"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Lucy's eyes burst open as the wailing shriek cut sharply into her sleep. Sitting up as she tried to fully awaken, she saw Natsu climbing out of their bed and padding to the crib nearby.

Lucy was soon beside him, quick to try and start soothing her baby.

"Sh… Igneel, it's okay. Mommy's here," she softly comforted as Natsu picked the baby up. "I certainly didn't miss this from when Layla was a baby," she laughed.

"Mhmm… We haven't slept in over a week…"

"I think he's hungry, Natsu, hand him to me."

The father nodded as he did so, yawning while Lucy sat down on the bed to feed Igneel. The room was calm for just a moment until Natsu groaned as he heard the footsteps of a four-year-old approaching.

"Daddy? Mommy?" called their tired daughter, rubbing her eyes as she stood in the doorway. "Why is he crying?"

"Igneel was just hungry again. Come on Layla, back to bed," Natsu told her, picking her up easily to take back to her room.

"But I'm not tired!" she cried. "I can't go back to bed, I'm not tired…" but despite her insistence, she was nodding off against his shoulder before she could even finish her sentence. The parents chuckled as Natsu carried her out.

Lucy hummed a soothing tune while Igneel ate, hoping he'd be asleep by the time he was full. She had him propped up against her shoulder to burp him before Natsu finally came back in.

"Any trouble getting her to bed? You took a while."

"She woke up again when I laid her down, but she's asleep now. Read her a story." Natsu let out another yawn. "Igneel close to falling asleep?"

Lucy opened her mouth to answer when her patting finally helped Igneel let out a big burp. The parents chuckled again, and Lucy stood up to try and lay the baby down in his crib, ready to fall back asleep in her own bed.

Only when she put him down, Igneel immediately started to cry.

Quicker to react than Lucy, Natsu picked him up to keep him quiet, not wanting their toddler to be woken up again. With any luck, she wouldn't be, but with the sensitive hearing she'd gotten from her father, it was generally hard to keep her asleep.

Igneel didn't keep crying, fortunately, after being picked up.

"Oh no, this is gonna be one of those nights, isn't it?" Lucy groaned, rubbing Igneel's back.

"Igneeeeel," Natsu whined. "I'm tired!"

Igneel wiggled a bit and patted his hand on Natsu's face.

"'I don't care, just hold me,' he says," Lucy responded with a giggle in her voice.