Summary: Lily is a ladies man, but Gajeel is not.

Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail

Day 3: Lipstick

bombshell

"What. Is that."

"…Lipstick?"

"I know that, I ain't dumb! But why is it black?"

"What's wrong with black?"

Gajeel seemed to be scruntinising her lips, making Levy shift uncomfortably. "It's pretty weird, if ya ask me."

Levy glared. "I can wear whatever colour lipstick I want, Gajeel!"

"Calm down Shrimp, 'm just being honest," Gajeel shrugged, leaning back on the wooden seat.

"Well you have no tact, stupid Gajeel!" she huffed, fighting the steady reddening of her cheeks. Levy crossed her arms and frowned at the nonchalant man in front of her, before standing up and storming out of the guild.

Falling into a defeated slump, the iron dragon slayer could only watch her retreating figure, before turning back to his partner who had been silently observing on the sidelines. Meeting his partner's disapproving gaze, Gajeel could only grunt in displeasure. "Okay, okay, tell me what I did wrong this time, Lily."

"My guess is, she only used black lipstick because she thought you would like it," Lily calmly explains, reaching a paw to grab the cup of kiwi juice Kinana had brought over. "Thank you, Kinana. As I was saying, Gajeel, black is your favourite colour after all. She's just trying to match you, is all."

Gajeel scratched the back of his neck and stared. "But… why on the lips?"

Lily only blinked at his innocent question, choosing to focus on his kiwi juice instead. "You know Levy isn't particularly good or interested in make-up and beauty, but she's putting in an effort to match your whole… dark, brooding image."

"..."

"This is precisely why she said you have no tact, Gajeel. Even if you thought it was weird, you didn't have to embarrass her like that."

Lifting his feet and crossing them on the table, his metal studded eyebrows only seemed to pull down even more in his confusion. "I don't get what's the big deal, I ain't tryin' to embarrass her or anythin'. I wouldn't do that to her, ya know that."

"Sometimes you just have to watch what you say."

"How do I watch… never mind, I ain't interested in this shit." The atmosphere in the guild was way too suffocating and frustrating for Gajeel, who could almost physically feel the attention of the guild members on him after the whole fiasco. Grunting once more, he rose from his seat and ambled out the door, his aura one of confusedness and the usual annoyance.

"They're hopeless." Lily shook his head, lightly sipping on his delicious drink. "I think it's time to take things into my own ha- uh, paws." He nodded, wings sprouting from his back as his flew towards to bar. "Mirajane, do you happen to have…"

"Here's to not messin' up today, Lil'" Gajeel smirked, canines flashing as he knocked his tankard with Lily's glass of kiwi juice.

Lily sighed. "I don't think alcohol first thing in the morning is going to help you with that."

"I ain't Alberona! This is just a soft drink or somethin'. The Demon said 'twas on the house," he told him, raising his tankard in Mirajane's direction as thanks.

"Of course…" Lily mused, watching as Mirajane's smile seemed to widen a tad too much at Gajeel's good mood. "Of course she wouldn't sabotage our plan…"

"What did ya say?"

"Nothing, nothing."

It was then the guild doors burst open to welcome the next arrival, and Gajeel couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness as the familiar scent of old tomes hit his nostrils. There was something off about that scent however, as it was masked with a strong, musky almost sensual perfume, and the iron mage could only gulp as he shifted uneasily and how much it appealed to his strong olfactory system.

Preparing his heart, Gajeel took a deep breath and did a run through of his apology in his mind, before he finally felt ready face the source of the alluring scent.

Then he turned. And he saw her. And everything changed.

Suddenly everything seemed to make sense even for a one-track mind like his, and he understood just why she had gone through the trouble of applying black lipstick.

Because today she switched up the colours, and instead went for a true crimson shade that seemed to match Gajeel's own ruby eyes.

Her red lips curved up into a shy smile as their eyes met, and for the first time Gajeel noticed what make-up truly looked like on a girl.

Levy's eyes were lined with a thin layer of black, accentuated by the brown eyeshadow that aligned with the cat eye. Her eyelashes were curled and defined, with her naturally rosy cheeks amplified by the thin layer of blush. To make things worse, she was wearing an outfit reminiscent of that she used to wear when they first met, a black vest opened in the middle to reveal a bralet, with long, black skinny jeans.

It was the first time Gajeel ever thought her to be sexy.

He was out of his chair before Levy could even blink, and he easily lifted her up and brought them out from where she had just entered.

"Gajeel, what are you doing! Put me down!"

Gently lowering her down in an alleyway not far away from the guild, Gajeel could only feel increasingly disoriented as he stared at the deep red. Shaking his head to snap out of his daze, he instead decided to focus on her big, chestnut eyes, squinting as he attempted to channel his vision.

"Look Shrimp, 'm sorry about what I said yesterday." He started off, readying himself against a opponent almost half his size.

Surprisingly, the bluenette seemed to shy away from his incinerating gaze, her cheeks burning pink whether in response to his words or his stare, he wasn't sure, but Gajeel could barely believe that she could look so adorable even though she was dressed to be on the other end of the spectrum.

"Don't worry about it Gajeel, I was too sensitive as well. I'd like to thank you, though, because…" she breathed in. "Because I know now that I should dress up for myself, and not for you or anyone else."

She furrowed her brows in determination and glared up at him defiantly, her hands resting on her hips. The supposedly dangerous dragon slayer could only eye the short girl in front of him, feeling overwhelmed by her confidence despite his size and reputation.

"Ya better not do it for anyone else, Levy." He growled lowly, his arms reaching around her waist instinctively and all but slamming her light body against his. Levy's eyes widened just a fraction at both his actions and the rare call of her name, and she struggled to remain a calm façade despite both of them knowing that her heart rate had picked up in anticipation.

The predatory glare Gajeel had unknowingly fixed on her crimson lips had Levy simpering, and she took the initiative to loop her arms around his thick neck and pushing her full, parted lips against his pale ones.

The response was immediate and vigorous, and she replied to his enthusiasm by shoving him with her body, causing him to slam up against the opposite wall, all the while never breaking the kiss. Gajeel's hand slid up her bare waist, drawing circles on her ribcage and eliciting a delighted hum, while she tugged on his wild raven hair.

Levy smirked into the rough kiss, her tongue darting out to lick at her boyfriend's bottom lip, before she lightly sank her teeth into the soft flesh. Her amusement was a smug one as his eyes instantly flung open and he pulled away, fierce garnet irises meeting her teasing chestnut hue.

Gajeel rubbed a hand across his lips and stared at the resulting red stain on his hand, his mouth curling into a wide grin. Flicking his gaze from her eyes to her now smudged lipstick, he could only snicker in appreciation.

"Gihi, I think I'll have to change my favourite colour."