"Why don't we call it a day? We can start working on harder words once Levy gets back. She's better at that stuff than I am." Mira smiled at him and he forced his own lips to lift in response.
The blonde mage stacked their books and papers together and Gajeel collected the pencils they had been using. They had been studying for several hours that morning. He knew that Mira had other duties she needed to take care of, but she assured him that she was happy to help. The countertop was soon clear of their morning lessons and Mira gave him a small wave before moving off to prep for the lunch hour.
Gajeel rested his arms on the counter and snagged on some spare nails that Makarov had no use for. The iron was a bit rusted, but didn't take away from the sweet taste of the metal. He opened his book and flipped through a few pages, smirking proudly when he recognized more of the words. He still wasn't ready to begin reading on his own yet, but he was making progress.
Wendy rushed past, laughing as she chased Carla around the room. Pantherlily lounged on the counter near him, always within petting distance. Natsu had taken Happy with him on his most recent request; how the Salamander kept that cat under control was beyond him. It had been a few weeks and Makarov still hadn't told them to get rid of the guild's new mascots. But not even the frightening Erza could tell Wendy no when the tiny girl looked up with her big, bright eyes.
The guild doors opened and Gajeel automatically turned, heart pounding. Elfman and Evergreen walked into the room, shouting hellos to their fellow guild members. The doors closed without a sign of wispy blue hair. Gajeel sighed, closing his book and propping his chin on his hand.
He stayed at the end of the counter, partially hidden in the shadows, and just watched the activity around him. His heart returned to its normal rhythm and he mentally kicked himself for his reaction. He didn't know why, but he just felt better when he knew she was at the guild hall with him.
She's only been gone for a few days. Get over it.
He had given himself the same lecture over a dozen times, but it still didn't change the fact that he just plain missed her. She was due to return by the end of the week once she and some of the other girls finished their job. Something about babysitting the mayor's kids. Gajeel rubbed his thigh, trying to keep himself on the bar stool instead of pacing around the room like a caged animal.
He had been living at the guild for almost three months, so he should be able to handle a week without Levy. The others had been welcoming enough and Mira even went out of her way to help him study, but Gajeel couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to do something wrong and remind everyone that he was still an outsider.
Most of the others had grown up together and everything they did was in sync with one another. He tried to blend in as best as he could, but he could barely function in normal society, let alone rough and tumble like everyone else. He was still the odd man out, the spectacle, yet strangely enough the others made no comments about it, not even when they huddled around him during his lessons.
It was embarrassing, having everyone watching as he struggled to remember simple things like letters or numbers, but instead of assigning insults like he would expect back at Phantom Lord, the Fairies would join the lessons and even ask questions of their own. No jeers, no teasing, no side glances filled with pity or disgust. So maybe it really wasn't as big of a deal as he thought?
Heavy footsteps thumped on the floorboards next to him, startling Gajeel out of his thoughts. Laxus stood with his arms crossed and a fierce scowl on his face. Gajeel swallowed, looking to Mira who hurried over from a back table.
"Stand for me." The lightning mage said without warning, his frown deepening.
Gajeel slid from the booth and stood at his full height. He stood almost equal in height with the arguably strongest mage in the guild, though Gajeel would never hold a candle to Laxus' bulkier build.
"Stretch. Arms up."
Another glance at the equally confused Mira, but Gajeel did as he was told.
"Now twist."
A frown formed on his own brow, but he twisted his torso back and forth. A small pop came from his back. He bent and touched his feet, stretching the tension from his stiff muscles.
"Any pain? Do you have free motion?"
Gajeel stretched a bit more, feeling for any tightness in his back. "I don't think so. Mira's been making me stretch everyday."
"And I've been applying an ointment that will keep the scars nice and soft. No troublesome scar tissue under my watch." She winked and gave him a thumbs up.
Laxus grunted. "Good. Out back then. We're gonna spar."
Gajeel's palms immediately grew clammy and he heard the entire room gasp. Mira screeched and jumped over the counter to place herself between him and Laxus.
"Laxus! I don't think he's ready just yet, he's only just been cleared to go on requests for a little while now. Maybe we could wait?"
"If he's gonna be takin' requests, then I need to know where his magic is at so I can trust him to protect his team if they run into any trouble. Now let's go."
Laxus marched through the room and to the back door. Mira stepped aside, her eyes filled with a silent apology. Gajeel shrugged and followed his roommate to the back of the guild hall where a large, open field lay waiting. Laxus stood in the middle of the grass, his long coat already discarded to the side.
Gajeel swallowed, glancing behind him at the Fairies watching. "I don't think this is a good idea."
"I'm not giving you much of a choice. Now let's go."
Movement flashed in the corner of his eye and Gajeel barely had enough time to turn his arm into an iron pole before Laxus' fist connected with the metal. His arm vibrated from the impact and he was shoved backward. The metal disappeared and he shook his arm to get rid of the sting. Lightning snaked across the grass and he yelped, rolling to the side to avoid being electrocuted. He landed heavily on his back, gasping for breath.
Laxus roared and charged the distance between them. Gajeel scrambled to his knees and turned his arm into a pole. He rammed it into the ground and launched himself away from Laxus' attack. Rolling to his back , he looked across the clearing at the approaching mage. Laxus' thunderous expression chilled Gajeel to the bone and he scrambled away on shaking arms.
"So this is how yer gonna protect everyone?"
Gajeel froze, shaking his head to clear the haze. "What?"
Footsteps crunched on the grass next to him. "I get why you don't like fightin', trust me, I do. But you have someone here that you want to protect, right?" Laxus crouched in front of him and Gajeel shifted to his knees.
"...Yeah," he mumbled to the ground, willing his ears not to turn red.
"Sometimes yer gonna have to fight in order to protect the people you love."
Gajeel jerked at the word, his heart thundering in his chest. "I don't...I don't love-"
"But you care for her. And don't want to see her hurt. You fought for her once, didn't you?"
Gajeel shook his head, gripping his hair in his hands. "But you don't know what I'm capable of, the things I've done and can do-"
"Can't be any worse than betraying yer own guild, can it?"
"Huh?" Gajeel lowered his hands and stared at the mage.
Laxus took a deep breath and looked over Gajeel's shoulder, his face pinched. "Yep. Couple years ago, I thought I could take over the entire thing. Picked a fight with everyone, even my grandfather. Almost destroyed the hall."
"But how…"
"How am I still here? Erza royally kicked my rear end and the old man gave me a lecture I'd never forget."
Gajeel scratched his head, mulling over Laxus' words. It didn't make any sense. Crimes were punished. Failures were punished. Betraying your own guild should be punished, not…
"It's called forgiveness. And grace. For people you and me, those words are as strange as Erza not hoarding her cake. But for some reason, those guys over there," he gestured to the field and the Fairies who did a terrible job of studying at the trees, "seem to think we can have it. So what say you? You gonna accept?"
Laxus stood and crossed his arms, waiting for his answer. Gajeel sighed, looking at the other guild members. They allowed him to live in their home, some even sacrificing their own bedroom to give him a spot to sleep. Mira had doctored him and made sure his back was completely healed, and Levy went out of her way to help him study.
"I'll...try," he answered, still having a long way to go if he wanted to prove himself to his blue-haired fairy.
Laxus chuckled and reached out his hand to help him to his feet. "That's what I tell myself everyday. Now come at me with everything you've got."
He jumped backward and Gajeel took a deep breath. His gut screamed at him, warning him to not attack a teammate, but he needed to do this. He turned his arm into metal, shooting the bar at Laxus. As expected, the mage dodged the attack, but Gajeel pivoted, transforming his leg into an iron pole and kicking at Laxus. It hit the mage directly in the chest, crashing him into a nearby tree.
The Fairies gasped and Gajeel's heart clenched.
Did I hurt him?
He watched Laxus shake his head and wipe his thumb across his lip. He smirked. "Nice. It's been awhile since someone's been able to land a blow on me. This'll be fun!"
With a roar the mage shot lightning and rushed at Gajeel. He lifted his arm to block the bolt and pushed upward to dispel the attack. Knowing Laxus would expect another arm attack, Gajeel crouched and swung his leg, turning it into an iron pole at the last second when Laxus tried to leap out of the way. The ground crackled with electricity. Gajeel hardened his skin and somersaulted backward, shooting an iron bar when he regained his feet. Laxus jumped over the attack and the two mages circled the clearing.
Sweat poured down his temple and his dragon blood awakened in his veins. The dragon shifted inside him, not enough to transform, but just enough to make his heart pound with the thrill of the fight.
Laxus smirked and launched across the field. With a smile of his own, Gajeel met him in the middle, iron and lightning colliding. He could feel his muscles straining and pulling, could feel his magic pulsing through his body and his mind sharpened. He would get stronger. He would make Levy proud.
I have more coming, don't worry! I'm just need to finish writing it *sheepish grin*