Author's Note: 5.5k words. This chapter is exactly 5.5k words. I wrote a little flashback in it, and if I were to remove that alongside the author's note, then it would've been 4.5k words, like the previous chapter was without the author's note. A big special shout out to guest, for being a very good guest and reviewing; Juviafullbuster1, for reviewing twice (though I'm pretty sure the second review was a reply to the first one, lol), and Ushindeshi for becoming a new reviewer! Welcome to the squad! All of your reviews mean the world to me, so thank you so much! I also enjoyed having a little conversation with Ushindeshi, and I wouldn't mind if any of you guys PMed me. I'd love to get to know my readers better! (Hope that's not creepy oops, sorry!) Also, please don't forget to review! I'd be so happy to hear from you!

Guest: I would say that about Natsu, but I'm not sure about Lucy yet. I also really liked that expression you used- very creative! Thank you so much for reviewing!

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains mention of Chapter 4's suicide attempt. Please read with caution.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!


Levy

"Hey, shrimp." An unexpected gruff voice called out.

Levy shrieked, practically jumping out of her skin. She looked behind her to see Gajeel leaning against the wall, a small "Gihi" escaping his lips.

"Gajeel!" Levy whined. "You scared the living daylight out of me!" She pouted.

"I can see that." Gajeel commented, obviously enjoying himself.

"It's not funny!" Levy pounded her fist against his chest.

"Sure," Gajeel snickered, grabbing Levy's wrist and stopping her mid-pound.

"Let me go!" Levy complained, yanking her wrist away from Gajeel. "Why are you here anyway?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Come with me," Gajeel told her, pushing himself off of the wall and started to walk away.

"What?!" Levy asked. "Why?" Gajeel said nothing, he just kept walking. Levy groaned, giving in. "Wait up!" She called out to Gajeel, running after him. She huffed, walking alongside him. "Where are we going?" She asked him.

Gajeel grunted. "You'll see." He told Levy, not looking at her.

Levy sighed, walking alongside Gajeel. She figured she wasn't going to get an answer out of him. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at 8 Island, a nice little restaurant. "Why'd you take me here?" She asked, looking up at Gajeel.

Gajeel didn't give a verbal response- instead, he took her hand and pulling her inside. He went up to the lady behind the restaurant podium. "Table for two, please."

The lady nodded, leading them to a booth seat. She placed the menus down and then walked off. Gajeel and Levy took a seat across each other, an awkward silence hanging over the two of them.

Levy cleared her throat. "Gajeel," She started, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Why did you bring me here?" She asked, concern laced throughout her words. "Is something wrong?"

"Long story." Gajeel huffed, resting his arms onto the table and looking down at the menu.

Levy smiled softly at Gajeel. "I've got time," She told him.

"Do you know what Juvia and I were talking about yesterday?" Gajeel asked, his voice rather quiet.

Levy shook her head. "No, is everything alright?" She asked, a dash of concern within her voice.

Gajeel hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth to speak only to close it seconds later. There was a frown- not a scowl- on his face, with genuine sadness in his eyes.

The waitress came up to the two, a smile on her face. "Good afternoon," She greeted the duo with a happy voice. "I'm Erza, and I'll be your server for today. Can I start you two off with some drinks?"

"Can I have a water please?" Levy asked. "Also, I really like your hair, it's so pretty!" She smiled.

Erza's face lit up. "Thank you," She said. "And what would you like, sir?" She asked, turning to Gajeel.

"Dr. Pepper." Gajeel answered, not looking up.

Levy sent Erza a silent apology with her eyes, and Erza nodded at Levy. "I'll be right back with your drinks," She told them, leaving the table.

Levy turned her gaze to Gajeel, a worried look in her eyes. She gently rested her hand atop his arm, causing him to look up at her. "It's okay," She told Gajeel. "You can tell me. And if you don't want to, then that's okay too." Levy sent Gajeel a reassuring smile.

Gajeel bit his lip, moving his right arm from underneath his left arm and putting his hand on top of Levy's. He looked up at her, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "Juvia..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Juvia tried to commit suicide."

Levy gasped, her eyes wide. "No way," She mumbled, rendered speechless by Gajeel's words. She couldn't believe that her friend had tried to take her own life. Levy had presumed that she had just got caught in the rain, and now she felt bad for assuming nothing was wrong. Levy's thoughts were cut off by Gajeel's voice.

"She- she told me that she had went to the roof to jump off- but that Gray or whoever she was with-" Gajeel paused, taking a shaky breath. "He had stopped her before she actually did it." He told her.

"Well, thank god that he saved her." Levy smiled. She saw Gajeel scowl and look away from her, turning his eyes towards the window instead. Levy frowned. "Gajeel? Is there something else on your mind?" She asked.

The sound of footsteps approaching their table made Levy look up. With her free hand, she held up a finger to her mouth. Erza nodded, setting the drinks down gently and mouthing to Levy that she'd give the two more time.

Levy turned her attention back to Gajeel, only to see that he was looking at her. Levy's heart sank when she saw that some of the tears that had collected in his eyes had started to fall down his tan skin. "Gajeel…" She started. "Gajeel, don't cry," Levy reached for some napkins and handed them to him.

Gajeel held up a hand, signaling that he didn't need the napkins. "I wasn't there." He spoke, his voice dull. "When I had come to the dorm building, I had looked at the roof to see if she was there," Gajeel curled his fists into balls. "but I couldn't see anything due to the mist that the rain made. I just assumed she wasn't there, but I shouldn't have." He mumbled. "I should've went up there myself and checked for her."

"Gajeel," Levy tried again, only to get cut off once more.

"What if that guy wasn't there, Levy?" He asked, his voice cracking as it increased in volume. "She would've done it, and we would've been right fucking there, Levy, ignorant to the outside world. I wasn't there to help her, I failed her," More tears threatened to fall from his woeful red eyes. "I'm a bad brother and an eve-"

"Gajeel! Levy exclaimed, taking her cup of water and splashing some of it onto the man. "Will you shut up for one second before you talk yourself to your death?!" She asked. "You didn't know any better, Gajeel, you shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

"Bu-" Gajeel started, only to stop when he saw Levy raise her water again.

"Try to reason otherwise and I will shove this cup down your throat." Levy threatened, getting him to be quiet for good. "Stop dwelling on what you didn't do and focus on what you can do! Be happy that Juvia is alive!" She told Gajeel. "Stop saying you're a bad brother! If Juvia didn't love you then she wouldn't have told you what happened!"

Gajeel's eyes widened at Levy's words as he took a napkin and wiped himself dry, but he refrained himself from saying anything, seeing that Levy still had more to say.

"And talking about love, something you can do for Juvia is support her! I saw the way you scowled at Gray, and while being an overprotective brother is kind of cute, you need to walk in Juvia's shoes. Did you see how Juvia's mood took a U-turn when Gray joined us in watching the movie?" Levy asked. "She really likes him, even a little kid could tell that! The least you can do is support her!"

Gajeel still kept silent, an unreadable emotion hidden inside his red eyes. "You can speak now," Levy told him. "I won't shove my cup down your throat." She gave him a reassuring smile.

After a few more moments of silence, Gajeel sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temple with his free hand. "I guess you're right, Levy." He admitted. "Thank you for that." Gajeel gently lifted up her hand, pulling her knuckles to his face and planting a soft kiss against them, relishing the sweet taste of her pale skin. He opened his eyes to look at her, his lips still against her skin.

A light pink blush lit up Levy's cheeks as Gajeel's crimson eyes pierced through her heart, melting it. "N-no need to thank me for that," She told him.

"So, you think being overprotective is cute?" Gajeel asked, referencing to what Levy said earlier.

Levy yanked her hand away from Gajeel, crossing her arms across her chest as her blush deepened. "I-I-" She pouted, hearing Gajeel let out a little "Gihi" at her struggles. "Stop laughing!" She exclaimed.

"Are you two ready to order?" Erza asked them, causing both of the two to look up.

Levy nodded. "Can I have the grilled cheese and tomato soup please?" She asked.

Erza nodded. "And what about you, sir?" She asked Gajeel.

"Can I have a turkey club?" He asked Erza.

"Of course. I'll be back soon with your orders." She told the two, heading off.

"So how long were you waiting outside of my class?" Levy asked Gajeel.

Gajeel shrugged. "I went as soon as my class ended.

"Well, what time does your class end?" Levy asked.

Gajeel shrugged again. "Like, 3:30." He answered.

"You waited for 20 minutes?!" Levy asked, her eyes wide.

Gajeel scoffed. "20 minutes too long." He answered.

Levy let out a little laugh. "How sweet," She commented.

"Tch." Gajeel huffed, crossing his arms.

"Hey Gajeel," Levy asked.

"Hm?"

"Why did you get all those piercings?" She asked him.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Why ya asking?"

Levy shrugged. "No reason, I'm just curious."

"There's a piercing on my body for every person I've killed." Gajeel told Levy.

Levy let out a little shriek, her eyes wide. Gajeel burst out laughing at her reaction, clutching his stomach. "Oh, fuck you!" She exclaimed.

"Can't believe you actually believed that," Gajeel laughed.

"I can't believe I actually believed that either!" Levy retorted, resulting in another fit of laughter from Gajeel. "Really though, what are those piercings for?" She asked.

"Like what you see?" Gajeel asked, wiggling his eyebrows which, ironically, were pierced as well.

"Shut up!" Levy buried her face into her hands, hiding from Gajeel. Gajeel couldn't stop laughing, a few Gihi's escaping his lips. "Just answer my question please!"

"Honestly," Gajeel started. "I don't know why I got these piercings." He told Levy, causing the girl to look up. "I just felt like it."

"So," Levy started. "All of those piercings, are just because you felt like it?" She asked.

"Yeah," Gajeel nodded.

"Unbelievable." Levy said.

"Unlike what I said earlier, which you totally believed. Gihi." Gajeel laughed.

Levy sighed, taking a sip of her water. She made eye contact with Gajeel, who only wiggled his eyebrows at her in response. Levy almost spit out her water, trying to hold back her laughter.

Seeing that Gajeel had made her laugh, he decided to continue. "Hey," he started, a wide grin on his face. "Someone stole my limbo bar," He told her.

There was a look on Levy's face that said "Oh god please kill me now,"

"I mean, how low can you go?" He asked.

Levy grabbed a napkin and spit out her drink into it, laughing. "Gajeel," Levy complained in between laughs. "Stop making me laugh, I'm trying to drink my water!"

Gajeel didn't want to stop, though. He loved seeing her happy, and even more so he loved to hear her laugh. Of course, he'd never admit that though. "Awww, come on shrimp," He grinned at her. "Live a little!"

Levy blushed, averting her gaze. "Well," She started. "I need water to live, so please let me drink my damn water," She said, starting to burst out into laughs again.

"You still laughing at that?" Gajeel asked. "Weak."

"Excuse me?" Levy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You heard me, shrimp." He smirked.

"Take a sip of your Dr. Pepper, then." Levy challenged. Gajeel complied, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper and not swallowing. "I just bit into a frozen apple." She told Gajeel. "Hardcore."

Gajeel's hand flew to his face, snorting so hard that the Dr. Pepper had flown out of his nostrils. "Fuck," He mumbled, laughing. "That was so bad that it was pretty damn funny."

"Oh ew!" Levy cringed, grabbing some napkins. "Here," She handed them to him, holding back her laughter.

Gajeel took the tissues, wiping up the mess he made on himself and the table. "I think you win," He told Levy, accepting defeat.

Levy pumped her fist in the air in victory. "Bow down to me!" She cheered.

"No, you weirdo." Gajeel said.

"Aw," Levy pouted, a frown on her face.

The smell of fresh food greeted Gajeel and Levy. "One grilled cheese and tomato soup," Erza said, placing the plate in front of Levy. "And one turkey club." She placed another plate in front of the two. "Can I get you two anything else?" She asked. Levy and Gajeel shook their heads, and she smiled, leaving the table to serve her other customers.

"Fuck yeah," Gajeel exclaimed, taking the toothpick off of his sandwich and chowing down.

Levy laughed at his animal-like behavior. "I've never been here before," She told him. "I assume the food is good?" She asked.

Gajeel swallowed. "I've never had that before, but I bet it's just as good as this." He told her.

Levy dipped her grilled cheese into her tomato soup, taking a bite. Her eyes instantly lit up. "It is good!" She exclaimed in between bites.

As the two finished eating, a question popped into her mind at his earlier statement before they had received their food, and she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Gajeel asked.

"Do you think I'm weird?" Levy asked him.

"In a good way, yeah." Gajeel smirked.

Levy smiled slightly, resting her elbow on the table and then resting her chin in her palm, looking out of the window.

Gajeel tilted his head slightly. "Something wrong?" He asked, worried that he said the wrong thing.

Levy turned her gaze to Gajeel. "Why do you hang out with me?" She asked.

"Huh?" Gajeel blinked, caught off guard by her question.

"We're such different people," Levy started, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I read books and have an asmr channel while you're in a rock band with piercings all over your body. What about me made you want to be my friend?" She asked.

Gajeel chuckled a little, causing Levy to raise an eyebrow at him in confusion. "The stars can't shine without the darkness." He told her.

"What about the sun?" Levy asked, tilting her head.

"Shut the fuck up you're like 4'10" A tick mark appeared on Gajeel's forehead, and Levy couldn't help but laugh.

"I had to," Levy told him, ignoring his comment about her height.

Gajeel sighed, a knowing smile on his face. "Anyways, If you're smart enough to correct me, then you're smart enough to know what I mean. It's a little ironic, though." He let out a laugh. "A few years ago I would've asked myself the same question."

"Really?" Levy asked.

Gajeel nodded. "Yeah. I thought you would've forgotten about me once you finished being my guide for that first week." He admitted. "Maybe not Juvia, but definitely me."

Levy laughed a little. "I actually thought the opposite." She told him, causing his eyes to widen. "I thought you'd stop talking to me after that week."

Gajeel smiled at Levy, genuine happiness with a twinge of an unknown emotion in his eyes. "I'm glad we're friends." He told her.

Levy smiled back at Gajeel. "Me too."

A loud thud was heard on the table, and both Gajeel and Levy's eyes widened. In front of them was a vanilla milkshake, with a single red candy cherry on top and two red straws sticking out of it.

"Someone told me to give this to you," Erza said, winking at them. "I'll be back later with the check, enjoy~" With that, they walked off.

Gajeel and Levy looked at the milkshake, then at each other, confusion evident in their eyes. "Did you-" They both started at the same time, pausing. "No, I didn-" They paused again, realizing that they were both speaking at the same time again.

Levy looked out around the restaurant, but couldn't see anyone who she knew. "Do you see anyone we know?" She asked.

Gajeel, however, already knew who it was. He could hear the voice of bunny girl, Levy's roommate, and some other boy. Gajeel assumed it was them, but kept his mouth shut nonetheless, pretending to look around. "No," Gajeel told her.

Gajeel and Levy looked at each other, an awkward air around them. "Well," Levy started. "What are we waiting for?" She asked.

Gajeel shrugged. "That's a good fucking question." He answered, leaning forward and taking a sip from one of the straws.

Levy blushed, taking a sip from the other straw. As they drank, Levy noticed some things about Gajeel that she hadn't noticed before. The way his mane of unruly black hair cascaded down his shoulders, the way his numerous facial piercings highlighted his features, and the way his maroon eyes glinted whenever he was thinking; all of this made Levy wish that she had gotten a better look at Gajeel sooner.

Her eyes trailed down. Gajeel was the kind of person who never folded the collar of his shirts, which always exposed his collar bone, and this shirt was no exception. Levy was about to trail her eyes downwards, when her cheeks started to heat up and she decided to go sideways instead. Levy noticed something odd about his shoulders; they looked tense, almost looked as if he was holding back something. Levy furrowed her eyebrows for a second, before the resumed their relaxed position. Levy pulled away from the straw.

"These milkshakes are really good, huh?" She asked.

Gajeel nodded, pulling away from the straw. "Yeah,"

"I'm kinda full, you can have the rest," Levy told him.

Gajeel shrugged. "Okay," He said. Gajeel took out the two straws and set them on the table, chugging the milkshake down in mere seconds. Gajeel wiped his face with his wrist.

"Whatever happened to napkins?" Levy asked.

"What did the people do before napkins were invented?" Gajeel asked, rendering Levy silent. Gajeel grinned. "Gihi," He laughed. "Got you,"

Erza went up to the two. "Did you guys enjoy your food?" She asked. Gajeel and Levy nodded. "Good," She placed the receipt onto the table, walking away from the two.

"I'll get it," Levy started, reaching into her satchel.

"Too late," Gajeel told her, already sifting through his wallet for his credit card.

Levy's eyes popped out of her head. "How did you do that so fast?!" She asked, her voice practically a shout.

"Gihi," Was all that Gajeel had said, writing on the receipt and then placing his card on top. He waved Erza down, who walked over to the two with a smile on her face.

"I'll be back shortly," She told them, taking the card and the receipt and heading straight towards the cash register.

"Thank you, Gajeel." Levy smiled at the man sitting in front of her. "This was really nice of you."

Gajeel scoffed, avoiding her gaze. "It's nothing," He told her.

"No, really," Levy smiled. "This was fun. We should do this more often."

Gajeel rested his chin in his open palm, using his fingers to shield his blush from Levy, which Levy was still able to see anyways. "Tch, whatever." Was all he said.

Levy let out a little laugh at his childish behavior.

Erza had returned, placing a copy of the receipt and Gajeel's card back on the table. "Thank you for coming to 8 island," She smiled at the two. "I hope you guys have a great evening." She left the table for the last time, tending to her other customers.

Gajeel took his card and put it back into his wallet, getting up from his seat. "Let's go, before it gets dark." He told her.

"It won't get dark for another hour, though." Levy pointed out, getting up.

"I knew that," Gajeel mumbled, taking Levy's hand and walking out of the restaurant with him.

Levy blushed, looking down at their hands. As they walked, a nice, cool breeze flew around the two. It was September, and the first few signs of cold had just started to show itself. "It's so nice outside," Levy commented, a smile on her face.

"Tch," Gajeel scoffed, nodding his head in agreement. Levy frowned, remembering her observation from earlier.

"Hey, Gajeel?" She asked as they walked down the sidewalk together.

"Hm?"

"What you told me about Juvia…" Levy started. "That's not the only reason why you brought me here, was it?" She asked.

Gajeel's grip on her hand tightened and he raised his eyebrows. "Hm?"

"I saw your shoulders were tense earlier, as if you still had something else on your mind that was bothering you." Levy told him. "Even just now, your grip tightened. Also, ever since we left, you started giving me responses that aren't even words, just noises."

Gajeel looked down at their hands, mumbling a curse.

Levy rested her free hand on his arm. "You know that you can tell me anything, Gajeel." She reminded him.

Gajeel grunted. "Fine, fine," He sighed. "You caught me." Gajeel looked up at the sky. "Do you know what today is?" He asked Levy.

Levy thought for a moment. "Um, September 9th?" She asked.

Gajeel shook his head. "No," He paused. "Well, yes, but… Six years ago today, was the day we met."

Levy looked up at Gajeel. "I didn't know you'd bother to remember that, Gajeel. Even I didn't remember that," She admitted. "But now that you say it, yeah…" She mused. "That does sound right."

"But to think," Gajeel started. "We've known each other for six years."

"Woah," Levy gasped. "It's been so long, huh?" She asked, a warm smile on her face as she remembered their first interaction.


Levy waited happily in the front office, her feet swinging. She was too short for her feet to reach the floor on the high chairs that they had. The door opened, and out walked the principal. "Levy," He started. "Meet Juvia and Gajeel."

Two kids stepped out of the room. There was a girl around Levy's age, with beautiful, short curly cerulean hair. She was looking down at her feet, not making eye contact with Levy. Next to her was her brother, a rather tall teen who looked to be a year older than him and his sister. His long, irrepressible, jet black hair tied up into a ponytail so it was out of his face. On his face were numerous piercings on his eyebrows, nose, and chin.

What caught Levy's attention, however, was his charming red eyes, which had captured Levy's eye the second he stepped into her view, luring her into their depths.

Levy smiled at the two, stepping off of the chair. She was notably shorter than the two of them. "Hello!" She greeted. "I'm Levy! It's nice to meet you!"

Juvia looked up, smiling shyly at Juvia. "It's nice to meet you too." Her voice was almost like a whisper. "I'm Juvia."

Gajeel said nothing, a scowl on his face. "You're short." He said- though it sounded more as a statement then it did an insult.

"Now, now," The principal smiled at the kids. "Be nice. Levy will help you get around the school, and you can sit with her at lunch. All three of you are excused from first period so that Levy can show you around." He told the kids, handing each of them a pass. "Have fun," He waved, going back into his office.

"What grade are you in?" Juvia asked.

"I'm in 7th!" Levy said proudly.

Juvia nodded, clasping her hands together. "I would be in 7th grade, but when I transferred here they saw that I knew all of the curriculum already, so now I'm in 8th grade!" She boasted.

Levy's eyes instantly lit up. "That's so cool!" She praised, then turning towards Gajeel. "What grade are you in?" She asked him.

"8th." Was all he told her.

"Woah," Levy mumbled. "You guys are both a year above me." She frowned. "We probably won't have any classes together, but we'll probably have lunch together. I hope even after this week we can still be friends!" She smiled at the two.

Juvia nodded. "Yeah! Of course we'll still be friends, right Gajeel?" She asked her brother.

All Gajeel did was grunt.

Levy and Juvia sweatdropped at Gajeel's actions. Levy turned to Juvia. "Let's get going, I've got a lot to show you," She said, walking towards the exit of the office.

"Okay!" Juvia beamed, following Levy.

As the two walked, Levy stopped, turning around. Gajeel was still where they previously were, leaning against the wall and looking at her. The two made eye contact, a non-violent spark flying through the air. "Are you coming?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

Gajeel closed his eyes, scoffing as he pushed himself off of the wall. "Yeah," He said, walking towards her.

Levy smiled at him. At that moment, before he had pushed himself off of the wall, Levy swore she could've seen the corners of his mouth twitch up into a small smile. It was also at that moment, she knew. The three of them would be friends for a long time to come.


"Yeah," Gajeel nodded. "It's been so long since that day." He looked up. They had already arrived at the dorm building. Gajeel held the door open for Levy, sneaking a peek at her ass as she walked in.

"Thank you," Levy said.

"Anytime," Gajeel chuckled, following her to the elevators.

"So," Levy started, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?" She asked, pressing the button to the elevator.

Gajeel bit his lip. "I'm not sure how to say this," He told her. The elevator dinged, and he and Levy stepped inside, Gajeel pressing the button to floor 3.

"Well, then," Levy started. "Don't say it."

"What?" Gajeel asked, thrown off guard by her statement.

"I mean," Levy corrected herself. "Don't just say it. There are so many forms of communication- just saying something is only the beginning." She informed him.

Gajeel nodded at her words, understanding the meaning of them. The elevator dinged, and they stepped out. "I think," He started as they neared his room. "I think I know what I want to do."

"Oh no," Levy faked agony. "Don't tell me you're gonna sing!"

Gajeel furrowed his eyebrows. "I wasn't that bad a singer when I was little!" He argued.

Levy laughed. "Sure."

"Well, I'm better now!" He protested. "And plus, that's not what I was gonna do."

Levy's brown eyes shone with curiosity. "Then what were you gonna do?" She asked. The two had stopped in front of Levy's door. Gajeel let go of her hand to stand face-to-face with her.

Ever since they met, Levy knew that Gajeel was a blunt man, not caring what others thought about his rash actions, though taking their words into consideration every now and then if the words came from someone important to him. Levy, however, didn't expect Gajeel to bend down so they were truly face to face, grab her chin, and pull her in for a kiss.

Levy's eyes widened and her shoulders tensed as everything around her stopped. From her heartbeat to the world around her, time seemed to freeze at that exact moment. This was the last thing that Levy had expected Gajeel to do. Slowly, Levy eased into the kiss, closing her eyes and allowing her shoulders to relax as she tilted her head a little more to the side to deepen the kiss.

Gajeel gently slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Levy melted at the feel of the warmth that his body was giving off, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself.

After a few seconds, which had felt like hours to Levy, Gajeel pulled away, resting his forehead gently against Levy. "Levy," He started, his voice a mere whisper. "Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked her.

At that moment, Levy had seen something she had never seen before in Gajeel. His red eyes that had always managed to captivate her at every glance showed happiness, anxiousness, and fear. His eyes had revealed a more vulnerable side of Gajeel that Levy could have never guessed that he had. Just from that look that he had given her, she could tell that he had never had a girlfriend before, let alone kissed a girl before.

Seeing that look made Levy smile softly. For she was in the same boat as him. Sure, for the longest time she had two boys drooling over her, but she never kissed anyone, and she never bothered to date anyone either. She didn't really see her being with anyone else before.

But now, Levy knew her answer. At this point, it was the most obvious thing in the world to her. "Yes," She told Gajeel, her voice merely above a whisper as she softly pecked his lips. "I'd love to be your girlfriend."

A grin escaped on Gajeel's lips, alongside a "Gihi" that slipped out of his mouth. Without warning, he picked Levy up and spun her around, a squeal escaping the blunette's lips. She laughed when he had put her down, hugging him tightly. Gajeel returned the hug, resting his chin on her hair.

The two stayed there for a moment before Gajeel pulled away. "I have to go home," He told her. "I was out too late last night so now Mom wants me home earlier."

Levy nodded. "Tell Belno I said hi!" Levy reached into her bag and pulled out the room key, unlocking the door and stepping inside her dorm. "Bye, Gajeel!" She waved.

"Bye, shrimp." He grinned, waving goodbye to her.

Once he was out of sight, Levy closed the door, sighing happily to herself. She turned her back to the door and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor. After a few minutes, Levy got up, walking over to the loveseat and falling onto it, grabbing the throw pillow and squealing into it, holding the pillow tightly to her face.

As she held the pillow tightly to her, the sound of the door being opened made Levy look up. Lucy stepped into the apartment, a smile gracing her features when she saw Levy. "Hey, Levy!" She greeted.

"Hey, Lucy!" Levy cheerily greeted, sitting up and patting the space next to her.

"You seem rather happy," Lucy commented, gingerly sitting down next to Levy. "What's up?" She asked.

"You'll never believe what happened, Lucy!" Levy exclaimed.