A tumblr askbox prompt given to me by KMMCM on my writing blog.

"Can I touch You?" Gajevy

This is postwar of the current arc

Originally posted on Feb 5, 2017

It's not exactly the kind of news you want to hear on the battlefield, less in one of the medical tents even lesser that the person who was hearing it was covered in bandages and had been in one of the worst battles Gajeel has ever experienced. He could only hear his own heart pounding as he watched as the old hag spoke to Levy, how her own expression and heart sped up along with his, until finally her brown eyes (or eye since one was covered up at the moment) finally flickered to where he stood and then down worry etching onto her face.

Learning you were having a baby should be happy news.

The old woman too her leave grumbling as usual but Gajeel didn't even pretend to even get out of the way almost pushing her so he could sit on the stool next to Levy's bed. Silence fell between them, it was thick and unnerving neither sure how to even begin this kind of conversation or even how, and honestly it wasn't like it was an unwanted thing, especially to Gajeel, but it was certainly bad timing.

Very bad timing.

Levy had been beaten and thrown around and worst of all she had breathed in poison for who knows how long, though it didn't seem as strong as when Laxus was poisoned it was still something that they could not ignore. After what seemed like forever he felt her own small calloused hand on top of his, she had seemingly moved closer as he was lost in his thoughts, kneeling before him on the bed, her chest only had bandages around it and still wore her torn skirt. His chest tightened as she looked at him, the left side of her face covered in bandages but she smiled at him but said nothing.

Both of them were shaking.

Gajeel wanted to be angry, not at her, but at himself. He should have known god damn it, he should have realized now thinking back over the last few weeks. It was more than fear of a war or the stress of rebuilding the guild, he knew something was off no matter how she tried to hide it, and he knew by her own reaction that Levy was just as shocked as he was. They were careless.

"Gajeel?" Levy spoke then but her hand was gone from his, they were clasped together on her lap her thumbs circling each other in nervousness. "Are you okay?" her voice was thick and her heart speed never went down once in the last few minutes, even though it felt like hours, but even that she still was worried about him. That woman was too good.

"Tch, I'm fine," he breathed out softly, shocking both of them but it felt like if he was louder something would break, "ya need to think of yerself Levy, not me." their eyes finally connected and he wanted to bite his tongue off seeing her eyes well up like that.

"I'm sorry Gajeel, I didn't know."

"Don't, it's not yer fault." He looked her in the eyes as he said that his hand reaching up and touching the side of her face, "and we don't know anythin' yet, the kid will be fine." Gajeel was never a man to be optimistic about anything, but like with everything when it came to Levy, everything was different in how he approached life, now more than ever. Silence settled then between them, neither moving, the only sound was Levy's sniffling as she looked at her hands, but Gajeel's own red eyes were staring holes into her it seemed. "Can I touch ya?"

Levy's head snapped up then her face wet and read and brows narrowed in confusion at the request. "What?" she wanted to laugh a bit all and everything right now was way too much for the script mage but as their eyes connected again, and in all seriousness in his rough voice doing its best to be soft the iron dragon slayer repeated his request his hand reaching out and covering her folded ones.

"Can I touch you." he said every word slowly as Levy's eyes flickered down to his hand and then up to his face as she gave a smile.

"You know you don't have to ask permission for that Gajeel." She gave a slight laugh as she pushed one of the loose blue strands of hair behind her ear.

"I wanna touch ya stomach is what I meant." as those words escaped his mouth her eyes widen and vision became blurry from tears, again, welling up. Slowly she nodded but still sat on her knew, but her hands unfolded and grabbed his large, steady hand her finger tips feeling the callousness of them, the gentleness that only she knew that came from them. His hand lay against her still very flat stomach which half of it was under bandages as well but Gajeel didn't care as he stared at it. "A baby, huh." he stated before looking at her a smile finally forming on his face.

"Yeah, a baby."

It was then Gajeel removed his hand and before Levy could talk again he had pulled her closer to his chest, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and the other at her waist. It was a hug and a tight one that Levy couldn't even move her arms to return it, but in a way she didn't want to move at all as her eyes closed , taking a deep breath in taking comfort in his scent. So much had happened that Levy felt like she would wake up and Gajeel would be gone leaving Levy alone again, and the fact that almost happened and knowing this news now in a way terrified Levy more than anything as she clenched her eyes tight refusing to cry at that moment. Because he was fine and there with her and that's all that mattered at the moment.

Gajeel's own thoughts weren't far from what Levy was thinking as well as he held her closer his head dipping so his face was in her hair, taking a deep breath, neither of them smelled nice but even so it calmed him.

"Everythin's gonna be fine, Lev." His gruff voiced softened, "ain't nothin' gonna happen to you or me." He added even softer that he wasn't even sure she heard, only the feel of her hands on his bandaged chest her small nails digging into them, but he didn't mind, was the only clue.

Slowly he pushed her back onto the cot and hovered over her as she stared straight up at him and then pulled him down to her making him join her onto the cot, the very small cot that basically Gajeel took over but neither minded the small space as they laid in silence only noise coming from the outside the guild members talking or passing by for whatever reason that Gajeel didn't really care about since he could hear what they were talking about better but he had soon tuned that out. His fingers playing with Levy's soft blue hair almost absentmindedly as he stared up at the tent ceiling, listening to her soft breath as she finally seem to calm down which in return calmed him as well.

As long as they were together everything would be fine.