It occurred to her that she was in close enough range to read the name tag clipped to his shirt. The shirt that perfectly accentuated the sculptured body that no doubt hid below it. She blushed at the thought, imagining what else could be hiding under his other garments.
"Black steel?" She caught herself saying. What was with the strange name tags in this place?
Natsu laughed, a booming sound that came from his belly, the kind of laugh that wasn't anything but genuine.
"They call you that here?" He said, jabbing an elbow into the taller mans ribs.
She swore a slight blush made its way to Gajeels cheeks but as soon as it registered it was gone. The only remnants of his fluster being a hand at the back of his neck and a cough that took a few tries to get rid of.
"Inside joke." He managed to get out.
"Does it mean anything?" Lucy chimed in, her lack of contributions in this interaction no doubt a sign that something devilish had crossed her mind. A plan yet to reveal itself and judging by the side glance towards Levy, the jury would be out as to whether she would like it.
Natsu let out another booming laugh and Gajeel chuckled, that slight blush returning for another split second.
"I-uh don't really think the story would be appropriate at the moment."
Levy settled for the most obvious question in an effort to calm the recurring redness settling itself on her cheeks, it couldn't become permanent could it?
"So, how exactly are you two related?"
The two stared at her, and as she saw the similarly blank look on both their faces the resemblance suddenly presented itself.
"Uhh, our dads are brothers." They both said simultaneously as if this was a common question people found themselves posing.
And she wouldn't be surprised if it was. Natsu was a slim-fit pink haired goofball whereas Gajeel was...huge. Everything about him was huge. His stature, his hair, his personality, even looking up at him Levy felt she couldn't see half of who he was. And God, did she want to see every inch. She found herself staring again, mind wandering to the fantasy of being alone with Gajeel in a dark room nothing between them except the heat of their skin and the sheets on the bed. His mouth ravaged her and the piercings that adorned his face felt so cooling on her cheeks and more so on her-
She shook the fantasies out of her mind ringing herself back into the moment and realized she had been staring straight at Gajeel the whole time, surprisingly he was staring right back. Did he know? Was he possibly thinking the same thing? A wolfish grin crossed his face faster than she could blink and it was right back to scowling at Natsu and some boastful win he acquired at his latest contest. Levy couldn't exactly focus on the rambunctious laughter coming from the group or Lucy's embarrassed but charmed giggles at Natsu's antics, all she could see was Gajeel's red eyes and the slight lick of his lips as he turned to stare at her every once in a while.
Lucy caught her eye, smirking as she gestured to their new friend. She raised her eyebrows as if to say, "Really, him? Okay." And all Levy could do was shrug and shake her head in amusement. Being best friends had left them able to communicate solely by nonverbals, a skill that was both a blessing and a curse. The curse being that though Levy was apt at the skill, Lucy was a master able to read Levy even when she thought she wasn't speaking.
Having Lucy as a friend was both a blessing and a curse.
She had started sweating now, a slight trickle running down her dress and pooling at the base of her back. It occurred to her they were still next to the men's restroom when a particularly drunk individual passed by making crude gestures at Lucy. Natsu was oblivious to this of course but Lucy rolled her eyes choosing instead to break up the conversation.
"Levy, can you come with me to the bathroom? I don't wanna go by myself."
"Uh, sure." Levy said, suspicious already of her friends intentions.
"Gajeel, we know you're still working but I have a table if you want to hang for a bit after you're off. It's Levy's birthday and she seems to be enjoying your company, right Levy?"
Caught off guard Levy nodded. "Oh, yes I am. But you just worked so I don't wanna keep you if you're you know...tired."
Gajeel smiled, but she couldn't tell if he was genuinely pondering the request or politely trying to excuse himself. She assumed the latter by his hesitant glance.
"I do get off in a bit, let's see how the night goes." With that they separated with Lucy dragging Levy to the bathroom after a shy goodbye. It didn't take long for the blonde to snap before the bathroom door was barely closed.
One of the ceiling lights was broken inside the small three stall bathroom, giving Lucy strange shadows on her face. Her smile was the biggest she'd seen and Levy felt the sweat cool at the base of her back goosebumps spread through her body uncomfortably making her shiver.
"Lucy," she whined. "Don't start."
"Oh, you so like him don't you? I didn't really take you for the tall and broody type. I always saw you more as a boyish-grin, disheveled hair, huge glasses kinda guy."
Levy scoffed, "Yeah? Well I always saw you as a prim and proper handsome, not boyish charm loud and brash." Lucy blushed at this chuckling taking out her compact and dabbing some make up oh her face.
"Boyish charm, really? Well it just happened, not like I tried to fall in love with the guy."
"Oh it's love now? You know I'm really betrayed, I thought we were best friends."
"Levy! You know we are, I just- didn't want anyone to know in case it, didn't really work out."
"Well it seems like it's going great, Natsu's a really nice guy."
Lucy smiled with some far off memory. She put away her compact and winked at Levy from the bathroom mirror. Someone had scribbled their phone number in lipstick, along with very descriptive sentence about a gifted fortune teller.
For such a popular and supposedly upscale place the bathrooms were in rougher shape than she felt comfortable with. Surely this was some kind of health code violation.
"You should take him home." Lucy said.
There were no bugs at least. But the mirrors could use a replacement and the stalls were riddled with permanent marker. At least there was soap in the dispenser. Wait-
"Excuse me?"
Lucy smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
"When was the last time you shared a bed with someone?"
Levy paused, incredulous.
"Shared a bed? Who are you right now?"
Lucy laughed, a real laugh, with the snort and everything. The one she reserved for their weekend sleepovers when he hair was high in a pony tail and she actually wore her glasses.
"I'm just messing with you Lev. Though you have to admit you're attracted to him. I saw your romance novel eyes all over him."
"Oh gosh, Lucy stop. Please."
Lucy reapplied her lipstick with precision eyeing Levy in the mirror.
"Don't worry I say anything. He'll join us later maybe you'll hit it off even more."
"He's not going to join us." Levy said. Thinking back to his hesitant eyes.
Lucy smiled knowingly and said with authority.
"Trust me. He will."
The door opened with a loud bang and Natsu stood in the doorway looking for around with worried eyes. He landed on Lucy and his expression softened.
"Natsu!" Lucy screeched. "You can't just barge in here like that!"
"I was worried." He said simply. Lucy just rolled her eyes with a small smile.
"You idiot."
He gave a loving smile as Lucy walked over and gave him a kiss leaving a fresh lipstick mark on his cheek. Levy watched them with mixed feelings of happiness and envy. Despite their wholly different personalities it was clear they truly loved each other.
Lucy was right.
After about an hour of light drinking games and rowdy storytelling by Natsu, Gajeel sauntered up to them without his name tag. His eyes shifted through the club looking for nothing in particular but purposefully avoiding staring at one place for too long. He caught her eyes a few feet away from the table and the look he gave was almost sheepish. The alcohol in Levy's system was dwindling but she found herself buzzing with nervous excitement as she saw the way his eyes lingered on her with a look she couldn't quite put her finger on.
She hoped it was interested.
She hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself.
"Gajeel!" Natsu yelled to his approaching figure. "I got ten rounds of fire whiskey ready, I want a rematch you bastard!"
Gajeel slid expertly next to Natsu on the table chuckling in a very peculiar way that made Levy want to snort. There was a new glint in his eyes, defiant and competitive, a fire she recognized behind Natsu's eyes from her time at Fairy Tail bar. They must get that from their fathers.
Without hesitating he slid next to Natsu on the table and took one of the shots, swigged it in less than a second. Natsu gave a battle cry and they began to drink shouting at the bartender from across the room to have more fire whiskey sent over to the table.
"You really think you can out drink me, salamander? It's been thirty-zip since we were kids!"
"Thirty-zip my ass," Natsu retorted slamming two shot glasses on the table with enough force that Lucy scowled. "you only won last time because you cheated!"
"Cheated," Gajeel scoffed. "If that's how you keep yourself warm at night so be it, salamander. Tonight, I'll show you up in front of bunny girl here."
It was like time froze and the drink Natsu had started to bring to his mouth stood suspended, slightly shaking in his hand. Levy glanced at Lucy who had also paused in the middle of cleaning the empty glasses and was having what Levy could only equate to a mental break. Lucy blushed redder than Levy had ever seen her blush before. She sputtered incoherently until her eyes darted like daggers at Natsu. He refused to meet her gaze, Levy thought she had the same effect as a cold shower because he seemed more sober than she'd ever seen him.
"Natsu. Dragneel. Tell me you didn't."
"I didn't?" He squeaked.
Levy looked between the two and Gajeel who had kept drinking like the competition never stopped. He was ahead now, considerably. He caught her staring and winked a devilish little gesture that made her think he was evil in all the right ways.
Lucy had started yelling now, "You showed him?!"
Natsu shook his head too fast to be truthful too desperate to be a lie.
"He saw them I didn't show him! He found them! Not all of them only the one. I decked him in the face before he could scroll anymore."
Levy gasped a sharp sound that made Lucy look over even more embarrassed than she could've ever been in her life.
"You said those ears were from a Halloween costume!" Levy accused.
"I ought to kick you right here right now." Lucy deadpanned. Levy wasn't sure who she was referring to.
"Does anyone else know?"
"No." Natsu said. Lucy looked at Gajeel to confirm and his shrug inspired no confidence.
"You. Little. Pink. Haired. Idiot. Next time you need help training for a competition you better call some other hussy."
"It's salmon!"
Gajeel raised an eyebrow slamming one, two, three drinks. Levy glanced and saw there were only four more left on the table. He had developed a rhythm of sorts Lucy yelled, Natsu denied, Gajeel drank.
Levy started laughing. Tears were pooling down her face as she held her cramping stomach. Lucy was looking at her like she was crazy and Natsu was in a state of preservation, making himself small to avoid Lucy's wrath.
"What's so funny?" Lucy questioned. Her face still red from anger or embarrassment there was no way to tell.
Levy managed to calm herself enough to point at the empty shot glasses on the table.
"You lost."
Natsu closed his eyes shaking he slammed a fist on the table rattling the glasses.
"Dammit!"
Lucy sighed, her cheeks rosy and gaze avoiding Gajeel at all costs.
"Well that seems like a good place as any to end the night, I'll call a car. " Lucy said. Just as she finished the sentence Natsu gagged and promptly emptied his stomach over the side of the table.
"Not my shoes, Natsu!" Lucy yelled.
"Luce, that asshole fucked me up." Natsu rattled, woozy from the alcohol poisoning that was no doubt making the rounds in his body.
Lucy struggled to lift his body up to the booth as he swayed back and forth gulping down another bout of vomit. Lucy rolled her eyes, trying her best to lift the moaning man and keep her boobs from slipping out of her low cut outfit. Levy noticed how Gajeel lifted his cousin away from Lucy, pointedly avoiding how she adjusted her shirt in annoyance.
"Lucy, take me home please! I can't ride my bike like this." Natsu whined.
"Natsu, I have to take Levy home. I cannot drag your ass all the way across town to Fairy Tail and back." Lucy said, smacking her boyfriend upside the head.
"We can just drop him off first, Lucy. It looks like you'll need my help too. We can catch a taxi or maybe the subway? The D will leave us a few blocks from Natsu's and F will take us back to Fairy Tail." Levy said laughing. At the words Natsu let out a surprisingly loud yell.
"Luce, don't put me in one of those death traps please."
"Tough as shit and this is what you're reduced to, huh?" Lucy said, shouldering the pink haired boy and trying to keep him steady.
Gajeel rubbed the back of his neck and spoke up, in a low croak, "I can, uh, take her home." he turned to Levy sheepish. "If you want."
It didn't take much convincing on anyone's part.
There was a lot of silence in the beginning, especially as they walked to the nearest subway station which was exactly three hundred and fifty steps away from the club's exit. But once they began descending the stairs Levy found it in herself to break the ice.
"Thank you for taking me home. Just know that you really didn't need to."
"Damn shorty, if you didnt want me to come along all you had to do was say."
"No! That's not-I wasn't trying to-I'm sorry. And it's Levy, once again. "
"I'm just teasing you, Levy." He said surprisingly gentle. Levy thought that was what drew him to her. The gentle interior that seemed to bubble every now and again.
"Oh so we're at the teasing stage of our friendship?"
"Not quite." He said with a devilish smile. It should have been a little scary, but she couldn't help the excitement that exploded under her skin.
Was he...flirting right now? Were they flirting? Oh boy. He started to laugh, it was a strange little thing but she could get used to it. They walked in silence to the platform and waited patiently for the next train to arrive.
Levy stared at him out the corner of her eye, noticing the way he leaned against the wall, registering his surroundings like someone looking for trouble. She supposed that was his job every night. He looked like trouble himself, there must have been some correlation.
"I look like trouble? Shrimp, you are trouble." There was a little bite in his tone, but it was definitely not malicious.
"Did I say that out loud?" Levy asked in a whisper, covering her mouth in disbelief.
The platform was empty at this time of night, and Levy watched the train approaching the station, too embarrassed to look Gajeel in the face.
"From the way you've been looking at me all night, you didn't really have to." That weird laugh again.
They stepped into the train, having the whole cart to themselves. Levy chose a seat right next to the door, Gajeel stood in front of her. She looked up at his imposing figure, not really minding his towering presence, it was sort of...comforting.
She spoke up, "I'm trouble? What makes you think that?"
He smiled but didn't really make an effort to answer. Levy couldn't tell if he was thinking or he just wanted to tease her again.
"How have I been looking at you all night?" Levy tried again. This one she knew the answer to though, her reaction was predictable as she felt her ears burning.
Gajeel pondered her for a second. Staring at her with his piercing red eyes. She could see the piercing just below his lip wiggling, he was playing with it. A nervous habit perhaps?
"You know." He said, grunting.
"I don't." She said, pouting.
He scratched his neck again, rubbing a hand through his long hair. His red eyes hovered over her every feature, she focused on their movement taking mental notes on where he paused for more than a second. Her eyes, her nose, her lips, her shoulders, her legs.
"Like...you wanna eat me or something." He choked out.
Levy paused. Blinked. Several times blinked. Part of her wanted to laugh. Another part wondered if he was serious. But the biggest part of her knew that he was.
"And if I do?" She replied. She hoped it sounded confident, because it slipped out only a second after she thought it.
He paused. Blinked. A small smirk spread across his face and suddenly his eyes seemed to focus on her in a different way. Levy felt like she had fed an animal she shouldn't have.
"Told ya'. You are dangerous short stack." He leaned forward, placing a hand underneath her chin. His face came closer to hers and all she could see were his eyes, all she could feel was the beating of her heart in her ears.
He closed the gap slowly, confident but cautious. She could've pulled away. She could feel it in the soft placement of his fingers, guiding but not demanding. He was waiting, their faces close but not mingling.
"I told you, It's levy." She whispered before bringing her lips to his.
She could taste the liquor from earlier still sweet on his lips, spicy and biting. She was sure hers was the same. His piercings felt cool on her warm face and the small part of her that was curious about what they would feel like was wholly satisfied to know that she very much enjoyed them.
The kiss felt like it lasted forever. Levy sure wanted it to. Somewhere between finding out his tongue wasn't pierced and wondering what her hand would feel like under his shirt she stood up, making the whole process a hell of a lot smoother.
His hands ended up behind her neck, keeping her firmly close to him. She decided to satiate her curiosity finding the hem of his shirt and snaking her fingers below. She traced the outline of his muscles, finding small remnants of scars the further up she went. He inhaled a sharp breath with her little explorations and she smiled against his lips.
They pulled apart as the train gave a particularly jostling stop.
Levy filtered through the clouds in her head and realized that the train had arrived at the last station.
"We missed our stop." Levy said.
Gajeel laughed, shaking his head. He covered his face with his hand, slumping on the seat next to her.
"Honestly, Levy. I wouldn't mind spending a little more time with you."
Levy laughed. Maybe it was because he had finally used her name or because she felt the same, but all she knew was this was the best birthday she'd had in a long time.