Levy opened her mouth to speak, but no words could come out. Her mind told her to run, but she frozen in place.
"No…" Levy whispered softly.
Black Steel.
A criminal whose heart was as cold and and as unbending as iron. He'd killed rival gangs, he'd watched homes burn. His cruelty was unrivaled.
"No." Levy said with more force, starting to get up. Gajeel noticed this.
"Wait," Gajeel exclaimed, reaching out to grab her wrist," Please, let me explain…"
"No!" Levy yelled, slapping his hand away. The bar went quiet and all eyes were on them. Confused and upset, Levy ran out the door, ignoring Gajeel's pleas. As the door slammed, Gajeel hung his head. He had expected nothing less, but it still hurt.
"What happened there, Rusty?" Natsu teased. Gajeel turned to the man and Natsu felt his heart stop. Gajeel's eyes were hard and as red as blood. He looked feral.
"Shut the hell up!" Gajeel roared," You don't know anything!"
Everyone was frozen as Gajeel went out after Levy, his eyes scouring the parking lot. But her small car was gone. The only noise was the crickets and Gajeel's heart splintering into a million pieces. He took off, running into the darkness of the night. The rest of the gym trainers watched him from the windows until he disappeared from sight.
"Shit," Natsu softly said," What did I do wrong?"
Juvia, Cana, Erza, Mira and Laxus all exchanged glances. No one else knew of Gajeel's past except them and Gramps. Juvia sighed and got up, causing everyone to look at her.
"I'm so sorry darling, but Juvia needs to go," Juvia whispered to Gray who, for once, didn't comment on the nickname and simply nodded. Juvia turned to Lucy, who was gently reprimanding Natsu for his behaviour.
"Where does Levy work?"
…
Levy sat against the Magnolia Library's glass doors. She wished she'd brought her keys for this peaceful retreat. She would have been able to take comfort in her second home, curl up against the bookshelves and pretend this was all a nightmare. But she was outside, the icy air nipping her, her mind still trying to process what just happened.
Gajeel was Black Steel.
He'd told her that he was in a gang, but there was a difference between a common gangster and Black Steel.
"Excuse me, but you're Levy, correct?" a sweet voice asked, interrupting external silence. Levy looked up to see a beautiful blue haired woman staring down at her. She was wearing a white jumpsuit and had her hair in a ponytail.
"Y-yeah…" Levy answered," who are you?"
"My name is Juvia Lockser," the girl replied softly," I'm a friend of Gajeel's."
At his name, Levy stood up to leave, but Juvia was fast, grabbing Levy by the wrist. Levy tried to break free, but she was helpless against this woman's iron grip. Tears ran down Levy's face.
"Let me go!" she cried out, sobbing.
"Please!" Juvia yelled back," You need to trust Juvia. Gajeel is a good person."
"He's Black Steel," Levy snapped," and why the hell would I trust you?!"
"Trust me," Juvia begged her, her voice raw," Please. Juvia is begging you."
Levy was a logical person. It was clear that this Juvia was not going to give up, no matter what Levy did. If they discussed this in a more busy area, at least Levy would be a bit more safe.
"Let's go grab a coffee then."
…
"Blue Pegasus?" Juvia read aloud, staring at the sign. Levy grinned, knowing that the name was a little bit strange.
"Yeah," she replied," This place does amazing coffee. Just watch out for the waiters, kay?"
"What do you mean?" Juvia asked nervously as she walked in.
"Just trust me," Levy smiled. Suddenly three men appeared, each in waiters uniforms, with charming grins on their faces.
"Hello, ladies," the trio cried out," Welcome to Blue Pegasus!"
One of the men went to flirt with Juvia, grabbing her hand, but Levy stepped in, knowing the drill.
"Look, Eve," Levy sighed," I get your looking for a new dom, but we're kind of busy today."
"A dom?" Juvia squeaked, ripping her hand away in surprise.
"Eve's a sub," Levy explained quickly before turning back to the tiny blonde," Can we just grab a seat?"
"Of course, my Lady," Eve chuckled," Relax and I'll take your order in a minute."
"Thanks," Levy replied, sitting in the comfy armchair. Flustered, Juvia took the seat across from her. After ordering and receiving their drinks, Levy cut to the chase.
"So you knew Gajeel from his days as Black Steel, huh?"
Juvia went quiet for a moment, before answering.
"Yes," she replied quietly," You see, I was also part of the gang Gajeel joined."
"What?" Levy exclaimed," You don't look like a gang member!"
"That is true," Juvia giggled," But I was part of the Elite Four."
Levy's jaw dropped. The Elite Four were exceptionally powerful.
"I was Rain Woman," Juvia continued," I was used in spy missions like Gajeel was. That's how we came to know each other. At first, Gajeel refused to work with Juvia, calling her a "gloomy bitch." But over time, Gajeel and I became partners."
"That doesn't justify his actions though," Levy pointed out.
"Gajeel truly is a good man," Juvia softly smiled," He was vulnerable and taken advantage of. Yes, he killed. But not innocents. He killed child predators. He burned the homes of drug cartels. He may be a murderer, but he has only ever made a positive impact on this world. That I can promise you."
Levy paused for a moment. She'd been raised all her life to believe in good and evil. According to what she'd been told, criminals were evil, no matter what they said. But, deep down, she'd never truly believed this. In theology classes, she would sometimes be asked the stereotypical question," If a woman steals medicine for her sick child, is it truly a crime?". On a technical basis, it was a crime. But from a humanitarian perspective, she was only doing what was necessary. Could this be applied to Gajeel?
"He's still wanted though, right?" Levy asked. Juvia shook her head, causing Levy's jaw to drop. How could a guy like Gajeel not be wanted? Juvia saw Levy's obvious confusion and went on to explain.
"After Gajeel and I left the group, Juvia convinced him to go to the police," Juvia explained," I planned to do a deal with the officers."
"You could have been arrested though," Levy exclaimed loudly, causing some other patrons to look at them. She lowered her voice," That's a pretty big risk."
"It was," Juvia agreed," But Juvia didn't want to live on the run. When we arrived at the station, we were immediately detained. But I gave them an offer they couldn't refuse."
"What was it?" Levy asked, burning with curiosity. Despite being terrified before, she was now intrigued by the woman's past and wanted to know more.
"Juvia said she'd only talk to the head of the FBI," Juvia continued," Since Gajeel and I were high profile criminals, it was arranged. We met with the Head and I offered him the location of 10 drug cartels and other priceless information. In exchange, Juvia asked for Gajeel and her to be cleared."
"What happened next?"
"Obviously, they needed time to go over this, so for the next two months, Gajeel and Juvia went to jail. It was finally decided that the offer would be accepted and we were released. Afterwards, Juvia went and got a job at Fairy Tail as a swim instructor. A little while later, I got Gajeel a job there as well. Makarov was sympathetic when he heard about our past and here we are."
"I still don't know if I can trust Gajeel," Levy sighed," I mean, he is still technically a criminal."
"This wasn't to convince you that Gajeel isn't a criminal, because he is," Juvia exclaimed harshly," This was to show you that, despite everything, he's a good guy. A good guy who'd go through hell for you."
"W-what?!" Levy squeaked, her face going red.
"He and I had a little chat a while ago," Juvia continued.
…
Juvia arrived at the old hangout. She'd gotten a cryptic text from Gajeel and had agreed to meet him.
"Hey," Juvia exclaimed when she saw the brooding mass," What's going on?"
"Fuck my life," Gajeel groaned, leaning against an old table," I might have gotten into something I shouldn't have."
Immediately, Juvia hardened, her eyes now piercing and cold.
"Juvia gave us this opportunity to better ourselves, a fresh start," she hissed," so don't you dare tell Juvia that you have thrown away everything she did for you, because I swear to God, I will-"
"I met a girl!" Gajeel snapped.
Juvia remained frozen for a second, before she started to visibly shake. Soon she was a giggling mess.
"What the hell are you laughing for?" Gajeel growled.
"I thought," Juvia exclaimed through laughs," That you were in the middle of some criminal shit, not that you've fallen in love."
"I'm not in love," Gajeel growled," It's just that she's… different."
"Tell me about her," Juvia smiled.
Gajeel did just that. He described Levy's appearance, her smile. He smirked when talking about her blunt ways and her bravery.
"She's like… sunshine," Gajeel murmured.
"What do you mean?" Juvia softly asked.
"Even after we got out of Phantom Lord, it was like a massive cloud was hanging over me," Gajeel continued," but when I met her, it became bright. She's my sun."
"Have you said anything to her?" Juvia demanded.
Gajeel simply smiled.
"Nah," Gajeel chuckled," She deserves better than me. A good guy, with money who can give her everything her heart desires. A family, a house, whatever she wants."
"But don't you love her!" Juvia retorted.
"I love her enough to let her go," Gajeel replied.