*Adult Content below; fair warning.
Gajeel had taken Levy to his apartment. He hadn't wanted to take her back to her place. He didn't want her to be alone. She was shaken, despondent. He'd never see her like this before. Her eyes that would sparkle when she looked at him were hallow and distant.
She had been crying, and it killed him. It filled him with fury. He wanted to kill Rogue for scaring her. Most of all he was furious with himself for leaving her alone.
He didn't want to see Levy cry. The desire to take her into his arms and hold her, to wipe away her tears, was overpowering.
The emotions that filled him when he thought about her, when he looked at her, it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Somehow she had broken down his thick walls and crept into what remained of his heart. A heart he didn't even think he still had.
Levy sat with him on his low black sofa, tucked into the corner with her knees pulled up to her chest. She had barely said a word since they had gotten the heads of Fairy Tail on the phone to discuss the night's events. He had turned it on speaker and set it between them so they could both hear the conversation, but she barely looked like she was listening.
"Tell me again Gajeel," Erza's calm voice sounded from the speaker, "what exactly did they admit to?"
"Minerva and Mard Geer told me that they are moving the drugs and that they plan to increase distribution now that they have a system in place. I have it on tape."
"Hmm," Erza hummed into the phone.
Minerva was planning to take Gajeel with her tomorrow to the warehouse where the drugs were being stored. The property was owned by Tartaros. They had the confessions, all they needed to do was bust the warehouse and they would have indisputable evidence in hand to prove both Saber Tooth and Tartaros' involvement. The case was a slam dunk.
"And you're saying you want to raid the warehouse with the drugs tomorrow?" Gray chimed in. "That's, what, eight hours from now? It's not enough time to put a team together for that type of operation."
"Bull shit, Gray. Gajeel's right. Let's get these bastards," Natsu's heated voice burst through the phone.
"Everyone, if I may say something," that was Freed. He had been silent up to now, listening intently to what the others had to say. "I do not see any reason why we need to rush into this. Gajeel is in place, his cover is solid. Levy and our team will need time to review the data she retrieved tonight. The stronger this case is, the better. Why not wait a few days, weeks even, until we can better prepare."
Gajeel ground his teeth as he listened to the stoic man. He didn't have a problem with Freed, except that he didn't like what the guy was saying, and that was enough to put him on Gajeel's bad side.
The group sat in silence as they all waited for Makarov to respond. He would be the deciding vote.
Gajeel stole a glance at Levy. She hadn't moved. She sat like a porcelain statue, so close Gajeel wanted to reach out and touch her only she looked like she might break if he did.
"We will wait," Makarov's voice boomed out decisively. "Get the location of the warehouse and we'll begin setting up a team for a sting. We don't want to wait for something to go wrong, but if we move without caution we could lose all the hard work the two of you have already put into this."
"Sir," Gajeel tried to temper the anger in his voice, "I really think you should reconsider. We can take the whole place down-"
"My decision is final," Makarov said sternly. "We'll work on organizing the team on our end. You two send us everything you've gathered so far so Intelligence can review it. Give us a couple days and then I'll reach back out to you when it's time to finalize our plans. Keep a low profile until then. Stay away from headquarters. You've done well so far but they are going to be watching you closely, it's best you two keep your distance. Goodnight everyone-"
Gajeel stabbed the end button on his phone and nearly threw it across the room. He wanted the bastards taken down, now. Mard Geer wasn't just a drug dealer. He wasn't simply some back ally mafia thug. He had made a deal with Ivan to use the girls from Ivan's club as mules to move their drug overseas. He was the lowest type of criminal there was. And Gajeel would be damned if he'd let him slip through their fingers again.
"Gajeel," Levy's voice came in a whisper from beside him. He looked up quickly and met her sad gaze. "Am I weak?"
Gajeel shook his head, confused.
"Of course not. You're one of the strongest women I've ever met."
Levy's eyes welled with fresh tears that threatened to fall.
"I was afraid," she stuttered. "When Rogue caught me, I thought... well I thought the worst. I was so scared. I thought that was it. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I can't do this. Maybe I don't belong at Fairy Tail."
Unable to stop himself, Gajeel moved closer to Levy. He reached out and wiped away a single tear the escaped down her soft cheek.
"Being afraid isn't the same thing as being weak," Gajeel said in a stern but quiet voice. "If anyone belongs at Fairy Tail, it's you. Look at what you did tonight. You should be proud of yourself, you were amazing."
Levy looked up at him with her big eyes. Gajeel loved those eyes. When she looked at him it made him feel like she really saw him. But he knew... he knew that couldn't be true. If she could see him, she wouldn't let him be so close to her. He was dangerous. He would break her heart.
Gajeel pulled away slightly but suddenly Levy's hand was wrapped around his, the other reaching out and brushing lightly against his neck as she leaned towards him.
Her lips pressed into his and Gajeel closed his eyes at the touch, letting the warmth of her mouth consume his senses. It was a gentle kiss, soft and sensual.
He could kiss her like that all night. The sensation of her soft, wet lips brushing against his was intoxicating. If that was what she wanted, why not give it to her?
Because he would hurt her, he reminded himself. Because he knew he would eventually leave her and he couldn't stand the idea of being the source of her pain.
Most of all, because if he kept kissing her like this he wouldn't be able to stop himself from wanting more. From wanting her.
Gajeel pulled away. Levy stayed close, resting her forehead against his.
"Why did you stop?" She whispered.
"You're upset. You don't know what you're doing right now, or what you want. You should really get some sleep. You can stay here tonight. The guest room is empty but you can take my bed, I'll sleep on the couch."
Levy leaned back, staring at him intently.
"A boyfriend would sleep in the same bed as his girlfriend," she stated matter-of-factly.
Gajeel frowned.
"We're not at Saber Tooth anymore. We don't need to keep pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend."
"The night's not over. We said for the night, not just while at the party."
Gajeel watched her in silence.
"Was it really so bad, pretending?"
Gajeel squeezed her hand. No, it wasn't bad at all. Holding her in her arms as they had danced, her body pressed against his... it felt right. But it wasn't real.
"I'm still the same guy, Levy. I have nothing to give you."
Levy brushed her hand against his cheek.
"I don't need anything but you."
She kissed him again. This time the kiss was filled with urgency, with need. Her lips parted. She slid her tongue along his lower lip. Gajeel couldn't resist opening his mouth to hers. Their breathing became ragged. He reached out and ran his hands through her loose hair.
Levy curled her fingers along his collar, pulling him closer as she crawled towards him. She slid her legs around him, straddling him as her skirt hiked precariously high on her hips.
Gajeel couldn't think straight as she pressed her body against him.
"You don't know me Levy," he breathed against her skin. "I'm not a good man."
Levy paused, leaning back so that she could look him in the eyes.
"I want to know you, Gajeel. You're not this horrible person you keep saying you are."
"You don't know that-"
"Stop! Stop telling yourself that you're so bad. You think that if I knew your secrets or your past I wouldn't care about you like I do. But I do care about you, Gajeel. It scared me at first, how strongly I felt about you, how fast it's all happened. At first I told myself that it was because we worked together that I shouldn't get involved with you. But that wasn't really it. It's this attraction between us. I've never felt anything like it before. I know you feel it too. I know you do. I know your past was dark, but your present isn't. Don't let it overshadow what you have now, what we have."
Gajeel came undone at her words. It was like she had driven a pickaxe through the iron shell of his heart. The emotions that welled within him were foreign, unnamable. He cared about her so damn much. And she was telling him that nothing else mattered, that his past didn't matter. Maybe he could be that man. She made him feel like he could change, like he wanted to change, for her.
Gajeel grabbed Levy and pulled her towards him. He let his mouth devour hers as he wrapped his arms roughly around her. He wanted her. And she wanted him. Gajeel would give her anything that she wanted, anything for her.
Levy reached for the buttons of his shirt as Gajeel slid his tongue along the silky length of her neck. A moan escaped her mouth and the heat in Gajeel's veins exploded. His hands flew down to the bare skin of her thighs, clutching her tightly as she undid that last of the buttons and pulled his shirt open. He felt her hands slide against the hard muscles of his chest.
Gajeel bit lightly at her neck as he slid his hands under her skirt, caressing the soft skin of her thighs until he reached the warmth of her core, pressing his palm against her over a thin layer of lace.
Levy's breath caught as she quivered against him. She pressed up on her knees, granting him more access as he pushed the lace aside and worked her clit with his thumb, his other hand grabbing her perfect ass. Levy kissed him desperately and he let out a rough groan as her fingers clawed at his bare chest.
His need for her consumed him. She was already wet as his fingers traced her opening. He slid one finger inside of her, and then a second. Levy gasped, a sweet long groan escaping her lips.
Levy rocked against him as he caressed her.
"Gajeel," she moaned. It drove Gajeel wild. He moved faster, still pressing the pad of his thumb hard against her tender bead. Her body tightened as she cried out, leaning her head back as she came against him. She was beautiful as she trembled though the convulsions of her climax.
Fire consumed him and he was seeing red. His cock was so hard it was almost painful. He needed her. He needed to be in her. Now.
"Levy," he growled her name lowly, "I can't take much more or you'll break me."
"Then take me," she whispered between sharp inhales, still shaking from her orgasm.
Gajeel slid his fingers from her warmth. Grabbing her waist, he pushed her to the side and down into the soft cushions of the couch.
He pulled off his shirt as she slipped her dress off over her head. He undid his pants, tugging out his wallet as he kicked them away. He pulled out a foil wrapper and covered himself.
Looking down at her perfect, naked body he couldn't restrain from lowering himself down to her breast and taking her tight peak in his mouth, letting his tongue swirl against her tender flesh.
Levy moaned his name again and his arousal ached. He held his body above her as he kissed that beautiful mouth again, and again. Positioning his rock hard length against her opening he began to press gently into her.
Her sex was hot and wet and tight as he dipped into her. She sucked in a sharp breath. He tried to move slowly but as she spread her legs wider and begged him for more he lost all control. With more force than he probably should have used he drove himself deep into her.
He fought with everything he had not to come in that moment as her body clenched around him. Her kisses were frantic as her hips arched against him. Her hands wrapped desperately against his shoulders, pulling him even closer as he dove his fingers fiercely into her hair, pulling her head back and sliding his tongue along the line of her perfectly arched neck.
Her breath came in sharp crashing waves as he felt her heading towards the edge. He called out her name as he drove deeper, harder, faster.
Levy cried out and Gajeel roared as they came together. He exploded into her as she convulsed around his pulsing cock.
Gajeel shattered, his body shaking, his strength evaporating as he collapsed into her.
Levy wrapped her arms around him in a sensual caress. He could still feel her trembling around him.
He could barely breathe as he rested his chin in the slope of her neck, his cheek brushing against hers, his forehead pressing into the cushion.
Finally his strength began to return. He gently slipped himself out of her. Pushing himself up he looked down into her big eyes that were hooded with satisfaction. She smiled up at him and once again all he could think about was how beautiful she was lying underneath him.
"You're fucking amazing," he said. It wasn't eloquent, and it didn't even begin to describe how incredible she was, but it was true. And it wasn't just the sex. Not just the way she felt or the way she looked at him. It was everything about her. Her smile, her compassion for others, the passion she felt for her work. It was her heart.
Levy gave him a cat like smile. "You're pretty amazing yourself."
Her heart, he thought again. Her perfect heart that he never wanted to break. But who was he to say he even had her heart? He'd had her body. Fuck, he'd taken her body like it was what he needed to survive. But her heart? He had no rights to it. Even if she had all that was left of his.
Being with Levy was unlike anything Gajeel had ever experienced before. The way she read him with those eyes, it felt like he could bare his soul to her without even saying a word.
"Stay with me tonight?" He asked quietly, desperately wanting this night to last an eternity. Not knowing what would happen once the sun rose up again, uncertain how he would look to her in the harsh light of day.
Levy sat up and cupped his broad jaw in her small hands. "I'm not going anywhere."
The way she spoke made it sound almost like a promise. Or was that wishful thinking?
"Wait here," he said with a smile. He stood and made a b-line for the bathroom to dispense of the condom. He heard his phone buzz as he left the room.
He took a moment to splash some cold water on his face, then he slipped on a pair of old jeans he'd left lying on the bathroom floor the day before.
By the time he returned to the living room Levy had already slipped back into her dress and was grabbing her purse from the table. She was headed for the front door.
"Where are you going?" He said in confusion. Had something happened in the short amount of time he'd left her alone?
"I have to go," she said shortly as she stepped to step into her shoes.
"What happened?"
She didn't respond as she headed into the front hallway.
"Levy," he said gently, clearing the space between them and reaching out to her.
She brushed his hand away sharply. "Don't," she said, her voice filled with a strange mixture of anger and hurt.
"I don't understand, Levy-"
"I know you have secrets Gajeel," she snapped at him. Were those tears welling in her eyes? "I get that your past is hard for you to share. I can accept that. But I never thought you would lie to me." She threw a hand out gesturing to his phone, its screen lit up as it rested on the table.
"I've never lied to you, not about anything." Now he was starting to get angry. What could she have possibly seen on his phone that would make her think he had lied to her about something?
Levy's eyes turned to ice as she stared at him, but she made no retort. Instead she turned and went for the door.
"Where are you going? It's two in the morning. You don't even have a car. Just talk to me Levy."
"I'll take a cab," she called out as she pulled the door open and then disappeared behind it.
Shit.
Gajeel made a dash for his boots and pulled out a jacket from the front closet. Before he ran after her he grabbed his phone off the table and opened the screen. Two text messages lit up and as he read them to himself he realized what she must think.
He hesitated for half a second. He needed to reply, but Levy...
Throwing the phone down, Gajeel went after her.
By the time he got out onto the street he caught sight of Levy's thin frame sliding into a bright yellow cab.
"Levy!" He called out to her.
But she was gone.
The cab merged back into traffic and disappeared around a corner.
She was gone.
Fuck.
He needed to explain to her what she had read. That it wasn't what she thought. But he also needed to reply to that text. He needed to go take care of it. He would have to find Levy in the morning and try to explain it to her. He'd have to open up to her, to share the things he didn't want to talk about. He hoped she would still listen.
