Chapter Twenty-Nine: Future plans
Natsu stretched as he laid out on the sofa. A show was playing in the background, something he had watched before, but the noise distracted him from the emptiness of the house. Gray and Lucy were still at work, due home in less than an hour.
He was released from work early since there wasn't much to do, so he chose to head to their house. Natsu used his spare key to get in, the one his partners had given him a few weeks back. They told him he was welcome to come over whenever, no invitation required. In the beginning, he had texted them to let them know when he was coming, not wanting to catch anyone by surprise.
Now he came and left as he pleased, spending more time at their house than his apartment. He didn't even bother swinging by his place after work, heading to the house to see Happy before hopping in the shower, washing away his light sweat from his manual labor.
Now he lounged on the couch, scrolling through a news article while Happy laid on his stomach. He only meant to check his email, but then he got distracted by a link for the article and that was the end of that.
He only snapped out of his daze when he heard the front door unlocking, Lucy's voice filling the air a moment later.
"I'm home!"
"In here," Natsu hollered back, closing his internet app before looking up, smiling when Lucy came into the room.
She was adorned in her suit, her pumps clanking against the floor as she walked. The woman snorted when she saw Natsu's lazy state, heading over to him before bending down, giving him a soft kiss to the lips before standing once more. "How was work?" she asked, removing her shoes before taking a seat on the coffee table, her toes wiggling freely now that they weren't confided.
"Okay I guess. You?" Natsu rolled to his side, resting his head against a throw pillow while Happy jumped down, a mix between a purr and a meow coming from the blue cat before he trotted out of the room.
"Boring." She was about to sigh before perking up. "Oh! Big news!" Her brown eyes lit up before she pulled out her phone from her purse, tapping at the screen a few times before showing Natsu a picture of a little girl.
She appeared to be ten, maybe eleven. Her hair was long and blue, tied into two large pigtails poking out from either side of her head. In her arms was a small white cat, the girl's smile big as she peered down at the feline.
"Who's that?" Natsu asked, furrowing his brows. He didn't recognize the girl, and Lucy's explanation surprised him.
"You remember how Erza and Jellal were talking about becoming foster parents?"
Natsu nodded before his eyes grew wide, realizing what happened. "Is that their first foster kid?"
Lucy couldn't hold back her grin. "Yes. Her name is Wendy and she's soooo adorable! You should've seen how happy Erza was this morning. Apparently the girl already likes Jellal and her. She's going to bring her by the office after she gets settled. Erza doesn't want to startle her or anything."
"I'm glad they're getting to do it," Natsu said, meaning it. He loved when his friends were happy, and he knew Erza deserved happiness, even if she was sometimes a little scary. "That's great."
Lucy nodded, turning her phone so she could swipe to a new picture. "Also, not as exciting as Erza's news, but I have some news as well." She smiled before revealing her screen again, watching as Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. "I got us tickets to see that movie you and Gray keep talking about. It's an advance screening."
Natsu grinned before taking her phone, looking over the time and date. He could make it, but he figured Lucy worked with his and Gray's schedule to ensure they could all be there. "That's awesome too. I'm sure you're gonna love it too. You like zombies, right?"
"For the most part," Lucy said, standing up before stretching her legs. "I just hope it's not too loud. Remember that one movie?" She twisted her lips as she struggled to remember its title. "I can't remember what it's called."
Natsu frowned, drawing a blank too. "I know which one you're talking about. Huh, what was it?"
Lucy shrugged, giving up. "We can ask Gray when he gets home, which shouldn't be long." She left her phone, purse, and shoes in the living room as she padded away, her voice slowly fading as she walked towards the master bedroom. "I need to shower."
Natsu nodded, setting Lucy's phone aside before getting comfortable on the couch again. He planned on relaxing until Gray got home, but after ten minutes, his stomach started rumbling. Forced to get up so he could deal with it, Natsu headed to the kitchen, plucking a bag of hot chips from the cabinet.
Once again, Natsu was reminded how he basically lived with his partners already. The cabinets were stocked with all three of their favorite foods, and the bottom shelf of the pantry was dedicated to Happy's food and treats. He also had a good amount of his clothes in the dresser located in Lucy's old extra room for when he needed to change or slept over. They tried making room in the master bedroom, but Lucy and Gray's clothes filled every dresser and took up every bit of space in the walk-in closet.
Lucy loved fashion and had enough clothes to open a small store, and Gray used to have such a problem with losing clothes that he kept extra on hand. His stripping problem was under control for the most part, but they didn't want to part with all his clothes since most of them had never been worn yet.
Natsu didn't mind keeping his stuff away from theirs. It wasn't an inconvenience to walk down the hall whenever he needed a shirt, but he hoped after he moved in, he could keep some clothes in the main bedroom, mainly to feel more close to them.
When Gray came home, he found Lucy getting out of the shower and Natsu in the entertainment room, slaying demons on their favorite game. He went to wash up himself, tired after his long day at work.
A lukewarm shower was exactly what he needed, his tight muscles relaxing as his stress melted away. It had only been a week since their vacation to see his family, but every day of work since then felt twice as hard. He knew it was going to happen before they even left Hargeon. He always felt drained after having time off. It would take a few more days, then he would be back to normal.
Gray thought the evening was going to go as planned, with the three of them making a lasagna before watching a movie, but when Natsu announced he wanted to talk, they all gathered in the living room to get comfortable.
Natsu sat on the couch with Lucy beside him, Gray choosing to sit in the recliner so he could face them. All eyes landed on Natsu, prompting him to begin, the other two opening their minds so they could really hear what Natsu had to say, knowing it wasn't every day he called a meeting between them.
"I know it's not coming up for a few more years, but I'd like to discuss something with you both now." He paused, only needing to say one more word before they understood what he meant. "Children."
Lucy nodded, shifting to a crisscross position so she could look at both Gray and Natsu while Gray moved to the coffee table, realizing this was more serious than he previously thought.
"Okay, let's begin," Gray said, hoping they would all be on the same page by the end of their talk. "I want to have children, but I don't want to start trying for another two years. Me and Lucy," he looked over at her, "had that plan. It gives us time to enjoy our freedom before making that commitment.
Lucy nodded, picking up when Gray's voice trailed off. "I still want kids, but I want to wait at least two more years too. I'm not ready to take that big step yet. I still have a lot more I want to do with the company, and right now our relationship seems... not delicate, but not ready for that responsibility yet, if that makes sense."
Natsu nodded, happy they were honest with him. "Yeah, it does." He looked between both of them before smiling. "I want kids too, by the way. We haven't really discussed children and stuff, but last weekend Gray made that comment..." His eyes flitted to Gray, seeing the recognition in his eyes.
"Yeah, I did." He smiled too, seeing the conversation was going smoothly so far. It helped that this wasn't their first discussion, many had over their relationship. "And I meant it. If you're still with us when that time in our life comes," Gray paused, eyes fixed on Natsu's. "And I only say 'if' because we don't know what the future holds. Hell, I could die in traffic tomorrow or something else could happen, but that doesn't mean I'm plannin' on us separating."
Natsu nodded, not needing an explanation. He was more secure in their relationship than he had been when it started. "I know we can always break up under normal circumstances, but I know y'all aren't gonna dump me just 'cause you wanna start a family."
"True," Lucy said, while Gray agreed.
"So, the reason I wanted to talk was just to make sure we all had the same understanding. I hadn't really thought about it when we first go together, but I imagine if I did, I'd be worried or scared."
Gray reached out, placing a hand on Natsu's knee, giving him a squeeze. "Our plans haven't really changed. The only thing different is now we have you as a bonus. I'm sure three parents is gonna make things easier."
"I hope so," Lucy added, fear trickling into her veins. "I'm still scared of have a kid. You know how much that's going to hurt? Or how much time it'll take up?"
"It's definitely not a decision to be taken lightly," Natsu said, earning nods from his partners. "I feel like now's a good time to talk about it, right?"
"I think so," Gray answered, giving Lucy and him a warm smile. "Any sooner and it would've felt like we were jumping the gun, but now seems good. It's better than waiting until the time in question. That'd be harder to deal with if we weren't on the same page."
"Are you ready to start a family in twoish years?" Lucy asked before chuckling. "You don't have to answer that. I don't think anyone is ever really ready for parenthood."
"Yeah, I get what you mean. And I don't know, but I think I'd be ready in two years." Natsu would be twenty-five by then, which seemed like a good age to start a family. It gave him some time to enjoy being with his partners without the added responsibilities of raising and taking care of a child.
They still needed to discuss if one of them would watch the kid or if they would do daycare and babysitters. There was also the topics of feeding choices and basic parenting choices that they needed to go over, but that could wait until they were at that stage in their lives. Right now, he just needed some basics covered.
"If you need an extra year or two, we can work around that, right Lucy?"
She nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips. "Right. I don't want to wait too long though. I don't want to be in my sixties when they're graduating high school."
"Me either," Gray whispered, causing Natsu to nod.
"Two years sounds good. We'll talk more about it when it comes closer, right?"
"Absolutely," she said, her husband agreeing.
Natsu took a deep breath, happy they were over the toughest part of the conversation. It had gone better than he hoped, but that was what happened when they were all honest about how they felt. It made it easier to talk since there was no guessing involved, no trying to figure out if there was any hidden thoughts lingering between them.
Despite knowing there wasn't a need to think too far ahead, Natsu couldn't help some things coming into his head. "Do you think it's gonna confuse a kid? Having three parents?"
Gray and Lucy pondered the question for a moment, gathering their own thoughts.
"It might be weird, but if that's all they ever know, it should seem normal?" Lucy said, hopeful of the future. "I mean, I'm sure there's going to be some asshats who try teasing them, but that's going to happen no matter what."
Natsu nodded, once again remembering kids could be mean and cruel. "We just gotta be straight with them." He snorted, shaking his head. "Not like, hetero, I mean straight as in honest, like this."
Gray nodded, rubbing his hand against Natsu's lower thigh before clearing his throat. "We already know this isn't traditional or anything, but I'm sure we can make it work. As long as we're on the same team."
"Right," Lucy said, just as Natsu added, "Yeah."
"I know it's a while away, but when the time comes, can we take some parenting classes or something?" Natsu asked, thankful when they nodded. "I don't know the first thing about being a dad, and I don't wanna screw it up."
Lucy's eyes softened before she reached out, setting a hand on his shoulder before smoothing it against his shoulder blade. "I think you'll be a wonderful dad." She turned her head so she could see Gray too. "You both will."
"Thanks." Gray held both hands out, happy when they were both taken by his partners. Lucy and Natsu held hands too, the three of them unified. "I think we can do this. It'll be tough, and it'll be stressful, but if we work together I think we can handle it just fine."
"I feel like we're supposed to throw up our hands and shout 'go team' now," Natsu said, wearing a huge grin as he bounced his hands, making Lucy and Gray's arm bounce with him. "Who's in?"
"Dork," Gray muttered, but there was only adoration in his voice. "Seriously though, I think we can do it."
Natsu and Lucy shared a nod, a sense of relief and comfort washing over all three of them.
"So," Gray started, letting their hands drop before looking at Natsu. "Just curious, how many kids did you want? I know you may change your mind, but do you have an idea now?"
Natsu shrugged. He hadn't put too much thought into starting a family before, but he knew he wanted kids in general at some point in his life. "At least two? Maaaybe more, but only if we think we can handle it? I mean, two already sounds like a lot." He chuckled, happy when it didn't come out strained. Their discussions had gotten better over the months, everyone working together towards a common goal.
Lucy smiled as she turned to Gray. "We were thinking the same. We've been stuck on two or three, but we figured we'd have the first and see how it goes."
"That makes sense," Natsu said, wondering how difficult it would be taking care of a baby. He hoped he could take as many parenting classes as he could before the big day came, that way he would be prepared.
"Well, this went about how I expected," Natsu said, happy he was right to put his faith in his partners. He still got nervous every once in a while when others were involved, but when it was just the three of them, he had little worries. They loved him, and he felt that deep in his soul.
"If you ever have anything else you wanna bring up, feel free," Gray mentioned, the three of them in agreement. Anytime they needed to discuss something, all they had to do was say it and the others would listen, hear them out before seeing what they could do.
In Natsu's opinion, that had been the most serious talk they had since getting together, but it went just as smooth as the conversation about Happy's litter box had gone.
Natsu had forgotten to clean it out for a few days, resulting in an unfavorable smell coming from the other side of the house. One quick conversation about sanitation was all it took for Natsu to get the message, now setting reminders in his phone for every other day so he couldn't forget.
The toughest conversation they had, aside from when they first negotiated their rules, was when Lucy asked when they wanted to become public with their relationship. That discussion lasted a full hour with the three going back and forth, throwing out pros and cons to either decision.
In the end, they decided to only tell a few friends, which consisted of Levy, Gajeel, Erza, Jellal, and Mira. That had been a week or so after Gray told his family, but well before Natsu was introduced to the Fullbusters. Their friends were understandably shocked, but they got over it with minimal awkwardness involved.
Natsu was ready to lean back and start his relaxation for the evening, but he remembered the subject of children wasn't the only thing he needed to talk to them about.
"Oh, and I finally decided," Natsu said, startling them. They gave him questioning glances, but he didn't have them waiting in suspense for long, excited to tell them his decision. "I wanna move in, soon. If the offer's still on the table, that is."
"That's great!" Lucy said, grinning as she looked at Gray.
He nodded, leaning in before giving Natsu a hug. "Of course! Fuck, that's awesome!"
Natsu relished in his hug until Gray pulled back, his gaze falling on Lucy. "Anyway we could make some room for my clothes in the bedroom? At least a few items?"
"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem." Once the topic was brought up, Lucy found a simple solution. "Gray and I can put the clothes we don't use often in the spare bedroom, that way all of us can have room."
"I can work with that," Gray said, causing Natsu to smile. They were already accommodating him and he hadn't even moved in yet.
"Did you have a date in mind?" Lucy asked, causing Natsu to shake his head.
"No, not really. Just whenever I can. I gotta give the office a thirty-day notice that I'm moving out, so I guess about a month from now?" He didn't think that would bother them, him rushing to move in, but their smiles said it all.
It was no trouble to them.
"We can rent a trailer to bring the bigger things over. Er," Gray paused, furrowing his brows. "What do you wanna do with your furniture like couches and your bed? You won't really need those here."
"Huh... I hadn't thought about that." Natsu supposed Gray was right, he wouldn't need them anymore. It seemed wise to keep them in case things didn't work out, but he didn't want to count on things blowing up in his face. Being optimistic, Natsu shrugged and said, "I can try to donate the couch at least. I don't think anyone wants a used mattress."
"Especially after what's happened on it," Lucy mumbled, barely smothering her smirk.
Natsu stuck his tongue out at her before grinning. "I'll look around, see if anyone takes used stuff for donations."
"What about your smaller stuff?" Lucy asked, thinking about the items in Natsu's apartment. "You have a lot of the stuff we already have, like dishes and towels?"
The three sat in silence as they thought it over before Gray suggested using one of the spare rooms as storage, at least until they figured it out. They didn't Natsu to give up all his possessions just to be with them. If anything, they could save them for when their stuff got worn out.
"I don't know where you're gonna put your wall o' memories," Gray said with a chuckle, watching as Natsu scratched the back of his neck, just as lost.
"Me either... I can put those in a room too? They're uh, kinda personal." He flushed just thinking about a random person seeing them. "Only reason I had 'em out in the open was 'cause there wasn't anywhere else to put them."
"We can help you set it up just like it is now," Lucy said, trying to be helpful. "We'll take pictures so we know where everything goes."
"Sounds good." Natsu nodded, happy they were working out a plan. There was still more to discuss, but the basics were out there. He had a month to figure out the rest, which was plenty of time when there were three minds working on it.
"Now that we got all that settled," Gray said, giving them a sheepish grin. "What are we gonna do for dinner? I know the plan was lasagna, but Kip brought in some chicken wings today for lunch and I've been craving them ever since."
"I could go for some hot wings," Natsu said, causing Lucy to nod too.
"That works with me. Did you want to shower first?"
Gray shook his head, ready to head out whenever. "I can take one later. I'm hungry now."
"Me too."
Lucy chuckled as they stood, eager smiles on their faces. "Let me get some cash. I don't want to put the tip on the card again."
"I don't see why it matters," Natsu said as they started making their way through the house, Lucy going into the bedroom to grab some bills from her dresser. He didn't understand why she kept cash hidden around the house either, but he didn't mind her quirks, loving her just the way she was, even if she sometimes confused him.
"I already told you, servers get taxed that and they don't get the full amount. I'd rather them get everything we give them." Lucy went on to explain how the system was messed up and how her way helped servers more than tipping on a card. Natsu and Gray followed along, chiming in when they wanted to as they made their way to Gray's car since it was parked behind Natsu's.
"Whatever you say, Lucy," Natsu finally said as they entered the vehicle, sliding into the backseat before trying to lay down. He was immediately scolded by Gray, telling him he needed to sit up or he wasn't leaving the driveway.
With a huff and a pout, Natsu sat up, buckling his seat belt before the three took off, heading towards one of the favorite restaurants in Hargeon.
Their relationship was solid compared to when they first got together, and Natsu had no doubt that it would continue to grow stronger, as long as they stayed honest and respectable. As long as they had those two things, everything else seemed to fall into place.
As always, thank you so much for every favorite, follow, and review! Your support means a lot to me! Shout out to those amazing people who reviewed last time: Lodemai04, misslovely144, CatPeach, GeminiS2, Shonix13, Weevilcat, hiii guys, mautrino, Lizxcliff11, Satyrykal, Anna5949, Guest, Stellar, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Mili, xxdelightfullxx, JacJac-Arie, Animemama328, LiviFanfics27, DragonQ, AfReviewer, and Guest!
Anyways, thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I know it was short but I felt it was needed. Natsu needed to get his feelings out there and they needed to have that discussion. It's really true, communication is necessary in a relationship. Lack of communication, trust, and respect can tear a relationship apart, but I won't let that happen to these three!
