A/N: This is Sunday's prompt and since I haven't slept yet it's still Sunday, but unfortunately this one is really not that great... I wanted to write a scene where Levy freaks out and Gajeel comforts her but I'm just tired and drained and I ended up having to force it out and so I'm sorry. I hope you can still find some enjoyment in it and there are probably mistakes since it's 2 in the morning and I didn't edit. Sorry. So sorry.

Also thanks so much for the follows and favorites. I didn't really expect any one to pay attention to these little ficlets and it makes me happy. Plus all the reviews I've gotten have filled me with so much joy. So thank from the bottom of my heart. I hope I don't disappoint you.

"Are we really treasure hunting?" Levy asked, carefully picking her way through the underbrush.

"You didn't hafta come," Gajeel growled from a few feet ahead.

"Well I need the money too, besides Lily stayed in the guild so you needed a partner." He made a sound that was almost a snort and she frowned. It might not be the best reason, but she figured it was better than admitting that she just wanted to spend time with him, and this job wasn't as dangerous as the ones he normally chose.

She was actually a bit surprised he even let her tag along. She'd been sure he would scoff at her and tell her she was too weak to work with him. She hadn't expected him to accept, and now here they were trekking through a dense forest following a treasure map. Gajeel had kept the pace slow enough that she could keep up and she was grateful. If he had been alone he probably would've already found the treasure and returned it to the client. She was just slowing him down.

Lost in her thoughts as she was she didn't notice when her foot caught on a root. She yelped in surprise and threw her arms out to catch herself, but she apparently didn't need to worry. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and stopped her from crashing to the ground. She gasped as warmth gathered in her belly and ducked her head, hoping to hide her red cheeks.

"Th-thank you," she murmured. She straightened, gripping his arm to steady herself. The minute she was back on her feet he released her and she tried not to frown at the loss of heat.

Her lips twitch in a small smile and she thought she saw a flicker of one on his face before he turned away. "It's hard keeping track of someone so small, so don't fall behind."

She pressed her lips together as her smile grew and hopped forward a step, following just behind him. Her eyes strayed to his hand swaying at his side and she clenched her own hand against her chest. Gajeel might help her when she falls, but that didn't mean anything special.

She sighed and kicked at some dead leaves.

She had to get stronger, to prove herself to him.

Then maybe he'd actually look at her.

x

They walked for what must have been hours; the sky through the canopy slowly darkening as night fell. Levy moved closer to Gajeel when it got harder to see, not wanting to lose her guide. Without him she'd be easy prey for any predators lurking in the shadows.

"Not much further," Gajeel said, breaking the silence of the forest.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Levy asked.

"Of course I do." He waved a piece of paper in the air. "They gave me a map."

Levy had looked at the map when the client had handed it over and it wasn't much more than a big, red X on a circle, but she had to trust Gajeel.

Although forty minutes later she was regretting that decision. The sun had vanished from the sky completely and she was struggling to keep up with Gajeel in the near darkness.

"How mu-whoa!" she yelped, falling forward as her foot caught on a rock. Had she not been following so closely she probably would've ended up face-planting, but instead she just fell against Gajeel's back. Her cheeks flamed and she quickly righted herself. "Sorry."

He reached behind and grabbed her hand. She bit back a surprise gasp and glanced up at his face, but it was too dark to read his expression.

"Stay close," he growled. Levy stared up at his face for a moment longer before dropping her head in a nod.

"Mm."

She tried not to focus too much on the warmth of his hand enveloping hers as they continued walking, but it was hard. She'd wanted to do this with him for months already, although in her imagination they were always walking down one of Magnolia's main streets on their way to dinner and not trekking through a forest in search of treasure.

As they walked she started to notice the thinning of the trees around them until suddenly they just cut off. Gajeel stopped at the edge and she paused beside him. Without the trees in the way the moon could shine freely and it illuminated the path in front of them, of course that just made the inky darkness of the cave seem all the worse.

"We-we have to go in there?" Levy stuttered, her hand tightening around Gajeel's by its own volition. She saw him glance down at her out of the corner of her eye, but she couldn't look away from the cave. Ever since she was a kid and accidentally got locked in the supply closet overnight she'd been bad with small spaces, and it was even worse when they were dark.

"That's where the treasure is."

She took a deep steadying breath, drawing strength from the warmth around her hand. She wasn't alone. She had Gajeel. It was just a cave. She wasn't going to be locked in.

When she opened her eyes her gaze was unwavering.

"Let's complete this job," she said, grinning up at Gajeel. He stared at her and his lips curled up in a smile of his own.

x

The cave was even darker than the forest had been and Levy was grateful for Gajeel leading the way. His hand around hers was the only thing keeping her from running from the place. She knew Gajeel didn't need her for this part, didn't need her for the job at all, but she wanted to be of some help.

There was a grunt from ahead and a muttered curse from Gajeel.

"It's damn hard to see in here," he growled.

"Oh! I can do something about that."

"Eh?'

Levy pulled her hand from Gajeel's, frowning slightly at the loss of heat, and worked her magic. In moments the cave exploded as light filled every crevice. Gajeel winced and threw his arm up and Levy flinched.

"Sorry! Didn't mean for it to be so bright." After a bit of tweaking she managed to dim it to a small ball of light that illuminated the area around them. "Better?"

Gajeel smiled down at her and she was surprised by the warmth she saw in his eyes. "Thanks."

She shrugged and tried to keep the grin from splitting across her face. "It's what I'm here for."

They continued deeper into the cave and Levy tried not to be too disappointed at the loss of hand holding, but there was no reason to continue now that they could see. Although without Gajeel's warmth she found it harder to fight the panic building in her chest, but she swallowed it down.

At least until the rumbling started. Without warning the entire cave began to shake and as her fear rose her magic wavered, making the light flicker. She pressed herself against Gajeel's side, her eyes widening.

"What's happening?"

Gajeel didn't say anything, just wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close as the rocks began to fall. Levy squeezed her eyes shut and found comfort in the feel of Gajeel's hard body pressed against hers, and for a moment everything was fine. It only lasted a few minutes but it felt like the whole world was crumbling around them.

The shaking subsided and the cave fell silent. She knew that Gajeel could probably feel her trembling as the fear crept up her throat, but she couldn't stop.

"Th-the treasure. W-we have to f-find it."

She pushed herself away from his chest, or at least tried to, but his arms were like iron bars locking her in place.

"Ga-Gajeel."

"You're afraid." His voice was a low rumble in her ears. It soothed away some of the fear, but not enough.

"N-no." She snapped her mouth shut and willed her voice to stop shaking. "I'm fine. We have to complete the job."

Gajeel was quiet above her, his arms tightening around her small body. "We're not going anywhere."

It was barely more than a whisper and dread shot through her body. She tore herself away from him and looked around them, her light had gone out so she quickly wrote a new one, but what she saw had it flickering out in seconds.

The shaking had caused a cave in, the way they had entered was completely blocked by rocks, and further down she could see another wall of rocks.

Her legs crumpled under her and she fell to her knees, bracing her hands on the ground. She couldn't breathe. Something was suffocating her, crawling up her throat and squeezing tighter and tighter. She gasped for air and clawed at the ground as the tears began to fall. She had to get out.

"Out," she croaked, her voice hoarse. "Get me out. Get me out!"

She was screaming. Screaming and clawing at the door. Why can't anyone hear her? Where are they? Why did they leave her alone?

"You're not alone."

Arms wrapped around her and she found herself pulled against a hard chest.

"You're not alone," he repeated, face buried in her hair. "You'll never be alone as long as you've got me."

She gave a surprised hiccup and pressed her face against his chest, staining his vest with tears. "G-Gajeel," she sobbed.

"Shh," he murmured. "I've got you."

After a while her tears dried and she just held him close to her, finding comfort in his warmth. They didn't speak and he didn't rush her, just let her collect herself.

"Sorry," she said. "I-I wanted to prove to you that I was strong, but I'm not."

"If ya weren't strong then I wouldn't have agreed to let you come along."

Levy sniffled and leaned back to stare up at Gajeel, although she couldn't actually see his face in the darkness. "You're too nice."

He snorted and placed her off to the side, rising to his feet. "You're the only person who thinks that."

"Gajeel! Where are you going?" A hint of panic flickered in her voice and she reached out blindly. A hand covered hers and something that felt like lips brushed over her forehead.

"I'll be right back," he breathed, and then he was gone and she really was alone.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and drew them to her chest, taking deep breaths. She could still hear him moving around the cave, but the sounds of his footsteps were getting quieter and quieter.

He probably wasn't gone for more than a few seconds, but it felt like hours. She let out a relieved sigh when she heard the sound of his returning footsteps and scrambled to her feet. An arm pushed her back and she only had a moment to brace herself before he was punching through the rocks with his iron fists.

She added her own little bits of magic, but she still felt shaken so she couldn't do any real destruction. Still they managed to break through in record time and soon they were exiting the cave and were back in the open. She breathed a sigh of relief and stared up at the stars twinkling in the sky.

"Did you get the treasure?" she asked, lowering her gaze to Gajeel. He nodded and she smiled, slipping her hand through his. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Thank you."

"You were crying," he muttered, and she smiled up at him, noticing the red tint to his cheeks. With a small jump she pulled his head down so she could press a kiss to his cheek.

"Still... thank you."

He stared at her and she grinned, yanking his hand as she started walking. "C'mon, we've got a reward to collect."

He grumbled something, but followed behind obediently and she smiled to herself. She felt like maybe their relationship had started changing and maybe next time she'd find the strength to take an even bigger step, but for now she'd be happy with just holding his hand.