Dragon Birthday

Author's Note: so… before I talk about the chapter, I need to ask you guys something: AM I THE ONLY ONE HURTING OVER WHAT HAPPENED TO GRAY IN THE LAST CHAPTER? Seriously, though. I was not expecting that. He was just about to tell Juvia something too! What was he going to say?!

Ahem. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. We've had company over the past week and a half, and my friend Patrick decided to drag me everywhere in San Diego. We went to Balboa Park and had a blast! That place is amazing! And then we went to Point Loma to see the tide pools. Ugh, it was so much fun. He went back to Salt Lake the other day… :'( I miss Patty-Watty… But never mind that. I hope I did Natsu's birthday justice. I'm not quite sure when his birthday is; I don't think it was ever mentioned in the series. But just go with it, alright? Don't forget to leave a review! With the way you guys are reviewing, we are well on our way to 400. Love you guys!

"Just like that… That's it… There. See? It's easy!" Lucy high-fived Nashi with a bright smile after the little girl finished pouring the pancake mix into the pan. Nashi giggled jubilantly as she hopped off the stool and picked it up to set it aside, allowing Lucy to step in front of the stove to tend to the cooking pancake. "Thanks for helping me, sweetheart," Lucy said as she adjusted the heat on the burner.

"You're welcome, Mama," Nashi replied sweetly, using the stool to lift herself onto the counter, getting a bird's eye view of the breakfast Lucy was making. "But why did we have to get up so early? It's seven forty-five."

"We have to make all of this food before your father wakes up," Lucy explained quickly as she shifted the eggs in the adjacent burner. "He got home from a mission last night, so he's tired and bound to sleep in. But even despite his laziness, he never sleeps passed eight thirty by more than an hour." She glanced at the clock. "It should be done in a few minutes. He should still be asleep by that time."

Today was Natsu's twenty-ninth birthday, and Lucy wanted to make him a big surprise breakfast to start the day off. Wendy told her that Romeo was taking her to the Magnolia Fair that day, so she decided to take Natsu and the kids there as well, so the little Dragon Slayer could cast Troia on him. And then they would eat dinner at the guild with all of his friends. Lucy was really excited to see his face when he walked into the kitchen that morning. It wasn't very often that she made a big breakfast like this, normally just sticking to pancakes and eggs and occasionally bacon. But today, she made pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, hash browns, the whole shebang. And she was nearly done with the finishing touches.

"Nashi, go wake him up," she said, knowing that by the time Natsu actually got out of bed, the food would be ready.

"Aye!" she chirped, running to her parents' room with excitement. She quietly opened the door and peeked inside, giggling at the sight of her father sprawled on the bed. He was lying on his stomach, his arms folded under his pillow so his head could rest comfortably, the blanket draped over his waist, leaving his back exposed. His hair was tousled messily, falling over his face in clumps. The blanket was tangled around his legs, showing how much he'd been tossing and turning. He slept well through the night, until he realized that Lucy was no longer in the bed with him. Sleeping alone made him feel insecure. Having Lucy there, or even Happy made him feel at ease, safe in a sense.

Nashi tiptoed over to his bed and crawled onto the mattress beside him. She gently touched his shoulder and gave him a light shake. "Daddy," she whispered. He didn't move. "Daaaaaddyyy…" He still didn't budge. She huffed and straddled his back, leaning forward to grasp his shoulders. She bounced. "Daddy. Wake up." She saw his eyebrows furrow in discomfort as he groaned. She laughed. "Come on, Daddy! Get up!" There a small grin on his face – which she barely caught – as he flipped over onto his back, squishing his daughter between himself and the bed. She screamed into his neck and tried to push him off. "Daddy!" was her muffled shout. "You're crushing me! Get off me, fatty!" Natsu sat up immediately, and she sucked in a harsh breath. She tried to sit up but was pushed back down.

"Let's get one thing straight," Natsu said lowly, looming over her. He poked her chest. "I'm not fat. Got it?"

"Whatever you say, Daddy," Nashi teased, poking his nose. Natsu grabbed her hands and pinned them to the bed.

"I'm not fat!" he insisted, growling playfully as he pressed his mouth to her belly, blowing hard. Nashi screamed and thrashed at the tickling, trying to pry her hands away. Natsu laughed as he pulled away, nuzzling into her neck. "Now why'd you wake me up so early?"

"Ma… Mama has a… a surprise for you…" she said between breaths, wiggling her hands out from his grasp. Natsu perked up and looked at her excitedly.

"Surprise? Really?" he said quickly. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you. Go… into the kitchen and… find out." It was at that moment when Natsu realized the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. He inhaled deeply through his nose, his eyes rolling blissfully to the back of his head. He hummed contentedly. Nashi giggled. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him off the bed and into the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes as they reacted to the light difference. He looked up to see his wife hovering over the counter, pushing the eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. He took a look around, taking in all of the delicious smells and the sights that went with them. The corner of his mouth twitched into a half-smile.

"Wow," he said simply, catching Lucy's attention. She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted, lifting the two plates from the counter and placing them on the table. One had a considerably larger amount of food than the other, and Natsu immediately knew that it was his. She looked up at him. "Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to eat?" The Dragon Slayer approached her, swiftly kissing her cheek.

"What…?" he said slowly.

"Happy birthday, Natsu."

"Luce, wow. You didn't have to—"

"Shut up," she cut him off sharply, placing a finger over his lips. "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to." She gave him a light peck on the lips. "Now sit down and eat. Both of you. I'm going to get Ryū." With that said, she left the room. Natsu fell into his chair, staring at his breakfast in awe. After processing it for a moment, he happily took the fork on the side of the plate and began to stuff his face. He sighed. It was incredible. As always.

"Do you like it?" Nashi asked from her seat, her food untouched. Natsu looked at her questioningly. "I helped, so I wanted to know what you thought of it…" Natsu hummed in understanding and swallowed.

"It's delicious, amai," he praised, reaching over and tousling her hair. She beamed and began eating herself as Lucy walked back into the room, a sleepy Ryū in her arms. Happy came in behind her, helping himself to the fish they kept in the fridge. She sat down in the chair across from her husband, lifting up her shirt to give her son his breakfast. Natsu stared, and Lucy instantly noticed.

"Natsu, focus on your food," she said warningly. "Don't be a creep." Blushing brightly in the cheeks, he instantly lowered his head to look back at his food, silently shoving a piece of egg into his mouth. Nashi looked between her parents, her brow furrowed and her nose scrunched up. Her mom was in a normal position, holding her little brother in her arms and feeding him with her breast; Nashi had seen it several times before. But her father… seemed nervous, embarrassed even. She'd never seen her Daddy act so shy, and she's definitely never seen him blush. It was strange.

"Mama?" she said. Lucy looked up and turned to her.

"Yes?"

"Why is Daddy acting so weird?" The two wizards glanced at each other. Lucy grinned mischievously.

"Because Daddy is a pervert," she answered bluntly. Happy snickered as he bit into his fish, and Natsu's blush went from pink to red.

"Luce…" he whined.

"What's a pervert?" Nashi asked innocently. Lucy giggled at the expression on her husband's face, his eyes silently begging her to cut him some slack. But she paid it no heed. In fact, she made it harder for him.

"Natsu, why don't you tell her what a pervert is?" The Salamander jerked back, surprised. He felt the heat in his face get even worse when Nashi's innocent brown eyes turned to him, waiting patiently for him to explain. He looked back to Lucy, who was trying to hold back her laughter. "Go on, Natsu. Tell her what you were doing."

"Lucy!" he whispered harshly. "She's five!"

"She has to learn at some point, doesn't she?" she whispered back.

"Learn what?" Nashi snapped, becoming impatient. Natsu cleared his throat.

"Just, uh… just eat your breakfast, amai," he said awkwardly, turning back to his own food. Nashi lifted a brow and turned to her mother, who was looking back at Ryū, laughing gently. What weren't they telling her? Ugh. She loved her parents, she really did. But sometimes, they were so weird.

The theme park with Romeo and Wendy was a lot of fun. Thanks to Wendy's magic, Natsu was able to go on every ride with Nashi and actually be able to enjoy it. Nashi was just as an adrenaline junkie as her father was. Lucy stayed behind with Ryū while everyone else went on the rides. Natsu offered to stay with Ryū so she could go have some fun too. But she denied every time.

By the time they got to the guild for dinner, the sky bursting with vivid shades of orange, purple, and pink as the sun began to set, Nashi was out cold. Lucy pushed the stroller with Ryū, Natsu walking beside her with a sleeping Nashi in his arms. Even when they walked into the rambunctious guild, she remained fast asleep. They sat at a table with Romeo and Wendy, talking about pointless things as they waited for their food. The Dragon Slayer in training was sitting on Natsu's lap, her head resting on his shoulder, her face titled slightly toward the crook of his neck.

"Wow, she really is asleep, isn't she?" Romeo asked, amused. Natsu looked down at his sleeping daughter, holding her up with one arm. He bounced lightly, and she didn't do much as stir.

"This never happens," he said. "She's always so full of energy, and usually a pain to get her to go to sleep."

"I guess we finally found her limit, ne?" Lucy piped up, holding Ryū up with one arm, using her free hand to prod at his sides, tickling him. The child giggled, a toothless grin stretching across his chubby face. Wendy sighed.

"Ryū-chan is so handsome," she mused, glancing to the older Dragon Slayer. "Just like his father." Natsu grinned, his chest puffing out proudly. Lucy laughed.

"Please don't boost his ego," she said. "He's already conceited; he doesn't need other people's approval." They all laughed.

"How does Nashi feel about Ryū?" Romeo inquired.

"She's very fond of him," answered the blonde. "She plays with him all the time, and worries about him when he cries." She looked over to her daughter and brushed her fuchsia from her face. "She'll be an amazing sister when they grow up." Natsu pouted.

"I don't want my amai to grow up…" he whined. Lucy snorted lightheartedly.

"Me neither."

The fire wizard collapsed onto the bed, his eyes heavy. The day had been incredible. And his arm was finally usable again; having Nashi asleep on it for an hour and a half really cut off the circulation. Lucy was currently in the other room, trying to put Ryū to sleep. He sighed. He never imagined his life this way. It was amazing in every way. He heard the door to the kids' room close, so he turned just in time to see Lucy walk into the room. "Are they asleep?" he asked, pushing himself to his elbows. Lucy leaned against the doorframe and smiled at him.

"Yeah," she answered softly. She laughed. "Well, I guess Nashi was already asleep." Natsu chuckled as well, but then he realized something. Lucy was wearing a robe. Had she changed before coming back to their bedroom? Or was she already dressed like that? No… They'd gotten home from the guild half an hour ago, and she went straight to their kids' room to put them to bed. She hadn't done anything else before that. She must've just changed. And why were her hands behind her back?

"Thanks for today, Luce," he said happily, a bright grin stretching across his face. "I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you liked it," Lucy grinned. She paused, looking up at him through her lashes. "But you know… the night's not over yet." She giggled at the confused look on his face. He'd already discarded his shirt and pants, assuming that they were going to bed as well when she got back. "I have a present to give you." The Dragon Slayer beamed with excitement, straightening into a sitting position.

"Really?" he asked gleefully. "What is it?" Lucy smirked mysteriously.

"Close your eyes."

"Eh?"

"Just do it." Huffing with annoyance and impatience, Natsu folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. He head her approaching footsteps, and then felt her tugging on his scarf. He peeked an eye open.

"What're you—?" he tried to say, but stopped when she flicked his nose. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I said close your eyes," she snapped. Groaning, he did as told. He felt his scarf being removed from his neck, and, to his surprise, felt it wrap securely around his eyes like a blindfold.

"Lucy, wh—?"

"Shh," she hushed, placing a finger to his lips. She put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him to his back. She grabbed his wrists and held his arms above his head. He felt something cold on his skin, but had no way to investigate it. There was a clicking noise, and after a short pause, he heard the light turn off. He felt Lucy's hands reach around his head to undo his scarf, pulling it away. He blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, and he remembered the cold feeling on his wrists. He looked up, and was stunned to the moon reflecting on a metallic surface. He was handcuffed to the bed. Confused, he turned his head to find Lucy, who was standing beside the bed, her arms folded across her chest and a smug smirk on her lips. He suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Uh… what're you doing?" he asked quietly. Lucy gave him a sultry smile, reaching to the sash around her waist.

"Giving you your birthday present," she whispered, pulling her robe open and letting it fall to the floor. Natsu felt the air leave his lungs. She was wearing a lacy black bra with matching panties, the bra pushing her breasts together and giving emphasis to what really didn't need it. He gulped audibly as she crawled onto the bed and rested her weight over his hips. She leaned forward and placed her lips to his throat, sucking harshly on his skin and leaving a dark red mark. She kissed her way up his neck, giving the skin on his jaw a little nip. She giggled at his sharp gasp, lifting her head to look into his eyes. "Sorry about the handcuffs," she apologized softly, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I know they must be uncomfortable, but since it's your birthday, I thought we'd try something new."

He chuckled. "So you went with handcuffing me to the bed?" he asked. "Nice choice." The two of them laughed, Lucy leaning down to claim his lips with her own. She gently snagged his bottom lip between her teeth. He growled into her mouth, tracing his tongue along the seam of her lips. Their tongues tangled around each other, battling for dominance. Abruptly, Lucy straightened up and straddled his hips, leaving him dazed with his chest heaving. She lightly grazed her fingertips down his chest and abdomen, grinning at the shiver that wracked his body.

"Just relax, okay?" she murmured. He nodded, and they proceeded to have the greatest birthday of his life.