A/N: Sorry for the delay in uploading! I was busy with prep for my own prom, so I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

Gajeel was nervous. He had the blonde's number pulled up on his phone, all he needed to do was hit the green button to call her. He was planning to ask her to just come over to his place and hang out, but his stomach was rolling with nerves.

"Come on, man." he grunted to himself. "You haven't seen her in like, a week. She probably wants to see her prom date. Right?" He was about to press the button when his phone began to ring. Speak of the devil. It was the blondie he was struggling to call. He waited a few seconds (he didn't want to seem desperate of course) before accepting the call.

"Hi."

"Hello!" she said.

"Hey." he swallowed thickly, wincing at his awkwardness.

"What are you doing today?" Lucy's voice was high and cute, and Gajeel wanted to melt into the floor from embarrassment.

"I, uh," he was trying to find the right words to say. "I was actually gonna ask you if you wanted to, er, hang out at my place."

"Oh!" she laughed. "Well, that's great because I was going to ask if you wanted to do something with me this afternoon."

"Okay." he paused, unsure of what to say next.

"Meet me at Porlyusica's in ten minutes?" the blonde referenced the coffee shop his cousin worked at.

"Sounds good to me." he grunted, grabbing his keys from where they hung by the door. He knew it would take him around five minutes to drive to the place, so he planned to get there early. Once he arrived, however, he saw a scene he wasn't too fond of. Lucy had already parked and gotten out of her car, but there were a few guys he didn't recognize talking to her. He yanked the keys from his ignition and practically leaped from his truck, shoving his fists in his pockets.

"I'm sorry, but I'm meeting a friend here." he heard Lucy say to them. He stormed over, but they still didn't hear his approach.

"Sweetie, she can come along. There's plenty of time." one of them grinned to her. Gajeel stood behind Lucy and crossed his arms.

"I don't know, bunny girl. I'm not really up for hanging with these two sickos either." Gajeel grunted, glaring menacingly at them.

"Oh, you're early!" she turned, smiling as if nothing were wrong. The two guys that were hitting on Lucy paled at the sight of him.

"Y-you're Black Steel Gajeel!" one gasped.

"Yep."

"S-s-sorry, man, we didn't know this was your girl!" the other yelped before they raced off.

"'Black Steel Gajeel?'" Lucy quirked a perfectly shaped blonde eyebrow at him.

"Football camp last year was a rough time." he shrugged.

"Now I'm curious." she grinned at him. He put his hand on the small of her back and steered her towards the door.

"I'll tell you over lunch." he couldn't help but grin back. Her smiles were contagious. After they had ordered (Lucy only went dutch, she refused to let him pay the whole bill) and received their lunches (her, chicken salad on a croissant - him, a toasted sandwich) he began to tell his tale.

"Okay, so every summer each football team in the division goes to a training camp." he swallowed a bite of his sandwich.

"Okay, yeah, Kardia goes to that too I think." she nodded, plucking at the garnish at her plate, completely attuned to what he was saying.

"Yeah, they do." he confirmed, then sipped at his water. "Well, we room with players from other teams, two to a room. I was with Rogue, and I guess that's why he's so…"

"Admirable of you?" she offered a word.

"Yeah, we'll call it that. Gihi." he grinned. "Well, usually you try to hone your skills in your position, but you get to switch it around a little."

"Oh, to like, see if you're good at something else?" she frowned, sipping her ridiculously detailed latte. (A tall soy latte with a half shot coconut flavor half shot macadamia nut flavor with whipped cream and chocolate shavings).

"I guess, yeah. So I was acting as linebacker for a play." he chuckled at her thoughtful face.

"Linebackers tackle, right?" she questioned.

"They can, usually defensive tacklers do that though." Gajeel explained. "But, I think it was Chris Frunvitt from Xenon High who was the running back?" he questioned his own memory.

"The solid wall of muscle?" she raised both of her eyebrows.

"Yeah that one." he confirmed. "Well, my job was to take him down."

"Did you?" she leaned over.

"Somehow, someway, I hit him hard enough that he took out a lineman and the quarterback." her eyebrows went even higher if that was possible.

"Wait seriously?" there was a twinkle in her eyes.

"I mean, I also went flying, but nobody really noticed." he chuckled. Mirth showed on her face as she pictured it.

"How far did you go?" she was successfully holding back her giggles.

"Well, I'm not sure, I kinda blacked out for a second. All I know is I went ass over teakettle." he 'ran' with his fingers across the table, acting out the scene for her. She couldn't take it anymore and burst out into laughter.

"And now," she wiped a tear from her eye, "they call you Black Steel Gajeel?!"

"Hey, when you give three bulky dudes concussions all at once, you gotta be some type of legend." he shrugged.

"Man, I wouldn't want to meet you in an alley on a dark night." her giggles subsided and she began to eat her sandwich again.

"I wouldn't bite. Unless you wanted me to." he grinned wolfishly at the blonde, and she choked on her sandwich. "Bunny, you alright?" he sat up straighter with concern. Her face was red from coughing (or was she blushing? He couldn't tell) and more tears were in her eyes.

"Y-yeah, fine. Wasn't expecting that!" she let out another laugh and took a sip of her (again, ridiculously specific) coffee. "So I'm going to prom with Black Steel Gajeel." her smile widened. "I'll have to put that on a resume someday."

"Speaking of prom." Gajeel finished the last of his sandwich before clearing his throat. "I'll pick you up at like, six-thirty?"

"Maybe a bit earlier, Levy and Jet are gonna meet us at my house for pictures." Lucy pondered.

"Ugh, we gotta take some?" he groaned as she chewed the last bite of her sandwich.

"Well if I blew almost eight hundred dollars on a dress -" it was his turn to choke, on his water this time. He pounded his chest as he coughed it out.

"Eight hundred - okay what the hell is it made of, Jesus' tears?!"

"Oh shut up, all the dresses are gonna be expensive." she rolled her eyes. "And for your information, it's made of silk and tulle and there are some swarovski crystals adorning the top."

"Those words mean absolutely nothing to me." he grunted out. "How much are the tickets? I'll pay for em right away." he filed through his wallet.

"My dad is paying for the tickets." she informed him.

"Ah, I don't think so." there was no expression in his voice.

"Hey, I'm the one who asked you."

"I'm tryna be a gentleman."

"You're Black Steel Gajeel." she snickered behind her hand. "I didn't think there was a gentleman in there."

"Oi!" Gajeel scowled. "I can be a gentleman."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Lucy teased back. "So what do we do now?" she pushed her empty plate away and stacked her empty cup on top of it.

"Uh…" he thought to himself. "I've really got nothing to do back at my place but play Mario Kart. Have you got anything in mind?"

"Oho! Mario Kart? We are definitely gonna do that. Let's go!" she hopped up from the table and put their dirty dishes into the bin.

"Really?" he questioned. "I didn't think you'd wanna."

"Trust me," she turned coyly with a smile, "you're gonna have to give up your title to me when I'm finished with you."