"Child, what are you doing starting another story?" It's Nalu Week and this is finished -mostly- in advance. I'm okay. I might not be able to keep up on the days, but I like this idea too much to let this fly by. Hope you like, and enjoy reading!

In a perfect world, Natsu Dragneel would have already had the heart of Lucy Heartfilia.

It would be an effortless accomplishment; his good looks, charming personality, and way with women would have her swept right off her feet and into his arms, where they would then ride off into the sunset or something sappy and live happily ever after.

Alas, immediately obvious pink hair didn't exactly have the ladies fawning over him, he was a little more animalistic than he would like to admit, and when it came to romance, he wasn't too terribly intelligent. Not to mention something in him kept him from working up the nerve to tell her how he felt, despite all his courage...

He did not have the heart of Lucy Heartfilia.

And thus, this was not a perfect world.

. . .

~Lucky Summer~
Bonus Day 1: Shine

June 3rd-

"Man, this has to be Magnolia's hottest summer yet! …and that's coming from me!"

The Fire Dragon Slayer in question was sweating up a storm as he and his trusty blue Exceed crashed onto the couch of Lucy's apartment, having come in through the window and promptly leaving it open so some air come could through. Natsu overtook the couch while Happy draped himself over the armrest, with Lucy herself entering through her door with the remaining shreds of her sanity.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up…" Lucy groaned, barely able to slog through her own doorway before tumbling to the floor. Even in her rather revealing tank top and bottoms that gave a whole new meaning to the word "short", she was just as uncomfortably hot as anyone else. Lucy pulled the rest of her into the apartment before shutting the door and slumping herself up against a table.

"It's just the beginning of summer…it's only going to get worse…" moaned Happy, fluttering to Lucy's fridge in a hopeful search for a nice cold fish. Lucy threw her head back and whined in response.

"If I have to keep fighting bandits in heat like this I'm going to die…"

"Aw, we didn't even destroy anything this time! You're being over dramatic," Natsu scoffed lightheartedly. Lucy turned her head towards him and glowered.

"No I'm not…you know the jobs in the summer decrease because of all the festivities and events that go on, and it's a race just to get decent work! It's only the beginning of the month and I already don't know if I can pay my rent in time…" She fell to her side and slumped onto the ground; Natsu frowned and raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to have to work three times as hard now…"

Natsu adjusted himself on the couch and poked his head over the armrest. "Lucy, all you ever do is work! Why torture yourself by doing more?"

"Because I'd actually like to have a place to live and things to eat, thank you. Especially when blue cats and pink-haired dragon slayers like to dig through my food and ruin my stuff!"

"Aye sir!" was chirped from the kitchen followed by the clattering of miscellaneous items, while Natsu's face twisted into a displeased grimace.

"Maybe you should take it a little easy, Lucy…if you keep frowning so intensely, your face is gonna get stuck like that."

"Don't say that," Lucy moaned into her rug. "I mean…there's nothing more that I wanna do than take a vacation right now. It's summer…and it's probably partially my fault for romanticizing it so much."

"…wait, why do you want to romance summer?"

Lucy took a moment to deadpan.

"Idiot! It means that my vision of summer differs from reality…" She propped her head up for a moment to glance up at Natsu, whose following dumbfounded look demanded an explanation. "If I had it my way, I'd be doing more than just taking it easy- I could be spending days at the beach, basking in the warm glow of sunsets, breathing in tropical air and admiring the clear warm nights when the stars shine their brightest…"

"Sounds like fun to me!" Natsu exclaimed, with Lucy's smile softening at his enthusiasm. "Why not just…do it?"

"If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. But it's not realistic…I don't have the time or funds to pull any of that off. Sometimes we have to forget fun to get the important things done."

Natsu certainly didn't doubt that Lucy could pull off an extra workload- she was dedicated and stubborn almost to a fault- but at the same time, he couldn't help but worry. He knew how important keeping her apartment was, yet he really hated seeing her in a tizzy like this. She wasn't happy in the slightest.

But instead of uttering some sage wisdom to snap her back into high spirits, he announced the following:

"That's not a very nice way to live life."

"Yeah?" Lucy sighed. "Well, it's my life right now…"

She returned to lying face down on the floor, and the fact that she sort of looked not alive at the moment was starting to freak Natsu out.

"Okay, well, you can't stay there," Natsu declared, rising from the couch to convince her to go to bed. She didn't move an inch, but Natsu could hear her heavy breathing- which was a relief and a concern. But when he nudged her with his foot, she flopped over onto her back and gave off a very loud snore in the process…which meant she really was tired.

He thought he was the only one who could fall asleep that quick.

"…okay, you really can't stay there," murmured Natsu, kneeling down to carefully heft Lucy into his arms. The delicacy wasn't really necessary- he doubted throwing her into a bucket of cold water was going to wake her up at this point. Now that she was resting, it was easy to see the worn-out exhaustion on her face. It made sense though; they'd already been on over a dozen odd jobs in the past week already, and all of them hadn't been particularly easy by any means.

"Aw, I feel kinda bad," announced Happy as he returned from failing to locate a fish. He proceeded to hover over the snoozing blonde and curiously poke her shoulder. "She really doesn't look that good…"

"No, she doesn't…"

Natsu's face was grim as he hefted her higher into his grip, trying to figure out what he was going to do about this. There was no way Lucy was going to stay away from working, but he didn't know if he was going to be able handling anymore days of her wearing herself out like this. It'd be painful for the both of them! If she at least had something to look forward to, maybe that would help a little…

He sort of threw her into her bed, leaving her a tangled mess of limbs and hair atop her blanket. Since it was so hot, Natsu doubt she wanted to be covered up, but he at least had the sense to shift her into a far more comfortable position. Once she was properly propped on her pillow, Lucy appeared to be a bit more at peace, but her smile was absent from her face. Even at rest, her whole face was weary, and she seemed to lack her normal radiant glow…

And with Happy as his witness, that was when Natsu made his decision.

He would do what he could to make her smile shine once again.

June 4th-

"I want to take Lucy on vacation."

Impulsive as ever, Natsu had ran straight to the guild bright and early the next day to launch his fledging plan into action. The guild members that happened to be lingering about were a little surprised at the sudden ambition, but with the way Natsu was partially bouncing in place, they knew he was serious. Mirajane leaned with great interest over the counter as Natsu and Happy darted over to the request board and scooped up every decent-paying solo job they could get their hands on.

"Before I even think of approving all those requests for you, where's Lucy today?"

"Resting back at her apartment; she's not coming in today either. She was really exhausted when we came home last night…" Natsu's eyes softened as he explained. "So, I'mma take on a bunch of solo jobs, earn a ton of jewel, and give her the vacation she's been asking for!"

Natsu looked so proud of himself as he held out over a dozen job requests to Mirajane, with the She-Devil doing her best not to impolitely laugh at him. Thankfully, it was Gray who couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and Natsu's annoyance was directed at him instead.

"And what's so funny, Frostbite?!" he demanded, with Gray only laughing harder.

"Nothing, just the huge amount of holes in your plan," Gray smirked, only serving to ignite Natsu's anger. "I mean, if you start going on a bunch of jobs on your own, Lucy's going to ask questions, especially when she's so concerned about her rent."

"Even by yourself, this whole thing sounds really expensive," Wendy pointed out. "Would you really be able to earn enough before summer's over…?"

"Not to mention when you plan to take her, where you plan on going, how you're going to successfully manage keeping this a surprise-" Erza rambled.

"-and why you're going to all the trouble in the first place!" cheered Mirajane, and of course that got the conversation in the guild stirring. Natsu froze like that hadn't even crossed his mind, but it was Happy that answered, hiding his chuckles behind his paws.

"He liiiiiiiiiikes her~!"

"I…just don't want to see her look so bad anymore," Natsu immediately clarified. "She works so hard just to keep up with her rent that she never has time for anything fun. It's no wonder she's so grumpy all the time."

"Still, an entire vacation just for a smile? I smell something more under the surface…" taunted Cana, waving her latest drink around in the air.

Natsu blinked. "What can you smell? You're not a dragon slayer…"

The whole guild nearly fell over in disbelief, with Cana in particular shaking her head.

"Ugh, nevermind…but knowing you Natsu, there's no way you're going to be able to pull this off by yourself. It's way too much for one person to handle, and with that person being you-"

"He'll destroy his own stupid plan," snickered Gajeel, looking for a high five afterward. Lily sitting next to him only gave him a disapproving look. Natsu was all set to stomp over and flip Gajeel's table –and Gajeel with it- but Levy had intervened before anything could get too out of control.

"Now, hold on…! Just because he doesn't have every last detail worked out doesn't mean it's a bad idea!" Levy exclaimed. "It's true that Lu-chan's been a little overworked lately, and her birthday is coming up next month…"

Wendy's eyes lit up. "Hey, that's right…! That'd be a good excuse as any to pull this off, and if we all helped out, it would be like one big present from the guild!"

"But it was my idea," Natsu insisted. "…although I'm not really sure about the birthday thing. Doesn't she hate talking about it?"

"Then don't talk about it!" whooped Cana. "Just because you vacation ON her birthday doesn't mean you have to make everything all about it. It'll be like a coincidence…!"

Natsu looked remarkably thoughtful. "Huh, I suppose that could work…as long as it makes Lucy smile again, I'm willing to do anything!"

He didn't miss the cloy looks Mirajane and Cana were giving each other, the way Erza was nodding her head like she knew something, how Levy was muffling a giggle with hand, or how Gajeel and Gray were suddenly best buddies for the moment as they threw wicked grins in Natsu's direction. The final straw was how Happy looked about ready to burst into hysterics- what was so entertaining?!

"I don't know what you're all snickering for- doing something nice for your nakama when they're down and out doesn't sound all that funny to me," he murmured. "Besides, Lucy's my partner! What kind of person would I be if I didn't at least try to make her smile again?"

"Yeah, what kind of person would you be if you didn't break into her apartment and practically stalk her, sleep in her bed from time to time, try to drag her off on adventures without anyone but Happy, always going out of your way to protect her, not to mention get super jealous-" listed Cana with far too much glee.

"Oi, who told you all that?!"

Cana chugged her beer. "What's there to tell?! You've never acted that way around a girl before."

"I can safely say he's never broken into my house," Lisanna tossed in with a laugh, making Natsu immediately sink his head into his scarf as best he could.

"Salamander's just a huge creep, if ya ask me," scoffed Gajeel, and yet it was Lisanna that came to his rescue.

"Hey, don't say that! Natsu just has…a unique way of showing that he cares." She rose from her seat and wandered over to Natsu, ruffling a hand in his hair. "If he really does have a thing for Lucy, it's not his fault he doesn't know what to do with himself! I mean, he's probably never felt like this before."

"…that's a lot coming from you, Lil' Sis. Pretty manly," murmured Elfman, but Lisanna only shrugged with a shy smile.

"Hey, who said I had a thing for Lucy?" Natsu interrupted afterward. "The only thing I was going to give her was a vacation…"

"Flaming idiot!" Gray hissed while the guild collectively groaned. "How do you get dressed in the morning?!"

"W-Well, what are you guys trying to imply?!"

The weight of the guild's collective staring was heavy on Natsu's shoulders, and he did not like being scrutinized like this. Especially when he didn't even know why.

"Could they get any more obvious, my boy?"

Everyone went silent as Master Makarov arrived from his office, arms folded behind his back as he diligently walked up to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"What we're trying to tell you is that we've had our suspicions that your love for Lucy goes way beyond that of family or merely a friend." Makarov's face was gravely serious like he was diagnosing some deadly disease. "We firmly believe you're in love with Lucy."

"…oh."

"Seriously Natsu, you act like you're her boyfriend all the time lately…with some weird twists," scoffed Cana. "And you're so dense, you don't even know you're doing it! Just make it official already."

Natsu instantly flared up. "I'm not dense!"

Let's clarify one thing- Natsu Dragneel was not the dense teen everyone thought he was. A little clueless, somewhat oblivious, and perhaps too innocent for his own good, but not dense. He was far more attentive than people gave him credit for…and he was aware of just how protective, interested, and attracted he was towards Lucy Heartfilia.

Natsu didn't actively try to catch her attention, as he very much appreciated her friendship…and between jobs and adventures, he really didn't need much more from her than that. Yet there were times when he did try- whether it be when things were a little slower than usual and she was at her most relaxed, or when it felt like the world would end and he attempted to be somewhat romantic- and it was always a hit or miss. Sometimes he'd get a flustered smile or a thick blush that made his heart soar with hope…but then it was all cancelled out with the times she'd dismiss his actions as "just being Natsu" or "what a nice friend he is". Secretly he was still a little sore when Lucy made him kiss Happy instead of her that one time… It really wouldn't have been that bad!

Oh, he adored the girl, but just WHO was the dense one again? He knew what his feelings were…he just didn't know what to do with them since Lucy always seemed insecure when it came to such a subject… He was certain that it hadn't been love at first sight with her or anything, as it had definitely been a more…gradual process with him (when he first brought her to Fairy Tail he wasn't even expecting to spend much more time with her), but at the same time it was hard for him to come up with a moment when her presence didn't inexplicably brighten up his day, so who knew? Overall, he hated sudden change, and change definitely wasn't necessary when it came to his delicate friendship with Lucy.

Thus, he was totally, completely, and unshakably fine with how things were.

"So?" Makarov asked calmly enough. "Do you?"

While Natsu refused to give everyone the satisfaction of a straight answer, the guilty look on his face told more than enough.

"Let's just cut to the chase- Natsu loves Lucy, no questions asked," hummed Cana. "Now, what are we going to do about it?"

"Stay out of my bloody business and let me do things without being questioned?" Natsu recommended, though this completely fell on deaf ears. Bets, speculations, and wild theories were already spreading like wildfire, and there was no stopping the gossip in Fairy Tail…unless Mirajane was at the head.

"All right, I've got an idea! Here's a deal for you, Natsu…" Mirajane trailed, her voice somewhat dangerous as she laced her fingers together. She commanded everyone's attention without even trying. "We'll all pitch in to keep this plan under wraps, get the details ironed out, and help Lucy keep up on her rent while you earn the money…"

Natsu's eyes lit up eagerly at first, but then his face twisted into a grimace. "…oi, what's the catch?"

Mirajane's smile was borderline demonic. "…IF you come back hand in hand with Lucy."

"Psh, that'll be easy-!" Natsu started to say, until Gajeel burst out laughing, along with a few other of the men. "Wait, what's so funny now…?"

"What Mira means is that we're all willing to support this crazy idea of yours if you're willing to make it worthwhile," Erza explained with an intimidating aura about her. "If you take Lucy on this little…vacation, you had better come back having confessed your feelings."

And then, Natsu went completely pale.

"A-And what if I don't…?!"

Now both Erza and Mirajane were giving him eerily excited looks as they leaned in and said:

"Punishment time."

"This…is the best thing that has ever happened in a long time," Gray conceded, throwing his hands into the air.

"Aye, sir," agreed Gajeel. "Gihihihihi! This is too good…!"

"Ah, isn't that going a little far…? I mean, what if Natsu does confess and Lucy rejects him?" Wendy asked meekly, wincing when Natsu suddenly lost his balance and nearly crashed into a table just at the thought. Cana shrugged aloofly.

"Well, we won't be able to say he didn't try."

"I'll be going with him, so I'll see if he keeps up his end of the deal!" added Happy with palpable joy, much to Natsu's disdain.

"Traitor!"

"Let's do a blood pact," Mirajane suggested, rubbing her hands together excitedly. "That way he definitely can't weasel out of it!"

"That…won't be necessary," Erza intervened, throwing a fierce glare in Natsu's direction and quickly calming everyone down. "This a huge favor you're asking of us, Natsu. Surely it isn't too far-fetched to think we'd expect something of equal value in return. If this is the kick in the pants Natsu needs, then so be it!"

With the guild settled, all glances were thrown over to Natsu, where his head was hanging down and his bangs were draped across his eyes, hiding his grimacing expression. He really wanted to put everything out on the table just to show Lucy how much he really did care, but he messed up so often just while he was in the friend zone and he already felt like he was on thin ice all the time. He knew Lucy had too big of a heart to completely shove him out of her life, but one big mistake could change everything for the worst…

"I…I can't tell her. Not yet…" Natsu mumbled hopelessly. "I mean, I'm just doing this for her as a friend-"

"A really good friend," teased Mirajane.

"-and if I did try to pull something, she might get the wrong idea…"

"Wow, you have been thinking about this," remarked Cana. "You've really got it bad, don't ya?"

"Sh-shut up!"

His face was too hot, even for his standards, and the eager stares of everyone wasn't really helping him all that much. How did all these people manage to suspect how he really felt about Lucy? Sure, he looked out for her a lot…and maybe he couldn't really help himself when he grinned at her sometimes…

But if they all could see it, why couldn't Lucy? Was it because the idea of him being anything other than a friend was too outrageous to comprehend? That alone made Natsu want to call everything off, because he really didn't want to be right…but running away and not even giving it his best shot? That wasn't his style.

Recklessly jump in head first and hope for the best with the risk of some destruction? That sounded more like it.

"…but all right…I'll do it…" Natsu weakly accepted, slowly coming to terms with what he just agreed to. Maybe it really was time to stop beating around the bush and just tell her before something bad happened. And if there ever was a place and time to do it, it would be when she was at her most relaxed and least likely to reject him. The idea of this going well built a fire in his belly, and the next thing everyone knew he was smiling like normal and billowing in flames at the center of the hall. "…yeah, I'll do it! I'm all fiiiiiiired up!"

"Then let's get to work, everyone!" announced Makarov, standing on the counter and throwing his fist into the air. "We don't have very long to pull this off, but Fairy Tail doesn't know the meaning of the word quit! And more importantly, all of Fairy Tail is behind you, Natsu!"

"At least, until you royally mess up," Laxus couldn't resist adding in, until he caught the infuriated look Mirajane possessed. "I-I mean…aye, sir!"

"There ain't a single romantic bone in that dolt's body," Gajeel announced, fist bumping Gray as Natsu marched around cackling with newfound confidence. "Salamander just screwed himself over."

"Best. Summer. Ever."

June 30th-

Lucy leaned her cheek on her hand as she watched the land drift by, knowing that it would be her only glimpse into the outside world until later that evening. She ran her fingers through the head of soft pink hair that was currently lying in her lap, trying to escape the throes of motions sickness. She swore she heard Natsu purr in response, but she'd gladly take that over him throwing up all over her. Jeez, he was still so cute when he slept…

Although now she was wondering why he insisted on taking a job so far away when he knew the fastest way to get there was by train- and she knew he'd rather avoid transportation at all costs. But nope- he'd been ridiculously adamant about going to this place on this week and with her only (and Happy, who was currently napping on Natsu's stomach). And so there they were, on a nonsensically vague mission.

Part of her didn't mind- Natsu had been on a rampant spree of solo missions these past few weeks, and she thought it was because she complained just a little too much about her rent and had somehow put him off. However, everyone who helped her out in Natsu's stead –Gray, Erza, Juvia, Cana, Lisanna, and even Gajeel as awkward as that had been- assured her that something had simply come up for him and he had a short amount of time to get things together. Lucy felt a little bad; after all, she'd been distracted by her own problems and failed to learn what was going on with Natsu. But Mirajane constantly reassured her that there was no reason to worry at all.

So what had happened?

Even as she was relieved that Gray and Erza pitched in enough to get her rent paid a few days early –leaving her free for another month- she couldn't help but wonder about Natsu, and he only insisted on evading her questions. Especially when as soon as he was ready to go on a mission with her again, he never fully gave her all the details. So strange…

"And you call me the weird one," Lucy scoffed, her fingers still entangled in his messy locks. He, in his blissful rest, stirred slightly, resulting in a dreamy smile spreading on his face. Lucy couldn't stay mad at a face like that, but she wished she could understand the thoughts going on behind it.

Either way, when they reached their destination that evening –a very rich-looking resort of some sort- Natsu was almost a little too excited to get off the train, he and Happy already inching towards that large building that was to be their hotel. It seemed a bit much just for staying out of town for a job, but if Natsu and Happy didn't have any protests about it…

"Ah, so where's our client, anyway?" questioned Lucy, pulling her pink luggage along behind her as Natsu happily skipped up to the entrance. "You'd think they'd be here to meet us after we traveled so far…"

"Don't worry about a thing, Luce- all will be made clear soon enough!" Natsu sang as he darted on ahead and held the door open for her. Lucy gave him a wary look.

"Listen, as nice as it is going on a job with you again, I'd really prefer not to work this week…" she explained slowly, glancing shyly at the floor. "After all, tomorrow is-"

"But we're already here! And Fairy Tail never turns its back on a client!" Happy declared quickly. Lucy paused in mid-statement, then smiled softly.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I mean, not that working with other people lately wasn't fun, but I sort of missed you guys."

Natsu flashed a grin over his shoulder as he marched to the reception desk. "I missed you too, Lucy!"

"I didn't miss carrying your heavy body around," Happy chimed, snickering when Lucy swatted at him. She stopped assaulting the blue cat when she overheard Natsu saying something about "the reservations for Dragneel", along with the surprised look that cross the receptionist's face as he passed the keys to Natsu. Natsu thanked him, then whirled back around to wave them at Lucy. Before she could even ask a question, he'd already dashed into the elevator, beckoning her to follow.

"This is probably the best inn we've ever stayed us," Natsu stated brightly, although he wasn't bright for long when the elevator started to move. He immediately grabbed Lucy for support, and Lucy nearly fell over from trying to support his weight.

"…are you seriously getting sick on an elevator?!"

"No," he lied, face obviously blue and cheeks blatantly larger than normal. "I just…erm…ugh…"

"How high are we going anyway…?" Lucy pondered, choosing to remain oblivious to Natsu's dilemma as she carefully placed a hand against the wall of the glass elevator. The floors seemed to drift by endlessly, and she was able to look down and watch the masses of people skitter around below, all of them looking summer-ready with smiles on their faces and more or less just enjoying their summer night. Lucy sighed a little wistfully –too bad she couldn't join them, but duty called.

"I think I'mma take the stairs from now on…" Natsu gurgled, releasing Lucy and falling into a fetal position on the floor with a thump. Happy stared at him sympathetically while Lucy was struck by the oddity of it all once again…normally when they went on a job, all Natsu could do was blab about the baddies he planned the beat up. But he hadn't said a word about fighting or even the reward since they got on the train.

The elevator finally dinged, and Natsu popped up like toast out of a toaster.

"We're here!" he chirped, snagging Lucy's hand and pulling her out.

"The top floor-?!" Lucy barely had a chance to get her words out. "D-Doesn't that seem a little extreme just for a job-?"

"Fufufufu…!" She could hear Happy giggling, and the grin Natsu was wearing was incredibly obvious as he tugged her along. Something told her that this wasn't just a job after all –that was more than obvious now, her partners were acting way too giddy- but then what was going on? She couldn't really come up with a reason why Natsu would pull something like this….

Blinking, she glanced up at the pink-haired dragon slayer currently dragging her down the hall.

"…are you kidnapping me?"

"WHAT?!"

Natsu, Lucy, and the luggage went tumbling to the floor with the aftershock of the accusation. The duo raised themselves out of their heap of stuff, with Lucy looking a little sheepish for blurting out something so incredulous. Natsu's face was a mix of amusement and bewilderment, eventually rearranging himself so that he was holding Lucy by the shoulders.

"Luce, if I were to ever kidnap you, I would tell you," Natsu deadpanned, and in a weird twisted way that was probably true. "It might not be a job, but it's still something I think you need to do, if you'll give me a chance to show you."

He hastily scooped her luggage and put it all back into the case, then jumped to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. Lucy blinked with relative astonishment, cautiously draping her hand in his. He gripped her with a gentle firmness and pulled her in close, catching Lucy before she stumbled too far forward.

"Do ya trust me, Lucy?"

His tone was warm, friendly, and genuine like it usually was- nothing about it tipped Lucy off to any ulterior motives. Even with their faces only inches apart, nothing about his expression was dishonest, and if anything, Lucy felt like she was about to be blinded by the brightness of his grin.

"I…don't really know what's going on…" She heard Happy begin to giggle once again while Natsu's entire being lit up hopefully. "…but for some reason I have a good feeling about this. Also against my better judgment."

With an excitedly smug look and accepting that as a positive answer, Natsu turned to their room and whipped open the door –perhaps a little too forcefully as it smacked into the wall- but it did little to diminish the sense of wonder that suddenly filled Lucy.

All at once, she took everything in- they were in a really nice room that could almost pass for a tiny house. The décor was simple, but it was welcoming and very well-lit with lacrimas. She made a side note that there was only one bed –okay, Natsu- but it was humongous at the same time, with plush pillows and poofy blankets that a person could probably drown in. While she was admiring the rest of the room, she heard Natsu shuffle towards the window, grab the edges of the curtains, and whisk them open with an incredibly proud grin.

"You said you wanted a vacation, right?" he asked coyly enough, sporting that room-brightening smile. "Well, for the next week, all of this is yours to roam…"

Lucy's eyes nearly fell out of her head with how wide they were, slowly stepping towards the window and placing her fingers delicately against the glass. The large window was actually a door that led out into the balcony, so she opened it and stepped out, sensing Natsu protectively walk out behind her. Her hands flew to her face as she took in the beautiful view of the sunset enveloping the sky in such warm colors, and how inviting the beach looked bathed in the waning marigold light… Even the little town in the distance was remarkably inviting as the street lights started to glow and give the world an almost surreal feel.

Blinking in disbelief, Lucy turned back around to face Natsu, who was just grinning like a fool at her reaction.

"You…you did all of this…just for me…? H-How did you…?"

"Well, I paid for it, but everyone at the guild helped make it happen, so when we get back in a week you'll have to thank them too."

His hands nervously found their way into his pockets as his fanged smile split his face, tilting his head in a boyish fashion.

"Happy birthday, Lucy."

Natsu flinched when Lucy went entirely rigid, almost fearing that he'd said the wrong thing. But slowly, the happiness spread across her face as she started jumping happily in place, not caring if the neighbors downstairs could hear her. She nearly burst into a song and dance she was so overjoyed, and Natsu could only stare in content disbelief, but chuckled when Lucy excitedly tackled him with a hug onto the bed. Pleased tears were already forming at the corners of her eyes, yet she was far too thrilled to get any words out. She was lost in a fit of excited laughter, and Natsu took her shining smile as more than a thank you.

Maybe he would be able to have a shot with this girl after all.