AN: Okay before you guys read the chapter, keep in mind that I haven't given birth so a lot of what I wrote is what I learned from TV LMAO. Also, remember Gray's reaction last chapter? That's literally me whenever anything happens.

Chapter 10

Labor

Labor was hell, to say the least. Not only were Lucy's contractions getting worse by the minute, but little Nashi or Lucas decided to take their sweet time making their grand appearance. Natsu sat by Lucy's bedside while Porlyusica inspected her tools and explained everything to Wendy, who was going to be helping the older woman with their birth. She'd been there to watch Porlyusica handle the twins' births, and now she was going to get some hands-on experience of her own with their child. He trusted Wendy. He knew she'd do great.

Natsu glanced back towards Lucy with a frown. Her face was scrunched up and red in color, her brows furrowed. Sweat coated her entire body and she looked downright miserable. He moved some stray hairs that were stuck to her forehead out of her face and let her hold his hand and squeeze it whenever a contraction came.

Other than that, he had no idea how to help her.

Lucy groaned in pain, squeezing his hand hard enough he was a little worried she'd break it.

"W-Why can't we just do this already!?" Lucy gritted out, glaring at Porlyusica. She'd been in labor for hours now.

"We can't," the older woman replied. "Not until you are dilated enough."

"I-I can't w-wait! Do it now!"

Natsu frowned, his brows drooping as he rubbed a hand over Lucy's head. "Just try to endure it a little longer, Lucy."

"Easy for you to say! You aren't the one-!" She groaned, squeezing his hand as another contraction overcame her.

"I know, I know. I'm not the one going through it. But please, Lucy, be patient just a little longer. Then we'll have Nashi here!"

"L-Lucas."

Natsu smiled. "Or Lucas, you're right. Do you think you can be patient a little longer?"

Lucy nodded through her pain. As much as it hurt, he was right. After all of this, they were finally going to be with their child.

Luckily, it was only half an hour later when Porlyusica announced that she was dilated enough.

Unfortunately, it actually got harder after that.

Lucy felt like she was being torn apart every time she pushed. To make things worse, she couldn't even push as hard as she wanted yet. She wanted to push as hard as she could so that it would be over quicker, but Porlyusica told her she had to wait.

"You can do it, Lucy!" Natsu told her, placing a hand over her forehead. "Stay strong!"

Lucy ignored him and continued to scream as she pushed. Even through all of her battles, she'd never endured such pain before. Her body was exhausted.

"Push, Lucy," Porlyusica instructed.

"I-I can't," Lucy replied, her voice just a whisper.

"You have to."

Tears flowed freely down the blonde's face as she shook her head. "I can't do it. I can't."

Natsu's heart felt like it was beating a mile per minute as he watched the two's interaction. Why couldn't he be the one to give birth? Why did Lucy have to go through this? It was unbearable to watch. Tears pricked his eyes watching Lucy suffer.

"Lucy, you have to push for your baby," Wendy said, only to be ignored.

Natsu smoothed his hand over Lucy's head over and over again to try and calm her down. It was clear that she was reaching her limit, but she had to keep pushing herself for their child's sake.

"Don't forget our bet, Lucy," he said, plastering a smile to his face. "Nashi or Lucas, which will it be?" Lucy whimpered, shaking her head. "Don't give up now, Luce. We're so close. This is what we've been waiting for for nine whole months. You can do it. I know you can."

Lucy squinted up at her husband. Squeezing his hand, she nodded. She pushed again, not using her whole strength. A loud scream escaped her lips, but she didn't even hear it. She couldn't hear anything anymore, too distracted by the pain.

"We're almost there, Lucy!" Wendy announced. "I see the head!"

"Just a little more," Porlyusica stated.

Natsu wanted to watch their baby come out, but he chose to stay by Lucy's side instead. She needed him, and he wasn't going to leave her when she was in pain. Tears slid down his cheeks. It was really happening. He was going to be a father soon.

"I love you so much," he whispered to his wife, his voice shaky and filled with raw emotion. "Thank you so much for giving me a child, Lucy." She didn't reply, not that he expected her to. She was a bit preoccupied at the moment anyways.

"This is it. Push as hard as you can!" Porlyusica instructed.

Lucy did as she was told. Shouting, she squeezed Natsu's hand as tightly as she could to try and distract herself from the pain that was taking over her whole body at this point. She pushed as hard as she could, praying that her baby would come out safe and sound.

And finally, it was over.

"Your child is healthy," Porlyusica stated. Glancing towards Natsu, the older woman noticed his eyes were shut. "Would you like to see your child?"

"Not yet," he answered. He was dying to, really, but he wanted to see their baby for the first time with Lucy. "Not until Lucy is ready."

"What about holding it?"

"Let Lucy hold them first. She deserves it after all of that."

Lucy panted, forcing her eyes open. They were half-lidded and hazy, but she forced them to stay open to see her baby.

"I-I'm ready, Natsu," she breathed out.

Gazing at their child together, the first thing they saw was a head of pink hair, lighter than Natsu's. It was a pale pink, the color of cherry-blossoms. It instantly became Lucy's favorite color. Their baby's face was red as they wailed loud enough to wake up all of Magnolia. They were swaddled in a white towel so they couldn't tell its sex.

"Are you ready to finally know the gender of your baby?" Porlyusica questioned, a rare smile spread over her face. They were the first couple she knew who actually managed to wait until the birth of their child to find out its gender.

Lucy and Natsu shared a glance, eager grins stretched over their faces. Squeezing each other's hands in anticipation, they nodded.

Porlyusica carried the baby to Lucy's bedside, gently handing it over. Lucy's lips quivered as she took her baby into her arms, tears sliding down her cheeks- though these tears were of mirth. Natsu wasn't faring any better. His face was coated in salty tears of his own.

Lucy held her baby close to her chest, amazed at how it suddenly stopped crying. Just like Natsu, their little one had an abnormal body heat.

Lucy glanced up at Wendy, smiling at her.

"Well, Wendy?" she asked. "What's the name of our child? Is it Nashi or Lucas?" She felt Natsu's hand tighten around hers in anticipation.

Wendy wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes and beamed at the happy couple.

"Your baby's name is Nashi. Nashi Dragneel."

Natsu covered his hand with his mouth. His eyes stung with how much he cried that day, but he didn't care. He had a baby girl of his own to raise.

"A girl…" he breathed out, his voice shaky.

Lucy smiled down at their daughter, kissing her forehead lightly. Then, she glanced towards her husband. Even though she usually hated losing, she didn't mind losing their bet. Nashi was perfect.

"It's your turn to hold her," she said quietly so as not to startle the baby.

Natsu sat beside her on the bed and held his arms out. Lucy handed her over to him gently. His body trembled and he found that he couldn't stop crying. There in his arms was none other than their baby.

"I'm going to love you forever," Natsu whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his daughter's head. "I love you so much, Nashi."

Nashi's eyes opened for the first time, revealing orbs of rich brown, making Natsu feel like he was drowning in chocolate. They were just like her mother's. The same eyes he'd fallen in love with.

"She has your eyes," he choked out with a sob, showing Lucy. "I was really hoping she would."

"And she has your hair," Lucy replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I was hoping she'd have your hair, but she's perfect."

"She is."

"We'll let you two- or three, I should say- get some rest," Porlyusica said, heading towards the door.

"Wait," Natsu called out. "Can we have people in here yet?"

"Fine. But not too many. And make sure they are sanitized first before they touch Nashi."

"We only want one person in here for now," Natsu said, sharing a glance with Lucy. "Wendy, can you bring Happy in here?"

The girl nodded with a smile, hurrying off to fetch the exceed, who had waited patiently outside the door for hours. Bringing him into the room, she made sure he sanitized his paws before approaching them. Happy flew towards them slowly, his eyes wide and his mouth parted.

"Well, buddy? What do you think of your new niece?" Natsu asked, grinning at their partner.

"Niece? It's a girl!?" Happy exclaimed.

"Yep. Meet Nashi Dragneel, Fairy Tail's future dragon slayer!"

"And celestial mage," Lucy added.

Happy flung himself at Lucy's chest, hugging her tightly. "You did it, Lucy! Everyone was worried about you. We could all hear you screaming."

"It was worth it," the girl replied with a smile.

Natsu nodded, gazing at their daughter. Her eyes were closed as she had drifted off into sleep and her tiny mouth was opened slightly.

Glancing towards Lucy, a rush of emotions overcame him. Even with a flushed face dotted with sweat and messy hair, she still looked as beautiful as ever.

"I love you, Lucy," he said, not caring if Happy was there to hear him. He wasn't sure Lucy heard him say it earlier, so he was going to say it again. He'd say it many times after, too. "Thank you so much for giving me a child."

His wife gave him a warm smile. "I love you too. And thank you for giving me a child as well."

Natsu sat on the bed beside Lucy while Happy laid on the other side of her. Together, the four of them dozed off into sleep as a family.

AN: Ladies and gents, Nashi has finally joined! :D Also, I loved the reviews from last chapter they were so sweet. :') A lot of parents saying the pain is worth it and they'd do it again just UGH SO HEARTWARMING.

Thank you to the reviewers: shootingstarssel, MasterGildarts, Vixenblue, KatanaNoNeko, Lucy, Rein Serenity, XxCelestialPrincessxX, Ember Reverie, CelestialSpiritQueen, animefan393939, Anna5949, Densolator, Mrsce, MillennialStargazer, Lucy, fairlystrange, The-Ruby-Rabbit, nalu-shipper, FairyTailLife, Nalulove, Soul Eater Maka, GothBanshee, annoyingdelusionkrytonite.