Daddy
Author's Note: I couldn't help myself from adding chapters to this story. x)
Well, they're not chapters, per se, but just little snippets of their lives as Nashi gets older, you know? I hope you guys like it. Please review.
He was home alone with his beautiful three-month-old daughter that night. Lucy went out with the girls for some well-deserved time away from their apartment. Natsu had put the child to be around half an hour ago, so the house was pretty quiet. He was just finishing up putting away Nashi's toys when he heard her crying. He dropped what he was holding and speed-walked to her room. She was in her cradle – as he'd left her – and her blanket was pushed to the side, her arms and legs flailing as she cried. Natsu stepped into her room and leaned over the cradle to pick her up. "Hey, baby," he cooed softly, hoping to calm her down. Nashi continued to cry, but her voice had dwindled down a little. He brushed some of her light pink hair from her face as he began to rock her back and forth. "What's the matter?"
The small child clasped his one-sleeved shirt with both of her tiny hands, desperately trying to tell him something. She can't be hungry, he reasoned. I fed her before I put her to bed. Maybe she needs to burp? He lifted her up to his shoulder and gently pat her back. It didn't seem to do anything but cause her to wail. Natsu cringed at the high frequency beside his sensitive ear and settled her back against his chest, his ear ringing. Nope. He lifted a hand to her cheek and wiped her tears away with his thumb. "What is it, Nashi?" he asked gently as he started to bounce up and down. "Do you want Mama?" Nashi immediately halted her cries and looked up at him with big, tearful brown eyes. Natsu wasn't at all surprised with her response. She was incredibly smart from the day she was born. She may not be able to speak, but she seemed to understand some of what her parents would say to her.
That must be it, he thought with a grin. She wants Lucy. He reached into her cradle and grabbed her blanket, taking it with them as they her room. Sitting cross-legged on his and Lucy's bed, her wrapped her in her blanket. Like her father, Nashi had a heightened sense of smell, so he figured sitting on their bed – which was drenched in her mother's scent – would calm her down, even in the slightest. And it worked… for a moment. Nashi quickly began to cry again, causing Natsu to jump in surprise and rock her back and forth. "Shh..." he hushed. "It's okay. Daddy's here. Shh…" It took a while, but the Dragon Slayer finally managed to calm her down, and before long, she was falling asleep in his arms.
Natsu found it nearly impossible to look anywhere but at Nashi. She was so beautiful. He knew he said it a lot, but it was true. She was the most beautiful child he'd ever laid his eyes on. And she was his child. That was the best part. The most gorgeous child in the world was his. He leaned back against the headboard with a sigh, lifting a hand to Nashi's face. He tenderly touched the back of his fingers to her soft cheek. She gurgled and leaned into his touch in her sleep, sounding a soft laugh from the fire wizard. He heard a giggle from across the room and looked up, surprised. Lucy was standing in the doorway. He hadn't noticed her presence. Hell, he didn't even hear her come in. "You are such a mush ball," she said lovingly, looking at him with angelic eyes. Natsu blushed. He hated when she caught him acting like that. She would do nothing but tease him about being a softy. He huffed.
"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, looking back to his sleeping daughter before his blush darkened. He heard Lucy's approaching footsteps and felt her sit on the bed next to him. She reached over to Nashi and stroked the pink hair on her skull. She looked up at Natsu.
"She looks like you," she said softly. Despite how much he tried to avoid acting all mushy in front of her, he couldn't stifle the warm smile that crawled onto his face. He turned to his fiancée.
"You think?" he asked quietly. Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder and nodded.
"Mm, hm." Natsu swallowed and looked back down at Nashi. Lucy placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "After all, you're her Daddy." He felt a twinge of giddy excitement in his chest.
"Daddy…" he repeated. His heart was throbbing. Calling himself a father was strange, but it made him happy beyond what words could describe.