Hello, everyone !
As promised, I'm here with the thirteenth chapter :D
Enjoy reading~
Disclaimer: I only own Haru Heartfilia and the plot
Lyon Vastia fixed his cap as he leaned his back onto the wall. Several staffs walked past him, but none of them paid attention to him because they were busy making sure that Fired Up!'s concert in this venue went well. Lyon looked at his watch, sighing in relief as he still got plenty of time before he had to head back towards the venue where his band would hold the final rehearsal for their own concert tomorrow.
"Good work today, Fired Up!"
"Good work to you guys too!"
Lyon straightened up his posture, he knew that the band had done performing for today. He peeked from behind the wall he was leaning at, his eyes searched for a certain salmon-haired man. His target was currently playing on his phone which had just been given to him by the staff. Lyon carefully walked out of from behind of the wall and approached Natsu.
"You guys go on ahead." Natsu told his bandmates. "I want to stop at the bathroom for a sec."
His bandmates nodded and walked ahead of him. Lyon used this opportunity and quickly grabbed Natsu's shoulder.
"What the hell—" Natsu was ready to fight back whoever that had just grabbed his shoulder, thinking it could be a fanatic fan or other dangerous types of people. But his words stopped at the tip of his tongue when he recognized a certain silver bluish hair that was peeking from beneath the cap.
Lyon gestured him to keep quiet and followed him.
"You again?" Natsu muttered under his breath.
"Again?" Lyon raised an eyebrow. "Have we ever met before?"
"No, never mind." Natsu quickly said. "What do you want?"
"You know me?" Lyon was a bit taken aback because it seemed like Natsu knew him. To be honest, he was quite happy too. He was actually a fan of Fired Up! as well, although he liked Gray better than Natsu. Sting, however, idolized Natsu very much.
Of course, since you're my girl's ex, but whatever., Natsu muttered inwardly. He simply nodded at Lyon. "Lyon Vastia, the guitarist of Saber Lamia, right? I've heard about you and read about your band in a magazine as well."
"It's such an honor." Lyon's eyes lit up happily.
"So?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, knowing that Lyon must be here for a reason. "What are you doing here?"
"My band is performing at another venue for our concert, too." Lyon said. "This is our first tour, so we're very excited! We actually shared the same venue previously, although my band was performing at another building. Who would have ever thought that we'd be meeting again like this! What a very pleasant coincidence!"
Natsu simply smiled politely. "And why are you looking for me?"
"Oh, right, about that." Lyon nodded. "Uhm… Can we go to somewhere quieter?"
"Sure." Natsu complied.
The two of them then walked towards a rather secluded spot behind the concert's venue. Once they were there, Lyon took out his phone and showed Natsu the online article about his new hot scandal.
"You're dating Lucy, aren't you?" Lyon asked right to the point.
"You recognize the girl?" Natsu asked back.
Lyon nodded. "I'd recognize her silhouette anywhere. I dated her for two years, after all."
A spark of jealousy flared in Natsu's heart. "I see."
"How long have you been dating her?" Lyon asked.
"What's that got to do with you?" Natsu retorted. "You're just her ex, right?"
"Yes, but I can't let you date her!" Lyon said.
"Why?" Natsu raised an eyebrow accusingly. "Don't tell me you're thinking of getting back together with her."
"What? Of course not!" Lyon scoffed. "I won't get back with that cheating girl!"
Natsu's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "What?"
"I just thought that as her ex, I have to tell you about her." Lyon said. "Listen, Natsu-san, Lucy isn't the girl you think she is. She might look naïve and sweet, but she's actually far from that."
"I think you're talking about another Lucy and not my Lucy." Natsu decided to walk away.
"No, I'm not." Lyon retorted in defense. "You're dating Lucy Heartfilia, aren't you?"
Natsu sighed in annoyance. "So what if I am?"
"Natsu-san, as her ex, you have to listen to me!" Lyon tried to convince Natsu by grabbing his shoulders. "Trust me, the real Lucy is someone totally different from what you imagine her to be!"
"I think I can judge my own girlfriend objectively." Natsu firmly shook Lyon's hands away. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have to concern yourself with me because of this."
Lyon bit his inner cheek in annoyance. What should he do to make Natsu believed him?
"Well, if that's all, I'll be going." Natsu turned his body around to walk away. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Hah! As if., Natsu corrected himself.
"She cheated on me!" Lyon blurted. "The reason why we broke up back then is because she cheated on me!"
Natsu's eyes twitched and he turned his body around again to give Lyon a piece of his mind. "Look here, you twerp—"
"I bet you don't know that she has a son, don't you?!" Lyon scoffed. "That's right, Natsu-san, your girlfriend is no longer a virgin! She cheated on some other guy I didn't know back then, got herself pregnant, and gave birth to that bastard's son! Tell me, Natsu-san, do you want to spend the rest of your life with someone as embarrassing as Lucy is? Not to mention, you have to raise her son as well!"
Natsu fisted his hands to control his anger. Right now, he and Lyon aren't using any disguises at all. He needed to be careful so that he wouldn't start a fight with another band's member.
But on the other hand, Lyon wasn't willing to stop his rambles. "Can you truly say you can raise her son together? What if you ended up having another child with her? Can her son accepts your child, knowing that they are just half-siblings? What about the prejudices and the judgments you'll receive once everyone knows that you're dating a single mother? Lucy isn't good for you public image, Natsu-san! She's a cheater! And judging from the way she hasn't told you yet about her son, then it's safe to say that she's a liar too!"
"You talk way too much!" Natsu couldn't hold his anger anymore and threw a punch at Lyon's cheek.
Lyon who was taken by surprise with the punch stumbled back a few steps, before glaring back at Natsu in anger.
"What the hell?!" he hissed. "I told you the truth about your girlfriend and this is your way to repay me?!"
"I've never asked you to, you moron!" Natsu spat back. "And for your information, I knew about Lucy's son already!"
"Hah, so you knew about it already?" Lyon scoffed in disbelieve. "And yet you're still dating her? What are you? Pretending to be a saint?"
"So what if I'm dating a single mother?" Natsu scoffed back. "You are one of the least people that should be commenting about my relationship."
"You're not embarrassed by her?" Lyon asked in disbelieve.
"Not even a bit." Natsu retorted. "If you're so embarrassed by the fact that your ex has a son, then you should be the one who's staying away from her! It's not like Lucy cares about you anymore right now, anyway. You should be uncaring as she is as well, instead of meddling in her business like this."
"How can I not be embarrassed by her?!" Lyon retorted angrily. "She told me that her son is actually her dead cousin's son, when the child is in fact the exact replica of her with his brown eyes and blond hair! She should have just told me that she accidentally cheated with some other guy and got knocked up! I'd appreciate that better than her nonsense story!"
"And what part of her story that doesn't make sense?" Natsu asked back. "You should have trusted your girlfriend more than just some stupid rumors!"
"Have you seen her son, Natsu-san?" Lyon asked mockingly. "Look at him! He resembled Lucy a lot!"
"That's because she is his aunt, you dunce!" Natsu said. "Have you seen her cousin? She looked like Lucy too, didn't she? If she looked a lot like Lucy, no wonder her son would also resembled Lucy!"
"Her cousin had a blue hair!" Lyon said.
"Then that means the father had a blond hair, dimwit." Natsu rolled his eyes. You don't even know who Haru's birth father is, so stop acting so smart, damn it!, Natsu continued inwardly.
"That's…"
"Before you started badmouthing her, I suggest you to try fixing that trust issue of yours first." Natsu said. "As her boyfriend back then, you should be one of the first people who trusted her and supported her. If you have doubts about her words, then try to find the truth out first before starting to believe some stupid rumors."
"You talk as if you're her protector." Lyon snorted.
"I am." Natsu smirked. "I'm her boyfriend now, so I have to protect my girl from people who wanted to hurt her in any way, especially her ex."
Lyon gawked in shock. "Just what exactly do you see in her? What makes you so sure to be with her, especially when you knew she has a son already?"
"Because she's Lucy." Natsu replied without an ounce of hesitation.
"That doesn't answer my question." Lyon retorted.
"It does." Natsu retorted back. "I chose her because she's Lucy Heartfilia. All of her strength and weaknesses make her into the Lucy Heartfilia I know. She gives me many things that I can't possibly get from other people, in many ways you can think of. You chose to step away from her because you didn't want to raise her son with her, right? You didn't know how hard it is to be a working single mother, right? You should've seen the way Lucy raised her son. Before you start badmouthing her, try to imagine if you're in her position first. Can you do what she did? Can you survive and struggle through every obstacles in your life like her? You have no idea how amazing she is. And I am a fool if I were to let go someone as amazing as her, just because she already has a son. She's worth so much more than just that. And don't you dare badmouthed her son, either. You have no idea what a very smart and kind-hearted boy he is."
Lyon gawked at Natsu's answer, before he suddenly realized something. "You… You love her, don't you?"
Lyon's question made Natsu widened his eyes a bit. He… loves Lucy?
A smile suddenly appeared on Natsu's lips. Ah, so this is what they call as 'love'. When you deeply care about someone without any logical reason. When you chose someone, simply because they are them.
"Yeah." Natsu admitted. "I love her."
Lyon was at loss of words. He had never thought that that particular word would have ever come out of Natsu's mouth.
"I won't apologize for punching you, but I'll still thank you." Natsu patted Lyon's shoulders in a friendly manner. "Better put an ice pack over that cheek as soon as you got back so it won't swell."
Lyon stared back at Natsu in confusion. "Thank you…?"
"Well, I'll better get going, now." Natsu turned his body around, ignoring Lyon's question. Natsu didn't want to outright say that the reason he thanked Lyon was because he made him realized he loved Lucy. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Let's not meeting each other in the future, though. Unless it's for business only."
Natsu then walked away, didn't even bother to wait for Lyon's response.
Staring at his back which was getting farther away from him, Lyon unconsciously fisted his hands. Natsu's statement of being Lucy's protector as he is her boyfriend now unknowingly stirred something within him. To his own surprise, regret started to fill his heart. If only he hadn't let her go back then… If only he had been braver back then… If only he had trusted her back then…
Maybe their story would have ended up in a happy ending.
"Stupid." Lyon smiled painfully and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "What's the point of regretting, anyway? Since three years ago, I've lost her forever."
One and a half months later…
"Congratulations for finishing your tour successfully, Fired Up!"
"Thank you." Natsu, as the leader, took the microphone. "We wouldn't have been able to do it without the support from everyone."
"Can you share your upcoming project with us, Natsu?"
"Not at the moment, but I can tell you that we're preparing our brand new album right now." Natsu answered the reporter's question. "Please look forward to it, it's our comeback for the next spring."
"Your fans must be delighted to hear this news." The reporter said. "However, I'm sure your fans are more eager to know about the other news."
"Ah yes, the main topic of this press conference, isn't it?" Natsu chuckled.
"Is it true that you and Gajeel are taken now?" A reporter asked.
"Yes, that's true." Gajeel took over the microphone. "We want to be the first who share this happy news for everyone, so we decided to do it after we finished our tour."
"Who are the lucky girls?" A reporter asked.
"Before we say their name, please remember to respect their relationship." Gray butted in. "Just like me and Jellal, they also want to keep their relationship as private as possible."
"Which means, no paparazzi can stalk their girls." Jellal added. "If something like that happened to either one of the girls, then we will surely sue the media, just like what we did when mine and Gray's girl was stalked."
"My girlfriend is Levy McGarden." Gajeel announced. "Please understand that I cannot disclose anything more public other than her name."
"Mine is Lucy Heartfilia." Natsu also announced right after. "And once again, please respect our privacy."
"Lucy Heartfilia? Isn't she one of the reporters working for the Sorcerer's Weekly?" Another reporter asked in surprise.
"I will not comment to that." Natsu said. "But I'm sure you aren't careless enough to stalk the reporter who shared the same name as my girlfriend, aren't you? Since she's also a reporter, she can sue you guys better, anyway."
"How long have you been dating them?" A reporter asked to divert the topic.
"We've just started dating, so we're still getting to know each other better." Natsu said.
"As for the exact timeline, it's private." Gajeel smirked.
"Then, is she the one you kissed in that photo, Natsu?" A reporter asked.
"I wouldn't kiss a girl who isn't my girlfriend, would I?" Natsu asked. "However, I'd appreciate it if there are no more photos like that. I can sue anyone who took photos of our private lives illegally."
The other reporters quickly asked other questions about Natsu and Gajeel's girlfriends, and the two members swiftly answered all of them.
"Great job, guys." Loke praised. "You guys are getting better in handling the press conference now."
"Two burdens lifted up." Gray stretched his hands up. "Now we just have to focus on preparing our next album."
"Shrimp!" Gajeel called out to his girlfriend.
"Oh, you're done?" Levy turned her head over to look at her boyfriend.
"Oh, Daddy!" Haru who was in Levy's hug waved his hand.
"Haru!" Levy quickly covered Haru's mouth in panic.
"DADDY?!" Apart from Natsu, the others yelped in shock.
"Ouch." Natsu grimaced at the sudden shout near his ears.
"Come here!" Gray quickly pulled Natsu into an empty room and closed the door behind him. "Okay! Spill everything out! Since when Haru calls you 'Daddy'?! How?! Why?!"
"Now I'm being interrogated by you guys?" Natsu stifled a chuckle.
"This isn't funny!" Gray glared back at his best friend. "Natsu, are you marrying Lucy?"
"Not now."
"Not now?" Jellal raised an eyebrow. "You mean… You do have a plan on marrying her?"
"Yep."
The boys gawked in shock at Natsu, they were at loss of words.
"What?" Natsu asked. "Don't tell me you guys disapprove?"
"No, of course not!" Loke quickly said. "It's just… We're shocked, that's all."
"Super shocked." Jellal chuckled. "I mean… You guys have just started dating, and yet you already have a plan on marrying her."
"Time really works wonder." Gray sighed.
"So that little trampoline started to call you 'Daddy' because he knew you're marrying his mom?" Gajeel asked.
"No." Natsu chuckled. "He's the one who asked me whether I would be his dad or not. I love him whole-heartedly, so of course I said yes."
"Dude, you got proposed to by a freaking three-years-old?" Gajeel choked.
Natsu broke into a soft laughter. "Guess so."
"But honestly Natsu, I'm so happy for you." Gray gave his best friend a quick hug, his senses had recovered from the shock. "I hope your relationship and Lucy goes well and you both will be forever happy with each other. Man, I can't wait to be Haru's official uncle!"
"You're the most skeptical one about him before, though." Natsu retorted.
"Let the past be the past." Gray shrugged.
"Make sure you take good care of Lucy, Natsu." Jellal bumped fists with Natsu.
"And the little trampoline." Gajeel added and also bumped fists with Natsu.
"Better get ready for another press conference about this too." Loke grinned and ruffled Natsu's hair.
Natsu laughed and smiled genuinely at his good friends. Having them in his life was such a blessing for him. He could never thank God enough for giving him friends who were also his second family. "Thanks, you guys."
Done !
I love a strong bromance ! XD
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