User blog comment:FairyRaven/Fairy Tail Chapter 448: Fight the Power! Review and Commentary/@comment-5840892-20150817232654/@comment-26389992-20150818001747

So many signs though, can't lie if you see all the them... This is how I envision the ship if you had to rank them: I'll honestly put them in between the lovers and friendly/cares for each others, to completely say they don't have feelings for each others is false, but that's not what y'all saying, just saying in general.
 * canon
 * lovers
 * friendly/cares for each other
 * acquaintances
 * fanon

Side note, @nick on your 3rd point: mane I never realized like that but that would make a great love story, shit is sad if they couldn't love each other because of Zeref being cursed