Chapter Twelve: With Morning, There's Hope

The morning brought anything but light to Yukino's office, both onyx and brown eyes stared exhausted down at the two unconscious males; despite the snow-capped nurse's repeated effort of telling both of them that the rosette and raven would make a full recovery with enough rest, neither Gray nor Levy left. Occasionally, human needs would kick in forcing one of them to leave but never both at the same time. They had both moved the small sofa, that normally was used for those waiting for Yukino's help, and sat back-to-back to one another.

"You know I'm grateful in a way..." He could feel the petite info broker shift behind him as he continued on, "If it wasn't for Natsu getting shot and collapsing in front of my car, I would still be living that life... Not that it was bad but looking back on it, I'm surprised I was able to do it day-in and day-out," As onyx eyes watched the rise and fall of the white blanket on top of the rosette's bandaged chest, more words came out: "That day he dragged me here, he told me that I wouldn't regret living this way of life... He's done so much for me... He's trained with me... He taught me how to fight... Hell, he was the one who pulled me back up when I wanted to die but please don't tell him I said all of this... He'd likely hold it over my head," A small smile played on his lips, the raven reminded himself that his comrade would make it through this - Yukino had said before she left them that he was suffering from fatigue, some blood loss and shock brought on by the gunshot wound to his shoulder and that he should be fine with rest.

It did little to ease his anxiety about his comrade lying beneath the horrible white sheets instead of lecturing him on what he did wrong last night. Gray wasn't really sure why he confessed all that; Levy was likely too busy focusing on Gajeel's recovery to pay him any mind but surprisingly she mirrored his with her own.

"Gajeel... He," pausing before letting out a low sigh, "when we first met, we didn't see eye-to-eye... actually we used to fight and argue a lot," chuckling softly at the memory of their past selves getting into debates over every thing, "but one night, we were on a mission... things went south and I ended up a hostage... and Gajeel rescued me. He took a bullet for me... of course it ended up only grazing him but... after that, he changed. He was still pretty stubborn but it was obvious he meant well," despite the small smile that had found its way onto her face, tears tore past her defenses: "We had a fight right before his last mission... nothing out of the ordinary, we argued over something stupid and I wanted to apologize when he returned but," the rest of her words were muffled by sobs.

The raven pushed on: "...but he never came back,"

He could feel the girl nod her head behind him: "I-I used... to tell him... for every mission... to come back safely," Her voice slowly gaining strength again as she finished her own confession, "That was my biggest regret. I told myself that as long as he came back, I wouldn't mind if he stayed mad at me for that fight... I just wanted him home safe and sound. You wouldn't believe the amount of data I poured over, trying to find any evidence... proof that he was waiting for me to find him..." Gray nodded, remembering Natsu muttering under his breath about the young info broker skipping meals and sleep on occasion.

"I don't even think he knows about my feelings..." Levy finished, resting her head against Gray's back as she pulled the blanket, Yukino had lent her, up to her chin. She didn't want to fall asleep, despite the waves of exhaustion that kept sweeping over her - fatigue-ridden brown eyes watched the slow rise and fall of the scarred tan chest before her. Yukino had mentioned that Gajeel was suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and fatigue; no doubt from whatever Lapointe's men put him through.

"Why couldn't I find you sooner, idiot" She whispered as her body shifted away from the raven's while attempting to find a more comfortable position; her head resting against the back of the couch, she continued watching the rise and fall of his chest until low snores filled the space. Glancing over, the raven had fallen asleep and with a small smile, she went back to watching before sleep welcomed her as well.

The sound of soft snores stirred Gray as he stretched, giving Natsu a once-over but upon hearing some rustling behind him he paused and glanced over. Sitting up, looking slightly dazed, was the tan adult that the raven only really knew by name. Onyx eyes lowering, he saw Levy curled up against the back of the couch and remembering their agreement to let the other know if one of them woke up while either of them wasn't paying attention/out of the room, Gray reached over to nudge the petite girl awake but was halted when one of Gajeel's hands reached out and stopped him.

Shaking his head once before he spoke: "...let short-stack sleep for a while... she looks bad," and despite the bitterness in his voice, there was mounds of concern underneath it.

With not much else to do, the raven makes a conversation attempt: "So, what branch are you a part of?" but it fell on deaf ears; Gajeel was more focused on solemnly staring down at the petite girl. The raven could see the waves of regret that he was sure matched Levy's regrets about their previous meeting, turning his attention back to the rosette he gave the two some privacy.

Csilla: Woop! I had most of this written but I wasn't sure how to connect Gray's confession with Levy's

&I'm gonna start writing her name as 'Levy' instead of 'Levi'

/michi was having a hard time not imagining her lovely bookworm as mr clean-freak from Shingeki no Kyoujin~ ouo

so not used to writing Gajeel so I apologize if his actions are ooc; I tried &its 3:15 in the morning v