A/N: I will be covering the actual Levy and Gajeel interview next chapter.
"Juvia wants to play another round of Old Maid!" She sang at Gajeel who had already lost twice. Sipping her drink, the water mage giggled. "Gajeel-kun is now a double old maid!"
The slayer gathered the cards and began shuffling, a mulish look on his face. "Maybe we should play a game that requires skill instead of random luck."
"Suck it up," Gray smirked. "You're mad on account of the forfeits. Speaking of that, I need a refill." The Ice mage pushed his glass forward. "More ice too."
Scowling, Gajeel snatched the empty glass. "Any body else?" Juvia and Levy replied in the negative. He pushed himself away from the table and stalked into the kitchen. His superior senses allowed him to hear Levy giggle at Juvia how she was waiting him to come back before asking for her refill.
The iron dragon slayer brought the pitcher outside to the balcony. "You could make your own damn ice." Gajeel slammed the tumbler down on the table and poured. He locked eyes with Levy and grinned as she blushed and pushed her glass forward. "That's what I thought." With careful precision, he filled hers only half way. She protested. Gajeel laughed, "This stuff is potent. Even Juvia is more than half shit-faced. Don't you want a clear head when we take our turn being interviewed?"
"Don't let being right this time go to your head!" Levy snatched her drink and took a sip. "We have at least another thirty minutes before we have to go downstairs."
Gray smiled, he was having a great time. Juvia had mad skills with cards; from shuffling to dealing and knowing the ins and outs of the rules. There didn't seem to be a card game that she didn't know about. She knew over two dozen variations of solitaire alone. After Lucy and Natsu had left, the first five minutes had consisted of Juvia listing all the card games four people could play.
"Juvia, did you want to play something else?" The words left Gray's mouth without his conscious consent. A warmth in his gut urged him to continue. "Anything you want, let's play."
Gray ignored Gajeel's trademark laughter. Right now, the ice mage wanted to see Juvia enjoy herself even more. If catering to her whims in regards to card games made her smile - it was a small price to pay. "I bet you're good at poker."
"Juvia is, but what makes Gray think that?" She was curious, her acceptance of her skills was the least of the issue. "Juvia has not ever played poker at the guild." Her cheeks were more pink now, not just from the drinking.
About to answer, Gray was interrupted by Levy. "Excuse me, but I need Gajeel's help, in, uh," she frowned, "in our room." She grabbed her drink and the slayer's hand. Levy winked at Juvia as she dragged the confused Gajeel away.
"Juvia would like to know why Gray thinks Juvia is good at poker." Solemn blue eyes blinked. She waited, her curiosity pushed forward. "Why?"
Gray cursed himself, a thousand times a fool. It was more of a gut feeling, this surety that Juvia had card skills. He'd witnessed her finesse in dealing cards. The smooth hand-eye coordination could only come from hours upon hours of practice.
A slow grin built and Gray took a healthy swallow of his drink. "The more I get to know you, the more I see you only share part of yourself." He released a heavy breath. "Kind of like myself." Gray nodded and traced patterns in the condensation of his glass. "You have a more intense internal life than most people. You don't feel like you can share yourself with others. You dumb it down - you only give them what they expect to see instead of everything you have."
Gray looked at the picture Juvia made, all rosy cheeks and inviting eyes. His thawing heart hammered against brittle ribs. "I say you'd be good at poker because you have a mask filtering your emotions." He gulped as he saw Juvia shrink into herself. "It's not a bad thing!"
He placed his hand over Juvia's and tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I've come to realize you feel so much more than you let on."
Biting her lip, Juvia turned her face away. "Juvia has had lots of time by herself to learn card games." She shuddered as Gray rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. His fingers although so cool, were sparking tingles of excitement. Her stomach twisted as he continued his gentle assault.
"Look at me." His voice rough with emotion, Gray implored Juvia. "You don't have to be alone now. I'm here."
"Juvia knows that, Gray is here now - does he want to be here later?" Juvia let her words escape. There was no calling them back. For good or ill, her question had pierced the heart of the matter. Did Gray want to stay in Juvia's orbit or fade with the other stars in the morning light?
"That's not fair." Gray pressed harder on Juvia's hand. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow. We never can be assured of tomorrow - we have to make the best of today."
"Juvia will live in the moment," she pulled her hand out from under his. "Let's play another game of cards."
"Fine. Loser obeys the winner." Gray let out a satisfied breath. Either which way, he'd come out on top. He'd be more than happy to obey Juvia, and he'd have no problem giving Juvia orders.
"Juvia accepts. Juvia has the advantage so she will let Gray decide on the card game."
Gray nodded, the water mage was serious. He liked that, her ambition was a serious turn-on. "Poker, five card draw. Two rounds of discards, best hand wins." This way both luck and skill would decide the battle.
"Loser obeys the winner until when?"
Gray considered Juvia's question. He smiled, the possibilities were endless. "How long would you think is fair?"
"How long can Gray obey Juvia's desires?" Juvia decided that the alcohol was to blame for her blunt speech. And if she could blame her forwardness on booze, she could add to her sins easily. "Juvia has lots of desires." She gripped the deck of cards in her hands tight. The pink in her cheeks deepened into red and her heaving breaths caused her breasts to bob in the most distracting ways.
"I've never been what you call a gambling man, but this is something worth exploring. The winner will have the other at their mercy until we leave this resort." Gray released Juvia's hand to take a satisfying drink. "Sounds good to you?"
"Sounds good to Juvia." The low lidded glance she shot at Gray made his gut heat and heart race. All the ice caging his heart began to twist and fracture.
"Then you should deal, and may fortune favour the both of us." Gray drummed his fingers on the table top. "I have no fear of losing."
A slow nod and Juvia began to shuffle the cards. Her lips pursed, she concentrated on mixing the cards. The slap of cards against the table seemed loud. The balcony was silent except for the destiny altering cards being dealt. All too soon, the rest of the deck came to rest at Juvia's left elbow. Each mage picked up their five cards and decided their discards.
Terse demands for cards twice and each mage was reluctantly ready for the reveal. Juvia's face was serene and calm. She'd accepted her chances and was prepared to float where the current decreed. Gray had hopes and fears warring inside. The final outcome was moot. To obey or to issue orders. Either way, he'd find the strength to endure.
Juvia flipped her cards over as did Gray. A long minute passed as they locked eyes. Almost disinterested, Gray looked over Juvia's cards and she returned the favour.
"Juvia wins." Odd enough in this, there wasn't any gloating in the tone of her voice. The bare facts reported as if it were a weather report. She had won but there was no celebration in her victory.
"Got any orders?" Gray was offhand in his flippant remark. What did it matter? He'd been fighting against his attraction to Juvia for too long. It was time he allowed his heart to beat again.
"Juvia would like -"
The door of the suite opened and Natsu and Lucy came barging in. "Oi!" Natsu shouted. "Who's next?"
Lucy spied movement on the balcony and headed over. "Juvia, are you and Gray going next? I have to warn you, Tim is even more loathsome than we thought."
"Juvia was right to not like that man." She frowned, "what did he do? Levy and Gajeel-kun are next."
"It's not exactly what he did, but what he said." Natsu sat down and sniffed the beverage container. "He implied that the special spread would be graphic and adult in nature."
"I expected something like that, but the way he enjoyed saying it," Lucy shuddered and patted Juvia's hand. "Tim is expecting all of us to try to out-do each other for the extra pay."
"How adult are we talking?" Gray glanced at Juvia. She had both her hands grasping her drink and looking at the liquid as if it held the answer to all life's mysteries.
Lucy sat beside Natsu and hugged herself. Natsu rubbed Lucy's shoulder and grabbed an empty glass. He poured a healthy measure and gave it to his partner. "Drink up." Taking the last glass, he served himself. "I think we should teach him a lesson that he'll never forget."
"As long as you don't destroy the resort Natsu." Lucy mumbled, "well, maybe a little destruction is in order." She took a furtive sniff of the drink and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh! This smells of alcohol." She sampled the drink anyway.
"It tastes good." Juvia offered with a titter, "like the wine my Uncle used to drink."
"Really?" Lucy sat up straight and smiled at Juvia. "You got into your uncle's stash?"
"Juvia was young." She smiled as she remembered the good times. "Uncle was not home very much, but he liked wine with his meals. Juvia sampled leftovers sometimes, pretending to eat with Uncle."
Gajeel and Levy walked out onto the balcony. Natsu started laughing. The iron dragon slayer took a menacing step closer to Natsu. Levy gave him a sharp elbow that set Natsu into gales of laughter.
"N-nice headband Iron dork!"
"Fuck you Salamander!" Gajeel snorted. "I lost at cards - it's a forfeit." He noticed Levy slump and added, "it is a nice headband." Self-conscious, he touched it and glared. "You're jealous you don't have a token."
"Ppphhtt! Lucy!" Natsu demanded, "gimme a token!"
In the midst of a swallow of her drink, Lucy could do naught but shake her head and shrug.
"It doesn't work like that!" Gray laughed, "tokens are earned!"
"Juvia wants a token from Gray!" Squirming in her seat, she fastened her baby blues on the ice mage and smiled. "And then New Love Rival will know Gray has chosen Juvia!" Her grin was brilliant, and then dimmed. "That is if Gray has indeed chosen Juvia."
"Let's discuss that in private," Gray said, "in our room."
Lucy slammed her now empty glass onto the table. "Before we scatter, I have to let everyone know what sort of scum that reporter is. Tim is after the most mature, adult sorts of photos for the special spread."
"It can't be that bad," Gajeel scoffed. "It's not like that magazine is sold in a plain brown wrapper or anything."
"That's mighty interesting." Levy looked up at her partner who was busy pretending he hadn't just admitted to purchasing porn. "He won't dare try anything against a former member of Phantom Lord. Forewarned is forearmed."
"Gi hehe! Shrimp will outsmart him, no problem." Gajeel frowned, "we better get a move on woman."
"Uh huh. I know." Levy smiled at her fellow guild mates. "We'll play like you haven't warned us Lucy. He'll be overconfident and that will ultimately sink him."
Gajeel held out his hand and Levy slipped hers onto his. They exited the suite of rooms and began the exodus towards the conference room.
"Juvia feels a little dizzy."
"Maybe you should lay down for a bit then." Gray stood up to assist Juvia out of her chair. "I'll help you get comfortable and bring you some water." Lucy and Natsu said nothing and only waved at the couple as they went to their room. Gray blushed, he could feel them watching.
"We're finally alone." Lucy grabbed the drink container and poured herself some more; dumping the rest into Natsu's glass. "We need to come up with a plan." She leaned against her partner, "I want to win."
"You must want the extra money pretty badly." Natsu slung an arm around the blonde. His voice was low and without the constant enthusiasm Lucy associated with Natsu. "I was having fun in the pool with you. I'd forgotten all about the job."
"I had fun too!" Lucy was quick to point out. "I worry about making rent every month. I can't afford to lose focus." She sighed, "fun doesn't pay the landlady."
"There's always my - "
Natsu was cut off by Happy flying onto the balcony and plowing into his chest shouting, "Natsu! I had the best idea!"
"Best idea?" With his free arm Natsu hugged his exceed, "better than borrowing Lucy's towels?"
Lucy glared at the jolly exceed. "What brilliant idea indeed?" She took a gulp of her drink.
Happy launched into an explanation. Natsu and Lucy listened as he rambled. It boiled down to Happy wanting Lucy to call the guild and coerce Charle into visiting the resort to give her a proper apology.
"So you'll do it?" Happy gazed hopefully at the blonde with the biggest, sparkliest eyes he could manage. "Please?"
"Why can't you?" Lucy drummed her fingers on the table.
Happy added a pout to his little face. "Lucy! You're always so nice and good at talking. Everyone I know says you're the best."
"I know you're flattering me, but I feel sorry for you." Lucy sighed, "okay, I'll go and call her." She played with the condensation of her glass before rising to her feet. "Now you owe me Happy. You'll have to stay out of mine and Natsu's room for the rest of this trip."
"Deal!" All smiles again, the blue cat flew a heart-shaped loop-the-loop. "Charle will love it here!"
"I'm going to call and talk to Wendy." Lucy grinned at Natsu, "Wendy will be able to convince Charle."
"Lucy's right," Natsu nodded as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table-top. "She's good at understanding things for a weirdo."
Happy giggled, "Lucy is the best at being weird too!"
Dreaming of uninterrupted alone time with Natsu, Lucy ignored the teasing. Smiling beatifically she spoke. "I'll be back soon."
"Thanks Lucy!"
"Staying out of our room will be thanks enough," Lucy replied. She kept walking to the threshold of the living room; knowing the slayer's ears would clearly hear, she muttered, "we have some serious exploring to do." Lucy giggled and left the suite of rooms.
"You gonna rip Tim a new one?" Gajeel glowered at the few souls brave enough to look at his flowered headband twice. "He's none too smart if he thinks he can fool the two of us." He slowed his steps as he felt Levy struggling to keep up. "I don't think I've ever been interviewed."
"I researched this as well." Levy shifted her grip to Gajeel's wrist, pleased he was conversing. "This magazine has only been in circulation for a short amount of time; the parent magazine - Sorcerer's Weekly, wanted to appeal to a slightly different set of consumers."
"Gi hehe, you're dancing pretty good around the true issue Shrimp." Gajeel captured Levy's hand on his wrist and laced his fingers with hers. "You were right. It's slightly better than a porno rag."
Levy felt her cheeks heating up. "Be that as it may, nominally it's still geared towards people who idolize magic users." She took a deep breath and continued, "and want to see risqué photos of magic users."
Gajeel said nothing in reply, only tightened his grip and grunted.
"Am I going to be a liability?"
"Huh?" Gajeel quit walking. "Let's sit down and talk about this." He pointed to one of the recessed benches scattered about. "Unless you'd rather a practical demonstration of why you're the beauty to my beast?"
"W-what are you talking about?" Levy looked up at her partner's forbidding face. "Beauty and the Beast is a story." She was tempted to stamp her feet, but reined in her emotions.
"Story? Gi hehe, story of my life." Gajeel growled, a low rumbling that had the few guests nearby deciding rapidly to leave the area. He herded Levy towards the closest wall and trapped her between his arms.
Looking down at her delicate beauty, Gajeel smirked. She thought herself plain and unappealing for the magazine's customers. He didn't give a shit about that. Levy was all he needed. He hunched over and brought his face level to hers. "You wanna talk or a demonstration?"
Biting her lips, Levy gazed wordless at the domineering slayer. She watched Gajeel's eyes brighten. They went from a flat red to a warm burgundy; like the wine, his stare intoxicated the solid script mage. Mustering her courage, she spoke. "Show me what you mean."
Gajeel nodded slowly, "let me also tell you, you're all I dream of." He allowed his words to resonate. Gajeel could see Levy discrediting his speech; in the way she forced a polite smile and furtively glanced away.
Depending on his actions to convey his message, Gajeel caressed Levy's cheek with his right hand and then moved it to grasp her chin. Her eyes fluttered shut, he did nothing as he waited precious seconds. Anticipating a kiss that didn't happen, she re-opened them in confusion. This was the moment he wanted, keeping eye contact he brushed his lips over hers and then speared his tongue into her mouth. Gajeel poured his desire into the kiss.
Levy couldn't help the moan that escaped, or the way she pressed her body against Gajeel's hard muscles. Abandoning decorum, she anchored her hands in his wild mane of hair, only letting go when she ran out of breath.
Pink cheeked and panting, each mage grinned at each other.
"Ready to get interviewed?"
Levy cheered, "hells ya!"