They met by complete coincidence. He had a bone to pick with her friends, and she got swept up with the others. Waking up in the hospital hadn't been fun, but neither had anything else he had done. When she finally woke up, the last of the three, she was just so grateful that her friends were alive and well (well being a relative term) that she didn't even think about the fact that she saw the orange tint in Jet's hair.
It was only when she was sitting in her best friends apartment, staring at her bandaged face in the mirror, that she even realized what had happened. She let out a short scream and Lucy came running in, still-hot frying pan in hand. She pulled the door open with such force that it dented the wall as it opened. She looked around the small room to see what had caused her friend to scream. Her eyes finally land on the seemingly unharmed girl that was supporting herself on the bathroom counter, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Levy. what happened?" Lucy asked urgently. A small whimper came from the tiny girl, and she let out a shaky breath before whispering
"My hair is blue." Lucy tilted her head to the side, confusion filling her eyes.
"I know that. Your hair has always been blue. You asked me when we met."
"No. You're not understanding," Levy paused, "I can see that my hair is blue." The fear in her voice triggered the blondes understanding. A radiant smile graced her face as she swept forward to hug the injured girl.
"Oh Levy, that's amazing! You've met your soulmate! But who would it be?" The blonde started rambling as she squeezed Levy, "I mean, the only new person you've met recently was-" Her voice broke off and she looked down at her friend with horror. Levy's tears started to spill onto her face.
"With everything that happened that night, I hadn't even realized. And I was just so happy when I woke up that I wasn't paying attention. But..." She buried her face in her hands, Lucy stepped away to give her some space.
"Well, I say that we meet him again. He has some serious explaining to do, and he better get it right. If he doesn't, well, then I'll kick his butt." Lucy said as she placed one hand on the crying girls' shoulder. Levy looked up and nodded.
"I think I know where we can find him."
A few hours later and the girls walked into a small cafe named Fairy Tail. People called scattered greetings as they noticed their entrance, but Lucy was more concerned with locating a certain head of black hair.
"Hey, Metal Face," she called through the (scarily) quiet room, malice engulfing her words, "Me and you need to have a talk." A tall boy stood with his back facing the two girls. People looked to where the blonde stood, anger on her face and hands balled into fists. The small blunette stood next to her, a mix of worry and fear on her features. The boy turned and Levy saw his familiar piercings dotting his body.
His face twisted into something unrecognizable the second he saw Levy, and he walked over to the two, his towering form nearly caused Lucy to shrink back.
"Shrimp," his deep voice rang out in the now silent cafe (everyone has stopped their antics to see what was going to happen). Levy bristled at the use of that nickname. She raised her head and looked him in the eye, courage coursing through her.
"What?" her small voice came out less intimidating than she had hoped, but for some reason Gajeel stuck his hand on his neck and looked away.
"Look, I know you're my soulmate." Muttering ran through the shop, and Lucy cast them a glare to quiet them in hopes that Levy would not lose her nerve.
"And?" She asked.
"And...I want to be someone that you can proudly have by your side. Something in your soul found mine, and saw something worth saving. So, I want to at least make it up to you. Let me protect you?" He said, his eyes never left the wall behind her head. Levy's mouth hung agape, and Lucy nudged her. Her eyes snapped away from his face and a deep blush came onto her face.
Three years later, Gajeel got down on one knee in that same small cafe, and promised that-if she would let him- he would protect her for the rest of their lives. She said yes, of course, and what came next was a whirlwind of happiness and excitement. Gajeel went to every single planning event with Levy. He was constantly by her side during cake tasting, dance lessons, invitation design, and choosing bridesmaids. However, Levy refused to allow him to come with her when she found her wedding dress.
Lucy had to personally kick him out of the shop as Levy went to look for the dress that would mark the beginning of her next chapter in life.
"Alright, what do you think about this one?" Levy asked as she did a short spin in the current dress. I mermaid style gown with beading design down the side. Lucy looked from the beautiful dress to Levy's face, and a small smile graced her lips.
"It's beautiful, but I think you'd like this one more." She grabbed a dress off of the rack next to her and Levy nodded in relief. The dress was beautiful, but she knew she'd like something else more.
When she came out of the dressing room with the new dress on, Lucy gasped and covered her mouth. Levy blinked tears out of her eyes as she stood on the small pedestal. She turned to look in the mirror as Lucy walked up behind her, placing her hands on Levy's sides.
"You look so beautiful. And, look. The lace hides your tummy." Lucy pointed out with a giggle. Levy's hands moved to her ever-so-slightly growing stomach.
"Do you think he's figured it out yet? She asked, worry in her tone. Lucy smiled warmly at her friend and shook her head.
"No. He's going to so surprised when you tell him tonight. He might actually cry." She laughed. Levy smiled as more tears slipped down her face. After a minute or two of staring at the dress, she looked up to make sure her mascara wasn't running.
Levy's blood ran cold as she looked in horror at her reflection. She latched onto Lucy's arm as her knees gave out and she stumbled off of the pedestal. Lucy immediately caught her and was in the process of asking what happened when her phone went off. Levy fell to the floor sobbing, her arms curled around herself as Lucy answered the phone.
"No! No, not now! This can't happen! Gajeel!" Levy sobbed and screamed in absolute agony. Shop attendants came running as Lucy covered her mouth in shock of the news just delivered to her. She dropped her phone and knelt by her best friend, arms wrapped around her in a desperate but futile attempt to comfort her.
Two days later, Levy walked down the aisle of people, Lucy's arm linked in hers. Her dress ended at her knees and her veil covered her face. Lucy gave a small smile as she released her arm and Levy walked forward alone. She placed her hand out and touched the cold wood. She bowed her head as more sobs wracked her body. The onlookers all looked in different directions, not wanting to intrude on the young girls' sorrow.
Lucy escorted her back to the entrance of the funeral home, knowing that Levy would no longer be able to stand peoples apologies for her loss. The weeping bluenette clung to her friend like lifesaver. She looked up at the sky, and wished with her whole heart that she could see the bright blue soaring above her for one last time. But she never would. All of the color was torn out of her life along with Gajeel, and now even her soul was weeping.