Hello, everyone !

I'm back with the fifth chapter :D

I hope you enjoy your reading !

Disclaimer: I only own Haru Heartfilia and the plot

A few weeks later…

Gajeel put down his can of beer on to the coffee table and looked at his friends who were sitting on the sofa across him in the living room of their apartment. "We need to talk."

"I agree." Gray also put down his can of beer. "There's something really wrong."

"Don't be dramatic, guys." Jellal chuckled.

"This isn't dramatic, Jellal." Loke said. "This is a crisis!"

"Whoa, you're being overboard, dude." Jellal raised an eyebrow. "Chill out, you three. What's wrong with Natsu going out every evening?"

"That's what's wrong!" Gray pointed. "Natsu Dragneel. Goes out. Every evening. That's not something he would ever do!"

"Maybe he's going out to find some inspiration for his songs." Jellal said.

"Or meeting a certain someone." Gajeel chimed.

"A certain someone?" Loke raised his eyebrows. "Does Natsu have a crush on someone that I don't even know about?"

"If he does, that I don't know about that either." Gray said.

"Is that even possible?" Jellal asked in doubt. "As far as I know, he hasn't completely gotten over Lisanna yet."

"Considering that that photo of them is still on his bedside, I'm with Jellal." Gajeel agreed.

"I also don't think he's gotten over her." Gray said. "But for Natsu to go out every evening? There's something else going on here."

"Could it be… He's meeting that interviewer from Sorcerer's Weekly?" Loke guessed.

"Lucy Heartfilia?" Gray raised an eyebrow. "She's just his acquaintance, why would he go out every evening to meet her?"

"Maybe she's not just an acquaintance?" Loke wondered.

"I don't think that's likely." Gajeel said. "Considering that that pinky hasn't gotten over Lisanna yet, it seems unlikely he's interested in another woman. Especially one that is just an 'acquaintance'."

"Have you checked her, Loke?" Jellal asked.

Loke pushed up his glasses with his fingers and opened up the notes he stored in his phone. "Yeah, but there's isn't much information about her. She's keeping a low profile about herself."

"What do we know about her?" Gajeel asked.

"Lucy Heartfilia. Well, first of all, she isn't originally a citizen of this city." Loke started. "She was born and grew up in the City of Stella, before moving here to the City of Magnolia around five years ago to attend college. She was an intern at the Sorcerer's Weekly during her college days and finally landed a job there as one of the interviewers since around a year ago. Her current address and other things about her are currently unknown."

"So, she's the same age as us." Gray said.

"Well, that information's pretty basic." Jellal commented.

"I'm not a skilled detective, young man." Loke rolled his eyes. "And like I said, she's keeping a low profile about herself."

"Social media accounts?" Gray asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Loke answered. "In fact, she rarely updates them."

Jellal whistled. "Guess her life is pretty much revolving around working, sleeping, and eating."

"Or maybe she's just a type of person that likes to keep everything private." Loke shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait, is she even the one that Natsu's been meeting lately?" Gajeel asked.

"I don't know, but she's surely one of the possibilities." Gray said, then bumped his fists. "We can't just sit still. We've got to do something."

"Like?" Gajeel asked.

"Spying on him!" Gray said. "I know it's a childish move, but if we don't spy on him, we won't know anything!"

Jellal scoffed. "I'm beginning to think this 'spying' thing is due to your mere curiosity."

"Half of it." Gray admitted out loud. "But also because Natsu's been acting strange and I just don't want him to be involved in some sort of a mess."

Loke rubbed his chin softly as his manager's brain spun to think. "I agree with Gray. We're preparing for your biggest annual tour right now, I don't want any scandals ruining it."

"Now that you've said it…" Jellal also pondered. "If the media somehow sniffed about Natsu's meeting with someone regularly, it would surely cause a huge scandal."

"Especially since there are no dating news about him yet." Gajeel added.

"Should we go spying on him now?" Gray asked.

"But we don't even know where he went." Gajeel said.

"No, let's observe the situation for now." Loke decided. "Besides, you guys have a tight schedule for the next three days. The next time he went out again, that's when we would spy on him."

"Okay." The other three heads nodded.

Later that evening, Natsu returned.

"Ooh, I smell pizza." His cheery voice reached his friends' ears first, then his spiky salmon hair, then his entire body.

Jellal gestured Natsu to come closer with his chin. "There's plenty left for you."

"Nah, I'm good." As usual, Natsu rejected the offer. "I've eaten already."

"Geehee! Double portion for me!" Gajeel said.

Gray raised an eyebrow while munching his pizza and stared at his best friend. As usual, Natsu didn't eat dinner with his friends. This only happened whenever he went out to who-knows-where every evening. Where did he actually go? Who did he actually meet? Did he truly go out to see someone? Was it that blonde interviewer from the Sorcerer's Weekly? Or someone else? What made him stayed out for that long whenever he got the chance to go out? Heck, he wasn't even the type of person that liked to take an evening stroll to begin with.

Come to think of it, since when did he have this kind of habit?

Gray's eyebrows furrowed a bit deeper as his brain spun to remember. Right, this had already been going for a few weeks. To be more precise, ever since he returned that day with a weird looking grin on his face.

Now that the thought crosses his mind, another question popped out. When didhe exactly meet that Lucy Heartfilia? Didn't he say he accidentally met her at the park? And didn't he say he wore his wig and contact lenses back then, so she wouldn't have known it was him…

Hold on.

Wig and contact lenses?

Didn't Natsu with-that-weird-grin-on-his-face returned home back then while wearing his wig and contact lenses?

Oh. My. Goodness.

That was when the two of them met, wasn't it?

"Gray, your eyes are bulging." Jellal softly nudged his side and said lowly between his teeth.

"I just had the craziest thought." Gray said back.

"What thought?"

"I think I know who Natsu has been meeting with." Gray said.

"What?" Jellal accidentally raised his voice.

"What?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, staring at two of his friends confusedly.

"Dumbass!" Gray hissed.

"Huh? Oh, uhm… Nothing." Jellal quickly returned to his normal self.

Natsu shrugged it off like it was nothing and turned his body around to walk towards his room. "I'm going to take a bath and then go to sleep. Don't forget to throw away the boxes."

Once his door was closed, Gajeel and Loke quickly surrounded Gray and Jellal.

"Okay, what was that all about?" Loke asked curiously.

"He literally said he knew who Natsu has been meeting with." Jellal admitted while pointed at Gray.

"What?" Both Loke and Gajeel looked at Gray in unison. "Who?"

"This is just my guess, actually, but I'm pretty sure I'm right." Gray said. "It's that blond interviewer from the Sorcerer's Weekly."

Gray then quickly told his friends his analysis. Once he was done, none of his friends said anything for a good one minute.

"Well," Loke laid his back on his seat. "that makes sense."

"Don't tell me… They're not dating, aren't they?" Jellal asked.

"I don't think so." Gray said. "We all know Natsu still put that photo of him and Lisanna on display right on his bedside. I don't think he has gotten over her yet, but I think that he might be interested in Lucy right now."

"We have to proof it." Loke said. "I'm happy for Natsu if he found someone he loves, but I won't approve anything until I can make sure that the girl he has his eyes on isn't just taking an advantage out of him."

"Let's do it, then." Gajeel nodded. "In three days time."

Three days later…

As usual, Natsu put on his disguises while making sure he looked okay as he stared at the mirror. This time, his disguises included a wig and a cap. Natsu gave a final look on his reflection and smiled in satisfaction.

Finally, after a long and tiring three-days-of-working, he got the chance again to see Lucy and Haru.

Funny how things changed as time passed by, but also amazing at the same time. They used to be total strangers, but after one accidental meeting which was followed by a few of other meetings, they become some sort of best buddies now.

Or if Natsu wanted to see it from another point of view, they had become quite a family.

Whoa, okay, hold your thoughts right there., Natsu stopped himself. Don't get way too ahead.

Natsu took a deep breath to calm his raging thoughts and then walked out of his room. As usual, he could hear music coming from Gajeel's room across his, the sound was muffled by the walls but could still be heard nonetheless. Gajeel had a habit of putting his music a bit too loud when he needed to concentrate writing his own songs.

Okay, that one is in his room., Natsu said inwardly.

He then looked to his side, towards Gray's room that was exactly beside his. He could hear his loud laughter, which meant he was watching something in there or he was video-calling Juvia and that girlfriend of his had just asked a silly question.

Him too., Natsu's unknowingly smirked to himself.

"Oh, Natsu." Right on then, Jellal stepped out of the bathroom. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "I won't be back until dinner today. Go ahead and eat without me."

"Sure." Jellal complied with no further inquiries. "Seems like you found a great inspiration out there, seeing you've been going out a lot lately."

"Yeah." Natsu's gaze softened. "A great inspiration, indeed."

"Well, I'm looking forward to our next song based on this great inspiration of yours, then." Jellal smiled. "Be careful."

Natsu nodded back, then went out. After waiting for a few seconds, Jellal spoke.

"Clear."

Gray and Gajeel instantly walked out of their rooms. Loke also popped out of the kitchen.

"They'll be meeting for a longer time." Jellal told his band mates. "Natsu said he'll be out until dinner."

"They'll be eating dinner together tonight." Loke concluded.

"Grab your disguises and let's go." Gray nodded. "We can't let Natsu get too far away."

Two minutes later, the rest of Fired Up! along with their manager were in their own disguises. They quickly went out of their apartment and quietly followed the band's leader from behind.

"He's not taking the car." Loke noted. "Maybe he's meeting her at somewhere close."

"I don't think there's any nearby restaurants around here." Gajeel said.

"Besides, this neighborhood is a quite private one." Jellal added. "If they're meeting somewhere around here, then that Lucy Heartfilia must be living nearby."

"A reporter who is living nearby? Another reason to be wary of her." Loke said.

"Hey, look." Gajeel pointed. "Where's he going?"

"If I recall correctly, there's supposed to be a park in that direction." Jellal said.

"Let's go." Gray started to move quietly. "We can't lose him."

The four of them quickly followed Natsu. As Jellal expected, Natsu indeed made his way to a park just up ahead.

"Yasashi-no-nii-chan!"

To their utter surprise, a blond-haired little boy was running towards Natsu. Natsu squatted down and opened his arms, readily welcoming the little boy into his hug. They could still hear his soft laugh as he greeted the boy, although they were a bit too far to hear anything they said. And to their complete shock, Natsu wasn't being loud for once in his life. Which was really odd, because he and Gray were the loudest ones in the group. Natsu ruffled the little boy's hair affectionately.

Who is that boy? Why does it seem like Natsu has a really good relationship with him?

"Don't tell me that's Natsu's illegitimate child, please." Loke muttered under his breath.

Gray smacked his head good. "Don't be ridiculous!" he softly hissed back. "How can Natsu have a son with a blond hair?!"

"Maybe if his mother is a blonde?" Gajeel commented.

"What sort of a blonde woman around Natsu?" Gray asked skeptically.

"Uhm…" Jellal carefully pointed out. "Like that sort of blonde?"

Their eyes followed Jellal's hands and were stunned to see a familiar blonde walking towards the boys.

"Lucy Heartfilia?!" Loke's eyes bulged out.

"Dude, what the—UMPH!" Gray's leftover words were shut down as Gajeel's hands quickly covered his mouth before his loud voice drew Natsu's attention.

Gajeel peeked out from the top of Gray's head and softly sighed in relief as it seemed like Natsu didn't hear Gray's yelp. He was busy playing with the little boy, laughing happily as he pushed the little boy's swings up high. The little boy was yelping excitedly, while Lucy was watching them from the side with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

Gray yanked Gajeel's hands away from his mouth. "Please don't tell me she's Natsu's secret lover." he carefully hissed this time.

"I don't think she is." Jellal furrowed his eyebrows. "Didn't Natsu say she's just an acquaintance? Besides, judging from his appearance, I'd say that kid is about three or four years old. There's no way that kid is Natsu's. I'm pretty sure Lucy isn't his acquaintance three or four years ago."

"So… Natsu's having a relationship with a married woman?" Loke raised an eyebrow, before scoffing at his own suspicion. "What the hell am I thinking?! There's no way Natsu would ruin someone's marriage intentionally!"

Right on then, the three of them walked out of the park. The rest of Fired Up! quickly hid and watched them going away in a complete silence.

"Let's go!" Gray rushed out, definitely didn't want to lose his friend.

They followed the three of them again to a restaurant. The four of them sat a few seats away from the Natsu and the mother-son pair, ducking their heads as inconspicuous as possible while carefully watching Natsu's interaction with them. Right on then, Gray noticed something and his body stilled.

What the hell…?, he muttered in disbelief inwardly. Natsu, you…

Natsu himself was completely oblivious that his friends were tailing him, because his full attention was on Haru and his mother.

Fired Up! returned to their apartment an hour before Natsu returned. They decided to return ahead of him because they didn't want to raise any suspicion if the apartment was empty when he returned.

Today was another blissful day for Natsu. He had dinner together with Lucy and Haru, then dropped them off with a sleeping Haru in Lucy's hug after he filled his round tummy with the delicious dinner. Seeing the two of them really made his mood so much better.

If only the two of them could be his…

Stupid me!, Natsu inwardly smacked himself. Why would I think of something like that?!

Natsu shook his head to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts and opened the apartment's door. He stepped inside but instantly froze at the next moment, as his friends were lining up in front of him.

Natsu blinked in confusion. Why does it look like his friends are waiting for him? And what's with their suspicious gazes?

"What are you guys doing?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"You have some explaining to do, young man." Jellal started.

"Huh?" Natsu was at loss.

"Since when did that Lucy Heartifila isn't just a mere acquaintance?" Loke asked.

"Lucy…? What the hell…" Natsu's eyes widened at the next second, as a realization hit him. "What the hell! Did you guys stalk me?!"

"We did!" Loke instantly admitted, without a hint of embarrassment nor guilt.

"What the hell, man!" Natsu groaned. "Since when do you like to stalk me?!"

"Since you've been acting strange lately." Gajeel scoffed back. "You going out often on the evening? There's got to be something else."

"That doesn't mean you can just stalk me!" Natsu complained. "I thought we have trust in each other!"

"Don't start on that one, shithead!" Gray hissed back. "Why didn't you tell us that Lucy isn't just a mere acquaintance of yours?!"

"Hey, she really did start as a mere acquaintance of mine!" Natsu said. "We've just turned into friends lately!"

"Friends?" Gray raised an eyebrow. "Great, now you have a single mother as your friend. Do you have any idea what kind of scandals would come out if the media knew about this?!"

"Hey, she's not a single mother!" Natsu retorted.

"She's not wearing any ring, Natsu." Gray folded his arms in front of his chest. "No wedding ring, nor any engagement ring!"

"Wait," Gajeel lifted up his hand and turned his head towards Gray. "she isn't wearing any ring?"

"No." Gray firmly answered. "I noticed it when she was eating. No ring or whatsoever around her fingers."

"Did you know about that, Natsu?" Jellal asked.

"N—No." Natsu said. "I just thought since she has Haru, it must mean that she has a family."

"Moron, think about it." Gray clicked his tongue. "If she really does have a family, do you think her husband will be happy seeing his wife and his son hanging out often with a stranger? Moreover, you often use wig when you see them, right? Do you think her husband will allow his family to get along with different strangers?!"

"That's a good point." Gajeel admitted.

Natsu furrowed his eyebrows a bit as Gray's words brought a new realization into his mind. "Well, I suppose not…"

"Did you think about what kind of scandals would rise if someone out there knew that you have a certain relationship with a woman who already has a kid?!" Gray asked again.

"No, but—"

"Natsu!" Loke said, cutting Natsu's words exasperatingly. "How many times should I tell you to be careful?!"

"I am being careful!" Natsu said.

"Natsu, you don't even know whether Lucy is a single mother or a widow or a divorcee, or a married woman!" Loke said exasperatedly. "You're the leader of Fired Up!, Natsu! You have your public image to think about!"

"Okay, you're exaggerating, Loke." Natsu scoffed. "You know I always wear my disguises when I'm with them. The media wouldn't know it's me."

"But the mother knows it's you!" Loke said.

"And I'm pretty sure the son knows it too." Gray added. "He still recognized you even though you were wearing different wigs, after all."

"Lucy's a reporter, Natsu. She has her certain network. What if she created a scandal to take an advantage of you?!" Loke asked.

"Hey, she's not that type of a person!" Natsu defended.

"Then what about her son?" Loke said. "He's just a kid, what if he babbled your name to his friends or neighbors?!"

"Haru isn't that type of a kid!" Natsu defended again. "Look, I understand your concerns. But trust me, Lucy and Haru are not like what you guys feared them to be!"

"Okay guys, everybody chill." Jellal said, sensing the atmosphere that was getting tenser and hotter with annoyance. "First of all, Natsu, we aren't accusing Lucy and Haru of anything. Second, we just want to make sure that we know enough about the two of them, so we know how to handle the scandals if by any chance they do surface."

"And by enough, it includes her marital status, Natsu." Gray added.

"Yeah, dude, you should have known about it from the start." Gajeel said. "We're not normal people, Natsu, we're celebrities. Anything and everything can be used to boost our popularity or to plummet it down. That's a risk we have to take because we're in the entertainment business."

"Okay, okay, I got it." Natsu sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my friendship status with Lucy, but trust me, she's a really kind-hearted person."

"I know, Natsu." Jellal smiled. "But as a celebrity, remember to be twice more alert than the others."

Done !

I have no idea what kind of life a celebrity has, so I'm probably exaggerating it in this fic *teehee*

Anyway, what do you think about this chapter ?

Don't forget to kindly leave your reviews and/or flames :D