Oh goody! Another chapter for you awesome people! Love you guys! Big shout out to Deathsembrace137 for being a bad ass beta!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. Trust me, if I owned it, Lucy would be all up in Gajeel's Koolaid.

CHAPTER 21: MEET IN THE MIDDLE

With that, she looked at me a final time and then turned with a sad shake of her head. Feeling something akin to panic, I reached out and stopped her, knowing if I had any hope of salvaging this, I'd have to do it now. I wasn't sure what I could say to her, how to make her stay, but I could see now that she was dangerously close to walking out and never coming back.

I didn't want that. As nuts as it all felt, I knew I didn't want Lucy gone. But the whole damn thing was crazy...I didn't do shit like this. I didn't argue and then try to make up. I fucked and then when things were over, the girl would be gone. I'd pass the time living my life until the next woman came along, and I was cool with that.

But for some damn reason - one I refused to look at too closely - it mattered to me. The thought of this blonde bit of sass not being around bugged me to no end, and that of course made no sense to me. I wasn't the type of guy that worried over shit like this. I did my own thing.

Lately though, doing my own thing had been all tied up with doing Lucy, and I damn sure liked that. She was so feisty and didn't mind getting a little wild or rough when we had sex. She was just about perfect in that area, never caring where we were or what position. She just wanted it - and me apparently - any way she could get it. And that was just hot as hell.

It was an odd thing for me, but I liked having her around. Even when we weren't fucking, which wasn't all that often, it was still fun. She was just easy to get along with...at least, she had been before. Now, she couldn't seem to get away from me fast enough.

I couldn't really blame her though. I had made a fucking mess of everything, and not just with what had happened in my bedroom - though that was bad enough with how rough I was with her. The truth was I'd been acting like a fucking prick from the moment I'd snapped at her in the woods, and that needed to change.

Pulling gently on her arm, I spun her around, keeping my hand there in case she decided to bolt. I didn't want her to escape before I could figure out what to say. But she just stood there, her face carefully blank as she waited for me to talk. Her usual fire was gone from her eyes, and the thought flashed through my mind that I missed it. I'd rather see her all fired up, spitting mad than like this, all quiet and reserved.

"You're wrong, ya know..."

She sighed, her brow creasing in confusion. "About what?"

"That we should be done talking," I said, sliding my hand down the length of her arm to take her hand.

Her heartbeat gave the slightest jump at my touch, and I couldn't help enjoying the way she reacted to me. It gave me hope that even though I was dysfunctional as hell, I still had a chance to convince her to keep to our original deal. As long as she still wanted me, I could still make it work.

"Gajeel I...I don't want to talk anymore," she said softly, keeping her eyes on the floor.

I lifted my other hand to her face, raising it just high enough to press my lips to hers. She jerked her head back, her face settling into a scowl, but before she could snap at me, I suggested nervously, "You don't have to talk, just listen. Okay?"

She was quiet for a moment, eyeing me cautiously and then gave a brief nod, allowing me to lead her over to the couch. Once we were both settled, I leaned back, struggling to find the words to say. "Okay, I...uh..." And I was stuck. I didn't have a damn clue how to start this conversation. "Shit."

Lucy frowned, shifting slightly in her seat. "Gajeel...this is-"

"No, just...hang on," I broke in, growling in frustration. Why the hell was it so damn hard? This was the first time I'd ever regretted my lack of social skills. It had never mattered before, but now...now I felt inadequate. And nothing pissed me off more than that.

Gritting my teeth, I tried again. "Look, I didn't realize it was that long...I mean, I didn't mean to sit there for so long after you...said all that stuff."

There was a long awkward pause, and then she spoke, taking pity on me, I supposed. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I was thinking."

Another pregnant silence brought a weary sigh from her. "Okay...and what were you thinking about?"

I looked over at her and answered before I could consider my words, "That I was right to think that stuff about you."

She flinched as if I'd struck her, and promptly ripped her hand from mine. "I-I told you...I never thought about you that way."

"No, I didn't mean it like that," I said quickly, but her expression had already darkened, closing down at my careless words. I wanted to kick myself for saying it that way, for not even thinking it through first. The words had simply spilled from my mouth.

"Then why did you say it?" she snapped, and though her tone was harsh, I could see the hurt in her eyes.

My gut clenched at the sight, the feeling so foreign to me I didn't have a name for it. "Because I'm a fucking idiot," I sighed, dropping back against the couch. Her brow creased at my response, her expression uncertain. "I'm not any good at this shit, Lucy. I just..."

Looking over at her, I found her watching me. Once again, she seemed strangely bothered by me using her name, but she ignored it and told me gently, "Don't think so much, Gajeel. Just...talk. I'll try not to have an opinion until you're done."

I swiped a hand down my face, feeling like I had waded into unknown waters. I had no damn experience with this stuff, and it was showing. "Alright look. I wasn't saying that you were a snob. I mean, I did the first time, but not this one. What I meant was...I'm me and you're...you." What the hell was I saying? "Ugh...this not thinking shit isn't working. I sound like a fucking moron."

Hearing a snort, I turned my gaze only to see her covering her mouth as if to contain her mirth. She held it for a moment before she burst out laughing, and I sat there, trying to decide if I should be insulted. "What the hell do you think you're laughing about?"

"I'm...sorry," she choked, waving her hand in the air as she clutched at her stomach.

My lips curved as she continued giggling. I hadn't been sure I'd ever get to hear the sound again, and I realized as I sat there listening to her carry on, that I wanted to. I liked the way her laugh sounded, all bright and free...and shit now, I sounded like a fucking fairy for real. What the hell was going on with me?

To hell with this crap. I was better at doing shit than I was at saying it.

Grabbing her legs, I dragged her across the couch and right onto my lap. She squeaked, her arms flailing everywhere as she tipped backwards. I pulled her in closer, steadying her until she found her balance again. "Look, don't bail on me now," I murmured as I leaned in to press a kiss to her neck. She shivered at the light touch, her reaction telling me she wasn't immune. "We're good together. You know we are."

"I never said we weren't." Her voice was softer than before, breathy almost, and the sound twisted something in my gut. It was almost the sound of compliance, all but an admission of desire.

Encouraged by her response, I lifted a hand to her neck, sliding it up and into her hair, tipping her head just enough to lick my way up to her jaw line. Her breathing had begun to subtly change, her heart rate spiking with my attentions, and I couldn't help but feel it was a good sign until she spoke again.

"I'm not going to have sex with you right now, Gajeel," she said quietly, pulling my hand out of her hair. I sighed deeply, dropping my head to her shoulder as she continued, "It's not that I don't want to because there's a part of me that wants to just forget everything that happened and just go for it. But...I can't. I can't sleep with someone... I don't even know what you think of me, and that just feels...wrong." She slid from my lap soundlessly, retreating back behind her walls.

For a moment there, I had thought we were past it all, thought I'd dodged a bullet by not having to talk about any of it. But I could see now that had been stupid. She wasn't sure at all where we stood and until I changed that, it didn't look like things would be going back to the way they were before.

"When this all started, I thought we were at least friends or something. I thought...I thought you respected me...at least a little, but now...I don't know. I don't mind being the person you have sex with, no strings attached, but I've realized that I can't do that with you when I'm not sure you give a damn about me. No one wants that kind of inconsequential sex."

My brow wrinkled as I looked at her. What was she saying? That's exactly what we'd been doing, wasn't it? "I've never needed all that to have sex."

Her eyes flinched but she didn't back down. "Really? Then, why'd you get so upset when you thought I was just using you until I found someone else?"

"Cause it pissed me off that you didn't think I was good enough. What are you getting at?" I scowled, not knowing where this was going. I'd never been the type of man to need caring to screw. It was simple - find a woman, fuck her, and done. No lovey-dovey bullshit.

"Fine, let me put it another way. You didn't like the idea of me just wanting any man to fuck. You didn't want to just be a dick I was riding. You wanted to know that I wanted you, your dick - not just anybody's - yours."

She said it bluntly, and I opened my mouth to denounce what she'd said, but I couldn't. It was all true. Holy fucking shit. I felt like a light had gone off in my head, and I finally understood what she was trying to tell me. Apparently, we were in the same boat.

She seemed to see what was going on in my head - which was damn disturbing - and said, "I don't want to just be the pussy you're fucking, Gajeel. I want you to want me...just like you wanted me to want you."

Suddenly, I felt like I was standing in quick sand. I couldn't tell her that it was asking too much, because she was right. I didn't want her thinking of me as just some guy to fuck. I wanted her to be thinking about me - Gajeel Redfox, crappy conversationalist, loner, moody bastard. It made sense, but then why did it feel like I should be nervous?

There was something there, some little flash of warning that I couldn't figure out. My mind was screaming that I needed to be careful, but my gut was saying go for it. And I'd never been one to ignore my gut. Instincts were a huge thing for Dragon Slayers, something we were taught long ago to trust. And mine had never let me down.

"I think it's kind of obvious that I want you. You're fucking hot as hell."

Her lip turned up a little, but still she shook her head. "That's not exactly what I mean. I'm glad you like the way I look, but I want you to like who I am too. I don't want the only reason you want me to be because I look good. That's still just being a body to screw."

I cursed under my breath. This was getting into shit I didn't like to talk about. And why the hell did she think I didn't like her? I talked to her a hell of a lot more than most people at the guild. So my voice was just a little defensive when I answered, "Hey, I like you. It's not like you're just some hole to put my cock into."

Lucy made some little sound in her throat, then asked softly, "You like me?"

"Well...yeah. I mean..." I trailed off, feeling like a total jackass having this conversation. Every time I said something, I ended up sounding like a pansy or a fucking idiot. I was just no damn good at it. I wish she'd just let me fuck her. I was really good at that.

"So why didn't you say that after I told you what I thought of you?"

I turned to look across the room, not wanting to answer her question, but knowing I had to. She deserved that much, so I'd just have to find the balls to say it. "I told you, I was thinking. I was a real shit to you, and I felt bad. And..." I really didn't want to say this - I really didn't, "...I realized while you were talking that we don't match. I'm not a good guy. I don't play nice. I'm not like you-"

Her soft voice cut me off to ask, "If that's how you feel, then why try to make me stay?"

I turned to her sharply. "Because I'm a selfish bastard." I knew what she would see in my eyes, knew my face would be fierce. There was no way to hide it, because for some damn reason, some pathetic part of me wanted her to know the truth. And here I was, back to sounding dumb as hell. What was I, a girl?

Frustrated with myself and the entire situation, I closed my eyes and sighed. I'd never had to deal with this kind of shit before, and with the way I felt now, I was damn certain I never wanted to again. This talking shit was a pain in the ass.

The couch shifted under me, and I had an instant to wonder if she was finally hauling ass, when I felt her settle over my lap. I opened my eyes to see her hovering over me, her face alight with some emotion I'd never seen before. It was the smile that got me though. It was full of a softness I'd never had directed at me before, and for the first time in my life, the word beautiful came to mind.

I swallowed hard as she leaned in, brushing her lips across mine before she said, "You're wrong, Gajeel. You are a good guy." Another brief kiss and she whispered, "And I'm glad you're a selfish bastard."

The words were barely out of my mouth when he lunged forward, dragging me up against him. His lips came down over mine in a flash of heat, and I melted into him. God, how I wanted him. His words had left me breathless, humbled too but completely and utterly breathless. Never had another man made me feel that way.

I wanted to wrap myself around him, drink him in until I couldn't hold any more. The fierceness of that desire struck me, knocked me for a loop until my head was quite literally swimming. What was this?

Then he kissed his way down my neck, and the thought was gone. There was just him and this overwhelming need to feel him against my skin. My body flushed with heat as his hands slipped under my shirt, his fingers gliding up my back in a touch as soft as a feather.

Breaking away, he watched me, his deep red eyes promising all things dark and delicious as he unbuttoned my shirt, sliding it over my shoulders and down my arms. I reached for him, threading my fingers into his hair as I brought our mouths back together. I needed him...needed to taste him, touch him.

His arms wrapped around me again, his hands ghosting over my back, tracing languidly along the outline of my bra. His every touch was a tease, a perfect twist to my already thrumming body. His hands followed the line of my bra, the touch so faint as he made his way to the front of my body, to the hook that kept my bra together.

The air puffed out of my mouth as his nimble fingers flicked the clasp apart, and then his hands were there, cupping my breasts, kneading them. They were so heavy, aching for him, and I couldn't keep the moan inside. The sound poured out of my mouth, straight into his, and he swallowed it down as if it were something tangible.

I shifted against him, running my hands over the tight muscles of his shoulders. I had to touch him, had to feel his skin beneath my fingers. It wasn't a conscious thought, the feelings inside me a desperate need I couldn't quite contain. And I didn't want to. I wanted everything he was offering and more. So much more.

Gajeel's calloused thumbs played at my nipples, brushing against them in the slightest of caresses, and I arched into him, pulling away from his mouth with a hiss. It felt so good, so goddamn good.

The feel of him was different this time, his urgency from before easing away into a slow seduction. It was incredible and overwhelming. I hadn't known he could do this to me. I was burning up, which wasn't unusual with him. He was always making me hot and hungry, but this was something else, some other something I couldn't name.

I wanted this man with a passion I'd never felt before, and as his mouth came down over my breast, I knew I was lost. I would have missed this, missed him if we hadn't worked things out. Somehow, I had gotten attached to him, to his unique brand of crazy, and I found I didn't want to be without him. And though it sounded a bit too important, right now, I didn't give a damn. I just wanted more.

He sucked at my breast lazily, his tongue curling about the sensitive peak in a way that sent a jolt of fire down my spine. I whimpered at the sensation, unintentionally tightening my fingers in his hair, tugging at the strands a bit more than I meant to. Though he didn't seem to mind. He hummed against my flesh, scraping his teeth across the tiny nub.

It was both too much and not enough as I arched into him, grinding myself against the bulge in his pants with a sharp cry. I needed more, needed him inside me so badly. "Gajeel," I moaned, "Oh God..."

He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes boring into mine as he leaned in and claimed my mouth once more. His arms stole around my back, his hands sliding down to cup my ass and tug me forward. A groan rumbled in his chest as he brought me over his arousal again.

The friction felt so good, but it wasn't enough, not nearly so. As if sensing my desperation, he locked his arms around me and stood to his feet, carrying me effortlessly back to his room. His strength stunned me, enticed me, turned me on.

I kissed my way along his jaw line, marveling at the taste of his skin. I just couldn't get my fill of him. There was a fire in my belly the likes of which I'd never felt, my desire an all-consuming flame as I licked my way down his neck. He was my drug, the cure for all that ailed me.

He set me down gently, his mouth coming down immediately on mine as he reached for the buttons on my shorts. He pushed the round bits through the holes, then slipped his hands into the top, sliding them past my hips until they dropped to the floor. My panties followed soon after, and I was naked, straining against him.

His hands on my hips, he led me backwards to the bed, releasing my lips as he eased me down. I stared up at him silently as he reached for his own pants, and I felt a flurry of heat spill up through my body at the sight of him firm and ready. I sat up, my mouth watering with the sudden need to wrap my lips around him, but Gajeel shook his head, guiding me back once more.

He said nothing as he knelt on the floor and eased his hands under my thighs, smoothing them up past my ass to my hips. He tugged me forward to the edge of the bed, and simply looked down between my spread legs. "I want to taste you first."

My pulse thundered in my throat as he dipped his head down, his breath fanning out across my sex. The sensation was light, delicious, sending me shuddering beneath him. He stretched out the moment, making me lift my hips up to him wantonly, begging him with my body to close that small gap.

Gajeel blew another breath over me before he leaned in and traced his tongue slowly up my slit. My back bowed at the simple touch, and I couldn't restrain the moan that shot from my mouth. I didn't even try.

He moved against me slowly, his pace unhurried as he licked and sucked, savoring me like I was his favorite treat. And in this moment, I wanted to be his favorite treat, wanted it with everything I had so he would do this over and over again.

His tongue flicked across my clit, teasing my poor hungry body until I thought I would scream. I writhed beneath him, panting, begging for him to quit toying with me, pleading with him to send me over the edge. I was so close...so blessedly close.

"Gajeel...please," I cried out, "Oh fuck...please!"

His tongue speared into my sex a moment later, the muscle plunging into my body in a tease of what I wanted his body to do. It sent me arching off the bed, his name becoming a steady mantra as he brought me closer to my peak. I rolled my hips, trying to encourage my orgasm, coaxing it with sweet words. I was desperate, so very desperate, and then it was there, crashing through me like a tsunami, ripping a howling scream from my mouth.

It pierced the quiet of his house, echoing off the walls, and as I came down, I immediately flushed. I had never been so loud before, never had such an insane reaction, and I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. I looked down between my legs, expecting to see the usual smirk on Gajeel's face at his rousing victory, but it was strangely absent.

He stood to his feet, eyes blazing with lust, and instantly washed away any chagrin I felt at my vocal release. No, his look was as far from teasing as I had ever seen it. He was like a man on a mission, thinking only of the pleasure he'd find in my body, and as I reached for him, I knew I could give him everything he needed.