Hello, everyone !
I'm back with the eighth chapter :D
I hope you enjoy reading it~
Disclaimer: I only own Haru Heartfilia and the plot
"Mommy?"
Lucy snapped her eyes open in surprise and instinctively pushed Natsu away from her. Her face was madly blushing, she could literally feel her ears and head were steaming.
"Mommy?" Haru's sleepy voice called again.
Lucy cleared her throat a bit and stepped out of the kitchen. "Mommy's here, sweetie."
"Haru's hungry." Haru rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"Okay, Mommy will make something for you." Lucy smiled. "Do you want to wait here or do you want to take a bath first?"
"Bath." Haru said. "But Haru will take it alone."
"You don't want to take a bath with Mommy, Haru?" Lucy asked, inwardly praying that her son would say 'yes', so she had a reason to run away from the awkward situation between her and Natsu.
Haru shook his round head. "Haru wants to take it alone. Bye, Mommy!"
The toddler then bolted back to the bedroom to take his change of clothes while happily humming, his sleepiness had gone off somewhere away.
Lucy bit her lower lips as she stared at her son who now has gone into the bathroom. She could clearly feel the presence of someone behind her, the same someone that she had almost kissed earlier.
Lucy inwardly slapped her own face. Dear lords… What had just struck her? How come she… And Natsu…
Ugh.
"Lucy."
Lucy yelped a bit upon hearing Natsu's deep voice and instantly turned her body around. "Y—yeah?"
Natsu visibly gulped down upon seeing Lucy's expression. Her embarrassed and flushed face made his own blush creeped onto his cheeks. Natsu quickly looked away in attempt to calm himself down.
Damn it, how come she looked so hell cute and hot?
"I… Uhm…" Natsu scratched his head awkwardly. "I'll just… I'll just go home now. Thanks for the dinner."
"Oh, s—sure." Lucy stuttered, she was a bit taken aback by Natsu's response. She was half glad that he didn't bring their almost kiss topic up, but she was half disappointed because of the same reason at the same time too. Lucy quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts. "T—thanks for today too, Natsu."
"No problem." Natsu smiled.
The two of them then walked towards the door in silence, with the voice of Haru's singing faintly accompanied them. Lucy then opened the door and stepped aside to let Natsu walked out.
Natsu smiled as he walked pass her and swiftly turned his head to give her a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"Just so you know, I'm not playing with you."
Lucy's body stilled, the feeling of Natsu's warm lips and his warm breath was left behind on her cheek. Her heart felt like it had stopped momentarily, before hammering back against her chest in a double force. She couldn't stop her face from boiling red.
Natsu chuckled upon seeing her reaction and walked away. Lucy quickly shut the door behind her and slumped down on the floor as her knees buckled. She covered her face and held her squeals inside. Her heart refused to calm down, and Lucy couldn't care less.
Meanwhile, Natsu's heart was also having a race on its own. This time, his brain was making it worse by keep remembering how close Lucy was to him just a few moments earlier. Natsu was half glad Haru interrupted them by then, because he wouldn't know what to do had they really kissed. Although, he had to admit that he was half disappointed too with the interruption, because his instinct wanted to taste those small lips of hers. Natsu's face blushed madly, forcing him to shake his head hard to shake away all sorts of thought that came into his mind. Thank goodness he was still wearing his wig, so people wouldn't recognize him. If someone saw how red Natsu Dragneel was after he came out of an apartment, who knows what kinds of stories would pop out the next day.
Still, Natsu was really happy. He liked his current relationship with Lucy, and he liked the way that they gradually became closer. The future that awaits them seems much brighter now.
Natsu couldn't stop his grinning as he skipped back to his car and at the same time, Lucy was also grinning as she leaned her back to her door. The two of them were grinning like a pair of idiots in unison.
A month later…
"Lucy!" Jason, the chief editor for the Sorcerer's Weekly waved his hand. "Come to my office, please!"
"Yes, Sir!" Lucy readily stood up from her seat and followed her boss to his office.
"Great job at your last article, Lucy." Jason praised his subordinate as he sat down. "I love the way you sneer at that petty little celebrity with your pretty words. Very classy and elegant."
Lucy awkwardly smiled. "Uhm… Thanks, Jason."
"Now then, to your next assignment." Jason said. "I've just received a call from Loke Lion, the manager of Fired Up!. He told me that the band is going for their first tour this year starting on next week, and they will hold an opening concert in three days time. As their exclusive reporter, I want you to exclusively cover their tour."
Lucy blinked. "You mean… I'm going with them?"
"Precisely."
"But, Jason… I can't just leave—"
"No worries, I've prepared an extra ticket for my dear Haru." Jason winked. "I can't possibly leave that little spring alone while I'm sending his mother away, can I?"
Lucy's eyes teared. "Oh, Jason… You're the best boss ever!"
"I know." Jason puffed his chest out. "I'd be happy to babysit him while you were away, actually, but the tour is going for three months, and I have to attend two different conferences this month. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure Haru will be pissed off if his mother leaves him for three whole months."
Lucy chuckled. "Truly, Jason, I'm forever grateful for having you as my boss."
"And I'm eternally grateful for having such a strong and smart girl as my subordinate." Jason chuckled back and fished out two tour tickets along with a VIP pass card. "Here are the tickets and your ID card. I've arranged for you to have your own room during the tour, so Haru can wait safely there while you're working."
"Thank you so much, Jason!" Lucy squealed and leaned over the desk to give her boss a thank you hug.
"Whoa, my pen, my pen!" Jason hurriedly caught his pen that was rolling over the desk and chuckled back as he returned Lucy's hug. "Do your best, Lucy. And send my regards to Haru."
"I will, thanks!" Lucy bowed down politely then walked out of the office.
Jason was the first person to know—after Levy and Lyon, obviously—about Lucy and Haru. Lucy became the magazine company's intern when she began her third year of college. When Jason interviewed her and asked her availability time for the shift, she refused to take any shifts later than 4 P.M, because she need to go to her part-time job. Jason was intrigued at her answer, asking her why she would still work a part-time job when she applied for the internship at his company with an obviously better hourly wage. Feeling that Jason—who was renowned as a very skilled reporter—would eventually bust out her lie, Lucy decided to be truthful and told him her circumstances.
To her surprise, Jason was very supportive in her decision. He respected the way she decided to keep her promise and praised her for the bravery she plucked in raising her nephew as her own. Jason put his respect in people he knew they deserved it, and Lucy made it into his list right on the first day of her interview.
Ever since then, Jason had always been helping her to make sure that she could raise Haru as best as she could, even though she was a working mother. He even gave out the policy of 'working from home' for all of the women employees in his company, who were working mothers and field reporters. Her colleagues of course wondered how come Lucy fell into the category, but Jason had made it clear that an employee's personal life is strictly personal and not for publicity. Even though Lucy could still hear other employees talking about her behind her back, but it had never gotten so bad that she got bullied or anything of the sort. Everyone respected and obeyed Jason's rules and policies. Even though he was such an energetic leader and loved to goof around, but his charisma as a boss was truly fascinating.
Lucy knew she was truly blessed for having a boss like Jason and for being able to work in the Sorcerer's Weekly.
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
Lucy took out her vibrating phone out of her pocket and instantly smiled upon seeing the sender's name on her phone's screen.
Natsu Dragneel.
It had been a month since she last saw him—and since that incident—but they never stopped contacting each other. They had actually exchanged each other's number some time back, but they had never talked this often before. Natsu was usually away for a week at most, so neither of them felt like they needed to exchange messages often because they could still see each other from time to time. But since Natsu was preparing for his band's first tour this year and would be away for a longer time, they decided to change the way they communicated.
In fact, Lucy knew about the Fired Up!'s tour from Natsu, three days before Jason told her today.
Lucy opened her lock screen and opened Natsu's chat.
Hey, our exclusive reporter! Are you busy afterwork?
Lucy softly chuckled and quickly typed her reply.
No. What's wrong?
Natsu's reply came half a minute later.
The guys wanted to take you to dinner together. I'll pick you up.
Lucy raised an eyebrow. Dinner? Well… Levy was taking care of Haru today, so…
A smile made its way to Lucy's lips.
Alright.
If it weren't because of the familiar car, Lucy would have missed Natsu.
It had only been a month, but he somehow looked different. His trademark toothy grin was still there, same as ever, but he somehow seemed… Hotter.
Get a grip, Lucy!, Lucy softly shook her head as she made her way to Natsu who was waiting for her in front of his car already.
Natsu's eyes lit up upon seeing Lucy. "Hey."
"Hey." Lucy greeted back, then her eyes glanced up at his wig. "Now I begin to seriously wonder, how many wigs do you exactly have?"
Natsu chuckled. "Loke gave us a new one every few months. I guess I have about two dozen or so?"
Lucy laughed. "Are you having fun in collecting them or what?"
Natsu shrugged and opened the door to let Lucy in. "Now that you mention it, I guess you can say I do like collecting them."
Lucy laughed and put on her seatbelt, then waited for Natsu to come into the car.
"Are you sure you don't need to come back as soon as possible?" Natsu asked as he strapped his own seatbelt. "What about Haru?"
"My friend's babysitting him for today." Lucy said. "I've told her I'll be back a bit late, so it's okay. Where we're going to, anyway?"
"A private restaurant we sometimes go to." Natsu said. "It's not too far from here."
As Natsu said, the restaurant wasn't that far from the Sorcerer's Weekly building. They arrived at the restaurant after 15 minutes of driving. Natsu quickly parked the car at the VIP section, which was pretty much more secluded than the public section.
"Now I know why you guys choose this restaurant." Lucy said as she walked down from the car. "Privacy speaking, this restaurant seems really trustworthy."
"The food's great, too." Natsu grinned. "Come on, those guys have been waiting for you!"
The rest of the band were indeed waiting for them already. When Natsu and Lucy arrived, Loke had just finished ordering.
"Hey, Lucy!" Jellal waved his hand in greetings.
"Hello, everyone." Lucy greeted back.
"Here, sit down." Natsu pulled out a chair for Lucy to sit down on, before pulling out another chair beside her and also sat down.
"Is it okay for you to leave Haru?" Loke asked.
"Yes, my friend is taking care of him." Lucy softly chuckled.
"I heard you're going to be our exclusive reporter for our tour!" Jellal poured out a champagne into Lucy's glass.
"Will Haru come with you?" Loke's eyes sparkled up.
"Yes, he will." Lucy smiled.
"Dude," Gajeel nudged his side. "you're our manager, not a babysitter."
"I'll gladly be Haru's babysitter during the tour, don't worry." Loke ignored Gajeel.
"Thank you." Lucy said. "I'm sure Haru will be so happy to join you on your tour as well."
"Now that we're on that topic…" Loke cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up, his voice turned serious. "Lucy, I guess this is the time for you and Natsu to tell us exactly what your relationship is."
"Hey!" Natsu stared at his manager in disbelief. "I told you—"
"I just want to make sure, Natsu." Loke held a hand up. "Lucy's our exclusive reporter for the tour, which means she's a perfect target for the paparazzi. I need to clearly know what is going on between the two of you, so I can sort out any scandals that might arise."
"You mean… Scandals like how Natsu ruins my family or that I'm having an affair with him?" Lucy sipped her champagne.
"One among all other topics I can think of." Loke admitted.
"Loke!" Natsu glared.
"He's right, Natsu." Gray spoke up. "Look, I like Lucy and Haru, I really do. But we're not just normal people, Natsu. We live in a second world that is harsh and cruel. We have to be mindful about all of the people around us, for they can bring us down or they will be the one who got taken down instead."
"First question. Are you married?" Loke blatantly asked.
"Loke!" Natsu growled.
Lucy immediately stretched out her hand to squeeze Natsu's hand. "It's okay, Natsu." She then gave him a reassuring smile and turned back to look at Loke. "No."
"So, you're a single mother?" Loke asked again.
The corner of Lucy's eyes twitched. "…Yes."
"Okay, that's it." Natsu cut, realizing the slight nervousness and distress that flashed in Lucy's eyes. "No more asking questions, Loke. You're not a reporter nor her interviewer."
"Please, Natsu. I just want to know."
"To know what?" Natsu demanded. "Her personal life?"
"No." Loke firmly said. "But how much of information about her that can be taken advantage of by the other media and the paparazzi. Natsu, she's no longer your mere acquaintance. She's your friend and by extension, ours too. Any rumor about her can affect our band, especially you. As your manager, I don't want that and it is my responsibility to do whatever I can to prevent it."
"That doesn't mean you can pry to her personal life like this." Natsu protested.
"Natsu, in case you haven't completely realized it yet, her status is actually the crucial part here." Loke retorted.
"What's so wrong with that?" Natsu scoffed.
"Do you have any idea how many articles can be written about your relationship with a woman who already had a child?" Loke scoffed back. "Do you have any idea how damaging it can be for you and the band?"
"Loke, you jerk!" Natsu slammed the table in anger. "What do you think Lucy is, huh?! Do you think she's some sort—"
"Natsu, stop." Lucy gently placed her hand on top of Natsu's to calm him down. "I understand Loke's point of view, and to be honest, he's right."
"Lucy…!" Natsu stared at her.
Lucy stared back at him and smiled. "It's okay. They deserve to know too."
"To know what?" Loke asked.
Lucy looked back at four pairs of curious eyes, nervousness started to crawl into her heart. But Natsu gently squeezed her hand, silently encouraging her and telling her that he was right there beside her. His warmth dissolved her nervousness and Lucy bravely stared back at them.
"Since Haru loves you guys too, I think you deserve to know." Lucy started. "Haru is… He's not my real son, he's my nephew."
Lucy then told them the truth of Haru's birth. As they listened to her, none of them could say a word. Lucy's words faltered off from time to time, but she would always get right back up upon feeling Natsu's encouraging squeeze on her hand. He never stopped holding her hand and squeezed it to show her his support.
"Wow…" Jellal sighed after Lucy finished her story and shook his head in amazement. "That's the bravest and the kindest thing I've ever seen in my life."
"You're one hell of a strong woman, Lucy." Gray agreed. "I've got to say, you really have my respect."
"You did a great job in raising that little trampoline." Even Gajeel praised sincerely.
Lucy chuckled. "Thank you, guys."
"It must have been hard for you to tell us that." Loke smiled. "Thank you for telling us, Lucy. And I'm sorry for pushing you to."
"Don't be." Lucy shook her head. "It's my decision to tell you, after all. But… That answers a lot of your questions, doesn't it?"
Loke chuckled. "Exactly. Now I can think of a statement to release if scandals about you appear."
"Please don't mention anything about Haru." Lucy asked.
"Absolutely." Loke nodded. "You can trust us. We won't let Haru be harmed in any way."
Done !
Finally, all of them knew the truth !
I love when people become allies like this *teehee*
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