Left Unspoken

Levy woke up the next morning to realize that Gajeel had been long gone, and she just knew he was out there investigating things that were bound to be dangerous. Her imagination ran wild as she kept thinking of the worst case scenarios, but at the end of it all, she clenched her fists and walked out of the house. She was not the kind of person who would drown herself in worry as she waited for a man to come back home. No, she was going to trust him, and she was going to do her own job, and she would party hard when she wants to at the end of the day, and even though he's constantly going to be on the back of her mind, she's going to live her life the way she always did.

"Wow, pretty big statement," Lucy said with a snicker when she heard Levy say everything that was on her mind with pride. "Well…I have to say I know how you feel." She said with a smirk, referring to Natsu. Sometimes the guy disappeared on various missions, despite his timid personality. At least he always came back to the guild okay. "And what happened to never falling for a man?" The blonde chuckled.

Levy shot her a glare. "It's not as if I fucking wanted to fall for him." She said exasperatedly. "Would've been fine if we were just friends." She mumbled, and the blonde dismissed the statement with a wave of her hand. Levy sat down on the bar stool with a disgruntled expression.

"He's better than that last guy, and you know that." Lucy said softly, and it was not missed by Levy. The blue haired woman looked elsewhere, her expression turning regretful and bitter from memories that invaded her mind. Lucy could be right; Gajeel could be better than that last guy. But just because it could be, it doesn't mean it would be.

"Everyone eventually leaves." Levy said, and Mirajane placed a mug of beer on the counter for Levy. The barmaid gave a sad smile. "I don't even know why I bother keeping that stupid dove." She added, and Mirajane and Lucy glanced at each other, unsure of how to approach the situation.

"But that might have been different, Levy. They—your parents—may have thought it would be better for you to be here than with them." Mirajane said, and she had a feeling that Levy knew that reason herself, but she just misses her parents dearly.

Levy shut her eyes and shook her head. "They could have…" She bit her lower lip. "They could have left me a letter saying that than just leaving a stupid fucking dove." She said. "Couldn't they?" She asked in a small voice, her walls about to crumble. Unwilling to let her walls of emotions break, she headed to the request board. She knew that the Master knew about her parents and the past, but the Master's gone and there was no one to ask about her parents. She was hardly dissatisfied with her life right now, but she just wanted to know.

She grabbed a paper pinned up from the board and she left the guild. Lucy and Mirajane watched her go, unable to say much about things they weren't sure of. Levy swiftly walked out into the streets, tears starting to blur her sight. She furiously wiped them away, stopping herself from letting it all out.

"I beg your pardon?" Gajeel asked the lady he was interviewing. He was starting to feel uncomfortable in her presence, because she was trying to divert his attention to other matters that involved them under the sheets. She was attractive, he had to admit, but he had priorities and his priorities could not be hindered by her. Besides, Levy was the only woman on his mind much more than the prospect of having another woman (much less an interviewee) under his sheets. He wondered what she was doing right now, and what she was thinking about. He wondered whether she even thought of him for a moment.

"Hello?" The woman said, looking irritated. He gave a polite smile, apologizing. She seemed to get back on her mission to seduce him. He closed his notebook and left after a short goodbye, leaving her disappointed. He headed towards an alleyway where there was an inconspicuous bar, and based from the information he received from the woman, there would be someone who knew about these illegal trading that took place within the city.

Levy looked at the flashy hotel standing in front of her. It was five stories high, and the hotel was lit up with bright neon lights, as if it was begging people not to miss it. She looked at the paper she held, and looked back at the gaudy hotel, and then shrugged. "Eh, work is work." She muttered as she went inside. She talked to the manager and he gleefully gave her the job as a receptionist at this gaudy hotel.

"So you'll be working here every night for about two weeks, and as written on the paper, we'll give you a good amount of money for it." The manager said, flashing a smile. "And," He looked at her clothes. "We'll provide a uniform."

Levy shrugged. She wasn't a fool. She knew where this place was, and this was a gaudy hotel in a dodgy place. Customers that came into the hotel and requested rooms were looking for a passionate night that may or may not end up well. But she wasn't going to bother about that. She needed work, and money, and she didn't mind being receptionist. The manager went into a room and reappeared in front of her a while later, holding up a sleeveless black lace dress that reached her mid thigh. "This should fit you. Now, come back tonight for work." The manager said, and Levy agreed and left the hotel.

She yawned, walking back to the brighter side of the city. It didn't matter to her where she was in the city, because the city was always the city, and the guild will always be there. That's right, the guild will always be there, and that was one of her havens…other than her house, but that could very well change soon.

Soon…she thought, a dejected and depressed look on her face as she made her way back to the guild. Since the job was at night, that meant she could take jobs during the day, which meant she would be earning more money. Looking at the request board once again, she grabbed a paper which required her to help out in loading and unloading materials. She stuffed it in her pocket as she immediately headed to the place, when Mirajane called out to her. "I thought you have a mission already." She said, and Levy nodded.

"But that's at night." Levy said, which made Mira even more concerned.

"Don't work yourself too hard, Levy." The barmaid said in gentle concern, and Levy gave a reassuring smirk before leaving for the mission.

Gajeel gave a satisfied smile as he headed back home. He finally managed to get the information he needed, and with little to no danger. He could let Levy know about that. Then again, there would be no surprise if he was in danger at this very moment by people who didn't want their businesses to collapse from his written pieces. Well, he'll deal with it when the time comes. It was around ten at night when he arrived home and unlocked the door, but he realized that Levy hasn't been back yet. He wasn't too worried, thinking that she was probably at the guild. He started writing his article, getting lost in the excitement of writing a provoking article when he heard the door open. He looked at the clock in his room, and found that it is now a quarter past three.

Soft footsteps were heard and the door to her room was closed with hardly a sound. Gajeel wondered if the door had even been closed properly. He stood up, stretched lightly, and walked towards her room. The door hadn't closed, as he had thought. He peered into her room, and saw her curled on the bed, hugging a pillow close to her body, fast asleep. He closed the door softly.

What has she been doing to become so tired, he wondered.

The next day when Gajeel woke up, he found Levy's room empty. Usually he'd be first to wake up, and leave before she did. He could only guess that she took a job which required her to start work early. He didn't think she wasn't a hard worker, but after the entire guild has been through when magic was running, he thought she would want to take it easier. Then again, money wasn't going to magically appear in their pockets either.

Gajeel, deciding to spend his entire time in the house to work on his article for today, slipped into a plain t-shirt and jeans, and sat on his desk in his room, papers scribbled with notes scattered around and making himself ready for a long day.

Levy grumbled mentally as she carried bricks and piles of materials for reconstruction of the houses. While most of the city had been rebuilt, there were still a few houses that needed to be reconstructed. In addition, the reconstruction mess had to be cleaned up. And that was what she was doing right now, cleaning up discarded materials or leftovers from the reconstruction of the city buildings. Constantly carrying, bending down to pick up things, or sweeping dust was tiring. When she appeared on site yesterday morning, people were skeptical at first because of her build. But she proved them wrong when she worked swiftly and reliably, at the cost of her energy, of course.

Unfortunately, this was the only job that allowed her to work in the day and didn't clash with her night job. It was tiring, but it was only for two weeks, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm doing this for the money, she kept reminding herself. The sooner she gets enough, the sooner she can leave the house, and leave Gajeel alone.

Yes, she wants to do that. She does.

She groaned. Who am I kidding? She asked herself in her thoughts as she picked up a brick into her gloved hands. "You alright there?" One of the builders asked, and she nodded with a grin. She didn't want to leave, and she knew it.

Mirajane gave a thoughtful sigh as she wiped the rims of the beer mugs behind the counter. Lucy sat on a bar stool and gave the barmaid a curious look. "What are you thinking about?" She asked, and then her lips turned into a smirk. "Someone on your mind?" She asked, her question obviously referring to a romantic interest.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I feel as if Levy's working too hard." Mirajane said worryingly, and Lucy grimaced. The barmaid was completely oblivious to what Lucy had implied in the question. "She took a job in helping out with the reconstruction, and later tonight she'll be working at a hotel, until late at night. I'm sure she's not getting enough sleep. And that girl's never eating properly." Mirajane said, placing the last of the beer mugs on the shelf.

Lucy looked indifferent, but she was thinking as well. "Maybe she wants something." She said. "Or…" She paused, and Mirajane looked at the blonde. "She wants to forget about something?" She said, the question hanging in the air as they fell silent, reminding them of the conversation they had with Levy yesterday.

Gajeel knew he could get lost in his work, but he was on alert for a certain someone to return home. Unfortunately, there has been no sign yet of her returning home for anything at all. Not even for a minute or two. He scribbled notes on a piece of paper and got back to writing a draft. He shouldn't be so worried. After all, she's been fine before they became as they are now. Why would it be any different now? He knew she was fine.

But he just wanted to see her again.

It was half past three in the morning when he yawned and stretched, realizing that he had been up until now writing. He was nearly halfway through his work, when he heard the door open and soft footsteps heading towards her room again when he got up from his seat and came out of his room. She looked at him with weary eyes. "Welcome back." He said, a little surprised by her state.

"Mm," She mumbled as she walked into her room, and he saw her fall on her bed and snuggle under the covers. He contemplated on asking her what she had been doing, but seeing her half lidded eyes that were going to close any second now, he decided not to. "Close…door, will you?" She mumbled as she lost the battle to stay awake any longer.

Gajeel could do nothing but to close the door, and looked at the clock. He could work for an hour more, he thought to himself. One hour turned into three when he rubbed his eyes and decided to head to bed, when he heard the door adjacent to his open. At six in the morning, Levy lifted her heavy legs and was about to head out of the house. He stopped her, and she gave him a weary yet indifferent look. "Why are you leaving at this hour?" He asked.

"For work." She mumbled, and then she realized she was still holding on to her blanket. She dropped it, walking towards the door, when he grabbed onto her hand. "What?" She asked crankily.

"You had three hours of sleep! You can't possibly work like this!" He said incredulously. She yanked her arm back but she didn't bother replying. "Have you even eaten?" He asked.

Levy waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah," She lied. Gajeel saw through it and she could tell from his expression. "Look, I'll…get something on the way. Just go to your fucking bed and sleep." She reached out for the doorknob.

"How long are you keeping this up?" He asked.

"None of your fucking business." She said wearily as she opened the door and left. Gajeel heard the door close softly.

A week had passed since Levy started working two jobs, and on Monday she received a long break in the afternoon, so she headed to the guild. She hadn't made an appearance since she took the jobs, and Mirajane, Jet, and Droy stared at her state of fatigue. "What the hell, Levy, what have you been doing?" Jet asked, and Droy was asking the same question based on his expressions. Mirajane frowned, ready to tell the blue haired woman to stop the jobs this instant.

Levy held her hand up, signaling them to stay silent for a while. She grabbed a glass of water and chugged it down. "I've been working. And Mira, don't bother telling me to stop. I need to do this." She said. Mirajane placed a meal before her, and she instantly dug in.

"I knew you weren't eating properly. How many hours have you been sleeping? Levy, if you keep this up, you're going to fall ill." The barmaid chided, but Levy ignored her. Jet and Droy were telling her similar things that Mirajane did, and once Levy was done chugging a glass of water, she stood up.

"Calm the fuck down. I'll be fine. Well," She grinned. "I can't guarantee that I won't collapse at the end of it all, though." She joked as she walked out of the guild, despite Jet and Droy calling out to her in concern.

Levy had to admit that the night job was ludicrous for her. She wanted to quit, but the pay was good, and she just had a week left, so she had to be patient till then. Almost every man that entered seemed to want more women on his hands, and they often gave her leering looks as she gave them their assigned room keys. Sometimes she had to fend off drunken customers who stumble into the room and harass the staff, because apparently she was the only woman who had the guts to, despite her small build.

Just staying there waiting for work to be done was a bore, and she didn't fit in with the rest of the staff because she just wasn't interested. All they do was gossip about things which she found either stupid or uninteresting to her. She only talked to them when she had to do something in the hotel, and that was it.

Tonight is not any different with the usual kind of customers, except Levy's fatigue was weighing her down. Despite that, she didn't lower in the quality of her work, and it seemed as though no one noticed her weariness.

Levy got off work at half past two in the morning, and she trudged back home as quick as she could. It was a pain to deal with unwanted attention at this hour, especially when she's tired as hell. She rubbed her eyes, once again fighting a battle to stay awake when she bumped into someone. She gulped. Oh boy, here comes unwanted attention—

"Bitch, just when I thought I could be out of sight." Levy heard a familiar person say, and she looked up at Lucy, her blonde hair glinting in the moonlight.

"Fuck." Levy said in reply, placing her hand on her forehead. "I thought you were some thug." She said, groaning. "You were following me?"

Lucy grunted. "Mira's orders. She was worried. She still is. You pretty much suck at being healthy, so I don't blame her." The blonde said, as they walked towards Levy's home. Levy scoffed, but immediately yawned after. "I wouldn't give a fuck if you killed yourself with all of this work, but I do because face it, if you're not at the guild it wouldn't be as fun. And know that you are not. Fucking. Alone." She said, emphasizing on the words.

Levy looked at Lucy with a raised eyebrow. "You're lecturing me about this? Really?" She said, deadpanned. "I know all of that, thank you very much." They reached the apartment, but Lucy stopped her from going in.

"No, you don't, and you know why?" Lucy had a solemn frown on her face. "Because you don't trust us enough." She said, and Levy's eyes widened. "Because you're fucking scared of getting hurt."

Levy frowned. "What the fuck are you—"

"Because your parents left you at the guild." Lucy interrupted.

"Shut up, blondie—"

"Because that asshole Reone used you for two years and threw you away like a rag."

"Lucy, just—"

"Because you're trying to forget all of that and now you're trying to run away from Gajeel."

Levy slapped Lucy across the face in the heat of anger, but the blonde did not falter. She merely looked down at Levy, and the blue haired girl stepped backwards. "Levy?" The two women heard Gajeel, who came downstairs hearing the light commotion between the two. He looked at Lucy. "Oh, good…morning, Lucy." He said, remembering the time.

Levy sighed. "Just…just shut up." She said, walking up the stairs hastily, leaving Gajeel and Lucy. Gajeel smiled at the blonde woman politely.

"If it's no trouble, may I listen to the story later today?" He asked Lucy, who smirked.

Notes:

OMFG CHAPTER 268! Seeing Gajeel makes me so happy. He looks so hot. Team B is going to kick ass. I wish Levy had more important lines. It's as if Mashima put her in there just so no one forgets her (and I certainly will not forget that cute little mage).

I would have posted this yesterday but something was wrong with .

Next chapter would be all about Levy's past. Don't worry, it's like, no big deal, you know? Just some sadness here and there, and her cutesy wutsey tsundere character (Levy: "Wh-What? I didn't do that just for my readers, b-baka!")

I'm just very happy seeing Gajeel again.