Below The Line - PaintedZecora

Dedicated to all my readers!

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima

"What? The hell you mean she ain't livin here no more?" An irate Gajeel Redfox demanded. The old lady in front of him crossed her skinny arms and scowled.

"Exactly what I said, young man. Miss McGarden no longer resides at Fairy Hills. If that is all, I will ask you to leave." The dorm matron started to close the doors.

"Wait, dammit!" The dragon slayer took a step closer, only to be pushed back gently by an invisible barrier. "Fuck, did she at least give you her new address?"

The matron paused, looked him up and down, and gave a disdainful sniff. "Fairy Hills respects the privacy of all its tenants, including those that no longer reside here. Unless family or the authorities are involved, I can not divulge that information."

"I'm...a friend of hers,"he mumbled awkwardly, the word 'friend' almost foreign to his tongue.

"Friend...right." the elderly woman said doubtfully. "Mister...Redfox, is it? Not a week goes by that some ragamuffin or another doesn't come to this door claiming 'friendship' with one of the young ladies living within these walls. There is a reason we have strict policies. I'm sorry, but if you claim to know Miss McGarden, you may have better luck finding her at the guild. Good day." With those parting words, she shut the doors.

Gajeel bristled angrily, and Pantherlily lay a paw on his shoulder. "Don't fret. She'll show up eventually. Why don't we leave her a message with Mira, and find a job to do?"

"Tch. I ain't going out until I see her again. That runt's been avoiding me since the games." Lily winced at the use of the word 'runt', but he knew his partner didn't mean any insult towards the blue haired mage. Rather, it only revealed his worry.

The iron dragon slayer grumbled under his breath and stormed off, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The Shrimp hadn't hovered at his side in almost two months, and he was starting to miss her constant presence.

He'd already staked out the guild hall for the past few weeks, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Problem was, she was so damn tiny that he didn't discount the fact that he could have simply overlooked her. But he was certain she came to the guild every week; there would always be that faint trace of her sweet peach scent, as if she stayed for only a minute before leaving again.

And, to his own disappointment, not even his sensitive nose could track her down before her unique aroma got muddled with that of everyone else in Magnolia.

. . .

It was a very frustrated Gajeel Redfox who entered the guild the next morning. Instead of heading to the Jobs board first thing as usual, he found his usual corner table and sat, blood red eyes fixed on the front door. It was raining outside, and being drenched, he wasn't in the best of moods.

"G'morning, Gajeel," Laki greeted as she went to join Kinana and Mirajane by the bar.

He grunted, still staring at the entrance.

"Gajeel. Hello there," Lisanna said politely, looking a bit confused as he mumbled something unintelligible without moving his eyes from the front doors. She took a seat at the bar and leaned over to whisper in Laki's ear. Laki nodded, waving Cana over from where she'd been sitting with Macao and Wakaba. After a brief exchange of words, the brunette tossed her hair back and sauntered past the iron dragon slayer's table.

"Mornin, Metal Head!" She burst out in a chipper tone that had members at other tables shooting her odd glances.

"Hn."

Cana looked at the her friends and shrugged. Macao and Wakaba had joined them, and were watching just as eagerly. Mirajane smiled and busied herself with wiping down the tables. She made her way slowly to Gajeel's table and stood right in front of him. He blinked, his concentration broken.

"Oi, what's the-oh, it's you. Barmaid," He grunted.

"You look a bit down in the dumps," Mira observed, noting the way he refused to meet her eyes. "Are you missing something?"

"Tch. Ain't none of your damn business." He wasn't in the mood for Mira's nonsense. The S-class barmaid was notorious for teasing others in so subtle a way, it left one wondering if they were even being mocked in the first place.

He began to suspect it was one of those occasions.

"Or are you looking for someone?" She asked in an annoyingly sweet tone. "A girl, maybe? Blue hair, brown eyes, A-cup..." His face turned red. "Hips that don't lie,"she whispered in a conspiring tone.

"What do you know?"He growled, trying (and failing) to banish the mental imagery her words elicited. "Little shrimp's rare as iron these days."

"But isn't iron-"

"Just fucking tell me."

Mirajane sighed and continued wiping the table. "Magic words?"

"Please, damn you."

"Well, since you asked so politely..." She put down the washcloth, and a serious expression crossed her face. "I'm not sure myself, but a couple of months ago she moved out. No reason given, just packed up all her books and moved them out, bit by bit, over several days. No one noticed she had gone until it was too late."

Shorty? Being sneaky? He frowned. She was too much of an open book at times; it wasn't like her to deceive her nakama like that. His gut tightened; she must be in some kind of trouble.

"Have you spoken to her recently? I...I can't seem to get ahold of her lately," he admitted. He braced himself for another round of teasing, but to his surprise the silver haired woman cast him a look wrought with understanding.

"She changes the subject if anyone brings it up, and that's only if she shows up at all. I get the feeling she's having financial trouble of some kind. Honestly, if she'd just ask..."

But Gajeel was no longer listening. As Mira went on, he sat there, an unreadable shadow crossing his face. He stood up, and Mirajane stopped talking. "Right. Well...I'll be on my way. Tell the geezer I was here. And thanks." He strode quickly from the room, completely missing the look of satisfaction on the barmaid's face.

Pantherlily hovered beside Mirajane. "You did that on purpose, didn't you," he accused.

Mirajane blinked, the epitome of innocence. "Did what?"

Pantherlily smiled and shook his head. Saying a quick goodbye, he flew after his partner. Mirajane returned to the bar looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"He's got it bad," Laki said with a knowing grin.

"Amen to that, girly." Cana laughed, hiccuping as she downed the rest of her ale. The others nodded agreement.

Gajeel ran down Magnolia's paved streets, ignoring traffic as he headed towards Fairy Hills. If what Mirajane said was true, then he would have no problem raising hell at the dorms if it meant he would finally be able to track the elusive bookworm down. If worse came to worst, he would beg the old hag for that address.

He was halfway there when a familiar scent hit his nostrils. It was faint-such a small wisp of it, that he thought it was his imagination. He came to a stop and sniffed deeply, frustrated that, of all days, it had to have rained. It was difficult to track scents after rainfall, but he was determined. Her distinct peach aroma varied in strength at each shift of the wind. Levy...

Taking in deep breaths, he found himself going back the way he came. His brow furrowed in confusion as the direction from which the scent came veered sharply into a side street. He walked along the narrow alley, emerging several minutes later in the middle of one of Magnolia's grittier neighborhoods. The buildings were mainly apartments, and the streets covered in far more litter than the other parts of town.

A couple of shady men glared at him with red-rimmed eyes from in front of a run-down pawn shop, but left him alone. Levy's scent grew stronger, and soon he found himself standing in front of an apartment building.

It was a big old brownstone; the front of the building was discolored from rain damage, and the front gate swung on one broken hinge. Despite its homely appearance, the dragon slayer could tell the building must have been beautiful many years ago. A prickle of disgust rose inside him; the longer he stood there, the angrier he grew.

Pantherlily alighted beside him, disapproval written clearly on his features. "Is this it?" He asked quietly.

Gajeel nodded brusquely. "Yeah. Come on."He pushed open the gate and approached the heavy security door.

He pressed a button on the intercom, and after a few seconds was automatically buzzed in. Just on the inside of the doorway was a list of names with room numbers scrawled next to them. He quickly located the one labeled "McGarden" and headed for the stairwell.

At Pantherlily's suggestion, he tried his best to quell his roiling emotions during the short, four flight journey up the stairs. It was hard; he felt like running up there and kicking down her door. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders, and shake her, and demand to know what the fuck she was doing in a shithole like this.

Because she deserved better. But what hurt most was the betrayal he felt. He thought they were close enough that she'd tell him if she had any problems. What was the point in being friends if she didn't at least trust him enough to confide in him? Did she think him too cold, too selfish to even care?

He held back a frustrated growl as a rat scampered out of his path. Paint peeled from the walls along the staircase, and few light bulbs lit up the hallways at each landing. He stood in front of her door, anger mingling with uncertainty at this potentially awkward situation.

"Steady," Lily rumbled in his deep voice. "You'll only frighten the girl at this rate."

"In a seedy place like this, I'm the last thing she should be scared of," he muttered. He knocked softly; no answer. He repeated, only a little louder, with the same results.

"She must not be home," Pantherlily murmured. Gajeel ignored him and put his ear close to the door, blocking out all other noise. He strained to hear, and was rewarded with the heart-chilling sound of faint, wheezing breaths.

"Shit..." Grasping the doorknob, he jiggled it hard until he heard a crack, and the door swung open with a creak. Unopened boxes(no doubt full of books) took up most of the front room. The carpet was a stained off-white, the pale paint cracked and chipping in places. A tiny bathroom with just a toilet, sink, and stand-up shower led into it from one side, while a small kitchen with a rusty stove, sink, and fridge led into it from the other. He clenched his fist, too overcome with emotion to say anything. Had she really spent two whole months here? Without saying a word to him?

Pantherlily closed the door behind them and hovered over his companion's scarred shoulder.

The dragon slayer walked straight towards what he assumed was the bedroom. The uneven floorboards creaked every step of the way, and he stepped lightly for fear of them breaking under his weight. Levy's sweet aroma surrounded him, but now he detected something else; the sharp scent of sickness.

"Shorty? You awake?" He called through the closed door. No answer. He grasped the knob and pushed it gently open. "Levy..." he whispered, voice wavering as he approached the bed.

His one-time partner lay on her side, curled up for warmth. A thick comforter was draped over her small body, yet even so, she was shivering. Despite the fact that she was bundled up in blankets, the window was open, most likely to circulate the stale air. He pressed his palm to her burning forehead, and she let out a whimper at his touch. All the anger built up inside him deflated at that one, pathetic little sound. It wrenched painfully at his heart, and he took a hasty step back from the bed.

A rain-soaked coat and umbrella sat in the corner of the room. He bent down to examine them. She could not have been home for more than an hour, two hours tops. A piece of white paper stuck halfway out of her jacket pocket; a check for two hundred thousand jewels signed to Fairy Hills. But why hadn't she sent it in?

He looked around the room. A bottle of prescription pills sat on her bedside table, along with a picture of her team mates. To his surprise a framed portrait of himself and Lily also shared space on the table, and he wondered when it had been taken. Judging from the fact that they were both passed out on the guild floor, it must have been during some special event in the hall. Other than the two portraits, the rest of the apartment was devoid of any decoration.

It wasn't the appropriate time for such thoughts, but he was inwardly pleased that she liked him enough to leave a picture of him close by her bedside. He'd always figured his face was too scary for any woman to want to wake up to every morning.

Then again, his Shrimp was always a weird one.

His attention snapped back to the sick girl when she let out a pained moan. He was at her side in an instant. Gajeel brushed the sweat-drenched hair from her forehead, and she shifted under his hand. Her face was flushed and warm to the touch. Pantherlily landed on the bed and placed a sympathetic paw on her shoulder. "She needs a medic. Shall I go find help at the guild?"

Gajeel cast a look around the disheveled apartment, and shook his head. "Shrimp's worked too hard to keep us from knowing 'bout this. Damn kid's got too much pride for her own good."

Like you're one to talk, the exceed thought privately. "She's hardly a kid, Gajeel," Pantherlily said pointedly. "Maybe it's time you looked at her as an adult. Three years isn't that big a difference..." The last sentence was muttered under his breath, but the dragon slayer's keen ears caught every word. He scowled.

"Tch. Well instead of hanging 'round here, go find that old hag in the woods. What's her name, Porlyusica or somethin. Maybe she knows something." He refused to look at his partner.

"Changing the subject...all right then, I suppose. In the meantime I suggest you keep her warm." With those parting words the exceed flew out the open window.

"Che. Keep her warm...how the hell am I supposed to do that?" He grumbled after looking around and finding no more blankets. He decided to leave the window open; it was the only source of fresh air in the place. It was early afternoon, and the sun was high in the sky. The days were shorter this time of year. Night would fall over Magnolia soon.

A long forgotten memory rose up in his mind; a memory of those long, cold nights in the mountains with his father. The way he would sleep close by Metalicana's very warm belly, under the cover of his sharp metal wings.

He stood awkwardly next to the bed, self-doubt clouding his judgment when the little mage let out a wheezing cough. A surge of protective instinct rose within him; an instinct so primal, he felt no other choice but to do as it dictated. He pulled back the blanket.

It had all gone downhill the moment they came back from Tenrou Island. The rent had piled up during the seven year absence, and she quickly found herself in over her head. Each resident of Fairy Hills was left with a debt of around ten million jewels, and it would be a long time before she could pay it all off.

At first, she'd started doing jobs with her team, but soon quickly realized that she no longer was able to keep up with them. Their magic skills had grown, evolved into something stronger in her absence. Which was why she decided to go on a training camp with Lucy and her team-though she wouldn't be entering the Magic Games herself, she figured that training alongside mages like Erza and Gray and Natsu would give her the jump start she needed to increase her power and be able to do more solo jobs.

Jet and Droy had gotten so used to going out on jobs by themselves, that when she rejoined the team they were no longer able to sync as well as they did before. Her companions had grown up; they no longer needed her to lead them like before. She was now the weakest link. Her partners, she knew, would gladly help her to pay off her debts. But ever since Tenrou, she was too afraid to ask for such help. She knew it was stupid to stay quiet; all the other women at Fairy Hills had help in paying their rent. Evergreen had the Raijinshou; Mirajane with her siblings and Erza with her team did higher-paying S-rank jobs, and Juvia, though she didn't have a team was able to finish many combat-related jobs with relative ease. Even Wendy didn't have much to worry about-some unidentified person in the magic council paid off all her debts around the time the Grand Magic Games started.

And Jet and Droy were too busy with their own lives; they were simply ignorant of the fact that she owed the landlord of Fairy Hills a ton of money. In the end, she was determined to stand on her own two feet and solve her problems by herself.

Try as she might to forget them, Gajeel's words that day on the island cut her to the core. It was like he took all her insecurities and flung them in her face with just a few ill-timed remarks. Even after he rescued her from Yomazu and Kawazu, it still hurt. And it hurt all the more when she Scripted an Iron for him as she ran for reinforcements. Because the moment she saw that heart manifest itself in the center of her magic, she knew she had fallen for him. And hard.

Magic never lied when it came to feelings of the heart. Laxus' failed attempt to use Fairy Law had proven that.

How could he ever return her feelings if her weakness disgusted him? The fact that he even noticed her in the first place must have been a miracle from Mavis herself.

She hated herself more than ever. And if she ever wanted to settle her debts once and for all, she had to do it herself. To prove to the dragon slayer that she wasn't weak, that she was worth the attention he paid to Natsu and Erza.

Even as she lay in a fever-induced slumber, these negative thoughts floated around in her head. They were what had fueled her to take on solo jobs every week, rain or shine. They also fueled the sickness that infested her body.

Suddenly, a comforting warmth surrounded her, and like ice on a summer afternoon those negative thoughts just melted away. She fell into a deeper, dreamless sleep, and she no longer felt cold.

. . .

"Fire!" She screamed hours later, pushing away from the intruder and casting a Script spell. The unknown man whose chest she'd been pressed up against ten seconds before dived out of the way.

"Damn it Shrimp, you're fucking insane!" A familiar voice screeched furiously.

Flabbergasted, she watched a slightly singed Gajeel Redfox fling her burning comforter to the floor before stomping out the flames with steel-studded combat boots. He spat an unending string of curses and she giggled hysterically at the rare sight. It seemed the fever was worse than she thought, if it caused hallucinations.

"Oi, snap out of it!" Gajeel reached over her bed and pinched her nose, which only resulted in her giggling harder than ever. "Hey!" His shout startled her out of her fit, and her eyes widened when she realized that this, sadly, was not a hallucination at all. That standing in front of her was a very large, and very annoyed dragon slayer. He frowned down at her, and in the darkness of the room his blood red irises faintly glowed. She flinched and shrank back, memories from long ago resurfacing.

As if realizing what had scared her, he backed away a step. Watching her warily, a dozen emotions flickering in the crimson depths of his eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" She ventured to ask. And how did you find me?

His face contorted, and it looked as if he were about to say something scathing. He switched to a more neutral expression. "Up until a few months ago, a certain little Shrimp used to follow me around. Like a shadow,"he said, crossing his arms. "And that Shrimp seems to have left my side. You wouldn't happen to know where she is?"

It took her several long seconds before she realized whom he was referring to. She felt a blush creep across her face; she'd missed his unconventional nicknames.

"Maybe the Shrimp didn't want to follow anyone around anymore," she muttered, staring at her feet. "Maybe she felt she wasn't needed. She...she may have felt like she was too weak...too dependent on a bigger, meaner shrimp." Gajeel's eye twitched. "Bigger, meaner Dragon," she amended, a shy smile gracing her lips as he cast her a dirty look. "She wanted to fight her own battles."

"I've never considered you weak," the male stated, stepping around the bed until he stood directly in front of her. "Where did you get that...aaagh dammit," he snarled, scratching the back of his head. "Fuck..."

"Is something wrong?" She asked, concerned.

His eyes were screwed shut, as if he were in some kind of pain. "If this is about what I said on Tenrou...I'm an idiot." She was surprised he even remembered their little argument.

"But it's still true," she pointed out gently. "Up until we got to back to base camp, you were the one doing the fighting. Not me. I kept running and hiding. I didn't even want to compete against my friends. I wasn't expecting to be chosen for the exams. I just don't think I'm cut out-"

"Shut yer mouth," the dragon slayer growled. She quickly complied. "The old geezer chose you for a reason. He saw something in your little shrimpy self that told him you were ready. No buts about it," he added when she opened her mouth to refute his words.

Before anything else could be said, her stomach growled. She flushed as his eyes snapped to her middle. "Hungry?"

"Um...not really. I don't have much of an appetite these days," she quickly added when he opened her fridge and curled his lip at the meager contents within.

"Yeah well, time to change that. Ya look half starved," he commented.

Her face reddened, and she refused to meet his eyes. He wasn't far from the truth; ever since she moved, she'd had to cut down on food and other expenses in order to offset the costs of the overdue rent at Fairy Hills, as well as the rent in her current apartment. Moving helped a lot; rent for her was now forty thousand jewels a month. Still, she had a hell of a lot more to pay off. It would take at least three years until she would be debt free.

Levy's lower lip trembled; her vision blurred as tears threatened to fall. "I'll be fine Gajeel. R-really, you don't have to worry about me." She swiped quickly at her eyes, hoping he wouldn't read into her emotions. "It's getting late, you should go-umph!"

"The little Shrimp doth protest too much, methinks." he quoted, putting a finger to her lips. Her eyes narrowed, and she snapped playfully at him. "And she bites like a shark too." He chuckled at her indignant expression, and smirked. "Seems like there's something else you can bite on now."

"Eh?"

"I'm back," Pantherlily called, pushing the door open. He was in his original form, and his arms were laden with shopping bags. A delicious aroma wafted from some of them. The Exceed waved his tail in greeting. "Ah, Levy! I'm glad to see you're up and about."

"About time you came back," Gajeel grinned at his partner. "Shorty here was so hungry she tried to take a chunk outta me."

"Very funny," she muttered, turning her head so he wouldn't see her smile. She had a feeling he deliberately distracted her before she got too upset; it showed a depth of thoughtfulness she hadn't yet been aware of in the iron dragon slayer. Feeling a little lightheaded, she swayed on her feet. Luckily Gajeel was there to catch her before she fell, and led her back to the bed.

"Just sit there and don't wander off," he grunted, ignoring her protests. "Lily and I can handle things here,"he said over his shoulder as he walked to the kitchen.

She stared at his retreating back and slowly nodded. "I trust you," she said so softly, she was confident he didn't hear.

. . .

As his cat started to unpack the groceries on the little kitchen counter, Gajeel opened the fridge and started filling the shelves with cartons of juice, containers of eggs, butter, fruits and frozen vegetables. "So, what did the old lady say?"

The Exceed pulled a carton of milk from a bag and passed it over to his partner. "She was unable to come over, but she seems to be very familiar with this sort of illness." From his clipped tone, Gajeel knew there was more that he was unwilling to say so long as the female mage close by.

Gajeel put the milk in the fridge. "Huh. She give you anything for it?"

"Yeah, some sort of herbal brew. Oh, and you have to keep her warm for the next few days."

"I figured." Inwardly cursing when he realized that the Shrimp had torched the only good blanket in the house.

Pantherlily took three from a set of paper plates and cups and portioned generous helpings of takeout food for each of them. While the Exceed poured out the drinks, the dragon slayer handed Levy her plate. He was about to tuck into his own food when he noticed she hadn't touched her fork.

"You don't like it?" He asked quietly. Her head jerked up, and it was then that he saw the tears that ran freely down her face. He set his plate on the bedside table and knelt in front of her. "Levy, if you don't want to eat it I can get you something else. Anything you like."

The moment he said her name more tears ran down her cheeks; he started to panic, wondering if he'd somehow hurt her feelings during their exchange. He seemed to do that a lot.

She was the picture of vulnerability, a thin little woman in a nightgown with a plate of takeout balanced on her skinny knees.

"Levy?"

"I-it was so hard Gajeel," she forced out, shutting her eyes and turning away from his concerned gaze. His pitying eyes. "I didn't want to ask for help. I saw how successful and strong everyone else got after the games, and...I felt ashamed." Her fists were clenched at her sides.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," he interjected. She shook her head.

"I failed a job. Several jobs. I just...wanted to hide from everyone. I stayed away from the guild because if they knew...they would only pity me. I wanted to be better than that." She swallowed and wiped at her cheek. "Even Wendy is stronger than me. I'm so pathetic!"

She covered her face in her hands and openly sobbed in front of him, giving voice to her pain.

No sound came from the kitchen. Pantherlily was silently listening, but out of respect made himself as unnoticeable as possible. They both realized that Levy's pride had taken a beating over the past few months, and she was hurting inside. Gajeel knew that feeling all too well, in the miserable days following his defeat by Natsu Dragneel. But he'd deserved it; Levy herself had suffered terribly at his hands, yet she'd accepted him when no one else wanted to trust him. Unlike him, she didn't deserve the anguish she felt at her shortcomings.

He took her untouched plate and set it on the bedside table next to his. Before she could say anything he sat beside her and swept her into his lap, hugging her close. She buried her face in his chest, still too embarrassed to look him in the eye. Her body was so light; in any other situation their position would have felt incredibly awkward, but at that moment it felt just right. His only concern now was to comfort her, and as he held her against him she trembled.

"I'm sorry Gajeel. I just felt so alone...I missed everyone. I missed you." A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking the front of his shirt. Forcing herself into isolation out of shame and failure-he'd done that as well, after Phantom was broken up.

Even though Master Makarov extended the invitation in person, it was really, of all people, Juvia who cared enough to plead his case. He hadn't known the water mage very well. In Phantom their relationship extended to a few occasions where he had to give some old boyfriends of hers a knuckle-dusting. He hadn't realized back then that he'd gained a personal ally.

He vowed to do the same for Levy; he wouldn't let her wallow alone in the darkness. If she couldn't rely on her friends, she would always have him. Gajeel tightened his grip, a wave of possessiveness coming over him.

"Let it all out little one. I ain't going nowhere." He rocked her slowly, and gradually she stopped sobbing. He rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes.

"You ain't pathetic." He said after a minute. "You call yourself pathetic, what would that make a guy like me? Hell, you can do more with that big brain of yours than most people will ever do with their magic."

"You really think that of me?" She asked quietly.

"Tell ya what...how about you join me and Lily?"

For the first time she looked at him; her light brown eyes widened in disbelief. "Join you? But...I can't..."

"You don't have to decide now," the dragon slayer amended. "It's not like me and Lily haven't thought about adding on to the team before, and you're the only person in the guild who doesn't piss me off."

"I...well..thank you." Her arms slipped around him in a weak hug. "This means a lot to me."

He grinned wolfishly. "Just get better, gihi."

She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and smiled bashfully. "I will."

"It's about time we tucked in, Shrimp. Food's getting cold."

"Hey! I thought you were calling me Levy now!"

"Tch. You're still a little blue Shrimp to me. And I like you that way."

She tensed on his lap, and her cold body suddenly grew much warmer. "Oi, Shrimp?" He tilted her head towards his; her face was redder than ever. "You all right? Is it the fever?"

"I...I..." The blue haired mage grew silent and simply buried her face in his shirt. "Um, Gajeel? I just remembered something."

"Yeah?"

"Why were you in my bed?"

Pantherlily appeared in the doorway with a tray full of drinks. "Kiwi juice, anyone?"

"She can't stay here," Pantherlily said, inclining his head towards the closed bedroom door. Levy had taken a spoonful of the medicine Porlyusica sent and was asleep. The two partners took the opportunity to discuss the situation at length.

"What else did the old lady say? You didn't tell me everything back in the kitchen," Gajeel stated.

"Well, a lot of it has to do with stress. The longer she stays in this miserable place, the more stressed she gets and it'll take longer for the illness to leave her body. Half of it is psychological."

"Che. Well, I ain't gonna leave her here." Sick or not, this place wasn't safe for his shrimp.

"Well, do you have any ideas?" Lily asked, feeling alarmed when the dragon slayer simply grinned in answer before entering the bathroom for a quick washing up.

She was shivering by the time he checked up on her; the spare blanket she'd dug out of one of her boxes wasn't quite thick enough. As he stood watching, her eyes opened, and she smiled shyly at the dragon slayer. "You stayed..."

"i said I ain't leaving. You all right, Shorty?"

"It's cold,"she answered simply.

"Shift, then." She did as she was told, and without hesitation Gajeel lay next to her. The moment he was situated he faced her. Their eyes met, and for several long seconds each gazed their fill at the other. Apprehension was apparent in both their gazes, but Gajeel's held something else as well. "Get over here," he said huskily. She swallowed thickly and moved closer. His arms wrapped around her waist and he shifted position so that she now lay on top of his hard chest. She gasped in surprise at the heat that radiated from his body. She looked at him in mixed shock and relief as his warmth flooded her cold body.

"G-Gajeel, are you sure we should be doing this? It's improper..."

The dragon slayer grinned tiredly. "Says who? I'm just thawing out a frozen Shrimp." Her cheeks puffed indignantly, and she began to slide off.

His solid arms held her in place.

"Let go, you great lump!"Levy squirmed as Gajeel leaned back on the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Relax, little one. Don't you trust me?" Silence filled the room. Gajeel cracked open an eye, enjoying the horror on her face as she realized he'd heard her whispered words from earlier that evening. He chuckled, giving her a playful squeeze.

"Gajeel!"

"Good night, Squirt..."

Thought I'd end it here for now. A second chapter is already in the works, but this was meant to be a one shot. It ended up being too big so it had to be split in two. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I should just stop it here. I also enjoyed writing from Gajeel's POV. It's a huge breath of fresh air to write about a nice Gajeel for once. I hope you all liked!

I know I'm being paranoid, but if this is by any chance very similar to any other story, it is purely coincidence. I worked hard to write this; plagiarism simply disgusts me. This is rated T for now; I'm a little concerned about Gajeel's mouth booting it up to M-rated.

*Yes, I know Hilda is dead but I needed an angry old lady. If you want to stick to canon, just consider it her ghost looking out for the residents of Fairy Hills even after her death. Yes, there is something wrong with me.

*Thank you so much Heartgold12 for pointing out some errors I made regarding Levy's debt and her rental fee!