AN: Hey guys, this prompt is extra special today because it is a lot longer than all the previous ones (close to 4500 words without the author's notes to be exact). And this story also has Daddy!Natsu and three of his and Lucy's babies (well, one is more prominent than the other two, but they are mentioned every now and then). So I hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: Mashima doesn't even speak English, so why would I be writing fanfiction in the English language?

Natsu was rummaging through the fridge for a late-night snack when his sharp hearing picked up the pitter-patter of feet.

'Most likely Igneel and Jude trying to sneak into the cookie jar again…' He thought with a chuckle. He still remembered the night when he and Lucy heard a crash in their kitchen. They had immediately sprang out of bed and into action only to find their twin boys trying to clean up the broken glass and crumbled sweets that were knocked to the floor. Lucy had been furious, but Natsu laughed in good nature. After all, they were his kids too.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his pants. Not turning around from the fridge, he said, "Ig, Jude, you know what Mama says about sugar before bed."

"I'm not Igneel or Jude, Daddy!" came the high-pitched reply and Natsu finally looked around to see his youngest, Layla, looking at him with vibrant green eyes and a cute pout on her lips.

"Oh! Hehe… Sorry, La. I expected your brothers to be up at this hour." He then closed the refrigerator and gave her a curious look, "Why are you up at this hour? You're not sick are you?"

Layla shook her head, strawberry blonde hair flying every which way. "I was wondering if Mama was home yet."

Natsu sighed. Earlier that week, Mirajane and Erza had offered to take Lucy and a few of the other women to a weekend spa trip. Since Lucy hadn't had a break from her chaotic—but loving, Natsu always reminded her—family in a long time, she quickly agreed. They left the day before, leaving Natsu to babysit his mischievous twin sons and doting daughter.

"Honey, you know Mama won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," he told her, trying to be gentle since Layla was only six and still prone to crying fits.

Her pout increased, "But I can't sleep. Not without her telling me a bedtime story."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her, "You slept fine last night."

"Not really. I had Jude read me something, but it still wasn't the same! He was mostly doing it so I would leave him alone and he isn't as good at telling them as Mama is."

Natsu chuckled. While Jude did take a good amount of Lucy's genetics—including a love for literature—he will admit that he wasn't as good with story telling as Lucy was. Hell, Natsu was pretty sure nobody was as good a storyteller as his wife!

"So what do you want?" he asked her. He could try to use a lacrima phone to contact the spa Lucy was at, but since it was almost midnight he doubted there would be anyone who would answer.

"I want you to tell me a bedtime story!" Layla said with finality.

Now Natsu was confused, "Ehh? Silly girl, you just said you couldn't sleep unless Mama tells the story."

"But Daddy has been with Mama forever, so he might be able to tell me a story!" she said triumphantly with a wide grin, as if she solved all the world's problems.

Natsu chuckled at his daughter enthusiasm. He highly doubted he could tell a good story as well as his wife, but since his little girl had so much faith in him, he felt like he could do anything!

Scooping Layla up, Natsu said, "If Daddy's girl wants a story, then that's what Daddy will give her!"

"Yay!" the six-year-old cheered as her father walked into her room and set her on the bed. He moved to the bookshelf and started skimming titles.

"What would you like to hear?" he asked her.

"Hmm…" she put on a thinking pose, eyes closed and hand poised on her chin before her face morphed into a grin, "I got it! Make up a story!"

'Oh hell.' Reading a story is one thing (all Natsu had to do was make funny voices until Layla was out like a light), however, making up a story was where he always ran short. This was why Lucy was the author of the family!

But if she wanted a story, who was he to refuse?

"Er, okay." He said as he sat on her bed, wracking his brain for what he could say. Deciding to just wing it like he always does, he began, "Once upon a time, there was a—uhm…"

Okay, who was always the center of stories like these? He thought about his wife and immediately grinned at an idea.

"A princess!" he said and mentally patted himself on the back at the awed look on Layla's face. "Yeah, a princess who was locked up in this big tower by her strict father."

"Ooooh, is this like Rapunzel?" Layla asked, bouncing excitedly on her bed. Maybe she was the one who snuck sugar before bed and not her brothers.

"Rap-what?" Natsu asked, completely lost. Damn it, he knew he should've paid attention to all those fairy tales Lucy told him and Happy. It was really hard to pay attention when her brown eyes got so enchanted as she read and her voice would say these simple words when really it was like a whole different world she was painting to him and—

Damn he missed his wife.

Shaking his head of his thoughts he told Layla, "Yeah, it's kind of like that; but different. This story has a dragon in it!" Because all the cool stories have dragons, duh.

"Like Grandpa Igneel? And Uncle Atlas?"

"Yeah except not as old." He knew he would be roasted if his adoptive father and uncle heard him, but he'll worry about that later.

"What's the Princess's name? Why did her father put her in a tower? Was the dragon protecting her?" Layla spouted off question after question, making her father's head spin.

"Whoa, hold on, kiddo. I just started the story a minute ago and now you want back-story? Be patient, I'm getting there." He chuckled at her pout and continued with his impromptu tale.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Lucy.

("You named her after Mama?"

"Of course! She was technically, sort of a princess before.")

However, Princess Lucy didn't like being a princess. She wanted to leave her royal status behind and go out to see what else the world could offer her. After many failed attempts to escape the confinements of her castle, her father, the king, decided to punish his daughter and lock her in a tall tower that was protected by an enchanted dragon. He then decreed that whoever could slay the dragon and rescue his daughter would become Lucy's husband and the next king of the land.

Unfortunately for potential suitors, the dragon on guard was a very powerful one. Its roar would make bravest weak in their knees, its breath of blazing fire could shatter the mightiest defenses, and its devoted loyalty to the princess knew no bounds.

("Are you saying the dragon loved the princess, Daddy?"

"Maybe…")

Once Princess Lucy realized her guard's devotion to her was not because of her father but because the dragon truly cared for her, she decided to befriend him. After all, it got very lonely in her personal prison.

"Can you speak?" she asked him one day.

The beast's mouth turned upwards into a smile and to Lucy's surprise, he answered.

"Yep!"

There was a pause before the princess cried out, "Wait a minute! I've been in this tower for months—almost a year—and you just now decided to talk to me?!"

The dragon gave her a blank look, "You never asked before, you weirdo."

"I'm not a weirdo! You are, you stupid dragon!"

"That's mean, Lucy."

("…"

"What?"

"This really is you and Mama isn't it?"

"No, honey, it is Princess Lucy and her Dragon Protector. Now hush so I can finish the story.")

Over time, Lucy and her dragon (who introduced himself as Natsu) kept getting closer and closer. They would talk all day, telling each other stories and sharing just about anything they wanted the other to know. It wasn't long before the princess figured out that a life without Natsu wasn't really much of a life; and because he hadn't been defeated since she was sentenced to the tower, she was content with possibly being with him for the rest of her life.

"Why can't I just marry you?" she whispered to herself as she watched him scare off more of her potential suitors.

"What was that, Lucy?" he asked, turning his head to her. Lucy slapped her hand over her mouth. She did not mean for him to hear that, and really, it was a stupid musing. Seriously, wanting to marry a dragon? How blasphemous could she be?

"N-Nothing. Just rambling to myself." She assured him but she could tell he didn't believe her.

"You know," he began as he slumped on the ground while looking up at where she was perched on her window, "there is a reason I'm an enchanted dragon."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you tell me you were enchanted because you could speak human and that my father hired some wizard to put a spell on you to make you this tower's personal guard?"

"Well, yeah," he said like he was talking to a small child, "but there are other reasons why I'm enchanted."

"And you're just now telling me this?!"

"I didn't think it was important."

The princess huffed, "Natsu, you're being really stupid right now."

"Hey, don't be like that! Do you want to know what else makes me enchanted or not?"

Lucy giggled at her best friend. He almost looked like he was giving her a pout, which she realized was really cute of him. Shaking her head of her thoughts, Lucy gave him a nod, "Sorry, sorry. Tell me, what else makes the Great and Almighty Dragon enchanted?"

The dragon sat up straight and puffed out his chest, "Well, you see—"

"ALAS, FAIR MAIDEN, YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR HAS ARRIVED!"

Natsu and Lucy turned their attention to the obnoxious voice and were surprised to see a brown haired man in steel armor riding on a pristine white horse. Natsu snorted smoke in frustration.

"Are you serious? I thought I was done with you pansy-ass princes for the day!"

"You dare talk to the valiant Dan Straight like that, you treacherous beast?" the knight yelled, jumping off of his steed and pointing his lance at Natsu, "I am here to defeat you and save Princess LuLu-chama so I may have her hand in marriage!"

"LuLu-chama?" Lucy balked with slight disgust. Seriously, who was this guy?

Natsu rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Lucy, "I'll handle this guy, Luce. Just stay there and watch me kick his ass."

"As if I have any other choice…" she muttered but shrugged, leaning against her window. This would be a short battle, and once it was over she and Natsu could finish the conversation they were having.

The dragon and knight squared off against each other. Natsu, obviously wanting to end this fight as quickly as possible, used his signature move: his breath attack. He watched as his flames engulfed Dan Straight and smirked at the possibility of seeing charred remains. However, before Natsu knew it, his Fire Dragon's Roar was moving right back at him. Not expecting this turn of events, the plume of fire hit him dead on.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out as she witnessed her friend trying to shake off his own flames. Meanwhile, Dan was on the other side of the battlefield, not an ash covering his metallic armor.

"What the hell was that?" Natsu asked, finally recovering from the shock of his own attack betraying him.

Dan indicated to his shield, "This, you vile beast, is my magic shield Ricochet. It is specially made to where any attack that is inflicted on it goes right back to the owner. In other words, your attacks are useless!"

His explanation sent a wave of uneasiness through Lucy. 'Could Natsu actually lose this battle?'

As if sensing her discomfort, Natsu turned back to his princess, "Don't worry, Luce. I've been through worse, trust me. I won't let him take you away from me."

The dragon's words did their job and made Lucy a little more relieved, "I trust you, my dragon. Please be careful."

"BLASPHEMOUS!" Dan screeched, ruining the two's moment much to their annoyance, "Could it be that this disgusting creature has bewitched the beautiful princess into falling for him?! Never fear, my darling Lu-myun, I shall kill the dragon and save you from this putrid curse!"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" Natsu growled and attacked Dan with a swipe of his large tail. Thankfully, Dan did not have enough time to dodge or use his shield, earning Natsu a direct hit. The knight flew and hit the dense tree line.

Dan sprung to his feet. With a determined look on his face, he charged the might dragon. Natsu was more than ready for him and counter attacked each jolt from his lance, carefully dodging any attacks that were ricocheted back to him.

Lucy watched the two go back and forth. While she did trust Natsu, she still could not help but worry. While her dragon did have similar fights where it looked like he may lose, he always managed to pull through in the end. However, unlike those other battles, Natsu didn't have to worry about his own attacks striking him—and from what she remembered from their many conversations, only dragon magic could kill a dragon. And right now, Natsu looked very exhausted.

"Do you give up yet, Dragon?" Dan questioned as he struck with his lance.

"As if." Natsu replied as he intercepted the blow with his wing, "I'd rather die than have the likes of you take Lucy!"

"That can be arranged!" he shouted as he ducked and rolled until he was under Natsu's belly. Since it was an awkward position, Natsu couldn't quite pinpoint where Dan was to attack, and if he moved away Dan would just move with him.

Lucy squinted her eyes to get a better view of the battle and gasped when she located Dan brandishing a long, dangerous looking dagger.

"Natsu! Look out!"

Before the dragon could process the princess's words, Dan managed to trip him with his lance, causing Natsu to topple over and onto his side. As a last ditch effort, Natsu breathed a plume of fire, only for it to unfortunately be dealt back to him thanks to that blasted shield. Natsu was trying to recover from his own attack, giving Dan the chance to sprint up to him. With all his might, he thrust the dagger into Natsu's stomach; causing the poor dragon to cry out the most pained and heartbreaking cry Lucy had ever heard.

"NATSU!" she screeched and ran to her chamber doors, trying in vain to break down the barrier that was locked from the outside. When that failed to work, she sprinted back to her window and tried to climb over the tower's wall.

"No, Princess, that is dangerous! I know you are eager to meet your savior, but let me unlock the door for you—"

"Can it already!" she snarled from her position. "Just get me out of here and to my dragon!"

Despite the rejection, Dan did as he was told, going inside the tower and making his way up the stairs. Once at Lucy's chamber door, he found the hidden key the king had told all potential suitors about and unlocked the door. Before he could grab his prize, Lucy shoved him out of the way and made her way down to where Natsu still laid in pain.

"Natsu, are you going to be alright?" she asked but immediately scolded herself for the stupid question. He was practically writhing in pain; of course he wasn't going to be all right!

Natsu gave a bitter chuckle. "You weirdo, of…of course I'm going to be…alright. It's…just a flesh…wound," his words were separated by wheezes as his breathing became more haggard. He coughed, blood coming up and onto the green grass. Lucy felt tears well up in her eyes and glared at the man who did this to her precious friend.

"What kind of weapon did you use? It just looks like an ordinary dagger, it shouldn't have been able to put Natsu in such a state!"

Dan had the decency to look sympathetic, "You see, Princess, just like my shield, my dagger is magic too. I had a wizard make it to where it could kill any enemy that I wished. He said that it could kill them from the inside out."

Lucy was horrified. Kill his enemies from the inside out? No… Then that meant she really would lose Natsu.

"No… NO! I absolutely refuse to believe he will leave me!" she wrapped her arms as best as she could around her dragon's neck, "I won't let you leave me alone!"

"Lucy…" Natsu breathed. To be honest, the princess's tear streaked face hurt him a lot more than some stupid magic dagger wound.

"Princess Lucy," Dan started as he slowly approached her, his face solemn and serious, "I am sorry to have brought you so much sorrow, but I had to do what I had to do. The dragon is dying, and I am ordered to bring you home to your father."

"I refuse!" she said with finality, giving him another glare. "Go back and tell my father. I don't care. Just leave me alone so I can have my last moments with Natsu!"

Heaving a sigh, Dan complied and mounted his steed. Lucy didn't even acknowledge his retreating form as she continued to cry and mourn her one and only true friend.

"Lucy…" Natsu breathed again only to get cut off by said girl.

"Shhh, don't speak. Save your energy." The last thing she wanted was to lose him too soon.

"But I need to tell you something. It's important."

His insistency made Lucy's already broken heart hurt even more. She nodded, "Okay, what is it you want to tell me?"

Natsu gave a weak grin as he spoke, "I want you to know that you're the best friend I have ever had. You are really kind and compassionate and just really fun to hang out with. I would've protected you forever if I could."

If Lucy wasn't sobbing already, she sure as hell was bawling now. His words were too sweet and too much like a permanent goodbye.

"Natsu, please—"

"Let me finish! I also want you to know that even though you're a princess and royalty and all that other stuff, you are still Lucy to me and nothing could ever change that." He closed his eye sand Lucy was scared they wouldn't open again, but was relieved when they did and had a determined look in them.

"I love you, Lucy. I always have and I always will, don't forget it."

With that, he closed his eyes again and she felt his breathing slow down to a stop. Panic settled within Lucy.

"Natsu? Natsu, no, you can't… You can't just die like that! Not without me giving you a proper farewell also!" she cried to him, her voice cracking and choking with each sob that left her throat, "You are my best friend, too. The only true friend I've ever had! Even though you can be an idiot, you are understanding, loyal, and fun to be around. I was glad that you always defeated those ignorant suitors because I would rather live in this tower than to be apart from you. You cannot leave me because I need to tell you that I love you too!"

She sat there next to him, crying until she couldn't cry anymore. As she looked at his motionless body, she decided to give in and pressed a soft kiss to his scaly face. When she pulled her lips away, she sniffed and curled herself into his massive body. She didn't care how long she would lie there with him. She didn't even give a thought about Dan Straight and how he was probably telling her father of his victory and of her whereabouts to be taken home. As long as she was close to her dragon, she was fine.

"…"

"…What?"

"That's it?!" Layla yelled at her father, slamming her fists on her comforter and giving him a glare similar to her mother's, "That's how you end the story—killing the dragon and making the princess miserable? What kind of story is that?!"

Natsu tried to placate his daughter's anger, "Hold on, La, the story isn't even over yet."

Layla stopped her mini tantrum to give her father a curious look, "It's not?"

"Nope," he replied with a toothy grin, "we still got the grand finale!"

When Lucy woke up from her sorrow-induced sleep, she noticed two things. One, it appeared to be very early in the morning—she must have slept all night by Natsu's body. Two, she was no longer curled up beside her faithful dragon, but instead in the arms of a man. A man who she did not know…

The princess gave a piercing shriek and scrambled away from the stranger. Looking around her surroundings, she realized that Natsu's lifeless body was nowhere to be seen. The unknown man awoke form her scream and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Luuucy! Why are you shouting so early in the—OW! What was that for?!" the stranger demanded when Lucy began assaulting him with her fists. He managed to move away from her attacks and gave her a questioning look. Lucy wouldn't let him speak though since she had questions of her own.

"Who are you? How do you know my name? Why was I in your arms? And more importantly, what did you do with Natsu?"

The man blinked at the glaring girl for a second before saying, "What are you going on about, Luce? I am Natsu?"

They were silent for a moment, scrutinizing the other. Lucy was the first to react by smacking the man claiming to be her best friend.

"Impossible! Natsu's a dragon. How can you be him?"

It was that moment that the man looked down at himself. Lucy saw his face change in a myriad of expressions—confusion, shock, and then outright joy as he began to laugh a hearty, boisterous laugh.

"You did it, Luce!" he exclaimed as he ran to the blonde and crushed her body to his, lifting her up and spinning her around until she couldn't see straight. "You broke the curse!"

He stopped spinning and set her back to the ground, giving her a face-splitting grin. It took a while for the world to stop spinning, but once Lucy retrieved her bearings, she looked to him and asked, "What on earth are you talking about? What curse? What did I do? And you still haven't answered my questions!"

Natsu chuckled, "Silly Lucy, I told you didn't I? I am Natsu, the Enchanted Dragon, remember?"

Finally, Lucy took a good, hard look at the person. He was a few inches taller than her; had spiky, rose colored hair that was shades lighter than her dragon friend's scales; his eyes were slanted with hazel orbs staring at her adoringly (she had to stop herself from staring too deeply into them); and finally, she looked at his broad grin. Sure enough, she caught the sight of fangs and that was when she knew. He was her Natsu!

"It really is you," she whispered, a fresh batch of tears rolling down her cheeks. "You are Natsu!"

She tackled him to the ground with a hug, blubbering to him her worries and relief while he returned her embrace, a softer smile on his lips as he stroked her hair. The touching moment didn't last long however, as Natsu was—once again—struck by Lucy.

"Why do you keep hitting me?!"

"Because you're an idiot! How come you never told me you were human?! All of this could have been avoided!"

"I was going to tell you yesterday, but that ass-hat knight interrupted us!" he said, causing Lucy to recall their conversation the day prior. So that was what he was gong to tell her?

"Besides," Natsu continued, "I didn't tell you earlier because this curse my family and I were put under doesn't allow us to tell our true forms until we meet the love of our lives or some crap like that. I didn't know for sure if you were my true love, so I didn't say anything. Also, it would've really sucked if I told you and you flat out rejected me. I actually likebeing with you.

"But when that Dan guy hit me with that magic weapon, I knew I was done for. So I thought, 'I should tell her so I don't die with any regrets.' Next thing I know, you're screaming and I'm human! Which means…"

He left the sentence hanging, wanting Lucy to finish it for him. She smiled at him and said, "I returned your feelings."

Natsu nodded and slowly lowered his head toward hers so they were eye to eye, "I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too, Natsu."

With that, they sealed their confession with a kiss. Once they were through, they went back to Lucy's home to tell her father that the princess had chosen to marry and rule the kingdom with Natsu. However, first they would travel the world and go on many adventures since Natsu wanted to find his other family members. It would take a while for the king to comply, but eventually everything would end up right for the two lovers from then on out.

And, in the end, they lived happily ever after.

"The end!" Natsu finished. He stared at his now sleeping daughter and checked the clock on her bedroom wall. It was a little past one in the morning.

'Lucy will kill me if she finds out Layla stayed up this late. Oh well, it was worth it!' He thought. He gave his darling daughter one last kiss, and exited her room and to the kitchen.

"Telling fairy tales works up an appetite. Maybe I'll have—Igneel! Jude! What did we tell you two about sugar before bed?!"

Only stories get a clichéd "Happily Ever After," but Natsu would beg to differ.

Despite the chaos and hardships, he wouldn't have his life any other way. This was his happily ever after.

AN: Kind of rushed the ending of this because by that point I was just trying to wrap everything up so it wouldn't get any longer.

5/6/18 - A few things to address (the revised version):

1) The names of Natsu and Lucy's children still aren't original, but I'm keeping them for the sake of authenticity of my writing (and part of me still likes the idea of naming their kids after dead relatives). And I don't care if it's somewhat canon, I will never call Natsu and Lucy's daughter "Nashi." You can have a gun to my head and I still would never accept it!

2) You people still remember Dan Straight? I still love him. I kept the silly nicknames he gives Lucy in the Japanese anime because I don't watch the dub so I have no idea what he calls her in that translation. So it's not me being a weeb, it's Dan being a freak (lmao).

3) Dan's shrinking lance is not used here because I could not find a way to make it fit into the battle. But since the story is fictitious and Natsu has been known to have a shit memory, it makes sense for it to not be there at all.

4) I mentioned Atlas Flame in the fic because I love that dragon, but now I'm sad because Uncle Atlas fucking DIED after this fic was published! Again, he stays for authenticity (and since most of these oneshots are canon divergent, UNCLE ATLAS SHALL LIVE ON!)

5) As I was revising I realized I didn't mention Happy once in this fic. Oops?

Well, that's all. Review and tell me what you think, okay? See you NaLu fans tomorrow!

Revised 5/6/18