Inactivity. Sorry. I suck. More one-shots in store. Not making very good progress with Live On or Switched. Especially Switched. Sorry. As for now, enjoy this story based on Lucy's return to Fairytail after the seven year gap in Tenrou.

Lucy would normally be high maintenance on the day of her birthday. Yes, she would strangle herself in the throat if she didn't wear the perfect clothes, have the luscious hair, or the sparkling chocolate eyes. Even before she had joined FairyTail, she tried her best to look presentable in public when it was that time of year. After all, she was still a Heartfilia and her father's lectures about appearance still echoed in her head.

Well, she didn't pay any mind now. The celestial mage definitely had no intention to make a huge fuss over her birthday.

oOoOo

Lucy was awestruck from the sight of so many gifts piled on top of one another in her room. She gently picked up a conspicuous, peach-colored envelope that lay on her desk. With trembling fingers, she unsealed the envelope and then lifted the flap.

Card loosely held in her palms, she read each word slowly and carefully.

I hope you can still forgive me for everything I've done. . . .

Love,

Father

A single tear rolled off of Lucy's cheek and onto the dusty carpeting.

oOoOo

Lucy could only sigh as she separated her strands of hair into two and tied them into pigtails. She shut her eyes, reminding herself to treat today as any other day.

She opened her eyes.

Although she hadn't aged at all over the past 7 years in Tenroujima, a small feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that something did change. That was technically true, of course, Fiore itself had still been active for 7 whole years. A lot of her guild members had grown after a full 7 years. It was so uncanny, seeing how different people looked all over Magnolia. And her father. . .

After contemplating herself in the mirror for another few minutes, she mentally accepted her appearance. Part of her wanted to sprint back into her room and rummage through her closet and drawers to find the perfect attire.

Opposing her own will, the stellar spirit wizard walked out of the bathroom and instead headed for her desk. She collected her celestial keys laying on the corner of the table and got ready to head outside.

But before she could even grasp the door's handle, a loud thump vibrated in her ears. Lucy whipped her head around to search where then noise was coming from. Her jaw dropped when she saw who it was.

Two familiar figures were sprawled on the floor of Lucy's room. "I told you to sneak in! Like a ninja!" Happy said. Although he seemed to be scolding, there was an amused glint in the cat's eye.

"Be quiet! It's not my fault!" Natsu grumbled, somewhat disoriented. He ran a hand through his salmon locks, still glaring at the blue exceed.

"You IDIOTS!" Lucy finally screeched, letting go of the door handle and clenching both hands into tight fists. If looks could kill, then hers definitely would. "For once in your LIFE, could you have the decency to use the door?!"

Natsu's onyx eyes gazed up at Lucy as if he suddenly noticed her presence. The fire dragon slayer parted his lips to reveal a toothy grin. "Yo, Luce."

The celestial spirit mage groaned and smacked her own forehead.

Natsu quickly sprang to his feet. Happy slowly ascended in the air. They both exchanged looks and shouted simultaneously, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Lucy was completely taken aback. They had remembered her birthday? Of all people, she expected the pinkette to simply scratch his head and ask what a birthday WAS. Guess not.

Unable to suppress the smile forming on her lips, she responded, "Thanks, minna!"

"We got you a present," Happy sang, his wings keeping him afloat.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked in disbelief. "For me?"

"Yeah, Natsu wanted to give it to you so we decided to visit your apartment." The flying cat elaborated. A smug smile formed on his face and he lifted one of his hind legs and clasped his paws together. "He liiiiiikes youuuuu!"

"Don't roll your tongue!" Lucy snapped instinctively. But her cheeks were already turning into a faint shade of red from the feline's words.

Seemingly ignoring the entire conversation between the two, Natsu revealed a small box with a delicate, blue ribbon. "Open it," He offered, holding it out to her.

The celestial spirit mage took it from his open palm then eyed the small box in wonder. She found it almost impossible to guess what was encased inside it. Maybe a dragon egg? A really small fish, courtesy of Happy? Already giving up, she simply pried the lid with her fingers. The lid released its grip on the case with a small pop and flew from her reach.

"Oops," She winced as the lid met the floor with a muffled thud.

Natsu bent over to pick it up and used his unoccupied hand to flick his wrist in a forward motion. Go on.

Lucy peered inside the small box. All the oxygen residing in her lungs escaped up her throat and out of her lips.

Resting on the thin, square piece of cloth was charm bracelet. Each chain had a different color: pink, blue, purple, green, yellow. . . . in a way, it seemed tacky, but those weren't the only features.

Three charms were spaced out, each one hanging from a single chain. The first charm was a chibi bear, with two black dots for eyes and an upside down triangle for a nose. A tiny blue ribbon, much like the one on the lid, was tied under its snout.

The second charm was a glistening pink heart outlined in silver. Microscopic glitter dappled its surface; the heart sparkled when Lucy nudged it with one of her fingers. The final charm was a replica zodiac key. She couldn't interpret the symbol, but the design of the key was so spot-on that it didn't really matter to her.

Lucy was at a loss for words. Someone made a throat clearing sound. She glanced up, realizing Natsu had picked up the miniature case.

He broke into a wide grin. "Well, do you like it?"

"I-I-" The stellar spirit mage could only stammer.

The fire mage slightly frowned in confusion. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Well, he was waiting for an answer. "It's beautiful!" She gasped, flinging herself at Natsu and wrapping her arms around him.

"Where did you get this?" Lucy gushed, unable to contain her excitement. Her eyes lingered upon the bracelet, she just could not keep her gaze off of it.

"We got a ton of jewel from a mission a few days ago!" Happy exclaimed, using his paws to make a colossal gesture to give Lucy an idea of how much jewel they had earned.

"How much, exactly?" Lucy asked quizzically.

Natsu smirked and held up five fingers. "500,000 jewel."

"E-Eh?!" Lucy sucked in her breath, completely mystified. "I could pay for my rent for months with that kind of money!"

The fire dragon mage and the blue exceed shrugged in a virtual manner. "Stop asking questions already." Natsu urged impatiently. "Go ahead and try it on!"

The stellar spirit wizard grasped the bracelet with dainty fingers and lifted it from its small, square cushion. She then latched the linked chains onto her left wrist.

The charms dangled from the bracelet, each one twisting and turning slowly in different directions. "I think this might be the best birthday ever." Lucy said decisively.

And true, maybe it was just a simple bracelet with cute charms linked with it. And maybe there was so many factors to worry about in a single day, especially for Lucy Heartfilia. But just a small gift, that courteous, thoughtful gift: was perhaps a start to a good day. Who knew? Maybe it wouldn't kill to celebrate her birthday after a full 7 years.

"Arigotou, Natsu!" Lucy beamed brightly, and without a doubt in her mind, she leaned towards him to give a kiss on the cheek.

Natsu blinked repeatedly. His black eyes glazed over into a milky gray and he stared down at the floor. "Oh-uh-"

Happy snickered silently as Lucy giggled, hand cupped over her mouth.

Yes, she couldn't ask for a better birthday. And she couldn't wait to see what the entire guild had in store for her.