A/N: Not my best, but it demanded to be written so I wrote it.
Gajeel held her in his arms. She was so tiny, so fragile. She needed protecting and he had decided that he would be the one to protect her. He would protect her until his last breath.
But now he was still breathing while she only had moments left.
"Gajeel." Her voice was a breathy whisper, and even with his enhanced hearing he had to lean closer to hear. "Gajeel... I love you."
And the smile she gave him was her last. It was a beautiful smile, filled with life and love and happiness. It would forever be seared in his mind.
And the tears he shed were the first. The first tears to ever spill from his eyes. The first tears to ever paint his lips with salt.
And he pressed those lips to her hair, her forehead, her eyelids, and a final kiss to her mouth.
And the dragon clutched the small, broken body to his chest and howled until his voice went hoarse. He howled until the pain hurt a little less. He howled out the rage and the mistakes. He howled until he couldn't howl any more.
And as a final goodbye he confessed to a love he hadn't deserved, had refused to accept, and had lost in the blink of an eye. He confessed to a love that he would hold in his heart for the rest of his life, because when a dragon fell in love they never forgot it.
I am not happy with this... but it is done and out of my system now (hopefully).
