A Prince

Chapter 43. Be My Princess?

"Aahh, Gray, turn on the heating!" Natsu complained to his friend. Months had passed since then and it was Christmas Eve. Natsu and Wendy had begged Zeref to lower their paperwork since they were young, and surprisingly, Zeref had agreed.

"It's already on! I'll try get another blanket," Gray muttered. Gray was pretty much shirtless and in his underwear, practically naked. Erza had forced him to wear somethings for her sake.

"There he goes, showing off again," Natsu muttered.

"Aren't you meant to be immune as well?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, but when I have something in my mind that I have to get off my chest, most of the little things in my magic," Natsu muttered.

"Well, it's Christmas, well, the day before, it might be good to take care of that, it's the perfect time to!" Erza laughed. 

"You have a party planned, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's already taken care of, though, Erza muttered.

"This is where the party is going to happen," Levy said proudly in front of the crowd of wizards behind her.

"On a lake?" Lucy said sarcastically. Mira let out a little giggle as Levy pouted.

"No, during the party, Lyon and Gray are going to freeze it so people can skate on it," Levy said.

"I see, so, what do we do?" Romeo asked.

"Well, we decorate, Lucy and Romeo are in charge of setting up stalls, make 15. Mira and Elfman are in charge of lanterns. The rest of you are in charge of setting up the children's area and the grown up's area," Levy instructed.

"Why are we doing this just now?" Lucy asked Romeo.

"I'm guessing because Erza likes to torture us," Romeo laughed.

"Be careful of what you say, she might hear us," Lucy warned him. "Anyways, how's guard training? Well, beginner level?" Lucy asked him as she grabbed wood from a large pile.

"Well, it's pretty hard. Jellal's my instructor, he's just as bad as Erza..." He shuddered.

"What I expected, well, tell me the exact amount of injuries you got, I never got notified," Lucy said.

"Well, 50," He said. Lucy looked at him. "Per month," 

"Romeo, my God! Tell me you're at least getting better?" Lucy said in worry. Romeo nodded.

1 stall done.

"Good, if you need any help, you can come to me," Lucy said as she heaved the next amount of wood over.

"Even for personal reasons?" He asked with a slight pink blush on his cheeks.

"Even for personal reasons, except where babies come from, I can't help you there," She warned him.

"Dad thing?" 

"Dad thing,"

"Woah," Natsu said as he admired the lake from below. He could see stalls surrounding the lake and lanterns. A cute little area for making flying lanterns for the children and benches for eating. There was a little bar for the adults and was still on work.

"They were doing all that whilst you were doing you work," Gray laughed.

"Are you going to freeze the lake over?" Natu asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Well, it only makes sense, why else would there be a lake there?" Natsu laughed as he turned to face his friend. "Unless Juvia is gonna do something,"

"No, never, just..."

"Just what?"

"I just don't really trust her, finding her in the enemies' ground three days after the war, isn't very reassuring," Gray muttered.

"Well, it's been years, and she was just a year younger than us, a child," Natsu said, "Are you thinking she was a spy," Natsu laughed.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time that happened," Gray laughed, referring to one of the TV shows they had watched a while ago. 

"Ready, Lyon?" Gray asked his cousin from a phone.

"Way before you," He laughed. Gray put his fingertips on the lake's surface and started to cool the ice. Lyon made different coloured ice droplets and yelled over fo Gray to freeze over the lake with him.

"It's so purty," Natsu said in awe.

"I thought you saw something like this before," Lucy laughed.

"No, nothing like this," Natsu said. His eyes reflected the colourful ice froze with colourless ice. Lucy looked closely, she had saw something like this when she was really young but it was really hazy.

"I got us some ice skates, put these on," Lucy said as she extended her arms to give over the skates that were dangling by a thread.

"Okay," He muttered as he took them.

"Natsu, it's almost midnight!" Gray laughed. He had been forced to drink a little too much booze than he had hoped for.

"Erza told you, didn't she?" Natsu asked.

"Well, s--she is yelling it at the bar with Jellal," Gray used his thumb to point over in their direction. Erza was wearing a feminine version of Santa's clothing and Jellal was Santa.

"Well, I'm going to go talk with Lucy, you try and calm down," Natsu said as he slowly skated away.

"Sure~~"

"Lucy, what up?" He asked as he skated circles around her. 

"Natsu?" Lucy giggled. Natsu looked over at Gray, who was on a bench, sobbing with Juvia. Well, they both had something in common. They both were very mopy when they were drunk.

He slowed down in front of her. "Guys, there are fireworks!" Romeo yelled. That was a sign that midnight was drawing closer.

"Lucy?" He asked. Lucy went forwards, worried. It was a long time since he had called her that, that might mean something was terribly wrong.

"Do you want to be my Princess?" Lucy could hear and see the fireworks going off in the background and could see eyes watching them. Natsu was still in his normal clothes, not disguised as anyone, just him. She slowly skated away.

"Luce?"

"Well, since you have nowhere to go and you are my friend, Why don't you come with me?" 

  "He loves her!"  

  "Yeah, I'm keeping this,"  

"Natsu..." She skated forwards and hugged him. He was warm and toasty, he had gotten the problem off his chest. "Ye-yes," She said.

She broke the hug and looked at the person before her. Reckless. He gave a whole other meaning for reckless. Everything about him was reckless, everything. Every time she tried to imagine life if she had accepted Sting or rejected Natsu's offer, something was off.

"Natsu..."

He had just kissed her.