Levy stretched her arms above her head and looked over her shoulder to check the time a few hours later, her jaws stretching in a large yawn. She'd been told she could stay the night in the guildhall if she wanted - Gildarts planned to stay the night to get some paperwork done and Makarov had suggested she stay by him. Naturally, she'd accepted.
"Levy!"
The solid-script mage looked over and found Lucy waving to get her attention. The blonde had Happy in her arms, Natsu at her side, and her bag slung over her shoulder. Her dark eyes were concerned. "We're heading out, Levy. Are you going to be okay?"
Levy nodded. "I'll be fine," she reassured, crossing her arms. "Lily and I are staying here and Gajeel will be back in the morning. On top of it all, Gildarts will be here all night. I'll hang with him."
"If you're sure…" Lucy waved a final time. She and Natsu exchanged a look and then headed for the doors. They closed loudly behind Lucy and finally, Levy found that she and Lily - who had fallen asleep on a table - were alone within the main portion of the guildhall. She'd promised to clean up for the night so Mirajane could head home earlier than normal. Light spilled out from beneath the door to Makarov's office - Gildarts hard at work, she supposed.
Levy approached the door. She knocked and when she heard Gildarts tell her to come in, she did so. She merely peeked her head in and gave a hesitant smile. "Everyone's gone. I'm going to clean up the guildhall and then head up to one of the rooms to sleep."
Gildarts glanced up from the paperwork he'd been doing and gave her a warm smile. "Got it. I'll be down here doing...this." He gave his paperwork a look of disgust, earning a laugh from her. "Just shout if you need anything."
"I will," she said firmly. She waved and then headed towards the bar to wipe it down one more time. When she was done with it as wella s the tables lining the guildhall, she woke Lily. "Come on," she murmured, "let's head up."
"Okay," he agreed, yawning widely.
Levy giggled and scooped her friend into her arms. When she was set, she locked the front doors and then climbed the stairs.
She found a room that was fresh, checking the windows first and foremost. Locked, she was relieved to find. She peered at the street outside, scanning the darkness. She saw nothing and nearly whimpered in relief. Not that he wouldn't know she was there. He would know. He knew where she was at all times, it appeared.
She closed the curtains and then nudged the door shut before kicking her shoes off. Not bothering to look for a change of clothes, she crawled into bed with Lily. The Exceed made himself comfortable beside her and Levy closed her eyes after tucking the blankets around them. She hugged him, and he purred quietly before falling asleep entirely.
Sighing heavily through her nose, Levy forced herself to relax.
She heard the chirping of birds at dawn before sleep even began to creep over her.
"Gajeel!" Levy shouted in greeting, practically high on caffeine.
It was late in the morning, and the iron mage had just gotten in. He'd barely stepped into the guildhall before she'd called a greeting, and his crimson eyes went to her immediately. Relief flickered through him. Relief that she hadn't disappeared while he'd been away. He vowed to not take anymore jobs until she was safe.
Because he'd seen Elroy on his way in, and it pissed him off.
Beyond belief.
Lily was at her side, he saw, and he grunted and waved a little before stepping up to the bar. Mirajane smiled at him in greeting. "Hey, Gajeel," she murmured, lowering her voice, "you aren't going out anytime soon, are you?"
"No," he said a bit more sharply than he intended. "Why?"
Mirajane cleared her throat, biting her lip. "I'll let Levy explain what happened while you were gone, but...Gildarts has been keeping an eye out for her and...and we were given the clear to use magic if need be."
Gajeel ground his teeth together, anger racing through him. "I see," he gritted out.
She gave him a fierce look. "Don't you get angry with her. She's already stressed out enough without you adding to it. Just...support her, Gajeel. Support her and help her where you can until we're given reason to either arrest him or...otherwise."
He grunted in response. "Whatever," he growled, but Mirajane looked satisfied with his answer and took the signed form that told the Council he'd done his work to the client's satisfaction. When she had waved him off, he went back to where Levy and Lily were, his crimson eyes all ready blazing. "What the fuck happened?"
Levy grimaced, exchanging a look with Lily, who sipped quietly at his kiwi juice. Levy rolled her eyes. Clearly he wasn't going to help her… "I stopped at a bookstore yesterday morning. To get a new book. We're pretty sure it was...him, but someone lit the place on fire. After locking us and the owner inside."
The look on Gajeel's face had her rushing to say, flustered, "We're fine! No one was hurt. The poor owner of the place was in shock last time I checked, but other than that, he's entirely fine."
Gajeel let loose a massive breath that spoke of the control he was trying to keep. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he spat.
She furrowed her brow, giving him a look of disapproval for his language. "I went out with a couple of our friends yesterday and we were fine."
"I'm always fine," Lily said unhelpfully. "It's you we need to watch over."
After a few moments in which he tried to calm himself, Gajeel ground out, "Damn it, woman. Can't leave you alone for a goddamn second."
She smiled faintly and then relaxed as he grouchily dropped to sit with she and Lily, his red eyes full of annoyance. Leaning over the table, she told him, "I've been practicing my Draconian with Natsu."
He arched a pierced brow. "Have you?" he grunted, and then fired off a statement.
She flushed and patted her wild hair down. "My hair is not all over the place," she hissed, making Lily chuckle in his amusement. She snarled the same phrase back at him, adding on a few sounds, and Gajeel snickered.
"Look at ya," he mocked, waving. "The shrimp has some bite to her."
She sputtered angrily and Gajeel only found himself smirking, delighted to be home and teasing her. Levy grumbled under her breath and swept some loose hair out of her face, puffing her cheeks up in agitation and Gajeel watched her closely.
Until she demanded, "You owe me dinner."
Lily choked on his kiwi juice. Gajeel's eyes widened a fraction. "Really? 'Cause I don't remember you doin' anything for me as of late, shrimp."
She stuck her tongue out and he cackled. "You owe me dinner for calling me that. And for thinking my hair was a mess. It was quite rude to say that."
A gleam appeared in his crimson gaze as he rocked forward, getting into her personal bubble. "Fine. Where d'ya wanna eat then, shorty?" She glared, though a smile tugged at her lips.
Levy leaned back, tapping at her chin. "I decided last time we went out. And you owe me. So you decide. Surprise me. I'm fine with anywhere."
"Are you?" he challenged.
She thought it over. "...okay, so no...weird places. I don't want any bars or taverns either. I don't feel like getting squashed by people who don't know how to deal with small people."
He smirked. "I know a place. I'll meet ya here tonight."
"What time?"
"Six." A pause. "Five-thirty."
"Five-thirty then." Levy looked excited, her hazel eyes sparkling and Gajeel grinned, liking the fact that she was so eagerly looking forward to dinner with him of all people. He hated being around the happy-go-lucky people of his guild for too long, but Levy was someone he could handle being around constantly - she and Lily were alike in that aspect.
She suddenly leaned over the table, smirking, and he arched a pierced brow when she came within an inch of his face. He patiently studied her face, waiting to see what she was doing-
And then sputtered at the phrase she whispered to him in his own language, reeling back.
Levy climbed to her feet, laughing, and went to ask if Erza would be willing to walk her to Fairy Hills and back for her date. Lily looked between them, bewildered. "What'd she say?" He looked to Gajeel, who'd turned red and covered the lower half of his face with a hand. "Gajeel?"
He shook his head wildly, still flustered, earning a snicker from his cat.
Soft sounds had left her lips, curved with a hard edge that changed the meaning entirely. It was a familiar phrase, one he was sure she didn't entirely understand but had come to understand the general meaning.
To him, the phrase was much more than she probably thought it to be.
That simple sounded phrase he'd given her the first time he'd spoken Draconian to her - and she'd changed it just enough.
He'd originally told her, "I care deeply for you." Or something along those lines. The language didn't translate directly into the one they normally spoke. Levy, however, had changed that. With just a few alterations, she'd changed the entire sentence into something much more important.
"You hold the key to my soul."
Sorry about the late updates. Bubbles, your wait is over. XD
Thanks to reviewers (kmmcm, Typhlosion8, yorusorra, RandomAnimeNerd, LittleMarshmallowAli, NylliaDelta, HummingBird742, Levsa, Freereader18, Galven, JcL107, ShadowSpears, Grandeeney Marvell, and Treblemkr!) as well as those who favorited and followed!