Merry Christmas everyone! I hope each one of you is enjoying some quality time with your families! So remember how I said this was only going to be a 13 chapter story? Well, my brain kept telling me to stop, but my fingers kept typing and typing away and so...Merry Christmas! 15 completed chapters plus an epilogue filled to the brim with fluff and family antics during Gajeel's very first Christmas! Please enjoy and have a very merry Christmas :D

Christmas Day

Sunlight filtered through the window and the room buzzed with activity, but Gajeel was content to stay tucked into his nice, warm bed. His mind was still groggy with sleep and his cheek still felt warm where Levy had hugged it.

A battle cry came from above his head and before he could crack an eye open to see what Natsu was up to this time, several small bodies launched onto his bed. They landed on his head and back, making him grunt as he was jostled fully awake.

"Merry Christmas!"

He glared at the pink-haired mage leaning over his forehead.

"Yes! We're the first ones to tell him!"

"Yeah!"

Max and Warren pounded each other on the back and Gajeel didn't have the heart to tell them that Levy already wished him Merry Christmas last night...er, earlier that morning.

"Rise and shine, buddy. You're the last one that needs to get dressed and we need to get downstairs before Droy eats all the pancakes."

With a mumbled apology, Gajeel slowly slid out of his warm bed and opened the trunk holding all of his clothes. He frowned at the dark colors, wishing he had thought to buy something brighter. Shaking his head, he grabbed his normal pants and the lightest grey shirt he could find.

"What're you doing, Big Guy?"

"Yeah, you can't wear those!"

"Huh?" Sleeping shirt already pulled to his neck, Gajeel looked down at his clothes selection. "But at least it's grey, not black-"

"But it's tradition. Pajamas on Christmas morning!"

Oh. Alright then.

He lowered his shirt back over his torso and spread his arms. "So this good?

Warning bells rang in his ears when he saw his roommates grin at one another, an evil gleam in their eyes.

"Not exactly," Laxus said from the end of the room.

Gajeel slowly turned to his sparring partner, seeing what looked like a sleeping shirt and pants dangling from his hands. The bright green fabric made it hard for his eyes to focus, but as he glanced around the room he realized that each one of the other mages wore the exact same thing.

Adopting what he hoped was a causal air, Gajeel stood to his full height and inched around the room. His roommates followed his every move.

"There's no way I'm wearin' that."

Laxus smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Rules are rules. And if I have to wear this monstrosity, then so do you."

With the words ringing ominously in his head, Gajeel did the only thing he could think of; he bolted for the door.

Levy's pancakes dropped from her fork when she jumped in her seat. The ceiling above them shook and trembled and even the master, clad in bright red and white striped pajamas with a matching hat, stared at the direction of the stairs.

The noise of what sounded like a full-blown battle rang throughout the guild hall. Shouts and screams drifted in the air, something crashing onto the floor and someone's shrill shout to "don't let him escape" and "hold him down" rang down the stairs. Levy looked to Cana and they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The only Fairies that were missing were the guys from Gajeel's room, and judging by the vein throbbing in the master's forehead, he had deduced the source of the noise as well.

Finally the cacophony stopped. Everyone held their breath, listening to the slow stomps coming downstairs. Several grunts later Natsu and Gray entered into view, both wearing smug smiles and holding something under an arm. They rounded the corner carefully, revealing more of the guys.

Elfman looked as if he wrestled Laxus for the last piece of pie, his white hair sticking out in all directions. A bright red mark marred the side of Laxus's face, making his lightning bolt scar stand out bright and bold against his pale skin. They too held something underneath their arms.

Lucy snorted, Cana sprayed her orange juice halfway across the room, and Levy choked on a laugh when she recognized Gajeel lifted in the air and spread between the four guys, each one holding one of his thrashing limbs in place. They marched triumphantly to the center of the room, her poor dragon spread between them like a poacher's kill. He certainly looked the part of a trussed up animal, with his red eyes blazing and his sharp teeth bared and growling.

They dropped him on the chair closest to her and Levy focused all of her attention on not bursting into laughter at the embarrassingly green pajamas that did nothing to hide the bright blush on his face. Gajeel crossed his arms and with a final glare to his roommates, who wisely fled to the opposite side of the room, slid down his chair as far as he could. Levy shoveled a bite of food into her mouth to hide her laughter.

He was positively sulking!

The master cleared his throat, his voice wobbling suspiciously and refusing to look at the angry Draak next to her. "Now that everyone is here...listen up, you brats! I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. You're the best family this old Fairy could ask for and it's been a pleasure being with you for yet another year." He sniffed and wiped an arm across his eyes. "Blasted dust in the air, making my eyes water. Ok, sappy stuff out of the way. Remember, dinner is at 5 o'clock sharp! Everyone get your individual presents out of the way before that, cause during dinner we're doing the group gifts! So finish your breakfast, stay safe, don't blow anything up Natsu-"

"Hey!"

"And get ready for family time at 5 o'clock! Now get going!"

The room erupted in cheers and everyone tucked into their food with gusto. Levy pushed an extra plate of pancakes over to Gajeel and drizzled an unhealthy amount of syrup over the golden mound.

Chairs scrapped and all of her friends sat down with them. She looked at each one fondly; Cana, Lucy, Natsu, and Gray. They had celebrated Christmas day together for as long as she could remember and they had no intention of breaking tradition anytime soon.

"Yes! With Metal Man with us this year we finally have an even number of guys on our team!" Natsu fist-bumped an overwhelmed looking Gajeel and shoved three entire pancakes into his mouth at once. Poor Gajeel looked horrified.

Lucy placed her elbow on the table, a sly smile on her face. "So does that mean when us girls beat you this time, you won't cry as much?"

Rolling her eyes at the usual banter, Levy brought out a notebook and pen. "Before we start fighting, why don't we write down at least the basics of what we want to do today. We have plenty of time, so let's make the most of it!"

"So Gajeel," Gray swallowed his bite of pancakes, "What sort of things did you do on Christmas?"

Levy twisted in her seat, eagerly waiting for Gajeel's answer, but stared at the way his hands shook. He was doing fine just a moment ago; what in Fiore happened?