Happy Valentines Day, Gajeel!

"What the hell is this? Why everything is damn pink?" Unpleasantly surprised Dragon Slayer, who had just arrived at the guild, looked around the hall, which was generously decorated with hearts and pink strings – probably Mira bought every item she was able to find in town.

"It's Valentines, Bolts for Brains!" Natsu declared cheerfully, his hands full of unidentified pink stuff.

"Huh? Valentines? And what the fuck this supposed to mean?" Gajeel inspected guild hall again, than stopped his sight at Natsu's wild pink locks. "Must be something really dump if it glorifies the color of your ugly hair."

Instead of taking insult and jumping into fight, Natsu grinned widely and announced loud enough for the entire guild to hear:

«Metal Breath didn't know about Valentines Day! We must show him!"

Gajeel instantly got a very bad feeling, which intensified as Guild, previously bustling, at once became still, eyes looking at him dubious and terrified.

'Just ignore fucking morons' he рфв told himself, snorted, trying to disregard rose colored monstrosity, and went to his table, where he found another huge paper heart surrounded by cloud of small glistering ones. The sight made him literally feel sick. Seriously, what this crazy Guild is up to this time?

"Ta-Da" Natsu appeared again and placed before Iron Dragon Slayer plate of candies, some chocolate, brown fluffy looking Teddy Bear, bottle of some girly stuff, which smelled like shampoo, few cards in heart form and a roll of disgusting pinkish wrapping paper.

"Choose!" Fire Mage ordered Gajeel, who looked as he just arrived from different universe.

"What the fuck for?"

"To make a gift and you present it to the girl you like."

Gajeel get numb. He looked at Salamander to check and as he thought moron wasn't joking!

"WHAT?"

"In Valentines Day people give persons they like small gifts. Great tradition, right? So, choose and I help you to wrap it." Natsu was serious. He was damp sincere, cheerful and eager to help, not a clue that Gajeel was looking at him with murderous expression in his red eyes.

"Get! Out!" Black haired Slayer managed to hiss. Of all temptations to kill pyromaniac this one was by far the greatest. "Now!" In single motion he swept in a pile all stuff, table's decoration included, and almost throw it at Natsu.

"Why? You needn't help? Sure, you did know how to wrap a gift with your fat fingers?"

'Oh God, how oblivious he is. And how pleasant it will be to rip his fucking head right now.'

"Or maybe you prefer a girl to help? Mira is good at it, I'll call her!"

With a lightning speed Gajeel was outside the guild and away, never stopping till he put between himself and guild hall considerable distance.

He didn't return there this day. Not the next one and day after that either. When he at last cautiously stepped at the guild hall pink craziness was gone, walls and tables resumed their normal colors.

'Good' he muttered to himself before turning to bar to order his regular beer. He didn't manage, His voice interrupted him:

"Where the heck you'd been? We waited for you till late to start celebrating!"

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel wasn't impressed. "And why the hell you were waiting for? Did I seem a guy inclined to parties?"

"We thought you may enjoy it. Booze, food, fun and all. Girls made us special cookies. Here, it's yours" Natsu handed him a small pretty wrapped box.

"I hate sweets" Gajeel waved away disdainfully.

"Told you, it's a special one. Take it, Metal Face, or I'll fry your ass off! Don't be harsh to Levy!"

Gajeel with already raised fist stopped mid motion. Expression puzzled.

"Bookworm? What the hell did she have to do with it?"

"It's hers," Natsu pointed at package. "She did if for you."

"Huh?"

Gajeel stared at small bundle as it was a bomb.

'Small blue haired mage, which he not long ago almost killed, prepared a gift for him?'

'She… did … it… for him?'

'FOR HIM?'

Salamander added something which he didn't heard. He picked up package and rip paper off. There were 5 large cookies inside made of iron. Shaped and decorated beautifully with attached note: "Hope, it will be tasty for you. Happy Valentines Day, Gajeel".

He was so stunned that he didn't remember how he left guild and made it home, present tightly clenched in pocket.

It was hard to grasp that someone decided to make a gift for him and took time to ensure it would be something he really liked, but to grasp that this someone was her… he sat on his couch, staring at cookies, round eyed and speechless.

Slowly he reached for one, took a more close sniff, smell was good, and put it in his mouth. Tentative bite and world exploded – test was delicious. He chewed long, extending pleasure, never in his life he eat iron this pure.

He wanted to save others for later, but found himself unable to stop. The taste, the smell and the feeling that it was a gift genuinely prepared for him made desire to eat it irresistible. And Gajeel became quickly aware that he was rather glad it was from her. Realization shook him hard.

Lost in internal world he missed knock at his door, then his ears picked up light movements outside and he jumped prepared – his visitors usually were far from friendly. Abruptly opening the door with frown and fangs showing, he saw blue haired girl he just thought about, who shrieked and jolted back from suddenness of his appearance. They looked at each other silently for a minute, she – trying to calm her breath, he – attempting to comprehend why she may be here.

He suspected it would be proper for him to speak first, but it seemed he forgot all words from this not very extended vocabulary of his. So he just stood silently and stared, struggling to settle on his face less angry expression.

"Hello, Gajeel" Levy recovered her voice. She was nervous, even scared a little, but she had a purpose, the need to express her gratitude and she hoped she can face and talk with him calmly now. "You… missed Valentines party, so I came to give you this." Only now he noticed a small package in her hand, similar to one Salamander gave him earlier.

"It's iron cookies, I made it for you," she went on, turning more embarrassed and self-conscious each minute, "as a … thank you gift for saving me from Laxus. Was intending to give it to you at the party, but… you weren't there, and… the box disappeared somehow, so I made another…"

She tried to give him the parcel with her slightly shaking hand and Gajeel instinctively stepped forward meeting it half way. His fingers brushed her hand, both flinched from the contact.

"Wasn't lost," he admitted. "Salamander got it. To pass to me."

"Really?" Now she was smiling, still timidly, but joy was evident in her eyes.

"Yeah. Just eat. Was good."

Her smile grew bigger, eyes shining: "I am so glad. Thank you, Gajeel!"

'Eeeh, the hell, it's he who should thank her.'

"I'll make you more, just tell if you want, ok, Gajeel?"

"Ugg…"

This was all he managed to respond. But Levy only smiled and departed with a nod, leaving him with a new cookie set in hand, stupefied face expression and fast beating heart.

'I'll make you more' her words repeated in his head and all he saw was light shining in her eyes.

He slowly closed his apartment door, musing about this whole gift stuff and sensations that her visit created inside him.

He wanted more.

Not just iron, but smile, friendly attitude, kindness. Warmth which touched him through her eyes and illuminated something inside him.

'Just tell… '

Would he be able to tell her?

In my imagination this happened between Laxus's attack on Levy and his Fantasia's rampage.

P. S. Un my country term "white day" doesn't exist. Both males and females exchange gifts at Valentines.

Thanks for reading. Hope, you enjoy it. :)