Gajeel is in love with Lucy Heartfilia, and has been ever since the day she stood up to him while he beat her mercilessly. The only problem is, he doesn't know if she's forgiven him for all that he did to her and Fairy Tail. Levy - who, by the way, is like a sister to him - sees him moping around and decides to set him up on a blind date...with Lucy!


"Seriously, Shrimp, I don't want to go on a date." Gajeel glared at Levy as she flitted around his room, digging through his closet for something 'appropriate.'

"Too bad. You've been moping for weeks, and I'm sick of it. Who knows? This girl might be just the one for you." the bluenette grinned at him before tossing him three things; a black tunic, beige pants, and his wing-like shoulder ornament that could be attached to his tunic with a metal stud.

Gajeel's brows furrowed as he caught the clothes. "This is what I normally wear!" he said. "I thought you were going to make me dress up for a first date?"

"I changed my mind when I was looking through your clothes," Levy shrugged. "Since I know who it is, I think she'd be more comfortable with you dressed like this."

"She'll just run away when she sees me." Gajeel rolled his eyes and motioned to Levy to turn around so he could change. The Solid Script mage complied, but kept talking.

"Girls don't run away from you, Gajeel."

"Girls from the guild don't. Strangers probably will."

Levy sighed. "You're so negative. Please, just open up to this."

Gajeel grunted, said, "I'm decent," then rolled his eyes at her when she turned around. "I'll open up to it - maybe - when I get to see who my date is. That way, I can run away if I need to."

The girl grinned at him, almost evilly, and Gajeel narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you do?"

With a short burst of laughter Levy came over to him, grabbing his right hand and flipping it over so she could point to his wrist. She touched the spot, and, slowly, a Rune began to show up. "When you agreed to go on the date, I put a Rune on you and the girl you're going to go eat with. You both have to go to the cafe for at least an hour, and then you have to be within five feet of each other for at least three more hours."

Gajeel started at the short, skinny girl before him, and whispered, in horror at the devious look on her face, "Dear God, you're as bad as the Demon Woman."

She smiled brightly at him. "I know."


Gajeel had somehow arrived before his date, so he sat, arms crossed, at the exact table Levy had told him to sit at, with his back to the door. Every once in a while, he would glance at the Rune on his wrist and idly wonder who Levy had gotten to agree to agree to a date with him. Then again, it was a blind date, so it wasn't like the poor girl would know what she'd gotten into...

Abruptly, the Rune on his arm began to pulse, and his eyes once again locked onto the mark and stayed there, unmoving. It must mean that whoever his date was was here...

A familiar smell of strawberries and vanilla hit Gajeel's nose, and he froze, unable to lift his eyes as footsteps approached, faltered slightly, then drew closer. It wasn't until the sound of the chair across from him scraped against the floor for the second time as his 'date' scooted up to the table that he could lift his eyes, red meeting the chocolaty brown that he knew well...

"Lucy?"

The blonde - who looked quite nice in a floral print royal blue and white sundress that tied behind her neck* with her hair down and wavy - smiled at him shyly and said, "Hello, Gajeel." With a little bit of an embarrassed look, she put her left arm on the table so that the her wrist faced upwards. On it, pulsing softly, was a Rune, identical to his. "I didn't know that Levy had this devious side to her."

Gajeel cleared his throat, then scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I didn't, either." he admitted, dropping his arm to the table so that their arms were side by side, the Runes pulsing in sync. "She's on par with that demon."

"Mirajane? I guess you could say that." Lucy giggled softly, and Gajeel, like a stupid teenager, blushed a bit when she smiled warmly at him, looking straight into his eyes with no hint of fear.

He glanced away quickly, catching the eye of the waitress, who swept over with a big smile on her face. "What can I get you two dears to eat?"


As Lucy ate her salad, she kept up a stream of polite conversation with Gajeel, who was - surprisingly - eating like a gentleman, much unlike her entire team, who she ate with frequently.

They talk about missions, the upcoming S Class trials, annoying people at the guild...safe things.

She couldn't deny it; when he'd looked away from her earlier, she'd been hurt. She understood, of course, for Levy had once told her that Gajeel harbored a lot of guilt for what he'd done during the Phantom Lord incident. It was probably strange for him to see her look at him with the same trust in her eyes that was there when she looked at Mira, or Gray, or one of her Spirits.

With a determined nod to herself, she thought, I'll make sure he knows that I trust him. He doesn't deserve to hold onto that guilt, not at all!

So, when she'd swallowed her current bite of salad, she said, "Gajeel...do you still think about...Phantom Lord?"

He froze, a bite of his steak halfway to his mouth. With a deep sigh, he put his fork down, sitting up straight. "Everytime I see you, yes."

"You know..." Lucy, after she failed to meet his eyes, poked at her salad with her fork. "I don't...blame you. I'm not upset with you. I know that the way I acted after you first joined the guild was unforgivable. I know. But I don't feel like that anymore. I'm not angry, I'm not afraid. I'm just...sad that you won't open your eyes and see that I l - " she bit her tongue, then swallowed as his red eyes finally met hers. "That I am so happy that you joined Fairy Tail."

"You weren't going to say that," Gajeel's eyes narrowed.

Lucy just smiled. "I think our hour's up, here, and I'm finished eating. Would you like to walk with me? The park's sakuras are blooming."

Gajeel let the subject drop, and replied, "It's not like we have a choice, but I suppose the park is better than you insisting that we go shopping. Do you actually know what happens if we get further than - what is it? - five feet away from each other?"

Lucy shrugged. "I have no clue, and I'm not really willing to find out. Do you want me to pay for lunch?"

"If I let you pay, the entire guild would be lining up to take a hit at me. Nah, I've got it, Bunny Girl - Lucy." Gajeel corrected himself.

"So the only reason you want to pay is so you won't get beaten up?" Lucy teased, tilting her head as if she was actually curious.

"I - Of course not!" Gajeel blushed and opened his mouth to keep defending himself, but Lucy busted into laughter before he could.

"I'm just kidding!" she giggled, after she was in control enough to speak. "Seriously, Gajeel, lighten up a bit."

When she smiled at him like that, Gajeel thought that maybe he could.


Unfortunately for the two, many of Magnolia's citizens had poured into the center of the town where the park was, just to see the sakuras. The two found out quickly what happened if they got too far apart when Lucy lost Gajeel in the crowd, shoved apart by a few rowdy children.

As soon as the five foot mark was met, the Runes flared red, and a painful flash of heat raced up Lucy's arm. She clapped her right hand to her mouth to keep from crying out and started pushing through the crowd, murmuring apologies as she desperately searched for Gajeel.

Rather suddenly, the pain began to ease, and, as a hand grabbed her own, pulling her until she collided with a firm chest, it vanished. "Jesus," the person said, "Levy is seriously gonna pay for this."

The blonde pulled back a little and looked up, into Gajeel's irritated face. "Yeah, for sure." she agreed, pulling away from him completely. "That really hurt; I'm surprised I'm not burned."

"Probably because you've build up a resistance to heat, being partners with the Salamander." Gajeel shrugged, reaching out to grab her hand. Lucy looked started at the gesture, and, when she looked at the Dragon Slayer curiously, he coughed and said, "So we aren't separated again."

"Oh." Lucy bowed her head, letting her hair sweep forward to hide her blushing cheeks. "Thank you."

"No problem, Bunny Girl." Gajeel glanced down at her, just as she looked up, face still red.

"So...you're not going to make a comment about how the guild will be upset if we were separated and I was in pain?" Lucy ventured.

Gajeel scoffed. "I guess I've made the wrong impression on you; I'm doing this because I'm worried about you, and I would beat myself up - mentally, at least - if you got hurt while I was supposed to be taking care of you."

"Why's that?" Lucy asked, honestly meaning for it to be an innocent question.

Gajeel, whose attention was half on a few elderly women who were cooing over couples as they passed and dreading walking past them, replied, without a thought. "'Cause I think I'm in love with you."

Lucy's grip on his hand loosened, then tightened. "O - oh?" she squeaked, and only then did Gajeel realize what he'd said.

"I - I mean that I - !" he stuttered, stopping when Lucy squeezed his hand.

"It's alright." the blonde was smiling at the cobblestone path that the two of them were walking, now almost alone. "I'm just glad that you said it first."

Gajeel froze in his tracks, their arms pulling taut between them when Lucy kept walking. "First?" he asked.

She turned back to him, face redder than Erza's hair. "When we were in the cafe, earlier, it almost slipped. I was going to ask you why you couldn't open your eyes and see that I loved you." She cut her eyes, embarrassed, then looked back at him.

"I...honestly, I don't know when, exactly." her blush, which had started to fade, came back full force as she continued to speak. "I think it was before we fought OraciĆ³n Seis, when Laxus tried to take over the guild. I remember that you had changed so much in such a short time; you were protecting Natsu, fighting Laxus to protect Fairy Tail...And then on Tenrou, you tried to keep Levy safe. The only reason that I never said anything was because I thought that you and Levy...you know...I thought you two were going to get together."

Gajeel cringed. "Lots of people think that about us, but she's actually got a thing for Bixlow. To me, she's like a little sister."

"B - Bixlow?" Lucy exclaimed, eyes wide. "Seriously?"

Gajeel frowned at her. "We've just both confessed and you want to talk about Shrimp's love life?"

Lucy blushed. "O - oh. Right. So, um...what do we do now?"

With no warning, Gajeel pulled her forward, his free hand reaching up to cup her cheek as he lowered his face to hers, brushing their lips together softly. When he pulled back, he said, "I think that's a start."


The two lost track of time as they wandered throughout the park and to other scenic spots in Magnolia, but when the Runes on their wrists pulsed brightly before vanishing, they realized that their four hour date was over, and that, now, they could go their separate ways...except neither really wanted to.

"So I guess we have a choice, now." Gajeel commented, holding up their still-joined hands. "One: we can hide this from the guild for as long as possible, but face the wrath of your team and the Demon Woman later one. Two: we can go to the guild and announce this and face the slightly lesser wrath of the entire guild. And by wrath in the second option, I mean the normal threats of 'don't break her heart or I'll break you.'"

"I suppose it's better to do it now," Lucy sighed. "I think Levy might be the only happy one. The rest...I'm not looking forward to it."


Levy, head propped on had, stared blankly at the opposite wall of the guild, idly wondering how Gajeel and Lucy's date was going. Lisanna - the only other person who knew who Levy had set Gajeel up with - was seated beside the Solid Script mage, also thinking.

"I can't understand why you two aren't out on a mission, today," Erza crossed her arms and furrowed her brows at the two girls. "There are plenty of in-town jobs, and it's so nice out."

"Levy set Gajeel up on a blind date. We're wondering how it's going." Lisanna replied, not looking up. "The four-hour Rune she put on him and his date has expired now."

"You put a Rune on Gajeel and his date? Why?" Erza asked.

"So he coudln't bail out. If they got more than five feet away from each other, the Rune would seemingly burn their arm. Levy put a temporary Rune of the same kind on me, and it was pretty painful." Lisanna replied once again, for Levy was still staring blankly.

"Who was the girl?" Titania questioned.

Lisanna opened her mouth to reply just as the guild's doors swung open, drawing everyone's attention...

"EH?!"

Most everyone - the only exceptions were Laxus and the couple who had arrived - screamed, nearly hitting the ceiling when they saw the Iron Dragon Slayer and their resident Celestial Spirit mage standing there...holding hands.

Lucy smiled brightly at her guild members. "Hello, everyone." she said, waving with her free hand. "I can't believe more are you aren't out; it's nice out today, and the park's sakuras are in full bloom!"

She got blank stares in response, so she shrugged and - after popping up on her tiptoes to kiss Gajeel's cheek - released the Dragon Slayer's hand, skipping delightedly over to the table where Levy, Lisanna, and Erza, who had been so shocked that she'd sat down.

Gajeel put his hands in his pockets and walked over to the bar, where he ordered a drink from Mira, who was frozen where she stood, the mug of beer she'd been filling for Wakaba overflowing.

"Hiya." the blonde girl smiled broadly at her three friends as she sat down across from them. "What have you three been up to?"

The whole guild unfroze, and most of the girls - minus Erza, Mira, and Cana - crowded around Lucy, while all of the guys - minus Laxus - crowded around Gajeel.

"Lucy, why didn't you tell us you had a thing for him?" Evergreen wailed.

"How'd you get such a beauty to go out with you?" Macao demanded.

"What about you, Levy?" Juvia asked. "Juvia thought you liked Gajeel."

"If you break her heart I'll kill you." Mira, Cana, and Erza threatened simultaneously.

"It never came up in conversation." Lucy replied to Evergreen.

"Levy set us up on a blind date," Gajeel shrugged.

"Gajeel is like my big brother; I had a hunch he liked Lucy, so I set them up on a date." Levy replied to Juvia, blushing when the girls started staring at her, trying to figure out who she liked.

"Yeah, I got that," Gajeel shifted away from the three women and their terrifying auras.


Red eyes met brown across the room, and Lucy grinned at Gajeel before the two of them were both pulled back into an ocean of questions.


Later that night, Gajeel was walking Lucy home, both of them enjoying the cool night air.

"I think they took it rather well." the blonde said, glancing up at Gajeel, who looked amused.

"I think I got death threats from everyone except you," he scoffed. "Seriously, if you ever walk into the guild crying, Erza and Mira will go and start digging my grave."

"I'll make sure to tell them what the problem is before they can leave." Lucy laughed. "I would have a little bit of an issue if they killed my boyfriend."

Gajeel blushed, then frowned. "Damn, Lucy, you're really killing my tough guy vibe. We ate in a cutesy diner, went for a walk in the park, and you got me to hold your hand for hours."

"What, you don't like cutesy?" Lucy teased. She became thoughtful a moment later. "I could always try and be more tough," she mused. "I've actually always wanted to get piercings and a tattoo."

Gajeel's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa now," he said. "I don't want you to change; the you you are now is the you I fell in love with." he blushed again and cleared his throat.

Lucy grinned. "That's exactly what I hoped you would say...but can I still get a tattoo?"

Gajeel rolled his eyes, but, with a laugh, he replied. "Sure, Bunny Girl. Sure."


End


* - Lucy's dress is on polyvore.

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