14. Tiny Star

Although they both made up yesterday, Gajeel still couldn't help but feel tense whenever he thought about telling her his secret. In truth, it wasn't a secret, but just his past that he didn't think he could keep to himself. There was a mixture of emotions whenever he thought about talking to Levy about it. The only person who knew in Fairy Tail was Juvia, and that was probably all they talk about when they meet. He couldn't help but smile when thinking that Levy was jealous about his relationship with Juvia. It was also funny how he's gone this far, from being a mean, scary guy from Phantom Lord, to a person who loves his girlfriend so much.

A guy who loves his girlfriend so much that he couldn't bear to let her know anything that made him bad, even though she knows that he wasn't always a good guy.

"And what are you smiling for, Gajeel?" He heard the teacher ask, snapping out of his thoughts and hearing a giggle from Levy. Gajeel shook his head as the teacher narrowed his eyes for a moment, and continued the lesson.

When the teacher wasn't looking, Levy placed a small paper-folded crane on his table, and smiled. He took the paper crane in his hand and gave a grin at her. It was tiny in his hand, and he dared not do anything to it, fearing that he could crumple it.

It was after their talk that Levy became closer to Juvia, and Gajeel understood that she wouldn't pry his past out of Juvia and wait until he would tell her himself. Levy also felt pathetic for feeling jealous over Juvia and Gajeel's relationship because it was completely, utterly, obvious that Juvia was head over heels in love with Gray. Poor girl, Gray just seems completely oblivious to her feelings, and Levy couldn't help but comfort Juvia.

"It must be great for you, Levy, that you have Gajeel looking at you only." Juvia sniffed.

Levy blushed and gave a shy laugh, and smiled widely. "I am." She said. "But I'm sure you'll get your chance, Juvia! Gray might seem like a complete idiot right now, but maybe he likes you too! So don't give up." She said encouragingly. "And if things don't work out between you two, then I'm sure there are others."

Juvia nodded, but still sniffed. Levy smiled, knowing how much Juvia loves Gray. After school, Juvia, Levy and Gajeel decided to walk home together when they saw Gray and another boy talking. "Gray-sama is talking with someone from another academy?" Juvia asked.

Levy thought for a moment. "Well, I think his name is…Lyon Bastia?" Levy said as they neared the two. It was then that Lyon spotted the three, and his eyes widened into a love-filled gaze, and Gajeel felt a little uncomfortable by it.

Lyon turned all attention to Juvia. "What a beauty," He whispered, making Juvia stifle a shriek and take a small step back. Gray noticed the discomfort shown by Juvia, and he stepped between the two.

"Hey, Lyon. Don't creep her out." Gray said. Juvia looked at Gray in awe and love, and Levy giggled at Juvia's expressions. "You didn't even ask her name, how do you expect her to be your friend?"

Lyon looked at Gray, narrowing his eyes for a moment when he smirked. "So you are not an obstacle, are you, Gray?" He asked, and silence fell within the group. Juvia hoped Gray would say something that proved he had some feelings for her, but after a moment, he shrugged.

"I guess…not." Gray said hesitantly.

Juvia felt her heart break into pieces, and she looked ready to cry. Levy felt sorry for Juvia. "Juvia…" Levy called out softly.

"Gray-sama's a total idiot!" Juvia cried as she ran away, tears spilling from her eyes.

Lyon and Gray looked at Juvia who ran away, and Levy did not hesitate to run after Juvia. "O-Oi, Levy!" Gajeel called after her. He looked at the two boys. "…You're pretty dumb, Gray." He said indifferently as he ran after Levy.

Gray scratched his head. "It's not as though I haven't noticed her…" He mumbled.

It wasn't hard for Gajeel to catch up to Levy, although she was fast. They found Juvia sitting on the public park bench, and she merely sighed when she saw the two. "Juvia just didn't think properly just now, sorry." She said dejectedly.

Levy shook her head and smiled. "I would have done the same." She sat next to Juvia.

"Juvia feels very sad." She said as she looked at her hands placed on her lap. "But Juvia feels that it's probably a sign of moving on."

Levy felt sad about Juvia's decision, and Gajeel patted her head as a form of comfort. Levy looked up at Gajeel and nodded, knowing that it was Juvia's decision and she shouldn't tell her otherwise. "I think everything will work out great, Juvia." She said, and she had to admit that this was the best she could offer at the moment.

Juvia smiled and nodded. "Juvia will be okay, Levy. Thank you." Juvia smiled at Gajeel. "And thank you, Gajeel."

He merely grunted in response.

Juvia requested to be left alone for the day and (although reluctantly) Levy and Gajeel parted with Juvia. While the couple walked home, Levy looked down. Gajeel, noticing his girlfriend's upset look, ruffled her head. "Come on, cheer up." He said.

Levy looked up at him, her expression still sad. "I can't help but think they would look cute together." She said sadly, and she held onto his hand and leaned into him as they walked.

It was barely difficult for Gajeel to keep walking with Levy leaning into him, since she was so small and light, but she was adorable. Their fingers intertwined as they held hands and walked, and Gajeel felt that he should take the step to tell her about himself. He had a feeling that Juvia being rejected by Gray was part of the reason why she decided to move on. He guessed that the other reason would be because she had a past of her own which made her feel that she didn't deserve having a boyfriend like Gray.

Of course, her past was nowhere near as bad as his past. Not when she didn't kill anyone.

"Gajeel?" He snapped out of his thoughts when Levy called out to him.

"Uh, yeah?" He asked, earning a pout from the girl.

"Clearly you weren't listening." She said, and only then did he realize they were standing in front of Levy's home. She unlocked the door and she stepped in, Gajeel following and sitting down on the couch. She plopped down next to him with a wide smile. "I was saying, we should—"

"Before that," He interrupted, earning a curious look from her. "I think I should tell you everything." He said.

Levy looked a little confused when she realized what he was talking about. "Oh." She said softly, but gave a smile. "But it's fine if you don't want to yet, you know. I'm not going to demand you to tell me." She said.

"But I think it's important for me to tell you now." He said, surprised by her response. It was as if she didn't want to hear it.

"Well, if you say so. But we only decided yesterday that you needed time, so I thought it would be too fast…" She said, looking away.

She definitely looked as if she didn't want to hear it. "Isn't it you who doesn't want to hear it?" He asked, making her eyes widen.

"What?" She asked, but looking at his narrowed red eyes, she cringed slightly. He gave a small sigh. "I'll hear it." She said after a second, and gripped the hem of her skirt. "You can't blame me for being scared of the truth. We all have those feelings."

He looked at her guilty and embarrassed expression, and placed his arms across his chest. "I'll tell you, and I'll accept whatever decisions you make." He said, undoubtedly saying it in a negative way. Levy stayed silent, and he decided to continue. "Long story short, I killed someone back when I was in junior high." He said, making her whip her head to stare at him, her eyes wide. He scratched his head lightly. "Well, I wasn't alone. I had friends who took part in it. I was a delinquent before Fairy Tail. Sometimes I stole things, sometimes I got into fights, sometimes I bullied, and one time, I killed." He said. "He was someone from another school, and he made one of my friends pissed." He gave a sigh. "We got into a fight, and my friends and I beat him up. I didn't care about what happened between them, I just thought it was fun. And then…" He paused for a moment. "My friend pulled out a gun and shot the guy."

Levy silently looked at him, her expression calm. She wasn't quite sure how to take it, but at the same time she knew Gajeel felt guilty about what had happened in the past. "That friend of mine…well," He chuckled darkly. "He wasn't really a friend. He was just…someone I spent my time with." He said. "He got caught, and he's in prison. After that, Master Jose took me in Phantom Lord, and he treated me as a guy who liked to fight and bully, and hurt people." He frowned. "And his treatment made me feel it was okay to do it." He buried his face in the palm of his hands. "But I know after I met you and Master Makarov that everything's just fucking wrong, and I don't know how to get past what I've done."

Levy bit her lower lip in sympathy, seeing his broken form and feeling the need to be there for him. She placed her hand on his shoulder gently, and he looked at her. She had tears running down her face but smiled. She knew that he knew he wasn't the direct cause of the boy's death, but his guilt was still there to haunt him. "It's not as scary as I thought it would be." She said softly, and sniffed. "I can't hate you, you idiot!" She said. "I know you feel guilty for that boy's death, and I think…" She clasped her hand with his large ones. "I think it's great that you feel guilt over what has happened."

Gajeel looked at her tearful yet gentle brown eyes. "It shows me that you're different from back then; that you're trying to repent, and you're just as kind as I am." She grinned. "And I love you." She placed her soft lips against his, kissing him gently. "Of course," She said when she broke the kiss. "I don't approve of your delinquent days, but I can see that you don't too." She grinned.

Gajeel stared at Levy, and he could only hug her tight. "You're stupid." He said after a while, earning a light slap on his arm. And then he kissed her deeply, bringing her closer and hugging her tighter, and she clutched his shirt and brought her hands around his neck. They broke the kiss and Levy blushed profusely.

"S-So…before all of this, I was saying something, and that something was whether we could go on a trip over the holidays." She said, her blush still a deep red. "You do know our holidays are coming up, right?"

Gajeel kept her in his arms. "No, I didn't." He said, and she rolled her eyes helplessly. "But a vacation would be great."

She giggled. "Right, and we'll call Lucy and Natsu, and we should call—"

"What?" He asked dejectedly. "I thought it was only the two of us."

Levy looked up at him. "Well, the more, the merrier, isn't it?" She asked innocently, and she didn't seem to understand Gajeel's wish for them to be alone together. He sighed, and then smiles at his girlfriend.

Notes:

Ah...this is the final chapter. Maybe. I don't know if I'm going to write anymore. Maybe I'll write one more chapter and wrap it up. I might just make this the last chapter though. Thanks for reviewing!