Chapter 3-Lemon

Chapter 4-Lucy/Natsu

{coming soon) Gray/Juvia

-see contest at the bottom.

You make it hard for me…

1. To sleep

It didn't often take much for a man to admit that there was something, or someone, that he wanted. It was obtaining this desire that was the real trick. If the mate was exceptionally beautiful or the item particularly luxurious it might take a long time to persuade her, or save up the money. With some women it was a matter of both: saying and doing the right things as well as having things that impressed them.

That was what Gajeel know of women before he met Levy McGarden. For him women were fleeting moments of pleasure bookended by an annoying waste of time and energy.

But with Levy everything he'd learned before had to be tossed out the window. She was unique even to the well rounded spectra of Fairy Tail's women: He found her to be kind except to those who hadn't earned it—namely, him— timid almost to fault, yet fierce and almost fearsome in her pursuit of knowledge and victory. An incredible contradiction that left him practically salivating to discover more.

When he first joined Fairy Tail with the intent of atoning for his sins he knew from the first hot glance she shot him that gaining Levy's approval and forgiveness would be a top priority. As time passed he came to desire her respect as well, and it was much later still when that desire took new, uncharted and extremely uncomfortable purpose.

With no qidea how to approach any of those goals Gajeel decide to start with the most simple answer: treating her as he would any of his male counterparts—with small flourishes of special treatment to help win her friendship.

This plan worked exceedingly well, yet even when she trusted him completely Gajeel felt restless from wanting her.

He thought being her partner on the S-Class Trial would help satiate some of that, but instead it woke in him a beast of even greater need. Spending time with the small woman, often alone, protecting her and being protected, they bonded in a way Gajeel had never experienced before. As he lay wounded and useless she cried for him, protected him, and when she could, held his hand as tight as a vice. Whether this was for him or for her own nerves he didn't really care. The contact warmed him, inside and out, and he became addicted faster than the Iron Dragon would have thought possible. When they woke from their instantaneous, seven-year slumber his mind continued to cloud his days with thoughts almost exclusively of Levy. Sometimes reliving the highlights, or lowlights, and while at nights inventing new scenarios, most of them tastelessly indecent.

It was the perversion and the growing desire that first raised warning flags.

The fact that she could smile at him without remembering the monster that attacked her without mercy or regret was incredible, because he wasn't sure he ever would. And he was absolutely convinced that of all things he was in no position to deserve Levy as a mate. First and foremost was their violent past, second, that their personalities were too askew for any kind of functioning relationship, and thirdly…Gajeel had never wanted anything so badly in his entire life. He feared what he might do if given the opportunity to try and fill that void. s

After all, restraint was not a word Gajeel ever lived by, not until Natsu beat some humanity back into him. After that he learned the many benefits of reigning in his animalistic instincts to the point where it even became quite natural. But with Levy he found himself chanting the mantra of restraint over and over in his head just to keep his hands from wandering where they weren't welcome. Where they shouldn't deserve to be welcome.

If he'd known he would come to want her, to need her, so badly, Gajeel swore he would never have volunteered to be her partner. Maybe he would have been among the hopeless that stayed behind, waiting seven long years for the return of their friends.

To his surprise this wistful idea didn't provide any of the comfort he'd intended it to. The mere thought of spending seven years thinking Levy was dead was enough to squeeze at his once icy, iron heart, and beat his chest with waves of want and what might have been grief.

Gajeel shook his head to clear the air, shut his eyes tight and breathed deeply the smells of late, late night from his seat in the window in Team B's hotel room. His partners were all sleeping soundly, but he just couldn't. He hadn't slept soundly in days.

Training alone with Pantherlily was suppose to help him gather his focus; forget the allure of blue hair and sharp, kind eyes. While they were apart it had worked, he was too exhausted or occupied to think about Levy. But as soon as they reunited at the Grand Magic Games everything came back like a tsunami tide.

The sight of her in the usual skimpy dress with hints of a tan and shining eyes made his mouth dry and pants tight.

Not wanting to take a chance on letting the need simply wear out Gajeel determined a new plan: he would just have to keep his distance.

But that was before Raven Tail showed how low they could stoop—involving innocents in the audience. The day Lucy lost to Flare it took every civil bone in his body not to kill them all before any real damage could be done and he would have no qualms doing it either. He'd spent months at a time with the dark guild undercover, and although this was a completely new bunch he knew that none of them had an ounce of reason in their bones. They were vicious, sadistic, and without mercy. That was just the kind of folk Iwan attracted with the promise of letting them loose to enjoy themselves with whatever dark deeds their black hearts could conjure.

Gajeel knew that whatever he was in with Levy he could put aside, even if it was just long enough to protect her from pathetic wizards like Raven Tail.

He almost let out a frustrated growl as his head fell back and his belly ached to think that she was just a few rooms down—alone—and probably sleeping soundly without a care.

God he hoped he would be picked tomorrow. He needed battle and blood, and it damn well better be a good one.

oOo

The next morning in the arena two of Gajeel's wishes came true. It was Fairy Tail against Raven Tail again: team's choice, and his hand was the first in the air. It didn't matter which one of the sorry sons of bitches bit the dust today, someone was going to feel the wrath of his restless nights.

But as the announcers prattled on, introducing the teams, dropping sponsor names and other boring drivel a flash of blue in the stands drew Gajeel's attention.

He caught Levy in the crowd, except she wasn't where she should be. Something just a few degrees short of panic started to bubble in the pit of his stomach as he realized she was surrounded by people he didn't recognize, and far from the reach of any other Fairy Tail members.

(Author's note: Hi readers! If you made it all the way to the end I thank you very much and hope you continue to enjoy the next chapters.

As of right now I fully intend to sprinkle some Juvia/Gray on this story, but haven't settled on a way to do it.

If you have any scenarios you'd love to see in print sent them to me at the bottom of your review or just in review form and I'll pick from the best and write them!

Can't wait to hear your ideas.)