Beauty and the Beast (Gajevy Fanfic)

Chapter 9

The hours slipped by, and neither of them noticed how close they were sitting, nor how close their faces were as they poured over the same book, Gajeel reading it aloud in a halting, stilted voice, Levy occasionally interrupting him to correct his pronunciation. Night had fallen by the time they were dragged out of the book by Levy's grumbling stomach. Gajeel snorted with wry amusement. "It's getting dark." He commented, sounding a little surprised. He looked over at Levy. "You oughta be getting home." He said. "It ain't safe out here at night."

Levy grinned. "What could possibly hurt me? I'm with the most dangerous thing in this forest." She said cheerfully. Gajeel turned his head away, embarrassed, but not altogether unhappy with her statement. "But if you're that worried, you could walk me home?" She suggested, standing up and brushing the dirt off the back of her dress.

Gajeel muttered something about helpless females, but stood nonetheless and helped Levy repack her bag. They walked through the darkening forest in a comfortable silence. When they reached the edge of the trees near Levy's home, Gajeel slowed to a stop, unwilling to leave the shelter the branches provided. Levy turned to him. "Today was really fun." She said happily.

"Even when you were looking for me?" Gajeel asked.

"Yeah. Well, not as fun as after I found you." Levy acknowledged, and Gajeel gave a lopsided grin as he rolled his eyes. "Either way, maybe we could meet up tomorrow?" She asked hopefully. "We could continue your lesson." She added with a grin.

"Or maybe I could teach you something in return." Gajeel suggested.

"Like what?" Levy asked, looking excited and curious.

Gajeel shrugged. "How to fight? How to hunt?"

Levy clapped excitedly. "That sounds awesome. Thank you, Gajeel." She said enthusiastically, hugging him again.

"I'll- I'll wait for you by the stream, then." Gajeel said, caught off guard by the sudden embrace. Levy released him and beamed at him, nodding her agreement. Just then she heard her father frantically calling her name, and a light bobbed into view round the house. "Get." Gajeel said, jerking his head towards the light, while also drawing back further into the shadow of the trees.

"See you tomorrow!" Levy called, waving as she sprinted off. Gajeel sighed to himself and watched her as she reached her father and the two of them disappeared into the house. He turned away and made his way back into the depths of the wood.

Levy, meanwhile, was being scolded by her father for being out so late. "Where were you?!" He demanded. "I went to the meadow to look for you but you weren't there!" He paused as realization dawned. "You were in the forest, weren't you? Levy! It's dangerous in there! I thought your encounter with the beast would have taught you that, at least! What on earth were you thinking?! Going into the woods on your own?! I mean, honestly, Levy! Of all the harebrained-"

"Dad!" Levy interrupted. "It's ok! I wasn't alone!" She told him.

Her father frowned. "Oh?"

"I was- with Gajeel." She said, hesitating on what exactly she should tell her father.

"Who?" Her dad echoed.

"He's this guy from the village. He's really nice." Levy said enthusiastically. "He's a bit... rough around the edges, I suppose, but he's very strong and very kind. He wouldn't let any harm come to me at all." She assured her dad.

"Rough around the edges?" Her dad asked, raising an eyebrow. "He better know how to treat my daughter right, though." He warned.

Levy smiled, and patted her father on the arm in a reassuring manner. "He's wonderful, dad." Her father grunted, sounding unconvinced, and Levy shook her head in amusement at her father's over-protectiveness.

Word count: 614