AN: The title doesn't really go as well as I originally planned, but I love it and can't let it go XD.
This is a late birthday present for my sister NinjaWhispers. She helped me come up with the plot, but Happy's actions are all my own ideas XD.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.
Levy lounged in a chair snuggling her new baby girl to her chest. The scene was adorable: Levy's face all smiles, Baby nothing but giggles, and Gajeel standing nearby with a humungous smirk. "Want to hold her?" the mother offered holding the child out for her friend.
"Sure," Lucy accepted shifting the girl until she was well supported. "Hi there, Saphire. You are a beautiful thing, yes you are," the blonde cooed. Natsu, who had been hovering from a safe distance, approached, leaning into her side.
"She really is," he mumbled softly with a gentle tone that seldom reached his voice.
She blinked, taken aback. "Natsu…"
"Can we talk in private?" he asked. She nodded, handing Saphire back to Levy before following him into an empty corner of the guild. "What's up, Natsu?"
"Lucy, I think I'm ready to start our own family too."
"Uh." A blush set upon her cheeks, and a warm glow settled in her chest. Just imagining raising children with him seemed like a dream come true. A dream too expensive to be true. "I would love to Natsu." She sighed. "But I honestly don't think that we can afford to."
"What's the deal?" A wide grin set upon his face. "We'll just go on more missions."
She brought a hand to her forehead in discontent. "Every time we earn some money we end up paying it back in damages. Not to mention the fact that Happy and you eat a lot."
Natsu's enthusiasm fizzled. "I'll try harder."
"Yeah, we'll see."
"Dinner's ready!" Lucy called watching with a smile as her boys rushed to the table. They were already digging in by the time she moved to the table, but she didn't mind.
"So, hey, Lucy, notice that I haven't broken anything lately?"
"I did." She paused to chew a piece of broccoli. "But I still don't feel comfortable financially."
"Aw, but come on, Lucy. We can't let fear hold us back."
Happy set the piece of fish he was nibbling on down on his plate. "What are you two talking about?"
Lucy blushed. "Natsu wants to have a baby."
The blue cat perked up. "You're in love," he purred.
"Of course," she scoffed. "That's not the problem. We don't have the money."
"Why not?"
"Well…" she hesitated, trying to find the right tone of voice. "Besides Natsu breaking things, you and he eat a lot."
Despite her gentle tone, Happy's eyes began to well up. "I'm the reason you can't have a baby?"
"No!" she quickly assured him, though it did nothing for his tears. "If anyone is to blame," she shifted her eyes to the pink-haired delinquent, "it's Natsu."
"Hey!" he called in self-defense.
She gave him a pointed look. "You should go fishing so that we don't have to buy five-times-Happy's-weight in fish every day."
"No," Happy sniffled, "I will get my own fish."
Lucy went over to Happy and petted his head. "Looks like someone is growing up to be responsible little guy."
Happy sniffled before giving a smile. "Count on me, Lucy."
Happy left early the next morning, fishing rod in hand, and didn't return until late that evening. To be honest, Lucy had missed him, but if this was what needed to be done to have a baby, then she would have to deal with it. She could tell that Natsu had taken his time away harder, though he didn't complain. That put a smile on her face. Natsu was trying so hard to become a Dad. It was endearing.
She expected a Happy beaming with pride and an overflowing bucket, but instead he was downtrodden and his bucket appeared to be empty. "What's the matter?" she asked concerned.
"Lucy," his voice trembled, "I'm sorry." He broke down crying, and she was forced to wait until his sobbing lessened before learning what had happened. Meanwhile, Natsu was drawn out of the bedroom by the noise.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I am bad at fishing. By the time I caught another fish I had ate the last. There aren't any left, and I'm still hungry."
Lucy pat his head affectionately. "That's okay. What matters is that you tried."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"But, what about the baby?"
"We'll just see what happens, okay?" She sent a smile Natsu's way.
Months passed, and they did manage to save up some money, though Lucy (forever the family's budgeter) doubted that it would last long with another mouth to feed. That said, she had lowered her defenses, letting fate decide. And then one morning she had a strong intuition that she should perform a pregnancy-test spell. She had been doing one periodically each month, but this was ahead of schedule. Regardless, she followed the advice and did so.
"You are pregnant! You are pregnant!" the annoying robotic voice sounded repeatedly from the magically-produced, mechanical scanner.
Dispelling the scanner, she rushed out of the bathroom in a frenzy. "Natsu!" she yelled, all-but running into him in the hallway. Before he could open his mouth, she blurted, "I'm pregnant!"
His eyes widened in shock before rounding to all-out sweetness. "You are?" That endearing gentle tone was back, and she could feel her belly warm.
"Uh, huh." She hadn't noticed the tiny tears that were now trickling down her cheeks until his fingers brushed them aside.
"We will make this work somehow. I swear it." And she decided to believe him.
Belief or not, they still needed to prepare. Luckily there were many programs available such as Food Stickers, Food Cabinet and Medicad. Lucy was also using the limited time she had before showing to its fullest by working as a model again. A little skin to the public was nothing to ensure a stable life for their new little darling.
Natsu had also begun to take on any mission that he could get his hands on. That meant that he was gone a lot, leaving Lucy alone with only Happy for company once she had begun showing. It was a blessing to not be entirely alone, though Happy wasn't home as often either. He was set on improving his fishing skills if only a little in order to lower their food bill.
Alone time used to suit her. She would take baths, write and read all in quiet silence. However, now that silence seemed off-putting after so many years of constant noise and bustle.
She had also grown restless from staying in bed the last few months under Natsu's orders (really, he was too worrisome), but that wasn't why she insisted on going along for that particular mission. It was more of an intuition. Okay, it might have been spurred on by a horoscope, but still she just had a bad feeling about letting him go alone. The mission seemed simple enough: deliver Magic Mac, the trademark liquid curative spell, to the local clinic on Mt. Hakobe. There was no reason to worry, but thankfully Natsu relented (most likely just going alone with her pregnancy-induced notions, but it didn't matter to her the reason as long as she came along).
She was already bulging by this point (making her insistence seem even more ridiculous), so to Natsu's displeasure, they decided to take a carriage. Happy (who hadn't wanted to stay home alone) tagged along as well acting as happy as his namesake. It was contagious, and soon she was smiling just as brightly. Perhaps even Natsu caught it (she honestly could tell through his nausea).
Lucy watched pleasantly as the scenery changed from crowded buildings to open grasses and finally wintery terrain. Though they were inside the carriage and dressed for the occasion, the drop in temperature was apparent soon enough, and Lucy found herself shivering. That discontent was momentarily forgotten when she felt movement inside her.
"The baby's kicking!" she exclaimed gleefully.
Natsu mumbled something incoherently that sounded similar to "That's great," while Happy flew over to her and set a tiny paw on her stomach. He yelped when he felt it, flinching out of reflex.
"What are you going to name her?" he asked.
"Hmm," she scratched her head, "we haven't really thought about it."
"What about Opah?"
Lucy gawked. "You want to name our baby after a fish?"
"Why not? I think it's a great name."
Cringing a flimsy smile, she said "we'll see."
"Are you okay, Lucy?"
"Yeah. I think it's just a contraction. Nothing to worry about."
"Do you think the village will have fish?" She listened silently as he rambled on about fish and other things, but it became progressively more difficult to pay attention as the contractions grew stronger.
"Lucy? Lucy?" The Exceed waved a paw in front of her face.
She blinked. "Ah! What?"
"I asked if you wanted to do anything while we were there. Are you sure that you're okay?"
"They've gotten worse."
"The contractions?" he asked in a worried tone.
She nodded, rubbing small soothing circles on her stomach. "It's okay. Go on."
"I heard they have a ski slope on this side of the mountain. I don't think you can go, though."
"No, I don't think I can." The carriage hit a bump, causing the passengers to jump in their seats. "Gaw!" Lucy cried out as she felt wetness on her upper legs.
"L-lucy?" Happy asked staring wide-eyed at the wetness trickling to the floor.
She cringed. "I think my water broke."
"Does that mean the baby's coming?" She nodded. "What do I do?" He glanced frantically to Natsu who was just as nauseous and useless as before.
"Good thing I studied up on pregnancy spells," she panted. First she cast one to protect herself from infection and other health risks, second she did one that implanted them both with all the knowledge they needed to deliver the child.
Doing as his new knowledge told him to, Happy crouched between her legs and set to work on delivery. Everything went fairly well—though slow and painful since they didn't have much to work with—however they were left with a bit of a dilemma when it came to the umbilical cord. With the last of her remaining energy, Lucy called out to Cancer who appeared with his usual "ebi."
"You want me to cut this, ebi?"
"Please," she sighed. He did so before leaving with a quick congratulations.
Happy grabbed a piece of cloth from Natsu's bag and cleaned the baby girl. She was the cutest little baby he had ever seen, so he stared at her for a long while before finally looking up to see that Lucy had fallen asleep.
"Well, Opah, it's just you and me for now. But don't worry I'll take good care of you," he said smiling.
Eventually, the carriage halted, and the driver called for them to make their departure. Natsu found his legs shakily. Once he steadied himself, he perked up at the sight of the darling laying in the cat's arms.
"Hi there, baby," he cooed stroking her cheek with a finger, "it's me, Daddy." He extended his arms in a gesture of wanting to hold her, but Happy took no notice. "Come on, Happy. Let me hold her."
"No," the Exceed said with a frown.
"She's my daughter you know?"
"Yeah, but I delivered her. That makes her mine too." He glared holding her tighter to his chest. "Isn't that right, Opah?"
Just then Lucy began to shift awake. "Ah, are we there?"
"Seems so." Natsu sighed in relief.
"Give her to me," she ordered, and Happy relented passing the tiny bundle over.
Natsu glared. "Wait, you'll let her hold her, but not me?"
"Lucy went through that pain. She deserves her."
"What? Are you implying something?"
"Maybe," the cat snickered.
"I don't know what you two are on about, but can you please stop. I can feel a headache coming."
"Sorry," they both apologized.
Staring at the beautiful girl, Lucy cocked her head. "What do you think we should name her?"
"Opah is Opah," Happy asserted.
"No way," Natsu protested.
"How about Eriel.
Natsu's face softened considerably. "Sounds perfect."
"Can I still call her Opah, sometimes?"
Lucy laughed. "Sure."
There came a knock on the carriage door. "Sorry to break up whatever you got going on in there, but it is awfully cold, and I'd like to be moving on."
"Ah, sorry," Lucy called, rising. They exited the carriage and were immediately assaulted by the cold air. Eriel began to cry, her little face turning a deeper pink. "This isn't good. We need to keep her warm somehow."
"What about Horologium?" Happy suggested.
"That's right. Why didn't I think of that?" She passed Eriel to Natsu (who cast a gloating face to Happy) and lifted Horologium's key, calling the protective clock.
Natsu lay Eriel down behind the glass door, but Lucy shook her head. "I don't think that will work. What if she tumbles all around? I should probably get in with her."
"Works for me. You are probably still tired anyway."
They did so, and the two boys began their trek being followed by the brown grandfather clock who made many mumbles of "goo goo and ga ga" along the way.
"Phew, looks like we're there." When Horologium did not respond, Natsu turned to see the blonde slumped in a sleeping position. "Let's just let her sleep."
"Aye sir."
Together the duo stepped into the clinic to see a welcoming-looking woman. "Hello there, dears. What may I help you with today?"
"We've brought the Magic Mac you asked for."
"Oh my. Thank you so much. It is so popular, and it takes so long to travel to Magnolia. Here is the reward as promised." The woman handed him a hefty pouch of jewels. He thanked her, and the two readied to leave when the woman glanced out window exclaiming. "What is that out there? Mercy me. It looks like a clock."
Natsu chuckled. "It is." Seeing the woman's inquisitive face, he offered, "Want to come see?"
"Yes, please."
As expected, she exclaimed yet again upon seeing the two sleeping girls inside the clock. "What are they doing in there?"
"Sleeping. What does it look like?"
"No, I mean, why are they in there?"
"So that they won't be cold," Happy answered in a that-should-be-obvious tone.
"You brought a new-born baby all this way? And in the cold to boot. For shame."
"Well," Natsu laughed, "we didn't really plan on it."
"What do you mean?" The woman crinkled his forehead.
"She was born on the way."
Happy raised his paw enthusiastically. "I delivered her!"
The woman touched her head. "So, you are telling me that in order to bring me this medicine, you delivered a baby and continued here with it?"
"Aye sir."
"My, you children sure have strong work ethic. I dare say this meager payment will never do. Not after what you went through."
Natsu raised his hand in denial. "No, it was nothing."
"I insist." The woman went back inside, ruffling through multiple draws before mumbling approvingly. "Here you are." She held out a second pouch twice the size of the last.
"This is way too much."
"You have a bright new life to take care of. Just make sure to put it to good use."
"Thank you so much!" He beamed, and she beamed back.
Rushing from the humble clinic, he hollered, "Lucy, look at all this money!"
Lucy jolted awake, and Horologium spoke her reply. "Money? Where?" He held the pouches out for her to see with a large smile. Unable to contain her joy, Lucy exited the clock, forced Eriel into Happy's arms, and gave Natsu a crushing hug that resulted in the pouches falling to the snowy ground. "Oh, Natsu, this is such great news. To be honest, ever seen seeing her little face, I haven't worried about the money as much. I know we'll make it somehow."
"Oh course." He grinned, and she gave him a big kiss.
"See that Eriel? Your parents are in love," Happy cued with a wag of his blue tail.
AN: This was my first time writing a birthing scene, and this wasn't quite a normal birthing scene either.
Also, the wiki says that Mt. Hakobe is not that far from Magnolia, but it didn't seem plausible that she would go into labor that quickly, so I just made the ride take longer than it should have.
Another side note, I know that Happy should be an okay fisher considering that he and Natsu supposedly lived alone in the wilderness in that one chapter of the manga, but it seemed really funny to me for him to not be able to.