Have you ever read a story with dragons? Dragons are always the last obstacle in a knight's quest. They are always guarding a treasure. Why is that? It's because dragons are the personification of greed. When they see something they want, they take it and make it theirs. They don't share and they don't make nice with those who would want to take it from them. These magnificent creatures become truly vicious when someone wants to steal their treasure.
It is either a brave or a foolish man that wishes to steal a dragon's treasure and there is a fine line between the two. They are enticed by rumors of the treasure guarded by a dragon. They seek it out. When they arrive at the treasure and see it protected, the men try to liberate it from the creature only to be destroyed. Such is the fate of a man who wishes to steal from a dragon.
Therefore, it is good advice not to take a dragon's treasure if you wish to live.
It is unusual to see Natsu get up in the middle of the night. Well, allow me to clarify. When Natsu is on a mission, his five senses are on high alert. During missions, he is a light sleeper. There is no telling when an enemy might come to attack. But in the comfort of his own home or the guild that he loves, Natsu is more relaxed and becomes a heavy sleeper. So, if Natsu is up in the middle of the night in his home, something must be on his mind.
And indeed there was. Nothing bad, though. He was just thinking. What was he thinking about? Well, just how his life has changed and how much his life will change in the coming months.
Natsu is a really friendly guy. Despite all of his aggressiveness to prove his superiority over everyone else, the pink-haired man easily made friends with almost everyone. Each bond is special to him. Of course, some bonds are more special than others.
There are the people outside of the guild, like the men of Blue Pegasus and Jellal and his gang. These people were friends but the sort of distant friends who he hears about once in a while.
Next comes the people in his guild. To Natsu, Fairy Tail is more than just a place where his friends hang out to do missions and enjoy each other's company. The guild is family. Like in every family, there are people who are related to you but you don't talk to that often. For Natsu, this is people like Laki, Alzack, Bisca, Macao, Wakaba and others.
Then there are people like the Strauss Siblings, Laxus and the Raijinshuu, Cana and Gildarts. Natsu regularly hangs out with them whenever he's not out on a mission. They are the people who are closer to him than some of the others in the guild because they have grown up around each other and have fought together on various occasions.
There is a more inner circle consisting of his fellow Dragon Slayers, Gajeel and Wendy. They are like his older brother and younger sister because they share the bond of being trained in the art of the Dragon Slayer. These two also experienced the lost of a parent. By extension, the mates that they have chosen for themselves, Levy and Romeo respectively, are within that same circle.
His team, Erza and Gray, are closer to him than the others. They are his constant companions, the people who has his back in battle. Their friendships were forged from childhood as rivals and guildmates to being on the same team. They trust in each other's power and will do anything to make sure that the others live. And since Juvia quite often went on missions with him and is romantically entangled with Gray, Natsu considers the water mage a part of his team as well.
In his innermost circle are those bonds that are the closest thing Natsu has to immediate family.
Happy, from the moment that he found his egg so many years ago, is like a brother, friend, and teammate all rolled into one. Wherever Natsu went, Happy was never far behind. They shared good times and bad and are inseparable. At times, there aren't even words to describe how much the blue Exceed means to him.
Then there is Master Makarov. To the Fire Dragon Slayer, the old man is a father figure, teacher, master and leader. The guild master gave him a home, friends and a purpose for his magic. He told the youth to use his magic to protect his nakama. And Natsu did. He was eternally grateful for the kindness that Makarov showed him. So if the old man requires something of him, Natsu would do his best to do it to repay that kindness.
Finally, there is Igneel, fire dragon. He taught Natsu of magic and the world. The days that he spent with the dragon were some of the best days in his life. It truly hurt Natsu that the dragon had left him but he never stopped looking for him. In his youth, the dragon slayer chased every dragon rumor, hoping against hope that he would be reunited with Igneel. Nowadays, Natsu is more worldly and though he doesn't search the world looking for the one who raised him as much as he used to, he truly believes that he will one day be reunited with the dragon.
Natsu treasures each bond jealously. Anyone who tried to take that bond away from him is classified as an enemy. Enemies would feel the full wrath of the Fire Dragon Slayer. They will not take away his bonds away from him.
But of course, even a dragon has one favorite treasure, the one that it values over anything else. While trying to take any treasure from a dragon is a risky endeavor, taking the favorite is tantamount to inviting ruin upon you. For Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer, his favorite treasure, the one he values over everyone and everything, is the woman who is currently sleeping in his arms.
Lucy Heartfilia
Now Natsu wasn't one to believe in fate. He didn't like the idea of not being able to decide his own future. However, even he couldn't call his meeting Lucy a coincidence. That word implies that their friendship and eventual relationship was a cosmic accident. Whatever word could be used in this situation, Natsu's meeting Lucy was exactly that and also the best thing that ever happened in his life. From the moment that they met in Hargeon Port, he never knew that this woman, this beautiful, wonderful woman would be the one that he would treasure above all.
At the outset of their meeting, the Stellar Spirit mage was like anyone who was a Fairy Tail mage to him, a weird but capable mage. But as they took missions together, laughed together, cried together and enjoyed each other's company, Natsu and Lucy became less of just guildmates and nakama and more like best friends. It would take the events with Phantom Lord to settle that in his mind.
From then on, Natsu would always visit her in her apartment to invite her to go on missions with him or to have fun or even just to talk. Though at first Lucy would frequently yell at him for not taking her privacy seriously, the pink haired Dragon Slayer knew that she was glad that he cared enough to visit her.
The more time Natsu spent with Lucy, the more his feelings for her grew. He didn't realize it as it was happening because he always tried to justify what he was feeling. Going on missions with Lucy was fun but it was also a way to make sure that she was safe. Invading Lucy's apartment was not only to enjoy her company but it was also to make sure that she wasn't lonely. Many of their guildmates had told Natsu that he was in love with the resident Stellar Spirit mage. He would always laugh it off and say "Of course I love her. I love all my friends." They would always sigh and shake their heads in exasperation. The Dragon Slayer didn't understand why at that time.
It would take the events of Tenrou Island to put his relationship with Lucy in perspective. (In retrospect, Tenrou Island was the place where many other relationships started to change: Gray started to realize how deep Juvia's feelings for him were, Gajeel was scared of losing the one person who had completely forgiven him of his sins, and even Elfman and Evergreen started bonding over their haphazard partnership.)
Natsu's defining moment was when Kain Hikaru had captured Lucy. Natsu was trapped under rubble and debris. He couldn't free himself. So Natsu told Lucy to save herself. But she refused even as she was brutally beaten. She told him, with a smile, that she would rather be together with everyone than to run away by herself.
For the first time in his life, Natsu Dragneel was terrified. This wasn't the kind of terror that Erza caused whenever he and Gray fought. It wasn't the terror that he faced when Gildarts released his full strength. This was a different kind of terror. To see Lucy suffer before his eyes while he could do nothing angered him immensely and also made him afraid. It angered him to see Kain hurt Lucy right in front of her and it angered him that he could nothing to stop it. But it also made him afraid because if Lucy were to die, Natsu knew that it could break his spirit beyond repair.
Luckily for the both of them, Natsu was able to save Lucy by using Kain's own doll against him.
But this incident gave him a new perspective on Lucy and her mortality. Natsu knew that Lucy was strong, even though sometimes she would doubt it herself. But the life of a mage is still dangerous. Anything could happen. That's what scared Natsu the most. He was terrified of losing Lucy, more so than any other bond. So he made sure that he was close to Lucy whenever they went on missions. Natsu would also insist that she didn't take a mission without him. More often than not, she'd agree. However, it was a rare day that Lucy took a mission with other teams and even rarer when she took a mission by herself. During those times, Natsu wouldn't take a mission. Instead, she would wait and pray for her safe return.
Beneath this worry, there was this niggling feeling that he felt every time they went on missions together. He started to notice Lucy, I mean really notice her. Whenever she wore a new outfit, Natsu would always compliment her. And, although it failed miserably against their opponents, the Fire Dragon Slayer could totally see and understand her sex appeal. But it just wasn't her physical appearance that drew him. Natsu also saw how kind she was to everyone, how willing she was to make everyone happy, how determined she was to prove herself to others, and how confident she was in herself.
Natsu understood what he was feeling now. Somewhere along the way, Natsu Dragneel had fallen for Lucy Heartfilia. However, there was a problem. Natsu was Lucy's friend. And friends don't fall for their friends. He was content to be in Lucy's presence. That was all he needed. Asking for more would be greedy.
But dragons are greedy creatures by nature. Natsu was no different. He wanted to possess her completely. An incident would occur to change their relationship forever.
Natsu was on his way to Lucy's apartment by himself. Happy wasn't feeling well because he ate too much fish so at the time, the blue Exceed wasn't good company. He wanted to take out a mission but Erza had left on a mission by request of the Master and Gray was currently on a date with Juvia. Natsu chose to hang out with Lucy today. No missions, no fighting, no responsibilities. As he entered in his usual way, through the window, Natsu was treated to a sight that he'd never forget.
Lucy was in a towel, having just come out of the shower. She was applying lotion on her skin when he called out to her. Lucy being Lucy, of course, shrieked at him, yelling something about privacy and pervert when it happened.
Lucy's towel fell to her feet.
There was a long pause between the two of them. In her absolute shock, Lucy didn't grab her towel. Natsu couldn't help but stare at the now exposed skin before him. His eyes were roving across her body, his nose took in her clean scent now complimented by the peach and vanilla scent in her lotion, and his ears could hear her breathing intensify. As if moved by an invisible force, Natsu felt his body drawn to this beautiful woman.
Natsu made love to Lucy that day. On that day, their friendship was no more. But in its place, they became lovers.
Since their relationship was based on a deep friendship, the transition from being best friends to boyfriend/girlfriend was very simple. Not much changed in how they interacted. It was a godsend to both of them.
That isn't to say that their relationship was perfect. No relationship is. Lucy would sometimes feel like a replacement for Lisanna. Natsu would get jealous of Loke whenever he flirted with Lucy. Lucy would get angry when he would get overly destructive on their missions. Natsu would get angry whenever she took a mission without telling him.
There was an incident where Natsu and Lucy nearly broke up. She was so angry at Natsu that the blonde didn't talk to him for a month. That was the worst month of his life. But they reconciled and have been going strong ever since.
Now, four years later and Natsu and Lucy were living together and truly happy.
Natsu took the time to admire the woman in his arms. She truly was a beautiful sight. Her blonde hair was braided. Her face was peaceful and content. Her neck was covered with his kiss marks. Her breasts were covered in a light sheet. (It was probably his imagination but her breasts seemed to be getting larger and more sensitive.) There was a slight swell in her stomach... Now that was new.
Natsu spent some time caressing Lucy's stomach with his fingers, tracing out the swell. Up and down, left and right, around and around. The pink-haired man took take great pride in stroking her stomach. Lucy shifted unconsciously.
Natsu took this opportunity to gently pull down the sheet that covered her body down to her waist. With the cover down, Natsu took to looking at the swell in her stomach. This time, he caressed the naked skin of his beloved. On his face was a look of pride and contentment as he did this.
And the cause of her swell... well, Natsu was truly proud of the swell. That is because his beloved, Lucy Heartfilia, was pregnant... pregnant with his child... with their child.
When Natsu learned of the news, at first, he was shocked. It's not that he didn't have an understanding of how babies were born. (He could thank Erza's many harsh lessons in his youth for that.) It was because they were trying for a child for a while. Now it was finally happening.
Natsu and Lucy weren't alone in their happiness. Juvia was seven months pregnant with her husband Gray's child. Gajeel had learned that his wife Levy was three weeks along in her pregnancy. There were talks around the guild that Elfman and Evergreen were thinking about getting married for real. (That part confused him for a bit until someone explained that they had once told Mirajane that they were getting married as a ruse to defeat her.) And there were whispers that Erza Scarlet was carrying on a clandestine relationship with Jellal Fernandes and was considering having his child.
Natsu was truly content with his lot in life. His beloved girlfriend... No, that's wrong... his beloved fiancé as of three hours ago was carrying his child. They were going to be married sometime after the child is born.
A hazy memory of Igneel came to him just now. It was just after Natsu learned to consume flames for the first time. The dragon had a look on him that Natsu couldn't describe. But now, he understood. It was pride.
And that's the look on his face right now, pride. As he kept stroking the swell of Lucy's stomach, Natsu couldn't help but feel pride that it was his child that the blonde was carrying.
Beneath him, Lucy began to stir from her sleep. She blinked her brown eyes sleepily and adjusted to the faint light. The Stellar Spirit mage felt her stomach being caressed. It was a contradictory touch, strong but gentle.
"Natsu." Lucy whispered sleepily.
"Sorry, Luce. Did I wake you?" Natsu asked.
"It's alright." She told him. "Why are you up?"
"Just thinking." He responded.
Lucy's hands moved to her slightly protruding stomach. "It's only three months, Natsu." She reminded him. "It's not time for our child to be born."
Natsu pouted but he doubted she could see it. "I know. But I just can't wait."
"You're not the one carrying the child." She chuckled somewhat ruefully. "I'm the one who's going through all the changes."
"Yeah. I never knew you liked pickles, cherries and mayonnaise on toast." Natsu laughed.
Lucy put a hand to her mouth, about to throw up. "It's the damn food cravings. I would never eat something like that if I wasn't pregnant."
"And then you snapped at me because people took our usual table at the guild." Natsu said glumly.
"I didn't mean to." Lucy apologized. "It's the hormones."
Natsu laughed. "It's fine. I still love you."
Lucy was silent for a moment. "Would you still love me when I get fat?" She whispered
"Sure." Natsu told her. "Luce will still be Luce."
The pink haired man was now very conscious of what he said concerning Lucy's image during her pregnancy. Happy had once said that when Lucy got further along in her pregnancy, she'd be as big as a watermelon. Needless to say, that statement caused Lucy to open up the waterworks. Happy's comment got a glare from Natsu. The blue Exceed spent the rest of the day apologizing to Lucy.
Lucy snickered. "Thanks for that."
"I just can't wait for our child to be born." Natsu reminded his fiancé.
"Me either." Lucy admitted.
"Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" He asked.
"I don't know. I would have to go for an ultrasound later on in the pregnancy."
Natsu was quiet for a space, deep in thought. He sighed loudly. "Lucy Heartfilia." He spoke softly. "I want to thank you."
Lucy was confused. "Thank me? For what?"
"Many things." Natsu told her. "For joining Fairy Tail, for joining my team, for being my friend, for falling in love with me, for letting me love you, for carrying our child..."
"No, Natsu." Lucy told him. "I have to thank you for taking me to Fairy Tail. If you hadn't, none of this would have happened."
Natsu smiled softly at the woman beneath him. "You know, now that you're mine, I'm never letting you go." He told her, the gravity of his words hitting Lucy. "I treasure all of the bonds that I have with Fairy Tail but you are my favorite and most important bond. And this" Natsu's hands gently caressed her stomach "is the proof of that."
"I don't plan on going anywhere else." Lucy answered him.
Natsu could feel proud tears welling in his eyes. He kissed Lucy on her forehead. "Let's go back to sleep."
Lucy needed no other prompting. As soon as she closed her eyes, the blonde drifted off to sleep immediately. Natsu cradled her in his arms, making sure that one hand was on her stomach, as if to protect their child. He soon joined her in the comforting arms of sleep. As he did, one last thought crossed his mind.
Yes, Natsu Dragneel is a dragon. He has a treasure and that treasure is the people of Fairy Tail. Yes, he has a favorite, Lucy Heartfilia. He jealously protects his treasure, especially his favorite, with all of his strength. God help the fool who dares to take his treasure away from him.
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Word Count: 3488
And that's chapter four. I just want to remind you, boys and girls, that these one-shots aren't in chronological order. So I jumped four years into the future. I'll probably be heading back into the past for the next one.
So love it? Hate it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.
Here's the prompt for the next chapter.
Her looks, her voice, the feel of her skin, the scent of her body, the taste of her lips, Natsu could say that he loved everything about Lucy's being. It intoxicated him, captivated him and made him glad he was one with enhanced senses.
