So sorry for the late update! I know I said I would upload this chapter before last Sunday but life happened and I got a little depressed during the weekend and I couldn't bring myself to edit this fluffy chapter while being sad.
Yeah, this is the fluffiest chapter of the story. I tried my best and hope you'll like it. Please give me your opinions on how did it went.
On a side note, I forgot to explain to you the plans that Levy used during the battle
Plan A - Attack/Use of close range spells and height advantage to harm Bacchus
Plan B - Barrier/Defensive strategy while using long range attacks (Fire)
Plan C - Crash!
Plan D - Dragon
Let's get to the story! This can be consider the last chapter of 'For who do you stand for?' but there will be two more chapters that will be the epilogues (I'm so excited because I finally got the inspiration for the second epilogue and I think it will be really awesome)
Reminder of last chapter:
She took a deep breath and felt as her body finally caught up with the fatigue caused by the battle. She let herself fall flat on her back to the ground and sensed how tired she was feeling at the moment. Her muscles were sore, she had lost a lot of blood, she felt a concussion in her head and she had depleted all her magic energy reserves.
But even in that moment, she was smiling widely as she looked up to the blue sky. She had never felt so alive like when she was flying on Ampago's back. She wanted to marvel in that feeling once more and decided that it was going to be the first thing she'll ask Ampago to do when she'll meet him again. She wondered if the dragon slayers missed that sensation from flying on the back of their dragons.
Maybe I can ask Ampago to give all of them a ride. I'm sure Natsu and Wendy will be thrilled. I hope Gajeel will be happy about that too.
Then she closed her eyes and let sleep take her mind away from flying dragons and the feeling of the wind caressing her face.
(A/N this part will be Wendy's POV)
When Levy collapsed on the ground, Lucy, Wendy and Erza were the first ones to rush into the arena to help the solid script mage.
"She seems fine. She just needs to rest. Her magic energy is pretty low but with some hours of sleep she should feel better" Wendy stated after doing a quick check-up of Levy's health condition.
"Let's take her to the infirmary then" Erza said and Lucy nodded.
The red haired woman scooped up Levy in her arms and carried her bridal style towards the corridor that lead to the infirmary. Lucy and Wendy walked on each side of her and the sky dragon slayer checked on Levy's condition every couple of steps to make sure she was in no pain.
Once they got into the corridor, they found a tall dark figure standing in their way.
"Gajeel?" Lucy called his name. Her brows furrowed in confusion about what the iron dragon slayer was doing here.
Gajeel's aura wasn't threatening as it commonly was and his usual scowl was also missing from his face. Instead, his expression seemed both serious and soft. He came closer to them and just then, Wendy noticed that his eyes were fixed on Levy.
That's weird… Shouldn't he be with Team Fairy Tail B? Wendy thought.
"I'll take the Shrimp to the infirmary" he said calmly in his deep voice, but at the same time, he sounded so un-Gajeelish. He almost sounded like he was asking for permission -even though he didn't voice out a question- and his common gruff and demanding tone was nowhere to be found in those seven words he spoke.
"But Fairy Tail B's match is about to start. What if they call out your name?" Wendy inquired. The young dragon slayer found it confusing for Gajeel to be here and be offering to take Levy to the infirmary. After all, Erza was already carrying the girl without any trouble, so there was no logical reason behind Gajeel's actions.
"I'll be quick, I promise" He took one more step closer to Erza and extended his arms forward, silently asking the swordswoman to place Levy in his arms.
His gaze shifted then to Erza's eyes and the softness that his red eyes showed was nothing Wendy had ever seen before in the iron dragon slayer. He was asking Erza in a mute conversation to trust him and let him carry Levy.
His expression wasn't the usual as well. Instead of the 'do as I say or I'll punch you in the face' scowl, his features were more like 'please, let me take her to the infirmary myself'.
Wendy was at a loss about the behavior of the iron dragon slayer and she instinctively sniffed out the air to see if this person wasn't someone trying to impersonate Gajeel - it wasn't; he truly was Gajeel.
Erza studied his eyes for a moment and then complied with his request. She closed the gap between them with one step and carefully placed Levy in Gajeel's arms.
When he had a firm grip on the solid script mage, he shifted her weight on his arms so her head was resting on his shoulder and her arms were folded over her stomach. He nodded to Erza in gratitude and then headed towards the infirmary quickly with his long strides.
The three mages stared at his retreating back before looking at each other and silently agreeing to give the man a little bit of space before following him to the infirmary.
He didn't know why he had done that. He really was at a loss as to what took over him to go and ask 'politely' -well, as politely as Gajeel was able to- for him be the one to take Levy to the infirmary.
He was walking with her in his arms and he couldn't fight the desire to have her there for all eternity. Her head was resting on his shoulder and if he had one hand free, he would have brushed the strands of hair away from her face to admire her delicate features.
When he had seen her in Erza's arm, a part of him felt devastated at how her body looked like. She had multiple bruises and cuts, and her skin was stained with blood, sweat and dirt. She seemed so broken…
Maybe that was what pushed him in asking to carry Levy to the infirmary. He felt the necessity to hold her in his arms, to feel her warmth on his palms and to feel the pulse of her beating heart under his fingers just to make sure that she was okay. That she would be fine. It was necessary to get rid of the pang in his heart.
Yes, she seemed so broken, but at the same time, the smile on her face showed how proud she felt about the battle.
"Ya did great, Shorty" Gajeel said in a whisper. Pride and affection could be felt in those words.
As if replying to his compliment, Levy snuggled closer to his chest and placed her forehead on the crook of his neck, humming contently. She was yet asleep but Gajeel still blushed slightly thinking that maybe she had heard him. When he noticed she was still unconscious he let go the breath that had been caught up in his throat from embarrassment.
"Warm…" he heard her mumbling and couldn't help but to chuckle at how cute she looked.
"I ain't warm, Shrimp. Remember, I'm made out of iron" he whispered back, without expecting her to hear him. She just hummed one more time.
He reached the infirmary in no time and, reluctantly, placed Levy on one of the beds in the room. The pink haired hag was already hurrying him out of the place mumbling something about stupid brats getting in the way and being annoying.
He gave one last glance at Levy's body and left the room at the same time that Team Fairy Tail A walked into the infirmary.
She'll be fine he reassured himself.
(A/N: okay, so, everything in the second day went down the same: Natsu explained what happened about the attempt of kidnapping Wendy and company; the Raijinshuu stepped up to protect the injured ones; Mirajane battles Jenny; yada yada yada… We jump to the night of the second day of the games – the night after Levy's fight)
When she started to wake up, it was nighttime. She assumed she had slept for the rest of the day since her battle, letting her injuries heal gradually. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the room being faintly lit up with just the moonlight that slipped through the window on the far side of the room. It was dead quiet, so she presumed it was late at night, probably past midnight.
Levy stirred a little bit in the bed when the dizziness of sleep started to wear off. She moved her arms from under the blankets and held her hands in front of her face for closer inspection. She noticed the bandages she had in both forearms but her right hand was so heavily wrapped in gauzes that she could barely wiggle her fingers. She audibly sighed.
I won the match but I'm such a mess right now.
Then, she propped her torso up with her elbows to inspect the room where she was. She faintly noticed it was the infirmary, or at least a room similar to it, but the darkness of the night didn't allowed her to see much further detail of the room or if there were any other residents in the adjacent beds.
She then proceeded to sit up on the bed. When she tried to push herself further up, she put pressure on her injured hand and felt a huge wave of pain travel up to her shoulder. She hissed at the effort and mentally scolded herself for being so reckless.
Now sitting up on her bed, she noticed the gauze in her right hand started to tinge red.
Great. I probably opened the injury again.
With her left hand, she gently traced the red stains in her left hand. The faint touch of her fingers over the gauze caused her to draw a sharp breath in and scrunched her eyebrows in pain. It seemed that her left hand was much more sensitive than she initially thought it would be.
"It hurts…" she said in a low voice that almost sounded like a whimper.
Her eyes widened when she heard a low growl close by. With her initial inspection, she thought to be alone in the infirmary. Was she wrong? Was she in some danger that she had been oblivious up to this moment? What would she do? She was in no condition to escape from any threat right now and even less, try to defend herself from an enemy. She started to panic but didn't dare to turn around to look for the source of the noise.
Maybe if I stay quiet, nothing will happen. Maybe, I-
"Then, don't touch it. Ya'll only hurt yerself more." She heard a gruff deep voice and she let go of the breath she was holding in. She felt relief flow through her body and her shoulders visibly relaxed once she recognized the owner of the voice. Still, her heart beat fast in her chest, but it was for an entire different reason now; instead of being frightened, she felt how her stomach did several funny flips due to be in the same room with him.
She turned her head to her left and found her suspicions to be true.
How didn't I notice him there before? She wondered and let her back rest against the headboard of her bed.
She saw his red eyes shining in the darkness of the room. The crimson light emitted from those orbs seemed to hypnotize her and she soon found herself unable to look away from them.
Gajeel was sitting on a chair on the left side of Levy's bed. He had his legs apart, his back rested against the wall and his arms were crossed over his broad chest. His eyes were fixed to hers and his face wore the usual scowl that adorned the handsome features of the iron dragon slayer.
Usually, people would get scared to be in the same room with someone as terrifying as Gajeel Redfox. Not Levy. No, she felt even more at peace to know he was there with her. She felt safer and happier whenever he was around.
"Gajeel..." she said in a hoarse voice. Her throat was as dry as a desert and her attempt of talking wound up in a fit of coughing that shook her entire body, causing a new wave of pain to shoot through her from head to toes.
The iron dragon slayer stood up and took the glass of water that was on the night table beside her bed. He handed it over to Levy, releasing the glass just when he was sure she was holding it tightly. She downed half of the glass in an instant and felt how the moisture returned to her throat and lips, making her feel incredibly pleased at the sensation.
Levy handed back the glass of water to Gajeel and he placed it back on the night table. He then scooted his chair closer to Levy's bed and sat down again.
She smiled at him before saying in her sweet voice "Thanks"
Gajeel only grunted in response, to which Levy assumed would mean 'You're welcome'.
"Where are we? What time is it?" she asked tiredly; she still felt exhausted from what happened during the day, but also wanted to spend some time talking to the iron mage that was currently examining her with his eyes.
"At the infirmary. It's two past midnight." he said curtly. He eyed her right hand and saw how the red stain seemed to keep spreading in the back of her hand. He stood up and took several bandages from the drawer on the night table.
Next, he sat on the edge of her bed and extended his hand to her. She looked at him questioningly and he then directed his gaze to her right hand and then to the gauzes in his other hand. She understood then what he was asking her to do and she carefully placed her injured hand on his big palm.
He proceeded to unwrap slowly her hand from the dirty bandages. She was surprised by the gentleness of his movements and soon she found herself mesmerized by the way his hands touched hers and performed their duty with the utmost care. He tossed the dirty gauzes to the garbage bin and then reached out to the night table to grab some disinfectant to apply to her injury.
"It'll sting a little" he warned her, and then sprayed the liquid over her hand. She hissed but tried her best to stay still until Gajeel was done with the cleaning process. He used a clean gauze to carefully wipe away the fresh and dry blood from her hand. Even when doing his best, the minimum contact caused Levy to fight away tears of pain that tried to flow from her eyes.
"Sorry" he mumbled quietly, feeling guilty at causing Levy any sort of pain. He then placed another clean gauze on her hand and started to wrap it up in clean bandages.
"It's okay" she said and took deep breaths to calm herself down. She needed to focus her mind away from the pain, so she decided to start a casual conversation "So, who brought me to the infirmary?"
"I did" he said without taking his eyes from his work. He finished wrapping the bandage and then used a pin to make sure it wouldn't fall off. "Ya passed out after wiping the floor with that bastard's ass" he released her hand but stayed seated on the edge of the bed, gathering the remaining gauzes and disinfectant and placing them on the night table. "By the way, that was a hell of a fight, Shorty" he looked up at her and smirked at his last comment, making Levy blush slightly from the compliment.
She huffed good-naturedly and shook her head from side to side "Nah, it was nothing. Anyone from the team would have done it better" she said and smiled at him.
And they wouldn't be such a mess like I am right now she said to herself and her smile flattered from feeling down after that thought crossed her mind.
Gajeel quirked an eyebrow "Really? Ya gave that drunkard a good run for his money AND summoned a mother fucking dragon in the meantime. Haven't heard of anyone that can do that, Shortstack" he showed her his toothy grin which made her heart flutter again.
She giggled and nodded, deciding to accept the compliment. She looked to the other side of the room, to where the moonlight was entering through the window and sighed. "You know…" she said, still not looking at the iron dragon slayer. "At first I didn't think I could win the battle."
(A/N switch to Gajeel's POV but continue immediately, not backtracking, not jumping forward)
Gajeel looked at her confusedly. He would have never thought something like that had crossed her mind. From the moment she stepped on the battlefield, she seemed so confident and calmed, so it was a surprise to hear the hesitation in her voice when telling him this.
"But then, I remembered everything that went down on Tenrou Island" she continued, still looking at the window. "Grimoire Heart, Acnologia… and against all odds we returned to the guild" Then, she turned around to look at Gajeel with her loving and beautiful eyes that made even the darkest night seemed like the brightest day. Gajeel stared back at her eyes, feeling how his heart started to pound in his chest, threatening to burst out.
"So, I thought 'Hey, if we survived that, maybe I do have a chance to defeat this guy'" she said and giggled "I know it sounds silly, but it really gave me the courage to fight up until the end. Same train of thoughts went for summoning Ampago" she smiled.
Gajeel was dumbfounded by her words. Did she really fight that way with just self-confidence in her abilities? She wiped the floor with Bacchus and fought like no one else did that he had seen before, and she did all that by just trusting herself. She kept falling to the ground beaten up and still picked herself up time and time again, because she believed in herself. Not because she was certain that she would win, but because she had the hunch that she might win…She stood up and fought out of pure will and courage…
God, can this woman be more amazing?
"So, thank you, Gajeel" her voice brought him out of his inner musings.
"For what? Ya have nothing to thank me for, Shorty" he was confused and a little irritated by her kind words.
After all, I was the one who broke you… His chest tightened at the memory of the night he attacked Team Shadow Gear. He felt disgusted by his actions. How could he have harmed someone as pure and gentle as Levy?
And I barely managed to protect you in Tenrou. He felt a sting of pain in his heart at remembering her screams when Kawazu and Yomazu attacked her. If I had been even one second late, you… Gajeel tightened his jaw, not wanting to finish that line of thought.
"Well, you promised to make me big and you did. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, so thank you" Levy said and gave him one of her brightest smiles. Gajeel swore he could get blinded by that smile and he wouldn't give a damn about it. Hell! He'd teach Lily to be his blind man's guide if that meant that he could stare at Levy's smile even for a little longer. Just one look at her and all his worries vanished along with his self-hatred.
He looked away to hide the blush that threatened to appear on his cheeks, because damn it! Gajeel fucking Redfox didn't blush!
"Crazy fairy. Gihi!" he chuckled good-naturedly and looked at her through the corner of his eye.
"Hey! Watch it, you big can of metal! You're one of us, remember?" she playfully punched his arm with her left hand and laughed.
"Oh, don't I? I know ya wouldn't let me forget it, Shrimp" he rolled his eyes at her, but turned to face her again and grinned.
"That's right!" she puffed her chest proudly and laughed once again.
They stayed in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before one of the bells from the cathedral in Crocus chimed outside the room. In that moment, Levy realized it probably was three past midnight and that the man that was sitting with her had a competition the next morning.
"Why are you here, Gajeel?" she bluntly asked. "I-I m-mean-" she stuttered nervously when she noticed how rude she must have sounded, to which Gajeel only snickered.
"Geez, Shorty, if ya want me out of here, ya should just say so. Don't beat around the bushes" he teased her.
"Stupid Gajeel, you know that's not what I meant!" she poked out her tongue playfully at Gajeel before continuing "It's late and the games will start early tomorrow morning. You should go and sleep in your bed. Aren't you a little bit tired?" her voice showed concern for him and he felt heat rush to his cheeks once again.
(A/N Levy's POV. Continuing…)
Gajeel looked at the door and frowned. "Salamander told us that, earlier today, Raven Tail tried to kidnap the kiddo, her cat and the old pink hag. If it wasn't for him being here, they would have taken them to God knows where. So, I'm on patrol duty"
"Wendy, Carla and Porlyusica? What is Raven Tail planning to do?" Levy furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought as she tried to find a reason behind the attacks from Raven Tail.
"Don't know. But ain't gonna take any chances of them attacking ya" he stated strongly.
Levy looked at him and smiled at the kind gesture of the man. He was just trying to protect her. She sighed before saying "Still, you need to rest. You have a big day tomorrow and I can take care of myself, so don't worry-" she suddenly was interrupted by the man's angry outburst.
"Like hell! Ya were unconscious until minutes ago. Yer hand is still bleeding and yer barely able to stay awake. I ain't risking it, Shortstuff. I'm staying. End of discussion" He was facing her now and she could see the fury in his expression. His fists tightened on the edge of the bed and Levy saw how his shoulders shook slightly from pent up anger.
She knew he wasn't mad at her, but the sight in front of her made Levy's chest ache. The iron mage seemed to be in a big internal turmoil and he averted his gaze from her, trying to get a hold on his temperament.
Levy reached out with her left hand and placed it over one of his fists. With her thumb, she started to caress the back of his hand which seemed to calm down the iron dragon slayer slightly. He looked down at her hand in surprise, but didn't move his from her hold.
(A/N Gajeel's POV. Continuing…)
"Gajeel" her sweet voice made him look up to meet her hazel eyes. "I'm fine, okay? I'm right here, so don't worry yourself over me" her voice was full of love and care for the man.
"I ain't going anywhere, Shorty" he said slowly but gently, making his statement definite.
"And I'm not asking you to go. Just calm down, okay?" she smiled at him.
He took a deep breath and inhaled her beautiful and alluring scent: ink and cherry; that was the combination that described her best and the same combination seemed to work wonderfully to calm down the iron dragon slayer.
He opened his eyes (when did he close them?) and met the beautiful hazel eyes of the solid script mage. Dear Mavis, he could get lost in those eyes for the rest of his days and he would be the happiest man alive.
"There you go" she beamed at him and leaned back into the headboard of her bed. When she noticed she still had her hand over Gajeel's, she blushed and retrieved it quickly. Gajeel had to suppress the involuntary groan that threatened to erupt from his chest at the sudden loss of contact.
"You know? It's funny if you think about it. The big tough Black Steel Gajeel was worried about little Levy McGarden?" she deepened her voice when mentioning Gajeel's nickname and then raised it to a higher pitch when saying her name just to make her point clearer. "Who would have guessed that to happen?" she giggled.
"Har har. Keep laughing, Shorty" he responded unamused but a grin broke in his expressionless face. Damn it, he loved to hear her laugh.
"Come on, Gajeel. You have to admit it's kinda cute" she giggled again.
"Oi! I ain't cute, god dammit! And I'll kill ya if ya ever say that to anyone, ya hear me?!" Gajeel roared to which Levy only laughed louder.
"And to answer yer question…" he said when Levy's laughter calmed down "I wasn't worried…" he averted his gaze and looked at her from the corner of his eye. He felt anxiety crept to his heart but wasn't going to let it show in his face.
I was terrified he thought but felt incapable to admit that to her.
He noticed the stunned expression on Levy's face. Shit! Did I say that out loud?! I did! I totally did! What the fuck is wrong with me!?
She waited for him to continue. There was an internal turmoil in Gajeel's mind.
Okay, big guy. This is your chance. Tell her how you feel about her! This part of his conscience sounded awfully similar to Lily.
Wait, what?! No way! She's gonna freak out!
She said she didn't want you to go, so she isn't going to freak out! Just grow a pair and tell her! Gajeel had to concede that 'conscience-Lily' had a point there.
"I… uhm…" Gajeel felt like he was sweating buckets in this moment. Levy stared at him with confusion and concern. He was looking at her with an expression of 'I have no fucking idea on what to say to you right now'. To say that Gajeel felt nervous would be an understatement.
Come on! Use words! Think! Use that head of yours for something else than just occupying space!
Shut it cat! If yer so good at this, why don'tcha do it instead?! I ain't good with words, ya know!
Then, don't use words! Show her! Show her how much she means to you. The cat just scored another point. Is Gajeel keeping track of the score? Because Lily (well, conscience-Lily) is kicking his ass.
Gajeel decided to follow that advice and with a long sigh he made a bold move. He moved closer to Levy and placed his big hand over her left one, squeezing it affectionately.
"Listen, Shorty. I-" he started but then looked up at Levy's face and saw it was tinted with a bright red blush. She looked nervously at their hands and then back at Gajeel's face. Her eyes grew even wider and her face kept getting redder. Gajeel didn't notice but steam was coming out from Levy's ears out of embarrassment.
Oh God! She's freaking out! She's freaking out!
He released her hand quickly and awkwardly turned slightly to the side. He scratched the back of his head nervously and tried his best to hide the blush that was spreading in his face.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and noticed she was still red as a tomato and that she held her hand close to her chest nervously. She seemed to be taking deep breaths to calm down and he managed to hear the rapid pace of her heart. Did he scare her?!
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit! I screwed it up!
Just say it! You lived with a dragon when you were a kid but are scared about what this girl might think of you?! Come on, Gajeel! Be a man! Freaking conscience-Lily was spending time with Elfman now.
Argh! Fuck it!
"Listen closely, Shrimp, cuz I'm gonna say this just once" he said harshly without looking at her. Levy jumped slightly at the severity of his voice but paid close attention to what he was about to say.
Say it! Say it, god dammit!
"W-what I mean-" he started nervously and glanced sideways at her. His eyes shifted and focused on her injured hand. He remembered how she got that injury during the battle; he remembered the pain he felt from seeing her getting hurt; but most of all, he remembered the dread he felt for not being able to fight alongside her.
Maybe he wasn't able to confess to her (yet), but at least he would let her know about what he settled down as his new resolution.
"Next ti-" he coughed to clear his throat, returning his voice to his usual tone. He kept his gaze fixed on her hand. "Next time yer fighting, I ain't gonna stay on the sidelines, alright? I'm jumping right into the fight and will kick the ass of anyone who dares to hurt ya. Got it?" He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes. His red eyes showed the seriousness of his statement.
After a few seconds, he averted his eyes from her and continued bashfully "It ain't because yer weak or small…"
Hell, ya proved to everyone that ya ain't
"But I…" he gritted his teeth in frustration for not being able to continue. But I ain't that strong… watching ya getting hurt again will be the end of me.
Letting out a frustrated huff, Gajeel continued "I-I won't just sit by and do nothing if yer fighting, alright?" he hurriedly said.
You're a fucking coward! You couldn't confess to her or even admit that it pained you to see her getting hurt. Damn conscience-Lily, he would not stop bothering him.
Gajeel made a mental reminder to beat the crap out of real-Lily for him had been so freaking annoying inside the iron mage's head.
(A/N Levy's POV continuing…)
Levy was stunned by his words. Well, this was the first time Gajeel had talked with her for more than a minute, but still! The way he voiced out his concern for her made her heart flutter once again.
She was aware that it had been extremely hard for him to say what he just said, so she made an effort to engrave in her memory every word he spoke.
Right now, Gajeel wasn't looking at her and she just realized that she hadn't said anything to his declaration. But what could she say? Maybe she was reading too much into this and he was just acting like a good friend to her. She was beyond confused right now and found herself speechless.
You need to say something, girl! He practically confess to you and you're just there acting stupidly. Wait? Why did Levy hear Lucy's voice inside her head? Was that her conscience?
He didn't confess to me! I'm just reading too much into the situation. He would have said that to anyone else. I'm sure.
Well, as I can recall, he hasn't say that to anyone but you. So buckle up and tell him how you feel too.
B-but, I… Levy was getting more flustered by the inner discussion she was having with conscience-Lucy.
Then, she noticed Gajeel had shut his eyes tightly and seemed like he was just about to flee from the room.
See? Now he's regretting saying anything because you cannot tell him how you feel.
No, no, no! I don't want him to regret it! I loved every word he said!
Then say something! God, conscience-Lucy was a real push-over.
But I just can't!
Well, then DO something!
Just when Gajeel was about to get up from the bed, Levy reached out her left hand and placed it on his. Slipping her slender fingers into his palm, she squeezed his hand affectionately. The iron mage froze in place and turned his head so his eyes met with hers.
"Okay" was all she mustered to say. She gave his hand another squeeze "Okay, Gajeel" and she smiled sweetly. Currently, she was fighting the blush that was creeping from her cheeks down to her shoulders.
He kept staring at her in surprise, but didn't move an inch away from her. Then, she moved her left hand out of his grasp and placed in on his cheek. She gently rubbed his skin with her thumb and felt how warm his cheek was.
The dork is probably trying too hard not to blush.
After the initial shock, Gajeel leaned his head into her hand, seemingly enjoying her gentle touch. "Okay" she repeated for the third time and her smile widened.
Gajeel showed his fanged grin and reached his hand to brush a strand of hair out of Levy's eyes. Then, he gently placed his hand on her cheek and she also leaned into his touch.
He shook his head good-naturedly "Don't leave my side, Shortstack". The fondness in his eyes made Levy weak on her knees and she felt how her heart wanted to hammer its way out of her chest.
She beamed at him before replying "Agreed".
They stayed like that for some time, enjoying themselves in the blissful silence that surrounded them. They didn't kiss, they didn't hug, they didn't voice out their feelings; they didn't do what most people do to demonstrate their affection to the ones they loved.
Just the minimum touch of their hands over their cheeks was proof enough for both of them on how important they were to each other. Just with that single touch and that single declaration of fighting together in the near future, they felt how their hearts and souls connected and understood each other through the silence of the room.
There was no need to say or do anything else. Words were her thing and actions were his thing. But silence, silence was their thing. Through silence they were able to find comfort and peace; through their shared silence they were able to communicate and demonstrate their feelings towards the other.
And through silence Levy understood how important she was to Gajeel, and through silence Gajeel understood how lucky he was to have found someone like Levy.
(A/N Gajeel's POV. Continuing…)
After several minutes in which Levy tried, and failed, to fight off a couple of tired yawns, Gajeel stood up and helped Levy lay back down on the bed.
"I'm tired" she said with half-lidded eyes while Gajeel pulled the sheets to cover her up to her shoulders.
"Then, sleep" he said and sat down in his chair beside Levy's bed.
"Will you stay here?" her voice was somewhat apprehensive. She might not wanted to let it show, but she was probably scared to be left alone when there was Raven Tail's threat hanging over them.
"Yeah. I'm not going anywhere" he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze in a reassuring manner. It was his way of telling her that she was safe, that he will protect her against any enemy.
She hummed in appreciation. "Thank you, Gajeel" Then, she closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.
Once Gajeel heard her soft snores filled the emptiness of the room, he risked to answer "Anytime, Shrimp. Anytime"
He eventually drifted off to sleep as well, even for a couple of minutes. He woke up several times by random noises that came from outside of the room, but not once did their safe haven was threatened by any danger. He kept a watchful eye over her, but allowed himself to relax by sharing this space with her.
Because in the end she was fine and he was here. And the silence helped them to communicate and understand how much they loved each other.
This marks the end of 'For who do you stand for?' (Actually, chapter 4.5 could be consider the end of the story, but I really wanted to add this scene to the story). Thank you to everyone that review, follow and/or favorite this story! You mean a lot to me and I got encouraged whenever I got a notification of someone that had review, follow or favorite my story. So, thank you very very much!
Random author's thoughts about this chapter
Okay, maybe you're thinking that the romantic scene was not as romantic as you expected, but hear me out just a bit. Gajeel is definitely not a man of words; he is a man of actions. He shows his love for his friends through acts (weird acts of love, but acts nonetheless) like hugging Lily, giving nicknames to everybody, or being a human shield for Levy. And because he is used to fighting, he's a man that is comfortable with human contact (though not the kind that might be seen too romantic or intimate), so that's why he ruffles Levy's hair, wrestles with Natsu and Gray, and carries Levy like a sack of potatoes. So, he would always have a lot of troubles expressing his feelings through words.
On the other hand, we have Levy who is a woman that expresses herself quite fluently through words, but she is quite shy to human contact. Why do I think this? Come on, she considers Jet and Droy as her brothers but you never see her hugging them or walking with them with linked arms; the only one that she allows to come physically close to is Lucy and even then Levy gets flustered when all the girls take baths together. So, Levy is someone that would uncommonly show her affections through physical contact.
So, for both of them, it was a big effort to do what they did during their moments at the infirmary. I mean, Gajeel expressed his thoughts (maybe not his deepest feelings) with words that had a lot of fondness behind them and Levy reached out to initiate the physical contact with Gajeel (even when it was just holding his hand or caressing his cheek). So, yeah, that's my definition of something romantic – when you get out of your comfort zone (even by an inch) just to reach out for your loved ones.
End of random author's thoughts
Hope you liked the story and keep posted for the next two chapters and POSIBLE sequel.
WTF (Where'sTheFood)