Levy couldn't help but notice the intense stares coming from the other side of the guild hall. The center had erupted into a full-on brawl, as per the norm. Clumsy Natsu had tripped and blamed it on Gray, who obviously had to leap up and defend his honor. (Minus his clothes, of course.) This, of course, had obviously sent projectiles hurling in every direction, so Levy cast herself a Solid Script spell, making a shield to protect her body, as well as Jet and Droy. She peered around every so often, and couldn't help but notice a pair of bright red eyes looking her way, which hastily averted their gaze once they noticed she was looking.
She figured it was kind of cute, the way that Gajeel was looking out for her. She didn't mind it, in fact she enjoyed having her own distant protector. While the other two members of team Shadow Gear did make sure no harm came to her on missions, life at home in the guild was a bit different. More often than not, they allowed themselves to get caught up in the fighting that went on, leaving Levy to fend for herself. She still hadn't exactly forgiven them for the last time everybody fought, however. She ended up having been thrown into Cana's open barrel of wine, staining her dress and her skin dark purple. It took her hours to scrub herself clean in the showers, especially with her two friends outside the bathroom, taking turns yelling in their apologies.
Truthfully, Levy enjoyed how earnest they were. The boys understood that she was able to take care of herself, regardless of her petite stature. She was a Fairy Tail wizard, after all! And nobody can bring a good wizard down, especially when they are surrounded by their friends.
Gajeel hated how weak he was acting. Every time she looked his way, he had to hide his gaze. He couldn't bear to let her see that he was watching, especially after everything that he had done to her. No one should ever have to go through what he made her experience. He knew exactly how much pain that she could take…what her muscles were like, under the soft skin on her stomach…how light she was, it was so effortless to hang her from that tree…
He suddenly shook his head. He couldn't keep thinking like that. It was no use. What was done was done. He already knew that she hated him, but yet he could not stop his eyes from wandering forward and looking at her. Something about the tiny woman just kept drawing him in, something about the way she moved spoke to a deep obsession within his soul. He wanted to claim her, he wanted to know what she sounded like late at night, moaning out his name as her body was being ravaged with pleasure.
"God dammit!" He suddenly shouted, voice being lost in the loud noise of Natsu and Grey trying to tear each other apart. What the hell was he imagining? That the bluenette would actually allow him to get close, to get what he wanted? No, there wasn't a chance of that.
He needed to go clear his head. He pushed his bench away from the table, unknowingly pulling Pantherlily away from his drink. The cat let out a small noise of disapproval, but Gajeel ignored it as he stormed forwards. The other Fairies cleared him a wide path, they could tell that the Iron Dragon Slayer was in no mood to deal with them. He managed to grab both Natsu and Grey by the arm, lifting them both off the ground and then smashing them downwards. The impacts of their bodies left craters in the floor, and they couldn't help but let out a loud groan.
"Just shut up, you idiots! I can't even think with you two always trying to kill each other!" He growled dangerously, ready to destroy the both of them.
"Oh yeah? I bet that you couldn't handle going toe to toe with me again!" Natsu wiggled, trying to get himself up off the ground. Gajeel grunted in displeasure, using his magic to transform his left foot into an iron pillar and slam it into the pink-headed man's gut.
"Ow…" He groaned, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"Clean yourself up, it's disgusting." He turns on his heel, stalking off deep into the guild.
Levy couldn't really believe what she just witnessed. True, it was common for Gajeel to lose his temper, but more often than not he ended up just joining the fight, instead of trying to stop it. The combination of odd behaviors stuck a chord within her mind. Once the crowd had dispersed and reset all the tables and chairs, she got up from her seat and walked down the inner hallway. She was heading towards the library, looking for her usual spot.
The warm, familiar scent made her smile. She knew where each individual scent was coming from, and how they all swirled together. The soft musk of old books mingled in with traces of dust, and that was in turn laced with soft leather and the ever-permeating smell of magic.
But, to her surprise, the normally deserted library had an unusual occupant. Gajeel was sacked out in her favorite seat, a squishy armchair positioned just below a window, sitting right within a beam of sunlight. This was unusual, for he had never exactly been a bookworm.
She decided to approach him. "Hi there, Gajeel." She allowed her usual smile to grace her lips.
"Huh?" He blinked, looking at her. "Shrimp."
"It's Levy." She said lightly, looking at a book resting open over the arm of the chair. Words and Philosophy was the title, one of the tomes that Levy was still working her way towards. Mirajane tended to organize the books on the shelves by alphabetical order, and right now she was in the R's. "Do you like the book?"
"What book?" He sniffed in contempt.
"The one right there." She walked around to the arm, picking up the book and opening it to where the previous reader had left off. She started reading aloud, "'A harsh mind and quick temper serve only to damage friendships and create strife. To become a more positive soul, one must let go of their anger, and seek only to absorb the good in situations.' Very interesting."
"Hey, give that back." His hand shot out in an attempt to grab the book, but Levy stepped back just in time to avoid his reach. "I was trying to look at that…"
"Really?" She smiled. "Are you looking for advice?"
"No way. You're out of your mind, Shrimp." He tried to take it again, this time sitting up more in the chair.
"I think it's perfectly fine to do some light reading when you're not on a job!" She dances backwards once more, lightly teasing him. His eyes dropped southwards, away from the book, glancing at her hips swaying as she moved back. Was she really doing this to him?
"I was just skimming. It was on the chair when I got here. And when I heard the door open I put it down. Gajeel Redfox is too tough to be caught looking at some book." He stands now, making another step towards the bluenette.
"No one is too tough for reading!" She laughs lightly. "Besides, I'm sure that the ladies would love to see a man who is both tough and educated."
"Ladies?! Okay, Shrimp, you've finally lost it. All these stories are getting to your head." Gajeel towered over Levy, making sure that she kept moving backwards as he advanced. He quickly had her backed up against a shelf, and kept her there by planting his hands against one of the wooden beams. His broad chest was very close to her, causing her to pull the book backwards against her body as a security measure. "I think you need to pay me back for being a troublemaker like this, and for implying that I would ever need to use books to prove how clever I am."
"P-Pay you?" She stuttered, heart racing. She could feel her cheeks warming up, she could swear that they were almost illuminated within the faint light of the library.
"Yeah, it's time to pay up, Shrimp. And since I know that you don't have any money on you… How about you pay me with a kiss?" He grinned evilly, revealing one of his elongated canines.
Levy's heart skipped a beat. Kiss him?! Kiss the man who had beaten her and left her tied to a tree? Kiss the man who…had taken such a strong attack, just to protect her… Her eyelashes fluttered, half closing as her face tilted upwards, almost outside of her control. Gajeel moved down to meet her, a devilish smirk on his face. His hands moved down as well, gently working the book out of her trembling hands. When she looked at him, confused by the lack of contact, he let his finger glide up her neck to the underside of her chin.
"You want this so badly, don't you, Shrimp?" He purred low. "You're completely and utterly under my spell… I bet I could get you to do anything I want right now, huh?"
She suddenly shook her head, snapping back to her senses. "What the—"
He let out his signature cackle. "Aw, you figured it out! Better luck next time, Shrimp." He flicked his fingertip underneath her chin, and moved away to disappear into the darkness. Only swirling dust motes remained to show that he had been there at all.
Gajeel cackled to himself as he walked back into the main hall. He couldn't keep the smirk off his face at how much the Shrimp wanted to kiss him. She was so close to begging for it, it was so hilarious! He let out a chuckle as he sat down at the bar. Mira was there immediately, the flaxen-haired woman never without a sweet smile. "So, what can I get for you?" She chirped.
"Ah, gimme a beer." His grin didn't leave his face.
Mira wondered why he was so smug all of a sudden as she left to fetch his drink. She wasn't used to seeing the Iron Dragonslayer so happy about anything before. Normally, he was all scowls and grumpy behavior as he stomped through the guild and kicked people out of his way. But today, something was up. His annoyed reaction to the fight, and now this, was something odd to her.
When she wandered back with his beer, she decided to ask him a question. "So, Gajeel, I couldn't help but notice that you're smiling right now. Are you thinking about somebody?"
He sighed, grabbing the mug and draining it in one swig. "Ugh, again with the questions! I swear, you're as bad as Shrimp."
"Shrimp…?" A sudden smirk crosses Mira's face, for she knew immediately who he was referring to. "You looooove her!"
"Who the hell are you talking about?" He blinks.
"Levy! Listen up, everybody!" Mira's voice suddenly gets much louder. "Gajeel is in love with Levy!"
He groans in frustration, planting a hand over her mouth. "Shut up! Don't go yelling stuff around when you know it's not true, dammit!"
Normally, Mira would have torn his hand off for daring to touch her in such a manner. But, because he looked so adorable when he was embarrassed, she decided to let him live. "Mmph!" She pulled her mouth away. "You're blushing, Gajeel, so it must be true!"
"What?! No way! The great Gajeel Black-Steel does not blush." He growled, fist coming down on the counter.
"See for yourself!" Mira held up one of her well-polished trays. In his reflection his face had taken on a red tint.
"…God dammit…" He got up abruptly, storming his way out of the hall. "I'm out of here."
Levy was still in the library when it was time for the hall to close for the night. She had curled down into her favorite armchair, and was surprised to find that it had taken on a slightly metallic scent. She figured that Gajeel had been sitting there longer than she had expected. She almost smiles to herself, as she squishes herself down into the cushions. But then, she has to pause. A blush rises to her cheek again, as she wonders if the earlier encounter had really occurred. Did Gajeel really want to kiss her? Or was he being his usual, trickster self? She really couldn't tell. Even though she had the smallest hunch that she was being used, she couldn't keep herself from being the smallest bit flattered.
She suddenly looks up when the door opens. "We're closing up for tonight! You in here, Levy?"
"Yeah, I'm coming out!" She gathers her things into her bag, getting up out of the chair and running out of the hall.
A/N: Hey everybody! This is my first Fairy Tail fic, because I adore this pairing. I wrote this originally as a little one-shot, but if you guys like it I'm sure that I can make a few more chapters for you! Will they ever actually kiss? Be nice, and you may just find out~
Love and bunnies, Liz
EDIT: I received a review that accused me of stealing this story. If anybody has seen it before on tumblr, that's because I originally posted it there. I am tumblr user bespectacled-bunny, and my story got reblogged by the blog fuckyeahgajevy. This isn't stolen. It's my work, and I get to choose where to post my own stories. Sorry for the slight rant, but that's the way it is.