Chapter Text
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m really grateful for the help. But it’s not a huge project, and we’re not in that much of a hurry. You could take turns instead of all working at once,” Lucy began, letting her gaze sweep over nearly all her male guildmates. They had answered her request for help with the renovations in full force and were now settling onto makeshift log benches near Natsu and Happy’s cabin.
Correction—Natsu, Happy, and hers. The blonde was still getting used to the idea that the rustic house in the forest was now her home too.
“The alternative is way worse,” Gajeel said shamelessly, earning murmurs of agreement from the others.
Even if she wouldn’t admit it, Lucy couldn’t help but agree with the Iron Dragon Slayer. With the date of Erza’s wedding to Jellal fast approaching, the stress of organizing the dream ceremony and the anxiety of finally marrying the person she’d loved since childhood had pushed Erza to a new level of irritability—what the guildmates had affectionately dubbed “demon mode.”
Moreover, given the tight deadline for the preparations, it wasn’t uncommon for the redhead to practically kidnap any poor soul unlucky enough to cross her path and force them into random tasks. However, her victims didn’t always have the best luck with the missions she assigned, as Titania’s judgment was clouded by the pressure of the moment. Of course, pointing this out was out of the question. That’s how Gray and Natsu ended up receiving one of the most memorable beatings of their lives, which served as a warning to the others.
But lacking the courage to oppose the warrior mage, the boys continued to be assigned strange tasks and scolded by her when they failed. Gajeel himself had his own brush with Erza’s wrath when he was tasked with buying hundreds of sand-colored napkins and accidentally brought back beige ones.
“You can’t hide from her forever,” the Celestial Spirit mage reminded them.
“We’re not useful anyway. So if we just stay out of her way, everything will be fine,” Gray argued. “Shouldn’t you two be babysitting the beast?” he asked, pointing at Lucy and Laki, who were resting in two of the few available chairs.
“My magic is very useful for building wooden structures, so no one will question my presence here,” Laki argued. “And I don’t have as many tasks as Lucy, who’s one of the bridesmaids,” she added, glancing at the blonde.
“It’s Bisca’s turn now,” the Celestial Spirit mage replied, not missing the “Good luck, dear!” Alzack muttered under his breath.
“So you admit there’s a nightmare schedule,” Max pointed out, and only then did Lucy realize what she’d said.
“You can’t criticize me when you’re hiding the groom right here!” she shot back, pointing at Jellal, who was sitting immediately to her right.
“The guy needs a break. If it’s hard for us, imagine what it’s like for him, living in the eye of the storm,” Gajeel said bluntly.
“She’s not that bad,” the blue-haired mage defended weakly, though no one missed the lack of conviction in his voice.
“Relax, man, none of us are judging you for running away,” Elfman consoled him, patting his shoulder. “Surviving is what makes a man!” he added, throwing his arms up.
Lucy couldn’t help but shake her head at the murmurs of agreement that followed.
“Anyway, it’s just one room. With this much manpower, you won’t be able to hide from Erza for long,” she observed, resting her chin on her hand.
It was as if a dark cloud of realization had descended over the group of men.
“Unless we make the renovations bigger,” Gray said, his expression one of pure determination.
Lucy shifted uneasily, on alert.
“Since we’re building a room for Lucy, why not build one for Natsu too?” Macao suggested.
“That way the kid won’t have to sleep in the living room like a teenager,” Wakaba added, and immediately the group began enthusiastically discussing the new construction plans.
Lucy looked back and forth between them, stunned by how quickly her friends had taken charge of renovating her new home. Natsu, who had been quiet for some time, finally spoke up:
“I never needed a room. This is completely unnecessary,” he stated.
“Especially since he’ll end up in Lucy’s bed anyway,” Happy’s comment was casual, but the blonde couldn’t help but blush as the guildmates’ eyes turned to her.
“Stop saying things like that, you annoying cat!” Lucy screeched.
The Exceed feigned innocence before saying, “What I said isn’t news to anyone.”
Natsu’s lack of response—his hands behind his head in his usual indifferent posture—turned the mischievous looks from the boys and Laki into expressions of pity.
This, of course, made Lucy feel even more miserable than before, because she knew exactly what they were thinking: that she had willingly given up any romantic prospects in her life to stay by Natsu’s side.
After all, weren’t they all there to help build her addition to his home?
“Well, now you’re living with a woman, Natsu,” Macao said in a knowing tone, trying to diffuse the situation. “If this is Lucy’s home too, it has to be comfortable for her. And she definitely won’t feel at ease moving freely around the common areas with you sleeping in the living room,” he argued.
“You guys have no idea how comfortable these two are with each other,” Happy, of course, made another inappropriate comment, which was promptly met with a slap to the back of his head from Lilly in her small form.
“You’re not helping,” the black Exceed scolded.
“It wouldn’t hurt to have an extra room to store Lucy’s books and Natsu’s collection of mission-related items,” Jellal suggested, trying to steer the conversation into more comfortable territory and be useful amid all the awkwardness.
Lucy was about to automatically protest, but the merit of the idea made her pause. Even Natsu seemed intrigued by the possibility of having a safer place for his nostalgic treasures.
The hesitation of the—not romantic—couple lasted just long enough for Gajeel and Gray to exchange victorious looks.
After that, it was a lost battle.
Well, Lucy had to admit it wasn’t exactly a loss, as she would see the benefits of the scheme.
After all, that’s how the small renovation to build a room for her ended up adding two additional rooms to the forest cabin.
Of course, with a team of mages used to rebuilding the guild hall from scratch in no time, the construction—though prolonged by the group’s determination to delay their return to Erza’s radar—didn’t take long. And they really tried to drag it out, deciding on their own to repaint the exterior, fix the roof tiles, and repair the flooring. But, reluctantly, they had to return to their regular duties and, consequently, to Titania’s sight.
As she inspected her new room, Lucy sighed at the thought. As a bridesmaid, she couldn’t stay away for too long, but her schedule had been flexible. However, she knew that from now on, Erza wouldn’t accept any excuses. The rotation she had set up with the others seemed to be on borrowed time. Luckily, there were only two weeks left until the end of this madness.
“What’s wrong? Did something not turn out right?” Natsu asked, misinterpreting her resigned mood.
“Oh, no. The room is perfect!” she assured him, glancing around the space again.
It had actually turned out much better than she expected.
The room was spacious. The walls were divided by dark wood paneling, which also formed patterns on the lower half. For the upper half, the Celestial Spirit mage had opted for a faded orange instead of pink—a color she would never admit out loud reminded her of the warmth of summer. As for the furniture, Laki had not only crafted a large wardrobe but also a desk, a vanity, and bedside tables flanking the double bed the Wood Make mage had shaped with a suggestive smile, even though Lucy had insisted on a single bed. Finally, a translucent pearl-colored curtain swayed in the evening breeze, and a large quilted rose-beige bedspread covered the mattress, a gift from the other female mages who had tried to recreate the smaller version Lucy used in her old apartment.
Though it still needed a few decorations to add personal touches, the blonde loved everything about her new room.
“If there’s something you don’t like, I’m sure the idiots will be more than happy to come back and make any changes you want,” Natsu observed, making Lucy shake her head. Despite his usual stupidity, the Dragon Slayer had his moments of insight.
“I’m really happy with it. But if you’re feeling generous, you could call them and ask for something more elaborate to save them from Erza’s mood a little longer,” she suggested.
“Nah, if I do that, she’ll probably channel all that demonic energy at me,” he reasoned, and Lucy couldn’t disagree. “Besides, I never wanted a room in the first place,” he reminded her.
Indeed, while Lucy had taken charge of the ideas for her new space, Natsu had basically left the construction of his room to anyone who was interested. The blonde, too distracted by the excitement of having a room of her own, didn’t notice until it was too late that Natsu’s room, slightly smaller than hers, was purely functional, with no personal touches: it had a single bed, a wardrobe, a bedside table, and a small coffee table added only at Lucy’s insistence, arguing that the Dragon Slayer would appreciate the extra surface for meals. The walls had the same paneling and wood details as Lucy’s room, but the upper half was painted in a sandy tone. Finally, the beige curtain and the patchwork-colored bedspread had also been provided by her in an attempt to give the room some personality.
At least the Fire Mage had been more involved in the construction of the third room—a small library with shelves on three walls, a large desk for Lucy to write closer to her book collection, and a comfortable sofa for enjoying good reading moments. On the fourth wall was Natsu’s relic display, along with more shelves designed to showcase his personal treasures.
“I, on the other hand, was looking forward to this. Maybe now, with your own bed, you’ll stop crawling into mine,” she teased.
The comment, however, seemed to fall on deaf ears, given Natsu’s indifferent expression.
Lucy rolled her eyes, knowing this wasn’t a battle she would win with a few arguments. Instead, she prepared to head to the guild, as she couldn’t escape her bridesmaid duties for much longer.
She was closely followed by a disheartened Natsu, who quickly distanced himself as soon as they crossed the guild’s doors, just as a frantic Erza appeared with a guest list and a portable lacrima communicator for Lucy to confirm the attendance of those who hadn’t yet had the courtesy to do so.
The task consumed the rest of the afternoon, and when the blonde finally marked a “v” next to the last name early in the evening, she interlaced her fingers and stretched her arms above her head, stretching her aching body while considering treating herself to a large, frothy mug of ale.
It didn’t take much debate to convince herself, and soon she was sitting at the counter, served by Mirajane, with Natsu miraculously reappearing and taking the stool beside her.
She was about to scold him for shamelessly abandoning her earlier when an eager Happy floated in front of them.
“Listen up! Today’s the anniversary of Wendy’s first mission in Oshibana! So we decided to reunite the same team from that day and do another job in the same place!” he announced, with forced enthusiasm.
Lucy followed the Exceed’s gaze to see Wendy and Freed, looking somewhat apprehensive, on the other side of the counter, handing a flyer to Kinana.
“And this definitely isn’t an excuse for you to get out of a certain redhead bride’s sight,” she quipped.
Happy at least had the decency to feign offense, placing his paws over his chest.
“How could your wicked mind think something so low, Lucy?” he asked in an exaggeratedly indignant tone. “But what can I say except: you’re absolutely right!” were the last words the Exceed said before flying out of the guild, following Wendy and Freed, who had hurriedly left the premises.
“Cheeky cat,” the blonde muttered, wondering if he’d overheard Erza’s plans to have the Exceeds expedite the search for some party supplies.
“Lucky cat, more like,” Natsu corrected, taking a swig from his own mug of ale, freshly served by Mirajane, as he sadly remembered that Erza had practically forbidden the mages on her team from taking new jobs until the wedding was over. The redhead had even ensured they completed several high-reward jobs months in advance so lack of money wouldn’t be an excuse.
Apparently, the blue Exceed and the Sky Dragon Slayer had found a way around Titania’s ultimatum, or they wouldn’t risk escaping, no matter how much they wanted to.
“It’s not like…” the Celestial Spirit mage tried to continue the conversation, but later she wouldn’t even remember what she was going to say, as her train of thought was cut off by the furious shout of the one everyone had feared in recent days.
“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?”
The blonde and the Fire Mage immediately rushed to the center of the hall, where the redhead, furious, was glaring at a Gray who, hunched over, looked like he was on the verge of disappearing. Beside him, seated at the nearest table, was a pale Juvia, who looked like she was about to throw up.
“Can you please be less dramatic and more understanding about this?” the Ice Mage tried to keep his tone firm, but his request still came out shaky.
“And were you understanding when you got one of the people responsible for making the wedding desserts pregnant?” she practically growled back.
Lucy covered her mouth, shocked by the news, and her astonishment was shared by the other mages around her, except for Natsu, who just tilted his head in confusion.
“What do you mean she can’t look at desserts without feeling sick?” Titania continued to rant. “How am I supposed to find a new supplier two weeks before the wedding?” she demanded, in despair.
“Hmm, Erza,” Jellal, ever cautious and noticing the vein throbbing on Gray’s forehead, decided to step in before the argument escalated into an uncontrollable fight. “I really don’t think sweets are the most important issue here,” he remarked calmly, placing his hands on his fiancée’s shoulders and gently turning her toward Juvia.
Titania blinked her brown eyes, only then noticing the trembling state and sickly appearance of her friend.
“Oh heavens, Juvia!” the redhead exclaimed, stepping closer. “What did this idiot do to you?” she asked. “How are you feeling?”
“Congratulations?” While the Rain Woman answered Titania’s question, Lucy commented, somewhat dazed, approaching the Ice Mage, who also wore a lost expression. “This is good, right?”
“Of course it is,” Gray confirmed, his expression turning weary. “We didn’t expect something like this so soon, but we’re happy,” he said, turning to Juvia, who gave him a nervous smile.
“A b-baby! You’re going to have a baby!” Erza now seemed to have realized the gravity and awkwardness of the announcement, given the deep red her face turned. “And we’re getting married, and one day we’ll…” she continued, turning to Jellal, who interrupted her:
“Okay, one thing at a time!” he exclaimed. “Congratulations, Gray and Juvia, I’m going to take Erza out for some fresh air,” he announced, gently guiding his fiancée away.
With the argument over, it didn’t take a second before the guild members erupted into cheers, everyone trying to get closer to the new parents. As expected of Fairy Tail, the announcement culminated in a celebration fueled by drinks, even though Gray and Juvia remained somewhat dazed and left a bit earlier due to the Rain Woman’s discomfort.
“Happy’s going to hate missing all this,” Lucy commented to Natsu as they settled back into the same stools at the counter they had occupied when the commotion began. “I’m sure Wendy and Freed will too,” she added, genuinely pitying their friends, as she would have hated missing the spectacle.
The Fire Mage, however, didn’t respond, his expression thoughtful—more so than usual, Lucy noticed, as she took another large swig from her mug.
And of course, though she was curious about what could keep the Fire Mage so focused amid the festive atmosphere, nothing could have prepared her for what came next:
“When are we having ours?”
She barely had time to turn her head, spitting her drink to the side to avoid hitting Mirajane, who was passing behind the counter.
The choking fit that followed was inevitable, and after nearly a minute of coughing and teary eyes, the Celestial Spirit mage turned to her teammate, eager to clarify what she had definitely misunderstood.
“Our what?” she asked, her voice still hoarse from the choking.
“Our kid,” he replied, as if it were obvious. “Actually, probably a daughter, considering what we saw in Edolas,” he reflected.
Lucy was sure the heat she felt on her face had nothing to do with the drink and could only imagine the shade of red her cheeks had turned at that statement. To top off her mortification, she suspected the laughter she heard from Gajeel, positioned on the other side of the hall, had nothing to do with the conversation he was having with Levy. Damn Dragon Slayer hearing!
“Natsu…” After a few seconds spent torn between the urge to run or hide behind the counter, she found the strength to ask, “Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
The Fire Mage, however, seemed very aware:
“About having a baby with you,” he replied, as if it were obvious.
The Celestial Spirit mage, in turn, downed half of the remaining contents of her mug in one gulp. She wasn’t nearly drunk enough for that conversation.
After swallowing and roughly wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she spoke again:
“Do you even know what it takes to make a baby?” she questioned before forcing another gulp into her mouth.
“Sex,” Natsu replied simply.
This time, Lucy didn’t have time to turn, the liquid flying from her mouth toward the other side of the counter before she choked even more violently than before. Unfortunately, her struggle to avoid suffocating wasn’t enough to prevent her from noticing that Gajeel’s laughter had become even more raucous.
Her recovery was slower, requiring help from the Fire Mage, who alternately patted her back and massaged her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he asked, receiving an exasperated look in response.
“How can I be okay when you say something like that as if it’s nothing?” she questioned, dismayed. “You thought babies hatched from eggs until a few months ago!” she reminded him.
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t know mating had to happen first,” he commented in a didactic tone. “Honestly, Lucy, I lived in a forest with a dragon.”
The blonde felt her head spin, and this time she chose to blame the drink.
It was either that or believe that Natsu—the same one she thought she was giving up her dream of romance and a family for, just to stay together as friends, housemates, and teammates for the rest of their lives—had just declared that he would mate with her someday. Or was it have sex? At this point, she didn’t know which term was worse.
So who could blame her for simply leaving the guild hall without another word and staggering back home?
When she came to her senses, she was buried under the blanket of her new bed, her face still burning from the nature of the entire conversation, relieved that this time she had the comfort of knowing Natsu had his own mattress to sleep on.
Which, however, didn’t stop him from joining her in her bed a couple of hours later.
“Especially since he’ll end up in Lucy’s bed anyway,” Happy’s teasing voice echoed in Lucy’s mind, mingling with the confusing spiral of her thoughts about recent events.
Probably due to the stupor resulting from her bewilderment, she didn’t resist when Natsu pulled her close, hugging her from behind and enveloping her in the unmistakable warmth of a Fire Mage, which she had grown accustomed to over the years.
“Lucy,” he spoke into her ear, his tone unusually serious, a rarity that sent shivers down her spine every time. “One day, our kid will grow up here,” he declared with absolute conviction, placing both hands on her stomach to emphasize his statement.
At that moment, Lucy was sure of two things.
First, that no matter how embarrassed she had been that day, her cheeks had never felt so hot.
And second, that she would never stop him from fulfilling his promise.