I'm sorry again… that's all I'm gonna say!

Recap:

Damn it! Levy cursed in her mind as she ran a hand through her untamed blue hair. Why! Why do I always have to think about this stuff… I hate asking these questions… I feel like I'll never have any answers. Her eyes began to become warm with tears as she could feel the loneliness taking over. Love seemed like such a great thing in all the stories she read and she yearned to know it just as any girl did, but all this time had gone by without even the slightest inkling. She hadn't even really ever had a crush on anyone before and it made her wonder what the heck was wrong with her?

It was just as that moment when a large dark figure caught the corner of Levy's eye in the moonlight making the thoughts vanish in an instant. She wasn't sure, but she could swear she saw wild spikes facing the sky… Gajeel? Her mind questioned and she didn't even think twice about heading in the direction she saw it go.

Iron Gray Chapter 26 Attraction

She's following me… Gajeel's thoughts spoke as he could smell and hear Levy getting closer to him.

When he had decided to cut through the park in an attempt to get home faster; he hadn't counted on a hand full of his guild mates to be lazing around there, but he could smell them as he made his way in. He recognized Salamander's scent first, it being the most overpowering to his nose due to him being a fellow dragon slayer. The next strongest scent was the girl who always smelled heavily of booze, followed by the large transformation wizard who smelled like an animal.

His body tensed up slightly as he walked; just so that he could be ready in case Salamander was preparing a surprise attack to begin round two. He smirked at the thought of getting another shot at him since he kind of screwed up on the fight that morning by letting himself get distracted. It had been kind of embarrassing, but what was worst was what had come after. Gajeel shook his head trying to forget about the scene Levy had caused, not that he cared what his guild mates thought of him anyways, but it still made him feel foolish. She had kind of made him feel like that all day actually and the best part was that it wasn't even over yet. It was on that note that Gajeel stopped in his tracks as more scents were coming to him, as he must have been making his way closer to wherever they were all sitting in the large park.

He brought a gloved hand to his forehead as he cringed realizing with dread that there were more people there. It wasn't just those three he could smell now, but he also caught the scent of the celestial mage along with Salamander's cat as well. With them were two others he hadn't quite familiarized himself with as much, but he was pretty sure one was Juvia's little ice mage and the other he guessed as Titania. Then of course the real reason he was dragging his hand down his face slowly with an annoyed scowl was he had picked up Levy's scent… again. But not without her two loyal watch dogs in toe of course, he could feel himself practically growling with frustration Why did I take the damn park home?! His mind shouted and he stomped the ground in a tantrum for a moment. His fist began to clench tightly and he was way more outraged than was even necessary.

At this point fate might as well have been a devilish child pulling the strings and laughing evilly at him. He seriously wondered if someone was playing a joke on him, how much was he going to run into this girl? He realized they were guild mates, but they weren't even at the guild this time and this was already the second time outside of it. So what! His mind shouted as his tantrum subsided. At this point he figured Salamander wasn't coming after him, because surely he would have caught wind of his scent and done so if he cared. So if that was the case then maybe he could just avoid them all if he just continued walking. He figured he would just get through there and to hell with all of them, but he wasn't about to go out of his way just to avoid them when he was already half way through the park.

He started walking again and it wasn't long before he got a better idea of where they were all sitting in the park as his sensitive ears picked up the sound of salamander's snoring. That's why he ain't pickin' a fight with me. He was actually glad about this now that he knew Levy was there, because this way he wouldn't be spotted. That was his last thought at least before he heard Levy's distinct voice yell something in the night. He hesitated and looked in the direction he knew they were. He began to hear more shouts, those two again? Gajeel's jaw clenched subconsciously and he stood there with a tight fist hesitating to continue his walk. His body had tensed up again and part of him felt the urge to march over to them for some reason. He just had this weird sense that somehow Levy had gotten upset and it had everything to do with the two dogs that he could now hear were clearly arguing. He clenched his fist tighter and snapped his head forward. He started walking onward again away from the noise and the group of mages. So what? Doesn't have anything to do with me. His thoughts spoke as he made his way, but his jaw and fist stayed tight. She chooses the people she hangs round, his mind spoke out of nowhere and he could feel his confusion growing again as it always did when it concerned Levy. He didn't get a chance to dwell on it though as he began to hear the faint sound of light footsteps moving fast towards him.

She was running away from them and he could hear her getting closer. He realized he needed to get out of sight so he glanced up at a tree and spotted a large branch that could hold his weight. Without another thought he leaped up to it and watched as Levy's small form came into view under the starry sky. She wasn't very fast and her steps looked much too large for her short legs as she bounded below him. Her eyes were too busy staring at the ground in front of her to even notice Gajeel watching her run by from above and she looked distressed. He watched her retreating form move a safe distance away before leaping back down from the tree in a crouching position. He slowly rose up looking in the direction she had gone. Great, that's the way I need to go, he thought, but he shrugged his shoulders.

He started walking again, but kept his red eyes peeled open for her as he neared the other end of the park. He could smell that she was near by, but he could also see the street in sight marking the exit. He just wanted to get home, but that was when it happened. She had spotted him at some point and now he knew she was looking for him. She's following me… He couldn't help, but smirk. Sorry shrimp... He reached the edge of the park and stepped out crossing the street quickly.

It was him… it had to be, Levy was sure she knew that silhouette better than she'd like to admit. She'd seen him on a night similar to this after all; she jogged forward a little and glanced around she was near the edge of the park. She turned just in time to see someone just outside of the park stalking across the street. She watched the figure stop as they reached the other side and her eyes strained through the night as she took a few steps forward.

"Gajeel…?" Her voice called out softly and timidly. She could swear she saw a slight gleam from one of the piercing on his face before he turned down an alleyway. She knew it was him, but she couldn't tell if he knew she was there or not. Maybe he did and he was just ignoring her? Her eyebrows furrowed together, she could hear a small voice in the back of her mind telling her she should turn back and just go back to her friends. She looked over her shoulder and then back at the alleyway before finally jogging across the street. She arrived in front of the alleyway that she had seen him go down and glanced around. There wasn't a soul in sight and she stood there hesitantly, I know I saw him come down here.

Gajeel was hanging upside down from a fire escape that hung off one of the buildings like a bat. He watched Levy appear in the moonlight at the end of the alleyway and glance around seemingly nervous. He was still smirking despite himself, she was definitely following him as he suspected. He didn't really understand why though, but he did find it amusing. He had wanted to be sure he was right, but now that he had confirmed it he wasn't sure what to do. He kind of imagined he would just lose her and that would be the end of it, but as he watched her he couldn't imagine just leaving now.

He was picturing the way she had looked at him earlier before leaving the infirmary, the way her eyes narrowed on him almost as if she had been silently challenging him. Then she had just walked out without another word, which hadn't sat well with him for some reason. He hadn't really understood why, but it felt like she had somehow bested him in that moment; as if they had been playing some kind of odd game and he had just lost. It had left him dumb founded and not only that, but he was a sore loser.

Before his battle with Salamander it had been ages since Gajeel had lost a fight to the point where he had almost forgotten what it felt like. Losing that fight had brought back the weight of defeat and the hopelessness it brought on coupled with all the devastation it had caused in his life. It had all been very nostalgic for him, like he had been a kid struggling to get by once again. His training with Metalicana had been rough and even after Metalicana disappeared he still had so much fighting to endure. His whole childhood had felt like one long losing battle that there was no escape from, but it never stopped him from trying. As a kid he had kept at his struggle refusing to let life crush him and doing whatever he could to survive completely alone. He not only began to accept fighting, he learned to love it and embrace it as part of who he was. Losing didn't deter him either, if anything it just fueled him to be stronger, to fight harder. Every time he would feel the pressure of defeat he would just remind himself that he was a dragon slayer and he wasn't going to die weak.

Then he had joined Phantom and with the guilds help he got a taste of what winning felt like and he became powerful. He moved up it's ranks quickly and before he knew it he was the one putting wizards in their place just so they could know what it had felt like every time it had happened to him. He became arrogant and losing to the salamander had been quite the blow to his pride at first…. But it had also awakened that determination he hadn't felt since he was young. It was the reason why he yearned to fight the other dragon slayer again. The challenge of fighting someone so strong and being beaten by them… it gave him something to work towards once again. He hadn't had that in a long time and he enjoyed it, it made him feel like he had gotten lazy over the years. He could get stronger; he just had to work at it. It was the one prospect about joining Fairy Tail that excited him. This guild felt like it presented something Phantom hadn't in forever… A real challenge and in multiple ways, ones he hadn't even expected. Starting with her, his thoughts rang.

Gajeel's slight smirk grew into a fang-revealing grin as he watched Levy take a few cautious steps into the alleyway her head darting back and forth nervously. He knew he should just leave her be, but his competitive spirit was outweighing his better judgment. He was allowing himself to be convinced that this game of theirs was real even though he knew deep down it wasn't. There was also a tiny voice in the back of his mind demanding that he stick to his original plan and ignore her by reminding him how she made him feel. After all it had been that reason why he got so frustrated upon realizing she was there that night, but the rebel side of him was spiting all of these logical thoughts. That jus wouldn't be any fun… He thought, and besides Juvia seem to think being around Levy would actually help him get past all the guilt. Time to put the rain woman's theory to the test, his thoughts spoke as his red eyes zeroed in on her.

Levy had walked a good fifteen feet into the alley and her heart was beating fast. It was darker in the alley, because the light of the stars wasn't able to illuminate the small space as they did the streets. She didn't know why she had been so determined to chase after Gajeel, but now she needed to turn back. It wasn't as if she had had anything to say to him anyways and now she was just becoming scared. She slowly turned around to leave when she heard a familiar odd noise from above… She had heard it once before just that day and it had made her tilt her head then. She glanced up and she could see something odd, but she couldn't quite make out what it was… She did know that it was living though whatever it was and now she was frozen in place out of pure fear.

Her eyes were wide and she began to shake as her mind tried to understand what it was she was looking at. It doesn't matter… just run! Her mind screamed, but before she had time to react the thing had pushed itself off of the balcony it was hanging on and was propelling itself towards the ground. It landed right in front of her scattering dust and dirt in its wake. She only had time to back up against the building wall as it came towards her without even a second of hesitation after landing. Her eyes slammed shut out of fear as she readied herself for the blow. Whatever it was had moved so fast and it made her feel so helpless, she couldn't help, but notice how familiar it felt too though as she prepared for pain or possibly even death. It was almost like… the night with… Gajeel!

Levy stood backed up against a wall as far as she possibly could be, even her cheek was against the cold brick. Her eyes opened upon her realization and her head went forward as she felt that no harm had actually come to her. There was a moment of silence as Levy's extreme shock and fear calmed slightly, her brain was still trying to make sense of what had happened and the position she was in.

It was indeed Gajeel who stood before her, his hands were against the building behind her, on either side of her head just above her shoulders. His large body was practically cradling itself above her smaller one that was flat against the wall, allowing her very little room to move. His neck was arched down so that his face was only mere centimeters away from hers. His nose was nearly touching hers as his red eyes pierced right into her wide hazel ones with such intensity that she had to look away from them.

She glanced to the right to break the stare and Gajeel took that as an opportunity to let his eyes travel down and then back up. He couldn't help, but notice how her chest heaved heavily under his gaze and how the sound of her heart harmonized with its coarse movement. His eyes slowly scanned their way back up to hers and he leaned just a little closer so that Levy could feel his breath on her neck. Levy was starting to think that maybe she should be scared as her breath hitched in her throat, but that was when he spoke.

"You wanta tell me…" He paused, his voice was just above a whisper, but it sounded fierce. "Why the hell you're followin me?" He hissed out at last with teeth closed and his head jerking slightly for emphasis. He felt like he had needed that pause in the middle of his own sentence just to keep himself together as her scent overpowered him due to their proximity once again.

Levy felt frozen for a second time, because she had no idea what to say. He seemed angry and she was still unsure whether she should be worried or not. Her head slowly moved forward again and her wide hazel eyes matched his narrowed red ones once again. Her expression looked guilty and lost as though she had been caught doing something very bad and now she was about to be punished. His brow stretched up at it, he was thinking maybe he had scared her so much that she couldn't speak, but she tried to.

"I- I..." She was stuttering and Gajeel suddenly felt upset by this. She was scared… Scared of him again... His eyes closed as disappointment was seeping into him.

"You what!?" His voice rose out of frustration and Levy blinked nervously. He had let himself believe she wasn't afraid of him anymore, as she had told him she wasn't. He was wishing he hadn't actually allowed himself to believe her now. He hadn't intended on making her afraid of him again, he had just wanted to mess with her.

"I-I'm sorry!" Her words cried out and Gajeel opened his eyes. Her eyes were the ones that were closed now and her head was looking down slightly as her chest continued to heave. He could feel a really odd emotion filling him as he looked at her, one he hadn't felt in a long time, sadness. Her head went back up to his and her eyes opened. Her eyebrows were pushed together, "I saw you… and I don't know why! I just…" Her words had calmed and now Gajeel realized she didn't sound scared, her eyes went downcast in a look of shame. She's not afraid… she's feeling guilty again…. This made Gajeel's mood lighten instantly and now all he wanted to do was make her stop. He closed his eyes and let out an odd seething breath between closed teeth as his head turned away from hers slightly. Levy watched him surprised completely caught off guard by it.

"Man… Don't you ever let up, I thought you were gettin' better." Gajeel stated calmly as his hands finally left the wall. They came back to his sides as he slowly moved enough space away from her that she could ease herself off the wall as well. He folded his strong arms over her chest and Levy glanced up at him with surprise shining in her eyes and she had no words now. There was a moment of silence that passed between them before Gajeel finally opened his eyes and glanced at her expectantly. He raised a studded brow as he still stood there with arms folded. Levy didn't seem to understand the look though.

"What…?" She questioned still dazed and his shoulders dropped at her confusion as he rolled his eyes.

"The apologies! I told ya to stop that!" He snapped with a finger in her face. Levy's eyes crossed slightly as they landed on the finger before her and then Gajeel let it fall back to his side. He turned away from her again so that she was facing his profile before folding his arms. Levy was still catching her breath and allowing her thoughts to clear up as she looked to the ground.

Her eyes had landed on his large bolted boots and that was when she slowly began to move them up the length of his long legs until they reached his torso. His chest was thinner than it used to be, but she couldn't help, but notice it's definition. Her eyes swayed over to the odd spiky ornament he had over his right shoulder before traveling down his tone and tan arm. That was when she noticed the deep crevices of old and painful looking scars, she hadn't noticed before. When she had looked at his arm before she had been to busy noticing the studded piecing he had embedded in his skin to pay any attention to the old wounds. Her eyes glazed over each of the piercing once again anyways, before finally continuing back up to his collarbone. She followed the line of his neck and jaw up to his nicely defined nose that she could make out perfectly from the side. Her eyes continued over his sharp brow bone and up his forehead until they trailed over the wild spikes of his slick hair.

She stayed silent as her eyes played over his form slowly and carefully. Her breathing had steadied considerably, but her heart had not. She could still feel it beating in her own ears and her hand subconsciously gripped at it over her chest. She could feel a slight flush in her cheeks as her eyes shined over Gajeel's nicely defined profile in the moonlight.

Why had she followed him? It was something she hadn't thought to ask herself before she went and did it, but now that it had come up it was genuine question. She really hadn't come up with an answer for it that she could explain either and that was the reason why she felt so guilty when he asked her. I just wanted to speak to him again I guess… Her thoughts answered, but that still didn't seem to satisfy her own brain. Her brow hardened as she stared at him, her eye paying special attention to the studs on his nose now. Why though…? He was a kind of jerk to you earlier just like Jet and Droy said… She could feel herself inwardly rolling her eyes as the thought of those two brought back her frustrations. If they hadn't upset her none of this would have even happened, but they couldn't seem to get over their damn attraction to her no matter how many times she rejected them. Wait a second… attraction? Levy's thoughts resounded as her eyes continued to search over his face with her hard and puzzled stare.

It was at this point Gajeel seem to be fed up with her silence and he turned to her with an odd expression. She jetted back slightly as though she had been busted and this just made him raise a studded brow at her. He had really thought she would have said something by now, because the last couple times he had been with her she had seemed much more eager to speak.

"You alive down there?" He asked her gruffly causing Levy to give him a pointed look at the jest about her height.

"Yes!" She snapped back angrily and at this he turned to her and smirked.

"There ya go." He said and his tone was different, it was enthusiastic and for some reason she could feel her face radiating heat. Something about the way he had looked at her and the fact that he said in that way, because of her. Her stomach flipped nervously and she could hardly believe it… but… Don't tell me… I can't be… attracted to Gajeel?

So there it is… I don't know whether to say she is finally figuring it out or if I should say she already is. I mean it's really only been a few days in this story and so it seems quick for Levy to start to figure out her feelings and yet… I've got like 73k words here and some people are probably like… FINALLY! So I don't know if this is the right move of not. Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter.

BTW I'm the devilish child playing a joke on Gajeel.

Thank you all so much for following, reading, reviewing!

As I said even if updates take me longer I promise the story will get done and you shouldn't have to wait longer than a week.

To/For Reviewers:

ValinNight: Glad you're excited and I hoped you liked this chapter too! Thanks for reviewing as always and I hope you will continue to read.

Deborahpflover: Yea, I kind of felt bad for doing that to Levy to be honest. I thought it would be funny too, but yea Gajeel will make her forget. Glad you liked it thanks for everything as always! Glad your still reading!

Lucytheftlover: I'm glad you like my story so far! Thank you for all your reviews and here's more at last! Hopefully you will keep reading!

FairyVampire-chan: Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it their interactions! Thank you for reading and revieing!

sergeant peace: Glad you still like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!