The Spider (Neighbor AU)

Four O'clock was Levy McGarden's favorite time of day. Mail time.

Hopping off the couch she adjusted her hair quickly and grabbed the key to her box. The front door clicked behind her and her heart instantly started racing in anticipation. Cheeks flushing it was foolish to feel the way she did about the man downstairs. But dammit all she did. Tall, muscle bound, pierced, long black hair; the man was as beautiful as he was badass. Way the hell out of her league, a short, blue haired book nerd.

Four O'clock though, that was the one time of day she was guaranteed to see her hot neighbor. God, she sounded like a stalker, but that really was not her intention. The single flight of stairs went quickly.

There turning the key on his box, two down from hers, stood her mysterious neighbor. Today his hair was pulled back against his neck, a new look for her. She felt the redness in her cheeks deepen as he glanced over, "Hey shorty."

Levy groaned internally. Here was a man who she actually had a crush on and the one thing he knew her by was the height. Well, lack of height.

"Hi." She squeaked out, pulling her mail door open. A stray lock of blue fell into her vision. Looking up to brush it aside, she saw her neighbor looking her direction. It was so hard to read his ever-stoic face, so he just gave him a shy smile.

"I didn't know you wore glasses." His statement made her quickly bring her hand up. Shit.

She bit her lip, "I was reading and totally forgot they were on."

His gazed seemed to to sear her soul with its intensity. He broke it with a smirk, "I like 'em." Locking his box, he paused, "Have a good night shorty."

Her box was empty but she didn't know whether to be excited or mortified about her encounter. It didn't really matter what he thought of her, but it put a damper on her fantasies.

It had been quite a while since her last date. Longer then she cared to admit to her best friend Lucy. She was a healthy young female; her neighbor was definitely a virile male. If she could get more than a couple words out of her mouth before freezing, she would take the step of trying to get to know him.

Flopping down on her couch with a sigh, she felt her stomach growl. This was one of those days she wished she had a roommate to split cooking duty. Some days she loved to cook, others she didn't even want to peel herself off the couch. Take out last night meant she had to cook tonight. Her self-mandated allowance to eat out was almost gone for the month. Throwing a mini fit, she trudged into the kitchen and opened her fridge. It was quite full having just gone shopping several days prior.

After a few moments of scanning she grinned. A nice sized pork tenderloin looked perfect. Grabbing a few other things, she began loading the counter to get to work. Ten minutes later she was sliding it into the oven to cook. Quickly peeling a couple potatoes, she cubed them and set them in a pot to boil. Her stomach growled in prospect for the delicious meal in the making.

There was nothing on the television and she did not want to get sucked into the next chapter of her book, only to let dinner burn. Pacing around the kitchen she decided she could at least get the fixing for gravy together. The cabinet creaked when she opened it and Levy pulled down the canister where she kept her gravy. Twisting the top, she saw a dark mass fall from the open cabinet. With a squeal, she shoved the container away from her on the counter and stumbled backwards in panic.

The largest damn spider she had ever seen skittered on the floor taking an aggressive stance. That was the only warning Levy needed to vacate the kitchen. Trying not to hyperventilate she did her best to slow her breathing. It could not have been as big as she thought, she had to be exaggerating. Peering around the counter she suppressed the urge to scream. Nope it was huge, the size of her palm. Nope, nope, nope. Snagging her keys, she couldn't get the door closed fast enough. What the hell was she going to do? There was no way she could stay in there knowing that massive creature was in there. What if there more? She knew as ridiculous as it sounded, she was too afraid to kill it or relocate it. If it weren't for her extensive book collection, Levy would just leave. Smacking her head, she groaned, her dinner was in the oven too. She couldn't call Lucy, aside from laughing at her, her friend would be just as useless. Who could help?

Her eyes flitted down towards the stairs. She could ask her neighbor, this would ruin any possibility of anything with him in the future. How lame, having to ask her neighbor to help with a spider. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Right now, she was desperate.

Gathering all her courage she quickly sped down the steps. Each building only had four apartments, two top, two bottom, she knew his was to the right of the stairs. Her hand hesitated before firmly knocking in his door. Levy couldn't stand still, she bounced from foot to foot praying he would answer the door. Shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door and a moment later the door opening. His hair was loose and everywhere. A tight wife beater gifted her with a view of his musculature and low slung sweat pants only momentarily distracted her.

"Can you help me, please?" She rushed out, not caring how stupid she was about to sound. That spider was not going to ruin her meal.

His eyebrows shot up, "Is everything okay?" His voice was husky with sleep and she briefly felt guilty for waking him up.

"I have a gigantic spider in my kitchen, and my dinner is going to burn. I can't - I need help." She grabbed his hand, "I know this is ridiculous, I'll be humiliated later but I need your help. I'll pay you in food. Please."

Looking up, she saw him failing to hold back a wide grin, "Lead the way shorty. With the smells coming from up there, I'll take a bite to eat for killing a spider. Hell, it teases the hell out of me every time you cook up there. It always smells damn good."

Cheeks red, she led him upstairs pausing at the door. She was not trying to be dramatic but she had to impress on him the seriousness of this, "That spider is huge, as big as my palm." She held up her hand for comparison. Chuckling he motioned for her to open the door, "Well show me the way short stack."

Great, she internally grumbled. This was idiotic. The scent of dinner filled the space making her stomach growl loudly. She was past the point of being ashamed over that when she had to go hunt down a strong man to kill a spider for her. Pointing towards the kitchen she stopped several feet away and waved him on. With a withering look he sauntered toward the opening, only to stumble backward.

"Holy shit, what the hell is that?" His eyes wide, grin long gone.

A laugh barked out of her, "I told you it was huge. I'm not completely helpless."

"That's not a spider-", His voice raising semi comically, it made her feel better this freaked him out too. "-that is a mutant! What the hell do you expect me to do? I think it could eat my cat!"

"Help me kill it!" She threw her hands in the air, "If you want half that pork loin in the oven you better get to work. You've got five minutes before it's done metal brain, don't chicken out on me now."

"The name is Gajeel. At least give me your name if I'm about to die for you."

Laughing at the serious stare boring into her, she could not believe the turn her day had taken.

"Levy, Levy McGarden." She couldn't help but smile. The small twitch a the side of his lips said he thought this was just as entertaining.

"Your food better taste as good as it smells lady." He picked up a book from the counter and she crowed, "Stop, no don't use that, no."

Leaping up she grabbed the thick tomb from him as he stared down incredulously, she noticed not for the first time the big height difference between them. With a growl he swept his hand around, "It's not like you don't have any others. Your apartment is a damned library. What the hell can I use then?"

Looking around she spotted the Rubbermaid container holding the Halloween directions she just took down. The lid would be perfect. Tossing it over to him, he caught it easily, "This is going to make a huge mess shorty, sorry."

"At this point I don't care." She urged him on with her hands making smacking motions. She covered her ears but still heard the sickening crunch as the large plastic lid came down with his massive force.

Peering over the counter top her eyes met his and they both busted up laughing. Levy could barely pick herself up off the floor she was laughing so hard. Somehow, she ended up leaning on her tall savior on the kitchen floor. He even had tears leaking out of his eyes from laughing so hard.

A buzzing sound filled the air snapping Levy back to the present. "Oh dinner!" Leaving her neighbor on the floor, she scrambled up and grabbed a pot holder. The thermometer read the proper temperature so she pulled it onto her cooling rack to rest. The potatoes were also probably ready, sticking a fork in she saw they were perfect. It took just a moment to strain them and open the gravy packet she had earlier discarded into a small saucepan. Movement behind her caught her eye and she saw Gajeel wiping up the floor with a wad of paper towels.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Gajeel, I can get it in a few, really."

With a shrug, he tossed the wad in the trash, "Nah, already done."

Turning back towards the stove she whisked the powder quickly with water to dissolve it while it while the pan heated. It felt weird to have his large presence in her small kitchen. Now that the event was over, she felt her usual shyness creeping back. What the hell did she say to him?

"Where do you keep your masher?"

"What?" Levy shook her head a moment to come back down to earth. He was standing next to her at the pot full of potatoes with milk and butter. Making the motions he asked again, "Your potato masher, where can I find it? I can do this while you finish the gravy."

"Th-thanks." She pointed towards a short drawn next to him. "You don't have to, I'm supposed to be thanking you. Now you keep adding things to my tab."

"I think I can handle you owing me." He said with a look that sent fire straight to her core and heat to her cheeks. The whole domestic state they were in working in side by side made it hard to believe they hardly knew each other.

After slicing the pork, she plated some for herself and motioned for Gajeel to follow. Her small apartment had no dinner table so they huddled at her coffee table together. She couldn't help feel the satisfaction well within her when he groaned, chewing his first bite.

"This is damn good shorty."

Chewing on the side of her lip, she smiled, "I'm glad you like it. It's the least I can do after bothering you like that."

"I wouldn't mind being bothered again." He peered over at her before a small smirk crossed his lips, "Without the mutant spider of course."

Laughing together Levy couldn't believe how one split second decision had just changed her life. Thank god for that damn spider.