"Oi, Shrimp, I think your cat is in love with me."
"He's a panther, not a cat. And it's cute!"
"Easy for you to say, yer not the one covered in cat hair." Gajeel huffed. Lily took it as an invitation to smell his breath and start licking his face. It was disgusting, yes, but Gajeel didn't mind too much as it made Levy laugh. And by thunder, did he miss her laugh.
Levy patted her leg and the silly cat finally left him alone. He watched Levy bend down, give Lily one last kiss, and push him toward the gardens. The panther leapt away, chasing the birds that escaped to the sky at his approach.
"I'm still surprised that he likes you so much. It's nice though, knowing I don't have to worry about all of us walking together."
Gajeel chuckled, happy to watch Levy walk across the short garden wall and chat to her heart's content.
After the king finally agreed to let him become Levy's personal bodyguard, the two of them had become inseparable and had spent the entire day walking around the gardens. There was never a quiet moment between them and today was no different.
Levy told him about how she found Lily, what Lucy did as a Celestial Mage and the new books she had read during her two years at the castle. He in turn told her about the woman in white and man in black that changed his body to become human. Levy had been fascinated by the story, as he knew she would be. Her bright eyes shone and she asked over a dozen questions, most of which he was unable to answer.
He pacified her open curiosity by admitting his struggles with learning how to use his hands, his training with Gildarts, and how he had thrown up on Natsu's scales when the fire dragon first flew him to Gildarts. Levy almost fell off the wall in laughter during his story and his face flushed in embarrassment.
"They want to come soon. I told them to wait until after the ceremony, so they'll probably be here in the next week or so."
"I'm glad, I've missed them so much. Is Rogue still trying to sleep every chance he gets?"
Gajeel laughed, keeping a careful eye on her on the wall. "Yeah, he does. And Natsu has yet to figure out a way to wake him up without being engulfed in a giant shadow."
Her laughter filled the gardens and several servants paused their work and looked at them. He automatically drew to his full height, but relaxed when he saw their smiling faces. He looked at Levy, who was still smiling widely. He wondered just how often she did smile at the castle. From what he gathered, she didn't particularly like her life in her new home, so perhaps this was the happiest she had been in a long time.
The thought made his own lips lift. As much as he enjoyed Gildarts and the other dragons' company, it was nothing compared to being with her. Something about her put him at ease and the feelings that had begun to surface before she left home had returned even stronger than before. Maybe it was the result of his new human blood, or just because they had been separated for so long. Whatever the reason, Gajeel found himself constantly watching her, his face turning warm with every smile she gave and his arms aching to hold her like they did at the ceremony.
Levy reached the end of the wall and he easily lifted her by the waist to help her down. She landed nimbly on her feet, shook strands of hair from her face, and gave him a wide smile. Right on cue, his heart pounded and his ears began to burn.
"Thanks," she said, still smiling.
Gajeel dropped his hold and scratched his warm neck. "Y-yeah, no problem."
She spun on her toes and bounded down the path, calling to Lily who had wandered off near the fountains. Gajeel took a deep breath and rubbed the area over his heart.
Get a hold of yourself, Redfox. Don't ya be scaring her off.
With a shake of his head to cool it off, he followed after his fairy.
"I can't wait to see everyone! Are you sure it's going to take a week for them to get here?" Levy looked at him over her shoulder. She was adorable in her pink dress and matching bandana in her hair.
Gajeel willed his body not to react to her smirk. "Not sure. They knew the ceremony was two days ago and Wendy may have convinced the rest of them to head over as soon as they could. She seemed to take over your job of nagging me, gihee."
"Oh, stupid Gajeel." She spun to stick her tongue at him.
He jogged to her side, flicked her nose, and ran backwards so he could watch her spin and almost lose her balance. She chased him around the gardens and into a large, open area near the back wall. Spotting a bench near the gate, Gajeel sprinted to it and sat down, smirking at Levy when she came to a skidding halt in front of him.
"Wanna have a seat?" He patted the space next to him and smiled at her pouting face. With her nose in the air, she flicked her skirt and sat daintily next to him.
"I'm sitting because I want to, not because you asked me too."
He held back his snicker, folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. "Whatever you say, Shorty." He leaned his head back and enjoyed the sun's warmth.
Levy huffed and puffed next to him but eventually grew silent. It was quiet, away from the business of the castle. He breathed deeply, letting the soft scent of the air and the familiar scent that was Levy fill him. In the quiet, with her by his side, he had finally found peace.
Levy shifted next to him and he smiled at her antics. She wasn't one to sit still for very long, not even when they lived in the mountains. He could hear her folding the fabric of her skirt, her leg tapping next to his, her breath hitch as if she were about to say something. She shifted again and Gajeel opened his eyes, turning to her to see what she was up to.
"Hey, why're you so-" There was a flash of movement and his words were cut off when Levy's lips lightly pressed against his. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. Every thought, every breath stood stone still. Levy scrambled backwards and stood, her face rivaling Natsu's scales.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean...I-Iwas aiming for your cheek and then you moved and I couldn't stop and I didn't want to k-k-kiss...I mean, I kinda did, I've been wanting to since I saw you but I was too nervous...and, and then-"
He gaped at her embarrassed rambling, his sluggish brain still processing the feel of her lips on his. They were warm, warmer than he expected. And incredibly soft…
Blinking her back into focus, he grabbed her arm and tugged her forward. He slid his hand behind her head, tucking his fingers in the silky blue strands, closed his eyes and captured her lips again. She squealed against his mouth, but after only a moment's hesitation, he felt her wrap her arms around his shoulders and kiss him in return, slowly, tenderly. Hours, minutes, he didn't know how long they stayed there, held in each other's arms, and finally acknowledging the feelings he had buried deep inside for so long.
When they slowly pulled apart, Levy's eyes were glassy and he gave a breathy laugh. He rested his forehead against hers.
"Wow," she giggled, her fingers playing with his long hair.
He rubbed his thumb against her cheek. "Y-Yeah."
He tilted her chin up to kiss her again, but they were buffeted with wind and the sound of beating wings. They leapt to their feet, the bench wobbling and tilting over in the grass, and watched the dragons land in front of them. Lily growled and moved protectively in front of Levy.
"Oh I'm sorry...were we interrupting something?" Natsu flicked his tongue, his tone dangerously smug.
Gajeel glared steel at the dragon. "Go eat a toad, Fire Face."
Wendy flapped her wings excitedly. "Does that mean you confessed your love to each other already? How did it go? I bet Gajeel said it first!"
"WHAT!?" Levy and Gajeel both screeched. Gajeel slapped his forehead with his hand.
Lily, thinking his lady and master was in dire trouble, launched himself at Natsu in a fit of growls and bites. Levy rushed to control her pet, giving Gajeel enough time to cool his flaming cheeks.
"What? What did I say?" Wendy curled her neck, looking around at the other dragons who shrugged in response. "You were always practicing how you'd tell her, so I don't-"
"Wendy," Gajeel growled, rasping his hand down his face.
"Whaaaat? I want to know how it went! Did she tell you she loved you too?"
A squeak drew his attention and Levy buried her rosy nose into Lily's side. Sting choked on a laugh and Wendy looked around with wide eyes.
"I feel like I'm missing something. Did you...Oh! You didn't tell her yet?" She gasped and put her snout into his face.
"No, I didn't," he said, shoving her large head away. He avoided looking at Levy, but could see her peeking at him from the corner of his eye.
"But what's the problem? You too love each other, right?" She folded her legs in the grass and stared them down as if confessing one's love to their childhood friend was the easiest thing in the world. His face grew hot again and he scratched the back of his head, looking anywhere but the fairy next to him.
"W-well...well s-sure, I guess…" he muttered into the air above her head.
"Um, yes, I suppose so." A timid whisper said. Levy picked at Lily's fur, her entire body bright red.
Wendy sat back with a groan. "Well then, that's settled...I'm glad I got that off my chest."
"I never want to be a human...it's so exhausting." Rogue collapsed onto the grass and the other dragons laughed.
"Sh-Shut it, all of ya," he grumbled, causing even more laughter.
Gajeel risked a peek at Levy, but looked away when her gaze caught his. They stood next to each other, completely silent, and listened to the dragons chortling and bantering around them. He would tell Levy properly, once they were alone again.
And once his ears no longer felt on fire.
Just fyi, accidental kisses are totally a thing! That's exactly how my first kiss with my husband went...on our first date, leaned in to kiss his cheek, he turned and I was too close to stop. I've been wanting to use it in one of my stories for ages, and now it finally fit! Thought it would be perfect for our awkward *cough* blossoming couple here :D