Gajeel sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. He was in a well lit infirmary, sitting in a bed with white sheets and pillows. Yellow light splashed in on the floor surrounding him, and a glass of water sat on the small, round table beside the bed.

     "Hey," a voice said beside him, and Gajeel glanced over to see Gael sitting on a stool at the foot of the bed.

     "Hey," he muttered in reply, slicking a hand back through his messy and tangled black hair that threatened to fall into his eyes.

     "How're you feeling?"

      "Got a splittin' headache, but otherwise ain't bad," Gajeel shrugged his shoulders with little energy, "Where's Levy? H-hold on, I didn't kill—"

     "She's fine," Gael assured him, "I only now finally convinced her to leave the infirmary to stretch her legs. She been with you the whole week you've been out, you know. She's dedicated."

     "Wait, a week?" Gajeel asked incredulously.

     "Yep," his father gave a nod of confirmation, "You've really got your girlfriend worried." 

     "Sh-she ain't my girlfriend, idiot!!" Gajeel spluttered in indignation, sitting bolt upright as he glared at his father.

     "Really? You confessed your love for her right before you passed out," Gael reminded him.

      "I don't remember doin' that!!" Gajeel bristled, his face burning as it turned a bright red in disbelief and embarrassment.

       Gael laughed.

      "B-but, uh... what... did she say anythin' back?" Gajeel muttered, avoiding his father's gaze.

     "You passed out before she had a chance to reply," Gael shrugged, then smirked, "Who wants to know?"

     Gajeel scowled, deciding to change the subject, "How did I get out of it? The curse thing, I mean."

     "The Blood Beast is a demon of anger and hate. It can't stand stuff like joy and love. So Levy did the logical thing: she kissed you." Gael told him knowledgeably.

     "Wh-wh-what?!! Dang it, why can't I remember anythin'?!!" Then he paused, "Wait... I didn't kill anyone, did I?"

     Gael let out a long sigh, shifting positions uncomfortably, "Vorn. My brother, the king."

     Gajeel was silent for a long moment, then muttered, "Look, I.... I'm really sorry—"

     "And you helped me take care of Julio. As for my brother... he wasn't the grieving type. If I moped too much he'd probably come back to life just to smack me. I don't blame you, Gajeel. The only one to truly blame is Julio, and he has paid dearly for his crimes."

     "And Slick?"

     "In custody. And all the people who were influenced by Julio's magic are free, so the magical bands are quickly disappearing," Gael managed a small grin.

     "I'm really sorry about your brother—"

     "Shut up. It wasn't your fault and you have nothing to be sorry for," Gael said, then they paused as they heard footsteps in the outside hallway. The doors to the infirmary banged open, and Levy strode in. Then she saw Gajeel, and her amber eyes widened.

     "Uh... hey," he gave her a small grin, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. But Levy walked straight up to him— and punched him in the face. 

     "Ow!! Hwy, Levy, what's the big deal?!!" He protested, rubbing his jaw which was now bruising.

     Then she dove on top of him, tackling him back into the pillows with a hug, "Y-you baka!!! I was so worried — for days!! And when you finally wake up, you just say 'hey-?!!"

     "What else d'you want me to say?" Gajeel frowned at her.

     Levy curled up in his lap, hugging him tightly as she began to cry, "I-I'm... so glad. I'm so glad you're okay!!"

     "H-hey, don't cry," Gajeel began awkwardly, but Gael cut him off.

     "Yeah, don't cry," Gael told her, "It's Gajeel's birthday, after all. He's turning nineteen."

     "It is?" Both Gajeel and Levy stared at him in surprise, and Gajeel grinned slightly, "Oh yeah, I guess it is."

     "Now that you're officially old enough to be the heir of Carpagia, that means it's time you need to find a princess or somethin' to assist you in your kingly needs!"

     "YOU be the king," Gajeel snapped, "Besides, I... I already kinda like someone."

     "Do you?" Levy asked in surprise, but there was a well hidden layer of hurt in her shining eyes. Neither of them noticed Gael grin and slip out of the room.

     "Wh-who do you like?" Levy asked quietly.

     Gajeel took a deep breath, then slid his hand around her waist, pulling her to his chest. He hated how red his face was getting.

     "G-Gajeel...?" Levy blinked, blushing as her eyes rounded in surprise.

     "A-aw hell... you're so cute."

     Levy's heart skipped a beat, "Wh-what?" She saw his face flush harder and figured he hasn't meant to say that.

    "Sh-shrimp... er, Levy... I..." his tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of his mouth. Why was this so hard? But he forced himself to take a deep breath, pulling her even closer to him, "And I w-want to tell you that... th-that I..." his mouth wouldn't move anymore. He couldn't believe that after all the struggle he'd been through, this was the one thing he couldn't do.

      But Levy gave him a smile, "I don't think I've ever seen you this frightened before," she leaned up, pressing her lips against his in a kiss.

     His eyes flew open in sheer shock, his heart racing and pounding in his chest. Then he found his arms around her and he relaxed at her warmth, closing his eyes. He slowly tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss.

     Levy slowly pulled back, smiling.

     "Th-that... that was good," Gajeel said breathlessly, his heart still pounding fervently in his chest.

     "Were you going to tell me something?" Levy asked, cocking her head to the side as she gave him an encouraging smile.

     "Hell yeah," he gave her an almost lopsided grin, "Shrimp, I... I really love you. I sound like an idiot, but yeah, I do."

     Levy smiled warmly at him, her eyes bright and happy, "I've been waiting forever to hear that, slowpoke."

    He stared at her, "Y-you have?"

     "I love you too, baka," Levy slid her arms around his neck, and he eagerly leaned down to kiss her once more.

     And as all fairytales end, they both lived Happily Ever After.

                                                THE END!!!!

     WOO HOO!!! I'm finally done!! *sets of part poppers and orders celebratory pizza* I hope you all enjoyed it, I know I did! I LOVE doing Gajevy AUs, so expect many more in the near future!! I'm glad to thank those who've stuck with me to the end, especially you!! All you readers are AMAZING!! Love you all!!

     Thanks again for all this support, it means so much to me. If you've enjoyed this book, vote, comment, and maybe even follow me...? One can always hope 😆

     Tata!! Hope to meet you again!        —Gajevyx99 out!