Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

"Ya okay back there, Shrimp?" Gajeel turned, holding the door open for his wobbling, waddling wife. He wished she'd let him help her a little bit, but she had already yelled at him twice. Maybe the third time was the charm! "C'mere," he stretched his hand out to take her waist.

Levy intercepted his hand with her mouth, chomping down on his fingers.

"G-GAHH!" Gajeel pulled his hand back, "YA LITTLE BEAST!"

"I'm pregnant, I'm not HELPLESS!" Levy insisted, even though she had a bit of a hard time walking through the door. Gajeel wouldn't tell her that he spent the entire morning widening it for her while Levy was out shopping with Lucy.

He didn't like that she insisted on these little shopping trips alone, but APPARENTLY he had bad taste and wasn't allowed to pick out anything more for the baby. This was after he'd artfully selected three tinsel-lined baby-bibs, a bright pink hat in the shape of a foot, and three solid metal baby suckers. He thought he'd done a good job buying gifts for his first little baby!

The doctor had yet to tell Levy that she wasn't allowed to walk, and as long as she had THAT freedom she insisted on being let alone at least once a week, to which he agreed as long as she was attended by at least three other guild members.

He didn't tell her that, sometimes, he stalked her. For protective purposes.

"What'd ya get this time?" Gajeel asked, puffing up her favorite chair. It was large, overstuffed, and completely dwarfed her body, but when she sank into it she felt relief and stress reduction every time!

"I got something for YOU, Gajeel!" Shrimp grinned, looking like a little devil.

"Eh!? Me!"

"That's right! It's in that bag," Levy plopped herself down and gestured to the purple one on the floor.

"What is it!?" he asked, grabbing the bag and tearing through it. "... EH!?" it looked like a big, pregnant belly! And it had STRAPS on it! "THE HELL IS THIS!?"

"Heehee, it's a pretend belly, Gajeel!" Levy asked, "I wanted you to know what it felt like to be pregnant. Put it on!"

"I AIN'T WEARIN' THIS!"

"Gajeel," Levy's eyes turned dark, "Put that on! Right now!"

"..."

"NOW!"

Pregnant women were terrifying! He took a cautious look around, closed all of the shades and curtains, then clumsily strapped it around himself.

"It's upside down!"

"THIS IS ALL YER GETTIN'!" he pointed an angry finger at her, but she just laughed. He looked absolutely ridiculous with a big baby belly strapped onto him like that! "Ehh, I did it, bu-"

"YOU CAN'T TAKE THAT OFF!" Levy insisted when he reached around to undo the straps. "I can't take this thing off, so YOU can't take that off, either!"

"How long do I hafta wear it!?"

"Hmmm... until I give birth!"

"EH!?"

"Haha! No," Levy smiled, struggling to get herself out of the chair, "You can wear itttt... until tomorrow. Okay? I'm going to take a nap now," she yawned into her hand, "Help me up the stairs?"

"Now ya want my help!?"

"Please...?"

"No!" he folded his arms, turning away from her. "Let me take this off!"

"I guess I can just... you know... go up the stairs myself..." Levy huffed, puffed, and grunted as she went up the first step, putting on a good show for him.

"Jeez, woman!" he scooped her up easily, even though it was awkward with his new 'belly,' "Yer so wobbly nowadays!"

"I know..." she smiled, tilting her head into his shoulder so he could put her to bed.

"M... mmhh..." Levy twitched in her sleep, slowly opening her eyes. The sun had changed so... she must have been asleep for a few hours... but she kept hearing bumps and crashes that woke her up...

With the help of a special iron walking stick that Gajeel made for her, she managed to pull herself up out of her bed and onto the floor, strolling across the room in her slippers and night dress. Yawning into her hand, she turned the corner and made her slow way down the stairs – it was easier to go down than it was to go up, after all. "Gajeel?" she asked, wondering what the commotion was, "Gajeel, I- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

"I'm ready, Gajeel," Lily – in his true form – nodded, wielding his fists and spreading his legs in a defensive stance.

"IRON DRAGON'S TUMMY-TACKLE!" Gajeel roared, ran forward, then thrust his baby belly into his cat, sending the latter reeling out the front door and into the courtyard beyond. "GIHIHHIHIH!"

"... G-... Ga-..."

"Eh? Oh! Shrimp!" he beamed, "This thing's great! I'm gonna bring it with me on all my missions!"

"TAKE IT OFF!"

"What!? I was just getting' used to it! Ya shoulda seen the one before, he went twice as far!"

"I SAID TAKE IT OFF!"