~Halloween 2018~

Wednesday, October 31st, 2018

-Hargeon Town-

"Oh… My... God…. NO. Lucy, no! Absolutely not! I cannot possibly!" Levy shrieked, looking inside at the contents of the box that her roommate and best friend had just handed her.

"Levy! Come on, it'll be fun! Come on, please?" Lucy begged, trying to convince Levy to agree to the box's cursed contents. Lucy was kneeling on the ground in front of her friend, begging with her hands and sporting the biggest, cutest pout Levy had ever seen.

Levy was aghast. How had this happened?

It was once again almost the best night of the year – the long-awaited All Hallow's Eve.

Levy thought back to everything that had led up to this point. It had been precisely a year since last year's Halloween adventure (obviously) and Levy couldn't believe how simultaneously fast that time had passed but also how fundamentally different she felt.

Her first year of college had been everything she had hoped for. What with the parties, the friends, meeting new people… not to mention how exciting her courses had been. She'd spent all of high school dreaming of college. The endless classes to pick from! Nothing excited Levy more than reading a course description. She swooned at the thought!

Last year's party had been a blast, but Levy had drank way too much and ended up horribly hungover the next day. She could barely focus in any of her classes and no matter how much coffee she consumed the pounding headache just wouldn't go away.

After a year of similar parties and testing her limits, Levy felt a lot more comfortable setting boundaries for herself, and considering this year Halloween was once again on a school night, she wanted to be more cautious.

Obviously she still wanted to go. It was Halloween! And parties with her friends were too fun to turn down. But she'd decided she would drink less this year, and come home at a more reasonable hour.

Between the two girls, the topic of costumes had been brought up months ago, and they'd both agreed that doing a joint costume was the only way to go. But last year had given them the stunning realization that almost no one understood pop culture references. The two girls had spent almost the entire night trying to explain how their costumes were related. Eventually they'd just given up.

So this year, they agreed they should do something more obvious. But then, beyond that, they couldn't seem to agree on the specifics. They liked each other's ideas of course, but they just couldn't nail anything in particular down.

And then, one day, they had made a bet. It was a dumb bet, about who would do better on an English essay for their Lit class. It was meant to be all in good fun, but somehow it had spiraled out of control, especially when it was decided that the winner of the bet would get to choose this year's costumes. No questions asked.

Levy had only agreed because she'd been confident she would win. She was an all-star student, straight A's baby! But as it turned out, Lucy really was a gifted writer, and she scored higher, winning not only that delicious A+, but also the right to choose their costumes.

The loss devastated Levy. Not only had she performed poorly in class (she had still gotten an A, but that was beside the point!), she had also lost any say in what they wore! Of course, she trusted her friend to make a good choice, she and Lucy often agreed on most things, but the bet had entailed no questions asked. Anything goes!

Due to Levy's academic failure (once again, take note it was still an A), she was planning to come back early tonight and study. She figured that if Lucy somehow did pick something crazy, at least she wouldn't be wearing it for long. She was just going to go say 'Hi,' have a couple Jell-O shots (too delicious to pass up), and skip back home to read.

But this!? This was insane. How could she agree to this?!

Levy looked from the contents of the box to Lucy, then back to the box, then back to Lucy.

"I mean…," Levy rubbed her temples, exasperated. "Ugh…."

"Please? Please please please? It was a bet! No take-backsies! Plus, I really want to wear mine. It'd be super weird if we weren't both wearing them, and…" Lucy trailed off, sheepishly looking away.

Levy raised an eyebrow.

"And you want to impress a certain someone, right?" Levy continued for her and Lucy nodded like a scolded child, refusing to meet Levy's eyes.

"Ugh FINE!" Levy groaned, falling back onto her bed with an arm over her eyes. It looked like she wouldn't be doing any skipping tonight!

"BUT just because Cana said you looked smoking hot in heels when we tried them on at the mall two months ago DOESN'T mean Natsu will notice! He's so thickheaded! Honestly, you've been crushing hard since the very beginning, and it's like zero progress has been made!"

"Levy!" Lucy exclaimed. "Don't say that, there's been some! Uh... we do talk every day and uh..." Lucy rubbed the back of her head, pretending to brainstorm and Levy just lifted her head, glaring at her friend.

Lucy stuck her tongue out and winked at her, and Levy groaned, falling back again to the soft seduction of her mattress. Lucy might be looking for romance, but that was the last thing on her mind….

A mental image of a certain red-eyed Devil flitted through her head, but she was convinced it only appeared because they were discussing Halloween.

After that night a year ago, and after they had sobered up, Levy had told Lucy everything.

They had been sitting on the floor of their room in a pillow fort they'd made, telling ghost stories. Levy had tried to recall every tiny detail, but Lucy had still looked quite skeptical. She had finally agreed that he probably was a real person and not an actual Devil, but she wasn't convinced that it meant anything more than that.

"He was just a nice guy, Levy, who helped you out. Honestly, I'm really sorry you were lost to begin with," Lucy had said, reaching out with one hand to touch Levy's knee, a cup of hot tea in the other.

Levy didn't know if it was because they'd discussed it while talking about scary stories, or if it was simply due to the passage of time, but the more she thought back to that night, the more it felt like a figment of her imagination. Maybe she was letting her books get to her again…

She shook her head, coming back to the present, and her eyes landed on the box in her lap with the pair of insanely white, bedazzled high heels inside.

Lucy had decided that Levy would be an Angel, and she herself would be a Demon. A classic pairing, throughout both time and literature. Levy actually liked the idea, and she didn't even mind that Lucy had made herself the demon and Levy the angel. She knew that Natsu's eye would be caught by anything to do with red and flames, so it was the natural choice if her friend wanted to get his attention. And Levy liked to consider herself pure of heart, even if that was a little cheesy to say out loud.

What she didn't like was the heels that Lucy had picked out. Dumb Cana had planted the idea in Lucy's head months ago that heels were attractive and sexy, and that wearing them around Natsu would make his eyes bulge out of his head like in a cartoon.

And sure, that was fine and all, as long as Levy herself didn't have to get involved. But she should have known Lucy would want to wear heels with the costume! And Levy did acknowledge that Lucy would look odd if she, the taller of the two, wore six inch stilettos while Levy, naturally shorter, was in flats.

Now that she thought about it, that'd be especially weird given that symbolically, Angels lived amongst the clouds, and Demons dwelled in the depths...

Yeah, she got it. Reluctantly, she got it. She just… didn't want to wear heels.

"Levy just think how tall they'll make you!"

Levy shot Lucy a pointed look, and Lucy rolled her eyes while giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, you aren't short, most other people are just ridiculously tall," Lucy giggled.

"But I mean come on, they'll probably look great on you," Lucy winked.

Levy did admit, it seemed kind of daring, especially for her.

Well then that was an interesting thought too, an Angel being a daredevil? Levy stared at the shoes in her lap, admitting that a part of her was excited to try them on.

"Well, I'll give it a try, Lu-chan, alright? But only because you're right, it's only fair, a bet is a bet."

"Yes!" Lucy exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. "Tonight is going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah…" Levy trailed. "Tonight will certainly be… interesting."

Gajeel stood like a stone statue, arms folded, motionless. He stared straight ahead, not focusing on any one point in particular, but despite his seemingly bored expression his senses were all on high alert.

Before him, a bunker-like room stretched into the darkness, the far walls hard to pinpoint. The cement structure created a suffocating feeling, especially for Gajeel whose exceptional height meant that his head almost scraped the ceiling. He pushed the claustrophobia down though, focusing instead on the men before him and the job at hand.

"We had a deal," a silky voice purred, the sound echoing eerily into the far-off corners of the room.

"There must have been a mis-," a voice tried saying, but the silky smooth talker in the crushed velvet suit jacket swiftly thrust his hand upward, practically chopping through the words as they drifted through the air.

There was a controlled viciousness in the motion, and the man who'd been cut off swallowed hard. He then glanced at the only other two people in the room: A man in corduroys who sat heavily on a stool with his eyes pointed downward, and the scary one standing against the wall, whose red eyes elusively watched the scene.

He winced, and felt a drop of sweat drip down from under his brown baseball cap. He had to keep himself from taking the cap off and wiping at his brow.

"There was no mistake," the smooth voice purred once again, and the man blinked rapidly.

"I'm almost thinking you expected you'd get away with this," the voice continued, it's owner smiling slightly.

"N-no, Master José," the man stumbled over his words, and now he did pull off his baseball cap, holding it in front of himself timidly.

"It really was a mistake. I don't know how this happened."

"Pathetic," José said, glaring at the man. José was in fact shorter than the desperate man wringing his hat, but he still tilted his head back to glare at him from down his nose.

"Do you know what the deal was?" He asked, almost hoping that the man would get it wrong.

"The, uhm, the deal… was that…," the man wasn't looking at him, couldn't look at him.

"Yes?" José questioned, waiting.

"The deal was that, we do the job, and get the profits to you, and in return, you... protect… us…," he trailed off, wetting his lips, throat suddenly dry.

"Yesss," José drawled, letting the word hang in the air. He leaned forward, resting both hands on the low metal table that stood between them. The only light in the room came from a wide-brimmed lamp that hung over that table, and it cast its light on some papers spread out below.

"Yes, that's right," José continued. "Basically, you make sure the money gets to me, and in return I make sure no one fucks you up. And let's see, who would fuck you up? Any ideas?"

José looked around the room to each man in turn.

"Any ideas?" he asked again. "Redfox, you're awfully quiet over there. I believe you might be scaring our guests. Any ideas who might fuck these two up?"

Gajeel met his eyes but said nothing, and José smiled back.

"Well let's see," he said, unperturbed by the lack of responses.

He held up a fat finger.

"One: Protection from Fairy Tail, may they rot in Hell."

He held up a second finger.

"Two: Protection from Sabertooth, those so-called 'protectors of the people,' who can barely even protect themselves." He chuckled at himself, and held up a third and final finger.

"Oh and let's see, one more, one more… Oh that's right. Protection from ME."

He slammed his hand down on the table and the smile was gone, replaced with a scowl so fierce, Gajeel found himself looking away. He stared at the shadows, letting his eyes unfocus.

"So where the FUCK is my MONEY?" José screamed.

The man with the brown hat instantly dropped to his knees, holding his hands up to beg.

"Master José, please reconsider. This was a mistake! An honest mistake. I have no idea how this happened, someone must have been cooking the books, please, allow me to look again. I'll fix it! I'll-!"

"Oh stop your blathering, you idiot," José snarled, eyes ablaze. "It's too late for you and that pathetic slug you call your partner," he said, gesturing at the man in corduroys, who was completely shrunken in fear, flinching at the echoes reverberating through the room.

Gajeel paid only half attention, allowing his mind to wander as it always did whenever he found himself in these meetings. It was the best way to get through them. Stay silent, stay to the side, don't be noticed. Don't get involved. Don't watch too closely. It'd be over soon.

José was out many hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. Gajeel didn't know the specifics, but he knew that these two men were the ones most recently in charge of the Hargeon operation, and somehow they'd been siphoning money out the side. Secrets like this didn't stay hidden for long, and José had heard about it, prompting the visit down South. The fact that he had come himself was bad news for the men.

These two unfortunate souls wouldn't live to see sunrise, Gajeel knew, and while he couldn't say he believed they deserved to die for this, he had no sway in the decision. It wasn't up to him, it was up to José, and no one ever questioned the man. Unless they wanted to die, too.

He could tell from the desperation and despair on both men's faces that they knew their fates as well, but there was nothing he or anyone could do about it, so he just stood there as José continued to yell.

The assault, at some points turning physical, lasted about ten more minutes, after which José finally seemed to be calming down. He breathed heavily, patting at the crushed velvet of his suit jacket, wrinkling his nose when he spotted a drop of blood on his cuff.

The man with the brown hat was barely conscious now, blood smeared across his cheek, and the man in corduroys had a sizeable lump forming on his head.

"Redfox," José snapped, bringing Gajeel to attention. "Take them outside. Boze will finish them off."

Gajeel grunted, moving forward to grab each man by the scruff of their neck and lifting them with ease. José sat down as Gajeel left the room, semi-conscious men in tow, and let out a contented sigh. Meetings like these always made him feel so much calmer. He smiled to himself.

"Oh my god Lucy, how do you walk in these? This is so hard!" Levy cried, lurching about their room. She had just undergone the strenuous process of sitting down, sliding the heels on, fastening the clasps securely, and then shuffling back up to a standing position as carefully as possible. Now, she was hunched awkwardly, and she imagined she looked like a long-legged bird, learning to walk for the first time. Maybe like a flamingo, or a stork…

Lucy just laughed and walked over to her, though clearly not a natural yet herself.

"We just need practice. Here, hold my hand, let's take laps around the house."

Levy grabbed on to her best friend's hand and allowed her to slowly be led out their door and into the hallway. At that moment, Lisanna was leaving her own room and her eyes opened wide.

"Oh!" she said, startled by the pair crawling down the hallway. "Well you're certainly trying!"

Levy looked back at her, a pained expression on her face, and Lisanna giggled behind one hand.

They somehow made it down the stairs, relying heavily on the banister for support, and Levy squeaked uncertainly when the heels made contact with the hardwood of the hallway, an altogether different beast from the carpet they had previously been on.

They managed to make their way down the hall and into the living room, causing several of the girls who were studying there to look up and watch curiously. Some cat calls and whistles followed them as they moved to the kitchen, and Levy felt her face heating up.

Cana was sitting at a barstool, already drinking a mixed drink, and she surveyed them with amusement. Her mild grin stretched further across her face as a shout came from the living room, "Woah Levy! Your ass looks amazing right now!"

Levy's face erupted, and the girls started cackling. Levy could feel Lucy laughing too, and she turned to her, aghast.

"Lu-chan, the more you laugh, the more you have betrayed me," she said darkly, her face bright.

Lucy just cracked up more, unable to stifle her laughter.

"I'm sorry, Levy! But the thing is, they're not wrong!"

Levy didn't know how it was possible, but her entire head seemed to be magically transforming into an actual tomato.

"This is modern-day foot binding!" she found herself yelling. "This is torture! THIS SHOULDN'T BE LEGAL!"

Her shouts did nothing to stifle the laughter around her, which instead only seemed to grow louder.

Those witches, Levy thought darkly, a sharp glare marring her pretty, though quite flushed, features. May they fall off their broomsticks and all their potions perish!

Gajeel splashed water onto his face from the sink faucet, letting it run down his chin. He wiped away the bile from the side of his mouth and glared at himself in the mirror.

He'd delivered the two men to Boze outside, and left before anything else had happened, but he'd still heard the gunshots reverberating down the hallway and he'd promptly gone to the bathroom and thrown his guts up into the toilet.

He growled at himself, pissed off by this. He wouldn't be able to survive if he kept being weak, and he stared himself down in the mirror, swearing he would never let it happen again.

Gajeel lived by a set of three rules. He'd established them from a young age and they'd kept him alive so far, despite his difficult childhood and then being initiated into Phantom Lord before he was even old enough to know what consent was.

Never show weakness.

The first rule was simple enough, and it was the most important one when dealing with José. Gajeel was steel, no iron. He was solid, and never let a single thing show. He could never let José see him throwing up like this, and he knew he'd need to get back to the man soon. Any longer and José would be asking questions, something he'd much rather avoid.

At least he didn't have to pull the trigger… this time. He wasn't an idiot, and he didn't try to deceive himself. He knew Boze wouldn't always be there to finish the job and he knew that if it came down to it, he'd pick his own life over whoever José was ordering him to kill. After all, refusing to follow through with an order was a death sentence itself.

Sure, those two fools were being selfish and short-sighted when they stole from José. But Gajeel knew that there had been only two demons in that room, and it wasn't the two men.

He cursed himself once more, wiping his hands on a paper towel and tossing it into the bin, but he didn't need to curse himself, he was already cursed, and he'd accepted that long ago.

Never show weakness.

He wouldn't. This would never happen again. He set his face to be an expressionless iron cast, his signature look, and quickly strode back down the hallway towards the bunker where he'd left Master José.

Levy and Lucy held on to each other's arms as they traipsed their way through the autumnal leaves which once again blanketed the sidewalk thickly.

Levy was giggling about something Lucy had just told her, and she could feel herself getting swept up once more in the brimming excitement that always proceeded a party amongst friends. This year's big Halloween Bash would be at the same house, it was the go-to party destination, and Levy was happy that this year she was getting there on time, and also knew the route there like the back of her hand.

Additionally, she was increasingly more comfortable walking in the heels Lucy had picked out for her. The two girls still held onto each other's arms, but if needed they could walk independently of the other, a feat that had taken most of the afternoon to master, but which left Levy feeling rather satisfied.

Dare she admit, she almost felt sexy? The thought flustered her, since she didn't consider herself to be sexy the majority of the time, especially compared to most of the girls she was friends with. She didn't blame them for this, it wasn't their fault that a large bust wasn't in her genepool, but she found herself wishing that she could stand out a bit more next to them. So often she just felt like… a child. She didn't want to admit it to Lucy, but the heels and the added height they gave her really did make her feel more mature.

Soon the house came into view and Levy shivered in her costume. It was a mid-thigh dress, shimmery white, and with white feathers in abundance along the neckline and hem. Her long hair was pulled up and braided around a white circlet, reminiscent of an angel's halo, and a pair of small white feathered wings were strapped to her back. It was definitely a stereotypical costume, but at least it was obvious what she was supposed to be. She glanced down at the feathers bouncing on her chest. And maybe the extra plumage would help her look a little more… well-endowed maybe?

She shook her head.

Either way, she thought, nodding to herself. This will be fine. I look great, Lucy looks great, Natsu will notice for sure, and maybe… maybe I'll find someone too?

After all, these parties were popular, and had a constant stream of people coming and going.

Or maybe not, she backtracked, biting her lip. In the end, who cares, right? My books, at least, will always be there for me. Getting home to study is priority numero uno. But as long as I'm here, maybe I can still have a little fun…?

She allowed herself to be swept into the house with the group, only the slightest hint of nerves resting in her stomach. She was certainly ready for that first Jell-O shot and whatever dash of Halloween magic that was bound to follow.

Tonight was a disaster.

Levy tried prying two groping bodies apart to get to the stairs. She was frustrated beyond belief, her feet were killing her, and she was not drunk enough to be there. She finally made her way through the human make-out mosh pit and thumped down the stairs aggressively. With one final push, she was out the front door and into fresh air. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the cool breeze on her flushed cheeks.

She checked the time on her phone and noticed it was just past midnight.

Fuck, Levy thought to herself.

It was much too late to drink more. She knew if she even tried, it would ruin all her careful plans to study and go to class tomorrow.

Might as well leave, she thought, glumly making her way down the path, hugging her arms.

"Levy, wait!" a desperate voice cried, and the sound ignited anger within her.

She whipped around to see a ginger head running towards her, quickly scrambling around a stumbling couple, and stopping right before her hostile gaze. She knew that another dark-haired head would be close behind and she rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Levy, wait, I'm sorry!" Jet cried, moving his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Oh, you're sorry? Sorry that you kept ruining, on purpose I highly suspect, every single connection I tried to make tonight?!"

Jet bowed his head and sure enough Droy ran up to join them, looking back and forth between a furious Levy and a regretful Jet, panting slightly.

"Look Levy," Droy started, "We just wanted you to have a good night. We all just wanted to have fun tonight! Is that so wrong?"

Levy turned her smoldering glare on Droy and he looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

Levy breathed heavily through her nostrils, trying to calm down.

"I know, I understand," she said, looking away while both boys looked at her.

"I love you guys too, but I need my space, okay? We hang out all the time at school, and often outside of school too. If I tell you to back off, why can't you do as I ask?"

Levy stared stubbornly at a bush beside the front door, past their questing looks, and felt her eyes prickle.

Dammit, Levy, don't cry now!

She was just so frustrated. She loved them like brothers, and she loved to spend time with them, but why couldn't they understand that they were smothering any and all precious opportunities she had at making a love connection? Why couldn't Levy, for once, know what it was like to date? To kiss? She'd never once been kissed, always thinking she'd save it for the right guy, but now quite frankly she didn't care, she just wanted to kiss someone! She wanted to enjoy her youth! Make out with strangers! God, why was she even dressed like an Angel, when right now all she wanted was to be anything but?!

Jet stared at Levy's pouting face, frustration evident in his own.

He knew he was sabotaging Levy's attempts at connecting with other boys, but why couldn't she see that he was the right one for her, not them? He'd always been there, through thick and thin, and now some random stranger - who knows where that guy's mouth has been! – got to kiss her first?

Fuck that! It made him angry beyond belief and he felt all the more justified in ruining Levy's attempts to throw herself at the first available guy.

Plus, couldn't she see how much it hurt for her to say she 'loved them' but then didn't follow through? What did that even mean?! Why couldn't she mean that romantically? Because for him, it was a no-brainer. Levy was the one, and fuck him if he ever thought otherwise. Also, those damn heels were driving him crazy. She looked sexier than hell tonight and he didn't like anyone else seeing her like that. He could hardly take his eyes off her the whole night, and any time she had tried to dance with another guy he had swiftly intervened, much to her displeasure.

He knew that Droy was thinking all the same things, but he was fairly certain they had agreed a long time ago that if one of them got Levy, it would be Jet. It was only fair. He'd been there first. He deserved it the most.

"Woah, who killed a cat here?" Cana asked, stumbling up to the trio and immediately sensing the distraught air. She looked between all three parties, and noted that none of them were willing to make eye contact with each other. She sighed.

"Cana, can you please tell Lucy that I decided to walk home?" Levy snapped, still staring at the bush.

"Levy I'll walk you home–!"

"No Levy, let me come, I'm sorry-!"

Both boys tried talking at once, but Cana simply moved behind them, draping an arm over each of their shoulders as all three watched Levy huff and spin around, strutting down the path and onto the sidewalk, heading towards home.

"Leave her be, boys. You know what you did," Cana said simply.

Jet's glare darkened as he watched Levy sashay away, more beautiful than ever. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He shrugged Cana's arm off aggressively and strutted back inside the house. Droy watched Levy sorrowfully until she was out of sight, then exchanged a brief glance with Cana before following after Jet.

Cana simply stood, sipping her drink, watching Droy's back disappear through the doorway. She hoped the boys wouldn't follow Levy. It was obvious the girl needed some space.

Gajeel leaned on the handlebars of his bike. It was parked and he'd shut the engine off, but he still straddled it while watching the men before him. They were plenty far away, far enough that he couldn't quite hear anything they might be talking about. He simply eyed them as they worked, moving a shipment from the truck into the adjacent building.

José had asked him to stay in Hargeon and keep an eye on the new leadership team. Said team was obviously extremely aware of what had happened to their predecessors, and they skittered around like ants, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.

Gajeel grunted, not blaming them. He remembered José's words, when he had escorted him back to the train station.

José had held a handkerchief to his nose, as if the smell of the city was too much for him to handle.

"Ugh," he'd complained, dabbing a sweet smelling perfume onto the handkerchief and then reapplying it to his nose.

"This place is disgusting, is it not? The smell of the harbor being so close, it just smells rancid. I bet the stench will settle onto my expensive suit jacket – tsk. I've already wasted enough money on this town, I hope to never come back."

They had been riding in his car, headed towards the station, and Gajeel was simply there as a bodyguard. Thus, he hadn't been required to answer. He had focused on the way the car moved and watched out the windows for anything suspicious.

José had smiled, pleased with himself. He would never admit it, but Gajeel was quickly becoming one of his best men. The boy knew how to turn off emotions so well, and he followed orders so obediently. It was truly impressive.

"Gajeel, I will require you to stay and make sure the new leaders of this pathetic operation are following my orders to the letter. Watch them from afar for a while. Maybe cruise through the town a bit, get a feel for it. I want to know what's what in this pitiful place."

"Understood," Gajeel had grunted.

"I have always despised Hargeon – as you know–," José had continued, but Gajeel was still watching out the window, listening to the rantings of the Master with only half an ear.

"–it's truly a swine pit, mixed with salt water. But I suppose, what with there being a University here, there might be a market amongst the students. Hmm, certainly something to consider. Hopefully now that we've reestablished leadership, the distribution of goods and profit won't be so poorly managed. I will say though, they don't have a single good club or bar here! It's all just riff raff I tell you, truly, and the women might as well be dogs for all I can tell-,"

Gajeel had watched as the streets hedged away to beautiful rolling landscapes. The train station was a bit of a drive outside the town proper, and out here you could see more of the surrounding countryside. The hills gave way to each other in a patchwork of greens and goldens, with the occasional lake or stand of trees.

When they reached the train station, José had reduced to a slow drawl, content to be out of Hargeon and back on track to his opulent suite in Magnolia City. He had climbed aboard the luxury train car, helped by a struggling porter, and Gajeel had stood watching, hands in his pockets.

José had panted slightly at top of the stairs to his car, his considerable girth heaving at the effort of carrying itself. When he'd caught his breath, he turned his nose up and looked down at Gajeel.

"You are no longer needed. You may take the car back to your bike, and you will do as I have ordered. I expect you back no later than 8 AM tomorrow. That will be all."

And then he had turned into his pocket of comfort, like a small animal burrowing into its nest. But Gajeel knew José Porla was no small, cute animal. He'd turned on his heel and hopped back in the car, already looking out the windows at the countryside again. The horizon had once held a promise for him. A promise of freedom, a new life, if only he could get there.

Now it felt like a prison, caging him in. He'd never be able to see beyond those hills. The distances were too great…

Gajeel shook his head, pulling himself from the memory, and started the engine of his bike. He noticed that some of the men in the distance had heard, but they were trying to pretend they hadn't. He snorted, and kicked off, swerving to the left and taking the road that would lead him back towards the town center. He would do as José asked, and drive around a bit. He wasn't usually one for sightseeing, but he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy some time on his bike.

The street had been separated into two one-way lanes, with a row of large maple trees running down the middle. Gajeel sped along on his bike, enjoying the rush of wind against his face, trying to ignore the boisterous partying around him. Clearly he'd made his way into an area where the college kids frequented and once again he was reminded of the fact it was Halloween by the ridiculous costumes they were wearing.

The road itself and the fact is was Halloween had him thinking back to a year ago, and a certain bluenette he'd had the unfortunate luck of meeting. He had tried not to think of her much after the encounter, but she and her blue hair still popped into his mind occasionally and that frustrated him.

She'd called him a 'nice guy' which he very much wasn't and if that ever got back to José he'd be a dead man.

It was dark, certainly past midnight, and the houses blurred as he rushed past. Maybe it was best he leave this part of town.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the lawn of one of the houses up ahead and he was forced to come to a stop as the fight spilled out into the road, blocking his path. It was a full brawl, but from the distance he was at it was hard for Gajeel to tell who was mad at whom. The fight had an entourage that spilled further into the street to gawk, encourage, and shout angrily.

Gejeel was watching the fight when he realized he recognized the house it had come out of. It was a huge yellow house, with music that was far too loud for anyone to enjoy. He swiftly turned his bike around, since the way was now blocked, and figured he'd just cut off to the nearest side street. Anything to get out of this area and away from that house. He didn't particularly want to run into her again, she had put him on edge and he'd rather not relive those memories.

As soon as he came across the nearest turnoff he sped around the corner, anxious to get away. He was so busy scowling at his own handlebars, it took a minute for him to realize he'd just driven past something starkly white on the side of the road, so by the time his brain had processed it he'd already driven a good fifty feet.

He pulled up sharply, and looked back over his shoulder, squinting into the darkness. Was that…? Something white was hunched on the sidewalk, amongst the leaves. He kept squinting, the white shifted, and suddenly he spotted a familiar shade of blue.

Fuck.

Levy was sitting on the ground, her dress getting dirty, and staring angrily at the newest object of her ire: her right high heel shoe. She had been in such a huff when she left, and so overly confident in her newfound heel abilities, she'd walked a little too fast and had maybe failed to see a root that split the sidewalk, hidden by the leaves.

Her treacherous shoe had caught the root and down she went, a disastrous swirl of feathers and leaves, and she'd felt a sharp pain in her right ankle.

She immediately took the shoe off to assess the damage, wincing at the pain, but it was definitely at least sprained. Whenever she tried standing and putting weight on it, it was too painful to bear, and she ended up sprawled back on the sidewalk.

She wasn't sure how she was going to get home now. She had been so careful not to drink, and to leave early too! She was beyond frustrated and this felt like the last straw. It was almost laughable.

"Gihihi!" an arrogant laugh broke the silence and Levy froze.

Wait, was that…?

She looked up and sure enough a tall, raven-haired man, with bright red eyes and shining piercings, was walking directly from the darkness in front of her. When he was only a couple of feet away he crouched down to her eye level, snickering to himself.

"Found yerself in a bit of a pickle again, huh Shorty?" He asked, and something about his whole demeanor ruffled Levy's feathers, so to speak. It might have also been the wind.

"Where the hell did you come from?" She asked with a frown, looking beyond him into the darkness.

"Oh I was… around…" he said suspiciously, and Levy raised an eyebrow at him.

As soon as Gajeel had parked his bike and walked back a bit, he could tell she was hurt. The way she was hunched on the sidewalk, getting her pretty white dress dirty in the mud but not moving… something just felt wrong.

He had stood there in the shadows for a minute, trying to decide what to do. He wasn't necessarily inclined to get involved with her again, seeing as how she'd formed an altogether twisted opinion of him last time, but he couldn't help staring as he watched her there.

The moon had poked out behind a thick cloud, and a beam of moonlight had fallen upon the girl, illuminating her white costume against the dark ground around her. She was a blinding droplet of light in a sea of shifting shadows, and at that moment she looked like an Angel that had fallen from Heaven. Gajeel had found himself just staring at her for several seconds, his breath taken away by how beautiful she looked. Nothing like how he'd first seen her, caked in make-up and drowning in fabric.

She was just sitting there, shoulders hunched, innocently unaware of her surroundings and he had growled sharply, both at his own thoughts and at the situation.

Tsk, he thought. How the fuck did this girl keep getting in trouble on Halloween?

His brain was telling him not to get involved, just leave before she saw him, but he'd walked forward anyways, adopting an air of arrogance. At the very least, he wouldn't let her see how she affected him. He'd simply check to see if she was okay, then escape back into the night.

"Why do ya keep ending up alone in the dark, Shorty?" He asked, meeting her eyes with his red ones, and Levy felt a shiver run down her spine. He was certainly… intense.

"I didn't get lost this time, I'll have you know," she snapped, looking away from those blood-red eyes. "I know exactly where I am, and how to get home. I just… am struggling to get there."

And she looked down at her right foot.

Gajeel followed her gaze, taking in the insane shoes and her increasingly swollen ankle. He figured she wasn't able to put weight on it. From this angle, her legs looked long and creamy as they stretched out on the ground in front of her. That dress of hers barely covered anything at all.

He glanced back up to her face and the light was playing tricks on his brain again, giving her an angelic glow.

He growled, at himself, but Levy frowned thinking it had been aimed at her.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't ask for your help. You can be on your merry way, I can figure this out myself."

"And how do ya expect to do that?" He asked, frowning.

"Easy, my friends will be coming back this way after the party and they can help me on the way."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Ya mean… yer drunk friends? Who'll barely be carryin' themselves? Who probably won't roll through here fer another…" he glanced at his watch, seeing that it was only fifteen minutes past midnight.

"Another two or three hours?"

Levy frowned and looked away.

"It's certainly possible someone will come much sooner. And until then, I can maybe, I dunno, crawl."

"Crawl." Gajeel said flatly, staring at her.

"Uhm, yes," she muttered, unwilling to meet his gaze.

Gajeel started chuckling again and began to stand up.

"How 'bout this," he said, looking down at her from what she couldn't believe was even higher heights.

"I can give ya a ride back to yer place. It probably ain't too far, right? Then you'll be home, and yer friends can help ya get some medical help or somethin' tomorrow, if ya want. Yer ankle doesn't look too bad, ya just shouldn't put weight on it fer a day or two."

Levy blinked at him.

"Excuse me, are you a doctor?" she asked, smirking. Surely he didn't know what was best for her, simply from glancing at it.

"I'm whatever I need ta be, Shrimp," came his reply, throwing her for a loop. She hesitated.

"You said you could give me a ride…?" She asked, looking around for his car. "Did you park near here?"

She looked up at him with her doe-like eyes, bigger than ever.

"I'm just down the street, 'bout fifty feet," he replied, pointing over his shoulder, and already she was gawking.

"Fifty feet? Well how am I going to get there? Here, maybe you can help me find a stick or something? Makeshift crutch? Just to help me out a little. I'm sure I can manage with a bit of support, there has to be something around here somewhere..."

Gajeel laughed again, then reached down and pulled her up into his arms before she had a chance to react. With wide eyes, Levy found herself being carried, bridal style, completely flabbergasted. She didn't even know this guy! What was he doing!

"Wh- what? Uhm, exCUSE ME!?" Levy cried, slapping his chest to get him to stop, but it was like hitting a rock wall and he didn't even pause, just kept sauntering along as if he wasn't carrying another human being. Levy began to blush.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! I didn't ask to be carried! Especially not by you! Especially not like this!"

Gajeel paused briefly and looked down at the angel in his arms. She was barely lighter than a feather, and he gave her a peculiar look. She felt her cheeks grow warmer.

"How else are ya supposed ta get there? It's too far ta walk, this is the best way."

"Uhm no! I could have walked! I can still walk! Just help me find a crutch!" Levy cried, embarrassed to be in this compromising situation, nestled in his arms.

Gajeel snorted, "Ya mean a stick? Yeah no, that ain't gonna work. This's obviously the best way. Just sit yerself back and enjoy the ride, Shorty."

And with that he grinned and kept walking, with Levy growing impossibly more red by the second. She barely knew him, and she was getting increasingly sick of the nicknames.

"Levy." She said firmly.

"Huh?" he glanced down, a question on his face.

"My name. My name is Levy. Not 'Shorty' or 'Shrimp' any of those other ridiculous names. It's Levy."

He didn't say anything back right away.

"I'm not..." he started. "I'm not good with names. I stick ta nicknames."

Levy frowned, "but that's hardly the way to get to know a person. You can't just start calling people by random nicknames, without even being properly introduced."

Gajeel didn't say anything. He didn't feel like mentioning that he never met anyone new, so it was never a problem. And anyone he did meet, they certainly weren't going to be a friend. He wasn't sure why he'd even told her that, about his preference for nicknames.

He could feel Levy still looking at him though, so he glanced down again with an air of slight irritation.

"What now?" He asked, and Levy looked back at him like he was stupid.

"I told you my name, what's yours?"

Again, silence. Levy pouted. This man was awfully secretive.

"Gajeel," he grunted, instantly regretting it. He should've told her his last name, or his Ring name. Why was he giving his real name out to the first girl that asked? Why did he keep telling her things best left unsaid?

Luckily, they were already back at his bike and he started to set Levy down on it, but she instantly shrieked and reached up around his neck, clinging to his chest with new vigor.

Gajeel froze, eyes wide.

"What?" He grumbled, shocked by this sudden move. "It's my ride, ya can sit behind me, and I'll drive ya back. What's the matter?"

He craned his head down to look at her, but she had buried her face in his chest. His arms still held her close, and he noticed how hot her hands were on his neck. He cleared his throat, but the girl didn't seem responsive at all. What was she so terrified of?

"Levy? What's goin' on?" He asked, and he felt her flinch against him.

Fuck, did I say something wrong? He wondered, but she moved back from him slightly, enough to catch his eyes with her own. She looked a little surprised.

"Hey, you called me by my name," she mumbled and he just stared back at her, dumbfounded.

Then he growled, frustrated. "Well yeah, ya just told it ta me!"

He had no idea what was going on and wait- were those tears forming in the corners of her eyes?! He was not equipped to handle this!

"Shit, Levy, are ya cryin'? Is it yer ankle?" He glanced at her foot but was sure he hadn't inadvertently knocked it into anything.

"Am I? Why…?" she asked, tentatively removing one hand from around his neck to rub at her eyes.

He kind of missed the warmth as soon as it was gone.

But instead he just glared at her, "Yer the one cryin', how should I know?"

Levy shook her head and breathed deeply.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking back up at him and the obvious confusion on his face. "I just, uhm, I'm sorry, I just really don't want to ride on a motorcycle. Can we do anything else?"

Gajeel looked down at the girl in his arms, the one causing him so much trouble, and sighed.

"Yeah, I mean… I can carry ya like this all the way back I guess."

Levy's eyes widened, as if she had forgotten she was still being held by him, and she also suddenly realized how tightly she was holding onto his neck. She jerked back, causing Gajeel to yelp and surge forward in order to keep her from falling from his arms.

"Fuck!" he cried, "Quit yer squirmin'!"

But Levy was too caught up in her own mortification to notice the man's swearing.

"Ohmygod!" She stuttered, withdrawing into herself. "God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grab onto you like that!"

Gajeel scoffed.

"It's fine," he grunted, expression dark. He wasn't about to mention that he had kind of enjoyed it.

"Just don't go jerkin' around like that again or I'm gonna drop ya."

Levy nodded, letting herself lean back slightly into his arms as he walked away from his bike and towards the sidewalk.

"K Shorty, where to," he asked, and Levy felt a hint of déjà vu.

"That way," she said, pointing in the opposite direction of where they'd come, and Gajeel set out, walking with long, swift strides.

He had enjoyed when she was holding onto him, pressing herself into his body, her hands around his neck, but he could tell from the way she was tense in his arms that it would be a bad time to tease her about it. He really didn't want to accidentally drop her and fuck up her ankle more.

He wasn't sure what to make of her. One minute, she was refusing to let him carry her, the next she was clinging to him like her life depended on it. And maybe, when it came to motorcycles, it did? He looked down at her again, wondering why she'd been so terrified.

Who hurt ya, Shorty?

Gajeel had been walking maybe a minute or so when he felt the first raindrop.

"Fuck," he swore under his breath.

Levy, who had been awfully quiet, opened her eyes and looked upwards.

"Is that rain?" she asked.

"Yes," he gritted his teeth, feeling the drops coming down faster and faster.

Soon, a steady shower surrounded them, drenching his hair and making it stick to the sides of his face. He hunched over Levy slightly in an effort to keep her dry, but he could tell she was getting just as wet as he was anyways. He picked up his pace.

Levy sighed. She was actually finding the rain quite soothing. It felt good against her swollen ankle and her flushed cheeks. Levy let herself relax against Gajeel, closing her eyes as she leaned her head against his chest and settled in to the reality of her current situation. This was alright, she could deal with this. She was being carried by a man she barely knew, with an ankle she couldn't walk on, in the pouring rain... Oh, and she was leading him to her house. Perfect.

She breathed in deeply, the smell of the rain welcome, and it mingled with... it suddenly dawned on her that she was smelling him. He smelled kind of like warm leather, almost... spicy? Was that a way to describe someone's scent? And there was a hint of... something metallic. It was a hot, heady smell and Levy couldn't help but inhale deeply, enjoying how it made her feel.

She noticed that he was walking more quickly.

"It's alright Gajeel, it's just rain. I don't mind," she said, eyes still closed.

At the sound of his name coming from her lips, Gajeel's breath caught in his throat. He had just given it to her, was she supposed to use it so soon?

He glanced down at her but that was a bad idea. He froze, barely comprehending the information that his eyes were sending to his brain.

He had been right, earlier, when he figured she was getting just as wet as he was, but as it turned out, the rain was making her dress kinda… see-through. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he could basically see the form of her naked body pressed against his chest. No specifics, but her curves were a lot more apparent as well as the swell of her breasts underneath all the fabric and feathers.

The way she had her head against his chest, he could see the raindrops sliding down her alabaster skin (Had she always had alabaster skin? Was that a word he even knew?), and the droplets caught on her eyelashes. She looked like an Angel again, elegantly draped in his arms, peaceful.

Levy felt a frown crease her forehead. Had they stopped? Why would he stop in the rain? Sure, she'd said she didn't mind it, but that hadn't been a suggestion to stop entirely. She opened her eyes and looked up, her breath catching when she found him openly staring down at her. She held his eyes for a moment, then frowned and looked around.

"What's-," she began, before she finally glanced down at herself.

Levy's jaw dropped in mortification and she looked back up at Gajeel, who was still just staring at her. She noticed in that instant that his tan face looked a couple shades darker.

Levy shrieked, curling herself into a ball and wrapping her arms around her chest.

Gajeel grunted as, for the second time that night, his balance was lost and he was left struggling to readjust her weight in his arms, trying not to drop her.

She could hear him cursing but her cheeks were on fire and she almost wished he would drop her, just so she wouldn't have to be so uncomfortably close to him anymore. This was so embarrassing!

Gajeel had regained his balance, but he glared down at the demon held securely in his arms. She might've been dressed like an angel, but it was clearly a deception. He picked up a brisk pace again, intent on getting rid of her.

Levy was freaking out.

"Why didn't you tell me that my dress was see-through?!" she cried. "What the heck! How long were you planning to stare, you CREEP?"

Gajeel didn't like that she was blaming him and he snorted.

"Tsk! I'm not the one who chose ta wear somethin' fuckin' see-through!" He growled back, holding her tightly to his chest as he shot down the street.

Levy gasped, offended.

"I obviously didn't know it was going to become this way in a little bit of rain! How could I have possibly known that?! Literally no idea!" she continued to shout, practically in his ear.

"Well maybe ya should think first before ya wear somethin'!"

"Are you shaming me for my clothing choices?!"

"Argh!" Gajeel growled, thoroughly pissed off. "Just shut yer trap and show me the way!"

"Turn LEFT here you MORON!"

Gajeel was practically running when Levy suddenly started shouting at him again, something about stopping, and he looked up to see the blue house looming in front of them.

"This is it?" He asked, glaring the house down.

"Yes! Now just put me down!"

Gajeel ignored her struggles and instead stalked towards the house and up the front steps, stopping at the door. He set her down gingerly as he looked around, and she reached into a hidden pocket in her dress and tugged out a key.

He watched as she fit the key into the singular lock on the door and swung it inwards, frowning deeply.

"Just the one lock…?" He asked, but she was already limping inside, trying to slam the door in his face.

He shot a hand out, stopping the door's motion, and Levy swiftly scowled up at him. They glared at each other for a moment, neither willing to back down, until Gajeel growled.

"Let me help ya to yer room," he said and Levy gasped, eyes wide.

"What?!" she breathed out. "You pervert! You really think just because you helped me get home, I'm going to let you into my room? Get the fuck out before I call the police!"

But Gajeel was shaking his head, and he met her eyes once more.

"Nah, Shorty. If I wanted that, ya would know. Trust me," he grinned slightly. Levy gulped.

"Ya obviously can't put weight on that still," he grunted, motioning to her ankle. "I'll help ya out and then I'll leave, alright? And trust me, I have no intention ta ever come back."

Levy was a storm of emotions, embarrassed and angry, and conflictingly annoyed that he had no intention to ever come back, but she saw that sincerity in his eyes again and she knew he wasn't lying to her.

She sighed, relenting, and opened the door enough to allow him to slip inside. As soon as he was standing beside her he held an arm out and Levy grabbed onto it gratefully, wincing as a sharp jolt of pain ran up her leg from her ankle.

Gajeel was looking around the hall, noticing the distinct lack of security. There weren't any cameras in the place, there hadn't been any at the door either.

"I'm up the stairs and to the right," Levy said, motioning towards where the stairs were, and Gajeel bent down, swinging her back up into his arms again. Levy didn't say anything, just glad that it would be over soon. She was really ready to be done with this night. She was going to kill Lucy.

Gajeel pushed open the door she pointed out and walked into the room, looking around curiously. It was all rather… pink. There was a picture on the wall of Levy hugging that Bunny Girl from last year, and he snorted, figuring the color was due to her.

He walked towards the bed in the corner, one of the few things in the room that wasn't pink, and he must've been right since Levy didn't protest as he set her down on top of it.

He took a step back and they found themselves in an awkward silence, unable to make eye contact.

"Well, uhm, thanks… I guess…," Levy said, hugging her arms over her chest.

"Right…," Gajeel said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Uhm, are you going to leave…?" She asked, looking up at him uncertainly, eyes narrowed.

"Right," he repeated, sounding dumb. He spun on his heel without another word and closed the door behind him, feeling her eyes on his back as he left.

Levy just watched him go, hoping that he was sticking to his word and leaving the house. She couldn't believe she had just let a strange man, not only inside their home, but also inside her room. But if he had wanted to take advantage of her, he'd had every opportunity from the very beginning.

She looked down at her soaking dress and swollen ankle, and sighed.

So much for a casual night of studying. Now all she wanted to do was crawl under the covers and forget any of this had ever happened. She couldn't believe that she had run into Gajeel again, on Halloween no less, and that he'd once again altered the course of her night. She felt flustered and annoyed, but also grudgingly thankful that he'd been there to help.

It was like Lucy had said last year, he was a Devil that showed up during her time of greatest need, saw her to safety, and then vanished as quickly as he had come. If he hadn't appeared she'd probably still be out there on the sidewalk, crawling through the mud and rain. But his perfect timing was almost eerie… was Levy being haunted?

She shook her head at her own crazy thoughts. Clearly the atmosphere and the pain from her ankle had gotten to her. She just needed to get out of these wet clothes and get some sleep. Maybe brainstorm some ways to murder Lucy…

She pulled the dress up over her head, throwing it carelessly on the ground, and winced as she maneuvered herself underneath her blankets, falling back to her soft pillow.

She sighed, the tension in her body slowly draining away, and inhaled deeply in order to relax. And it was in that moment, in the sudden silent stillness of her room, that she remembered the way he had smelled… Warm and hot. It was impossible to remember clearly, the smell of her own room overpowering the memory. She'd always felt cozy here in bed but now it was almost… lacking.

Gajeel made his way swiftly down the staircase, pausing in the hall. It didn't seem like anyone else was home and he hesitated a moment, before deciding it wouldn't hurt to poke around the downstairs rooms for a minute.

He silently went from room to room, surveying the living room and then the kitchen with a trained eye. He was frowning by the time he arrived back in the hall. This house had little to no security, and he knew if someone like him were trying to break in, it'd be a piece of cake.

He left out the front door and headed back towards his bike, lost in thought. Luckily the rain was letting up, and it was nothing more than a light mist around him. He couldn't stop going back to the way she had looked, sitting on her bed, dress soaked and arms wrapped around herself. Her hair had come undone slightly, and curls of blue had fallen around her face. Thinking about that had his mind's eye going back to what she'd looked like, pressed up against his body…

Gajeel found himself blushing. No, fuck that, he wasn't going to let her affect him like this.

Now that he knew where she lived, he was confident he could avoid her, plus it was unlikely he'd ever be in Hargeon again anyways. Hopefully there'd be no more fuck-ups with the operation here and José would never send him back.

He reached his bike but a glint in the distance had him pausing. Hesistantly, he walked towards it, towards the spot where he'd first found her on the sidewalk.

Amongst the leaves, twinkling up at him, was one of Levy's shoes. He remembered now that she had taken off her shoe when she'd first injured her ankle, and she must've been too distracted to grab it when he had picked her up.

He grinned softly at the way she had blushed in his arms.

The shoe stared back at him and he crouched there for a minute before making a decision.

Back on his bike, he revved up the engine and glanced at his wristwatch. Fuck.

It was a little past one in the morning, and José had wanted him back by eight. If he was quick, he could make the drive in a little under five hours, but that was as long as nothing else held him up. He desperately wanted to be back in time to shower and maybe catch an hour of sleep. He was exhausted and soaking wet.

It was going to be a long drive… But at least he had plenty to think about, and his treacherous mind snapped back to the images in his head. The wind brushed against his slightly flushed cheeks and for the thousandth time he growled at himself. Damn, he'd need to get these unwelcome thoughts under control…

A/N

Halloween 2019 will be posted tomorrow. Thanks for reading! Cheers!