Easy to Recognize

Lucy woke up early in the morning due to the sunlight shining perfectly on her eyes. She groaned, groggily lifting herself up and away from Natsu's chest. She arched her back and held her arms out above her head, stretching her stiff muscles. Sighing as he relaxed, she looked down to see her peacefully sleeping husband. She was so glad he'd grown out of his obnoxious snoring. The only snoring he did now was very quiet, easy to miss. It wasn't even a snore, but a soft rumbling in his chest, almost like a purr. She loved falling asleep on his chest. His purring and the soothing sound of his heartbeat created a very effective – not to mention addictive – lullaby.

The blonde carefully reached a hand out to him, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. Sensing her in his sleep, he leaned into her touch with a soft moan. Lucy smiled, gently grazing the back of her fingers down his cheek. He was just so cute sometimes. She could gaze at that innocently adorable face all day. She started slightly when he reached up to grasp her hand with his own. He opened his eyes into thin slits, his eyelids incredibly heavy with sleep. He chuckled lightly, holding her hand to his face.

"What're you doing, waking me up so early?" he asked softly, his voice slurred. His wife grinned.

"I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Okay, what're you doing up so early?"

"I was just going to make some breakfast." Natsu looked up at her like a sick puppy, his lower lip stuck in a pout.

"You're leaving me?" he whined. Lucy giggled and nodded. "No…" He draped an arm over her waist and pulled her back down. He rested his head on her chest and hugged her tightly around the hips, holding her against the mattress. Lucy laughed and tried to push him off, but he refused to let her go.

"Natsu, let go of me."

"No," he said stubbornly, tightening his hold around her. His eyes drifted closed as his voice fell into a whisper. "Stay with me." The blonde sighed dramatically.

"Fine. But just for thirty more minutes." Natsu grinned triumphantly and snuggled into her breasts. Thirty more minutes was good enough for him. Lucy gazed lovingly at her husband's head with an affectionate smile. He may have gotten older, and his appearance may have matured, but he was still as childish as that seventeen-year-old boy from all those years ago, the boy she had fallen in love with. "Natsu."

"Hm?" he hummed, already half asleep.

"I'm pregnant."

"I know." Lucy furrowed her brows.

"You do? How?" Natsu chuckled and moved his head to rest on her abdomen, taking in a deep breath through his nose. He sighed contently.

"The last time you smelled like this was when you were pregnant with Nashi," he said sleepily, gently burrowing his face into her stomach. "It was five years ago, but this smell… it's easy to recognize." Lucy smiled warmly and placed a hand on his head, weaving her fingers through his hair.

A month and a half later, Nashi's fifth birthday

The guild cheered as Nashi blew out the five candles on the strawberry cake. "Let's eat!" Erza shouted as she slammed a sword into the cake, slicing it perfectly in half. Nashi giggled from Levy's lap, eagerly reaching out for a piece.

"Drinks all around!" Cana exclaimed, and everyone cheered in response. With the twins on his lap, Gray slid two mugs across the table toward Natsu and Lucy. The Dragon Slayer grabbed his and took a sip, while Lucy shook her head from her position on her husband's lap.

"No thanks, Gray," she said, pushing it back to him. "I can't."

"C'mon, Lucy," he pressed as Juvia sat down beside him with his slice of cake. "It's Nashi's birthday. Have a drink."

"Oi, ice princess," Natsu said, earning a glare from Gray and a giggle from the girls. "She can't."

The ice alchemist frowned. "Whaddya mean she can't?" Without saying anything, the couple smiled at each other. Natsu rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. They looked up at Gray as Natsu's hand began to trace circles on Lucy's stomach. Gray looked down at his hand, then back up to their faces. He flashed his teeth as he grinned. "Are you shitting me?" Lucy laughed and leaned back into her husband, lacing her fingers with his. Beside them, Levy bounced excitedly in her seat with Nashi on her knee.

"You're going to have another child?" she asked happily.

"Mm, hm," hummed the celestial wizard.

"Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" Juvia inquired, transitioning Avalon from Gray's lap to hers. Lucy shrugged.

"We don't know yet."

"It's gonna be a boy," Natsu answered quickly. Lucy looked over her shoulder at him.

"And how do you know?"

He winked. "Father's intuition."

"Mavis help Bunny-girl if the baby is a boy," Gajeel said, taking a swig of his drink. Lucy laughed while Natsu glared.

"What's that supposed to mean, Gajeel?"

"Just look at how you turned out, Salamander. Who would need two of you?" A pair of obsidian eyes narrowed dangerously, and their owner made a move to stand up, but Lucy grabbed his arm and placed a kiss on his cheek. He relaxed instantly.

"I wouldn't mind having a boy," she whispered into his ear. He turned to her, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Really?"

"Of course. We need another man around the house."

"Hey!" Happy chirped, looking up from his fish with a somewhat hurt look in his eyes. "What about me?"

Natsu chuckled, reaching a hand over to scratch his Exceed's ears. "I don't think you count as a 'man,' buddy."

"That's not true! I'm as manly as Elfman!" Charle scoffed, while somewhere else in the room, Elfman sneezed.

"Hardly," she muttered.

"Aw, sure you are, Happy," Lucy said lovingly, reaching across the table to pat his head. The feline pouted. From Levy's lap, Nashi reached over and picked him up, hugging him gently to her chest.

"I think you're a man, Happy," she said, placing a kiss on his head, right between his ears. Happy purred appreciatively, nuzzling under her chin with a content grin on his furry face.

Author's Note: Ne, mina! So… I apologize for the time-skip, but I'm really excited about bringing their second child into the story, and every new idea I had for a chapter had something to do with their second child… Which sucks, because I really wanted to write more about Nashi as a baby… Sigh.

Anyway, I hope you guys are as excited to meet Nashi's little sibling as I am! Please leave a review!