Hello everyone! This is the start of my new fic, which will have 26 chapters, each based on a one word prompt starting with each letter of the alphabet. I really couldn't think of a good title, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to tell me!

Here we go with the first chapter – yep, you guessed it!

1. Apple

Gajeel wonders what kind of crummy job she took to end up with a basket of apples as her reward.

"You got ripped off, Shrimp," he informs her gravely, a smug smirk playing on his lips.

Levy puffs her cheeks and blows out noisily. "I know, I know, but it was all they had that could suffice as a reward. Besides, all I had to do was translate a will of some sort."

She sets the basket down on their table and sits down opposite to Gajeel. He keeps glancing at the basket, and Levy catches him in the act.

"You can have one, you know. I don't mind."

Gajeel wastes no time, and grabs one out of the basket. He notices that it's an unusual shade of red, but he doesn't dwell on it as he bites into the crisp skin.

He thinks it might be some kind of record, the speed at which he regrets his decision. For in no time at all, he feels himself shrinking into his clothes. The apple falls from his tiny hand, and thunks across the table. Gajeel looks up and meets Levy's panic-stricken eyes – and he numbly realises that he does not have a single fucking clue on what's going on.

Everything is dark around him.

Gajeel shakes himself, which is surprisingly easy. Abruptly, the darkness clears, and Gajeel seems to be very small, because he fucking can't see anything over the table-top.

He tries to use his hands to lift himself up, but they feel...wrong. So he takes a look at them, and another look, and another, until he has the sense to look himself all over. Which is, of course, when he comes to a startling conclusion.

I'm a cat. A fucking cat.

It is all he can do to not pass out right then and there. But his sharp ears have caught on to laughter and squeals through the guild.

Turns out the laughter is mainly directed at him.

Gajeel tries to growl at his guildmates, but it comes out as a non-threatening purr – which attracts further jeers. He sees Cana snickering into her barrel, Macao and Wakaba holding each other up as they choke on air, Wendy horrified, and the Master slowly making his way over.

Natsu, for some reason, had decided to go on a well-timed fishing trip with Happy. Gajeel is silently thankful for small mercies.

He chances a look at Levy. Her eyes are full of mirth, and she's trying her best not to smile, but she fails anyway and plasters a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

Gajeel decides that she has never looked more adorable.

Unfortunately, the cacophony of the guild brings him back to reality. He opens his mouth to say something along the lines of 'fuck you', but all that comes out of his mouth is a loud 'meow'.

Which brings upon another round of laughter.

Until Freed and Levy butt in, and block his view of the crowd. He can hear Freed muttering under his breath, and Gajeel is surprised to find that he can understand human language. Levy has a glint in her eye that says she wants to try something out, and sure enough, Gajeel is not wrong.

"Hey, Warren," she calls out. "Come over here. See if you can hear his thoughts."

Warren crouches down in front of Gajeel. "Here, kitty, kitty."

Goddamned asshole, he thinks and takes a swipe at Warren's face.

Warren falls back, shocked. "That's weird. He's thinking in our language, Levy. I was expecting a bunch of meows."

It won't be meows once I'm out of this form, Gajeel snarls.

Levy claps her hands together. "Excellent. That proves my theory. What do you think, Freed?"

Gajeel just keeps looking at them, swishing his tail back and forth. If there's one thing he's learned about his Shrimp, it's that she'll explain everything in due time.

Freed speaks, interrupting Gajeel's thoughts. "It's probably because of the apple. You should check the requester of the mission, and if that doesn't work, you could always go consult Porlyusica."

Levy picks him up in his arms, and Gajeel cannot deny that it soothes his fucking soul. But unfortunately, he purrs out loud.

Cana hoots with laughter, the guild joins her, and Gajeel silently begs Levy to start running. Luckily for him, it seems that she has a direct link to his thoughts, as she runs for the fucking hills.

Once Levy is far away from the guild she sets Gajeel down on the sidewalk. "You can walk on your own, now. You're a bit too heavy for me to carry."

Gajeel meows (where has his dignity gone) loudly and makes sure to keep close to her ankles. Levy talks to him about anything and everything, and Gajeel suspects that it is probably because of him not being able to reply that gives her the chance to talk so much – and not fear judgement.

As they walk, Levy makes sure that he doesn't get trampled by other pedestrians, and Gajeel hisses at the people who dare to stare at the odd pair.

"Gajeel, we're here," she says a while later. "This is where I completed my mission."

Gajeel sits on his haunches and looks at the derelict house. There's no way to say it gently – whoever lived in the house is long gone

and he's pretty sure that they won't be able to find the owners. He knows this because of his dragon-slayer instincts, but the newly-formed feline side of him agrees as well.

Gajeel desperately wishes for this feline part to not leave any lasting side-effects.

Levy suddenly perks up. "Looks like we get to visit Granny Porly, Gajeel."

It takes a second for it to sink in. Then Gajeel is trying his best to scamper away from Levy. But she already has him in a vice-like grip. "There, there, Gajeel. Maybe she'll be nice this time."

Gajeel will bet his whiskers that Porlyusica won't.

Had Gajeel actually placed that bet, he would have won it in a heartbeat.

Porlyusica was already waiting for them at her doorstep, broomstick in hand. As soon as Levy was nearly fifteen feet away – a deemed safe buffer by all of Fairy Tail – Porlyusica started waving her broomstick around, yelling about unwanted humans.

"But this time, you're going to be treating a cat," Levy yells back.

"He used to be a human, so my policies remain the same!" Porlyusica nearly screams.

Gajeel does not see them winning in this situation.

"We just want him back to himself, Granny Porly!"

"Fine!" Porlyusica suddenly grumbles. "If I do this, I never want to see you two again. Though since you're both from Fairy Tail, you'll probably go against my wishes and still arrive on my doorstep."

And then in an even lower voice – so low that only Gajeel picked up on it – "I hate humans."

But I'm a fucking cat, he whines.

Porlyusica doesn't make a move to let them in her house. Instead she interrogates them from her doorstep. Levy and Gajeel are still fifteen feet away.

"How long has he been," – Porlyusica gestures vaguely at him – "feline?"

"Since before noon," Levy replies. "So about three hours."

"And did he do anything that could have warranted such an extreme reaction?"

"We think he ate an enchanted apple."

It was cursed, Gajeel corrects. Not that anyone hears him.

Porlyusica thinks for a moment. Then she grumbles, "He'll be fine."

Gajeel doesn't know about Levy, but he's pretty sure that the old woman is speaking in riddles.

"What do you mean, 'fine'?" Oh, looks like Levy is as confused as he is.

"I mean, that enchantments cast on non-living things don't last long. He'll probably change back by sundown."

Probably?, Gajeel nearly shrieks, but Levy is ever polite and thanks the old woman for her help.

"I better not see anyone from your guild for at least a week," she says as goodbye.

Gajeel snorts as he trots after Levy.

"I suppose that's it, Gajeel. We just wait for you to turn back into a human."

They were sitting beside each other on a park bench. Gajeel always wanted peace and quiet, and the fact that he was currently a cat did nothing to change his personality. But Levy kept musing out loud.

"I wonder if you're unlucky, Gajeel. You know, what with you having black fur and all." She pauses and looks at him, and then softly shakes her head, as if dismissing the thought.

"You know, when you ate the apple, Gajeel, you transformed out of your clothes. Which means they're still at the guild. Which means – oh god – Gajeel, if you turn back right now, you'll be naked."

Gajeel merely opened a single eye and looked at her silently freaking out. Out of all things, she was only considering this now?

"Oh my god, Gajeel, we can't stay here. There are kids around!" Levy has completely lost it.

But Gajeel doesn't hesitate to follow when she practically runs to Gajeel's home. After all, he'd follow her anywhere.

He does change back – like Porlyusica had said – into a human, but it was thankfully in the safe haven of his home. Levy had disappeared after dropping him off, saying that she couldn't have let him go on his own in good conscience, because in her words, what if he got run over?

Gajeel doesn't care, and he's already on his way to the guild, to collect his clothes and destroy those fucking apples, if someone hasn't already.

When he enters the guild, his eyes immediately zoom in on where he and Levy sat last. His clothes are still there, and the basket of – cursed – apples are missing. Gajeel is thankful – he didn't want to deal with it if he could help it.

Although it has him wondering how it was disposed of.

It doesn't matter to him anymore, he reasons. And because he feels something very ticklish around his ankles, he looks down.

At an abominably pink cat.

Well, at least now he knows what happened to the apples.

Reviews are very much appreciated!