Chapter Text
The sun is finally out today. It peeks in from behind the blinds, casting rectangles of golden light on the desks and chairs.
The classroom is quiet, except for the steady sound of Mrs. Ur’s hand scratching out answers on the blackboard. It smells like ink and paper.
Levy feels at peace, for once.
“Alright, students,” says Mrs. Ur, dusting her hands. “Nice work this period. Make sure you finish reading chapters three and six of The Scarlet Letter-”
Her voice is drowned out by the sound of chairs pushing back and papers being hastily shoved in bags.
“-and don’t forget to answer the questions on page eighteen!”
Levy grins at her sympathetically as she passes, zipping her bag shut. She’s itching to get outside, to breathe in the cold air. She’s sick of being stuck in various cramped classrooms all day.
She’s yanking on her jacket impatiently when she feels someone tugging at her sleeve.
“Hey,” says Gajeel, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. “I-I was wondering if you wanted to walk? Only if you’re going that way, of course, it’s not-”
“Yeah, of course,” Levy says. She yanks her bag higher up her shoulder and wills her cheeks to not turn pink.
They walk side by side, and Levy can see Gajeel trying to arrange his facial features into something that closer resembles a scowl.
“H-how’s your math going?” she asks, stuffing her hands into her pockets and squinting. The sun reflects sharply off the peaks of snow, making them glow.
“Alright,” he says.
Silence.
“Y-you’ll be an expert in no time,” smiles Levy. “I think you’re really starting to get it!”
“Don’t be an idiot,” scoffs Gajeel. “It’ll be awhile until I can do the problems on my own.”
“You’re getting there!”
“Ah, shut up.”
Levy giggles despite herself, and Gajeel’s lips turn up at the corners.
They walk in silence for the rest of the way, the only sounds that of the cars passing by and the wind whistling through the bare branched trees.
She feels as if she’s being watched as they go, but when she turns around to look, there’s no one there.
“This is where I turn,” Levy says when they reach Gajeel’s bus stop. He nods, clears his throat, shuffles his feet awkwardly.
He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly turns away.
“Bye,” he mutters.
Levy, slightly confused, waves and walks on.
“Levy, you bum!”
A cloud of blonde hair obscures her vision, and she feels someone slam into her so hard she almost falls down.
“L-Lucy! W-what?”
Lucy grips her arm tightly, almost cutting off blood circulation. “You never told me you and Gajeel w-were an item!”
Her blue eyes sparkle with a mixture of amusement and betrayal.
“Were you following us all this time?” says Levy incredulously. Now that she thinks of it, she recalls seeing a blonde head peeking though hedges lining the sidewalk once or twice.
“I saw you two leaving the school and had to do something,” she says defensively, patting her disheveled hair. “What if he was- was-”
“Luce, he would never try anything,” laughs Levy. “He’s just-”
“You know all about him now, don’t you,” Lucy says slyly, wiggling her eyebrows. Levy feels her cheeks go aflame with embarrassment.
“Oh, shut up!”
Lucy laughs and hugs Levy’s arm with two of her own.
“Oh, you dork, I love you so much.”