Spoiler heavy for those in keeping with my Fairy Tail AU
It was worse than Gilbert could have imagined. Matthew was safe in his arms, but the apple... The apple had been lost to the well. And without the magic to break the spell, the boy he carried, had protected through this whole adventure--who had laughed and fought with him, worked fearlessly by his side and come to the aid of so many. The boy Gilbert found he could not live without.
Without the apple, he was as good as dead. Sentenced to eternal slumber.
Icy water dripped down the both of their faces as he lowered his forehead to Matthew's. The cold was setting in, seeping into Gilbert's skin. He noted with a start that Matthew's lips were blue, and the rest of him was going that way fast. If he had only been faster. Stronger. His companion might be sitting up, laughing off another of their brushes with death and danger.
Choking on the thought, he pulled the boy close, cradling him as close and tight as his clawed fingers would allow. Matthew had told him he'd learned gentleness somewhere along in their journey. Gilbert bit back a bitter laugh. A fat lot of good it had done them both. They hadn't broken the enchantments laid on either of themselves. They'd failed. But worst of all, he had failed Matthew.
"Fuck magic," he growled, taking hold of his friend's limp hand. There was little warmth left in him at all. "What I need is a fucking miracle. What I need is..." His voice cracked on the unspoken words, grief blindsiding him as he realized that he loved the boy who was cradled to his chest. Finding no proper words to express himself, his anguish, his loss, and least of all his regret, Gilbert did the only thing that occurred to him to do. He kissed Matthew.
With a jolt that almost caused him to drop the boy in his arms, he realized that Matthew still tasted of apple, and far too strongly for it to have merely been the lingering juices of the fruit that sealed his fate. There must have still been a last piece of it within his mouth. There was still a chance!
must read story this came from...
[link] for the fanfiction
There are also various illustrations to go with the AU in here: [link]
All of it is a work in progress.