AN: This story has really made home in my head, so please enjoy this chapter.
==[o0o]==
Gajeel let out a loud yawn staring up into the wooden ceiling. His duvet had fallen onto the floor from his restless sleep. He put a hand to his head listening to his two sons waking up and bickering as the other had stolen the others pillow during the night.
Groaning he pulled on a pair of shorts and opened his bedroom door, his bare feet walking across the wooden floor and hammering on the boys shared bedroom. "Knock it off the pair of yah! You've got school soon and don't forget yah have parents evenin' tonight and if I hear one bad word against either of you…"
Cobalt opened the door to his shouting father, staring up at him with his sad puppy dog muddy brown eyes. "We know… We won't be able to train with you for a month…"
"Damn right…" Gajeel's iron heart was breaking slightly at the look of his young son, pushing the door open further he lent in to see Nickel standing on top of Cobalt's bed holding his pillow.
"I mean it."
He warned before walking to start breakfast for the family Nickel sneered to Cobalt, "Stupid…"
"I heard that!" Gajeel roared from the kitchen, slamming a cast iron pan onto the stove and began cracking several eggs into the now hot pan.
"He's got good hearing…" Nickel whispered.
"'Course dad does… He's a dragon slayer! Gehe!" Cobalt beamed only to have the pillow lobbed into his face sending him spiralling over the floor.
Gajeel stared blankly at the teacher in front of him talking about what his children had got up to, he hated coming to these evenings, being wedged into tiny kids chairs whilst the teacher had a cushioned chair for adults… He usually allowed Lily to ask all the relevant questions and he could disappear off and not have a care in the world until Lily told him whether his kids were behaving or not and acted accordingly.
To his left he caught sight of Gray talking intensively at one of the teachers, frightening her as he kept trying to strip whilst wanting as much information on his daughter as humanly possible. He snorted, Gray was one dedicated dad.
Looking to the other side he witnessed Erza talking heatedly with Jellal completely ignoring the teacher trying to calm down the pair and insisting that their son was perfectly fine and not to panic because he had a small accident with spilling his lunch during that very day.
"Mr. Redfox? Mr. Redfox?"
"Huh? Oh yeah sorry… So… We're all good yeah?"
"No… Not at all. Your son's are causing me some concern. Has something happened recently to cause them to act out in school? Usually they're both incredibly bright and willingness to learn, but lately they've seemed more disruptive and seemingly isolating themselves."
Gajeel faltered, "Uh. Well. It's just we had an anniversary recently. Well. Just. No good stuff. I guess. I'll talk to 'em."
"Actually… I don't mean to overstep my boundaries but one of my friend deals with these issues, perhaps she could help? Here. I'll hand you her card." Leaning beside her to pull out her purse she rifled through it and dug out her wallet, flicking through several million receipts she handed Gajeel a very cutesy looking card.
Violet Samon
Child Therapist
Call any time, day or night.
7426866-5673
Turning the card over in his hands, he huffed before pocketing it. The phone number sure looked weird and the name was awfully familiar.
"Uh. So are we done here?"
Taking an awkward breath she nodded watching the large man try stand up from the small chair and leave the large school hall.
Trudging down the steps Gajeel looked at card again, reading the name over and over again. Where had he heard it? On a mission? No… Samon… Salmon? No idea. He shook his head and continued to walk over to Juvia's to collect his brats.
"Oi, Juvia!" Gajeel slammed the front door to the Fullbuster's house and began making his way directly towards the kitchen.
"Dad!" Cobalt ran over to Gajeel and wrapped his arms around his waist, preventing him from moving another inch.
"Whatcha' huggin' me for? I know you've both misbehaved…"
"Oh…" Cobalt detached his arms and looked at the floor, drawing circles with his socks on the polished wood.
"Oh? Is that all yah gonna say?" Folding his arms he scowled at his son, waiting for an answer.
"Gajeel-kun! Leave them alone… It's not their fault." Juvia pulled Cobalt away and held him behind her frame, standing up to Gajeel's darkening demeanour.
"I suggest the boys stay here this evening, don't you?" Her eyes locked with Gajeel's momentarily until he leant over towards Cobalt,
"Where is yah brother?"
"Oh... He's with Yuki in the kitchen… We were baking with Auntie Juvia…" He mumbled, scared of his father's current mood.
"Hmph. Just don't burn the house down woman." Straightening his from he dropped a small scowl and looked towards the kitchen listening to Nickel and Yuki enjoying themselves.
Juvia wrapped her arms around his neck, "Go pack them their bags and bring them over in the morning, ok? I want you to go on a job."
"Yeh… Cobalt, go back into the kitchen with yer brother I need to talk to Aunt Juvia."
"Alright!" Cobalt scampered back into the kitchen joining the two others. Happy to give his father some space.
"Juvia is confused, is Gajeel really alright?"
Pulling the card out of his pocket he handed it Juvia, allowing her to inspect it.
"Hmm… Juvia recognises the name…"
"You too?"
"Are you going to call her?"
"I'm considerin' it."
"I think it's for the best. I do worry about them. Especially Nickel." Juvia sighed, holding her arm looking worriedly behind her. She had grown so attached to the twins since the event the previous year that she was quickly becoming a second mother. Not that she minded, she would do anything for a guild member, especially Gajeel. However it wasn't a healthy relationship Gajeel had with his children and it needed to be addressed. He couldn't control them when he was on his own, losing his temper and dumping them on Juvia whenever it pleased him. But deep down she knew it had to do with the gaping hole in his heart.
"Yeh… That little bastard keeps givin' me the slip."
"Gajeel-kun!"
"Sorry…"
Juvia sighed, holding the card she pushed it into his palm, closing his fist around it.
"Go home, call her and tell Juvia in the morning when you bring the bags over for the boys."
"You sure?"
"Go!"
"Whatever Rain Woman."
Looking at the number on his phone he began to dial the numbers, noticing the pattern that they spelled out if you looked at the letters on the number pad.
"It couldn't be…"
"Hello?" A soft voice came through the receiver.
"Uh…" Gajeel blinked, he hadn't expected her to pick it up within the first two rings.
"Hello-o?"
"Err… Violet Salmon?"
"Ahem. It's SA-MON No L." She grumbled correcting her name over the phone, however with her soft voice, it didn't come off to be threatening at all. More like a kitten trying to scare off the big bad wolf.
"Right…" He mumbled disinterested in her reciting her name.
"Can I help you with anything? Or are you just going to be weird phoning me in the evening?"
"I'm callin' yah cause I got yer number from my kids teacher."
"Oh! I see! I'm sorry! I didn't realise! I haven't done that job in ages!"
"…Ok Sorry for callin' yah."
"No no Wait. Don't hang up. I don't mind helping! It's just it didn't pay the bills so I stopped…"
Gajeel rolled his eyes, he didn't ask for her life story.
"Ok, well I'll need to come over and talk to you before I meet your child, just to get some information to see what I can do. You know, just a simple questionnaire I'll need you to fill out! I have one around here somewhere still…"
The sound of papers and books falling over on the other side of the line caused Gajeel to smirk, listening to her curse.
"AH! Sorry! Here I'll bring it over Can I take a name? Oh! And an address? When would be best for you? I can do tomorrow? Or is that way too soon? Maybe I could do-"
"Tomorrow's fine."
"Right!"
The line went silent for a few moments making Violet twiddle on the end of the phone cable, listening to Gajeel breathing.
"So… Are you going to give me your name and address? Or should I just read your mind haha?"
"Uh… Gajeel Redfox, 127 Lakeview, Magnolia."
"R-R-Redfox? Right ok! S-sure! See you tomorrow!"
Before Gajeel could confirm a time she had already hung up.
"Why do I get the crazy people…?" Gajeel grabbed a small suitcase and stuffed the twins clothing in haphazardly. Looking around he picked up various school books and threw them in too for good measure.
Unsure of what time the woman was supposed to turn up Gajeel decided to leave early to drop the bag over at Juvia's in case she arrived in the morning and wanting to avoid another feely conversation. Too much of that was happening at the minute, and if he was going to open up it certainly wasn't going to be to Juvia again anytime soon. Selecting the spare front door key to Juvia and Gray's he quietly opened the screen door and front door, turning the handle to avoid waking anyone up in the house. Placing the bag just inside the door he closed it, and headed back to walk the lone path to his house.
As he neared the crest of the hill that looked down onto his farmhouse he caught the smell of oak and cherries. Looking at the house he saw a woman standing knocking on the front door. She looked fairly tall and without purposefully noticing she had a rather plump behind. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun coloured a rich purple.
As she turned around from trying to get an answer she almost walked into Gajeel, his stoic frame caused her to panic and fall to the floor in terror, holding her hands up to her face as if to protect herself from a beating.
"Hey. Yah alright?"
Looking up at Gajeel, her rose pink eyes locked onto his thin crimson eyes, trying to work out who this woman was.
"K-Kuroga-Gajeel-Uh Mr. Redfox! Excuse me!" She quickly stood up and bowed apologetically making her purse contents cascade onto the floor. Panicking she bent down and scrabbled to pick everything up, talking a thousand miles an hour. "I'm sorry I realised I didn't tell you a time, so I thought If I arrived early I could catch you. But you were already out… I- I Uh."
Gajeel stared at the woman at his feet, completely weirded out by the fact that she didn't seem to know how to shut up. Readjusting her shoulder bag she held out her thin hand and offered it.
"Violet Samon… We spoke last night…"
"Uh… Gajeel." Holding her hand and dropping the shake he felt how sweaty her palms were, Jeez calm down woman… I can smell your fear from a mile away…
"Yes… I know who you are… AH! Sorry… Please forgive me." She rubbed her hands onto her black straight trousers, trying to dry off the sweat from her nerves.
"Can we just get this over with? I have stuff I need to get on with." Gajeel dug into his pocket and fished out a small assortment of bolts to chew on, she was starting to get on his nerves that was for sure.
"Right! So… Shall we do it here?"
"Huh?" His eyes widened, what the hell was she planning?!
"The questionnaire?"
Relaxing his somewhat tense shoulders he walked past Violet to unlock the front door and stepped inside, not waiting for her to enter immediately and left the door open.
She straightened her white dress shirt covering her modest chest and held onto her bag strap, walking slowly up the steps and over the wooden boards to enter the farmhouse. Inside she had the overwhelming scent of iron and wood enter her nostrils. But she also smelt perhaps, papers? Books? Smiling she could definitely tell that it was a warm home, and so far from the house it looked like that wasn't the target area.
Sitting down in front of Gajeel Violet stared at him for a moment, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be helping his children.
"The questionnaire?" He spat out in annoyance.
"OH! Yes! I'm sorry! One moment! It's in here somewhere…" Digging around in her purse she pulled out a pile of papers, "Uh… No... No… Ah-Ha this one!" selecting the correct papers she handed them over to Gajeel to read through, taking them from her hand she realised that she hadn't stapled them so once his hand took hold of the paper, the rest scattered onto the floor.
"Oh… I'm sorry!"
"Quit apologisin'!"
Quieting down she watched Gajeel grumble as he grabbed the papers and stuffed them into any old order not having a care.
"Um… If you answer honestly it shouldn't take too much time…"
Grunting in response she watched him begin to write in chicken scratch, clearly the writing on the papers that were next to her, were not that of his, perhaps his child's? Taking out a pen and paper from her bag she clicked the top and began to write her notes.
"So… How many children do you have?"
"Two. Well three."
"Three?"
"Ones an Exceed, Gihi."
"E-Exceed?"
"Cat. With wings."
"I see… So tell me about the other two?"
Sighing Gajeel began to stop writing and spoke about Cobalt and Nickel. "Nickel is the oldest twin, he is like me I guess a little shit. He works hard and he's a fuckin' good fighter too. Cobalt is the younger he's got a lot of brain and has just started to use magic."
"Oh! How exciting! Can I ask what he's started to use?"
Gajeel blinked several times, his eyes shifted, looking off into the corner of the room where the tiny tomb library stood housing hundreds of books still.
"Script Magic."
"And Nickel?"
"He ain't started yet. No idea what he's gonna do."
"He won't follow after you?"
"Fuck knows."
Biting her tongue Violet sucked on the end of her pen unaware that the ink was slowly moving upwards in the tube, as she went click the pen lid again she managed to ping it across the room and land in the fireplace making her squeak out in shock. "I'm so sorry!" rushing over to pick up her pen she kneed Gajeel's metal coffee table and stumbled over towards the fireplace. "Ahh… shit." She mumbled rubbing her knee. "Definitely going to bruise later…"
Gajeel just watched her, no words seemed to leave his mouth with this scatty woman in his home.
"Yah know, there is a table right there… If I were you I'd avoid it." He smirked gaining the reaction he wanted from the purple haired woman, her face puffed up in annoyance.
"Har har." She mocked before snatching the papers out of his hands to check over the answers leaving the house to go silent and awkward. Gajeel couldn't help but feel that she wanted to say more, the way her body was itching to say something spoke volumes. The way her eyes avoided his gaze, always looking to the floor and the occasional flinches when he moved.
"Just ask it."
"Pardon?"
"There is clearly something you wanna ask so, just spit it out!" He sat forwards on his seat looking straight into her rose eyes.
Flinching at his sudden annoyance she nodded. "I Um."
Sighing Gajeel looked at Violet. He hadn't been in such close proximity to a woman in many a month and it was driving him a little bit crazy if he had to be honest.
"I was just—"Her sentence was cut short when she noticed a dusty frame of a smiling bluenette in the arms of the man in front of her. Putting down the papers onto the arm of the chair next to her she picked up the delicate frame in her hands, holding it with great care.
"Is this your wife?" she looked at Gajeel momentarily before looking back down at the frame. Gajeel stiffened as she began dusting the frame and looking at the woman with a warm smile.
"She looks beautiful, what's her name?"
"L-"He coughed, "Levy… I think you should leave."
"But what about-?"
"Look let's just forget about this, I'm sorry for callin' yah and wastin' yer time but this ain't gonna work."
"How about if I talk to your wife? I'm sure she—"
Gajeel snarled grabbing her shoulder bag and threw open the front door hurling her bag onto the front garden. "Get lost!"
"What the hell-?!" Running out the door and grabbing her belongings strewn about she huffed and stomped up to the front door, hammering on the wooden door.
"Clearly you've got some issues! But kickin' me out won't help! I'm going to be back later on tomorrow whether you like it or not!"
"Good luck with that Chatterbox!"
"Chatterbox? What?!" She hammered again on the door "I'm going to help your kids!"
"Maybe they're the ones who don't need help!"
She stopped banging on the door when he roared at her, realising that he was the one truly hurting and not his son's.
"Ok. Mr. Redfox. You win, I won't help them." Puffing out her cheeks she pulled her white shirt down that had ridden up in her anger and stuffed it back into her trousers, and proceeded to walk towards the centre of Magnolia determined to find more answers from those closest to him. She wasn't going to go out without a fight.
==[o0o]==
AN: I'm really sorry if Gajeel is starting to be a bit… OOC? I'm very aware of this but in this context I believe he would be more relaxed after having children and being forced to be more sociable whether he wants to or not, and especially since it's in regards to his son's. I will try and make him more Gajeel… But… We'll see. Also. I hope you like my OC of Violet she's brand new to me and I really hope you like her….. Please give me your thoughts :)