Reluctant Fairytales (Gale Fanfic)

Chapter 20

     "Well," Gael said as he stared out the door Gajeel had just stormed out of, "That went south." He shrugged, then got to his feet, brushing himself off. He picked up a chair, flipping it upright and setting it down in its previous position. Then he grabbed a table, pulling it over and shoving it back into place with a grunt.

    "D-don't do that," Levy began, moving forward to help him.

     "My wound is fine," Gael shrugged, picking up a fallen picture frame, "However, I'm slightly concerned as to why you're still here." He strained to fix the dining room table, but winced as his wound throbbed.

     "Y-you've got to let that heal a bit before you can—"

     "Look around you," Gael waved his hand around as he turned to face her, "My house is trashed. Sure my injury hurts. Life hurts. It's that simple.

     " B-but—"

     "No buts. I have two choices. Either I can put it back together step by step despite the pain, or I can wait until my wound heals up. But that'll just make things worse, waiting. Things will get dusty, cluttered, and all that. I should fix things now, before it's too late."

     Levy stared at him, "We're not just talking about your house, are we?" she asked suspiciously.

     Gael just shrugged again, picking up a lamp and setting it on a table, "I'm talking about anything that needs to be fixed. But if you're still thinking about Gajeel, maybe you should go after him."

     "Did you not hear him? He said he doesn't need me."

     "He's never needed you in the many years you've been his succubi? You've never once helped him?" Gael said, picking up a broom and proceeding to sweep up the broken glass beside the shattered window.

     Levy hesitated, biting her lip uncertainly. "But I don't even want to go after him."

     "Are you really going to give up everything you've ever had in your life just because of some stupid argument? Are you going to sacrifice so much for such a feeble reason?" Gael smiled at her calmly.

    "You... may be right." Levy said slowly, "Gajeel is worth more to me than a stupid argument." She got to her feet, but paused, "Um... I'm really sorry about your house. Do you want help...?"

     "I'm fine," Gael assured her, "But go help Gajeel. If the prophecy's right, he's gonna need you." and he resumed sweeping, now ignoring her.

Time Skip: Five hours

     Gajeel ran through the forests as the sun rose high into the sky. Afternoon had come swiftly, and so had the heat. But he kept up his steady jogging lace as he weaved through the tree trunks. He finally stopped his run for a short break, his breath coming heavily. And his thoughts were still on the conversation he had held hours ago.

     Levy had lied to him. Sure, he was blowing it all out of proportion, but she was supposed to be his friend. His only friend. The only friend he had ever had had turned around and kept a secret from him. Why? For what reason? He wasn't sure. He wasn't even sure why he was so mad. But it hurt... and felt like a betrayal. This was... upsetting to him.

    But right now, he had to get to the castle, find Slick, defeat Julio, then he'd be good. Gajeel sighed wearily, rubbing his face. Although he'd never admit it, he missed Levy. A lot.

     Gajeel growled to himself, trying to force himself not to care. But he did, and it was driving him crazy.

    Levy was his succubi, and she had been right. She always was. But he was too arrogant to admit that either.