Gajeel slid into the booth of the bar he had dragged Levy to, several shots of whisky in hand. He set three shots in front of each of them.
"Drink," he ordered.
"I don't normally-"
"Just drink," he said shortly. "We're celebrating."
"Celebrating?" Levy questioned incredulously.
"Yup, drink."
A hardened expression passed over Levy's smooth features. She took the shot in hand and threw it back like a pro. Gajeel laughed and did the same.
"Explain," Levy commanded, making a face as the alcohol burned down her throat.
"You found our dealer!" Gajeel laughed heartily. "Now we can move on to the next step."
Levy frowned.
"I already told you, I can't break into their system, it's next to impossible-"
"So how'd you end up at Fairy Tail?" Gajeel changed the subject, nodding to the next shot.
Levy shot him a frustrated look but obliged, downing the next shot. Gajeel followed suit.
"I was recruited after college. I was interning at Saber Tooth when Freed showed up and offered me the job. They track students at local colleges for potential. I guess they thought I had some."
"So they have a habit of just turning up then."
"They asked you to turn on Ivan," Levy eyed him curiously. "Why'd you do it?"
Gajeel pondered his response.
"They made me an offer that I couldn't really turn down." Gajeel took a shot.
"And what was that?" She pried.
"Drink," Gajeel said.
Levy groaned in reply. She took the shot then dropped the glass heavily back on the table. "What was the offer?"
"I knew things at Ivan's were shady- didn't know how bad they were though. When Natsu said they could protect Juvia from getting mixed up in it, I had to agree."
Something changed in Levy's expression.
"How did you two meet?"
"How'd I meet Juvia?" Gajeel shrugged. "We worked together at another club, Phantom Lord. Juvia got out and started working at the Blue Kitten. Things were going downhill at Phantom, so she helped get me the gig at Ivan's."
"You're very close to Juvia," she observed.
"Juvia was dealt a pretty shit hand," Gajeel said, a note of anger rising in his voice. "She had a rough childhood. Phantom only made it worse. The people there were pretty brutal. We thought Ivan's would be different but, you know how that turned out."
"Right," Levy said quietly. "Lucy mentioned Juvia's been staying at your place. She said that the girl's been having a hard time with it."
Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, Fairy Tail helped set all the girls from the club up with a place to stay but Juvia was really, I dunno, shaken I guess. She's been crashing at my place the last month."
"Are you two... together?" Levy asked casually.
Gajeel gave her a wicked grin. "You askin' if I'm available, shrimp?"
The rosy blush that rose over Levy's face was instant. Gajeel laughed.
"Juvia is like a little sister to me," he offered up. "Probably the closest thing I have to family, come to think of it," he scoffed.
"You're not close to your family?"
Gajeel shifted his weight.
"What about you, shorty, you seeing anyone? You seem like the type that's married to her work."
"I date!" Levy squeaked, on the defense again. Gajeel could hear the slight slur in her words. The whisky was kicking in.
"Yeah, actually come to think of it I did hear you've got a line of guys trailing after you."
Levy rolled her eyes. "They're just friends! I- wait, have you been looking into me?"
Gajeel laughed again. "I like to know who I'm working with."
It was true, Gajeel had looked into Levy. Although the fact that he had gone out of his way to find anything out about her dating life was definitely out of the norm. Gajeel wouldn't admit it, but he was glad to hear she was single.
"So you said it was 'almost' impossible to get into Saber Tooth's system." He steered the conversation away from the too-personal direction it had been heading. "What do you mean 'almost'?"
Levy let out a heavy sigh. Her body language had relaxed. She leaned back into the booth and twirled her blue hair between her fingers. It was a habit Gajeel hadn't noticed before. It made him want to run his hands through her hair again.
"The only way to break into their system would need to be from the inside. If I had internal access I could probably work my way through and find out if it was just this one guy doing the dealing, or if it was connected higher up. But Saber Tooth-"
"Saber Tooth is just as vulnerable as anybody else- if you know where to find their weak points."
Levy hummed in thought.
"The only way to get in would be to physically go to Saber Tooth and either work into it from their end, or plant something so I can do it remotely."
"What would be easier?"
Levy laughed with a note of sarcasm. "Well obviously if I were there in person it would be easier, but that's impossible-"
Gajeel slammed his hands down on the table and smiled widely at her. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, you and I infiltrate Saber Tooth."
Levy looked at him wide eyed.
"You mean undercover? I can't do that, I belong behind a desk. And we would have to run it past Makarov and the others-"
"We were told to see this case through, right? Well this is how we do it." Gajeel stood. "I'll get us another round."
By the time Gajeel and Levy left the club the girl was almost stumbling. Her laugh was like music as they walked down the street. He had never seen her so relaxed. She'd ditched the modest sweater, her bare shoulders bordered by the thin strap of her tight tank top. The headband had been disposed of as well. Wisps of blue hair fell around her eyes.
Gajeel had offered to drive her. But Levy had insisted she could walk home on her own.
Like hell, Gajeel thought.
"Aren't you cold?" He asked her.
"Nope," she flashed him a smile.
To be fair it was a warm night considering they were still at the end of winter. The storms had cleared and every star imaginable lit up the sky above them.
"I love nights like this," Levy said dazedly as Gajeel followed at her side. She gave a little spin as she walked, but stumbled.
Gajeel reflexively grabbed her by the arm to steady her. She leaned her feather weight body into his as she tried to regain her balance.
"This is me," she said quietly. "I got it from here."
Levy stumbled toward the door of an immense apartment building, trying to push it open.
Gajeel laughed, "You're not getting in like that, shrimp."
He leaned over and pulled the door open. Levy gave him a sheepish grin.
He led her inside and to the elevator. Levy stepped inside and leaned against the wall, head titled back, showing off the long line of her neck.
Gajeel punched in the number for her floor.
"Why are you being so nice to me," she whispered, the exhaustion of the night finally filtering into her voice.
"Maybe I'm not as bad as all your friends said I am," he scoffed. "This is your floor." Gajeel held the elevator door as Levy stood fixed to the wall.
"It's too far," she groaned, eyes bobbing shut.
Gajeel shook his head. "Fine then."
He wrapped one arm around Levy's back and picked up her legs in the other.
She giggled.
She straight giggled. And it lit up all of Gajeel's nerves. He felt his blood pumping harder.
Gajeel followed Levy's directions as he carried her all the way to her door. She fumbled with her key until finally she pushed her way in.
Gajeel leaned in the door frame as he watched Levy kick her shoes off, tossing her purse and sweater to the ground. She turned and looked back at him.
A dark expression shadowed her features as she moved slowly back toward him. Without warning, she slid her hands up his chest and, standing on her tip-toes, reached up, placing a gentle kiss against his lips.
"Thank you," she whispered in a sultry voice.
Gajeel's blood was now boiling as he looked into her hooded brown eyes.
She was drunk, he reminded himself. She didn't know what she was doing.
"You want to come in?" She said in that same luring tone.
She moved her hands up his chest until her fingers wrapped around his neck, her face inches from his.
"I should probably go," he said, almost believing it. It took all his willpower not to respond to her advances.
Levy pulled herself toward him again, brushing her soft lips against his.
Gajeel closed his eyes at the touch, lost in the sensation of her kiss.
"I'd like it if you stayed," she breathed against his skin. Parting her lips, she invited him to deepen the kiss. "Gajeel," she whispered.
Gajeel's resolve snapped. He kissed her back, opening his mouth and letting her tongue weave against his.
A jolt of electricity ran down his spine as she wove her fingers into his long hair.
Without a thought to the consequences, Gajeel picked Levy up off her feet. Immediately she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hot core pressed against his stomach. Gajeel growled as he kicked the door shut behind him.
In a rush a movement Gajeel quickly had Levy pinned against the wall, her arms holding tightly around his neck.
There was desperation in each kiss, a shared longing. He dragged his lips along the line of her jaw until he found her neck, kissing and licking her smooth skin as he moved toward her collar bone.
Levy pushed her body harder against his. He heard her moan and Gajeel's body pulsed in response. He grabbed her ass with one hand and with the other drove his fingers into her hair, pulling her head back and gently biting the skin of her neck.
He felt her hands pull his head lower toward her heaving chest, her breathing ragged.
Gajeel reached down, grabbing her ankles and pulling her legs tighter around his waist, signaling her to hold on tight as he pressed her harder against the wall.
With his hands free he slid the straps of her tank top down her arms, pulling her top down to her stomach.
She wasn't wearing a bra.
Gajeel's hands couldn't get enough of the feel of her body underneath him. He cupped her bare breasts as he let his tongue slide down between them.
Levy's nails clawed at his back through his shirt.
Slowly he brought his mouth over the tender flesh of her nipple, sucking at it and flicking the tip of it with his tongue.
He felt Levy shiver underneath him.
"Gajeel," she moaned as he swirled his tongue around her peak.
Suddenly Levy's hands shot to his chest, ripping at the buttons of his shirt.
Gajeel felt his whole body on fire.
"Bedroom?" he breathed as his mouth released her.
"That way," Levy pointed.
Carrying her light body he moved them into the small, dark room.
Bending forward he laid her on the bed in front of him, her legs still wrapped tight against him as she pushed her pelvis toward his.
This time it was Gajeel that groaned, a low gravel sound escaping his throat. He ripped off his shirt as she did the same.
Gajeel took in the sight of her body spread out before him in the cold light of the moon dripping in through the window.
She was gorgeous.
Levy sat up, smoothing her hands up his bare, muscular chest and up to his shoulders. He lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her deeply.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He whispered against her cheek.
Levy gave him a cat-like smile. "Damn sure," she grinned. "I-" she paused, an odd look falling over her features. "I-" she paused again.
Suddenly she sprang out from underneath him, running towards a door at the other end of the room.
Gajeel shot towards her, following her into the bathroom as she dived toward the toilette.
Shit.
Gajeel moved towards her, gingerly pulling back her hair as she heaved into the porcelain basin. He pulled a towel off the rack behind them and wrapped it around her bare shoulders.
That seriously just happened?
Gajeel tried to catch his breath, his body still raging from the heat of just moments ago.
Gently he rubbed her back.
"It's okay," he said quietly, "I got you."
