I'm back guys!

First, I want to thank you for the amazing reviews. I put my heart and soul in this story and I'm glad to see you're liking it. We still have a long way to the end. It's a slowburn - like I believe their real relationship would be - so it's gonna take a long time for them to get comfortable around each other. See the end note for more information.

Date: November 8th 2015

Word count: 2,017


"So… I don't have to do anything?"

"For thousand time, yes. Just do what you usually do!"

As the late morning's sun peeked at them through the blanket of leaves, Gajeel wondered how he had such amazing luck. More often to his liking, he was getting on the bad side of the luck… like his inability to hold a conversation without making himself a fool. Or the recklessness. He had so many scars to show the last one. The only person of their family who beat him – okay, maybe it was a tie – on that was that idiot Natsu… And Natsu was Natsu. Sometimes their parents wondered how they didn't spend at least half of their lives in the town's hospital, "St. Vermilion".

Yet today he left unusually lucky. The warm sun was dancing on his skin, warming yet not unbearably hot. The late summer breeze caressed his skin, playing with some locks of his wild black hair, for once tied in high ponytail. The large oak tree cast its shadow over them, shielding the two little human beings from the worst of the sun. Children's laugher echoed from around them, dogs running around trees and bushes, men and women chatting happily.

The park had never seemed so beautiful.

But the best part of all that was in front of him, giggling nervously. The light apple green sundress that hugging her petite body had danced with her slender legs not too long ago, when he leaded her to the place they were currently on. The headband in her hair was dark forest green, matching the belt around her waist and the hem of her dress. The cerulean waves of her hair cascaded down her slender back, the sun rays dancing in the locks and making it shine. The green looked amazing on her skin, he must admit, and also showed off the blue in her hair and the gold in her eyes.

The book for today was "A Dance With Dragons", the hard covers resting on her open hands.

"What I usually do is reading…" Levy muttered, slipping her rose-shaped bookmark between the pages. She turned at him, the sun light that passed through the canopy of leafs reflecting in the molten gold of her eyes.

"When you read, you don't move that much" Gajeel explained, his pen touched the paper of his sketchbook. "It's not that hard to draw you when you read, compared to when you… hmm… I don't know, like, walk?"

"But I thought people had to stand in the same pose for hours when someone draws them. Isn't that so?"

"Depends on the type of the painting." He tapped on his hand slightly – nervous habit of his, nothing else. "If it's fully colored picture, started out of the blue, then yes. But" he turned the page and pointed at the doodles, "in our case, I'm making only sketches of you. My old man told me if you draw someone, you first have to know how their body look in different poses, how the move around and all that crazy shit. Remember my watercolor painting?"

The bluenette nodded, her eyes watching him curiously.

"Even that wasn't complete piece of art, Shorty. If I had more time, and the living muse – or, in other words, you – it would be even better."

"First, I think the painting was pretty good." Then she pouted slightly. "And did you just called me Shorty?"

Gajeel shrugged. She was so sensitive on the topic of her height… Goddamn it, they have meet three times for the past five days and every time he commented it, she pouted at him like four-old. Strange woman she was… but beautiful nonetheless.

"You're short. And I'm mostly calling people by nicknames. Trust me, it can be worse."

"I'm sure" Levy laughed. Her laugh was enchanting thing, gentle, like bells. "Remember yesterday, when I called you and your cousin got to the phone before you? You cuss like a sailor."

The young man could help but blushed, causing her to laugh even louder. Of course he remembered… It was yesterday, around noon time, and he and Natsu were playing Pokémon Omega Ruby. Lucy had just returned from a walk with the three demons, also known as their dogs, and was busy preparing their lunch. And then his phone rang… Since his girlfriend was engaged in more serious thing and currently unable to stop him, his idiot of a cousin decided to take the call for him. It wasn't pretty, at all. And, finally, after almost losing their record on the game – he didn't care about Natsu's Blaziken, but for sure his dear Swampert didn't deserve end like that – and breaking one or two glasses, Gajeel took hold of his phone, cursing the flame head and trying to excuse himself.

"It's not my fault that Salamander don't know to keep his nose out of people's things" he muttered. Levy giggled again. "Hey! It's not funny!"

"It is, believe me." She wiped away a tear from laugh and looked at him. The smile on her face was like second sun. "He isn't that bad, is he?"

"Nah..." No matter what he claimed, Natsu Dragneel was the closest thing he had to brother. "He's a nice guy. Loud, annoying and have the habit to mess with people's stuff, but overall good person. I'm sure you'll like him. Everyone likes him. He have that strange positive aura around him, or at least my mother says so."

"He sound like someone nice." She leaned against the tree, shifting her position so the book rested on her knees. The edge was amazing – the sun lit the left half of her heart-shaped face while the right was obscured in the shadow. One cerulean lock fell over her eyes. "Do you have big family?"

"Yeah… Big and bothering like hell." Gajeel shook his head slightly, yet one little smile appeared on his face. "Why? Do you want me to tell you about them?"

Levy shrugged, her fingers playing with one lock of her sky-kissed hair.

"Why not? I think it would be interesting." The corners of her lips lifted in a soft smile. "If they're half as good as you are, then I'll love to hear everything."

Good? Gajeel nearly chocked at her words but managed to keep himself from anything strange, offering her a smile instead. Pink tinted his cheeks.

"Well… I guess I can tell you, unless you're some crazy spy from CIA. But I suppose you're not."

"Don't worry, I'm not." The petite woman waved her hand at him, the smile never falling off her lips. "C'mon, tell me, Mister Grumpy. I promise I won't tell anyone~!"

"Did you just called me Mister Grumpy?"

Looking at him with the innocence only a cute woman (or girl, in his sister's case) can provide. Her large eyes focused on him, not letting him to escape her hypnotizing golden gaze.

"Is it a problem?" she asked, fluttering her thick lashes at him.

"Umm… I… No! It isn't! I just – damn it, do you want me to tell you or not?" He was just too weak when she looked at him like that… Fuck, fuck, fuck! When she nodded slightly, the young man sighed. "Okay… Well, I have big family. Like… Seven cousins – nine, with me and my little sister in. And a lot of uncles and aunts… You don't want to see our Christmases."

"Well, my family is only me, my parents and my sister." She stared at people around them, wonder in her beautiful golden eyes. "I have always wanted to have big family, to have a house full of noise and laugh."

"Then you're welcome in my apartment every time to hear all noises you want."

"Really?" Levy turned at him, surprised smile on her lips. Gajeel could swear he saw stars in her eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" Seriously, Redfox? "I mean, I doubt Salamander or Bunny girl will have something against you… They helped me with the search pretty much, so why not?"

"Thank you!" She was literally shining, like light radiated from her skin. "It sounds just amazing!"

"Glad you like the idea. So, who you want me to start with?"

"Hmm…" The bluenette tapped on her lips, thinking. "You told me you have a little sister. Why don't with her?"

"If you want." Gajeel only shrugged. It was fine enough. "Her name is Wendy. She's 11 – her birthday is after a month or so. She's even shorter than you." Her thin eyebrow rose and she looked at him. "Yeah, she's short. Like you. And her hair is blue too, though it's darker shade. Midnight blue, close to black. She's clever girl, like you, and quick learner. She wants to become a doctor, like our mother, and had decided to go stud medicine after finishing high school."

"That's good thing to do." Levy twisted two cerulean locks in her fingers, playing with them. His hand itched to draw her and he moved the pen over the paper, creating the basic lines his father taught him so many years ago. "So, your mother is a doctor?"

"Yeah. Amazing doctor, by the way. When my old man talk for her, he's grinning proudly. Sometimes she smacks him because he don't stop." He chuckled slightly while forming the way her shoulders stood, relaxed against the tree's bark. "But she still loves him, no matter how much of idiot he is. Do you know Mira's fiancé, Laxus?"

"Yes… Why?"

"He's my cousin, too. My mother and his father – who, by the way, is imprisoned – are siblings." The young man glared a little at the list and fixed one of the details. "She doesn't like to talk about him, neither do Laxus. Who can blame them? He's a jackass."

She didn't answer anything this time, just closed her eyes and sighed. Deep, tired sigh. Gajeel felt his heart skip a beat and gulped slightly. Did I upset her?

"Tell me for your father" the bluenette finally said, her features softening. "I understand. Just… just continue."

"Well… my father is an old bucket of bolts. He's bothering, and annoying, he calls me brat and likes to tease me about everything and anything. But, for father, he's pretty cool. He's a cop, and he taught me how to draw." That took her attention. He saw her eyes widening, yet she didn't move. She possibly noticed he had started drawing. "I know everything from him."

Her lips curved into small smile.

"That sound… interesting. Knowing how much you love drawing, you two sure have a strong father-son bond. I'm right?"

"Yeah. I'm the reason his hair grow gray, or at least he says so."

This time Levy laughed heartily, and he joined her. It was good to hear her laughing – the sound itself was calming and sweet. Sweet… She was sweet. That was the word that described her best, sweet.

"My father says the same for me" the bluenette finally muttered. "He often complain how hard is it to rise two girls with his bad temper."

"You and bad temper?" Gajeel snorted. "I don't think so."

"You haven't seen me angry" she pointed. "And you haven't seen my sister. Charle is… hmm… very exacting, to say at least. Now stop staring at me like I just grew wings." Light giggle escaped her lips and she leaned slightly, lifting his jaw up. "If you hold your mouth open so much, some bugs will enter."

"Thanks" he muttered. Her skin was warm. He liked the feeling of it. "So, do you want me to continue?"

Levy nodded and turned the page of her book, small smile curving her lips.


To be honest, I had very much fun writing this chapter. As you see, they're still very awkward around each other, so their conversations are little weird. I want to say that Gajeel don't like Levy at the current moment, or at least don't understand if he does. Yes, he admit she's beautiful and kind and all that stuff, be he don't like her. Neither does she. It would take time for both of them to admit to themselves they're attracted to each other.

Now, for the chapter. It's happens few days after the second... and they try to get comfortable with each other. That's overall what happens in the chapter. It was very fun to write it. For you they - mainly Gajeel - can seem OoC, but please remember they're in different world. The canon Gajeel had a hard childhood, being left first by his biological parents, then by Metallicana, and after that all that with Phantom Lord. So... I'm sure you understand why he isn't the same, even if I try to make the changes as little as possible.

Also, do you know he's getting a spin-off? I'm on cloud nine from happiness! My Skype is natacharansheva (it was my mother's Skype, buy after that it became mine). If you want to fangirl with me, I'm ready.

As it seem, the chapters will be on 2 weeks or something like that. This story is my main one, so I would update it more that the others.

Until the next time!

From Ro, bye!