Levy McGarden, blue haired script mage, sighed as she looked at the time in the middle of Magnolia. Gajeel had told her to meet him here at noon. It was now fifteen after. She decided to give him a few more minutes before a hand started to ruffle her hair.

"Hey shrimp. There ya are." Gajeel said, using a name she hated to be called before he removed his band from her hair and looked down at her. He was dressed in comfortable black pants and a black sleeveless muscle shirt that showed off fully toned muscles right underneath the thin fabric. "Where's your stuff?"

Levy gave the iron dragon a confused look as she looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I thought I told you to bring your stuff to go on a quest." He said, black backpack slung over his shoulder. She shook her head and received a sigh from the iron mage. "Alright let's go by and get you some stuff for the trip."

"Now wait a second, I didn't agree to go with you." Levy said before he held up a quest flyer. It was the one she had been looking at the other day. The reward was 80,000 jewels and a whole shelf full of new script books. She had went back to the guild the day before to claim it but Master Makarov had told her it was already claimed. She demanded to know who claimed it but the stubborn guild master refused to tell her. She sighed as she had started to walk back to her apartment when she accidentally bumped into Gajeel at the door.

She had went to apologize but before she could say anything he gave her a dark grin and told her he wanted to meet the next day, today, at the center of Magnolia at noon. She would've never expected this as she looked up at him.

"You were the one to claim the job? Why?" Levy said as she started to feel a bit nervous.

"Well ya gotta have someone to help you carry all those books and I need some cash. Iron isn't that easy to get here." He said before he looked away, slightly awkward. "Can we just go? We gotta get going as soon as possible." He said as Levy nodded.

They walked to her apartment and let her get some clothes before they headed out. It was quite a trip since both of them preferred walking. When it started to get dark Gajeel stopped. They were in the middle of the woods. Levy stopped a few feet in front of him and turned to look back.

"Gajeel? Everything okay?" She asked as he sat his backpack on the ground by a tree.

"Everything is fine, I just think here is a good place to stop for today. We're gonna need all the rest we can get for this mission." He said as he pulled out tent stuff from his backpack.

"Oh, alright. What do you want me to do?" She asked stepping over to him, putting her, very small compared to his, backpack beside the same tree.

"I guess find something for food. I can set this up. Just don't go too far." He said as she nodded and went to find something. She also gathered wood for a fire. While she walked she thought.

Why would Gajeel want to go on a quest with me? Why doesn't he want me to go too far? He looked pretty good in that shirt.

She stopped and shook her head. Why would she be thinking something like that. It's not like she had feelings for the iron mage. Right? She groaned as new thoughts entered her head. She had forgiven him about their first encounter rather quickly. She always got chills whenever he accidentally brushed against her in the guild hall to get to the bar. Then, there are those dreams she's been having recently.

Levy gasped at the sudden realization. She brought back the would since her hands were full, Gajeel still setting up the tent. She quickly turned back to search for more food because when she had looked up to see where he was, he was a little ways away, bending over to pick up a piece for the tent. She blushed as she was climbing a tree to get to some fruit.

Her mind replayed the image of him bending over. His pants cupped the perfect rear end. So round and plump, like the orange she held in her hand.

"Hey shrimp!" She heard before she dropped said orange. "Ow. Shit." She quickly looked down, seeing Gajeel. He had a hand on his forehead and the orange in the other. "Well then." He said before shrugging it off and putting the orange to the side. "Need any help? The tent is up."

Levy looked down at him, ready to say no before she realized she had no way to get down.

"I can't get down." She said quietly, knowing he could hear because of his dragon senses. She noticed a slight smirk appear on his face.

"Jump." He said.

"What?! You're crazy. I'm not jumping off a branch."

"Just do it, shrimp."

"I can't, I'll fall."

"That's the point."

"I'll get hurt, Gajeel!"

"No you won't. I'll catch you."

Levy froze for a moment at hating that before she nodded, slowly she inched of the branch and closed her eyes as she jumped, scared. She felt a light thud and a turn. Then slight bouncing. She opened her eyes and Gajeel was carrying her to the campsite. She blushed and looked down.

When they got back to the camp he gently put her down on her feet. She made a pile of oranges by the woods pile.

"Since you can do the fire thing with the script stuff, you can make the fire. There's a river close by. I'm gonna go get some of the water there." Gajeel said quietly before walking in the west direction. Levy nodded and got some sticks from the pile and set them up before using her light pen, writing 'fire' in the air before using her magic and starting the fire. She looked around at their camp before realizing there was only one tent.

She sat down and watched the fire as she waited for Gajeel to get back. He came back carrying two buckets filed with water, not to mentioned soaked.

"Gajeel, what happened?" Levy said, standing up and going over to him, taking the buckets and setting them by a tree.

"Something came up behind me and pushed me in." Gajeel said as he moved over by the fire so his pants could dry while he was still in them. He pulled off the muscle shirt and started to ring it out. Levy casted a glance over towards him and froze. The fire light illuminated and almost made his muscles glow in the intense moonlight. Her eyes slowly moved down until she noticed something. Gajeel's fighting and anger really doesn't compensate for anything.

"Shrimp!" Levy snapped back to earth. "Have you been listening? I've been talking to you this whole time you've been staring into space." She paused as she heard him before she came fully to her senses.

"Sorry Gajeel, I got distracted. Could you repeat that?" She said, putting more wood on the fire, avoiding looking at him.

"I said that water was pretty fucking cold and now I have to wait until my clothes dry before I can get into our tent." He said before Levy looked at him, surprised.

"Our?"

"Yeah, our. You didn't bring a tent and mines able to fit two of me. I can't just let you sleep out here, can I?"

"That would seem pretty harsh, I guess...Alright." She said after a minute. Though, soon her mind started to go back to "space" as she thought about sleeping in the tent with Gajeel, maybe even more. Levy sat, holding her knees to her chest and placing her head on her knees. Her mind wondered before she jumped, a hand being on her head.

She looked up to see Gajeel sitting beside her, looking at her with a concerned emotion. She was shocked to see this look on him. She could feel her face heat up some but thanks to the fire it looked redder than normal anyway.

"Hey, are you okay? You're more distant than you are when you're reading." He asked.

"I'm fine." Levy replied quietly. She felt Gajeel's hand move off her head and his arm wrap around her shoulders. No other words were said as she looked down at the ground, being held close to him by him.

After a few minutes of silence, besides the fire crackling, Gajeel reached over and handed he an orange, encouraging her to eat. Two oranges and a drink of water later, Levy yawned, covering her mouth with her hand as she leaned on Gajeel a bit.

"Wanna go to bed, shrimp?" Gajeel asked as he tightened his arm around her. Receiving a small nod, Gajeel picked Levy up and carried her into the tent. Gently, he placed her on the large palette of blankets, giving her the only pillow he brought. She sat up and reached over to her backpack, she reached in and pulled out some sleep clothes.

Gajeel nodded to her and stepped out so she could change. He reached in his backpack, still outside underneath the tree, and pulled out some scrap metal, eating quietly before he sighed. His feelings for the short bluenette have been growing since the battle with Luxus when he and Salamander had to team up. He tried to push them down but every time he looked at her they would rise more, his hat would hammer in his chest, all oxygen in his lungs would disappear, and he would forget all words.

"Ga...jeel.." His ears picked up the faint feminist voice inside the tent. He stood up and peered in. Levy was completely asleep. He shook his head as he thought he was hearing things. He started to close the tent door before he heard it again.

"G-Gajeel!" It was definately Levy's voice and it made Gajeel blush darkly.

He cleared his throat and sighed. It was getting late and he needed to get some sleep as well. He got one of the buckets full of water and used enough to put out the fire before he crawled into the tent. He zipped up the door and moved to lay on his side beside the small script mage. He let out a small sigh before he felt the small bluenette squirming a bit beside him and quietly whining. He hesitantly rolled over and propped up on his arm, leaning over her.

"Oy, shrimp." No reply. So he nudged her lightly with his hand. "Levy. Levy, wake up."

Levy jumped awake. Her auburn eyes met with his red ones and her face flushed with color.

"Are you alright?" Gajeel asked with a look of concerned on his face with a hint of something more.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine… S-Sorry. Just a bad dream." Yeah, it was bad alright. Naughty bad. "I'm gonna get a drink."

Gajeel nodded and blushed when Levy got up. She was wearing a dark grey and black matching sleep short shorts and tank top. He groaned as he laid back and tried to relax to go to sleep.

After a few minutes, Levy returned and laid down beside him. She pushed the pillow towards him and he accepted it. She curled up, but didn't try to go back to sleep. Gajeel looked over at her and pulled her close. Surprised, she jumped and hesitantly looked up at the dragonslayer.

"Its pretty cold tonight, staying close will keep us warmer." Gajeel said as Levy blushed and smiled slightly. He looked the other way, obviously nervous.

She laid her head on his arm and relaxed as she closed her eyes. Gajeel looked down at the bookworm and smiled slightly as he held her to him, rolling on his side to hold her to his chest. Her small frame seeming so fragile to his much larger body build.

He groaned quietly as he felt the lack of fabric on her skin and something he hoped she wouldn't feel pressed against her inner thigh. He had shut his eyes to try and sleep before he felt her look up at him. He opened his eyes and lost his breath once again as the most beautiful auburn eyes he'd ever seen met with his monstrous red ones. He took notice of her slight blush, knowing she could feel what he hoped she didn't.

"Gajeel...a-are you pressing a-against my leg...?" She asked hesitantly. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat but if be tried to talk his voice would definitely crack underneath him. In response to her question be grunted quietly before he unwrapped his arms from her and rolled to his opposite side, away from her.

Levy pouted at his response as he rolled over. She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, holding him from behind as she nuzzled him in between his shoulder blades. She heard a small groan from him as she tightened her arms around him.

"If you want help, just tell me." She said quietly, definitely embarrassed by her own words. "I want to help you Gajeel." She ceased her nuzzling as she felt him go rigid. She sighed quietly before rolling over and curling up in the covers before she started to fall asleep. "Night Gajeel." She said before exhaustion took over.

Gajeel waited until she fell asleep before he got up and walked out to the woods. He growled at himself before he jumped up into a tree and settled there. He leaned against the bark and thought about what Levy had said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I want to help you.." The words rang in his ears. Could she be serious? Why would she ever want to help him. When they first met, he nearly killed her. She was inches from death. He dug his nails in his arm at the painful memory and the pain he put her through. But the memory of their first encounter didn't stop with a glimpse. It played all the way through. The way he enjoyed her screams of terror and for help as her two team mates already laid unconscious by the tree in Magnolia's park. With another cast of his dragonslayer magic she, too, was by the tree with her guild mates.

He clinched his teeth as his arm started bleeding from his nails digging into his skin. The memories cut him worse as he remembered tying them to the tree and painting the Phantom guild's symbol on their bodies. He had enjoyed her pain and he laughed at her weakness. He fucking laughed at it.

He slashed his nails through the skin of his arm as the pain finally helped them memories stop. He sighed and closed his eyes to sleep, blood running down his arm.