Gajevy Week 2016

Prompt February 16th: Children/Parenthood

Disclaimer: The series and all its characters belong to Hiro Mashima. I'm just borrowing them.

This story can also be found on my tumblr: yalenewrites. tumblr. com

Please note that I'm German. Although I'd like to keep the illusion that my understanding of the English language is fairly well, reality keeps reminding me that my grammar is far from perfect.

„Children/Parenthood"

Levy leaned on the headrest of the couch before her and gazed at the sight granted to her at the other side of the book covered coffee table. Pantherlily sat beside her and peered in the same direction. They exchanged a short glance and grinned.

Right before them in the middle of the living room laid a playmat housing a little landscape consisting of wooden blocks and figurines.
Amidst all this sat a little child. A girl, to be precise. She was only three years old but it was already foreseeable that, when given time, she would look exactly like her mother. The only exception were her eyes. They were blood red, like those of her father. Together with her wild blue hair it was an interesting color combination.
The little one sat on aforementioned playmat and passed several wooden blocks to her co-worker, who was tasked to build a little fortress. And he did a really good job doing so, no matter how vehemently he would deny it in the future.

His bulking stature towered over the little girl, though he took the offered blocks with a gentleness you wouldn't believe this mountain of a man could possess.
Levy observed quietly from the other side of the couch. Gajeel hadn't noticed her and Lily watching, that's how focused he was on playing with his little girl. She talked with him, the picture of seriousness itself, and instructed him exactly where to place the things she gave him.

It was an adorable sight. Even their guildmates didn't know this side of the fearsome dragon slayer. He only allowed them to see the daddy dragon, who shielded his little girl from all bad influence and was ready to bite of the head of anyone who came near her with anything else but good intentions.
But this calm side of him, being playful and caring... Only his family was allowed to see this.

Levy felt the warmth that bubbled inside of her at the sight of her husband and child. She felt how she fell for him all over again. And he didn't even know what an adorable picture he offered his wife and partner. Said cat only grinned.
Lily thought that during the time of them being partners Gajeel made a tremendous development. Gone was the always grim looking man who could perceive the world only through the eyes of a fighter. Gone was his fundamental pessimistic view, gone his self-doubt.
They were replaced by a love the dragon slayer himself probably would have never expected to experience. A love for one little bookworm, which led to a marriage and a child. Lily was proud of him. How could he not?

But still he had to smile at the sight of the giant man with long, untamed black hair and countless piercings adorning his body, who sat on a playmat, playing with wooden blocks and talking to his three year old daughter. Lily swore to hold back the commentary burning on his tongue. He wanted to save it for a special occasion, a mission only the two of them took. Yeah, that would be the right time to ask Gajeel about his newfound joy for wooden toys.

Gajeel didn't notice his audience and their thoughts. He was highly focused on building a tower on the by now five floor high fortress. A weathercock was supposed to throne above it all. In the process of constructing the building he had to shed a lot of nerves which only a father fulfilling his little girls dream would be willing to do. But he had to admit, at least to himself, he even had a little bit of fun...