It was so impossibly tiny in his large, scarred hands.
He stroked the soft cotton with his fingers, and for all his dragon instincts of "mine, nest, protect", Gajeel suddenly felt intensely human, and incredibly unprepared. A strangled cry fought it's way from somewhere deep in his chest, tears pricking hotly at his eyes. One stray tear worked its way down his cheek, and then Gajeel couldn't hold it in any longer, sobbing quietly as he buried his face in his hands.
He felt a soft touch on his knee, and blinking rapidly he found himself face to face with Lily.
"Gajeel?" the exceed had transformed into his battle form at the sound of Gajeel's cry, trying to keep his voice soft. "What is it?" Concern was etched on his features.
Gajeel swallowed heavily, trying to blink away the tears. With trembling hands, he picked up the suit and passed it to Lily. "I can't do this" He cringed at the sound of his voice, shaky with emotion. "Look how tiny it is".
Lily moved to sit next to him, fingers still clutching the onesie. "Yes, you can." Offering a reassuring smile, he continued. "You've been doing it. I'm serious, Gajeel. You're looking after Levy, you took Wendy under your wing, hell - you even helped Natsu!" he stopped at the snort from next to him, glad to see Gajeel's crying had stopped, even if his breath was still shaky, hands still trembling. He passed the suit back to the man. "You love Levy. And you already love this baby. Worrying just means you care. And for now, that's all you need to do. The rest will come naturally".
Reaching out an arm, Gajeel clasped Lily's shoulder. "Thanks, man. Keep reminding me of that, yeah?" Lily nodded in agreement, and the two of them set about folding the miniature clothing.
"You know, these clothes are incredibly small" Lily joked, holding up the smallest pair of socks either of them had ever seen.
Levy's voice rang out from the doorway "well, they don't come out full sized" waving a hand to indicate her point. "Just as well, or no one would ever have children!" Laughing softly, she entered the room, eyes taking in everything they'd accomplished while she slept. Smiling warmly to show her appreciation, she strode to the change table, busying herself with setting things how she wanted. That done, she settled into her rocking chair, content to watch her boys struggle with the folding, as the gentle rocking helped soothe the baby into a more comfortable position.
"Levy? Everything okay?"
"Mmm, this terror just won't sit still." she rubbed her hand over the spot where she'd just felt an especially hard kick.
Standing, Lily excused himself to go start their dinner, nodding at the dragon slayer on the floor as he left.
Gajeel crawled over the Levy's chair, smoothing both his hands over Levy's bump, smiling as he got a kick in response. "Come now little one, we talked about this. You gotta be nice to your ma!"
Levy sighed as the kicking settled down, slowing into gentle rolling movements.
"There, that's better, isn't it?" his hands rubbing small circles over the soft cotton shirt.
"Gajeel? Is everything alright?" Levy asked as she wound her small fingers through his thick hair, gently scratching at his scalp.
He practically purred at her ministrations. "Mmm, just had a moment. Thanks for wording Lily up" he pressed a kiss against her hip. "I'm better now"
"Good. You know you can talk to me, right?"
"I know. And I will from now on." He turned to smile up a her. "But right now, I think we should talk names. I know that the little one isn't fond of monster or terror", smirking as he felt a particularly forceful kick in response to the names.
Wincing, Levy nodded. "I guess not. Did you think of something today?" She smiled at him.
Gajeel returned her smile brightly. "Boy names first?"
"Uhh, well..." she looked away shyly.
Reaching up, Gajeel gently grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Well what?"
Huffing, her cheeks started to turn pink. "Well, Wendy was here this morning, and you know she knows the gender, and I promise I didn't ask her, and she didn't exactly say, but she kept referring to the baby as a her and I just have this feeling and I'm just really sorry Gajeel!"
"Levy! Breathe! I'm not mad. I noticed Wendy always talks about the baby in terms of her and she. I don't even think she knows she's doing it half the time. Besides, I sort of knew too"
"You WHAT?"
Wincing at her tone, Gajeel sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "You said you didn't want to know!"
"Well, not really. But I didn't think everyone else around me would know before I did!"
"I'm sorry, Shrimp. I didn't think of it like that" he rubbed her bump soothingly.
Huffing, she glared at him for a second longer, before slumping back in the chair. "Alright mister - start talking"
Sighing in relief, Gajeel's hand continued to rub gently against her belly, smiling slightly every time he felt a nudge. "Well, honestly, your scent is wrong for a boy. I don't know how Wendy knows - that girls crazy smart about some things - but that's how I know. The little one just smells like a girl".
"Guess it's a good thing I didn't bother with boy names, then?"
Gajeel just smiled at her, happy that she wasn't mad. Honestly, these mood swings were only new, and they were already exhausting.
They were interrupted then by Lily's call for dinner.
Later that night, Levy curled up on the armchair, Lily purring next to her, as she flicked through Gajeel's list of names.
"Gajeel?"
He looked up from his seat, hands stilling against the guitar he'd been quietly strumming. "Yeah?"
"Some of these are on my list too"
"We should pick from those then." Learning the guitar against his chair, he came to sit on the coffee table in front of her, taking the list from her and flicking to a new page. "Which ones?"
"Sora, Eleri, Zhaleh, Haruna, Aerona, Takara, Sayuri, Ren, Kyomi, Harumi, Amaya, and Emiko"
Gajeel made a note of each of them. "Uhh, Lev? This would be easier if I knew whose name she'd be taking?"
Levy snorted at him, followed by a burst of laughter. "Yours, you dummy!"
Gajeel just stared blankly at her.
Levy reached out and took his hand in hers, softly squeezing the large fingers. "Of course she'll be a Redfox." She hummed contentedly as she felt a gentle kick. "Well, she certainly likes it. Besides, could you imagine teaching her how to spell McGarden-Redfox?"
Gajeel leant across to kiss her gently. "How did I get so lucky?" he whispered against her lips.
Dropping the notebook onto the table, he gently scooped Levy into his arms, ignoring her protests, and carried her into their bedroom.
Carefully laying her down against the pillows, he kissed her deeply, delighting in the shivers that ran down her body.
Pulling back, he looked down at her.
Her blue curls were spread above her head, already tangling. Her cheeks were flushed, lips parted and swollen. His shirt had pulled up slightly, exposing the underside of her bump. Her shorts were tiny - Gajeel was pretty sure they were actually just underwear - exposing her pale, toned legs.
All in all, she was radiant, and Gajeel suddenly felt the primal urge to claim her for himself.
Levy sat up slightly, tugging the shirt off over her head, leaving her exposed beneath him. She saw his eyes darken as they raked down her form, taking in her newly developed breasts, with their darkening tips, stopping at her swollen belly.
His hands made their way to her hips, fingers catching in the waist of her shorts, and she lifted her hips so he could pull them away from her body.
Suddenly aware of her nakedness next to his clothed form, Levy started to curl in on herself. One of his large hands came up to cup her cheek, and she nuzzled against its warmth.
"Don't" his voice was thick with lust. "Don't hide. You're incredible."
She smiled at him, tugging gently on the hem of his shirt.
Gajeel stood, quickly stripping out of his clothes. Naked, he crawled atop her, resting his arms either side of her head, hips tilted slightly to avoid her belly.
"Gajeel? I don't think this is going to work any more" she sighed in annoyance.
Chuckling, he hooked his legs around hers and carefully rolled them, so that she was resting above him. Sliding up the bed, he got himself into a sitting position against the pillows, pulling her to sit astride his hips. "Better?" he growled into her ear.
Levy felt herself shudder at the sound of his voice, her core becoming impossibly wet. Raising herself slightly, she reached between them to guide him into her as she dropped onto him. When he was fully sheathed inside her, she leant over to gently nibble on his earlobe.
"Much better" she breathed against him as she started to roll her hips, gasping as she felt him move inside her.
"Jesus, Lev. You're so fucking wet!" he gasped against her shoulder, as his hips started to move against her.
Levy moaned, her hands tangling in his hair as her walls started to flutter around him.
"Oh, god. Don't stop" she whimpered as he thrust up into her.
In practically no time at all, she was clamped around him, head thrown back in bliss as she rode out her orgasm against him. Gajeel rocking gently into her throughout, trying to prolong her pleasure.
When she smiled at him, eyes still hazy, he thrust his hips sharply into her, delighting in the small squeal of pleasure she let out.
Damn, did he want to hear that noise again.
He repeated his actions, and was rewarded with a moan. He thrust again, harder, and Levy let out a breathy squeal. Gajeel settled his hands onto her hips, and set a blistering pace. He could feel his release rising inside him, but he was determined to get Levy there at the same time.
Snaking one hand down to where they were joined, he brushed his fingers softly against the small bundle nerves, smiling as he felt Levy jolt against him. Turning his head, he bit down - hard - on her shoulder. He felt her whole body tense in his arms, her walls clamping tightly around him, milking his release.
He roared against her then, vaguely aware that she was screaming in bliss.
With one last flick of his fingers, her sensitive body jumping at the touch, he helped her off his lap, laying her down on one of the pillows.
She hummed happily as he kissed her, before he leant over to grab the soft towel next to the bed, gently cleaning them both off.
Tossing the towel towards the laundry hamper, he pulled a sleepy Levy into his arms, curling around her protectively, one of his hands resting against her bump.
He kissed her neck, pulling the covers around them, before he nuzzled down, letting sleep claim him.