It wasn't the sun that woke Gajeel up, or the fact that his feet were cold, it was the odd tickling sensation on his forearm. The feeling wasn't uncomfortable, something light, almost like a feather wove its way through the steel dermals on his arm, careful not to touch them, the movements changed when they reached his wrist, instead of avoiding the piercings there were careful movements to touch only the steel balls. In his half asleep state he imagined a small child weaving in out of stones then climbing on them to hop from stone to stone.

He forced himself to crack an eye open. The sensation, he could see now was caused by a finger. Levy's delicate digit danced around his arm, her hair stuck out in every legs changed position every few seconds restlessly, she was leaning on her elbow staring intensely at his arm, Obviously trying to wait as patiently as possible for him to wake up. He decided he'd made her wait long enough, he let out a groan signally that he was awake. Her eye flicked up to his waiting for him to return the contact. Her eyes were warmer in the morning, more like a sunrise. Did they ever stop glowing? He allowed himself to stare at her for longer than he ever dared to before. Her nose was speckled with freckles, she had a small split in her bottom lip, probably from biting it during a particularly dramatic scene in a book. He reached out and placed a hand on her cheek, well really half her face since it was so small. He let his thumb brush some of the hair out of her eyes.

He verbalized his earlier thought, "Your eyes look like a sunrise in the morning,"

A blush ran across her face at the compliment. Her head ducked down away from his hand. So instead he allowed his hand to trail down her side, where it finally rested on her hip. He noticed now how smooth her skin was and the way her body dipped between her ribs and hips, like a gentle slope. A thumb made its way back and forth across the surface, retracing the same path as if trying to memorize that single inch. Levy seemed to have recovered from her embarrassment and resumed running the same pattern down his arm as before.

"What are you doin' that for?" he questioned.

"I don't know really, it's comforting in a way. After the rejection the other night I thought I'd never have the chance to touch you. So now I'm taking every opportunity I can, in case I don't get to it again" She wouldn't meet eyes.

Guilt punched him the gut, but he stayed silent. His rejection had hurt her, more than she'd let on. Stupid, her realized now to think that she would just get over something like that, stupid that he'd lied to her.

"I know I wasn't supposed to hear what you said on the train. I wasn't even going to say anything, but i needed to take the chance. I figured you'd already rejected me once so I could take it a second time, I just had to make absolutely sure," her normal courage was absent from her voice.

He wasn't sure what to say,he couldn't see her eyes so it was hard to get a read on her. He thought maybe he should wrap her in his arms and try to make her feel better, at the same time though he thought that he shouldn't be laying next to her, what right did he have?

"I'm sorry," the words came out just above a whisper, he sounded so weak, what the fuck. He swallowed and forced his next words to be stronger, " I was just trying to do what was best for you. I've hurt you enough and I can't pick up those pieces, I can't comfort you when feel sad or afraid because of what I did. I thought I'd give you a chance to find someone better than me."

Her eyes shot up to his, anger glinted in them , " I don't need you to pick up those pieces, I did that a long time ago Gajeel. Pain is a part of life, but it doesn't weigh me down. I did my healing, and my forgiving. I don't think back on that day with fear anymore, I actually don't think about it at all most days. How long are you going to carry around guilt for something that no longer hurts anyone else? When are you going to realize that I don't want anyone "better"."

"What about Adam?" The name burned like acid. His eyes fell from hers instead focusing on the linen sheet that he laid on.

"Who?" She stared at him obviously confused, "Oh my god you mean the client? What about him?"

"He's someone who could make you happy. He's educated and cares about literature like you do, he'd take care of you,"

" I don't need taken care of! I don't need you to be interested in books. You, Gajeel are what I need. It's not a difficult concept but you're making it one." her eyes bore through him, to his core, " You are enough."

For the second time in three days he was hit by freight train. The words soaked through the pores of his skin down to his bones and settled there. He was enough? He looked up at her. Her eyes were on fire again, but she was crying.

"Fine," he said before pulling her close to him, he could feel her shoulders shaking as she cried silently into his chest, "If I'm really what you want then you can have me,"

She looked up at him then, like he was something special, with wonder, like all those books she read. He realized then that when people said that eyes are the window to the soul they were talking about Levy. Gajeel knew that no matter what happened for the rest of his life, he would make sure that she always looked at him that way. He would work as hard as he needed to so that he would always deserve to be looked at like that. He let his fingers comb through her hair and run down her back, memorizing the curves. Mentally counting the vertebrae on his way back up. Levy laid he head back down on his chest, hands running over his pectoral.

"Good," she said almost to herself.

And that concludes my first fanfic! I know it was short, but there was nothing left to write!

Thank you again for all the reviews! i must have been too hard on myself about my writing, because I've gotten tons of compliments. I'm very humbled!

Also I'll be taking a break from Writing fan fic for a while so i can focus on short stories. If you'd like please find me on WattPad or Fiction press. under the same username!

If you have any promts for me to write, fanfic or otherwise please let me know I always love a challenge!