Notes: Since it's been so long since an update I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than I usually do ... Hopefully it was worth the wait, not that much happens ...

"—and Chelia asked me to the dance because she knew Romeo was going to, and she knows I only think of Romeo as a friend. So when he finally asked and I said I was going with Chelia, he got so sad that I ended up inviting him to come with us. So now we're getting dinner together before and then we're going to have a sleepover! Well Lily probably won't let Romeo stay over because he's protective like that, but he'll be able to hang out for a while at least."

Levy couldn't stop her smile as Wendy bounced around, telling her all about the last month.

"You met Lily right? What did you think of him?"

"He was nice."

Levy found it a bit strange that they'd never mentioned the fact that Lily was acting as Wendy's guardian, and had been since her mother had died 4 years ago. Heck, it was strange that they'd never really mentioned him before …

"He's the nicest! A giant teddy bear, just like Gajeel." Wendy paused her bouncing. "Have you met him yet?"

Levy shook her head. "I didn't even know he existed before last month."

A small frown creased the corners of Wendy's eyes and she dropped her gaze. "Yeah, he's … a private person. I hadn't even met him until I started staying with Lily. He travels a lot."

"Yeah, that's what Natsu said. Apparently he's back, though."

Wendy brightened. "Yeah! He hasn't stopped by Lily's yet though …" Her brow furrowed with a small pout. "I wonder what he's doing." She paused and shook her head. "Whatever it is I'm sure he's busy."

Her smile was back and Levy let the topic drop. She had a lot of questions about both Gajeel and Lily, but she figured her friends had reasons for not mentioning them before.

"Hey Wendy, don't ya have that babysitting gig to get to?" Natsu asked, coming out of the backroom.

Wendy gasped and grabbed her phone. "I'm going to be late! Charle is gonna be soo upset." She grabbed her bag off the floor, throwing it over her shoulder as she dashed to the door. "Sorry, Levy! We'll talk again soon! Bye!"

The door banged shut behind her and Levy laughed quietly, turning to face Natsu.

"You've met Gajeel," he said, and she blinked in surprise.

"What?" She felt like she would've remembered meeting him.

"Yeah! You gave him a tattoo."

"I did?" Then she remembered two weeks ago. "Oh my god! That's why his name sounded familiar." Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

Natsu nodded. "He clearly didn't want me to know he came here for the tattoo, but once I saw it I knew it was one of yours." He flashed a bright grin. "I can recognize your stuff."

"I can't believe he didn't introduce himself!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. "The nerve!"

Natsu laughed. "He's shy."

She arched a brow. "He sure didn't seem like it."

Natsu shrugged, falling onto the couch they kept out there for customers. "That's because he's acting. He pretends to be all big and tough but he's a dork underneath it all." Natsu yawned and stretched his arms out over his head. "Don't tell him I said that though."

Levy chuckled and slid over to sit next to Natsu, setting his head in her lap so she could run her fingers through his hair. He made a pleased purr and shifted closer to her.

"What's he doing anyways? Wendy said he hasn't visited her yet …"

"Yeah, he's been sleeping above Extalia. Don't know what he's been doing during the day though, he seems to be busy."

"Hmm." Levy's fingers worked through Natsu's hair, massaging the scalp, and he yawned again. "You need a haircut."

"You think Cana would give me one for free if I begged?"

"No. But you'd give her a good laugh."

He huffed and the bell jingled as someone entered. She looked up, a smile on her face for the customer.

"Are you open?" It was a girl who looked barely past 18. She shifted on her feet, twisting her bag strap before her fingers as her eyes flicked around the room.

"Yes." Levy nudged Natsu as she got to her feet, moving back around the counter. "Was there anything you were interested in?"

"A nose r-ring."

"Okay." Levy glanced at Natsu who was slowly getting to his feet. "Well, that's our piercing guy. You can ask him any questions you have." She smiled and stepped away, letting Natsu deal with the girl.

He had a way of calming people and after a few minutes of talking the girl no longer looked like she was about to bolt. Levy smiled and headed to the back, leaving Natsu with his customer. She was busy tidying up the break room when she heard the bell again.

"Be right there!" she called, frowning at the pile of trash. She ended up just dropping her trash back on top of it before heading into the front, and who she saw made her pause.

A slow smile curled her lips and she crossed her arms over her chest, resting her hip against the counter.

"Gajeel, right?"

He stared—he seemed to do that a lot. "Right."

"Are you here for another tattoo?"

He shook his head and motioned towards where Natsu was bent over the girl. "I was in the neighborhood and figured I'd head back with Natsu."

"That's too bad." She smiled, motioning towards the couch. "If you want to wait there he'll be done soon and then we'll start to close up."

Gajeel nodded, his body stiff as he moved to the couch, and Levy bit back a chuckle. Natsu seemed to be right, Gajeel wasn't big and tough, although he definitely tried to act that way. Now that Levy knew who he was he seemed to be so much more … awkward.

"How's the tattoo treating you?" she asked. She knew she should get started on the cleaning stuff, but she was fascinated by Gajeel. Maybe it was just the mystery about him, maybe it was because she hadn't known he existed and didn't know so much, or maybe it was just because he made her breath catch in her throat with that damn smirk of his …

The very smirk on his face right then.

"It's all healed, barely caused me any irritation."

"That's good."

His eyes flashed and his smirk widened to show his teeth. "Want to see it?"

Her face flamed and she thought about saying no, but she was a tattoo artist and it was her tattoo so she was allowed to see it … right? And if she so happened to ogle that beautiful dark chest in the process … well things happen.

"If you're comfortable with doing that I would love to." She came around the counter so she could get closer and he tugged his shirt up. Her eyes skimmed the quote tattoo and drifted to her tattoo.

Without thinking about it she reached out, but she stopped herself before touching the skin. She could feel the heat from him wrapping around her fingers and crawling all through her body. She released a breath on a shudder and peeked up at him from under her lashes.

"Do you mind?"

He shook his head, something in his eyes practically crackling. She licked her lips and closed the distance, her finger tracing each thick black line. The tattoo was slightly raised above the rest of the skin, but aside from that it blended in perfectly.

"I don't mean to interrupt but aren't we closing?"

Levy gasped and stumbled back a step, pulling her hand to her chest. It was still warm …

Gajeel dropped his shirt and Levy looked at Natsu, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. The girl was standing next to him, gaping at Gajeel, and Levy felt a chuckle crawl up her throat. She imagined she'd had the same expression just a few seconds ago.

"We're just waiting on you," Gajeel rumbled, and yeah, Levy could definitely wake up to that voice. And fall asleep to it. And just live in it.

She shook her head and slid back over the counter, hoping her hair was covering her blush.

"Well let's just get Rose here rung up and then we can close up."

Levy focused on cleaning everything and getting them stored in their proper places, ignoring the weight of the eyes on her shoulders. If Gajeel wanted to stare then he could stare, it was only fair after all the staring she'd done. But she wished she could ignore it, instead she felt like her entire body was on fire.

It didn't take long before they'd gotten everything shut down and Levy grabbed her purse from the back, waiting for Gajeel and Natsu to exit before locking the door behind them.

She brushed some hair behind her ear and smiled at Gajeel. "It was nice to officially meet you. Maybe we'll see each other again."

Natsu pulled her into a hug with promises to see her soon, and then they parted and Levy headed for home. She felt eyes on her until she turned a corner, and even then she could still feel the ghost of them.

She sighed and shook her head. Really this crush was just plain pathetic. She wasn't looking to date again, not so soon after the break up, but if Gajeel asked her … she knew she wouldn't be able to say no.

She wasn't even sure she wanted to.

X

Another Friday came and Levy was restless. Normally she had no trouble spending her days off just sitting in her house and reading, but there was something under her skin that made it impossible to sit still for long. She thought about seeing if Lucy and Juvia wanted to go out together, but she knew the cause of the restlessness and she knew they would laugh if she brought them along.

So she left alone, making sure to avoid Fairy Ink as she headed down the darkening streets. Cars sped by on the road and groups of people jostled her on the sidewalk, but she kept her head down and kept walking.

She made it to Extalia just after eight. The bouncer carded her, but she was used to that. Even though she was 25 her small body always had people mistaking her for much longer. Once she was cleared she slid into the bar, pausing just inside the door.

The place was full, but not crowded. There was still room to move around and a few tables remained empty. Her eyes swept the crowd, but she didn't see any familiar faces and she relaxed slightly. As much as she loved her friends, she knew none of them would let her live it down if they found out about her crush.

Not that it was a crush.

She shook her head and wove through the crowd to the bar, claiming one of the stools. Once again Lily was behind the counter and when he saw her he smiled.

"Levy, right? It's been awhile." He began mixing up a drink and handed it to her. "Are you alone?"

She nodded and sipped the drink, surprised by the sweetness of it. "I had some free time and I thought I'd come check out the scene." And maybe catch a glimpse of Gajeel. "I was also hoping to speak to you for a bit, if you're not busy."

"I've got my break scheduled in 10 minutes, if you don't mind waiting." She shook her head and he smiled. Someone down the bar called to him and he left. Levy took the moment to spin on the stool, staring out over the crowd again.

For a moment she thought she saw a flash of pink hair, but when she looked closer it was too long, belonging to a woman. Her heart slowed a bit and she sighed, taking another sip of the drink. She had no reason to be afraid of spotting a friend, they had no idea why she was here, and it wasn't like they would know unless she told them. They'd probably just think she was enjoying her night off …

Except she knew Lucy and Lucy knew her and there was no way Lucy would believe she would come to a club alone on her night off. Levy preferred to do these things with friends, otherwise she just stayed home with a book.

She shook her head and it was then she was aware of the guy standing next to her. He was grinning and she gave him a cautious smile back.

Please just be after a drink.

"I noticed you were here alone," he started, and she sighed.

"I'm flattered, but I'm not alone."

"Oh?" He pointedly looked around and she plastered a grin to her face, leaning forward as if she were about to share a secret.

"You see the bartender," she breathed, motioning towards Lily. The guy nodded, and she smiled. "I'm just waiting for him to start his break." She leaned back slightly, glancing back at Lily. "I hope he doesn't see you talking to me though, last time …" She trailed off, lifting her shoulder in a shrug. "Well let's just say that guy didn't dance for a while after that."

The guy's eyes widened and she released her breath on a sigh, shaking her head as she turned back to the bar. She was surprised to see Lily standing so close, and he arched a brow.

"Sorry," she murmured, her cheeks flushing. "Didn't mean to use you like that."

He chuckled, his laughter deep and rich. "Don't worry about it. Glad I could be of help to you, even without doing anything." He ducked out from behind the bar and motioned for her to follow. He led her to a door marked private, holding it open for her before following her in. Back here the noise from the bar was muted and Lily led her to a little sitting area. "If we talk fast enough you'll be able to catch Gajeel's performance."

Her heart skipped a beat and she ducked her head. "He plays?"

Lily nodded, grabbing a couple of water bottles from a mini-fridge before sitting across from Levy. "He's not the best singer, but he's one of the best guitarists I've ever met. He tends to play on weekends and helps out behind the bar when I need him."

Levy nodded, so she would get a chance to see Gajeel.

Lily was studying her face and she flushed. "So," she said, clearing her throat and praying he couldn't read thoughts. "I wanted to talk to you because you're Wendy's guardian, right?"

Lily nodded. "Has she done something?"

"No, no. Of course not. She's an angel as usual, I just … I find it strange that you've been her guardian for four years, yet this is my first time really meeting you."

"Ahh." Lily sighed and set his water on the little table between them, resting his chin on his hands. "That would be my fault. I prefer to stay under the radar and they know it."

Levy wanted to ask why, but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries.

"And Gajeel? Is he the same?"

Lily shook his head, chuckling softly. "Gajeel likes to vanish. He often leaves for months at a time, it's no surprise you never met him. He rarely stays in Magnolia for more than a few weeks at a time."

"So you think he'll be leaving again soon?" It had been a month since Natsu had first said he got back …

"Maybe." Lily was watching her closely and she coughed, her cheeks heating up. "Maybe not. Sometimes he does stay for longer."

She nodded, playing with the water bottle. "I just …" She sighed, glancing up at Lily. "I feel a bit betrayed I guess. That my friends, some of my best friends, never told me about part of their life, y'know? I mean I know they have their reasons, and it wasn't like they were keeping you guys a secret or anything."

"That's understandable." Lily reached across the distance, patting her knee softly. "It really was my fault, I asked them not to talk about me too much. I have … a rocky past, and I'm trying to keep it from catching up to me." Levy nodded and Lily got to his feet. "Now come on. I have to get back to work and Gajeel should be starting soon."

They headed back to the bar and Levy parted with a promise to come back again. She slid towards the stage, not too close that she'd be seen, but close enough to get a good look at Gajeel.

Under the lights he looked even more intimidating, shadows stretched over his dark skin and his eyes seemed to be glowing. He was settling himself down on a stool, a guitar resting on his leg, and he flashed a grin out over the crowd as he started strumming.

At first it was just soft chords, but it began to pick up speed and intensity and she found herself swaying along with the crowd. It wasn't head banging music, but it made her feel like if she closed her eyes she could fly. She wasn't sure how long the song was, it felt like hours but she knew it had to have been only minutes. As it drew to a close she opened her eyes, surprised to see Gajeel staring right at her.

At least that was what it felt like, but there was no way he could be. She was lost in the crowd.

Then he started the next song, and this time he sang. His voice was rough, a bit scratchy, and his lyrics were … simply atrocious, but the guitar playing balanced it and made him sound almost … good. She smiled softly, slipping through the crowd and to the door. She'd done what she came for, and it was time to head home.

The sounds of Gajeel's guitar followed her to the street and she knew she'd be back.