Ever since Levy returned from her encounter with Jose, Gajeel refused to let her out of his sight. Instead, he insisted that she had to stay with him until he was fully recovered. As a result, Levy spent most of her time with Gajeel, and the only other people she got to see were Lucy and Wendy, who came to check on them now and then. There was one time when Master Makarov appeared, though he wore a strange look on his face as his gaze moved between the two. Levy knew exactly what was on the old man's mind, so she was very relieved when he left without a word.
To be perfectly honest, Gajeel's territorial attitude was a bit annoying; she barely had any time to herself thanks to him! He even insisted on being in the room when Lucy came over, so there went any chance of a private conversation!
Yet somehow, there were moments when Levy found his annoying behavior to be a little cute. Dragons did tend to be overly protective of their treasures, according to legends and fairy tales. The idea of being Gajeel's "treasure" was enough to make her face flush in embarrassment, but that kiss from before had to mean something, right? It had been a couple of days since it happened, and that question had been weighing on Levy's mind the entire time.
Of course, the kiss was never brought up. She surprisingly did not tell Lucy about it, though that was for good reason. Even if Gajeel wasn't around to eavesdrop, there was no telling how her friend would react to the news. Most likely, she would instantly start prying about how far their relationship has gone, and Levy was not in the mood to deal with that.
Seeing as she had to find some other source of amusement, the little bookworm decided to use her house arrest to learn some more about dragons, with Gajeel as her reluctant reference.
So here she was, sitting in the front room with the dragon man. In return for his knowledge, she offered him some snacks, which he was currently munching on as she questioned him. Mostly, her inquiry involved testing the accuracy of the books she had read in the past. Much to Levy's astonishment, Gajeel patiently answered question after question, satisfying her hunger for information.
"Next question. Let's see… Ah! What about immortality?"
"Myth."
"Eeeeh?" Levy whined.
"Yep. No dragon that I know of has lived hundreds of years like yer little fairy tale books."
"But how can that be?" Levy protested. "Our records have shown that each dragon has been around for centuries, including you, Metalicana!"
Gajeel scowled in displeasure, obviously detesting being called by his dragon name. "That's nothin' but a title. I inherited that when my old man died."
"You inherited your name?"
"That's how it works for dragons. Those 'legends' you humans have are about the title of each dragon. It's kind of like being the head of a clan."
Levy nodded eagerly at the revelation. "I see. So is it the first-born who gets the title?"
"We never know," Gajeel replied. "Once the holder passes on, its up to fate to choose the successor. There's a whole a magical ritual involved."
The girl clasped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, that sounds amazing!"
"It's nothing special," Gajeel murmured as he chomped on a fresh piece of iron.
Levy froze in her glee, realizing that the ritual was a double-edged sword. True, it was a magical event to welcome a new dragon, but it was also a sorrowful goodbye to the predecessor. In Gajeel's case, it meant losing his father. With a sinking feeling in her gut, she regretted ever asking about it. No doubt it was bringing up some painful memories for Gajeel.
The giant noticed the change in the girl's mood. He smirked to himself, knowing exactly what the little fairy was thinking. She really was a softie.
Levy jumped when she felt Gajeel's large hand on her head. He was smirking down at her, signaling that he was fine. She smiled in return before moving on to her next question.
"Okay, so how are you able to turn into a human? Are you only half-dragon or something?"
"Who knows?"
Levy blinked in surprise at Gajeel's simple response. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
The dragon-man shrugged. "I mean I have no idea who my mother is. Never met her. I don't know if she was a dragon or a human."
"Seriously? She could have been a human?"
The apprentice could not believe what she was hearing! There was a possibility that Gajeel's mother was a human? She had always believed her relationship with Gajeel was a one-in-a-million situation!
"Believe it or not, Shorty," Gajeel explained, "it's not that rare for a dragon to be with a human. If my mother was a human, she must've died when I was a newborn, or it's likely she took off when she figured out my old man and I were dragons."
"Really? How would she not have known your father was a dragon? Wouldn't that be obvious?"
"All dragons have a human form, Shrimp. Think of it as camouflage or somethin'. It's how we survive. Beasts like us can't wander around freely without attracting heaps of attention, ya know."
Levy thought about that for a moment. "I suppose you have a point. I can't imagine a particularly warm welcome if a dragon appeared in a human village."
"Exactly," Gajeel grunted. "That's why we hafta transform to blend in."
The girl nodded in understanding. "Alright, I think I get it. So, how long are you able to hold your human form?"
"I can stay in whatever form I choose for as long as I want," Gajeel asserted. "It's all about preference. Some dragons spend more time as humans than others. Doesn't change much; we still have our powers, and it's not like we can't change back.
Some dragons are stubborn to remain "pure-blooded", so they avoid other species, but there are plenty of dragons who have mated with humans." Oddly, Levy noticed that Gajeel was slightly blushing at the idea of "mating".
'I'll have to ask about that later.'
"Well, what about the children? Would they be born human or as dragons?"
The iron man spluttered at her brazen question. "Why the hell does that matter?!"
"For starters, it affects how they are born," Levy replied, completely unashamed. "Aren't dragons born from eggs? So the species would affect the development and birthing process."
Gajeel's blush deepened drastically. He was clearly very uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going.
"I guess… Ugh! You're making my brain hurt, Shorty!"
The girl flinched at his outburst, but her intellectual curiosity helped her to stand her ground. "Why is that question so hard to answer?"
"We don't think about if we are originally human or dragon! We just have two forms, and that's it! End of story!"
"Okay, I get it!" Levy angrily returned. "There's no need to yell at me!"
Both huffed, a bit miffed with each other. Sure, there was a chance that she had been a bit pushy with her questions, but he could have easily told her to stop in a kinder manner!
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Gajeel getting up.
"That's it, I gotta get out of here."
Skeptically, Levy raised an eyebrow. "And where do you plan to go?"
"Don't know. Just need to spread my wings."
Levy's brown eyes widened as she contemplated what that implied. He wasn't actually planning on transforming, was he?!
The man of her thoughts grunted. "I know what yer thinking, Shrimp. Yes, I'm gonna fly for a bit. Got a problem with that?"
"As a matter of fact, I do!" Levy cried as she jumped to her feet. "What if someone sees you? We don't need to get the villagers worked up again. Not everyone knows that Gajeel Redfox is a dragon. They only know we were recently attacked by one! Who knows what they'll think if they see you!"
Gajeel glared at her. "Who gives a damn?! They can think what they want; they don't know nothin' about me!"
Levy couldn't take it anymore. The rage within her was building, even as Gajeel turned to march out the door. Without thinking, she charged.
"YOU. BIG. IDIOT!"
The dragon man turned around just in time to see Levy kick him in the face! The force of the impact had actually managed to knock him down!
'Where the hell did that come from?!'
Levy looked down at him with tears brimming in her eyes. "Listen. I never said you couldn't be a dragon ever again. I'm asking you to be more careful. We don't need any more wizards attacking you! So please… at least transform in the forest, okay?"
Gajeel could only stare at her in shock before the meaning of her words sunk in.
'So she's still worried about me, eh?'
The big lug grinned as he got up to his feet. "Gihi! Never knew you had that kind of power, Shrimp!"
"Shut up, or I'll kick you again!" Levy snapped.
Not wanting to give her the chance to try, Gajeel wrapped his arms around her. "I gotcha, Shorty. I'll make sure no one sees me."
Levy nodded, sighing in content. At least she had gotten her point across.
"Okay," Gajeel declared, "now that we got that straightened out, it's time to head out."
Without warning, he lifted the girl over his shoulder and carried her toward the forest.
"Hey! Why do I have to come along?!" the flustered fairy cried out, only to be answered by Gajeel's laughter.
"Gihihi!"
Levy continued to struggle against Gajeel's steel grasp to no avail. He just kept walking until they reached a familiar clearing deep within the forest. It was far enough from the village to remain unnoticed, yet there was enough space for him to take off with no trouble.
Gajeel lowered Levy to the ground and walked ahead, making sure there was enough space between them. The young bluenette watched in awe as Gajeel Redfox slowly shifted into her beloved dragon before her eyes.
Never before had Levy been so relieved to see the silver sheen of her dragon's scales.
'He's back to normal. I'm so glad.'
It was the first time had she witnessed the transformation first hand, but it was still a bit of a shock to admit that the iron dragon and the gruff human were one and the same.
Metalicana stood before her, tall and proud. She smiled as she braced herself for his takeoff. However, he did not move.
The dragon simply stood there, watching her expectantly. Levy stared back in confusion, and it only took a moment for her to realize what he wanted.
"You coming, Shrimp?"
Beaming, Levy dashed forward in delight. With some help from the dragon's tail, she soon was safely positioned on his back.
"Okay!" Levy proclaimed in excitement. "Let's go!"
The dragon smirked, spreading out his wings slowly. Levy pouted, knowing he was teasing her by making her wait.
"Come on! Let's g- OOOHHH!"
The stupid jerk cut her off mid-sentence with his take off! Levy gripped his scales for dear life as he made his ascent. Being the cocky dragon he was, he got very creative with his flight pattern. This time, however, Levy knew what his intentions were. She raised an eyebrow as she peered into one of his ruby eyes.
"Are you trying to show off again, you big lug?"
The dragon turned its head and looked back at her, sneering a little before laughing.
"Gihihi!"
Since he had been caught in the act, he decided to go easy on her. So instead of taking a thrilling ride with twists, turns, dives, and barrel rolls, they settled for a gentle glide around the area. Levy hummed as she took in the view, and she leaned forward, snuggling up against the steel scales. Unbeknownst to her, the dragon was blushing at the unexpected affection.
The sun was beginning to set as Metalicana landed. Levy slid off of his back the moment he touched the ground, which allowed Gajeel to change back into his human form. Levy smiled up at him.
"I think it's safe to say you've recovered. I'm glad."
The proud man puffed his chest as he placed his fists at his hips. "Gihihi! Did you think I wouldn't?"
"No," Levy admitted, "not for a second."
Gajeel smirked down at her. Apparently, he had decided that now was a good time to capture her lips in a quick kiss, though Levy was not one to complain.
They stared at each other in contempt, trapped in their own little world.
"I…" Levy began, "Can I see you tomorrow? I'll come by the cave, and I can give you some more iron."
Gajeel remained silent, as if he had no idea what to say. Or rather, it was like he didn't know how to say what he wanted.
"There's no point in going to that hole," Gajeel grunted. "I won't be there."
Levy's entire body froze, completely taken aback by his statement. "You won't? Why?"
"My den was practically located, Shrimp," he pointed out. "Even if that nutcase Jose never actually found it, he was close. Too close."
Those words were difficult for the girl to bear. Logically, she knew what had to be done. She just did not want to accept it.
"You… you're leaving?"
Levy bit her lip, desperately trying not to cry. There was no need for tears. This had to be done for Gajeel's protection. She could be strong for him. She had to be.
Separation would be painful. There was no doubt about that. Her heart was already missing him. But she could bear the pain, because she would never regret meeting Gajeel. Her life had changed so drastically after befriending her dragon, and thanks to him, she had found her true strength. Most importantly, she had loved him, and she would treasure those feelings for as long as she lived.
"So… where will you go?" she asked.
Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, since a crazy old sorcerer is most likely gonna be ranting about me for a while, I think it's best to lay low and blend in."
Levy's heart skipped a beat. There was a possibility that she knew what he meant by 'blend in', but she refused to get her hopes up. Not yet.
"The only way I can blend in is if I… live in human form. And ya know, anyone with a brain would suspect that I moved on to a new location, so I doubt they'd expect me to stay near that trashy village of yours. Besides, you're the only human that can get me some top-quality iron, which I'll need to keep my strength up. I guess that's the only option I've got."
Levy had a feeling she knew what he was getting at, but she still doubted. It couldn't be true. Could it?
"Gajeel? Are you… are you asking to… live with me?" Levy asked tentatively.
The poor man's nerves had tightened to the maximum, and he anxiously tried to take back what he had asked. "I mean, not like that! We don't have to live in the same house or nothin'! I can easily find my own place, and- !"
His nervous rambling came to a halt as Levy's tiny body embraced him.
"I would like it… if you stayed with me. I mean, who else would put up living with an iron-hearted jerk like you?"
Her words seemed a little insulting, but the tone of her voice was so playful that Gajeel thought his heart would stop right there. This little human was too cute for her own good, and the dragon could no longer imagine his life without her. He wanted to stay by her side. He wanted her to be his.
Accepting what he had to do, Gajeel broke the embrace. Levy could only look up at him curiously. There was a distinct red tint in his cheeks as his whole body tensed. With a loud gulp, Gajeel's gaze slowly moved to meet hers.
"Levy McGarden… will you be my mate?"
Tears pooled in her eyes as Levy gasped. For a few agonizing seconds, she couldn't speak. It was almost too much for Gajeel to bear. He was preparing himself to be rejected, to take it all back, but she surprised him. With the most beautiful smile Gajeel had ever seen, she whispered her answer.
"I will."