It was just his luck. He didn't know what he was expecting though- stuff like this always happened when he tried to do something special with her.

They had been dating for a while now, him and Levy. Things were getting really serious, so Gajeel had planned a trip for their 10 month anniversary. She had been taken by surprise when he handed her the passes, not realizing he had been listening to her comments about wanting to go to a resort that summer. Of course, she had been more than delighted- she was pretty easy to please if he put a little effort into it. Plus, it was highly unusual for him to be so romantic, so when the rare moments did come that he would pull off a stunt like this, he always made sure to sweep his girl off her feet.

So how was it that they ended up bringing his little brother along?

The burly man huffed a sulky breath into the summer breeze, his large stature propped up against the ice cream truck as he pouted openly in the summer sun.

It wasn't Juvia's fault that she had to bail last minute on her babysitting duties. His childhood friend was always fit as a fiddle, so catching a nasty case of strep throat was definitely something she needed to deal with right away. Plus, his parents would have risen from the grave to strangle him if he had left his little brother at home with a highly contagious babysitter.

So, now they were here at the resort with a "plus one child" sticker on their tickets.

Figures.

"Nii-san! We got you a fudgey nut pop bar!" Rogue called as he stepped around the corner, a cute petite-sized woman sporting a striped bikini and a breath taking smile just a few steps behind him. It took everything he had not to gawk at that body he had come to know so well, but he somehow managed to control himself.

"I don't eat nuts." Gajeel said flatly, scowling as he saw the sly grin that encompassed his brother's face.

"Aw well! More for me then!" The little boy chimed, his triumphant tone quickly muffled by a mouth full of frozen chocolate.

"Lil' twerp…" The man muttered under his breath. He quickly straightened up as he felt delicate hands wrap around his fore arm.

"It's okay Gajeel. We can share my ice cream, right?"

He grunted in agreement, the man unable to hide the small smirk that had crept onto his lips. He knew it gave her a twinge of satisfaction knowing she could affect him so easily, and this trip was still all about her as far as he was concerned.

That still didn't stop him from sulking when Rogue pulled her away to build a sand castle with him for "special Rogue and Levy bonding time."

"Oi, what are you two laughin' about?" Gajeel growled as he saw the pair giggling and glancing over at him.

"Would you really put on rock concerts for your stuffed animals when you were younger?" Levy asked with a snicker.

"Okay that's it!" Gajeel roared with flaming cheeks. "If this is what you guys consider bonding-"

"Oh don't worry about it Nii-san! I haven't told her about all the times you say her name in your sleep or anything~"

Gajeel felt his heart leap into his throat as Levy spun her head around to look at him incredulously. Next thing he knew, he was barreling towards his brother full speed to snap his trap shut.

…

"I think he's asleep now." Levy whispered as she closed the small sliding door that separated their room from the small living area and the pull out couch Rogue had lain down in.

Gajeel nodded in acknowledgment, the man seeming to be lost in thought as he placed his headband on the bedside table.

"I had a great time today, Gajeel." The girl said with a prodding lift in her voice, no doubt having caught on to his train of thought.

"It was supposed to be just us."

"Aw, don't be like that. It's still been a lot of fun!" Levy said softly, her voice quiet in the dark room. "Plus, I really like Rogue. He's a sweetie!"

"More like a pain in the ass." Gajeel snorted, earning a giggle and a small shush from the girl.

After a moment, she spoke up again in a softer, somewhat dampened voice.

"You're lucky you know… Having a brother like him. I would have given anything to have a sibling to spend time with. I was home alone so often…"

Gajeel's throat constricted. Levy very rarely reflected on the loneliness of her childhood.

"Oi, Shrimp…"

She quickly perked up when he addressed her, flashing him a soft smile to show that she was okay.

"No, it's fine Gajeel. I'm not really that lonely anymore... Especially now that I have you…"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her confession, the man walking over to where she stood and gently brushing his fingers across her cheek as he pushed a stray lock of blue hair behind her ear.

"Well, I'm glad you don't feel lonely with me, shorty."

She hummed in response, leaning forward and resting her body against his chest. Her dainty arms wrapped around his waist, and the man couldn't help but relax at her touch.

"One day, I want to have a lot of kids that'll play together and keep each other company." She confessed into the bare skin of his torso.

They had never spoken about getting married or having children before- Not that he hadn't thought about it of course- He was just taking his time to make sure they weren't rushing anything. Many of his friends had warned him that Levy wasn't going to wait around forever, but he had brushed them off and continued to walk the straight and narrow.

That was why when his next words slipped out of his mouth, although they were no more than a whisper, startled him even more than they startled her.

"Well when you do have kids, do you promise I can be the dad?"

He thought his heart was going to leap out of his throat when her eyes shot up to meet his. Why had he said that?! It wasn't as if it wasn't true, but for him to spring a question like that on her out of the blue like that-

"Of course."

Gajeel blinked.

"Wh-What…?"

The smile that encompassed her face could only be described as radiant as words of adoration dripped from her lips.

"Of course we can have a baby one day."

Something warm and comforting began fluttering in his chest, a feeling only she could elicit in him. As she tipped his jaw down and balanced on her tip toes, she placed a soft kiss on the bridge of his nose.

"Come on baby daddy. Let's go to bed together."

As she took his hand and led him to the oversized mattress, he spared a glance in the direction of his sleeping brother.

Maybe this wasn't such bad luck after all.