Levy awoke the next morning on her couch, her head sore. For a moment, she was confused as to how she'd ended up on the couch until she looked down and saw that she was still wearing her tight clothing from last night.

Last night.

The memories of Gajeel's confessions, the fear, her feelings being revealed came crashing down and she jumped up, looking around the room to see if he was here. After doing a quick survey of the house, there was no one there. Still, she didn't remember coming home. Grabbing her phone, she saw she had a few unread messages.

Lucy: Hey girl! What's going on?

Juvia: Hello Levy. This is Juvia. I just wanted to let you know that I was the one to get you home. Your spare key is back under the plant pot. See you tomorrow.

"Ah," Levy thought," That's how I got back home."

Gajeel: See you at the gym shrimp.

Levy smiled to herself as she read his text over and over. It was so like him. Blunt and yet full of promise. She quickly responded agreeing to meeting him and went to shower. She walked into the bathroom, catching a glance at her appearance in the mirror. She froze in horror.

She looked horrible.

Her sexy curls from the night before were a matted mess. Her smokey eyeliner and mascara was no longer on her eyes but run down her cheeks from her crying last night.

"Ugh," Levy groaned, grabbing her phone to select some music. Once she'd picked a playlist, she hopped into the shower, scrubbing at her face. Once she was satisfied that her panda eyes were gone, she dried off. She went for her workout clothes but remembered she'd forgotten to wash them. Scolding herself for being lazy, she grabbed some black leggings and a gray shirt before heading off to the gym. She had a class to attend and she wasn't going to miss seeing Gajeel.

…

Once Levy arrived at the gym, she realised she was a bit early for her class. Looking around, she hoped to see Gajeel but he wasn't around either.

"Hi Levy!" a cheery voice called out. Levy turned to see Lucy who was ushering a group of small children out the dance room.

"Hi Lucy!" Levy replied, giving a small wave.

"So… what happened last night?!" Lucy squealed, her eyes shining with excitement. Levy was taken back at first, but then slumped in defeat. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long, so why not share?

"A lot," Levy confessed.

"How about we go shopping after your session with Cana?" Lucy suggested," Then we can talk all about it!"

Levy wanted to, but there was a slight problem.

"I… I actually don't have a lot of cash right now," Levy admitted, her cheeks flushed. She loved her job as a librarian but it didn't pay well.

"Oh that's fine," Lucy smiled," I'll pay!"

Levy's jaw went slack.

"Eh! Oh, I couldn't possibly-"

"Don't worry Levy," Natsu interrupted, sweating from a cycling class he'd been leading," Lucy's like an heiress of a big company so she's got tons of cash!"

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled, her own cheeks now pink.

"An heiress!?" Levy exclaimed, her jaw dropping. That was something in a book, not in real life.

"Yeah…" Lucy mumbled. She hated it when people found out about her position. In the past, once people heard the word "heiress", they were only in it for the money. Not the friendship. Luckily Levy was not like that.

"Well, we can hang out," Levy said, causing Lucy to grin," But I insist on repaying the favour somehow!"

"I'll think of something," Lucy winked, before noticing another group of dancers," I have another class, so I need to run, but I'll wait for you later!"

"Okay!"

…

"Cana?" Levy called out. It was time for her lesson, but Cana hadn't showed up. She was waiting outside the usual class. She didn't know if she was allowed to enter the class without her.

"Come on in!" Cana yelled, some music playing in the background. Levy entered and nearly had a heart attack.

The gym equipment was moved out of the way and a large pole was in the middle of the room. A pole from which a slim man in a police uniform hung from, his body moving in time to "Undress Rehearsal".

"What's going on?!" Levy squealed, her eyes glued to the stripper. He wasn't her type but it was hard to ignore.

"This is my pal, Mest," Cana laughed," or Doranbolt."

"You know Doranbolt is my stage name," the man whined, before leaving the pole.

"I mean," Levy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes," Why is there a stripper grinding on a pole in the middle of our session?"

"Well," Cana smirked," I thought we'd step things up a bit."

"We?" Levy exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"It'll be fun!" Cana laughed.

"I have a job though," Levy said sharply," I don't need to be a stripper, jiggling my ass for cash."

There was silence. Her instructor and friend were now less than pleased by her outburst. Levy realised her mistake and began to backtrack.

"Wait, I'm sorry," Levy panicked," I didn't mean-"

Cana raised a hand to silence her, the smile gone from her face.

"I understand you may have misconceptions regarding pole dancing," Cana began, her voice hard," But I wouldn't be a world class gymnast or even here today without pole dancing."

"What do you mean?" Levy asked softly. She knew she had no right to ask these kinds of questions, but Cana's statement made her curious.

"My dad left my mum before she had me," Cana continued, looking away," so I was raised by my mother who did everything, and I mean everything, to keep us off the streets. However she got really sick and passed away when I was 16. As a result, I went into the pole dancing business. I always wanted to be a gymnast but at this point, I was merely making ends meet. However, as my routines got more elaborate, my overall health and flexibility improved. Most gymnasts trained in a gym. I trained on a stage. It also gave me a purpose, which helped me process and deal with the grief."

"That's incredible," Levy breathed softly. She'd never imagined pole dancing to be so intense. She turned to Mest who then began his story.

"I'm currently teach and perform pole dancing part time as well as attending Magnolia University. My goal is to be able to save enough funds so I can pay off my student debts and accomplish my dreams of becoming a psychologist," Mest explained, scratching the back of his neck.

Levy realised where she'd gone wrong. For the people in front of her, pole dancing wasn't an easy way out. It was their way of expressing themselves and using their talents to help them survive.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier," Levy meekly replied," Would please teach me?"

Cana and Mest exchanged glances before nodding. Cana began setting up some more poles whilst Mest began to stretch.

"Let's warm up!"

…

After a grueling session, Levy was able to perform a pirouette and a shaky fireman's spin. Muscles Levy didn't know she even had ached and burned like they were on fire. Mest had agreed to come once a week to help teach Levy, but left most of it up to Cana.

"Can I ask a question?" Levy asked as they left the room, ready to hit the showers. Cana had decided to show off her skills as well and was breathtaking whilst dancing.

"Sure,"

"What was your stage name?" Levy asked.

Before Cana could reply, a booming voice answered for her.

"Genie," a tall blonde smirked, putting his arm around Cana's waist.

"As in three wishes?" Levy giggled.

"Get off me, ya big dummy!" Cana yelled, but the smile on her face gave her away. She sighed before turning back to Levy who was confused by the scene before her.

"Levy, this is my dumbass boss and boyfriend, Laxus," Cana said.

"Hi, Laxus," Levy said quietly. The blonde man was intimidating, with a massive scar running straight through his right eye.

Before any true conversation could begin, Levy saw Gajeel walk out the male changing rooms, ready to begin his classes in his black workout gear.

"Excuse me," Levy exclaimed, rushing past the couple to go and see the brooding mass.

"Wait… are they-?" Laxus began as he saw Gajeel's face light up as Levy skipped up to him, his hand gently touching the petite woman's back.

"Yep," Cana laughed, causing her boyfriend to look down at her. As he watched her, he realised just how lucky he was to have a woman like Cana in his life. His mind wandered back to when he first saw her.

Flashback

Laxus sighed as looked up at the neon sign.

Madame Hilda's

He'd gotten a text from Macao, one of gramp's friends, that he needed to come and pick the old man up. It wasn't the first time he'd had to do this and it wouldn't be the last.

"Let's just get this over with," Laxus grumbled pushing open the door. He was 21 but still not comfortable with topless women. The club was packed that night. Rowdy patrons tossing away their hard earned savings to the dancers who quickly picked up the bills.

After weaving his way through the masses, it didn't take long for Laxus to spot Makorav who was ogling the dancer nicknamed "Lola" who was currently grinding on a pole. The blonde was very glamorous and now had a wad of cash courtesy of Gramps.

"Let's get going, old man," Laxus grumbled, grabbing Makarovs arm.

"I don't wanna leave," Makorav laughed, trying to pull away from his grandson. Laxus wasn't having it though and continued dragging the complaining old man until he something caught his eye.

The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

She was centre stage, her long toned legs wrapping around the pole, her hips swinging to the song "How do you like it best?". The spotlight illuminated every curve and gesture, making her more radiant.

She had long curly brown hair which fell down her back, her soft doe eyes looking somber yet sexy. She wasn't like the other dancers who did their best to wink and enhance their cleavage, calling their grinding an art. No, her dancing was more than art. It was like poetry. There was a story behind those eyes. A story he was suddenly desperate to know about.

But right now, he had to deal with his drunken gramps who was now trying to flirt with a stony faced waitress. After giving the dancer one last long look, he turned and left, vowing to return.

…

A few nights later, he kept his promise by returning. This time, his gramps was not there nor was he required to be there. He wanted to see her. However, he was disappointed when she didn't appear. Curious, he went up to the bar where an old woman was pouring drinks. From what he knew, she was the owner and also a ex-dancer.

"Umm.. do you know if that girl from a few days ago is here?" Laxus asked shyly as he approached the woman.

"Which one, sweetie?" the woman chuckled as she gestured to all the dancers" There's a dozen girls here."

"The dancer with the long brown hair and pretty eyes," Laxus stated, before realising what he'd said. His face went red as the old woman laughed.

"You're talking about Genie? She's outside having a drink," the woman sweetly replied, before turning to serve the next customer.

"Genie," he whispered to himself as he went outside. Her name was as magical as her. Sure enough, in the alleyway was the pretty dancer. But she was not alone.

"C'mon doll," a drunken man slurred, attempting to pin her against the wall," I just wanna have a good time."

"Go away!" Genie growled, trying to get the asian off of her but to no avail.

"Listen doll," the man smirked, his finger under her bra strap," Just keep quiet and no one gets hurt, got it?"

Genie let out a shriek as she tried to squirm away.

"You sick bastard!" Laxus roared, causing both of them to stare at the blonde," She said no, so leave her alone."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" the drunkard yelled back, letting go of the dancer as he clenched his fists," I'll have you know that I'm a black belt in karate so-"

The man was interrupted as Laxus slammed his fist into the man's cheek, causing him to crumble to the ground in a heap.

"Yeah, and I know Muay Thai," Laxus snapped, before turning his attention to the dancer who know had a scared expression on her face. He tried to calm himself down before speaking to her.

"Are you alright, miss?" Laxus asked politely.

"I'm fine," Genie laughed shakely," Thanks for helping deal with that creep."

"Anytime Genie," Laxus smiled.

"Genie?" Cana laughed, a smirk forming on her face. Laxus felt his face reddened.

"That's your name, right?" Laxus asked slowly," At least, that's what the woman inside said…"

"It's my stage name," Cana smiled,"So what's a nice boy like you doing out here?"

"I… well… I wanted to know… or I mean ask…" Laxus babbled before pausing to take a deep breathe," Would you like to go get a drink sometime?"

"Sure," Cana laughed, as she walked out of the alleyway," Let's get back in the club and I'll give you my number."

"Sounds good," Laxus mumbled, a smile on his face as he followed the girl.

He was the luckiest guy in the whole damn world.