For tumblr user mrseucliffex's birthay! Happy birthday bbu :* oh also this original one-shot comes in 3 parts because I have a pet peeve about my one-shots being too long nowadays because I think no one ever reads them lmao. My internet history now has "pregnancy week by week" and if anyone looks through my history before I can manage tod elete it, I will not have a good explanation because I can guarantee they won't believe me. -shina

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OCTOBER

Stress wasn't usually a part of Lucy's personality unless she was out on a job, but Natsu couldn't help but think that something was bothering her. When she picked up her purse before she left home, she always dropped it on the floor, and then she would sigh in frustration. When she thought Natsu wasn't home, she would run to the drug store and come back with a bag full of items she later wouldn't let him see. Recently, she went on jobs alone, and even though she would come back within the same day she took them, Natsu couldn't comprehend why she would even consider going without him and Happy.

It was a Monday afternoon when he waited for her in their living room. Normally, he would have been on a mission with her, but because of her sudden desire to be alone, he'd be with either Erza or Gray. This time, although it killed his inner child, he passed up on another S-rank job, because it was just about impossible for him to focus on a job when his wife was acting up.

The door creaked open and when he saw her face, he couldn't recall her ever looking as distressed as she did now. She gently slipped out of her boots and coat, hanging it properly on their coat rack. Sighing, she began walking towards the bathroom. Natsu cleared his throat.

"Oh my god! Natsu, what are you doing home?" she asked. "You scared me!"

"There wasn't a job I felt like doing," he answered.

"That's not very like you," she laughed nervously.

"You not wanting to come on missions with me is what's not very like you," he said, his voice low.

The air around them became tense when Lucy didn't speak, but she looked at the hardwood floors instead. She held a brown paper bag in her hands tightly and Natsu was beginning to get more than a little upset. Her fingers curled around the material when Natsu took a few steps forward. She was hiding something.

"What's in the bag?" he asked.

"Just some girl stuff."

"Can I see?"

"I'd rather you not."

They stared at each other for what felt like years. They were searching for something in the other person, perhaps a hidden truth, perhaps anger, or perhaps even some form of a resolution. Lucy opened her mouth and spoke, her voice quieter than Natsu had ever heard. It made his bones chill.

"Natsu," she whispered, "just trust me, okay?"

"Trust you?" He ran his hands through his hair shakily, anger boiling inside him. "You're keeping things from me, Lucy. You've never kept things from me and all of a sudden you're tiptoeing around me!"

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, her voice tinged with hurt.

"I trust you with anything, Lucy! Why can't you trust me?"

Lucy's widened eyes slowly closed and she sighed. Taking a few steps forward, she made sure she was just inches away from Natsu and she leaned her head against his chest. He couldn't help but think she was trying to listen to his heart, which at this point, was slowing in its beats when she touched him, when he smelled her. His expression softened.

"Give me a few minutes, okay? I'll tell you in a few minutes."

With uncertainty, he watched her close the bathroom door behind her. Sitting upon the sofa once more, he held his head in his hands. At times, Lucy was known to keep things to herself, but this thing that was so important that it had to wait, made him feel anxious. Possibly the most anxious he's been in the last year, since he married her.

As promised, a few minutes passed, and Natsu heard the door open. He lifted his head, his eyes, and looked at the blond-haired woman, who reminded him so much of an image of love and purity and home. A small smile was on her face, and it was warm, loving, and Natsu was reminded of why he fell in love with her.

"Natsu," she whispered, "I'm pregnant."

The room was silent. The words replayed in his head and he stood up, thinking that it might help the processing faster if he did. Lucy's eyes filled with tears as she ran towards him and his open arms. They laughed and he kissed her face and her forehead, slowly and finally setting on her lips. Her arms wrapped around his waist and they held each other in bliss. He whispered he loved her into her hair and she felt as though her heart was about to burst through her chest.

Grabbing their coats, they didn't even consider calling the guild through their house phone. Without warning when they stepped outside, Natsu pulled Lucy onto his back gently and he ran for the both of them, her laughter filling his ears, and his heart swelled at the thought that he loved her more than she could understand.

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NOVEMBER

"It's starting to get cold," Lucy mumbled as she walked out of their bedroom. "Where's Erza?"

"On her way. Wendy's coming, too."

Nodding, Lucy wrapped a blanket around her tightly and walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge. She pulled out ham slices and cheese, setting it on the counter. Natsu watched as she reached for the mustard and instead of the usual lean bread she went for, she pulled out the sandwich bread that they served at Subway. His eyes widened when she slabbed on more ham than she usually ate. She leaned against the counter, sighing.

"Everything okay?" Natsu asked, his tone light.

"Do we have ice cream?"

He blinked, astonished. Even he didn't eat them together.

"Aren't you eating a little too much?" he asked.

Her head snapped up to glare at him and her expression was furious. She slammed a hand onto the marble.

"Natsu," she growled, "are you calling me fat?"

"What? No! I just think -"

"I want to eat this big-ass sandwich and some ice cream." She ground her teeth together and moved towards the fridge again, but didn't take her eyes off him. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, definitely not."

Hair standing on its ends, Natsu watched as she finally looked away from him and opened the fridge once more. She searched in the bottom drawers and when she stopped, Natsu could hear her whimpering. He stood up and walked towards her, his footsteps light.

"What's wrong, Lucy?"

"We're out of chocolate ice cream," she said, her voice quiet.

"Do you want me to get some?"

Standing up, Lucy stared at her husband with wide eyes. She pulled him into her arms and he stroked her hair. Natsu had began reading books about pregnancy (thanks to Erza and Mirajane), and he was fully aware that mood swings were common around the sixth week. They were actually full-blown, and a woman's hormones were out of whack and they weren't able to necessarily control their emotions. He knew these things, and yet, he felt somewhat afraid of the woman he loved.

"No," she finally answered, "I'll just call Erza to buy some. She knows the best ones."

"And I don't?"

"You don't like chocolate ice cream as much as I do. Your taste is different than mine."

Dismissing the matter by making a face, Natsu moved towards the fridge himself for his own lunch. Ever since they got married, Lucy taught him how to cook simple meals for when she wasn't home and he needed something to eat. He remembered watching her cook and he recalled the amazement he felt when he took that first bite. Lucy knew it, but he never stopped complimenting her on her cooking: she was a natural.

"Say, Lucy," he said, "do you want me to cook us lunch and you can have the sandwich after?"

"Hmm? Why?" she asked.

"I just want you to taste my cooking."

"You always overburn your food," she chuckled. Natsu couldn't help but grin at the color in her cheeks.

"You can watch me cook and tell me if I'm doing it wrong."

Nodding, Lucy pulled up a stool and set it in the corner of their kitchen, but near enough to their stove. Her long fingers reached for the cordless phone near the wall and she dialed Erza's number. She spoke only for a few seconds, but it was polite and kind, and Natsu was more than glad that so far, her mood swings hadn't caused her to have hostile behavior. Knowing her, these mood swings would only be really bad if she felt uncomfortable, and though at times that was unavoidable, Natsu made a note to make sure to be extra attentive. He'd need to read more pregnancy books, of course.

"Okay, do you want omelette rice or simple fried rice?" he asked as he started up the stove.

"Fried rice, definitely!"

Surprisingly, Lucy didn't instruct Natsu too much while he was cooking. Perhaps it was because she genuinely thought he was doing fine, or maybe it was the fact that she was too hungry to care about how he cooked. She merely wanted to eat.

"Natsu?" she said as she handed him two plates.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

The expression on Lucy's face was calm and content. She smiled at him sweetly and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. She sniffled and looked at the pan filled with rice. Natsu grinned as he filled their plates, leaving extra for her. Placing the plates on the counter, he reached above her for mugs and swiftly kissed her head before he walked towards the hot water dispenser on the opposite side of the room.

"Should we eat by the TV?" she asked.

"Up to you," he replied warmly.

"We can watch The Seventy!"

At that, Natsu smiled at her widely. She never wanted to watch any of the TV shows he liked, merely because she complained that they were too much for her. Emotionally, mostly. Carrying the plates in both her hands, Natsu couldn't help but chuckle when the blanket fell off her shoulders and onto the ground. He held both mugs in one hand and picked up the thick blanket with the other, then pressed up close to her after he handed her the blanket.

"Don't you want some of this?" she asked absentmindedly, holding out the quilt.

He waited for her to look at him before he gave her a look.

"Oh," she laughed, "right."

"So, what episode do you want to watch? The latest one or one that you haven't seen?"

"The latest one, duh!"

She snuggled into her blanket and moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He rested his head upon hers as he switched the channels, feeling incredibly at peace. Gobbling up her food rather quickly, Lucy reached for the phone next to her and began dialing Erza's number again. Smiling as she whined on the phone, Natsu couldn't help but to push some of his food onto her plate.

It was going to be a long night, and Natsu was confident that they would run out of ingredients and food soon enough.

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DECEMBER

For the past few weeks, Lucy's spirits were high. She hummed her favorite song around the house as she cooked, and she even took walks in the morning while Natsu still slept. Although he was partially expecting her mood swings to get worse, she seemed to have them under control for the most part. She never yelled at him and she never got cross with anyone else, as well. She tried her best to be patient and when she couldn't, she would always apologize after. It was almost as though she wasn't even pregnant. He couldn't figure out why until she lifted his hands to touch her face.

"It's so soft!" she squealed.

"Your face has always been soft."

She laughed.

"But right now it's especially soft! No blemishes, no pimples!"

Chuckling, Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked along the banks of the river. The city was bustling with people, though it wasn't congested like it normally was. Lucy's hands were on her stomach and her expression changed, indicating discomfort. Natsu stopped, causing her to look up at him curiously.

"Are you in pain?"

"The book said I should be feeling bloated by this time: that's probably what it is."

"Do you want to sit for a bit?"

She blinked slowly, looking around.

"Where?"

Without answering, Natsu pulled her hand towards the river, where an abundance of boats floated, waiting for customers who wanted a romantic night cruise along the waters. He hated anything that had to do with vehicles, and he definitely considered a boat to be a vehicle of sorts. When they were about to step in, Lucy tugged at his hand.

"We don't have to do this, you'll get sick," she said.

"It's okay," he answered, "I'll put up with it."

As soon as they started rowing, the nausea burned up in his throat and he leaned over the boat, waiting for the contents of his stomach to empty. Like many times before, Lucy's fingers carded through his soft hair, rubbing at his scalp. She was gentle and he vaguely felt her body moving closer to his. Lifting his head, he saw her eyes and they were grateful, warm, and understanding. She gently lifted his head and he allowed her to guide him onto her lap. She smiled wider.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're saying that a lot these days," he said.

"Of course, I'm very grateful. Now, it's just a matter of reciprocating."

He was speechless as she stroked his face, his heart settled into his chest when her eyes traced the lines of his features, her fingers following suit. Placing a hand over one of hers, he smiled at her warmly. He couldn't hear the chatter of the people nor the other boats that passed by. All he could see was her and the stars behind her, and all he heard was his heartbeat, and if he listened close enough, he could hear hers, too.

"Thank you," he whispered.