AN: The story moves forward, with the appearance of a few more characters, both old and new. Implied Jerza if you want to look at it that way. If you don't want to, then don't. Also, another thank you for the continued support, feedback and chortle-worthy commentary! It's the best thing, to find some gold in my inbox on a grummy day. My inspiration's purring like a happy cat (if that makes even the least of sense).

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters – Hiro Mashima does.

Chapter XXI

"Ya don't have ta rub it in, ya know."

Across from him, Lily grinned, pausing to wipe his brow with his forearm. Gajeel grumbled as he leaned back in his chair, hissing softly as the stitches pulled but trying not to show his discomfort. Around him the familiar sounds of the Pit created a soothing cacophony, but incapacitated as he was, it only served to make him squirm. He was itching to get up and go a few rounds, but the wound was still healing, and Lily had threatened to chuck him out on his ass if he so much as thought about training.

"Don't even think about it."

Gajeel snorted, shifting in his seat. "Who says I was?"

Lily only gave him a look, before turning back to the punching bag. From his seat on the floor by the dais, Elfman smirked. "Can't fault a man for wanting to get back in the ring," he said. "Your fighting spirit is admirable, Gajeel!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes, and Lily snorted. "More like stubbornness," he muttered under his breath as he made another swipe at the bag.

"And stubbornness is a good trait in a prize-fighter, I think," a new voice spoke up, and all three heads swivelled to regard Erza as she dropped her bag by the floor. Lily smiled, bowing at the waist as he always did, and Gajeel settled for a good grumble.

"Erza – it's been a while," Lily said. She grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. Her long red hair was tied back at the nape of her head, but fell loosely down her back. Improper as hell, but then she'd never really given a damn. She was in a man's trousers and shirt, too, and her hands were already wrapped and ready. He could sense her eagerness from where he sat, and he cursed his thrice-damned wound to hell and back for his bloody bad luck.

"Gajeel," she greeted as she came closer. "How are you holding up?"

He raised a brow. "Peachy keen, Scarlet. The hell does it look like?"

She smirked. "You always were a bad patient, but I see you're keeping out of it. Wise move."

"Can't bloody do shit with all the damn women on my back," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. The hag was still sour as ever, and Cana had all but cast a kitten when she'd finally gotten her hands on him. Then Juvia had joined in, and given him the most disapproving glare he could ever remember getting, and if that hadn't been enough, the blonde had sided with the two and given him a fucking lecture on common sense. It was ridiculous!

Shorty hadn't said anything, though, but then she'd had that tirade in the lockers, so he figured she's said what she could on the matter. Not that he'd had much of a chance to talk to her. They hadn't even had a moment alone to discuss where they stood – he didn't even know what to assume. And he couldn't seem to catch her alone, either. If it wasn't the damn flirt, it was those accessories of hers that had all but attached themselves to her hips, and neither of the two idiots seemed eager to let him have a word with her. So here he was, at the Pit, "sulking" as Lily had put it, because he couldn't get a blasted moment with his girl – was she even his girl? They hadn't actually stated it clearly, but then he would have asked, had he had the chance – and because he had to sit on his ass like a bloody invalid.

"I can feel you brood from over here, you know," Lily spoke up then, and Gajeel glared at him.

"Dry up."

He grinned. "If it wasn't for the wound, I'd have recommended a round in the ring, but doctors orders, you know."

"I know."

"Don't provoke him, Lily. He'll pull his stitches and then Porlyusica will have all our heads," Fullbuster spoke from where he was lazily wrapping his hands.

Lily shrugged. "I know how to smooth-talk a lady. It'll be your problem."

Gray gave him a look. "Exactly. And if I get a tooth knocked out today, I'm not gonna be turned away at her door."

"You think a tooth is going to be all you're missing after today?" Gajeel asked, throwing Erza a look out of the corner of his eye. She was busy warming up, but the smirk on her face was evidence that she'd heard the exchange.

Elfman grinned. "He's got spirit!"

"He's punch-drunk, is what he is," Gajeel muttered.

"Oye," Gray warned. "I'm not taking that from the idiot who accepted a match against the city's top rookie with a fresh gunshot-wound."

"Accepted, fought, and won, thanks."

"And nearly killed yourself doing it," Lily threw in.

"Haven't we been over this already?" Gajeel asked the room, but they didn't seem to hear him. Or didn't want to; it had become a popular topic in Fairy Tail after the victory party, when the news of the fact that he'd been shot the day before had reached the rumour mill.

"You still haven't told us why you accepted the fight," Fullbuster reminded him.

"None of yer business."

"And that doesn't make it sound suspicious? I think you're hiding something."

Gajeel sighed, wishing he was off somewhere else, or that they were off somewhere else. "I think you should mind yer own beeswax, Fullbuster. I needed the dough, and since when has a gunshot-wound held me back? I've been shot before."

Gray raised a brow, pausing in his ministrations. "And you've fought matches right afterwards the other times, too, have you? I'm telling you, Redfox, there's something fishy about all of this."

"You're fishy."

"Brilliant comeback. Sure the Sabertooth punk didn't hit your head a little too hard?"

"Want to come over here and repeat that?"

"Gentlemen," Erza interrupted, stepping between them and cracking her knuckles. Gajeel smirked, and Gray returned it, nodding his head. A verbal spar was worth as much as a physical one in the Pit, and Gajeel really didn't have much against the fella, other than the fact that he reduced Juvia to a blushing idiot without even having the sense to realize it. He also had that annoying habit of misplacing all his damn clothes everywhere. He'd said it was because he'd been raised up north and had undergone some special training in order to learn to better resist the cold, but Gajeel figured it was just a cover-up to hide the fact that he was a pervert.

"You ready, Gray?" Erza brushed her hands against the fabric of her trousers, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Fullbuster leaped to his feet, cracking his knuckles.

"Ready to go when you are."

"Don't break anything on him – he's got a fight in two days," Lily warned, and Gray shot him a hurt look, as though he couldn't believe his own manager would doubt his abilities. Lily only raised a brow in return, and Erza shrugged, seemingly unperturbed.

"I'll go easy on him."

"Hey!"

Gajeel smirked. "Good luck, Fullbuster."

"Don't be cheeky, Redfox. I'm not the one with the bandage."

"Not yet," Gajeel quipped, to which Gray only glared.

Lily sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes I wonder if any of you have grown at all these ten years. You're still bickering like boys."

"Boys compared to someone," Gajeel began, only to splutter when a towel hit him smack in the face. Grinning, he pulled it off, only to meet the unimpressed gaze of his friend. Although to be fair, Lily couldn't have hidden his smile if he tried.

"Brat."

"Old man."

"The old-jokes are getting old themselves," Lily drawled.

Gajeel shrugged. "Cut me some slack, I've gotta do something to entertain myself."

"You could always take up sewing."

"Har har har."

Lily grinned. "I'm serious. Next time, you could stitch your own wound shut."

Gajeel snorted. "And that's how you learned, is it?"

"It's not, and you know it. But it does come in handy. These clothes don't mend themselves, and I don't have a girl to do it for me," he said, and though he spoke the words with such ease, Gajeel could have spotted the slight crease to the corners of his mouth that betrayed his frown, and the statement fell like a heavy weight on the air.

Gajeel was silent, not quite knowing what to say. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't know it, what with you sewing like a woman, anyway," he said finally, almost gruffly.

A smile tugged on Lily's lips, pulling at one of the scars. "It's a gift," he said then, and the tension lifted a little.

Gajeel sighed, and leaned back in his chair. On the dais, Scarlet and Fullbuster were busy sparring, but he found he didn't really have the concentration to pay attention. He wasn't running a fever anymore, but it was damn warm in the gym, and the stitches were bothering him. Also, his thoughts were always drifting back to Levy, who was probably ankling about with the cake-eater at her heels. They'd already been gone when he'd shown up at the speakeasy, and he wasn't some jealous lover with no qualms about stalking them, and so he'd refused Juvia when she'd tried to get him to go with her. So he'd gone to the Pit in search of better company or some solitude, but had found the place buzzing with people. After his successful win, Sabertooth had been knocked quite effectively off their pedestal, and several of Lily's boys had been eager to repeat the success.

"Hey," Lily said, pulling him out of his thoughts, and when he looked up, his friend was looking at him with a worried frown. "You okay?"

Gajeel sighed. "Peachy."

Lily raised a brow, and then pulled up a chair, seating himself so he could watch the spar going on on the dais. Or at least pretend to. "Have you talked?" he asked then.

Gajeel shook his head, not needing to be told who Lily was referring to. "Not since the match."

Lily snorted. "From what I saw, there wasn't much talking going on..."

"Dry up, Lil."

He grinned. "Just pulling your leg. But seriously, man, it's been three days. What have you been up to? Thought you'd be at her heels after you found out about Leo."

Gajeel shrugged. "I ain't one of her damn accessories, and I won't tag along like one of those idiots, especially not the flirt. 'Sides, he's more interested in the blonde. It ain't a challenge; he's just bein' an idiot."

Lily shook his head. "From where I'm standing, you shouldn't be pointing fingers," he said dryly.

"Hey, I ain't that brand of fool, Lil. That's insulting."

"That may be, but you still haven't talked to her yer. Are you planning to?"

Gajeel sighed. "I'll talk to her when her bloody posse ain't in her goddamn shadow all the time."

Lily's mouth quirked into a smile. "You're a little irritated about that."

"'Course I'm irritated!" he snapped, shifting in his seat. "The hell am I supposed to do when they're attached to her hips, huh? I ain't discussing that with them around."

"And by 'that' you mean the fact that you're all goofy about her."

"I ain't bloody said that."

Lily snorted. "No, but you nearly got yourself killed for her sake, twice, and if you try to tell me it was because of your damn job, I'll box your ears. It's simple, Gajeel."

"It ain't simple."

"Well if it isn't, you've only got yourself to blame. She's pretty smitten, and from what Lucy's told me, she's got more than a little crush on you."

Gajeel blinked. "You've been chattin' with the blonde?"

Lily shrugged. "Natsu's brought her by a few times, and I taught her to throw a punch. She's good company."

"She's a gossip, is more like it."

"And so am I, or have you forgotten?" Lily asked wryly, as he began the process of unwrapping his hands. Gajeel said nothing to that, only muttered to himself about 'privacy' and 'meddlers'. Lily grinned as he let the wrappings fall to the floor, flexing his fingers.

"I'll talk to her soon," Gajeel said.

"You better – I've got a wager on when you tie the knot!" Fullbuster called from across the room, and Gajeel brows furrowed in a glare.

"Quit yer eavesdroppin'!"

"Then keep your voice down!"

"I, too, have bet on this!" Scarlet added her two cents as she went in for another swing, to which Gray just barely dodged.

From his seat, Elfman nodded. "Sis has organised everything. The wager is on spring next year."

Gajeel shot him a look, not surprised in the least. "Should have known it was her doing," he muttered.

"Well, I did tell you you two were becoming a two-man show for the rest of us, didn't I?" Lily said, and Gajeel felt like smacking his head against the wall. There just wasn't any rest with these people. The only thing missing was for the rest of the damn speakeasy to come dropping by to remind him of his predicament and stick their noses into his personal life.

As though on bloody cue, the screech of the front doors cut through the room, and Lily's eyes shot to the doorway and the approaching voices, and he rose to his feet. Gajeel frowned, following his gaze. When he caught sight of the arrivals, he closed his eyes with a groan, suddenly wishing he was off somewhere else again. Somewhere far away.

Because the entirety of Fairy Tail would have been bearable compared to these guys.

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked as they approached. The fella in the front Gajeel recognized from the match, and he sneered as he stopped in front of them, throwing a glance about the room. Flanked by Cheney and two other brats who loitered in the background, he regarded the room as though he'd just walked into a smelly junkyard.

"Beats me. Rogue wanted to come, but I don't see why. Not like there's anything special in this dump," he said, cold eyes meeting Gajeel's, who met him with a glare of his own.

"Sting," Cheney said as he walked up, the word tinged with a hint of warning. There was a fading bruise covering his right cheekbones and a row of small stitches across his brow, and the sight of them made Gajeel feel oddly smug. Stepping up beside the pale-haired man, he bowed at the waist like some proper fucking gentleman.

"Mr. Lily," he greeted. "Mr. Redfox."

Gajeel snorted. "Brat."

He smirked. "How are you holding up? I heard about the wound," he said.

"Yeah?" Gajeel asked, challenge clear in his tone. He'd thought the cheeky kid had found out about the wound during the match, and had gone for his midsection because of it.

But he couldn't find anything else than hard honesty in the sharp eyes regarding him under a fringe of dark hair. "If I'd known, I'd have had the match called off. I had no idea anyone would attempt something so reckless." He smiled. "Although it was an honour fighting you, and I admire your tenacity. Not just anyone can win a match with an injury like that."

Gajeel honestly didn't know how to respond to that, and couldn't quite tell whether or not he was joking, so he only shrugged awkwardly.

The white-haired fella snorted. "Don't go getting any ideas now. Yer still old news – ya just got lucky," he snapped.

"That's right," came a voice behind him, and Gajeel looked down to see one of the brats step forward and up beside the pale-haired punk – a young boy with a head of wild, red hair. Gajeel guessed he couldn't be more than fifteen at most. He raised a brow.

"Who the hell are you?"

The boy's brows furrowed. "Ain't none of your beeswax."

"This is Lector," Rogue said, even as the boy spluttered a protest. "And this is Miss Frosch," he introduced further, stepping back and allowing the last of their party to step forward. Gajeel remembered her from the match; the girl with eyes like Shorty.

"Frosch is pleased to meet you!" she greeted with a bright smile.

Sting grumbled. "Ya done now, Rogue?"

Rogue shook his head. "I'm on business for the Mistress."

"What?" Sting asked. "You didn't tell me that!"

He shrugged. "I'm telling you now. Mr. Lily – may I have a word?"

Lily raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. Gajeel knew he had little patience with Sabertooth from earlier skirmishes. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble. "What about?"

Rogue smiled. "Our Mistress wishes to make an arrangement. If you would hear me out?"

Lily shot Gajeel a look, but agreed, nodding his head towards the other side of the room before walking off. Silently, Rogue followed. When Gajeel turned back, Sting looked annoyed. "The hell," he muttered as he stared after his companion. The girl only smiled, brushing her gloved hands against her skirt.

"Miss Minerva will announce it later, if he agrees," she said, as a way of explanation.

"You know what it's about?" Sting asked.

She nodded, but said no more, and Sting scoffed. His gaze shifted back to Gajeel, and glared, as though he'd somehow personally insulted him by simply existing.

Gajeel snorted. "What are ya lookin' at, punk?"

"Just a piece of trash."

Gajeel growled. "Yer in the wrong place to say that, brat," he warned, as Elfman rose to his feet. At the dais, Fullbuster and Scarlet had paused in their spar, and were watching the exchange with wary eyes.

Knowing he was outmatched, Sting sneered. "We'll show you next time," he warned. "Like I said, ya got lucky."

"Looking forward to it," Gajeel threw back.

Elfman smirked. "It'll be glorious!"

Sting glared, clearly miffed by their attitude. Gajeel wouldn't even bother to tell him you couldn't drive the fighting spirit out of people from Fairy Tail if you tried; he'd learn soon enough if he kept on yapping. "You all think you're such big shots because your boss is who he is," he growled with a sneer. "He's just an old man, and when his reign ends, our Mistress will have this city in the palm of her hand. You just wait."

"If you think the old man's heading towards the grave already, you're gonna be disappointed. He's a stubborn old geezer," Fullbuster drawled.

Sting threw him a lazy glance. "So was old man Gemma," he said, and his words rang so hollow it almost gave Gajeel chills. Brows furrowing, he shifted in his seat. Something about that phrase didn't sit quite well with him, but he didn't bring it up. Sharing a look with Elfman, he kept quiet, and for a few moments no one said anything. From across the room, Gajeel caught the soft murmurs of Lily's conversation, but couldn't make out what it was about.

The screech of the front doors finally broke the silence, followed by the echo of a single pair of footsteps before the second pair of doors swung softly open. Gajeel threw his hands up. "What, did I miss the party invitation? When the hell did this turn into a bloody picnic?"

But the shape that had materialised and was now walking towards them was none of their own, and neither was it someone from Sabertooth. He frowned.

"Kagura!"

It was Scarlet who had spoken, and before anyone could say anything more, she'd slipped from under the ropes and dropped down from the dais. Striding towards the newcomer, there was a tense air about her, but a smile on her face regardless. "Long time no see."

"Erza," the newcomer greeted. Gajeel's brows were still furrowed as he regarded her. Dressed in men's clothing like the redhead before her, but with sleek dark hair falling about her shoulders, she looked just as out-of-place as Scarlet did. And like Scarlet, she didn't seem to give a damn.

"How have you been?"

"Fine. And you?"

There was an almost reluctant respect between them, tinged with just the barest hint of animosity from the newcomer, and what appeared to be guilt from the redhead. Gajeel couldn't even begin to fathom the connection, but then that was the case with pretty much everyone of his acquaintance.

"Swell," Erza said, although it sounded forced, before she turned to face Gajeel and Elfman. Gray had stepped down from the dais, and was coming towards them with wary steps. Gajeel knew it was proper to rise for the introduction of a lady, but he'd never been one for propriety, and going by her state of dress he figured she wasn't, either. So he remained where he was in his seat, shifting only so the chair was turned against the visitors rather than the dais. "This is Kagura Mikazuchi," she introduced her. "She's a prize-fighter for Mermaid Heel."

Gajeel raised a brow. "Mermaid Heel? The hell kind of sissy name is that?"

The dark haired woman threw him a scorching look, although when she spoke her voice was deadly calm. "A name fit for a woman club," she said, voice like steel. Gajeel snorted.

"Woman club? Seriously?"

Erza crossed her arms over her chest, eyes sharpening. "And what, might I ask, is wrong with a woman club?"

He snorted. "Nothing, if they can fight, but when the hell did this start?"

"Our Mistress just relocated us, so we're new to the city, although I've been here before," Kagura said. She had a down-to-business air about her that reminded Gajeel of the hag, although she didn't seem to have Porlyusica's penchant for wanton violence at unexpected moments.

Erza smiled. "I'm looking forward to taking you on," she said with a bow of her head. "My best regards to Millianna when you see her."

Kagura nodded, and when she looked at Erza next her gaze was sharp was a knife. "He's been here lately." The way she spoke made it sound like an accusation.

Erza's expression didn't even twitch. "I wouldn't know."

"Yes, you would. Out of all people, you would. And you do know. I saw the posters; I know he was at your speakeasy."

Gajeel caught the sight shift in Scarlet's stance, and his brows rose. She was on the defensive, although she hid it well. "I haven't seen him in over a year," she said. "His visits are few and far between, and most without the rest of us knowing. The poster must have been old."

Kagura didn't miss a beat. "You lie to protect him."

"Wouldn't you, for those close to your heart?"

She said nothing to that, only continued to regard the other woman closely, as though trying to see through her bluff. But Gajeel knew from experience that Erza Scarlet was a tough shell on the best of days, and after a few moments, Kagura appeared to give up. Squaring her shoulders, she nodded to the redhead. "Very well. It's not why I'm here, anyway. Is Mr. Lily around? I have a message from the Mistress."

Gajeel raised a brow. "What, you, too? The hell's all this about?" The hell was everyone's business with Lily all of a sudden? He regarded the dark haired woman with close scrutiny, but she only shrugged.

"That is between my Mistress and Mr. Lily. I am simply here to deliver a message," she said, before turning her sharp eyes back on Erza. "Is he here?"

She nodded towards the back of the room. "He's busy at the moment. As you can see, you're not our first visitor."

She threw a look towards what remained of Cheney's posse, and frowned. "Sabertooth?" she asked.

Sting snorted. "And what's it to you?" he asked, but she only ignored him. Her brows dipped down even further, and she seemed to be thinking about something. Gajeel remained where he sat, but couldn't help but feel a twinge uneasy. First Sabertooth showed up to talk to Lily, and then a messenger from Mermaid Toe or whatever their bloody name was. It couldn't be a coincidence, but he wasn't about to voice his thoughts on that with all the people listening. From beside him, he caught the suspicion on Fullbuster's face, and reckoned he wasn't the only one having caught on to the suspiciousness of it all.

They were saved any more awkward silence at the reappearance of Lily and the brat. Upon catching sight of the newcomer, Lily's brows rose in surprise. "Miss Kagura," he greeted with a bow, to which she returned the gesture.

"Mr. Lily," she said, more polite than she'd spoke to anyone else since entering, although she didn't even crack a smile. "I have a message from the Mistress."

"This reeks of bad business," Gajeel muttered under his breath. Kagura merely shared a look with the Cheney brat, who nodded. Then she walked past Lily towards the back of the gym.

"Some privacy, please," she said as she passed him.

Lily shifted his gaze to Gajeel, and shook his head, indicating that now was not the time for explanations, and then he walked after the strange woman, leaving Gajeel and the others alone with the Sabertooth punks. Silence fell over the gym, and the air was thick with tension.

Erza crossed her arms over her chest, brows dipping down into a frown. "I don't like the look of this."

Gajeel was inclined to agree.

It was late when the Pit was finally cleared of people, and Gajeel relished in the silence as he leaned against the doorway between the actual gym and the outer corridor. Lily was making the last rounds before closing up, and Gajeel wasn't about to let him leave without having a word. His friend hadn't said anything of the cryptic meetings in the hours that had followed, but he was having none of that.

"Well, that should be everything," he said as he came up, a bag slung over his shoulder and his gloves dangling from around his neck. Rolling his shoulders, he offered Gajeel a grin. "You didn't have to wait for me."

"Quit stalling, Lil, and spill the beans. I ain't puttin' up with any more crap."

Lily raised a brow. "Hey, now. I'm allowed to have my secrets."

Gajeel snorted. "Tell me it's got nothing to do with my job, and I'll let it go. It's about him, isn't it?"

Lily sighed, shaking his head. "Like he wasn't already causing enough trouble," he said. "But yeah, it's about him. His behaviour isn't sitting well with the other clubs. Your victory was one thing – at least that was done without cheatin', like he usually does."

Gajeel frowned. "But?"

Lily sighed. "There's been talk of him taking over clubs now. Not just companies in the inner city, but prize-fighters too. I guess if he couldn't have monopoly of the moonshine business..." he trailed off.

Gajeel ran a hand over his face. Of course it was Ivan. He'd hoped it wasn't, but the look on Lily's face when the wench from Mermaid Ankle had left had spoken volumes. It was just so typical of the nutter, too. "Everyone needs a hobby," he muttered.

Lily looked none the pleased. "Well, this hobby isn't a one-man show. Some of the clubs are getting uneasy after what happened to Twilight Ogre."

"Try telling him that."

Lily glared, visibly angry for the first time in a long time that Gajeel could remember, disregarding when he'd caught him trying to hide his wound, of course. "I ain't gonna sit by and do nothing. He's already got the business world on a leash, but this world is ours to run as we see fit, not his."

"And that's what they came to talk about? What, an alliance?"

Lily smirked. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"Come off it, Lil."

"Alright, alright," he chuckled. "Hold your horses. Yes, they came to discuss the situation, and where we fit into it."

Gajeel raised a brow. "And?"

"And," Lily began, taking a deep breath. "We've come to an agreement."

"On?" There was a twinge of impatience in his tone.

Lily grinned, clearly amused. "On cooperating in order to get rid of his club, and to stop the monopoly he's going for. All within the boundaries of the law, of course."

Gajeel snorted, but a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Of course," he echoed, before raising a brow. "And you do realize I'm part of his little game, right?"

Lily grinned. "Of course I do. You're my insider," he said, clapping him on the shoulder. "It won't be any more work for you than what you're already doing for Makarov, except I'm not interested in the business-related mumbo-jumbo. Although there'll be no sticking your neck out for me – I can take care of myself. I just need the occasional ammo. Can you do that?"

Gajeel ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not getting paid enough for this," he muttered.

"Hey," Lily said. "I let you train for free, and you're not even fighting for me."

"You forbid me from training, Mother, unless you've forgotten."

"But knowing your brand of stubbornness, you'll be back in the ring the minute the hag gives her permission. And then I'll let you train for free."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Gee, how generous of ya."

"No need to thank me," he said with a wink. "Now, ya ready to get out of here? Mira said she was cooking tonight. And I'm bettin' you're eager to see your girl."

Gajeel pushed away from the wall, a smile tugging at his lips. "Aa," he said, not even bothering to argue about the term he'd used to describe her, before turning down the corridor. The sound of Lily locking the doors behind him reached his ears as he pushed through the front doors to the outside. It was well past dark already and the streets around the gym were empty save the occasional cry of a cat in the distance. Gajeel breathed in the fresh air, and waited for Lily to follow.

"Alright, it's all locked up. Let's g–" he stopped mid-sentence the moment Gajeel felt a presence from the shadows, but the soft footsteps that followed instantly calmed him, and he turned his head to regard Juvia as she emerged from the darkness.

"Ah, Miss Juvia," Lily greeted, visibly relaxing. "Out so late?"

She smiled, nodding her head. "Mr. Lily."

Gajeel frowned. Something felt wrong. It wasn't a danger lurking, but more of a heaviness to the air around them that thrummed along the edges of his nerves. A sweep of the woman in front of him confirmed his suspicions. Her shoulders were tense, and her brows were furrowed ever so slightly the way they did when there was something she couldn't quite figure out. She knew something, and was there to tell him.

And he didn't know whether or not he would like it.

"What's wrong?"

She turned her gaze on him. "Juvia has received summons."

Gajeel's frown deepened, and he shared a look with Lily. She wouldn't have put it like that if it was from the old man. "From who?"

She was quiet a moment, and when she spoke, there was a note of warning in her voice. Meeting his gaze, hers hardened noticeably.

"Jose."

AN: The plot thickens. I know there's no outright GaLe this chapter, but I'm building up to it (read: next chapter). Gotta let 'em suffer a little! After all, this story doesn't just run on romance; it needs a little more fuel of the scheming and dramatic kind, but I hope that's alright. Personally, I like a romance that doesn't rush into things, but hey, that's just me. I'm probably a bit biased, as I know how it's all going to end, *chortle*.

punch-drunk: brain damaged from boxing.

cast a kitten: throw a fit.

to ankle: to walk.

goofy: in love.