(A/N) Takes place two years after the events of Natsu and Gajeel getting out of the city.

"I said hold still!"

"I didn't even want to do this! Why the fuck do I have to hold still!"

"I might slash your neck is why!"

The black haired man growled as a bluenette with a pair of scissors held what was left of his wild long locks in her tiny hands, poised to chop them up. As much as he wanted to keep his mane of hair, he had made it uneven trying to escape from an attacking infected. It was either look like an idiot for good know's how long or cut it off.

"Are ready now, Gajeel?"

Gajeel snorted and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, go ahead shrimp." He didn't have to turn his head to know she had that cute pouty face she made when he called her names based on her height. The man couldn't help it, she was adorable when she was angry.

"It's Levy you idiot. Sesh, we've known each other for two years and you still can't call me by name."

The sound of the metal slicing through his pride and joy was like taking a knife, plunging it into his stomach, then twisting it. This sound echoed in his ears for twenty minutes more, his head getting lighter and lighter. Before he knew it, the clang of metal meeting wood signaled Levy was done.

"I hope you like it at least." she said, handing him a mirror. Gajeel's reflection scowled at him with short hair that was slightly ruffled and tossed. The job wasn't that bad, and maybe in time he could grow to like it.

Footsteps walking towards the door made him look up from his musings. The woman had reached the door and was about to leave. Gajeel had other ideas, setting down the mirror and walking over to her. He caught her jacket collar and lifted her into the air.

"Hey! Put me down!" she struggled and kicked in mid suspension. The man just smirked and turned her around, placing her back down. "Just wanted to say thanks." Her face puffed up and her cheeks had a tint of red. But a smile replaced her flustered features.

"Sure," she reached up as best she could, but could only brush the edge of the hairline. "I think it suits you." Gajeel smirked and reached behind her to push the door open. "You're free to go." Levy chuckled and waved before bouncing away to the medical station in the next door building. Gajeel watched her back disappear out the door before walking out into the main lobby where Natsu, Lucy, and some others were milling about.

His pink haired brother waved him over to his wife and him. Gajeel walked over and took a seat across from his pregnant sister-in-law. She was seven months along, but still as feisty as ever. She made the children in camp Fairy Tail know that when they got the school up and running.

"Things went well with Levy I'm guessing." the younger man asked, wiggling his eyebrows at his older sibling. "Can it Salamander. We're just friends. Two good friends who have each other's backs." Lucy's snort caused both bickering boys to snap their attention to her. "Sure, so that headband you asked Lisanna to make in exchange for bootleg chocolate you've been making is just nothing either."

Gajeel's face mirrored that of a tomato as he pointed a finger at the blonde, raising his voice. "Her old one broke and she needed a new one! She has an important job as chief of medicine and tactician!" He crossed his arms over his chest as a stubborn child would. "Shrimp doesn't have time to sleep some nights, so I thought I'd help her out."

The soon to be mother laughed as she raised her hands in defeat. "Alright, I give Guy." Then her face went serious almost in an instant. "Just don't toy with her. I know she likes you back."

A yell came from outside the building, causing everyone to grab their nearest weapon and run outside. A redhead with a metal pipe was shoving the gathering crowd away as the whole started to gather. "SOMEBODY GET THE DOCTOR! NOW!" she yelled, keeping the crowd back.

From Natsu, Gajeel, and Lucy's place near the building, they could see Levy's blue hair bob to the front. As the people moved to give her room, the trio could see what happened. Simon, one of the redhead's squad, Erza's squad, was on the ground, twitching and shaking.

The whole camp went silent as the bluenette worked, checking everything. His head, eyes, arms, but when she came to his legs, she found it. A bite mark from an infected. Erza made eye contact with Levy and slowly and reluctantly nodded. When Levy got the okay, she stood up, undoing the holster on her hand gun. The camp went silent as the doctor raised her arm to aim.

Gajeel could see the woman mouth the prayer he heard her say when things as serious as this happened. The safety button click was the loudest anyone had heard, and at that final moment, Simon stopped moaning and uttered.

"I don't blame you."

BANG!

Some flinched, others cried. Many others just stared at the body as it fell limp to the dirt. Blood started to pool as it lay for a minute, no one brave enough to move it. After a second more, Levy stepped up and tried her best to lift Simon's corpse off the ground. But Simon was well built and much too heavy. So others like Laxus, Bixlow, and Elfman came up and lifted him away to be buried in their makeshift grave yard.

Levy still stood staring at the blood, shaking like a leaf at what she had to do. It was nothing new, but it hurt every time. The smell of death reached her now, choking the air with it's vile meaning and message of bad news. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't-.

"Let go of the gun, shrimp." The woman paused and looked up to see Gajeel trying to get the gun from her hand. Slowly, all her fingers went limp and her arms drooped to her sides. The man beside her flicked the safety on and put the gun back in it's home.

He then placed a rough hand in her hair, ruffling it with affection and comfort. They both stood in easy silence as the rest of the camp tucked themselves away to mourn, some hugging and leading the members of Erza's team away to be feed and cleaned up.

"Did it hurt?" Levy finally asked out loud. "When I fell from heaven?" Gajeel tried to joke, but went back to a stoic face when she turned her head up, her eyes clouded with untold emotions, voice cracking as a sob just about tore lose. "Did it hurt to lose Wendy?"

The topic always made the man freeze. His blood went cold as the memories of the news hit him full blast. When those damned soldiers left the people who were being killed by infected behind to save their own asses, he screamed and lashed out at everyone. He lost his way and just about murdered anyone who got within ten feet of him.

To say it hurt was like comparing a paper cut to a decapitation.

"It more then hurt...it scarred." He couldn't look her straight in the face, opting to stare at the blood before the pair. Did Wendy become an infected? Was she shot like a dog? Did she at least die peacefully like innocent girl she was? The answer must have been the worst outcome. It didn't matter how the government sugar coated it to those waiting for their wives and children on the other side, it bled deeper then any knife, buried further than any bullet could go.

Before Gajeel could continue to inwardly hate himself for what he had done, a small body clung to his midsection, trembling as they seemed to be crying. He looked down to see the small medic, hiding her sobs in his chest. All at once, he to felt like breaking down and letting lose his own tears he always held back.

But the person who had to bring the blanket of death every time someone fucked up had finally stopped acting like it was just life to kill another person. She never cried, not since he got to this camp. No one ever saw her as a crybaby or weak. They leaned on her as if she was a rock they could use whenever they couldn't stand.

But now, she wasn't just some stone to wail on, she was just like any other person. Levy was just a weak, feeling human. She didn't wish death or grief, yet it was her job to face it everyday.

So Gajeel swapped places as she sobbed her voice ragged, and protected her heart that she left defenseless on her sleeve.

This was his home now, the home he and Levy shared.