Hit or Miss
Chapter Two: First Times
He stood stoic and silent, watching her lips around the bottle, the way her throat moved as she swallowed and drained her beer.
"Levs..."
"Not here." The look Levy shot him silenced Gajeel instantly, and he stood waiting mutely as the bottle hit the bar and she shrugged on her leather jacket, waving a goodbye to Mira and gesturing for him to follow with the barest incline of her chin. Levy moved with a confidence she did not feel, and without even a glance back to check he was following, she stepped out into the brisk air, the cold and the dark shocking her back to sobriety with a shiver.
Heavy footfall down the steps behind her signalled Gajeel's arrival, and with a nod Levy set off on the short walk home, hating every second of the awkward silence and yet not wanting to interrupt it with meaningless idle chatter - or worse, the kind of screaming fights they were so known for.
Gajeel watched with interest as she led them to a tidy unit, her hands shaking slightly making her swear as she unlocked the front door, flicking lights on as she kicked her shoes off on her walk, jacket thrown in some random corner. Some things really never did change, he thought with a chuckle, Levy would likely forever take her clothes off and leave them strewn everywhere.
"Make yourself at home - sorry about the mess!" She called from the kitchen, head buried in the fridge.
"Still in school?" Gajeel spread himself out on the couch, legs wide as he relaxed into the plush cushions and took in the mess of boxes boxes stacked haphazardly around the place, and the piles of books and papers covering the coffee table and spilling down onto the floor as Levy reappeared, handing him a cold beer.
"Just turned my thesis in." Levy shook her head, wincing at the mess she'd left about the place. "Been meaning to clean, but Luce kidnapped me tonight and well, here we are".
"Bet ya don't wish yer'd stayed in now?"
"Definitely not. As awkward as this is - and you know it is - it's also really good to see you. I've missed you, Gaj". Her smile was small, shy, hidden behind her drink, but it was there.
"Yeah, ya too. Sure never thought I'd see th' day yer'd show up with bright blue hair an' facial piercings." Gajeel chuckled as he watched her fiddle nervously with the ends of her hair, bright cobalt blue and choppy curls replacing the long chocolate brown it had been, her teeth pulling slightly on the spider bite rings in her lip.
"It's been a while. I like it though, feels more like me".
"Suits yer, I'm a fan." Gajeel winked, before his attention was caught by a loud mewl from the ball of black fuzz that was weaving around his ankles, and he bent to collect the lithe cat with the funny round ears and the scar over one eye. "Lil'? Tha' really you bud?"
"Sure is, he's the best housemate I've ever had!" Levy had to giggle as she watched them interact like old friends, instead of near strangers. It had been years, Pantherlily still just a kitten when Gajeel had left. He was about the only gift Levy had kept after their breakup.
Satisfied that the strange man in his house was no one to worry about, Lily curled up on Gajeel's lap and promptly fell asleep, purring softly as large hands gently stroked through his fur, despite the tension that hung thickly in the air.
"Levs, listen..."
"Gajeel, I..."
Trying to talk at the same time clearly was never going to work, Levy's giggles filling the air as the nerves began to strangle her throat, she gestured for him to go first and watched as he took a steadying breath.
"Thanks, for gettin' up t'night - wasn't sure ya would. Was good, singin' t'gether again".
"Just like old times?"
"Somethin' like that. An' listen, I'm sorry 'bout that last one. Couldn'ta been great to hear".
"Don't be, just caught me by surprise was all." Levy reached out to reassure him, gentle hand landing on his shoulder, the warmth and the familiar strength causing her butterflies to reappear in full force, and when he smiled at her like that? All bright eyed and so warm? Well, the warmth from earlier was back and settled far lower than her stomach.
"Gajeel, I hope you know that I'm sorry. For everything. You were never the problem, we were so young and so different - so naïve. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy".
As the silence stretched out, hanging heavy in between them, Levy gave up on waiting for a response with a sigh, taking the moment to wriggle down into the cushions, legs stretched out before her so her toes almost brushed against the demon of Gajeel's thigh.
"So, what's next for you guys?"
"We're actually staying put for a while, sick of livin' outta suitcases an' the constant travel. Gonna hang out, take a rest an' put out a new record 'fore the label gets too cranky with us".
"Well don't look so glum about it! I know I just moved back, but Magnolia really isn't a bad place to hang out for a while." Levy offered him a wink, toes poking into Gajeel's thigh playfully, and her breath caught in her chest at the smile he sent her way. "So, new jewellery?"
"Seemed like a good idea at the time? They're a nightmare to remove, figured it was easier just leavin' 'em be." Gajeel just shrugged, fingers playing with the studs that now made up his eyebrows as he fought the urge to touch the pale skin appearing at Levy's ankles, but when she squirmed slightly and the hem of her jeans rose a fraction of an inch, he couldn't help but grabbing her foot with warm hands and pulling the denim out of his way. "Levy McGarden, is that a honest to god tattoo on your body?"
"Yeah, there's a few of them... That one's the phonetic glyph for 'it will happen' in ancient Tzeltalan. The Mayan symbol for patience." Levy giggled at the confusion on Gajeel's face as she explained. "Sorry, force of habit!"
"Ahuh. What exactly have ya been studyin' again?" Gajeel questioned, half paying attention to her answer while the rest of his brain was distracted by the feeling of Levy's skin, and how soft it was as calloused fingers stroked softly over the ink in her leg.
"Anthropological linguistics. It's about the relationship between languages, cultures, biology and cognition - how language affects people's experiences and influences their lives. I've been focusing on ancient civilizations, specifically the Aztecs and Mayans, and how language affected their culture and evolution, and how it was influenced by them".
"I'm not gonna pretend I understood all o' that, but I'm damn impressed regardless - yer always were so smart, Shrimp."
Hiding her blush behind a cough, Levy stood and waved the empty bottles, silently asking if he'd like another. Gajeel just nodded in reply, his fingertips still tingling from touching her, he took advantage of the moment to look around the little townhouse as she walked away. It was sparsely decorated, with nothing personal hung up - no pictures or art on the walls. Gajeel didn't get far in his musings about Levy's decorative choices before she was back, settling onto the couch next to him, legs curled underneath her - and closer than before - whilst setting glasses on the table, opening what looked to be a very expensive bottle of scotch. His eyes stayed fixed on her as she poured, hands far steadier than his would have been, and the feel of her soft skin brushing against his calloused fingers had his heart racing.
The hours passed easily, alcohol and familiarity helping to smooth over any potential awkwardness, and as night turned to morning they caught up as old friends, each regaling the other with stories and sharing memories from their time apart, from their own lives and those of their friends.
"Oh! I forgot - remember Jet and Droy?"
"Ya mean dumb an' dumber, used to follow yer everywhere? They finally get together?" Gajeel laughed, it had always been a bone of contention in their friend group back in the day - he could see the feelings between the two boys, could understand the desire to fit in as teenagers, so he'd never much minded their following Levy around - although some of their friends back then had a differing opinion.
"Yeah, finally got married last year! Got themselves a puppy and adopted an adorable little boy!"
"Called it, always saw it comin' with those two. Never understood how Lucy's old boy toy got so jealous - what was his name 'gain? Luke? Lock?"
"Loke?"
"Yeah, that dude. Whatever happened to him anyways?"
"No idea, he dropped Luce when he left for university. Dickhead". Levy muttered under her breath, remembering how distraught Lucy had been - even if they all knew she was better off without him, and she had to smirk at the snort Gajeel let slip.
"Never much liked him anyways. Natsu an' Lucy though? Much better for each other".
"Gajeel Redfox? Has an opinion on someone's romantic life? Must be pigs in the sky right about now" Levy laughed heartily, intending to stand and go check out the window, but her legs were numb after so long in the same position, feet uncooperative dead things at the end of legs that would not hold her weight, and she fell flat on her ass, world swimming slightly as Gajeel's face appeared in her vision, amusement and concern showing behind his eyes and in the quirk of his lips.
"Ya good down there, Shrimp?"
For a long moment, Levy could do nothing more than blink owlishly up at him. Whether it was the alcohol, or the fact it was somewhere around three in the morning, Levy couldn't decipher - and frankly, she was beyond caring, reaching out with a shaky hand and softly caressing his cheek. If she was honest with herself, she had missed him ferociously, missed his chiseled features and the crimson eyes that set her blood to boil in her veins. And as he lent ever so slightly into her touch, Levy threw caution and inhibition to the wind, threading her other hand into his dark locks and pressed her lips to his.
The sensation of Levy, kissing him, shocked Gajeel into stillness for the split second it took for his brain to decide this was reality, not some hallucination brought on by drink or imagination, and then he was moving - one large hand locked onto Levy's waist, crushing her against his chest, and the other buried itself into the softness of blue curls at the back of her neck, angling her next just right for him to kiss her just as he'd longed to do for so long. The way Levy reacted to him, sucking his bottom lip gently between her teeth to nibble it softly, laving away the sting with her tongue had Gajeel praying to a god he didn't believe in for her to never stop.
Levy couldn't stop the shiver that ran through her body as his tongue slid between her lips, the taste of scotch and metal exploding in her mouth. She was breathless and panting when they finally broke apart, her chest heaving as she gently traced his face, fingertips playing along the rough skin of his jaw; across the metal studs above his eyes; down his sculpted nose, Levy's brain trying to commit his features to memory.
"Levy." Her name was a prayer, a plea, the whisper of his breath gentle as it fell on her skin, and he couldn't resist the call of her lips as he pulled her back into another searing kiss that turned his blood to molten heat, and nothing else in the world mattered to Gajeel because his girl was back in his arms and he never, never wanted to let her go again.
"Bedroom. Now." Levy's legs shook faintly as she stood, her voice low and husky, lips swollen and eyes glossy with desire. But her tone left no space for any argument, and Gajeel felt himself stiffen and throb at how much the woman before him had grown and changed - his Levy from before had been a loving girl, but she had been just that, a.girl; timid and shy, unsure of herself. The woman standing in front of him now knew what she wanted, and had the confidence to go after it. In a daze, he followed her blindly to her bedroom, trance-like at the sight of Levy pulling her shirt over her head, exposing creamy pale skin dotted here and there with coloured ink.
She turned, smiling coyly as she began to unbutton tight denim, the pace painfully slow as she revealed lace panties that matched her bra, the raw, untamed hunger in Gajeel's eyes made her breath catch as the jeans fell to the floor, forgotten. The sound of metal hitting carpet, that dulled thud, snapped him from his reverie and quickly he shed his own shirt, falling to his knees at her feet, hands sliding up the creamy expanse of exposed flesh, lips pressing hot kisses on their wake, teeth sinking into her hip as he left his mark, desperate to reclaim the territory that had once belonged to him alone, and the desire that blossomed across her features at the mix of pain and pleasure strangled the groan in his throat.
Levy reached for him, guiding him to stand even as her hands reached for and fumbled his belt undone, jeans falling to join her own in a pile. Stood before her wearing nothing but a smirk and a quirked brow, she was certain no man would ever measure up to Gajeel, and without a thought to self consciousness she reached around behind her back, unclasping her bra and letting it fall away. Emboldened by his reaction, Levy moved onto the bed and waited.
Gajeel stared down at her, gaze almost predatory as he drank in her body. Taught abdominals led to creamy mounds, time and age having grown them over the years, peaks settled into a dusty rose that promised to be every bit as sweet as they looked, and glinting in the dim lighting was a metal bar, carefully threaded through Levy's left nipple, looking like it belonged no where else in the world. Calloused fingers were warm and gentle as they tugged and twisted on the silver with a tender care, gauging her response as he went.
"Fuck".
Levy squirmed and hissed, already sensitive, the piercing had only multiplied it ten-fold, and she was already riding a wave of pleasure as her world spun and she was laid out flat, Gajeel's lips latched to her breast. The way he licked at her, sucking and nipping constricted her world down, until there was nothing else in existence - only her, Gajeel and the pleasure. Levy wasn't one to lay back and only receive though, and it took almost no effort to hook her knees over his hips, rocking her aching core against him, feeling the heat and the strength of him, loving the way he shuddered and groaned, letting her nipple fall free his lips danced against her own with a whisper.
"Tell me to stop".
"Never".
It was her moan, the defiance in her voice that shredded Gajeel's control so thoroughly that he quite literally tore the fabric off Levy's body, leaving her hot and wet and exposed, neither of them coherent enough to be embarrassed by the moment, too far gone, drowning in their lust for the action to do anything but drive them higher.
"Condom?" Gajeel had enough of a hold on himself to stop, pause a moment and pretend to be responsible, though he knew he'd never been with anyone else and prayed Levy was the same.
With a shake of her head, Levy had them spun about so she sad astride his narrow hips, clenching at the thought of being together once again.
"I'm fine if you are?"
He'd barely nodded at her before Levy rolled her hips once, a smooth, well practiced motion that had him sheathed inside her, the sound that fell from her lips somewhere between a sigh and a scream because nothing and no one could ever truly compare to the feeling of Gajeel buried between her thighs, the way he held her tight, pulling her down against him so not even air seperated them, the way he took charge and rolled her, positioning Levy as though she were no more substantial than a feather in his hands.
She was certain she'd melted into something resembling a puddle beneath him, her brain completely unable to focus on anything except Gajeel between her legs, over her, surrounding her - couldn't do anything except hold on for dear life and let it wash over her. The heat simmering between them exploded into an inferno that incinerated everything in it's path, racing through Levy's body, leaving her fingers tingling where they'd locked in Gajeel's hair, her toes curled from the ferocity which her legs shook, turning her vision white as stars exploded behind her eyes, her head thrown back with a guttural scream of ecstasy.
Gajeel, all the while, eased her through with shallow gentle thrusts, rocking his hips against her lazily, too enraptured with the sight of her to do more than move absent-mindedly, occasionally pressing scorching kisses to the exposed column of her neck or the taught muscles along her shoulder. His pride swelled at the hazy look in her eyes when they finally focused on his face, the sigh that sounded like an expression of amazement, and he couldn't help but kiss her gently, pushing deep within her, Gajeel couldn't help but moan at the feel of her walls fluttering around him, the feel of her thighs gripping him in place, and Levy's grin was positively wicked as she smiled up at him, letting her legs fall free of his body. As he watched her crawl away from him, pushed back on all fours, Gajeel felt all the air rush from his body at the sight of her ready and waiting for him, swollen and glistening, and the knowledge that it was all his doing appealed to some deeper, darker part of him, especially the way she crooked her finger to beckon him to her body.
"Come here".
Levy cried out at the sensation of him, buried so intensely deep inside her, the mixture of pain and pleasure wreaking havoc on her already over stimulated body. Gajeel was big, and while age had grown Levy to better accommodate him, there was no doubt that she still needed an easier introduction, and she shook her head at his noise of apology, knowing that he wanted nothing more than to let go and pound into her.
"Sorry, Levs".
"Fuck you're enormous. Just, go slow?"
Gajeel leant down, pressing a gentle kiss between her shoulder blades in assent, giving a measured thrust. He near melted at the sweet sigh that she gave, settling in with an easy rhythm that reduced Levy to a writhing, mewling mess beneath his hands. He loved how she reacted and came alive at his touch, hips pressing back into him, her entire body trying to draw him in faster and harder, her legs widening as the pain became a distant memory, pleasure the only thing between them. When he pushed Levy down so her elbows gave way and her chest collapsed against the mattress, Gajeel dug his fingers into her hips, hard enough to bruise, and set a blistering pace, hips snapping against hers with audible force.
"Oh, fuck Gaj - please!"
Her voice strained, keening as she pleaded with him, and Gajeel knew he was a goner, the way she cried out and trembled beneath his power ruining him for anyone else. Lifting a hand free of her hip, watching the blood rush and bloom where his grip had been, he leant down and pinched a nipple, rolling it harshly between calloused fingers and he growled against her neck, teeth sunk into the flesh of her shoulder.
"Come for me, Levs. Come with me".
The effect was instant, the second his voice washed over and she registered the command for what it was, Levy was screaming underneath him, her body bucking and twisting, muscles locked and trembling as her walls blazed hot around him, locking him in place as they clenched without rhythm and a rush of warmth against his legs had Gajeel roaring his own release deep inside her, powerless to stop the waves of pleasure as they raced through his body, riding the high as long as he could before falling free of Levy's body, still quivering beneath him. He eased her through with gentle pressure, fingers stroking carefully at the pulsing between her thighs, murmuring softly into her ear until she came back down to Earth.
It was a glacially slow return to reality, with Levy's entire body still feeling as if it were made of rubber, and there was a satisfied throbbing coming from deep within her, radiating out and down to between her extraordinarily wet thighs. Levy let out a thoroughly undignified squeak at the realisation of what had happened, blushing scarlet and turning her face away.
"Oh god, I'm sorry!"
Gajeel wanted to be bitter that someone else had clearly done this before, that they'd had this effect on Levy, but it was almost immediately replaced by a simmering rage that whoever it was was had gone and ruined this for her. He sighed, trying to keep his voice even and measured as he gently stroked his fingers the length of her spine.
"Levs, kitten, look at me. Don't yer ever apologise fer tha' - was the hottest damn thing I've ever seen, watchin' ya get lost in the moment like that. Don't yer ever let anyone tell any different".
She smiled softly at his reassurance, rolling over and kissing him sweetly, embarrassment forgotten under his caring words and hungry gaze. "We should probably clean up" she sighed, standing on wobbly legs and tottering carefully to the walk in robe, where she located clean sheets and threw them at Gajeel, looking thoroughly rumpled with his satisfied grin and tousled hair, before closing herself in the ensuite with a wink.
Running a hand through his very disheveled hair, Gajeel rose and made short work of stripping and redressing the bed, throwing pillows back into their places as Levy entered the room. Tossing Gajeel a warm washcloth and a soft towel, she flicked off the light and climbed into the freshly made bed, trying not to watch as he cleaned himself quickly and threw the linen in the vague direction of the laundry hamper.
Climbing in behind Levy, he gathered her into his arms, deeply appreciative of the way her naked body felt pressed against his in this embrace, so non-sexual compared to their earlier encounter, and yet somehow more intimate, holding her tightly as they drifted easily off to sleep, never any doubt in Gajeel's mind that he should be anywhere else but right there.
"Hey, Shrimp?"
"Mmm?"
"Got any more piercings I oughtta know 'bout?"
"Go to sleep, Gajeel. If you're lucky, I'll show you some time".
That made him smile into the darkness, nuzzling his face against the soft blue of her curls, feeling her relax in his hold as her breathing became deep and even, sleep lurking at the edges of his consciousness.
"Love ya, Shrimp".
