A Very Merry Christmas to everyone!
Well, here it is...An Angel of Oops Christmas.
It's just a little short story set 2 months after the events of Angel of Oops.
I hope you enjoy it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"I need a gift for Lucy!" Natsu announced as he slammed open the staff room at the police station.
Sting was in the middle of briefing the oncoming shift for the day. He paused at the front of the room, everyone turning to stare at Natsu, who was a few minutes late…as usual.
Natsu took his seat at the back of the room by Gajeel. He had settled right into the life of a police officer. Now that he could drive, he was on patrol with Gajeel all over the city. He had achieved a lot in the short months he'd been there. He had made his first arrests amongst handling several other types of situations. Natsu loved his job and he loved the people he worked with. They had to stick to protocol and do things by the book, but Sting often relaxed the rules so that the officers could help each other as friends too.
Two months had passed since the incidents that had brought Natsu and Lucy together. Their relationship had developed fast, but neither saw any reason to be slow about it once they spent some time together. They knew they were each other's destinies, not that Natsu hadn't tried to take it slow. He was terrified about scaring her off. After that first day, he hadn't kissed her again, determined to date her properly. They had seen each other all day for most of the day for 3 days when she finally snapped and kissed him. She told him she saw no reason to take things slow. He never hesitated again.
He sighed at the memory. For a small, seemingly shy girl, Lucy could be really aggressive about things when she wanted them bad enough.
"As I was saying," Sting continued, "Magnolia seems to be at a good level at the moment. However, there's been some minor theft in the eastern corner and that needs to be monitored."
He paused, glancing at the close-knit officers in front of him.
"Now that we've covered this morning's briefings, let's see if we can help Natsu find an appropriate gift for Lucy," he said.
"It has to be special!" Natsu reiterated, "This is our first Christmas together!"
Gajeel, Rogue and Sting exchanged glances. They were all having first Christmases with their new girlfriends. Perhaps there was merit to this conversation.
"Chocolate!" Gildarts offered, "This is your first Christmas – you don't want to set the bar too high!"
Natsu cocked his head. Set the bar too high?
"Go romantic," Yukino groaned, "Chocolates is too low of a bar. Never take romantic advice from Gildarts."
The department broke out into laughter. Gildarts was well-known for his string of one-night stands.
"You could take her out for dinner at a fancy restaurant," Bixslow suggested.
Natsu nodded. It was a good idea, but he and Lucy had been to most of the good restaurants in Magnolia. He needed something extra extra special for his first Christmas with Lucy.
"Better yet, make her dinner!" Evergreen suggested, "Women love men that can cook!"
"You want her to die of food poisoning on Christmas Eve?" Jet asked, "Trust me – I went for a beer at his house one night after work and Lucy wasn't home yet…she will die if she eats his cooking!"
The other officers laughed as Natsu frowned. His cooking wasn't that bad.
"Jewelry!" Jet declared, "You can't go wrong with jewelry! Women love things that sparkle!"
Natsu envisioned a diamond bracelet. Yes. Lucy would like that.
"You'll set the bar too high!" Gildarts reminded Natsu, "If you buy her something too pretty, you'll have a hard time getting something even nicer next year!"
"Get her a nice, soft sweater!" Yukino put in, "Women love things that are soft and pretty."
"Seriously?" Sting asked, an eyebrow furrowed, "You'd clobber me if I did the pretty thing…then again, you're like this bad-ass cop. You don't do 'pretty things.'"
Yukino looked away for a moment so that no one could see her face. But Natsu saw it.
"Now you've done it," Rogue whispered leaning over to Sting, "If I were you, I'd run."
"I'm tough because the job calls for it, Sting," Yukino said finally, refusing to meet his gaze, "But that doesn't mean I don't like pretty things."
The air became awkward for a moment, everyone shuffling their feet as Sting turned red. Their relationship had only just gone public, although by timeline standards, they'd been together a little longer than Natsu and Lucy. Unlike Natsu and Lucy's relationship, however, where everything was great all the time, Sting and Yukino challenged each other and often ended up in fights. They usually blew over in a day or two.
"Take her away for a weekend at a spa," Droy suggested, getting rid of the tension in the room, "Get massages and soak in the hot springs."
Natsu nodded again. That was another good idea.
"The last thing he and Bunny Girl need is another romantic weekend," Gajeel groaned.
"Bunny girl?" Rogue asked, an eyebrow raised.
Gajeel smirked, "Yeah…Bunny Girl. Trust me. When we were roommates, they were like freakin' Engergizer –"
"OKAY!" Sting interrupted the gales of laughter, "We'll work on this and make suggestions to Natsu privately. Jet and Droy, you're in the downtown core today. Macao and Wakaba, please patrol between the parks and the beach. Gajeel and Natsu, you can take the northeast corner. The rest of you have paperwork to do. Have a good safe day everyone."
The meeting broke apart. Natsu's face was as pink as his hair as he and Gajeel headed for the squad car. Gajeel was chuckling to himself. There was no better way to start the day than to embarrass Natsu. He just made it so easy.
Natsu sat in the coffee room with a pen and paper. He pressed the tip of the pen to the paper, then withdrew it. His eyes went bright and he went to write something again, then changed his mind.
He sighed heavily, knowing Yukino was watching him.
"Having problems?" Yukino asked as she refilled her coffee cup.
"What do you want from Sting for your first Christmas?" Natsu asked.
Yukino lost her amused smile. She had no clue what to ask Sting for, especially since apparently, she didn't like pretty things. They'd been seeing each other for about 2 ½ months now, but their relationship could hardly be considered anywhere near the commitment level that Natsu and Lucy had. She kind of thought she'd be lucky to get a box of chocolates, if anything at all. Sting was a good man, but romance was not his forte. He didn't take Yukino out on dates like Natsu and Lucy went on. He was content in front of the TV with a couple of beer. Not that she was unhappy. Sting and Yukino had a comfort level together that she'd never experienced before. For the most part, they off-setted each other's downfalls. However, she'd be lying if she said she never found herself a bit jealous of the attention Lucy got from Natsu.
"Sting…doesn't think like you do," she said finally, choosing her words carefully, "Our relationship is still very new and we've been taking things really slow. So I'm not really expecting much for our first Christmas."
Natsu noted the expression in Yukino's eyes. It was a cross between pain and confusion.
"Okay," he replied, watching her facial expressions, "So ideally, what would you like him to do for you?"
She thought about it for a long moment, "Something romantic, I guess. Maybe a night away somewhere? Don't get me wrong – romance is just not Sting's strong suit. And I like him for who he is and would never try to change him. I'll be happy if he just tells me 'Merry Christmas'. You and Lucy are different. You've committed to each other 100%. You need something that will solidify that commitment – show Lucy you'll never let her go."
Natsu considered her words as she left the break room to return to her desk. In the doorway on the opposite side of the room, Sting furrowed his brows, wondering how Yukino could think he wasn't romantic. He let her keep her toothbrush at his place and even cleared part of his closet for her…and he was always around her. If that didn't say he was committing, what would? He was seriously in the dog house today. First the comments in the briefing room…now she said out loud that she thought he was unromantic. He had some major planning to do.
Natsu went back to poising his pen, then pausing. It was several minutes later when Rogue walked in the door.
"What doin', Rookie?" he asked, "Your break was over about 20 minutes ago. You have paper work to do, don't you?"
Natsu nodded, "Sorry – I lost track of the time. I'm still thinking about Lucy's gift."
"I'm going to give Laki a bracelet," Rogue told him, "A simple, pretty bracelet."
Rogue pulled a small box from his pocket, opening the lid for Natsu to see. The bracelet was made from gold and there were studded rhinestones on it.
"That's a nice gift," Natsu agreed, "But it's not what I'm looking for."
Rogue patted him on the back, "Good luck, Buddy. You'll know it when you see it."
Natsu refilled his coffee cup and returned to his desk to do some paperwork. But his mind was not on his work at all. Christmas was only a few days away.
"Hey Kid," Gildarts said, noting Natsu's blank expression, "Is it bothering you that much?"
Natsu nodded.
"Well, if what Gajeel says is true, I say you hit the sex store and load up on toys!" Gildarts grinned ear-to-ear, "Talk about the best Christmas gift ever!"
Natsu nodded, but groaned inwardly. He could only imagine Lucy's face opening that gift. He'd heard a lot of suggestions in the past few hours. Not one of them was right, though. There had to be something he was missing.
Lucy turned the car into the driveway, glancing at Natsu with her eyes alight. Natsu felt himself melt whenever he saw that expression.
"That was good!" Natsu praised her, "I think you can probably take your road test pretty soon."
"With 2 drivers in our house, we'll be fighting over the car!" she grinned.
Natsu cocked his head, considering. A car of her own would be a nice Christmas gift, wouldn't it? He shook his head, sluffing off the idea. Lucy had inherited her father's millions. She could go out and buy a new car whenever she wanted to. She'd offered several times to get him a new car, which he'd always refused because he liked his Cavalier so much. A car wouldn't be special. It would just be a car.
He needed something money couldn't buy.
Lucy linked her arm with Natsu's as they walked into the apartment building, heading for the stairs automatically as Natsu hated the elevator. The stairs were hard on his knee, however, which was still bothering him even after 2 months of physical therapy.
"We need to take Plue out," she said.
"I'll do it," Natsu offered, "You've had a long day. Sit down. I'll come help you figure out supper once Plue's done his thing."
She opened the apartment door, kissing him firmly on the lips, "How did I get so lucky?"
Natsu cringed as he bent to take off his shoes. Sometimes it didn't take much to jar his knee. Other times, like today, it was just plain tired after a long day of being on his feet.
"I love you, Natsu," she said seriously, "You're really, really sweet. But I'll take Plue out. You need to get off that knee for awhile. When I come back, I'll ice it for you."
He nodded his agreement.
Lucy grabbed the leash and called Plue to her, disappearing out the door.
Natsu wandered over to the couch and plopped down on his back, kicking his feet up over the edge. He tried to keep just how much his knee hurt from Lucy. If she knew the pain was rather constant, she'd flip. She already had major guilt that he'd gotten so hurt when he pushed her out of the way of an oncoming car. However, there were good things about the incident - it had allowed them to meet. For that reason alone, Natsu would not complain about a slightly stiff knee.
Happy appeared out of nowhere, jumping up onto Natsu's chest.
"Hey Happy," Natsu sighed contentedly. Happy purred, rubbing into Natsu's hand as he petted him.
Natsu's mind began to wander as he contemplated the perfect gift for Lucy. Maybe he should go to the mall tomorrow to see if he could get ideas.
Happy mewed again.
"I tried, Happy," Natsu sighed, "I've been thinking about it all day. I have no clue what to get for Lucy."
Happy purred, rubbing against his hand again.
Natsu furrowed his brow, "You're right, Happy…maybe it's not what I can get for Lucy…maybe it's what I can do for her!"
Happy growled in protest as Natsu bounded upright and bolted for the bedroom, yelling "You're the best, Happy!" as he disappeared.
"So you're in the doghouse?" Rogue asked as Sting slammed back the rest of his beer.
"She told me not to come over tonight," Sting groaned, waving at the bartender for another beer.
Rogue nodded. He was thankful for his relationship with Laki, where they talked things out before things could escalate. Yukino was kind-hearted, but she didn't put up with any bullshit from Sting at all. She stood her ground well. Rogue had never seen Sting so infatuated with a woman. His stubbornness made him refuse to back down, but her stubbornness matched his. The result was fiery confrontations that sometimes lasted for days. But somehow, he and Yukino always found a compromise to resolve their issues eventually.
"Sting?" Rogue asked thoughtfully, "Why do you think you and Yukino fight so much?"
Sting shook his head, "Dunno."
"Can I offer my thoughts?" Rogue asked, eyeing his friend.
Sting nodded, knocking back another ½ beer.
"You like that you challenge each other," Rogue said slowly, "One minute you're both angrier than hell, yet the next, you make up and are closer than ever. If it were any other girl, you'd have dumped her a long time ago."
Sting nodded again. He supposed that was true.
"You love her," Rogue stated.
Sting eyes widened as he stared at his best friend in shock, "It's been 2 months. There's no way."
Rogue tried to keep a straight face. He found it amusing that Sting reacted so strongly.
"Maybe you shouldn't fight it," Rogue suggested, "Let it happen. And for Christmas, do something incredibly sweet. Show her how you feel if you can't say it."
Sting stared at his half-empty beer for a moment, then nodded. He stood up, heading for the door.
"Where are you going?" Rogue asked.
"Home," Sting replied, "I have some planning to do."
Rogue smiled to himself. He loved Sting and Yukino together. It thrilled him to no end that someone finally intrigued Sting enough to make him want to make an effort.
Standing away from the small table that Rogue now sat alone at, Gray and Juvia exchanged glances. Juvia had been practising her nudging skills. They were on a temporary break from Crime Sorciere to oversee Magnolia's Christmas plans. Being that Sting and Rogue had been so helpful when they were needed, Makarov thought it would be a good thing to help Sting figure things out with Yukino. Jellal, Erza, and the rest of Crime Sorciere had been called to Crocus on another mission.
"Should we follow Sting?" Juvia asked.
Gray shook his head, "Let him have a couple hours to mull over how he wants to plan his romantic gesture to Yukino. Let's see what he comes up with first."
"Are we worried about Rogue at all?" Juvia asked.
Gray shook his head again, "Nope. Rogue's got it under control. Gajeel and Levy will see to Lucy and Natsu. Maybe we'll go see how Lucy's doing."
Juvia nodded, pausing for a kiss with her handsome Angel. She was deliriously happy these days. She loved her work with Crime Sorciere, but nothing beat the fact that she was partnered with the man she loved.
"Yeah," Juvia whispered against his lips, "We'll go see Lucy…in a minute."
Lucy opened the door to the apartment after work the next day, peering inside. Natsu shouldn't be home yet…she should have time to wrap her gift before he walked in the door.
"Natsu, I'm home!" she called, just to be sure there would be no answer.
Plue and Happy met her part-way through the door. She placed her parcels on the table, then picked up the kitten and patted Plue on his head.
"Were you boys good today?" she asked. She pulled some wet food out of a can for Happy and then refilled Plue's dish. She set the kitten down on the coffee table so that he could eat, patting him.
"I have to hurry and get this wrapped before Natsu comes home," she told them, "I think he'll be happy…I got him a dragon charm for his rear-view mirror," She showed her pets the charm, "He'll like it, right?"
Her heart dropped a bit. She was struggling with whether it was enough. Natsu was very sensitive about the fact that she had an unlimited budget now that the Heartfilia fortune was in her name, but he had to work to get his paycheque. He insisted on paying half the money bills and rent so that he was contributing too. She considered the money 'theirs'. Would he be insulted if she spent a lot of money on him? She wanted to update his wardrobe a bit and take him on a trip. The dragon was orange with green eyes. There was fire between its' front paws. She had no doubt he'd like it since it was very close to the globe in the bedroom that he liked so much…the globe with the Angel. But would he be insulted if she did more?
A flash of inspiration hit her. It was almost like a memory, but since it had never happened, she chalked it up to inspiration. Her eyes lit up as she headed for the wrapping paper for the pendant. Her face flushed as she considered her idea. Maybe she could still hit the stores before Natsu got home.
"You're bad," Gray told Juvia, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "We're not supposed to remind her of her past life."
Juvia grinned, "I simply planted a thought in her head, "That's all."
Gray returned her grin. For someone who had been a bit slow in learning how to use her new abilities as an Angel, Juvia had more than figured it out now.
Juvia and Gray watched Yukino sit alone in the darkness of her apartment. She thumbed her gift for Sting as she contemplated their current situation.
"What do I want from you?" Yukino asked out loud, "I know you don't commit like other men. I don't want to change you because I love you the way you are…but I feel empty. I need something, but I don't know what it is. And here it is…Christmas Eve…and you haven't come to me yet. Maybe that means…I really don't mean anything to you."
Gray glanced at Juvia, who nodded to him. They needed to go see Sting right away to help him with his plans.
"Like this?" Natsu asked.
"You're a quick learner," Cana stated, laughing at his enthusiasm as he worked on his project. He was sitting a table with Virgo and Cana as they helped him assemble his Christmas gift. The further he got into the project, the more immersed he became. He was positive Lucy would like his gift now.
Gray and Juvia found Sting outside Yukino's house. He was distraught-looking. At first, Gray thought he was swayed by the beer he'd had earlier, but Sting wasn't drunk...he was determined.
"Yukino!" Sting yelled at Yukino's window, "Yukino! Open the door!"
Yukino glanced out of the window, wondering what her idiot boyfriend was doing. She cracked the window slightly.
"What do you want, Sting?" she asked.
"I want you," he said in a loud voice, "It's Christmas Eve and we should be spending it together. Come out here and I'll explain what your gift is."
Yukino cocked her head, "Sting, it's late. Just go home."
"Not until you come out here!" he demanded.
"Quieten down!" she hissed, "You'll wake up all the neighbours."
"I'll sing!" he threatened, "I'll serenade you until you come down here!"
Juvia covered her mouth, giggling as Sting's eyes widened. What in the heck had made him say that?
"Go home, Sting!" she repeated.
"I never knew the meaning of Christmas," Sting started to sing, " 'till you came into my life."
"STOP!" Yukino demanded, "You're embarrassing yourself! N SYNC? Really?"
"I was lost in the dark, 'till you opened my heart, Like an angel shining bright!" Sting sang louder.
Yukino shut the window and turned her back.
Sting stopped for a moment, a lump forming in his throat. If she wasn't mad before, she was really mad now. He considered what to do for a moment, then something spurred him. If he didn't make things right now, she'd leave him.
"I wished on a star, and, girl, here you are," Sting's eyes filled with tears, "Suddenly I realize…That I never knew the meaning of Christmas."
Sting glanced up at the windows. Yukino had turned off all the lights. Dejected, Sting hung his head for a moment before turning to walk back to his car.
"Go nudge her," Gray told Juvia in a panic, "I'll compel him to stay!"
Juvia flitted off as Gray stood in front of Sting, compelling as hard as he could. Tears streamed down Sting's face.
The door opened and Yukino stepped out, now in a housecoat.
"Sting…"
He turned, allowing her to see the tears streaming down his face.
"I'm sorry, Yuki," Sting choked out finally, "I know I'm not the most romantic guy in the world. I probably never will be. I don't blame you if we're over. I guess that's why I've been alone for so long."
She reached out, grabbing his wrist, "I knew all that when I came on board with you, Sting. And I'm okay with nights at home and avoiding crowds. In the same token, I want to be recognized as a woman too. I'm tough and I can take down criminals with you by day, but I want to be your woman at night. All I want to see is the effort in making me your woman...not just another buddy. That's all I'm asking."
He kept his face away from her, sniffling back his tears, "I don't want to lose you, Yuki."
"Stupid Sting," she said softly, "I'm not going anywhere. Just...think about me as more than a buddy, okay?"
He turned as she threw herself into her arms. They stood there together for a long moment as he stroked her hair, then lifted her chin to kiss her.
"I haven't told you I love you, have I?" Sting asked.
Yukino shook head, "No…"
"I do, Yuki," he admitted, "I love you."
Her eyes brimmed with tears, "I love you too, Sting."
"Good," he whispered, "Then let's elope."
"WHAT?" she exclaimed.
Gray glanced at Juvia. Her eyes glinted mischievously.
"Let's do it," Sting said softly, "Let's get out of here for a week or so. I'll call Rogue. He can handle things. I wanna go somewhere…and marry you…and have you all to myself for a few days."
Yukino kissed his lips gently. For a moment, he was pretty sure she would refuse him. They were good at impromptu plans…and it was true that his plans that he had made fell through. He had wanted dinner and a walk on the boardwalk. But when she stopped talking to him, they had missed their reservations.
"Okay," she said softly, opening the door to her house, "I'll get my coat."
Gray and Juvia both sighed with relief. Whether they would actually elope or not remained to be seen, but the two had reached common ground tonight…and their relationship would be ever stronger for it.
Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Except for Natsu.
He edged toward the edge of the bed, trying desperately not to wake his sleeping princess. She had become accustomed to sleeping in Natsu's tight embrace, but he hadn't thought that could be a bad thing until he had to try to sneak out of bed without her noticing.
Happy mewed his protest at Natsu's movement. Natsu raised a finger to his lips, begging the cat to stay quiet.
He placed a foot on the floor, holding his breath when he realized he'd accidentally stepped on Plue. Plue stood up, casting a glance over his shoulder as he moved to Lucy's side of the bed, plopping down with a heavy sigh.
"SHHHHHH!" Natsu begged with his mind.
He glanced back at Lucy, who was still motionless in the bed, then inched toward the door, only breathing a sigh of relief once he'd managed to close the door behind him.
He turned on the living room light, glancing at their tiny Christmas tree. It was the plastic tree that Levy and Lucy brought everywhere with them when they were on the run. And it was high time to get rid of it.
Once Lucy had confessed to Natsu that she didn't want to take things slow, things progressed very quickly. He told her he loved her at the 2 week mark and they started sleeping together shortly after that. At the one month mark, Lucy and Levy had had a heart-to-heart and agreed it was time to move away from each other. They would always be close, but Levy wanted to live with Gajeel and Lucy wanted to live with Natsu.
The roommate swap. Natsu chuckled at the memory of Gajeel's emphatic well-wishes as he shut the door to the apartment that used to be empty next door. The girls weren't ready to be far apart from each other, so Gajeel had given up his house and moved into the apartment building too.
He slipped his shoes on, glancing back at the bedroom door to make sure all was still quiet, then opened the door to the apartment hallway as quietly as he could, meeting Gajeel outside the building lest their talking should wake either Lucy or Levy.
"We'll take the Cavalier," Gajeel mumbled.
Natsu's eyes widened in surprise. Gajeel never voluntarily got in the vehicle with him as the driver, even after he'd become a good driver.
"We're not scratching up my Dodge!" Gajeel told him.
Natsu nodded, grabbing his keys out of his pocket and heading for his car.
They drove in silence for about 10 minutes, getting to the top of a hill outside Magnolia.
"This should be good," Gajeel grunted.
Natsu parked his car just off the road, and got out of the car, opening the trunk so that they could retrieve their tools.
"I haven't done this before!" Natsu grinned ear-to-ear and he pulled out an ax from the truck, swinging around, "This was a great idea, Gajeel!"
Gajeel jumped back 3 feet, "Watch where you're swinging that thing!"
Natsu turned slightly red, "Oops…sorry."
"You brought your boots, right?" Gajeel asked, glancing down at Natsu's shoes. Gajeel himself had a heavy winter coat on, snow pants, and large boots.
Natsu's eyes widened, "I was so busy trying to get out without Lucy noticing that I totally forgot!"
"Idiot."
Gajeel glanced up the hill a bit, "We'll just have to pick ones close to the road."
He started up the hill, Natsu close behind. The snow was about 1 ½ feet deep and Natsu quickly regretted not remembering his boots…or a pair of jeans instead of his pajama bottoms as he stumbled behind Gajeel.
"What about this one?" Gajeel asked, eyeing a 5-foot tree. There were problems with it. One side was fairly bare. The needles were all over the ground.
"Nope," Natsu shook his head, glancing around in the dark for the perfect tree.
His eyes rested on an six-foot blue spruce. It was a perfect specimen!
"That one!" he told Gajeel.
"Are you kidding me?" Gajeel hissed, "That one will take up the entire rooftop! There won't be room for my tree!"
"I want that one!" Natsu insisted, "We can make a second trip if we have to for your tree, but that's my tree!"
Gajeel groaned, glancing off to the shadows with an expression that all but screamed, "Do you see what I have to put up with?"
Natsu could have sworn he heard chuckling, but ignored it as he stalked up to the blue spruce tree, getting his ax ready to chop at the base.
Gajeel stood well back, really not wanting to be anywhere near Natsu as he swung wildly with the ax. He glanced around for the tree that appealed to him. Shrimp was small. She didn't need a 6-foot tree. She needed something small and dainty – like herself.
He spotted a 4-foot Douglas fir that fit that exact bill. Grinning, he took his own ax and began the task of bringing it down.
"I really," Natsu yelled between swings, "should've…brought a blow torch!"
"What would you need a blow torch for?" Gajeel asked, easily bringing down his tree of choice.
"Pretty sure burning this bitch through would be easier than trying to ax it!" Natsu replied, swinging again.
"Put that thing down before you kill yourself!" Gajeel demanded.
He stalked over to the tree only after Natsu had complied and looked at the base of the tree. Natsu had several knicks, but no really good, hard strokes. Falling this tree would take forever doing it this way.
He pulled the ax back, aimed, and gave the base of the tree a good hard whack. Two more whacked the tree and the entire thing fell over.
Natsu glanced at the older man with wide eyes.
"Let's get these to the car," Gajeel stated as he noticed Natsu's nose starting to run, "before you catch pneumonia."
Gajeel was able to pull his tree behind him with one hand, but Natsu's tree was decidedly larger and much harder to maneuver. While Gajeel was examining his tree and the roof top of the car to decide the best way to secure both trees, Natsu was trying to wrap his arms around his entire tree to carry it down to the car. He tripped when his knee bent the wrong way, but he wasn't letting his tree go. He rolled down the hill, clutching his tree protectively. The result was a hardened snowball at the base of the hill, but Natsu's tree was intact.
"I think the only way this will work," Gajeel said, "is if we put my tree inside with us and your tree on the roof."
Natsu nodded. Gajeel opened the back doors of the Cavalier and tried to push his tree through horizontally. Thankfully, it fit with not too much of a problem.
Gajeel sat back and watched Natsu struggle for a few moments, trying to heave the gigantic tree on top of the car roof, but the tree was large and awkward. Whenever he placed it on top of the car, the branches would spring and the tree would roll off the car before Natsu could get his rope overtop.
Gajeel loved watching Natsu. It was a great source of entertainment. He didn't always think things through and he didn't often succeed the first time, but Natsu Dragneel was determined. He rarely stopped at any task until he felt like he'd completed it.
Natsu picked the tree up over his head and took a running start. Gajeel cringed and closed his eyes…this was not going to end well. Natsu catapulted the tree off of his shoulders, his eyes lighting up when it when landed on top of the car and came to a stop in the perfect position. When Gajeel opened his eyes, he caught the glint of flitting shadows headed into the trees.
"You're ruining my entertainment, Gray," he muttered to the shadows.
Natsu was struggling with the rope now, trying to lasso with enough force that he could reach the other side when he threw.
"Here," Gajeel said, finally taking one end of the rope from Natsu. He held it above his head and walked around to the other side of the car. Being that he was almost 7 feet tall, the rope wrapped neatly around the tree and Natsu gleefully secured it inside the car so neither tree would move.
"Success!" Natsu grinned, eagerly reaching in his pocked for the keys. Now they could take their trees home, set them up, decorate them, and surprise the girls in the morning...maybe…oh crap.
"What's that look?" Gajeel asked, furrowing his brow as he noted Natsu's expression.
"My keys…"
Gajeel followed his glance up the hill toward the sites where they'd been getting their trees. He sighed heavily. It was his fault too. He could've helped Natsu instead of standing back to watch his fruitless attempts.
"They fell out of your pocket?" Gajeel asked.
Natsu nodded, now on his hands and knees as he searched the ground underneath where the blue spruce had been. Gajeel searched on the other side of the clearing. Even he was getting cold now. He could only imagine how frozen Natsu was getting.
After a few minutes of both of them searching through the deep snow, Gajeel was getting frustrated.
"Help us out!" he muttered under his breath, knowing full well Gray and Juvia were still listening.
A beep sounded from the car.
Natsu cocked his head, furrowing his brow.
"How did my car just beep?" he asked.
"The keys…" Gajeel said slowly, knowing full well that if the keys were in the ignition, they still make the car beep.
They both scrambled down the hillside, heading for the car.
"They're here!" Natsu announced in relief, holding the keys above his head for Gajeel to see, "Let's get out of here."
Gajeel mumbled a 'thank you' under his breath, then sat in the passenger seat of the Cavalier.
"What'd you get Levy for Christmas?" Natsu asked.
Gajeel grunted. He couldn't tell Natsu the absolute truth about what he'd done for Levy. He had been to Rufus's place to nudge him to look for Levy and hire her now that she wouldn't be working for Freed anymore.
"A necklace," he stated, "A pretty one. Dainty. Like Levy."
Natsu smiled. His friend was big and gruff and didn't always have words, but he really did love Levy.
The car now started, they headed back into town, parking the car in the underground spots of the apartment building.
"You should've chosen a smaller tree," Gajeel lamented, "Now we have to get that in the elevator."
Natsu sighed. He knew it wouldn't be easy…but it would be worth it.
Gajeel's tree entered the elevator with no particular problem. He stood it up in the corner, then turned to face the doors of the elevator. Natsu was backing his tree in, angling it as he came through the door. The door chimed and tried to close, but hit the tree, so opened back up again, chimed, then tried to close again.
This time Gajeel heard audible chuckling from the shadows.
Gajeel could have helped Natsu get the tree through the elevator doors, but it was just too funny to watch Natsu struggle with it. Finally, with a heaving jerk, Natsu managed to pull the entire tree inside the elevator. He was huffing and puffing, but the tree was in and Natsu wore a proud grin on his face as Gajeel hit the button for the 2nd floor.
"You have to be quiet," Gajeel reminded him, "Can you get that in the apartment by yourself?"
Natsu nodded, "And I've got the decorations hidden in the kitchen."
The door chimed again, indicating their 2nd floor arrival.
"Good luck, Flame Brain," Gajeel whispered, taking his tree to the apartment door that belonged to him and Levy.
"Thanks!" Natsu whispered, trying to maneuver the tree out of the elevator. The door chimed, closing on the top of his tree, then opened again. Natsu sighed, knowing there was absolutely no way he was going to ask for help from Gajeel.
Gajeel disappeared into the apartment, leaving Natsu to struggle with the tree in the hallway.
He was cold. Ridiculously cold. The snow had melted now and he wasn't sure if there was a dry spot on his body. His toes curled inside his sopping wet shoes and his legs felt like jello. Somehow, however, he managed to maneuver the tree through the small apartment door and drag the it inside the living room with minimal noise.
He found the base stand and starting propping the tree upright, only to realize the 7-foot ceiling was a lot lower than he'd realized. He glanced at the glass doors, deciding perhaps he could attach the tree to the stand there, then pull the entire rig inside since it would be shorter once the tree was actually in the stand.
It was then that chaos erupted. He had no clue what it was at first. It burst at him like a bolt of lightning. Natsu suppressed a scream as he dropped the tree and stood back to assess his attacker, which was clawing wildly at his chest. He felt his cheek get scratched.
"A FREAKIN' SQUIRREL!" he exclaimed out loud, holding it at arm's length once he'd managed to pry it off of his chest. He covered his mouth with both hands. NO NOISE.
The squirrel chattered loudly, taking off from Natsu's hand into the kitchen.
This will NOT please Lucy! I have to get it out of here!
He grabbed a nearby laundry basket and approached the kitchen as silently as he could, seriously wishing he could go get Gajeel for some help.
The squirrel was sitting behind the counter, examining some cookies that Lucy had baked earlier in the day. He ate one, filling his cheeks before he noticed Natsu's cautious approach. He screeched, firing his chewed cookies like bullets at Natsu as he scrambled to get out of the kitchen. Natsu was covering his face with his hands, suppressing his will to scream at the violent show of aggression. He panted heavily, slightly alarmed about the way tonight was going. It was supposed to be easy…get a tree, set up Christmas, and go back to bed. Now the tree was too big and there was a squirrel loose in their apartment.
Natsu stalked down the hall as quietly as he could. The closet door was open, but thankfully, the door to the bedroom where Lucy was sleeping was still closed. He reached for a scarf by the door, wrapping it around his face for protection, then carefully grabbed Lucy's oven mitts off of the counter. The squirrel had already scratched him once. He was not going to get another opportunity.
He could hear Plue on the other side of the bedroom door, whining to be let out. Natsu willed the dog to be silent as he approached the closet. Taking a deep breath, he opened the partly-opened closet door, his laundry basket poised over his head. The squirrel flew out, banging the doors.
"SHHHHH, SQUIRREL!" Natsu hissed, "DO NOT wake up Lucy! I will END YOU!"
Natsu was pretty sure he'd gone into the bathroom.
Sighing heavily, Natsu considered what to do. He could close the bathroom door, set the tree up now, and then warn Lucy in the morning that he needed to get the squirrel before she could take her shower, and get help in the morning with the squirrel…or he could deal with the squirrel now and hope he wouldn't wake up Lucy, then set up.
He glanced at the clock. It was 3:00 in the morning. Fatigue was starting to set in and he was very definitely cold. He would need a bath before returning to bed just to warm up.
Tree first, then squirrel.
He closed the bathroom door, noting the squirrel on the bathroom counter, pawing at Lucy's toothpaste and headed back into the living room.
He was so cold. He took off the scarf and the oven mitts. He just needed to rest for a moment. Curling up into a ball onto the couch, he shivered, pulling the throw that Lucy kept there over him.
Just for a minute.
He had to get warm.
Lucy awoke slowly, immediately noticing the absence of her partner and lover. His natural warmth always enveloped her in the morning. It was unusual for him not to be beside her and most mornings, he stayed in bed even if he was awake, just to welcome the day with her.
"Natsu?" she asked, sitting up in the bed.
Happy stretched out on Natsu's pillow, offering Lucy a good morning purr. She pet him for a moment, noting Plue on the bottom of the bed, curled up where Natsu's feet should have been.
She reached for her housecoat and opened the bedroom door, noting immediately that the bathroom door was closed. Alarm spread through her. Was he sick?
"Natsu?" she asked gently at the bathroom door, "Are you okay?"
She heard a tiny snore out in the living room and slowly made her way down the hall. Plue and Happy sat at the bedroom door together, watching.
Lucy walked into the living room and stared in awe at the amazing sight. A large blue spruce tree was in the corner of the living room, adorned with bright lights and beautiful decorations. The curtains to the balcony were drawn so that the lights shone better, despite the morning sun. There were snowflake ornaments dangling from the ceiling and presents surrounding the large base of the tree. Natsu was curled up on the couch, fast asleep.
She approached the tree quietly so as to not wake her sleeping partner and took a closer look at the tree. He had made the ornaments out of their memories and placed them in plastic balls around the tree.
"Natsu," she whispered as she started looking at each individual ornament. Each memory was dated with a small card. There was a picture of Lucy and Natsu in front of his red Cavalier. Another ornament held tickets to their first movie date. Yet another ornament held Lucy and Natsu's first official couple picture. They'd only been together for 2 months, yet there seemed to be so many memories. A tear trickled down her face as she found the ornament with the selfie they'd taken on their first picnic date…and another one that held another selfie from their trip to Akane Beach…yet another one with Natsu in full police uniform, pretending to arrest Lucy.
Lucy turned to Natsu, who was just starting to rub his eyes on the couch. She sat down beside him and pressed her lips to his, running her fingers through his pink locks.
"Luce?" Natsu asked softly, "Where am I? This isn't our bed."
"You sweet," Lucy whispered, kissing his lips again, then his forehead, then his neck, "Adorable, amazing man…I love you."
Natsu grinned, his eyes opening to see the love of his life stooped over him, a look of utter adoration on her face.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Thank you?" he asked in confusion. Then he remembered – the tree.
"You must have been up all night doing this," she said, pulling up the blanket and laying down beside him for a cuddle, "You are the sweetest, most amazing…"
Natsu looked up. The room had turned out even more incredible than he'd hoped. He didn't remember finishing it though. The last thing he remembered was settling on the couch to warm up a bit. His ornaments – the ones he'd spent days making since he was far from crafty – were all on the tree. Presents were wrapped and underneath of it.
"I love you," she said softly, tucking her head under his chin.
"I love you too, Luce," he whispered back.
"Do you want to open presents?" Lucy asked.
The truth was, she was completely comfortable in his arms and was in no hurry to move. But it was their first Christmas together…and he'd been excited about it for weeks.
"Okay," he whispered back, kissing the top of her forehead.
He was confused. He knew what he wanted Lucy to wake up to, but he really didn't remember completing the tree…or placing the presents underneath…or stringing the snowflakes to the ceiling. But it had to have been him. No one else could have done it.
Reluctantly, she sat up and moved down the couch to allow him to sit up too. After a moment, she stood up.
"I'll go get my presents to add to the tree," she said quietly, "I can't promise what I got you is nearly as romantic as your present, but I think you'll like them."
She returned a moment later, sitting on the couch beside him. He had retrieved a couple gifts from under the tree to give to her.
"Together?" he asked playfully, holding a fairly large package on his lap.
She nodded, handing him a small box. Together, they tore into each other's presents, but Lucy stopped halfway, watching Natsu open his. Natsu had a dragon pendant.
"For your rear-view mirror," she explained. Natsu loved his car, despite the teasing he received from the other officers about how well he looked after it.
"It goes with the globe," he grinned, admiring the intricate dragon details. He was referring to a globe that they kept in their bedroom. The dragon inside it was having his nose petted by an Angel. Neither Lucy nor Natsu knew why it meant so much to them, but they both loved it.
Lucy blushed, "I told you it wasn't as romantic as your gesture."
"I love it," Natsu assured her, "It's perfect. Did…you finish opening my gift?"
Lucy looked down at the half-opened gift, smiling at him as she continued to open it. As she folded back the final tissue, her eyes filled with tears.
"Natsu…is this what I think it is?" she asked.
Natsu nodded, "It's been accepted, Luce. I sent your book to the publishers. They want to publish it. That's a sample copy. You'll have to add other things…like your autobiography and your foreward and afterward, what you wanna call it…but it's for real, Luce…you are a published author."
Lucy took the hard-covered book out of the cardboard box. It was the story she'd written about a girl who fell in love with an Angel. She didn't remember writing it, but it was in her handwriting. She read the book cover-to-cover many times and realized how much she loved the story, so she'd embellished it with details, making it her masterpiece. She often told Natsu she would get it published one day. Never in a million years would she have thought that he'd do it for her.
"Thank you," she whispered, trying to wipe away her tears.
He reached over, smoothing them away with his fingers, then kissed her lips, "It's going to be a hit, Luce. I know it."
"Even if it's not," she replied, "I'm overwhelmed with how it looks in a bound copy…it's amazing…thank you."
He smiled, passing her another box, "We're not done yet."
She passed him another wrapped item as well, this time opening her gift first. It was a hair straightener. His second gift was a set of seat covers for his car with flames on it. He'd been really excited about that gift.
An hour later, they sat on the couch surrounded by wrapping paper and a pile of gifts.
"That was fun!" Natsu declared as he got a garbage bag from the kitchen, "Let's get rid of this wrapping paper…"
"I'll be right back to help," Lucy said, "I'm just going to the bathroom. And then I have one more gift for you."
"Okay," Natsu started to say. He froze in his spot as he remembered the squirrel, dashing to the hallway. Lucy was already in the bathroom with the door closed.
"Luce, can I get in there for a minute?" he asked, panicked.
"I'm a little busy," she called out, "I'll just be a - HOLY MOTHER OF MAYHEM – WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"
Natsu grabbed the handle of the door, using his shoulder to break open the door when he realized it was locked. The squirrel was screeching at Lucy from its' perch on the shower curtain. Lucy screeched back. Suddenly, the squirrel made a mad jump for Natsu, landing in his hair. Natsu screeched too, falling backward into the hallway. It was at that moment that Plue and Happy realized something was strange, taking up the chase into the living room and through the kitchen, over the dishes on the counter, which all clattered to the floor, then back into the living room and over the couch, straight into the tree. The tree fell over, lights blinking erratically until they finally went out altogether. Plue jumped onto the tree. Happy ran up the curtains, hissing wildly. Natsu jumped for the laundry basket as Lucy ran into the living room, pants around her ankles, eyes wide.
The squirrel saw Natsu coming with the laundry basket and made a mad dash for the kitchen. Lucy could see it veering toward the hallway and stood in front of it, blocking the squirrel's path. The squirrel redirected back to the tree. A stunned Natsu opened the glass doors. Seeing the way out, the squirrel dashed through it and disappeared over the rails, chattering angrily.
Natsu and Lucy exchanged glances as they surveyed their now destroyed house. For a moment, Natsu thought for sure Lucy was going to cry. Her face was red and her eyes were wide.
Then she started to laugh. Crossing the destroyed room to Natsu, she pulled out her cell phone and shifted his body toward the living room, taking a selfie of them with the background chaos.
"We're going to need a new ornament for next year with that memory," she said softly.
They both burst out laughing, then began the clean-up. Thankfully, the tree was not damaged. In a few minutes, everything was back to its' proper place.
Natsu sat back on the couch, opening his arms for her come sit with him.
"So…one more gift?" he asked.
She nodded, passing him a box. Her face was bright red.
"I don't have another gift for you," he said, noting the expression on her face.
"This one…is for both of us," she said shyly, her face going even redder if that was possible.
Natsu opened the box, pulling out a red nightie…a red very revealing nightie. His face turned as red as hers as he glanced back at her.
"I don't think it'll fit," he said awkwardly.
She laughed as she grabbed it from him and headed for the bedroom.
He sat, dumbfounded for a moment, before his eyes opened wide. He flew from the couch, scrambling to the bedroom as fast as his feet could take him.
Outside the glass doors, Juvia was shooing the squirrel away, making scary faces at it as it hissed at her.
Gray wrapped his arms around Juvia's waist, grinning, "Are you done having your fun now? Watching Flame-for-Brains all night is exhausting. I don't know how Gajeel and Levy do it."
Juvia hissed at the squirrel, who was still chattering loudly at her. It jumped onto the next balcony and disappeared through Gajeel and Levy's partially open balcony door.
"Oh crud…now I've done it," she said blankly.
Gray chuckled to himself as the apartment next door came to life. Gajeel slammed the balcony doors open, bringing the squirrel out by its' tail and releasing it onto the deck. Levy still freaking out as she followed him out to make sure it would stay gone.
"WHAT THE HELL, GRAY?" Gajeel thundered as he noticed Gray and Juvia on the deck next door.
"Natsu and Lucy are all yours, Gajeel and Levy," Gray winked, "Although I wouldn't bother them for at least a few hours today. Also, you might want to check with Rogue and ask what happened to Sting and Yukino."
"Such juiciness," Juvia squealed, "Merry Christmas."
Levy waved as Gray and Juvia disappeared.
"Yeah," Gajeel replied to the thin air, watching the squirrel disappear over the edge of the balcony, "Merry Freakin' Christmas to you too."
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
LOVE ALWAYS,
~ShanaHollows~