Natsu had never seen Layla make a face like that, not even back in his elementary days when he was a trouble student. She held an angry look for a second before rubbing at her temples and groaning, "Oh my goodness gracious…"
"What is it?" Jude didn't like being out of the loop like this, and he had a bad feeling. "What's the matter?"
Layla didn't seem to hear him, she was too lost in her thoughts, "You… you just can't be serious…"
"Mom," Lucy hated to see her mother react this way. It was still incredibly nerve-wracking, but she at least found the strength to speak, "Please don't be mad… I'm so sorry."
"Sorry about what?" Jude huffed, and he seemed to catch on to the fact that his daughter must've done something wrong for them to be acting like this, yet he still went ignored.
"Lucy…" Layla looked at her for a second, but then averted her gaze as she asked, "Is it true?"
"Y-yes."
"...Since when?"
"Three weeks ago, but I found out a few days ago."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because," Lucy sniffled, and wiped at her eyes when she knew she couldn't hold it in any longer, "B-because I knew you'd be disappointed."
Jude was more than irritated at this point, "Can someone please explain what all of this is?"
"She's pregnant, dear," Layla sighed, and nodded her head when he gaped at her.
"She's-" He didn't seem to believe the words coming out of his mouth as he looked his daughter in the eyes, "You're pregnant?"
The look of utter disappointment that crossed Jude's face made the tears streaming down Lucy's cheeks thicken, but he didn't say anything.
For some reason, his silence was loud and clear, and Lucy shrunk in her spot.
"I just can't fathom…" Layla tried her best to pull it together, but it felt like the wind was just knocked right out of her, "How could you let this happen..?"
"I'm confused," Natsu grumbled, he seemed to be quietly observing everyone's reactions until now, "You didn't seem nearly as shocked when I spoke to you."
"Well of course not! When you told me you got a girl pregnant, I didn't think you meant my daughter!"
"...Touché."
"And you're planning on dropping out? What, are you going to try and work full time?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna get another job, too," Natsu was awfully calm about all of this, he didn't seem much too bothered at all, "We'll figure it out, I'm sure. I'm gonna make sure Lucy's okay, no matter what."
He didn't say it, but it was clear that his words had another meaning. We're going through with this, with or without your help.
Jude had heard more than enough, and he narrowed his accusatory eyes at his daughter, "...Did you do this on purpose?"
"W-what?" Lucy's face morphed with confusion as she realized what he just said, "I- Of course not! It was an accident..."
"Really?"
"Um, yes? Why on earth would I choose to get pregnant right now!?"
"All you've been talking about is being more 'independent.' I feel like you wanted this to happen so you could prove a point."
Lucy stared at her father in utter disbelief. The fact that he could just accuse her of something like this made her blood boil, and she practically growled, "I want independence because of this! I can't do anything for myself without it being a problem! This was clearly a mistake, I can't believe you would think I'd have a baby just to spite you!"
"You are too old," Jude stood up as if he was about to walk away, "And you know better."
"I know, I don't need you to remind me!"
"Apparently you do-"
"Hey!" Layla snapped both of them out of their stupor, "Stop yelling at each other!" They shut their mouths, and the second Jude sat back down, Layla continued, "She's clearly overwhelmed enough as it is, you don't need to scold her."
Jude didn't argue, he simply kept his gaze downward.
"And Lucy… this is exactly what we were afraid of when we let you move out," Layla sighed, but still gave her a small smile, "But we're not gonna leave you to deal with this on your own. Why don't you move back in? We'll take care of-"
"I don't wanna," Lucy folded her arms and grumbled under her breath.
"...What?"
"I said I don't want to."
"But sweetie, we can help you. It won't be easy, maybe you could quit your job and just stay at home. I'll see about getting your classes swapped with online ones, I'm sure they wouldn't mind because of your good grades."
Lucy grumbled under her breath, and turned towards Natsu. He looked lost in thought, but his eyes locked on hers, and he nodded when he came to his own conclusion, "Actually, Lucy will stay with me."
"O-Oh?" Layla was surprised to hear him say that, and even more surprised when her daughter didn't deny it, "Are you sure?"
"How long have you known each other?" Jude narrowed his eyes at Natsu, and the pinkette didn't like that the first sentence he said to him had to be so laced with doubt.
"Since high school."
"High school? Why haven't I heard anything of you?"
"Um-"
"Because I was, well, I was afraid," Lucy jumped in, and gave the most bashful look she could muster, "I didn't want to get in trouble."
Jude mulled it over, still staring Natsu down. The silence lasted way too long, and Layla ended up placing her hand on her husband's shoulder and whispering something in his ear before he spoke again, "Young man," He sighed, almost as if it was hard for him to ask, "Do you believe you could take care of my daughter better than her mother and I could?"
"Well…" Natsu didn't miss the oddly sad look on Jude's face, "She's having my kid, and I wanna be there for my kid at all times."
"The both of you could live with us, we have room," Layla offered, "It'll be fine-"
"I'm sure they'd rather have their privacy," Jude grumbled under his breath, and Layla's smile grew strained.
"...Fine. Both of you have roommates, right? Were you planning on finding a place to move in, just the 2 of you? I'd assume so..."
Lucy's eyes widened, she hadn't really thought about that, and she facepalmed when Natsu shrugged and went, "Well sure-"
"Okay, we can help you with that! Jude and I are part-time real-estate brokers, we can get you guys a really nice house. Just leave it to us."
Lucy wanted to scream, but she forced a smile and nodded. She was definitely not ready to be considering moving in with Natsu, so she wasn't sure how she'd get herself out of this one.
Layla whispered something to her husband again before clearing her throat,"Have you spoken to your parents yet, Natsu?"
"Nah, we wanted to come here first-"
"You should do that, like, right away," Layla stared at him, the seriousness in her eyes being a little intimidating, "If you dropped your classes right now, you can still get a good amount of your tuition back. I just don't want you to do that without your parents knowing, but you do need to do it as soon as possible."
"Oh... right…" Even though it wouldn't change his decision either way, Natsu knew it'd be best for his parents to know and give their opinion on it, seeing as they were the ones who put in most of the money for him to go.
"Mhm. Well, thank you for coming and talking to us in person, sweetie," Layla stood and gave Lucy a big hug, "I know it must've been scary."
"I… Thank you for understanding," Lucy mumbled into her mother's chest, she was honestly surprised that she wasn't grounded or something right now.
"You two should get going, I know you'd probably like to have more time to prepare, but I seriously need you to speak with your mom and dad," Layla turned and gave Natsu a hug as well, "Your parents are nice, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
"Thanks…"
They took that as their cue to leave, and in hopes of avoiding any other intense topics, Natsu and Lucy said their goodbyes and left through the front door.
Layla saw them off, walking them to Natsu's car and reminding them to come back after he spoke with his parents so they could discuss things further. She stood in the driveway until they were out of sight, and her body language when she slowly walked back inside made it clear that she wasn't feeling well at all.
"Layla..." Jude could read her mood well, and was there to catch her when she all but collapsed.
"Oh dear God…" She sniffled, "I just can't process it…"
"Neither can I."
"She's just so young… I'm almost more distraught now than I was when I found out I was pregnant."
"Yes… It's so soon."
"Oh, and what the hell was that!?" Suddenly, she jolted out of his hold and glared at him, "Why would you yell at her like you did back there!?"
"W-well I'm upset..! I can't believe she'd-"
"I'm sure she knows you're upset, Jude. You don't need to drill it in, it's not going to turn back time and change what happened. All we can do now is be there for her."
Jude never liked being the subject to his wife's anger, so he knew not to say anything that could set her off any more. "You're right, I-"
"Do you have any idea what she must be feeling right now?"
"Well, I guess-"
"She just turned 19, this must be so overwhelming for her… I mean, we were only 18 when she was born, why are you being so hypocritical with her!?"
"Because she's just a little girl!" Jude huffed, and took a deep breath to control his tone when he saw his wife's pointed look, "W-what I mean is, Lucy's my baby, I took pride in knowing we raised an intelligent, successful child despite the odds being against us. But now here she is making the same mistake we did… It upsets me."
"I know," Layla sighed, and it seemed like she finally calmed down, "But you need to respect Lucy's decisions to be more independent, and stop being so crude. You get offensive when you're upset and the two of you keep butting heads."
"...I'll work on that."
"Yes, I know you will."
-
"That went well," Natsu hummed, sparing a quick glance at the girl curled in on herself in the passenger seat.
"What? That was terrible," Lucy grumbled, hugging her knees as tightly as she could, "I knew my dad would be mad… and I know she didn't say it, but my mom was obviously disappointed too."
"Well, yeah, it's not like I expected them to be happy. You made it sound like they'd be a lot less understanding. Well, your dad's kind of a jerk, but it's fine."
"...I guess."
"Wait'll you meet my folks, though. None of them are jerks."
"Wait… Are we seriously going to see them now?"
Natsu paused and looked at her for a second, gouging her anxiety-ridden face. She looked queasy, but that could just be the morning sickness. "I think your mom was right, I gotta talk to them as soon as possible. Both my parents are rarely home at the same time, so it’s best to check now.”
Lucy made her exasperation obvious when she slouched in her seat and groaned.
“It’ll be fine,” Natsu couldn’t help but chuckle at her actions, “Just stay in the car, I’ll get ya when the hard part’s over.”
“...M’kay. How much further is their house?”
“Actually…” He pulled into a neighborhood and slowed down to accommodate the speed limit, “They live right over here.”
“Really? My friend used to live in the area when we were little… It’s been so long since I’ve been here,” Lucy pressed her hands against the window and watched the houses pass by, a sad smile crossing her face.
“Your friend..? Levy?”
“Yes! I can’t believe we have the same friend group like this… I can’t help but wonder why you and I never really spoke.”
“Probably ‘cause you’re so weird.”
“Hey-”
“Anyways, we’re here.” The car made a stop in the driveway of a classic suburban house, and Lucy nearly threw up as the reality of everything donned on her.
"Are you sure I could stay here?" Her voice lowered to a mumble, "I just…"
"Yeah, don't worry." Natsu wouldn't give her any grief for being nervous. He got out, leaving his keys in the car so the AC and radio would stay on for her, and strolled up to his parent's front door.
He knocked once, twice, and three times before he realized they wouldn't be answering, and rolled his eyes. They never answer the damn door-
Then, he remembered the backdoor would usually remain unlocked, and hopped over the backyard fence. After turning the doorknob and easily getting inside, his first reaction was to call out into the house, "You guys seriously need to start locking this!"
"Natsu!?" A voice squeaked, and Natsu grinned when his little sister came bustling towards him, "It's you!"
"It's me!" He chuckled, "You missed me?"
"Yes!"
"Wendy? Is that you?"
"Mama! Natsu's here!"
"What!?" He chuckled again when his mom came rushing into the entrance way and all but hollered, "My son!"
"It hasn't been that long since I've been here…" Natsu mumbled as he was completely engulfed in hugs.
"So? It's been too long, you don't visit enough!"
"Yeah! It's been almost a month!"
"Alright, alright. It's good to see you guys, but I'm actually here to talk about somethin' serious. Is dad home?"
"He's home, but it's almost dinner time. Why don't you stay for a bit-"
"No," Natsu interrupted his mother before she could go on a tangent, "This is really serious. I need to tell you guys now."
"...Okay?" She narrowed her eyes and led the way into the living room, "Igneel! Your son is here, and he's being very suspicious!"
Natsu sat on his family's couch, mentally comparing it to how utterly extravagant Lucy's was until Wendy sat beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Is it… bad?" She whispered, worry crossing her face, "Is the thing you need to talk about bad?"
"...I don't know."
"Son!" Igneel came in, a huge grin on his face, "It's so great to see ya, kid!"
Natsu smiled again when his dad ruffled his hair, but he didn't let the topic drift too far, "Yeah, it's been a while, but sit down. This is serious."
"Oh?" Igneel looked to his wife before sitting in an armchair beside her, but she only shrugged. "Did you get into some trouble?"
"Please don't tell me you killed someone."
"Hey, don't be crazy, Grandine, he's probably just failing his classes."
"Oh, please don't tell me you're failing-"
"Actually, I want to drop out."
His parents went dead silent, and no one said anything for a good minute until Wendy mumbled, "Really?"
"Yeah…" Natsu wasn't sure what to make of their reactions, but he knew he couldn't turn back now. "As soon as possible. One of my professors said I could get a decent amount of the tuition back if I do it immediately."
"Alright," Grandine sighed, "You can keep whatever money you get back, it's our gift to you."
"...Huh?"
"What?"
"Are you… not mad?" Natsu blinked. He figured his mom would at least yell at him a little.
"...No. As much as I want you to go through with college, it's a huge commitment, and I don't want you to feel like you're forced. But you better get a good, well-paying job, kid."
"Yeah," Igneel nodded, and offered his son a smile, "Maybe you could work with me and Gildarts. College wasn't my thing either, so I get how ya feel."
"Well… it's not like it's not 'my thing,' I didn't mind school. I just won't have time… because, well…"
Natsu didn't outright say it like he thought he would, finding it hard to get the words out. It was surprising for him to be so nervous, and his parents know well enough how odd this is too.
"Are you okay?" Grandine was on the verge of panicking. She couldn't remember the last time she's seen her son hesitate to say whatever he was thinking. "What's wrong?"
When he still couldn't say it, Igneel cleared his throat, "You know you can talk to us, we'll understand."
"...Promise?"
"P-" Igneel almost couldn't believe just how nervous his son was, "Promise."
"Okay, well… So I won't have time to do school 'cause I got a girl pregnant, and now I gotta work a lot more to make enough money to support her and my kid."
Once again, it went silent, but now the reactions on their faces were visibly horrified.
"...You got a girl pregnant?" Wendy looked up at her big brother, her face laced with innocence, "So… You're gonna be a father?"
Natsu knew he could never get used to hearing that, it still didn't feel completely real right now. "Yeah, I am-"
"Oh my fucking God," Grandine mumbled, running her hand through her hair to get her bangs out of her face, "What- Are you serious? Is this some kind of joke?"
"...I'm serious."
Igneel mainly seemed confused. "Since when?" He asked, stroking his chin in thought, "And who? A girl from college? Do we know her?"
"Uh… Well I found out, like, yesterday. She's a girl I went to high school with, I don't think you met her… She also goes to the same college, and we hit it off at a party…"
"Natsu… How many times do I have to tell you to use protection-"
"I got drunk at the party… we both got drunk, it was crazy."
"Alcohol," Grandine sneered, as if cursing the creation of such beverages, "Dammit, so what now? You're dropping out to take care of them? Are you sure it's even yours?"
"Yeah… All of my friends know her, and they all say she's not that kind of girl. I trust her."
"And where will you live? Wait… does her family know?"
"Yeah, we actually just got back from talking to her parents, they don't live too far from here. I think her mom wants to get us a place for us to stay together? I dunno, all I'm worried about right now is talking to you guys about it."
"...And you and this girl… You're not dating?"
"Nope. It was supposed to be a one-time hookup."
"Hey, don't use words like that around Wendy!"
"You were just cussing a second ago-"
"This isn't about me, boy. Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into? I used to be a pediatrician to babies with parents who had absolutely no clue what they were doing, and now as a gynecologist I've seen so many young women who are just so lost and confused. Things will only get harder from here, and you better stick it out with this girl you knocked up."
"I will, I'm gonna be there for my kid no matter what."
"And she wants to keep the baby?" Igneel was still looking lost, as if he couldn't believe they were having this conversation, "Neither of you have considered adoption or something?"
"She thought about it, but we agreed to try and learn how to be parents before we decide that the kid deserves better. Like I said, I'm gonna be there for my kid, I'll try my best to be a good dad."
"...And you're sure it's yours-" Igneel winced when his wife nudged his side and shook her head, causing him to quickly drop the denile, "Alright, well we're gonna help ya with whatever you need, alright? And if you don't think you're fit to be parents, we'll take care of the kid."
"Um, excuse me?" Grandine gaped at him, earning a shrug,
"What? I'm just repeating what we told Zeref..."
"Yes, but that was different. Mavis has been a part of our family for years, we don't even know who this girl is. What if her family is crazy? What if she's crazy?"
"Don't mind your mom, Natsu. I've got your back."
"Igneel."
While their mother was sending death glares to their father, Wendy tugged on Natsu's shirt, seemingly shy about this whole situation. "Will we, um…" Her voice was no louder than a whisper, "Will we meet her?"
"Oh, the girl? Yeah, she's out in my car right now, I was gonna wait and see how mad you guys were before I brought her in-"
"She's here?" Grandine was already standing up and walking to the door, "Tell her to come inside."
"Uh… Alright…" Natsu felt that strange nervous feeling come back to him as he made his way outside, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. His parents aren't utterly pissed at him, so he knew everything was alright in that regard, yet he was still worried.
Then, it hit him, and he realized he was afraid his family wouldn't like Lucy.
She's pretty weird… they might notice… It wasn't like it mattered, he would be there for her and their child regardless, but he still really wanted them to like her.
"Lucy…" He said her name over and over the entire way to the parked car, but she didn't seem to hear him until he tapped on the window, "Lucy!"
"Huh?" She jolted up, as if she'd been dozing off, and quickly righted herself in the seat, "Natsu?"
"They wanna meet you in there. Bring my keys and come say hi."
Her reluctance was clear in her movements as she slowly grabbed his keys, removed her seat belt, and opened the car door. It was as if she was made of lead as she struggled to will herself to stand, but seeing the easy look on Natsu's face seemed to give her some confidence as she joined him on the way back to the backyard.
"Don't be scared, I promise they're cool. My little sister's here too, she's 12 and literally the opposite of intimidating."
"Okay…" Lucy took a few deep breaths, "Okay."
"Yep. And you might wanna dial it down on the weirdness, they'll probably be confused."
"Here you go again," Lucy rolled her eyes, but quickly fixed her face into a kind smile as they approached the door, "Anyways, they really aren't mad?"
"Eh, I think they're kinda mad, but not really. It's cool, just like I told you."
"If you say so…"
"Welcome!" Grandine was quick to greet them at the doorway, "It's a pleasure to meet you- Wait…" Her eyes widened when she looked at the blonde walking into her house, who's eyes widened in return. "...Lucy!?"
"D-Doctor Dragneel…" Lucy stood there in shock, not knowing what to do with herself. She barely noticed Natsu's father and sister walking up to say hello, and didn't snap out of it until Natsu put his hand on her head.
"...You know each other?"
"Lucy… is one of my patients…" The gears slowly started to work again in Grandine's head, "Oh… oh wow… Wait, you told me you didn't know the father of your baby was…"
"I didn't… Not until yesterday."
"...Oh."
"...Yeah."
"Well, this is great," Igneel chuckled, not sensing the awkwardness, "So there's nothing for you to worry about after all, 'Dine."
"What? Oh, yes," Grandine nodded, and gently grasped Lucy's hands, "Now… I just want to apologize for anything my son has said to you since you've met him. He can be a lot."
"Um, ouch?" Natsu grumbled, but went ignored,
"This is my daughter, Wendy," Grandine pulled the shy little girl closer so she could give a proper greeting, "I… I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon, Lucy. It's a shame it has to be under these circumstances, but I want to welcome you to our family. Why don't you stay for dinner? I was just about to start cooking."
"Oh, thank you, that sounds lovely…" Lucy didn't have the heart to tell her there was no way she'd be able to stomach anything right now, she was more worried about the fact that this woman knows so much personal information about her already, and now she's pregnant with her grandchild. Natsu's mom has seen me naked… oh my goodness-
"It's a good thing you've met already, otherwise she'd be asking you a million questions," Natsu seemed pretty relieved, using his hand on her head to give her a few encouraging pats, "Just don't say anything crazy, and you'll be fine."
Before Lucy could say anything, Grandine was guiding her to the couch, "Please, sit. I heard you told your parents today, I'm very proud. Make yourself at home, and Natsu," She pulled her son with her as she made her way to the kitchen, "Come help me make dinner and give the poor girl a break from… you."
His face scrunched up and his voice grew offended, "What's that supposed to mean..?"
"Nothing… Lucy's just a timid girl, and you're… intense," She gave an apologetic smile to the blonde in question before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving her with Igneel and Wendy sitting awkwardly in the arm chairs in the living room.
Igneel tried to make conversation, "It's odd that you and Natsu haven't met until recently, he says you guys went to high school together."
"Oh, we did meet, we just weren't too familiar with each other. This is very ironic, I just found out my mom has been one of Natsu's teachers for a while now, too…"
"Oh, yeah, what are the odds?"
"Mhm…"
A wave of silence crossed them, and Wendy grew anxious, trying to avoid any awkwardness, "Um, I really love your outfit."
"Oh?" Lucy hadn't even thought about what she was wearing today, and she was sure the young girl was only being polite, "Thank you, I like yours too."
"You look sick," Igneel seemed to have lost all courtesy as he grew completely blunt, "Morning sickness?"
"Y-yes," Lucy had no idea why she was embarrassed about this, but admitting it gave her the urge to hug herself.
"It's okay. One time at school I got really sick from the swings and threw up at recess. I got to go home early though, so it was okay." Wendy smiled, and Lucy actually found her gross story oddly endearing.
"Oh, uh… It's good that your mom's a doctor, huh? She must always know what to do when you're sick."
"She does, I wanna be a doctor too. Does this mean she'll be able to deliver your baby for you?"
"No, sweetie," Igneel smiled, answering the question for her, "Remember when August was born? There's a special kind of doctor that delivers babies, your mom isn't qualified."
"Oh… Well that's what I wanna do when I'm older. Are you gonna find out if you're having a boy or a girl? My other brother, Zeref, said he and his girlfriend didn't want to find out until their baby was born."
"Well… That's not something I really thought about," Really, any talk about babies still felt too soon to Lucy, but she didn't blame the girl for being curious, "I don't really care about that either way."
"Okay, and what about a name? Have you got any picked out?"
"Uh… no, not yet."
"C'mon, you're gonna overwhelm her," Igneel gently ruffled Wendy's hair, and she flushed darkly.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay," Lucy smiled, a true, genuine smile, "You're just excited, I understand. When I pick a name, you'll be the first to know, okay?"
"Really?"
"Sure!"
"Yay! Oh, but don't ask Natsu, he's terrible at naming things. He wanted to name his cat 'Bartholomew' before he settled on 'Happy'."
Lucy bursted into laughter, though she wasn't sure why she found that so funny. Moreover, she wasn't sure why she found it pretty cute, either.
"Yeah, Natsu sure is somethin'," Igneel laughed along with her, "I'm surprised you two hit it off. Are ya planning on dating?" Lucy's laughter died down and she choked, causing him to panic a bit, "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to ask like that. I just wanna know… Natsu's never had a partner as far as I know, and…"
He was only making it worse, but it seemed like the constant mention of his name caught Natsu's attention, and he poked his head into the room to give them a glare. "You talkin' about me, eh?"
"Get back in here and let them talk," Grandine snatched him by the back of his shirt and whispered, "She probably already thinks we're insane…"
Lucy definitely heard that, and didn't voice her thoughts out loud, but they didn't seem insane at all to her. At least, not as insane as she expected.
It still was odd to know that she really had an entire conversation about unplanned pregnancy with Grandine just the other day, though.
"Oh, wait," Wendy brought the conversation back as she seemed to remember something, "You're one of my mom's patients, right? What's that like?"
...Oh dear...