Chapter 14:

Steel your Heart! ( Part 2 )

.~ … ~.

MY P.O.V.

"Gather round, everyone. Another vict- I mean, pair, is about to be read~!" I said as they all sat down, some more excited than others. Apparently, Mira's been waiting for this even more than me.

"I can't wait to hear about this next one! I wonder who the next victims are…" She wasn't too private about keeping the hidden objective of our regular reading, but hey, at least she's excited.

"What is this 'fan fiction'?" Sting asked, sitting beside Dani as he observed the laptop with curiosity.

"It's a form of story-telling." Dani answered with a shrug. "The particular ones we read are about Fairy Tail characters."

"Really…?" The blonde asked again, now a smirk present on his face. "Stories about Fairy Tail, huh…"

"Not just Fairy Tail," Dani interjected. "Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Crime Sorcière… Any known guild in Fiore and their members can be in fan fiction."

"So that means Sabertooth can get a fan fiction?" Sting asked again. He was really interested in this despite the lack of obvious motive.

"Yeah," she answered. "I've seen some works with you and Rogue in them…"

"Nice," he said. "What are they about?"

"Oh, the usual…" Dani shrugged, but a smirk present on her face. "You and Rogue go on a mission, Rogue meets a girl, fall in love, and you're left forever alone…" A brief silence fell over them, and I'm trying very hard not to laugh and spoil Dani's fun. Moments later, Sting, who was focused on Dani's words earlier, whipped his head to the side and slightly cupped his forehead. He then chuckled once. Twice, then full blown laughter.

"A-as if that would happen…!" he chuckled. Now it was both me and Dani restraining our laughs. The group wasn't noticing because they were caught up in their own conversation, while some caught on to what Dani was doing and just enjoyed the show.

Sting chuckled once more before falling to silence. He had his eyes narrowed on the floor now while he cupped his chin. Suddenly, Dani tapped him on the shoulder, shaking her head as she did so.

"You're thinking about this way~ too much…" she mumbled. She quickly leant back when Sting jolted, glaring at her a little before smirking.

"Got me there…" he said. "I'll get you back."

"We'll see about that…" Dani smirked back. They nodded at each other, a silent agreement being settled upon them, before looking back at the laptop, and me, I guess.

"Done!" I exclaimed, trying to sound like I've been searching for fics but in reality was just opening up a new browser. "Wait, wait… Wait… Okay, now it's done!"

"Took you long enough," Gray said. "Who's it about this time?" After Gray asked that, I cupped my chin, looking at them with a mischievous grin.

"Well~," I said. "I've been thinking, and I think a certain pair hasn't been getting enough attention lately. So I'm dedicating this fic to them! This'll probably get them to hook up, too! This is probably the cutest story I've ever read, and their pair is the cutest I've ever seen, too!"

"Really, now who could that be?" Erza asked, glancing sideways, particularly at Natsu's direction. She must be thinking that since I said the couple was cute, it has something to do with Natsu. Sorry to break it to Erza, but this has nothing to do with Natsu, Lucy, or Lisanna. Speaking of which, Lucy and Lisanna were sitting next to each other with possibly no line of awkwardness. Levy was beside Lucy, and next to her were Meredy and Ultear. Jellal and Erza were at the far end, just next to Gray and Gajeel. Natsu was behind Gajeel, entertaining Wendy with small fire tricks to pass the time before we finally start to read a fan fic. Mira was a little at the front, cuddling the five Exceed, with Dani, Sting and Rogue just beside her.

"This one's probably Dani-chan's favorite couple, so I'm not going to make you wait any longer. I'm going to start now, okay?"

"It's about time…" Lucy pouted. "The suspense is killing me…"

"Tell me about it," Meredy sighed. "I don't want to wait this long to tease Pen-san's next victims~!" At that, Lucy chuckled, making Meredy chuckle a little, too.

"Aren't we going to wait for…um, Michael-san?" Lisanna asked, a little too shyly for my opinion. I just shook my head towards her.

"Michael has basketball practice today." I said. "He asked me earlier what we're gonna do, but he said he wouldn't miss basketball practice for two Dragon Slayers."

"Oh," Lisanna sighed, her eyes briefly sad before she smiled. "O-oh! I-I see… That's good! Exercise is more important than introductions, right?" She chuckled a bit before letting out a small sigh.

"Right…" I said, perfectly aware of her sudden interest in Michael's presence. I don't wanna have to pressure her if I asked, especially since there are a lot of things we haven't arranged yet. Like Natsu's supposed feelings for Lisanna, for one. Then there's Lucy and Natsu's avoidance match, and I have to keep the plan in order or else Sting won't go through with it.

I sighed, not really much is progressing and thinking is making my head hurt. Maybe the development of Gajeel and Levy could help with the progression. At least we don't have to worry about them. We all know that they like each other, and once we finish this one, everything will be fine. Right…?

"A-anyway," I said, cutting myself from my train of thought. "Here's the fic, everyone! You ready?"

"We've been ready for five minutes!" Natsu exclaimed. "Hurry it up already!"

"Don't put your pants in a twist, I'm starting! Sheesh, some people…" I sighed as I shook my head. I looked at my laptop, now really ready to read this fic. Cute title, too.

.~ … ~.

"Bookmark"

by: MetalScript

Rate: T

A/N: HI! ARE YOU EXCITED? I SURE AM! BOY, I'M REALLY EXCITED! SOMEBODY SLAP ME! ( Ultear: I'll be happy to oblige~! Meredy: Too bad we can't see her… Gray: Or find her… *sigh* Crazy-assed authors… ) *gets slapped by unknown force* Woo! Okay, I'm sane again. *cough* Ahem, this is MetalScript's story "Bookmark" written for the awesomest couple in the whole wide world, GaLe! ( Gajeel: *spits out nail* What?! Levy: *blushes* *stutters* I-I… What? Lucy: Oh, Levy-chan's blushing~! *giggles* Levy: S-stop it, Lu-chan! *pouts* )

P.S. This one's a little short, but be prepared for some epic romance! /m\ ( Juvia: Juvia is excited! Mira: Careful not to end up like the author… *smiles* )

The crisp, autumn morning greeted the city of Magnolia. Colors or red, orange, and yellow filled the streets as the leaves rained down like fluttering petals. ( Sting: She has… colorful writing. Rogue: A little too colorful… Lisanna: Oh, shush! The story's going great so far! ) The sun's early rays light up the rivers and streams, making them glow vibrantly.

Walking along the road with a book hugged in her arms, a pink, fluffy coat and a blue scarf to protect her from the cold breeze, was Fairy Tail's Levy McGarden. ( Lucy: *coos* There she is~! Levy: L-Lu-chan! *blushes* Lisanna: That outfit would look so cute on you, Levy-chan! Erza: Yes it would. How about we find something similar later? Dani: Sounds like a plan! Pen-san? Me: Yeah, whatever. Lucy: All right! ) She was headed to the library to bring a book she had borrowed a few days ago. It was still too early for anyone at the guild to be awake, so she figured she could at least enjoy the peace and tranquility of the autumn day before the hectic guild schedule runs its course.

The blue-haired bookworm ( Levy: Does she really have to call me that? *sweat drops* ) took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air, closing her eyes as she did so. It really was a peaceful day. Now she wondered what was going to happen today. She hadn't enjoyed a peaceful morning like this in a while, so there must be something special that's going to happen today.

'I wonder if it's my lucky day…' Levy thought to herself. She opened her eyes, spotting the library as she did so. And just as she thought it was closed, she had the fortune of finding out that the door was unlocked. Usually it was closed in the morning and would open at noon, but finding it open?

"It really must be my lucky day!" she exclaimed, race walking towards the building. Now she can return the book and look for new ones to borrow. She slowly opened the door, already smelling the scent of pages and ink that had been stored for years. How she loved that smell. ( Sting: Do you really? Levy: It's okay, I guess. Why do you ask? Sting: *shrugs* Just thought it was weird… *smirks* Levy: O-oh… *half lids eyes* Gajeel: *narrows eyes at Sting* )

"Hello?" she called out quietly. She looked around the facility, and was glad to find the resident librarian by his desk, writing something that seemed to be a letter. The old man jolted with a start upon hearing Levy's voice, but smiled when he spotted her walking closer.

"Good morning, Ms. McGarden," the librarian greeted.

"Good morning," Levy greeted with a slight bow. "I came to return this book, please." She handed over the 4-inch thick encyclopedia that she had kept hidden between her arms and body.

"My, my," the old man chuckled. "You finished it already? You borrowed this about 3 days ago!"

"Uh-huh." Levy nodded. "Thanks for letting me borrow it, by the way."

"It's no problem." He answered. "But I have to ask, why read about the History of Dragons?" ( Natsu: Dragons?! Sting: We know more than some measly book… Gajeel: Can't argue with that… Lucy: Dragon Slayer pride… *rolls eyes* )

"We have Dragon Slayers in the guild," she answered simply. "If I could learn more about the History of Dragons, then maybe I could help them find their dragons in the near future… Or so I hope." She smiled when the librarian did the same action.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask," Levy continued. "Why are you open at this time in the morning?"

"Ah," the old man said. "I was actually woken up by request. A young man wanted a quiet spot in the morning to think, and he asked me to open the library for him."

"Oh?" Levy asked. "Who might that be?"

"I would say he's a part of your guild." The old man answered with a smile. "He's very kind despite his gruff appearance and those piercings he has." At the mention of the word, Levy knew exactly who it was that made the old man open the library. ( Natsu: Gajeel? In the library? No way! Gray: He's not a nitwit like you, so give him some credit. Natsu: Watch it, stripper. *glares* Gray: Oh, so you wanna go, flame-brain? *smirks* Erza: Boys… *glares* Behave. Natsu and Gray: *stiffen up* A-aye! )

"O-oh, I see…" she said. "I'm sorry for the trouble he's caused. Is he here right now?"

"No," the old man answered. "I'm afraid that he left a little while before you got here, saying that there's something he needs done. If you want to know what he was working on, I suggest you take a look there." He pointed towards the direction of the small living space the library had for readers who didn't want to leave the building.

"Okay," she nodded. "Thank you very much." She turned heel and headed to that direction. She was curious as to what Gajeel was doing in the library; and more so that he wanted to be alone in the morning to do it. When she reached his working space, she saw one book left on the table. It was a grammar guide on how to write a poem. And there was a blue ribbon in-between one of the pages. When she flipped it open, she found a rectangular bookmark made of metal. Figuring it was Gajeel's and he'd forgotten to take it, she took the liberty of returning it to him. Upon examining the page that has been bookmarked, she found writing that didn't belong to the book. ( Jellal: Vandalism is against the law… Wendy: Then isn't that bad? Mira: Yes it is, so never grow up like Gajeel, okay? Gajeel: What the hell does that mean? *sweat drops* )

It read, 'If my life is a book, it has already been marked. I pause, scared to continue and flip the pages. But now, I found the courage to tell you with hope in my heart. I love you, and I want to live with you through the ages, to spend eternity with you and you alone… My heart would forever be cold, but you are the only one who can melt it. Stay with me-'

The page was torn at the end, so Levy wasn't able to finish it. Touching the page of the book, she began to think.

"Did Gajeel write this…?" she asked herself. ( Natsu: Impossible! Gajeel can't wri- *gets hit with a pillow* Me: Stop talking! The story's getting good! ) She folded a piece of the page before closing the book. She sighed, now she was curious. If Gajeel wrote it, who did he write it for? And if not, why was he reading it? A lot of questions ran through her mind that day, ruining her peaceful morning.

A few weeks have passed, and Levy was still holding on to the bookmark. She hadn't seen Gajeel for a while, and the librarian was never open in the morning again. Perhaps it was only a onetime thing. But she wondered when she'll see Gajeel again.

She doesn't want to admit it out loud, but she misses him. ( Lucy: True to reality… *giggles* Levy: Just wait until you and you-know-who gets it… *points to certain Natsu* Lucy: *eyes widen* O-okay, I'll stop now… *chuckles* )

The guild wasn't at all interesting to her now that he wasn't here. Well, for now, anyway. So she had decided to spend the day at a café near Magnolia's city entrance. The bells of the front door rang, signaling everyone that there was a new arrival. But Levy was too caught up in her thoughts that she failed to notice someone sit across her from her table.

"Yo shrimp," The subject of her thoughts called. At first, she thought it was just her head messing with her, but when she caught a glimpse of him in her peripheral, she was greeted by a surprise indeed.

"G-Gajeel…?" she asked in disbelief.

"The one and only," he said with his signature chuckle.

"W-where have you been?" Levy asked with excitement in her eyes and relief at seeing his face again. Gajeel's smirk dropped slight and formed into a much more gentle smile, something that the blue-haired girl wasn't expecting from the gruff Iron Dragon.

"I've been going on jobs nonstop…" he said. "I've been…saving up for something." Silence occurred after that, at least it was comfortable. Levy was just glad that Gajeel was back, and he was safe.

"Hey shrimp," he called again.

"Stop calling me that, would you?" she chuckled. "I'm not that short anymore."

"R-right…" he responded. "Well, can you do something for me?"

"Sure," she nodded. "What is it?"

"Can you…" he hesitated a little, but regained his composure and said, "Stand here…" At first, Levy was confused by such an odd request, but complied and stood in front of him, a few feet away. Gajeel was next to stand and Levy was in for a surprise when he knelt down in front of her, one of his hands holding hers. The gesture drew a lot of attention from the people in the café, some squealing from the romance while some gasped in surprise, in both excitement and giddiness.

"G-Gajeel…" Levy muttered, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "W-what is this?" Gajeel said nothing and just looked at her in the eyes. Those red eyes of his held so much emotion right now that Levy couldn't help but blush again.

"I-if my life is a book," he started, and Levy became familiar with that. "It has already been marked. I pause, scared to continue and flip the pages. But now, I found the courage to tell you with hope in my heart… I…" he took a deep breath. "I love you, and I want to live with you through the ages, to spend eternity with you and you alone… My heart would forever be cold, but you are the only one who can melt it."

He pulled out from his pocket a small red box, opening it to reveal a diamond-encrusted ring, shining beautifully in the light of the sun. The crowd that had gathered and watched was clapping for Gajeel's bravery, while some girls envy the treatment Levy was getting.

"T-this isn't a proper proposal…" Gajeel muttered, his own blush appearing. "I mean, we haven't even gone out yet… B-but, this…this is a promise. A promise that when you agree to, I will stay by you forever… I-it's…"

"I accept." Levy interrupted him. "This is just like a bookmark, right? This ring will serve as a reminder that'll help us remember this promise. A promise that I will stay with you forever, a promise that you will never leave… A promise… to spend the rest of our days together, forever…"

"A promise to get engaged and married, that's so cool~!" Max suddenly exploded from the crowd, shocking both Gajeel and Levy. Gajeel was already up in his feet and was staring wide eyed at the reporter.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gajeel growled out.

"I was just passing by," Max answered. "But then I saw a crowd! So I had to come in and check out this cool~ scene!"

"I wanted to take pictures, but sadly I forgot my camera! I'll just keep it a secret for now! Toodles~, cool~ couple!" Max dashed out of the café, earning a lot of sweat drops from the crowd and the pair of wizards.

"Hey Gajeel," Levy muttered, bringing her arms to wrap around his arm. "You were the one who wrote that, right?"

"Yeah…" Gajeel answered, cupping her chin and making her look up to him. "Stay with me, Levy." A brief silence engulfed them before Levy smiled whole-heartedly.

"If my life is a book," she stated. "Then you had left your bookmark. One day we will open up this book again, and continue it from where we left off… But right now, the pages are blank, and we can write whatever we want…"

"Of course I want to stay with you, Gajeel…" She balanced herself on her toes and reached for the man's lips, easily being assisted by him. Her arms went from his arm to his chest as his own arms circled around her waist.

The crowd's claps and whistles were drowned out by the silent and absolute promise they had made with each other right at that moment.

. The End .

A/N: GGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH~! I DIED! *shot dead* ( Gray: Thank god she's dead… Erza: You know that it's not real, right? Gray: …Can't you give me a shot at relief…? )

.~ … ~.

"That was romantic…" I said with a smile. "Good job, Gajeel. You made my heartstrings move."

"So you're not a totally obsessed moron clinging to Fairy Tail out of being a fan…" Sting smirked.

"That's right…" I said. "I have a heart, unlike you." Sting scowled at this, but I couldn't care less. "Anyway, what does our couple subject think of this little story?" Everybody looked at the couple in question.

"I-it was…nice…" Levy muttered as her blush slowly ate away at her face until her whole head was beetroot red.

"Meh…" Gajeel shrugged.

"Aw, come on, Gajeel!" I urged. "You can't just say 'meh' on this! This is your relationship we're talking about, and-"

"That's just it," Gajeel interrupted me, slight anger in his face. "It's our relationship you're meddling with. At first I was fine with it because everyone seemed to be okay with it, but that crap ain't even real!"

"Ca-calm down, Gajeel…" Levy tried to soothe him. "It's just a story… It can happen if you really want to…" She tried to hide the small smile by lowering her head. But I was glad that Levy liked the story.

"I'll never do something stupid like that…" Gajeel muttered before he can put a hand over his mouth. He looked at Levy, who was in shock at what he said. Truth was we all were. No one expected him to say something as cold as that.

"…Stupid, huh…?" Levy asked, her hands forming into fists as they trembled. "You mean stupid like loving me, for one? Stupid like sharing your feelings for someone you like?!"

"Levy-chan…" Lucy muttered. Levy walked a bit closer to Gajeel, who was in awe at what she said.

"I never-" Gajeel tried to protest, but the quick slap to his face made him shut up.

"Stupid Gajeel!" she shouted before running out the door.

"Levy-chan!" Lucy tried to stop her, but Ultear grabbed her by the arm and looked at her firmly.

"Let her handle this…" she stated. All eyes were now on Gajeel, who just stood there like a petrified statue. It took a few minutes before I reached a hand out and punched the person closest to me; in this case, it was Sting's bloated, egotistic head.

"Crap!" Sting hissed as I hit his nose. But before he could say something that I know could potentially shut down Wendy's brain, Dani slapped him upside the head, making him bite his tongue. He cursed under his breath as the two of us stood up, race walking towards the paralyzed Gajeel before pushing him out the door.

"Come on," I said. "You have to fix this, idiot…"

"So don't just stand there and be a dumbass!" Dani slapped him upside the head as well. "That was incredibly rude, even for you, Gajeel."

"W-w-wha…?" Gajeel didn't have time to form a coherent sentence before we were running down the stairs, through the living room, and out the house. We stopped there for a moment, giving him some time to adjust.

"What the hell are we doing?" he asked a little breathless.

"You're going to apologize," I said. "And, I guess there's an apology coming from me, too. So, sorry for meddling with your oh-so obvious relationship…" He glared at me a little before scoffing.

"Now it's your turn," Dani said. "Use that nose of yours to find Levy! Go, go, go!" She began to push Gajeel again, making me shake my head in amusement before following suite.

It took a few minutes, but we found her by the riverside near the forest. She was sitting on a fallen trunk of a tree as she hugged her knees closer to her body. She was shaking, so I concluded she was crying, not cold.

"Go!" I whispered to Gajeel, giving him one last push before hiding. Dani had already hid herself, sneaky girl. Gajeel glared at me one last time, which I grinned to, before walking closer to the area.

I hid behind one of the trees as I watched the two with interest. This was far more interesting than reading, I'll tell you that! Plus, the action now is real. Gajeel approached her with slight caution, and when she didn't respond, he continued towards a little more confidently.

"Hey shrimp," he said casually. Seriously, doesn't he get tired of calling her that? He took another step forward, and this time got the girl's attention.

"What do you want?" Levy asked grumpily. She clearly wasn't in the mood to talk. She wiggled a little on the fallen tree trunk she was sitting on, trying not to look at Gajeel.

"About that," Gajeel muttered. "I just wanted to say…"

The wind blew by at that exact moment, bringing his words farther away from my hearing range. Damn this always happens! Still, I could tell it was something that Levy wouldn't have expected from our Iron Dragon Slayer, because she was blushing now. I wonder what he said. It's always at these heart-to-heart moments that the wind suddenly picks up and blows violently and loudly, enough so you can't hear what they're saying. Wind, why can't you do this whenever there's a blackout or in the middle of summer? I sighed, not really wanting to fight the wind or I might get blown away, and focused more on the two. Gajeel was breathing deeply, and I'm not sure if he's having a seizure or just nervous.

"W-well…?" I heard Gajeel ask.

"W-well," Levy stuttered out, obviously flustered by what he just said. "I-I…"

Before she could finish her answer, however, her hand was grabbed by Gajeel and she was pulled into a deep embrace. The Dragon Slayer nuzzled his nose on her neck given that she was still shocked, surprising her even more. The blush on their faces could be visible from this distance, and I wonder how they looked like up-close.

"Well, that takes care of that…" I muttered to myself. "Time to go home…"

.~ … ~.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lucy sighed in relief. Dani and I just finished explaining what transpired between the two, and everyone was glad, well, almost everyone. Sting and Rogue still doesn't care. But Rogue's doesn't care attitude was fine by me, at least he was smiling and wished for their well-being. Sting is just as arrogant as he was when I first met him.

"Hey Sting!" I called as I walked over to him.

"What do you want?" he asked as I slung an arm around his shoulder.

"How's about fulfilling that deal we had?" I asked him, smirking as he sighed.

"Now…?" he asked.

"Yes, now…" I answered. I took my arm away from him as he began to walk towards the blonde. I guess seeing them flirt with each other won't be too bad, or so I thought.

"H-hey, Lucy…" Sting began, giving a small wave at the blonde. Lucy looked at him and smiled back a little.

"Hey, Sting," she said. "First time hearing you say my name…"

"H-huh? Really?" Sting asked. "W-well, I guess this place turned me into a softie, so… yeah…" he just nodded at a random direction, completely avoiding eye contact with Lucy.

"I'm so glad Gajeel and Levy made it." Lucy said. "It would have been a disaster if they were to fight…"

"Y-yeah," Sting answered. "T-that would be…" Sting chuckled a little.

"What's with you…?" Lucy suddenly asked. "You're definitely not the Sting that was fighting Natsu during the Grand Magic Games…"

Sting laughed again, "S-sorry, I-"

"Apologizing?" Lucy asked again, her smile a little bit more confused. "Who are you? And what have you done with Sting?" She chuckled and cupped his forehead. "Do you have a fever or something?" I saw Sting stiffen up a little at the touch, but before he could say anything else, they were interrupted.

"Lucy, let's go see where they are!" Lisanna called over.

"Um, okay!" Lucy called back. She looked at Sting one last time before running to the others. As Sting stayed put, I couldn't help myself but run over and kick him, hard.

"The hell was that for?" Sting asked as he rubbed his back.

"You called that flirting?" I asked him, glaring all the while. "Dude, you were shying away from a girl… And I thought you could pull it off, too… My plan is ruined!" I bit a handkerchief I got from nowhere, before realizing I got a handkerchief from nowhere. Weird…

"It's not my fault I can't talk to girls…" Sting muttered, looking away but still trying to mask his embarrassment with a smirk and a shaky narrowed stare from afar. Awkward silence filled the room, and I blinked a few times before what he said registered in my mind.

"Sting," I called him. When he looked, I punched him dead in the nose again.

"…You're dead to me."

A/N: Happy New Year, minna! XD

Wow, updated sooner than expected! Anyway, did you enjoy this one? In my opinion, this was probably the most romantic chapter that I've ever written! OMG I can't stop giggling and being giddy when I was writing this! And the last part of the chapter made me laugh! Weee~! My writing's not stale anymore! Or is it? XD

Just a little question, again... Sorry if I keep asking, okay? Okay, the question is... What is your New Year's Resolution this year, minna? Mine is to study more and sleep less in school, and spend less to save more! :D I hope I can do that!

Anyway, see you next update! :D

Ja Ne~