Disclaimer: All rights of Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima. I do not own this.
Chapter 8: A New Pet
Lucy woke Wednesday morning bright and early to get ready for her morning shift at Sabretooth only to receive a call from Sting telling her not to come in. "What's wrong? Is it Yukino? Oh my gosh, is the baby coming?!" Lucy pulled at her hair as she raced from the kitchen down the hall, nearly tripping over a box of family photos in her mad dash to wake Haru up.
"What? No! You just don't need to come in today. Restaurant's closed is all…"
Lucy halted at the bottom of the stairs and narrowed her eyes. Sting might have been able to tell when she pulled a dad stunt, but she had always been able to tell when he was lying. Lucy had lost count of all the bets she'd won against her brother simply by knowing his tell. It wasn't particularly easy to recognize, per se, just a little inflexion in his voice as he spoke that most wouldn't even notice if they hadn't grown up hearing Sting talk every day, all day for twenty three years.
"Closed," she said, not even bothering to hide her disbelief.
"Yep. Special holiday thing for the founding lady and all…or something. I dunno, but you don't need to come in."
Lucy drummed her nails against the banister. "Uh-huh. Well then, how about we all get together and have breakfast? I'm sure Haru would love to spend time with his favorite aunt and uncle." She was toying with him and she knew he knew it, but that just made it all the more fun.
"…You know, I think I'll have to pass. Yuki wants me to work some more on the spare bedroom. Gonna be a pain in my ass but it's gotta get done sometime right?"
Lucy hummed and examined her nails. "You know, little brother, you've been awfully generous about not making me work all the time. I would've thought you'd be jumping at the chance to get some payback for all those times I locked you out of the house. Or the time I burned all your socks. Or when I put gum in your hair in the middle of the night."
He was silent for a moment and Lucy could practically hear him grinding his teeth. "Well, that's just cause I'm so great! You're lucky you have such an awesome brother. Sis."
Lucy smirked. Even with his obvious irritation she could still hear that tell-tale lit just proving that she was right and he was hiding something. "Yes, it would seem I am lucky. It would also seem like you've buried the hatchet, so to speak. And now all those little pranks I pulled when we were kids that you still have revenge rights on are just…gone."
"The hell they are! I still have eight revenge pranks to do!"
"I see. So I'll come by at my usual shift then? Oh! Perhaps I'll just come by early-"
"No! I mean…damn. I told you, you don't have to come in today. Cause of that founder-thingy."
"Either you admit right here, right now on official record that all eight revenge pranks are gone-"
"Not happening!"
"Or, I come in and see whatever it is you're hiding," Lucy said, continuing on as though she hadn't been so rudely interrupted. Sting said nothing for a long moment and Lucy waited, padding back to the kitchen to begin breakfast and take a sip of her coffee. She could faintly hear her brother pacing around and grumbling under his breath as he considered both options. She couldn't blame him, giving up eight guaranteed revenge pranks without the threat of her own retaliation being allowed was a lot to give up. Whatever it was he was hiding must have been something big for him to seriously consider it.
After a few minutes Sting mumbled something that sounded like an answer. "What was that, Eucliffe? You'll have to speak up if you want people to hear you."
He huffed over the phone. "I give up only six revenge pranks. On official record. That's a fair deal. Now don't come in!"
He hung up before Lucy could say anything. She chuckled and sat her phone aside. Six revenge pranks was still a good trade, though now Lucy was just even more curious about what her brother was hiding. "Like taking candy from a baby," she murmured with a small smile.
Despite now having the day off, Lucy didn't let Haru sleep even a minute past eight. While she had no qualms about letting him sleep in a little during the summer it wasn't a habit she liked to encourage every day. So they got up, ate breakfast and Lucy spent the morning unpacking more boxes in the living room while Haru ran around the house looking for his grandma's lost treasures. Eventually they both got bored sitting around the house, and while Lucy could certainly do more work on the garden the summer heat had finally settled over the town with a vengeance, making it hard to want to work outside at least until late evening.
Too hot to properly work outside, and too boring to spend all day in the house, Lucy had decided to pack up two sandwiches and a few containers of the many casseroles she and Sting had made Sunday and take Haru to one of the parks around Hakobe Forest for a picnic. Just like they did back in Crocus when the apartment was feeling too empty, though Haru was certainly happier now than he'd been in Crocus, having excitedly chattered the whole car ride over and was now tugging her through the park.
Lucy watch as Haru bounced ahead of her across the rolling hills in the west park. Haru was determined to find the best picnic spot in the clearing, head darting back and forth as he looked over every tree lining the playground and open field. Lucy giggled into her hand as she heard Haru's mumbled 'too shady, too hot, not enough room, smells funny' with each decidedly unfit picnic spot.
"You know, Haru. Our juice won't stay cold for much longer," she hummed.
Haru let out a frantic whine as he spun in a fast circle before stopping and pointing to a large weeping willow near the back of the field. "There! That's the perfect place."
Lucy nodded and took his hand. "My thoughts exactly," she said, letting Haru drag her forward.
After Haru had picked up any twigs off the ground Lucy laid out the blanket under the willow's long branches. They hung around them like a curtain of leafy tendrils, constantly shifting and swaying in the gentle breeze. As Lucy carefully unpacked the food Haru raced back and forth under the lowest branches, throwing his arms wide to rush through them while laughing about how much they tickled.
Lucy felt a soft smile tug at her lips at seeing Haru so happy. She'd been a bit concerned Sunday night at dinner when he and Reiki came downstairs looking a little less lively than when they'd bounded upstairs, though the fact that they stayed side by side the rest of the night was certainly a plus. They'd both been fairly quiet while they ate, something that might not have been out of place with Reiki but was certainly odd for Haru. Not even Erza's announcement about Haru starting fencing next week seemed to perk him up. Lucy had tried to subtly ask what was wrong on the drive home but Haru had only said it was a secret between best friends. Whatever it was, Lucy was glad it didn't seem to drag over to the rest of the week. One thing Lucy was always grateful about Haru was how well the boy tended to bounce back from his less than good days.
Of course, having breakfast with Natsu again on Monday likely had something to do with his good mood. The man had been thrilled to see Haru's snake's skin, even showing the boy how to identify what species the snake was based on its scale pattern. Haru had been a little disappointed to learn that it wasn't from a dragon but Natsu's excitement had quickly swept away any inkling of the boy's sour mood. Lucy was still worried about the fact there was now a slightly bigger six foot long snake slithering around Magnolia.
Casting a quick glance around the tree she settled back on the blanket and called Haru over, which may have been a mistake given how Haru devoured his sandwich like he hadn't eaten all day, stuffing his face with much too large bites until his chubby cheeks were bloated like a chipmunk's and Lucy was honestly afraid she'd have to perform the Heimlich on her son.
"Haru! Smaller bites!" she gasped.
He only blinked up at her, somehow managing to look like the picture of innocence while speaking around a mouthful of ham, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. "Bud moom. His how Nash-who eats-"
"Do not speak with your mouth full," Lucy chided, shaking a stern finger at his nose. Haru snickered and finished chewing his sandwich before ginning up at her.
"But mom. That's how Natsu eats. He said if I wanted to be really big and tall like him I'd have to eat a lot of food. Like he does."
Lucy sighed and rubber her temples. Of course that idiot would say something like that, she thought. Lucy would have to have a serious talk with the man about teaching her son poor table manners. "Haru, I think if you eat just like Natsu you'll end up with a tummy ache instead of a growth spurt. Why don't we just stick to eating the correct way? Hmm?"
His shoulders slumped and a small pout pulled at his lips. "Okay…"
"Besides," Lucy went on. "You are going to be very tall, Haru."
His head snapped up. "I will?"
Lucy nodded and leaned forward to cup his cheek. "Oh yes. Just like your dad." Haru's eyes widened and the pure joy that shone in his eyes had Lucy feeling like a flurry of butterflies had settled in her chest. She loved her son, her Haru, so much. "You are so much like your dad, Haru. In all the best ways."
Haru's grin was blinding, and without warning he lunged forward and wrapped his small arms around Lucy's neck. She scooped him up to hold him closer to her chest, rubbing soft circles against his back and humming a gentle song her mother often sang to her before bedtime. She wasn't sure how long they sat there simply holding each other under the willow but Lucy couldn't have cared if it was hours. Not when she knew how much this meant to Haru as well as herself.
The sound of leaves rustling to her left made Lucy pause. If someone was trying to interrupt them it had better be for a good reason. They both turned and blinked at a…dog? Lucy thought it was a dog anyway. It (she couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl) had long, white fur that was horribly matted and stained brown from all the mud and leaves covering it nearly from head to toe. She wasn't sure what kind of dog it was. Its face was thin and lean, like a collie's, but it wasn't quite as tall, being closer to the size of a sheltie than a collie. It sat a little ways back, pink tongue lolling out the side of its mouth and occasionally licking its nose. Its muzzle was an odd orange color, making it look like a partly melted snowman, especially since its whole body was shaking like it was cold. Though Lucy had no idea how that could be possible in this heat.
"It's a dog!" Haru gasped and wiggled in Lucy's arms in an attempt to run over.
Lucy was having none of that and promptly stood up while keeping Haru pinned against her. The dog could have been a stray and very well been dangerous. Even if it wasn't aggressive, seeing Haru race towards it could make it panic and lash out like any cornered animal would. Lucy glanced around looking for an owner while keeping one eye fixed on the dog but it only laid down and huffed a heavy breath. Okay…so maybe it wasn't dangerous.
"Where's your owner?" Lucy asked.
The dog huffed again, tail thumping against the ground. "Maybe he doesn't have an owner?" Haru said. "Do you have an owner, boy?" he asked and apparently the dog was a boy.
More tail wagging and body shivering. "This is weird," Lucy murmured.
"I don't think he has an owner," Haru whispered in her ear. Lucy couldn't help but agree. Still, he seemed like a good dog. Hadn't growled or shied away, just wagged his tail and licked his lips while he sniffed the air. "He's hungry!" Haru hollered, startling Lucy enough for her to loosen her grip for him to wiggle to the ground. He had just managed to snatch his left over sandwich from the blanket when Lucy caught him by the shoulders and tugged him back a few steps. She still didn't want Haru simply racing over to this strange dog, even if he seemed perfectly well behaved.
"Wait, Haru. We can't just run up to him. He might get scared and try to bite."
Haru nodded but his lips puffed out in a pout. "But he's hungry, mom. We have to feed him."
Lucy hummed and quickly set about putting any type of food that she thought wouldn't be too upsetting for a dog's stomach on an empty plate. Haru gladly pulled out the ham from his sandwich to add to the pile before Lucy slowly and carefully walked over to the dog.
He wagged his tail and happily sniffed at plate when Lucy was a few feet away, but he didn't make any move to take it. Not until Lucy sat the plate down, took a few steps back and said, "Okay."
"Well…he's certainly well behaved," she said, standing back and watching the dog scarf down torn up chunks of ham, potato salad, and corn bread. Haru cautiously walked up next to her, hand gripping her shirt while he grinned from ear to ear at the dog.
"I like him," he said, which was all the warning Lucy got to the impending bond her son and that strange stray dog would develop in just a few short hours. Honestly, Lucy wasn't sure quite how it happened. Slowly, she and Haru went back to eating their food, occasionally tossing scraps to the dog as he shuffled closer on his stomach and let out soft wines that had Lucy nearly heartbroken at the sound. The next thing she knew the dog was lying with his head in her lap, tail wagging lazily while Haru picked the many leaves, burrs and chunks of dried mud off his fur after Haru had tossed stick after stick until the dog simply refused to run anymore and flopped down next to Lucy's side. Somehow, that dog had settled himself right in her and Haru's laps (quite literally in Lucy's case) and neither one could really be bothered by it. Least of all Haru.
"I got it!" he gasped suddenly, leaning forward to wrap his arms around the dog's neck. "His name is Plue."
Lucy giggled and reached out to run her fingers through Haru and the dog's hair. "That sounds perfect."
Haru snickered when Plue turned his head and licked his cheek. He beamed up at Lucy, dark eyes shining with so much happiness and love and excitement Lucy felt herself tear up a bit. It had been a long time since she had seen Haru so truly happy. Not since before…
"Can we keep him, mom? Can we? Please."
Lucy paused, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. "Well…"
Haru sat upright, Plue following his lead with a huff so Haru could keep his arms around his neck. It really was cute, even if Plue was still very dirty. "Please, mom. Plue's nice and he's really soft and fun! He can sleep with me in my room and I'll give him baths and feed him and we can play in the garden when you've cleaned it up. It'll be fun!"
Plue wagged his tail as though in agreement. Lucy had to admit, having a dog around might not be the worst thing ever. Haru had always wanted a pet, but their apartment in Crocus didn't allow any kinds of animals in the lofts. And Lucy could admit that she'd always wanted another dog in the family. The large mountain dog her family had when she and Sting were both very young was one of the best pets she'd ever had. He'd been a brilliant dog and had sat by Lucy and Sting's bed all day when they had chicken pox's he was so devoted to them both. There was just something about being a little kid and having a good dog at your side that made everything seem a little better. That's what her grandpa had said anyway.
But was now really the best time to get a dog? Lucy didn't even have everything unpacked at her house, let alone have enough room for everything a dog would need. Which, okay, wasn't admittedly much, but getting a pet was usually something that people thought over very carefully before making a decision and then choosing which dog was best for their family from a whole kennel of them. Not something they decided after a few good hours with a stray that happened by while they were in the park!
Lucy looked down at her son and the dog sitting next to him, both looking completely content pressed up against each other, and she knew that even if she had thought it over and went to a kennel Lucy and Haru would have wanted Plue. He just fit in with their odd little family, with his orange nose and constant shivering.
Giving the biggest grin Lucy had ever made, she reached out to cup Plue's muzzle while running her fingers through Haru's bangs. "Well, first thing's first, we need to get some dog food. And then," She added when Haru leapt to his feet whooping as he literally jumped for joy. "We have to give him a bath," she said, eyeing Plue's mangy coat. "Maybe two."
They ended up getting way more than dog food at the local pet store. Lucy was very thankful to have a truck instead of a car with the amount of items they'd bought. Along with a plush dog bed, that Haru had insisted he try out, they'd stocked up on shampoo, conditioner, brushes, clippers, and plenty of treats and toys to last for at least the next two months.
Before bringing Plue inside, Lucy and Haru sat on the front porch gently combing as much debris from his coat as they could. Lucy did her best to trim the overgrown fur but she knew she'd have to make an appointment with the groomers soon. Whatever breed of dog Plue was it seemed he was a long haired breed. Still, Plue wagged his tail and seemed more than pleased for loss of excess weight as he followed Lucy inside the little cottage.
For all of Plue's good behavior and excellent listening skills, giving him a bath was, without a doubt, one of the most challenging things Lucy had ever had to do. When Lucy had led him into the bathroom upstairs, the tub already running with warm water, the dog sat at the end of the tub and made absolutely no effort to help Lucy get him in. Despite his medium size, Plue was quite heavy and wiggled constantly when Lucy tried to reach under his stomach to pick him up. After the dog let out a soft whine of discomfort Lucy knew she'd have to think of another way to get him into the tub. So, she and Haru had been forced to build a stepping stool of sorts out of boxes and some of the larger books Lucy had lying around her bedroom for Plue to walk into the tub on his own.
After that was situated, Plue hardly stayed still long enough for Lucy to lather, rinse and repeat, too busy squirming around the tub trying to follow Haru as he raced around the room trying to help. Haru's excited cries of having a 'bubble party' as he dumped half a bottle of bubble bath mix into the tub didn't help either.
Lucy was sure she was more soaked than the dog at this point. Thick foam bubbles clung to her hair from where Haru had tried to make a bubble hat on her head and she had stopped trying to block the sprays of water every time Plue shook out his coat. It took over an hour to get every piece of mud out of his coat but Plue certainly looked much better as he climbed out of the tub to stand dripping in the middle of the bathroom floor. Lucy barely had time to raise the towel in front of her before Plue was shaking and throwing water all over the room. Haru laughed as he ducked behind her. Lucy sighed. At least one of them wouldn't be a complete mess, though, with the state of the bathroom Lucy would hardly call that a success.
"So much for not having to clean upstairs," she mumbled.
Haru skirted around her with his own fluffy towel to begin drying off Plue's back. "Almost done, Plue," he said, grinning. "Then I'll show you my room and the whole house."
Lucy smiled as she settled on her knees to rub her towel over Plue's legs and stomach. The dogs tail lazily thumped against the floor while Haru continued to babble about everything he needed to show Plue and that's when Lucy felt it. She paused and carefully ran her hand over Plue's belly again and now she knew she felt something. A small bulge, no bigger than Haru's fist, hung just past his ribcage. It wasn't hard when Lucy cautiously felt it, more squishy if anything, but it did seem tender as Plue gave a soft whine whenever Lucy touched it.
"Uh oh," Lucy murmured. As a mother Lucy had read as many books on raising children as she could get her hands on when she was pregnant with Haru. She also read books about what to expect from her own body after she gave birth, which included learning about hernias. Given the general location of the lump and how Plue didn't seem too keen for Lucy to touch it, she figured that was exactly what it was.
Haru blinked and looked up at her with his towel tossed over Plue's head. "Mom?"
Lucy sighed, hoping more than anything that if she was right it wasn't anything too serious. Lucy wasn't sure how big a hernia had to be before it became deadly but she knew it could be life threatening under the right circumstances. For a dog that had been a stray for who knows how long seemed like some good circumstances too.
And just when things were going so well, she thought.
Haru tilted his head to the side, a slight frown pulling at his lips. "Mom? What's wrong?"
"Haru, sweetie. I think Plue needs to go to the vet."
"Is he sick?"
"I don't know. But that's why we'll take him to the vet. So he can get a checkup and we can know if he needs any medicine." Haru paused before giving a small nod. Lucy reached out to rub his back, giving the brightest grin she could manage. "Once Plue's dry you can show him your room while I call the vet, okay?"
Another small nod. "Okay."
Lucy made sure to schedule the appointment as early on next morning as she could.
Weekends were always the busiest days for Natsu. People tended to have extra time to catch up on all the chores they'd neglected throughout the week, and that included looking after their pets. That meant extra surgeries, extra house calls and extra paper work. Sometimes the workload would stretch over to Monday too, but other than that his weekdays were fairly easy. Well, as easy as his job would ever allow.
This time, though, that wasn't the case and he had spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday swamped dealing with one case, and now that work was dragging over into Thursday too. Thank Mavis for Lisanna and the rest of his staff. Natsu wasn't sure how the rest of his appointments and surgeries would've even gotten done with how intense this case was. He'd been so busy the past few days Natsu didn't even have time to swing by Sabretooth's for breakfast. Normally he wouldn't be too upset over missing a few free meals but it was the company he missed the most. Namely Lucy and Haru. They were both so much fun to be around and easy to talk to he'd kinda been looking forward to their little breakfast get-togethers lately.
Lucy had a certain spark to her that made teasing her so much fun, if only because she would tease right back with a fire Natsu hardly saw in most of Magnolia. He even liked her no nonsense attitude and how she would quickly put a stop to any antics he or Haru were about to do. Though he barely knew her, he'd seen enough to know she was the type of person who let every little feeling and thought flit over her expressions. It was a rare quality now-a-days and Natsu liked how open and honest she was about things. And Haru was downright hilarious. Natsu could listen to his wild stories all day and never get bored. Kid kinda reminded Natsu of himself when he was his age, all bouncing energy that hardly stayed still even when he was concentrating on something really hard.
Well, maybe not only when I was Haru's age, he thought, glancing down at his bouncing foot under the table.
"Yo. Ash head. You paying attention or not?"
Natsu frowned and glared across his desk at Gray. The man only raised an eyebrow, his usual cocky smirk dulled down to a slight frown with the seriousness of their conversation. Being the town's main attorney meant Gray often worked alongside Natsu whenever cases against animal rights were involved. It wasn't the happiest way to work with your best friend, and, unfortunately, the past two days had them working on one of the worst cases of abuse Natsu had ever seen.
An elderly couple out of the town's limits had called in about their neighbors animals. Apparently there was one dead horse in the backyard and the remaining two in the paddock weren't looking much better. It was worse than Natsu had been told since there was another dead horse in the barn and six more live horses stuffed in the tiny stalls. All in horrible stages of malnutrition and looking moments away from collapsing in their own filth where they'd been forced to stay for what looked like weeks.
He'd later been told the owner had left her horses there with no food or water for five weeks to run off with her new boyfriend when she'd found out her husband was cheating on her. Given the way she'd brushed off the horse's condition, Natsu couldn't blame him. As far as he was concerned she could rot in a cell for what she'd done. Five weeks of starvation was a slow and tortured death for those poor horses. One that could have been avoided. But if anyone could make sure she got a punishment that was deserved it was Gray Fullbuster. The man had taken after his father very well in both the court room and in his looks, making him quite well known around Magnolia and even some other nearby towns. He'd even had the opportunity to work at a big law firm alongside his brother in Hargeon but he'd turned it down in favor of staying in Magnolia.
Natsu was plenty thankful his friend had chosen to stay when dealing with cases like these (though he'd never admit it). It had turned into an immediate removal situation, with only five of the eight live horses able to be shipped off with the volunteers to foster homes. The other three were too far gone and had to be put down on the site. It'd been hell but at least Natsu was able to focus on the animals while Gray took care of all the legal crap. If he'd had to even look at the damn owner Natsu was sure he would've cracked her jaw. Woman or no.
Honestly, if there was ever a time Natsu wanted to listen to Haru talk about fairies and dragons and watch Lucy fuss over him it was now. They were just so warm and…nice.
"'M listenin'," he muttered as he slouched back in his chair.
Gray rolled his dark blue eyes and tugged at his collar, popping open the top button with a sigh of relief. With Natsu's office located in the back of the building right next to the boiler and back-up generator it was always at least ten degrees hotter than the rest of the building. Not that Natsu minded. He'd rather sit in a hot office a few hours throughout the day than make any of the animals deal with the heat. That, and Natsu thought it was hilarious that Gray couldn't stand it for even a few minutes.
Serves him right for growing up in a freezer, little ice cream lovin' jerk.
"Yeah? Then you won't mind if we finish your report in my office," Gray said, picking at his second button.
Natsu frowned. "What? No! I can't leave, snow cone. I still have surgeries to do and shit!" He glanced at his watch and cursed. His next appointment wasn't due for another thirty minutes but Natsu still had stuff to do. "I can't be bothered with all this paper work anyway." Natsu smirked and poked his pencil against Gray's chest. "That's your job, Ice Queen."
Gray glared back at him through his dark bangs and Natsu was starting to wonder why they were even friends. Again. "It's yours too, idiot. 'Sides, your report is what makes these cases. Being the "doctor" and all."
Natsu ignored the air quotes around the doctor part, shoving his chair back and draping his stethoscope around his shoulders. The cold metal still felt weird against his bare neck, but he couldn't exactly wear his scarf around the hospital. Too many chances for it to get ripped or bitten or covered in something gross. There was a reason most of his scrubs were dark red or black.
As Lisanna always said, "It's not a good day if you're not covered in crap and blood when you fall into bed."
"Look, I'll get the reports to you when I'm on lunch. I've been too busy helping these horses to even write about it!"
Gray scribbled that on his notepad. "So their conditions are that bad, huh?"
"Yes," Natsu snapped. It was shit like this that really pissed him off. Who the hell just leaves eight horses without food or water for five weeks? Natsu knew for a fact there were plenty of people who would've watched them free of charge. His little sister in particular would have loved to horse-sit had she been asked.
Natsu sighed and stomped out of his office. "Sorry Gray. I gotta get to my appointments. We'll finish this on lunch."
Gray hummed as he walked into the hallway after Natsu. "Yeah fine. Just don't be late. Gramps won't give us the lunch discount if it's after two."
Natsu paused and rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Well…I was thinkin' we could eat at Sabretooth, actually," he mumbled.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "Why? Place has been busier than Hell on Halloween. Ever since Sting got that new waitress everyone's been trying to meet her. The Trimens have been going there every day from what I've heard."
Natsu frowned and felt his eyebrow twitch. He'd heard about Hibiki, Ren and Eve frequenting the bar and grill a lot lately. The three were well known around town for their habit of hitting on every lady around, even when it wasn't wanted. Honestly, he wasn't surprised the three were looking for Lucy, he could admit she was pretty. He just hoped Sting's overprotective nature was enough to get them to back off. Natsu smirked. If not Sting then Lector should do the trick.
He hadn't realized Gray was looking at him until he glanced over to see him cock an eyebrow with a knowing smirk that Natsu really wanted to punch right off. "Oh. I see what's going on."
Natsu glared at him and forced his hands to unclench from his sides. Yeah, he was really startin' to wonder why they were friends at all. Smug bastard. "Ain't nothin' goin' on. Ya know Sting gives me that deal."
Gray only hummed, his smirk widening to a smug grin. "Sure. And the fact you've been having breakfast with this new lady ain't got nothing to do with it."
"Who told you that?"
Gray shrugged. "Juvia mentioned she saw you eating with a blond and some kid. She said she didn't recognize her so I figured it was this new girl."
Natsu cursed under his breath. He remembered seeing Juvia stop by Sabretooth to pick up breakfast once or twice but he hadn't thought much of it. He should've known that she would blab to Gray as soon as she saw him. Ever since she started hanging out with Lisanna and her older sister Mirajane, Juvia had started to hop aboard the gossip train more and more. Gray hated it and now Natsu could see why. When Gray wasn't in the court room he was a quiet guy who didn't like too much drama. Which begged the question why he was best friends with Natsu and officially/unofficially "not dating" Juvia, both of which were pretty known for their dramatic flair throughout town.
Natsu sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "It's not like that," he said when Gray raised an eyebrow. "Lucy and I are…friends? I dunno…we just like to talk, nothing major."
Gray nodded. "And the kid?"
Natsu couldn't have stopped his grin if he tried. "That's Haru, Lucy's boy. Really good kid and super fun too. Ya know he's actually hell bent and determined to find some dragon livin' around here? Guess he wants a wish or somethin'." Natsu nudged his friend's shoulder, grinning. "Brings back old memories huh, Ice Queen?"
Gray rolled his eyes and shoved Natsu's shoulder before walking over to the door. "I'll see ya at Sabretooth. Don't be late, Flame Head!"
Natsu bit back the urge to flip him off. While he was known for his quick temper, the last time he'd done that to Gajeel in the waiting room Lisanna had thrown her shoe at him as well as assigned him to clean up the kennels for his "rude behavior", something she always managed to do despite him being the boss. He glanced around the waiting room at the few people sitting around filling out their forms with their pets at their feet. If he remembered his schedule right, he had five morning appointments all before noon, plus anyone who dropped in and the surgeries he had set up between appointments.
He'd already done two neuters and had another surgery set to remove a benign tumor off a cat's shoulder at around ten thirty. Not bad for a Thursday but it was when he'd have to leave the office for his farm visits in the afternoon that things would get really busy. Nothin' like vaccinating over a hundred steers that were two pats shy from feral to get the blood pumpin'. At least he'd be able to get his reports done in between his appointments if things went well. Lisanna could handle any check-ups and extra surgeries, plus he had enough staff members to help if things suddenly got really busy.
Walking to the check-in counter, he shuffled through a few papers that needed signing while reaching out to scratch Happy's ears while the kitten slept in the wicker basket Natsu had placed on the counter for him. He purred while rolling over to let Natsu rub his belly. Natsu smirked. "Life's treatin' you good, eh little buddy?"
Happy peeked open one dark eye before rolling back onto his stomach, needing his claws in the blanket while he stretched his whole body out in one long line. Natsu chuckled and let Happy bite at his fingers when Lisanna walked in from the hallway holding a clipboard tucked under her arm.
"Natsu!" she cried, making him jump nearly a foot in the air. "There you are. Are you and Gray done yet?"
Natsu raised an eyebrow at her and slowly nodded. "Everything okay?" he asked. He didn't think they looked very busy and his next surgery could wait a little longer if needed.
Lisanna held the clip board out to him. "Your next appointment is here and in room three." She clasped her hands together in front of her kitten covered pink smocks and cooed, "Such a cute little boy."
Glancing at his watch Natsu frowned. It was only ten past nine. "They're here already? It's not even nine-thirty." He'd been hoping to catch up on his usual paper work, maybe grab a cup of coffee first. Mavis knew he needed it.
Lisanna shrugged, her short, white hair brushing her shoulders while pulling a few papers from one of the filing cabinets behind the counter. "The lady said she wanted to come by early in case things weren't busy. I guess she and her son are a little worried about their dog. The poor thing."
Natsu hummed and glanced down at the clipboard. "Dog's got a hernia?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure. I didn't get a chance to check. That's what the lady thinks it is anyway." She was still rushing through the cabinets, pulling out files and papers like it was a race.
"You okay?" Natsu asked.
"Mrs. Spetto called," was all she said.
Natsu cringed. Knowing her, the old woman would come in politely fussing over the smallest scratch on one of her cats and wouldn't leave until either Natsu or Lisanna gave every animal a full once over. Natsu wasn't sure how she did it, but Mrs. Spetto managed to be so polite and genuinely concerned about what was basically nothing to worry about that no one even bothered trying to turn her away anymore. It was to the point now that they had copies of all her cats' information on file so she didn't even have to fill out forms anymore. They still tried to politely rush through her spontaneous drop-ins as fast as possible though.
He was about to turn to the next page on the clipboard when his gaze caught on the owner's name. Natsu grinned so wide his cheeks actually started to hurt. "You can handle Mrs. Spetto right Lis?" he asked, already speed walking towards the exam rooms. "I'll just get this first appointment outta the way and then jump right into that mornin' surgery."
He ignored Lisanna's protests about how it was his turn to deal with the old woman, but as Natsu figured, there were always perks to being the head honcho. Besides, he'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't even a little excited to see the family in room three.
Natsu was still grinning when he opened the door to the exam room and saw the two people he'd been thinking about not even ten minutes ago. Lucy stood leaning against the exam table watching Haru closely while the boy pressed his plastic stethoscope against a white and very fluffy dog's chest.
"Hear anything?" Lucy asked, smiling when Haru gave a firm nod.
"Yes. His heart is very strong."
Natsu's grin widened as he stepped into the room. "Hey Luce. Hey little man," he said, grinning down at the small boy and raising an eyebrow. "Decided to be a vet now, huh?" he asked.
"N-Natsu…" Lucy said, sounding completely confused the same moment Haru leapt up and dashed to Natsu's side.
"Natsu!" he cried, grabbing his hand and tugging Natsu over to the white dog. "Look! Me and mom got a new pet! His name is Plue and he's the best!" Haru motioned for Natsu to crouch down and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "We got him a soft bed that's in my room. But I let him sleep on my bed last night."
Natsu snickered and whispered back, "Yeah? Bet you had to hide him under the covers from your mom, huh?"
Haru nodded. "Yeah. She didn't even know he was there this morning."
Natsu glanced up at Lucy who look caught between being amused and still completely confused. He turned back to Haru and dropped down to one knee to pat the dog's head and scratch under its chin. "Nice to meet you Plue," he said, noticing Haru's glee at him properly meeting the dog. Just one of his many gifts that came with his job. He always introduced himself to an animal properly, in a child's opinion that is. "Oh, you're a sweet one, aren't you? How're you feelin' today?"
"Natsu…what are you doing here?" Lucy finally asked.
He looked up at her then and raised an eyebrow. Her eyebrows were pulled together in confusion and her bottom lip puffed out slightly in what was almost a pout. "Was told someone wasn't feelin' good today," he said simply, enjoying how Lucy's mouth fell open like a drowning fish as she blinked several times very fast. She suddenly seemed to notice his red smocks and the veterinarian symbol stitched over his heart as she slowly looked him up and down.
"Y-you're….you're the vet?" she stammered.
Natsu nodded as he turned back to Plue, a faint smirk pulling at his lips that he tried to hide. But in his defense, it was honestly very funny. How she had managed not to know he was the town's vet was beyond him. Small towns weren't very quiet and surely Sting would've mentioned it when blabbing on and on about Lector. Hell, he had the logo stamped to the sides of his truck! Though, he supposed it was a little dirty…
"Sure am. Me and Lisanna are the only ones in, I think it's twenty miles? I dunno, but it's just us in Magnolia. Though, I'm the owner of this fine establishment."
"Why didn't you say anything?" she demanded.
Natsu shrugged. "You never asked. Figured ya already knew." He flashed her a smug smirk then. "Not too hard to figure out in a town this small." Her eyes narrowed and a bright flush spread over her cheeks that Natsu had a hard time not staring at. He could silently admit he liked to annoy her mostly because of that red blush. It really was fun.
Lucy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, pointedly looking away. "You should have said something anyway," she huffed, making Natsu snicker.
Haru tugged on his sleeve and Natsu turned back to the boy. He was bouncing on his toes despite the very serious look on his face. "Natsu. Mom says she thinks Plue has a hern…um…" He paused to look up at Lucy when he couldn't remember the word.
"Hernia," she said, still looking caught between being embarrassed and out right annoyed.
Haru nodded. "Right. That." He looked back at Natsu, "You're the vet so you can make Plue feel better right?"
Natsu grinned and nodded. "I'll do my best kiddo."
He was already prodding Plue's belly, feeling around for the telltale lump of a hernia. His hand brushed over a lump, but it didn't feel like a hernia to Natsu. Frowning, he pulled out his stethoscope to place first against the side of Plue's belly and then to the other, then examined one of Plue's nipples. Humming to himself, Natsu slipped on a rubber glove with an exaggerated snap that made Haru snicker and did a quick internal.
Plue didn't even bat an eye at him, too focused on Haru as he ran his fingers through the dog's fur and whispered how good of a dog they were. Honestly, Natsu was a bit impressed with how attuned Plue was to Haru's whereabouts. The dog constantly had an eye on him, and between Plue and Lucy, Haru was clearly being well looked after. And the boy seemed just as attached to Plue, barely leaving their side and he constantly had a hand running through the dog's fur.
Natsu looked at Haru and grinned. "You're sure doin' a good job keeping Plue calm. We make a good team, eh kiddo?"
Haru grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! We're like partners?" he asked, sounding a little unsure if that was okay.
Natsu nodded and gave Haru a bright grin. "You bet we are!"
Haru seemed perfectly satisfied with that answer and Natsu caught Lucy give a small smile as well. He gave her a quick wink, enjoying how her eyes widened slightly and the blush returned to her cheeks, before he turned back to Plue. When he was done, Natsu stood and tossed his glove in the bin by the door.
Okay…so it wasn't a hernia and Natsu had a pretty good idea what it was too. "Mind if I take a blood sample and run some tests?" he asked, already grabbing a syringe from one of the cabinets.
"Sure," Lucy said.
"I'll help too," Haru added.
"Yeah? Well then why don't you put those dog whisperin' skills to work and keep Plue still for me."
Haru giggled and cupped Plue's muzzle in his small hands while softly telling the dog a story about dragons. Natsu took the blood sample as quick as possible, rubbing over Plue's leg when he was done before giving Haru a thumbs up.
"Alright," he said, standing. "I'll run this through the labs now. Shouldn't take too long. Then I'll know for sure."
"Know what for sure?" Haru asked.
Natsu looked down at him and winked. "Surprise," he said.
Haru whined but Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Is this anything to worry about?" she asked softly, worry evident in the crease of her brow.
Natsu grinned and shook his head as he walked backwards to the door. "Nah. Actually, I think ya'll will like this surprise."
Natsu ran through the blood tests as quick as the machine would let him. While he waited he glanced over the forms Lucy had filled out beforehand, taking particular interest in the dog's marked gender. He snickered under his breath when the results came back and shook his head in amusement. "Weirdo," he mumbled.
When he stepped back into the exam room, Haru was once again kneeling in front of Plue with his plastic stethoscope shoved into the thick fur on the dog's neck. "Ya know, kiddo, I don't think you'll have much luck using that little ol' thing to hear Plue's heart," Natsu said.
Haru blinked up at him and frowned in confusion. "But this is the only stealthoscope I got."
"Stethoscope, Haru," Lucy corrected.
Natsu grinned and pulled his own stethoscope from his shoulders to drape over Haru's. "Here. Try using this one."
Haru's grin was damn near blinding as he hurriedly stuffed the ear pieces in his ears and cried, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," over and over.
"Just for a moment Haru," Lucy added. "Then you'll have to give it back to Mr. Dragneel."
She looked at Natsu and gave a smirk that made Natsu roll his eyes but he still smiled. So they were back to that now, huh? Too bad he'd have the last laugh with his great surprise. "Well, I got good news and better news," he said, drawing the attention of Lucy and Haru as he placed his hands on his hips.
"What's the good news?" Haru asked, standing and matching his pose.
"Well, for one thing, Plue here doesn't have a hernia."
Haru whooped as he bounced up and down, Natsu's stethoscope bouncing with the movement while Lucy have a relieved sigh as she reached out to pat the dog's head. "Thank goodness," she sighed.
"Natsu! What's the better news?" Haru asked, tugging on the hem of his shirt to get his attention.
Natsu grinned down at Haru and ruffled the boy's hair. "Plue here, is pregnant!" he said.
And there it was. That look of absolute shock and confusion on Lucy's face. Her mouth fell open in a soundless gasp and her eyes widened as she stood there completely frozen, gaping like a fish once again. "Pre…pregnant…?" she mumbled.
"Pregnant!" Haru gasped, little hands clutching his short hair as his eyes widened in a very close replica of his mother's stunned expression, though he was smiling so wide Natsu was a little nervous he'd pull a muscle.
"Yeah. And for what I could feel I'd say you have at least six puppies comin'."
"Six puppies," Lucy mumbled.
"Six puppies!" Haru cried, bouncing around in a funny little dance that Natsu laughed at.
Natsu merely grinned at Lucy's stunned face. Man these two were fun to be around. "Yep! And from the looks of things, I'd say she's about seven weeks along."
"S-seven weeks!" Lucy cried, one hand smacking her forehead.
"Seven weeks!" Haru hollered. "Seven weeks and then we're gonna have puppies!"
"No Haru," Lucy murmured, sounding like she was correcting him automatically but not really out of her shock yet. "That's how long Plue has been pre-pregnant."
Natsu nodded sagely, his arms crossed over his chest. "Yep. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed. But I guess since her hair's so long it's hard to tell. Funny thing is, you must've accidently wrote down that Plue was a boy," he said and rapped his knuckle against the clipboard. He shrugged, "Happens to the best of us."
Lucy stood ram-rod straight stuttering over her own words as she tried to process everything. Natsu waited patiently while biting his cheek to keep from smiling. Haru was the first in the room to snap back into himself as he gave a loud whoop and very carefully wrapped his arms around Plue in a way that was so tender it made Natsu smile softly at him. Kid sure was somethin' special. "Plue!" he cried. "You're gonna be a mom! We're gonna have puppies!"
That seemed to pull Lucy out of whatever internal crisis she was having as she looked down at her son and dog. "But…Plue's a boy…"
Natsu snorted and shook his head. So that's why she was so shocked. Natsu had thought her reaction was a bit much but now it all made sense. "Not sure who told ya that, but I'd say they don't know their stuff."
Lucy turned a brilliant shade of red that made her pale skin look even lighter. It was kinda cute and certainly funny looking. She huffed and crossed her arms, doing her best to look like she wasn't freaking out but Natsu could see her eyebrow occasionally twitch, plus her cheeks were still the color of red apples. "We found him-err…her in the park yesterday. Given how dirty he-uh, she was it's a perfectly reasonable mistake," she snapped.
Natsu smirked. "I'm sure it is, Miss Heartfilia."
Lucy's blush darkened once again but this time Natsu wasn't sure if it was just from embarrassment. Maybe it wasn't best to tease her so much. She did look pretty pissed, standing completely straight, arms crossed, frown pulling her full lips down into a pout and tapping her foot as she glared at him for all he was worth. Yeah…maybe he should get on with it.
Natsu cleared his throat and wrote a few quick notes on Plue's file. "Anyways…the lump you felt was actually an infection in one of her mammary glands. Pretty common in dogs, especially since you said she was a stray. Good for you for taking her in by the way! I'll prescribe you some antibiotics which should clear it right up but I want ya to bring her back in within a week for a checkup. If it's still around by the time the pups come we may have an issue letting them nurse."
"Antibiotics?" Lucy asked.
Natsu nodded and gave a dismissive wave. "Yeah. Nothin' major. Just a little pill that you can put in a hot dog or somethin'. If she's anything like my cousin's dog she'll eat it right up." He glanced down at Haru and snickered. "'Sides. I don't think you'll have to worry much about Plue, here. She's gonna be a natural mom."
Lucy cocked her head to the side and frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Well for starters, she's already got the patience of a saint." Natsu nodded to where Haru was currently kneeling beside Plue, placing his stethoscope in her ear before pressing the cold metal on Plue's nose. Plue simply turned her head when she decided she'd had enough. No barking, no snapping, no whining. How the hell Lucy and Haru managed to find such a good stray he'd never know. Every stray he'd ever dealt with was at least a little skittish, but Plue here acted like she'd been the family pet for years.
Lucy chuckled and placed a hand on Plue's head when the dog nuzzled her thigh. "She certainly is a good dog." Plue wagged her tail while happily licking Lucy's hand. Lucy clicked her tongue and looked back up at Natsu. "What about her shots and vaccinations?"
"We'll do those after she gives birth," Natsu said. "It's not safe for the pups now but it'll be fine when she starts nursing. For most vaccines anyway. Plue's healthy enough now that I wouldn't worry about it." Natsu grinned up at her and then Haru. "You two must have some good luck, huh?"
Haru smiled and nodded excitedly. "Yep. Uncle Sting calls mom Lucky Lucy sometimes."
Natsu nodded seriously. He could certainly understand why. Not many people could claim to have found a stray dog that was fairly healthy and so well behaved, and when it was pregnant too! That definitely required some luck. "That right?" He knelt back down to look Haru in the eye. "Ya know, I'd say it was a little bit of magic that helped ya find Plue, here," he said. Haru's eyes widened and he actually looked speechless for a minute.
"Really?" he whispered.
"Really," Natsu whispered back. Hey, they were partners after all! "And ya know, magic is somethin' that's really hard to find, but you wanna know a little trick my old man told me about magic?" Haru nodded, eyes still wide and looking a little awestruck. "Sometimes, if you're thinkin' real hard about the people you love, magic will come to you."
Haru's breath seemed to catch in his throat but instead of being excited and asking a million questions like Natsu was expecting, he just stood there twisting his shirt in his small hands. Lucy cleared her throat and pulled Natsu's attention back from Haru. "Natsu. I've still got a few questions about Plue and the puppies, if you don't mind."
Natsu frowned slightly and glanced back at Haru. The boy was still staring at him with a strange look on his face that was a mix of awe and sadness. Natsu felt something like a heavy weight settle over his chest. Whatever he'd said, it seemed to have upset Haru more than cheered him up. And Natsu felt like a real piece of crap for it, whatever it was.
"Right, right," he said, quickly standing and turning his attention back to Lucy. She gave him a small, encouraging smile that seemed to be an unspoken assurance that he hadn't overstepped any bounds, which was a relief on Natsu's part. Though, he made a mental note to try to cheer the boy up as soon as he could. Haru wasn't Haru if he wasn't smiling and laughing.
"So…the gestation period lasts nine weeks, which should be enough time for you to prepare. I'm not sure what breed Plue is, but her hips are wide enough that you won't have to worry about that. Normally there isn't much you'll need to do, but keep in mind that she'll want a cool, dark place to have her pups, so you might want to put some old blankets in your garage."
Lucy frowned and rubbed her arm bashfully. "That might be a problem. Our house doesn't have a garage. It's one of the old cottages on Strawberry Street," Lucy said.
Natsu nodded, rubbing his chin. "Well, you have a small room or maybe a large closet?"
Lucy paused to think about it and Natsu risked a glance down at Haru, smiling softly when he saw the boy was pressing his stethoscope over Plue's stomach again. Lucy suddenly snapped her fingers and nearly made Natsu jump. "There is one room that should work," she said, "but it's kinda filled with pots and potting soil at the moment. I still have to weed the backyard and clean the shed before I can move any of it."
Natsu rubbed the back of his neck and tried for a reassuring grin. "Well…I gotta friend who's in the landscaping business if ya think that'll help. I'll talk to him and he'll give you a good deal."
Lucy's gaze softened and she smiled up at him, "That's very nice of you, Natsu. Thank you."
Natsu felt his neck heat up and blamed it on the lack of cold metal hanging there. He cleared his throat and looked away, trying to focus on the file before him. "Yeah, well that's what friends do, Luce." He chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at her. "I'm just glad you seem to be off that whole 'Mr. Dragneel' kick."
She smirked and leaned forward just a tiny bit, but it was enough for Natsu to smell her perfume. Vanilla and daisy's. Not a combo Natsu would've thought was any good but Lucy somehow made it seem perfectly normal.
"Does me calling you that really bother you?" she asked, playfully.
He looked at her and for some reason could only think about how much better his name sounded when Lucy or even Haru said it. Weird. "Yeah," he said, feeling the corner of his mouth pull up in a lopsided grin. "It does."
After getting Lucy the antibiotics and a treat for Plue, Natsu walked them to the front door. Whatever had bothered Haru seemed to have passed as he pulled Natsu down to quickly listen to his heartbeat when Lucy told him he had to give it back. Natsu laughed the whole time, ignoring the lingering glances he could feel coming his way in favor of trying to make Haru laugh. No doubt this would just be another gossip train for people to jump on.
"Say, Luce?" he asked as he stood, draping the stethoscope over his neck. She hummed, too busy fishing her keys out of her bag to look up. "You workin' today?"
"Huh? Oh, no." She glanced up at him before quickly looking away, the tips of her ears turning red. "I asked for the day off just in case it was a hernia and you'd need to do surgery." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I need to stop calling off so much. I think I'm getting a little lazy." Natsu tossed his head back and laughed. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged and wiped at his eyes, "Just wonderin'," he said.
He waved them off, promising Haru he'd try to have breakfast with them tomorrow before heading back to prep for his next surgery. He wasn't worried about going to Sabretooth now with Gray. The guy couldn't very well try to interrogate someone who wasn't there after all, so it looked like his day that had started out so awful was turning into something pretty nice. And all because of a certain little family that Natsu thought were possibly some of the weirdest people he'd ever met.
But first, I'll have to wash my stethoscope, he thought, looking down at the earwax and fur on the cold metal.