The Demon's Concubine

Chapter 34

Zeref patted her on the head before going into the kitchen and cleaning up, Mavis grinning softly at him. "I'm sorry if he's been bothering you. He can't help it." She teased, Lucy chuckling nervously as she was unsure if it'd be offensive to laugh or not. "It's fine…" 

August began to stir, causing Mavis to scurry into the kitchen and to the fridge. She seemed to be unable to reach something, Lucy quickly joining her and helping her get the bottle of milk she was struggling to grab. "Who put the bottles on the top shelf..?" The queen mumbled before turning to glare at her husband, Zeref not looking up at her from where he was still cleaning up. 

"You should be resting." 

Mavis rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the large dining table. "I've rested enough. I'm totally fine." As she began feeding August, Lucy decided to take the seat next to her and set the book down, watching the baby as he began to eat.

She rested her head on her palm as she watched August go into his own little world. "I find the bottle feeding more comfortable, though I should probably work on us getting used to breastfeeding." Mavis said as she noticed Lucy's interest. "I should probably see a lactation consultant to help me get comfortable with it."

Lucy began to realize that she didn't really know much of anything about being pregnant or having a baby. So much has been going on lately, the thought just never had time to set in. She loves the idea of being a mother, but it wasn't like she'd been around babies or pregnant women during her time in the angel kingdom. 

"I have some books you can borrow." Mavis seemed to notice Lucy's inner panic, smiling softly at her.

"Oh, that'd be helpful, thanks…" 

"Maybe you'll like to stay here throughout your pregnancy? There's a lot of other moms here that can lend you support, some new and some experienced. It may be a lot of help." 

"Actually, yeah, that'd be really helpful. I didn't realize how unprepared I am." Lucy giggled softly. She was glad they came here, having other moms to talk with would really help the learning process. 

"It's a little crazy to imagine Natsu being a dad! I remember when he first joined my court, he was only about a decade old. It's crazy seeing him grow up and have a family of his own." Mavis sighed as she remembered how wild Natsu had been when she first met him, and how much he'd changed since becoming a king. 

She put the bottle down and began rubbing circles into August's back, huffing when he didn't release any gas. "I got it." Zeref walked up from behind her, picking up the infant and patting his back- immediately causing him to burp.

"Why is it that it only works when you do it?" Mavis groaned in frustration. 

"Your little hands are too soft." Zeref sat down beside her, cuddling August and grinning at Mavis' pout. The queen turned to Lucy, sighing loudly. "These first few days are so hard. Honestly, I can't wait for him to start sleeping through the night." 

The blondes laughed softly. Lucy had heard a lot of stories about how difficult having a baby would be, especially for new moms. She felt a little nervous, hopefully she'd be cut out for all of this.

"You're 15 weeks now, right?" Lucy nodded quietly, still thinking about how she would handle things in the future. "Have you decided if you want to know the gender?" 

"I think I want to be surprised." Mavis nodded before frowning, Lucy seemed to be lost in thought. Her goal was to get her to be comfortable with talking freely with them, it'd suck if her sister-in-law was always so tense whenever they talked. It didn't help that Zeref didn't seem interested in joining in the conversation, either.