Chapter Text
Lucy knew something was up when Natsu was staring at her. Sure he had a habit of looking her way, admiring her body, and sometimes Lucy suspected he was mentally undressing her and admiring the skin he had been able to see and caress many times before. But this wasn’t the loving looks he gave her, Natsu’s face was drawn in a focus that was rarely present, and in honesty Lucy couldn’t help but feel a bit unnerved as his gaze never wavered from her body.
“Jewel for your thoughts?” The Celestial Wizard broke the strangely pregnant silence between them, hoping Natsu would reveal what was on his mind.
Onyx eyes widened a fraction, and the expression of focus morphed into slight confusion, a questioning hum vibrating in his throat that Lucy picked up over the noise of the loud guildhall. “You were saying something, Lucy?” He asked, “Sorry for spacing out.” The apology was quick to come forward and Lucy saw guilt flicker on his face, a look that was unbefitting of him, Lucy thought.
Lucy smiled his way, silently relieved he was no longer staring at her as if she had grown a mushroom from the top of her head. “It's fine, Natsu,” she reassured gently, her boot sliding forward under the table to tap the toe against his ankle “You wanna talk? Must be something on your mind to space out like that.” She watched his gaze travel downward to the area past her cleavage, before seeming to settle on the part of the table where Lucy’s navel would be, and she saw conflict written in his face. “Natsu,” Lucy was quick to call his name, snapping his gaze back to her face “You were about to space out again.” She told him while tapping her boot against his ankle once again, this time more firmly.
Another apology slipped from the Dragon Slayer’s lips, his brow furrowing. Lucy couldn’t keep a frown from tugging the corners of her mouth downward, and Natsu noticed. “Something up, Luce?” He asked, a familiar look of light concern for her filling his face.
Lucy responded with a small nod, “You’re what’s up. Spill it, why are you being so spacey all of a sudden?” She replied, “Is something wrong?” She asked softly.
Natsu’s eyes once more revealed how he was feeling conflicted about talking about whatever was on his mind. Lucy’s frown grew, because it was so unlike her boyfriend to suddenly not be willing to talk to her.
“Natsu,” she prompted him once more “Please just talk. I’ll listen, no matter what it is.” The blonde reassured her boyfriend once more, voice gentle and loving.
Natsu sighed, the noise easily conveying his reluctance and uncertainty to Lucy, who reached across the table to grasp the forearm he had lain on the table. The blonde watched his puipils dilate slightly at the contact, eyes moving to look at her hand. “I dunno yet, Luce. I’ll tell you when I figure it out.” He told her, and Lucy withdrew her hand upon seeing a strange guarded look swirling in his dark eyes when he looked up at her face again.
“Alright, but please tell me when you do.” Lucy requested gently, her frown fading when he nodded reassuringly.
“Yeah. I just have to think for a bit.” Natsu stood up, and left his chair pulled out as he walked around to her side. Lucy sighed in contentment when he wrapped his arms loosely around her shoulders, lightly tugging her backwards to rest her back against his torso. “I promise I’ll tell you.” He told her, leaning over her slightly to rest the lower half of his face on the top of her head, breathing in her scent. The blonde smiled at the familiar display of affection, leaning her weight slightly against him. The action resulted in Natsu breaking the hold on her and stepping back. Lucy’s eyes widened as she felt herself no longer supported and herself starting to move backwards further, only for Natsu’s hand to appear between her shoulders and help push her upright again. “Careful there,” He rumbled with a small smile.
Lucy let a giggle slip through her lips “Don’t want me to fall for you again?” She teased lightly, watching his eyes dilate further in affection for her.
Natsu’s own laugh mirrored her’s, and Lucy felt relieved when it didn’t seem like he was forcing it out of him in an attempt to lie that nothing was on his mind. It faded all too soon when his eyes drifted once more to her belly, and Lucy instinctively put a hand over it, still unsure as to why he was so focused on it. Before she could say anything further, Natsu blinked a few times before turning away “I’m just going for a walk. Love you.” He told her, and Lucy watched the pinkette leave, feeling dejected at the way his “love you” didn’t seem to carry the same affection it normally would.
Without his presence, Lucy felt her frown return full force. She didn’t understand what was going on all of a sudden with him and let herself think about it, getting lost in her thoughts.
“Lucy, c’mere!” The blonde was jolted from her brooding by Cana’s yell. Seeing she had Lucy’s attention, the woman called out to her again “Come sit with us!” The hand not holding a wine glass was patting a space on the tabletop she was seated on. Wendy and Carla were also there, talking with Levy, Gajeel and Pantherlily.
Having nothing better to do and wanting to distract herself for a bit, Lucy stood up to join the group.
“Here, have a glass. You look like you need it with how you're sulking.” The loud brunette produced an empty wine glass and poured from a bottle that was near her hip as Lucy walked their way.
Holding her hand out to accept the glass from Cana, Lucy could feel Wendy and Gajeel’s attention solely on her, giving an oddly focused look that reminded Lucy of Natsu’s behavior. The strangeness continued as Wendy suddenly lunged forward and knocked the glass from Lucy’s hands mere moments after it was handed to her. Red wine spilled over the rim of the glass as it cartwheeled downward to the floor where it shattered on impact, eliciting shocked reactions from Levy and Cana, whereas Gajeel remained impassive. The Iron Dragon Slayer didn’t so much as flinch or blink at the action, instead staring at Lucy with the same strange intense focus.
“Wendy, what the hell?” Cana barked, looking at the normally quiet young Dragon Slayer, who didn’t flinch at the upset brunette’s harsh tone. Instead there was a fiery determination in her face that was rarely present
“Lucy doesn’t need to drink, Cana.” Wendy told Cana, the same determination on her face carried into her tone, making Lucy pause in surprise at how adament the normally shy younger girl was being.
Cana, still upset over the glass, snapped at her “Well that's for Lucy to decide, and not for you to!” She told Wendy, taking a sip of wine while glaring over the rim of her glass at the blue-haired Dragon Slayer, who still hadn’t wavered during the entire interaction.
Lucy was quietly baffled, looking from Cana and back to Wendy. She debated if sitting on the table in a position where she was between the two suddenly feuding females was a wise choice.
Before she got a chance to further contemplate, Cana patted the offered spot again. “Sit.” She told Lucy again firmly, and the blonde did so. Perching herself on the edge of the table, she crossed one leg over the other, all too aware of the sudden tension crackling like a thundercloud over the group.
“So... what was going on with Natsu?” Levy broke the awkward and tense silence that had abruptly filled the table following Lucy sitting down. “He didn’t seem like himself.” She noted with concern.
Lucy didn’t fail to notice the subtle way Gajeel shifted in his seat next to Levy, his red eyes narrowing in focus the same way Natsu’s did when he had something on his mind. It was proof that despite how often the two Dragon Slayers butted heads, they were more alike than they would admit. In the years she had known him, Natsu had basically taught her how to read a Dragon Slayer’s body language and pick up the unique cues that were exclusive to them.
“Yeah,” Lucy agreed quietly with the Solid Script mage “He just out of the blue started acting distant, staring at me constantly, and not the admiring staring he usually does, like a creepy stare — as if something was up.” She explained, brown furrowing as she recalled his strange behavior “I asked what was wrong, and he kept brushing me off and spacing out.” She sighed, hands lightly grasping fistfuls of her skirt as she curled her fingers in her lap. “I don’t get it. He just said he has something on his mind and would tell me when he figured it out.”
The blonde watched in interest as a look between Wendy and Gajeel was shared, conveying silent words. It was another strange quirk she noted of the bond of the three Dragon Slayer’s had, where they could communicate with each other through looks. In actuality, as she had been informed by the three, the looks were usually them communicating through scent since their noses were so strong and each scent carried loads of information.
A low growl rumbled in Gajeel’s chest when Levy touched his arm, crimson eyes breaking the connection to Wendy in order to look at the small woman.
“This has to do with Natsu dragging you two away and whispering all hush-hush?” Cana drawled, gaze flicking from side to side to look at the two Dragon Slayers on opposite sides of the table.
Lucy’s eyebrows rose at the revelation. “Wait, he did?” She faced Cana, and received confirmation when the woman swirled the wine around in her glass idly with a hum before she took a sip. “When was that?” She asked, the sting of hurt filling her chest.
Gajeel, who hadn’t broken his focus on Levy the entire time, growled a quiet warning in his chest to the woman. Levy made a reluctant noise, eyes casting down at the table. Gajeel nodded to her, a muscular arm carefully wrapping around Levy’s small frame and tugging her a few inches closer to his side.
Cana rolled her eyes at the couple before answering Lucy. “It was a few minutes ago. He stood up from your table and came here before grabbing Wendy and Gajeel and dragging ‘em off. Said it was really important.” Cana informed Lucy. “They were whispering in a huddle for a bit, then Natsu just walks off and leaves.”
Lucy didn’t bother fighting the frown, allowing it to show as she contemplated what was so important that all three Dragon Slayers were in the know but not Lucy. Judging from the behavior, he had obviously shared whatever it was that had concerned him about Lucy, a fact that made the teen stomp down the growing annoyance at the secrecy going on around her. “And what was it about?” She asked Wendy, knowing Gajeel wouldn’t tell her if she tried him.
Her response came in the form of hearing yet another growl from Gajeel, as well as looks from both Carla and Pantherlily being leveled at the bluette.
“Knock it off already. I’m tired of your crap.” Cana shot a highly ticked off glare Gajeel’s way, only for the Iron Dragon Slayer to glare back. “Wendy can say what she wants, stop trying to stop her, Gajeel.” Unlike other members of Fairy Tail, Cana didn’t flinch at the dark-haired man’s glare, instead she kept their eye contact as they fell into a silent stare-off.
“Not for this, she can’t.” Gajeel told the brunette, abruptly breaking the tense silence between the two “It’s Dragon Slayer stuff, but more importantly it’s Natsu’s business. We have no right to be blabbing about something that he needs to tell Lucy herself.” His eyes flicked behind Cana’s shoulder to look at Lucy “Give Salamander time. He’ll tell you when he’s ready.”
Lucy nodded glumly “I’m just weirded out. You guys know he never keeps secrets from me…” she sighed, eyes tracing her guild mark.
“Lucy,” Wendy calling her name quietly brought the teen back to the present. “You shouldn’t worry about it. If it's anything to help ease your mind, Natsu was telling us a good thing.” The girl told her, a smile on her face.
Cana threw her head back and downed the last few drops of alcohol. “Well if it's a good thing, than why the hell are you keeping it a secret?” She grumbled, refilling her glass and taking a sip.
“Because it's not our place to tell her, Cana. Get it through your drunk skull already!” Gajeel snapped irritably, crossing his arms.
Cana resumed her previous activity of glaring at the Iron Dragon Slayer, holding her glass close to her bust as though Gajeel would try to take it from her “For your information I’m not drunk, you pile of scrap metal!” She growled.
Gajeel released his hold on Levy, and stood up from his chair, cracking his neck and knuckles. “Oh really, prove it! Iron Dragon Club!” He declared, launching the attack and causing Lucy, Levy, Wendy and Carla to dive out of the way.
Cana’s eyes shot wide open as she barely evaded the attack. “What the hell? I didn’t tell you I wanted a damn fight!” She yelled, hand already withdrawing several cards as the brunette prepared to defend herself.
Lucy sighed, taking this as her cue to leave. “I’m gonna go so I don’t get caught up in this.” She told the two bluettes, who nodded in silent agreement.
“Levy, power me up!” Gajeel bellowed from behind Lucy as she made her hasty escape from the chaos.
“No, Gajeel!” The blonde heard Levy yell back “Cut it out already, you’re gonna destroy the guild hall!” She exclaimed.
“Ah, who the hell cares! It gets destroyed all the time!” Gajeel replied as Lucy finally exited the hall and sighed. Upon turning around, others had joined in on starting their own fights and that was encouragement enough for Lucy to decide she was going home.
Meanwhile, Natsu was walking with Happy by his side. Fingers laced together behind his head, he was lost in his thoughts while they ambled through the sunlit forest.
Guilt filled the Fire Dragon Slayer, recalling how uneasy Lucy had been when they talked. He had creeped his girlfriend out with his staring, as he contemplated the new discovery he had found that day. She had just been worried over him, and he instead had pushed her away.
“Hey Natsu?” He didn’t react to the blue exceed calling his name the first time. “Natsu.” The second time worked as he looked over his shoulder to where Happy was hovering. “You’re still worried.” His friend noted upon seeing his face.
Natsu sighed, hands dropping back to his sides before balling up into fists. “It's kinda hard not to be, Happy.” He replied, “I’m just scared of how she’ll react if I tell her.” The pinkette admitted.
Happy tilted his head at Natsu’s words “If?” He echoed questioningly.
“I mean I don’t have to. Sure, Wendy, Gajeel and I can tell. But she can find out when her body is ready to tell her and she takes a test.” Natsu filled in.
Happy released a discontented hum, eyes casting downward to the ground. “You promised Lucy that you would tell her what's going on. She deserves to know, Natsu.” He told Natsu, whose shoulders slumped.
“Yeah… I know I did.” Natsu agreed “But it's so early, and there’s no way to really tell for a few weeks if it's true.” He added.
Happy nodded “Aye,” he agreed “But your nose hasn’t failed you before. Not to mention with all the times you’ve slept together it’s been bound to happen.”
Natsu groaned at the mention “I know. But I’m not sure if we’re ready. Sure we agreed that we’re alright with having kids in the future, but this feels so early!” He replied, looking at the backs of his tightly clenched hands, turning them over and opening them.
Happy sighed softly, agreement clear as they lapsed into a silence filled only by Natsu’s footsteps.
“I have an idea!” Happy said after the silence had stretched on longer than he liked “Let's go fishing. Catch us a yummy dinner and take our minds off of Lucy for a while.” He suggested.
Natsu hummed, pondering the proposal. After a second, his face lit up “Sure, Happy.” He agreed with a smile mirrored by the cat.
“Alright!” Happy cheered, pumping his tiny fist in the air “Lets go get ourselves some dinner!”
They picked up an eager run, flying through the forest easily with surefooted grace. They didn’t fear getting lost, because they knew the forest like the back of their hands. They had grown up here, running unmarked and unseen paths known only to the two of them, and it was their sanctuary when the guildhall couldn’t be.
Natsu knew every scent in the forest, could identify every tree and plant that was there effortlessly, as well as tell what fauna had passed by recently. As he breathed steadily, his nose picked up a familiar scent that didn’t belong there. Onyx eyes narrowing, he cast a glance up at Happy.
The blue Exceed noticed Natsu, and turned his head to lock eyes. Concern replaced the cat’s expression, “Something up?” He asked as they didn’t break stride
Natsu could tell the scent was growing stronger, and realized he had automatically started to follow its trail. “Yeah. Someone’s here.” He informed Happy, who frowned. “Gildarts.”
Happy’s concern turned to cheer rapidly, “Well lets go see him!” He suggested. “Maybe he’ll be a good luck charm for catching some fish?”
Natsu smiled at his partner, “Great idea, buddy.” He agreed, “Been forever since we’ve seen him.”
The duo pressed onward, and within no time at all Natsu’s sensitive ears picked up the sound of the river flowing as Gildart’s scent grew stronger and fresher. He nodded to Happy, silently informing his friend that they were close. The cat’s ears perked up in recognition and his eyes lit up in his excitement.
Giving one last push, the river came into sight. The calm band of blue was broken up by the backside of a cloaked man. Natsu and Happy slowed down to a walk, blood still pumping from the exhilarating romp through the forest.
“Yo, Gildarts!” Natsu called out, picking up a run to charge at the man. “Catch! Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!” Cocking an arm back, his fist was set ablaze as he rapidly approached.
Gildarts didn’t show any sign of reaction to his yell, continuing to stare ahead at the river. However, the moment Natsu was a few feet away from striking distance, the behemoth of a man moved with a speed unbefitting to a man of his size and whirled around to easily catch Natsu’s fist.
“Good to see— !” Natsu exclaimed, fist extinguishing in Gildarts’ hold. The S-Class Wizard smiled down on him, before cutting off Natsu’s words by raising his arm and hurling the Dragon Slayer across the river to the opposite side. The pink-haired firebrand landed roughly, and upon getting up moments later he found his impact had left a human-shaped imprint on the ground. “...You.” He finished his sentence with a light groan. Turning around, Happy hovered at eye-level to talk animatedly to Gildarts, his tail tip energetically swaying from side to side as he did so.
The blue cat took a moment to wave his paw Natsu’s way, prompting Gildarts to look across the river. “Hey Natsu! Wasn’t expecting you guys to drop by!” The man boomed while Happy flew over the river to grab Natsu by the vest.
Natsu grinned at the orange-haired man “Could say the same to you, old man!” He replied as Happy reached the other side and set Natsu down. “How have ya been?” The Dragon Slayer asked.
Gildarts smiled “I’ve been good. Just finished with a job, and thought I’d stop by here and relax a bit.” He replied, “Want to join me and catch up? We can fish together -- I have some extra rods. They’re supposed to be for if I break mine, but there’s enough for the three of us.” The S-Class Wizard offered, directing Natsu and Happy to a tree that had a small bundle of fishing rods leaning against it.
Happy’s expression lit up immediately at Gildarts’ suggestion, dashing to grab a rod for himself. “Happy, grab me one!” Natsu had to call his friend, making the tomcat who was already halfway back to the duo have to turn back around and get a rod for him. Taking the rod appreciatively from Happy, Natsu smiled and cast his line, letting it bob gently a little ways away from Gildarts’. Happy was quick to cast his own, a bit upstream from the other two for the reasoning of “If a fishy comes by, it’ll see mine first!”
Once they had settled in comfortably, Gildarts turned his torso and rested the hand not holding his rod onto the ground. “So, Natsu, been causing chaos as usual?” He asked lightly.
Natsu grinned at the question “You know it, old man. Lucy’s still trying to rein me in, but she isn’t doing too good of a job.” He replied, laughing a little.
“That's a lie, Gildarts!” Happy interjected with a raised paw “You should see him when Lucy’s around -- it's hilarious! Suddenly he gets all ‘Oh I’m in loooove, so deeply in love with Lucy and would never upset her!’ and becomes a different Natsu!” He informed Gildarts with a devious grin. “But on the downside, he’s rubbing off on Lucy, and she’s started taking after him! It's terrible!”
Natsu scoffed at the description “You’re just jealous because Carla doesn’t even look your way.” He retorted “He’s just projecting himself onto me, Gildarts. Its him who goes ‘Oh I’m in loooove, so deeply in love with Carla and want her to notice me!’ And its the saddest thing you’ll ever see.” Shooting a glare at Happy all the while he talked.
The display made Gildarts chuckle. “Seems you two have it bad for the ladies.” He noted “Who’s this “Lucy” girl, Natsu?” The question made Natsu momentarily gape, before remembering how forgetful Gildarts was.
Happy looked about to answer for the Dragon Slayer, but Natsu beat his friend to it in order to evade any further embarrassment. “Lucy’s my girlfriend. We’ve been together for a while now. She’s amazing, strong and super beautiful!” He informed Gildarts proudly, a happy grin filling his features.
The S-Class Wizard nodded at the assessment “I see. I hope you’re treating her right?” Gildarts questioned, receiving a confident toothy nod from Natsu “Good. I’m glad to see you found someone to love.” He smiled happily. “As for you, Happy. Found a lady yourself?”
Happy’s face lit up in a blush at the inquiry, and Natsu decided now was payback time. “Oh yeah, he’s over the moon for Carla.” He waved a hand at the growling feline.
Gildarts nodded simply at the description, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.
Happy eventually broke it, “Hey Natsu,” the Exceed grabbed his friend’s attention “Maybe ask Gildarts about Lucy?” He prompted.
Gildarts hummed a question, looking Natsu’s way once again. “I guess I could.” Natsu agreed “Gildarts, what was it like when you found out you were gonna be a father?” He asked, and Gildarts’ eyes widened in surprise at the question.
“Does this have to do with Lucy?” The man asked, receiving a nod in confirmation “Well I’ll be no help to you…” Gildarts sighed, regret washing over his features “Cornelia left me before either of us knew she was pregnant with Cana.” A poignant silence descended like a blanket over the trio, broken shortly by Gildarts “I doubt I’ll be any help in the parenthood department. That's more suited for Macao or Alzack.” He scratched at his chin with a knuckle. “Sorry, Natsu.” Gildarts apologized with another sigh.
Natsu waved him off “It's alright. Just been worried because I don’t know how to tell her that she might be pregnant.” He replied.
“You can tell?” Gildarts asked “Has she taken a test yet?” And frowned in slight confusion when Natsu shook his head.
“Her scent changed today. I’m not sure what it was, but I could tell it might have been her conceiving a baby in there. I asked Wendy and Gajeel to confirm it for me, so if I’m wrong or right about it I have them double check.” Natsu explained.
Gildarts nodded “I see.” He said “Well regardless of what happens, remember Fairy Tail will always have you guys’ backs.” The man offered a smile to Natsu, who returned it.
“Thanks, Gildarts.” The two turned back to facing the river, relaxing and leaving Happy the only one hyper-focused on the task of hoping for a fish to bite.
Gildarts hummed softly “No problem, Natsu.” He responded.
It was late at night, and Lucy was at her desk cleaning her Gate Keys. The faint smell of metal polish filled the room as she worked on polishing Lyra’s Key.
Taking the rag away from the Key to inspect it, Lucy smiled in satisfaction upon seeing it shine brilliantly in the lamplight of her room. “There we go.” She hummed to herself, laying the Key on a towel that had all the Keys that were cleaned, setting it next to Plue’s Key.
The ticking of a clock from somewhere in the room filled the silence as Lucy picked out Aries’ Key from the pile of Keys that hadn’t been cleaned yet. It was a mindless task, and one she was using to distract herself from worrying over Natsu.
Quietly, Lucy reassured herself that he’d tell her what was going on, the polish-soaked rag moving up and down the shaft of the Key while her mind wandered.
Watching a thin layer of dirt vanish with the pass of the rag, Lucy couldn’t help but feel the satisfaction as the golden color of the Gate Key seemed to amplify as she worked on it.
Idly she thought that perhaps she should clean the Keys more often, with how dirty they got from traveling on jobs. At the same time, there was no denying how nice it was to spend time restoring a dull looking key to the pinnacle of its shine and luster.
Setting the Key of the Ram next to Plue’s, she grabbed Scorpio’s Key next to continue her process. The blonde noted to herself that already only a handful of Keys remained in the pile: Pyxis, Sagittarius, Taurus and Gemini.
But the peace was finally broken upon Lucy hearing her window click open. She jolted, quickly dropping the rag and holding Scorpio’s Key outwards in her hand, ready to summon the Spirit if it was an intruder.
The pink-haired “intruder” pushed the window open gently and remained perched in a crouch on its sill as he scanned the interior of the room. At last, onyx and chocolate met as Lucy lowered Scorpio’s half-clean Key and set it on her desk between the two piles of Keys.
“Hey, welcome home.” Lucy smiled his way, fighting against the frown that wanted to form upon seeing the strange look of uncertainty in Natsu’s eyes. He blinked at her, and Lucy could see his white knuckled grip on the sill that he was surprisingly tense. They stared at each other in silence for a long moment, before Lucy prompted him “Hey, Earthland to Natsu. Come on in and close the window, you’re letting the cold in.” In reality it wasn’t that cold out, as it was still in the transition between summer and fall, but the temperature was lower than it had been weeks earlier.
Regardless of the truth of the statement, Natsu did so. Lucy felt her smile start to waver, watching Natsu’s dark eyes contract in a strange look of trepidation that crossed his face. “Hey Luce.” He greeted, and Lucy saw slight irritation flash in his eyes as he seemed to notice how strangely subdued his words had sounded. “You waited up for me?” He asked quietly.
Lucy nodded, testing the waters and taking a small step forward to see his reaction. Her smile crumbled further upon seeing how his muscles tensed up as she stopped her approach. “Natsu?” She asked, no longer able to keep smiling.
Natsu blinked at hearing his name called, “Hey Luce.” Across the room, his quiet but shaky sigh carried clearly over the gentle ticking of the clock. “Sorry for worrying you. I just had a lot on my mind and needed to clear it.” He apologized, a hand reaching behind his head to scratch his spiky pink hair.
Lucy’s frown deepened, able to see how anxious he was clear as day. “It's alright, I didn’t mind.” She reassured him.
In an unexpected move, it was Natsu who took a hesitant step forward. “Hey, what’s the frown for?” He asked, his anxiety being overwritten with concern. “Did I do something wrong?” His voice was gentle, but Lucy could tell there was an underlying trepidation.
Lucy shook her head “You did nothing wrong, Natsu,” she soothed him, “I’ve just been worried about you.” She said, and chanced another step closer to closing the gap between them.
Natsu seemed to freeze up again at the movement. “I’m sorry,” the apology slipped from his mouth “I didn’t mean to worry you.” He sighed, head lowering in unspoken regret.
Lucy echoed the noise, “It's okay.” She reassured Natsu again, causing him to look up at her once again “I’ll always be by your side, I’ll always love you no matter what you do.” She promised softly, her frown fading into a gentle smile to comfort the Dragon Slayer.
To her relief, Natsu’s eyes dilated slightly from the tense thin slits they had been just seconds earlier, the familiar sign of his affection relaxing her. Once more, he took another step. They could touch each other at this point if one of them simply reached their arms out.
Lucy took the final leap, and stepped forward. There were mere inches between them now, and the blonde watched Natsu’s arms raise up and pull her into a hug to close the distance between their bodies. Feeling his familiar warmth surrounding her, Lucy let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, letting it come out as a contented sigh. Her arms slowly slid around his back, silently wishing for him to never let go of her.
Above her head, Lucy felt his chin rest lightly against her forehead and heard him inhale her scent. Lucy knew it was another Dragon Slayer thing, him using her scent to calm him down and steady himself.
They stayed like that for what felt like a lifetime of calm, holding each other and just relaxing in the fact that the other was there with them. Against Natsu’s collarbone, Lucy couldn’t stop a yawn from squeaking out. The action made a shudder wrack through the Dragon Slayer’s body, and a low hum vibrated in his throat in response.
“Tired?” He asked quietly, the hand that had wandered up to the back of her head during their embrace lightly threaded its fingers through her hair, playing with it gently and combing through it.
Lucy sighed into Natsu, reluctantly nodding. She loathed to admit how sleepy she was, because if they went to bed that would mean she would have to move from her spot in his arms.
Natsu seemed to sense the reluctance, and exhaled quietly “We don’t have to stop cuddling.” He murmured against her forehead. “Let me,” he offered.
Before Lucy could utter a word, Natsu’s arms snaked around her waist and he slung her over his shoulder. She squeaked at the unexpectedness of the action, but allowed him to carry her to her bed before settling her back down inside it and crawling in with her.
“No you idiot… I’ll boil.” Lucy grumbled when he tugged the comforter over their bodies. She had learned that particular lesson a long time ago, because Natsu put out so much heat that to contain it under blankets would leave anyone other than himself drenched in sweat.
Natsu chuckled quietly, throwing the comforter off of them and settling just for the sheets. “You don’t complain when we have sex.” He told the blonde teasingly, tugging her closer to his body again.
Lucy groaned “That's because I’m always too tired to complain afterwards, and we sweat buckets anyways so what's the point of being worried about sweating more?” She responded and nestled her head against his throat, already about to fall asleep.
“Luce?” She withdrew her head from its place to look up at Natsu. “I’m sorry for how I was acting today. It was just a lot to take in…” He began, and Lucy was a lot more awake all of a sudden. “I wasn’t sure, because sometimes my nose plays tricks on me. But I asked Gajeel and Wendy about it. They agreed with me that your scent changed.” She saw uncertainty and sudden trepidation flash in his face. “Lucy… you might be pregnant.” Chocolate eyes shot wide at the news “I’m not completely sure yet, but we think there’s a good chance.” Natsu told her.
Lucy rested her face against his collarbone again. She was shocked at the idea. “Were you scared to tell me because you don’t want it?” The blonde asked him quietly, his breathing hitched slightly in a surprised response.
“No, nothing like that. But what's more important is if you want the baby.” Natsu responded, and Lucy didn’t hesitate in softly humming to comfort him.
In her mind, beyond her bafflement at the idea of creating life with Natsu, something deep down inside her felt like everything had fallen into place for them. The possibility of a baby seemed so right to her. “I do… Do you?” Lucy replied, and a rumble from Natsu’s chest was all the confirmation she needed from him. “We’re having a baby…” She whispered in awe at the prospect.
A warm hand snaked underneath Lucy’s shirt, resting gently on her stomach. The blonde moved her own hand in response, resting her hand on top of her shirt, right on Natsu’s “We’re having a baby.” Natsu agreed softly, head moving to kiss the top of her head. Lucy sighed in happiness, and she was lulled to sleep by the steady thumping of the Dragon Slayer’s heartbeat as he held her in his warm arms.