Friday afternoon after the mining incident was seemingly like any other afternoon after school. The only big difference was that Totomaru was home, who had been keeping his mouth shut about his hunch, while Gray and Juvia went on a date. That left Levy and Gajeel to have some alone time in his room, not studying this time, but watching a television show they'd been into lately. The new season had just come out, so they thought it best to watch it together as the episodes came out. It was about a group of soldiers, ex-cons, and a little girl looking for lost gold. Although it was historical fiction, they both enjoyed different parts of the show; Gajeel enjoyed how action heavy it was, but Levy liked the historical emphasis it had and the way it portrayed the cultural differences of the cast. The show was serious, with a few outlandishly comedic moments. They were both lying on Gajeel's bed, cuddling while viewing the newest episode on the brand new television set in his room. The spiky haired boy said it was a present from Jose, but Levy knew he bought it with the money they must have gotten from the lacrima, meaning that he wasn't totally lying.
The new episode was a flashback to when two of the characters met, although the focus was primarily one of the younger cast members, it was also heavy with the portrayal of the main antagonist. Starting from how they incidentally met, his kidnapping, and why he's so devoted to the antagonist. Not only was he charismatic, but he was quite handsome before the incident that took off part of his face. You just couldn't hate the guy, despite being framed as the bad guy, he was very kind to those loyal to him, albeit manipulative. Even though the episode was serious, it had a very humorous chase sequence that added an extra layer to how connected the characters were to each other, that despite not realizing it, they'd all met prior to their journey, when they were soldiers in the war. After the episode ended, Levy sat us to stretch, removing herself from Gajeel's arms before turning to talk to him.
"I can't believe how hot Tsrumi used to be. Now I understand why all his subordinates are in love with him." She smiled, thinking that he was probably the most likable villain she'd ever seen.
"Don't tell me you're falling for him too Shorty. Sure, he might be charming, handsome, and not to mention multi-talented…but there's no way that man is monogamous. Dudes probably got lovers in every town he was stationed near, gihi." Gajeel responded with his signature laugh.
Levy lay back down beside him, looking dead in his face. "I guess that's one thing you too don't have in common."
"Hm, whatcha mean Shrimp? Tsurumi and I have nothing in common." He scoffed and looked at her with a bit of intrigue.
"Well, like you said, you're both very charming, you're extremely handsome where he used to be, I'd say you're pretty multitalented; and this might be a personal thing, but you both sound the same*." She traced the piercings on his brow as she told him the few similarities.
"Oh, really now?" Gajeel rolled over so Levy was underneath him now, his mouth close to her ear. "A warrior takes pride in his scars. In fact, wouldn't you say it makes me look rather dashing?" He whispered into his girlfriend's ear, quoting one of Lt. Tsurumi's lines from season one.
"I don't know if you have scars, but as far as your piercings are involved, they are quite dashing." She reached her hands up to his face, bringing his face closer for a kiss.
He'd leaned in closer as they kissed, gently and slowly. Levy's hands moved from his face to wrap around his neck, Gajeel's own hands were relaxed, holding himself up a little so all of his weight wasn't on his little Shrimp. They didn't have long make out sessions like Juvia and Gray had, thankfully, but when they did have one, it was always private. The kiss deepened as Levy let out a soft moan, but it quickly ended when an uninvited guest came walking in the door. It was Jose, he was saying something as he walked in, but Gajeel only heard him exclaim about something not being allowed in his house, he wasn't really paying attention to the words being said. But upon hearing his shock, Gajeel bolted up and glared at his pseudo-father. Jose just left the room and shut the door, walking back down stairs into his parlor room. Back upstairs, Gajeel sat on his bed with huff, apologizing for the mood killer. Levy had a deep blush on her face and said it was no problem; she was embarrassed, that hadn't happened before, it was like the cliche moments from her romance novels. The small blunette figured it was time for her to go home, which her boyfriend agreed with, just to keep the awkwardness down. She picked up her backpack from his bedroom floor, smoothed out her clothes, and put her sandals back on. As they both walked down stairs, they saw Jose in his parlor, motioning for Levy to come and sit, he wanted to talk privately. Gajeel was taken aback, he had worked hard to make sure Levy and Jose weren't in the same place at once, but Jose knew that. He stayed out of the parlor room, but still stood within earshot in case he needed to rescue his girl. Levy sat in one of the chairs, putting her bag next to her as she looked up at the man before her.
"I hope you've had a good day Levy. But I have something to ask, and I'd like to apologize if it brings up bad memories." Jose started off.
"My day was fine, um, what did you need to ask?"
"Your father, his name was Lloyd, correct?" Joe raised his eyebrow, waiting for her confirmation.
"Y-yes, my father was Lloyd McGarden, why do you ask?" She stuttered at the start, she hadn't heard her father's name, or even had to say it, for a long time.
"I thought so. I knew your father, a brilliant man. Your name was so familiar, and you look just like him too. You've got the same sparkle in your eyes he did."
"Oh, h-how'd you know my father? I don't remember him ever speaking of you." She asked another question, genuinely only finding the man before her as familiar, but nothing more.
"Ah, silly me, you were but a child when I knew him. We worked together in a lab, doing research on mutant DNA. He spoke of you and your mother often, it was so rough on him when she died. You really kept him going."
"I didn't know my dad studied mutant DNA…" Levy looked down.
"Yes, he was a mutant after all, and so am I. I don't know what kind of powers your father had, he loved his secrets. You and your mother were the only things he spoke about. Which is why I was so worried when he passed. But when I saw you at that home for gifted individuals, I felt a bit better. Your father always told me how smart you were, so I knew you must have been in good hands." Jose told half-truths, although he was truthful about his first statements, it was a lie that he had been worried for her.
"Papa had powers?" She was surprised, even though she didn't know much about him, she never imagined this.
"Yes. But your father also had a working theory, that the mutation gene was hereditary. So, I ask you, Ms. McGarden, are you a mutant?" Jose whispered into her ear, the same one Gajeel had whispered into minutes before.
Levy was a bit shaken, tears welling in her eyes, before Gajeel came to her rescue.
"That's enough Jose! C'mon Lev, I'll drive you home, go get in the car, I'll be there in a sec." He gave her his keys as she walked outside.
He looked at Jose, who had a disgusting grin on his face.
"I don't know what you said to her, but you better be glad I couldn't hear it." Gajeel had gone into his steel form, stomping up to Jose and getting into his face.
"You're all bark Gajeel, you would never bite the hand that feeds you. Even if you did hear it, it's not like she gave an answer. Now run along, I have a meeting in an hour." His words were harsh, but he was right.
Gajeel growled and walked outside too, slamming the door. He didn't catch the last part of what Jose had said to his girlfriend, but he could tell the conversation was making her uncomfortable. When he got in the car, Levy was silent, tears still threatening to fall down her cheek. Gajeel said nothing, just starting to drive her home. The heat in his Jeep was on and the drive wasn't too long. Upon getting to the gate of the mansion, they both just sat in silence. He really didn't want to pry, he didn't even know if what Jose had said was true. Then Gajeel turned to his pained girlfriend, taking her hand and giving it a soft kiss. He apologized for not doing more to protect her. And although he didn't know all Jose knew of Levy and her family, he didn't need to risk him hurting her. Levy had reassured him that she was okay, just a bit sad. She then opened up to him about her father.
Lloyd had always been a bit of a bookworm, even going as far as having his Master's in Anthropology, yet, he always stayed focused on his family. His late wife loved to read, and he instilled that love of reading in Levy even more after she died. Levy couldn't fully remember her mother, but she did remember the love she was shown. After she passed, Lloyd spent more time away from his research, wanting to be the best parent he could to his daughter. Levy said that she loved her father, and all he did for her. She never knew what he did for work exactly, but she knew he worked in a lab, but with Jose? Her tears started to fall just thinking of her father, making Gajeel squeeze her hand, saying it was okay to let it all out. After moving in with Makarov, she tried her best not to dwell on her father's death since she had even more people who loved her. One Levy calmed down a little bit more, she wiped her tears away and sniffed; Gajeel didn't carry napkins in his vehicle, but now was a good time to start. She slowly got out of his car, grabbing her bags and shutting the door. Gajeel got out too, wanting to walk her to the door at least, just wanting to make sure she wouldn't break down while still outside. They walked through the grounds, Gajeel once again admiring Droy's handiwork, he never knew how talented his friend was until now.
"Sure, you okay, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked, holding her hand as they walked along the path.
"Yeah, I'm just surprised. I didn't know my father was a mutant, or that he studies mutant DNA…" Levy tried to smile, but it didn't translate well on her face.
"Does that bother you?"
"That he was a mutant or that he studied DNA?"
"Both."
"Neither of them bothers me. I don't care if my father was a mutant, he's still my father. Mutant or non-mutant, we're still human, remember. As for studying mutant DNA, I don't mind, I like that he wanted to learn more about himself and help people like him. I really admire him…"
"I don't know how true everything Jose said was, but he is a mutant. I know it's not relevant, but he can make shadow people. I think it's pretty creepy, not gonna lie. I'm kinda scared of his powers, and I'm not scared of anything." He smiled at her, making a joke against himself.
Levy smiled back at him and squeezed his hand. As they walked to the door, she reached up, kissing his lips gently, thanking him for helping her feel better. He leaned back down, kissing her forward and making her promise to call him if she felt sad again.
She nodded and walked inside. The minute she walked through the door, she headed to Professor Makarov's office. It was on one of the garter sides of the mansion, which gave a lot of privacy to those who needed to speak with him without any issues. Before coming in, she knocked, trying to make sure she wasn't barging in on anyone. She heard a happy voice telling her to come in, Makarov was sitting at his desk looking over some paperwork, Levy presumed it was over the lacrima.
"Levy, this is out of character. Is everything alright?" He looked up from the paper.
She sat in one of the chairs before the desk. "Was my father a mutant?"
Makarov took a second before answering her question. "Yes, he was a mutant too. His powers were similar to yours in fact. Lloyd could create objects just like you, but his way was a little different. He could turn one object to another, but it had to be of equal size, meaning he could turn this wooden desk to a bookshelf if he wanted."
"Why didn't you tell me? And why didn't you tell me that he was researching mutant DNA?"
"You were young, he didn't want you to know yet. Wait, how do you know this?" He raised his eyebrow, surely Gildarts hadn't told her.
"Jose Porla, he said he worked with my father…Is that true?"
"Yes, but Jose is a bad man, your father wanted nothing to do with that man before he died. He actually distanced himself from that lab and Jose prior to the incident. Jose, he wanted to use mutants as soldiers, to mutate them even more…his ideas were horrific."
"And how is he wanting to make soldiers out of his people wrong? Is that not what you do, Professor?" She snapped at Makarov, still hurt as he hadn't told her about this.
"Because the people here have a choice, you all want to use your powers for good and protect those around you. Your father told me that Jose and another partner at the lab were planning to use orphans against their will to do whatever, for whoever. I know you aren't happy with me, and you feel betrayed, but I made a promise to your father that I wouldn't tell you until you were ready."
"And what about Jose, you do know that he's using Gajeel and his friends for his bidding right? Were you just going to let him continue?"
"I know, I know. It's a tough situation, my child. I don't want to blow our secret, but I have been planning to offer a space here for the three of them. But it's risky if Jose is out and about, even though he does not know that this is a home for mutants. Please, I beg you, do not go back to that house." Makarov gave her a pat on the shoulder, gently trying to calm her down.
Levy didn't say anything, only getting up and walking out of his office. Makarov wasn't wrong for making that promise to her father, but it begged the question, what else didn't she know about him, and did other people know the truth too? Then she wondered how the professor and her father even met. Perhaps he too was trained by Makarov in his youth, and he wanted her to follow in his footsteps? The only person who held answers to some of her questions was Makarov himself. The blunette was still upset, tears wanting to fall still, but she held it together as she walked through the halls and to her room. She sat her things down and lay down on her bed. Everyone's room had similar looks, aside from the decent space and the full size beds they all come with, they had full closets and bay windows. Her room was full of bookshelves and a few posters, one of which said, "The Book Was Better". She closed her eyes and thought about what she had learned that afternoon. Her father had mutant abilities, meaning she got her powers from him. And not only was he a mutant researcher, but Jose Porla, a bad guy, was a colleague of his. She looked at her hands, imagining them as her father's hands and all the things he could do with them. If he could change objects, and she could materialize them, that meant his theory might be true. Mutant abilities, not just the gene being hereditary, could be a breakthrough in the field of mutant research, but she also thought it could mean trouble. She thought of the downsides of that knowledge, forced marriage, turning people with certain abilities into breeding machines, and the systematic exclusion of those whose powers are considered as "undesirable." Then she thought of anti-mutant sentiment in society. Although it wasn't widespread or vocal, she knew people hid their true colors all the time. The first person she thought of was Lucy's dad, Jude Heartfilia. He was a wealthy man, a business mogul really. Although he was outwardly friendly to everyone he met, he privately opposed mutants. It would always make her uncomfortable going over, she could always count on Lucy's father to say something off-color about what he heard on the news or even one of his mutant employees. Thankfully Lucy hadn't learned his mindset, learning from her mom instead, who accepted everyone without judgment.
There was then a knock at her door, she yelled for whoever it was to come in. She sat up as the door opened to reveal Gray standing in the hallway. He must have just come back from his date with Juvia. He shut the door behind him, and he sat on her bed, looking at her face.
"Gajeel told me about what happened with Jose. Was it true that he and your father worked together?" Gray asked, slouching a bit.
"The professor confirmed it. Jose also said he tried looking for me before he found out I was here."
"You think he suspected that you were a mutant?" He said it in a nonchalant way, only slightly hiding his concern.
"Maybe, he also said that Papa was a mutant, which was also confirmed. And knowing what he's currently doing with our partners and Totomaru, he'd have done the same with me." The blunette sighed at the thought of having to be even more careful now.
"Yeah, it really sucks that we have to hide it from them though. Makes me feel bad when Juju's in her head about her powers. I can't even let her know that I feel that sometimes…" He paused a little after saying Juvia's pet name.
"Juju? That's actually really sweet Gray, didn't know you liked cute names." She playfully cooed at him while poking his arm.
Gray only rolled his eyes and stood up. "I can be sentimental when I wanna be." And flashing her a quick smile, he left the room.
"Hey Gramps, anything new on the lacrima samples we sent out?" Laxus barged into Makarov's office, he didn't really see it the same way Levy did. Being that he worked closely with his grandfather, the whole idea of it being a "secret" was meaningless to him.
"Actually, there is." The older man was again seated at his desk, going back over the paperwork. He ignored his grandson's behavior, which only enabled him further. "By their age, they seem to be over a century old. Levy said they were sitting in a pool of water, correct?"
"Yeah, if that's connected to the town's water supply, it could be why everyone's powers awakened from an early age. But then it begs the question, were they placed there, or did they form naturally?" The tall blond leaned on the desk of his grandfather, looking over some of the data.
"No idea…and you mentioned that Jose's kids were there as well. Did they take some?"
"I'm guessing so, should we take the rest or seal the cave?" Laxus raised one his brows.
"No." His grandfather shook his head and looked down. "It's best to not interfere with them, especially now that Jose's been asking questions about Levy."
"What? This is news to me."
"Yes, it is to me as well. We need to keep tabs on Jose from now on, and monitor his movements compared to Levy." He sighed, never thinking that he'd actually need to protect her from that man.
"Got it."
Jose was getting ready for his meeting. He was to have a video call with his official employer, a man named Alexei. Sure, Jose thought it would be nice to know his real name, but he said going by a pseudonym made his job easier. He'd been working with this man since before Lloyd's untimely death, and he still had no clue about his real identity aside from him being a mutant himself. In truth, he was more of a handler of the kids under his care than the mastermind behind the schemes, but it paid well. He had put on his best clothing and sat in his parlor room, waiting for the call to connect. Once it did, Alexei was on camera. He still wore his signature golden mask from all those years ago. Then he spoke.
"Jose-chan, it's nice to see you as always."
"Likewise, it's always a pleasure to speak with you sir. I am hoping you will grant my request?" Jose asked in the nicest tone he could muster. He absolutely hated it when Alexei talked cutely.
"I did, I have the warehouse all cleared out, ready for use when you need it. And do you need it Jose-chan?" His voice was stern, wanting a straight answer from his slimy underling.
"Well, it's nothing too serious…"
"If you don't give it to me straight, I may just cut you off Jose-chan. We've been colleagues for years, yet the secrecy. Might it have anything to do with the botched museum heist?"
Jose sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to weasel out of this situation. "Yes, I'll be using it to trap that group of do-gooders. I don't have much information on them, but I do have a few pictures of them." He pulled out a few developed photos depicting blurry images of some of their enemies.
"Hm, and if it's around Magnolia, you think they're local. Then why do you want to set a trap out of town?"
"Because, I've noticed a few times that certain individuals go on little patrols, if my kids can capture even one of them and take them to the warehouse, we can ambush them and put them out of commission." Jose slammed his fist down on the desk.
"And about how many of them patrol together, and how many do you think will fall for your little trap?" Alexei was interested, but not impressed.
"It looks like maybe two or three patrol together at a time, and with the different colors, maybe about eight people might show up at the warehouse."
They didn't know that Gajeel was eavesdropping, he hadn't told Jose about the run in at the mine, he might have had a mini heart attack upon hearing it. From the pictures, it was about eight different people, but that didn't account for the missing colors he had seen on their last mission. He might even guess around fifteen, but there was no telling. Gajeel knew Jose hated eavesdropping, so he stayed quiet, taking note of the plan his pseudo father was to concoct.
"And what will you do with the one you use as bait? I expect they won't be treated as mere guests."
"I'll ask for information, I'm not interested in getting my hands too dirty. You know how clean I like to stay." He chuckled and grinned at the masked man on his screen.
"That's rich coming from the man with the bloodiest hands in the room. Is there a time frame you have in mind?" He gave a hearty laugh and tiled his head.
"I was thinking of putting it into motion around winter break. The kids will be out, so there's no need to worry about people asking questions on where they are. Don't you agree?"
Alexei nodded, then put a finger to the chin of his mask. "It might be cold though, what is Gajeel-chan or the rest of them get cold?"
"They have winter gear, it'll be fine." Jose rolled his eyes.
Gajeel left his position and walked back to his room, lying back down on his bed. Just earlier, he and Levy were relaxing, watching their favorite show, and just enjoying each other's company. Now he had to think about a mission that was weeks away. Since Jose had pictures of them, he figured they could spot certain people and target them specifically. He wanted to go after the gold and orange girl specifically, he knew they could take her easily; however, if they went in pairs or a trio, they had two more people to worry about. Gajeel himself was only familiar with that lightning rod and the snowman, but Totomaru had fought a few of them on their last mission. He had taken notes about the powers his friend saw, the only person truly worrying him, being the speedster. The three of them would come up with a solid plan with Jose once the call finished, and whoever they ran into, he'd be ready.
*Gajeel and Lt. Tsurumi share the same English voice actor, David Wald. Fun fact, he also plays Adam from SK8 as well as both Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu and Snipe in MHA.
Thank you all for reading, I am nowhere near being done with this story, I'm just getting started. Stuff is about to go down in the next chapter, so please stay tuned; it may take a few weeks, but in the meantime, please go back and read my older works, it'll show you all how far I've come since about 2017. I may finally complete those older works or maybe even rewrite them all together, but right now, all my time and energy is going into this story, work, and my next fanfic…it's going to be Gajevy x Pokemon, but it won't be out until I've started playing the new game. Because if Paldea is based on Spain, and Fiore is based on Spain, it might as well include the new pokemon in that game.
