A few nights later, Levy had brought Gajeel a gift.

"What's this?" He asked, taking the book from her. It was bound in high-quality black leather and the title was stencilled on the cover in gold leaf.

"The Night of Terror. It's a horror novel that I bought but never finished." She suddenly got all wriggly, embarrassed. "It was a bit much for me. But I think it's something that would be right up your alley."

"I'm not too good at reading," he said, thumbing a few pages and seeing just how dense the text was. But then he got an idea. "Why don't we read it together? You can help me with the tough words, and I can protect you if anything scary jumps outta the pages, Gihi"

Levy glowed. That sounded wonderful. As Gajeel sat upright on the bed, holding the book, she nestled against his chest and looked at the pages too. As Gajeel started to read, Levy instantly regretted the idea. His reading was clumsy and slow, and he stumbled over the words as he went. They got to page five when he closed the book, frustrated.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm not very clever…" Levy looked up into his shadowed face and felt terrible. She'd wanted to share her love with him, but instead had made him miserable.

The next night, Levy had come with another book and thrust it into his hands. "It's a book I loved when I was growing up," she said happily.

Gajeel read the title. "Daggie Dogfoot by Dick King-Smith." The well-worn cover had a little pig, flying over the heads of a group of pigs looking up at him. He opened the book to find the words a lot bigger and more spread out, with little illustrations every few pages. He snapped it shut. "This is a children's book. I really am stupid."

"No, no, no, no," Levy said, racing to embrace him, hanging on to his arm. "I still read it every now and again. I want to share this with you."

Gajeel glared at her briefly, but relented. What harm would it do? It's not like he didn't need the practice. They sat back as they had before, and Gajeel opened the book and began to read aloud. His words were clearer this time with the simpler material, though he used his finger to trace his position as he went.

They were a few pages in, when Gajeel chuckled. "So the main character is an under-developed runt? No wonder you loved this book!" She had slapped him playfully. He went on, enjoying the little pig's dreams of flying, and stopped when he got to the character of the Squire, confused by the word.

"Um…a squire is like a rank. They're the guys who follow around knights, hoping to become knights themselves one day," she explained.

"But this Squire seems like he owns the place…shouldn't he be called the Knight?"

"Hmm. I never really thought about it. I guess it's because the humans named him. A name that makes him sound big, while in reality, he is their slave." Gajeel had grunted, satisfied with the answer and continued. Levy beamed up at him suddenly.

"What?"

"You were doing a voice," she said.

"Huh?"

"When you read the Squire's lines, you were doing a gruff bluster." She smiled happily, as if it had been the best experience of her life. "You're so sexy!"

"Oh? Well, then, maybe we'll stop readin' there for the night!" He moved to kiss her.

The next night, they'd continued. Gajeel made Levy read Felicity's lines, and she did her best to imitate how she thought the duck's voice would sound. She noticed him tightening his hold on her when she did it, and he kissed the top of her head.

Gajeel's voice became watery when the Pike attacked Daggie. "He's gonna be okay, ain't he?" The big gruff dragon slayer might have just become the most adorable thing in a house that contained both Levy and Lily. "He's so…little."

"Ah? Little things can be strong too," she said putting on a mock pout.

"Don't I know? Gihi!"

Gajeel's mood uplifted as Isaak came to the rescue, taking Daggie's sodden form to the riverbank after fighting off the Pike. "I like that. Little things should have big oafs to come rescue them when they need it, am I right?"

"Well, sometimes even little things would like a bit of help," she said, resting her head on his chest.

They continued on the third night.

The rains had come, flooding the farm, and driving all of the pigs to Resthaven with Daggie and his mother. Gajeel's voice wavered slightly as he read the first meeting of the Squire with his son. The realisation that he needed Daggie to go for help.

"Huh, I get it. He can swim for help, right? That'll make his father see how important he is and I guess that'll be as good as him flyin'." Levy's eyes had twinkled and he read on to the end, with the injured Daggie being town by the helicopter. Gajeel smiled as the little pig thought he was flying. Unconsciously doing the gruff voice, he read the Squire's line.

"He's more than flying! I bet the damn machine's bust and he's towing it in, don'tcha know?"

Gajeel put an arm over his face and bawled his eyes out. "That's so…guhuhu! He was hidden from his Dad because they thought he'd be ashamed of him, but look at how proud he is! He believes his son can really fly!"

Levy smiled at him. "You're such a sweetheart aren't you?"

"Don't you dare…guhu...tell anyone...gu…about…this...waaaaah!" Levy remembered that Gajeel had never had a father, only having Metalicana to look up to. He'd be proud of you if he saw you now, she thought.

After a while, they had finished the book. Gajeel got up instantly, and walked to the bookshelf that he'd bought for her. He placed it on the top shelf, on the very left, taking pride of place.

"This is my book now! I hope ya can bring me some more!"

Levy beamed happily, and Gajeel took the Night of Terror, placing it on a low shelf. "And maybe someday, when I get better, I'll be able to try this one again."

It became a routine. Levy had a whole host of childhood books from the likes of Dick King-Smith and Roald Dahl. Apart from the relatively easy prose, Gajeel seemed to like the childish characters and plots. She'd never seen this vulnerable side to his character before. Behind closed doors, with the only (human) person he trusted, Gajeel became like a small boy. He'd never had a real childhood, she thought.

One night, as they sat reading James and the Giant Peach (Gajeel loved that James wasn't taking any shit from those aunts and laughed at their demise), she looked up at him and very suddenly started crying.

"What?" Cried Gajeel bewildered. "What's wrong?"

"No…nothing," she sobbed, trembling. "You're just so perfect, aren't you?"

"Hey, hey," he said soothingly, putting the book down and cradling her. "What's brought this on?"

"I'm sorry, but I never expected this…to be reading together like this." She wiped her eyes. "Not with anyone really. I've not met anyone who really liked reading, well, no boy anyway. I'm so happy."

Gajeel reached down and lifted her chin to look into his eyes. "I'm happy too, Shrimp." He saw her tears welling, and quickly pressed on. "Like ya said, I never thought I'd be doing somethin' like this with anyone. I only ever read for necessity. When you travel alone, you need to read maps and signs."

He sighed, and went on. "But, I really like this! Sure, I'm not up to adult books, but I really, really enjoy these! I'll never be a little nerd like you," he flicked her forehead playfully, "but yer makin' me a better person, and I like it!"

Red faced, Levy pressed into his chest, and he cradled her body gently.

The day after finishing James and the Giant Peach, which was a Saturday fortunately, Gajeel did something Levy never expected. He took her to visit the bookstore, declaring that he wanted to buy the first book in his life.

Levy stood next to him in the children's fiction section, and happily watched him browse the shelves. Quickly, she moved him away from the Twilight books, counselling him that vampires didn't necessarily make good stories. Mothers and children had fled at the sight of him, but that somehow made the moment more perfect in Levy's eyes. This big, terrifying brute was buying a book, because she'd made him want to.

At last, Gajeel made his choice. A brand new copy of Saddlebottom. He'd chosen it as it was by Dick King-Smith and also about pigs. In truth, Levy had a copy at home, but she didn't want to stop him in his moment. His oversized hands tenderly held the small book, and the owner had quailed briefly as he stumped up to the counter, only finding solace in the familiar form of Levy.

Unlike before, Gajeel read the book by himself, though he still did it in bed. He hadn't realized himself, but only there with Levy beside him did he feel safe enough to read. He felt a little bad as he watched Levy read some huge, complicated book, but reminded himself that that was why he loved her.

Every night, after the lights went out and they lay together, Levy would ask him how the book was. He liked the fact that Saddlebottom was not going to listen to his stuck up cow of a mother…no his sow of a mother. He laughed at his own wit, and Levy did too.

He liked that Saddlebottom had a cat for a partner. Lily didn't find the comparison amusing, or how they both had scars. Gajeel said that he loved how brave the little animal was, and wished he could be so brave.

"Huh? You're brave, you fight all kinds of big scary things," Levy had said, confused.

"Psh, It's not brave if yer bigger and stronger than they are." He leaned over and stroked her stomach. "It's only the little guys who get to be brave. People who go out into the big scary world and take on things bigger than them, those are the brave guys. And girls," he added.

"So, what would be scary for the big bad Iron Dragon? What could you be brave against?" She asked the question playfully, but there was some seriousness to it. Gajeel had shuddered, remembering Yomazu and Kawazu. Not the damage he'd taken in the fight, but seeing Levy's little body held down so effortlessly, of her terrified screams, of not knowing if he'd make it in time as the sword descended.

He remembered her scarred body in the hospital recently. How pale she'd been, how if she'd been just a little longer under the attentions of that swordsman…

"I dunno, a really, really big dragon or something?" He replied, lying.

Levy snuggled in against him, seeing through his lie. "You'd protect me from it, right?"

Gajeel grinned, unseen in the darkened room. "You try and stop me!"

At the guild on Monday morning, Natsu and Gray were huddled together, whispering.

"There's no way!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I'm telling you, slanty eyes! It was Metalhead coming out of the bookstore!" The Ice Mage was insistent.

"But it had to be for Levy, right?"

"Well, she was there, but I heard her saying how happy she was that he got a book!"

"Pfffff – that's hilarious…," Natsu squeaked out breathlessly.

A pair of hands suddenly landed on their shoulders. They turned in fright, expecting a raging Gajeel.

"Hello boys," said Levy brightly. "I hope no one's spreading any rumours!"

"Uhh…no," Natsu said quietly.

"Because if anyone ruined this for him, I'd have to go and tell Erza that I saw them peeping around Fairy Hills, if you know what I mean?" Her pleasant demeanour never faded, a huge smile spread over her face.

"Y…yeah, I get you," Gray replied, shaking violently.

"Good! See you later!" She skipped away.

"Gajeel would just beat the crap outta us, she's the scary one…," Natsu whimpered, and Gray agreed.

.