CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Alright, start the engine, let's see if it works."

Rogue turned the key, the engine successfully purring with life. By the hood, Gajeel sighed with relief and nodded. This car had been giving him a lot of trouble, but with Rogue's help, they finally found the issue this morning and were able to successfully replace the broken part. Now that was handled he could move onto more important jobs…

It was only three in the afternoon. Another hour of work (Sting was letting him off early) and he got to go see Levy. He was picking her up from practice and they were getting ready for a halloween party at Jellal's place. Apparently Erza thought their little circle was seriously lacking in holiday spirit for Halloween, and she took it upon herself to host the first ever annual Scarlet-Fernandes Costume Party. Yes, Jellal's name came second on purpose. Gajeel had no idea what in the hell he was supposed to do about it; he wasn't much of a costume guy. But when Levy asked what he was going to go as, and he replied with a blunt 'myself', her pout was just too precious… And he caved.

So now, Gajeel Redfox was going to be a pirate. And if he was going to do this thing, he was going to do it in style. No stupid plastic hat from the kids' section at the party store. Levy had helped him find a nice leather hat, as well as all his clothes. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a tiny bit excited… Not to mention, he couldn't wait to see Levy. She refused to tell him what she was going to be, insisting that it was a surprise. Now that made him even more excited.

If only the damn heartburn would go away, then he'd have a perfect day. A lot of his symptoms had mellowed over the last day or two. There was still a constant thrum of pain in his stomach, though lately it wasn't as bad, and fatigue was a never-ending battle. His guess was that he was just having a good week. Come next week, he would probably feel worse than he did before. All part of the fabulous cancer cycle. Some days were absolute shit, some weren't so bad. At least for the party, he was having a better day.

Gajeel moved over to his work station, reaching to the bag under the cart, and pulled out a water bottle and a bottle of pills. Porlyusica had given him these for heartburn, and he'd been popping 'em like candy. They did help a bit though, which was good. Now if he could stop the weight loss he'd be great. Fifteen pounds since his diagnosis was a lot… His face and arms felt too thin, and he knew Sting and Rogue had noticed. They were just too nice to say so.

Sting eyed him taking another pill, and he came over to hand Gajeel some paperwork for an order of parts. "How're you doing?"

Gajeel blinked. "Fine?"

Sting rolled his eyes. "Look, I know it's a forbidden subject, but I'm serious." Gajeel sighed, and Sting smiled. "We're just worried. You don't keep us in the loop with this thing, and you've been taking a lot more medicine lately, and… Well, you look like shit."

Like he didn't already know… Gajeel didn't talk about his cancer because he didn't want it to be his controlling factor. He wanted people to see him, not a cancer-ridden stud-faced freak. Just the stud-faced freak would do. The last thing he wanted was to open up to Sting and Rogue about what was going on with his battle with cancer and see that look on one of their faces. But he knew keeping them out of the know was probably harder on them than not knowing anything at all. They'd been with him from the beginning of this battle, and they barely knew anything about it. Other than he'd opted out of chemo, which they knew to be a decidedly fatal choice. Looks like he'd have to come clean about everything. It would be an awkward, difficult discussion, but he couldn't keep ignoring it.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know how much time I have." There it was, out in the open. Rogue had come to stand by Sting, and both were completely silent. The air was serious and still and painful. Gajeel hadn't talk to them about this before, on purpose. But he was finding that this conversation was harder than he'd initially expected. "New symptoms are showin' up all the time, my stomach hurts like hell constantly, and I'm always tired. I barely sleep, and now I have no appetite. And as if all that wasn't just a damn peach, I'm losing weight more and more."

Gajeel looked down at the pill bottle in his hands, turning it around and examining the label. Sting and Rogue looked at him curiously. He wouldn't tell them that his lungs were hurting almost as much as his stomach, that he tasted blood in his mouth when he had coughing fits. And he definitely wouldn't tell them that he overexerted himself carrying Levy to bed and threw up blood as soon as he got home. It would only make them worry more, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Gajeel was stunned when he'd seen the blood, a whole new wave of nausea taking over. Even if it was expected, throwing up blood was a shocking experience. It wasn't much, but there was enough to know that things were going downhill. Gajeel just laid on the bathroom floor after that, his mind reeling. Eventually he was able to pull himself off the floor and get into bed, but it was a rough night. And the next day was spent in bed.

He'd given Levy some bull excuse to keep her away for the day, and it worked for the most part. But she did drop by that night with some soup, which he tried to eat to appease her, despite feeling nauseous. He was supposed to have a bad cold, according to his excuse, so he had to pretend that the soup was just what he needed. In reality, with his non-existent appetite, food was the last thing he wanted.

Sting and Rogue exchanged glances, and it only solidified Gajeel's decision to keep this little detail to himself. Everyone knew what throwing up blood meant. He didn't need to spell it out for them.

"I know I look rough," Gajeel said, "but I'm still alive. I'm okay."

Sting's eyes widened. His face had fallen from gentle curiosity to devastation over the course of the conversation. "You don't look that bad—"

"Ya don't have to lie." Gajeel smirked and clapped Sting on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. "I appreciate it, but I've lost over twenty pounds in a year—I know I look like shit. Since my appetite dropped, my weight has plummeted, and I'm starting to lose weight fast." He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "But don't worry about me. I'm actually feelin' pretty good today. The pill I just took was for heartburn, nothin' serious."

That part actually wasn't a lie. Despite all the horrible things he'd been experiencing, today he was feeling okay, oddly enough.

But Sting didn't look convinced, and neither did Rogue.

Gajeel barked out a laugh. "Don't look so scared. Damn. Look, I'm fine. I feel pretty damn good today, considering I have this shitty disease." Gajeel set the water bottle back on his station. "Look, if I die, that's okay. It doesn't scare me. After everything I've done, I deserve it."

"No, you don't!" Sting almost yelled. Gajeel blinked—Sting never got angry, but he was furious. "Damn it, Gajeel, would you stop saying that? You don't deserve to die! Fight this, you idiot! There are other people who care about you. Don't be a selfish dick and think dying wouldn't affect any of us!" Sting growled and raked his fingers through his hair. "Damn it, you absolute idiot. Don't be that stupid!"

Rogue sighed and put a hand on Sting's arm. When Sting calmed down, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Look, we're just really worried about you."

Gajeel nodded slowly. This was like being a child all over again, getting scolded for his stupidity. "I'm sorry," he said, finally. "But I'm okay, I promise. I feel good today, maybe that means I'm somehow miraculously healing." Lyin' through your teeth again. "But I appreciate it. Sorry I scared you guys."

For a minute, Gajeel thought Sting was so angry he would just leave. But after a long, uncomfortable pause, Sting sighed and shook his head. "You just can't win with this guy." Rogue nodded in agreement, running his hand through his dark hair. Sting looked up at Gajeel, giving him a tense smile. "Look, just take it easy, okay? And tell us things! We need to know."

"Alright, alright. Don't get all soft on me." Gajeel crossed his arms, smirking. "I will."

The air cleared, finally, and Sting left to go back to his own work station. Those conversations were never easy. It was hard to tell someone that you were dying, that you were steadily getting worse. But they were right—they needed to know. It's not like they didn't know already. Even Levy was getting suspicious. She kept asking if he was sick or wasn't sleeping well. Granted, she didn't know him when he was super muscular and healthy, cancer-free. She'd met him when he'd already lost weight, so she didn't have a comparison. But she could still tell. Even Natsu and Gray were starting to ask questions.

Gajeel forced away any thoughts of cancer and death—today was supposed to be a good day, and damn it, he was going to have a good day. Muffled from its place in his pocket, he could hear his phone ringing. He pulled out the phone eagerly, seeing Levy's name on screen, and smiled. The perfect distraction.

"Hey shorty."

He could hear her sigh. "Hey Gajeel."

Gajeel frowned. She almost sounded…distressed. "Everything okay?"

"I think my car just died. It just…stopped." She laughed and then sighed again. "What should I do?"

"Where are you?"

There was a pause, presumably she was looking for a street sign or some landmark. "I'm across the street from the donut shop? The one near Blue Pegasus."

Gajeel nodded, already slipping into his jacket. "Just stay in your car, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Oh! You don't have to come here! I can call a taxi… I'd hate to pull you away from work. I was really just calling to see if it was going to be an easy fix."

He snorted. "Shrimp, I'm comin' to help you. I'll be there soon."

Ten minutes later, he was driving past Blue Pegasus. Sting's mood increased drastically when Gajeel told him that he was going to pick up Levy, the mystery girlfriend. Even Rogue perked up a bit. They'd been wanting to meet her for months, and even though Gajeel wished it was under better circumstances, looks like they were finally getting their chance.

Immediately following the donut shop she'd mentioned, Gajeel saw Levy's car parked on the opposite side of the road. He backed the small tow truck up to the front of the car and slid out of the seat, smirking when Levy got out of her car and flashed him a sheepish smile. She'd just come from rehearsal, still wearing her leotard and long leg warmers, but she had tights on underneath them for warmth, and a long coat. At least he didn't have to worry about her freezing in the bitter wind.

"Thanks, Gajeel," she said, apologetically. "I'm so sorry, I'm sure you were really busy…"

He waved her off and cupped her cheek, kissing her forehead. "I'm never too busy for you, shorty. So don't worry about it. I'm glad you called me."

Stepping over to the car, he popped the hood and looked at the interior. "So what happened?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I pulled off the side of the road to answer a phone call, and when I tried to start my car, it just wouldn't work."

Gajeel frowned. "That's weird."

After a few minutes assessment, he rigged the car up to the towing cables and readied her car for transport. Gajeel kept telling Sting that they needed to get a larger tow truck, a newer model, but Sting was oddly sentimental about the tiny truck with the towing system on the back. What had he called it—vintage? That was one way to put it. Ancient is what Gajeel would've chosen. This truck belonged to Sting's dad when he started the shop years before Sting's birth. Sting just couldn't get rid of the thing. It still worked though, so they couldn't complain too much.

Levy climbed into the truck and they took the ten minute trek to the shop. Gajeel backed the car through the open garage doors into his area of the workshop, and once he was parked and the car was successfully unhooked from the truck, Levy got out to accompany him. "I've never seen you at work before," she said, grinning.

Gajeel smirked at her. "Ain't much to see, shrimp."

"No! I think this is so cool."

Once again, that was something he'd never heard before. Since when were mechanics cool? Levy was always full of surprises. He smiled when she pulled her blue curls back with a headband and leaned forward to kiss her. "I like having you here at work."

She giggled and swatted at his chest. Suddenly a blonde man appeared, looking almost smug, and crossed his arms.

"Oh, Gajeel, I didn't know you were back."

Gajeel snorted. "Like hell…"

Sting gave him an unimpressed look and turned to Levy with a smile. "You must be our sweet little Gajeel's girlfriend."

The look Gajeel gave him was deadly. Levy giggled and nodded. "I'm Levy."

"Sting. This is Rogue." He motioned to Rogue, who poked his head out from behind the car he was working on and waved politely. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you!"

Sting grinned dangerously at Gajeel, who was already inspecting Levy's car. "I hope you know he talks about you all the time. Blushes like a little girl, too."

"Sting!"

"He really is just head over heels for you," Sting said, ignoring Gajeel, who was readying a wrench to crack his friend's skull with. "And we hear you're in ballet?"

Levy blushed and smiled. "I am. Which explains this crazy outfit, I'm sure…"

Finally, the jokes seemed to end, and Gajeel nearly sagged with relief. There's no telling what kind of crazy stories they had up their sleeve that they could've told her, but instead the guys were genuinely interested in learning about her. While Gajeel fixed up her car, and did a little interior cleaning to kill time, Sting and Rogue spent the time getting to know Levy. She told them about ballet and her college courses, and she in turn asked her own questions. Levy, apparently, was a huge hit with them. They seemed crazy about her.

"You need to meet Yukino."

Gajeel laughed. "Already setting up a double date?"

Sting grinned. "Of course." He turned to Levy with a smile. "It's been great meeting you, but Rogue and I have to get back to work."

Levy smiled, accepting the hand he offered her and waving at Rogue again. "It was good to meet you! I'd love to meet Yukino sometime!"

That seemed to please Sting to no end. After he and Rogue returned to their own work, Gajeel smirked and leaned against the hood of her car. "You just made their day."

She blinked. "I did?"

"Yeah." Gajeel rolled his eyes and threw the work rag he'd been holding into a bin nearby. "They've been up my ass to meet you for months."

Levy giggled, cheeks pink. "They're nice. I'm glad I got to meet them."

"They're alright. A couple of morons is more like it."

She laughed again, but when Gajeel was closing the hood of her car, giving it one last check over, he noticed that the smile she usually sported was dimmer than normal. It didn't reach her eyes. Something about her was off, and he didn't like it.

Gajeel bent over her, meeting her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Wha—" Levy stammered, backing up. His arm caught her around the waist, pulling her back to him. "N-Nothing's wrong…"

"Lev…"

Finally, she sighed. "I just don't know what to do. I'm confused… I'm really not enjoying ballet that much anymore," she said, quietly. "I love dancing. But lately… I don't know, lately I just don't enjoy dancing as a mandatory thing." She blinked and then slapped a palm against her forehead. "Oh, that doesn't make sense…"

He'd known it was getting hard for her. He could see that dancing wasn't something she'd enjoyed for quite a while now. Well, she enjoyed it. Levy loved dancing more than anything. But the pressure a professional track put on her was weighing her down. She was like a bird in a cage. She loved to fly, and yearned to spread her wings, but she was confined to staying in the same space, singing the same tune. She wanted to dance to her own rhythm, without the stress of scouts and competitions and hours and hours of practice. Levy just wanted to dance.

Gajeel chuckled. "I understand. Just don't think about it for now—you'll know what to do." She huffed, and he smiled. "You will. But you've been lookin' forward to Erza's party for weeks, so don't think about that now."

Levy sighed. "You're right."

"Damn right, I'm right. Now let's go, shrimp, we have to get ready." Gajeel smacked her on the rear, laughing when she squeaked. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "Sting!" The blonde man poked his head out from over his toolbox. Levy blinked. Was he smirking? "We're headin' out!"

Sting waved him off. "Don't stay out too late, kids! Gajeel, don't play too rough!"

"Screw you, Eucliffe!"

Sting laughed. "Oh-ho, the last name! I'm so frightened! What're you gonna—"

A loud thud echoed through the shop when Gajeel threw the spare steering wheel that hung on the wall by the door at Sting, hitting him square in the face. The blonde man plummeted to the ground, and Rogue poked his head out from underneath the car he'd been working on, amusement clear on his face. Sting lay on the floor, hand covering the soon-to-be bruise on his forehead.

"I think I'm bleeding."

Rogue sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I told you to stop messing with him…"

"Welcome! Come in!" Erza said, excitedly.

Gajeel's jaw hit the floor when the redhead opened the door. She stood proudly beside a rather suave looking Dracula-Jellal. Her hands were planted on her hips, and Jellal stood beside her smiling as he shook his head amusedly.

"What do you think of my costume?" she asked excitedly. "I visited ten stores in Magnolia, and then I found this—it's perfect. Warm enough for the cooler temperatures, modest coverage, but the zipper at the neck adds an air of mystery."

Levy giggled, Gajeel blinked.

"You're in a bunny suit," he said flatly.

Erza's head bobbed excitedly. Not just any bunny suit—an Easter bunny suit. The fluffy white suit was huge on her, covering every inch of her skin. The hood (helmet, really) had tall ears, sticking straight off her head. The only skin visible was on her face; even her hands were covered in mittens with little pink felt circles on her palms.

"Jellal thought it was wonderful."

Gajeel eyed him, and nearly fell over when the older man winked. That sneaky devil—he thought it was hilarious. Wonderful, my ass.

Jellal chuckled. "Whatever makes you happy, Erza."

"You're in…a bunny suit," Gajeel said, stunned.

Why was no one getting this? Levy giggled beside him, exclaiming how cute Erza looked, and in turn she went on about how adorable Levy looked. Levy really did look incredible… Gajeel didn't know what she was going as until she was ready to go to the party. She'd wanted to surprise him. A fairy was the last thing he expected, but it suited her more than any other costume could have. She was beautiful, adorable. Her white tutu and corset looked incredible with laced flats, and the sparkling wings made the glitter on her skin stand out.

"And Gajeel, I've never seen such a fearsome pirate."

Gajeel snorted and crossed his arms. "Damn straight."

It was all Levy's idea. She'd picked out the loose white shirt, insisting on leaving several buttons undone to reveal his chest, and black pants. The boots and leather pirate hat set over a maroon head scarf set the look. Gajeel couldn't lie…he looked awesome. He could handle being a pirate.

"Happy Halloween, you guys!"

At the sound of Lucy's voice, everyone turned around. Erza smiled, but then froze. Her eyes went wide and a fluffy bunny finger pointed at Lucy. "You— You—"

Jellal sighed. "Oh dear…"

"Oh, Erza! Looks like we're both bunnies!" Lucy said happily.

Erza was clearly not happy, she was distraught. Not only had she stolen Erza's clearly unique costume idea, she did it in a more…eye-catching way. While yes, they were both dressed as bunnies, Erza's approach was more family friendly. Lucy was closer to playboy. Black one piece, fishnet, stilettos. Classic sexy bunny.

"I should've taken that approach…" Erza frowned. She looked so pitiful and dejected—if her bunny ears were real, they would've drooped.

Jellal kissed her cheek. "I prefer your bunny suit, anyway."

"You're right," Erza said, finally. "Besides, mine is more modest."

Lucy balked, but Natsu, who was dressed as a dragon, threw his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and gave a thumbs up. "I like Lu's costume this way."

Gajeel snorted. "Of course you do."

They all followed Erza and Jellal inside the modern apartment. Most everyone else had arrived. Juvia and Cana were in the kitchen, pouring drinks and laughing about some inside joke—of course, Cana brought a huge beer keg. Freed was on the balcony, seemingly stargazing, and now with Gajeel, Levy, Lucy, and Natsu's arrival, they were only waiting on Mira and Laxus.

Levy and Erza made their way into the kitchen, and Gajeel joined the guys in the living room. Gray and Natsu were busy playing some card game, and Gajeel joined in with them while Jellal went outside to talk with Freed.

Nearly everyone was dressed up, and most of the costumes were pretty obvious. Juvia was a mermaid, Freed was a butler (though, he looked more like a waiter), Lucy and Erza were bunnies, Jellal was Dracula, and Natsu was a rather spirited red dragon… Then there was Gray and Cana. Gajeel quirked a brow, assessing Gray's interesting choice of clothing.

Gajeel smirked and sorted through his hand of cards. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"

"A snowman, you moron."

Natsu cackled, nearly falling off the couch. "A snowman? You think you actually look like a snowman?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Better than the lizard you dressed up as…"

"I already told you, freezer burn, I'm a dragon!"

Gajeel laughed. The insults got better and better… Gray really didn't look like a snowman, though. He had a bowtie and a black top hat, but other than that his outfit was his daily look—jeans and no shirt. Cana entered the room with a bowl of chips.

Gajeel scratched the studs on his chin thoughtfully. "You look more like a—"

"Stripper?" Cana supplied.

Gray's eyes widened, and he and Natsu both hit the floor laughing.

"Holy crap," Natsu wheezed. "You look like a Chippendales!"

"Juvia still loves your costume, Gray-sama!"

Gray shrugged. "See? Juvia likes it, so it doesn't matter—I'm still getting laid tonight." Gray looked over Cana and smirked. "And what are you supposed to be?"

Cana beamed, holding up her wine bottle. "I'm an alcoholic!"

There was an awkward, amused pause. From the kitchen, they heard giggling. Gajeel wondered when someone would address it—the elephant in the room. Natsu blinked, scratching the back of his head. "So, you're dressing as yourself?"

"Hell yeah, I am."

Levy, Juvia, and Lucy busied themselves with getting food brought into the living room while Erza and Cana worked on the drinks. Cana worked as a mixologist for a bar right off campus, and her drinks were always the best. Erza put her in charge of making a boozy punch. Cana tied half her hair up into a bun, the rest hanging free in loose waves, and set to work. Erza put several beers into an ice bucket and carried it into the living room. They had chips and dip, pizza, cheese sticks, possibly any appetizer you could imagine, and not to mention lots of candy. It was Halloween, after all. Just because you were an adult didn't mean you couldn't join in the fun. And the guys insisted on having ungodly amounts of food.

The doorbell rang, and Jellal greeted the final guests to arrive as they entered the apartment.

"Happy Halloween, you guys! Sorry we're a bit late!"

Erza's eyes sparkled as she turned to Mira. "Happy Halloween! Oh, you look lovely. A succubus is a good choice."

Mira giggled and spun. "Thank you! Laxus thought it would be a good costume for me, and while I disagree with his reasoning, I did think it would be fun!"

"I love it," Lucy said.

Levy nodded. "You look like some super hot demon!"

Mira smiled again. "Laxus said the same thing! You all look great, too!"

"Speaking of Laxus, where is he?"

Blue eyes filled with mirth as they shifted to Erza. Her silence seemed to catch the guys' attention, as they all looked to Mira. "He's a bit…embarrassed about his costume, I think. I thought it was perfect for him!"

"He actually dressed up?" Natsu grinned excitedly. "Holy crap, what is he? Where—"

Suddenly the front door burst open, and in walked a very disgruntled Laxus wearing nothing but a Pikachu onesie. Between the ridiculous costume (which was incredibly appropriate for Laxus), and his uncharacteristically reddened cheeks, it was more than the rest of the guys could handle. Gajeel, Gray, and Natsu were on the floor rolling with tears. Laxus was solid muscle, and he was one of the gruffest guys they knew—a soft, fuzzy onesie was just perfect. They'd never let him live this one down…

"Shut it," Laxus warned.

Of course, Natsu just couldn't hold it in. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, and finally he busted out laughing. "Oh! Ha— It's perfect!"

"I said," Laxus growled, "shut up."

Freed nearly blushed. "I think your costume is perfect." This only made the guys laugh harder.

Mira giggled and stepped up beside him, smoothing her hands over his biceps soothingly. "I think you look adorable."

He was ready to protest, but when she whispered something in his ear, the words died on his lips, and one glance at her costume had him smirking.

Eventually, everyone settled into a bizarre game of wine-induced charades. How the hell that happened, Gajeel would never know. Levy, being one of the few people in the room who was underage, was significantly less intoxicated, but still tipsy. She flitted around, adorably wobbly, when it was her turn to act. Unfortunately, no one was able to guess that she was an eagle, but Gajeel still thought she was precious. Two hours into the game, at one in the morning, Gajeel was way exhausted. His first cough wasn't that alarming, nor was the second or third. But the fourth and onward had Levy worrying.

"Are you alright?"

He coughed again, covering his mouth and nodding rapidly.

"Do you need some water?" Erza asked, concerned.

Finally, his fit of coughing subsided just long enough for him to ease Levy's concerns and excuse himself to go get his cough drops (not really) from his apartment. He was able to hold off his painful coughing just long enough to get in the hallway before it wrecked his body, pulling out all his energy. He didn't return to the party for another ten minutes, and when he did, Levy was upon him immediately.

Gajeel chuckled as he eased her worries, kissing her forehead softly and whispering something perverted in her ear. She blushed, a reaction he was searching for, but she knew his jokes were just a distraction. Gajeel could tell she was worried, that she was aware that he was just brushing her concerns aside. Levy was smart—she knew that he was lying about his coughing fit. But she also didn't know it was cancer. For all she knew, he just had a cold. And Gajeel was determined it would stay that way.

He scoffed at himself. Fucking coward.

Levy, thankfully, let it go, brushing the hair from his face and kissing his cheek. And then the party resumed. Late night bled into early morning seamlessly, and charades turned into monopoly, then poker. Gajeel had never had so much fun with people that weren't Levy before… And as strange and bizarre and surprisingly great as it was to admit, he was beginning to consider this band of freaks his friends.

When Cana eagerly suggested they make their innocent game of poker a game of strip poker, Gray jumping on board by ripping his jeans off, Gajeel decided it was time to pick up his very sleepy Levy and bow out for the night. Carrying her always made him tired. Hell, a ten pound dumbbell zapped all his energy, so carrying a human damn near killed him. But he didn't care. Enjoy every moment like it's your last, Porlyusica had once said. And he was.

Gajeel carried Levy down the hall, enjoying the warmth she emitted. His muscles were screaming at him, but the smell of her shampoo was soothing, the feel of her comforting.

He stepped into the elevator and Levy snuggled closer to his chest, pressing her face into his neck. Her warm breath fanned over his neck in soft puffs as she slept soundly in his arms the entire way to her complex. Cerulean, feather-soft curls tickled his chin, but he ignored it. When he moved into the elevator of her apartment building, pressing the button for her floor, she stirred.

"You din't hafta carry me home…" she mumbled.

Gajeel chuckled. "Go back to sleep, shrimp."

He thought she'd fallen asleep again, because her breathing evened out and she fell silent, but after a moment, she spoke up again. "Did you have fun?"

He blinked, stepped out of the elevator and moved over to her door. "I did, shorty." And surprisingly, it wasn't a lie. "Did you?"

"Lots."

Sleepily, she fished the key out of her purse (Gajeel refused to set her down for this) and handed it to her boyfriend. He shifted her in his arms a bit as he unlocked the door and carried her inside. Gently, he lay her down on the couch, pulling the soft blanket folded over the nearby chair over her. Gajeel smiled when her fingers found his, and he bent over to brush the curls from her face, kissing her forehead, then her temple. She was perfect—an angel. When she slept, she looked so peaceful and content. Her freckled skin was beautiful under the dim light filtering in through the blinds, and full lips formed into a pout when he pulled away.

He stole another kiss, pressing his lips to hers quickly, before retreating. He was exhausted. Staying up at a party until nearly four in the morning, combined with work before the party and carrying Levy home, did its toll. He'd be in bed the whole day, and he needed to get home now before the pain really kicked in and he was rendered immobile.

But it was worth it. Every second, every moment with his friends and Levy, was completely worth it.

"Gajeel."

He turned by the door, scarlet eyes scanning her face.

"I love you."

Gajeel smiled. Completely worth it. "I love you too, Lev. Sleep well."

A/N: So! A little bit of a lighter chapter after last week. I had so much fun with this one. There were some costumes that came to mind immediately (Laxus) and others that took some time. Shout out to my lovely sister for helping me choose their costumes!

Also, for those of you who don't understand the Chippendales reference. It's a performance group of men that strips! I thought it was a perfect analogy for Gray.

Have a wonderful day! See you all on Friday!