Chapter 3
The girls finished their training in time to start their first official server shifts that Saturday night. They'd been given a certification shift the night before, the two of them sharing a four table section while Erza supervised, but tonight the training wheels were coming off. Each girl was excited to finally be making some cash instead of standard minimum wage for training.
The girls walked up to the host stand together after clocking in to see where their sections would be.
"Hey, Levy. Hi, Lucy," Wendy greeted them. Lisanna stood beside her, both girls smiling as they set up their rotation and floor chart for the night based off the day's roster.
"Let's see, Levy you've got the section over here. Freed is in the section next to yours so if you need any help or have any questions ask him," Lisanna told the blunette, pointing to the floor chart. Levy smiled and nodded. She'd met Freed earlier in the week. He was reserved and respectful, probably the most of everyone who worked there, and she'd soon learned that he had a love for literature that rivaled her own. The two had instantly hit it off. They promised to compare collections some day.
He also had gorgeous blue-green eyes and the cutest beauty mark under the left one. Not that Levy had noticed.
"Lucy, you're in the back corner on this side," Lisanna then said, showing the blonde her section.
"You're next to me," Gray said as he approached them, giving Lucy his signature sideways grin.
"If you need anything, just ask," he told Lucy and she gave him a confident smile.
"I should be good, but I'll let you know if I need anything," she told him.
"Are you two coming to Eclipse tonight?" he then asked as he casually leaned against the host stand, moving slightly closer to the blonde.
"Eclipse?" Lucy asked, looking up into Gray's handsome face.
"It's a nightclub," Wendy said sourly, "I'm not old enough to go yet." Lisanna and Gray chuckled.
"Your time will come, Wendy," Gray said, sweetly patting the younger girl on the head. Wendy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.
"We don't go every Saturday, but when we do go out, it's our usual spot," Lisanna explained to Levy and Lucy.
"Well, are you inviting us then?" Lucy asked, turning back to Gray.
"Yeah, I guess I am," he said coolly.
"Then we'd be happy to come," Lucy told him, "We haven't gotten to get out on the town much since we moved here."
"Sounds good to me," Levy agreed with a smile.
"Cool. Most of us will be going, except for maybe Laki and Bisca since they're closing tonight. Depends on what time they're able to get out of here," Gray told them.
"What about the kitchen, do the guys back there usually go?" Lucy asked. Gray's smile faded at the question.
"Well, Macao and Wakaba are closing tonight, so probably not them, and Alzack won't come unless Bisca does. But Natsu will probably be there, unfortunately," he explained. Lucy and Levy giggled.
"Why do you guys hate each other?" Lucy asked with a smirk. Gray grunted and shrugged.
"Cuz he's an idiot," Gray said simply. Both girls shook their heads.
"Well, whatever. It sounds fun. We'll be there," Lucy assured him, bringing his smile back.
"Good," he said simply before walking away to make sure his section was ready for the dinner rush.
"Well, we'd better go check our sections too," Levy said and headed towards her tables to make sure salt and peppers were stocked and all the settings were in place. She hummed lightly as she busied herself while waiting for her first table.
Her smile brightened when Freed arrived and gave her a polite greeting along with returning to her the book she'd lent him the Thursday before. He also showed her another book, one from his own collection.
"I think you'll like this one," he told her, his voice soft and smooth, so unlike Gajeel's. She winced slightly, wondering why she was comparing the two, but shrugged it off as she thanked Freed for the book.
"I'll return it in a few days," she assured him as she reached out for it, but he held the book up just out of her reach teasingly.
"Only if you promise not to dog ear the pages," he said, glancing knowingly at the book she'd lent him. She blushed at that, knowing how harsh she was with her books.
Gajeel rounded the corner out of the dish pit with his now empty bus tub in hand. His red eyes caught sight of the tiny blunette's lean legs as she stood on tip toe, trying in vain to reach a book the pretty boy with green hair was holding just out of her reach. His eyes grazed up her lithe body. His chest tightened when he caught sight of the flush in her cheeks as she looked up at Freed.
"I promise!" she said, her arm still in the air reaching for the book. She heard a rough grunt behind her and turned to see Gajeel rolling his eyes as he passed them by. She realized she probably looked pretty foolish, reaching towards the book on tip toes. She dropped her arm and rested back on her heels, but immediately scolded herself for it. Why should she care what he thought?
Freed handed her the book then and she turned her attention back to him, pushing Gajeel from her mind and forced her smile back to her face.
"Thank you," she said sheepishly, "I'll take care of it. Promise." Freed only smiled.
"Good. Enjoy it," he told her before walking away. She felt heat in her cheeks as she watched him go. She quickly headed towards the server hallway so she could put the books in her messenger bag. When she returned to the dining room, she'd been seated with her first official table.
Gajeel grumbled to himself as he bused the dirty plates from a booth along the wall. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was angry all of a sudden. He'd started the day off in a well enough mood.
"More flies with honey," he blinked and stopped his grumbling to look over at the new blonde that was working there.
"What's that?" he grunted, quirking a pierced eyebrow.
"She'd look at you like that if you were nice to her," Lucy explained, having seen the way he looked at Levy with Freed. Gajeel scoffed and looked away, going back to his work.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Bunny Girl," he said. He'd taken to calling her that after noticing how she bounces whenever something made her happy, which usually made the guys around her happy.
"Do you call anyone by their actual name?" she asked with a roll of her large brown eyes. He shook his head.
"Mira's the only one and that's just cuz she threatened to pull out my entrails if I ever called her Tits again," he said with a barking laugh. Lucy only rolled her eyes again and made a clicking sound of disapproval with her tongue.
"You would be that vulgar. Forget what I said. She'd never go for a guy like you," Lucy said before turning to walk away. Gajeel grunted again and glared at the back of her head. He lifted his bus tub in one hand and wiped down the wooden table with one of the disinfectant wipes he kept in his apron pocket with the other.
"Guy like me, huh?" he grumbled to himself, knowing all too well what girls like her thought about guys like him.
The busy Saturday night was a profitable one. The girls wrapped up their shifts around ten, leaving only the two closers on the floor to finish out the rest of the night. The girls walked out with Gray, Lisanna, and Natsu, who had finished their shifts as well.
"We're going to head home to change and then we'll meet you at Eclipse," Lucy said with a smile as the group gathered near the train station.
"Sounds good," Gray said.
"See you guys soon," Lucy waved as Natsu and Lisanna walked towards the east, Gray however got on the train with them.
"I live a few stops west, how 'bout you two?" he asked as they all packed onto the crowded deck to wait for the next train.
"We're just one over," Levy answered, scooting closer to her friends in the crowd. This was the most packed they'd seen it, but that was to be expected on a Saturday night.
When the train arrived, he helped the girls push through the throng of people. There was only one seat available when they finally boarded.
"You take it, Levy," Lucy told her, and she didn't press the issue. Levy had already figured out that she was too short to reach the hanging hand rails and didn't want to embarrass herself twice in one week trying to grab onto it. Gray and Lucy stood next to her seat holding onto the rail as the train took off.
"Do you want me to wait for you at your train stop so you don't have to ride into the city by yourselves?" Gray asked, hovering near the girls protectively.
"That would be really sweet of you, Gray," Lucy said, "But only if it's not an inconvenience."
"Of course not. I'll have to ride back this way anyway," he said with that cool smile that made Lucy shiver. Levy smirked at the buxom blonde. She hadn't yet deciphered her friend's feelings just yet, but she knew there were three guys they were now working with that had Lucy smitten. It was only a matter of time to see which one pulled ahead.
Gray was quickly earning points.
"Will thirty minutes be long enough for you to get ready?" he asked them and the girls nodded.
As the train came to a halt, the girl standing next to Lucy didn't quite have her grip on the rail and stumbled back, knocking Lucy forward. Gray reacted quickly, grabbing her waist as she grabbed his arms to steady herself. Lucy tried not to blush, really she did, but the feel of his hands on her torso was too much.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly and she only gave a small nod, unsure of her voice. She pulled back from him abruptly, her face still flushed crimson, but her smile had returned. Gray cleared his throat and Levy was sure she caught a slight blush on his cheeks too.
"See you in a half hour," he then waved as Levy grabbed Lucy by the arm and pulled her off the train and away from their handsome coworker. Once the train was moving again, Lucy seemed to regain her thought process and moved with Levy of her own accord.
"I saw that," Levy said as the girls walked the short way from the subway station to their apartment.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucy countered, and was suddenly reminded of her conversation with Gajeel earlier that day. She felt a warmth in her cheeks again as she realized how silly it was to deny it.
"Can you really blame me?" Lucy finally muttered as she dug the apartment key from her purse. Levy chuckled as the girls climbed the stairs to the second story.
"Don't suppose I can," Levy shrugged, unable to deny Gray's appeal.
Lucy hit the shower first, and was out in five minutes so Levy could hop in quickly as well. Neither washed their hair to avoid blow drying, but wanted to wash away the sweat and smell of food from running around the restaurant all evening.
"You ready, Lucy?" Levy called out as she looked herself over once more in the large mirror over her dresser. She'd tamed her wavy, shoulder-length blue locks as much as possible with a straightening iron and tied a fresh ribbon into it, this one white. She'd chosen a red dress with white trim that hugged her figure at the top and flared out at the waist, falling to the middle of her thighs, showing off supple legs. The top was a halter, tying around her slender neck, leaving her back mostly bare. The neckline dipped low, showing a touch of her small rounded breasts.
"Yep! All set," Lucy called from the living room. Levy emerged from her room and pouted as she felt a rush of jealousy. Lucy's blue dress hugged her in all the right places, her large breasts all but spilling out of the strapless dress. Her blonde hair fell perfectly straight to her shoulders, framing her heart-shaped face. Blue ribbon laced up the back of the tight dress, giving peaks and glimpses of milky skin.
"Would you put those things away!" Levy teased pointing at Lucy's ample chest. Lucy blushed and pouted at her friend.
"I can't help how big they are!" she defended as she pulled on a short white cardigan that covered her shoulders, the sleeves cutting off at her elbows. Levy grabbed her own cardigan as the girls headed out the door, locking it behind them.
They ran as fast as they could in heels back to the subway station to meet up with Gray. They found him on the deck leaning casually against a support beam. Lucy's heart jumped into her throat as her eyes drank him in. He wore a white trench coat with black trim, his hands stuffed into the pockets, and a tight black v-neck. He'd traded in his dark jeans for a pair of light wash ones with holes in the knees that tucked into black combat boots. A toothpick was tucked between his lips. Lucy had never been jealous of a toothpick before. He flashed her that casual smirk of his when he saw her.
"Good timing," he said, stepping away from the column and pulling the toothpick from his mouth as they heard the next train approaching.
"You both look great," he complimented them, but Levy knew he'd only included her to be polite. His eyes were all for Lucy.
"You don't look so bad yourself," Lucy told him smoothly.
The subway was luckily less crowded this time around and the three were all able to get seats. The train was much more congested as they reached their destination, however, and they had to push their way off. They headed up the stairs and outside. Levy took in the view of the lights and skyscrapers towering above her, still in awe of it.
The girls followed Gray closely as they made their way through the crowded streets towards Lotus Tower, the third tallest high rise in the city, and the building that boasted Eclipse. The club took up the entirety of the sixtieth and sixty-first floors. Lotus Tower wasn't hard to spot since it took up an entire block and all the windows were lined with violet lights. The building had two entrances. The one facing north was the business side, with elevators that only went as high as the thirty-fifth floor where all of the office spaces were rented out by various businesses. The entrance facing south, however, was for the hotel and club, it's elevators skipped the floors below the thirty-sixth and reached all the way to the sixty-fifth. It was the perfect combination of business and pleasure.
"Some day, we'll live on this side of town, Levy-chan," Lucy said, breathing in all the excitement of the big city on a Saturday night. Levy smiled wide and agreed.
"You'll have to do better than waiting tables if that's what you want," Gray chuckled.
"Well, yeah! We don't plan on doing it forever. Why else would we be going to college?" Levy countered.
"Aren't you going to school, too?" Lucy asked as they waited for the crosswalk to turn green to signal safe crossing.
"Yep," he answered, side eyeing Lucy, "I go to the community college."
"What's your major?" Lucy asked as they crossed the street, the girls following Gray.
"Business," he answered simply, "I want to own my own store some day." Lucy would have pressed him for more of the big picture, but the crosswalk signal changed and they began moving again. They entered Lotus Tower once they'd crossed. The three of them boarded the elevators and Gray pressed the button with the number sixty on it.
When they reached the top, the elevator doors opened and muffled music poured into their ears from the other side of a black wall. Double glass doors covered in dark tint hid the excitement from them. In front of the tinted black doors on the left was a row of receptionists dressed in the latest fashions checking ids and taking the entrance fee. There was another set of double doors at the end on the right with two large men flanking them and signifying that it was an exit only.
The three of them payed their fee and Gray held the door open for the girls, the music pumping through them as they entered. With the exception of the reception area, the club was lined with floor length windows, showing the expanse of the city in three separate directions. The room was dimly lit, the bar to the left was glowing a soft blue, pulling your eye towards it and tempting you to spend your money. Small elevated tables dotted the room, and various couches lined the outer edges near the windows. Right next to the door were two spiral staircases that led up to the dance floor, music booming from above them.
"That's our group over there!" Gray yelled to the girls despite them being right next to him, the music from upstairs drowning him out.
"What?!" the two girls yelled over the loud music in unison. Gray laughed and then pointed towards a large couch in the corner that was littered with the staff of Fairy Tail Bistro.
"We're going to grab drinks first!" Lucy yelled as she learned towards him.
"What!?" he yelled back. The girls laughed as he leaned down so Lucy could talk into his ear.
"Drinks!" she said simply and pointed to the bar. He nodded and walked them over to the bar. Luckily there was a second one upstairs as well so it wasn't over crowded.
The roar of music was slightly dulled over here since the volume on the first floor speakers wasn't nearly as loud.
"What can I get you, ladies?" the young bartender asked, his eyes having difficulty leaving the sight of Lucy's bosom. Lucy ignored his eyes and simply ordered their drinks.
"Two lemon drop martinis," Lucy told him, and the bar tender nodded.
"With a sugar rim!" Levy blurted.
"Anything you want, Doll," he said turning towards Levy with a wink, flustering her.
"What about what I want?" Gray asked, annoyed that he'd been over looked. Though looking at the two ladies next to him, he couldn't really blame him.
"Oh, sorry. What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"A double rum and coke, extra ice," he said. The barkeep nodded and went to make the drinks.
"Do you want to open a tab?" he asked as he returned with their cocktails, complete with sugar rims, and Gray's icy rum and coke. All three nodded, handing over their Ids to hold their tabs open so they could pay cash at the end of the night.
"If you order more drinks with one of the cocktail girls, just tell her the name on your tab and she'll keep track of it," he told them, to which they all nodded their understanding.
The three took their drinks to where their coworkers were hanging out together. Each corner of the room had a semicircle couch with a coffee table in front of it and lounge chairs on the other side. The staff of Fairy Tail Bistro had taken up one of those areas and were chatting and enjoying their drinks as Levy, Lucy, and Gray joined them.
Cana occupied one of the lounge chairs and the area in front of her was littered with the empty beer bottles she'd already accumulated, a half empty bottle occupied her hand as she greeted them. Evergreen and Elfman sat next to each other, but not too close, afraid to give away their feelings for each other despite everyone being aware except for the two of them. Laxus, the restaurant's lead chef sat with Mirajane, his arm draped over her shoulder lazily as he chatted with Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow, another chef at the restaurant. Laxus had a reputation for being as strict with the kitchen staff as Erza was with the front of house, but here he could just be himself and not anyone's superior. Even Erza was surprisingly laid back in the current setting, smiling softly as she sipped at a strawberry daiquiri.
"There you are!" Natsu greeted them, jumping up from his seat on the end next to Lisanna. The boy cleaned up nicely. He wore a red button-up shirt with a black vest over it, his sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, and black shorts that fell to just below his knees. Black and red skater shoes finished off the look nicely. Lucy and Levy couldn't help but smile back, his own happiness infectious.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia greeted loudly and hurried from her spot on the couch to Gray's side. He shifted awkwardly as she grabbed onto his arm possessively. She turned with a smile towards the girls, greeting them as well..
"Juvia is glad you could make it," she told them with a bright smile.
"Even if you are my love rival," she said, directing her eyes to the blonde. Lucy gulped and gave a nervous laugh.
"Let's go dance!" Natsu suggested boistrously, interrupting before Lucy could even think of a response.
"Chill, Pyro, we just got here. Let them enjoy their drinks first," Gray scolded him before taking a swig from his glass.
"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!" Natsu yelled at Gray.
"I promise, I'll dance in a little bit, Natsu," Lucy said, waving a hand at him, "But I'd like to finish my drink first." Natsu pouted but sat back down, Lisanna scooted closer to her older brother, making room for Lucy and Levy to sit on the couch with them. Gray took the other lounge chair next to an already very drunk Cana. Juvia stood beside Gray's chair, leaning against the back of it on her arm. Despite being the newbies, Levy and Lucy found it easy to chat and joke with their coworkers, even Erza and Laxus.
A scantily clad cocktail waitress wearing glow light jewelry came over when she noticed more people had arrived. She took down their names for their tabs and the group ordered another round of cocktails, having finished off their first.
Lucy took the final swig from her second drink before grabbing Natsu's hand.
"Okay, let's go dance!" she said with a smile, the alcohol loosening up her nerves. Levy and Lisanna polished off their own drinks, ready to hit the dance floor as well. The four of them headed towards the stairs as a few more of their coworkers were just arriving.
The music spilled from speakers all around them. Blue and purple lights gave off the only luminescence. Another glowy blue bar was to the left, the rest of the floor was covered in bodies moving to the music in the darkness. A dj booth was along the back wall, a few people huddled near by trying to make song requests. It was all nearly overwhelming for the small town girls. They didn't get the chance to gape for very long because their friends were pulling them toward the dance floor. Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand excitedly dragging her into the throng of people. He lifted her hand above them, spinning her around completely, before pulling her in closer, their bodies immediately finding the song's rhythm.
Levy and Lisanna happily danced together as well, their hips moving in sync with one another. Levy smiled as she watched her best friend laugh as she and Natsu moved together. A new song started up as the other one faded out. The girls all whooped happily, knowing and loving the new song that had begun to play. Levy's body was familiar with the rhythm, and she and Lisanna grew more bold, twining themselves closer together, bending their knees as they rocked their hips to the beat. Their provocative movements were drawing the attention of some of the guys dancing nearby.
Bickslow came up behind Lisanna then. Levy watched the tall, muscular man dip lower and began to dance with them as well. Lisanna looked up at him over her shoulder, an obvious tinge in her cheeks as she leaned back against him comfortably. Levy was a little surprised, never having imagined someone like Bickslow to be Lisanna's type, but she shrugged it off. Levy glanced over to see Lucy had turned around with Natsu pressed against her back as they moved together in a similar fashion as Lisanna and Bickslow. Lucy caught her friend's eye and blushed as Levy winked at her.
Levy laughed to herself a little before closing her eyes, letting the music fill her senses completely as she moved her body with the beat. A few moments later, she felt a hand grasping her own. She opened her eyes to see someone tall and handsome, with spiky dark blue hair, dark brown eyes, and a cocky smile. While she wasn't crazy about his seeming arrogance, she shrugged it off and let him dance with her. It was just dancing after all.
He'd kept a bit of space between them, only touching her hand as he moved with the music, pulling her across the dance floor. When the song died down and a new one began, she realized she'd some how been separated from her friends. She stopped dancing with the stranger to try to look for them, but the man suddenly grabbed her by the rear and pulled her flush against him as he continued to dance to the music. Levy pushed back against him, trying to pull free, but his grip held strong.
"Hey, get off!" she yelled. He chuckled as she struggled to pry his hands from her body. She twisted her head, trying find Lucy or her other coworkers, but they were no where to be seen. She let out an exasperated huff.
"I said get OFF!" she screamed and finally stomped her high heel into the top of the guy's foot. He wretched in pain, and shoved her back, howling.
"The fuck is wrong with you, bitch?" he spat angrily and then stepped towards her. Her heart hammered in her chest as his anger bubbled over. She turned, pushing into the dancers to find Lucy. She felt his hands grab her shoulders roughly and pull her back, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"Where do you think you're going little one?" he said into her ear, making her cringe.
"Please, just leave me alone," she said, twisting in his grip to pull free, but he held her firmly against him with one arm, the other began tracing down her side, making her skin crawl
"Hey, asshole, she said leave her alone," a gruff voice said. Levy's eyes widened.
I know that voice. She thought as the stranger's grip on her loosened and she was able to pull free. She turned to see Gajeel starring at the man with menacing eyes, his strong arms crossed over his broad chest. The man straightened himself to his full height, a shade under Gajeel's, and tried not to look intimidated, but failed as he took a step back.
"Psht," he grunted, "She's not worth it. Too scrawny for my taste really anyway." He took a few more steps backward before turning around completely, pushing through the crowd away from the confrontation.
"What do you think you're doing over here by yourself?" Gajeel then snapped, catching Levy off guard. She blinked up at his angry face.
"Lucy and Natsu are with me. Or, they were," she started rambling to defend herself, "I don't know how I got separated." She wanted to snap back at him, but found herself too shaken up to muster any anger of her own. Gajeel rolled his eyes at her and grabbed her hand suddenly, pulling her through the crowd after him. Levy's cheeks flamed at the contact. Her hand almost felt like that of a child's pressed into his large one.
Gajeel had watched her climbing the stairs as he'd just been arriving. He'd been unable to keep his eyes off her in that damn red dress. He was angry at himself for following her up, knowing he'd never actually dance with her. He cared too much about his image for that, but he'd wanted to watch her. He'd regretted that too. She was far too tempting a thing, as her hips and rear had moved along with Lisanna's. He wished he could do as Bickslow had with Lisanna. Wished he could have just moved in behind her, felt her press herself against him, but he'd already ruined those chances by being the ass that he was.
He regretted talking to Laxus and Mirajane most of all. They'd come up stairs and found him at the bar. That was when he'd lost track of her and that pervert had moved in, some how pulling her away from her friends to seclude her. He wished he could've been there sooner. He refused to look at her as he pulled her through the crowded dance floor back towards where their coworkers were dancing. He couldn't look at her, not without doing more things he knew he'd regret.
"Levy! There you are!" Lucy gasped as Gajeel pulled her forward towards her friend, releasing her hand and folding his arms over his chest again. Lucy grabbed her friend by the shoulders and Levy immediately fell into a hug.
"Some perv pulled me away. I don't even know how," she mumbled to her friend as she pulled back from the embrace. Lucy immediately looked up at Gajeel with a scornful glare.
"Hey, it wasn't me!" he said defensively.
"Not him!" Levy said, shaking her head. "Gajeel ran saved me!" she blurted, her already pink cheeks turning a brighter crimson. He took a step back, wanting to rid himself of the whole ordeal.
"Wait, Gajeel," she started as she turned and looked up at him with those large chocolate eyes, full of gratitude. Gajeel's stern expression softened and his heart skipped a beat as he cursed himself inside his head.
"Thank you," she said meekly. He broke eye contact then, hating himself for being just as much of a pervert as that other guy had been. He just hadn't the gumption to do anything about it. He wasn't sure if that was worse or better.
"Whatever, Shorty. Didn't your parents teach you not to mess with strangers?" he scolded her. She looked down at her feet, embarrassed. Gajeel mentally scolded himself. Why the hell did he have to be such an ass to her?
"Just be careful. I might not be around next time," he said before huffing off back to his seat at the bar.
Damn, did he need another drink.