Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy this little piece I wrote for Gajeel's day! I totally didn't forget about Gajeel's day *nervous laugh*

Characters: Gajeel Redfox, Pantherlily, Levy McGarden

Pairing: Brotp Gajeel and Lily

Word count: 1.3k (I'm getting better at keeping the stories short)

For a long time, Gajeel never felt like he belonged anywhere. After Metalicana up and left him, Gajeel truly believed there was something wrong with him that made him unable to fit anywhere he went. Unable to feel at home anywhere.

When he joined Phantom Lord, the feeling never left him. The barely legal guild was less home-like than the streets Gajeel haunted or the roofs where he perched on to hunt his next victims. So, when the fairies defeated Porla, Gajeel didn't feel as lost as when Metalicana left. Phantom Lord had been just a roof above his head that he could easily replace with a rundown garage full of scrap metal to munch on.

Fairy Tail had been different though. Even just being inside the guildhall, the atmosphere felt different. Warm. Welcoming. Even for someone like him who had done terrible things to the fairies. They were odd, Gajeel had decided, for letting him in so easily and even forgiving him for his past sins. Still, Gajeel didn't let his guard down. This was just another building. Another fleeting structure that could crumble to the ground as easily as the leaves at Fall. No need to feel at home when it was that fragile.

Lily changed that a bit. His rundown house suddenly became a bit more comfortable with him. Gajeel thought that it might be because of how similar the Exceed and the dragon slayer's lives were before meeting. There was blood on each other's hands, but they held a mutual respect about not prying into the other's past. He definitely liked sharing his house with Lily. It suddenly felt fuller somehow.

With time, Gajeel grew more comfortable at Fairy Tail too. He even chose to hang out at the guildhall instead of going to the mountains to train all by himself or with Lily. It might have had something to do with the fact that he felt a bit more connected with some fairies. With the likes of Levy and Wendy and Juvia. They were alright to hang around, he guessed. And others like Cana and Titania and even Salamander were not as bad either. Gajeel had started to feel at home in Fairy Tail. Something he had never felt ever since Metalicana disappeared.

When Fairy Tail disbanded, Gajeel was reminded of the cruel reality that buildings could crumble to the ground any second and that those you considered close to you could leave you behind in order to move on with their lives. Gajeel had been angry as hell when it happened. If it hadn't been for Lily and Levy who stayed with him for the following weeks, Gajeel was sure he would have turned back to his old habits and joined a dark guild or something.

He had just started to feel a bit at ease with Fairy Tail disbandment when Levy threw out the news during lunch.

She was joining the Magic Council. And she wanted them to go with her.

Gajeel didn't even care that he had split up his dinner table or almost ripped the door off its hinges when he stormed out of his house. He felt the strong need to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Because she was leaving. Another friend leaving him behind not caring about him. And why would he follow her? They would probably never let someone like Gajeel join the Magic Council. And even if they did, it was just another place where he would never belong. Where he would never feel at home.

He sat by the rumbles that had been once the Fairy Tail guildhall. He lost track of time, too deep in his own thoughts for several hours. The sky darkened and the moon shone brightly as the dragon slayer stayed there trying to will the guildhall to return to his previous state. He tried to will it to be as loud as he had grown used for it to be. But the night stayed quiet as he finally allowed himself to mourn the loss of what had been his home since Metalicana.

Though Gajeel had been ignoring everything around him, he did notice when Lily sat down beside him in his small form and stared at the remains of the guildhall without uttering a word. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, but Gajeel's mind was racing with a million thoughts on what to do now. And he knew if someone could help him sort out his ideas it was Lily.

"Oi, Lil'," Gajeel said but didn't turn to look at his partner. He glared at the debris when the bitter taste of the next words hit his tongue. "Are you going with the Shrimp?"

"That depends," Lily stated calmly with his eyes fixed in the same direction as the dragon slayer's.

"On what?"

"On whether you're coming with us or not."

A pause settled between them. A sudden calm washed over Gajeel at knowing his cat cared about him. Considered him for his decision. But he knew it was stupid of Lily to miss an opportunity like this one for Gajeel's own insecurities.

"Tch. If ya wanna go, just go cat. Wha'd'aya need me for?" His own words stung worse than the chill of the night.

"We're partners, Gajeel. Remember?" Lily's composed response soothed Gajeel's mind again. His cat was more loyal than anyone he had ever met.

Gajeel stopped glaring at the rumbles of the guildhall but he still didn't look Lily's way. "They'd never let me join the Council. They would arrest me first-"

"That's not what's stopping you, isn't it?" For the first time that night, Lily raised his voice to cut off Gajeel. The dragon slayer felt a growl rumble in his chest in annoyance.

Fucking cat knew him so well.

His glare returned to the remains of the guildhall and he tightened his fists in anger.

"Why move away? We have our place here. Or had…" Gajeel's sentence trailed off as his expression turned softer. Sadder even.

Lily chuckled quietly and shook his head. "Gajeel, do you feel at home?" He spared a glance at his partner by the corner of his eye.

"Huh?" Gajeel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his friend's question.

"It's really a subjective term, don't you think?" The Exceed looked up to the bright moon as he continued, "Levy has told me she believes home to be where her friends and family are. I think home is where I can be useful to others with the things I do." Lily looked at Gajeel and waited for the dragon slayer to meet his gaze. "Home is not a building, Gajeel. And it's not a guildhall or the cave where you grew up in. But its definition is entirely up to you." He winked at his partner as he let his last sentence echoed through the lonely night.

Gajeel closed his eyes letting Lily's words sink in his heart. He looked back again at the debris of the guildhall and sighed as he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He stood up and started walking towards his house.

"Let's go cat." He called over his shoulder. His voice was stronger and more energetic than it had been in the last weeks.

Lily caught up to him easily, flying next to him before perching on Gajeel's shoulder. "May I ask, where to?"

"Tch. To pack up, idiot. Can't have you and the Shrimp leaving me behind, can I?" Gajeel smirked at Lily and he mimicked his expression.

For the longest time, Gajeel never felt like he belonged anywhere after Metalicana disappeared. But it was mainly because he had looked for a physical place, like a guildhall or a house. Now, he realized that neither Levy nor Lily's description of home worked for him. It was a combination of both. Gajeel felt at home in Fairy Tail because the people he cared about were there and because he felt useful protecting the guild from every crazy bastard that decided to declare war on Fairy Tail.

By joining the Council, he would use his abilities for the better and he would have friends he cared about, at least Lily and Levy, with him to enjoy his time there.

He was ready to make the Magic Council his new home.

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! I felt awful for not having anything prepared for Gajeel's day and suddenly this popped up in my head. I'm still debating on whether to use this for my Magic Council multi-chapter story (which will happen... eventually... once I'm done with some other WIPs)

If you liked the story please leave a review :) I know I might not respond as quickly as I should but I reread your reviews several times and they encourage me to write more often! Also, by reviewing I get to see what you guys like and what you don't like so go ahead :) even if it's an all caps unreadable text I will love that!

Again, thanks for reading!

WTF (Where's The Food?)