Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters are owned by Hiro Mashima.
Author's Note: This story is a continuation from my first GaLe fic, "Purr." It takes place several years after the events in Purr, as you'll be able to see!
This first chapter is just the epilogue of Purr - so if you have already read the Purr story, you don't need to read this one and you can go right to Chapter 2. You should be able to read this story without having read Purr since none of the events really rely on Purr!
This story focuses on Gajeel's relationship with his family; mainly his daughter. Levy does appear and there are some GaLe moments, so look out for those!
These events are NOT chronological. I'm going to be skipping around a lot; one chapter does not necessarily lead into the next (but some might; Part 1, Part 2, etc.). These stories take place in the same universe, though, so this is the same Gajeel and Levy from in Purr throughout this story!
Either way, please enjoy!
Prologue: THE PRETTIEST DADDY
"Daddy? What's in here?"
They were the tiniest little fingers Gajeel had ever seen; and they were prodding at his bicep, feeling the muscle underneath and trying to figure out how on earth they were so hard.
"Those're muscles, Peanut."
Levy might scold him later for calling her that; his lover had long since gotten used to being called Shrimp, and she hardly noticed that he did it any more – but she didn't want her daughter growing up to be confused, thinking her name was actually Peanut! She supposed, though, that it was better than what Gajeel WANTED to call her. When choosing baby names he'd fought very hard for Crunk, Chomper, or Metalloid. They went with something prettier.
"Muscles?" Lilia pressed her ear against his arm, giving it a little squeeze with her tiny fingertips, "Do they talk?"
"No," he grinned, pulling his arm away from her and holding it up, "Now watch close, Peanut!"
"Ok, daddy!" she plopped herself back down on his lap, straddling one thigh and opening her amazed eyes to look at his arm.
Gajeel gave the bicep his best flex, increasing its size by two times at least, and bulging a vein or two.
He almost went teary-eyed at the look on his little girl's face as she took the softest gasp and spread her mouth open wide, "Wooowwww..."
"Gihi!" he giggled, giving his other bicep a flex for her and alternating between the two.
"DADDY IS THE COOLEST DADDY!" Lilia screamed, grabbing the sides of her face and flopping back, almost toppling right over Gajeel's knees.
Gajeel caught her with one hand, pulling her by the front of her shirt back onto his thighs, which were both about the size of her entire body.
"Mmmhh," Lilia looked thoughtful, reaching her hands out and starting to prod at his abdomen, "Daddy is bumpy all over!"
"Those're muscles, too," he grinned, "I have them all over."
"Daddy...?"
"Ehh?"
"Did you draw on yourself?" her voice got a little softer, starting to touch at the little marks adorning his entire bare torso.
"Nope! Those are scars, Peanut."
"Scars? Do I have scars, too?"
"Nah," he grinned, "Not yet! And not if your mum has anything to say about it," he rubbed the side of his face, wondering what Levy might do if the Peanut got hurt seriously enough to scar. She might kill Gajeel, even if he had nothing to do with it!
She was a very good mother, though, even if she was overprotective sometimes. Then again, Gajeel was overprotective too – over the both of them.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, Peanut?"
"Can I color them in?"
"Eh!?"
"With my paints?"
"Ehhh..."
Lilia's bottom lip jutted out almost three inches away from her face, wavering up and down as her eyes watered and she gave the tiniest, meekest squeak.
"... Alright, Peanut!"
Gajeel was glad that Levy was off on a mission with her friends for the next few days, because the little Peanut was fixing to make him the prettiest daddy in all of Fiore.