Runner Runner

Chapter 2

Gajeel P.O.V

" You!" The four of us shouted in unison. The short girl from the window was a Runner?! Though, looking back, it should have been obvious. She was climbing out a window on the second floor for Christ sake. " I didn't know you guys knew each other." Gildarts said with a laugh. " We dont. We just saw each other at the party. " The blonde girl said as she eyed Natsu, I remembered seeing her run out with him.

Gildarts laughed again, "Well that's fine. Come on, I'll give you all your shots. Then you should all join me for drinks with the other Runners." He said as he went back to the bench. Natsu gestured for the girls to go and I snorted, rolling my eyes. The blonde girl sat on the bench while Gildarts sat beside her. The short bluenette stood beside me, biting her cheek as she debated something. She turned to me and smiled, holding out her hand. " Levy McGarden. " I looked down at her hand before snorting and shaking it once. " Gajeel Redfox. " I muttered. Why does her name sound familiar?

She smiled again before taking the blondes spot beside Gildarts. " I'm Lucy Heartfillia. "The blonde piped up with a smile. " Natsu Dragneel. " Natsu said with a grin. I took Lucys spot beside Gildarts and rolled up my sleeve before giving him my arm. I didn't even feel the prick of the needle, doing this once a week for 22 years, I'm surprised I feel anything.

"So, will you all be joining the party?" Gildarts asked as he moved on to Natsu. "Sure, why not! Me and Lu will go get changed first. I feel like I'm suffocating and I want my seekers."Levy said with a giggle, I thought it was the best sound I'd heard in a long time. I mentally slapped myself as the girls took off,  disappearing as they scaled a near by building. " Come on Natsu. I want to get changed too." I grumbled before heading deeper into the slums where we lived. The shack barely had a leg to stand on, and shook ominously every time we opened a door, but it was home. I got out of the strangling suit, stretching out my muscles before grabbing my black muscle shirt and army green camo cargo shorts. I pulled on my my combat boots before sliding on my studded fingerless gloves and army green headband. Lastly I put all of my piercings in that I had taken off for the party.

Once I was ready to go I went to the living room to find Natsu waiting for me. He wore his usual red muscle shirt and black shorts. Black and red converse hugged his feet and he had a sweat band on his right wrist, a muscle band on his left bicep. " Ready to go metal face?" He said with a grin. I snorted but nodded before following him out of the shack and heading towards the bar. It was back and away from the center of the slums, hidden in a little side alley and you could only find it if you knew where it was. Natsu all but kicked down the door and the music and yelling washed over us. " What's up bitches! " he shouted, earning several laughs. I shoved past him and headed straight for the bar, sitting next to Gildarts.

I don't know why, but I scanned the bar, looking for the small bluenette. " They ain't here yet."Gildarts said with a knowing smirk. " Don't know who your talking about. " I grumbled as the white haired bar maid, Mira, set my usual beer on front of me. I snatched it up and downed half of it in one go. I rolled over a question that had been bothering me and I decided to ask. " Oi Gildarts. Why is the name McGarden so familiar?" I asked as i looked at him. He smiled a little, and it was almost sad.

" I'm sure you've heard of it, the scandal from 17 years ago." He said and I snorted. I was barely four back then. " In the upper class there was a family, they didn't agree with the way serum was being held back from those in the slums." He started, sipping his beer. "They spoke with their doctor and together, they began handing it out, their doctor happily administering it where it was needed. But then they got caught. The doctor was stripped of his certificate and sent to the slums, as well as the parents of the the family. Their only daughter, who was four at the time, was raised with another upper class family until she could take after her family fortune. It was the McGarden family, unfortunately they did not survive in the slums, this blasted plague took them without a second thought. The family doctor is still to this day trying to help those here in the slums."

We were quiet for a long time, silently drinking our beer as what he said sunk in. "So, you've known Levy since she was a kid." I said quietly. He chuckled, "And she's barely grown an inch." I laughed at that, even harder as said bluenette punched the large red haired man. " Iv grown plenty thank you!" she snapped but a smile was plastered on her face. She was wearing the tan wind breaker pants from earlier, they stopped and clung mid calf. Bright orange sneakers covered her feet, and she wore a tight belly shirt. It was a soft peachy pink and had sleeves that stopped at her elbows, a matching ribbon tied her hair back.

" I dunno, your pretty shrimpy." I said with a smirk, laughing when she punched my arm. For someone so small, she definitely packed a punch. I could see Lucy across the bar, talking with the local drunk Cana. She wore similar pants and dirty pink sneakers, a dark blue tank top clung to her and her hair was still braided.

She took a seat beside me, ordering some bright colored liquor. She held out her glass, "Cheers!" I raised an eyebrow. "To what?" she grinned even wider and my chest tightened slightly. " To surviving. And then, one day, living. Gotta start somewhere." I chuckled and took my mug, clanking it against hers. "I think I can drink to that." she grinned and downed her drink as I finished mine. For some upper class drop out, she had a high spirit that fit here in the slums. But then, Natsu was the same, so I should know that not all upper class were the same.