okay so this is my first go at a oneshot!

look at me, uploading a fanfiction to the internet on Christmas eve. I guess that goes to show that I have no life XD.

anyway, this is primarily a NatsuxLisanna fic (my 2nd fav ship) but in the words of my best friend ShimmeringCrimson, "the majority of the fandom hates you now lol they usually make Lisanna some cliche a-hole in fics even though she's not tbh"

yes, well, I like NatsuxLisanna okay don't judge.

this is probably like...the longest single chapter I've ever written...

okay on with the show:

"Gimmie 'nother beer." Cana slurs, holding out her tankard. Mirajane happily pours her another and I take a seat on a barstool.

"Me too, I want one." I copy Cana, slouching over the bar. Mira giggles.

"Silly Natsu." She ruffles my hair, "I can't give you beer. You're underage."

"'ere, Natsu. You c'nave somma mine." Cana slides me her tankard and I grab it, ready to take my first swig.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucy chides, slapping it out of my hands. My face falls.

"Aww, pleeease?!" I pout, giving her my best imitation of Happy's puppy eyes.

"Quit your whinin', Salamander." Gajeel growls.

"Who says I'm whining?" I shout back, from pouty to angry in a second. "You wanna go, Rivet-Face?! I'm all fired up!"

Gajeel thinks about it for a minute. Then, "Nah. Too early in the morning."

"YOU COWARD!" I bellow, "IT'S TWELVE THIRTY IN THE AFTERNOON!"

"Whatever." Gajeel waves away my comments indifferently.

"Aw, you just don't wanna fight because Levy's watching. You don't want her to see me kick your ass." I grin slyly, my eyes flicking over to the Solid Script mage, perched delicately between Jet and Droy. Her cheeks grow pink as she overhears our conversation and both her 'protectors' scowl in Gajeel's direction.

"THAT'S NOT IT!" Gajeel shrieks, though I know that's exactly the reason why – I'm so smart. Heehee.

"Besides, the only reason you wanna fight is to impress your little girlfriend over there. Lasagna, or whatever her name is!" he continues. I know he's deliberately calling her 'Lasagna' to make me mad. It works.

"Her name is Lisanna!" I snarl, "Get it right!" my own face is heating up. From anger of course. "And she's not my girlfriend!" I add, just so he knows.

For some reason, Lucy and Mirajane find this comment incredibly funny. Even Gray chuckles a little.

"YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY SNOWFLAKE, SHEPHERD, DEMON-LADY?!"

"I have a question," Lucy glares, "Why's my nickname 'Shepherd?'"

"Gah. You wouldn't get it." I sigh, realizing that it was an old joke with Lisanna I was referring to. Gray has now joined me and Gajeel, and Cana rises from her barstool.

"'Fit's a fight I wan' in…" she's drunk as a skunk.

"Gihihi an all-guild brawl." Gajeel grins, forgetting about his earlier claim that it's too early to fight.

"Wait for Juvia!" the Rain Woman carefully places her hat in Evergreen's care before plunging into the fray.

"Let's go, Babies!" that's Bickslow.

"A REAL MAN IS ALL BRAWN!" No need to ask whose voice that is.

"Whaddya think, Macao? Should we give it a go? For old time's sake?"

With the addition of several other guild members, a tussle breaks out. We all know the rules – no magic allowed in this type of scuffle. Anything else goes.

Elfman wins.

Again.

That's when Gramps appears, taking his usual spot on top of the counter.

"Attention!" he holds up a hand for silence. The guild turns to look at him.

"In honor of the upcoming anniversary of the creation of Fairy Tail, we will be holding a formal dance tomorrow night, seven pm. Attendance," he grins, "Is mandatory."

"What?!I'll be on a job so I can't go!" Fried yelps, grabbing a paper at random off the bulletin board.

"Job offers will be temporarily closed until after the dance."

"A formal dance, eh?" I ask. I've never been to one.

"You hafta ask out a girl, Chili Breath." Gray laughs, elbowing me. Then he sighs as Juvia approaches. "Unless they ask you first."

"Oooh, a formal dance." Levy squeals, "This will be fun, Lu-chan. Please can I do your makeup?"

"I bet all that dancing will be boring." Happy whispers to Carla. "We could find some tasty fish instead if you want."

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't like fish!"

Gajeel sits, chewing an iron pipe thoughtfully as Jet and Droy argue.

"You're going with me, right Levy?"

"No of course she isn't! She's going with me!"

"Hmmm, I never asked out a girl before." I ponder, "This could be tricky. But I'm all fired up!"

"You don't ask out a girl by getting 'fired up.'" Gajeel cuts his eyes at me, "Lemme how you how it's done, Salamander."

He rises and swaggers over to where Levy's sitting between Jet and Droy.

"Hey Levy, you wanna go to the dance thing with me?"

"Oh," Levy blushes and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "Yeah, Gajeel, that would be really nice."

"Cool. I'll come pick you up tomorrow at twenty-till seven."

"Okay."

"What! Now way!

"You can't just come in and steal Levy like that!" Jet and Droy glare, dumbfounded.

"Your turn, Salamander." Gajeel winks at me. I swallow and glance over to where Lisanna is sitting alone.

I slowly walk over and sit down beside her. Damn, why am I so nervous? I can take out punks like Zero and Zancrow and Gray but I can't ask out a girl? Gajeel made it look so easy. I can hear Elfman's voice in my head.

"WHAT KIND OF MAN ARE YOU?!"

"H-hey, Lisanna." I clear my throat.

"Yes, Natsu?" Lisanna looks up at me and a thousand memories rush through my mind. It's been a while since she came back from Edolas but I'm still so grateful that she's here, alive, and I will never ever take her for granted.

"I-um, I was wondering…I was wondering if…youwannagodancewifme?" I rush, not meeting her eyes. A slow grin spreads across Lisanna's face.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

She knows exactly what I'm trying to say. I risk a glare at Rivet-Face and Snowflake. Both are thoroughly enjoying my humiliating troubles. Gray flashes me a thumbs-up.

I grit my teeth and start over. "I…wanted to know if…you-ah, wanted to…go. To. The. Dance. With. Me?" I finish hopefully, heat rising in my cheeks.

Lisanna giggles a little. "You're cute when you blush, Natsu. Of course I'll go to the dance with you. Nobody else seems to want to take me."

"I wanna take you!" I blurt. "But, I mean…if…"

"Let me rephrase." Lisanna smiles, "I wouldn't want to go with anyone but you."

"Me either." I mumble. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Ooooh Natsu looooooves her." Happy squeals, flying overhead.

"Shaddap, Happy!"

"He's bluuuuushing!"

"I am not!"

"Not bad for a first-timer." Gajeel slaps me on the back.

"Yeah Natsu's first date." Gray smirks, "I'll keep count of his mistakes."

"Shut up and put some clothes on!"

"Gihihihi."

…..

"Hold still, Natsu. Honestly, do you really not know how to tie a tie?" Lucy frowns, fixing my tie.

Me, Gray, Wendy, Erza, Happy, and Carla are all at Lucy's place. The girls are enjoying it but me and Gray have been forced into suits against our will. We had to be held at swordpoint before finally agreeing to wear them.

"Are you really going to wear that scarf to the dance?" Carla flies down in front of me, paws on her hips.

"Of course." I reply, offended."It was a gift from Igneel. I always wear it."

"Um, Gray-san," Wendy ventures, "I don't think you want to be unbuttoning your suit right now."

The girls all look nice. Lucy's in a pale pink dress with a tight bodice and full skirts. It looks uncomfortable but she doesn't seem to mind. Wendy's wearing a purple dress in a similar style, even though she says she's not going to dance.

"You are absolutely too young for this sort of thing." Carla nags, retying Wendy's sash. "I can't believe you're staying up this late! And the heels on those shoes are too high – you'll trip and twist your ankle!"

"Relax, Carla. Let her have some fun." Erza's dress is reminiscent of the one she wore to the casino near the Tower of Heaven, but it's dark blue and is less revealing up top, coming down to her knees and splitting mid-thigh. Happy wears a simple bowtie and Carla a lavender dress with a white sash.

The white Exceed harrumphs but moves away from Wendy, still scowling at her inch-high heels.

"Ooh, Erza. I forgot to ask. Who's your date?" Lucy finishes with my tie and moves on to Gray's, looping it in and out deftly and looking at Erza all the while, who flips her hair contently.

"Fried finally got up the nerve to ask me." She laughs, "I couldn't say no after he faced his greatest fear of women."

"Oooh, he loooves her." Happy giggles, loop-di-looping. Erza smiles but I can see in her eyes that she's thinking of someone else.

Lucy suddenly looks up, sensing something. "Here comes Loke."

Sure enough, a second later Loke materializes at Lucy's side in human form.

"Well it's nice to see that yours truly is no longer the only one around here who can tie ties." Lucy sighs, noting his choice of dress. Loke shakes his head.

"Nah. I got little sis to do it for me."

"You have a little sister?" Wendy asks, surprised.

"Virgo." Lucy says, though I don't see how that's any kind of explanation. Then she turns to me and frowns.

"You seem awfully quiet, Natsu."

"He's scaaared." Happy offers.

"I am not!" I growl, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants.

"He's scared of facing Lisanna."

I'm saved from replying by the arrival of a blue blob which immediately latches onto Gray.

"My prince, I've finally found you!"

"Gah! Get off!" Gray manages to pry off his admirer and holds her back at arm's length, sighing.

"How the hell'd she get in here?!" Lucy screeches, "I thought the door was locked!"

"Juvia has her ways." Juvia pouts, stopping her struggling to reply. "Now let's go, my love. We shall flutter off elegantly into the moonlight together."

"I'm not fluttering anywhere with you." Gray mutters, "I don't know why the hell I agreed to go with you anyway."

"She's right about one thing." Loke says, pushing up his glasses, "If we don't hurry up we're gonna be late."

As we approach the Guild Hall, I glance around, looking for her. There.

She has on a simple pale blue dress, which really compliments her eyes and hair, especially since she's not wearing much makeup at all.

"You look nice, Natsu." She beams. I clear my throat.

"Thanks. You look nice too. I mean, not nice as in like handsome – but that's not to say you don't look handsome too but – gah, girls aren't supposed to look handsome but I – what I'm trying to say is…you look really…beautiful."

"Thanks Natsu. That really means a lot…coming from you." Finally she's blushing for once.

Mirajane takes a break from waitressing to set the music off. It's slow-dance type music. Lisanna rolls her eyes good-naturedly when I hesitate and takes one of my hands in hers, placing the other on her waist.

"Jeez, Natsu, don't you know how to dance?" she teases.

"Well I know how I'm just not real good at it." I confess, nearly tripping over myself to avoid stepping on her toes.

"Don't worry. I'll help you."

Later into the night, when Cana's had her fill of alcohol, Gray's halfway out of his shirt, and Evergreen's complaining about sore feet, Mirajane's voice comes on over the loudspeakers.

"Okay everybody! Now it's time for the Fairy Tail Cutest Couple award!"

"Wait, there's a cutest couple award?" Lucy asks, peeved that no one felt the need to inform her of this.

"GrayandJuvia GrayandJuvia." Juvia pleads under her breath.

"With The Master, Gildarts, and I as your judges," Mira announces, "We have decided that Fairy Tail's Cutest Couple Award goes to…"

"Wendy Marvel and Romeo Conbolt!"

Wendy and Romeo turn very red, Carla glares, and everyone else cheers. Macao laughs and fist-bumps his son.

"Yeah those kids are cute but it shoulda been us." Gajeel grins to Levy, nudging her in the side.

"Well, with that over," I can hear the smile in Mira's voice through the speakers, "Fairy Tail, who's ready to party?!"

"Now this is more like it!" I yell as rock music starts to play. Grabbing Lisanna by the hand I lead her to the middle of the floor, temporarily over my nervousness.

"Shoo-bi-doob-da!" I hear over all the noise. Rivet-Face is being stupid again.

"I've waited long enough, Natsu." Lisanna suddenly says, looking up at me.

"Huh?"

She grabs me by the scarf and pulls me in.

And kisses me on the lips. Hard.

After a second I pull her in closer and kiss her back.

Happy goes ecstatic and I know this will be all over the guild tomorrow if not tonight. I'll get teased by everyone for the next few weeks. But who cares?

This is Fairy Tail.

Oooh my first kiss in writing!

Much GajeelxLevy in here too it seems. i'm planning a different oneshot for them though. we'll see if I ever get around to it...

anyway, thx for reading, please review and hope everyone has a happy Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukkuh (however you spell that), or whatever you celebrate!

~icefire out