"Oh Levy, you look amazing! I forgot just how perfect that dress was for you." Lucy said in an enthusiastic tone. Lucy's hair had been pinned back in an elegant up do; a few soft strands were left out to highlight her face. She was dressed in a beautiful red strapless gown. There was a long slit that traveled up to the middle of her thigh on the right side. The bodice of her dress was adorned in red and gold beads, which slowly faded out as they reached her waist and hips. The blonde celestial mage couldn't help staring at her petite friend.
"Gajeel is going to die when he sees you in this!" Lucy squealed in excitement again.
"Really? I mean, I love this dress, but – I feel so out of my element." Levy blushed furiously. Her hair do was about the same as usual, but instead of her orange headband she wore a thin black ribbon. Her bangs gently curled around her soft features. The small mage twiddled her thumbs anxiously, while moving to look at herself in the full length mirror. Levy was sporting a sheer, black lace gown. She still didn't think she would have the courage to walk into the guild donning such a revealing outfit. She turned slowly to look at her backside. She couldn't believe she let Lucy talk her into buying such a low cut and backless dress. 'Your butt looks great' she said. 'It accents your curves.' She said. 'Gajeel will eat his heart out when he sees you in this.' She said. I can't believe I went along with this. Levy thought self-consciously. The under layer of her dress was black and stopped just above her knee, Levy's legs were completely visible under the thin top layer of lace. She tugged carefully at the soft lace that barely covered her small breasts and shoulders.
"Yes really. You look awesome! Now stop fidgeting and let's get going. We can't be late, or Mira will definitely kill us this time."
"Okay, I'm coming." Levy let out a small sigh, and with one last look in the mirror she turned and followed her friend out the door.
Levy was trying her hardest to muster all of her courage. The guild hall was getting close and she could feel the palms of her hands starting to clam up. Okay, just breathe. It isn't like you haven't been to guild parties before. But I have never been trying to impress anyone before, and in such a showy dress too. I don't think I can do this! Levy's thoughts were racing through her head. She could feel all of the people passing by staring at her and Lucy and it made her nerves flare again. Oh no, oh no, oh no! Sorry Lucy, I just can't. Levy turned quickly to run back to her apartment.
"Oh no you don't!" Lucy called as she grabbed the small bluenette's wrist as she tried to flee. "We agreed we would go together. Try to relax. I will be right here with you, and plus, you look smokin'. Just work with it."
"… okay." Levy said in a defeated tone.
The guild was just around the corner. The two women looked at one another, each gathering their courage. As they reached the massive front doors they both took in large breaths and pushed on the handles. They entered the guild and immediately were greeted by loud conversations and the warm glow of candles and string lights. Every table was adorned with two of the Fairy Tail jack o lanterns Laki had carved, and the beautiful flower arrangements Droy had created. The girls could smell the heavenly aroma of all the different foods that wafted throughout the building. As Levy and Lucy made their way into the guild hall all the present mages stopped to greet them warmly. Slowly the girls ventured to the bar, each in desperate need of a little liquid courage. They were getting more attention than they had bargained for. Without a moment's hesitation Levy downed the small shot of alcohol that was placed in front of her. A timid smile crept unto her face as she thanked Kinana for the drink. Levy and Lucy were about to walk over to look at the wide array of foods that were spread out on the buffet table when they heard someone call out from behind them.
"You two look gorgeous!" Erza's commanding voice boomed throughout the guild hall. "What wonderful outfit choices. So bold, so daring, so beautiful! I am so glad to have friends who would ware such glorious gowns."
"Uh… Thanks Erza." Lucy said, a little taken back.
"Yes, you two look great. I must say, I am surprised you were able to find such a nice gown in such a short time frame, Levy." Mirajane said in a merry tone.
"Love rival! Do not think Juvia doesn't know what you are doing! Gray is mine; do not think that dress will help you steal him away from Juvia, because it won't." Juvia yelled in a jealous rage.
"For the last time, I don't want him!" Lucy spat back. Levy giggled, knowing full well there was someone else the celestial mage was trying to impress.
The small group of girls chatted happily with one another while waiting for the rest of their guild mates to show up. Each was telling stories about different jobs they had gone on recently. Kinana came walking around taking drink orders from everyone, every once in a while asking Mira where something had been moved to. With all of the party prep there was twice as much to drink and nowhere to store it all. Mira had also taken to hiding different bottles of wine and liquor in different places due to a thirsty card mage who kept helping herself to any drink she could get her hands on. Just as the last of the mages were trickling into the decorated hall Levy turned to see two of her best friends running straight toward her.
"Levy!" Jet and Droy yelled in unison as they ran up to the petite woman and embracing her in a tight hug.
"Uh, hi guys." Levy barely got out; her friends had her in a bone-crushing hug. "Can't breathe. Need air."
"Oops, sorry Levy." Both men immediately let go of the small bluenette. "You look fantastic!"
"Thanks, Lucy helped me pick it out." Levy gave her friends a small twirl, feeling a bit more confident hearing their opinion. Levy, with her new found self-assurance, slowly started scanning the guild hall for those studded features and long black mane. "Hey, have either of you guys seen – " She started to ask but was cut off when the front doors opened slowly and a trio of exceeds flew in. Levy's eyes widened and she tried to stand on her tippy toes to spot the man she was looking for over the crowd. With a small sigh of disappointment she only saw Wendy walking in with the flying cats. She made her way over to the rest of the girls and greeted them warmly while complimenting Mira on how the decorations turned out. Just as she was starting to lose hope she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Levy slowly turned around to see a towering dragon slayer staring at her. Levy's heart started beating quickly in her chest and she gulped hard as she looked up at the man in front of her.
"Hey there shorty." Gajeel greeted coolly.
"H-hi, Gajeel." Levy stammered in reply. Jet and Droy eyed the large man jealously, trying to think of some way to divert their friend's attention.
"I need to talk to you." Gajeel said trying to sound calm.
"Hey Levy, let's go get a drink!" The boys suggested quickly. They each grabbed one of Levy's hands and pulled her towards the bar before she could protest. Gajeel gave a small discontented grunt as he saw the small woman being pulled away. He couldn't help but feel jealous and a bit angry watching those two idiots cling so desperately to the solid script mage. Gajeel watched as Jet and Droy grabbed a round of drinks for themselves and Levy. He didn't like the way they looked at her, but quickly he found himself gazing up and down her lean form. He was taking in every curve, memorizing the subtle slope of her breasts and perfect roundness of her backside. The iron dragon slayers thoughts drifted to the previous night, he couldn't help but think about the bluenette and how tantalizing she had looked while undressing for him in front of her window. Gajeel let out a small chuckle as he replayed the memory in his mind, but he was regrettably pulled from his thoughts as he heard a voice coming from next to him.
"She looks great doesn't she?" Lucy's voice taunted him softly.
"Cool it, Bunny Girl. Why don't you go bug Salamander." Gajeel bit back, he was caught off guard by the celestial mage's statement. Hastily he turned to find a spot in the corner of the guild where he was away from his nosy guild mates. Lucy chuckled quietly; satisfied she had caught the large man staring at her best friend with such want. She turned peering around the room looking for the aforementioned fire dragon slayer. She quickly spotted him and his little blue cat beside the buffet table scarfing down hordes of food. She made her way over the Natsu, hoping to pry him away from all the food he was devouring, at this rate all the food would be gone before the festival even started. The whole guild hall quieted down as soon as they heard the booming voice of their fearless leader.
"All right boys and girls! I am so glad to see all of you young people here tonight." Master Makarov greeted happily.
"I guess that counts you out, Macao" Wakaba laughed.
"If I'm out so are you ya' old timer." Macao snorted in reply.
"I am going to keep this speech short and sweet. I want all of you on your best behavior." He gave Natsu and Gray a quick look making sure they understood his warning and carried on. "A lot of people will be gathering here tonight and all of you need to show our guests the utmost respect. Not only is this a party, it is a way for us to show our appreciation to the town of Magnolia. This town has put up with a bunch of stuff from us and we need to show them we don't take them for granted. With that said we have extended invitations to many of the other guilds. I thought having some of our fellow guilds join in our festival would be a good opportunity to build better relationships with them. Now, with that said how about we all give our Mirajane a round of applause. We couldn't have put this together without her and all of her planning." A large cheer was heard throughout the guild hall. Every mage lifted their glass and toasted the takeover mage. With that the guild doors were opened and the crowed that had formed outside started to filter into the bustling guild hall.
The party had been going for several hours now. Most of the mages were on the dance floor. Some lingered at their tables eating and others were scattered around talking with the towns' people and other wizards from different guilds. Levy, Lucy, Cana, Mira, and Lisana were dancing with one another; all of them were trying not to laugh at the obviously uncomfortable Erza in front of them. It seemed she had acquired a small parfumed troll. Ichiya was dancing very closely to Erza, trying his best to seduce the requip mage. He was followed closely by Hibiki, Ren, and Eve, who were all dancing in perfect synchronization. Not too far away Natsu was having a vigorous discussion with Sting and Rogue. He was bragging to them about his latest job and how he beat a whole group of bandits single handedly. Sting and Rouge laughed with Natsu as they all caught up with one another. At the edge of the dance floor the group of exceeds were dancing and laughing with each other. Somewhere near the back of the guild Lyon and Gray were yelling at one another, Juvia seemingly caught in the middle. Wendy, Carla and Sherria were dancing enthusiastically in the middle of the crowd, happy to see each other again.
Levy found herself looking around the guild hall for her dark haired dragon slayer. She saw him sitting and drinking at the end of the bar. Lucy could see the frustrated look on Levy's face as she tried to get Gajeel's attention. It seemed Jet and Droy also saw her determination and stepped in to dance with the small mage. Levy gave a defeated sigh and started dancing with Jet and Droy. She couldn't say she wasn't having fun, she was having a blast hanging out with all of her friends, but she couldn't keep her thoughts off the man sitting at the bar. The song that was being played changed and a loud yell was heard coming from past the dance floor. Everyone in the guild looked over and saw Natsu and Happy running into the crowed of dancing mages. Natsu quickly grabbed Lucy's hand and shouted at her. "Lucy! I love this song! Let's dance!" With a startled yelp Lucy followed Natsu deeper into the crowd of people. Sting, Rogue, Frosch, Panther Lily, and Lector followed Natsu and Lucy, creating their own group of dancers. Everyone laughed at the fire dragon slayer as he danced with the celestial mage.
It was getting late and the party didn't seem to be slowing. Levy excused herself from her group of friends telling them she needed to get a drink, when in truth she was headed out to the pool to get a little fresh air. She wasn't used to being in such a large crowd for such a long time. Big parties were never her thing. Levy made her way past the bickering Gray and Lyon and through the back door of the guild. The pool was mostly dark with the exception of a few path lights that allowed her to see where she was going. Levy found a large bench against the guild hall to sit on. Her face was hot from dancing. As she sat on the bench Levy breathed in the cool night air and closed her eyes to the world. It was much easier to clear her head away from the loud music, colorful lights, and plethora of mages. She just needed a little time to sit and decompress before rejoining the party.
"Hey Shrimp." Levy jumped, startled from the sudden appearance of the iron dragon slayer.
"Oh Gajeel, you scared me." Levy said as a small blush formed on her already flushed face.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, um – it was kind of loud in there and I needed a little break from everyone."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Crowds aren't really my scene either." Gajeel stated nonchalantly. Levy let a small smile spread across her delicate face.
"Well, you can hang out with me for a little while – if you want to, that is." Levy's face turned another shade darker.
"Sure." Gajeel replied without looking at the little bluenette and took a seat next to her. After a few minutes of silence, aside from the muffled music coming from inside the guild hall, Gajeel worked up the courage to confront Levy about her little show. He couldn't get it out of his head and he needed to know if she truly meant it for him. "You look really nice tonight…"
"Uh – What?" Levy's thoughts were tearing through her mind. Did he just… compliment me? Oh Mavis, he did! What do I say? I don't know. Anything. Say anything. "Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself." Levy said, the blush growing hotter on her cheeks.
"I mean to be honest… I prefer what you were wearing last night better, but this isn't bad. Gihi!" Gajeel chuckled as he watched the reaction on Levy's already tomato red face.
"Last night? Oh Mavi! I – um, well you see – the thing is – " Levy couldn't think, she was mortified knowing that he had actually seen her.
"Well, if that show was for me, I figured I should let you know I really enjoyed it." Gajeel could feel the heat radiating from the small woman. "Gihi." Gajeel laughed again. Levy gave his arm a small punch when she heard him laugh for the second time.
"It isn't funny Gajeel." Levy was covering her face now, trying to hide from her embarrassment. "I – well, I didn't realize you were out there."
"So, you change in front of you window often? That's cool I guess. Too bad though, would've been nice to know that was for me and not someone else." Gajeel said, trying to sound as dejected as possible. Levy looked up stunned. She was trying to rack her brain for something to say, but couldn't come up with anything. She stared into Gajeel's wine red eyes, mesmerized. Gajeel moved slowly closer to Levy. He brought his hand slowly to her chin and tipped it up. They stared at each other for a moment before he leaned his head down to close the gap between him and the small woman in front of him. Lightly he pressed his lips to hers. The cool metal studs of his nose brushed gingerly against Levy's cheek and he could feel a small shiver run through her body. She gasped slightly at the contact. Levy moved her hands up to Gajeel's neck and slowly intertwined her fingers into his thick black mane. Gajeel gently licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She accepted, parting her lips and deepening the kiss. A small moan escaped her throat as Gajeel trailed one hand down her exposed back to rest just above her butt. He brought the other hand up into her hair, pulling her closer to him, not able to get enough of her. Gajeel's head was swimming; his mind was clouded with images of Levy. He was wrapped in her smell and taste. The only thing he could conclude was that he needed more of the small mage he was holding tight to him.
