The sound of low humming filled my ears, as I felt my body being lightly swayed as if I was floating on a cloud. The warmth of blankets on top of me protected me from the chill of the autumn air and a warm body beneath me created a comfortable but firm pillow to lay on.
The low humming soon turned into a sweet melody from the rough voice.
"You are my sunshine….my only sunshine…"
My eyes remained closed as the man beneath me, held me protectively in the sturdy hammock we laid in.
"You make me happy, when skies are gray…"
A small smile curled my lips, as I listened to him sing the light-hearted song in his own harsh tune. The words seeped into my heart, causing it to beat rapidly in my chest.
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you…"
My head laid on his chest, listening to his heart beat and feeling his hand stroke my hair. He would run his fingers through my messy blue locks, get lost in twirling a curl, and then go right back to what he was doing.
It was extremely relaxing and the light swaying of the hammock made it easy for me to get drowsy.
"Please don't take my sunshine away." he sang into my hair, kissing me the crown of my head.
"You're a dork." I giggled snuggling into his chest.
"Am not, you're the one that begged me to sing the song." he stated tickling my sides.
Giggling, I squirmed in his grasp demanding he stop before I completely lost myself in a fit of giggles. The sound of his thunderous laugh, vibrated through his chest, causing me to stop and look at his wide smirk.
It was rare to see the usual mean mug Gajeel, smile so wide that all his teeth were showing. But when he did, it was a beautiful sight to behold and one that I wish to never forget.
Crossing my arms on his chest, I rested my head on my arms, staring at his handsome face as his laughter died down. His striking maroon eyes stared down at me with so much love and care that I couldn't help but mirror his smile.
"What are you smilin' 'bout shrimp?" he smirked rubbing little circles in my lower back.
"Oh, nothing. Can you sing the song one more time?"
"Tch, one more time and that's it, ya hear?" he demanded as I got comfortable on top of him again.
We were a tangle of limbs, big and small as we laid in the oversized hammock to fit the giant of the man. His arm fell from my side and down to the ground, he pushed us to the side to start the swaying again. Once we were rocking side to side, he hummed the tune, before starting to sing.
The melody, his voice and his warmth, rocked me to a peaceful slumber. All I heard was the sweet song of you are my sunshine before closing my eyes with a small smile.
When I opened my eyes again, this time it wasn't a sweet dream or music or the comfortable feeling of being free and uncaring of my surroundings.
No, all I felt was tired dry eyes begging for moisture, my aching muscles crying to be stretched and my sore throat. At least this time, my throat didn't hurt as bad as it did the last time I woke up.
Blinking away the drowsiness, I was surprised to see the lights off and the only the natural light of the sun peering from the long white blinds.
Was…was that another crazy dream about Gajeel and me? Am I subconsciously dreaming of these things, or is it just the drugs they're giving me? Yea, I think it's the drugs…it has to be. There can't be any other way unless…unless I actually like him. But my dreams weren't a normal, "I like you, you like me," type of dream. It was a more of a, "I love you," type of dream.
Just thinking about it made my head hurt, causing me to grunt in annoyance. I have to try to get my mind off of these strange dreams.
Maybe, I could try moving my limbs a little, just a little, that wouldn't be so bad right?
With my eyes still glued to the ceiling, I slowly moved my head side to side, then rolled my shoulders, until I started to stretch my arms. There was some pain, but as long as I moved slowly, it was bearable.
I stopped when I felt a heavy weight on my right hand. Looking down, I saw a mass of black hair, covering half of the pierced man's face.
My eyes bugged out and I stilled, but my heart seemed to beat rapidly and rapidly as I looked at him. His hand was in mine, and his head rested on his free arm that was on my bed. His hair was a mess and his face in a usual scowl.
Who knew even when he slept, he looked so upset? A smile curled my lips as I lightly wiggled my fingers from his warm grasp. When it was free, I raised my hand to his face, hesitated for a second but soon gave in to my need to touch him.
The need was overwhelming, like an intense craving that must be met or I would go mad. Lightly brushing his hair to the side, I was shocked by the soft feel of the mess of hair. I imagined it to be coarse, but surprisingly, it's soft and thick, its onyx color clashing with the paleness of my hand.
Running my fingers through his hair, I tried my best to stop myself but it was like couldn't stop. I craved that warmth I felt in my dreams, I craved his deep voice talking in a loving tone and his smile. That toothy smirk he gives me whenever he's picking on me.
A low grunt came from the big man, steeling my hand in the raven locks. The sudden realization of what I was doing, caused me to jerk my hand away from him. Pain rippled through my arm protesting the sudden use of the underused muscles. Letting out a hoarse cry, I squeezed my eyes shut as I cringed at the pain.
The legs of a chair screeched as they were being scooted back suddenly by the big man that sat in it. "Levy?" he questioned. I felt his presence loom over me as a series of rough pants left my lips with my eyes staying closed. I tried my best to ignore the waves of dull pain that spread through my arm waiting for it to subside.
"Levy…" he softly said gently placing a hand on my cheek. The heat of his hand seeped into my skin, instantly calming me and flowed through me, calming the pain.
Weird….really weird. How can a simply touch calm me down, maybe its magic? No, that's not it.
My eyes slowly opened to reveal piercing crimson eyes looking straight through my soul. I wanted so badly to look away or close them again but I couldn't look away. He kept my eyes locked with his as if searching for something.
His thumb ran small circles on my cheek, turning it red. "You ok?"
I tried to speak but a croaking sound came out, causing my throat to contract and another wave of pain come through.
"Oh! That cranky ol' lady told me to make sure you drink this when you woke up." He said grabbing a white styrofoam cup with a straw sticking out of the lid.
I tried raising my arms, but they screamed at me for moving them again. "Hey, it's ok, I'll hold it while you drink." He spoke. Nodding my head slowly, he moved his chair closer to my head and sat in it.
Opening my mouth obediently, I sipped on the strange liquid. It was at first sweet then an overpowering bitter taste came, making me gag and cough, but I continued to drank it hoping it will cure anything and everything that was wrong with me.
"She told me to tell you, not to talk until your throat feels better, after drinking whatever the hell is in this cup." He said sniffing the contents and crinkling his nose at the smell.
I gave him an understanding smile as he tossed the cup in the trash from where he was sitting. He propped his right elbow on the hospital bed, resting his cheek on his fist, staring at me. His intense eyes made my cheeks grow warm and avert my eyes to his left hand that was only centimeters away mine. My heart was pounding in my chest and my stomach was hurting either from lack of actual food or how close Gajeel was.
Is he going to say something, or is he just going to stare at me all day…or night? Wait….what day is it and what's the time? I desperately wanted to ask him but I knew, I rather obey Dr. Porlyusica's orders than get scolded by her.
Looking around, I tried to look for something I could point out to get his attention, until I saw the watch that was on his thick wrist. I slowly moved my hand towards his, tapping the face of the watch.
"Hmm? The time?" he questioned and I nodded, "its 7:26 am and its Sunday. The doc told me what happened, but pissed me off when she told me I couldn't see you. I mean, I wanted to make sure you were ok." He sounded flustered and his cheeks turned a soft pink, but he didn't hide it.
"I'm guessing she told you about how busted up you are, but did she tell you what actually happened?" I shook my head no at his question, curious as to what he had to say. He cleared his throat before speaking and adjusted uneasily in his chair.
Is it hard for him to tell me? I hope it's not that bad.
"When…when you left the library, you and Lucy were on your way to pick up the flame brain and the Popsicle from being beaten to a pulp by Erza at the football game at Sabertooth. You guys were halfway there, but some idiot who was drunk ran a red light and hit you. He was driving way over the speed limit and hit you guys pretty hard. The police officer I talked too, said you guys were lucky the car didn't flip over. He also said if I attempted to hurt that guy again I'll go to jail. That idiot was drunk and driving! He deserved to be punched, I don't care if he was in a hospital bed or not! He was discharged last night without even a scratch or injury on him, but he hurt you, so I punched him again in the parking lot." He spoke, his voice getting more and more aggressive.
He was angry and he had every right to be, his friends were in accident but it seemed there was more to it than that. Like his anger was fueled by something else.
He continued, "I didn't get caught this time, but came pretty damn close. The cops were watching me really closely, don't know why but they were. The doc said I couldn't come here, because you were still recovering. You hurt your leg and shook that big brain of yours around."
His eyes were filled with so much guilt and concern, that I was wondering what he was thinking about. I know why he's concerned but why does he look guilty? He have no reason to feel that way, it wasn't his fault we got hit by someone. It was an honest mistake, and all we can do now is wait for all our injuries to heal. He continued to tell me about what the doc said until visitors started to come in.
Throughout the day people came to visit Lucy and me, causing Gajeel to sit further and further away from me, but he looked over me as if protecting me from further injury. Jet and Droy came with flowers, then Cana, Max, Erza and Jellal, and Gray and Juvia. Gray and Gajeel stared each other down as he walked in of course.
Gray apologized over and over again with slumped shoulders, but it warmed my heart to see Juvia comfort him and it work. I patted his hand reassuring him with a smile, still unable to talk. Juvia instantly called me a love rival, and Gray dragged her out of the room reassuring her I was not a love rival. A hoarse giggle escaped as I watched Gray try to calm her down as he pulled her out into the hallway.
Gajeel approached the bed with a small smirk on his lips. I gave him a confused look and he said, "It's good to hear you laugh again, whether it sounds as rough as mine or not. Gihi."
I puffed my cheeks out in a pout at his comment, causing him to laugh more. He checked his watched, frowning at the time. "Visiting hours are almost over, but there's one person I know you really want to see, so don't question me. Ok?" he said taking the heart monitor off of my finger. He slid his arms under my knees and back, picking me up along with the blanket to keep me covered. He held me up with one arm and grabbed my IV drip, pushing it along as he walked us out of my room.
I was confused but the sound of my heart beating against my ribcage, trying to escape the restrains of the bones that kept it caged in. Why am I feeling this way?
The smell of metal and his manly soap filled my senses, making it easy to relax in his arm.
He moved carefully into a room next door, making sure not to irritate the needle that was taped securely in my arm. I heard soft voices talk in a low conversation. Turning my head slightly, I saw a mess of pink locks until finally the face I've been hoping to see.
"Lu-chan." I breathed in relief to see her safe in her bed, with her brown eyes still filled with life.
"Levy!" she squealed with a bright smile on her face.