So, I was listening to vocaloid through my headphones at like, MAX VOLUME, so now I'm probably half deaf or something.

But it was so fricking worth it.

Plus, you don't really need ears to write anyway. And I continued to listen to it as I wrote this as well.

You know, whenever I listen to songs in English, something in my mind just switches and I end up writing the lyrics to whatever song I'm listening to. And then I finish, and I've got something like, "Levy trembled as she looked into his deep crimson eyes and what does the FOX SAY?! ringdingdingdingdingdedingdeding"

WTF?!

But listening to songs in a foreign language is completely fine. Like, I won't end up with my story having "Oppa Gangnam style" written all over it. YAY.

This is getting random, I should stop. So, the main point-

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

ANOTHER story from me? REALLY?

Yes, I've told you how my brain is just EXPLODING with ideas for Fanfictions, correct? I had to get this ish typed up PRONTO, or it was gonna bug me to death. So here it is. Like my other story, Charm, GaLe and TOTALLY PSYCHO, (shameless plugs, go check it out) this one is going to be a oneshot. With all the fluff and stuff. Except REEEALLY LONG.

You guys like that, yeah?

Great. ENJOY!

Gajeel was in class, sitting silently at a desk people-watching. His crimson eyes scanned the room, flitting over Natsu and Gray fighting in the corner, Cana shuffling a deck of cards, and Elfman rambling something about being a man. He eyed the girl sitting next to him, studying her carefully.

Wavy blue hair fell down on her shoulders, held back by a thick orange bandana. Her small form moved animatedly while talking to her best friends, Lucy and Mirajane. Every so often she would tilt her head to the side when thinking or smiling.

Interesting, Gajeel thought.

Levy McGarden was interesting, all right.

"Hey, Levy-chan, Mirajane," Lucy, her chipper blonde friend began, "You know I wrote that fairy tale for an English essay, right? The Shakespearean themed one with the dragon, prince and princess?" The girls nodded. "Well, the teacher liked it so much, she showed it to the theater director, and now it's being produced as the school play!"

"WHAAAAT? That's amazing, Lu-chan!" Levy gushed, beaming happily. "I enjoyed the story too, I can't wait to see it in action!"

"Look at you, Lucy," Mira smiled, "You're finally getting the recognition you deserve!"

The friends continued to gab together about Lucy's play, totally oblivious to the dark figure right next to them, listening to their every word. He rolled his eyes.

A play, eh? Tch. Girls get so damn excited over nothin'.

But the boy couldn't help but eavesdrop just a little more. It intrigued him.

"Auditions? Next week?"

Levy was sitting in Magnolia Academy's large cafeteria, eating lunch. She ate next to all of her girlfriends, and they all chattered away while munching their food. The blue haired girl's amber eyes were alight with curiosity as she listened to Lucy talk. She took a sip of milk.

"Yes. I checked with the theater director, she's having auditions next Tuesday. I really think you should try out, Levy- chan." The blonde nodded, agreeing with herself. "It's settled- you're going to try out for the role of the princess! I knew signing you up was a good idea!"

Levy almost spewed her milk out all over the table.

"You WHAT?!"

Lucy grinned widely. "I signed you up to audition!"

"Why'd you do that. Lu- chan?!"

"Aw, lighten up, Levy," Her friend poked her in the arm with her elbow. "You'd be perfect!" Lucy leaned into the blue haired girls ear and whispered, "By the way... The princess in my story was based on you."

"Really?"

"Yes! Which is why I want you to audition!"

The petite girl puffed her cheeks out as she looked at her best friend's pleading expression. Her eyes instantly watered and sparkled, and her lower lip trembled.

With a huff, Levy grumbled, "Fine. I'll do it. But only because you're making the bambi eyes at me."

"YAY!" Lucy squealed, reaching to hug the blue haired girl. Levy patted her on the back, and giggled.

"How hard could it be?"

Hard.

Very hard.

Levy stood by herself in the empty hallways of the Academy, staring at the audition sheet for Lucy's play.

Look at all these other auditioners... I doubt I'll get the part.

Under the sign up list for the princess in the story, "Princess Eliza", was a long line of names of hopeful girls who wanted the part. Levy's name was scrawled in Lucy's messy handwriting at the very top. Her golden eyes flicked to the other character auditions on the sheet.

"Prince George", the hero of the story, had many people listed to audition as well. The blue haired girl noticed the names of a few of her classmates- Gray, Freed, and Loke.

Lucy's fairy tale involved a bunch of other side characters as well- a loving little fairy, a loyal pet cat, and an exceedingly impatient king.

As her eyes traveled farther down the list, she came across the last character: the dragon. Heh he, wonder how they're going to pull that off. Wouldn't it be funny to see some random guy tromping around in a giant dragon suit? Imagine Natsu or Elfman in a costume like that! She immediately imagined her pink haired classmate's face sticking out of a dragon mouth, wearing a fluffy winged costume.

How funny! The blue haired girl giggled to herself.

"Oi, what's so funny?"

Levy almost jumped. Eyes wide, she whipped around to face the source of the noise.

"G-Gajeel!"

Standing behind her was Fairy Academy's number one delinquent and badass, Gajeel Redfox. His rich red eyes glinted in the lighting of the hallway, in a way that froze everyone in his path. He was 6'5 of cold, dark, and apathetic, earning him his famous nickname, "Kurogane Gajeel." Some say he had a criminal record. Some say he had run away from home at age 9 to live out on the thrilling streets of Magnolia. And almost EVERY girl in the school could agree that he was DAMN FINE. Which was probably why little Levy had a BIG crush on him.

She blushed a little. "Um... What are you doing here?" Gajeel just blinked.

"Oh! Erm... Auditions? S-sorry, I'll get out of your way!" Levy turned to skitter away.

"Nah. Just wonderin' what you're laughin' at."

"N... Nothing." He raised a pierced brow. "You sure?"

"Y-yeah..."

Gajeel's eyes darted to the audition sheet, scanning the people signed up. "Princess Eliza, eh?" Levy reddened even more.

"It wasn't my idea! My friend thought I should audition, and then she signed me up, and it's her play, so I can't really let her down." She let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of her head.

"Interesting."

The blue haired girl looked away, embarrassed. ''Y-yeah, well-"

"It suits you."

She froze, her eyes wide. Looking up at Gajeel, she saw a slight smirk twist his lips. "Gihi." He chuckled.

"Th-thanks..."

Fearing that the conversation would go down awkward lane, she perked up. "So, you're not auditioning?"

"Nah, I ain't cut out for that shit."

''Oh... okay then."

She couldn't help the tiny twinge of disappointment that poked at her heart.

"W-well, I think I should go. Bye, Gajeel."

The pierced boy stared at her, analyzing her like she was some kind of precious artifact. Moments later, he closed his eyes and nodded. "Later... Shrimp."

Levy froze like fishsticks in a freezer.

"SHRIMP?! I-I'm not a Shrimp!" Levy said, puffing her cheeks out in indignation. Gajeel snorted. "Ptch. Yeah, ya are. Ya don't even come up to my chin." She stepped closer to see for herself.

"I'm not small! You're just a GIANT! And you're wearing BOOTS! I-" Sucking in a giant breath, she took a moment to realize how close they were. Only a few inches apart, and she could feel his warm breath blowing at her bangs.

"Yep, you really are a Shrimp. Gihi!" His smirk elongated into a fanged smile, and he patted her on the head roughly.

"Hmph!" Levy stuck out her lower lip, and shook his hand off her. "I'm leaving!"

And with that, she left him and his cheeky grin behind, face redder than ripe cherries.

Gajeel couldn't resist barking a small laugh after she had gone. The expression on her face was priceless! And pretty cute, he added in his head.

The pierced boy turned to the audition sheet Levy had looked at earlier. She was going to audition for princess all right, her name scrawled proudly at the top of the list. Boy, wouldn't that be interesting to watch? The little Shrimp spewing all tons of dramatic shit, like some kind of Shakespeare impersonator? Dost thou weareth the heels? Thou art exceedingly TALL! Hark, A BEHEMOTH!

Gajeel cracked up. Ah, it was just too much!

After his last chuckle had been chuckled, he assumed a more serious expression. Really, what had he come for?

He whipped a pen out, and signed his name on an empty space on the sheet. Putting the pen back, he walked away quickly so nobody would see him. He thought about the part he had just signed up for.

Gajeel Redfox... the DRAGON.

I like the sound of that.

After an entire week of memorization, repetition, and practice, Levy had finally gotten all of her lines down for the audition. Her stomach went Olympic- gymnast style inside her, flipping and flopping around. She was waiting in line backstage to go out and perform for the theater director.

Ah, the magic of Lucy's bambi eyes, Levy thought, smiling to herself. Boy, have they gotten me into a mess.

"Princess Eliza Number one, Levy McGarden. You're up, hon." The theater director said from the audience seats. "Levy McGarden."

Here goes nothing...

The blue haired girl's resolve hardened, and she stepped on the stage with the utmost confidence.

"Hi, I'm Levy."

She looked at the director, who was nodding at her approvingly. And beside her, sat LUCY, who gave her a small wave and grinned.

Now, with her best friend watching her, there was nothing she couldn't do.

Levy put one hand on her heart and thrust the other out to the audience. With her head held high, she began to recite the dramatic, emotional lines of Princess Eliza.

"Avaunt, you curs! Why must such a fate befall me? Forbear with thine incessant courtship! This heart of mine hath been stolen by another man!" She closed her eyes, immersing herself into the world that Lucy had created, making herself one with the damsel Princess Eliza.

"Tis a fault of mine! 'Thou shall not scape this tower for the rest of thine life, unless a worthy man comes to rescue thee!' quoth my father! Alas, my love... doth he knoweth my fate?"

Levy could almost hear the director sniffling. Was her audition really that moving? She opened an eye, to see Lucy smiling widely back at her, giving her a thumbs up. And, the theater director was wiping the corners of her eyes.

With as much emotion as she could muster, she powerfully exclaimed the last words of Lucy's play.

"True love- tis my knight in shining armour!"

And Levy bowed, smiling, to the sounds of rapid cheering and clapping.

"You got the part, Levy!" Lucy sang, shaking Levy back and forth by her shoulders.

"I... Did?!"

"YES!" Lucy giggled happily, and finally stopped treating her friend like a rag doll. Holding her by the arms, she smiled.

"I knew you were perfect for the part!"

"Ahah..." Levy laughed modestly. "You just convinced the theater director to pick me, eh?"

"No! Since you read so many romance novels, I thought you would have known how much feeling you have to put into lines like that. There's nobody else who could do it but you!"

"Aw, thanks, Lu-chan."

Her blonde friend just nodded. "Remember, the first practice is today after school! Don't forget! I'll be there, along with all the people who got parts."

"Looking forward to it."

"You want me to wear THAT?!" he roared, crimson eyes ablaze.

Gajeel and many other cast members of Lucy's play were milling about a stage, rehearsing lines and playing with props. A group of more artistic teens made set decorations. Clanking and swooshing could be heard from backstage, where people were messing with curtain controls and wires hanging from the ceiling. Gajeel was talking with the costume crew.

''There's no fuckin' WAY." He said, staring in disbelief at the 'utter shit' that had been presented to him.

After getting the role of the dragon who guarded the princess in a tower in Lucy's play, Gajeel was in need of a proper dragon costume.

And in no way was this proper.

If your eyes could adjust to the impossible amount of silver glitter thrown on the dragon suit, you'd see a huge reptilian head with a hole where you could stick your face in, and a limp tail that dragged on the damn floor. The costume looked like footie pajamas fused with a disco ball.

The costume designer looked too scared to object. It was frickin' KUROGANE GAJEEL standing in front of him, after all. The pierced boy could probably kick his ass in a second.

"S-sorry, Gajeel! Y-you don't have to wear it if you don't w-want to!" He said, shaking.

"Oi, ease up, I'm not going to EAT YOU!"

"EYAAAAHHH! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" The designer yowled. In a flash, he turned around and ran away. Gajeel just slapped a hand over his forehead.

Honestly, every damn person at this school is bat- shit crazy. I-

His thoughts were interrupted by the calm steps of a person walking onstage. It was the Shrimp, little Levy Mcgarden.

"Hi Cana, Evergreen. Jet! Oh, I didn't know you were on the technical team! And hello, Elfman, congratulations on getting the role of the king!" She greeted her friends as she walked to center stage.

"H-hi, Gajeel."

"Sup, Shrimp?"

Ah, here comes the cute cheek puff again.

"Don't call me that! What is with you?"

"Gihi. I use nicknames on everyone."

"But I'm not THAT short! You're just huge!"

Gajeel just smirked. "Alright then... How 'bout 'Princess' as your new nickname, eh?"

Levy seemed like she didn't get it at first, until realization dawned upon her. She had gotten the part of PRINCESS Eliza after all.

"Speaking of which, what are you doing here, Gajeel?" She asked questioningly. A lone fang poked from his teeth as he gave her a cattish grin.

"I'm the dragon."

"You're the WHAT?!"

"Dra- gon. Me. Gajeel. Dragon. Comprende?"

The blue haired girl could only stare at him, her mouth gaping like a fish. He was the dragon? He had auditioned?!

"S-so you DID audition!"

"Obviously. I'm here, ain't I?"

Hang on... Criminal record, runaway, delinquent, SUPER HOT Gajeel Redfox AUDITIONED? And GOT THE PART?!

"Wow! Well, okay... you're the dragon."

"Gihi."

Levy rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, and looked away smiling. She was secretly ecstatic to be able to work with Gajeel on the school play. They could practice lines together, play around on the set, and have fun. Plus, she could even get around to telling him how she felt about him...

"Alright everyone!" A voice sang from behind. The students' heads whipped around to face the source of the noise. It was Lucy, waving a big stack of paper around.

"These are the scripts for the play, Knight in Shining Armor. You all know the plot of the story, right?" Murmurs and mumbles from the students. Some did, some didn't. Lucy just ignored them and continued.

"Make sure you do! Pick up the story here and read it! Alright, today is pretty much free practice, but we'll run an actual rehearsal in two days, okay? OKAY! Get to work!"

Gajeel scoffed. "Great, now I gotta do readin'?"

"What's wrong with reading?" Levy said, raising a brow.

"Boring."

She puffed her cheeks out immediately. How dare he insult reading? Reading was amazing! Reading was magical! Reading... Reading was friggin' AWESOME!

"Reading isn't boring!"

"Yeah, it is. Too many words crammed in one space."

"It's the content that matters, though!" Levy reached out and grabbed one of Lucy's play scripts. "I'll show you reading isn't boring! Look at this masterpiece Lu-chan wrote! Try saying reading is boring after this!" The pierced boy looked down at her with amused eyes. "Oh, is that so? Read it to me, then."

"I-I will!" she stuttered as she flipped the cover. "Just watch me!"

"Go on, Shrimp."

Levy visibly reddened, but she forced her embarrassment away and plopped down on the ground. Gajeel followed suit, crossing his long legs. The petite girl sucked in a giant breath and began to read.

"A fairy tale known all across the land, the tale of a princess, a prince, and a dragon..."

At first, Levy's reading was awkward and stuttery, but as she lost herself in the story, she read like Gajeel wasn't even there. The blue haired girl became one with the script. She was with Princess Eliza as she denied every single suitor that came to visit her. She was with the guard dragon when he slaughtered countless men trying to save the captive princess. She stood happily next to the prince and princess as they shared their first kiss. It was pure beauty, reading.

Levy was so caught up in reading the story that she didn't notice Gajeel's constant glances at her. His crimson eyes would flick to her own as she read, observing the way they shone when she reached an exciting part. The ends of her lips would quirk upwards as she read something warm and fuzzy. It was all very pleasant to watch as Gajeel listened to her read.

Also, he found out that she was full of emotion when speaking aloud. She would project the bold, courageous words of Prince George to the world, and whisper quietly in the way that Princess Eliza would. It added to the experience of hearing a story.

But she was totally oblivious to all of Gajeel's observation. And he was glad, too, that the blue haired girl couldn't see the slight tint of red at his cheeks.

"...The end." Levy said, smiling. "Now wasn't that nice, Gajeel?"

"Quick recap here," he grumbled, "the Princess is supposed to get hitched pronto, but she's fed up with all the damn suitors and runs into the forest. THEN, she meets this Prince dude and they both get the hots for each other. But AFTER THAT, her idiot dad finds her and forces her to marry. She gets pissed, and then her old man the king locks her up and he's like, 'Ye shant leave this tower until a worthy man comes to rescue thee!' and then she's stuck in a shitty tower guarded by a dragon. And THEN, the prince comes to rescue her, and wrecks the dragon up. And then they ride off on his horse into the damn sunset."

"That's it."

"Does that make any kind of SENSE?!"

"It's a beautiful love story, Gajeel! True love is what brought him back to her... And he defeats the dragon keeping her captive and she's free to marry him!" She let out a happy sigh.

Gajeel just rolled his eyes. "So that means I get to be the bad guy, eh?

"That would be you."

"Gihi." He smirked in that naughty, fanged way, and stood up. "Came here to practice, didn't ya? C'mon, get up and let's practice." A large hand was held out to her.

Forgetting all the awkwardness, Levy took his hand and he pulled her up.

"Yeah."

Levy and Gajeel practiced together whenever the cast of Knight in Shining Armor had rehearsal. They would sometimes reread the script with each other, or play around with props. They even had a mini duel with plastic prop swords- surprisingly, Levy had won. The two bonded. And every day they were together, Gajeel couldn't help but feel warmth poking at his cold iron heart.

You could call it love, I guess.

It was the beginning of the fourth day of practice when another one of the cast members walked in.

"OH! You've got the role of the prince, that's right!" Lucy said, nodding. "Come this way, meet the other actors and actresses!"

The student who had entered was draped in a long coat, and he had the hood pulled over his head. Asymmetrical hair covered up one of his eyes, leaving only one to be seen.

Lucy clapped her hands, alerting all the students onstage. "Everyone! The prince is here! We can do a formal rehearsal now!" She looked to the hooded boy. "Memorized your lines?"

"Yeah." He said in a low, mysterious voice.

"Alright then, we should all try to act out the first scene today. The one where Princess Eliza is unhappy about being courted?" Many nods and murmurs came from the students onstage. "Okay, let's do it!"

Levy walked up to the student wearing the hood and smiled. "I'm princess Eliza! Congratulations on getting the role of the prince." She said.

"Thanks." With a flourish of his hand, he removed his hood and flipped his hair out of his eyes. It didn't do much though, because a lone chunk still hung over his right eye.

"Oh. Hello, Rogue."

When Gajeel Redfox walked onstage for practice that day, there were a good amount of things that he wasn't expecting.

1. Seeing the Shrimp in a fancy, Shakespearean-era ball gown with so many ruffles and bows on it. But he had to admit, she looked very pretty.

2. Seeing the Shrimp talking happily to another dude. THAT WAS NOT HIM.

He could only see the guy's back, but Gajeel could tell he was dressed in some kind of princely garb, complete with a sword and boots and cape and everything. Strangely, it made him kind of... irritated. Gajeel had always been the possessive type- but not just regular possessive, 'what's mine is fuckin' MINE, so back off' possessive.

Wait- but since when did she become mine? He thought.

'Cause you like her, ya dumbass.

Oh. Right.

Gajeel walked up to Levy. "Shrimp." He greeted.

"Oh, hi Gajeel!''

After many days of practice together, Levy had become more natural around him. She no longer stuttered or reddened as much as she had before. It was like they had been good friends forever, both able to talk to each other comfortably. Yet, she still wanted some more. Her crush hadn't left her, after all, and it was growing stronger every day. Levy just stopped acting like a complete doofus when he was around.

The guy who was talking to her whipped around to face Gajeel, and his eyes widened as he got a look at the pierced boy.

"Kurogane... Gajeel... You really ARE here..." He said.

"Eh?'' Gajeel raised a brow in a somewhat annoyed fashion. Why was this dude suddenly acting all weird? Was he one of those psychos who thought that he was some kind of cannibal?

The princely boy just gave Gajeel a hard, red-eyed stare, analyzing every piercing, every angle, every detail of his face. Admiring...? No. Criticizing.

"You're not as great as the rumors say." And with that, he walked away.

"EH?! Hold on just a second!" But he was already gone.

Gajeel turned to Levy, a vein bulging in his forehead. "Who was that?"

"Oh, that's Rogue Cheney. He's the prince." She said.

"What were ya talkin' bout?"

''He's really interested in you."

"EH?! I don't roll that way, ya know- I ain't-" Levy cut him off with a giggle.

"No, no, not that way. He just wanted to know about you. What you were like and stuff. I think he admires you."

The pierced boy stuck his lip out as he thought. Admire? CHE! As if! That little son of a bitch, saying 'You're not as great as the rumors say'. PFFT! Why, I oughtta-

"Oh, wait! You need to hurry!" She said, interrupting his thoughts. ''We're having a formal rehearsal today! You need to get into costume!"

He froze. The only costume they had for his dragon part was that atrocious glittery mess.

''Shit."

"Ah, my prince! I beg of thee, save me from this terrible behemoth!" Levy cried from atop a fake tower. She was standing on top of a ladder inside a little building the set design created. Rogue looked up at her from below.

"Indeed, fair maiden, I have come to save thee!'' Rogue projected with all the confidence of royalty. He played his role extremely well- one could actually be tricked into thinking that he was ACTUALLY in love with Levy.

"NO, YA AIN'T!" Gajeel roared. He was a surprisingly good actor too. But maybe that was because he was a beast all the time.

"If thou refuses to free her, I will have no choice but to duel thee! Come hither, Dragon!''

''COME AT ME, BRO!"

"That's not in the script, Gajeel!" Lucy shrieked from the audience. "For the last time, FOLLOW YOUR LINES!"

"OI, work with me here! It's just a damn rehearsal!" He barked back, baring his sharp canines. That would have been scary, if he wasn't wearing a ridiculous dragon suit that made teletubbies look like fine dressed men.

"UGH! Just continue! We're almost done!" She yelled.

"TCH! Fine." Gajeel growled. He turned back to Rogue. "OI! You want her? You gotta get through me!''

"Have it your way, beast." Rogue said, drawing his fake sword. "Die!"

He swung the sword like it was nobody's business, slashing with grace and elegance. He was a prince, all right.

''Ok Rogue, now lodge the sword between his arm and his side, making him look like he's been stabbed!" Lucy called.

With a swift jab, the weapon had been shoved into Gajeel as directed. The end of the sword stuck out from behind him. From the audience's viewpoint, it looked like the dragon had been impaled.

"PERFECT! Gajeel, now fall down to your knees!"

"Hell NO! What kinda dragon gets beat up by a bloody stab to the side?!'' He said, a vein bulging out of his forehead. He liked dragons a lot, and having them be beat so easily was an insult.

"JUST DO IT!'' With a huff, he plopped on the ground and pretended to die.

"AH! My prince! My love has prevailed!" Levy sand, holding a hand out to Rogue.

"Tis I, fair Eliza! Hath no fear!" He called back to her. She quickly exited the tower, and walked back onto stage ground.

"George!"

"Eliza!"

Levy ran into his embrace, and he held her close. Gajeel was watching from the floor. Even though he had been stabbed with a fake plastic sword, he strangely felt hurt... Somewhere around his heart... Or was that anger?

Yep, it was definitely hot, firey anger. Because that was HIS Levy. He just scowled.

"And now... The final scene!'' Levy's blonde friend shrieked excitedly.

The blue haired girl reddened as she realized what it was. The KISS scene.

"Uhm..." She could already feel Rogue's hair brushing against her face as he leaned in. Rouge was handsome, princely, and could act damn well. She shouldn't have had any problem kissing him. But there WAS something stopping her.

He wasn't GAJEEL.

And it would have been her first kiss too... She wanted it with the scary pierced boy, not with Rogue.

Levy's eyes flicked nervously to Lucy, trying to tell her that she didn't want to do this. Her friend seemed to get the message.

"Alright! We've practiced enough for today! We can rehearse more tomorrow, and in a few days it'll be our big show!" Lucy yelled. "Good job everyone!"

The students onstage burst into chatter, talking about their performance. Rogue backed away from her, a slight smile lifting his lips. "Nervous?"

"N-no..." She said, face redder than cherries.

"It's okay. You're quite the actress, though." He said.

"Thank you. You're pretty good too."

He merely nodded. "Later."

With that, Rogue walked away to get changed and leave. Levy turned to Gajeel who was lying on the ground frowning.

"Gajeel? You can get up, you know. Go change out and go home." She said. He grumbled something incoherent. The blue haired girl just giggled.

"Come on. Are you mad about getting slaughtered so easily?''

"This is a dumb story." He muttered. ''How come dragons are always the bad guys and the prince always gets the girl in the end? It's a damn cliché."

''It's a cliché that you have to follow if you want to be in this play.'' Levy walked over to him and pulled at his hand. "Are you going to lie there in that disco ball suit all day?"

"Hmph." He got up and started to leave, smoke rising from his ears. He muttered under his breath.

''I don't like him."

The cast of Knight in Shining Armor continued to practice, getting better and better by the day. Yet each time Levy and Rogue rehearsed, she couldn't get herself to kiss him. It was impossible. She had tried befriending him so she would feel more comfortable with it, but she just couldn't do it.

Over the course of practice, though, Rogue and Levy had definitely become closer. She would greet him in the hallways. He would give a subtle nod to her when she walked past him. They sometimes chatted during passing periods.

And Gajeel hated every BIT OF IT.

Already not a big fan of Rogue, Gajeel despised him for 'taking away' his Levy.

There were a number of things that made him mad. One was that he'd always see the Shrimp with emo-face. Another was that he was slowly, slowly falling for her. He could see that flicker in his single red eye whenever she spoke. And although Levy still spent time with Gajeel, the amount she was spending with Rogue was just a LITTLE too much for his liking.

He tried to avoid them so he wouldn't fuck up and do something stupid. But she was pretty much all he could think about.

Aw shit, he thought to himself one day.

I like her.

"Hi, Rogue!"

"Levy."

Rogue was walking through the halls of the school when Levy found him and decided to say hi.

"Ready for the performance?" She asked. He shrugged. "More or less." His eyes traveled to her own bright hazel ones. They lingered there for a few moments before he decided that it would be rude to stare and looked somewhere else. Levy was carrying a book in her hands.

"Hey... is that Maximum Ride?" He said, peering at what she was carrying.

"Hm? Oh yeah! I was just rereading it. I really like sci-fi and adventure. I find it especially cool that all the main characters have wings."

''I've been trying to find a book for days."

"Oh!'' Levy smiled and held out the novel. "Then I can lend you my copy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Go on, take it. You can give it back when you're done!"

"I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

"Here." And she put the book in his hands, her own soft ones brushing lightly against his skin. He felt the back of his neck heat up.

"Thanks..."

"No problem!" Levy looked at him. "I didn't know you enjoyed reading."

"Does it surprise you so much?"

"Well... Most of the guys I know think reading is boring." Rubbing the back of her head, she remembered Gajeel.

"It's not boring." he said.

"Right? Reading opens up new worlds! It helps take the reader wherever they want to go!"

Rogue nodded. "That's why I read. To escape."

Levy's lips quirked up. She smiled appreciatively at Rogue, glad that understood. But she looked away before she could notice the tips of his ears reddening.

"I think I should go now." She said, turning. "Enjoy Maximum Ride!" And with that, she walked away.

The dark-haired boy stared after her for a few moments, before opening the book and beginning to read.

"The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective. Take right now, for instance."

He left, leaving a dark, smoldering figure behind him alone, emitting an aura darker than death.

It was Gajeel.

It was evening. Gajeel was walking around, fuming after seeing Levy with emo-face. That bastard Rogue!

"Hey, GAJEEL!"

Gajeel turned to the source of the noise, red eyes flashing with irritation. He was already in a bad mood, and just wanted to be alone.

"EH?"

It was Natsu, waving happily. His scaly scarf blew out behind him.

"Whaddya want?" Gajeel said.

''Congrats on getting dragon in the play!" Natsu smiled widely, and put a hand behind his head. "Man, I can't wait to see ya on stage, ha ha!"

"Shaddup." The pierced boy growled.

"Feelin' nasty, eh Gajeel?"

"I said SHADDUP."

Natsu's smile faded, and a genuine look of concern crossed his face. "Hey, you okay?"

"Dandy."

"No you aren't. C'mon, spit it out. What happened?"

Gajeel scoffed. ''Rogue's a bastard."

"Oh, emo-face? Yeah, him." Natsu looked away bitterly.

"You got a bone to pick with that dude?"

''Nah. But Lucy's been pretty googly-eyed over him lately. She says he's "dashing" or whatever, which is probably why she picked him to be prince."

"Heh." Knowing that Natsu was suffering the same problem of jealousy kind of comforted Gajeel, and he smirked inwardly. "Jealous, are we?"

"Pffft! A-as if." He said reddening.

"Oi, don't fuck with me. Even I can see you've got the hots for her." The pink haired boy just rolled his eyes and looked away. "So what? It's normal! You've got a crush on Levy, after all-"

"CAN IT!" He barked. Natsu stuck out his lower lip. "But it's true, isn't it...?" Gajeel said nothing.

"Lucy told me she has to be kissed by Rogue in the play. That must set you off, hm?"

Silence.

Natsu stared at his friend's dark expression. There was no denying he had a thing for the petite blue haired girl. Seeing her first kiss stolen by some other dude must really sting.

"Hey, lighten up man. Luce tells me lot about Levy, ya know." Gajeel's ears perked up, but his face remained scary. ''Levy never wanted to kiss Rogue during any of your rehearsals."

''So..."

''Think about it, metal- head! If she didn't want to kiss him, that means she doesn't like him! Are you scared about losing her to Rogue? Ya shouldn't be, because that's not going to happen!"

A tiny flame of hope flickered in Gajeel's crimson eyes. "... What else did she tell ya?"

Natsu looked straight at him and deadpanned. "Only that she's got about the biggest crush on you ever."

"Oi, don't be shitting me right now, or I'll-"

"It's the truth. And you like her, right? So that's solved.'' And without so much as a goodbye, Natsu left.

Days passed, and soon, it was the night of the big performance. Levy still hadn't kissed Rogue yet, but she knew she would have to in front of the audience.

The actors and actresses had their game faces on. It was time to GO. They were going to kill this performance!

"Alright everyone!" Lucy announced. "I'm going to be watching from the side of the stage! Remember to always follow the script, Gajeel!" She said, glaring in his direction. He huffed, clad in his crazy glittering dragon costume.

''Good luck! Let's do this, guys!"

Gajeel felt a brush on his shoulder. He whipped around, to face none other than emo- boy himself, Rogue Cheney.

"Don't think I can't see you glaring at me every time I try to kiss Levy." He said, narrowing his red eyes.

"And YOU don't think I can't see the damn lecherous glint in your eyes when ya look at her, bastard." Gajeel retorted.

"I used to look up to you."

"And ya still are." He said, towering over Rogue.

''I'm going to kiss her whether you like it or not, Gajeel Redfox."

"And I'll stop you."

"Oh, will you?" Rogue mocked, sweeping forth in his grand prince costume. "And wreck the play that your precious 'Shrimp' stars in?"

"Tch." He growled, a move that would have been intimidating if he wasn't dressed so ridiculously.

The two glared daggers at each other in a manly face-off without words. And the prize for the winner? Levy McGarden. Their little battle was interrupted though, by Lucy's loud introduction of the play.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a Magnolia Academy production... Knight in Shining Armor! Written by me, Lucy Heartfilia!" The audience clapped loudly, eager to watch the performance. Lucy smiled at the crowd proudly. "And now, without further ado, I present to you, Knight in Shining Armor!"

The stage's grand velvet curtains split apart, revealing Levy and Elfman, the king. The set was decorated to look like a castle room, with tall marble pillars and fancy wall lights.

"Father!" Levy cried angrily, clenching her fists. "Tis truly UNFAIR!"

"Mark my words, daughter!" Elfman boomed. "Choose thine suitor, or consequences will be to come!' AND CONSEQUENCES ARE A MAN!'' The audience chortled.

"No!" She shrieked back. "I will NOT!" And gathered up her dress and ran from the scene.

"Foolish daughter. Thine fate hath been sealed!" Elfman exited the stage as well. The lights went out so a crew of people could set the next scene. This one had trees and plants as the background. It was a forest. Levy ran back onstage, pretending to sob. She threw herself on the ground and wept.

"Fair maiden," A dark voice said, "why do you weep?"

Suddenly, Rogue walked out from backstage, his cape swishing out behind him. He held his head high, and looked nobly out into the audience, knocking out almost every female in the crowd.

"Who art thou?"

"I am Prince George. And what might thine name be?"

''Eliza... Princess Eliza."

Rogue offered his hand to Levy, and she took it and pulled herself up. Brushing imaginary dirt off her dress, she spoke.

"Thank you, Prince George." She looked to the floor. "Thy kindness was greatly needed. For I must be married soon, to a man I do not love."

"Fie upon it!" Rogue shouted.

"Indeed." Levy said, conjuring up some fake tears. The audience was captivated by the two on stage. Rogue reached out to hold Levy's dainty hand, and kissed it. You could hear the lovesick sighs from the crowd.

Gajeel watched from backstage, simmering on full heat. He was so angry, you could see smoke coming out of his ears. That wasn't in the damn script, he thought. Blondie gets pissed at me for improv, yet he does it and it's not a problem? Bullshit!

The pierced boy growled. That bastard was TRYING to make him mad! It took all the self-control Gajeel had NOT TO get up on that stage and beat him senseless. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

''Gajeel." A voice whispered. It was Lucy.

''Whaddya want?!"

"Look away if it bothers you so much." She said.

''It-it doesn't bother me a damn BIT!"

"I can see the strain on your face when you look at them. Ignore it. I know how you feel about Levy-chan, so that's all you can do. But if you even think for a second to go up there when you're not supposed to, I will KILL YOU. Get it?" She hissed. Gajeel scowled, but restrained himself. Lucy released her hold on him, and went to check on the other actors. Then, the pierced boy decided what he would do.

He would not go on stage.

He would not sabotage Lucy's play.

He would not mess up any of the performance, and would act his part like a good boy.

Hah, he thought, smirking. Who am I kidding...

I'm going to fuck this whole thing up, ain't I?

The show went on throughout the night. Gajeel finally got to go onstage, guarding the tower Princess Eliza was imprisoned in.

"OI!" He roared, hunching over like a beast."You want the princess?! Come get her!" Even with the sparkling dragon suit he was wearing, his flaming red eyes managed to make him look feral.

Soon, it came time for the final scene. Gajeel stood between Levy and Rogue, blocking him from coming any closer to her tower.

"Come to fight me, eh?" He growled. Both boys' eyes were blazing.

''I have."

"Prince George!" Levy called from her prison. "Save me, my love!" Rogue smirked as a vein popped up on Gajeel's forehead. This whole lovey- dovey thing was pissing the shit out of him.

"Whatever!" He barked. "But you ain't gettin' NONE if I beat ya! So come at me, bro!"

Rogue's smirk widened. Lucy's story had been set up so conveniently for him- stab the dragon, get the girl in the end. It was perfect. And he knew Gajeel wouldn't risk screwing up the play for Levy. It was Rogue's win for sure.

He looked behind a curtain. Lucy was there, biting her lip nervously, watching the entire thing.

Gajeel's fingers were curled into claws, and he snarled like a true dragon would. The ridiculousness of his costume melted away once you took a peek at his enraged expression.

Rogue drew his sword, and twirled it dramatically over his head. "Have it your way, beast." With a lightning fast move, he stabbed Gajeel.

Gasps and cheers came from the audience. Like he was supposed to, the pierced boy slowly fell to his knees. He closed his eyes.

"Hath no fear, Eliza. Tis I." he heard Rogue purr. "George!" Levy cried.

Ah, shit. Now or never. Am I gonna let that dude kiss her?

The moment seemed to drag on forever. Gajeel listened to everything around him, his vision blocked by his mane of long black hair. Suddenly, he heard a large psst from someone in the crowd.

It was the pink haired idiot NATSU.

"Gajeel!" He hissed from below the stage. "Move your ass, and quick! They're close!"

Shit!

Gajeel flung himself up, his hair fwipping around him in a wild mess. He roared as he saw Rogue closing in on Levy. Quickly, he dove between them and knocked the two apart. Crashing on the ground afterwards hurt like a mother, but the look of surprise and anger on Rogue's face was totally priceless.

"IT AIN'T OVER, BITCH!" Gajeel hollered. Lucy almost shrieked from backstage. "FOLLOW THE SCRIPT!" She hissed.

But Gajeel didn't give a FUCK. He wasn't letting Rogue take away a kiss from Levy. "OI! You think a flimsy sword is enough to kill me? Huh, IDIOT?" Rogue jumped to his feet at the challenge, and stomped up to Gajeel.

He punched him square in the jaw.

The audience was fooled- they thought it was all part of the show- but oh boy, it was NOT. They were two lions battling for territory.

Gajeel rubbed the side of his face, but the fire in his eyes didn't waver for a second. He lunged at Rogue, and punched him right back, in the same spot. The pierced boy scowled. "An eye for an eye."

Suddenly, Rogue tackled Gajeel to the ground and started pummeling him. Levy was in shock, she didn't know what the eff to do! What's the protocol when two guys are trying to kill each other on the ground?! She panicked. I can't try to break them up, it's impossible! But everyone thinks it's part of the act when they're actually out to HURT EACH OTHER!

"H-hey!" She yelled, rather ungracefully. "Cease this at once!"

"I'm already done, Shrimp!" He roared to her. Turning back to Rogue, he growled. "I'm a hundred percent done with YOU!

"I thought you were the best..." Rogue seethed almost silently, batting him on the head. "I looked up to you... The mighty Kurogane Gajeel... I dreamed to make a name for myself like you had... And become the resident badass of this school! And I'll show you I'm superior by taking your woman!"

"WHAT?!" Levy shrieked, forgetting they were onstage. She quickly clapped her hands over her mouth. Gajeel glared daggers at Rogue.

"Guess that dream's gonna have to wait, Rogue," Gajeel hissed, baring his canines.

And with that, he shoved Rogue off the stage.

He could hear the gasps of surprise from the audience as Rogue crashed on the ground. Lucy almost screamed in anger, but she had to let the show go on. Gajeel's head whipped around to face Levy, who looked extremely shaken.

"What did you do that for?!" She shrieked.

"Shrimp." He breathed, and he grabbed her wrists.

"H-Hey, wait just a second-"

But before she could speak, Gajeel leaned down and smothered her words with a kiss. She inhaled sharply at the sudden contact, and he yanked her closer. His thick lips moved against her own, moving passionately to convey a message that no words could. Soon, her mind crashed and her limbs were free to move of their own will. Levy's hands snaked up to his hair, and tangled themselves in it. He mumbled something as she yanked on the tough black strands, wanting more. Finally, he broke away from her, both panting heavily.

She smiled, giddy with happiness. a first kiss... with Gajeel...

"I really..." Gajeel began. "Ireallylikeyoushrimp." He mumbled.

"What?"

"Dammit. I-"

"No, it's okay." She cut him off, grinning ear to ear. "I really like you too."

Gajeel turned away to hide his blush.

"I've never heard of a story where the dragon gets the girl in the end." She said playfully. The audience was at the edge of their seats, drinking in every word the two said.

"Yeah, well I think this story needed a plot twist." Gajeel smirked.

Lucy stared openmouthed from backstage. But as she heard loud whistles and cheers erupt from the crowd, her lips curved into a smile.

"YEEEEAHHH! YOU GO, DRAGON!"

''EPIC TWIST ENDING, BRO!"

"HAVE MY BABIES, KUROGANE!"

Gajeel turned to the audience with a wide grin on his face. He roared into the air like a true dragon would, causing their cheering to go berserk. Holding his hand out to Levy, he called for all the other cast members. They rushed onstage, and linked hands as well. With a swift dip, all of the actors and actresses bowed.

"That was great," Levy breathed, her smile so wide that it reached her eyes.

"It ain't over yet.'' Gajeel hollered, receiving hoots of appreciation from the people in the crowd. "NATSU! HAND ME THE GUITAR!"

Natsu immediately flung a huge white electric guitar onstage, and the pierced boy caught it. The audience roared. Slinging the guitar's strap over his shoulder, Gajeel began to sing.

Or, holler, more like it.

"In this world, where you look like a dumbass for doin' what's right..." He strummed a chord. "You always looked like a dumbass, ya know?"

Gajeel pulled a pair of shades out from his pocket and put them on.

"COLORFUL, COLORFUL... SHOOBY DOO BOP! TREMBLE WITH LOVE, STEEL GRAY METALLIC!"

"DID YOU PLAN THIS?!" Levy shrieked, her eyes popping out of her head.

Gajeel didn't respond with more than a smirk and a wink. His singing was rough and his guitar playing was awkward, but the masses of people watching were going psycho.

"Doo, doo, doo... Shalalala... SHOOBY DOO BOP!"

Levy glanced at Lucy to see how she was doing with all this. Surprisingly, Lu-chan had her head thrown back in full-blown laughter. The blue haired girl giggled as she saw her friend enjoying herself.

Then, she looked to the cast members. They were dancing around happily, soaking up the audience's applause.

And finally she looked back at Gajeel, hollering away. A warm blush crept up her cheeks, and she laughed.

I love him... AND I LOVE PLOT TWISTS!

Ah, and we are finally at the end of this behemoth fanfiction. Superb, you've made it all the way through!

I do apologize if it sounded rushed. Although, I didn't really feel like splitting it into chapters because I couldn't find a good stopping point. Hope you leave some feedback, let me know what ya think!

And I think that's it for now. Hope you've enjoyed.

Till we meet again!"