Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.


In the bar of the Fairy Tail Guild...

Levi McGarden let out a deep yawn as Lucy sat down on the stool directly beside her. All around them there were other friendly mages chatting and laughing so loudly that it practically made the walls shake. Noticing the black circles evident underneath her friend's eyes, the blonde smiled sheepishly to herself. Although she was usually working behind the counter, Mirajane was nowhere in sight. The sound of a loud crash from afar hinted that she was possibly breaking up a brawl.

"Been up all night reading again, huh, Levi?" Lucy asked jokingly. Levi made a half-assed waving motion with her hand; she was really out of it.

"N-No..." Levi fought back the urge to yawn again, "I...I just was busy with...some things, is all..." The blue-haired woman laid her head onto the counter top, sighing.

"What kind of things?"

"Nothing...nothing interesting...been practicing with my Solid Script magic..."

"Really? That's all? You're already so good at it, though. I've seen you write entire paragraphs in the middle of the air! If anything, I should probably be the one practicing...oh wait, I just insulted myself."

"Yeah, well...you can never be TOO good...yup..."

"I've heard rumors that you tend to make alot of noise at night, too. I wonder what THAT is all about?"

Levi gulped. "Those...those are just rumors, you know? They can't be taken seriously...! I've done nothing inappropriate of the sort!"

"...I never said you did..."

"Oh."

For some reason, Levi seemed a tad nervous. Suddenly, something small and red on the nape of Levi's neck caught Lucy's attention. Levi yawned yet a third time and mumbled something under her breath. Slowly, Lucy leaned in, squinting her eyes for a better view. As soon as she recognized just what it was she was looking at, all of the color drained from her face. She had heard of these kind of things before but never got one herself or seen it up close.

"Huh? Levi...is that...is that a hickey on your neck?"

Lucy's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "Excuse me?"

"That's a hickey, isn't it?"

Levi shot straight up in her seat, and clapped her hand over the minuscule hickey on her neck. "N-N-No," she stammered, "It's not that at all!" Her pale cheeks were overcome with a faint shade of crimson. She had really thought she covered up any evidence of her deepest secret. The poor girl was so much at a loss that she couldn't even think of anything sensible to say in response.

"So that's why you're so tired all the time!" Lucy beamed, "You have a boyfriend, don't you? A boyfriend who likes to bite, it looks like...heh heh!"

"Well...umm..."

"Is it Jet? Or Droy?"

"What? No, of course not! Those two are my best friends! I couldn't even...even imagine dating either of them!"

"C'mon, Levi, I'm dying to know! Who is it? Is he handsome? Is he nice? Is he good in bed? You shouldn't be ashamed about it or anything! You can tell me; we're friends too, aren't we?"

"I...I..."

"Huh?"

"I...I...I got to go!" Jumping to her feet, her hand still covering her hickey, Levi turned and ran away from Lucy and into the busy crowd. Lucy herself was left utterly flabbergast; she couldn't imagine any reason why Levi had freaked out like that over a simple question. After all, it was a good thing when a friend finally found someone they loved. It also worried her that Levi was acting so awkward about it, too. Determined to learn the truth, Lucy followed after her.


Levi darted out of the bar through the door at the other end, bringing her into a long, empty hallway, barely illuminated by the streaks of sunlight peering through the windows. She looked over her shoulder, almost expecting to see Lucy standing behind her, but the blonde was still making her way through the massive crowd in the previous room. Levi felt terrible for just bolting like that, but the fact that Lucy, one of her best friends in Fairy Tail, almost found out her deepest secret scared her. She pressed her back up against the wall and gradually slide down, drawing her knees into her chest.

'I don't know why I'm so afraid...' she thought solemnly, 'I mean, I trust these people with my life; I'm sure they wouldn't judge me harshly if I told them the truth, but...but why can't I do it, then? Why can't I just come out and say I'm in love with-'

"Levi? Is that you?"

Levi looked upwards, and through the tears swelling in her eyes, she saw the intimidating, yet ravishing form of Erza Scarlet standing over her. Judging from her slightly disheveled appearance, Erza must have just come back from a rather tough mission. The red-haired beauty knelt down beside Levi, and gently cupped the girl's chin in her hand. Their faces were so close now that Levi could practically smell Erza's sweat. For some reason, it excited her just a little.

"What's wrong?" Erza asked in a soft tone of voice. It was the same voice she used when they were in bed together.

"It...it was Lucy...she saw a hickey on the back of my neck...a hickey that YOU didn't tell me about after last night!"

Erza grimaced. "Oh...oh dear. I guess I didn't notice it. This is all my fault, huh?"

"Yes, it is...but I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you for something like this. We were just caught up in the moment, is all..."

"Why don't you just tell her that Jet or Droy did it?"

"Are you crazy? It's hard enough having to keep lying to everyone about my relationship with you as it is. Besides, that would just make things more complicated, as well."

"Hmm, you're right," Erza pursed her lips as she thought long and hard for a brief moment, "I guess you can just tell her the truth, that you and I are together?"

"W-What? Are you serious? What if she goes around telling people about it?"

Erza chuckled, and started to lean in. "Don't worry, Lucy is a trustworthy girl, and a good friend...I learned alot about her from the missions we've been on with Natsu and Gray. She's a really nice person, if not a little dim-witted sometimes."

"The way you talk about her, it's as if you have a crush on her or something!" Levi joked with a weak smile. She closed her eyes to prepare for the kiss.

"Oh, please, you know I love you best...Levi."

At that same time, Lucy was standing in the entrance of the hallway, watching the spectacle before her unfold with a shocked expression on her face. Then, without a word, she turned and walked away, closing the doors behind her to make sure the two women had their privacy for a little while longer. However, she would be left feeling incredibly awkward for the rest of the day. She had no intentions of telling anyone else about it, at least not until Levi was ready to come out...