A/N: I hope you like it :)

Lucy smiled when she looked around. The guild never needed a reason to party, but this time there was even one, it was Christmas Eve after all. Mira had even decorated the guild beautifully for the occasion. With everyone there the craziness was a guarantee, but Lucy found herself enjoying it none the less. This year had been eventful to say the least and she was glad that everyone was okay after the dangerous missions they had been caught up in. To make the evening even better her rent was already covered for this month and she even had a little bit left for the beautiful red dress she was wearing at the moment.

The rest of the evening went by quicker than Lucy had hoped and in the end Natsu walked home with her. Even though it could be viewed as romantic Lucy knew that Natsu only did this because he wanted to sleep in her bed. Sighing she opened her front door and the dragon slayer followed her inside without a word. It was Christmas Eve, so Lucy decided to just let him stay and if she was completely honest with herself it was cold outside and a personal heater after a long walk home in the snow sounded great to her.

Without regarding Natsu further she picked up her sleeping clothes and went into her bathroom. After a quick shower and changing into her comfortable clothes she reentered her bedroom only to find Natsu standing in the middle of her room. That seemed strange to her. Normally Natsu would be sprawled all over her bed by now, snoring loudly. When she stepped closer to him she saw an unsure look in his eyes. There was definitely something wrong here.

"What is it?" She asked softly.

"Can I tell you something?" When she was about to answer him, he stopped her. "But you have to promise me that you won't get mad and that we stay friends no matter what."

Now Lucy was worried. Sure, Natsu usually did a lot of stupid things that made her mad, often with the help of Happy, but he had never made her promise that they would stay friends. What was so serious that he was unsure if their friendship would survive it?

There was nothing that could ruin their friendship, Lucy was sure of it. They were best friends for years and if Lucy was honest with herself she felt more than friendship for Natsu. For a while now she was aware that her fast beating heart when she was around him and her blushing cheeks were a sign of her growing feelings for him. She had accepted a while ago that she was falling for her best friend, but she was also sure that her feelings would surely never be returned. Her dragon slayer was way too dense to realize her feelings and even if he did by some miracle, he only saw her as his best friend. Trying to push her feelings to the back of her heart, where they were hidden since she realized them, she focus on her best friend.

"We will always be friends, Natsu." She reassured the dragon slayer.

"Okay." He took a deep breath and looked deep into her eyes with a look that Lucy had never seen in them before. "I like you."

For a moment Lucy found hope again that her feelings for the dragon slayer weren't unrequited, but the next moment she pulled herself together. She shouldn't get her hopes up too much. She had done that before and had even thought that Natsu had invited her to a date only to be disappointed. Sure, she was in love with him, but she didn't want to have false hope and fall even deeper when she was surely misinterpreted him.

"I like you too, Natsu. We are best friends after all." Her smile was forced. It wasn't like she wasn't honest, he was her best friend, but her heart had hoped for a different outcome.

"Not that kind of like. I mean like like."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise in disbelieve at his words. He couldn't mean what she thought he meant. Before she got her hope up again she had to make sure that Natsu knew the meaning behind his words.

"You mean romantically?" When he nodded she still thought that it was too good to be true. "You want to go out with me? Have romantic dates? Kiss me? Take walks in the sunset-"

"Yes, all that." Natsu interrupted her, a bright blush on his cheeks.

"Okay." Lucy said, more to herself than too him. "I like like you too."

"Really?" His eyes were wide with the same disbelieve she had felt a minute ago. Now Lucy couldn't hold her smile in any longer.

"Yes, really."

"Then is it okay when I stay and sleep in your bed with you?" His shy expression and almost hesitant words were such a change from the always confident and loud Natsu that she had to hold back a gasp. This behavior was so unlike Natsu but still so much like him as well. Despite that everyone who meet Natsu for the first time would think that he was dense and loud, they would soon realize how gentle and thoughtful he could be in certain situations. He always cared for his friends and would do everything to make them happy. Thinking about it, his softer side had always been there, but now in the quiet of her room with only the two of them and after his confession it felt like it meant so much more. Realizing that he was still looking expectantly at her, she finally spoke up.

"It's okay." Her words were just as soft as his had been and a blush immediately found its way on her face. It was the first time that he had asked her if he could sleep in her bed and with his confession it felt more intimate to have him so close to her. When they both lay down on her bed she thought that her heart couldn't beat faster but when he lay an arm around her waist it almost jumped out of her chest.

"Is this okay too?" His voice reached her ears and she could hear that he was nervous.

It was nothing new that they were sometimes close to each other. Often enough Natsu moved in his sleep and she basically had an arm or leg thrown over her, but this was a willingly gesture. Even more so one that was gentle and romantic.

He was clearly trying to take their new dating status seriously, even though they had skipped a few parts in the dating progress. Smiling softly to herself she answered him.

"Yes, Natsu." Being bold she moved a little closer so that she could feel the heat of his chest against her back. "That is the best Christmas gift I ever got. Goodnight."

"Sleep well Luce. Merry Christmas."

The familiar nickname gave Lucy the reassurance that, even though some things would change with their new relationship status, he was still her Natsu. With a smile on her face and a warmth in her heart, thanks to her personal heater, Lucy fell asleep to the falling snow outside and two hearts beating in sync.

A/N: Merry Christmas :)