Jet and Droy will do literally anything for me.
Just like everyone will do anything for Mira.
Levy woke up abruptly to the sound of her alarm, looking around confusedly. She didn't remember falling asleep. Maybe that's why she woke up on the pile of now dry books she had on strewn out on her desk. Getting up, she strode over to her nightstand and shut off her alarm. She only got about two and a half hours of sleep and was not interested in making herself look even slightly appealing. All she had to do was get through this test, and she was free to do whatever she wanted for the rest of the weekend. Honestly, who schedules a test on a Friday, anyway?
She strode out of her apartment in a pair of black yoga pants and an orange tank top with a gray jacket over it. Her blue hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, and she wore her comfy, beat-up tennis shoes. She waddled down the stairs with great effort from her heavy book bag, stopping in the lobby to set it down and bend over to readjust the strap.
"Cute outfit, shorty," a familiar voice said behind her.
"Why do you keep running into me?" she asked, knowing who it was without having to look. Once she was finished, she heaved her bag on her shoulder again, and turned around to have her theory confirmed. It was none other than Gajeel Redfox.
"Technically you're the one that physically runs into me, so I could ask you the same question," he said, sipping a water bottle. He wore dark blue athletic shorts, a black tank top, and a pair of gray and black tennis shoes. He also had a gym bag tossed over his shoulder.
"Going to the gym to further enhance your douche status?" Levy asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"You checkin' me out or something?" Gajeel asked in return, smirking.
"Psh, as if," Levy scoffed, turning away from him and beginning her stride to school once again.
"You look more ready for a workout than school," he called to her.
She whirled on him. "Well, maybe if someone hadn't soaked all of my books, I could have gotten a few more hours of sleep and actually gave a shit what I look like."
He chuckled. "You're cranky in the morning."
Levy groaned, pushing the door roughly to start walking to school again.
"I told you that you look cute!" he laughed after her, to which she rolled her eyes.
Honestly, why was he such a jerk? The owner allowed him to come to Fairy Tail and let him live in Fairy Hills, so shouldn't he be a little bit nicer to everyone. Levy sighed. The sooner this test was over, the sooner she could go hang out with real friends…or take a nap. Nap sounded good.
XxX
"You're so smart, Levy-chan!" Droy cheered, pulling the little woman into a tight embrace. Hard not to be a tight hug when he's so big.
"You aced that test with almost no sleep at all!" Jet added, patting her shoulder.
"Thanks, you guys," Levy said, beaming at the two men.
The three of them were sitting poolside behind Fairy Tail, watching as several of the other members splashed around. It was a gorgeous day.
After Levy aced her test, she returned to her apartment and took a two hour nap before getting in the shower and cleaning up. She figured she deserved some nice relaxation time after studying so hard, so she lounged by the pool that Fairy Tail had put in behind their large building. Her two close friends, Jet and Droy, decided to join her.
"Man, if I see that punk Gajeel, I oughta clobber him," Jet grunted, grinding his fist into his thigh. "He's the reason you barely slept!"
"I agree, Jet!" Droy commented. "Although I think he could knock you out with one punch."
"I could stand my own against that guy! He's not that tough!"
"He'd knock you out before you had a chance to scream ow," Droy laughed, to which Levy snickered.
Jet growled. "Oh, like you stand more of a chance against him, tubby?"
"Who you calling tubby?" Droy yelled, springing to his feet rather quickly.
"Obviously not Levy, so who else is left?" Jet said, rising to his feet.
"When Gajeel gets here, we can just see who can defend Levy's honor!"
"Fine by me, tubby! I'll beat him for sure!"
"Guys!" Levy interjected. "No one has to defend my honor!"
The two ignored her, instead shouting that she definitely needed her honor defended and that each of them would be better suited to do it than the other. Then, they wound up tackling each other into the pool.
"You've got all the guys falling for you, huh?" Lucy giggled, taking a seat beside her blue-haired friend.
"Ugh, don't say it like that Lu-chan," Levy groaned, laying back against the grass.
"What's this about defending your honor?" Lucy asked.
"The whole Gajeel thing I texted you about earlier," the bluenette sighed, throwing her arm over her eyes to block out the sun. "What am I gonna do?"
"Just ignore him," Lucy said. "He's only picking on you because you bait him. Leave him alone and he'll get tired of it and leave you alone."
Levy sighed again. "I guess."
Lucy patted her friend's leg before standing up and walking back into Fairy Tail, saying she was going to get a drink.
Levy lay on her back for a few more minutes, and then sat up, watching Jet and Droy continue to splash each other. She really hoped the two men didn't try to confront Gajeel. No offense to either of them, but she knew they'd get their asses kicked, and she'd be the one to blame for her friends getting hurt. And then Gajeel would probably come after her for sending a squad to fight him.
Just then, the man in question walked out and sat in the shade of a tree, music playing in his ears. He had on a similar outfit to what he wore this morning when she ran into him. Mira walked out behind him and straight over to Levy.
"I'm sorry I sent Gajeel after you," the white-haired barmaid said, squatting next to Levy. "I really didn't want you to walk home alone and since he was headed that way too, I thought I'd give it a shot."
"Thanks for the concern, Mira, really," Levy said. "But, if there's a next time, please send someone a little more friendly."
"I know he has a hard exterior, but he really is a gentle soul," Mira said, gazing over at the man under the tree. "He writes music and works really hard at anything he does."
Levy scoffed. "If what he does is try to annoy me to no end, then you're right: he works really hard at it. Gentle soul? Not so much."
Mira shook her head. "Levy, maybe you should take the time to get to know him?"
"Why me?"
"Not just you! I'm trying to get everyone to be a little more welcoming to him and Juvia. The girls and even Gray and Natsu are taking to Juvia well, but no one seems to want anything to do with Gajeel."
"I've seen him talking to Natsu a couple of times," Levy told her, hugging her knees to her chest.
"He and Natsu have this kind of…bond that can't be explained. Same with Wendy," Mira explained. "Maybe you can just try to give him a chance?"
"I tried last night when he attempted to walk me home," Levy said. "He dropped my books in a puddle and called me a crazy shrimp. And he's done nothing but harass me since then."
"From what he told me, dropping your books was an accident, you hit him in the legs and knocked him over, and were nothing but hostile to him since."
"…Well…when you say it like that…"
"Levy, give him a real chance!" Mira encouraged. "Maybe if others see our sweet little bookworm talking to him, they'll try, too! Then he can actually be part of the family."
"And if it doesn't work?" Levy asked.
"Then you can say you gave it your best try, and we'll know Gajeel's true colors," Mira said, patting the bluenette on the back before she stood up and returned inside of the building.
Levy sighed and looked around. Jet and Droy were still splashing around in the pool, Lucy was now laughing at some argument that Natsu and Gray were having, Erza looked like she was about to attack both of them, and Wendy was pretending she didn't know any of them. With as much courage as she could muster, the small woman stood up and strode over to the dark figure under the tree, taking a seat next to him.
Gajeel cocked a pierced eyebrow at her, pulling an earbud out. "Can I help you?"
"Sorry," Levy grumbled, avoiding eye contact.
"For sitting?"
"For hitting you and calling you a douche and…well, whatever else I might have said to annoy you."
A silence fell between them.
"Alright," he said, moving to put his earbud back in.
Levy caught his arm. "So you forgive me?"
"For what?" Gajeel asked. "Hitting me? Yeah, sure, whatever."
Levy bit her lip, counting to three before speaking again. "I mean for everything. You know, everything that I just apologized for?"
"I just figured you were being your normal, crazy self," he shrugged, going to put his earbud in again. She grabbed him again.
"Woah, woah. I am not crazy."
"You do nothing but read, you harass people that try to help you, and you hang out with Bunny Girl, and well…them." He gestured over to Jet and Droy still splashing at each other in the pool. They both looked very winded. "I'd say you're about a seven out of ten on the crazy scale."
"I'm here trying to give you a chance, and you're saying I'm crazy?"
"Pretty much."
Levy grabbed his headphone chord and yanked it away from him, effectively pulling his other earbud out.
"And then you do shit like that," he growled, narrowing his eyes at her.
"If anyone is crazy, it's you!" she exclaimed. "You don't talk to anyone, and when you do, it's never anything remotely nice!"
"It's not like any of them are lining up to be my new best friend!" he yelled back. "I don't need it!"
"I'm trying, here!"
"Well, you're doing a pretty shitty job!"
"Levy!" Jet and Droy called, snapping the two out of their argument. They were scrambling out of the pool to rush to her aid. That's when the pair noticed that everyone stopped what they were doing and were all staring at them.
"Now look," Gajeel grumbled, snatching his headphones back from her, rising to his feet. Levy waited until everyone redirected their attention and then followed his lead.
Jet and Droy were now standing in front of them, panting.
"What are you doing to Levy?" Jet accused, glaring at Gajeel.
"More like what is she doing to me?" Gajeel muttered, looking down at the bluenette.
"Guys, it's no big deal," Levy said, trying to calm the two men down. "We were just talking. He even apologized for everything he did to me!"
"What?" Gajeel choked.
"Just go with it," Levy whispered to him, to which he rolled his eyes.
"Good!" Droy chimed in. "But nobody hurts our Levy and gets away with it!"
"Hurt?" Gajeel asked.
"Your Levy?" Levy questioned next.
Jet charged, aiming his fist at Gajeel's jaw, but Gajeel swiftly side stepped it, and pushed him away. Jet lost his footing and tumbled to the ground. While they watched Jet fall, Droy came up behind Gajeel and tried to restrain him until Jet could recompose himself. Levy, having enough of all this, attempted to pry Droy's arms away from Gajeel, who didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight.
"I don't want to hurt you," she could hear Gajeel grumble.
"Levy, back up!" Jet called, finally rising to his feet again.
"Jet, stop!" she yelled, putting herself between Jet and Gajeel.
Gajeel managed to elbow Droy hard enough in the stomach to knock the wind out of him and get him to release his hold. As Jet charged, Gajeel grabbed Levy by the waist and hoisted her up, dodging the quickly approaching Jet in the process.
"Don't touch her!" both of the men exclaimed.
"Both of you cut it out!" Levy exclaimed, stepping in front of Gajeel once he put her down.
"But Levy," Droy stammered, regaining some of his breath.
"We're fine now," Levy said. "Everything is cool, and you guys are really overreacting."
The two men scowled at Gajeel.
"Walk away," Levy told them, and the two backed up and headed toward the pool again. Once they were out of earshot, she turned to Gajeel and said, "I'm really sorry."
"One of your little man servants broke my headphones," Gajeel stated, holding up the item. One of the plastic pieces was dangling awkwardly away from the other ones.
"I'm really sorry," Levy apologized again.
"People do stupid things when they're in love," Gajeel shrugged, brushing himself off. "So it's not totally your fault."
"Love?" Levy asked, raising and eyebrow.
"Please tell me you know that those two buffoons are in love with you," he sighed.
"Well, yeah, I-I guess I knew," Levy said, focusing her attention on her feet.
"Must be a tough decision," he chuckled. "They're both idiots."
"Only I get to call them that," she said, snapping her attention back to him. It like he was staring into her soul. "And no, there's no decision."
"Gonna shoot them both down?" he asked.
She nodded, looking back at the pool where the pair of men was still watching them.
"Good," he laughed. "I don't think either of them can handle your amount of crazy."
So they were back to that? "I'm not crazy!"
"Whatever, shrimp," he said, patting her head and stepping past her.
"I'm not!" she called after him, stamping her foot.
Development! Woo! Stay tuned for more of Levy's entries in her guide to the universe!