Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Game of Throne, Hershey's Kisses, or any recognizable brands mentioned.

No sooner had Levy gotten out of her car, pumped to tackle the harder sections on the rock wall and happy, then a strangled noise rolled its way from her throat. She paled as the good vibes completely drained away and thunked her head on her car again. It took all of her will power not to drop her head to the side of her car (repeatedly) as a familiar blonde bun bobbed excitedly as an award-winning smile was shot her way- with a hand wave graceful enough to put beauty queens to shame- from across the parking lot. Doomed was now an underestimate to what Levy would be the second she walked into that gym with Lucy. She should just ready the kabob and pit now because she was roasted.

Lucy zipped to her side, staying unusually quiet as Levy ducked down to slowly pull her gym bag from the backseat.

Levy figured maybe if she took long enough and didn't make any sudden movements, Lucy would realize what a lost cause the blue haired woman was and move along…Or if she was just fast enough, she could hop in her car, lock the doors, and gun it for-

"How goes, khaleesi?"

Not a chance.

She could hear the confident amusement in Lucy's smile- brilliant and burning like the sun.

The question startled Levy as she began to stand back up, jolting her enough to make her head bump the roof of the car. The shorter woman bit the inside of her cheek- hard- as she straightened; her mouth twisted to one side as her eyebrows rose in indignation. Lucy smiled shyly and shrugged.

"You've got three seconds to find another gym, Dragneel." Levy rubbed the tender spot on her head and hissed when her fingers circled over a particularly sore area. She glowered from one eye, the other having closed against the prick of pain.

Lucy merely winked, wholly unaffected and unintimidated by her friend's best efforts. She tucked an escaped lock of hair behind her ear and scoffed, "And here I told Natsu I was sure you'd be excited to have a workout buddy for once."

Levy sighed, hanging her head back and closing her eyes against the bright sunshine. "Please don't."

The blonde laughed, the sound echoing harshly off the open space and blacktop. "You make me sound so sinister. I wasn't going to do anything."

As if on cue, the rising bruise on her scalp pulsed.

"Yeah, right. Last time you weren't 'going to do anything', I wound up footing the bill for my salad and that one guy's plate of lobster- which was imported, mind you. The bottle of wine leftover from that night definitely wasn't worth what I paid, if you were curious. You're not allowed to 'not' do anything within a mile of me anymore."

"Y'know, maybe you don't need my help." Lucy tapped her chin as her lips curled into a small, satisfied smile.

She folded her arms and shot Lucy her own wry smile paired with quirked eyebrow. "You think?"

"I mean, you sound just like him, it's ridiculous. Verbatim, this is the conversation I had with Gajeel after his fluke date." The blonde swung her arm around Levy's shoulders and slumped lazily against her friend. "You two can get together and chat about how I ruin your lives and the fertility of your checkbooks."

Levy bumped her hip against Lucy's and grabbed her arm before Lucy had the chance to pull away. "You know I don't mean it like that. We've just got our pride, is all."

The blonde snorted and rolled her eyes. "Ain't that the truth."

She shook her head, Lucy was her go-to fix for bad work week therapy- the sessions kept to a strict routine of every candy bar they could get and a nice rom com to balance out the bad taste the world had left them with that week; cheesy pick-up lines and predictable endings went down superbly well with a bag of Hershey's Kisses. Levy also remembered how Lucy had hunted down the Bad Date With a Lock on His Wallet and turned him inside out for how he treated her friend. Levy had seen years and years of Lucy Heartfilia's big ol' heart looking out for everyone she cared about and if she was actually offering her blessing and support whilst shoving Levy into the stony brick wall of Khal, then maybe she ought to take the dive? There'd be no way Natsu kept stories from Lucy, so other than Natsu himself and their younger cousin, Wendy (whom Lucy went on to gush about how adorable they were with her), Lucy knew Gajeel best.

She would know if Gajeel held even the infinitesimal chance of snapping Levy's heart into pieces and leaving her more bitter than before. Levy smiled lopsidedly and sighed good-naturedly. "Sooooo, do I get to hear about you setting Gajeel up or…?"

Lucy licked her lips, a cunning smile winding around the pretty line of her mouth as she finally caught Levy right where she wanted her. "Why? Curious to see if he's got a type?"

"Yes, fine. I'll agree if it gets you talking."

"Well, she was taller than you, so maybe Gajeel prefers the shorter ones." The blonde shrugged, a noncommittal action that mismatched the calculated tilt of her smile.

Levy narrowed her eyes and monotoned, "I am never asking you anything about men ever again."

Lucy pointed a finger at Levy and grinned, presenting her trump card. "Ah, but you can't deny that I didn't do something right. I mean, I am married."

"To Natsu. There's not much you could do that would make him run in the opposite direction and not have him falling more in love with you right then."

"He does not do that!"

"Oh, please. You two are the poster children for newlyweds. You could walk around wearing nothing but the shower curtain and he'd be completely gone."

"Most women wouldn't find that as such a bad thing. Shower curtains aren't nearly as expensive as a nice pair of heels or bottle of perfume. I'll have to keep that idea in mind. Thanks, Lev." Lucy bumped her shoulder into her friend's, she only laughed harder when Levy started to mutter curses under her breath.

The shorter woman sighed and leaned against the trunk of her car, Levy ignored the wind that swept her shorter hairs around her face and only squinted her eyes against the assault as she glanced toward the gym entrance. She was a grown woman and it had been years since she had bounced between decisions on a guy. Aside from the fact that he deterred unwanted noise in the gym, made a few funny jabs about work, and offered to let her veg out on a treadmill as she watched F.R.I.E.N.D.S., she didn't know much about him. Other than his last name and that he was apparently Natsu's cousin.

However, Lucy seemed almost giddy that there was some chance of something.

So, he had her best friend's approval going for him.

Levy looked down at her feet, sucking in her lips to hide her smile from Lucy. Not to mention occasional scruff and the hearty laugh that made her want to laugh too.

"Huh, I thought it was only if you said his name three times…." Lucy tilted her head to the side and grinned at Levy.

"What are you going on about now?" Levy peeked one eye open, raising her head back up to follow Lucy's line of sight to the gym entrance. She growled and swung for the blonde's shoulder. "We're no longer friends."

Lucy gasped scandalously and stepped away from Levy's reach. "You're both brutes too! I swear, if you don't get together and procreate the universe will weep at the loss of such a perfect match."

"Would you-!" Her face lit up as her eyes darted between Lucy and Gajeel. Her heart was currently tangled up with her uvula- Lucy's voice carried in the damn parking lot and if Gajeel had overheard the blonde's last statement, she would die. Levy worked to push all thoughts of Gajeel alongside universal serendipities and procreating out of her mind as he neared them.

Though, he seemed to not have heard them and she was thankful for whatever force that blessed the gym blacktop and kept their conversation just out of Gajeel's hearing reach.

Levy shouldered her bag once more and cleared her throat, trying not to glare a hole through the man's skull as he eyed Lucy wearily. She had mentally jinxed herself and now she was faced with the occasional scruff and Lucy. She'd never make it into the gym at this point, Lucy would never pass up such a glorious chance. One thing gave her comfort, he seemed just as uneasy around Lucy as she did at that moment. Gajeel easily had at least 50 pounds on the blonde and yet, he looked like he was debating on whether being close enough to speak with Levy was actually worth it.

It was a small victory when he scoffed and relaxed his shoulders, slipping his hands into his pockets. She had to bite back her laugh when his eyes suddenly narrowed on her friend.

"Heartfilia."

Lucy sniffed, folding her arms in front of her to purposely show off the glittering bands on her trim finger. "I am married, y'know."

Gajeel snorted and smirked down at her- the thing wider and cockier than Levy had ever seen it before. It was all too clear that while Lucy Heartfilia may make him regret his love life (or lack there of), he was infinitely amused by her company and enjoyed talking to her. So, they had one more thing in common.

"My condolences. Still can't believe you'd take his name willingly." He yanked carefully on her haphazard bun. Watching him was more than a little bewildering; this small house of a man- with a sarcastic streak the size of the country- was openly showing a familiar endearment.

Levy got the feeling the conversation was nothing new either.

Levy smiled warmly as Lucy matched Gajeel's smirk and shoved his hand away. "Ah, still an easier choice than taking yours, Redfox. I pity the woman who swallows that bitter pill, khal Dr-."

Levy choked and turned quickly on her heel, whipping the brunt of her bag into Lucy's middle. "Hey, I think I'm going to head on in and let you two finish catching up." The blue haired girl raised her eyebrows at the blonde, conveying a string of curses and threats that went unnoticed by Gajeel.

The man snorted, "Not you too. I ate with Lil' the other night and Shagotte was callin' me that." Levy groaned internally, she hadn't remembered letting that detail slip when she talked to Shagotte. Gajeel grimaced and rolled his eyes. "But it could be worse."

Lucy perked up, the corners of her mouth curling in the tell-tale way that meant trouble for Levy. "Oh?"

Then, he grinned as his hand fell away from his stubble covered cheek. "I could be married to Ned Stark's bastard."

Suddenly, everything up until that moment became worth it for Levy. The look on Lucy's shocked face as Gajeel waved them both goodbye was nothing short of beautiful, and if he had shot her a conspiratorial wink as Lucy fished for something to say, well, that was just the icing on the cake.

With Gajeel gone for the afternoon and Juvia in charge, Lucy behaved and an actual gym routine was somewhat achieved. Her ego even got more than just a little boost when her friend had begged for her to slow down and Juvia had jumped in to comment on Levy's progress. All of it was a wonderful bonus to the gym's unexpected, but wholly gratifying, hot water heater and water pressure.

Levy hummed as she rolled her fingers through her hair, trying to erase the slight tingling left from undoing her tight ponytail.

She never thought she'd come to use the shower at all, she barely even noticed it as they were tucked behind a door away from the open space of the lockers and blended in with the rest of the bathroom stalls. She'd seen a few women use them in the past, leaving the expensive smell of perfumes and body wash in their wake as they made their way to dinners or work, but Levy always allotted herself plenty of time between prior engagements and gym sessions to shower at her house.

Besides, it was highly doubtful the women around here would appreciate her walking around in house slippers and the towel dress covered in rubber ducks as she got ready again.

But alas, from what she'd seen was that the women shuffle from the shower stall to a bathroom one to get dressed and emerge to tie back their hair in the mirrors before flying right back out the door. She was the only one in here today, though, but the gym would also close up soon and she was only rinsing off before driving home to take a regular shower. Options were limited and she groaned thinking about stepping back into the cool temperature of the locker room.

Which meant all the hard work she did to loosen up her muscles would wind up going right down the drain after just one good case of goosebumps.

She circled her fingers around a particularly sore spot above her shoulder blade, letting the spray of water wash the sweat and tiniest bit of blood away. Levy opened her palm and picked at the remains of the callous that had tore open while she was on the rock wall and imagined Lily's booming laughter as he reminded her she had yet to give up tears. A grown woman does not cry in a gym and as she had slowly gotten to know Gajeel and Juvia- she certainly wasn't going to start now.

Even if it did smart having the skin torn away.

Levy stuck her palm under the water for a moment before she turned the facet off. The noisy sounds of the drain and pipes made her cringe, she understood why not many women used the gym's showers now. There wasn't enough warm water or heavenly pressure to make it worth the assault on her eardrums.

The nasty screeches echoed in her mind and it caused her to shiver in abject revulsion.

"Oi!"

Apparently, they were the preluding soundtrack to her murder.

She startled and slipped on the slick floor, barely catching herself on the wall before the swinging door to the row of stalls banged open.

"Anyone back here?"

Usually, she considered herself a well-rounded gal, level-headed and able to go with the flow at the drop of a hat, but the string of curse words that trampled past her lips would have indicated otherwise. If she hadn't been scared out of her skin- seeing that was the only thing she was wearing- she would have laughed at the very recognizable and gruff tone of Gajeel getting his own start. It was pretty clear he didn't expect anyone to be back here. He swore his own streak to outdo hers.

"Who's back here?!"

Her heartbeat pounded in her eardrums and her legs wobbled. "It's Levy."

"Shit. Sorry, Juvia thought you left."

"What are you doing here? I thought you had left?!" She stuck her hand out of the curtain and fumbled along the wall, blindly feeling for the hook that held her towel…Only to remember she had last seen it laying on a bench, and not on the hook conveniently two inches away from her fingers.

"I did, I just came back to help Juvia close up!"

"Dammit."

Gajeel groaned, thunking his head on the side of the door and closing his eyes tightly. "Please tell me you did not fall because I will lose my j-"

"I left my towel on the bench." The words flew out jammed together, tripping and falling over one syllable after another and she prayed to whatever gym force that had saved her from having him overhear her and Lucy's conversation return to give him super hearing abilities. There was no way she was going to repeat that forsaken sentence a second time.

"Please tell me you fell."

Great.

"Look, just go get it, hang it on the damn hook, and walk right back out the door. I won't reach for it until you've turned around. Simple."

"That's a little more convenient than my life's been, this moment proving that fact all too well." His annoyed tone only served to make his voice gruffer, toeing dangerously close to horror movie villain and it wasn't helping.

She huffed and dropped her head to the cool tiled wall. Levy blanched as pieces of her conversation with Lucy drifted back- unhelpfully- back into her mind. Specifically, a bit that involved walking around in nothing but a shower curtain. A minute later, she realized the room had gone strangely quiet. Levy held her breath and, "Are you still there?"

"Unfortunately."

If he didn't think she was insane now, her deep and unbridled laugh bouncing around the room would definitely seal the deal. In her defense, she couldn't help it. The situation was pretty embarrassing, on both ends, but the sound of that one word set her off. Self-deprecating and miserable and, somehow, not surprised at all. Levy bit her lip, willing herself not to let the next question on the tip of her tongue slip out.

"So, do you walk in on women in the showers very often?"

Levy never did have very good self-control in that aspect.

She heard him snort and the door swing close, pushing back open a second later mixed with a fake chuckle from him. His shadow stretched under the curtain and splayed across her toes, making something in her jolt at the sight.

"Yer hilarious. Get dressed and come find me when you're through."

"Why? Because this isn't awkward enough and you actually want to look me in the eyes after all of this?" He was silent for a moment and she grinned. "I can hear you rolling your eyes."

"Well, at least yer perceptive, shorty. And it's so I can walk you out to yer car, the parking lot's one hell of a shady place this time of night."

"I have mace."

"Have you ever used it?"

"Trade secret." When he didn't retort, she knew she'd been caught. Levy rolled her eyes and scowled. "No."

"Let's plan on keeping it that way, yeah?"

"Darn, I was so looking forward to using it and showing off my progress in the gym by kicking some serious ass."

"Tch, easy there, wildcat. I'll be in the pool room when you're ready."

Even if he couldn't see it, she smiled. Soft and genuine and relieved that he hadn't walked in on her changing instead. "Thanks."

His shadow moved away and his heavy gait clunked against the floors, letting her know towel retrieval would be safe. Levy slowly moved the curtain and angled her head halfway out to catch sight of him- running a hand over the edge of a wide headband, his hair caught up in the ponytail he wore swung with the jerky movement. Levy internally groaned, she had just been flirting, sans clothing, with him and the first time he wore his hair back she didn't even get a good look of his face, but she could tell even from her rear view-point that it only added to features. In her scrutinization, as the door swung behind him, she smiled thoughtfully. The tips of his ears had been a very noticeable shade of red.

A/N: Get it? Because Jon Snow knows nothing.