A/N: Here we are, at the end of this journey. That's right, folks, this is the last chapter of 'An Unlikely Romance'. I'd just like to say kahdkgjhadkfghkadfh 110 REVIEWS! I'm so proud of that number, thank you all so much for helping me reach it! Thanks for adding this story to your favorites and your alerts, and thanks to those of you who have stuck with this story right from the beginning, and those of you who have joined in along the way. It's been really amazing writing this fic, and I don't plan on stopping here. I'm already working on a Naruto fanfic, so keep an eye out for it!
To all my readers, I hope you guys know that I love you! :D It's thanks to you guys that I kept going and finished this story, and I'm so proud of it it's not even funny.
Now, please enjoy the final installment of this story. :)
When Levy nervously opened the clinic door and peeked inside, Jet felt like once again he had been punched in the gut. As she approached the bed he could feel his throat clench up. He looked away – he didn't want to face her. He couldn't face her. It was an impossible task. But it didn't look like she was going to go away any time soon.
"Jet?" she called out, having reached the foot of his bed only a second ago. He kept his eyes to the wall and ignored her, willing her to just leave.
He had given up on her. It was sad, and hard to accept, but it was the truth. Everything he had seen, heard, and felt up to that point had just proven to him that he had lost her completely. But I love her, he thought bitterly, glimpsing her edging closer in his peripheral vision. God, she was beautiful, even with her hair sticking out in all directions, and the crumpled t-shirt and capris she had put on. But then, in Jet's eyes, she was always beautiful. Stop thinking like that! He chastised himself, ignoring her once again. What good would it do for him? He was nothing more than a friend to her.
He shifted his position on the bed and groaned as pain shot up his leg. Unfortunately for him, Gajeel had known exactly what he was doing when they had fought. Jet could remember being led out of the apartment, and then the Dragon Slayer rushing past them as they ambled down the hallway, running after their teammate with a look in his eyes that had stunned the orange-haired mage. It was one of pure emotion, something he had never expected to see. Had Levy really managed to affect the soulless man that strongly?
"Hey, Jet," Levy said, breaking his train of thought. She had snuck over to the other side of his bed, leaving him with no choice but to talk to her.
"Hi," he moved his gaze around the room, inspecting the dingy light bulb, the chips in the wall's paint, allowing it nowhere near her. "Droy's outside if you want to talk to him."
"I know," she replied. "He wasn't the person I wanted to talk to, though."
He granted her a sideways glance, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, first of all. For not telling you about me and Gajeel, for never explaining any of it. I guess I was hoping you guys would get used to the idea for a while." Jet snorted derisively at this comment, but she continued as if he hadn't made a sound. "I should've made things clear. I promise though, from now on, I will be completely honest with you and Droy. That doesn't mean I wasn't being honest this morning! I was! Really!"
Levy bit her lip as she waited for a response, watching his expression very closely. Unbeknownst to her, he was in deep thought, considering everything that she had just said and everything that he had seen so far. It would hurt, but he could let her go. After all, as Droy would say, there were plenty of fish in the sea. But what about Gajeel? Was he really worthy of this wonderful, sweet girl who was so kind and giving? His eye caught hers, and then a small smile crossed his face, and she felt a rush of relief when he chuckled quietly, slightly shaking his head.
"Ah, jeez, what am I worrying about?" he asked to no-one in particular, focusing back on her. "If you're happy, I should be happy, right? And you can handle yourself. Don't get me wrong Levy, it's going to take me some time to adjust. Droy's much more mature than me; he handled it in a second. I need longer. So, please, give me a bit of time, okay?"
"Of course! Oh, thank you, Jet, thank you!" she leaned in to hug him but then recalled his injuries and shied away, instead choosing to pat his hand. "So no more fighting?"
"No more, I promise. Have you not seen me? I'm taking a vacation in this lovely bed right here. Now, do you want to take a seat and tell me the entire story, or do you want to go back out to your lover?"
She blushed at his choice of word-use, recalling her night with Gajeel, the memory of which only caused her to turn an even brighter shade of red. Jet thought nothing of it though, and patted the edge of his bed. She gladly sat down beside him, and then they began to talk.
When Gajeel and Levy had entered the guild, the blue-haired mage had immediately strode off to the clinic, leaving the Dragon Slayer prey to the stares of every single mage in the guild. Stares that all said the same thing.
WE KNOW.
"Fuck!" Gajeel hissed under his breath as he sat at the table closest to him. He tried to swallow, but his throat was constricted too tightly. How had this happened? When had this happened? Judging by their immense interest in him, it couldn't have been too long ago. Oh hell, didn't they have work to do or something? His audience was now glowering at him, their eyes shooting daggers left and right. He could hear the fairies talking all around him, their annoying voices penetrating his bubble of nonchalance.
"I can't believe he did that to Jet!"
"A man should never hurt his comrade so badly!"
"Forget about that, what about the fact that he and Levy are together?"
"It can't be, it's insane!"
"Droy, c'mon, tell them! That's why he beat the shit out of Jet, right? He was trying to take Levy."
"…Something like that."
"Don't be shy, you told this story only an hour ago!"
"You guys, he's right there."
"Good for him! The bastard should enjoy this moment, attacking poor Jet so viciously."
"He took it way too far!"
"Weren't you listening to Droy? Jet's the one who started it."
Gah! Gajeel tried to block out their chatter, but they were far too loud. All he could do was pray that Levy would come out soon so he could get the hell out of there. Fucking hell, I am going to MURDER Droy! The stupid plant mage had to go and open his mouth and spill everything, didn't he? I should have taped his mouth shut while I had the chance. The sound of approaching footsteps brought him out of his reverie, and he watched the victim of his violent thoughts slide into the seat opposite his.
"I had to tell them, I'm sorry," Droy immediately apologized, shrinking back from the dirty look Gajeel was giving him. "How else could I explain Jet's injuries? You know I couldn't have hidden it."
"I don't know, I think it could have waited, don't you?"
"Calm down, it's not like I told them that you randomly bludgeoned him with a crowbar."
"Do you really want to take that tone with me right now?"
His question was met with silence, and he grinned triumphantly. It felt good to win. Not that he ever lost anything, of course, but it was still nice. As the sound of a cricket chirping nearby reached his ears, he realized that everybody had been listening in on the conversation.
"Oi, don't you all know how to mind your own fucking business?" he snarled, standing up and baring his teeth and those who caught his eye. He figured no-one would challenge him, but someone stepped forward.
"It is a man's duty to always be honest!" Elfman declared, raising a fist to his chest. "So tell us, are you and Levy really dating?"
The onlookers eagerly waited for Gajeel to respond, wondering whether or not he would actually deem them with an answer. Everyone was craning their necks forward, trying to get a better view of the scene. This was so much better than gossip: it was live-action drama right then and there. What was going to happen next? The Dragon Slayer was completely unpredictable.
He could see their excitement as well, and felt even more unwilling to say anything. The audience was becoming braver now, shouting out for him to answer already. Murmurs of agreement complimented them, and he could feel the urge to go wild and beat the crap out of every one of them right then and there. But then something clicked. Wait a minute…they'll believe anything I say, won't they?. He let out a sigh and looked away from Elfman, and everyone leaned towards him in anticipation.
"It's not just dating," he muttered, stifling his urge to burst out laughing. "We…we're engaged."
A startled silence filled the room, and jaws hung in disbelief. Elfman was the first to recover, and he looked at Droy accusingly. "You never told us that!" he exclaimed, his eyes just as wide as the plant mage's.
"I-I didn't know!" Droy stumbled, just as shocked as everyone else. That had to be a lie. It wasn't true. It was definitely a lie….Wasn't it?
"I just asked her before we came here," Gajeel admitted. "It was a spur of the moment thing. Jet made me realize I can't go another day without knowing that no-one will ever be able to take her away from me. We were going to go get a ring right after this. Is that what you all wanted to hear? God dammit! She wanted to tell you guys herself! Now she's going to be upset! I hope you're happy.
He scowled at them all, hoping they had bought the entire charade. And lucky for him, they had. Suddenly they are all at his feet, apologizing profoundly and begging for his forgiveness. The girls were swooning about how romantic the situation was, and the guys were all thumping him on the back, congratulating him. Droy was the only person who was still skeptical. Or maybe he was in shock. It was hard to disassociate his confused thoughts from each other.
And then when Levy came out of the clinic, it got even better.
Levy stepped into the guild's main hall, and froze when she realized that she was being watched. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising, and couldn't help but be relieved when Gajeel walked in front of her and blocked her from everyone's view.
"Just play along," he whispered, taking her hand in his. Puzzled, she allowed him to maneuver her down to the center of the room, where her friends had left a big circle of space just for the two of them. "Levy, I'm so sorry, but they know." He announced it loudly, making sure everyone could hear.
"They know?" the small mage repeated, now completely and utterly mystified. The Dragon Slayer nodded grimly.
"They know about the engagement. I'm sorry, I know how much you wanted to tell them!"
"They know…about the engagement?" The engagement? THE ENGAGEMENT? WHAT?
"Levy-chan, we're so sorry!" Mirajane cried, running over and taking the girl into her arms. "We forced Gajeel to tell us! He didn't want to, I'm so sorry!"
They…they think we're engaged? Levy stole a glance at her 'fiancée'. It flashed across his face so quickly she almost hadn't seen it, but it had been there - that small, evil smirk of his that told her all she needed to know. Oh. My. God. He is pure evil! Even while she thought that, she couldn't help but feel a wicked rush course through her veins. So Gajeel wanted to have a little fun. Well that didn't mean she couldn't also enjoy it.
"You guys, that was so mean of you," she pouted, her eyes drooping downwards. Their cries of regret washed over her hears like a tidal wave, and suddenly they had all pounced on her, showering her with a hailstorm of congratulations and apologies. "Woah, woah, calm down! It's okay, it's okay! I forgive you!"
She watched Gajeel squeeze through the horde to reach her, amazed at what a difficult task it proved to be. When he finally got through, he slid his arm around her waist and drew her in close to him. "Would you all mind letting us leave now? I want to get that ring already."
As if by magic a path cleared for them, and they had to contain their laughter until they were out of the guild and onto the streets. Making sure to get well out of the mages' range of hearing, they let it all out, desperately gasping for breath as their lungs starved for air and their stomachs began to ache.
"You're…You're awful!" Levy wheezed, a bout of giggles escaping her once more.
"Hey, you chose to play along, remember?" Gajeel reminded her, his cheeks aching from the smile that seemed to be plastered to his face.
"It was all your idea though!" she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes, planting a light kiss onto his lips. "We'll have to tell them the truth sooner or later. I wonder what Lucy would've said if she had been there. Speaking of which, have you seen her and Natsu anywhere lately?"
"Am I supposed to care about where they go?"
"They are your comrades, too."
"Please. I only care about you."
"That's not necessarily a good thing!"
"Hey, I can't help it! When a guy's in love, he's in love!"
The air around them became still and a pin drop silence followed as the two realized what had just been said.
"Did you just say –?"
"No!"
"But I'm pretty sure…"
"You don't know what you're talking about. It must have been the wind."
Levy's heart was thumping against her ribcage, threatening to burst right out of it. He said he loved her. Gajeel loved her! Never had she once heard him say anything that remotely suggested that he was in love with her. All of a sudden her world was spinning, and she felt his strong arms catch her before she could fall to the ground.
"Hey, calm down!" he exclaimed, embarrassment coloring his words.
"Awww, that's so cute!" she teased, playfully poking his cheek. "You're embarrassed!"
"I could drop you right now, you know."
"I love you, too."
"…What?"
"You heard me. I love you, too! There! Still embarrassed?"
He couldn't look her in the eye, and stood her straight before he let her go, turning so that his back was facing her instead of his face, which was stuck in an expression of both bewilderment and exhilaration. She refused to let this stand, popping up in front of him every time he looked away. Finally, she took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her, as he had done so many times before.
"Something wrong?" she asked, a sly smile playing on her lips. He allowed himself to look into her eyes and surprised her by pulling her in into a deep, soft kiss, one that she could still feel long after they pulled apart.
"Shhh," he put a finger to her lips and grinned. "Let's enjoy the moment while it lasts." She nodded and drew in closer, entwining her fingers with his. He was right. This moment, it was beautiful. It was perfect. They should just close their eyes and let it pass peacefully, leaving them with a memory they could look back upon for ages to come. But upon second thought, that would be disappointing, doesn't it?
"Screw that, Gajeel! Why shouldn't it last longer? This moment never has to end."