NaLu

Today was the day. Mine Lucy's 10 year anniversary. She might not know it yet, but that day, I saw my future clearly for the first time in my life.

April 11th year 784 was the day I met my mate. I got up extra early and headed to Lucy's apartment. Unfortunately when I got there she was already gone.

I noticed she left her backpack, which meant she didn't go to the guild. I decided to look around. Her ice box was empty so I decided she must've gone out shopping. I noticed her apartment was much messier than usual. Her sink was full of dishes from when Happy and I came to eat last night. Her couch pillows were tossed randomly in the corner, there were clothes all over her bedroom floor and her bed was unmade.

"I bet she was upset about something. I should clean up her place! That'll cheer her up for sure! " Coming to a decision, I took off my vest and began the messy task of cleaning Lucy's apartment.

I finished two hours later and was pouring myself a glass of juice when I saw a present on the table. Curiosity got the best of me and I picked the giant red and gold box up to look at. It had my name on it.

"She remembered."

A stray tear escaped my eye and I gently placed the gift back on the table. I went to my bag and retrieved the sky blue and gold wrapped gift I had gotten for her and sat it next to mine.

It was only 1pm, and since I figured Lucy was shopping it meant I had at least three more hours before she came back. I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, putting on the pajamas Lucy had insisted on buying me for when I stay over. After I felt clean and relaxed I laid down in Lucy's bed.

Her scent surrounded me as I burried my nose deeper into her pillow. It smelled like a mix of cinnamon, orange ginger, and vanilla. She smelled like Christmas! It made me feel safe and I quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Earlier that day...

The next day, I woke up at the crack of dawn. I was disappointed to see Natsu hadn't snuck in my apartment that night and decided that he must have indeed forgotten. I sadly placed the large gift box wrapped in crimson and gold paper on the table and got ready to spend the day alone wallowing in self pity.

I spent the entire morning and most of the day out shopping. I bought new toiletries, some writing material, some new blankets and clothes, and finally some potions and groceries. I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to my apartment that afternoon to find Natsu sleeping on my bed. His furry blue "son" was no where to be found and it looked like he had cleaned while I was gone. I gently woke him up and smiled brightly at his drowsy face.

"Hey Natsu. How come you're not out on a job with Happy?" I gasped as he stood up, walked over to me and grabbed my wrist pulling me into his chest.

"Lucy. Don't you know how important today is? Where have you been? I've been so lonely without you."

I was stunned at his words. Nervously, I gently laid my free hand on his bare chest and looked up at him completely dumbfounded. He growled deeply but instead of scaring me, it drew me closer to him.

"N-Natsu?"

I awoke from a dreamless sleep to the most beautiful sound. "Natsu?"

Lucy's voice rang through my ears like an angels song. Her soft hands touched my shoulder as she shook me from my slumber. I opened my eyes and there she was. The most beautiful woman in existence, my mate Lucy.

I swallowed hard, completely ignoring whatever she was saying. Gajeel's words rang fresh through my mind. It was now or never, I needed to let her know how I have always felt about her.

"Lucy don't you know how important today is? Where have you been? I was lonely without you." I grabbed her hand and pulled her close to me. Her chest pressed against my stomach and her touch sent flames up my spine. She wasn't pulling away like I had feared. Instead she laid her hand on my chest which made my heart race faster than 1,000 dragons. I unknowingly let out a low growl that made her blush a light pink.

"N-Natsu?" Dear Mavis her voice drove me crazy. I wanted to hear her say my name, over and over again. I wanted her to look deep into my eyes and tell me she'd never leave. I wanted her.

"Lucy, don't you know how I feel about today?" I asked knowing her answer. I just wanted to see her blush again. Lucky for me that's exactly what she did.

"Today is..um...no Natsu, how do you feel about today? It's just Monday." She avoided looking into my eyes. I don't know if she was embarrassed or if she genuinely thought I didn't care. No. This wouldn't do, I needed to look deep into her golden brown eyes as I finally told her the truth.

I gently tilted her chin up and forced her to look at me. That's when I saw it. The sadness in her eyes. Sadness I had caused . "Lucy," I gotta get right to the point. "Ten years ago today I was in Hargeon. It was the beginning of my first dragon season and it was just me and Happy. That day something amazing happened."

I stopped to think about what my next words would be. I only had one chance at a confession and i needed it to be perfect. Lucy patiently looked up at me, waiting for me to collect my thoughts. She always knew when I was having a hard time communicating and she had the patience to let me work through it.

"That day, even though I didn't know it then, I found something I didn't realize I had been searching for. I found my mate. The other half of my soul. That day my entire life changed. I thought I was happy before but once you came into my life, you so easily became part of my daily routine that now, I couldn't imagine my life without you."

I smiled at her as I wiped the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. I could smell them. I could feel her emotions. She was relieved and happy.

"Oh Natsu..."

"Lucy..." I continued, "don't let that idiot snowflake Grey fool you. Im not as dense as everyone thinks. I know what love is. I was just never interested in anyone before you. I agreed to marry Lisanna only because Igneel told me about mates and I was confused. But when I met you something happened."

She moved away from me causing me to panic. But it was for nothing because she sat down on the couch and motioned for me to sit with her. I moved quickly, obeying her silent request. She turned to face me and grabbed my hands.

"What happened Natsu?" She was blushing and her eyes were shining. She wasn't rejecting me at all. I took a big breath and bravely continued my confession.

"I smelled Christmas." She looked so confused I couldn't stop myself from laughing before explaining. "It smelled like pumpkin spice and cranberries, like happiness and safety. I never smelled something so amazing before and when I found the source of the smell my senses lit up. You were so beautiful, standing there with concern in your eyes. I could see flames dancing in your aura and I knew you were the one. After you came to Fairy Tail and I practically begged you to join team Natsu, we went on adventure after adventure. Each one brought us closer together and I waited for the day I could tell you."

The few small tears were now flooding over. She fell into my chest with her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I pulled her onto my lap and held her close to me by her waist. "Natsu, I need you to say it. Please."

She whispered so quietly that anyone else wouldn't have heard her. But I always hear her. No matter how quiet or how far away, sometimes she didn't even need to speak. I could always hear her.

"Lucy, I love you...so much that it hurts. I would lay down my life to protect you. I would do anything to make you happy. I want to provide for you and love you every day for forever. You're a part of me Lucy and I want you to be my mate."

She cried into my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "You idiot! You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."

"So what do ya say Luce?" She squeezed me tighter so I copied her. Our hearts were beating together and she slowly turned her head to look into my eyes.

"I love you too Natsu. I always have." I couldn't help myself. Once she said those words my body moved on its own, pulling her as close as humanly possible I crashed my lips into hers and let the years of passion flow through.

"Hehe, I knew you had it in you Salamander. Now go claim your mate."

Hiding in the bushes peeking through the window of my best friends house was none other than Gajeel. I had decided to come by and check on her since I knew how upset she was the day before. But when I got there, I found my obnoxious boyfriend spying on her.

"GAJEEL!?" I yelled quietly because I didnt want to scare Lucy. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Shhhh, be quiet little dragon! Look." Curiosity took over and I went to see what he was so interested in. My eyes nearly popped out of my head at the sight. Natsu and Lucy were on the couch, half naked, making out and groping each other. I heard leaves rustling and it brought me back to my senses. I looked over and Gajeel had gotten up and was reaching down to help me out of the bushes.

"Come on, I was just making sure Salamander took my advice. Looks like he finally told her how he feels."

I smiled brightly and took his hand.

"You were listening to us yesterday weren't you?"

He rubbed the back of his head and scoffed before blushing and nodding. "Yea, she was whining so much I couldn't sleep."

"So what did you tell Natsu?" I couldn't be mad at Gajeel, he was just too cute when he was around me.

"I told him the truth, he's 26, he's known who his mate is for years and yet he is still alone. I told him that he made Bunny Girl cry because she thought he didn't love her. I'm pretty sure that's what got him to confess." He seemed extremely pleased with himself and his explanation.

"You're probably right. I think Lucy crying is the thing that sets Natsu off more than anything."

We starting walking back to his house, hand in hand smiling at each other, feeling proud that we had successfully gotten the two together. As we got farther away from Lucy's place the last thing we heard was Lucy screaming.

"NATSUUUUUUU!"