a/n: I just realised the date and turns out it's September already? And I've only got a few days before school starts, not the whole week I thought I had... So I'm going to try to upload as many as 3 chapters a day until school takes over my life. Thanks for reading again x Mer

Gajeel was standing over Levy, his hands gripped her delicate frame. His face was mere inches apart from hers as he stared into her eyes looking for her answer. Levy blushed daintily, realising that if either of them were to move, their noses would brush against one another. She hastily took a step back, but clouded as her thoughts were with Gajeel's proximity, she forgot the tall stack of books directly behind her and she stumbled over them, falling.

"Ow," she mumbled, opening her eyes. Her breath caught as she realised whose face was hovering above hers. Drats, I must've pulled him down with me. Levy's thoughts were accompanied by a steady flush that slowly gained more colour, rising from her neck to her ears.

"Gihi. So, Shrimp, is this your way of saying yes?" Gajeel provided the petite girl with his trademark smirk.

"N-no, Gajeel. It was an accident. I -uh, I never, uh..." Levy's words were jumbled on her tongue and she was blubbering. She, the Solid Script Mage with a love of books, was at a loss for words.

Gajeel noticed her face go from a light pink to a daring crimson. If she gets any redder than that she'll get a nosebleed, he thought, though he was pleased with her reaction at being in such a compromising position with him.

"Ga-Gajeel. Can you get off me? Please?" Levy got out. Her thoughts and emotions were finally under control.

"Now why would I want to do that, Shrimp?" Gajeel smirked even more. He came here to apologise, and now what had come of it made his heart soar.

"You're heavy, Gajeel!" she blurted rather bluntly.

Gajeel eyes grew wide with mirth and he rolled off her chuckling as he did so. He reached out his hand to help Levy get up. The bluenette reached for his hand, accepting his help, before immediately falling back to the floor with a yelp from Gajeel.

"Oooof! Wrong arm, shit!" he winced in obvious pain. He looked back down at Levy who had fallen back down after he had wrenched his arm from her grasp.

Levy clambered on to her feet, dusting herself off. "Are you hurt, Gajeel? I didn't do that did I?" she asked, obviously worried.

"You, Shrimp? Hurt me? Gihi, nah, it's nothing. Just a bruise." Gajeel said, trying to convince himself too.

Levy rolled her eyes. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that, do you? Your shirt is torn there too and there's some blood as well," she said after a closer examination. She grabbed his upper arm, looking closely at the wound. "What were you doing?" she inquired after a while.

"I-uh, I crashed into some crates," he replied in a tone one might discuss the weather in.

"And what were you doing crashing into crates?"

"I was chasing after you. It's not that easy running when those townspeople are crammed on the streets selling things."

Levy looked up at him. He was chasing me. And he had said that he came of his own accord. Lily had nothing to do with this.

"Well, it's nothing too life-threatening at least," she said going back to his injury. "Just go sit down, and I'll be back with the first aid kit." She gestured at the space not yet claimed by either bags or books on her bed.

Gajeel sat down on the orange covers as he watched her walk to a cupboard in the corner. I still haven't got an answer yet, he realised, but he dismissed the thought. He knew fully well what Levy's answer was. He looked around her cramped room and smiled. Her personality really does show in everything she has touched, he remarked taking in the hundreds of books.

Levy walked back towards Gajeel on her bed. Now that's something I never thought I'd see, she thought as she saw him sporting a small smile with his eyes half closed, sitting on her bed.

"I got some magic healing-ointment here," she pulled out an almost empty jar of clear ointment.

She sat on her knees on the floor in front of Gajeel and took hold of his arm. With a pair of scissors, she cut off any excess fabric and began cleaning the heavily grazed arm. As her finger brushed past a sore spot, Gajeel winced. A purplish bruise was forming there too, Levy noted.

She took out a length of gauze, and after smearing the jasmine-scented ointment on his arm, right above the forming bruise, she began to tightly wrap the bandage around his arm. Trying not to get distracted by the sheer hardness of his muscles or the veins that stood out on his tan skin, she tied a neat knot in the wrappings and tucked it away.

"Gajeel. I think you might have fractured your bone," she said. "I can get rid of the pain, but the magic ointment only does so much. You'll have to rest your arm a day or two so the bone can heal."

"Tch. A day or two? Ah, that's alright. It ain't like we have a battle planned during our journey to the city anyways."

Levy glanced up at the last remark. Our journey? she thought. So he really does want to come. Faint colour reappeared in her cheeks. "I don't remember saying yes, Gajeel." She tried to keep her voice aloof and calm. As if she didn't care if he came or not.

Gajeel read through her tone. Gihi, she wants me to come. "Alright them, Shrimp. Am I coming with you or not?" he asked directly.

Levy stared hard at the wall behind Gajeel's head. His arm was bandaged thoroughly and her hands were resting on his. She pondered the thought. Should I let him come? I want him to come so much, but will he distract me? Gramps said no distractions. But, but he can help. I'm not that strong in fights. Yes, I'll have him come. I want him to come.

"Fine," she finally said, tearing her gaze from the wall to Gajeel's pierced face. A smirk grew on his face. "But on one condition," she interrupted before he could say anything.

"Sure, Shrimp. Whatever."

"You have to buy me a book." she smiled happily at that, knowing the Slayer's least favourite place the bookstore. She knew it was more to do with the fact that the tomes taunted him rather than a direct opposition due to her.

Gajeels eyes grew wide with shock. He was surprised, to say the least, but then again, it wasn't such a strange request coming from Levy.

"Fine. A book it is," he replied. Levy's face grew happier with joy, and he couldn't help but feel lighthearted at seeing his Shrimp happy.

"Okay, then. Let's go!" Levy said, scrambling to her feet and heading to the door.

"What, now?"

"Yes, now! I was headed there before you knocked on my window."

Gajeel groaned inwardly. A bookstore. Oh, joy! But he followed Levy out of Fairy Hills, with no further comment. All in all, he was pleased that he was going on a job alone with Levy. No lapdogs and no meddling cat in his way. Hopefully, by the end of it, he would've found enough courage to tell her his feelings for her.

"Hurry up, slow-poke!" Levy shouted at him, way in front of him, skipping towards the bookstore.

If anything does change during this trip, he thought with a smile, it won't be her love of books, for sure.