Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lucy placed the grocery bags down with a loud thud, which was subsequently followed up by the thwack of her swatting away Natsu’s hands as he tried to rifle through her haul.

"Hands off," she scolded as she turned on her heel to face her husband, trying to look completely innocent, perhaps in an attempt to have her let him have just one snack from the bag.

It wasn’t just the fact that she knew he could and would inhale all of their groceries, though that certainly played a part in it, but rather something else she had picked up on the way home.

It had been a few weeks since her period was due, and while she hadn’t experienced any symptoms yet, a thought had been itching in the back of her brain that could no longer be ignored.

The last few times she had taken a pregnancy test, Natsu had insisted on being with her the entire time, each time practically shaking with excitement, only for his face to drop when he looked over her shoulder and was met with the single red line.

Since then, life had picked up and they had stopped actively trying to conceive, but based on the hints Natsu had been dropping and the way he had been getting a little more handsy with her lately, he was ready to start trying again, and so was she.

Her decision to take this test in secrecy hadn’t been an easy one, but she was going on so little evidence, and she couldn’t bear to see that look of disappointment on his face if she was wrong about it.

While he was distracted, she slipped the test out of the bag and hid it behind her back as best she could before speaking up to capture Natsu’s attention.

"Could you put these away while I shower, please?" She requested, which was met with an eager nod before he busied himself with his task, giving her adequate opportunity to sneak away.

Even though it had been a while since she had last done one, Lucy was familiar with the routine. She placed the active test on some toilet paper on the bathroom counter and ensured she remembered to lock the bathroom door this time, lest Natsu barge in on her again and blow her secret.

Though she liked to think of herself as a patient person, Lucy never liked the waiting part of the test. Sure, it wasn’t that long, but it felt like an eternity waiting for an answer that could potentially change her life. It always left her heart racing in anticipation, and there was simply nothing she could do but wait. Instead of just waiting around this time, she was going to make good on what she had told Natsu she was going to do and shower to potentially keep her mind off of it.

The feeling of warm water rushing over her worked to sooth her anxiety, perhaps a little too much, as a whine escaped her when the timer she had set went off and she was forced to leave the comfort of her shower.

Her hands shook just a little as she wrapped the towel around her chest, her eyes flicking over to the test as she did so. She couldn’t make out the results from here, which only added to the anticipation she was feeling.

She wasted no time in moving to the counter, not even caring that her hair was dripping all over the bathroom floor as she did so.

The idea that she could be pregnant had been lingering in her mind for a few days now, and now she was about to have the definitive answer to her question. She knew what answer she wanted, but that didn’t stop the nerves when she picked up the test and looked down at her result.

Two red lines.

In that moment, she felt like she could cry tears of pure happiness.

And so she did.

In her mind, she had put together a plan had it turned out to be positive. She would make it up to Natsu for checking on her own by turning it into a special day for him, where she would wrap up a positive test in a neat little box to surprise him, but once she saw the result, she struggled to keep her reaction in.

A sob left her before she could even consider holding it back, and all of a sudden, she was crying at the sink, unable to contain herself.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised when she heard Natsu come running at the first sign of distress, barging into the bathroom with no concern for her decency, only fuelled by his deep concern at the sound of his sobbing wife.

"Lucy? Oh god, Lucy, what’s wrong?"

She didn’t reply. Instead, she looked over at him with foggy eyes and a bright smile and held her arms out for him. He looked at her, confused, for a second before stepping into her embrace.

They stood there for a few moments, Natsu still thoroughly out of the loop, until she felt him tense up slightly as he noticed the test sitting on the counter.

Loosening his grip on her, he pushed her away slightly to get a look at her face.

"You’re pregnant?" He asked, a mixture of emotions present on his face, perhaps the most prominent being disbelief.

Lucy nodded, and that was all it took for that disbelief to turn into pure, unadulterated joy. Without warning, he grabbed her waist and lifted her up in celebration, and she squealed as she clung onto him, legs wrapping around his hips and arms locked around his neck as he bounced her up and down in his joy.

"That’s awesome!" He cried out, overriding any fears she may have had about him being upset that she took the test without him. "This is the best news ever!"

His smile was so wide and bright that she couldn’t do anything but smile back, sharing his infectious joy over this momentous occasion.

"What’s going on?" Happy called out, hearing their commotion and tottering over to the bathroom to see what was going on. "Was Lucy finally able to get that poop out?"

Before Lucy could snap back at him for his snarky comment, Natsu got in instead, cheerfully making the announcement to their little buddy.

"Lucy’s pregnant!"

The exceed’s eyes flicked from Natsu to Lucy in his arms as he looked at her with wide, questioning eyes. Lucy simply answered with a smile and a nod, and it wasn’t long before Happy flew at them, joining them in their embrace.

Once Natsu finally let go, allowing Lucy’s feet to hit the floor once again, she squeezed Happy tight into her chest before Natsu, unhappy with being left out, pulled the both of them into a hug, squishing Happy between them.

He let out a squashed noise of discomfort as he tried to wiggle his way out of their embrace, but Natsu simply would not let him, too excited by the prospect of an additional member to their little family. He only managed his escape when his squirming threatened to loosen Lucy’s towel, and she pulled away in an attempt to keep it from falling.

As she stepped back, she wiped away the tears that were blurring her vision before looking down at Happy, who was looking at her with stars in his eyes.

"So you’re gonna have a baby?" He asked.

"Yeah," Lucy breathed, still processing the whole situation herself.

"And it’s Natsu’s baby?" He added, glancing over at him.

"Oi, don’t imply that it isn’t!" Natsu spat back, clearly unhappy with his choice of question. "I bet you don’t even know how babies are made anyway."

Yeah, I do! Lucy lays an egg, and then you have to sit on it."

They continued to bicker on for a few moments as Lucy observed adoringly, thinking about the loving and lively family that their baby was about to be born into. The thought of it made her heart swell with pride and joy.

In a moment of endearment, she interrupted their conversation to wrap her arms around Natsu and press a kiss to his cheek. He looked caught off guard by the action, but once he processed what she had done, he flashed her a mushy smile, and Happy, in turn, made a dramatic retching noise at their display of affection. Lucy wasn’t given any time to respond to Happy’s goading before Natsu’s lips were on hers.

"You guys are so gross," Happy whined, and based on the way she could feel Natsu smile against her lips, that was probably exactly the reaction he was going for. "Hmph, fine, I know when I’m not wanted," he huffed before taking his exit, leaving the happy couple alone in their embrace.

Natsu seemed unaffected by his exit, instead merely smiling down at Lucy when they parted, looking happier than she thought she had ever seen him.

His hands moved down to her hips, and he pulled her flush against his body.

"I’m gonna put another baby in you," he grinned, flashing his fangs and sounding much too innocent for what his words insinuated.

"You cannot make me more pregnant than I already am," Lucy replied, rolling her eyes.

"We’re gonna have twins!" He exclaimed, completely ignoring her previous statement.

"That is not how that works, and you know it," she retorted, but her words went ignored once more when he scooped her up into his arms again, holding her bridal style as he twirled her around and carried her out of the bathroom.

"We’re gonna have a baby!" He howled out, surely letting everyone in Magnolia know of the news.

Realising there was no point in dampening his excitement, Lucy buried her head in the crook of his neck, happy to let him run his victory lap as the reality of their new future set in for the both of them.

Despite the impending massive change to their lives, things continued to go on as they had been, as they kept their news to themselves for just a little while longer.

That, of course, did not mean hiding it came easy.

"You okay Lucy?" Gray asked as he watched her uncomfortably shift around in her seat without tousling Natsu’s head too much.

"I have to pee really bad," she muttered back while Natsu let out a gargled moan from her lap.

Taking the train had sounded like a much more appealing option than taking a long trek when she was experiencing the symptom of frequent urination. That had, of course, been a decision she made before she realised that this particular route didn’t have a bathroom on board, and she was simply cursed to hold it in the rest of the way.

"Did you not go to the bathroom before we left?" Erza asked.

"I did!" Lucy whined in frustration.

She had yet to experience some of the more talked-about symptoms of early pregnancy: the nausea, the vomiting, the food cravings, and while at first she had been thankful this was her only symptom thus far, she was quickly beginning to resent it.

She had woken up four times in the middle of the night to pee and had hardly gotten to the halfway point of their travels before needing to use a restroom again. This was not helped by the fact that Natsu, who was trying to get comfortable in her lap, somehow managed to push down on her bladder every time he tried to nuzzle into her belly. After one too many close calls, she tapped the side of his head to try and coax him away from her.

"If you don’t stop doing that, you can’t lie in my lap," she hissed, only to be met with another pathetic groan.

She supposed she’d just have to be grateful that it was only one of them was on the verge of vomiting on her shoes.

Lucy, for her part, was doing a good job of hiding the pregnancy. Natsu, on the other hand, was slipping, but not for the reason one might expect. He hadn’t told anyone nor mentioned anything to indicate anything had changed, but it was his constant great mood that had suspicions arising. He was smiling constantly; he got giddy every time he looked at Lucy, almost as if he had been set back to the honeymoon phase all over again, and thankfully, no one could quite place why. He was constantly stuck to her side like glue, and while that wasn’t inherently suspicious on its own, it was the fact that he was getting into scuffles less and less around the guild hall that started to raise some eyebrows.

No one had asked any questions yet, and while Lucy was thankful for his newfound self-restraint, she was also dreading the day someone brought up his recent change in behaviour and began to put the pieces together.

One of the first things Lucy had done when she received her positive test was bring out an old book of lullabies that she had inherited from her mother when she passed. She’d flick through it every night and hum along to some of the songs right before they went to bed. More often than not, the songs would stay in her head through the next day, and suddenly her earworm became Natsu’s earworm, and the both of them were humming and whistling along.

What had begun as an at-home habit had quickly spun into a habit outside of the house, with Natsu mindlessly whistling Lucy’s lullabies whenever a good mood struck him, which seemed to be constant these days.

"Since when did you know how to whistle?" Gray asked, taken aback as Natsu whistled a familiar tune on their walk back from the station.

"Since always, jackass," Natsu shot back, sounding almost offended by his question.

In fairness, this was also news to Lucy. She had never heard him whistle before now, and it had never occurred to her to think that he could do it. It seemed as though he was simply feeling so good about the baby that he was doing it practically on instinct alone.

"It was just a question, moron," Gray spat. "Don’t call me a jackass."

"Don’t call me a moron, you stupid ice dick!"

It didn’t take long for their verbal fight to turn physical as Natsu went for a swing, and for the first time ever, Lucy was relieved to see his lack of self-control and preservation was still intact.

Wendy shot her a confused look when she let out a sigh of relief, but all Lucy could do was offer a lopsided smile before they both turned their attention to Erza trying to break up the fight by slamming the both of them directly into the ground. She of course felt sympathy for her aching husband as he rubbed his poor, injured head, but that was just a small sacrifice in the name of keeping their secret safe another day.

If they had known how difficult it would be to hide their pregnancy in the early months, maybe they’d have tried to conceive after Cana’s birthday.

Though the guild was known to go hard on a normal day, when it came to birthday celebrations, especially that of their resident drinker, the alcohol flowed freely and liberally. Lucy was never one to decline a drink or two on those occasions, but right now, a drink or two was absolutely not in the cards. She just had to find a discreet way around it without arousing any suspicions.

"C’mon Lucyyyy," Cana whined as she sprawled herself across the bar top in front of her. "It’s my birthday. You’re not gonna drink on my birthday?"

"I shouldn’t," Lucy waved off, but Cana remained persistent.

"You’re not gonna do a shot with the birthday girl?" She tried again, giving her a faux-approximation of puppy-dog eyes in a meagre attempt to get her to cave. "Not one shot?"

She knew that Cana would not let out until she said yes, and if she didn’t, there had to be a reason why. If she could give that reason, it would be an easy out, but it was still a few weeks before they felt they could share their news, so instead, she was stuck scrambling for some excuse as Cana stared her down.

"One shot," she conceded, though with no intention of downing it herself. "But just one, okay?"

The only reason she felt comfortable giving into Cana’s whims was because of the presence of a certain dragon slayer, who had since plonked down on the bar stool besides her. If Cana noticed his presence, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she occupied herself calling over Mira for their shots.

Lucy fidgeted in her seat as Mirajane placed down a shot of some mystery liquor that she was certainly not supposed to be drinking right now. She had no plans to drink the shot herself, but if Cana caught on to their scheme, she would be hit with a few unavoidable questions. Now, with their drinks in front of them, there was no way out but through.

"Bottoms up!" Cana declared before taking her shot.

In the moment that she was distracted, Natsu swiped up Lucy’s shot and downed it before slamming it back down in front of her, and Cana remained none the wiser. He turned away just as quickly, trying to look inconspicuous as Cana’s attention turned back to Lucy.

"Damn girl, you took that one down fast," she observed, noting Lucy’s empty glass in front of her.

Without a reasonable justification for it, Lucy simply offered her a meek smile, happy that they managed to get away with their little swap scheme.

She had expected the "drinking" to end there for the night. She had sated Cana and could reasonably reject a drink from anyone else, but it seemed her little plan had backfired on her. That "just one shot" promise had quickly gone out the window as her friend suddenly became fascinated with her newfound ability to take down shots like they were nothing.

With the amount of alcohol Cana was throwing her way, the only reason they had been able to get away with it was because she had already been so drunk when she approached Lucy that she hardly even noticed Natsu was there. Any time suspicions arose about how fast she was downing her shots or the fact that Lucy didn’t even look tipsy, they were brushed off as just Cana being too drunk. It certainly didn’t feel good gaslighting her, but the only alternatives were simply not in the cards for tonight.

While Natsu had been able to hold his own for a while, the alcohol was very slowly creeping up on him, and they were going to have to take their leave while he could still walk with minimal stumbling.

Natsu was not a lightweight. His body burned off the alcohol before it could typically affect him. In all the years she has known him, Lucy had seen him tipsy maybe twice, but nothing beyond that until now.

Right now, Natsu was drunk, and Lucy knew they had to get out of there before he let something slip.

Natsu was without a filter on a good day, so every passing moment that wasn’t spent leaving, Lucy spent worrying that with his lowered inhibitions, he was going to let something slip.

Gently tugging at his sleeve, Lucy tried to coax him away from the bar, where Mira was innocently offering them up another round of shots, knowing that he was not in the state to be having more drinks.

"Come on," Lucy urged in a soft voice. "I’m gonna take you home now, okay?"

Though she had succeeded in urging him away from the drinks offered up to him, he didn’t immediately follow when she tried to tug him in the direction of the doors, instead pulling his hand back.

"Hold on, I gotta do something first," he told her, his words slurring slightly as he spoke.

"Natsu, what are you-"

Before she could let out any more protests, Natsu was climbing up one of the tables, knocking Erza’s drink over where it spilt into Elfman’s lap, who let out a pained cry when the glass rolled off the surface and shattered on his knee.

Natsu remained undeterred by the commotion he had caused, almost as though he hadn’t noticed it at all by the time he was standing tall in the middle of the table, drawing all attention to him.

"Everyone! I’ve got an announcement I gotta make!"

Lucy’s heart sank at his words, worrying that after trying to keep it under wraps all night, Natsu was just about to blurt their news out to the entire guild.

"Natsu! Get down from there!" She called as she clambered onto the table and tried to pull him down, but to no avail.

"I love Lucy Heartfilia!" He cried out, wobbling and stumbling slightly as he tried to keep his balance. "We’re gonna make the hottest babies!"

Immediately, Lucy felt her face burn a hot red in embarrassment, and it took all her will to not just bury her face in her hands at the mortification of his declaration.

"I said get down!" Lucy practically screeched, and despite ignoring her initial request and the venom dripping from her words, Natsu hopped down without hesitation with a wide grin on his face, proud of his announcement and perhaps also of the chaos that had been left in his wake.

Without hesitating, Lucy grabbed his wrist and began to drag him to the exit, trying to get them out of there before the ensuing fight or before anyone could pry any further.

"You are in so much trouble," she hissed, only slightly relieved that they could simply play this off as Natsu being drunk and vulgar in the morning.

Natsu seemed completely unaffected by her words, instead flashing her a grin so bright and delighted that she couldn’t stay mad at him. She supposed he would get his dues in the morning, when he was pathetically hungover and probably wouldn’t even remember being the instigator of the world’s worst pregnancy announcement.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Lucy paid special attention to the spot where her hands rested on her belly. The slight curve was only barely noticeable to those who knew it was there, and her pyjamas had concealed it completely. She had expected she would be showing a little bit more by now, but her pregnancy books had assured her that everyone’s bodies changed at different rates and that she had little need to be concerned about it by now.

"Ya comin’ to bed?" Natsu spoke up, taking her attention away from her reflection and to her husband behind her.

She looked over her shoulder to find him laying in bed, waiting for her to join him. Humming a soft affirmation, Lucy tottered over to bed and slipped between the sheets, making herself comfortable in his loving arms.

"Natsu?" She murmured, her nose brushing against his neck where she had nuzzled in.

"Yeah?"

"Are you still going to love me when I’m fat and gross?"

"I already love you when you’re fat and gross- Ow!"

Anything else he was about to say was swiftly cut off by a solid whack to the arm.

That was not the answer she was looking for.

"Of course I’m gonna love ya, no matter what you look like," he corrected, more along the lines of what Lucy was hoping to hear. "And when your belly gets so big that you’re waddling around like a duck, I’ll carry you around so ya feet don’t hurt."

He had a smile on his face, so bright and genuine that even though what he was saying was a little absurd, she knew he meant it fully and truly.

Natsu was weird like that. He could say things that sounded silly and weird but still made it feel romantic, simply because she knew it came from the heart. His ineloquence was made up for in the sheer emotion that his words held, and she envied the way he could leave her speechless with the silliest of phrases, right now included.

Instead of trying to muster up a reply, Lucy simply buried her face deep in the crook of his neck and hoped he understood what she meant. Based on the way he squeezed her back, she could only assume he did.

Though there were plenty of pregnancy symptoms Lucy was not fond of, perhaps one she resented the most was the random waves of extreme tiredness that would overcome her. Since the start of her pregnancy, she’d been deliberately taking on less taxing jobs for the sake of her changing body, but even after jobs that required little to no physical exertion, she would come home at the end of the day feeling absolutely spent.

It was only about 2 p.m. when she arrived home, feeling thoroughly exhausted as she tugged off her boots in their entryway. She’d been working on a translation job with Levy over in the guild library, but even that had left her feeling like an early afternoon nap.

She barely attempted to stifle the yawn she let out as she trudged into the living room, tossed her bag somewhere on the floor, and flopped down onto the couch. It wasn’t long after, having heard her arrival, that Natsu joined her with a loud thud as he hit the couch cushion.

"How’s the job been goin’?"

Any other time she might have eagerly yapped on about how interesting the texts were and how fascinating it was to watch Levy at work and be able to work alongside her, but right now, she was too busy trying not to fall asleep to muster anything but a simple, "good."

"I’m tired," she managed to mumble out after a few moments of silence.

"Ya wanna have a nap?" Natsu suggested.

Naps had more and more frequently become a sharable past time for the two of them, as Lucy was having a hard time staying awake throughout the day, and right now, she didn’t think she’d heard a better idea in her life. Without giving a reply, she shrugged off her jacket before stretching herself across the couch and making herself comfy, holding her arms out for Natsu to crawl into and join her.

"Already way ahead of you."

There were very few times when Lucy found herself rummaging around their kitchen like a madwoman. Seldom did she feel herself needing something in particular, and when she did, their pantry was stocked enough to feed an army (or one Natsu, in their case). A craving she couldn’t satisfy was never a problem for Lucy, until now.

Perhaps it’d have been easier if she could just put her finger on what exactly it was that she wanted. She thought she had at first—a peanut butter and jelly sandwich—a relatively normal midday snack, but for whatever reason it just wasn’t hitting like she thought it would. It felt like there was some ingredient missing, and she wouldn’t be sated until she found out what that ingredient was. She stared blankly into their cupboard, looking for her mystery ingredient.

Chocolate chips, perhaps?

No, that didn’t feel right.

Maybe banana pennies would do the trick?

No, that wasn’t it either.

She needed something that had some sort of kick to it that she had a gut feeling she wasn’t going to find in here.

Trying her best not to be deterred, Lucy opened the fridge and scanned their condiments—mustard, mayo, ketchup… hot sauce.

Admittedly, Lucy’s spice tolerance was terrible, and she avoided it at all costs, but something about that red-hot bottle made her feel like it was the only thing that was going to sate her craving.

Grabbing the bottle, Lucy opened up her half-eaten sandwich and gave herself a few generous dollops of Natsu’s favourite hot sauce amongst smears of peanut butter and jelly to create a monstrous concoction that was surely going to scratch that itch. The sauce had a pungent smell to it that usually made her recoil, but right now it beckoned her, promising a delectable, if not a little weird, treat.

Not wanting to draw out her cravings, Lucy took a bite and was hit with the immediate kick and tingle on her tongue. She had never enjoyed Natsu’s hot sauce before, but now it tasted like the single most appetising thing she had ever eaten, complimented by her crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jelly. The flavour combination, odd as it was, had her practically moaning, even if her face was growing hot and her tongue was growing numb. The affair didn’t go unnoticed by Natsu, who promptly entered the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about.

"Whatcha eatin’?" He asked, eyeing up whatever this sandwich was that had his wife sounding like she was ready to ascend to a higher plane of being.

"Peanut butter and jelly," she replied between bites. "And hot sauce."

Part of her expected him to recoil. The part of her brain that wasn’t fogged over by her need for peanut butter, jelly, and hot sauce, slathered between two pieces of bread, realised how weird of a combo this was, but it seemed that none of Natsu’s brain shared that sentiment.

"Can I try some?"

Lucy hesitated for a moment, wanting to savour all of her new favourite meal, but she supposed they still had enough food to make herself another, so she passed it over to him, and he eagerly took a bite.

"Shit Lucy," he exclaimed, eyes widening with delight. "You’re a genius."

She should not have been surprised that Natsu would enjoy her concoction. She should also not have been surprised that he would then proceed to eat the entire rest of her sandwich, much to her dismay. She was, at the very least, comforted by the fact that she wouldn’t be the only one in this household enjoying strange food combinations.

A soft grunt escaped Lucy’s lips as she tried to shimmy into her pants, desperately trying to pull together the button at the front of her jeans to squish herself into them. She had been able to fit herself into them just a few weeks ago, but now that she was in her second trimester, she was beginning to find her clothes increasingly difficult to fit into. Though she knew it was inevitable that her body would change, she had just hoped that she would be able to squeeze into her existing clothing for just a little while longer before she had to invest in new clothes to accommodate the baby growing inside her.

"You look like you’re getting a little chubby there, Lucy," Happy sniggered as he observed Lucy trying (and failing) to tug on her pants.

The room went quiet for a moment as Happy waited on the impending rage in which she usually responded to his teasing with, but instead her lower lip began to quiver and she sucked in a breath. She bit down on her lip to hold back her tears, but she couldn’t force back the gentle whimper she let out.

At her reaction, Happy instantly regretted his words but couldn’t get an apology in before she was fully in tears at his comment, weeping into her hands as she sat on the edge of their bed. He sat slack-jawed, trying to muster up an apology or some sort of words to make her feel better, but he was swiftly interrupted by Natsu’s Lucy alarms going off, sending him rushing into the room.

"Lucy? Oh god, Lucy, what’s wrong?"

The concern was evident on his face from the very moment he burst into the room, heart racing at the prospect of his pregnant wife sobbing in their bedroom.

"I’m fat!" She wailed out, burying her face in her hands as if to hide herself from him.

Natsu’s eyes flicked from Happy, looking awfully guilty on the other side of the room, to the loose button and zip of her pants, and was able to quickly surmise what had gone down.

Lucy was always so confident in her body—not even Happy’s comments were enough to knock her down on a normal day. She’d even expressed her excitement over her growing baby bump, but now here she was, wailing over the curve in her stomach.

"You’re not fat," Natsu tried to reassure her, sitting down next to her and gently rubbing her back.

He tried to tread carefully, not wanting to risk upsetting her even more, but he had no frame of reference for how he was supposed to deal with this. Lucy had been increasingly emotional about trivial things lately. Just two days earlier, she had gotten teary-eyed when she found out he had eaten the last of the pickles in the fridge. He hadn’t even been aware that she liked pickles until then.

"Yes, I am!" She sobbed. "I can’t even fit in my jeans!"

"Is that why you’re upset? ‘Cause you can’t fit into your jeans?" Natsu asked, his gaze flicking down to where he noticed she had been trying to fit into her favourite pair.

She weakly nodded, avoiding his gaze by staring down at the spot where her belly was poking out of her pants.

Natsu didn’t quite get it. He knew that it was inevitable that her body was going to change with pregnancy, he knew that she knew it was inevitable too, so he didn’t understand why she was so upset about it all of a sudden. What he did know was that trying to understand wasn’t going to solve this problem.

"We can get ya new pants," he offered sweetly and perhaps a little naively. "It’ll all be okay."

Lucy let out a quiet sniffle and wiped away a stray tear running down her cheek, but otherwise didn’t respond.

"I’m sorry Lucy…" Happy meekly apologised, seeing the damage his usual banter had done and feeling the guilt bubble up in his belly. He gently snuggled up to her in apology, crawling into her lap and nuzzling up to her belly—a gesture she accepted as she wrapped her arms around him. "You’re not chubby, you’ve just got a baby inside you," he murmured against her.

"Yeah!" Natsu affirmed. "That’s our kid inside your belly!"

The corner of Lucy’s lips quirked up slightly at their words, clearly past the worst of her tears.

"I’m sorry…" she mumbled. "I know it’s stupid, but I keep getting emotional over every little thing…"

"Well that’s just ‘cause you’re pregnant, right?" Natsu asked, brows furrowed slightly. "Your emotions get all weird and stuff ‘cause of the baby."

"Yeah, it is," she murmured. "I didn’t realise you knew that."

"What? Course I knew that," he defended. "I was listening to all the stuff you were tellin’ me, and I read those pregnancy books you keep leavin’ around the house."

Hearing his words made her lip quiver once more, and she sucked in another breath as she began to cry again. Genuine and true terror struck Natsu as he began to fear that he had said something wrong.

"I’m sorry, Lucy, I didn’t mean to-"

"I love you so much!" She wailed out, cutting him off before he could continue and pulling him into her arms, where Happy and their baby were stuck between them before they all fell back down onto the mattress.

With no real response, Natsu simply wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she sobbed, comforted that at least this time it was for good reasons.

In all their years of marriage, Lucy couldn’t recall seeing Natsu ever read a book. In fact, she couldn’t recall a time she had seen him read, well, ever. That’s why it came as a surprise when she returned from her shower to find Natsu sitting up in bed, the bedside lamp on, and illuminating the book he had in his hand.

He hadn’t noticed her entrance yet, fully engrossed in his reading and brows furrowed slightly with a look of intense concentration on his face. She didn’t have to guess what it was that had him so engrossed—she could already recognise the cover as one of the many parenting books that she had left scattered around the house.

She made an effort to be quiet as she changed into her pyjamas, trying not to distract him from his reading, but as she crawled into the sheets by his side, she simply couldn’t help herself.

"What are you reading?" She asked softly, drawing his attention away from the words and up to her instead.

He didn’t answer her question directly—not that she needed to know anyway—instead, the moment he looked up at her, he shot her back a newfound fact from his book.

"Did you know that the baby can taste all the food you eat?"

Lucy didn’t bother to hold back the laugh that escaped her at the very predictably Natsu piece of trivia.

"Yeah, I did know that," she replied, endeared smile on her face. "And it seems like ours has inherited your appetite," she added, letting her hand rest on the curve of her stomach.

Natsu frowned slightly, seemingly almost disappointed that he wasn’t providing her with any new information.

“Well, did you know that by now, our baby’s about the size of a pear?"

Lucy’s lips quirked up, noticing the running food-based trend that she was seeing in his facts.

"No, I didn’t know that."

Lucy had purchased these pregnancy and parenting books in an attempt to help ease the anxiety of impending parenthood that had been lingering in her system and only seemed to be growing by the week. Never in a million years would she have expected Natsu, of all people, to pick them up, but she couldn’t say she was anything but grateful. Not that she had expected Natsu to slack in the support department, but it warmed her heart to see him trying so hard to understand the changes that her body was going through.

"At 23 weeks, it’s supposed to be the size of a grapefruit," he relayed, now having abandoned the book in favour of gazing down at her belly.

He had been practically enamoured with her baby bump ever since she had started showing, his keen eyes tracking every slight change in a body that he had grown to know so well. It was cute, just how attentive he was.

Though Lucy had heard horror stories of disengaged husbands not pulling their weight, based on the way he rested his hand atop hers and looked on in fascination, she knew she was one of the lucky ones.

The sensation of the baby moving inside her had been a strange one. At first, she had been unable to distinguish the movement from other internal motions, but as the baby was growing more active, she could certainly tell that she had a future Fairy Tail member inside of her based on the way it kicked and wiggled in her womb.

It seemed to grow more active just as she was getting ready to sleep, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she felt its soft nudges when she crawled into the sheets.

"The baby’s moving," Lucy hummed softly as she felt a light kick inside of her.

Her words caught the attention of Happy, who was curled up in bed next to her and perked up at her mention of movement. Though the baby had been active inside her for a few weeks now, thus far no one else had felt the baby kick yet.

"Can I touch it?" He asked, cautious but curious.

Lucy simply nodded and pulled up her pyjama shirt, and with her permission, Happy gently rested his paws against the skin of her belly. The baby’s movements paused for a moment as Happy’s toe beans pressed into her skin, and she could see the dejected look growing on his face with each moment he didn’t feel anything. Just as he was about to move away, his patience was rewarded with a hefty kick right at the spot where his paws were touching her belly.

"I felt it!" He gasped, his eyes lighting up with a look of absolute elation.

"Felt what?" Natsu asked, peeking his head into the bedroom, hair still dripping onto the carpet from his shower.

"I felt the baby kick!"

That little revelation did not sit well with Natsu, who had been denied the feeling up until now.

"What? No fair! That’s my baby! I should be the first one to feel it!"

After shaking his hair out, Natsu rushed over to their bed and rested both hands on Lucy’s belly, but by that point the baby had seemingly tired itself out and he was well out of luck. He flopped onto the bed with a dramatic-looking pout, upset by his newfound loss and not at all helped by the way Happy was gloating about being the first.

Lucy had to bite down on her lip to stifle the giggle she was about to let out from the soft touch of Natsu’s lips grazing against her belly. She could feel his lips smile against her when the baby kicked against him.

"Are you going to say something to the baby?" She asked, half expecting him to begin talking to her baby bump.

"Say something?" He echoed, evidently not quite understanding what she meant.

"Yeah," she hummed. "It can hear you when you speak, and it will learn to recognise your voice."

Natsu looked up at her, wide-eyed in disbelief, as he processed this new information before turning his attention back down to her belly.

"Hey," he started, his voice soft and low, almost as if he was trying not to startle the baby.

He paused for a moment to try and gather his thoughts—something he did rather infrequently, but it seemed as though his first words to their unborn baby were important enough to think through, and Lucy wasn’t about to protest.

It was quiet for a while as he tried to figure out what to say before he settled on saying, "I love you already."

His words sent butterflies to her stomach, endeared by just how soft her loud, reckless, rowdy Natsu already was for their baby.

Lucy knew firsthand what it was like to have an emotionally absent father. She grew up feeling as though she was alone, just her against the world. It had left her scarred and traumatised, and she had never really gotten the closure with him that she had yearned for. Even if she had never been able to get closure from the strained relationship with her father, but a little part of her was able to feel some relief that her child was never going to have to go through what she did and that they were going to have present parents who loved them wholly and unconditionally.

She glanced down at Natsu, who was busy monologuing about the guild, introducing their child to the characters who were going to be present in their lives. He gushed over Erza’s strength; he praised Wendy’s kindness; he even begrudgingly complimented Gray for his selflessness and reliability.

Lucy smiled down at him, watching him get carried away with an exaggerated recount of the guild’s latest brawl. She didn’t bother to correct his hyperboles, feeling no need to fact-check him for a being who couldn’t understand his words yet. All she could do was beam, knowing that their baby was going to be born into the family that she had always wanted.

"I don’t know why you’re doing this to me," Happy whined as he reluctantly gave into the blanket prison that Natsu was currently wrapping him up in.

"I gotta practise, and you’re sort of baby-sized," Natsu replied, looking intensely down at the blankets as he tucked the corner of the blanket back into itself. "How’s that?"

Happy wiggled slightly, and the swaddle immediately fell apart around him, resulting in a dejected sigh from Natsu.

"Can you please let me go now? I’ve got some fishies that need me to snack on them."

"Just once more," Natsu implored, unwilling to be defeated by a stupid blanket, and Happy, feeling bad for all of his failures thus far, reluctantly agreed.

He tried to be more careful and deliberate in his folds this time, but it seemed to be going in the exact same direction that the rest of his swaddling practice had taken him so far. Just as Happy was about to call it quits, seeing as this practice was getting him nowhere and he was sick of being his test subject, Lucy’s voice chimed in from the spot she was observing them from in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" She inquired, with the way her lips quirked up in the corner indicating her vague amusement with the scene before her.

"I’m practicing swaddling Happy," Natsu candidly replied as Lucy wandered over to his side to observe the result of his hard work. "I dunno why it’s so hard," he huffed. "Isn’t it just like wrapping a burrito?"

"What? It’s not like that at all," she retorted, looking a little confused and mildly horrified by his suggestion. "Here, let me show you."

Realising that whatever Lucy was about to do was going to be leagues better than what he had attempted, Nastu stepped aside and let her demonstrate. He watched her make deliberate folds, tucking the blanket in and making sure Happy was held in nice and tight before making her next move. By the time she was finished, Happy was sufficiently swaddled, wrapped up completely snug in his blanket.

"How do you know how to do that?" Natsu asked, baffled that she had been successful on her very first attempt when he had been struggling through at least five or more.

"I read the instructions," she said, gesturing over to the parenting book Natsu had left open for reference.

Though it did include written, step-by-step instructions, he’d mostly been referencing the photos and his prior experience wrapping up rice and meat within a tortilla. Clearly, that experience did not transfer to swaddling babies.

The once whinging Happy had quickly settled into his new role as makeshift baby now that Lucy was the one swaddling him up.

"Soooo comfy…" He mumbled, finding himself cozied up in the blanket, snug like an exceed in a rug.

Natsu simply stood and stared at Lucy, slack-jawed, and found her beaming with pride in response. Carefully, she scooped Happy up, who was looking awfully content as she had him practically purring in her arms.

It was almost scary how natural her maternal instincts were.

He really had to get better at this whole "dad" thing, fast.

With only a few weeks until the estimated due date, Lucy was finding it harder and harder to fall asleep at night, and it wasn’t just the pre-birth anxiety. All the changes in her body had made it hard to get some shut-eye at the end of the day. She was plagued with aches and pains; she couldn’t lay down for long before she needed to pee, and her growing belly made it difficult to get comfortable. She’d already cried more times than appropriate now that she wasn’t able to comfortably snuggle up into Natsu’s side like she usually did, which certainly didn’t help her predicament.

Looking up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom, she gave into the fact that she was probably not about to get some sleep any time soon. Letting out a quiet sigh, Lucy looked to her side, where she found Natsu sound asleep besides her. She tried to shake off the envy that he was able to fall asleep so quickly, unimpaired by a baby who seemed dead set on making sure she didn’t get any sleep that night. Though, considering the hours of sleep she had gotten over the past few nights were in the single digits, she didn’t feel terribly guilty about her jealousy. That feeling of envy, however, was overshadowed by the loneliness she felt as she lay awake and alone.

"Natsu?" She whispered, testing the waters to see if he was awake, but keeping her voice low enough that he wouldn’t wake if he was truly asleep.

"Yeah?" He replied, voice hoarse as he roused from the edge of slumber. "Somethin’ wrong?"

"No, nothing’s wrong, I just…" She paused for a moment. "I can’t sleep."

Natsu rubbed his eyes before rolling onto his side to face her. She could see the sleep that still lingered in them, but knew that she had his full undivided attention (or at least, as much of it as she could get when he was still clambering back into the waking world).

"Sorry," she mumbled, not knowing exactly what to say nor why she had woken him.

"Ya don’t hafta be sorry," he mumbled back. "Do ya want me to stay up with you?"

A pang of guilt hit her at his offer. He had looked so peaceful as he slept (well, as peaceful as someone who slept like Natsu did could look, anyway), and she felt bad enough waking up that keeping him up would be more than she could ask for. Despite her reservations, Natsu’s signature grin, which he flashed her way, and the recollection of a promise he’d made to always be there for her made all of those bad feelings wash away.

"Yes please."

Despite his sleepy state, Natsu seemed more than happy to stay up and keep her company, even if the lack of sleep was making him a little loopy. They stayed up and talked about nothing in particular—the guild, the baby, them. Lucy didn’t care what they spoke about; she was just happy to have him with her.

As a few moments of silence befell them, Natsu’s hand rested gently on her belly, rubbing wide circles over it before he began to stifle a laugh.

"What? What are you laughing at?"

"You’ve got an outie belly button," he teased, pushing it like a button.

Lucy looked down at her belly, and even in the dark, she could still see the little bump through the fabric of her shirt that outlined her newly formed outie. With his intrusive thoughts getting the better of him, Natsu gave it a quick squeeze before Lucy was able to slap his hand away, giving him a firm look, only to be met with his beaming smile, so bright it was almost blinding, as always.

She wasn’t mad at him—never could be. For as much as he’d grown, Natsu was still the silly, goofy boy she’d always known, and she never wanted to change that about him. That, and his unwavering support, had come in plenty handy over the course of her pregnancy, especially in moments where she hadn’t been at her best.

Her hand came to tangle in his hair, gently running her fingers through pink locks as she looked at him adoringly.

"What?" He asked, eyebrow quirking up at her sudden sentimental look.

"Nothing," she hummed. "I love you," she added.

Immediately, any confusion in his expression quickly turned to delight, grinning at her once again before echoing her in his reply.

"I love you too."

The sun was beaming down against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, making for the perfect day in Magnolia—something that came as a huge relief to Lucy. She wasn’t about to spend her last girl’s day with Erza before the baby, trudging around in the rain, thirty-nine weeks pregnant.

Erza had been raving about a bakery downtown that she claimed she had craved during her entire pregnancy and insisted Lucy needed to try, (though, knowing Erza, Lucy wasn’t entirely certain that it was the pregnancy that had her craving sweets).

They’d opted for a seat outside to enjoy the weather the day had provided them, and Lucy was doing just that as Erza came out of the bakery with each of their decadent little cakes on delicate china plates. She hadn’t been so convinced by her friend’s constant raving that this would be the best thing she would ever eat, but seeing the soft sponge and the airy whipped cream, topped off with a little strawberry and a powdered sugar snowfall, had her convinced.

"Thank you," Lucy hummed as Erza placed the treat down before her.

Upon looking up at her friend, Lucy noticed Erza was looking at her rather intensely as she waited on her to try the cake. With a slight nervous shake of her hand, Lucy picked up her fork and began to dig in. She offered Erza a polite smile before taking her first bite and finally truly understanding what she was talking about. Her eyes widened and she gave a nod of approval, and Erza gave a victorious grin.

"I knew you would like it!" She declared. "I craved this for all nine months of my pregnancy and nine months after that too."

Yeah, that certainly solidified the thought that this was certainly more than a pregnancy craving.

Rather than pointing out the discrepancy, Lucy simply laughed along, happy to enjoy her friend’s company, even if she did have something of a strawberry cake addiction.

Lucy was one of the last of her married friends to start having children, and while it had been lonely for a while being the only childless one of her friends, that eventually came in plenty handy when it came to having a support system. It was nice to have friends who knew what she was going through. Though Natsu had been so helpful and supportive, sometimes she just needed to talk to her friends—the ones who had already been through it before. They’d all been plentiful with their support and advice, and Lucy wasn’t sure she would ever be able to express how grateful she was to them.

She let out a content hum as Erza chatted away, asking her question after question about the pregnancy, the baby, the birth plan. Perhaps Lucy might have been able to answer more promptly and succinctly if it weren’t for the abnormal tightening sensation in her abdomen. She’d been feeling faux-contractions for a while now, and while at first she presumed it was just that, it was becoming increasingly clear that this was not that.

She squirmed and shuffled around in her seat slightly, trying to get comfortable and wait the pain out before she felt something almost akin to a water balloon bursting between her thighs. For a moment, she thought she had just wet herself (something that had been happening with embarrassing frequency these days), but when the feeling of something leaking out between her legs didn’t go away, she began to worry that it was something a little more than that.

"Hey Erza?" She began, voice soft so as not to alarm her friend. "I don’t want to worry you or anything, but… I think my water just broke."

Despite her efforts to keep her calm, the look of sheer panic was evident on her face as she broke the news to her.

"Excuse me?" She cried out in shock before pausing to process the news. “Well, what are you doing? We need to go, now!"

Immediately, Erza was on her feet and at her side. It took a few moments for Lucy to realise what was happening before she felt Erza’s arm slide under her knees.

"Wait, Erza, hold on-!"

If Erza heard her protests, she paid them no mind before she lifted Lucy up and began to run. Despite holding the weight of an entire person and a baby, Erza ran as though she were completely uninhibited, her strides long and fast as she sprinted in the direction of the guild, ignoring the blatant stares being shot their way. If Lucy weren’t going into labour, she’d probably have it in her to be quite impressed. Realising there was no talking Erza out of this, Lucy simply held on for dear life and thanked every star out there that at least she thought fast on her feet.

Though they’d had a birth plan set out, going into labour on a random day out with Erza had not been part of it. She had hoped that the first stage of labour would occur when she was home in a quiet and relaxed environment with Natsu by her side, but it seemed as though this baby was determined to throw a wrench in their plans.

She had yet to experience another contraction on her ride to the guild, a small blessing that counteracted the sheer panic that was pumping through her veins right now. Surely this whole scenario was good for neither her nor the baby. To calm herself, Lucy ensured she took deep breaths and put all of her faith in Erza to get her somewhere safe without dropping her.

That safe haven came with a loud slam as Erza kicked open the guild doors, commanding all attention and bringing every conversation to a halt as everyone stopped to see what was going on, but she left no time for explanation.

"Get out of my way!" She called out as she rushed through to make it to the infirmary.

Lucy clenched her eyes shut as she felt another contraction come on—short but certainly painful, and she wanted nothing more than to be in a more comfortable position than the one Erza was holding her in.

"Erza!" Lucy wailed out, trying to indicate her pain.

"We’re almost there!" She assured, but every moment seemed to feel like an eternity to Lucy.

A breath of relief managed to escape her once she felt the contractions fade away, allowing her to relax slightly, but her knees kept bumping against her belly with every step Erza took, and she needed nothing more than to sit or lay down before she straight up knocked the baby out of her.

She felt Erza skid around a corner before dashing down a hallway, sprinting faster than Lucy thought was physically possible. She had never assumed that being carried in Erza’s arms would be comparable to being in a car driven by her, but it seemed as though that was the case.

Lucy could barely register what was happening, but for a moment Erza came to a halt as she opened a door, and before she knew it, Lucy was gently laid down on one of the guild infirmary beds, and she wasn’t sure if she had ever felt more relief in her life than she did in that moment. Finally, she felt her heart rate slow to a normal level now that she was in a safe, sanitary environment.

"What do you need?" Erza asked, looking down at her with an intense gaze, determined to help her friend in any way that she could.

Lucy took in a few breaths to calm down and register what was happening. What did she need? She wasn’t quite sure. Everything had happened so fast and so not according to plan that she was still feeling frazzled. There was only one thing on her mind.

"Natsu," she replied. "I need Natsu."

Erza gave her a firm nod.

"Then I’ll get Natsu."

With no hesitation, Erza was back out the door, and Lucy was on her own. It was a little scary having it happen so unexpectedly and being thrown in the deep end, but she’d been through so much worse than this and was certain that this was just a tiny blip in the grand scheme of things.

She pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling the discomfort of lying on her back for too long. Once she sat up, she heard the sound of the door opening, and based on the way it wasn’t immediately blasted open, she could tell it was neither Natsu nor Erza, which she confirmed when she turned around and saw Wendy and Gray standing in the doorway.

"Hey," Wendy softly greeted, a cautious smile on her face. "I hope you don’t mind, but Erza said your water broke, and we thought you might need some company while you wait for Natsu to arrive."

Lucy offered a smile to both of them and beckoned them in. Though she had appreciated the moments of company from her, Lucy was thankful to have a duo a little more level-headed than Erza.

"How are you feeling?" Gray asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs beside the bed.

"I’m okay," Lucy replied. "Though, Erza carried me the entire way here, and I’m convinced I’m going to have a permanent bruise on my stomach," she replied, resting her hand on her baby bump.

The pair both winced at the story, knowing full well how Erza could get, and Wendy looked almost woozy at the prospect.

Before any more conversation could get underway, their attention was taken by the slam of the door bashing against the wall as Natsu bolted into the room, Happy and Erza trailing close behind him.

"Lucy!" He cried out, the panic on his face washing away once he saw her sitting safe on the infirmary bed. He rushed to her side, ensuring to shove Gray out of the way to take the seat closest to her. "Get out of my way, dipshit!"

He didn’t even pay any mind to any retaliation Gray may have tried to give as he took his chair and grabbed Lucy by the arm.

"Are you okay?" He asked, brows furrowed as he examined her to make sure she was alright. "Did I miss anything?"

"I’m fine," she reassured him, removing his hands from her arms and resting her own gently on his shoulders. "Just a couple of contractions is all."

Natsu seemed to relax slightly, knowing that in the two hours since he’d last seen her, he hadn’t accidentally missed the birth of their first child.

Though she appreciated the company of all her teammates, having Natsu by her side brought her more comfort than she could ever need. He held her hand through each contraction and kept her distracted by telling silly stories when the pain became too much to bear. Each of her friends accompanied her for a brisk walk around the infirmary when she no longer felt comfortable sitting down, and Wendy’s healing spells proved to be vital as she felt her contractions become longer and closer together.

The sun had long since set when the pain had become constant and almost unbearable. Erza had taken it upon herself to time her contractions as Lucy complained of them becoming longer and stronger.

"How long was that one?" Natsu asked as he felt Lucy’s grip on his hand loosen slightly.

"Sixty-five seconds," Erza replied, looking down at her stopwatch.

"That means she’s in labour, right?" Gray asked, looking over at Erza for confirmation.

When met with an affirming nod, Wendy stood up with a look of determination on her face.

"I’ll get Porlyursica-san!"

She dashed out of the room, leaving the rest of them inside as Lucy let out a wail of pain. Natsu flinched at every indication of pain, his heart clenching as he had to watch her hurt while he was unable to do anything but sit and watch.

"You’re gonna get through this, okay?" He assured, his voice gentle and soft as he clutched at her hand. "You’re awesome and strong, and you’re gonna give birth to the coolest baby ever."

If she weren’t plagued by constant abdominal pain, she would have laughed at his juvenile language. He was right. She was going to get through it, just like she always had, because she had Natsu with her. Maybe he couldn’t do anything about the pain, but knowing he was there brought her the comfort and reassurance she knew she needed to get through it, (and squeezing his hand as hard as she could manage was just a little bit cathartic).

By the time Wendy rushed in with Porlyursica in tow, a group of her guildmates had gathered by the door despite the late hour of the night, all letting out excited chatter at the prospect of the birth of their newest guildmate.

"Out," she demanded of those who still lingered in the room, and heeding her instruction, Gray, Happy, and Erza quickly shuffled out after saying their goodbyes to Lucy before joining their excited friends in the hallway outside the infirmary.

"This is my baby too!" Natsu shot back, unwilling to leave Lucy’s side for even a moment.

Porlyursica scowled, but didn’t argue, realising it was futile to argue with him and perhaps feeling enough empathy in her heart to let the father stay for the birth.

"Wendy said your contractions are sixty seconds and five minutes apart?" She asked, to which Lucy managed a weak nod.

She let out a hum of acknowledgement, which gave neither Natsu nor Lucy any indication of what she was thinking. She didn’t speak as she checked her vital signs, which Lucy could only hope was a good thing. Her silence was broken after a few moments of examination before she turned on her feet to face Wendy.

"Fetch the girl a hospital gown," she told her before turning back around to Natsu and Lucy. "You’re about to give birth."

Lucy had been in pain before. She’d been beaten, bruised, and abused, but that didn’t make the pain of pushing a baby out of her any less. Her face was red from the exertion as she pushed, tears rolling down her face from the pain. She gripped onto Natsu’s hand like it was her only lifeline, taking what little comforts she could get from it. She let out a wail of discomfort followed by a choked sob of pain, feeling like she simply could not push anymore.

"I can’t- I can’t-" she panted, throwing her head back against the pillow in defeat.

"Yes, you can," Natsu assured, holding her hand in both of his. "Come on, you got this Lucy. I know you do."

She opened her eyes and rolled her head to the side to face him. His expression was a familiar one, though not one she had seen in a long time. It was that face of pure determination and belief—belief in her, because he truly, fully believed that she could make it through anything she put her mind to.

"You can do it," he repeated, and she wasn’t sure if she was entirely convinced, but it seemed that he was, and she wasn’t about to let him down.

"Okay," she managed out, voice a little hoarse from wailing out in pain but determined to see it through because there was simply no other option.

She wasn’t entirely sure how long it had been since the start of the birth. It could have been an hour, it could have been little more than a couple of minutes. All sense of time had left her from the very first push and all she could hope was that it would be over soon.

Porlyursica urged her to push again and she followed her instructions, pushing and breathing and doing whatever she could to get this damn baby out, but it seemed as though Natsu had put what Lucy could only assume to be the world’s largest baby inside of her.

Her thighs were starting to shake, or maybe they had been shaking the whole time. She couldn’t really tell. She felt like every muscle in her body was aching as she used all the force she could muster to push.

Natsu was murmuring tired encouragements into her ear, though she couldn’t make out the words, her brain being completely fogged over from the pain. She can barely make out the sound of Porlyusica speaking from her spot at the end of her bed.

"You’re crowning," is all she said and it made Lucy’s heart skip a beat.

It was like with those two words, Lucy could feel the page turning to a new chapter in their lives, and suddenly she felt like she wanted to cry for another reason.

After some hefty pushes, a few more cries of pain, and Lucy feeling like she was being split open, Porlyursica beckoned Natsu over to the spot at the end of the bed. Letting go of Lucy’s hand, he heeded her instructions despite the tinge of confusion he felt.

"You’re going to catch the baby," she told him point blank.

She didn’t give him an option which was fine because he didn’t need any other options.

He set himself between her legs and with another rough and determined push and a wail so loud it made Natsu flinch, she pushed the baby out and into his arms. Lucy wasn’t sure if she had ever felt so much relief in her life than she had in that moment where Natsu held their baby girl, all squalling and pink.

He didn’t want to pass her to Porlyursica when it was time to cut the umbilical cord and clean her off, but the terrifying scowl she shot him was enough to have him begrudgingly pass her over.

Lucy was so spent from the birth that she could hardly keep her eyes open, but the moment that her little girl was passed to her she managed to sit up and hold her in her arms. She was so small in her arms, the tiniest little thing, and Lucy almost couldn’t believe that she had just birthed her.

Natsu shimmied onto the bed next to her, resting his chin on her shoulder and snaking his arms around her waist to get a good look at their baby, resting against her mama’s chest.

"She’s awesome," Natsu said, sounding as though his breath had been taken away.

Lucy snorted slightly at his description of their first child but didn’t have it in her to disagree.

"Yeah," she breathed. "She is."

So many feelings began to swirl inside Lucy’s chest. Pride, joy, relief, but perhaps most importantly of all, love. Love for her new child, love for Natsu, love for everyone who had been at her side, love for the family that their baby had been born into. She looked over at Natsu and find him staring wistfully at their baby, almost like he couldn’t believe that they had done this. Lucy understood the sentiment.

Their girl was the first page of the next chapter on their new adventure, and Lucy was certain that there was no one she would rather go on it with, than him.