A/N: Hey guys! Happy…err…update day! Anyways, this chapter is the real chapter six. The Memorial Day chapter special actually happened two chapters after this one, but the flashback in the previous chapter coincides with this one. The next chapter is one of my favorites. I can't wait to read that one. But first, this chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter Six: Nothing Good Has Happened Yet

Spring Break 2015-Akane

A soft knock stirred Levy from the little sleep she managed to get. Her sticky eyes glanced at the digital clock on her hotel nightstand; 5:15 AM. Only two hours of sleep and apparently someone happened to be at her door. It also dawned on her at that moment that Lucy wasn't in her bed. Her phone and room key were on the nightstand between their beds, but no Lucy.

The knock returned and then a small mutter followed it. Levy immediately sat up and made her way to the door, tripping over suitcases and shoes left on the floor. She cursed at running her pinky toe into the corner, and hopped towards the door.

"Levy…" Lucy said hazily. "I forgot my phone and room key." She smiled sheepishly, looking guilty at her walk of shame.

"I thought you couldn't spend the night in Natsu's room." Levy laughed, opening the door a little wider for Lucy to come through.

"Gajeel left the room shortly after." Lucy went to her bed, curling up in the crisp white comforters. "He returned and now I am here." Lucy yawned. "You going to bed?" Gajeel, Rogue and Natsu walked them to their room. Which was next to theirs. Did Gajeel leave the room to meet with someone? A knot automatically tied itself at the thought of another woman, though why would she care about that. Levy wasn't interested in Gajeel…however, it would disappoint Lucy if she found out that the man he was trying to set up his best friend with was seeing someone else. Levy didn't want that now, did she?

"Yeah," Levy nodded. "I'm going to—" She paused and noticed Lucy softly snoring within the mound of blankets. "—to bed." Levy smiled. "Good night, Lu."

At her dismay, Levy wasn't sleepy anymore. She tried to lay down and close her eyes, hoping that the comfort of her bed would pull her in. For some reason, her mind became restless with the amount of work she had to do, and the constant pestering of the coaches about her teams practice regimen. The small whisper of the book beside her was calling her to continue reading where she had left off. Of course at the most intriguing part of it, but she had to resist reading yet another chapter to avoid finishing the book in one go.

"Hmmm," The sound of hollowed notes faded into the room followed by strumming of a guitar. Her night was filled with so much music, she was starting to hear it in the dead of silence. "Hmmm—da-bap-da-da-daaa—" The melody wasn't familiar and yet it drew her in like the voice she learned to be fond of. Levy turned to Lucy, who was still fast asleep, and hopped out of bed, tip toeing carefully to the balcony of the motel. She drew back the thick canvas like curtains, ears guiding her eyes to origins of the melody, but couldn't see anything. A flick from the rusted lock and a hefty tug at the handle, Levy slid the glass door open, letting the cool morning breeze into the room, along with the music.

"Jeez, I'll stop playin' in a sec—" Gajeel's voice broke the song into sporadic strumming, hitting random chords that didn't seem like they belonged to the song. His scowl disappeared when it was Levy who was peeking out of the glass door two rooms down. "It's you." Gajeel readjusted his hand on the fret and resumed his playing.

"Gajeel," Levy smiled, and he stopped strumming when she waved her hand. "Can't sleep?"

"Sorry," Gajeel gulped, setting his beautiful ebony down, leaning it against the railing. "I didn't know I was loud."

"No," Levy shook her head." And you weren't. Actually, what you are playing sounds good." She tip toed towards the railing and tried to get a better look at the guitar. "I like it." She pressed her lips into a hard line and marched back into the room. Quickly, Levy grabbed her sweatshirt off the back of the hotel chair and hurried back out, hoping that Gajeel didn't run off.

He didn't.

"Can you play it again?" Levy asked him, slipping the soft hoody over her head.

With a nod, Gajeel picked up the guitar once more and begun to play the song. Levy listened from her side, but wanted to watch closely at how he was playing it. Red eyes watched her climb over the balcony next to his and then made another quick leap to his, taking her spot in the corner. He didn't speak or sing while he played, and she didn't either; only listening to him. No words were said, which didn't matter at the present time. He wasn't a man of words to begin with. Only that night on stage was the first time Gajeel really said anything—or sang for that matter. And in truth, the words he sang that night weren't directed to her specifically.

"Are you going to play that during your acoustic session?" She finally asked once he finished playing.

"Not finished yet." Gajeel answered, setting his guitar down, leaning it against the railing once again. "Still has some work to do."

"I hope you play it soon." Levy smiled. "I would hate to see it unheard."

"You listened to it, Shrimp." Gajeel chuckled. "I wouldn't say it isn't."

"Honored to be sure," Levy blushed. "Though, I think you should share it. The melody sounds…haunting…" She paused and looked at Gajeel, who had almost an offended look on his face. "Not in a bad way!" She shook her head, trying to think of a way to not sound offensive. "In a good way where your fans will like it." She watched for any change in his expression.

"I'll think about it." Gajeel said stoically. "Gotta write lyrics first." He shifted his weight to his other leg and rested his arm on the railing, where his scarred forearm grazed her arm. They stood there in silence for a bit before Levy spoke, know it was safe to start talking to him.

"Natsu told me you write the lyrics." Levy asked, fiddling with her hands in front of her. "They are surprisingly—good."

"Of course they are," Gajeel asserted. "Ain't gonna play some shit song." He puffed his chest proudly and then slumped once again. "Rogue and Cobra help out with certain parts."

"Oh?"

"I write the stuff and they add to it." Gajeel clenched his teeth. "I ain't sappy to come up with cheesy lyrics like that."

"Oh." Levy quavered. "I see."

"What's wrong now?" Gajeel caught her disappointment. "You shouldn't listen to Salamander anyways. He's a gloating bastard." He crinkled his nose. "Strange he said I wrote them…"

"So, you didn't write them?" Levy asked once more, and Gajeel only nodded to confirm. "Not one?"

"Jeez," Gajeel shook his head. "I started a few and the knuckle heads finished them. Can't take all the credit. That ain't me, y'know?"

"I don't know," Levy laughed. "But, I'd like to…"

"Pain in the ass to know." Gajeel grumbled. "Ain't worth the time." There it was again. The cold iron walls came up around Gajeel and Levy was shut out again.

"Ah," Levy smiled. "I guess that'll do." She turned her head to see Gajeel staring at her, raising a questionable studded brow. "Well, it's the reason why I started to like about you." She paused, waiting for him to say something. As always, nothing. Just his eyes confirming that he was listening. "You don't talk much. Which isn't a bad thing really—I actually find it charming. When I heard you wrote the lyrics, I figured there was something different about you. Something hiding in your songs, like a secret…I wanted to know more."

"You do?" Gajeel gulped audibly.

"Well…yeah." Levy chuckled. "Hearing you sing and play—the songs sounded like a confession. Well, songs are like poems and they are driven by the heart; passion, confusion, greed, understanding—loss…" She paused, noticing she was babbling. "Sorry, teacher's habit."

"I know," Gajeel cracked a smile. "That's what's annoying about you."

"Well," Levy fumed. "If it annoys you so much." She pushed off the railing and faced him, looking up to see the confusion in his eyes. "I'll take my leave then. Good night." Levy turned on her heel, readying herself to leap over the railings to her room.

"W-wait!" Gajeel coughed, grabbing her wrist. "I didn't mean it like that." Levy looked over her shoulder. His eyes shifted, looking away embarrassingly and letting go of her wrist. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." His hand reached behind his head and roughly scratched the back of his head. Thick strands tangoed with his fingers and brushed it out, letting it fall back behind him like a waterfall.

"Then," Levy declared with a greedy smile. "Sing me another song. Give me a preview of Tuesday night." Without a word, Gajeel picked up his guitar and pulled out the pick from the fret. "Can you sing me that one song that everyone seems to like?"

She remembered it very well. From what Natsu told the crowd, it was their very first song and the song that would give them recognition. The sultry clean vocals from Gajeel with the coarse raspy chaotic screams from Rogue, and the rustic simplicity of the entire band's melody brought a balance that Levy never heard before. And it would seem the audience singing along with Gajeel and Natsu gave way that the song was their signature.

"Y'know," Gajeel said to her while he tuned the guitar. "This was the first song I wrote when I joined the band." She watched his fingers pick at each string, listening to the change of pitch when he turned each knob, and listened to him. "They tweaked it over time, but it's the only song that remained close to the original."

"Who's the girl that inspired the song?" Levy had to ask. Her stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot, knowing that she was going to learn about some ex-girlfriend, though she tried to keep it together. She hoped that he wasn't going to share.

"No girl." Gajeel tsked. "Song about my deployment." He began to pluck on the strings, alluring Levy and drawing her closer to Gajeel. She settled back next to him; corner of the balcony and just listened. "My last tour…wasn't so..." he said, voice trailing off into the obscure tuning. Her eyes drifted over to the scars on his arm. They were healed, though the marks that remained looked terrible. Almost like someone ran a sharpen knife through his flesh, tearing not only skin but muscle as well. "The things that I had to do…" He sputtered each word, reluctant to share so openly. He wasn't a man of words. Levy knew that much about this man. At first, she didn't seem to care or be slightly interested. However, his bluntness made him more intriguing.

"Then," Levy said raspingly. "Sing it to me."

And so he did.

"Well, okay." Gajeel sang softly as he could. "I guess nothing good has happened yet." He strummed the guitar with emphases, bobbing his head to the beat. "And I'll pray…that I'll be alright."

Present in Magnolia.

"You really didn't have to buy me new shoes, Gajeel…" Levy sighed, eying the orange drawstring bag with the white Nike symbol on it, like a curvy check mark she usually use when grading student's papers. "I only use it when I guest coach the hurdlers…which is three times a season."

"Tch," Gajeel grumbled. "I ain't gonna repeat myself. Your feet will never wear a pair of Adidas again."

"Yeah, yeah," Levy sighed once again and grabbed his hand. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." Gajeel nodded. "C'mon." He tugged on her arm and they jay walked on Madison and crossed the heavy Friday night traffic, Gajeel swiftly dodging the cars and cabbies with precision. If she were to lead them, she would have received honks and sharp curses from her poor timing. Almost a decade in the city and yet she wasn't adjusted to the city life.

"Welcome to Gnocchi!" The hostess in a short black dress, hawk-like nose and medium short dark brown hair greeted them. "How are you doing this evening?"

"Good," Gajeel said to her. "Reservation for Redfox."

Levy heard from the other teachers how divine Gnocchi's food and wine selections are. The tenure and married teachers would rave about the chef's seasonal menu and whatever fancy wine the sommeliers selected with their dish. Levy would be lying if she didn't feel a hint of jealousy from her superiors. Lucy and Levy would be lucky to have a girl's night out with a large extra stuffed deep dish pizza between them. Now, on a date, Levy had something to talk about on Monday.

"Hm," Levy hummed, twirling the ruby red liquid in her stemware. She smacked her lips, tasting whatever flavor notes the sommelier had told them.

"Somethin' wrong?" Gajeel pulled the glass away. Levy nearly burst with laughter when she noticed Gajeel's wine glass was empty. He took that sad amount of wine in one shot.

"Nothing," She giggled. "Had enough?" She nudged her chin towards his glass.

"Yeah, right." Gajeel crinkled his nose. "It tastes like…"

"Wine?" Levy added, still twirling the liquid in her glass. "I know, and it's like twenty-five a bottle."

"You kiddin' me?" Gajeel's eyes went wide and nearly slammed his glass on the white clad table. His hand reached for the bottle and read the year and origin of the wine. "That's fucking ridiculous."

"Right," Levy giggled, taking a small sip. "I say spend more than five dollars on wine, you're a fool." Gajeel was now staring at her, red sultry eyes not blinking and the wine of her glass enhanced the ruby in his eyes. "Sorry! You're not a fool or anything like that! It's good wine!"

No matter what Gajeel was wearing, his stoic face always remained the same. His gray sports jacket offset the deep blue shirt underneath, two buttons atop were left unbutton to reveal his smooth sexy tan skin. Levy wasn't sure if it was the wine or something, because deep in her gut she wanted to unbutton a few more from his shirt.

"It really is good wine." She thought wickedly, taking another sip.

"Hm," Gajeel set the bottle down and slouched in his cushioned chair. "Can buy a keg with that wine."

"Or Grey Goose." Levy grinned at him through her glass. The wine sloshed around his face, watching him gaze back at her with a mirrored look. He had promised her a proper date. A man of his word, but the fanciful of the table settings, expensive wines and food wasn't something he was used to. Neither was she. "You know my co-workers would talk about this place being the best Italian place in the city." She said with her voice drifting. Her golden eyes wondered to their surroundings. Finely dressed patrons enjoying their food, and the wait staff clad in ironed trousers and pressed white shirts and silk vests carrying trays twice their size over their heads. The two sommeliers walked around with wine pairings for the customers selections.

"You don't like it?" Gajeel asked. "Y'sound like you don't."

"It's not that. I've always wanted to eat here." Levy shook her head. "They'd speak of it as if it was the greatest restaurant in the world…but, it's like a regular restaurant with a fancy price sticker on it."

"Pff," Gajeel nodded. "Tell me about it. Juvia and Mira wouldn't shut their trap about Gnocchi. Pasta is pasta. Easy as long as yer make it right."

"Easier said than done." Levy laughed. "I'm lucky enough to make Easy Mac n' Cheese without burning it. Or Ramen."

"That's sad, shorty."

"Very," Levy smiled. "Just sad as the price on this wine."

"As long as it does its job." Gajeel pointed out. "It'll take more than this bottle to do that." On their ride over to the restaurant, Gajeel told her about his crazy day. A very quiet morning turned into a three hour redo patch job operation and a bad reaction to some grafts on a burn victim. She too had a difficult week, but it was coming to an end with Gajeel at her side. She hoped that the night was getting started and they would have a great time. Levy would make sure of that.

"Waiter!" Levy pulled her gaze and waved their server down. "We would like to give back the bottle…"

"Give back…?" He looked at her puzzled, and so did Gajeel.

"Yes!" Levy smiled. "Charge us for the glasses, that's fine. Instead bring us a vodka gimlet with Grey Goose and—" She eyed Gajeel and he shrugged, baffled at what she was doing. "—Crocus Stout, please." She winked at Gajeel and smiled once again at the waiter. "Oh and more bread too, please! Thank you!" It took him awhile to process what just happened, but he agreed to her order and hurried along. However, Gajeel was still confused on what was going on.

"What?" Levy giggled. "I thought you like beer?"

"I do," Gajeel crossed his arms, chuckling as well. "I like many things."

"Oh?" Levy laughed paused her glass twirling. "And what are those things? Guitars? Singing? Food? Booze?" She took another sip of her wine.

"Yeah, but…" Gajeel grabbed the last buttery breadstick from the basket. "I also like you." Levy almost choked on her wine and gaped at him, imploring if it were true. "…the bread too…" Gajeel nervously stuffed the breadstick in his mumbling mouth. "…itsahhgoooddbbfread. Where's the damn waiter with the bread?" He looked around, flustered by his sly comment that only made him slightly uncomfortable.

"I-I like you too." Levy gulped, feeling the warmth from the wine reach her face, helping ease the awkwardness Gajeel was feeling. He was truly a softy when he was alone with Levy. The demeanor he showcased that week in Akane was far from the man that sat across the table from her.

"Let's have a great date."