The camp was quiet for once, much to Gajeel's relief. They had traveled double time from HQ, and had just settled as the sun was beginning to set. 'And in record time too, gihee,' he thought, overseeing the activity as officers and soldiers bustled about, tiredly building dinner fires. So far, all was going to plan, and hopefully, there would be a bit of quiet time with his favorite script mage after her report to their higher ups. He resisted biting his lip again; they were already chapped from his teeth chewing on them since she had left for her job. Not that he had been worried about the girl or anything, he was just a bit impatient for their reunion.
Okay, he was a bit worried. But he'd be the last one to admit that to anyone out loud other than Lily.
It was an infiltration mission that she had volunteered for almost immediately, determination glinting in her eyes as Jura nodded gravely to her, handing over the case file. He didn't know exactly what it entailed, other than she had to get some information from some low level punk who ran a shady drug ring. However, he had confidence in her ability to handle herself, and Lily even gave her some extra martial arts training to compliment her script magic. But hell, he couldn't sleep the nights she was gone, worried sick that something was going to happen and he'd be too late to pull her out.
But finally, today was the last day of the mission, and she'd be back by nightfall to make her report. Needless to say, time was beginning to crawl by as he glanced at the pink sky for the hundredth time. He sighed, and began to pace as he waited. Maybe he ought to start another inspection round? Nahh, the troops had already gone through two rounds of his inspections already, a third one would be obvious as to why he was there. Should he try to eat? He paused, then shook his head before returning to his pace. He'd rather wait to have some of Levy's metal once he saw her again, food tasted far better afterwards anyways. What about paperwork? Surely there was a stack waiting for him in his tent from Jura.
He sighed, plopping himself on a nearby rock. There was no way he could focus on anything other than Levy's return right now, so that was a useless idea. He tapped his fingers on his leg, bored out of his mind.
He was starting to space out, idly composing a little song when a flapping sound snapped him out of his daze. Instantly alert, he jumped up as Lily landed in front of him, fighting a nervous blush as the exceed transformed into his larger stage.
"So the Captain's finally taking a break, eh?" Lily chuckled, folding his arms casually. Gajeel bristled, about to protest that he was taking a break when the cat held up his paw, preventing the dragon slayer from letting loose. "Levy just got back, just so you know," he continued, and Gajeel froze. A wide grin nearly split his face in two as he sighed in relief. So she's okay then, he mused, and nodded firmly.
"If you want to go see her she's in the office tent," Lily offered, shrugging indifferently. Gajeel nearly missed the sly look that the cat threw his way though, and ignored it as he chuckled.
"Fine by me, she has to report to me at some point, might as well get it over with," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. Despite the smooth stroll he was adopting as he passed Lily, his attitude was anything but suave, let alone subtle. But Lily would be the last one to point it out to him, and the others were too frightened of his reaction should they attempt it too.
But he didn't care as he walked through the camp to the office tent now, willfully ignorant of the teasing looks the troops shot his way when they thought he hadn't noticed. 'Let them think what they want, Lev's more important at the moment,' he thought, barely able to keep from jogging the last few feet from the tent that hid her away. He took a deep breath, scenting the air. Yep, she was definitely here alright, but her scent was mixed with something far more exotic than her usually relaxing smell of rain and ink. It stunk too, so he made a mental note to forbid the perfume as he pulled away the flap and entered the tent.
And nearly jumped back out in shock.
"L-Levy! W-what the hell are you wearing?!" He all but sputtered, his eyes popping wide open. In front of him stood the little mage, about ready to peel off a rather revealing bikini dress. It jingled as she ducked down, squeaking in surprise at his intrusion.
"Gajeel! Ah, um, I can explain, er," she stammered, her face beet red as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide her scantily clad chest. Her eyes flitted across the room, too embarrassed to meet his. He, on the other hand, couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Sure, he'd seen her in less material than this, but nothing this sheer, or sexy.
He shook his head suddenly, pulling himself together. He pulled off his jacket, approaching the crouching girl slowly as he averted his own eyes away from her, draping it over her as he tried clearing his throat awkwardly. He stepped back and turned away, giving her a bit of privacy.
"Yer early," he muttered, then kicked himself mentally for not coming up with something better to say. He cursed the blush that burned his ear tips when he heard her chuckle lightly. He glanced over his shoulder, only to stare at her again. The jacket dwarfed her as she tugged it securely closed around her shoulders, the hem coming just above her ankles. Though still glowing from embarrassment, a small smile was gracing her lips and her eyes were glittering in the low light.
"Y-you are too, you know," she said, cocking her head as she stepped lightly closer to him. There was a light note of relief in her voice, and suddenly his heart constricted uneasily. Had something happened to her? It wouldn't be surprising in the least with the way she was dressed up, and his hands clenched as he turned to face her.
"So, this thing you're wearing...?" He started, jerking his head at her. Her eyes widened a bit as she took in his change of mood, then sighed as her shoulders dropped a bit, and she tugged the jacket closer.
"I knew that you'd be upset with it, but it was part of the mission," she began to explain. "Jura didn't want you to know about the dancing cause he thought you'd charge in and blow my cover..."
"Dance – you're damn right I'd be pissed about this! What the living fuck, Levy?!" He snapped, barely able to keep from shouting at her. She winced though, and he inhaled through his nose, clamping his mouth shut as he folded his arms over his chest. After a moment of tense silence, Levy cleared her throat, and stepped closer to him, biting her lip nervously.
"If it makes you feel better, I wanted to let you know what was going on," she ventured, reaching out to grasp the hem of his shirt gently. She looked up at him, her eyes bright and glistening like a doe's. "And it also wasn't my idea, either. The dress, I mean," she added, her lips pouting as she glanced away. But damn if it didn't have an effect on him. Even when she got herself into trouble, he couldn't stay mad for long once she pulled that face on him. It made him want to pull her close and mutter sweet nothings to assure her. Gah, such a pansy thought!
He sighed deeply, dropping his head in defeat as the anger drained away, and he pinched the bridge of his brow.
"Jura's idea, then?" He asked, and Levy hummed in response. He was going to murder the bastard then, just for the sheer audacity of having her risk herself like that! He could feel himself tensing in irritation again, and opened his mouth just to snap it shut as she pressed herself against him, closing the distance between them. He looked down to find her blue locks nearly grazing his nose, her head bowed as she gripped his shirt tighter.
"I'm really sorry, Gajeel," she murmured, regret lacing her voice. He tsk'd, sighing as he wrapped one arm around her petite shoulders. She jerked in surprise, but he only tugged her closer, refusing to let her go. Amazingly, he could hear her heart beginning to race as fast as his, yet he chose to ignore it as he met her gaze when she looked up at him.
"I ain't mad at ya, Lev," he sighed, reaching up to ruffle her hair gently with his other hand. "I'm just pissed that you had to go through that by yourself. I oughta arrest Jura for even thinking of that."
Levy blinked at him, confusion written across her face as she narrowed her eyes at him. "He's our boss, you can't arrest him for that," she said gently, but relaxed against him, a small smile back on her face. "But you came here earlier than I thought, so thank you." She buried her face in his chest, nearly flustering the dragon slayer.
"O-of course I had to get you early," he said. "There ain't anyone better to do it than me!"
When she stilled again he cursed himself for fumbling. That was not what he had meant to say, and said far more than he was willing to admit. Then she giggled, causing him to blush as her shoulders shook against his arms.
"Oi, why are ya laughing?!"
"Because," she said, leaning back to grin at him. "I wanted to see you too." Though she had said it softly, her admission set his heart thundering in his chest. Breathing was becoming more of a chore as blood rushed in his ears, nearly drowning out her heartbeat. He wasn't too sure what was happening anymore, but nearly growled when she glanced away bashfully. The fact that she hadn't pulled herself free from his arms was encouraging enough, and when he lift his hand to cup her cheek he could've sworn she gasped, but things were beginning to get a little hazy as his mind rushed a million miles per second. The only things that he was hyper aware of was how her hands slid up his sides, tugging him closer as he leaned down to brush his nose over hers.
"Gajeel?" She whispered, her breath ghosting over his lips. He paused, the barest hints of uncertainty plaguing his mind as he waited. What if he pressed on? What would she do if he did kiss her? And -
All thought abruptly stopped when she reached up and pressed her soft lips against his rough, chapped ones. She was gentle and slow, giving him time to recover from his shock and pull her as close as he could. He wasn't as gentle as her as he kissed her desperately, only breaking away to give them both a chance to gasp for breath before diving back in again. He was barely aware that he was losing his balance, threatening to topple the both of them to the floor. Her arms had slipped over his shoulders, clinging to him as she moaned into his mouth.
Growling lightly, he shifted his arms around her to lift her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. The jacket slid off her shoulders, flopping to the ground in a heap. It took all of his control not to pull the sheer material off of her as his hand slipped up her back, tracing her spine and back down till he was cupping her ass. He marveled at how soft her skin was, how warm it felt under his calloused palm. He groaned when she hoisted herself higher, sending waves of heat pooling in his lower gut. He broke from her lips, and kissed a trail down her jaw to her neck. As his teeth grazed her skin, her moaning grew as his tongue lavished her tender skin.
Gods, he could get drunk just off the scent of her skin, let alone her taste. It was driving him mad the way she moved now, tightening her legs around his middle when the growing bulge in his pants pressed against her core. She was whimpering in his ear, nearly burying her face in his mussed mane as her fingers tangled themselves in his locks. A gentle tug here and there forced him to growl, nipping her in response each time. She giggled, and he drew his fingers down to her side to tickle her just as his ears pricked, catching the most unwelcome noise he'd ever have the pleasure of hearing; Jura's voice growing closer.
Fuuuuuckfuckfuck
He quickly kissed her while setting her down as fast as he could without dropping her, but just as he was reaching for the jacket she slipped, squeaking in alarm as she fell. Still entangled in his hair, her hands yanked on him, pulling him down with her. They toppled to the floor in a mess of tangled limbs, Gajeel just managing not to crush Levy underneath him. The door to the tent flapped open, revealing Jura and Lily.
Time seem to freeze as they paused at the opening, staring at the pair as they stared back, caught like deer in the headlights. Jura blinked for a second, then...
"Uuoooohhhhhhh!?" He shouted, eyes bulging out and pointing at the couple. Behind him Lily smacked his palm against his face, shaking his head in embarrassment.
Kids these days.