Again, shout out to staryskylines221 for the idea that inspired this story. And thanks to you all for reading it! :)

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

ALL MY ENERGY I GIVE

Chapter 3

Lucy's breath stuttered in her chest as Gajeel slipped from her body, the friction sending jolts of pleasure throughout her sensitive core, and she cursed softly. It stunned her how incredible it had been. First times were never this good. There was always a learning curve, getting to know each others' likes and dislikes, but with Gajeel, it was like his body knew hers, knew just what she needed. How was that possible?

Gajeel hovered over her, his gaze skimming over her again, as a sense of wonder struck him. It was crazy how they'd come together just now when they'd had almost no contact since he'd joined the guild. Still, they weren't strangers, so how the hell had he missed her before?

She was gorgeous, with a body any man would like to have waiting at home, but there was more he hadn't noticed. Like how thoughtful she was, how caring she could be to a person who didn't truly deserve it, how hard she fought to help others. He'd missed all of that. Though now that he thought of it...he'd avoided her so thoroughly before, it wasn't any wonder he'd never considered her this way.

How foolish he felt now. All this time wasted, when he could have been experiencing such pleasure with her. He could have known her...really known her, but he'd been so certain that she wouldn't want anything to do with him. He'd missed out on so many possibilities where she was concerned, but not anymore. From now on, he wasn't going to allow the past to dictate the future to him.

Feeling his eyes on her, Lucy sighed. Now that their coupling was over, she wasn't sure how to act, what to say. Part of her urged her to pull away, hightail it out of there before he had enough blood in his brain to ask questions. Of course, the larger part of her wanted to tug his head down for a kiss and another round.

But how dumb was that? It wasn't like they were dating. She didn't have the right to ask for more...did she? What a predicament to find herself in, alone in the middle of the forest with a man she scarcely knew, after they'd just...

God, she couldn't believe she'd just had sex with him - in the woods of all places - and they weren't even together. It was just all so crazy, and more than a little shocking to say the least. Gajeel was not a man she would have imagined herself with, not because of the short violent part of their past, but just because it hadn't occurred to her that he'd be interested. And maybe, without this situation, he never would have been.

Her heart clenched in her chest as a wave of sadness struck her. Where that had come from, she didn't know. Why would she be sad? Sure, she'd noticed him. How could she not? The man was sexy as hell, but he'd never shown any sign that he'd noticed her in the same way.

All of a sudden, she felt the brush of her insecurity, and she had to know. Steeling herself for his response, she looked up and asked, "Gajeel, why...why did you do this with me?"

The answer to him was obvious, and without taking a moment to consider his words, he said exactly what he'd thought. "Because it felt damn good."

Lucy lay there, unsure how to take his words. What was that supposed to mean? Just that the sex felt good? The sharing of magic felt good? The questions hit her one by one, causing her chest to bloom with pain. She shook her head, shoving the hurt away. After all, why should she have thought this would mean something to him?

Turning her head away, she lifted her hands to his shoulders and gave a gentle push. "Can you let me up?"

Gajeel eased back, allowing her to rise and grab for her clothes, but made no move to do the same. Something had just happened, and though his instincts were screaming for him to react, he couldn't for the life of him figure out what to do. He didn't understand the sudden shift in the atmosphere between them, so how was he supposed to fix it?

He watched as she faced away, redressing herself with stiff, jerky motions. What the hell was going on? He sighed, pulling on his own pants, before walking towards the quiet woman.

Before he could say a word, she turned around, her face settling into a blank mask. "Are you well enough to walk? Magnolia isn't too far from here."

He blinked at her brisk tone, and wondered briefly if he'd gotten it all wrong. Maybe she didn't want him specifically. Though the idea hurt like a knife to the gut, he supposed she could have just wanted a good fuck and he'd simply provided the perfect occasion to satisfy that need.

He felt like a complete moron, assigning all kinds of emotional shit to what they'd just done. He should have known better. A woman like her actually wanting a man like him, especially after their past? Yeah right. He was a fucking idiot. The pain in his chest mingled with his pride to leave him feeling angry and bitter, and he snapped, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Lucy flinched. She hadn't expected that kind of reaction. He'd gotten what he wanted, so why would he be pissed off? Shouldn't he be in a great mood? His energy was back, and he'd gotten himself a piece of ass. Wouldn't most men think that was a pretty damn good day?

Feeling her own anger spike at his treatment, she spun and stomped off in the direction of home. At the start of this day, she had wanted time away from her team, but now, all she could think of was how much she needed the comfort of their presence. She wished now that they'd been with her, because now all she wanted to do was cry.

Somehow she just knew if she could get there, everything would be okay again. She could forget this day ever happened and move on with her life. She'd find a way to pretend that she hadn't felt a connection with Gajeel, and he could tell whatever version of this story he wanted to. She just needed to be done with the whole thing.

Gajeel followed after her, cursing himself for noticing the sway of her hips as she trudged through the woods. Lifting his eyes from the tempting view of her ass, he found himself wondering at the rigid set of her shoulders. She seemed upset, maybe even angry, but why would she be mad about the situation? She was the one who'd made things this way.

In the next instant though, his thoughts quelled as he smelled the tell-tale scent of tears. She was crying? Now, he really was confused.

Lengthening his stride, he closed the distance between them and pulled her to a stop. He kept his hand on her arm as he turned her to face him. She struggled against his hold, trying to keep him from seeing her face, but he grabbed at her shoulders, forcing her to still.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on? Why are you crying?"

She stiffened beneath his hands. "I'm not crying," she said miserably, looking down to avoid his eyes.

"Like hell you're not. I can smell it," Gajeel argued, using one of his hands to raise her chin. She glared up at him out of shiny eyes, but he ignored it. "Now, answer my damn question. What the hell are you so upset about?"

With a strength born of anger, she ripped herself from his grasp. "Like you give a damn!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Paying no mind to his affronted tone, she turned around to continue on her path to Magnolia. He could find his own damn way. She could care less what happened to him right now. Grudgingly, she admitted that wasn't actually true, but at the moment, with this ache in her chest, she wanted it to be.

She knew she'd invited this pain on herself. It wasn't his fault he didn't think of her that way, but damn if it wasn't a hard hit to take. The thought brought more tears to her eyes, and this time she couldn't stop them. She brushed at the onslaught in horror, knowing he would smell them. She didn't want him to know he'd hurt her this much.

Gajeel couldn't figure her out. She was mad as hell. That much was for sure, but she was also sad it seemed. He could scent the change in her, her tears now falling freely, and he grit his teeth in frustration. What the hell was going on with her?

Fuck this bullshit. She was going to tell him what had happened, right now. Moving into her path once again, he reached out for her, nearly catching her until she whirled, spinning at just the right moment to avoid him.

"Leave me alone," she croaked brokenly as she tried to move around him.

The sound tugged at him, and without a second thought, he grabbed her and pulled her back into his chest. His arms came around her an instant before she began yanking against him. She screamed agonizingly, trying to tear herself away from him, and it made him feel like such a cruel bastard. Still he refused to let go.

"Stop...fuck, would you just stop for a minute and talk to me? Lucy! Chill the fuck out for a minute!" He called out to her amidst her yells, hoping she'd understand that he wasn't trying to hurt her.

She stilled against him, her body slumping in defeat as she lifted her hands to her face and sobbed. What the hell could have caused her to be so sad? It was killing something inside him to see her this way, and never had he hated something more than her tears.

He'd never considered himself a soft man, but there was something about seeing her so broken that made him want to try to be. In this moment, he wished he knew how to be gentle and whisper sweet words to her. He wanted to be the kind of man that could make her feel better, the kind of man that could calm her tears, but that wasn't him. All he could offer of himself was to listen, and what a disappointment that was.

"Look, just...just tell me what happened."

Lucy shuddered against him, her cries causing her body to shake uncontrollably, so when she spoke, it came out so quiet he had to lean his head forward over her shoulder to hear. "Why? You don't give a damn about me..."

He sighed, his patience fraying as she repeated the ridiculous words. "Why the fuck do you keep saying that? I'm damn tired of hearing it."

Lucy felt a moment's hesitation at his words, hope trying to gain a foothold inside her, but she refused. She shouldn't even be letting him hold her this way. He felt too good, his arms so strong around her, and if she wasn't battling the worst case of heartbreak she'd ever encountered, she'd have said it was comforting. But she was, and that meant she needed to forget how wonderful he felt. The blonde shook her head and choked, "It's the truth...it didn't matter that it was me."

"It's not the fucking truth," he snarled, his anger leaching away his ability to stay think. What the hell was she going on about? "And what the fuck are you talking about 'it didn't matter that it was you'? You're not making any damn sense!"

His words brought a fresh bout of tears to her eyes. She felt like a school girl, crying over her first crush. She wasn't in love with Gajeel - she knew that - but it still hurt. She had never wanted to be one of those women who had been used for sex, just a pussy for a cock to slide into, and now that she had, she finally realized their devastation. And for some reason, it hurt more that it was Gajeel who had pushed her into their ranks.

She wasn't one to require a love connection to have sex, but she'd always expected the man she laid with to want her. She didn't have to be the love of his life, but she should at least be wanted for herself, not just because she was a woman and available. She wanted him to see her, desire her. She never wanted to be just a body to fill his need.

And just like that, she was angry again. "Stop lying! You and I both know you only slept with me because of the magic sharing! It didn't have a damn thing to do with me!"

"What?" Gajeel's hands fell away at her startling revelation. It hadn't even occurred to him that she could be upset about something like that. Taking a moment, he went back to where everything seemed to go wrong.

"Gajeel, why...why did you do this with me?"

"Because it felt damn good."

Suddenly, it all made sense. She thought he'd had sex with her simply because it all felt good, and he couldn't blame her for the assumption. He'd all but told her so.

Truthfully, it had started out that way, but it wasn't like he'd never seen her. The woman was a fucking knockout, and if they hadn't had such a screwed up past, he'd have pursued her like a bloodhound. But the fact was, he hadn't wanted to test the waters, so to speak, by doing that when she had shown no sign of interest.

What if he'd been wrong though? What if, by some miracle, she had been interested? What if all this time he'd been unable to let the past go, and he'd already been forgiven?

The possibility of such a thing burned through him, making him want to kick himself. He couldn't help but wish he'd had the guts to talk to her before now. Maybe then, things wouldn't have gone so wrong. Damn, he thought. He couldn't have fucked it all up any more if he'd tried. "That...that's not what I meant."

Lucy stood there, feeling suddenly bereft without his arms around her and wondered what he was trying to say. He'd gone so still, so quiet, she'd almost turned around to look at him, but she didn't. She didn't know what she'd see there, and after such a revealing statement, she didn't feel particularly strong enough to handle it. So, taking a deep breath, she moved away from him and brushed the wetness from her face.

Gajeel could see that Lucy was gearing up to leave again, and though he hadn't a clue how to deal with this situation, he didn't want her keeping that misconception about him. He needed to explain, but...how was he supposed to do that?

"Lucy wait." Reaching out to her arm, he turned her around to face him. She lifted red-rimmed eyes to his, her face ravaged with weariness, her skin splotchy from crying. He was hit with the sudden urge to gather her into his arms, to protect her and keep her safe from all that would harm her. Where was it all coming from?

"Don't worry about it, Gajeel. I get it. Let's just go home," she said, shaking her head pitifully.

The dark-haired man growled at her dismissal, denying her intention to leave. "No, we're not just gonna drop it." Gajeel was silent for a time, gathering his thoughts before saying, "Look...okay, maybe it started out that way with you sharing your magic. I'm not gonna lie - swallowing down your magic like that did something to me. It was like someone had reached down and grabbed my cock."

Lucy flinched at his crude explanation, her face going decidedly flat as she fought not to show the pain she'd been dealt by his words. She had known all that, but it was so hard to hear. It hurt so much to hear her fears confirmed in such a way, so matter-of-fact.

"Stop. I'm not done yet," he snapped, folding his arms across his chest. He was uncomfortable talking about his feelings and now she was taking everything he said the wrong way. "I said, it started that way. I didn't say it was all about that."

Lucy found herself watching him again, her eyes wide with surprise at his words. Could he be trying to say it meant something? Did she matter to him in some small way?

"Damn, stop trying to figure out what I'm saying and just listen," he barked, frowning down at her. "You act like I've got no control over myself. I'm not a dog that can't say no to humping some female that smells good."

Once again, several thoughts went through Lucy's mind. Some female? Did that mean she was nothing special to him? Or was he saying that he'd wanted to sleep with her? She was so confused.

Seeing the expressions cross her face, Gajeel scowled, raking his fingers through his hair roughly. "Fuck, you women are so damned complicated." He let out an aggrieved sigh, before continuing, "I don't know where you got this idea that I fuck any woman that crosses my path, but I'm a damn sight more discerning than that. So stop acting like I'm some kind of man-whore who's looking for a hole to shove his dick into."

Lucy was struck with silence. Had she offended him? Apparently, she had, because here he stood, reprimanding her for stereo-typing him as a playboy. She wasn't quite sure what to say. If he honestly wasn't one to sleep with just anyone, that meant that he'd honestly wanted her, that it hadn't just been about sex for him.

Her heart swelled in her chest, and she bit her lip on a hopeful smile. Maybe he was interested in her. She couldn't help but feel encouraged at what he'd said, regardless of how gruff he'd sounded. Maybe there was a chance he'd want to go out with her.

Then something occurred to her. "Then why..." She stopped, her face flushing with embarrassment as she realized how ignorant her question would sound. They'd already had sex, and she was going to ask why he hadn't asked her out?

"Why what?" he asked. He'd watched as she worked through what he'd told her, and for a moment, he thought she'd finally understood what he thought about her. Then that puzzled look had come over her face, and he felt like groaning all over again.

The blush on her cheeks deepened as she mumbled her response, "You never seemed interested before."

Gajeel sighed, wishing he didn't have to bring up their shared history. He felt like they were finally getting somewhere, and this could only foul shit up. "I avoided you. I wouldn't let myself be around you enough to get interested."

"But...why?"

His head tipped, his brow furrowed in exasperation. "You can't be serious. Why? Because of what I did to you! I didn't think you'd want to see me anymore than you had to, and I didn't want to be interested in a woman that hated me."

"Gajeel..." she whispered softly, before coming to stand just in front of him. Lifting her hand hesitantly to his face, she murmured, "I never hated you. I forgave you a long time ago for all that. I just...I thought you wouldn't want the reminder of the past."

"Are you saying you purposely stayed away from me?" he asked, stunned at what she'd said.

She nodded shortly, coloring a light shade of pink again. "Yes, but I always...noticed you."

Gajeel smirked at her admission and reached out to tug her into the front of his body. "What exactly did you notice?'

Lucy frowned at his obvious fishing for information, but decided against holding back. That had done nothing for her in the past, and from Gajeel had said, it was true for him as well. Besides, she had a feeling that if she was serious about a relationship with this man, now was the time to say so. She just wished it was easier to do. "I um...noticed your muscles and..."

Gajeel could see how nervous she was and nearly laughed. This woman was such a contradiction. She'd climbed on his cock and rode him like there was no tomorrow, yet now, she was stumbling all over herself to tell him what had attracted her to him in the first place. Maybe it was a bit mean to make her continue, but he wanted to hear what she'd thought of him before today.

He leaned down, giving her plump lips a quick kiss, before nibbling a trail along her jaw. "What else?"

"Ahh...I noticed your...eyes. So...mmmm...beautiful," Lucy described in a wispy voice that was quickly turning into a moan, "And your lips...oh wow...I always wondered how...soft they were."

He chuckled. He couldn't help it. He couldn't believe how things had happened, both of them thinking they were being used for sex, only to find out that each of them had truly been interested. "And here I thought you were just after a good fuck," he mused.

Lucy shivered at the vibration of his words against her throat, struggling to make out what he'd said. When she did, she drew back, shaking her head. "No, it was never about that for me. I just...wanted you."

Gajeel felt his pulse jump at her throaty response, and he pressed their lips together once more in a heated kiss before pulling back with a smirk. "In that case, can I interest you in a good fuck now?"

A/N: And that's the end of this story. I'm not even going to lie. This one has easily turned into one of my favorites, and I'm going to miss it so much. Please excuse me while I mourn its loss...