So I was writing this since chapter 397 was released and now I finished it. That's great, because I don't think I'd be able to keep writng for much longer after the feels overload of 400 ;w;

Enjoy!

There was something bugging at Levy's mind, something she couldn't quite put a finger on or put into proper words. Ever since Gajeel's win against Torafusa and the insane battles that followed, it bubbled up inside of her... only to be squashed by the life-threatening situations thrown at them, preventing her from thinking properly about it. Instead, she tried to focus solely on Gajeel and the rest of her precious friends, aiding them with all of the magic she had stored inside of her body, and even then, mustering up a lifesaver or two.

But as their battered family had finally rounded up and rolled out of the smoking remains of the cube, one limping person supporting another and all collectively shaken, the lone string of thought that fought for her attention had finally caught it.

And Levy started laughing. And she couldn't stop.

It was safe to say that from the crowd of bleeding, bruised, poisoned and burned people (and in Gray's case, also frostbitten), she'd gotten more than just a few odd looks. However, the one that gave her the most quizzical one was a particular Steel Dragon, watching her wiggle around in his arms to muffle the sound, and then start to hiccup.

"Lost it yet, shorty?"

"Don't call me shorty," she complained, smiling against the tatters that once used to be his shirt, before moving up to peer at him through her lashes, "I know you can use my real name."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. You said it at least four times."

"Oh, so you counted." The man had the nerve to grin down at her. "Well, If you say so. Though I might've forgotten. Got knocked a few times in the head and all."

However, before she could do as much as stick her tongue at him and hiccup again, she felt his rough hand on her cheek, carefully wiping off the corners of her watery eyes. She hadn't even realized she was tearing up.

"Levy." He rumbled at her then, the grin on his face softening into something more serious, something that made her grasp at his arm - wrapping her fingers around his and gently squeezing at the rusted scales there. "You okay?"

And though she was dead tired, bruised all over and poisoned to the point where she was unable to stand up on her own, all she did was nestle into his collarbone with a sigh and grumble, "Yeah."

But after a second, the corners of her mouth raised a little and she hummed, "I'm just thinking about something stupid."

"Oh?"

"It's just," She giggled, looking up at him for a second, "It was bugging me ever since I shouted about the iron and carbon creating steel together. I couldn't shake it off - iron and it's properties, smelting, shaping..."

"What, you were thinking about science?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her. "While I was almost getting shredded to pieces, you were occupied with that?"

Levy puffed her cheeks out at that, eyes narrowing. "Okay, I've been thinking about you and iron." She deadpanned.

"Oh."

"But, you know, you're not that far off the mark." She mumbled with a blush, the tiny tidbits of information that followed her around for the past few hours moving to the forefront of her mind. "Iron is a chemical element called ferrum with the atomic number 26. It's the second most common metal on earth, along with being the fourth most common element, recognized by a silvery-gray color. It's reactive to oxygen and water, causing it to rust. Also, unlike other metals, the rust falls off in flakes, exposing new surfaces for corrosion."

The Dragon Slayer looked at her with amusement, "This is amazing, except I already know all of this stuff."

"I know," she agreed, "but, please let me finish."

"Are you saying you know something I don't?"

"Maybe."

She felt him shift at that, looking down at her curiously. "Well, bring it on."

"Alright then..." Levy replied, taking a deep breath and concentrating. "Pure Iron is soft," she said then. "And it only becomes harder because of the impurities inserted into it, such as carbon. However, iron with a very high carbon content isn't really good either - it's called pig iron for a reason, that being it's fragileness and uselessness. The key to obtaining strong iron is to find the balance between those two substances - only then does it get the quality it's known for. So, after the right percentage is decided, the pig iron is taken and cleansed of the redundant amounts of carbon in a series of complex processes..."

"Thus creating steel." Gajeel interrupted, sounding even more amused than before. He tugged his arm away from where she was playing with his fingers and poked her in the forehead. "Come on, how could you think that this, of all things, would surprise me? Steel Dragon Slayer, remember? Fe-C? Or did you get knocked in the head too and forgot you were the one telling this to everyone in the first place?" He chuckled as his assault continued, liberally tickling her behind the ears and scratching lightly underneath her chin before moving up.

"Yeah, but don't you think it's a bit ironic?" Gajeel groaned at that, ignoring her attempts to swat his hand away from her face.

"Nope."

"Well, then." Levy blushed, trying to turn herself away from the pokes to her forehead and cheeks, and ending the spree by catching his hand and pressing it into the damp, dirty mess that used to be her hair. "Let me phase that a little differently." She grinned, before taking a deep breath and letting her mind do the thing.

"Pure Iron is... It's soft." She murmured then. "Some say it's softer than aluminium - lustrous and beautiful and very, very rare. But then, it comes into contact with various impurities, like carbon, causing it to harden. The more tainted it gets, the stronger it becomes - resists pretty much anything - but then... But then it crosses the line, and the hardness gives way to fragileness. The steel becomes brittle - it becomes pig iron."

The Script mage took another deep breath, feeling her face burn as Gajeel's entire body stiffened in a way that could only be him figuring out what was going on. However, he said nothing - and she took it as her cue to continue.

"But then- If you take that pig iron, if you put some time and effort into it... If you heat it up, stir it, and add some oxygen, the impurities go away one by one until only a little remains, to make it stronger... And it turns into steel. And Gajeel, I just thought it was... It was really ironic, because that sounds exactly like you. Not just as a steel mage," She shook her head slightly, her grin softening, "though it seems that even your element tries really hard to underline how far you've come. I meant the real, living, breathing you."

There was no answer from him still, so she took the initiative and craned her head all the way back to catch a glimpse of his eyes. It was harder than before, because he wasn't looking back at her - his eyes seemed to be focused somewhere above the heads of the guild members surrounding them. But after a long moment, he did stare back - and the seriousness in his gaze made her eyebrows furrow.

"Are you ok?" She mumbled worriedly. "It's just an idea... And it was meant to be positive. I'm sorry if I said something wrong and- what are you doing-"

Levy gave a small shriek as she felt the man shift before tossing her up, but thankfully wrapping his arms around her middle and quickly - gently - bringing her back against him... In what she immediately realized was a big, warm hug.

Blushing for all she was worth, the Script Mage couldn't help but hum as she felt his lips brush against her temple, before squeezing her again for a good measure."I think I told you to stop apologizing for everything." He rumbled at her then, the tension from before all but gone as he butted his forehead against hers.

"I know." She answered, looking to the side shyly. "But you seemed a little... off. I didn't want to upset you."

Gajeel grinned. "How touching. But, you know, I don't get upset that easily," he reassured her.

"So, what were you..."

"I was thinking you're pretty smart," he laughed, "and amazing. And you care about me far too much for your own good." He winked at her, and her blush became even darker, if it was even possible. "I guess I didn't know that one after all."

"So... I win?"

"I guess." He shrugged, his brows furrowing. "But I'm not going to write a song for you or anything, just in case."

"I don't want it." The Script Mage sighed, before an idea popped into her head, making her bite her lip to suppress another smile. "But you can compliment me some more if you want."

"Ah." He hummed. "Alright, then."

She didn't protest when he readjusted her for the dozenth time or so, caressing her face again before moving closer - lightly brushing his lips against hers and then trailing along her cheek to the delicate shell of her ear. He bit the lobe slightly, making her shiver, his breath tickling her skin slightly.

"Your amazing intelligence, concentration and divided attention allow you to flawlessly compare my life to a chunk of iron."

The smack she delivered to his shoulder was supposed to hurt him, not make him laugh.

fin.

~HeartGold12