Gajeel started to realise that his typical training wasn't going to work for Levy.
Normally, he'd have his class or students lift weights, train with the punching bags and then practice on each other.
But Levy was so delicate and tiny, she could barely pick up the weights he handed her with ease.
Her attempts to tackle the punching bag were fruitless and Gajeel was terrified to hurt the girl.
As she continued in vain to lift the weight, he walked up behind her and placed a rough hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. Seeing her face made his brain freeze.
Levy's hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her flushed face and parted lips made his heart stop and it took a lot out of him to cage the thoughts he was having about other ways he'd make her look like that.
"Give up, Shrimp," He grumbled, looking away to hide his blush," This ain't gonna work."
Levy looked up at the man. Normally, she'd argue back with someone, saying she was perfectly capable of whatever task was deemed impossible. But the heavy metal was proving too much and she simply nodded and straightened up, releasing the weight.
"Let's sit and chat," Gajeel said, already walking away to the bar. Levy followed quickly, exhausted. They entered the bar which was now very quiet. The only person there was the woman from last night, Cana.
"Hey look who's back!" the woman giggled, before hiccuping. Gajeel let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.
"Hello," Levy politely said back, causing the drunkard to squeal.
"She's so adorable," Cana laughed, hopping over the bar. Before Levy could say anything, she felt a set of hands groping her breasts. She went bright red and froze up.
"Looks like we got a member of the Itty Bitty Titties Committee, am I right?" Cana grinned, continuing to sexually harass the poor librarian.
"EEK!" Levy squealed as Gajeel began to laugh. Cana finally let go of her, but not before giving her one final squeeze. Stumbling away, Levy was still the color of a lobster after her ordeal. Sitting at the table, she stared down at the table, not wanting to see the smirk on Gajeel's face.
"Don't worry," Gajeel began, causing Levy to look up at him," She does that to every girl here."
Levy cringed. It was bad enough for her tiny chest to be squeezed, but what about someone like Mira? Her massive chest would probably double the humiliation.
"Here's some drinks," Cana said, setting down some smoothies on the table," Enjoy!"
"Thanks," Levy mumbled, still unable to meet the pervy barmaid's eyes. She sipped her smoothie and settled into a comfortable silence before Gajeel began to speak.
"I don't know how well the training is going to go, shrimp."
Levy looked up and glared at Gajeel.
"I'm just being honest," Gajeel replied defensively," You don't have any muscle so I'm gonna give you this until we bulk you up."
Levy watched as Gajeel went into the his pocket and pulled out a small card. Handing it to her, she examined it. It was a gym card with the word GUEST bolded on it.
"What is it for exactly?" Levy asked.
"It's a thing trainers get. A plus one," Gajeel explained," So until you're ready to train with me, you can come for free."
"Thanks," Levy grinned as she pocketed the card," What classes would you recommend?"
Gajeel paused and looked Levy over.
"Have you ever thought about doing gymnastics?"
…
Levy felt ridiculous in her sports bra and leggings as she stood in the hall next to a locked room.
"Why did I let him talk me into this?" she muttered to herself. Hearing the approaching footsteps, she double checked her appearance and waited for the appearance of her instructor.
"Hey girly," a voice laughed.
"Cana!" Levy exclaimed, her jaw dropping as the brunette gave her a wink and pulled out the room key.
"You teach gymnastics?" Levy scoffed. Cana turned the lights on and smirked back at the tiny girl.
"Yep," she replied," Ain't you ever heard of me?"
Levy paused to think. She'd never really thought about it but…
Cana turned around to face Levy as she stood amongst the equipment.
"I'm Cana Alberona, Fairy Tail's Gymnastics Teacher and Fiore's Top Gymnast."
Levy's eyes widened as she recognized the name, finally. Cana had won several medals and had even met the King and Princess. How could she forget?
"Look," Cana smiled," Gajeel filled me in about the training sessions. I can't make you a bodybuilder, but I can promise you this. If you work hard, you will gain strength and endurance. Understand?"
"Yeah," Levy replied, a determination swelling up inside her. Cana saw this and smirked before going over to the bars, her eager pupil following in her footsteps.
…
Gajeel couldn't help himself from peeking. It wasn't a crime or anything. But he had to see her.
Peering through the glass window, he spotted Cana easing Levy into a backbend.
"I got you," Cana laughed as Levy nervously leaned backwards.
"Promise?" Levy asked timidly.
"Promise," Cana repeated in a sincere tone.
As Levy went back, her shirt pulled up slightly, revealing her toned smooth stomach. Gajeel's eyes focused in on this, before looking away.
"Hey Gajeel!"
The man quickly spun round to see an angry blonde on the first floor, glaring up at him.
"What's up, Bunny Girl?" Gajeel grinned, leaning against the railing as he peered down at her.
"You stole my lunch!" the blonde exclaimed," I worked really hard making that sandwich!"
"Why do you think I did it?" Gajeel laughed.
"Because," the blond emphasized," I wrote my name on the paper around the sandwich. When I came back, I found this in its place!"
The girl pulled out a piece of used brown paper. The elegant cursive "Lucy" had a line through it and written next to it in a rough chicken scratch styling was "Gajeel". Gajeel's grin dropped off his face and he looked away with a displeased expression.
"I was hungry," he muttered.
"You guys always do this!" Lucy screeched," Every single day, it's either you or Natsu."
"Have you thought about tightening security?" Cana said. Gajeel spun round to see a flushed Levy and Cana walking out the room.
"I have tried everything," Lucy groaned," notes, hiding places, locks, safes, fingerprint identification. Nothing works!"
"What's going on?" Levy asked, confused at the sudden shouting match.
"Nothing," Gajeel grumbled.
"Nothing!" Lucy scoffed, before looking at Levy," That big jerk ate my lunch!"
Levy turned to look at Gajeel and when he did the same, he felt a shiver down his spine. The sweet librarian had an aggressive look in her eyes and a dark aura was forming around her.
"Don't steal people's lunches," Levy said quietly. It seemed harmless, but the threat was there.
"Fine," Gajeel mumbled, looking away from Levy. Lucy's jaw dropped and Cana began to laugh.
"How come you listen to her, huh?" Lucy demanded.
"Because she's got him whipped!" Cana said through tears of laughter. Gajeel glared at her, making her stop.
"C'mon Levy," Cana smiled, giving Levy's butt a squeeze (insert squeals)," Let's hit the showers!"
"O-okay," Levy stuttered, her face red again. Gajeel smirked and walked to the break room, where he sat himself down in a chair and sighed.
This was going to be a long day.