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It was the coldest winter Magnolia had endured in decades. The town, typically vibrant with color and laughter, was now blanketed in layers of soft white snow. Streets were hushed beneath thick drifts, and every rooftop sparkled under frost. What once bustled with life now seemed paused, hushed under winter's breath.
People only ventured outside when absolutely necessary. A shortage of wood and coal had made the days colder, the nights longer. Fires were precious. Warmth, even more so.
Like most others, Lucy had chosen to hibernate indoors. Her apartment, though modest, felt like a sanctuary. She wrapped herself in a thick blanket, sipping spiced tea while stirring a pot of soup that simmered lazily on the stove. With a novel she'd been meaning to read for months finally in her hands, life felt warm, even luxurious, in its quiet simplicity.
She decided that the best way to put an end to this cozy, domestic day was taking a hot bath, so that's what she did.
Steam curled in the air as she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. But the moment she stepped into her room, an icy draft clung to her damp skin like frozen needles. Shivering, she rushed to pull on her heaviest pajamas, her hands trembling as she fumbled with the buttons. Her breath fogged in the air as she whispered, chattering:
“Okay... That’s better.”
She walked over to the window, double-checked the latch, and sighed, climbing into bed.
“I hope I don’t freeze tonight,” she mumbled, burrowing into the covers.
Now Lucy was absolutely ready for a good night’s sleep, but before her body could adjust to the cold of the sheets, she stopped.
Her bed was already warm. No... hot.
A heartbeat later, a familiar heat pressed against her back.
"YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!"
“Oi, Luce…” Natsu’s sleepy voice rumbled against her neck, “don’t be so loud. You’ll wake Happy…”
Peeking under the covers, Lucy found the little blue Exceed snuggled deep beneath one of her pillows, snoring in utter peace. That smug, traitorous cat.
Before she could scold him, Natsu shifted, pressing his warm chest flush against her spine. His arm tightened around her middle, and his breath ghosted across her neck slow, steady, carrying that familiar smoky scent of embers and something uniquely Natsu. It enveloped her like a second blanket.
Lucy’s heart leapt.
They’d hugged before plenty of times, but it was always in moments of chaos: during battle, after victory, in desperation. Rarely, if ever, like this. Soft. Intentional. Unspoken.
This was different.
She hesitated, then exhaled a shaky breath and allowed herself to settle into him. She didn’t lean away. If anything, she sank closer.
If he didn’t move too much, she might just fall asleep like this.
But just as she drifted toward slumber, he whispered:
"Hey, Luce…."
"Yes, Natsu?" Lucy replied, brow furrowing, a hint of irritation flickering under her sleepy eyes.
"I think it’s time we have a kid of our own," Natsu said into her neck in the calmest voice, as Lucy stared at the wall with half-open eyes.
“Sure, Natsu…”
Surely, a kid.
A kid of their own.
A kid with Natsu.
One. Two. Three.
The realization slammed into her like a tidal wave. Lucy got herself out of Natsu's embrace and incorporated in a seated position, her face bright red and her hands covering her cheeks in embarrassment, finally getting the implications of Natsu’s proposition.
“I’m sorry -what did you just say?! I think I got water in my ears because I swear you said-”
“I said I think we should have a baby,” Natsu repeated, his tone alarmingly calm. “You know. You and me.”
"Wh- What’s with you all of a sudden??" Lucy said, completely bewildered by Natsu's words.
“Well…” Natsu stretched lazily, “Gajeel and Levy already have a kid. Gray and Juvia’s baby’s coming soon. Even Edo-Natsu and Edo-Lucy had Nasha years ago, and she’s awesome!”
"So… What you're saying is that you want to have a child just because everyone else is popping kids now?" Lucy asked, a little relieved.
“Not really,” Natsu looked at her, sincerity in his eyes, “I want to be a dad and teach our kid how to fight, how to fly, how to roast fish just right. Do you think they'd be able to learn Dragon Slayer magic? Or maybe Celestial Magic like you? Either way... it’d be pretty cool.”
Natsu's voice sounded excited, even hopeful, and Lucy couldn't help the soft tug at her lips. This side of Natsu was the most endearing she had ever seen him.
Her chest tightened with warmth, but also panic. Every nerve in her body screamed this is real, this is happening. The room seemed smaller, hotter, and yet somehow colder all at once.
The air shifted, thickened; the crackling of the fire in the next room suddenly seemed very far away. Her heart thudded loud in her ears.
However…
"Wait, Natsu! There are a lot of things that need to happen before having a child…"
"Of course, I’m not stupid. I know that we need to sleep together, and if all goes well you will lay an egg inside your belly and a child will come out of it," Natsu said, deadpan serious, "We've already slept together hundreds of times, but no baby, so I figured something’s missing.”
Lucy blinked. Then she buried her face in her hands.
"Well, you see, that’s not exactly…” Lucy started, blushing again as she looked for the right words, "You kind of get the general idea, but I think both the semantics and the mechanics are a little bit off.”
“I don't get it.”
She cleared her throat awkwardly, the air in the room now warmer with mortification than with Natsu’s body heat.
And then Lucy did the unthinkable: she explained a grown-ass man how human reproduction worked.
It took some time -a lot of time- and a lot of blushing, but eventually Lucy explained everything.
And by the end of it, Natsu simply said:
"Not gonna lie, that sounds fake. Are you sure you know what you're talking about?"
"A hundred percent," said Lucy, "I mean, I haven't done that yet. In fact, I have never even kissed anyone, but this is common knowledge. No one ever gave you that talk when you were growing up?"
"Maybe... To be honest, I might have not been paying attention a lot of the time."
"That actually makes a lot of sense," said Lucy.
"Yeah…" Natsu started, "Well, it doesn't really sound that different from what we’ve been doing anyway.”
"It’s so much different!" Lucy cried, trying to make clear that her relationship with Natsu was not like that at all.
"Not really," he said with an infuriating grin, "We’ve seen each other naked. Hugged naked. Seems like it’s just one more step."
"That step is very… intimate and vulnerable. Having a child is not something you can just do with just any friend. People tend to have children when they're already a committed couple, although there are exceptions."
Natsu tilted his head.
"You think we're not committed enough yet?"
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, confused.
“Yeah... I mean, we’ve been together for a while now and I think I’m ready to take the next step. I think that means something.”
Lucy’s heart stuttered.
“Together? You mean, like, together-together?”
Natsu looked genuinely confused.
"Well, yeah? It's been a couple of years and I'm sure that I want to have children with you. It's okay if we don't kiss, I know you always get weird about that, so we can just skip it altogether," Natsu said, scratching his head casually.
"Natsu, I'm afraid I'm not following," Lucy said, choosing her words very carefully, "I don't recall us having a conversation about becoming a couple."
"You're being mean, Luce" Natsu said, "I absolutely recall telling you that we would be together forever, you and Happy are my family."
Oh. OH!
"I didn’t think you meant it like that! I thought you meant it as a friend, like a best-friends-forever kind of thing. This is news to me, you should have asked me."
"Oh…" Natsu said, visibly embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding her eyes, "Well, this is awkward."
"More like shocking," said Lucy.
Silence settled between them, heavy and uncertain. The crack of ice outside sounded like the world itself was holding its breath. Lucy sat still, trying to sort through the storm inside her.
"So…” he finally said, “What do you think about it?"
He was looking at the ceiling, but Lucy noticed his eyes moving to see her by the side.
Lucy decided to say the only thing she was certain of.
"I’m definitely not ready to have a child yet."
"I mean, about us?"
Her heart leapt into her throat.
"You actually want to have this talk?"
Natsu stopped for a second, closed his eyes for a while, and then looked at Lucy dead in the eye.
"I do."
For a second, everything went still. Even the wind outside seemed to stop howling. The only sound left was her own heartbeat, pounding like a frantic drum inside her chest.
Her breath hitched, and she curled her fingers into the sheets. She swallowed hard.
“Natsu… When I met you, my life changed. You shaped who I am today. You brought me to the guild, asked me to join your team, and gave me a place where I belong.”
Natsu’s face fell slightly.
"This kind of sounds like a complicated rejection," Natsu sulked.
"Please, Natsu, let me finish!" Lucy screamed, forgetting about the sleeping cat that laid next to them, "I’ve always felt safe with you, but when you decided to go away, I realized just how important you are in my life, and not much time passed before I thought I had lost you," Lucy felt her throat ache, making her speech difficult to continue. Her voice cracked once, twice as memories flooded in. Missions, laughter, tears, the fear of losing him. The ache of missing him. "I couldn’t stand to lose you, not again, Natsu. You're too precious for me."
Natsu's eyes softened. He was quiet for a moment. Then, he smiled.
"You won’t. I’ll always be right by your side, no matter what."
"That’s exactly my point: being friends is one thing we’re great at, but the idea of everything changing if we decide to become a couple is terrifying. I don't want to risk breaking up and drifting apart," Lucy said as a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek slowly, soaking into her pajama collar. She didn’t wipe it.
Natsu’s voice was low, steady, absolute.
“I don’t care what we call it: relationship, friendship, family... our bond will not change. I just want to be with you,” he smiled, “It’s okay if you don’t want to kiss me or have my children or do any of the stuff that you were talking about earlier, I’ll go on adventures with you for the rest of our lives if that’s what you want. I’ll be happy just because you’re by my side, and I’ll protect that smile of yours for as long as I breathe.”
"Natsu…" Lucy said, her voice trembling, covering her mouth as more tears began running.
"I’ll burn to ashes anyone who attempts to take away your smile. You can trust that won't change one bit." Natsu said, and in that moment Lucy realized that was Natsu's way of saying I love you.
“I’m so glad I met you…” Lucy said as she pulled Natsu into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck, still crying.
He held her gently, stroking her hair as she cried.
“Don’t cry, Luce, it’s okay” Natsu said as he gently caressed her hair, "I’m very happy that we finally had this talk."
They stayed like that for a long time, until her tears slowed and she pulled back.
"Natsu, if you don't mind, I want to try something.”
He blinked.
“Don’t go trying anything weird.”
“I won’t,” she said shyly. “Just… close your eyes,” Lucy said, evidently nervous and almost apologetic.
Natsu obeyed.
"Excuse me if this isn’t what you expect, I’ve never done anything like this before."
Lucy broke the hug and looked at Natsu: his calm face, his pink hair, his scars, his calloused hands... She reached up with tentative fingers and traced along his cheekbone, the curve of his jaw, as if committing them to memory.
Lucy grabbed one of his hands and interlaced her fingers with his, her grip gentle but sure, feeling the comfortable warmth.
Inch by inch, Lucy got closer to Natsu, and making a final brave decision, she softly put her lips on his.
For an instant, the world vanished. The cold, the wind, the snow… Everything faded except the warmth of him and the flutter in her chest that threatened to undo her.
And then they realized that neither of them knew what to do next. Their noses bumped clumsily, and Lucy let out a breathless laugh against his mouth. Lucy could feel both of their hearts racing.
"I could get used to this" Natsu smiled, Lucy's lips still on his.
"I think I could, too," Lucy smiled back.
Lucy put one hand on Natsu's neck, bringing him closer to her, making their kiss deeper. Natsu’s hands found her waist while hers cupped the back of his neck.
Then, true to form, Natsu whispered:
“If that felt like this, I can’t wait to see what making babies feels like.”
“TOO FAST!” Lucy yelped, pulling back.
“Sorry! No pressure! Just… when you’re ready.”
Before Lucy could answer, a familiar voice chirped:
“They like each other…”
Lucy flinched and immediately pulled away, her cheeks burning even hotter than before. Natsu stared at the ceiling like it could swallow him whole.
Happy poked his head out from under the pillow, eyes wide with sleepy innocence.
“Natsu was really nervous to talk to you tonight, Lucy. Now I see why.”
“SHUT UP, HAPPY!”