A/N: Sorry for taking so long. This time I really had a good reason though. I was a bit over exhausted, due to a lot of stuff happening, work and mayor lack off sleep. I'll be doing a fan request today, for a change, so I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you guys will enjoy it!
CH 14: Picture Perfect
"UGH!"
Lucy bashed her head on her desk in frustration. The quill she was holding, left a black, inky spot where it rested on the paper. Natsu peeped his head around the corner of the bathroom door.
"What's wrong Luce?"
"I have a massive writers block."
Her voice sounded a bit muffled since she was full out face-desking, but Natsu was used to it.
"Maybe you should tell the truth for once."
Lucy sat upright and turned in her chair.
"Natsu, I'm writing a fiction. There's nothing true about it."
"And that's the problem. There's more than enough happening around you, why can't you just use that?"
Lucy frowned.
"So, I should use the fact that Mira and Levy are pregnant, and Gray an Juvia finally hooked up?"
Natsu nodded.
"Why not. The heroine in your story might get pregnant. That gives you enough to work with I think. Last time I read it, she didn't even have a boyfriend."
"You read my novel? Natsu! You know I don't want you to do that. It's not finished!"
"Well, if I wouldn't have, I couldn't have helped you, right, Luce? Come on, don't be angry."
Natsu pleaded as he pulled her from her chair, hugging her as he nuzzled her neck. Lucy softly moaned an then sighed.
"That's not fair. You know I can't stay angry when you do that."
"Mhm. I do."
Natsu pulled back a bit to look at her.
"Don't be mad Luce. I didn't mean any harm. Forgive me?"
"Allright allright."
"You're the best,Luce."
"Fine fine. Didn't you agree to go to Gajeel today?"
"I get it. You want me out. Consider me gone."
Natsu gave her a quick peck on the cheek and sprinted out of her appartment. Lucy got up,walked to the window and watched him walk down the street, whistling, with his hands in his pocket. His scarf moved in the summerbreeze. Lucy frowned in thought. Why was he going to Gajeel anyway?
...
...
...
"CAT!"
"LILLY! Come here you little pest!"
"NATSU! GAJEEL! Poor Lilly will never come if you guys keep chasing him like this."
Lilly was up in the curtains, looking down at Natsu, hissing at him, as Gajeel demanded him to come down. He had no idea why the two of them were chasing him, but he didn't like it one bit. They had been chasing him all morning.
...
When Natsu came into the house Lilly automatically dissapeared, hiding on the highest bookshelf. He remembered the last time that weird cat had been chasing him together with Gajeel. He observed the two of them talking about how they wanted to make pictures of him. No idea what that was, but they obviously planned on chasing him again.
"So, where is he?"
Natsu looked around the appartmant.
"Kitty, Kitty, kitty."
Yeah right. Like he would fall for that. He was not coming down. Lilly heard Levy argue with them, but it didn't seem like they would listen. If she would ask him to come down, he would, but not with those two maniacs. Sadly, Natsu already spotted him and screamed at him.
"CAT!"
He came running towards the bookshelves, and took a leap. What the hell? Did that weird human-cat think he was a cheetah or something? Lilly hissed and puffed up his furr. But Natsu was already hanging on the shelf, taking it down, Lilly going down with it, throwing all the books on the floor. Lilly ran to take cover behind the coffeetable, but Gajeel saw him,and while Natsu was getting up out of the pile of books, Gajeel got to all fours and took a leap over the coffeetable, topping over the vase with flowers. Levy made an infuriated grunting sound, but didn't dare to come to his aid, fearing she might be run over too. He couldn't blame her for being scared. He made a quick turn, causing Natsu to almost run into a wall, and climbed the curtains as fast as he could.
...
Lilly loved Gajeel, but Gajeel had been acting weird lately. Smelling weird, always working in that room where Lilly wasn't allowed to come. Even though he could smell the new furniture, his master would't even let him examine it. And now he and that other big, hairless cat were chasing him. Humans were weird cats to begin with.
"Get out of the curtains."
Gajeel gave him another order. Well fine. If he had to get out of the curtains he would. Lilly jumped out of the curtains, landing his paws straight in Natsu's face, who, in respons started flailing his arms like he was chasing away a bee. Lilly Quickly made another jump, and dissapeared under the couch.
"O, no, not this again."
Levy softly protested, as Gajeel walked up to the couch. Without second thought he grabbed one side of the couch, and lifted it up so fast, he threw it against the wall opposite of him. Lilly looked at him with big shocked eyes.
"HA! Got you now !"
O no you don't.
Lilly ran towards Gajeel, bit his foot, and dissapeared into the bedroom,as Gajeel jumped up and down on one leg.
"He bit me!"
"That's what you get for chasing him around all morning. Look what the two of you did to the living room."
Natsu and Gajeel both looked around with a guilty look. Sure thing they made a mess. The couch was standing upright against the wall, books were allover the floor, because Natsu had thrown some shelves off the wall, a vase was broken on the floor, the flowers slowly withering next to it, in a pool of water. Lilly had destroyed the curtains with his claws. Looking at Levy, both guys felt like shrinking into oblivion. She was pissed. Very pissed.
"You clean up this mess right now! I'll go get Lilly myself. The poor thing must be having a heart attack by now."
Levy turned on her heels and marched into the bedroom. Natsu and Gajeel looked at eachother,and then at the mess again.
"Oops."
"You can say that again."
"Oops."
...
...
..
"Lilly? Sweety. Where are you hiding?"
Levy went trough the bedroom slowly, carefull not to spook Lilly any further. After looking for a few minutes she softly called out to him.
"Lilly. Come sweetheart,they won't chase you anymore."
Hearing her voice, Lilly's head peeped from under the bed. He let out a soft, whimpering mew, obviously confused. Levy got down on her knees and pulled him from under the bed, hugging him.
"Poor thing. You have no idea why they're chasing you like that."
They both looked up when they heard sounds coming from the living room, making t clear that the boys were indeed cleaning up the mess. Levy got up and put Lilly down on the bed.
"Wait here."
Lilly tilted his head as she left the room, and started purring when she came back with a small bowl of milk, and that camera thing she had been using a lot lately. For some reason his human-cats had been aiming that thing at the human-cat-lady's belly . It made a soft clicking sound, and sometimes it flashed light. It wasn't scary. Just a bit weird. But that's what human-cats were. Weird. But hey, he got milk, he wouldn't complain. Lilly quickly licked up his milk, and looked up at Levy again. She took the bowl away, and started petting him. Enjoying the gentle petting, Lilly layed down on the bed, rolling over on his back.
"O Lilly, that's adorable!"
She took her hand of him and quickly took a picture. Snap! No flashing lights this time. What did she do? Levy sat on the bed next to him, and started rubbing his belly, as she looked at the display of her digital camera. She lowered the camera next to him, and he sniffed it curiously. It smelled like that moving-images-box they had in the living room. Not edible. And not something to scratch his nails on. This image wasn't moving. It showed a cat lying on his back.
"That's you. Aren't you handsome?"
That was him? How did she get that image in there?
"See? It was that easy to take a picture off you. I bet if Gajeel would have asked nicely, you wouldn't mind getting a picture taken."
So that was a picture. A clicking sound, and then somehow an image was captured in that little box? Well, if that was all, Lilly did not understand why Gajeel had to chase him. He didn't mind the clicking-sound-box. It didn't hurt. And he got milk.
Gajeel got into the room.
"I see you got him?"
Levy nodded.
"Yes. There was no need to chase him. Like I told you before. Give him some milk or a treat. Pet him. And It will be easy to take a picture. Here. Take a look."
Levy handed him the camera to show him the picture of Lilly.
"Look at him being all cute."
"I know. If you and Natsu wouldn't have almost broken down the house chasing him, you could have had this picture weeks ago."
"I'm sorry Lev."
"O, you better be. But just to be sure, I'm going to take a picture of you and Lilly. If he doesn't attack you, I'll forgive you too."
She took the camera from him without waiting for his respons and picked up Lilly from the bed, handing him to Gajeel. Gajeel took him without protest and started hugging and petting him.
"Sorry, little guy."
Lilly rubbed his head against his chin purring. Snap!
Gajeel looked up at Levy, who was grinning devillishly. He smiled back at her, and lifted Lilly in the air. Lilly saw his chance to finally attack that weird fur his human-cat had, and lashed out at Gajels hair, immidiately entangling his claws in Gajeels long black hair, biting and chewing it.
"Lilly!"
Snap!
"Levy..."
Levy started laughing. It looked ridiculous. Gajeel was trying to pull Lilly out of his hair, and Lilly was so occupied with playing, he didn't even notice he was hurting Gajeel. Or that he was entangled in Gajeels hair. And now Gajeel was looking at Levy, pleading her to help him.
Snap!
After that last picture Levy put the camera down on the bed, and tried to help Gajeel get Lilly's claws out of his hair. When they finally succeeded she put Lilly down on the bed again, and layed down on her back. She grabbed the camera to look at the last few pictures, as she started to rub her slightly grown belly.
"Well, little ones. This will be a story I'll be happy to tell over and over again."
She stopped rubbing her belly when Lilly nudges her hand. Looking at him she put away the camera and layed her arms under her head.
"What is it Lilly?"
Lilly sniffed her belly, and then put his head on it. He didn't know what it was, but there was something in his human-cat-lady's belly. And she was happy about it. He walked around Levy, and put his head on her belly again.
"It's like he's listening to the babies."
Gajeel looked up from the camera he had picked up, surprised.
"You think he can?"
"Cats have amazing senses. He can probably sense I'm pregnant. But I'm not sure if he realises, or how he knows."
Lilly lifted his head and licked Levy's slighlty exposed belly. He was sure of it. His human-cats where going to have kittens. And he happily layed down on her belly, purring at the little human-cats inside.
Snap!