The Hummingbird

A small girl sat peacefully enjoying her tea in a quaint coffee shop. She was seated with her back facing the door, her small nose-as per usual- stuck in a book. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as her slim fingers nimbly turned the page, gasping when the plot hit a twist. She licked her rosy lips, her brow crinkling with anticipation, words and letters spiraled around her, catching her in the land of an undiscovered tale. Tousled blue curls tumbled down the back of her neck, stopping just below her shoulders, and held back with a yellow bandanna; each strand creating new, wild and mysterious curls, as if they themselves were story-lines of their own. Chocolate brown eyes glistened intelligently, flickering over the aged page and lit with an intriguing sense of adventure. Her pale skin contrasted well with her sky blue waves, her face etched with the knowledge of over a thousand books. The girl was extremely short for her age, 17 and only 5"4, however you shouldn't underestimate her; she could kill with in an instant. She wore a short black skirt, and a tight, brown, low-cut vest top. Over the vest, she had on a cropped yellow waist coat, with a pair of black pumps, along with some fish net tights and around her neck hung a silver locket.

Her name you may ask?

Levy McGarden, one of the leading field agents for the F.T.I.S. She wasn't like the agents in movies, with cool gadgets and just out on missions all the time; she actually worked in her study, producing extravagant battle plans and data for new and improved weapons. Anyone needing a flawless strategy went to Levy. F.T.I.S stood for; Fairy Tail Investigation Service, an organisation of the best agents- each specially trained and tested- who dealt illegal Mafia groups and stopped any uprising crime in Magnolia, the capital city of Fiore. However, she wasn't just any agent. She was the granddaughter of F.T.I.S's feared superior, Makarov Dreyar, the Don of the whole situation, and Heiress to the business.

At that moment she was waiting to meet two strangers. Both, worked for the F.T.I.S, Makarov had told her that she and these two others would be the best team for their latest case. No-one knew much about the case- other than Makarov, Erza Scarlett (his subordinate), and Mira-Jane Strauss (the main Curator) – Not even Levy knew that much, except that it had something to do with the largest Mafioso group in all of Fiore, Phantom Lord. For years F.T.I.S had tried to shut Phantom Lord down, but every time they got close enough to putting them in prison for good, they slipped back into the shadows and out of F.T.I.S's reach.

Agent work was risky, and, in order to keep all the members of the F.T.I.S safe, everyone was given another name to use when out on the field. Levy, or the 'Hummingbird', was renowned for her knowledge and archive work, she helped Mira-Jane (Demeter- Satan's girl) with a lot with organizing, and she in return, kept her updated on any recent information. Things like who her new 'partners' were. She hadn't been told their real names (surely they'd tell her when they got there) but she did know that they were the infamous 'Shape shifters'; 'Metallicana' and 'The Dark Knight', Levy didn't know who to look out for, so she just decided to wait until someone came up to her and asked her if she was The Hummingbird.

The Shape shifters were an undercover duo who dealt with extreme action (fighting everyone and then winning, the majority of the time) and experts in double-crossing. They were useful when it came to hand-to-hand combat, but completely useless when it came to strategizing. That's why Makarov was letting his 'precious' granddaughter do some 'dirty work' on the one condition that the Shape shifters were to act as her body guards. Levy was a little more than just annoyed at that statement but, no-one could argue with the boss.

Tucking a stray lock behind her ear, almost automatically, she held her breath, a few more pages and the book she'd started this morning would be finished. She couldn't wait to read another one of Lucy's, her best friend and also known as the 'Celestia Star', recommendations. Just as she was about to turn the last page over, something large and heavy slammed roughly onto the table. Levy leapt up, dropping her book, and pulling a pocketknife from her thy. Thank God no-one else was in the café.

Her usually sweet face was pulled into a defensive glare, aiming the sharp look at whoever had decided to get in the way of her and her reading. She may have looked small and innocent, but she wasn't Makarov's granddaughter for nothing. Her friends, and previous body guards, Jet and Droy, knew that messing with Levy when she had a book was nothing but suicide.

She studied the man in front of her; tall, at least 6"5, muscular build, long, wild black hair that came down to his shoulder blades, he had to be at least 18. He'd be a tough opponent. But who would attack her at this time in the day? Surely not a Phantom Lord… She looked him over in a scrutinizing manner, examining his features more closely. His skin slightly tanned and seemingly smooth, but no mark or talisman with the Phantom Lord Insignia on it… with one final calculating stare she decided he wasn't a Phantom….. Could he be from another Mafia? She'd heard that a new gang, Sabertooth, were rising up to power…. Then there was also Raven Tail, although they had been dormant for a while…

Iron piercings were dotted along his ears, down his nose, under his lips, a few lined where his eyebrows should've been, and three down each of his arms. But that wasn't what caught the bluenette's attention, it was his eyes. Blood red irises, hard and strong, yet they held a slight sadness in them. He wore a, somewhat dishevelled, navy suit, his shirt un-tucked and black tie slightly loose. As Levy looked him over one more time, she had to fight to keep her blush down, he was handsome, and there was no denying it.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, one eyebrow raised, her face closed and unreadable.

"You Hummingbird?" He questioned gruffly, Levy nodded curtly in return, standing up straight and brushing any dust off of her skirt.

"Yes, that's me, Metalicana, I assume?" She said it as more of a statement than a question, smiling softly at him; he just rolled his shoulders back.

"Yeah, s'me. Put you're knife away, Shrimp; I'm here to pick you up." The one thing that enraged her more than interrupting her whilst she was reading, were comments on her height. She knew how small she was and she didn't need some 6 foot giant reminding her, the nerve of this guy! She clenched the knife in her hand, restraining herself from slashing his chest open right there and then.

"What did you call me?" Her eyes were narrowed and her teeth were gritted, he was slightly taken aback by her sudden mood swing, hadn't she just been smiling at him less than half a second ago? What did he do now? He sure as hell hadn't insulted her, he wasn't anything like Natsu… That fire-brained idiot, He thought bitterly, He can piss off a girl by literally just saying 'Hi'. Then it hit him, he'd called her 'Shrimp' maybe he'd hit a nerve?

"Er... I called you Shrimp… It suits you, ya' know … 'cause you're small and Shrimp-sized?" Her face burned with complete and utter fury, he'd just insulted her again that metal-faced moron needed to think- before he spoke! She growled slightly at him griping the dagger so hard her knuckles had turned white.

Oh shit! Oh shit! She's angry! What did I do? Fix it,now! Um… Should I say something nice? What do I do!? Ya know she actually looks cute when she's angry… Not now idiot!On the inside the poor boy was freaking out but, on the outside, he was keeping on quite a good poker-face.

"What did you say about my height, asshole?" Her tone was dangerously low, he swallowed, sweat beading on his forehead, 'Great, now the director's granddaughter's mad at me!'

"Force of habit… I give people nicknames, so you're just gonna have to deal with it… Shrimp…" She opened her mouth- probably to yell at him again- when a voice caught their attention.

"Gajeel, have you collected the director's granddaughter yet? We should not stay out in the open for long, I heard a rumor that Raven Tail are in town." Levy was right, that stupid copy-cat gang were trying to overpower Fairy Tail again… 'Cowards…' She thought to herself. She turned around, whoever had spoken had intrigued her. He sounded sophisticated… Maybe he could knock some sense into the other guy? But, when she saw who it was she completely forgot about the whole 'Shrimp' ordeal.

In front of her stood a small black and white cat; its paws were crossed over its chest in a responsible manner, its tail twitching slightly behind it. Above its left eye was a small pink scar and around its mouth a ring of white. It wore a pair of baggy, green pants, held up by a strip of brown and strapped onto its back was a rather large and heavy-looking sword.

There were two other cats, like this one, that she knew, they could both talk and could also fly, their names were Happy and Carla. The fact that the cat had just spoken to her hardly fazed her, she had been involved with the progress of 'Project Exceed', an experiment that would allow animals to talk and fly. She hurtled towards the black feline, scooping him up into her arms for a bone crushing hug, narrowly avoiding being impaled by the sword.

"You are so cute!" She squealed, squeezing the air out of the animal's lungs and causing the other man to wince.

"Damn it, Shrimp, get ya hands off a' my cat!" Levy- too engaged with crushing said cat- merely sent him a glare, and if looks could kill, he'd be long gone.

"Miss McGarden!" The cat managed to gasp out, "Please! I can't … breath!"

"Oh God! I'm so sorry!" She set the tabby down, still vaguely petting its ears, "So, what's your name?"

"I am Pantherlily, or Lily for short, my agent name is 'The Dark Knight' due to the fact that my fur is dark-colored and I possess the fighting abilities of a knight." His tone was deep and, for lack of another word, manly, "This is my friend, Gajeel Redfox. He can be stubborn at times and doesn't have very much social experience, but once you get to know him he is a great guy."

"Good morning, Lily. As you know, my name is Levy McGarden." She smiled brightly and turned to Gajeel, "We got off on the wrong foot, let's start again, shall we? I'm Levy."

"Gajeel." He grunted, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was trying, she was really trying, but he was just so damn rude!

"Don't mind him," Lily smiled, gently padding towards her, "He's just being his usual irritable self."

"Where's ya stuff, Shrimp?" Gajeel made his way to the door, turning slightly to flash a side glance.

"My… stuff?" She tilted her head to the side in confusion, her brows slightly furrowed, "My stuff is in my apartment, why?"

"Didn't the boss tell ya?" He smirked, a pair of sharp fang-like canines peeped from in between his lips, "You're stayin' with us, Shrimp!"

"WHAT!?" Gajeel cringed, putting a hand over his left ear, probably in an attempt to block out Levy's frantic screech, "WHAT!? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THIS!?"

"Calm down, Shrimp!" Gajeel yelled, electing a glare from the fuming bluenette. Waiting until she was less hysterical, he carried on, "You're old man probably just forgot to tell ya, s'all, don't get ya panties in a twist! C'mon, let's get you're stuff."

"No, I refuse to stay with you in your house!" She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, she knew she was acting like a spoilt brat, but, all she wanted to do was get this meeting over with and carry on with her book- which was still on the floor, might she add.

"Seriously?" The black-haired man raised an eyebrow and growled slightly at her.

"I'm not going to move from this spot." Levy retorted, flashing him a smirk, almost daring him to make her move. His crimson eyes flashed over her, scanning her before a sadistic grin sprung to his lips.

"Fine then, Shrimp, have it your way." Without any warning what so ever, he threw the small girl over his shoulder, picked the book up off of the floor and walked out of the café. The trio got some very unusual looks, some onlookers even stopping to stare at them. Lily shook his head and sighed, did Gajeel always have to make such a scene? He followed his human companion. Yes, the cat concluded, he did.

Levy was furious.

Now, the small bookworm was hardly ever angry, she was generally quite a bubbly person. But right now, she was absolutely livid. She kicked her legs in a futile attempt to make him put her down, thrashing around wildly and screaming bloody murder at him. She pounded on his back, and even tried to punch him, but it just ended up tiring her out. She was still slightly winded from being thrown over his shoulder and in the awkward position she was in, she found it quite hard to breathe. After a few more minutes of struggling and one last insult, she gave up, propping her elbow on his back and resting her head on the palm of her hand.

"Thank fucking heaven and hell that's over." Gajeel grumbled, adjusting Levy's position on his shoulder, "Please tell me you're done, Shrimp."

"I'm done." She rolled her eyes and let out a huff of annoyance, "How're you supposed to get to my place anyways? You don't know where I- You know where I live don't you?"

"What do you think, Shrimp? Gihi!" Levy froze, what the hell was that? … Was that supposed to be a laugh? To her it sounded more like a cat being strangled but… then why did her chest swell when she heard it? She shook the feeling off, telling her self that it was probably the lack of air she was getting going to her head.

"Great… Makarov told you, didn't he?" She felt him nod, his long, and surprisingly silky, hair tickling her stomach. She looked up when Gajeel came to a stop, wondering if they'd reached their destination, he looked around for a few seconds, seemingly lost, "Its number nine, Fairy Hills." He turned and walked towards the building.

"If I put you down, will you make a run for it?" He asked skeptically, hesitating in front of the door.

"No… there's no point really is there? You could easily out run me." He thought for a moment then shrugged, setting her down on the door step. She adjusted her clothes making sure that nothing was showing and turned back to him, her eyes slightly narrowed. She drew back her arm and punched him right in the face, a sickening crack echoed through the dodgy streets, Lily flinched at the sound. Gajeel's hands few to his nose, letting out a string of harsh swear words as blood dripped into his mouth.

"Ah! God- hmmmm! That hurt like a bitch! God, you can fucking punch!" He staggered backwards, carefully prodding his tender face.

"Don't ever do that again. Got that, Metal-face?" She hissed, turning on her heel and walking through the door. Really, she felt bad for punching him, but he just made her so mad that she'd done it before she could stop herself, "...Sorry for punching you..." She muttered quietly under breath, not expecting for him to hear here, let alone respond.

"Nah, 's ok, Shrimp, you're not as fragile as you look..." He sent her a cocky smirk and followed her in, Lily padding after them.

"There's a first aid kit in the kitchen cupboard." The petite girl shouted from her room, starting to shove clothes and other necessary items into various bags. She swept a lock of her sky blue hair behind her ear biting her lip in frustration as she furiously began to pack everything she needed in such short notice.

"Why didn't that stupid grandfather of mine tell me for God sake!?" She growled, throwing an assortment toiletry items into a small wash bag. When everything she needed was packed and ready, the gripped her bags in her small hands and made her way to the kitchen. It was a nice, sizable room with clean surfaces and a marble island in the middle, cupboards lined with food stuffs and crockery traced the white walls. Sat at the island were her two new house mates, Pantherlily stood by the fruit bowl, a ripe juicy kiwi held in one paw, the other rested on his hip. Gajeel was slumped against the table, a rather bored expression lying across his hard face.

"Why's my cat gotta have such a weird ass obsession?" He muttered, glaring at the floor, "Kiwis, that's fucking messed up, Lily."

"Actually," Levy interjected, smirking slightly, "Kiwis are really good for you, they contain vitamin C, so it's essentially quite healthy obsession."

"Ah, Miss. McGarden, I see that you have finished your packing. I apologise for throwing this on you, but Master Makarov insisted that we take you in for the time being." Levy brushed it off, smiling brightly at the small cat.

"It's ok Lily; really, my grandfather's just an overprotective idiot, that's all. And please, don't call me Miss. McGarden; I would rather be called Levy." Lily nodded curtly, popping the last of the green fruit in his mouth before hopping off the table.

"Smart ass..." Gajeel uttered under his breath, earning a sharp glare from the petit girl, "Anyways," He passed Levy the book she'd been reading in the café and smirked, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone, and here I thought that book was for kids."

"Shut up. It's an amazing series of novels and I happen to like them." She snatched the novel off of him and stuffed it in her bag with the rest of her books, "If all you're going to do is criticise me, then we wont have much to talk about."

"Yeah, yeah," The black-haired man rolled his eyes, taking the book bag from the small girl, "Let me take that, Shrimp- Holy shit! What the hell have you got in here? A fucking whale or something!?"

"No… but I have got Moby Dick…" She raised a brow, "I honestly didn't think it was that heavy… Do you want me to take it?"

"Nah, I can handle it." He made his way to the door, Levy silently following with her suitcase in tow and Pantherlily padding along beside her. A devious smirk crept to the cat's lips, these two were almost made for each other, what would he have to do to edge them on?

As they made their way through the bustling streets, the two began to talk. (Their conversation looking something much like this, "Nah, Hermione should'a been in Hufflepuff!" "No way! She was an amazing witch and was as smart as hell, not to mention, she was a Muggle born!" "Tsch whatever, Shrimp, I don't know why yer getting so damn defensive! I bet you'd be a Hufflepuff. Damn short-ass Muggle.") Lily had no clue what on earth they were talking about, but he knew they were bonding over it.

"You did not just call me a Hufflepuff. That's it! You are so going down! As soon as we get to your place we are both taking the test!" The hot-tempered girl declared, "I have the app on my phone!"

"Jeez, Shrimp, you're damn persistent. Fine I'll take ya stupid test! Damn Shrimp." Levy giggled, smiling up at the scowling man, "What the hell are you so happy about Shrimp?"

"Nothing, it's just… You're nothing like I thought you'd be." He raised a metal brow, turning to glance sideways at her, "You're not as… um…. Utterly aggravating?"

"Utterly aggravating? Ya know what, I change my mind. You'd be in Ravenclaw." She swept a loose curl behind her ear and turned away, a small blush coating her pale cheeks.

"Thank you." They spent the rest of the walk in a comfortable silence, both mulling over the days events so far.

They came to a small semi-detached house, Levy's eyes sparkling with amazement as she took in the ivy covered building, it looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

"Sorry, 's not much, but its home." Gajeel unlocked the door and the three of them piled into the front room, dropping Levy's things by the couch, before sitting down to discuss sleeping arrangements. Gajeel instantly loosened his tie and threw off his blazer, undoing the top few buttons of his shirt and flopping back onto the couch.

"You see, Levy, due to the fact that this house has only one bedroom, Gajeel and I share the bedroom. There are a few options you can choose from, and don't worry about Gajeel, we discussed this last night, so he's fine. The bed is rather large and could potentially fit all three of us, with room to spare; so, the first option is that we could all share the bed." Lily paused, taking in Levy's reaction. The bluenette's face was slightly flushed, a rosy glow had adorned her cheeks, and her lips were pressed together in a thin line. Once the cat was certain that Levy wasn't going to scream profanities at him for so much as suggesting the idea, he carried on, "Another choice is-,"

"You needn't go any further, Lily." Levy smiled politely at the dark-furred feline, "I'm guessing that the other two options were either me sleeping on the couch or you two sleeping here?" Lily nodded, confirming her accusation, "I don't particularly fancy the idea of sleeping here, nor do I want to cause you two any discomfort so…" Her face slowly began to turn a more crimson color, "I wouldn't mind sharing the bed… as long as you," She pointed to Gajeel, "Stay on your side of the bed."

"Hey! Don't go pointin' fingers at me, Shrimp, I ain't gonna do nothin'!" He yelled, glaring at her slightly.

"Good!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes slightly, "So, Lily, is there anything we need to do today?"

"Not that I am aware of, no. All you need to do is unpack your things, we already made some space in Gajeel's draws yesterday, so if you'd like to do that now?" Levy stood, taking her suitcase before carrying it up the stairs.

"Are you coming Gajeel, or do I have to find the room on my own?" Gajeel shook his head, attempting to hold back a small snicker at the persistent girl's call.

"I'm'a comin', Shrimp." He muttered, yanking himself up and making his way up the stairs.

Levy's eyes widened, the bed was absolutely enormous, covering more than half of the equally as gigantic room. Pillows and duvets were scattered lazily in inviting heaps, merely the very sight of it made Levy almost want to launch herself into the downy cushions. But she firmly reminded herself that she was in Gajeel's house, not her apartment.

The room itself was quite plain. The light walls were fairly bare, only a couple of Heavy Metal band posters hung over the bed, a large chest of draws sat to the side- various objects such as pictures and tinkering metal were strewn haphazardly along the top- in the middle of the room sat the bed, and next to it a rather old-looking mahogany desk. Documents and papers littered the surface in dishevelled stacks, a black Apple Mac sat in the middle of the chaos, flashing slightly to notify its owner that it was out of battery.

"Here, Shrimp, I cleared out these ones for ya." Gajeel opened a few of the draws, showing Levy which ones she could use. Once all of Levy's belongings were set neatly in the battered chest the two went back down stairs to join Lily.

Gajeel collapsed onto the couch, snatching up a piece of scrap metal from the coffee table, he inspected it closely for a few seconds before raising it to his lips and biting down. The small blue haired girl gasped in horror, her jaw dropping in complete shock as the smirking male carried on chewing.

"Surprised, Shrimp? Gihi!" He swallowed, his tongue flashing out to lick his lips, "I prefer iron but any scrap metal will do really."

"Y-you're so weird." Was all Levy managed, her usually calm manner now melted into a stuttering mess. She had seen things equally as weird, in fact she had helped with the development of the assignment. 'Project D' they called it, D standing for Dragon, three agents- Natsu Dragneel, Wendy Marvell and Gajeel Redfox- were chosen to become testees for the experiment. A formula that triggered enhancement to their senses and allowed them to control one element, Natsu had taken Fire, Wendy, Air and Gajeel, Metal, they could even eat their chosen elements to cause them to grow stronger and even change body parts.

"Says the girl with abnormally blue hair!" He retorted, popping another piece of steel into his mouth. Finally making her way out of her temporary stupor, she glared at the offending man and huffed, plopping down next to him, "Some people from the science department wanted to test some stuff on me, I couldn't care less, so this happened."

"You know I helped to improve the original formula for Project D." She stated, he raised a metal brow.

"So, anyway, about that quiz you were babbling on about earlier?"

"Oh yes!" Levy's face immediately brightened as she dug out her phone from her book bag and switched it on, flicking through her apps until she came to the right one. Passed her phone to Gajeel, as a number of questions appeared on the luminous screen.

"The fuck is this?" Levy scowled, smacking his arm, "What!? What kinda freaky question is: When you die what would you most like people to do when they hear your name? Seriously, this is some freaky shit!"

"For Gods sake, Gajeel, just do it! I haven't done it yet and it's been on my phone for months!" The petite girl hissed at him shrilly, he glowered at the touch screen, filling in the questions until he came to the 'Submit Answers' button, pressing it and allowing the app to 'calculate his answers'.

Congratulations! Welcome to SLYTHERIN HOUSE!

The green words flashed brightly, showing the boy that he was destined to be in the house of Slytherin.

"Happy now, Shrimp?" He muttered, shoving the device in her face.

"Hmm?" She looked up from the second Harry Potter book, smiling at him before taking back her cell, "I thought you would be. My turn!"

Congratulations! Welcome to RAVENCLAW HOUSE!

She beamed, her eyes twinkling with mirth as the blue writing flickered across the phone screen. She giggled quietly to herself, tucking a loose curl behind her ear and slipping her phone back into her bag.

"What'd I say, Shrimp?" She rolled her eyes and took out her book again, flipping through the dog-eared pages until she came to where she left off.

"Well," She began, her eyes already raking over the magical words, "I don't know about you, but I'm going to read until dinner."

"Speakin' of." Gajeel turned to his cat, who, at the time, was busying himself with smiling knowingly at the two, "What're we havin' tonight Lily?"

"Why don't I make something?" Levy questioned, nose still stuck in her book, "I know a few good recipes, and it's the least I could do. You two are letting me stay here after all." ***

It was around 11 at night and, full to their stomachs with a beautifully cooked lasagna, the three house mates trailed drowsily into the bedroom.

"I'll go in the bathroom first." Levy yawned, pulling a pair of sleeping shorts and a baggy top from one of her draws; Gajeel nodded in acknowledgement and pulled his white shirt up over his head.

Levy got changed and brushed her teeth, splashing her face with some cool water, before making her way back out of the bathroom and dumping her dirty clothes in the suitcase by the draws. Gajeel stood by the bed clad in nothing but a pair of sleeping boxers, Levy's cheeks reddened slightly, causing her to quickly avert her eyes. The tall man strode past her into the bathroom, oblivious to her flushed face, to brush his teeth. Levy sat down on the bed, reaching for her hair brush- which was conveniently placed on the bed- and began to tackle her unruly tresses. When the small girl had had enough of futilely attempting to tame the untamable, she set the brush down with a sigh and slid into the far end of the bed. She watched Gajeel come back into the room with Lily- who was wearing a pair of cute striped pajama bottoms and a matching hat- hovering next to him, he shuffled in next to her, Lily settling in between them, and reached for the lamp.

"Night, Shrimp." He mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Good night, Gajeel." She wrapped her arms around Lily and snuggled down, allowing herself some greatly appreciated rest.

Blood. Rancid, crimson, blood. Everywhere she looked, she saw it. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, throat arid and scratchy, dry sobs raked from her chest. Her nose wrinkled in disgust, the suffocating stench of dried blood clawed at her nostrils, and sent her tongue reeling at the metallic taste. She coughed, nails scraping at her chest in a failed attempt to rid her insides of the nauseating substance. Her hair stuck to her face, caked in dry blood, the usual blue locks now a repulsive dirty purple. Bile swirled around her tongue, her esophagus tightening and threatening to make her vomit. Gasping down the sickly urge, the small woman staggered to her feet, stumbling backwards once she caught sight of the rest of her body. Hot, sticky blood clung to her skin, coating her in a thick layer of burgundy, her eyes widened in horror, her lips spread apart in a silent scream.

Her hazy gaze searched around her, her body turning rigid as her eyes landed on a scarlet bundle in front of her. A mass of mangled limbs were flung together in an almost inhumane way, the face hardly even recognizable. She took a step closer, wet blood, still gleaming and glistening in the sinister street light, leaked from the body. When she was nearer to it she noticed something unusual. Along its arms where bulky, metal bolts, melded into the skin. A revolted shriek finally made its way to her chapped lips as her moist hands clasped around her mouth. Tears trickled from her wide eyes, a stare of pure terror holding her in a trance. The eyes where gaping open, staring lifelessly up at Levy, dull, crimson irises recognizable from a mile away.

"Gajeel!" She shrieked, heart-wrenching sobs erupting from her lips. She dropped to her knees, trembling hands reaching out to his motionless body, stab wounds engraving the Phantom Lord insignia along his chest and down his stomach.

Pain. Suffering. Death.

Why did it always have to end like this!?

A deep malevolent laugh echoed from the shadows, a quiver ran down the girl's spine as the daunting cackle reached her ears. Slowly she turned, the expression on her face showed all. Muggy, brown, blood dripped down her face, sticking to her chin, her eyes wide with terror.

"Don't be scared, my dear." The voice rasped, another sardonic chuckle emanating from the darkness, "My name's Jose, I'm the director of Phantom Lord, and the last thing you'll ever see, Levy. Oh, don't look at me like that. You'll see you're parents again, won't that be nice? Don't forget about your lovely partner here, reunited, once again! Don't you remember, Levy? Mama and papa, laying dead in a pool of their own filthy blood, like worthless animals gone to the slaughter-house, just like Gajeel. It's your turn now, Levy. But don't scream too loudly, I don't want your granddaddy to find you too soon."

And within a split second a pale hand shot out from the shadows, a sliver of glossy metal gripped in his gaunt fingers. Then, just like that, it was gone.

A cry of pure agony tore through the still night; the small girl's arms wrapped around her bleeding stomach, doubled over, tears spilling from her eyes and down her face. Shudders of pain jolting through her body, still knelt next to Gajeel. She glanced down, moving her trembling hands away from the wound, right in the middle of her stomach lay a sharp silver blade. A pained gasp escaped from her split lips.

"Can you feel it, Levy?" The man questioned in a taunting manner, a malicious grin stretching his crazed face, "Where are mama and papa now, hmm? Where's Gajeel? Where are they? Can you see them?"

"Mama!" She wept, her throat constricting as a sickly, copper-like, thick liquid rose to her lips, "Papa! GAJEEL!" She screamed, smashing her tiny fists on the ground, coating them in another, new, layer of thick, sticky blood.

"Levy!"

She clamped her eyes shut, her moist hands clutching her hair as she frantically shook her head. Torment rushing through her beaten body.

"Levy!"

"NO!" She shrieked, panic ripping through her, loud sobs pushing past her bitten lips, kicking out and punching anything in range.

"LEVY!"

Her eyes shot open, deep panting breaths running along her quivering form, mouth agape, tears streaming down her frightened face. Something thick and rigid wrapped around her waist, constricting her movements.

"NO!" She screamed, thrashing around wildly, her sharp nails clawing at the iron-like restraints, "Let me go!"

"Hey!" A coarse voice called, large warm hands clamped around her striking ones, "Calm down! Stop it! Damn it, Shrimp, stop it!"

"Mama… Papa… Gajeel!" She shrieked, swallowing back the acrid taste of vomit that threatened to climb up her throat. Sweat drenched the sheets around her, her limp, tangled curls sticking down her neck and face. She stared down at her entrapped hands, no blood. She glanced to her knotted locks, pulling a few strands in front of her face, no blood. She took deep heavy breaths… it was… a dream?

"Levy…?"

She froze. A voice. His voice?

No. This felt….

Warm? Comforting? Soothing?

She slowly turned her head.

Gajeel… Alive, breathing, living.

Behind her on the bed, sat rigid and alert, were both Gajeel and Lily, the cat's tail was upright and puffy, the fur on the back of his neck even stood on end. Gajeel's arms were fastened firmly around her, more salty tears seeped through her blinking lids, heaving gasps still demanded from her tight lungs.

"G-Gajeel…? GAJEEL!" She spun and threw herself at him, her tiny fingers clutching to him, whimpers and chokes spewing from her clenched teeth.

"Oh my God." He uttered, gawking down at the broken girl in front of him, "L-Levy? Just what the hell happened to you, Shrimp?"

"I keep seeing faces," Fearful shudders raked her body as she cried, "So many faces… D-dead… All dead… My mama, my papa… y-you. H-he-… s-stabbed….. Blood everywhere… So much blood." At the sight of her tear-stained and terrorized face, Gajeel's arms instantaneously encircled her, pulling her onto his lap.

He gradually lay back down, allowing her head to rest in the crook of his neck, gently rocking her back and forth.

"I think…" Lily began, staring at the shuddering girl in Gajeel's arms, "That was the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed."

"No kidding… Jesus Christ. Lily… I think my heart just stopped." The black-haired male rubbed Levy's back, watching carefully as her sobs subsided and slowly turned to steady breaths. He nestled his face in her soft hair, as Lily curled up in a purring ball by their heads, inhaling deeply.

Then he smiled. Smiling was a very rare thing for Gajeel, the most you could get out of him on a good day was either a cocky smirk or a cruel grin. The sweet smell of parchment, new books and vanilla filled his nostrils, coaxing him into a drowsy slumber.

Light streamed through the window, flooding the room in a golden glow, Levy's eyes fluttered open, basking in the warm sunlight. She hummed lightly, tensing her arms to stretch, but finding that something soft, yet firm, was preventing her from moving. She scowled, staring down at the offending object, her eyebrows raising when she saw a pair of slightly tanned arms wrapped snugly around her waist. She shrugged as her eyelids drifted shut, leaning back against the pillow.

Her eyes snapped open.

"What the hell?" She muttered, twisting her head to get a better look at her assailant. Her face softened, Gajeel, a red dusting coating her cheeks. She was being cuddled by the one and only Gajeel Redfox.

Black-Steel Gajeel. Metalicana. Gajeel Kurogane Redfox. The Iron Dragon.

Cuddling.

Her cheeks flushed at the thought, she squinted, examining his face as the morning sunlight drifted over the shining metal bolts embedded into his skin. She swept a lock of thick, tangled hair behind her ear, squinting to see if she could inspect him even closer. His usually scowling face was set in a serene smile, his lips slightly parted, allowing him to take long, shallow breaths. He was actually quite…. Handsome…. In a rugged, tough-guy sort-of way.

She scowled; why the hell were they cuddling?!

Hazy pictures blurred her vision; her brows furrowed as it all came crashing back down on her.

Blood.

Pain.

Suffering.

She gnawed on her bottom lip, keeping back painful screams as the horrific images filled her head. Her breathing became harsh and ragged, clawing at her lungs and sticking in her throat.

Then she saw him… sleeping… peaceful… beautiful…

Was it strange to call him beautiful?

He was a man… but there, in that moment, it just fit him so well.

She raised her hand, tentatively skimming her fingers over the perfectly shaped piercings, tracing the lines of his face. Her eyes flicked over every individual stud. 20, altogether, three above each eye, three down either sides of his strong nose, three along each earlobe and two underneath his bottom lip. The more she thought about it the more her heart began to race, adding to her already blushing cheeks.

During the time of Levy's intense thinking, Gajeel had woken up; he watched her face scrunch up in thought through thin slits, raising a bolted brow.

"Ya know, Shrimp," He rumbled drowsily, yanking her from her thoughts with a shocked squeak, "If you're going to stare at me and feel my face up, at least do it when I'm awake so I can tell you to back the fuck off."

"G-GAJEEL!? YOU'RE AWAKE!?" She screeched, wide-eyed and fully aware of her situation.

"Yes… and apparently I am too." Lily stretched, his tail tensing for a moment and his back arching, before letting out a drowsy yowl and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Sorry Lily! I didn't mean to wake you!" The blue haired girl blushed, fiddling with the hem of her night-shirt.

"Its fine, Levy." He yawned again before flashing her a polite smile, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Lily, Gajeel." Said man grunted in response, turning over on his side to expose his bare skin. Levy's eyes widened, small gasp left her lips. Deep, dark, scars stretched across his back, jagged lines of dented flesh littering the skin, she gingerly reached out, gently touching the reddened gashes. A low his emanated from deep inside the dragon, causing Levy to rapidly jerk her hand away.

"What did I just say, Shrimp?" Gajeel growled, looking over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. He took a look at her face, horror-stuck and pity written all over her, his eyes started to soften, "Hey, um… don't worry about it… I guess this is what you get for being a full-time field-agent, hu?"

"Yeah… I guess…" She quickly snapped out of her stupor, turning away in embarrassment, "Of course not that it's any of my business! Sorry I'm staring! Why am I staring!?"

"It's 'cause I'm sexy, Shrimp! Gihi!" He chuckled, swinging his legs off of the bed and flashing her a toothy smirk. Her cheeks flared as a deep blush exploded across her petite face, electing another teasing laugh from the black-haired man.

"I-I- That's not what I- You! Gajeel!" She shrieked, her red face glaring at his scarred back as he made his way to the bathroom. She sat in a flustered daze for a few minutes before finally getting out of bed. After both of them were showered and dressed they resulted to standing awkwardly next to each other.

"Hey, Shrimp?" Gajeel started, the nickname he'd used irritating the small girl to bitter end.

"What, Gajeel?" She huffed, narrowing her eyes. She was too busy sulking to notice the soft pink hue adorning his cheeks in an embarrassed blush, (which he would later deny any evidence that it had ever happened) or the fact that he was slowly turning to face her.

"Look at me a sec..." He muttered, his heart thundering in his chest, since when had anyone made him feel so... so...! He couldn't come up with the words; he was too focused on the petite angle in front of him. Her honey-brown eyes gazed up at him with the curiosity of one thousand questions, her porcelain skin almost glowed in the morning sunlight- making her look even more like a china doll- her sapphire locks tumbling around her face and down her neck, not yet put in it's usual bandanna. The poor love-struck man almost forgot how to breath- he swore his pulse quickened to something barley humanly possible.

"Gajeel? Earth to- Hmm!" He cut her off, bowing down to capture her lips in one swift motion; she made a sound of complete and utter shock- which quickly melded into one of satisfaction. His lips felt so right against hers, as if they were made for each other, her heart pounded, head spinning. The air wooshed out of her lungs, winding her as her legs began to buckle, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck in a futile attempt to steady herself, but it made no difference, she was still as equally as lightheaded.

They finally broke the long exchange, panting breathlessly and staring adoringly into each others eyes. She tried, and failed, to slow her frantically beating heart- where the hell had that come from!?

"I-I..." She started once her once her voice had decided to work again. He didn't let her to continue, silencing her with his lips yet again, she didn't struggle or move away, she merely melted into the kiss, allowing her closed heart a break. She could love, couldn't she? There was no company policy or law against it, so, for once in her conformist life, she let go. She broke the rules. And she was going to be late... (Not that she knew that at the time, of course)

Lily, who had witnessed the whole exchange, still sat peacefully on the pillow, his eyes glinting with mischief and two pearly white fangs peaking out from under his lips in a knowing smirk.

"They loooooove each other!"He thought, chuckling to himself, it was good that his best friend- and partner- had finally found something worth while. Something he would have to fight for and live for. The cat uncharacteristically smiled, he was happy for Gajeel. Suddenly there was a loud, masculine, yell, startling the poor animal half to death.

"OH FUCK WE'RE LATE!"

That's all folks!

So, how did ya'll like it? My first FT fic! Thankies wee anon for requesting a Gajevy shot on tumblr! Sorry it took so long, but I just got back to school and feels and death and stuff… *Internal sobbing*

If you want to find my blog there's a link on my profile ;) I welcome new followers!

Yes well, I hope you like it!

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