Prompt: Um my earbuds are broken mind if I share yours oh you have great taste in music AU
Characters: Levy and Gajeel

The library is one of my favourite places at Fairy Tail High. It's larger than you would expect for a high school library, and it always seems to have just what I'm looking for. The large windows that line the North wall let in the warm sunlight and you can see the dust dancing in the beams, giving the air a shimmery quality. The shelves stretch to the ceiling, and you can find all sorts of cozy nooks to sit with your books.

I loved my library, and as much as I wanted others to appreciate the library more, there were days like today when I missed having it to myself.

Today, the library was crowded with just about everyone – this always happened towards the end of the semester. Everyone who had been procrastinating suddenly rushed to the library to get projects done. Thankfully, they were being respectful and whispering but it was still more noise than I was used to in here.

Luckily, I had brought my earbuds today. Once I had grabbed the books I needed, I headed to my favourite desk in the corner by the windows. My luck continued as my usual desk was available, even though the desk next to it was occupied by the large lumbering form of an upperclassman. I recognized Gajeel, and sat down at the desk, Gajeel was a tough guy, but I could trust him to be quiet.

I set my stack in the corner of the desk and pulled my laptop from my bag. I also grabbed my notebooks from class, a pencil, a couple of highlighters, and finally fishing from the bottom of my bookbag I fished out my earbuds. They were the old, wired kind and to be honest I hadn't used them in a while, but I needed something to drown out the shuffling and hushed whispers going on in the stacks behind me.

I plugged the headphones into my phone and loaded up Spotify. I tapped on one of my default study playlists and put the earbuds in my ears. I opened up my laptop and loaded up my history essay and started grabbing the book at the top of my pile, before I felt a frown tug at my mouth. I couldn't hear any music.

I looked at my phone screen, according to Spotify I should be hearing a Vitamin String Quartet cover right now. I fiddled with the plug on the earbuds, twisting it in the headphone jack, suddenly violins were coming in through the left earbud. Not ideal, but better than no music, I thought and let go so I could get back to work.

As soon as I let go though, silence.

I fought the urge to groan as I raised my hands to my face, the heels of my palm massaging over my eyes trying to keep the migraine at bay. The sounds of hushed whispers and books hitting the shelves was going to be too distracting for me, and of course my earbuds were broken. It was probably my fault for just leaving them at the bottom of my bag, or maybe I should have gotten new ones sooner. Either way, I was not going to be able to function without some music to drown out some of my louder classmates. Honestly, it didn't even need to be good, just something with a melody I could focus on instead of whatever was going on behind me.

I took my head out of my hands and took in my workstation. I couldn't play music out loud, even at a quiet volume that would be rude and distracting to the people working next to me.

The person working next to me…

I turned my head, tucking a stray blue bang that had escaped my headband back behind my ear. I took in Gajeel. He looked too big for the desk, his large body hunched down over his laptop, a bandana keeping his mane of raven hair out of his face. His teeth tugging at the piercing in his lip as he focused on whatever he was working on, and there in his ear, almost camouflaging with all the other piercings he had there, was an air pod.

I bit my lip observing him, weighing my options. I wasn't super picky about music, but I also wasn't sure if I could handle heavy metal or screaming children or whatever alt silent bad boys listened to. What did he listen to? Maybe it would be worth asking just to know more about him. There really wasn't anyone else like him at Fairy Tail.

His red eyes turned and met mine. Oh god, I'd been staring. He caught me staring. What do I do?!

A particularly loud thump in the bookshelf behind me made me jump, and I heard Gajeel let out a little chuckle. I couldn't see him since I had instinctively turned towards the sound – it looked like Erza had just slammed a book down – but I could tell he was laughing at me and how jumpy I was.

Well, since I have his attention…

"Excuse me?" I squeaked, wincing at how high my voice jumped. My voice was high enough when I managed to speak normally, but when I got nervous it was worse than the most annoying cartoon character.

Gajeel arched a notched eyebrow at me, red eyes taking me in.

I gave him a small smile, forcing myself to relax. He was a fellow classmate after all, worst case scenario he said no, or passed the air pod and I would suffer through whatever demon shrieking he listened to. Either way, it would be fine.

"My earbuds are broken," I said showing him the useless wired accessory dangling in my hand. "Do you mind if I share yours?"

He continued to look at me silently. I was prepared to be rejected, not his silence. Maybe he wanted more of an explanation? I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks at his stare.

"I'm just having trouble focusing with all the bookshelf noise and usually music helps and um" Oh god was I rambling, did he think I was ridiculous? I finished off with a little sigh and turned my eyes back to my laptop. It was whatever, I was fine, that wasn't embarrassing –

I jumped as a large hand appeared on my side of the cubby separating our desks. I heard him snort as the hand disappeared and there on my desk was a single air pod.

I looked over at him, watching him bite his lip as he fought a smile.

"Thank you," I squeaked as I put the air pod in. I turned quickly, I didn't need to watch him laugh at me.

It seemed like whatever song he had just been listening to was finishing so I focused on getting back to my essay as I waited for the next song to load.

Slowly, a smooth trumpet melody floated in through my left ear. A piano rose to join it plunking out a complex counter melody, conversing with the trumpet until eventually a crooning voice joined in adding words to the song.

Jazz. He was listening to jazz.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye, he was focusing back on his work. His ripped sleeves showing off his tattooed arms. He looked so grumpy and anti-social, all tattooed and pierced, and he listened to jazz.

It took me by surprise, to be honest. I hadn't been expecting jazz. Not that I minded, it was actually really good. Plus, it was distracting me from all the shuffling noises behind me. It was exactly what I needed to focus. I smiled, and dove into my work.

Before I knew it, I was done the first draft of my essay, the playlist of jazz and blues songs wonderfully curated. I couldn't help but wonder if it was a Spotify playlist or a selection he'd put together himself. Alas, it was time to return his air pod and get packed up.

I put my laptop and notebooks away and sorted my book pile into books I would check out versus ones I would return to the stacks. Then I stood up, stepping back from the desk.

Gajeel seemed like he was still focusing, his large frame still hunched over the small desk. I tapped his shoulder, it really was huge compared to my hand – or maybe my hands were really tiny.

He turned to look at me, his black eyebrows raised. I held out the air pod in my tiny hand.

"Thanks again!" I said, glad I wasn't squeaking anymore, just my regular voice feeling more comfortable with him. "You have really great taste in music."

"Why do ya sound so surprised?" he grumbled. His voice deep and rumbly and I was squeaking again.

"Surprised? Why would I be surprised? It's a compliment – " Oh god, so squeaky. Why was I like this?

Gajeel barked a laugh, quickly throwing a hand over his mouth to stifle it but I could see his shoulders still shaking in laughter. He grinned at me, his pronounced canines flashing at me.

"Easy, shrimp. I'm glad you liked it."

I just nodded; I couldn't trust myself not to squeak. Not to mention, I could feel the blush on my face. God, he must think I'm ridiculous.

"You know, if you liked that you should come hear me play sometime," he said leaning back against the desk walls.

He played? So many surprises today. I was tempted, I found myself wanting to know more about this large mystery, I wanted to keep watching him lean on furniture. Why was that so attractive?

Gajeel chuckled, grabbing something from behind him and then grabbing my wrist.

My heart stuttered and my brain froze. The blood rushing to my face was so loud I could barely hear him, if he was even saying anything, his head was bent down over my arm, his raven hair choppily cascading over his shoulder.

He straightened up and smirked at me, his red eyes dancing with mirth.

"See you around, shrimp" Gajeel rumbled, and I just nodded squeaking out a thanks before scurrying off to the checkout desk.

It wasn't until I was handing over the library books and saw the scribbles on my forearm that it clicked in. Gajeel had written a time and place, probably where he was playing next.

I held my arm close to my chest. More surprises await, I thought picturing a chuckling muscled young man.

I was excited to find out.