it's a good Saturday morning in the midwest, my pretties! I hope you like these next 5 chapters of the king's mate!

I can tell this story is going to be a bit hefty, probably up there with "karma", so I'm really excited to take this story where I want it to go! There's gonna be so much drama omg lol.

chapter 5 was really fun for me to write, and it was my favorite one so far!

Thank you to my loyal readers for returning to my page for my new story, and I really hope these next few chapters are enough to keep you interested!

you know what to do! leave comments and reviews!

enjoy :)

An Attempt to be Cordial

Gajeel was up earlier than usual that morning. He tried getting back to sleep but he felt a bit on the antsier side, so he decided to work on the desk a little more to busy his hands. He needed the fresh air, anyway, being cooped up in that house with her energy permeating the area so boldly was making his head spin. He was up before the sun rose, so it was brisk. A light frosting of dew covered the leaves and grass and the air smelled crisp. He liked being warm. He would have worn a sweater, but he knew he was going to get hot in that shed.

Damn, she looked so cozy last night. What he would have given to crawl into those covers with her. 'What? I don't wanna do that!' He shook his head, as if erasing the thought from his mind like an etch-a-sketch. He was feeling a little better since he apologized, and she didn't seem hostile when he did… it had to be a step in the right direction. Would she speak to him normally? Would they ever be able to get along?

He was only outside for thirty minutes before he felt like he needed to go inside.

"Ah, good morning, Gajeel," Lily greeted from the couch. He was enjoying his morning kiwi and lacrima-vision when his friend entered through the front door looking antsy. "I didn't even know you were outside."

"Yeah," he said, combing his fingers through his hair. "But I was only out there for a half hour."

"What's wrong? You look bothered. Did something happen with Levy again?"

"No, I went an' apologized like ya said," Gajeel replied.

"Well! That was faster than I anticipated. How did it go?"

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. She didn't say anythin'. But she wasn't hostile, so that's good, right?"

"That's excellent!" Lily was excited! He didn't expect her to cool off so quickly! "Maybe she will be willing to teach you soon."

"I told her we could start today, just ta let me know," he said, headed to the kitchen. "Hey, ya hungry? I'll make us somethin'."

"I would never turn down free food from the king." Lily stood and followed him to the kitchen, sitting at the small table. "What's the occasion?"

"Nothin', just hungry an' feel like cookin'."

Lily watched his friend, his actions slightly strange recently. They typically did their own thing when it came to food, and he only cooked when Lily requested something specific. So, for him to be offering food out of nowhere was… odd. He'd just observe for now. "How's the desk coming along? You've spent quite some time on it."

"Yeah. Almost done." Gajeel decided to put his pettiness aside and give her the desk like he originally planned to do. He figured if he were the bigger person, maybe he'd earn her respect. "It's hers."

"You're… building her a desk?" He just despised her just yesterday!

"It was originally fer her, anyway," Gajeel said, pouring mix into a bowl. "I saw all her papers an' books an' shit, an' figured she could use one ta keep her shit organized."

Lily was speechless! Did he not see what was happening? "Well, that's awfully nice of you, Gajeel. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

He grunted in response, stirring the contents of the bowl. This was going to be his best batch yet! He took pride in his cooking, even though he didn't do it much. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to do it more often. What was that about? Well, whatever. At least Lily would like it.

Lily wondered what Levy was up to while Gajeel cooked, and if he was going to make enough for her, too. Was he behaving strangely because Levy was there? Now that they appeared to be cordial, he was looking forward to seeing how they interacted next time. "Smells good."

"I know," he replied with a cocky grin, flipping pancakes on the stove. "All my food smells good. Tastes good, too!"

After a few minutes, there was a plate full of pancakes sitting on the table, and Lily and Gajeel were eating and talking about current events, and Lily's plan to walk the city of Hargeon.

"I don't think yer gonna be able ta just waltz into the city as ya are," Gajeel said, stuffing food into his mouth.

"Not to worry, Gajeel," Lily said in between bites. "I'm good friends with the guards. They'll let me in with no issue. I just don't want to go because the city is a depressing place. Last time we were there, we saw so many beggars, so many homeless."

Now that Lily thought about it, he understood why Levy was so passionate about this. "It may be a little better now, but I can't imagine it being livable."

"Yeah, I know. It was real disturbin' ta see."

"And with us not having heard from Juvia in a few months, I'm concerned for her safety."

"Yeah, an' yer gonna go find her," Gajeel pointed his fork at Lily. "She probably got caught an' they locked her up or somethin'. But I can't step foot in that damn city, even if I wanted ta."

"Yes, I've noticed your presence seems to agitate them. And I do agree with you. I think she must have made some mistake that got her caught. She's not one to shirk her responsibilities."

"Well, when are ya goin'?" Gajeel asked, piling more pancakes onto his plate. "Let me know so I can send ya ta stock up just in case ya don't come back."

Lily nearly spit out his food! "What? You think something will happen to me? That's amusing."

"They got eyes on everythin', Lil. I don't think it'll be as easy as ya think. Ya gotta have a plan. Just 'cause yer in with the guards don't mean they won't catch ya once yer in there."

Lily understood his concerns and didn't want to make any hasty decisions. "Do you think I'll need backup?"

"Fuck, no! That'll draw even more attention. When ya get there, just act like a regular citizen…" he thought for a few seconds. "No, that won't work either. There ain't many Exceeds in Hargeon, so yer gonna stick out like a sore thumb."

"It sounds like no matter what I do, if I go, I'll be suspicious. You can't risk sending another informant."

"Yeah," Gajeel said, pouring himself some orange juice and taking a swig. "We'll figure somethin' out."

They were silent for a few more minutes while they ate, listening to the background noise coming from the lacrima-vision in the living room. Lily noticed that Gajeel was still feeling antsy, his leg shaking rapidly under the table. It could be because he'd been confined to this house for months so far, but he seemed to flourish in this environment. Maybe it was because he was nervous about the whole Hargeon ordeal and the possibility of starting a war.

Whatever it was, they were in it together.

"Have ya heard from her this mornin' yet?" Gajeel asked nonchalantly, breaking the silence.

Or… was it because of Levy? That made so much more sense! Gajeel always kept his cool throughout his time as ruler, never appearing to be phased by anything serious. He solved the problem and that was that. But recently? Lily had never seen him so shaken up. "No, I think she's still sleeping. Why?"

Why, indeed. "Just wonderin'. I'm gonna go finish the desk."

Lily sat silently as his friend quickly made his way outside. And as if she were waiting for the perfect moment to come down, Levy emerged from her room and came down the steps with a yawn. "Good morning, Levy! Just waking up?"

Levy woke up in a fantastic mood! She was excited to get to share what she knew, even if it was with a douchebag. She already had her first day's plan laid out! She just hoped he didn't mind that she slept in a bit! She had to keep some form of professionalism. She went downstairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes when she was greeted by Lily.

"Morning," she glanced around, looking for you know who. "Yeah, not too long ago. Ooo~ pancakes! A perfect way to start the day!"

"Have as many as you'd like," Lily had a suspicion they were for her, anyway.

"I will gladly take you up on that offer!" Levy excitedly sat down and helped herself, humming with each bite she took. "These are delicious! Thank you!"

Should he tell her Gajeel made them? How would she react? 'I think I'll keep this one to myself.'

"Lily, I'm so excited!" Levy said through mouthfuls of pancake. "I already have a syllabus laid out and everything! This is the first time I get to share what I know with someone willing to listen!"

"Sounds like you have a packed schedule," Lily commented, wondering when she had the time to create one. She was fast.

"Well, it's not too packed. I don't know if he's a quick learner, so I planned a light first day."

"I must say, he's pretty quick on his feet when it comes to learning something new," Lily explained, debating on if he wanted another kiwi or not. "I don't think you'll have any trouble with him."

Well… besides the normal trouble she already had.

"That's good to hear, then." As much as she tried, she couldn't hide the contempt she had for him. She only hoped that it got better with time.

About three hours later, Levy had the small kitchen table covered in papers and books, ready to start the first lesson. She decided to wait until he came back in from whatever he was doing and let him reach out to her first… even though she really should apologize to him. It was just so hard! 'He's just not worthy,' she whined in her head. But he sure looked a lot different than he did in the books!

She only knew it was him from the studs embedded into his face and the piercing red eyes, and whoever did his portrait and put it into the books was not very good at their job! The books portray him as some skinny guy with well-kept hair. He was much more buff and rugged than she anticipated! And that personality? He's got such a foul mouth, that anyone meeting him would never believe he's king! Such a rude and petty guy!

Though, she supposed he had his reasons for being guarded. He was King after all, and he wasn't really allowed to show any weaknesses. Because the moment he did?

The sound of the front door opening brought her out of her thoughts, and she heard Lily greet him and direct him to the kitchen. 'Here we go.'

Gajeel stood in the entryway of the kitchen, willing himself to move his feet and stop staring at the back of her head. He glanced at the table, she had shit ready! A small part of him was excited to finally learn and understand the language of his kind, but the other part of him was nervous as hell! He was going to have to be in close proximity to her for a while, and until he got used to her intense energy, it would be extremely challenging!

He was going to see if Lily felt the strength of her energy too, or if he was just going crazy.

Was he just standing there staring at her? Why was he being so weird?! Gods! It was bad enough she'd been feeling off since she got there, he didn't need to go and make things even weirder! Should she speak up? What would she even say? 'Just turn around and apologize!' Fine. She'd be the bigger person, here! She whipped around faster than she'd like to admit, not expecting him to be standing so close to her! Seriously, he was like a foot away! And he was sweaty! …not that she minded.

He cleared his throat and stepped around her, when did he get so close to her? He sat in the chair across from her, trying his hardest to not stare at the siren before him, but it was just impossible. She'd quickly directed her attention back to the papers in front of her, concentrating on writing something up. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she had red glasses on, which suited her well, he had to admit.

Was he seriously just going to sit across from her and stare at her like this?! Was he aware that she could feel his every glance? She already had to look past the fact that his energy was clinging to her and smelling up the room, now she had to deal with his watchful eyes? Ugh. "If you're going to keep staring at me, at least say something."

"Oh, uh," he sat up, adjusting himself in his chair. How did she always know? She hadn't even looked at him! "Sorry."

She sighed, organizing papers and laying them out neatly on the table. She was ready! She just wasn't looking forward to spending so much time with him. "It's fine. Are you ready?"

"'Bout as ready as I'll ever be," he answered honestly.

"Okay, then," she slid a book and a sheet of paper over to him, the book was a beginner's book and the paper had the basics written down, such as the Dragonic alphabet, numbers, and formal and informal pronouns. "How much do you already know?"

He looked at the paper, his eyes going wide. He didn't know any of this shit! How embarrassing! "I'm gonna be honest, I don't really know anythin'. Ya got yer work cut out fer ya."

"How can you…?!" Levy let her head fall into her palm, trying not to let her frustrations get the best of her. "That's ridiculous."

Gajeel sat back in his chair, smirking at her. Should he push her buttons? "What? Don't tell me ya don't wanna teach me. Or is it that ya can't?"

"Shut up! I can teach you just fine. Unless you're slow in the head, which I think you actually might be," she retorted. "How someone like you is King of Fiore is beyond me."

"Just get ta teachin', lady!" Gajeel grunted out, crossing his arms.

"Well, it's kind of hard when you're all sweaty and smelly," she muttered, taking the paper back and writing up something simpler.

"Ya got a problem with it?"

"Yeah, I do!"

"Tough. Deal with it, an' do yer job. Ya don't hear me complainin' 'bout yer smell, an' I hafta deal with that shit with my sensitive nose."

She looked up and glared at him, there was absolutely no way she smelled! Why did he keep saying that?!

"Before ya start talkin' shit, lemme ask ya somethin'," he said, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward. "Do I have a strong presence? Ya seem ta notice me even when I'm bein' discreet."

She put her pen down and looked at him quizzically. "Why?"

"I dunno," he leaned back again. "Sometimes, I need ta move in silence, so I've mastered the art of hidin' my energy. Yet… I can't hide it from ya. It works on Lily an' everyone else."

"But not me…" her eyes darted around, as if trying to find an answer but was coming up short. "I don't know, but it is very noticeable. Sometimes a little overbearing, like now."

"Probably 'cause I was outside workin'," he said as she shrugged. "That's why I'm all sweaty."

"Obviously." She continued writing stuff out while they sat in silence. This was terribly awkward, but once they started, she was sure it would get better. "You don't have to sit and watch me. I'm just redoing my first lesson. I can let you know when I'm done."

"I'm good right here," he replied coolly. Which he was. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but there was something serene about watching her work. Even if she hated him. How could he get on her good side?

She rolled her eyes, knowing he was just sitting there to bother her! How in the world was she going to do this job without going crazy? She passed him another sheet of paper. "Well, fine. Here. Start with this. We're going to start light and have a short session today so you don't get overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed?" He snorted, reading – or trying to read – what she wrote. They just looked like numbers, but fuck if he knew! "I don't get overwhelmed by shit like this."

"Well, this is all I'm doing today!" Levy huffed, blowing strands of hair out of her face. Gods, he was infuriating! "I'll give you easy homework, and tomorrow, we'll have a full session."

"Homework?! Tch." He had to remind himself that this was indeed technically school.

"Yes, Gajeel," she emphasized his name, not even considering addressing him formally. "Homework. I am your teacher, whether you like it or not."

Fuck, the way his name rolled off her tongue… 'say it more.' He gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine."

"Okay, so!" She stood, reluctantly moving her chair next to him and sitting down. "Today, we're working on the Dragonic alphabet, and if you feel like you can learn some numbers, too, then we can."

She spent a few hours going over the basics with him, and she had to admit, he was a quick learner! Maybe just as fast as her! She didn't see herself having any issues with the syllabus she had laid out, and she felt confident enough to throw out the revised ones she made just in case she had to slow down.

In the beginning, she had a hard time coping with his musk, but as time progressed, she'd gotten used to it, and it actually became quite… relaxing.

But she'd roll over in her grave before she admitted that out loud! He sucked!

Gajeel was pleased with himself and what he was able to learn. As it turned out, he came by it easily, which wasn't really surprising since he was a dragon, after all. And Levy was a great teacher. She was attentive and thorough, she happily answered all his questions and gave him chances to figure things out on his own. She really was the right one for the job.

But… to his distaste, she immediately became cold again after they finished for the day. It was almost amazing how she could flip that switch so seamlessly. How could he get her to like him?

Why did he even want her to like him?

Lucy was extremely worried. She hadn't heard from Levy in two whole days, which was unusual for her! She even dropped by her apartment a few times to see if she'd been home, but it was vacant, and it kind of looked like some stuff was missing. Levy wasn't one to just drop off the face of the earth like this, so something must have happened! She reached out to Cana to see if she'd heard from her, and she hadn't heard anything either. She even contacted Jet and Droy with no luck! She could only go to the council and put in a missing person's report and pray they could get some information.

Which is what she did.

"How long has she been missing?"

A nervous Lucy sat in the office of Gildarts Clive, the Chief of the Council of Magnolia. He had an intimidating presence, but he was a really kind person. Though, it was intimidating for a reason; he was one of the strongest mages in Fiore! He also had direct contact with the King, and she was hoping he could escalate this and get this to him, too!

"It's been at least forty-eight hours! This is so unlike her! Please, do something!" She pleaded, her eyes watering. Levy was so small, who knows what could have happened to her! She could have been snatched up, or something! "I know you guys have a two-day policy for missing people, so you have to do something!"

"Alright," he knew that this girl and the proclaimed missing person were his daughter's best friends, so he had a little bit of urgency for this one. However, it was odd that Cana didn't reach out to him about this first. "This is little Levy, right?"

"Yes! She hasn't been home, either! I slept at her apartment last night in the hopes that she would show up, but she never did!"

"Did she say anything about taking a job or something along those lines?"

"No, as far as I know, she was taking a break from work! Please! You have to send this to the king!" Lucy would do whatever it took to get her friend home safely.

"For you, sure," he said, writing up a report to send to the post. "I'll send this to the Crocus post today, and hopefully his knight will pick it up today. If he doesn't get it today, he will by tomorrow. While I wait on a response, I'll have my men conduct an investigation."

"Thank you so much! Please, find her!" Lucy stood and gave him a hug. He had always been like a second father to her and Levy, so she knew she could trust him to get something done.

"We'll find her. She couldn't have gotten too far."

"Blondie!" Cana greeted as Lucy came through her bar doors. "Why the long face?"

"I haven't heard from Levy in a few days, so I'm worried!"

Oh, right. Earlier, Lucy used one of her cards to call her and ask if she'd heard from Levy, but she hadn't spoken to her since she took that job. Clearly, Blue didn't tell her, which was understandable. "I wouldn't worry too much. Ya know, she's a strong girl!"

"Yeah, I guess, but still! She's so small, anything could have happened!" Lucy said urgently. "You know how she is! She just goes wandering off!"

"Lucy," Cana handed her a drink to calm her nerves. "Blue's fine. I'm sure of it."

"Wherever she is, she'll be found soon," Lucy said, disregarding Cana's words. "I filed a missing person's report with your dad this morning. He's going to send it directly to the king while he investigates."

Cana nearly dropped a glass with what she heard. Damn! Why'd she have to go and do that?! Now she had to tell her Levy took a job, which was going to start shit between the three of them, and she had to call her dad and tell him to call it off! 'Blondie~ why'd ya go and cause trouble?!' She sighed. "Levy isn't missing."

"What? I thought you hadn't heard from her!"

"Well, what I told you was true. I talked to her a few days ago…" Cana dreaded saying the next sentence. "She's on a job."

"What?!" Lucy spit out her drink. "Alone?! Why the hell didn't you tell me?! Cana! What the hell?!"

"Hey, cool it, Blondie. You're scarin' off my customers."

"I don't care! You knew this whole time, and you didn't say anything! What kind of friend lets someone like that go off on her own?!"

That rubbed Cana the wrong way. She planted her hands flat on the counter with a firm look. "Someone like what? Strong-willed? Intelligent? Powerful? Someone like what, Lucy?"

"You know good and well what I'm trying to say!" Lucy wasn't backing down from this! "Small, Cana! Jesus, there's only so much she can handle!"

"You know what?" Cana was over it! "You're a shit friend! Get out! I can't talk to you right now!"

"I can't believe this!" Lucy said, angrily paying for her drink and storming out. How could she just keep something like that from her? Both of them! And she was the shit friend? When all she did was care about her well-being?!

Cana grit her teeth and went to the back of the bar, to her apartment that was attached to it. "Babe."

"Yeah, doll?" Bacchus called drunkenly from his spot on the couch.

"Go run the bar for a few minutes, I gotta cool off and call Dad," she sat next to him, pulling out the card that was linked to the one she gave her dad. She couldn't believe Lucy! How could she be so dense?!

"Did something wild happen? Drink." He handed her a jug of his finest brew and threw his arm around her expressively.

"Yeah, Lucy filed a missing person's report with my dad, so I just have to call him and tell him to call it off."

"That's right~ you told me she took a job in Crocus," he kissed her cheek and jumped off the couch, excited to drink some liquor from the bar. "My soul is happy for her. What I would do for a million Jewel."

"Cana! So nice to hear from my favorite daughter," Gildarts said through the card when he picked up.

"I'm your only daughter, Dad," Cana sighed. She didn't want to do this at all! Interrupting his work like this!

"Are you calling about Levy? My men are on it! No need to worry."

"Call it off," Cana said, taking a large gulp of beer and sighing heavily. "Levy's on a job in Crocus."

"So, she's not missing?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I already sent the report to the king."

"Well, send a letter saying it was a false alarm or something. Call off your men." She knew how tedious it was to change things last minute in his line of work, but she didn't want him to go on a meaningless goose chase!

"And you're absolutely certain?"

"Yes, Dad! I wouldn't lie to you about something like this!"

"Alright, I trust you."

Levy woke up in a great mood! It was a beautiful day, it was the perfect temperature, and even though it had only been one day, her teachings were going really well! If he kept up at this pace, she'd be out of his hair before he knew it! 'And then I can get on with my life.'

She rolled out of bed, thanking herself silently for her decision to bathe at night instead of in the morning. She was tired! Happy, but tired! She needed coffee. She put on a pair of leggings and a tank top before going downstairs to the kitchen, where she was greeted by a concerned-looking Lily and a particularly stoic Gajeel. She yawned, walking to the pantry in search of coffee.

"Good morning," she said, reaching for the coffee that was unfortunately on the top shelf. She had to stand on the tips of her toes!

"Good morning, Levy," Lily greeted warmly.

Gajeel grunted in response as he tilted his head slightly and watched her try and reach the coffee. His eyes scanned her body, she wore a form-fitting outfit that pleased his dragon. He hadn't noticed before how shapely she truly was because of that semi-loose orange dress, but she really had an ass for days and hips that wouldn't quit. It was a good thing he moved the coffee to the top shelf not too long ago.

Lily watched Gajeel stare at Levy like he wanted to eat her, and it was then that he sort of understood what was going on. He liked her! What an amazing discovery! He knew with their similarities that it was a possibility, but it happened a lot sooner than he expected! He chose to just observe Gajeel's newly strange actions for now. "Levy, do you mind if we chat for a bit?"

"Sure, Lily," she ignored the feeling of ruby eyes watching her and began brewing her coffee. Why was he always staring at her? Did he hate her that much? "What's up?"

"Did you happen to tell anyone you were on a job?" Lily inquired.

"No… well, I told one friend but that's it. I only told her it was in Crocus, because that's all I knew at the time." She understood the discretion she needed to have since she was working for the king, which was one reason she hadn't written to anyone about her new living arrangements.

"I see," he replied, handing her an envelope. "Well, it appears someone's filed a missing person's report, claiming it's been over two days since they've heard from you."

'Crap!' She had a suspicion she already knew who filed it, and it was confirmed when she read the report. She groaned, she'd been so caught up in this job and her issues with the king – both internal and external – she forgot to come up with something to tell Lucy! 'Oh, Gods!' Meaning she most likely told Cana, and Cana probably had to tell her she was on a job! Her good mood soured quickly, irritation cloaking her usually cheerful energy.

"What a mess," she muttered under her breath.

"I wouldn't say that much," Lily said, holding up another envelope. "It appears the search was called off, noting that you weren't missing."

Even though there was no longer an investigation, Lily knew she likely had something to go and deal with. Since this was of importance, he figured it was okay for her to leave the house and go deal with whatever she needed to. Also because he hadn't told her she wasn't really allowed to leave yet!

"It's still a mess," she slid into the chair that was unfortunately next to Gajeel, putting her forehead on the table. She definitely needed to go handle this before it got out of control! She knew how Lucy was, and she didn't want to ruin their friendship over a misunderstanding. Maybe this was an opening for her to finally tell her to stop treating her like a child.

Gajeel couldn't help but notice her energy which was usually warm and bright, was now dull and grey. Her light dimmed a bit and for some reason, he couldn't stand to see her like this. It made him… anxious. All he could do now was ignore the intense urge to try and comfort her.

She lifted her head and looked at Gajeel, who actually looked concerned for a split second before she looked up. Maybe it was just her imagination. "I'm sorry, do you mind if we skip today? I think I have to go to Magnolia and clear some things up."

Fuck, those eyes, those damn eyes. She could get whatever she wanted out of him as long as she looked at him with those beautiful eyes. He scratched his head and looked away. "Whatever. As long as ya come back. Don't need ya shirkin' yer responsibilities."

"I should be back before it's dark," she said, standing to pour her coffee. "But I'm definitely going to drink my coffee and enjoy the scenery before I go and stress myself out!"

"Would you like for me to accompany you?" Lily asked. He knew deep down Gajeel would like that. They both needed her to come back safely.

"I think I have to do this alone, Lily," she smiled softly. "Thank you, though."

"No worries, Levy. I'm here to serve as your knight, too. We just want you to get back to us safely and soundly."

Gajeel really liked that. He wanted Lily to be there for her just as he was for him. 'Wait, what? No the hell I don't! Screw her!' This sucked! Ever since she came around, he'd been acting and feeling fucking weird and he couldn't take it! He couldn't control his own actions! He stood from his chair in frustration, leaving the kitchen. "I'll be outside. Let me know when yer back."

"Okay," she said, taking a nice sip of hot coffee. She directed her attention to Lily. "I'm going to sit on the porch. It's a nice morning."

"Alright, Levy."

After about an hour, Levy left for Magnolia, and Lily went outside to the shed to talk to Gajeel about how he was feeling now that she wasn't there. "Gajeel, I just came to check on you. I see you're done with the desk. You built that really quickly!"

"Follow her," he said, going over the final details of what he considered his finest woodwork.

Lily stood there as he pondered for a bit. Was he… worried about her? "May I ask why? She said she wanted to go alone."

"Tch. Just do it. An' when she's done handlin' her business, just pretend ya were just runnin' an errand in Magnolia fer me, or somethin'."

"Levy's not dumb, Gajeel. She'll know I followed her the moment she sees me."

"I don't give a shit! Just follow her, an' make sure nothin' happens ta her! Fuck!"

Gajeel really didn't like the fact that she was gone, but the least he could do was make sure his teacher came back unharmed. There wasn't anything else to it. He was just doing his job and protecting a citizen.

Yeah, that's all it was.