As early morning light began to peek through the guild's windows, Levy rolled her head up from the table. Natsu was snoring loudly on the floor nearby, with Happy snoozing under his arm. Gray slouched limply over the bar with his fist still gripping a half-empty mug. Juvia sat a few feet away from him. She smiled quickly at Levy, then turned back to watch Gray sleep.
Lucy was nowhere to be found, as the celestial spirit mage had wisely gone home around midnight. As Levy looked around the guild, her sister was not in sight either.
Levy's brow furrowed as she slowly rose from the table and struggled to focus. It wasn't that she had drunk too much, but it was rare she slept in the guild, especially in such an uncomfortable position. She had fallen asleep waiting for her sister's regalement to end. Now, she wondered where Reya was and why she hadn't thought to wake Levy before she'd left.
Stepping over a few more passed-out mages, she made her way to the guild doors. She winced at the sudden wall of sunlight but quickly adjusted. She crossed the courtyard to the street and rolled her shoulders to loosen them before stepping towards home.
A large dark figuring came jogging into view from the left.
He had hoped a jog would clear his head. Yesterday had been awful, to say the least, and he hoped Reya McGarden would be gone soon. Her presence in the guild, though slightly intriguing, was also incredibly irritating. He hadn't anticipated the levels of her popularity, as last night she was the star attraction. He had watched her all night and listened to her admittedly impressive stories. She was a fierce little woman, taking on men twice her size, infiltrating dark guilds and obliterating her foes from within their own minds.
Gajeel did not enjoy her arrogance though. She knew how tough she was, and she didn't seem to be afraid of anything.
What he had the hardest time wrapping his head around was how she and Levy could possibly be related. They were polar opposites. Levy was quiet, smart, conservative. Her sister was loud, brash, and aggressive. They even looked like a light and dark version of the same person. And their magic was so different. Levy could make objects appear from thin air, while Reya could make memories vanish from inside a person's head.
Or insert them.
He shuddered. He'd never be able to look Natsu in the eye again, not that he found a need to look at the dimwit much to begin with. The memory she implanted felt so real; he could feel it in his heart, his skin, his nerves. A raw pulsating, unholy yearning. And then, it was gone, like a bad dream. Gajeel was grateful no one else had seen into his brain. He'd never live it down.
As he approached the guild, he slowed. He could see that particular shade of blue hair from a mile away. He nervously glanced around for a trace of purple but saw none. He decided to brave it and jogged up to Levy.
"Good morning, Gajeel," Levy said groggily, rubbing her eyes.
"Mornin', shorty," he huffed, looking her over. "What are you doing coming out of the guild this time of day?"
She shook her head, grinning a little.
"I don't know," she sighed. She smiled up him, squinting in the bright sunshine.
"Your sister passed out in there?" Maybe he'd go draw on her face or something.
Levy shook her head again, frowning a bit this time.
"I don't know where she went. Maybe she stumbled home and forgot about me, so I'm just gonna go there."
Gajeel smirked and tapped her on the head.
"Come on, shorty," he said gruffly. "I'll walk you home."
Before she could protest, he started towards her apartment, forcing her to follow.
They walked a bit in silence before Levy woke up enough to speak.
"I'm sorry about yesterday, Gajeel. About Reya," she said, looking at the sky.
"Tch, no big deal," he replied, trying hard not to think about it.
"I don't know exactly what she put in your head, but I have an idea. It's one of her favorite tricks to play," she told him.
"Not gonna lie, shorty- your sister pissed me off. But I'm gonna let it go," he smiled wickedly at her. "This time."
Levy didn't notice the way he was looking at her; she was too busy watching the town wake up along with her.
He watched her from the corner of his eye as they continued up the hill to her apartment. While he relished the quiet lull between them, he sort of wished he had something to say. Levy was always spouting off interesting things: quotes from books, facts about magic, poetry in ancient languages. She could be fascinating at times, and she had such a nice voice, like a little tinkly bell.
"You know, in a funny way," she suddenly chirped, breaking his thoughts. "You remind me of my sister."
"What?!" he snorted. She couldn't be serious!
Levy giggled, covering her mouth.
"I just mean, you two have a lot in common!" she clarified. "You're both strong and determined. You're both confident and stubborn. You both love to show off-"
"Excuse me?" Gajeel interrupted.
Levy gave him a playful smirk.
"You're both kind of intimidating," she said as she wiggled a finger at his face.
"Tch, I can't help it if people are afraid of me," he said, lifting his nose a bit into the air.
"I think you like it," Levy kidded as he glanced down at her. "Reya does too. You both like flexing your muscles."
"Oh, so you've been looking at my muscles, eh?"
"No! That's not what I meant!"
"Uh huh."
"Stupid Gajeel," Levy muttered, fighting the red hot blush creeping into her cheeks and walking a step behind.
"Come on, shorty. Keep up!"
A few minutes later, they arrived at Levy's apartment door. She unlocked it and peered into her apartment cautiously. No sign of Reya.
Gajeel peered over the top of Levy's head into the apartment; he'd never been there before and was curious to see how she lived. To be expected, there were stacks of books everywhere, often with a teacup resting precariously on top.
Her apartment was one large studio, save for the bathroom. The kitchen to the left was tidy but bare; a single dish on the counter next to a tea kettle. A small wooden table and four chairs sat near the kitchen area, with a small soft pink tablecloth draped over it. A book lay open on the table, and several pens spread about.
A brass double bed was pushed into the far right corner by one of two windows, the other being in the middle of the apartment in the living room area. The bed was unmade, a plush mess of white sheets and light pink comforters and lavender pillows, all trimmed with lace. An obviously old and overstuffed red armchair sat haphazardly in the middle of the room flanked by a side table and a tall floor lamp. At its feet, a large, worn grey duffel bag.
A few framed photographs hung along the sparse walls, but otherwise, the apartment was unadorned. An article of clothing flung here, a satchel slouched there; and books and books and books.
It was almost exactly as he had imagined it.
"Not here, eh?" he determined, spooking Levy below him.
"I guess not," she said slowly, scrunching her face up as she pondered the possibilities.
Gajeel folded his hands over his head and exhaled dramatically.
"Oh well! Go get some sleep, shorty. You look like you need it," he teased.
"Gee, thanks," she muttered. "Well, thank you for walking with me."
He shrugged and turned to leave.
"She's not that bad, you know. Maybe you could give her another chance?"
He turned back to see her little heart-shaped face and hopeful hazel eyes. He nodded grudgingly, knowing full well why he would.
That face. That face got him every time.