A/N: Heyyo, back with another chapter!
Layla was three and a half months old. Father's Day had passed with extra jubilance from Natsu and Lucy, having been the day Natsu found out about Layla, although they knew the holiday had to be hurting Gray pretty hard. Gray and Juvia were still at home grieving at this point.
Right now, Natsu was at the guild with Layla while Lucy was out on a quick, fun job with Levy just across town. The two girls' husbands were currently in the middle of an arm wrestle.
"YOU'RE CHEATIN'" Gajeel accused the fire dragon slayer after he heated his hand for the fourth round since they'd started.
"I AM NOT! How could I be cheating!? I'm the one at a disadvantage, 'cuz I'm holding Layla!" Even though he was shouting, Natsu grinned down at the baby, who was currently chewing on Natsu's finger and getting her drool all over her father's hand. She started teething just yesterday, and much preferred biting into fingers than any of her teething rings, to Lucy's dismay. Natsu, admittedly, kind of liked it. She was his little baby dragon. Of course, maybe once one of her teeth actually came in, he might not find it so cute.
"You so are cheating! You're using your magic to make me let go!" Natsu just scoffed at the continuous accusations.
"Aw, your daddy would never cheat, would he?" Natsu tickled Layla with the fingers she wasn't currently biting, making her squirm and grin.
"Except he is," Gajeel grumbled to himself, recognizing that Natsu obviously wasn't listening anymore. He couldn't help but smile, though, too (internally, of course). Gajeel may not have been ready to have kids yet, but that didn't stop him from being eager. Watching Layla just made him moreso. Layla really was an adorable child, not that he'd ever admit it out loud to anyone. Okay, to anyone other than Levy. Somehow, she always got him to tell her everything. She really had a way with him.
"Alright, another round!" Natsu challenged. "And I won't use magic, okay?"
Gajeel rolled his eyes, but put his elbow up on the table for another arm wrestle. Natsu grinned and grabbed his hand. "3, 2, 1, GO!" he announced quickly, trying to surprise Gajeel and gain the upper hand. It might've worked if he hadn't been doing it for the last several rounds already.
The boys tried pushing against the other's arm and force it down on the table, only succeeding in creating a standstill. "Urgh..." Natsu grunted, trying not to give into the temptation to use his fire to his advantage. He would beat Gajeel with his own strength, no magic!
Except Gajeel had a different idea. "Gi-hi..." he laughed before turning his arm to iron suddenly and overpowering Natsu.
"Goddamit, Gajeel!"
"Gi hi, you said you wouldn't use magic, but I said nothing of the sort."
"WHY I OUGHTA-" Natsu shouted, standing up, knocking his chair over, and lighting his unoccupied fist with fire.
Layla looked at the fire only inches from her. Reaching a hand towards it while her father was distracted, Layla was elated as she felt the warmth. She retracted her hand back towards her to find her own fist now lit with the magical dragon fire. Waving her hand around, Layla screeched and giggled.
Natsu paused his insult war with Gajeel when the sound reached his ears. When Gajeel wouldn't shut up, Natsu punched him in the mouth. "Layla just laughed! Layla's laughing! Oh my God, Layla, that's the most adorable sound I've ever heard!" Natsu held Layla in front of him to look at her as she laughed at her fiery fist. "Did you steal some of Daddy's fire? Aww, you really do like playing with fire, don't you? You're my little fire dragon!" Layla just gave a small toothless smile at her father and reached her hand towards him again. Natsu laughed himself and adjusted her in his arm so he could light one of his fingers on fire and hold it next to her tiny fist. "Gajeel, she laughed!" was his response to Gajeel's glare. Gajeel just rolled his eyes and tried not to to react to the grin on the little baby's face. "C'mon, Layla, we're gonna go find Mommy!" Natsu announced before darting out of the guild towards the library that Levy and Lucy were going through magical books at.
Natsu ran through Magnolia, several times going down the wrong path despite the fact that he was following Lucy's scent, and then having to make a detour back home for a diaper change since he'd forgotten the diaper bag at the guild, but he finally ended up at the library.
Barging in and making a ruckus, Natsu ignored the several shushes he got from the patrons and continued to follow his nose into a back room, where Lucy was stacking some books into separate piles. Levy was apparently off doing something else in the library, because Lucy was alone back there.
"Lucy, Lucy!" he shouted, receiving a surprised look from Lucy.
"What are you doing here!?" Lucy yelled at him in a hushed tone.
"Layla laughed just a bit ago!"
A grin formed on Lucy's previously grimacing face. "She laug-" the librarian peeked in the room and shot a glare at them, praying to God that they would just shut up already. Lucy gestured an apology before continuing again, this time quieter. "She laughed!? What made her laugh!?" Lucy asked, taking Layla and tickling her to try and get a giggle.
"I'd been fighting Gajeel and then she-"
"Wait, you were holding her while fighting Gajeel!?"
"Well, I wasn't really fighting him, just shouting insults. But she was just playing with some of my fire-"
"YOU LET HER GET AHOLD OF YOUR FIRE, NATSU!?" Lucy immediately grabbed Layla's hands and inspected them, looking for burn marks, blisters, reddening, any evidence that her precious baby had been hurt.
"Uh... It was an accident?" Natsu offered, suddenly a bit afraid for his life against Mama Bear Lucy.
"She's not hurt," Lucy finally announced, shocked. "Her little hands aren't even red!" Lucy held Layla in front of her with a proud grin, her expression and mood taking a complete 180. "Are you my tiny dragon slayer? Are you gonna use fire and fight all the bad guys, just like your daddy?" Lucy gave the girl some eskimo kisses, earning a laugh from Layla as she grabbed her mother's face with the same hands that had held fire.
"See, she was fine!" Natsu said, also with a grin. Lucy shot him a glare that said "that's beside the point" before continuing to play with Layla.
"Natsu, I can't believe she's laughing! It's so adorable! I don't think I've ever heard another laugh more beautiful!"
"She really is our little dragon, isn't she? She even inherited my magic," he said with a grin. Lucy gave him a sweet smile and kissed him just as Layla gave a big yawn. "Aww, it's nap time, isn't it?" The mother gave her daughter a kiss before handing Layla back to Natsu. "Take her home and put her down for a nap. We're almost done here and I'll meet you back home, okay?" She gave them each another kiss before waving to Layla. "Bye-bye, Sweetie! Mama will see you later, okay?" Layla lazily reached a hand out and copied her mother's waving motion. "OH MY GOD SHE JUST WAVED! Natsu, did you see that!? She waved!?"
"Yeah, I saw! Aww, you're my growing girl! My beautiful, smart, growing girl!" Lucy and Natsu each waved at her again, laughing in glee when she waved back.
"Okay, now you've really gotta take her home for a nap, Honey. Bye!" she said with another kiss to Natsu's cheek. "AND DON'T LET HER PLAY WITH FIRE AGAIN! I DON'T CARE IF SHE SEEMS TO HAVE INHERITED YOUR ABILITIES, I REFUSE TO HAVE MY 3-MONTH OLD ACCIDENTALLY BURN MAGNOLIA DOWN."
Natsu cowered, although he was still grinning. "Yeah, yeah. Love you, Lucy!"
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