Natsu looked down at the ground nervously as his hands fiddled behind his back in anticipation. He now stood in front of a certain blonde-haired Celestial Mage's apartment, hesitant to touch the door as if he was afraid it would shatter on impact. His hand reached up towards the wood and made contact, emitting a hollow sound as he hit the door twice more. He waited for a few seconds before hearing the subtle click as the door was opened by none other than Lucy Heartfilia. Her chocolate eyes trailed upwards as she observed her unexpected visitor, and her eyes seemed to brighten when she realized his identity.

"Natsu! What a surprise! Wow, what's the occasion; you usually don't come in through the front door, let alone knock." Lucy exclaimed, smiling at the flustered Dragon-slayer.

"W-well…I-I" Natsu tried to say, but his tongue was tied for the moment.

"Well, don't just stand there silly! Come on in!" the blonde mage suddenly said, pulling Natsu into her apartment by his wrist.

Natsu stumbled into the apartment, still holing one hand behind his back as he entered the small area. His gaze trailed off to Lucy, as her soft hair flowed a bit as she ran into the house, her deep eyes closed in happiness. Her pale skin held no imperfections and her cheeks were painted with the same soft pink that could be seen whenever she was in the salmon-haired mages presence. Natsu felt his body temperature rise as a subtle pink of his own dusted his cheeks. He looked away from Lucy's face, desperately hoping she didn't notice his sudden change in temperature and the blush that came with it. The two ran over to Lucy's couch and both sat down beside each other.

"So, what brings you to here today, Natsu?" Lucy asked looking up at Natsu's slightly dazed face.

"Huh? Uh, actually, I wanted to…talk about something…with you." Natsu spoke quietly, very out-of-character for his usual stature.

"Oh, yeah! I wanted to talk to you too!" Lucy exclaimed happily as she ran off from the couch to her bedroom, leaving Natsu on the couch, confused.

When she came back, she was holding a large book under her arm as set herself back down on the couch. She removed the book from under her arm, and Natsu saw it was a calendar, though that just left him even more confused than before. She flipped through the months until she stopped at one certain month that Natsu was all too familiar with. On closer inspection, one date was circled in a multitude of colors indicating great importance. Lucy rested her finger below that date as she looked up and smiled at Natsu.

"You see that?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, that's today." Natsu replied plainly.

Lucy giggled, "Yeah, I know that silly, but today's really important." she stated.

"Really, why?" Natsu asked.

"It's the day I first came to the guild! The first day…I met you." she continued, looking down at the calendar in remembrance.

Natsu knew that all too well, as he had been waiting for this date for a while now. He made a commitment to say something to Lucy on this date, something he had been wanting to say for a while now. Lucy didn't know that, so Natsu feigned ignorance as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that!" he chuckled before looking back down at Lucy.

Their eyes met; deep, brown eyes clashed with gold before they both pulled away, a blush coating their faces.

"Okay, so t-that's what I wanted to say…what about you?" Lucy asked once her blush had slightly faded away.

"Oh…uh…" Natsu stuttered, looking away slightly as the hand behind his back clasped shut.

His breathing became deep as time seemed to stop. He had been thinking of this for a while now, and he couldn't back down. Doubts flashed through his mind as his confidence varied, but he knew he couldn't listen to those doubts. His golden eyes were softly closed as he thought of what to say, how to say it, and his eyes slowly opened when he was ready. He turned to Lucy and looked into her dark eyes. The two irises mixed, but this time he did not turn around as his eyes were locked into place.

"You know…Lucy… Igneel once told me that every dragon has a time in their lives when they can't sustain their powers alone anymore. They eventually need another to assist them, a saving light, and once they find that companion…their fire will glow even brighter than before. They make a pact and become one in fire, and soul. I—" he paused, before taking in a deep breath and continuing, "When he did, I didn't believe him, I considered it a pointless cause and ignored it, but now…I think I understand what he was talking about. I know what he meant now, and I think I've found that companion… Lucy, I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I know I've found what I was looking for. She's beautiful, and smart, and has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. She always keeps me out of trouble, and yells at me when I deserve it, but I love her…"

"Natsu, what are you saying?" Lucy interrupted, but was stopped by Natsu grasping one of her hands in his.

"Lucy Heartfilia…will you accept this, and become my saving light?" he finished before removing his hand from behind him and revealing a crystal ring that glowed with the fire that rested inside the stone.

He brought Lucy's hand upwards and slipped the ring on her finger gently, all the while never breaking eye contact. Lucy's eyes sparkled as she looked at the piece of stone that seemed to be blessed with the pure essence of the Dragon-Slayer's heart, and love. She then looked back up at Natsu, her eyes now holding gentle tears as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I do…" she whispered, not truly able to form solid words.

Natsu's face brightened as he hugged Lucy back, his heart now warm with burning flames as their two hearts connected. He closed his golden eyes as he breathed in the scent of his new 'mate', not noticing Lucy open her eyes and look up at him. When he finally looked back at the girl in front of him, he saw that her lips were spread into a small smile and she was looking straight into his eyes.

"Natsu…I love you." she said, grasping both of his hands in hers.

"I…I love you too." Natsu replied, a pink now coating his cheeks.

Their faces neared each other's slowly as their hands remained intertwined. Lucy's eyes closed slowly and Natsu followed their subtle action. As their noses almost touched, Lucy could feel her chest burning like a gentle flame and no thoughts crossed her mind as she came closer to the salmon-haired mage. Their lips neared and Natsu could feel the warmth of Lucy's lips, just as they were about to touch…

Natsu's eyes opened as he awoke from his peaceful slumber. He lazily sat up on his bed, which was just a suspended hammock, and looked around at the house that Lucy had cleaned not too long ago. 'Lucy' Natsu thought as the events of his dream played over once again in his mind. He sighed, remembering it was just his imagination, before looking over at his calendar. Today's date was circled with a single red marker and the memento of his first request with Lucy tacked on top. His eyes then trailed to his drawers as his mind comprehended the situation. He then stood up from his bed and walked over to his drawers. His hand reached out and took hold of the velvet box that rested on top of the wooden furniture and slowly opened it. His golden eyes stared at the crystal ring that now rested in his palm, before clasping his hand shut, along with the box containing the bright jewel. Natsu looked up at the door before slowly opening it, taking a deep breath before stepping outside. Today was the day, he had it all planned, and he wasn't going to back out now. He began walking to a certain Celestial mage's apartment, closing his eyes and pleading, hoping, and wishing to hear those two words leave his love's lips.

'I do…'