midnightstar | (no subject)

Spending day after day in the cabin Natsu had built near the Guild, going on missions and living, being WITH Natsu was plain and simple, pure. Heaven. Lucy could genuinely not think of any time she was as happy as she was with him. It still amused her to think of the times she was too flustered to acknowledge her feelings for him, until things came to a head.

And then the kids came along during that mission - Nev and Justine, along with their 'mom' Regine. If Natsu becoming an integral part of Lucy's life was like completing her, then the kids and Regine were the added frosting on a perfected cake. Yeah that metaphor was all over the place. GRANTED it was a little difficult to get time alone with Nev and Justine almost demanding their attention a good amount of the time, but she didn't mind, and didn't think Natsu did either. They had their evenings together, and their little hiding spots to sneak away to, sometimes just for fun.

Meanwhile the first rays of light were beginning to filter in through the window-shades of their room, with Lucy snuggled up against Natsu's side, an arm wrapped around him with a faint smile on her lips. Not quite awake yet, but in that in-between point of just about to rouse. The birds had barely even begun to chirp when the distant BAM! of a door swinging open, followed by barely hushed giggling voices and scampering feet could be heard by Dragonslayer senses with ease, obviously heading towards said cabin.

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"Wait...it's really over?" he had presumed he'd ended up sometime before it started since he couldn't see any damage at all. Though that also meant...a lot of time must have passed.

Natsu turned his head when he felt the two kids peering up at him curiously. Honestly they were stirring up his paternal instincts so hard that the smile he showed the two as he nodded to their silent question, must have given a few poeple pause. Especially the two parents right there with him.

"Go on. You guys should get to have fun and make new friends~"

Alzack and Bisca exchanged puzzled glances, "Are.. you feeling all right, Natsu? You know the war's been over for months now." Bisca answered, a little confused.

Though seeing him with the children is even more surprising. But with Natsu's permission, and Regine's as well, the kids nod at Alzack, who grins. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go and introduce these two to our little spitfire." He chuckled. Regine paused, then glanced at Natsu. "I'll go with them - for a little while at least." After what they were through, she wasn't really keen on letting them out of her sight long.

"Months. Wow we've been gone that long huh..." Natus muttered before letting out a deep sigh as if years of pressure had finally lifted.

"That's part of the long story. Though it might sound hard to believe." Natsu started before Regine decided to go along with the kids.

"Go ahead. Careful Asuka doesn't charm you into wanting to take her home too~" Since she was so very precious and adorable beyond measure.

Over by Lucy, it looked like she was under some pretty deep interrogation from Mirajane, Levy and a number of other lookie loos- the attention in the guild RATHER divided on who to stare at incredulously.

"We just saw you yesterday," Bisca corrected, still confused. "You haven't gone anywhere." Oh boy this was going to be quite a story. And one that should be had once Lucy and the others were free - or at least Lucy.

Regine chuckled, "I'll try, though I doubt her parents will let me." She smiled, following along behind Alzack with Herb.

Bisca, now that they were KIND of alone, glanced over towards Lucy - poor girl in the hotseat - and then over to Natsu, "So, when did that happen?" She grinned, "You and Lucy - Al and I had our hunches for a while now, as close as you two are, but still - it was a bit of a surprise seeing you come in like that." She chuckled almost impishly, "Looks like Gray's lost his bet." He'll probably start an argument about that later.

Natsu just shrugged when they pointed out how she had seen him and Lucy just the other day. To them that might have been the case but as far as the Slayer and the Celestial mage were concerned it had been over a year.

"Well I'd say it's been over a year and a half since we ACTUALLY got together. " Which likely didn't add up with what they knew. But his wording made it sound like he had held those feelings for longer. Much longer. So there was that at least.

It .. DOESN'T add up. Which is probably why Bisca still looks puzzled - now she could certainly believe he'd had feelings for the pretty mage for a very long time though. "And she's hidden it from us for that long?" She sounded very skeptical on that - Lucy wasn't that good a deceiver!

She glanced over at the blonde, then back to Natsu, "... but you know, however it was, I'm glad for you. She'll be good for you. And from the way she keeps throwing those glances your way when she thinks you're not looking -" she laughed, "She reminds me of someone.." Her maybe. When she first fell for Alzack. "Still, over a year and a half..."

"She was hiding it from herself too really so no wonder you didn't know for sure." Natsu didn't mind that though. Things had worked out in the end and quite honestly he would not have it any other way than it was now.

"Like I said that's a long story. And it's also connected to where those four came from." he said regarding to Regine with the two kids and the pupper.

"Aauggh, Lev..evy, can't... breathe..!" This from Lucy as the interrogation finally comes to an end.

Mirajane pulls free from the group, giggling, "Natsu~" C'mere you, she's going to give him a tight hug (she won a bet too, natch.)

Bisca glanced over at the pair, and then back to Natsu, "Wait, those four are much too old to be your children if you were only 'gone' a year and a half."

Mirajane almost choked, "Wh.. Lucy's pregnant too?"

"I AM NOT!!" Ohgod everything is dissolving into chaos already.

And then he's hugged before he can elaborate though he knows better than to try and escape.

"That's because they aren't. Well you could say they are in a sense. We took them in after we saved them from a witch." Sounds like a real fairy tale doesn't it?

Bisca let out a soft laugh, glancing over her shoulder as Regine started making her way back with Alzack, apparently having decided that the children would be fine on their own.

"They've really hit it off with your daughter - and she's so -CUTE-." Regine gushed, smiling happily when she rejoined the group. Lucy finally managed to pry herself free from Levy, though she looked a little blue in the face from a lack of air, staggering over to stand with Natsu ..and possibly make sure she doesn't fall over.

"You're really going to have to share that story with the rest of us, sometime.. you and Lucy both." Bisca mused, smiling softly at the small group and listening to the giggling of children and barking of a pupper.

"Don't worry we will." He just didn';t trust himself to get all the details right. Seeing Lucy and Regine make their way back, Natsu greeted both with a grin. a bigger one was saved to Lucy though.

"Oh hey you're still alive~" he teased with a cheeky grin.

"BARELY." Lucy remarked, mock dramatically, "How could you abandon me like that?" She pouted, much to Regine's amusement - but Lucy gleefully hugged Bisca and Alzack, before glancing at Natsu. "Did you tell them?"

"Hah! You think they would have let me go anywhere near your special emergency girl time?" Natsu shot back with a cheeky grin before he turned a bit more serious.

"Not everything. I wanted to wait for you to come back to make sure I got all the details right."

"When has that stopped you wanting to be near me?" She hmphfed playfully, moving her arm to slide around his in a light hug. Leaning a bit against him, she paid no mind to Mirajane's muted squealing, though Regine had to go from standing near the other woman to suddenly supporting and cringing when Mirajane latched onto her arm and squeezed in a classic, 'omigaw lookat them they are SO CUTE' gesture.

Regine chuckled softly, her attention shifting as Levy soon joined them. Lucy hid a smile, glancing up at her cherished partner, "Fair enough. Did they tell you about what happened here? Levy just updated me.."

The sooner Regine got used to Mira's antics the better off he'd be. Clinging to common sense within this walls was a sure way to going insane.

"Not that much. I was told the war ended months ago. Considering we're all here it's easy to tell who won."

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, that's about what she said. It's such a relief ... but it's really strange that so much time passed and we were 'here' through it all. Even though we were in that other place too." It's kind of confusing.

Levy tilted her head, "What was this 'other' place you keep talking about, Lu-chan? Is it like that other Earthland?"

Lucy hesitated, "Kind of, but not at the same time. If you want we can fill you in now?"

Levy nodded, helping Regine pry Mirajane off of her arm, "I'm really curious - if you guys feel up to it, I want to hear about this."

"Yeah I figured as much. It's definitely a real headache." Natsu nodded before he turned his look over to Levy. Yeah now was a good time to put it all on the table. Except the full steps that his relationship with Lucy had progressed to. Lucy would want to make it back without her top blown from embarrassment.

"Aright. But you better grab a chair since this is gonna be long."

So the two started to tell the story of everything that happened in Genessia. All of the good and the bad.

Dear lord if he was THAT open about what happened in Genessia, Lucy really would make good on her previous mock threats to make him sleep on the couch. What went on in the privacy of their bedroom was no one's business but theirs no matter how nos--er, inquisitive her dear friends in the guild were.

But everyone more or less, pulled up chairs as she and Natsu told their ~~fairy~~ tale, with Regine pipping up now and then - since she was from there, it was a little easier for her to fill in the blanks on the parts of the world Lucy and Natsu were unfamiliar with.

Mirajane pulls away briefly to get drinks for the two since that's a LOT of talking to do. When they finally stop, Levy let out a long sigh, "That's crazy Lu-chan... I can't believe you were actually in two places at once that whole time. Or even that we were there too - I don't remember any of it."

"And we lived it too," Lucy laughed.

"Well it's good you're finally home." Mirajane grinned. "And ~together~. I knew it would happen - i knew it!" <3

She would never! Would she? Anyway it didn't come to that so Natsu had nothing to worry about. This time at least.

"Yeah. ANd we managed to bring Nev Justine and Regine with Herb with us too." Natsu agreed with a big smile as if there had never been that great of a risk.

Probably not. But she'd still threaten it! And if she ever did make him sleep on the couch odds it was a punishment that wouldn't last the night before either he came sneaking back or she forgave him and climbed onto the couch with him.

"I'm sure the Fairy Tail guild is still there, even though we've left. But seeing the original, it's so much more grand and inviting here." Regine grinned around the room, "I don't think Lucy or Natsu even once thought that they wouldn't be able to go back home - to this Magnolia."

Lucy shook her head, listening to the sound of the children playing outside, Herb's happy barking. "I didn't." Well - she did get a little discouraged once or twice, but... "Even if I did, Natsu would never let me think something like that." She gave him a fond smile.

And he knew that all too well which was why the threat itself didn't have much of an effect on him.

"That's right. I brought you to the guild the first time, then I brought the guild back together after it broke up. There's no way I wouldn't bring us all here in the end."

Lucy's grin only grew ten times warmer, much to the amusement of...several that were watching the group. Mirajane smiled lightly, "Well! Are you hungry? I can whip up some food for you guys, and the children in the back - Oh, Regine, I can show you around in the back as well. Of course you'll have to meet the Master before it becomes official, but I don't think it'll be a problem." She chatters happily.

Lucy nodded - she'd almost forgotten how hungry she had gotten when they walked over to the guild hall. "Thanks Mira - we'll go and settle in." It's been a while without being a while - she wanted to breathe in the atmosphere of the guild more.

"Hell yeah. It's been way too long since we've had your cooking Mira!" Natsu answered eenthusiastically before sensing Lucy wanted to soak in the home sweet home feeling of the guild now that they were finally back and safe and sound.

Lucy giggled at the enthusisatic response, finding a bench that was unoccupied before glancing around - if Natsu wasn't following right away, she beckoned him over with a smile. It's not going to be as cozy as they get when they were alone, but she still wanted him close by.

She was actually contemplating where they could put Regine and the kids up for the meanwhile - but Mira might have an idea on that end. "I feel exhausted," she sighed, slumping against the table. It just felt like everything they'd been through in the past year and a half she was feeling only now, now that everyone was safely home.

Not a chance. As soon as Mira went off to fix something up Natu was right behind Lucy, ending up in the seat next to her while his arm looped around her waist as he leaned against her closely.

"Not surprised~ You did just get one heck of a grilling from the other girls~" he chuckled warmly while his eyes went over the guild, admiring the rowdy bunch that they were.