In Secret (Sequel to Behind the Scenes)

All's Fair

Levy's P.O.V.

"Good! Again!" I smiled a little at Gajeel's praise as I stood and offered my hand to Fitz, pulling him up from the floor. I took a ready stance, wrapped fists guarding my face, bouncing a little on my bare feet. As usual, right before Fitz attempted his attack, I saw him glance down at my hands, his eyes widening. You always telegraph your movements, Fitz!

I blocked his strike and returned a jab of my own, though it didn't connect well. I saw him drop his right arm a little, and I jabbed again, this time hitting his defenses and making him take a small step back. I took advantage of the space and hopped forward on my rear leg, throwing my left out in a front kick. It hit him square on his thigh, making him fall. Sorry! He'd be okay, our little healer was coming along nicely with her magic, and it probably wouldn't be more than a good bruise anyway. As fast as he fell I was on him, using my tiny body to pin his chest, raining blows down on the arm he raised to block his face.

I felt him grab my arm and braced myself, tucking my head so I wouldn't hit it on the floor as he flipped us over. Wrapping my legs around him as he tried to back up, I pulled him closer and hit him again. I was getting pretty good at this, actually. He tried to back out of the grip I had so he could pin me and return blows, but I slipped one of my legs up over his shoulder and locked it around his neck. I couldn't hold this for long, we'd been sparring for a while now and I was tired, but I didn't need to. Within seconds he tapped out, and I released him, both of us flopping on the mat to catch our breath.

I heard a thump and glanced over to see Sam sitting next to her brother, looking him over with a grin on her face. "You got beat." She giggled at him. "Shut up, Sam!" Fitz threw an arm over his eyes and groaned at the teasing he knew was going to come. "You got beat TWICE. BY A GIRL!" I was grateful she didn't specify that it was a big deal that he got beat by me, although I knew it was. Fitz teased me for being tiny all the time. A lot of the boys did, actually, since Gajeel called me Shrimp all the time.

"Gihi. Yeah. Ya did good, Shorty." Speak of the devil... I glared up at him and he laughed, squatting to hand me a bottle of water. "Got another round in ya?" Gajeel asked. I looked around to see which of the kids was warming up, but they were all still kneeling on the sidelines, watching us.

"Who?" He chuckled again and stood, pulling me up with him. As he pulled his hand away, I realized he had his hands wrapped and his gloves sitting nearby. Gajeel doesn't ever spar with us! I felt my eyes widening and tried to find a way to back out without him thinking I was scared. Something must have tipped him off though, because he looked back over his shoulder at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, ya know I won't hurt ya. I just want to see how ya do against someone bigger than ya." I scoffed at that and squeaked, "Fitz IS bigger than me!" This just earned me another chuckle as Gajeel pulled his gloves on. "Fitz, go cool down and stretch out." He called to the boy, who was scampering off the mat as fast as he could.

I felt my muscles getting stiff just standing there, so I started walking back and forth. "Fine! I guess we'll see how I do against a giant... You have fun explaining to Master Makarov how I died, okay?" He turned to face me. "Gihi. Yeah, yeah, Shrimp. I'll do that." Pulling his arms up and bouncing on his feet, he watched me. It really wasn't fair how distracting and muscular his arms were. I bounced a little too, assessing him. His black shirt clung to his stomach, and his intense red eyes were watching me. He'd removed all of his piercings at some point, so those wouldn't be a weakness I could use against him.

"Remember, Shrimp. Anythin' ya can to disarm or distract and gain advantage. All's fair. C'mon, ya won't hurt me." I grinned at that. "I know that, silly man." I replied, pulling my hands up. I bounced forward a few steps, careful to stay on the balls of my feet. Gajeel waited for me to make the first move, so I did, throwing a jab then a cross in quick succession. He simply blocked, letting me get the feel of hitting him after fighting Fitz, who was a bit shorter.

We found a good rhythm, striking and blocking. Me using everything I had, Gajeel just dancing around. He wasn't being patronizing or anything about it though, which I appreciated. I felt myself getting tired though, and dropping my guard a little. He saw it too, and struck at the hole in my defense. I lurched backwards, causing him to miss, but also leaving myself off balance.

I saw him duck down, I felt impact against the back of my legs, and I hit the mat. I thought for a second that he'd leave it at that, but no, in a flash he was astride my torso, his strong hands pinning my weak arms to the floor. I could have conceded then, but I was irritated and determined not to lose. He brought his face right in front of mine, a smug grin lighting up his eyes. They're so beautiful this close! I could feel a flush creeping into my cheeks as I glanced at his grin and caught myself wondering what his lips felt like.

"Make yer move, Shrimp." He rumbled at me. I could feel his words rumble in his chest too, since he was pinning me so closely. Suddenly, I had an idea. I grinned wickedly and saw a little bit of his smugness fade. I made as if to move my hands, and when I saw his attention shift I popped my head up and kissed him. Right there, in front of everyone. I kissed his lips, and he froze in surprise, his eyes locked on mine.

I took advantage of his distraction and made my move. I planted my feet and bucked my hips as hard as I could, slipping my arms out of his grip and grasping his shirt. I was amazed by how easily I flipped us, but he was still just staring at me. "So, I win?" I asked, and then jumped up and turned away. I saw a few of the kids smothering giggles and smiled at them, before walking off the mat.

I was really proud of myself, actually. He'd taught me that move, and Fitz had just used it against me, but I hadn't been able to do it very well yet. I was extremely happy that it had worked, although I was guessing it only had because he'd been so shocked. I kept walking towards the showers to clean off, planning to head back out and help him with the kids' magic practice.

Slipping through the door to the washroom where no one could see me, I leaned against the wall and brought a hand to my lips. They still tingled, and even now I could feel his soft lips against my own. It had been so quick, and probably meant nothing to him. But it had almost caught me off guard as much as him, the way it had sent a shock through my system. I could get used to that feeling... I jumped at the thought and shook myself, feeling silly. Right. That'll happen. Rolling my eyes at my own foolishness, I quickly rinsed off and changed clothes before heading back out to watch the kids.

Gajeel had them sparring in teams and was standing to the side with his arms crossed over her chest. If I didn't know better, I might have thought he was angry. I couldn't quite bring myself to meet his eyes, so I turned to watch the kids. I could feel the weight of his focus on me, but I didn't let my gaze get pulled to him again. If I did look at him, I would probably blush. And then, he would know. He would know that it hadn't simply been a diversion. Not to me. And then he would laugh at me, and this would be over.

I hadn't realized until that moment how much this time meant to me. How much HE meant to me. I think messing it up scared me more anything had in my life. Oh no... This can't possibly end well.