056 : Lift

"Natsu!" Lucy called out in a laugh as she turned away from Levi and Gazille to her closest teammate, Natsu waving back before starting to squeeze his way through the crowds of people towards the blond.

The Dragon Slayer snarled at Gazille as got to Lucy's side, but it was cut off when Lucy non-too gently elbowed Natsu in the ribs, hastily whispering "It's a party, come on! Cheery face!"

So, turning his annoyed expression from Lucy's pouting face to the stoic one that was next to a happy Levi, he forced a grin on his face. To put it gently, it looked worse then his snarling face.

"Happy Holidays Pal," Gazille said with the corners of his mouth lifted to form, not a smile, but a smirk.

"Right back at ya Buddy," Natsu barely managed to suppress a growl again.

"Come on Gazille, I want some more punch!" Levi giggled, oblivious to the killing aura, as she pulled on the metal master's elbow and dragging him along into the swaying crowd again.

"He's so whipped," Natsu said under his breath, not realizing that Gazille had been thinking the same thing about him when he'd changed his expression because of Lucy.

"Oh come on," Lucy said with a roll of her hazel eyes, "can't you at least try and get along with him?"

Natsu snorted before, "Yeah, when he starts trying to be 'friendly' to me."

"Alright, fine. I'll let it slip," Natsu sighed, "for now," he groaned, "since I'm in a good festive mood unlike some people." Lucy finished with another jab in the ribs, although this time was much lighter.

"Can we go outside? I'm getting hot," Natsu uncharacteristically said as he pulled his scarf a little bit away from his neck.

"The boy who sets himself on fire is 'hot?'" Lucy gasped in mock shock, eyes dancing.

"With all these people, yeah," he snorted as he grabbed her around the arm, very similar to what Levi had done with Gazille, manuvering both of them until they were at the large doors of the Guild that were decorated for the holidays. They leaned against the side of the mini tunnel door with smiles, saying hi to those who entered and left, holding their drinks in their hands.

But the comfortable silence was broken with a loud gasp, causing both of the teenagers looked up to see Alzack and Bisca standing in front of each other with flushed faces and shifty eyes. Lucy opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but it was at that moment when Alzack dipped his head and caught Bisca's lips with his own. He took his head back after a few seconds, both of them opening their eyes to stare at each other, before they kissed again, this time bringing each other close in a tight embrace.

"What the hell?" Natsu asked, making Lucy jump as she had forgotten he'd been next to her this entire time. Lucy opened her mouth to try and fumble out a few words, but Alzack interrupted her again.

"I'm gonna grab some of this to use later," he laughed elatedly as he jumped and grabbed a clump of foliage from the ceiling before wrapping a hand around Bisca's curvy waist and walking in, not missing the opportunity to snag a kiss before they were out of Lucy and Natsu's gaze.

Lucy's wide eyes moved to the ceiling of the doorway to find it framed with mistletoe. But no, that wasn't the worst part, it was that they were technically UNDER the doorway and so then the clumps of kiss-inducing green. She cranned her head right above the two of them and, sure enough, it was coated in the leathery-like leaves and white berries.

Natsu followed her actions and looked up at the greenary before asking, "Is that that plant that makes you kiss whoever you're under it with?"

Lucy's shocked face at his understanding made him roll his eyes before explaining, "A few years back before you came Erza forced, and I mean FORCED, me and Gray to..um...you know because we both walked under it."

"No way..."

"Yeah, the horror is right."

Silence fell over the teammates again like before, but it was a little tense.

"...so...um..." Lucy tried but failed at forming two legible words, much less a sentence.

"I can burn it."

"Huh?"

"I'll just burn it all off. Problem solved," Natsu repeated as his index finger lighted, the fire glowing in the growing darkness of the night that was to come.

"No, no!" Lucy hurried, not wanting to ruin the party in the slightest.

"But then we..." he drifted off as he extinguished the small finger fire, favoring to use the hand to scratch the back of his head.

Lucy bit her lip before looking up through thick lashes, finding that Natsu was still looking at her.

"It's fine, just a little thing between friends, a secret. Right?" she laughed as she put her hands on his taller shoulders, closing her eyes and leaning her face up. She ordered her heart to stop hammering against her chest, but it seemed like the messages kept getting lost as it continued it's pounding. But when she didn't feel anything on her lips, she cracked her eyes open to see an uneasy Natsu before her.

"Come on, what's the holdup?" she gave herself an imaginative pat on the back for keeping her voice steady.

"It's just...do I have to?" he said quietly, his usually loud voice almost lost in the party music. Lucy huffed to this, taking her hands from his shoulders to sit on her hips.

"Well, since you obviously would HATE to do it so much, fine. Lets just go back inside," she pretended like she didn't feel that small pang in her chest as she turned away.

But she was jerked back by her wrist, causing her to scowl. But it melted off when she saw how determined Natsu's face had become, eyebrows furrowed and eyes dangerously narrowed as if he was scrutinizing a target to shoot at. Maybe it was the sheer awkwardness of it all of maybe it was the obviously spiked punch, but Lucy smiled before all out laughing.

Her enjoyment was cut short as she felt something at the corner of her wide open mouth, opening her tearing eyes to see that Natsu's head was ducked down to her level. It was obvious to her in that second that that 'something' had been his warm lips.

At this realization, her laughter cut short and Natsu had the chance to put his lips fully onto her's.

"It's not that I would hate it, it's just..." he drifted off while he straightened to his normal height, "I've never kissed a girl before."

Lucy blinked before a smile crept onto her lips that still tingled from his contact. But as she remembered something he'd just said about how he learned about mistletoe, it fell off.

"Wait, so your first kiss was with Gray?!"

Natsu could only weakly growl as he hid his face in one of his large hands.

"Howly sh-...and I thought MY non-existant love life was bad!" Lucy had to laugh again.

"Drop it. And you're much better."

Her laughter caught in her throat again for the second time that night because of the fire teen. "What?" she managed to get out.

"It's better...kissing you," he flashed his customary grin that covered half his face. But Lucy's sharp eyes didn't miss the slight pink on his stretched cheeks.

"Why, is Natsu Dragonil blushing?!"

"It's hot."

A/N: Oh wow...holidays, holidays! Brings the OC and shipping out of everyone, doesn't it? I was actually going to stop this at a few points, but then it just kept going and going...and going XD anyway, hope you enjoyed and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! this is my present to all you wonderful people who read this series of (attempted) humor romance drabbles :)