Levy pressed a little harder on the gas, swerving into the left lane to pass the car in front of them. She turned her head and glared at the driver, an elderly woman who appeared to be singing along to the music. Huffing, she veered back into the right lane once the car was far enough away, giving a final scowl to the old lady through the rearview mirror.

Gajeel watched from the passenger seat with mild amusement, one arm resting in the open window and the other firmly holding the uncovered cup of coffee that threatened to tip. They had been driving all day along the coast to visit Levy's family upstate, and being stuck in a small convertible had taken a toll on the both of them. They had opted for the scenic route, which gave them a fantastic view of the ocean, but also cut them off from any signs of civilization — radio and cellular service had been lost a good three hours ago, and as the final leg of their journey approached, the gas tank was only a quarter full.

When she slammed on the gas again and the engine roared in frustration, Gajeel reached out and grabbed her arm gently.

"Pull over. Let me drive for a while." His voice was gravelly when he spoke, breaking the silence between them for the first time in an hour. She turned to look at him disapprovingly, as if he'd just made the most inane suggestion in the world.

"We're already late and low on gas! There's no time to stop, the sun's going to go down, and besides, once we reach the city you won't know the directions to the hou—"

Gajeel suddenly jerked her arm upwards, steering the car back onto the highway moments before they veered into some desert shrubs.

"You were saying?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Levy could just hear the smirk on his face. She sighed and frowned at the steering wheel, refusing to look at him, and pressed the gas pedal as far as it would go.

"The hell—! We are not going through this again," Gajeel demanded, grabbing her wrist.

"Fine," Levy snapped, jerking her arm away from him. Gajeel fell back against his seat as and she slowly brought their car to a stop on the side of the road, riding the brake for a bit longer than necessary to piss him off. She remained in her seat with the seatbelt on even as he exited and walked around to her, and when he opened the door, Levy's arms were crossed and cheeks puffed, resembling something like a defiant kitten. She looked cute as hell, and Gajeel had half a mind to rile her up even more.

On the other hand, he wasn't too keen on listening to her yell at him for the next however-long-it-took to their destination.

"C'mon Lev," he grunted, "take a break."

"We're late," Levy repeated sternly as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "and Nan hates it when someone's late for dinner, you know how she is, and—" Gajeel grabbed her around the waist before her left foot even touched the ground, reaching inside to turn the ignition. In one swift motion, he grabbed the keys and spun around, lifting Levy into the air and closing the car door all at once.

"Gajeeeeeel," she whined as he ran off the road and down into the dry terrain, slinging her over his shoulder. He didn't stop until they he felt sand beneath his feet, finally setting down a disgruntled Levy. She promptly punched him in the side, but he only grinned and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders, pulling her around to stand next to him. Levy stared at her feet and silently fumed, refusing to give in to his touch.

"I'd rather not show up to your family reunion as the guy who let his girlfriend die at the wheel," Gajeel said after a few moments, earning another fist to the stomach.

"We're not leaving until you stop being mad at me."

"Fine then, I guess we're never leaving."

Gajeel pressed her to his side and squeezed her shoulder until she relented, relaxing beside him and wrapping an arm around his back. He let out a chuckle and looked down at her, her face still obscured by messy blue curls.

"That's better," he hummed, "but yer still missin' the view." He tilted her chin up, and when she resisted, laid his palm flat against chin and pushed. Levy made a noise from the back of her throat, but before she could open her mouth to protest, her eyes were met with a beautiful fusion of colors, oranges and blues and pinks blended perfectly together for as far as she could see.

Everything else seemed to stop as they stood there, and they watched sky change into deep reds and purples. Levy finally came back to her senses as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon and she felt Gajeel's warm lips on her cheek.

"Time to go, Lev," he murmured into her ear. "We're still late."