Chapter Fifty-One: Welcome to the family

"Wh-What?" Lucy sputtered, face growing red despite her best efforts to stay in control. It didn't work. In fact it only caused the heat to spread to her neck and ears. The many eyes on her didn't help her racing heart either.

She didn't know why Natsu's dad would ask that question. Her hand went to the hickey on her shoulder, but she felt her hair still covering it. 'If he didn't see the hickey, then why would he ask?'

She cursed her stutter as she spoke again. "Wh-why would you think th-that?"

Igneel only grinned as he glanced at Natsu. The boy panicked when all eyes landed on him. He felt like sinking into his seat, but he remained in place. "What? I already told ya we're not dating!"

Grandeeney let out a soft laugh as she sarcastically said, "I guess we have the only teenage boy in Fiore who doesn't lie then?"

"Err..." Natsu grit his teeth, feeling his own blush take over. "It's not like that! We're just friends!"

"Oh?" Igneel's grin turned into a smirk. "That's weird. So you two were kissing in the break room at the shop because what? You're just friends?"

Natsu and Lucy were speechless, mouths hanging open and eyes growing wide. Seeing as they weren't going to respond, Igneel added, "There's a security camera in there. Caught the whole thing."

Natsu's eyes narrowed as his brows furrowed. He thought to himself, 'There's not a camera in there? Why would he say-'

Lucy answered his unspoken question as soon as she blurted out, "I'm so sorry Mr. Dragneel! We didn't know anyone would see us!"

"LUCY!" Natsu tried to stop her, but it was too late.

"I promise we only just started dating! It hasn't even been that long! Please don't be mad at Natsu! It was my idea to keep it a secret! I'm... I'm sorry!" Lucy lowered her head, tears pricking at her eyes as she took in deep breaths.

Lucy started mentally berating herself. 'It's all over! His parents know now! They won't let me see him again! I ruined everything! Natsu's probably going to get in trouble because of me! This is all my fault!' She slammed her eyes shut just as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Igneel and Grandeeney looked at Lucy with wide eyes. They stole a glance at each other before looking back at the poor girl. "We're not mad," Grandeeney said gently. She frowned when she saw it did nothing to ease the tension hanging in the air.

Lucy kept her head down, not believing them for a second. They lied to Natsu's parents, and she didn't see that ending well.

"Can't even say we're surprised," Igneel joked with a hearty laugh. "The way you two look at each other, it was pretty obvious."

Wendy remained silent. She could tell Natsu and Lucy were dating when she was in the kitchen cooking. She caught the smallest glimpse of Lucy's shoulder when the girl bent over once, but Wendy didn't know if that was the reason her parents suspected as well. She already decided she wouldn't say anything about the hickey. She was just happy for her brother since he made it clear he liked Lucy.

Lucy slowly raised her head, but her eyes stayed trained on the table. She didn't have the strength to look them in the eyes. "You're... not mad at us?"

"No," Grandeeney said while Igneel laughed. "Why would we be mad?"

Lucy's bottom lip quivered as she said, "B-because we lied to y-you..."

They paused before Grandeeney said, "That's not surprising. Igneel and I lied to my parents when they asked me if we were dating. It's not as if you lied about something serious. I'm not sure why you didn't want to tell us, but I was trying to respect your privacy."

She turned to look at her husband, her tone a little scorned as if he did something to upset her. "I have no idea why he decided to trick you."

"Trick... me?" Lucy asked, still not meeting their gazes.

Natsu sighed before running a hand through his pink hair. "I tried to warn ya... There's no camera in the break room. Hell, the only cameras are in the lobby and they're pointed at the register and the entrance to the shop. My dad," he sneered at his old man, "tricked you into confessing."

Lucy ignored the part about being tricked, more focused on his parent's reactions. "So Natsu's not in trouble?"

"I guess that depends," Igneel started with a laugh. He leaned over, cupping his large hands over Wendy's ears. "Have you two done more than kissing?"

"NO!" Both Lucy and Natsu shouted at once, eyes as wide as could be.

"Good," Igneel kept his hands on Wendy's ears as he said, "Because remember when you do, make sure you use protection. We want grandchildren, but that can wait until you're older."

Grandeeney shook her head, pointing her fork towards her son. "It would make things easier if you just wait until marriage. Then you don't have to worry about teen pregnancies or if you're in a stable relationship yet."

Natsu and Lucy said nothing, both faces burning and eyes looking down in shame. They had barely talked to each other about the future, so hearing Natsu's parents talk about it as if it were a guarantee caused the two teens to choke up.

The topic was dropped as soon as Igneel took his hands off Wendy's ears, or at least that was the plan. "By the way," Wendy started, her cheeks bright red, "I heard everything."

Grandeeney didn't look too panicked, knowing Wendy already knew a lot about reproductive organs since she was studying to become a doctor. She would need to know a lot about the human body.

Igneel on the other hand looked scared. She was young, and he didn't want her growing up too fast. "Wendy, you should take your mom's advice and wait until marriage."

"Can we not talk about me?" Wendy already felt embarrassed. She didn't need to feel mortified as well. "Go back to teasing Natsu please."

"Excellent idea!" Igneel grinned cheekily. "So Lucy. Like I asked earlier, how long have you been dating my son?"

Lucy swallowed before saying, "Almost a week..."

"A week?" Igneel asked, cocking his head. From her reaction earlier he would have guessed longer than that. "Which day? Sunday?"

She shook her head. "Saturday."

"Ahh," he nodded. "So tomorrow makes it a week. Who asked who?"

"Igneel," Grandeeney scolded, but she couldn't deny her own curiosity as well. She just wanted to give the two teens a break before interrogating them. To her it looked like they were both ready to bolt from embarrassment.

"I asked her out," Natsu answered, barely able to meet his dad's gaze, "unofficially..."

That caused his parents to raise their brows. "Unofficially?" Grandeeney asked, turning to look to Lucy for an explanation.

Lucy felt an odd pressure in her chest as she admitted, "I'm... not allowed to date..."

"Oh." His mom nodded when she understood. "Well, that's between you and your parents."

Lucy's gaze fell to her lap, a frown working its way on her face. Natsu frowned alongside her, wishing he had told his parents beforehand. "It's just Lucy's father and..." He didn't want to reveal her secret about being a Heartfilia, so he chose his words with care. "... her female guardian."

"Like a step-mom?" Wendy asked, wondering why Lucy looked distraught.

Lucy shook her head, finding the idea of Virgo as her step-mom weird. "Not like that. She's a... a family friend who's taking care of me right now. My father's living in Crocus for business."

She didn't have to say the rest to get Natsu's family to realize her mom wasn't in the picture. They didn't know if she was gone or passed away, but the way Lucy reacted told them to hold their tongues. They could always ask Natsu later in private so they didn't accidentally upset her again.

"Your dad is okay with leaving you in Magnolia while he's gone?" Igneel asked. Even if they had Grandeeney, he couldn't imagine leaving his children in another town. He would miss them too much.

She hesitated before nodding. "Honestly I didn't see much of him when he was here, so it doesn't feel all that different. I didn't even notice when he moved back until he told me a while later."

"Oh..." Grandeeney's heart hurt for the girl.

"Yeah..." Lucy said, finally able to look into her eyes. She didn't feel too bad having her father gone. Sure she missed him a little, but she had more freedom when he was away. Plus she was able to bring friends to the house. Before he left that wasn't something she even considered. "It's a bit weird."

Deciding he wanted to lighten the mood, Natsu said, "That's normal for Lucy though since she's such a weirdo."

"Hey!" She snapped out of her daze, eyes pinning Natsu to his seat. He froze, but relaxed when a small laugh slipped from her lips. "Maybe I am a weirdo then..."

He grinned, loving the way Lucy's eyes softened as she looked at him. For a moment he forgot there were others in the room, his focus entirely on the deep brown eyes that seemed to hold a little more light than they did earlier.

"Well," Grandeeney started, reminding the two they weren't alone. "As far as I'm concerned I don't see anything wrong with you two dating. As long as you don't rush things of course. You're both still in high school after all."

"You're really okay with us dating?" Lucy asked, mind slowly wrapping itself around that idea. She thought they would be against it, but after seeing their smiling faces she couldn't remember why she thought that in the first place.

"We won't say anything," Igneel assured, but his smile slipped a little. "It would be wise to talk to your father though. I'm sure he's a reasonable man. He'll understand."

Lucy's shoulders fell. 'Reasonable' wasn't exactly a good word to describe her father, at least not when it came to the topic of his one and only daughter. She couldn't see him being as accepting as the Dragneels, but she wanted him to know about Natsu eventually.

"I'm going to bring up the subject next time I see him in person, but I'm not exactly sure when that will be. I asked Virgo," Lucy blinked when she realized they didn't know who that was. "Oh, that's the family friend. I asked her to tell me when he's coming back to Magnolia."

Grandeeney and Igneel nodded, eyes turning back to their plates. "That sounds like a good idea."


"And then one time," Igneel laughed as he told another embarrassing story about Natsu, "he thought he was home alone, so he got on the table and started dancing!"

Lucy had to hold a hand to her lips to keep from giggling with the rest of his family. She couldn't imagine him dancing, but she wished she could have seen it.

Natsu sat in his seat, skin red from his forehead to his chest as he glared at his father. It did nothing to end the story. If anything it only spurred his father on.

"You should have seen it. He was going 'chikachika chika chickchika chika!'" Igneel waved his arms by his side to copy Natsu's movements that day. "Happy was on the table with him. Kinda looked like he was dancing too."

Natsu's eye twitched as his father continued dancing. "Hey! It's important to take a break now and then!" He didn't bother denying it happened. He had a feeling Lucy wouldn't believe him anyway. "And don't talk like I haven't caught you dancing either! At least mine was to music!"

Igneel didn't stop laughing, instead he choked as he tried to say, "Yes, but I'm not embarrassed about it!"

Natsu groaned, slipping down into his seat. He ignored their laughter as he picked at what was left on his plate. It was nearly empty since he was a big eater. He already knew they would try to tease him, so he was expecting it a little. He just didn't think they would make it last the rest of the dinner.

"There was one time in middle school when Natsu didn't want to go to school," Grandeeney giggled as she thought about how silly her son looked. "He said he was sick, but it was obvious he just wanted to stay home. I think he might have had a test he wanted to avoid."

Natsu's frown faded as his lips pressed into a hard line. 'She's not talking about...'

"I gave him a thermometer to check his temperature, but when I came back to see it I found it burned. Natsu tried to use a lighter to raise the temperature, but he accidentally melted part of it instead."

Natsu's head lowered, his pink bangs covering his eyes. He didn't want to see their smiling faces as they reminisced about one of Natsu's most hated memories.

He wasn't avoiding a test. He was avoiding his bullies, specifically Sting and Rogue when they used to enjoy tormenting him. They promised a beating that day after school, and he just wanted to put it off for at least one more day. He would have asked Erza or Gray for help, but they had already been doing a lot for him. He didn't want to bother them yet again.

Natsu heard his family as well as Lucy laughing at his mistake all those years ago. In his panic he didn't remove the lighter in time, so the thermometer caught fire. He blew out the flame, but the damage was already done. He had to go to school that day, and now he had a mark permanently on his body because of it.

"I guess I should have let him stay home though."

"Why's that?" Lucy asked, not realizing Natsu was withdrawing from the conversation. She had no idea his eyes were flooding with tears as he remembered how terrified he was that entire day, only to end up in a hospital bed shortly after the fight started.

"He got in a fight with some kids at school." Grandeeney smiled fondly at her husband.

"Igneel likes to roughhouse with him, so he gets in fights every once in a while. They just have too much energy. Anyways, one of the boys pushed Natsu down, and he accidentally cut himself on some scrap metal. Someone carelessly tossed it outside instead of throwing it out, and Natsu landed on it. He had to get stitches."

"Ouch..." Lucy cringed at the mention of stitches. She had never had any herself, but she knew whatever happened must have been painful if he required getting stitched up.

Igneel laughed, "Guess it serves him right for picking a fight with some boys that were bigger than him. I told ya to choose your battles." He turned to look at his son, but Natsu was no longer in his seat. "Huh?" He blinked as he looked around the room. "Where'd he go?"

"He might have gone to the bathroom," Grandeeney said, not finding Natsu's behavior weird. He didn't exactly have the best table manners. She glanced at everyone's plate, seeing they were mostly done eating. "I should get these cleaned up anyways."

"I'll help!" Lucy was quick to offer, stacking some dishes to follow Grandeeney to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Dear," Grandeeney said with a smile as she started rinsing some plates. "Wendy! It's your turn to pick the movie tonight!"

"Yes!" She hopped out of her seat to take her dishes to the kitchen, then dashed to the living room to make her selection.

"I don't know when you need to leave, but you're more than welcome to stay and watch if you'd like. We try to watch a movie on Friday nights if we can."

"You don't mind?" Lucy asked, emptying the plates before handing them to Grandeeney.

"Not at all," she said. "In fact, I hope you feel welcomed to the family. As long as someone else is here I don't mind you coming back to visit."

Lucy couldn't stop the bright grin that surfaced on her face. "Thank you!" Her heart warmed at her kindness. She never thought they'd welcome her with open arms like they did, but she was thankful for it.

"You're welcome," Grandeeney said as she continued washing the dishes. "I'm just glad Natsu is dating such a nice girl like yourself. He has good taste."

Lucy blushed, her smile turning small as she tried to contain her happiness. "Thanks."

"Not a problem."


Natsu sighed when he finished drying his face. He got through his anxiety attack on his own, although it was easier to deal with since it was only a mini attack. He had to wash his face afterwards to hide the evidence that he cried, but he looked better now.

He was just glad he didn't puke.

After taking another deep breath, Natsu left the bathroom and headed down the hall. He saw Lucy and his mom in the kitchen washing dishes, letting him know dinner was over. It was probably for the best. With his stomach in knots he wouldn't have been able to eat more anyway.

"There you are," Lucy said once she saw Natsu in the corner of her eye. "Where'd you run off to?"

"Bathroom." He scratched the back of his neck, feeling guilty for leaving Lucy with his family by herself. "Sorry about disappearing."

Lucy shook her head as she went to dry the cleaned dishes with a towel. "It's okay. I don't mind."

Grandeeney stayed quiet, listening to the conversation held between her son and his girlfriend. She saw him with his female friends before, but she didn't know how he acted around a girl he liked. She found herself smiling at how they spoke to each other. It reminded her of when her and Igneel first started dating.

"Your mom said I can stay and watch a movie with you guys," Lucy said as she started stacking the dried plates. "Is that okay with you?"

"Absolutely!" Natsu felt the tightness in his chest loosen at the thought of spending more time with Lucy. "That sounds great!"

Lucy didn't question why he sounded so excited. She felt pretty happy herself to be invited to a family movie night, even if she didn't know what they would be watching.

Since the dishes were almost done, Grandeeney said, "Natsu, do you want to show Lucy the basement while I finish up?"

Natsu's eyes widened at the thought. "Can I?" he asked with a childlike wonder to his voice. He had been wanting to show Lucy his artwork, but he thought his mom would get mad if he brought her to the basement after scolding him earlier.

Lucy raised a brow, not understanding why he would want to take her to a basement. Her own house had one, but it was dark and cold. They only used theirs for storage, so she didn't see the appeal in going to Natsu's basement.

"Of course," his mom said as she gently took the towel away from Lucy. "Just leave the door open and don't spend too long down there. We'll start the movie when you two get back."

"Okay!"

Despite her earlier thoughts, Lucy followed him to the door Grandeeney showed her earlier. She said it was the basement, but she didn't open it to show Lucy inside. Natsu did, revealing a dark room.

Usually he would walk down the stairs in the dark, but he didn't want Lucy to trip. He used his phone's flashlight to guide the way, one creaky step at a time. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Natsu flipped on the light. "I think it's a little dumb the switch it at the bottom, but I didn't build the house..."

Lucy barely heard Natsu, her focus being on the room around her. There was a mountain of boxes labeled various things like 'Christmas', 'Camping', and 'Halloween' against the furthest wall, but Lucy overlooked that to see that the rest of the room was filled with personal things.

Hanging up on the walls were posters of different bands and anime. A desk was pushed up against one of the walls with an assortment of tools Lucy didn't recognize on top. On a shelf near the desk was a old stereo system with a few CD cases next to it.

Lucy's eyes zeroed in on a weight bench with multiple circular, black discs scattered near it. She recognized them as weights. She walked closer, noticing they all had numbers on the side.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the lowest number was '20'. 'Does Natsu lift weights?' She didn't know if the bench belonged to him or his father. Either way, she wasn't going to ask at the moment. Her mind was already jumping to the next thing she saw.

"Wow," she whispered as she walked over to a long, thin table. It stretched at least five feet, filled with different wooden pictures on the surface. She saw a lot of dragons, but mixed in were a few flowers and trees, even one with a cat on it.

"Is this Happy?" Lucy asked, but she already knew the answer. The burned design looked like a spitting image of the feline she met earlier, down to the mischievous eyes that were looking at the fish he was holding.

"Yup," Natsu smiled when he saw she found his collection. Well, some of his collection. Most of his stuff he had packed away or he gave away to his friends and family. He only kept his most recent work on that table while his favorite ones hung in his room.

"This is so amazing!" Her finger lightly grazed over the design, shocked when she felt the texture of the burning. "How long does it take to make these?"

"Depends," he said casually. "The harder ones sometimes take days, but that one you're holding took me a few hours."

"I knew you were good, but this is just..." Her voice trailed off as she admired his work. She only saw pictures before, but they didn't do them justice. In real life they were gorgeous. "These are really amazing."

Natsu felt the heat tinting his cheeks as he nervously chuckled. "You said that already..."

"I mean it!" She set the picture of Happy down as she looked at the rest. She loved each design, all unique in their own way. It was as if Natsu was able to capture different emotions with each piece. The dragons were fierce while the flowers were peaceful. She had no idea how talented he was before seeing his art in real life.

She couldn't help but feel proud of him. He was able to turn his love for fire into artwork. She was about to turn to tell him once again how great she thought he was, but she stopped when she noticed a red towel at the end of the table.

"Is this one too?" Lucy picked up the corner of the towel. She tried lifting it, but she didn't get a chance to peek at it before Natsu slammed a hand down on the towel.

"That's not finished yet!" His green eyes filled with panic from almost getting caught. His other hand instinctively grabbed her wrist in the process as he tried to move it away from the work-in-progress. "Y-you can't see it 'til it's done!"

Lucy looked up from the towel to Natsu's face. He looked desperate to keep her from finding out what was under the towel, so she released the corner to fully cover it again. "I'm sorry."

"You're fine," he assured, loosening his grip on her wrist. He tried taking a deep breath, but it didn't help his rapid heartbeat. "Just scared me is all."

"Why?" Lucy cocked her head.

Instead of answering, Natsu's cheeks glowed red. He didn't want to tell her he'd been working on something for her. He worried she wouldn't like it. With it unfinished he wasn't very confident in it, but he hoped when he was done it would be good enough for her.

When Natsu let go of her wrist, she brought her hand up. She cupped Natsu's cheek, offering him a soft smile. "You don't have to tell me." She felt like she had been saying that a lot lately, but his comfort was more important than her curiosity. "I don't mind."

Natsu nodded slightly, but his eyes showed he wasn't calming down. Her thumb trailed over his skin, tracing his cheekbone before sliding to cup the back of his neck. "Natsu... Can... can I kiss you?" she asked, fingers playing with the short pink hair at the base of his neck.

Instead of Natsu relaxing like she expected, his eyes went wild. "Wh-what?"

"Not like before," she clarified as she gently set her other hand on his forearm. "Just soft and slow?" Despite her confident tone, Lucy was scared on the inside. Her heart beat rapidly and her throat felt tight. It was as if a ball of anxiety and fear swirled in her chest. "Only if you want."

"I-I can do that," Natsu said, repeating the words 'soft and slow' in his head. His cheek twitched when he saw Lucy lean in, but he forced himself to stay put even when his mind told him to jerk away.

Only when Lucy put the slightest bit of pressure against his lips did he calm down. 'Soft,' he reminded himself. 'Lucy only wants to go soft.'

He pressed a little against her tender lips in return to get the kiss started. True to her words, Lucy didn't take it further than that. Even when Natsu parted his lips she didn't stick her tongue out. She copied him, but the open-mouthed kiss was nothing more than lips overlapping lips.

The kiss never turned rough or fast. His tongue came out occasionally, but only to lick at her lips before retreating to his mouth. Her eyes stayed closed the entire time, enjoying the way Natsu kissed her.

His eyes stayed open, but it had less to do with his demons and more to do with him wanting to see Lucy's face while they kissed. To him, she was like a ray of sunshine he could finally grasp. He just couldn't look away.

As much as he wanted to nip at her lips to get her to make those cute sounds again, he resisted. He didn't want to freak out. Or worse... Lose control like last time. Natsu wanted to stay in control of himself at all times, even when it came to kissing his girlfriend.

He had no idea what would have happened if his mom didn't come home just in time.

Lucy kept one hand on his neck while the other stayed on his arm. She didn't want to risk him stopping the kiss too soon by going too far. His hands had moved to her shoulders, but his grip was loose with his body leaving a gap between them. Even with the soft kiss, she still felt fire traveling through her veins. Natsu somehow still had an effect on her despite the slow pace.

She could only guess it had something to do with his scorching lips and soothing scent.

By the time they separated, Natsu was flushed and Lucy was smiling. Her eyes squinted a little as she tried to hide just how happy she felt after their simple kiss. "By the way... I-I liked that too," she said, visibly seeing how it relaxed Natsu.

The tension in his shoulders melted as he nodded. "That's... that's good... Really good." He could handle a kiss like that with no problems. The fear he held earlier for disappointing Lucy faded at her words. If she was satisfied with that then maybe he wasn't doomed after all. He could push off having to tell her about his past for a while at that rate.

Or at least that was what he thought at the time.

Natsu glanced at the wooden stairs. "We should probably head back upstairs. They're probably waiting on us."

"Okay." Lucy nodded, leading the way when he held out a hand. She realized she was being weird by wanting more earlier. Simply kissing Natsu was enough for her for the time being. Anything else could wait until they were both ready.

They had plenty of time to wait.

"Thanks for showing me your art."

"No problem."

Once they made it to the top of the stairs, Natsu said he had to use the bathroom. "Go ahead and wait in the living room. I shouldn't be long," he said as he slipped into one of the rooms.

'Didn't he just use the bathroom?' Lucy opened her mouth, but closed it without saying a word. Not wanting to embarrass him by asking about his digestive issues, Lucy headed towards the living room.

When she walked into the living room, she smiled. On the TV was the main menu for the movie they would be watching. It was "The Lego Movie." She hadn't seen it before, but she heard it was funny.

On her way to the loveseat that was empty, Lucy noticed a shelf she hadn't seen earlier. On it was what appeared to be photo albums, sparking a thought in her mind. "I have a question," Lucy started as she turned to Natsu's family.


Natsu headed back to the living room after using the bathroom. He expected to find Lucy sitting by herself, but he found her on the couch, surrounded by his mom, dad, and sister. 'What the...?'

"And this is from when he was four. Natsu wanted to be a cowboy for Halloween, but halfway through the night he said it was getting hot, so he took off his clothes."

Natsu's eyes widened. 'Shit!'

"Awww!" Lucy cooed when Grandeeney pointed to a picture of a younger Natsu wearing nothing but his cowboy hat, boots, and underwear. "He's so cute!"

"He is," Grandeeney smiled. "Gave the neighbors a scare though. You should have seen them trying to cover their children's eyes!"

"Mom!"

Everyone turned to see Natsu standing at the entrance of the living room, cheeks matching the color of his hair while he cringed. "Are you showing her pictures of me as a kid?!"

"Lucy said you said she could see them?" Grandeeney looked between her son and his girlfriend as she waited for confirmation from either of them.

Lucy nodded. "Remember? You said I could see the one from you on Halloween."

Natsu paled. "I meant when Zeref and I were Romans! Not the cowboy year! That's embarrassing!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it made a difference," Lucy frowned, but it didn't last long. Her lips curved upwards as she asked, "Does Gray know you had a stripping habit too?"

Natsu groaned, dragging a hand over his face in frustration. "It was one time! Doesn't count as a habit if it happens once!"

"He stripped in the mall before," Igneel offered with a laugh. "He was five."

Lucy's smile grew wider. "How many times does it need to happen before it counts as a habit?"

Natsu gaped as he scrambled for an answer. "It was just a misunderstanding! I kept overheating!"

"That's true," Grandeeney nodded. "I can't count how many times we rushed him to the hospital because we thought he was running a temperature. Turns out he's naturally hot."

Lucy resisted the urge to say anything, knowing she might let it slip that she thought Natsu was hot, but not in the way they meant. They had no idea how amazing his scorching lips felt against hers, and as long as she kept her mouth shut they would never know.

Another groan from Natsu tore Lucy away from her less-than-pure thoughts. "Can we just watch the movie now instead of talking about me as a kid?"

With a laugh and the closing of the photo book, Grandeeney said, "Sure." She whispered to Lucy, but Natsu easily heard it. "I'll text you some of the funnier ones later."

"Okay," Lucy tried to whisper back.

"Y-you guys exchanged numbers?!"

Lucy glanced back at her boyfriend, her smile from earlier still on her face. "Yup!"

Natsu eye twitched as he said, "Why do I have a bad feeling about that?"


Despite it seeming like the evening was dedicated to embarrassing Natsu, the rest of the night turned out great.

Natsu and Lucy sat on the loveseat while they watched the movie. Since his parents were able to see them, the closest they got was holding hands, but it was enough for them. It felt a little freeing being open about their relationship, even if it was just in front of three people.

Lucy enjoyed the warmth that radiated off Natsu's body, and he enjoyed the sound of her laughter as they watched the movie. Even Happy joined them, curling on Lucy's lap after Carla hissed at him when she was let out of Wendy's room.

As if it were perfect timing, Virgo showed up shortly after the movie ended.

While Grandeeney and Igneel chatted with Virgo on the porch about how lovely Lucy was, Natsu took the opportunity to give her a quick kiss on the lips before they left the living room. Lucy gave him a hug, thanking him for the wonderful evening.

In the end, Natsu guessed it was okay to get a little embarrassed as long as Lucy had a good time. He knew she wouldn't treat him differently after the night. He expected a little teasing -probably about his supposed stripping habit, but he could tolerate it as long as it was in good fun and not meant to cut him down.

"See you tomorrow morning," Lucy said before ending the hug. "I can't wait to walk with you!"

"I hope you keep that attitude tomorrow," he grinned, hand trailing along her arm before they separated. "It's gonna be a long walk with me."

Lucy giggled as she nodded. "I'll try to keep up."

True to their words, Natsu's family stayed quiet about their secret relationship. They wished Lucy a good night as she followed Virgo to the vehicle. "See you all tomorrow!"

"We'll be there," Igneel assured before the two females started driving away. "Good job, Natsu," he said to his son as they all shuffled back into the house. "I think you found yourself a keeper."

"I agree," Wendy said, smiling from ear to ear. "She's so sweet!"

Natsu gaped. He already knew Lucy was sweet, but to hear Wendy -the sweetest girl he knew- say it only confirmed his belief.

"We'll have to have her over again," Grandeeney joined in, smitten by Natsu's girlfriend. "I think she's a good match for you."

Natsu blushed under his family's gaze, but he didn't bother denying what they said. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely," they all said at once, causing the entire family to start laughing.

"Guess great minds think alike," Grandeeney laughed. "Ahh... It's getting late. We should all get to bed. You two will need your sleep for the walk tomorrow."

"Aye," Natsu yawned, finally feeling tired now that Lucy was gone. He had a long day and needed his rest.

"Good night," Wendy said before hugging each family member. "Sleep well!"

"You too sweetie," Igneel said before passing Natsu, ruffling his pink hair in the process. "See ya in the morning son."

"Night Dad, Mom," Natsu said as he slipped into his room, Happy following right behind him.

He was thankful the evening ended well despite his crappy morning. Things could have easily gone differently if his parents weren't okay with their relationship. He counted himself lucky they were supportive.


Lucy wore a smile all the way from the Dragneels' house to her own. She talked with Virgo briefly about her night, leaving out the parts about Natsu kissing her and his family finding out they were dating. She mostly stuck with what they ate for dinner and watched afterwards.

Once home, Lucy scurried to her room. She decided to worry about her homework later seeing as she had no plans for Sunday. Instead she decided to watch the Miss Fiore Beauty Pageant. Tonight was the night the winner would be announced.

Lucy didn't check the time, not realizing the earlier episode was playing for the second time that night. She thought she would just watch her recorded episode, but once she turned on the TV she gasped.

The rerun was still playing, and the sash was being put over the body of the only blonde female contestant left.

"Congratulations to this year's Miss Fiore! Jenny Realight!"

Lucy resisted the urge to pout. She wished she could have watched the entire episode instead of figuring out who won immediately, but she was happy with the results. Jenny Realight represented her hometown, Crocus, so she supported her from day one.

"Great job, Jenny," Lucy said as she found her recorded episode to play from the beginning. Just because she knew how it ended didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching how it happened.

Lucy changed into her night clothes and got ready for bed as the intro to the pageant played. Once in bed, she sent Natsu a quick text saying she had a great night before plugging up her phone to charge.

She smiled when she got a reply back, saying he had a great night too. She couldn't wait to spend the day with him tomorrow, but for now she wanted to catch up on her show.

Lucy fell asleep while watching the pageant, blissfully unaware of the mental damage the newest 'Miss Fiore' inflicted on her boyfriend a few years ago.

But it wouldn't be long before she found out.


Thank you for all the favorites and follows! I can't believe over 500 people are following this story?! That's amazing! I can't thank you enough!

Thank you kurumi-x, Leahcar-Soutaichou, Tenma360Warrior, Crystalic Lotus, Celestia28, ThatOneFriend-3, SmirkedySmirk, FairyTailLover04, HawkAnimations, Celestial-Aphrodite, AtomicAdri, arcadea333, Moon Stone Tiger Lily, zerophelia, PrincessSarahDragneel, FlameDragonHime, nalucreep, Shunakoo25, Holl0w Dan, TheyetJade, CelestialSpiritQueen, Celestial Anime Goddess, Illusions From Ink(x2), Abdltf, FairyTailxFanGirl, AshnMarley, AgiaJorda, SmirkedySmirk, NWA4LYFLOUIE, Switchlolly007, Guest, turtle3334, superfreakerz, BloodRedRubies, NaluShipper5235, Anime-is-my-addiction1, lkityan, SakuraStar1862, LadyPugtato, sthokatrina, Guest, fangurll, Eimeren914, anazpoyo88, Guest, Snavej, Animemama328, DragonQ, MuffinMalonez, ElementalMiko12, Camjamerson(x2), IMSHOOK, HereYetNot94(x3), MayraLilacBunny, quite-a-riot, theoginger, Matt427, Guest, Nalu4life63(x3), co0ki3. m0n5ter, MissyPlatinum(x2), lovesmoonpie15 and OtakuOver9000 for reviewing! :D

Up next, Chapter Fifty-Two: Walkathon

Sorry about the splash of angst this chapter. I think it's important to show how Natsu hid what was really going on with him at school from his parents. They have no idea about the bullying or what was done to him his freshmen year. He's done a great job of keeping it all a secret. If only he could have done that with his relationship with Lucy, but that wasn't all his fault. :P

Are you glad his family knows now? Who do you think will be next to find out? Let me know what you thought! :D Anyone want a little graylu BROtp in the next chapter? We already got Natsu and Levy talking, why not switch things up!

The dance Igneel was talking about is from episode 50 when Natsu and Happy are dancing on the table in the guild. I seriously love those dorks!