BookProf here, back from the land of those mired in crushing schoolwork and life! I have no excuse for not writing for such a long, long time. I could say life detained me, but that's not the case. Over the past 2 years, I've been struggling to write. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to write anymore. And my neglect of my fanfiction sat in the back of my mind, like a pot about to boil over. So I made a decision.

Readers, I've reached the end here. This is the last chapter of The Bookworm and the Beast. But it's not the end of my writing. I might pop in every few months or years to post something for the holidays, but only at my leisure. I'll still be reading fanfiction of course; y'all are amazing and I'd hate to miss out on what you write next. And I've activated my beta reader profile to try something new and still be involved in the fanfiction community. Thank you, so, so, so much for reading what I've scribbled here. I couldn't ask for more and will always look at my fanfiction times with happiness. And many, many, many thanks to Redmoon95, who will be translating The Bookworm and the Beast into Italian! 3

Much love,

BookProf101

Isn't she lovely?

The thought meandered through his mind, settling down quite comfortably. Isn't she? Gajeel had to agree, nursing the aged beer stein in his left hand, the handle fitting quite comfortably. The wood was smooth, though unpolished and unstained. He sat in his usual table, tucked away in a quiet, steady corner of Fairy Tail as the party raged on through the night. Master had given Mira permission to finally live out her dream of hosting a fancy dress ball in the guild; it was a black tie event and Gajeel hadn't been hard-pressed to find a suit and some more shoeshine. Despite his daily rugged appearance, Metallicana had impressed upon him the importance of dressing up for fancy events. Or cleaning up to impress his Mate. Though Gajeel had laughed at the time, he wasn't laughing now. The dragon in him studied the girl—no, woman—twirling on the dance floor, her shimmery dress sending off millions of rainbow points of light under the sweeping lights. A laugh floated up from her, wide and full of simple joy from being with family. Her hazel eyes glimmered and tiny creases would later deepen into laugh lines, fully welcome in her face. The soft curl of her hair, blue tastefully accented with pearl pins merely accentuated the fact that she was someone precious. A creature fully of light. The dragon let a wave of possessiveness flood Gajeel. She was his.

Gajeel quickly shushed the dragon. Yes, Levy looked incredibly pretty and even more fairy-like. Her petite frame and natural grace attested to that, though the grace was off and on. It never failed to amuse him how she could handle heels like a pro yet trip in sneakers on a flat surface. Of course, he'd always be waiting at her elbow to catch her. But her laser-fine, needle sharp mind and strong belief in her instincts were what roused the dragon inside of him. He was easily no match for the dragon she was. Not the physically ferocious kind (Gajeel could pin her down without batting an eyelash) but ferocious in heart and mind. Sometimes (more like most of the time, the dragon added) Levy was speaking so quickly about things he'd never heard that Gajeel was mesmerized by the way her hair would bounce a bit, the light in her eyes and fluid motion of her hands when she described Magnolia hundreds of years ago, or the origin of magic, or whatever had caught her fancy in one of her books that day.

Isn't she wonderful?

Yes. Gajeel relaxed his posture a bit, though never fully sunk into his wooden chair. She was dancing on the edge of the crowd now, sidestepping Lucy and Natsu, laughing as she went. The grin on her face was nothing short of mischievous and Gajeel felt a small one forming on his face in response. These were the best moments he stole, ones spent watching her live and be happy. He let out a breath, beginning to hum a melody he'd found in an old stack of sheet music at the one antique store in Magnolia. Gajeel had been looking for something to give Levy, something to make her show him that special smile he'd never seen her give to anyone but him. When you watched someone with that intensity, that much care, it was hard not to notice the little gestures they made, usually unconscious of it themselves. The gift was in his suit pocket now, the secret one right above his heart. No chance of a thief stealing it on the off chance he wouldn't scent them out and break a finger or two to teach a lesson. Gajeel jumped a bit when Levy appeared in the seat across his table, breathlessly laughing and clutching a glass of magenta punch. And there was that smile, spreading like grape jelly on toast across her face. The one just for him.

Levy brushed strands of hair out of her face. She hadn't danced like that in ages and could already feel the soreness in her legs. Goodness knows it would be worse in the morning. She snuck a look at Gajeel, smiling a secret to herself. He'd cleaned up nicely, dressed in a fine-pressed charcoal suit, his shoes shiny like a mirror. His mane was pulled back by a headband she'd given him for his birthday last year. Gajeel hadn't told anyone his birthday; Levy wasn't sure Lily would know. After two hours of persuading and cake bribery, Lily had whispered the date in her ear, the claimed that he was in no way responsible for what might happen if Gajeel found out she knew. Levy didn't even dare telling Mira; while her friend had everyone's best interests at heart, Levy felt in her gut that Gajeel wouldn't want a huge fuss for his birthday, and out of anyone, Mira was great at making a huge fuss when it came to celebrations. (Much like this party.) The best part had been Gajeel's face when she handed him a small, wrapped box (made of iron of course). He'd cocked an eyebrow at her, hiding his surprise with a gently smile. It amazed her, the care he took to untie the ribbon and unwrap the box without completely destroying the paper. Gajeel had glanced at her again and in his eyes, Levy could see he really was touched. It kind of unnerved her; she wasn't used to Gajeel displaying this much tender emotion at once. The gentleness and sheer, tender care she saw almost didn't match the Gajeel everyone knew. But Levy's gut told her it fit perfectly; the gentle giant no one would know but her and Lily. She saw him now, the gentle giant sitting back in his chair, a beer stein in hand and eyes trained on the members of the guild before him. Gajeel was almost completely relaxed, a small, incredibly miniscule smile decorating his face along with the metal studs.

"We should dance."

Levy wasn't sure what made her blurt that out, but there was no taking it back now. A pit of fire danced in her belly, spreading up through her throat to her ears and neck. Her hands were suddenly cold and she fidgeted. Gajeel wasn't the type to dance but oh Mavis, what made her say that?

"Hm." A one word reply was often a good answer. It gave him a bit of wiggle room at least. Gajeel looked down into his beer before flicking his gaze back to the other Fairy Tail members partying to the latest song from Crocus. He prayed Levy wouldn't notice the blush swiftly rising to his cheeks, though she seemed a little preoccupied with her own. What if he stepped on her feet? Accidentally crushed her in the crowd of people in the center of the guild hall? The dragon in him gave him the kind of look he'd come to expect from Lily when it came to his nerves around Levy. You're being silly, Gajeel, he remembered Lily telling him. Levy likes you for you and you obviously treasure her like a dragon would his Mate. There's no way you'd let yourself hurt her, whether consciously or unconsciously. He took a swig of beer, set the stein on the table, and shifted to face her.

Gajeel was right about the blush; it was a dusky red creeping up her neck and ears like ivy. Her hands twisted the shimmery dress material into knots, this way and that. He cleared his throat and her head jerked up. Nerves and sick fear roiled in her eyes. Gajeel reached over—albeit a bit jerkily—and took her hand. The song was slowing down to a smooth, mild slow dance. It sounded a little old, one of the classic romance songs couples as older than Makarov swayed to in their youth. It was perfect.

She stumbled to her feet, at once graceful and clumsy. Levy smoothed down her dress, praying her palms weren't sweating. Her tiny, porcelain hand was slowly warming up in Gajeel's own and he shuffled to the dance floor with her, looking half-way as nervous as she felt. Adrenaline rushed through her and Levy felt her heart rising up, up, up in her chest, beating like a hummingbird's wings. She felt like she could fly, like a dragon spreading its wings to glide on the winds and sun.

Gajeel's heart was a bass drum in his chest, thumping steadily to the music enveloping them. He rested a hand at Levy's waist, gulping as he drew her closer to him. The heat pouring off her little body was a furnace, stoking the flames in his head and stomach. She looked up at him, lips slightly open and hair cascading down her back. Fairy lights gleamed in her eyes, though her dragon peeked out beneath them. He felt more flame in his throat and unconsciously held her tighter, a warm, secure embrace. The wings of the dragon were fully around her but ready to let her ago should she wish. A smile tiptoed onto her lips and she closed her eyes, both of them in tune to the hush of the guild around them, wrapped up in sound and gut instinct.

They loved and flew together, two dragons for eternity.