. The Twelve Days of Fairy Tail .

Huffing into her hands to warm them after having chosen to forgo gloves, Lucy Heartfilia glanced at the clock and made a face. She'd gotten in much later than planned. Her train had been stalled by snow and she felt bad, having promised her partner that she'd be at the train station nearly three hours before. When she'd gotten to the station at long last, the familiar pink-haired Natsu Dragneel and the ever-present blue Exceed hadn't been anywhere she could see and she'd been forced to go home alone.

Now, she yanked the hat from her head and scowled. Damn it.

She'd been looking forward to seeing Natsu. She'd been away for a week, spending the time with some of the staff that had worked at the estate she'd lived at when she was younger. And while Lucy had enjoyed it...she'd missed Natsu and Happy. It just wasn't the same. It wasn't as fun enjoying a meal that wasn't involved with cleaning up for an hour afterwards because someone couldn't eat cleanly.

Lucy unwound the scarf from her throat and then shrugged her coat off. She scanned her apartment thoughtfully, grateful no one had appeared to have broken in while she was away -

Nope, she realized when she caught sight of a note on her coffee table. She huffed and tossed her coat over the back of the couch as she scooped it up with nimble fingers, her tired eyes recognizing the handwriting of one Mirajane Strauss. Someone had broken in, but it had been a polite someone.

Lucy, it read on the front of the envelope. She quickly opened it and dropped onto her couch, skimming through the words with ease.

I know you've not been with us for a Christmas just yet, but there's an important tradition I was hoping you'd take part in. I don't want to ruin the surprise too much since you missed it last year, so I'll just assign you a number and you can come and talk to me about it in private when you come in, okay? No jobs until after Christmas unless they're in town!

You're the twelfth day.

Don't tell anyone about or show anyone this note. I have secrets that I will announce to the guild, Lucy.

~Mira

Lucy let out a small whistle and tucked the note away into her pocket with a low whistle. "Okay, so no one's going to find out about that…" She rested her head back, closing her eyes, exhausted after the long trek back through the blowing snow and wind.

She must have dozed off because she awoke to heated breath on her face. She pried her eyes open and yelped at the sight of a worried looking Natsu standing over her, his raw, flushed cheeks hidden by his scarf. He didn't usually get cold, but it looked like the wind had managed to dig its claws into him. "Where'd you come from?" she grumbled as he reeled back, letting her sit up. She flinched at a crick in her neck.

Natsu beamed at her, as if he'd done nothing wrong when he told her, "I came through the window. I didn't know if you were in or not. And it was easier."

"Sorry," Lucy said immediately, apologetic, "for being late. The train got slowed down by the snow and was stuck for a few hours." She ran a hand down her face, yawning loudly. "I know I promised to meet you at the train station and go straight to the guildhall for some reason…" She trailed off, staring at the clock. It was almost eight. "Oh. I slept through the whole night like that? No wonder my head hurts…"

Natsu cackled, entirely amused with the way she'd come to the realization. After a moment, he leaned over her again and nudged her gently with his arm. "C'mon, I promised Happy I'd pick you up so we could both meet him at the guildhall. We have to be there by ten." She opened her mouth to apologize again and he hastily cut her off, eyes warm. "It's fine, Luce. You didn't stop the train by yourself or anything. S'winter. I'm used to it."

"I guess…"

She still looked guilty so he wiggled his fingers playfully. "I'll give you ten minutes to shower or I'm dumping you in the canal."

And he'd do it, too.

He'd done it before.

Lucy gave him the darkest look she could muster and scrambled to her feet. "Dump me in the canal, Natsu Dragneel, and I will make damn sure you never find out what your Christmas gift looks like, do you understand?"

He blinked in surprise. "You got me a gift?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. And since we're not stuck out of town on a job this year, you're not getting it a few days early. It's going under the tree along with the rest of the guild's gifts." He stared at her openly, startled that he'd actually received a gift for some reason, and Lucy gently prodded his shoulder. "Natsu, we're partners and you're my best friend. I wouldn't forget to get you a Christmas gift, even when you do fail to show up at the train station because of unforeseen circumstances." She smiled broadly at him, her expression gentle.

Natsu's face flushed a little, pleased with her words. His heart swelled with warmth as he studied her for a long moment. She was special, just as precious to him as Igneel and Happy were. Sometimes, he felt a little guilty for thinking she meant more than either. She understood him in ways that not even Happy did and knew of every insecurity and guilt he had in his heart. It was likewise for him. He knew everything about her, from the way she hated that she missed her father to the fact that her favorite day of the year was the first of spring.

Sometimes, he thought he might feel a little bit stronger than what partners or friends were supposed to feel for Lucy. And right now was one of those times.

Clearing his throat, he warned Lucy, "Nine minutes."

She glared and lunged for the bathroom, shouting that she'd meet him outside. Natsu waited until she'd closed the bathroom door and then grinned to himself. Lucy was certainly special in more ways than one.

He'd cranked her window back open and had one foot on the window sill when the door suddenly flew open and Lucy popped her head back out to glare sharply at him. He froze, staring at her in surprise. "Door," she hissed, jerking her chin at it and then slammed the bathroom door shut again.

Natsu stared at his feet, looked back, and then sighed and withdrew.

She'd know if he went out the window.

She always did.

December 14th

Lucy met Natsu outside just as promised with only a few seconds to spare, although Natsu silently vowed that he would have never truly thrown his partner into the freezing cold canal in the middle of December. July, on the other hand…

She grimaced as she joined him, giving him a pleading look, and Natsu rolled his eyes before waving her over. "I'm not a blow dryer," he chided as he began to efficiently run his fingers through hre damp golden hair, drying it. Her cheeks were all ready flushed with the cold and he didn't want her to get sick, but she didn't need to know that.

"Thank you," she hummed when he was done using his magic to dispel the wetness from her hair, leaving it soft and dry. He almost pouted as they set off for the guildhall. Despite his determination to be there in time for the annual tradition that he and Lucy had missed out on the previous year, he liked touching her hair. It was softer than Happy's fur.

They walked side by side through the streets of Magnolia, Lucy bundled up in a thick coat and a set of white woolen accessories to keep her throat, fingers, and ears warm. She still crowded close to Natsu, who barely felt the cold. He merely wrinkled his nose at the wind that chapped his nose, occasionally giving a small burst of heat to help keep Lucy warm.

When they reached the guildhall, Lucy whimpered in relief and surged past him to get in first. Natsu laughed and let her, simply following her in without hesitation. He was greeted by the sight of far more people than were usually present and his heart began to race with excitement. Lucy didn't seem to notice, instead ditching her coat and accessories with him upon hearing Levy shout her name. Natsu followed the solid-script mage's voice and found her smiling broadly at Lucy, seated - not to Natsu's surprise - with a grouchy looking and confused Gajeel and Pantherlily.

Natsu snickered under his breath. Putting Lucy's things away for her and hanging his own coat up with them so she could find them later, Natsu headed for the bar to get her something to drink. He kept an eye out for Happy, but the blue cat was nowhere to be found and Mirajane must have understood his confusion. When he reached the bar, she slid him two mugs of hot chocolate and said, "He doesn't like the noise that comes with the Twelve Days, so he said he'd hang upstairs until after it was over."

"Thanks for telling me," the fire mage answered truthfully. He took the mugs, wiggling his eyebrows a little. "Is it starting soon? Luce has no idea what's coming. We weren't here last year for any of the Twelve Days."

Mirajane merely winked and shushed him. "It starts when the person with the First Day decides it starts." She shooed him away from the bar. "Take that hot chocolate to her, would you? She looks absolutely frozen."

Natsu laughed and began the hard work of pushing himself through the guildhall to where Lucy had joined Levy and Gajeel. Lily, it appeared, had fled much like Happy although it looked as if Gajeel didn't know what was going on. Levy, catching sight of Natsu's curious look, grinned.

"Gajeel wasn't here last year during this time either," she told him.

Natsu's grin grew until it looked as if it would split his face in half. Handing the mug of hot chocolate to his partner and seating himself beside her, he snickered, "You're gonna hate it, iron freak."

He really hoped that Gajeel had been picked.

Lucy looked between Natsu and Levy, cradling her mug in her slim fingers with a confused look on her face. "What's going on?"

"Just a little Fairy Tail tradition," Levy reassured, giggling. "You'll see soon enough, Lucy. Oh, goodness, I'm so excited to see who has the First Day!" She squealed, and Natsu and Gajeel winced at the shrillness of her voice. "Natsu, Laxus is going to be here this year. Do you think he'll finally have to suffer through it?"

Natsu choked on his hot chocolate, snorting flames at Gajeel unintentionally and earning himself a murderous look. "Oh, I hope so," he wheezed after catching his breath. He threw a look at the stony looking lightning mage, who had seated himself at the bar. "I've never seen him take part."

"I don't understand," Lucy muttered, choosing not to push for answers when they seemed to think that they would be clear soon.

"You will soon," Levy chuckled, reaching over to squeeze Lucy's arm. The blonde was seated across the table from she and Natsu, perched in a chair to Gajeel's left.

"So how was your family?" Natsu suddenly asked, his onyx gaze resting lightly on Lucy. They were unreadable, waiting for her answer. He put his mug to his lips to help hide his face, not liking the way Levy was scrutinizing his expression with narrowed eyes.

"My family?" Lucy asked with a bewildered expression. She thought it over, then gasped, "Oh! You mean my family's staff! They're all doing well. I'm glad they sent word that they wanted me to attend the get together." Her expression softened with love for the people she'd spent the last week with and even a little sadness. "Some of them died while we were on Tenrou, you know. I visited their graves with the others, and the next thing I knew, we were all gathered in a hotel drinking and eating and some of them were even demanding to hear how you were, Natsu!"

Natsu lowered his mug with a startled expression. "They were?"

"Yep." She flashed him a grin. "They remembered you and the others coming to get me after...things." She glanced at Gajeel for the briefest of moments then returned her gaze to him. He liked that; he hated when she payed attention to others and not to him. "They told me they watched the Grand Magic Games and were very pleased that we won."

Natsu smirked proudly and then nearly dropped his mug when a series of sung words first reached his ears.

"On the first day of Christmas~"

He spun around, nearly dropping his hot chocolate. Levy followed his gaze and squealed, crooning in adoration at the sight of a very determined looking Asuka standing on top of a table with her shocked parents laughing to themselves. Gajeel and Lucy exchanged curious looks, but quickly looked back to watch.

Asuka, realizing she'd gathered everyone's attention, beamed around and began again. "On the first day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me," she sang, pausing for dramatic effect. Finally, she half-sang, half-shouted, "A teddy bear just for me!"

The guild exploded. Lucy gaped as Natsu practically roared with his excitement for the young girl, every other person getting to their feet to scream and cheer. Gajeel swore, covering his ears with a cranky look, and Levy laughed as she gave him a sympathetic look before screaming as Natsu let out a blast of flames, sprinkling everyone with a shower of ash.

"Natsu!" Lucy scolded, though a smile tugged at her lips. "What the hell just happened?"

Levy chuckled and leaned over the table to explain, "Every year, we do a little Christmas tradition that we call the Twelve Days of Fairy Tail. From the fourteenth of December until the twenty-fifth, one person will get on the nearest table at around ten in the morning and blurt out the song lyrics they've made for the song as well as the last set. So, whoever Mirajane assigned to the Second Day will get on a table tomorrow and sing their own lyrics as well as Asuka's."

"Levy," a voice whined, and Lucy looked up as Mirajane appeared, pouting down at her. "I was going to talk to Lucy about it! I didn't think Natsu had explained it well if at all," she added to Lucy. Her eyes flashed when Lucy opened her mouth to question her about the note that she'd remembered to grab before coming. Lucy quickly closed her mouth. She thought about how to word her question before speaking.

"So let me get this straight," she said, leaning her elbows on the table. "The poor bastard assigned to the Twelfth Day has to remember all of the song lyrics?"

"Shit," Gajeel swore, making a face, "that's a pain in the ass."

"That," Mirajane replied, "is tradition. Additionally, on the Twelfth Day, the previous singers get up and sing their lyrics with them going backwards and - well, you'll see." Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she clasped her hands together, winding her fingers. "Oh, tomorrow's going to be fun! I can't wait for you all to see the people I chose for this year. Especially you two since you've never experienced the Twelve Days," Mirajane added with a wink to Lucy and Gajeel. She wiggled her fingers in farewell and then left them in order to give Asuka a candy cane, praising her for keeping her parents in the dark.

"Sometimes," Lucy told Natsu as he snatched her hot chocolate and began to drink it, "I feel like our guild is more like a cult, you know that?"

"A cult for fun." He cracked a grin. "By the way," he added casually to Gajeel, who was looking over towards the job request board, "Mira made a new rule this year. No one's allowed to willingly take work until after Christmas. Unless it's an emergency or Gildarts."

Levy shuddered, running her finger over the table. "Remember when he was assigned the Twelfth Day, Natsu?"

Natsu beamed. "That was the year after I joined the guild. He nearly wrecked the place!" He laughed and Lucy smiled a little, entertained by the amount of fun he was having with everything. "I hope someone good has the Second Day."

Levy hummed her agreement and Lucy tried to not think about the note in her pocket.

December 15th

Lucy had barely taken one step into the guildhall when she was slapped in the face by a wreath. "Oof!" she yelped, sputtering as the wreath fell to the floor. She stared at the wreath, then cranked her head up to find a sheepishly smiling Lisanna looking down at her with an apology in her eyes.

"Sorry," Lisanna sighed, "you scared me."

"No worries." Lucy grabbed the wreath from the floor and offered it up to her. Lisanna thanked her and went back to work on hanging the Christmas decorations as Lucy removed her coat and looked around. It wasn't nearly as filled as it had been the previous day, but there were still quite a few people waiting around, and with good reason. It was almost ten once again, and everyone was just waiting to see who would climb on a table and launch into song. Hanging her coat up, Lucy tilted her head. "Need some help?"

Lisanna shook her head, but flashed her a grateful look. "Thanks, but I've got it. Mirajane, Elfman, and I always do the decorations. Just make sure you have your ornament for the Christmas tree!"

"Ornament?" Lucy asked, cocking her head.

The other girl opened her mouth to speak, then grinned. Lucy went to ask her what she was smiling about only to find herself engulfed in a pair of overheated arms. She squawked, startled, and Natsu laughed in her ear. "Hey, Luce!"

"Natsu," she protested, gently touching his arm with a frown. A moment later, however, a smile kicked at the corners of her lips and before she knew it, she was leaning into him, rolling her eyes. He made a happy sound. Sometimes, Lucy forgot how much he relied on physical affection, and it made her wonder what he'd done when he'd been with Igneel.

Lisanna hummed almost knowingly and made Lucy glare at her. They'd had talks, and she glared at her, knowing just what Lisanna was thinking. Lisanna winked and hummed a Christmas tune under her breath. Natsu looked between them with a bewildered look. He never knew what looks like that meant.

"Did I miss it?" he demanded.

"The Second Day?" Lisanna asked for clarification as she descended from her ladder. "Nope. But I was telling Lucy about the ornaments. Do you want to explain? I have to go grab some more wreaths for the outside and whatnot…"

"Yeah," Natsu agreed. He pulled away, leaving his elbow resting on Lucy's shoulder and leaning on her. "We always set up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve," he explained, gesturing at a corner. Lucy blinked, realizing it had been emptied of tables. "And everyone in the guild brings a special ornament to hang on the tree. I've had mine since my first Christmas here," he bragged.

Lucy thought over that for a few moments, tapping her lip in thought. "I'll have to find one. I don't have any ornaments…" She furrowed her brow. "You know, I haven't celebrated a real Christmas in years. Not like this." Natsu stared at her in surprise. "What? I was a runaway with no friends until I joined Fairy Tail, and then Tenrou happened, and then we weren't here last year."

Natsu stared at her sharply. Finally, he huffed, looking agitated, "Damn it, now my gift's not good enough."

"Huh?" she muttered oh, so intelligently.

"I got you a gift, but if you haven't had Christmas in so long, then you need something better," he huffed. He wrinkled his nose. "I'm gonna get you the best Christmas gift ever!"

"That's very nice of you," she laughed, then took his hand and squeezed it. "But...I really, really don't need anything, Natsu. I'm just happy to be having Christmas with you and the rest of the guild."

"Yes, you do," he argued, distressed. "I want you to have a good Christmas!"

"Natsu," Lucy said gently, gripping his scarf and using it to give him a small shake. He looked down at her with a frown on his face and a bothered look in his sharp gaze. She looked back with kind warmth. "Natsu," she repeated, "I'll have a perfect Christmas simply because you and everyone else is going to be here. That's all that matters to me. I'll be here with the family you introduced me to, and that's all that matters to me. That's what Christmas is. Not about the gifts, but about the people I get to have it with." She ran her fingers along his scarf gently, knowing how much he loved it. "Okay?"

He searched her gaze. "Okay."

But he was still going to get her a good gift to go along with the nice locket he'd gotten her.

They remained like that for a few moments, simply looking at one another, but finally ripped their expressions away from one another when delighted laughter filled the air. A proud looking Elfman had clambered his way onto the nearest table and was looking out at everyone around him.

Finally, he sang, "On the second day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me," he paused much like Asuka had, then continued, "two manly gifts and a teddy bear just for me!"

Natsu whooped with a laugh, and Lucy giggled when Mirajane and Lisanna gave their brother exasperated looks. Patting Natsu's chest, she went to reassure the silver-haired woman that it was all right that Elfman had based his off of such simple words.

Natsu watched her go, never tearing his gaze from her slim form.

This Christmas, he realized, had to be perfect.

December 16th

"Every time I come in here," Lucy told Gray and Erza on the Third Day, waiting to see who would stand up and sing. "I swear that there is just one decoration different that's been put up. It's like Mira's slowly turning me crazy."

Gray, half-naked with a mug of black coffee in his hand, flashed her a grin, amused. "Well, yeah. That's what we do. Watch out for Christmas Eve, the eleventh day. That's when the mistletoe goes out, and I heard you're high up on her target list this year."

Lucy made a face. "I don't need mistletoe to get someone to kiss me," she muttered, sipping at her tea. Erza chuckled from her left, her gaze skimming some paperwork she'd offered to help Makarov with. As Lucy ran her eyes over the people in the guildhall, she set her tea down and frowned. "Have either of you seen Natsu yet? It's almost ten and he's not here yet. He was so determined to be here and watch every single day…"

"Nah, but Happy's in," Gray told her. He gestured with a grimace to where the blue-furred cat was chatting with Charle and Wendy about something or another, waving his paws animatedly to create a visual aid for whatever they were talking about. "Which means he's around here somehow. Don't worry, he'll be here. He never misses the Twelve Days."

"I have yet to see him miss a single Day," Erza agreed. "He's made it to every single Day every year without fail, Lucy." Erza threw her friend a kind look. "He'll be here." The scarlet-haired warrior set the paperwork aside with a sigh and pushed a few red strands from thoughtful eyes. "Have you two finished your Christmas shopping yet?"

"Mm," Lucy hummed, shaking her head.

Gray lowered his mug from his mouth and made a so-so motion with his hand. "Just a few more left to go. I'm not sure what to get Wendy," he admitted. He glanced over his shoulder.

"You'll figure it out," the celestial mage beside him reassured, patting his shoulder with a smile. She tucked her fingers into her lap and then lifted her chin to look behind him. "Oh, there's Natsu."

"That's because it's ten," Gray pointed out with a snort. "Lucy, he's probably shopping again. He usually waits until the last minute to shop."

"But he's good at it," Erza added. She nudged her papers further away. "He always gets everyone in the guild a gift and somehow manages to get us all exactly what we didn't know we wanted until it's in our hand. He's quite adept at shopping for others."

Lucy furrowed her brow as she caught her partner's eye and waved. "I didn't know that," she admitted. She sputtered when Natsu merely turned his gaze away, not willing to look at her for too long. Offended, she demanded, "What the hell? Did I do something wrong? I thought we were on good terms last night!"

"He's trying to avoid everyone, Lucy," Gray hastily reassured as she scowled, not wanting a cranky Lucy on his hands. "It's normal, trust us. You wanna go ice skating with me, Wendy, and Romeo after the third person sings? You, too, Erza."

"Sure," Lucy huffed, wrinkling her nose. It wouldn't be quite as fun without her partner, but at least it would keep her mind off of the way he was trying to stay away from them all.

"Yes," Erza said firmly. "I recently purchased new skates and have been meaning to try them. This will prove to be a good time."

And then the requip mage promptly clambered onto the top of the bar. Gray burst out laughing and Lucy sighed in exasperation as the guild began to cheer. Erza didn't hesitate to practically shout, "On the third day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me…" She paused, cheeks flushing a little. "Threw new swords, two manly gifts, and a teddy bear just for me!"

Lucy cracked a smile as Gray raised his mug of coffee to her in praise, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Go, Erza!" she laughed, smiling warmly at her friend. Erza's face was the color of her hair as she climbed back down from the bar. Several people gathered to praise and congratulate her. Lucy used the chance to look back, only to frown as she realized Natsu was slipping out of the guildhall, off to do who knew what.

Gray squeezed her shoulder and leaned in to murmur, "C'mon, let's get going. He'll show up eventually to join in. He's an idiot, but he won't avoid you all day. He'll come looking eventually." The ice-make mage climbed to his feet and offered a hand to Lucy, who reluctantly took it and let him haul her to her feet. He ruffled her hair affectionately, trying to make her feel better. "Coming, Erza?"

The still flustered requip mage gave a curt nod. "Yes. Let me quickly give the paperwork to Master. I'll meet you just outside."

Gray nodded to show his understanding then tossed an arm playfully around Lucy's shoulder, leading her to the doors as he shouted for Wendy. The sky mage heard his voice with ease and rushed for the doors with an excited squeal, Romeo tearing after her with a laugh.

Lucy's lips quirked a little.

It looked like the holidays were everyone's favorite time of year.

Natsu knew where Lucy would be thanks to an eavesdropping Mirajane and found his feet taking him to the lake outside of town that Fairy Tail used for ice skating during the winter. It was far enough out that no civilian tended to come out, but just in case, Gray was careful to reinforce the ice every morning, payed for his quick work by the town's mayor out of sheer gratitude for the amount of people he'd probably saved from going through the ice.

When he got there, he paused on the shore, lips curving into an amused grin.

It looked as if the exhausted Wendy and Romeo had taken a break, and were working to build a snowman on the bank. They were half-done, both bending their heads close to each other so that they could whisper about something. Natsu puffed out a cloudy breath, noticing that like Happy, Charle had voted to hide indoors. Neither liked the cold.

Gray, Erza, and Lucy, however, were skating. They all looked comfortable as they skated this way and that, Gray clearly having the most experience as he glided in circles around them, allowing them to struggle a little and offering tips when needed. Lucy caught Natsu's eye and he couldn't help but watch her, gaze softening.

She had a large smile plastered over her face, and it only grew wider when Erza, agitated, tripped Gray. He yelped as he went down and Natsu stifled a bark of laughter, instead watching as Lucy burst into giggles, looking delighted. She looked happy, even with her cheeks flushed from the cold and her nose a little red. She slipped and caught Erza's arm, and Erza rushed to help her catch her balance. The motion must have let her see him, because suddenly, Lucy's eyes were on him and she was shouting, "You made it!"

Natsu's chest puffed with pride over the fact that she seemed excited he was there. "'Course I did," he called back. He held up the skates he'd remembered to bring, waving them. "Not gonna let the team go without me."

"Just don't melt the ice," Gray sneered, "I put a lot of work into it this year."

Natsu threw him a scowl. "I'm not gonna melt the damn ice, you stripping icicle." He curled a lip, then went to work on putting his skates on, burning snow away from the ground so he could comfortably sit and not get soaking wet. He pretended he didn't see Lucy skating over to wait for him, leaving Erza to scold Gray for trying to start fights. When he climbed to his feet, she was standing there on the ice, waiting for him with a warm smile.

He grinned at her. "Hey, Luce."

"Hi, Natsu," she giggled. She skated backwards a little and let him step onto the ice. He took a minute to get used to the feeling of ice beneath his feet again, haven't had skated since the previous winter, and was soon skating with ease, shoving his hands into the pockets of the coat he wore for show. He cackled when Lucy almost fell, startled when he bumped her playfully. "Natsu Dragneel," she seethed, "if you make me fall-"

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't let you fall, Lucy," he said with exaggerated patience. "Honestly, I'm not that horrible a person." He nudged her again, this time a little more gently so she didn't slip. "Seriously. I promise I won't let you fall on the ice."

Lucy stared at him suspiciously, but finally nodded uncomfortably and stopped complaining about his proximity. Instead, she burst out laughing when she looked over in time to see Wendy nail Gray in the face with a snowball she'd thrown at him from where she was on the bank of the pond with Romeo, her lips quirking into a tiny little smirk when Gray yelped. "Hey!" he bellowed, swiping snow away from his face after narrowly avoiding falling.

Wendy threw him an innocent look. "Sorry," she hummed, "we were trying to see if we could throw them between you guys."

Gray opened his mouth, closed it, and then glared at Natsu when Natsu began to laugh.

December 17th

"Luce!"

Lucy screamed in surprise when she was suddenly airborne, lifted into the air by the strong arms wrapped around her waist. Levy stared at her in shock, clearly not having expected her to be snatched up in such a way. "Natsu," Lucy shrieked, squirming. "Put me down!"

He grinned, laughing as he put her down. He'd aimed to scare her when he found her and it looked like he'd succeeded. He could always blame the poinsettias Mirajane had put out this morning; they always did strange things to his energy levels.

She elbowed him irritably for it. "Jerk! I was drinking tea! What would have happened if you'd done that while I was mid-sip, huh? I would have spilled it not only all over us, but probably all over Levy, too! And then you would have had to deal with Erza for burning us!"

Natsu shivered. He hated the idea of dealing with an angry Erza. Draping his heavy body on hers, arms slung over her shoulders and chin on her head, he rumbled a quick apology to both of them.

Lucy rolled her eyes, but Levy was looking between them in quick glances, her hazel eyes sparkling as she teased, "Got something to tell us, Lucy? I didn't know that you two were finally dating."

Lucy sputtered in horror and Natsu forced himself not to rip away from the blonde. Instead, he made himself remain relaxed as he blinked slowly at her, driving a confused expression onto his face. He knew precisely what they were talking about, knew precisely why they would think that way and how the women liked to gossip and plan their scheming ways. He'd all ready prepared for the day of mistletoe that Mirajane was plotting. He liked that they thought he didn't know what they were talking about. It kept him out of the radar.

"Why would you think that, Levy?" he asked, keeping that innocent look on his face.

Let them think he didn't know that Lucy was an attractive woman and that the warmth in his chest was from so much more than friendship.

"Shut up," Lucy huffed, "it's not like that."

Levy lifted her brows and threw Natsu a knowing look before shrugging and turning back to her book. "Whatever you say." Natsu grimaced. She knew he was a liar.

So long as she didn't say anything, he promised silently, he wouldn't rat her out to Gajeel.

"Where's Happy?" Lucy asked, tugging herself free of Natsu's arms to look up at him. He let her, trying to avoid the pout that nearly crept onto his face. Instead, he grinned.

"Dunno," he admitted. "Somewhere around here. He'll show up soon. He's been running off a lot lately, hasn't he?"

"I've barely seen the dumb cat for the last week," Lucy grumbled, looking a little bothered by it. "Not since I came back...so longer. Is he mad at me? Did I do something to him?" She looked pleadingly at Natsu, encouraging him to answer truthfully.

He gently prodded her stomach, and she gasped. She swatted at his hand, pressing her lips together to try and not laugh. "Don't do that," she muttered.

"He's not mad," Natsu promised, smiling reassuringly. "I only see him like I do because we live together. He stays away from the guildhall until the Twelve Days are over, just 'cause it hurts his ears. He doesn't like the noise too much. He's hangin' around today though. Something about giving Mira his ornament for the tree."

"I need to do that still." Lucy tapped her lower lip and Natsu let himself watch for an instant before returning his gaze to her eyes. "I was thinking of asking Loke if there was something the Spirits could do to make me something to use as an ornament."

Natsu's eyes lit up and he bumped her cheerfully with his shoulder. "That's a good one. Mira will approve."

Lucy gave him a look of exasperation. "You've been so touchy lately," she huffed, bumping him back pointedly. "What's going on, Natsu?"

"Nothing," he denied quickly, but that only made her more suspicious. "Nothing," he repeated insistently, furrowing his brow. "Just...missed you when you were gone." A week without Lucy had seemed like forever. He hadn't felt the urge to take work. Not without her. Even Happy had noticed, though the blue-furred Exceed had kept his mouth shut, knowing that Natsu didn't want to talk about it.

Apparently he'd said the right thing, because her expression softened from suspicion to warmth and gentleness. She gently bumped him with her shoulder a second time, waiting until he was looking in her eyes to say, "I'm glad to hear that. I'll make it up to you, okay? After Christmas, we'll take a job. You, me, and Happy. I'll let you pick it out so long as you promise me that you'll get something that will pay my rent."

Natsu tugged the scarf from his mouth so she could see his wide grin. "Sounds fun."

"Good." She winked at him, and then suddenly began to giggle. Natsu blinked, followed her gaze, then laughed himself.

Happy had scrambled onto the bar like Erza had, and was staring down everyone with a rather grumpy expression, ears pinned to his head to block out the cheering that filled the guildhall. "On the fourth day of Christmas," he shouted more than sang, "Fairy Tail gave to me~" He beamed at Natsu, who nodded encouragingly. "Four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts, and a teddy bear just for me!"

Lucy and Natsu exchanged entertained looks and made sure that even from where they stood in the back of the guildhall, Happy could hear their cheers.

December 18th

Lucy made a beeline for the bar, swearing loudly and earning cackling from Gajeel, who was all ready seated there with a screw sticking out of his mouth and a cup of coffee in the other. "S'wrong, Bunny Girl?" he asked as she slammed herself into the seat beside him. "Behind on rent?"

"No," she snarled, scowling. She took his coffee from him, not at all bothered that it was Gajeel's or that he was glaring at her furiously for doing so. Mirajane came to the rescue, chuckling as she pushed a new coffee at him. "Natsu."

"What'd he do?"

Lucy rubbed her temples as she set the mug of coffee down, took a deep breath, and then said with an exasperated tone, "He just...we got into a fight over something stupid. I accidentally said something about how I usually hated Christmas because it had always been lonely for me, and he got cranky about it. He made a snide comment, I made a retort, you get the general idea." She folded her arms and rested her chin and arms on the bar.

Gajeel wrinkled his nose. He wasn't good for conversations like this. Levy should have been there, but she was just arriving, shrugging her coat off and chattering with Lily, who'd gone to pick her up. After a long moment, he said finally, "Bunny Girl, you know I ain't too good with stuff like that, but s'kinda obvious why he got pissed."

"Not to me," she mumbled.

Rolling his crimson eyes to the sky and praying for patience when it came to dealing with the idiocy of the Fairy Tail guild, Gajeel said gruffly, "He's pissed 'cause he thinks you don't appreciate the fact that you've got the rest of us hangin' around. He snapped 'cause you basically told him he and the rest of us aren't good enough for you. You gotta have someone else."

Lucy snapped upright, horrified. "I didn't mean it like that! I didn't even say this Christmas! I just…" She pressed her lips together. "This is my first real Christmas in years. We didn't celebrate it after my mom died because my dad couldn't handle it and I spent Christmas alone in my room. Then I ran away and had no one to spend it with, and there was everything with Tenrou happened and last year we didn't really do anything. I didn't mean this Christmas. I love having everyone around for the holiday. Just...it's new for me. Before, I would have spent the holiday moping alone in my room."

Gajeel huffed impatiently, wishing Levy would stop chatting and get her ass over to the bar. "Look," he grunted, "tell the idiot that. And apologize."

Lucy made a face at the idea of apologizing, but nodded unhappily. "When he gets here, I guess I will."

"Good. Now stop pesterin' me." Gajeel shoved an iron nail into his mouth and Lucy grimaced as the metal screeched deliciously between his teeth. He glanced at the clock, and then without prompting, hauled himself into a standing position on his bar stool. Lucy gaped up at him in alarm as he gave her a mocking grin.

The only reason he hadn't said to hell with all of this was because Levy had been telling him she'd love to see him participate. And he had a shrimp to impress.

"On the fifth day of Christmas," he bellowed, ignoring the gawking crowd before him and avoiding Levy's delighted look, "Fairy Tail gave to me: five iron meals." He paused, then continued. "Four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts, and a…" He made a face now that made Asuka giggle hysterically from where she was eating breakfast. "A teddy bear just for me."

With that, Gajeel hopped down from the stool and the guild burst into cheers and laughter.

Lucy reached over to pat his arm reassuringly when she saw the red that had blossomed in his cheeks. "If it makes you feel better," she said, "Levy looks very pleased."

"Shut up," he snarled, and she only laughed and began to scan the guildhall for Natsu.

She was disappointed to find he wasn't there, which only made her feel worse, because she knew he was hoping that Laxus or Gajeel would be dragged into it all. Tears stung her eyes and despite the time of day, she waved for Mirajane and asked for something stronger.

December 19th

"Natsu," Erza said sharply, catching the fire mage off guard. He'd been hiding in the darkest of corners, watching the guild's festivities that morning without wanting to talk to anyone. He was shocked that he'd been found, honestly. Not even Happy had known he was there. She stood before him with her hands on her hips, a stern look in her eyes. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said irritably, reaching for his mug of hot chocolate. Mirajane had made it especially for him, seeing the tired look he'd worn that morning. She'd added quite a bit of cinnamon, knowing that he liked the way it burned his mouth.

"Don't you lie to me, Natsu Dragneel," Erza huffed. "Lucy's eyes are so swollen and bloodshot she can barely see and Mirajane made her promise to go home after the Twelve Days tradition this morning."

Guilt flashed through him, and he instinctively sought out his golden-haired partner. He found her sitting with her head in her arms at the bar, a scowling Gray on one side of her, awkwardly patting her back as Juvia leaned over him to say something, and Levy on the other, pressing her lips together unhappily. From where he was seated, edging away, Laxus grimaced, not wanting to be dragged in by Mirajane. Natsu made a face, feeling even worse. "Damn."

"What's going on?" she demanded, "Lucy was unhappy yesterday, too, but not nearly this badly."

Natsu squirmed a little, reaching for his drink to get some extra thinking time, but Erza plucked it out of his grasp. He gawked, then scowled and admitted, "We had...we had a fight. It was stupid."

"Then why haven't you made up?" Erza asked, her expression softening a little as she seated herself at the table across from him. "You're both clearly upset and no longer angry with one another."

Natsu thought about how to put what he was feeling into words for a few moments, then said, "She said we weren't good enough for her."

"That doesn't sound like Lucy," Erza said gently. "What made her say that?"

"She didn't really, but it's what I feel like she said," he admitted,shaking his head. He blinked rapidly, aware that his own eyes were burning. He hated crying. It was ridiculous and unhelpful. "She said that she hated Christmas because it was lonely. While I was standing right in front of her and telling her about everything the guild does. Like we don't matter."

Erza sighed softly. "A misunderstanding then," she murmured. Gently, she continued speaking, telling him, "Speak with her. I know that isn't what she meant, Natsu. Both of you are clearly hurting and we don't want that. I'll send her over here, okay?"

Natsu hunched his shoulders as she slid his drink back to him, hiding his mouth and nose in the scarf wrapped around her throat. "I don't want to talk to her yet." Erza glared at him now. "Fine. I don't want to, but I will."

"I'll send her over," Erza repeated, climbing to her feet again. Natsu watched her go, sinking heavily into his seat. He didn't want to talk to Lucy. He didn't want her to know just how much her comment had hurt him, no matter if she'd intended for it to hurt him or not.

Rather than watching for her, he kept his gaze on his hot chocolate, his fingers tight around the glass mug. He refused to look at her. Refused. Because looking at her tear-streaked face would make the hurt so much worse. He knew she hadn't meant it like that in the back of his mind, but it still had hurt him deeply enough that he'd fired right back at her, trying to inflict as much pain as he felt.

"Natsu?"

Lucy's voice had him flinching, the hot chocolate heating to a boil as he forced himself to flick his eyes up. She stood there before him, her arms wrapped unhappily around herself. Her swollen brown eyes were just as Erza had described and she looked exhausted. He felt a flicker of concern; she clearly shouldn't have been up and about. She tried to push a smile to her face, but it faltered and vanished when he said nothing.

There was an awkward moment in which they stared at one another, and then Lucy shook her head, turning away, and he panicked. "I'm sorry!" he blurted.

She paused, then looked at him again. A frown appeared on her face. "Why?" she asked, carefully taking the seat Erza had taken. "You shouldn't be apologizing, Natsu, I…" She cleared her throat, her voice hoarse, and he wanted to shake himself for being stupid enough to make her this upset. "I'm sorry. For saying what I did. I didn't...I didn't mean that I don't love you guys." His heart skipped a beat at the phrase. "And I didn't mean that I don't like enjoying the holidays with you."

"I know," he admitted. "I shouldn't have overreacted." She smiled faintly, and he was horrified when tears gathered in her eyes again. "Luce, you gotta stop crying," he whined, reaching out to gently swipe some from her cheek without thinking. His fingers lingered briefly on her skin, comforting, before he withdrew his hand.

"Sorry," she croaked again. She swallowed thickly, took a deep breath, and then rasped, "I haven't had a real Christmas like this since before my mother died, Natsu." He stiffened in surprise. "I told you that this is my first Christmas in a while. The holiday...it was usually a really lonely one for me. I was locked in my room by my father's staff and then when I ran away, I had no one. We didn't get a real Christmas over the seven years we spent on Tenrou, and...last year we were stuck out of town."

"Oh," he mumbled, scowling to himself. He was an idiot. Truly, an idiot. "Sorry. Um, are we...okay now?"

Lucy suddenly smiled brightly, catching him by surprise. "Of course."

He relaxed, the tension melting from his his shoulders. Gently, he reached out and cupped the back of her head in his hand, drawing her close so he could press his forehead to hers, onyx gaze fierce. She leaned into his touch for a moment before pulling back as delighted laughter filled the air, followed by a snarl in response. Natsu looked over Lucy's head and his eyes began to shine with excitement.

"It's Laxus," he crowed, and Lucy turned to watch as the very unhappy lightning mage glared down at them all form the table he'd climbed onto and seethed, not bothering to try and sing the words.

"On the sixth day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me," he gritted out. "Six annoying brats," this was thrown at Bickslow, who was laughing hysterically with the rest of their teammates, "five iron meals, four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts…" He sighed in defeat. "And a teddy bear just for me."

Natsu was in tears, laughing so hard, and Lucy giggled alongside him, mostly at his laughter.

When he'd wiped them from his eyes, she told him, "You should have seen Gajeel yesterday."

He bent his head and rested it against the table, giggling like a toddler.

December 20th

Lucy, feeling much better, locked the door to her apartment, humming softly under her breath. She shoved her hands and keys deep into her pocket, feeling the warmth that came from her Spirits' keys. She'd summoned a few the night before to chat and thank them for their patience when they asked why she wasn't taken work. Loke had promised to see to it that she had an ornament before launching into tales of the times in which he'd sung for the Twelve Days. She appreciated them more than anyone else in the world.

"Morning, Luce!"

Almost anyone.

"Hi, Natsu," Lucy greeted with a soft smile. She arched a brow when he slung an arm around her shoulders, but wrapped her own around his waist in a hug of greeting. "Where's Happy?"

It was becoming the daily question.

"Lector invited the Exceeds for a little bit of kitty Christmas stuff, apparently," Natsu told her. "They left early this morning. I told Happy that they had to be back by Christmas morning though, so don't worry." She leaned into him, enjoying the warmth he offered, and shivered. He frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she promised, patting his arm reassuringly. "Just...cold."

"It is kinda chilly," he agreed, puffing fire from his lips. She giggled when they tickled her face, warming it. "C'mon, let's get going'. I heard that Mirajane was gonna put up some stars today. I thought you'd like them."

Her heart swelled with warmth for her partner and she gave him a little squeeze around his middle. Their fight long forgotten, she leaned into him as they walked down Strawberry Street, enjoying what warmth he offered. Natsu fell silent as they walked, debating.

He liked moments like these, when they were alone and she was comfortable. In Happy's words, he liked her. He knew it, he was pretty sure that everyone else new it, he just didn't know if Lucy knew it. And he was thinking that he wanted her to.

They had just turned onto the street that the guildhall rested on when he faltered, hesitant. "Natsu?" Lucy asked, puzzled. "Are you okay?"

He blinked once, then mumbled, "Yeah. Just...thinking about something I might try."

"Oh?" She arched a brow. "What are you going to try? Whatever it is, I doubt you'll be bad at it." He glanced at her with a confused look and Lucy reached up to ruffle his pink hair with her gloved fingers. He squawked in mock outrage. "You rarely aren't good at something you want to try."

"Yeah, but...if I mess up with this, it'll ruin more than just me," he muttered. Natsu took a deep breath, let it out in a whoosh, and then looked to her, contemplating. She watched him, waiting patiently despite the cold. He grimaced when he saw her shivering in her coat.

It could wait. He wanted her happy and comfortable, and right now...that involved warmth. "Come on," Natsu told her, shoving her in the direction of the guildhall. "I can think about it inside."

"What is it?" she demanded, but he merely laughed and promised he'd tell her later.

Lucy looked over her shoulder at his face, worried, but then shook her head. He'd promised to tell her which meant he would. He knew how important promises were to a celestial mage and he'd come through.

He always did.

Lucy should have known from the second Gray mentioned mistletoe that Mirajane wouldn't have told anyone that she'd plotted to put it up on the Eleventh Day with the intention of actually doing so.

She had nearly stepped into the building when Natsu gasped and yanked her to a stop, his onyx eyes wide with alarm. "Don't!" he yelped. "It's a trap!"

"Natsu Dragneel," Mirajane hissed from where she'd been watching excitedly, her eyes narrowed into slits. "I have been waiting since I opened those doors and you just ruined my hopes for that mistletoe!"

Lucy's head snapped back and she shuddered at the sight of the cursed plant. "Thanks," she told Natsu truthfully. Not that she would have necessarily minded kissing him. She thought about it sometimes, but she didn't want him drawing away if he didn't feel the same way. He was too important to her to not have by her side.

"Good save, Natsu," Levy complimented faintly from where she was seated at a table, once again across from Gajeel. Both had bright red faces. They were avoiding looking at one another and Lucy's eyebrows rose in surprise. So they'd been caught beneath the mistletoe, had they…?

Natsu glared at Mirajane, tapping his nose. "Nice try, Mira. You do this every year. I know. And I know where you've put the rest of them, too, so don't think I'll get stuck."

"You," she nearly growled, "ruin my fun."

"Of course. You shouldn't be screwing with mistletoe, Mira, it's not nice." Natsu nudged Lucy back and then looked carefully at the floor. With great care, he plastered himself to the wall that coats normally hung on and edged sideways around the spell. When he reached the other side, he gave Lucy a thumbs up.

Lucy huffed at Mirajane and copied. When she was safely beside her partner again, she scolded, "That's just wrong, Mira. How could you trick anyone who wants to come in today?"

Mirajane batted her eyes. "Well, it was mostly to catch you two, so I suppose I can take this one down...but I'm going to leave it up until Elfman's come in. I'm hoping to catch him and Evergreen. They were making eyes at one another last night."

Lucy snorted. "Come on, Natsu, let's go and get something to eat...Lisanna!" she shouted as she crossed the floor of the guildhall, leaving Natsu where he was. "Can you get something for Natsu and I? I'm paying!"

Natsu watched after her, a little disappointed, but not so much that he didn't glare at Mirajane. He wouldn't mind being stuck beneath the mistletoe with Lucy, so to say, but only if she wanted to be stuck there. "That's mean, Mira."

"Someone's gotta convince you two to confess," Mirajane said simply with a shrug. Natsu opened his mouth to protest, but Mirajane shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't try and deny it, Natsu, I've seen the way you look at her." Her expression softened. "Don't lie. Not about something like that."

Natsu hunched his shoulders. "Fine. But I don't want her to find out because you shoved us beneath a mistletoe. Seriously, Mira. Please don't."

She smiled gently and patted his shoulder. "I won't shove you beneath one, but I'm not telling you where the others are. If you get stuck, you get stuck. Okay?"

"Okay," he agreed grudgingly, as if he hadn't all ready told her he knew where they were and that he knew exactly how to avoid them. "Please don't tell her."

"I won't." Mirajane ruffled his hair affectionately and he snapped his jaws in a very reptilian manner, aware that he was copying his father's old habit. Igneel had done it a thousand times, mostly when he was annoyed with something Natsu had done. "Just...don't wait too long, Natsu. She does care for you, you know."

"Maybe."

"No, she does." Mirajane shoved him forward and he stumbled, but took a step after Lucy.

Sometimes, Mirajane was a pain in the ass. He hated when she tried to coax him into things he wasn't ready for. But...sometimes, she had good advice, and for that, he was thankful. Natsu rumbled low in his chest, his onyx eyes flickering as he went to join Lucy at the bar. He grinned cheekily when Lisanna shoved a plate of food and a box of matches at him. "Thanks, Lis."

"No problem." She smiled warmly and then leaned over the bar, gesturing for he and Lucy to get close. Lucy had to stand on her toes to get close enough and Natsu's lips quirked. He gently bumped her so that she staggered and she huffed. Lisanna grinned, then whispered, "Mira hid mistletoe over every single table in this room. That's why Levy and Gajeel haven't moved since they sat down. I recommend the bar this morning."

"Lisanna Strauss," Mirajane screeched, practically bolting for behind the bar, furious. Lisanna screamed and launched herself over it. Lucy burst into laughter, and Natsu cackled with her as Lisanna lunged for the front doors, barreling outside without stopping to grab her coat. Mirajane ran out after her.

Prodding Lucy's ribs gently, Natsu asked, "Did you want some?" He waved at his overfilled plate. Lucy arched a brow in surprise. "She didn't give you any food."

"Natsu, since when did you start offering food?" Lucy shook her head, but grabbed a piece of toast. Popping it in her mouth, she managed to mumble a muffled word of gratitude and seated herself at the bar. Natsu planted himself beside her and then rumbled happily as he lit his food aflame and began to eat.

He'd barely started on the food when Romeo, still looking sleepy from a busy evening the last night, climbed onto the table he sat alone at and yawned, "On the seventh day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me...seven flames still burning, six annoying brats, five iron meals, four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts, and a teddy bear just for me!" Without hesitation, ignoring the laughter and applause around him, Romeo dropped from the table and curled back up in his seat, fully intending to sleep.

Natsu nodded his approval. "Good choice, Romeo!" he called.

Romeo waved him off and buried his face in his arms to nap.

December 21st

Lucy sucked in a breath as she burst through the front doors and slammed the door behind her, banishing the blizzard from the guildhall. She was rather late that morning, but she blamed the blizzard that had struck during the night for that. She'd almost gotten lost in the snow, nearly falling into the canal even at one point, and had decided to summon Loke for help.

He'd laughed, shivering, and helped her get to the guildhall.

"Yo, Lucy!" Gray called from a table that he sat at, accompanied by Asuka. He had offered to watch the girl for the past few days as her parents dealt with some problems that had arisen with a creature hiding in the snow on the southern end of town. "You get here okay?"

"Not really," Lucy admitted, grateful that Laxus had coaxed Mirajane into taking down the mistletoe the previous evening, when he'd gotten stuck beneath it with her sister. Mirajane had willingly done so, grumbling under her breath in the meantime. "Loke had to help me."

She quickly joined Gray, sitting on Asuka's other side and ruffling her hair. "Did your parents get out to work?"

Asuka nodded. "They said Gray would give me hot chocolate. He did."

"Good job," she praised Gray, earning a friendly eye-roll. "Anyways…" She yawned, stretching her hands above her head. "The question is, do you think many people will be able to show up for the Eighth Day?"

Gray shrugged and lifted his bacon to his mouth. Lucy glanced at the bar. Mirajane was out today, it seemed, but Kinana had made it in just fine. She was sweeping the guildhall with her lips curved into a smile, humming under her breath. Gray watched her for a moment as Lucy scanned the guildhall, furrowing her brow. "Not many people are going to come in today, Lucy. I'm amazed you came."

Lucy flushed. "Natsu didn't stop by this morning. I got worried and figured he'd come here."

Gray's grin grew. But rather than teasing her as everyone else would have done, he said, "I bet he'll be by later if he can't find you at your place. He's like a crazy person when it comes to knowing where you are. Kind of creepy if you ask me." He made a face.

Lucy giggled a little, cheeks red. "Shush." She cleared her throat. "Anyways…"

The two fell into a simple conversation about whether or not Gray would should she and Natsu for a job later in the month, Lucy making sure to warn him that Natsu had been promised that he could chose. Gray swore to come when she told him, promising that he'd help her make sure she could afford rent the next month. Lucy laughed and thanked him.

Not many people came in for the rest of the morning and when ten o'clock rolled around, Lucy was disappointed. It didn't look as if Natsu was coming in that morning. She was sure she'd see him later when the blizzard died down, and merely began to laugh when Gray, pouting at the lack of people, climbed onto the table.

Gray had opened his mouth to begin when the doors slammed open and Natsu shot in, shouting, "Wait, hold on, don't start yet!"

Lucy jumped, and those who were there shouted at him to shut the doors. He did so quickly, hair mussed from the wind and eyes wide. Gray glared at him. "Did I miss it?" Natsu painted, horrified.

"No, you dumbass," Gray snarled, "thanks for interrupting though."

"Oh." Natsu paused. "Go on then, don't keep us all waiting, stripper."

Gray grinned and then despite claiming that he hated the tradition the previous day, sang in a rough voice, "On the eighth day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me: eight crazy mages, seven flames still burning, six annoying brats, five iron meals, four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts…" He paused, then winked at Asuka, who squealed as he finished, "And a teddy bear just for me!"

"Gray," Lucy gasped, covering Asuka's eyes. "Don't climb on the table without pants on, whether your partaking in tradition or not!"

December 22nd

Lucy bustled out of her apartment with a gasp, nearly tripping over her own feet. A cough left her lips, wet and heavy in her chest. It was nearly painful. Yet she rubbed her chest and turned to focus on locking the door, clearing her throat painfully.

"Hey, Luce!"

Lucy screeched in surprise and dropped her keys. The sound caught in her throat and she broke into a fit of heavy coughing. Swearing under her breath, Lucy bent to pick up her keys but Natsu beat her to it, scooping them up with a worried look. "You okay?"

"Yes," Lucy said. It came out hoarse and painful, scratching her throat so that she ended up biting back the third fit in a matter of moments. Natsu's gaze darkened with concern. "Okay, I might have a bit of a cough," she breathed, not daring to lift her voice above a whisper.

Natsu reached out and pressed his hand to her forehead, seeking a fever. Not that he'd be able to tell, with his naturally overheated body. Lucy let him just for the hell of it. "A bit?" he huffed, scowling, "Lucy, you're coughing up a lung."

"I want to go to the guildhall," she rasped. "I was gonna go straight home after." Lies. She'd been planning on finding her ornament, having promised Mirajane she'd have it to her by Christmas Eve. And she'd vowed to shop with Natsu later. "Must have caught it during the blizzard."

He rumbled unhappily in his chest, taking her hands and puffing flames so that they warmed her all ready icy fingers. "Why aren't you wearing' a hat and stuff? You'll get sicker and then you won't be able to come at all."

"Didn't think I'd be out for very long." Lucy swallowed painfully, her throat aching with the simple motion - and with the lump that formed as he gently ran his fingers over the backs of her hands, warming them with his magic.

She'd known for a very long time that she loved Natsu. That she was in love with him. It was moments like these, in which he lost the childish and crazy behavior and simply showed just how much he cared because no one else was around to watch, that reminded her just why she put up with the pain of hiding it. She didn't want to scare him off. Didn't want to change the relationship they had and lose him because of her selfish desires.

He suddenly looked up at her beneath his lashes, lips pressed together, and she flushed a little. His eyes widened with alarm. "Lucy, you've got a fever, don't' you?!"

Lucy waved him off, shaking her head. "I'm fine, Natsu," she muttered, "I don't have a fever. It's just a cough." She gave him a sorrowful look that he studied before looking away from for some reason. "I just...wanted to go to the guild and then we were going to go shopping. I didn't want to miss it since you never agree to go with me."

She stilled when he surprised her by gently lifting her fingers to his lips. Her eyes widened when she felt them brush over her knuckles, breathing warm air onto them. What the hell? she thought in a panic, not sure about how to respond. "You're sick. I said I'd go, so we'll go, but not when you're sick, Lucy."

"I'm still going to the guildhall," she mumbled. Her heart raced, and she was sure he'd be able to hear it thumping in her chest.

"I know." He straightened and Lucy was somewhat disappointed. She didn't want the moment to end.

Her disappointment vanished, however, when he gently unwound Igneel's scarf from his neck and wrapped it around her own. His calloused fingers made sure that it wouldn't fly off, tucking it carefully against her. "Natsu?" she whispered.

"You gotta stay warm, and it looks better on you anyways," he said simply, then nudged her forward. "C'mon, let's go."

She felt a sharp stinging in the backs of her eyes as she followed him, keeping close and coughing every now and then. She blinked the tears away quickly, however, and by the time they got to the guildhall, she'd latched her fingers onto his sleeve simply to hold on like a child, her dark eyes content.

Natsu held the door open for her then closed it quickly behind them, stomping snow from his shoes. Mirajane shouted a greeting, as did a few others. Lucy waved to Erza and Juvia, who was eyeing Gray as he chatted with Lisanna and Bickslow about something or another. Lucy didn't miss the way several pairs of eyes locked onto the scarf wrapped around her neck. Instead, she ignored them and went to sit near Levy, who was openly gawking.

Natsu caught her wrist before she'd taken more than a few steps. "I'll get you some tea."

"Thanks," she murmured appreciatively, her voice no more than a croak.

She watched him go to do just that and settled beside Levy. The solid-script mage jabbed her gently in the shoulder with wide hazel eyes. "You're wearing his scarf," she said by way of greeting.

Lucy's cheeks turned red. "It's just because," she breathed, clearing her throat, "I'm not feeling well."

Levy gave her a sympathetic look, but still said, "No, there's no way he'd give that scarf to you just because you're sick. Lucy, you two have got to stop this hopping around." She gave her a pointed look. "Seriously, it's getting ridiculous."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at her friend and told her, "You're ridiculous-" She broke into a wild fit of coughing that scraped her throat raw. Levy pressed her lips together and gave her a sympathetic look as Lucy whimpered,"Ouch."

"Here."

Lucy tilted her head back as Natsu set the tea before her, his brow furrowed anxiously. Levy arched a brow when he said, "Mira added some honey in it. She said it would help your throat feel better."

"Thanks." Lucy lifted the steaming mug to her lips and blew on it before taking a sip. Natsu nodded, shrugging his coat off and turning to go and hang it up. Lucy caught his sleeve with a grimace. "Can you take mine?" she pleaded, and he nodded, waiting for her to take her coat off and hand it over before sidling away. Lucy left the scaled scarf wrapped around her throat.

"You guys are cute," Levy sighed, shaking her head.

"Shush," Lucy grumbled. She rubbed her sore chest, exhausted. "I could say the same about you and Gajeel." Levy turned scarlet, remembering the mess with the mistletoe. She'd eventually given in when her stomach had growled, demanding food, and Lucy knew that no matter how much he said it didn't matter, Gajeel had been pleased with the kiss she'd planted on his lips.

Jet and Droy, however, didn't appreciate it and had glared at him for the rest of the day.

"We're going on a date," Levy told her, smiling shyly. "Christmas Eve."

Lucy gave her a bright smile. "That's great! I'm so happy for you." She squeezed Levy's hand. "I hope it goes well."

"Me, too," she admitted. "I'm nervous. Gajeel said he'd figure out what we're doing, but...you know how he can be."

"As oblivious as Natsu?" Lucy snorted. "Yeah." She took another sip of tea to try and rid her throat of the soreness gathering. She set it aside when she was done and then folded her arms on the table, resting her cheek on them. Levy made a sympathetic sound and rubbed between her shoulder blades gently.

Levy leaned in suddenly and said, "Natsu's coming back."

"Good," she groaned, "I need to give him back his scarf."

"Don't bother," Natsu said as he dropped to sit in the chair on her other side. "You can keep it for now." Lucy sputtered, puzzled by his behavior. He shrugged when she squinted suspiciously at him, then dug into the plate of food he'd grabbed before coming to join them. "I'll grab it later," he said, voice muffled by a mouth full of breakfast food.

"Okay," Levy said with a furrowed brow, "you can't fool me, Natsu, not when we grew up together. Talk."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Natsu told her, not looking up. The strange way he said it caught Lucy's attention and he glanced up to find both women staring at him. His cheeks flushed. "What?"

"I haven't seen you lend that scarf to anyone since you got here years and years ago," Levy said pointedly, glaring at him. "So, Lucy," she rounded on her friend now, "are you dating or what?"

"Why does everyone assume we're dating?" Lucy demanded and Natsu nodded hastily in agreement, shoveling his breakfast into his mouth. She coughed lowly into her hand then grimaced and rubbed her chest again. "I mean, honestly!"

"He's never lent out his scarf! You've got to be dating!" Levy declared.

"Well," Lucy said with a huff, "I don't think we are. I mean, last time I checked, I don't remember having a conversation in which you and I agreed to be in a relationship. Do you, Natsu?"

"Nope," he agreed, though he muttered it unhappily into his plate. Neither seemed to take notice, and he quickly shoved more food into his mouth before they decided to question it on a second thought.

Levy gave them a clearly disbelieving look and turned her attention back onto the papers she'd been flipping through before they'd sat with her. "I don't believe you, because you two really look like you're dating and I think you should," she told Lucy over the papers, "but...I'll let you go for now."

"Thank you," Lucy huffed. She coughed again.

"Drink your tea, woman," Natsu muttered, shoving it at her. He waited until she was taking a sip to sit up a little and study her out of the corner of his eye. He knew that when she was done taking a drink, she'd set the mug down with care and then tuck a lock of hair behind her ear as she licked the last of the drops from her lips. He knew that she'd sigh in content and then eye it thoughtfully, as if contemplating to sip at it again. And he knew that she would, simply because she couldn't resist.

Natsu wondered if the others who had partners and teams in his guild knew that much about their friends, or if it was just him. Because he noticed everything Lucy did, knowing that if she missed even one of those steps, something was wrong.

The trio of mages sat in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other's company until there was the sound of the guildhall's doors opening and Gray ducked in, ushering Asuka, Wendy, and Romeo in with him. All while swearing at the fact that he'd lost his shirt somehow in the middle of the getting from picking everyone up to getting to the guildhall.

Natsu lifted a hand in greeting when Wendy called his name, and Lucy smiled brightly when she made a beeline for them, intending to come and chat - only to freeze when Gray shouted, "What the hell?"

Lucy frowned at him, waving at Asuka and gesturing for him to cut it out when it came to bad language. From where she was pouring some apple juice for said girl, Mirajane cut him a nasty look. He muttered a quick apology and then pointed at Lucy. "You're wearing the scarf."

Lucy sighed heavily and Natsu threw his hands up in irritation, irritated. "So?" she snapped, losing her patience. Why did it matter so much?!

"I've never seen anyone else touch it, let alone wear it," Gray told her, eyes wide. He looked to Natsu, staring at him long and hard. "Did you finally find the guts to ask her out on a date?"

"Why does everyone think we're dating?" Natsu whined.

"Because you look and act like you are," Levy answered smugly, her lips quirked into a smirk. Lucy's cheeks were a bright red, and Natsu was glaring angrily around at everyone who was watching them.

Both wanted to worship Wendy as a god when she rolled her eyes with a smile and hauled herself onto a table, interrupting everyone by singing sweetly, "On the ninth day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me...nine pretty dresses, eight crazy mages, seven flames still burning, six annoying brats, five iron meals, four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts, and a teddy bear just for me!"

When she was done, she hopped down and whispered knowingly to the pair as everyone, effectively distracted, launched into conversations about who might be the next day's singer, "You're welcome."

December 23rd

Wiping her mouth after giving a painful cough, Lucy held up the beautiful ornament and said, "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," Mirajane crooned, taking it from Lucy's hands and cradling it gently in her fingers. "How'd you make it, Lucy? There's no way you bought this in Magnolia, I'm positive I would have seen it if you had."

"Loke," Lucy said with a smile, voice still hoarse. She'd not yet recovered from the chest cold, although she was grateful it was getting better. Natsu had noticed it when he'd picked her up that morning. She was still worried about him; he'd been distracted and anxious, his hands fluttering as if looking for something to do.

The ornament they discussed was amazingly beautiful, Lucy wasn't too humble to admit. It was beautiful, and she didn't dare take credit for any of it. Loke had sat with her for hours, compressing his light into a hardened crystal on which he and Lucy had meticulously carved the signs of the ten zodiac keys Lucy possessed. They'd filled the carvings in with golden paint, the softly glowing material giving them a glow of their own.

"I'll hang it right near eye-level," Mirajane said cheerfully, tucking it safely into a drawer with several others. She paused, fingers resting on one. "Do you want to see Natsu's?"

Lucy shook her head. "Thanks, but he was going to show me himself tomorrow evening. Do you know where he went? I can't find him. He disappeared when we got here."

"Sorry," Mirajane sighed. "I haven't. But he'll come around." Lowering her voice, she glanced in all directions before leaning over the bar to say in a whisper, "Are you ready for your turn?"

Lucy scowled at her. "No. I'll figure it out. I don't appreciate being the last one, I hope you know. It's a lot of pressure."

"Yes, but it'll be worth it. Think of how happy it'll make Natsu," Mirajane hummed, wiggling her fingers at her. Lucy made a face, because she could imagine the sheer delight on Natsu's face when she hauled herself onto that table. "In any case, the first and the last days are usually the ones that are remembered best, so make it worthy, okay?"

"I really, really wish you hadn't made me do this," Lucy sighed as she bit a lip only to jump when a hand caught her shoulder, gently squeezing to get her attention. She looked back. "Natsu! There you are, I was looking for-"

"Lucy," Natsu said gruffly, his voice trembling just a little. He tugged the scarf away from his mouth, refusing to look at her. "I'm heading out. D'ya need me for anything else today?"

Lucy blinked at him in surprise, looking a little more concerned now. "No, but...are you okay? You don't seem okay."

He paused, studying her. Finally, he mumbled, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Natsu," Mirajane cut in. "You're going to miss the Twelve Days."

"I'll get it from Luce letter," was his simple answer. He looked exhausted, as if something had kept him up all night. When he caught Lucy's worried expression, he smiled broadly at her. It was clearly forced, but she only smiled hesitantly back and patted the hand that still rested on her shoulder.

"I don't know what's wrong," she said softly, "but...you know that you can talk to me about whatever it is no matter what, right? I won't run off no matter what you think is bothering you. I promise."

"Yeah." Natsu looked a little relieved by her promise. "I'll stop by your place this evening. Promise."

"You know how important promises are for celestial mages," she warned, "but okay." She was startled when he leaned in and rested his forehead briefly against hers - something she knew he only did when she needed the reassurance only he could offer. The fact that he was doing it now…

When he left, Lucy turned to Mirajane, who looked just as worried as she felt. "You'll let me know if it's bad enough, right, Lucy?" she asked. "If it's bad enough, I'll have to tell Master so he can deal with the problem. I'm sure you know this by now, but sometimes, Natsu falls into these moods and nothing short of a miracle can shake him out of them."

Lucy thought about that as she turned to look over her shoulder, watching as Natsu slid out the door with a troubled expression. "He'll figure it out," she sighed as Bickslow hurtled onto the nearest table, grinning, opening his mouth. "He always does."

She focused her attention onto Bickslow as he began to sing, but couldn't bring herself to smile.

"On the tenth day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me: ten laughing fairies, nine pretty dresses, eight crazy mages, seven flames still burning, six annoying brats, five iron meals, four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts, and a teddy bear just for me!"

December 24th

He'd been thinking it over for hours, since Levy and the others had been so insistent upon demanding to know why he'd let Lucy wear his scarf if they weren't dating. And it bothered him, because he knew that it was wrong to consider something so life changing because other people had forced him to.

But…

Lucy hadn't exactly said that the idea of dating him was disgusting. She'd even flushed an interesting shade of red.

And it was for that reason, as Natsu waited for her in the guildhall the next morning with a guilty expression after not visiting her the night before like he'd promised, that he made the decision.

Everyone claimed that Lucy felt the same way he did. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he even thought himself that she might. No one trusted him like Lucy did - even Happy, who he was relieved would be coming back around noon. Not even Happy would throw himself out of a tower miles above the ground and trust him to catch them.

And that had been before they'd really known each other, too, at the beginning of their partnership!

He remembered all of those trust-filled moments, as well as all of those times that Lucy had seen through what the others couldn't. She knew that he wasn't a blind and dumb as he made himself out to be, even called him out on it when she thought he was being ridiculous. She liked it, even, because it was him and him alone who could tell when she needed laughter or silent company. He caught what others didn't.

He buried his face in his arms. Natsu had thought for the longest time that those kind of things were simple things partners did. It had been on a quiet day in which they were recovering in Lucy's apartment - he'd been hurt badly on a mission, and had been put on bed rest - and she'd fetched him whatever he wanted or needed without so much as asking if it was what he wanted or needed that he'd realized.

Partners didn't feel like he did.

Happy knew, of course, and had been serious for once when Natsu first realized the truth and didn't know what to do with Lucy. He'd reassured Natsu that it was okay and had even encouraged him, but admitted it might be easier for the time being to just...pretend.

Now, however, Natsu was done with the pretending. It was exhausting pretending he didn't want to take her out like those other men did - he hated them all, had been ready to incinerate them when they came around, but had refrained on Lucy's behalf. It was exhausting pretending he didn't know what the others meant when they teased him.

It was sure as hell exhausting pretending that when she smiled at him, looking up at him from beneath dark lashes, that he didn't want to crush her to him and never let her go.

He wanted Lucy as more than just a partner.

And he was determined to see if she felt the same.

Lucy whisked into the guildhall at nine o'clock in the morning, scowling, and Natsu sighed. It was never good when she was in a bad mood. She'd take it out on him - and then feel horrible for hours after. From his new favorite hiding spot in the corner, Natsu watched with piercing onyx eyes as she headed for the bar and slid into a bar stool, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder and ordering a tea. Mirajane slid it to her without hesitation as if she'd known when Lucy was coming.

Natsu grimaced when she raked a hand through her hair. He blamed himself; he'd promised to see her the day before and hadn't.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, contemplating. Half an hour. He had half of an hour to make his move. Usually, an hour seemed to drag on, but now...it didn't see like long enough.

Natsu's heart raced as he slowly climbed to his feet and clenched his fingers in Igneel's scarf for comfort. He took a deep breath, and then slowly began to slide through tables to where Lucy was seated.

It took him less time than anticipated to get to her, but when he did, he cleared his throat to catch her attention. "Luce?"

Lucy spun around on her stool, narrowing her eyes at him. She'd known where he was from the moment she'd walked in, he realized. She'd been waiting for him to come to her. And she wasn't pleased. "You know," she snapped, "how important keeping promises is to me, and you broke one."

He flinched. "I know. I had a lot to think about." He took a deep breath, aware that Mirajane was eavesdropping and he was getting dagger eyes from Erza. If Lucy shed one tear...well, he'd never see daylight again. "I'm sorry."

"That's not good enough right now," she said angrily. She hopped to her feet, and he grunted when she jabbed him sharply in the chest. "You've been acting so...so strange, and you won't tell me what's going on. That's not what partners do, Natsu. That's not what friends do. That's not what you do. You do not break your promises, because why should I trust you if you do? Why should I think that you'll have my back in a fight if you don't show up when you promise to?"

He grimaced, aware that everyone in the guildhall was watching them right now. This was not how he'd wanted this conversation to go. "Lucy," he said quietly, pleadingly. He'd had his reasons. He knew he shouldn't have broken his promise, but…

Natsu swallowed thickly, hunching his shoulders when she jabbed his chest again, surprisingly painful. He grunted. "Ow," he muttered when she did it again, looking ready to smack him right across the face. If it made her feel better and listen, then she was welcome to.

After a moment of glaring, Lucy's shoulders slumped. He was worried until she patted his chest gingerly, simply resting her palm over his heart and drumming her fingers lightly over the spot. "I'll let it slide," she said tiredly, and he wondered how long she'd been up waiting for him. "This one time, I'll let it slide. But if you ever break a promise to me again…"

He understood the threat, understood that she wasn't so much angry as she was disappointed, and it nearly shattered him.

Promises were more than currency to Lucy. Promises were a matter of life and death to her. A broken promise to a Spirit would mean their wrath, as well as their refusal to appear when she needed them most. A broken promise could kill her. And if the person she worked with in life and death situations broke promises, they couldn't be trusted.

Natsu swallowed thickly, hesitantly resting his calloused hand over hers. "I didn't mean to," he said honestly, lowering his voice. "I just...had a lot on my mind, Luce."

"I know," she sighed. "But you know what a promise is to me."

"I know," he echoed, curling his fingers around hers. He rested his forehead to hers like he had the day before, closing his eyes for a moment. She blinked rapidly in alarm, her face turning a little red. "I am sorry. It won't happen again."

"It better not," she murmured. She took a deep breath and he shivered when she released it, letting it gust over his face. He tightened his fingers. He needed to tell her. Needed to know if she felt as deeply for him as he felt for her. His throat tightened; he couldn't. Couldn't lose her if she didn't. He needed to tell her, but he needed her more.

He could feel her gaze studying his face, worried. "Natsu," she said finally, and he heard the soft rasp of it that told him she still had a bit of a cough. "What's wrong? What...what was on your mind and distracted you to the point that you broke your promise?"

Natsu opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.

He was scared, he realized dully, so scared. And aware of the fact that everyone was watching them, which only made this harder. It would destroy them both if he screwed up, and their guildmates would be able to watch as they destroyed themselves.

"Anticipation," Igneel had once told him, "is what makes some actions hard. It is the anticipation that will stop you. Act before you think, and then deal with the consequences. Anticipating what's to come will stop you from ever acting, and it will destroy you."

He hadn't understood what Igneel had meant at the time, but now he did.

And it was because of Igneel's advice that Natsu muttered, "To hell with it," and pressed his lips to hers.

Lucy froze, unsure of what to do. Her heart skipped a beat and began to race as gasps filled the air around them. She was aware of every little thing; the way his fingers were still coiled around hers as they trapped her hand against his heart, the way his body trembled with what she assumed to be fear, and especially the way his mouth felt on hers.

He began to pull away, his face all ready twisting with terror, and Lucy mentally swore at herself. Daintily, she used her free hand to grip his scarf and pull him back to her, kissing him back fiercely.

When she pulled back a few seconds later, he looked stunned. His onyx eyes were wide and Lucy wasn't entirely sure he knew what to do next.

"Oh," he said suddenly, his voice shaken.

"Oh," Lucy agreed, her heart still pounding.

"Oh, my god." The whisper dragged their attention away from one another and Lucy turned a brilliant red when she saw Mirajane standing on the other side of the bar with her hands clasped over her mouth and her blue eyes sparkling with delight. Yanking free of him, Lucy buried her face in her hands, flustered.

Natsu glared at Mirajane, his own cheeks red. A murderous expression appeared on his face when Gray shouted with a cackle, "About damn time, you stupid pyro! Levy," he added, holding a hand out with a smirk, "you owe me some money."

Levy pouted as Lucy turned a horrified look on her trusted friend. Levy merely smiled broadly and winked at her in response. "Sorry, Lu, it was a worthy bet. To be fair, I claimed you were smarter and would be the first one to act."

"Come on, guys," Cana drawled from where she was sitting on a table, her arms wrapped around a barrel that she'd promised not to touch until noon. "Don't tease 'em. It's enough that they finally went through with it."

Natsu puffed out a little flame of irritation. Despite her dismay at being mocked by the people around her, she felt a mixture of relief and excitement, too. She shyly reached out, aware that Mirajane was still staring at them with wide eyes, and gently tugged on his scarf. She didn't say anything, but she narrowed her eyes, a little annoyed.

If that was what had made him break a promise, it was a stupid reason.

He'd made her worry for something like that!

He threw her an apologetic look, then made a face. Her lips quirked a little bit as she said faintly to Mirajane, "Can...can you get him some hot chocolate on my tab?"

"Of course!" Mirajane sighed happily, sidling away.

There was a moment of awkward silence in which Lucy and Natsu refused to look at one another. But there was a smile twitching at the corners of Natsu's mouth, and he looked more comfortable and happy than he'd seemed in days. Natsu had never been good with words, and she knew that. He communicated in a different way for things like that.

She slipped her hand into his and laced her fingers with his. He wordlessly gave them a comforting squeeze, then shook her off. When she looked at him in confusion, he grinned broadly. "Give me a sec," he mumbled, and then took off at a dead sprint for the table at the center of the guildhall. He launched himself onto it with ease, his heart bursting with excitement, and plucked Asuka, who was seated at it, up. He hoisted her onto his shoulder with ease and then smirked as he laughed, "On the eleventh day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me: eleven happy dragons, ten laughing fairies, nine pretty dresses, eight crazy mages, seven flames still burning, six annoying brats, five iron meals, four yummy fish, three new swords, two manly gifts, and…" He thrust Asuka into the air, earning a laugh from everyone.

"A teddy bear just for me!" Asuka finished proudly.

Lucy threw her head back and laughed, her irritation and despair long gone as the guild burst into delighted applause.

December 25th

Lucy was quite rudely awoken by a delighted pair of voices nearly screaming, "Merry Christmas, Lucy!" a split second before she was dumped from her bed and onto the hard wooden floor. She screamed in surprise and alarm, staring up at the ceiling dumbly before shrieking Natsu and Happy's name in fury.

Natsu stood over her with the proudest of looks on his face, Happy hanging from his shoulders. The feline looked pleased to be there, having claimed to miss them while he was gone. Lucy glared up at him from the floor and snarled, "Was that necessary?"

"Yes," Natsu said simply, dropping into a crouch so that he could peer down into her eyes. She narrowed them for a moment and then sighed in exasperation, too entertained by his grin to stay angry. He reached out and prodded her cheek gently with a finger. "Get dressed, we gotta be at the guildhall by ten. I'm not missing the Twelfth Day."

Lucy gave a snort, reaching up to prod him back. "You won't."

She hauled herself to her feet, yawning. According to what she'd learned from Natsu, the gifts couldn't be handed out until after the Twelve Days ended, and she was amused by the idea of making him nervous about missing it. There was no way he would. Not when he was hanging around her.

She was quite proud of the lyrics she'd come up with and Loke, who she'd reported it to when he'd come out of his realm to tease her about her new strange relationship, had approved.

Lucy watched her partner and Happy dance away to find something to snack on and then grabbed her clothes for the day. Shaking her head, the celestial mage admitted to herself that she liked the change in their relationship because nothing had changed. It was as if they hadn't kissed - except there was more touching, even a kiss to her forehead the previous night when he'd made sure she got home safe.

Happy had teased them a little, but one sharp word from Natsu had stopped that.

By the time she was ready to go, Natsu was nearly hopping up and down in his impatience. "Let's go," he whined, grabbing her wrist and gently tugging her out the door. She shook him off with a huff to go back into her apartment, grabbing her coat, hat, and gloves.

"Give me a second," she said with a roll of her eyes. She tugged them all on and then grabbed her keys, locking the door behind her.

Natsu silently watched her, and when she was done, turning to face him, he surprised both she and Happy by suddenly wrapping his scarf around her throat again. He patted it lovingly into place, gently moving her hair out from beneath the strange material, mumbling, "So you don't get sick again."

"Natsu," Happy whispered, having not been there the previous time he'd given up his scarf. "What's happened to you?"

Lucy merely rolled her eyes and swatted at the blue feline before saying honestly, "Thank you, Natsu." She slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. "Ready?" She was nervous, but ready for her part in the Twelve Days. She'd miraculously kept it a secret from everyone but Loke, and she couldn't wait to surprise Natsu.

"Ready," he agreed, squeezing her hand back.

Happy purred, and together, the trio set out.

The guildhall was as busy as it had been the first of the Twelve Days, and it made Lucy's stomach churn as she sipped at her tea, seated beside Levy and Gajeel. The pair had their heads bent close together, murmuring about something or another. Natsu had slipped off to grab them some finger foods from the large banquet tables Mirajane had set up.

It would be ten soon, and Lucy was terrified.

Licking her lips free of drops, she glanced at Levy and said, "People really like coming in on Christmas Day, don't they?"

Levy sat back and winked. "It's the last of the Twelve Days. Of course they do." She tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. "I just want them to be over so you can open your gift. I'm so excited to see the look on your face!"

Lucy giggled and teased, "Your gift will have nothing on what I got you." A rare book published nearly three centuries beforehand with only a handful left in existence would beat out anything else Levy received that day. Lucy had spent three weeks in November making sure it was a real one, too, and not just some copy.

Lucy hummed as Levy shot her a suspicious look and lifted her mug to her lips. "I got you something, too, Gajeel," she told the iron mage before sipping at the liquid in the mug.

He sputtered. "The hell, woman? Who didn't you get a gift for?"

"Laxus," Lucy admitted. "And his group. I didn't know what they would like."

"Understandable," Levy agreed.

A plate suddenly dropped into place in front of her and Lucy blinked at the sheer amount of food that was on it. "Natsu," she said faintly as he sat beside her, his pink hair sticking up in every direction. "I hate to break it to you, because I appreciate your offer, but I literally cannot eat all of this."

Gajeel cackled at the look on her face when he gave her a solemn look and told her, "Good thing most of it's for me then."

She rolled her eyes and plucked a small ball of cake from the plate, popping it into her mouth as she slyly checked the time. Just a few minutes, she told herself. "Did you see my ornament, Levy?" she asked suddenly, gesturing to the tree. It overflowed with beautiful ornaments that Mirajane had hung the previous day with everyone's help.

"I did," Levy crooned. "It's so pretty, Lucy. I think it should be the star at the top of the tree next year. It would fit the space so prettily, wouldn't it, Natsu?"

Natsu nodded hastily in agreement. He'd shown his own to Lucy's, a beautiful piece of crystal that he'd somehow managed to capture an eternal flame in. She'd been impressed with it and told him that she wanted to know how he'd done it. He'd smirked and sidled away to eat dinner.

"Did you see mine?" Levy asked, hazel eyes shining. "It's the gold disk with ancient writing in it. I found it in an old book and thought it'd be perfect."

"It is," Lucy agreed. "I love it. Do you know what it says?"

"That's the best part - I don't." Levy grinned. "It's written in one of the few languages I haven't studied and can't because there's no other record I've been able to find of it existing. By all means, that thing should be locked up in some museum and is priceless."

"And you hung it on the Fairy Tail Christmas tree?" Gajeel muttered in exasperation, gesturing to the usually destructive guild members surrounding them.

"To be fair, we have a guild-wide agreement," Natsu told him, "that we don't brawl while the tree's up. Second it comes down, all bets are off."

"That's impressive," Lucy murmured, and then rocked back in her seat with a heavy sigh. Natsu shot her a concerned look, but she ignored it as she muttered, "I hate Mira and her damn decisions," before hauling herself onto the table.

She took back her words a moment later when Natsu's jaw dropped and he stared at her in horror. "You didn't tell me."

"Of course not," she retorted, "and like you told me you were the Eleventh Day." She nudged him with her foot and took a deep breath, flushing when someone shouted her name and excited cheers burst from the guild. Happy screeched in delight.

"On the twelfth day of Christmas, Fairy Tail gave to me," she began, singing proudly because damn it, she knew she could recite all twelve days. "Twelve stars a-shining-"

She squealed when Natsu hopped onto the table beside her with a smug look, flames bursting from his hands in his excitement. Laughing, he joined in for the Eleventh Day's work, shouting alongside her sing-song voice, "Eleven happy dragons!" It continued on, too, with each day's mage climbing onto tables and the bar.

"Ten laughing fairies!"

"Nine pretty dresses!"

"Eight crazy mages!"

"Seven flames still burning!

"Six annoying brats!"

Lucy was so busy laughing at the look on Laxus' face when he climbed onto a table that Gajeel's sudden presence beside her made her shriek and bounce off of Natsu. "Five iron meals!"

"Four yummy fish!"

"Three new swords!'

"Two manly gifts!"

"And a teddy bear just for me!"

The entire guild burst into applause as the twelve mages gave it a moment. Finally, Bisca whisked Asuka off the table with a giggle, kissing her head. One by one, each mage hopped from the tables, and Levy clapped with an excited laugh as Gajeel, red in the face, clambered down and dropped back into his seat. Natsu scampered off not a moment later, reaching up to grip Lucy by the waist. She smiled brightly as he helped her down, patting his chest in gratitude.

He laughed breathlessly as he dragged her in for a tight hug, burying his face in her golden hair. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her own into his shoulder.

For the first time in years, Lucy murmured, "I love Christmas."

So this is something. I expected maybe 5k words. This is so much more.

HAPPY EARLY HOLIDAYS AND AN EARLY MERRY CHRISTMAS! I had so much fun writing this little piece, that I chose to work on it instead of posting BTL on Monday. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed!