It had all started with one drunken decision.

Lucy paced around the small bathroom, the last few weeks playing over and over again in her mind, as if she could change what happened. But her memory just kept repeating, and she brushed her hair back from her forehead, feeling Loke pushing gently against his gate.

She could feel he was worried- he knew something was up, but she didn't want to speak to anyone, she just wanted to sit in her small bathroom and maybe cry for a good hour or two.

Lucy shook her head, moving over to the mirror. In desperation, she pulled at her hair, trying to think about how she'd have Cancer style it next.

Maybe short like Edolas Lucy. So that way, she wouldn't-

She slammed her fist against the counter, shoving the thought away. NO, she was not going to think that, because if she thought it, it would become reality, and she couldn't handle that right now.

Her gaze flicked automatically to the little piece of plastic on her counter, the source of her discomfort, and she felt the knot in her stomach twist unhappily as she waited.

One drunken decision. That was all it had taken.

Lucy was laughing loudly next to Levy, slopping part of her tankard as Mirajane finished the story, blushing slightly from the alcohol in her system. "Ever still hasn't stopped complaining about her feet- she swears the blisters have made her feet grow."

Cana laughed, the least drunk out of all of them, and she drained half her tankard. "They'll match her big head."

Levy spat out some of her ale, snorting, but Mirajane shot Cana a look. "Nonsense, Ever's really changed since the festival. She still has some quirks, but-"

Lucy lifted her tank. "Don't we all though?"

Levy nodded, nudging her slightly. "Speaking of quirks, look who's coming over."

The other two looked around, but Lucy didn't have to look over as she drank some more ale to know who was coming.

"LUCE!"

She rolled her eyes, but a slight smile spread across her face. "What's up Natsu?"

Natsu tottered over, looking a little unsteady as he put a hand on the counter, struggling to stay upright. Blearily, he stared at Mirajane, and raised his fists. "Fight me Mira!"

Lucy sighed, turning back to the Take-Over Mage. "I should probably take him home."

Natsu waved her off, shaking his head. "Nah, s'fine."

Cana grinned evilly, and she nudged Mirajane with her foot. "Come on, a pretty girl like Lucy taking you home? Any guy would be thrilled!"

Lucy turned brick-red, but Natsu was too focused on Cana to notice much else. "What? Why would they?"

Cana sniggered evilly. "Why do you think? Girl and boy stuff."

Natsu pulled a face. "Eeeew."

Lucy felt her face grow hot, and she hid her face behind her tankard. She'd never admit it to Natsu, but she'd been hoping for a while that maybe he'd ask her out on a date. But this was nothing new- Natsu seemed pretty focused on ignoring the opposite sex.

Cana didn't seem put-off by Natsu's reaction, and she shot Mirajane a look as she drank from her tankard. "See, told you. Gay."

Lucy sprayed ale all over Natsu, but he didn't seem to notice. "What?"

Mirajane nodded. "Cana and I were talking the other day, and I have to say I agree with her. You're gay Natsu."

Natsu looked thunderstruck for a second before he shook his head. "Am not!"

Cana nodded solemnly, mimicking Mira's serious attitude. "Are too. Otherwise, why wouldn't you be interested in any of the girls Mira's tried to set you up with?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly where this was going, but Levy nudged her, signaling to stay quiet, and Lucy settled back, deciding to watch the show.

Natsu seemed to deflate slightly, but he shook his head. "S'not true, I just didn't like 'em."

Cana nodded. "Because you're really after boys."

"Nu-uh! I'm not gay!"

Levy leaned forward. "Well, how do you know?"

Natsu looked a little put-off. "I just do."

"You have kissed someone before, right?"

"I have!"

Lucy shook her head, deciding to put in her three cents. "Well, have you ever kissed a guy before?" When Natsu shook his head, she sighed. "Well, how would you know then?"

Natsu looked down at his feet, his eyes narrowed, and Levy sniggered. "I bet Gray would give you a nice kiss too~."

Natsu jumped back as if Levy had dumped ice cold water on him, and it was too much for the girls. They roared with laughter, and when Lucy sat up to apologize, she saw he'd already walked away. "That was mean guys."

Cana's grin still hadn't faded as she downed the last of her drink. "Luce, he's so wasted, he probably won't remember anything tomorrow." As Mirajane refilled the tankard, Cana winked. "Besides, then maybe you'll finally get a kiss yourself and stomp moping a bit."

Lucy groaned, resting her head against the counter-top. She should've known they'd pull this around on her. But as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a loud crash, and Lucy looked up in time to see a horrified Gajeel on his feet. His eyes were fixed on the pair of boys in front of him, who were both retching loudly.

Gray looked like something was killing him, and when Lucy looked around to see where Juvia was, she was surprised to see she looked like she'd become a statue. A look of horror was fixed upon her face, and Lucy idly wondered if it would ever disappear as she glanced over at the second boy.

Natsu was breathing hard, but when he looked up, it was with a look of triumph as he stared down Cana and Mirajane. "I told you!"

Lucy looked from Natsu to Gray, and as Natsu got to his feet, she made sense of what had happened.

Cana looked a little shocked, her eyes wide. "I… I didn't think…"

Natsu tried to move towards the bar (Lucy assumed to gloat), but was stopped by an irate and steaming Gray, who punched him into a wall. "You asshole! What the hell was that for?"

It was like he'd broken a spell, and Mirajane and Cana burst into laughter. "I didn't think you'd do it!" She yelled, throwing back her head, and Lucy and Levy joined in.

Most of the guild was hooting and laughing hysterically, and Gajeel pushed Gray towards Natsu. "Come on lover boys, make up already."

"What? We aren't-"

"Juvia will not allow this new love rival to step in on her Gray-sama's affections!"

"Juvia, for the last time, we aren't-"

Lucy chuckled, standing up. She swayed a bit on the spot for a second before she finished her ale, setting the tankard down. "I'm going to take that idiot home before this gets any crazier."

Mirajane nodded. "I think Happy was over with Charle and Lily last."

Lucy nodded. "He was going to stay over at Wendy's tonight, but I'm not worried. He'll know where we've gone when he sees we left."

Mirajane nodded. "Night then Lucy."

"Night guys!" She ignored Cana's request for one last drinking game, walking over to the hole in the wall. Natsu was attempting to stand up, but the hit seemed to have knocked him a little silly. Gingerly, Lucy grabbed under his arm, helping him to his feet. "Come on, you can't pass out at the guild like this."

"Hey Luce!" Natsu's voice was low, and he slumped against her shoulder, snuggling in slightly to the crook of her neck, and Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine. Carefully, she put his arm over her shoulder, putting one of her own arms around his back. Half-dragging, half-walking, she got him out of the guild, starting on her way back home.

For a second, she thought about taking him to his house and ditching him in the hammock before going to her house, but it was a much longer walk, and she was drunk herself. With a sigh, she trudged onwards, and Natsu's head lolled over to look at her. "Hey, Luce." His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked around. "Where are we going?"

"My house. You've drunk too much."

Natsu grumbled, but made no move to turn back. She chuckled slightly, running her hand up and down his back. "You know you didn't have to kiss Gray, right?"

Natsu nodded, his eyes somewhat out of focus. "Yeah, but I wanted to make sure Cana was lying."

Lucy rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Natsu, you aren't gay. I'm sure you'd have figured it out by now if you were."

Natsu nodded, nuzzling his head back into her neck. "Yeah." He paused, sniffing slightly. "Luce, did you change shampoos?"

Lucy flushed a little bit as she pointedly stared ahead. "No, I got a new perfume." She chanced a glance at him, relieved to see his eyes were shut. "Why, does it smell weird?"

He shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Smells nice. Like butterflies."

Lucy didn't know exactly what to say, but was saved by the appearance of her flat. Carefully, she led him up the steps, opening the door with practiced ease. Natsu groaned slightly as she led him inside, sitting him down on the couch. He looked a little lost as she got him some water, pushing it into his hand. "Come on, drink that, and I'll get you some blankets."

He nodded, silently doing as he was told, and Lucy felt herself wishing he was this compliant sober as she got the blankets. She came back to find him passed out on her couch, his face pressed into a throw pillow, and she shook her head as she covered him up.

He was hopeless.

She went to her room, pulling on a pair of pajamas before brushing her teeth, and she was just starting to yawn as she walked back out to her bedroom. Her mind was so fixed on getting to bed; she didn't notice the figure in the doorway until she'd passed him.

Lucy jumped slightly as a hand caught her elbow, but she instantly relaxed as she recognized the pink hair. "Natsu, what is it? Want another blanket?"

He didn't say anything, staring at her, and Lucy blushed under his gaze. It wasn't the way he usually looked at her- with so much longing that it made her slightly uncomfortable, but she shook the thoughts from her head. "Natsu, are you alright?"

"I knew I wasn't gay."

Lucy rolled her eyes, pulling gently free from his grip. "I told you that. Go to bed Natsu."

He took a step forwards though, moving further into the room, and Lucy swallowed a little thicker than usual, her throat suddenly dry. "Natsu?"

"You know, I never really tested it out…"

She was about to ask what he'd never tested out when his arms pulled her close, and she was staring wide-eyed at him as he kissed her. The uncertain knot that had tied in her stomach came undone, and she melted into his embrace. He wasn't the best kisser, but she couldn't expect him to be perfect.

He pulled away, looking a little thunderstruck, and Lucy turned bright red. "Um… Natsu…"

She wanted to ask what he was doing, why he was kissing her, but he cut her off, kissing her again, and her brain went blank, and all that was left was Natsu. Natsu, kissing her like she was in one of her crazy dreams about him, and she was loving every second of it.

Lucy rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself down. She shouldn't have let it go any further, shouldn't have let him sleep with her in bed, but for one night, she forgot about all her reasons that they shouldn't be together. There was no partnership, no guild mates to worry about, no guild even, just her and Natsu.

When she woke up the next morning, reality came crashing down around her as she saw the pink-haired dragonslayer sleeping peacefully in her bed, holding her close. She had hurriedly gone for a shower before he woke up, but when he finally woke up, he was perplexed at waking up at her house, having no memory from after he challenged Elfman to a fight.

Lucy decided against filling him in on all his misdeeds, and chose rather to let him believe that she didn't remember either. It had been funny, laughing along with all the others at the guild as Natsu and Gray fought, both livid and embarrassed, but Lucy felt a pang of remorse as she watched Natsu roll past her.

Maybe she should have told him. The thought was easily shoved aside, the rest of her agreeing with her decision. At some point during the shower, she realized he must have been testing out if he actually liked girls or not- it was only because she was in the vicinity that he chose her, and not some other girl, like Lisanna.

It hurt to think, but it was the most likely answer to why Natsu would've kissed her. Natsu had never shown any interest in her before, and was unlikely to ever again. Silently, she watched Gray get thrown across the room, and resolved to never speak about what had happened.

She'd take the secret to her grave. He'd never know that they'd kissed, nor that he had taken her virginity.

But was that really possible now? Lucy stared blankly at the pregnancy test, which still stubbornly refused to give her the answer she knew was coming. She couldn't believe she'd let her imagination run away with her this long- true, she'd never missed a period before, but she was always getting sick.

Lucy leaned her head against the wall, pressing her forehead against the cold tiles. Pregnant. How stupid could she be? She wasn't sure at the time, but the more she thought about it, she was almost sure that they had definitely didn't use a condom. Goodness knows there wouldn't be one in the apartment- she'd never had a serious boyfriend long enough to even consider buying them.

She hadn't been to the guild for three days- she'd thought she was well enough for a mission, but had ended up in the bathroom, throwing up breakfast while Mirajane patted her back. When she was finally done, Mirajane had smiled, handing her some water. "At least it's just the flu Lucy."

Levy nodded from her place by the sink, and she carefully helped Lucy to her feet. "At least you aren't pregnant." She'd teased, but the words had struck fear into Lucy's heart as she left the guild, promising to get some rest.

She'd only stopped to grab the test on her way home. For some reason, all the 5 minute or less tests were gone, forcing Lucy to grab a 10 minute test still on the shelf before hurrying home.

Once there, nerve had failed her. For three days, she carried the test around the apartment, staring at it like it would instinctively know if she was pregnant from inside the box. Finally, she'd forced herself to take it, figuring it would be nice to finally know, but the ten minutes waiting time was almost too much.

Lucy glanced at the clock, noting it had been only 5 minutes, and she started to pace again. Maybe she should make some tea- that always helped her feel better.

She froze, her hand on the doorknob as she heard the window in the room beyond open, and a familiar voice called out. "Luce?"

Lucy bit her lip, glancing at the test on the counter. Maybe if she stayed quiet…

There was a knock on the door, and Lucy jumped a good foot. "Luce, I know you're in there. I can smell you."

Lucy pulled a face. "Go away Natsu. I'm in the bath."

She felt the corner of her eye twitch slightly as the doorknob rattled, and Natsu's voice came through the door. "Come on Luce! I haven't seen you in a week!"

"That's not my fault- you left on a mission without me."

"I wanted you to come! But you said you weren't feeling well, and I'd already said I'd go." Lucy could practically hear the whine in his voice, and she smiled despite herself. "Mirajane said you were still pretty sick though- feeling better?"

His tone was so hopeful that Lucy felt a twinge of guilt as she spoke. "No, I'm really not. I just need some more sleep and relaxation."

She was praying he'd leave- he could go anywhere else, but just not here. Her face fell as he spoke up, his voice more excited than ever. "Oh! I'll make you some soup- Happy always like my fish soup when he's sick, why don't-"

"No!" Lucy cut him off, wincing a little at how sharp it came out. "I just want to be alone Natsu. Please."

There was a long pause before Natsu spoke up, and Lucy felt like her heart was ripped in two as she heard his tone. "You… You don't want to see me?" When Lucy didn't answer, she heard him speak softly to the door. "Is that why you locked yourself in there?"

Lucy flushed a bit. "N-no!" She said, a little hastily. "I was in the bath!"

"Luce, I can't smell the soap."

Lucy closed her eyes, leaning her head against the door. Shit, she'd forgotten that. "Fine. Yes, I've locked myself in the bathroom. But not because I don't want to see you."

"Then why don't you open the door?"

Lucy paused, glancing back at the test and the clock. She just had to make it a few more minutes, and then-

She froze, realization hitting her. If it was positive, she was going to cry, and Natsu was going to break down the door, and then she'd be forced to spit the whole truth out. She could lie to him, tell him it was someone else's, but he'd see through that in a heartbeat. How could she pretend she'd had a one night stand with a stranger after all the time she spent talking about wanting a prince charming?

"Because I don't want you to see what I'm doing." She finally said, deciding to give him the truth, if not the whole truth.

There was a soft thunk on the door, and Lucy caught a soft puff of air being released. "Thank god. I thought… You've been kinda weird these past few weeks."

Lucy blanched a bit, surprised. "What? No, I wasn't."

She knew that was a lie- she'd been heart-broken, but she'd thought she'd hidden those feelings well enough that no one even guessed something was up. From the other side of the door, Natsu snorted. "That's what everyone else said too, but I know you better than that Luce. You've been upset about something since the party." When she didn't answer, he sounded a little smug. "I knew it. Tell me what's going on- do I have to beat someone up?"

Lucy couldn't help the smile that crept across her face at his typical solution to problems. "No, it's not something you solve by beating it up."

"Oh." The silence that stretched was the longest by far, and Lucy was just getting ready to ask if he wanted to come back later after she'd left the bathroom when he spoke again. "Luce?"

"Yeah?" She rubbed her temples, her mind spinning as she tried to figure out a way to get him out of the house. She couldn't send him to the store- he'd be back before the test results were finished, and idea to send him to the guild was even stupider. If he said anything to Mira, she probably announce her idea to the guild and start throwing a celebration party.

She started, swallowing thickly. Oh god, her head was swimming, and she felt like she might vomit again. What would she tell the guild? They'd want to know who the father was, and even if she lied to all of them, what if the baby had pink hair? Or even worse, fire magic, and ran just as wild as Natsu?

Hundreds of tiny Natsu's ran after a larger one at the guild in Lucy's mind's eye, and she shuddered slightly. No, their child would be sensible and brave, after all, it had some of her in there.

Natsu spoke, jarring her from her thoughts. "Luce, what happened after we left the party?"

Lucy felt her blood freeze, and she was suddenly very glad that there was a large wooden door between them. "Nothing happened, I don't remember anything after Cana and I-"

"Stop lying Lucy, I know you remember."

Her voice was caught in her throat, and after much fighting, she finally squeaked out a word. "What?"

"I heard you talking about me kissing Gray with Cana a few weeks ago. I didn't really think about it until, well…" He trailed off, and Lucy could hear the accusatory tone in his voice.

She didn't blame him- she'd been keeping secrets from him. With one final glance at the pregnancy test, she turned to the door. "I… I don't know if you'll really want to know. You can still leave if you want."

She said the last part softly, but she knew he heard her as if she'd said it plain as day. There was the tiniest plea in her voice, a tiny plea that he should just leave and never look back.

There was a huff of breath, and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Come Luce, I won't do that. You're my partner, and if something's bothering you, I wanna know about it. What are partners for?"

That was the final straw. Lucy sunk to the ground, tears streaming down her face, and she let the sobs rack through her body. Of course, of course he'd say that, but would they still even be partners after this?

The door banged open, finally giving into Natsu's banging fists, and Natsu toppled in, looking scared and worried. "Luce…" He said softly, and he crouched down next to her, holding his arms open, and she went to the opened arms willingly, clutching at his vest as she cried.

She sobbed for a long time, until her eyes were red and puffy and she'd finished crying herself out, but Natsu didn't move, stroking her back and rubbing circles as he held her. He released her the second she sat up, and he smiled hopefully at her. "Feeling better?"

When she nodded, his grin stretched a bit further. "You wanna tell me about what happened the night of the party?"

Again, Lucy's eyes welled up with tears, and Natsu's grin slid off his face. "Shit, don't cry Luce." He moved closer, tucking her head under his chin as he held her.

Luce sniffed, looping her arms around his waist, and she blinked past a few more tears. She could be strong for this part, she had to be. She'd tell him everything, no more secrets.

Be damned the consequences.

"We… We came back to my house."

Natsu started slightly. "Luce, you don't have to-"

Lucy shook her head. "You asked. And… you deserve to know." She didn't move from his embrace, cherishing every second of it. Who knew if he would want to hold her after this? "You were still going on about not being gay, but when I got you on the couch, you were out like a light."

Natsu didn't say anything, so Lucy continued. "Well, I thought you had passed out. But after I got ready for bed… you were in the doorway."

She didn't dare look at him. He was definitely confused; she could practically hear the cogs in his head spin as they tried to figure out where she was going with this. "You… You said you'd never tested it out, and then you… you kissed me."

She said it softly, like she hoped he wouldn't hear her, but he stiffened slightly around her. Lucy steeled herself, shutting her eyes, like she could protect herself from the inevitable moment he stood up. "I… I didn't ever think you'd kiss me, and when you did, it felt so right, and…" She trailed off, and Natsu cleared his throat slightly.

"I… I didn't…"

Lucy shook her head quickly, and she pushed back from him. It felt cold, sitting there on the bathroom floor and telling him all of this, and she kept her gaze fixed on her hands, unable to meet his eyes. "What we did, I… I wanted to do it too."

Natsu made a move, and Lucy felt some tears slip down her face again. "I… I've loved you for a really long time Natsu. I was scared to lose your friendship, so when…" She wrung her hands in her lap, choking down the sob that was threatening to come out. "And you didn't remember, I didn't dare tell you. What if you decided that I'd overstepped a line? Or that you really didn't feel the same way? I didn't-"

She was babbling, still unable to look at Natsu, when a hand settled on hers, stilling them as her voice caught in her throat. "Luce, you're a weirdo."

Lucy looked up, shocked and a little confused, and Natsu chuckled, wiping some of the tears on her face. "Honestly, and you say I'm the idiot."

For a split second, she thought about yelling about what an ass he was, making a joke when she'd spilled her heart all over the floor, but the next second he'd brought their lips together, and Lucy quite forgot about being mad.

He pulled away after a second, but the chaste kiss had dumbfounded Lucy, and she stared blankly at him as he caressed the side of her face. "I always wanted to. I never thought…"

He was looking a little dumbfounded himself as he grinned, staring at her face like he was memorizing every single detail. "I thought you'd never wanted to be with a guy like me. That you were even interested in the slightest…" He broke off, his eyes still scanning her face.

She laughed, amazed at how thick they both were, and he was laughing, and then they were kissing, Lucy sitting in Natsu's lap as he ran his hands up and down her sides. She didn't mind until his hands reached into her armpits, and she broke into helpless giggles. "Natsu, no, don't!"

He grinned wickedly at her for a second before he pulled her towards him, leaning her against him so her back was on his chest. When she sat back, his hands began their meandering, moving along her shoulders, and she chanced a glance back at him. "Natsu?"

He smiled at her as he watched his hands work. "Shush. I'm committing this to memory."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled. "I don't want forget this ever again."

"Did you remember?"

He shrugged. "Sort of. I've been having these dreams about you, and Mirajane said that was usually your brain trying to let you know something important."

Lucy started slightly, but he just chuckled. "She doesn't know. I just asked about dreams changing."

Lucy relaxed a bit, and then she flushed. "You were having dreams about me?"

Natsu nodded, his hands moving over her wrists. "I always did, but usually they were us being married and stuff. But after the party…" He turned a little pink. "Well, it was so realistic…"

Lucy didn't know whether to be touched at the dreams or mortified, and so she decided to let it slide. Natsu nuzzled the crook of her neck, intertwining their fingers. "Was that everything? Or does something else have you upset?"

Reality came crashing back down around Lucy, and she stiffened, her eyes fixed on where she knew the test was sitting out in the open. Oh god, that was right.

There was no way Natsu missed Lucy's reaction, and his gaze followed hers. "What is it?"

Lucy swallowed. "Well, Natsu, do you know where babies come from?"

This time, it was Natsu's turn to stiffen. "W… What?"

"Where babies come from?"

Natsu gulped. "Igneel… Igneel said there were eggs and stuff, but I thought…" He looked at Lucy helplessly. "Eggs!"

She sighed, knowing instantly that he meant eggs like the one he found Happy in, and she shook her head. "It… It kind of works the same was for humans. Except the eggs are inside, and the woman protects her babies inside until they can come out."

Natsu looked a little petrified. "Why are we talking about this?" His eyes were fixed on Lucy's stomach, like if he stared hard enough, he'd see the eggs she was talking about.

Lucy took a deep breath, and she squeezed Natsu's hands gently. "Because I think I might be pregnant."

Natsu's eyes widened, and he looked up at her face. She nodded, and he pulled one of his hands free, gesturing soundlessly between himself and her stomach.

Lucy felt a flash of annoyance, and she pulled her other hand free, crossing them under her chest. "Of course it is! I don't just run around sleeping with-"

Natsu's hands were all over her stomach instantly, and he looked like Christmas might have come early. "No way. There's a little human in there?"

Lucy felt numb with shock as Natsu's face split into the widest grin she'd ever seen. "He's going to be awesome in every way! He'll be smart like you, and just as bad-ass as me!"

Lucy stared in stunned disbelief at him. "You never know, it might be a girl." She shook her head, flicking him on the nose. "Hold up, I don't even know if I am yet."

Natsu frowned, pushing his eyebrows together. "Wait, so you don't know?" He looked down, frowning. "How don't you know?"

Lucy shook her head. "It won't be very big, smaller than your pinky nail." As he inspected his own pinky nail, Lucy continued. "But women get certain tip-offs that they might be pregnant, like missed periods and morning sickness."

"And you got some of these?"

Lucy nodded. "It could be I'm not pregnant, and that I've been sick, but…"

She let it hang in the air, and Natsu frowned. "How do you tell?"

Lucy pointed to the counter. "There's tests you can take at home. I was… I was waiting for the results when you came in."

Natsu stiffened, and silently, they both stared up at the counter.

"Wanna check?"

Lucy shook her head. Gently, Natsu squeezed her shoulder. "Come on, we'll do it together. Partners?"

Lucy nodded. "Partners."

They stood up, and Natsu gave her the briefest of hugs before they turned to look at the small piece of plastic.

Only one line.

The effect was instantaneous, Lucy felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. She laughed, hugging Natsu, who looked a little baffled. "Negative!"

"Oh,so that's what those were." He mused aloud, hugging Lucy back, and she stiffened.

"What?"

Natsu grinned down at her. "Well, when I got back four days ago, while we were drunk, Gray told Happy and me that if you bought those sticks and got one to get two lines on it, you'd be in good luck for a year." He ruffled his hair. "Never did manage it."

Lucy felt like she could've hit him, but as they walked out of the bathroom, hand-in-hand while they talked about Natsu's last mission, she was a little glad.

If he hadn't have bought all those tests, they might never have gotten together.

"Though if I have another pregancy scare, I will kill you."

"AYE!"

Hey there!

Kitkat here, and Jesus Christ, I haven't written or updated any of my stories in a forever.

That's not saying that I haven't written anything- I've been working on my book, and here and there I keep attempting to finish Wizard of FT (not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty proud of that one. Go check it out. Yes. Author being shameless here). But lately I've been toying with another NaLu- it'll be up soon if the gods are kind and give me the ending I desperately need for Wiz of FT, because this next project is going to be an undertaking. Already 3-4 chapters in, and I'm at 25 pages. The original of that story was originally 80, and I never finished that one, and there's going to be way more character depth and-

I digress.

Sorry, just super excited about that project. It's going to be a fun one I'm going to work on over the summer while I'm stuck in my grandparent's house by myself. At least there will be alcohol.

Yes, kind readers, I drink. Mostly because I am the legal age of 21+, and can do this shit now.

On a serious note, I hope you made it this far. I wrote this because there's an unprecedented number of people who get pregnant before they're ready, and while I'm not saying abstinence is all the way, please practice safe sex.

It could save your life.

My best friend from high school will never read this, and she'd kill me, knowing that I broadcasted this, but I knew she was going to do something big. She threw all of it away, her promising future, her unlimited potential, for a boy who she knew for 6 months. She was saving herself for marriage, but after their whirlwind romance, all she was left with was no ring on her finger, a baby to care for, and a G.E.D. since she got pregnant our junior year and had the baby during our senior year of high school.

What I'm saying is that, no matter who the guy is, always use protection. Doesn't matter if it's birth control or condoms, get on it. Because unlike Natsu here, not every guy cares this deeply about the girl he's sleeping with.