Happy New Year! I hope you all are safe and healthy!

Quick little update: I had my baby! She was born on December 24th, at 4:50 am! That's right! A Christmas Eve baby! I love her so much! Motherhood is extremely rewarding, and it's given my life new meaning. She's my broke best friend lmao!

I am sorry it took a month to update, and I don't want to make any promises since I just gave birth, but I'll try not to let it take so long in between updates. We are nearing the end of the first part of this story, after which I will take a small hiatus to get the details of part two down. I will most likely end "Something Gained" and start another story in between, as it's nice to have different works in progress.

I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I apologize for any mistakes I may have missed!

(RAO HYUGA 18) thank you for sticking around and not giving up on the story! I hope this chapter is to your liking! Also, thank you for the kind regards! we are doing well so far! Enjoy! :)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Sometime while they were waiting for Levy and Gajeel to show up, Laxus grew impatient, which was only fine because his blonde companion said she was hungry, so they ended up going back to his small island house and eating together, giving him something to do. He already didn't want them to know where his safe place was, but she somehow convinced him that they wouldn't try anything funny. Deep down, he knew that was true, he just liked the fact that nobody knew where he lived. Except for Bix, Freed, and Ever… and Lucy… and Gray now. 'Ugh.' He dragged a calloused hand down his face at the thought of the mere possibility that Gray could tell Salamander or anyone for that matter where he lived, and he needed to get his mind off it and onto something else while he waited.

"Wanna go another round?"

Wide, brown eyes turned to meet serious, steely blue. She was only trying to enjoy some leftover pasta while they waited, not get laid! "You're completely serious, aren't you?"

"As a heart attack," he replied coolly, inching closer to her and putting an arm around her shoulder. They'd been sitting on his couch watching tapes of his favorite reruns from the previous decade for at least a few hours, now, and he was getting antsy.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lucy said before shoving a forkful of food into her mouth. "With my luck, they'll show up while we're in the middle of doing stuff."

"Aw, come on, Lu," Laxus leaned in, nuzzling her neck. "So what if they have to wait? They made us wait, why shouldn't we?"

"Do you really want them knocking on the door while we're—"

"Alright, alright," he waved his hand, rolling his eyes. "You made your point. But they better hurry up with whatever it is they're doing."

"Maybe they got caught up doing something in the Spirit World," she suggested.

"Yeah, each other," Laxus snickered, recalling the memory of the two of them unable to keep their hands to themselves. "I guarantee you they're in each other's pants right this minute."

"I don't know about that," she filled her fork with the last bit of food on her plate before stuffing it into her mouth. "I don't deny the weird chemistry they had, but Levy isn't like that. She's got serious issues with goblins, so even if they were intimate like that, it'd take her a while to warm up to him."

"Ha!" Laxus couldn't hold in his blatant laughter. Those two were definitely getting it on whether Lu liked it or not. "If you say so. But think about it this way; you never thought you'd be in this with me, right? Same goes for her."

"Hmm…"

Laxus leaned back on the couch with a sigh, resting his ankle on his knee. "Things change when you die. I'm not the same person I was back when I was living, either."

"You also have been around for like, a thousand years," Lucy joked.

"Laugh all you want," he said, flipping through channels. "But if you went through everything I did, you'd probably change, too."

Sure, they spent all of their time together, but Laxus didn't really open up much about his life. She wanted to know more. She wanted to know who he was hundreds of years ago when he was living. She wanted to know about how he made it to the bunker and why he took part in the Fallout. Would he open up to her? She never really thought to ask.

He saw her staring hard at him through his peripheral and wondered what she was thinking about. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No," she sighed dreamily. "I was just wondering what your life was like back when you were alive up to before we got together."

"Ah," he knew it was something she was curious about, but he wasn't really fond of talking about himself. He preferred people to get to know the him now, and not the him from the past. "Why do you wanna know that boring stuff? It's really nothing interesting."

"It's only natural that I want to learn more about you, don't you think?" She pouted, turning to face him and putting her knees up to her chin.

"Yeah, but…" She didn't see him asking questions about her past… well, he did in the beginning, but only to see why she was working for Salamander in the first place. "I don't really like reliving my human life. The part of it I can remember, anyway."

Unfair! She had to relive moments she never wanted to think about ever again when he was asking her all those questions! "Was it really that bad?"

Was it that bad? From his fiancé being murdered right before his eyes, to falling from Heaven and everything in between, he considered his life a complete shitshow. He may not have had it as bad as Salamander, but it was still shitty, nonetheless. Why would he willingly rehash those bad memories?

"I'll tell you what," he let his head fall back on the couch, his eyes now focused on the ceiling. "After all this, I'll talk about it… on one condition."

"Let me guess," she put a finger to her chin in fake thought. "I have to get you drunk?"

"Seems like you know me well enough, already, Lu," he grinned. "But not just any liquor; Cana's liquor."

"Don't you still have a jug leftover?"

"Yeah," he let the jug of mysterious liquid manifest in his hand, swishing its contents around. "But I'm drinking this now."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lucy asked with a raised brow. "Wouldn't you need your wits about you for what we're about to do?"

"Ah, pshh," he took a large swig in a gulp. "I'll probably be sobered up by the time they show up, anyway."

He chortled as she gawked at him, likely from being able to drink something so strong. Funny thing about it, even when he was alive, the strong stuff was his preference anyway, so this was nothing new to him. "I'll cut you a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Lucy smirked. She just knew it was going to be something sexual.

"I'll answer one single question of yours right now if you do me a favor."

The mischievous look on his face told her everything she needed to know in regard to his request. 'Not like I have a problem with it.' So, what should she ask first? There were so many things she wanted to know, but so little opportunity. After pondering for a few seconds, she finally came up with her question. She figured she'd ask something tame to ease him into it. "How did you die?"

"Seriously?" Laxus smiled. "I give you a free pass and that's the question you ask?"

"Well! I didn't want to catch you off guard with one of the more serious questions I had," she answered, realizing that may have been fully what he was expecting. Turns out, it was the lame question that caught him off guard.

"Heh," he chuckled, taking another swig and letting the almost nonexistent burn relax him. "I caught pneumonia… But! To be fair, I already had a bunch of other stuff going on, and my immune system just couldn't take it."

"Pneumonia?!"

"Yeah, Lu. Back in the olden days, they didn't have medicine for that yet, and since the people of that time frame weren't very… I wanna say clean, it was harder to keep illnesses away," he explained, somewhat embarrassed of how terribly he used to live. He couldn't imagine living that kind of life now.

"Well, I bet you're glad you're living much better than that, now, huh?" She asked, a hand on his arm in comfort.

"You can say that again," he cheered quietly as he took another shot from his jug.

Lucy leaned in, now completely invested in the story of his death. "Did it hurt?"

"When I fell from Heaven? Yes, Lu, it did, thank you so much for asking," he joked, which only meant the liquor was kicking in.

"Not what I meant," she swatted his arm while he laughed. "Did dying hurt?"

It was his turn to lean into her space, showing those pearly whites in a large grin. "You only get one question, trickster."

'Damn it!'

"I'm drunk, but not that drunk!" He got a kick out of her trying to fool him while he was intoxicated, but that only meant she'd be punished. "Just for that, you owe me my favor right now."

"Now?!" Lucy's face got warm seeing him undo the button and zipper on his pants.

"Mhm," he hummed with a playful glint in his eyes. "I promise, I'll be quick, Lu."

She had mixed feelings about Cana's liquor. On one hand, it got him drunk incredibly fast, and dealing with drunk Laxus was sort of tedious. On the other hand, he was usually incredibly sweet and touchy-feely like he was now. He'd pulled her legs out from under her chin so that they were stretched out and gotten in her face, smelling practically like pure alcohol… not that she minded, really. With one strong hand on the nape of her neck, his lips crashed into hers, stealing each breath she took from her lungs.

"Oh, Lax," Lucy couldn't hold in a soft moan as he licked from her chin down to her neck before stopping to suck a mark onto her pale skin. Why was he getting her all worked up? Wasn't she only doing him a favor? Now, she was going to want something, too!

During his assault on her neck, his hand found hers and guided it to the bulge in his unbuttoned pants and she immediately responded, sticking her hand in his boxers and releasing him. He moaned deeply at her touch, the vibration of his voice sending shockwaves to her core.

"Damn, Lu." Her touch made him weak, and since he was drunk, his need to be inside her increased tenfold. Yeah, he wanted her to do something else, but he'd now gotten her all worked up, too, and they would both benefit from some release.

She pumped him a few times, completely soaked at the feeling of how hard he was for her. Earlier, she told him no, but now… now? There was a dire need to get her insides massaged and he was the only one who could do it. Funnily enough, he felt her need and made her bottoms disappear, resulting in a surprised squeak.

"I know you told me to wait," he said, staring down at her under lidded, blue eyes. "But I can't, and I know you can't either."

She pulled him back down for a heated kiss, tongues wrestling around in mouths while he positioned her legs for entry. It was now her turn to guide him to her core, rubbing the tip up and down her heated slit. "Lax~"

He groaned as she did whatever she was doing, ready to just shove himself inside when he felt a presence or two on his island. 'Goddamnit! I should have fucking waited!' Now he was going to have blue balls for the foreseeable future.

Lucy had him all lined up and ready to go when he paused for a bit. "Lax?"

"Fuck!" He dropped his head on her shoulder. "They're here."

Damn. 'Way to speak it into existence, Lucy!' She scolded herself internally as he lifted off her body and tucked himself back into his pants. "Rain check?"

"Trust me," he said with a lopsided grin. "You didn't get off that easily."

"Well, there's nothing that can be done about it now," she tried with a fake sigh, getting up to find some new pants.

He caught her wrist as she was getting away, pulling her into his chest. "Don't try me, Lu. It'll only make things harder on you when the time comes."

"Oh, I'm so scared," she taunted, standing on her toes to lick his bottom lip before running off into the bathroom.

"You'll eat those words, Lu!"

"Never. Again."

"Well, you have to at least one more time to get off this island," Levy said, squashed against his chest.

Like he did the first time, Gajeel had a near-death grip on her while she teleported them to the Fallen's island. It wasn't pleasant and he never wanted to do it again, but she was right; he had to do it at least once more, and that drove him up a wall.

"Fine. But after this, yer gonna take me back ta my bike," he grumbled, finally letting go after regaining control of his senses.

"I already planned on it," Levy said with a roll of her eyes. She adjusted her clothing as she turned around, taking in the beauty of the small island. "You know, I can see why he likes it here. It's actually quite nice."

"I guess," Gajeel dug around his pocket for his cigarettes, slightly more annoyed that he didn't bring them with him. He knew he was trying to quit, but he should have at least brought one with him for situations like this. "Islands ain't really my thing."

Levy took a small step forward and really took in her surroundings, acknowledging the effort it took the Fallen to keep it well preserved. "He must have expended a huge amount of energy keeping this place up so well. I don't even think a bad storm can touch this island."

Gajeel really didn't care one way or the other; he just wanted to get this over with. He wanted to destroy the talisman, or whatever Levy would decide to do in the end and move on with his life. Unfortunately, he had a gut feeling that it still wouldn't be over after they got rid of it, and his gut was never wrong.

"Where the hell are they, anyway?" Gajeel asked, looking around. He didn't feel anyone else's energy on the entire island, and he was becoming skeptical. "Do they got ya runnin' 'round fer nothin'?"

"No, they're here," Levy peered through the foliage, finding a somewhat hidden tiny house that had the Fallen's energy pouring from it. "They must be in that little house over there."

"Then let's go get this over with, Shorty," he wrapped an arm around her and walked with her through the thick brush.

"Wait," Levy stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, trying to pinpoint whatever it was she was feeling. "Do you feel that?"

"Nope," Gajeel said, looking to see what caught her attention. "Whatever that asshole did ta this island made it so I can't sense shit. Must be an angel thing."

"Someone else is here," she clarified, walking back to the beach. They hadn't made it far, so it was no big deal to investigate. "There's more than one, too."

"Angels, I'm guessin'?"

"Yeah. But I don't know why they're here," Levy said before turning around again to see Laxus walking toward them.

Laxus left his island house to greet the last two beings he wanted there, and while doing so, he had two more unexpected and unwanted visitors. One of those people he recognized as Gray, but he was unsure who the second person was. It was a slightly familiar energy, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Why the hell did he come back? He felt he was extremely clear about not stepping foot here again, and now he was bringing guests? 'At least it isn't Salamander.'

"Sorry we kept you guys waiting," Levy said, looking around the tall blond for her old friend.

"No biggie," Laxus replied, shoving his hands in his pockets and brushing past the two. "I have to take care of something, first."

"Where's Lucy?" Levy knew he was most likely going to deal with the two new presences in his space, so while he dealt with that, she decided to try and catch up with Lucy.

"She's getting dressed," Laxus replied. "This shouldn't take long."

'Oh, God.' What other reason would she be getting dressed for? Levy cringed, still not fully coping with the fact that Lucy had gotten with this guy, but he didn't seem to be a bad individual, so she tried her hardest to accept it.

"Don't stress 'bout it, Shorty," Gajeel nudged her, sensing her displeasure. "Nothin' ya can do but accept it fer how it is."

"Yeah, but…"

Right as she was about to reply, Lucy appeared from the leaves, her face a bit flushed. "Levy! It's really good to see you again!"

"Hey, Luce," the two girls hugged each other in a tight embrace, both missing aspects of their friendship. "Sorry we kept you waiting, we lost track of time."

"It's okay," she said with a smile as she looked at the two. "I heard time works differently in the Spirit World."

"Yeah, I often forget that since I've only been around for a few months."

"Where did Lax go?" Lucy asked, looking around.

"I guess some others showed up right after we did," Levy said, pointing her thumb behind her. "He's probably going to see what's going on with that."

Others? Lucy knew for a fact that Laxus wanted nobody on his island, so who had the balls to show up like this? She really hoped it wasn't Salamander, especially with what they were about to do; there was no way he'd let that happen without a fight. Her curiosity got the best of her, though, and she wanted to see who it was. If it were Salamander, Laxus would have come back to tell her, right? Not to mention, even if it was him, she had Levy here to put him in his place, which she knew she'd do with no hesitation.

"Let's go see who's here," she said, linking an arm through Levy's. "I'm kinda curious."

Levy still didn't want to be too friendly with her, but with Gajeel here, he was going to make her play nice, so she sucked it up and tried her best. "Sure."

As they started walking, Levy reached behind her with her free hand, signaling for Gajeel to follow. "Come with us."

"Where else am I gonna go?" He scoffed, taking her hand lazily and following behind them.

"I wanted to tell you that I think you guys are super cute," Lucy all but gushed. "I mean, I know you have your differences with goblins, but you guys seem to complement each other really well!"

"Thanks," Levy saw that she was trying, and if Lucy could try, then she could, too. "You and Laxus aren't too bad either, I guess."

"I know that was really hard for you to say, and I appreciate it, Lev," Lucy gave her a genuine smile, glad things seemed to be looking up. "I told you! He's not a bad guy! He treats me well and I feel safe in this crazy world with him by my side."

"Good. I'm glad you're not living an unstable life anymore like you were with me," Levy said as they got to the beach.

Confusion wracked Levy's brain upon seeing who had arrived on the island, and judging how Gajeel dropped her hand and was just standing there gawking, he was confused, too. There was a fallen angel and a regular angel who'd appeared, and Laxus was talking to them both. Where did that angel come from? Levy knew better than to think she was the only one on Earth, but to be within this close of vicinity to another one was wild! Neither of them had a malicious energy, which was good, but Levy's instincts told her to eliminate that Fallen just because of what she went through.

"Oh, it's just Gray," Lucy said, taking a closer look at the second person. "Wait… I think that's..."

Gajeel was dumbstruck. Was he seeing things? Of all the people in the world, all the beings in the universe to show up, and it was his sister?! This was the first family member aside from his dad he'd seen since before he died, and he knew she died too, so how…? She was born again? She was an angel? He had so many questions, so many apologies, so many things to tell her, so much to catch up on. He wanted to introduce her to Levy first and foremost, though. She'd been such a positive impact on his life in such a short time, he wanted to show her off to the world. But… why the fuck was that Fallen with her? He was certain she hadn't the slightest idea that the asshole chained him up and beat him damn near close to death, and that he was first on his list of fallen angels to kill because if she knew, she wouldn't give him the time of day.

"Gajeel?" Levy saw the gears turning in his head and couldn't tell if they were good or bad. He was definitely having some mixed feelings, that much she could see.

"I… know both of 'em," he said, running a nervous hand through his hair.

Why was he nervous? Because he wasn't as good to his sister as he should have been. He was too busy thinking about his piece of shit of a father when he should have listened to the rest of his family. Unfortunately, he had to learn the hard way and it nearly gave him a mental breakdown. But, as bad as all that was, he was relieved, now. He was under the assumption that he would never be able to apologize properly to any of his family members, and even though it was just one of them, he still felt a huge weight off his shoulders being able to finally do it.

Levy whipped around so fast; she almost gave herself whiplash. "What? What do you mean? Who are they?"

Lucy knew how to read a room. She saw the goblin's demeanor change when he saw the two Laxus was talking to, and she wanted to give them a little space just in case it was something sensitive.

"I'm gonna go see what's going on," she said before skipping off to join Laxus' conversation. The last person she expected to see was her new friend Juvia, especially paired up with Gray, of all people. 'I wonder what brings them here.'

Levy was somewhat grateful that Lucy left, as she could see something important was happening. It was very possible that Gajeel knew the Fallen, given the fact that he wanted to end them just as much as she did. Maybe he encountered him once, or a few times, but the actual angel? How on Earth did he know her?

"The girl…" he started, seeing Levy try to piece things together in her head. "Is my sister, Juvia."

"Your sister?!" Levy was just as surprised as he was.

"Yeah… I can't believe it either," his voice was a little softer than usual while he tried to find the right words to piece together. "I'm so… I feel like… a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

Levy remembered him telling her that he didn't get along well with his mom and sister because of the issues they had with his dad. Now that he knew the truth, though… "It's a crazy coincidence that she showed up here."

"She musta been lookin' fer me, or somethin'." If he thought he needed a cigarette before, he'd kill for one, now. "It seems like somethin' she'd do."

"Well, what about the Fallen?" Levy asked, curious about his connection with who she considered to be the devil himself manifested in the form of a fallen angel. "How do you know him?"

His face twisted up in anger, briefly forgetting the fact that he absolutely detested the being his sister was standing next to. He couldn't wait to get his hands on that scrawny bastard's neck. "That piece of shit was the one who took me, chained me up, an' beat the fuck outta me."

He didn't like admitting it out loud because it made him feel weak, which he was nowhere near. That douchebag caught him off guard! If he'd been paying attention, he'd have been able to fight back. Hell, if he'd have gone to Lily's bar from the jump, the whole ordeal never would have happened. "Remember the first time ya fixed me up? It was all 'cuz of that asshole over there."

Just hearing that made Levy's blood boil. She had it out for the Fallen, and knowing Gajeel was put through hell because of one that was standing in her eyeshot made her just want to off him right then and there. Who did he think he was?

"But what I can't wrap my head 'round is the fact that my sister is hangin' with that filth," he said, his voice laden with disgust. "If she knew what he did, she wouldn't be givin' him the time of day."

"At the risk of rubbing you the wrong way," Levy said, hugging his arm and leaning against it. "Neither of them have bad energy."

"I know my sister doesn't; she's an angel, fer fucks sake! No matter how much we almost hated each other, she was still a good an' genuine person," he said, almost sounding exasperated. "But the other one? Fuck him. I don't give a rat's ass if he's the holiest of all holy. He screwed me, so it's only fair that I get my revenge."

At that point, they had been noticed by his sister and the Fallen, who were now reluctantly headed their way. Levy looked him over, making sure he was alright before they were approached. There was a lot going on in his life right now, and he needed all the support he could get. She took his hand in the reassurance that everything would be okay.

"You alright?" She asked, feeling his nerves.

"Better than ever," he deadpanned, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Wow," Juvia squealed, hugging Gray's arm for dear life. "This place is really pretty! Are you sure your friend won't mind that we're here?"

"He might not be pleased about it at first, but once we talk to him, he should be alright with it," Gray said with a sigh. The last thing he wanted was to be somewhere he wasn't welcome, but this was all for the greater good.

"He's here, isn't he?" Juvia asked timidly, speaking of her brother.

"Yup, and there's someone else here, too," Gray replied, speaking of that spirit girl now turned angel. He was kind of hoping they were too late just so he could avoid both of those beings since, you know, they both hated his guts and all, but they seemed to be okay with Laxus, which gave him a small sliver of hope.

"I'm nervous!" She hid behind gray as if that would shield her from the world, but she knew better. "Me and Junior didn't get along well, so I doubt he'd be happy to see me."

"You never know," Gray said, spotting Laxus in the distance. "Things change."

"Hey! I know him!" Juvia exclaimed, popping out from behind Gray. It was always nice to see a familiar face. "That's Laxus!"

"Wait," Gray turned to face her. "How do you know Laxus?"

"I met up with him at the café right before I met you," she explained. "He and that girl, what was her name? Lucy? They're really nice. I didn't know this was their place!"

"What do you guys have to do with each other?"

"I saw him talking to my brother and wanted to get a little more information before meeting him," she said in a small voice. "I wanted to know if he was angry."

"Angry at what?"

"Me. Mom. Anyone else in our family," Juvia was near tears. She was so overwhelmed by emotion and being this close to her brother. "I just want to apologize to him for being the way I was. He was misguided, misunderstood. It wasn't his fault he looked up to his father. Any normal kid would, especially if they were the spitting image of him."

"Makes sense," Gray said, walking toward Laxus armed with an explanation ready to defuse the blond. "Yeah, he's pissed, just as I thought."

"You better have a damn good reason for showing back up here," Laxus said, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. "Juvia, nice to see you again."

"I'm so sorry to just show up unannounced!" Juvia apologized for them both. "Gray said you wouldn't mind once we talked!"

"Talk about what?" His eyes narrowed in the ice angel's direction. "Didn't I already tell you enough last time you showed up here?"

"I told Salamander," Gray stated, not an ounce of feeling in his voice.

"Ha!" Laxus crossed his arms across his chest, unable to hold back his laughter. "How did that work out? He kick you out?"

"What do you think?" Gray rolled his eyes. "He told me I was pretty much the new you and that he'd kill me if I got in his way."

"That brat won't kill anybody," Laxus smirked. "But don't think you're gonna shack up here together."

"Wasn't planning on it, dude."

"How did this happen?" Laxus asked, pointing fingers at the two. He didn't want to say they were an unlikely pair; they actually looked good together. He was just curious how they came to be.

"I saw my darling Gray outside the café you guys were in," Juvia smiled at the approaching blonde. "Small world!"

"Hey, Juvia!" Lucy greeted the blue-haired angel with a hug. "You're right about that! I definitely didn't expect to see you here."

"All for good reason," Juvia said, glancing at Gray.

"Yeah, Juvia wants to see her brother, so I brought her," Gray said, looking around in slight paranoia.

"Yeah, I remember you telling us about him," Lucy turned around, looking at Levy and the goblin in the distance. "He's right over there!"

"Oh, that's the girl he was with last time, too," Juvia noticed she was an angel like her; she couldn't tell last time. That made her feel a lot better about her possible intentions, as she knew angels were typically good beings.

"Yeah, it's weird," Laxus said, glancing at the pair behind them. "An angel and a goblin. How often do you see that pairing?"

"It's not that weird," Juvia smiled, happy that she could see a visible happiness on her brother's face, even from afar. Even though he looked just as nervous as she was, he still had a glow to him, like he was being well taken care of. "She's good for him, I can tell."

"So, you brought her here to my island just to talk to the goblin?" Laxus was growing more impatient by the second. "You could have made other arrangements!"

"Calm down, there's another reason," Gray said, dropping a hand on his shoulder before getting it brushed away. "We wanna help you destroy the thing."

"Great." Laxus perked up at the thought of help. He knew getting rid of it would be somewhat of a difficult challenge, so any assistance he could get, he'd be grateful for. "The more the merrier."

"That's good news!" Lucy beamed, excited that Laxus' plan was finally coming together after many long months. "I'm ready to be done with this."

"You and me both, Lu," Laxus put his arm around her shoulders and turned to walk back to the goblin and angel. "Let's go get this over with."

Gray and Juvia followed behind reluctantly, both with their own reasons for feeling the way they did. Gray was bracing for whatever the goblin was going to do, or try to do to him. He was hoping desperately that Juvia would stop him since she liked him, or whatever, but if not, he'd accept his wrongdoings and take it like a man.

Juvia was nervous because she didn't know how her brother would react to seeing her after all this time. She wanted to repair their relationship, even though she felt it was too late, but she still wanted him to know that she loved him and that she was sorry. She was also very curious about his relationship with the cute angel that was holding on to his arm, comforting him.

As they neared, Gajeel continued to stand there just stuck in his own head. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak. All he knew was he needed to deal with that bastard before anything else. Who the fuck was he to be around his sister like he was? He was a bit too friendly with her and he couldn't take it.

"I'll give you guys a bit to catch up, then we get down to business," Laxus said, walking past the two back to his house with Lucy. "Just knock on the door when you're ready."

"Gajeel?" Levy loosened her grip on his arm, looking into his eyes for any signs of distress. Since he seemed to be fine, she decided to go with Lucy and Laxus to discuss their game plan.

"I'm okay, Shorty," he said, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead. "Thanks fer the support, I got it from here."

"Please, let me know if you need anything," she said, letting go of his hand hesitantly.

"Go," he said with his signature grin, giving her round ass a good smack. "I'll be fine."