Author's Note: Hey y'alls. By all means, this chapter was ready to go a while ago, but I've been too busy to type it up. But oh well. At least it's here.

I'm rather annoyed with FFnet right now. I just realized they disabled the copy and paste functions on chapter materials in an effort to stop plagiarizers, which makes me REALLY ANGRY considering plagiarizers can easily get around this and those of us who don't use copy and paste for evil now have to jump through hoops just to copy a little phrase. Ugh, things like this are what makes me want to switch to AO3 instead...and I've been on this site for over 10 years. I'm sorry. I feel like I'm always ranting nowadays in my author's notes... BUT thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys keep me here. :)

What I really would like you guys to know is that I'm holding a poll on my profile for a holiday writing gift to you all! Please vote on which pairing you would like me to write as your holiday present!

Enjoy!


Limits by HawkofNavarre

Chapter 3 - Incertus


"Hey, Lucy, thanks…for all of this," Levy said, her gratitude honest as the two Fairy Tail mages waited to be seated at a table. They weren't at a really fancy restaurant or anything, despite this outing being a result of the fundraiser auction; it was simply a dinner between two friends. This "date" was supposed to have taken place yesterday, but since Lucy had had a date of her own with Natsu, they'd post-poned it until today.

"It's no big deal," Lucy stated, waving her friend off. "I don't mind dropping a few jewels for a friend."

Levy just smiled in return. There was something different about that girl today. She was glowing, almost vibrant. She looked like a girl in love—the kind of girl in love that didn't have a broken heart or a bleak-looking future with the man she loved. It wasn't to say that whatever was there was reciprocated either, but there was a relaxation there that seemed foreign to her. Was that…faith?

She remembered back in the beginning, when trusting him had been so difficult at first, but when it happened, she found she couldn't stop herself. There was something about that fierce determination and loyalty that made it so easy to forgive him. Then there was the way he teased her and offered subtle hints that inside, he really cared. She'd been no match for it at all. It was like her heart was specifically vulnerable to everything about him. Once, it had hated him, never understand how someone—anyone—could so ruthlessly beat on other who were weaker, and then shackle them to a tree like a display of triumph. Fear, anger…are you really human?

As it had turned out, it was she who had passed judgement too quickly. He became her friend, and then her confidant in some ways, and then the guy she flirted back and forth with. When that had first happened, she had definitely believed that it was going to evolve into something more. She'd even been the aggressive one in their relationship, but it never really changed. She shared things with him that she wouldn't with anyone else and he gave nothing in return. Yes, she knew that he had feelings for her, but so what? He had been content with the way things were and she wanted more than that. He didn't want change; she did. Now she was trying to push him away like she had from the start, and it was the hardest thing to do.

She missed having that faith that one day he would express his feelings to her, open up to her like he did with Juvia. There used to be that strong belief; now all that existed was a dark abyss that swallowed any positive conviction she might have had. She had given him so many chances—one of them outright stated for him and he hadn't taken any of them. What hope was left? Even during the auction he hadn't bid on her. Only measly jewel could have sparked that belief again, but no, that bid didn't exist.

Levy had convinced herself the night of the Spring Festival that it was time to let go, though admittedly, she had hoped that somewhere along the line, Gajeel would offer her something. Now she was sure she had to stop kidding herself. It'd been a while since that night that he'd had several opportunities to capitalize on. He had never even tried to speak to her about it. She was done waiting for something that would never come. To him, just a little was too much, and she was not about to pine over some guy that refused to compromise.

Still, it was hard not to be a little jealous of Lucy. She still had that belief that Levy no longer did and Natsu was a completely different animal from Gajeel. Things were going to go another way for her. It was lucky…and not fair. Sometimes Levy really wished she'd fallen in love with someone else.

They were seated finally when more thoughts of the iron dragon slayer hit her. Levy wasn't really surprised, though it stung, that Gajeel hadn't bid for a night with her, but she wondered if he was thinking of her…or even wondered she was doing right now. It was no secret she was going out with Lucy tonight, yet she still kind of wanted to know what he was thinking. She wasn't enough of a narcissist to believe that his entire world revolved around her, but she at least liked to believe that had another man won the date with her, he would've been upset.

Mavis help her, she was horrible. Even at 20 years of age, she was still having such immature thoughts.

"So how was your date yesterday?" Levy asked her friend, trying to move her thoughts onto better things.

Immediately, Lucy was blushing. "We sort of got into a fight the night of the auction, but we made up yesterday and now we've reach a little bit of an understanding."

"That's great!" the solid script mage exclaimed, genuinely happy for her good friend although her misery still weighed heavy. "You know, I know I teased you a lot about Natsu, and maybe it's nothing romantic, but the relationship you guys have is nothing short of envious."

"W-what do you mean?"

"The way you two rely on each other, work to make each other happy, the belief you hold in one another…you guys are so in sync without even knowing it. I know everyone else has their own close friendships, but what you have with Natsu is what everyone wants," Levy explained as she twirled a piece of hair within her fingers. She was still completely convinced that those two were in love, but their bond even without romantic feelings was really what made the relationship.

"Well, that's…" the stellar spirit mage trailed off in embarrassment. "I doubt I'll be able to see from the perspective of a third person, but I guess I can sort of understand what you mean. A few years ago, I wasn't even part of the guild and Natsu was just a guy I read about in a magazine. Even then, part of what attracted to me the guild were all the antics I heard Fairy Tail got into, and most of the ones I heard about were Natsu's fault. Now, I can't even imagine my life without him and Happy."

Levy smiled because it was such a beautiful thing. There were a whole lot of things that would have gone differently in her own life if Lucy hadn't joined the guild—meeting Gajeel being one of them, but in all cases, she wouldn't change it for the world.

The rest of dinner went by quietly, the two females chatting amicably until, of course, the subject of Gajeel was brought up again. "I really thought he'd at least do this," Lucy muttered angrily. She had that protective look in her eye that Jet and Droy both had so often.

"I was just waiting…for something—anything, really," Levy admitted rather timidly, "but it's like he just wants to stay the same. At the Spring Festival, I kind of gave him an ultimatum and he ended up sticking to what he was comfortable with. I've tried to distance myself from him since then, but it hasn't really worked. I thought maybe he'd change his mind. I thought the night of the auction could be different. I even talked to him a little the day of…"

"Gajeel has never opened up easily," the stellar spirit mage commented, her chin resting on her hand.

Levy nodded solemnly. "I don't know what to do. I keep thinking that it'd be good for me to just move on, but I can't, and I can't just keep waiting for him either." She slumped down into her chair, flicking at the used fork on her plate. "I feel so lost. There's a part of me that won't let go of that hope he'll come around, and then there's the other part that just keeps saying to get over it and move on. And you know what? I deserve to move on! I don't deserve to be-be trapped like this. Maybe I'm better off without him anyway," she seethed, now feeling quite fired up.

"Levy…"

"I'll just go drown myself in romance novels for a while! Silver Furyuu would know how to treat a girl," she continued as she mentally selected which title from the series she would reread when she got home. Fictional guys could never damage her heart the way real men could. Silver would always be ready when she was. She didn't need to wait around for him like some other people.

Lucy simply shot her a sceptical look, one that clearly stated she thought Levy wasn't thinking very rationally. Yeah, well it was Gajeel's fault. Blame it on him.

They ended up parting ways half way between Lucy's place and Fairy Hills, Levy feeling slightly elevated at the prospect of reading about her favourite male character. He was obviously in love with Selan and he didn't deny it. He let Selan in even when he hadn't wanted to at first, because he trusted her and because they were equals in their relationship. He didn't expect her to be okay dancing on the line between friends and lovers. He didn't expect her to not want more.

Silver…such a wonderful and perfect man. He wasn't afraid. He was brave enough to face his woman. Why didn't Levy have a man like that? A man who would take one of the many chances she gave to him instead of turning them down or flat-out ignoring them. Why?

She wondered if he even hurt as much as she did. Probably not, considering the she was the one who left herself vulnerable while he kept his wall strong and solid. What kind of foolishness was that? Had she really exposed herself to someone who wouldn't do that in return? Levy, you stupid girl. You should've stopped when you forgave him. Instead, you left yourself open for another attack. You might as well have chained yourself to that tree because he definitely has you beat.

She didn't want to cry again, though she already felt the liquid in her eyes. She only needed her books. Novels couldn't hurt you—they couldn't make you hurt so much when you'd already read them. They were predictable and had happy endings. Mavis, what she would do for just a temporary happy ending right now.

Soothing her rage, Levy approached the entrance of Fairy Hills, but stopped when she saw a small figure standing there. Hurriedly, she wiped her eyes of any lingering tears before reaching her friend.

"Pantherlily, what are you doing here?" she asked the Exceed, being over to get a better look at his face.

His expression was stony as always, so Levy wasn't exactly sure what to expect from him. He had to have some reason to come all the way to Fairy Hills, though. He never came here unless he was escorting Wendy and Charle home from a late party.

"I was waiting for you, actually," he replied, catching the solid-script mage off-guard. "Gajeel's been hurt. He's in the guild infirmary."

It was almost as if someone had thrown ice-cold water over her. She froze and suddenly all she could think about was getting to the guild headquarters. Pantherlily had come all this way to tell her, which meant it had to be bad. She needed to go. She needed to move now.

"Thanks for letting me know," she whispered, voice barely audible just as she turned and dashed for the guild. He was hurt, but he was okay, right? He…he had to be okay. He was a stupid dragon slayer with an ego the size of Makarov's magic-enhanced body, but he was hers and she didn't want to see him bruised and bloodied.

Levy gasped, stumbling onto her knees as her left heel broke, but she simply kicked off the one on her other foot so she could keep running, only picking up her shoes as an afterthought. This way she'd be faster anyway. She briefly wondered why she hadn't taken them off sooner.

The solid-script mage finally hit the entrance of the guild hall, breathing heavily. With only one objective in mind, she pushed through the doors, jogging to the infirmary past a few of the older members. If they'd greeted her, she didn't hear or realize. It was only Gajeel. Everything was Gajeel.

When she looked into the infirmary, there was only one person sitting on one of the beds, and he looked relatively healthy save for a small scratch on the side of his forehead. He…was perfectly fine. He wasn't in danger at all.

Swallowing, Levy internally berated herself for her stupidity. When Pantherlily had told her that Gajeel was in the infirmary, he hadn't been lying, but she'd automatically assumed the worst had taken place and had taken off like a rocket. She hadn't stopped to ask what for or how bad it was; she'd just dashed to his side when he didn't even really want her here.

She honestly didn't even want to focus on her foolishness right now. If she was quiet enough, she might be able to make it out of here without him noticing, and then at least she would save herself the humiliation of looking like some clingy girl that kept chasing him.

"What are you doing here, midget?"

…Nope, too late.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, trying to force the heat away from her cheeks. "I was just on my way back from my night with Lucy and thought I'd stop by."

"…I see," Gajeel accepted her answer with a nod.

"Right…" she trailed off awkwardly. "I-I'm glad you're okay. Guess I'll go now."

He glared. "No."

"What?"

Stepping forward, Gajeel shocked her by basically throwing her over his shoulder like an old sack of potatoes. She failed in confusion, hands tugging at his long hair.

"W-wai—Gajeel! Put me down!" she demanded, though her command really held the firmness of something like cotton.

"Ngh, will you stop pulling my hair?" he retorted gruffly as he walked toward one of the beds.

"Let me go!" Levy whined, then squeaked as he dumped her onto the mattress.

Well, that certainly hadn't been the way she'd ever pictured being thrown onto a bed by a man for the first time. Instead of having rosy cheeks from a romantic night, they were red from embarrassment and feeling flustered. How in the world had things turned out like this?

She sat up quickly, scowling as her feet dangled off the edge of the bed. She felt like a little kid with him leering down at her like that.

"Stay put," the dragon slayer growled, giving her a hard look before turning and rummaging through the drawers of the cabinet next to the bed. Half-curiously, she did as she was told, but only ended up stunned further when she saw he had taken out some alcohol pads and cotton swabs.

Levy stayed silent, watching him intently before she winced, feeling pain on her knee. Glancing down at herself, she finally noticed the blood that was dripping down her shins. Her jaw dropped slowly, unable to fully grasp the fact that she had completely missed the fact that she was bleeding.

And there he was, wordlessly tending to her with a touch that betrayed his rough exterior. He cleansed the hurt away from her knees and filled her heart with affection. Only him…always him…

Gajeel washed her wounds so tenderly, putting bandages in their places with a gentleness even she hadn't thought he was capable of. Still, he did it only because it was her. They both knew it. He was allowed to be a little softer around her; she was one of the few people he let himself feel that way around.

…So why couldn't he let those walls down a little more?

The solid script mage swallowed as he finished putting on the last of the bandages. She was finally aware of the throbbing over her patellae, but she was more distracted by the hands that remained upon her legs. She was his thumbs were brushing over the band-aids he'd just put on her. Levy clutched tightly to the sheets of the bed, sucking in air when his hands came slowly—agonizingly—further up her thighs.

Looking away, Gajeel stood up and backed away as if he hadn't done anything wrong. Yes, perhaps he had just been patching her up, but he had done way more than what could be considered entirely innocent. That hadn't been innocent at all. The way his touch burned against her skin was dangerous, but it was something she'd always known, feared, wanted, and still wanted. Just by that, she was certain that he wanted it too. Coming here tonight, this situation was the last thing she would've expected, yet here she was, suddenly reaffirming that she wasn't the only one with feelings and desires in this. Though somehow, she could also see he wasn't giving any leeway to what his last decision had been. Not even for her.

She had thought she was different.

…Not even for her.

"Thank you," Levy whispered shakily, not trusting herself to speak any louder lest she allow the hurt in her voice to show.

"How'd you fall?" he asked in return, not wasting a second.

"Have you ever tried running in heels?" the blunette shot back, biting back the sarcasm that desperately wanted to burst from her that very moment. It hardly seemed like lying way worth it, at this point. She was grateful for his help in patching up her injuries, but to touch her in that way when he had no intention of returning her feelings? By Mavis, it infuriated her more than that chat at dinner with Lucy had.

She was angry at him, and then she was angry at herself for not being able to let go, for being so drawn in by simple contact. She was so angry.

"Why the hell would you—"

How stupid could he be? "For you, idiot!" she exploded, getting to her feet although even standing against him looked laughable. She was tiny and he was tall, but he didn't scare her in the slightest. Not anymore, he didn't.

"Pantherlily told me you were in the infirmary, so I ran here. I ran here for you," Levy stated, seething in bitterness. "It's always you, Gajeel. I don't know why, but it's always you. Sometimes I wish it wasn't, but it is and that's why I'm here. You know that. I don't need to deny it."

His stony expression kept strong and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. When it came to these sorts of emotional things, she rarely could. He was always going to be a mystery in that way and it frustrated her to no end. Was he even going to say anything? Just say something?

"You should go home."

As he scooped her into his arms and carried her from the room, she lost her will to stay strong. The energy drained from her body while she began to cry again because of him. She was sick of it, but there was no other choice but to let the tears flow while she stared at her broken pair of shoes on the floor as they moved through the door. She was tired of being miserable without him and insecure with him. She couldn't fix this anymore. There was only so many times a person could mend a broken object and now it was so far gone there was no way to put things back together.

Even being completely honest, sharing her raw emotions with him, she couldn't get through to Gajeel. He hadn't broken character when she was spilling her guts to him like he had when he was touching her knee. Maybe it had all just been physical. With the way her words simply bounced off him, it certainly seemed like it.

But really, all Levy could think of was the irony of it all. He was taking her home, carrying her the way a groom would his bride and she was just too tired to care. It was just funny that the end—the real end—would be happening like this, and not some other way. He was carrying her so intimately only to dump her at the end of the night.

It would make for a great ironic tragedy.

He put her down at the door where she murmured another "thank you", this one even quieter than the last, and as she unlocked the door, she could hear the beat of her heart more solemn than ever. But…this was the end; that much was clear. Before, she had been hoping and waiting, and now it was all clear in her mind. Things were over between her and Gajeel, and all she got out of everything was a broken pair of shoes.

For some reason, though, he wasn't leaving her home.

"What is it, Gajeel?" she asked half-heartedly, unwilling to deal with anyone of these negative emotions today.

The iron dragon slayer proceeded to turn red and thrust something into her hands. "You said 'anything'," he blurted out in embarrassment before he spun and ran towards Juvia's apartment, leaving her blinking in confusion in front of her door.

Levy looked down into her palm, where a crumpled piece of paper sat. Curiously, she unravelled it.

"i like to sing in the shower"

A watery smile cracked onto her face as she collapsed into the entrance of her home. How stupid was he to make her cry like that and then give her this? Finally, a peek into the other side. Finally, she wasn't the only one in this.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then held the little piece of paper close to her heart, shaking.

"Jerk…" she whispered.