Natsu never thought his life would be like this. He thought he might even go pro one day, live the bachelor life as long as he could, and then maybe settle down somewhere up north with a bombshell of a wife and maybe a couple of kids. But that wasn't till he was probably in his mid thirties because he wasn't going to waste his good years settling down so early.
Life has a funny way of destroying your plans and dreams.
The moment Natsu opened his eyes, he was instantly thinking about Lucy being pregnant and he had this god awful dream that he had kids who strangely looked like blue cats with pink and yellow hair and there was an entire army of these kids. Like, probably at least thirty of them.
And they all hated him.
It was a downward spiral from there.
He shook Lucy awake, nearly startling her out of her own bed as he begged for her to get up so they could go to the doctors. She hissed at him as if she was some kind of vampire or demon, telling him to go stick it where the sun doesn't shine and he was convinced he was going to be wed to the devil as he laid there half offended and half turned on.
He always liked Lucy in the mornings. She was always such a cute sleepy baby with her warmth and her smile and sometimes she was fiery hot with a little bit of sass and sticking her hips out in her nightie.
She could definitely convince him to rob a bank with her if she was still half-asleep with her nightie on and some kind of passion.
But his head wasn't on straight because Lucy might be pregnant with his army of children and they're going to fucking hate him because he cursed them with gene of pink hair and obnoxious laughter with a tad bit of pyromaniac in their blood. He hoped they took over Lucy's more than his so they had a better chance of missing the wild locks and genes.
All morning he was whining and whining as if he had a boo-boo and only mommy could kiss it better. Lucy had a pillow shoved into her face, dark circles under her eyes, and a glare that could match Erza's until she finally snapped. Lucy let out a roar, throwing her sheets off as she stormed into her bathroom in a fury.
He was terrified, eyes wide as saucers as he's never seen her so upset and scary. And Natsu did what he thought was best and jumped out her balcony, rolling around her garden like a ninja, and he ran to his car parked down the street.
He acted as if he was just pulling up, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel and bouncing his leg up and down in anticipation. He was at the front door, knuckles rapping against the nice wood where his future mother-in-law opened the door for him. She was of course, as always, such a darling as she gushed and dragged him inside for some breakfast. Jude was already at the table, greeting him so kindly and warmly as they shook hands and offered him a seat. He normally would eat three plates but he only ate one this morning, claiming they were going on a breakfast date but in reality he was sweating bullets because he got their daughter pregnant.
For some reason, he felt as if he was sixteen years old and sneaking around and he felt like the world was crumbling to his feet because how are they going to break the news without creating havoc? He was kind of glad Lucy hadn't been able to find a dress just yet, this would have made his mother very angry. Especially with all the planning she had done and with all the many dresses she had shipped over.
He swore she could open up her own bridal shop at his house with the amount of dresses she had.
He felt like a goldfish, opening his mouth to close it and then laughing awkwardly as he sweated. Then he offered to go see what is taking Lucy so long and grabbed a croissant for a peace treaty, rushing out of his seat to go find his girlfriend.
When he had walked into her room, her shriek was loud and clear as she was only in her bra and panty. He chortled, raising his brow at her as if he's never seen her naked or been inside of her and she was screaming at him to get the hell out. And he did because he was a good boyfriend and his face was red at the sight and he should not be thinking about her in that way when that was what got him here in the first place.
But it was so hard not to when his girlfriend was a bombshell that can rival Aphrodite and he could at least check that off his list of dreams. He got the hot wife and now he needs to go pro.
Lost in his thoughts, Natsu was startled when Lucy had opened her door causing him to stumble backwards and catch himself just in time. He nearly dropped his peace treaty and he scowled, looking at the woman who glared right back as if she was Medusa herself.
Yes, scratch that. She was Medusa. Not Aphrodite. Maybe their love child.
"What the hell is your problem? Where were you this morning? And where'd you get that?" Natsu shoved the croissant into her face, causing her to recoil but she just scrunched her face up as she slowly took it from his hands. He looked paler than usual and a lot more awkward and she sighed, placing her hand over his arm which made him flinch. "You're so weird, you know that?" He opened his mouth to retort but the glare she gave him had him shut it right back. "Where did you go?"
"I was having breakfast with your parents. And by the way, if they ask, we're going to go on a breakfast date."
Lucy cocked a brow at him. "But you just had breakfast with my parents."
"So?" He cocked a brow right back as if she was asking him something stupid. "Come on, let's go. I'm taking you to my doctor."
"Why yours?" She crossed her arms, a small frown on her lips as if she wanted to fight about it.
Natsu rolled his eyes at her making her swing at him but he dodged it, holding a finger out to her. "I get a free pass."
"You just used it for the day."
"Exactly! So this is my free pass!"
"Why are we going to your doctors?!"
Natsu grabbed her arm, reeling her in so close she went cross-eyed and the blush ran up her neck. He snickered at her flush but he didn't say anything as he lowered his voice. "You need to keep your fucking voice down. Your parents are right downstairs."
Lucy yanked her arm away from his grasp, scowling. "Fine. But why yours?"
"Do you want to risk telling your parents?"
"What about you?" She whispered back, eyes darting around the hallway to ensure nobody was around and eavesdropping. "Your doctor is as much of a liability as mine."
"My doctor knows better than that." He scoffed and Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "What?"
"I think we should just go to another doctor that isn't tied to either you or me."
"That creates a risk of them spreading shit!" He hissed and Lucy pushed him away as he leaned in closer. "Be logical, Lucy."
"Haven't you ever heard of HIPPA?"
"Yes, I'm familiar with hippos." He blinked stupidly and Lucy slapped her hand over her face.
She let out a low groan and debated if she was making the right choice by even dating this man and then producing a child? She prayed this child got her smarts.
"No, you idiot," she ignored the way he frowned. "HIPPA. As in, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability? The confidentiality between doctor and patients? They can legally get fired for spreading our personal information."
Natsu's mouth rounded to an 'o' and Lucy slapped herself on the forehead again, shaking her head back and forth at the dumb look her boyfriend sported.
"Seriously? Didn't you go to a perstige boarding school?"
Natsu scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "If you think I actually paid attention and studied while in school then you're the dumb one here." Lucy scrunched her face up at him, gawking at the heir who looked too proud of his poor performance in school. "No wonder you were a virgin up until now." He smirked at the look she gave him, her cheeks dusted pink and her eyebrows pinched together. "I'm still waiting on those pics of you or I'm still going to believe you were some ugly nerd."
"Ugh, you are the worst!" She reeled away from him, whirling around to stomp away from him. "Perv!"
"Don't you forget it, sweetheart!" He called out and he was grinning to himself, forgetting about his fear of becoming a father. He loved watching her storm down the stairs, the tips of her ears red and obvious through her golden hair and he was chasing after her making her squeal as her feet picked up the pace.
By the time she had reached down the stairs, Natsu was already behind her, picking her up and making her shriek at the sudden change. She was half-giggling and half-screaming in fear as he swung her around and she was dizzy by the time he had dropped her back on her feet.
"You're going to make me puke."
"I don't think that's me." He tried joking but stopped as soon as he heard the click of Layla's heels.
"Oh, you two are the cutest," she cooed and Jude had come right after her, a wide smile on his face. "Natsu, you are the sweetest to come so early to take Lucy out to breakfast."
Lucy rolled her eyes while Natsu grinned widely, his hand finding its way on the small of her back as she scowled. She tried to nudge him away but his hand tightened around her waist, the blonde hissing at him as he snickered.
"Just want to keep my girl well-fed and taken care of, ma'am."
Layla would have passed out then and there if her husband wasn't right behind her, holding her up as she blushed.
"If you kids aren't too busy, could we maybe try on more dresses? I feel like Lucy is very close to finding one." Her eyes shifted to Lucy who frowned. "Fix your face." She snapped at her daughter who sighed and forced a smile on her face.
"We'll see. I do have a busy day packed for us." He tapped the back of his girlfriend's back to signal for her to end this conversation so they could be gone before she interrogated them further.
"I'll let you know, mama," Lucy insisted, already turning to try pushing Natsu out. "Bye papa, have a great day."
"Have a great day you two," Jude offered his widest and proudest smile, his own arm falling behind his wife. "Be safe!"
"Bye!" Lucy offered a big wave and the two were out the door before her mom could whine about something else. She kept her head down as she yanked Natsu down her driveway where his car was parked, quickly getting in the car as Natsu practically ran over to his own side.
She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in and buckled herself in, turning to look at Natsu who still looked nervous but a lot better than he did last night. She guesses it was the food he probably inhaled this morning and logic going through his mind but she knew he barely had any in that brain of his.
—X—
"Congratulations! You two are expecting!"
Natsu felt like he got hit by a truck while Lucy didn't stop the gasp that flew out of her lips. His jaw dropped to the ground and all the color drained from his face, his body swaying just a bit while he held onto the table Lucy was sitting on. Meanwhile, Lucy felt her entire world come to a stop while her heart raced inside of her chest, her eyes widening to the size of plates.
"Oh, was this not what you were expecting?" The doctor frowned, lips twisting to the side as he looked at the couple who looked frozen in fear.
"H—how far along are we?" Lucy tried to speak as she could see Natsu swaying from beside her.
"About five weeks it seems like," the doctor said while he flipped over a page on his clipboard and that's when Natsu stumbled backwards, his foot accidentally knocking over the trash can that made a loud crash. He was quickly trying to clean his mess up while Lucy scowled at him, cheeks pink and eyebrows pinched.
The doctor looked over at the pink-haired heir with wide eyes, worry expressed throughout his face. "Are you—"
"He's fine," Lucy forced a tense laugh, waving her hands in the air. "Um, you said five weeks? Well, I took a test about two weeks ago and it came up negative. How could this be possible?"
"Well," his eyes slowly moved away from Natsu to her. "Sometimes there are such things as false negatives. It's possible it might have been a bit too early to detect so the test could have been inaccurate. We always encourage women to take at least two or three to confirm. Especially if symptoms occur, we encourage testing up to an entire week." Lucy slowly nodded, processing the words the doctor was saying as her hairline moistened. "Would you like to consider your other options? We do have pamphlets."
"Um, it's okay," her eyes flickered over at Natsu who was still in his own world with sweat pouring down his forehead. "Could we have a minute?"
"Of course," his wary eyes went back to Natsu and then back at Lucy. "Take your time. I'll send this over to the receptionist and we can move forward."
Seeing how the doctor made his way out of the room, it felt extra quiet as the two were left alone.
"Natsu, are you—"
"Holy fucking shit." He blurted out, interrupting her as his eyes grew wide. "I knew it. I told you." He started, his eyes a bit too crazy for her liking as he gripped the table she sat on a bit too tight. "You're pregnant."
"I know," Lucy matched his tone, her own eyes widening as she stared back at her boyfriend. They were quiet, just staring at one another, waiting for someone to break the silence and tension. "Say something." Lucy begged and Natsu swallowed hard, a hand coming up to run through his spiky locks.
"Well, what do you want to do?" He asked and she gulped, her eyes wavering.
"W—well… I…" she was at a loss of words as her own hands gripped the table beneath her. "You don't…" she looked back over at Natsu who shook his head.
"I asked what you wanted to do. Not me."
"Well.. you don't. I don't want to bring a child into the world if you don't want them."
"Lucy," he sounded a bit panicked, stepping to stand in front of her instead of next. "It's not like I don't want them. Of course I'd want them," he swallowed thickly and she watched his throat bob. "I just… I don't know. Like I said the other day, I'm willing to do it for you. We have to anyway, whether it is this time around or next or in five or ten years."
"Yeah, but we would be older and wiser." She said and Natsu resisted the urge to snort. "Seriously. We're only twenty years old. What do we know about taking care of babies?"
"Better than us being sixteen and still in high school," He tried to lighten the mood but the way she glared at him made him shut his mouth. "Listen, I'm freaking out over this and I don't know what to tell you. I'll adjust to whatever you want me to but you can't base your decision off of mine. I'm not good under pressure."
Lucy thinned her lips, pressing them tightly as she tried to think about this. Obviously she wasn't ready for a child but this was going to happen anyways so what is the point? She could just get it over with and be wishful for her future for her and for her child.
The idea of having to tell their parents made her face pale and Natsu immediately noticed her reaction. "What? Do you have to throw up? Because I feel like I might. Should I call the doctor back in? Do you need the trash can? I think I might need it."
Lucy ignored his rambling, her right eye twitching just a slight bit. "What about our parents?"
"What about them?"
"What do we tell them?"
Natsu opened his mouth to shut it, looking like a fish out of water as his face bloomed in color. "Fuck."
He was back to pacing back and forth, his hands in his hair as he mumbled nonsense under his breath. Lucy could only watch this comical scene, Natsu being quite entertaining for her. She's never seen him so panicked and full of emotion and for some reason, it was keeping her calmer than she should be considering she was the one pregnant. She felt like everything was going to be alright in the end as long as she had the support from her parents and Natsu's. Especially since they were kind of expecting a grandchild from them anyways. Probably not so soon but she didn't see this in a negative light at all.
After sleeping on it and worrying herself in the shower, she kind of came to the conclusion that this is what it is. Who is she to stop it? The baby was going to come one way or another and the way her and Natsu were going… she definitely would have ended up pregnant the first couple months. Regardless if they were safe or not—knowing how Natsu was, she definitely would have been pregnant.
And of course she thought about everything else in the matter because if she didn't, Natsu certainly would not. They had a buttload of money that could help finance their family and her child would not only have one set but two sets of grandparents who adore them along with two loving parents.
Considering her and Natsu are still in their lovey dovey phase of their relationship, she figured this could work. Even if it didn't and they did end up splitting in the end like they originally planned, she would have this child and her parents and probably Natsu's in the end anyways. It would suck but at least she'd have her kid.
Being so engrossed in her thoughts, Lucy had completely forgotten about her boyfriend who's going on such a long rambunctious rant that she blinked stupidly when he was waving his hands in front of her face.
Her face scrunched and she looked to see Natsu snapping at her, a wild look on his face. "Are you listening?!"
"Not at all," she admitted, swatting his hand away from her face. He gawked at her, clearly offended she didn't care to listen. "I don't know, Natsu, I don't think this is the worst thing in the world. Like we talked about earlier, we're to produce a child anyways. Sooner than later would be best, especially if we want to proceed with our original plan of splitting up."
Natsu's face dropped at her words, his eyebrow pinching as his once wide eyes were dark and narrowed. "What?"
Lucy grimaced, not knowing she said her thoughts out loud and projected her original fear of being abandoned by this man. "Wait, I didn't mean—"
"You're still thinking about ending things afterwards?" The hurt in his voice was heavy and she felt bad as her bottom lip got sucked into her mouth.
"No, Natsu, I'm just saying—I'm just—what I'm trying to say—"
"Does our relationship not mean anything to you?" He cut her off from her sputtering and it made her face glow red.
"No! Natsu! I'm just trying to be realistic here."
"And being realistic means that you and I are bound to end up in a divorce and be on our merry way, right?" His words were piercing through her chest and she gaped at him, surprised he was going off on her like this. "Especially since you're pregnant now?"
"No, just listen to me—"
"I think I'm done listening to you," he took a step back as she reached out for him. "I'm sorry, I thought we were on the same page but it seems like you're on a whole different fucking chapter." He snapped and it made her reel back in surprise, eyes widening at his tone. "Meet me in the car whenever you're done." His voice dropped, his hand waving dismissively in her direction before he was storming out.
"Natsu, wait—!" She tried to call after him but he had slammed the door in the face with a loud bang.
The room was awkwardly silent making it too loud for her. Her heart raced inside of her chest and she felt her chest squeeze painfully at the thought of parting ways with her boyfriend. They have been doing so well the past couple months and she was established but now she ruined everything by running her fat mouth.
It's not like she wanted to end things. She was actually really starting to like Natsu and enjoy being his girlfriend and the idea of becoming his wife. She hadn't even thought about divorce or this entire thing going to shit in the future because it had been going so well and her inner voice had brought out the worst in her as she now fumbled the bag.
It's not like she was wrong, Natsu is the one who originally made up this plan and talked about them going through with it all to just divorce sometime in the future. She was just blurting out the obvious.
But why did she have to do it now?!
She felt incredibly stupid and selfish as she got her things together, her mind racing at a million miles per hour as she thought about how angry he might be. And she would have been the same if he had said what she said but he didn't even let her finish! She didn't even mean it in a menacing way—she liked him. She truly did. She was falling for her boyfriend and was enjoying his presence to the point she's having a baby with him! If this was anybody else, she surely would have been making phone calls already but she thought it would be nice. Fun. Thrilling.
Now, she didn't know so much.
Dragging her feet to the parking lot after collecting her papers and paying for the trip (she definitely was not going to use insurance or her parents definitely would have found out), her heart raced inside of her chest at the thought of having to sit in a car with an upset Dragneel.
Natsu was not fun to be around with when he was fuming (who was?) and she definitely knew he did not care to keep his mouth shut.
She prepared herself for the earful he was going to provide but she was surprised when he didn't say a single word to her. Not even a glance.
Somehow, that was a lot worse than him yelling at her and calling her names. She would much rather air his emotions out and see where he was coming from and where his thought process was but everytime she tried to open her mouth, she shut it almost immediately because his aura was just so dark and menacing. The tension was so thick and heavy that she could most definitely choke. It was almost suffocating.
"You know I didn't mean it like that." She tried to speak after a long silent ride, unable to handle the awkwardness as they neared her house. Natsu didn't respond but she could see how his grip tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw clenched. "I wasn't trying to imply that you and I were going to end up in a divorce. I was just reiterating our original plan in this arrangement."
"That was before we started dating for real." His voice was harder and rougher than she's ever heard it. Even in the midst of their fighting prior to their affair, he's never spoken to her in such a tone.
"I understand that and that is why I'm trying to say that it wasn't meant to be like that." Lucy spoke calmly and softly, just like how she was taught to when it came to sticky situations like this.
She felt like she was trying to seal a business deal for some odd reason and maybe that was why she was so calm about the entire pregnancy thing, too. But Natsu felt more important than this baby at the moment and her chest felt heavy with regret and sadness as he sulked.
"Then why say it at all? I wasn't even thinking about it—shit, I completely forgot about it." He turned his head to glare at her just a bit and she felt the shiver run down her back from the look. "But it looks like you haven't." He practically spat at her.
Lucy frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "You don't have to be such an asshole about it."
"Considering my girlfriend who just told me that she plans on leaving me after giving birth," he raised his voice that made her flinch. "Yeah, I can be a fucking asshole about it."
The car grew silent once more and Lucy didn't know what to say after that. She was at a loss of words, mouth opening and closing like a goddamn goldfish while her hands clenched and unclenched.
A part of her wanted to yell right back at him and curse him out for his behavior but she couldn't blame him for how he was reacting to her. She caused this and this was her fault for making him so upset.
Natsu rolled up to her estate and her stomach bottomed out at the sight of his fuming figure and her home.
"I'm not going to leave you." She tried once again but Natsu didn't bother replying or even looking at her. He seemed angrier than he was and she felt like she was adding more fuel to the fire but she felt like she had to say it while she could. "I won't."
"Whatever," he parked the car in front of her home and turned his head to look out the window. "I'll see you."
"Natsu," she frowned, shifting her body to face him but he didn't budge. "I'm serious. I'm not going to leave you."
"Just get out."
"Can we please just talk about this?" She begged, feeling a bit desperate.
"I'm done talking, Lucy." He leaned against his door, face still turned away from her. "Just… get out."
With her bottom lip quivering, Lucy swallowed hard before she unbuckled her seatbelt and slowly got out of the car. Once she shut the door, Natsu was already driving away making her heart drop to her stomach. Her heart hurt and she was feeling all types of emotions from her trip.
A day where they could have spent it together with smiles and laughter ended with anger and tears.
She didn't even know she was crying till she felt the wetness hit her cheeks and she was washed away with anguish as she turned to enter her home. She didn't greet anyone and kept her head down as she rushed inside of her home, nearly knocking over her mother in the process as she was shocked to see her daughter so upset and quiet.
She ignored her cries and rushed to her bedroom, slamming the door and dropping her things. She ran to her bathroom and gagged, running to the toilet where she barely missed the toilet as she puked. Her vision was blurry as her throat burned from her stomach acid, a sob flying out of her lips.
She clutched the front of her shirt where her heart ached in an unfamiliar way. She felt like she was gasping for air as if it was sucked out of her lungs.
"Lucy?" Her mother's voice echoed and she was quick to scramble to her feet, flushing the toilet and wiping the tears and spit away from her face. "Is everything okay?"
With shaking hands, Lucy washed them quickly and tried her best to keep her tears at bay while she dried them on a towel. She poked her head out and mustered up the fakest smile she could find, seeing her mother's worried expression.
"What's going on?"
"N—nothing," she stuttered, hoping her mother didn't hear it. "I just had to use the bathroom."
Her mother looked skeptical, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't think you were going to be home so soon."
"Yeah," she let out a light laugh. "Natsu forgot he had something to do so he dropped me off." Her bottom lip quivered at the image of Natsu's angry face and him driving off. "Did you need something?"
"I was just worried about you. You kind of ran in here and you looked kind of upset."
Lucy frowned, her heart thundering inside of her chest while her stomach turned once again. "I—I'm okay, mama. Thanks."
Layla frowned, approaching her daughter cautiously as if she would run if she got too close. "Is… everything okay? Did you and Natsu get into a fight again?" She was quiet as she tried to process everything and she didn't even know how to even speak of it. "What's wrong, baby?" Her mother cooed, her voice soft as she approached her closer. "Why are you crying?"
Her shaky hands came to her face and she felt the wetness of her tears once more, not knowing she was even crying before she mentioned anything.
"Mama…" Lucy started, her bottom lip quivering once more as she looked up at her mother's honey glazed eyes. "I…" she tried to speak but her voice wavered. "I think I messed up."
"I'm sure you two will be able to get over this," she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You always do."
"No…" she whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes as she kept her head down. "I think I really messed up. He was… really angry."
"You know how fragile men are with their emotions and masculinity. I'm sure things will blow over in a few days." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, comforting her daughter who cried. "He just needs his space and will come to his senses. He really cares for you." She kissed her temple, brushing the tears away from her face. "I wouldn't worry so much."
"You think so?" She asked, eyes wide and teary as her mother smiled warmly.
"I know so." She offered a wide smile, giving her a slight squeeze. "How about I make some hot chocolate and we watch a movie together?"
Lucy let out a sigh, sniffing as she wiped the tears and snot away. "I think… I just want to lay down. I'm sorry…"
"No need to apologize," she said, slowly guiding her to her bed. "Get some rest and we'll recap later, yeah?"
Lucy only nodded, sniffling while she was brought over to her bed. She felt like a little girl again as her mother helped her into bed, tucking her in and kissing her right on the forehead. The soft comforting hand of her mom brushed against her hair and she left with promises of coming back, a little kiss imprinted on her forehead.
She could only pray Natsu was going to come back.
It's been four days since she's seen or heard from Natsu. Four days of agonizing pain of wondering if he is doing alright. Four days of wondering if he was still angry with her. Four days of tears that spilled from her eyes each and every night as she read over their messages and four days since he's responded. He ignored all of her messages and calls, refusing to answer nor a peace of mind.
In all honesty, she thought it was incredibly messed up. He was making her so emotional and sad when she was pregnant with his baby. But then again, she did say something that she shouldn't have and he was probably hurting, too.
But he wasn't even trying! At least she was by reaching out to him but she didn't have the courage to show up to his house.
It was driving her crazy. She never left her room and barely ate especially since she was just throwing up everything she was eating.
She was heartbroken. Her very first heartbreak and it was eating her alive.
They didn't even break up and yet here she was, feeling the affects of a heartbreak as if they were separated.
She's never felt this way before. Even when they weren't talking on the regular or seeing each other but it felt so different. She missed his smile. His voice. His hugs. His soft kisses. His laughter. His teasing.
The many nights she spent laid awake at night, she secretly hoped he was climbing through her window to come see her. Check up on her.
He never did.
Her parents and the maids were incredibly worried about her. Always asking if she was alright and asking if she needed anything but she only wished for her to be left alone. They left her treats and meals outside her room and she barely touched any of it. She forced a smile and waved everything off but she knew they could see right through her.
If she knew relationships hurt this much, she was kind of glad she never got into one prior to Natsu.
But it hurt so much more knowing that it was from Natsu.
His face was haunting her and she had no idea what to do.
"You're really not going to talk to her?" Gray's voice was nothing but white noise as Natsu barely listened.
He was still fuming, his fingers angrily jamming the buttons on the controller as he kept his eyes trained on the television. He could feel Gray's eyes on him but he ignored it, his eyebrows pinched together as he tried his best to suppress his anger and the memory of Lucy.
The memory of her standing in her driveway defeated and the memory of her tears spilling from her eyes.
He hated himself for how he left her but he didn't know what else to do or he would have blown up. It was much better to run away from it or he might have really said something he would regret.
Not like it mattered, her words had pierced through his heart like a knife and he's been angry since.
He heard Gray sigh beside him. "You should really talk to her."
"Why should I?" He asked, his anger building back up. "She's the one who said fucked up shit to me."
"She's been trying to apologize and you've ignored all her texts and calls."
"So what?" He grumbled, thumbs jamming into the button. "I'm still salty."
"Well, get over it." Gray snapped making Natsu press his lips into a tight line. "She wasn't wrong, you two did come to this agreement."
"Whose side are you even on?" Natsu hissed, jamming harder on the controller as if it would do any more damage.
"Nobody's because there isn't a side. You're being stubborn and acting childish. She's your girlfriend, you should treat her better. Especially since she's pregnant with your kid."
Natsu clicked his tongue in disapproval, irritated at the conversation. "You're one to talk."
"Hey man, I'm in a completely different situation than you are right now. It'll be a whole different story if she was pregnant and I'm to marry her and all of that." His body was leaning with his controller, as if he was dodging bullets in real life. "Yeah, she said some fucked up shit but she's not the type of girl to mean it in a bad way. Remember, it's her first time with all this."
"Yeah, well," Natsu grumbled, sinking further into his scarf and spot on the floor of the couch.
Gray sighed, his character dying on the scene that allowed them to take a small break while it counted down. "Natsu, just talk to the woman. Do it for your kid."
"So she could run off with them?" His tone was bitter, his frown deepening.
"No, dipshit, get that out of your head and think about how she might be feeling. She obviously feels bad and you're prolonging this conversation with your selfish feelings."
"Whatever, man," Natsu groaned, tossing his controller behind him where it bounced against the cushion of the couch. "I'm done talkin' bout this, you hungry?" He slowly stood, groaning as he cracked his back and rolled his shoulders.
"Yeah, I could eat." Gray also stood, sighing while his own knees popped. "Let's go down to Mira's and see what their lunch special is."
"You're driving." Natsu snickered at the look Gray gave him.
"Fine but you're buying."
"I'll treat you to a date, ice-princess. I know it's been a while since a man treated you nicely." He smirked at the way Gray swung at him. "Papa Natsu will treat you well."
"Shut the fuck up," Gray shouted, kicking his foot out to trip to swipe at the heir who cackled. The two chased after one another, taunts and curses firing through the air while they barreled through the stairs and down the hall. Gray nearly had him by the scarf, his tips brushing against the cloth. If only he had just a little bit more—
Suddenly crashing into the behind of his prey, Gray yelped like a small dog, his face slamming into the back of Natsu who abruptly came to a stop.
"What the hell flame-for-brains? That hurt." He hissed, rubbing at his bruised nose while he peered over to see Natsu practically frozen in his spot. He looked pale with his eyes wide and sweat outlining his forehead. Gray's eyes slowly followed what he was staring at and he happened to see Lucy and her mother had just arrived at the home. Lucy looked almost identical to Natsu, her entire body stiff and pale as if she saw a ghost.
He could feel the air shift and get thick and he let out a small cough, nudging his friend slightly to bring him back. Natsu nearly jumped out of his skin, his eyes widening and cheeks slightly flushing as he turned to look at his friend.
"Hey Lucy!" Gray decided to set the pace, stepping forward to embrace said girl. "Mrs. Heartfillia." He bowed so graciously making Layla waved him off, a giggle on her lips.
"Hi Gray," her voice was shy and a bit wary, her eyes darting from behind him to his face. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just playing video games with the hot-head." He nudged his head towards Natsu who avoided their gaze, body slightly turned to the side as if he had suddenly become very interested in the same vase he's walked past a billion times. "Hey, so, how are you? Feeling any better?"
Lucy had a pinch of a smile, her eyes darting to her mothers figure who was now a bit away, speaking with some maid. She gave it as a warning and he nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "A lot better, thanks."
Finally Natsu had found the courage to step closer, his footsteps heavy with each passing step. He didn't feel the anger anymore since the fateful day but it subsided to something more mellow throughout the days. Disappointment? Heartbroken? Betrayal? He didn't really know how to pinpoint it but he felt like shit thinking his girlfriend may have not liked him as much as he had thought. Maybe it was all a daydream for her than it was reality and it pissed him off to feel so upset about such a situation.
But seeing her now in front of him made everything disappear because he forgot how pretty she was and how nice she smelt. And he somehow missed her through all the chaos.
"Hey," he shoved his hands into his pockets to avoid touching her.
"Hi," her voice was barely a hush and the silence came back.
Even Gray shivered at the way things felt and Natsu glared at him, nudging him with his elbow.
"How have you been?" She squeaked, cheeks flushing as her eyes nervously darted from Natsu's to Gray's, her eyes silently pleading the ink-haired teen for help. He seemed to ignore it, eyes diverting to the ceiling as if a million dollars was hanging from it.
"Alright," Natsu shrugged, trying to keep himself together. "You?"
"Alright." She offered a slight smile, feeling squeamish.
"Oh, Natsu!" Layla gushed, making her way over to the three where Gray silently praised the lord for allowing another buffer to come to ease this painful tension and silence.
Natsu didn't have to force himself to smile at Layla as he sent a hug her way. It felt awkward as Gray and Lucy leaned back from the interaction, Lucy feeling a bit uncomfortable with the fact her own boyfriend didn't even offer her one.
"How have you been, sweetheart? You look like you lost some weight." Layla cooed, stroking the side of his face with motherly affection.
Natsu grinned bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. "Really? I didn't think so."
"You should really take care of yourself. Lucy can't keep up, especially when you two have kids. You're still young!"
Lucy's face bloomed red with color, embarrassment and shock going through her body as she gawked at her mother. Gray and Natsu's eyes widened, their eyes flicking over to Lucy who furiously shook her head, hands flying.
"Mom, what are you saying!" Lucy forced out a nervous awkward laugh, placing her hands on her shoulders to try and scoot her away. "We—we're far from any of that!"
Gray seemed to let out a breath he was holding and Natsu seemed a bit more relaxed after knowing they didn't know their little secret. Knowing that, his eyes flickered over to her stomach which was still flat, his imagination going wild at the thought of her swollen with his child.
Somehow, it made him pleased to think of that and he found her a bit more attractive at the thought of her pregnant with his seed.
"Come on, let's go find Mrs. Dragneel." She gently pushed Layla away and the woman was pouting childishly.
"Goodbye you two. Stay handsome!" She sang, waving goodbye.
"Hey, wait," Natsu reached for Lucy, his fingers wrapping around her arm making her body shiver.
She turned around to glance at him, her cheeks flushed as he took her in. "Yeah?"
"Can we talk real quick?"
"Um," her eyes glanced over at her mother who offered her an assuring smile and then over at Gray who got the hint and nodded.
"I'll wait in the car," Gray said, hand held out for the car keys Natsu held onto.
Natsu dug into his pocket, quick to hand off the fob which Gray twirled before he was waving goodbye. Lucy waved back, a smile on her face before Gray was out the door and her mother was up the stairs, disappearing down the hall to the room where Grandine was sure to be waiting with tea.
The silence was deafening, the two standing awkwardly in front of each other as they shifted from one foot to another.
"Um, so…" Lucy started, fingers tangling in front of her as she swayed. "You've been good?"
"Yeah, yeah," he waved it off, nervousness building up in his chest. "You alright? And…" his eyes trailed down to her stomach which she covered, arms crossing in front.
"Yeah," she forced out, a little smile on her lips. "Just throwing up a bit here and there. Nothing crazy."
"You're throwing up?" He frowned, remembering how much she hates it.
"Yeah," her eyes trailed to the floor between them, finding their shoes much more comforting. "It's okay, though. I've been managing."
"You look like you lost weight. Are you eating properly? Drinking enough?" He took a step forward and Lucy reactively took one back making him stop.
"I…" she started, her bottom lip quivering slightly as she felt her heart race. "I just… I'm…" Her eyes kept finding other things to focus on, trying to keep her distance. "Listen, Natsu, I just… I haven't heard from you all week and I…"
"I know." He pressed his lips into a tight line, feeling remorseful.
Lucy stayed quiet, fidgeting in her spot, waiting for him to say anything else. She could feel his eyes on her, taking her all in and it made her want to implode. And throw up. But that could only be because of her pregnancy.
"I need to go up and try on some dresses, our moms are waiting and Gray's been waiting, too." Lucy forced another tight smile, taking another step back.
"Fuck him," Natsu disregarded his friend, stepping towards her again. "Lucy, I—"
"Natsu, I just—" she held her hand out, flinching as he reached for her again. "I think it's just best we don't get into this. I… had a rough week and I don't know if I can handle this right now."
"You had a rough week?" He echoed, eyebrows pinched together and his frown deepening.
"Well, yeah," her cheeks flushed again, her eyes darting around to find something to stare at. "You kind of broke my heart."
Natsu felt like the air got sucked out of his throat at her statement, his eyes widening. He felt his chest contract and he felt the guilt and pain swirl inside of him. He just wanted to hold her and kiss her, comforting her as if this wasn't his doing but he knew it was. He knew he should have gone back and talked it out with her. He knew he should have responded to her calls and texts. He knew he should have been better.
"Maybe I'll see you later," she forced out, taking steps back. "Have fun with Gray."
Natsu watched her walk away and he felt frozen in his spot, fingers twitching and legs aching to chase after her.
And once again, he was alone in his large foyer with the wishes of being with her.
Anger and frustration coursed through and he stormed out of his house, slamming the door with such force it shook the frame. He was so angry at himself for what happened between their relationship and finding out he was the reason she was having such a rough week. That also meant his baby was having a rough week and suffering because his girl was suffering.
It made him want to punch the wall and rage through the town, screaming at anyone and everything.
He came into the running car, plopping down and slamming the car door shut that made Gray jump. He looked over at his friend, seeing how he was running his hands through his hair with such a sour expression it made him feel a bit bad.
"Guessing the conversation didn't go so well?"
"Fuck off." Natsu angrily snapped which made him raise his hands in surrendance.
Shifting his gears into drive, Natsu slammed on the gas for them to fly out of his estate before he murdered someone.
—X—
"Are you sure you want to go with a ballgown, Lucy? I feel like the mermaid or sheath style better accentuates your figure." Grandine frowned, one arm tucked underneath her chest while the other held up her arm that curled around her chin.
"I agree with Grandine on this. While the ballgown is very beautiful and stunning, I do like the tighter style on you. Look more… elegant."
"I think a ballgown is fine," Lucy fluffed her ridiculous large gown, huffing out. "Also gives me a bunch more room."
"That is true," Layla sighed while Grandine took the blonde beauty in, eyes dragging around her figure.
"Could we take a break? I'm quite parched." Lucy offered a sheepish smile which the ladies agreed to, going back to their small tea table.
While Grandine and Layla left to go get some snacks for themselves, Lucy didn't even bother taking her dress off before she was out the door. Natsu wasn't around for her to worry about and she didn't care since this wasn't the dress anyway. She was still feeling pretty down about her entire pregnancy and relationship and it didn't help that she was picking out wedding dresses. It made her feel nauseous and a bit hot, resulting in her making her way to the gardens.
She didn't even really think she would be there but somehow she appeared where all the florals bloomed and she let out a sigh.
Her heart pounded inside of her chest at the thought of Natsu and how devastated he looked when she told him he broke her heart. She was sure she hurt Natsu, too, and he was trying to talk to her but she just didn't feel ready to.
After five agonizing days, she felt like she had just begun to harden from the blow and suddenly running into her boyfriend made her entire body turn to mush the moment they locked eyes.
She missed him so much. She wanted to run into his arms and fling herself at him for a well-needed hug and kiss. She wanted to whine and tell him how exhausting it was to wake up throwing up every morning and how he left her but she had nobody to blame but herself.
Tears welled in her eyes at the thought and she let out a shaky breath, her blurry vision trying to focus on the flowers in front of her.
How could they ever recover from this? She had no idea.
"Oh shit—uh—sorry!"
Whirling around, Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of her boyfriend who was sputtering, eyes wide and face red as he tried his best to look away and shield her away from his vision. But his eyes kept darting back and forth from her to everywhere else, his hands held up.
She suddenly remembered she was in her ballgown and flushed, turning away from him as she hugged herself. "You shouldn't be here."
"Sorry, I—uh, I—I didn't think you'd be out here." He casted his head down, trying to keep his eyes away from this angel. "I was just trying to shoot some hoops and I ran into you."
"It's not my dress so I guess it doesn't matter," Lucy let out a sigh, her lips twisting to the side as she kept her eyes away from him. "It's not the first time you walked in on me wearing a wedding dress."
The silence was piercing through them again and she tightened her grip around her forearms, the frown deepening on her face as she wondered if it even was worth it to be doing all of this. Maybe at this rate the wedding won't even happen and she didn't have to force herself to come and try on so many dresses.
She heard him walking closer over towards her and she turned her head when he neared, her eyes finding his instantly as he was just an arms length away.
"This is a different style," he noted, voice low as if he was afraid to speak. "Trying something new?"
"Well, considering that my belly might get too big and I might have some baby weight, I wanted to go for a dress that wouldn't constrict or show too much when the time comes."
Natsu just nodded, his eyes trailing down the beautiful wedding dress that shimmered in the natural sunlight and how her pale complexion looked so baby soft. The corset hugged her so perfectly that her chest sat beautifully, her tiny waist accented in the seams of it all.
"I think you look beautiful." He said in a hush, almost a whisper.
Lucy felt her cheeks bloom in color and she diverted her gaze to the floor, finding the space between them more comforting than his stare. "T—thanks."
Another silence.
"How was lunch with Gray?" She tried to keep the conversation going, shifting from one foot to the other in awkwardness.
Natsu didn't respond but instead he reached for her, his warm fingers startling her as she snapped her head up to look at him. Her breath hitched at the soft look he provided and she didn't stop him as he pulled her forward, her body leeching off his warmth he radiated. Before she knew it, she was in his arms and her body grew stiff.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," he whispered against her hair and she felt herself relax slowly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the both of you." He slowly moved his hand up to press it against her stomach and she tensed at the feel. "I just thought… I just…" he struggled to get out his reasoning, his arm tightening around her figure. "I was just afraid."
"Afraid of what?" She whispered back, trying to keep her voice down as if she was afraid he would scare easy and run away.
"Afraid of you leaving me." He admitted, the fresh sweet scent of his girlfriend attacking his senses. "I just thought… once you had this baby, you were going to call it quits and just run off with them and I was going to be alone, again."
"Natsu," Lucy pulled back just a bit to look at him. "I told you that it wasn't like that. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was going to abandon you."
"I know," he offered a tight smile, his eyes sad and down. "I know that now."
"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings and made it seem like I was going to abandon you."
"And I'm sorry for breaking your heart."
Lucy felt her eyes well with tears at his apology, her lips turning into a frown as she sniffled. Natsu's eyes widened at her expression and his hands had found itself around her waist, his fingers slightly digging into her hips. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Don't cry."
Wrapping her arms around his shoulder, she pulled him close and hugged him tightly as her heart squeezed painfully in her chest.
"I missed you so much," she confessed, tears spilling from her chocolate orbs as she fisted his shirt. "I was so lonely without you. I thought you hated me."
"I could never," he ran his hand up and down her back, brushing away her hair. "I missed you so much, Luce. You have no idea."
"Then why didn't you respond to me?" She whimpered, pressing her face further into his chest.
"I.." he found himself at a loss of words, his lips deepening into a frown. "I guess I was just really upset and didn't want to say something I might regret."
"You dummy," she whined, rubbing her tears and snot over his shirt. "You made me think this was over!"
"No way," he pulled her away to look at her again, his eyebrows knitted together as he held her by her shoulders. "Lucy, I'm not going to leave you because of a stupuid fight. I was just angry and you were upset and tensions were high. I'm not going to break up with you over it."
"Well, I didn't know!" She cried out, wiping away the tears from her reddened cheeks. "I'm all emotional and all so I thought it was the end of the world! My heart felt like it was literally splitting apart. I've never felt like this before!" She pounded on his chest weakly.
Natsu chuckled softly and he brushed the tears from her cheeks, his chest warming at the thought of his girlfriend. "Guess I'm taking literally all your firsts, the bad and the good." He tucked a strain of hair behind her ear. "Baby, I told you," he whispered, both hands coming up to cup her delicate face. "You're mine to keep."
Her doe eyes were wide and red with tears as she stared up at him, her bottom lip quivering at his words. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt, fisting the material as she pulled him down to kiss her. Natsu was surprised as he was yanked forward, his lips finding hers sloppily as they smushed a bit aggressively.
He was quick to recover, his hand coming up to the back of her neck to guide and tilt her head, his lips molding perfectly against her own.
Sparks and tingles ran through their bodies as their lips touched, warmth spreading around as if it was a wildfire and it felt way too long since they had shared a kiss. It felt like fireworks exploding and Lucy shamelessly let out a moan as he slid his tongue into her greedy mouth, tongues dancing. This enticed Natsu to press further, his fingers tangling in her locks as he took a fistful of it and his arm tightened around her waist, pulling her as close as he could to feel every inch of her.
When they pulled away for air, they were both dizzy and buzzed, cheeks pink and breath heavy as they stared at one another.
"Lucy," he breathed out, eyes lidded and heart racing.
"Yeah?" She responded breathlessly, her hazel eyes locking with his with such intensity.
"I… I..."
Seeing how she was staring up at him with those eyes as if he hung the moon for her, he suddenly felt incredibly nervous. "Nothing." He casted his head away, his cheeks heating up. "Let's get you back before they wonder where you are."
"O—oh, okay," Lucy stumbled as Natsu suddenly whirled around, keeping his head down as the tips of his ears burned red. He grabbed onto her wrist and started to drag her back inside, the heir suddenly rushed and robot-like as she followed closely behind.
She could only wonder what got him stumbling over his words, her own cheeks burning as she glanced at his profile every once in a while.
I think I love you.