Hello, boys and girls. I want to tell a story. It's a bit of GaLe fluff and humor. I feel that I put too much angst on them and so I need to give them their fluff time. This idea came to me while meeting some of my friends who are now parents. Well I won't ruin the story so let's just get right to it.

Enjoy

The Terrifying Power

There is a terrifying power in this world that can bring even the strongest men to their knees. It is, without a doubt, the single most devastating thing in all of reality. Even a Dragon Slayer is not immune to it. In fact, they feel the effect of that power even more. What is this bane to all males? Well, dear reader, listen to this tale.

It was a loud day in Fairy Tail. If you know this guild by now, this shouldn't be a surprise to you. Fairy Tail is normally loud and boisterous. Drunken reveling over the most trivial of events is the norm. However, the guild wasn't this kind of loud. It was loud for a different reason. And that reason was because of the four newest members of Fairy Tail.

Nine month old Uriel Niji Fullbuster, daughter of Gray and Juvia Fullbuster, had dropped her sippy cup and decided to make her displeasure known by crying. Seven month old Igneous Jude Dragneel, son of Natsu and Lucy Dragneel, was teething and was letting everyone know that it sucked by wailing. Three month old Reimi Redfox, daughter of Gajeel and Levy Redfox, was hungry and, knowing if she cries she would get fed, did just that. Luckily, her mother quickly met her need and she stopped. And what about Reimi's twin brother, Mamoru? Why was he crying?

Gajeel knew the reason long before Mamoru started crying. He could smell it but he wish he couldn't. It was here. That power that could even someone like him afraid. He couldn't face it or rather, he refused to face it. And because discretion is the better part of valor, the Iron Dragon Slayer stealthily made his way to the back of the guild. Mamoru started crying soon after. His loud piercing screech reverberated throughout the guild.

Levy, as best as she could while breastfeeding Reimi, went over to her son's stroller. "What's wrong, Mamo-chan?" She asked in a soft motherly voice. "You can't be hungry. I just fed you."

She knelt down with Reimi in her arms to smell her son. That's when she noticed it too. That power which can make even the toughest men cry...

THE SMELL OF A DIRTY DIAPER.

Levy gave her son a long-suffering smile. "Aww, you need your diaper changed." She laughed. "Gajeel, can you change Mamo-chan's diaper?" She asked her husband. But when she turned to where he was, the Iron Dragon Slayer was gone.

This wasn't the first time Gajeel tried to skip out on changing their children's diapers. Every time it was time to change them, he was in the bathroom or about to head out on a mission. Every time, she had to chase him down.

This should not be taken to mean that Gajeel doesn't love their kids. It's just, as a Dragon Slayer, his nose is much more sensitive in smelling the foulness that is normally associated with a dirty diaper. The smell could make Gajeel almost violently ill. And so, as much as he could, he avoided changing his kids. He could do anything else. He could change their clothes, bathe them, burp them, protect them, whatever. But he couldn't change their diapers, at least not without some convincing from Levy.

"Gajeel." She yelled at the top of her voice. "Get out here."

But Gajeel didn't answer. While she was still feeding little Reimi, Levy went in search for her husband. Many of the guild members pointed her in the direction of the back of the guild, towards the direction of the storage closets. The blue haired mother walked towards the backrooms of Fairy Tail until she reached the laundry room. It was there that she heard an unusual noise echoing in the room.

"Gajeel, are you in here?" Levy yelled.

"No, I am laundry." Gajeel replied. Then he put a hand to his mouth. That was stupid. Now she knew that he was here.

"Come on, Gajeel." She whined cutely. "Are you going to let your son wallow in his own filth? You should know that the greatest act of love a parent can do for their child is to clean their butts."

Gajeel rolled his eyes in annoyance. She was doing the guilt thing on him again. And as much as he hated changing his babies' diapers, Levy was right. He couldn't let his son, his son, stay in a dirty diaper. As much as he hated doing it, Gajeel would change Mamoru's diaper.

Levy opened the door and grabbed a contrite Gajeel by the ear, pulling his head down to her level.

"Ow, ow." Gajeel complained. "I'm going. I'm going."

Gajeel was dragged back to their son by his ear, to the amusement of everyone.

"Gajeel, you have no fortitude." Erza said, putting her hand to her stomach. "My child's father will never be allowed to skip out on changing their diapers." (At two months pregnant, Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandes would be expecting their child some time in the winter.)

"A man changes his son's diapers." Elfman yelled at Gajeel. "Such cowardice is not befitting a man."

"Yeah, you should wipe your son's butt." Natsu yelled his rejoinder.

"You shouldn't talk, Natsu." Lucy retorted. "You've done the same thing he did." (The Fire Dragon Slayer gave his wife a look that said "Why did you have to tell him?")

Gajeel was led towards his crying son.

"Please, change Mamo-chan's diaper." Levy asked.

"Fine, fine." Gajeel grumbled. "Just stop with the ear."

Levy let go of Gajeel's ear and handed him the diaper bag. Gajeel gently picked his son and placed a blanket on the table before laying his son on it. He took off his son's pants until he reached the diaper. Taking a deep breath, he ripped off the tape on the diaper and pulled it.

What he saw made him green. It was a mess. Gajeel could not understand how something so little could crap so much. But the Iron Dragon Slayer was not going to be undone by a messy diaper. So, like a man trying to defuse a bomb, the long haired man went to work. He lifted his son's legs to get the soiled diaper out. He then took some of the baby wipes and started cleaning his butt.

Sadly for Gajeel Redfox, things did not go as smoothly as planned. He felt something wet splash on his cheek. And unfortunately, the source of that wetness originated from his son, more specifically, his son's lower region. Little Mamoru Redfox had just peed in his father's face.

Everyone started laughing at Gajeel, who gave the guild his most evil look. But it's hard to look scary after something like that. They did have the decency and the sense to stop laughing, partly because they knew that once he was done, he was going to beat them unconscious.

"I'm glad that we have a girl." Gray said to Juvia in private, trying to hide his smile.

Natsu grimaced. He understood Gajeel's predicament as he was once in the same situation.

Gajeel looked down at his son. "You better appreciate everything I'm doing for you, brat."

The little boy gurgled happily.

Levy put a soft hand on Gajeel's shoulder. "You know it's involuntary." She laughed. "It's funny. I thought you would have dodged."

Gajeel gave his wife a dark look, which had no effect on her. He then turned his attention back to cleaning his son's butt. After the wipes, Mamoru's father applied the baby powder. Finally, he got a new diaper and put it on him. Gajeel put his son's pants back on. Afterwards, he took one of the wipes and cleaned his face with it. He balled up the dirty diaper and put in the designated diaper garbage. (It was covered in runes by Freed Justine to prevent all odors from leaving that bin, to the relief of the three Dragon Slayers in the guild.)

Gajeel picked up his son to look at him eye to eye. "You better not do that again, ya hear Mamo?" He said sternly, with an intense look in his eyes.

In response, his son smiled happily.

That smile made Gajeel's heart melt. That smile made all of the indignity he had suffered worth it. The Iron Dragon Slayer smiled back and kissed his son on the forehead, which made the baby boy laugh. The long haired man may not like changing diapers, but if this was his reward then he would change diapers from now until forever.

But when Mamoru gets older, as god as his witness, he would never let him forget this.

And that's that.

Like I said, this fic was inspired by a gathering of my friends and their newborns. Some of the guys I know HATE changing diapers and they go through great lengths to avoid doing it. I remember one of them hid in the dirty clothes hamper to avoid it. I may not like it, but I know that cleaning my daughter's butt is better than letting her wallow in her filth. So buckle down and do it.

One of the guys was changing his son's diaper when the little boy peed in his face. It was freakin' hilarious. This does happen, however infrequently. A baby cannot control their excretory functions yet. So sometimes, when the air hits the baby's butt, they could... well you get the idea. And Gray's line was something I said when that happened to my friend.

The "I'm laundry" line came from MST3K's rendition of The Final Sacrifice. It's beautiful.

Anyways, loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you, especially about any parenting stories.

Till next time,

A. Angel