His neck was getting sore from all the double takes thrown his way that night; seeing the short blue-haired girl in a bar like this was just the latest. He'd just glimpsed her out of the corner of his eye on the way to the bar, his order on his lips forgotten as he whipped his head towards her. He'd seen her before, but only in passing of club meetings and such. But this the last place he'd ever expected to find the petite girl. In fact, he'd wager that the tiny little moped (with matching color to her hair, hilariously enough) was hers.
He'd busted his gut, doubling over in the parking lot when he laid eyes on it. It was so out of place sitting next to all the bigger bikes, much like her, who was leaning rather close to Lucy, his cousin's girl. The dim light and haze from all the smoke made it difficult to see her face clearly, and the chatter from the guys filling the place up pretty much dashed any chances of hearing her voice. Even straining his ears did no good, she was impossibly quiet.
He found himself fascinated that she was there, intrigued by her motions as she leaned closer to the blonde to make herself heard. He'd look away quickly when she glanced his way, questioning himself as to why he was suddenly so flustered. He was here to have a good time and get hammered, not get bamboozled by a mouse of a woman, dammit!
With heat in his cheeks, he was about to take a swig of his first beer of the night when his back was suddenly pounded, causing him to spit his drink all over the bar, earning him a scowl from the bartender. Coughing roughly, he swung around, fist cocked over his shoulder to throw at the asshole who interrupted his drink and found his cousin, grinning impishly.
"Sup, bolt for brains?" he cackled, slapping the bar in laughter. Gajeel lowered his fist, but fixed the deadliest glare he could muster at his cousin.
"Did you want to die tonight, Salamander?" he growled, turning back to his drink.
"Nah, but I did want to invite you over to the group, hate seeing ya at the bar by yourself when the whole gang's here!" Natsu wrapped his arm around the surly man's shoulders, a teasing tone taking place. Almost instantly Gajeel was on edge, reminded of the many incidents concerning his cousin. "Besides, there's someone who wants to meet you."
Ah, there it was.
He paused, peering at his cousin suspiciously as he raised his mug again. Interest was replacing the irritation, and the image of the blue haired girl flashed in his mind, nearly making him choke. He was beginning to hate the little flutter in his stomach, and the spark of… well, something in his chest. He hated wishy-washy stuff like romance, and refused to acknowledge whatever it was that set his heart beating.
But it didn't mean he wasn't curious about her. At least, he hoped that it was her. He was sure of it, even. And he'd be lying if he wasn't dying to know if she rode that little scooter. Possibilities already swirling in his head as he lifted his glass to finish what was left of his drink. Another nudge from an impatient Natsu nearly spoiled it again, and he huffed before chugging it swiftly, regretting the speed it needed.
"Fine," he sighed, pushing his glass away. He turned to his cousin, who was barely masking a pleased grin on his face. After indicating that he lead the way, Natsu nearly bounced away, far too happy to be properly drunk. Gajeel made a mental note to order double shots later on (for himself, he could barely stand a hyper Natsu, let alone a drunk and hyper version). But after, of course, he made his introductions.
Much to his happiness, the blue haired girl was the one they intended to introduce to him, and he found it hard to mask growing interest with the casual indifference he usually held with others. Her name was Levy, she was Lucy's friend and coworker and amatuere bike enthuiast. He couldn't help the cackle when she confirmed that the little scooter did indeed belong to her, and almost caught himself reaching to poke her puffed out cheeks. God, she was cute, he thought. Hell, he could've sworn he was half in love already!
"Gihee, if yeh plan to stick around long enough I'll give you a ride on a real bike," he laughed. He was loving this so far, and she was enduring his teasing far longer than he expected. She blinked though, apparently taken aback from his statement. Ah fuck, he screwed up again, he mentally berated himself. So much for his minute of fun.
But instead of awkwardly laughing and turning away, she leaned forward and placed her fingers together, as though she was plotting something. There was a sparkle in her eyes, and a mischievous tug at one corner of her smile.
"Would you really?" she asked, genuine curiosity and excitement in her voice. He grinned, unable to help the tingle of eagerness that shot up his spine.
"You bet, you deserve it," he promised. She giggled, a surprisingly light sound as she clasped her hands together. His heart thrummed in his chest, pumping heat into his cheeks.
"Then," she said, biting her lip. "It's a date!"
He wasn't sure if the others were oblivious to their chat or not, but he could suddenly care less as his soul soared high. And thanks to her, he didn't even need to order those shots he wanted either.