So for anyone who knows me or reads a lot of what I write, obviously, I love writing about clubbing, because I, myself, love to go clubbing. So, please enjoy. If you have any requests, PLEASE PM me! I love writing requests! I don't own Fairy Tail or that small bit of the song I used in the fic!

"Lu-chan, did you really have to drag me into this?" I sighed, and removed my glasses, looking down at my excited blonde friend. Lucy sat at her mirror, getting herself ready for the evening ahead. "I'd much rather stay at home and read the new books Gajeel got me for my birthday…"

The Iron Dragon Slayer had gruffly given me a whole set of books I'd been saving up for, saying I'd jus' noticed them lyin' around, I don't need them. You like books. Here. I blushed and thanked him, telling him how grateful I was. He just scratched the back of his head, mumbled, and walked off.

"Yes, Levy! You only turn eighteen once! And this club just opened! I promise it's going to be a lot of fun!" Lucy exclaimed as she stood up to look at me. "Now sit down! It's your turn for makeup. I've got a super cute outfit picked out for you." I sighed once more, reluctantly doing as she asked. "Don't worry. Jet and Droy are out on a request, and Gajeel is coming too."

My jaw dropped, and Lucy giggled.

"He is not. He hates dancing." I said in disbelief. I know he hates dancing. Everyone knows it! He only danced with me that one time, when Jet and Droy were too busy fighting over me. I felt really frustrated, and before I could yell at my two idiots, Gajeel took my hand and placed his on my waist.

Yeah. I remember that day very well.

"Be that as it may, a certain flame brain might have convinced him by saying it's for you, and that you love dancing." That devilish grin appeared on her face as she cackled to herself. Really, Lucy, you can be such a handful sometimes…

"All right, fine, you got me. Let's get started!" Lucy smiled and I smiled at each other, and though I didn't want to admit it, I was looking forward to an adventurous night.

"Are you sure this looks all right, Lu-chan?" I asked, turning around while trying to inspect the outfit Lucy had set out for me. It was a very pretty, fitted, orange halter top. I shivered as I felt the night air touch my back. NOT that I'd be willing to admit it to anyone, but in this case, small boobs are a blessing. While it was different from what I was used to, I didn't need anything for support, and it left my whole back bare. She had paired it up with just some denim shorts and boots. The top allowed my midriff to show along with the belly ring I may or may not have gotten while thinking about a certain Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Um, are you kidding me? You look gorgeous. And the outfit is just right for tonight's occasion!" Lucy said, giving me a thumbs up. She had put light gray eye shadow on me, with a little mascara, then called Cancer for my hair, which, too, was just a simple pony tail with some hair falling to the sides of my face.

I smiled at her and followed her into the club. The lighting was dim, and the music was loud. I scanned the room for any sign of anyone we knew, and before I knew it, Lucy was pulling on my arm towards a table where other members of our guild sat.

As we approached, I began to recognize who all was there. Gray, Juvia, Natsu, Erza, Jellal, and…Gajeel! He really came?

Lucy and I greeted everyone we sat down in the two empty spaces left for us. Lucy – of course – sat next to Natsu, whereas I sat next to Gajeel, who made a job of looking uncomfortable.

"All right! A round of drinks on me! Happy Birthday, Levy!" Natsu shouted, waving the waitress over and asking for a round of shots. It wasn't long before they arrived and Lucy raised her glass.

"To Levy! Let's have a wonderful night!" Everyone echoed and downed their drinks. I resisted the urge to cough and sputter. It felt like fire was going down my throat.

Yet it had a weird minty taste.

"What is this?" I asked once I got my voice back. I set the glass down and looked around at everyone.

"Peppermint Schnapps." Gajeel stated, looking down at me and smirking. "Care for a second round on me this time, Shrimp?" I nodded enthusiastically, deciding to ignore the nickname. It's not like he'd never called me shrimp before. And besides, it's my birthday, and he was here to celebrate. I couldn't nor wouldn't complain.

Everyone fell into conversations with someone around them, and I just looked at Gajeel, who – after waving down the waitress to ask for a second round – placed his elbow on the table and was staring off at something in the distance. It crossed my mind that I should be worried if he was okay, but in the next thought I convinced myself it was probably irrelevant.

The waitress came back with our second round of shots, and this time I knew what to expect. I downed the small glass and placed it triumphantly on the table, not feeling the need to cough the liquid up. To say the least, I felt proud. I looked back to Gajeel who had a somewhat amused look on his face.

By this point, my head felt light and dizzy and I didn't have a care in the whole world. I wasn't near drunk yet, but the buzz I had going was nice.

"Hey, c'mon you guys let's dance!" I said as I stood up and made my way to the dance floor. I was aware Lucy and Natsu had got up to follow me, and that Gajeel had stayed sitting at the table. I listened to the music, and moved my hips to the beat, loving that I was finally able to go out dancing. Lucy was absolutely right. I loved dancing. And since I didn't have a care in the world, why not let everything go? My hips moved to the music and I let my head roll on my shoulders.

This was a feeling I'd never had before. Believe it or not, before tonight, I'd never taken a sip of alcohol. I know there are some veterans among my rowdy group of friends, but I'd always chosen not to partake.

I love it.

I had no idea how much time went by, and I was having the time of my life. I would go back to the table once or twice and take another shot before coming back to the dance floor and resuming dancing with Lucy while she wasn't busy with Natsu. Gray and Juvia had disappeared somewhere, and Jellal and Erza were seeing who could take the most shots. I didn't notice the stares I was getting when I danced, so I was surprised when a stranger felt up my thigh, skimming the hem of my shorts. I turned around, ready to be angry and defend myself.

But before I knew it, Gajeel had stepped in.

Placing his hand on my hip, he spun me around to face him, moving his hand to rest on my ass. Which, quite frankly, even if I had been sober, I wouldn't have minded.

I could tell by the look in his eyes, he wasn't too entirely happy. But I also knew he would wait until later to talk about it. He pulled me closer, and quickly, I turned in his grasp, dancing against him to the music playing. I felt the growl in his chest.

"This is not what I came here for, Levy." I could feel his irritation radiating off of him, but I didn't care. I could tell I was getting drunk, and it's my birthday. I could do whatever I wanted. That included dancing on the man I was currently infatuated with. I wasn't sorry about it; he was the one who came up to me when I was having a blast dancing. Sure I might not be as seductively practiced as others, but when it came to Gajeel, it was a piece of cake.

His hand twitched on my bare hip as the music played and I continued dancing as if no one was behind me. Of course the music playing was mostly techno/dance-y remixes, so I was able lip sync or sing along to any song I knew if I wanted. It was at this moment that Gajeel had turned me to face him again. Both of his hands rested on my hips and I watched him as he looked me up and down, his gaze momentarily pausing on my belly ring. He looked down at me with an unreadable expression. I put my hands on his and leaned in.

"Baby, I'm worth it. Uh huh I'm worth it. Gimme gimme I'm worth it. It's all on you, it's all on you so what you wanna do?" I mouthed as I danced, keeping eye contact with him. He gulped and his eyes flashed at mine. I smirked at him, giving him a playful wink as the rest of the verse continued. In my somewhat drunk state, I just didn't care. I mean, sure in the morning I would probably be mortified, but right now the only thing I cared about was the attention this man was giving me.

"What did you come here for, Gajeel?" I asked him, having to get on my tip-toes so I could make sure he could hear me over the loud music and crowd of people. Before I was able to lean back away, one of his hands slid from my hip up my back and into my hair, bringing me crashing into that perfect mouth of his.

I nearly gasped in surprise, but who I am I kidding? I'd been waiting for this to happen again for a long time. My arms wound around his neck as he brought me closer. Whether it was the alcohol or Gajeel, my head began to spin. It wasn't my first kiss by far, but this feeling? It was unlike any I've felt before. He tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss and I moaned into his mouth. Everything about this felt right. It was like I couldn't get enough of him. But before I knew it, my lungs were burning in protest and I had to break the kiss in order to breathe.

"That. That is exactly what I came here for." It was his turn to smirk and laugh his signature chuckle. He took my hand. "Well, maybe not just that. Come with me, shrimp." I didn't even think as he led me out of the club. The cool breeze felt good on my damp skin. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air. We continued walking a few blocks away from the club. I could feel myself becoming less and less drunk as the night went on, and I was fine with it. The buzz I had was nice and I wasn't totally mortified yet.

We stopped near a small park that had a set of swings, a merry-go-round, and a playground with a bench that sat not too far away. I made my way to sit on one of the swings, reminding myself that this wasn't the first time Gajeel and I had kissed. I mean, it was to save his life, but we had never really been able to talk about it. With all that had happened after, one small kiss was easily pushed aside for more important matters. Of course there had been times where we almost talked about it, but something always got in the way.

The chains on the other swing squeaked underneath Gajeel's weight. I turned towards him, not entirely surprised that he was straddling the swing, facing towards me. I took a deep breath, feeling the smile on my face before I knew it was there. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, just studying each other before the weight of his gaze made me turn away.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Gajeel?" I asked, my voice clear. I was focused on my hands. The belly ring I'd chosen tonight had a charm of the Fairy Tail mark. But instead of choosing the same color as the white one on my shoulder, something – or rather someone – made me choose the same color as a certain Iron Dragon Slayer. I don't know if the reasoning was conscious or not, but every time I wore it, I think of him.

"I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I figure I'll jus' out and say it." I looked back at him, studying his profile. I felt tingly all over. Whether it was from the remaining alcohol in my system, anticipation of what Gajeel was about to say, or both, I didn't know. "Before you saved my life. By doin', you know, doin' that thing. You were on my mind a lot. Ever since then, you're on my mind more often than not. And I was talkin' to Lily, seein' if he could help me figure out what I meant, ya know?" He looked up from his nervous fiddling, and looked me in the eyes. "What I'm tryin' to say is, I got these feelin's for you, Levy. And I know I haven't always made the best choices, but knowin' you has made me a better person, and I jus' wanna make you happy."

Without saying it explicitly, I knew he loved me. I'd have to be an idiot to know expressing emotions didn't come naturally to him. I also knew one day, he'd tell me in confidence. I said his name, looking into his eyes and reading the feelings he couldn't say. "You know, from day one, you've always been hard on me." He looked away and refused to meet my eye. "But without a strong force driving me like that, I wouldn't have had the motivation to work harder and do better. I wouldn't be the wizard I am now without you. That day I really thought I was going to lose you. I don't want to think about that. Gajeel, you are one of the most important people to me. I want to continue to be with you. I want to continue to help with whatever you need. I want you to continue to drive me to be a better wizard." I smiled at him, leaning closer so I could hold his face in my hands. "I know there wasn't really a question in there, but my answer is yes."

Before I knew it, his lips were pressed to mine, and I smiled, kissing him back. I know everyone tries to have an amazing eighteenth birthday, with legally becoming an adult and all. But there are no words to describe the feelings that I've experienced tonight. From when I first received those books from Gajeel as a birthday present, to this moment now with my hands wound around my Dragon Slayer's neck, there is no way I could ever have a better birthday than this.