"Go away, Happy."

"Lucy!"

"Go away..."

I groaned and lifted my head up. Happy was hovering above me, looking like he was about to cry. I stared at him for a moment and then I remembered Natsu was supposed to be right next to him, stirring up trouble. "He's gone!" Happy screamed. I rubbed my eyes. This was too early for Natsu to pull one of his disappearing tricks. I could still clearly see the moon's outline out in the gray sky. I could choose three hours of more sleep, and be prepared in the actual morning for finding Natsu, or I could choose to find him right now and give him a famous Lucy kick.

"Where'd you see him last?" I demanded. Happy wiped away a tear and just shrugged. I could give him a famous Lucky kick, but then I'd risk losing even more sleep as I help him recover.

"What do you mean? Did you just wake up and he was gone?" I asked, exasperated.

"No, he was sleeping next to you," Happy explained. My cheeks reddened. I could almost always feel Natsu snuggle up next to me, his arm around my chest. And I almost always pretended not to notice. Usually, Happy was snoring away. But this time, I couldn't remember if Natsu had actually done that or not. "And then the next second, woosh!"

"Woosh?" I repeated. "Let me ask you a question, Happy. Are Exceeds always this baka des?" I rolled my eyes. Happy shrugged and pulled me towards the door. I didn't want to leave the comfort of my apartment just yet, so I faked a right and then headed towards the kitchen. Natsu would pay for disturbing my sleep.

"Lucy! What if Natsu was kidnapped? What if the Jiggle Butt gang came back?" Happy cried out. He flew into the kitchen with me. I rolled my eyes again. Natsu was denser than a sponge, and Happy was only a smidgen smarter. I could only imagine trying to explain to Happy how dangerous the Jiggle Butt gang really is. But he had a point. Natsu could've gotten in a fight or managed to land himself in a trap. Did he wake up early and sneak out of the apartment? I was actually getting ready to find out now.

"Come on, Happy, what are you waiting for? Fly me over to the guild hall and let's ask around!" I announced. I put on my jacket and waited to be lifted up into the air. Nothing happened. I whirled around and found Happy stuffing himself with fish from my pantry.

"Happy!" I screamed. All of a sudden, I had this strange urge of wanting to see Natsu right beside him. Natsu would stand up and give me his signature smile, the one that made me want to dance around. He'd come over to my side and place his hands on my back, drawing me closer to him. I'd kiss him then, and we'd end up in a tangled bunch of happiness. We could go to my bed and he'd run his fingers through my hair, my fingers on his chest...

"Lucy? Why do you have that weird look on your face?" Happy wondered.

I made myself rearrange my expression back into anger.

"Now you're imagining things! That's the last straw, Happy!" I exclaimed. I pretended to storm back to my bed. Happy leapt up and tugged me out to the door, sending me over the buildings of our town. I sent my gaze towards all directions and knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life in Fiore, if Natsu spent his right beside me.

"The guild hall's that way!" I pointed out.

Happy disregarded my instructions and just kept on flying. "Happy, don't be ridiculous! Where are you going? We need to tell everyone that Natsu disappeared!"

"You're right! Let's tell them you slept with Natsu!"

"Hey, what's gotten into you? Now just wait a moment!" I waited until we were on lower ground and then kicked Happy in the shin. He screamed as I landed in water, safe but a little bruised from hitting the side. I hid behind a trash can, hearing Happy's shrieks.

"Lucyyyy! Lucyyyy! I'm sorry! I won't tell them you slept with Natsu! Lucyyyy! Where are you? Natsu's gonna be so mad at me that I dropped you! But he'll never know, because if he does, that means we gotta tell Lucy we played a trick on her..."

Happy was a terrible liar. Now, my ears were even redder, and not because of the cold. I was furious with Natsu for destroying my sanity and convincing me that I maybe was in love with him! That man really got on my nerves sometimes. I gritted my teeth and started storming after the guild hall. Makarov would be having some repair issues after I got done with that Natsu jerk.

"There you are, Lucy! Let's go!" Happy emerged in front of me. I kept on going. "Lucy? Oh no... did you, um, hear me?"

"Hear you? Never! What do you mean by hearing you?" I spat out. I thought of all the ways to kill Natsu. Should I mince him up or chop him into soup? He wouldn't taste very good, but he'd be crispy from his fire. And he could roast like a pig on a stick. I arrived in front of the guild, hesitating for just a moment. What if he wasn't in there? That would be embarassing.

I'll risk it, I thought grimly, and pushed open the door. I beelined straight for the nearest patch of bright pink hair and in one shove, I shouted, "Lucyyyy kick!"

Natsu pinged up into the roof, yelling obscenties. "What the- Lucy! What are you doing, dammit! Lucy, I'm sorry! What did I do?"

Seething, I pointed at him. "You tricked me into thinking you were left for dead at the Jiggle Butt gang!" Jet and Droy started giggling. I silenced them with a fiery look. Levy pat my shoulder and I had the decency to look around me. Dozens of yellow balloons were strewn around. I tilted my head. "Who's getting married? Makarov and Porlyusica? Finally!"

"I heard that, youngster, and for your information..." Makarov drifted off as Natsu came back down. I readied my foot for another Lucy kick, when Levy gripped my shoulder tightly.

"Natsu has something important to ask you," she hissed.

"Oh yeah? Let's hear your explanation, buster boy," I snapped. Buster boy? Why did my mind think of the weirdest nicknames? I shook it off as Natsu kneeled on one knee. I figured that he was trying to dislocate my leg, and I stepped away. He seemed hurt for a few moments. The whole guild hall quieted. All eyes swiveled my way. I blushed for a second. Why were they so interested in Natsu getting beat up?

"I was in love with you from the moment I saw you at the port, Luce. Saving you from that crooked wizard gave me the happiest feeling in the world, because I knew that I had saved a piece of my heart. Will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? Will you, Lucy Heartfilia, marry me?"

He opened a box and gave me a cheery smile. I felt like my whole life had been given back to me, and I hadn't known I was missing it. I reached out and he slipped the ring, a simple emerald-dotted one, onto my fourth finger. I admired it for a moment, and then whispered, "Of course."

The whole hall went wild. Lisanna, who had been watching, disappeared. I knew we'd deal with her later. I grabbed Natsu's hand and he kissed my cheek, and then my neck, and then found my lips. He pulled me closer to his chest, his hand on the small of my back. I was in a daze. I could forgive him for the trouble he'd caused me. Happy was winking nearby, and Elfman was in tears. Evergreen comforted him, shooting me a leprechaun grin.

"I love you," I mumbled.

"I love you more," he argued. I rolled my eyes for what seemed to be the fourteenth time today. Natsu was the only one who could turn a proposal into an argument. He held me for an eternity, and my heart was given to him in that eternity. For some reason, Sting and Rouge were there too, whistling at the sight of us. I mouthed, Yukino, to Sting. He turned salmon pink, like Natsu's hair, and tiptoed away.

"Spend the rest of our lives together?" he asked, hooking my arm into his.

"Yes, flame brain," I answered, and kissed him again.