The NaLu Chronicles

Adpot A Runaway

When she heard the door open, she knew it was him, proven by the clang of his keys hitting the bowl near the door. Standing in the kitchen, she flipped through the various menus she'd dug out of their 'dinner' drawer. They didn't exactly have time to cook anything these days and, well, neither of them were all that good at cooking to begin with. So take-out drawer it was.

"So, I'm thinking Chinese for dinner," she yelled to him in greeting. "I've been craving egg rolls. What do you think?"

"Sounds good, but, uh, make it for three," he answered, seconds before he stepped into the kitchen to join her.

Lucy already had the phone in hand and was mid-dial to their favorite Chinese place when she frowned. "Three? I know you think I hog the chow mein, but that's because you always eat all the fried rice. Sharing is caring, Nat—" She stopped abruptly when she looked up to find a boy standing just feet away from Natsu, his head ducked down and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his red hoodie. "Oh, um..." She glanced at Natsu and then back to the boy.

He wasn't much taller than her, slim and a little nervous looking. Young, but not so much boy as verging on man. She'd guestimate late teens, but then, looks could be decieving.

"This is Romeo Conbolt," Natsu said as he walked further into the kitchen, circling the island to stand next to her. His hand fell to her hip, squeezing, and he leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth, as he often did when he'd done something he knew he'd have to explain and apologize for. It was a tell of his, much like how kissing the top of her head meant he missed her, her forehead meant he was tired, and her temple meant he wasn't in a good mood and needed space but didn't want to hurt her feelings. She'd long ago learned her husband's physical cues when words often failed him. Twelve years of friendship, six of which were spent dating, and four of them being married had built a strong foundation. But that didn't explain the teenager in her kitchen.

"Hi Romeo..." she said slowly. "I'm Lucy."

"Boss-man mentioned that on the ride over."

"Oh? Did he? And where was the ride over from, exactly? Because 'boss-man' didn't mention to his wife -his very awesome, very forgiving, very understanding wife- that he was bringing home a guest..."

Natsu sighed beside her, pursing his lips in that way that said he knew he'd messed up, but he didn't like being told he did. Well, tough beans, she decided.

"Romeo is from the dark part of town. He ran into some... trouble, and I offered to help him out."

Lucy eyes narrowed a moment before she looked up at him. "Trouble as in..."

Sighing, Romeo shifted his feet and blurted out, "He caught me trying to steal his car."

She blinked at him; once, twice, a third time, and then— "Natsu, can I see you in the office?"

He winced, but nodded.

"Look, I can leave," Romeo offered, looking between them nervously. "You said you wouldn't call the cops if I came with you. The only reason I did was because you weren't giving off some creepy pedo vibe. But you don't owe me anything, all right? Not dinner. Nothing." He snorted, gritting his teeth and shaking his head. "I don't need your rich man guilt, okay? Yeah, I tried to steal your car, and yeah, it was probably a sh!tty thing to do, but I'm just trying to survive, all right? So save the pity and the hero complex for somebody else."

Lucy paused, staring at him a long moment. And then she took a few steps forward, staring at Romeo head on and rubbing her hands together. "So... do you like egg rolls?"

He frowned at her, raising an eyebrow. "Is that some weird innuendo? 'Cause you're hot, but I don't think the big guy's the sharing type."

"What? No. Chinese food. I'm offering you dinner. I know you just said you didn't want any, especially with a side of pity, but this isn't that. I mean, a side of plum sauce, maybe, but not pity..." She shrugged. "Look, you don't have to trust me or even like me, and you can chalk this up to a hero complex if you want, but... You remind me of someone and we always have leftover food anyway, so why not stick around and have some, all right?" Her brows hiked high. "And after, you can leave, if you want. If not, we can have the guest room set up... Well, as long as Natsu doesn't mind moving all my extra computer parts out of there. I'd offer, but, well, no, I have a husband who spends a lot of time at the gym, so he can use those pretty muscles for something useful for once. Especially if he plans on bringing home strays on take-out night."

Natsu's amused chuckle brushed her ear as he stepped up behind her. "Every night's take-out night."

"Yeah, well, you can't argue with good food." She leaned back against his chest as his hands fell to her hips and squeezed. "So? What do you say, Romeo? Egg rolls for three?"

He stared at her a long moment, looking skeptical and not a little suspicious, but then he glanced at Natsu and back to her and, finally, with a sigh, he said, "Whatever."

Which, despite not having been a teenager for quite some time, she knew was as good as an agreement. Taking up her phone once more, she dialed, calling in an order for three.

Lucy didn't know how long Romeo would be sticking around or if this was just a one-off thing, but she did know that her husband had a softer heart than he liked to think and, well... Romeo reminded her a bit of the surly boy she'd met in high school. The son of a billionaire with a chip on his shoulder too heavy to carry on his own. Natsu had grown up a lot since then and now it looked like he wanted to help someone else through that transition.

Of course, good deeds didn't always pay off and, for all she knew, Romeo would turn out to be more burden than blessing, but... She was willing to trust Natsu's instinct and, she had to admit, her gut said Romeo was a good kid served a crappy hand. Maybe they could help change that...

_______

Two years later, while browsing the card section, Lucy had her seven month old daughter in a baby sling across her chest when she heard the familiar sound of someone 'awwing' over her little girl. The stranger, an older woman with a grandmotherly vibe to her, was quick to compliment Nashi's chubby cheeks and pretty rose curls.

"Is she your first?" she asked.

And Lucy smiled, shaking her head. "No, my son is a high school senior," she replied, plucking a card from the shelf that read 'Congratulations from Mom & Dad.'

Romeo would be crossing the stage and accepting his diploma in two weeks and then, in just a couple short months, he'd be joining his cousin Wendy as they navigated freshman year of Yale. She blamed hormones for the tears that stung the back of her eyes.

It'd taken time and effort and a lot of proving to him that they wouldn't just up and leave him or discard him, but, in the end, Romeo was theirs and they were his. Family. Maybe not traditional but definitely just as beautiful. And, despite her initial hesitation, she wouldn't trade one second of the last two years for anything.

Taking the card, she left the aisle, pressing a kiss to the top of Nashi's head as they made their way to the check-out line. She checked her watch briefly and smiled. If she timed it right, she'd be home just as dinner was delivered. Chinese. Her favorite.