It took a little longer than Sarusuke would have liked; though Master Makarov was always supportive, it was anywhere from months to over a year before their older guildmates started taking the children seriously as a true guild team versus a cute little 'club' or the like. It was indeed rare they get anything they'd consider a "real" job for quite a while.

But now four years had passed, and while the teens were still a long way from being Fairy Tail's best, they had at least begun making a real name for themselves. No longer did any among the guild doubt the merit of Shadow Gear, as they'd started calling themselves.

Moreover, a lot of teams- even some not much older than them- were still a lot stronger, but Sarusuke- or "Jet", rather, as most people now called him- was certain that none could match them in terms of sheer team chemistry.

Laxus, for instance, could probably take on at least two other teams by himself. And then there were the nerdy kids he used to play roleplaying games with. (Laxus would always deny this, of course, but Levy swore there had been at least one or two occasions when he'd come to check her library for a spare rulebook, and Fried occasionally slipped and dropped his name when he and Levy would study together). But surprisingly enough, they were actually becoming very impressive wizards. Evergreen had gone from "that girl who insisted she was a real life fairy and only joined the guild for the name" a few years back to "that girl who can turn you to stone with a glance". Fried and Bixlow's magics were even scarier. Put together, they were already one of the strongest teams in the guild ranging a mere 18 to 21 years of age, and they'd probably only continue to grow stronger. But as close as they were, they were always getting on each other's nerves.

Shadow Gear, though? Each of their powers alone could be pretty limited, and one may not think they necessarily complimented each other all that well, either. But through sheer determination and their level of mental synchronization, they pulled through jobs that should have been way out of their league. To everyone's surprise- including that of Levy and Droy- the team who had formed based on a "sure I guess" had perservered through all doubts and become incredibly close in the process.

Perhaps a little too close for Levy McGarden.

Today was the day before the annual Cherry Blossom Festival of X782, and Levy and Droy sat in a corner table in the guild hall as most of their guildmates were making preparations, drinking, or brawling. Meanwhile, Levy was reading, and Droy seemed lost in thought.

Eventually, Jet joined them with a bowl of noodles in hand. Had to keep up his carb intake, after all! To everyone's relief, he'd calmed down a lot in recent years, channeling all his energy into his magic, though he still had little moments here and there, and he was no less optimistic. "Hey guys~" he chimed, sliding into the rounded booth next to Levy. "You excited for tomorrow?"

Levy set her book down to acknowledge him, but shrugged. "I guess so." It was always a fun event, but it wasn't as though she hadn't been every year. Of course, this year in particular, there was...

"You think anyone'll invite us to the dance?" Droy asked, a hint of sulk in his voice. If Jet had to guess, he'd say his friend was a little disappointed that no one had done so already.

Jet shrugged as he ate. "I kun reh-" Right. Food. He swallowed and corrected, "I can't really think of anyone who might, but you never know." With that in mind, though, his eyes moved to the cutest girl in the guild, who happened to be sitting between himself and Droy. Seeing as they said nothing through his next few mouthfuls, he finally took a deep breath for courage and tried to sound casual as he asked, "..What about you, Levy?"

Droy suddenly became more attentive as a subtle sense of dread began building in him. He'd always suspected it would come to this, but...

Meanwhile, Levy seemed to be snapping out of some trance. "Hm, what?"

"Has anyone asked you yet?" Jet asked.

Levy's cheeks colored a bit, but she replied, "Ah, no, they haven't. B-but you know. I'm pretty quiet, I doubt many people notice me." The words were almost chimed, and certainly in good humor, but the laugh that followed was just a little nervous. In truth, someone had approached Levy that morning with what she suspected may have been that intent, but she'd run away before they could ask, so technically she wasn't lying.

Neither Jet nor Droy were quite sure what to make of that laugh, but the prior laughed along anyway. "I doubt that." Breathe. Keep breathing. He'd been looking for this opportunity for almost four years; he couldn't back out now. ...Though it still didn't hurt to be safe. "Do ah... do you have anyone in mind?"

Levy's own breathing paused for just a moment before she forced it to continue, actively holding it back from speeding up. As a matter of fact... But no. No, she couldn't. It was far too difficult to explain. "Not really.." she white-lied with a smile.

A sound like a particularly incessant woodpecker kicked up as Jet fought his nerves, tapping his foot under the table. "R-really?" Keep going, man. You can do this.

A certain fear flared up in Levy.

"B-because." C'mon..

Please, no.

Deep breath. "Y'know, I've always thought you were amazing."

Here it comes, Droy thought in defeat.

No, no.. Levy bit her lip.

"Ever since we were kids. You're brilliant-" taptaptap, no.. "-and beautiful..." Taptaptap, no... "That's uh.. actually why I asked you to join the team. I know it must've seemed random, but.. it wasn't, and.." His tapping picked up pace as he convinced himself he was imagining the uncomfortable looks on his teammates faces. It was just paranoia. He had to get through it. "What I'm trying to say is-" taptaptaptaptaptap!? No, no, no! "I really like you, Levy, and I was wondering if-"

"NO!" Levy shrieked before he could even finish, hands immediately flying to her mouth in horror.

Jet went cold, and for a moment he honestly had to check to make sure he hadn't been hit by some errant Ice Make Arrows. No. No that really was just the sting of rejection.

"I- I have to go," Levy blurted, looking to her left and right in frustration before giving up and ducking under the table, then making a beeline for the door.

"She..." Jet sat still stunned.

"She..." Droy watched after her with very mixed feelings. Sarusuke was always the 'leader' in the two's friendship, at least from where he stood. He was the positive one, the outgoing one, the one whose talent people actually took an interest in if only when it was useful. Everyone loved a good race, but no one came running to see a gardening competition. ...Ha. Running. Even there.

So of course he'd always sort of assumed that Jet would be the one to win Levy's heart. But if she just rejected him...

"...H-.. Hey."

Jet looked up, seeming almost confused.

"I uh.. I know this probably isn't the best time, but... You do know I always...?" Words died, but it seemed they weren't needed.

With a self-pitying laugh and a forced half-smile, his best friend nodded. "Yeah... I kinda wanted to pretend you didn't but.. I know. Serves me right I guess."

Droy grimaced; he hadn't quite meant it like that, but..

"Go get her, man. If I have to lose her to anyone..." Well, he could hardly think of anyone he'd mind less.

With a smile mixing hope and sympathy, the green mage nodded. "Thanks, Sarusuke." With that, he ran to try to catch the girl of their dreams.

"Good luck, bro..." Jet rasped as he watched him leave, eyes a bit moist. Moving his unfinished meal aside, he let his face meet the table and just sort of stayed like that for the next few hours. ...Heh. Levy forgot her book. ...Sigh.

-

Outside, Droy tried to figure out which direction the little bluenette had gone. Dammit all, yet another time Jet's magic would be more useful than his. But that was fine. She rejected him. Droy had a chance, and he had to take it.

Now where- He suddenly stopped as he thought he heard a whimper. Was- it was! Just ahead, he could barely make out the edge of a familiar shape behind a tree. "Levy!" he called.

A gasp escaped the girl. Oh no.

Finally catching up to her, Droy wasn't even sure himself if he was being cautious or reckless; he just knew he needed to act. "Hey, are you okay?" She did look like she'd just escaped something horrific.

The question seemed to calm her to an extent though. "Oh. Uh.. Yeah. I'm fine." It wasn't her most convincing voice, but she was getting there.. Sort of.. "Sorry about that, I.. don't know what came over me."

Huh? ..No, he shouldn't worry about it, he just had to... "L-Levy, listen."

That air of panic came flodding back.

"Since you turned down Jet, I was wondering if maybe-"

A distressed sound escaped the girl. "No, no, no, NO!" she cried in frustration before bolting once again.

Droy watched after her, feeling crushed but not especially surprised. He supposed it had been foolish to get his hopes up. Damn, he really hoped this didn't hurt their team.. For all that he never thought it would last, it had become the most important thing in his life. He was an idiot to have ever threatened that, and he was certain Jet was feeling the same.

Ugh.. He'd need to let Jet know how this went, too. ...Later, though. For now... just... He let out a long sigh, and sat under the tree Levy had stopped under. He just... needed a bit. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular. Thinking was for a later time. Right now, just... rest...

-

As Levy finally made it home, pushing her way past several of the other girls in Fairy Hills without acknowledgement, her head was swimming with similar concerns. What have I done, what have I done... They were both going to be heartbroken. This was the opposite of what she wanted. What if they don't want me on the team anymore? She loved Shadow Gear. She wasn't sure what she'd do without it.

As she shut her bedroom door behind her, her thoughts started turning to anger. ...They wouldn't dare. If either of them had the sheer audacity to even suggest-! Even if Sarusuke did say he'd invited her to the team due to his feelings, surely they were mature enough that their friendship and team chemistry was built on something more substantial than the hope of dating her! If either of them dared to think for a moment that they could kick her out just because-

Levy pushed several recent books aside to make enough room to throw herself onto her bed, screaming into a pillow.

And with that release, she felt her anger fading again as well. She wanted to stay mad at them; that would make it a lot easier. But to do that would be to pretend that any of this was anyone's fault but her own. Certainly, she didn't ask for either of them to like her in that way, but...

With a heavy sigh, the girl made up her mind. She had to tell them, even if it cost her her spot on the team. It would be hard to cope, but giving them the wrong idea was worse.

...Tomorrow, though. Right now, she just felt drained. Sleep... Sleep sounded wonderful.

-

The day of the festival was upon them, and the guild was feeling as festive as always. Cana was preparing to dominate a drinking contest, which she may or may not have instigated herself. Natsu and Gray set aside a current fight as they arrived, though they'd find reasons to pick it up several times throughout the night. Erza and Mirajane, meanwhile, had agreed today's competition would be carried out in the form of carnival games, while Elfman was determined to win as many prizes as he could for Mira and Lisanna, who in turn spent much of the evening trying to get Natsu to dance with her. Had he known what would transpire in just a few weeks, he may have paid those efforts more attention, but no one could have known. No, today was a day for fun, whatever form it may have come in for a given person.

Shadow Gear, however, was not having fun. Jet and Droy were certainly trying, but it was a pitiful effort. Still, misery loved company, so keep each other company they did.

"This game is rigged.." Jet muttered, turning away from a booth.

"Wha'd'you expect?" asked Droy. Sighing, he asked, "You wanna get a drink?"

"It's kind of early..." That wasn't a no, per se, but... Eh, he didn't know.

As they considered where to go next, a small unexpected voice came from behind them. "Hhhhey guys.."

"Levy?" they asked in unison, spinning around with the same synchronization.

The little bookworm behind them didn't make eye contact, blushing as she stared at their feet instead. "Can uh... Can we talk?"

A silence fell between them, though all around them carnival sounds enthused right on, creating some dissonance in the mood.

Just as Levy was about to give up, Droy broke the silence. "L-look. I'm sorry about-"

"Me too," Jet interrupted without really meaning to.

"D-don't be-" she tried to say.

"No, really. It was totally-"

"We should have-"

With a more determined voice, Levy looked up to them through tears and repeated firmly, "Can we talk?"

"Uhh..." started Jet.

"Sure..." finished Droy.

"Somewhere private.." she added meekly.

They nodded in unison, then headed out to the edge of the fairgrounds. Stopping behind the farthest building, neither boy was sure what to expect. Each still worried she wanted nothing to do with them now, but why go so out of her way just to say that?

"So... What's up..?" Jet forced out. Though he tried to remain calm, his fingers tapping at light speed at his side betrayed his nerves. That was one thing Droy never envied about his bro.

Levy's heart was beating a million miles an hour, and she was relatively certain that if she tried she could just melt into the ground and hide there forever. But the time for hiding was over. She needed to get this out in the open.

"I'm sorry..." she whimpered.

"For what?" Jet countered immediately.

Droy was equally flustered. "You didn't do anything wrong." Levy didn't feel any better; in fact, she ached more.

"He's right! Like hey, it sucks but it's not your fault-" No, no.

"Yeah, if you don't like us you just do-"

"I DO," she blurted desperately, the tears she'd held at the corners of her eyes for so long finally escaping.

Again a silence fell, more confused than the last. "...What?" "Huh?"

"I like you," Levy sobbed, eyes moving from one to the other, to the ground and back. "I like-" Words died in the wake of several sharp inhales before she forced herself to continue. "I like both of you. I'm so.. so sorry.." She turned her back to them, barely resisting the urge to lean on the wall. "I can't- I can't help it. And I don't- I would never be able to choose between you, and I didn't want to hurt you, but then I went and-" She broke, crying harder. A few more words may have followed, but they were incoherent gibberish at this point.

The boys were both stunned by the revelation, such that even Jet had gone still. It was a lot to process, and neither was entirely sure what to think, but one thought persisted above all others for the both of them. ...She likes me.

The girl's crying continued, with an off sob occasionally sounding like 'sorry'.

"You really..." Droy started hesitantly, "...do like me? ...In that way?"

A pained Levy half-turned back around, looking over her shoulder as though she were afraid to actually face either. A small sound escaped her, but she couldn't seem to make a real word out of it, so she instead nodded. Then, after a moment, she managed a "But..." Her eyes trailed to Jet for a moment, then to the ground once more.

"You also like me..." Jet stated for her. "In... the same way.. Is.. that right?"

Levy's eyes moved up to both again, this time pleading for forgiveness. She must seem so selfish, and she wouldn't blame them if they both hated her for it.

She was not at all prepared, then, to find herself suddenly sandwiched between two wizards who both wore a combination of grins and tears. It seemed that once again their mental synchronization was unnaturally powerful.

"We love you, Levy," Jet spewed, scarcely able to contain his relief and joy. The girl's face flushed deeper.

"No matter what," Droy added with a nod, his own voice shaking.

A little muffled from the group hug, Levy managed to ask, "You're... not upset...?" Both boys shook their heads. "But I..." She breathed deeply, finally beginning to calm at least her body, though her thoughts were still quite scattered. "I still can't... choose..." Surely they wouldn't.. do something stupid like compete or leave things to chance...

Jet sighed, still grinning. "Well... that's not ideal," he admitted. "Never what I imagined growing up, anyway. You, Droy?"

The other man shook his head. "No..." But he was smiling gently all the same.

"I'd love to have you all to myself," the runner went on, though his tone said that wasn't all there was to it. "But.. That would hurt you, wouldn't it..." It wasn't so much a question.

Levy looked up to him, acknowledging, but questioning more than answering.

"I wouldn't be a very good lover if I could ever ask you to do something so painful in good conscience. And.." A half a chuckle escaped him. "I guess if I had to share with anyone..."

Droy let out a small laugh of his own as he recognized the sentiment as similar to the previous day's. Really, though, he supposed he had to agree. "Aye..." ... That definitely hadn't been influenced by Happy. "I could share.. so long as it means I can have you."

Levy's tears were flowing in full force once more, but this time from joy. "Guys... I... I..."

"Wha'd'you say, Levy?" asked Jet. "Would you go out with us?"

"Hey," Droy protested slightly- but to Jet stealing the ask, not the sentiment behind it.

The girl broke into a laugh of self-pity, wondering for a moment why she had been so afraid to have this conversation, and wondering for much longer how she had gotten so incredibly lucky to have two such wonderful, devoted young men.

"I didn't think it was that funny..." Jet mock-pouted, causing her to laugh harder.

Finding words again escaped her- ironic, considering her magic- Levy opted for action, standing up on her toes to plant a quick kiss on Jet's cheek, then another on Droy's. She reached out then to put an arm around each and return the group hug.

Droy was just a little irked to have been 'beaten' by Jet yet again, but realistically he realized kissing them at the same time would have been... awkward, if even possible. And that she even had kissed him was something he'd not at all been expecting when he woke up this morning; he certainly wasn't going to get bent out of shape over a matter of seconds. On the contrary, even with that minor annoyance in the back of his mind, he found he couldn't stop smiling. "Is that a yes?"

Levy laughed again and hugged them tighter. At last, she breathed out a small, "Yeah..." Their hearts both soared. This was unexpected. It would take some getting used to. But... Levy. It was more than worth it.

A thought occurred to her then, causing her smile to fade in favor of an ever-deeper blush. "...Ah. Y-y'know guys... Romantic relationships with teammates are frowned upon as it is..." Heaven knew what anyone would think of this little arrangement.

Jet gave a hearty laugh as both of them finally broke away. "You say that like Shadow Gear's ever cared what anyone else thought!"

Levy found herself sweating a bit. "Uh..." She.. kind of cared. In general, but especially about this. She was surprised enough that they'd accepted her feelings, and she just... really didn't want anyone else's judgement getting in the way. Worse, there was the risk the Master might want them to work on separate teams if anyone started to suspect their feelings might compromise a mission. Makarov had never been the strictest Master a guild could have, but if their guildmates started talking and called enough attention to it...

"He's right, you know," Droy agreed.

Levy sighed. "Look, guys.. That's really sweet, but.. promise you'll help me keep it a secret, okay? I don't want to risk the team..."

"Hm?" Jet thought on that, then sighed. "Ehhh.. All right."

Droy nodded, but then grinned. "Honestly, I doubt anyone would believe a girl like Levy would go for losers like us anyway."

Levy gave a laugh that was as amused as confused. "I wouldn't say it like that..."

Eyes turning back toward the festivities, Jet broke in, "Soooooo. There's still a dance tonight, right?"

"Hey, he's right." Droy reached out to take one of her hands, and Jet quickly followed suit with the other. "So Levy? Should Shadow Gear go together, 'as a team'?" He didn't quite motion the air quotes, but they were audible enough.

Levy gave her biggest smile, squeezing both their hands as she nodded. "That sounds fantastic~" she chimed. As they turned to head back, Levy called out, "Hey guys?"

"Sup?" came the unison reply.

"I love you~!" she all but sang, thrilled to say the words she never thought she could. And all of them knew, that 'you' was plural.

-

A/N: Yaaaaay~! ...Yes, I realize this chapter is over four times longer than the first. Sssh. Next chapter, we'll see a character shift- and a guild shift, for that matter. So we'll see how that goes~

As always, please review! :'D