Grinning, she pulled him to her and kissed him like her life depended on it.
Later, when they were kissed out, and their tears dried to be replaced with smiles that didn't seem like they were going anywhere, levy curled up against his chest to wait for pantherlily so they could share the news.
"I feel like I should be thanking you" she murmured to the dragon slayer that was currently tracing small circles on her belly.
"Me? Why?"
"Because, according to porlyusica, it's your magic the made this happen. Something about mating, strong magic, and fixing what was broken. I wasn't really listening, honestly. I was still in shock"
"well, it certainly explains why you've been so tired, why you smell different, and... " he trailed off, not sure how he should tell her about his dreams, if he should.
"And what, Gajeel?"
"Okay, don't get weird on me, right?" he took the slight nod as her agreement. "The past week, or so, I've been having dreams. About you" this was harder to admit than he thought, but her encouraging smile told him to go on. "about you, pregnant with my baby. What it would look like, seeing you holding our child."
"me too" came the tiny reply. "I just didn't want to say anything, didn't even think it was possible".
"I didn't care that it wasn't, but I sure am glad we were wrong!"
Levy had to smile at his absolute enthusiasm - it wiped away every single doubt she'd had, leaving her equally as excited.
Their grinning match was interrupted when a small black exceed flew in through the open kitchen window.
"Lily! Get in here!" Curious to see what Gajeel sounded so happy about, he floated into the room and landed gently in between Levy's legs.
"well, I see you two figured out whatever was going on earlier"
Levy, looking ready to burst out of her skin, nodded happily. Gajeel's face wasn't giving too much away, but the shit eating grin he wore told the exceed it was definitely good.
Gajeel shifted slightly, holding out a clenched first to his exceed friend. Reaching up, Gajeel dropped what seemed to be a stick of plastic into Lily's tiny paw.
Looking it over, he quickly realised what it meant, and launched himself at the now laughing couple to hug Levy in congratulations.
"Well, that explains everything!" he exclaimed, as small tears started to form in his eyes.
The couple laughed, before lily's tears set off a fresh round of happy crying from all of them.
Later that night, Gajeel picked up his tired mate, and their now sleeping cat, carrying them into the bedroom and settling them gently into the bed. He watched Levy carefully, so as not to disturb the snoring exceed, strip off her shorts and top, leaving her chest bare to him. Quickly, he shucked his own clothes, climbing naked into the bed next to her. Pulling her to lay against his chest, she hummed contentedly as his fingers stroked her back.
"Mmm. Tell me again about how dragons mate for life"
Chuckling against her hair, Gajeel smiled. "Sure you want to hear about that again?". When she didn't respond, opting instead to curl closer into him, he started to softly talk. "When a dragon mates, it's for life. The bond can't be broken, not even by death. They lay claim on each other, protect each other fiercely. After they're mated, they can even perform a bond ceremony, marking the other as their own. That way, all the other dragons know that they're mated, and it helps them share memories and feelings" he stopped as he felt a squeeze around his waist.
"Will you mark me?" she asked sleepily.
Usually, the answer is no, giving her the chance to leave in the future, to change her mind. But now, he wasn't so sure.
"Mmm, not sure, Shrimp. Talk about it tomorrow". Kissing her hair, he fell asleep happily dreaming about the future.
Waking up, Gajeel groaned at the sunlight hitting him in the eyes, reaching for Levy to snuggle back down with. When his fingers found nothing but cold sheets, he frowned. Shaking last night's dreams from his head, his ears picked up the sound of levy being sick in the bathroom.
Everything came crashing back to him, and the smile he wore last night plastered itself back on his face.
Stretching, he stood. Finding last night's boxers, he threw them on, going to fetch her a glass of water. When he came back though, she was still at it. Frowning, he knocked on the door.
"Levy? You okay?"
When more retching was the only answer he got, he opened the door.
"Shrimp?" setting the glass down on the counter, he wet a face washer with some cold water, moving to hold her hair back and putting the cold compress in easy reach. Rubbing her back gently, he waited for her to stop. When she sat back and smiled weakly, he put the wash cloth against her sweaty forehead and helped her sit up.
"I feel awful" she pouted
"you look awful" he teased he, trying to keep the mood light, which earned him a feeble smack on the arm.
She stood, shakily, and moved to brush her teeth, getting the disgusting taste out. Gajeel hovered, in case she needed anything, because she didn't look like she could so much as manage to walk on her own.
"Stop hovering. I'm pregnant, not dying!" She moved to bat him away, but instead closed her hand around his forearm, positively grinning at him. "That feels weird to say".
Shaking his head at her instantaneous mood change, he smirked "try saying 'we're having a baby'. That sounds really odd".
"Gajeel? You'll be a dad!" and she dissolved into a fit of laughter.
Huffing, he pulled her shaking torso against his chest, and leaned down to whisper in her ear "Yeh? We'll, you're gonna be a mommy".
Levy stopped suddenly, a blank look on her face. Dropping a hand to her belly, she let out a whisper. "oh! I didn't think of it like that!" She suddenly looked very nervous, and started to chew on her bottom lip.
Grasping her chin between a thumb and forefinger, Gajeel lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. "you're going to be the best mom any child could have". When her eyes brightened, and a small smile tugged at her lips, he shrugged nonchalantly "and if we screw it up, we'll just have another one!". That did the trick, and they both laughed softly, until Levy's stomach interrupted.
"Breakfast?"
"Breakfast."
After dressing quickly, they walked hand in hand into the kitchen, to find Lily putting the last plate of food on the table.
"Lily! You're the best!" Levy grabbed the exceed into a tight hug.
"Not necessary - I read somewhere that sometimes the best way to assuage morning sickness is never have an empty stomach" finally free from levy's grasp, Lily took some deep breaths - that girl could really squeeze the air out of him.
"So we just have to feed you all the time? Easy!" Gajeel flopped into his chair and started eating.
"But there's all these things I'm not allowed to eat!" Levy had sped read through the book porlyusica had given her yesterday at Lucy's, opting to leave it behind in case Gajeel saw before she'd told him. "And I have to eat all these other things, and not use too much magic. Growing a baby seems hard!"
"Well, as long as you're not sick all the time, we can figure the rest out together. Now eat!" Gajeel pointed a look at her that made it obvious that wasn't a request. Snapping a mock salute, levy dug in, suddenly aware of just how hungry she was. She even reached for some of the bacon on the table, earning her a matching pair of raised eyebrows.
She just shrugged them off. "Apparently the baby's not a vegetarian".
After a few minutes of comfortable quiet, Lily broke the silence. "So Levy, when is the baby expected?"
Finishing her mouthful, Levy thought for a moment. "well, Porlyusica thinks I'm about 10 weeks, so in just over 6 months time"
"Plenty of time to get everything organised". The exceed was already thinking about everything they would need to accomplish before then. Glancing at Gajeel, he could see a similar thought process happening.
"I wanted to go see Lucy today. Want to come Gajeel?"
Gajeel couldn't help but pout. "Not really. My plans was to keep you in bed all day. Didn't you just see her yesterday?"
"Mmm, but she promised she'd have the next chapter done for me to read!"
"Alright Shrimp, how about we walk you? Might as well go into the guild. See if I can't beat some sense into Salamander for bunny girl" After everything she'd told him the night before, he wanted to make sure Natsu and Lucy didn't unexpectedly find themselves in the same situation. A little hypocritical, sure, but he had few years on the younger dragon slayer, and their relationships were vastly different.
Grabbing Levy's outstretched hand, he let her pull him to his feet.
"You - tidy up. I'll be back in a second" reaching up to quickly kiss his cheek, she grabbing Lily in one arm and skipped out of the room.
Closing the door to the bedroom behind her, she sat on the bed and fixed Lily squarely in her sights. "Can you do something for me Lil?" He nodded slightly, and tilted his head to show he was listening. She started quietly, making sure the dragon slayer in the other room couldn't hear. "Gajeel's going to freak out. I don't know when, but he will. And I need you to keep him calm, talk sense into him when that happens".
Placing his small paw on her hands, he looked directly into her eyes "I promise. It won't be easy, but we'll make him see his fears are unfounded. I'm already certain you'll both be wonderful parents".
Picking him up for a cuddle, Levy breathed into the soft fur behind his ears. "Thanks Lily. You really are the best". Picking up her bag, she settled the exceed to sit on her shoulder, tail wrapped delicately around her neck, she opened the door and skipped into the kitchen like nothing had happened.
Gajeel looked up from the table, smiling as they entered the room. He'd heard everything she'd said, even though he tried not to eavesdrop, and was both touched that she'd thought to prepare his best friend, and shocked that she'd come to know him so well.
"Ready, Shrimp?"
She smiled and took his offered hand. Together, the little family left the cottage.
At Lucy's
"Well? Did you tell him? How did you do it? What did he say?" Lucy couldn't contain her excitement, firing a hundred questions at once at the bluenette currently sitting opposite her.
Looking into the steaming mug of tea in her lap, Levy couldn't help but smile at her friends enthusiasm.
"Slow down Lu! One question at a time!" She couldn't help but giggle at the blonde, who was almost bouncing in her seat. "Yes, I told him"
"And? C'mon Lev - details! Or so help me, I won't let you read any more of my novel!"
"You wouldn't!" But the look on Lucy's face was enough to convince her otherwise. "Alright! I waited until after dinner. I made him close his eyes, and I put the test in his hands. You should have seen his face when he opened his eyes Lu! He kept looking back and forward between me and the test!"
"And? What did he say?"
"You cannot repeat a word of this to anyone - not even Natsu. If you do, I'm going to tell Erza about the time you and Natsu ate her cake. Now, promise?" Terrified at the thought of Erza's rage, the blonde nodded rapidly.
Voice going soft, a tender smile settled on Levy's face. "Lu, you should have seen it. He was so happy. I've never seen him smile like that before. And he cried!"
Squealing, her tea forgotten on the table, Lucy lunged towards her best friend and clasped their hands together. "I knew he was a softy! See, I told you not to worry. Sure, it's not the way most people would do things, but you and Gajeel aren't most people. You do things however and whenever you want. And honestly, this" she paused to wave a hand in the general direction of Levy's stomach "is almost miraculous!"
Levy couldn't help but smile back at her friend, she always knew how to keep things in perspective. "Now, I maybe got really excited after you left yesterday, but I can't help it! So, consider this your very first baby present!" With that, Lucy pulled out a gift bag from behind the couch, handing it over to a very shocked bluenette. Peeking inside, Levy could see it was full of books about pregnancy, birth, and parenting. "Hopefully we won't have to keep annoying Porlyusica now! My head still hurts" she absent mindedly rubbed the spot where she'd copped the broom the day before.
Laughing, Levy pulled the blonde into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, Lu! You're amazing!"
Pulling the books out, the pair set about learning everything they'd need to get, and what to expect over the coming months.
Meanwhile, at the guild hall...
"Oi! Flame brains! Watch it!" Gajeel had barely made it through the guilds front door when he was nearly crashed into by a whirling ball of flame and pink hair.
Picking himself out of the wall, Natsu just shrugged. "Stay out of my way, metal head!"
Grabbing the young dragon slayer by his ever present scarf, Gajeel fixed the flailing boy with a glare that would have turned lesser men into stone. "Do that again, and you and me are going well have a little talk". Natsu just grinned in his childish way, before Gajeel threw him back into the brawl he'd come flying out of.
Making his way easily through the hall, he stopped to pick up a steaming mug of coffee from Mira, ducking out of her reach as he swiped a muffin off the counter, and made his way to the second level, hoping for some peace amongst the insanity that was fairy tail.
Dropping into a seat at one of the unoccupied tables, he nodded in greeting to the blonde haired man sitting two places over. Laxus raised his mug in response, turning back to keep an eye on the disaster zone down stairs.
Quickly devouring the muffin - because damn, that girl could cook - he too set to watching the antics of the younger members. His thoughts trailing off, he began to wonder what magic his baby would have. He wanted to bet it would be his - even at this early stage, it wasn't hard to see Levy was already craving iron rich foods. He wondered what it would look like, and hoped it would be all Levy - big wide eyes, curling blue hair, her easy smile...
He was brought out of his musings by a loud scraping and a gentle thud opposite. Looking up, he saw Laxus had come over, and was eyeing him carefully.
"Sorry, I don't go for blondes"
Lips curling into a smirk, Laxus watched the other slayer carefully. "Well, I don't do piercings. Seems Levy sure does though".
Gajeel tensed at the mention of her name, then forced himself to relax, lest he give anyone ideas about what was new between them. He waved his hand dismissively, hoping that the action was nonchalant enough to counter for his obvious tension.
Laxus just stared, mouth moving into a genuine smile. "Huh, guess it is true. Congrats, man!"
Now it was Gajeel's turn to start, mouth hanging agape. "What? How? No. How did you?" he couldn't seem to form enough of a sentence to deny what was happening.
Shrugging, Laxus reached across to clap him on the shoulder. "You smell odd. Really odd, actually. Like pheromones, Levy, and something entirely new. Also, you never tense up when I mentioned her before. Might want to work on that".
"How'd you figure it out?"
"Easy. I heard Lily talking to Bisca earlier, said Levy was sick. Pretty sure no one else round here is smart enough to figure it out though. I won't say anything".
"Thanks man, appreciate it".
"Although, you've got a bigger problem"
"Mmm?"
Laxus just pointed down to the bar, where a snowy haired girl was looking up at them intently.
Dropping his head onto the table, Gajeel groaned. "Well, fuck".
Chuckling, Laxus stood. "Good luck with that one". And then he was off, walking towards the S class job board.
Groaning again, Gajeel stood. No time like the present. He made his way downstairs, avoiding the eyes of Mira, who was starting at him intently, and quickly located the boy he was after.
Striding up behind him, he grabbed the back of the scaly scarf and yanked. He took delight in the shocked spluttering coming from behind him as he dragged the pinkette, growling low enough that only Natsu could hear him "we're going to have a little chat". Natsu stopped struggling then, stilled by the seriousness of his tone, and let himself be dragged out onto the training field. Glancing around to check it was deserted, Gajeel dropped the younger slayer and stood facing him.
"What the hell, bolt brain?! That was not funny!"
"Pfft, was to me. Now shut up and pay attention, cause I'm only gonna tell you once. Be careful with Lucy"
Natsu paled visibly, his mouth opening and closing silently.
"I don't care what you're doing, or who with, but unless you want a swarm of baby Natsu's running around, be careful. Your magic is so strong, it burns through birth control. So figure out something. Condoms, potions, enchantments, I don't care. But if you knock up that girl, I will pull you apart limb from limb".
Natsu had the good sense to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his head while he looked anywhere but at Gajeel. "Uhh, Gajeel? How do you know this?"
Blowing out a sigh, and dropping the scary act, Gajeel shrugged. "The Shrimp's smart. And Porlyusica told me, obviously".
"Oh, okay. Uhh, thanks? I guess. I'm going to go ask Wendy some stuff" and with that he was off, tripping over his own feet in his rush to get away from the older dragon slayer.
Gajeel chuckled softly to himself as he watched him go, interrupted by small weight landing on his head. "Hey Lily."
"Gajeel"
"We should start on the house soon"
"Agreed. Which is why I already spoke to Laki. I told her we need another room for all Levy's books."
"Smart. What did she say?"
They were interrupted by a bright voice. "No time like the present! Lead the way, boys". The young mage stopped in front of them, her ponytail swaying gently in the slight breeze. Lily leapt nimbly off his current perch, and landed gently on her shoulder, purring as she scratched under his chin. For all his arguments about not being a house cat, he sure acted like one some times. Grunting in response, Gajeel set off towards home, assuming the pair behind him were following.
A few hours later, with two new rooms added (Laki has insisted that they didn't know exactly how many books Levy had) the trio stood back, admiring their work.
"I'd best be getting back. Someone has to keep an eye on Cana"
"Yeah, Mira would not be happy if she drank the whole cellar in a day. Thanks for all your help, Laki"
Stunned by the rare display of emotion from Gajeel, she just smiled up at him. "No problem! But I demand to be the first to know what you're really up to!" With that, she skipped off back in the direction of the guild hall.
"Alright, I'll go get Levy".
"Very well. I'll tidy up the mess we seem to have made" Nodding at the dragon slayer, Lily unfurled his wings and floated back into the house.
Gajeel stretched his arms over his head, and set off down the path into town.