Chapter 3

Levy's eyes widened in panic as her face turned into a tomato, she was no longer sitting and she had no idea when her legs had wrapped around Gajeel's waist. Warm hands where still cradling her butt and his shirt was shoved up his chest. Jet could not see this.

Gajeel looked around trying to find an escape route as Jets footfalls got louder, but there was only one entrance to the library.

"Hold on tight and don't open your eyes till I tell you." Gajeels quick command had Levy slamming her eyes closed praying he had a plan.

The next moment she was surrounded by cold and silence. Not the silence of when a room in empty and nothing is making a sound, but Levy felt even if she screamed as loud as she could there would be nothing for her effort. She trusted Gajeel and kept her eyes closed. The only thing she could still feel and understand what she was touching was the warmth that always radiated off the dragon slayer. He wrapped his arms more securely around her as she clung to him tighter. Even with the uncomfortable cold and lack of sound she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and with her eyes closed and his warmth she couldn't fight sleep any longer.

Levy woke up feeling more comfortable than she ever had. No books digging into her sides from where she had dropped them as she would fall asleep mid page, and she was also wonderfully warm. She had always ran colder than most usually waking up in search of another blanket; she couldn't help but sigh in happiness as she snuggled deeper into the bed.

Attempting to fall back into the sweet bliss of sleep didn't last long as the smell of food called her hungry stomach to attention. As the deep growl left her abdomen she wondered when the last time she had eaten was. Then she remembered the library.

With a sharp gasp Levy jerked herself into a sitting position realizing quickly she was not in a room she knew. Looking around in a panic hoping to find a weapon her breathing began to slow as she finally took in the room. In one corner next to the door there was a pile of clothes that looked as if they had been thrown there. In the opposite corner was a neatly stacked pile of iron and hanging along the joining wall was a guitar that could only belong to one person.

Levy felt her heart warm as she noticed her shoes had been placed next to the bed. Before she could contemplate her confusing feelings for the iron dragon slayer her stomach refused to be ignored, releasing another loud rumble.

The wood floors where cold forcing Levy to slip her shoes back on. As she crept out the door she saw a landing at the top of a set of stairs. There were three other doors besides the one she stood at. One directly across from her stood closed, and only one of the two facing the top of the stairs was open. The open door relieved a bathroom that had her bladder grabbing her attention over her stomach.

After leaving the bathroom she decided to see what was making her drool from smell alone. The bottom of the stairs ended in a living room that consisted of large black leather furniture, a beautiful wood and metal coffee table, and a movie lacrima sitting on a small side table in front of the far wall.

Following the sounds of cooking utensils being used and a gravely deep humming, Levy headed through an iron detailed archway into the nicest kitchen she had seen outside the guild. The floor was the same hardwood that ran through the rest of the house. Dark granite counter tops with grey cupboards lined the walls with a large island in the middle. Along with a conventional oven there was also a wood stove.

"Thought the smell of food might get you moving. How long has it been since you've eaten any way?" The deep voice that came from her left side sent Levy flying into the air with a squeak.

"Don't do that!" Her attempt at chastising the big man as she gulped for air was drown out by his loud laughter.

He moved around her as he wiped tears from his eyes heading back to the oven with the spices he had grabbed from the walk-in pantry. Levy was awestruck as she stared at the opening Gajeel had come out of before scaring her. She had always wanted a walk-in pantry. Levy hardly ever cooked and had no skill in the kitchen, but the idea appealed to her anyway.

"Seriously though when was the last time you ate or slept, and sleeping in the library doesn't count. I can barely wrap my head around the fact you dozed off while moving through shadows." Levy pulled her eyes away from doorway to turn to the man.

"Is that what that was? It's not the most pleasant of places is it?"

"No, and if you're not careful you can get lost in there. Nice job avoiding the question though."

Levy heaved out a sigh and gave him a pout. "I think I ate yesterday and I slept at home the night before last." The glare she received made her shrink inwards.

"Gonna send yourself to an early grave if you keep pulling that shit. I'm not saying what you're doing isn't important, but you come first… I hope you like stew." Gajeel refused to meet her gaze as he turned to pull two bowls down from an upper cabinet. He wasn't expecting to feel her arms wrap around his waist, or the pressure of her head resting just below his shoulder blades.

"Thanks for looking after me, even if you don't have to."

After a moment of compatible silence Gajeel set the bowls down and turned to face her, only to than lift her quickly onto the counter. "Levy there's a few things I want to talk to you about."

"Can I ask you something before we start an in-depth discussion about something that shouldn't be this complicated?" Levy was truly fed up with the circles they had been running around each other. Gajeel's shocked expression was the only response she waited for.

"I want to be with you, but after that party while we were at the council and the library today…. I have no idea how you feel. At this… at this point I would rather have a straight out rejection then what ever this is." Finishing her little speech Levy seemed to have used the last of her confidence. Dropping her head as the tears started and bringing her legs up to curl her arms around, she prepared her heart for the pain she knew was coming.

Gajeel felt like a jackass, he now understood he had been stringing her along without even realizing it. Slowly and gently he began to untangle Levy from herself.

"I didn't know if you remembered the party." Levy's head popped up, this wasn't where she thought this conversation would go. "I had had a bit too much to drink to rein myself in, and when it was done I could smell and taste the alcohol on you. I couldn't remember how much you had, but I knew it was enough to affect your judgment. I would never want to hurt you in that way so I took you home."

Levy could only stare at him in an almost daze. He thought he was taking advantage of me? Before she could reassure him that wasn't the case he was talking again.

"Just to make sure this complication has ended, I want you to be my girl. Is that okay with you?"

Levy could no longer string together a coherent thought her body was flooded with warmth and fireworks. Instead of even trying to make the connections from her brain to her mouth that could form speech work, she jumped forward grabbing onto his hair and slammed their lips together.

The force of her attack left Gajeel without a doubt that she was defiantly okay with this. One of his hands slid into her hair while the other grabbed onto her hip as her legs spread for him to get closer. Unlike the library, what started with explosive need turned into a slow burn that they each new could take time to build.

Gajeel worked his way from her mouth to the side of her neck biting and sucking enjoying the soft moans and whimpers of his name.

"I think that's quickly becoming one of my favorite sounds." He purred into her ear before sliding his tongue along the ridge, catching her lobe in his teeth.

"Well as happy as I am that you two have figured things out, I smell supper." Lily walked through the kitchen grabbing a bowl successfully ignoring the squeak and curses at his intrusion.

Lily filled all three bowls and placed them at the island as the new couple got over their embarrassment and annoyance.

"Lily did you just say supper?" Levy felt slightly disoriented, she never slept this late even when she hadn't had much sleep.

"Yes it's about five now."

A whine escaped her throat "I've missed most of the day, and have yet to figure out that stupid code."

"Relax Lev, eat some food and then we can head back to the guild to take another look." Gajeel pushed her bowl closer to her.

Lev? Oh I love it already. Levy mussed as she took a bite of the thick stew only to have her eyes widen.

"Holy shit, this is better than Mira's… Don't tell her I said that."