Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters, I'm just borrowing them.
"You need to make friends."
Gajeel choked on his drink, looking up at Juvia with wide eyes. It was still early in the morning, so the guild was mostly quiet. That was quickly due to change seeing as Natsu and Happy had just come in, so Gajeel was trying to enjoy the quiet while he could. Gray was mopping the floor on the opposite side of the guild, and Gajeel had to tramp down the vicious urge to go and shove the Ice Mage's face in the bucket of dirty water he was using to clean the floors. He couldn't let himself go back to that angry place that he had been in while at Phantom Lord, and he took a deep breath before refocusing on Juvia. "I need to what?" he asked, wiping his chin.
"Make friends, Gajeel," Juvia said with a roll of her eyes, sliding into the seat next to him. She smoothed her skirt down before sitting up straight, and Gajeel almost groaned. She only sat like a rich kid when she was determined, and when she was determined, no one could talk her out of her plots. "You're always sitting back here by yourself, and Juvia can't always be with you. You need to make more friends!"
"I don't mind being alone-"
"All the time?" Juvia said, quirking her eyebrow. "We both know that's not true." He grimaced, looking back at his drink. He'd been at the guild for nearly three months now, and Gajeel could count on one hand the people - besides Juvia - who had actually sought out his company. Even for an introvert like him, it hurt. Hadn't he proved already that he wasn't going to turn around and betray them all?
Sure, he was a bastard, but he was loyal to a fault and Fairy Tail was his home now.
Gajeel looked around the guild before leaning closer to Juvia. "Ya know I'm not good at that," he said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. Juvia smiled, patting his shoulder.
"Just try," she said. "Juvia is sure you'll do just fine. Juvia's doing a quick job with Natsu's team, so when she gets back tonight, she wants to know you've at least tried."
"Juvia, come on-"
"Just show them the Gajeel that Juvia knows," she told him, giving him a quick hug before standing up. "Friends!" she said, pointing at him, and Gajeel sighed before flipping her off.
"Yeah, yeah, Mom," he teased. "Don't do anything stupid!"
"Juvia will be safe!"
Gajeel watched her leave before sighing, running his long fingers through his hair. "Friends, huh?" he murmured, looking at his glass before taking a deep breath. He could do this. He could make friends.
Hopefully. Maybe. Ugh.
Besides his introverted tendencies, there was also the matter of his assignment for the Master to worry about when it came to making friends. When he had first joined, working as a double agent to find and keep an eye on Makarov's errant son hadn't seemed like too difficult a mission. Gajeel was a good liar, and it hadn't been hard to convince Ivan that yes, he was still hungry for revenge against the guild that had destroyed his guild.
But that had been when Gajeel had only anticipated staying in the guild long enough to make enough money to buy a new home so that he wouldn't have to live on the streets again. He hadn't expected to get so attached to this guild.
Not to mention his nest was here. He wouldn't- no, couldn't leave Wendy and Natsu. He couldn't leave another nest, he wouldn't survive it. No dragon could.
With a groan, Gajeel stood up, heading for the bar. First step to making friends was to get out of his corner. It gave him a good view of the rest of the guild, and was shadowed and cool. But while that might be nice to him - the heat made his skin itch - it probably made him seem less approachable. Not that he was the most approachable guy in the first place.
Goddamnit Juvia, the things he did for that woman.
Gajeel sat awkwardly at the bar, holding on to his glass like a lifeline. He wasn't drinking alcohol today, but he had a feeling that'd be changing soon.
"Need a refill?" Gajeel looked up, shaking his head at a smiling Mirajane.
"Nah, 'm fine, thanks," he murmured, looking back at the countertop. Mirajane hummed thoughtfully, setting down her dishrag before leaning against the counter.
"Got any plans for the day?" she asked curiously, and Gajeel huffed, rubbing his cheek.
"Apparently, I'm supposed to be making friends today," he grumbled. The Take Over Mage looked down at him before looking down either side of the otherwise empty bar, her actions overexaggerated.
"Are they invisible?" she asked, and Gajeel shot her an unamused look.
"Yer hilarious," he said sarcastically, and Mirajane smiled brightly.
"I do my best," she said happily, standing back up straight. "If you want to make friends, you have to put yourself out there!"
"I moved to the bar."
"The empty bar, I'm so impressed."
Gajeel frowned at her, eyebrows bunching together. "I'm tryin', okay? Hard to make friends when everyone in here hates ya."
"I don't hate you," Mirajane offered, poking the wrinkle between his eyebrows. "And I consider you a friend."
The Iron Dragon Slayer perked up, grinning. "Does that mean I can go back to my tabl-"
"But!" Mirajane said, holding one finger up. Gajeel deflated. "You need more than two friends." He opened his mouth, but quickly shut up when Mirajane leveled an unamused look at him. "The other Dragon Slayers don't count. They're family, not friends."
Gajeel groaned. "I'm not good with people," he grumbled, propping his cheek against his hand. "I don't get them." Mirajane's eyes lit up and Gajeel had the sudden feeling that he had said exactly the wrong thing.
"Well, that's easy to fix!" she said cheerfully. "I'll just tell you about everyone!"
Oh god please no.
"Okay, let's start with Alzack. He-"
"And this is where I intervene," Cana said from behind Gajeel, stepping up to the bar. "One pitcher of your best beer and a tray of mugs, if you will," she said to a pouting Mirajane with a smirk.
"I didn't even get to tell him anything!"
"And thank god for that," Cana said with a roll of her eyes, taking the pitcher and tray from Mirajane with a smile. "Thanks, beautiful," she said with a wink. She turned from the bar, gesturing with her head towards her table. "Come on, big guy, you're with me." Gajeel watched her walk away with wide eyes, pointing after her in confusion. Cana turned around, cocking her hip.
"Yes, you," Cana said, giving Gajeel a pointed look. "Come with me."
Gajeel followed after her, watching in confusion as she set down her tray before turning to look at him. "Sit," she said, pointing to one of the benches.
Gajeel sat.
"This," Cana said, sitting across from him as she ran her hands lovingly over the tabletop, "is my table."
Gajeel looked at the table before looking back at Cana, one eyebrow arched high. "And?"
Cana sighed, shaking her head. "This is my table," she said again. "This is where people come to drink booze and be merry. Which means everyone worth knowing in this guild will be sitting here, if not within the hour, then within the day. This, my socially-challenged cohort, is where people in this guild come to make friends."
"How'd ya know about that?" Gajeel asked, and Cana gave him a deadpanned look.
"I have ears," she said flatly. "Now, I am going to help you."
"Yer not gonna try to gossip at me too, are ya?" Gajeel asked, preparing to run.
"Please, I'm not nearly that cruel. And you haven't had to sit through that while sober. It takes three hours and she goes in alphabetical order." They both shuddered at the thought.
"Why're ya helping me?" Gajeel asked as Cana poured the beer into two tankards, taking a sip from the pitcher before setting it down.
"Just 'cause," Cana said with a shrug, handing him one of the tankards. "Do I need a reason?"
"It'd help me sleep better if I knew this wasn't a plot."
"Fair enough," she said, taking a drink. Gajeel did the same, sighing as the bitter liquid ran down his throat. How'd he know he was gonna end up drinking today? The guild was going to ruin his liver. "You're sarcastic, funny, can hold your liquor like a champ, and quite frankly, not bad to look at," Cana listed, propping her head up on her fist. "And besides, if I have to watch you pout in that corner anymore, I'm going to stab something."
"I don't pout!" Gajeel said, affronted.
"First tip for friend-making!" the Card Mage said, ignoring Gajeel's protests. "Have booze at the ready." She held up her tankard. "You're welcome."
Gajeel watched her for a few moments before sighing, knocking his tankard against hers. "I'm gonna regret this," he murmured, knocking back some more of the beer.
"Second tip, find the linchpin," she continued. "There's one person in this guild that everyone likes. Get in with them, and you're set."
"If ya tell me it's Natsu I will beat in my own skull."
"Levy."
"Fuck," Gajeel groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Then I'm screwed, she hates me."
"Levy rarely hates anyone," Cana said with a wave of her hand. "Besides, she likes you." Gajeel looked at her in disbelief. "No, really! She thinks you're a good person."
"We're talkin' about the same person, right?" Gajeel asked. "After what I did to her and her teammates-"
"Which you repented for." Gajeel's mouth snapped closed. "You don't think anyone notices your efforts to make up for what happened? You took a lightning bolt to the chest for Levy, you let Jet and Droy attempt to beat the shit out of you. And I've seen you help Reedus set up his booth at the Farmer's Market every weekend." Gajeel felt his ears start to burn.
"He has a lot of shit to carry around," he grumbled into his mug. "Someone had to help him."
"But it wasn't just someone, it was you," Cana said, grinning. "Besides, I've heard from Wendy that you two bantered. How'd you get 'unbridled hatred' from that?" Gajeel stayed quiet, ignoring his burning ears. "Third tip! Find something you have in common with the person who you want to befriend. So tell me, what do you know about languages?"
"The kind'a languages Shorty messes with? Jackshit," Gajeel deadpanned. Cana rolled her eyes and set down her tankard.
"Come on, I know you speak two languages-"
"Three."
"Huh?"
Gajeel shrugged. "I speak three languages," he said. "Besides that, though, I don't know anything." The Card Mage hummed thoughtfully.
"We could work with that," she said, tapping her chin. "What's the third language?"
"Uh, Draconic?"
"Never heard of it." Cana's face lit up. "Perfect. LEVY!" Gajeel cringed as she yelled, rubbing his ear and glaring at the Card Mage as she smirked at him. He could hear light footsteps and it wasn't long until Levy slid to a stop at the edge of the table, blue curls falling in her face as she stopped herself with her hands on the table.
"You called?" Levy asked, pushing her hair out of her face and smiling brightly at Cana. She noticed Gajeel and waved at him, and the Iron Dragon Slayer waved back awkwardly. He had shrunken in on himself as soon as Levy had approached, not enough to be very noticeable, but enough that he didn't look like a threat. While Gajeel had lived with Metalicana and Voeda, he had witnessed time and time again how posturing could either defuse a fight, or start one. Most of the time, Gajeel took up as much room as he could, to make himself seem unapproachable to those who still held a grudge and wished him harm. But around her, he always shrunk.
"We're helping Gajeel here make friends today," Cana said, gesturing Levy closer and fixing her hair once the younger woman leaned in. "I figured you'd be cool with that. You are cool with that, right Baby Blue?" Gajeel watched their interactions closely, observing how at ease they were around each other. Cana looked completely relaxed as Levy smiled at her, running her thin fingers through the younger woman's hair and pushing it carefully into place. Gajeel had seen from day one how comfortable everyone in this guild was with each other, and a part of him quietly wondered how he'd be able to find his place in a group this close-knit.
"Yeah, 'course!" Levy said, smiling at Gajeel past Cana's hands. She quickly brought her hair back over her ear after Cana pushed it back, and Gajeel thought he had seen a hint of a point before thick hair obscured his view. "What can I help with?"
"Gajeel, be a dear and tell Levy what you just told me," the brunette said, resting her chin in her hands and grinning at Gajeel. Levy looked at him curiously with her big doe eyes and Gajeel cursed everyone and anyone with the name Alberona.
He sighed, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "I speak three languages," he grumbled, starting to feel his blush move to his cheeks.
"And they aaaare?" Cana sang.
"Fioran, Boscan, and Draconic?"
Levy's hands slammed onto the wooden tabletop loudly, making Gajeel jump and stare at her with wide eyes. She leaned over the table, looking at him in shock. "You speak Draconic!?" she asked, her voice kicking up an octave. Gajeel watched her with wide eyes, nodding slowly.
"See, I knew she'd know what it was!" Cana chirped happily, taking a long drink. "Now, uh, what is it?"
"Draconic is one of the last languages of the 5 High Races," Levy explained, gesturing wildly with her hands as she spoke. "No one's heard it spoken in years, if not decades! The only reason I know a few words is because they found a scroll in Caelum about 10 years back that had some of the written language in it and-"
"Baby Blue," Cana said with a smile, "slow down." Levy immediately looked sheepish, tugging shyly on one of the curls that fell over her shoulder.
"Sorry," she said to Gajeel with a sheepish smile. "I get overenthusiastic sometimes." Gajeel shrugged.
"Awa, akuve emihle. Kuhle ukubona othile kakhulu ngolimi lwami," he said, unable to keep a small grin off his face. Cana looked extremely pleased with herself, but it was Levy's reaction that surprised (and pleased) Gajeel the most. After staring at him with wide eyes for a few moments, she quickly slid over the tabletop and landed on the bench next to him, leaning in close and looking up at him with the biggest smile he'd ever seen.
"Wheredid you learn that?" she breathed reverently, and Gajeel with hit with the sudden sensation of falling.
With a little help from Cana, Gajeel managed to keep a conversation up with the littlest Fairy, and he was surprised to learn how easy it was to talk to Levy. When he couldn't think of anything to say, she'd go off on a long rant, gesturing and laughing until he had something to contribute. She never made fun of him when he had to stop and pick out his words - which was fairly often - and he was more grateful for that than she probably understood. Sometimes Gajeel would notice her start to reach for him, either to grab his attention or maybe smack him for saying something smart-alecky, but she'd stop, quickly putting her hands in her lap to tangle in the hem of her t-shirt. Cana would usually cut in quickly, but Gajeel always noticed, and something low in his stomach soured.
You'd think after a few months, he'd be used to the sudden and sharp feeling of guilt he felt whenever he was around Levy.
Though their conversation had started with languages, by the time Jet and Droy came over, it had devolved into sharing stories from different missions they had all taken abroad. "So there we all are," Levy said between laughs to Gajeel and Cana, both of whom were bent over the table laughing hysterically. "Jet's still on the camel, Droy's running from the baker, and I've completely forgotten every word of Lengua I have ever learned-"
"Yo, Levy," Jet called, walking up to the table with Droy at his side. They both looked distinctly uncomfortable, and made sure to stay on the opposite side of the table from Gajeel. "Are we still going to pick up that book about Fae lore, or what?"
"Crap, right," Levy said, smacking her forehead. "I totally forgot! When does that bookstore close?"
"In half an hour."
"Fuck!" Levy stood up quickly, hopping over the bench. "Well, it was good talking to you, Gajeel!" she said cheerfully, running around the table to give Cana a quick hug and a loud kiss on the cheek.
"Don't break too many hearts while you're gone, Baby Blue!" Cana called after the younger woman as she started towards the door with her two teammates. Levy spun back around and winked, shooting off a quick salute.
"Who, me? Never!"
"Lies and slander!" Cana yelled with a grin, and Levy's laughter was still echoing in the guildhall after the doors shut behind her. Gajeel looked back at his mug, a small smile still on his face. He glanced up at Cana and her grin had the blood draining from his face.
"What?" he asked nervously. She just smiled wider, chin propped up on her fist. "What!?"
"Oh, nothing!" she said cheerfully. "Nothing at all," she sang before taking a long drink of her beer. She wouldn't stop smirking at him, and Gajeel felt his ears burn.
"I need to piss," he grumbled, standing and starting to walk to the bathroom before Cana could tease him more.
"Don't fall in!"
"I hate you so much."
This was originally gonna be all one chapter, but it's almost at 5500 words, so I'm splitting it in half. The next chapter will be up tomorrow! Also, I'm probably gonna fix the editing on this one tomorrow too. I just want the damn thing up at this point.
For those of you wondering, Draconic is based off of Zulu, and Lengua is based off of Spanish. I used google translate for both, and I apologize for any mistranslations.
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