Author's note: I have a severe intollerance to nutty fruits. It's a good thing I know what makes me sick, cuz I do everything in my power to avoid any kind of contact with nutty fruits. The first time my hubby saw how badly allergic I am, he was eating some junk food with peanut flavour. I can't describe how quickly the smell filled the room, but a few minutes after he opened the bad of puffs, I was seisuring... He got really scared, holding my hand the whole time I was shivering. The shivering isn't so bad, but the choking is. My air pipes swell up and I can't breathe. All in all, NOT PRETTY. And he got to experience it too many times since we've been together, bless his soul...
EmmyHippo , too stubborn or too shy. Thank you!
BlackLothus , (I uploaded the first chapter to the fiction YOU inspired) I'm glad i could help you, even though I'm thousands of miles away. I think it a conscient choice we as souls do before we are incarnated. And everything we do leads us closer to that lighted path. It's no use fighting against it, because it's a wonderful path, filled with lots of emotional and spiritual gains. As for the review, I think Mashima sensei is making them canon, by the looks of Chapter 396. I still can't get enough of it! I couldn't help myself and just HAD to make a sketch of it ~^w^~ And, from what I've noticed, he did learn to be more kind, but he doesn't like to show it. Lily is the best proof he is kinder. Saving his nakama both in the anime and manga is also big HUGE proof.
Sketcher1994 , stubborn and proud he is (yoda style). It's what defines Gajeel as ... well... Gajeel. Mr. Bad Boy can't POSSIBLY be seen in public with a bookworm girlfriend, or GOD FORBID his manliness would ooze out of him and make him a pansy. oh THE HORROR...
crystalroes12 , I tried to bring the action from the manga. I believe Levy truly forgave him when he oferred himself to be her partner in S-Class exams. By then, I feel she was fighting with the grudge she wanted to keep and with her growing feelings. But that's just me, maybe I'm getting it wrong. Mashima knows better.
Lexie and the anime , he's trying. Hard. and YES! it was AWESOMEEE! Now Mashima sensei has to keep us cliffhanged till the next chappie. My heart won't last T_T
Robin-rose-sama , thank you!
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 9: Friends again
The next few days, Gajeel called the bluenette on the phone, trying to make an appointment, but she refused politely each time. So he thought of a different approach.
Levy had an appointment with Natsu, knocking on his door in the morning. The pink haired man opened the door with a wide smile, like always, letting her get inside. She took her shoes off and headed for the living room, stopping suddenly with wide eyes.
"Hey, squirt." Gajeel was lying casually on the couch, smiling crookedly.
"What are you doing here?"
"Good mornin' to you, too…" He said with disappointment. "Well, you don't seem to have any free time for me, so I had to improvise."
"Yeah, well, I've been busy."
"I noticed. I also noticed you're being stubborn again. And I thought I made myself clear when I said I want us to be friends again. Do you?"
"Well… Yeah, but…"
"Then why don't you answer the phone or text me back?" Levy was silent, looking away. "If you don't want my friendship anymore, just say the word and I'll back off…" Gajeel said with a small voice.
"Okay, I was rude. I'm sorry. I'll answer the phone next time you call, deal?"
"Deal." He smiled widely. "Now, I'll go make myself comfortable, I'll be waiting." He winked at Levy when he passed her, her cheeks flaming.
"What?"
"Oh, Natsu didn't tell you? I'm the lucky bastard today." Natsu popped his head from the kitchen with a wide smile.
"He's right, I lost a bet and I'm payin' for this session. Do you have time for me, too?"
"Uhm… Yeah… Sure… I'll go… wash my hands…" Levy walked mechanically to the bathroom, changing her clothes and washing her hands.
A couple of hours later, Natsu was still snoozing on the bed, so Levy took her leave, Gajeel leading her to the door.
"I'll call you for an appointment this week, 'kay?"
"Okay."
"Have a good one."
"You too, Gajeel." He closed the door behind her, Levy heading for the bus stop. A few minutes later, her phone rang, Levy rummaging through her bag for it. She looked confused at the caller ID, placing it to her ear after answering.
"Yes?"
"You answered!" Gajeel's voice was amused.
"I said I would, didn't I?" She felt the corners of her mouth twitch slightly. "So, what's up?" For a moment, Levy made a mental inventory of her things, thinking she might have forgotten something.
"Nothing. You said you'd answer the phone the next time I call, so…"
"Checking up on me?"
"Kinda, yeah. Well, have a good day."
"You too, Gajeel." As soon as he turned the phone off, Levy's heart started beating fast, the smile lighting her face.
As promised, the next time Gajeel called, she answered, making an appointment. They kept it professional for a couple of months, Gajeel requesting Levy's therapeutic hands a couple of days a week, usually late Friday afternoon. So it happened one late winter Friday, just like any other Friday. Levy came and did her job, Gajeel offering her a beer after her massage session.
"I'm in the mood for something stronger, do you mind?" He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured some in a glass after Levy shook her head. He then proceeded to touch his glass to the beer bottle Levy was holding. Gajeel finished his share from one gulp, pouring himself another one as Levy made herself comfortable on the couch. He went to the kitchen to prepare himself something to eat, lunging for the peanut butter jar from the fridge, taking some slices of bread and a knife to smear peanut butter on the bread. He shoved half of a slice in his mouth, eating it fast.
"Could you, please, stop eating that?" Levy wrinkled her nose, trying to prevent her stomach from squirming after the room filled with peanut smell.
"Why?" Gajeel asked innocently with his mouth full.
"I'm allergic to nutty fruits. Even the smell makes me sick."
"Come on, really? From way over here you can smell this?" He lifted his peanut butter sandwich and showed it to her.
"Yes, and it's making me sick. Please?" Levy placed a hand over her nose, glaring at the offending smell.
"Okay..." Gajeel closed the lid and shoved the rest of bread in his mouth, licking his fingers.
"Thanks..." Levy was already feeling queasy, but she ignored it and went on the balcony to get some fresh air. She opened the windows and waited a few moments for the smell to clear, but it was in vain. A few minutes later, Levy's face drained of color as she staggered back inside. Gajeel looked puzzled at her when she lunged for the bathroom, where she emptied the contents of her stomach in a violent way.
"Are you OK?" Gajeel knocked on the open door, only to burst through it to catch Levy before her legs gave. "Levy! Hey!" He slapped her face easily, trying to get her back to her senses after she fainted. A few seconds later Levy started shivering violently, gasping for air. "Hey! Levy! Wake up! Come on, sweetie, open your eyes! Fuck!" Gajeel scooped Levy up and headed for the living room, placing the bluenette on the couch. He grabbed his phone and dialed 911, a female voice answering after the first ring.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"My friend is having some sort of seizure." Gajeel began telling the woman what happened, exhaling heavily after she said the ambulance would be there in 5 minutes. By the time the paramedics arrived, Levy came back to her senses, but she gasped for air. Gajeel was holding her hand, worry clear on his face. He almost ran to the door when he heard the doorbell ring. Gajeel let the paramedics in and followed them closely.
"What happened?" A man asked Levy.
"You called an ambulance?" Levy's voice was weak, but Gajeel felt her embarrassment when he nodded.
"Miss, we need to know what happened so we can help you." A woman pushed.
"I'm allergic to nutty fruits and he ate a peanut butter sandwich and filled the room with peanut flavor."
"She threw up a couple of minutes later and fainted in the bathroom, then she started shivering violently." Gajeel continued, crossing his arms.
"Did you eat...?" The lady started, but Levy cut her.
"No... Even the smell makes me sick. And my throat swells up..."
"Open up." The male doctor had a flashlight in his hand and inspected Levy's mouth and throat. "It's a severe allergic reaction. Nothing to worry about, we'll get you some adrenaline and an antiallegic. It's a good thing you called, she could have choked to death." The female doctor prepared a syringe and a couple of pills, gave Levy a shot and helped her drink the pills, wrote a prescription and gave it to Gajeel, instructing him what to do with it. A few minutes later and Gajeel walked the two paramedics to the door, thanking them for their work. He came back to the living room with a worried look.
"Sorry..." Levy said in a low voice.
"What for, silly?"
"For making you see me like this..." Gajeel gapped at the bluenette.
"You are apologizing to me for making you sick? You're amazing..." He smiled, not expecting for her to think in such a way.
"Well... you didn't know about it, so it's not your fault."
"It is my fault! Stop trying to make me feel better." He approached the couch, kneeling next to Levy's lying form. He placed his hand over hers, looking glum. "I'm sorry... Don't! Say a word, cuz it's my fault."
"But..."
"Not! A word!" Gajeel shushed her, placing his finger over her lips. "You gave me quite the scare..." The raven haired man looked torn at her.
"Sorry..." Levy apologized again, making him smile. He looked at her intently for a long moment, then got up and headed for his bedroom. A few minutes later and he came back, heading for Levy.
"Do you have plans tomorrow morning?" Gajeel asked suddenly.
"No..."
"Good, you're spending the night here."
"What? No! I couldn't possibly..."
"I won't take no for an answer. You're not well and I'm in no condition to drive you home."
"I'll take a cab..."
"You expect me to let you get in a stranger's car in your condition? Not gonna happen! You're staying here!"
"But..."
"No buts!"
"My friend will get worried if I don't come home...'
"Call her and let her know you're safe. Heck, give her the address and my phone number if it makes you feel better."
"Silly Gajeel, you think I don't trust you?" Levy rolled her eyes and got up from the couch, wobbling from the drugs. Gajeel steadied her, holding Levy in his arms.
"You can't even walk straight and you wanna go home? Come on. Stay for the night. I'm gonna sleep on the couch, and I won't try anything." Gajeel though Levy didn't want to stay because he might take advantage of her, but she smiled warmly.
"Okay... I owe you one."
"Really? I was the one who made you sick and you owe me one?" Gajeel shook his head in disbelief. "Come on, let's watch a movie or something." He placed an arm around Levy's shoulder to keep her from wobbling and lead her to the bathroom, wailing outside to let her freshen up. Once she was finished, Gajeel steadied her back to the living room. "Are you hungry? I'm gonna order something."
"Order? Don't you cook?"
"Me? I can't cook to save my life." He snorted, amused.
"Well, then, let's see what's in the fridge." Levy headed for the kitchen determined. "Beer, beer, a bottle of ketchup, some bread... Really? Nothing?"
"I usually eat before I get home."
"Hmm..." Levy opened the freezer with a thoughtful look. "Okay, I found some... turkey wings, and some veggies." The bluenette grabbed the two plastic bags and headed for the sink.
"What are you doing?" Gajeel watched her intently.
"Cooking something."
"You can cook?"
"Well... yeah... Enough to survive. My brother and I had to help my mom with house chores. She worked double shifts to get us food on the table, so we prepped dinner and stuff like that."
"Oh." Gajeel felt awkward for making Levy remember her bitter past.
"Do you have some potatoes and carrots? Maybe some onions?"
"Uhm.. let me look... Oh, here we go! A couple of potatoes, two carrots and an onion. Is this enough?"
"Perfect!" Levy rummaged some more through Gajeel's drawer, finding some rice and semolina. Gajeel peeled the potatoes and the carrots, watching Levy intently as she washed a pot, put some water in it and placed it on the oven to boil. She washed the turkey wings and placed them inside the water to boil. Levy measured a cup of rice and poured water over it to wash it, Gajeel watching her intently. He filled a beer handle and offered it to her, Levy gladly taking a sip.
"Can you turn on some music? I can concentrate better when I'm having fun."
"Sure. What'll be?" Gajeel turned the radio on, sifting through programs. He hit a certain 'Rock FM', Levy stopping him.
"Ooh, I love this one!" Levy started to shake her head slightly, moving on the beat slow enough not to make herself queasy again.
"You like rock music?"
"Pff, please. I grew up with Metallica, Iron Maiden, Skid Row... And the list goes on. AC/DC, Scorpions, you name it." Gajeel merely stared at her. "What?"
"Nothing... I was just thinking. You're amazing, you know?"
"Me? Nah... I'm just normal."
"Believe me when I say you are NOT."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Levy said with a smile, Gajeel snorting.
An hour later, the dumpling soup and the rice were done, Gajeel coming to inspect the food.
"Smells great!"
"You can have a seat, I just finished." Levy grabbed two plates and poured some soup, placing the filled plate under Gajeel's nose. She grabbed her own and took a seat next to him.
"Holy shit!" Gajeel startled Levy, who was just about to shove the spoon in her mouth.
"What? Be careful, might be too hot." Levy thought Gajeel might have burnt himself from the hot soup. Gajeel snapped his eyes to the bluenette, looking at her with awe. "What?"
"I've... never tasted anything like this before... It's fucking delicious!" Levy smiled as a thank you, eating her soup. "Your boyfriend is a lucky man." The bluenette snorted.
"What boyfriend?" Gajeel's eyes glinted a bit, but shoved the thought aside. "I can't even kiss, so it's pointless mentioning a boyfriend."
"Really? No boyfriend? I could've sworn that Korean guy from the salon was..."
"Oh, no, he's just a friend."
"Well, I watched him, and your little friend zoned guy has the hots for you. And I can totally see why he'd fall for you."
"Really? You think he's into me? I never considered it, I'm still used to the lack of attention from back home. Well, not really lack of attention as much as scaring them away." Levy laughed bitterly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you've seen me fight... The others just... ran away. One of them said that girls should be delicate, not scary, like me. So I punched him in the nuts." Gajeel burst into laughter, making Levy smile.
"Pussies. Too damn afraid to take on a real woman. I would love for my girl to be able to protect herself. I could rest easy at night knowing she can be safe wherever she may go or what hour she'd roam the streets." Gajeel looked intently in her eyes.
"You impress me, Gajeel. I like the way you think." Levy smiled crookedly without realizing she fluttered her eyelashes at him.
"Thank you." The rest of the dinner was silent, neither lifting their eyes from the plates. Once they were finished, Levy and Gajeel went to the sink to wash the plates. The raven haired man took Levy's plate before she could complain, placing them in the washer.
"How about we watch that movie now?" Gajeel asked with a husky voice, pulling two beers from the fridge.
"Sure." Levy went to the living room, slumping on the couch. "You could've let me go home, I feel fine now."
"You can't fool me, shrimp. You still scare me with that pale face. I don't mind you having here. Besides, without you, I would've probably starved to death." Levy giggled.
"Somehow I can't bring myself to believe you. But I will accept your compliment." Gajeel slumped next to her, even though there was more than enough space on the couch, grabbed the remote and started sifting through the online movie sites. Once both decided on a movie, Levy made herself comfortable on the left arm of the couch, pulling her legs to her chest to make space for Gajeel. He sent a fleeting look towards her, grabbing Levy's legs and placing them in his lap. She looked at him curious, but seeing Gajeel place his arm over her legs, she relaxed. At one point, Gajeel started running patterns on her leg absentmindedly, raising goose bumps on Levy's skin.
"Gajeel... "
"Hmm?" He looked her thoughtfully.
"The movie is over... Can I have my legs back?"
"Oh, yeah, sorry." Gajeel realized he was caressing her skin, releasing her with a blush. "Uhm... I think it's a reasonable hour to crash..." He got up abruptly and headed to his bedroom to grab a pillow and a blanket. When he got back, he avoided Levy's eyes as she wished him a good night and headed to his bedroom, making herself comfortable on the master bed. Both herself and Gajeel twisted and turned in their beds, sleep avoiding them with all costs. A couple of hours later though, Sandman took pity on them and so they went to sleep.
TBC
How about it? Did you liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Please review, your opinion matters to me as a writer.