between hell and heaven - Chapter 9
So, and here we are with a new chapter. Up into Gajevy :3 Let me know, what you think. Actually it's unchecked, so pls bear with my bad english .
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Greets Z
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Chapter 9
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"Neee... Gajeel," she started, but he didn't say a word. Levy pulled the brows together, pouting because he was still silent. All she wanted to know was where they were going. Was that so bad? Apart from the fact that he woke her up this morning and then just put her in clothes and then took her with him, she missed lectures because of him. She sighed slightly. The blue-haired girl had simply been too tired to defend herself or to protest and in the end he had simply shouldered her, taken her bag and carried her to the station. But what could you expect when she had learned, as always, until the early hours of the morning? Levy lowered her eyes to her hands. Her fingers clawed into the leather of her carrier bag. She always had the most important things with her. Lacrimapad, ticket, identity card and documents to write down important things.
"Gajeel? Come on, talk to me. Neee, Gaaajeeeel," she said and her eyes were fixed on the tall, black-haired student sitting opposite her, silently looking out of the side window. He hadn't said a word yet, had almost crossed his arms in front of his chest. Levy sighed quietly and scrutinized her boyfriend a little more closely. They had been together for a few days. And still she hadn't got used to the thought.
His long hair was tied together in a simple braid. He wore a black shirt, black tight jeans and black jumper boots. Sunlight fell on the metal of his piercings and let the red of his soul mirror shine like rubies. She swallowed lightly and redness spread on her cheeks. His clothes could not hide the muscles and strength of his large body. Levy bit her lower lip and swallowed lightly, feeling her heartbeat speed up. Her senses hummed and she took a deep breath. Then she rose, bridged the small distance between her two seats and pushed the left knee between his legs onto the seat, supporting herself with her hands on the cushion behind him. That seemed to wake him up, for his head twitched towards her and he stared at her a little confused. Levy smiled.
"So? Do I slowly get an answer as to where we're going?" she asked and again silence lay over the compartment as the landscape seemed to race past them. A crooked grin spread across his lips and then his arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her onto his lap. Levy squeaked quietly. She hadn't expected it. Gajeel pulled her towards him, buried his left hand in her hair, wrapped her back of the head and before she could say anything, she felt his rough lips on hers. A moaning fled that same one and heat raced through her body. That was definitely not fair! She felt his hands pulling her closer, pulling them towards his steely body. His tongue prodded against her lower lip, slid over it and he asked for admission, which she gladly granted him. She used to find tongue kisses just disgusting. Sharing saliva with another was something she absolutely could not understand. But with Gajeel it was just heavenly. Her tongues entwined each other, fought for dominion.
" Oh, I beg your pardon!"
They were scared to death and Levy stared with wide open eyes at an elderly lady who was closing the eyes of a little boy. There was disapproval in her features and Levy felt burning blush spread to her cheeks. She rose hastily from his lap, or at least tried, because Gajeel's big, warm hands were firmly on her hips. A challenging grin lay on his lips as he looked at the woman.
"Yes, how can we help you?" His voice was rough and deep and sent thousands of small electric shocks over her skin. Levy swallowed lightly and the woman turned lightly red, scolding and dragging the boy with her in search of another compartment. Levy stroked her hair back and then blew up her cheeks, eyes fixed on her boyfriend.
"That was really not necessary, Gajeel!"
He grinned and by the shrug of his shoulders she recognised that he was about to break out into a loud laughter. She pulled her brows together and he could no longer hold on and his voice roared loudly while he laughed from the bottom of his heart. Her corners of her mouth twitched slightly and she also began to giggle, burying her face on his neck as he pulled her closer again.
Minutes passed as they sat there laughing. Minutes they both needed to calm down again. Levy slowly straightened up again and Gajeel grinned at her. The deep red of his soul mirror shimmered amusedly.
"You will see where you are going, dwarf. Just let yourself be surprised," he said, burying his fingers in her hair and pulling them towards him, conquering her lips. She closed her eyes with a smile and enjoyed the kiss. It tasted like metal and cigarettes. Her heart raced as she snuggled up to him and enjoyed his presence.
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Levy let her gaze wander and frowned. They were in Crocus. The station was full of people arriving or departing. The student looked around with big eyes, absorbing everything like a sponge. Stone stairs led from the tracks up to the entrance and exit. Artfully designed railings made of jade marked them off and provided a better hold. Jade columns supported the high ceiling, connecting it in an arch. Lacrim screens were attached to the columns themselves and indicated the arriving and departing trains. Her heartbeat speeded up as she got closer to one of the columns. Fine patterns were carved into the stone. Historical pictures of Crocus' history. Her heartbeat quickened as she stretched out a hand and stroked over the stone following the patterns. An arm lay down on her head.
"Will you come then, or will you examine the column?"
Levy looked up and stared straight into Gajeel's amused gaze, feeling the blush on her cheeks. So he had taken her to Crocus. She took a look at one of the magic clocks and pulled the eyebrows together slightly. It was just nine o'clock in the morning.
"Now do you tell me why you dragged me here?" she asked and frowned, looked at him waiting, but he just grinned, took her hand and then dragged her with him.
"Nope," he said, and Levy felt frustration rise up into her. Could you believe that? She just wanted to know where he wanted to go with her! She sighed frustratedly. And since she knew that he would throw her over his shoulder if she didn't go along on her own, she followed him without comment. The warmth of his hand led her through the crowds and she knew he would take care of her and not leave her unobserved for a moment. Her heart raced and anticipation spread within her. She was curious to know why he had taken her to Crocus.
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With her eyes wide open, she stood in front of the huge building, which had already been constructed a good hundred years ago in high gothic style. Her heart beat fast and almost painfully against her ribs. She could only stand here and stare. She was simply not able to do more. Her eyes glided again and again over the white stone, over the fine structures in the stone walls, gliding over the rose window, which had been majestically and with absolute perfection worked into the front of the Imperial Library of Fiore. Sunlight made the coloured glass shimmer, although the splendid colours would only emerge inside the building. Birds flew shrieking around the narrow and elaborate towers that adorned the roof. Some buildings of her university had also been built in this style, but the imperial library simply topped everything. Levy was so captivated by the sight that she didn't even dare to blink. She had been dreaming about coming here for so long, but had never actually mentioned it to him. And now she stood here. He had brought her here. Warm hands lay themselves on her shoulders and she jerked together.
"Do you only want to stare at her, or do you also go in?" warm breath stroked over her skin and goose bumps spread on her neck and arms. She blinked hectically and turned to Gajeel. He looked down at her, raising a brow, looking at her waiting.
"But ... from where ... why ..." she brought out and her thoughts speaded up. How did he know that she had wanted to see that library? Was he able to read her mind lately? Gajeel's cheeks turned red, he rubbed his neck and looked to the side. Levy's eyes grew bigger. Was he embarrassed?
"You ... mentioned it back then."
"No I never have", she said again. The redness on his cheeks became deeper.
"Yes. When you were drunk. At the party then," he replied and cleared his throat slightly. Her eyes became even bigger. But that was a good year ago! And they had all been drunk. And as far as she could remember, he had even been stoned. He had remembered something like that? Her eyes were now as big as saucers, while she stared at him in complete amazement. Gajeel now looked at her again and had to laugh quietly. Then he cleared his throat again and pointed to the library in her back.
"Do you now finally want to go in, or do you want to take root here," he asked again and she had to grin. As soon as he became gruff, he was a little uncomfortable. She already knew that from him. She approached him, stood on her toes. Her hands clawed into the fabric of his shirt and stretched out towards him. Gajeel automatically bent down to her and they kissed. Levy closed his eyes enjoyingly and deepened the kiss, released herself from him again and smiled at him.
"You know ... that is a really great surprise, Gajeel," she grinned at him and he laughed quietly.
"That wasn't all, Shrimp," he growled, stroked her right cheek and kissed her gently and lovingly. A prickle feeling crawled through her body. Then he released much too early, took her hand and they walked towards the building together. He held one of the two hinged doors open for her. The old hinges creaked deeply and as she stepped into the shadows the smell of old paper and glue reached her nose. She sighed and went deeper into the library, looking around with big eyes.
The ceiling of the nave was a good fifty metres high. White struts connected the columns in a beautiful cross pattern. Sunlight fell through the tall, slender windows and bathed everything in a warm, soft light. Magic lights hung everywhere, illuminating everything with additional light. The entire library extended a good one hundred and fifty metres into the depths.
A deep silence reigned here, interrupted only by the quiet whispers of the other visitors, the rustling of paper and the occasional click of a pen. The side aisles of the library were barely twenty-five metres high and had been divided into six floors connected by slender spiral staircases. High, slender shelves lined up to the ceiling of each floor, filled with books and knowledge. Her heart raced as she looked around and excitement filled her senses. As in the side aisles, there were numerous high bookshelves in the central aisle, but this area was clearly dominated by long, fine wooden tables, matching chairs and Lacrima computers. Levy swallowed hard and her body trembled. Excitement glided through her senses and she walked into the library as if enchanted. A soft red carpet covered the floor and dampened her footsteps. She felt Gajeel's closeness as he wrapped an arm around her, bringing his lips to her ear.
"Around 3 pm I pick you up again, Shrimp", then he pressed a kiss on her temple, detached himself from her and released her into a world of books. She didn't pay any attention to him anymore, she was to fascinated by the sight of the countless books.
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Gajeel left the library grinning, took a deep breath of air and enjoyed the peace for a moment. Then he pulled out his Lacrimapad and checked his mails and other messages that had come in. So Laxus was on SU? Well, then they would do his work too. They would be able to do that. He grinned, shrugged his shoulders and then set off to prepare everything for the rest of the day with Levy. Because today would be a date. He wanted to make every effort, wanted to be romantic. Just for her, mind you. Even if it was absolutely atypical for him.
He pushed his Lacrimapad back into his back pocket and made his way with his hands in his trouser pockets to the restaurant he had chosen. According to the Lacrimanet, it had the best reviews. Crocus was a strange city, as Gajeel found. History and modernity merged, so that both ancient and modern buildings were found. There seemed to be no real structure and the city was always on the move, living and developing rapidly. He ignored the many people who rushed to work, went to school, or just hung around. No one dared to come near him in a silly manner, let alone look at him obliquely. But that was all right with him. That way he had his peace.
He looked around, turned into a side street and stepped out into a wider street at the other end. Cobblestones, as well as numerous small shops, old cafés gave the whole street an older, but cosy flair. Music came from a few shops, birds flew around, danced around each other. The smell of hot, fresh coffee and fresh rolls, baguettes and croissants was in the air. There were only a few guests at this time of day and most shopkeepers were busy preparing everything for coming guests. Gajeel looked around. Here it seemed so damn quiet and peaceful that he relaxed himself. Which was rarely really the case.
However, he had to look where this stupid restaurant was and had actually been of the opinion that it should be here somewhere. He looked around searching and saw an older gentleman putting up a sign. He stepped closer.
"Hello, could ya answer me a question?" he looked down waiting, the old man looked up and slightly flinched back. What Gajeel could quite understand, because he knew he was dark and also looked very grim most of the time. The older man swallowed slightly, was a little pale around his nose, but nodded.
" Y-yes ... n-n-naturally, m-m-my m-mister," he stuttered out. Gajeel grinned.
"Very good. I'm looking for the restaurant 'Black Heart'. Do you have any idea where that is exactly? I actually thought it should be here in this street," he said and looked at the man waiting. This one frowned and blinked.
"Uh ... "
"I want to take my girlfriend out to dinner tonight. So I should definitely know how to get there," he said, shrugging his shoulders. I felt a slight redness on his cheeks. Now the eyes of the older man became bigger. He had clearly not expected something like this.
"Well ... the 'Black Heart' is down the street and then left hand. But ... are you sure? The food there is completely overpriced and the reputation has suffered greatly in recent weeks."
"And why is that?"
"Well ... the best cook has quit and since then ... the quality of the food has dropped," explained the elder and swallowed lightly.
"That ... is impractical. Is there an alternative you can recommend to me," Gajeel asked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. That was discreetly crappy. Good thing he hadn't reserved a table yet.
"There would be the 'Red Heaven'. It's only about three shops from here and is one of the best restaurants in town. They offer southern cuisine there."
"Thank you, old man. Ya helped me a lot", Gajeel grinned broadly.
"Jo Nakajima", a man's voice suddenly penetrated his ears and by the sound alone he could smell the anger. The old man next to him flinched violently and began to tremble. Sweat beads kicked his forehead and Gajeel frowned, turned to the voice and looked at the man. He looked like a classic snob. A sycophant, as he had seen them too often and often enough already beaten up. The black hair he had hairstyled with gel to the back and he wore a white suit. The pink fabric of a shirt flashed from underneath. The man had a greasy grin and a twisted mustache. Behind him were four guys who clearly looked like a bunch of thugs. Gajeel tightened his grip. He felt the tension, could smell the fear in the fresh morning air.
"Norokuma-san," the elderly gentleman next to him said, not just nervous as he had been with him, but rather afraid. And Gajeel didn't like that. He pulled out his Lacrimapad and wrote a message to his guild master.
Gajeel, 09:50: Jo, Master. I'm in Crocus right now. Some guy named Norokuma sneaks around and scares old shopkeepers.
While waiting for an answer, he scrutinized the guys, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The Lacrimapad in his hand vibrated and announced a new message. He lowered his gaze to this and a broad grin covered his lips.
Master, 09:50: Put him on. Criminal, rank B. 400,000 jewel reward.
"Nakajima-san. I heard some strange things there," the varnish monkey started. Gajeel meanwhile put his Lacrimapad in his pocket, loosened his shoulders. The old man who had helped him, although he obviously made him nervous, seemed scared, but did not back down.
"I ... ", he began, but Gajeel did not want to wait for an argument to come. He let his ankles crack, released his magic, bridged the few metres to this Norokuma and rammed his fist into his face without further ado. At the same time he grabbed him by the collar so that he would not simply fall over and hit him again. The man collapsed backwards by the force of his blows. He grinned while the thugs retreated in shock.
"Jo ... I take your boss with me. Get a good bounty for him. If you make problems, then I tear your ass up to the ears, only that this is clear. Did we understand each other?" he asked and the guys nodded hastily. They were pale as a ghost and he giggled quietly. Then he waved with one hand.
"Then shoo, shoo," he said, giving them permission to run away. None of the four hesistated. They took off, running for their lifes. Gajeel looked after them with a frowned forehead, but still had to grin. Then he pulled out handcuffs, put them on this Norokuma and shouldered him wordlessly. He already wanted to turn away when old, rough hands held him up. He looked to the side, straight into the old man's eyes.
"Thank you."
"Oh, no problem. I am in a legal guild and immediately smelled the anger," Gajeel grinned at the old man. He was still trembling, but you could clearly see his gratitude.
"W-which ... "
"Fairy Tail. I wish you a nice day and thank you for the tip with the restaurant," he said. The man thanked him repeatedly as Gajeel made his way to the next police station. He had only lifted his left hand to say goodbye and walked on.
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"Are you still not finished, Levy?" he asked and looked down at his reading girlfriend who had a book on her lap. Which was three times as thick as her thigh and she was almost through the damn thing. Levy didn't even answer, just humming restlessly. Gajeel sighed annoyed, pulled a chair from the table and dropped on it. He had been waiting a good 2 hours for her to finish. Actually he had wanted to go for a romantic walk in the park, but no. Madame still wanted to read. He took a look at his Lacrimapad. He had reserved the table for 18 o'clock and they had it already 17 o'clock 30.
"Levy ... " he began. She sighed annoyed and raised her eyes.
"What," she asked growling. He raised a brow, grinned and bent forward, put one hand on the pages of the book.
"We leave now. I'm hungry," he said decisively, pulling the book out of her hand, slamming it shut. Then he got up, pulled her up on her feet, and before she could protest, he threw her over his shoulder. Levy gasped in shock, but she didn't protest, because she didn't want to risk being banned from the Imperial Library. He knew that, so he hadn't expected a really big protest. He felt the confused and sometimes horrified looks of the other bookworms, marched past a shocked and an amused librarian, grinned at the two ladies and left the building. Humming, he walked through the streets of Crocus while Levy was still hanging on his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.
"I can walk myself," she informed him after a while and he laughed.
"So that I'll lose you here, or you'll go and leave me? Forget it, Shrimp," he said, turning into this one side street as he did in the morning. But before he left it again, he set her down on the floor. But only so that he could push one arm under her back and one into the hollow of her knees. Cleverly he lifted her up. She screamed in horror and automatically clung to his neck.
"GAJEEL," she screamed and detached herself a bit from him. He laughed out loud, carried her out of the alley and stepped onto the now much more lively street with the old cobblestone pavement.
"Just let yourself be carried, dwarf, and enjoy the view," he said grinning. She blew her cheeks open, but when she let her gaze wander, she couldn't get enough of her sight. He grinned, because he knew exactly that she liked this flair. That she liked such buildings and streets.
Without comment he carried her through the crowds, ignored the glances of passers-by and carried her to Red Heaven.
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The restaurant was an absolute dream. Everything was decorated in the old, rustic style. A live band played music, waiters scurried between the numerous tables and took care of the guests. The smell of delicious food rose into her nose and made her stomach growl loudly and clearly. So far she hadn't even noticed how hungry she was. She had been too busy with her books. Gajeel and she had been taken to a table for two and she felt happier than she had in a long time. She hadn't noticed at first that this was some kind of date today, but now that he had taken her to a restaurant, she had become clearly aware of it. She smiled at Gajeel as they ate their appetizer and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere.
Suddenly Gajeel growled, pulled out his Lacrimapad and stared angrily at the device. Apologising, he looked at her.
"I just have to take it. It won't take long either", he said and she nodded, smiling. She knew he was a member of Fairy Tail. Probably it had something to do with a job. Anyway, she assumed that and she wouldn't want to consider anything else. Gajeel mumbled another excuse as he rose, answered his lacrimapad and left the restaurant. Levy smiled slightly, skewered a small tomato and shoved it into her mouth, chewed on it. The starter alone was heavenly. Her gaze slid out the window and she saw Gajeel's figure. His broad back.
She wouldn't admit it, but she was worried about what this call might mean. The minutes passed and the waiter brought the main course, seemed clearly confused that her partner was no longer there. She explained to him that he had just been on the lacrimapad and was coming right back. The waiter nodded, but frowned as if doubting her words. Hours seemed to have passed, but then Gajeel came back to her table and let himself fall onto the chair clearly annoyed. Levy picked up the knife and fork and began to cut the turkey breast. The meat was incredibly tender and light.
"Gajeel? Is everything all right?" she asked carefully and dunked the meat in the cream sauce. He sighed and then looked at her, smiling. However, this smile seemed rather tortured.
"After this we have to go back to Magnolia. Although I would much rather have stayed here with you for another two or three days," he noticed and shrugged his shoulders. Levy frowned.
"A job," she asked and bit her lower lip. He nodded. Then he picked up the cutlery.
"But I don't intend to go now. We ate in peace. Don't worry," he said and grinned at her. Levy blinked and felt warmth creeping through her body. Her heart raced and she returned the smile, nodded.
"All right", she agreed with him. Levy wouldn't worry. At least she wouldn't let him know.