Author's note: At first, I was planning on making this a steamy two-shot, but the creative forces of the universe have told me to keep going with it. Bon apetite!
As the sun peeked through the skyline, Levy awoke to the sound of her alarm ringing. She quickly shut it off, snuggling back into her warm covers. The alarm went off again, signaling her to wake up a second time. Levy grumbled in annoyance, already starting to feel a slight hangover coming on. She massaged her temples, wishing she could just sleep in like everyone else. No, I have a mission to do or I won't make rent, she encouraged herself.
Levy slowly got up from her bed, trudging her way to the shower. Levy cleaned her body, feeling all the knots and kinks let loose in her back. Grabbing a towel from the side rack, Levy wrapped it around herself and got out of the shower. After drying her body, she used the towel to dry her hair, going straight to her dresser to search for mission-appropriate clothing. Levy finally decided on shapely, khaki shorts with matching hiking boots. She buttoned up one of her favorite tanks, the deep red contrasting with her blue hair. Topping it off with a black headband, Levy grabbed her camouflaged bag and stuffed it with maps of nearby cities and forests, her gale-force reading glasses, and handful of magic light pens.
After double-checking everything she needed, Levy headed off toward the direction of Fairy Tail. As Levy walked through the streets, she felt her stomach start to ache, already feeling the sharp pains of hunger. Luckily, she spotted a familiar pink and white bakery coming up on her left. A white, wooden sign with black script that read Sweetest Taboo hung near the glass covered door.
I still have some time to spare, she thought. Levy walked through the empty shop and walked into a fresh aroma of coffee and cinnamon. The bakery displayed rows upon rows of fresh doughnuts and croissants, each looking more delicious than the next. Levy's mouth watered as she eyed the menu filled with different concoctions of coffee drinks. She walked up to the counter, waiting for the male barista to finish counting out his drawer. Levy's mouthed dropped when she finally recognized him.
"Darren?" she asked. Darren looked up at her in surprise, setting down the money he was previously counting.
"Whoa, Levy right?" Levy nodded her head. "Wow I totally did not expect to see you here."
"Yeah, I got hungry, so here I am!" Levy cleared her throat. "Darren since you're here, I just wanted to apologize about last night." Levy bowed her head in embarrassment.
"Don't look so down, it's no big deal. It was my fault for assuming that a cute girl like you would be single. If your boyfriend's around, I'd like to apologize; I know how it feels when someone hits on your girlfriend in front of your face." He gave a weak laugh, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He's so sweet, thought Levy.
"Um, Gajeel is not my boyfriend, we're just friends" said Levy. Darren looked at her with one eyebrow raised up.
"It didn't look that way to me. But hey, I'm not complaining" he flashed a smile, his teeth sparkling like Chiclets. Levy blushed and looked away, playing with her fingers nervously.
"So it was really nice seeing you again, but I actually have a mission to go to. Could I get a small cup of coffee with a cinnamon roll, please?"
"Wow, so that must mean you're a wizard, huh? I wish I could do magic" said Darren wistfully. He clumsily grabbed her roll with a pair of tongs, almost dropping it on the ground. Levy watched him as he searched helplessly for the plastic coffee cups.
"Um, they're right here by the tea bags" said Levy, pointing to them. Darren looked at the cups, shaking his head.
"Sorry I'm new here. Still trying to figure everything out, ha-ha" Darren put an extra cinnamon roll in the plastic bag, refusing the money that Levy pulled out.
"Consider it a peace offering. So if you're going on a mission, you must belong to Fairy Tail. I noticed your guild mark last night, very cool" said Darren, nodding his head in approval. A loud thud emitted from the back room, making Darren turn his head sharply. Levy gave him a curious look.
"What was that?" she asked. Darren narrowed his eyes at the sound.
"It's probably those street dogs again, they always manage to sneak in here…You're heading to your guild right? Mind if I walk you there?"
Levy gave him a quizzical look. "Aren't you working right now?" Darren smiled and waved his hand.
"Nah, I work grave-yard shift, my boss will be here any minute. Let me just finish counting the drawer, you can sit down while you wait. It will only take a second." Darren disappeared into the back, leaving Levy to sit down in one of the booths. She ate part of her cinnamon roll and sipped her coffee, savoring the taste of the sweet combination. About five minutes later, Darren came out carrying a bright blue backpack.
"Let's go!" He grabbed her duffel bag from her shoulder and held out his arm toward her, which she gladly accepted. Carrying her breakfast in the other hand, Darren escorted her out the door. On the way there, the couple talked about Levy's mission.
"I have to search for a jewelry collection over in Onibus Town. Finding missing items are always the toughest jobs, but I think I can figure it out" said Levy confidently.
"How interesting! Did it disappear from a museum or something?" asked Darren.
"No, supposedly an heiress reported it missing. If we're lucky we'll find it somewhere in her house. I just hope that it's not a prank or anything, we get a lot of those from the town kids."
"I know what you mean" agreed Darren. "Kids are always begging for some free leftovers at the end of the night. Too bad it all goes to me." Levy laughed, liking his company.
They finally arrived at the entrance of Fairy Tail, Darren releasing his hold on her. "It was a pleasure walking you home Levy. I hope we can spend some more time together once you get back" He lifted her right hand, kissing the top of it. Levy blushed, not knowing how to respond to such an old-fashioned gesture. He waved goodbye, almost tripping on himself. Levy waved back, giggling at his clumsiness. I guess chivalry isn't dead after all, she thought. Levy's mind filled with sweet fantasies of her and Darren walking through the streets of Magnolia, hand in hand.
Unfortunately her dream bubble popped when she walked into the chaos of Fairy Tail. It seemed to be another day, with everyone fighting and drinking, despite the early morning hour.
Levy maneuvered her way through the turmoil, making her way toward Mirajane, serving alcohol to the rowdy crowd. After handing over a large barrel of rum to Cana, Mira turned her attention to Levy, an excited smile making its way to her face.
"So you survived a night with a dragon eh? You must tell me everything, don't leave a single detail out!" Mira put her elbows on the counter, resting her chin on her hands. Levy let out a small blush, hoping no one was listening in. Mira gasped at her embarrassment.
"You guys kissed didn't you!? I knew it! Oh I can't wait to tell Lisanna!"
"Wait, no, don't tell Lisanna! We didn't even kiss or anything…" flustered Levy. "Can we not talk about it; I actually just wanted to tell you that Gajeel and I were going on that mission with the missing jewelry." Mira stared at her silently, her eyes searching for any type of giveaway on Levy's face. Finding nothing, she sighed, giving Levy a small smile.
"I get it Levy; you don't want to jinx it too early in the game. Sorry, but it's just so much fun watching you two together" Mira let out a dreamy sigh, staring off into the distance. She turned her attention back toward Levy, an evil glint in her eye.
"So if you guys are going to Onibus town, you must have a hotel room set up right?" Levy gave a suspicious look at her friend.
"Noo, I figured we could complete the job today, it doesn't look that difficult…" Mira's eye lit up and rubbed her hands together.
"Well you can never be too careful about these things, Levy-chan. I'll set you guys up at a nearby hotel for three days and two nights; that should give you plenty of time to find the jewelry. And don't worry about extra clothes, I'll send some by the time you arrive." Without waiting for her approval, Mira walked away to the mail room. Levy gave out a small moan, already dreading to tell Gajeel that they had gotten a room together. Speaking of the devil himself, Gajeel strode into the guild, making a straight beeline toward her.
"Yo, we leaving or what?" he asked. Pantherlily randomly showed up by his side, sipping on a kiwi juice box.
"Hello Levy, how are you doing today?" asked Lily politely.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Will you be joining us on our mission?" asked Levy. Lily nodded his head, taking another sip of his juice.
"Yes, I figured with three Fairy Tail mages, it would be faster to find what we are looking for. That, and I need to keep an eye on Gajeel, he's been acting like such a nuisance lately." Gajeel scoffed at his partner.
"Tch, mind your business, I don't call you a nuisance when you hide under the bed from thunderstorms." Lily pointed a finger at Gajeel, still drinking his juice.
"Don't play that game with me Gajeel, should I tell Levy what you said last night in your sleep?" Gajeel's eyes bugged out, his cheeks turning slightly red.
"Why you little…" Before Gajeel could finish his threat, Mira waved him over to the bar. "Oi, Gajeel! I need your confirmation for the mission, get over here!" Gajeel gave a groan, turning his attention toward Lily.
"Not a dam word, cat" He warned as he walked away, putting both hands in his pockets. Levy looked at the black exceed, curious by the scene she just witnessed.
"So, what did Gajeel say in his sleep last night?" she asked. Lily gave a smirk but before he could respond Jet and Droy fought their way through the crowd, smiling at the pair.
"Hey Levy, glad to see you made it back. Let's go to the park, I'm going to try and beat my all time record run around Magnolia" said Jet. Droy nodded his head in agreement, stuffing a chicken wing and a cob of corn into his mouth. Do people not realize that it's 8am!?
"Sorry Jet, I have a mission to over in Onibus Town. I'll probably be back some time later tonight or tomorrow morning."
"Wait you're going by yourself?" said Jet. Droy stopped stuffing his face, giving Levy a worried look.
"Well, not exactly-"Levy was cut off mid-sentence by Gajeel's slouched arm on top of her head, looking at the job flyer.
"It looks like we'll be staying at the Onibus Garden Hotel. I think we even got hooked up with a suite…" Gajeel finally noticed Levy's friends, grinning madly at their shocked reactions. He took his arm off her head, sliding it down to her shoulder and stage-whispered loudly in her ear.
"Meaning you and I have a bed all to ourselves" Gajeel smirked at Jet and Droy, walking out of the guild's entrance. Lily quickly followed Gajeel in tow, not wanting to get involved in Team Shadowgear's love triangle. Jet and Droy turned around to face Levy, both with hurt looks on their faces.
"So you're ditching your real friends to stay at a hotel with that maniac!?" yelled Jet. "I can't believe you would do something so stupid Levy, he's just using you!"
Droy nodded his head in agreement. "He's bad news, Levy, don't fall for his tricks."
Levy bristled at what her friends were saying. "I'm the stupid one? Are you guys freaking serious right now!? We're really having this conversation, again!? I'm not in a relationship with any of you, so stop acting like you have the right to tell me what to do!" yelled Levy. She pushed past the two of them and headed for the exit, not looking back when they called after her. Small tears started to form at the corner of her eyes, her bag bumping at her legs.
Quickly wiping away her tears, Levy noticed Gajeel slouching against the Fairy Tail arch, both hands shoved in his pockets. He leaned off the wall and walked towards her, still wearing the same sly grin.
"So did your boyfriends say it was all right to go?" Gajeel laughed.
Something inside Levy snapped, unleashing all of the anger and frustration from this morning and last night.
"Solid Script: Pepper!" she shouted. The magical word formed into the air and crashed into Gajeel, black powder forming a dusty cloud around him. Gajeel breathed in too late, filling his lungs and nose with the dangerous spice. His dragon senses went into overdrive, causing him to sneeze multiple times. Some of her spell had even gotten into his eyes, giving him temporary blindness.
"W-water" he gasped, coughing on his own spit.
"What was that? Did you need water Gajeel-kun?" crooned Levy. She moved her hands in precise motions, preparing for her next spell.
"Solid Script: Waterfall!" She threw it above his head, causing the water to cascade brutally onto his body. The force of the water was so strong that Gajeel had to bend down on one knee, giving Levy a sick satisfaction that she could easily disable him with a couple spells. Her confidence didn't last long when he flashed out of her trap and appeared right before, quickly pinning her to the ground with his oversized body. He made sure to put her hands above her head so she wouldn't conjure any more attacks.
"Gajeel, get off me!" Levy struggled beneath him, causing him to chuckle darkly.
"I'll admit you almost had me there Shrimp. Such a clever little fairy you are…" He leaned down next to her face, his lips lightly brushing the side of her cheek. "But that's what I like about you" he whispered, his sharp teeth trailing alongside the arch of her neck. Levy took an intake of breath, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. She turned her head to look up at him, his crimson eyes boring into her brown ones. He touched her forehead with his, licking his lips seductively. When their lips were only mere inches apart, Gajeel was suddenly ripped from his hold on her, leaving her eyesight completely.
Levy sat up to see Lily in his full battle form, throwing Gajeel across the guild's picket fence into the neighboring vegetable garden. Gajeel hit the ground with a loud thump, causing him to curse violently at his cat companion.
"You piece of shit cat, what the fuck was that for!?" Gajeel roared. Lily gave him a stern gaze, helping Levy up from the ground.
"Gajeel, you have done a lot of stupid things in the past, but I will not stand by and let you harass a poor girl in public! In front of the guild too, isn't that the whole point of getting a hotel room!?" Levy blushed and looked around, hoping no one was spying on them.
"Aw come one Lily, I didn't hear no complaints from her end," said Gajeel. He gave her an obvious wink. "Right, Shrimp?" Levy's eyes widened, her old anger returning to her.
"Actually I do have a complaint. You're a complete and total ruffian who has no respect for personal space or other people's feelings! I'm already starting to regret going on this mission with you." Lily nodded his head and reverted back to his chibi form, while Levy crossed her arms. Gajeel dusted himself off and walked over to them.
"Don't say that, you need me remember?" He gave Levy a cocky grin, showing off his sharp canines. Levy stared hard at the dragon slayer, debating on whether she would succeed with or without his help. She had all the maps and books she needed, why did she need his help? Because his sense of smell is better than any canine in Fiore, a small voice told her. Without his super senses, Levy would be stuck in Onibus for days, if not weeks. She gave him a cool look, keeping her voice as steady as possible.
"Unfortunately, I have no choice since you officially accepted the job from Mira. We better head out before we miss the morning train." She picked up her duffel and walked past him without waiting for a response. Lily followed her lead by using Aera, his white wings fluttering softly in the cool breeze. Gajeel gritted his teeth and grumbled a few obscenities before catching up, keeping a short distance between the girl and his cat.
When they were a couple blocks away from the train station, Gajeel sided up next to Levy, ruffling her blue hair out of its headband.
"Ya know I'm only teasin ya" he said quietly. Levy made a face at her unkempt hair, fixing it back into the headband. She looked at him, his bottom lip sticking out while he shuffled his boots against the gravel. He looks so cute when he pouts, she thought, just like a little kid. Levy couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile.
"I know that. You're still a douche though" said Levy, giving him a haughty look.
"And you're still short" smirked Gajeel. Levy gaped at his response.
"That has nothing to do with anything!" she yelled, chasing him down the block. Lily sniggered as he watched them fight playfully all the way to the train station. What a bunch of in denial, lovesick idiots.