A/N: From a prompt on tumblr that involved picking two different character roles from randomized gifs. I got "hitchhiker" and "angel." Enjoy, and review!
Headlights illuminated the dark road shoulder again in front of him, and the large man wearily extended a hand out to the side, thumb raised. He didn't bother to turn his head or look, and as expected and as many others had, the car whirred on by. Red taillights illuminated him briefly, all but advertising why so many cars passed him by without so much as a second look.
Hitchhikers already came with their own stigmas in common culture. Gone were the days of Jack Kerouac where catching a ride was easy and accepted. Anyone could be picked up and hop a few states in the general direction they were trying to get. But these days, everyone was scared of ax-murderers and serial killers. A hitchhiker was almost assuredly either of these and only regarded as undesirable.
It didn't help that he was well over six feet tall, with hair down to his mid back and metal studs across his face and arms. A torn shirt, bruises, and dirty hands with split knuckles weren't points in his favor either.
Gajeel, through and through, looked like he had been through the ringer. Which wasn't all that unusual for him. But for once this wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault that even though he only had a backpack to his name, that was still appealing to a group of assholes who decided that it would be theirs. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't coded to just let things happen without a fight. It wasn't his fault he had to defend himself. But it was definitely his fault that he lost, as far as he was concerned.
Not a thing but his ruined clothes to his name, and no home or transportation left, all he could do was walk in the moonlight and hope that some trucker deigned it reasonable to pick him up and get him to Magnolia. By car it would be maybe four hours. On foot? Well, that was miserable.
He had lost track of how long he had been walking, or how many cars had passed him. Gajeel could only focus on the path in front of him and try to zone out the constant ache from his injuries and the growl in his stomach.
The country road lit up again and he half held out his thumb as he trudged forward. He was so zoned out, that he took longer to realize that the car hadn't passed him yet. Instead, he looked to the side slowly and to his surprise saw the small car creeping alongside him.
The window rolled down, and with his height he could only see the empty passenger seat, not the driver. "Where you headed?"
Gajeel stopped dead in his tracks, jolted to the present by the sound of the voice. The soft, feminine voice that called out to him. Abruptly, he leaned forward to look into the window, and though he couldn't make out her features in the dark, he could see the silhouette of the tiny woman in the driver's seat. His red eyes glanced at the back seat and then back to her quizzically. She was definitely by herself, and she had definitely stopped by him.
"Uh, hello?" He saw her tilt her head, and could hear a smile in her voice.
"Lady, you don't gotta." Gajeel finally said dismissively as he stood up and started to walk again. She was tiny and she was alone. What woman in her right mind picked up someone like him, in the middle of the night? If he got in she would probably come around to her senses, and go through some kind of self-preserving panic attack before dumping him somewhere entirely different in a tizzy. That was an interruption and a problem he didn't need.
The car whirred into motion, following alongside him again. "Are you really in a position to be picky, big guy?" She called out him again, and he prickled a little. "Come on, I'm headed in your direction I think, what's your end-stop?"
Gajeel stopped again with a grumble and she followed suit. He leaned again, resting his hands on the door as he looked into the window at her. "Look, that's real nice o' ya but do ya see me?" He rumbled at her.
"Yes?" She replied simply. "I see you trying to hitch a ride and I see someone who is definitely down on their luck." She replied, taking Gajeel aback. "Now, one more time, where you headed?"
Gajeel paused, trying to make out her features in the faint ambient light from her console. Her voice was genuine, and somehow she definitely was serious about picking him up. "Magnolia." He finally answered, and he could see her smile.
"That's where I'm headed, to visit a friend. Get in, I have chips behind the seat you can dig into. You look hungry." She all but commanded, resolutely. She may have been small but she sure knew how to use the "wont take no for an answer" voice.
Gajeel sighed, finally accepting that this was probably the best shot he had. The man hung his head for a second, before hearing her locks click. He pulled open the door and had to bend almost uncomfortably to duck into the small vehicle. He slid the seat back almost as far as it could go and reached behind him more than eagerly to find a bag of unopened potato chips. He pulled them open, about to pop one into his mouth and close his door, before he glanced up at her.
His heart nearly stopped and his jaw fell open, red eyes fixed on the woman now illuminated clearly by the door light.
She was, beautiful. Cerulean, wavy locks framed her soft face, and warm honey-colored eyes also looked back at him. Soft, pink lips were curled into a warm smile, and a tiny blush colored her cheeks. She was an absolutely tiny creature in comparison to him, but the sunshine-colored dress did well to show the subtle feminine curves even when seated. All around, she was absolutely stunning. Unearthly even.
Inquisitively, she tilted her head forward and glanced from the open door, to the gawking man in her passenger seat. "We can't go anywhere if you leave the door open." The girl laughed a little when her voice seemed to shock him and he scrambled for the door handle to pull it shut, and much to his disappointment put them back in darkness again.
The car pulled forward back onto the weaving road, windows remaining cracked to allow the night air in to ruffle her hair around her face. "My name's Levy, how about you stranger?" She asked, glancing at him quickly from the road.
"Gajeel." He answered, voice deep and controlled. He had tried to take his eyes off her, but with the shred of secrecy granted in the dark and the fact her eyes needed to keep forward made it irresistible.
"Nice to meet you." She replied, and he could see her round cheeks perk in a smile. "You look like you've had a rough night." Levy pointed out.
Rough year more like. He thought bitterly, but he hummed to answer her. "Yeah." He tried not to inhale the offered food, but god after having not eaten in more than half a day, they were all but heavenly.
"Not a man of many words, are you, Gajeel?" Levy prodded again, looking back at him. "Just a man of many stares."
That one got a reaction out of him, and he quickly looked out the window as a blush raged on his face. Levy laughed, a sound so harmonic and gentle that there was no way it came from a normal person. "Relax, I'm just trying to lighten you up." Levy finally added between giggles, and she could hear the man shift uncomfortably.
Lighten me up? Why isn't she more nervous? He thought, puzzled. "Ya don't have to do that." He finally said, crossing his arms with a small wince.
"Do what?" Levy asked, genuinely confused.
"Make small talk to make yourself more comfortable."
"I am comfortable though." Levy answered so quickly and matter of factly that he couldn't help looking back at her.
"Ya do realize I'm more than twice your size?"
"You calling me short?" She shot back, a twinge of annoyance in her tone.
"Not really, but ya are." Gajeel couldn't help the small smirk when he saw her squirm, lips puckering in disapproval. "Come on. Ya see what I look like, what kind of chick picks up a guy like me in the middle of the night? I could be a monster for all ya know."
"Are you?" The question was loaded. As though she already knew the answer, and Gajeel wasn't sure how to respond. "Everyone needs a little hand now and then. I can't just leave someone who just got mugged on the side of the road." In her periphery she could see Gajeel lean forward and feel his eyes boring into her. She smiled innocently, "Lucky guess." Her tone was something he couldn't pinpoint, but it sounded…knowing, almost.
Who is she?! Gajeel thought, feeling his heart pound in his chest with a feeling he couldn't understand. He had been in the car with her for all of ten minutes and he felt like he couldn't take his eyes off her. And more strangely, it felt like they knew each other. More so like she knew him somehow, but he knew that wasn't possible.
He fell back into his seat, scrunching his face. Between the confusion for his sudden feelings and the fact that this woman seemed able to keep up with him, Gajeel suddenly felt out of his league. He felt better suited in the fight of five against one.
"So what's in Magnolia?" Levy asked, seemingly determined to not allow their time to pass in silence.
Gajeel hesitated, only for a moment. He was never an open person, but this little blunette somehow felt like a safe haven. "I have a cousin who might still live there. I should be able to crash with him for a few weeks until I figure something out."
"Ah, that's good." She replied. "I'm sure it's a relief to get a break from going rogue huh?" Gajeel jolted, staring at her again with wide eyes. "What?" There was that tone again, the one that sounded like feigned innocence.
"N-nothin.'" He answered, trying to settle into his seat again. "It's just…My cousin's name is Rogue. Is all."
Levy smiled, laughing a little. "That's a funny coincidence." Another loaded statement. There was more behind it, he had enough latent instinct to sense that. But it wasn't bad. Whatever she was, whoever she was, none of it gave him a bad feeling. He felt like he was sitting with someone familiar, and that he was someone she knew as well. He was gradually being encompassed in a sense of calm, a peace settling into his chest that was as confusing as it was welcome.
"Who are you?" He finally asked, his voice much softer than before.
"I already told you my name." Levy smiled warmly with a distant look in her eyes, "Just someone passing through. I take this route often."
"Work commute?" He asked.
Levy shook her head, rustling her hair. "Not really. I just drive, it's relaxing. I know this road well." There was a mystery in her voice that left him wanting more. But exhaustion had started to catch up to him and his eyes felt heavy. "You can sleep if you want. We have a little ways to go yet, I'll wake you up when we're in town and you can tell me where your cousin lives. Rest." Levy encouraged.
Gajeel felt inclined to listen to her, feeling safer here than he had felt in a long while. After a moment of thought, he nodded his head in agreement. "Thanks, shorty." He mumbled, leaning back. To his shock, she suddenly reached over and took his hand. Wide eyes stared down at her tiny, warm hand over his weathered and beaten one. The contrast was jarring, and though he didn't know her, he felt no desire to pull away. Instead, he found himself craving the touch.
"You looked like you needed a hand to hold…" Levy said quietly, "To help you quiet your thoughts." The gentleness was overwhelming, and he felt his chest swell with a comforting warmth. Could people fall in love with strangers? Did that sort of thing happen outside the movies?
If love was feeling safe, holding hands, and drifting off with a head full of thoughts about another person, then call him head over heels. Blissfully, he closed his eyes just in time to miss her sudden shift of attention. Levy turned her gaze, briefly but meaningfully, to a small memorial on the side of the road as they passed, before she focused back in front of her.
When Gajeel awoke, feeling not only rested but no longer painful, the car wasn't moving. He blinked a few times to see, surprisingly, that they were in front of Rogue's home. How did she…?
In surprise, he threw his gaze to the driver's seat, but found that he was alone. Only a folded piece of paper was in the seat. Slowly, he reached for it and opened up the simple note.
'Lucky guess. Hope to see you again.
-Levy'
Gajeel felt his chest twist in both disappointment and confusion, and it took him a moment to be able to take his eyes off the paper. Who was she?!
Finally, the man pocketed the note and let himself out of the car, unsure if she had left it behind, or just gone off somewhere to return later. As he stood in the early morning light, a gentle breeze moved past him, pushing through his hair. Despite himself, he closed his eyes and breathed deep a sudden image of a certain blunette invading his thoughts. He could imagine those small, warm hands taking his face, and soft pink lips pressing against his cheek. The thought was so vivid, so clear, and so sudden that eh could have sworn that she was there with him. He was surrounded by a calming warmth so profound he almost felt brought to tears.
It was only when he reluctantly opened his eyes that he confirmed that he was painfully alone on the sidewalk. Gajeel turned one more time to look at the car. His eyes widened, seeing only an empty street.
