Gajeel was furious. With a capital F.
He'd told her not to go on the mission, yeah partly because he was a jealous bastard who didn't want her alone with those idiots, but mainly because it was dangerous. Too dangerous for her and her merry band of morons to handle.
Yet she'd ignored him and now she was covered in bandages, laughing like it was no big deal. But it was. She could've gotten killed.
"I'm not sorry," Levy said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking too cute for her own good. Gajeel grunted, not dropping his glare until she sighed and dropped her arms to her side. "I couldn't just ignore it."
"You didn't hafta go."
"They needed a script mage."
"That green haired bastard could've gone!"
"Freed was on another job!"
Somehow they'd both ended up on their feet. Levy was glaring up at Gajeel and he glared back. They were both stubborn, too stubborn.
"You could've died," he snarled.
"News flash! I could die any day. I could die here with you or I could die out on a job. Life comes with risks!"
He ground his teeth and tried not to yell. She was impossible. Didn't she understand that he couldn't – he couldn't even imagine life without her. Did she not realize how important she was to him?
She must've seen something in his face because she sighed and pressed against his shoulders so he sat and they were eye to eye.
"I love you, Gajeel, but you can't protect me from everything."
He opened his mouth to respond when she brushed her lips over his nose.
"Next time you can come along," she promised.
He grunted, but relaxed, drawing her into his lap. She was impossible to deal with, stubborn beyond belief, and as defiant as a kitten… but those were just some of the things that made her perfect.