"Why would you do this to me?" was the first thing Natsu whispered when they stepped into the revolving doors of the aquarium.
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Um, what do you mean?"
Gray and Juvia ambled in, holding hands, at their right, with Gajeel and Levy and Jellal with Erza trailing behind. Lucy had never had a problem with group dates; after all, they were the people she'd hang out with on a regular basis anyway.
Natsu let out a whine of some sorts, eyeing a particularly large and colorful fish in the entryway tank while he slid his left hand into her right. His wedding ring was cool against her fingers. "All these fish. All these fish that I can't eat…"
Her eyes rolled automatically. "Oh, I'll buy you some edible fish afterwards… C'mon, Juvia wanted to see this while we're in Crocus, so just suck it up! It'll be really cool!"
The Grand Ninjitsu Games were again upon them, and the guild was in a hype over all the members of theirs entering the games. Since most of their friends were now ineligible now that they were out of college, Natsu had spent most of his time training the less experienced dojo students with intense vigor. By the way his fingers twitched and his eyes flicked towards the door, Lucy could see that he wanted nothing more than to take the contestants to the nearby gym to make sure their training was sufficient. But he would just have to deal with it; Juvia was the over emotional type of pregnant lady, and things that had to do with water were the best to cheer her up.
And Erza was the overenthusiastic type of pregnant lady; as soon as Gray desperately offered to take a crying Juvia to the aquarium, Erza had shouted out, "What a wonderful idea, Gray! Let's all go!"
Thus, here they were.
Jellal was wincing worriedly, eyes locked on his wife as she waddled in excitedly in front of him. Lucy hid her giggle as he jogged to catch up and take her hand so that she wouldn't overexert herself-at nearly nine months pregnant, she was even more fragile than Juvia, who was only four months in.
"Lucyyyyy," Natsu moaned to her quietly, gazing longingly towards the door. "There's fish at home… not the chance to train more for GNG!"
"Come on," she hissed sharply, tugging him past where Gray had just paid for the tickets. There were separate sections for all kinds of regions where the fish lived. Lucy's eyes brightened at the sight of a wing of tropical varieties, where she pulled her husband off to while the others wandered elsewhere.
The smell of salt and algae accompanied them along the way, a few kids were being rather loud, and Juvia was crying in happiness in a volume that rivaled the kids, but Lucy finally got to spend time with Natsu, and nothing could stop the smile on her face.
Well, except him. Natsu normally adored any sort of animal, and they entranced him easily. But...
She tried to show him an angel fish. He groaned, "Lucy, I should be training."
Lucy pointed to a huge sting ray. He huffed, "Mermaid Heel will destroy us if I don't practice more swordplay with them."
She excitedly dragged him to a pool with dolphins. He said, "Yes. I see it." He began dialing on his phone.
She frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Calling Wendy. I need to make sure she's remembering to pick up a new Bo staff with Valorie-"
"Right now?" Lucy sighed, squeezing her temples.
"Yes, or I'll forget! Ugh, she's not answering."
"Maybe she's off with Romeo." Eyebrow twitching, Lucy said stiffly, "Having fun. With the guy she loves."
"Don't have time for that." He scowled, turning his phone horizontally to text.
When she saw him scroll through his contacts and begin to message Romeo as well, Lucy curled her fingers around his arm and tried for more patience. "C'mon, Natsu; you've trained them very well and they'll surely bring us to a win this week. Let's just relax and enjoy Crocus today-"
"I'll enjoy it when I can make sure my students are ready rather than looking at fish," Natsu mumbled, glaring out the window.
After the boiling of her anxiety of what she desperately needed to tell him, frustration and depression and anger for not seeing him for several weeks, it was as if, at that last comment, her temper had finally reached its end. Something inside snapped, and Lucy snarled out, dropping his arm, "Fine! GO! Just leave, if it sucks so much to spend an hour with your wife after barely speaking to her for over a month! Just go back to your damn dojo! So sorry to be such an annoyance!"
She turned away from him to hide the tears blurring in her eyes. She knew she was being overly emotional, but that was to be expected, considering her condition. A condition she hadn't told him about, worried that he'd be angry or not care since he was so busy. Lucy held her arms tightly to her stomach, storming off the other way and to the archway of sharks overhead. Roughly rubbing her eyes dry with her palms, she foraged on, intending to just go back to the hotel and cry and eat pickles and drink a huge rootbeer float… or whatever the hell else she was craving.
"Lucy! No, no Lucy, I-!" Natsu caught up to her, grabbing her arm and turning her back around. As soon as he saw her red-rimmed eyes, his own widened, and he pulled her into a warm embrace that she'd been longing for the most. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean… It's not that I don't want to spend time with you, Lucy… I'm sorry that I haven't been home much. You're not annoying me…"
"No I...I'm sorry," muttered Lucy into his shoulder, clutching at his shirt. "I o-overreacted and... I don't mean to be over dramatic or emotional but I've just been so worried and I know you're busy and I'm p-proud of you but… but oh I just… I need to tell you something, Natsu."
"I'm never too busy for you," he said, planting a kiss on her head. "Nothing is more fun or relaxing than being with you… but I've just let my obsession get to me again, I guess. I'm sorry." He smiled at her when he drew back and took her face in his hands. "Now what is it that you have to tell me?"
"W-well." Lucy winced. "I-I don't want you to be angry, because I know it's already a stressful time for us, but please… please try to take it okay."
He was beginning to look alarmed. "Lucy? What's wrong? Did I do something-?"
"No, no it's not you! And it's nothing really wrong-"
"JELLAL!"
The two of them froze at the sound of Erza's screaming voice around the corner. Together, they turned to the next corridor and took off running to their friend.
"Erza!" Natsu called in a panic, rounding the corner in front of Lucy. Erza was leaning against the nearest tank, being examined curiously by the clownfish. She was breathing heavily while Jellal spoke soothingly to her and wrapped a gentle arm around her waist. Lucy gasped and grabbed her husband's arm when she saw the dark spot on Erza's sweatpants.
Natsu saw it too. "Erza, did you just pee yourself? Man, pregnancy does weird stuff to ya-"
"No, you idiot!" Erza hissed through her teeth with hands clamped over her round tummy. "My water just broke!"
"Erza, you can't break water," explained Natsu, rolling his eyes. "It's a liquid. You'd have to make it into ice-"
"Ice will break you if you don't shut up, arsonist," Gray said as he jogged up. "Holy, crap-is it time?! Right now?! It's two weeks early!"
Juvia began to cry. Lucy didn't know why. Gajeel and Levy came back around the corner, gasping at the sight of Erza being quickly helped out towards the door by Jellal and Natsu while Gray ran along to start up the van they'd taken.
Lucy clambered into the van, helping Juvia in and comforting her best she could, though she wasn't quite sure if Juvia was even crying for a negative reason. She then took on the job of calling ahead to the hospital, dialing and saying, "We've got a woman in labor coming your way in a few minutes! Yes, front door. Thank you!"
Levy sprouted off random breathing techniques she'd learned that could help in books, though Lucy was unsure as to whether anyone was listening to her. Gajeel stared straight ahead in his seat in a sort of horror, Gray drove like a madman with Erza shouting, between cries of pain, instructions as to where to drive and when to "stop steering like a maniac with three pregnant ladies in the car".
"Three?" Natsu yelped, spinning around in his seat to stare at the back. "Levy's pregnant?! Congrats!"
"I'm not pregnant, you moron!" Levy screeched, throwing a book she'd pulled from who-knows-where at him. Natsu dodged the book and it hit Jellal in the head, which sent him flying into Gray who jerked the wheel in surprise.
The group all screamed together as they nearly crashed into a semi truck before Gray righted the vehicle and took off back to downtown Crocus and to their hospital.
When they mercifully all slammed to a stop in front of the emergency wing, Jellal swung Erza up into his arms right there and carried her to the sliding doors, where he placed her in a wheelchair and zoomed to the front desk where nurses were waiting. The others hurried along, Gray calling the Master, Lucy calling Mirajane, Natsu calling Wendy, Gajeel calling Rogue, Levy calling Jet, and Juvia scrambling for her phone to call Cana.
Once Natsu got off the phone with an excited Wendy, he said, "I'll call my dad!"
"Which one?" Lucy panted as they sprinted down to follow Jellal.
"Um… I'll get Igneel. You get Gildarts?"
"You got it, partner."
Five minutes later, the group had been pushed out from where they'd forced their way into the delivery room and into the waiting room. Lucy had wanted to stay as well, but knew that their presence would be too stressful. She made sure Natsu didn't rampage into the room with a promise of a delightful reward if he behaved.
Gray held a sleeping Juvia to his shoulder, Gajeel meditated on the floor, Levy speed-read all the magazines available while glancing toward the birthing center hallway, Lucy sat and stared straight ahead while Natsu paced. And paced. And paced and paced and paced and pace-
"Why is she crying? Didn't they give her medicine?" Natsu said frantically, hearing Erza's pained sounds a few doors down.
"I don't think any medicine could fully relieve the pain of fitting something as large as a baby's head out of an opening much smaller," Lucy sighed as he continued back and forth.
"Ow, ow oh man I wish I could give my healingness to her," Natsu moaned, speeding up. "Do you think the baby will have blue hair? Or a weird thing on its face? How do you push a baby out of a vagina? What does she mean by her water broke? 'Cause if women can break water they defy physics and that's a huge feat. Will she ever heal again? What if the baby is sick? What if he can't do ninjitsu? What if he is as scary as Erza? Do babies have feelings? Do pigeons have feelings? Will Erza have feeling left in her body after this? What if the baby is a girl even though they said he was a boy? What if I'm a terrible uncle? Do babies-"
"SHUT UP!" Gray and Gajeel shouted, waking up Juvia.
Natsu growled at them, but Lucy stood and gently lead him to sit on the checkered sofa beside her. "Lay down and calm down, Natsu. They'll be fine." He did as asked, sighing as he placed his head on her lap and she began to massage his head. "I don't know what color hair I think the baby should have. I'm sure he'll be beautiful either way," Lucy began patiently. "I don't think the mark on his face is hereditary, you push a baby through a vagina painfully, and she meant that the egg-like sac around the baby that he was cushioned in broke open, letting all the fluid out so that the baby could be born. She will heal, I'm sure the baby will be fine and will do ninjitsu well if he wants. He might be as scary as Erza. Babies have feelings and so do pigeons. She will be a bit numb but that's a good thing. It's okay if the baby is actually a girl. You'll be a lovely uncle. Did I get them all?"
"Yes," he breathed out, snuggling into her.
In several groups, guild members burst into the birthing unit, red-faced from rushing and demanding to see Erza. Over and over, Lucy had to explain that only Jellal was allowed in with Erza and the doctors, and that they'd be called when the baby was fully delivered. The waiting room was soon a fishbowl of chaos, murmuring and shouting and wincing at Erza's cries and playing a game of twister they'd found somewhere that ended up with Jet, Droy, Gajeel, Warren, Naab, and Max in a huge mess with Laki as the victor. In the other corner, Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Elfman, and Gray had a contest to see who could make the most violent-looking CareBear from the CareBear coloring book they'd found on the shelf.
Natsu was asleep, curled up with his brows furrowing from time to time in his dreams. Lucy lay back on the couch, breathing out shallowly and listening for any more indication from the room that the baby might be close to being delivered.
Just as she was considering shaking Natsu awake and blurting her secret out right there, Lucy heard a scream that was different from the last ones in the delivery room. Higher pitched, one that had never been heard before…
"The baby!" Lucy gasped, sitting up straight so that Natsu tumbled to the floor. "The baby is out, guys!"
Everyone paused mid-twister, mid-whisper, and mid-scribble, looking up towards the hall in a second of shock before all bolting to their feet and rushing to the room at once.
It still wasn't another ten minutes before they were let in, Erza's closer friends first. Master, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, Meredy, Wendy, Mira, and Cana were admitted, all crowding around her bed in a circle.
Lucy covered her mouth with her hand at the sight of the little boy that Erza was holding to her chest. Jellal was stroking the tuft of dark, scarlet hair on the baby's head, Erza gazing down at her son with a look of love that was purer than any she thought she had ever seen.
"Beautiful," was all she could seem to say. "Isn't he beautiful?"
Everyone murmured in awed agreement. After a minute of amazed silence for the tiny new human, Erza reluctantly passed the boy to Jellal, who carefully placed him in Juvia's awaiting arms.
The baby was passed around to each of them. (Master held him a rather short amount of time, due to how he burst into tears a few seconds after he touched the child.) When Gajeel finally passed the baby to Lucy, she marveled at just how light he was, breathing steadily in his sleep through less than a button of a nose.
"He's all… squishy," Gajeel told her, bemused, as he poked the child's cheek.
The baby was so warm. His small face glowed, or it at least seemed to to Lucy. The mere idea of the extreme innocence of this tiny marvel overwhelmed her. Erza was right. So, so beautiful, and Lucy yearned to be the one that got to care for him.
"Lucy? Can I hold him?"
It was Natsu, pleading eyes glancing into hers hesitantly. With a small smile, she nodded, indicating how to shape his arms before slowly putting the baby in their cradle.
This time, she watched Natsu. His face was absolutely starstruck, dark eyes wide and wondering, throat catching as the baby's fingers curled around his thumb.
"Wow," he breathed. Erza smiled at Natsu as he shook his head in amazement. "Wow…"
The hospital tried desperately to get rid of the hoard of guild members.
Each insisted on holding the baby, and several brought gifts, despite how the baby shower had been two months ago. But slowly, they did trickle out, many members needing persuasion to make their way to the doors until only those who'd first been with here when she went into labor remained.
It was late. Nine at night at least when Lucy found herself sitting with her husband in the waiting room. Gray and Juvia were still visiting the baby, while Gajeel and Levy had gone to find more food.
All of the events that had transpired should have made Lucy want to put off her news until it would be less stressful, but she was just bursting to tell Natsu-
"Lucy, I have something I've been meaning to tell you, too."
She raised her eyebrows at Natsu, who was clenching his fists determinedly as he stood. Lucy copied him, getting to her feet before him and taking his hands in hers. "Okay. What is it?"
"You first," he said, his boots shifting. "You wanted to tell me something first…"
"No, you can go…"
"Really, you go ahead; yours seemed important-"
"So does yours," Lucy insisted. "Look, let's just both say it at once and we'll talk first about whatever sounds most important, okay?"
"Okay. Ready?"
"Yep," Lucy told him, wincing as her stomach churned with anxiety. "One, two, three-"
Natsu burst out, "I want kids!" just as Lucy blurted, "I'm pregnant!"
They blinked.
"What?" they chorused.
After a weighted pause, a smile wove its way onto Lucy's face. "Well, that's convenient."
"You're... pregnant?"
"Yes."
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes. I am going to have a baby."
"You're pregnant."
"We've established this."
Suddenly, he was pulling her into the best kiss he'd ever given her, mouth hot on hers and arms thrown around her impossibly tight and warm-
"Why is it always me? Every. Single. Time. Is there some cursed rule in the universe that Natsu and Lucy can't make out unless Gray witnesses it?"
The two broke apart irritably to see Gray in the doorway, exasperated.
"I have been wondering the same thing," Natsu said stiffly, "for a very long time."
Juvia wandered up behind, peering over Gray's shoulder. "Gray-sama! Why did you interrupt them?! Natsu-kun and Lucy-chan were clearly having a romantic moment!"
Natsu seemed to have lost his annoyance at being interrupted already, chittering out while hugging Lucy close, "We have good news!"
Lucy noticed the dark lines of exhaustion under Gray's eyes. "I think I've had enough good news for one day."
Ignoring this comment, Natsu shouted out for the whole waiting room to hear, "LUCY IS PREGNANT! I'M GONNA BE A DAD!"
"Oh, you told him! Finally!" Juvia shrieked happily.
"WHAT." Gray ran to Lucy, grabbing her arms. "Lucy, what have you done?! You are reproducing with Natsu?! Why are you risking the spread of his harmful genes?"
"I rather enjoy reproducing with him," Lucy told Gray with a smirk. "The very first step of it he is quite talented at."
Levy and Gajeel walked in at that point, their eyes growing instantly round.
"Uh," Gajeel said awkwardly. "Maybe we should go back to the food…?"
"Levy! Cos'!" Natsu called, joy flushing through his face. "Lucy's pregnant! We're havin' a baby and I'm gonna be a dad and the world is a place of SUNSHINE!"
"You finally told him!" Levy cried out, running to push Gray out of the way and hugging her friend. "Oh, I'm so happy for all of you! Natsu, you be good to her now and make sure she has plenty of rest-"
"That's awesome," Gajeel congratulated in surprise. "I mean, even if it's Salamander's kid, it could turn out okay if Lucy's havin' 'em."
"Psh, yeah maybe," Lucy agreed, rolling her eyes as Natsu embraced her ever the harder.
"But," said Gajeel slowly then, eyes narrowing at all of them. "Does that mean… all of our friends are havin' kids 'cept us, short stuff?"
Levy shrugged, twisting the wedding ring on her own finger nervously. "Yeah…"
A heated moment of contemplation. Then-
"Alright then." With a few strides, Gajeel flung Levy over his shoulder, marching her off to the doors. "We are not leavin' the hotel room until a Gajeel or Levy Junior is in your tummy."
"Wh-what?! Gajeel, put me the hell down!"
The remaining four laughed. Lucy continued to grin, burying her face into Natsu's scarf. So maybe she would throw up every morning. Maybe she would crave weird things and cry for no reason and be tired all the time. Maybe labor would hurt like hell.
But to see Natsu's face light up like that, to feel the small life she cared for within her womb and to see it further blossom into one she could hold in her arms…
Worth it a thousand times over.
Heya!
Man, the birthdays just keep rollin' in! This time, I have written as a one-day-early birthday present for the amazing amehanaaa! (amehanaa on this site) She's such a talented sweetheart-go read her stories! They're adorable and some of my favorite Nalu fics every! Hope you like it, amehanaa! It started out as her request for an aquarium date and kind of turned into all of this XD
Kind of stumped as to which event in their lives to do next in the next few… open to ideas! Can't promise to update this one soon, though, what with The Way We Smile and Double Dad Dilemma underway. :) Thank you so much for every sweet review! I'm so happy to see that you guys still enjoy the world of TKOF.
Mizpah,
~LoneStorm
