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Levy's veins ran cold. The attackers had separated them. Pain no longer shot through her left arm, numb and useless now. Every curse she knew ripped from her lips as she forced her body to move, but she was so very slow. The deafening thump of her heartbeat pounded in Levy’s head until ringing replaced all other sound. Her magic energy was dangerously low.
Through sweat and tears her eyes found Gajeel. Iron clubs held off three men at once, but his back—where she should be fighting—was open. Levy choked on the dust that clogged the air as despair gripped her heart. A new attacker was stalking behind Gajeel, poised for a final blow. Her brain worked at lightning speed, grasping at straws for a way to protect the man she loved. The attacker was too close, and as much as she screamed at her body to move faster, her feet would not obey. Repercussions be damned; for Gajeel's sake, she'd transcend time and space.
Desperate tears fell as the only answer Levy could see flashed for a shining moment through her mind. He'd hate it; it would be painful. But it could work. Reckless power surged through her fingers as she wrote the letters. It was all up to him after this spell—Levy would hear about how stupid this was for the next three months—but she'd give them the chance to have the rest of those months together. A word to turn the tide.
“Solid Script: Magnet!”
The word appeared in front of her, larger than Levy had ever dared to make before. Without a breath of hesitation she grabbed on for her life—for his life—and let the magic go.
Everything was a blur as wind whipped around her. Levy's fingers begged to let go of the letters charging towards Gajeel, but she grit her teeth and held firm. With one long breath, she drew upon untapped strength and twisted her legs up when she felt the catch. The word dispersed as she latched onto Gajeel, and Levy kicked with with every ounce of energy she had left. Force rammed into the assailant, sending him sprawling a few feet away.
He laid motionless on the ground, but so did she.
Confused hands grabbed and shook her. When the world stopped spinning, Levy could see Gajeel, holding her as he knelt, eyes brimming with worry. He didn't look like he'd been hurt by the impact. Had their lives not been in danger, she would've loved to see the look on his face the moment her magnet had slammed into him.
“You told me to stay by your side, remember? There was a—” Levy pointed weakly to the man she’d taken down, “I’ll always have your back.” Warmth filled her body as Gajeel placed a kiss on her forehead. “Sorry it took so long, but this was all I could do with what I had left.” Tears welled in her eyes, relief crashing over her in waves. It had worked.
“Thank you for always having my back, but you’ve gone an’ pushed yourself too far,” Gajeel said gingerly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Reckless wife of mine, I must be rubbing off on ya too much.” He brushed away her tears, his voice trembling, “Rest, Levy. It's my turn to protect you.”
With a light nod, her eyes fluttered shut, and Levy let her head fall against her husband’s chest. Dark gray scales rose from Gajeel’s skin as he turned, staring daggers into the remaining men.
“Lily,” he said, the words cold and biting as his steel. “Take Levy somewhere safe. She saved my ass, and I intend to take full advantage of the opportunity she's given me.” An aura of malice flickered around Gajeel like black fire.
“Now who the hell thought it would be good idea to hurt my wife?” The cracking of his knuckles promised shattered bones. “Sounds like you shitheads have a death wish.” Light flashed against metal fangs and talons. “When I'm done with you assholes yer gonna beg every god you know to go back to the days when all I could do was arrest ya.”
He raised a hand to wipe the blood from his brow, face twisting with a hunger for revenge. “Your fate cemented the moment you decided to fuck with Fairy Tail.” Fury incarnate, Gajeel’s eyes glazed over as he shouted his assault. “And you nailed your coffins shut when you dared harm Levy Redfox.”