Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater

She looked so incredibly small. Her slight shoulders and slender waist seemed so delicate. He wanted to touch her, to see if his rough hands found her porcelain skin as delicate as it appeared. He looked up at Sid, his lecture had put even her to sleep today. She was top of the class, but he suppose that came at some expense. Her sleep and eating habits having obviously taken a back seat to her studies. As class ended he maneuvered his bulky frame to her desk before anyone else had even risen from their seats. His paw of a hand landed gently on her bony shoulder.

"Wake up shrimp." He said giving her a soft nudge.

"I'm not asleep!" She huffed in her half asleep state.

"Come on." He said turning to leave the room. He heard her shuffle to her feet and give a wide yawn no doubt accompanied with an adorable little cat-esque stretch before she walked after him, taking hold of his sleeve like a small chick following a mother hen.

"Come on. We're skipping." He said taking her hand firmly inside his own and pulling her to the huge doors to the chilled outside world.

"What?! No!" She gasped in horror.

"One class. You'll live." He said. She needed a break from everything, but they both knew she'd never admit that.

"But it's cold out there." She said. Chuckling he pulled off his leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "But my feet will get wet." She said. He had caught on to her game, but indulged her anyway, scooping her up and walking out into the snow coated world.

"You need to take a break every now and then." He said softly to the sleeping girl perched like a bird on his shoulder. She had her head nested in her arms atop his head, her blue pixy hair falling just barely into his vision. "Already sleeping." He chuckled. They got back to the apartment they shared and he laid her out on the couch before going to the kitchen. He got out two mugs, his was large and crude, having been glued back together numerous times. Hers was small and lavender, with red stars painted on the outside. Smiling softly, he made them both hot chocolate. He added some coffee and Baileys to his, feeling he had earned it, before returning to the living room. He put her mug on the coffee table and put a blanket over her small body before leaving.

He got to the DWMA shortly and found Maka and Soul. "Where's Levy?" Maka asked as he walked with them.

"She's sleeping at home. She needed a day off." Gajeel replied.

"Me too." Soul mumbled.

"I was wondering if you'd let me borrow your notes for the classes she missed." He said.

"Oh! Of course." She went into her bag and produced the notebook she used.

"Thanks." He said taking it before once again braving the bitter cold to return home.

"Gajeel!" Levy said beaming as he stepped through the door. He shook some of the snow off before hanging his coat by the door. "Thank you for the coco!"

"Here." He dropped the notebook on the coffee table and she thanked him again.

"But before we do homework, we have a mission." She said.

"Before that, you need to eat." He said.

"I ate while you were out." She said. "Your plate is in the fridge."

"What did you make?" He asked as he once again donned his coat.

"Tacos." She said grinning at the longing in his eyes as he held the door open for her. She pulled on her coat and they set off.

"Four Kishin in the town to the west." She said as they began trudging through the snow.

When they finally arrived a large humanoid creature was standing atop a house. It's gaze immediately landed on the two as they arrived. "Gajeel, broadsword." Levy said taking his hand. He immediately transformed into the weapon she requested. It was taller than her with a black handle with a dark iron blade. Three dog like creatures began running for them, looking more like boulders than living creatures.

"Go left first." Gajeel said as a red eye on the pommel of the sword swiveled around. Levy ignored his suggestion, lips a tight line and face set in a hard stare as she glared at the human like one that was clearly the leader. The three kishin around her all lunged at once and she side stepped the two on either side of her and ducked as the one in front of her lunged for her throat. Slicing its belly open in a movement like liquid flowing over a stone it crumpled and the other two yelped and fell having collided with each other. "Dagger." She said and from the broadsword in her hands, Gajeel transformed into a curved dagger about the length of her forearm. She grabbed the back of one of the creature's head and pulled it up, slitting its throat before driving the blade hilt deep into the other one's eye. Turning once again she locked eyes with the leader. Its skeletal body twisted in what she assumed was anger and it began crawling on all fours towards her, human like teeth snapping as it launched towards her. "Scythe." Levy said softly.

"Are you sure? You're better at close up combat like daggers." Gajeel growled, eye watching the approach of their assailant.

"I won't improve if I don't practice." Levy said smiling sweetly and swung the scythe, hooking the kishin around the middle and slicing him in half. But her foot slipped in her graceful pivot and she fell. Only to be caught easily in Gageel's arms. He righted her before collecting the four kishin eggs. Grinning a toothy smile, his red eyes mirroring the flickering flame of the souls in his hands, he ate them. "See? I'm learning. It went better than last time." She said grinning.

"Yeah Shrimp. Better than last time." He laughed and put her on his shoulder. "Good skip day?" He asked. He got no response as she was already asleep. Chuckling he set off for home.

When they got back to their home he put her in bed and kissed the top of her head before crawling in beside her and pulling her close. "Good night Shrimp."

"Gnight Gajeel." She mumbled nuzzling closer.