Author's note: For the record,I work as a massage therapist. And it wasn't a friend that got me and my hubby acquainted, it was my mom. They worked together for a while and he kept complaining about his sore back. And mom puffed up proudly: "My daughter can help you, she's a massage therapist!" The rest is, well... history. 8 year long history ^_^. I'll keep you updated with what happened in real life.

AGAIN, THANKYOUFORYOURINFINITEPATIENCE!

All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)

CHAPTER 2: THERAPY

Gajeel got to the address fast, looking rather perplexed at the building.

"Salon Minerva. How original..." He went through the doors and looked around.

"May I help you?" The girl from the reception looked him over, noticing his heavy pieced face.

"Uhm, yeah... A blue haired girl dropped these and I wanted to return th..." Before he could explain himself, a familiar voice stopped him, something squirming pleasantly inside him.

"Oh, no... Lexa... I lost my phone!" Gajeel saw the pouting bluenette, dressed in a black stretch t-shirt and black pants. She hurried to the girl behind the counter, not even noticing Gajeel standing perplexed in front of them. "What am I gonna do? Shit! How freaking stupid am I?" She groaned loudly, glancing Gajeel's way, who was grinning expectantly. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're with a customer. I'll come back..."

"Now I'm getting insulted, shrimp." Gajeel addressed Levy, who looked surprised at him, her wheels slowly clicking back into place. "You forgot about me already?"

"It's you!" Levy couldn't find her thoughts. The guy she saved was standing in front of her. "Wait, how did you know where I work?" Now Levy was imagining he was some sort of creeper, imagining him following her home every night.

"Well, you dropped some stuff when you saved my ass, so I thought I could return the favor by helping you. Here." Gajeel handed her the lost items, watching her intently as her face lit up. She looked up again and stared him in the eyes without uttering a word. "Uhm, you're welcome." Gajeel felt awkward under her stare.

"Oh, sorry, thank you! Really! I just... I thought I'd lost these for good. Thank you!"

"Don't mention it…" Gajeel scratched the back of his head, looking away from her eyes.

"LEVY! Are you gonna sit on your ass all day?" Minerva's booming voice could be heard from behind a door.

"Aaah… Coming!" Levy looked towards the door with fear, but turned quickly to Gajeel. She beamed at him before glomping his shocked form. "Thank you for returning my stuff! Really! Sorry, I have to go… Stay safe!" She ran quickly to her boss, leaving Gajeel gap after her.

"Do you need anything else?" The girl behind the counter asked, bringing Gajeel back to reality.

"Uhm, no, thank you. I'll just take my leave." With that, he turned around and left.

The next day, Gajeel felt sore. He rubbed his right shoulder, with no luck. His step-brother, Natsu, quickly noticed his mood and opened the subject.

"Hey, man, if you're really that sore, I told you, I know this therapist. Her hands work magic. Really. I'm gonna give her a call."

"I think I pulled a muscle yesterday, when that chick saved me." He recalled the whole thing, lingering on her brown eyes. He tried to move his neck and stopped, his neck throbbing painfully. "Okay, fine, call her. But I'm not payin'." Natsu's face lit up and made an appointment for his stubborn step-brother.

"Tomorrow morning, 10 A.M. She'll be here. I'm tellin' you, metal head. She's really something. She's got golden hands. You won't regret it." Natsu was almost jumping up and down, feeling certain Gajeel would be impressed with her skills.

"Alright, flame brain. It's your money, after all." Gajeel snickered, taking a swig from his beer. The rest of the day was uneventful, Natsu making him stay over for the night so he wouldn't ditch his appointment in the morning.

The door bell rang at 9:50 A.M. while Natsu was preparing breakfast.

"Go see who it is, I haven't finished breakfast yet." Gajeel grunted as he got up from the couch and headed for the door. He opened it with a frown and stopped suddenly.

"Levy?" Gajeel couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's you again! What are you doing here?" She was stunned.

"Uhm... it's my brother's house... What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on an appointment." Levy smiled warmly.

"Wait... You're ... the massage therapist?" Gajeel was taken aback, not expecting such a slender girl to be able to massage a cat, let alone a well toned man.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Oi, you idiot, are you gonna invite her in or not?" Natsu's head popped from the kitchen to glare at Gajeel.

"Oh, right... Sorry... Come in." Levy smiled and walked passed Gajeel to greet Natsu.

"Mornin', sleepy head. Never thought I'd see you up and running at this hour. What's cookin'?" She threw her backpack on a chair and took off her shoes, hunting for some slippers.

"Oh, the usual. Omlette and bacon. Would you like some?" Natsu flipped his meal in the pan.

"Nah, I already had breakfast. Whenever you're ready, we can get down to business." She grabbed a glass and poured herself some water to drink.

"Oh, you're not doing me today. Gajeel's the lucky bastard. He pulled a muscle. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Gajeel, this lovely lady here is..." He motioned to the dark haired man, who came behind the bluenette in silence.

"Levy..." Gajeel answered before Natsu could finish, making Natsu snap his eyes Gajeel's way.

"You two know each other?" Natsu asked the bluenette, who merely smiled.

"Just briefly. We... bumped into each other a couple of days ago." Levy glanced Gajeel's way, smiling warmly.

"Ha! Now that's an understatement." Gajeel snorted, crossing his arms. "She's the one who saved my ass."

"Really? Oh, wow! He told me a lot about that! You're amazing, Lev!" Natsu hi-fived her, oblivious to Gajeel's glares.

"He... did?" Levy looked perplexed at the pieced man and she could swear she saw him blush just before he averted her eyes.

"If you're ready, don't keep the girl waiting! Go on, shoo!" Natsu ushered his brother and Levy, who merely smiled, being comfortable with his weird sense of humor.

"Well, if you're ready, we can start." The bluenette pulled the massage table from its place and started preparing her stuff. Once the table was set and the atmosphere was cleared, she went to the bathroom to change her shirt and wash her hands. When she came back into the room, Gajeel was standing awkwardly next to the table, no knowing what to do. "Have you ever done this before?" Levy asked amused.

"No…" Gajeel answered truthfully, looking around him. He noticed the thick fragrance of an incense stick and watched Levy intently as she dimmed the natural light that was coming through the window and lighted some candles.

"For starters, you have to get your t-shirt off." Levy smiled as she turned the small CD-player on. Gajeel obliged and waited for her next order, Levy appraising his well built body. "Now lie face down and let me do my job. Oh, yeah, unbuckle your pants a bit so I can cover them with a towel. I don't wanna get oil on them." He obliged, stiffening when she pulled on them to reveal his lower back better. "Relax, we're doing therapeutic massage. The spine starts from here." Levy placed her hand half way on his behind before pouring some oil in her hand and starting the session. "If you want me to change the pressure, let me know, 'kay?" Gajeel grunted, feeling Levy's small hands pressing hard on his back. They continued like that for the next hour, Levy smiling from time to time when Gajeel stiffened when she would press to hard. At one point, the raven haired man fell asleep, snoring lightly. Levy let him be and continued working on his back muscles.

"Okay, we're done for the day." She whispered once she thought the job was done. Gajeel twitched awake, already missing the warmth in her hands. "You'll still feel some pain today, but after a good night's sleep, you'll feel much better." She covered his back with a towel, leaving Gajeel grunt a thanks. "Give me a call tomorrow and tell me how you feel, 'kay?" She smiled warmly and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. Once she was out of the room, Gajeel fell asleep again. Levy crept out of the room, letting him be, and joined Natsu in the kitchen.

"How's he?"

"Sleeping." Natsu burst into laughter, knowing what power Levy held in her hands.

"He's gonna become a regular, I just know it."

"I should get going, my shift starts at 2. Give him my number, okay?" Natsu paid the girl after she got her shoes on and kissed her cheek.

"Have a good one, Lev!"

"You too!" The bluenette took her leave, waving at her friend. Natsu closed the door, creeping back to his room to check on his brother, giving up the idea of scaring him after he heard him snore lightly.

TBC

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