Hello, hello! ^_^/ Thank you for deciding to read on! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!
Before we go on, I have a little disclaimer. The lyrics used throughout the story are NOT MINE. They are all from Hozier songs; if you haven't looked him up, please do omfg I am in love with him. ToT
Now, back to the story! Thanks so much for reading! (comments give me air to breathe~~~)
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The lights dimmed as the band stepped onto the stage. Natsu sat at the drums, Rogue held a bass, and Sting and Gajeel both held guitars. Without so much as a greeting to the audience, they began playing. The guitars went first, then came the other instruments. To my surprise, Gajeel approached the microphone.
I watched, enthralled by the sight of him. The dim lighting only seemed to draw focus to his sharp features—the hard jaw line, the crimson eyes, the muscles in his arms which flexed with every strum he made of the guitar…
My attention was pulled back to his face when he started singing. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself from staring. With each word, something reverberated deep within me, setting all of my nerves ablaze with heat.
"You know better babe, you know better babe,
Than to look at it, look at it like that.
You know better babe, you know better babe,
Than to talk to it, talk to it like that.
Don't give it a hand, offer it a soul
Honey, make this easy.
Leave it to the land, this is what it knows
Honey, that's how it sleeps.
Don't let it in with no intention to keep it
Jesus Christ, don't be kind to it.
Honey don't feed it, it will come back."
He paused as the music continued, and his eyes slid across the room—meeting mine in a searing gaze. He smirked then, continuing the song but never turning his eyes away from mine.
"You know better babe, you know better babe,
Than to smile at me, smile at me like that
You know better babe, you know better babe,
Than to hold me just, hold me just like that.
I know who I am when I'm alone
Something else when I see you
You don't understand, you should never know
How easy you are to need
Don't let me in with no intention to keep me
Jesus Christ, don't be kind to me.
Honey don't feed me I will come back."
"Good, aren't they?" I turned to Mirajane with a start, nearly dropping the cup I had been attempting to clean since the band went on stage. I glanced back to the stage and saw Gajeel smirking as he watched me silently, the music thrumming throughout the bar still.
"Y-Yeah," I said, forcing myself to look away, to not get caught back in that gaze of his again. What the hell is wrong with me all of a sudden?! I was twenty-three years old, not some giddy teenager.
"Can't be unlearned
I've known the warmth of your doorways
Through the cold, I'll find my way back to you
Oh please, give me mercy no more.
That's a kindness you can't avoid!
I want you baby tonight, as sure as you're born
You'll hear me howling outside your door."
As if by some force I couldn't control, I looked back towards him. And once again, he was looking at me. He drug out the last line, his voice low and gravely, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms and a shiver to go down my spine.
"Don't you hear me howling babe?
Don't you hear me howling babe?
Don't you hear me howling babe?
Don't you hear me howling
Don't you hear me howling
Don't you hear me howling babe?"
The bar erupted into applause when the song finished, and the lights on the stage brightened. Although Gajeel was the lead singer, it was Sting who went to the front of the stage and spoke on behalf of the band.
"We'd like to thank you all for the warm welcome to the States," he smiled. "I'm Sting, on the bass is Rogue, and Natsu's on the drums. As for our lead, tha's Gajeel." Each member said a greeting to everyone in the bar as Sting introduced them. "We're Stoorworm, an' this was a preview of our upcoming show. We hope ta see you all there!" A roar of applause followed them as they all left the stage, and the bar's regular music came on through the speakers.
I went back to taking orders, now that I could actually focus on work. I still couldn't believe my reaction as Gajeel had sung. It was just a nice voice; there wasn't anything special about it at all! I told myself that, but I didn't believe it.
"How'd we do?" Natsu sat down in front of me, his usual grin stretching across his face.
"You were amazing," I told him, returning the grin with one of my own. "You all sounded great."
"He doesna' look like it, but Gajeel's actually a pretty good singer," Sting smirked, sitting next to Natsu.
"Watch it, blondie," Gajeel growled, sitting on the other side of Natsu, and Rogue took a seat next to Sting.
"He's always so hostile, too," Sting whispered, still smirking, "it's no wonder women stay away from him until they hear that sex god voice o' his."
Gajeel cursed under his breath before ordering a whiskey. "If you weren't my brother-in-law, I'd knock you flat on yer ass," he grumbled.
"Brother-in-law?" I asked, shocked, looking between the two of them. I couldn't imagine any sibling of Gajeel's not being, well, exactly like him. And Sting marrying someone like Gajeel…I didn't see that ending very well.
"Aye," Gajeel said, downing his glass of whiskey. "The bastard somehow convinced my brother it was a good idea."
"You make it sound like Sting conned me into marrying him," Rogue snorted.
"You two are bothers?" That I couldn't really believe. Sure, they looked alike, but from what I had seen so far, they acted nothing alike.
"Don' look so surprised," Rogue chuckled.
"You just don't seem very similar," I offered.
"Siblings do'na have to act similar," Gajeel scoffed.
"I suppose not," I frowned, wondering why he was so angry all the time. The complete opposite of how he was on stage. I shivered slightly just remembering it, and I forced myself to walk to the other end of the bar to get away from him.
The band stayed for several more hours, talking to other bar-goers and drinking. At one point, Sting convinced Natsu to karaoke with him, and the two drunkenly sang a terrible Dream On duet. I spent the rest of my shift avoiding Gajeel, not liking the way I felt around him, nor the fact that I could feel his eyes on me as I worked. At midnight, I practically ran out the door, telling Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman goodbye.
"Want some company?" Gajeel asked, following me outside.
"No thanks," I said, picking up my pace slightly.
He kept up with ease, as if he hadn't even noticed me walking faster. "I'm headed back, so I might as well walk with ya," he shrugged. "I've listened to enough o' Sting's singin' for one night."
I laughed at that. "He's much better at playing the guitar, I'll admit that."
"Aye," he chuckled. It was quiet a while until I noticed him glance over at me. "So you work for Lucy an' Mirajane?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "I've worked for Lucy for almost eight years, and Mirajane only about two. Can't bartend here in the States until you're twenty-one," I smiled.
"So you're twenty-three, then?" He asked, picking up immediately on what I'd meant.
Again, I nodded.
"Ya certainly don' look that old," he snorted, teasing me. "I thought you were maybe nineteen."
"And how old are you, then?" I asked.
"Twenty-five," he answered.
"You're an old man," I snickered.
We reached the inn then, and his reply was cut off by a shriek of "MAMA!" when I opened the door. Tiny arms wrapped tightly around my waist as Kaia practically tackled me.
"Kaia?" I asked, placing my arms on her shoulders and pushing her back just enough to look at me. "What are you still doing awake? Your bed time was three hours ago."
"Sorry, Lev," Lucy sighed, tiredly, from her spot at the kitchen table. "She said she had a nightmare so she couldn't sleep. She insisted on waiting up for you."
"You could have called," I said, stroking Kaia's hair, "I would have come home sooner."
"I told her not to," Kaia told me, her voice muffled because of her face buried in my stomach as she held onto me. "I didn't want to bother you."
"You would never bother me, honey," I told her, crouching down so we were eye level. "I'm your mom; it's my job to come when you're scared or in trouble. Right?"
She nodded, her green eyes bloodshot from being tired. "I wanted to wait for you."
"Well I'm here now," I smiled, kissing her forehead. "Let's head up to bed."
She paused before heading towards the stairs, looking at Gajeel. "Who are you?" She asked.
"Gajeel," he answered. "Who are you?"
"Kaia," she giggled. "You're accent is funny."
He crouched down, narrowing his eyes at her before grinning, "I think ya mean yer accent is funny. Mine is perfectly fine." As she laughed, he straightened and patted her on the head. "Such a wee lass should'na be awake so late. Go on ta bed."
"I'll meet you upstairs," I told her, smiling when she went. I let out a sigh, rubbing my head.
"Sorry, Lev," Lucy said.
"It's alright," I sighed. "I'm sorry she wouldn't sleep. You know how she gets sometimes."
"She does this a lot?" Gajeel asked.
I shrugged. "Not this, but she sometimes has a hard time sleeping if I'm not there with her."
"I'm heading up to bed," Lucy said. "I'll see you two tomorrow."
"Alright. Thanks, Lucy."
"Anytime," she chuckled, disappearing up the stairs to her apartment.
"How old is she?" Gajeel asked.
There it was. I internally groaned to myself. It was always that question, and always with that tone. Kaia was fairly old, and I was fairly young. It didn't add up. So the suspicious tone was always there when people found out how old I was with a daughter the age of Kaia.
"Seven." Might as well get it out of the way and save myself the trouble, I thought, bitterly. It was a pattern in my life with most people who I hadn't known since I first moved to Magnolia. The judgement.
"She's cute."
I froze, staring up at him. "What?" That's all he's going to say?
"I said she's cute," he repeated. "She looks a lot like you, but smaller."
"She looks like her father." The comment slipped out before I could stop it, and the ache came as soon as the words were out. Without giving him a chance to ask, I told him goodnight and rushed upstairs. Stupid.
It wasn't any of his business, and I certainly didn't need to think about it, either. Not when it's finally beginning to get easier.
I climbed into bed next to Kaia, and she snuggled close to me, wrapping her arms around me. "Mama?" She asked, quietly.
"Hm?"
"Why do you look so sad sometimes when you look at me?"
"I'm just remembering someone."
"Papa?"
I stroked her hair. "Yeah."
"Do you miss him?"
"That's enough," I said, quietly, "time for sleep."
"I love you, mama."
I smiled. "I know. And I love you, Kaia."
I hated not talking about her father with her, but I just wasn't ready yet. Someday we'll talk about him, but not right now.