Gajeel - Eight
I snapped my watch onto my wrist as I walked into the kitchen area. Levy was on the phone as she poured two mugs of coffee.
"Yes mom, I am going to the dinner tomorrow with Gajeel… I am busy after work then… I'm busy tonight, that's why… I will see… Love ya too. Bye." She sighed and turned to see me watching her.
She must have seen something in my face, because she walked right up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I cupped her face, pressing my mouth softly to her's. Last night lingered on my mind as I struggled to stay together. Levy was both terrifying and distracting. I loved her.
"I'm still here." She reminded me. I nodded and ran my fingers through her hair.
We matched. I wore a standard, black three piece suit with a red shirt and tie. She wore a black blouse with red buttons and black fitted slacks. I guessed the black and red flats that sat near the door were her choice of footwear.
"Lunch?" She pulled me from my thoughts. I inhaled her sweet scent.
"I have a business lunch scheduled, but I would really like it if you joined me." I liked the image of her at my side, and the same vice versa.
"Of course." Her smile was bright. I pressed a kiss to her nose. "And tomorrow we will be going to the dinner. Afterwards, we will come home and have really nice sex."
I chuckled, welcoming the warm feeling that filled my insides. "You really aren't gonna give up on me, are you?"
"Mmmmm. Nope. I like you too much. Get used to being stuck with me." Boy, did I.
The rest of the day flew past in a blur. On the way to work and lunch, I cuddled my girlfriend in my lap, kissing her neck and stroking her hip. I hadn't said much, and she barely spoke more than I did. During lunch,as I discussed possible property to buy in New York, Levy laced her hand in my right one and settled it over my thigh, reminding me that she was at my side. We both ate with one hand, not caring how awkward it was. We'd rather be uncomfortable than lose that connection. Even as the day carried on, last night began to feel more like a distant memory.
I had individual therapy after work today, but my day stretched a little with a last minute meeting. I ended up meeting with Makarov five minutes late at the building.
"Mr. Redfox." He greeted me. I shook his hand. Sitting across from him in the rather comfortable chair, he wasted no time.
"Makarov."
"I heard last night was a tough one." He stated while pulling out a notepad.
"Yeah…"
"You seem different. Tell me what happened."
"I had a night terror and I ended up smothering Levy by acting it out while I was asleep. It was like what happened last week, but much more physical."
"The dream, can you remember it?" He looked up at me with clear eyes.
"Not much. It was just very dark. Like everything was hard to see. I…. That's too much for me, Doc." I shuddered as I tried to remember my dream. Makarov set the notepad down and grabbed an IPad.
"I once had a case where a man sexually assaulted his wife every night they slept together for ten years. They had children and all."
"What?"
"It is true. The man had mental issues after fighting in the military. His wife only confessed because she felt that she was betraying her husband."
"Betraying… how?" I said shocked.
"To her, he was much more… exciting… when he was sleeping versus when he was awake." Makarov explained. Surprise froze me to the bone.
"How did it end?"
"Oh, they are still together. The man takes nightly medication that stop him from acting out his dreams. I'm going to prescribe you to something similar."
"Will it interfere with any of my other medication?"
"No. Just take it before you go to sleep. And do not take this with alcohol."
"I don't drink like that. I never mix."
"Good." He took some of information to give to his secretary and told me that my prescription would be available as soon as I left. Checking the time, I ordered Stuart to pick it up.
"So, what is stressing you now?"
I looked up at his sudden question. "What?"
"Your nightmares seem to be triggered when you carry too much weight on your shoulders alone or when you are stressed."
"I don't know. It's just a lot going on. I really want to be with Levy, and not the rest of the world. That is starting to feel like an ultimatum."
"Have you told Levy this?" He looked at me with a raised brow. I leaned back in my chair.
"Should I?"
I leaned against the wall, waiting to reach Levy's floor. I had my laptop bag slung over my shoulder. Impatient, I tapped my foot. As soon as the doors opened, I was met with a shocking sight.
"Natsu?"
He was red eyed, like he had recently been crying. His hair was tousled and damp with sweat, and the collar to his expensive sweater was slightly stretched. He smelt of sex yet look so destroyed. I had never seen him like this. His eyes widened slightly as he caught my gaze before he looked away from me.
"Not in the mood." He pushed past me into the open elevator. I watched the door close, still shocked.
"I can tell." I turned away with a grumble. Stalking down the hall, I ended up pausing at Levy's door. I could hear yelling. Quietly cracking the front door open, I tuned in, hoping to figure out what the hell was going on.
"You broke his heart, Lu. And then you fucked him in the same sheets he caught you cheating on!" Levy exclaimed. Well, that explained a lot.
"I said shut the fuck up, Levy! I don't need to be getting shit from you right now." Lucy snapped at her. I stayed where I was.
"Somebody has to give you shit." Levy snapped back.
"He wouldn't be nearly as pissed if I had been fucking with a chick he didn't know."
Levy scoffed. "So it is his fault now? For catching you?"
I could hear rustling. "Newsflash: You love life isn't perfect either."
"That's a dick move, Lu. I shouldn't be the one you toss around. You made a shitty mistake, then decided to make an even worse one. That is your fault."
"You are the one to talk. You are sleeping with a man that is gonna rape you any day now."
My heart clenched unevenly at hearing those words coming from Lucy's mouth. Is that how dangerous I was when I fell asleep?
"You know it isn't like that!" Levy defended me, as always.
Lucy gave a snort. "If you want to make excuses for him attacking you because he is sleep, you got to say the same thing for drunks and druggies. They don't know what they are doing when they do bad things either."
There was a fear fulfilling moment of silence before Levy spoke softly. "You can set down a bottle. But you can't stop sleeping, Lu." I heard the pop of a champagne bottle.
"If anyone knows what it is like to see people hurt you, it is me. Since day fucking one. With fucking Rick, then fucking Cole. Now him? You love him. You want to save him from his demons. But who the fuck is going to save you when his demons attack you? Levy, we got lucky I was home last night. I told Cana to go home alone because I knew I needed to be here. I won't always be here and he is a ticking time bomb."
"Screw you, Lucy. You want to talk about relationships that are painful? Did you screw Natsu over to protect yourself? To ensure that he never had the chance to disappoint you or break your heart?"
I could hear the clink of two wine glasses. "Congratulations to us, the greatly fucked up. At least we have each other."
The following silence told me the conversation was over. I stayed in the hallway for a while, processing everything Lucy had said. She was probably right. Maybe I was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to combust. And maybe Levy wasn't strong enough to survive that.
Fuck that.
I had to believe she was. She believed she was.
I walked into her apartment after collecting myself. There was no mess, which calmed my nerves. I found my girlfriend pulling what looked like pot roast from the oven. An untouched, half-filled wine glass sat on the island.
"That smells amazing."
She looked at me dazed for a moment. The normal smile in her eyes were dulled. "I hope you are hungry. I made a lot of food, and I doubt Lucy is gonna be joining us tonight."
Setting my things down, I approached her. I placed my hands on her tense shoulders. "Are you okay?"
She deflated and leaned into my chest. "I just want you here. With me."
"Then I will stay. I brought some things for a little work. And I got you a gift."
Her eyes brightened as she twirled in my hold. "Gimme."
Grinning, I went to my laptop bag and pulled out a small box. She raised an eyebrow as I hid it behind my back. "Ask nicely."
Her eyes burned into mine as a sexy grin pulled at her lips. She approached me and placed her hands on my torso, giving me a clear view down her shirt. I held my composure as she slowly untucked my shirt from my pants. When she finished, she tilted her head back and kissed my neck. I growled lightly.
"Give it to me, Gajeel." She softly whispered suggestively, teasing me. I want to grab her and fuck her over the island, but her roommate was too close.
"I said nicely." I reminded her, keeping my mask on. One of her hands moved between my legs to grope my hard on while the other pulled my face down to her own. Her lips just barely grazed mine before she pulled back.
"May I please have it?" She asked with a suggestive innocence in her tone. Giving in, I set the box in her hands. Before she could open it, I pulled her close and let my desire glaze my eyes. She looked at me in awe.
"You will get it later." I promised. Her cheeks burned a bright red before she pecked a kiss to my mouth and looked down to her gift. She opened it.
"A new watch?" She said with a question in her voice.
"I noticed your watch is old and doesn't work, so I wanted to give you a new one." It was a gold and diamond watch. I wouldn't tell her how much it cost.
"Geez. This is… It's beautiful." I smiled triumphantly as she tried it on. A perfect fit.
"You like it?"
"I love it. I am gonna wear it everyday now."
The feeling that rushed through my chest was wonderful. "That's what I want to hear. How about that dinner?"
She nodded. "Would you go to get Lu? We kinda butted heads before you came."
I nodded and set off. Peeking my head inside of Lucy's room, I saw her figure under covers in the dark. Sleeping. Quietly closing the door, I went back to the kitchen.
"She is still asleep."
"Then it will just be us two." She took a slow breath. We ate on the balcony, and sipped on wine while looking up at the few stars bright enough to see. That was one of the things I hated about Chicago. I never could see the stars. A thought suddenly crossed me as we ate in silence.
"You haven't asked me about my appointment."
"That is none of my business, baby. You can share it if you want to."
I was quiet for a moment. "I never really believed in therapy. Never had good experiences with it. But he kinda gave me hope."
"Oh? How so?"
"Besides talking me in circles, he told me about how a similar case was resolved. The guy was sexually assaulting his wife in his sleep for ten years."
"Jeez. How did it end?"
"Wife confronted him and he takes medication for it. It is kinda sad. Apparently he was a better lay asleep than when he was awake."
Levy choked on her wine as laughter built up. I looked at her, taken aback at how beautiful she was.
"That has gotta hurt."
"Yeah. I don't know what I would do in a situation like that. That really sucks. Anyways, he takes medication that stops him from acting out his dreams. I am taking something similar. I already picked it up."
"Gajeel, how do you feel about taking all these meds?"
I looked down at her. "I will do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe. If this is something I gotta do, then fuck it. I have been taking medication most of my life, this doesn't affect me. If I can sleep with you without hurting you, then I will take the meds." I explained.
When we finished eating and went inside, we settled in the living room. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she stared at me working. I hid my smirk when I saw her bit her lip.
"Levy, stop staring at me like that."
She stuck her tongue out. I snapped my hand out, catching her tongue. Her eyes widened as I leaned in close.
"Was that a suggestion, shorty?" I grinned. Her eyes glazed with want as she sucked my index finger into her mouth. She stared me down fearlessly as she twirled her tongue around my fingertip before placing a nip there. Her hands wrapped around my wrist in gentle strokes. My dick hardened.
"That was a suggestion." She murmured while standing up, not letting my hand go. I tossed my laptop down and followed her to the bedroom with a growing grin.
"Won't you give it to me now?" She whispered. I pulled my finger away and lifted her into my arms. Her back was against the wall near her room.
"I will give you anything you want."
She hummed. "How did you see me?"
Capturing her lips in a heavy kiss, I only let up when she moaned. "I have always seen you."
"Is that so?"
"Since day one, you are all I have seen." I said, carrying her giggling form into her bedroom, shutting the door closed with my foot.
My day was going rather smoothly. Levy graciously rewarded me with mindblowing morning sex in celebration of a calm night of rest. No bad dreams.
At this moment, I fiddled with my phone, seeing a text from Bree. I called her as she requested.
"Hey, Gajeel." She said with a smile in her voice.
"You wanted me to call?"
"Ah, yes. Trevor and I will be there tonight at the dinner. I just wanted to inform you."
"Good. I can't wait for her to meet you."
"Same. Well, I'll see you in a few hours!" She hung up. Her enthusiasm caused me to chuckle as I walked out of the elevator onto Levy's floor. I slipped my cool mask back on as I walked down the empty aisle to Levy's desk.
I raised an eyebrow when I saw Lily and Levy speaking outside of her cubicle. Lily caught my eye and straightened up.
"Sir."
Levy turned to me with a sly grin on her face. "We were just talking about a quick workout but he has to cancel. Wanna go work out before the dinner?"
"Sure. Let's get going."
I guided Levy to the elevator while shooting Lily a firm nod. He nodded in return.
"Wanna go to my place?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.
"I want to work out, Gajeel."
I chuckled, rephrasing my question. "I meant where I work out, Levy. Although, now that you mention it…" I trailed off suggestively.
"No, no. Let's go to your gym to work out." She said with a knowing smile. I pecked her head with a nod.
Twenty minutes later, we were walking through the front doors of one of the many training gyms I owned. Levy looked amazed.
"I wonder how much of Chicago you own, but then I decide not to guess. I will just assume you own everything from now on." She said with a nod. I shook my head.
"Go get changed and meet me by the treadmills upstairs." I waved to the man working the front desk. He actually fumbled to free one hand just to wave back.
"Where do I get naked?" She whispered into my ear huskily. I growled.
"You walk on fire, woman. Go over there." I showed her to the locker rooms, only separating on she disappeared inside of the women's locker room. I peeked around the corner and saw several of my bodyguards watching the entrances.
I changed rather quickly into a pair of shorts and a cut off muscle tee. I liked showcasing my muscles. Not so surprisingly, I wanted to see Levy in her workout clothes like a horny teenager. Then again, I was really just a horny adult with a hot girlfriend so…
I had beat Levy to the treadmills, so I got a head start. Not many people were around, courtesy of my looming guards that paid people to give me privacy. Money was quite the game changer these days.
I turned on the news on one of the TVs and wasn't surprised to see that they were discussing my dinner for tonight. It was a charity event, so everyone who was anyone would be there. That included the mayor.
I was almost halfway through a mile when the softest of gasps pulled me from my thoughts. I turned my head and saw Levy not so discreetly gaping at me. I was about to give her a slick comment about staring at people, but then I took in her attire.
She wore workout leggings that hugged her hips and showed her curves. My eyes trailed up her exposed torso to the excuse of a bra thingy that barely covered her chest. I hadn't known I was moving until I was in front of her. Her hair was pulled back by a black headband. I was painfully aroused just looking at her.
"God damn, Levy." I breathed, soaking her in.
"Let's work out. We can check each other out while we do it." She winked, moving to walk past me to the treadmills. I reached out, gently catching her hair in between my fingers. I pulled her head back and crushed my mouth to her's, tempted to take her to my place for a much needed fuck instead of working out for an hour.
This was gonna be the most painfully exercised hour for my dick. I just fucking knew it.
A/N: Sup, Gang. I'm sorry as hell. That's all I can say. Been hella inactive. I'm back in school, so I've been trying to get used to this story. I have one more chapter after this, but I'll probably split it into two parts. I'm NOT gonna bullshit it. I can't make any promises, but I would like to upload the first part by next Wednesday. Thank you for leaving reviews and messaging me, constantly reminding me. Ya'll the best. PEACE!