Hello everyone! I'm on a roll today! Here's Prompt for day 5 of Gajevy week 'First Date'. Hope you like it and tell me your thoughts on this one!
Summary: Gajeel wanted to treat his girlfriend to a nice dinner. He should know by now that things are never that easy for him.
Word count: 5.2 k
Things… weren't going as expected… in the least…
"Ugh! We shouldn't have gone there in the first place! I mean… Agh! What a bunch of idiots!"
Gajeel and Levy were walking on the street after they had been 'asked' to leave the fancy restaurant where they were having a nice dinner.
It was their first official date as a couple and Gajeel wanted to do something romantic for his Shorty so he asked Lily for help, which turned out to be Lucy, Mirajane and Lily's help. They suggested this fancy restaurant in Magnolia by the edge of the canal. Supposedly, it was a very exclusive and romantic place and people had to wait at least 2 months to get a reservation there. But with how popular Fairy Tail was and with some favors asked around by Mira and Lucy, Gajeel managed to get a reservation for tonight.
He had been pretty excited, even when he didn't wanted to admit it at first. It was a way to show he cared about the little bookworm and he had been doing his best to behave during the entire meal. But then, his plans went south when the unexpected happened...
"Calm down, Shrimp…" Gajeel walked behind her and he had to speed up to keep up with her. It was a funny scene since Levy's legs were shorter than his but somehow the anger fueled her walking, leaving Gajeel always one step behind.
The bluenette's face was red from fury and the dragon slayer could swear there was steam fuming from her ears. Her fists were clenched tightly to her sides, rosy fingernails digging into her palms but Levy couldn't bring herself to care. She was beyond angry at the people from the restaurant.
"They're idiots, Gajeel! That's what they are! Just some dressed up idio- Ah!" Levy's angry rambling was cut short when her right heel got stuck on the sidewalk and she almost fell face first into the pavement. Almost. Gajeel caught her immediately by her waist and held her up straight.
"Breathe, Shorty." Gajeel said in an incredibly calm voice. He usually was the one who would lose his temper and Levy would be the one saying things to calm him down, but he knew that this time he needed to keep his composure and be the voice of reason. He had his own murderous thoughts directed to those inside the restaurant but now was not the time for him to let his fury get the best of him. Right now, he needed to focus only on Levy.
The solid script mage stopped walking and Gajeel didn't remove his hand from her waist. Instead, he got closer to her and completely encircled her body with his strong arms. Levy's right shoulder was pressed against Gajeel's rock-hard chest and she let her body leaned into him, welcoming the warmth he emanated in this cold night. She didn't look up at him, instead she looked down at her feet, trying to conceal the angry tears that had gathered in her eyes.
"And these…" she seethed through clenched teeth and a shiver traveled down Gajeel's spine at the coldness in her voice. "These shoes… Ugh! I hate high-heels! I don't know how I let Lu-chan talked me into wearing these!" She was shaking in anger and the iron dragon slayer felt sorry for the stellar mage. He knew how dangerous it could be to be on the receiving end of Levy's anger.
As much as she wanted to calm down, Levy couldn't help but still hold on to her anger. It had been a lovely evening with just some minor 'inconveniences' along the way but then she just exploded in rage against the waiter at the restaurant...
Inconvenience #1
Once Gajeel and Levy had arrived to the restaurant and he had asked for their table, the hostess gave them both a 'are you serious you're not in the wrong restaurant' look. It made Levy uncomfortable since it wasn't like they were underdressed for the occasion. If fact, both of them had dressed up nicely for their date.
Gajeel was wearing a black suit with a white button up shirt with matching black shining shoes. He even wore a black tie, that looked somehow a little bit tight, and had his hair tied back in a loose low ponytail. He looked so handsome and Levy couldn't help the blush that tinted her cheeks whenever she sneaked a glance at his gorgeous hulking figure.
As for Levy, both Mira and Lucy had helped her in choosing her outfit, applying makeup and taming her wild blue locks. She was wearing a beautiful white blouse that fell off of her shoulders with a low cut on the back that showed her guild mark. A black pencil skirt hugged her curves just perfectly, reaching just above her knees. She had some light makeup on her face that made her hazel eyes stand out beautifully and her hair was done in a fancy pull up bun with some locks falling down here and there. She wasn't wearing a headband for tonight, but instead she had at least a hundred bobby pins to keep her hair out of her face. Finally, and to most of Levy's dismay, her outfit had been complemented with black high stiletto heels; not that she disliked the shoes, but she wasn't used to wearing them so she had stumbled quite a few times on their way to the restaurant earning an equal amount of teasing remarks from her boyfriend.
Still, the lady at the entrance of the restaurant had stared at them, eyeing the couple up and down several times before checking into her reservation's book to find the name 'Redfox' at the top of the page. She apologized halfheartedly and guided them to their table.
Levy was sure Gajeel was going to make a snarky remark against the hostess or at least huff in irritation at her behavior. The bluenette knew he hated whenever someone passed judgement over him just because of how he looked and he could never stay quiet about his annoyance. It was something she envied about him since most of the times Levy would just hung her head down and tried to act as if the criticism didn't affect her. She liked that he always stood up to those who thought of themselves all high and mighty; not that she ever mentioned it to him.
Instead of the expected behavior, Levy was surprised when Gajeel looked down at her and smiled, motioning her to follow the hostess.
The bluenette took a deep breath to calm her aggravation at the hostess' behavior and smiled back at Gajeel before following the path to their table. Well, if Gajeel wasn't getting angry at this then Levy shouldn't make a big fuss out of it, right?
Inconvenience #2
Once seated at their table, both of them were looking intently through the menu, not quite understanding a single word written there. Sure, Levy was able to translate the menu's language, since it was written in something akin to Boscan to make it look fancier. But she couldn't understand what the dishes meant or if the combinations of flavors even sounded appetizing to her.
On the other hand, Gajeel couldn't even read a single word in the menu but some of the pictures reminded him of some dishes he had cooked once or twice in the past.
They looked up from their menus and an idea struck both of them.
Gajeel shuffled his chair closer to Levy's and she read out loud the menu in Fiorian. Then, Gajeel explained to her about the dishes and the mixing of flavors; sometimes, he even gave his opinion on whether she might like the dish or not.
With their combined efforts, they were able to order their meal.
Still, their waiter gave them an odd look as if he was annoyed that they took too long to decide what they were going to order. He took the menus and left without any other word and his attitude caused Levy to furrow her nose in irritation.
'Well, if you want us to order faster, you can write the menus in Fiorian… What's the deal with using another language? Steak is steak here and in Bosco' Levy thought while glaring at the retreating back of their waiter.
Surprisingly, or not that much, her attention was brought back to her boyfriend by a flick of his finger to her forehead. She narrowed her eyes at him and he just let out his famous laugh.
"Gihi, we make a good team, am I right Shrimp?" He showed her his charming one-sided grin and that was all she needed for her anger to dissipate. It was incredible how this man was able to brighten her mood with one simple action, even when those actions were rude like flicking her on the forehead.
Inconvenience #3
While waiting for their food, Gajeel and Levy started talking about recent missions and everyday shenanigans from the guild. They were laughing and enjoying their conversation so much that they never noticed they raised their voices slightly.
When the waiter arrived with the first course of their meal, he told them 'politely' to keep their voices down since they were disturbing other customers. At his comment, Gajeel looked at the waiter with eyes that said 'Are you freaking kidding me?'
Levy was sure that the iron dragon slayer was about to say something about that and she wasn't going to stop him since she was also getting very annoyed with the rudeness of the restaurant's employees.
Unexpectedly, Gajeel just crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes as if trying to calm himself down. "Tch, fine." He huffed and dismissed the waiter with a lazy wave of his hand. The waiter vowed after setting their plates down and with an unimpressed expression hurried back to the kitchen.
Levy looked at Gajeel in confusion at how calm he was acting with the whole situation; she sure was very angry right now and would be glad to back him up at yelling at the waiter and the other 'disturbed' customers.
On his part, Gajeel looked up at Levy and nodded his head at her, reminding the bluenette that there was a plate of hot soup just in front of her. Without another word, they dug in and kept talking but now in a quieter tone.
'Well, if he's not getting angry at this, maybe I'm reading too much into the situation, right?' Levy thought through a couple of spoonful of delicious soup.
Inconvenience #4
When they were at the second course of the meal, a delicious steak with salad on the side, Levy noticed Gajeel's eyes shifted to one of the tables on his right. He looked tense and Levy swore she saw him clenching his jaw. Gajeel noticed she was staring at him and relaxed once his eyes landed on Levy's concerned gaze. Then, he smirked at her and kept eating his meal as if nothing had happened.
Levy directed her eyes to the same table her boyfriend had been paying attention to see what got him so tense.
That's when she noticed the whispers.
People from around their table were talking in low voices trying to be discrete about the things they were saying. Levy didn't have dragon slayer's hearing, but she managed to catch some hushed words.
Dangerous… scary… uncivilized…
Phantom Lord…
At that, Levy turned her head to her right to look straight at the woman that dared to mention Gajeel's former guild. That's the moment she realized people around them were talking about her and Gajeel, and about Gajeel's past.
They were judging her boyfriend and she was ready to go to the woman's table and give her a piece of her mind.
"How's it?" Gajeel asked in a deep voice and Levy snapped her attention back at him. She looked at him confusedly and he chuckled at her expression. "Yer food, how is it?" He clarified.
"Oh." Levy looked down at her plate and cut down another slice of meat. "It's good." Her voice was devoid of emotion and Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.
"What's wrong?"
Levy sighed and placed her fork and knife down. Then, she leaned forward on the table and spoke in a low voice. "Are you hearing all that?" Her eyes showed concern for him. She knew his hearing was sharper than normal people and if she was able to catch some of the whispers, she wondered what else he was hearing.
He chuckled and looked at her with his crimson eyes. "Don't worry about it, Shrimp. Ignore them." He shrugged and continued eating.
"But, Gajeel… They are being very rude…" Levy had been feeling very uncomfortable in the restaurant since entering and the fact that other customers were talking about him just added up to the uncomfortable situation.
"So what? Let them talk… If they wanna pick a fight, I'll give it to them." He grinned mischievously and Levy giggled. She had to give it to him, Gajeel was acting very maturely with the whole situation.
"Always thinking about fighting…" She rolled her eyes but smiled sweetly at him.
"Ya know me. Gihi." He laughed but stopped abruptly and turned his head to his left. Levy followed his gaze and saw two men looking their way and talking about something Levy couldn't hear. She noticed Gajeel narrowed his eyes at them and his expression promised pain to those men for whatever they had said. The men quickly looked down and shut their mouths when they noticed the dragon slayer's glare.
When he stayed like that for a couple seconds more, Levy reached out and placed her hand over his, drawing his attention back to her. "Let them talk." She said in a kind voice and Gajeel's expression showed his surprise on the fact the Levy was using his own words against him. "If they want a fight, we'll give it to them." She winked coquettishly and he grinned back.
Levy knew that those men probably said something about her, since she was sure Gajeel had heard a lot of comments about him but never reacted the way he just did. She found it adorable that he acted nonchalant when people criticized him but if they even dared to say anything about his girlfriend they would be at the receiving end of a deathly glare and probably a strong punch.
The whispers didn't quiet down but Levy decided to ignore them as Gajeel had suggested. She was happy to be with him and she wasn't going to let some strangers ruin their date.
Inconvenience #5 - or as the author likes to call 'the final straw'
As they were waiting for the dessert, Levy started to talk about one of the latest books she had read which narrated a story full of mystery and suspense. Gajeel was so concentrated in hearing her tale that he didn't notice he started to chew on his fork until he was about halfway through the silver cutlery. Levy laughed at his flustered expression and waved it off, saying that they would just pay a little bit extra to replace the fork.
At that moment, the rude waiter appeared at their table and looked at Gajeel disapprovingly. The iron dragon slayer couldn't care less what the waiter thought about him but he looked down in shame for embarrassing Levy in this fancy restaurant.
"Sir, the cutlery is not included in the menu." The waiter shook his head from side to side and stood up straighter. "I'm sorry but I have to ask for both of you to leave immediately."
Levy looked up at him and frowned. "And why is that?" Her tone was even but held some defiance in it which the waiter didn't liked at all.
"For destruction of restaurant's property and for disturbing other customers."
"Oh really?" Levy stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. Somehow, the serene expression on her face showed the anger she had been bottling up up to this moment. It made the waiter swallowed thickly. Gajeel stared expectantly at her for he had no idea what the little bookworm was about to do or say.
"And here we were just thinking about paying for the fork but I guess you don't care about that anymore, do you? And the fact that we're 'disturbing'" she made air quotation marks "other customers is just because they are unable to stay out of other people's conversations!" Levy raised her voice to make sure everyone around her heard her. It worked wonderfully for the patrons in the nearby tables looked at her in shock and fear.
"Miss, you need to calm-"
"No, you're going to listen to me now." Her voice was strong and definite, shutting up the waiter effectively. "You have been very rude to us since the moment we step foot inside your restaurant and I don't care how fancy or popular this place is, you cannot go treating people like that! You're just a bunch of pompous, materialistic and obnoxious bunch of morons!"
"Miss, I suggest you-" The waiter tried to raise his voice but the solid script mage wasn't over with her speech.
"And there's one more thing you must do urgently! So listen carefully: grasp your ears firmly and pull, that way you might just be able to remove your head from your ass! (*)" A sharp intake of air from people around told Levy that her speech had the desired effect. Her face was red in fury as she breathed deeply trying to calm down her racing heart.
"That's enough, miss!" The waiter made a motion to grasp her arm but in a blur of movement, Gajeel was standing between Levy and the waiter.
"Don't even think about it." He growled at the man, promising him a world of pain if he dare to lay a hand on his girlfriend. The waiter visibly shivered in fear and took one step back.
Gajeel smirked at the waiter's reaction and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "We're leaving." He motioned for Levy to grab her purse while he tossed some jewels on the table. The bluenette still looked like she had a lot more things to say to the waiter but did as her boyfriend said and walked out of the restaurant with Gajeel close on her heels.
End of the list of 'inconveniences'. Back to our fuming bookworm and comforting dragon slayer.
Gajeel noticed Levy was still looking down to the ground and sighed for he was getting quite desperate in trying to comfort his girlfriend. "Why are ya so upset? Just forget about them… It's not like ya to be this angry…"
Levy looked up at him and now he understood what the waiter felt at being at the receiving end of her deathly glare. 'Oh crap'
"Me?! Why are you not angry at any of this Gajeel?! You have been acting like a different person this entire night! And I want to know why!" She prodded him on his chest and Gajeel held her at arm's length.
"I- I just wanted to behave during our date! What the fuck is wrong with that?!" He roared but Levy didn't flinch at his response. She didn't believe a word he just said.
"I know you Gajeel Redfox. Now, tell me what is going on!" She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked an eyebrow at him.
Gajeel clenched his teeth in annoyance but he knew she wasn't going to be fooled by him. "Tch. Fine."
He pulled his left sleeve up and there Levy noticed a rune sequence that circled Gajeel's wrist. She stared at it intently and Gajeel knew he didn't have to explain anything further to his smart girlfriend; she had already figured it out by herself by just looking at the runes.
"Mira?" She questioned and he just nodded confirming her suspicions.
"Threaten to behead me if I didn't use it. And she wasn't talking about the head that's over my shoulders."
"Ugh… un-fucking-believable." Gajeel always loved whenever Levy cursed since it made her look even cuter in his opinion.
It was quite easy to dispel the runes, just one swipe from her magic pen and Levy had the runes vanishing, freeing Gajeel from the written spell. It was an anger-control spell and not very complex, but it helped the one wearing it to keep their temperament on check. Honestly, that was the only reason why Gajeel hadn't punch the waiter in the face or yell at the hostess or even threaten any of the other customers.
Mira got it from Freed and forced Gajeel to wear it.
Levy rubbed her temples in frustration. 'Why does everyone have the need to meddle into our lives?' She thought and looked up at Gajeel who was rubbing his wrist in the place where the runes had been.
"Better?" she asked him in her sweet and melodic voice.
He grinned at her, noticing that by focusing on something else her anger just started to dissipate. "Yeah, thanks Shrimp."
She beamed at him, proud of being able to help him. She took one step backwards and was about to say 'Anytime' when her right heel got stuck again in the pavement making her lose her footing once more.
Gajeel quickly grabbed her by the waist one more time and prevented her from falling down. As he steadied her, he noticed she started to shake in anger once again and muttered something along the lines of 'stupid shoes' and 'last time I take Lucy and Mira's advice'.
"Alright, time out Shorty." He wasn't going deal with another anger explosion from his girlfriend so Gajeel did what he does best. He hoisted her up on his shoulder and carried her like a sack of potatoes to a nearby bench.
"Put me down, Gajeel!" She hit his back repeatedly with her tiny fists but the dragon slayer didn't let go of her until he reached his destiny. He put her down not so gently on the bench and before she could yelled at him, Gajeel knelt down in front of her, taking in his hand one of her feet.
Levy stared at him in confusion while the dragon slayer carefully examined her shoes. "How much do ya like this shoes?" He asked her and Levy furrowed her brows.
"Hate them with all my gut."
"Gihi, good then."
Snap!
Levy's eyes widened and before she could say anything, she heard another 'Snap!'. She looked at Gajeel who had just removed the high-heels from her shoes. Now, the black stiletto heels were black flats shoes that she found to be much more comfortable and much more like something she would willingly wear on a daily basis.
"Better?" He smirked while she inspected her 'new' shoes with wonder in her eyes. She smiled widely at him and Gajeel felt his heart do a somersault in his chest.
"Yes, thank you!"
He laughed at the irony on how other women would be furious at the mere thought of someone tampering with their shoes, but not his bookworm. No, she was happy to be rid of those high heels and he was glad he played a part on bringing her that happiness.
His laugh was cut short. He choked down while trying to laugh and breathe at the same time. The tightness of his tie didn't help at all to his situation.
Lily had convinced him to wear the black tie to look more elegant but it had been unbearable for Gajeel from the moment he put it on. Not that he isn't used to wearing a tie (heck, he loved his red tie that he uses along with his white suit when performing at the guild) but he was almost certain that the garment was not the right size for him but there was no time for him to go out and purchase another one. So, he got stuck with using the black tie that seemed to have a death grip around his throat.
He tugged at his tie and Levy just noticed how uncomfortable he seemed to be by using it.
"Here, let me help you." She reached out and loosen up the knot on the tie before she took it off from him entirely. Gajeel inhaled and exhaled deeply, feeling relieved to be rid of the constrictive garment.
"Thanks." He smirked and reached out with his hand to ruffle her hair when he stopped just when he was about to place his hand over her head. He had noticed the up-do hairstyle and thought better than to mess up her hair; she probably spent a lot of time fixing it up just for him to mess it up. 'But damn, I really like to ruffle her hair' he thought while he retreated his hand.
Levy noticed this and deflated slightly. Even when she complained every time Gajeel ruffled her hair, she liked his unique way of showing his affection to her. She frowned and an idea struck her then.
"Hey, Gajeel. How much do you like this tie?" She questioned, showing him the black tie in her hands.
Gajeel quirked an eyebrow at her. "I want to burn that shit to ashes and shove it through Lily's throat." He said in all seriousness and Levy laughed at his answer.
"Good. Can I use it then?"
"Uhm, sure…" He answered carefully, not fully understanding what she wanted to do with the hated garment.
With his approval, Levy reached up to her hair and pulled all the bobby pins out, letting her blue curls fall freely. Then, she used her fingers to comb her hair slightly before placing the tie on her hair and tying it like a bandana around her head. It helped to keep her hair out of her face and it made her look cute and pretty. The black makeshift bandana even combined with her outfit.
"So, how do I look?" She tilted her head to the side and looked up at Gajeel.
He felt how his breath got caught up in his throat even when he wasn't wearing the tie anymore. He forced himself to snap out of the stunned state and smiled at her with so much love that Levy's heart fluttered at the sight of his smile.
"Beautiful." His voice was barely above a whisper but she heard him clearly.
Then, Gajeel leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Levy melted into the kiss, feeling all the emotions the dragon slayer transmitted by that simple action. It made her feel light headed and she wrapped her arms around Gajeel's neck to make sure she wouldn't fall down from the bench. When he pulled back, his eyes stared deeply into Levy's and she felt how her cheeks reddened by the intensity of his gaze.
He chuckled at her dazed expression. Then, he stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. "Come on, Shrimp."
"Where are we going?" She took his hand and stood up from the bench, immensely grateful to having not to take one more step on those high heels.
"Well, the night isn't over yet and we still have a date to finish, right?" He smirked down at her when she locked her arm with his.
Levy was confused about what he was talking about. She was almost sure they were going to head back home after the disastrous evening, but it was endearing that Gajeel still wanted to have that promised date. She smiled at him and walked by his side, leaning her head on his muscled arm.
This turned out to be the best date ever for both Levy and Gajeel.
An hour after being kicked out of the restaurant, the couple found themselves sitting by the big oak tree at Magnolia Park enjoying each other's company. Levy had in one hand a newly purchased book and the other one was tangled in Gajeel's wild mane. She ran her delicate fingers through his hair in a soothing manner that had the dragon slayer practically purring on her lap.
This, this is what happiness felt like.
She had been reading out loud one of her favorite novels and Gajeel had been enjoying every second of it, admiring the expressions coursing through her face and how she subtly changed her voice whenever a different character was speaking.
The moonlight hit her just in the right angle that made her glow in the darkness of the night. It felt reminiscent as of how Gajeel felt about Levy. She was his light in the darkness that had plagued his life and now, been like this with her, he wondered how he could have lived without her in the first place.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Levy's voice brought him out of his inner thoughts and he just smirked at her confused expression.
He had been staring at her with his crimson eyes just thinking how fortunate he was to have her in his life. Her, the girl he had hurt in the past, was here loving him for who he was, not expecting him to be someone different, not wanting to go out on fancy dinners or pretending to be someone who he wasn't. She loved him just for who he was, the gruff and brash son of a bitch he was, and he really wondered what the fuck did he do right to deserve such a wonderful person as Levy McGarden.
Levy on her part smiled down at him. He had that look in his eyes that told her he loved her with every fiber of his being. This is all she wanted to do for their date. To be the two of them together and comfortable in each other's company. That's what she loved so much about their relationship. He never expected her to be perfect, or wear fancy clothes or high heels. He loved her as much whenever she wore a sundress as when she wore a sweatshirt. She loved that he never forced her out of her passion for books, instead he encouraged her and willingly stayed by her side until she felt satiated with her reading.
They had a rocky start, there was no denying such a fact. But right now, being gazed down with such fierceness by those ruby eyes, Levy would go through the pain, the struggle a thousand times if it meant she would get another chance to be like this with the man she loved.
Gajeel didn't answer her question and she wasn't expecting him to do so. He just pulled Levy down gently into a chaste kiss and she smiled into his lips. She locked her eyes with his and he lost himself in all the emotions trapped inside those hazel orbs.
"I love you too, silly dragon."
Right now, she felt like the luckiest girl alive and he, well he felt like the luckiest son of a bitch in the whole world.
'Is this how a first date is supposed to feel like?'
Thank you so much for reading! Hope you liked it! Remember to share your thoughts with me on this one [Hehe, sorry it's too long but I had to compensate for making lots of you wait so long for an update]
Couple of author ramblings:
1. I never knew the phrase 'the straw that broke the camel's back'; I was going to use 'the last drop' or 'the drop that spilled the glass' in Inconvenience #5 because in Spanish it is 'la gota que derramó el vaso'. Never heard about the camel before xD sounds funny if you translate it back to spanish.
2. (*) just discovered this phrase ("Grasp your ears firmly and pull, that way you might just be able to remove your head from your ass!") and I couldn't stop myself from using it! Hope I used it right!
3. As mentioned in tumblr, I still have one more prompt to go (Grief). The last prompt-Living together inspired me to write a Council series and the one-shot I had planned for that prompt will be used as one of its chapters (hope I'll have more time to write soon so it can be up faster)
Thanks again for reading! One more prompt to go!
WTF (Where's The Food)
