You Brighten My Days

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Quick A/N: Hey there, and welcome to this little oneshot featuring Gajeel and Levy. I apologise in advance for any mistakes but I'll fix them when I find them. I hope you enjoy, but I can't say that you will and I'm sorry. I'm just sorry. (Sorry, had to reupload. The original title didn't work properly so it has changed. I am sorry.)

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are grey,

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away.

Levy awoke, the strong sun streaming through her window, blinding her as her eyes fluttered open. She was in bed, along with her loyal dragon. Gajeel lay beside her, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her small waist. Levy rolled over onto her side slowly as not to wake the man beside her, and rested her head against his muscled chest, closing her eyes and listening peacefully to the steady heart beat of her dragon. She lay like this for a few moments, smiling into his chest with his strong arms wrapped around herself, but it was only a few moments later when Gajeel awoke.

"Morning, shrimp." The dragon slayer grunted, his voice lingering with grogginess. Levy bid him good morning also, reaching up to kiss his cheek. She could feel him grinning, and she could only smile back as he rested his forehead upon hers, staring into her hazel eyes.

Their comfortable mutual silence was quickly disturbed by the rather loud grumblings of both their stomachs. Levy sighed, mumbling into his chest as she tried to wriggle free of his grasp so she could make some breakfast for the both of them to eat, but Gajeel was having none of that. Instead, he tightened his hold and brought her closer to his chest, letting his chin nestle atop of Levy's blue, bed ruffled hair.

"Don't leave. Not yet." The black haired man grumbled, but Levy insisted that she should go and get breakfast, and that he should too. He was about to protest and ask her to stay in bed with him for ten more minutes, but he shut his mouth when his empty stomach gargled in protest. Gajeel reluctantly let the bookworm go, watching her as she hurried about his room as he lay in bed, propping himself up with his elbows. His hard stare followed her movements as she disappeared from the room, so he plopped back down in bed and threw the sheets over himself.

It was then, roughly five minutes later, that Levy shook a dozing Gajeel. He grumbled at her, telling her to try again in five minutes. Levy stood at the side of the bed, hands on hips and stared down at him. She started poking his cheek but when that didn't work, she left to stand beside the doorway. "Breakfast's ready!" The bluenette called over her shoulder, as she paced towards the little kitchenette.

Gajeel instantly shot up, taking a big whiff as he did so. The aroma of warmed buttered pancakes filled his nose, and he almost drooled at the smell. So, he heaved himself up from his bed and padded towards his kitchen, throwing himself down on a seat that faced Levy. He thanked her for the meal and dug straight in, however Levy ate at a much slower pace. She watched him from underneath her bangs as he munched on his pancakes, and as he drank his water. Once he had finished his breakfast and Levy hers, he grabbed the empty plates and headed over towards the sink where he began to clean them. Levy brought the empty cups over, gently placing them in the basin as Gajeel started rinsing them. The bluenette snaked an arm around his right forearm, one hand resting at the crook of his elbow. She leant her head against his arm, closing her eyes as she stood by him.

"I love you, Gajeel."

"Funny. I was think the exact same thing. I love me too."

"Oh hah. You're hilarious."

"But I do love you too. Always have and always will."

I'll always love you and make you happy,

If you will only say the same.

But if you leave me and love another,

You'll regret it all some day.

Levy sat underneath a stout tree, sitting in the cool shade as her back leant against the rough bark. In her hands she held a novel, an unpublished novel written by Lucy. So far it was really interesting, and the characters and the plot were realistic and surprisingly well written, considering the topic. The book itself focused on a young girl, thrown out from her home. The little girl wandered around, lost and confused, until she found a boy no older than herself. The boy had noticed how pale she looked, how ragged her clothes were, how her skin is cold and takes her to his grandfather. From then, the little girl opens up and begins to trust the boy and his grandfather, and the countless friends that usually end up visiting or staying at the old man's home. Levy was halfway through the book, and she simply couldn't wait to finish it and hand it back to Lucy, and happily tell her how she loved it.

"Shrimp?"

Levy blinked hurriedly, lowering her novel. She glanced up at the man before her, noting his ragged breathing and the bandana that was firmly tied around his forehead, blocking the sweat from dripping into his eyes. "Have you finally finished?"

"Yeah. Lily's just left." Gajeel managed to grunt out, before ungracefully plopping down beside his little bluenette. Levy immediately shuffled away to give the tired man some space, but Gajeel was having none of that. He raised a hand and placed it on her knees, forcing them down before he rested his head on her lap. Levy paid no attention to his actions, yet she felt his scruffy hair tickling her exposed skin. She didn't mind really - she was too engrossed in her novel. There was comfortable yet mutual silence lingering between the two, besides their steady breathing and the occasional breeze of the lonely wind.

The two felt no need to speak to one another because they both knew what their silence meant.

Levy steadily flicked through Lucy's novel, her corners of her mouth curling into a small smile. Oblivious to her own actions, her free hand wandered lower and rested atop Gajeel's scruffy hair. By now, the dragon slayer had practically fallen asleep - his closed eyes, peaceful expression and the steady rise and fall of his chest told Levy so. Her skilful fingers threaded through the scruffy dark mass, her fingers giving little tugs and twists occasionally. It must have been relaxing for the dragon slayer as he sighed contently from time to time as Levy continued with her finger threading.

"Levy."

The bluenette hummed in response, too focused on scanning the pages before her to actually reply.

"Where do…" His sentence broke off and scattered, but Levy didn't mind. She waited until he had found the right words to say. "Where do you see us in five years time?"

Levy blinked rapidly, lowering her book. Her eyes wandered down, boring into the back of her dragon slayer's head. In a matter of seconds, she placed the book mark that she had been sitting on in between the pages of her book, gently setting the novel down beside her. After a moment or two, she happily responded, "I don't know if you feel the same Gajeel but in five years time… I'd see us, together, at Fairy Tail. We'd be surrounded by our friends, our second family and we'd be enjoying our selves. We'd see each other every day and I would be happy every second. I'd laugh at all your corny little jokes, and you'd sing me your wonderful songs. I'd love you, and you'd love me and we would be happy."

"Funny. It's like you're reading my mind. And what do you mean 'corny'? My jokes are hilarious."

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious."

"Uh huh."

"God dammit, shrimp."

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are grey,

You'll never know dear, how much I love you

So please don't take my sunshine away.

Levy ran, ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She had to get away, get away from those things. Draconian entities, is what that man had said, dragon hatchlings... What would Gajeel say if she got caught by one of them, huh? She ran past the destroyed buildings, sidestepping her way past the large chunks of brick. Gajeel was close by. She could hear him, she could hear him battling. Something exploded behind her, terrifying her to the bone so she ran into an old tavern, slamming the door shut as she fell to the floor. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her self, trying to calm her nerves. She told herself that this was all a dream. She told herself that she was going to wake up any second now, in Gajeel's bed, in his arms. But no matter how hard she pinched, or how hard she willed herself to wake up, she knew this was reality.

Bacchus had died, and so had Macao and Droy. Gray had been struck, but Levy wasn't sure if he was alive or not. But so many… So many had died because Rogue, the future Rogue, managed to open the Gate. Out of the ten thousand dragons that he claimed would come crawling out of the Gate, hundreds had came instead. Lucy and Yukino had successfully managed to force shut the Gate but hundreds were free to roam the skies and claim the lands. There were only seven dragon slayers present, and seven dragons were dead… But there were hundreds upon many dragon hatchlings wandering Crocus, ready to kill. They were a lot easier to kill than dragons, but still extremely hard for regular mages.

Levy could hear the screaming. She put her hands to her ears, trying to block the horrible sounds but it didn't work. Levy could hear the explosions, almost sounding like fireworks on a warm night in summer. Levy could hear the screeches of the dragons as they flittered above. Many had left to wreak havoc elsewhere but quite a lot had stayed in Crocus, caught up in the excitement. But, she could see nothing. She scrunched her eyes shut, hands over hears to block the noise and began rocking. She was crying, and nothing could stop her tears. So many people had died, so many that she knew… Droy was one of them… Levy bit her lip, not caring if she drew blood or not. The tears streamed down her dirty face, flowing streams dribbling onto her lap. She could smell burning wood, the stench of death, smoke and blood all mixed together. It made her retch - the air was so thick with it. The metallic taste of blood was on the tip of her tongue, most likely hers but she wasn't sure. So many people had been obliterated before her. Sadly, the bluenette could count on her left hand the number who managed to dodge the hatchlings attacks. However, she couldn't count the number who had died, the number who had been obliterated.

Levy's head perked up, her hazel eyes wide. She heard them. She heard them thud down the alleyway, dangerously close to the tavern she was in. She heard them stomp, she heard their jaws clack as they walked and she was terrified. She sunk down lower, shaking with fear. They were coming, they were approaching. The thudding stopped, and in its place she heard running. Explosions were soon followed, and then five thuds. Then there was silence. Levy raised her head and lowered her hands, slowly pushing herself up from the ground. It was silent, and it began to unnerve the bluenette. She could feel the wind, trying to claw her way through the boarded windows and the wind managed to claw her way in, for the tavern door shot open. Levy stifled a scream, expecting the hatchlings to burst forth and obliterate her but in their place, she was met with the battered face of the man she loved.

Gajeel slowly walked closer, an arm outstretched. Levy ran straight into his open arms and began crying heavily on his bruised shoulder. Gajeel whispered into her ear, his ragged words the only thing she willed herself to listen to. He told her that everything was going to be alright, he told her that seven dragons were now dead and so was future Rogue. Levy only sobbed harder, her tears pooling in the crook of Gajeel's neck. The dragon slayer did all he could to comfort the bluenette, but to no avail. She saw what destruction the dragons had caused, the chaos that the hatchlings ensued, and she knew that everything was not okay, nor that it would ever be. She was living in a war zone, with every little decision undeniably resulting in if she lived for another day or met her demise that hour.

"What's happening? Where is everyone? Please, tell me." Levy pulled back and stared at the black haired man before her, her eyes screaming with worry.

Gajeel averted eye contact "Levy…"

"Please? I… I want to know." Gajeel grabbed her hand and held it in his, as he opened the tavern door and scurried down the dim alleyway. Levy followed close at his heels, not saying a word. The buildings that they passed were either up in flames, or surrounded in smoke. Levy eyed them sternly, most likely trying to see if there were any townspeople submerged in the flames. The fire continued to burn, and with a saddening thought entering the bluenette's mind, she knew there were no townspeople present.

For all in this street had been killed.

He parted his lips to speak but shut them, unsure of what to say. "Seven dragons have been killed, along with the future Rogue. All the mages and guilds have regrouped somewhere, scavenging the streets for survivors. So far there hasn't been many."

Levy slowly nodded. Of course there wouldn't be many survivors, for the majority of Crocus were ordinary people with no magical abilities whatsoever, but it was saddening to realise. She was sure the mages of all the guilds that were in the Grand Magic Games were around, somewhere, and they were doing their best to survive. But still, curiosity got the better of her. "Who died?"

The dragon slayer shook his head. "I don't-"

"Tell me!" Levy cried, furrowing her brows. "Who died?" She repeated calmly, but Gajeel knew that under that calm exterior she was petrified, and she was doing all she could to not let it through.

"Bacchus, Macao and Droy so far, Levy…" Gajeel let out a shaky breath. "Gray's been hit. The poor bastard. He's in bad condition, and he's not going to get far in Crocus now. He's only got one leg to hobble with now."

Levy let out a pained grunt at the name of her friend Droy. She took a few moments to breathe deeply. She wasn't about to cry. She had already sobbed her fears and feelings away, or so she thought. But instead, she had mumbled, "Oh my Mavis. Poor Gray…"

"Then there was… Makarov."

"He'll be with us, watching over us. He'll help us through this." Levy hung her head in respect of her Guild master, her lip quivering. But she would not let any more tears escape. Makarov would not be pleased if his children cried over his death. He wouldn't want them to cry and grieve and waste the sacrifice that he selflessly committed.

Gajeel stopped mid-step, his head perking up and turning to the right. He dived through an old door to the closest building to his left, which happened to be a quite old, quite small store, where he held Levy close to his chest. Levy had heard the hatchlings coming, but seconds after Gajeel. If Gajeel hadn't been with her… she would have been obliterated by now. Levy shook in his embrace, her grip tightening around his broad shoulders. Gajeel's head was raised but he could still sense the distraught flowing from his bookworm, so he ran his fingers through her mangled hair as an act of comfort as the hatchlings quickly ran down the street.

After a moment of silence when Levy was sure the hatchlings had passed, she whispered, "Where is everyone?"

"Come with me, I'll show you."

As Gajeel took hold of her hand yet again, Levy opened her eyes in shock. She stifled a gasp, her free hand covering her mouth but then soon lowered it to say, "Where's Lucy? And Wendy? Erza? Juvia? Natsu? And Mavis, what about, what abou-"

Once Gajeel was sure that the street was clear, he exited the small store and began walking at a brisk pace, making sure to check over his shoulder every now and then. "At the safe place."

"There is no safe place Gajeel. Hundreds of dragons escaped and seven are dead. Seven! And there's only seven dragon slayers present… We.." Levy had to jog to keep up with his long strides, but she kept her eyes trained on his back as he stayed in front of her, checking for threats as they made their way to the outskirts of Crocus.

"Although seven have been killed Levy," he called over his shoulder, "and there are hundreds left, never lose hope. There are plenty other dragon slayers located in Fiore and I'm sure they're helping in their own way."

"But… I thought there were only you guys in Fiore. You, Natsu, Sting, Rogue, Cobra, Wendy and Laxus…"

"There's possibly four others - the earth, water, moon and sun Dragon Slayers." Gajeel stopped, swiftly turning on his heel and reaching out for the bluenette. Levy took hold of his hands, saying nothing as he walked closer and leant his forehead against hers. "Levy, repeat after me- we're going to get through this. We're going to meet up with everyone. We're going to stop those dragons to the best of our abilities. And never give up, you got me? Repeat it after me."

"We're going to get through this… we're going to meet up with everyone… we're going to stop those dragons and I won't give up."

"That's my girl, that's my shrimp."

The other night dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamt I held you in my arms

But when I woke, dear, I was mistaken

So I bowed my head and cried.

Levy awoke in the dim light of the musky cave that she and Gajeel had been taking sheltering in for quite some time now. She sat up quickly, her head turning in all directions as she searched for unfamiliar sounds around their little cave. So far there was none, other than Levy's own breathing and the sound of the branches crackling in the small fire that Levy had lit the night before. How long had it been now, since the arrival of the dragons? Around three years, give or take, nearing four. Levy pushed herself up from the ground, and even after one year of living with only one arm, she still struggled. The bluenette dusted herself off quickly, hurriedly glancing around her small make shift home. It was a dim little cave located close to Magnolia. Nothing remained of Magnolia anymore, only the destroyed buildings of what used to be the happiest town in Fiore. But it remained no more. Levy had questioned Gajeel as to why he brought her here, for they were scavenging and looking for survivors to bring back to their small camp in Hargeon, but Gajeel only responded that the two haven't searched in Magnolia yet, so Levy nodded and went along with him. Over the years many friends had died, and she had lost count. One that deeply affected her, was the death of Makarov. It was possibly only hours after the dragons came, when he died. They had gathered up many guilds and mages, and were looking to escape somewhere and set up camp. A rogue dragon had taken them by surprise, and Makarov had sacrificed his life for them. She would never forget his acts of courage, or kindness.

Levy shuddered and shook herself free of the bad memories that lingered in her mind, but only for the moment. She glanced around the earthy cave, wondering where Gajeel was. She then noticed a little scrap of paper wedged underneath a small pebble, on top of large boulder and scurried over towards it.

It read:

~x~

Hey shrimp.

Don't worry about me. I won't be gone long, okay? I'm just heading out to clear my head and to scrounge for food. I noticed that we're out of clean bandages, so I'll go look for those too.

If I don't come back soon, please be patient. If I don't come back soon, wait for me. I'll be back. I'll be home.

Do you know what I've noticed? That over these years that we've spent together, I've never properly shown you any love. I haven't said 'I love you' loads, like you do everyday. So shrimp, listen up. I love you, Levy. I really do. I want to us to get married and settle down, and have some more kids some day. But, I don't know if that'll happen. The dragons are still about. So, you be careful, got it?

I love you, Levy. I'll be home soon, so please wait for me.

Gajeel.

~x~

Levy clutched the little scrap of paper close to her chest, scrunching her eyes shut. It was sweet of Gajeel to leave her a note so she wouldn't worry, but she couldn't help it. A war between mages and dragons was going on, and Gajeel had left. When, though? When had he left? Levy tried remembering if Gajeel had said anything about time, like if dragons woke up specifically at a certain time. Then it clicked, all coming back to her in a flurry of words.

"Remember this, shrimp, because this is important." He had said, "It's essential for your survival. Do you know anything about dragons?"

"Only what you have taught me before." Levy had replied.

"Have I said anything about a dragon's waking or sleeping time?" He had questioned.

Levy had shook her head at the point, so he continued. "It all has to do with their element. A Fire Dragon will rise with the sun, and feel drowsy when the sun sets. A Water Dragon will practically sleep through the day if you let them, as they are basically only active during the night when the moon's up. Light, Dark, Sun, Moon elementals will follow suit."

"Uh huh," Levy had nodded, taking in his words, "but what about the other dragons?"

"The two that I had mentioned are the main risings and sleeping times for most dragons. But there are quite a few that don't follow those examples. There are normal non-elemental dragons, who follow nothing. They rise when they feel like it and settle down for the night when they are tired. Most elemental dragons would have probably fled Fiore, as the various Ice dragons would want to head up north where it's colder, and the various Fire types down south, where it's much warmer."

Levy opened her eyes, the scrap of paper slipping from in between her fingers. She scrambled to pick it up, hazel eyes wide and full of fear, her heart beating furiously. If what Gajeel had told her was true, there was a possibly that most dragons would have left Fiore, but what did that leave? She had to go, she had to find him. She was sure that he was alright, but she wanted to make sure.

She ran out from her cave, blinking furiously as her eyes adjusted to the strong sunlight. The sun beat down heavily, forcing its ray downs upon the hard ground. Levy ran, ran through the forest, her dark cloak billowing behind her. Her eyes were wide, full of panic, and the note that she had fluttered violently. She called Gajeel's name many times but only the silence answered her. There were no birds tweeting, no buzz of a crowd talking and she was glad that were no sounds of dragons. She didn't care for them, she needed to find her own.

She ran through the deserted town of Magnolia, her worn boots slapping against the dirty cobbled roads. She frantically called out Gajeel's name, but there was no answer. She slowed to a jog, jogging past the destroyed buildings, eyeing the pillars of crumbled stone and cracked beams of wood. Where was he? Levy stopped, her blood running cold. She had guessed that she was on the street that Lucy's apartment once stood, as she could faintly remember what this street looked like. Plus, the river was to her right and that gave Levy a good hint. But, she had frozen when her eyes had fallen onto the battered corpse of a muddy brown dragon, its head lolled into the dark waters of the river. She walked closer, hand raised, but she could sense no presence of life. This dragon was dead. It wasn't breathing.

Levy walked closer, her hand outstretched. She reached forwards, her fingers splayed to touch the hard scales of the dark coloured dragon. The wind suddenly hissed, startling Levy but she was focused on touching the dragon before her. The wind hissed again, and a beam of wood in a nearby building splintered and cracked, falling with a great thud. Levy jumped, her eyes wide, and spun round.

Levy cried out, and ran towards the building. Gajeel sat slumped against the a broken wall, rubble and wood peppered around him. Levy ran over towards him, her face beaming and hand outstretched, but he made no move to acknowledge her presence. Usually, he'd open up his strong arms and envelop her into one of his back breaking hugs, and he'd smile and kiss her hair. Levy felt weak, she couldn't stand anymore. She collapsed to her knees, slowly crawling towards the man. Still, he did not move.

"Gajeel?"

He didn't answer.

"Gajeel?"

Levy moved closer, swiping away his hair that covered his eyes. His eyes, Levy loved his eyes. They were red, crimson in colour, and they were so sharp that Levy guessed that Gajeel could see deep into your mind. But they held no warmth, no love. They held nothing. They were dull, and dark, and it looked like all energy was sapped from him. Levy trembled, her hand outstretched to brush her fingers against his forehead. She choked down a disgruntled yell of pain, fully acknowledging that Gajeel was no longer with her.

"Wake up, please. Wake up. Do it for me, please? You know I don't like your jokes, Gajeel." Levy grabbed his hand, squeezing his calloused fingers in her small grip. She expected him to move his hand, or to do anything to tell him that he was here, and there was no need to worry. But he didn't. His hand fell from Levy's hold, and the bluenette blinked slowly before she felt the urge to cry.

Painful sobs wracked through the empty street of Magnolia, and Levy didn't care if anyone heard her. Gajeel was dead, Gajeel was dead…

"It's all my fault, isn't it?" She sobbed, once again grabbing his hand. "You shouldn't have gone alone… I'm sorry."

Levy sobbed into her hand, biting her lip until she drew blood. She wished for Gajeel to wake, she wished that this was all a dream. But sadly, she knew this was reality. She knew Gajeel wasn't going to wake, or that he would never.

"I'm sorry Gajeel." She repeated, raising her hand to close his eye lids. Levy blinked back her tears, and inched her head forwards to give Gajeel a final kiss on his cheek. She kept her eyes closed as she brushed her lips over his cheek, not daring to look at the dry blood painted on his throat. It looked like the dragon, in its dying moments, had lashed out and successfully managed to strike Gajeel in the throat…

"I don't know how I'll manage without you, I honestly don't. I'm lost, Gajeel, and it's already hard. But we've got our boy. I'll head back to our camp, our home, and I'll work twice as hard. I'll ask Reedus to draw you, so our little boy has something to remember you by, okay?" Levy sat down beside him, holding his hand in hers. She said nothing for awhile as there was nothing to say, and she sat in silence as the sorrow consumed her.

"Wait for me, Gajeel. I'll be there soon, but not today, or not for awhile. Please wait…"

You are my sunshine,

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey…

You'll never know dear,

How much I love you…

So please don't take my sunshine away…

"I love you. I always have and always will."

Please don't take my sunshine away…