Gajeel sighed as he waited outside Levy's house in his car. He'd agreed to pick her up before going to dinner. He stared at the perfect neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, he felt out of place in his rusty pickup. This area screamed middle class. Trimmed lawns and freshly painted picket fences surrounding small houses. It was nothing like the rough area he'd grown up in. He glanced down at his phone to check the time and groaned. How much longer was she going to be?

He'd thought about going up to the door, but he'd decided against it. He didn't want to appear desperate. Instead he'd dropped a quick text letting Levy know he'd arrived.

A few minutes later, Levy walked out the front door. Gajeel gulped nervously. She looked stunning, like an angel. Her face lit up when she saw him and she gave an excited wave. A few moments later, she hopped into the car before slamming the door shut.

"So what's this place like?" Levy asked excitedly. Gajeel chuckled at her eagerness.

"Igneel's is a Chinese restaurant. It's pretty good," Gajeel explained.

"I've not really eaten a lot of Chinese food before," Levy confessed.

"Shit," Gajeel cursed internally,"What if she hates it? Of course, you'd screw this up Gajeel."

"I'm sure you'll love it," Gajeel replied out loud," and if you don't, we can go somewhere else."

"No, that's fine!" Levy babbled, waving her hands frantically," I don't want to be a bother."

"It's fine," Gajeel said," Don't you want it to be perfect?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean…" Gajeel mumbled, avoiding her eyes," It is our first date after all."

Levy's jaw dropped before she began to snicker.

"Oi, what are you laughing for?!" Gajeel snapped, his eyes hardening.

"I didn't take you to be such a softie!" Levy giggled.

"Hey, I don't mind," Gajeel retorted," I'm just doing what Erza and Mira told me!"

Earlier that Day

Gajeel watched as Levy drove off with Lucy. Apparently, they'd made plans to go shopping. It was nice to see Levy making friends with some of his coworkers. That way, he'd see her more often around the gym. Suddenly, a hand grabbed him from behind. Whipping round, he took a defensive stance, ready to knock whoever it was out. Natural instinct.

He now faced Erza Scarlet, a world renowned martial arts expert. The flaming beauty was a force to be reckoned with. She was also rumoured to be skilled in swordsplay but that was only gossip. It didn't make her less terrifying though.

"Hello, Gajeel," Erza cooly said," No need for such a stance."

Immediately, Gajeel relaxed, straightening up. He knew better than to challenge Erza, even with his past title as Black Steel.

"Good,"

"What do you want?" Gajeel grumbled," I'm busy."

"We need to have a chat with you," Erza replied.

"Whose "we"?" Gajeel asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. Suddenly he felt an ominous presence behind him. Slowly turning, he was greeted by Mira, who had a demonic grin on her face.

"Hello Gajeel," she sweetly chirped.

"What the hell does She Devil have to do with this?" Gajeel growled.

"We heard about your little date with a certain Levy McGarden," Mira giggled," So we felt we needed to give you a few… pointers."

"I'm alright," Gajeel muttered, as he tried to walk away. Suddenly he felt a superhuman grip on him.

"Oh, you thought that it was optional," Mira grinned," I hate to break it to you, but you will listen to us."

Thus, Gajeel was locked in a nearby storage cupboard for the next few hours, as he was lectured about first date etiquette and such.

…

"Oh my god, that's hilarious!" Levy howled as Gajeel looked forward, concentrating on the road.

"It's not really," he muttered.

Soon they pulled up at the restaurant. It didn't look too fancy, but instead gave off a rather welcoming feeling. The sign," IGNEEL'S" was made of wood and slightly chipped, yet the place glowed.

"This looks so nice," Levy gushed as she entered. It was tastefully decorated with red orchids, black walls and linen tablecloths. On the wall, a beautiful red dragon had been painted.

"I wonder who painted that," Levy mumbled to herself.

"Natsu's friend, Reedus, is a painter who also happens to love food," Gajeel smirked," So in exchange for the mural, he gets a permanent 50% off his orders."

"That's a lot!" Levy exclaimed. Suddenly a man walked up to them. He had fiery red hair which was a sharp contrast to his white and black outfit. His eyes seemed to glow like embers.

"Welcome to Igneels," the man boomed," You must be Miss Levy."

"Y-Yes," Levy stuttered, in awe at the man before her. He seemed so confident and was bursting with enthusiasm.

"You're one lucky guy Gajeel!" the man chuckled, slapping the trainer on the back. Levy expected Gajeel to scowl, but to her surprise, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel muttered, pushing the man off him.

"How's my boy doing?" the man asked Gajeel as he led them to their seats.

"He's still a pink haired idiot, if that's what your asking," Gajeel replied.

Wait...

Pink hair?

"Are you Natsu's father?" Levy interrupted, causing both men to face her.

"Why, indeed I am," the man chuckled," My name's Igneel Dragneel. Oh, have you met my son? He's the best I could have asked for. Here, I have some baby photos in my-"

"Oi!" Gajeel snapped," Can we at least get a menu before listening to your drabble?!"

"Gajeel!" Levy gasped, a small scowl appearing on her face," You shouldn't be so rude!"

"Ooh, looks like she's got you whipped," Igneel snickered," Here's your menus, kids."

After he left, Levy opened her menu and gazed at all the options. She had no clue what to pick.

"Do you like spicy food?" Gajeel asked, as he noticed her confusion.

"I guess so," Levy replied.

"I'd get the Fire Dragon Chicken with fried rice then," Gajeel suggested. Levy noticed he'd not even opened his menu.

"Aren't you going to decide what to order?" Levy asked.

"I already know," Gajeel replied," I always get the Iron Dragon Beef with chow mein."

Soon Igneel came by and took their orders, promising that their food would be ready quickly.

"There seems to be a lot of references to dragons in the menu," Levy pointed out, as she glanced at the menu again.

"When Natsu was a kid, he loved dragons a lot. So when his dad gave him the job of naming the dishes, you can guess what he was influenced by."

"Did you know anyone at the gym other than Juvia before you joined?" Levy asked. Suddenly the room seemed to get darker. Gajeel's small smile dropped off his face.

"Before my mum left us, I went to the same school as Natsu," Gajeel explained, his tone cold," We fought a lot, but I guess we were friends. After she disappeared, I dropped out and joined Phantom Lord."

"Does he remember you?" Levy asked softly.

"Nah," Gajeel chuckled, his laugh attempting to cover his pain," We were really young. At that point, I didn't have any piercings and stuff either. So I looked pretty different."

Before Levy could ask anymore questions, Igneel brought out their food. It smelled amazing.

"Ya know, you've not told me anything about your childhood," Gajeel commented as he began to eat.

"Oh, well," Levy began as she placed the chicken in her mouth. She went to continue, but something wasn't right.

Everything was on fire. Her mouth, her throat, her tongue. Her eyes watered as she coughed violently, reaching out for the nearest glass of water. But it wasn't enough.

"Hey are you alright?" Gajeel asked, his voice filled with worry," I thought you said you could handle spice, Shrimp!"

"Not… that… much!" Levy spluttered between coughs. Igneel, seeing the girl's state, rushed over with a jug of water.

"Here," he said, pouring her another glass which she greedily gulped down. After a few minutes, Levy had stopped coughing, though looked worse for wear.

Suddenly, Gajeel grabbed her plate and pushed his towards her.

"What are you doing?" Levy exclaimed as he scooped up the chicken," Be careful!"

"I can actually handle spice," Gajeel smirked as he enjoyed her, well his, meal. Levy simply sighed and tucked into his, well her, meal. The beef was so tender and complimented the chow mein.

"This is so good," she moaned, causing Gajeel to laugh," Are you sure you're okay with swapping?"

"I'm fine, Shrimp," Gajeel assured her," I like this too. Plus, I don't really think you'd be willing to eat this again."

"Fine, fine," Levy smiled.

After they finished, Igneel insisted that they take several coupons as an apology. Levy had tried to refuse, but Gajeel had grabbed them.

"You shouldn't have taken those," Levy scolded.

"I eat there a lot, so I'll put them to good use," Gajeel argued," Plus, he's the kind of person that won't take no for an answer."

"Okay, you win," Levy pouted, as she looked out the window.

"So, since I won," Gajeel grinned," I want you to tell me about your childhood."

"Why are you so interested in it?" Levy exclaimed.

"Because I want to know about my girlfriend."

The car went silent.

"I… I'm your girlfriend?" Levy squeaked, her face red. Gajeel was also blushing, cursing his slip up.

"I mean… I guess," he mumbled," Unless you don't want to be."

"I do!" Levy exclaimed," But I want to make sure that you're ready for that level of commitment."

"What do you mean "ready"?" Gajeel growled.

"I mean," Levy sighed," You've never been in a relationship before, from what I know. I want to know if you can handle it emotionally and mentally."

"How about physically?" Gajeel smirked, watching Levy's face turn the color of a lobster.

"You jerk!" Levy shrieked. Gajeel chuckled in response.

"I'm just messing with you," Gajeel responded, but Levy continued to scowl as they pulled up at her house. Levy quickly unbuckled and went to open the door, only to hear a click. She attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Let me out, Gajeel," Levy spat out, between gritted teeth.

"Levy," he began, grabbing her so she faced him," I need to tell you something."

"Nothing pervy!"

"I promise," he smiled," I just wanted to say that I'd like to do this again. I'm not promising to be the World's Best Boyfriend, but I'll try. So please, Levy, be my girlfriend."

Levy sat spellbound. Sure, they'd confessed their feelings, but they'd never confirmed their status.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Gajeel," she whispered, giving him a soft kiss, before slyly hitting the unlock button.

"Hey!" Gajeel yelled as Levy got out the car.

"I need to rest," she laughed," But I'll see you at the library for our lesson tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, Shrimp!" Gajeel laughed as he watched the young girl entered her house," It's a promise."