A/N: Many apologies for the wait! But I'm afraid you'll have to wait even longer for Chapter 11, because I'm going on a field trip to a small place called Mekele for four days, so I won't have any time to write. But for now, please enjoy this chapter!
When Gray had decided to eavesdrop on Lucy and Gajeel's conversation, it had been a spur of the moment thing. Upon his arrival at the guild he had heard the two's loud discussion through the door, and had chosen to crouch in front of it and try to get into a better position to hear everything rather than go inside and announce his presence. And now that he had heard what they had to say, he was utterly and thoroughly baffled. So...Gajeel made Levy cry...and he's regretting it? And he wants Lucy's help? What the hell is going on here?
"You're absolutely useless," the Dragon Slayer moaned loudly.
"If you don't think my advice is good then don't ask me!" Lucy huffed. "She's your girlfriend; you should be able to figure something out on your own."
...Girlfriend? A wide smile stretched across Gray's face as he took in this information. All of a sudden the rest of their conversation didn't matter anymore, that sentence had provided him with enough knowledge to send the guild into a state of absolute chaos. Oh, this is absolutely fantastic. Ha ha ha! It's just too crazy to be true! After all, who would have ever harboured the idea of Levy and Gajeel dating? That was absolutely impossible! One would've thought that even Jet or Droy, both of whom she had rejected before, would have had a much better shot than he ever would have had. And just how long had they been together? It couldn't have been that long; secrets like this were never kept underground for long. Or were they just much better at hiding it than anyone else?
"Damn it, woman! How can Levy even stand you?"
"Well for starters, I don't go and verbally attack her while she's hurt!"
"I WAS ANGRY!"
"Oh, like that's an excuse!"
The ice mage silently backed away from the door, the grin on his face becoming larger with every step. He couldn't wait to tell someone, anyone even, about this. Mira first, maybe after that Juvia, and then Erza and Natsu! However, just as this notion popped into his head, something else occurred to him. Why exactly were they keeping it a secret? There must have been a reason; you didn't just keep things hidden for the sake of it. All of a sudden he felt guilty for even considering running around screaming to the whole town when it was clearly not his secret to tell. At least, not until he found out why they were hiding it. I feel like a teenage girl, he mentally groaned, smacking his forehead with the base of his palm. I really need to stop letting Mira influence me like this.
"You know what, screw this, I already apologized!"
"Did that apology include the words 'I'm sorry'?"
"...They were implied."
"That's great."
He stifled a laugh and for a moment considered just sitting there and continuing listening to the argument. Deciding it would be better for him to just walk into the guild and ask them what was going on (and knowing he was going to regret it in the near future), he was about to do so when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, and a tall, familiar hat came into view.
"Hey!" Jet greeted him cheerfully. Droy came up behind him and did the same, neither of the mages noticing the distracted look on Gray's face. Uh oh, he thought. Something tells me that these two don't know about this; otherwise they'd have been seriously depressed this entire week.
"Jet, Droy!" he called out loudly, hoping the two arguing inside would hear him over their bickering. "What are you guys doing here so early?"
"Coming to visit Levy-chan," the plant-mage stated, walking past him and towards the door.
"Oh, I'll come with you guys!"
"Gray, you don't need to shout, we're right next to you."
"Right, right, my bad!"
"You're still shouting."
They flung the doors wide open, and Gray let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw Gajeel draped over one of the tables, supposedly fast asleep. Lucy crept out from behind the clinic's door and waved at them, motioning for them to be quiet. "She's still asleep," she whispered once they were close enough to hear. "Why don't you guys just come back later?" She seemed hopeful that they would listen to her and leave, but unfortunately for her they were firmly rooted to the ground, obviously not planning to go anywhere any time soon.
"We want to see her now," Jet pleaded. "We promise we'll be quiet, right, Droy?"
"Right!" his partner agreed. The blonde considered it for a moment, sighed and went back into the clinic. The remainder of team Shadow Gear took this as an invitation inside and smiled in victory. They followed her in and quietly shut the door behind them, and an audible click echoed throughout the now almost unoccupied hall. The now shirtless black-haired mage glanced back at the Dragon Slayer, who was still pretending to be completely unconscious. Was now the right time to ask him about Levy? Well, if he was honest with himself, there probably was no right time. Oh well, I'd better get this over with.
"So, Gajeel, you and Levy huh?" he mused aloud. He spied his target twitch from the corner of his eye, but after that there was no more movement. "I wonder what everyone else thinks about this situation. I should go ask Jet and Droy what their opinions are."
He started forward when his progress was stopped by a long iron pillar that seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere. "Stop right there," Gajeel growled, lifting himself up and retracting his arm. Gray suppressed the urge to smile; that had been much easier than expected. "You were out there before those two idio- guys, weren't you? Were you listening?"
"To that lovely conversation between you and Lucy? Of course not!"
His sarcasm didn't help the atmosphere in the room, as he could feel rage emanating from Gajeel's every pore. "You will tell no-one, do you hear me?" he hissed angrily, raising a first as if warning him what would happen if he did. "It's bad enough that Levy accidently let Salamander find out along with the bunny, she doesn't want anyone else to know right now and I'm going to make sure it stays that way."
"Wait, wait, Natsu knows? And he didn't tell me about this?"
"He knew to keep his mouth shut!"
"Sorry, Gajeel, but I want the whole story. Do you want me to have to go confront Lucy about it?"
Gajeel opened his mouth to reply when the door to the clinic opened, and Levy's three visitors tiptoed outside, two of them giving Gray a satisfied thumbs up, completely oblivious to the tension between the two mages in the middle of the room.
"We're going to go buy Levy-chan a present," Droy informed them as they practically rushed to the entrance. "A nice book to read while she's there, maybe! See you guys later!"
And then they were gone, unaware that they were leaving what was bound to be a very awkward situation. "So, Lucy," the black-haired mage began, moving closer to her and resting his elbow on her shoulder. "I heard about that little secret you've been keeping for Gajeel and Levy. Would you like to let me in on the rest?"
xXx
When Levy awoke, she opened her eyes to a picture-perfect setting. The room was illuminated by the rays of sunlight streaming in from through the window, and she could hear the faint chirps of birds outside. On a normal day she would've admired this scene, but once the fight between her and Gajeel resurfaced in her mind, there was no possible way she could enjoy it.
He was so...ugh! she thought angrily, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them. In a mere matter of minutes he had managed to change her mood from normal to absolutely furious. Did he really think going and verbally attacking my teammates was going to benefit anyone? Sighing, she turned her head and looked at the door, listening to the faint murmurs coming from the other side. She didn't concentrate on them, though, she was more focused on the memory of his...well, explanation, as it wasn't exactly an apology. Maybe I was being bit unfair...she reflected, biting her lip. He was just thinking of me...and he's much more comfortable with expressing his feelings with violence or harsh words...ugh, I don't want to think about this.
A loud rumbling sound in her stomach informed her that it was time to get some food. Sliding off the bed and onto her feet, she winced as a stabbing pain in her side reminded her of exactly why she was in the clinic. With every step she took a sharp jolt ran up her torso, and she groaned. She hadn't realised how much it would hurt when she actually got up and started she'd be damned if she didn't get to eat some breakfast. As she drew closer to the door, the voices she had noticed earlier grew louder and clearer.
"NO WAY!"
"Be quiet, you'll wake up Levy-chan!"
"I'm already awake," she called out in a sing-song voice as she pushed the door open. Her statement caught the attention of the three fairies in the centre of the hall, who immediately ended their conversation when she stepped through the doorway. Their stares unnerved her, and she slowly made her way to them, determined not to be put off by their odd behaviour. "You guys okay?"
They continued to eyeball her until a smile broke out on Gray's face, as if it had been waiting for just the right moment to pop up. "Hey there, Levy," he greeted her, slinking away from Lucy. "Listen, I'm so sorry, but these two just can't keep a secret. They told me everything."
"Huh?" The true meaning of his sentence didn't reach her until she actually focused on the words he had just spoken, her mouth forming an 'O' in realisation. "HUH?"
"I'm afraid it's true. I asked Lucy just one question and she sang like a canary."
"EH?"
The blonde rushed over and clamped a hand over her comrade's mouth. "Levy-chan, it's not my fault, he overheard me and Gajeel talking, so I had to tell him everything. He threatened to tell Mirajane if I didn't!"
The blue-haired mage stole a glance past the muzzled mage to the long-haired man behind him. He was watching her intently, unflinching as her eyes met his. What was he thinking? It was as if he had put on a mask; he was showing absolutely no emotion at all. Did he just not care? Or was he upset about the night before? But that would have to wait; right now she had a problem. Unfortunately another member of Fairy Tail's strongest team knew about her relationship. Was it really that hard to keep a secret? "Gray, please don't tell anyone about this," she sighed, moving towards a table and seating herself on its edge. "I'm hoping Lucy told you why we're keeping it a secret."
"Yeah, yeah, I won't say a word," Gray promised once he managed to remove the blonde's palm from his mouth. "But why did you tell Natsu instead of me? I mean, Natsu of all people! You know he's going to rub it in my face, right?"
"It was an accident. He wasn't really supposed to hear anything."
"Do you really think that's going to stop him?"
"...Not really," The sour look that appeared on his face caused Levy to start giggling, and in just a minute it turned into full blown laughter. She didn't know what was causing this, the situation definitely wasn't as humorous as she made it seem. But all the tension she had been holding onto was quickly seeping away, and it was a great feeling. For the moment, everything would be fine. Obviously, he wouldn't say anything to anyone, and she was grateful. It was by complete chance that it had been him who had been standing outside the door, and she knew that there wouldn't be as many lucky breaks in the future. Sooner or later they would tell everyone the truth, but for now, it could wait, and she could simply laugh the time away. "...It's really not that funny."
"I know, I know, sorry," she apologized, clutching her side as small jolts of pain popped up. "Ow, that hurts."
She found herself being whisked away back to the clinic by her blonde friend. "C'mon, I'll get you some medicine for that. Until then, just rest."
"But hey, I'm hungry!"
"Tough luck!"
As she was shoved into the infirmary she opened her mouth to argue that she was perfectly fine and wanted to go eat some breakfast, when Lucy's next words surprised her.
"Levy-chan, forgive him."
"Huh?" Could she be talking about what Levy thought she was talking about?
"Gajeel told me about that little fight between you guys. Look, I know just as well as you do what a jerk he can be, but –"
"Wait, he told you about it? Really?"
"Well, not in so many words, he only said he made you cry and wanted to make everything alright again."
"...He asked you for advice?"
"Let me finish!"
She continued talking, but Levy was far gone. She was still completely stunned by the fact that the Dragon Slayer had actually gone and asked her friend for help. It was something completely unlike him, and she knew it must have been hard for him to squash his pride. But even so, she didn't know the whole story. Maybe Lucy was just trying to get her to patch things up with him. Unfortunately for her, the bookworm wasn't ready just yet to give him the privilege of being forgiven. "Are you listening?" the blonde exclaimed in frustration, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"I really don't want to think or talk about this, Lu-chan," she replied, sitting down. "Can we just leave it alone for now?"
"But – "
"Let's get some food! I'm starving."
Lucy sighed and went back to the door. "I'll get you some food. Just relax."
"I will."
xXx
"Natsu!"
Natsu smiled with delight as Lucy jumped into his arms, nearly knocking him over. In one hand she was holding a plate with a small sandwich on it. "Food!" Before she could even stop him he had swiftly snatched it up and stuffed it into his mouth. He grinned cheekily as an irritated look crossed her face.
"That was for Levy-chan!" she sighed, going back behind the bar to make another one. The pink-haired mage shrugged and went over to sit with Gray and Gajeel, who were eating their own meals. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, one which was made even stranger by the odd smirk on his teammate's face. That's really creepy, he shuddered, planting himself on a chair. But then again, this whole atmosphere was rather uncomfortable. It was as if he had interrupted something, but he had absolutely no clue what it could have been.
"Hey, Droopy-eyes, what's that grin for?" he asked, poking the ice mage's forehead. Gray smacked his finger away and took a bite of the food on his plate. "Oi, I asked you a question!"
The mage stayed silent for a moment before jumping out of his chair, surprising the two Dragon Slayers. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about Levy and Gajeel! I mean, come on, this is absolutely hilarious!"
"Wait, you know!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Gray nodded and explained that he had only found out half an hour ago, and he was extremely disappointed that he hadn't known about this before. "Well, I knew first, so ha!" He
"Shut up, that doesn't matter."
"Oh yes it does! Did you also get that picture in your head of Gajeel on bended knee giving flowers to Levy?"
"What? Ha ha ha! Where on earth did you get that idea?"
"It just came to me. Admit it, it's hilarious."
"They're such an odd couple, aren't they?"
As the two chatted away, gossiping like schoolgirls with nothing better to do, they didn't notice Gajeel begin to slowly grow more and more frustrated with their conversation. And they certainly didn't detect the hostility he was emanating towards them in the hopes of scaring them away. Finally tired with tolerating their discussion, he slammed his fist onto the table, sending a loud thud echoing around the room. "Will you two shut up already?" he growled, giving them his signature death glare.
"What crawled up your ass and died?"
Muttering angrily to himself, the Iron Dragon Slayer stood up and sauntered out of the guild, slamming the door loudly behind him. The two men he had left behind exchanged puzzled glances. "Seriously, what the hell crawled up his ass and died?" Natsu repeated, raising an eyebrow. Gray shrugged.
"He's probably still testy after his fight with Levy," he replied.
"What? They fought?"
"Well, I really don't know the details, but I think he made her cry."
"That's mean! Who would want to make tiny little Levy cry?"
"If they're dating, I don't think he did it intentionally."
"Jeez, you guys are just as bad as Mira and I, do you know that?" Lucy commented, appearing from behind the bar with a brand new plate of food for her friend. She started towards the infirmary but was blocked by Natsu, who slid his arm around her shoulder and whisked her around.
"So, what do you plan to do, Lucy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you have to have a plan to fix the problem between those two, right?"
"...I think I should just let them figure out their problem themselves."
"...What?" She rolled her eyes and lightly pushed his shoulder.
"Of course I have a plan, you idiot! And you two are going to help me, so listen closely!"