I couldn't help myself with the gajevy goodness, so this chapter kinda got out of control lol. much longer than intended!


Levy, Do-Gooder

Gajeel had a problem.

He was currently waking up from the best night of his life, still curled protectively around her sleeping form and wrapped snugly in his comforter. He had his face against her neck and he inhaled deeply, holy hell, she smelled divine in the mornings. He nuzzled her neck unintentionally, coming back to his senses when she stirred slightly.

But that wasn't the problem. The problem was steadily growing in his shorts! He gave a silent thanks to the fact that she slept like a log and detangled himself from the covers, his body going rigid at the sight before him. Her shirt had ridden up, exposing her smooth, creamy legs and he couldn't help but drag hungry eyes up every inch of her.

Those legs, he wanted them wrapped around him, he wanted to taste every part of her. He subconsciously let his hand rest on her hip, his fingers fiddling with the hem of her very sexy, very thin black panties. She was so fucking thick, he was begging to shove his head between her thighs! Her ass was pressed against him, making things a little… harder, and he groaned. He had to go take care of it!

Reluctantly, he separated from her, sitting up and getting out of bed with a yawn. Though he was rewarded with the tantalizing view of her barely-covered backside, her cheeks were plump and just asking for his attention. 'Fuck.' He didn't think he'd ever been this hard!

And she was all his!

But his dragon was super adamant about taking things slow with her and waiting until mating season, which was in another four months! But that was perfectly fine with him. He wanted to do this right. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about her, he wanted to buy her things, make her things, show her things. He wanted to be the best, the only man in her life. But if she made the first move?

All bets were off!

He covered her back up and left for the bathroom, the thoughts of her thick legs getting him where he needed to be in just a few minutes.


Lily slept in a bit, deciding to take a mental health day. He hoped there wasn't anything on the agenda today, and he was eager to speak to either of them to see how their interaction went. He rolled out of bed, craving his morning kiwi when he ran into Gajeel in the hallway looking more relaxed than he'd ever seen him. "Gajeel! Good morning! I take it you've slept in as well?"

"Yeah," he replied, feeling much better. "Guess it's just that kinda day."

Lily peeked around Gajeel, noticing Levy's door was open. "Oh, she must be awake."

"Nah, she's still sleepin'," Gajeel said coolly, running a hand through his hair.

"I wonder why she left her door open," Lily pondered, knowing she typically liked to be holed up with her door closed.

"I'm gonna head back ta bed fer a bit," Gajeel said, dropping a hand on Lily's shoulder. "But later, I wanna talk t'ya 'bout some stuff."

"Never a dull day," Lily complained, being nosey and looking into Gajeel's room as he went back in there. It was then that he saw that familiar head of blue hair poking out of his bedsheets. Lily was stunned, lifting a finger to say something but was stuck, speechless.

Gajeel turned around and smirked at the cat, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "We'll talk later."

"Looking forward to it!"

Shutting his door, Gajeel quickly crawled back into bed, letting her adjust to the movement around her. She rolled over, snuggling into his chest and humming sleepily. "Ya awake, Shorty?"

She hummed again, throwing a leg over his. Whoa, she was a touchy sleeper! Not that he minded, but if she kept things up, he was going to get hard again! He let a hand slip under her knee and pull her leg onto him more, sliding digits up and down her thigh. She was going to have to wake up soon, or he'd lose all self-control! He kissed her forehead, waking her gently. "Lev…"

"Mmm, sleep~" She pulled the covers over her head, trapping him under with her. Even though she was barely awake, she noticed his wandering hand on her thigh. Suddenly, she felt mischievous! She put her hand on his and dragged it to her butt nonchalantly. "Mmm…"

Was she out of her mind? Was she trying to get something started? He'd be a crazy man if he didn't help himself, though. He squeezed, humming with her. Fuck, her ass was just as soft as he hoped it would be! He let his eyes shut as he gripped and kneaded, holding back a rumble. He mentioned it already, but she was really going to be the death of him!

Oh, Gods, she wanted him to touch her more! His hands felt sensational on her skin as he handled her firmly, when had she gotten so bold? She could tell he was holding himself back, which was probably for the best. He unleashed a new side of her she was unaware she had! "Mmm, Gaj…"

"Levy…" he hissed, moving his hand to cup her face and showing great willpower. Now, why would she go and say his name like that? She was asking for it! "…please stop."

She clung to him, clamping the leg she had around him tighter. She really didn't want to get up and start her day! There was so much to do! And, she had to take a trip to Magnolia and talk to Lucy! Ugh! Why do all those things when she had a hot hunk of pure masculinity in her grasp? Geez. She could see now that they'd never get anything done with her behaving like this!

He held her face, a fire in his eyes as he stared into hers. "Ya gotta stop…"

She looked up at him, puppy-dog eyes on display. "Why?"

He nuzzled her neck, gripping her hip and grinding into her, letting her feel why she needed to stop. "That's why."

She gasped, was that his…? She'd never seen one or felt one before! 'Gods, what am I, a child?' But heavens, it did something to her internally that she wasn't sure she was ready for! She quickly gave them space, nearly touching the wall, she scooted so far away! "S-Sorry…"

"No need ta be sorry, Lev," he reached for her, pulling her back and speaking low into her ear as payback for teasing him. "Just make sure yer prepared fer what comes next…"

She turned red as he smirked at her, her chest heaving from breathing so heavily. Ah! She had to get out of there! She put her hands flat on his chest and pushed herself away, sliding off the end of the bed, suddenly cold. She rubbed her arms, missing his warmth already! She smoothed out her shirt and pulled it back down from when it got hiked up. Couldn't they just stay in bed all day? "I guess we should get our day started…"

He sat up, grinning at her as she adjusted herself. "Yeah, yer right."

"Okay, well…" she moved toward the door, stopping with her hand on the knob. "Thanks for last night."

Before she could leave, he stood and was hugging her from behind, smelling her hair. "I'm the one who should be thankin' ya, Shorty."

She turned and faced him, returning his hug. Nighttime was definitely her favorite time of day now! "Can't wait 'til tonight."

"Me neither, Lev." He lifted her chin, leaning in slowly and giving her a soft, simple kiss. No need to overwhelm each other for the umpteenth time.

She was dazed, tipsy from his affection, but they had responsibilities to tend to. She let her hands slide down his chest as she smiled and opened the door. "See you later, handsome."

He held his chest, she was so fucking amazing, he could barely take it. On cloud nine, he watched her fine ass saunter away and disappear into her room, completely ignoring Lily, who'd caught them in the hall again. That cat had some crazy timing!

"I see you two have reconciled pretty well," Lily said with a hint of mischief.

Gajeel couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Yeah, ya could say that."

"Want to chat?"

"Yeah, let me get dressed first. I'll meet ya downstairs."


Levy plopped onto her bed, giving herself time to collect her thoughts. Her head was spinning! She was so giddy with excitement, how lucky was it for her to come across 'the one' on the first try? And she wasn't even trying! She had it so, very wrong about him. He was far from the asshole she thought he was! It was crazy how just a little bit of information could make two people do a complete one-eighty. And he was so natural at being smooth with her, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever been intimate with another woman. She knew dragons only mated once, but that didn't mean they couldn't be sensual with more than one!

A small twinge of jealousy shot through her body. She didn't like the sound of that at all! She had to remind herself that the past didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that he was hers now, and forever!

And then, she discovered another side to her she was unaware of. Possessiveness.

But how could she not be possessive of that? With his dark, thick hair, with the way he looked at her with that sexy smirk, the way he touched her, Gods, that body! Now that she had a taste, she craved something from him, she just didn't know what. How could she crave something she'd never experienced?!

She rolled over, her bed wasn't nearly as comfortable as his! Thankfully, he'd requested her to sleep with him every night, which sounded like a dream! She felt so safe with him last night, and she honestly felt the same way when they fell asleep on the couch. It was just nice to be able to admit it and relish in it. She was looking forward to the intimacy.

She shivered when the memory of his dragon briefly making himself present came to mind. It was more capturing than she could have ever imagined, and he wasn't even in his final form! She understood everything without him saying much, and she wanted to see more of him, know more of him.

Her hand traveled down to the warmth between her legs, what would he feel like down there? When he pressed against her, oh, the feeling that sat in the pit of her stomach, the hunger, it was beyond her wildest dreams! She never knew she could experience such emotions for a man! Although… she had to factor in the fact that she was a human reacting to a dragon's mating call, so it was likely more intense for her because of that, but she didn't even know it could apply to humans!

Whatever the case may be, she felt lucky and rewarded for being the one he chose, and she couldn't wait to see what their future held.

She finally rolled out of bed after daydreaming for a bit and got dressed for the day. She dug out the old sign-up sheets she wrote up and tossed them, deciding to just make new ones altogether. She had a map of Hargeon, so she took her time listing out each neighborhood and digging through her pile of books to research each one. She needed to know how big of a project each section of Hargeon was going to be, so she could plan properly.

If they were thinking of doing this only on Saturdays, they'd be at this for months! Perhaps she could combine smaller neighborhoods, or do a Saturday and a Sunday and just have people sign up for that. Ideas were flowing through her head with a clear mind! She planned on making note of buildings that needed to be demolished or repurposed, maybe use some of the empty lots for gardens or parks. She was excited!

It took her a few hours of no distractions to write up the sign-up sheets, and she couldn't have been more satisfied. She figured she could set the deadline to sign up for two weeks, and pay Lucy to have someone broadcast it a few times… but wait… she couldn't go to Lucy! There was no way she wouldn't poke her nose in it and try and figure out how she was able to pull strings of that caliber! There was no one except for the king who could pull something like that off!

Perhaps she could find someone else who could broadcast it, and she had the perfect idea of who!

After she'd gotten everything packed up and ready to go, she finally left her room, the smell of food awakening the hunger she dismissed hours ago. She trekked down the steps, happy to see him in the kitchen at the table. She smiled.

"There she is!" Lily exclaimed, not missing the smiles those two just shared. "How are you this morning, Levy?"

"I'm great!" She hung her bag on the back of her chair as she saw the pile of breakfast food on the table. "Wow, this looks good! What's the occasion?"

"What? Ya never had good food before?" Gajeel poked, reaching out and touching her leg lightly. She was dressed like she was leaving! He didn't very much care for that.

"Why? Did you make this?" She grinned, taking his hand and intertwining their fingers.

"Yeah, I did. Everythin' ya ever ate in this house, I made it," he said, a bit of cockiness to his tone. He planned on cooking for her every day for the rest of his life!

"Oh, since when were you the little chef?" She giggled.

"Since always," he said, motioning for her to sit and reaching for a plate. "What d'ya want? I'll make yer plate."

Lily sat there, completely ignored as if he didn't exist. He didn't mind it. Watching these two was a treat all on its own! They were definitely an enigma; going from nonstop arguing to flirting like they were teenagers! And judging by the conversation he just had with Gajeel, she accepted him wholly. She finally understood his way of thinking and even had her own amazing ideas! Lily signed off on all of them, agreeing it was indeed time to start making a change. He was really happy it was Levy.

He noticed she had her things gathered as if she were planning to leave. Which was exactly what he didn't want! He just wanted to relax for the day, but Levy was the type of person who got stuff done. It was respectable. Whatever she needed done, Lily would always be there. She got the same respect as Gajeel did, not because they were dating, or whatever they wanted to call it, but because Levy was an absolute pleasure to be around, and he believed in everything he stood for.

"I take it yer runnin' off somewhere?" He asked, gently pulling on the bottom of her sweater. He couldn't help himself for wanting to touch her all the time! Especially now that he could? He'd take every opportunity.

"Yeah," she said, a mouthful of food. "I have to go to Magnolia and get these sign-up sheets broadcasted. I figured I could also drop by the post and put them up while I'm there."

"How long ya think that's gonna take?" He knew she was planning some stuff out, but he didn't know she was going to act immediately!

"I don't know, a few hours, I guess?" She shrugged, she tended to get caught up when she was doing things, and she planned on stopping by the bar to catch up with Cana for a bit, too. "Why? Don't want me to go?"

He let her tease him, she was right! He wanted to hang out and talk all day, get to know her a bit, show her his crafting skills, maybe work out a little bit so he could show off his muscles. He wanted her head over heels for him! "No, I don't."

She blushed, she almost dropped her fork! How could he say such things so easily? She put a hand on his knee in reassurance. "I'm sorry, Gaj. I'm just really excited to make a change! You know that's my biggest goal!"

"I know, Lev," he gave her hand a squeeze. "Just be careful when yer out there, an' make sure ya cover yer energy. Don't need creeps or weirdos approachin' ya 'cause ya got my scent all over ya."

"I will," she nodded, understanding the risks. She bet he wished he could go around and run errands with her! She put an arm around him in a half-hug to ease his worries. "I promise, I won't stay out too long, okay?"

"An' stay away from the library!" He declared jealously, rolling his eyes and holding her waist.

Levy laughed, not really sure if he was joking or not. "I think I have a book I need to return, but I promise, that's it!"

He didn't like that. He really didn't like that. Every time she mentioned that damn library, alarms rang in his head, but he didn't have an exact reason why. It could have been the internal possessiveness he already had of her, but it also could mean there was something… off. He leaned into her neck, his lips barely grazing her skin. "Just remember. Yer mine."

She turned her head, her lips centimeters from his. "Always."

Okay. Lily was happy that they'd finally talked through their problems, but if he didn't make his presence known, they were going to go at it right there on the kitchen table! He cleared his throat, and it didn't stop a thing! Was he just chopped liver?

"Oi! Cat!" Gajeel said between light kisses. "Go with her."

"How nice of you to acknowledge me," Lily stood with a kiwi in hand, headed to the living room so they could continue their love-fest. "Don't worry, I was already planning on it."

"Sorry, Lily!" Levy giggled, unable to keep Gajeel off her.

"No worries, Levy," he said, raising a hand. This was their world, he was just living in it. "I'll be in the living room when you're ready."

"I'll be right there!"

"Don't go," Gajeel said into her skin. He was actively scenting her and she probably knew it, too. He couldn't help himself! But it wasn't like anyone aside from another dragon would be able to tell, and her likelihood of bumping into any of the few remaining was extremely low. She should be fine as long as she covered her energy, right?

"I have to," she pet his head, letting her fingers play in his wild hair. "But you're making it hard!"

"Yer makin' it hard, gihi!" What could he say? Dirty jokes were his forte.

"Oh, stop," she said, standing. "Now let me go~! I have to go do good things!"

"Be safe, an' be careful, 'kay?" He smacked her ass, making her jump. "Don't draw attention t'yerself."

"I'll be alright, Gaj, I promise," she lingered a bit as he fiddled with her fingers. "I'll be careful."

"How's yer arm?"

She flexed it, it was sore, but it was wrapped up and healing. "It's okay."

"An' yer head?"

She rubbed the back of her head, there was a slight bump, but it was numb. "It's numb, so I'm alright. I don't feel any pain."

"Thank Wendy. She's the best with medicine. I'd go ta her before I go ta any doctor. An' if it's somethin' she can't fix, I go ta Grandeeney."

He stood up and fixed her sweater. She looked good today. Hell, she looked good every day! But today… she was extra radiant. She had on tight black jeans that hugged every delicious curve, a red V-neck tee shirt that showed just a sliver of her tummy, and a black cardigan that she left open. She paired a red headband with it all, a pretty contrast to her blue hair. Though, he wanted to see her in something… royal. He cupped her face, not wasting a second kissing her deeply. "Ya look good, Shorty."

Why did he feel… uneasy?


"Levy, do you mind if we catch the train from Crocus?" Lily asked as they walked their usual path through the woods. "I have to send a letter to the head of the Council of Magnolia."

"That's actually one of my stops!" Levy chirped happily. "We can deliver it to him personally!"

"Ah, is this in your plan to spread the word about your project?" Lily was very interested in hearing the ideas from the source. "Can you tell me more? Gajeel just gave me the general idea of what was going on."

"Sure!" She dug a sheet of paper out of her bag, a brief game plan of what she wanted to be done. "So, pretty much, I've divided this up in terms of neighborhood size and occupants. I think we can get this done over the course of eight weekends, both Saturday and Sunday. I'm just hoping we get enough people to sign up."

"Gajeel told me he wanted to send out a communication to the other leaders to give them a heads up. Were you planning on helping with that?"

"Yes! He's excited to be able to do it in Dragonic, and since I'm mailing the sign-up sheets today, I'll help him out with communication tonight when we get back."

"And the deadline?"

"I'm giving people two weeks to sign up, and they can pick and choose the days they want to help," she explained, showing him the paper. "Over that time period, I'll be writing up a binder containing a plan for each separate day. When we're there, I'll need you to help me take note of buildings and their stability so we can decide if we need to demolish them or repurpose them. Same with empty lots. I have some ideas for some veggie gardens and small parks."

"Wow, Levy," he was extremely impressed with the depth of detail she put into this. No wonder Gajeel was head over heels for her! "This is amazing. How long did it take for you to come up with that?"

"When I first thought it up, it only took me a few days to get the basic details. I'm going to spend the time I have from now until we start to tweak the fine details."

"And what about your other plan? That one is sure to upset a few people." He discussed it with Gajeel at length, going over the pros and cons. And much as Gajeel felt it an invasion of privacy, Lily found it actually really beneficial.

"I want Gajeel to pass a law requiring all mages to register their abilities, but he doesn't think people will like that," she said with a sigh. "I think it will help protect the people, the land, and even him! It will weed out the troublemakers, and it will be easier to take the proper precautions to detain someone who's gone off their rocker! Plus, by doing this, we'll be able to find the ones stealing magic!"

"I agree with you, Levy. One hundred percent."

"Seriously?! You're backing this?" This was amazing! Ah! Things were coming together nicely! "Gajeel said that even though it would cause an uproar, he still likes the idea and wanted your opinion on it."

"We talked it over for a bit and I understand his concerns, but they're minuscule compared to what the outcome would be. The safety of the people and the well-being of Hargeon are more important, tenfold. I told him I'd back you in whatever idea you had. I trust you completely."

Wow, this was overwhelming! The king's knight putting complete faith in her? My goodness! "Oh, don't say that, Lily! I only had two ideas."

"Two excellent ideas, and I'm sure whatever you come up with next will be just as good, if not better." Lily nodded, his choice in bringing her around probably the best thing to ever happen to Fiore. "I must say, you're adapting to the role of the queen very well."

Queen? Of Fiore?! The thought never crossed her mind! Holy crap! That was… a bit much. It was an extremely hefty title to carry, and even the thought of it was weighing down on her like crazy! She tapped her fingers together nervously. "O-Oh, I don't think…"

"I mean it, Levy," Lily looked over at her with a smile. He knew it was a lot to think about, but surely she'd given it some thought. "You're a good fit, quite possibly the best."

"Me?" She could barely imagine it! She wasn't even sure if it was something she wanted! It was way too much pressure!

"Well, why wouldn't it be you? You're the one he's chosen as his mate and he's the king, so naturally, you'd take the title of Queen."

She couldn't do it! That was too much! Could she be his mate without being crowned Queen? Curse her need to better everything! She'd just carry out these two plans and keep all her ideas to herself! She couldn't carry the burden of taking care of people's livelihoods! She wasn't built for this!

"And I must say," Lily continued. "I didn't think you'd be able to look past his rule."

Rule? What ru—oh. Her face paled, how the hell could she forget about something so important?! Don't mate with humans. It rang in her head viciously, so loudly that she felt nauseous. That must have been what she was forgetting all night! She… couldn't do this! They couldn't be together! They just couldn't!

But…

The feelings she had for him, they were so strong, so intense, and they had been for a while. The connection they shared last night was unmatched, the chemistry they had was profound, and the stars she saw every time he touched her were bright. After finally experiencing intimacy, after finally finding the one, could she… be without it?

Why did he make that rule? It was such a terrible rule, it broke her heart. He wanted to share his bed with her every night, but she couldn't! How was she going to face him later that evening? How could she tell him they couldn't share any more soft moments, how could she begin giving him the cold shoulder again after the feelings they shared?

A tear rolled down her cheek, she knew he was just going to tell her to break the rule, but her conscience wouldn't let her! She wasn't one to defy any laws, especially ones that came directly from the king! There was a reason he put it in place, and he couldn't take it back. There was nothing they could do.

This sucked!

Lily was aware that he'd severely screwed the pooch this time. It was obvious she'd forgotten about it! And what was she going to do when they got back? She had to tell him why, and no doubt about it Gajeel was going to want to rip him to pieces! Perhaps he could fix this so that she'd look past it. "Levy…"

"Lily!" She couldn't stop the tears. Why was she crying? They'd only spent one night together! "We can't be together! That rule… we can't!"

"Levy, if I may," he needed to figure out how to persuade her! This was bad! "You and Gajeel were meant to be. Don't let some silly rule between dragons keep you from experiencing true love."

"Lily, it's more than that! It's about morals and standards! How would the other leaders look at him if he'd broken his own rule? They wouldn't respect him!"

"Levy, there would be no harm done to the people if you put yourself first just this once. Please, think of your happiness and well-being."

"Don't worry, Lily," she sniffled. "I won't tell him you told me."

Unfortunately, that didn't matter. Gajeel would know immediately that he was the one who told her. "Levy, at least think about it."

"I can't…" at least she had this project she could throw herself into to distract herself. She was going to need a lot of distractions if she was going to survive in that house with him. "I just… I can't think about this anymore."

Lily frowned at his error. This could quite possibly be the worst thing he'd ever done! He'd own up to his mistake and take his punishment like a man, but he wasn't looking forward to it at all.

"We're here," she wiped her face with her sleeve before motioning at the Crocus post. "I'm going to get these sheets sent out to the other posts. I'll be sure to make sure they don't get posted for a few days to give him time to let the others know."

"Okay, Levy. I'll be out here waiting."

"Here," she said, handing him the ones for the Magnolia post. "Hold on to these, and we can swing by and drop them off while we're there."

After Levy sent out the sign-up sheets, they continued running their errands. It was a particularly quiet trip, and Lily could sense her distress. How long was she going to be like this? Was she going to torture Gajeel again by not speaking to him? How was he going to fix this? Their train ride was agonizingly silent, and their walk to the Magnolia post was the same.

She told him to keep a low profile while they were there and ride in her bag, which was smart. He changed into his smaller form and claimed his designated spot as she walked to the headquarters of the Council of Magnolia to let the Chief know of his urgent task. He wasn't entirely sure what the whole plan was while they were there, so he figured he could break the silence and make some small talk.

"Levy," he began. "I don't believe you told me the itinerary for the day. Aside from stopping by the Council, what else did you have planned?"

"Oh, I also wanted to stop by my friend's bar and introduce you, if you're up for it," she said, her voice still quiet and sad. "She's famous for having the best liquor in town. She told me to bring you by one day."

Anything to get his mind off his blunder! "That sounds like a splendid idea! But wait, she knows?"

"Yeah, her dad is the Chief. She's the one who called off the search, and when you replied, he must have told her. But it's okay! She won't tell anyone!"

"No worries, Levy," he knew she wouldn't be reckless with sensitive information, so if she trusted her friend, he did too.

"Then after that, I just need to drop off a book at the library, and then we can head home." Home. What kind of home was it where she couldn't be with her mate? This was going to be agony! Could he lift the rule? 'No!' That wouldn't be fair! To change a law for her own personal reasons? That was selfish! Why should she get special privileges?

She just wanted to finish her job and go back to her apartment to her lonely life. There was no future with him.


"Little Levy!"

"Gil!" Levy gave him a hug, happy to see a friendly face. "How are things?"

"Oh, you know," he said, sitting back down behind his desk. "Same old, same old. What about you? How's working with the king?"

"Oh, you know," she mimicked with a small voice, her eyes unable to focus on anything specific. "Same old, same old… Lily is here, too!"

"It seems my smaller form makes me easy to miss," Lily joked, hopping out of her bag and onto the large desk. "Chief, it's been a while."

"Sir Lily," Gildarts stood and bowed, showing his respect to the king's knight. He wondered if he should have paid his respects to Levy formally since she was covered in the king's energy, but he decided not to touch that topic. He'd get whatever details he was curious about from Cana.

"No need for the formalities, we're just here to drop something off and run a few things by you," Lily said, looking at Levy to see if she wanted to explain.

She wasted no time going over everything with him, beginning with the urgent need to rescue Juvia and finishing up on her request for him to get a word out about the Hargeon cleanup project. He had no issues with any of it, agreeing to it all with no hesitation.

"Anything for the king, as well as for my daughter's best friend," he said, putting on his cape, ready to head out. "I'll go get his informant right now and get her set up in an apartment somewhere safe here in Magnolia. She can work for me."

"Thank you so much!" Levy said with a bit more excitement in her voice.

"And as for the project, I'll make sure everyone knows about it by next week."


"That was nice of him to set Juvia up like that," Lily said, taking a mental note of the convenience of how close Levy was to him. That must have worked out in her favor a lot in her life.

"Yeah, he's a super cool guy," she said, turning down the small street that led to the bar. She reminded herself to make sure Lucy wasn't there before she let Lily out. To some, he was recognizable and she couldn't take that risk. Who knew how she'd react!

She approached the bar, looking around cautiously. "I just want to make sure Lucy isn't here. She's a journalist, and I don't need her trying to pry information out of me if she finds out."

"I understand." Lily knew how prodding journalists could be.

Levy pulled on the door, it was locked! Was she closed again? That bummed her out a little, she really wanted to talk to her and get her mind off things. "It's closed! Out of all nights!"

"It's okay, Levy. We can always come back."

"I guess," she said, defeated. She just couldn't win today.

And as if her prayers were answered, the back door to Cana's apartment opened and she emerged, her usual miniature jug of alcohol in hand. "Blue? I didn't expect to see you here! Come in, come in!"

"Oh, Cana! Thank Gods!" Levy rushed and gave her a hug, needing the comfort of her girlfriend. It's been a while since she'd seen her in person! She walked inside, shutting and locking the door behind her. "Guess who I brought~!"

"The Exceed Lily!" Cana curtsied drunkenly at the small cat that popped out of her bag then threw her arm around Levy. "It's about damn time ya brought him!"

"But the bar's closed," Levy sat on the plush couch she'd always admired, letting Lily sit in her lap as he always did when he was in his smaller form.

"So? You could have knocked! And you know I always have liquor on hand!" She brought a jug from her kitchen and handed it to Levy, wiggling her brows. "Try it! It's a new batch!"

Levy graciously turned the bottle up to her lips, forgetting she wasn't a fan of the taste of hard liquor. She sputtered, trying her hardest not to spit it everywhere. Holding a hand to her mouth, she giggled. "I'm sorry."

"That's a good thing, don't worry," Cana playfully winked at the concerned Exceed. "It just means it's a high-quality batch!"

"Might I try some of that?" Lily was curious, and he knew Gajeel enjoyed a drink every now and then. Maybe if this stuff was good enough, he could purchase some to take back to him as a gesture of goodwill.

"Hell yeah!" Cana always loved when people tried her alcohol. "Take some for the road!"

"Oh, no," Lily held up his paws. "I could never take this for free. I'd be more than happy to pay for it."

He took a sip and his eyes widened, this was really good! "As a matter of fact, I insist I purchase some. This would do very well in your bar."

"Comin' from you, that means a lot!" Cana said, falling into her spot on the couch. "You're probably used to high-quality alcohol since you work for the king, and all."

"Ah, he doesn't really drink as much as you would think," Lily explained, helping himself to more. "He's more of a beer guy."

"And a Levy guy, eh?" She elbowed Levy in her side a few times, grinning wildly. "How's that goin' for ya? Last I remember, you told me you were avoiding him because you so desperately wanted to get into those pants!"

Levy wanted to joke along with her, but it was sad. She did want to experience those things with him, but she couldn't. It wouldn't be right. "I, uh…"

Lily gauged the closeness of the two girls and deemed it appropriate to speak up about what happened. "I screwed up."

He hopped off her lap, pacing back and forth with a paw to his head in near despair. "I mentioned something to her that I probably should have kept to myself."

"No, it's a good thing you told me, Lily," she said, reaching for him. "If we would have gone through with it all and I found out in the long run, I don't even know how I'd react."

Lily welcomed her affection, something he didn't think would happen, but by now, he was used to how she operated. She was a very loving individual, so the fact that he foolishly took away Gajeel's chance to be loved properly was incredibly bad!

"Will someone tell me what's goin' on?!" Cana said, nearly bursting at the seams.

Levy spent some time going over the fine details she left out. They spoke every few days via Cana's cards, but Levy always walked around exactly why she was avoiding Gajeel. Now she knew. And of course, the first thing Cana mentioned was the fact that she was pretty much the queen of Fiore! Why did they keep making her think about that?! She… didn't want to be Queen! That was too much responsibility!

"Levy, just break the damn rule," Cana sighed. There was no way in hell Blue was going to do that. She grew up with her; she knew what she stood for and breaking rules was not it! "You're really gonna let some dumb rule that humans don't even know about keep you from what's yours?"

"Cana… I just can't. I just need to do my job and come back home to Magnolia."

"Blue, I can't believe I'm saying this… but you're being dumb!" Cana squeezed Levy's cheeks in frustration. She couldn't believe someone so smart could be so naïve!

"I have standards, I'm sorry! I can't do it!"

"Well, when you come to your senses, make sure to bring him by. I wanna meet him." Cana cheesed. One day, she'd give in, and she hoped it was him that persuaded her. "And next time you stop by, it better be as Queen!"


"That was a delight!" Lily said, slightly buzzed from Cana's liquor. He left a bag of Jewel on her lacrima-vision stand for it, even though she insisted he could just take it. Alcohol of that quality had to be respected! "Your friend really knows her way around her liquor!"

"Yeah, it's her calling. That, and being a psychic."

"Anytime you plan to visit Magnolia, let me know!" Lily might even make a trip down here on his own for this stuff!

"Sure."

Lily frowned. Ever since that conversation with her friend, she'd been even more down than she was earlier. He needed to cheer her up! Or at least get her mind off the madness. After all, this was all his fault. "Levy, are you planning on browsing the library for anything today?"

Gajeel's words rang in her head. 'Stay away from the library!' Why was she so damn sad?! It hurt so much for no good reason! She missed him, and it's only been a few hours. Maybe she missed him because she knew she'd never experience his affection again. But… she couldn't help but want to listen to his direction. "I think I'm just going to drop off this book and head back to the house."

"Were you wanting to stop for food?" Lily could confidently say the liquor was getting to him! This would make whatever punch Gajeel threw easier to take! Luckily, he managed to get two jugs to take back. It was a tight squeeze, but worth it!

"I don't really have an appetite, but we can stop somewhere if you want something," she said, just wanting to crawl into bed and sleep forever. Thank goodness the library wasn't too far from the bar, which in turn wasn't too far from the station.

"In that case, I'm sure there'll be leftovers from this morning."

Levy finally got to the library, she didn't see Freed through the windows. Maybe he was putting books back, or something. 'I wonder if there's a book return slot somewhere.' She'd never used it before since she always went inside, but she really didn't want the interaction this time. She searched the perimeter of the building, it looked like she was out of luck. She sighed.

She turned around, bumping into a really tall, massively buff blond guy. Seriously! He was like a moving boulder! Why was he behind her anyway, and why didn't she sense him? Was she that caught up in her feelings? "Oh, I'm sorry."

"You looking for the book return?" The man asked gruffly, staring down at the incredibly short girl. "It's by the front door."

Levy felt… off, but she dismissed that as her emotions being all over the place. She sighed in relief, she didn't have to go inside! "Thanks…"

She stepped around him, scurrying to the door, where she did indeed find the slot. She must have missed it! She quickly returned it before heading back to the station, dreading the conversation she was going to have with Gajeel soon. This was going to break both of them.

Lily may have been buzzed, but he wasn't buzzed enough to the point where he missed who she just ran into! Why was Laxus wandering around the city like that? More importantly, why was he loitering around the library? Levy must not have recognized him, since no one had ever seen him except the other leaders. Thank goodness she at least covered her energy!

He had a bad feeling about this.

The whole ride back to Crocus, Lily contemplated telling her who she just happened across, but she was already going through a lot emotionally, and he wasn't really sure if telling her would benefit or change anything. He definitely needed to tell Gajeel.

By the time they were walking back to the house, it was already dark, and Lily planned to stay outside and let Gajeel come to him. The last thing he wanted to do was fight inside the house. "Levy, I'm going to hang back a bit. Tell him I'll be outside waiting for him."

"Oh… okay." What was that all about? Well, whatever. She just needed to get this over with and crawl into bed. Lily had already changed back into his battle form and was lagging behind her reluctantly. Oh, Lily. She understood reluctance all too well. What she would give to just go back to her apartment and not have to deal with this! Once the house came into view, she saw the door open and Gajeel standing there with a huge grin on his face. Gods. He was gorgeous.

"Lev!" He greeted her as he closed the distance, wrapping her in a big hug. She seemed sad. He stepped back and held her face, staring into her eyes. "Ya been cryin'. What is it? Did Lily do somethin' t'ya?"

She offered a small smile. Of course, he'd notice her emotions. They were connected. "No, Gajeel…"

"Oi! What did I tell ya 'bout callin' me that?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, walking her into the house. "Where is that damn cat, anyway?"

"He said he's waiting for you outside. I'm not too sure why, though," she said, the warmth and comfort of the house easing her a bit. She knew she shouldn't let herself be comfortable there anymore, but it was a lot easier said than done! She pulled the jugs of liquor out of her bag and put them on the table. "We brought this back for you."

"Yeah, yeah," he was curious about the mysterious jugs, but he was more interested in the drastic mood shift there was between them. "C'mere."

He pulled her to the couch and sat her sideways on his lap. She didn't protest, but she definitely wasn't herself. "What's wrong?"

She couldn't help but let a few tears slide down her face. He just made her so comfortable! This was terrible! Why would he come up with such a rule?! "Gaj… we can't be together."

He froze in place, his body like fragile glass. What was she saying?! Why was she saying it?! He smoothed her hair back, there was no way in hell he was letting the love of his life get away from him! "Levy… why?"

She faced him, throwing her arms around his neck in a sad embrace. She buried her face into his shirt, she didn't want him to see her cry! He pried her face away, holding it gently. His eyes showed so much concern, so much care, so much pain. She was hurting him!

He wiped the moisture from her face with his thumbs before kissing her forehead, then her lips. "Lev, please don't say this."

"But… your rule…" her voice was tiny as his eyes widened in realization. "We can never be together."

Rage bubbled under the surface; he was going to kill that damn cat! That's why the little asshole was waiting outside for him! He knew what he'd done! But he'd deal with that in a few minutes. He had to deal with the heartbreak he was currently experiencing. Levy had morals. She was an amazing, good-hearted, kind person who followed all rules and did good. That's why he picked her. And she picked him back! So, for that damn cat to go and ruin it was absurd!

"Lev," he started, knowing his attempt to persuade her was for naught. She was too good a person to break major rules like that. "It's just a stupid rule I made up years ago, 'cause, y'know, I wasn't very fond of 'em. But that was before I knew ya were among them."

"Still…" She slid off his lap, her body rejecting the cold that washed over her. She felt sick. "We can't. If the others find out… they'll never respect you."

She was right in that aspect. There would be so much uproar if a certain two dragons and a manmade dragon found out about this. But he was the king! He can do whatever the hell he wanted! "I can lift it. Fer us."

"No, it wouldn't be right," she picked her bag up and was headed to her room when he caught her wrist.

"So, what now? Yer just not gonna talk ta me anymore? Lev… that's gonna kill me," he said, a sadness on his mind he'd never experienced.

She was so broken, and his sadness only made it worse. "It's… too hard. I… think we should take this next week off from your lessons."

"Lev!" He followed her up the steps and to her door, grabbing her waist and spinning her around. "Levy, please, don't do this. I… just found ya, I can't lose ya over some silly rule I made when I was angry."

She put her hands on his chest in a feeble attempt to push him away, but she was weak when it came to him. "Gaj… please don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Make this hard?!" He kissed her, more intensely than he ever had, and she melted into him like he knew she would. Her arms held him while his hands smoothed up and down her back, landing on the thick ass she was trying to take away from him. He pulled away and stared down at her, she was so out of it. "Yer tellin' me ya wanna give this, what we have between us, up?"

"I… it's… it's not that I want to," she huffed, trying to get her bearings together. "It's that I can't!"

She managed to break free from his hold and went into her room. She turned to face him one last time, her face wet with tears again. She felt like crap! Just look at his face! He looked like he was going to break down any moment! If this were just some… silly rule made by a lesser being, then she'd consider it. But there were just too many risks in breaking a rule as King. She let her fingertips graze his face one last time. "I'm so sorry…"

With that, she closed her door and cried. She cried so hard, she was sure he heard it. She slid to the floor, holding her arms in despair. Were breakups supposed to hurt this much? Or was it the fact that she was separating herself from her mate? She… was going to have to quit. She couldn't be there with him like this! How much of this could she endure?

A solitary tear fell from a ruby eye as he stood outside her door and listened to her sob. He wanted to burst into her room and just make her submit like she wanted to, but… he cared about her too much to defy her like that. She wasn't coming back around this time. Anger took him as he nearly fled downstairs and through the front door, in pursuit of the culprit.

That fucking bastard.