It was the most festive time of the year in Fiore. The old year was getting left behind and everyone looked forward to all the adventures the coming year would have for them. The Fairy Tail guild was certainly no exception.

It had been a few years since the war against the Alvarez Empire. While the economy still was unstable in the continent, people had slowly been able to build up their normal life again. Just this autumn Magnolia could hold their harvest festival again after too many years on standstill, and the market had finally reopened up for locals and visitors. Team Natsu was back from the 100 years quest since a year back, and the days were passing slowly and uneventfully - not that anyone minded, even the rowdiest wizards found blissfulness in the calmer weekdays.

The mages and wizards in Fairy Tail took their missions one at a time. Most were still tame jobs about rebuilding and helping non-magical beings, while the tougher jobs had toned down. To the town's surprise, the famous Team Natsu was not complaining either. Of course, they did not know about the sabbatical year they had been forced to take, but they were indeed thriving in the newfound peace that blessed their hometown.

Yes, you heard that right. Guild master Makarov Dreyar had made the group take a year off to heal and get a chance to live a normal civilised life before running off into danger again. Normally Natsu would protest greatly, and do not get it wrong, he did in the beginning, but soon the Fairy Tail guild was faced with great grief. Makarov passed away after years of stress, magical impact and a weak body. He was praised across the continent for his courageous soul and fatherly instinct, and even though everyone in the guild mourned, they agreed that he had lived a worthy and long life, and that he would live on in their hearts. This occasion made it hard for Team Natsu to not follow his last order, and they finally caved in to the home vacation.

This year was indeed a bittersweet year. While Makarov's death brought devastation to the guild, it also brought them together. They cried together, laughed about fond memories together and loved together. And so the year came to an end. Naturally they would hold a big party for the guild to get together and celebrate what the next year would bring, because whatever they would be faced with, they were in it together.

The same line of thought went through Lucy's, Levy's and Juvia's heads when they heard that the dress code to the party would be formal. Now, Lucy wouldn't say there was anyone special she wanted to impress with her dress, but as a woman who grew up in a wealthy family she couldn't bring herself to go against the party invitation's order. Of course she would do her best to make herself presentable in the crowd.

Now, Levy and Juvia could actually admit that they wanted to impress a certain someone. There was no shame in it for them - Levy had twins with Fairy Tail's own iron dragon slayer Gajeel Redfox. She even had another baby brewing in her belly right now! So yes, she was in an official relationship with Gajeel, and she found no shame in wanting to dress up for the occasion. Even if it usually was quite the hassle to make yourself presentable when raising toddlers, she still wanted to put in the effort to pamper herself once in a while.

Juvia has never been shy when it comes to confessing her love to Gray Fullbuster, but after the 100 years quest they had obviously developed into something more. Lucy knew from before that Gray had a certain eye for the water mage, and she knew that their encounter with Tartaros and Spriggan 12 had affected them deeply, so seeing them happy and content together was pure bliss according to the celestial mage. There had also been quite the reduction of flooding in the guild hall - something that was appreciated by everyone, including the new master.

The new master post had once again been assigned to Erza. No one in Fairy Tail even batted an eye when it came to it, aside from Macao who still wanted to redeem himself from those seven years when half the guild were on Tenrou Island. While Erza still had some difficulties with the paperwork, everyone had trust in her ability to defend and lead the guild no matter the situation. Recent unofficial guild activities with Crime Sorcière had also made her mood a lot better, Lucy was always ahead with the gossip - don't mind that she heard this from Mira Jane.

Now, when it came to the New Years party, Lucy, Levy and Juvia had decided to come to Lucy's place to get themselves ready. The most ideal place would have been one of the dorms at Fairy Hills since no boys were allowed, but Levy had since long moved in with Gajeel and Juvia and Gray had recently moved together. None of them had the guts to interfere with Erza's planning, and Cana would most likely try to get them drunk before even leaving her dorm, so Lucy's place it was. Lucy had taken time off earlier just to specifically tell Natsu to not come there while they were getting ready - she wanted them to be comfortable to change, plus they wanted to chat without a dragon slayer's hearing in the way. To their surprise, Natsu actually agreed to it, saying something about finding that rental place for suits before they closed.

So, they had the place from lunch to the time they wanted to leave. Lucy gave them alcohol-free drinks due to Levy's pregnancy, but also since she knew that Juvia had a growing foetus inside her belly. Juvia didn't know this though, and Lucy was not going to be the one who took away her joy of learning it by herself - you see, Wendy made Lucy keep it a secret that she had smelled and sensed a child brewing in Juvia's stomach for almost 3 weeks now - Juvia wasn't gonna keep it a secret the second she knew about it, and Wendy wanted her to have the joy of discovering it herself. Lucy kept her word and hadn't told anyone, not even Natsu, Levy or Happy, and certainly not Gray. And because of this unknown child, Lucy was gonna have to tell Mira not to give her any alcohol tonight.

Levy, who still was insecure about her once again growing postpartum belly and didn't want anything tight, had decided on a dress that would be on the shorter side, one that would reach just below her dress was sewn in an A-line format, one of her favourite forms on dresses. After doing her makeup and throwing a cute and neat headband on, she would be done - but not after Lucy had convinced her to wear a few jewellery pieces of course.

Juvia wanted to keep her modest style in her dress, while also of course showing off a little bit of skin - just enough for her Gray-sama to notice. She had chosen a dark blue, long dress that fit tight on her body. On her left side there was a slit, much resembling the skirt she wore daily. That way her Fairy Tail emblem would show through, which she of course had much pride in. The dress had long sleeves and a surprisingly low cut around her neck. She had chosen that cut to show off the necklace she got from Gray - yes, it was in fact his usual cross. That necklace was almost as important to him as Natsu's scarf was important to Natsu, so there was no wonder Juvia wanted to show it off. She decided to put her blue locks in a bun and accompany the necklace with more silver jewellery.

Lucy however was stumped. She had no idea what to wear. Her favourite colour was blue, but she usually wore a bright blue that wasn't really fit for new years eve. She liked the colour pink, but again, it wasn't really working with the theme. Juvia and Levy wore dark blue and black, so she couldn't work with that either. She ended up glancing at a red tight dress that Virgo presented from the Celestial world - it was daring, but not in a way that would be too much of a disaster. She ended up trying it on. The silhouette of the skirt was similar to Juvia's - long with a high slit that reached almost up to her hip. She would have to rule out panties if she chose this dress - a risky move when alcohol and her guild mates were involved. The upper body had a classic heart shape cut. Simple, but never a bad choice. What made this dress so special however wasn't just the daring colour - it was the shimmering glitter in the fabric that made her buy it. To her it resembled the stars, while also fitting in with the glamorous theme of new years. She decided to just wear black heels and some gold jewelry to it, and also got Cancer to fix her hair in a half up-do and curling the ends. Her earrings and her rings had red stones that matched the dress perfectly, and with some eyeliner, mascara and more pampering of her face, she had her look.

Now, these three weren't the best at keeping track on time. Levy had taken ages to decide on which shoes she was going to wear, and Juvia kept going back and forth on deciding her hair style - Cancer even popped up once to share his opinion which finally made it stick. Lucy couldn't help but worry that Natsu would storm in and ruin their dresses by throwing in a sack of dead fish through her window. Still though, the girls were weary of sweating in the small apartment so they couldn't close it.

Well, they came 30 minutes late. As three much proper ladies they didn't want to be too hasty on their way to the newly decorated guild since the risk of dirtying their clothes would be too big. When they finally arrived they immediately got split up - Levy rushed off to her kids and Juvia was escorted away by Gray. Lucy just made her way to the bar to chat with Wendy and Carla who were sipping on one milkshake each.

"Mira! Could I get a glass of champagne please?" Lucy really wanted to have some fun tonight, but she also had to remember to at least make it to 12am. While she waited for her drink she took a look around.

The guild was of course making a big deal out of the party - it was a celebration where they could get away with drinking and having fun while also being dressed up all fancy and nice. The girls liked it more than the boys, but it was truly a pleasure to everyone. Fairy Tail might not be the guild that was best cut out for a ball in the castle, but having their own little fancy party was always nice.

Evergreen, Gray and Juvia were the stars when it came to decorating the place. Ever used her fairy magic to lit up the place as if small fireflies and stars were floating above them. Lucy couldn't help but admire them - they truly replicated the heavens perfectly. She could even point out multiple constellations. Evergreen had also combined her powers with Gray and made the most beautiful fairy lights surrounding the edges of the walls. With this being the only source of light, the guildhall became just as magical as you could imagine it being in a book. Juvia had chipped in by managing to get Gray to agree to do a moving ice sculpture with water falling. That way it could be used for decoration and refill at the same time - if anyone got thirsty on water that is. The sculpture was quite abstract, but the flickering lights made Lucy interpret it as the feeling of bittersweetness - there were soft lines and harsh lines combined and the warm light gave the originally cool sculpture a highly impressive format.

Continuing her gaze across the guildhall her eyes stuck on Gajeel and Levy. Their children were born two years ago, and everyone in the guild is starstruck. Everyone wants for it to be their turn to hold one of the twins for a few minutes, and despite it being two entire years since they were born, everyone still gushes over them as if they were the most valuable diamonds in the whole universe. Levy and Gajeel insist that they are, of course.

As Lucy's eyes continue over the guild hall they find Erza who is standing in the corner of the guild hall. Lucy knows that the death of Makarov was hard on Erza. She had already seen him almost die once, and when he took his final breath she was with him. Despite her hard armour and fierce look in her eyes, Lucy knew that her heart is soft and vulnerable. In some incredible way though, Erza had been leading the guild in an uttermost professional way. She was incredibly diplomatic and had good relations with the other guild masters. Everyone knew better than to underestimate the woman who could slay 100 monsters without barely batting an eye. Lucy could only admire the woman Erza had become.

And what a woman she became! Moving on to more of the gossip Lucy had heard of, apparently Erza had invited Jellal into Fairy Tail some time during the 100 year quest. She was still unsure if Jellal was a member or not at the moment, but that part wasn't really important to her. What was important was the fact that Erza had a happier aura, and after asking Natsu about it he had confirmed that they do in fact meet up occasionally.

Not far away from Erza sat Bisca, Alzach and Azuka at a table. Azuka had grown like a vine during their time away from the guild - Lucy would always be sad that she missed the upbringing of the cheery girl, and she couldnät believe that it was already time for her to start school. Not many people had received much of an education, but with Anna-sensei's school not too far off, young people could finally be taught world history and much else that easily went by when growing up as an orphan. Too many guildmates had difficulties reading and writing, and it was frankly sad and according to Lucy unfair that she would receive education only because her family was rich, and not anyone else.

Continuing the line of thought, her eyes wandered over to Romeo. Romeo had finally grown into a boy who could take on solo missions - even if he still tries to group up with others in order to get the higher paying rewards. Lucy had recently learnt that Romeo actually had a lot of fire accidents in his room at home, considering he's a fire mage after all. He really doesn't want to burden his father with extra bills, so the jobs he takes are really in order to make up for that. Lucy let out a slight sight. Romeo's growth from the Tenrou incident was heartbreaking. She had seen him so recently as a young boy who worried when his father didn't come home from his missions. After the missed seven years, plus the year after the war against Tartarus, she had missed out on more than half of his life. Romeo was a boy who had to grow up too quickly, and there is nothing Lucy could do to change that.

Evergreen and Elfman enter Lucy's field of sight, and they immediately bring a smile to her face. Lucy could basically be writing a gossip magazine, because here she knew even more secrets. According to a little blue bird, Elfman has plans on proposing to Evergreen in March. Lucy knew better than to spread the word to Mira though, she would probably get three heart attacks, do a flip and then pass out. At least in her mind, because the poker face that woman carried was impressive. Lucy did actually accidentally tell Freed about the upcoming proposal, and his poker face was not as good. He freaked out at first, muttering about babies and godfathers and uncles, but when he calmed down Lucy could tell that he was genuinely happy for Evergreen. The Thunder Legion had an admirable bond.

Lucy's absent mind suddenly got abruptly disturbed.

"Oi Lucy!" The fire dragon slayer made his way up to her, flashing a big grin on his face. Lucy had been too lost in thoughts to notice that Mira already had come with her drink.

She carefully watched his figure while he made his way over to her. Natsu was dressed for the occasion in a black tuxedo, and he sported a normal white dress shirt underneath. It wasn't buttoned all the way up, and the red tie he tried to put on hung around his neck like a scarf. Talking about the scarf, today he didn't seem to be wearing it. He was already ordering a drink of his own after eyeing Lucy's champagne.

Lucy could only sigh with a slight smile on her lips.

"Come on Natsu, it's a special occasion! Can't you at least use all the buttons?" She didn't even greet him properly, but they had only been away from each other for a couple of hours. Instead she stood up to button his shirt and properly tie the tie. It would be such a waste to not make sure he wore the tuxedo properly when he finally wore one.

"Meh, you know I'm not good at this stuff!" He just grinned at her concentrating, slightly pouting face.

The relationship between Natsu and Lucy was unusual. Not for them, but probably for everyone else who saw how they acted around each other. Since the 100 year quest Natsu had basically moved in with Lucy. Of course nothing official, but it was an unspoken rule that they always hang around each other. When they leave the guild, they make sure the other comes with them, and when they arrive at the guild all the members expect to see them both there. At home they share Lucy's bed more often than Lucy would like to admit, and they eat meals and do chores with shared responsibility. Lucy knew that they've been through a lot of hardships, and she knew that they calmed each other with their presence. All the wars and near-death experiences gave them their share of emotional scars, so instead of acting insensitive Lucy had slowly accepted the way Natsu made his way into her everyday life. It could easily pass as a neverending sleepover with the way they mostly just hung out and had fun all the time. Though Happy probably missed his fishing lake that was so close to his and Natsu's house.

Natsu and Lucy have grown closer in more ways than emotionally though. In many aspects they've craved more physical contact than previously. Natsu seems to use almost any excuse to lift or carry away Lucy somewhere, even if it ends up with her smacking his head and dragging them both back to the guild. He also tends to use his motion sickness as an excuse to be close to her, and that's something that everyone always lets slide since they feel bad for him.

Lucy actually does the more coupley touching though - the most prominent one being holding hands. She wasn't sure exactly how she gathered the courage, but somewhere along the way she had found out that she got away with holding Natsu's hand almost whenever she wanted. At first she tried it when they were about 200m away from her apartment - in the worst case scenario she could just lock him out and hide in embarrassment, and in the best case scenario he allowed it and she could live on happily. While she was mid-sentence of something unimportant she softly slipped her hand into his, making it easy for him to pull away but also clearly showing that she indeed meant to hold hands. By doing this she even got the pleasure of him freezing up for a second before confirming the hand-holding by giving her a soft smile and squeeze. From that moment it was rather easy to continue that habit. She held his hand when going to the market, when she was reading books in her room and when they just chatted at the tables in the guild.

Holding hands wasn't her only speciality though. More often than not she actually allowed herself to occasionally hug him from the back, interlock her arm with his and even something as simple as just sitting close enough for their shoulders and knees to touch.

If the guild saw these kinds of actions two years ago they would have flipped out, teasing them day in and day out about their relationship, but somehow they had found themselves maturing during the years of babies and official romantical partners.

Natsu had even found the habit of holding Lucy around her waist or around her shoulders. When they were alone in her apartment it wasn't even too uncommon for him to cop a feel at her ass once in a while. It usually ended up with her squealing and giving him a half-hearted scowl about how he "should stop doing that!", even if they just laughed it off afterwards.

But indeed, some may still say that their relationship lacked a little. Lacked in confession and kisses. But given the non-stop danger and/or other dramatic events, those moments hadn't really come through. The confession has always been postponed to a later date, when they didn't have to worry about their or other's lives.

But back to the party. While Lucy was, according to Natsu, strangling him, he finally got a chance to look at her outfit. The red sparkling dress hugged her curves perfectly in his opinion, enhancing her beautiful figure. The lights in the room lit up her hair in the most beautiful way, and he couldn't help but smile at the sight. His best friend was absolutely beautiful. He also couldn't help noticing the slit that went up almost above her hip, and the milky soft skin showing through. He also couldn't help touching her there, running his fingertips along the exposed skin. He could hear Lucy gasp and her heartbeat speed up, but she didn't scold him.

"You look beautiful." Lucy could swear that the colour of her cheeks was rivalling her dress. First he touches her bare skin on her hip and then he compliments her? She met his eyes and gave him a sheepish smile back.

"You too." She wasn't lying either. Natsu looked like a hot body-guard in that suit with his muscles straining against the fabric everytime he moved. Of course Mira saw all this, as she just came with Lucy's drink.

"Oh my, you two are looking good!" She complimented. Lucy thanked her for both the drink and the compliment, and Natsu was delighted to receive his glass of whiskey.

The pair chatted for a bit while finishing their drinks, enjoying some smalltalk. The guild was less rowdy than usual and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Cana came up once and challenged Natsu to a drinking contest, and since he knew he rarely got drunk he was up for the challenge. Lucy wasn't too worried either since she figured out a while back that his natural heat usually burnt away the alcohol before it got into his system.

Still, to their surprise Cana actually lost, making Natsu lift Lucy up in a hug to celebrate. Some of that alcohol had definitely gotten to his brain, but Lucy couldn't complain - she wasn't exactly completely sober herself.

And finally some dance music started playing. To everyone's fortune Gajeel hadn't been assigned DJ, and with some genuinely good music Lucy pulled Natsu to the dance floor. Both having liquor in their systems, started dancing as if they were 17 again, jumping around to the upbeat songs and singing along to lyrics they didn't know. The rest of the guild joined their happy-go-lucky dances and everyone was having the most fun this year.

Natsu was enchanted by Lucy's moves. Well, he would never admit that of course, but the way she moved her body made him dizzy in a very good way. Evergreen must have done something to her fairy lights, because right now it looked as if stardust was snowing on Lucy, making her dress glimmer with every tiny movement. Natsu felt the need to compliment her again, but the music was loud and Lucy didn't seem to be paying any attention to him right now. Her golden locks went sailing in the air around her as she bopped her head along with the beat. If she had looked like an angel before, she probably looked like a Goddess right now. Right now, Natsu could only let himself get catched in the moment, allowing his body to dance away all worries that had been weighing on his shoulders.

Then, as time went by and the clock got closer and closer to midnight, slower songs started playing through the speakers. Lucy, feeling hot and sweaty from all the dancing, decided to take a breather outside for a few minutes. There was still an hour until midnight, so she didn't feel so rushed. Soon enough Natsu found her and joined her on the balcony. The air felt chilly and he couldn't imagine that dress being very warm.

"Ya tired?" He grinned. Lucy turned her head slightly, inviting him to get closer.

"Not really, just taking a few breaths. You can join the others if you want to, I'll be back in a minute." The loud music and the multiple shots she had taken on the dance floor had been messing with her head, but being outside seemed to clear her mind a little.

"Nah, I'll pass. They're all too coupley in there. Even Erza is acting all secretive. It's boring without you there." This time it was Lucy's turn to smile.

"Well, you're welcome to stay." The air was silent when Natsu carefully grabbed her right hand. Lucy was already sobering up and couldn't help but blush from Natsu's move. She would like to blame his chummy behaviour on the liquor, but she knew very well that it had been out of his system for a good while now. She didn't complain though, and decided to lean her heavy head against Natsu's safe and warm shoulder.

When Natsu looked around he almost immediately noticed the stars that were shining brightly in the night sky above them. A soft smile graced his lips. Even if Evergreen's magic was beautiful, nothing could compare to the real thing.

"Lucy, look up"

Lucy opened her eyes and tilted her face upwards to face the sky. While the stars weren't as visible as they were back when they fought the dragon cry, they still looked amazing. She could immediately point out a number of collestations.

"They're beautiful…" Natsu could only agree. He didn't usually care for such trivial things as the stars in the night sky, but whenever Lucy was near they seemed to shine ten times brighter.

They stood there for another five minutes before they decided to head back in. Inside the Guild there were still a few people slow dancing, however several of them had sat down to chat and sober up before the clock hit 12. Lucy made her way over to Levy, Gajeel, Max and Warren who were all making funny faces at the twins, trying to make them laugh. Natsu followed her eagerly. The birth of those kids had struck him hard, and he had grown fond of them from the very beginning. Gajeel usually didn't like having Natsu around his children though, mainly due to being a worrisome father but also since Natsu was known for his irresponsible tendencies. Gajeel would never admit that Natsu was surprisingly careful around youngsters, and he would definitely never admit that he even felt a bit comfortable with them in Natsu's care. Never ever.

"Hey Levy-chan! How's it going?" Lucy had found her way up to the crowded area. Levy let out a groan.

"They're not gonna ever fall asleep until they're 15 years old. Oh well, at least they're having fun I guess." Levy's lips turned upwards slightly, even if her eyes were screaming that she needed either a 3 month break, 5 cups of coffee or 8 shots of Mira's strongest vodka - all options that were out of mind, given her pregnancy.

Lucy and Levy took this chance to stay and chat for a while, even if Natsu and Gajeel were having a hard time to not get into a brawl. With the occasional glances from Lucy and Levy they still managed to keep their mouths shut though.

While Levy and Lucy tried to calm the children down with hope to maybe also lull them to sleep, Natsu couldn't help himself to ask Gajeel a question that had been bugging him for a while.

"Oi, metal head. Why is marriage such a big deal?" Gajeel fought the strong urge to face palm himself. Or Natsu, whatever came first.

"Are you serious? I knew you were dense, but that skull is so thick that I'm surprised your brain has room in there." He quickly glanced at his wife and her best friend, hoping Lucy didn't hear the stupidity Natsu was spitting out.

"Just answer the question dumbass," growled Natsu, his temper really taking a toll. He wanted to hear a genuine answer, not insults.

Gajeel took his time before answering. The fire mage probably didn't want to hear about the traditional use of marriage, he knew about that too well after Lucy's many encounters with her father's acquaintances. But there was something that he could say that Natsu actually might understand. He cleared his throat.

"Well, it's because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her." A slight blush hid behind his grumpy face. He may be high on the list of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards, but even Gajeel would feel a little embarrassed to confess his love to someone - even if he already had done it to the person in question multiple times. But Natsu's answer shocked him.

"Is that it?"

"What do you mean 'is that it'? It's pretty big of a deal if you ask me." Natsu was quiet for a minute before he answered.

"Well, I've already done all that basically." Gajeel couldn't believe his ears. If they already had confessed and almost proposed, how were they still not together?

"WHAT?"

Natsu looked away with a grumpy pout. His guild mates doubted him too much in his opinion. "Maybe not exactly said I love her or anything, but I told her we'd be together forever."

"When?" Gajeel was almost scared to ask, knowing that whatever Natsu would answer with would not be the ideal situation.

"The day we went on the hundred years quest."

"That was ages ago? Literally two years ago! How long have you been secretly dating?"

"We're not dating. We're just normal."

"You're telling me you haven't even KISSED?"

"We were close to that day, but she seemed nervous so I didn't. The time before that she made me kiss Happy and I didn't wanna risk anything." Natsu's forehead had a sheen of sweat. That kiss with Happy must have been traumatising. Gajeel could somehow understand him, knowing that he would never want to kiss Panther Lily on the lips.

"Then do it tonight," Gajeel came up with. It was a great idea in his opinion, as long as the dense fire dragon slayer would follow his reasoning.

"Why tonight?" He could have predicted that question.

"Because everyone kisses someone on New Years. It's common knowledge. I'm gonna kiss Levy. Ice pants is going to kiss Juvia. Even Erza has someone tonight. Just play it off as a normal New Years Kiss, then you'll see how she reacts. If she seems to like it, then great! You can confess and finally put the guild out of our misery. And if she doesn't like it, well, then you were only following tradition."

Natsu couldn't believe his ears. Gajeel came with good advice for once? Who was this man and what had he made with the Gajeel Redfox he thought he knew? But he was right, imposter or not.

"I… I might just do that. Thanks ugly! Never thought the day would come when you actually were useful!" That was the last straw for Gajeel. No one insulted a Redfox after being given the best advice of the century.

You don't need to be a genius to figure out that they started fighting after that. But there were still 45 minutes to midnight, and a few guild mates must have been longing for a friendly brawl because they soon joined in on the fighting, relying on Wendy as their healing source if they got hurt too bad.

Lucy and Levy could only sigh as they watched their friends throw light punches randomly in the air in hope that someone might get hit. The two had never been the ones to take part in these fights, so as the years went by they had found the noise easy to lock out. Right now though, Lucy could feel a headache creeping up on her, so she decided to pull away Levy and the twins to the infirmary in hope of finding some magical cure for headache.

"What's the matter Lu?" They had already closed the doors behind them.

"Nothing really, it's just that I can feel a headache on its way and I was hoping for some magical cure, or at least some aspirin. The kids might be able to sleep in here too."

"Hey, I haven't been drinking in quite some time, but I'm pretty sure the aspirin won't have an effect. The only instant cure is more drinking" Levy was joking at the last part, but there was some truth in it.

"I might just do that to be honest… Are you staying here or do you want to come with me?"

Levy looked at the stirring children. "I might try to get them to sleep before midnight, you go ahead though!"

"Alright."

When Lucy stepped outside she was almost immediately met with Wendy doing her healing magic on Natsu.

"What's going on?"

"Gray joined in and Natsu said something he didn't like so he got punched in the face," Wendy smiled, letting out a slight giggle.

"You've never cared about a punch or two in your face before, what's the occasion?" Lucy teased, nudging Natsu's shoulder slightly.

A slight blush appeared on Natsu's cheeks as he remembered what he and Gajeel were talking about. However he was sober now so there was no way he was going to reveal his plan to Lucy yet.

"Well it's new years, that counts for something ya know," he defended himself. But it was true what Lucy was saying - suddenly caring about his appearance wasn't very much like him. Lucy just giggled.

"Well I want another drink! Come join me when you're all healed up!"

Wendy smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm done here so you can go together." Lucy could swear that the wind dragon slayer blinked at her, but without her magic lighting up the space, she couldn't really see clearly.

With 15 minutes left until midnight they met Lisanna at the bar.

"Give me something sweet but strong, would you?"

"And I'll have a beer."

"I'll be right up," Lisanna said with a smile before she disappeared under the bar.

"So you're drinking tonight, huh?" Natsu commented. Back in the day things easily got a bit awkward when alcohol was involved, especially since the girls usually drank until they were blacked out, but at an event like this he knew he could trust her to drink moderately. None of them were reckless teenagers any longer after all.

"Well I started getting a headache, so I'm going for the instant cure: more drinking." Lucy had a glimmer in her eye as she said it.

"Smart move," he grinned.

"Well, you can't expect any less from Fairy Tail's brain. Levy gave me the tip."

"Huh… That's weird… I'd call you Fairy Tail's brain. Aren't you the one who solves all our problems during missions?" Natsu had a mischevious glimt in his eye.

"Only during Team Natsu missions. You can call me Team Natsu's brain, but you know Levy still holds the big title." Lucy giggled.

Lisanna politely interrupted by delivering their orders. The conversation died down as they started sipping on their drinks, but started up again when Natsu scrunched his nose.

"Jellal's here," he revealed.

"Really? I thought Erza was looking giddy, now I understand why." Lucy smiled. Natsu huffed at her.

"I still haven't forgiven him completely though." Lucy understood that he was referring to that time when he was brain washed in the Tower of Heaven.

"That's understandable. Jellal hasn't forgiven himself either, but I think they deserve to be happy after all this time. No one but themselves can understand what they've been through, so I hope they find peace with each other." Lucy looked out over the crowd with kindness in her eyes.

Natsu really liked this about her. She never held grudges, and she always looked at things from different perspectives. Her analytic skills were also sharp, and with her author title she always found the right words to say.

"I guess that's right. 'S just that Erza's been through things that Jellal can't relate to, and I don't know if I can trust him to protect her. Erza's a lot more fragile than she allows herself to show."

"That's true. I'm not going to lie, I also feel that way sometimes. But I believe in Erza's judgement. She knows Jellal better than anyone. It's like how I'm still with you after all the things we've experienced with each other. Any sane person would tell me to run away and live peacefully instead of tagging along on your dangerous and crazy adventures, but since they don't know how I personally feel about it, they don't really have the whole picture, you know? I believe it's like that for Erza and Jellal too." Natsu nodded.

"I think so too." What else could he do but agree when she said such great things? Sometimes he wanted to write it down and show the whole world, because a great mind like that can't be hidden from the world.

After finishing their drinks Natsu realised that there was only 3 minutes to midnight. A slow, romantic song was playing through the sound lacrimas, so Natsu stood up and reached out his arm.

"May I have this dance?" Lucy giggled.

"Why, of course."

She gracefully locked arms with the fire mage who now led her out on the dance floor. The room was filling up with mages who wanted to have the year's last dance with someone special, and Natsu and Lucy were no exception of that. As Lucy looked up she was met with a wholesome sight. Natsu Dragneel was shyly placing his right hand on Lucy's waist, just over the part of the dress where her slit ended, and his left hand carefully grabbed her right. His concentrated face that he made when positioning his feet correctly looked so silly that Lucy had to laugh. She took the left hand off it's spot on his shoulder, and flicked him between the eyes.

"You're concentrating too much. Try to relax a little." Lucy's eyes were soft and kind as she gave him the biggest grin she could imagine. When she felt Natsu's shoulders soften she slowly took a small step back, and then another, and suddenly, without Natsu even noticing, they were slowly moving across the dance floor.

Lucy was captured by those onyx eyes of his. The lighting made it look like the entire universe was hiding within them, and her heart had never felt so filled before. Her eyes wandered over to his nose, his cute nose that got freckles in the summer. And then she looked at his pink hair, the mane that never failed to make her smile when she saw it in a crowd. The hair that she knew was softer than any conditioner could make hers, and his bangs that were slightly damaged from heat. And then those lips. The lips that always said whatever they wanted, that always made her laugh and that always managed to carry that amazing smile of his. Oh how she loved this man. Natsu Dragneel. Her Natsu.

Natsu was looking at an angel. Brown, soft eyes that told held secrets that the human world could never understand, but that still were open and welcoming. He could look at those eyes forever and never tire of it. Her soft golden hair confirmed that yes, she was an angel. She was a star, plucked right off of the starry night sky, shining of confidence and love for humans. Her perky nose that crooked a little to the left and her soft cheeks that always bubbled up with laughter whenever he and Happy did something stupid. And that lovely smile, the one he thought of whenever he felt like giving up. Nothing could end this moment between them, not even when Natsu accidentally stepped on her toes - she just laughed and urged him to keep going.

"10!"

Oh crap. Natsu had been so focused on dancing that he had almost forgotten about the task he was meant to do when the clock strikes 12.

"9!"

Could time go a little bit slower? Natsu really wanted more time to prepare himself.

"8!"

Lucy had stopped moving, and was now counting down with everybody, resting both her hands on Natsu's shoulders. Natsu brought his empty hand to her face. He was really going to do this.

"7!"

What if she pulled away? Slapped him? Started crying? Maybe this was a bad idea after all…

"6!"

Lucy noticed Natsu's shallow breathing. She could honestly predict something was up with him - usually he bottomed a beer at New Years, not standing around touching her face and running his fingers along her waist.

"5!"

Natsu felt Lucy's hands slightly massaging his shoulders. They were tenser than he thought they were.

"4!"

This was just ridiculous. How could the famous fire dragon slayer Natsu Dragneel, who defeated endless of enemies, be so nervous at a moment like this? Lucy was his best friend - even if she didn't like the kiss they would stay friends! He felt stupid for doubting their friendship, even though it was just for a split second.

"3!"

It was now. The next number would be 2 and then he would kiss her. Were his lips dry? Did he have bad breath? It was only going to be a 5 second kiss, so why did he worry so much?

Lucy had figured it out. She honestly did know from before that Levy and Juvia were going to kiss Gajeel and Gray at midnight, and truth to be told - she was increadibly envious of them. It wouldn't surprise her if Levy had told Gajeel to give Natsu a push tonight - but that didn't really matter. What she noticed right now was how hard he was preparing for this, constantly licking his lips and looking her up and down between her eyes and her mouth. It was sweet, according to Lucy. But if she knew Natsu well enough, she knew that he was planning to kiss her as the clock was 1 second away from midnight. So she did the only logical thing she could think of.

"2!"

Bringing her hands up from his shoulders to his neck, she carefully closed her eyes and pulled him in. To say this moment was magical was an understatement. Their lips slowly molded together, Natsu tasting slightly of beer. He stood still for a moment before he too closed her in and pulled her as close as he possibly could. Somewhere in the background the crowd was cheering, but that didn't matter right now. All that exsists is Natsu and Lucy. Lucy and Natsu. Their lips and hands caressing the untouched parts of their faces, Natsu's hand pulling her closer in the waist, grabbing her slightly in the soft parts above her hips.

Soon enough though, ameteurs like these had to stop to breathe. While panting softly in each other's air, they slowly opened their eyes. Lucy giggled. Natsu giggled too. Soon they broke out in a silly laughter, filling the air with sickening sweet merriment. Lucy grabbed his arm to stabilisise herself before knocking her head into his chest. Natsu couldn't stop his arms from pulling her in to a tight hug, still chuckling slightly. They were so, so happy right now.

"Oh my god I love you…" Lucy breathed out, knowing only a dragon slayer could make out those words in a noisy room like this. Natsu pulled her in closer, ducking in his head as he whispered back.

"I love you so much more." He even gave her a peck on her head to emphasise, but Lucy didn't doubt him at all. The safe feeling she felt in these arms made her almost feel like he had scared away all doubt to ever exist inside of her. He made her so complete.

But of course they couldn't keep standing in the middle of the dance floor just hugging each other - the other guild mates wanted to party all night, and Lucy couldn't say she didn't want to be a part of that. Today was a day of celebrating after all. So she grabbed his hand, still being tender.

"Let's go for another drink." Her smile was the happiest in the world and Natsu could almost not believe that he was the cause of that smile. So he followed her lead, like he had done so many times before. The start of this year had been amazing, and he could feel it in his soul that the rest of it would be just as giving with Lucy by his side.