Turf Wars Chapter 12- Secrets (Gajeel and Levy)
As always, I own nothing, but enjoy. Also, let me point out that Natsu isn't really colorblind, I just made that up for the story.
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Gajeel was failing history because he slept through most of it so the prospect of being able to continue sleeping through it but get an A regardless had him excited. The only bad part, his partner. He took off running the first second he could, leaving her behind. Levy tried to keep up, but being so much shorter, her strides were nowhere near long enough to keep up. It wasn't until a fair bit of running did it dawn on Gajeel that he left the bluenette behind and that he needed her to win. Looking up at the top of the mountain, he scowled and headed back down the path to find her, kicking rocks in frustration.
Levy wasn't surprised in the least when Gajeel took off without her. She sighed, but didn't make too much of a fuss over it. She had straight A's so she didn't need him, he needed her. She took off along the path as the others pushed past her, gearing for the top of the mountain. She walked at a casual pace, admiring the island's diversity in fauna and flora. To think that the school owned an island and she had never heard of it.
The bookworm followed the trail as it turned, gradually starting to slope upward. Coming around one turn brought her straight into a giant dust cloud. She immediately closed her eyes but the dust has already gotten into her throat and she started coughing. Covering her eyes with her arm and her mouth with her other hand she darted to the side, trying to get out of the cloud. She succeeded but ran into something hard. She though it was a tree, but when it shifted she knew it wasn't. Yelping out of surprise as something wrapped around her stomach she tried to get away but it held fast.
"Stop squirming Shrimp," came a rough voice.
Levy dropped her arms as she recognized her partner's voice. "Gajeel?" she asked as she looked up at the scowling man.
"You're slow," he said as he tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. "I need that A in history," he said as he started up the path at a jog.
Levy bounced uncomfortably on his shoulder and when her stomach could take no more, she complained, loudly. "Put me down you oversized baboon!"
Gajeel instinctively dropped her as he went to cover his ear that she screamed into. Levy hit the ground hard but got up and brushed herself off, fighting the urge to rub her sore bottom.
"Why the hell did you yell in my ear?" Gajeel growled as he rubbed the inside of it with his finger.
"Because you weren't going to listen any other way," Levy huffed as she readjusted her messenger bag and headed up the slope. "And I am perfectly capable on walking on my own."
"I know you can but you are too slow," Gajeel grumbled, but he followed behind the bluenette, still rubbing his ear.
"Do you even have a plan on getting to the top?" she asked as they came to a fork in the path. Either go straight, back toward the forest or the right and up a steeper slope. She veered right and started up the semi looking steps that were carved into the stone.
"No, climb if I have too," Gajeel answered.
"Well, how far along this path did you get before you remembered that this is a team exercise and that you needed me?" Levy said, hoping her words would remind him of the challenge. The slip of paper was still in her back pocket with their word on it. She had mumbled it over some but couldn't think of a clear meaning.
"To that landing," the tall teen pointed. They were almost at it. "The path splits into three there."
Levy ascended the last step onto the small landing at looked at their options. As Gajeel said, there were only three options, four if you counted scaling the mountain face. A small and dangerous looking path that wound around the mountain. Although the path looked nonexistent in some areas and much too thin in other places to be able to walk casually. The second choice was a bridge. It appeared to be in good shape but on the other side it continued to another scary looking path. The third option was a cave.
"I chose the cave," Levy said, turning back to Gajeel. He grunted his approval and the two walked toward it. Levy pulled her phone out to use the flashlight app and Gajeel followed suit with his phone.
"This better not lead to a dead end," Gajeel said as he moved his phone around to look at the sides of the cave and the ceiling. He was happy to see that he would not have to crouch. He hated that part of being tall, dealing with low ceilings.
"We'll find out now wont we," Levy said as she stepped back behind Gajeel, letting him take the lead. She wasn't afraid of the place, but being behind him made her feel a little safer. Gajeel gave her a look but didn't seem to mind taking the lead.
"Stay close, I don't need to lose you," he said. Levy huffed but took no true offence. He didn't say it rudely, though is tone couldn't be described as nice either.
Every once and a while Levy glanced at her phone to check the time. After fifteen minutes went by, she told Gajeel.
The two stopped and looked around. As far as they could tell they hadn't gone in a circle. There were no other paths in the cave and they hadn't seen the entrance again either. "This place can't be that big, the island ain't that big," Gajeel said as he checked time on his own phone. "Any ideas?" he asked turning to Levy. He noticed her head was tilted and her eyes closed, like she was concentrating on something. "Whatcha doin' Shrimp?" Gajeel asked, watching her.
"I hear voices," she said, opening her eyes and turning around.
"It's probably just another team then," Gajeel said getting ready to start walking again.
"I don't recognize the voice," she said, sending a shiver down Gajeel's spine, but he will be six feet under before he ever admits that.
Levy watched Gajeel cock his head to the side as he caught a fragment of what was being said. "Let's go," he said suddenly, grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her after him.
As they ran through the cave, the voices only got louder. But it was only sentences, not conversations being said. Random one line sentences that came and went to be replaced by another. Some were weird, some sad, some scary. Levy distinctly heard one that said 'I sniff my dog's ears when I feel sad'. Another one was someone confessing to being in an abusive relationship and not knowing what to do to get out of it. Gajeel heard one say something about how they pulled off the perfect crime, no body to be found. That scared him. He felt scared, but mostly he felt afraid for Levy. So he pulled her along, going as fast as she could keep up.
Levy tried to shut out the voices by concentrating just on running. It wasn't working though and she felt desperation and far sink in. She started panicking and by how hard Gajeel was gripping her arm, he was scared too. Why would anyone say these things, they weren't normal, they should be kept secret. Secret!
Levy yanked her arm back, stopping Gajeel. He turned to her wide eyed as he turned his phone all over the place looking for the owners' of the voices but finding none. "Why'd we stop?" he asked, pulling the girl close to him.
The bluenette blushed a little being so close to him. "Gajeel, calm down. We aren't going to get hurt," she said, trying to make her voice sound confident. Whether that was true or not she didn't know, but she felt like she had to say it. Another voice whispered close to Gajeel's ear and he pulled Levy flush against his chest, one arm holding her to him and the other was up in a defensive position.
"You know what's going on then, Shrimp?" he asked.
"These are secrets," she said. Catching his confused look he elaborated. "Everything we are hearing are secrets that have been told. Don't you remember our word? Secrets. The cave won't let us go until we give it a secret," Levy said, hoping she was right.
"You sure?" Gajeel asked. Levy could feel his heart beat slowing some and his breathing become more regular.
"Not completely, but I can't think of anything else," she answered. "You first."
Gajeel growled but he nodded his head. "I'm jealous of my roommate's muscles, that they are bigger than mine," the teen said in a halfhearted yell.
Levy didn't know what she expected from him, but that was not it. Gajeel felt Levy shake against his chest and looked down at her with concern. She threw her head back and started laughing. "Seriously?" she asked as she tried to calm her laughter.
"It ain't funny Shrimp," Gajeel yelled. He could feel his face heating up as she laughed at him. "Your turn!" he called, trying to get her to stop.
It worked. The girl immediately stopped and her own face turned red. "I'm jealous of Lisanna's and Lucy's breast size," she whispered.
"Louder, I can't hear you over the other voices," Gajeel called as he ducked reflexively when he heard a voice close to his face.
Levy gulped then repeated her secret louder.
"And you laughed at me," Gajeel teased.
"Shut up!" Levy said, smacking his chest, her face turning redder.
The voices stopped and the two let out deep breathes. But sucked them in almost as quick when the voices rushed them, calling out 'Not good enough'. Gajeel wrapped Levy up tighter and bent his head down so that is was buries in her hair as the voices rushed them, gusts of wind hitting them. It didn't hurt really, but it was scary.
"What now?" Gajeel called into Levy's ear.
She turned her head a little so that he could hear. "We try again, but bigger secrets."
Gajeel growled but lifted his held up and yelled in anger, "How 'bout this! I'm a foster kid, have been my whole life!"
Levy sucked in a breath at hearing that. But it was her turn so she lifted her head and, with a completely red face called out, "I read smut novels!" before burying her face back into Gajeel's chest.
Gajeel looked down to the small teenager, his eyes wide in disbelief. He couldn't decide if he should laugh or turn red.
The voices didn't give him a chance though as they bombarded them with 'Not good enough' again. "What more do they want us to say?" he growled as he swung an arm around trying to deter the voices somehow.
"We'll say one more secret, but together this time together," Levy said as she clung to Gajeel's shirt.
"Fine," he growled, "on three."
Levy sucked in a breath, preparing to admit her biggest secret.
"One, two..."
"I have a huge crush on you!" the two called in unison.
The voices stopped midsentence and wind died down, leaving the two teens in a fluster.
"What?" the asked each other as their faces turned bright red.
Levy buried her face in Gajeel's shirt as she tried to process what happened and Gajeel just stood there with a dumbstruck look on his face. After a moment of recovery, he wrapped his arms tight around her and swung her before lifting her up and kissing her.
The small girl froze in shock as his rough lips consumed hers for a second. When Gajeel pulled back, she grabbed him and kissed him again feeling his smile.
She pulled away, a smile of her own decorating her face as she said, "Ready to go you're A in History?" Gajeel grinned, putting his crush down and the headed again through the cave, this time finding light in only a minute.
Walking outside, they covered their eyes, the sudden light blinding them. When their eyes adjusted they stared at the path before them and how it led straight to the top. Levy unlocked her phone and turned the flashlight off but in the process felt a hand on her ass. She looked up at Gajeel who whistled innocently before squeezing and letting go. "A good ass trumps giant tits any day," he said before grabbing her hand and heading up the path.