They were about to die. Gajeel sat, his back to a boulder, staring at one of the few people he had ever loved. Levy was wounded, exhausted, filthy, and, in his eyes, beautiful. The ground shook, dragons roars echoing in the distance, as the greasy, overcast sky darkened, the smell of ash and brimstone surrounding them.
The two had been running for what felt like centuries. The actual amount of time specifically, they couldn't tell you. Hiding in caves, starving, never risking stopping for too long. It was all for naught now. The dragons had caught their scent several days ago, and had been tracking them ever since. Levy had done everything she could, using elaborate barriers to hide their scent, but dragon noses were still sensitive enough to pick up the scent from miles away.
They were finally done running. Part of Gajeel was finally received that he could rest. The day before, Levy had jumped from a rock and broken a leg. Right then, he had picked her up, and just kept running. Her cries of pain haunted his mind. He had been running, supporting her weight, and listening to her soft whimpers, since that time, but he couldn't move anymore. His legs had given out, as they rounded the Boulder that they currently rested against.
His and Levys eyes met, matching in their exhaustion, pain, and misery. The rest of fairy tail was long gone, most engulfed by dragon breath within the first few attacks. It was the fighters that went out first, Erza and Natsu and Gray. Everyone kept fighting for them, but none lasted long against the might of the dragons. The only thing that had kept Gajeel alive was the need to protect Levy. In the first wave of the attacks, he had been right there with Natsu and the others, until he saw Levy targeted. As his comrades fell around him, he resolved to live on for her.
The dragon roar sounded again, closer this time. Levy turned her tear streaked face up to him, pleading, imploring.
"Sing." Was all she croaked, voice hoarse and worn. He had many songs memorized, and in happier times, it was one of his passions. He would sing gleefully, despite people's opinions. The one he settled on, after some deliberation, was much different than the rest.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,"
"You make me happy, when skies are gray"
he sang, the simple tune contrasting with his rough voice.
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you"
"Please don't take my sunshine away"
the children's tune brought him back to happier times, a picnic in Magnolia, what seemed like an eternity ago. Levy had sat next to him, listening to him strum on an acousic guitar.
"Do you like to sing?" She asked, directing wide eyes up at him.
"Yeah. What about you shrimp? You any good?" She had shrugged, and at his urging, sang for him in high clear notes, the song.
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,"
"I dreamt I held you in my arms"
He had never heard the song before, and she taught him the tune, a simple, sweet ditty, learned from mother to daughter. He found himself humming it later, as she dozed in the summer heat besides him.
"When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken,"
"So I hung my head and I cried."
He had never understood, even years later, why the precious girl had forgiven him, loved him. They had finally, in the face of the crisis, realized their feelings, but there had not been much time for any proper romance. He would have liked to have taken her on a proper date at least once.
"I'll always love you, and make you happy,"
"If you will only stay the same."
Gajeel turned away from the scarred face of his lover, tilting his eyes towards the sky, and allowed his tears to roll down his face, for the first time since the gate was opened. His voice cracked on the next line.
"If you leave me, to love another,"
"You'll regret it all one day."
They had an unspoken agreement. Once the last of the guild died off, even the youngsters like Wendy and Romeo, they had formed an unspoken pact, that no matter what they would not leave each other. That they would not die alone.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,"
"You make me happy when skies are gray."
Levy joined in now, her high, if hoarse and pained, voice joining with his, melding into a heartbreaking refrain. It seemed to call out to the past, to the sunny blue sky's hidden behind ash and tears, and the smiles behind the death and pain.
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you,"
"Please don't take my sunshine away."
Levy propped herself upright, ignoring the pain, and the noise of the approaching hoard, and wrapped her arms around his thick neck, hands winding into his matted hair. She held him, and he crushed her body against his, hoping to absorb as much of her as he could, to take her all in. He buried his face in her hair, taking in her scent, masked by pain and filth, but still sweet and gentle and undeniably Levy. She pulled away slightly, and kissed him, long and hard and sweet. They didn't pull away, not for anything.
The first, lucky dragon roared over the crest of the hill, aiming an attack at them, as they clutched each other desperately, claiming some comfort in the face of death. The attack flared bright in the throat of the dragon, and as they stared into the maw of the terror beast, they felt not fear but acceptance. They were not alone, even in death.
"Please don't take my sunshine away."
A. N.: so just a little gajevy one shot, because I was in a sappy mood. I don't know how good it is but whatever, I needed to write it down, so here Ya go. Comments are very welcome, and thank you very very much for reading.