Hello there! Finally day seven of NaLu week! *pulls rabbit out of a hat that has Natsu's hair* It's pretty much nowhere near the seventh of July. I got pretty distracted, didn't I? But better late than never right? XD

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the last little day! :D

~In which Natsu wants to take a small break from parenting and go on a job. And while Lucy's up for the idea, she's much more worried about the fire in the backyard.~

Day 7- Future

"Hey, Luce?" Warm arms wrapped around her waist and he leaned into her back, pushing her up closer to the kitchen sink where she was washing her hands. His warm breath tickled her neck and she smiled.

"Mm?" She shook her hands of the water, turning off the faucet with her elbow and reaching for a towel.

He sighed behind her. "I was just thinkin'…," he trailed off. As she dried her hands she maneuvered around in his grasp so she was facing him. He looked a little worried, maybe nervous, she couldn't tell. Her eyebrows pinched together and he continued. "Y'know I was just thinkin' that we hadn't gone on a job in like… forever."

He paused again and Lucy peered over his shoulder, the large window on the opposite side of the Dragneel's house revealing a beautiful day and a lush backyard, completely green aside from a spot of pink on the grass. Lucy watched carefully as the spot of pink danced around, laughing. Nashi had only been with their family for a few years, but already it felt like Lucy couldn't remember life without her daughter. She'd become her world.

As Natsu grumbled to himself, apparently a little frustrated she hadn't spoken up, Lucy eyed Nashi. What was she doing? She was just running around with her hands toward the sky as if she thought she'd catch something. Lucy stared… and finally understood when a flash of blue dove down and past the window. Oh, Happy was playing with her. Sometimes Lucy thought that Nashi liked Happy better than she liked either her or Natsu. They were her parents but she seemed much more intrigued by the blue Exceed whose tail still fascinated her.

Natsu cleared his throat. "I mean… we seriously haven't gone on a job in forever. Nashi was born what… three years ago now? I think we could take a little time off. Even Alzack and Bisca took a break here and there from Asuka. Remember when we babysitted her? I bet Levy would be happy to." Natsu rested his chin on Lucy's shoulder with a sigh.

She nodded against his neck. He had a point. They hadn't really gotten out of the house much, let alone gotten farther than the guild. Lucy had enjoyed every minute spent with her daughter, as had Natsu, but everyone needed a break every once in a while.

Her eyes trailed back to Nashi in the backyard whose attention was now off of Happy, and now onto… her hands. The small pink-haired girl was grinning ear-to-ear and staring down at her hands. Her mouth was moving as she talked to herself, although Lucy couldn't make out the words.

And before Lucy could even figure out what her daughter was doing… there had been a blast of fire, blinding her temporarily before disappearing in a whoosh. Her eyes widened as she saw Nashi still grinning, pumping a very tiny fist into the air. The bushes in the background were on fire, flames slowly crackling to life.

Lucy opened her mouth to speak up but Natsu interrupted.

"Levy said she and Gajeel were thinking about having a family, right? It'd be good practice for them; plus, she's your best friend and she's super trustworthy."

Lucy squirmed as the flaming bushes soon became piles of ash, the fire spreading to the fence. "Um, Natsu-"

"It doesn't have to be a long job! We could just take a super short one and come back in a couple days, no harm done."

Nashi was still dancing around in the backyard, Happy circling the fire and his paws waving around helplessly as if he had no idea what to do. He flapped his wings at the fire, only making it worse and larger and he slapped his paws to his face in horror, looking around quickly to see if anyone had seen his failed effort. He didn't see Lucy watching through the window.

"N-Natsu really I-"

"I bet your spirits are worried," Natsu added, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "You haven't used them in so long."

Lucy's mouth opened and closed helplessly as she watched. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Nashi to attempt fire magic. Fire Dragon Slayer magic to be more specific. Apparently the gift of teaching that Igneel had given to Natsu, Natsu had given to Nashi. He'd been teaching her small things here and there basically since she'd been born. And while no, Natsu himself wasn't a dragon, he was a good enough teacher to bestow upon her some of his magic.

Usually Nashi could only get out a small ball of flames if she was lucky, usually just smoke, but that toddler had been so determined to "be like Daddy" that she'd been practicing nonstop. Practicing so hard that this time she'd produced much more than just a small flaming sphere. Lucy assumed she got her determination from her father.

While Lucy didn't exactly approve of all the fire hazards that both Natsu and Nashi now provided, she did see some kind of sweet occurrence taking place. Natsu's father had vanished without a trace and he'd been searching for him ever since, to no avail. Lucy knew better than anyone –aside from Happy, maybe- that all Natsu really wanted was for Igneel to return, for him to have that father figure again, and to show everyone that he wasn't crazy.

Lucy didn't know if Natsu had given up on the hunt for Igneel, or if he'd simply come to terms with it, but lately he hadn't been searching for his dragon as much. Instead he became the father figure he so wanted, teaching his own child his magic and vowing to never leave. She wasn't sure if Natsu was trying to make up for the time he'd never had with Igneel by spending it all with Nashi or not, but either way he had really taken his duties as a father seriously.

She blinked, bringing her thoughts back to the situation at hand, the fire much larger now and lapping up at the sky as Happy cried, tears streaming down his face as his mouth moved slowly, probably muttering to himself about what a horrible caretaker he was, and that he didn't know why he'd been entrusted with babysitting duties. Which on a normal day Lucy would've found amusing, but now she was just plain worried.

"It doesn't even have to be a job. We could just go on a little trip or a little outing. Just spend some quality time together. Please, Luce." He sounded desperate.

She'd been interrupted twice now, and she was seriously wondering how much longer it'd be before the house caught on fire, so she blurted quickly, before he had to the chance to interrupt. "Yes, Natsu. I agree, we should go on a job, it'd be fun but… sweetie, the backyard's on fire."

So there it is! I hope you liked it! Oh great Mashima-sama... please make NaLu canon. XD

So there is my little contribution to NaLu week 2014! You bet your butt I'll be doing it next year too. This was a sad amount of fun. XD

Thank you guys so so much for the lovely words about these silly little things I write! They are absolutely amazing and I love you so so much! XD

Also... does anyone know when other pairing weeks/days are? Especially Fairy Tail but other anime fandoms too. I think Gruvia week is like the first week in April and then NaLu week is of course the first week in July... but I don't know about any others! I'd love to know about them though! I think they'd be super fun! So if you could tell me... I'd give you an internet cookie. Which is probably super stale, but it's an internet cookie nonetheless. XD

~Foxtail-chan