This chapter does not contain smut, but there are some suggestive themes
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"So, when do you think you'll get an heir?"
Natsu rolled his eyes. This was about the 6th time someone asked him something like that. It did make him realize he should probably have a talk with Lucy about what they'd do if she actually were to get pregnant, though.
"I don't know, alright? When she's pregnant, you'll know, auntie." Grandine smiled at his answer before placing a hand on his shoulder and whispering "just keep her protected, ok?" and walking off with Wendy following behind.
Natsu quirked a brow, that was a pretty odd thing for her to say, but he didn't get to think too much about it before Erza started up. "Lucy makes you happy, doesn't she?"
"Uh… yes? She's good to have around."
Erza and Irene shared a look, but Selene interrupted them before they could say what they were thinking.
"Why is she your only concubine? 4 months is a long time to have one partner. I'm sure you'll get an heir much sooner if you had more than just the one."
Natsu stared at the moon dragon blankly, steeling himself as he cleared his throat. "I don't want Lucy just for the sake of having an heir. I enjoy having her in general, and I'm not interested in other concubines right now."
"I don't know, kid… you really should expand your opportunities. What good is a concubine who can't bear your child? She's a bit defective, and it's only a matter of time before you're tired with her." Selene smiled, her eyes flashing with mischief when she caught the way Natsu's eyes darkened.
"Don't talk about her like that. I just told you I enjoy Lucy in general, she's more than just a concubine."
"'More'? Don't tell me you've gotten caught up with a concubine! Have you been thinking of courting her? I should've expected you to be such an amateur when it comes to this, not knowing the difference between a sex servant and a courtship!"
Selene was quick to dodge the stream of fire Natsu sent her way, smirking once she realized he'd activated his dragon force. "Now, kid, let's not make a scene, hm? Ignia will be very upset if there's a fight at his ball and he didn't get to be a part of it."
Natsu's eyes bore into hers, and everyone on the balcony fell silent, many people leaving in hopes of not getting caught up in a dragon fight. Before Natsu could retort, he felt someone grab onto his arm. He turned to see Lucy, her expression confused and weary.
"My… what have you gotten yourself into, my king?" She batted her lashes at him from behind her fan, effectively calming him down. He grabbed her hand and led her away from everyone, ignoring the knowing glances Irene, Erza and Selene were giving him.
"Natsu? What was that just now?" Lucy whispered, struggling to keep up with Natsu's pace as he seemed to be leading her to a specific room.
"It's nothing. Selene's just a bitch." He growled under his breath, faltering when Lucy whacked him on the back of his head with her fan.
"Don't say that, with all these dragons here someone will hear you! And where are you taking me?"
Natsu had already made it to his destination, quickly pulling her into a room and shutting and locking the large doors.
"Natsu…?" Lucy looked around the room, realizing it was the music room.
"Play for me."
"What? Now!?"
"Please?"
"Natsu… we're in the middle of a ball… people are gonna wonder where you went!"
He looked her in the eyes, pleading with her and looking too cute for Lucy to say no. It quickly became apparent that Lucy's music always calmed him, and if it meant Natsu wouldn't get in any more altercations, she was willing to take the time and play for him. It was nice to be alone with him for a moment, anyway, seeing as the dragons have proven to be a lot more wild than Lucy anticipated. She sighed as she sat on a stool, choosing to pick up a lyre instead of the piano.
She played a soft tune, singing lyrics in a language Natsu did not understand, but he assumed it was either an ancient angel or goddess dialect.
The song was a romantic one, and Lucy realized she'd never directly told Natsu her exact feelings for him, yet another thing she had to remember to speak to him about. When she finished, Natsu approached her. He stood over her as he threaded his fingers through the hairs on the back of her neck, tilting her head up and touching his forehead to hers.
The two stayed like that for a moment, simply touching foreheads, before Natsu eventually released her and helped her to stand. He thanked her with a quick kiss before asking her if she wanted to head back to the room to eat something. She giggled, he was always thinking about something to eat.
~
Natsu sat alone in the hot tub of the pool room, choosing to stay out of the large pool where everyone was in. Since this was the after-party, there were only a handful of guests, all high ranked royalty and their concubines.
A flock of women sprinted into the pool room and into the large pool, Natsu realizing they were all Ignia's concubines. At the back of the group was Lucy, the blonde hesitantly walking up to the hot tub he was in.
He flashed her a wide grin that turned into a scowl when he heard Ignia laughing, "What the hell is she wearing?"
Lucy was in a black one piece swimsuit, it showed off her toned legs and plump behind but had sleeves and a neckline that covered her whole chest and up to her wrists. Natsu had picked this one for her specifically, knowing Ignia and other dragons would be staring at her.
"Shut up." He simply growled, Lucy looking a little confused since she hadn't been able to hear what Ignia said due to her hearing not being as good as Natsu's. He brushed it off, helping her into the hot tub with him and pulling her into a chaste kiss that left her blushing.
"You okay?" He whispered as he brushed her bangs out of her face.
"Yeah, just a little nervous. Everyone here looks so important." He chuckled, agreeing that being among so many higher ranked beings must be intimidating.
"Well, you seemed to handle yourself perfectly today, except for when you almost smacked that asshole. Good thing you didn't do that, you would've been executed right on the spot."
Lucy blushed, a bit embarrassed with how she almost lost her composure when Ignia had offended her earlier that night. She leaned into Natsu's side, caressing her hand along his chest. "You almost lost your cool tonight, too. By the way, what was that form you had when you were talking with Selene? Was that your dragon force?"
Natsu hadn't realized he'd never shown her his dragon side, which reminded him he hadn't shown her his demon form either. He nodded proudly before transforming, scales forming along his face and torso and his hands turning claw-like. His eyes began to glow a yellowish colour, and he stopped the transformation halfway so that he didn't sprout his wings, horns or tail, knowing it'd make him uncomfortable to have those extremities in the hot tub.
"Oh...wow…" Lucy was dazed as she ran her fingers along his scales, biting her lip when she met his eyes. "Those concubines were right, this is hot as fuck."
Natsu laughed at her words, leaning in to whisper, "you like it? Maybe later we can take advantage of that…" Lucy nodded quietly, not wanting to get too in the mood in public.
"You know… you dragons are pretty crazy."
Natsu grinned, agreeing that dragons could be pretty hard to get used to. Lucy pouted as she remembered her conversation earlier. "They're so open about sex… at least the concubines are."
"Oh right, I should've warned you. Dragons can be a little animalistic in some cases, like sex isn't as sacred for them. It's encouraged to mate and have a lot of kids, so they're pretty open about it." Lucy nodded in understanding, raising her brows at Natsu's blush. "I um… I've never been like that though… you're the first… the only woman I've ever…"
Lucy giggled at his shyness, kissing his cheek before poking it teasingly. "I didn't know I was your first! Don't be embarrassed, you're my first too…" Natsu smiled at her, the two getting lost in each other's eyes before a thought struck Lucy. "Oh, what is a knot? The other concubines were talking about it, is it a dragon thing?"
Natsu stared at her blankly before breaking out into a mischievous smirk. "Oh, Yeah… its a dragon thing alright…" he whispered in her ear when he noticed her confusion. "It's what happens when we're in our dragon forms. Every part of us can change, including our dicks. It gets these ridges and a knot at the end that holds us inside when we cum."
Lucy flushed dark red, looking into Natsu's eyes to see if he was just messing with her or not. He looked serious and a little smug, flashing his fangs as he continued, "not many can take it, especially not the bigger ones. Think you can handle it?"
The blonde sputtered, intrigued but embarrassed. Before she could form a response, Natsu's ears quirked up and his expression fell as he glanced at the people who were a few feet away in the pool. He stared at them for a minute, grabbing Lucy's arm and rushing out of the pool room and back into the castle halls before she could even figure out what was happening.
"Uh… Natsu?"
"Sorry, but they were gonna have an orgy. I don't know about you, but I do not wanna get caught in the middle of that."
Lucy blushed, looking back only to realize they were already far from the pool room, thankful that Natsu was warming them with his magic so that she wasn't soaking wet.
"Seriously? Geez, you weren't kidding, they really are open about sex…" Natsu nodded, stopping once he neared the area to their chambers.
"Wait- I need to meet with my dad and talk about something. You go ahead and get ready for bed, I'll be back before you fall asleep." Before he walked away, Lucy grabbed at Natsu's arm, stopping him.
"Wait… I need to talk to you for a moment…"
"Is something wrong?"
"No… it's just…" She took in a deep breath, trying not to get too nervous. "Everyone has been talking about me getting pregnant, and I realized we've never talked about it… is that something you want?"
Natsu thought for a minute, leaving Lucy in suspense until he finally answered. "Ideally, I'd wanna wait a few years, but it's not like we've been taking any precautions, so if it happens I'll take responsibility. We should probably talk to my aunt about putting you on birth control once we get back to Tartaros, though...just to be safe."
Lucy nodded, silently entering their chamber and shutting the door. She had to agree, now would be a bad time to have a baby, especially with their complicated relationship.
Natsu took a deep breath, he couldn't read her expression but he was sure Lucy was satisfied with his answer. He turned to walk down the hall and to Igneel's room. They have a lot to talk about.