Magnetism, chapter 2
Title: Magnetism
Chapter: 2
Pairing: Gajeel/Levy
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima's characters and setting, my story.
It was one of the funniest sights the Iron Dragon Slayer had ever seen. Levy McGarden was a tiny slip of a girl, her head barely reaching his shoulder. Both of her teammates towered over her as well but that didn't stop her from being a boss of their little team. And as a boss, her orders were absolute.
"I will be all right," she repeated for what must have been the tenth time that evening. She was standing in the door of her hotel room, refusing the entry to Jet and Droy. "I don't understand why you are so mistrustful of him. If he wanted to hurt me, he could have done so back in the clearing."
"But Levy, you don't understand," Droy tried to explain.
"Then enlighten me, because I really don't get why the both of you are so fussy."
They probably didn't mean for Gajeel to hear all of this, since they were speaking in hushed voices. They apparently forgot about his superhuman senses. Gajeel himself was lounging on the bed, pretending to be interested in the balcony door so that his grin wouldn't be visible. He was curious as to how the two jealous mages would explain the situation to their teammate without telling the true reason for their apprehension.
"It's not proper," Jet tried. "A girl cannot sleep in a room with a guy when they are not married. It's just not done."
"Honestly," Levy huffed. "Is that all? It would be the same situation, no matter how much we changed the rooms around so that point is moot."
"But propriety-"
"There are two beds. It's proper enough."
Gajeel couldn't resist. He knew that a physical fighting with the other guild members wouldn't help his standing any and Master himself had told him to behave but there had never been anything said about verbal taunting. And the opening was just too good to miss. He rolled over to watch the drama at the door unfold and to stoke up the flames a bit.
"They are afraid I'll try to take an advantage of you, my dear little bookworm," Gajeel explained in a patronizing tone. "I'm a big, bad Dragon Slayer who eats little girls like you for breakfast. Of course they can't leave you alone with me."
Levy's gaze softened a little. It was sweet of Jet and Droy to look out for her but she wanted her hot shower and she wasn't about to get it with the two of them still standing there.
"Guys, I will be fine."
"But-" Jet tried to protest but Droy stopped him.
"Let's listen to her for now. But if he tries anything," he glared at Gajeel who returned it without a flinch, "scream. We'll hear you and come to help."
"You wouldn't make it in time," Gajeel called out tauntingly.
"Gajeel!" Levy turned and frowned at him. "You aren't helping the situation at all."
"What?" Gajeel protested, trying and failing to look innocent. "All I'm saying is that if I really wanted to do something to you, they wouldn't be able to do jackshit about it. It's a fact, not threat."
"That's enough, all three of you," Levy's voice cracked out like a whip when her two friends tried to move into the room. "You're like a bunch of kids. Jet, Droy, you go to your own room. Gajeel, you stop provoking them. Are we clear?"
Two sullen nods from Jet and Droy and one hand-wave by Gajeel pacified her a bit.
"Good. We're getting up at sunrise, so go to sleep early, okay? Goodnight."
Levy finally pushed the door closed and leaned against it, letting out a big sigh.
"Whipped," came a snicker from her temporary roommate. Levy's head snapped up and she stalked over to the Dragon Slayer's bed, trying for intimidation.
"I'm tired, Gajeel and all I want is a hot shower and a full night's sleep. Don't get on my nerves or else."
He let her glare at him for a second before he chuckled and stood up, easily towering over her.
"Or else what? Face it, you suck at threatening people."
"And you excel at it?" she returned easily.
"Yup," he nodded proudly and then turned her around by her shoulders, pushing her towards the bathroom door. "But I'm not an idiot. Go take your bath or shower or whatever so you can stop being so irritated. Besides, you smell," he added with a smirk.
"I don't smell!" Levy protested, blushing hard. Gajeel tapped one side of his nose.
"You can't fool this nose."
"You-" the solid-script using mage was rendered speechless. "That's so rude of you."
The Iron Dragon Slayer shrugged.
"What did you expect? A compliment? At least I'm honest."
Muttering low under her breath, Levy went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and locking it. Gajeel stared after her for a moment, tapping his nose again.
"Interesting," he murmured. She hadn't smelled of fear, not once. Irritation, sure. But not fear. Not even after he had deliberately entered her personal space did she show fear of him. It was a marked change from just a few weeks ago.
Back then, Levy had cowered behind the corners, watching him fearfully, her whole being speaking of how scared she had been of him. No wonder, after what he had done to her team to declare the war between Phantom and Fairy Tail. And then, in a space of only a few days, everything had changed. It had started when he had protected her from what would have been a fatal hit to her. Later on, during the fighting madness that Luxus had instigated, they had spoken together briefly while she had been working and the fear had been almost gone by then. That was when he had found himself watching her, trying to work out why it had been so.
She was no longer afraid of him. Either she was the most naive and trusting person he had ever met or she had a spine of pure steel. Because to be able to overcome an almost primal fear that he had instilled in her before, she had to have a lot of an inner strength. Gratefulness and reasoning took one only so far when it came to overcoming the instincts one possessed.
"There's a lot more to you than one would guess at the first glance, huh?" Gajeel said to himself, watching the bathroom door. But a soft noise, just at the edge of his hearing, seized his attention immediately.
It was coming from the outside, as if someone was trying to approach stealthily to the balcony door. And it would have worked on anyone else. But the Iron Dragon Slayer's senses were superior to any ordinary human's. So, someone wanted to take him by surprise? Fine by him.
Gajeel transformed his right arm and stalked over to the balcony door, getting ready to blow it open and his would-be-attacker along with it when-
"Levy's going to be angry if she finds out we spied on her."
"Do you really want to leave her alone in a room with him?"
"No, I don't. I just hope she doesn't find out."
"We have to protect her. We have failed her three times by now. We can't let anything happen to her."
"You're right."
Gajeel almost groaned out loud. They just didn't know when to quit, did they? He was very close to simply opening the door and tossing both of those morons over the railing when a far better idea presented itself to him and Gajeel grinned. They would get what they deserved, all right.
Levy rubbed her shampooed hair with a bit more vigour than was necessary. So, she smelled, huh? She was being irritated, huh? Well, let's see how the high and mighty Iron Dragon Slayer would deal with being captured and almost sacrificed and on top of that having to play a referee for a bunch of guys who should have known better by then, all in a space of a single day. She would bet anything he would be far worse off than her.
She rinsed her hair off, staying for a few moments longer in the steaming water, letting it pelt her skin and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. She was being tired, that was all. And Gajeel seemed to excel at getting under her skin without even trying. It wasn't as if he was annoying her on purpose. And he really seemed to try to get along with the others. If he lacked in the tact department, well, that was an unfortunate occurence but hardly something to hold a grudge over.
Levy shut the water off, reaching blindly for the towels and wrapping them around herself. Now, that she had calmed down, she was ready to face the world again. Getting dressed in her pajamas and drying her hair off as much as she could took her only about five minutes and she opened the bathroom door, walked out and stopped almost immediately.
She was barely aware of the door closing behind her because she was far more focused on the sight in front of her. Two inches in front of her to be precise because Gajeel seemed to stand right in front of the bathroom door and she came face-to-face with him. Or more precisely, face-to-chest with him, due to her short stature.
His chest was very muscular, she noticed. It was muscular and she could tell because it was also very much bare. It was a bare, muscular chest. Gajeel's chest. Gajeel's bare, muscular chest. And she had been staring at it like a brain-dead girl for at least ten seconds.
Levy quickly snapped her eyes up to focus on the Iron Dragon Slayer's face. He was smirking down at her and she felt herself blush furiously. Her blush intensified even more when he started to lean down to her.
She wasn't aware that she was backing away from him until her back hit the bathroom door. With nowhere to go, she pressed herself against it. Gajeel put both of his hands on the door next to her head, neatly boxing her in a small space that seemed to be defined by the door on one side and his body on all of the other sides.
As his face came ever closer to hers, Levy tried to figure out what was going on. Was he going to kiss her? Should she scream for help? Or should she let him? What if she liked it? What if she didn't? What-
Gajeel brought his mouth next to her right ear and started speaking in a low voice.
"Any moment now, those two idiotic friends of yours are going to burst in, demanding that I let you go," he breathed into her ear and she shivered. "Three, two, one..."
"Let her go, you bastard!"
The balcony door was flung open and Jet and Droy burst into the room, pumped up and ready to rescue Levy from the evil clutches of Gajeel Redfox. The man in question straightened up and grinned victoriously.
"See? I told you."
With that he gently pushed her to the side and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Their momentum broken, Jet and Droy paused uncertainly in the midle of the room.
"Levy?" Jet asked.
Levy had her head hung down, her damp hair covering her face. And then she looked up at them and they both took a step back.
"You were spying on me?"
"We can explain," Droy tried.
"Then do it."
"We were worried that he would try to pull off something like that scene we broke up. You're not safe with him. He will try to-"
"He will try nothing," Levy cut them off, the full understanding of the situation dawning on her. "That scene you broke up was staged by him for your benefit. Do you know what he told me while he was leaning over me? Do you?"
They both shook their heads no.
"He said, and I quote: Any moment now, those two idiotic friends of yours are going to burst in, demanding that I let you go. Three, two, one. And you did."
Jet and Droy looked at each other and winced.
"He must have heard us on the balcony. But how? We were very careful."
"He's a Dragon Slayer, guys," Levy told them exasparatedly. "His senses are several times better than ours. Sight, smell," she grimaced at that, "hearing. All of them."
"That's right!" hollered a voice from the bathroom, followed by a loud snicker.
"See?" Levy gestured wildly. "He's enjoying taunting you and you are gullible enough to fall into his trap. And I'm caught in the middle for some reason. I don't care what issues you have with him. Put them aside for tonight. Please. For me."
She was being unfair, using one of the most successful and powerful weapons in her female arsenal but she was getting desperate for some rest. She opened her eyes wide in a pleading look that would make a newborn puppy envious. Jet and Droy never stood a chance, their resistance crumbling into nothing under the power of her eyes.
"Okay. No more bothering you tonight, we promise."
"Thanks guys," Levy beamed at them, her task accomplished. She watched as they leaved through the balcony (they had locked their room from the inside and hadn't taken a key with them) and then gave into an urge to jump into the bed, burying her head into the pillow and letting out a frustrated scream.
She needed Lucy. Or Mirajane. She needed to talk to another girl about what had just happened and her own confusing reaction to it. She had really thought Gajeel was going to... She blushed again just at the thought. What the heck was wrong with her? This was Gajeel. A fellow mage and reluctant comrade, not really even a friend. Just several weeks ago she had been scared to death of him. Sure, she had accepted him since then and trusted him as any other guild member but to consider him in a romantic light all of a sudden? It didn't make any sense.
Rolling on her back, she hugged the pillow to herself and stared at the ceiling.
"I must be going insane," she decided.
"Oh, really? Then I'd better sleep with one eye open, in case you snap and want to kill me."
Levy sat up quickly, being caught off guard again. She looked towards the bathroom door and immediately glanced away, to avoid either blushing or laughing at the sight. Gajeel was standing shirtless in the doorway, rubbing his long black hair with a white fluffy towel. The sight of the towel was what threatened to send Levy into a hysterical laughing fit. It was just so incongruous with the tough image that Gajeel usually projected.
"I think you're safe for tonight," she replied to his previous statement. "I'm just tired and your little stunt didn't help the matters any."
"Sorry for that," he said and tossed the towel back into the bathroom. "But I got tired of them sniffing around. And since I can't beat them up," he shrugged in a what-was-I-supposed-to-do way.
"Why not?" she asked curiously. She knew that several weeks ago, he hadn't fought back because he had wanted to prove he was their nakama. But his involvement in the fight against Luxus had persuaded most of the guild members that he could be trusted. And friendly fighting was an usual occurence in Fairy Tail. And truth be told, she wouldn't blame him for knocking Jet and Droy around a bit, not after the way they had treated him.
"I promised the old geezer. No fighting with the weak shits."
"They are not weak," Levy defended her team.
"Compared to me, they are," was Gajeel's smug but truthful reply. Levy pouted.
"Do you always have to be such a..." she trailed off trying to think of a word that would fit him but wouldn't offend him.
"Bastard? Asshole?" he offered easily. "Sure. It keeps the annoying people away."
"You are impossible," Levy stated.
"That's me, all right," Gajeel nodded and sat down on his bed. She could see him glance in the direction of the balcony and hurried to assure him.
"They won't be back again."
"How did you do it?" he asked curiously. "I heard all of what you said but it was no different than before."
It was Levy's turn to be smug.
"It's not what I said but what I did."
"So what did you do?"
"I used my eyes."
"Your... eyes?" the Iron Dragon Slayer repeated unbelievingly. "You have some eye magic?"
"No. It's a female thing. Let me show you."
Turning on the bed so she faced him, she once again pulled the pleading, big-eyed look, curious how well it would work on him. He stared at her, his own eyes getting bigger as she intensified the puppy look and Gajeel finally broke down.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "What the hell is that look?"
"It's good, huh?" Levy asked mischievously. "Just try to say no to those eyes. You would feel bad for weeks afterwards."
Did he know it! She had pulled the less intense one on him during the fighting festival when she had asked him to stop Luxus but it didn't even start to compare to this version of it. The girl was dangerous!
"How did you learn it?"
"It comes naturally to the girls. The cuter you are, the more effective it is," Levy explained. "And I have been described as very cute enough times to know it works for me. The pleading look is a girl's best friend," she added, feeling very satisfied with herself. So, even the Dragon Slayer himself wasn't immune to the look. Good to know. Next time he started annoying her, she would know how to deal with him.
"Just don't pull it on me, okay?" he asked.
"As long as you behave," she promised. Gajeel frowned.
"That's blackmail."
"Would you like to see the version with clasped hands and sparkly eyes?" she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Fine, fine. You win," he agreed reluctantly. Levy smiled triumphantly.
"Good. And noooooow," she yawned and grinned sheepishly, "I think I'm going to go to sleep. It has been a long day."
She pulled away the covers and burrowed under them until only her head was visible.
"Goodnight, Gajeel," she called out.
"'Night, Levy," he replied and he watched her as she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out until she was asleep. In less than two minutes. Gajeel shook his head in puzzlement. She must have been really tired to go out like that. But still... The speed with which she had gone to sleep and the unspoken but obvious trust in him it had implied... Levy McGarden was a mystery. And Gajeel Redfox was determined to find out more.
He reached out and switched off the light. In the semi-darkness of the room, he laid down on his side, facing the other bed and its occupant. And as he closed his eyes, her face was the last thing he had seen before falling asleep as well.
Chapter: 2
Pairing: Gajeel/Levy
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima's characters and setting, my story.
It was one of the funniest sights the Iron Dragon Slayer had ever seen. Levy McGarden was a tiny slip of a girl, her head barely reaching his shoulder. Both of her teammates towered over her as well but that didn't stop her from being a boss of their little team. And as a boss, her orders were absolute.
"I will be all right," she repeated for what must have been the tenth time that evening. She was standing in the door of her hotel room, refusing the entry to Jet and Droy. "I don't understand why you are so mistrustful of him. If he wanted to hurt me, he could have done so back in the clearing."
"But Levy, you don't understand," Droy tried to explain.
"Then enlighten me, because I really don't get why the both of you are so fussy."
They probably didn't mean for Gajeel to hear all of this, since they were speaking in hushed voices. They apparently forgot about his superhuman senses. Gajeel himself was lounging on the bed, pretending to be interested in the balcony door so that his grin wouldn't be visible. He was curious as to how the two jealous mages would explain the situation to their teammate without telling the true reason for their apprehension.
"It's not proper," Jet tried. "A girl cannot sleep in a room with a guy when they are not married. It's just not done."
"Honestly," Levy huffed. "Is that all? It would be the same situation, no matter how much we changed the rooms around so that point is moot."
"But propriety-"
"There are two beds. It's proper enough."
Gajeel couldn't resist. He knew that a physical fighting with the other guild members wouldn't help his standing any and Master himself had told him to behave but there had never been anything said about verbal taunting. And the opening was just too good to miss. He rolled over to watch the drama at the door unfold and to stoke up the flames a bit.
"They are afraid I'll try to take an advantage of you, my dear little bookworm," Gajeel explained in a patronizing tone. "I'm a big, bad Dragon Slayer who eats little girls like you for breakfast. Of course they can't leave you alone with me."
Levy's gaze softened a little. It was sweet of Jet and Droy to look out for her but she wanted her hot shower and she wasn't about to get it with the two of them still standing there.
"Guys, I will be fine."
"But-" Jet tried to protest but Droy stopped him.
"Let's listen to her for now. But if he tries anything," he glared at Gajeel who returned it without a flinch, "scream. We'll hear you and come to help."
"You wouldn't make it in time," Gajeel called out tauntingly.
"Gajeel!" Levy turned and frowned at him. "You aren't helping the situation at all."
"What?" Gajeel protested, trying and failing to look innocent. "All I'm saying is that if I really wanted to do something to you, they wouldn't be able to do jackshit about it. It's a fact, not threat."
"That's enough, all three of you," Levy's voice cracked out like a whip when her two friends tried to move into the room. "You're like a bunch of kids. Jet, Droy, you go to your own room. Gajeel, you stop provoking them. Are we clear?"
Two sullen nods from Jet and Droy and one hand-wave by Gajeel pacified her a bit.
"Good. We're getting up at sunrise, so go to sleep early, okay? Goodnight."
Levy finally pushed the door closed and leaned against it, letting out a big sigh.
"Whipped," came a snicker from her temporary roommate. Levy's head snapped up and she stalked over to the Dragon Slayer's bed, trying for intimidation.
"I'm tired, Gajeel and all I want is a hot shower and a full night's sleep. Don't get on my nerves or else."
He let her glare at him for a second before he chuckled and stood up, easily towering over her.
"Or else what? Face it, you suck at threatening people."
"And you excel at it?" she returned easily.
"Yup," he nodded proudly and then turned her around by her shoulders, pushing her towards the bathroom door. "But I'm not an idiot. Go take your bath or shower or whatever so you can stop being so irritated. Besides, you smell," he added with a smirk.
"I don't smell!" Levy protested, blushing hard. Gajeel tapped one side of his nose.
"You can't fool this nose."
"You-" the solid-script using mage was rendered speechless. "That's so rude of you."
The Iron Dragon Slayer shrugged.
"What did you expect? A compliment? At least I'm honest."
Muttering low under her breath, Levy went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and locking it. Gajeel stared after her for a moment, tapping his nose again.
"Interesting," he murmured. She hadn't smelled of fear, not once. Irritation, sure. But not fear. Not even after he had deliberately entered her personal space did she show fear of him. It was a marked change from just a few weeks ago.
Back then, Levy had cowered behind the corners, watching him fearfully, her whole being speaking of how scared she had been of him. No wonder, after what he had done to her team to declare the war between Phantom and Fairy Tail. And then, in a space of only a few days, everything had changed. It had started when he had protected her from what would have been a fatal hit to her. Later on, during the fighting madness that Luxus had instigated, they had spoken together briefly while she had been working and the fear had been almost gone by then. That was when he had found himself watching her, trying to work out why it had been so.
She was no longer afraid of him. Either she was the most naive and trusting person he had ever met or she had a spine of pure steel. Because to be able to overcome an almost primal fear that he had instilled in her before, she had to have a lot of an inner strength. Gratefulness and reasoning took one only so far when it came to overcoming the instincts one possessed.
"There's a lot more to you than one would guess at the first glance, huh?" Gajeel said to himself, watching the bathroom door. But a soft noise, just at the edge of his hearing, seized his attention immediately.
It was coming from the outside, as if someone was trying to approach stealthily to the balcony door. And it would have worked on anyone else. But the Iron Dragon Slayer's senses were superior to any ordinary human's. So, someone wanted to take him by surprise? Fine by him.
Gajeel transformed his right arm and stalked over to the balcony door, getting ready to blow it open and his would-be-attacker along with it when-
"Levy's going to be angry if she finds out we spied on her."
"Do you really want to leave her alone in a room with him?"
"No, I don't. I just hope she doesn't find out."
"We have to protect her. We have failed her three times by now. We can't let anything happen to her."
"You're right."
Gajeel almost groaned out loud. They just didn't know when to quit, did they? He was very close to simply opening the door and tossing both of those morons over the railing when a far better idea presented itself to him and Gajeel grinned. They would get what they deserved, all right.
Levy rubbed her shampooed hair with a bit more vigour than was necessary. So, she smelled, huh? She was being irritated, huh? Well, let's see how the high and mighty Iron Dragon Slayer would deal with being captured and almost sacrificed and on top of that having to play a referee for a bunch of guys who should have known better by then, all in a space of a single day. She would bet anything he would be far worse off than her.
She rinsed her hair off, staying for a few moments longer in the steaming water, letting it pelt her skin and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. She was being tired, that was all. And Gajeel seemed to excel at getting under her skin without even trying. It wasn't as if he was annoying her on purpose. And he really seemed to try to get along with the others. If he lacked in the tact department, well, that was an unfortunate occurence but hardly something to hold a grudge over.
Levy shut the water off, reaching blindly for the towels and wrapping them around herself. Now, that she had calmed down, she was ready to face the world again. Getting dressed in her pajamas and drying her hair off as much as she could took her only about five minutes and she opened the bathroom door, walked out and stopped almost immediately.
She was barely aware of the door closing behind her because she was far more focused on the sight in front of her. Two inches in front of her to be precise because Gajeel seemed to stand right in front of the bathroom door and she came face-to-face with him. Or more precisely, face-to-chest with him, due to her short stature.
His chest was very muscular, she noticed. It was muscular and she could tell because it was also very much bare. It was a bare, muscular chest. Gajeel's chest. Gajeel's bare, muscular chest. And she had been staring at it like a brain-dead girl for at least ten seconds.
Levy quickly snapped her eyes up to focus on the Iron Dragon Slayer's face. He was smirking down at her and she felt herself blush furiously. Her blush intensified even more when he started to lean down to her.
She wasn't aware that she was backing away from him until her back hit the bathroom door. With nowhere to go, she pressed herself against it. Gajeel put both of his hands on the door next to her head, neatly boxing her in a small space that seemed to be defined by the door on one side and his body on all of the other sides.
As his face came ever closer to hers, Levy tried to figure out what was going on. Was he going to kiss her? Should she scream for help? Or should she let him? What if she liked it? What if she didn't? What-
Gajeel brought his mouth next to her right ear and started speaking in a low voice.
"Any moment now, those two idiotic friends of yours are going to burst in, demanding that I let you go," he breathed into her ear and she shivered. "Three, two, one..."
"Let her go, you bastard!"
The balcony door was flung open and Jet and Droy burst into the room, pumped up and ready to rescue Levy from the evil clutches of Gajeel Redfox. The man in question straightened up and grinned victoriously.
"See? I told you."
With that he gently pushed her to the side and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Their momentum broken, Jet and Droy paused uncertainly in the midle of the room.
"Levy?" Jet asked.
Levy had her head hung down, her damp hair covering her face. And then she looked up at them and they both took a step back.
"You were spying on me?"
"We can explain," Droy tried.
"Then do it."
"We were worried that he would try to pull off something like that scene we broke up. You're not safe with him. He will try to-"
"He will try nothing," Levy cut them off, the full understanding of the situation dawning on her. "That scene you broke up was staged by him for your benefit. Do you know what he told me while he was leaning over me? Do you?"
They both shook their heads no.
"He said, and I quote: Any moment now, those two idiotic friends of yours are going to burst in, demanding that I let you go. Three, two, one. And you did."
Jet and Droy looked at each other and winced.
"He must have heard us on the balcony. But how? We were very careful."
"He's a Dragon Slayer, guys," Levy told them exasparatedly. "His senses are several times better than ours. Sight, smell," she grimaced at that, "hearing. All of them."
"That's right!" hollered a voice from the bathroom, followed by a loud snicker.
"See?" Levy gestured wildly. "He's enjoying taunting you and you are gullible enough to fall into his trap. And I'm caught in the middle for some reason. I don't care what issues you have with him. Put them aside for tonight. Please. For me."
She was being unfair, using one of the most successful and powerful weapons in her female arsenal but she was getting desperate for some rest. She opened her eyes wide in a pleading look that would make a newborn puppy envious. Jet and Droy never stood a chance, their resistance crumbling into nothing under the power of her eyes.
"Okay. No more bothering you tonight, we promise."
"Thanks guys," Levy beamed at them, her task accomplished. She watched as they leaved through the balcony (they had locked their room from the inside and hadn't taken a key with them) and then gave into an urge to jump into the bed, burying her head into the pillow and letting out a frustrated scream.
She needed Lucy. Or Mirajane. She needed to talk to another girl about what had just happened and her own confusing reaction to it. She had really thought Gajeel was going to... She blushed again just at the thought. What the heck was wrong with her? This was Gajeel. A fellow mage and reluctant comrade, not really even a friend. Just several weeks ago she had been scared to death of him. Sure, she had accepted him since then and trusted him as any other guild member but to consider him in a romantic light all of a sudden? It didn't make any sense.
Rolling on her back, she hugged the pillow to herself and stared at the ceiling.
"I must be going insane," she decided.
"Oh, really? Then I'd better sleep with one eye open, in case you snap and want to kill me."
Levy sat up quickly, being caught off guard again. She looked towards the bathroom door and immediately glanced away, to avoid either blushing or laughing at the sight. Gajeel was standing shirtless in the doorway, rubbing his long black hair with a white fluffy towel. The sight of the towel was what threatened to send Levy into a hysterical laughing fit. It was just so incongruous with the tough image that Gajeel usually projected.
"I think you're safe for tonight," she replied to his previous statement. "I'm just tired and your little stunt didn't help the matters any."
"Sorry for that," he said and tossed the towel back into the bathroom. "But I got tired of them sniffing around. And since I can't beat them up," he shrugged in a what-was-I-supposed-to-do way.
"Why not?" she asked curiously. She knew that several weeks ago, he hadn't fought back because he had wanted to prove he was their nakama. But his involvement in the fight against Luxus had persuaded most of the guild members that he could be trusted. And friendly fighting was an usual occurence in Fairy Tail. And truth be told, she wouldn't blame him for knocking Jet and Droy around a bit, not after the way they had treated him.
"I promised the old geezer. No fighting with the weak shits."
"They are not weak," Levy defended her team.
"Compared to me, they are," was Gajeel's smug but truthful reply. Levy pouted.
"Do you always have to be such a..." she trailed off trying to think of a word that would fit him but wouldn't offend him.
"Bastard? Asshole?" he offered easily. "Sure. It keeps the annoying people away."
"You are impossible," Levy stated.
"That's me, all right," Gajeel nodded and sat down on his bed. She could see him glance in the direction of the balcony and hurried to assure him.
"They won't be back again."
"How did you do it?" he asked curiously. "I heard all of what you said but it was no different than before."
It was Levy's turn to be smug.
"It's not what I said but what I did."
"So what did you do?"
"I used my eyes."
"Your... eyes?" the Iron Dragon Slayer repeated unbelievingly. "You have some eye magic?"
"No. It's a female thing. Let me show you."
Turning on the bed so she faced him, she once again pulled the pleading, big-eyed look, curious how well it would work on him. He stared at her, his own eyes getting bigger as she intensified the puppy look and Gajeel finally broke down.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed. "What the hell is that look?"
"It's good, huh?" Levy asked mischievously. "Just try to say no to those eyes. You would feel bad for weeks afterwards."
Did he know it! She had pulled the less intense one on him during the fighting festival when she had asked him to stop Luxus but it didn't even start to compare to this version of it. The girl was dangerous!
"How did you learn it?"
"It comes naturally to the girls. The cuter you are, the more effective it is," Levy explained. "And I have been described as very cute enough times to know it works for me. The pleading look is a girl's best friend," she added, feeling very satisfied with herself. So, even the Dragon Slayer himself wasn't immune to the look. Good to know. Next time he started annoying her, she would know how to deal with him.
"Just don't pull it on me, okay?" he asked.
"As long as you behave," she promised. Gajeel frowned.
"That's blackmail."
"Would you like to see the version with clasped hands and sparkly eyes?" she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Fine, fine. You win," he agreed reluctantly. Levy smiled triumphantly.
"Good. And noooooow," she yawned and grinned sheepishly, "I think I'm going to go to sleep. It has been a long day."
She pulled away the covers and burrowed under them until only her head was visible.
"Goodnight, Gajeel," she called out.
"'Night, Levy," he replied and he watched her as she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out until she was asleep. In less than two minutes. Gajeel shook his head in puzzlement. She must have been really tired to go out like that. But still... The speed with which she had gone to sleep and the unspoken but obvious trust in him it had implied... Levy McGarden was a mystery. And Gajeel Redfox was determined to find out more.
He reached out and switched off the light. In the semi-darkness of the room, he laid down on his side, facing the other bed and its occupant. And as he closed his eyes, her face was the last thing he had seen before falling asleep as well.