AN: I love music. I thought Gajeel would too. This is an all new Gajevy story. It's going to be a little different than my last one. I will have added an artist list and songs they do that are similar to what I believe Gajeel's band would be into. If you haven't already, check out my other Gajevy multi-chapter stories, Fighting Redfox and What About Now. I have Gajevy one-shots as well.

Storyline: [AU] "Black Dragon Realm" (BDR) is hot on the up and coming list - and they're coming to your city! Gajeel and his bandmates have struck gold on a record deal and their manager sets the sails. When a band member decides to leave for good, they fear they may have to pull on the plug on their new-found dreams. None of them ever expected just who would save their metal-rocking music careers.

*Rated Mature - There is: strong use of language, drug usage, minor violence, some sexual situations, and a lot of humor. Reader discretion is advised.

*Credit is due to JadeOccelot for helping me come up with ideas.

*I do not own any of the pictures or other media.

*I do not own any of Fairy Tail - that's all Hiro Mashima.

AN: Well here it is, ladies and gentleman. I will definitely come back in and edit and add some more details, I just wanted to get this out before I went to bed. Enjoy. A note, I searched and searched for the correct lyrics to the chorus for Stuck In Your Head, and I could not find out what he says, so I improvised. If you know the true lyrics, let me know and I'll change it in here. There also might be grammar issues. I appreciate any and all reads/reviews/favorite/follows! Thanks!

EVERYTHING AS PLANNED

By CapAleran2

Chapter 1 - Tavern Discovery

By the time they arrived at the tavern, the evening air held a stale scent from the previous rain. That coupled with the humidity made it slightly difficult to breathe. Gajeel noticed it when he sucked in a short drag of his Camel cigarette and watched his friends and band mates lug their equipment into the establishment.

"You could help, jackass," Laxus griped as he grabbed his nylon guitar case from the van's opened trunk. His scowl glanced up to Gajeel.

"We got plenty of time. Relax," he simply replied. Sticking his half-consumed cigarette in between his lips, he began to help the rest of them. His equipment took the most room within the back of the van; the drum kit had multiple parts and it also took the longest to tune.

Bystanders held the double doors open for them and they tried to discreetly make their way to the back where there was a stage. The place was usually packed, which was good for the business and for them as well; the more sets of ears to listen to them would spread their name through word of mouth. People sat and stood around the large square bar in the center of the massive main room. Some played at the billiards tables. Others sat in groups by the walls, the alcohol abundant all around.

The band before them had just ended and were packing up their merchandise table. Some girls had surrounded the table and were making it hard for the previous musicians to leave. Gajeel unzipped his bass drum, following with the rest, and stuck all the nylon cases into the bass case for easy clean up. He stuffed his drumsticks in his back pocket before he began to set up.

"This place is overflowing," Gray muttered to them. He attached his white guitar strap to his ice blue Gibson.

"What, you nervous for once?" Laxus chuckled. He carefully wound up the microphone cord so it wouldn't become tangled.

"Hell no. We've done this a million times. Just all the other venues weren't as large. It's cool to see a ton of people waiting to see us play."

Gajeel scowled a few feet away while he screwed together the high hat stand. "Shut yer pie holes and set up already."

"Where's Sting and Natsu?" A female voice said, high above the din of the bar. Their blue haired manager held a set of stapled papers, a pen behind her ear. "You go on in fifteen. Gajeel, get tuned before you run out of time."

"I hear ya. Give me a minute." He waved a hand.

"I said get it done," Levy said firmly. She was no nonsense, and it had paid off in the end. They were well on their way to signing a record deal - if someone was willing to agree to contract them. Levy McGarden was their best chance. She knew how to manage all five guys who sometimes lacked motivation and were also slow to get rolling.

"Natsu went to the bathroom. I dunno where Sting is," Gray supplied, looking down from his position on the stage at their manager. His gaze rose above her head, and he pointed. "He's coming."

Sting appeared lugging his guitar case. His blond hair was messed and there was a smile on his face. "Hey, sorry. It won't take me long to get ready."

Levy crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Where were you."

Laxus cut in, guessing as a joke. "He was outside locking lips with some random chick."

Sting didn't deny it. He merely grinned as he hurriedly pulled out his shiny red guitar from the case. Laxus started snickering behind Gray when he found out his guess was correct. Gray rolled his eyes, the same as Levy.

"Sting, how many times will I have to tell you?" Levy struggled not to yell too much above the din.

She didn't want to get worked up over a nonproblem. At least it wasn't one at the moment.

The loud sound of the foot pedal hitting the bass drum made her jump. Her head snapped over to the band's drummer. Gajeel smiled, showing his teeth. He found a way to annoy her every time they performed, in one way or another.

Levy chose not to notice it. She checked her phone for the time. "Ok, ten minutes. Behave up here. I mean it."

She left to quickly set up their merchandise on the table by the wall, unpacking the boxes of t shirts, hoodies, decals, and other items available for purchase. Until they were signed with a label, they wouldn't be able to sell CDs. They had enough songs down to memory that it would not take very long to record their first album.

"Alright. You heard her," Laxus said. He pulled his golden guitar by the black strap over his head and proceeded to tune it. After that, he would turn his attention to the microphone.

Natsu had snuck in during Levy's reprimand of Sting's behavior and already had his keyboard ready to go. He messed with the papers on the stand beside it. Everyone but Gajeel was ready. He quickly finished tuning and started playing a quick fill riff, the gifted drumming bringing the crowd's scrutiny to the group.

Gajeel nodded to Laxus, taking a drink of his water bottle. He adjusted the grey bandanna wrapped around his forehead, the material disappearing under his shaggy black hair. The blond spoke into the mic.

"Hello, and welcome to Brown Jug Tavern." His voice echoed in the bar.

A few in the crowd hollered and lifted their glasses and bottles. Everyone was now quiet and watching the band with interest. The lights had dimmed and a few that showcased the large stage illuminated the men upon it.

"We are Black Dragon Realm and we're are glad to be here, a thanks to the Tavern manager. We've got a few songs to play for you tonight, so we hope you enjoy. Also, don't forget to head over and check out our merchandise available for purchase, manned by our lovely manager, Levy McGarden."

He put the mic back onto its stand while the crowd clapped and waited for the first song. They listened to Gajeel's counting with his drumsticks. A single bass drum note played, a second after, Laxus' voice sang into the mic, "Stuck in your head!"

The rest of them joined in, strumming their guitars and Gajeel on the drum set. The bass thrummed in their chests as Gajeel rhythmically set the pace, allowing the others' guitar parts to melodically mix in to create a rich, smooth sound. Laxus played his golden guitar until it was time for him to begin to sing and he let Gray and Sting continue with the guitar.

"Guess what, for the record you're the broken one. Tried to sing along but we got stuck. So we turned it over and over again…"

He began to play along with the others, his fingers running over the fingerboard, his other hand strumming with the pick. Gajeel filled the ending of the measure with a short drum fill before returning to his previous notes to play the same thing one more time before the chorus while Laxus sang.

"This will be the last time that I sing this song then I'm never gonna play again. You're not the one I want in my bed. I'm not the song you want in your head. This will be the last time that I sing this song then I'm never gonna play again. You're not the one I want in my bed, but I'm gonna be the song stuck in your head!"

Gray let loose with his short guitar solo that led into the second verse, all while Laxus Gajeel continually played in intricate patterns which added to the song's appeal. His eyes wandered over to Levy, who watched them from the table with a pleased look etched into her face. Her head nodded with along with the rhythm.

They went through the last of the second verse and into the chorus again. It was time for Gajeel to shine. The break in the song allowed him to show off a bit as he amped up his skills, creating fast fills for the guitar solos intros and outros.

They quieted their music enough to let Laxus sing part of the chorus above the rest of them, then loudly started again, continuing from where they left off until the end of the song. The five of them were slightly surprised with the reaction when they ended. The crowd clapped and cheered, obviously impressed with their work and talent.

Gray immediately led them into their second song for the night with short strokes on his guitar strings, then Gajeel added the double pedal bits on the bass drum. Laxus' voice rang out.

"Everybody's looking for love. Oh oh, Ain't that the reason you're at this club. Oh oh. You ain't gonna find a dance with him. No oh. Got a better solution for you girl. Oh oh. "

The keyboard was added and the bass guitar supplied by Natsu, and Gray pleasantly shocked the audience as his voice growled into the microphone for the dirty vocals.

"Just leave with me now, say the word and we'll go. I'll be your teacher, I'll show you the ropes. You'll see a side of love you've never known. I can see it going down, going down…"

Gajeel drummed in a complicated riff intro to lead into the chorus and Laxus came back in with his voice. "In my head, I see you all over me. In my head, you fulfill my fantasy. In my head, you'll be screaming ohhh. In my head, it's going down. In my head, it's going down. In my head! Yeah!"

They played through the second verse and the chorus again. Now the crowd was getting into their music. Levy glanced from the band to the crowd closing in to stand in front of the elevated stage. Some held their glasses up while he listened. Levy felt pleased with how tonight was playing out - all as planned. A perfect ending to the night would be if by chance there was a record label scouting for new blood to sign. She could only hope.

Gray, Laxus, and Sting each played their guitar notes, Sting going to the board close to the guitar body, his fingers flying as he played the higher notes at a faster pace than the rest. The audience responded with shouts of "yeahh!".

Gajeel's eyes closed as he shook his head along with the pace of his rhythm. His hands expertly maneuvered the tan drumsticks around the set, quickly bounding from one end to the other. His left hand focused on the snare and high hat beside it, while his right continuously hit the cymbals with force. His right hand then joined the left with a fill, running along all the drums displayed before him. His knees could barely be seen above the tops of the drums, bouncing with the bass rhythm and occasionally both very quickly bounced up and down to create a multi beat with a double pedal.

Laxus sang and Gray growled the lyrics where it was needed. Their stage presence drew in the people below with ease. The blond went along with the women ogling him, his eyebrows rising with some of the lyrics as his hands automatically played his guitar. The girls looked to one another and laughed before their attention went back to the singer.

The song soon ended and the room erupted with loud cheers. Glasses could be heard tinking together. A few whistled sharply sounded above the din. Gajeel quickly took a sip of his water bottle before he settled in to play the third song.

The night went smoothly. The guys had perfected the songs through rigorous practice in Gajeel's basement. His neighbors had thought it was cool at first, and then the five of them played the same measures over and over to get it right and the newness of the songs quickly wore off. The practice had paid off, landing them gig after gig. And even before their small show ended, people bunched around Levy to buy the items they had made for their band.

Sweat poured from the musicians by the middle of their performance. Hot lights above and below them added heat. At one point, Levy had to flag down one of the bartenders to resupply the band with water in between songs. She easily handled all of the cash transactions for the merchandise and advertised their product while wearing one of their custom made t shirts. It had what she hoped would be their album cover once they recorded; a dark grey shirt with a large goldish green swirled square. In the middle of the square was a cloud of black smoke in the shape of a winged dragon, complete with gold and blue highlights. Their band name was printed near the bottom of the square in an outline of block type letters.

While Levy was watching them and marveling at the amount of people crowding around the stage, a man walked up to her. He wore a simple button up and a silver watch on one wrist. "You are their manager, correct?"

Levy turned to him. She nodded. "Yes, Levy McGarden."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is John," he replied with a smile. He held out his hand and she took it with hers to shake. "They put on one hell of a performance."

Levy studied the man. He wasn't dressed as if he was one to go out on a night drinking. He looked rather professional. For almost being 11:45pm, there was styling gel still keeping his hair in place from earlier in the day.

"Yes, they do a great job."

John nodded and watched the band end their fourth song and prep for their final one for the night. He then turned back to Levy. In his hand was one of her homemade fliers advertising Black Dragon Realm. He held it up and began speaking. "I heard they were playing tonight and wanted to check them out for myself. Very impressive, I must say."

Levy smiled. "Thank you."

"Who writes their material?"

"They all pitch in, but Laxus, the singer, writes most of them."

He nodded again, seemingly answering his own questions. He handed her a card. "I represent Riseforth Records. I was hoping we could all meet sometime soon to begin setting up a recording contract."

Levy's mouth dropped open. She blinked. "A-are you serious?!" She cried above the din. This was perfect! They had been hoping and praying someone would see them and offer. But Riseforth Records?! They were one of the biggest labels out there. And they wanted Black Dragon Realm. "Of course! Of course we will."

She took the card from him, glancing at it before returning to the man. "We are free anytime but next Friday at 6pm, where they'll play at the Yukon Bar & Grill."

He asked loudly over the crowd, leaning closer to Levy so she could hear him. "How does Wednesday at 4pm sound?"

"Great! It sounds great!" Levy beamed happily. She handed him one of her cards so he could contact the band through her. She watched stunned as he left with a long glance at the men on stage. She could hardly wrap her head around it. They would be signing into a contract within a few days. Knowing the guys would be as ecstatic as she was now to hear of it, there would be a huge celebration later at their home at Gajeel's house for sure.

The music ended and Laxus took a drink of his water, listening as the crowd cheered. He waited until it had died down a little. "Thank you everyone. It's been an absolute pleasure to be here tonight and play. We have one more for you. Before we play, I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to the band members. I'm Laxus. There's Gray, one of our guitarists, Sting, Natsu on the keyboard, and Gajeel, our awesome drummer."

Gajeel quickly played a little on the drums to testify to Laxus' accolade of himself, as the others had done as well. Their personalities made everyone like them on the spot.

"If you like us and want some more, be sure to visit the Lovely Levy before we leave and purchase a T shirt or hoodie, so you can take us with ya wherever you go." Laxus concluded with a chuckle before readying for the last song.

Everyone's positive reactions added to the satisfying atmosphere on stage. The guys were comfortable and confident in their abilities and put on a great last song performance. Before the song began, Levy received one last push from the some of the crowd who had yet to get buy the merchandise presented on display. The money pouch on the chair beside her was overflowing. They were doing very well.

The last one ended with insane guitar solos and a nice rolling drum rift by Gajeel. Laxus was breathing heavy from his singing as he spoke into the mic. "Thank you everybody, and goodnight!"

The crowd continued to cheer as Gajeel stood up and stretched from sitting the whole time. He took a large drink of his water. Laxus set his guitar gently down on the stage and began to wind up the cord to the mic. In a matter of minutes, they all had their instruments zipped up in their cases and the extra equipment packed up to be taken out to the van they used for their gigs.

Levy helped the last person waiting in line to purchase a shirt, and stuffed the cash in the money pouch. She glanced up at the stage, seeing some of the crowd mingling with the band members. She hurriedly boxed the rest of the items still displayed and carried it with her to the stage.

Gray was showing a few people who had asked his guitar. He smiled as they spoke to him. Natsu was still breaking down the keyboard stand and Sting put Natsu's guitar back into its case for him. Gajeel loudly tapped his drumsticks against the music stand in a complicated rhythm. He saw Levy carrying the box. Stuffing the drumsticks into his back pocket, he took the box to relieve her of its weight. He narrowed his eyes when he realized she looked happier than usual.

"Great, great job up there tonight!" She cried cheerfully.

"You always say we're great." Laxus replied, he slung his instrument case over his shoulder with the strap.

"I mean it. You sounded great, you all looked great. We made a lot in sales too."

"Why are you so hyped? Aren't you usually dragging around this time?" Gajeel asked suspiciously. He shifted the box in his hands.

"She probably bought one of those fruity drinks from the bar," Sting offered lightly. He grinned at her reaction.

"Are you serious? I can't drink on the job. Plus I wouldn't do that anyways," Levy scrunched her nose. She couldn't handle a lot of alcoholic drinks; her stomach would kill her after one or two, depending on the make. She was bubbling from the surprising encounter with the label representative, which she kept to herself. "Hurry and pack it all up. I want to get back home."

"You all heard her," Gajeel stated with a huge smirk on his face. "Hurry the fuck up 'cause she's tired."

"I did not mean that!" Levy said sternly. She knew the guys were giving her a hard time because they liked her. She ran their marketing and bookings. They wouldn't have gotten very far without her help and guidance. Their manager was very appreciated. Even if they didn't show it traditionally.

Laxus pinched Gray hard in the butt as he walked past carrying his equipment. "Come on, or we'll leave you behind," he called back lazily.

Gray jumped and scowled as he felt the pinch. He pressed his hand to the seat of his jeans. "Why the fuck do you do that?! And in public?!"

"For your reaction. It's funny!"

"Asshole," Gray muttered and collected his things.

Soon they had all of their things packed away in the van. The five of them climbed in and waited for Levy to collect their fee from the Tavern's management. Laxus sat in the driver's seat, with Gajeel behind him and Gray beside him. The other two always sat in the back. Levy demanded the front passenger seat, as sometimes smells would erupt from the back. She loved having the automated windows in case it happened.

It was almost 12:30am when she opened the passenger door to climb in. She sighed as her rear settled into the seat. "Ah. It's been a long night."

"What's the verdict?" Laxus asked her, motioning back towards the establishment with his head.

"They liked you a lot. The manager told me you guys always have a spot on their mic nights."

"Awesome." His lips spread into a smile. He pulled out of the parking space and headed out on the main road.

It took them a half hour to drive back to their town. Everyone was silent. It was late and they were feeling it, especially after the energy they spent practicing before and then during the performance. Levy let her head tilt back on the headrest. She wanted to tell them about the exciting news she had, but she wanted to wait until they were home.

They shared a house. All five of them. Levy still thought she had signed her life away when she moved in with them. But Gajeel's house was large enough for all of them to have their own rooms. All pooled their money for rent, groceries, and bills, and it made it easier for them to coordinate their schedules. She figured when they did sign onto a label, they'd be on the road more often than not.

Laxus pulled the van up into the drive. The guys brought in all of their equipment in two trips. While they did, Levy sat at the large kitchen table and counted the money they made with sales. She wrote down all the information and calculated it into their expenses. This time they made more money than breaking even. She was very pleased.

"Looks good then." Gajeel commented to her as he placed a hand on the back of her chair, watching her write down numbers.

"Very good." She nodded. "We made a small profit on top of expenses."

"Hell yeah."

She stifled a yawn, but continued to write down the things she would need to record anyways if she put it off for later. When she was done, he put the money back into the pouch and placed it with the box of merchandise.

In the living room, she found the guys had brought food from the kitchen and were digging in before heading to bed. They were lounging casually on the long brown couch that took up half the room and were talkative despite all of them being on the edge of sleepiness. Now was a good time as any, she supposed.

"I have some more good news," She said clearly, leaning on door frame leading into living room. They looked up expectantly as they ate. Gajeel stood to the side sipping from a drinking glass.

She took a deep breath. "While you were performing, a representative from Riseforth Records came up to me and he loved your sound and look so much that he wants to sign you to the label."

"What! That's huge!" Gray exclaimed, his eyes wide. Natsu nodded with smile threatening to drop the food in his mouth. Laxus' arm shot up in the air and he made a gleeful sound with his mouth, while Sting sat back against the couch with a dazed expression.

"It's fucking fantastic," Gajeel said, and in his excitement, leaned around to kiss Levy's cheek. She laughed, feeling good about telling them before bedtime.

"I thought you might be happy. We're meeting with them Wednesday at 3pm. I'm so excited and so proud. You've all worked so hard to get where you are." She turned to leave them to head to her bedroom, kicking off her shoes. "You guys do what you want, I'm going to bed. I'm so tired."

Gajeel smirked as she yawned again. "See? What did I tell ya."

"Shut up," she said sleepily, but smiled. She loved the band. She had put about as much if not more time and effort into making them big. Black Dragon Realm was as much hers as it was theirs. "Goodnight boys. I'll see you in the morning."

Gray turned the television on, telling Sting who was standing to sit down or go to bed, as he was blocking the screen. As Levy started up the stairs, Gajeel watched her. He wasn't that tired, but he didn't feel like hanging out the with others. He wanted to spend more time with Levy. It was something he couldn't shake. Settling for seeing her in the morning, he quickly drained his glass and headed upstairs to his own room.

His room had drum posters all over the walls. A pack of wooden drumsticks that he hadn't had to open sat on the dresser. He absentmindedly plugged his phone into the wall to charge. Changing out of his clothes, he walked over to shut the door. Across the hall, he saw Levy's door was wide open.

She sat on her bed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, putting lotion on her arms and legs. It took Gajeel more effort to pull his eyes away from her and close his door. He couldn't understand why he was feeling that way for her when there had never been any prior feelings. He had tried fighting it for so long, but it seemed like his emotions were getting the better of him. Though maybe it was the good news they had just received.

Settling on his bed, he grabbed his acoustic guitar from its stand by the nightstand and began to play the notes he had had in mind for a new song, all while thinking of the woman across the hall.