Levy whirled around.
Gajeel.
"Of course I got the note." Her words tried to come out harsh, but the warmth spreading through her heart dulled their bite.
He was everything she remembered and more. Clad in a simple black shirt and leather jacket, he exuded confidence. Wild raven hair cascaded down his back, tempered by a thick gray bandana that matched the studded embellishments on his clothes and face. His red eyes pierced straight through to her heart. Tall and muscular and tanned from hours outside, he looked like he'd stepped straight out of one of her romance novels—only better.
The curve of his lips sent a shiver down her spine as he inspected her over too. Six weeks was such a long time, and there were so many details that had faded from the picture of him in her mind. The tiny scars on his hands, the sparkle of metal against his skin when his piercings caught the light. Holoscreens and wanted posters could not hope to do him justice.
Then there was his arm. Entirely mechanical, it stretched from the top of his left shoulder all the way down to his fingers. Dots of color and symbols speckled the entirety of the prosthetic, hiding the many gadgets—and weapons—his disposal. Dangerous, alluring, exciting. Real and right in front of her.
Gajeel flashed a wicked smile. "I knew you'd come. You were never afraid, not even that first night." He took a long drag of her coffee. The cocky grin plastered across his face vanished in a twist of lips. "That's no good. Needs whiskey."
Lifting onto her tiptoes, Levy swiped the cup back. "I'd thank you to not take my things."
"Ah," he sighed, "but that's what pirates do, little Levy."
She glared up at him. He knew how to push her buttons far too well.
Gajeel laughed and tucked a loose wisp of hair behind her ear. "So, you ready to fly away with Captain Black Steel Gajeel?"
The challenge sparkled in his eyes. Nodding, Levy tossed back the rest of her coffee and raised her leg in a playful kick.
"Will these shoes work?"
He caught her ankle at the top of its arc, tugging just enough to examine the sneaker and her flexibility. Levy hopped to stay upright but managed not to break eye contact.
"Perfect."
In one swift movement, he released her foot and slid his arm around her waist. Electric whirring filled the air. Then, they were gone.
Levy's heart raced as her feet touched the floor. Travel by rift always made her nervous, but right now, that wasn't why her pulse was pounding in her ears. Pressed into his side in a protective hug, Levy could feel the strong, smooth muscle hidden just beneath the fabric of his shirt.
"Wow," she breathed.
Gajeel glanced down and cracked a devilish smile. Her hands still clutched him for dear life, and she could feel the burn of blush across her cheeks. Levy released him with a huff.
"I, uh, didn't know you had a micro-rift. They're really rare, ya know? And I didn't even see you had it with you; I feel like I would have noticed—"
Gajeel lifted his mechanical arm.
"Built right in." Tentatively, she took his outstretched hand. "Pirates like shiny toys, and this one has gotten me out of plenty of pinches since I got it installed."
Levy's fingers drifted over the cool metal, tracing the complex command sigils that covered his prosthetic in awe.
"Then why did we have to run?" she asked softly, almost to herself.
Gajeel chuckled, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes. "Smart as a whip, miss McGarden."
There was something hidden in the depths of his ruby gaze she couldn't quite place. Something that felt awfully like the burning desire of more. Breath stalled in her chest for a single heart-stopping second as she waited. But nothing came, and the moment dissipated around them like stardust.
Exhaling hard, Gajeel leaned against a nearby panel, tipping his head back and crossing his arms over his chest.
"I gotta modulate the frequency on it every once in a while or the alliance force will lock onto the signal. If that happens it would be too easy for them to find me and my crew." His eyes grew dark and solemn, lost in a far away memory. "This ship's my home."
His ship.
"And I can't have anyone finding us." Standing to his full height, he shrugged off the feeling of gloom that had gathered around him. "I was going to Lily's for a tune up. He's a wizard when it comes to anything I need to keep the ol' arm working. But no, he wanted to be a baker."
They were on his ship.
"And until I can figure a way to build him a confectionary with a delivery vessel off the side of the old girl here, he refuses to close up the shop he's got on solid ground." Smiling, he rubbed the back of his neck. "But I'm working on it. Never had a better first mate, though."
She was on a pirate ship.
"Ahem," came an icy voice laced with annoyance.
Levy jumped in her shoes. She hadn't noticed anyone come in.
"Not that you're not a great first mate, Juvia," Gajeel groaned, turning to face the newcomer, "but Lily was the better sparring partner."
The woman strode toward them briskly from across the bridge of the ship, long blue curls bouncing with every step. She acknowledged Levy with a smile that reached all the way to her aqua eyes, before directing a glare at Gajeel.
"Juvia does not take you up on requests to fight anymore because she could incapacitate you in the first few moves."
"Only cause you'd short circuit my arm."
Juvia raised a hand to the ceiling. Faint blue sigils flared against her skin and storm clouds gathered above her head.
"Don't test my patience, Captain. You're being rude. We have a guest. You haven't even told her where she is or made a proper introduction."
"And how the hell would you know what I have or haven't—"
Gajeel's eyes ticked back to Levy, who had tucked herself against a nearby corner. "Shit, Lev, this is my ship, and this Juvia. You remember me telling you about her?"
Levy's heart skipped a beat as all attention focused on her. "Um, hello," she said with a nervous wave. "Gajeel's told me about everyone. It's nice to put a face to the name."
Before she could step forward to shake the Juvia's hand, Levy found herself lifted into a hug. Apparently none of his crew had any qualms about separating her from the floor.
"Welcome to the Iron Dragon, Levy. You're officially sailing with pirates. I'm so glad you're finally here. Gajeel hasn't been able to stop talking about his friend for weeks now." She giggled as she set Levy down. "Any longer and I was coming to find you myself. I'm Juvia. Please come to me if you need anything." Stepping back, she lightly punched Gajeel's arm. "Lugnuts might get to call himself Captain, but I take care of most things around here."
"Hey!" Gajeel barked, "I do Captain stuff all the time."
Mist gathered above his head, and a large drop of rain landed squarely on his face. Gajeel grumbled something about rust and swatted the cloud away.
"Juvia is first mate around here. She uses weather ether gear. Don't get on her bad side or she'll send a shower to follow you around for days."
"Thank you," Levy squeaked, "I'll be sure to take you up on that once I know more about this place."
The remark seemed to satisfy Juvia, and she turned her attention to a monitor off to the right.
Levy exhaled long and slow, turning in a circle to examine everything. She was on a pirate ship, with Gajeel, the promise of adventure right in front her if she was just willing to reach out and grab it.
"Wow," she said under her breath, eyes lighting up like stars. "So, this is what you wanted to show me?"
Juvia tried and failed to stifle a laugh. "Smooth, Captain."
Gajeel shot her a glare that could vaporize anyone else on the spot.
Unfazed, Juvia continued her work at the console. "You pick up everything we need or just that special item you wanted so bad?"
He nodded silently, daring Juvia to try her luck.
With a giggle, she shut off the screen and skipped out of the room. "Well, I'll go tell Metalicana we're ready then," she called over her shoulder before turning down a passage out of sight.
Gajeel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, turning to face Levy.
"Don't mind Juvia. She's quirky, but she's as smart and loyal as they come. Her favorite pastime is making jokes at my expense, though."
"We'll be fast friends then."
That earned her a deep chuckle, and the air in the room seemed to relax.
"I did have something I wanted to show ya, Shrimp." Gajeel took her hand and lead her over to a command panel in front of what could only be the captain's chair. "You've been searching for some real specific scrolls, right? The ones you were so upset about that night. Well," he pulled up a small section of space on the screen. "I happened to catch word that there's some ancient scrolls on a planet, right here." He gestured to a blue sphere on the screen. "Litulla. It's on the outskirts of the cosmos. Some adventurers with a talking blue cat traded me this as proof." Bending down, he removed a weathered roll of linen held together with an intricate wax symbol from the large iron chest beside his chair.
Levy's eyes widened and the familiar words escaped in a hushed breath. "The midnight dove flying across a crescent moon."
No. This couldn't be real. They were all supposed to have burned, and yet here it was in the palm of her hand. Gently, she ran her fingers over the symbol.
"I can't believe you found one." Levy could feel the pull of ink and stitches in the back of her mind, itching for her to let them in. "They were used by the old council to mark documents of great importance. No one's seen one in centuries." Unbidden, a tear fell down her cheek. "This is amazing."
"So, you ready for a real adventure? Let's go to the edge of the universe together. Let me take you, Levy." Gajeel squeezed her shoulder, and she shivered at the sudden coolness of metal against her skin. "Special delivery."
Levy placed the scroll down and whirled around to grab him in a ferocious hug. She buried her face in his chest.
"Yes."
His arms settled around her waist, and they stood there for a long moment, just holding each other. Levy bit back a sob. This was more than she'd ever expected. He'd remembered. He'd cared. A small part of her had given up hope on the search a long time ago, just like everyone else. But Gajeel believed. He was going to help her find the answers she'd resigned to live without, and there was nothing she could could do to show him how grateful she was—except go with him.
"Anchors away," she said with a sniffle.
Bursting into laughter, Gajeel clutched his stomach and fell back into his chair.
"This is a spaceship, Shrimp, not some seafaring boat."
"Starfarers, then."
"Yeah", he chuckled, "I guess so." Taking a moment, Gajeel gathered his composure and called up a video labeled "Mechanics". A tall, scarred man with wild salt and pepper hair appeared on the screen.
"Get her roaring, Metalicana!"
The man stared at Levy through the monitor then responded with a raspy grunt. "So this was the sweet you so desperately wanted to come back to this planet for?" He tossed his head back, laughing. "An' here I thought you were talking 'bout something Lily was makin' us."
Levy gaped as Gajeel turned red as his crimson eyes.
"Just do it, old man," he barked.
"Nice ta meet ya, kid," Metalicana said, addressing Levy with a bow. "Don't let this one push ya around. He's just a big softie under all that metal."
Suddenly, the video cut out. "Pops," Gajeel grumbled.
The floor hummed beneath their feet; Levy felt the prickle of excitement race to the tips of her fingers. Every risk she'd taken on Gajeel had steered her into something wonderful. Now, she was more ready than ever to dive headfirst into the unknown.
A smirk curled the edges of her lips, and Levy gestured with her thumb for Gajeel to get out of the seat. She was always the one who flew and he knew it.
Slowly, Gajeel stood. "My dragon's a lot harder to handle than that little planet hopper of yours, short stack. Sure you wanna give it a go?"
Levy sat down with all the powerful grace of an oncoming storm. Command screens flickered to life around her, and she set their course without missing a beat.
"You're not the only one with a few surprises up your sleeve, Captain." Closing her eyes, Levy breathed in deeply. Her fingers curled around the controls as her smile deepened. "Yo, ho."