Awkward Circumstances

Levy opened her eyes groggily and she had a splitting headache. The next thing she did was to recall the events of last night, but she had recalled far back to when Gajeel had been carrying her to the guild. She faintly remembered him offering her to stay in his house, but she wondered if that was just her own imagination. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. After he brought her to the guild, she had come to an agreement that she would stay with Mirajane until she found a new home. But why was she here in the guild then?

She was about to ask for aspirin and water when Jet and Droy appeared. "Yo, Levy. So, you know why your house got burnt down, right?" Jet asked. His cheerful voice irritated her slightly.

"No shit. It must be one of those guys in the warehouse who set the fire." She said with a throaty voice. She got up, brushing the two men aside before they could offer her their homes for her to stay in. She made her way to Mirajane and asked for a remedy for the headache she had. "And why am I here and not at your place?" She asked as she drank the medicine down.

Mirajane smiled. "Once you took a gulp of liquor, you refused to leave the guild. Oh, Levy, it's not the first time, remember?" She said with a giggle. "I don't know why you insist on drinking when you can't even hold your liquor." She picked up a mug and wiped it with a towel.

Levy grunted. "I wanna drink, so let me." She said. She then remembered that she had to get herself some clothes, and she groaned dreadfully. Mirajane gave her a curious look. "I have to look for a house, and then get clothes and things since they're all gone in the fire." She grumbled.

Mirajane smiled, and then it faded, being replaced with a look of realization. "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, Levy! It seems Gajeel's house has also been set on fire, and he only found out once he returned home. Of course, by that time the fire was put out and he couldn't stay in it." She said. Levy perked up as she listened to Mirajane. So Gajeel's been attacked by them too. It was not very surprising since they messed up everything for those dealers.

Levy looked elsewhere, on purpose, but concentrated on the conversation with Mirajane. "So…where is he staying now?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but it didn't stop Mira from smiling at her.

"Hm…I don't know. He did come to the guild for a while after he found out about the state of his house, but he didn't stay long. He didn't say where he was going to stay too. I doubt he's met with anything dangerous though…" Mirajane trailed off in concern.

"Okay." Levy said, getting up and walking out of the guild, but not before letting Mira know that she would be hunting for homes. Of course, whether that was what she was really intending to do was Mira's question, although she didn't ask.

Mirajane sighed with a small smile. "You're not honest to yourself, Levy." She mumbled as she took an order from a guild member.


Levy's eyes darted around as she walked past people and shops selling all kinds of goods. Seeing no one in particular, she walked into an office in hopes of finding a cheap and small home, when she saw a familiar back in front of her. She knew it was him, but she only realized now that he had broad shoulders and a strong back. She brushed the thought aside. So what if he did? She had a back as good as his, and she was well on her own.

"Well…if you could do something about that…" She heard him say in a slightly pleading tone to the man handling the houses. "It's old, and it's on the fifth floor. Walking all the way up there is not easy, so I would very well like it if you could lower the rental." He said in a negotiating tone.

She cocked her head to the side. "What's the matter?" She asked, making Gajeel turn to face her, startled. The man behind the desk gazed at her without much of a care, but he seemed to look a little irritated. She looked at the papers on the table, which had details of the house that she guessed Gajeel wanted to rent. She grinned. "Why don't we share then?" She asked. "It's big enough for two people."

His eyes widened. "Wha—No, I cannot—"

Levy patted his back lightly. "Now, now, don't be shy that a gorgeous lady such as me is going to be living under the same roof." Who am I kidding, the one being pathetically shy is me! She screamed in her mind, but she kept a grin on her face. Gajeel still looked reluctant, and Levy sighed. "We both don't have a place to stay and we need one. Besides," She glanced over the prices of the houses for rent. "All the other houses are way too expensive. If we share the rent, it'll be much cheaper, right?" She said. "If things don't work out well, then I'll search for another house. But right now, this is better than nothing. The bright side is, we're not strangers."

They exchanged stares for quite some time, and the man behind the desk merely twirled his keys in boredom, waiting for them to reach an agreement. Levy's brown eyes stared into Gajeel's red eyes unflinchingly, determined to win. Gajeel sighed, giving up. Levy smirked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Very well." He said, and the man handed them papers to sign for the rental.

Stepping out of the office, Levy pumped her fists upwards. "Alright, I've got a roof above my head now!" She said as she twirled the keys to her new—shared—home. Gajeel grabbed the keys from her hands, much to her disappointment. "Hey!" She said, watching him walk towards their rented home. "What, you really hate being with me now?" She asked. "Talk about mood swings."

He turned around to look at her. "Far from that, Levy. It is very far from hate." He said softly, but Levy didn't quite catch it, only hearing 'hate', and she looked at him in confusion. He continued walking.

So he really does hate me now? She asked herself in her mind. "Well, you could have said so earlier…" She said dejectedly. "Anyway, I'll go do some shopping and leave you alone then." She said hastily as she turned the other way and ran off.

Gajeel sighed and shook his head. "To think I'd end up being so close to you than I ever thought I would." He said as he neared the new home. He didn't know if he could deal with himself being in the same house as her. He looked up at the five story building and grumbled, walking up five flights of stairs and tiring himself out by the time he reached the house. Unlocking the door, he looked at the lightly furnished home. After walking through the short hallway of the entrance, there was a small kitchen on his right and a living room in front of him. A door on the left end of the house was a bathroom, and on the right end were two small rooms, one beside the other, which he knew were the bedrooms. He gulped, starting to imagine the possible life that he would now have to live with the person he undoubtedly has feelings for.


Levy hummed an irregular tune as she walked past shops and searched for the one shop she always got her clothes from. Finally arriving outside the shop, she smirked. "Love & Lucky, how I missed getting some of your clothes. Now that I have none, it's a perfect time to shop." She entered Love & Lucky and looked through the items on display with enthusiasm, but not forgetting the conversation she had with Gajeel earlier.

Although Levy enjoyed shopping, she didn't take long to decide what to purchase. She didn't purchase many items as well, simply because she didn't have enough at the moment. "Guess I'll have to stick with these for now," She mumbled as she walked to the house where she would stay. She had a feeling she wouldn't be staying there for long, considering how her housemate isn't mutually attracted to her.

She bit her lower lip. After spouting haughtily to Lucy that she would never fall for a man, here she was, walking to a home where she was sharing with the man she definitely has fallen for…except she's already rejected before things went anywhere. "Love is such an asshole to me." She muttered under her breath as she walked.

She grew tired by the time she reached the house, and she knocked on the door. Gajeel opened it for her, looking down at her with a smile which she felt seemed a little forced. He looked awkward for some reason, and she could only guess that it was because he didn't like seeing her. She dropped her bags of clothes in one of the bedrooms and left, muttering words along the lines of 'drinking at the guild again'. Gajeel looked at her curiously as she left and only catching the word 'guild'. At least he knew where she would be. He opened his notebook filled with information and started writing on paper.


"You're back! Did you find a home?" Mira asked Levy as she sat down on the bar stool.

Levy nonchalantly shrugged. "Yeah." She said, deciding not to disclose the fact that she was sharing a home with Gajeel, even though it was for convenience's sake. "I'm probably staying here for tonight again though." She mumbled.

"Why is that?" Mira asked. "You should get a good rest now that you're settled in a home. I'm sure you're still exhausted from yesterday's events."

Levy looked elsewhere. "Nah." She ended the conversation by walking over to Jet and Droy, talking to them and making fun of them. Levy decided that she would only stay there until she found a new place.

It was not long before the guild went on its merry way and everyone started drinking, with the exception of Mirajane and Cana. They made a ruckus late into the night, everyone in their drunken stupor with Levy included. "Levy!" Droy slurred as he placed a mug of beer in front of her. "Drink up!"

She grinned, her face flushed from the drinks she had as she grabbed the mug and chugged it down. She stood and walked to where Lucy was, who was trying to get Natsu to drink more despite the man's unwillingness, and it seemed as if he was worried of Lucy's well being instead. But he couldn't go against Levy's glare as he shrieked, letting the blue haired woman smirk and challenge Lucy in drinking.


It was half past two in the morning when Gajeel put his pen down and looked at the clock. He hadn't realized he was working for that long, and then he realized Levy still hasn't come back yet. He shouldn't be worried if she was in the guild. But that was if she was in the guild. He had his arms across his chest as he closed his eyes and wondered if he was just being too worried. Maybe he should wait for another hour and she if she's back. She isn't incapable of taking care of herself anyway.

But his patience didn't last ten minutes as he stood up and his feet walked to the door automatically, heading towards the guild to see if she was there. He knew Levy would be angry if he appeared and told her he was worried, but it was better feeling relieved than concerned. He reached the guild and was met with groups of people slurring and laughing drunkenly at things that were not usually amusing, and in the midst of the crowd he spotted Levy, standing in front of Lucy and cackling at her before she stumbled backwards and was about to fall. He was about to break into a run to catch her when she was caught by someone. He walked towards them.

"Ohoho, my bad." Levy slurred as she looked up at the face of Jellal, who smiled at her. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what in the world was the King doing here. Mirajane smiled at them. "What? Why is this guy here?" Levy asked Mirajane.

"Now, now, Levy. You shouldn't be so rude to our King." Mirajane said. "I'm sorry that Levy's being rude, Your Highness."

Jellal shook his head. "No, it's really not a problem. I appreciate that she doesn't care about my status." He said with a gentle smile. He didn't even look like royalty. He wore a simple white T-shirt and black pants, and he tried to hide his face by wearing a pair of shades. "I was just here to see how the guild is doing. It's a little…nostalgic." He said.

"Remembering your time in Earthland, King Jellal?" Mirajane and Jellal heard Gajeel say as they saw him walk towards them with a smile. Jellal smiled as a greeting, and nodded. "I am quite curious about Earthland, but I suppose you must be too busy to accompany me in this conversation. Besides," Gajeel looked at Levy, who was cackling at Lucy trying to hug Natsu in a death grip. "I came to pick someone up."

Mirajane looked at him with a wide curious smile that Gajeel caught, and he merely gave a small smile. "We're sharing the same home, at the moment." He explained.

Levy then turned around to face Mirajane, Jellal, and Gajeel. Looking at Gajeel, she frowned. "Oh, hell no." She said, stepping backwards. "Why the hell are you here? I'm not going back home yet!" She said with a grin. "I'm partying here!" She yelled, earning cheers from the rest in the guild.

Mirajane giggled. "She's had a bit too much to drink." She said as she handed a mug of beer to Jellal. "Care to drink, King Jellal?" She asked, when she saw a familiar red head appear in the entrance, and silencing the whole guild.

Erza Knightwalker looked at the guild members indifferently and Jellal grimaced. To think they would find out so quickly that he wasn't in the mansion. "Your Highness," She said stoically. "We would appreciate that you would at least let us know where you are headed to."

Jellal sighed. "I suppose time is up. I'm sorry I couldn't accept the drink, Mirajane." He said as he faced Erza. "I'm sorry, Knightwalker. I just wanted to walk around the city." He said apologetically, but she merely turned around and started walking out of the guild, when laughter erupted from Levy.

Everyone, including Jellal and Erza, looked at Levy. "Hey, hey, did you know that Jellal likes—" She was interrupted by Jellal who placed his hand over her mouth, and her voice came out as muffles. Erza cocked her head to the side while everyone became curious, but dared not ask. Gajeel gave a small awkward chuckle as he took Levy from Jellal. "Oh, right, why am I saying that." She said as she rolled her eyes. She looked at Jellal. "Man up and tell her, Jellal." She said softly but teasingly, making the King blush lightly.

"Well, let's get going now." Jellal said as she walked past Erza and hurried out of the guild, the female soldier following after him and looking quite curious.

The guild sighed as the atmosphere became friendly again, and Levy giggled as she leaned onto Gajeel, her head resting on his chest. She then remembered that Gajeel is here. She moved away from him, her drunk, flushed face looking upset at him. "Why are you here?" She hissed. She turned away from. "I'm partying, and that's that! Mira, hand me a mug!" She slammed her hand on the counter, when Gajeel pulled her away from the counter and dragged her out of the guild. "Hey, let me go, you fucking asshole!" She yelled, trying to pull her arm out of his grip, but her feet weren't working the way she wanted them to. Eventually, she slipped and was caught by Gajeel.

"Take a break, Levy." Gajeel said. "You've had enough to drink. You can barely stand. It's time to return home and sleep." He walked slowly with the girl in his hands. Stumbling and tripping up the stairs, they finally made it up to their home. Luckily there were beds provided, and he put her to bed. She snuggled under the covers and hugged the pillow when her heavy eyelids closed and she drifted off to sleep. He sighed and walked to his own room when he heard a thud from the adjacent room. He hurried to see Levy on the floor. "What are you doing?"

Levy looked up at him with tired and drunk eyes. "I need to pee."

He sighed, helping her up at bringing her to the bathroom. "You can do this on your own, right?" He asked as he sat her on the seat.

She grinned and saluted. "Aye, sir!"

Gajeel turned and closed the door, walking back to his bedroom with a sigh and falling onto his bed. She'll probably be fine by herself now, he thought as sleep took over him.


Gajeel woke up the next morning as he walked over to the bathroom. Levy is probably still sleeping, he thought to himself as he opened the bathroom door, only for him to stare incredulously at the woman sleeping on the toilet seat. His eyes trailed down to see that her legs were parted and her panties were hanging on her ankles, and he started to blush a deep red. "Dear God." He said, tearing his eyes away from her lower body. Levy yawned, opening her eyes and feeling a terrible headache once again.

"Oh, damn. It feels like déjà vu, but where am I?" She asked, looking around and then finally looking at Gajeel, whose expression was not amused and serious. "What?" She asked.

"How could you have fallen asleep in here, Levy?" He asked in a low, awkward voice.

She blinked, looking around and then realized it was the bathroom. She then remembered last night, and grimaced. She stood up. "I guess I fell asleep," She said as she took a step forward, only to yelp as she tripped. She grabbed onto Gajeel's shirt to keep her balance, and then she looked down at her feet, seeing her panties. She blushed a bright red, looked up at Gajeel.

"Tell me you didn't see what I think you saw." She squeaked.

Gajeel stayed silent, turning around rigidly. "Please let me know when you are done with the bathroom." He said as he walked back to his bedroom, leaving her mortified.


Notes:

I'm having lots of fun writing this story that I want to keep writing this story rather than finish my other one, to be honest. But I'm not going to abandon my other fic! I will finish it!

Reviews?