Natsu, due to the frequency with which he slept in Lucy's bed, was perfectly used to waking up when the sun's rays flood through the room through her window, which was usually around seven in the morning.

Today was an exception. About a half hour earlier than usual, Natsu jerked awake, sub-consciously noticing the unpleasantly cold space next to him.

Lucy was not next to him. And he always woke up before her.

He couldn't stop the quickly rising fear from the pit of his stomach. He was usually not one to jump to conclusions that fast, but this was Lucy, and somehow, that made it different.

He knew she could more than handle herself. She had told him that countless times. It was just that he-

Giggling. There was giggling. Coming from the bathroom.

Natsu stopped himself, extinguishing his fists which had automatically lit themselves. There were two girls; he can recognize Lucy's laughs instantly, slightly deeper and more melodious. The other girl, he realized after a minute, was Wendy.

Wendy? Why is Wendy here? Slowly and silently, he crept up to the bathroom door and pressed his ear against it, his fine-tuned hearing picking up everything.

"Hold still, Wendy!" Lucy chided. He could perfectly imagine her expression - frowning, her lower lip sticking out slightly, but her eyes full of mirth - mostly because she had sent it towards him many times. "This will be done faster then!"

"Sorry, Lucy-san!" Wendy, of course, was just as apologetic and overly sweet as usual. There was silence for a few moments before his powerful ears picked up the almost silent sound of approval Lucy made whenever she finished something challenging.

It was still a mystery to him what exactly they were doing though.

Slowly, like an expert spy, he lowered himself until his eyes were level with the keyhole, and squinted, trying to make out the people behind the door. He grunted quietly, leaning closer and closer, until-

"Done!" Lucy threw the bathroom door open in glee, and the completely unsuspecting Natsu banged into the wall, groaning.

"Wendy? Come on," Lucy urged.

"I don't know, Lucy-san," she timidly said. "Maybe I shouldn't go to the guild like this. I don't know what they will say, and - oh, what will I do!"

"No, no, don't do that, don't touch your eyes!" Lucy screeched, diving back into the bathroom and slamming the door close again, chiding Wendy about not touching her face.

Natsu, who finally managed to peel himself from the wall that he had been squished into, rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what was up with those two this morning, more than usual.

But Lucy was a weirdo, so he guessed it was okay.

"Lisanna! We're going to be late!" Mirajane called up to her younger sister from the door of their home. She liked to get to the guild early, since she had to cook and get the bar ready for its extensive use.

"Um...you can go on ahead without me!" A muffled voice yelled, before Mirajane heard a yelp and a smashing sound.

Cringing, she closed the front door and headed to her little sister's room, afraid of what she'd find.

She was right to be scared.

"Who are you and what have you done to my sister!?" Mirajane shouted, instantly getting into a defensive position and looking just about ready to transform into one of her Satan Souls.

"It's me, Mira!" the person in front of her desperately cried. "Can't you recognize me?"

Mirajane paused for a moment, taking the time to closely look at the face in front of her. "Huh, I guess it is you, Lisanna. But why did you pour flour all over your face? And why do you have green rings around your eyes? And why is your mouth bleeding?"

Lisanna's lower lip wobbled sadly as she set down the bottle she was holding - perfume, Mirajane noted. "I was trying to put on some make-up. I guess it didn't turn out right then. I'll take it off."

It didn't take long for Mira to piece together what was going on after that.

She was trying to impress Natsu, she thought, thinking it sweet and utterly hopeless at the same time.

"Here, let me help you," she said, her sisterly conscience getting the better of her, while the other part kept screaming at her for putting her sister's hopes up again for a chance with Natsu.

"Lucy! LUCY!" Natsu pounded on the bathroom door. "You've been in there forever! Let's go to the guild already!"

"Just go, Natsu!" Lucy grunted from inside. "I need time for this. You can't rush beauty."

"Why is Natsu-san here?" Wendy asked from inside, and Lucy squeaked. "I don't remember him coming in-oh!"

There was an awkward pause, in which Natsu imagned Wendy was blushing before she stuttered, "I-I d-didn't know it was l-like that between you two, I'm sorry if I interrupted something-!"

"Wendy!" Lucy shrieked, breaking one or two octaves. "What are you talking about! Natsu's my friend. And he's Natsu, for Mavis's sake. There's nothing going on."

Natsu frowned outside, his eyebrows furrowing. He was her friend. With emphasis. Not best friend like he called friend.

And what did she mean, he's Natsu? What was wrong with him? It's not like anyone else would put up with her the way he did. What did she mean by that?

He didn't even know why he cared so much about what she said, but for some reason, he did, and he knew it was going to drive him crazy for the rest of the day.

Lucy pouted, tying her blonde hair into pigtails.

Natsu's my friend.

Not true. He was her best friend - and she hoped he knew that, because to be honest, she couldn't imagine a morning in her flat without him pounding on the bathroom door, or a walk to the guild without him pulling her hair, or a day at Fairy Tail without him - a day without him at all.

She couldn't believe the pink haired doofus that she met at a sea port a few years ago would become such a pivotal point in her life.

"Look!" Mirajane squealed, holding Lisanna by the shoulders and turning her to face the mirror.

"Wow," was all that Lisanna could say as she stared at her acne-free face with light green eyeshadow and lipgloss. Make-up was a magic of its own.

"You can thank me later," her older sister said. "Now let's go show everyone!"

Lisanna simply blushed, hoping that a certain dragonslayer would like it.

"Something wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked worriedly, sending a side-long glance at the salmon-haired man next to her, who was walking with his hands in his pockets and sporting an uncharacteristic scowl on his face.

"Nothing," he grumbled, refusing to look at his friend. Yes, he was going to be mad about this. It wasn't fair that she was his best friend and he was only her friend.

Who was her best friend then? Erza? Gray?

Imma kill Gray, he decided instantly once that thought crossed his mind.

Lucy stared at him, wondering what was wrong. "You didn't even say that Wendy looked pretty though."

Natsu blinked, looking down at Wendy. She did look very pretty, with her navy hair in curls and sporting a rosy pink frock with white lace. (She also had a touch of make-up on, done tastefully so that it looked completely natural on her young teenager face, but it wasn't like Natsu would notice that.)

"You look pretty, Wendy," he said, and he meant it, because she looked pretty in a way that a younger sister would. Kind of how like Lisanna would look pretty.

Wait, Natsu thought. Like Lisanna?

Wendy was small and fragile and someone he wanted to protect. So was Lisanna. They both had cute moments and sometimes looked pretty, pretty enough for him to kind of stop for a bit and wonder what they did different.

So what about Lucy? He turned his head to stare at the blonde next to him, who was absentmindedly humming and clenching her hands behind her back.

She loved to dress up. She wore fancy Heart Kreuz outfits all the time, and changed her hair style almost as often as her clothes. She was small, he supposed (not really her chest though) but never fragile. If anything, he would break before her. She was too strong to fit in herself, and maybe that was why he felt stronger with her next to him.

He never recalled thinking Lucy was pretty before. But maybe she was. He remembered Gray calling her hot once (then Juvia almost killed him) and he remembered Macao being a creepy old pervert and wolf whistling, but she was always just Lucy, always his best friend, always there for him.

But now, with the rising sunlight draping her in a veil of honey and outlining her heart-shaped face; her plaid red and black button-up scrunched and tied and to reveal her midriff; her periwinkle summer skirt bouncing in the breeze; and her blissful smile gracing her face, Natsu thought she was pretty, maybe even beautiful.

"Lucy, you look pretty," Natsu blurted out, is eyes widening and blood rushing to his cheeks. He probably sounded pretty stupid. And what if she got mad, thinking that meant he didn't think she was pretty all the time? "I mean you're always pretty but right now you were-I mean-um, what do I mean-"

"Natsu," she giggled. He looked up and his eyes widened because if she was pretty before, she was now gorgeous, holding back her laughs and smiling as if nothing was wrong in the world. "Thanks."

And he thought that if calling her pretty could make her smile like that, he should call her beautiful.

"Looking good today, Lisanna," Cana told her, giving her the nod as she chugged a mug of beer down.

"Getting started early today, I see," Lisanna joked, giving her the nod back as she sipped her smoothie.

"Cana? Is that you?"

Lisanna turned to see Macao. "Hey Mac-"

"Shh!" Cana grabbed Lisanna and dragged her underneath the bar, covering her mouth with her hand. "He can't know that I'm here. Otherwise he'll make me play another drinking game that he'll lose, it's all he's wanted to do ever since that dumb list was made. I love to drink but I don't want to have to drink in a game all the time."

Lisanna nodded. "Your secret is safe with me," she jokingly added, before getting up, only to find Macao directly above her.

"Hey Lisanna," he greeted absentmindedly. "Have you seen Cana?"

"No, not yet," she lied. "Do you want a beer?"

"No, not right now," he said uncharacteristically, and Lisanna almost choked on her spit in shock.

"I think that's the first time you've ever refused booze. Are you feeling okay? Should I get your wife to check on you?" Lisanna joked.

"Oh, Mavis no! Anything but her," Macao replied, but he wasn't really into it, still looking around the room.

"So, why are you looking for Cana?" Lisanna asked, ignoring the incessant jabs Cana was doing to her foot.

"Just wanted to play a drinking game," he answered vaguely.

"Nothing to do with the list, right?" she playfully retorted, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Macao sent her a dark look, before slowly saying, "No. I'm married, for Mavis's sake..."

He then got up and abruptly left. Lisanna burst into giggles and Cana kicked her shin. "You didn't have to do that! It's going to be even worse now, thanks to you."

"No problem," Lisanna choked out between her laughs.

"Hey Lucy, Natsu. Hey Wen-Wendy!"

Lisanna ran over to her older sister, who had been greeting the people who had just arrived through the guild doors. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes widened when she saw Wendy though. "Wendy! You look so pretty!"

"Thank you! You do too!" she said, beaming up at Lisanna, who patted her on the head appreciatively.

"Who did your make-up? They did an amazing job," Mirajane marveled, peering at the perfectly applied foundation.

"It was Lucy-san," Wendy admitted. "She probably puts the best make-up in the world!"

"Aw, thanks, Wendy," Lucy said, before smirking. "Well, not to brag or anything, but I am really good with make-up."

"Oh, really?" Mirajane challenged. "Are you saying your make-up job on Wendy is better than mine on Lisanna's?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, glancing at Lisanna before back at the barista in front of her. "Yes, I am. My make-over is better than yours."

Mirajane raised an eyebrow, before smirking. "Let's bet on this. Tomorrow morning, we'll both do another make-over on those two. If Romeo calls Wendy pretty before Natsu calls Lisanna pretty, then you win. But...if it's the other way around, then I win and you'll have to accept my superior make-up skills."

"It's on!" Lucy agreed, shaking Mirajane's hand firmly and keeping eye contact.

After the white-haired woman walked away, Lucy realized what exactly she had agreed to.

Her mind had kind of stopped working after Mirajane had challenged her make-over skills. She refused to be shown up on that kind of thing, so she automatically agreed to it...and she didn't think it would be hard to win. It was just-

Get Natsu to call Lisanna pretty? What?

Lucy's goal from the beginning had been for Romeo to notice Wendy. But this was unexpected and she didn't want this complication. Just imagining Natsu calling Lisanna pretty made her feel very...very sad, kind of upset, and a bit mad.

A mixture of feelings that spelled out jealous, kind of.

When Natsu called her pretty earlier, she felt such a huge burst of adrenaline and joy that she almost tripped over her own feet and drowned in her pattering butterfly heartbeat. She didn't want that feeling to disappear.

Lisanna should get to have that feeling too, Lucy told herself. It's not like Natsu's mine or something.

But she knew she couldn't lie to herself. She didn't really want Natsu to call Lisanna pretty, as mean as that was.

She wanted his compliments all for herself.

"Romeo?" Wendy squeaked.

"Huh?" The teenage mage turned around, blinking at the cute girl in front of him.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked, so soft he almost couldn't hear her.

"Yeah, sure," he awkwardly replied after a moment making room for her at the table. She sat down next to him, folding her hands and staring at her lap furiously as her cheeks tinged pink.

Romeo stared at her face, thinking she was a bit cute (as his hormones often made him think) and wondering where he had seen her before.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "You're Wendy, right?"

"You remembered!" she cried happily, looking back at him with a big smile.

She has a pretty smile, flashed across his mind before he continued talking.

"What magic do you use?" he asked, and before he knew it, conversation was flowing easily between them, her voice getting louder by the minute and him getting more relaxed around her.

(Mirajane smirked, wondering how she could be such a genius.)

"You're not still mad at me about yesterday, are you, Carla?" Happy whined behind her.

"Of course I am! I won't just forgive you, you know," she huffed, straightening her little skirt out.

"What if I took you out fishing-"

"No!" she yelled. "Definite no."

"Do you really hate me that much?" Happy asked quietly after a moment's silence, and even Carla, quite possibly the most insensitive Exceed ever, realized she had finally gone too far.

"No, Happy, I don't hate you-" She turned around only to see Happy staring defiantly at her.

It was at his bravest moments that Carla liked him best.

"It sure seems like you do, with the way you're always yelling at me," he said. "You don't have to take my fish or whatever, but you can at least be friendly, right?"

He stomped away, not looking back as he went over to Natsu.

Carla, for the first time, felt bad about hurting him.

The doors of the guild banged open again.

"Erza, is that you?" Lucy excitedly ran to her friend, hugging her quickly before turning to the blue haired man next to her. "And Jellal. Hi."

Well. This was awkward.

"Gajeel? You okay?" Levy asked worriedly, leaning over him. "We can train later once you feel better."

"No way, shorty," he grunted, getting up and trying to ignore his pounding head. Man, this migraine was bad.

He had a feeling the guild was getting pretty crazy back at home.

A/N: Do I even have an excuse for my update time? I don't think so.

Question for a dabble!

What was the color of Lucy's skirt?

I'll really try my best to update at a sane time - I promise. Also, I'm going to give the 200th reviewer a drabble - that's xXLovelyAnimeLoverXx - and the 250th review a drabble too, if we get there. :) (Remember, these drabbles are in my story Fairy Love!)

Thanks for staying with me!