He didn't like to see her cry. He didn't want that. No, he didn't. He wanted his little angel to be happy. Happy with him, so they could live the rest of their lives together. But how to make that happen? By force? He had just tried that, and it didn't seem to be working. In fact, the only good thing that had come out of locking up (y/n) in his basement and killing Natsu was that his rival was gone. And that she seemed to be too scared of him to want to leave. But, like he had thought...he didn't want her to be scared. He wanted her to be joyous, bubbily with laughter, laughter that stemmed because of good times together.
But...cruel fate, had to twist every one of his desires. She hated him. He knew that well, for she had voiced it again and again over the next few days of being locked in his cellar. The thought made his stomach churn, and sometimes, it made him angry, but never for long. No, never for very long. He couldn't stay mad at his angel, his...iron rose.
Something needed to change, then. Something needed to happen to help show (y/n) that he truly did care for her, that he truly was willing to go to the ends of the earth and back for her. But what? How could he prove his affections? Especially when she seemed to believe that the reason he had done what he did was out of pure hatred, despite his constant insistence that it was for love.
Gajeel frowned, being brought out of his thoughts by the sound of soft wailing lower down in his basement. (Y/n) was sad again. A feeling in his gut twisted into knots, churning and turning and making him feel overall extremely uncomfortable. He hated the sounds of her sadness. But what could he do?
He let out a sigh, his steely crimson eyes softening for just a brief moment. He'd have to try and feed her again. Hopefully she wouldn't reject it this time, or throw it into his face. His eyes narrowed just a bit at the thought of that, slight irritation rolling through his rugged physique. Soon, he promised himself. Soon it wouldn't be like this. Soon she would beg for her food, and cry for him to come down and give her attention. And when that happened, he could unchain her, and they could be together. Happily ever after. He just needed to wait.
You open your eyes, slowly stretching your muscles and once more adjusting to the dim lighting of the basement room. You feel hopeless, a strange misery rising and taking hold of you in your very core. It has been about a week or so since you first arrived in your stone prison. A week since you had found out about Natsu's death. And a week since you had tried to the best of your ability to start planning an escape. That last part, however, was something that was still...unhelpful. A futile day dream, a fantasy of freedom. Not something you could actually have, unless...unless Gajeel unchained you. But that wasn't likely to happen.
The aura around you screams of despair and anxiety, your breaths ragged. You run a finger over your chapped lips, feeling them crack in certain places as you moved them. You close your eyes. You need water, it's obvious. And Gajeel had been offering it to you. But you hadn't been accepting it- it would be crazy to! The food and drink he had been giving you, for all you knew, could have been laced with poison or some kind of weird aphrodisiac he would use to get you to have sex with him. That is, if he was serious about "loving" you. But, for your own sake, you hoped he was not.
The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs alerts you to Gajeel's presence, and you look up, watching him descend towards you.
"..." He has a stern look on his face, one that tells you he's going to say something important. Something that could be, perhaps, dangerous, if you didn't listen. You gulp slowly, waiting some kind of terrifying new development in your situation. But, after a few moments in silence, you realize that there is none. Gajeel is simply standing in front of you, holding a tray with a bowl of some kind of cereal, and some berries. Inhaling slightly through your nose, you come to the conclusion that it doesn't smell half bad.
"...You need to eat, and drink, (y/n)." Gajeel's gruff voice all at once breaks through the strenuous silence. A shiver runs down your spine and you inch backwards until you feel your back connect with the stone wall.
"I-I," you croak, fear nearly paralyzing your small body, "I c-can't."
Gajeel's eyes narrow a bit and he takes a step towards you.
"You need to," he says. "If you can't stomach the food and drink that I've made and collected for you, you will die of thirst or starvation before very much longer. You're getting weaker, dearest rose. You are wasting away. I don't want that. Now, up until this point, I've simply been giving you food and then leaving, but that's no longer an option for me. I'm going to feed you by hand if I must." The corner of your lip curls down into a scowl, but you say nothing. You know that if you do, it could anger him, and if he gets angered...well...you don't know what might happen. He could hurt you, or someone else. The latter was what scared you the most.
"Now...eat." He sets the tray down on the floor next to your feet, then sits down in front of you, his legs crossed and a determined look spreading across his face. The tension in the air begins to rise, bit by bit.
Eventually, you begin to tremble, looking deep into the eyes of your captor.
Then, you break.
"O-Okay..." you say weakly, taking the spoon and scooping up some of the cereal, spooning the small bit of food into your mouth. It feels foreign, yet, at the same time, has a natural taste to it. It doesn't look like it has been tampered with. Slowly, you chew. Gajeel watches intently as you swallow, then reach for another bite. This process repeats until the cereal is gone, and the only thing left on your tray are the berries. You look down. A soft red in color, you can now recognize them as raspberries. Hesitantly, you reach one hand out and take one of them, lifting it up to your mouth. The scent is a little off- most likely, they haven't been stored in a cool place so they're riper than a regular berry picked at harvest time.
"...Eat it. Please." You stiffen a little at Gajeel's sudden command, but then, your hesitation melting away, you slip it into your mouth. As your teeth break through the soft skin, letting the slightly tart insides of the berry coat your tongue, you relax. Just a bit. Gajeel, it seems, is not trying to poison you. So you eat the rest. Once everything is gone, Gajeel reaches out and takes the tray back.
"Good," he says. "We're working on this. One step at a time. I'll see you soon." Then he leaves, and you are left to wonder what is going through his head, and what the next step might be. You only hope it'll be something bearable.