"Hey, Lucy, what's our plan for today?" Natsu moaned from the bed. Lucy could barely hear him from the toilet.

"Hm?" She stuck her tongue out in concentration as she tied one side of her twin tail. She was having a good hair day today, she noted happily.

"You're not listening to me, Lu-uucy." He whined. His voice was muffled.

"Didn't we go through this yesterday?" Lucy surveyed herself in the mirror satisfied; if she did say so herself, she looked good today. A small voice in her head wondered if he would think so too. Lucy watched a small blush creep onto the cheeks of reflection Lucy, and she shook her head.

As if she didn't have enough to deal with without her mind convincing her every other second that she was in love with the dragon slayer. It was bad enough that she had actually said it in the train, even worse that he might have actually heard her. She bit her lip, and then slapped her cheeks lightly. She didn't need these kinds of thoughts in her mind so early in the morning.

"What were you saying, Natsu?" She asked as nonchalantly as possible, coming out from the toilet.

All that greeted her was a light snore. Her eyes followed the noise until it reached a messy-haired Natsu sprawled out on the bed. Was he serious? The blanket had been thrown aside, and the pillows sandwiched comfortably between the fire mage's arms and legs. And did she mention how he was sleeping upside down? Lucy stared at him, not amused.

"Natsu, get up!" she yelled.

This time, it was a snort before the rhythmic snoring fest began again. She stalked to the bed, annoyed. Lucy prodded her love interest – Wait, what? Friend, she meant friend! – square between the eyes. "Natsuu, wake up."

No response. She sighed. She lifted up one of his arms in attempts to drag him up. That was the first thing she would regret, because Natsu suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her on top of him.

Lucy yelped. "N-natsu?! You can't do this two days in a row! That's cliché, you jerk!" she shrieked and struggled.

"But you smell nice, Lucy." He said drowsily, nuzzling into her neck.

"You were awake all this time?" She growled angrily into his ear. That was the second.

"I was awake yesterday too." He mumbled.

"Yesterday, but— You mean, in the hotel?" Third regret.

"No, I mean, on the train. What happened in the hotel?" He rolled her off him and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Lucy patted her hair furiously, feeling oddly violated. "It doesn't matter what happened in the hote—Wait, did you say the train?" Her eyes widened. Crap. "You mean—"

"Mmhmm"

"You heard—"

"Mmhmm"

Lucy distanced herself as far as possible from him on the bed. This could not be happening. She felt her face heating up rapidly.

"Lucy?" Natsu tilted his head to the side.

"You know—I can't—Is this—", she stammered nervously.

"Lucy?" He interrupted. "It's okay."

She felt his warm presence move closer to her and she involuntarily backed up until her back made contact with the cool wall. She looked away embarrassedly as Natsu placed both hands on her shoulders. The warmth from his palms caused goose bumps to travel up and down her spine. The fact that she knew he could hear her heartbeat made it pound even harder against her chest.

"What do you mean 'it's okay'?" she mumbled. "Do you even know what the thing I said meant?"

Lucy felt the warmth of his hand leave her skin and she turned her head slightly in his direction. Natsu scratched his head nervously. "I guess. I mean, I feel weird here." He gestured at his chest. "It feels nice, I think. And if it has to do with you, then I'm okay about it." He grinned that aggravating smile that she had come to love, and Lucy felt her own defences lowering.

"Really?" She said softly, turning to face him fully, before something struck her in her mind. "Hold on a second… since when has Natsu been like this in real life?" She mumbled quietly to herself.

"Uh, Lucy?"

"Of course! This is a dream!" She suddenly exclaimed and jumped up, causing Natsu to fall back onto the bed in shock.

Meanwhile, Lucy breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "This whole thing is a dream! That explains so many things. And for a second, I thought you liked me back. Like that would ever happen." She rolled her eyes and laughed maniacally.

Natsu eyed his partner warily. "I'm still here, you know." He said, slowly.

"So what? You're always in my dreams." She shrugged.

Natsu smirked. "I'm always in your dreams, Lucy?"

"Yeah, all the time!" She said confidentially before moving towards the door. "Now, to end the dream, we'll have to accomplish whatever the aim of the dream is!" She closed her fist tightly in determination.

"Dreams work that way?" Natsu asked, amazed.

"Of course!" Lucy said haughtily. "It looks like this is one of those hyper-realistic dreams about your next day, so we should just do whatever we planned yesterday." She said coolly. She totally had this under control.

"Uh, what's that?"

Right, dream Natsu doesn't know. Lucy's mouth shaped into a small O. "Well, dream Natsu, we're just supposed to pick up a few more gifts for Mira's Santa Operation, then we'll be heading back to Magnolia."

"…Okay. Did you just call me dream Natsu?" His eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"Hold on, you do know about the Santa Operation, right?" Lucy ignored dream Natsu's ignorant question and moved on. Dream Natsu wasn't usually this clueless… these hyper-realistic dreams were more realistic than she thought! Lucy pursed her lips, impressed.

"Lucy, I'm not that stupid you know." Natsu cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Whatever, I don't want to waste anymore time, dream Natsu. Let's go already!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her.

Let's get this over with, dream world!

Lucy had finally lost it.

She had been weird yesterday, but today she was just crazy. Figures, the only time he confessed something like that, she'd think it was a dream. Natsu puffed out his cheeks grumpily as he followed Lucy to the next store. He wasn't smart, and he could be dense, but he wasn't that oblivious.

He used his other hand to clutch the fabric around the left side of his chest. His heart was still beating faster than normal. He couldn't say that he didn't understand it anymore. It only began when Lucy was in the room, and his chest felt almost empty when she wasn't around. He was always happy to be around her, but now his heart was happy too. That's what it meant, right?

He thought telling Lucy would make her happy but apparently not. Natsu frowned harder as Lucy beckoned to him wildly, while calling the name "dream Natsu" over and over again loudly. He sulked as he walked over to her. "I told you, I'm Natsu, not dream Natsu." he grumbled.

"And for the last time, dream Natsu, we're totally in my dream. How else would you explain this?" Lucy lifted up some obscure glass item and waved it in front of him, much to the annoyance of the shop keeper.

"Excuse me, if you're not going to buy that, then would you please put it down?" The shop keeper said loudly, but she was ignored.

"Explain what? Shopping?"Natsu snorted.

"Yes, exactly, shopping!" The glass object was snatched out of her hands by the angry shop keeper.

"But we can shop in real life too." He pointed out, oddly reasonably.

"But this is the task I'm supposed to complete in my dream, so it's not real life."

For once, Natsu felt like he was the smarter one of the duo. "Stop being so weird!" He whined. "I thought you would like it if I told you that my heart is happy because of you."

Lucy turned a bright red. "W-w-w-w-what are you talking about?!" She stammered loudly before laughing falsely. "You're just dream Natsu so it's not real!" She reaffirmed her stance before walking away stiffly.

Natsu groaned loudly. The only way he knew how to make someone realise anything was through his fists. It was easier with the ice popsicle, or even that metal freak, but with Lucy? It was like thinking about punching Erza. The answer was simple: You didn't. But even more than that, Lucy was his precious friend; he'd rather die than hurt her. And yet, she was being so frustrating right now, he could… he could almost… punch a wall!

The sound of crumbling stone and angry shouting dragged Natsu out of his thoughts. When he looked to his right, he saw that his fist was buried deep into a stone wall. He pulled it out hastily and the wall immediately fell apart.

Oh, shit. Dream or not, Lucy was going to kill him!

From a distance, he could hear her calling him. "Dream Natsu?" her voice travelling over the wind. Natsu looked at the direction the sound was coming from, the ruined wall, then the angry shop keeper that seemed to be searching for a weapon. He gulped.

"I'm coming, Lucy!" He yelled back in the most cheerful voice he could muster, and hightailed out of there.

Lucy couldn't believe him. And by him, she meant dream Natsu, not Natsu like he kept trying to say he was. Even if she was acting a little off this time (she was still self-conscious, thank you very much), that didn't mean her sense of logic had completely diminished.

She realised that this dream was more realistic than any of the other dreams she'd had before – and that should be enough proof – but then there was Natsu. He was being too sincere, too considerate, too aware. His confession, it couldn't be real. Lucy shook her head furiously. Even if this was real, and she was making a big fool of herself, she couldn't get her hopes up. This was Natsu she was talking about. He probably mistook his beating heart for excitement… or something.

Suddenly, Natsu voiced pierced through her inner thoughts. "Luuuucy, when are you going to believe me?" he whined for the hundredth time that day.

"No, Natsu! The question is when you're going to believe me?" Lucy asked back, annoyed. "Aren't I usually right about these things? You'll see, once we get the last item on this list, I'll wake up and you will go poof!"

"But Lucy—!" he protested.

"No buts! The last shop is right there." She pointed at a quaint looking cottage. But when she began walking towards it, she realised there was a lack of dragon slayer following her behind. Lucy turned around to see her partner sitting (sitting!) in the middle of the street with his back turned towards her.

She rolled her eyes and stomped over to him. "Natsu, what the hell are you doing?!" She yelled.

"I'm not going in there." He grumbled. "I'm tired of telling you that this isn't a dream."

"For the last time, it is most definitely a dream. And you are following me into this shop!" She argued back, yanking him by the scarf.

"No, let me go!" Natsu yelled back, thrashing about.

"Why. Do you. Have. To be. So. Stubborn?!" Lucy gritted her teeth and dragged him with all her might. All of a sudden, Natsu let go of his grip and Lucy found herself rushing towards the door, her run slowly building into a tumble and eventually a crash into the shop's doorway.

"Ow" Lucy mumbled, rubbing her sore head. She was curled up in an uncomfortable position on the floor, her hand still firmly gripping her partner's scarf. Funny, her legs have never felt so heavy before…

"Er, Lucy?" Natsu said, his voice surprisingly loud.

Lucy opened her eyes; her sense of sight registering the pink-haired boy sprawled on top of her faster than her mind. She stared back into his coal black eyes for a few seconds before she screamed an ear splitting scream.

"Get off me, Natsu!" She pushed him away, but he wouldn't budge.

"I can't!" He yelled back.

"This better not be a joke—"

"Oh, little miss, this is definitely not a joke." A foreign voice interrupted their squabble. The two mages turned their heads immediately to the source of the sound, which turned out to be an elderly man, gentle-looking if not for the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, her anger dissipating out of politeness.

"Why, miss and mister, this," he gestured to their current positions. "is part of our shop's Christmas celebration. Every couple that walks through these doors will have to kiss under the mistletoe in honour of one of this holiday's most beloved traditions."

"K-K-KISS?!" Lucy stammered loudly.

"We get that reaction a lot. But it really is a wonderful tradition, is it not? It was so nice for those mages from Fairy Tail to set this up for us. We've never had this many customers!" The shop keeper clapped his hands together in glee.

Lucy's mouth dropped open. "D-did you just say, Fairy Tail?" She managed to ask.

"Yes, I did. I'm sure you've heard of her – Mirajane Strauss? Fairy Tail's most beautiful mage? She brought along this dashing young man with green hair. I didn't quite catch his name though." The old man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, Lucy's face began to pale in anger. "Is his name Freed?" She asked in a strained voice.

"Why, yes! Yes it was! How did you know, young miss?"

"I'm… from Fairy Tail." She managed to get out through gritted teeth.

"Oh, really?" While the man went on about what a coincidence that was, a crowd had begun to form both inside and outside of the store. Noticing this, Lucy's face paled even further. She had to get out of here before she was forced to kiss Natsu, but this was Freed's runes they were dealing with; the mage that had once single-handedly forced all of Fairy Tail's mages into a battle royale. Without the right kind of magic, it was literally inescapable!

As if reading her mind, the shop keeper suddenly said: "Don't think about getting out of there, little missy. I was informed that they would be literally inescapable unless the conditions are fulfilled. Sorry about that." He shrugged, looking like he wasn't sorry at all.

Lucy groaned exasperatedly.

"Uh, Lucy?"

She turned her head angrily at her next victim, completely forgetting how close their faces were until their noses bumped against each other. Lucy moved her head back instinctively but there was nowhere to run to. She gulped loudly.

"Y-yes, Natsu?"

"We're supposed to… y'know… right?" Lucy was surprised to see a light blush dust his cheeks. "B-but if you don't want to do it, I'm completely alright with it." He said in a heroic voice.

Lucy felt a wave of relief, but the situation immediately caught up to her. "But how else are we going to get out of here?" She asked him worriedly.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But I'm sure we'll find a way!"

"There hasn't been any other way. If you two would please hurry up, I have customers waiting to enter the store." The shop keeper interrupted.

"Sheesh, don't have to be rude." Lucy muttered under her breath.

"Lucy?" They made eye contact as their noses bumped against each other again. Lucy blushed. "I think I got an idea. Just, you have to close your eyes."

"W-wh-what? No! Then I won't know what you're doing!" She protested.

"Don't you trust me, Lucy?" Natsu's face suddenly took on a serious expression. Lucy found herself drawn deeper and deeper into his intense stare.

"I do trust you, but—"

"Then close your eyes." He interrupted her calmly.

Lucy looked at the crowd forming outside the shop, at the eager shop keeper, then back at his face. Then ever so slowly, she closed her eyes. There was a moment of silence. The sound of her pounding heart echoed loudly in her ears, and she closed her eyes even tighter in anticipation. What was he planning to do?

"Just kiss her already!" Someone shouted from amongst the crowd, and Lucy's eyelids fluttered open in shock.

At that exact moment, she felt something warm graze the side of her cheeks. It was so gentle. If she didn't know any better, she would have never thought her hyperactive friend was even capable of such a soft touch. He was always so rough with things, always crashing into something or breaking something or burning something into ashes. She felt her face getting warm despite the cold breeze. When he lifted his face into her view again, Lucy noticed he was sporting a blush of his own. The magic field around them shimmered once then disappeared.

"Well, I guess there was a way out of it after all!" The shop keeper exclaimed. "Miss, here's your gift, it's been pre-ordered. The total is 9,400 jewels." He held a gift bag out to them with a triumphant smile.

"Natsu…" Lucy whispered, her face still red. He turned away quickly and pushed himself off her body. Wordlessly, he offered his hand out to her. She took it gently, feeling the fleeting warmth before he let go once again.

"Don't tell me, it's the first time you two have done something like this? Oh, Mira sure is a sneaky devil!" The shopkeeper interjected cheekily. Lucy shot a death glare at the man – who cared how old he was – before paying him and stalking out of the store.

While she cursed the nerve of the shop keeper, she heard Natsu jogging after her and she slowed her pace. Tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear nervously, she took a chance and turned to her left. They made eye contact for a second before turning away, blushing. No big deal, nooo big deal. Just act casual.

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" She ranted, crossing her arms across her chest in pretend anger. Her cheeks were still tinged with red. "Not to mention, of Mira and Freed. They are so dead when we get back!"

She was expecting an excited reply but she only got silence. Lucy turned her head curiously, but saw that Natsu was staring back at her with that serious expression on his face again. "Wh-what is it?" She stuttered, blushing.

"Do you still think this is a dream, Lucy?"

Her cheeks immediately flared up. "I-I-I-"

"I-I-I- what, Lucy?" He said, taking one step closer to her so that she had to look up at him. Lucy closed her eyes tightly and turned her face away. A short silence followed, and then Natsu suddenly burst into loud peals of laughter.

"Did you think I was going to kiss you again, Lucy?" He said in-between chuckles. When Lucy didn't respond, he took a step back and grinned. "Don't worry, Lucy. I won't do it again."

"You won't?" The question slipped out of Lucy's mouth. She clamped her hand tightly and cursed her stupid brain. Why was she feeling so disappointed?

"I won't do it if you don't want to." He repeated the sentence from before again. "You'd rather do this with other people, anyway." He added nonchalantly, though his grin wavered a little.

"Other people…?" Lucy stared at him blankly.

"You know… those other guys you're always going on dates with. It's not like you go on dates with me, right? Don't be so weird, Lucy." He said, beginning to walk ahead. "C'mon, let's go back to Magnolia so I can beat up that ice cube Gray! My fists have been missing some action!" He punched the air in front of him while yelling loudly.

Meanwhile, Lucy was still digesting Natsu's words. I don't go on dates with him…? He won't kiss me if I don't want it? He doesn't know that I… like him? Her eyes bore into the muscular back of her dragon slayer. He'll kiss me if I want him too?! He likes me?! Her eyes widened.

Natsu turned around to beckon at her to hurry up. "Lucy! Let's goooo!" he yelled.

Lucy felt her heart begin to pound, and she tightened her grip on the gift bag. Natsu likes me. This isn't a dream. The two sentences repeated again and again in her head as she slowly made her way to his side. As he skipped happily at her side, saying something about fighting and ice and Happy, she felt her heart beat even faster.

Natsu likes me. This isn't a dream. Natsu likes me. This isn't a dream. Natsu likes me! This isn't a dream! Should I tell him?

"Lucy?" Her heart skipped a beat as he suddenly stopped in front of her.

"W-wh-what i-is it?!" She yelped.

He narrowed his eyes. "You okay, Lucy?"

This is your chance, Lucy Heartfilia! Her inner voice piped up. You should tell him now!

Wh-what?! NO!

C'mon, don't be such a wuss.

"I like—" She clamped her hand over her mouth.

What the hell? Was that your doing?!

Natsu stared at her, frowning. "You like…?" He prompted.

"Uh…" She looked around desperately, her eyes finally settling on a passing lady carrying a basket full of fish. "…fish! I like fish!" She said desperately, her heart beating fast.

"Is that all?" He grinned. "Then you should come fishing with me and Happy sometime!" He said, before turning around and walking again.

Lucy sighed in relief. That was close.

Hey! What do you mean 'that was close'? Don't you want to tell him how you feel? The voice in her head suddenly piped up again.

No! What the hell was that for?!

What do you mean you don't want him to know? He obviously likes you back. Don't you remember this morning?

…

Now he thinks you like fish! Do you think you're Happy or something?

…

Since when has Lucy Heartfilia stoop to such a low leve—

Enough, enough! I'll tell him! Just stop bothering me!

"Uh, Lucy? What are you doing?" Natsu's voice interrupted her internal argument. She stared at him blankly before removing her hands from her hair sheepishly.

I'll tell him. You'll see.

'It's... nothing." She mumbled.

Note: Happy 2015 to all my readers! Sorry for the long overdue chapter update. I'm not going to bore you with excuses, just that it took a much longer time than I had estimated to get this out. Good news though (if you can consider this good news), I am splitting Day 5 into 2 parts, so the next chapter will be about what happens later in the guild's Christmas party. Follow the story to be updated when I update next!

Update: I changed the ending of this chapter because the previous ending I wrote was too unnatural, I just couldn't progress with part two of the story. Now that I'm more satisfied, I'll upload the next chapter VERY soon!