A/N: GAH! I'm so sorry for the super late update! I had an impromptu baby-sitting session today for one of my mom's co-worker/friend. Plus there were some complications regarding my class schedule for the next term and whatnot. It always seems that life gets in the way of everything, doesn't it?

Better late than ever though, no?

Anyway, I don't think you understand how weird it was to write dialogue in this part (in this story actually). I was honestly going to opt it out and give vague impressions of speech, but this was always endgame. Dialogue had always been endgame. I can't deprive that of this story, nor can I deprive this of you guys.

So enjoy the speech text. If it's a little awkward... well you know why.

Ugh. I'm so bad at confessions. I don't know about this ending. Maybe one day I'll make a Alternate Ending or something. But for now, this is how it ends. Longest chapter for the ending. Anther reason why it's out late; I just couldn't stop writing.

Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima

Seven Attempts to Fall

Attempt Seven: 31 December x791, 11:32 a.m.

It was this attempt that got her, figuratively and literally.

This might come as a surprise, but this ploy came from neither Levy nor Juvia... but hold on, she was getting ahead of herself. After parting from the salmon-haired man and his adorable little sister, Lucy didn't feel up to spirit– which was perfectly understandable.

As weird as it sounds, the golden-haired woman's jolly never really lasted around this time of the year (or rather it would probably be more fitting to say around the end of this year). Christmas cheer was normally the last leg of the joy she had in her happiness reservoir. Which—if was spoken outside of her own thoughts—would make her sound a bit weird.

And possibly insane because yes, she does have a specific amount of joy she uses each year; yes, she immediately refills once the clock hits twelve a.m. on January first; yes, it was not an unlimited supply; and yes, it does run out.

The golden-haired woman contemplated if she should find her friends, or just hole herself inside of Celestial Fire and thank the stars that she could still see the Ball of Magnolia drop at the stroke of midnight. Considering that Juvia and Gray were about to be married in a few months, went ring shopping with Gajeel of all people the day before, and knowing that her joy is currently running on fumes.

And if she tried to find her friends at this hour, she would either be stuck between what society would consider public intercourse between two fully clothed people, a mushy out-of-character proposal from the grumpiest man on earth, or faking a smile that she knew her friends would see right through the moment they saw it...

So yeah... she'd rather hole herself in her café.

And that's exactly what she does.

Despite not having any bearing about where she was, it doesn't take much time for her to navigate through the crowded street. People paid no mind to her hasty retreat as they jumped and cheered and yelled for the yearly shift. On account, the golden-haired woman had been elbowed in the boob in all but four times, nearly nailed in the face by a stray hand in some sort of complicated handshake that some two people were doing, and she was pretty sure she had been groped by the same person.

Twice.

It was a heavy sigh of relief when the café's automatic heating welcomed her with open arms.

31 December x791, 11:41 p.m.

Lucy stood in front of the window with a steaming mug of her second favorite holiday drink; Peppermint-Cinnamon Coffee. Second only to Pumpkin-Cinnamon of course. She would've made whatever she had left of this year's pumpkin hot chocolate, but she only makes that particular drink in a giant batch and she didn't want to waste the precious ingredients.

Besides, she limits herself to one cup of any Celestial Fire drink a day to keep the inventory balanced and the cup she was drinking now was what was leftover from the closing brew.

She lifted the mug to her mouth and let it rest there, the scent of peppermint and cinnamon wafting from the chocolate gold calmed her mind and soul. The heat emanating off of the rim warmed her bottom lip as she watched the Heart of Magnolia sit proudly on his perch above the city. The artificial star outshone even the ones above it; his brothers that clung to the branches of the large, royal tree only helped his mission in ridding the night sky of its natural lights. Her eyes narrowed for a split second, but she closed her eyes before her mind could fall.

Lucy surrounded herself with the simplicity that was her café. It was warm, comforting, and delightful. The very walls itself seemed to have soaked, and perfected, the scent of early-morning baking; the aroma reminded her of every sunrise she watched from this very window while she waited to push in the next batch of dough. The lingering smiles as her customers accepted the puff pastries. The wooden tables soaked in the scent of coffee brewing; ever-changing but never failing.

The golden-haired woman reached down and lightly drifted her nails over the shiny varnish of a nearby oak table.

This café kept her more well-grounded than any habit ever did. In here, she struggled and she persevered. She failed and she succeeded. She made memories in here for the past two years and she wants to keep making memories for however long she was able to stay here.

That wish was resolute.

Sharp rapping on the glass snapped the blonde back to reality and she curiously turned her head towards the sound. Strangely enough, the person who caught her attention was probably more shocking than the action he caught her with. Which was actually a stupid thing to be shocked in the first place. He had to expect at least one more attempt from her friends before the year ended and only they knew where she ran off to every year.

Nonetheless, the salmon-haired stranger waved at her with more happiness than she wanted to deal with. Her blonde eyebrow raised when he pointed to the door of her café and then clasped his palms together in a silent plead to let him in. She only crumbled when she saw his clouded breath rapidly leave his mouth in an effort to stay warm.

With a slight roll of her eyes, she pointed to the door as well and then jerked her head for him to follow. The grin he gave her when she opened the door for him told her that her decision she made would be worth the silent turmoil she'd be going through in the next twenty-minutes.

"Yo," the salmon-haired stranger breathed with a heart-stopping grin, stepping into the arms of the warm café.

"Hey..." the blonde greeted hesitantly, quickly glancing over his shoulder before closing the door. "Not to sound rude or anything but..." she trailed, her eyes questioning, "do you need something?"

The grin never left his lips and he dug into his pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. "I want to cash this in before the year ended."

He gave it to her when she beckoned it, peering down at it with a frown. "This is the coupon I gave you."

"Yep."

"But that was, like, four months ago."

"So?"

"So?" Lucy repeated, her tone incredulous. "It's four months old! What do you mean 'So'?"

"It actually doesn't have an expire date," he not-so-helpfully pointed out, "so technically it's like new."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed. "They why do you want to cash it before the year ends? Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow when Wendy came over?"

"C'mon, Lucy," the salmon-haired man laughed, "how do you think it'll look on my 'big-brother' image if I have to use a coupon while my sister gets free stuff because of her cuteness?"

The golden-haired woman rolled her chocolate-colored eyes. "You're still on about that?"

"Of course!" He shot her an offended look. "It hurts when your little sister calls your mug ugly, Luce. It hurts a lot."

"Oh don't be so melodramatic."

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds tasty."

Lucy gaped at his completely serious expression, refusing to believe that he actually said that. There was a second of tense silence before it was broken by the pinkette's guffaws. Understanding dawned on her and rose a hand to cover her face, her other occupied by the steaming mug of coffee. She felt her lips twitch but fought to hold it back. She was supposed to be running on fumes, not trying to hold back a smile because of a stupid joke. Literally.

"Hold on," Lucy rolled her eyes. She quickly placed her mug on the table and tore off a tab from the coupon and gave the slip back to him. "So what'll it be, sir?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hot Choco or a good ol' cup of Joe?"

"The best hot chocolate you have," he smiled softly, his olive-orbs softening as they usually did when he did that. "And here," the salmon-haired man lifted her hands and pushed the coupon back into her hands, "just take the second one too. Opt out the baked stuff, I'll drink all of whatever you brew."

The blonde looked down at the slip in confusion. "But shouldn't you save it for tomorrow?"

"Nah," he grinned, "I'm still trying to convince the owner that I'm cute enough to get some free drinks."

And despite her berating earlier, Lucy smiled.

31 December x791, 11:50 p.m.

Lucy couldn't help but stare at the salmon-haired man in awe.

Not even a minute ago, she walked out of the back-room with four mugs in hand, all filled to the brim with the last of her Pumpkin-Cinnamon brew. She was going to save it, but he asked for the best and he was the customer. Who was she if she were to deny a request like that? Still, she didn't expect him to down all four cups like water. It was like he didn't even feel the burn of the scalding liquid as he drank them. She was surprised that she still had a firm grip on her cup.

"Lucy?" The pinkette called out to her, making her snap out of whatever daze he subjected her to. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrunk back. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

The blonde continued to peer at him until he shifted under her stare. "You said my name."

"Ah, yeah." His hand dipped into the scarf he was wearing to scratch the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Sorry about what?" Lucy blinked. "That you said my name?"

"No, no! It's just that– I, uh," the salmon-haired man grimaced, "only learned your name about a month ago?"

The blonde didn't know what reaction he expected out of her, but the snort of amusement probably wasn't it. "Oh, don't worry. I still don't know your name, so no harm done."

"What?" He asked in a surprised tone. "You mean to tell me that my metal-faced cousin and that rotten ice-prick had been giving me hell for not knowing your name up until last month and you never knew it from the start?" Lucy shook her head with an amused smile at his accusing tone and he pouted at her. "Now that isn't fair at all."

"It's better this way, don't you think?" The golden-haired woman shrugged. "In seven minutes, it's a new start to a new year."

He gave her an unimpressed look before smiling with a sigh. "New beginnings."

Lucy smiled back. "Exactly."

31 December x791, 11:54 p.m.

"Noooo. Lucy, shut up! Stop laughing!"

The namesake tried to but she couldn't stop the giggles from bubbling over, nor could she stop the tears of laughter from overflowing. She wanted to stop because she didn't think her stomach could take anymore of the pain, but it was no use. No matter what, she couldn't stop remembering why she was laughing so hard and it had come to the point where she had laughed so hard that she was technically reduced to wheezing and snorting when she couldn't get enough air.

"Luuucy," he whined, "Can you please stop laughing?!" Wheeze. "I told you that in confidence!" Snort. "STOP IT!"

"I-I'm s-sorry! I-I can- pfft!" Lucy spluttered and laughed harder. "Y-Your n-name! I can't! I'm sorry!"

"You promised you wouldn't laugh," the salmon-haired man, who fondly went by Natsu, pouted petulantly. "Not even the Ice-prick knows about it. I told you mine, now you tell me yours!"

The blonde wiped a tear from her eye, managing to calm her laughter. "My name isn't nearly as bad as yours, Natsu."

"Stop beatin' round the bush! Tell me!"

"I feel kinda bad for forcing it out of you now," Lucy admitted with a small smile. "My name is Lucky Lucy Heartfilia," she could barely contain the smile that threatened to split her face. "It's nice to meet you, Ethan."

He scowled at her, but it was half-hearted at best. "I regret telling you anythin'."

"But why Ethan?" She asked after she settled down, sipping her coffee. "It sounds nothing like Etherious."

"It's because my Pops loves me, but he's also the biggest idiot in the world." Lucy's eyes rolled curiously to him and he sighed before continuing. "I don't remember much of my Ma, but my Pops said she loved the name. Unfortunately, she kept gettin' mad at him because he always got the names mixed up and eventually she just let 'im call me that. The name stuck for our immediate family but when my Ma passed, Pops started callin' me by my middle name and here we are."

The golden-haired woman blinked. "So not even Wendy or Gajeel knows what your first name is?"

"Nah," Natsu shook his head. "Apart from my ol' Pops and my cat, Happy, you're the only one that knows."

A warm smile slid on Lucy's lips, the amused twinkle in her eye was still left over from her laughter just a few minutes before. "Well if it makes you feel any better, you're the only one who knows my first name apart from my Dad and my dog, Plue."

There was a second of thought before Natsu shook his head. "No, that doesn't really make me feel better at all." No matter what he says later, he still had a smile on his face when she half-heartedly punched his arm. "Why Lucky though?" He asked through his chuckles at her weak attempt to hurt him.

"It's nothing exciting," the golden-haired woman sighed, taking a second to sip her lukewarm cup of coffee. "My mother always had a weak constitution growing up. The doctors at the time predicted that she would never be able to have kids and she grew up believing that. At least, until she met my dad. They were inseparable from the moment they met. High school sweet-hearts, got married after graduation– the whole shebang. And then nearly a decade later, by some stroke of luck–"

"–they had you."

"Yeah."

"Y'know," Natsu pondered after a long moment of silence, "that is pretty lucky." He blinked at her a couple of times before something akin to resolve materialized in his olive-eyes. "Before the new year starts, I have a couple confessions to make."

Lucy blinked at the suddenly serious look he gave her and she felt herself fidget on her feet. "Okay, shoot."

"About what happened on Christmas, Luce," Natsu started off, pulling the scaly scarf away from his face in a nervous tick, "I honestly had no idea that they were going to do that and I know I was kind of a jerk–" at the blonde's raised eyebrow, her harshly tugged his lips between his canines, "–okay. I was a big jerk, but I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry."

"There's no reason for you to be sorry, Natsu," Lucy sighed. "Honestly, I was a pretty big jerk that day as well. I only realized a little too late that they forced you in it too. Of course you wouldn't have known what they were planning–" The blonde paused, her eyes slowly narrowing on the salmon-haired man who seemed to fidget even more. Her mouth formed a little 'o' before her eyes widened and then narrowed sharply. "Unless..."

"Okay!" The salmon-haired man panicked. "So I asked for their help that one time... and maybe all the times afterwards– but could you blame me? I was convinced you hated me when you slammed the door in your own face back at Ice-prick's apartment!"

"That's because you were half naked!" Lucy fumed. "What were you even doing there?!"

"I, er, forgot to pay my water and I live the floor under."

"Honestly, you're such an– wait!" He tensed again, making Lucy scowl. "What do you mean you asked for their help?"

Natsu nervously pulled at his scarf. "I just wanted a chance to talk to you 'cuz you seemed pretty cool, but then we're always winding up in some weird situation and it usually ends with you leaving or avoiding me like the a bad smell."

"Because it was embarrassing," Lucy flushed at the memories, proving her point further. "Couldn't you just– I-I don't know– walk up to me and introduce yourself like a normal person?"

31 December x791, 11:56 p.m.

"I'm not really good with my words and stuff," Natsu admitted. "Levy and Gajeel knows me the longest out of all of them and they told me to wait 'cuz I have a... foot in the mouth disease. Whatever that means." He scratched his cheek with his finger, "and I don't wanna fuck it up because you are pretty cool and my sister really seems to like you. And I didn't try to talked to you because, well, you're terrifying."

Lucy's mouth popped open. "Excuse me?"

"Shit– sorry, that came out wrong!" The salmon-haired man plucked the cup from the blonde's hand before she could chuck it at him. Despite her protests, he quickly placed in on the table and slid it where she couldn't reach it. "I just meant that you scare me– and I know that doesn't sound any better but hear me out!"

The golden-haired woman dropped her glare and crossed her arms under her bust. "Fine. You got a minute, otherwise I swear on all the stars in the sky that–"

"I love you."

Lucy wheezed pathetically, the sound making Natsu laugh despite the situation his words put them in. She didn't understand exactly why he was calm enough to laugh. Unless he just said that to get a rise out of her. If that was the case, she was glad he took her mug away. After all, she would need two hands to choke him.

"At least I think I do."

Two. Hands.

The golden-haired woman spluttered. "You think?!"

"I've never been in love before, but I do know that I liked you a lot and that was before you met Wendy," the salmon-haired man grinned, "and that was before we actually talked without something weird happening. And I know that you probably don't like me like that yet, or if you– y'know," he shrugged, "like me at all."

There was a moment of silence and Lucy couldn't deny the warmth that spread through chest. Their previous interactions had been less than a fairytale and more of a nightmare, that was true. Honestly, there wasn't a reason why she should like him at all, but she noticed the way her heart melted whenever he was near. It was her stubbornness that kept her from thinking about it. But now that she could, Lucy supposed she could have fallen for those two months where all he did was smile from across the street. That simple action never failed to make her heart stutter or her face burn.

But it was funny how she could fall for the moments that weren't an attempt from her friends.

"Against my better judgment, I think I do," Lucy pursed her lips, "like you, I mean." The blonde flushed after a second of stuttering and buried her face in her hands, "oh stars! Why is this so awkward?"

"We've been through worse," Natsu pointed out with a smile.

The golden-haired woman breathed nervously. "I don't know if it's love, but I do like you. A lot."

31 December x791, 11:58 p.m.

"So what now?"

The pair closed their mouths and stared blankly at each other for a quick second before laughing, realizing that they both asked the same thing. It was supposed to be a serious question, but they just couldn't help it. Each second of laughter dissolved the tension that hung in the air. Without even knowing it, their shoulder's relaxed and the anxious coil in their chests loosened, letting them both breath easier despite the breathless laughter they shared.

Natsu recovered first but still chuckled at her snorts. "I want you to meet Happy. I'm sure he'd like you a lot too."

"Your cat?" Lucy asked, wiping a tear from her eye. The salmon-haired man nodded and she smiled. "Okay, I'd like that. As long as you bring him along tomorrow so he can meet Plue."

She didn't know how close he'd gotten until he was sliding his hands up the curve of her waist, leaving behind a trail of fire as he coaxed her to him. She willingly moved forward until he held her loosely in his arms. The gentle smile on his face as he looked down at her only reminded the blonde why she liked him in the first place. It was such a far-cry from the usual exuberant grin that he normally wore and she was the one it was directed to.

Maybe she was lucky after all.

"You up for another holiday tradition?" Natsu asked excitedly after glancing at the clock, his olive-eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Because that worked so well last time," Lucy shot him a sarcastic look, sliding her arms around his neck.

The salmon-haired man playfully bumped their foreheads. "Kiss to seal the deal then?"

The blonde gaped at him, her cheeks flushing pink. "Do you really have to be so blunt about it?"

"Well it's gonna happen sooner or later," he shrugged almost uncaringly, smirking when her face flushed deeper and pushing close enough for their lips to tingle.

"There's still a minute left," Lucy muttered.

Natsu only smirked wider. "How long can you hold your breath?"

"Wait! Natsu! No–"

(A/N: I was actually going to end it here, but since it was a late update. I added description and a little fluff. So enjoy the 'Omake' type section.)

01 January x792, 12:00 a.m.

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"I strongly dislike you."

"Try again, Luce."

"I almost died."

Natsu rolled his eyes at her pout. "I didn't hear any complaining."

"I couldn't breathe enough to complain," Lucy glared but cracked a smile when he snorted.

"I just have to do better then."

The blonde squeaked when his arms tightened around her waist, flushing her entire front against his. She didn't even have a moment to scold him because he hastily pressed his lips back to hers and much like the one they shared a moment ago, it completely took what little breath she had already. She both loved and hated of how her lips melted in his caress– of how they moved with only the slow coaxing of his.

The surprisingly gentle hand on her waist scorched through her shirt and warmed her more than the café's heater could ever dream to. He had to release a protective arm from around her to hold his scarf down, learning the hard way that kissing her was hard when she giggled every time her chin brushed against the scaly material.

Every so often, they parted and Natsu took the brief moment to say something that either made her laugh or made her heart stutter. Most of the time it was simple things like how he'd complain how gross coffee was and then completely turn around in the next break and whisper that he didn't mind it. Lucy didn't look too far into the reason, but her face brightened on instinct and her heart throbbed. So she knew it must've been somewhat of a compliment.

In response, she usually buries her fingers through the salmon-colored tufts of hair. Occasionally she would gently scrape the blunt tips of her nails against his scalp and would smile when a shiver ran down his form. It never fails to make him release a sound akin to a low growl and nip lightly at her lips.

Holy stars. What was he doing to her?

"Better?" He panted when they parted for a third time.

She struggled to suck in enough air but managed to smile and nod. "Mm."

Natsu squeezed her hip gently and dropped his other arm back around his waist, the scaled scarf springing back into place. Lucy giggled when he quickly pressed his lips to hers, the scarf ticking her chin again.

"That's a weird place to be ticklish."

"It's not that it's ticklish, it's just that it feels good in a way where I can't help but laugh."

"Still weird."

"Why do you think cats purr, dummy?"

Natsu paused to think about it, made a face of acknowledgement before looking back to her and shrugging. "Still weird." Lucy rolled her eyes and slid her hands onto his chest so she could rest her cheek on his shoulder. He squeezed her waist curiously. "This might sound weird to ask, but when we get married–"

"When?" The blonde echoed, her tone incredulous even if her body warmed to the thought. She lift her head to raise an eyebrow. "You sound confident."

"Well duh," he voiced as if it was obvious. "If not me, then who else'd marry a weirdo like you–" His arms tightened around her waist when she went to pull away, anchoring her back to him. "Luuuce, please don't leave!" The pinkette whined, "I was kidding!"

"Fine then," the blonde sighed, dropping her forehead on his shoulder. "Hypothetically speaking, when we get married...?"

Natsu grinned, leaning back so he could look at her while he asked. "When we get married–" he ignored her huff of defeat, "–I was wondering if we could tape the ceremony?"

Lucy felt her lips twist in a knowing smile, knowing exactly why he asked. "Does this have something do do with our ridiculous names?"

"And the looks on our friends' faces."

"Okay," she agreed after a moment and laughed at the eager look in his eyes, "when we get married, we can definitely tape the ceremony."

She forgot to add in the 'hypothetically speaking' but didn't mind when he pressed his lips to hers in thanks.

A/N: Omakes are supposed to feel a bit open ended, aren't they? If not then eh.

I'm tired now. The bonus chapter was supposed to go up tomorrow, but I need a little more time to write it since it's all seven parts in Natsu's POV. It's going to take a while but it'll be up eventually. I doubt that it'll be up by Christmas though so to those who celebrate it:

Merry Christmas everyone!

and to those who celebrate something else, then:

Happy/Merry Whatever You Celebrate!

I'm going to work on a few other things now and then I'm going to sleep. Hopefully.