Together on a mission ch 2

CHAPTER 2:

The next days were awkward, Gajeel avoiding Levy as much as possible. One minute, the Dragon Slayer was sitting at his usual table with his normal glare in place, the next minute (just when Levy entered the guild) he made himself scarce. Even Lily, who was constantly with him, found it a bit strange Gajeel would walk away without even letting him know. One time, Levy was lucky enough to catch his eye and waved at him, but he merely got up from the table and walked out without another glance. This made Levy terribly sad, and Lily noticed.

“Levy-chan, cheer up. He’s gonna come around.” Lily flew to the bluenette, trying to comfort her.

“What’s his problem, anyway? Why is he mad at me? I should be mad at him!” Levy glared at her drink.

“He doesn’t wanna talk about it. But I do have a feeling it has something to do with…”

“DON’T. Remind me…” Levy’s cheeks blew a hot shade of red, remembering how Gajeel kissed her a couple of days before.

“Okay, okay, I’ll have a chat with him, now turn off the blush attack.” Lily smiled, seeing Levy panic, looking around for a certain white haired mage in love with romantic gossip. The Exceed flew away, leaving the Script mage with her thoughts. Thus another day passed.

The next day, Lily and Gajeel took their normal spot on the far side of the guild and ordered some drinks. After Mira brought them the filled glasses, Lily cleared his throat.

“So, when are you gonna talk to the girl?” Gajeel spurted his drink, coughing violently.

“THE HELL, CAT?” Gajeel glared menacingly at him, but it didn’t impress the Exceed.

“Your attitude is hurting her, Gajeel. You two need to talk.” The Dragon Slayer looked surprised at him.

“I’m giving her space.”

“You are ignoring her. That’s not space, that’s rude. And it’s hurting her.” Gajeel snickered his indignation.

“She’s the one who’s doing the ignoring!”

“Of course she is! She’s repaying you with the same attitude.” Lily crossed his arms, letting the Dragon understand what he said. “And for good reason, too! Jeez, Gajeel, I know you can be stubborn, but this is getting ridiculous!” The Exceed nodded disapprovingly.

“The fuck do you want from me?” Gajeel kept his glare in place. “It’s not like I can go up to her like nothing happened! How would this sound? Oh, hey, shrimp, you know, your ignoring really bothers me. Even though I kissed you without a word or an explanation, I still wanna be friends, how about it? Really, cat!”

“And what are you going to do? Avoid her for the rest of your life?”

“… You’re getting on my nerves…” Gajeel growled, clenching his fists.

“I’m only trying to help. You care for her, and she obviously (for some reason, anyway) cares about you, too. Where’s the harm in talking to her?”

“I’m not gonna even continue this. I’m off.” Gajeel stood abruptly, heading for the door of the pub, when Cana jumped on his arm with a drunk expression.

“Nee, Gajeel, have a drink with me.” Cana smiled widely.

“Get off, woman, I’m going home.”

“Oh, come on, mighty Kurogane, I won’t bite.”

“Didn’t you hear me the first time? Gajeel unwrapped her hands from his arm and proceeded for the door, when Cana’s voice stopped him.

“I didn’t know you could be so afraid of a drunk woman, Gajeel. Or should I say, pussy?” Cana smiled smugly when the Dragon turned with bloodshed eyes.

“Oh, now you’re on.” Gajeel stomped his way to Cana’s table, starting a drinking game with her. A couple of hours later and Gajeel was lying on the table, groaning.

"You're a sore loser, Redfox." Cana had a bit of trouble speaking coherently, but she managed to laugh in his face, slamming her glass on the table after downing it. "Told you no one can beat be in a drinking game. Cheer up, silly man, you'll get other chances." She slapped him hard on the back when he finally managed to get back in a sitting position.

" 'M off..." Gajeel grunted and held onto the wooden table for support while he tried to get in a sitting position. "You're a fuckin' devil, you know tha'?" He tried to look at Cana, but his vision was very blurry.

"Sore loser." She laughed again, watching Gajeel stumble his way out the guild. He kept grunting and wobbling, feeling he was about to hurl. Just when he found a strong enough wall to lean on with his hand over his eyes, a bright voice brought him back to reality.

"Gajeel?" He turned with a dark look in his eyes to Levy, who didn't even flinch. "Are you OK?" Levy got closer to Gajeel to check on him, but he shied away from her hand.

"Fuckin' perfec'..." Gajeel tried to say the words without stumbling on his tongue.

"You're drunk."

"Thank you, Master Obvious..." Levy burst into laughter, earning a death glare.

"You challenged Cana again?"

"She fired me up... The wench..." Gajeel hid his face in the wall, feeling his insides twist.

"Come on, Mr. I-can-out-drink-Cana. I'll take you home." Levy wriggled herself under Gajeel's left arm and supported most of his weight as he wobbled unsteadily.

"Can take care o' m'self jus' fine..." Gajeel tried protesting, but he couldn't get his arm off the bluenette.

"No one said anything about you not being able to take care of yourself. You just don't know when to give up, stubborn Dragon..." Levy chuckled.

"I need Lily... Wher' th' fuck's he?" Gajeel lifted his head and looked around for his Exceed.

"He's with Happy and Charle, remember? They'll be gone for the week to visit their fellow Exceed."

"Oh, yeah..." Gajeel leaned on Levy hard. They walked like that for a while, Levy trying very hard to keep Gajeel steady and not drag her around as he wobbled down the empty street.

"I thought of a faster way to get you home." The bluenette smacked her palms together, rummaging for her magical pen. "Solid Script! Float!" A poufy, white word appeared in front of them, Gajeel eyeing it suspiciously. Levy pushed him unceremoniously on the floating word with a proud smile and walked beside it as Gajeel hovered easily above the ground. "How is it?" The short mage asked hopeful.

"I think I'm gonna hurl..." Gajeel lifted his head to let het see he wasn't feeling well and a second later he was lunging himself to a garbage can, where he puked violently. Levy came behind him with a concerned look, reaching for him, but he shot a hand out, stopping her.

"Yo' don' need ta see me li' this..." Gajeel hurled again, holding the garbage can like his life depended on it. Levy came quietly behind him and tucked his long, black hair from his face, rubbing his back. "I'm never drinkin' again..." Gajeel groaned, resting for a moment.

"This is what you get for being a stubborn, proud idiot." Gajeel shot a menacing look at her smiling form, but she wasn't impressed. Levy merely clasped her hands and summoned her magic, materializing a metal cup and some water, shoving it under the Dragon's nose. Gajeel looked disgusted at it for a full second, but she nudged it easily at him, smiling warmly. He yanked the cup out of her hand, sloshing some water on the ground, and downed it. Gajeel asked for a refill and she happily obliged, never realizing how thirsty he actually was. After he cleaned his mouth a bit, Gajeel placed his teeth on the cup and bit hard, Levy cringing from the sound of metal scrapping on teeth. Gajeel ate it quickly, licking his fingers.

"Thanks for the meal, shorty."

"I didn't think you'd eat the cup, as well, but you're welcome. Come on." Levy steadied him back on his feet and wobbled away to Gajeel's place, not saying a word. Once they got to his apartment, the Dragon Slayer shoved his hand in his pocket, rummaging for the key.

"Wher' th' fuck is tha' goddamn key?" Levy took his hand away from his pocket and placed her own inside, making Gajeel blush. "O... oi..." He felt her small hand brush on his hip as she searched for the metal object. Once she felt the pocket was empty, Levy shoved both of her hands inside the back pockets, making him flinch.

"Stop squirming, I can't search for the key!"

"Well, wha' would you do if I felt your ass, huh?" Levy looked puzzled at Gajeel and blushed a hot shade of red once she realized her hands were actually on his muscular buttocks. "If you wanna grope me, jus' say the word, shrimp." Levy pulled her hands away like they were burned, Gajeel smiling crookedly.

"Gimme." The bluenette turned to the door to hide her embarrassment, raising her palm and waiting for Gajeel to hand her the small, metal object. He held it in the air with a grin, letting her see it dangle easily from its chain. Levy snatched it quickly and opened the door, making their way through the living room.

"Where's the bathroom?" Levy looked around and turned on the lights, Gajeel raising his arm to protect his eyes. Once Gajeel pointed the way, Levy grabbed him by the arm and pulled him along, opened the shower door and pushed him inside.

“The hell, woman?” Gajeel grunted, not having enough strength to fight back. He didn’t even see what she was planning until cold-as-fuck water started pouring on him. “ARGH! THE FUCK ARE YOU DOIN’???” Gajeel tried to get up and turn off the water, but he was already drenched and half awake, part from taking all the undigested alcohol out of his system, part from the cold water that was pouring down on him.

“You reek of alcohol, for one. And two, it’ll help you.” Levy rummaged through a cabinet and prepared a clean towel for him.

“It’s fuckin’ cold!”

“It’s a wakeup call.”

“You’re right. My head is a bit clear now. Come ‘ere.” Gajeel smiled wickedly and grabbed an unsuspecting Levy by the arm, pulling her inside the shower.

“Ah! Gajeel! Let go!” Levy squirmed in his arms, trying to get out of the shower, but all was in vain.

‘Now you know how it feels to be thrown into the shower and attacked with cold water. How does it feel? Good?” Gajeel laughed, holding her tightly in his arms. He had to dodge a couple of times from her small fists.

“Damn it, Gajeel! How the heck am I supposed to go home like this?” She raised her arms to let him see her wet clothes. Gajeel got closer to Levy, shutting her up, and reached for the tap to turn on the hot water.

“There, much better. “I’ve always dreamed of taking a bath with you…” Gajeel smiled at her blushing form.

“You… You’re drunk! Let go! Baka!” Gajeel laughed, seeing Levy’s ears turn red. He finally released her, Levy taking advantage and getting out of the shower, contemplating her drenched clothes. “Oh, man… This is all your fault!” Levy turned with a scowl on her face, her wet clothes sticking on her body and revealing her laced bra and red panties. Gajeel got up and turned the water off, leaning on the door with a smile.

“Nice panties.” He crossed his arms, gloating her. Levy gasped and placed her hands on herself to cover whatever he saw, but his red eyes, filled with desire, told her he saw enough. She shoved a towel in his face, grabbed one for herself and slammed the door behind her.

“Jeez... He’s impossible!” She stomped her way to the next room, searching for his bedroom.

“Perfect!” Once she saw the clothes drawers, she yanked them open and looked for a t-shirt. Levy took her wet clothes off and sloshed them on the floor, wiping her body with the towel. Once she finished, Levy wrapped it around her hair and summoned a dummy to place the too-large shirt on it and adjust it a bit. She summoned a scissors and cut through the dark fabric, creating some knots to make the shirt look like an intricate dress. With a smile, the dummy and scissors poofed out and she was left with a lovely dress. Just as she was about to put it on, a gruffly voice surprised her in her underwear.

"Is it my birthday?” Gajeel was leaning with his arms crossed on the doorpost with a wide smile on his face.

“Ga… Gajeel!” Levy covered her front with his ex-shirt, not even realizing she was with her back to the huge mirror above the drawer.

“I see you like to put on a show for me.” Levy’s face was tomato red when she realized he was only wearing a towel and heading for her. She held her breath as Gajeel approached her and reached behind her. Levy followed his arm with her eyes and exhaled relieved once she saw his hand on the knob. “What’s wrong, shrimp? Embarrassed?” Gajeel pulled a pair of shorts and grinned at her while he yanked them on under his towel. “By the way, you do realize you were showing me your back side through this…” Gajeel pointed a finger at the mirror above his drawer. Levy bulged her eyes, opening and closing her mouth. He merely laughed. “Relax, shorty, I’m just messin’ with ya! Get dressed before you catch a cold or something.”

“T… Turn around!”

“I already saw everything, so what’s the point…”

“TURN AROUND!” Levy stomped her foot and glared menacingly, holding her new dress tightly at her chest.

“All right, all right… Shit, woman! There, happy now?” Gajeel turned with his back on her, feeling her glare at him. “By the way, that’s mine!”

“It was yours, but your little stunt in the shower drenched my clothes. I need something dry to wear until I get home.” Levy explained as she dressed herself, not realizing Gajeel was facing the mirror and watching her intently as she placed the intricate black dress and pulled her panties off. “Do you have a blow drier or something?” Gajeel was blushing furiously as she released her hair and placed the panties inside the towel, squeezing them as hard as she could.

“Uhm… no… Can I turn around now?” Gajeel looked over his shoulder and saw her nod.

“Well, I can’t go home like this…” Levy pouted, knowing she’d surely catch a cold if she walked around with no panties on and with her wet sandals. Gajeel rummaged through his drawer and shoved a smaller pair of shorts under her nose, looking away with the blush still in place.

“You can take these…”

“What? Are you nuts? I don’t know where you’ve been! I might get something…” Levy cringed away from his underwear like it would bite her.

“Hey!” Gajeel was outraged. “I’m trying to be nice! No one kicked you out, you know! You can stay until your clothes dry off! And, for the record, I ain’t been with no one before, so don’t insult me!” Levy cringed from his yelling, staring at him once the words settled in.

“Wait… You’ve never… had a girlfriend…?” Gajeel gasped, realizing what he just said.

“I… Uhm… Did I say that out loud? Fuck…” Levy burst into laughter, seeing the mighty Gajeel fidget, scratching his head uncomfortably. “Is it so funny I’ve never had a girl?” He turned with a scowl, but Levy kept laughing.

“No, silly, the way you act is funny. Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you.” Gajeel grunted and crossed his arms.

"Apology accepted…” Gajeel looked away, still blushing.

“So… I should… you know… get going…” Levy turned to leave, grabbing her clothes from the floor.

“I meant it when I said you could stay…” Gajeel didn’t look at her when he mumbled it loud enough for her to hear. “I’m in no condition to take you home and I don’t want you on the streets at this hour and dressed like that!” The raven haired man closed his mouth to prevent himself from saying anything more and headed for her. “Here, lemme help you with those…” He grabbed the bundle of wet clothes and went to the window, opened it and placed them neatly to dry. Levy was left speechless with her hands hanging in the air, watching Gajeel intently. “And you can keep the shirt” It looks better on you, anyway…” Levy’s face burst again, feeling the butterflies take flight in her stomach.

“Uhm… Thank you… And sorry for the intrusion…” The bluenette summoned a Solid Script blow drier and used it on her underwear to dry it off. Gajeel took a seat on the bed and looked at her intently. A couple of minutes later and Levy finished, going to the bathroom to put her bra and panties on. <If he thinks I’ll sleep in a man’s house with no undies on, he’s dead wrong.> She looked in the mirror one last time, tucked a couple of blue strands behind her ear and went back to Gajeel’s bedroom.

"Finally! What took you so long to put your panties on? Sheesh!” Gajeel got up from the bed and went to the blue haired girl, placed his arms around her waist, lifted her (making her yelp) and headed back to the bed.

"Gajeel! Wh… What are you doing?” Levy tried to get his arms off, pushing against them, but with no luck. She stiffened when she felt him cuddle her and nuzzle his nose in her hair.

“Sleeping, what does it look like?”

“Bu… But I thought… you’d sleep in the couch or something!”

“Eh…? Naw, it hurts my back. Besides, I can’t sleep without Lily, so you’ll have to do for tonight.” Gajeel inhaled deeply in her hair, raising goose bumps on Levy’s body. “I’m gonna have a killer head ache in the morning, I just know it… Fuck… I’m never drinkin’ again…” The Dragon Slayer pulled Levy closer, ruffling her hair with his face. Levy’s heart threatened to burst out of her chest as she relaxed, feeling his breath tickle her left shoulder.

"You do know I’m gonna blackmail you for the Lily stuff, right?” Levy smiled wickedly, feeling Gajeel stiffen next to her.

“You wouldn’t…”

“I wonder what Natsu would think about the mighty Iron Dragon Slayer cuddling to his cat…”

“You’d take advantage of my drunken confessions?” Gajeel relaxed and laughed in her shoulder.

“We’ll talk in the morning about your dark side.” Levy puffed her cheeks and punched his hand playfully, making him giggle. “And, for the record, I don’t  cuddle. I just like to have something in my arms when I sleep.”

“That’s called cuddling.”

“Shuddup, shorty, I’m trying to get some sleep.” He sat better, moving Levy like a doll as he pleased. “You smell nice…” He said suddenly, flipping her blue hair on his face. Levy’s voice was strangled, her pulse picking up again when Gajeel returned his hand on her waist, feeling her bare arm in the process.

“Gajeel… What are you doing…?” Levy shuddered from his touch, feeling his arm tighten around her.

“I was just wondering…” Gajeel said dreamily, keeping his eyes closed. “… why didn’t you kiss me back…” Butterflies flew inside her belly, remembering how Gajeel kissed her a couple of days earlier. "You don't have to answer that... There's still some booze in me... It's makin' my head all fuzzy and shit..."

"I don't know how..." Levy interrupted him, whispering softly.

"Eh?" Gajeel opened his eyes to look at the bluenette, not sure of what he heard.

"It's because I don't know how to kiss! There! I said it! Happy?" Levy glared somewhere on the wall, embarrassed from saying something like that out loud.

"That's it?" Gajeel snorted and lifted himself enough to rest his chin on his right arm. "And here I was kicking myself for makin' the first move on the chick that didn't want me."

"Baka Gajeel... You have no idea how long I've waited for that..." Levy gasped, realizing what she just blurted out.

"Gihi..." Levy turned with her flamed cheeks to look at Gajeel, who was watching her with melting eyes. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that..." Gajeel lifted his left hand and placed it on her cheek, pulling Levy closer. "That's nothing we can't fix, right?" Gajeel got closer to her, smiling. Levy was unable to speak, the stomach doing a double flip when his red eyes started closing and parted his lips just enough to lick them. Gajeel inhaled deeply once he was close enough, brushing his nose on Levy’s lips before placing his lips softly on hers. Gajeel moved his hand behind Levy’s head, making her close her eyes and part her lips just enough to grant him entrance. He didn’t think twice once opportunity showed itself, sliding the tip of his tongue between her lips enough to let him taste her.   Gajeel kept his mouth glued to Levy's as he moved over her, Levy feeling his hair brush over her face. He moved his hands on Levy's waist, tumbling her over him the next second. Gajeel held onto her, not wanting to let go. A long moment had passed before he finally decided to let her breathe again.

"See? Nothin' to it. You just have to do what I do." Gajeel grinned, seeing the surprised look on Levy's face. "How's that?"

"I'm not sure... I think I need some more practice..." Levy smiled provocatively, grabbing a handful of black hair and pulling him close for another lip lock. They tumbled through the bed, messing up the sheets and throwing the blanket on the floor. Once they finished, both Gajeel and Levy had a blush plastered on their faces, grinning widely. The Dragon Slayer sat on his back, placing his right arm under his head, grabbing Levy and placing her on his chest.

"I like being a teacher. I'm just sorry for the next poor idiot who will ever try to snatch these lips of yours."

"And why is that?" Levy felt a bit insulted by his remark, watching him with a scowl.

"You know... They'll have to answer to your boyfriend." Gajeel grinned and looked at her.

"Boyfriend?"

"You think I'd let anyone but me kiss you?" Levy stared at him, her wheels clicking in place.

"B... B... BOYFRIEND?" Levy's face exploded in a hot shade of red, but Gajeel merely laughed.

"Ah... Uhm... But I've never..."

"No worries, me neither, so we're even. But... I'd like... to..." Gajeel looked away, feeling the strange flip in his throat, leaving him speechless.

"Yeah... Me too..." Levy placed her left arm around his chest, making herself comfortable in his protective arms.

"The guild will fuckin' explode when they find out... Gihi..." Gajeel closed his eyes, sleep finally taking over.

"We'll talk about that tomorrow... Good night, Gajeel..." Levy closed her eyes, nuzzling her nose in Gajeel's neck.

"Ah... G' night, shrimp..." His breath became even and relaxed, calming Levy enough to let herself fall asleep as well.

THE END