Gajevy Week 2016
Prompt February 15th: I love you
Disclaimer: The series and all its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. I'm just borrowing them.
This story can also be found on my tumblr: yalenewrites. tumblr. com
Please note that I'm German. Although I'd like to keep the illusion that my understanding of the English language is fairly well, reality keeps reminding me that my grammar is far from perfect.
„I love you"
He didn't even think about what he was doing when he rushed in front of her, shielding her little body from the lightning that could have killed her. He just wanted to protect her.
As she watched him stagger away she neither knew what to think nor feel. She only knew that she didn't want him to hurt because of her.
#
To see her buried in her books, solving a puzzle he had no hope of even understanding, made him realize something. She was amazing. Her mind was amazing. He even felt a bit intimidated by her.
She had to do this. Right now she was the only one who could help them. And as she implored him to fight for them she knew that he would do so, maybe even without her asking him. But she wanted to prove that she trusted him to protect their family. She knew he wouldn't brush her off. Knew it with her whole being.
#
He was aware that her two goofballs wanted to accompany her to the S-class trials. But something in him demanded that he took a stand in this instance. He told himself that her lapdogs wouldn't be strong enough to help or protect her and that he would have the chance to battle Salamander or Titania that way. The truth was he just wanted to be the one raising her to greatness.
When he demanded to be her partner she was floored. But contrary to her friends offering to go with her she didn't feel the accompanying trepidation. Instead she felt a little bit hopeful. And there was another feeling she couldn't identify yet. But it was a good one.
#
Seeing her like this, held down by enemies and a sword high above her head ready to strike down, he felt enraged. No one was allowed to hurt her. Never again. No one.
To hear him demanding she stay at his side made the warm feeling come back. She had a suspicion what it was, but a battlefield was no place to analyze it thoroughly.
#
The sight of the looming black dragon filled his heart with dread. He didn't want to die. He wasn't ready for it, wasn't ready to lose something he could for the first time in years call home. His eyes searched for her. She stood nearby.
And he didn't want to lose her.
Fear battled with determination. They couldn't die now. Not like this. They were Fairy Tail! She didn't want to lose her family.
Her eyes searched for him and found him staring back at her. She didn't want to lose what she only started to have with him, whatever that may be.
#
Lying under a starlit sky, happily exhausted from days of training with his partner, he couldn't help but wonder what all of them were doing. He wondered how they were training, what methods they would use.
He wondered where she was. Who she was with. Would she think of him?
Amidst the festivities in the spirit realm she held her new treasure, eyes alight in wonder and excitement. A book not found in Earthland and she alone had possession of it. She felt a pang of remorse that she couldn't show it to him right now.
#
The fights were challenging. But they made it to the final. On his forehead he felt the headband she had insisted he should wear. He couldn't help but grin at the thought. Even when she wasn't on the team fighting she was here, watching over him.
Her eyes were glued to the big screens hovering over the arena. Every time his face came into view tension was rolling off of her in waves. Would he be okay? She only wished she could be there with him, helping him, supporting him.
#
The dragon charged at him. Even though he was able to hold his ground, he felt the aftereffects of the previous fight. He wondered how long he would hold out against the giant lizard. Then he heard her voice, saw her blue hair flying in the air as she ran to his side. New determination filled him. He would hold his ground and more as long as he needed to in order to protect her.
Hearing Natsus bold appeal to every dragon slayer to take a stand had her heart racing even more. She knew she couldn't do anything against a dragon, but she could do something to help him. At least that was what she hoped for. She had to try. She couldn't stand not to. So she ran to be at his side.
#
He stood outside of the bookstore, waiting for her. He felt the strap of her bag on his shoulder. Briefly he asked himself if he would have done something like this in the past. If he would have done it for anyone else.
No, he decided. Not before her, not for anyone else.
Normally she wouldn't bother hurrying through a bookstore. It was her passion after all and with all the hard work she was doing she felt entitled to enjoy these things. But she knew he was waiting outside. And though he shrugged it off, saying it wasn't bothering him, she didn't want him to have to wait long for her. So her eyes flew across the book titles, selecting a few she knew she wouldn't want to miss out on, and hurried outside. She wondered since when, surrounded by books, she had other priorities guiding her actions.
#
There were so many things to regret in his life. Not being able to show the old woman that he changed his ways was one of them.
But even though he grieved missing that chance he knew that the path he was on was the right one for him.
He would protect those dear to him, with every last bit of strength that he was able to give. A blinding smile and intelligent brown eyes flashed before his eyes.
Most of all, he would protect her.
He was hurting, she knew that. She saw it first in the council woman's house, who was not an unknown face to him.
Not knowing what to do or say to help him through his sorrow she swore to herself to never leave him alone. No matter what would happen in the future, she would be there and protect him from his demons.
#
As the darkness retreated and air filled his lungs, he admittedly was confused to see her. When did she make it to the battlefield? Then she lost her hold on him and floated away. In that moment he understood that she had saved his life.
It wasn't even a conscious thought as his body moved. Everything in him demanded he protect this small woman that not only managed to save him, but touched his life in a way he didn't had thought to be even possible. He absolutely could not allow anything to happen to her.
When she saw him in that black water, she didn't need to think about what to do next. She already knew. Floating to his side the thought registered in her mind that sharing her air with him might kill her. But it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was protecting him. She couldn't allow to let anything else happen to him.
#
He thought that seeing his father again and losing him would have a stronger effect on him. He still remembered all those years back when he left for the first time. It had been devastating then. But now... now he had a family, a partner, kinsmen. And he had her. Always her.
She felt elated to finally meet his father, who had such a huge part in shaping the man he was today. The sadness to see him part shortly after was replaced with the resolution to be there for his son for as long as he needed her to be.
#
It did seem that they were stumbling from one catastrophe to another. But they were Fairy Tail mages. It was not in their blood to give up or give in. So when she spoke about her concerns right before the battle in this unsure and scared demeanor he knew what he had to do. He assured her in his own way that both of them would come home. By now everything else was just not acceptable for him. They wouldn't be the same if they lost each other. He knew that by heart. When he first realized that he felt a slight panic, but not anymore. Now he just felt happy thinking about it.
She couldn't help but smile at his way of telling her that everything was going to be alright. Even though she was the one with a talent for words she could do nothing but nod and accept his bold claim, knowing that nothing else would do for them. By now she knew that the source of that warmth she felt being with him stirred from something else than friendship or being family.
And somehow she had the feeling it was the same for him.
#
Yes, sometimes the words "I love you" didn't need to be spoken. Not when they were shown in everything Gajeel and Levy did for each other.