1:35 PM
For some reason the universe was just against Levy sleeping another minute today, which was just completely unfair. This was one of the last opportunities she had to sleep as much as she wanted to before the second half of her tour, and she felt like she was just wasting a grand opportunity. She had been staring at the ceiling for over an hour now, it didn't even bother her that it was a strange one. She wanted to sleep and every time she thought she was close to going back into the sweet embrace of slumber something ruined it. The first culprit was the sun, which was easily fixed by closing the blackout curtains that were in the room she was temporarily borrowing. The next offender was the hustle and bustle of city life, usually she didn't have to deal with things like the music of traffic and people cutting their grass on the other side of her window. When she was traveling via tour bus she always used noise cancelling headphones and an eye mask to drown out any sights and sounds she didn't want to deal with. While sleeping in a strange bed would be a problem for most people, it didn't even phase her, she couldn't even recall the last time she slept in the same bed more than a few nights in a row. And this bed was far more comfortable than the joke of the one she had on the tour bus. Levy spent most of her life in hotel rooms even before she was famous, well, more famous. Being the youngest daughter of the owners of the world's most successful hotel chain got her a lot of attention growing up, but it was nothing like the fame she had now. If her father wasn't traveling for work, her family was vacationing on one side of the world or the other. Most people would envy such a thing but being dragged around and forced onto planes for long flights wasn't exactly the most glorious thing in the world. Even as a kid she was often stuck on a twenty-hour flight just to turn around and do it again to come home a day later, it was hellish and unnecessary. But people with money often felt like they had to spend it, like the one time her mother flew her and Lucy all the way to Rome because Lucy had to do a research paper on it and her mother wanted her to experience it firsthand. Which in theory was nice, but they were in fifth grade and Levy's paper just happen to be on Tokyo and they flew there three days later to do the same thing.
Their upbringing made Levy wonder if her sister purposely went out looking for a husband with an upbringing so different from theirs. Natsu was a gem and the rich boys that pursued them their whole lives were, well dicks. Lucy's apartment alone was a culture shock when Levy stepped into for the first time, her sisters' new home was just one room that was about the size of the walk-in closet Lucy had at the Heartfilia manor. This apartment was an even stranger premise to her, Lucy lived above a store, but she didn't have any neighbors in the building besides the business down stairs. This building had to have around twelve apartments and Levy did her best not to show how squished she felt in it. The room she was in right now was smaller than her personal bathroom at home, but somehow the man she met earlier named Gajeel was able to squeeze his whole life in here. How didn't he feel cramped? He was a lot taller than her, and the bed she was currently in took up most of the room. She guessed he needed it a huge bed because of his height, Levy was sure she could lay across his bed horizontally and her feet still wouldn't hang off. Besides this giant person sized bed, he had other things in his room, a desk full of neatly stacked files, and a computer, a tv mounted to the wall, with a remote she found digging in her back after her first catnap. The most surprising thing about his room she noticed the first time when she was still groggy. What the hell was her face doing inside of his closet? She couldn't even mistake it for a mirror, there was no way her hair looked that good after a nap.
Her first impression of this Gajeel person was that he was either just really quiet or shy, or still half asleep when she invited herself into his apartment. But, seeing a poster of herself taped to the door inside of his closet explained his behavior a little better. So, he was a fan? It was surprising, because her sister never mentioned it before, maybe with the location of the poster Lucy didn't even know, he could be one of her many closeted fans. That wasn't exactly a rare thing either, Shadow Gears biggest fan base was teens, but in second place of their biggest fan group was the parents of those teenagers, specifically their fathers. Most of her meet and greets involved her trying to keep the paws of older men off of her, and their kids finding out the hard way that their dads are bigger fans than them. The teens looked completely shocked when their seemingly bored parents went from annoyed to be waiting, to screaming louder than them for pictures and autographs. Levy lost count of the number of times that she had been groped or kissed on before security had a chance to intervene. As bad as she had it, the boys had it worse with the stay at home moms who took it upon themselves to get handsy with them, but security was so concentrated on protecting her, that the guys usually had to fend for themselves. Leo was a particularly popular victim of unwanted female attention, but he always took it in stride with a smile and a wink no matter how uncomfortable he was. Jet didn't hesitate to eject any fan that got a little too comfortable to him, and Droy just didn't get close enough to the fans to allow it to happen.
Sometimes having fans could be complicated, some fans were fine with just appreciating her music, but other ones thought they were entitled to her life. What people didn't understand was the fact that fan meetings were always timed, there was only so much time to spend with each person who paid for the meet and greet and if she spent more time with one person that meant less time with another and that wasn't fair. She always felt bad for having to say no to an extra selfie, or not signing a backpack full of merch. There were many times she had to let her fans down and reject an invitation to hang out with them at a club or bar after a show, but she was usually ushered to her dressing room or the tour bus the moment she stepped off stage. When she was a less popular artist it was fine for her to hang out back stage and help the crew clean up, but now for her own safety she was always the last one off the bus and the first one on. The band always left before the rest of the crew anyway, sometimes it was just to whatever hotel they were staying in or just en route to the next city for their next show. Levy wasn't sure if she was going to bring up the fact that Gajeel was a fan, but there wasn't really a way to do it without seeming like she was snooping through his room. The poster wasn't in a particularly visible place, it was on the inside of his closet, and there was no guarantee that he was going to remember leaving the closet door open. She guessed the best thing to do was wait and see if he mentioned it, he would talk about it if he wanted to, and Levy wasn't trying to overstep the boundaries of a man she didn't know and put herself in an awkward situation.
Speaking of avoiding awkward situations, she was kind of stuck in this room staring at a poster of herself because this apartment had extremely thin walls. Even though Levy couldn't exactly hear the specifics of the conversation, she could hear one going on and she didn't want to interrupt. She wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but she was trying to listen for a break in the conversation, or at least make sure the conversation was something she was supposed to be hearing. In her experience boys were way bigger gossips than girls were, and she knew it was likely that she or her sister could be the current subject of discussion. Once Lucy left for work, her future hubby's mood shifted a bit. He was still very friendly, but he almost seemed like he was nervous around her, but she wasn't going to point it out. Levy didn't know him well enough to know if this was his normal behavior around new people, or if she in general was the thing making him uncomfortable. Levy could physically see him sigh in relief when she mentioned she was tired and would love to take a nap. Even though she had way more experience with breaking bread with strangers, she was a little bit nervous too. They were all going to be family soon, so she wanted to start things out on the right foot for Lucy's sake. So, she tousled her already unruly hair, faked a yawn and made her way out of the room slowly but loud enough to give them a warning. "Hey boys, so what do you guys want to do today?"
3:00 PM
Gajeel didn't know who's cereal he shit in during his last life, but they were getting their sweet, sweet revenge right now. Here he was in the presence of the girl of his dreams, but she was on his cousins' arm instead of his own. For some reason he was always the third wheel when it came to Natsu, he knew the action was completely innocent, but he still couldn't help the twinge of jealous he felt seeing Levy on another man's arm. He knew it was ridiculous, he had no right, he still could barely utter two words to her, so there was no chance anything out of Gajeel's mouth would have been close to smooth or charming enough for the roles to be reversed. He could only watch from the side as Natsu made a joke about rich girls and needing to be escorted everywhere they go, he was used to his cousin making stupid jokes around girls and them falling for his charm, but this time it was especially annoying to see her laugh and lace her arm through his. If that wasn't bad enough they had been stuck in the mall for almost an hour due to Natsu picking up anything and everything he thought that Lucy might like and asking Levy's opinion on it. The girl in question didn't even seem interested in anything they passed, there was probably nothing in the small I was rich enough for her blood and she was speaking interest just to be nice. She Wasn't exactly dressed like a rich girl and that was probably her way of trying to disguise Herself. Black high waisted shorts and a V-neck Were what any average young woman wore on a weekend during a trip to the mall, but it was obvious that her clothes were a little more expensive than the average persons. Even the baseball cap she pulled over her hair was a name brand and he couldn't help but notice the label on the back of her hat.
Gajeel wasn't sure if he was more nervous or relieved when Levy suggested that they all take a break from shopping to sit down and eat. Sure, this was a good opportunity to jump in the conversation, but he didn't know if this was the right time for him to finally nut up and try to talk to her or shut up and avoid saying something stupid. It was probably the first time in Gajeel's life that he was worried about where to sit at a table, he didn't even have this problem in high school, but right now he was over thinking it. Sitting next to Levy might be a little too forward for someone who barely spoke to her all day but sitting as far away from her as possible was a total cop out and might give her the wrong idea. He ended up sitting across from her, Gajeel was trying his best not to stiffen when she smiled at him and passed him a menu and his silverware. Natsu sat next to him and diagonal from her, making it a bit obvious that he was nervous too for very different reasons. After about ten minutes of waiting and ordering their food, Gajeel was actually able to get a few words in the conversation. It was mostly him telling Natsu he was an idiot for all the dumb jokes he was making, but it was way more than he got in all day. "Guys I'll be right back. Don't eat without me." It seemed like as soon as she got a decent length away from the table, him and Natsu both let out whatever breathe they were holding.
Natsu: "Gajeel, I don't think I can keep this up! I've been holding in my farts all day!"
Gajeel: "Then keep up the good work!"
Gajeel was already accustomed to his cousins' habit of oversharing, but bathroom talk in a public place, at a dinner table was hardly the place for it.
Natsu: "I don't want to piss her off or offend her or something, and isn't it like a written rule that you don't rip ass around debutante's?"
Gajeel: "You literally sat on Lucy and almost shit yourself two days ago."
Natsu: "That's different, Lucy loves me! I barely know Levy! Yeah, she's nice and all, almost too nice! Nobody laughs at all of my jokes like that. Especially not Lucy, she just looks disappointed in me and tells me I'm an idiot. I'm running out of jokes that aren't dirty, what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Gajeel: "I don't fucking know, girls like to talk and shit. Just ask her about herself.
Natsu: "That's easy for you to say, you're not helping at all. Maybe come in for an assist or something."
Gajeel: "Fine! The first time in your life you run out of shit to say and I can't even enjoy it."
Levy: "Sorry I took so long; did I miss anything?"
Damn she had good timing, a minute earlier and the conversation still would have been on farts. How the hell was he supposed to start a conversation with her, if he couldn't stop staring at how cute she was.
Natsu: "Oh yeah, Gajeel was just saying how he really wanted to ask you a question."
Gajeel was somewhere between wanting to punch Natsu or just stab him. He would have to get real creative with his butter knife to make his cousin pay, but he was sure sticking it up his ass would just scare Levy off. Now he had to think of something quick before this awkward silence got more awkward.
Levy: "Oh sure, I'm an open book. Within reason of course."
Every time she smiled at him he thought his heart was going to stop, but now wasn't the time to be love struck. He had to dig himself out of the hole Natsu just threw him in.
Gajeel: "Umm... So, you're Lucy's little sister, right? How much younger than her are you?"
It was a safe question, pretty much impossible to offend her with that. Women didn't usually get pissed about age questions until they were like forty and Lucy was only about twenty herself.
Levy: "Yeah, I'm the baby! But, Lu's only three months older than me."
Wait... What?! Gajeel didn't exactly pay attention in health class, but something about that just didn't sound right. Nine months apart was possible, but three months just didn't sound right. He didn't understand how a woman could give birth to two children three months apart. He looked at Natsu and he looked just as confused, and Levy just seemed amused by their reaction.
Levy: "Guys don't hurt yourselves trying to figure it out, it's actually really simple. We have different moms."
Gajeel was thrown off at that, he didn't notice them looking alike until they were in a room together. They both had the same fair skin, even though they had different colored eyes they were both very beautiful. Gajeel didn't really think of Lucy like that, but he wasn't blind. It was obvious they were sisters but hearing that they were half-sisters was just as surprising to him as hearing they were related in the first place.
Natsu: "Man your dad's a pig!"
Gajeel didn't even think of that, but Natsu was right getting two different women knocked up months apart was a pretty scummy thing to do. Levy looked pretty nervous and brushed her hair behind her ear before she dropped her next bombshell on them.
Levy: "They actually planned it..."
Okay Gajeel was absolutely done trying to understand rich people. If a poor guy knocked up two chicks back to back he would have big problems, but for some reason it was perfectly fine and dandy of you were a part of the one percent.
Levy: "Okay let me start from the beginning. My biological mom, and Lucy's biological mom are married. They have been for twenty-five years, and our dad is their boyfriend. And all three of them have been together for over twenty years."
Okay being rich must be the shit, cause this guy had girlfriend wives. Gajeel could barely handle one woman and her feelings at a time, and this guy had a house full of women. Two women and two daughters? That's a lot of feelings to deal with, and this guy was a pro.
Natsu: "Oh, I get it! So, your parents just have threesomes all the time?"
Levy: "Oh my God, ew! I mean I guess so, probably... But that is completely not up for discussion. I think it's time for a subject change."
Levy looked at him for help, and while it was true Natsu could get a little inappropriate at times, this was like next level ridiculous.
Natsu: " So... What do you call your mom?"
Levy: "Mom."
Natsu: "What do you call Lucy's mom?
Levy: "Mom."
Natsu: "What do you call your dad?"
Levy: "Daddy."
Natsu: "What do you call Lucy?"
Levy: "LUCY! Look I have three parents, and no I don't find it weird. Here I'll show you a picture."
Him and Natsu sat and waited for her to scroll through her phone, the closest thing they had to a family portrait was a picture Lucy took of them last year during a Halloween party where they were both drunk and arguing. There was another much more embarrassing picture she took that Gajeel made her delete. Him and Natsu were both passed out on the couch after the part and Natsu was asleep with his head on his shoulder. Sure, the picture was funny and Gajeel honestly didn't give a shit if someone thought if the picture was "gay" or not. But it was just a reminder of all the times him and Natsu were stuck sleeping together and having to fend for themselves growing up, and it wasn't exactly a happy memory. "Okay, this ones from our high school graduation."
There were so many things about her picture that just screamed money. Gajeel didn't even attend his high school graduation, but he went to Natsu's and couldn't help but laugh when the idiot tripped halfway down the stairs to get his diploma and him turning around to fight with Gray who was seated behind him. Gajeel was just content with both of them finishing school and not having to blow the money on a GED later. But obviously the Heartfilia family had the highest expectations for their daughters. Levy had a sash around her robe that said valedictorian, and Lucy's said salutatorian. Which had to be a proud moment for their family but while Levy and Lucy had big smiles on their face the blonde man in the middle of the picture didn't, and the women by his side only had a half smile where they tried a little harder to look happy, but he knew from Lucy that her parents just expected greatness and anything less than was unacceptable. You could tell whose mom belonged to who. Lucy was a spitting image of her mother, and Levy's mom looked like a her, her long white blonde hair was the most obvious difference. "Man, a family full of blondes, does that mean you naturally have blonde hair sis?"
"Oh? Yeah. But if you tell anybody I'll deny it with my dying breathe." Gajeel couldn't believe she admitted it, or the fact she laughed about it. In every interview they always asked her about her hair, and she just told them all it grew out of her head blue. Which obviously wasn't true, but he'd never seen a picture with like her hair faded or her roots showing or even a before picture with her having different colored hair. Even the color of blue was consistent, no pictures of it darker or lighter, so how the hell did she keep it that way? Juvia decided to go blue a couple years ago, and she was a natural brunette, so there was a lot of bleaching and dying her hair to keep it up or wearing hats to hide the color change. "But I've been a "blunette" as people call it for over ten years how."
"What made you dye your hair? And why'd you choose blue?" Gajeel was glad Natsu was asking all the hard questions he wanted to know, he was waiting for Levy to get annoyed with his prying, but she didn't even seem phased by it. It must be a question she got all the time, in interviews she dodged it, but she didn't seem to mind sharing the information in a personal conversation.
"I was always getting mistaken for Lucy. Obviously, we look a lot more different now, but growing up people could barely tell us apart. For a long time, everyone thought we were twins, being the same age and all didn't help that any. But I got really sick and tired of always being called Lucy so, I did it to look different from her. My mom took me to dye my hair for the first time when I was eight, and she let me choose whatever color I wanted. So, I went with vibrant ass cerulean blue and never turned back." Gajeel didn't have any siblings, so he didn't have to worry about looking like someone enough to be mistaken for them. He had a younger cousin who looked like him, but because Gajeel was older people were always calling Rogue by his name.
"So, is Lucy like the girl sister, and you're like the tough one with tattoos?" There was that cute laugh again, Gajeel only briefly had a look at the tattoos on her thighs, he knew she had quite a bit more that were hidden, but he didn't plan on asking about them, if she didn't bring it up first. Natsu of course didn't pull any punches.
"I don't know about tough, but I am pretty tattooed, and very girly. All my tattoos are girly honestly. Books and birds, and flowers mostly." Gajeel wasn't sure if she was going to give them a tour or not, but in the middle of a restaurant wasn't the place for it. Levy perked her head up in thought when Gajeel asked her which one hurt the worst, he was expecting her to point to one of the side pieces he knew she had hidden under her shirts. He was surprised when she balled her hands into fists and placed them on the table and told them her left hand hurt the worst. In an elegant script her right hand said "read" and her left said "more" which are tattoos he didn't even know she had or noticed the whole time he was sitting across from her. "The right hand was fine; the left was a bitch. I got these in Australia about a month ago."
"Okay, so how many do you have? I know Luce only had the one on her hand, and she said that was her matching tattoo with you. But Lucy said she was scared after the first one especially with how your dad reacted." Gajeel always noticed the dainty pink symbol on the back of Lucy's hand and he thought it was a weird ass place for a tattoo, he didn't know it was her only one though. Of course, Natsu was an expert on that, but what the hell possessed his girl to get her first tattoo in a place as visible as her hand.
"Hmmm." Gajeel wasn't surprised when she had to think about all of her tattoos, he was sure she didn't look at them all the time he wanted as she was counting to herself. "Right now, I have ten. But only eight of them I'm willing to show you or talk about." Gajeel knew about six of them from online, with her knuckles that upped the number to the eight she was speaking of. He did his best not to think about where the other two she was shy about were hidden, but he sure as hell was going to be thinking about them and her tonight. He still couldn't believe she was sleeping in his bed earlier, he was fucked up enough to wish his pillow still smelled like her by the time he got back home. It was almost a guarantee that he was about to have the ultimate wet dream tonight, and he had zero control over it.
Before he could even stop Natsu from asking where the other two were, the waitress did by bringing out their food. While she laid out a plate in front of him and Levy, she handed Natsu a bag and he looked just as confused as Gajeel did. "Wait... I didn't order my food to go."
"I did, Lucy works around, here right? I ordered her food too, so you can go surprise her with lunch." Natsu didn't even question her on it, he gave Levy a hug and shot her a thanks before leaving them to their own meals. But Gajeel immediately noticed two things as his cousin walked away. He was now alone with Levy, and she had just purposely gotten rid of Natsu.
