AN: Chapter 35

Hello everyone. First off, this is not the full chapter I wanted to get posted, but seeing how I have not posted in so long, I figured something is better than nothing.

As to why I have not been posting since last Oct… (warning-depressing post below, don't read if you don't want to.)

I had planned on getting an anniversary chapter posted for Nov. but work has been slammed and never ending. So I've been working a lot. But what really has deterred me from writing for so long… is a whole nother issue I have been dealing with, and to this day, still am.

Late November, before Thanksgiving… my 97 year old great grandma passed away.

She was the heart and soul of my entire family, so this was a big hit for each and every one of us. I got a call from my dad one night, and almost immediately knew something was wrong when he told me to sit down. He had told me my grandmother had suffered through 2 strokes that day and was now in the hospital. I remember I just sat there on the couch begging him for her to make it, and not to go that year. 2020 was already so horrible for many reasons, but I did not want my grandma passing to be on that list of despair. The next day, I went to work, and at this point, she had been taken to hospice, and I asked my mom if I could leave work to come see her, of course, due to covid, only a limited amount of people were able to go see her, but since my mom was there with my grandma, she said I could call when I was ready to talk to her. My grandma couldn't speak at this point, but she could still move her left hand and smile from what I was told.

So I called her. And I just remember immediately not being able to say anything to her as my mom held the phone up to my grandmas ear. She could hear me, and as I kept telling her how much I loved her, and how much this sucked, my mom told me my grandma would just smile and do morse code on her hand while I spoke. My mind went blank and I couldn't think to say anything else other than those two things. She had been part of my life for 32 years and they were wonderful times we shared together. I was very lucky to have her in my life for so long. We even had started making plans for her 100th birthday. But even when we would talk about that, she would always say how she was ready to go. If it was meant to be her time, then she would have no regrets and would be reunited with my great grandpa.

The next day, I had gotten zero sleep, and was calling off work when I got the call at 6am. My grandma had passed 2 hrs earlier. Part of me, for a while now, had been ready to receive that news. But.. at the same time, I was crushed. She was gone. But I am so grateful she was no longer in pain, and because I knew she was ready to go for so long, it also made it ok. I've been struggling to get back into writing, so my attention went to games to help distract me this whole time.

I am very sorry for not getting anything up in so long, and I am sorry this chapter will be only a fraction of what I had planned. I thought about posting just a note instead of a chpt but decided to do this instead.

In other news…

My husband and I are getting a kitten within the couple of weeks, so on top of working a lot, I will be distracted by this new bundle for a hot minute. I will be trying to get the rest of this chapter done by the time we go get her in May, but I cannot make any promises. We are getting our second dose of the vaccine early May and I have some time off coming soon, so I am hoping that I can get this done around that time.

Thank you all so much for being so understanding and patient. It means the world to me that you all are still reading this story, besides having to wait so long for it to be posted/finished. I still would like to get a few other stories worked on as well, but I promise to finish this chapter before anything else.

Please excuse any mistakes I have made.

Crimson orbs stared up at the tent ceiling, his thoughts wondering over his time spent with Levy from the moment they met, to just last night. His fingers were locked together behind his head as he quietly waited for Levy to wake from her slumber. His pulse started to race as his impatience grew, but he didn't want to wake the short girl beside him just yet. He had kept her waiting, made her weep, and exhausted her body throughout the night. She needed the rest, Gajeel thought to himself. The large, tanned man let out a puff of air as his crimson eyes shifted slightly, landing on the blue haired girl sleeping peacefully. Carefully, Gajeel turned his body onto his side, propping his head up with his right hand and letting his left arm fall across his torso.

Crimson orbs just looked over the spent body next to him, watching her side rise and fall lightly with each breath she took. Gajeel waited another minute before his left hand reached out and started to lightly run his fingers through the very ends of her blue hair. He twisted and curled the soft strands between his fingers, thinking about how his hands got lost in those blue strands so many times the night before. The taller man couldn't help his wandering hand as it had now reached up further on Levys' head, stroking her hair lightly once more, and running all the way down to the tips. He continued to pet her soft blue hair even as Levy began to stir lightly. He watched her take in a deep breath and exhale it slowly as she moaned lightly to his touch.

"Mmm… that feels good." She said softly.

Gajeel smiled as he leaned in, planting a kiss on her head. "Good morning."

Levy brought a hand up to her tired eyes and rubbed them lightly as yawn escaped her mouth. "What time is it?"

The taller man shrugged as he leaned back some and continued to run his large fingers through her hair. "I don't know. If I had to guess, sometime in the morning still."

The blue haired girl responded with a tired voice. "Good, I don't think I'm ready to get up just yet."

Gajeel grinned as he chuckled. "Gihi… had too much fun last night, eh?"

Levys' brows came together slightly at his words and a few seconds later, she was turning her body over to face the taller man laying beside her. She kept her head down on her left arm while her right one crossed over her chest. Her hazel eyes narrowed at Gajeel as she spoke. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who wouldn't stop after the first go around!"

The dark-haired man smirked as he quickly spoke back in a seductive tone. "You enjoyed it and wanted it all just as bad as I did."

"Bold of you to assume that's what I wanted all last night." Levy said as hazel eyes glanced down to the bare chest just inches away from her own body. Her hand reached up and lightly traced around his scar on his chest.

"Is it really assumption? Or just known desire?" He asked in response as his left hand reached up to the shorter girls bangs and brushed them back some, revealing the small scar on top of her head. Like her, his fingers traced the outline of the battle wound.

The blue haired girl smiled as she pushed her body in closer to Gajeels, her hands resting in between them as she nuzzled her head into his bare skin, feeling his left hand wrap around her torso and hold her close. "I guess it'll just remain a mystery between us."

Studded brows raised after a long minute of holding. "Or is it merely a dream and I'm not really here in bed with you? And we never really shared a wondrous night together?"

Levy pushed against the larger man quickly, disbelief coming over her face. "Gajeel! Don't say such things!"

Gajeel chuckled as he pulled the blue haired girl back closer to his chest. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't joke about those kinds of things just yet, seeing how it was just my first time with anyone."

Hazel eyes shifted upward as Levy spoke. "Are you completely serious about that? That really was your first time doing any of this?"

Crimson orbs came down to match a hazel eyed gaze. "Yeah. I mean, Sorano and I fooled around, sure. But it was never to this extent. She was always spouting off how she wanted to wait until we were joined in union." Gajeel turned his head and scoffed at his next thought. "Damn bitch probably had already done it with her secret lover and was just leading me on with that as well." Gajeels' gaze went back over to Levys'. "What bout you? You mentioned you've done this before?"

The shorter girl nodded. "Yes. It was such a long time ago, but I have done it with one other. His name was Aki, and we were childhood friends. Once I was sent to the castle, he worked hard to become a solider so we could still see each other daily. One thing led to another, and our friendship grew into something more." Her expression grew sad as she finished speaking. "I was so fond of him; I had thought that he was going to be the one I'd spend my days with for the rest of my life."

Gajeel waited a moment before asking his next question. "What happened to him?"

Levy took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't know. One day he got orders that he was to be transferred to become another royal armed guard. That might have been about the time when the Thunder Legion came into play, but I honestly can't remember. It was so long ago." Levy let out a short giggle. "I honestly don't even know if he is even alive to this day. We tried to stay in touch, but the letters he would write to me started to slowly disappear over time. So, I just stopped writing and focused on my duties."

Gajeel could sense her sorrow in her voice, causing him to wrap both arms around the small girl beside him and hold he closer to his own form. "I'm sorry, Levy."

The blue haired girl wrapped her own arm around Gajeels torso and hugged him just as hard. "It's ok. It was such a long time ago, that none of that even really bothers me anymore. Besides…" She lightly pushed the tanned man away so that she could look up at him once more. "I have you now. And everyone here at Fairy Tail. I've started a new chapter in my life, and I don't wish to dwell on the past."

Before the larger man could respond, a familiar voice came from just outside of Levys' tent. "Hey, Levy? Are you in there? You never came back to the tent so I figured you must have come in here. May I come in?" Lily asked and waited patiently for a response.

Levy gasped at Lilys' voice. Her arms instinctively left Gajeels' torso and wrapped around her own bare chest. Her words were a harsh whisper to Gajeel laying beside her. "Oh my god! I totally forgot about them last night!"

Gajeel raised a studded brow. "Who?"

Levy started to look around frantically for her clothes. "Lily and Happy! We were having drinks last night and I was in my own headspace, I decided to come here instead of your tent!"

The black-haired man smirked as he started to pull Levy in closer to his body once more. "Oh… been sleepin' in my tent, huh? Keepin' it warm for me?"

The blue haired girl pushed against Gajeels' pull. "Stop it! Lily is right outside and I need to get some clothes on! I don't need him to see us like this!"

Gajeel dismissed her worries as he held her in place. "Oh please, he was gonna find out about this sooner or later. Just let em come in."

Hazel eyes shut tight as the small girl struggled to escape the tight hold on her body. "Gajeel! Stop! I mean it!"

"Levy? Are you alright in there?" Lily asked in a more serious tone. The satyr outside leaned in close to the entrance of her tent, trying to hear what was going on inside, but his concern only grew with no response from Levy once again. As the satyr took a step back, his small hand went to the entrance of the tent. "Levy, I'm coming in!" He said quickly.

With only seconds to cover herself as the small creature entered her tent, Levy grabbed the nearest pillow she could reach for and pulled it across her body. Luckily, the pillow was so large, it was able to cover up her entire torso all the way down to her mid thighs. Her cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment as she watched a concerned satyr enter.

"Levy, is everything ok? I could hear some rustling and maybe some whispers, but when you didn't respond, I—" Lilys' words cut off as his dark eyes stared at the sight a few feet away from the entrance way. Dark eyes landed on a blue haired human, burring her red face into the pillow she tightly held onto, along with a much taller, and tanned skinned man with his back facing the satyr.

Gajeel rolled over enough so that he could see Lily clearly. His nonchalant expression matched his tone as he spoke. "Hey."

Rage filled the small creature as he rushed over to Gajeel. Lily grabbed a handful of black hair and pulled it as hard as he could, causing the large man to yell out in pain and roll over onto his back, his crimson eyes wide as he stared at the small creature now standing on his bare chest. The satyr reached down and grabbed hair from both sides of Gajeels' head, pulling the dark strands to his own body as he started to shout. "YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE ALIVE?! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED SICK WE ALL WERE FOR YOU?! YOU'RE SO DAMN RECKLESS! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!" Lily noticed Gajeel turning his head slightly as his crimson orbs trailed off to the other side of the tent, completely ignoring the small creature as he yelled. "YOU'RE IGNORING ME NOW?! BOY, YOU BETTER LOOK AT ME WHILE I YELL AT YOU!"

Gajeel closed his eyes and cleared his throat before speaking. "Do you, uh, think you could give us a minute before we have this conversation?"

Lilys eyes narrowed as he glared at the man below him. "Why would I give you a minute?! I should transform right here, right now and beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Crimson orbs opened and shifted back to the satyr. "I'm kinda preoccupied right now." He said as he raised his studded brows.

Lily looked at the large man in confusion, wanting to question what he was talking about. Before he could ask, his eyes went wide with realization. His face turned pink as he glanced over to Levy who continued to hide her own embarrassed face into the pillow. She could feel his gaze upon her, so she raised a hand and waved slowly. "Heey." She said softly.

The satyr turned his head away quickly, his tone now nervous as he spoke. "I-I'm so sorry! I will— I will go outside and let you both dress! Forgive me!" He said quickly as he let go of the hair he held onto and jumped off Gajeels' chest, making his way out of the tent as fast as his small legs could carry him.

Levy raised her head slightly just in time to see the small satyr leave the tent. Her immediate reaction was to take the pillow in her arms and chuck it quickly at the tanned man with force. The pillow hit Gajeel right in the face, causing him to grunt in sight annoyance and pain. "You idiot!" Levy said quickly as the pillow fell to Gajeels lap.

"The hell was that for?!" The dark-haired man snapped right back.

As the flustered Levy began searching for her clothes to dress, her cheeks blushed a dark shade of red as she spoke. "Why couldn't you just let us get dressed before Lily came inside?! That was so embarrassing!"

Gajeel shrugged off her embarrassment. "I don't think it was that bad."

Levy let out a sigh as she closed her eyes lightly. "That's easy for you to say… you're a guy." Hazel eyes opened back up quickly as she felt large arms wrap around her waist and pull her back some into the hard torso that was Gajeel. He kissed the top her head lightly and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry." His voice sounded so apologetic to the short girl. "I will do better to listen to you when you tell me to stop doin' something."

The blue haired girl turned in the man's arms, her hazel eyes looking up into crimson orbs. "Well now I just feel bad for throwing a pillow at you."

"You threw it right at my face…" Gajeel said quickly.

A short, nervous laugh left Levy's lips. "Ah, right. Sorry."

The tall man shrugged once more. "I'm kinda used to it by now. I mean, at least it was softer than a book." He smirked as he spoke his next words. "Although, I've gotta say, you've definitely gotten stronger! That pillow did pack a bit of a punch!"

Levy scoffed as she pushed Gajeels body away from her own. "Oh, you big baby. Now you're just telling lies. Go get dressed so we can go see Lily and tell him what happened."

Gajeel chuckled as he released Levy from his arms, following her instructions as he was told. He was first to dress and step outside of the tent where he was immediately snatched up into a pair of even larger arms and pulled in tight to the overgrown satyr that had been waiting just outside. Crimson orbs were wide for a moment at the sudden surprise hug, but slowly softened as he realized it was Lily transformed. "Hey Lily." He said with a soft tone.

As Pantherlily held Gajeel in tightly, tears began to form in his eyes. "I was so sure that you had died! I wept for you! Mourned for you! And now you're back! You're here! You have no idea…" The satyr paused for a moment to swallow the growing lump in his throat. His voice was close to breaking as he spoke. "How much… I missed you. I felt… so helpless. I carried so much guilt. If I had just fought a little bit harder— maybe… maybe we could have avoided this whole mess!"

Gajeel wrapped his own arms around the satyrs back as far as they could reach. "Lily… it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. I mean, how could I blame my father when he fought with all his might to help get rid of a couple of foes? I'm just sorry it took me so long to get back here to you guys."

Lily could only hold Gajeel in his arms tighter as the words the tall man spoke filled his heart. His tears began to fall as he held Gajeel in place. "But you came back. You are alive!"

The tanned man chuckled. "Yeah, I'm very lucky to be alive."

The large satyr released his tight grip on Gajeel and looked him straight in the eyes. "You have to tell me what happened after you went over!"

Before Gajeel could speak, Levy exited the tent in her centaur form. "How about we meet up with Erza and the others to finish planning our trip to Tenrou Island? I'm sure they all would be curious as well to know what happened as well. We can talk about that and then figure out how we are going to get there."

Gajeel nodded. "Not only that, but we also have to get my ring fixed too." He said as he raised his hand showing the damaged ring to Lily. "With this thing busted, I'm stuck in this form for now. We are going to need to get this thing off with Erzas help. She's the only one besides Master who can disenchant this so I can return to normal."

Lily detransformed so that he was in his normal form now. "Well, the good news is that she should be in the great hall by now. We've been meeting daily since you went missing so that we could send out different search parties to try to locate you or… at least what was left of you."

Gajeel nodded as he started down the path, the dark satyr and Levy at his heels. His crimson orbs were fixed on the building some distance away, but only one thing remained on his mind. Get to the island and find his parents. There was a chance that this whole thing will be for naught, but if there was even the slightest chance of his birth parents being alive, with the help of his friends, he was going to take it.

AN: That is all for now, friends. Again, very sorry about how short it is, but I am hopeful I can get the rest of this chapter done soon. Thank you again so very much for reading and reviewing.

I will be responding to reviews from the last chapter in the next one I post.