***Disclaimer I do not own this story! All rights reserved to the creator Hiro Mashima***
Accidental Instigators
"Thank you have a good day!" Levy called out to the customers leaving the bookstore. That was the last one in the store and now they can finally close down the shop.
"Gajeel did you get those books from shipment put out on the floor today?" Levy called towards the back of the store where she knew her grumpy coworker had last been seen.
"Yea I got them all sorted out and put away about 15 mins ago. I'm working on the return rack now." His deep voice called back at her. "Damn college students dropping classes and making more work for me." She could hear him grumbling more under his breath but couldn't quite make it out from how far away he was sitting.
Levy laughed as she walked to the front door to lock up and turn the sign letting the poor kids who came by in the next hour or so know that they had to wait till tomorrow. Then she promptly headed back for the register and began to count the till out and close down the cash drawers till morning.
It was overall fairly quiet as the two of them closed up the store and got it ready for those unlucky enough to have to come in for the morning shift. Not that Levy much minded working the early shift it was more that college students before coffee was not an experience she willingly subjected herself to if she could help it.
After about an hour of Gajeel finishing the restock and cleaning the back room while Levy finished up end of day paperwork and put the deposit in the safe the two gathered their things and walked to the front door ready to leave.
"So got any big plans tonight Shrimp?" Gajeel asked as Levy locked the door behind them.
All he had asked was a simple polite question and he already had her face burning a bright pink color and her mind turning to mush. She quickly collected herself and tried to reply with the most non-flustered voice she could manage while avoiding eye contact. "Umm actually I was just going to get some stuff from the store and then head home tonight."
"Huh well I have to stop by the store on my way home to get some more protein shake mix for the apartment I'll walk with you." He replied simply waiting for her to put her keys away and start walking.
"Well that is very sweet of you Gajeel really, but you don't have to walk me to the store." Secretly she was thinking to herself how she wasn't too sure if she could make the trip there without somehow making a fool out of herself.
"Really I was gunna head that way after work it's no trouble."
"Well ok then. If you insist."
Together they began the short trip to the corner store when she had the idea to message Lucy and see if they needed anything extra for the house that hadn't been put on the list that morning.
"Hey Lu I'm headed to the store do we need anything else for the apartment while I'm there?"
"No we are all good here. But hey meet us at the Rec when your done we're going to work off some frustration thanx to the still missing Hot Head." Cana replied to her text.
"Ok, but Cana why did you reply when I texted Lucy's phone?" Levy sent back quickly followed by a text saying, "Not that I mind talking to you I'm just confused how that happened!"
"LOL don't get all panicky Lucy is currently face planted in the counter after seeing your text and not one from MIA. Soooo you on for the Rec? I could use back up."
"Yea sure I'll just pick up a few things and head that way!" Levy quickly put her phone away and snuck a glance over to Gajeel who seemed to be busy typing away in his own phone.
"How long you think it's gunna be before that idiot buys a new phone?" Gajeel typed to Gray. It had been about 2 weeks since Gray had caused Natsu to break his phone beyond repair and he was getting sick of having to go through one roommate to get in touch with the other roomate while they were at work.
"Don't know but I'm tired of playing messenger for this Flame brain. It's a pain in my ass! Hey you still going to the store after work today?"
"Yea"
"Mind getting some more of those fruit smoothie breakfast things for me? I'll pay you when I see you at the loft later."
"Fine. Ask Salamander if he needs me to pick anything up too. I'm not going again tonight."
"He's busy with some meat head regular."
"Now or Never."
"Fine give me a sec"
Gajeel finally looked up from his phone to notice Levy had been staring at him for who even knew how long. Shit had she said something to him while he was dealing with his idiot roomates?
"What?" he questioned her, his brows pulling down together and his mouth tugging down a bit at the edges.
"Nothing just wondering what's got you so distracted that you have barely looked to see where you were going." Levy replied simply shrugging her delicate shoulders and looking back to the direction they were walking.
"Nothing big it's just a damn hassle to get both my roommates to answer what they need from the store when one doesn't have a phone is all."
"Oh. I can imagine that would be difficult" she replied a playful smile on her lips.
"Ehh I've dealt with worse between these two. A little message relay ain't nothing." He grinned back jokingly.
"Hmm I'm sure." She replied simply
Just then Gajeel's phone chimed with a new text. "The flaming idiot said to get more Jalapeño Cheetos and Red Hots. Don't know how or why he eats them so damn fast."
"Fine tell him he owes me big this is the 3rd time I've bought them in 2 weeks and he needs to pay up or I'm gunna beat the money out of him like a Pinata!"
Gajeel silently snickered to himself at the thought of his pink haired roommate strung up like a colorful kid's party toy getting hit upside the head by a bunch of 5 year old's. It was an amusing thought to say the least.
"Something funny?" Levy questioned him her head tilting just a tad in his direction. I wonder if she knows she does that? He thought to himself before answering her.
"Nothing just a thought I had."
They reached the store about then and Gajeel held the door open for Levy. The two parted ways to retrieve the items on each of their mental lists before returning to the checkout line together.
Once both were finished they headed back outside and began the trip back to their respective apartments.
"So umm…Which direction do you live?" Levy asked after walking a few moments in the same direction as Gajeel.
"Just a few more blocks over." Gajeel replied. "And you?"
"Oh same." Levy said back a blush forming on her cheeks. Come to think of it, I've closed with Gajeel a few times now but we never left in the same direction before. Normally I'd head back to campus to study before heading home. Is it possible we live near each other?
Levy soon discovered the answer to her question when they both turned left onto Strawberry street and then later walked right up to the same apartment building.
"Ummm. You didn't have to walk me to the door you know." Levy said trying to act less flustered than she obviously was.
Gajeel just snorted a laugh and then pulled his own keys out letting the two of them into the main foyer of the building. "Don't worry shrimp I didn't. Just didn't realize that you lived in the same building as me is all." Gajeel replied holding the door open for her again and trying desperately to push back the rising blush that came with the thought of them sharing an apartment building.
"Oh well me either. I can't believe we haven't ever crossed paths before. I mean I've lived here for a year now." Levy said confusion pulling her eyebrows together and causing a small pout to form on her lips.
"Who knows but doesn't really matter now."
"No I guess not."
More awkwardly than the rest of the trip had been the two walked up the stairs in silence until Levy turned off after the second flight sending a small wave over her shoulder to Gajeel.
Gajeel hurried up the last two flights of stairs to his apartment and had just let himself in when his phone chimed signaling a new text. Looking down he saw a quick text from Gray simply saying "Get to the Rec now."
Grunting as he dropped the bags and put the perishables away he grabbed his gym bag from his room and headed back down the stairs and towards the bus stop.
He checked the transportation app and cursed when he saw he had just missed the bus and would have to wait for the next one to come around. While he was waiting, he started to wonder what could be so damn important that the Ice prick felt the need to tell him to come down there tonight on his rest day. He was interrupted from his thoughts when he noticed a familiar shock of blue hair right beside his shoulder.
"Hey you headed back to campus too?" Levy questioned
He simply nodded as that seemed to be the only thing his mind could come up with as he took in the sight of Levy in workout gear. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and her signature bandanna kept the fly aways at bay. She had on a black workout shirt that said "My Abs are like my favorite books Fictional" and dark grey yoga pants. He could finally say that he was in fact a butt guy because never had he wanted to just grab hold and play with a girls ass like he did right then.
"So what are you headed to campus for?" Levy asked completely oblivious to where his train of thought had just taken him and never had he ever been so glad that his facial features were so hard to read as he was right then.
"I'm headed to the Rec. Roommates said I had to head down there but not really sure why." he grumbled back letting his irritation show clearly in his tone of voice.
"Oh!" She exclaimed her cheeks getting that soft dusty pink he was really starting to like. "My roommates asked me to meet them at the Rec too! How weird." She exclaimed her eyes getting just a tad bit bigger in her excitement.
"Yeah," he scoffed, "weird." About then the bus pulled up and they got on the nearly empty bus choosing seats near the back exit for a quick getaway once they reached their stop.
The ride was short and filled with idle chatter about work and when the other was scheduled next until they arrived on campus and made the short walk to the Rec.
Levy texted Cana that she was there and received a short text saying they were on the elliptical machines in the back and to hurry up and join them.
"Well I guess I'll see you around I'm gunna go meet up with my friends." Levy said as she made her way to the lockers to put her extra items away.
"Yea sure I gotta go see what's the big deal with my roommates anyways. I'll catch ya later Shrimp" Gajeel said as he walked into the gym.
Levy made her way through the different machines until she spotted Lucy and Cana working out in the back left hand side of the gym. "Hey!" she called out waving to her friends.
"Hey Levy glad you could make it!" Lucy called out. "Here come catch up we were gunna do a few more rounds then head to another machine."
"Sure. So what's up? Cana seemed to think I needed to get here ASAP did something happen?"
"More like someone." Cana snickered from across Lucy's shoulder.
"Huh?" Levy asked confused.
"Turns out Lu here forgot that Natsu works here at the Rec. That is until we were about to walk in and she saw him which led to her acting like a total spaz." Cana supplied.
"Hey! I did not act like a spaz!" Lucy squealed causing a girl two machines over to look their way.
"Well what happened?" Levy exclaimed eyes alight at the new gossip.
"Well Natsu came over to say hey and Lu was a total ice bitch to him but now she refuses to admit that she was."
"That's because I wasn't. He was just being friendly and so was I end of story." Lucy said with a huff adding more speed to her workout.
"Sure," Cana snorted "That's totally what happened."
"Wait Lu didn't you say that Gajeel is Natsu's roommate?" Levy asked her eyes glinting with a plan forming in her mind.
"Yea why?". Lucy questioned confusion clear on both her and Cana's face.
"Well cause I just walked in with Gajeel. Maybe I could go ask him to check and see what Natsu thinks about all this and have him get back to me. Then I can come back here and let you know without Natsu having to know that you were checking!" Levy was practically dancing in place on her machine by the end of her explanation.
"Hmmm, I suppose it couldn't hurt to see what he has to say could it?" Lucy murmured to herself.
"Nope!" Levy said with a hint too much enthusiasm before she hopped off her machine to go hunt down Gajeel calling over her shoulder that she would be back in a minute.
Across the Gym Gajeel had just cornered Gray demanding to know why he had to come down here in the first place.
"Because you will never guess who is here right now and causing the flame brain to act even stupider than normal." Gray told him clearly as irritated as Gajeel was by the whole ordeal.
"Let me guess, Lucy is here?" Gajeel said back smirking at the surprised look on Gray's face when he guessed right. He wasn't about to tell him he knew cause he came here with Lucy's roommate.
"Yea and that dipshit nearly injured two people 'cause he was all goo goo eyes for her! Then when he went to talk to her, he came back acting like a kicked puppy! I need your help to figure out what happened so we can snap him out of it before he gets his ass fired!" Gray fumed back at him.
"And how the hell do you think I'm gunna do that?" Gajeel asked incredulously.
"I don't know but I don't have time to figure it out I have to go clean up the mess that flaming dickhead left me." Gray said before stalking off to the weight machines again.
Gajeel just rubbed his face and groaned into his hand at the ridiculous situation he had just been brought into.
"Hey Gajeel!" He looked up at the sound of his name to see Levy standing behind him a grin on her face that spelled trouble for him. Though he was starting to think he didn't mind as long as she was the one dishing out the trouble.
"'Sup Shrimp?" he called back in greeting.
"Think you could do me a quick favor?" Levy asked looking up at him through her lashes.
"Uhh," Was all he managed to get out before she started in with her plan.
"I need your help figuring out what happened between Natsu and Lucy when they spoke earlier. Lucy of course says that he was only being friendly and that she was just being friendly back. But Cana says that she was being an Ice bitch and Natsu was totally indifferent about it. Sooo think you can help me clear things up?"
Gajeel just looked at Levy dumbfounded for a second thinking about how weird it was they kept ending up going in the same direction with things so often today. "Sure shrimp let me find him and ask him what's up and I'll get back to you." No need to tell her I was already going to do that when she showed up. He thought to himself with a grin.
"Thanks Gajeel!" Levy called out as she headed back towards where her friends were working out.
Gajeel looked around the gym until he spotted the familiar head of shaggy pink hair behind the reception desk up front and headed back that way.
"Sup Gajeel I thought today was your rest day. What are you doing here?" Natsu called out when he noticed his roommate moving in.
"Gray told me to come down here and beat some sense into you before you lose your job now what's this I hear about blondie causing problems?" Gajeel said cutting right to the point.
"I don't know man!' Natsu exclaimed throwing his hands in the air in defeat, "I mean I haven't seen or heard from her in weeks thanks to Gray and now that she's here she's giving me the cold shoulder. Hell she was nicer when I didn't know her at all!" he finished, slumping over on the counter an angry pout etched on his face.
"Well did you tell her why you didn't call her?" Gajeel asked.
"I don't know I got so confused by her attitude I don't think I got a chance to tell her what happened." Natsu grumbled.
"Well her friends are worried about her so they asked me to check and see what was up."
"WHAT! Why wouldn't they just ask me!?" Natsu yelled confusion deepening the frown on his face.
"You tell me man. But I can go tell them what you told me if you want."
"Yea if you don't mind I still need to get some stuff done here before my boss come back and yells at me for being a slacker, again." Natsu grumbled looking even more upset than when Gajeel had first come over there. Great now the Ice princess is gunna yell at me for making things worse. Gajeel thought angrily to himself.
Gajeel wandered away looking for Levy but he didn't have far to go it seemed that she had been waiting for him to finish so she could pounce on him for details.
"So?" levy prodded
"So all of this is something the two of them need to figure out and not drag me into." Gajeel grumbled.
"Gajeel that isn't what I asked you to find out." Levy reprimanded pouting up at him like a spurned child denied the new toy they had been promised.
"Hey all you asked me to do was find out what happened between them and I did. It's something they need to figure out on their own and not drag me into. But I'll say this your girl needs to chill out and not be so hard on Natsu. It's not his fault."
"Wait so then it's Lucy's?" Levy questioned
"I didn't say that." Gajeel shot back
"But you said it wasn't Natsu's fault. That means you both think it's Lucy's." Levy replied.
"Wait where is this both thing coming from? I just said it wasn't Natsu's fault. That didn't mean it was Lucy's fault." Gajeel said frustratedly.
"Thanks Gajeel that was all I needed." Levy replied, seemingly not having head any of what he just said, and hurried back to her roommates.
"Dammit shrimp I don't know what just happened but it can't be good." Gajeel mumbled to himself under his breath as he watched her report back to her friends.
AN: Hey yall haven't been around in a bit I've been busy with life and work. Hope yall enjoyed it I know it was mostly all Gejeevy in this chapter but I'm not too good at writing them yet and really wanted to try it out and add a little perspective. Let me know what you think about the drama at the end or anything else that yall liked about this chapter! Seeing your comments and notes makes me happy to write more and I swear it really does make me write faster! Also as always thank you to my Beta readers yall are lovely and help make writing so much easier for me :)