GaLe (A Fairy Tail FanFic)

Chapter Twenty-Three

This is becoming my favorite story I've ever written. Thanks for all the feedback, voting, etc. You guys are awesome!

-Charlie

~Gajeel POV~

I tell Wendy exactly what had been going on. Exactly what had been going through my mind. She said it wasn't my fault that Shrimp had gotten hurt. She told me to think it over tonight and figure out what to do next.

"Stay as long as you need," she said before she walked out the door. "You need time to think and to rest for once. I wont be home until tomorrow so go ahead and take over the bed. You know where everything is."

Problem is I still can't get her off my mind. Not long after Wendy leaves, I get the urge to move, to do something. I can't sit still. I take off running to my truck. I don't have anywhere to go. I head out to my parents' place. I can't see through all that is going through my head but I make it there in no time.

Bruce opens the door, shocked to see me, "Master Gajeel. What are you doing here?"

"Don't 'master' me right now. You know how I don't like being called that," I push past him, not trying to hurt him.

"If you need anything," he closes the door, "you know how to find me."

I shrug it off. I just want to be alone, to have enough space to think clearly. I go up to my old room, grab my baseball bat and head out.

"If you don't see me in a couple hours," I holler into the empty house, "you better come looking for me."

The emptiness of this place will send my voice throughout the house. There's no doubt that Bruce heard me. I make my way out to the batting area. I flip on all the lights to the place and turn on the machine. It shoots out two balls before I can make it to my area. It's the only place that I can safely take out my anger.

Mom had it set up after I beat the fluff out of my brother, knowing I needed my own space. She knew I wouldn't go see a shrink so she figured this would be the best for everyone.

I'm out here for what feels like hours, muscles straining, sweat has covered my shirt. My head is still burning her image into my brain. Her sweet scent still lingers even though I know that it shouldn't.

"Gajeel?" I hear Bruce say behind me. "You need to eat. You need something to drink. It's time to come in."

He's always been there. All through Mom's ordeal and through my mental breakdowns when Mom couldn't control me. He's already turned off the machine. I drop my bat into the dust, following him like a lost puppy.

"What do you want to eat?" he asks me.

"Something simple, Bruce. I'm not like my father or brother. I am my mother's son."

"I already had some potato soup put together. Does that sound good enough?"

I'd love to go for some more of Levy's cooking. "Sure. Don't forget the crackers."

Bruce chuckles. I usually go through a row and a half of crackers with one bowl of potato soup. I have, ever since I was young.

"I miss your appetite, Gajeel. You'd eat anything I put in front of you without a fuss. Except for cooked spinach. Heaven forbid you hated that stuff," he chuckles again. "Go in and get cleaned up. I don't expect you to dress to the nines."

I smile. He always understood that I didn't like being like the rest of the family. He let my differences be, seeing that I was set in my ways. He even accepted my madness and hatred when Mom died. I came to the house and destroyed it, short of setting the place on fire. After that, he fixed it up and I've not been back until now. He brought most of everything back to what it had been, the place still smelled like Mom would come walking through the door at any time. It made me want to come home more and more, but I know I can't be here in a house full of memories and ghosts.

I run upstairs and take a quick, hot shower. It hurts but I need the pain. By the time I get out, I'm red as a tomato. I stroll into my room and rummage through my clothes to find something that's not all high and mighty like my father had wanted to be. I dig into the back of my closet and find my clothes. I pull on a pair of faded jeans with a hole in the right knee and an AC-DC t-shirt.

Dad almost killed me when I walked through one of his parties wearing this same combo. I was on my way out to go take care of a car, since Dad refused to have it looked at. We'd gotten into a fist fight, my father, my brother, and I. My grandfather had pulled my brother off, Bruce got ahold of me. My father was left sprawled out on the floor with a broken nose. When he recovered enough, he complained about nothing but how his tux was ruined and how I would pay for it. I hadn't ruined the night, he did. I was minding my own business, he just had to bring me to light.

I snap back to the present when I may it to the bottom landing, about to turn to go to the kitchen. I can smell the potato soup throughout the house. My stomach rumbles, I'm more hungry than I realized. I waltz into the kitchen and there's a huge bowl of soup and three rows of crackers waiting for me. Bruce knows me best. The first bowl is gone in on time and I'm onto the second. I glance at the clock on the wall, it's almost midnight.

"I'm sorry for keeping you up so late, Bruce."

"It's no problem. I've been waiting for you to come visit me. Now what's going on. You've not been this upset since Carolynn died."

"It's a girl."

He looks at me shocked, "A girl has you crawling up the wall?"

I nod. I tell him about what happened, what's been going through my mind. I've never really opened up to anyone like this, it almost scares me, but I know that I needed someone to talk to.

"Don't beat yourself up like this," he replies after a pause to soak in all the information that I put out there. "She sounds like she may be what you've been looking for since Carolynn died."

"Gi-hi," I chuckle. Levy has made my life a lot brighter since I accidentally bumped into her, dropping all of her books to the ground. The love we made was so heavenly, no other girl made me feel like that. I feel like Mom has sent me someone to make me happy.

I honestly think Gajeel is a little off his rocker, but isn't it sweet? Keep reading and commenting please. I appreciate the feedback. Thank you so much!

-Charlie