Never in her life could she ever imagine being intimidated by a bookshelf. Truly, books were her second love, and seeing a full bookcase meant that there was an adventure to go on. It might take days to go through a selection like this, maybe even weeks, but it was usually one that she loved and sometimes shared.
Yet, the theme of this particular bookshelf had Levy gulping nervously as she reached out, her finger brushing the crisp books before landing on one and pulling it free.
Welcome to Motherhood!
She licked her lips, then glanced furtively around her to see if Gajeel was around before cracking it open to peek inside. Cute and childish cartoons greeted her, yet did little to ease her as she flipped through, sighing as she clapped it shut. She scanned the selection again before reaching for another one, this time hugging it close before peeking at the cover.
Everything A New Mother Needs and More!
He hadn't questioned why she wanted to go to the bookstore; he'd stopped asking long ago when they started dating and began buying her books. He'd chuckle at the selection she'd pick out, sometimes teasing her if the title was risque. She'd blush and sputter at him, but nearly always had the last laugh when she discovered him reading all of them, especially the dirty ones. Of course, that lead to some rather heated nights of love making…
She wondered what he'd say when he saw her selection now. Unless there was some way to pay for them without him seeing her, there was no way he wasn't going to find out. And she could only ask Bisca so much, seeing as she was currently the only mother in Fairy Tail. Well, experienced mother, at least.
But Levy wasn't Bisca, and she couldn't remember much of her own mother to be confident in her skills to be one. And of course, she wanted to know everything there was to motherhood. Even the nasty bits she'd heard about; she wanted to be prepared for everything.
"Oi."
She jumped, barely keeping a strangled squeak in and whirling around to hide the books. She hadn't heard Gajeel creep up on her, she'd been so lost in thought.
"Didn't see ya in yer favorite place," he said, easily leaning his arm on the bookshelf. She peeked back over her shoulder, still hiding the books.
"Ah, I think I felt like reading some… new material," she offered lamely, laughing embarrassingly. And nearly kicked herself when his eyes shot to the books right in front of them. His easy smile slid a bit, and her heart leapt when he stood back to fully take in where they were.
"Ah."
"Yeah…"
They stood a while like that then, silence covering them like a heavy blanket. Then Gajeel sighed, crossing his arms before turning to her.
"So," he said, glancing down at her arms. "What'd you pick out?"
She blinked in surprise, then glanced down. She bit her lip, then offered the books to him as an answer. He took them gently, staring at them before flipping them over. She scrutinized his face as he opened one, taking his time to read the first few pages. She couldn't read half of the emotions that flashed over his face, but when he finally smiled, she wanted to melt right there. She started when he suddenly looked up at her, his eyes glistening.
"Hey, this is a good one, yeah?" he asked. Speechless, she shrugged as she shook her head, unable to deduce what he meant. He chuckled, then turned the open book to show her a picture of a mother cradling her baby, the father kissing the mother's temple.
"That's gonna be us, Lev," he said, his voice warm and full. She inhaled, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Her eyes swam with tears as he pulled it back, flipping through more pages with more excitement than she could ever imagine him having.
A future with you...
As the words tumbled through her mind, it finally clicked, and she reached to hug him, sniffling slightly as his free arm wrapped around her, squeezing gently. How had she been unable to comprehend it till now, that they both wanted the same? That she wasn't alone in this?
"Hey, y'think they got any books on being a dad?" he asked, and she glanced up at him, then to the bookshelf.
"There should be," she murmured, smiling gently up at him. "It is a pretty big bookstore after all."