Prompt: "you fell asleep on my shoulder on the flight but it's okay because you smelled nice and I was cold anyway" au
Ship: Gajevy and slight NaLu (Timeline: They are all Juniors in College)
AN: I've been flying recently (went to St. Louis for Robotics Championships) and I though this was fitting. I wrote most of this on the plane back home (actual quotes from my flight, fun fact).
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
When Levy, Lucy, and Natsu got on the plane headed to Nashville, they didn't expect much. It was a Monday and the airport hadn't looked very crowded. But damn, was the plane. The flight attendant updated the guests.
"This plane is booked. You might as well take the first empty seat you find."
Levy shuffled in line behind Lucy, who was suddenly dragged into an empty pair of seats by Natsu. Levy rolled her eyes, continuing towards the back of the plane. There, the only empty seat was between a man who looked rather unhappy and a man who looked rather tipsy. He wasn't drunk, though his bearded friend in the row across from them sure was. The drunk slipped his sunglasses on as Levy entered her seat.
The large, unhappy man at the window seat took an ear bud out, but didn't start a conversation; He just kept staring out the window. Levy took this time to study him, seeing as it distracted her from the other people beside her. He has long black hair tied in a low ponytail near the nape of his neck. From what she could see, he had quite a few metal piercings scattered across his face. He wore a gray tank top and baggy dark wash jeans, which quite contrasted her white jeans and light orange sweater. They wore the same black high-top converse, though. She smiled a little and noticed something etched into a leather wristband on his arm: Gajeel. He seemed nice, despite his appearance. He reminded her of Laxus, a Senior in her Chem class, or Gray, a childhood friend. She'd always taken to the phrase "Never Judge A Book By It's Cover", though she did that with actual books sometimes...BUT when it came to people, she wasn't quick to judge. As her eyes scanned him one more time, she noticed a black dragon tattoo on his shoulder. It reminded her of Natsu, who had a red dragon on his back. She'd have to tell him later. As the pilot came onto the speaker, Levy slipped her backpack under the chair in front of her and quickly buckled in. She pulled out her phone and headphones, which were black with cat ears on top (Lucy got it for her for Christmas). She plugged in and lulled off, feeling the plane take off and start soaring. What she didn't realize, though, was that she was starting to lean slightly to the left as she fell asleep.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Gajeel wasn't completely sure what to think of the shrimpy bluenette next to him on the plane. When she walked over, he was almost certain she was a middle schooler. But she held herself like an adult, and the backpack made him think 'College'. Maybe a freshman, but he wasn't sure. There were plenty of schools in Washington state, so it was unlikely she went to UW. He took an ear bud out, just in case she was a talker. He didn't really like strangers, but she was cute, so he probably wouldn't mind. He wondered for a moment how her voice sounded.
Gajeel peered out the window, flicking his finger slightly to the beat of punk music blasting through his ear. He felt the girl's eyes on him and refused to turn around. Only when he heard her shuffling her stuff did he chance to look at her again. The white jeans and blue hair he'd already seen, but a hint of her black bra peeked though her sweater (Gajeel couldn't complain). Her bag had stitching on it: Levy M. He felt that that was a fitting name for the shrimp. It reminded Gajeel of Levi, from that one anime his brother liked to watch, though this shorty probably wasn't nearly as strong. Levy pulled out a pair of headphone that almost made Gajeel burst out in laughter. The black cat ears that now adorned her head reminded his of Pantherlily. Rouge better be taking good care of him. Gajeel looked back out the window.
He wasn't completely sure why he liked watching the subdivisions and fields get smaller and smaller, though he was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that he hated human interaction and just people in general. A little bit into the flight, he felt a pressure on his arm. Looking down, he saw a little blue head. He heard the girl make a small noise and adjust herself, still using him as a pillow. Her head was really warm, and Gajeel realized then that he had been a little cold. He breathed in slowly, trying not to wake her. She smelled nice, like the sweet pea body mist Gajeel saw that one time he went to the mall with his buddy Juvia. Again, Gajeel really couldn't complain. As much as he didn't like people, this little thing was growing on him. Soon, he fell asleep too. Until the tipsy guy next to them started talking rather loud.
"You ever see 10 people get hammered at the back of a plane before?" The man asked a girl, no older than 16, that was sitting in front of him and across the aisle.
"I am now, aren't I?" She grumbled, and the guy just nodded his head.
"Yeah!" The teen turned back to the friend sitting beside her, muttering about idiots and alcohol, or something to those lines. Gajeel glared at the man 2 seats away, who accepted a soda and small bottle of Jack Daniel's from the flight attendant.
"I am so sorry." She mouthed to him, a pitiful expression in her eyes. Gajeel looked down at the girl on his arm, who was still fast asleep: Noise canceling headphones, probably. Getting snoopy, he reached slowly for the phone in her lap. He pressed the home button, read the title. Holy shit, she was into MCR. Okay, he needed her number, no questions asked. He set the phone back down in her lap, which made her move slightly, her cheekbone and chin now digging themselves into his arm. Gajeel held back a grunt, and remained in probably the most uncomfortable position he'd ever been in (except for that one time Juvia took him to an intermediate yoga class...never again). After a few minutes, she shifted again, which relieved his pain.
After an hour or so, Levy's phone buzzed. Gajeel peered down, saw she'd gotten a text from someone named Lucy.
You doing okay? Who'd you get stuck with?
Gajeel smirked, but didn't wake her. The phone buzzed again a few minutes later.
Levy? Did you fall asleep? You better not be drunk. Or dead.
What a great friend, Gajeel thought. Another message flew in.
Natsu says hi, btw. He's sorry for dragging me away.
Natsu...that sounded familiar. Gajeel was pretty sure he knew a Natsu... A picture message was sent to Levy a few minutes later. A blonde was giving a peace sign to the camera, while a pink haired boy gave a duck face and winked. OH, Gajeel knew Natsu. Flame brain, from the Tattoo Parlor, and also his math class. So maybe Levy did go to UW. Gajeel might have seen the blonde around campus. Maybe Juvia knows her. Levy's phone went quiet after that, much like the owner, who was still asleep on Gajeel's arm.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
A bit of turbulence near the end of the flight woke Levy from her slumber. She opened her eyes, sitting straight up rather quickly. She tried to grip the armrests, but found her hand latching onto someone's muscular arm. She felt a leather wristband. She let go.
"Sorry." She said, slipping her headphones off. Gajeel smirked at her.
"You were out like a light, Shrimp. We're landing soon." Levy stared at him for a moment. She scanned him once more, noticing an imprint on his arm. It looked like.. a thick line. Something had been pressed against his arm for a long period of tim-OH MY MAVIS.
"Did I fall asleep on you? Oh jeez, I'm sorry." Levy blinked a few times, shook her head.
"Gihi. It's alright. You smell nice and I was cold anyway. You seemed too comfortable, I just couldn't wake you. You got a few messages." He pointed to her phone. She unlocked it, replied quickly to Lucy's texts. A large had grabbed her phone once she clicked send, and she saw Gajeel casually go to her contacts.
"What are you doing?" She asked. She tried to get her phone back, but he moved it out of reach.
"Giving you my number." He typed a few things, then pulled her in for a selfie. After handing her phone back, she shoved it into her backpack.
"That was uncalled for." She grumbled. He did his weird laugh again.
"Hey, any fan of MCR is a friend of mine." Her eyes opened slightly.
"Could you hear my music? I'm sorry." He shook his head, signaling that it was no big deal.
"You go to UW?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"I saw Natsu in that picture blondie sent you." Levy laughed. More turbulence had her gripping for the armrests again. Gajeel moved his arm so she could do so. After they landed, they both stood up to exit the aircraft.
"It was nice meeting you, Gajeel." Levy stood in the aisle, the drunk party of 10 now wobbling towards the doors.
"It was nice talking, Shrimp." He reached out and pat her head, which made her growl. They walked out of the plane together, turning to each other as they entered the terminal.
"Lucy is probably looking for me. I'll text you." Levy smiled, shifting her backpack.
"I'll see you around, Levy."