Hey everyone! I'm finally finished with finals and ready to get back in the swing of summer! While I do have a scientific illustration project to work on, for the most part I'll just be working my normal job and will have time in the evenings, so hopefully this means more stories for you! In any case, I've decided to finally try out an idea I've been toying with for awhile- my very first AU! And because I just love them, of course it's got to be Gajevy! Don't forget to leave a review!
"You are going to call him, right?" Lucy's chocolate-colored eyes pierce into me from across the cafe table. I slump back in my chair, nervously fiddling with the crumpled receipt in my hands. The front is uninteresting, listing common grocery store items- a carton of milk, a dozen eggs, usual things. What has me so worked up is the back, where a phone number is scrawled in black marker. Lucy correctly takes my silence for a negative reply, and her eyebrows knit together in frustration. "C'mon, Lev, you've got to do this. You've had a crush on this Derek guy since all the way back in high school, and now you finally have his number. Now you're telling me you're not gonna call him?!"
I sigh, dropping the receipt into my lap and slapping my hand to my forehead. "I don't know! I mean, he totally ignored me in high school, why the heck would he pay any attention to me now?" Lucy shrugs, unfamiliar with my predicament. Lucy is, to put it bluntly, a show-stopping blonde bombshell. Derek, along with pretty much every other boy at Magnolia High, had clamored for Lucy's attention. And in standard Lucy style she had shirked them all for Natsu, a rough-and-tumble sort of guy who, in my opinion, got way too competitive over dodgeball but was otherwise a pretty kind and was surprisingly quite a gentleman.
Generally speaking, Lucy's adoring crowd did not extend that attention to me, Lucy's slightly awkward, bookish best friend. Since we'd graduated and gone on to college at Fairy Tail University, I'd started going out a bit more and meeting new people, but I still hadn't found anyone who I'd wanted to date. At least, not until Derek sidled up to me at the party last night, told me he always thought I was adorable, slipped me the piece of paper and was gone again without another word. Derek has that dream-boy persona, with bright blue eyes and wavy blonde hair that looked like sunshine. I'd always imagined him as one of those gentlemanly characters from the romance novels I loved so much.
Lucy snaps her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to the present from my daydreaming. I just blink at her, still collecting my thoughts. In a huff, Lucy grabs both my cell phone and the number and types it in while I desperately try to snatch at least one of them back. Finally she gives the phone back to me, already on the second ring. I swipe the phone from her fingers and hold it to my ear, trying to quell my shaking. Lucy sits back down, barely hiding her amusement. A voice on the phone answers.
"Hello?" His voice is gruff and sounds somewhat annoyed, as if I'm bothering him in the middle of something. I wonder for a split second why Derek's voice sounds so deep, but go on anyway before my sparse courage fails me.
"Hi Derek this is Levy McGarden from the party last night well actually from high school but you probably knew that and anyway since you gave me your number I thought maybe it'd be alright if I asked you to come get coffee with me some time next week?" The words spill out from my lips in a rush, a rough version of the script Lucy and I had put together when I first told her about the phone number. Lucy shakes her head in mock disappointment at my nervousness, laughing softly to herself. I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.
"Er, look, I think this Derek guy gave ya the wrong number, kid. My name's Gajeel Redfox, ain't even close to being Derek. Sorry ter tell ya that, but I think you've been played." His voice softens, as if he feels sorry for me. Which doesn't make me feel any better.
Hot rage pools in my belly and tears begin to sting at my eyes. I should've known this was all a dirty trick. Some of the guys in high school had pulled things like this before on other girls, but I'd thought Derek better than that. Apparently I'd thought wrong. I grit my teeth, trying to maintain my composure until I can get off the phone.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry to have bothered you, I'll just hang up-"
"Hey, wait now, you said yer name was Levy McGarden? Is this the same blue-haired Levy McGarden that's in Dr. Scarlet's Children's Literature class at Fairy Tail University?"
My eyes widen in shock. How could this man know who I was? Did I know anyone by his name? Children's Lit was a pretty small class, and thinking back I remember that the first day we all had to introduce ourselves to the others and tell them why we chose to take the course. Sitting in the back corner had been a man who'd tersely introduced himself as Gajeel Redfox and informed us all that the only reason he was there was because it filled a literature credit he needed for his degree. He'd been tall and muscular, with a mess of jet black hair that fell far past his shoulders and metal studs all over his face and arms. I also remembered telling Lucy about him, and telling her that he was definitely someone I wouldn't want to cross.
"Um, yes? How did you remember me?" Lucy shoots me a questioning glance and tenses when she hears my wavering tone, but I just shake my head at her, hoping she'd wait until I was done to ask questions.
"Gihihi, yer pretty memorable, shrimp. Always acting out the parts a little in yer seat when we've gotta read out loud. It's kinda cute," he laughs. The rage is gone from my stomach, but the heat is now creeping up my cheeks in the form of a blush. Lucy seems pleased by this development and once again settles comfortably in her seat. Gajeel continues, "And obviously you remember that I'm in that class too?"
"Well yes, you're pretty easy to remember yourself," I reply, because it's true- his was a face one could remember. He laughs again.
"Gihihi, so I've heard. Anyway, it sounds like ya were lookin' forward to havin' some coffee next week, so how's about I take ya? Tuesday at 5 work for ya?" He sounds very sincere. I blink in surprise. Go out to coffee with Gajeel? He's the exact opposite of Derek... But then again, with how Derek had treated me maybe his exact opposite was really what I should be looking for.
"Um, yeah, Tuesday works for me," I answer, while Lucy shoots me a delighted smile, believing that I've scored a date with my long-time crush.
"Great, meet ya at the campus cafe at 5 on Tuesday. It's a date!" he says, and the line goes dead. My jaw drops slightly as I take my seat again, trying to process everything that just happened. Lucy leans excitedly over the table, her hands clasped in front of her face.
"You got your date with Derek?!" she half-asks, half-exclaims, looking like a child at Christmas. I shake my head no, watching confusion spread over her face slowly.
"No, not with Derek. But I do have a date with Gajeel Redfox," I explain. For a moment, her confusion deepens, then shifts to disbelief.
"You mean that scary guy from your lit class?! The one with the dark hair and red eyes and piercings?" She stammers, as if she can't believe what she's hearing. I nod, a small smile creeping onto my face.
"That's the guy." I say, my smile growing even more. "And you know, even though I didn't get a date with Derek... I think this may be even better."
Thanks for reading my first ever AU! PLEASE review! I love hearing from you, it keeps me writing! And as always, happy reading!