The Tune of Love (GaLe)

Hopes and Dreams

My eyes suddenly became watery as I stared up at Gajeel, realising everything that I had worked so hard to achieve was still so far ahead of me. A music career is usually started in your teen years or early twenties and yet here I am in my late teens, no closer to achieving my goal than when I was a small child. The older I got, the more apparent it became that I would never achieve my goals. The water in my eyes had become so copious that I could no longer see Gajeel, just a skin-coloured blur with small black clouds mixed in. When I blinked the tears out, Gajeels face no longer held a pompous smirk but a look of concern and regret. He rubbed the back of his neck and I could tell he didn't know how to deal with comforting people. I quickly wiped away the tears with my forearms and apologised for putting him in that situation.
"I'm sorry." I sniffed, regaining my composure. He held an arm out toward me slowly before pulling me into a tight embrace.
"Ga-Gajeel?" I stammered nervously, my head planted in Gajeel's bare chest. I pushed to get free and Gajeel just pulled me closer.
"Sorry." He whispered as he planted his head on top of mine. I was dying of embarrassment but at that moment, all the feelings of helplessness I had been suppressing, came flowing out. Normally I would be completely opposed to showing any kind of weakness in front of someone like this, someone who goes out of his way to mess with me, but at this moment he seemed caring and almost kind. His right hand rested on the back of my head and his left on my upper back.
"Why?" My words came out as little more than a squeak.
"Why are you comforting me?" He stroked my hair gently.
"Dunno." My hands which were doubled up in front of me and facing flat on his chest were automatically pushing away from him.
"Stop messing with me, just let me go." I wrangled my way out of his grip.
"Put a shirt on." I huffed in embarrassment. He complied quickly. I had a hunch but now it was almost confirmed; he had taken the drunk situation the wrong way. He thought I was interested in him. It was almost sad. I'd be teasing him right now if I didn't accidentally cause this whole ordeal. I sighed and looked at him. We sat in silence for a while just looking at each other.
"Look, Gajeel..." I started, not actually sure if I was capable of finishing the sentence.
"I'm sorry about what I did while I was drunk... I didn't mean anything so please don't read too much into it." I was cringing at my own words. The truth was, I didn't so much mind the kiss as much as I hated having to apologise and explain myself. I closed my eyes, hoping for an answer that wouldn't ruin my life. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly as I waited for the answer.
"Don't worry, shrimp. I know I've said it before but, I'm not one bit interested in tiny flat-chested girls like you." He grinned. Some how this was so much worse than if he had fallen in love with me. It was nice to see that his good-side had gone back into hiding, it was kind of creepy to see him acting so nice to me. I gave him a punch on the arm for calling me flat-chested. He didn't seem to react. He must've known he had deserved it.
"You're such an idiot." I mumbled under my breath, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm leaving." I stood up, followed shortly after by Gajeel. I didn't notice how big the house really was at the party, where it was crammed full of people. I heard footsteps coming from the opposite hallway. Natsu appeared shortly after, shirtless and rubbing his dripping hair with a towel. He stopped when he saw me.
"Oh, it's you." He seemed surprised to see me, but smiled. He then looked to Gajeel standing behind me, then back to me, and to Gajeel once more. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't get the wrong idea. He kept walking, past me and down the hall. No reaction. I released my breath in relief. A small, blue cat with a white patch on its stomach rubbed up against my legs.
"A cat?" I knelt down to pat it.
"I thought you had to leave." Gajeel smirked. I ignored him.
"What's the cat's name?" I turned and asked him.
"Oh him, that's Happy, Natsu's cat." Gajeel seemed slightly down. I resisted the urge to ask him what was wrong. Standing once again, I left the cat to head for the door.
"Well, I'm off." I sighed.
"I'll walk you home. Got nothing better to do anyways." Gajeel huffed. He acted as if it was a hassle and yet he was the one who offered, what an ass! I lead the way home, Gajeel walked behind me. You'd think he'd walk beside me like a normal person, but no, he had to look like a weirdo following me. He cast a shadow that enveloped mine. It was as if I were walking in the shade. I stopped suddenly after seeing movement as we passed by an alleyway. A black cat with a white patch covering it's tummy and lower jaw stood by a rubbish bag, it's face scarred. It looked like a stray, and an older one at that. It must have seen many fights in its time. I felt sorry for it. I knelt once again and began coaxing the cat toward me. The poor thing was so thin. Through its short fur, you could see its tiny rib cage poking out. It was so malnourished. It looked like a nice cat, although tough. The cat approached me and I gave its head a pat. It was a sweet little thing. It began to purr softly.
"I wish I could keep him... Or her? It's pretty cute." I smiled. Gajeel let out a small "Hmph." But he looked like he wanted to pet it too.
"Come on, your turn." I grinned, eying Gajeel who seemed like he'd been waiting years for my invitation. He took a few steps toward the cat until he was level with me, then squatted in a way that made him look like a gang member staking out his territory. Pouting, he turned his head to the side with a slight blush as he held out his hand. The cat noticed and began to rub it's head along Gajeel's arm. His pout turned into a small smile as he began to rub the cat's head. He seemed to really like cats. I wondered why he didn't have one of his own, although I don't like to pry into other people's lives. He probably just wasn't responsible enough or had enough money to look after one. Animals are sweet and all, but I didn't want one. I have a hard time just paying the bills let alone adding more. A pet would be the death of me. The food, the toys, the vet bills! It's insanity!
"I think I'm gonna keep the cat." A low voice huffed, bringing me back to reality.
"Hm? Oh, really? What are you going to name it?" I questioned hurriedly, hoping he wouldn't notice that I'd been spacing out.
"I haven't figured that much out yet." He scratched his head.
"I'm sure I'll work it out along the way." He smiled.
"I'll pick it up on the way back if it's still there."

His naïveté amused me but he really did seem like he wanted a cat. It was surprising that someone like Gajeel would be a cat person. I think he'd be better suited to a big dog.

We reached my house in very little time. The sun had come out completely and I was sweating in the heat.
"Wanna come in for some water?" I asked. Gajeel gave me a single nod in reply and I unlocked my door. The second I let him in, Gajeel made himself comfortable on my couch like he knew the place. He acted like such a common guest. I poured the water and carried it out to Gajeel, drinking mine on the way.
"Your water is weird." Gajeel commented after downing the whole glass in one gulp.
"My water is perfectly fine." I huffed.
"There's nothin' wrong with it... its just different." He shrugged.
"If you don't like my water you can go home and drink your own." I smiled. That shut him up. I was pretty sure he had been desperate for company. I still wasn't sure how I felt about Gajeel. He could be an asshole one minute and a sweetheart the next. I wasn't romantically interested in him in the least but on a friendship level I wasn't sure where we stood. Gajeel sure was a quirky dude, with all the piercings and the abs of steel. Surprisingly, he wasn't too popular with the girls. I guess in this school, a lot of the girls already have their eyes on certain people. Even some of the male teachers are more popular than Gajeel. There are some incredible rumours about Mr.Loke getting with certain female students. I'm surprised he hasn't been fired yet. He will be soon if he keeps it up. I doubt even he could hide from the rumours. No doubt they're true though, I had only been in a few classes with him over the years and even I could see where they were getting their sources from. Flirting with students wasn't exactly something you'd put on your résumé. Thinking back to Gajeel though, he was much nicer to other girls than me. He still acted like himself in front of girls he didn't like, like me, though.
I sat there sipping my water and observing him from my seat at the island counter.
"Hey... Gajeel?" I summoned the courage to break the silence.
"What is it shrimp, are you wondering why you're so short?" He smirked. I wasn't even looking at him but I could tell by the tone of voice that he had that sly look on his face.
"No, I was just wondering when your ugly mug would leave my house." I retorted. He dramatically held a hand to his chest.
"I'm wounded, man down! Seriously though, your insults are too much for me to handle; I'm out of here." He chugged down the rest of his drink and headed out the door. I went to shut the door behind me when he put a hand on my head. He started clicking the finger of his free hand and decided to sing me a song.
"Why is the girl so mean, not kind at all, and not attractive in the least. Short and flat chested too, she looks more like a child and that's true." He waved his hand as he walked down the stairs.
"Your song is terrible! It doesn't rhyme and the beat is bland and unoriginal! Our project better not be the same you slacker!" He chuckled at my comment right down the street and I returned inside to clean the glasses we had just used. How come every word of that hurt a little? But his stupidity just brought out the teasing element of it. Fair enough, I insulted him first, but how else was I to speak casually with him? How could I possibly muster the courage to have a normal conversation with him when the only time we seem to enjoy each-other's company was when we threw around insults? Wiping the last glass dry, I placed my head on the bench-top. I was frustrated, and confused.
"Gajeel you idiot!" I screamed. After all, we were just musicians, trying to make our way in the world; he had natural talent, I worked hard to keep myself afloat in the harsh industry. He would break out easily, I'd be stuck in an office job I don't want because I'm only just average and that slacker gets everywhere with minimal effort. He sure did piss me off. Was all this complaining going to help me? No. The only way to improve was to sing and sing until I achieved the sound I needed, like practising an instrument, I had to keep going until I reached perfection. I could still win this, I could still outshine him- even when we work together. Through determination I can achieve anything. I've done it so far, living off the dream of becoming professional, and just because he can take that path the easy way, just because he was given a golden key to a smooth pathway and I had to take the rugged mountain path, it won't discourage me. I will do this. I'm not prepared to give up on my dream just yet!