A smudge of pink registered in Levy's peripheral, drawing her keen attention away from the shelf lined with neatly organized books to scan the maze of towering bookshelves from her perch atop a ladder.
Scattered muted chatter of the other library patrons echoed off the intricately carved ornate bookcases, the atmosphere one of easy solitude.
Gently nudging a text book back into its rightful place next to its older more decrepit brethren, Levy's forehead puckered in confusion as she continued her search for that pink from before.
Sticking out like a sore thumb among the library interior's color palette of gentle seaside hues, was one Natsu Dragneel.
Natsu stood across the spacious rectangular room in front of a shelf of books, scanning their leather backs and the information they displayed with reserved interest.
"Levy, are you alright?" Pantherlily's concerned voice came hushed yet anxious, the black exceed now comfortably hovering in place next to her.
Sure to keep her weight properly dispersed atop the ladder, Levy hummed distantly, "I-i'm fine. Could you help me get down sweetie?"
With a dutiful nod, the feline gently slid his paws under Levy's arms and lifted, still meandering in the air as if her weight didn't register with Pantherlily at all.
Slowly falling back to solid ground, Pantherlily only let go once Levy had steadied herself.
Circling her, the warrior exceed voiced his worries, "Is the kid bothering you?"
"No Pantherlily, that won't happen for a few more months." Levy laughed softly, giving the space between his ears an appreciative affectionate scratch,
"I already have Gajeel babying me, I don't need the only sense of reason I have around doing it too."
Tail curling nervously, Pantherlily placed his paw against her hand, "Can you really blame me? You humans and your reproduction cycle is beyond inefficient, and I don't have any experience with it. I'm doing what I feel is necessary."
"And that's very kind of you, but I'm not helpless… yet." Levy commented, lips upturned with mirth as she bent over to retrieve the small stack of collected books that sat next to the ladder.
"Do you really want to help?"
Whiskers twitching, Pantherlily gave a serious 'yes'.
"Then can you look over there and make sure I'm not going crazy. Is that really Natsu?"
Swiveling in mid air, feathery angelic wings shifting upon his back, Pantherlily was taken aback by the familiar sight and magic signature.
Rubbing his eyes a few times for confirmation he wasn't dreaming, Pantherlily muttered, "Huh, what do you know? It is him."
"What on Earthland is he doing in the library of all places?" Levy asked, confusion scattering thoughts like the seeds of a flower during a strong wind.
Pantherlily landed on her petite shoulder, wings disappearing into nothingness with a flash of dim light, "Can't you see? Natsu is reading."
"I want you to say that to yourself, but slower." she remarked with a sly smile.
Pantherlily frowned, "He is a lot more intelligent than you give him credit for."
Levy backpedaled a bit, "I love the guy, but come on, this is Natsu we are talking about."
"Have you ever actually talked with him?" he challenged sternly, "And I mean sat down with him, and just talked? Have you ever asked how he was doing? What his hobbies are? Anything?"
Levy lowered her head and stuttered, "W-well, no. Not really. I mostly hear about him from Lucy and the other girls."
"You mean the ones that talk about him behind his back?" Pantherlily elaborated scathingly, folding his paws over his chest.
"I'm genuinely shocked that you have merely accepted the gossip about Natsu as truth."
"Okay, I get it, I'm a horrible person!" she hissed softly, ears burning red, "Can you get to the point!?"
The magical feline sighed, "I'm not trying to say you or any of the other girls are 'horrible people' for doing what people do. But don't you think you can give him some ounce of credit? Lord knows he needs it."
Levy relaxed, although still shuffled in place as the gears in her head resumed their tireless turning.
She was someone who valued truth and logic, tides of emotion having soaked Levy her entire life. But she could always escape, dry herself off with the knowledge and stories of books.
Yet despite that, she had still engaged in the countless gossip sessions between the girls of the guild, far too many of them talking about which male would make a good romantic partner.
The consensus was that Natsu had a good heart and was plenty strong, but he was too wild and annoying to be a good fit for anyone except those patient enough to put up with him, which was Lucy.
They must have had that talk a thousand times.
"Alright, what am I missing about him then?" she murmured begrudgingly.
Thoughtfully, he proposed, "What is the first word that comes to mind when you think about Natsu?"
"Warrior."
"Good, good." he nodded in approval, "Now, why that word specifically? Why is he the epitome of the term?"
Resting a hand on her hip, she gestured to the unaware Natsu, "Well look at him, everything about his appearance tells me he has been through more battles than almost anyone else in the guild, barring Gildarts and Makarov."
"There is it." Pantherlily alerted her that she had reached the end of his obstacle course of pondering. "Natsu is very experienced, and with that comes skill."
"How does talent relate to intelligence?"
"Ah, ah, ah, Natsu is not talented." Pantherlily clarified as he wagged his finger
"Natsu is skilled, not talented. Mirajane, Erza, Laxus, they are talented. Their abilities come to them naturally." Pantherlily formulated, "Natsu may have more teachability than others, but by and large, he has fought tooth and nail for his power."
"Now, I'm not saying the S class mages didn't work incredibly hard to get where they are, but they stop improving during times of peace. Natsu does not."
Levy shifted her grip on her books, "Ok, point made. But right now all I am getting is correlation, not causation."
"Natsu is a master hand to hand combatant. To be a master of something as sacred and honorable as the martial arts, once must be patient, perceptive, and intuitive." Pantherlily explained calmly, throwing a faux straight punch as demonstration.
"Like that time during the Grand Magic Games when he fought Sting and Rogue?" quick as ever, Levy further interpolated the point, "He had figured out everything about their fighting style after just a brief scuffle."
"Precisely." he confirmed with approval, "There is much more factors and variables in a fight than you realize Levy, which may be because your combat experience is relatively limited."
She huffed, shooting back with miffed hushness, "Quit the lip mister, I get the point already. He's smarter than we give him credit for."
He grinned in delight, "Glad we cleared that up." he gently patted the back of her head,
"Hey, look on the bright side, you admitted you were wrong and changed accordingly, that's a true show of character."
Easing, Levy's puckered forehead flattened as she returned the gesture, nuzzling her cheek against his before crooning appreciatively.
"Still begs the question though, why haven't we seen him in a while?"
Pantherlily's seasoned scrutinization kicked in, pulling him away from the affectionate touches of Levy to inspect Natsu up and down.
He instantly caught lulled exhausted tension that made Natsu's shoulders slack.
Remembrance sparked in the back of his mind as he recalled what very little he had been told by Gajeel about Natsu's situation.
Unfolding the glasses tucked into her collar, Levy slipped them on, "You know where he has been?"
"Vaguely. From what I've been informed, he has been assumed to be resting."
"Are talking about the same person here? It's Natsu, the guy has never seemed to run out of energy."
Expression now solemn, Pantherlily turned to her and prompted, "You really haven't noticed?"
"Noticed what?" her tone lost its humorous edge, "What exactly am I missing? Look, I have had enough of being proven wrong for one day, so please just tell me."
Taking a moment to properly formulate an explanation without violating anyone's privacy, Pantherlily eventually stated the obvious,
"Everyone has been through a lot in the past years, especially him."
"Look at him Levy, I mean really take a moment to look at Natsu, just Natsu. Use that beautiful brain of yours and tell me what you see, what you notice."
Levy did as asked.
Several moments of expectant silence followed, Levy's expression gradually souring as detail after detail about Natsu's general appearance registered in her mind.
"He looks so… tired." she murmured softly, giving her head a half tilt.
There was no fire of interest in the black of his eyes, no eager momentum behind his movement.
The quiet almost thoughtful expression plastered across his visage was so unlike Natsu.
Pantherlily frowned, "He is. Nobody can burn that bright for as long as he had and not get exhausted. Whether he is ready to admit that is a whole other story."
Brewing maternal instinct, bolstered by the beginning stages of pregnancy, took a hold of her legs and forced movement.
Sliding past several patrons, Levy slowly eased her way towards the occupied Natsu.
Natsu actually noticed them first, his nostrils flaring before recognition reared its head across his face.
Natsu's expression softened considerably as he glanced over to them, stretching a smile upon his lips as he greeted quietly, "Hey! Levy! Good to see you!"
"I could say the same thing, the guild hasn't been the same without you around." she replied, gracefully brushing hair away from her eyes.
The truth was she hadn't even noticed he was gone until now.
Natsu's grin faltered for the briefest of moments, so fleeting in fact that Levy's social radar nearly let it slip by undetected.
Levy barely had time to blink before Natsu had closed the gap between them and slowly wrapped his arms around her in a soft embrace. Levy expected him to squeeze too hard, but to her surprise, she found herself melting inside his gentle hug.
She silently scolded herself for thinking so little of him, she had seen for herself how tender Natsu could be when he put his mind to it. Wendy proved that.
Natsu held it for a few wonderful seconds before stepping back, still smiling wide. Levy immediately found herself returning the expression.
"I didn't take you for the reading type." Levy admitted as she eyed one of the books Natsu had tucked under his arm. Lucy's novel. 'Adventures of Iris'.
She couldn't help but smirk.
"Yeah, I know." Natsu admitted to the absurdity of it with a resigned hum.
Said smirk was wiped from Levy's face as she once again found herself backpedaling, "I-i didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. That was-"
"Hey, your all good. I know how weird it is." Natsu dismissed her softly, his eyes in a constant dance to give both scanning the bookshelf and glancing at Levy equal attention.
His scarred cheeks swelled as he smiled to himself, Levy never knew Natsu had dimples, his skin had been so darkened by scar tissue it made some of his features hard to notice. Now that she was up close, she was quite frankly horrified at how many scars he truly had.
"Lis used to read to me and Happy when we were kids." he shared, "Guess that did more for me than teaching me to read."
Levy cocked her head, "I thought Erza was the one that taught you."
Flipping back through the pages of memories, Levy's chest hurt remembering when everyone found out Natsu couldn't read. The hushed laughing and mocking had changed over the years. Nowadays, it wasn't hushed anymore.
"She tried, she really did. But I was a lost cause."
Levy immediately protested, her voice almost cracking, "Hey, your not-"
Once again Natsu cut her off with a look, "I was. I was too scared of her to properly learn anything. Just like when Mira tried to teach me to cook way back when."
Levy tried to swallow away the dryness in her throat, to no avail, "W-well, what's caught your interest now?"
"Oh," Natsu held up the book he had in his hand, "Luce recommended it to me a while back."
"What is it?"
"A story about two brothers fightin' over creation."
Levy and Lily glanced at each other, speechless.
"I know, right?" Natsu's laugh wasn't as loud as it should've been, "It's a bit much for me honestly, I mean its not like I read a ton, but its seems..."
"Heavy handed?" Lily finished for him.
"Yeah. I'm honestly not too keen on finishing it. Not enough fightin'." he said, letting the book fall open in the flat of his palm.
At that, Levy couldn't stop her giggle, "The action section is three aisles down."
"Well, tell Luce I did try and read it. It was just boring."
Levy popped a brow, "Is that your final verdict?"
"Put this in bold; outta all the books I've ever read, this one right here is certainly one of them." Natsu declared blankly.
A couple browsing the aisle across from them flinched when Levy couldn't keep in her squeaking laughter. The pleasant sound only seemed to push his smile wider.
As she recomposed herself, Natsu glanced down at her midsection, "How are you doing? Everything coming along okay?"
Rubbing her belly, the belly that was just beginning to show the first signs it was housing a new soul in its interior, Levy couldn't help but grin and gush shamelessly.
"Yep, everything is just awesome." she sang melodiously, eyes shining with happiness, potential future memories of holding a child, her child, only making her expression glow brighter.
Natsu eased, her eagerness for parenthood rubbing off on him, infecting him with a rush of fond affection for his guildmate.
Natsu scanned the shelf of books lingering a foot above Levy's head as he expressed with earnest, "That's great to hear. I'm really happy for you guys."
"You and Gajeel more than deserve this."
Flushing at the compliment, Levy sheepishly swayed in place, admitting, "Well to be honest, I hope this inspires everyone else in the guild to settle down. Almost everyone has that special someone, so it's practically destined to happen."
"We will have a group of twerps scampering around the guild hall in no time. Not sure Master Makarov is ready for all that." Pantherlily chuckled as he found a small lapse in a shelf to jump to.
Natsu said nothing, plucking a book from its slot to scan the cover.
"What? No plans of having a kid of your own with one future 'Lucy Dragneel'?" Levy teased with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows, sliding closer to nudge his ribs.
Natsu shrugged, "I don't think so."
White hot alarm raced through Levy and Pantherlily, the short lived amiable atmosphere fading to make room for the palpable sense of baffled concern they both shared.
The bliss she had brought to the conversation fell fluttering from the air like dying mayflies.
"Wh-what?!" she practically gasped.
Pantherlily didn't bother scolding Levy for the rise in volume, prodding on his own, albeit like he was treading upon molten rock, "B-but...I...I thought that you..." Pantherlily's words came precarious.
"Loved her?" Natsu finished for him, chest puffing with breath, "Yeah, course I do. How can I not?"
His canines clinked against each other behind closed lips as Natsu put thoughts into words, "She uh... deserves better, much better than anything I could give her."
"A guy like me ain't fit for a girl like her," he said slowly, surely, "It's probably for the best that we stay as we are."
Levy's heart broke, simply put.
There was no better feeling in the world then waking up in the arms of someone she was going to spend the rest of her life with, knowing that a child of her very own, one that would call her 'Mommy', was on its way.
And with what she had observed, a majority of the guild was beginning to find their forever partners.
Soon, everybody was going to experience that bliss.
Except Natsu apparently.
The family he had protected for all these years would soon create families of their own, but the Dragneel name would end with him.
A tight fist gripped her stomach and shook it, drawing her lips tight as Levy's eyes had moisture flood their corners.
Levy laid a gentle touch upon the ravaged surface of his bicep, sniffling, "N-natsu, where is this coming from?"
He blinked owlishly, opening his mouth to speak before promptly snapping it shut, cautious silence on his part a foreign sight for both Levy and Pantherlily.
Natsu deflected after a moment, "It's just things I've noticed over the years, I guess."
At the frustratingly yet purposely vague reply, Levy still didn't feel any better, her heart not even humoring the idea of gluing itself back together.
All it took was a sliver of intuition to realize that these beliefs had been implanted in him, whether on purpose or not. The earlier talks of gossip had made it all too clear.
He spoke with the same pledged assurance of someone who was speaking a truth, yet themselves were still unsure of said truth's origins.
Levy said aloud just as she came to the realization, "We've done this to you."
"What?"
She withered in shame, "Those terrible things, those awful things we have been saying about you for years, you've been listening to them. Haven't you? The gossip, the complaining, the insults, you were always listening."
Natsu gave nothing more than a croaking sound of weak denial.
Levy moaned softly in grief, shaking her head at herself.
There was always a part of her that felt nasty when listening to the way the girls of the guild talked about him, how their own guild master made it sound as if his mere existence was an unneeded complication, how his partner would come to complain about being around him.
Even if they were merely venting, true belief not placed behind those words, Natsu had no way of knowing that.
As headstrong as he was, he did in fact greatly value the opinions of his comrades.
Natsu had no idea how much the guild truly appreciated him, because no one ever bothered to pull him aside and tell him thanks.
"Your fight so hard for us and we… I have spat in your face."
Natsu finally spoke, "Levy. Enough."
She instantly shut her mouth as Natsu exhaled wearily, "Gettin' real tired of everyone over-correcting once they find out they weren't perfect. Families hurt each other sometimes, just the way it is."
Levy gave a reluctant nod, but still voiced a reservation, "That doesn't change the fact we have done you a horrible disservice. We put an idea in you that doesn't belong."
Knowing what she was referring to, he shuffled in place awkwardly and swiveled his head in an errant direction.
Cupping his cheek and forcing him to look directly at her, Levy noticed how he went frigid under her light touch, how he almost seemed averse to the mere concept of physical contact that he didn't initiate.
"You deserve to be happy, just like everyone else." she gently soothed, her first go at using her motherly tone of voice proving to be somewhat effective. "Don't let us tell you that you're not enough."
Natsu's cheek twitched as the scar there, the only scar he was ashamed of, the scar left by his own brother, stopped aching for just a moment as Levy stroked it.
"I am happy though. I got Fairy Tail." he rebuked, the first sense of genuine certainty he had used in the entire conversation clear in his voice.
Withdrawing her hand, Levy exhaled in reluctant acceptance, "I knew you would say something like that."
Still, the idea of everyone growing old, watching their bloodline continue and beloved children become young adults, while Natsu didn't get to receive that privilege, it hurt her heart in ways that could not be put into understandable words.
"I don't much mind not being anything more with Luce, long as Fairy Tail is happy, long as she is happy."
"A-and the pain that comes with it?"
Natsu shrugged indolently, "I'm okay with pain."
The fact he didn't sound bothered even in the slightest dealt another ferocious blow to Levy's gut.
But before she could break down, the script mage desperately hobbled together the next topic of conversation.
She could bawl her eyes out. At home.
"Hey, can you do me a favor then?" she sniffled discreetly.
Natsu nodded obediently, ready to drop what he was doing in order to fulfill the given task.
"Be our godfather." Only then, does she force a discomfited smile.
Natsu choked on his own spit, the drastic alteration the course of conversation almost throwing him off the ship of exchange.
Playfully pushing his shoulder, which had the same density as a steel wall, Levy chirped, continuing to force cheerfulness on herself,
"Oh come on! Luce is going to be the godmother; only makes sense you be the godfather."
Seeing the as of late stoic and composed Natsu visibly freak much like he did in his younger years was enough to stir laughter in her belly.
This was probably a decision both her and Gajeel could agree on, as they had spent weeks arguing about who should be the legal godmother, with her wanting Lucy and Gajeel adamant it be Juvia.
Eventually Juvia herself came in to halt further conflict by reassuring Gajeel it was okay if she didn't get the position.
The father of her child still wasn't entirely happy about that.
"H-hold on, just a sec." Natsu held a hand up, "Levy, you sure that's a good idea? I-i mean, me, o-of all people, you're gonna trust me with your kid!?"
"Of course." Levy said, pushing her glasses up her nose, "I know you'll be a great uncle, look at you and Asuka, she adores you. Besides, you're the only person Gajeel would tolerate for this job."
Running a nervous hand through his hair, he pressed the issue, "But what about Erza? She has probably claimed that position by now. If she finds out I was chosen instead of her, she'll try n' gut me!"
"All Erza would accomplish is breaking her strongest sword over your stomach." Pantherlily snorted dryly, to which Levy sent him a 'your not helping' leer.
"What about Jet? Droy? They deserve it-"
"They are Dad 2 and Dad 3." she interrupted him, taking a steadying breath.
Natsu sighed, softly smacking the back of a book against his forehead a few times before finally relenting wearily, "Okay. Okay, okay, you win. If it's whatcha' want, I'll do it."
Levy beamed, relieved, "Thanks Natsu, you're the best!"
"If it's any solace, I'm super worried about being a good mom, so you're not the only nervous party present."
The dragon slayer took his turn at reassuring, "Hey, it's only scary because you don't know what you're doing, so go easy on yourself."
"Do you subscribe to that wisdom Natsu?" Pantherlily prompted, a pawed foot tapping against the wood of the shelf expectantly.
"..."
"Thought so." Levy hummed a laugh at the exchange, reaching out to scoop Pantherlily up into her free arm.
The warrior exceed, who normally wasn't a fan of this sort of touchy treatment, had been tempered to enjoy it over years of Asuka and Wendy doing this exact thing.
"Look, I have to get back to the guild or else Gajeel will start to freak, but it's real good to see you're doing okay." she informed softly, nodding towards the busting library entrance.
Mustering the courage to make direct eye contact with the empty space of Natsu's pupils, Levy expressed earnestly,
"I understand you are working through some things, things I couldn't begin to understand, but can you promise to just drop by at the guild every once in a while?"
"I promise to hang around more. Matter of fact, me and Juvia just went on a job the other day."
"Oh, that's lovely!" she squeaked her approval, "You and Juvia? That's an odd combination for sure! What job did you take?"
"We helped a militia stage a coup of a local dictatorship."
"O-oh…."