Prompt; End of the war Kiss
She huffed, looking around at the destruction that used to be fairy hills. Magnolia had been lucky in some aspects; the target of the enemy had been largely Fairy Tail's HQ. In the last two weeks since the last battle, they'd all been busy with the clean up and recovery of the members of those who'd been involved. They'd just returned from the North in tatters, unsure if there had been a guild to return to at all, let alone if anyone had survived. Gajeel and Panther Lily had branched off with Elfman to help with the last of the fighting, and she had offered assistance with the injured.
Well, more or less left no choice to stay behind and help. When Jellal led the small group of warriors still able bodied enough to fight, Gajeel drew her aside, quietly shushing her queries.
"Yer not coming, Levy." His soft command left no room for argument, and she could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, and she gripped at his jacket.
"Who do you think I am?" she challenged, attempting bravado, even though she was trembling. Her heart raced, feeding the fear that was growing in her mind, despite her valiant effort to hide it.
"Levy, I'm serious. Yer not coming this time," he growled. He paused, looking around as he sighed, giving her an opening to protest. But before she could get a word in, he was suddenly leaning over her, grabbing her hands and pulling her into a fierce embrace. "It's not that I don't think yer strong, Lev," he muttered into her hair. "But I don't want to see you like that ever again." He squeezed, and she nearly hiccuped, burying her face into his shoulder.
It had been a fluke, a terrible accident that nearly killed them and shaken them to their core. The fight against the spriggan was going awry, and in a moment of desperation she'd acted, hoping to catch him off guard. It nearly worked, till he simply shrugged it off, dashing whatever hope of victory she had. He'd moved far too fast to see, and suddenly he was in front of her, weapons poised for the final strike. She didn't even had time to throw her arms up feebly. As the blades came down, her ankle twisted as she tripped back, and suddenly she could feel the ground cave under her, saving her at the last second as the blade whizzed past her head. Before she landed on her back, she could see several bars of iron blast out of the ground in front of her, protecting her from another attack. Stunned, she lay still for several seconds as Lisana jumped to her side, grabbing her arm and dragging her to safety.
After they had finally defeated him, Gajeel had merely looked her over, grunting when he deemed her safe and unharmed. Secretly she had hoped that he'd show more emotion as he examined her, but a message from the guild prevented her from voicing anything other than a quiet thank you. The journey back to Magnolia was filled with tension and worry, and she nearly drove herself mad with fantasies of death and destruction. Where would they go? Who had survived?
On the verge of a nervous breakdown, she reached out and grabbed the first thing within reach, hoping for support. She had been so unaware of her surroundings that it shocked her when her hand was gripped gently in response, squeezing softly. She twitched, then looked up to see Gajeel's back. Her eyes trailed down his shoulder to his hand, and bit her lip when he laced his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb across her palm. He wasn't looking back at her, but the gesture as more than enough to bring tears to her eyes. She gulped, refusing to succumb to sobbing like a babe while they were still in a war. He was just as scared as she was for what they might find when they returned home.
Now, two weeks after they left the others to pick up the pieces, she wondered if they were alright. No news had come from them since then, and she briefly considered leaving to look for them. It wasn't the first time she thought of venturing out, and she figured it wouldn't be the last time either. She sighed, picking up stray scraps of metal and broken wood off the ground just in front of her. Her thumb scraped over the jagged edges of the metal, and she found it difficult to breath over the lump in her throat. Was he okay? Was he still fighting? She thought that she had cried herself out the first night of his absence, wishing desperately that she had ignored him again and followed. But the way he had looked at her in the final moments of his farewell stilled any thoughts of rebellion, and she promised him that she'd stay safe. He pressed a chaste kiss against her lips then, quietly threatening to arrest her on the charge of willful disobedience if he caught her.
She chuckled lightly, gripping the iron scraps in her hand then, ignoring the stinging pain as her palm was sliced open. 'Not fair, Gajeel,' she thought. gulping as tears began to slide down her cheeks. 'You'd better be alive, or I'll never make you iron ever again.' The weak threat struck her as comical suddenly, and she doubled over in a fit of nearly hysterical giggles. She dropped the metal to scrub the tears away from her face, uncaring that blood was mixing with the saltiness. After a time, her laughter gave way to muffled sobs. She snuffled, sighing as she began to calm down and clapped her hands to her face, reassuring herself.
She winced when she finally noticed the pain, and grimaced when she held the bleeding palms up. 'Wendy's going to have a fit,' she thought wryly, silently chiding herself. The poor girl had more than enough on her plate even with Porlyusica's help, not to mention the emotional damage they'd all suffered. It would be a while before there was a peaceful night's sleep again, she mused. She sighed again, turning to trudge back the destroyed hall in the city.
The streets were buzzing with activity as she walked through the crumbled cobblestone, the air filled with excitement. She smiled gently as she waved at the librarian, curiously cocking her head at his sudden vigor. She wondered if she looked like a mess, and huffed as she looked down at her palms, lips pursed as she studied the wounds. 'Not as bad as before,' she thought, frowning as she dreaded the lecture she was sure to receive.
Her attention elsewhere, she collided with something she hadn't expected to be in her way seconds ago. Squeaking, she bounced back from the object and jumped back, her head snapping up in alarm. Her eyes widened in stunned surprise as she discovered what, or rather, whom interrupted her journey.
"Oi, you spend enough time close to the ground to know what it looks like, Lev," her iron dragon slayer grumbled, rubbing the spot she smacked her forehead on. "Next time, look up be-" he was interrupted when she jumped forward, grabbing his arms and staring at him in disbelief. She searched his face, holding her breath in fear that she had passed out on the street and was dreaming. He's here, in front of me! Please, Mavis, let this be real!
She was so focused on him that she hadn't realized that he was looking just as hard at her, eyes flitting over her face before narrowing in concern. She sucked in a trembling breath, running her hands over his skin, her ruined palms catching on his piercings.
"Gajeel?" she asked in a small voice, tentatively moving closer to him. He looked tired, his face slightly gaunt and his hair unkempt. It must have been rough, she thought, and her breath hitched as she grasped his cheeks. "Gajeel, you're here?" She knew it sounded ridiculous, but reality was slow to set in, and her heart was breaking in hopes that she wasn't hallucinating.
She sobbed in relief as he suddenly reached for her and swooped her up, hugging her tightly to him. The solidity of his arms and the warmth of his embrace was more than enough to convince her. He held her for awhile, murmuring into her neck as she clung to him for dear life, ignoring her protesting hands as she locked them into a vice like hold on to his shirt. She wrapped her legs around him, attempting to be as close to him as humanly possible. He chuckled then, leaning back slightly to look at her again.
"Tch, yer a mess, y'know?" he grinned at her, and she huffed at him, sniffling in response.
"It's your fault, dummy," she muttered, and he sighed, bumping his nose against hers.
"Yeah yeah, I know," he said, moving his lips over hers. She sighed as she leaned into him, returning the kiss with a fervor. He was alive, and he was home again.