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"What? People can change, shaddup." Gajeel said defensively as he attempted to cross his arms over his chest but Levy closed the gap between them before he could and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his chest.

Gajeel stood for a moment with his arms extended, not sure if he should reach down and hold her; if that was what she wanted from him or what he just wanted for himself. After a quick mental debate, he lowered his arms and wrapped them around her small frame. She's shaking. He could feel his shirt begin to stain from her tears and pulled her in tighter; not really sure of what else he should do. When Levy finally pulled always they turned their back on the tree; both feeling that it had less control over them and that no more words needed to be spoken on the matter.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the night or well day?" she asked boldly It's not like I want to go back to Lucy's though I need to get some of my stuff.

"No idea. Why Shorty you wanna keep me company?" Levy's face blushed at his suggestive and flirtatious tone causing Gajeel to laugh and wink down at her "You were so bold on the dance floor." She smacked him on the arm but it felt more like a piece of paper hitting him then a person. Gajeel played along though to make her feel strong. "Oi, that hurt!" he said and attempted to rub the spot but missing by a few inches.

Levy rolled her eyes knowing clearly that he was lying. "Yeah well you can call my boldness by its other name: liquor." Gajeel laughed though in his eyes she could see a small change. Was it sadness? She wondered. "I was staying at Lucy's but she is most likely snoring up a storm and going to be highly hungover and irritable in the morning." Also she tends to talk about Natsu in her sleep when she's drunk but that's not the point.

"What about your place?" Gajeel asked as he turned down a side street; his mind unconsciously walking them towards the small cabin on the outside of town, in the woods, that he and Lily shared.

"Gone." Gajeel looked down at her confused' his hands now in his pockets, the fingers of his right hand fumbling with a small metal screw "The girls dorms where a part of Fairy Tail so when the guide disbanded everyone had to move. I've been staying at Lucy's for a few days now but I was going to leave within the next couple of days."

"Leave?" he asked as the cobblestone road ended and the dirty road of the forest began. Neither seemed to notice though. Their feet continued on in perfect step with one another; their conversation taking all their focus. Gajeel finally pulled the screw from his pocket and placed it between his teeth. His hand quickly returned to its depths however in an attempt to keep them off the Script Mage. Can't lose control. He repeated mentally as he listened on.

"Yeah, found a small mission that I could take to transport a scroll to a shop owner in Hargeon." Levy shrugged her shoulders "Doesn't pay much but I figured that there might be more work out in Hargeon too. So I'm not sure how long I will be gone for."

Gajeel bit the screw in half and nodded understanding the need to find work "Lily left a few days ago for there too. Figured I'd join him after I—" but his voice trailed off as his cabin came into view. Both stopped in their tracks not sure what the next move would be. What the right move should be.

"So, this is where you live?" Levy began to walk around the outside of the cabin; her hand caressing the railing of the porch as she walked across it. The outside was a mixture of oak logs and different metals. The porch wrapped around the front and side of the cabin, with a small swing hanging down invitingly. Levy sat down and patted the seat next to her as she looked over at Gajeel who had yet to move a step.

He looked at the swing as though it were a trap set by a Dark Guild and finally rolled his shoulders in defeat as he moved towards her. "Yeah. Lily and I built it together. Never actually brought anyone here before though."

Levy watched as Gajeel progressed towards her and tried to will her heart to return to its normal pace knowing full well that he could hear her growing excitement. Calm, be calm she repeated mentally as he sat down and the swing swayed from the change in weight. Neither spoke as Gajeel began to move the swing with his legs; Levy's too short to reach the ground. She looked down at her hands, resting in her lap and began to move her fingers in tiny circles to calm her nerves. Blue smoke flowed from her finger tips and danced out in the shapes she created.

"I like your magic." Levy looked up and noticed that he had been watching her work and that his body had inched closer towards her.

"I think you might like this a bit more." Levy moved her hands and down fell the casted word IRON in a size that fit perfectly into Gajeel's outstretched hand. She watched as he held the word; his fingers tracing the heart in the O absentmindedly "Aren't you hungry?"

"I'll save it for later." A breeze past them hitting Levy first, sending her scent flowing across Gajeel and a shiver down her spine. "Oi, you cold Shorty, I could make us a fire?" She turned to look up at him, her brown eyes meeting his red orbs as the breeze continued to splay her hair across her face.

Do I go in or end the night here? After a moments evaluation she nodded and followed Gajeel into his home. The large stone fireplace in the living room was matched with an equally large, brown leather couch facing it. Levy watched as he crouched down before the pit and began to lite some paper on fire and set the logs within. Without realizing it she began walking the hard oak floor his house as he worked. The silence between them felt normal and relaxing to her instead of uncomfortable which she had anticipated. Some moments she could easily tell that Gajeel lived there; like the bins of scrap metal or his guitar resting in the corner of the room. Yet, other times she was surprised but how clean it was and how tranquil she felt walking from room to room. Some of which were empty except for a few wooden chests or large sheets of metal. Her curiosity grew as she explored. Why build such a big home if it is just the two of them and what are in those chests? Levy reached down and pulled off her heels, returning to her natural height. Slowly she made her way to the main bathroom and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She stood on her tippy toes and noticed that, though her hair was a mess of wild blue curls she looked good in her borrowed green dress. I knew the curls wouldn't hold Levy thought as she splashed cold water on her face and dried her hands and cheeks on the black towel that hung off the back of the door. Gajeel's scent washed over her as she touched the soft fabric to her skin. She took a deep breath in; her heart racing. When she returned to the living room Gajeel was already on the couch sitting in front of the fireplace.

Gajeel was surprised when his house had come into view and even more so when Levy had agreed to join him inside to warm up. It doesn't mean anything is gonna happen nor can it ya idiot! He took his time with the fire to collect his thoughts on what had transpired within the last few hours. It was difficult to focus though. Out of the corner of his eye Gajeel watched Levy move around his house and down the halls. He could hear her heart racing just as much as his own. When the fire finally took he sat down on the couch, sunk into the cushions of the far right end, and propped his boots up on the round, wooden coffee table. "Do you know what I find funny?" he heard her say as Levy walked around the couch and sat down next to him, on the middle of the couch, but not touching him. She turned her body to face him and touched the headband on his forehead. "You stole my headband." Shit busted he thought as he touched the headband as well; acting as though he had forgetting it was there. "Back on the island didn't you?" she asked again as she moved her hand away and rested it on her cheek, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch for support. Waiting.

"So what if I did?" Gajeel asked after a minute, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "Ya want it back?"

"No I think it looks better on you." Levy said with a laugh at the Dragon Slayers growing embarrassment over the small display of affection. "Why do you have so many empty rooms?"

Gajeel sighed, thankful because in truth he loved his small memento of their adventure together. "Not sure what to put in them yet."

"Seems empty."

Gajeel nodded "Especially now that Lily moved out for a while." As the time passed they continued to talk about the random things that had happened in their lives both when in the guide and before they had joined. Though most of his past was darker than her own she did not judge him on his previous mistakes. It was a nice change for someone not to. He was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her and how relaxed she now seemed around him now. It was a stark difference in demeanor then how Levy had been when he had first joined the guide; for obvious reasons.

Gajeel watched from his corner as the blunette dove deeper into her book completely unaware of the time or his presence in the hall. It had been a week since he had joined Fairy Tail and a week since he had saved her from Laxus's lightning attack. The small woman avoided him like the plague which she had every right to do. He took another swig from his drink and finished the last of it. Though the hall was nearly empty, cept for those passed out from too much drink, he wasn't set to leave yet. After all, she was still reading. Levy stretched her arms above her head and glanced up from the page she had been attempting to decipher for the last half hour. Shock crossed her face as time of night finally was realized. Quickly Levy packed her bag and walked out the hall, yawning as she moved. Gajeel waited a few minutes before fallowing. It had been his nightly routine since joining the guide. A way to silently pay for his sins. He would make sure that the small woman arrived home safely every night so that she would never be caught off guard. Again. He knew that the other two men he had wronged deserved some type of apology but not yet. The time wasn't right and he wasn't in the mood. He had allowed for them to beat some of their rage out on him before Laxus has showed up and that had worked for the most part but she had begged them to stop. He couldn't stop wondering why. He had hurt her the most out of all of them. Had taken his sweet time with her just for fun and yet she did not want to hurt him back. As Levy turned down the alley before them, Gajeel's mind wandered too much to remember to maintain a proper distance. When he looked up next she was standing still in the alley way; her back to him. He stopped in his tracks but the damage had already been done. He was caught.

Levy turned on her feet and quickly cast the word BRICK which materialized over him, knocking him to the ground. "Better men have taken me by surprise before and you will—" She stopped and backed away after realizing just who her stalker was "You?" her voice quivered as she stepped back and her body connected with the wall behind her. Levy opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. He could hear her heart hammering within her chest and smell the fear rolling off her body.

"Wasn't fallowing ya or nothing just walkin' home myself. Geeze." Gajeel lied as he stood from the ground, chunks of brick falling down around him. As he stood he noticed from the corner of his eye Levy inch farther down the wall to avoid being too close to him. He couldn't control himself at the sight of her fear; so different from her bravery in battle before. "I ain't gonna beat on ya again so calm the fuck down." He snapped and regretted it the moment he had. Gajeel heave a sigh at his own stupidity "Listen I didn't—"

Levy's hand connected across his face before he even noticed that she had taken a step. Her one nail moving at just the right angle to draw a long, thin scratch cross his cheek. Gajeel raised his hand to the spot as blood dripped from the open wound. It had been awhile since someone had made him bleed. His cheek stung from the hit which surprised him due to her size. The smell of metal filled his nostrils. As he looked down at her he noticed the same fierce look in her eyes that he had during battle. A fire within her soul daring to be set free for just the moment. "I am not a bitch." She said finally her hands balling into small fists at her sides.

"What?" Gajeel asked moving his hand off his cheek; the blood finally clotting. After a moment he realized she was talking about their previous fight and the remarks he had made then. They had secretly left a deep impression on her.

"You heard me." Levy pivoted on the spot and began to walk away "And stop fallowing me. I can take care of myself."

"I ain't fallowing you!" Gajeel yelled to her, refusing to move, waiting, wanting to give her enough space.

"I'm not stupid!" she yelled over her shoulder as she continued on "I don't need you protecting me especially when I need protecting from the likes of you!"

Her words had stung more than her hit but he had deserved every one of them. From then on he was more cautious when trailing her home. Though he had kept his distance Gajeel always felt like she knew he was there in the shadows, watching her, protecting her even if she didn't need it. The fire he had witnessed, he noticed with a growing and twisted sense of pride and control, only seemed to come out when he was around.

Gajeel shook his head and realized that the conversation between them had stopped. They had both fallen silent; lost in their own mental theatres. Levy was staring into the fire and he wondered just what was playing in her mind. He sighed again, pulling her back to reality and the conversations continued on; as though neither had stopped to do anything but breathe.

Though he was still curious what their experience on the dance floor had meant Gajeel pushed it into the back of his mind as he listened to Levy talk about her past. He knew that he could never truly have her in that way. "So you were raised by your Grandparents?" he asked as she yawned and slid down on the couch closer towards him. Fatigue starting to show.

"Yeah my whole family was a part of Fairy Tail. I've been a member basically since I was born but I was raised by my grandparents when my parents passed away on a mission." Levy looked into the fire thinking about the few memories that she had about her parents. "A Dark Guide." She answered recognizing the silent question on his lips. He nodded in understanding. "You know" she said looking into Gajeel's red eyes "I've never really talked about any of this to anyone. I mean everyone knows they died and once my Grandparents passed away too the Guide was my only family but I never talked about it before."

"Why not?" he asked truly curious about the side of Levy that she had shared with no one else before and was choosing to show just him. Levy stretched and closed the gap between them, resting herself against Gajeel's chest, yawning again. He smiled down at her as he, as though second nature, began to run his fingers through her thick blue hair.

"Well I've always been so small that I go kind of unnoticed. I didn't want to draw attention to myself by being upset all the time. When I did cry people seemed to tiptoe around me to not upset me even more so I figured that there was no point in talking about them at all if they were gone. No one ever brought them up again either. It was as though they had never existed. Any of them. It makes holidays terrible to be honest." Levy let out a small laugh "I actually can't remember the last birthday I celebrated. I doubt if anyone truly knows when it is anymore."

"Why not?"

Levy shrugged into his chest "Birthday's just seem too close of a reminder that I have no family left. Other than Fairy Tail which I guess is gone too." Both fell silent as the realization sank in.

"I acted like Metalicana didn't exist for a while too." Levy looked up at Gajeel and he noticed a few tears had traced her cheeks "It was easier that way. I didn't feel so alone if I ignored the fact that I was." They both smiled at their similarities "I'll celebrate you're birthday with you this year. Unless it passed already?"

Levy shook her head as blush began to cross her cheeks at the thought. "And I can help you celebrate yours Gajeel." He beamed down at her at the thought and then the conversation turned and continued on. Minutes turned to hours and soon the sun began to rise and shine through the front window. Bright beautiful pinks and orange's flickered through the room through the trees.

"Have we really spent the whole night talking?" Levy asked as she yawned loudly and pressed herself deeper into Gajeel's shirt, breathing him in in the process. Next to them the fire was nothing more than embers. Gajeel took a deep breath and stood from the couch, lifting Levy up into his arms with him. "Where are we going?" she asked waking up slightly at her change in position.