Notes: Hello, hello. Welcome to the tattoo AU. It started as a single thought and exploded into so much more. I'm hoping to do weekly updates, but knowing me it'll be more like monthly (*coughs* or yearly). And I know the summary tells you nothing but I suck at summaries so ... yeah.

There's going to be a lot of background ships (I'm not even going to try to list them all because ... I don't even know what they all will be yet), but the main focus of this fic will be Gajeel x Levy. Seeing as this is a multi-chapter fic, I'm going to try to challenge myself and not dive right into the relationship. So please be patient with me.

As usual the only edits done were by me and I am terrible at it so I apologize now for any and all mistakes.

"Juvia's inking a hottie," Lucy murmured, making Levy jump. She hadn't even heard her friend approach.

She glanced up from her sketchpad and towards Juvia's station, and sure enough there was a hottie. A shirtless hottie.

"Sometimes, I really love my job," Lucy sighed, shifting so she could ogle the man better. Levy hummed in agreement, but her attention was quickly drawn back to her sketchpad. She'd had this design in her head all night and she was excited to finally get it on paper.

The quiet buzzing from Juvia's needle became white noise as Levy delved deeper into her art. She'd grown up in this store; the smell of ink and the sound of needles as big a part of her as her wild mess of hair. After school she'd curl up in the backroom with her sketchpad and draw whatever was on her mind. She could still feel the warmth from the time when Macao ruffled her hair and told her that one day she'd be the one out there wielding the needle. All those years ago she's flushed and laughed, swatting his hand away, but it'd turned out he'd been right.

The thought brought a smile to her face, even as sadness swelled in her chest. Some days she wished she could go back.

She felt fingers slip into her hair and she shifted back, closer to Lucy, and when Lucy tapped her shoulder she passed the felt-tip pen she wasn't using, chewing on the end of her pencil as she tried to figure out how to do the next part. She barely noticed the cool brush of the pen against her skin as Lucy got to work, her mind focused on her own work. Just a few more details and it would be complete.

"Looks good," Juvia said, her shadow falling over the two of them.

"Mine or hers?" Lucy asked, her breath stirring some of the loose hairs at the nape of Levy's neck.

"Both."

Levy grinned and sat up, or at least tried to, but Lucy's hand on her shoulder pushed her head down.

"Wait. Almost done."

A few seconds later Lucy straightened, snapping the cap on the pen and handing it back to Levy.

"Some of my best work, if I do say so myself," Lucy said, rising to her feet. Levy chuckled and got to her own feet, sliding her sketchbook under her arm.

"Too bad it's going to fade," Levy said.

"Then I'll just have to do it again, but this time with the needle."

Levy chuckled and glanced over her shoulder at the mirror she kept next to her chair. The wings on her back peeked out from under her tank top, but she barely glanced at them, focusing instead on the butterfly drawn on her neck. Lucy was right, it was some of her best work.

"That might not be too bad."

Lucy laughed and threw an arm over Levy's shoulders.

"So, I was thinking after work we could all go drinking. Cana said she was lonely."

Levy rolled her eyes. "You just want to flirt with her some more."

Lucy laughed again and shrugged, holding her hands up. "Hey, she's an attractive woman. Right, Juv?"

Color crept into Juvia's cheeks and she ducked her head. "Juvia thinks so."

Levy smiled and kicked the door to the backroom open, tossing her sketchbook towards the desk. Her eyes skittered over the bags of chips and empty soda cans and her lip curled.

"Clean up your mess!" she shouted, ducking into the room to grab her purse.

"We do!" Lucy shouted back.

"It was Natsu," Juvia said from the doorway where she surveyed the room with a frown.

"Of course it was."

Levy, Lucy, and Juvia were the tattoo artists of Fairy Ink, a small tattoo parlor located in downtown Magnolia. For such a small shop it got quite a bit of business, and that was all thanks to Mirajane honestly. She pretty much ran the place and dealt with all publicity. Just last month she'd gotten them on the cover of Inked, and since then they'd been getting almost non-stop customers.

Natsu was their resident piercer. He only worked Fridays-Mondays, and yet somehow he managed to make a giant mess even when he wasn't here.

"Should we just leave it until Friday?" she asked, sifting through her bag – past all the loose paper and books – until she managed to find her phone.

"Then he'll just make it worse."

She paused and glanced back at the little table that she couldn't even see underneath all the trash. "How would that even be possible?"

Juvia shrugged. "Impossible has never applied to Natsu."

Levy laughed and glanced down at her phone, the smile melting into a small frown as she breathed a sigh.

Four missed called.

Jet. Droy. Jet again. And …

She dropped her phone to the couch and followed it down, groaning into the cushions. She just wasn't in the mood the deal with that right then.

"So …" Lucy said, appearing at the door. "Drinks?"

Levy turned her face so she could stare at her friends, her cheek pressed against the cushions.

"Count me in." A drink – or maybe 10 – sounded perfect.

Lucy whooped and turned away, her fingers flying over her phone, but Juvia remained in the doorway, her brow creasing with concern.

"Is Levy okay?"

Levy pushed herself into a sitting position with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Fine, fine. Levy is fine," she said, her smile too forced. She knew she wasn't fooling anyone. "Why don't you go help Lucy close," she added before Juvia could say more. "I'll be out in a minute."

Juvia hovered for a moment longer, but Levy shooed her away with another wave of her hand. Then, once Juvia was gone, she grabbed her phone and quickly sent off a text.

Sorry I missed you. At work. Call you later.

She sighed again and switched her phone to silent, dropping it back into her bag.

Later.

x

"Damn," Cana said, whistling at the sight of Levy's temporary tattoo. "Have I mentioned how much I hate you recently?"

Lucy laughed add patted Cana's shoulder.

"Would it help if I bought you a drink?"

"It's a start, Heartfilia."

"Can I get you guys anything?" Lucy asked. In response Levy held up her half full drink and Juvia just shook her head. "Alright then."

Then she tugged Cana down the stairs and Levy swiveled in her seat to face Juvia, glad that they'd chosen a balcony table. The music wasn't unbearable up here, and they could actually hold a conversation without having to shout.

"How are things going with …. Was it Dave?" Levy asked, sipping her drink. She wasn't a big drinker, but she'd never been able to say no to the fruity concoctions.

"Dan, actually," Juvia corrected, her lips curling in a smirk. "And Dan is no more."

"Oh. I'm … sorry?"

Juvia laughed and flicked her eyes around the club. "No. Dan was …"

"An idiot?" Levy supplied.

"Yes, amongst other things." Juvia lifted a shoulder in a half shrug, her fingers teasing the edge of her glass. "Juvia should've listened to her friends."

"Damn right you should've," Levy said, smiling. "We're always right."

Juvia breathed a laugh and Levy reached out, resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. She gave it a squeeze and Juvia's gaze flicked to her face.

"Wanna get drunk and forget all about him?"

And when Juvia just stared at her with a blank expression and said, "No, not really" she could only throw her head back and laugh.

x

Cana and Lucy returned 10 minutes later with drinks in hand and Natsu following behind. He grinned when he saw Levy and Juvia and threw his arms around them in a hug.

"I ran into Luce downstairs." He bounced back a few steps so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders and shake her. "I can't believe you tried to go clubbing without me!"

Lucy rolled her eyes towards the ceiling and held out her hands, beer bottles clinking together from between her fingers. "I tried to tell him it was a girls night, but he just didn't listen."

"Hey, I can be one of the girls," he said, snatching one of the bottles from her hand and sinking into the seat next to Levy. "So, what are we talking about? Boys? Fashion?"

Levy rolled her eyes and Juvia chuckled.

"Speaking of boys," Cana drawled, nudging Lucy's shoulder. "Guess who just got a number?"

Lucy flushed and ducked her head as she sank into the chair next to Natsu. Cana laughed, leaning her hip against their table and taking a swallow from her bottle.

"I'm not going to call him," Lucy said.

"Why not?"

"Before we walked up he was flirting with the girl next to him, and after we walked away I'm pretty sure he started flirting with another girl."

"So he's a flirt, so what? I say you call him up, get a little wild in bed, and then say au revoir."

Lucy's face flamed and even Levy felt heat creep to her cheeks.

"I'm feeling objectified," Natsu complained. "Men are not just objects for sex."

Cana laughed and ruffled his hair. "Thought you said you were one of the girls."

Natsu huffed and Levy chuckled, sipping her drink and glancing down over the crowd. The music shifted, the beat becoming faster, and the dance floor came alive with movement. Juvia cocked her head to the side, a smile curling her lips.

"Juvia likes this song."

"Then let's dance!" Natsu said, leaping to his feet. He grabbed Juvia's wrist and tugged her down the stairs and Cana laughed.

"Well, you heard the boy. Let's go dance." She set her bottle on the table and followed them down.

Levy didn't move and Lucy glanced at her.

"Not going to dance?"

"Not just yet. I think I'll keep our table." She dipped her head towards the dance floor. "Go dance your heart out. Maybe find that guy." She laughed when color crept up Lucy's face and waved her hand. "Go."

Lucy shook her head but got to her feet. "I'll be back for you, McGarden," she warned. "And we're going to dance until we collapse."

"I look forward to."

And then she was alone. She turned in her chair to lean on the railing, and watched as her friends melded into the crowd. It was easy to spot Natsu, his pink hair practically a beacon, and she smiled when she saw him throw his hands in the air and shimmy. She knew she should be down there, enjoying herself with them, but there was a cloud in the back of her head.

Her eyes flicked towards her purse and she sighed. Her phone might be on silent, but she still knew there'd be a message waiting for her.

Instead of dwelling on it she tipped her head back and finished the rest of her drink. She'd always been a lightweight and already she could feel the slight buzz in her head from the alcohol.

I'm going to have a good time tonight.

So she got to her feet and slipped down the stairs to join her friends.

x

"Somebody drank too much," Natsu said as he carried her up the stairs to her apartment. She giggled, her head lolling against his chest, and she stared up at him through her lashes.

"Have I told you how pretty you are?" she asked, reaching up to brush her fingers over his cheek.

"Yes, many times."

"She's definitely drunk," Lucy said from somewhere behind Natsu's shoulder.

"Only a little," Levy murmured, her hand slipping down to curl in Natsu's scarf.

She hadn't planned to drink so much, but after dancing for an hour she'd looked at her phone to check the time, and well … after that the rest was pretty much a blur.

She sighed and pressed closer to Natsu's chest, not noticing when Lucy unlocked her door and held it open for them. He felt so nice, so warm. She could fall asleep in his arms.

"Alright, down you go." She laughed as he dropped her to her couch, releasing his scarf to stretch her arms out above her. "You going to be okay on your own?"

"Mm." She nodded and rolled to her side, staring up at him.

"Okay." He crouched next to her and brushed his mouth over her forehead. "See you tomorrow."

She smiled and turned her face into the cushions.

"Oh, you've got a message." There was a beep from the machine followed by the door clicking shut as they left.

"Levy, it's Mark. I know you're avoiding me, but we need to talk. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away." She groaned and pressed her face deeper into the couch. "I'm coming over tomorrow morning before work." There was a pause from him. "I'll see you then, I guess." Then there was a beep as the message came to an end and the automated voice from the machine started listing her options.

She just let it play until it quieted and rolled to her back, throwing her arm over her eyes. She'd deal with it later.

Later.