AN: My parents were watching basketball earlier and it got me inspired. I don't really get basketball (or sports in general), so this might not be super accurate.
Ships: Gajevy, slight NaLu and Gruvia
Now, Levy McGarden knew a lot of things. She was an Honor Role student and "avid reader" didn't begin to describe her book addiction. But there were two things she just didn't get; 1) how the hell Lucy had gotten her to join the Cheer Squad, and 2) Sports. Now, being a cheerleader meant she saw plenty of sports, from football to volleyball to basketball. Even then, she didn't understand. What was the purpose in throwing around sacks of air and tackling people? Sure, it could be a show of masculinity, power, and dominance to attract a mate, or maybe it was just a fun passing of time, letting it be easier for humans to ignore the inevitability of death, but that didn't mean Levy had to know, care, or pay attention. At one particular basketball game between Fairy Tail High School and Sabertooth, she found herself unable to withstand the grueling torture of watching sweaty meatheads in shorts pass a glorified bouncy ball across the pristine gym floor. The cheerleaders, in short and tight blue and white cheer dresses that, to Levy, felt like a shitty and slutty Halloween costume, sat on the bleachers by their team's bench, "cheering". The small bluenette felt that acting as moral support for a bunch of asshole jocks that didn't give a fuck about their education was a waste of time, resources, and money. So she sat behind a smiling Lucy, reading her APES textbook. Only at halftime did she put it down for their cheer. Lucy and Juvia smiled as they threw Levy into the air. Being the flyer, Levy was used to the feeling of momentary weightlessness before gravity pushed her back to the ground. The air whizzed by her as she landed perfectly in her friend's arms. After forcing herself to smile and shout the overly rehearsed cheer, Levy started back to her seat, only to feel a hand grab her shoulder. She turned her head to see the face that matched the large, strong hand. A male teen, around 17, with long black hair in a ponytail, smirked at her. She analyzed his face quickly. Barely a trace of sweat on his face, razer red eyes, studs for eyebrows.
"You should pay attention to the game, Shrimp." He grunted. Levy rolled her eyes.
"Gajeel Redfox, I don't have time for your foolish pastimes." She tried to shake him off but he wouldn't let go.
"You look cute in that uniform." She turned red quickly, maneuvering her eyes away from him. He'd been toying with her for weeks now, so she'd thought she'd gotten used to his antics. But no. "Looks cold though, you've got goosebumps." Levy had to admit, internally, that the lack of clothing was causing her to feel quite chilly. She tried to ignore the feeling though. She only shook her head.
"I need to sit back down, the game is about to start up again." As swiftly as he let go of her, Gajeel put a jacket in her hands. It was a solid black school sweatshirt. Levy looked between him and the coat.
"Wear it if you want, Shrimp." He shrugged, turned around to take another swig of water. Levy looked around. Lucy was kissing her boyfriend Natsu good luck as he ran back to the team. Juvia watched Gray as he took his shirt off and stretched. Levy shook her head again, then shrugged the pullover on. It was extremely large on her, almost reaching her knees. She rolled the sleeves up just enough so that she could pick up her textbook. Yet, she didn't open it. Suddenly, she was absorbed into the game. She watched as Gajeel dribbled and dodged, passed the ball to Gray who passed to Natsu, who scored. The teamwork there, the strategy, reminded her of the cheer team. You needed the support or everything would collapse. Levy couldn't keep her eyes off of Gajeel. The bottom of his tank top rid up on multiple occasions, revealing toned abs. His arms were ripped and so were his legs. He was a fairly massive guy, but was still able to be agile. Levy found herself cheering for him on many accounts for the remainder of the game. Lucy actually looked back at her, wondering if she was alright. At the end of the game, Levy had forgotten she was wearing Gajeel's sweatshirt. And as Natsu and Lucy left hand in hand and Juvia followed Gray, the crowd disbanding as well, Levy stayed in her seat, running through the game in her head. Maybe it wasn't all that difficult to understand. Maybe she didn't really hate sports as much as she needed a reason to love it. A grunt pulled her from her thoughts.
"Shrimp, the game is over and the gym is closing up. Planning on sleeping in the school?" Gajeel extended a hand to help her up. She ignored it, picking up her textbook.
"Well then I better change and head home." She said, standing up with all intentions of leaving him alone. He stepped in front of her.
"You gonna keep my jacket or...?" He pointed to the large sweatshirt still draped on her body. Levy blushed.
"Maybe I will." She stuck her tongue out, moving beside him and heading to the locker room. "Good game, Gajeel." She smiled back at him before opening the door to leave.
"Thanks. See you around, Levy." He tried to act casual, but she really threw him off guard. Levy stopped in her tracks. Out of all the times she'd spoken to Gajeel, whether it be in class or when he stopped her after a game, he'd never bothered using her name.
"Did you just.." She turned on her heels, laying her book on the announcer's booth. By this time, the gym was empty and the half the lights were off. "Did you just call be by my name?" It was Gajeel's turn to blush, and it really didn't suit him. Levy ran back towards him. "You did! Why?" She got awfully close to him, looked up. The look she gave him just slayed. It was adorable and innocent, yet curious. The fact that she was wearing his sweatshirt didn't help. He placed a hand on either side of her hip and lifted her up. Levy let out a small yelp in protest, her legs swinging. He brought her closer and kissed her. At first it was gentle and smooth, but after Levy started to react, it got more passionate, greedy. She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck so he could let his hands explore up her back and neck. Her ponytailed hair finally fell and he smiled through the kiss. Levy closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Sure, she hadn't expected this to happen, but the teeny tiny little crush she had on Gajeel pushed her to continue the kiss. His piercings stabbed at her face but she didn't really mind. Something about that game made Gajeel so incredibly sexy. And as their lips separated, Levy knew one more thing for certain: she'd be watching way more basketball games.