The venture through the fairy kingdom was silent, all of Natsu's friends not up for saying anything in fear of upsetting him. When they heard about what became of Lucy, they'd all been devastated, and their hearts went out to Natsu, they knew he'd take it especially hard.
Happy went with Wendy in hopes of being healed quicker as the brothers made their way to a seating area, and Natsu gasped when he saw the two people already occupying the room.
"...Igneel? Anna!?" The two stood, Igneel patting his son's shoulder sadly and Anna bowing her head in shame.
"Hello, Natsu..." the celestial queen muttered, flinching when she was engulfed in a hug.
"Hey..." Natsu whispered back to her before slowly pushing her away from him. "Sorry... you just, um, you smell too much like her..."
Anna nodded in understanding, but she was relieved that her old student didn't hold any anger towards her. "I'm really sorry about all of this. I failed Lucy, I should've intervened when I had the chance..."
"Don't worry about it, all that matters is what we do now. Where's Mavis?"
"She's in the infirmary getting ready to give birth." Natsu turned to gape at his brother, not understanding his calmness after just saying his wife was about to have a baby.
"Huh!? What's with you and keeping important information from me!?" Zeref shrugged before walking off. "My bad. You three should discuss how you'll go about things. I'll be back once the baby is here."
Natsu still didn't like how casual Zeref was being, but he brushed it off after Anna placed a hand on his shoulder. "They'd already had a set date planned for this since Mavis is having a c-section. It's a good thing you recovered when you did so Zeref could make it." She smiled softly as they sat, and Natsu sighed.
"I don't wanna bother those two with this anymore, they've got too much on their hands right now."
"It's nice of you to think of them, but they're the reason you're in this mess in the first place." Igneel growled.
"Nah, I don't blame 'em. They didn't expect things to happen this way. Like I said, all that matters is what we do now and in the future."
Anna nodded proudly. "Indeed. I've brought my Zodiac soldiers to help, I'll get them." As she left, Igneel looked over Natsu. The demon was uncharacteristically melancholic, and it was unpleasant to see him in such a way.
"Don't worry, son. This'll all be over soon, and you'll be with her."
Natsu looked down, he wanted to be hopeful, but he couldn't help himself. "But... what if she left because she doesn't want to be with me anymore? I have no idea what happened in Tartaros, but I know that one of the Demon Gates had something to with it, and the fact that Happy got hurt and my room's destroyed doesn't sit right with me." Natsu leaned back and groaned, this was just too much to worry about.
"I don't think it's very nice of you to doubt her like that." Natsu and Igneel looked over at Loki and the other Zodiac members as they entered the room. "Apparently, all she's been thinking about is you."
Natsu jolted up excitedly. "She has? How do you know? Have you been in contact with her?"
Loki smirked at the king's sudden liveliness. "No, but Aquarius here has." He pointed over to the water bearer, who was a bit confused as she looked over Natsu.
"You're the demon king..? I imagined you'd be... taller." Natsu smacked his lips at her subtle insult as Anna giggled quietly. "You remember Natsu, right? From when I was his governess?"
Aquarius shrugged, continuing to eye the demon up and down. "Well, to answer your question, Lucy hasn't been able to shut up about you. I stayed with her for a day and all she did was bring up random things she remembered about you and whoever 'Happy' is. I got the hell outta there, but now Virgo has to listen to the brat carry on by herself."
Natsu narrowed his eyes at the poor way Aquarius spoke of his woman, but he was glad to hear that Lucy hadn't given up on him. "Why did she leave, then?"
"Your kingdom's a shithole." Aquarius rolled her eyes as everyone scowled at her for her insensitiveness. "Seriously. She said something about the staff there threatening her, and then one of those Demon Gates tried to rape her, so she killed him. Then she ran away because she thought she'd be executed for what she did, and Virgo thought she'd want to go back to the angel kingdom so she took her there."
Despite her mellow tone of voice, it was clear that Aquarius was disgusted with what she was saying. She glared at Natsu. "Honestly, I should rip you a new one for letting my princess live in such conditions."
Everyone in the room gaped at the water bearer, none of them had heard exactly what had happened to Lucy. Natsu had to sit down as he digested everything. He felt like shit, he really did deserve to be beaten for what he put her through. And one of the Gates had tried to rape her!?
"Oi, don't burn the couch down. We're all upset about what happened, but as you said, we'll just have to make sure nothing like this happens in the future." Igneel nudged his shoulder, Natsu only just realizing he'd started steaming.
"Yeah... I'll just go and get her, then. And afterwards, I'll go to Tartaros and burn-"
"Wait, you can't just go to the angel kingdom. The media there hates you, and you'd be attacked immediately once you get there. Do you want another war?" Loki attempted to get Natsu to stop thinking so brashly, causing the demon to growl.
"Well, what should I do, then?" He huffed, stumped for ideas.
"Um, what if you wait until her wedding? The guards and media would be pretty occupied then..." Aries mumbled shyly, but Natsu heard her clearly, his brows furrowing.
"What? Her wedding!?"
"Wait, I thought I told Jude not to force her to get married! That son of a..." Aquarius growled, the white lamb cowering and muttering apologies.
"Aries' right, though. It'd be best to wait until her arranged wedding date, it's in about a week." Loki shook his head as Natsu began steaming again. "Please don't do anything crazy, okay? You've gotta keep a low profile."
Natsu nodded reluctantly. He wanted nothing more than to sock Jude in the face right now, but he really couldn't compromise his chances of getting Lucy back. As the group continued to ponder the process of entering the angel kingdom, Zeref came back into the room.
"Has everything been settled?" Zeref's expression was easy, and he smiled at the sudden excitement on Anna's face.
"Yes, we have a basic plan down. How is Mavis?" He quietly motioned for her to follow him, and Natsu and Igneel moved to do the same.
As they entered the infirmary, the group fell into an astonished silence.
"Hey guys." Mavis said quietly as they entered, a little bundle in her arms.
"Woah..." Natsu muttered as he caught sight of a little head of blonde hair. Mavis turned the baby in her arms so everyone could get a good look, his eyes open and looking around curiously.
"This is August." Zeref said quietly, leaning down and using a finger to stroke along his son's cheek.
"Oh my, he's so precious!" Anna cooed softly. "Look at all that hair, too!" Igneel added. "But... It's January." Natsu mumbled blankly, earning soft laughs and an eye roll from his brother.
"August is when Mavis and I met, smartass." Zeref lightly scolded, and the two chuckled together. "He's really cute, it's a relief he doesn't look too much like his dad." Natsu joked, and Mavis giggled as Zeref scowled.
"I'm glad you could be here to meet your nephew, Natsu." The queen smiled, and Natsu blushed when the realization hit him. He's an uncle!
"Can I hold him?" His eyes shined as he subtly reached for the infant only for his hands to be smacked away by his brother.
"Wash your hands first." Natsu huffed but went over to the infirmary sink to wash his hands quickly before returning to lean over Mavis. She handed him little August as Natsu moved to sit next to her on the bed, Zeref moving to sit next to him and adjusting his brother's hold on his son.
August yawned before turning over and falling asleep. "Aw..." Natsu mumbled in awe, fascinated with the tiny human in his arms. Zeref and Mavis shared a look, the latter a little solem.
Zeref placed his arm around his brother's shoulder, leaning in to whisper, "He's cute, isn't he?" When Natsu nodded, he continued, "I hope you'll be able to spend a lot of time with him... I know how much you love kids." Natsu looked up at Zeref's face, nodding slowly.
He hadn't been around a baby in so long, he'd forgotten how much he loved them. With August being his nephew, Natsu was excited to be able to watch him play and learn and grow... and he suddenly began to feel a sense of longing.
Holding baby August made Natsu miss Lucy, and he hoped that one day they'd be able to have a family of their own. The thought of what his and Lucy's babies would look like had him grinning like an idiot, and he almost didn't hear when Anna asked if she could hold August next.
As he passed the baby to Anna, Natsu let out a long sigh. That was probably the most sappy thing he had ever imagined- Lucy laying in bed and holding their child. The thought of Lucy being pregnant, her belly swollen as she carried his baby, had Natsu blushing deep red.
He didn't expect to have so much baby-fever after only just meeting his nephew, but Natsu honestly couldn't help himself. It hasn't really been a good time for them to have a kid, but hopefully after getting Lucy back, they'd be able to have some peace and settle down.
"Natsu?" Mavis whispered to him, and he only just noticed that he was the only one sitting next to her on the bed now.
"Yeah?" Natsu whispered back, looking over at Igneel holding August while saying something to make Anna laugh and Zeref blush.
"How are you feeling?"
Natsu turned to look his sister-in-law up and down. "I should be asking you that. You just had a baby!"
Mavis laughed softly. "I'm fine, I just noticed you were a bit lost in thought..."
"Oh... I was just thinking about Lucy... she'd love to meet August..."
"Do you know how you'll get her back? You aren't planning another war, are you?"
"Of course not. I'm just gonna sneak her outta that shitty kingdom and have a word with Jude. I don't want to deal with him any longer, so I'll make sure to settle things once and for all."
Mavis nodded as she reached over to place a hand on Natsu's leg. "Mhm... Well, I can't wait for her to come back. I want to get to know her more."
Natsu recognized that Mavis sensed his nervousness about the situation and was attempting to encourage him, and he thanked her by flashing her a wide smile.
"I can't wait for her to come back, too."