Gajeel Redfox: The Big Softy

Chapter Two: Mission

"I hate you..."

The words played over and over again in Gajeel's mind, haunting him. It had been two days. Two. Whole. Days. And he has yet to find a way to fix this mess. He wanted nothing more than to pang all of his guilt and fault onto Gray for what happened, but knew better than to do so. It was his fault. He had brought it up, and he had ran his mouth off without thinking first. Again.

Gajeel was use to people hating him, and he had never really cared, but this was different. She was different. To him anyway. She was probably the first one to ever accept him for who he was before meeting Fairy Tail. She was his best friend.

And now she hates him.

He groaned for what was most likely the billionth time before slamming his head onto his bed's headboard. He was sitting on his bed and hasn't moved from it since the day before, trying to come up with some sort of plan.

Only to come up with nothing.

He again slammed his head back, hearing another crack, but not caring. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he closed his eyes shut and pulled at his long hair by the roots. After having a manly hissy-fit, he leaned back, letting his limp arms fall to his sides motionlessly before heaving a big sigh.

He glanced out the window and frowned. Though the storm had passed and the rain had stopped the night before, dark clouds have covered the city, threatening to unleash their water on the people below, depending on Juvia's mood.

Since they were still there, she was still upset...

It made him feel a little better to know that it wasn't storming, or even raining. That at least told him that she wasn't terribly upset anymore, but the clouds are still there, and that worried him deeply. More than anything else, he hoped that she was alright...

Bam! Ah, there was the sudden kick to the head he had been missing out on for the past two days. Gajeel rubbed his cheek before staring down at his cat and blinking. "Lily?"

"If you're so worried, then do something about it!" Gajeel moved his position by crossing his legs while putting his hands in his lap, letting his head fall. Like a child accepting his punishment. "I've been thinkin' and thinkin', but every scenario I come up with ends in..." He gulped, remembering the three words the Water Mage had said to him last.

Lily sighed, his voice heavy with disbelief. "I've left you alone for two days, and when I get back, I come home to a pouting child and broken furniture. Really, you need to stop banging your head on the headboard when you're upset..." Gajeel looked up with a pout.

"I'm not a child!" Pantherlily merely raised an amused brow. "Yet you continue to pout."

When met with silence, Lily momentarily smirked at Gajeel's childlike actions before crossing his arms seriously, the smirk whipped off his face. "Well, you can stop pouting now, because now there is a plan for you to follow."

Gajeel's interest was instantly piqued. "A plan?" Lily nodded. "That's right. The guild has received a special request that wants you and Juvia specifically." The Iron Dragon Slayer blinked, growing paler by the minute. "A...A mission? Just the two of us?"

His cat rolled his eyes, sarcasm heavy as he spoke. "No, you, Juvia and Natsu..Yes just the two of you!" Gajeel continued to pout, crossing his arms. "Ya don't have ta be so mean about it..."

Lily's eye twitched. Gajeel has always had a childish side to him, but somehow without the Water Mage in his life, that part of him has been exploited greatly. Again refusing to bang his head into the wall, Lily prayed that the Master's plan would work. Because if it didn't, Pantherlily knew that the headboard wasn't going to be the only thing in this room to be beaten to death.