[DICLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING…]
1: Long Time, No See…
Levy carefully walked about the aisles of the library, wanting to ask directions but didn't want to be pegged as an idiot on realizing that the section she was looking for was right behind her…
The thought made her whip her head about, hoping to see a blinking neon sign that proclaimed directions to the tutoring section. When no such indication appeared, she fidgeted with the desire to go running out the building and giving up on the insanity of this idea.
No amount of extra credit, a deal she had worked out with to bypass the need for a tech-class credit, was worth this kind of tension building about her heart. She could just take the summer course before university, hopefully there will be someone there who would take mercy on her and complete all the necessary projects in exchange for her to bang out a few essays.
That was how she got through her home-economics lessons, after the third batch of eggs she managed to transform into charcoal.
Seriously, if it couldn't be learned directly from a book, she was useless.
And why in the name of the library gods did they think that a high school senior would be of any use to a university sophomore? Either they assume her to be a genius…or this guy had been recently freed from his block of ice and was still in the grunt-and-point stage of the evolutionary track.
"Levy McGarden?"
Squeaking, she jumped while turning about to face the woman, probably a grad student at the library from a form of work-study, standing behind her. "Sorry," she staged-whispered behind fanned fingers when she realized how loud she had been, breaking the academic atmosphere. "Yes, I'm Levy."
"You're late."
"Again…sorry, got lost."
Rolling her eyes, the woman guided Levy through the labyrinth of aisles to a circular grove of tables stationed about where duos were bent over open books. One table hosting only a lone occupant.
Leaning back in his chair, balanced on the two back legs while his feet were resting on the table's top, he looked near to slumber as he stared at the ceiling.
"Gajeel," the librarian's voice had lost its former annoyed toned, used on addressing Levy moments before, and most of the ice had defrosted as she went to give the young man a playful swat on the shoulder. "Your tutor is here. Warning: you might have to change her diaper."
Feet falling to the ground chair, thuncking to its proper position, the guy cocked his head towards where Levy lingered at the section's edge.
Wild hair and far too many piercings were all Levy took note of…that and his sheer size.
Okay…obviously her ice theory might not have been too much of a jest after all.
Levy hated going to the doctor, especially for her—as Cana at the local pub, known for her blunt way of putting matters—'annual probing session.'
As far as she was aware, no woman did.
"Alright, that will about do it." Porlyusica, not known for her bedside manner, snapped off her gloves and wrote notes in her folder as Levy made herself presentable once more. Pinched eyes snapping to look Levy over as the young woman remained sitting on the edge of the 'bed,' not trying to run from what she knew was coming. "How have you been?" The question was more analytical than affectionate concern.
"Fine."
Lips pursed in irritation, "That's the same answer as last year."
"Nothing much has changed since then." Levy muttered, watching how her hands fiddled with the hem of the gauzy tunic-top she wore over her skinny jeans. "I don't know what you want me to say." She added when she could feel the doctor's disapproval continue to waft towards her.
"Have you talked to anyone about it? Besides the non-committal comments you make to me during such enjoyable times together."
Temptation to lie lost to her knowing that Porlysusica would see through it. "No."
"I'm not a therapist, and you know my stance on needless human interaction…I am telling you now, this is not one of those. I can give you a number for a grief counselor—"
Lifting her eyes, heat entered her voice. "I don't need one."
"Denial."
"I don't."
"It's been over eighteen months."
"Eighteen months that I have been fine during."
Porlysusica was not convinced. "When was the last time you got laid?"
"Excuse me?"
"If you were really fine, you would be living more."
"I work. A lot."
"That, the ceaseless work, I say is from you trying to forget a broken heart. Your closed-off manner, keeping everyone but a stubborn few at arm's length, comes from some kind of deeper grief." Examining her nails, the doctor's voice gained an uncharacteristic gentle tone. "Did you ever call him about what happened?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Cause there's nothing to say."
"No harm, no foul?" Sarcasm impossible to miss.
"It's better this way…and we're done here." Hopping to the floor, Levy grabbed her messenger bag. "I'll make an appointment for next year on my way out."
"You are by far the most brilliant idiot I have ever had the displeasure of meeting." The comment followed Levy out into the sterile hallway.
"What is a nine-letter word for 'Wicked'…other than Loke Leo?"
"First, that is—if you count the space between, which you never do in crossword puzzles unless they are already blacked-out—only eight spaces." Pencil tucked into her ponytail, Levy stepped onto the main shop space to give Loke a disapproving shake of her head. She didn't bother to chastise him on his lack of a work ethic. Seeing that he was covering for a call off and not an official member of Freed's staff. "Second, you are—I think—looking for 'nefarious.'"
"Right." Tapping his temple with the capped end of his pen, the handsome bartender winked at her behind his tinted frames. "Have I told you how hot I find it that you're a walking dictionary?"
"Have I told you lately that this is the very reason why Laki," the employee Loke was covering for, though she made it understood that she found him a detestable playboy, "doesn't like you and Lucy will never be more than a mere flirting buddy? No girl wants to be with a man who is a compliment-slut."
"Meanwhile, men love sluts—"
"Nope. Stopping you right there."
Laughing, he ducked his head to scribe out the word, glancing through his annoyingly long lashes as Levy started to do her counts on the sales floor. "All kidding aside, we could go out sometime."
That almost caused her to drop her clipboard, covering the shock with a raised brow. "Why the sudden interest?"
"Better to be alone with someone than alone part."
"This is why you should never wonder into the philosophy section. Sounding like a fortune cookie: another turn-off for most members of the female race."
"I'm not asking for commitment, the foulest of all possible curse words. I'm just saying that I think we could have fun together. I'll bring you a bouquet of books and you could go to a restaurant and not ask if everything is fat-free along with being able to understand a movie that isn't a rom-com. Maybe we could see a foreign film; you wouldn't complain the entire time about having to read subtitles."
It was too much. Annoyed, Levy tossed her clipboard of inventory onto the nearest shelf and turned toward a startled Loke with hands on her hips. "Did Lucy put you up to this?"
"Why would Lucy put me up to anything? Wait," he held up a hand, "that came out dirtier than I meant. What I should have said was why would Lucy ask me, the closest to an ex that she has, to ask out her best friend. Even for guys, that would be weird."
Because, since she found out about Levy's past with Gajeel over five weeks ago, the blonde had been not-so-subtly going out of her way to try to make things right for her friend. It would just add to the pile, including 'anonymous' gifts left at her apartment, that she would con Loke into asking Levy onto a pity date as a means to get her to move-on with her life.
"Well, thanks for asking—I guess…but I'm really not interested."
He just shrugged. "Fair enough. Let me know if you change your mind."
"And you'll squeeze me in somewhere amongst the members of your harem?"
A smug smile spread across his face at her ill-used phrasing. "Now…there's an image."
And that got Levy laughing. Face hot from the blush she was fighting, she rested it against the side of the nearest shelf.
"And that is something you should do more often." Smiling, he rested his chin on top his fist and just watched her get back to work. "Have to say, most—including Lucy—can't beat you in that department."
High praise from him, seeing that Lucy had been the pinnacle object of his desire for as long as Levy had lived in Magnolia.
The bell chimed as the door open, saving Levy from the conversion. Not sure what to make or do with this recent turn of events, she welcomed the interruption. Smiling to greet the guest, though she was technically only there to do inventory and categorize the backroom, Levy poked her head out of the aisle and…
Her body froze in place as her stomach rolled.
The man who waked in had the opposite reaction. Grey eyes flashing silver in surprised and delighted glee spreading across his sharp-featured face before there was a flash of pink and Levy found herself entrapped in deceptively slender arms. A slim build consisting of pure muscle that she could feel as her face was pressed to his torso.
"Bookworm!" The voice nearly sang, reverberating through his torso as Levy's feet left the ground and she was swung about. "Where the Hell have you been?!"
"Can't…breath…" Levy gasped out while, behind the star forward's back and idle to at least one Magnolia high-school soccer player, she waved at Loke for him to know that she wasn't being assaulted. Well, not intentionally. Natsu just sometimes lacked knowledge of social mores.
And it had been two years since he had last seen her…so this was actually a mild welcome in that regard.
"Oh, sorry." Placing her down, Natsu kept his hands on her shoulders and continued to beam down at her. "I can't believe that I'm the one to find you…here of all places. Some wanted to put your face on milk cartons after you disappeared—"
"Natsu." Reaching up, Levy cupped his face and forced him to focus on her words. Trying to lower her voice to keep Loke from overhearing and hoping he wasn't familiar with the soccer world. "Is Gajeel here?"
"We all are!"
"Why?"
"This is Laxus' hometown."
"Of course it is." Levy muttered through clenched teeth, mind already racing on what the hell she should do with his unwanted development.
"Him and the old man have a ranch or something here that they thought to turn into a vacation camp for the team. After winning the cup, the starters thought some R&R was needed as we prepare for the next season…Oh, fuck! Redfox is going to flip his shit when he sees you. Kind of want to record it to show at the next team meeting. I can go get him now! The bastard's just down the street, he lost the coin toss and had to do the grocery shopping with Elfman. Which means we are going to be mostly drinking our meals—"
"Natsu, please listen. You can't tell Gajeel I am here."
That dimmed his smile. "Why not? Levy, when you left he—"
"He can't know." She stressed, eyes turning frantic in scanning the street beyond the display windows. Both yearning to see him and fearing so. "Promise me you won't tell him."
"Is this because of him with Jenny?"
Ouch. Who knew that a simple question could stab so at her heart? "No." Stepping back from him, Levy maintained to hold his confused gaze. "But, I left him Natsu."
"Because he was an idiot about something. That's what we all tell him."
"You can't tell him." Hooking his finger after repeating this simple rule, she curled his pinkie with hers. "Swear to me that you won't."
"Alright," curling his pinkie tighter to hers, he gave her a serious nod, "I won't tell him. Not that it is going to do you any good."
"Why?"
"Because, no matter where we go, Gajeel always checks out the bookstore…or stores, depending on where we are. In fact, he most likely abandoned Elfman and is on his way here."
"Why?"
It was his turn to look at her as if she understood nothing, catching her wrist when she went to bolt. "Why did you leave?" All comedic energy had ebbed from his manner as he looked Levy over with a more analyzing eye. Undoubtedly noting the dark circles under her eyes and the swallow cast to her skin.
"It's complicated."
And it was about to get more so, for right then the door swung open to admit a large shadow to cast across the shop's floor.
Natsu hadn't broken his promise, but he had ensured that his teammate had a chance to encounter his estranged wife. Levy made sure that the feeling of betrayal could be read on her face…and he didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.
"Look who I found!" Natsu's playful-self had returned as he, still holding onto Levy's wrist, turned to smile at where Gajeel stood in the doorway. And Levy found that she lacked the strength not to look at him.
Not to miss the opportunity to see him in the flesh for the first time in two years.
Not even the knowledge of the pure rage she would encounter, having seen his temper in action on more than one occasion, deterred her irrational desire.
She expected him to glare at her, crimson irises flashes as his nostrils flared and…possibly a pronounced vein to pulse at his neck. She expected hands to ball into white-knuckled fists, body shaking from building ire and the threat of him taking out the window he stood beside. She having seen him do that once, in a hospital, when someone had ran their car into Levy's bike—causing her to break her leg and three ribs—and fled the scene. When she forbade him from hunting the guy down, and most likely putting himself at risk of being arrested for assault and battery, he had channeled his rage into destroying the room's windows and dry-walls.
The team paid the hospital expenses and kept him from being arrested for the more minor charge of destruction of property.
She would welcome these reactions, even if they led to him unleashing his verbal rage unto her—knowing that he would never lay a hand on her in violence in any situation—to what actually happen.
Lashing out at her, calling her ever dirty name conceivable and emotionally breaking her down, would have been a far better reception than the look he gave her.
Or, more accurately, the look he didn't give her.
His eyes, cold and closed-off, slid right through her.
Not even acknowledging her existence.
Expressing how he thought of her far stronger than any word could.
She was dead to him.
"Come on Dragneel." Holding the door open, he nodded Natsu out. "The others already headed out with the food in the car, and it's almost an hour run for us."
"But—"
"Now."
Looking back at Levy, Natsu's brown crinkled in confusion. She shook her head, silently pleading him to-for once-not fight on the matter and just do what he was told. Taking a deep breath, Natsu nodded and leaned in to kiss her cheek before, reluctantly, releasing her and following Gajeel out onto the street.
"Alright…" Loke released a low whistle, as the two professional soccer players walked out of sight. "Don't mean to pry but…care to explain what that was about?"
Not answering, Levy abandoned her work and escaped into the haven of the storage room. Tucking herself into a corner between a metal shelf and the cinder-blocked wall, she rested her forehead against her drawn-up knees and bawled like a child.
Know there are errors hidden throughout this...please forgive me for not catching them.
I want to incorporate some flashes of their past together as a base for the main story. What did you guys think of it? Would you want chapter from Gajeel's POV? Do you want any side couples (though GaLe will be the main focal point—I am thinking of a Elfman/Evergree backdrop and some spurts of Natsu/Lucy)?
Thanks for the comments/favorite/alerts so far and I am planning on updating Dragons sometime this weekend.
