Another tumblr request! "You really think I'm beautiful?"

Tonight was the ball in celebration of the coronation for Prince - that is, King - Laxus. They were yet in the early hours of the eve, and Natsu watched Lucy as she tittered with her fellow ladies-in-waiting.

The two had been friends for nearly five years, she being one of the servants the Princess Mirajane had brought from her manor when she'd married Laxus, and he being a knight of the kingdom and castle of Fiore.

Natsu'd been harboring feelings for her for most of that time.

She was breathtakingly beautiful tonight. If he didn't know better, he might've mistaken her as one of the royals or nobles in attendance. Natsu fiddled with his collar awkwardly as he took in the sight of her. She was wearing a simple but pretty red dress, the bodice clinging to her chest and accentuating her curves, and the skirt flowing outward, a red bow pinning the layers in place at her hip. Her golden hair was piled on her head, held tight with another red ribbon.

And her face- her beautiful, grinning, radiant expression. Brown eyes wide and bright with laughter, her smile wide and dazzling, her cheeks slightly flushed from what he had to guess was the champagne in her glass.

Lucy glanced up and noticed Natsu's gaze, flushing just a bit more, giving him a smile and a small wave, before going back to her conversation.

"When are you gonna do something about that?" Gray, a fellow knight, teased, noticing Natsu's pink cheeks and dumbfounded look towards the blonde.

Natsu spluttered and tore his eyes away from her. "I- shut it!"

Gray laughed and rolled his eyes. "Look, I've told you this several times, Lucy almost certainly feels the same way about you as you, her. What she sees in you, I have no idea, but she likes you."

Natsu grumbled something incoherent.

"Go ask her to dance," Gray urged him.

Natsu snorted. "Oh yeah, because I can dance."

Gray rolled his eyes again. "Then go tell her she's pretty. Just do something because I'm sick of watching you two pine over each other without doing anything."

Natsu mumbled under his breath again, but Gray didn't give him the chance to argue, shoving the man towards the gaggle of girls. He tripped and stumbled into the group, them letting out a surprised yelp and then a giggle.

"Lost your footing there, Natsu?" Lucy laughed. She waved off the other women as they left to give the two room.

Natsu scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, deciding to refrain from punching Gray (who was over there laughing like a hyena over this, the ass!) in favor of talking to Lucy. "Yeah, heh, Gray shoved me."

"Yes, I saw," Lucy let her eyes sweep over his garb. She'd seen him in it earlier, of course, but not up close yet. She wasn't used to him in such formal wear. Natsu oftentimes skipped out on such events, but he'd been practically dragged this time by Mirajane. "You look nice, Natsu," she commented, gesturing to his clothing and taking another sip of her champagne.

"Eh, too stuffy. Part of the reason I hate these kinda events!"

Lucy laughed. "Oh come on, balls are fun!"

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Not really. I don't know how to dance, I've never cared for champagne, and there's better ways to spend time with my friends."

Lucy smiled as she set her glass down on a table. Natsu's eyes widened as she took his hands and placed one above her waist, clasping her own with the other one. "We'll make the most of it, Natsu," was all she said before dragging him into a waltz.

Natsu fumbled around, not sure what to do with his hands or feet. "Ah- Lucy-"

"Just do what I do!" Lucy readjusted his nervous hand at her side before moving to hold his shoulder. "The steps are fairly simple, you just have to keep time," she told him. "One, two, three, one, two, three…"

Natsu tried to ignore the teasing looks coming from a lot of their friends as Lucy and Natsu swayed and stumbled. "Relax, Natsu!" She laughed. "How come you can do sword fighting so well, but a waltz is what defeats you?"

"Well, this is different!" he insisted with a small smile.

"How is this different!? Yes, fighting's more rough-and-tumble, but you still have to learn all those stances and moves and be able to keep your footing in battle, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied. "Although fighting's more fun than dancing," he teased, sticking his tongue out at her.

Lucy laughed again. "Yes, I suppose you would think that."

They swayed and moved easily, staying out of the way so as not to bump into anyone else, Natsu still stumbling a bit. He was almost certain they were off-tempo with the music playing, too, but he realized Lucy didn't particularly care. She just wanted to be here with him. Lucy's beauty and charm was that of a goddess. She could've danced with anyone in this room, and she chose him, a bumbling fool.

The thought had him grinning wider.

"What's with the smile?" she teased. "I thought you didn't like dancing."

"You're just so beautiful-" he blurted out before blushing in realization of what he'd admitted.

Lucy's face went pink, too, and it wasn't because of the champagne this time. She looked down nervously before looking back up to him and Natsu swore she had the lights of a billion stars in her eyes.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" she finally whispered in response.

"Yeah- yeah, I do, Luce."

Lucy smiled and looked down again to try and hide her pink cheeks, even knowing that Natsu had already seen them. Natsu took the opportunity to move his hands and hold her closer to him, only intensifying both of their blushes. Lucy could feel how hard his heart was beating in his chest.

"I don't think I've ever heard you say the word 'beautiful' before," she told him. "I was beginning to think you never cared when I got all dressed up."

"I mean, you always look beautiful. You don't have to put on such a-" Natsu gazed down at her dress again to try and come up with a way to describe it other than 'pretty' and said the first thing that came to his mind. "-tempting attire to look beautiful."

Lucy squeaked at his adjective of choice, flushing more and pressing further against his neck and shoulder to hide it.

"Beautiful? Tempting? Why Natsu, you're using all sorts of new words tonight," she chuckled. "After all these years, I thought you hardly cared about the appearance of a woman."

"Well, I don't," he admitted, making Lucy look up to him in surprise and confusion. "Not unless it's you."

Her eyes widened before another dopey grin spread across her lips. "Natsu, you're so… You're so… charming, in your own special way," she told him, resting her forehead in the crook of his neck again.

"Blech, don't use 'charming' to describe me. I ain't no 'Prince Charming' at all."

Lucy laughed. "No, you aren't Prince Charming. You're better. I wouldn't have fallen in love with a Prince Charming…"

Natsu stumbled and then stilled, the couple no longer moving to the music and Natsu's body tensing. It took Lucy a moment to realize why, it dawning on her what she'd just admitted.

"Uh, Natsu, I…"

"Did you mean it?" he asked softy.

"I, uh…"

"Lucy, please tell me you mean it because I love you, too."

Lucy gasped at the admittance, moving back from his hold, staring up at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, struggling to find words to say.

"I…" she finally choked out. "I love you," she said again.

Natsu's heart was thumping wildly in his chest as his grin spread from ear to ear. He pulled her back into a dance, taking her hand above her head and spinning her like he'd seen other people doing. Lucy smiled and laughed as it happened.

"You really do?" he asked as he held her close again.

"I do. I love you, Natsu."

Unable to contain his happiness, Natsu lifted her in the air and spun them, stealing her lips in a soft kiss. "I love you, too!" he cried in happiness.

Thank you for reading!