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lokis-daughter-fic · 5 years ago

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Loki’s Daughter Chapter 5: Diamonds

The city was bustling with activity. Kuna stared in wonderment at all the beings around her. Some had beautiful, brightly colored skin, others had tails and pointy ears, others still were covered in long, thick feathers like birds. Some beings were gigantic, standing a few meters above their heads, some normal sized (or what she thought was normal), and some were quite small.

“This looks to be a rather advanced civilization,” Loki observed, as they moved through the crowds. “Looks like they’ve at least made contact with their stellar neighborhood groups, if not further afield,” he continued, as a rather stunning Xandarian walked by. He watched him walk by and raised a brow and winked at him as he passed, checking out his rather lovely rear end. Beside him, Kuna tripped and fell, breaking Loki’s gaze. She crawled to her feet.

On the ground, a small, indigenous Sakaaran rolled onto his back. The insect-like being struggled to turn over and get up from the hard shell encasing his body. Kuna leaned over and took one of his four hands and helped him up.

“I – I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to knock you over. Are you alright, sir? I’m – I’m so so sorry, sir,” Kuna stuttered. The bug brushed himself off and shook his head.

“You should watch where you’re going,” Loki said. Kuna looked up at him, worried that he was angry with her. “You might get stepped on, sir,” he added with a sneer at the Sakaaran.

The little creature started cursing at him and Kuna in every language under the many suns, making all sorts of likely obscene gestures with his four hands. Loki covered Kuna’s ears and they moved on. Kuna took Loki’s hand to stay close to him. There were so many people, she was afraid of losing him in the crowd. He did not like her hanging on him in this way but thought there was little choice he had.

A bazaar was set up in the center of the bustling city. There were vendors from all over the galaxy. Suddenly fearing he might be recognized with all these migrant beings around, Loki conjured a dark hood for himself and pulled it over his head. He pulled up a cowl to cover his mouth as well, just for good measure.

Kuna looked around in amazement. She had never been to a market like this before. The only markets she ever saw were the slave markets in her home-system and they were nothing like this. Her nose filled with all sorts of new and exciting smells wafting through the open-air market stalls. Her eyes widened, taking in all the pretty colors and people and objects around her.

As they passed by a row of grills, flames shot up from sizzling skillets as chefs tossed them, sending the food they cooked flipping into the air. Kuna could smell all the spices they were using. It smelled so hot, it nearly made her eyes water. Meat hung from hooks in some stalls, in others, piles and piles of fish stood in little baskets. Some had buckets filled with water that had live creatures in them. Customers stood by picking out their next meals from the buckets and hooks and baskets.

Other shops had mountains of colorful fruit and vegetables all ordered by color and shape. She did not recognize very many of the fruits or vegetables, but they all looked delicious and she remembered her aching tummy. To distract herself from the glorious food all around her, she looked at another stall selling fine clothing. Some of it was like nothing she had ever seen. Shiny metal and leather, woven together like fabric. Other stalls sold weapons; swords and axes, guns and blasters, pikes and rocket launchers.

One side of the bazaar held pens filled with strange looking animals. Animals with long necks and legs. Animals that walked on their front paws instead of all four. Animals that had six and eight limbs. Kuna stared at them. She could barely keep up with Loki as he led her through the stalls and vendors.

Kuna thought this market had everything. Except, there were no slaves anywhere, at least not that she could see. A sudden, sinking feeling washed over her. What if Loki had brought her here to sell her? What if he was going to give her to someone for more money? Terror filled her all the way up and her eyes started to water.

As they walked through the market, Loki heard Kuna let out a sniffle. Was she crying again? He looked down at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “I know, it’s probably a lot for you to take in.”

She looked up at him, her eyes big and glistening. “Are you going to sell me?” she burst out, not able to hold it in any longer.

“What? No!” Loki said, kneeling to her level. “Why would I do something like that?” he asked. He could see she was truly bothered by the thought of him selling her. Tears rolled off her cheeks in rivers. “No, I’m not going to sell you, Kuna,” he said. “You’re not a slave anymore. No one owns you.”

Kuna was relieved but she couldn’t stop crying. She put her face in Loki’s chest. He looked around, trying to find something that would make her stop crying. His eyes landed on a vendor stall selling children’s toys. He walked her over to it and studied the table. She sniffled, her gaze falling on the table as well.

“Look at these,” he said, pointing to the toys. “Choose whatever you like.”

It was covered with toys from all over the galaxy. Stuffed toys, wooden toys, plastic toys; toys that talked, toys that walked, even toys that sang. Loki hoped she didn’t choose one of the singing ones.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes,” he assured her. She apprehensively stepped up on the stool provided by the shopkeeper for little ones to find their new toy.

“Look, there’s all kinds,” Loki said, though he could see she was overwhelmed by it all. “Um, look. There is a little groot and that, there, is a sporr. Oh, and look,” he pointed at a small stuffed dragon. “This is called a fin fang foom – they’re like dragons. They come from a planet very far away from here.”

She struggled to decide on which toy she wanted. She’d never had a toy before. Maybe, she had once but that was so long ago, she’d nearly forgotten. Her eyes landed on the stuffed groot that Loki had pointed out. It was cute with big black eyes and little sewn smile. Soft moss sprouted from the top of its head. She reached for it.

“Do you like that one?” Loki nudged it closer to her so she could grab it.

She looked up at him with those big, watery eyes and nodded, hugging it to her chest.

“Alright,” he said. “We’ll get that one.” He turned back to the shopkeeper only to remember that they had absolutely no physical currency. “Oh, dear,” he said. The shopkeeper scowled. Loki chuckled. “If you’d be so kind, sir, we’d like to purchase this little toy, but I haven’t yet gotten any of your planet’s currency. Could you, perhaps, hold it for us while we go to your city’s bank?” He gave him a charming smile.

“No holds,” the shopkeeper said, gruffly.

“Come on, sir, look at her.”

The girl was cuddling the groot in her arms. The shopkeeper's eyes fell for a moment to the girl then back to the foreigner.

“No money. No. Holds,” the man said, banging his hand on the table with each word.

Loki growled, scowling at the man. He rolled his eyes and then looked back at him.

“Could you at least tell us what planet this is?”

“Tenanci’i,” the man grunted. Loki wasn’t familiar with it. It wasn’t one of the planets in the Nova Corps federation. Perhaps, it had only just been discovered by them. He remembered the hot Xandarian he had seen earlier. The Xandarian’s were explorers, they liked collecting new planets to add to their little club and any way they could stay ahead of the invasive, radical Kree, the better.

“Great,” Loki said, smiling again. “Where’s a jewelry store?”

“That way,” the man pointed.

“Thank you,” Loki said, politely. “Kuna, can we just leave the little groot here for a moment while we go get some money?” he asked.

She looked distraught. Loki crouched to be eye-level with her, putting his hand on her arm. “Remember the diamond we got?” he whispered to her. She nodded. “We need to go turn that into money so, let’s just leave the toy here with this nasty shopkeeper, and then we’ll come right back and get it.”

“Okay,” she said, reluctantly returning the groot to Loki. He set it on the table and gave the nasty man a stabbing look. He sometimes wished we could shoot actual daggers out of his eyes at people with a stare. He took Kuna’s hand and walked away with her. She looked back at her toy on the table and hung her head. She wondered why Loki teased her like this sometimes.

“Pfft,” the shopkeeper scoffed. “Tourists.”

“Don’t worry about him,” Loki told her, as they pushed through the crowd together. “We’ll just sell this diamond for some money and come back for it, alright?”

They arrived at a large storefront and stepped inside. The walls were pristine white. All around, clear cases displayed beautiful jewelry and gemstones. Loki smiled. This was perfect. He spotted a diamond ring in one of the cases. He looked at the price, but he did not recognize the currency nor the numerical figures on the card, but it was definitely a diamond. He figured that since it was behind glass, it must be valuable.

“Once we get some money, we’ll find a blacksmith to get those chains off you too,” he told Kuna, still looking at the ring. She looked at her hand. She had very few memories of when she did not have them on. She was not quite sure how she felt about today. Loki seemed all over the place. “And some shoes for you. And some proper clothes,” Loki continued. Kuna was amazed by him but didn’t fully trust what he said.

A small man walked out from a doorway behind a long counter. He was about Loki’s height. His skin was a dark blue color and his eyes were gray like clouds. His skull rose in a slanting, tapered point. “How can I help you?” he squeaked.

Loki pulled down his cowl and spoke to the man, “We have an item to sell. A rather precious gemstone, except it’s absolutely enormous. Would you be able to purchase such a stone?”

“Well I would, of course, have to examine it first.”

Loki turned away and then revealed the massive diamond and set it on the counter. He smirked at the shop owner whose jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Would you be able to purchase a diamond of this size and carat?”

The shop owner fumbled at a pair of glasses on his head and pulled them down shakily over his eyes. Tiny, subsequently stronger, lenses cascaded down from the frames until his glasses nearly touched the surface of the diamond. His breath was shaky as he examined the stone. He drew up quickly.

“Please, excuse me, sir,” the man said and ran back through the doorway behind the counter. Kuna was very confused. She could not understand a word of what was happening. Loki was speaking another language! And so was the weird, squeaky man. She gently tugged on Loki’s cape.

“Loki? What did he say?”

“Oh, right. You probably can’t understand,” he replied in her language. He flicked his hand at her. She jumped as a flicker of green light washed over her. “Now, you should be able to understand him.”

The squeaky man returned a moment later with a very tall woman. She stood at least two feet taller than Loki, if not more. Her hair was dark, covering her tapered skull, but her large eyes were a delicate color of snowy white. Her skin was a lighter blue color than the man’s. Her eyes widened at the sight of the diamond on the counter.

“Oh my,” she said, laughing a little in shock. The little man beside her hopped on the spot. He handed her the magnifying glasses and she looked.

Loki watched her. Glancing down at Kuna, he winked. He would have to handle this delicately in order to get away with the best possible gain. Luckily for them, Loki was a master silvertongue.

“We’re looking for the best price possible, of course, but certainly willing to sell,” he said.

The woman looked up from the diamond. “This stone is very rare,” she said, swallowing hard. “The largest we’ve ever seen is in that case there.” She pointed to the one Loki had seen a moment ago.

“And how much is that worth, might I ask?” Loki said, smiling. “You’ll have to excuse us, we’re not from here. Your currency is rather unknown to me.” He needed her to say the value aloud so his Allspeak could properly understand her in a language he knew.

“That’s currently valued at 1 billion Xandarian units,” she said.

Loki nearly burst out laughing. Certainly, the Xandarians did not value it at such. These people must have been in the process of switching their currency to the Xandarian unit. He kept his cool composure.

“Well, look at that,” he said, looking down at Kuna. “We must be trillionaires now!” Kuna’s eyes widened as she slowly looked up at Loki in absolute shock. “We could buy an infinite number of those little groot toys now!”

The whole room was in shock except Loki. The other customers in the shop were staring, murmuring to each other.

“What value would you place on this stone,” Loki asked, putting his hand on it dominantly. He looked up at the woman with a wry smile.

“Uh,” she breathed. “Something like this… it’s… it’s priceless. Where on Tenanci’i did you find it?

“Oh, well I couldn’t reveal a secret like that, could I?” he mused at her. “And if you won’t come up with a price, perhaps I should take it elsewhere…” He lifted the stone and made it disappear.

The whole room gasped. The woman put her hand out to stop him.

“No!” she cried and then regained her composure. Loki was sure she was a tactful negotiator herself when the stakes weren’t so high. He smiled at her and waited. “Wait,” she panted. “I need to make some calls to my colleagues. I’d like to have as many opinions as possible before I place a value on an item such as this.”

“Very well,” Loki said.

It did not take long for her colleagues to join them in the shop. Indeed, it was filling up rather quickly as word spread around bazaar of the strange man and little girl with the gigantic diamond. Five appraisers stood around the diamond, whispering to each other. Occasionally, one would straighten up and mutter something and another would quibble with him for a bit before they both agreed and went back to gawking at the rock.

“Are you really going to be that rich?” Kuna asked Loki. They had been given a seat on a couch nearby and treated with a tray of food and drink. Loki handed her some food and poured her a cup of a non-alcoholic drink. He quickly tasted it to be sure before handing it to her.

“We are going to be that rich, Kuna,” he corrected her. “And who knows,” he whispered, leaning in close to her. She leaned in too. “Maybe we can trick these idiots into giving us a little more before we’re done. Drink! Eat! Enjoy yourself for once,” he said.

We? She had never been a ‘we’ before. She was confused by this feeling inside her. This anticipation and excitement were overwhelming. She nibbled on some Tenanciian delicacy and drank her strange-tasting but non-alcoholic drink. It was a color she had never seen before. I vibrant shade of orangey-yellow, like honey. She thought about the toy groot and the nasty shopkeeper. She thought of his face when Loki and her returned as trillionaires and bought his whole shop. She thought about the magic he had done on her to make her understand the weird lady and man.

“Loki?” she asked.

“Mmm?” Loki said, mouth full of Tenanciian fruit.

“What was that magic that you did to me?”

“Oh, um,” he swallowed his mouthful of juicy fruit. “I just shared my Allspeak with you.”

“What’s ‘Allspeak’?”

“It’s an ability that allows me to understand other languages in my own. And it also allows other people to understand me in their own language.”

Kuna blinked. “But I can understand you.”

“Well, yes, you can but I’m not speaking your language when I talk to you. I’m speaking Asgardian but you’re understanding me in your language. What’s it called, your language?”

“Ardulian,”

“Right, Ardulian. You understand me in Ardulian because that’s your language. And they understand me in Tenanciian because that’s their language. It’s difficult to understand completely but don’t overthink it. So long as you can understand me, it works, right?”

“I understand, I think,” she muttered. She leaned in closer to Loki. He leaned in with her. “Why do we want to trick them into giving us more if we’re already going to be trillionaires?”

“Well, why not?” Loki said. “Look at this place.” He gestured to the expensive jewels in the cases. “They have plenty of wealth to go around, don’t you think? Why not… redistribute it? Into our pockets? We who have nothing.”

“Huh,” Kuna said, sitting back. She liked that idea.

Finally, after a lengthy discussion between themselves, the Tenanciian appraisers asked for Loki and Kuna to rejoin them. Outside, people lined the windows, peering in and trying to get a look at the stone. As Loki stood, a regal looking woman walked in through the door. The woman approached the counter. The appraisers bowed their heads low and made a gesture with their hands in respect.

The woman was immensely tall, her head nearly grazed the ceiling of the room. She was almost twice as tall as the woman from behind the counter. Her skin was snow white tinged with hints of blue falling in ambiguous stripes across her bare arms and neck. Her head rose in a near conical shape, rounded off at the top of her skull. Her eyes were the same chilling color as the other woman’s. She was digitigrade, with long, bent legs and what appeared to be hooves like a Midgardian rhino’s. With her came a posse of much smaller male beings that gathered around her legs like little puppies. They were closer to Loki’s size but still about a full head taller than him.

“Hello.” Loki said, politely, repeating the same gesture the others had done. “Please, forgive us for causing such a ruckus on your peaceful planet. We’re tourists.”

“Welcome to Tenanci’i,” the woman said down to him, she lowered herself a bit. “I am the ruler of this world. My name is Shakk’uri.”

Loki bowed his head in respect to her. Kuna followed his movements. “My name is…” Loki suddenly remembered how he had wanted to keep a low profile. He was doing a very poor job of it. “Eh, Lopt,” he finished, trying not to sound like he was asking a question. It was a ridiculous name his brother had once convinced him to use when they visited the ancient Midgardians.

Kuna looked up at him, wondering why he had given a different name to the big lady.

“And who is this?” she said, looking at Kuna.

“This is my… erm… companion, Kuna.”

Kuna looked up at him with joy in her face. This was a very special day. She had never been a ‘we’ or a ‘companion’ and now she was both at the same time. She caught Shakk’uri’s gaze and quickly looked down, bashfully.

“It is an honor to meet you, your majesty,” Kuna said, very politely in a small voice.

Shakk’uri was taken by the precious child. She smiled at her. Her race’s strong, motherly instincts overcame her. She wondered about Kuna’s grimy appearance and dreadfully thin frame compared to that of Lopt.

Loki could sense her concern and added quickly, “I found her in another solar system, far from here. She was being held there as a slave.” Shakk’uri gasped but Loki continued. “We’ve been traveling for a day or so now, when we arrived here on Tenanci’i. I wish to sell this jewel we discovered in our travels in order to pay for supplies for ourselves and to free Kuna from these rotten chains.”

Shakk’uri was surprised by the wretched backstory of such a cute little girl. However, she was a little mistrusting of Lopt. He was charming but in a deceitful way. She lowered herself before the child.

“Is this true? Are you safe with him, my love?” she asked.

Kuna was surprised by the question but smiled. “Oh, yes, my lady,” she said. “He would never do anything to hurt me. I was scared of him at first but he pinky promised me he would never hurt me. Ever. And you can’t ever break those. Ever. He’s been so kind to me! No one has ever treated me this way before.” Kuna realized she was speaking far too much and looked down again.

“Oh, pinky swears are serious business indeed,” she said with smile to the young child. She put her hand on Kuna’s cheek. Their race only had three long fingers that freaked Kuna out a bit, but her touch was incredibly warm. “You just make sure he keeps that promise. And if he does break it,” she said, lowering her voice so Lopt could not hear, “You can come straight back to Tenanci’i and live with me, alright?”

Kuna beamed at the big lady’s enormous generosity. “Thank you, my lady, but I like Lo—pt,” she stammered but corrected herself. She stood closer to Loki, putting her arm around his knee.

He looked down at her, impressed. He had feared she would blow his cover, but she was clever. He looked up again at the queen and smiled.

“So,” she said, now addressing the appraisers. “What is the value that you have decided on for this most precious stone?”

The woman stepped forward while the men bowed their heads and backed away in respect and a little bit of fear. Loki made note of how the men reacted to Shakk’uri’s presence and the assertiveness of the woman behind the counter. The females on Tenanci’i seemed to be running things.

“We’ve estimated its value at 753 billion units, my mother,” she said.

The room fell tremendously still for a moment while everyone digested the enormity of the stone’s value. Loki waited patiently for them to recover; hands folded in front of him. Soon, eyes fell to him.

“What an immense value, indeed,” Loki said. He turned to the queen, “Shakk’uri, you would not know a potential buyer for such a valuable item, would you?”

Her composure was calm and cool. “I am certainly interested in purchasing it from you, Lopt. My people have just made an alliance with the Nova Corps and, while we greatly appreciate all that they have done for us, we find their currency system very peculiar. I would like to discuss this matter further with you privately, at my hive.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” he said, smiling. He returned the stone to his pocket and followed the queen and her posse out of the store.

#loki #loki fanfic #avengers: endgame #tesseract #oc #au #loki series

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whereisthefood123 · 8 years ago

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The Match

Hello! This is my contribution to prompt 1: Matching of Gajevy week. Hope you like it! Tell me what you think about it.

Summary: What if everyone could know who their soulmate was without much of a hassle? Cool, right? But how can you move past things that had already happened between the two of you? And, would your actions be influenced by that bit of information? - Gajevy modern AU where people don't have magic but there are still some mysteries in the world. (Got the raw idea from Soul Mates-AU, a story from legends-of-nisty in tumblr [go check that out!])

Words count: 9k

Can read this in ffnet here

Warning: Physical violence and gang related themes.

There is a story that parents used to tell their children before they went to bed, because each time the kids woke up they would always have a question on their lips: Where did this match come from? As to avoid any confusion, mothers and fathers would tell the tale of 'The Match'.

Every person has their match, as in, the person they are destined to love and is considered to be their soulmate. Humans went far and wide looking for said person and, more often than not, would guess wrong as to who they were supposed to spend their lives with. That's why Mavis, showing compassion towards humans, created 'The Match'. Each morning, every human around the globe finds lying beside his or her head a match: a short, thin piece of wood with a red tip that ignites a fire when rubbed against a rough surface. But this match is different from any ordinary match.

First, you only get one match per day, so any matches you have from previous days will vanish once morning arrives with your new match; and second, this match has a special power. For you to discover its power, you need to hold the match in your hand, say someone's name out loud, think of that person's face and snap your fingers on the red tip of the match. There'll be one of two possible outcomes: 1) the match will not light up and smoke will come out of the tip, or 2) the tip will light up with a golden flame. The later outcome will prove that said person is your 'meant to be', your soulmate, your match. But love isn't as simple as just finding the right person. Finding your match is just the beginning.

Levy McGarden knew this tale from start to end because her mother used to read it to her every night when she was little. It was a worldwide-known tale, for it explained why every morning a match would appear beside everyone's head. But after you grew up, people would just see the match and say it was child's play to think that a piece of wood could tell you who you were meant to be with. She really wanted to believe it to be true, but at the age of 25, Levy decided to just brush it off as one of the fairy tales that parents tell their children just to go to bed.

That's why she was shocked when she decided to prove if the match could work tonight. She was beyond astounded as she wasn't expecting this result from her little experiment. She did it just to ease her mind, because one part of her brain was telling her that what she was doing was wrong, that she shouldn't be so naive as to extend a helping hand to someone as cruel as him. But another part of her was arguing that there was something more than meets the eye about him, that he just needed someone to be willing to help him.

She had whispered his name and pictured his face in her mind, his ruby eyes, his studded face and his harsh facial features. And now, Levy stared perplexed at the golden flame that lighted up from 'The Match'. There was no doubt about the tale being true and no further question about destiny being a real pain-in-the-ass bitch that loved irony.

Pfft… irony… Levy's mind was good at wordplay and she couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing. Because ironic couldn't even start to describe what this situation felt like. After all, 'The Match' golden flame could mean only one thing.

Gajeel Redfox was Levy's meant to be.

Two weeks ago…

Levy was locking down the front door of the bookstore she owned. It had been a long day at work but Levy never complained for she loved to be surrounded by books and people that loved books. It had been a couple of months since opening the store and she couldn't be happier for the way people seemed to keep coming to buy the newest bestsellers.

Tonight wasn't any different from other nights, or so Levy had thought. She placed the keys in her satchel and started the trek back to her apartment. If she had just taken a second to look over her shoulder, she would have seen the big dark figure that started to follow her. Red eyes bored into her back with the owner of said eyes thinking on 'how could someone be so careless in a city as dangerous as this one?'.

Levy even started to hum a song that she liked but suddenly stopped when she heard the click-clack of steel boots that seemed to be following her. She hurried her pace but the noise picked up the same rhythm and before she could start running, she was hauled into a dark alley and shoved forcibly to the wall.

A tall man stood in front of her, staring at Levy with ruby eyes that shone in the darkness of the alley. When a cloud in the sky moved away revealing the full moon, the light allowed Levy to have a better look at her attacker. Tanned skin; pierced eyebrows, nose and chin; black long hair; and huge muscles.

"Who-who are y-you?" Levy stuttered in a quivering voice. She was leaning on the wall for support and she didn't notice she was clutching her satchel close to her chest, trying to stop her shaking hands. "I-I don't have any money, if that's what you're looking for. P-please, just let me go" She tried to sound a little firmer than before but her voice was still small with her plead.

"Gihi. Don't want yer money. At least, not fer me" the man said and crossed his arms over his chest. He grinned when Levy seemed to flinch at his movement. "I was sent to make sure ya got the message clear, Shorty."

"W-what do you mean? I-I don't know who you are. Please, just leave me-" she stopped mid-sentence when the man moved slightly to his left, showing her his tattoo on his right shoulder. She recognized the insignia. "You're from Phantom." Her satchel fell to the ground as she held both her hands over her mouth; her expression was of utter shock and terror as she recognized the gang's symbol.

"Looks like yer a smart one." He took one step closer to her and puffed out his chest to look more menacing, not that he needed to for Levy was already scared to death. "So, I'm here to make sure ya understand ya need to pay up for our protection. Yer long due and boss cannot have a Shrimp like ya owing him money" He smirked.

His words made Levy react, shaking her out of her initial shock. She stared at him in defiance and the man found himself surprised by her reaction. "You tell your boss I'm not paying for anything. And no matter what he does he cannot scare me, you hear?" Her voice was strong with determination and the ruby eyes widened before narrowing dangerously.

"Wrong answer" he growled and before she could do anything, Levy was being pummeled down by the big man. A fist to her gut, another one to her head, an elbow to her ribs, a kick to her right knee and one last fist to her chin got Levy on the ground, trying to cover her head from further assaults on her body.

The man stared at her and smirked proudly of his work. "Told ya I was here to make sure ya got the message clear" He was about to kick her once again but a pair of powerful headlights lit up the dark alleyway, stopping him in his track.

"Police! Hands over your head where I can see them!"

"Shit!" He muttered and turned around to run away on the opposite direction from the police car. Just then did he realized that the alley in which he had hauled Levy into was closed off by a 10-meter-tall wall. He was cornered with no escape route. He looked around frantically for any door or window he could use to run away but was stopped in his search by a powerful arm on his back that shoved his face into the wall.

"You have the right to remain silence. Anything you say…" the police started to read the man's rights while handcuffing his hands behind his back. The Phantom's gangster tried to shove away the policeman but even with his enormous strength, his efforts proved to be useless and he was dragged into the police car.

The other police officer busied himself checking Levy's injuries and asking her how she felt. He called for an ambulance and stayed by her side, assuring her that she was safe now, that her attacker had been handcuffed and would be taken into custody. She only managed to groan a strained 'thank you' before passing out.

The next morning, Levy woke up at the hospital and a doctor filled her in on what had happened.

Gajeel Redfox. That was the name of her assailant. He had brutally attacked Levy in the name of 'Phantom Lord', the gang that seemed to be terrorizing the city of Magnolia. Luckily, Levy had come out from the attack with minor injuries: one broken rib, a small concussion, bruises and scratches. She didn't required surgery but she did need to take it easy and let her body heal progressively.

The doctor informed Levy that Gajeel Redfox was put into custody and if she gave the police officers her statement to press charges against the man, he could pay a good amount of jail time. At that moment, she didn't wanted to know anything about him. She just wanted to forget everything that happened and move on with her life. That's why, when the policemen came to take her statement she asked them nicely to just leave her alone for the moment. She told them that she would go down to the police station once she was feeling better.

A couple of days later, she found herself outside the police station, taking deep breaths to calm herself down before stepping inside the building. She was escorted to a room adjacent to another one where Gajeel Redfox stood in line with several other men who looked somehow similar to him. The police officer explained to Levy that they couldn't see her due to the one-way mirror and that Levy just needed to identify the man who attacked her a couple nights back and she would be done with it.

She was about to point at man number 3, because there was no way she could forget the face of the man who attacked her on that alleyway, but then she stopped herself. She asked the officer if number 3 could take a step forward and the officer voiced out her request through the communicator. Gajeel Redfox took a step forward and looked straight to the mirror, only seeing his own reflection.

Levy felt her breath quickened and she excused herself from the room. She went to the bathroom and washed her face with cold water to try to calm herself down. There was no doubt she recognized the man, and there was no doubt either that she felt terrified by his presence. What she was surprised by was the fact that when she stared into Gajeel's face, she didn't see the anger, the cockiness and the roughness she saw the night of the attack.

No. This time what she saw in Gajeel's face was remorse and self-hatred. He was someone who seemed so lost, like a kid who knew he had done something wrong and found himself wondering what to do to make it right. What she saw in Gajeel's face was her own reflection from several years back staring right back at her,

No, no, no, NO! She couldn't be feeling compassion and empathy towards someone as horrible as Gajeel Redfox, right? He was mean! He had attacked her! He had beat her up and kicked her!

Then, why did Levy felt wrong to point at him and say 'Yes, that's the man who attacked me. Now put him behind bars for who knows how long'? Why did the mere thought of pressing charges against him made her feel like a hypocrite?

Maybe because Levy experienced the same as Gajeel Redfox had; she had been lost and someone showed compassion towards her. Wouldn't it be wrong to do anything less than that for Gajeel Redfox?

Levy stared at her reflexion in the bathroom's mirror and after a long sigh, she made up her mind. She needed to make a call before returning with the police officer.

"Redfox!" a policeman shouted and Gajeel groaned as he stood up from his bench in the shared cell. It seemed that it was time to transfer him to his own private cell because it was pretty obvious that the Shrimp had pressed charges against him and that she had easily recognized him in the police lineup.

He had fucked up really badly this time. There was no getting out of this. Phantom had been very explicit if anyone ever got caught by the police, they were on their own and they were never expected to return to the gang unless they wanted to get a bullet through their skull. Gajeel had no one else in his life, no family, no friends, the only thing he knew was his life as a gang member and now that had been flushed down the drain. He would now spend time in prison and then, when he'll finally get out, if he ever did, he would be tossed into a world with no job, no money, no roof over his head and with a criminal record that will hinder any attempt on getting back on his feet in any legitimate way.

The cell door slid open and a police officer hauled Gajeel out of it. What the man didn't expected was to be lead out to another room where he was handed his belongings. He stared at the police officer confusedly when the man started to take off the handcuffs from Gajeel's wrists.

"You had been released on bail. Take your stuff and get out. There's someone who's waiting for you outside the station" the officer explained and pushed the door open to guide the now-free man to the exterior of the building.

Gajeel didn't argue or even scowl at the officer, because he was still trying to figure out who had bail him out of this mess. When he stepped out of the building, he was met by an unknown black tall man with a scar over his left eye. Said man pushed himself off of his pickup truck and extended his hand towards Gajeel.

"You must be Gajeel, I guess? I'm Lily" Gajeel's confusion grew even more for he was sure he had never met this guy before. Still, he decided to shake hands with Lily as he grunted in affirmation of his inquiry.

"Yer the one who bail me out?" Gajeel questioned Lily as he studied the man further to know what the hell was going on here. Maybe Lily was from Phantom as well and they had decided to end Gajeel's miserable life sooner than he expected. But Gajeel knew that Jose Porla wouldn't spend a single penny on getting his sorry ass out of jail, so this Lily couldn't be from Phantom then.

Lily chuckled "You could say so, but not quite. Come on, get on the truck and I'll explain everything on the way." Lily walked around the front of the truck and got on to the driver's seat.

Gajeel doubted for a second, but then again, what did he have to lose? He had nowhere to go, no one to rely on and nothing better to do. So, Gajeel followed Lily's lead and climbed on to the copilot seat before asking "Where are we going?"

"To your new home" Lily turned the keys and the motor of the vehicle came to life with a roar. The two men disappeared into the end of the street, leaving a trail of dust and smoke on their way.

A week after Gajeel's release…

"Thank you for your purchase! Have a nice day!" Levy's voice chirped happily at the couple that just exited her store. It didn't took her long to open up the store again at regular schedule. There were some clients who were wondering if everything was alright with the blue haired owner but she assured them that she was fine and that she had just taken some days off to relax.

It had been already two weeks after the night of the attack and she still felt a little bit jumpy at night when she closed the store, but she was trying to get pass that. She needed to continue with her life and not let some traumatic experience stop her dead on her tracks. She had come a long way to be where she was standing right now and she wasn't going to let that fall down to shambles.

The sound of bells indicating the entry of a new customer dragged Levy out of her inner musings. "Hello! How can I-" she glanced up from the counter to the newcomer just to freeze immediately.

She knew she might bump into him at some point, Magnolia wasn't that big of a city, but she didn't expect it to be this soon.

Gajeel Redfox was awkwardly standing just past the doorframe of her bookstore - wait, awkwardly?

He totally looked nothing like his previous tough alpha male display. He had his shoulders sunken down, his hands were shoved into his pockets, his back was slightly bent down and his eyes were looking around the store avoiding eye contact with Levy. He seemed as if he was trying to make himself look the least threatening as possible, even trying to look smaller, which to Levy's opinion was hilarious because the man was still huge.

Still, his silent efforts to make sure Levy didn't felt threatened seemed to work, for she started to relax and shook herself out from the initial shock at the sight of the man. "Umm, hi" she said and a little smile graced her lips.

"Hi" he replied in a somehow rough but kind voice. He still lingered by the door.

"W-what can I do for you?" She held her hands behind the counter trying to control them from shaking.

He shifted uncomfortably "Umm, Lil' and I were around and he thought it would be nice to have lunch with ya… If-if that's okay for ya?" He locked his gaze with hers for a moment and then looked away quickly. He pointed with his thumb to the outside of the store "He's just parking the truck."

"S-sure! That would be nice." He looked up at her in a quick motion, his eyes widening in surprise by her answer.

"R-really? Good! Lil' mentioned that ya liked salads and that stuff, so there's a place-" Gajeel stopped his rambling when he noticed Levy flinched suddenly. He hadn't realized that he had taken a step forward and held his hands in front of him doing simple hand gestures. Many would have thought that Levy was overreacting over Gajeel's sudden movement, but he knew better. It had been just about two weeks since he attacked her so it was normal for her to fear any abrupt movements Gajeel did. Still, it pained Gajeel to see her flinching away from him.

"Shit… sorry" He apologized quickly and took a step back shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"It-it's o-okay" Levy tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace. "Just let me grab my purse, okay?" She turned around and walked out to the storage room just behind the counter.

Gajeel watched her disappear into the other room and sighed loudly. He was trying his best not to scare the girl but it was harder than he thought it would be. Maybe he should have convinced Lily that this was a bad idea. Clearly this was extremely painful for her and she didn't deserve to be this uncomfortable in her own store.

"Hey, what are you doing just standing at the door?" Lily placed his broad hand on Gajeel's shoulder and pushed him forward a bit, just so Lily could step into the store.

"She flinched when I took one step forward. Told ya this was a bad idea" Gajeel muttered dropping his gaze to the ground.

"Nonsense. She's stronger than she looks like" Lily argued and patted Gajeel's back. Just then, the girl in question returned from the storage room and walked around the counter.

"Hey, Lily!" Levy said in a cheerful voice and smiled.

"Hello, Levy. How are you feeling today?" Lily's tone warmed Levy's heart and she felt herself relax a bit.

"I'm better, thanks"

"Did Gajeel here tell you about our lunch plan?"

"Umm, yeah. You said you already have a place in mind, right?" The last part was directed to Gajeel who only nodded slowly in response.

"Good. Then, shall we go?" Lily walked up to where Levy was standing. Even when she was now in front of the counter, she didn't move towards the door. She just lingered there, keeping her distance with Gajeel who was 6 steps (10 of Levy's steps) away from her.

Lily closed the distance with her and placed a hand on her shoulder squeezing it ever so slightly in reassurance that he was there for her. "Don't worry. I'll keep him in line" Lily jerked his head towards Gajeel.

"Oi, I ain't yer dog, Lil'" Gajeel huffed.

"Never seen you like a dog, Gajeel. I always thought of you more like a cat" Lily looked over his shoulder and grinned at the exasperated expression in Gajeel's face.

Levy couldn't help but giggle at imagining Gajeel with pointy cat ears and a tail on his back. Lily gave Levy's shoulder another gentle squeeze and she smiled at the gesture. With Lily by her side, Levy walked up to the front door of her store and Gajeel pushed open the door for her to go out first.

For some reason, Levy didn't felt scared in the slightest walking down the street with Lily on her right and Gajeel on her left. It was somehow comfortable and soon Levy started to wonder if their lunch will be as pleasant as this.

"You should have seen her! There I was standing by the door eyeing a huge pile of books that suddenly started to mumble 'Help me, Lily'. That's when I noticed Levy had been buried alive under a pile of books in my living room and I just went down to my knees laughing as hard as I had ever laughed in my life, hahaha!" Lily let out a booming laughter which filled the Bistro where they were having lunch. He was clutching his stomach from laughing so hard at the funny memory of when Levy used to live with him and his wife.

"It wasn't that funny Lily, okay?" Levy tried to sound angry but she just felt embarrassed that Lily was telling Gajeel about that.

"How did ya even end up like that?" Gajeel asked after he recovered his breath from laughing too.

"Oh! Please let me tell him. That's the best part!" Lily exclaimed and tried to contain his laughter to retell that part of the story.

"Don't you dare Lily!" Levy threatened but Lily just waved a hand at her, dismissing her warning.

"She wanted a book at the top shelf and since she couldn't reach it, little miss here decided to climb up the bookcase, which caused the entire bookcase full of books to fall all over her." Lily laughed loudly again and was joined by Gajeel. Levy puffed her cheeks in annoyance but soon started to giggle as well.

It had been a nice lunch so far. Levy found herself more and more comfortable in Gajeel's company, much thanks to Lily's casual chatter which constantly eased the mood. She looked down at her watch and noticed how late it was already.

"Oh my! I need to go back to the store" She opened her purse but Lily stopped her before she could take out some cash to pay for her lunch.

"My treat. We invited you, remember?" Lily smiled warmly at Levy.

"You don't have to..."

"Please, I insist" Levy nodded at his words and put away her purse. Lily placed the cash on the table and the three of them stood up and walked out of the Bistro.

Gajeel and Lily walked Levy back to her bookstore and stopped just in front of the entrance door. "Well, we need to get going. We still need to find this brute a job so he can stop living for free at my house" Lily told Levy and he punched Gajeel in the arm good-naturedly.

"Tch, as if I enjoy that more than you do." Gajeel grunted and glared at Lily.

"Still not luck with the job hunting?" Levy asked Gajeel.

He huffed before answering "There aren't a lot of people willing to hire an ex-gang member." He looked away and scowled at remembering how he had been treated during his last 10 job interviews.

Ex-gang member. That's right. Lily had explained Levy during lunch that in the past week they had work hard and finally managed to cut out all of Gajeel's ties with 'Phantom Lord' gang. Lily even paid for Gajeel's tattoo to be removed from his shoulder. Ever since Gajeel got out of the police station, he had been staying at Lily's house and he had been helping Gajeel get a new clean start. But, as he said, there were not a lot of people willing to help someone who had been involved in a dangerous gang such as Phantom.

Levy hummed softly while thinking. Her eyebrows furrowed when an idea struck her mind. She looked up at him and asked nicely "How about you work here?" She signaled at her store and both men stared at her with wide eyes at her proposition.

"What?" Gajeel asked dumbfounded.

"Well, I mean. I really need an assistant and, as much as I hate to admit it, I have lots of trouble placing back the top-shelves books. Your help can come in handy, that's if you want the job" Levy shrugged her shoulders as if what she was offering wasn't a big deal.

"Ya sure about it? I-I mean, ya want me to work here, at yer bookstore? Fer real?" Gajeel couldn't believe what Levy was offering him.

According to what Lily had told him, she had been the one who had contacted Lily to ask him to help Gajeel start all over again; she had been the one who had pay to bail him out of jail; and right now she was offering him a job at her store. She did all that even after he had been the son of a bitch who had attacked her. She was figuratively and literally opening the door to her store for him; she was letting him into her safe haven; him, the monster who had beat her up barely two weeks ago.

"Sure!" Levy smiled at him still holding the door open. "I mean, only if you want the job..."

"Yeah…" Gajeel replied quickly and nodded his head enthusiastically. "When can I start boss?" He grinned playfully at Levy and extended his hand towards her.

She giggled and shook hands with the man. "You can start right away if you have nothing better to do"

"Roger that" Gajeel held the front door open for Levy to go inside the store first and then Lily followed her, stopping for a moment in front of Gajeel.

"Told you she's stronger than she looks like" Lily said in a low voice just for Gajeel to listen. He just grinned at him in response and nodded for Lily to get inside.

'Freaking understatement of the year' Gajeel thought before closing the door behind him once he got inside the store.

That night at closing time…

Levy was putting away some paperwork at the front desk of the store. She looked up from her work and saw Gajeel stacking some books back to the shelves where they belonged. Her mind started to drift a bit and soon she started to recall everything that had transpired in the last couple of weeks.

Ever since that day at the police station when she called Lily, a part of her mind kept telling her that she was crazy for even thinking on helping out Gajeel. And today, after offering Gajeel a job at her bookstore, that part of her mind started to scream at her that she definitely had gone insane. How could she be such an idiot to even believe that she could be safe around a monster like him?

Regardless, Gajeel proved to be trustworthy. He helped around the store and made Levy's work incredibly easier. Lily stayed at the store for a couple of hours just to make sure that Levy was okay having Gajeel around and then left so he could go and pick up his wife at her work. Surprisingly, even for Levy, she did felt comfortable having Gajeel around and they even got to know a little bit more about each other. She learned that he likes to play the guitar and that he enjoys writing the lyrics to his songs. The more she talked with Gajeel that afternoon the more Levy realized that he wasn't the monster she thought he was, he was just someone who had suffered for so long and never had anyone to help him out.

After the last customer left the store, Gajeel approached Levy at the front desk and dragged her out from her reminiscence when he spoke. "Hey, can I talk to ya for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up? Lily called and said he will be here in 15. How did you like your first day?"

"It was fine. Though I'm sure one brat was taking out the books from their shelves just to mess with me." Gajeel huffed and leaned his forearms on the counter.

"Yeah, Asuka likes to do that. It means that she likes you, haha"

"Fucking brat" Gajeel muttered but couldn't hold down the small smile that appeared on his face. He cleared his throat before continuing "Anyways, uhm…" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly "Just wanted to say… thanks… ya know, f-for everything."

"Oh" Levy was surprised by his words and smiled kindly at him "No need to. As I said, I really was in need for some assistance with the store so-"

"What I mean…" Gajeel interrupted Levy and sighed. "Thanks, for this…" he signaled around to the store "And for everything else… Lily told me what ya did fer me and it really means a lot"

Levy's expression softened and she smiled again. "You're welcome, Gajeel"

"Can I ask ya why? Why ya did all that fer me?"

Levy hummed before answering "Well, to be honest, when I saw you at the police lineup, you kind of reminded me of my old self."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow in confusion urging Levy to explain further. "You see… About ten years ago I was homeless and had no one who cared about me. In order to survive I became a thief and started to steal jewelry and money from people's homes." She looked down in shame. "But one night I broke into Lily's house and he caught me before I could escape. Instead of turning me in to the police, he offered me a chance to start all over again. He feed me, put a roof over my head and sent me to school." Levy smiled at the memory. "He forgave me and looked past what I had done to him. He was my saving grace and I promised to myself if I ever got the chance to do something like that I would."

She beamed at him before continuing "So, there's no need to thank me. If you think about it, all of this is thanks to Lily"

Gajeel remained frozen on the spot, staring intently at Levy. He was taken aback by her story and now he felt he understood her a little bit more. Still, he couldn't believe she was brushing off what she was doing as something unimportant. It was huge! At least for him. He could relate to how she felt ten years ago, because right now Levy McGarden was his saving grace.

There were so many things he wanted to say to her. He wanted to tell her how amazing she was, how sorry he felt for what he had done to her, and how grateful he was for what she was doing for him. But above all of that, he wanted to tell her that he had vowed to himself to repay her for her kindness in any and every way possible.

Words seemed to escape Gajeel as he noticed he hadn't say anything after Levy finished her story. He felt his throat tightened as he tried to say anything. He opened his mouth and closed it almost immediately. He was never a man of words, so how could he express his gratitude towards her? He did the only thing he believed to be appropriate.

He shook his head as if saying 'No, this is not just thanks to Lily'. He took a step back from the counter, eyes fixed on her and then he bowed.

Gajeel Redfox bowed down from the waist in gratitude to Levy McGarden. His long black hair fell to either side of his head, shadowing his face. "Thank you" he said in the most sincere way possible. 'I promise you I won't waste this opportunity you're giving me' he thought.

Levy held her breath for a moment. She felt the sincerity in Gajeel's words and her heart warmed at his gesture of gratefulness. "Gajeel…" she said softly and he straightened his back to look at her.

Levy jumped slightly when she heard Lily honking the horn of his truck indicating that he just arrived. "We should go. Don't want to leave Lily waiting for us, right?" Levy grabbed her purse and walked around the counter. Gajeel nodded in agreement and walked with her to the front door.

He stood by her side while she locked down the store and took the opportunity to ask her another question. "Hey, have ya ever heard about the tale of 'The Match'?"

Levy put away the keys into her purse and looked up at him "Yeah. What about it?"

"What do ya think about it? Think it's real?" He tried to sound nonchalant but there was a hint of longing in his voice.

"Well, I like the story but it's been awhile since I tried to prove if it's real or not… Why do you ask?" They closed the distance to Lily's truck and Gajeel opened the passenger's door for her.

"N-no reason, just curious…" he looked away from her and Levy swore she saw a light blush on his cheeks. 'So she doesn't know about it…' Gajeel thought.

"O-okay…" she climbed into the truck and their conversation was dropped.

Later that night (A/N where this story began)…

Levy found herself sitting on her bed cross-legged holding 'The Match' in her hand.

"This is ridiculous" she sighed dejectedly. It had been a long time since she had tried to use 'The Match' and she felt silly to be doing this right now. But something inside her kept telling her to use it, to see for herself the result of this little experiment.

There was again that part of her mind telling her that offering her help to Gajeel would only bring her pain and suffering, but another part kept saying that what she was doing was the right thing to do. When she was little, whenever she felt conflicted about someone, she did the little experiment of 'The Match' just to make herself stop thinking about things too much.

Besides, Levy was curious about why had Gajeel ask her about what she thought about 'The Match'. Was he just trying to start a casual conversation? Or was there some other reason behind his question?

Pushing her doubts aside, Levy held up 'The Match' in her hand. "Gajeel Redfox" she whispered and pictured his face in her mind. Then, she snapped her fingers over the tip of 'The Match' and waited for the outcome.

When it lit up, Levy stared at it in shock. Could this be true? The golden flame was bright as the sun and Levy's eyes started to water from its intensity but she couldn't look away from it. Never in her life had she seen something as beautiful as this fire.

When the light dimmed out as the flame died out, something clicked in Levy's mind "Oh, Mavis!" Her eyes widened as she realized what the golden flame meant.

Gajeel Redfox, the man who had attacked her, the man who she had bail out of jail, the man who was now working for her at her bookstore, was her soulmate, her meant to be, her match.

What was she supposed to do with this new information?! This was incredibly unexpected! Not that she didn't believe it might be true, just that it was somehow ironic on how she had crossed paths with the (supposedly) love of her life.

"Wait… Is that why he asked me about 'The Match'? Does he know too?" She wondered and her cheeks started to heat up.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she felt comfortable with Gajeel. It was easy to talk to him. She never imagined her telling someone she barely knew about her troubled past but that same afternoon she had told Gajeel about that as if it wasn't that big of a deal. The more time she spent with Gajeel that day, the more she became aware of the fact that she enjoyed his company…

But… but it's just crazy! Right?! They had been… uhm… friends? Acquaintances? Employer and employee? (What the hell was their relationship?!) for less than a day and now 'The Match' was telling her that he was her soulmate?

"Oh, my… Mavis must be playing tricks on me… How come…? And he…? And I…? ARGH!" Levy's mind was racing with so many questions and her heart started to beat faster in her chest.

"Okay, okay… Calm down Levy, calm down" She took deep breaths and she remembered one part of the story her mother used to tell her.

Love isn't as simple as just finding the right person. Finding your match is just the beginning.

She repeated that phrase over and over again in her head and sighed loudly.

"I need to talk to him about this tomorrow" Then she stood up to turn off the light in her room.

The next day at closing time…

It had been one of the busiest days in the bookstore. Neither Gajeel nor Levy had even five minutes to rest among the sea of customers that flooded the store all day long.

Finally, Levy waved goodbye to the last customer and put up the sign 'Closed' at the front door before heading back to the front desk. "Well, that was the last client" she told Gajeel who was stacking some boxes over the desk.

"Shit. Today was crazy… Did ya used to put up with this by yerself?"

"Hehe, yeah. Some days are crazier than others, but it's way easier with you helping around, so thanks!"

"Tch, no need to, Shortstuff. Remember this is my job." Gajeel grinned when her eyes flashed annoyance at the nickname. His buffed arms lifted the boxes with ease and then he looked down at her "Just let me put these in the back room. Lil' said he should be here in about 20. Wanna join us for dinner?"

"Sure! Where to?" She chirped happily.

"Lil's house. I'm cooking" With that he started to walk away from her towards the back room of the store.

"What? You cook? Really?" She raised her voice so he could still hear her.

"Of course! I'm a man full of surprises, Shrimp" He answered looking at her over his shoulder before disappearing into the other room.

"Sure you are…" she said under her breath and shook her head good-naturedly. Levy walked around the counter and started to put away some of the bills and paperwork into the drawers of the desk.

Her mind drifted off to the previous night, when she saw the golden flame from 'The Match'. She hadn't spoken to Gajeel about her finding and she didn't have any idea on how to approach the subject. Her mind started to play different scenarios on how she could mention it.

Hey, Gajeel. So, about 'The Match'... It's just a bunch of lies, am I right? A piece of wood telling you who you are meant to be with… Pfft! Who was the crazy love freak who thought of that, right?

Levy's eye twitched at thinking on how ridiculous she would look like pretending to be tsundere.

Hey, Gajeel… So, you know 'The Match', eh? You and I? (*wiggling of eyebrows*) Wanna go someplace else, handsome?

Levy blushed furiously at that scenario.

Oh, Gajeel! I used 'The Match'! You and I will be together forever and ever and we'll live happily ever after!

Levy cringed by the mere thought of acting like a lovesick girl with delusional ideas.

Okay, maybe it was best to not bring the subject up with him. At least, not tonight… or ever again… It's too silly, right? And he probably would just mock her for even bringing that up, right? Then, why did he ask about it in the first place…?

'Argh! Why can't my mind shut up for a minute?!' Levy thought exasperatedly and rested her forehead on the table.

The sound of the front door opening pulled her out of her inner turmoil but she didn't raise her head from the desk. "Sorry, we're closed right now. Please, come back tomorrow." The sound of approaching footsteps brought confusion to Levy's mind 'Uh? Maybe he/she didn't hear me…' she thought.

Levy raised her head from the table and put on her nicest smile "Sorry, we're closed right-"

"I heard you the first time." A tall white man stood there inside the store with his arms crossed over his chest. Levy eyed his peculiar hair that was tied up in a Japanese-style top knot; half of it dyed black and the other half white.

"Sir, we-" Levy stared at him in confusion when she was interrupted once again by the newcomer.

"I ain't here to purchase anything from your petty store, young lady." He walked all the way to the counter and rested his forearms on it. When Levy took a step backwards instinctively, he smirked. "I'm here to deliver something to you." He said slowly, making sure she could understand his words as a threatening remark.

Levy stared at him in fear, trying to figure out what was happening. The man then tugged down his jacket's collar and she saw the tattoo that had been hidden by the fabric.

Phantom.

Levy gasped when she recognized the insignia which made the man grin wider. "The name is Totomaru and my boss sent me to tell you something important." He leaned forward on the counter and Levy took another step backwards. "You have to pay. One way or another. You. Will. Pay." He emphasized his lasts words with a serious and deep voice that got Levy shaking.

Her heart thumped in her ears and her lungs felt as if they were on fire from the lack of oxygen for Levy was holding her breath unconsciously. She breathed in heavily, trying to calm her senses and set her expression strongly confronting Totomaru's threat. "Please, leave my store at once before I call the police." She surprised herself when she didn't stuttered.

"Oh? You'll call the police, eh?" Totomaru mocked her and just then did Levy realize that her satchel was nowhere near her. It was a couple meters away to her right on one of the tables, with her cellphone inside one of its pockets.

If she made a run for it, Levy might get a chance to grab her satchel before Totomaru got the opportunity to attack her. But that would require her to move away from the counter, which right now was the only barrier between the man and Levy.

Totomaru saw her eyeing her satchel and grinned 'Oh, please. Be stupid enough to try' he thought and licked his lips subconsciously.

After a few seconds of silence, which seemed like an eternity for Levy, she made up her mind. In a quick motion she sprinted towards her satchel, moving away from behind the counter. Just when she was about to reach the table, she felt a big hand gripped her left upper arm quite roughly.

Totomaru tightened his grip on her upper arm halting her movement and then he tossed her to the nearest wall. Levy cried out in pain once her back collided with a bookcase and her body slid down to the floor. Books fell to either side of her and she grabbed her left arm shutting her eyes tightly when she felt her arm throbbed in pain.

Totomaru walked calmly towards her and Levy looked up at him when he chuckled "Told ya you were going to pay, little miss." He pulled out from his jacket a pocket knife and Levy stared wide eyed at the sharp end of the weapon.

'He's going to kill me' Levy couldn't think about anything else. She became more terrified with each step Totomaru took towards her. 'I'm going to die here.'

She closed her eyes when Totomaru was just two steps away from her. There was no way out, she was going to die by the hands of this man.

The, her eyes snapped open when she heard a yowl of pain followed by a loud crash. Standing in front of her, Gajeel was facing Totomaru who was now on his back over what used to be a table. Gajeel opened his hand and Totomaru's pocket knife fell to the ground in front of Levy's feet. She heard him growling menacingly at the intruder when he started to pick himself up.

"Redfox" Totomaru spat out angrily.

"What the hell are ya doing here, Totomaru?!" Gajeel roared.

He was beyond furious right now. When he was in the back room, he heard Levy's cry of pain and rushed back immediately to the front of the store to see what had happened. He never expected to see Totomaru standing there, walking towards Levy with a pocket knife in his hand while Levy was on the floor with her back pressed against a bookcase. Gajeel had never moved so fast in his life, because in a blink of an eye he had disarmed Totomaru, punched him in the gut and tossed him to the other side of the room, causing a table to split in two from the force of the impact.

"Boss sent me to do your job since you failed so miserably last time" he said casually before his expression turned serious. "Now, move aside from the girl, Redfox." Totomaru walked towards them eyeing Gajeel carefully.

"Just try to harm her, ya dickshit" Gajeel's words dripped venom.

"Tsk. You and I know that yer all bark and no-" Totomaru's words were cut short when Gajeel's fist collided with his face. Another punch to his gut and one last blow to his jaw sent Totomaru to the floor once again.

"How do ya like my bite, jerk?"

Totomaru was holding his hand to his face to stop the blood that was coming out from his now-broken nose when Gajeel grabbed him by the front of his jacket and yanked him off the floor. Totomaru's feet dangled above the ground and Gajeel inched his face closer to Totomaru's. If glares could kill, Totomaru would have died at least a thousand times for the way Gajeel's eyes narrowed at him.

"Tell Porla to NEVER come back here, ya hear? I'll beat the crap out of anyone that dares to come near her…" His voice was low and frightening. "Next time I won't be as forgiving as today. Do ya understand?" Gajeel snarled and Totomaru shivered under his hold. He nodded with wide eyes full of fear.

Gajeel smirked. "Good" He released his hold on Totomaru's jacket and the man staggered once his feet touched the floor. "Now get the hell out of here!" Gajeel growled and Totomaru sprinted out of the store without looking back.

Gajeel went to the front door and locked it down in case anyone else from Phantom tried to enter the store. His shoulders relaxed when he heard the click of the door's lock and he sighed in relief. Then, Gajeel turned around to see Levy still sitting on the floor with her back leaned on a bookcase, staring intently at him.

His expression softened as he walked up to her and knelt down in front of Levy before he spoke "Are ya alright, Shrimp?" His voice was soft and kind, and his eyes showed concern for her.

She nodded "Yeah, I-I think so…" She looked down to her left arm which she was still holding with her right hand.

"Let me see" Gajeel moved away her hand and gently touched her left upper arm, making Levy hiss in pain. Gajeel sighed when he finished examining her arm "Looks like it's not broken. It'll only bruise. We need to put ice on it, though"

Gajeel took out his cellphone and dialed Lily's number. After the second ring, Gajeel heard Lily's voice "Hello?"

"Hey Lil', how far are ya?"

"I'll be there in 10, Gajeel"

"Can you bring some ice with ya?"

"Ice? What did you do this time?"

"Didn't do anything!" He huffed and Levy giggled at his exasperated expression. "Just get the ice, will ya? I'll explain everything later."

"Alright. See you in a bit" Lily ended the call and Gajeel put away his phone.

"He'll be here soon." He smiled at her and offered his hand to help her stand up. Once Levy was on her feet, Gajeel turned around and started to walk away. "Let me grab yer bag so wh-" His sentence was cut short and he froze on the spot when he felt something collided with his back and a slender arm wrapped around his waist. He looked over his shoulder and saw the top of Levy's head while she had her face flushed against his back.

"Thank you, Gajeel. I-I mean it… Thanks" She mumbled against his shirt and he felt her tremble as if she was fighting away the tears.

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her carefully, one hand on her head and the other in the small of her back, bringing her closer to him. She buried her face deeper into his chest and tightened her hold around his waist. Then, Gajeel leaned down and mumble into her hair "I'll protect ya, Levy. I promise ya yer safe with me"

"I know" She sniffed and looked up to him. Tears pricked at the edge of her eyes and she gave him a watery smile. "Thank you"

He smiled at her and let himself get lost in the deep hazel pools that were Levy's eyes. His chest warmed at her smile and his mind decided that having her in his arms was the best feeling of the world. He wanted to keep her there in his embrace for all eternity, protecting her and cherishing her as if she was the most valuable person in the world, because in Gajeel's eyes, she was.

When he smiled at her, Levy's heart skipped a beat and found it incredibly hard to look away from his ruby eyes. They were full of affection for her and determination to keep his word. She had never felt safer in her entire life like she felt right now within Gajeel's arms. Her mind suddenly recalled the conversation she still had to have with Gajeel and she smiled brighter to him, her smile reaching her eyes.

"I used 'The Match' last night…" she loosened her hold on him when she felt his body tensed up at her words.

He gently pushed her away at arm's length with his hands on her small shoulders. He was looking at her intently with surprise in his eyes, trying to see what she meant with that phrase. Why did she bring that up now? C-could it be that…? She…? And him…? Gajeel didn't knew if there was a slight chance that his 'Match' could be one-sided and sure he felt that he didn't deserve her at all…

Gajeel had found out about it the second night he spent at Lily's. His new friend had just told him that night about Levy bailing him out of jail and contacting Lily to ask for his help. Gajeel wondered about her reasons to do that and just for the fun of it he used 'The Match'. When he saw the flame he thought that maybe she had done it because she knew he was her soulmate and wanted to help him out so they could have all the mushy-lovey-dovey fairy tale ending (that's what all the girls wanted, right?). Well, Gajeel wasn't one to question her reasons and he still was grateful for what she had done for him so he promised to do his best to right his life and make up to her for what he had done.

Nonetheless, he found out the previous night that Levy's reasons were far from what he expected. She had no idea about 'The Match' and she had helped him out of the goodness in her heart. Gajeel thought that life or destiny or Mavis (whoever the hell liked to play with people's lives) was screwing with him because there was no way that he could have someone as good as Levy as his soulmate. At least he believed that someone had fucked up because Levy sure didn't deserve a bastard like him as her lifelong partner. So, Gajeel's mind kept telling him that there was the slim chance that she was his soulmate but he wasn't hers (could that even happen?).

He was still staring at her, focusing on breathing because apparently his chest was heaving as if he was about to have a panic attack.

"And?" he mustered to say and took a deep breath expecting the worst.

Levy smiled at him and the corner of her eyes crinkled at the motion. "Now I know it's real." She said and Gajeel let go of the breath he was holding in.

His heart started to beat so fast that he believed it was going to burst out of his chest any minute now. He didn't even try to fight away or hide the blush that spread on his cheeks and he welcomed the little flip flops his stomach did when her words sank in his mind. 'The Match' wasn't one-sided. She was his soulmate and he was hers.

By his reaction, Levy knew immediately that her suspicions were true. Gajeel already knew that they were soulmates and that warmed her heart like nothing had ever before.

Gajeel's mind started to swirl with conflicted thoughts. 'You're still the monster who attacked her, remember? A piece of wood and a flame don't change that.'

His face shifted in anguish and shock and he retrieved his hands from her shoulders as if they were burning hot. He ran one hand through his thick black hair trying to figure out what to do next. They were soulmates and that only made Gajeel's guilt grow tenfold. It meant that he attacked the only person in this world that was supposed to love him and spend the rest of her life with him. It didn't matter what 'The Match' said, she didn't have to spend her life with him if she didn't wanted to. And Gajeel was sure as hell that she would not want a bastard like him as her life companion. That would only mean that Gajeel would spend his whole life regretting what he had done to the only woman that could have loved his sorry ass.

Levy saw Gajeel's conflicted gaze and understood what he might be thinking about. His expression showed guilt and regret and he scowled once or twice while diverting his gaze to the floor. She understood that their situation was very odd indeed. It's not common to meet the love of your life like they met. And she still was getting used to Gajeel but she knew that she did have deep feelings for the big man and that he did return the feelings towards her.

But how could they get pass this? How could they leave behind the guilt, the suffering, the fear and the remorse? How could they get to their 'happily ever after'? That's when Levy remembered one part of the story that she thought that it could ease her heart and mind as well as Gajeel's.

She reached out and touched his hand gently, dragging his gaze back to her. "Hey… you know what my mom used to say to me?" She gave him a little smile. "She said 'Love isn't as simple as just finding the right person.' "

Gajeel relaxed and his expression showed that his inner turmoil was settling down. "Yeah?" The corner of his mouth quirked upwards "Pops said too something pansy like 'Finding your match is just the beginning.' " He smiled and encased her hands between both of his.

Yeah, they had found each other and together they would figure out how to move past what happened between them. There was no denying that they felt a strong connection with each other, but they still had a long way to reach their fairy tale ending. Nevertheless, they were willing to try to work it out. They were soulmates; they had been matched by destiny. And they would do their damn best to keep moving forward to get to the point where Gajeel would feel like he deserved Levy's love and Levy would feel like she had help Gajeel to right his life.

So that was a handful! I swear my mind does not understand what a one-shot means and it just keeps pouring out ideas that I need to write down. Sadly, that's the reason I won't be able to finish all the prompts on time. I will upload them eventually but not exactly on the desinated date. Quite a few are very good and I'm getting engrossed in the story but I'm still trying to keep it simple to finish all of them.

Tell me what you think about it! Spread the Gajevy week love!

You can find me on ffnet as Where’sTheFood

Thank you for reading! And Happy Valentine's Day! *Hugs and kisses*

WTF(Where'sTheFood)

#gajevyweek #gajevyweek17 #gajevy #fanfic #levy mcgarden #gajeel redfox #fairy tail #where's the food fanfiction

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