Author's notes: At last! It really has been too long since the last chapter but the universe was against me! first, an eye infection that kept me from being able to type anything, then my dear eldest daughter that killed my laptop with orange juice... had to spend a couple of weeks with only my Wii to get on the internet before i got another computer. i specifically ask my darling to be sure to save the hard drive from the laptop so i don't lose everything i had (fanfic, drawing, pictures, everything) but he ended up reformating everything... So i have nothing left. Had to start over from scratch!

So, I hope you guys will like this chapter because I suffered for it :P and of course, all this didn't give me the ownership of Fairy Tail.

From the other side

#4 Don't get any ideas

The short woman bent down slightly to avoid a left punch, using her physical advantage to counter-attack with a right punch of her own and getting her sparring partner in the side. She then attacked with a left, right and a kick but no matter how many times she successfully hit him, the orange-haired man in front of her just kept his annoying smirk on his face. That smirk meant that he knew something that she didn't ( probably about her or else he wouldn't bother ) and she didn't like the feeling. Jet wasn't usually the type to gossip and he knew better than try to make fun of her but some times, he just couldn't help himself. And she would then remind him why he shouldn't make fun of her. She suspected the guy to be a little masochist.

She kept circling around him as she waited for an opportunity to strike, trying to ignore his knowing smile by staying concentrated but after a little while, it was becoming way to unbearable, her short patience had already reached its limit.

" Okay, what's so funny? " She finally asked.

He laughed, avoiding a kick, before answering:

" Nothing. "

She frowned, the shadow made by her protective helmet making her look even more angry. It would have probably made him spill the beans if he had been anyone else but he had been her partner and friend for so long, her glare no longer worked on him.

" Nothing, my ass, Jet. Say it, it's written all over your face. "

He sent her a straight left then a right, taking his sweet time before answering and she knew that he was enjoying this way too much.

" It's just that I heard you might have made yourself a friend... "

The way he had said friend made her roll her eyes, perfectly understanding what he was getting at. She was only half surprised. What else would he be excited about? He was so juvenile.

" Where did you hear something so dumb? "

" Ah, you know, rumors... "

Yet again, she wasn't surprised. Rumors came from only one person in their guild.

" You shouldn't take Mirajane's love theories for facts, Jet. "

He shrugged, smiling again and dodging her kick, thanks to his speed. He was lucky to be faster than her because she really felt like pummeling him right now. Annoying smirk. As if he knew anything about her.

" Who said anything about love? So, that's how it is between you and him? "

Her death glare made him laugh out loud, confirming the fact that she really wanted to see him blown to smithereens. It was with no hidden pleasure that she punched him straight in the solar plexus, cutting short his annoying laugh and his smirk in the process. He fell down on his back, coughing, while she stood over him and watched him with an annoyed face:

" You're wrong, there's nothing going on between he and I. It's just a guy I know. "

Jet looked back at her, his playful smile back on his lips. Even while panting, he answered her smugly.

" Well, you've spent a lot of time lately with that guy you've just met. Since you usually never get friendly with anyone, can't really blame us to get curious. "

She moved to the side of the ring, removed one glove before grabbing a water bottle. She drank it all in one go, feeling the liquid cool her down from her throat to her stomach.

" That's cause I owed him, " she finally said. " Nothing else. "

He hummed twice, as if agreeing with her:

" Sure, if you say so. " He didn't sound convinced.

After a moment, he propped himself up on his elbows to be able to look at her:

" You know, it's a good thing that the two of you aren't like that. "

She gave him a quizzical stare as she moved to his side:

" Why is that? "

" Heh, the poor guy wouldn't last long with you, " Jet said with a grin. " He would need some serious life insurance. "

As the orange-haired man burst out laughing yet again, Levy let out a Tch before pushing her idiot teammate back down on the ground with her foot. His laugh echoed in the gym as she made her way out while mumbling about the stupidity of her guild mates.

It felt good to be outside, the wind cooled her sweaty skin in no time. The sun was still high in the sky so she wasn't in any danger of catching a cold. Levy took a moment to recover her breath after that work-out then she decided to go back home for a well deserved shower.

On her way, the bluenette couldn't help but think about what Jet had said. She knew that Mirajane mostly had a part of responsibility for his thoughts but she didn't like the fact that the barmaid had started that rumor and spread it in the guild, making her own teammates question her relationship with Gazille. She didn't want to have to deal with their questioning stares and annoying suppositions, what was going on in her head was her business only. Those idiots didn't seem to understand that.

She called them idiots but she was far from hating them. In spite of her cold attitude, she considered her guild mates like nakamas. However, it was true she would like them better if they weren't trying to meddle with her life. Especially since there wasn't anything to meddle with.

The blue-haired woman recalled her meeting with the writer, a couple of days ago. Jet hadn't been wrong when he had said that she usually never tried to get friendly with anyone and yet, she had let Gazille get close so easily... and she couldn't really explain why. There was something about that guy that made her lower her guard without a second thought, something she would usually never do for anyone else, not even her teammates, and that was saying something since Jet and Droy were pretty much the closest to real friends she had. She hadn't lied when she had said that she only wanted to pay him back, it had been her initial plan, however, after spending some time with him working on his motorcycle, her view of the afro-haired gentleman had changed. She hated to admit it, even if only to herself, but she liked his company and was looking forward to see him again.

There was still one thing sure tho, no matter what everyone else said, Gazille and her were friends and nothing else. It was perfect that way and it wasn't about to change, anytime soon.

Levy was almost home when a familiar calm voice called her. At her right, the tall afro-haired man she was thinking about walked toward her, waving and smiling. She felt her own lips smile back. Seemed like she would see him sooner that she thought.

" Hey, Four-eyes, how you doin'? "

" Quite good, thank you. What about you, Miss Levy? "

" Yeah, I'm great, " she wiped her forehead. " What brings you around here? "

Gazille rubbed the back of his neck:

" Actually, I wanted to talk to you. "

The short woman raised an eyebrow, what did he want to talk to her about that was important enough he would cross half of the city for it? She tried to guess by observing his face but he was looking normal. When he noticed her looking at him, she felt something flutter in her belly, for a quarter of a second, and she forced herself to ignore it, whatever that was.

" There's a charity ball, tonight, at the royal palace, and I was wondering if you would come with me. "

To say she was surprised was an understatement. And it must have shown in her face because he quickly added:

" Of course, if you have already planned something, I would understand. "

" No, I would love to go. "

Wait, what? The words came out of her mouth before she even realized she spoke them. Shouldn't she have taken the time to think about it? Or pretended to think about it, even if she had nothing else planned anyway? Her eyes met his and she knew that there was no way back when she saw him smile.

" Great. Let's meet there at eight? "

" Sure. "

He went back the way he came while she stood there, watching his retreating back without really seeing him. Her mind was blank as she was trying to comprehend what exactly she had just agreed to: she was going out. With Gazille. As in: just the two of them. If she didn't know better, she would say that sounded like...

A date, a date! Levy's got a date!

A voice that sounded way too much like Mirajane's resonated in her head, making the bluenette groan. It was that little inner voice that she heard from time to time, the one she usually just ignored because it kept sprouting stupidities. The words she had heard from Jet earlier also echoed in her mind, making the fluffy feeling come back in her belly.

So, that's how it is between you and him?

Damn. This was so dumb. What was wrong with her? Why did she hear those things, now? And why did she suddenly start feeling butterflies in her stomach? She had absolutely no reasons to be nervous, embarrassed or excited about this for the most obvious reason: it wasn't a date. Gazille and her weren't like that. Not at all.

She turned on her heels and made her way inside her apartment, growling and cursing at her guild mates for messing with her brain. If they hadn't tried to make her see lovey-dovey crap happening between Gazille and her, she wouldn't be in this situation. It was all their fault.

Well, she wouldn't let them win! She was going to this Not-Date just to prove them wrong. She was going to have fun with the writer, tonight, as friends, and neither Mirajane or anyone else would say she had feeling for the guy ever again.

As she prepared herself to go in the shower, she crossed her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She pointed at that other her like if she was talking to the Mirajane in her head and told her stubbornly:

" Don't go get any ideas, girl. It ain't like that. "

Levy had spent a couple of hours facing another dilemma that came with her Not-Date thing: the dress. Even if she was tomboyish, she was still girly enough to know a thing or two about clothes and dress codes. She owned skirts and tank tops but she didn't have a single dress. Well, not one fit for a ball, at least.

Per chance, the bluenette was Juvia's roommate and the other blue-haired woman had lend her one of her dresses that wouldn't look too big for her ( in the chest area, especially. ) It was a strapless golden dress made of silk that reached just above her knees, even if it wasn't as extravagant as a ball gown, it looked fancy enough to be acceptable. After pulling up her hair, putting make-up and wearing high heel shoes that made her almost one foot taller, she supposed that she was ready, at last. She sighed, that whole thing sure was troublesome.

The curly-haired woman at her side probably thought she was sighing because she was nervous:

" Don't worry, Levy, you're so pretty, your date's jaw will hit the floor when he'll see you. "

" It's not a date, " the short woman replied as she put on earrings. " I'm just going out with a friend. "

" Really? You could have fooled me. "

Levy looked at her reflection in the mirror, not recognizing the woman standing there.

Yeah, me too.

She did say that this whole thing was troublesome, right? Well, it really was. Her shoes were already killing her feet and she wasn't even close to be at the palace yet. She had to keep her eyes straight ahead to not see all the passers-by who turned to look at her, the simple thought of being the center of attention making her nervous.

She was doing this to prove them wrong. Even if it felt embarrassing, she had to keep going. No way she would let herself being made fun of, no sir. They could try to make her see love signs where there wasn't any, she would overcome it. They could try to match her up, she would overcome it. They could put Gazille in a elegant white suit with a red tie, tied up hair under a white fedora, looking more handsome than ever and...

Wait a minute. Where did that come from? Levy stopped walking and blinked twice because she was standing only a few feet apart from the very man she was thinking about right now. He was looking at her from head to feet with obvious surprise and she felt her heart beat up faster when his eyes met hers. He gave her one of his gorgeous smile as he came closer, the alluring scent of his after-shave drifting to her nose.

" Good evening, Miss Levy. You look astonishing. "

She forced herself to stay calm and smiled back:

" Thanks, you're not bad looking, neither. "

It wasn't a lie. He was looking extremely good in that suit and the fact he had tied his hair at his nape really helped. She imagined that he would look even better with longer hair if he kept them that way. At least, she knew she would love to see him grow them longer.

She realized what she was thinking about and gave herself a mental slap. It wasn't good, at this rate, inner Mirajane would win. Enough blushing and ogling, she needed to concentrate or else, she would fail. He looked good but only as a guy. Nothing else.

They made their way to the palace where a few hundreds of other guests where already partying. Over the huge double doors, the hallway was as big as a cathedral and another set of huge doors brought them to the ballroom. The room was filled with people that all looked prim and proper, the women wearing ball gowns that made them look like colorful bells. There was a stage with an orchestra playing a waltz, in the middle of the room, couples were dancing while others were at the sides, chatting and smiling. Among the crowd, waiters were walking around with glasses of champagne on plates. It really looked like those fairy tales princesses stories.

Seeing the dancers, Levy stressed out a bit. She had obviously not thought about that part.

" Um, I know it's a bit late to tell you that but I can't dance. "

Gazille's head bent down ( not as much as he would normally, thanks to her heels ) to be able to talk to her over the music.

" Don't worry, it's not very complicated. I must admit, even I am not much of a dancer. "

That comment made her frown slightly: if he wasn't good at dancing neither, why would he bring them to a ball? Was there another reason? She didn't have time to ponder on that detail for long because she received a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and the writer and her toasted.

" To a successful life filled with inspiration, fun jobs, pleasant company... and exploding motorcycles. "

The bluenette chuckled as she hit her glass with his. They both drank, the bubbly liquid tickled her tongue.

" I could repair it again, if you want. "

He shook his head, a smirk on his lips.

" I wouldn't mind as long as I'm not the one testing it. "

" Aw, come on. You survived. "

They were chatting near the bar for a while when Gazille looked through the crowd as if he was looking for someone. She tried to follow his gaze but she couldn't spot anyone she knew. He brought his mouth next to her ear:

" Please, forgive me for a moment, there is something I need to check. I'll be right back. "

She nodded, watching him disappear in the sea of humans. There was a lot of notorious people among the guests, she guessed that he must have recognized someone he knew. He was so cultivated, it wasn't surprising that he had connections with high-ranked people. Something that she definitively didn't have. When she thought about it, it was amazing: they came from totally different worlds and yet, they went along so well.

The party was fun and she thought that her plan was also going perfectly. Yeah, she had felt the butterflies when she had seen him but it was to be expected. The guy was good-looking and she did feel exposed when he had checked her out. She was pretty sure she would have reacted the same if it had been Jet or Droy seeing her like that. Inner Mirajane disagreed with her but the short woman just ignored her and kept drinking.

The writer had been gone for a good five minutes already and she was tired of waiting. She decided to go see him, just in case he would have gotten lost somewhere or got in trouble, like he too often did. She walked along the wall until she saw an entrance to a huge hallway with white walls decorated with colorful paintings. There was no one there except the man accompanying her, standing at the corner of the hallway and the next, his back turned to her. The way he was standing there, it seemed he was trying to not be seen by someone standing further away.

Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she made her way to the tall man but he was so engrossed in whatever he was doing he didn't even hear her coming. It wasn't until she touched his arm that he turned around and saw her. Before he could talk, she bent her head toward the other hallway to see who he was looking at. Not too far away, three men were deep in conversation, the first one was fat and unknown to her but the other two were familiar.

" Sugarboy and Hughes... What are they doing here, after everything they did? "

Gazille explained in a low voice as she stepped back behind him:

" The man with them is the new minister of public relations. I didn't hear much of what they were discussing but I'm sure it's something that will interest the newspaper editor. "

Those words stunned Levy for a second. So that was the reason he had invited her to this charity ball, he was looking for a scoop. There wasn't any other reasons. Strangely, she wasn't as glad about that news as she expected herself to be. Instead of feeling proud for proving to Inner Mirajane that she had been right all along, she was slightly... frustrated? Was it possible that a tiny tiny part of her... wanted the mental version of the barmaid to be right?

She shook her head. No. Impossible. It was the champagne fizzing her common sense.

" Levy, are you alright? "

She lifted her gaze to meet his, he was looking concerned. She must have looked silly shaking her head and frowning for no particular reasons.

" Nah, I'm fine, " she answered with a forced smile. It was difficult to smile, strangely.

" Are you sure? "

He was obviously not believing her. She mentally cursed his accurate sense of observation, right now, she really didn't feel like explaining what was going on in her head. She was already having a hard time understanding it herself...

It seemed like he wanted to say more but incoming footsteps warned them that the trio was coming their way. Levy didn't really like the idea of being caught eavesdropping on two ex ( or not so ex ) Fairy Tail haters so Gazille and her turned heels and made their way back to the ballroom. Unfortunately, her shoes were quite noisy and if she was to run, not only she would give them away but she had a high chance of just falling flat on her face. The writer kept looking around, his eyes seemingly looking for a solution to their dilemma. At this pace, they wouldn't make it back in time.

Levy's eyes landed on her partner and, call it instinct or whatever, she was struck by a crazy idea. She grabbed Gazille by the tie and pulled him to the closest wall, trapping herself between the wall and the man. She pulled the tie down toward her, making his head follow until his lips crashed against hers, muffling any protests he was about to make. With his hands against the wall, on both side of her head, she felt him freeze on the spot for a second before he came closer and lowered his hands until they rested on her waist. He returned the kiss without fail, the movement of his lips brushing against hers sending a wave of fire through all of her limbs. Her free hand traveled from his chest to the back of his neck, making his body shiver slightly. Her own heart was beating so fast she could feel her pulse on her temple.

Their mouths danced in a slow pace, gradually making the small woman lose contact with anything else. His touches were modest but they still sent electric waves everywhere inside her, making her knees wobble and the butterflies in her belly move around as if they were on speed. He moved closer to her, pushing her gently against the wall and tipping her head back in the process, making the kiss deeper. She barely held back a moan at that.

She couldn't speak for the afro-haired man but she didn't clearly register exactly when the three men passed by them or if they seemed to recognize them in any way. She thought she heard one of them chuckle:

" Ah, isn't love a beautiful thing? "

" They should, like, totally get a room, "

It didn't take long before they were gone, resuming their talk as if nothing of importance had happened. After waiting a couple of seconds, to be safe, Levy tentatively opened her eyes and gently pressed a hand on Gazille's chest, giving him the cue to step back at a more suitable distance. The moment his lips were gone, she felt the terrible urge to step forward and claim them again, which made Inner Mirajane squeal like a fangirl. The bluenette was like in a trance, not really realizing that she should be denying the voice or the feeling, until she noticed her warm cheeks burning her face.

Way to go, girl, said Inner Mirajane with what would be a smug face. How do you explain that, now?

Wait. It wasn't what it looked like. She hadn't kissed him for real. It wasn't like that!

" Nice save. "

Gazille's voice brought her back from her mental conflict, bringing a light of hope in her fight against her enemy. She smiled smugly at the writer, as if she had just won the war:

" Sure was, uh? Good thing I'm here to save your butt, again, ain't it? "

He gave her a look that she couldn't exactly describe then the corner of his mouth twitched before he finally closed his eyes and made a little smile:

" Indeed. "

Ha ha. Take that, Inner Twit! It didn't mean shit! Even Gazille said so.

" Now what? " She asked, feeling full of energy. " Wanna follow them? "

The tall man sighed as he looked in the direction of the ballroom:

" Honestly, I don't know. They would probably recognize us if we went near them and it wouldn't be possible to make it look coincidental a second time. "

Levy watched him, he seemed to be lost in thoughts. She supposed that he was deceived he didn't get better information out of them. Seeing him like that made her feel bad for him, she tried to cheer him up:

" Hey, don't make that face, " she said with a light smile and a little punch on his arm, " you'll get them, eventually. You always do. "

Gazille looked at her, his ruby eyes fixing her brown ones as if they held the answer to the origin of the universe. She gave him her most honest smile, the kind even her guild mates thought didn't exist, and that was enough to make him happy again.

" You are right. Thank you, Miss Levy. "

She made a gesture with her hand that meant to not mention it.

" Ready to call it a night? "

He grinned as he offered her his elbow, which she took good heartedly:

" Not quite. We haven't danced yet. "

" Dance? I thought you said you couldn't dance. "

" No, I said I wasn't much of a dancer. That means I'll probably only squish your toes once or twice. "

" Tch, you're so much trouble, you know that? " she told him in mock seriousness, gladly accepting his offer anyway. She didn't hear Inner Mirajane for the rest of the night, too busy enjoying herself in a way she hadn't done in a long time.

End notes: hehehe its always funny when Levy have a fight against her own conscience :3 if I don't get the next chapter until then, Merry Christmas to you all :D