The merrymaking was well under way by the time Gajeel arrived with Pantherlily. He made his way to his usual hidden table in the back, signaling to Mirajane for a drink.
Reya was standing on a table in the middle of the hall, using it as a stage and reenacting her 'battle' with the Iron Dragon Slayer. Of course, her version of the events was a bit skewed.
"…and then I spun around and kneed him in the groin, taking him down in one swift motion!"
"Oy! That did not happen!" he yelled over the laughter of the crowd but Reya ignored him and went on.
"He begged for mercy. Tears in his eyes, flat on his back, he asked me to please please please not tell anyone how easily I broke him," she declared dramatically. "I pitied him, but of course… I can't lie to all of you, my dear friends!"
She and the crowd howled with laughter, Gajeel scowling and clutching his side. Mirajane brought him and Pantherlily their drinks and he gulped it down, trying to ignore Reya's gleeful cackles.
"You brought this on yourself," Pantherlily said sternly.
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up."
Levy sat with Lucy, watching her sister prance atop the table, retelling her story with such flourish.
"She really likes this attention, huh? She's always in here telling stories. Although, now I get the sense that she embellishes a lot," Lucy said.
"She does. We grew up reading a lot of stories. She liked adventure, I liked romance."
"Her life is a story," Erza added firmly from behind the two girls.
"Well, she's not a liar, if that's what you think," Levy retorted.
"No, no," she assured her guildmate. "But she's made every effort to make sure she lives an interesting life, and you've got to admire that."
"While I do not approve of her…occupation," Erza went on, choosing her words carefully. "I believe it suits her."
"She does seem larger than life," Lucy said, to which Levy became indignant.
"That wasn't a joke about your heights, I swear!" Lucy hastily added.
'Is my life boring?' Levy suddenly found herself wondering silently. Reya was out exploring the world, taking adventures head-on and turning herself into a bonafide legend, while Levy stayed contentedly in Magnolia, doing small, quiet, inconspicuous missions with Jet and Droy. In short, her life seemed very ordinary. Dull, even.
Had she made it this way on purpose, out of fear? Did she really wish to brave the wilds like her sister and face danger daily? Could she even do that? Be that brave?
I could too, she objected to herself. Lucy and Erza were wandering over to Reya now, interested in her latest tale, so Levy found herself immersed in the conversation within her own head.
I could be brave, she thought. I just need to get stronger. I need to force myself to be daring, maybe take on some more difficult jobs. Maybe Gajeel would be willing to-
"Are you alright, Levy?" Pantherlily's voice piped up from Levy's feet.
He had been watching the girl's face contort for the last few minutes as she sat alone.
"Oh, Lily! Ha, yes! Sorry," she said, mildly embarrassed. "I was just doing some thinking."
"Ah," he replied, taking the seat next to her. "I hope you don't mind if I join you? I can't listen to any more of Gajeel's whining."
"Of course you can," she said. "He's pretty mad, huh?"
"Tch," Lily scoffed. "Embarrassed is more like it."
"Gajeel, embarrassed. That's a new one," she said, amused.
"Don't tell him I said so. Anyway, he'd never admit it but he's quite impressed by your sister, even if it comes at his expense."
"Really?" Her envy began to rise up again.
"He underestimated her. He's surprised at her strength and ingenuity. I think he's secretly pleased to have found another worthwhile sparring partner."
"Oh," she replied meekly.
I suppose I hadn't been much of a threat when we trained together, she considered. She sighed, looking at her sister again. The crowd had swelled and Reya was still enthusiastically talking.
"It's been such a long time since she's visited, I'd forgotten how it gets around here," she said softly as Lily sipped his beverage.
"Oh?"
"Everyone gets so excited when she comes back; they all want to hear her stories. She just…takes over."
"Ah," Lily said, understanding. "And you get forgotten?"
"Oh, no! I don't mean like that. I just…ever since we were kids, Reya's been the strong one. The brave one. The interesting one. And I was the quiet one, always reading and staying out of the way. People used to call her my evil twin because we looked so alike. And I didn't really mind. But now, I kind of wish she could just be my sister, and not…the center of attention. For once."
Pantherlily thought this over.
"You think she's the 'favorite'?" he inquired gently.
"I guess," she conceded after a pause.
"I can assure you, Levy- she is not. She's not even a member of this guild. She is merely a welcome distraction and source of entertainment for the time being. I see that there is a history between her and your guild, but you are a member of Fairy Tail, and this guild values you."
"Thank you, Lily."
He nodded and continued sipping his drink. They surveyed the guild hall. Gajeel had crept out from the shadows to join the crowd; a few drinks had obviously made him forget his pain and disgrace. He, Elfman, Reya and Cana were engaged in a drinking match as the other guild members cheered them on.
"This will not be pretty," Lily said into his mug.
"Hey, Shrimp Senior," Gajeel snapped between gulps. "Make Cana forget how to hold her liquor!"
Reya glanced sideways at him, chugging her own before wiping her mouth with her tattooed arm.
"It doesn't quite work like that, Stud," she snorted. "I'm a hunter, not a healer."
Gajeel grinned back at her as Cana smashed her mug into the table.
"More!" she squealed and they launched into round two as soon as Mirajane arrived with more mugs.
At 2 in the morning, most of the guild members had either passed out or gone home after such a day of drinking and laughing. A weary Levy had walked home with Lucy, Natsu and Gray, leaving her sister behind.
Reya and Gajeel were now out in the courtyard, continuing to challenge each other in drinking games. Lisanna and Mirajane had spirited Elfman away after he'd lost consciousness in round 4, and Cana was slumped nearby, having lost interest in their competition.
"It's like having two Gajeel's," she muttered to herself before she passed out.
"Ok, how about…if I can figure out your deepest, darkest secret, you get the next round?" Reya suggested, cocking an eyebrow. They sat side by side on a table, clutching their mugs.
"How is that fair?" Gajeel retorted. "That's what you do for a living." He took another swig.
She put her hands up in defense.
"I won't use magic. Purely reading body language," she offered. "I ask a few questions and gauge your subconscious reactions."
"You can try," he sniggered at her. "I don't read easy."
She rolled her eyes.
She shook out her head and arms, trying to focus. She was pretty drunk, but she was enjoying this game with the Dragon Slayer. He was fun to tease, and kept her riveted.
He was every inch as intimidating and powerful as she'd heard. She delighted in inspecting him.
His long wild black hair matched hers in length and thickness. He sported scars and studs down his arms, while hers were covered in various tattoos she'd collected over the years. He'd expressed intrigue in the black dragon that wound around her left forearm. She'd asked about his teeth and habit of eating metal.
Levy's letters had offered another view of him, considerate and kind. There were glimmers here and there. He had helped her up during their training after one particularly forceful blow to her side. She'd seen the gruff affection he displayed with his friend Pantherlily, hearing them guffaw identically; that strange 'gihehehe" noise.
And then there had been a moment between Gajeel and Levy that Reya couldn't quite shake. A fleeting tenderness (almost brotherly) as he had patted her on the head on the field one afternoon, jokingly calling her sister "shrimp" for the umpteenth time. She watched as her little sister tried to hide her blush, but also look up at him with…what? Admiration? Wonder? Like a pet enjoying her owner's attention, she eventually determined.
Reya had furtively studied her sister during her stay. The little blue-haired girl had remained remarkably the same since her last visit two years ago. Levy had a natural sweetness to her, a genuine love for those around her. She sometimes worried that her young sister was still a bit too naïve and sheltered; hearing about her most recent exploits with Phantom Lord and Laxus Dreyer hadn't done much to disquiet her worry.
And yet, Levy had grown. A little stronger, a little wiser, a little harder. Not enough to lose herself to cynicism, like Reya had long ago, but she had finally begun to come into her own. There was hope her little sister wouldn't always be a helpless damsel. Perhaps she had the Iron Dragon Slayer to thank for that as well.
She turned back to study Gajeel's smug drunk face. He wasn't unattractive, that much she could admit to herself. In fact, his roughness and brusque attitude was somewhat of an appeal for the travel-worn Reya. Relationships were too difficult to conduct when you were always moving around, gone for years at a stretch. The occasional romantic interlude with a client, or another traveler did occur, but no one held her interest for more than a night or two. And if things went sour, she usually erased the memories from their minds and moved on. No point in struggling with emotions. They dragged you down.
She could see Gajeel held the same beliefs. He was a loner; an aggressive loner, besides his cat friend. He literally stayed in the shadows, stalking; only occasionally barking out in angst. He was well-built and tall, another draw. (She was still a woman, after all.)
If she really thought about, they had a lot in common. Of course, that could be more of a problem than an asset. But she decided not to think about it too much.
Reya massaged her temples and closed her eyes, as Gajeel watched lazily.
"There's an attraction," she said mysteriously, seeing him perk uneasily.
He glared at her.
"Oh yes," she went on. "And you're not happy about it."
"Tch, whatever," he scoffed, shrugging and taking another gulp. He avoided her eyes, suddenly feeling a twinge of anxiety knotting in his stomach.
"Someone you haven't known long…but long enough to realize some…stirrings," she continued, lowering her eyes.
He sat, motionless, hoping to dissuade her.
"You're not used to these feelings. They make you uncomfortable. And weak, yeah?"
"I don't have feelings," he spat out.
"I think you do. You're just very good at hiding them," she said. "We all have our defenses, Stud."
"Ugh, enough with the nickname!" he growled.
"You're one to talk! Shrimp? Shorty? Don't you ever worry about hurting her feelings?"
"So what?! You call her 'kiddo'; like that's any better?"
"It's different- she's my kid sister," she fired back.
"Whatever," he grumbled. "This is stupid."
She wasn't letting him get off that easily.
"But I'm right," she persisted. "You have hidden feelings for someone."
He refused to budge, a knot rising in his throat now that his drink was not washing away.
"Ok, let's switch gears," she said slowly, swinging her legs over his lap and angling her head so that her dark purple hair tumbled over her shoulder.
Gajeel froze in a drunken stupor. What was she doing?
"I think you're still afraid of me." It was a dare; he could hear it.
"I am not afraid of you, Shrimp Senior," Gajeel said bluntly, rolling his eyes.
Reya nodded her head in agreement, her legs still resting across Gajeel's. She clicked her tongue and opened her mouth for him to see. Unconsciously, he turned to look at her. In the moonlight, he could see that nestled in the center of her tongue sparkled a small, round purple jewel. She wrinkled her nose and waggled her tongue playfully, watching his eyes go wide.
"How scared are you now," she purred as she leaned forward, placing her left hand against his neck. "Stud?"
In a flash, she pulled him into a deep kiss, inhaling as she wrapped both hands around his face and drew him closer. Gajeel's head spun as he reflexively placed his free hand on her back. Without thinking, he threw his mug to the floor and wrapped his other arm around her waist. Their chests pressed into one another, their kiss breaking into short pants.
Reya began to lean back and pulled Gajeel on top of her. His black hair fell around them like a curtain, while her own fanned out on the table below. Beneath him, he saw only a heart-shaped face with large hazel eyes. Heart pounding and head spinning, he bent down to kiss her again. She grasped the collar of his shirt and guided a knee between his legs. Then she pulled on his collar so that she could kiss his neck, running her tongue along the strained muscles. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent of…strawberries.
"Levy," he moaned.
He felt Reya stiffen before he realized the horror of his utterance. He sucked in his breath sharply and pulled himself off of her lithe body. She quickly sat up and pushed herself a foot away from him.
"Wow," she said starkly. "Time of death: 2:43 AM."
Gajeel grabbed the back of his own neck, looking up into the sky and groaned in frustration.
"Damnit," he exhaled.
They sat awkwardly in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to do.
"You know what?" Reya suddenly piped up. "It's ok. It's fine."
Gajeel turned to look at her skeptically.
"I guess you were right! I can't read you," she chuckled, her voice breaking the tiniest bit. She sounded so much like Levy, it was unnerving.
"I-I-I…you just…, " he tried, but the words failed him. This was a mess and being incredibly drunk and confused was not helping. He had read her wrong too.
"You can't tell her!" he commanded.
"Don't worry, I won't," Reya promised coolly. She had regained her composure quicker than he had.
Another long pause passed between them before Reya spoke again.
"You know…I can make this…un-happen. If you'd like."
Slowly, he understood her words. She could erase the whole memory. It would be like before again. That would probably be for the best.
"Would you? I-I mean, would you want to?"
"Well, I can do that for you. Trust me when I say the guilty memories are the ones that bubble up the fastest. But I can't erase my own memory," she said. "Wouldn't if I could, anyway."
"No?"
"No, I'm afraid I can't affect my own memory. In fact, I have a painfully photographic memory, so I will remember every single thing that has ever happened to me in perfect detail until I die."
Gajeel thought about the burden of that. There were so many things about his own life he wished he could forget, and damned if he didn't tried his best to every single day. What if he not only remembered everything, but it was vividly fresh in his head forever. The screams, the blood, the loneliness. She must be so haunted.
"That really sucks, Shrimp Senior."
"Eh," she shrugged. "Sometimes it's kind of cool. Do you know, I can remember the day I was born? How many people can say that?"
She flashed a proud smile at him, feeling comfortable again. He gently smirked back.
"So Levy, huh?" she pressed, nudging his shoulder with her own.
"Ugh, shut up," he wailed. "I don't even know what that's about."
To his recollection, it was the first time he had ever admitted there was a something there.
"I could see it," she countered. "A kind of light-and-dark thing."
"You're kidding me," he said dryly.
"No, no. I suppose you two have a certain opposites-attract vibe. An unlikely couple, don't get me wrong- and don't read into this as my total approval- but I think you could make it work. You'd be good for her."
Gajeel felt his heart skip when she said that. He could be good for Levy? What could he possibly be good for?
"You have to promise me you'd take proper care of her. You can't be rough with her; she's not that kind of girl. Levy doesn't enjoy fighting. But, she needs someone to help her find her own strength and you seem to have helped with that already. So, I think you should give it a go."
Why was this woman giving him relationship advice about her sister? How had the moment gone from drunken making-out to this?
"Don't you think Levy should have a say in this?"
"She's forgiven you. She tried to protect you from me the day we met. She's watched us spar every day. I've watched her blush because of you more times than I can count. I'd say she's already given you her answer."
Reya decided to let that sink in as she jumped down from the table and brushed herself off.
"I should go. You should too. Last chance- memory erase?"
He looked up from his reverie and shook his head.
"Wouldn't be fair to make you carry the guilt alone."
"No need to feel guilty. We were drunk; it happens. In fact, it was pretty hot," she gushed, pretending to fan herself.
He smirked. She was a wild one. And it didn't hurt his pride one bit that she had enjoyed their moment of mistaken excitement. Gajeel decided he'd tell Levy what happened between him and her sister someday, if it ever came to that, and he'd deal with the repercussions then.
He motioned to walk her home but she waved him off.
"I'd like some quiet; alone," she said. He kind of did too.
He didn't even have to ask if there was going to be any awkwardness between them as they started walking across the courtyard. It had already been dispelled.
They were a lot alike; able to hide their feelings and pretend like nothing bothered them. Other people broke down eventually, but not them. It was an odd strength, but a necessary one. And it was reassuring to know he could probably count Reya among his limited circle of friends in the future.
"Goodnight, Stud!" she called as she sauntered down the road.
"Night, Shrimp Senior!" he shouted back.
"Ugh, shut up Gajeels!" whimpered Cana in her sleep.