This chapter contains smut. I will separate the smut scenes with "xxx" if you wish to skip
~~~
The doors slammed open, alerting everyone in the entrance hall. The demon set his jaw and took purposeful steps into the room, his eyes searching for a specific blonde.
"Natsu? Happy?"
Natsu turned to where he heard his name, his olive green eyes meeting big blue ones.
"Mira!" Happy exclaimed as he whipped past Natsu and into the maiden's arms. It wasn't long before the exceed was greeting everyone with tight hugs, the fairies all in disbelief that they were really here.
"Natsu! I can't believe you're here!" Lisanna approached him then, raising a brow at his tenseness.
"Hey Lisanna. It's good to see you all. Is my concubine here?"
"Oh, is that why you're so tense? Yep, she's here! Why didn't you introduce us all sooner? She's so pretty!" Natsu relaxed a little upon hearing that Lucy was here, but he walked off after mumbling, "it's complicated."
"What the hell is his problem? He didn't even say hi, and we haven't seen him in years!" Cana chimed as she stood next to Lisanna, taking a swing of the beer in her glass.
"Yea… that was a little odd…"
Natsu walked through the entrance hall with purpose, not paying any mind to those who were gaping at him, voicing their surprise upon seeing him after so long. Happy caught up to him after a while, just as urgent to find Lucy as he was.
"What the hell is your problem, idiot?"
Natsu sighed, knowing exactly who that voice belongs to. He glanced at Gray for a second before continuing on his way, he didn't have time for this.
"Hey, stop being such an asshole." Gray grabbed his shoulder, halting his movements.
"Sorry, Gray… we just wanna find Lushi!" Gray pet the exceed on the head once before crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes at the brooding demon.
"Well, she's with Erza right now. In her room"
"Of course she is…" Natsu rolled his eyes. There was no way he was gonna go into Erza's room without permission.
"Would you chill out for a second? None of us have seen you in years, and you're too busy being pissy to acknowledge anyone." The two men had a stare off before Natsu sighed and dropped the scowl his face had molded into.
"Yea, I'm sorry… I was just worried about her."
"She's fine. Now you should go back and say hi to everyone. Don't want Erza to know you came by and ignored them all, do you?"
Natsu shuddered at the thought of Erza punishing him for his lack of manners, and he turned to re-enter the entrance room, finding all eyes on him.
"Yo!"
"'Yo'? Don't act like you didn't just walk past us all, Natsu!"
"Yeah! That was so unmanly!"
"That was super rude, even for you…"
Natsu groaned, hanging his head in shame. "Yea, yea, I know… I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to ignore you all, I've just been… preoccupied."
Mira approached him then, a warm smile on her face. She patted him on his shoulder, easing his subconscious tension. "That's alright, Natsu. You've been dealing with a lot, we understand. We've just missed you so much, you know?" Everyone nodded in agreement, their irritation fading as they gave Natsu soft smiles.
"...I've really missed you guys too."
Everyone gathered around him then, wrapping him in hugs and asking a million questions a minute. It's been so long since Natsu got to let go, but being among the chaos that was the fairies helped him feel like he was slowly easing into his old self.
"Natsu? So you could make it after all, I see. I'm glad."
Natsu turned to Erza as she approached him, followed by a few others. He was eager to ask her about Lucy, but didn't want to anger her by seeming rude.
"Hey… yea, I actually came here for business…"
"Business? Is that why you sent Lucy here?" Jellal asked from where he stood beside Erza, and Natsu nodded. "Right… how has she been? She's been really sick lately, I just hope she's gotten better."
The group that walked in with Erza- having been the ones to witness Lucy's breakdown earlier- all struggled not to seem suspicious, looking at everything except Natsu.
"She's doing well. You should go speak to her. She's in my chamber." Erza, who was the only one not awkwardly trying to hide what she knew, smiled knowingly at him.
Natsu paid no mind to their poor attempts at hiding something and took that as his queue to finally find his princess. Happy walked by his side, a wide smile adorning his face. "I'm glad Lushi's okay!" He said, more to himself than anything. Natsu nodded silently, though, and swiftly opened the door to Erza's room once he finally made it.
"Lucy?" It took one look around the room to find her, the blonde was sleeping in a large, plush chaise that sat against a wall. Natsu walked up to her and kneeled down to be level with her face, taking in her peaceful expression. It wasn't hard for him to tell she'd been crying, and he hoped nothing bad had happened.
"Lucy... wake up." He brushed her bangs out of her face and lightly tapped at her cheek, huffing when she stirred but didn't wake.
"Lucy. It's me. Wake up." She scrunched her face before slowly opening her eyes, smiling fondly at the sight of Natsu. She closed her eyes again for a second before jolting up, her eyes wide as she gaped at him.
"Natsu! Oh my goodness! Wait… am I still asleep?"
Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at her, soothing his hand against her cheek as he whispered, "You're awake, weirdo."
Lucy smiled brightly at him as she leaned into his touch. She jolted when Happy leapt into her arms, hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much, Lushi!"
"Well, it's only been 2 days, but I've missed you too, Happy!" She giggled as she hugged him back, leaning forward to give Natsu a quick peck on the lips. "I've missed you as well, Natsu."
Natsu admired her for a minute before standing, grabbing Lucy's arm and making her stand with him. "Come. I have to talk to Zeref."
Lucy panicked a little, relenting her hold on Happy as she struggled to keep up with Natsu once he started walking. "Uh… why do I have to join you?"
"I was worried sick about you, y'know. I went to Alvarez and you weren't there, it totally freaked me out. You're not leaving my side now."
"Oh… I hadn't even realized. I'm sorry, Natsu, I was just thinking about a lot when I agreed to come here with Mavis and Zeref…"
"It's okay, Lushi. I would rather be here than Alvarez, too." Happy rested atop Lucy's shoulder, idly nuzzling into her cheek.
Natsu walked through the familiar halls, peaking a glance every now and then at the scenery. He really missed this place, and he hoped they'd be able to come here again soon under better circumstances. As he made it to the royal office, Natsu hesitated as he stared at the murals on the wall adjacent to the office door.
There was one of Zeref, of Mavis, and one of the couple together. They went with a gothic theme, and Natsu remembered when he first saw the portraits, he thought Mavis wearing a dark red lipstick and black evening gown was just so bizarre. He idly thought about how badass Lucy would look in her own mural, but he was snapped out of his thoughts when the door opened.
"Come in." Zeref said before walking back into the office and sitting at his desk, paying no mind to Lucy or Happy, the former being a little hesitant to enter behind Natsu.
"How did it go?" Zeref got straight to the point.
"They decided to wage war." Natsu said, sighing at the way Lucy gasped under her breath.
Zeref finally looked the blonde in her eyes, and he stood to walk in front of his desk. "Do you think it's because of her?"
Lucy froze as Zeref held his gaze on her, his eyes going impossibly darker. Natsu swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as he tried to keep cool.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think they want to go to war because your concubine is an angel, Natsu?"
Lucy backed away a little, feeling like Zeref would burn a hole through her with the intensity he was staring with. Her heart rate began increasing, and with her hormones being all over the place, she struggled to keep herself from crying.
Natsu cleared his throat to get Zeref's attention, but his brother's gaze did not falter. "Why do you think she's an angel..?"
Zeref ignored his question."Have you seen her blood, Natsu?" He raised a finger, and Natsu recognized the signs of Zeref's magic. He thought fast as he rushed in front of Lucy, taking the hit right in the face. A large scar formed on his cheek and led up to his eye as his black blood began to drip onto the floor.
Zeref glared at Natsu for getting in the way, and Natsu glared right back. Lucy was completely shaken up, her whole body trembled in fear. Happy snuck out of the room to get Mavis, knowing she'd break up the tension.
"Don't." Natsu growled as his eyes began to shift with rage.
"Is this what you wanted, angel?" Zeref continued to talk to the shaking blonde, completely disregarding Natsu's anger. "You wanted to come into my little brother's life and put him at the target of war?" He slowly began walking towards her, but his movements were halted when Natsu reached an arm out to hold him back.
"I-I... no! Of course not- I'd never… I never intended for things to turn out this way… I swear…" Lucy was openly crying now, her body still trembling as Zeref bore his eyes into her soul.
"Why would you keep an angel in your kingdom?" He finally turned his gaze on Natsu, watching as his brother struggled to keep himself from snapping.
"Lucy is special to me, regardless of where she came from or the colour of her blood. How did you even know-"
"Have you forgotten who I am? The princess of the angel kingdom wouldn't be hard for me to recognize."
Lucy wiped at her eyes as she realized how silly it was for her to assume he didn't already know who she was. This was Zeref, the creator of demons, of course he'd know of an angel of her status. Majority of his reign was spent beefing with her father, after all.
"I know it looks bad, but I never cared about the wars between the angels and demons. I don't have any problem with having Lucy around, and if you got to know her you'd know there's no reason not to trust her. She just wants to be free, and I promised I wouldn't let anyone take that opportunity away from her."
The brothers stared at each other for a moment, though the tension in the room wasn't as bad as before. Zeref dropped his gaze to the floor, sighing when he heard Natsu mumble, "Does that sound familiar?"
He couldn't argue with that, his relationship with Mavis was very similar in that regard. He glanced back up at Lucy, who seemed to have calmed down a little, but before he could say anything, the office door opened.
"What is- oh… oh…" Mavis entered the office, looking at each person in the room before groaning and shutting the door.
"So, I'm guessing you told them?" She addressed her husband, and he answered with a silent nod.
"What did the angels say, Natsu?" Mavis turned to him, frowning when she saw the look on his face, already understanding. "I see… so, we'll have to go to war, then. You know Alvarez and the fairies will lend you support. We should inform Igneel, too, so the dragons can assist you as well."
Lucy swallowed thickly, she hadn't realized how many allies the demon kingdom had. Even though she ran away, the angel kingdom is still where she grew up, and there were people there that were dear to her. The thought of all the casualties that would come from this war scared her.
"Can I join you?" Everyone turned to Lucy then, and she tried her best to look confident.
"No." Natsu's tone left no room for argument, but he wasn't the only one who was stubborn.
"Please? I know the angel kingdom better than anyone, I'd be a great help."
"Lucy… their target is you, I'm not putting you out there."
She bit her lip as she thought for a moment. Natsu was not easily swayed, and he did have a point. But she had to be there, it would be the only way they could try to end things peacefully.
"Natsu, please… I can try to talk to my father. I'm the only one who knows their war strategy, too. And, I know they wouldn't hurt me, trust me. They couldn't even if they tried, actually."
Natsu seemed to be thinking it over for a moment, and Lucy tried to put on her best puppy eyes.
"Why would you want to fight against your own kingdom?" For the first time, Lucy didn't cower away at Zeref's question. She took a deep breath to keep herself strong. "I'm fighting for the sake of my freedom. My father has left me no choice. For 100 years he's kept me locked away, and I refuse to let that happen any longer."
Zeref furrowed his brows as he looked at her. He clicked his tongue in thought, turning to Mavis for her opinion on this.
"I think we should bring her." Mavis paid no mind to the way Natsu narrowed his eyes at her. "She'll provide a great insight, and it's the last resort we can take to end this civilly."
Natsu tried to keep his resolve, but he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But don't go too far from me, okay?"
Lucy nodded, grabbing his hand and intertwining her fingers with his. He squeezed her hand in response, and two left the room once Zeref dismissed them.
As they left, Happy was standing outside the office door, clearly nervous. "What happened?"
"We'll have to discuss a war strategy in the morning. We'll head back to Tartaros to prepare to fight the day after tomorrow… Lucy's coming with us." Natsu looked uncharacteristically discouraged as he spoke. Happy realized things were going to get really serious from here on out, and he took the liberty of going to the entrance hall to be in the company of everyone before things got bad.
Natsu wanted to be alone for a moment, and he grabbed Lucy by the hand when she assumed he wanted her to leave him. "I want to be alone with you." She nodded, stroking her thumb against his hand as he led the way to his designated chamber.
Once he entered his room, Natsu flopped his back down on the bed and groaned. Lucy crawled in the bed behind him, snuggling into his chest. "It'll be okay." She whispered as she left kisses along his neck.
"I wish this could be easier."
"Me too. But this is just how life is. It'll be worth it in the end, though." Lucy thought about the baby inside of her. She really wanted to tell him the moment she saw him, but there was absolutely no way he'd let her go to war if he knew she was pregnant. She was 100% sure that the angels would not cause her any harm, but Natsu has always been overly protective. He'll just have to find out after she got to confront her father.
"Lucy…"
The blonde sighed as Natsu wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed the top of her head before nuzzling into her hair, inhaling her scent. "I don't wanna lose you. I've realized… there's no point in trying to deny it…"
Lucy lifted her head to look him in the eyes, only now realizing that the scar on his cheek had stopped bleeding on it's own, his demonic genes were surely the reason.
"I love you."
She gave him a brilliant smile before leaning in to kiss him softly. She'd been waiting to hear those words for a long time now.
"I'm so sorry it took me so long to say it. I thought that if I kept it in, it'd make all of this less, uh, painful… but it's clear that I was wrong. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do with myself…"
"Don't be sorry, I understand. I love you too, Natsu." The two shared soft kisses as they held each other. Natsu slowly began to sit up so that he leaned over Lucy, deepening the kisses and sliding his hands under her sweater to feel her skin.
"You look really good in pants…" He mumbled between kisses, grinning as Lucy giggled into his lips. He lifted the sweater over her chest, but he reeled back when she hissed in pain after he ran his hands over her breasts. "I'm sorry… they're just a little sore…"
Natsu's brows furrowed as he apologized, but his thoughts were distracted when she sat up to remove her sweater and bra herself. She looked him up and down curiously, and he quickly got the hint and started undressing himself.
Once the clothes were off, the two in nothing but their underwear, they each looked at one another with bubbly smiles. Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck, and he rubbed his nose against hers in response.
"Natsu… I'm yours… no matter what happens, I'll always be yours." Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she mentally cursed her out-of-control hormones.
"I've been yours for awhile, Lucy… seriously, you have too big of an effect on me…" She giggled softly at his words as she started a soft kiss, turning her back to him when she laid back down.
"Let's take it slow, Natsu." He let out a satisfied growl at the way her voice became airy and inviting. She laid on her stomach and placed a pillow beneath her pelvis to elevate her backside. Natsu ran a hand down her back and over her butt, squeezing the supple flesh.
xxx-
Lucy sighed as he began leaving a trail of kisses down her back, and she whimpered when he stroked his fingers against her core.
"You don't know what you do to me…" He whispered into her ear as he leaned over, growling when she wiggled her behind against his erection.
"Show me." She whispered back. Natsu freed himself and slipped her panties to the side, noting how wet she was already. They let out mutual sighs once he entered all the way, and Natsu used one hand to grip her hip and the other to hold the back of her neck as he started a slow pace.
Lucy's whimpers rose in volume and she reached beneath her to rub against her clit. "So fucking hot…" Natsu loved watching her play with herself, and he gave her a long, slow stroke in response.
"Mmm… Just like that, Natsu." She moaned, removing her hang from her core to grip the bed sheets beside her head.
"Fuck… I love you so m-much…" Lucy began to lose herself as he delivered stroke after stroke, and it didn't take long for her to reach her orgasm. Natsu groaned at the feeling of her cumming around him, and he started thrusting a little harder.
Her squeals and moans of approval drove him on, and his own moans picked up when she rose to her hands and knees. This position allowed him to thrust harder, and he fought to keep the slow pace she asked for as he gripped both her hips tightly.
"Na-Natsu… cum inside me, please…" He let himself go at her request, thrusting into her a few more times before releasing his load into her, triggering her own release.
-xxx
He pulled out to lay beside her and broke into a fit of chuckles when she immediately began showering him in kisses. She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed the corners of his mouth, but her face broke into a frown when she rubbed her thumb along the scar that began to form on his cheek.
"'S fine…" He mumbled when he noticed her concern. She sighed and laid her head on his chest, pouting as she asked, "Do you and your brother's conversations always get that violent?"
Natsu sighed as he pulled her further against him, idly playing with her hair. "No, he was just being insensitive. He can be like that sometimes… I'm sorry. Was he mean to you while you were here?"
"Uh, I wouldn't say mean… he's just really intimidating…" Lucy hoped Zeref would come around, she knew Natsu's brother was important to him, and they didn't need any more family issues within their relationship.
"I'll talk to him about it. He's usually quiet and can be hard to get close with, but I think he was trying to scare you on purpose." He looked down at her and brushed her bangs out of her face. "I think he'd like you if he got to know you, though." He gave her a wane smile, and she leaned up to peck him on the nose.
"Yea… we should deal with all of that after this war, though… I've never been in a war, how long do they usually last?"
"Depends. They can go from days to years, hopefully this one can end quickly, though." Lucy nodded in agreement. Hopefully her father would give up and they could end this without bloodshed.
As she laid her head on Natsu's chest, Lucy found her resolve. This man was the love of her life and the father of her child, and there was no way she'd let her father take that away from her.