Author's note: I am putting a TRIGGER WARNING on this drabble to be safe. Mentions of miscarriage. My goal is to make each drabble longer and longer. The first one was way too short. Enjoy!
Even though the day is warm and the breeze is gentle, Gajeel and Levy couldn't imagine a worse day. Levy walks with her arms around herself and a distant gaze that causes Gajeel's gut to squirm incessantly. She hasn't said a word since they were told the dark news. He had to carry on the conversation with Porlyusica after Levy shut down. The old woman wasn't upset with Levy's muteness; she didn't comment on it either. Gajeel was uncomfortable speaking for Levy, for he always encouraged her to speak for herself. She didn't give any indication she would do so in that moment.
Porlyusica had been the most gentle Gajeel had ever seen from the woman. "Levy, it is not your fault in any way. Gajeel, this is not your fault either. Don't blame yourselves, and don't blame each other. According to my tests from today's visit, you are both healthy and fit. It was out of your hands, even I couldn't have done anything."
Levy had looked at her and gave a small smile and a nod. The act made Gajeel's heart flutter and ache at the same time. When they slowly made their way out of the small hut, Porlyusica gave his arm a pat, but her face stayed firm. He took courage from the odd action.
When they finally arrive home, Gajeel follows Levy to their bedroom in a silent march. The morning had been chaos, and now it is suffocatingly quiet. Levy had been taking a shower as Gajeel made breakfast. He moved the pan off eggs off the flame when he heard her gasp loudly and then call his name in an anxious tone. He rushed to her to find her standing in the still running shower, only blood was running down her thighs and swirling in the drain. His brain had shifted to autopilot; he grabbed a towel and shut the water off. He wiped her down and helped her out of the shower. He assessed her, noting she was shaking but steady on her feet. Gajeel pulled the dress she had laid out over her head. Levy snapped into action, finishing dressing herself before Gajeel scooped her up. He ran to Porlyusica, and there she was healed back to normal and given painful news.
He watches silently as Levy sits on their bed, facing away from him. Gajeel shifts his weight from side to side before nervously turning to leave. He has never been in a situation to this caliber. Should he leave her alone? Does she want to be touched right now?
"Gaj, I need you," her shaky voice calls softly.
He immediately approaches her, scooping her into his embrace, overjoyed to hear her speak again. He sits on the bed and positions her on his lap. She turns to face him, wrapping her arms around his chest and her legs around his waist. Her body begins to shake, causing Gajeel to quickly tighten his hold on her.
"I didn't know!" she wails. Gajeel buries his face into her shoulder as his own tears began to fall. "I didn't know!"
They both cry and sob against each other, tight fists of each other's shirts in their hands. When Levy quiets down from sheer exhaustion, Gajeel leans back to brush back her gorgeous hair and wipe the torrent of tears off of her face. She continues to hiccup, but she won't look him in the eye.
"Are ya in any pain?" he asks. She shakes her head, digging the heel of her hand into her eye. "This may not be the right time to say this, but I'm glad it happened this way."
Levy drops her hands to look at him. Her honey colored irises are surrounded with irritated red, and her cheeks are bright with tears.
"W-What do you mean?" There is only curiosity in her voice, no trace of spite.
"Neither of us knew ya were pregnant, so we didn't get our hopes up," he says, tears still falling down his cheeks. "There's no empty baby room, no assembled and waitin' crib, no clothes to stare at, and no one else knows. We don't have to relive this pain by people asking about you or a baby. Of course it still hurts to know you had a miscarriage, it hurts like hell, but it doesn't hurt as much as it could."
Levy nods solemnly, but again looks away. "We never did talk about children."
"I happily and eagerly married ya Levy. That was me stealing ya from any man who would try to have a family with ya. Of course I want kids with ya. Can ya imagine?" He pauses at the notion of his words. "Well, maybe not right now, but-"
"No, go on. What do you imagine?" Levy asks earnestly.
"I won't cause ya any more pain, will I?"
"No, Gajeel, you won't. I promise. What do you imagine our kids will be like?"
He smiles, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Our kids will be badasses. With two badass parents, there's no way they won't be amazing mages." Levy giggles, encouraging him. "I don't know what they'll look like. Ya know I'm not the best at science, and understanding genetics is nowhere near my wheelhouse. I don't know what magic they'll even end up with."
"I have a book about that, but dragon slayer magic isn't much studied."
"We'll just have to do our own research then," Gajeel says smugly.
His heart swells when Levy genuinely laughs at his insinuation. He continues on, "Our kids will lead the pack, my love. You and I are already so different than the people at the guild. Our kids'll be outstanding and they'll have parents who support and love them. Oh no, Levy, I should've stopped."
Levy began crying again, her head slumped forward so her blue hair obstructed Gajeel's view of her face. He opens his mouth to say something, but Levy whips her head up to look him in the eye with tearful determination.
"We will have kids, Gajeel," she says, her voice wobbly. "Maybe I'll have another miscarriage along the way, but we will have kids. We are both too stubborn to let this stop us."
"Damn straight, Lev."
She wipes her remaining tears with her fingertips, still sniffling. "We should probably clean the shower and the breakfast we left."
"Oh yeah, that," Gajeel mutters. He perks up at an idea. "Are you hungry at all, Lev?"
"No, actually, I'm a little nauseous. I'm too stressed from this morning and I think Porlyusica said my body will be trying to get back to normal. I kind of zoned out when she was talking. I hope I wasn't rude."
"You had a good reason, Levy. Plus, that old hag has been rude to us plenty of times. It was time she got some payback," Gajeel grins. Levy rolls her eyes and smacks his arm. "How about this? I'll make you some mint tea and then I'll clean the shower afterwards."
"But you will be doing all the work. Shouldn't I help?"
Gajeel shakes his head before kissing her nose. "No, Porlyusica said ya need to rest for a bit. Ya'll be back on yer feet soon. There's no keeping ya down. Ya'll cause my hair to turn gray before we even have kids to do it for ya!"
She cups his face in her hands and guides him toward her. Their lips are salty and dry from their tears, but their kiss is still warm and loving. Levy leans back first.
"I love you Gajeel. Marrying you was the smartest thing I did. I can't imagine going through this without you." She kisses him again for good measure.
"I love ya too, Lev. Now stop distracting me, ya vixen. I have tea I need to make."
"Stupid, Gajeel."