Hello, everyone !

I'm back with the fourteenth chapter :D

I hope you enjoy reading it~

Disclaimer: I only own Haru Heartfilia and the plot

One and a half years later…

A brown-haired man with a pair of deep black eyes stepped into the kindergarten. He stood outside the classroom along with the other women who pleased their eyes by staring at him. They silently thanked Haru Heartfilia for choosing this kindergarten, because his father was truly a feast to the eye. The man, however, ignored all of the obvious stares he received from the mothers.

A few minutes later, the classroom's doors were opened. The female teachers gasped in delight upon seeing the man.

"Hello, Haru's father." They quickly greeted him with their sweetest smiles.

"Hello." The man smiled back, which caused the female teachers to squeal inwardly. "I'm here to pick Haru up."

"You're right on time as usual." One of the teachers said, and then peeked into the classroom. "Haru! Your father's here!"

"Daddy!" Haru's voice was heard first, before his entire body appeared 15 seconds later.

"Hey, little buddy." The man crouched down and scooped Haru up. "Ready to go home?"

Haru nodded, then waved his hands at his teachers. "Bye-bye, teachers!"

"Good bye, Haru!" His teachers waved back. "See you tomorrow!"

The man then walked towards his car and safely put Haru onto the child seat at the back. He then sat at the driver's seat and drove the car away. Not long after, they arrived back at an apartment building.

After parking his car, the man then gently picked Haru up from the car seat and walked towards the toddler's home, Lucy's apartment.

"Mommy!" Haru greeted as soon as he opened the door.

"Mommy's in a meeting, little buddy." The man ruffled Haru's hair affectionately and took off his wig, showing his natural salmon-colored hair.

Haru quickly closed his mouth. "Oops."

Natsu then sat Haru down onto his seat and made his way towards the kitchen to take Haru's portion of lunch and his own. Natsu plated the rice, then drizzled it with plenty of hayashi sauce. He then quickly returned to the dining table and placed Haru's plate in front of him.

"Hayashi rice!" Haru clapped his hands happily.

"Itadakimasu!" The two of them said in unison and dug their lunch.

Natsu sighed in satisfaction inwardly. Lucy was truly a great cook, he literally had no complaints.

Haru gobbled up his lunch hungrily, his mother's Hayashi rice was one of his most favorite food in the entire world. The sound of him eating drew Natsu's attention towards him. He lightly chuckled as he took a tissue out and wiped the sauce that smeared Haru's entire mouth. After he finished wiping the toddler's mouth, Natsu's eyes darted towards the entire apartment and his gaze softened.

Now, it really feels like he has become a family with Lucy and Haru.

Playing the part as Haru's father started it all. Since Haru's already arrived at the age where he had to enter the kindergarten, Lucy had no other choice but to enroll him. When she was discussing about it with Natsu and Levy, Natsu offered to pick Haru up every time he had the chance to, to make sure that people wouldn't talk bad about Haru for not having a father. At first, of course Lucy rejected the idea. Even though Natsu had agreed to be Haru's father—and he always called him 'Daddy', 'Daddy',—but it still didn't change the fact that the two of them weren't tied by marriage.

Having Natsu picking Haru up from the kindergarten sounded so scary for her somehow.

But Natsu convinced her that it wouldn't be a problem. He told her that he would use the same wig to pick Haru up, so people would recognize that disguise of him as Haru's real father. Levy supported the idea and offered to pick Haru up herself if both of them couldn't.

After a good half an hour of convincing Lucy with every possible reason they could think of, Lucy finally agreed.

What Lucy didn't know, however, was that Natsu ended up always asking Loke to free the band's schedule every noon so that he could pick Haru up from the kindergarten. None of them complained, though, because thanks to Natsu's request, Gajeel often got the chance to have a quick date with his girlfriend, while Gray and Jellal could spend more time to call their girlfriends. As for Loke, of course he had more chance to relax and to spend his time with his girlfriend.

Natsu couldn't thank his friends enough for the support they gave him.

"Daddy." Haru suddenly called, bringing Natsu's thoughts back to the reality. He turned his head towards the toddler and burst in soft laughter upon seeing him. Haru's mouth was smeared with sauce again, and the spoon in his hand stood upright on the table. His eyebrows furrowed, his adorable serious expression appeared.

"What is it, Haru?" Natsu asked as he wiped Haru's mouth again.

Haru looked up at Natsu, his eyes looked serious but also curious. "Why aren't you and Mommy wearing any rings?"

Natsu's hand stilled, his heart thumped hard once and then turned into a full race against his chest.

"Haru notices that all of my friends' parents wear wedding rings around their finger." Haru spoke again. "Why aren't you and Mommy wearing any rings? Even though you are Haru's parents?"

A smile unknowingly made its way to the corner of Natsu's mouth. His eyes unconsciously glinted with excitement. "Hmm… Does Haru want Daddy and Mommy to wear rings?"

Haru nodded his head twice. "Because those rings are the proof that the two of you are Haru's parents, right?"

Just like any other children, Haru actually also craved for a father in his life. The only reason why he had never asked his mother about his father's whereabouts was because he felt that the two of them being together was more than enough. The only person he had ever recognized for as long as he could remember was Lucy, so Haru felt she was the only person he had ever needed in his life. As long as his mother is there with him, then he doesn't care about anything else.

His mental empathy and understanding was most likely something he inherited from his birth mother, Yukino.

Although Lucy—and to extend, Levy as well as Fired Up!—agreed to never tell Haru about his birth, as per Yukino's wish. In order to prevent Haru from being suspicious one day, Lucy even filled an album with baby photos of Haru as a proof that she indeed was Haru's mother since his birth.

But no matter what Lucy did, Haru was sure to ask her about his father one day. Lucy could evade it by not enrolling him to the daycare, but once he started going to the kindergarten and saw the other normal lives of his friends, it was a topic she could no longer avoid. As Lucy's mind was starting to become a turmoil, a string of fate brought Natsu into their lives.

Both Natsu and Lucy realized as well as admitted that Haru was the reason the two of them met. For them, Haru was the red string that connected both of them.

"Daddy?" Haru called again, his big head was tilted to a side in confusion. A second later, his expression turned sad and he looked guilty. "Did Haru… ask the wrong question?"

"Of course not." Natsu smiled and picked the toddler up to sat him on his lap. "You're right, Haru. Those rings are the proof of us as your parents."

Haru's brown eyes instantly lit up, he was feeling happy because he had guessed right. But his stare quickly became confused. "Then… Why aren't you wearing it?"

"Because there is a certain step that must be done first before I and Mommy can wear it." Natsu gently said.

"What do you mean?" Haru asked.

"Those rings are wedding rings, Haru." Natsu explained. "Before I and Mommy can wear it, we have to get married first."

"Get married…"

"Do you know what a marriage is, Haru?" Natsu asked.

Haru shook his head lightly. Natsu chuckled and took out his phone, then browsed for wedding photos online before showing it to the toddler.

"Mommy gets to wear such a pretty dress?" Haru's eyes lit up upon seeing the photos. "Haru wants to see it too!"

"Marriage is more than just wearing pretty dress, Haru." Natsu said. "It means a life commitment, a life promise. It means that I and Mommy will and can only love each other, romantically speaking. It means that I and Mommy will spend the rest of our lives together and build our family together. We have to love and respect each other as equal partners in life."

Haru's brain spun to process. "So… After you and Mommy have this mirage, then the three of us can be together?"

"It's 'marriage', Haru." Natsu chuckled. "And yes, after I and Mommy get married, the three of us can be together."

"But… Then what's so different with what we have now?" Haru asked confusedly.

"We are legally bound as a family." Natsu smiled. "In every document and piece of paper, I can write my name as your father and Lucy can write her name as your mother. We are a family, both inside and outside. And if I marry Mommy, then I will stay at this place too with you. Or the two of you with me. Whichever you like."

"So… Once you and Mommy get married, you don't have to go back to your own home every day after spending time here?" Haru asked.

"Correct." Natsu said. "I can be with you for a whole day, for a very long long time."

Haru's eyes instantly brighten. "Haru likes that very much!"

Natsu chuckled and patted Haru's head affectionately. His gaze softened and he mumbled under his breath. "…Yeah, I like that very much, too."

"So, when will Mommy and Daddy get married?" Haru asked. His eyes were filled with eagerness and impatience.

"Hmm… When do you think I and Mommy should get married, Haru?" Natsu asked back.

"As soon as possible!" Haru gave his answer right away.

Natsu laughed, his eyes became hazed as his mind was filled with thoughts. "I understand. Then, can you keep it a secret for now, Haru?"

Haru blinked. "I can't tell Mommy?"

"Not yet." Natsu winked.

"When can I tell her?" Haru asked.

Natsu's smile widened. "You'll see."

Haru tilted his head in confusion, but nevertheless complied. If his daddy said so, then Haru would keep his promise. No telling Mommy until the right time, then.

The reason why Natsu asked Haru not to tell Lucy was very simple. It's because he already had an idea on how to give Lucy the best proposal in the world.

Natsu couldn't sleep a wink that night. He sat on his bed, browsing every picture of wedding dress on the internet and envisioned Lucy wearing them. The more dresses he saw and envisioned, the faster his heartbeat became.

Finally, Natsu decided to close the browser and put his phone down. He lifted his head to stare at the ceiling and sighed softly. What happened this afternoon replayed itself in his brain, making Natsu's lips curled with a smile.

Truthfully, Natsu had been having the thought of asking Lucy's hand in marriage. Especially for the past few days.

They had only been dating for almost two years, but Natsu was certain that Lucy is the right one for him. Envisioning Lucy as his wife and built a family with her seemed so plausible and real. Natsu had never had this kind of thought with anyone else, but he couldn't imagine thinking about it with another girl, either.

His gut feeling was telling him that Lucy is his soulmate, and Natsu had never been someone who denied his own gut feeling.

Natsu's eyes flashed with determination and confidence. He picked up his phone again and dialed a number.

After three rings, his call was picked up.

"Hello?" Levy's voice rang from the other side. She and Natsu had exchanged their numbers some time back as each other's emergency contact regarding Lucy and Haru. "What is it, Natsu?"

"Hey, Lev," Natsu greeted. "I need some help."

Three days later, on Saturday…

"Levy-chan, are you sure you want to take Haru along?" Lucy asked in a slight doubt as she put Haru's packed lunch into his bag.

"Yes, Lu-chan," Levy answered with a slight chuckle. "You've already asked me that question for three times, you know."

"Yeah, but…" Lucy let out a small sigh. "I mean… You're going on a date with Gajeel, and for you to take care of Haru as well is…"

"You're working today, aren't you?" Levy asked. "Since you're working, let me take care of Haru."

"I'm only working for a half-day, though." Lucy pointed.

Levy waved her hand as if she was sweeping away Lucy's point. "Doesn't matter. Besides, Gajeel wanted to spend some time with Haru too."

"I thought he's the most awkward one with Haru." Lucy stifled her laugh.

Levy laughed instead. "Doesn't mean he disliked Haru, though. He just finds it hard to express himself properly, especially in front of children. After all, seeing his pierced face could really make children burst into tears."

"Haru doesn't seem mind about it." Lucy said.

"Which is why Gajeel is actually feeling comfortable being around him." Levy said. "He nicknamed your son as 'the little trampoline', and you know Gajeel only nicknamed people that he felt comfortable being around with."

"Okay, okay." Lucy laughed. "If this goes on, I'm afraid you're going to give me 100 reasons why Gajeel likes Haru and why my son should go with the two of you today."

Levy winked. "I know you can read me well."

"Alright, I'll leave Haru in your care then, Levy-chan." Lucy hugged her best friend and zipped close Haru's backpack. "Haru! Are you ready?"

"I can't find my cap!" Haru popped his head into the kitchen. "The one that Gajeel-nii-chan gave me!"

"It's right over here, sweetie." Lucy laughed as she picked the cap which Haru wanted from the dining table and waved it. She then crouched down and put the cap onto Haru's head. "I know you'd want to wear this, so I prepared it."

"You're the best, Mommy!" Haru planted a thank you kiss on Lucy's cheeks and then slung the backpack. "Haru's ready!"

Right on then, two knocks rang from outside.

"Oh, they're here." Levy said and stretched out her hand towards Haru. "Let's go, Haru."

Lucy followed and Levy opened the door. Two young men, one with a brown hair and the other with a blue hair, were standing outside.

"Daddy!" Haru hugged the brown-haired man's leg.

"Hey, little buddy." Natsu scooped the toddler up. "Ready to have some fun?"

Haru nodded his head and stretched out his hand towards Gajeel who gently took him into his own hug. Lucy giggled a bit upon seeing Gajeel awkwardly placed Haru in his arms, while her son didn't even seem bothered a bit.

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy!" Haru waved his hand.

"Bye, sweetie." Lucy kissed her son's forehead. "Remember, you have to keep Gajeel's identity a secret today."

"Aye-aye, captain!" Haru saluted.

Levy and Natsu broke into a soft laugh, while Gajeel himself smirked.

"Okay, we're off." Levy waved goodbye and walked hand-in-hand with Gajeel. Haru seemed comfortable being carried with Gajeel's one arm and played with the end of his blue wig.

Lucy waited until the three of them entered the lift, before turning her head to look at Natsu.

But before she could mutter any word, Natsu quickly stepped inside and closed the door shut. He then gently pushed her onto the wall and kissed her lips, his hands firmly placed themselves on her hips. Whatever surprised squeak which was on her throat was being swallowed by Natsu.

Lucy's knees buckled, but Natsu's strong hands held her firm. He pushed his body even closer to her, placing Lucy's back completely flat onto the wall. Lucy's fingers entangled themselves in Natsu's hair, swinging the wig away somewhere before pulling his real hair in pleasure. Natsu groaned softly in response. Their hearts were beating so loud that they felt like their eardrums could burst. A raging heat exploded from within them.

True to his name, Natsu is exactly as hot as a summer.

A summer that Lucy came to love very much.

Lucy's lungs screamed due to the lack of air and she whisked away her head to catch her breath. Her chest huffed up and down, her face was completely flushed, and her brown eyes darkened with lust.

Natsu was in no different state than her.

For a full minute, only the sound of the two of them panting that could be heard through the entire apartment.

Lucy finally broke the silence with a soft giggle. "Do you miss me that much?"

"Yeah." Natsu admitted and started kissing Lucy's jawline. His tone became deeper, melting her bones and fueling her desire at the same time.

"I miss you too, Natsu." Lucy wrapped her hands around Natsu's neck. A sudden realization came to her mind. "Wait, don't tell me… Did you ask Levy-chan to take Haru with her today so you can do this with me?"

"Maybe."

Lucy jokingly slapped his firm biceps. "I thought you love to spend time with Haru!"

"I do." Natsu admitted. "But today, I want to spend my time with you. Just the two of us alone."

Natsu's deep voice ignited a certain spark inside of Lucy. Her eyes were clouded once more and she pulled her boyfriend's body even closer to hers. "I like the sound of that."

Natsu groaned lowly upon hearing Lucy's response, desire was burning hot form within him. His eyes were dark with lust and he claimed Lucy's lips once more. She instantly reciprocated, wrapping her legs around his waist as Natsu hoisted her.

Natsu then walked towards the bedroom.

His hand fumbled to twist the doorknob, his lips never left Lucy's. Their lungs started to scream for air again, but neither one of them wanted to separate. Both of their minds had shut down the moment their longing lips touched each other's.

At the end, however, Natsu's rationality kicked back in.

His eyes cleared and he pulled his head away a bit, leaving the two of them in another series of panting madly. Natsu bit his inner cheek in an effort to hold himself back as seeing a flushed Lucy above him couldn't possibly calm himself down.

"Natsu?" Lucy squeaked softly, her hand ghosted over Natsu's cheek. Her gaze was filled with passion and love, and also curiosity on why Natsu abruptly stopped.

"I don't want to do this if you don't want to." Natsu's brain managed to take over his mouth. He walked towards the bed and sat down, allowing Lucy to sit on his lap.

Lucy couldn't hold her scoff. "Do I look like I don't want this, though?"

"N—no," Natsu couldn't stop a soft blush from adorning his cheeks. "but what I mean is… I just want us to do this because we really want to, not because we are in the heat of the moment or anything of the sort."

"Natsu…" Lucy's gaze softened, Natsu's compassion could never stop melting her heart.

"I don't want to force anything on you, Luce." Natsu gently stroke Lucy's cheek with his thumb. "There's no obligation for us to do this now, you know. Kissing you is more than enough for me."

"Really?" Lucy asked.

Natsu nodded. "We don't have to go farther than this if you don't want to. I'm perfectly capable to control—"

Before Natsu could finish his words, however, Lucy had already silenced him with another kiss. Not a hot and passionate like before, but a soft and gentle one.

"If I don't want to do this with you, I wouldn't have let you kiss me from the beginning." Lucy pulled her head slightly away and whispered.

Natsu's eyes became clouded once more, his hands around her unconsciously tightened. "Are you sure, Luce?"

Lucy nodded.

"I can't stop once we start." Natsu's tone went a notch deeper as Lucy stretched her neck to allow him to breathe in her scent.

"I don't want to stop either." Lucy breathed out.

And that's all Natsu needed. He growled lowly in pleasure and quickly turned Lucy's body around. He gently threw her onto the bed and placed himself above her to trap her. He showered her with kisses on her face and neck, as his hot hands roamed around her body.

Natsu groaned again upon feeling Lucy's hot skin. Gods, if she was a drug, then Natsu would gladly be addicted to it!

Lucy gasped in pleasure as Natsu nipped her neck. She was never a fan of extreme heat, but she didn't mind a bit with the burning heat that Natsu gave her. She liked spring the best, but starting from today, summer is her most favorite season.

The fact that they were each other's firsts—and both of them knew it—fueled their desire and love even more.

Lucy stirred in her sleep, the gentle touch on her head caused her consciousness to return from the slumber. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was something hard and yet soft, and very warm. Since when her pillow was this warm?

And since when did her pillow start to have a heartbeat?

A second later, Lucy realized that she wasn't sleeping on her pillow. Instead, it was Natsu's bare chest. Or to be more precise, his tanned chest with red spots here and there.

Lucy's face instantly blushed upon realizing that those spots were the result of her doing.

"Like what you see?" Natsu's low chuckle was heard from above her.

"Stop it!" Lucy squeaked in embarrassment and lifted a hand to slap her boyfriend's chest, before something glinting around her finger caught her attention.

Lucy's hand stilled in the air and her eyes widened.

She stared at the diamond ring that was adorning her right ring finger.

"N—Natsu, t—this…"

Natsu gently took Lucy's hand into his and intertwined their fingers, making sure that the diamond ring could still be seen. "Do you like it?"

Lucy lifted her body up a bit, the blanket sliding down gently on her bare back. Well, not exactly bare, since Natsu had also given her red spots here and there.

Natsu fixed his position a bit, so the two of them could sat upright on the bed. Lucy was still staring at the ring in daze and Natsu gently cupped her cheek to turn her head towards him. When she saw his face, a tear rolled down along her cheek.

"Don't cry, you weirdo." Natsu laughed softly and kissed the tear away.

"T—this…" Lucy's voice choked. "Is this… What is… I… You… Oh gods."

Natsu laughed again upon hearing Lucy's stutter. He brought their joined hands up and kissed the back of Lucy's hand. "It's my proposal ring to you." Natsu said.

Lucy's breath hitched and she couldn't stop another tear from falling. Natsu gently wiped it away with his thumb and smiled. "We've been dating for almost two years, Luce, and honestly, I can't stop from imagining my future with you. Imagining building a family with you seems so natural and perfect. And to be honest, I want one or two more Harus calling me 'Daddy' and calling you 'Mommy'." Natsu stopped for a bit to plant a kiss on Lucy's forehead. "Spending the rest of my life with you is my wish, Lucy. Waking up to see you first thing in the morning and seeing you every night before I go to sleep sounds so beautiful. I'd love to create more memories with you and to call you 'my wife'."

Lucy sobbed softly, she could no longer stop her streams of tears. She was so happy and touched upon listening to Natsu's confession. He was so sincere towards her since day one, the best person on Earth that she could ever ask for.

And just like him, imagining building a family together with Natsu seemed so perfect and natural for Lucy.

"Luce, you and me, we make sense. You're everything I've always wanted. I want to be with you. I can be the guy you want me to be. I know I can, I am that guy*. Let me be your husband, your life partner that is always ready to go through thick and thin with you."

"Natsu…"

Natsu smiled and tucked a hair behind Lucy's hair. His heart raced as he knew that the time to ask that question has arrived. He actually browsed through several ideas on how to propose to Lucy, but at the end he decided to be blunt about it.

His gut feeling told him that Lucy loved that kind of proposal, something which is unique and meaningful because only he could pull it off.

Natsu took a deep breath to calm his heart a bit, before asking out the question.

"Lucy Heartfilia, will you marry me?"

Something instantly burst from Lucy's inside when she heard the question. She threw herself to hug Natsu tightly. "Yes! Oh gods, Natsu, yes! Yes, yes, YES!"

Relief washed over him and Natsu laughed upon hearing her answer. He hugged her back tightly and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment. Even though a part of him knew that Lucy would accept his proposal, there was still a part of him that was afraid of her rejection. Even though he knew she loved him the way he loved her, he was still afraid that she wasn't ready to take the next step with him.

"Thank you so much for coming into mine and Haru's life, Natsu." Lucy said, her sobbing of happiness hadn't subsided completely. But she pulled her body away a bit to look at the man who would become her husband. "Thank you so much for loving us and thank you so much for choosing me."

Natsu melted upon seeing Lucy's eyes which was filled with love and warmth that were only for him.

"And thank you for coming into mine, Luce." Natsu smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lucy let out the smile that Natsu loved so much to see.

Natsu then wiped her tears, before leaning close to her and kissed her again. The two of them then passionately and lovingly enjoyed their private time.

Done !

Wow… I like that proposal scene very much ! *internal squeal* I'm glad Natsu plucked up his courage to propose to Lucy and she braved herself to accept it !

I know this chapter is a bit too cheesy, even I cringed a bit *LMAO* But it could never hurt to be too cheesy sometimes, right ? *wink, wink*

What do you think about this chapter ?

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

* = these words actually belong to Danny Messer from CSI:NY (played by Carmine Giovinazzo) when he proposed to his pregnant girlfriend, Lindsay Montana (played by Anna Belknap). All credit goes to the creators: Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, and Carol Mendelsohn, as well as the actor himself.

P.S.: Chapter 15 will be the final chapter of this fic !