::Fairy Tail and all its Characters are property of Hiro Mashima::

Two days before Christmas

Gajeel Redfox had fallen asleep on his couch.

The past days of preparations and odd things that had happened, had finally taken it's toll on him, and he had fallen asleep where he sat. His head and one arm leant on the back rest, the other arm in his lap, twitching slightly in his dreams. The mage snored once in a while.
Pantherlily looked at the man with a smirk on his lips. The feline had been aware how worn out his partner had been. So he had not advised him to go to bed.
The small exceed disappeared into the bedroom and emerged just moments later with a blanket. Unfolding his wings, he pushed himself in the air, and covered the mage. It had been cold the whole day, and the cat would be damned if his partner caught a cold, that close before Christmas.
When he had landed his dark eyes shifted jet again, to the gleaming and glittering Christmas tree. It was an intriguing sight to him. The tree stood there for several days now. And had been decorated for an equally long time. He certainly should be used to it by now.
It still caught his eyes in every minute of silence.
The lights were shining. Glimmering and holding his attention. The light made all the ornaments gleam and subtly changing the mood in the room. At least that was he had been told by the women in the guild. But damn him, he could not get over the shiny lights on this.
One day his senses would take their toll on him and he knew it. Gajeel had used them against him some time back. A humiliating experience, he did not want to go through again. Most of the time he tried to suppress them. Some of them were humiliating. And he was glad no one had noticed the thing with his hunting sense. It made him look like a child, and hurt his pride.
Again his eyes were captured by the glimmer of the lights on the ornaments. So much he even walked over without actually realising it.
The feline sat in front of the tree, watching the ornaments. Turning, moving. As if to invite him to play with them.
No.
NO.
He was a grown Exceed. He would not g and play with some stuff. He was not a child any more.
Hit long tail twitched while he observed he movements of the ornaments on the tree.
They moved here and there. Successfully capturing the cats gaze.
There was a snowman, not that far away from him, tauntingly turning on its string. If he just...
Slap.
Twirl, twirl, twirl.
Slap.
Twirl, twirl, twirl.
Slap.
Twirl, twirl, twirl.

It was going back and forth for some time now. The felines small paws gently slapping the snowman. The snowman twirling.
The exceeds tail swayed, twitched, curled with every time the small figure would move. PantherLily would never admit it, but seeing this small thing moving like this was fun.
Damn his senses.
At least Gajeel was asleep. He would not let him live down that one. Ever.
Slap.
Twirl twirl- smash.

Uoh.
The figurine had fallen down and now rolled over the ground. Reflecting the blinking lights of their tree on its surface.
Pantherlilys whole body turned, following the figure. He lowered his torso, his body readying itself to jump after the small ting.
Jump.
Filled with a strange kind of boast, he knew – in the normal working back of his head, that was muted right now – he was acting childish, and like on of those domesticated cats. But he could not help it. Now he lay on the ground, his tail twitching and curling, while he pushed the snowman figure back and forth between his paws.
At least Gajeel did not see him like this. It was humiliating.

Two days before Christmas Gajeel Redfox observed his partner playing with the Christmas ornaments and had a hard time keeping quiet to enjoy the sight.

:I headcanon that the Exceeds have cat like habits. The hunting sense being a rather strong one. So they are into this kind of playing. Lily is obviously not fond of it though. Hopefully Gajeel won't spill it.
Reviews are welcome, and make my stressfull preperations way more fun.::