Hi everyone! As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved, and alerted. I know you might get tired of reading it, but I don't get tired of saying it. Your reviews really make my day and inspire me to keep writing. I'm sorry this chapter took longer than usual to publish, but I had a hard time with the girls' reactions. I hope the end product is worth the wait, though.

Betta Fische - Sorry! I knew I was setting myself up for that one when I ended chapter 3 where I did, but it was necessary. Anyways, this chapter has more fluffy moments just for you. And thanks for all of your encouragement.
Shadow - I'm glad you enjoyed "Dark Natsu," I had a great time writing that scene, especially because I kept thinking about what it would be like if Gajeel and Natsu did in fact went out to intimidate (terrorize) people just for fun. If you liked that, I'm sure you'll enjoy one of the scenes I have planned for the upcoming chapter(s).

Longest chapter yet. Actually, each chapter is longer than the previous one, lol. So finally the boys wait while their mates get their thoughts together and give their answers, and Happy is reading himself for his upcoming "war for fish" against Natsu and waiting for a certain ice mage to come back to life.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

"A Favor"

Chapter 4:

Although she had been sitting comfortably on the iron mage's lap for a while now, Levy was still having a hard time coming to terms with everything that had happened in the last hour. Regaining her thoughts after the passionate kiss the two mages had shared, she couldn't believe that just a few moments ago the iron dragon-slayer had managed to dissipate all her wariness and confusion with a few simple words. She couldn't believe her body had reacted so rapidly either. But they weren't just any words, they were the words she had been waiting to hear for so long; and they weren't just simple actions, they were the actions she had been fantasizing about for countless months now. She had always had a hard time imagining Gajeel confessing his feelings for her, or her reaction to them for that matter, and that was the reason why her mind was still trying to piece together everything that had just transpired between the two of them. She knew she was probably over-thinking things, but she was still surprised and a little bit wary of that intensity of feeling that had taken over her again when Gajeel touched her. The beautiful gold necklace that currently lay in her hands only distracted her further. It should have felt out of character for him to do something like this, but, deep down, something told Levy that it wasn't strange if he did it for her. She needed to clarify her feelings and she needed to give the iron mage an answer, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

The dragon-slayer watched the script mage on his lap as she inspected the necklace, looking like she was lost in thought. He could tell that something was troubling her and that she was struggling to find her words. So, in order to ease her mind, he decided to speak for her, "I made this for you, Levy," he awkwardly began. He then paused for a moment, realizing that showing her what he wanted to say was so much easier than telling her, for some weird, or otherwise unknown reason. "Actually, …do you have that thing you got from your family a few days ago?" he asked. The blue-haired girl looked at him quizzically, and after receiving a reassuring nod from the dragon-slayer, she stretched to reach for her handbag that had been left forgotten and unattended the second the iron mage had pulled her onto his lap. She opened it, taking something out of it and placing the removed object in his hands just moments later, while she still refrained from speaking altogether. Apparently, I'm not the only one fighting with words, he observed.

After all those days of checking up – or spying – on her, Gajeel would finally see what Levy's family heirloom looked like; that object she spoke so proudly of and was so careful with. He was surprised to find it was an old, oval-shaped, gold pocket watch. He could tell time hadn't treated it too nicely, it had a few scratches here and there, and the front cover was missing. However, it still worked perfectly, the second hand moving with precision as it made its way around the clock face, indicating with exactitude the time of day. Gajeel returned his gaze to Levy, who was still staring, as if hypnotized, at the necklace she held in her hands. He grabbed her hands and enveloped them in his. His loving action managed to get her attention, forcing her to look up and meet his intense red eyes once more. After staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like ages, the script mage regained her courage and decided it was her turn to break the silence. "It belonged to my grandfather," she softly said, "He was the first in his family to pursue wizardry professionally, and he bought this watch with the jewels he earned in his first mission. He was very proud of it and when he retired from the magic world, he gave it to my father. My father stopped practicing magic six months ago and, since I'm his only daughter, he sent me the watch two weeks ago."

Gajeel listened to her explanation attentively, smiling gently at her when she finished. This being, most probably, the first time an expression such as this one had graced his rough face. "May I?" he said, as he silently asked for Levy to give him the gold necklace. She nodded, placing the object in his hands. He began, "As I said, I made this for you, or for your watch, to be more precise. I overheard you telling Bunny Girl how happy you were to have received it from your family, and I wanted to make something for you, so you could have it, whatever it was, close to your heart, always."

For a moment, the iron dragon-slayer felt like he was the biggest pansy in Earthland. Who was this person saying this sort of things? Could it really be him? Throughout his life, he had prided himself for being tough and imposing, someone no one would ever want to mess with, someone who inspired fear and respect. He glimpsed at the tiny bluenette resting on top of him again. As her eyes caught his, he instantly remembered what was really important. He wasn't weak, and telling her she cared wasn't a weakness either. In fact, the girl made him strong, he inspired him to become a better man and a more powerful mage, but not for the sake of being feared or imposing alone, but so that he could better protect what really mattered to him: his friends, his guild, his partner… his mate. I can only be like this with you, Levy. I need you to succeed in the life I've chosen for myself, and I want to walk down this road with you by my side.

Gajeel smiled once more. He took the necklace and secured the watch onto it with the hook behind the vine leaf. He couldn't have planned it better; the gold leaf would serve as a protective cover for the watch's fragile glass – his necklace would protect her treasure, his hands would protect her legacy. He placed the necklace in her hands again and kissing them lightly, he softly said, "There, now it's truly finished."

Levy didn't wait for him to complete his sentence and threw herself at him, encasing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Gajeel, it is absolutely beautiful," she said between sobs, "No one has ever done anything this nice for me before." The iron mage returned the embrace and as he squeezed her petite form, he whispered into her ear, "Anything for you, Shrimp, but only for you."

All of the fear and hesitation Levy had retained until then disappeared in that moment. Gajeel had just opened up to her completely, allowing her to see him in all of his vulnerability. She had known she was meant to be with the dragon-slayer the second their lips touched, but after he had torn all of his walls down, fully exposing himself to her, she realized that his feelings had also been charged with all that intensity that continued to scare her and that comfortableness that seemed so strangely natural. Levy smiled; she finally understood what Lucy's words had meant. She needed to experience the vivacity of their feelings together in order to understand that what they felt for each other was normal and natural for them. Perhaps a little overwhelming at times, but that was the way dragon-slayers did things; they went to the extreme in everything, there was no middle ground with them. Thus, when they loved another, they loved with every fiber of their beings and; therefore, their beloved could only be someone who could return the gesture and surrender all of herself to them as well. That was why they spoke of claiming a mate and never bothered with dating. Weirdly enough, though, she discovered that this newfound seriousness in their relationship only helped to sooth her down. Gajeel's vulnerability strengthened her, and she realized that her own vulnerability empowered him. She tightened her embrace, her smile widening when she felt the dragon-slayer do the same.

Lucy was overwhelmed. She felt as if she was watching the entire scene that was taking place in her apartment from a third-party's perspective. She had pictured this moment many times when she was younger. Most girls did, with the well-dressed and proper man kneeling in front of her after a beautiful and romantic evening, saying a truly touching and well-prepared speech while he placed a well-crafted ring on her finger. However, after her mother's death and her father's insistence on having her married for profit, her ideas about marriage and her understanding of what it truly meant to share your life with another person changed. Years later, after her escape from home and meeting Natsu, she came to Fairy Tail, where she gained an entirely new meaning for the word "family." The stellar mage knew perfectly well that once the hyperactive fire dragon-slayer had entered her life, all remaining ideas about idealized romance had been quickly thrown out the window and replaced with a more realistic view on all matters of love.

Lucy couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment when Natsu had found his way into her soul, but now, he was so deeply rooted in there that without him she felt empty, hollow. He formed part of her, a vital part of her. There was no one who understood her as well as he did, or who believed in her more. He gave her courage when all seemed lost and inspiration to keep bettering herself. She felt protected and never alone. She couldn't picture her life without the fire dragon-slayer, ever since she had met him (although it had taken her a long time to accept that fact). He had a strange way of warming her heart when she needed it the most, some mystical power that calmed her down, that guaranteed her that everything would be all right no matter what, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was a fire mage. Their relationship was far from perfect, even if they had never fought seriously, they still argued sometimes. They both had strong personalities, making it impossible to avoid those little altercations. Furthermore, they were hardly perfect themselves, they could be loud, destructive, annoying, stubborn… but they both needed each other. She deeply believed they had been fated to meet. They complemented one another like nothing she had ever seen or experienced before, it almost felt as if they became a new single being when they were together.

The blond mage looked at the ring on her left hand. She had seen many pieces of jewelry in her life, and she could definitely say that this one wasn't the most exquisite out of the lot, but it was, however, something deserving of its own category altogether. It was both delicate and fierce at the same time, a perfect balance between ornamentation and practicality. But what she loved the most about the piece was that it told their story, and no one else's. It was unique; it belonged to them. Many would look at it and admire its beauty, but very few – if anyone at all – would actually see, or understand, the meaning behind the ring. Typical of Natsu to go as far as having it custom made.

Even if the stellar mage had pictured thousands of proposals, she had never bothered to consider what one from the dragon-slayer would look like. She knew that nothing she imagined could remotely come close to what that moment would actually be like. She analyzed the situation she was currently in, sitting on top of a disheveled and half-naked Natsu while she herself was messily wrapped around a bed sheet, deciding instantaneously that it definitely qualified as that unimaginable perfect moment. The pink-haired mage was impulsive, and nothing he planned beforehand ever turned out as effective as what he did instinctively. His instincts guided him, and that was part of the reason why it was so impossible to envision a scene such as this one without actually experiencing it. Natsu would just follow his instincts and act on what he had in mind when those instincts told him it was the right time to do so. And he couldn't have found a more perfect moment. She looked at their unarranged selves again, focusing on the man lying beneath her, whose gaze was still locked with hers, his left hand still cupping her surprised cheek, his right still holding her left hand where he had slid the beautiful ring without her even noticing. Perfectly imperfect, she concluded, just like him… like me… like us.

Lucy recognized Natsu was possessive, he wasn't really shy about it, but many would be surprised to learn that so was she. Everyone at the guild knew the sort of man the fire mage was. Natsu lighted up a room when he came in and his contagious grin made anyone's day better. He would always go above and beyond to help a friend; he was naïve and good natured, loyal to a fault, powerful, strong, dedicated, resourceful, and determined. She had no problem sharing that Natsu with all of her guildmates, friends, and anyone else who wanted a piece. The one who was in front of her right now, however, the one who doubted, who feared, who left his self completely and unreservedly exposed, this Natsu belonged only to her. Only she knew the imperfect and unguarded fire dragon-slayer and she would never share that side of her mate with anyone else. That part of him, the part that truly completed him, what made him both fully human and something else entirely at the same time, that part was meant and reserved exclusively for her. No one else would ever see it, and she would die protecting it from anyone who dared to even catch a glimpse of it, let alone attempt to damage or attack it.

"Forever Lucy? Would you run mad with me forever?"

Natsu was a man of actions and not of words, but the few words he used were always chosen with care. Lucy knew this wasn't a proposal; it was a pledge. The fire dragon-slayer was pledging himself to her, and she would follow this man to the ends of the world and back. Always.

Gajeel had been holding Levy in his arms comfortably for what comprised the longest time period he had ever engaged in such an activity in his entire life. He liked it, a lot, and he was getting used to the idea of being part of a sappy love story. As much as he enjoyed it, however, he needed to break the embrace to finish what he had started. He was never a man to leave things unfinished and if he had begun to go down this road, he was damn sure he was going to go all the way. He pulled the script mage away gently. Before she could even protest, he took the necklace and, pointing at the seven intertwining chains, he said, "These represent the seven years I spent alone before I met you after Metalicana disappeared, the seven years I spent frozen next to you at Tenrou, the seven days it took me to decide to make my move, and the seven hours it took me to convince myself of asking for help." He stopped to look at Levy again, whose eyes had been shining brightly with affection and understanding as he spoke. Her expression seemed to change into a puzzled and surprised one towards the end, stunned that he had actually deigned to ask for help. He could see curiosity lingering in her brown eyes, but he could also tell that she was patiently waiting for him to finish saying what he needed to say before she could attack him with questions about it, and probably laugh after hearing his answers. "And, I guess, it now also stands for the seven minutes it took me to claim you as my own," he added, followed by a mocking smirk.

The iron dragon-slayer saw the girl pout in reaction to his last remark. Chuckling, he picked the piece in his hands and put it around her head. As he did this, he heard the blue-haired mage ask, "Gajeel, why vines?" He smirked, he knew nothing would escape this girl; she wouldn't be content until she had everything figured out, and that included every little detail of the necklace that now adorned her neck. "Salamander said vines symbolize growth and life, and that's exactly what I want with you, Shrimp. I want to grow with you and move in whatever direction that may take us. I want to go through life with you by my side," he explained.

Levy listened to every word the iron dragon-slayer said. She didn't need to verbally confirm what both their hearts already knew – that she felt exactly the same way and that she would stand beside Gajeel regardless of where life decided to take them. After a few seconds, the script mage broke out of her initial shock, "Natsu?" she murmured, being the only thing she could bring herself to say at the moment. Gajeel laughed, "Guess being the Bunny Girl's mate has its perks, huh?" The girl on top of him hit his shoulder lightly and lovingly, "That's not what I meant, idiot," she replied, fully regaining her composure. She giggled as she saw the dragon-slayer's expression change into a confused one. She could tell that last bit of information had unintentionally escaped his mouth. He hadn't intended to say that much, at least for now, but his tongue had accidently slipped and told her who it was that Gajeel had needed help from. As much as she wanted to tell him just how much his gesture meant to her and how she also wanted to stay by his side, she couldn't let the rare opportunity to tease him pass her by.

"I knew it!" she said, once her giggling had stopped and been replaced by an amused smile. Gajeel stared at her intently, "Knew what, Shrimp?" he said, as he quirked his left eyebrow. "That you and Natsu are closer than you would like to admit in public," she replied matter-of-factly, her amused expression never faltering. The dragon-slayer gaped surprised; Shorty understands me more than she'd ought to, gi hee… However, there's no way she's making me say it out loud without being punished for it later. "Tch, there's no point denying it now. But tell anyone and I'll have to torture you, slowly, very slowly," he finally responded, as his expression changed back into his trademark side grin.

"Oh really?" he heard her say tauntingly, responding to his provocation. The iron mage gazed back at her mischievously, "You bet ya!" he said, as he began to mercilessly tickle the blue-haired script mage and she instantaneously started squirming in his lap and begging him to stop.

Some time later, once the dragon-slayer had contented himself with his vengeful teasing and they had been resting in each other's arms for a while, Levy lifted her head from his shoulder, "Who would have guessed that you, of all people, would be asking Natsu for help." Gajeel fixed his deep red eyes on hers, knowing exactly what to say. If I'm going down, Salamander is going down with me. "It's not like I'm the only one who needed a favor, Shorty," he nonchalantly replied, succeeding in further inciting the girl's curiosity. He observed her changing expression, eyes sparkling and burning with desire to know what he was talking about. "I might as well just tell you," he continued, "It's not like the idiot is going to wait much longer anyways. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's getting it done as we speak."

"Yay!" the blue-haired mage chirped, clapping her hands excitedly and moving around his lap until she found a more comfortable sitting position from where she could hear him divulge his secret. She pecked him on the lips one last time before settling down, "Tell me." Gajeel smirked.

Happy had been talking to Mira for a while. To his dismay, Wendy and Charle were running late today, and, from what he had heard from Juvia, who had regained her composure and stopped crying, it didn't look like they were going to make it into the guild any time soon. Still, he had had a productive morning. He had updated the white-haired barmaid and secured her alliance for his momentary fish war against the fire dragon-slayer. The first part of his mission was complete; he was guaranteed not to starve for the next week. Not that he would have had in the first place, since Natsu wouldn't keep him from eating other forms of food, but a day without fish was a sad day indeed. And being miserable just didn't go well with him; he liked to be in a good mood at all times.

Mira had also explained to Happy what had happened at the guild before he had arrived. The incident had actually discouraged him a little, since it looked like he would have to wait for Gray to regain his consciousness in order to share Natsu's little secret with him. More than that, he would have to wait until after Erza carried out her vengeance on the ice mage for ruining her perfect slice of cake. He would, in fact, really enjoy such a beating, if anyone damaged his fish before he ate it, he would probably do the same. Messing with other people's food was simply unacceptable. The Exceed sighed, lunchtime was getting closer and neither Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, or Charle had showed up at Fairy Tail yet. Boring. What are they doing anyway?

Suddenly, Happy heard someone groan and stir on the floor. He rapidly stood up from his spot at the bar and discovered Gray waking up. The ice mage seemed disoriented and it took him a while to stand up and regain his senses. Happy switched his gaze towards the redhead. She was still unmoving. He smirked and, flying to where Gray was now sitting, he said, "Oh, Gray, you're awake! Good. I have something to tell you." The fully recovered black-haired mage looked at the blue Exceed, he was wearing one of those macabre smiles of his. Gray smirked back, "Don't tell me… Natsu?" Happy simply nodded, his grin only getting bigger, "Aye!" Seems like today is my lucky day! Let's just hope Erza stays out of it until after Natsu arrives.

Natsu had always thought the ring he envisioned for Lucy was beautiful, but it looked beyond stunning on her finger. It wasn't ostentatious, but it was modestly elegant: two intertwining strings of white gold that resembled two dragon tails coiling together formed the band; the base was made of a thin, white gold layer topped by a small Sakura petal that was coated with a special resin to achieve a hard and durable finish; the raw diamond was placed on top of the treated petal and was held together by the tips of the two dragon tails. The effect the Sakura petal had on the stone when light hit it was breathtaking. Combined with the already reflecting crystal, the iridescent blue, pink, and purple tones of the petal heightened the intensity of the shine and added a whole new diversity of colors to it. It truly was a magnificent sight and the fire dragon-slayer was very grateful to Gajeel and the dedication he had shown while crafting the ring, putting as much effort into it as he had in making Levy's necklace. The iron mage had at first been surprised at the description of the ring Natsu wanted, but he had quickly voiced his approval to the design and intension, smirking and calling the fire mage a "whipped, tamed, little dragon boy." Natsu had only laughed at the comment; it had been established several times already that that was in fact the case, so why bother to deny it.

The ring was everything he had imagined and putting it on his mate's finger had been one of the most exhilarating things he had ever experienced in his life. He had showed up at Lucy's apartment that morning convinced of what he wanted to do, but he hadn't really thought about how exactly he was going to do that, or what he was going to say. He didn't consider himself a romantic person, even if Lucy had told him several times that he was. For him, being romantic was doing all the corny stuff he saw or heard other guys do for girls, like buying flowers, which he hated because the smell was too overpowering for his sensitive nose; paying for candlelight dinners, which he thought dumb, since only an idiot would eat something that he couldn't see and pay more than twice of what it cost to cook it at home; giving small gifts to show affection, which he found useless, if you wanted to show someone that you cared, you simple did; or sending romantic cards with messages like "Giving you all my love," "Thinking of you," "Wish you were here," or "Hugs and kisses," which he considered superfluous, he would rather shower his significant other with kisses, hugs, teases, and caresses instead of wasting his time, and hers, in writing her about it.

Their early morning rendezvous had been a little unexpected and Lucy's actions had caught him off-guard. He would have never thought before that his rather childish underwear – even he had to admit that it was – would lead to a very sexy and intoxicating image of a seducing Lucy. He was sure he would never be able to look at his underwear the same way after today. Not that he was complaining, on the contrary, it would be hard to erase that contented smirk off his face all day. However, as it was typical of him, he had let himself be taken over by his emotions and he had completely forgotten he had the ring in his pants. Later, once his mind had come back down from cloud nine, he had realized his mistake and sprang out of bed to search for it, though not without kissing the stellar mage fully in the mouth and giving her a loving smile first. While he was finishing turning Lucy's apartment upside down, he decided he couldn't wait any longer. There was really no reason to do so and trying to keep the ring out of harm's way would only lead to him getting premature gray hairs, and he was too young for that (and secretly he didn't think they would go well with his pink locks). He had almost had a heart attack when he reached his pants and realized the piece of jewelry wasn't there. Intensifying his search, he found it had fallen out of his pocket on their way to the bedroom. Immediately after he had picked the ring up from the floor, while holding it in his hands and picturing Lucy wearing it, the familiar heartwarming and soothing feeling filled his entire being. That sensation alone convinced him that this was the right moment and sprinting back to bed, he threw himself into his mate's embrace once more.

"Is that so?" Gray said, openly grinning as he looked at the mischievous blue cat nodding. "Yep, I didn't leave anything out," Happy replied, absolutely elated at the thought of what the ice mage would do with the small piece of information he had just shared with him. The black-haired mage unconsciously stripped off from his shirt and, tossing it somewhere behind him, he added, "You know he's going to kill you for telling me this, right?" The Exceed watched as what looked like Juvia's form pass rapidly behind Gray and snatch his discarded piece of clothing. He smirked, "I know. Technically, he has already decided to 'punish' me, so, I don't really have anything to lose. Besides, Lucy would never let him do that." Gray had to handed it to him, Happy knew how to upset the fire dragon-slayer better than anyone else. The best part about it was that he knew he could get away with it, which was a privilege reserved only for him, and perhaps to Lucy, but she never pushed the fire mage that far.

The ice mage noticed the guild's doors opening, revealing the blue-haired dragon-slayer and her Exceed coming in. Happy noticed the recently arrived mages almost instantaneously. He turned towards Gray one last time, "Later Gray, have fun," he added as he flew away in the direction of where Charle and Wendy were now sitting. Devious little cat… but I can't wait for that fire-breathing moron to get to the guild, he smirked, Oh, this is going to be such a great day.

"Gajeel, if that's true, then we have to head back to the guild! I have to be there before Lu-chan gets there! I can't miss that moment!"

The iron dragon-slayer watched the excited mage on his lap as she spoke, not entirely happy that she wanted to leave their current position. Suddenly, an important memory flashed back, "You're right, Shorty, we definitely can't miss the others' surprised faces." He evilly smirked, Revenge is sweet, Demon Woman…

Gajeel helped Levy stand up and gather her stuff, grabbing her hand as they walked away from the park's bench and holding it tightly. This woman was taken and he would make damn sure the entire world knew that, starting with those two teammates of hers. Once they arrived at the guild, he would have to set some ground rules. The iron mage knew the news of them being a couple would stir up his guildmates, but he also knew the second the pink-haired dragon-slayer and his mate showed up, all the attention would be redirected to them. He smirked, both the dragon-slayers' announcements would prove too much for a certain snoopy mage to handle, and oh how he couldn't wait to see that. Gi hee!

Natsu had been staring into Lucy's loving and teary eyes all the while as he waited for her answer, and when it finally came, he experienced a feeling he had never felt before. He felt completed, at peace, elated, exhilarated... all at once. He guessed this was what it felt to be truly and fully happy.

"Always, Natsu, until we are too old, get too tired, or find something better to do. Always and forever, together."

He wrapped the stellar mage in a tight embrace, lifting her up and stepping out of bed. She grabbed onto his shoulders firmly as he began spinning around the room with her in his arms, both smiling widely and laughing wholeheartedly. Natsu didn't know where his life would have taken him if he hadn't followed that lead on Igneel and met Lucy in Hargeon that day, but he was sure their paths would have crossed somewhere else along the line. He was certain that he was fated to share his life, all of it, with this woman. Thanks Igneel, I guess that, in a way, it has always been you who has guided me to my destiny and given me the courage to do what I have to do.

So, how was it?
I hope you all liked Lucy's ring and what I did with Levy's heirloom, I really had to let creative license take over since we don't know anything about her backstory.

I've started chapter 5 already, I'd say 1/5 of it is done, and I can promise more NaLu fluff and some more awesome evil possessive Gajeel. Plus, everyone's making their way back to the guild, forces will collide... and although everyone thinks it is their lucky day, that really isn't the case.