A Christmas present for Aya-eisen!
Loud voices danced on the wind over the tall golden grass, carried over to the blue haired woman as she walked towards the ranch she was currently staying at. Perking her head up, she hurried her steps, a small smile on her lips in anticipation. She'd never openly admit it, but she was hoping to see a certain ranch hand in the corral today, breaking in the new horses. Her heart would stutter as she watched him ride the animals, admiring the way his body moved as they tried to buck him off. Of course, she'd watch from afar as he'd only known her as "the grumpy teacher".
The way they had met certainly gave him that impression. They had collided in the streets of the small town near the ranch, and she had been knocked flat on her rear, his friends laughing at her expense. Indignant, she stood up quickly, brushing herself off as she glared at them, turning to lecture the tall man. To her fury, he offered no apologies to her, instead leaning down and whispering in her ear, "Maybe if you were at least a couple of inches taller, I could've seen you, shrimp."
She had gasped, her face flushing in rage. Shrimp? He was outrageous, and completely infuriating. She huffed, turning on her heel and strode away, trembling with anger.
She wasn't sure when anger turned into something else, but slowly her heart began to beat he was around. Maybe it started when she and her friends had a little too much to drink at the saloon one night, and he had walked them home after a group of unsavory men approached them. She didn't remember too much about it, but she did remember snippets of him teasing her during the walk. Or maybe it was when he had found her in the alleyway one day, soaking wet from the downpour and bawling her eyes out over her horrible luck. He had thrown his jacket over her, then had awkwardly slipped his arm over her shoulders till she stopped hiccuping. She had inadvertently leaned into his warm side, shivering from the freezing rain. She seemed to remember that his grip had slightly tightened around her then.
He was still rather jerkish to her on occasion, teasing her to irritation, but more often than not his teasing left her breathless in laughter. She must've gotten used to him being around her, she mused. He was showing up in unexpected areas that she was usually at, such as the library or the school house after class was dismissed. She had to constantly fight the blush that crept into her cheeks when she spotted him now, and she wasn't sure why. Once Lucy had suggested that she had deeper feelings for the man, and she automatically dismissed it as nonsense. Her, in love with him? Impossible, and surprising heartbreaking for her whenever she thought about it. She wanted to know what he wanted from her, but her own feelings often left her confused and dizzy. Some days she wanted to bask in his presence, and to listen to his heart beat as he laughed, teasing her. The thought would frighten her then, and she'd flee from it, her heart racing as fast as the horses on the ranch.
But she couldn't stop herself from staring at him, drinking in the sight of his broad shoulders, his wild black hair, and the way his eyes twinkled as he laughed. She'd catch herself smiling back, then sigh in derision, scolding herself for being improper. He was definitely not a man a young lady should want, and he never hid the fact that he was a flirt either. Regardless, she still couldn't look away from him.
Now, as she slipped past the buildings to the corral, her heart jumped as she stopped just behind the open doors to the shed, peeking from behind the wooden door. All the men had grouped around the gates, cheering and laughing at the rancher currently breaking the horse that was snorting and jumping in the ring. She squinted, trying to see through the rising dust to see the telltale black hair and silver glints dancing around, but she couldn't locate him. He wasn't amongst the other ranchers either, being strangely absent for such an event.
Sighing in disappointment, she retreated back behind the door, not wishing to be noticed by the men and teased. Turning to head to the main house, she jumped in surprise as she nearly walked into Gajeel's sturdy chest. Barely biting a startled shriek back, she slammed her back into the door, blushing madly as he laughed at her.
"Afternoon, Miss Shrimp," he crooned, leaning over her and placing one hand on the door next to her head. She froze, clutching her arms to her chest as she stared open eyed at him as he quirked his eyebrows at her, staring back. She blinked when he cleared his throat at her, shaking her head and huffed, irritated at herself for getting lost in his eyes. 'Good god what is he doing?' she thought, steeling her shoulders as he leaned closer.
"You shouldn't sneak up on a lady like that, Mister," she said, pulling her face into a pout, folding her arms defensively. He reared back slightly, his grin turning into a laugh as she looked away, slightly embarrassed that she'd been caught sneaking herself.
"Looking for something, then? Or did you find it already?" he asked, smiling down at her. She started, then stared at him in confusion.
"What, you didn't think I'd see you watching me?" he said, leaning over her again, his brow nearly brushing hers.
"I-I wasn't -!" she sputtered, her heart racing as she started sweating. How did he know?
"No? Then maybe I was imagining the times you were watching me when I broke horses, or the times I caught you staring at me in town," he murmured, the tips of his nose brushing her bangs. Levy froze, her breath slightly hitching. Had he been onto her this whole time? He was dangerously close to her now, and her brain was beginning to short circuit, unable to think of a clever response.
"M-maybe you were," she muttered, unable to look at him. He stayed silent for a moment, considering her for a moment. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her around the door and towards the corral, ignoring her squeaks of protest. He pushed through the other ranchers, ignoring them as they laughed and cheered, and placing a thoroughly embarrassed Levy right next to the fence.
"Make sure she has a good view," he said to the man next to her, griping her shoulder slightly then headed to the gate where another horse stood waiting, snorting and stamping. She glanced about quickly before turning back to watch him climb the fence and over, settling on the twitching animal. She definitely had a good view now, and she bit her lip, anxiously waiting for the fence to release them.
Cheers rose as the horse jumped, bucking as Gajeel held on, gripping the reins tightly. Mesmerized, Levy shivered, delighted that she could finally see him up close, even though she had been blushing horribly just moments before. She gasped when the horse bucked too close for comfort, nearly tripping over itself. Around and around they ran by, each time she could hear him call as the others cheer. Finally, as the horse slowed into a canter, then to a walk, she couldn't help but join in the cheering. He was definitely good at taming horses, she decided, giggling lightly as she watched him affectionately pat the horse as they made it back to the fence. He looked back over his shoulder then, grinning when he spotted her. Her heart began to beat wildly then, and she smiled back, blushing as the others began to laugh while he made his way back to her. Suddenly unsure of what to do, she whirled and fidgeted with the fence as she ignored the others.
"Miss Levy?" he asked, leaning on the fence next to her. She nearly dropped to the ground; her knees going weak at the drop in his voice at her name. She turned to face him, blushing as she clung to the fence for support. He was so close to her now, leaning near her again. She barely registered that the other ranchers had suddenly vacated the area, either watching them from afar or finding chores far more interesting than they usually were. It was quiet now, too. Almost too quiet as he smiled at her, tweaking at her fingers playfully.
"Did you like the show, shrimp?" he asked, chuckling as she twitched nervously. She nodded mutely, not trusting her voice. She gazed at him through her eyelashes, suddenly feeling far too awkward to even think coherently.
He poked her fingers again, waiting for her to speak. He almost laughed in self-congratulatory victory as she smiled shyly, nodding at his question. His own heart was still pumping from the ride, but he was sure it wouldn't settle down for a long time if he timed this right. He couldn't afford to be awkward around her now, not since he had known she was always watching him. But unbeknownst to her, he had been watching her just as intently, memorizing her by heart.
She had been surly with him at first, something he knew he was responsible for. But pride had closed his lips around the apology, and he had foolishly baited her afterwards too. However, after a good beating and a lesson in manners from his friends on the ranch, he began to be gentler with her. The first time she had smiled, truly and genuinely smiled at him, he was captivated by her. She tried so hard to be stern with him, to be the virtuous shrew, but he had begun to see through her words, realizing that when she looked at him, her eyes began to soften, and her whole demeanor weakened. His heart twisted as he thought back to the times he had found her in her most vulnerable state, his hand barely clenching as to hide his inner thoughts. She was too small for her own good, and often times he wanted to wrap her up in his arms and squirrel her away from the world.
He wanted to see her smile all the time now, and marvel how her eyes lit up as she beamed at him. This smile she was showing him right now was similar, but his blood began to stir, bringing a heat to his cheeks that he couldn't resist. He'd thought she was cute before, but he hadn't realized how beautiful she was when she gazed at him. He nearly gave in to the urge to lean even closer to her and taste her soft looking lips, to pull her into an embrace that nothing in the world could break.
He mentally shook himself, breaking the slight daze that he was in. He shifted closer to her, grinning slightly as he slipped his fingers under hers, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.
"Isn't it better to be watching from the fence than the shed?" he asked, laughter bubbling in his voice. She jumped, her eyes bulging as she started sweating, her eyes flitting everywhere else but him now, sweat beading on her face.
"Ah, y-yes," she amended quietly, griping his fingers in return. How could have possibly seen her when he was on the horse? She was drawn to face him again when he brought his other hand up and gripped her chin.
"You're always watching me outside the corral too, shrimp," he murmured, smiling as his thumb stroked her bottom lip, watching her eyes widen.
"How did you know?" she breathed, her heart beating hard as his other hand slipped up to cup her cheek. He grinned cheekily, unable to resist teasing her.
"I've been watching you too, shrimp," he laughed, blushing slightly at his own admission. Levy's breathing hitched slightly, spellbound by his smile. She hadn't realized how close he was to her, or how much she was swaying closer to him with each passing moment. She grasped the hand that was cupping her cheek, pressing it closer to her, unable to resist his infectious laugh.
At the feel of her hand over his, he drew her near, going purely by instinct now. He pressed his lips against hers, ignoring her surprised squeak. She had stiffened slightly, then relaxed as she kissed him back, nearly startling him.
After what seemed like a lifetime, they pulled apart, slightly gasping. He grinned impishly at her, happy that she hadn't pushed him away. Around the ranch there had been a bet whether or not she would, and he was pleasantly surprised that his hunch was right. His lips were searing from the kiss, though. He wanted to kiss her again, and thus pulled her in again.
This time she moaned lightly into his mouth, slipping her hands up his chest and clinging to his shoulders, standing on tip toe. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her up, pressing her against the rail for added support. He couldn't get enough of her anymore, and felt himself flailing for the lost control that he had held onto in the last moments. He came to a conclusion as they finally stopped for air, gasping as the hoots and hollering of the other ranch hands finally broke through the spell.
Kissing Levy was definitely far more wild than breaking horses, and he was thoroughly hooked.