Chapter 2: Hair
Broken.
That's the word that kept coming back to his mind about this horrible, decaying situation; broken.
The hulking mass of tanned skin, glittering piercings and wild black hair stared into the ink soaked darkness of the night sky with a puzzling distant look.
Gajeel Redfox was a wild card of a human being. His appearance ached of darkness and rebellion, his blood red eyes burned with chaos and crudeness. One glance at the man and thoughts of vulgarity and revulsion flooded throughout people's minds like a mudslide. He was a villain, a scuzzbag, a fowl mouthed punk fixing to do a bad thing. He was easy to write off, easy to judge and even easier to paint as the kind of low life you'd clutch your purse or wallet around.
All of that changed when he met Natsu…and joined Fairy Tail.
"How the hell did I get here?" he grumbled sourly.
His barbarism and pension for thrashing metal across flesh served him well in Phantom Lord, but he was never really happy…he was never really real in that guild.
Joining Fairy Tail turned out to be the most annoying and perpetually rewarding decision he ever made. He could shed the rotting shell of his former felonious life and embrace his true spirit and voice; he could never shred a guitar and bust out jams in that vanilla suit of his in Phantom Lord. In Fairy Tail, he could let his freak flag fly and be welcomed with open arms.
Well…more like with clenched fists.
"I can't believe this is happening. This just-just doesn't feel real to me," a female voice whimpered softly.
Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't Natsu who sealed the deal on him turning over a new leaf.
Levy's concerns did not go unnoticed by Gajeel; they never did. She was the most important stop on his "apology tour" when he first joined. He savagely attacked her and strung her up like a skewered scarecrow. At the time she was simply a target, a canvas of innocence for him to unload his butchery on. That was before he got to know her. Before long, he became deeply familiar with the blue haired bookworm. She was curious, kind, friendly but most of all; she was fiercely intelligent. Despite her small size and lack of muscles, Levy had a spitfire wit about her that never failed to confuse or enthrall the iron dragon slayer.
In the beginning, Gajeel never cared much for what kind of woman shook her hips his way. Long as there was pleasure he'd put up with the pain of knowing her until it was time to kick her ass to the curb. He went through skirts like he went through scraps of iron, nothing but a blur of meaningless nights that left him feeling barren and hollow.
He sighed bitterly.
The raven haired dragon slayer was disgusted by his former lifestyle. His rotten memories left a sour, chalky taste in his mouth. He never used to think poorly of his past deeds, of course, that was until he met Levy; like really met her. The beautiful bluenette opened her heart to him faster and far wider then scum like him deserves. He knew they were teammates and fellow guild members (former guild members now), but it still amazed him how much she confided in him considering the unforgivable circumstances surrounding their first encounter still lingered in their minds.
"This place has been my home as long as I can remember," she wiped her eyes clear of still flowing tears. The bluenette was one of the unsurprisingly many wizards who were devastated by the dissolution of their guild. The thought of never reading books in the guild hall with her friends and guild mates just brought a fresh crop of twinkling tears down her dirt stained cheeks. "I just wish I knew what the master was thinking. Maybe we could change his mind, try and keep it together before it's too late," she mused aloud.
"Oi, I know this sucks major dick but the old man made it loud and clear what he was doing. We got to accept it and move on; easy as that," he said gruffly. His words spoke with confidence and maturity, but inside, his heart was tangled up in the same suffocating knots Levy was experiencing. "It is what it is; simple as that. No reason to get all weepy and stuff," he grimaced hollowly. He scarcely believed his own words. "Bullshit" he thought to himself.
"You know its okay to talk about what you're really feeling, right?" Levy sweetly inquired. Gajeel flinched and turned his head to the side; desperate to hide the rising redness coloring his cheeks. "No one to look tough in front of but me, you big lug," she giggled; relishing in Gajeel's brief moment of vulnerability. His pride wouldn't stand for it and she herself didn't have the courage to say it out loud, but in truth, it was oddly adorable.
"I ain't got jack to confess so quit being a busybody and drop it, Shrimp," he barked; face still turned to the side to avoid her shimmering eyes. His crossed arms and rippling muscles visibly relaxed once he saw her smile. Even if it was at his expense, Gajeel felt loads lighter knowing that Levy still had a reason to bless this mess of a world with her angelic smile.
"Well in any case, you're probably right; crying over spilled milk isn't going to help anything. Next step would be to try and find a new guild or line of work," she said. This wasn't going to be smoothed over after a single night or conversation. She was smart enough to know it'd be some time until the pain of losing Fairy Tail subsided; if ever. Still, the script mage had to move forward. Levy tapped her chin idly; softly humming as the gears in her brilliant brain started to whirr and turn.
"No shit Sherlock," he creaked his neck and flexed his aching muscles. The gruff dragon slayer felt like his body had been put through the grinder. Bruises, chunks of gravel and dust coated his body like insects to flypaper. "Have to wonder who'd be crazy enough to hire a punk like me," he laughed dryly. His reputation was already dirty thanks to his Phantom Lord days; who knows what this fiasco will do to it.
"A punk, really?" she laughed louder than she expected. Her hands cupped over her mouth to stifle the uproarious giggles.
"I miss some kind of punchline, Shrimp?" he inquired; raising his pierced eyebrow.
"Oh come on Gajeel, you just helped save the world from a guild of demons that nearly wiped out all of magic; not to mention humanity. You're a hero not some punk," she said cheerily. The bluenette spoke with a charming sense of certainty that Gajeel found oddly irritating, like she knew him so well she could see right through his iron shell. It was damn annoying. "I figured you knew that by now," she idly rocking back and forth on her cherry red sandals.
"Only thing I know is, I feel like a vacuum cleaner puked its guts on me," he griped. His knuckles angrily plucked chunks of gravel from his long, dark spiked locks.
Levy looked at her own attire and laughed in agreement. The battle had certainly taken its toll on everyone; physically and mentally. Joyful thoughts of warm water and cleaning soap filled the script mages thoughts almost immediately; she used to do that after every job she took once she got back to her place in Fairy Hills. Of course, that place was gone now too.
"Yeah, we all look pretty shambolic don't we?" she said.
Gajeel stomped his boot with a hefty thud. The sudden crunch of his heel caught her off guard. He turned around and scowled a grizzly glare her way. "Dammit Shrimp, I told you those big words are freaking annoying. Why can't you talk like a normal person?" he barked stiffly.
"Says the guy who eats iron and hangs out with a flying warrior cat from an alternate world," she snidely quipped back.
Gajeel's anger and frustration seemed to be escalating. His tone grew sharper and louder, he cursed under his breath and stomped around like a gargantuan monster in a sci-fi novel. Only Gajeel could take the simple act of pacing and make it look like he was on the warpath for battle. Her brown eyes slowly managed to zero in on the main source of Gajeel's irritation: his hair. He was swatting at his coal black locks like a dog trying to scratch off an infestation of fleas. All the rubble and dirt from the fighting must have really mucked up his hair.
"Hey, how about we stop by my place to clean up? Bet you'd feel a lot better after a hot long shower," she kindly offered. She needed to pack up and find a new place to live anyway. But more than that, the thought of having the grouchy dragon slayer loudly chomping chunks of iron all over her carpet sounded like the perfect way to end this evening; oddly enough. "What do you say?" she asked.
The fidgeting felon froze mid scratch. Her words, simple as they were, stirred something deep and grand inside his hardened heart. Slowly, curiously; Gajeel turned his piercing ruby red eyes towards the blue vixen tempting him with promises of warmth and tenderness. He knew this was a gift, a treasure chest that only he would be privileged to open. He knew exactly how to answer.
"Awe come on now, Tiny," Gajeel sported a smug smirk; it was a frustratingly familiar smile that simultaneously vexed and entranced the script mage time and time again. "No need to beat around the bush. If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask," he winked at her.
"If I wanted to…WHAT?!" she shrieked; her face flooded with an infectious shade of pink. "Sweet Mavis, what the Hell is wrong with you? That-that is not what this…this…ugh…that was not the point!" Levy's voice cracked with each frantic flap of her lips. She couldn't believe the nerve of this jerk!
"That's fine, I'm cool with seeing your tiny ass instead," he crassly remarked. Even though he sounded more relaxed and casual, that ever-present cockiness he was known for was unmistakable. Gajeel never missed a chance to rile the little mage up a few notches. Her pint sized huffy reactions were just too cute.
"S-s-s-s-shut your mouth you-you PERVERT," Levy said; her voice and composure clearly rattled by the dark charms of the dragon slayer. She hated how easily he was able to shake her down like that, but worst of all, she hated having to admit that this was not the first time the notion of Gajeel Redfox nude has popped inside of her mind. "Why do you have to be such a jerk?" her cheeks puffed indignantly; more glowing red blushes flooding across her face. She pointed irritably at the dark haired man. "I try to offer you something nice and you just-"
"Hey Levy, why don't you finish telling me what a creep I am at your place? I'm sick of all the stragglers around her staring at us," Gajeel said gruffly. The dragon slayer was already making his way towards Levy's home. His movements were slow but steady; clearly waiting for the bluenette to stop being surprised and follow him.
Levy stalled suddenly. She shook her head and smiled.
Shortly after arriving at Levy's place, the unlikely pair took turns enjoying a lengthy; cleansing hot shower. The crass brawler generously offered to share the shower. The beat red look on Levy's face was well worth the purse smack she landed upside his head. The script mage was currently sitting on a dark teal loveseat; brushing her ocean blue locks with a brush. Small billows of steam emanated from the tea inside the twin white and pink tea cups sitting on the small wooden table in front of her.
She sighed contently. Her bare legs crossed as she basked in the warmth of her lime green bathrobe snuggling against her recently slicked skin. She had missed this. Her eyes flashed curiously towards her bathroom, Gajeel was taking an absurdly long time in the shower. A light flush of pink raced across her cheeks at the thought.
"I guess it makes sense though," she ran the brush through her locks lightly. "He was filthy from head to toe; not to mention all that hair. I still can't believe he's actually in my shower right now. Stranger things have happened I guess," she said; sheepishly giggling.
Her laughter ceased almost immediately as she heard the sound rushing water abruptly end. An odd silence settled. Levy felt an odd mix of trepidation and impatience. She swallowed heavily and felt her face redden, her thoughts racing with intensely sensual scenarios boiling over like lava. She imagined Gajeel's rippling muscles dripping with water, seeing all that exposed, scarred skin glittering with his signature piercings. The script mage wondered if she would be able to control herself, or even, would he be able to control himself around her. She squeaked and shook her head.
What the hell is wrong with me?! I feel like there's a sleazy porno playing in my head. I'm not like this! I'm Fairy Tail's resident bookworm, I'm smart, level headed; I can't let Gajeel work me up like this. Ugh! I can't stop picturing him with a towel. Oh who am I kidding; Gajeel NEVER has a towel in my fantasies. ACK! Why did I say fantasies, I don't have fantasies about him!
Levy felt like screaming into a pillow. She grabbed the nearest one and belted a shrill, maddening yell into the sunrise orange sofa pillow. Slowly but surely, the bluenette managed to calm down from getting all hot and bothered. The last thing she needed was the rowdy dragon slayer to see her turning into a steaming mess over him.
Just calm yourself down girl. Don't let him get to you. You can totally handle this. Just keep everything under control, stay strong and don't go too nuts no matter how hot he's going to look when he comes out. Be strong…be strong…be strong…be strong…be strong.
"Oi, what are you mumbling there shrimp? That some weird bedtime ritual chant or something?" his voice cut into her thoughts like an iron sword. Her pale hazel eyes slowly opening to gaze upon the roguish man who haunted many of her nightly dreams; despite her own internal denials. "Not one word about this to anyone. You got that Shrimp? Not one word to anyone or else," he gruffly scowled. Thick footsteps signal his approaching form. He exited the bathroom.
Levy felt like her breath was frozen in her gasping, slowly parting lips. Gajeel exited wearing nothing but a fluffy, pale yellow bathrobe he wrapped around his waist and nether regions. It was a gift from Lucy after she saw Levy wearing her signature yellow dress for the first time. The generous blond said Levy looked good in yellow and got her that bathrobe as a way of saying thanks for being her friend. Obviously, it was far too small for someone as big as Gajeel to wear it; his muscles would rip it to shreds. Yellow clearly wasn't his color anyway. Though, Levy was very close to desiring to see Lucy's gift burst at the seams if it meant she got even the briefest of glances of Gajeel's concealed treasure. There was nothing between her and masculine perfection but a flimsy bathrobe. She swallowed thickly and tried to avoid looking obvious at where she was staring, but Gajeel's sharp senses quickly noticed. Her face blushed furiously as she looked away. She tried to ignore that smug, charming, Cheshire cat smirk Gajeel was known for but it was too late; she was sunk.
"Hope you don't mind smelling like a girl," she giggled; trying to disarm her overwhelming feelings of lust with a joke. The bluenette hoped her deceptive tease distracted the roguish dragon slayer as well.
The gruff brawler lifted one of his rippling, muscular arms and took a curious whiff. Levy noticed one of his pierced eyebrows raised ever so slightly. He lowered his arm and sat down onto a nearby couch with a heavy thud. Gajeel at first said nothing; he was too busy focusing on the bars of iron Levy whipped up for him with her magic while he was showering.
"Not like I was expecting to have my kind of bathroom shit in your place. Sides," he paused to reach for one of the iron bars. A loud metallic crunch followed as he chomped into the piece of iron like it was a candy bar. "I know your scent well, shrimp. This just means I get to smell like you for a while and there are worse scents I could be wearing," he said casually.
His freshly cleaned knuckles still sported some obvious wear and tear. Scars were nothing new to him, every battle he had experienced left him with little reminders here and there; just like tonight. Levy noticed them when he reached for the iron. His words proved to be just as enthralling as the brutish beauty of his stacked body. Immediately, her wondrous mind was spinning at the realization that he was not only intimately familiar with her scent…but he actually kind of liked it. The thought caused a flurry of cherry blushes to her face.
Of course! He's a dragon slayer, it's only natural his sense of smell is off the charts. Natsu is the same way. I guess I just never thought of how touching it would feel to hear that Gajeel is so familiar with my scent. I wonder what I smell like…
She snapped out of her stupor thanks to another metal bending crunch from Gajeel's teeth. The script mage was about to inquire what her natural scent smelled like, but she was distracted by the former Phantom Lord thug scratching at his wild coal black feverishly. A small smile formed on her lips.
"Hey, would you mind if I brushed your hair?" the question visibly caught him off guard. She knew that tidal wave of darkness he called hair must require a lot of maintenance, and since he didn't have any of his personal belongings with him, he can't tame the wild locks back into his signature style. "I know it sounds weird…but…I really would like to see your hair back to normal, please?" she asked ever so sweetly.
Gajeel closed his eyes and crossed his arms. He'd already let her see him like this, one more little thing wouldn't kill him. "Whatever, just hurry up and get it over with. Just don't go braiding my hair or some crap like that," he grunted in annoyance.
The gruff tone and grouchy remark would normally paint him in a rather negative light. Few women or people for that matter would care to be put in such a close, intimate manner with a man so crass. Levy actually found it all quite endearing. She knew if he really didn't want her touching his hair he wouldn't let her. Her soft smile widens as she approaches him from behind. The clever mage felt a twinge of excitement build up as she acquired an orange comb and gently ran her fingers through his wild, untamable locks.
"Don't worry tough guy, I'll be gentle," she said with a small laugh.
She ran the comb through his sea of ash black locks; shifting through the split ends and various spikes that his hair was known for. Gajeel's body relaxed almost immediately once her bare hands came in contact with his scalp. His irritated stiffness melted away; feeling all tension and reluctance vanish with very little effort. Gajeel's broad chest heaved as he took in a deep breath. Levy's eyes watched his chest fall as he exhaled; watching his muscles contract like that sent an involuntary shiver throughout her small body. The bluenette shook free from distractions and resumed brushing the iron eater's hair with grace and precision. This wasn't about helping herself, this was about helping him.
Well, it's a little bit of both.
"How does that feel?" she asked tenderly.
Gajeel's eyes were closed but he was fully awake and alert. His shoulders relaxed with every angelic touch of her graceful fingers. It was weird to him how calming the process of brushing hair could be.
"It doesn't suck," he replied huskily.
Levy smiled sweetly in reply and continued to brush.
Despite the tragic night the fairies had experienced, this brief moment of hair brushing brought an odd sense of serenity to both their wayward souls. Levy secretly felt blessed she could see this side of Gajeel; even touch him like this. Gajeel's rippling pectorals were an odd mix of sensual stimulation and heartbreaking sorrow. He was strong, no doubt about it. However, her fingers also noticed scars and old wounds marking up his sculpted flesh; like some twisted roadmap of pain. She was already imagining horrific scenarios of past battles or punishments he may have experienced while under Phantom Lord's employ. Curse her vivid imagination. It amazed her to see a good, decent man still remained under all that scar tissue. She couldn't help but brush her hand over a particularly nasty scar along his shoulder blades. Gajeel's breath hitched and his body shuddered involuntarily.
"Damn, I knew she had magic hands but this is nuts. Her touch is flipping all the right switches…it's kind of peaceful…and…kind of frigging hot too," he thought to himself.
"It's so strange. He works so hard on being this tough, hardcore kind of guy; that's all most people see when they look at him. But now I see there's more, there's so much more. He has honor, courage, bravery; all this mouthing off and brawling hides those truths so no one can get close to him. He's as fierce as a grizzly but looking at him now, heh, he seems as soft as a fuzzy teddy bear," she thought; smiling inwardly.
She paused briefly due to the overwhelming traffic of thoughts clogging up her brain. Levy resumed her brushing and caressing; moving so gracefully and gently that Gajeel hadn't even noticed she stopped. His hair was wild, untamable; just like him. The feeling of those ash black locks running through her fingers was oddly comforting. If she could travel back in time and tell her past self she'd end up falling for the same guy that attacked her and Team Shadow Gear, she wouldn't believe it even from her future self.
Time Travel…future…self…
Those words briefly sparked across her memories, like a small fire being rekindled after long since going dormant. Her amusing hypothetical past conversation with herself triggered a most peculiar memory, a memory that did not seem like her own, as if it belonged to someone else from a time long ago. Levy was reminded of the cataclysmic conclusion of the Grand Magic Games, when dragons emerged from the Eclipse gate and nearly wiped out the kingdom of Croakus and almost all of Fairy Tail with it. Thankfully, her guild mates managed to stave off the unexpected apocalypse. Everyone was safe and no one had lost their lives to that deadly dragon invasion.
So why does it feel like someone did?
She remembers seeing Gajeel at the celebratory ball after the destruction of the Eclipse gate. They were alone; talking with one another while she was writing. Out of the blue she starts crying tears of happiness. That memory always made little sense to her. She remembers feeling an overwhelming sense of joy and relief, as if, something unimaginably tragic was narrowly avoided and she almost lost her world…her guild…her love.
But there was another memory, one that mad even less sense than the one before. This memory however had a different combination of strong feelings. She felt pain, suffering and absolute agony.
What…what is…no…what was this?
The image of a war torn building bearing the guild's emblem slowly came into focus. There, huddled over a table, scribbling away as tears splash against the sides was Levy. This was another Levy, a different one. She was scared, broken and scarred; both physically and emotionally. She exists in a world ravaged by death and fire; oceans of fire that consume the world and all who live in it.
Was this me? Was this the image that triggered my tears back at Croakus? What does this mean, and more importantly, what does this mean for me and Gajeel?
"Everything all right, shrimp?"
His gruff voice jarred her back to reality. Questions and strange futures still buzzed around her brain but she pushed them down for now, reality was where she needed to be. Gajeel was where she needed to be. She smiled softly and exhaled a deep, well buried sigh she didn't realize she had been concealing.
Her fingers lovingly trenched across his raven locks with a swish of her comb. Almost immediately, her senses and muscles relaxed into a serene state of ease. Part of her felt like she would be content doing this forever; frozen in time at this very spot at this very moment. "Yeah, I'm just fine. Guess I was daydreaming or something," she laughed adorably, "gears never stop turning."
"Thinking about what to do next now that the guild is in the crapper?" his bluntness was typical, his tone was not. He's too proud to admit it but she definitely heard a twinge of sorrow in his voice there.
She sighed, nothing like a reality check to pop the bubble. "Yeah, it was something like that. I thought about trying to join another guild but I don't think I can take bonding with another bunch of crazy strangers. It would feel like I'm replacing my family or something like that," she sniffled as she brushed another spiky lock down. "I thought about joining the Magic council's ranks. I'm sure they could use all the help they can get after what Tartarus did to them."
Gajeel burst out with his uproariously loud, signature laugh.
"Heh, typical," he said with a toothy grin.
"What, what's that supposed to mean?" she paused brushing and placed her arms at her side. An irritated growl escaped her frowning lips. "You saying I picked it because it's boring, because it would involve a lot of reading and I'm a boring book worm who reads boring books; something like that?" she huffed indignantly.
"Don't be a moron! You'd be running that place within 2 weeks. I only said it was typical because that place attracts egg heads, geniuses and Brainiac's, so naturally you'd want to work there. You're the smartest wizard in the guild and anyone would be damn lucky to have you," he said gruffly.
As always, the roguish Redfox never failed to surprise the brilliant bluenette. Levy felt a sudden stiffness overcome her; paralyzing her beyond any reaction other than pure shock. Was that a compliment he just gave her? It was so hard to tell with the rough-around-the-edges dragon slayer. He always spoke with such a smarmy, smart assed sense of certainty that it bugged her to no end, yet, she'd be lying if she said she didn't find it charming in a puzzling way. As if on cue, her cheeks felt the need to flesh out their flushing colors and remind her how easily Gajeel could make her heart flutter with little difficulty. Her hands returned to Gajeel's raven black scalp but not before placing the comb off to the side. The small woman gently caressed the firm sides of Gajeel's scalp and rubbed tenderly down the sides of his face.
"You should show your sweet side more often, it's really quite charming," she said with all the sweetness and sincerity in heart open heart. Levy felt her own body relax and calm into a peaceful serene state the more she touched Gajeel's skin. She always felt so safe and protected whenever he was around her. Even his scent made her heart pound and her fears melt away the moment she came in contact with it. "Thank you, Gajeel."
"Just telling ya how it is," he said with a firm sensed of finality. His bulky arms crossed tightly across his chest, he sighed but no relief came with his vacated breath. "Besides, there's no point. I won't be around long enough to give you any more mushy talk so don't think you're getting seconds," he stood up and attempted to head to the couch. Levy's hand quickly grabbed his wrist and halted him almost immediately. He raised a pierced eyebrow and turned to her, "What do you think yer doing?"
"I believe that's my line, you big lug. What's all this stuff about you not being around? Is your skull as thick as your diet?" she raised her right hand and thumped his forehead with a playful thwack of her fingers. Her mild irritation vanished and a tender loving smile framed her angelic face. "I meant you too, genius. You're coming with me. I wouldn't dream of joining the council without you," she explained. Now it was Gajeel's turn to be shocked. "You are the one who said I should never leave your side back on Tenrou Island, well, the same goes to you."
He scoffed harshly at her suggestion. Gajeel turned away from her, grunting with a seething tone of scalding anger she was not expecting. "You've been hanging around that dumb ass Salamander too long. I think he's rubbing off on ya. I got no business joining the white coats and that's final! Get fatso and speedy to join you cause I sure as Hell ain't," he snapped back.
His anger was sudden; jarring even. This was the kind of temper and aggression one would expect from a heavily pierced, red eyed man like Gajeel. Levy was surprised but not one ounce of her tiny frame felt a twinge of fear. Despite the savage thrashing he brought down upon her and the rest of Team Shadow Gear, the script mage knew in her heart that Gajeel would rather end his own life before raising a hand to her like that ever again. Her delicate hands rose to cup his cheeks. Gajeel flinched and snarled threateningly; as if he was going to slap her away if she touched him. Her touch was soft, calming and pleasant. His cheek cringed as if she were poisonous.
"Hey, it's me, it's all right," she stood on her tippy toes; inching closer to his irritated face. She didn't understand his revulsion but neither did she condemn him for it. "Where's this coming from? You can tell me," she said soothingly.
She felt so warm, so nice. It was like she was some sort of angel; sent from the heavens to purge the pain and darkness from his soul. Gajeel wanted to accept it. He wanted to accept her so badly but he knew he could not. He roughly grabbed her hands and ripped them from his face, his rough gesture lightly pushed Levy back a few steps. The dragon slayer's flesh flashed into cold, unfeeling steel almost immediately.
"Don't touch me! Don't act like were all close and shit! If you try and touch me one more time I…I…I swear I'm gonna-"
"No Gajeel!"
Her curt voice sliced through his iron defense like a diamond blade. The dragon slayer flinched and froze rigidly in place; his armored shell dissolving with each passing minute. Any anger or intensity packed in those pierced muscles and empty threats quickly vanished. She had only been cross with him a few key moments in their relationship, but when she was, she always knew how to make a devastatingly strong impact. Being tiny and weak in comparison to his destructive dragon slaying magic, he had no logical reason to fear such a small woman's wrath. Yet all the same, few souls could halt the brutish man's warpath like the lovely yet fierce Levy McGarden.
"We both know you're more of a teddy bear than a grizzly no matter how hard you try to prove otherwise, so don't think you can scare me away," she said with a defiant huff. The bluenette stomped forward; bare feet slapping loudly on the floor as she refused to let Gajeel leave until he started explaining things. "Is this about your old reputation with Phantom Lord, you think the council won't hire you because of that?" she inquired. Gajeel remained stoic and silent. "Is this about that woman on the council, the one you told me about? Did you get another offer from a guild or something? You know I'd never force you to go somewhere you didn't want to go."
Gajeel tried to reply but his words kept fumbling out into an incoherent mess. He was never good with words; that was Levy's thing. He snarled in frustration and scratched at his hair feverishly. The bookworm could tell he was trying to vent his way out of this conversation but she refused to let this slide. She had to know what was going on. Levy continued bombarding him with questions but he continued to give her the cold shoulder.
"You got it all wrong Lev," he said; throat tightening. His use of her real name immediately got her attention. Levy's name rarely left Gajeel's lips. He only spoke it during times of passion or fear; most of the time he labeled her with nicknames teasing her height or intellectual status. She never thought the word shrimp could warm her heart. At first she hated it, but in time, she grew to love his little pet names for her. "It's not about forcing me somewhere I don't want to go, it's about giving up the life I want to have," he said with an uncharacteristic nervous tremble.
Levy slowly shook her head, her brain too baffled to grasp what the dragon slayer was getting at. Her eyes pleaded for him to explain.
"I never deserved the second chance life gave me. After Phantom Lord was shut down, I should have been left to rot in a pit of cheap iron for the rest of my day. The shit I put you and the others through? Unforgivable, all the hero work in the world ain't strong enough to clean up that spotty record of mine," he said solemnly. His head hung low; drowning in shame and shadowy locks she had just painstakingly combed. The once proud and gruff voice of the dragon slayer shivered with regret. "You all forgave me, accepted me like one of your own…but I never forgave myself. Scuzzy bastards like me don't get happy endings nor should they. But you," he paused and lifted his head up to look her in the eye. His lips curved into a fragile smile as tears started to form. "You still got a chance for that golden sunset Shrimp. You go on, make something of your life and do the smart thing by leaving me behind. I won't risk you getting hurt because of me again, never again," he said gravely.
"How many times do I have to tell you Gajeel? I have long since forgiven you for what happened; so has Jet and Troy," her warm smile widened. Gajeel cast his ruby red eyes down to the floor; still too ashamed to believe she had truly forgiven him. The bluenette approached him and gently cupped his cheek with her soft, graceful fingers. "You say being with you puts me in danger but I believe the opposite is true. The truth of the matter is; there's nowhere that I feel safer with than with you. You've always made me feel so strong and secure, like not even Achnologia could touch me. That kind of feeling only comes from trust," she said matter-of-factly. Levy's hand moved from his cheek to his chest; gently splaying her fingers across his godly sculpted muscles. "So believe me when I tell you loudly and clearly: I'm not going anywhere without you. That is, unless you want me to," she smirked teasingly.
"You know damn well I don't. The thought of you leaving makes me want to die; I just can't stand it," he groans as he leans into her touch further. His chest rises and falls as his breath quickens. "I hate your touch almost as much as I love it. It reminds me what should never be mine, but it also reminds me how badly I'm addicted to you," he said breathlessly. Levy was immeasurably moved by his touching words. The look of aching and love in his eyes moved her own to tears. He tried to push her aside; tried to escape the gravity of her undeniable warmth. "Goddamn it your beautiful Lev…to think I harmed that hot bod of yours…it just…makes me-"
"You're not the only one struggling with a major addiction," she giggled softly; playing along with his unique choice of words as well as how he referred to her petite frame. Levy hugged him close and tightly wrapped her arms around him; refusing to let him drown in his suffering any longer. "It drives me crazy whenever I feel your touch. There's no fear at all. I know what happened before, but that doesn't matter anymore, because I know you could never really hurt me. That's why I want you to be with me. You make me feel safe and happy; just the way you are. So don't change, don't be afraid but most importantly," she lifted her gaze from his chest to his eyes, "don't leave," she begged pleadingly.
The dragon slayer slowly released Levy from his protective hold. She missed the wondrous contact instantly, but she knew he still had more to say and she wanted to hear every word.
"Not to go waving the blue balls flag during our little talk here, but I gotta know, why didn't you ever get anything going with one of your fan club members?" He was referring to Jet and Troy and their not-so-subtle adoration to the blue haired script mage. It was impossible not to wonder that question at least once while observing the trio together. "It's clear those brown nosers would kill to link arms with you. Plus, you've known them a Hell of a lot longer than me," he said matter-of-factly.
Levy couldn't help but laugh at Gajeel's unusual butchery of the English language. It was one of the many things she loved about him, speaking strangely with such rowdy passion. She sighed and shook her head. "There was never anything with Jet or Troy. I love those knuckleheads but not like that, they've always been just close friends. I always felt like they cheered and supported anything I did without even thinking. Don't get me wrong, it's terribly sweet; but I never felt they grew beyond just being my personal cheerleading squad," she idly tugged on the edges of her bathrobe. Her eyes stared down at her twitching bare feet. "It sounds harsh, I know."
"Nah, I get ya, you just needed someone to challenge your smart ass," he said with a grunt. Levy's eyes shot up to examine the dragon slayer's scowling yet handsome face. "If everyone just kisses your ass, you'll never know if they're being straight with you or not. You'll think yer hot shit and you'll never grow," he paused to scratch his nose, "without challenges; you'll stay weak and content in your shitty little happy box."
It was at this moment a strange thought popped into Levy's head, it's come into her mind before but she always did it best to put it out of her thoughts as it did nothing but annoy her and her dragon slayer partner. While out on missions or just out in public, Levy was painfully aware of vulgar comments people have directed towards Gajeel. Punk, vandal, criminal, creep; all of these words and more have been lobbed at her partner and it made her sick to her stomach every time. The iron eater was an easy target to vilify with his shady appearance and past affiliations with Phantom Lord. In addition, many people have easily written Gajeel off as a brainless brute; nothing but muscles and a rotten attitude that would frighten small children. It was thanks to moments like this that reminded her how truly baseless those crass comments were. Gajeel had summed up everything she had thought and felt about her relationship with him and Team Shadowgear. It was like he could see right through her and understood her heart with crystal clarity. The realization was breathtakingly beautiful…as was the muscular man before her.
"Gajeel…I…"
Her lips were sealed and silenced with a breathtaking kiss. Gajeel had taken the first bold step and locked lips with the brilliant script mage…and it was glorious. She felt like she could see through space and time; endlessly consumed by the majesty and serenity of that rough yet heavenly kiss. His tongue tasted like iron. Before they realized it, both had deepened the kiss and moaned heatedly. The fact they were both in bathrobes and towels made it all the more tempting to want to strip them away and enjoy their lust filled bodies in a blinding blur of passion. Regretfully, they broke away to taste the air once more. They panted softly together.
"You talk too much…you know that?" he said; chuckling between heated breaths. Levy couldn't help but giggle as well. Her hand tenderly held in place on his marble sculpted muscles; head hanging lowly as she caught her breath. "You also make a hell of a winning argument Shrimp. Let's do this Magic Council thing, together," he said flashing his signature cocky smirk.
The bluenette lifted her head up and smiled joyfully at her dark haired friend; her hazel eyes brimming with tears.
"What the Hell! Why you crying, I thought you wanted me to go with you," he blurted out. The iron eater didn't know what he did wrong or how he could fix things. Give him some heads to bust and he's your guy, but put him face to face with a sobbing girl and he crumbles like cheap construction materials. "Aren't you supposed to be…happy or some shit?!" he asked.
Levy laughed softly as she rubbed her eyes clean from her fresh tears. "I am and I do want you to go with me, it's just that," she paused and sniffled loudly, "I'm just so glad I'm not going to lose you again." She smiled tearfully.
"It's like I told you on Tenrou Island Levy, you're not leaving my side ever again," he said proudly.
Images of Gajeel nearly dying at the hands of that shark demon flashed into her head. She nearly lost him there, just like she almost lost him to those rampaging dragons during the Eclipse Gate incident. The future had changed. Her-no their future had changed. Now whatever happened they would face it together.
To be continued…
Sorry took so long for an update. The story is not dead after all! Just needed to get some time, right mood and organize some things at home. So did you like it, love it, hate it, liked some things, disliked other things etc. Please let me know! I'd love to make this story better as best I can. I promise it won't take another year to update ^^ Next up will be Cana or Mirajane's turn! Bye for now!