As she lay in bed that night, Lucy's heart was all aflutter and her mind still swimming. Over and over she replayed the events of the evening in an attempt to come to terms with just what it meant for herself and Natsu, yet whenever she tried to think about it, her mind completely failed her. All she could recall was the incredibly warmth of his lips against her own and the intense feeling in her chest that came with her.

His kiss was one which was decidedly difficult to characterise. It was passionate and intense, while still retaining the feeling of tenderness that Natsu seemed to exude whenever he let his usual cocky persona slide. All the while they had been kissing; she had been enveloped in the scent of his spiced aftershave. Altogether, the intense sense of desire that she felt from him combined with the romance of their situation had awoken something carnal deep within her, and before she had known quite what she was doing, she had wrapper her slender arms around his neck and kissed him back with equal parts passion and desire.

They had remained like that for several minutes, until the taste of his lips was thoroughly ingrained in her mind and beyond the possibility of ever being forgotten. When at last she had finally pulled back and away, her cheeks were rosy and her breathing ragged. Yet perhaps the biggest surprise to her was the unusually shy and sheepish look on Natsu's face. He looked off to the side awkwardly and scratched at the back of his neck.

"I uh…" He began, his voice cracking within seconds. Noting that, he seemingly gave up trying to find words and just uttered one with a tone akin to bewilderment "Wow~"

Lucy giggled softly to herself and leaned in to rest her head on his chest. In her heart, she felt the purest form of joy unlike any she had felt in years. Truly, she felt as though she belonged there in his arms. A tiny part of her hoped that they could stay there on that secluded hilltop beneath the stars, far away from the world and its troubles but it simply couldn't be.

A short while later, she yawned as the fatigue of the day swept out of no-where and wrapped her up in its embrace. Natsu had been quick to act and helped her to her feet and packing away the blanket again. She immediately lamented the loss of his body heat against her the moment he moved away and the evening's chill bit into her again.

They walked back down from the hilltop in companionable silence, though Lucy noted with a grin that Natsu was stealing furtive glances at her much more regularly than he had been on the way up. it was just like him to behave so shyly after they had kissed. He might have put it about that he was all confidence and bravado, but Lucy knew better. She had quickly found that his confident persona was all for show. At heart he was one of the sweetest and most compassionate people that she had met; not that he would ever admit to such a thing. Lucy didn't mind though, it meant that he was comfortable around her if he was willing to drop his guard to such a degree, and the idea that he trusted her so much meant the world to her.

The drive back to her home was over all too quickly for her liking. They had sat in silence for most of the way back, but Lucy didn't mind at all. She was still on a high after the events of the day. It had been wonderful from start to finish. A slight pang of sadness stabbed at her heart when he pulled the car up outside her door, signalling that their time together was now in fact over.

Climbing out of the car, she checked her belongings before walking across the pavement and to her door. Natsu walked along beside her and took a stop a few steps back. It wasn't far to her front door, but Lucy smiled at his protective nature, and glad that he went out of his way to ensure her getting home safely.

"So Luce, I uh… I had a great time today, I hope you did too." He said softly, as she slid her key into the lock.

She took pause, and turned to face him with her warmest smile.

"Absolutely, it was amazing, and I loved every moment of it. Thank you for taking me out to see the stars Natsu, It was really sweet of you." She said, blushing ever so slightly under the light of the streetlamps.

"So maybe we can do this again sometime?"

Smirking to herself, Lucy stepped over to him. She made a point of swaying her hips as much as possible in just the right way to make it as seductive as she could. Leaning right in, she positioned her lips right beside his ear and whispered her reply.

"I think I'd like that Natsu. If tonight was any indicator of things to come, then you can definitely count me in" She purred in his ear. It embarrassed her deeply to have done it, but when she pulled away, the action was justified when she saw the bright red glow to his cheeks. Not quite ready to call it quits, she went in for the kill.

"Thank you again Natsu." She said, darting in to place a quick and delicate kiss on his lips. Instantly, she felt the electricity at the contact that started her heart beating at a full gallop. Then, before her courage could fail her she turned and dashed into her house. No sooner had the door closed behind her, than she collapsed into a puddle as her knees finally gave out underneath her.

On the other side of the door, Natsu stood stock still and utterly star struck. His brain had given out at last. His thoughts had already been swept up into a frenzy at seeing those sultry hips swaying towards him like a seductive pendulum but hearing her purr in his ear in a voice that felt thick with desire had been the straw the broke the camel's back. With his head still in a mess he climbed back into his car and frantically tried to pull his thoughts into order again. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he put the car in gear and pulled away into the night, the grin on his face growing the whole while.

Juvia snuggled in closer to her partner and sighed contentedly. She had spent the whole evening with Gray after having closed down the coffee shop for the day. It had been a kind of impromptu date night, only decided upon at the last moment by a series of last minute text messages. As it turn out, Juvia was more than glad that she did. She had been reclining with Gray on the couch for the whole time, using his shapely chest as her own personal pillow… once she had stopped blushing long enough that was.

When she heard the lock on the apartment door click and the door itself swing open, a soft frown crossed her face. She knew that Natsu's return signalled an effective end to her time alone with Gray and that alone was enough to put a pout on her face. Seemingly, she was nowhere near as subtle as she had thought, as she felt ripples of laughed surge through Gray's body underneath her.

When Natsu came into the room, Juvia was half expecting Lucy to have come along with him. Naturally she was surprised when the blonde was missing. Curious thoughts sprang up in her mind regarding her best friend's date that day, but she opted not to press him for the details.

"Well… how'd it go?" Gray asked bluntly, feigning disinterest. Though Juvia could tell from the briefest of glints in his eyes, that he was in fact very much invested in what his housemate had to say.

"It went… uh… really good. We kissed… I took her out of town a ways to see the stars and we kissed…"

Anymore that he might have said was quickly lost as Juvia let out a high-pitched and thoroughly excited squeal. She was sat bolt upright with her hands clasped together over her heart. Her cheeks glowed and her eyes sparkled as her deep-seated love for romance in all of its forms took hold.

Natsu shot her an uneasy look, sensing the tirade of questions that was about to come his way and hastily shuffled through into the kitchen. Heaving open the fridge door, he grabbed a couple of beers and headed through to his room, away from the overly enthused romance addict.

Gray waited until Natsu was gone and Juvia had settled back down again. He sat upright for a long moment, seemingly lost deep in thought before he once again lay back with her.

"Y'know, their date today must have been something pretty special. Even if he was playing it down quite a bit, I haven't seen him behave like that in a really long time. Whatever happened, it must have meant a lot more to him than he is letting on." Gray said with a slight smile.

"Juvia wonders how Lucy is. If Natsu was completely different afterwards, Juvia knows that Lucy must be pretty excited." Juvia smiled warmly at the thought. She had long hoped that Lucy would find someone to put a smile on her face and from the moment that she had met Natsu that certainly seemed to be the case. Regardless, Juvia fully planned to press the blonde for details. Setting the thoughts aside in the back of her mind, she relaxed back into Gray's side and returned her attention to the film that they were watching.

The following morning, Juvia made her way into work with a jovial feeling in her heart. She opened the door to the coffee shop with a veritable spring in her step. She strolled through to the back and was met with a smiling Lucy sat behind a pile of papers on the table. The blonde was looking at the sheaves of documents in front of her but didn't so much seem to be looking at them as through them. It was clear from the unfocussed look in her eyes that her thoughts were anywhere except the task at hand.

"Good morning Lucy, good date?" Juvia asked with a mischievous grin. The grin faded from her face when Lucy failed to respond.

Her curiosity overtook her as Juvia took a step forward and leaned down in front of her friend. Leaning right in, she locked her blue eyes with Lucy's brown ones and searched for any signs of life therein. Seconds had turned into minutes when all of a sudden, Lucy's eyes returned to sharp focus. Her cheeks glowed a brilliant red and shock registered. Drawing back she sat bolt upright, and stammered out a hasty justification.

"J-Juvia! How long have you been there?! I uh… I was just-"

"Thinking about a certain rosy-haired someone perhaps?" Juvia interrupted, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. The act was rewarded when the blush on Lucy's face took on a much deeper hue than it had been.

"N-no… well, maybe a little but… it's not my fault!" Lucy blurted out, hastily trying to pull together an explanation.

"Oh? You must tell Juvia! Juvia heard from Natsu that you had shared a most romantic and passionate kiss." Juvia gushed with a faraway look on her face, only serving to drive Lucy towards an even greater state of embarrassment.

"Y-yeah… we did… it was magical. He was the perfect gentlemen, we sat together under the stars and he just listened to me talk all about the constellations for ages. Then next thing I know we were moving closer and closer together… and then we were kissing. It was like I was out of body watching things happen but not knowing what to do. It was so romantic and perfect, and my heart still pounds when I think it." Lucy said. She stammered at times, but the more she said, the easier it got. Before she knew it the words were tumbling out of her thick and fast until at last she finished. It felt like a colossal load off of her mind. Doubtless, she would be made to recount the story for Erza and the new-hires before the day was out, but that much she could handle. It would get easier from hereon in right?

It did not.

"So he went to all that trouble?" Erza asked with an enchanted look in her eyes. Seemingly she too had been swept away at the first scent of romance, just as Juvia had been. Lucy smirked a little at the idea, somewhat amused.

"He certainly did, he was nothing but the perfect gentleman the whole time that we were together. He even drove me home afterwards and walked me from the car to my door." The blonde answered.

"And then what happened?" Erza continued. Lucy only had to glance at her to recognise the devilish look in her eyes. Once again she felt the familiar warmth of a blush creeping across her cheeks, as a sense of embarrassment welled up in her heart.

"And then, I went inside and straight to bed while he drove himself home. Nothing more happened that night." Lucy stated matter-of-factly, dismissing any and all thoughts of impropriety from the conversation. Yet despite this, she couldn't quite banish the hint of disappointment from her voice.

It wasn't that she was unhappy with how the date had ended, not at all. But she couldn't deny that a small part of her had wished that it could go further. The idea of them tumbling into bed together in a tangle of her golden hair and an aura of carnal desire stirred something deep inside her. She had fantasised about similar scenes time and time again since, not that she could or would, ever admit the fact.

"Lucy?"

She was pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice. As her eyes refocussed, the concerned face of Erza came into view, flanked by both Laki and Kinana whom had paused in their work, still holding trays laden with freshly prepared coffee. All three looked at her with a confused expression. Behind the counter, Juvia's light and melodic laughter carried and pulled all four of them away from their discussion of Lucy's date.

Almost immediately, four pairs of eyes snapped onto the blue haired barista and very quickly came to understand the source of her amusement. She was leaned against the countertop, her chin resting on her interlaced fingers. She had a kind of faraway look on her face that was quickly explained when Lucy noticed who she was talking to.

At first glance, Lucy had assumed him to be a customer just like any other, dressed in the same kind of tailored charcoal business suit that so many of the other customers tended to wear. As it was, he was far from alike anyone else, it was Gray. The four of them watched in nigh on disbelief as he shot flirtatious smiles at the blue haired woman across the counter.

Straining their ears to hear what the two were discussing, they managed to catch the occasional snippet of the conversation.

"Things are all good to go when you are, I'll have everything finalised and ready in plenty of time I promise. Natsu has agreed to head out in the morning and not come back until we are all finished up. I Wish I could stay around a little longer but if I don't get back to the office I think they might go crazy. I'll see you soon though. Oh, and about this Saturday, we still good to go." He said with a smile. Reaching out he took one of her slight and delicate hands in his own and caressed the back of it with his thumb. Shooting her a final smile, he scooped up a cardboard coffee cup from the counter and wheeled around on his heel. Three long and loping strides was all it took to take him across to the door and outside into the street once again.

Juvia watched him go with a look of longing on her face, though it very quickly passed. Seeming to snap out of her stupor, Juvia quickly turned and set about cleaning down the coffee machines. She hummed softly to herself as she worked. Both Erza and the others continued about their own tasks, knowing that the time to grill Lucy about her romantic life was well and truly passed.

A mischievous grin crossed Lucy's face as she sauntered her way across the coffee shop and slipped behind the counter. In front of her Juvia still worked away. She was completely oblivious to her surroundings and humming cheerily the whole while. Sneaking up behind her best friend, Lucy clamped her slender hands over Juvia's shoulders and leaned in so as to speak directly into her ear.

"So Juvia, you and Gray looked a little cosy. Would you mind telling me just what you were talking about?" She asked. As Lucy spoke, her voice was thick with a sense of amusement.

Immediately, Juvia's whole body seemed to stiffen under the blonde's touch before she managed to stammer out a response. Lucy could tell in an instant that her friend was fumbling to keep something a secret.

"W-well, Gray just came in to uh… to see if Juvia was all prepared for this weekend. Gray is taking Juvia out for dinner at a fancy sounding restaurant in the city centre. Gray just wanted to let Juvia know that the reservations had been made and that everything was ready." Juvia finished, her tone was uncertain. Had Lucy been directly facing her friend, she would have seen Juvia bite at her lip nervously. She hoped that it was enough to convince the blonde.

Lucy remained unconvinced, but did not press the point. Conceding the point, she released her friend's shoulders with a smile and allowed her to return to her work. Turning to the coffee grinder, she began preparing a fresh batch of her special blends of coffee.

Behind her back, Juvia caught Erza's eye and offered up a knowing nod. The redhead returned the look with an expression of surprise, but it quickly gave way to a satisfied smile. Everything was going as planned and moved them ever closer to the final goal that Lucy's friends had been painstakingly preparing.

Lucy groaned when she finally got through the door to her home that night. Her feet were aching and her whole body seemed numbed from the day's work. Half-stumbling and half-walking, she made her way through to her living room and collapsed onto the sofa with an exhausted sigh. The softness of the sofa cushions welcomed her in an instant and threatened to lull her into the warm embrace of sleep.

With a good deal of effort she lifted her head and looked through to the kitchen with bleary eyes. A small part of her hoped that Natsu would poke his head around the doorway with his usual signature grin and provide her with a plate full of whatever delicious concoction that he had thought up, but that was a mere flight of fancy and Natsu wasn't there.

She knew that he was due to be working a late shift that night, something about the company needing all hands on deck for some kind of secretive project that was altogether far too hush-hush. After a minute of willing food to materialise in front of her, and it not happening, Lucy finally hauled herself back onto her tired feet and padded awkwardly through into her kitchen.

Opening the cupboards and the fridge she frowned at each in turn, lamenting the lack of any ingredients in either of them. All that remained available to her was a couple of red onions that had seen better days, some pasta and a tin of tuna. It was, without doubt, going to be a poor show on the food front that evening.

Internally, she cursed herself for not having gone grocery shopping earlier in the week. With Natsu coming around so often and usually providing ingredients for their meals, Lucy had fallen into the rhythm and grown complacent in ensuring that her own cupboards were properly stocked. Her heart sank a little at the idea that she had been taking Natsu and his generosity for granted.

Resigning herself to her culinary fate, she grasped one of the pans from her cupboard and filled it with a measure of the pasta before setting it over the stove to boil. She stood and watched as the first wisps of steam began to rise from its contents and the bubbles began to form. Pulling her attention away, she focussed on the onions. Once they were peeled and ready, she hastily chopped them. Her eyes smarted the whole while and by the time that she was done, bitter tears were filling her eyes. She had always hated onions. No matter how many times her other had taught her the best way to prepare them, Lucy had always forgotten and ended up a teary-eyed mess by the end.

Once they had been chopped, she opened and drained the tin of tuna and added both into a frying pan. She fried them off on a low heat until the pasta was ready. Checking that it was to her taste, Lucy drained off the pasta and combined the contents of the two pans in a bowl. She looked at her meagre meal with an expression of disdain. It was neither nutritious nor appetising. The growling of her stomach quickly put such thoughts out of her mind however, and only ten minutes later she was scraping the plate clean and bizarrely wishing that she had some more.

Leaving her dishes in the sink and writing them off as 'future Lucy's problem', she staggered up the stairs and into her bathroom for what she deemed as a well-deserved bath. While it ran, she lit a couple of scented candles and collected her favourite book. Bringing both it and her phone into the bathroom, she quickly undressed and settled into the hot water. An involuntary sigh passed her lips as the water washed over her and worked its magic on her tired body.

Taking up her book, she flipped through to the page that she had last left off at and began to read. Her eyes scanned through the text with practiced ease as the pages turned into chapters and the story melted away. She had just begun to read through the conclusion for the main heroine's character arc when her phone vibrated violently against the edge of the bath.

The sudden sound startled her so much that she nearly dropped her book into the bath in surprise. With her heart still pounding wildly in her chest, she carefully set her book down on the floor and picked up her phone. The frown on her face quickly melted away when she saw Natsu's name depicted on her phone screen. In a deft motion, she quickly unlocked her phone and opened the message that he had sent her;

'Hey Luce! I know it's your birthday this week and thought you might like to celebrate it! I thought it might be nice to spend the day together so I took the day off work and got a couple of movies I thought you might like. We can relax and watch them and meet up with everyone else that night. I can't tell you anymore about that though, it's a surprise!'

Lucy quirked an eyebrow when she read the final line. She could already feel the curiosity starting to eat away at her inside. She had never been particularly good with surprises, even when she was little, so to know that all of her friends had something prepared for her was going to drive her crazy. Yet she couldn't help but smile at Natsu, there was something incredibly sweet about him taking the day off just so that he could be with her on her birthday. It was something that she hadn't really experienced before.

As the excitement began to build in her chest, she quickly tapped out a reply signifying her agreement to his plan (along with a great deal of thanking) and hit send. Once done, she picked up her book again but found herself unable to settle into it or concentrate on the words in front of her. After a further ten minutes of trying to find the same sense of relaxation that she had enjoyed earlier, and failing to do so, she pulled the plug and climbed out of the bath.

Towelling off and getting into her pyjamas, she sat at her desk and penned a few words on her novel. Her mind was awash with ideas to such an extent that she struggled to pick out just one or two that would fit the narrative that she was trying to write. After drafting out a couple of pages in her flowing script, she set aside her pen and got herself ready for bed.

Even as she climbed into bed beneath the covers, the smile was still affixed onto her lips. It was a state of affairs that was becoming increasingly common for her. Since she had met Natsu, Gray, Erza and the other members of Fairy Tail she had been left with a residual kind of happiness that never seemed to fade, regardless of whatever else might be going on in her life at that time.

Juvia smiled softly to herself as she ran the brush through her tangled, cerulean hair. With each stroke more and more of the knots came free, returning her locks to their original silky state. As she moved the brush back and forth, her mind wandered absently. Since she had gotten the final go-ahead from Erza, it had been a struggle for her to withhold her excitement.

The subject of that excitement was, of course, Lucy's impending birthday. A great deal of effort had gone on behind the scenes in order to get everything ready, and there had been more than a little anxiety about just whether or not everything would be ready in time. Indeed, those fears had been the cause of a number of sleepless nights for all involved.

Yet when the news came through, Juvia felt like she might just burst with excitement. She knew that it would be a big day and naturally she couldn't wait to see the look on Lucy's face when everything finally came together. There would be tears, of that much Juvia was absolutely certain, though just whose tears they would be remained a great mystery.