Gajeel was glad Levy had mentioned the sports complex after he said the mall was lame. He liked it because of the variety, from dodgeball on the trampolines to roller skating. He particularly liked the obstacle courses, pushing himself more and more each time he tired them. He wanted it to be a relaxing time with Levy though, so maybe some skating or just playing some catch. He had suggested picking her up, but she declined and said they should meet there when they opened at 10 am.

Gajeel got up extra early, making sure to style his hair in a slicked back man bun. He decided to wear plain black basketball shorts with a matching tank top. It showed off both his muscles and the surface piercings on his arms. He wouldn't let anyone else know this, but all the piercings he had aside from the ones on his ears and the top of his nose were natural. Meaning they were growing from his bones, but not the cartilage. He was pretty much done, so he just hung out until it was time to go.

Levy meanwhile, has a similar idea. She got up a tad earlier than usual on a Saturday morning. Usually she'd do some light reading before everyone else in the house was awake, but she was just trying to get out today. She wore a mustard yellow shirt with the words "Let Me a Piece of That Funk", a song by a small band she liked, and black leggings. Even though her hair was short, she opted to put it in a high ponytail like she did when training.

On her way out, she could see other housemates training and practicing with each other. Walking past the training room she heard two fists colliding, meaning one thing, Gray and Natsu were having a "friendly" match. She also heard the voices of Jet and Droy from inside, trying to break it up. Even on a regular day, most people knew not to spar with them together, it would devolve into a brawl of just those two. Then she passed Wendy, rushing outside with Mest so she could show him how much better she was at controlling the wind. Levy didn't have anything against Mest, but she understood why people were so uncomfortable with him. He could alter memories, was only around every once in a while, and usually kept to himself; but nonetheless, he'd formed a brotherly relationship with their little Wendy, like Laxus was to her when they were little.

When she finally got out the door and walked through the yard, she heard a car pull up next to her, it was Laxus.

"Where are you going?" He said with a raised eyebrow, slowly driving next to her.

"I'm going to hang out with Gajeel at the sports complex." She continued walking.

"Get in, I'll drive you."

"I think I'm good. It's not too far."

"I insist." He stopped the car and opened the door.

Levy rolled her eyes and got in. Laxus drove a convertible with a purple duo chrome paint job. It was Laxus' baby, he never let anyone else drive it around. Most of the ride was silent, until Levy spoke up, telling Laxus that this wasn't a date. He had an unimpressed look on his face, telling her it didn't matter if it was a date or not, which wasn't the whole truth. Levy could tell, but she wasn't willing to open that can of worms today.

Rolling up to the sports complex, Levy got out and waved bye to Laxus before entering the building that had just opened. As the blunette walked through the door, she saw Gajeel already waiting for her, having already paid for their passes. He was ready for a fun filled day of trampolines, ice skating, and bounce castles. He paid an hour for each activity, so they'd have ample time to hang out and have fun.

Levy figured they should skate first, Gajeel agreed. Although he wasn't a good ice skater, he didn't mind it, Levy on the other hand was pretty decent. She didn't do it very often, but when she was younger, before both her parents died, they'd take her skating all the time. She had a good time, skating around the rink a couple times before holding onto Gajeel's hand to pull him out from the wall he was holding onto. Out of his comfort zone, he had to fully trust the girl in front of him and try to keep himself steady to keep from falling and taking her with him.

Next were the bounce castles, there were multiple areas, specifically for kids and adults. Gajeel made a sarcastic remark about how Levy could pretend to be a kid. She obviously wasn't amused as she walked to an adult castle and started jumping. The raven haired boy joined her, making her jumps go higher when he came down. It took them both back to being kids, happier times when each of them had their biological parents. After Gajeel's father left, he went from orphanage to orphanage until he met Jose. From then on, there wasn't too much fun to be had when he was around, but he still had to respect the man since he was the one taking care of his needs. Levy, on the other hand, still had lots of fun after the passing of her father. She did have a rough time with her grief, but Macarov helped her remember that being a kid was supposed to be fun.

It was still pretty early in the day, it almost being around 2 when they were finished with the regular trampolines. Each of them admitting that they had more for than they expected to. As a snack, they got a small pizza to share and some water to wash it down. Then Gajeel started to say something, but paused, causing Levy to question him.

"What's up?"

"Here's tha deal Shrimp, I've got this friend who likes this girl. But he doesn't know if she actually likes him back, ya know?" He fumbled over his words, trying to mask that he was the friend in question.

"Yeah, but he can just tell her right? Is she dating someone else?" Levy was interested in the conversation, but still oblivious.

"It's hard to say, I mean, she's kinda got someone who's always around, but I wouldn't say it's her boyfriend. And what if he tells her and she doesn't feel the same way. It'd be embarrassing."

"He won't know until he tries right? Honestly, I think he should say something to her." Levy smiled softly as she finished her water.

"Well, no, I'll let him know. You're so smart, this is why I asked you instead of that idiot Gray." He smiled at the thought of getting his advice, Gray may have had a girlfriend, but Juvia was the one making all the moves.

"Do I know this friend of yours? I could always tell him in person, you know." Levy beamed brightly.

"Nah, he lives over in Oak Town so you wouldn't know him." Trying to defend against her prying, he thought this would be a good cover.

"Ah, that's fine then. Any other place you wanna go or was this pretty much it for today?"

"Um, there's an ice cream parlor nearby Shrimp, it's within walking distance, so there's no need to drive."

"I forgot you can drive Gajeel, you always just walk to school."

"I mean, it saves on gas, and school isn't too far for either of us." He shrugged, he didn't mind driving, but it wasn't up to the hype people made it out to be.

They got up from their table and walked outside, the sun being higher than when they entered the building that morning. The parlor was only about two blocks away, so it would be a quick trip. There weren't too many people out at the time, giving ample space to walk on the sidewalk. The day was nice and warm too, feeling the sun on her skin, Levy started happily humming the song Loveseat, another song by the same band her t-shirt was from. She'd only seen them twice in person, but they had found a place in her heart. They were a pretty funky group, inspired by the '70s, which wasn't her usual taste, but their songs were just so memorable and catchy.

They came right across the street from the ice cream parlor. Levy was already giddy, excited about getting her favorite flavor, Superman. She remembered before her father died, they'd get ice cream with Makarov and Laxus. She used to only like orange sherbert, but one day, while they went for ice cream Laxus had her taste what his favorite was, Superman ice cream. From that day forward, Levy would always get that flavor, only occasionally getting something different if it was a seasonal flavor. Gajeel on the other hand, had no preference, not having any particular flavor tied to emotions, just going with what sounded good in the moment.

"Hi, I'll have one scoop of Superman ice cream in a cup please." Levy smiled at the man behind the counter, an older gentleman.

"One scoop of Superman coming right up! And for you sir?"

"Two scoops, rocky road and mint chip."

The older man gave a thumbs up and went to make their orders, Levy offered to pay for her own, but Gajeel gave her a look that clearly said, 'don't worry about it'. She rolled her eyes and put her money away as he paid. They grabbed their cups and went to sit outside in the sun under a small shade. Eating their ice cream in silence, it actually grew awkward.

"So what was that song you were humming earlier, sounded pretty cute." Gajeel smirked and continued to eat.

"Oh, it's a song from a band I like, they're called Raspberry Pie. They're pretty cool actually." She pulled out her phone and started playing Loveseat, bobbing her head to it.

"Heh, I guess it is a good song. But then, why dontcha ever hum any of my songs? I'm your friend gihee." Gajeel let out his signature laugh and started singing 'shooby doo ba'.

"Because you rarely write them down, and frankly you aren't that great at singing." She lowered her voice so he couldn't really hear the last part.

"What's that Shrimp, can't hear you from wayyyy down there." Gajeel hadn't teased her much all day, which wasn't a bad thing, he just wanted to have a good time.

"No one said for you to be so giant either." She rolled her eyes as she shot back at him. "You've barely touched your rocky road, is it that bad?"

"It's meh, honestly, the truck it came on would probably taste better." Gajeel laughed at his own absurdity, the thought of eating a metal truck.

"Hm, that is something I've been wondering about Gajeel, if your ability is coating your skin in steel, does that mean the minerals in your body are helping to produce it? Like would the composition change if you were to change your diet? Or maybe it wouldn't be as strong if you had a poor diet?"

"Whoa shrimp, that's a lot of questions and frankly, I don't have any answers. I don't think about how my powers work, I just use them. I appreciate the questions though, it makes me feel kinda cool. Almost like Superman, but he's not hated. People love him, but not mutants like me."

"Well, he's an alien, and he's fictional. They say that people hate what they don't understand, but people know everything about Superman, and like I said, he's not real. I'm sure some of the people who dislike mutants are just afraid and don't get that all of us are still human." Levy reassured.

"Us?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow,

"I mean, mutants and non mutants. I used the word 'us' as a sign of solidarity…" She was flustered and accidentally let it slip.

"I get ya, I was just teasing, I'm sure your power would just be you being tiny, gihee." He laughed as his phone buzzed, but he declined it.

"Who's that?" Levy's looked over.

"Just Jose, he runs the orphanage." He shrugged. Levy didn't need to know anything about Jose.

"Huh okay, you sure you don't need to answer it?"

"Nah, if he really needs me, he'll call again. Anyway, let's walk off this ice cream." He threw up his arms and picked up her empty bowl and his almost empty one, taking them to the nearest trash can.

They walked around a bit, looking at some of the little shops in the area. They'd walk in, look around, and then leave. There was everything from an earthy store that sold crystals to a toy store with trinkets and things that were niche that they were both confused as to who would buy such a thing. Levy had been having a good time so far, it was the first time they'd hung out, just the two of them. Usually it was a group of them, primarily with their couple friends or just with Jet and Droy.

Levy thought of when Jet and Droy first met her, it was the summer before 7th grade. The two boys had been friends and neighbors, so when each of them got powers, their parents thought it best to send them away together. She still saw them as the little ginger haired kid and the boy whose hair looked like a flower stem. And from the minute they saw her sitting, reading, they knew they wanted to be her friends. They never really trained as kids, just practicing on how they could control their powers and make use of them in normal situations. At some point, they dubbed themselves "Team Shadow Gear", but only because Laxus had his own crew.

Then freshman year, they all met Gajeel. It wasn't the smoothest of meetings, but eventually they all became friends. Gajeel had been both standoffish and a show off, only people like he and Laxus could manage to pull that off. It wasn't that he was mean, just antisocial, so Levy was always keen on being nice to him, and by the middle of that year, he was stuck to her like glue. It took a little longer for Jet and Droy to grow on him, but it all worked out. They didn't really enjoy the fact that Gajeel was open and showy with his powers, but it didn't raise any suspicions, so they just went along with it. Thankfully by the end of sophomore year, he toned down on actively using his powers in public, it wasn't at a minimum, but it sure wasn't what he used to do. She absent mindedly chuckled as she thought about when he would be covered in steel, all day, at school; not like many of their teachers said anything, but it was intimidating.

"Whatcha laughin' about?"

"Just how you'd cover yourself in steel all day back freshman year. Was that like a defense mechanism or something?" Levy laughed some more.

"Technically, yeah, but if I'm hitting someone, you can call it an offense mechanism." Smiling back, he thought it was clever to use the opposite word, despite the fact that it wasn't a real phrase.

"Mmm", Levy shrugged as they stopped at a crosswalk, pressing the button and looking both ways.

Gajeel's phone rang again, he quickly declined it, coming to Levy at the corner. It was safe to walk now, nothing was coming either, so they started to cross. He didn't like that Jose kept calling, it wasn't exactly like him, so he decided to send a text. He asked if they could talk later, but Jose replied saying he needed Gajeel to come home. Gajeel only rolled his eyes, telling Levy they had to cut it short, she was fine with it.

Gajeel drove a plain black Jeep, he only drove it when his destination wasn't within walking distance, which wasn't very often. This was Levy's first time riding with him, there wasn't anything of note in the car aside from a few old discs. Gajeel gave her the aux cord, saying she should play more songs by that band she likes. She did, playing some of their work. The ride home was really smooth, jamming out to the music while they rode back to where Levy lived. He had stopped at the gate, looking at her.

"Well, we're here."

"Yep, seems so. I had a really great time today. We should do it more often." The bluenette shot him a smile while unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Only if your boyfriend says it's okay gihee."

"I don't have a boyfriend Gajeel." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm talking about Laxus, Shrimp."

"Ugh, he's not my boyfriend. I told you yesterday not to listen to him. We never dated and we don't plan to either." Levy huffed in annoyance.

"It was a joke, man, you're really bad at getting jokes. I get it, you two are close, a lot closer than we'd ever be; but like, what's the deal?" He turned to be almost fully facing her.

"He used to be my best friend, like before I met Jet and Droy. And yeah, I may have liked at one point or another, that doesn't mean I'd date him." Levy said in a stern tone of voice.

"I didn't know it was like that. I won't joke like that again." He said, rubbing his neck, already knowing half the story.

"Honestly, I wouldn't even agree to date him if he asked." She said getting out of the car.

"Wait what?!" Gajeel was shocked, getting out of the car too.

"Um, yeah. I'm a junior in high school and he graduated last year. That's not the best look Gajeel, it's a prison sentence waiting to happen, just be real. Plus, I barely like him anymore." She said matter of factly.

"Yeah, that does look bad. So like, is there anyone you do like?"

"If you have to ask, then I probably shouldn't tell you." Opening up the gate she walked all the way to the front door of the mansion, leaving Gajeel alone outside of it.

Of course he liked Levy, but she never really gave him any real indication of if she liked him back. Unlike Gray, she saw it as a risk to date a mutant who didn't know she was a mutant; and unlike Natsu, she wasn't willing to tell her partner the truth. So she opted for a life of solitude rather than trying to look for love. She knew Gajeel liked her, and she liked him, but she didn't want anything bad to happen if he found out; the betrayal he might feel that she hid that from him. Instead of thinking of all the things that could happen or potential outcomes, she decided to take a nap.

Gajeel had just gotten home from his outing with Levy, already seeing Jose at the front door.

"You needed me?"

Jose nodded and led Gajeel into his study, motioning to his computer. On the screen, it looked like an old book. It had some sort of Latin written on it.

"What am I looking at?" Gajeel looked quizzically.

Jose smirked, sitting in his chair and kicking up his feet. "Your next job. This book is rumored to have secrets about mutant DNA and it goes for a lot of cash. That's why I need you to take it from the museum."

"So it's a heist. And how are you gonna sell it, s'gonna be pretty hard to do it covertly?"

"I already have a contact. If we get this right, I'll be a rich man."

"When's the job?" He crossed his arms.

"Tonight. I already have the plans. It should be simple enough, in and out."

Gajeel was pretty peeved that it was a last minute job, usually if they need to smash and grab, they have at least a week of prep time, at least this job was in town though, the rest were in the surrounding areas. But he wasn't one to complain, he also wasn't one to disobey Jose. Being the longest "father" he had, he would do anything for his approval, even being a criminal.

Gajeel agreed to take on the job, going over the notes and plans since he was the de facto team leader. It seemed fine, sneak in around closing, cut the cams, knock out the guards, get the book, get out. They had everything from the floor plan to the guard schedule, meaning Jose had been keeping all this to himself until now, stalling their preparations.

"Ju, we got a job tonight, you coming?" He yelled up the stairs.

"Yes, let me change, Juvia would never let you go on a mission alone." She shouted back.

Their typical attire for a job would be dark blue, much to Juvia's enjoyment. Gajeel was more of a black kind of guy himself, but blue was better when blending in at night. They both wore dark blue catsuits and matching masks. Considering they both had long hair, they pulled their hair into tight buns under tight skull caps. They were practically done, so they went to the door.

"Totomaru, Juvia thought you were coming too?"

"Nah, it's way too short notice for me to be interested." Totomaru said while clicking through channels on the television.

"You're as much part of this team as us, and I'm the leader. So I say you get dressed and come on"

"I might be part of the team, but unlike you Gajeel, I don't have a father figure I'm trying to please. You ever wonder why Aria and Sol left? Because they knew there was no pleasing him. You just just want "daddy" to call you a good boy and give you affection, but you know he's using you. That's why I'm not going." Totomaru spat his words with a hint of anger. He himself wanted a real father figure too, but he'd learned long ago that Jose wasn't going to give him that.

Gajeel turned away and they left; angry at Totomaru, he knew it was right. But he wanted to fight for the love he oh so craved. Giving Juvia a rundown on the way, she understood to follow his lead. Stealing wasn't Juvia's strong suit, but she and Gajeel were like siblings, and she wasn't gonna let him do this on his own.

Once they got to the museum, they followed the plans; going in through the maintenance hatch on the roof, locating all the cameras and disabling them. In the plans, they noted that the cameras weren't water resistant, so this was Juvia's time to take some water from the sprinkler system to fry every cam in their vicinity as they crept through the empty halls. They had time to keep though, making sure the guards were where they needed to be before Gajeel knocked them out, each with one hit.

Upon coming into the room that contained the book, Gajeel stood before the glass case, contemplating whether or not he should just swipe it. There wasn't any indication of an alarm system, but there was no telling, he simply lifted the case and grabbed the book. Everything was fine, so he thought nothing of it.

But in all actuality, there was an alarm system, one that not even the museum knew about. Macarov has secretly placed small alarm systems in every building in town to keep the people safe, discreetly. So at the mansion, alarms were blaring.

"Gramps what's happening?" Laxus burst into the meeting room.

"A robbery at the museum, you must get there quickly to apprehend the perpetrators. Unfortunately the only other people around right now are Levy and Gray, I have already briefed them on the task at hand, they are waiting. And please don't forget to use your codenames."

"Got it!"

Laxus jumped into action, it was rare that he got to fight criminals, but he lived for this stuff. His suit was purple and gold, like everyone else's, it was a combination of his favorite color and gold, the color Macarov chose to represent his children. Levy's was orange and gold, while Gray's was black and gold, each of them having similar face coverings as well, all having an eye shield and a half mask.

While all of them had basic protection with their costumes, each of them had extra modifications based on their own powers. Gray's costume had extra insulation to keep him protected from anything he freezes around him, while Laxus' had rubber laced inside to resist any of his own electricity. Even Natsu's suit was fire retardant in case he lost control of his flames. Levy's own suit had special openings around her palms and fingers to make it easier to create items. Even after all the special mods their suits had, everyone could make their own personal adjustments, as long as it didn't compromise the integrity or safety of the costume.

On the way, Laxus discussed with them how the perps got in, saying they hadn't tripped any of the actual alarms, so they were skilled, or at least planned this. Considering there was no footage, they knew they weren't dealing with common thugs. As they pulled up in the back alley behind the museum, they noticed that the door was locked, so they checked the maintenance hatch on the roof. Once inside, Laxus told them to remain on guard and quiet as they stalked the hallways, looking for whoever broke in. When they heard a laugh coming from around a corner, they all hid as the voice came closer. They all recognized it as Gajeel's, laughing at how easy it was to swipe the artifact and his signature singing of 'shooby doo ba'. As he and his companion walked past their hiding place, Laxus jumped out behind them, with Levy and Gray in tow.

"Isn't it a bit late to be touring the museum? It closed about two hours ago." In an effort to mask his voice, he said this in a deeper tone than usual, with a hidden smug grin.

Gajeel and Juvia turned quickly to face them, caught off guard that they had company.

"I just thought it'd be less crowded at closing, but I didn't expect you to have the same idea. Rainwoman?"

"Right Kurogane!"

In that instance, Juvia reached her hands toward the ceiling to summon water from the sprinkler system. This time it wasn't just a little, she had summoned a large wave to go towards them. Thankfully Gray was ready and froze it, creating an ice wall between the two parties. Before he could confirm that his team was okay, they were knocked back by the force of Gajeel punching through the icy barrier in his steel form. At that point, they were on the floor getting their bearings before another rush of water came to them. Again, he froze it before Laxus instructed them on what to do.

"Freezer Burn, you take that water nymph. I'll take on the iron giant. Artificer, when I get that book out of his hands, take it and run." Laxus gave his orders and they all nodded in agreement before breaking from their space.

Gray went to fight Juvia, but rather than actually fighting, he was more defending against her attacks and keeping her busy. She made light jokes about chivalry not being as dead as she thought all while trying to slice him with her water. Gray was afraid to speak to her, worried she'd know it was him. Another thing he realized was that she wasn't speaking in third person, it was like a different Juvia than the one he was actually dating. Laxus on the other hand wasn't holding back. He and Gajeel seemed evenly matched, but he could tell Gajeel had no formal training, his punches being more erratic rather than calculated and precise. Laxus managed to get behind him and swiped the book, throwing it in Levy's direction. Once caught, she ran from the scene to find a good place to hold up until it was over. She wasn't a fighter, they all knew that, no matter how much training she did, she knew fighting wasn't her best option.

"Looks like you and your partner aren't getting along too well Freezer Burn, how's about we switch!" Laxus piped up while grabbing Gray's hand and throwing him in Gajeel's direction.

"Thanks for the heads up Raiju." He said sarcastically, forming an ice shield to protect from Gajeel's attacks.

Laxus knew his fight with Juvia wasn't going to be a problem, not just because he wasn't dating her, but because lightning was strong against water. He suggested that she just surrender, but she wasn't having it. She lunged at him, but he easily dodged it. Then having her where he wanted, he knelt down, electrifying the puddle of water around her, he made sure it was only strong enough to knock her out. Her pained cry alerted Gray, making him take his eyes off Gajeel and their own fight. This gave him the chance to sucker punch Gray and chase after the girl who had his loot. This made Laxus pretty upset, but he had to secure Gray's little girlfriend so she couldn't escape. He put her in a corner and found some zip ties on one of the knocked out guards nearby and tossed Gray over his shoulder to hurry after his opponent.

Gajeel was already way down the hall, he had no idea where that little brat had gone, but he had studied the layout of the museum, and he could tell the wall before him right now, was not in the plans. He started punching through the wall with all his force, finally running through it before slipping on some marbles that were on the opposite side. He thought she was clever, but as he came to a room, he understood she might not be clever enough. The room he came to had no outlet, meaning that if she was in there, she was trapped.

"Listen I don't usually hit little girls, so if you come out and give me what I want, I'll let you off easy."

No response. She was smart enough not to reveal her location.

"Alright then, I guess I'll have to convince you in another way." He began stalking around the room, looking behind objects for who he was looking for.

Before he had even got there Levy created a small box, just big enough for the book to fit into. She had already stashed it in a crevice on the far side of the room so that even if he found her, he wouldn't find the book. Levy had never been this nervous in her life. She had just seen Gajeel and Juvia go all out with their powers, she'd never even seen them fight before. She tried hard not to let it over take her mind in this situation as she needed to focus. As he slowly stalked around, she crawled so that her hiding place wasn't discovered. Soon enough though, he began talking again.

"Come on little girl, you can't hide all night!" He started to sound agitated, having been in here too long.

Then all of a sudden, he started punching the pillars, trying to scare her out. Levy made a small squeak, alerting him to her location. He smirked, rushing at the sound of her voice before having a rock thrown at him. It didn't do anything, but Levy's energy was waning, the wall had made her a bit weak, but she didn't want to give up. He laughed as she kept throwing rocks at his form, causing her to back away from him in fear. When her back was to a wall, he threw a punch, but she ducked away from it, getting behind him and quicking trying to evade his sight, but she wasn't getting away that easily. She tried to throw a punch at him, but his steel was too hard for her to make any sort of impact. Her weak attacks just made him laugh more, and his voice sounded more sadistic than before, teasing her.

"You'll have to hit harder than that little one," he said as he punched her in the stomach, "you've got some spunk thinking you could handle me, but you were dead wrong."

He slammed her to the ground, making her cough. He backed away noticing that the book was nowhere on her person.

"Where is it?"

Levy started to laugh nervously, trying her best to mask her pain and terror. "I'm not telling", was all she could mutter, not truly believing this was the Gajeel she knew, then again, how could she have known this side of him.

"I'm not messing around kid, like I said, I don't usually go around hitting on little girls, but you've tested me enough." There was a bit more anger in his voice now as he threw her at the nearest wall.

The wind was knocked out of her as she felt his hand around her neck. Nothing could have prepared her for this. Only hours ago, he showed her a good time, but now he was practically gonna kill her. She knew that he didn't know it was her, but somewhere inside, Levy hoped that if he had known, he wouldn't be doing this to her.

"Now tell me, where's that book?" He leaned in really close so his voice was a whisper. Upon her shaking her head, he tightened his grip around her neck, making her squeal in pain as her airways were being closed.

Levy was slowly losing consciousness, not even being able to think her way out of his grip. Her eyes were fluttering shut as she heard a yell and saw a blurry figure run towards her. She felt her body hit the cold floor before blacking out.

Laxus had gotten there just in time. He had seen Gajeel, the guy who was supposed to have a crush on Levy, was probably gonna end up killing her. He rushed in without thinking, completely dropping Gray's body on the floor before rushing in, yelling the word 'bastard' as he sent a localized shock through Gajeel's body. Gajeel was surprised at the sudden shock, falling to the ground with a thud, Levy's body following to the floor before Laxus cradled her against him.

Gray woke from the sudden coldness of the floor to the aftermath of what he had missed. He suggested that they take Gajeel and Juvia home, even if they were enemies at the moment, he still cared about them. As much as Laxus hated the idea, Levy wouldn't forgive him. But first, they needed to find the book and put it back. Once they found it, hidden behind a large tapestry, Gray hurried to the other side of the museum to put it back in its place while Laxus carried Levy and Gajeel back to their vehicle. He unceremoniously threw the man's unconscious body in the cargo bed while he gently laid Levy's in the back seat, feeling somewhat responsible for her condition. Gray came out moments later, carrying his girlfriend's body bridal style, feeling pretty bad himself. They rode in silence, dropping Gajeel and Juvia bodies in front of their home, then playing a game ding dong ditch so they could get out of there quickly, but making sure they were safe.

Once home at the mansion, Laxus rushed in to get Porlyusica, their live-in doctor. She too was a mutant, but even she wasn't too keen to use her powers if it was anything small. She had determined that Gray and Laxus' injuries were minor and needed no immediate attention, but Levy's were a bit more severe. She didn't have any broken bones thankfully, just a lot of bruising, inside and out. She did what she could to help the healing process, but the rest was up to Levy's own body. Everyone left her to rest there, everyone but Laxus, he vowed to keep her company through the night.