Gajeel woke up in a cold sweat, jolting awake from a recently recurring nightmare. In the dream, he'd be with Levy, sometimes on a date, sometimes just together; everything would be peachy keen, they'd hold hands and maybe kiss, but then all of a sudden, his hands would be around her neck, or he was hurting her in some fashion. At the end of each nightmare, she'd say his name and an accompanying phrase. This time, she said it wasn't his fault. He'd been having these nightmares since he found out Levy was a mutant, and the girl he had almost killed. The whole thing weighed on his mind, and it bothered him to no end. He didn't know what hurt most, her not telling him that she was a mutant, or the fact that he beat her up and stood by as she was being tortured, or maybe it was the thought that she still chose to date him despite what happened. It was so hard to believe, especially when he realized that he was the reason why she was absent; she didn't have a cold, she was recovering from his blows.

The raven haired boy got up from his bed, reluctantly needing to get ready for school. It was the first day of the semester, so it was important that he made it on time. He spent all break isolating himself that he wasn't quite sure how he'd handle being back at school around so many people, particularly around Levy and her friends. They hadn't spoken since she had sent that text, checking on him, aside from that, he was giving her radio silence. He did need to think about things, and he had, but he still didn't want to face her, feeling ashamed. He sighed at the thought, but he would just avoid her at all costs, no matter how bad he felt about it. He dressed himself in a black sweatshirt, black jeans, and black combat boots, topping it off with a black leather jacket and a back beanie. He felt like he was back in his emo phase, which made him cringe, though he did feel as crappy as he did during that time.

The drive to school felt lonely, he'd usually pick up Levy, or drive Juvia to school, but it was just him this morning. He drove in silence, no playlist, no radio, just him and his thoughts. He got to school extremely early too, so he just sat in his car, keeping warm and trying to rest his eyes.

Levy's morning was fine, she had gotten ready and was eating a little breakfast before she left. She didn't imagine that Gajeel would pick her up this morning considering the fact that he hadn't talked to her. She gave him space, but it was pretty depressing that he didn't even text her once. Juvia told her he was troubled by the situation, but she knew that if they just discussed it, everything would be solved. She glanced at her phone, waiting for a text that would never come before she heard a few yells from around the corner. Gildarts, Mest, and Laxus were shouting to anyone who could hear.

"If anyone needs a ride, we're here." Gildarts said.

This was followed up by Laxus shouting, "it's first come, first serve so hurry up!"

"I'm already taking Wendy, so I have room for four more." Mest finished off.

At this, she got up, finishing her food as she followed the three men outside. There was a small little group tailing behind them already, all wanting a ride to escape the cold air. The three adult men fit as many people as they could into their vehicles. Mest had a standard four door sedan, gray in color, pretty inconspicuous. Gildarts drove a navy colored minivan, his "dad mobile" as some would call it. Then of course, Laxus' purple baby. Everyone who made it outside dispersed into the three vehicles. No one really cared who they rode with, they were all going to the same place. Levy got in the passenger side of Laxus' car, followed by Jet, Droy, and Natsu; the three never wanting to miss a chance of riding with Laxus. They all got comfy and warm as Laxus drove them to school, it wasn't too far from the house since they could comfortably walk there the rest of the year, it was just unbearable during the winter. The blond had hooked up his aux before driving away from their home, playing Viking metal, not his favorite genre in the world, but it always got under Natsu's skin.

When they arrived at the school, the three boys in the backseat got out of the car, Laxus holding Levy back. He just wanted to make sure she was okay for school, which she reassured him that she was. Of course he was worried, he was aware that her boyfriend hadn't been speaking to her, and didn't want it to upset her, especially knowing that his guardian was her father's killer. Levy was still dealing with that fact, but she knew Gajeel had nothing to do with her father's murder. Her only concern was Gajeel still wanting to date her. He wasn't bothered with her being a mutant, Levy knew that, he was probably still upset or shocked that she hid it. And not just her, but the other people he saw as his friends: Jet, Droy, Natsu, Gray; had all omitted that truth. Laxus only sighed, placing a hand on the bluenette's head, ruffling her hair a little, making her grumble about how she needed to fix it. The blond man told her to text him if she needed a ride, not wanting her to have to walk home in this weather. She only nodded, smoothing out her hair and getting out of his purple baby.

Walking alone to her locker, nothing felt different or off yet. She greeted everyone she knew and they responded how they usually would, nothing had changed, except for Gajeel not being there. Even before they dated, he had a habit of hanging around near her locker just to be in her space, but he was nowhere to be found. Levy wanted to find him, to see him, but the only place she thought of on campus was his first class. They had picked out classes together, trying to figure out if they would be in the same courses. They weren't in the same class periods, but they did know each other's schedules, so she knew what room he could be in, the music room. He took music every year, not caring that he wasn't getting credit anymore; he just enjoyed having a place to hone his skills.

He was already in the classroom at this point, plucking the strings of the music teacher's personal guitar, he was off somewhere else. When Levy got to the door, she knocked a little, seeing him lift his head in surprise, but then lowering it back. She frowned, walking into the class, going up to him, but he didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Gajeel, we need to talk. Can we at least do that?"

"I told you I needed time to think." His answer was as flat as the tone of his voice.

"I gave you more than enough time." She crossed her arms, giving him a stern look he still avoided.

"Yeah, well I still need to think things over. And I suggest you do the same."

"Excuse me?! Look at me Gajeel, all I've been thinking about is you and how you've shut me out! All I've been wanting to do is smooth things over."

"That's great and all, but I'm not ready. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to keep playing guitar." He got up with guitar in hand, walking to the other side of the room.

"Whenever you're ready…you can always talk to me." She sighed, leaving the room with tears forming in her eyes.

Gajeel turned his head to watch her leave. He hated sending her away, hurting her emotionally, but it was intended to be a form of self-punishment. He really did care about her, but how could he say that when he had beat the crap of her?

Levy's new classes were about the same, just a few core and elective classes. Since it was the first day, it was just an overview of expectations and procedures, so Levy allowed her mind to wander. It wasn't until lunch that she realized anyone outside of her circle had noticed any issues with her. She had gotten her lunch and sat with Jet and Droy, no Gajeel; then two figures sat right in front of her, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney, sophomores and step-brothers. Sting was platinum blond with blue eyes; his signature outfit always consisted of a crop top, vest, and baggy jeans. Rogue on the other hand had messy black hair and red eyes, kind of like Gajeel's; he always covered up though, being a lot more modest than his brother. Sting was pretty easy going, cool, but also a bit sensitive; Rogue on the other hand was known for being quiet, yet very kind towards others. The trio never interacted with the brothers, not having classes with them or being in the same grade really kept them separate. However, it was a well-known fact that they looked up to Natsu and Gajeel as upperclassmen, wanting to imitate them where they could.

Rogue quietly ate his food, waiting for his brother to start talking to the trio. Sting gave a small smile to Levy, ignoring Jet and Droy. She didn't drop eye contact though, actually curious as to what he would say to her.

"So, spill it."

Droy got a bit defensive at the blunt statement, "Spill what?"

"The tea, I want all the juicy details, Levy. Why are you and Gajeel not spending the day together like normal? Besides, it might give Rogue a few things to avoid."

"Don't bring me into this Sting." Rogue continued to eat.

Sting gave him the side eye, "You're the one who saw them arguing."

"You saw that…" Levy was a bit sad that at least one person knew what happened, but she wasn't surprised.

"It's none of our business, you can ignore my brother." Rogue said as Sting let out a hurt noise.

Jet spoke up, "It's just a misunderstanding, trust me. By next Monday, they'll be all over each other."

"Alright, if you're wrong, I'll be back." He and his brother left the trio.

Lunch went by and so came the end of the day. It was pretty relaxed aside from the whole Gajeel and Levy thing. Their peers either danced around the topic or made vague remarks about them. Levy, though irritated, felt defeated and heart broken. Gajeel hadn't broken up with her, at least not with his words, but his actions spoke volumes. He hadn't texted her, and even when they were in the hallway, he pretended she wasn't even there. Droy told her he was probably just putting up his defenses, and that it wasn't just her; Gajeel and Droy actually did have a class together, but Droy was ignored by him. They figured Gajeel would ignore everyone, especially them, since they all hid the truth.

That entire week went by, and Gajeel hadn't spoken to a single one of them. It felt like Freshmen year all over again, but they couldn't change anything. Even Natsu tried, failing to even get a visible rise out of him. The only person who got any response from him was Juvia, but it was only ever a nod or grunt. Levy had tried so many ways to get his attention aside from talking to him directly. She had worn his favorite's outfits, certain perfumes he liked, even pieces of jewelry he had bought for her; and yet, he wouldn't even look in her direction. The whole thing felt like a bust, and now it was Saturday, and still nothing on his end. The bluenette had willed herself not to cry in front of her housemates, especially Laxus, but it wasn't like they didn't know what was going on.

Levy slumped out of her bed, groggy from lack of sleep, her blue curls sticking out like a monster attacking her head. Brushing it down, it looked better, but still a little frizzy, meaning she needs to wash it this weekend. She left her room, still in her pajamas, making her way downstairs to get breakfast. Laxus had given her a pass on training, and she gladly took it. There really wasn't much to eat in the kitchen, Gildarts was on grocery duty, usually he was good about getting everything on the list. The only thing left was a burrito, so she took it. Levy hated having to microwave her frozen meals, but it was the quickest option. She ate in silence, being the only person in the kitchen, and one of the few people not training. When she was done, she placed her head on the table, sighing deeply at her own despair. Yes, she was being dramatic, but her first ever boyfriend was ghosting her, she kind of felt like it was justified. Then she got a small idea, though, it wasn't her most sane idea, but with the way she was feeling, it wasn't like anyone could blame her.

She would go to Mest, of all people. She knew what he was going to say, but she at least had to try, though she'd get a more rational response from him. Being more of a talker than a fighter, he could give her sound advice. She knocked on his door, hearing a groan from inside and a tired voice asking who it was. She responded that it was Levy, hearing a sigh and some shuffling, then the door opened. Meat appeared to be half asleep, eyes still trying to open. He was wearing a tank top and sweatpants, not a matching set, but it wasn't like Levy was wearing much better.

"Can I come in?" Levy asked.

"You can come in, but the answer is no." He moved aside, closing the door behind her.

His room was very plain, only having his bed set up, a few personal items, and a chair. With how much he spent time with Wendy, she'd have thought his room would have more personality.

"If the answer is no, what question was I going to ask?" Levy thought this would be a lot easier if everyone actually came to Mest for more than just memory related inquiries.

Meat laid back onto his bed, closing his eyes before speaking, "I know of your boyfriend problems, so there could be two things. You're very upset and want me to make you forget about the relationship and pain. Or you want me to make him forget about what happened so you can pretend everything is still okay."

Levy huffed and sat in the empty chair.

"You might be smart Levy, but I've been around the block a few times. I won't be doing either for you. Teenage romance can be a fickle thing, and I'm sure your boyfriend will feel better after a little while. And changing his memory isn't the smartest thing, especially when there are so many people who know what happened, if they bring it up, it could cause a lot of problems."

"But Mest, I've tried everything. Trying to talk to him doesn't work, I even tried to dress up to get his attention, and still nothing. Gajeel hates me, and by his actions, I'm sure we aren't together anymore." Levy started to sniff, feeling her tears well up.

Gosh, Mest didn't like crying, it made him uncomfortable, even when Wendy cried. But he always tried his best to console whoever it was. "Hey, it'll be alright, boys are stupid, I bet he'll be coming back in no time." Still tears. "Listen, I know it feels horrible, but changing someone's memory, especially in high school, isn't what it's cracked up to be. I did it once. This girl rejected me, so I changed some memories, and made her believe that we were going to senior prom together. It started some issues, some rumors here and there about her dating me in secret and finally wanting to let it out…but that's not the point. We went to prom, and yeah, I had a girl on my arm, but I wasn't proud of it. At the end of the day, it was a lie, and I don't think you should do that Gajeel. Now, I don't know why he's ghosting you, but considering the bombshell that just dropped, he's going through a lot, and you are too. And who cares if he dumped you, it's his loss, besides, you're sixteen, you've got a life of romance ahead of you." Mest patted her back.

"Now you sound like Gildarts, hehe, thanks Mest."

"No problem…and don't say I sound like Gildarts, that's gross. He'd have said 'Don't tie yourself down at a young age, the more lovers the merrier!' Who knows how many kids aside Cana he's fathered." He shivered, thinking of Gildarts' daughter, who drank like a sailor. He'd met her a few times, pretty flirtatious with everyone, but definitely not the type of girl to tussle with.

"You're not wrong. Thanks, Mest…"

"No need to thank me. You all are getting pretty annoying when it comes to memories. How about next time you ask me out for pizza before asking that. At least Wendy treats me like a human ha."

"Very funny, just wait until she's my age."

"Don't, please. My little Wendy would never!"

They both chuckled a bit, Levy wiping her eyes and trying to calm herself.

Outside the door, Laxus had been eavesdropping, he knew Gajeel didn't hate Levy, but it pained him to know that she thought that. There was obviously a reason she went to Mest, and Laxus knew why, it's because Mest wasn't going to threaten him. Laxus wasn't going to brag about beating up on a high schooler, but this was going to be an exception in his mind. Thankfully he already knew where he lived, and if what the water nymph said was true, he'd be at home moping. From what he'd heard around, no one knew the exact reason as to why Gajeel was being different; whether it was them hiding the truth, or him hurting Levy, no one could pinpoint which one it was.

The blond man drove to the home that was seemingly occupied. Gajeel's vehicle was parked in the driveway, so that was a good sign. Going to the door, he knocked twice, then another two times, and then waited. He stood around for about two minutes more and knocked again, hearing an incoherent yell from inside before the door swung open, Gajeel standing there. Laxus gave him a once over; he looked tired, his hair was in a little half up style, he was only wearing a pair of jeans. It took the raven haired boy a second to process who was at his door and when it finally dawned on him, he tried closing the door, but Laxus stopped it with his hand, being that strong.

"Listen, I came here to talk, Gajeel."

Gajeel opened the door wide, going into his steel mode and tried to punch Laxus, who dodged. The momentum caused Gajeel to run outside of his abode.

"I didn't come for a fight, but I won't hesitate to defend myself." Laxus raised his fists, ready for Gajeel to come at him.

Gajeel turned around, still covered in steel, not saying a word and going for it, throwing punches while Laxus dodged. He had to admit, Gajeel was giving him a little work out, probably trying to blow off all the steam he's accumulated within the past month. The fight was pointless, but Laxus could at least tire him out, making him more agreeable hopefully. Though Laxus couldn't afford to take any hits, there was no telling how hard his punches were without protection, so dodging and counter attacking were the best choices. When he saw an opening, Laxus emitted some sparks of electricity, just enough to get Gajeel on the ground; he wasn't there to hurt him. He got the black haired boy in the side, making him convulse a little and yell. On the ground, all Gajeel could do was squirm and look up at the man standing before him.

"Now, like I said, I'm not here to fight. I just wanted to talk. Can we go inside?"

Gajeel sighed and nodded, feeling Laxus pick him up and carry him back inside. Laxus looked around the place, it was his first time, but imagined that Levy had been here countless times. Upon locating the living room, Laxus threw Gajeel onto the couch, gently, but not caring to fix him up. He took his own seat in a recliner, looking intently at Gajeel, not knowing how he should start.

"So what did you want?"

"I heard you weren't talking to Levy, or any of the other kids for that matter. I wanted to know what was up." Laxus said, arms folded.

"You really don't know? You're more brain dead than I thought."

"Oh, I know, I just want you to say it. Are you more angry that we hid the fact that we're mutants, or is it the fact you beat her up? I just want to know, for her sake."

"I don't care that Lev, or any of you, are mutants. But I guess that's what the whole privacy thing was about. But it's really more about how I hurt her. You were there, I beat her up, before we even dated." Gajeel sat up, not looking at Laxus, knowing the anger he must have felt about the situation.

"And yet, she still dated you screws for brains. Levy knew it was you, your little 'shoo be do ba' isn't very stealthy. We all knew, how many other iron and water mutants are out there? Even after I told her it was a bad idea, she still had feelings for you, because you didn't know it was her. Levy was sure that you'd have never harmed her if she wasn't wearing that mask."

"So she did know…the whole time…"

"Yeah, we all did. We tried to go easy on you guys, because you're all friends, you know."

"I can't make up for what I did to her. She was my best friend and girlfriend, I can't even face her."

"You could start by apologizing to her. It would have probably been enough for her that you knocked Jose's lights out, but then you ghosted her. You know she's been crying over you for over a week?"

"I bet you made her cry too. She knows I need to think about things."

"I did make her cry, but I apologized. Levy's giving you space at her own detriment. She misses you, and you know good and well there's nothing else to think about! You feel remorse for beating her up, that's enough; you know she's already forgiven you."

Gajeel didn't say anything, he was right, but it didn't make him feel any better. He knew he needed to reconcile with her, but his heart still ached.

"Listen, she just wants you back man. It's not my place to tell you what to do, but it might make you feel better."

"I hate to say that you're right, but how can I even do that? All I can think about is the way I hurt her…"

"Move into the mansion. You'd be in the same building with her twenty-four-seven just about." The blond was being blunt, he didn't want Levy to be torn up over Gajeel anymore.

"What?! You'd let me move into your mansion, with Levy, and everyone else I hurt?" Gajeel didn't think Laxus was nice, but he knew there had to be a catch.

"Well yeah, Jose's gone, and there's no one to take care of you. I get it, it might be weird living with people you've punched before, but they don't hold any grudges, trust me. You'd have everything you'd need; food, clothing, place to sleep, all for no cost to yourself."

"You're gonna take no for an answer are you?"

Laxus shook his head, "You better be half packed tomorrow, or I'll really put a hurtin' on ya. You know firsthand how painful one of my shocks can be."

Gajeel nodded as he saw Laxus leave the room, he didn't hear the door closed, so he figured that the blond was doing a bit of snooping. Laxus surveyed the home, hearing that only Gajeel lived there, he was curious to see if there had been anything left behind by his housemates. He didn't care about what he found though, seeing that the only rooms with things inside were Gajeel and Jose's. Considering the fact that Jose was taking an extended vacation out of the country, he wasn't coming back for his things, nor was he gonna miss it. However, the only thing in his room was furniture and a dagger. Nothing of note, no safes, no locked drawers, nothing. He huffed, turning around to leave the room before seeing Gajeel in the doorway, startling him.

Though Gajeel wasn't sure how much he should trust Laxus, it was better than feigning loyalty to a man who wanted him to kill his girlfriend. Gajeel walked Laxus to Jose's office, motioning to his computer and desk. Laxus looked around for anything of note, there were a few documents, but nothing interesting, not until he got to a singular locked drawer.

"Little help?" He said, turning to Gajeel, who turned his body to steel and ripped the drawer from the desk.

Laxus rolled his eyes and looked through the files, seeing names and numbers. Gajeel's name popped out at him first, noticing it had all sorts of personal information, but it was back when he was a child. The others were that of Totomaru, Juvia, and names of people Laxus didn't know. There was also one folder marked 'Levy McGarden', there were no numbers, and all the information was blank, aside from a photo of her and her dad when he was still alive. He took all the folders in his arms, needing to show these to his grandfather as soon as he got home. Then he looked at the computer on the desk, probably encrypted, but still worth taking a look at later, he was sure his grandfather knew a guy who could crack it. Gajeel was just standing around, looking at the ceiling, waiting for Laxus to be finished.

"Jose had a file in the cabinet, and had everyone's info. You know anything about that?"

"Yeah, he made sure to store everything about us for later, to send off to a higher power."

"Higher like Alexei?" The question was partly rhetorical.

"Something like that."

"He also had a file on Levy, did you know of that too?"

"No, it must have been from before I came. I had no idea that he even knew the shrimp until we actually started to date. If I had known, I'd-" Gajeel's voice started getting shaky, not from sadness, but from anger.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. Levy didn't even know who Jose was until recently, only Gramps did, and he did a great job of protecting her from him. You know, living at the mansion was the only reason she'd been safe all this time, he'd practically forgotten about her from the looks of it. If Alexei is as dangerous as Jose made him out to be, we can protect you too, if he cares all that much about Jose's little schemes."

"I doubt it…"

Laxus walked to the door, turning around only to say one last thing, "I mean it Tin Man, you better be fully packed by tomorrow at noon."

"Yeah yeah, I hear ya."

Gajeel was surprised that despite his background and the things he did, Laxus was inviting him to stay with them. Sure, Juvia started living there too, but she had Gray to vouch for her, he had no one. Of course, the Shrimp, Natsu, Jet and Droy tried reaching out, but all he did was ignore them. Even when Juvia tried, he gave her slightly less of a cold shoulder. He'd see how everything went, then decide to stay or not, hoping it would lead to a fresh start; no thievery, but not caring about being a hero.

*Authors Note*

Hi all, how you doin? I wanted to let you all know that I appreciate you reading and following the story up to this point. I know from some of the earlier comments, some of you seemed to be questioning when Gajevy would be a thing, and considering where we're at in the story thus far, I just wanted to reassure everyone that this story is still full of Gajevy and will have a happy ending(whenever that'll be), but I wanted to add conflict within their relationship to explore my own ideas as a writer.

I also wanted to know if anyone actually liked my references to other shows or media within this fic, or even knew where they came from. I know maybe the Golden Kamuy one may have been a bit lackluster, or my slight nod to Monster Hunter Stories(a game literally only me and 5 other people played) may not have been executed well. I just wanted any sort of feedback from those in addition to how you all feel about my work so far. The Fairy Tail community isn't what it used to be, but I'm really glad there's someone out there who's enjoying this story as much as me.

Thank you all,

Frosty Yang ❣