Helloo Audience! :D

So this is my very first published work... ever. I've wanted to write a story forever, but I never really wanted to figure out how to work this thing... ^_^" But anyhoo, I finally got my gluteus in gear and wrote a little story. I hope whoever reads this enjoys! :) Reviews are much appreciated... I'd like to improve my work! 3

Now without further adieu... TO THE STORY! :D

IMPORTANT NOTE: I may end up scrapping this story or just ignore it for a while so I can focus on my other story: The Prince of Pergrande. I don't know how long that will take me, but if anyone is actually interested in this story, PM me or review please! Thank you much :)

Rated T… for mild language and… yeah. :)

Lucy's POV

Christmas: a time of laughs, joy and cheer. A time to spend with your loved ones near the fireplace, sipping hot cocoa and exchanging gifts with one another. A time to relax and just enjoy life without having to worry about a single thing. A time of peace.

Yes, peace. It's been a long time since I've truly felt relaxed, ever since I joined the guild in fact.

When I first arrived at Fairy Tail, I was greeted with warm smiles and friendly conversation. Natsu especially. Although he wasn't exactly as attentive as some of the others, he soon became a permanent fixture in my life the day he asked me to team up with him and Happy. Listed as one of the best days of my life in my mental book, we've had numerous adventures: he's gotten us into trouble with guards for being so destructive; we've helped out random strangers who later became great friends; we've met several new people, and various other things have happened that have impacted me more than anything else in this world.

He's also saved my life on countless occasions, each time swooping in at the last second to deliver "an ass-kicking to the bad guy". I still haven't figured out how he's always been able to find me, not exactly at least. Maybe it's because he's got dragon senses or something like that…? I'm not sure how it all works, but it's one of the things I'm especially grateful for this Christmas.

That, and all the new friends I've made thanks to him.

If he hadn't invited me to join Fairy Tail in the first place – if we never had that chance meeting – I would have never had the pleasure of meeting and befriending so many wonderful new people… and creatures.

Yes… peace. We've been in many wars, seen a lot of blood, had our fair share of loss… but we've managed to pull through and come out alright in the end. Thinking about it now brings an immediate smile to my face-

"Lucy? What are you thinking about?"

I look up from the garland I currently have in my palms and into the bright eyes of Levy. She's staring at me curiously with a small smile on her face.

I shake my head and smile back, "Oh, nothing! Just… how it's nice to be spending Christmas with all my closest friends."

Levy's smile grew and she giggled, resuming her work on the pretty wreath she was making. Levy, Mira, and Wendy and I were in charge of decorating the interior of the guild. Levy wanted to hand-make her own decorations as a fun project of sort, and Mira had thought it was a wonderful idea. Wendy had left with Mira to buy more supplies for the project, and so now it was just Levy and I working.

The bluette leaned back from her spot on a bench and yawned, covering her mouth with her right hand in an attempt to stifle it. I laughed when I yawned not seconds later.

"Wow, it's late! We've been here for what, six hours now?" Levy exclaimed, checking the time.

I nodded, glancing at the clock out of the corner of my eye, "Yeah, just about. What do you say we call it a day, huh? Everyone's gone anyway."

"What about Mira and Wendy?"

"We can always leave them a note," I suggested after a moment.

She nodded, rising to her feet and stretching once more, "Alright, I suppose. I'm sure they won't mind. Wendy's been looking a little sick after all. I hope she isn't catching a cold!"

I frowned. Personally, it was hard for me to get over a cold, especially during the winter. A mild cold would last several days before finally passing, so I could definitely sympathize with the small girl.

"Same here. I'm sure she'll be okay though, with her being a Dragon Slayer and all. Plus she has Carla with her to remind her to keep warm," I said.

Levy had gathered our things up and had packed them away in our individual bags, handing me mine with a confident smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Carla will take care of her for sure!"

After we wrote the note for Mira and Wendy, we headed out of the guild and toward our respective homes. We chatted about what kind of gifts we were planning on buying our closest friends and what suited them best, but we soon parted ways as Fairy Hills was closer to the guild than my own apartment.

After saying a chilly farewell to Levy, I continued on home in comfortable silence, admiring several brilliantly decorated homes and shops. The bright colors danced as people shuffled by, little white clouds escaping their mouths as they hurried to reach their destinations.

'I can't believe how cold it is tonight!' I thought to myself. 'As soon as I get home, I'm taking a hot bath and making some hot cocoa.'

I smiled at the thought and hurried my pace, thankful there was no ice on the ground… yet. As soon as my apartment fell into my line of sight, it started to snow, gradually becoming heavier as I rushed to get inside.

"Where have you been?"

I winced as I recognized that authoritative and admittedly scary voice. I winced and braced myself for some sort of physical attack… but shockingly enough, none came.

I cautiously opened my eyes to stare at the landlady who, curiously, had a rough smile on her face, replacing her usual scowl.

"Oh, calm down Lucy. I won't hurt you; this time anyway. No, I'm here to give you this. This came in the mail for you, but you've been gone all day and I didn't want anyone taking it."

She handed me a medium sized box that was wrapped in brown packing paper and waved an awkward 'goodbye'.

"Well, that's all. Merry Christmas and don't get yourself into any trouble now, you hear?"

Before I could say anything, she left me alone with my shock. And a very heavy box.

'Cripes, how much does this thing weigh?!'

I struggled to open my apartment door and with no finesse whatsoever, I finally managed to get us both inside. I quickly hobbled over to my coffee table and set the box down along with my keys, examining the sender tag.

'No wonder it's so heavy: Erza sent it!' Erza had accepted a mission just a few days ago which had sent her all the way to Hargeon, the place where I had first met Natsu.

'It's probably a Christmas gift! How thoughtful,' I thought with a smile. Suddenly, I looked around suspicious that there might be a certain pink-haired Dragon Slayer lurking about ready to ambush me. To my surprise though, Natsu wasn't anywhere to be found. Even as I made my way to my bathroom, slowly peeking around each corner, I was stunned to see nothing but my reflection in my bathroom mirror.

'Huh. He must be off somewhere with Happy… or he's at home. One of the two.'

I sighed and decided to take a hot bath, right then and there. My muscles ached from leaning over all day and some hot water was just the thing to cure my ailment. After filling the tub, I removed my cold clothes and slipped inside the steaming liquid, sighing in satisfaction as the water immediately loosened me up.

"Ah… Nothing like a hot bath on a cold day like this…"

After soaking for several minutes, I decided to wash before I became tempted to fall asleep. That was the last thing I needed, drowning in my warm and cozy tub… so nice…

I shook my head firmly, convincing myself that it would be a horrible way to go out since whoever discovered my body would see me… ugh… naked!

I shivered, despite the water, and lifted myself out, toweling off immediately. Slipping into some shorts and a snug tank top, I slung my silky robe around my shoulders and slipped my arms through the holes, loving the way the fabric felt against my sensitive skin.

Feeling giddy, I squealed and headed out into my living room… only to screech and fling the nearest thing – which happened to be my apartment keys – at the intruder standing in the middle of my room.

The invader easily evaded the projectile by merely moving his head to the side, a frown gracing his face as he righted himself once more.

"What the hell was that for, Lucy?"

I glared at the man standing before me, "Natsu, get out of my apartment! This isn't someplace where you can just come and go as you please, you know!"

His trademark grin replaced his frown and he put both hands behind his head, "Sure it is. We're friends, aren't we?"

Before I could tell him how inconsiderate he was being of my feelings, he turned toward the box Erza had sent me and examined the top.

"What's this? A gift from Erza too, eh? Have you opened yours yet?" he asked without looking at me.

I frowned and made my way toward the coffee table slowly, making sure there was no one else in my apartment. It was just Natsu; Happy was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh… no, no I haven't. You got a gift from her too?" I stood on the opposite side of him, watching him read the tag.

He nodded, "Yeah, this morning. Happy brought it in, in fact, but it was too heavy," he chuckled at the thought while straightening and resuming eye contact with me. His dark eyes were warm and alight with mischief, and his infectious smile made me smile in turn.

"Seriously, this thing weighs a ton," I agreed quickly after I realized I had been staring too long. I felt a blush starting to creep up my neck… 'Get yourself together, Lucy!'

I cleared my throat and began opening the box, "So, what'd you get?"

He walked away from the table and made his way to my fireplace, seemingly examining it.

"A bunch of dried fish for Happy, some fire herb, and a card," he said conversationally. I looked up just in time to see him spit out a tongue of flame and ignite the dry log that was inside the fireplace.

"Fire herb?" I asked in curiosity.

"Yeah. You can put it in teas and stuff. Or do what I do: eat it raw. It's pretty hot stuff. You should try it sometime!" he turned at this and grinned.

I rolled my eyes and smiled, struggling with the packaging of the box, "Yeah, sure. And burn my mouth off? No thanks!"

I heard Natsu stride over and looked up as his hands covered my own. They were really warm and calloused, and felt… good.

'What?'

"Here, lemme do that. You'll probably end up punching yourself in the mouth if it gives way," he said with a quiet chuckle.

I nodded in a daze, surprised by my body's reaction toward a simple touch. Natsu has held my hand on many different occasions, but tonight it felt somewhat… different.

I could feel my cheeks heating up once again as I admired the way his biceps flexed as he easily tore open the box.

"Th-thanks," I stammered. I groaned internally. Cripes, I was acting like a timid and love-struck schoolgirl!

"No problem." He remained kneeling in front of me, his eyes watching my every movement. I felt hot all over and my mind kept going blank as I sifted through the box. Suddenly a thought managed to surface and I asked, "Hey Natsu, where's Happy at?"

He shrugged, "He said he had something to do. I'm pretty sure he's getting Carla and Pantherlily some Christmas gifts."

"Is that so?" I asked nervously.

"Uh… yeah?" I felt him get closer, obviously scrutinizing my face carefully, "Lucy? Are you okay? Your face is really red… Are you sick?"

"I'm fine! I'm just fine," I quickly replied, yanking out the gift from the box. I was immediately delighted to see a massive package of expertly wrapped hot cocoa, decorated with fancy bows and shiny wrapping paper.

I looked up at Natsu and showed him the beautiful gift, suddenly happy that he was there to see it.

He smiled and sat back on his heels, "That's Erza for you."

I pointed toward my tea kettle, "Can you fill that up with water and then heat it for me, please?"

Natsu nodded, the smile still present on his face, "Sure, just as long as you're sharing some of that!"

I laughed, my previous blundering forgotten, "Of course. There's plenty here so I might as well share."

As Natsu left for the kitchen, I shuffled over to my fireplace, chilled to the bone despite being inside. I pulled my thin robe closer to myself and tucked it in as best I could, sighing in relief as the fire slowly but surely started warming me up. I jumped when Natsu placed a hand on my shoulder, gently nudging me.

"Here's some cocoa. It should warm you up," his voice had become quiet and deeper, as if he were sleepy. I turned around and took the cup from him gratefully, looking up at his face with a smile. There was no denying that he was handsome, especially with the firelight dancing across his facials. His eyes still held all the warmth within him and I could practically feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Thank you," I said quietly, my cheeks heating up for the billionth time that night.

He grinned, "You're welcome."

We stood there for a bit in silence, enjoying one another's quiet company until my legs started to rebel and finally required rest. I sat my cup on my coffee table and made my way over to my bed, un-tucking the covers. Glancing at the clock on my desk, I seen that it was nearly midnight already.

'To be honest, I'm not really that tired…'

"Lucy? Are you getting ready for bed already?" Natsu asked from behind.

I feigned a yawn and stretched, "Yep! Thanks for heating the water for me, Natsu, and staying for cocoa. It was fun having you over," I hinted. Truthfully, I didn't really want him to leave… which kind of scared me.

"Alright then." He said nothing else as I heard him set down his mug. I felt my disappointment tighten in my stomach as I heard his footsteps retreat in the direction of my front door…

'Wait... Natsu doesn't use the door though, as barbaric as that is…' I turned around in curiosity only to see him patting out the flames of my fireplace and then proceeding to remove his vest-

"W-W-What do you think you're doing Natsu?!" I protested, my face erupting into flames as his eyes never left mine. His face had been unreadable as he had tossed the fabric to the floor, but now he was grinning again.

"What? Lucy, you should be used to this sort of thing by now. Even if I leave, I'm just gonna come back later and sneak into your bed. I might as well just stay, shouldn't I?"

"That's completely… That's not… You can't just…!" I was at a loss for words as he made his way over to my bed and flopped himself down, his scarf still around his neck.

"This is perfect. Plus, I can keep you warm through the night!" He rationalized. 'Wait… how is that rational?!'

I grabbed his muscular forearm and yanked it hard, trying to bodily remove him from my bed... to no avail. He didn't even budge.

"Nononono! Natsu! You can't stay here! That's just-"

"Lucy," Natsu suddenly said softly, causing me to look down into his dark eyes, "Relax, okay? It's not like I'm going to hurt you… Is that what you're afraid of?"

Realization dawned on me at that moment. Immediately I crossed the room and shut off my light, made my way in the dim light back to my bed, and threw myself under the covers, huddling close to Natsu. I slung my arm over his neck, despite my embarrassment and pressed my forehead against his, marveling in his warmth.

'He thinks I don't want him here because I'm afraid of him…?'

"….Impossible," I mumble.

"Huh?" he asked. His face seemed a bit warmer than the rest of his body. Was he blushing?

"…I could never be afraid of you, Natsu," I confirmed resolutely, "Never, for as long as I live, do you hear? You're my best friend and you always will be."

He was quiet for a moment before hesitantly crawling underneath the covers with me and placing a tentative hand on my hip. 'Well that's a first… Natsu, unsure of himself. Wait-! How am I okay with this?! I-'

"Thanks Luce… 'Night."

I sighed. Ah, screw it… I could let him slide this once, right? I felt a strange euphoric feeling in my stomach make its way to my chest. I suddenly felt extremely giddy, despite the situation, and I hugged him closer to myself.

"Goodnight, Natsu."