The smell of bacon and coffee, and possibly pancakes, nudged Gajeel awake. A pleasant way to wake up. He rolled over to find Levy's side of the bed cold and empty, which was unsurprising. She always had been an early bird. He groaned as he tried to push himself out of bed. This was always the hardest part. If he was still for too long, getting up was a real bitch. But once he was up and moving, he was usually okay. Just not for long periods of time. Gajeel scoffed and rolled his eyes as he sat up straighter. Fucking cancer.

His stomach grumbled uncharacteristically. Lack of appetite or not, the smell of coffee and bacon could make anyone want breakfast. It took him a minute to get out of bed. If he wasn't careful, he'd get lightheaded when he stood, so he had to take it in small steps. Rushing his movements was no longer an option. Once he made it into the bathroom, he was feeling a bit better and could move a little more normally. One look in the mirror had him groaning. His face felt so hollow… It wasn't too bad, but his cheeks were thinner, and compared to the muscled frame he used to have, he looked weak. He stepped onto the scale and sighed. Another pound down.

He took his round of medicine and injections and stashed the box of supplies back under the sink before leaving his room, but stepping into the living room, he stopped. Despite all the shit he was forced to go through on a day to day basis, he didn't know how he'd been so blessed.

Levy was on her yoga mat in front of the fire, stretching. Her hands were on the mat behind her, feet planted into the opposite end of the mat as she stretched her back, torso pressed high into the air. Gajeel noted that she looked like a upside-down U. But what made his heart beat faster was her laughter. Pantherlily had decided to "help" her with her yoga, standing on her belly and looking down at her curiously. Gajeel's face softened as she giggled.

This was what he wanted. This was everything he'd ever wanted, right here. Family. Love. Little moments that made him smile like a damn child. He wanted books on the floor and two plates to wash instead of one. He wanted blanket hogging and morning kisses and falling asleep to some old movie. He wanted Levy. And this moment, her doing yoga on a freezing December Saturday by the fire, so natural and calm… It was the most beautiful moment he could ask for. And if he didn't have cancer to worry about, if tomorrow was guaranteed, if he knew he wasn't going to die, this was exactly what he'd want his life to be like. Now and fifty years from now. Every day of his life.

Slowly, he moved over to the couch and slumped down onto the cushions, smiling despite the pain in his stomach and chest. "Morning, shorty."

She dipped her head back further, beaming at him upside down. "Good morning! I made you some breakfast."

He smiled and bent forward to kiss her cheek, standing slowly. Pantherlily hopped off her to rub his legs, and Gajeel picked him up. He was just content to sit and watch Levy, not even bothering to get breakfast. Her cerulean curls were pulled back by her usual headband, leaving her face bare and breathtaking. Everything about her was perfect.

After a few more minutes, she paused the music that had been playing softly from the radio and came to sit beside him on the couch, kissing his neck softly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Guess so." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "Did you?"

"I did! Well… I did." He raised a brow, and she smiled sheepishly. "Just nervous about the performance tonight."

He chuckled. "You've done this twice already, shrimp. You're gonna be great."

"I know, I know… I just…" She cast a glance at the floor, her fingers twisting her hair absently. "I don't know. I'm just overthinking things."

"You are," he agreed. "Relax, Lev. You'll do great. And if this isn't what you're meant to do, you'll know it."

She sighed. "I know. I'm just nervous. This next step after tonight is the real deal!"

He noticed how the cheer in her tone faltered when she said it.

Levy studied him quietly, watching as he yawned. The exhaustion was pulling him down. Dark circles framed his eyes, and his cheeks were too thin. She flashed him a forced smile. "I'm going to go fix you a plate. And a cup of coffee!"

He tried to argue. "Shrimp, I can—"

"Gajeel." He looked into her eyes and was left breathless from the pain in her gaze. It was like being slapped across the face. Levy smiled sadly. "You need to rest, and I don't mind."

There it was again. The elephant in the room. She knew he was sick, and he was aware that she knew. But just as much as she couldn't bring herself to ask, he couldn't bring himself to tell her. Silently, she hopped off the couch and disappeared into the connecting kitchen. Gajeel could hear plates clinking and coffee being poured, and a moment later she returned with breakfast and a massive smile. It was obvious what she was doing—dropping the subject.

"So," she said, sitting beside him and curling her legs underneath her, "I have rehearsal after lunch up until the performance tonight."

Gajeel took a sip from his coffee, nodding slowly. "Do you need me to take you?"

There was a shift in her expression he couldn't quite make out, but she faced him with a pained smile. "No, no. That's not necessary! I'll be there for the rest of the day, though, so you better not be late to the concert hall!"

He smirked. "Gotcha."

He ate his breakfast slowly. Levy had taken time to make bacon and eggs for him, and she added some fruit to his plate for good measure. He wasn't necessarily hungry, as his appetite had all but disappeared, but he managed to get some of it down. The coffee was what he most looked forward to. Nothing like caffeine to get you up and going in the morning.

"I really love this Christmas tree," she said suddenly.

Looking up at her, Gajeel followed her gaze to the corner of the room, where a small tree was perched on an end table. Levy had insisted they get a tree for his apartment as well, but since he wasn't overly festive, he agreed to a small tabletop tree. It was sparse, the branches thin and scraggly, and the top of the tree almost wilted under the weight of the small star. And they didn't have any small ornaments, so they used some extras from Levy's box of decor, which all but dwarfed the branches. Levy was starry-eyed looking at the tree, twisting cerulean curls in her fingers absently as she smiled. Gajeel just thought it looked stupid.

He smoothed his hand over his face, metal studs scraping his skin. "I don't see why," he said, chuckling. "It's ridiculous."

"It's perfect, though! Because we picked it out."

He looked over at her. The innocent smile…she was so beautiful. Gajeel set his plate down and cupped her jaw, pulling her close to press his lips to hers. He'd never get over this feeling. He could kiss her five thousand times a day and it still wouldn't be enough. Her squeak of surprise made him smirk, and he tugged at her arms until she took the hint and scooted forward.

He kissed her slowly, making sure she felt every bit of the love he had for her. When she pressed her palm to his chest, he pulled her into his lap, carefully. Fast and rough had been replaced with slow and drugging, as his body couldn't handle anything too strenuous. But this worked in his favor. Slower let him feel all of her, and taking his time allowed him to give her more. Neither of them were complaining.

Hours of lazy kisses and sensual promises melded together, time passing quicker than either of them wanted. Levy could've stayed like that forever, curled in his arms. And had she not had practice that afternoon, she would've stayed there all day and been perfectly happy. But one o'clock rolled around and she had to force herself to go get ready.

Gajeel watched her from the couch as she ran around getting things together. She had her usual ballet bag, and then a smaller bag for that evening. She'd stepped out of his room in her leggings and long-sleeved shirt that was a few sizes too big, hair pushed back with her favorite headband.

"You could skip, ya know."

She laughed. "I think Margaret would kill me…"

"Huh." Gajeel grunted, pushed himself to his feet and scowled darkly. "Yeah, well that bitch can go shove it up her—"

"Gajeel!"

"Well she can!"

Levy just shook her head exasperatedly. "You're hopeless."

Gajeel grinned and kissed her once, twice, then a third time. Gradually his kisses grew more heated, more intense, and when Levy tried to back away, his fingers wove into her hair, holding her still. "You love it." His voice was deep and husky, and it made her blush.

"You're still hopeless."

He laughed and let go of her, watching as she bent over to tie her shoe.

"Oh, I don't think I told you… My coaches are suggesting that I drop my minor. They think that ancient languages is a bit too difficult of a minor to be focusing on with my ballet career starting."

Gajeel frowned as he watched her pull on a jacket. "Do you want to?"

"Well, I mean they're right—"

"Levy." Gajeel brushed the hair from her eyes and kissed her forehead. "I'm not asking what your damn coaches think, shorty. Do you want to?"

She bit her lip. "No." And then she forced a smile that Gajeel could tell was fake. "But it's okay! I'll just study them in my free time. For fun."

He didn't know if studying constituted as fun, but whatever made her happy… He could see that she was heartbroken over the decision, and Gajeel was beginning to hate these coaches of hers more and more with each passing second. How much would they take from her before they were satisfied? Levy was the star of Magnolia, and one of the most sought after dancers in all of Fiore. Nearly a hundred scouts were attending her final performance next month, all eager to snatch up Levy McGarden. The company that won her won a rare talent. Why couldn't her coaches see how perfect she was? That was the problem. No one was perfect, but they were damn determined to make Levy that way.

"What are your plans for today?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Probably going to go to the park. Then I gotta get Lily some more food."

He wasn't going to tell her that the park was for exercise, because he couldn't physically go to the gym anymore. The most he could do was a speed-walk through the park. It was better than nothing.

"Oh! If you get some brownie mix, I'll make you some when we get home tonight," she said. "If you want. And only if you're good."

Smirking, he leaned close to her. "Have I ever been good?"

She gasped when he pinched her rear. "No," she breathed. "No, you haven't."

His strange laughter filled the air, and he kissed her neck softly. "You're damn straight."

"Oh, stop it." She giggled and pushed him away. "I'm going to be late!"

Gajeel grinned and pulled her closer. "Does it look like I care?"

"Well, you should. This is important, I can't be late!"

With great reluctance, he let her go, watching as she pulled a scarf around her neck. "It starts at five, right?"

She nodded an affirmative and turned to face him, hands on her hips. "I'm ready to go! Text me if you need anything, okay? Otherwise, I'll see you tonight!"

Levy gave him a quick kiss before running out the door, and Gajeel sighed. He didn't even want to go to the park; he really just wanted to sleep. But he refused to go down without a fight. A small squeak caught his attention, and he looked down to where Pantherlily was sitting beside his running shoes expectantly.

Gajeel laughed. "I'm going, I'm going."


Gajeel nearly collapsed into the velvet seat of the auditorium. The pain had gotten so much worse over the course of the day. After Levy left that morning for rehearsal, he went on a long walk in the park, which made him feel better at the time. When he wasn't moving, his brain was focusing too much on the pain. But the symptoms slapped him right in the face once he got home from the store. He'd taken nearly a two-hour nap when his phone alarm went off, and even then he only had an hour before Levy's performance.

Today had been one of the few times he was thankful that Erza knew about his cancer. She'd convinced Jellal to pick him up, too, making up an excuse that his truck broke down and he needed a ride. Gajeel was perfectly capable of driving, but Erza just wanted to watch out for him. And while he hated being coddled, having someone else know, and support him, wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Gajeel checked his watch as he waited on everyone else to arrive. The auditorium was filling up quickly, so it was a good thing they got there early to save seats. Despite having seen this performance twice already, their whole group of friends still insisted on coming. They'd already declared they'd be there for her solo performance for the scouts, too. Apparently this had become the new group hangout. The auditorium in the concert hall on the west side of campus. Oddly enough, it was a night they all looked forward to. Except maybe Levy…she didn't seem all that excited.

Gajeel grunted when a teenage girl in a tight-fitted pink massacre of a dress bumped the back of his seat. She didn't even apologize. Damn brats.

By the time the remainder of their party arrived, the lights were dimming and the beginning of the show was starting. Just as always, Levy was the angel of the production. Sheer perfection, a diamond amongst muddied gems. She had perfected the positions that her coaches had urged her to work on, she'd mastered her timing. And it was truly impressive. But in making every move perfect, she lost some of the passionate flare that made her dancing so special. And Gajeel could see clearly that while she looked incredible, she didn't shine like she usually did. She didn't look as happy.

But the audience would never notice. They cheered as always, giving her a standing ovation when the performance was done. The head of the ballet department even stepped up on stage to ask people to come to see Levy once more when she performed for professional scouts next month. And then he had everyone clap for her again. And by that point, poor Levy looked like she was ready to run for the hills. Something was definitely off.

Being a Thursday night, and with early morning classes for many people among their group the next morning, a celebratory dinner was postponed. And while they waited on Levy to come out and greet them in the lobby after the performance like normal, she never arrived. Nearly thirty minutes passed after the giant lobby had cleared, leaving them nearly alone.

"Gajeel, I hate to do this, but I have class early tomorrow, and I still have a paper to write," Mira said softly. "Can you tell Levy we're sorry we missed her? Tell her she did incredible!"

He nodded, and everyone else followed suit and left alongside Mira. Erza stopped long enough to ask if Gajeel was okay to get home, and when he gave her a flat look, she just laughed and looped her arm through Jellal's, leaving the lobby.

Gajeel found her sitting on the steps to the stage inside the auditorium, her cerulean hair like a beacon under the stage lighting. His gaze softened and he slowly made his way down the aisle to the stage. She'd seen him coming, but barely said a word.

"Why'd ya disappear on us, shrimp?"

Levy laughed, smiling sadly. "Sorry, I'm just thinking."

Gajeel winced at the pain, carefully lowering down beside Levy. It took more effort than necessary. Finally, he settled, resting his forearms on his knees as he craned his neck to look Levy in the eyes. He remained patient as she reached up to fiddle with his hair, gently tugging at the ends. His hair was to his hips now, and just as unruly as ever. Scarlet eyes met hers, and he could practically see the wheels turning.

"You know, I had to quit my job at the library," she said suddenly. "My coaches suggested that I devote more of my time to my career, so…"

Gajeel watched her, clenching his fists at his side. Damn coaches need their asses kicked. Levy wasn't putting up a front this time. She looked visibly defeated, and so tired. Had she been sleeping at all? Or was she too worried about her career to even close her eyes? The stress was getting to her, and she was quickly losing a mental battle. Stay and put on a happy face, or quit? Both options terrified her.

"Are you okay with that?"

Fleetingly, her eyes met his, and she gave him a sad smile. "Actually, I really miss it. I loved being around all the books and organizing the shelves. And when Midnight was in a good mood, he was actually pretty fun to work with. And I always got to keep the stock they were getting rid of that no one bought, so I always had new books." Her eyes glazed over with the fondness of a distant memory. "It was peaceful, and it made me happy… I liked it."

Gajeel took her hand, kissing her fingers. "Do you like to dance, Lev?"

She smiled. "Of course I do!"

It was a lie. The truth was, she didn't know anymore. She loved to dance, but she didn't. Her brain was a mess with confusion, and she'd been so tired and stressed lately she could barely think straight. Gajeel understood, but he didn't push her. Instead, he pulled her against his chest. "Don't think too hard. You'll know what to do when the time comes."

He was right. Levy knew she was probably just tired. But the nagging thoughts in the back of her mind brought a sinking feeling into her gut. If she wanted to do ballet, why was she so miserable? It was becoming obvious: maybe she didn't want this anymore.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home."

When they got back to Gajeel's apartment, Levy disappeared into the bedroom. She emerged wearing Gajeel's t-shirt, her hair pulled up in a loose bun. Gajeel just barely managed to change into some cotton pants and tie his hair back when he heard a muffled cry coming from the living room. He sighed when he went to find her, curled in on herself, laying on her side on a mound of blankets in front of the fire. Lily was licking the top of her head, as if he was trying to comfort her and didn't know how. All the stress and confusion over her career had been building up, and she just couldn't hold it in anymore.

Silently, he lowered to the floor. She didn't look up at him when he shifted her to lay beside her on the blankets, or when he pulled her into his arms. But she cried harder when he pressed his lips to her temple.

"It's okay, Lev," he murmured. "It's okay."


A/N: So, a bit of a different focus for this chapter. Poor Levy is having a rough time... Not exactly the happiest chapter, but I'll make it up to you on Friday! Next chapter is so much fun :) I'm really looking forward to it!

Thanks so much for reading, and as always, leave me a review and let me know what you think! Until next time!