Trouble Arises
Lily found Gajeel on the couch that evening and figured it was as good a time as any to finally have a talk about Levy. Of course, he couldn't very well talk about her when she was right upstairs, so he had to get him outside. "Let's go for a walk."
Gajeel didn't really have much interest in watching shows, but the night he watched them with Levy, he realized there were a few good ones out there. A few weeks ago, he decided to watch the show she was watching, instead starting from the beginning so he could fully understand what was going on. He was really into it, and he wished she was down there with him so they could make little comments together.
This domestic feeling was very foreign. But he liked it. He yearned to experience it with her.
The show was getting good when Lily came downstairs, telling him to join him for a walk. He didn't really want to go for a walk. "Nah, I'm good."
"I'm sorry, Gajeel," Lily said, opening the door. "I don't think I can take 'no' for an answer this time."
Alright. Gajeel sat up, pausing the show and following Lily outside. He must have had something serious to talk about, so he'd bite. "What d'ya want? My show was gettin' good!"
"I want to talk to you about Levy," Lily knew that was the last thing he likely wanted to talk about, but it needed to be addressed.
"I'm goin' back inside," Gajeel turned on his heel, why the fuck would he drag him outside in the cold to talk about her? Was he mental?
"Gajeel," Lily stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
Fuck. This cat really wanted to do this shit now, huh? She was the last thing he wanted to talk about! But… maybe he could help. He was suffering! He needed advice! He shrugged him off, scoffing. "Fuck, man! What? What the hell d'ya want?!"
"You need to talk to her," Lily understood his friend's frustration, but he refused to sit idly by while two beings that clearly belonged together pretended like they didn't exist! "This has gotten out of control. Why won't you even talk about her?"
Gajeel turned, a vulnerability he'd never felt taking over him. This was what he was trying to fucking avoid. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It hurts, Lil. She's all I think about. I just want her ta be comfortable, but she hates my guts! She won't talk ta me at all!"
Lily was missing something, right? "Is there something you should probably tell me?"
Gajeel realized he never told Lily that she was his mate, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to. "I dunno, yer all buddy-buddy with her. I don't need ya runnin' yer mouth, an' shit."
"Come on," Lily laughed. "It's me. You know I'm not one to share any information that isn't mine to share."
Gajeel looked up, the trees were dark against the skies, and it was a night he just wanted to spend in the warmth of the house. Maybe he could get Lily to talk to her. "She's…"
"She's what, Gajeel? I can barely hear you."
He sighed. "She's my mate."
Lily had to process that for a minute or two. He had so many questions. Though, it explained quite a bit. When did he come to that conclusion? How did he know? Didn't he have a rule against mating with humans? Did Levy feel the same attraction? Lily was wise enough to know that Levy was probably shutting herself out because she knew, but he'd have to talk to her first to confirm his suspicion.
"I will save you from my urge to dive deeper into that," Lily smiled. His friend finally found the one. "But Gajeel! That's even more of a reason to talk to her!"
"Easier said than done. She's impossible!"
"Hmm, I think you've had plenty of opportunities, you're just nervous. You shouldn't be. She's still here, isn't she?"
"Lil, I need ya ta talk ta her," Gajeel said urgently. "Maybe ya can be some kinda middleman, an' get her ta at least listen ta me!"
Lily was already planning to try and bring it up somehow, but Levy was one tough cookie! Perhaps he could be firm with her just as he was with Gajeel. They seemed to react similarly, and maybe she would appreciate it. This needed to be discussed. "I'm not going to tell her to talk to you, Gajeel. You need to man up and approach her yourself."
"Useless!" Gajeel through his hands up in exasperation.
"Don't worry," Lily said reassuringly. "I won't tell her to talk to you, but I will have a conversation with her and try to figure out why she's avoiding you."
"Fuck," he grumbled. "Anythin's better than nothin'."
Gajeel lay in bed that night, his mind running a million miles a minute. Every single night, he could smell her through the wall so intensely, it knocked him out quickly. He even found himself waking up against the wall just to be close to her! How fucking pathetic and embarrassing! And he called himself a king acting like this?! He closed his eyes, tuning into his senses. Was he going crazy? He ventured out of his room and went downstairs. Why were they here and disrupting his peace?
"Are you sure he knows we're here?"
"He knows."
"What if he's sleeping?"
"Well, that sack of bolts will wake up! In fact, I hear him coming to the door right now!"
And on cue, Gajeel opened the door, a half-confused, half-annoyed look on his face. "What're ya doin' here? It's the middle of the damn night!"
"Can we come in?"
"Ta what do I owe the surprise?" Gajeel said, inviting in the last two beings he thought he'd see.
Salamander of Crocus and Wendy of Clover decided to pay him a visit, which was alright, he guessed, since he hadn't seen them in a while. They were the only ones he told of his whereabouts in the event that they needed to meet with him. So, the fact that they were here in the middle of the night, dressed in cloaks only meant shit was going down.
They gathered in the living room, and Gajeel was already antsy. He had enough he was dealing with already, now he had to take on whatever else was about to happen? He crossed his arms. He wished he could turn to Levy in a time like this, but…!
"Well, we figured we'd stop by and make sure you're still alive and not rusted somewhere!" Natsu said with a grin.
"Yeah, we remembered that you said you wouldn't be staying at the castle for a while, so I reached out to Natsu and told him we should go see you," Wendy explained.
"Why are you out here, anyway? I don't think you told us the reason," Natsu asked, hoping to get an answer this time.
"My fuckin' dad told me I had ta learn Dragonic ta get the throne, so I have a teacher givin' me lessons," Gajeel participated in the small talk, trying to avoid talking about terrible shit for as long as he could.
"Oh~" Wendy shared a look of understanding with Natsu. "That's who we sensed. We know you're always with Lily, but there's a new presence."
"Yeah," Gajeel's voice got a little softer as he ran a hand through his hair. "She's in the spare room upstairs."
Natsu was an airhead, so things tended to go over his head. But Wendy? She was extremely intelligent and intuitive, able to sense things most couldn't. Grandeeney taught her everything she needed to know about dragons and their behaviors, so she knew by his aura, by the way he smelled, and by the way he was acting that he'd found his mate! And it was the girl upstairs! But… she was likely a human, and they weren't allowed to mate with humans. That must have been torture. After all, it wasn't his fault that his inner self chose her.
"How's that going for you?" She asked, seeing him visibly wince. Oops. Must have been a sensitive subject.
"It's goin'… it's goin' good," Gajeel lied through a fake smile. Wendy could see right through him! "Whatever, just get on with it!"
Natsu looked at Wendy, a sad look on his face. "Refugees from Hargeon are entering our towns, seeking help from the council."
Oh shit. Lily really should be a part of this conversation, but he didn't want to go and wake him up! He was going to have to put his plan into motion soon.
"It seems during your intermission, they've gotten creative," Wendy said, tears in her eyes. "You have to do something!"
The following morning, Gajeel was outside, chopping wood until he got blisters on his hands. He didn't like using his magic for things like that because it made it too easy. He even had that same mindset while he built furniture. He wasn't one to take the easy way out of things, especially nowadays. He was working on the hardest task known to man, trying to get a girl to notice him!
He swung his axe, chopping away his embarrassment and his frustrations until lily woke up. He wanted to talk to him before his lesson, so he'd gotten up a bit earlier than usual. It was a somewhat pleasant day outside, but it could be warmer. Luckily, spring was near, and he couldn't be any more relieved. This winter was harsh on him! He hoped by next winter she'd be his to snuggle up with and keep warm.
'Fuck!' Why'd he have to go and make that dumb-ass rule?! 'No mating with humans.' Well, that was before he knew his mate was among the human race! And he hated them, so he never saw himself in such a situation! Now, that girl Wendy probably had him all figured out and could only hope that she didn't go telling anyone! Who knew what kind of trouble would arise if the other… troubled dragons found out he was considering breaking one of his own rules?!
He shouldn't, he knew that much, but he just… he couldn't reject her!
And he'd like to think she was still there because she felt the same way, but he knew the type of person she was by then, so she was probably only there to finish her job. She hated him, he was sure of it!
He was so worked up, he didn't even notice her watching him through her window and had been since he'd gone out there!
Lily couldn't help but acknowledge the angry chopping sounds coming from outside and felt the need to investigate. Since strange things were happening between those two, Lily was extra observant. The first thing he noticed when he got outside was the tuft of blue hair in the window. She was so caught up in watching him, she didn't even notice he was no longer alone. 'These two.' He shook his head.
"Gajeel," Lily approached cautiously, never knowing what type of mood he was in. "What's got you so worked up?"
Finally, that cat showed up! He stopped swinging, rolling his neck and stretching his shoulders. "I was paid a surprise visit last night."
"Really? Someone came here?" Lily knew there were only a few reasons someone would show up, none of them good. "Who?"
"Salamander and the kid," Gajeel took his shirt off and leaned against the shed, the air cool against his skin. This was the only time when he was okay with the cold. "Apparently Sting an' Rogue know of my absence, an' shit's gettin' rough over there."
"Did they tell you anything in particular?" Lily inquired. Things were starting to escalate, and his gut was telling him he and Levy would be making that trip very soon.
Being the type of person Levy was, she couldn't help but listen in on the conversation outside. At first, she was getting a magnificent view of the work of art that was the king, watching him chop wood and put those muscles to work! She barely noticed Lily go outside, and it was only when they started having what sounded like a confidential conversation that she snapped out of her trance.
She recognized the names as the leaders of Hargeon, and it immediately piqued her interest. Did he really have a plan to fix things? What was truly going on over there? She was finally about to witness how he operated, as a king, and she couldn't be any more interested in the way he handled things.
"I guess refugees are findin' their way out, an' into their towns, an' they're goin' around beggin' the council for help," Gajeel sighed. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. He reached for one of the beers he brought outside, offering Lily one.
"How are they getting out?" Lily graciously accepted the beer, as things were starting to get stressful again. It was a nice break, but sadly, they had to get back to reality. "They have that place on lockdown."
"They're findin' ways," Gajeel said, popping the top off and chugging it whole. He left out a sharp exhale and burped, the burn of the fizz doing its job. "Diggin' tunnels, actually fightin' their way out, shit like that. The kid shared a few of the refugees' stories with me, an'… I gotta do somethin', Lil."
"What's driving them out?" Lily asked. Things were already horrible in that town, but for the people to actually be this fed up?
"I guess there's this new group of mages goin' around an' stealin' powers an' shit," Gajeel explained as best he could. He didn't really know anything besides what they told him, that's why Lily had to go and see for himself. "People are turnin' up missin' an' comin' back all loopy like they've been brainwashed or somethin', missin' their powers an' all."
Levy's mouth dropped; they were actually stealing people's magic?! For some, that was their will to live! She was enraged! How could they call themselves leaders committing acts like that?! At least Gajeel seemed to care about this situation!
That made her feel a million times better!
"Those are some serious offenses," Lily said quietly. "I think it's time to put a plan in motion, then?"
Gajeel looked up at her window, he couldn't see her from that angle, but she was there. Was this really a wise idea? She was the only option he had, but she wouldn't even talk to him! How did he know this was something she'd actually be willing to do? Maybe if she wouldn't do it for him, she'd definitely do it for the people. "Ya think we should?"
Lily knew how wary he was about sending Levy into a situation like that, but now that some time has passed, he believed that she would do just fine. He put a friendly hand on his back. "I think… she's perfect for a job like this. I think you couldn't have picked a better addition to our duo or chosen a better mate."
Gajeel couldn't hide the rose that bloomed on his cheeks. Why the hell would he say something like that out loud?! He flailed his arms, putting some space between them. "Oi! Shut the hell up with that shit, man! What if she hears ya?!"
Lily grinned. He knew she was listening, that's why he said it! Oh, being a mischievous cat was so fun sometimes!
Levy sat under the window covering her face with her hands. She blushed madly, of course, she heard that! So… he knew?! Oh, Gods, this couldn't get any worse! How was she supposed to give him his lesson today with what she just found out?! How much did he know? More importantly… she was about to go on a mission for the king himself! Was this something she was even qualified for? She continued listening to see if she could make out a plan.
"Oh, relax, Gajeel. I'm sure she knows something is going on, and if she truly hated it, she could always leave," Lily tried to reason with him, but he knew it was a moot point. He was going to have to hear it from her directly. "Anyway, I think she's the best option for this, and I'm not just saying this because she's your only option."
"Yeah," Gajeel picked up another beer, mimicking his earlier actions. He should probably not drink too much since he had a lesson with Levy today. There's no telling what his dragon would say if he were drunk in front of her. He also really liked what he was learning, and he didn't want to be inebriated. "I know."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Yeah, actually, I do." Gajeel began moving the wood over to the pile he created. Surely, this was more than enough to last them through the rest of their cold days. "There's only one main plan right now, an' that's ta find Juvia. If she's locked away, we'll have to plan a separate mission to get her out. But we gotta make sure we know where she is, first."
"I'm assuming there's some hidden task you need me to complete?"
"Yeah, two of 'em," Gajeel knew the second task was something more up Levy's alley, so it was a really good thing she was doing this… wait. How was he so sure she'd agree to do this? She wouldn't give him the time of day enough to get a chance to ask! "But first, yer gonna hafta talk ta her an' see if this is somethin' she's even willin' ta do. I can't go makin' these plans if she's not even gonna help carry 'em out!"
"I'm pretty sure she'd be willing to do anything to help those people, Gajeel. She's just as passionate about this as you are, if not more," Lily had to vouch for her on that one. She was truly one of a kind.
"I just want her ta talk ta me," Gajeel said solemnly. His dragon said she'd warm up to him, but it's like she's doing the exact opposite! But enough with these sappy feelings! "Anyway, if ya can get her ta do this, I'll need ya ta scope out the area. Try an' get as much information on those mages as ya can. Don't do anythin' too risky or get yerself caught. I can't just go in there an' rescue ya."
"Understood."
"There's… somethin' else I want ya ta do," Gajeel said, strolling away. "Walk with me."
Now it was his turn to go for a walk. Lily could only wonder what schemes he had up his sleeve.
Levy sat on the floor, going over everything in her head. It sounded like this was something he'd taken serious consideration of. She'd jumped the gun, assuming he was a bad king, when he actually had a plan. Why did it take him so long to implement it? It made her think that there was more to everything than she originally thought. Should… she talk to him? 'Absolutely not!' Even if he was a good guy, he was still the devil! Making her feel things she didn't need to feel!
Not to mention that he knew what was going on!
Regardless, she'd go on this very important mission to Hargeon and get whatever information he needed to get. She'd do anything to save those people!
When she noticed them walking into the woods, she gathered the day's lesson and went downstairs, getting everything set up. She couldn't wait to talk to Lily about it. She had a few ideas on how to tighten the reigns on Sting and Rogue!
Gajeel couldn't focus this time around. Mondays were just refresher days, going over the things they went over the week before, but he just couldn't concentrate! She was so beautiful and smart, and she'd be the most amazing woman in the world if she went on this job for him. Hell, she was already the most amazing woman in the world, even if she wouldn't talk to him.
She gave him something to study for a bit while she read up on something, and all he could do was think about his future, hopefully with her. His dragon was right, she was the one, for sure, but did she feel the same way? He figured now was a good enough time to ask her if she had any books he could read that would help him understand what was going on a bit more. How would he ask, though? It was kind of a weird request coming from a dragon.
She found it hard to even be in his presence! Well, it was always difficult, but now it was more difficult than ever! She was there, sitting across from him with the knowledge that he saw her as his potential mate! It was different when she didn't know that he knew! Now whenever he watched her, she got all warm and flushed. 'Stop looking at me like that!'
"Hey, uh…" he knew she probably wouldn't even acknowledge him, but she'd at least hear him. "This might be a weird question, but… do ya got any books about my kind?"
What? Why? That wasn't really too weird of a question, but she was curious as to why he wanted them. What was he trying to figure out? Was he… trying to understand what was going on? She had the same idea about two months ago! But she really didn't want to talk to him! If she did, she'd crumble!
"I know yer not talkin' ta me, or whatever it is yer doin'," he said, tapping his fingers on the table. "But there's somethin' I wanna figure out, an' I think I'll get my answer if I read up on it."
So, he was trying to figure out the whole 'mate' thing. What would happen once he knew the whole truth? She didn't want him to have the books, only because of the type of guy he was! She was certain that once he understood everything, he'd make it so that she had to talk to him! There's no way he would let her be once he read them!
"If ya have 'em, just leave 'em on the table fer me one of these days," he said. Hoping she did. "If ya don't leave me anythin' by the weekend, I'll just assume ya ain't got 'em."
That's what she'd do. She would pretend like she didn't have any and just leave it at that! If she could just get him fluent enough to communicate with the other dragons, then she'd be scot-free! 'Just a few more months, Levy. A few more months until you can go back home and be at peace.'
But… was that really what she wanted? More and more she began to think he wasn't the charlatan she assumed he was, and that didn't help her defenses at all! It was because of what she thought that she could give him such a cold shoulder, but what if she had it all wrong? She'd feel so guilty for treating him like dirt!
She kind of liked where she was, now. If she went home, she wouldn't have Lily or their shopping trips, she wouldn't have this beautiful scenery, she wouldn't have the comfort of Gajeel's scent and energy to soothe her. Ugh! She hated that he had that effect on her!
She looked up to check his progress which was a mistake on her part because he'd been staring at her with no shame the whole time! Their eyes met for the first time in a long time, and a warmth pooled between her legs. She stood, the chair scraping across the floor loudly. "I think we're good to stop here for the day!"
He watched her carefully as she quickly went upstairs to her room. She actually looked him in the eyes! And he could have sworn she emitted a very mild, spicy scent for a split second before she left, too. It was a scent that did something to him below the belt, but he brushed it off as his imagination.
He ignored the fact that he was at half-mast and just hoped she had those books he could read.
It was getting late in the day, and Lily was hoping Levy would be up for a small excursion to the city. It was mainly to let her know of their plan that she was a crucial part of, but it was also just to get out of the house. He knocked on her door, giving a thumbs us to Gajeel as he passed by his room.
"Come in," she said, knowing it was Lily. Gajeel knew better not to bother her! She lit up when Lily opened her door; surely, he was here to talk about the mission! "Lily!"
"Levy, I hope I'm not bothering you, but would you mind accompanying me to Crocus?"
"Sure thing!" She jumped out of bed faster than she'd like to admit. Her first important job! Well, every job she'd done was beneficial to someone in some way, but this one took the cake!
"I have something important I'd like to discuss with you, but I get the feeling you already know that." Lily was happy she was so eager to help. It only increased his faith in her.
"Okay," she said after throwing on a sweater and grabbing her bag. "I'm ready!"
They decided to walk so they could take in the evening surroundings. She appreciated the view, birds only a speck in the orange skies, the tops of trees looked almost black against them. The sound of leaves and branches moving with the wind, crickets singing and echoing against the wood, the air a comfortable temperature around them. It was all so surreal.
Why was she considering going back home again?
She guessed she missed being around her friends, but being away from them made her realize how lovely peace and quiet is. With Cana loud and drunk and all over Bacchus all the time, Lucy with her near-constant nagging, Jet and Droy being so far up her butt she could pull them out of her throat, it was all too much sometimes! Don't get her wrong, she loved her friends! She knew that she could always count on them if she needed them, but sometimes, a girl's gotta have some time to herself!
"So, Levy," Lily unwillingly broke the silence, as he could see she was in her thoughts. Though he has a good feeling that she'd be excited to talk about this, anyway. "Let's cut to the chase. You heard us talking outside this morning, didn't you?"
Levy nodded, gripping the strap of her bag excitedly. "Yes, and I'm really happy to help! Overjoyed, even!"
"I'm glad to hear it," he said honestly. "Then, as you know, things in Hargeon aren't what they should be, and Gajeel is well aware of that. I know you have your thoughts and opinions on the matter, so I'm hoping this will get you to see things from his perspective."
Levy just listened quietly and walked alongside him, she also wanted to understand his point of view, and this was an opportunity to get to do it.
"Tomorrow, if you're okay with it, we'll head into Hargeon."
"That's fine with me! The sooner the better. I don't want them to suffer any longer."
"He feels the same if you can believe it," Lily wanted so badly for those two to be on good terms. He wanted to see them both grow and adapt with each other.
"Then why did it take so long for him to do something?" Levy quickly fired off, unable to help herself. She realized she was directing her anger at the wrong being, but she needed an answer!
"Levy, something like this has to be done correctly. There are reasons he can't just make them step down; it would start another war! As a king, sacrifices have to be made, and not all the time will everyone be happy with the outcome." Lily tried his best to explain, but he wasn't the right person to hear it from. All he could do was scratch the surface.
"Look," he continued. "It would be better to hear it directly from him. He would be able to explain to you exactly why he does the things he does. Just talk to him. The answers are right there."
Levy could see that Lily was a little frustrated with her behavior, but so was she! She couldn't change the way she felt! But… when he explained a little bit of it, she kind of understood. She wasn't thinking about things as a whole. "I'm… sorry. I just need some time."
Time? How absurd! "Levy, it's been almost five months! How much more are you going to put him through?"
She was so caught up in how she felt, she didn't even stop to think about what he must have been going through! She was always the one calling him selfish when she was the one being selfish! He was also experiencing things out of his control, and she was treating him like dirt like he had something to do with it!
If she was going to hate him, she at least had to hate him for the right reasons.
'And that's for being a horrible king!'
But was he though?
"You're right," she said, her voice tiny. "I'm sorry."
Lily wasn't trying to take his frustrations out on her, but it got the job done! She looked to have had an epiphany! "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
She knew he was right, but just the thought of apologizing to that smug face… looking him in those deep garnet eyes… submitting to him… she tapped her cheeks rapidly, what the hell was she thinking about?! She managed to ignore it earlier when they shared that glance, but it was coming back with a vengeance! "Fine! But if I'm going to apologize to him or whatever, I have to do it my way! After we get back from Hargeon."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lily was shocked! He should have approached her about this a while ago if he knew how easy it would be to convince her! He was truly looking forward to the outcome of their next interaction.
Levy decided she was going to leave him the books. It was practically an open invitation to snatch her up, but maybe he wouldn't rush things. Maybe her life wouldn't change that much. Maybe it would be a good thing to have a tiny bit of intimacy in her life.
Maybe this was fate presenting her with someone worthy.
As they walked around the city, they talked about the next day's plan. Lily discovered that she had a map of the city, giving them the chance to plan this perfectly. They spent some time going over the fine details until they were satisfied with what they came up with, afterward treating themselves to some food as a reward for using some serious brainpower.
It was then that Levy was spotted by a certain green-haired librarian, who initially wanted to go and say hello until he saw who she was out and about with. Thanks to the leader of Magnolia, he recognized him as the king's knight immediately! Why was she with him? Did she know who he was? Didn't she say she had a job teaching Dragonic here in Crocus? Wait… as far as he knew, the king didn't speak the language, so could it be…?
Laxus would get a kick out of this!