A gift for @gsut. You really made me love this pairing.
I hope you enjoy it.
On FFN - link
On AO3 - link
Armada Day 54:
Questions Of Guilt
Minerva x Gajeel
Questioning.
It sounded like such a benign thing, like all she had to deal with were a few polite clarifications on her actions. The reality, however, was that she was going to be all but interrogated. Unpleasant though the prospect was, it was something she was going to have to deal with if she wanted to stay at Sabertooth permanently. Minerva did not want to leave them, not after finally realizing how much they all meant to her and how much she belonged with them.
However, being actually guilty – and of multiple infractions at that – had her sweating bullets. She hadn’t been this afraid of Erza, or even the demons with whom she’d taken up with in Tartaros. Her father was the only one that had ever struck fear this deeply into her soul before, which was not a comforting thought.
She wasn’t confident in her prepared responses for the questions she knew they would demand answers for. The cruelty that lurked inside of her was as much of a part of her as her hands, as her magic. Which was the problem. She was guilty, after all. Minerva had conspired with not one, but two illegal guilds. Just the act of joining them was enough to earn her a sentence in some dark and dank cell, never to see the light of day or her friends’ faces again. And although Minerva hadn’t actually killed anyone herself, it hadn’t been for lack of trying. She had tried her damnedest to erase Erza from the face of the world; she’d merely been unsuccessful in the execution. Even the things she’d done in the public eye – the cruelty she’d put on display on live broadcasting during the Grand Magic Games came immediately to mind – did not paint her as capable of sympathy or worthy of it herself.
Guilty of attempted murder. Guilty of aiding and abetting known criminals. And Guilty of being like them.
Monsters though they had been, Minerva had found echoes of herself in Succubus Eye, and Tartaros, and she was afraid that her interrogator would see inside her, know just how much like them she still was, and condemn her for it.
Her guildmates were supportive, of course, with Sting threatening all kinds of things if the Rune Knights didn’t let her go. Words could not express how much it all meant to Minerva, that they wanted her to come back to them so fiercely. She’d looked everywhere for a place to belong, but in the end it had been right where she was, with these people who cared for her so much.
These thoughts kept swirling around inside her head, overtaking any rational lines she might have taken.
She was roused from her self-flagellation session by the arrival of a Rune Knight. Her heart beat harshly in her chest, and the moisture drained from her mouth. Minerva barely heard him introduce himself around the sound of her blood pressure skyrocketing, but she didn’t need to hear the introduction anyway. She knew who he was on sight.
One of the dragon slayers from Fairy Tail. The one that had humiliated Rogue on the final day of the Grand Magic Games, if she wasn’t mistaken.
Gajeel Redfox.
Her luck was truly horrible.
There went any chance she had of making it through this intact. Minerva’s crimes against Fairy Tail, in particular, were many. She’d fought Erza three times, and outright tortured the blonde celestial mage from his guild. It seemed that now she’d get what was coming to her.
His red eyes were boring into her intensely, his pierced brow furrowed. There was no doubt that as a dragon slayer he could hear and smell the absolute mess that Minerva was in. There was no hiding from this, from his senses. She was as good as locked away, no need to try to excuse her actions. Fairy Tail would get its revenge for her actions.
Everything she’d wanted to change in herself was as good as dead, now. Her future was over before she even had the chance to try again.
What an absolutely humiliating farce.
“So,” the Rune Knight drawled, his voice as raspy as rusted iron shackles. “Minerva Orlando.”
Minerva swallowed thickly. “Yes.”
“I have a few questions for you about your involvement with Tartaros.” When she nodded in response, he then hesitated visibly. Then he let out a heavy sigh. “This is pointless,” he grumbled, to her amazement. “I was fucking there, there’s no need for this shit. Fucking waste of my time.”
“That’s fair,” Minerva told him. “So what happens now? You handcuff me and haul me away?”
He recoiled a little at her words. “Hell no. Why would I do that? It’s just more paperwork. You’re free to go. Sting and Rogue gave us the…” His lips quirked up at the corners for a brief moment, like he was holding back a smile. “They told us what happened. How you were captured and experimented on by the demons of Tartaros. Erza even backed up the story.”
The way he emphasized that last word gave Minerva pause. There was no way that this man didn’t know the truth. But here he was, letting her go anyway. Irregardless of all she’d done wrong.
“Why?” she asked him, barely holding herself together. Every cell in her body screamed at her to just take the charity and run as fast as she could away from here. But… she had to know. Minerva forced the question out from deep inside of her. “Why?”
Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her. “I would assume they’re backing you up because they believe in you.”
She shook her head. “That’s not… what I meant.” Try as she might, she couldn’t summon up the words she needed in that moment. To clarify, to ask him why he was just letting her go anyway. The words welled up inside her, but they stuck fast in her chest. Why he wasn’t acting in revenge upon her. Now would be the time to do it. He was just throwing the opportunity away.
She didn’t understand.
The dragon slayer grumbled various curses underneath his breath. “Would you just go, already? Before I change my mind.”
The words she wanted to say died inside of her. With trembling limbs, Minerva stood up from her chair. She turned to leave, her hand clutching the handle of the door, when she heard Gajeel say something else. Hesitating, Minerva twisted her head to peer at him over her shoulder.
Gajeel grimaced at her silent entreaty, not fond of repeating himself. “It’s… It’s not like I don’t understand,” he said gruffly, his eyes not quite meeting hers. “That’s all.” He waved his hand at her to be gone. “Get going already, would ya?”
The dam inside of her broke, and Minerva nodded once at the latest person to offer her a taste of the freedom she’d wanted all her life. “Thank you,” she told him, and then she left – striding out of the Rune Knight post with a confidence that had been sorely lacking in her as of late.
The compassion he’d shown would not go to waste, she vowed.
It was time to pay all of the kindness she’d received forward.
To @gsut for the concept of MiNeel. My horny braincells clung onto this idea and didn’t let it go. In the end is a bunch of crazy stuff in universe that of course becomes AU cause I went nuts over it, uh, like Gajeel ending in Sabertooth instead of Phantom Lord… more or less:
Okay, Gajeel gets into Phantom Lord but for a short period of time before going to Sabertooth, which is known as one of the strongest guilds in Fiore, just on par with Fairy Tail. Guy has ambitions.
He meets Minerva there aaand... It’s hate at first sight.
Both are 13 and 14 respectively. Gajeel being the older one.
Jienma is not better than Jose, you can say he is even worse than him. He hates weakness and he takes upon himself to beat this concept onto Gajeel (literally) as much as he does over Minerva although with less humiliatings methods as compared to her daughter.
Minerva has suffered this treatment since she was 5. For her is her biggest shame and her deepest secret. Death is better than let anyone known of such humiliation.
Different guilds but still Gajeel comes out of this as a very twisted and violent individual, as he was during the Phantom Lord arc, same goes for Minerva during the Grand Magic Games arc. Jienma is shit.
Both are at the top of the guild, just below Jienma himself (Or so he thinks).
However… Sting and Rogue presence truly makes a difference for Gajeel. They tie him to his humanity. He grew closer to them when he learnt they are dragonslayers too. And he does not wish for them the cruelty that Jienma has marked upon his own body.
For Minerva, her link to her humanity is Yukino, she may look harsh and cruel towards her but in reality she has taken upon herself to train her, not out of cruelty but to not let his father humiliate her in the same way he did to her, it makes her sick. She has grown to hate Jienma for it.
Gajeel and Minerva are competitive as hell, always doing their utmost to top the other. Everything around them reeks of animosity. Their violent clashes are legendary in the guild. While Gajeel is more explosive and destructive, Minerva is way more cold and cunning. However both are as vicious.
Gajeel meets a wandering Pantherlily and they become best friends, so he stops making fun of Sting and Rogue about their own cats.
Gajeel by accident learns about Minerva’s training as a child. He wants to vomit. Minerva almost goes insane when she discovers this. It ends in a big fight, the worst they have had (Jienma was away). And their relationship changes forever.
During that period, Minerva and Gajeel start to truly see each other under all that abuse inflicted on them. It’s a harsh path for both to understand each other.
Yukino, Sting, Rogue and Exceeds are very important in this, since they are the ones who truly love them both. So they help as much as they can.
Drama, angst, hurt, comfort? Yes it has all of that because I just love that sort of stuff, sue me, I have no shame :P
For the prompts can you do "Trembling Earth" for Mineel, please? (and if not you can do any ship you want).
Minerva had never been much for sympathy. Growing up under Jiemma’s cruelty had fast broken her of any she might have once possessed. Empathy and compassion, too, were foreign concepts to her - the domain of weaklings and cowards, not the strong. Until she had found herself in dire need of them directed towards her, that is.
So… she was learning. It was a difficult thing to change oneself completely, to break down the previous image of yourself and remake it from scratch. Difficult, and beyond painful. It was like holding dry, crumbling earth in your hands, and trying to make something out of it - pressing it into shape, only to have it fall apart again the second the pressure was released.
She wasn’t alone, though. That was the only fact that kept her going. Sting, Rogue, and Yukino believed in her ability to get there. So she would. Minerva refused to turn their faith in her into a lie. But it was so damn hard, and many days she felt like it would be better to just give up and accept that she couldn’t change.
It wasn’t until, socially obligated to attend a Fairy Tail flower viewing party, that Minerva found something other than dehydrated, uncertain earth to hold her up.
It was the first time she’d met someone in the same position as her.
Or rather, someone who had been.
A new feeling had washed through her, filling in the cracks in her soul with cool liquid. ‘Finally,’ Minerva had thought.
Gajeel was just as abrasive as she was, it turned out. A blunt instrument, but he put her at ease. And he understood, in a way that only the members of her guild had, before.
He was also, to her, proof that change was possible. She saw his easy interactions with his guildmates, how good he was with his friends. Minerva wanted that, too. She didn’t want to second-guess herself anymore, whether she was coming off too strong. He gave her hope that she too could find solid ground someday on which to build herself back up, no matter how strongly the earth trembled beneath it.
I asked if you're stillllll taking requests and I have to shamelessly ask for a Minerva and Gajeel child because Mineel is my personal project I never knew I'd love haha
This boy is cursed with good hair and a bad attitude! v(▼ω▼ﾒ)ゞ
A Famiglia Affair ~ Fairy Tail Fanfiction (Prompt: Mafia)
by impracticaldemon for @gsut (j’espère que tu l’aimeras!)
FFnet | AO3 Words: ~ 2200
~ imp edits ~
Note: This is a gift fic for a woman who is intelligent, sassy, kind to others, and above all not afraid to carpe that diem. I once promised to try my hand at writing a story for her favourite Fairy Tail pair, and this is what happened. I hope you enjoy it!
~ Impracticaldemon
A Famiglia Affair
Prompt: Mafia AU [Vera’s Prompt Challenge, March 8]
It's dangerous to be the new guy in town, especially when the town's at least partly run by the mob and you haven't yet established any local cred. Hell, he still didn't know which cops were on the take and which were clean. Gajeel smiled at the thought. You'd think he'd be pissed about having to start over—again—but actually, it was good. If he didn't know them, maybe they didn't know him.
He'd run a long way this time, right across the continent. New country, new fake ID, no rep. Well, probably no rep—he hadn't had his face fixed like Lily had suggested, so it was always possible that some hero would recognize his face from studying whatever international copy the law favoured around here for keeping new bad guys off their turf. But chances were good that he wouldn't be made. Gajeel was planning to stay, and this time he wouldn't be letting down his guard for a silly little girl who dreamed of making the world—and him—a whole lot better than it was right now.
"Nope, not goin' there," he muttered aloud. "She's gone, an' so's the bastard who shot her just because she told him the truth an' he didn't like it." Too bad it was her dad; too bad she'd cared enough about him to want him to stop being an asshole.
Gajeel honestly didn't balk at much, and rarely bothered to judge the man paying him, but he had some odd notions about how people should treat each other if they were partners, or married, or family. It was one thing for a hired thug like him to beat up a woman to make a point to her husband—that was just business—but nobody should lay hands on their wife or child. The girl had told him that a person shouldn't hurt or kill other people no matter who they were, but that had never really made sense to Gajeel. To stay alive, and free to get a little fun out of life, it was best to neither trust, nor care about other people too much. And yet, for some reason, his own personal code was that if you didmake the mistake of caring about another person, or got stuck being responsible for them… well, then you did your best by them. He often wondered where that kink in his system had come from, but he wasn't a punk kid anymore, so he'd decided to just accept it and move on.
He'd more or less grown up in the mob, with only a vague memory of the metal-working father who'd loved putting turn-of-the-century cars together too much for the health of his business. When the loan sharks and their bully boys had moved in, his dad had simply moved out—without leaving a forwarding address for his kid. Such was life. The mob wasn't that bad, once he'd established that he was smart, and getting stronger every day.
Then again, his last boss—his second—had beaten his own girl to death because she was too smart, and too determined, to fill the role he'd planned for her. She'd been slipping away from him, and trying to take Gajeel with her. Since she was his kid, and Gajeel his top enforcer, there'd been no compromising. In the end, Gajeel had felt the same way about the no-compromise thing. The boss was a tough guy, but no match for Gajeel's uncanny strength and reflexes. The man's bodyguards hadn't even tried to stop him when he'd handed in his resignation by crushing his boss' throat. Gajeel had taken two bullets in the shoulder, and hadn't even noticed. He'd then cleaned out the safe and lit out, leaving Rome to burn behind him—he suspected that the carrion were still fighting over the carcass of the operation even now.
Gajeel was brought back to the present by the clatter of high heels striking the pavement behind him. He didn't react, but he did turn a little, bringing up an unlit cigarette and a lighter for camouflage. His care was in vain, though. Years spent perfecting both detachment and cynicism among some truly scary people failed to prevent his eyes from widening, or his jaw from dropping—just a fraction—and he found himself straightening abruptly to his full height.
The woman coming toward him had a body to make Michelangelo weep, and a presence like an oncoming hurricane. Her face was an alabaster mask set with ruby lips and glittering dark eyes, and crowned with two elaborate knots of silken black hair. Gajeel was a man who knew and appreciated the niceties of power and intimidation, and he felt utterly outclassed. For a moment.
With stubborn pride, he allowed his stance to relax into a slouch, and lit the cigarette. He adjusted his expression from slight shock to faintly dismissive cynicism—a mask easily donned—and saw the woman's almond eyes narrow, whether in interest or irritation he couldn't say.
She slowed as she neared, and he took note of the bodyguards a little distance behind her—just muscle, as far as he could tell, but probably packing and not to be underestimated when he didn't have back-up. His own favourite piece was in a shoulder holster under his jacket, but most of the time he didn't need to use it.
The clacking stopped; the elegantly shod feet were now level with his on the suddenly empty sidewalk. It had been moderately busy before. He approved of her perfume—soft and musky and unlike the overpowering floral stuff with which most women drenched themselves. With deliberate care, he let his eyes travel up from her classy heels to her beautiful, arrogant face, taking in her silk-stockinged legs and clinging , Schiaparelli dress on the way. Over the years, he'd learned to feign respectful admiration, and offensive lust, and all the combinations in between—this time he kept his expression neutral and his posture just the right side of insolent. He lowered the cigarette from his lips, letting the faint smoke curl around his fingers, and tipped his hat.
"Somethin' I can help you with, ma'am?"
Her eyes were somewhere between rich olive green and very dark grey, he decided. The colour probably varied along with her immaculate eye-makeup. He figured she could handle the scrutiny, since she was taking her time studying him—no doubt wondering about the tailored suit, expensive hat, and good shoes, which he knew didn't tally with his craggy face and unruly, coal black hair. He wore his hair unfashionably long, too, since he didn't like the way it bristled outward like a hedgehog when it was short.
"Maybe you can…" She'd finished her initial appraisal, and a faint smile caressed her lips. "I'd heard you're a competent man, Mr. Redfox, but the photos we had wired to us don't do you justice. Apparently you had the brains to have some savings to travel on."
Gajeel fought to keep surprise off his face at her use of his name. He reminded himself that news traveled a lot faster within the mob than it did through law enforcement channels. Plus, he'd killed his boss, which was a sure-fire way to get famous quick, though it didn't always lead to a long life—La Famiglia expected loyalty from subordinates, even if the guy you offed was the competition. Well, it was time to make an educated guess of his own, and get some good out of the dough he'd spent on information about his new home.
"Thank you for the compliments, Miss Orlando, but don't strain yourself. I came here to work, not to spend time with the ladies—especially a princess like yourself."
To a woman like this, those were fighting words. Gajeel had thought her reputation was exaggerated, but he'd changed his mind the instant he'd realized her probable identity. In his experience, Mafia princesses—the daughters of the capos—were spoiled rich girls who'd learned from a young age that as long as they were pretty, frivolous, and loyal, they could do as they pleased. The only exception had been the girl who'd died, which pretty much said it all. Until now. Miss Minerva Orlando was far beyond pretty, and she was reputed to be fanatically loyal, but she wasn't frivolous.
Her gloved hand flashed out, aimed at his cheek. He'd been expecting something and was still caught partly off-guard. There'd been no speeches, no whining, no telegraphed movements—just the slap. He would've been even more impressed by a punch to the throat, or solar plexus, but you couldn't have it all. He seized her wrist just before she connected, his own movements lethally fast and intended to impress.
"Not with me, Miss Orlando, though I concede that you're the fastest dame I've ever met."
"You're playing games with the wrong person, Mr. Redfox."
Her left hand caught him under the rib cage, and he learned an important bit of information—Minerva Orlando was strong, as well as fast. He felt the air leave his lungs, and if he'd been just a little weaker, or less experienced, he would've released her right wrist. Fortunately, he'd already seen the glint of silver against the black palm of her glove, and guessed at a hidden needle. She'd slapped him because she'd wanted to strike bare skin. Knowing that, he focussed everything on keeping a tight grip on the wrist and not doubling over.
The click of guns behind him made the situation a little dicier than he usually liked it. On the other hand, it had been a while since he'd been in a good brawl. Without warning, he yanked the brunette into his chest, and pulled in enough oxygen to speak.
"They gonna shoot through you ta get ta me, princess?" He'd meant the term derisively the first time, but suddenly realized that some part of him meant it. Though she was really more of a queen.
"They might," she responded, dismissively. "Those are Daddy's boys, not mine, and things are a bit complicated around here right now. They'll hesitate, though—isn't that nice? Anyway, I could still take you out if I wanted, but I've seen enough. I want to hire you, Mr. Redfox."
"That's goin' a little fast for me, ma'am. You were tryin' ta poison me a minute ago—still are, as far as I know." He ignored her assertion that she could still take him out.
"You weren't going to be much good to me if you'd let me connect with that little slap, and I like to clean up after myself."
Gajeel felt unexpectedly amused, though he didn't smile and didn't let go. "That's a hell of job interview, Miss Orlando—pass or die."
She shrugged. "I have no use for the weak in the first place, Mr. Redfox, and the job I have in mind for you requires strength and skill at least somewhat comparable to my own. I suggest that you accept my offer. You came here to work, so why not work for me?"
"Time ta move, your highness." Gajeel quickly moved sideways, pulling his dangerous captive with him. Behind him, he heard the muscle shout for him to stop.
"Does this mean you'll work for me?" Her voice was still perfectly composed. She wasn't struggling, he noticed.
"Maybe. Tell me where to meet you and we'll talk."
"Fine. Six o'clock tonight at The Zinc. It won't be open, but nobody will be surprised to see me—I often drop by to check on things."
"Be serious." Gajeel was still alive at thirty—that made him an old man in the hired thugs game. He wasn't going to walk into some trap a baby could see a mile away.
"Fine. You name it, I'll be there."
"Same time, sandwich place two blocks down this street. I'll buy you a coffee."
"Shall I wear Chanel or Vonnet?" she demanded ironically.
"Surprise me. And leave the boys outside—you don't need 'em."
The 'boys' in question turned into the alley at that moment, clearly ready to shoot. Gajeel decided to take off, but Minerva had other ideas. She leaned into Gajeel and pulled his head down by one ear. It was disturbing how easily she managed it. He was going to have to think about that.
"You're annoying me, Mr. Redfox," she murmured, her breath warm against his skin. "But you're the only one who survived the interview." Then she pressed a soft kiss against his lips and stepped back, glancing pointedly at her captive wrist. Over her shoulder she called, "Put those things away, children—you aren't scaring anyone here but yourselves."
Very wary—all the more so for being unexpectedly turned on—Gajeel opened his hand, and Minerva turned and walked away, back straight and head high. She paused when she reached her so-called bodyguards and gave Gajeel one last, slow, measuring look. Then she was gone, and the muscle hurried after her.
Gajeel shook his head. This was going to be interesting. He hoped he survived.
[END]
A/N: There is a sequel to this story in my head. I mean, I know what Minerva wants Gajeel to do, and roughly how that will work out and how things will work out between them. Power dynamics, a lot of steamy heat, and moments of real tenderness. Please let me know what you think of this story, which for now is a one-shot.
Eyes narrowed, Minerva contemplated the man standing across the guild, shouting obscenities at his guildmates. “He was in the Council?” she questioned Lucy, feeling knocked sideways by the revelation. “I’m not sure I believe you. Take it from me, he looks more like he belongs in a dark guild.” All that metal in his face had to be against Council uniform regulations.
Lucy giggled at her friend. “Oh, he was part of a dark guild, too.” When Minerva turned to stare incredulously at her, Lucy laughed outright. “Alright so technically he was spying on them, but still!”
This was choice information. Minerva almost felt bad that it had taken several drinks to get Lucy to spill it. The blonde was a chatterbox under normal circumstances, but once the alcohol got involved there were zero reservations left in her.
A sudden, heavy weight thumped down at their table, startling Lucy into knocking over her drink. “Hey!” she griped, flushed and trying to muster up her best glare for the interloper. “What was that for, Gajeel?!”
The object of their conversation snorted. “For the better, I’d say. Your liver will thank me in ten years.” While Lucy pouted, he turned his crimson gaze towards his much more sober table companion. “My ears were burning. What’s your interest in my Council stint?”
Dragon slayer hearing. Of course.
Gajeel flashed his too-sharp teeth at Minerva. “If you want me to help you with any parking tickets, I’d say you’re out of luck. They didn’t much like me there.”
He sounded wholly proud of his bad reputation with the Council. Then again, he was a member of Fairy Tail. Minerva had to assume that was par for the course.
“No, I can take care of my own parking tickets.”
Grinning, Gajeel held up his hands in a helpless gesture. “Seriously, though, you don’t strike me as one for idle gossip.”
She considered him for a brief moment. “That’s true.”
Still grinning at her, he leaned forward conspiratorially. “So? What do you need, then?”
Minerva was relieved that at least one Fairy knew how to get right to business. “Just looking to sate my curiosity about something.”
“Don’t leave us all in suspense now,” Gajeel mocked, gesturing to the table.
“Yeah!” Lucy added with a hiccup, and slammed her hand down on the table, wincing as soon as the pain registered.
“Maybe don’t hurt yourself,” Gajeel stated to the drunk girl.
“I’m gonna go find Mira.” With that mumble, Lucy shakily stood and tottered in the general direction of the bar.
Once she had assessed that the girl was safely in Mirajane’s clutches, Minerva turned back to her table companion. “I know that someone at the Council had to have sanctioned my return to Sabertooth. What I want to know is who that person was.”
“What do you want to know that for?” Gajeel asked. “If it was me, I’d just take the favor and be grateful for it.”
It was Minerva’s turn to snort at him. “Somehow I doubt you would.”
He hesitated for a moment, and then burst into laughter. “Okay, you got me! You’re right, I didn’t take Belno’s meddling very well.” Regret tinted his words, an emotion that Minerva was all too familiar with. He shrugged. “Okay, guess there’s no harm in telling you. It was me.”
She stared at him, flabbergasted.
“So what are you going to do, now that you know?”
Minerva thought about it for a long moment. Her original intention had been simply to thank whoever it had been. Maybe to ask them why they’d given her another chance. If they felt that she’d lived up to that opportunity, made the best of it, maybe.
But she thought that she probably already understood from their brief conversation. There was no more need to ask the questions.
Instead, she offered, “How about I buy you another drink?”
Gajeel’s grin was infectious. “Done! Mira! Two more over here! The Saber is buying!”
Omg wait wait wait can you do a combination of 50&8 for Mineel please please please?! 😭💕
I saw earlier that you needed some cheering up, so I sat myself down to get this request written for ya. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it brightens you day a little dearie!
Prompt: “Just please be my best friend right now, and not the person I confessed my love to.” for Mineel
Confession
The world around her seemed to slow down around her as the glass slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, shattering into too many pieces and spilling it’s red contents. Minerva felt like that glass right now. The words left her mouth before she could stop them and the look on Gajeel’s face made her feel like she’d just taken a knife to her stomach and she was about to collapse. Only the presence of the broken glass kept her on her feet.
Gajeel approached the rooted woman and lifted her off the floor, taking care to keep her bare feet from getting cut. All Minerva heard was the crunch of glass under his boots and his voice, though she didn’t catch what he was saying to her. After he set her on the couch and checked her feet for any cuts, he went back to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess.
This scene felt too familiar and she thought about the first time they’d spoken. His disheveled appearance had made her laugh and his gentle attentions to her swollen ankle made her blush. After dinner that night, the two of them became fast friends. They lived on opposite schedules and her busy schedule didn’t give her much free time but at least once a week they met up for dinner and just hung out, normally at her place since it was cleaner he said.
The first few months she was content with their relationship. Then one night, after she’d had a few drinks with some college friends, she ran into him as she stumbled her way up the stairs to her apartment. He’d been with another woman and when he stepped closer to her to make sure she was okay, she could smell the woman’s perfume on him. That was her first time experiencing jealousy and the feeling never really left her after that.
It had been weeks since that night and while she’d not seen that woman since, or any other woman with him, it hurt that she felt this way. She could admit that she’d fallen for him. Hell, she’d just admitted it to him only minutes ago. She didn’t mean for it to happen, it just had. Work kept her busy and so Minerva had never really thought about dating or anything like that simply because she kept herself so busy that the chance never presented itself. Not like she’d ever attract many men simply because she’d been told that her independence intimidated men.
Not Gajeel though. He was actually rather impressed that she was so intent on taking care of herself and living how she wanted to live. They were both individuals that made the rules for their lives and didn’t abide by how others thought that they should. Would he still think of her that way? She’d just shown him how vulnerable she really was and knew that he had to be at least a little surprised with that new behavior of hers.
Too ashamed to go and help him clean her mess, she pulled her knees to her chest and started to sob, hoping that he didn’t think any less of her and that maybe they could still be friends after this night.
“We’re more than just friends and you know it.”
Her words rang clearly in his head as he swept up the glass that littered the floor. He thought that he’d misheard her, when he turned around to check on her after the glass had fallen from her hands he knew that had been what she said. The wide-eyed expression on her face told him that she hadn’t meant for those words to leave her mouth. He wondered how long Minerva had felt that way. They’d been friends for half a year now and only had time to meet once a week, but those few hours one night a week were his favorite. He loved spending time with the woman doing absolutely nothing besides eating good food, listening to her talk about the men at work who were intimidated. Sometimes their night included a movie and cuddling on the couch.
He’d fallen for her in an instant and there was no climbing up for him. But she prided herself with her independence. He admired that about her but knew that he stood no chance against her values so he was happy to know that she enjoyed his company enough to keep him around as a friend. It wasn’t enough though. He started to distract himself with another woman, keeping her a secret from Minerva because he was ashamed of himself.
It did nothing to curb his desire for her and only made it grow for her. He missed a woman he’d never spent the night with. He was somewhat glad that she never felt compelled to date as he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he ever saw her in the arms of another man. Her quiet sobs drew him out of his thoughts and he quickly made sure there was no remaining glass on the floor before going to check on her.
Minerva had pulled her legs to her chest, her head against her knees and her hair falling around her. Gajeel sat on the opposite end of the couch and reached out to her. “Min,” he whispered.
“Just please be my best friend right now, and not the person I confessed my love to,” she managed to say between her sniffling.
Gajeel smiled at her despite the stinging in his heart from her words. “Whatever you need me to be,” he answered, hoping that she’d get deeper meaning.
What she needed was to get a grip and try to fix things before she lost what she did have with him. Those words that she’d spoken, she believed them to be true but she hadn’t meant to say them. The level of comfort between them, the playful flirting, how he at least looked like he was listening when she bitched about work. She believed that there was more between them, they just hadn’t ever acted on it. But she needed to stop thinking about all that for the moment.
“Thank you for cleaning up the glass, Gaj. And I’m sorry if I surprised you with what I said,” she said meekly.
“I was surprised, but not in the way you’re thinking, Min.” She looked into his crimson eyes and felt his hold on her hand tighten. Before she knew it, he yanked her into his lap and held her close. “You have no idea how long I been waiting for you woman.”
Minerva’s eyes widened as his words finally sunk in. She knew that she was sometimes oblivious but had he really felt the same way about her this whole time. “How long?” she asked hesitantly.
“About a month after that first dinner,” he chuckled and shrugged.
Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she smacked his head. “That long and you never said anything?” she snapped.
“Dammit, it was complicated. Let me expla-”
“No. Just kiss me already.” Not needing to be told twice, Gajeel close the distance between them, surprised by how quickly Minerva could do a one-eighty with her attitude.
