here's a companion piece to Excuse My French But WTF, that people seemed to like! i figured why not give Levy a surprising twist to throw our favorite pairing off the loop on their first date^^
you don't have to have read the first part to understand this one~ just know they're now dating in this piece
hope you enjoy!
the glossary will be at the end for the 'Boscan' dialogue
Hell, that knocked his studs off
Gajeel didn't normally feel nervous. Or at least, not to this level. Nor this kind. Hell, before Fairy Tail, he could scarcely remember moments in which he had been so uneasy. Having an intimidating appareance and a bad reputation did help into not being on the receiving end of restlessness.
The Iron Dragon Slayer pulled on the knot of his necktie. Stupid cat forcing him into some kind of rich pansy outfit. It sure didn't help his normally made-of-steel nerves with the whole ordeal of what this was.
A curse escaped his lips. Damn it, Lily and the gossipy asses of Fairy Tail. Why had they made such a big deal of him and Shorty? Couldn't they just be? Without the whole guild breathing down their necks? Apparently not.
Well, Shorty and he did put on a show with the whole ordeal of that lost Boscan traveler and them leaving together, holding hands. The memory of their kiss in the park brought a smirk on his lips. Damn, he was a lucky bastard. Never had he thought that a girl like Levy would go for a guy like him.
She, the smartest, cutest, kindest, funniest person he had met, had feelings for him. It still felt like a dream even if a week had passed. To say he was on cloud nine would be the fucking understatement of the decade. Too often this week, he'd caught snickers from guildmates before realizing that he was smiling like a fool. Brawls would ensue for good measure but honestly nothing could put a dent on his happiness.
Happiness. Something that he never thought about because it seemed so far, so foreign to everthing he grew up to know. He did have some good memories of his childhood, although scarce, and of his companionship with Juvia which evolved into friendship. And even when he knew that happiness could be something achievable since he joined Fairy Tail, he never seeked it. How could an asshole like him deserve it?
Well, apparently, Shorty had a say on that, as it seemed befitting for a Solid Script mage like her.
Although nowadays, Gajeel started to doubt that she was only a word-related kind of mage. There was simply no way. Surely, she was a witch to have him bewitched to this extent.
But if he was quite honest with himself -and he rarely was- he would say he knew from the moment he saved her from Laxus' lightning, how strong the hold she had on his thoughts were going to be. He hadn't fell for her at that moment, obviously, being the heartless piece of shit he was back then, but she became a constant in his life. Always wanting to be sure she was okay. Maybe it started as a way of repenting for his sin from his Phantom Time or a way of repaying the old man's second chance, but quickly enough it became to be about only her.
Before Gajeel had realized, he simply wanted her to be... happy. He couldn't pinpoint a moment in which he shifted nor when he realized. It took him time to accept that he cared for her. Maybe without fully knowing, subsconsciously, it scared him to stop and think over how much he cared. The only people he had cared for beside himself had been Metalicana and later on, Juvia and then, Lily. To have this tiny fairy take so much space in his walled-up heart and to realize it, had been a terrifying experience.
As their banter and their hanging out carried on, he eventually accepted it, but he had tried to keep a good distance from her. And yet it had been a lost cause. Shorty simply had this pull on him. And he had been done fighting it. Though the dark part of him had snickered, whispering to him that crushing him and his foolish feelings would be a great payback from her for what he had put her through.
With fake bravery, he had accepted it as such. Never had he imagined she would like him like that. Gajeel always believed their banter was just some kind of trademark of their friendship, not flirting like Lily would put it. And yet, how she looked at him when he spoke Boscan. He almost forgot how to breathe. This woman would be the death of him, for sure.
And so yeah, he was wearing some stupid suit, something that was very much out of his comfort zone. But like Lily and the others had so eloquently put it, it was their first date and therefore, it was important to go to such lengths. Gajeel was skeptical on that, but decided to trust his cat, as he would never intentionally make a fool out of him.
And being surrounded by the over-the-top girls from Fairy Hills, no doubt that they made it their business to 'mentally prepare' Shorty to their date. As if she needed that. But, surely, being such a bookworm and he had seen the extent of her romance section, she would probably be happy to see him dressed up. He knew she would never expect it, as she would never try to make him feel bad about being himself (despite sometimes deserving it).
Besides what good would it do to change? She (somehow) liked him and not some posh gentlemanly rando, like his conscience's assholey voice had suggested too often. And so if he had shown up in his normal outfit, she would probably have been unfazed. However, he didn't want that for her. She did deserve better than him. But he would make sure she didn't regret being seen with him. And also, he could dress up if he wanted. He just didn't want to, normally. Even without trying, he knew he had a decent appereance; he wasn't blind.
And so, for him, a suit seemed like a bit of an overkill but went along with it. First dates ought to be special, the Fairy Tail girls had yapped. And honestly Gajeel could do it for Shorty. Seeing her smile would more than make up for the hassle of it.
What puzzled him was her strongly disagreeing on him going to get her for their date. Gajeel was no expert on dating, but he had gathered that the guy would normally go pick up the girl. What was even more mystifying was that the reason behind it was that she wasn't leaving from Fairy Hill but hadn't given more explanations. The Dragon Slayer had left it at that and hadn't asked further, although he was now kind of regretting it because curiosity had reeled its bothersome head.
Shorty respected his privacy and didn't push him on explaining certain things that she could sense bothered him but could see that he didn't necessarily want to share. One thing that irked him was oversharing things about himself. With Fairy Tail, he had learnt it wasn't a fault to be vulnerable at times and share one's burdens, but it didn't mean he was prone on doing so. And so, he wouldn't expect that from Shorty. Though, he was still fucking curious.
Gajeel let out a 'tch'. For a supposedly-iron-walled heart, it sure cared a lot. He shrugged and put his hands in the trousers of the suit Lily and he had bought the previous day. Looking around, his eyes explored the area of their meeting point, another puzzling element of the whole date.
From Juvia's ramblings, it seemed to go usually like followed : the guy went to get the girl from her house, they would go to the cinema and then the restaurant or the other way around and they would finish the evening romantically with a stroll in the park before re-escorting the girl to her house. If the date was a success, it would conclude with a kiss. Gajeel was used to Juvia's delusions, but he knew they came, to some extent, from reality.
However, Gajeel was standing at the corner of a bustling street of Magnolia downtown. Given that they had agreed to meet mid-afternoon, it left them with some time before his dinner's reservation. He had gone with Juv's recommendation, mostly because she had nagged him since his brief escapade with Shorty, wanting to help him have the best date ever, as she had put it.
Knowing Shorty, she wouldn't expect the moon from him, even he was ready to give it to her. The Dragon Slayer had followed his friends and guildmates' advice and tried to organize a nice, classic date like one from her books. She had smiled when he had said he was taking care of the planning. Levy hadn't opposed, but she had asked if she could planned the first thing, as there was a place she had always wanted to go. Gajeel didn't mind going to the bookstore with her; it wouldn't be the first time and it was definitely not going to be the last.
Who would have imagined Kurogane would ever have such thoughts? Certainly not him, but he felt he much prefered this version of himself.
He passed his hand over his face, trying to erase the smrik he felt he was sporting but settled with trying to brush back his hair. She really was something, having such a hold on him, he chuckled to himself. Arriving in advance to their date and being dressed up. Hell, she was more than worth it.
His eyes overlooked the shops, searching for a clock. It must almost be their meeting time. He hadn't finished that thought that something ran into his shoulder. His head snapped back to the source and met the angry gaze of some wanna-be gangster with his leather coat, his slick hair and his gold tooth shining through his scowl.
"Oi, look where you're going, asshole," Gajeel snapped.
"Well, well," the man said, as two of his friends settled on each side of him. "Yer full of spunk for someone who is somewhere he shouldn't be."
"The hell you're talking about?" Gajeel scoffed. "Ain't got yer name on it, 'cos yer definitely not that 'Saint-Fernand' guy they named this street for, looking at yer ugly mug."
"Har, har, har," he faked laughed. "One last joke is your way to go then?"
That was just his goddamn luck. He was waiting for Shorty for their date, not asking for trouble but of course he would run into punks who would. There was simply no way he could cower before such dickheads. However, he wasn't planning to ruin his new suit and Shorty was about to arrive anytime now.
"Listen, I ain't got time for this. I ain't going to apologize, 'cos yer the one who rammed into me, but ya know what, I don't care. So just go on yer merry way."
All three men looked at each other, sneering. They were roughly Gajeel's heights and they seemed to be mages which didn't faze him but which could prove to be bothersome if the discussion lead them to use their fists.
"I don't think I'm gonna do that," the gold-toothed guy said, as if his two minions, besides having no personality of their own, also didn't have a voice. "We can't leave some random gang walk over our turf without invitation."
Gajeel snorted. There was no way they were serious, but seeing how they looked at him, dead in the eyes, they were. The Dragon Slayer rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles.
"I know I look cool, but I ain't part of any gang," Gajeel said, wanting to establish they were the one asking for it. "But ya probably don't believe me, so have it yer way."
The three stupid gangsters wickedly smiled, two of them pushing back their coat to put into view a gun.
Grounding his combat stance, he looked at them, annoyed that they had chosen this day of all days to pick a fight with him. Even against three punks and their whimsy weapons, Gajeel could deal with it in five minutes tops. However, he hoped he had enough dexterity to save his suits from any scratch.
The stare-off was about to end, as they prepared to shoot their first shot despite being in the middle of a bustling street when a familiar voice called him, "Gajeel! Sorry for the wait!"
Dread damned on him. Shorty... Honestly, the universe was playing with him. Why did things align like this? Gajeel shot her a warning look, hoping she would catch on the situation, but her eyes were now on the goon trio. What happened next almost made him fall over.
"Oh, Marvin!" Levy exclaimed, with a mix of surprise and joy. "Ross and Kai! Wow, long time no see! What are you doing here?"
Gajeel's brain had troubled to process what was happening. Shorty knew those goons? If he wasn't already confused enough, things became even weirder.
"Miss Levy," the gold-toothed guy now known as Marvin perked up. He brought his hand to his chest in a solemn salute, as if she was their queen or something. The other two also took off their hats and gave her a little bow of greeting. "What a pleasure to see you here. It has been quite a while since we saw you. The Family was wondering when they would see you." Even his speech and his tone had improved, distancing itself from the gang-talk way he was having earlier.
"Like I wrote in my last missive, things have been crazy with Fairy Tail lately. But I haven't forgotten my promise to Madam to pass by for supper one of these days."
"Madam will be thrilled to hear that," one of the minions said, approvingly. "And so will be the Young Master." To that last addition, all three grinned, looking at each other knowingly.
Shorty sighed. "Please, tell Hiro that as much as I'm flattered by the flowers he keeps sending," she spared a glance in his direction, "I would like for him to refrain from it, because as nice as the attention is, it is being misinterpreted at my dormitory..." She paused, a faint shiver running down her spine, undoubtedly at some memory from her demon-li,e gossip-hungry friends had made her live through. "I don't have room for three-months worth of flowers. And besides, the Family owns me nothing, I'm happy to have helped when I could. And also now, I'm seeing someone and I don't want him to think I'm double-timing or anything." Her tone grew playfully at that, making him feel some sort of way. But then, his brain finally caught up; someone had been sending her flowers for months?! Who self-righteous punk dared... His train of thought got derailed when as the men stared at her, widen-eyed, they suddenly talked all at the same time.
"Since when?" one asked.
"The Young Master will be crushed when he'll hear the news," another unnecessarily said.
"Tell us it's not this good-for-nothing here," the last had the audacity to say. "Not when you're dressed so beautifully."
At that, Gajeel shot him a deadly glare. He was so ready to put them in their place, but when he felt her warm hand take hold of his, all his irritation melted away. He swore the absolute power she had on him was maddening.
"This is Gajeel...my boyfriend," Shorty said, her voice getting shyer on that last word, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. God, she was cute. He hadn't even had time to take in how radiant she looked in a seemingly new yellow sundress that made her look like a literal fairy. She had a white bandana with a pale yellow flower, making the blue of her hair pop. Her lips looked soft and glossy and, above all, inviting. "We started dating some days ago, but today it's our first official date."
"Oh, it's still recent," Marvin said, as if it meant less.
Despite Gajeel lacking in the field of dating and all that mushy stuff, he knew how to spot defiance and judgement. That guy was seeing what they had as insignificant and not meant to last. Something snapped within him. His conscience telling him so was one thing but having some thug insinuate it was something else entirely. For the first time, Gajeel didn't feel his usual reflex of wanting to punch the offender, but rather set the record straight.
"Listen up, punk," Gajeel said, his voice remaining surprisingly calm despite the turmoil he was feeling inside. "It might look recent to ya, but I've liked Shorty way longer than that Young Nobody boy has. And it's surprising to me too, but she likes me. So, I swore on my life that every day I'd be the one to make her happy. So, yeah, it's for the long run."
Smugly, he looked at the three men he left speechless. It seemed defeating people with words was equally satisfying. However, the silence stretched, becoming slightly uncomfortable. They had stayed long enough. He was about to say so to Shorty when he met her eyes, filled with stars and tears.
"Gajeel..." she said, with a soft smile, squeezing his hand.
The Dragon Slayer was puzzled by her reaction but then all he had said came back to him. He had just admitted that he wanted to spend his whole life with her and it hadn't been a week since they started dating. His face felt a hundred time hotter and his heart a thousand time heavier. What had he done? It would make anyone run to the hills, he had fucked up bad. Before he could try to save up what could only be seen as a misstep, she stole his breath again, being now the one to be also defeated by words (although if anything, it felt like an absolute victory.)
"I feel the same about you," Shorty confessed, her whole face bright red and her eyes looking down, as if she was the one who had been embarrasing herself instead of him. Still, hearing her say that made his emotions implode. What a fucking rollercoaster was this dating thing...
A laugh brought him back to reality. His attention turned to its source and saw the three goons smile at them.
"Congratulations, Miss Levy, you found yourself a keeper," Marvin said, sounding genuine and happy. Gajeel decided that maybe the guy wasn't such a punk after all. Of course, the guy had to ruin it immediately afterwards. "The guy is hella whipped for you. As he should."
"Oi!" Gajeel barked, annoyed but mostly flustered. "Ya heard it, it's mutual."
"Yeah, yeah," the man waved, dismissively, not even hiding his smirk. "Anyway, we won't keep you any longer. Enjoy the most romantic first date ever."
Before Gajeel could tell him where to shove his condescending tone, Shorty spoke up, "Thank you, guys! I'll see you soon."
"Gladly! We'll all be happy to see you at the House. And that you tell us all about your date with Mr. Criminal-Face."
"Like hell," Gajeel growled. And he felt the need to add, "She likes my face."
The three men bursted out laughing. One of them said, "That guy is a riot! Good find, Miss Levy."
"Thanks, I had my eyes on him for a while now," she mused, a playful smile on her lips that made Gajeel feel some type of way. He didn't have a lot of time to register what the words she had said meant that his brain caught on that the trio was leaving.
"Sorry for the rough introduction, man," Marvin said, waving them off. "We were sure you were part of that new gang that tries to take root in Magnolia, but ain't no place for two, if you know what I mean." After a mischievous wink, he turned and left his two friends following him.
Shorty waved at them, happily, earning her a few perplexed looks from bystanders. Gajeel continued to stare at her as she kept looking at them. They must have done something goofy as her nose crunched in the cutest way from a soft chuckle, one she probably unsubconsciously reserved for silly antics from her friends. He never would get tired of seeing the faces she made. His stare must have been felt as she looked up to him. A faint blush coloured her cheeks. He didn't fight his grin. He hoped this effect he somehow had on her wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Call him a sap, but it felt good to know he wasn't alone on this emotional rollercoaster.
"Shall we go?" Shorty asked, as if the biggest 'what-the-fuck' moment had happened just minutes ago.
"As hell, Shorty," he snorted. "Care to explain what just happened? Ya can't expect me to just roll with it and not ask."
"It's not as interesting as you probably imagine it," she said, downplaying herself yet again.
"Try me."
Levy sighed. Avoiding to look at him and instead settling to stare off some shop venture, as if the story was somehow embarassing, Shorty didn't go as per her usual way of retelling stories, which consisted of jumping from one point to the other, but rather she went straight to the point. "It was some time after the Battle of Fairy Tail. I was just on my way to get one of my orders from the bookstore when I heard screams. It came from the canal; a kid had fallen in the water and his grandmother was obviously in distress. And you know how there's not really anywhere to get a hold there, so it was pretty obvious he would drown if no one was to intervene."
"And let me guess, it was Madam and the Young Master," Gajeel deduced.
Nodding, she continued, "Yeah, but at that time, I didn't know and even if I did, I would still have helped all the same. So, after I got him out of the water, I dried him but they were both understandably in shock, so I offered them to go to a coffee shop to get a hot beverage."
"So, basically, ya earned their eternal gratitude," he concluded. Still, there was something missing still. "But for real, who are they? Why did the punk trio act all high and mighty for? Are they that big of deal?"
"Well," she mused, looking sheepish. She sighed through a slightly amused smile, as if she was expecting the question. "It turns out it was the matriach and the heir of one of the most proeminent Mafia gang of Fiore. They're based in the southeast part of the country, and so Magnolia falls under their juridiction."
Gajeel's mind went a mile a minute. From everything he could have thought, never had such a hypothesis cross his mind. How could it? The fucking Mafia? There had to have a limit to how Shorty could get anyone under her thumb.
"Yer shitting me?"
Shorty shook her head, looking somewhat even more sheepish.
He had thought they were part of some morally-grey guild of sorts and that was why they had thugs as security. But the Mafia? Like the whole-ass underground system in one family and that family somehow was now tied with Levy? And not just that, they were acting as if she was also part of that gang as a high-profile person, like some kind of royalty.
"That make ya...the Mafia princess or something?"
Shorty softly punched his arm, as if he had said something enormous. As if the whole ordeal wasn't in itself.
"It's really not that big of a deal," Levy felt the need to add. "I see them once or twice per year for like birthdays or celebrations. I just find it sweet that they still invite me even after Tenrou."
That caught his attention. Tenrou...the time skip. The random guy sending her flowers for a couple of months, apparently. The math started math-ing in Gajeel's head.
"The kid," he started, measuring his words. "How old is he now?"
She took a moment to consider it and then answered, pensively, "With the skip we lived, he'd be around 18 too. Oh, no, wow, he's older than me now by a year now. Why?"
"So, an adult now, not some kid. And Young Master boy is interested in you, it seems," Gajeel pointed out.
Levy bursted out laughing. "He had a kid crush on me because I saved his life when he was 10. And he still feels indebted to me somehow, so no, it's nothing serious."
"Shorty, just how many rivals must I fight off?" Gajeel asked, acting exasperated. "The lapdogs, your fan club, this Mafia guy." He lifted a finger to each mention. "And look, I get it, y'know. I mean, yer..."
Her eyes were sparkling like a thousand stars, a view that always managed to knock words out of his brain. From the start, he had never been a wordy guy, but nothing he could say could do her justice. He settled for one that explained everything he meant, "...you."
Levy's cristalline laughter brought a smile to his lips that he didn't fight.
"I know you like fighting but there's really no need for it," she said. And with an air of conspiracy, she added, "None of them had a shot." She got closer and tilted her head, allowing him to see her long blue eyelashes cast a faint shadow on her cheekbones as she had somehow decided to stand on the tip of her toes. Before he could tease her about it, she said something that shut him up, "None of them are you, after all."
At that, she kissed him, just above his jaw, but not high enough for his cheek. It didn't matter, as Gajeel felt his face burn up, but luckily Shorty didn't seem to see it as she grabbed his hand to lead him down the street. Even with the feeling of short circuit, he easily kept up, but couldn't help but semi-hid his face with his free hand. Damn Shorty had become hella bold since their kiss. He wasn't complaining but again, damn, was she making him feel all kinds of ways.
And yet he knew he wasn't the only one. He could see the faint shade of red going down her neck. No matter how forward she did seem, it was still just as new for her as it was for him. He decided to be bold in return. Lightly, he stroke with his thumb the hand he was holding. She had really soft skin. A faint squeak made him look up from their interwitned fingers. Her bewildered face made him smirk.
"You good?" he asked, smugly, liking the reversal of reactions.
"Y-yeah," the petite bluenette squeaked. "Just unexpectedly ticklish, I'd say."
Gajeel hummed in false understanding, limiting his taunting for once. Making sure to match her pace, he looked around, still unsure of where she was planning to bring them.
"Where are we goin' anyway? I really hope we didn't pick the same place."
They had agreed that they both would choose an activity for their first date, so it would be a semi-surprise as they wouldn't know what the other one had planned for them. Shorty had explained that as cute as it was in her books when one of the people would plan the whole date, she felt it would suit them to keep the other on their toes. Of course, he had made a short pun and she had huffed in annoyance and their usual jazz of banter ensued. And truthfullt, Gajeel found the idea to be cool and went with it. However, he took the safe route as Juvia insisted to help him. He did make a reservation to that fancy restaurant Juvia had nagged him about. There was also a lot of good reviews about it, so he figured most people planned a date there.
Shorty shook her head. "No, I've figured you'd choose the restaurant. So, I chose a place that would work up our appetite."
That was definitely not what the Iron Dragon Slayer had expected her to say. And the mysterious description didn't help him to figure it out. No hypothesis came up to mind. His mind was blank. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "Can't believe Imma ask that, but will it ruin my suit?"
The petite blunette snorted, "Don't worry. I planned everything."
"Weirdly, it ain't sounding reassuring at all," Gajeel said, rolling his eyes, falsely annoyed but in fact, getting more curious by the minute.
Barely having said that, Gajeel almost crashed into Shorty, which would have send her stumbling if he hadn't caught himself in time. He was about to scold her when she turned, grinning like a proud cat who's caught a mouse. She looked back to the source of her pride and, raising an eyebrow, he followed her gaze to the building in front of them.
A huge lineup of people, chatting and laughing, were seemingly waiting there, the line skirting all the street from both sides of the entrance. And yet, Shorty had made them stop in front of the main entrance, where just above a double glass door, an imposing, graffiti-like sign hung: 'There's No Escape', where only security, judging by their uniform, were standing there. The building compounded the whole block, as it was a maze-like escape room that was all the craze since its opening in the timeframe in which Fairy Tail had been frozen in time. From what Gajeel had heard, it had rekindled Magnolia's tourism, as it had become a main attraction spot of Fiore. Somehow, it had fit perfectly with the image of Magnolia, still integrating itself in its architectural style and the reputation of the city in which resided Fairy Tail.
The Iron Dragon Slayer had to admit that he had been intrgued by the whole thing when he had heard rumours that not only was 'There's No Escape' an incredibly difficult challenge that only an handful had managed to beat, but that also no one could enter the game unless they had put a reservation months in advance.
And even then, it was also a question of luck. There was some sort of survey that let the organizers see who was worth their game. In some instances, celebrities or mages would even be denied entrance if they hadn't booked prior to at least a week. It showed how successful and brilliant the whole affair was. The proof was that even 7 years later, it was still as popular as ever, if the fact that half a dozen security agents were making sure that the crowd remained in check, while waiting for the main event to appear on the huge screens hanging from the building as even if very few could enter, a lot of people still enjoy watching the players try to overcome the escape room's challenge, which also explained its ongoing success. Some people could only ever hope to see the seemingly tough trials, that required both brain and brawn at time. Last thing he heard from the whole thing was that even if it was worth it, the wait had discouraged more than one.
Showing two tickets in between her fingers, Shorty had rarely looked more mischievous.
"Surprise," she said, visibly pleased by whatever dumbfounded face he was making. "Our time slot is in 15 minutes. You think we can make an escape in time for the reservation you made at the restaurant?"
Gajeel felt his jaw hanging and he blinked quickly when she turned away from him, to cheerfully skip towards the doormen, visibly pleased by how off-guard he had been caught.
He grabbed Shorty's wrist to stop her before she could get the closest security agent's attention. "Wait, how the fuck did ya manage to get a slot? Ain't the waiting list supposed to be like one-year long?"
"I do have my contacts..." she confessed, sporting a devilishly deceiving pout that did not hide her pride in surprising him. It was not hard to get what she meant now that he knew this surprising secret about her.
Gajeel shook his head in disbelief, barely able to fight his grin. He couldn't believe that Shorty had used her mafia contacts' to book such a fucking awesome activity like the ultimate girlboss she was.
Today sure was a day full of surprises. Their date was not going to be anything like one would thought. And he was no romantic. For real. The Iron Dragon Slayer hadn't thought he could ever feel this kind of love, ever. And then, Shorty proved him wrong. He also never imagined he would be planning a date, wanting it to be perfect for the one who stole his heart. Once again, she came in and shook his world without realizing. However, one thing he had been a hundred percent sure was that he hadn't fathom to be the one to be taken aback to the point of feeling giddy, of all things, over the surprise reveal for their date.
For an untempted time, Shorty had him rethink everything he thought he knew about love and himself. Though he maybe asked for it, having, by reflex, no expectation whatsoever about what he would enjoy to do on a first date. He honestly had thought that as long as it was with Shorty, he figured he'd be happy. And of course, he would have been. He simply didn't expect to be fucking elated by it all and he would be lying if the fact that she thought a fighting kind of activity to start their first date hadn't made him fall even more for her.
"Gihi, Shorty, yer a force to be reckoned with."
She gave him a look that would normally make him gulp in anticipation. Biting her lips, she said, almost purring it, surely not realizing how absolutely hot she was when she was commanding things, "Say it in Boscan."
He let out a snort of disbelief. Man, that woman would end him. She asked him the cheesiest things ever and he would do them a thousand time over for her to look this happy.
"Mon coeur, tu es une force de la nature," he said, staring into her honey hazelnut eyes, hoping it was as romantic as she had hoped for.
Gajeel did allow himself to say stuff in Boscan that he wouldn't be caught dead saying in Fioran. His mothertongue, so scarcely used, felt like a secret code between them, most of the time. Of course, he would hear native speakers every once in a while in Fiore, but for the most part, it was something he now associated with Shorty. Fioran was for when he'd tease her and apparently, Boscan had taken the spot to tell her all the cheesy things he would get fucking annoyed if the others heard. These words were meant for her and only her.
Her playful smirk showed him that she hadn't missed the petname he had used.
"Oh? I'm your heart, now?" she said, raising an eyebrow, a playful gleam in her eyes.
Her tone sent straight to his heart, and the truth came out once again. He hugged her and buried his face in her hair.
"Pour toujours, si tu le permets," he whispered, contented in a way that he didn't believe he ever could be.
Her arms snaked around him, gripping his suit ever slightly as to ground herself, she was as close as she could, surely hearing his heart racing, and murmured in his shirt, "You'll be the end of me, Gajeel Redfox."
"Yer happy ending, I hope," he said, not wanting to let her go just yet.
"Évidemment."
And just as he had wished for a long time, Levy stayed by his side.
less French in this work but here it goes, nonetheless :D
*glossary*
"Mon coeur, tu es une force de la nature" = "My heart (an equivalent-ish of sweetheart in French), you're a force of nature to be reckoned with."
"Pour toujours, si tu le permets" = "Forever, if you allow it."
"Évidemment." = "Of course."