
"Oh wait," Levy sighed, rubbing her temples, "I'm getting kind of off topic."
Gajeel cleared his throat, a little uneasy, "Maybe a little."
"Yeah, sorry," the bluenette breathed, slumping in her seat. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths before continuing, "I was trying to say that family forgives each other and since you're part of Fairy Tail now, the people you hurt the most are trying their hardest to forgive you."
"What's that got to do with protectin' me though?" Gajeel huffed, the tension from his shoulders eased as the woman before him started to calm.
"No one wants to willingly make their family mad, unless they're truly incorrigible," Levy explained, her eyes drawing down to her lap where her fingers absentmindedly toyed with the hem of her dress, "So I guess you can say if they try to hurt you, the'll make us sad. Or mad, in Lucy's case. She'd go berserk, I think."
"So what would you do?" Gajeel asked in a bored tone, leaning back against the table. The bluenette lifted her head and frowned at the man.
"What do you mean? Why would I do anything?"
"Well, you said they'd make 'us' sad," The black-haired man returned, lazily resting his eyes on her.
"W-well, I didn't mean to sound like I included myself," Levy muttered, twisting in her seat to pick up her book. She gently opened to the page with her bookmark and continued to read from where she left off.
"Earlier you even said somethin' about the ones I hurt the most," Gajeel continued, smirking when her face flushed guiltily, "And I'm pretty sure I hurt you and your lackeys."
"...they're not my lackeys."
"Your partners then."
Levy grunted, shooting a glare at him, "Are you some sort of sadist? Masochistic?"
"What?!"
"Do you take pleasure in seeing someone else's embarrassment?" She asked, frustration coating her tone, "Or do you like beating yourself up so much?"
"Wha-"
"That's probably why you try to keep reminding yourself of the painful stuff that you did in the past."
"Hey-"
"Get. Over. Yourself."
"Now listen here-"
"No, you listen," Levy demanded, slapping the book on the table. The sound of the leather hitting the wooden surface made Gajeel flinch out of pure instinct (Or it could be the furious expression on the bluenette in front of him).
"You are a part of Fairy Tail now," She continued, "We're forgiving you despite the crimes that you have committed but our trust is what you have to earn. Master assigned your house arrest to me because he believes that you truly want to correct your wrongs and because you have his trust. So you have to stop beating yourself up over whatever guilt you're feeling."
"I ain't beatin' myself over anythin'."
"You are. Trust me, I know the feeling," The bluenette sighed, running a tired hand down her face, "I am by no means the strongest or the fastest in the guild but Master asked me to watch over you. Out of all the people that were more than capable, he asked me. Doesn't that sound a little strange to you?"
Gajeel shifted in his seat. The woman was plenty strong, maybe not in the physical sense but she had the brains to rival anyone. She could make him uncomfortable. Him. The one and only Black Steel Gajeel. He didn't like the fact that she was beating herself down like this and that didn't sit well with him, as hypocritical as it sounded.
"I think it makes complete sense though," Levy went on, ignoring his inner turmoil. "Because, Gajeel, no one hates you here."
Gajeel scoffed at that.
"Okay, maybe Jet and Droy do," She frowned, before sweat-dropping, "And possibly Natsu. But he hates anyone and everyone who hurts Lucy... and his nakama."
"That Salamander seriously needs to get his head checked."
"That's true," Levy returned, a smile threatening to surface, "But I don't hate you at all. You intrigue me, actually."
Gajeel smirked, raising a pierced brow, "Is that so?"
"O-obviously," She stuttered, turning away right as a flush of color painted her cheeks, "I-I wouldn't have accepted the job if I didn't."
"So what? You gettin' paid for watchin' me?"
"Of course," Levy stated with a lifted chin, glad for the topic change.
She tried her best to ignore the blush that still coated her face. However, instead of it cooling down, it felt like it was getting worse. She practically confessed to him after all. Only Mavis knows why he hadn't figured that out yet, she's been dodging the topic on herself for a while. It was hard even saying that she forgives him without blurting out the truth. In the end, it came out anyway. A bit cryptic and coated, but it reared it's dumb head all the same.
Might as well strap a sign to her saying; 'I'm interested. Catch the damn hint!'
"Nothing in Fairy Tail is free," She said instead to cover the tracks she left, "There's always something broken or something someone has to pay for." She eyed him from the side, "Like you paying for your crimes."
"Annnd we're back to this," Gajeel rolled his eyes, "I thought we got all the emotional stuff out of the way."
"We did," The bluenette scoffed, "But my job isn't done until you admit that you can come to forgive yourself and admit that Fairy Tail is the best."
Silence fell between them, the air chilled with tension. Gajeel wanted to scoff. The thought ran through his mind a couple of times before he actually did. Of course what she said made sense and he knew she was lying when she agreed that she was getting paid for watching over him. Not that he would blame her if she actually was. He knew himself and he knew what he was like, and neither were pleasant to be around. After he left that fake guild, he had always been a broody piece of shit. He knew that.
Forgive himself?
He wanted to laugh. Besides, what's there to forgive? He had been deceived and lied to his whole life. He was useless and broken, unknowingly forced to do things because his lack of self-control. He never had to think for himself, only follow orders. Just a puppet on a tainted string. No pretty words from this woman would tell him otherwise.
Fairy Tail is the best?
Sure he never knew the warmth of an official guild, but that didn't mean that Fairy Tail wasn't like everyone of those dark bastards out there. He has his suspicions, like he always did, and those kept him alive this whole time. They could be playing him. They could be playing everyone. Fooling people with their sick, twisted idea of being a family and always being their for each other. This place was already making him feel insane. Besides, dark intentions are easy to hide. Take it from a man who experienced it first hand.
And then this squirt's talking like she knows him. Filling his head with self-doubt and then washing it away with a single, soft look. Such a small woman with a blank look that sends chills down his spine before warming him right back up again. Making him feel hope, crushing it and then bringing it right back. Reaching out to touch his very soul only to pull back right as he was getting used to it, then repeating it over and over again. Doesn't she know that it fuckin' hurts? Doesn't she know what she does to him?
Like what she's doing right now. Those damn eyes that were filled with such determination and forgiveness for him. Her blue hair that made him want to reach out and just... just see how it feels. Is it as soft as it looks? Or is that just deceit as well? She had yet to grace him with a smile but from the ones he sees sent to that Bunny Girl or the Tweedle Twins, they were catastrophic. In a good way, of course. And even that! She makes him feel like a love sick idiot! Making him think this kind of damn mushy crap and feeling this kind of stupid... stupid mushy crap!
She's smart! In the week that they had been assigned to each other, hadn't she figured out how she affects him?
Twisting in his seat so his chest was pressed up against the table, he rest his elbows heavily on the wooden top. He was aware of the eyes that burned into the side of his face but he ignored it, settling for running a frustrated hand down his face before peaking at her from the corner of his eye. She hadn't asked a question, but she was waiting for an answer. He had one, but he didn't know if she'd like it.
Ah, fuck it, He thought before tilting his head to face her.
"You're going to have to wait a long while, Shrimp," Gajeel grunted, "I ain't easy to convince."
And then she smiled. It was a different kind of smile though. This smile was filled with confidence and excitement for a challenge, vaguely reminding him of -dare he say- a tracker that was three seconds behind his first real meal in months. This smile was not one of those sissy kind of smiles that she gave everyone else but no less earth shattering. It was fuckin' radiant.
What was he saying earlier? That there was nothing to forgive himself for or that he was never going to trust Fairy Tail? To Hell with it all. Why was there ever a doubt in his mind? He could think of a thousand reasons why those doubts were stupid enough to even exist. Though, he'll keep those thousand reasons to himself. All because she smiled a smile he hadn't seen her give someone else. She made him want to be better just by staying bad.
Guess he'll settle on insane.
"I expected that much," she grinned, satisfied at his answer.
"It's not goin' to be easy," Gajeel warned, she had to know that she would be stuck with him for who knows how long if she didn't turn away now, "You have to be in it for the long haul."
If it could, her smile widened. Levy felt her heart thud against her ribs, blood rushing to her ears as a flush seemed to permanently stick to her cheeks. She wouldn't be surprised if even he could hear how erratically her her heart raced.
"That's what I was hoping for."
A/N: That's it... kinda rushed the end. Heavy right? Anyway, since I felt that since Gajeel is a more closed off character, you had to see more of the emotional side to him. So that's why his end is more detailed than Levy's. Because c'mon, we all know how Levy feels towards Gajeel and it's clear how Gajeel feels towards Levy but he rarely shows it. And I stress the 'rarely' part.
I don't usually do Author's Notes on both ends (sometimes, even I find them a bit annoying) but I felt that I needed to explain the lack of detailing on Levy's part. So yeah! Hope you enjoyed and (once again) I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire.