#had to vomit it somewhere or i was gonna combust | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nalu4emily · 3 years

Text

The Unexpected Reward - Chapter 16

Summary: Natsu and Lucy go on a job together, but what they bring home is something neither anticipated. Forced to make a life changing decision, they have to adapt quickly, but that's never easy, especially given the circumstances. As they work together on their toughest adventure yet, they find themselves drawn to one another, in ways they never realised. Nalu/cute/fluff

Rated M for a reason!

"Hey, old lady! Open up!" The slayer bellowed through the tiny keyhole, beating the same spot on the large, ornate door repeatedly with his fist. "I know you're in there; I can smell you!"

"Go away, boy! I don't like visitors!" The occupant shouted from the other side, infuriating the dragon further.

He hammered his fist harder, determined to get some answers. There was no way he was turning back, not after running all this way. He'd kick the door in if he had to.

Haru, who was tucked into his arms, didn't seem to mind the small detour, or the loud clattering and yelling. He was perfectly content playing with anything he could get his hands on, namely Natsu's clothing. The occasional "Mama" or "Dada" would escape him but he mostly babbled nonsense to himself.

"At least you're having a good time. Daddy's starting to lose his patience." Natsu muttered the last bit under his breath, grinning at the child through his chagrin. He turned back to the door, "Look, I won't take up much of your time, I just need your advice. It's about Lucy…"

The door swung open with a rush and a thud, crashing into the very tree it was nailed to, causing leaves to fall from their branches. The noise had stunned Natsu into silence as he stared at the very person he'd come to see—Porlyusica. Dressed in her usual attire, she stepped out onto the porch and glowered at the young man, broom in hand, ready to chase him away.

Opening her mouth to scold him for the disruption, she caught sight of the little one he was carrying and closed it again, her hard lines softening. Instead of beating the slayer with her broom, which was the original plan, she held something out in her palm, expecting him to take it.

Eyeing it curiously, he took it from her hand and held it to his face, inspecting it further. It was a small, glass vile with a cork stopper lid, that contained a strange yellow liquid, its consistency was thick and it reminded Natsu, somewhat, of mashed up baby food—the kind Haru loved to eat.

"It's called morning sickness. Give her a few drops of that potion and it should quell its severity." She explained.

The boy accepted her potion and put it into his pocket for safe keeping, "Thanks! Lucy'll be glad of that. Only, it's not just her sickness that I'm-"

"I know why you're here. I could tell when I saw you all the other day, I'm just surprised it's taken you both this long to come knocking. So, where is she?" Porlyusica asked, looking behind Natsu for the blonde.

"At home actually. She… kinda doesn't know I'm here… but, I can't watch her suffer like that, I need to know what to do." Natsu pleaded, hoping the healer would help him.

She sighed, unable to refuse his request, "Has it been confirmed?"

"Not really… How do you do that?" Natsu asked, his knowledge on such things were limited.

"Get Lucy to test it, she'll understand. Then once it's confirmed, come back to me, I'll need to run some checks." She said, turning to go back inside.

"Checks? What checks?" There went his plan! Lucy would have to see her after all.

"You want a healthy child, don't you?" She said, as if it were obvious.

"U-Uh…"

The fire mage didn't get a chance to think too much into that before the door was slammed shut in his face, making him along with the baby jump.

The wind picked up a little as he turned to walk away, looking down at Haru, who was starting to snuggle down against his chest. Natsu smiled again at him, trying to mask his annoyance with the old woman's abruptness, "Sorry for making you wait, Haru, I bet you're super bored?"

"Dada…" The child yawned cutely on cue, making Natsu chuckle.

"Yeah, Dada's gonna take you home." He reiterated, turning to make tracks for home.

Natsu all but crashed through the front door, nearly breaking it off its hinges. "Luce? Lucy? Are ya home?" He yelled out into the house. Out of breath and panting, having just ran all the way back.

"Lucy?" He called out again, but with no answer still, he wondered where she could be, "Hmm… Let's go find Mama; she's around here somewhere."

"Mama…" The infant muttered, before going back to sucking on the ends of Natsu's scarf.

Once reaching the top of the stairs, he heard what he suspected might be the reason for Lucy's silence. A noise that'd become all too common over the last few days. Pushing the bathroom door open, he stood in the doorway, smiling sadly at the girl hunched over the toilet bowl once again. He felt nothing but empathy for her, the feeling of being overwhelmingly sick wasn't exactly foreign to him either, so he understood her pain.

The young man crouched down behind the blonde, cringing as she wretched her guts up. "It's alright, Luce. I'm here with you now." He spoke quietly, as not to alarm her of his presence. Placing Haru down next to him, he reached a hand out to her shoulder, the warm touch spreading over her clammy skin.

With one last cough and spit into the bowl, Lucy leaned back, breathing heavily while her watery eyes streamed down her face. She sniffled and blew her nose with a tissue, wiping her mouth at the same time. She took in a large breath and shifted to the man behind her, clutching hold of his jacket while she cried into his chest.

Enveloping her with his arms and cradling her head to him, he spoke tenderly to her, "Has it eased off now?"

"I-I don't know." Her voice was hoarse; her throat sore, "Please don't leave me again."

That struck a chord with Natsu. Never had he heard Lucy ask for him, not like that. She was always way too proud and independent, but this had really taken it's toll on her, not just physically but mentally also, making her feel vulnerable and it saddened him to see her so.

"I won't, Lucy, I promise." He said lowly into her ear, placing an affectionate peck just behind her lobe.

Nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck, she sniffled again, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, "I don't want this, Natsu. I don't care what's causing it; I just want it gone."

Really her words shouldn't have affected him like they did, yet he still felt a sharp tug on his heart. She didn't know the reason behind her vomiting; how could she? He hadn't told her. And now with her so upset, he really didn't know how he was going to do that. Where did he even start?

He'd been so ready to just blurt it out, never considering how Lucy might react to it. In fact, if memory served him, she'd most likely freak until she combusted, or worse, began to cry. This subject had to be handled sensitively and with care, but the longer he left it, the longer he had to dwell on her reaction.

"I know, Luce. Are you sure you still want to wait for Wendy? Gramps told me she won't be back for a week at least." He explained, hoping she might change her mind about seeing the old dragon woman.

"I don't care who I see, as long as they can get rid of it." She said, finally pulling back and wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "I'm just so tired! It's been so long since I've had any real sleep and the puking just won't let up. My tummy hurts, my back aches and my ribs feel like they're being squashed, I have a constant headache and food-" She placed her hand over her mouth again, feeling that overwhelming nausea return. The mention of food, any food, was enough to set her off.

"Just try and take a deep breath, Luce, think of something else."

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath through her nose and let it slowly out through her mouth, turning her attentions to Haru, "Sorry, little man, Mama didn't mean to ignore you, although you seem pretty content sucking on that scarf."

"He's been doing that all afternoon." Natsu answered for the baby, before switching back to Lucy, "Has the feeling gone now?"

"Not yet, it never really does. It just sits there until something triggers it." She explained, trying to breathe through the queasiness.

"That sucks… Oh, that reminds me, I have something for ya!" Remembering the little gift the old woman had given him, he started rummaging through his pockets, pulling out the item he was looking for and handed it to her, "Take it, Luce, it'll help with your, uh…" Wracking his brain for whatever Porlyusica had called it, "…Sickness." Was what he settled for.

Taking it into her hands she stared at it, frowning at the gross substance which could barely be called a liquid. "Um… Are you sure this is fit for human consumption?" She asked, hesitant to put it anywhere near her mouth. "And where'd it even come from?"

"Well, you know you said you didn't want to go to Porlyusica?" He blushed a little, putting his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly, "I kinda did for ya and she gave me that. She said to take a few drops of it."

"Hmm… If you say so." She popped the cork lid open and let a few small globs dribble out into her mouth, pulling a disgusted face as it slid down her throat and stuck out her tongue. Little Haru found it hysterical and began laughing at his mother, his whole body jiggling up and down, "Well, I'm glad you're finding this funny, because that is repulsive!"

Natsu smiled, "You did look kinda funny, Luce. But at least it'll lessen your morning sickness now." That was it!

Eyes widening, Lucy snapped her head to Natsu, her amusement gone, "Morning sickness?!"

"Yeah, that's what she called it—which is dumb! It's more like all day and night sickness." He chuckled to himself, quickly falling silent when Lucy's expression didn't change at his little joke. He didn't understand; had he said something wrong? "What's up, Luce? I thought it might help."

"You… you think I'm pregnant?" She asked, eyes wide and mouth agape, her stare never leaving him.

Shit!

So morning sickness was a pregnancy thing? He wished he'd known that sooner!

Cursing himself again, he hadn't meant for her to find out like that and what's worse—she looked utterly horrified. Dammit! What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't lie to her; he wouldn't do that. With no other alternative, he did the only thing he could and sighed, nodding his answer and cringing at the sharp inhale he heard pass her lips.

Hoping she wasn't about to blow a fuse, he approached the stunned girl carefully, taking the vile out of her slack grasp and placed it back in his pocket before entwining their fingers together. Quirking one side of his lip into a half smile, he kept quiet and allowed her to process the information she obviously was not expecting.

His eyes dropped from her shocked face to her partially exposed stomach, catching her other hand instinctively come down to cradle it protectively, like an expectant mother would and it made the adrenaline course through his body.

"Pregnant… How did I not think of that?" She muttered under her breath, truly shocked that she hadn't once considered it a possibility. All the signs were there, everything pointed to it—shouted at it in fact, yet it was Natsu who'd realised it first. The boy that once thought humans laid eggs had figured it out before her? Something seemed fishy! "How come you knew? Who've you been speaking to?" Mortified to think that the whole guild knew before she even did.

"Gray, actually." He replied, shrugging, "And Porlyusica helped, obviously."

"Gray?! What does he know about having a baby? Doesn't he usually shy away from that kind of stuff?" She was astounded to find that it was the ice mage of all people. One of the girls from the guild was understandable or even someone like Gajeel who'd experienced it, but Gray?

"You think Juvia gives him a choice? She was crazy before, but now it seems she's on a whole other level." He sniggered a little, feeling kinda sorry for Gray, but kinda not. He'd made his bed and now he'd have to lay in it.

"Oh, so Juvia's pregnant too? How sweet, she's been desperate since… well, since forever!"

Natsu hummed in agreement, his attention focused more on Lucy's calm and collected demeanour, which honestly, he hadn't expected. She seemed happy by the prospect of growing their family, and that filled him with joy.

"Baby fever all 'round, it seems." Chuckling and tapping little Haru's head, the spirit wielder met the slayers eyes, smiling brightly at him with her hand still firmly placed on her lower belly, "I guess being so sick will be worth it, if it's for a baby."

"Our baby, Luce." Wiping the few stray tears away with his thumb, Natsu grinned at her, glad to see that gorgeous smile of hers split her cheeks, "Now we just gotta test it, right? Only, I don't know how you'd do that?"

"Hmm… I do, but… Oh wait! Cana!" She yelled, scrambling to her feet and nearly tripping on the bath mat. Luckily, Natsu was there for her to grab a hold of.

"What's this got to do with Cana?" He asked, confused—nothing good could ever come of her being involved.

"Her 'gifts'." The boy tilted his head; that made even less sense! "You know… ages ago, she pranked us with the condoms and a pregnancy test?" Lucy whispered to him, not wanting to say it out loud in front of Haru.

"Oh yeah! I wondered where they all went!" His eyes lit up when the memory returned to him.

"Please don't remind me…" Happy mumbled under his breath, a look of trauma on his face.

"Oh, hey Happy! I didn't hear ya come in!" Natsu greeted, waving at the exceed hovering in the doorway.

"Why're you guys looking for those things? You mean you're actually gonna use 'em?!" Nearly passing out at the thought, but shut his mouth quickly when he noticed Lucy glaring at him.

Returning to the task at hand, the blonde continued to search through the bathroom cupboards, "I put them away in here somewhere… Aha! Found it!" She cheered, holding and waving it in her hand to show Natsu.

"Awesome!" He cheered, "Now what?"

"Yeah, uh, you're gonna have to wait outside, and I'll let you know when I'm done." Pulling out the stick from its packaging, she crossed her arms and glared at the boy still standing there.

"Wait, what's happening?" The exceed asked, completely lost on their conversation.

"Why do I gotta wait outside? Can't I stay in here while you do it?" Natsu didn't want to be locked out again, it wasn't fair! He wanted to be in on the action!

She deadpanned, "Unless you want to watch me pee on a stick?" He was clueless.

"No, thank you!" Happy was gone in a flash, back down the stairs, no longer caring what they were talking about.

"So what, Luce?" The fire mage shrugged, "I've seen ya do worse."

"Just get out, Natsu, I'll call you back in when I'm done!" Lucy huffed, shooing the idiot out of the bathroom, ignoring his protests and shutting the door behind her.

Natsu exaggerated his huff, chuckling when Haru copied him, "Looks like we gotta wait out here, little guy. Are ya hungry?" The fire mage asked, taking them both down to the kitchen to retrieve some food.

Once returning to the bathroom door, food thoroughly shoved in their pie holes, they waited. When the door finally opened, revealing the girl with the stick in her hand, Natsu could barely contain himself; he wanted to know the results.

"So, what's it say? Are ya, Luce?" He asked, feeling like a kid at Christmas. Upon setting his own eyes on the girl, his face dropped instantly as he watched fresh tears build in her eyes. "Lucy?"

She wiped her snuffling nose and handed the stick to her partner, allowing him to look at the results. "Two lines means positive; one line means negative." Was all she said, using her sleeve to rub at her irritated eyes.

Peering down at the peculiar shaped object in his hand, he knitted his brows together. On the little screen, there was but a singular line—just one. He looked back up to Lucy, confusion still etched into his expression, "Negative?"

"It means, I'm not pregnant." Disappointment flowed out of her very pores; saying it out loud only reaffirmed it; a bitter truth escaping her lips. "Back to the drawing board, I guess. I'm sorry, Natsu, I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear."

Natsu remained silent, processing it all. It was definitely not the result he had been expecting, but it didn't seem to be bothering him as much as it should've. That niggle along with everything else that lead him to that conclusion, surely hadn't been wrong? He should've felt sad, a little disappointed, maybe? Or even a tad guilty for giving Lucy false hope—but he felt none of those things.

It was true that he didn't have well of medical knowledge like Porlyusica or some other doctor. He didn't read a load of books to get his information like Lucy or even Levy, and he certainly had no experience to pull from, and yet his gut still believed there was hope.

He placed the test down and pulled Lucy to him, enveloping her in his warmth to soothe her aching heart. With her nestled into his chest, he nuzzled his head into her hair, breathing in her scent, allowing it to relax him, when an idea struck.

Unexpectedly he pulled away from the sad blonde, passed her the baby and dropped to his knees, much to her embarrassment. He hugged her close, placing his nose on her lower belly and inhaled deeply, ignoring her flustered rants about 'reading the mood'. After several awkward minutes of her whining and his determination to be proven right, he smiled and let go.

"Natsu, you can't just sniff people like that! What were you doing?! I'm not in the mood for jokes." She sighed, watching him hop to his feet.

"Lucy, I think the test is lying."

Perking her head up to meet his eyes, with brows knitted together, she spoke, "Huh? Tests don't lie, Natsu! Don't be so ridiculous! I know it's hard to hear, but we're not having a baby."

"We'll see about that!" He grinned and hoisted her up, carrying her bridal style down the stairs with Haru perched neatly in her lap, ignoring her yells to be put down.

"Right Haru, let's go get some answers! You coming, Happy?" Natsu's usual electric enthusiasm shone brightly through his grin.

"Yeah! Where are we going?" Happy asked, hovering above the slayer's head.

He winked at the Exceed, then proceeded to kick the front door open and walked out into the front garden. "You ready, Luce?" His grin turning mischievous.

"Natsu, put me down! I don't even have any shoes on! Where the heck are we going?!" She screeched into his ear, making him wince, but smile all the same.

"You don't need shoes when I'm carrying you! Hold on tight guys, we're off to see the old dragon woman in the woods. She'll be able to tell us." He said, sprinting off down the path towards their destination, with Happy flying behind.

Eventually, Lucy gave up her struggle. She wasn't going to win; she never did once he'd set his mind on something. That was usually how all of their adventures started off, him dragging her off somewhere new and exciting. Although, she couldn't say going to see the old woman was new or particularly exciting, but if Natsu thought it was the right thing to do, even if the result remained the same, then she had no choice but to tag along.

Finally nearing the tree, Natsu could see from a distance that the door was open, meaning said woman was out and about, probably collecting ingredients for her next potion.

"So you've returned." They heard the gruff voice from behind, swivelling their heads to meet Porlyusica as she walked over to them. "And you've brought the whole cavalry… Well, don't just stand there gawking, in you go!" Natsu quickly made it into the tree, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the cranky woman with a broom. "And put Lucy down, a pregnant woman is more than capable of walking, boy!"

Lucy all but jumped to her feet, mortified and embarrassed by the whole situation and turned to the healer, "That's the thing though, I'm not pregnant, but Natsu insisted on dragging us out here. We're sorry for wasting your time." The flustered blonde seemed a little too eager to leave and tried to make a break for the door; however; the fire breather's quick reflexes caught her wrist before she could reach the door handle.

"Luce, I told you already: the test was lying!" He repeated, eyes pleading with her just to wait and see what the healer might say.

She sighed; feeling a little frustrated by it all, "Tests don't lie, Natsu. I'm not pregnant and that's all there is to it. I'll just have to muddle through whatever this sickness is until it goes away."

"It came out negative, I assume?" Porlyusica intervened, focusing on the blonde huddling close to the door. "Natsu is right, tests can give false negative readings, especially if it's old or hasn't been used properly." The pink haired woman walked closer to the girl, looking her up and down. "I thought that you might be when I saw you last and I'm rarely wrong."

Lucy hadn't expected the woman to actually agree with Natsu. She hadn't thought that there could be something wrong with the test, but then again, it was from Cana and god knows where she'd got it from. She perked her head up a little and was almost reluctant to look at the dragon slayers expression, knowing the smugness of being right would be written all over his face.

"Ha! See, I knew it! There's still a chance, Lucy!" Natsu shone his vibrant, toothy grin at the blonde girl. She could see the hope in his eyes; he really wanted this; to be a father again and her heart all but melted.

"I have other, more thorough ways of testing, if you'd let me?" Porlyusica asked the celestial mage, bringing her back to the present.

Apprehensively, Lucy nodded her head and went to sit on the bed by the window to await further instructions. She was so nervous, hoping for some positive answers, that would prove the test was false. She wasn't sure her heart could take the disappointment a second time, especially if it included Natsu's this time.

"There are a few different ways I can confirm a pregnancy, blood tests and so forth, but the most efficient way is a scan of the area." She said, gathering the instruments she needed whilst awaiting Lucy's approval. "I use a lacrima and it shows an image of your womb."

"O-Okay." Lucy replied, uncertain of what she'd just agreed to.

She laid back on the bed and pulled her top up, revealing her stomach. Taking a deep breath, the celestial mage twisted her head to Natsu, who had knelt down beside her. Her nerves were rattling within her body and was looking for a little reassurance, something to take the edge off of her apprehension.

He smiled at her tenderly and reached out for her hand to hold tight, not entirely convinced it was to ease just her anxiety as opposed to his own. They were about to find out whether or not their own little creation had taken residence in Lucy's womb, and he couldn't describe what an incredibly surreal feeling that was.

Porlyusica first needed to locate where the lacrima should be placed. Using one hand, she pressed firmly just above Lucy's pelvis, then several times around the area. Still tender and overly sensitive, Lucy tried her hardest not to show the discomfort it was causing. It rippled up into her throat, making her feel sick again, only this time she had no choice but to hold it back.

The wincing and quiet gasps didn't go unnoticed by the dragon slayer. He'd been watching the healer like a hawk, making sure nothing hurt Lucy too much. He leant over, understanding how unpleasant it must be and kissed her temple, whilst running his fingers smoothly through her blonde tresses.

The lacrima was a simple looking flat, green crystal that the older woman laid onto the stellar mages bare skin and waited for the image to appear. With a few flashes of light, a picture was formed like a projection hovering just above the lacrima.

"What the heck is that?! It looks like you swallowed a ball!" Happy couldn't take his eyes off of the image.

"That's so cool! I'm totally looking at your insides, Luce!" The fire breather enthused, unable to take his eyes off of the image.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the pair; typical Natsu and Happy, "You're both such idiots…"

"When you're done bickering, I'll explain what you're looking at." Porlyusica cut in. She pointed to the big black oval shape on the projection, that Happy kindly pointed out, and looked at the pair, making sure they were paying attention. "This is the outline of your uterus, Lucy. And from what I can see, it looks perfectly normal and healthy."

"Oh okay, that's good then." She pointed to a smaller, light coloured ball at the bottom of the black oval and knitted her brows together. "So, what's that?"

Moving the lacrima crystal slightly, the healer repositioned it to get a closer look at the small ball and both mages eyes near bulged out of their sockets. Their mouths dropped open and breath hitched simultaneously as the image took on a more human shape, its arms and legs moving rapidly.

"Oh my… Is that…?" Lucy had never seen anything like it, her mouth had gone completely dry and she felt the butterflies in her tummy cause her to quiver, she was in awe.

"Look at what we did, Lucy…" Natsu murmured after a few shocked, silent moments, catching the girl's attention. His eyes were glued to the image, watching it kick out with it's tiny little developing legs and feet. "It's an active little thing…"

"It's a baby, Natsu…" The celestial mages eyes glazed over, unable to control the flood of emotions that entered her system.

For the first time, the fire breather peeled his sights away from the projection and looked to his partner. His own tears peaked at the corners, feeling so overwhelmingly happy to be able to share this with her.

"Mm… it sure is, Luce." His voice sounded airy, sleepy almost, like his body had simply relaxed. His brilliant smile beamed at the blonde, making her heart skip a beat as she turned to face him fully, the sound of their little one's heart beat filling their ears.

"Look Haru, you're gonna have a little brother or sister." Lucy said as Natsu held him up to see, pointing at the even tinier one wriggling around on the projection. "It's a little one, just like you!"

Porlyusica turned the crystal once more, allowing them to see the baby from a different angle, "As you can see, Lucy, you are pregnant and by the looks of it, I'd say you have been for about ten weeks now."

"Ten weeks?! Surely that's not right; I would have noticed long before now!" Lucy was stunned to learn she was that far along already. The symptoms had only just started and she'd menstruated within that time—hadn't she?

"Not necessarily, pregnancy doesn't follow a certain set of rules. When Juvia came to see me regarding the same thing, she'd been suffering with symptoms from around the six week mark. Levy, on the other hand, had no symptoms and she was carrying twins. Some women experience symptoms just at the beginning while others, all the way through. Some later and some sooner, and some none at all."

"Oh… I didn't know. So, what happens now?" Lucy asked, feeling a little bit of disappointment when the healer deactivated the lacrima and removed it from her belly—she could've easily watched it all day.

"Yeah, when will it be born? Is it a long wait?" Natsu butted in, moving to sit next to the girl on the bed.

"And I thought Gray was clueless… A pregnancy takes nine months or approximately forty weeks, meaning Lucy has about thirty weeks left to go."

"That long? But that's ages away!" Natsu whined, turning into a child himself.

"Yeah, why can't it be born now?" Happy joined in, wanting to meet the little one already.

"Quiet, boys, before I kick you out!" She threatened, returning her attentions to the blonde, "Look after yourself, Lucy. A stressed mother is a stressed baby, but so far everything is looking as it should." The woman returned her equipment to their places and snapped her head to the little family still sitting there, "What're you both still doing here? Get out!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Natsu and Lucy jumped to their feet at lightning speed and ran out of the door, making sure they were out of sight of the old woman before slowing to a halt.

"Ugh! Now my feet are all dirty!" Lucy groaned, lifting her bare feet up one by one to inspect them, grimacing at all of the mud now coating them. "This is your fault- Mmph!"

A pair of warm, smooth lips silenced her, pressing urgently to her mouth, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. With him taking the lead, Lucy relaxed into it and enjoyed the feel of his mouth on hers, their tongues interloping, causing butterflies to re-enter her stomach.

Pulling apart, but barely, he stared at her angelic features and couldn't help but smile at the beautiful girl before him. Thanks to her, he was going to be a father again. A father not to just one, but two precious babies and he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

"I love you, Lucy." He grinned, the biggest, widest grin she'd ever seen, so enormous it was almost too much for his face. But it was still heart meltingly cute and to hear him say those words again was enough to turn her into a puddle. It wasn't something he said very often, but she was fine with that. It made times like this all the more special.

"I love you too, Natsu." She could see just how happy he was, his very soul glowing like the fire he wielded. "So, are you going to tell me how you knew?"

He quirked his brow, "Knew what?"

"That the test was wrong." She said, her eyes flickering between his.

"Oh… I, uh, sorta had a feeling, I guess. And I was sure I could smell something." He shrugged, about to lean in for another kiss.

"You could… smell something?" Horrified she pulled her face back; did she smell?!

"Yeah, another scent. I've been able to smell it since I came home the other day, but didn't know what it was until now." The boy explained, bringing her head back to him.

"You can smell the baby?" Lucy's eyes widened in fascination.

"Sure. It's real faint, but if I try hard enough, it's there."

"Wow! That's incredible!" She looked down at herself again and cradled her belly, right where the lacrima had been and pictured their perfect little baby safe and sound in there. "I'm so happy, Natsu."

"Me too, Lucy." Natsu chuckled and finally managed to pull her back in for a loving and tender kiss, relaying all of his own happiness to her in one fluid motion. His hand came up to rest on top of hers, caressing the soft skin of her belly, imagining just how beautiful she was going to look in the months to come, carrying his child.

But their passion was swiftly halted when a certain little fella stopped them in their tracks, placing a hand to where their lips joined and made a cute babble sound, as if he were trying to work out what they were doing. Chuckling, they both turned to Haru, who was still looking at them curiously.

"You two are just nasty!" Happy said, placing himself down on the floor. "Not only do you eat each other, but you're now doing it in front of Haru!"

"We don't eat each other, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Lucy defended, shaking her head.

"Yeah you do and other… more explicit things!" Happy shivered at the thought, "Otherwise you wouldn't be in this situation."

"What situation is that then?" Lucy asked, defiance lacing her voice.

"He means the baby, Luce, even I understood that one!" Natsu piped in.

"Really?!" She exclaimed sarcastically, "Ugh! You guys are infuriating! With any luck, this baby will be a girl, then I won't feel so outnumbered!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"And she'll still end up like Natsu, and you know it!"

Lucy's expression deflated, her arms sinking to her sides ans sighed "You're right…"

"Anyway, with another mouth to feed, you might wanna reconsider that job, Natsu!" The exceed mentioned, not noticing the dragon slayer shoot daggers at him.

"Oh… What job is that then?" The blonde asked, curiously. She didn't remember Natsu mentioning anything about a job.

"It's nothing really, Luce." Natsu shrugged, playing it down.

"You should have seen the reward! I've never seen that many zero's in a number!" Happy chirped, only now noticing the look his friend was giving him, telling him silently to shut up.

"Natsu, what's up? How come you never said anything?" Lucy asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"It's not that big of a deal. Gramps gave me a request yesterday, but I turned it down, that's all." He explained, seeming a little dismissive but otherwise normal. "Why don't we get ya home? It'll be dinner time soon." Seeing the reluctance in Lucy's face to believe him, he sighed and smiled at her, not ready to have that conversation just yet.

Suddenly her feet were whipped out from under her and she and Haru found themselves in the air, with two strong arms holding them up, "Natsu!"

"What? Can't have Mama all pooped out now can we, Haru?" Natsu laughed along with the infant, grinning widely, "'Cause she's still gotta cook us dinner!" He smirked at the young woman in his arms, who's eyes snapped at to him, glaring at his handsome face.

"Hey! How come I gotta slave away in the kitchen?! I'm pregnant now, you should be making me dinner!" She retorted, huffing and turning her head to the side.

"I don't mind cooking, it's whether you mind having a kitchen or not?"

"On second thought, stay out of the kitchen, you're too much of a fire hazard. But you owe me a foot rub, after all, this is your doing!" She smirked back at him.

"Oh… I never remember you complaining, maybe I'll have to get you to jolt my memory later." He chuckled lowly back, rising to the challenge.

"That's it! You two are disgusting! I'm taking Haru and you can both find somewhere else to do your dirty stuff tonight." Happy whizzed down to snatch the giggling baby from Lucy and speedily zoomed off into the distance, leaving the other two behind.

"Hey! That's no fair! You got a head start!" Not willing to be beaten by a flying cat and a baby, Natsu hurtled himself and Lucy in the same direction, her screams of terror echoing throughout the forest.

63 notes · View notes

1heartsickfics · 4 years

Note

Hi. Can you maybe do Percy being sick in a car with Jason and Leo helping him out in varying degrees of panic? :)

lol I love this

TW: mentions of vomit

In hindsight, they really should have seen this coming. When is an arrow wound just an arrow wound? I mean come on. It’s never that simple.

“How you doing bro?” Jason asked, watching worriedly as Percy curled up against the window, shivering underneath Jason’s jacket.

“I-I don’t feel good,” Percy stammered through chattering teeth, a fevered flush starting to appear on his cheeks.

“What’s wrong with him?” Leo asked from the front seat, glancing in the rear view mirror.

“Um, I don’t know... Perce do you know what’s wrong?” Jason asked, scooting closer to him. He reached over a pressed the back of his hand to Percy’s forehead to find him burning up.

“Food...” Percy groaned, his eyes closed.

“Food? You mean ambrosia? Cause we can’t, we’ve given you too much already. That’s probably why you’re so warm,” Jason said, scrubbing a hand down his face.

“Shit did we fry him? Is he going to catch on fire? That’s supposed to be my thing, he can’t steal that,” Leo rambled nervously.

“Nobody but you is going to be catching on fire,” Jason said, although truthfully he was a little worried about Percy spontaneously combusting from how much they’d given him.

“Food...” Percy groaned again.

“I don’t know what you need dude,” Jason muttered, although he knew Percy was too unconscious to hear him. Maybe he was dreaming about pancakes or something.

“That arrow was probably poisoned,” Leo said what Jason was thinking.

“Yeah, I know,” Jason sighed. He’d been hoping he was wrong. But this was definitely more than just from blood loss.

“No food... stomach...” Percy said, still totally out of it.

“What?”

Then Percy’s eyes shot open and he immediately projectile vomited all over himself, the floor, and the seat in front of him.

“What in Hades???” Leo yelped.

“Oh Styx!” Jason jumped, frantically looking around the car for something to give Percy to throw up in.

Percy gagged, bringing up another mouthful of sick into his lap before Jason had the chance though. Then he said something about his stomach before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell against Jason.

“Leo pull over somewhere,” Jason said, his heart pounding. Something was seriously wrong with their friend. They needed help.

“Oh gods, okay,” Leo said, taking the next exit.

They stopped at a strip mall, where Leo ran to go buy Percy some clothes to replace his soil one as Jason cleaned up Percy and the car as best as he could. Once Leo came back they stood outside the car, pacing as they tried to figure out what to do.

“We need help,” Leo said.

“We need Annabeth,” Jason agreed.

“There’s a payphone over there, we could call her cell,” Leo suggested.

“That’s pretty risky though, we’d be sending up a flare to all the monsters within a hundred miles,” Jason sighed, racking his brain for any other solution.

“I know, but, do we have another choice?” Leo asked, glancing at their pale friend, who was starting to look a little green.

“Guys? Wha’s going on?” Percy asked, suddenly sitting up, the immediately pitching forward to vomit on the pavement of the parking lot.

“Oh jeez, okay, you’re alright Perce,” Jason moved to stand at his side, rubbing his back as he threw up.

“Why do I feel like I got steam rollered?” Percy groaned once he was finished, sitting up to lean against Jason’s side.

“You got shot with an arrow remember? We think it was poisoned or something,” Jason explained.

“You totally puked all over the car,” Leo added.

“Oh gods,” Percy hid his face in his hands, groaning.

“We thought the ambrosia might be burning you up, you got super hot,” Jason said, subtly trying to feel for warmth through Percy’s clothes pressed up against his side but he seemed back to normal.

“What are you talking about Grace? I’m always super hot,” Percy said.

“I think he’s okay,” Leo laughed, giving Percy a high-five. That was his kind of humor!

“Yeah, ambrosia must have kicked in,” Jason laughed, rolling his eyes. Although he was so relieved he could cry. He had really been scared of losing his friend for a few minutes there. Also Annabeth would’ve killed him if they’d let Percy die on their watch.

“I’m okay guys,” Percy added, seeming to sense their worry.

“Thank the gods,” Leo said.

“Let’s hit the road then, if you think you’re good to go,” Jason said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“My stomach’s still a little iffy, but I think I’ll be alright,” Percy nodded.

“You better give me some warning this time if you’re gonna barf again,” Leo said.

“Ay ay captain,” Percy laughed.

#pjo #hoo #percy jackson #sick percy #caretaker jason #caretaker leo #leo valdez #jason grace #poisoned #poisoning #poison sickness

34 notes · View notes

spaceskam · 5 years

Text

way up here there’s galaxies

Summary: teenage alex and michael laying in the back of his truck and talking. inspired by listening to Boy by Willow Smith for a week straight.

ao3

“I told my mom about you.”

Alex expected confusion from his confession, but Michael simply gazed over with a thoughtful expression. The moon reflected in Michael’s eyes, something it really only seemed to do when they parked on the far side of Foster’s Ranch. They came out here most nights since the shed was no longer an option. However, cuddling up in the chill of summer nights in the desert in the bed of his truck wasn’t exactly the worst way he could spend his time.

“Oh yeah? What’d she say?”

“Nothing. But she never responds, so…” Alex said, turning his gaze back to the stars. He couldn’t even count the number of letters he’d sent to her. Or, rather, his grandmother in hopes she knew where his mother was.

“I told my mom about you too. She can’t say anything. She’s somewhere there, I think.” Michael admitted, pointing to the dark sky. Alex looked over at him, wondering if his mother was dead or if he just didn’t know. Maybe that’s how he coped. Sometimes Alex would pretend his mom was dead too. That was easier than to think she just up and left him. He wouldn’t blame Michael if that was the case.

“I’m sorry,” Alex mentioned, gently resting his hand against Michael’s shoulder. He dropped his hand back to his chest, still staring aimlessly into the sky. Michael didn’t look sad, though. In fact, he had a smile on his face.

“Nah, don’t be. I already know what she’d say about you.” Michael declared. Alex watched him for a moment, his heart thudding a little faster as he waited for him to speak.

“What’s that?”

“She’d say that she loves you,” Michael said simply, turning to look him in the eye. Alex thought he was going to combust. “She’d say… that I went above and beyond, hit the jackpot by getting you. That I should be careful so I don’t lose you. And that you’re the strongest person in the galaxy. That I… I could trust you with the stars.” Michael grabbed Alex’s hand with his good one, bringing it to point to the stars together. “She’d love you so much.”

Alex had to focus on his breathing. Michael always had a way of saying things that made it harder to breathe. They were always these simple declarations that sounded specially tailored to get him laid. Alex had to constantly remind himself that he wasn’t special, that Michael probably fed the same lines to every girl or guy he was interested in. They just felt so real.

Every line Michael gave seemed like a carefully crafted ‘I love you’. Each one pushed Alex closer to saying he loved him, to pleading him to stay with him forever. Countless nights he’d thought about asking to run away together before he was thrown into the military, to get out while they still could. But Alex knew he couldn’t possibly take what Michael said as truth, no one could see him that way.

Besides, Alex had been the reason his hand was destroyed. No one could love someone after that.

“There’s a whole world out there that’s just waiting for us, you know. A place where no one hates us, where we can love and be loved. It’s like, uh… it is written.” Michael whispered, silently adding ’Alex & Michael’ as he wrote it in the air using Alex’s finger.

No words came to Alex’s mind as he stared at him. In fact, he felt braindead. How was he supposed to respond to that? Especially when Michael brought their hands down and cradled them against his heart. God, Alex was in love. Badly, hopelessly. So, instead of ruining Michael’s words by trying to come up with his own, he just turned on his head and slid his hand up to Michael’s chin.

“You’re beautiful, Alex,” Michael whispered a second before Alex pressed a kiss to his lips. “You make me feel safe.” Alex kissed him harder.

Michael smiled as they kissed which fueled Alex to kiss deeper. He didn’t have the words Michael did, he could only hope kissing him and touching him could show him how in love he was. Even if that love was one-sided. Nothing in his mind would ever accept that someone like Michael Guerin would love him. Or anyone ever.

Alex moved on top of Michael, pushing his hands beneath his shirt. Michael brought his damaged hand to the back of Alex’s head, holding him there with what little force it could produce. It had been two months since that night in the shed, but Michael still kept it tightly wrapped. Alex was too scared to ask about how bad it looked.

Soon enough, their clothes were off and pushed to the side. There was no point in feigning modesty, not when they knew they were alone and that no one would be looking for them. Besides, there was nothing better than getting lost in each other.

Alex thrived on the little sounds Michael made. For a man that carried himself as ruggedly and manly as possible, he was unbelievably soft and quiet when he got him alone. Alex liked it, though. The soft kisses, bites, moans all felt unreal and intoxicating. He was everything.

An hour or so later, Alex found himself dozing off in the bed of the truck with Michael laying bare on his chest, drawing mindless shapes on his stomach. Those were his favorite moments. Well, any time with Michael was favorite, but the quiet moments where they could pretend there were no worries in the world were the ones he’d happily live in for the rest of his life.

“When I get rich from my fancy engineering degree, I’m gonna take you far away from this stupid place,” Michael said. Alex closed his eyes to the sound of his voice, imagining the impossible promise he was making. Michael didn’t know that in less than a two weeks, he’d be off to basic training and this would have to come to a complete stop. He’d be watched daily by his father or his father’s friends. Not even letters were an option.

But he would still happily listen to Michael’s hopes for as long as he could.

“Oh yeah? Where to?” Alex asked, letting his fingers graze the slope of Michael’s bare back. Though he worked with cars and on a farm and lived in his truck, his skin was softer than humanly possible. It made it that much harder to keep his hands to himself.

“Anywhere. Paris, Rome, hell, even Albuquerque is better. But maybe one day we can go meet the stars. I think you might shine too bright for them, Alex.” Michael said softly, tracing circles and lines into his chest as Alex chuckled. His drawing felt deliberate as if it should mean more than it did to Alex’s mind. Maybe one day he’d understand.

“You’re so cheesy. I’m not going to be outshining any stars.” Alex said. Michael propped his chin on his chest, giving him a sweet smile paired with a look in his eyes that made Alex want to both cry out in joy and throw up. How did he ask for Michael to never stop looking at him that way?

“Maybe. To me you do. I wouldn’t want to explore galaxies with anyone else, though.” Michael paused, pressing a soft kiss against Alex’s heart and placing his hand flat over the same spot. The world around them ignited with the heat that burned in Alex’s body, isolating the two of them completely in what he could only describe as pure ecstasy. “There’s so much negative shit that comes with being here. I always feel so… trapped. I don’t belong here. When I’m with you, though, I feel like I have a chance to fit somewhere. I fit with you, Alex. I really mean it when I say I want to go where there’s a place for us, where we can have a place of our own.”

Alex’s eyes began to burn with tears. He prayed to every God in existence that Michael was telling him lies. If they were all lies, it would make it much easier when he had to leave him. The idea of Michael waiting for a future with him while he was off in the Air Force made him feel sick.

“Michael…” I’m joining the Air Force where my father will be keeping close tabs on me and I probably won’t ever see you again. Just say it. Don’t give him false hope.

“Sorry if that was too much. You make me want to word vomit.” Michael admitted shyly, his fingers going back to tracing that same drawing into his chest. Alex swallowed hard.

“No, no it’s not too much. I just…” Say it. Tell him. “I can’t wait to leave with you.”

Coward.

Michael smiled so bright it took out the sun. Shakespeare needed to rewrite his sonnet. There was no comparing him to a summer’s day‒that was nothing in comparison to Michael Guerin’s smile.

Hot lips pressed loving kisses from Alex’s chest to his neck to his jaw to his lips. Alex grabbed handfuls of Michael’s hair, holding him close as the other boy got on top of him completely. He could only hope that if he held him close enough, kissed him deep enough, Michael wouldn’t notice the fact that he was crying.

If he did, he never mentioned it.

Two weeks later, Alex left without a goodbye and with false promises that Michael Guerin was nothing but a liar.

#idk what happened #this was absolutely meant to be a happy ending #oh well #malex #malex fic #michael guerin #michael guerin fic #alex manes #alex manes fic #roswell new mexico #roswell new mexico fic #roswell nm #roswell nm fic #rnm #rnm fic #1.5k word

107 notes · View notes

cisco-fics-4-all · 7 years

Text

Everyone is a Winner

So this was a request, that I got shortly after posting “A Four Letter Word, Beginning with L”. @vixsyncynco asked for “a thing in the same realm of "A Four Letter Word, Beginning With L" but happy?” So here it is, I hope everyone likes it.

“Ok wait, back up,” said Iris, waving her hand as if she could use it to rewind time, “you have a crush on Cisco?”

“Wow Iris, please, shout it over the intercoms why don’t you?” you replied sarcastically, as you continued about your business in the workshop.

Iris gave you a look as Caitlin piped up. “She’s had one on him for forever now, she just hasn’t told him because...oh I forget now, why haven’t you told him you like him?”

“Because I’m not his type,” you replied swiftly, plucking a screwdriver from your desk drawer, and fiddling with your latest project, “Cisco wants someone who can break his arm and make him enjoy it, I’m just the girl with the gadgets.”

Iris scoffed, “So you’re basically saying, you’ve had a crush on Cisco for ages, and you haven’t told him because you don’t think you’re bad ass enough?”

“No I-”

“Yes,” Caitlin answered for you, “nevermind the fact that, your gadgets are what keeps all three of the boys from dying while they’re out there playing hero.”

“They aren’t all my gadgets,” you pointed out in a grumble, “a lot of them are Cisco’s gadgets.”

“Regardless,” Iris declared, “you’re super bad ass, and if Cisco doesn’t see that too, then he’s not as smart as I thought he was,” she leaned sideways against your desk, drawing your gaze to hers, “all you have to do is tell him Y/N, the rest will sort itself out.”

“Guys no, alright?” you told them both firmly, setting your screwdriver down in a huff, “I’m not going to tell Cisco anything, because even I did, he won’t choose me, he has no reason to choose me, now when he’s got someone like-” you stopped, knowing that this statement alone, was likely gonna cost you another hour of peace and quiet while Iris and Caitlin told you how much better for Cisco you were than Cynthia.

Fortunately, and simultaneously unfortunately, they didn’t get the chance, as the sound of a phone clattering to the floor sounded behind you all. “Shit!” Cisco cursed, scrambling to pick up his phone as you all whipped around to stare at him. He stood up straight again, giving you all an awkward smile and wave, “Um...hey ladies...sorry to drop in like this...well actually nevermind, this is where I work,” he grimaced, stuffing his phone back in his pocket, “I just...I need to grab a thing, from my des-”

“How much did you hear?” Iris demanded simply, your head beginning to spin as you awaited his answer.

Cisco shrank back, looking vaguely like a little kid who knew he was in trouble, “I...I didn’t hear anything,” he tried, but at the stern look from Caitlin, he backtracked, “I mean I didn’t intend to hear anything...but I mean you three weren’t exactly whispering, y’know?”

You wanted to vomit, to run, to spontaneously combust, anything that would save you the embarrassment you felt at his answer. Without a word, Caitlin and Iris nodded to each other, and strode out of the room, Iris giving you an encouraging pat on the shoulder as she passed you. Great, now you were alone with him, would this horror show never end.

“I am really sorry,” Cisco explained softly, “I mean how was I supposed to know that you...” he trailed off, feeling as though he probably should have known you had a crush on him before overhearing you telling Caitlin and Iris, but somehow he’d missed the signs.

“It doesn’t matter,” you replied almost robotically, “get whatever you came here for, I need to finish this.” You turned back to your project, lifting the screwdriver you’d set down ad resuming your work, albeit with shaking hands.

Cisco’s footsteps came closer behind you, tapping softly on the floor as he went to his desk. They stopped for a moment, and the sound of a desk drawer opening echoed in the silence, quickly followed by the sound of it closing, and his footfalls softly tapping again as he approached you. “Y/N,” he said from directly behind you, “I can’t just pretend this didn’t happen, ok? I heard what I heard, and you know I heard it, so we have to talk about it before things get bad and awkward between us, we have to be adults about this, alrig-”

“I said it doesn’t matter,” you told him blandly, “you overheard what I said, so now you know, it doesn’t make you obligated to do anything about it.” You moved your screwdriver to another point on your project, your hands steadier now, while you knees grew weaker with his continued proximity.

For a moment, Cisco didn’t say anything, he just stood behind you doing who knew what as you determined to keep working. But after that moment, you saw him move into your periphery, and felt his warm fingers circle around the screwdriver in your hand to stop you. “Y/N,” he repeated your name again, this time close enough that you could feel his breath on your shoulder as he spoke, “we really do need to talk about this.”

You let him take the screwdriver from you gently, before turning to face him with barely contained tears. “Why do we have to talk about it?” you asked quietly, “I already know what’s going to happen. You’re going to let me down easy, and tell me you never wanted to hurt me, but you’re not interested in me that way, and then I’m the one who is going to be left feeling like I lost something I never had,” you turned towards the door, hoping you could make an escape before he tried to pursue the subject further. But his hand caught your arm, and you were trapped, slowly suffocating under the weight of the looming let down you knew you were going to get.

“You’re right,” Cisco confirmed, causing the tears in your eyes to finally fall, “I don’t want to hurt you, I never have,” careful as he could, Cisco turned you back to face him, his face unreadable with your tear blurred eyes. “You’re one of my best friends Y/N, and I feel like a dumbass for not realizing how you felt before now,” he took in a breath, his entire body moving as he did, and you braced for the ache that was coming...but it never came. “Y/N, I like you too.”

The words sounded fake in your ears, like you’d imagined him saying them, and somehow manifested your dream into reality. But as your blurry eyes stayed on him, you could make out a smile on his lips, and a sparkle in his eyes, and suddenly it hit you this was all real. “You what?” You whispered, wiping your eyes quickly so you could watch his face as he replied.

“I like you too,” he repeated, “I have for a while.”

You stared at him in stunned silence for a moment, your brain struggling to decide between shutting off or freaking out, or possibly somewhere in between. Then you realized what he’d said in a different context, and your hand reached out the punch his arm. “Why didn’t you say something?!” you demanded, feeling even more like a fool, now that you knew he’d had a secret crush on you this whole time.

“Ow!” he whined, rubbing his arm, “probably for the same reason as you!” he groused with a laugh, “I didn’t think I was your type,” he shrugged, “personally I thought you liked Dr. Wells, and then when Harry got here...well I mean he wasn’t Dr. Wells, but he had the same face-”

“Dr. Wells?!” you cried incredulously, “he was old enough to be my father! And so was Harry!”

Cisco shrugged again, “Hey, some people are into that sort of thing ok?! Who am I to judge?!” he matched your exasperated tone, his brows furrowing as you scowled softly at him.

You weren’t really mad at him, a little frustrated with him maybe, but mad was something Cisco had never made you. You took a breath, swallowing the lump in your throat before you asked, “And what about Cynthia?”

At your question, Cisco paused, biting his lower lip thoughtfully. “Well...I mean...ok look, I like Cynthia, she’s bad ass, and she’s pretty hot,” he explained honestly, “but she lives in an entirely different universe for one, and for two, I’ve liked your for a lot longer than I’ve even known her, so,” he took a chance, reaching out to take your hand in his, “I guess I’ll just have to put her on my list of women I can look at but not touch?”

The look he gave you was half hopeful and half guilty, but entirely adorable. “Seriously?” you asked with a laugh, “you have a list?”

The relief on Cisco’s face was heartwarming, “Well yeah, I have a history of liking women who could kick my ass,” he gave your hand a squeeze, “you included apparently, friggin southpaw.”

You laughed again at that. “Well how about I make you a deal,” you offered, “I promise not to kick your ass, if you take me out on a date?”

“Deal,” Cisco agreed instantly. You both stood there for a moment, staring at each other in awe that you both had finally admit your feelings. Then suddenly, but gently, Cisco leaned forward, and kissed your cheek. “I’m sorry if I made you think you weren’t good enough for me Y/N,” he whispered near your ear, “you’re honestly more than I deserve.”

You shook your head, “No,” you corrected him, putting your hand on his cheek, “neither one of us deserves the other, it’s not a contest,” you tucked a lock of hair behind his ear as he pulled back to look at you.

“You sure it’s not a contest?” he asked with a smirk, “cuz I definitely feel like I’ve won something...”

#The Flash #Cisco Ramon #request fic #reader insert #happy fic #LORD KNOWS WE NEED IT AFTER THIS LAST EPISODE #you're welcome

32 notes · View notes