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Chapter Text

“Just let go!”

“You know I can’t.”

"If this is because you're my spirit-"

"You know it's not Lucy! I would refuse to let go regardless!"

She frowned up at him, at his hand desperately grasping onto her arm, the only thing stopping her falling into the endless abyss below her. This had not been how she had expected this job to go at all. It was just meant to be a low level Job, something to pay her rent and an excuse to fight alongside her friends. So why in the world were these supposed thieves so powerful? There was a quiet crack as some small rocks under Loke's left hand, the one keeping him steady as he clung to her, fell down past her.

"Loke, it's going to break! You'll fall with me! Just go and help the others-!"

"Not a chance Lucy! Just give me a moment to think of a plan"

She watched him look around frantically, the ground underneath him getting weaker by the second under his weight, it wouldn't support the both of them forever. She could hear explosions and curses in the background, Natsu and the others were likely valiantly fighting off the thieves, she was hopeful that one of them had knocked out the creep who could create chasms like the one she was in, otherwise they would be in serious trouble. She felt a small vibration and realised she was trembling, oh so she was scared then, well that was wasn't ideal. Feeling her nerves, he looked back down to her, trying to give her a soothing smile, but they were both sure he failed as his own panic shone through.

"Lucy...I have an idea. But I want to ask, how much do you trust me? I know I'm your favourite spirit, rightly so too, as I am the most attractive, but this plan is a bit crazy so..."

Her favourite? Really? And incredibly attractive? Well she couldn't really argue that point but... She was going to shoot him down, when she realised how normal that would have been, he was just trying to remove some tension from her. She gave him an appreciative smile.

"Loke I trust you, I trust all my spirits with my life"

"Glad you mentioned all your spirits actually, do you think you can summon Virgo?"

"While i'm like this?"

"If you can, that would be great. Please hurry though, I don't think this will hold out much longer"

The thought of looking down terrified her, she was ashamed to admit that to herself. But it was either believe in Loke or end up falling for who knows how long before the sudden- She shuddered, unable to finish that thought. She tilted her head down, trying to focus more on her keys than the darkness below her. With her shaking free hand, she pulled out Virgo's key, then looked straight up again, eyes locking onto his. Gathering courage and strength from him, from his silent encouragement, she lifted the key upward and called on her magic.

"Gate of the maiden, I open thee! Virgo!"

Golden light surrounded her key as the celestial magic activated. They were both relieved when Virgo had the common sense to appear a few feet behind Loke, so as to not disturb the ground further. She slumped a little, becoming fatigued at now having two strong gates open, and Loke brought his second arm down to grab her, refusing to let her slip through his fingers, he would not lose her like this.

"Virgo! Get ready, I don't have time to wait!"

She wanted to call out, to ask him what his plan was, but he was already slowly moving. He got onto one knee, pausing whenever there was movement below him, before taking a deep breath. He surged upward, standing and pulling her up with him, she was level with him, when there was a sickening crack and Loke swore under his breath. One of his hands let go of her to grab onto her waist and pull her close as the floor finally broke away underneath them and they were falling.

She wanted to scream, but it felt like all the air had been sucked out her lungs. Was she going to die? No Loke was right there, he had a plan right? She felt his arms both wrap around her, pulling her tightly against his chest. In a single moment she wondered how nice it would be to be hugged by him while not in a near death situation, then they stopped. Chains coiled around the both of them, preventing their continued descent, they swung to the chasm's wall and Loke quickly turned them around to take the brunt for her. She cringed at his grunt of pain, if it wasn't for the fact he was a spirit, that would have caused a nasty bruise. Strangely though, he let out a sigh of relief, caring more that she was alright then whether his back hurt. He took a moment to collect himself, as Virgo slowly pulled them up, careful to not cause anymore collapses. He finally smiled down at her, catching her gaze in his, and she just had to marvel at how much of an idiot he truly was, willing to go through anything to protect her, and still come out of it grinning.
Virgo finally pulled them up to safety, dragging them a little away from the hole before finally releasing them. She pushed up to move off him, but he quickly sat up, pulling her into his lap and hugging her tight. His breathing was ragged in her ear, she could feel his heart beating madly in his chest.

"Stay here with me Lucy, please"

Oh how she wanted to, really she did, but the battle was still raging around them. She pushed gently on his shoulders and he let her sit back.

"Loke, we need to help the others, we can't sit out of this fight"

"But...But I almost just...If I hadn't..."

His forlorn expression tugged on her heartstrings, her will to leave him was slowly dwindling, but she couldn't burden the others with her portion of the fight. She cradled his face in her hands to get him to look at her.

"Loke, later tonight, when I'm back home and rested, i'll call on you and we can talk about this ok? If you need some reassurance that i'm still here, which I am, then I will give it to you, but for now any fear must be put to the side."

It seemed like he was about to object but he sighed deeply instead. He moved his head out of her hands, giving up, but looking dejected about it.

"Fine, but if you don't call on me later you will have to deal with me tomorrow morning and trust me, you won't want to deal with that"

She grinned at him, happy to fall back into their usual back and forth, if for nothing else but to bring back his smile.

"Oh? A whiny and clingy Loke? Sounds like your usual routine to me!" She shot him a wink as she got up. " Virgo! Go see if that guy who put me in this hole is still around, if he is, go see how he likes it. Not too deep though, we do still want to hand him in later"

"Yes Princess!"

She gave a quick bow before burrowing into the ground, heading straight for her target. Lucy waited until she heard a surprised yell, before turning back to Loke, looking down at him, a satisfied grin on her lips. She held out a hand for him.

"Come on Loke! It looks like things are almost finished up here and we can't let them have all the fun can we?"

Her false confidence covered her nerves quite a bit she thought. But if she gave either of them a moment to think about how she nearly went plunging to her death, Loke's quick leap forward the only thing that saved her, well then neither of them would be moving for a while. He was pouting at her, the clingy comment had stung him she bet, but he took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled up.

"Just for that Lucy, I'm going to be extra clingy whether you call me later or not"

She actually managed to laugh as they moved forward as one, back into the brawl.

"You know, I think I can deal with that"

Chapter Text

He heard a loud groan, before someone sat down next to him. He turned to see Erza Scarlet, drink in hand, looking rather upset. There was a moment of silence, in which she continued to stare at him, before he felt awkward enough to speak up.

"What is it Erza?!"

Apparently a sharp tone was a bad idea, since her resigned look turned to a frown, looking him up and down before muttering out an answer.

"You're naked, again. When are you going to stop doing this?"

He looked down at himself, and sure enough, he had stripped down to his boxers, he had even taken his shoes and socks off. Huh,when did that happen?

"Ah! Sorry Erza! I never notice when this happens"

"Yes, I know"

The defeated sigh was uncalled for he felt, he wasn't that hopeless. He just didn't really have much of a reason to try and reel himself in.This was just a part of who he was now, surely everyone at the guild knew this already? He felt like pouting,but he wasn't that childish, unlike Natsu, so he sucked it up. Turning away from Erza's disapproving stare, he made himself look busy by checking out the guild hall. It was as lively as ever, this place could never be described as quiet or calm. He spotted Juvia chatting with Lucy in one corner of the guild. He couldn't work out the reason why, but ever since he and Juvia had gotten together, her and Lucy's friendship had gotten much stronger, it was fine before, but now...well they spent a lot of time together, it was nice to see Juvia change for the better, but at the same time... He found himself shaking off small feelings of jealousy from time to time, really what was wrong with him? Still that wasn't important now, he looked her over, enjoying the view, not that he could ever tell her. Frustration at his inability to voice his own feelings spiked, only to be calmed when she noticed him and waved, grinning broadly at him. He cooled off immediately, sending her a small wave back. Erza, curious to what was going on, looked over, only to do a double take when she spotted Juvia.

"Isn't she wearing...?"

"One of my jackets and shirts? Yeah"

Juvia was currently in one of his black sleeveless shirts, harmless on it's own really. But what Erza probably recognised was that she was also wearing his long white jacket, black along the ends, currently open, as she hadn't bothered to zip it up.

"Care to explain that?"

Was it that weird? Sharing clothes seemed like a normal thing for people to do, especially when you don't want anyone to see your girlfriends body. He hummed, musing it over as he spoke.

"About two weeks ago, we went out to this nice cafe Juvia had found and was whining about. She really wanted to go so I gave in and took her." He heard a snort from Erza, she started to mumble to herself, curious as he was, he knew it was probably a bad idea to ask what was so amusing. "Anyway, it was late when we left. The nighttime chill settled in and she started complaining that she was cold. Well coldness doesn't bother me, so I gave her my jacket to stop her moaning. It just so happened that she looked..." Much better than him, but he couldn't say that, not to anyone. "Alright in it, yeah. So, I let her have it, that's all"

"Really? That's all?"

"Yep, that's all Erza"

She shook her head, eyebrows raising in disbelief. She looked bemused as she pointed over at Juvia.

"Then why is she also wearing one of your shirts?"

Why did he get the feeling he was walking right into a trap? Like she already knew all the answers, but was just toying with him, her bemused smile wasn't helping with that assessment. 

"Well, she visits a lot right? So lately she's been trying on stuff from my wardrobe, sometimes when I strip something off she puts it on, maybe that's a bit weird thinking about it. I don't know why she does it, but every time she does I...I take one look at her and blurt out that she can keep it." 

He could feel a small flush rising on his cheeks and he cursed himself. How in the hell does she always get him so worked up? His conversational friend here could also do with not looking so self satisfied.

"I see, seems you really have it bad Gray, to be handing out all your clothes like that"

"Knock it off Erza, you don't have to play cupid anymore, we're already together"

"So I don't get to tease you either? That's a shame" She turned to inspect Juvia, who was currently being pulled outside by Lucy, probably trying to show her something."Still, she looks a bit too small for that jacket, are you sure it suits her?"

He didn't know why exactly, but he felt incredibly offended at that comment. He straightened up, preparing to defend himself.

"Listen, normally I hate wearing too many layers, clothes, to me, are a waste of time. A shirt and a pair of trousers is fine, if not a bit warm. But look at her, really look at her, can't you see clothes actually suit her just fine? If i'm saying it looks good on her, surely that means something?"

He didn't miss the small smirk on her lips as she finally turned back to face him, amusement easily shown on her face.

"Well, glad to see you admit you have a problem with clothes Gray, took you long enough" He moved to protest but she held up a hand, silencing him so she could continue. "I suppose though if you're ok with it, then everything's fine, but please, for the sake of the guild, at least keep one outfit for yourself"

He paused, thinking it over, they were back to the original issue, but now she had some context at least. He smiled softly, shrugging a little.

"I dunno Erza, if she wants all my clothes and looks that sexy in them, well who am I to stop her? Sides this means I won't have to go through all the hassle of finding my clothes again after I've stripped out of them"

The room suddenly got a lot colder. He shuddered involuntarily as Erza turned one of her famous death glares onto him. He gulped, fear for his life suddenly pushing him to run.

"Gray, I promise you this, if you strut in one day completely bare, telling me you have no clothes, I will personally publicly castrate you"

"...Maybe just one outfit is fine"

"Good, i'm glad we came to an agreement"

She gave him a nod of satisfaction before turning back to her drink, telling him that this particular conversation was done, killed off by Titania herself. He frowned into his own mug, is it really an agreement if one side is coerced into it? He looked up to see Juvia coming back into the guild, laughing with Lucy about something or other. He looked her up and down, possibly loving the way his jacket dwarfed her and made her look, dare he say it, slightly adorable. He flushed at his own inner thoughts, this really wasn't like him, but hey, maybe seeing Juvia like this was worth Erza's wrath...maybe.

Chatting with Lucy was always fun, especially since the Celestial mage hid away a secret dark side, one that was giving her a lot of ideas of what she could do with Gray. They had just finished up a conversation when Erza came over. She had noticed her talking with Gray, her past self yelling that she was taking Gray away, but she tried not to be so jealous anymore, so she had ignored it. She had no reason to be jealous now Gray was her boyfriend...though they both still got incredibly possessive over the other. She blushed at the thought as Erza spoke to her, stopping right in front of her.

"Juvia, I would like to bring something to your attention"

Had she done something wrong? She looked so serious and yet she couldn't think of a thing that she had done...well not things Erza would know about anyway.

"...What's wrong Erza?"

"Well, it's about Gray" She froze, was something wrong with Gray? Was he hurt? Was he- " You seem to be taking all of his clothes, one outfit at a time, would you care to explain why?"

Oh, that, well it seemed she had been caught. Gray might not be able to click that she was doing it on purpose, especially after she found out he couldn't say no to her, but Erza wouldn't be fooled so easy. It was probably best to be direct.

"Well Juvia thinks Gray looks so handsome when he's all embarrassed and stuttering, which is how he gets when he sees me in his clothes! Gray gets so nervous and he just blurts out that I can have them. He also tries not to make it obvious he's staring, but is so bad at it, it's so cute!" Erza was nodding along with her, seemingly understanding her, well in that case. "Also, if Juvia has all of Gray's clothes, then Juvia will get to see Gray's bare chest more often, which is a blessing from the heavens themselves!"

She swore she heard Erza mutter 'of course', but she wasn't certain. She sighed and shook her head before speaking up.

"Fair enough Juvia, I won't interfere in your little plan, but leave Gray with at least one outfit ok? The rest of us need to work alongside him too you know?"

She supposed that was a fair enough deal and nodded, if for nothing else but to appease the terror that was Erza. She watched as she sighed, complaining about difficult guild members as she left. Musing over this new information Juvia realised something, the limit was only one outfit! There was still so many ways she could trick Gray out of his outfits and still follow that limit, and Gray only having one outfit still worked well with her plan of seeing more of his lovely body anyway. Things were going completely her way.

Chapter Text

“It’s so cold my mouth is numb, you should kiss me before we get frostbite”

She felt like she jumped ten feet in the air in surprise at the sudden voice behind her, beside her ear. What she did know however was that when she landed she slipped on the cruel ice underneath her, falling backwards, straight into familiar, waiting arms. There was a soft chuckle above her and she almost groaned now that she realised who it was, if only her heart wasn’t trying to pry itself through her chest.

“Sorry my love, I didn’t mean to catch you off guard”

“Yeah? Well a simple hello would have sufficed”

“Now where would the fun in that be?”

His smile turned cheeky even as he helped her stand and regain her balance. She turned to face him and was surprised to see him wearing appropriate clothing for the weather. Well, he had a large, green, puffy winter coat, orange gloves and a wooly hat decorated with little lions. So close enough for him, now if only he would change those jeans and shoes, weren’t his legs cold? She appreciated the sight though, this was the first time seeing him out of his suit jacket for a while and she’d definitely never seen him in winter clothes before. It was a treat.

“Can I help you Loke? I need to get to Fairytail”

“Ah, right, well you see...” He actually started fidgeting, pressing his gloved fingers together as his nerves slowly started to get the better of him. This is why he was better at impulsive flirting, when he actually started to think, then he started to worry. It had turned out, he was worried constantly about annoying her, such a silly lion. “It’s our first snow day as a couple”

She looked around at the softly falling snow and hummed in acknowledgement. She hadn't even thought about it, but this was the first winter wonderland to grace Magnolia since they had gotten together a few months ago, but where was he going with this?

“That it is, it’s a really pretty looking day too isn’t it? So what was it that you wanted?”

“Right! Well I figured we could go for a walk or spend the day together because it would really be a treat to spend such a serene day with you and I had a feeling you’d look so cute in your winter clothes, which you absolutely do by the way! You look super adorable!”

His hand shot to his face as he looked her over, obvious glee at the sight of her completely wrapped up. She didn’t know how she looked cute in her jacket, wooly hat, gloves, scarf and warm, thermal trousers, but she’d give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. She had tried to look cute and stick to her white and blue colour scheme, but hadn't been totally sure it had worked. She tried to change the direction of the conversation, before he started to make her blush, he was too good at getting her all tangled up.

“You look nice in your winter stuff too, though I think your jacket might be a bit too big” He froze, like he’d been caught doing something bad, he wouldn’t look at her. “Loke?”

“Uh...I was maybe hoping that you’d need...um warming up...Not in a dirty way!” His hands shot out and flailed as his explanation became desperate. Honestly she wasn’t surprised by his antics anymore, so she just waited patiently until he started speaking coherently again. “But maybe we could have shared a jacket as we walked along or something”

Ok, it was official, he was too cute for this world. Which was probably why he was a Celestial spirit, only the whole universe could contain it.

"You just wanted to snuggle with me and have an excuse for it"

"Maybe so...but we're getting off topic! I want to go on a walk through the snow with you. Make some snow angels, or snowmen or even have a snowball fight perhaps. Then perhaps we could warm up at your house, drinking hot chocolate with the little marshmallows and cuddling up together to stay warm and cosy. I want to do everything a snow day entails with you" She let out a small gasp, hand covering her mouth. He'd looked so excited, like a child. It was too much for her heart. He was going to kill her with sweetness. Unfortunately he took her inability to form words due to emotional overflow as disapproval. He was quick to hide his disappointment, stuttering out excuses. "But maybe that's not your thing or you're too busy today...you were going to Fairytail right? I should just lea-" 

He was cut off by her finger on his lips, silencing him. He raised a brow in question but she'd honestly done it instinctively so he wouldn't go, wouldn’t leave her. She couldn’t help moving without thinking right? Her fingers moved to his cheek, cupping it as he leaned into her touch.

“Where’d my usually suave lion go hmm?”

He groaned softly, shaking his head slightly while reaching up to hold the hand on his cheek. Even with the gloves, it was a nice sensation, he should hold her hand more often, though she’d never voice that. 

“Being with you turns my brain to mush Lucy. I start so good and then it all goes in the garbage. I just can't think straight and all that comes out of my mouth is rambling trash and I’m doing it right now aren’t I? Just kill me now, shut me up!”

She almost laughed at his theatrics but managed to dutifully swallow it down, it probably wasn’t the best time to mention just how ridiculous he was being. Didn’t mean she couldn’t tease him though.

“Well then, I guess that means you need to stop spending time with me. To save your poor brain I mean”

She should have been more prepared, she knew this man, knew his antics. Yet his surge forward still caught her off guard. She would have fallen backwards if it wasn’t for his strong grip around her waist, clinging her tightly to him. 

“Not a chance. Even if I’m so turned to goo I can't speak or think at all, I’d still stick by you. You’re unfortunately going to have to just put up with my babbling...real unfortunate for you huh?” 

His hands clenched into her back, holding her like a lifeline, suddenly terrified to let her go. He hid his face in her neck to get away from her questioning gaze, but she could already kinda tell what the matter was. Well, she could make an educated guess at what the problem was. 

Memories of her how she fell for him came back to her, how she’d given herself time to come to understand her own heart, to grow stronger and more self assured. To the point that when she confessed it was a pretty confident one, not self absorbed, but certain that he wasn’t going to hurt her one way or the other, it had been apparently very sexy. His words not hers. But that had left him playing catch up in the relationship department, he’d gone from being certain she loved another to suddenly in a relationship with her. Doubts and worries were normal, especially for a spirit who had no doubt experienced rejection and pain over and over again. He had been forced to stay with humans who saw him as nothing more than a tool or thing. Bile always churned in her stomach and throat whenever she thought about it.

Her hands grabbed at his back, desperate to bring him closer still, to tell him she was here, he’d never go through that again while she was still breathing. She’d never abandon or hurt him that way and she was hopeful that little by little, he was starting to realise this happiness wasn’t about to just slip away.

“I think you mean unfortunate for you, I mean, do you know how clumsy I am? I’m pretty sure I’ve caused my fair share of problems.”

“You are, but that just makes you all the more adorable. Besides you’re completely dependable when you need to be. You’re amazing.”

“Ah, but you’re amazing too then! I can always depend on you to have my back and support me regardless of the situation. You’re a true gentleman knight, one that I rely on”

She could feel the frown against her skin, almost dragging that laugh out of her.

“That was a sneak attack compliment wasn’t it? That’s foul play Lucy”

“Nope, that’s showering my dorky boyfriend with love, totally allowed. I’ve read the girlfriend handbook, remember?”

“I’d like to see this so-called handbook you keep quoting...was it written by Mira? Because that’s worrisome advice to be taking”

That finally caused her to crack, snickers pouring out into the air as she trembled against him. If he could make a joke he was probably feeling a little better. Good, she loved her confident boyfriend and was determined to prove that to him. 

“You’re right...Wanna ditch Fairytail and go for a tour of Magnolia? See the snow covered sights?”

He nodded eagerly against her, tightening his hug in joy and anticipation.

“Of course I do! Let’s go right-...Wait a minute, wasn’t that my idea?”

“Yup and now I’m stealing it. ‘Claim every great idea is yours’, that’s another line from the handbook”

“This book is deadly...but tell ya what, I’ll give you this idea, if you give me something in return”

He leaned back out of the hug, but kept his hands firmly on her shoulders. He was grinning now, mischief shining in his eyes, and he said being with her turned him to mush. He was as sharp as a tack when he wanted to be, unfortunately only her being in danger or the need to flirt with her proved to be the proper motivation.

“Oh? What do you want?”

“That kiss I asked for, to warm my frozen lips”

She snorted, gently pushing him back to place her hands on her hips, amused but also exasperated. 

“You couldn’t have possibly been cold when you asked you know? You’d just come from the Celestial Spirit World”

“Ah, but being without your love leaves me frozen, my dear Lucy. Why, without you by my side, the whole world seems like a colder, more dreary place. I need you to provide light and warmth to my life.”

Don’t blush! Don’t you dare blush! Don’t give him that satisfaction!

It was too late, she could feel the creeping heat on her cheeks, from just one compliment. A sweet one, but still, she’d like to have a bit more control over her heart, especially with all the practice she’d had. But he was good at stuff like that, at breaking through defences and making you feel like a lovesick child, she adored it about him, no matter how much it infuriated her.

“Glad to see my knights back on his feet. Tell ya what, a kiss would warm me up, so it’s a deal”

He beamed at her, before doing his best to reel himself in, trying to not seem overly eager. Well it was too late for that, it was obvious to everyone who knew him he waited for every kiss, every hug, every drop of affection. Lucky for him then that he was dating a woman willing to drown him in it. She caught his gaze, basking in the open love and adoration she saw there, before reaching out to take his hands in her own. His hands quickly wrapped around hers, giving a gentle squeeze in response. She gave a small smile before leaning upwards, while he leaned down to her, to meet in the middle and feel his lips on hers. She could spend all day kissing him softly like they were, just positive affirmations of love and dedication. A simple way to express the joy that filled her heart at his mere presence, his mere existence. He pushed softly against her, deepening the kiss but not quickening the pace. A relaxed kiss but no less filled with their passion for each other, she hoped she passed all her love onto him with every movement.

They finally broke the kiss after what felt like a tender eternity, but they didn't stray far from each other. In fact, it was close enough for her to give in to temptation and plant more kisses on his cheeks before finally stepping back to admire her handiwork.

He flushed, cheeks a vibrant pink as he gawped down at her, like they hadn’t just made out in the middle of the street.

“W-what were the extra kisses for?”

Because I love you dummy!

“Because I figured I might as well warm up your entire face if you're going to give me credit for such an amazing idea. Kissing your cheeks seemed the best way to go”

“Y-yeah it really was, definitely feel the heat on my cheeks” She snickered, well at least he admitted how she made him feel. He huffed in response, annoyed but not enough to let her go. “Don’t laugh, your cheeks are pretty red too. Why I’d almost think I could fight back the cold by just being here. Does just seeing me make you smile?”

“Please, why would I be so corny? I’m not as silly as you are” She looked around conspiratorially before moving onto her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “But perhaps seeing you does brighten my day, so visit more often ok?”

He nodded, hands squeezing hers again as he got caught up in his own new wave of energy.

“Of course! Every day Lucy! Just to make you smile!”

“Good, but don’t go telling the others about this. I don’t need them realising that I might be as bad of a romantic as you are”

One hand left her to do a zipping motion over his lips, but it quickly returned to her, like it never left.

“My lips are sealed my diamond. I want all of your love and romance for myself anyway so it works out great for me. Please don’t hold back anymore” 

“Ok, that’s enough of that, let’s get going before you get too excited”

“I think it’s too late for that Lucy. Not only am I getting a snow day with you, but an invite to visit more often and the promise that you’ll be super lovey dovey-”

“I never said-”

“I’m over the moon!”

His arms shot into the air, letting go of hers to show his jubilation, though she could already tell that from his childish bouncing. She watched him as he danced around, getting strange looks from the people around them. She was getting sympathetic looks, like he was some sort of crazy idiot that she should be ashamed of or embarrassed about. She waved them off, touched and excited that he was so happy just from the promise of more time with her. So preoccupied with scaring off people trying to ruin his fun, she didn’t spot him reaching for her until suddenly he was pulling her along, out of the blue racing through Magnolia’s streets while she struggled to keep up.

“Loke!”

“Come on Lucy, Let’s go! We have the whole day, we can't waste a single second!”

Laughter bubbled easily from her as she found her footing and he slowed down a little. They ran together, going off some weird, shared momentum. Some buzzing feeling that was exploding between them, through their joined hands and into their hearts. 

“Bet I beat you to the park!”

She shot forward, yet she couldn’t bring herself to let go, not yet. He jumped in front, longer legs easily catching up, but he seemed to have the same problem. Wanting to be first but refusing to give up this connection. Still his eyes blazed with the fires of competition as he grinned at her.

“We’ll see Lucy. If I’m first you owe me a kiss”

“And if I’m first you have to carry me everywhere like a princess”

“...No fair I want that!”

Their joined giggles and teasing echoed throughout Magnolia’s streets. A new couple in love and so very happy to be.

Chapter Text

The guild hall was noisy and lively today. She secretly enjoyed days like this, where her whole family was together and enjoying each other's company, despite the trouble that often caused her. Lucy Heartfilia softly smiled to herself as she watched her friends drink, laugh and chatter. Today was going to be a good day, mainly because there was no job today. Her team had actually listened to her and so they were taking a break, they'd worked hard enough in the past week and had earned it she thought.

"Earthland to Lucy, come in Lucy"

She jumped, startled out of her thoughts by a bemused Erza.

"We know Loke has gone to get you a drink, but we're interesting too, I promise"

She felt the mortification rise up and paint her cheeks. Her eyes scanned the cheeky grins of her team, at least Wendy was trying to be polite about it. They were also joined by Juvia, though that was a surprise to no one. She raised her hands in defense and apology, feeling slightly sheepish.

"Sorry. We've been so busy lately I can barely stand. There's a reason I asked for the strongest coffee Mira can make. I need it to punch me awake."

“I can honestly understand that, Mira’s great at making coffee so thick and strong that normal spoons break trying to stir it. I hear she’s had the mugs made specially to be able to hold it”

“And yet she serves it to people?”

“Yes she does! And don’t I love her for it...Now I just need Loke to hurry up”

“...I think you might need to go over there”

She caught Erza’s gaze, she was looking past her and over to the counter, where Loke currently was waiting. Confused, she turned to see her husband leaning on the counter, elbows on the table as he watched Mira, waiting patiently for her to finish all the orders. It would have been a normal sight, she might have even leaned back to appreciate the sight of him bent over, if not for the company he had. There was a woman talking with him, not a problem on it’s own of course, but her hand was resting near his and she was leaning in pretty close, a clear tactic to catch his attention. She was failing, since his eyes weren’t leaving Mirajane, who was making the drinks much more slowly than usual. That woman was always scheming something, probably not helped by the small request Lucy had asked of her earlier.

“I think he’ll be fine, I trust him to not cross any lines and everyone knows we’re married”

“Do they?”

Natsu’s interruption made her pause, she was certain everyone did. Her husband was so jubilant about their relationship, he only just stopped short of shouting about their love from the rooftops of Magnolia and only because she stopped him. There was no way there was anyone alive that didn’t know where his heart rested, right? And yet, it was like his little fanclub either hadn’t heard the news or just chose to ignore it. Since this lady was like the fifth to start on him all week, which was another problem exhausting her. Loke wasn’t encouraging it per se, but he wasn’t really actively doing anything about it either. It left her in some sort of weird limbo where she was panicking that she was overreacting. 

What wasn’t helping her inner distress was the fact this newcomer looked very pretty. She couldn’t see everything from here of course but it was enough. Long, brown hair fell softly down her shoulders, she wore a short sleeved V neck and held herself with great confidence, she knew she looked good and wanted to show it. The short, teasing skirt definitely earned her a few glances from the guild members, but right now her attention was fixated on one man, adamantly doing her best to engage him in conversation, as distracted as his side of it was. This was definitely some kind of problem, how large of one had yet to be seen. Loke didn’t focus on physical beauty, despite how much he used that in his flirts, but his eyes might still drift a little...

“She looks like a member of Loke’s little fanclub, one of those old girlfriends of his. Maybe she didn’t get the memo?”

It was a possibility, who knows where she’d been when they’d spread the news, she could genuinely not know, especially when Loke’s posture obscured the ring on his finger. It was perfectly logical then that she would think it was ok to go back to how it was, clinging onto him and going on dates. It was an honest mistake.

But that didn’t stop the ugly swirl of jealousy rising up inside her when she finally got a laugh from him, finally catching his full attention. It didn’t stop the urge to punch her as she took that a her cue to get closer to him, to put her hand on his arm, to try and lean into him-

She was up and walking over before she could stop herself. She hated it but deep down something recoiled and snapped at the idea of someone else recieving his affection, at someone else being in his arms. As she got closer she could hear their conversation and it just made everything worse.

“What are you doing today? Do you mind if I stick around?”

“Go ahead I could use the company, since at the moment I’m waiting for my drinks to be done”

He shot a small glare Mira’s way which was soon followed by a childish huff as she giggled in response. Was she teasing him? She knew he liked to get back to her as soon as possible, so she was probably just playing with him. Innocent teasing would have been fine if it wasn’t for the other problem. 

“Well, I wouldn’t mind keeping you company. I’m surprised you’re not surrounded like you usually are. It’s nice to get some one on one time”

He hummed in response, then in what was becoming his new normal, only answered part of her statement, only acknowledging the non flirty lines thrown at him. It was like he just blanked anything else.

“I’m a different man now, I don’t like having a big crowd of women around me anymore”

Not that he really did back then either, he’d really dug a hole for himself with his playboy ways, but it was all he had known, the only way to make him feel something. She paused, held back by a strange sense of pity. He had been so desperate to disappear back then, his over the top nature was a charade to hide how badly he wanted to die. Surely any reminder of who he used to be was a painful one, so why did he let this happen? Why did he let women flirt with him? Her jealousy mellowed out into a need to understand his motives, his way of thinking. If he still hated any part of himself she wanted the self punishment to end now.

“Well I’m not complaining, I’d enjoy spending some private time with a man as handsome as yourself”

“Private time is nice, if only our friends would let us have some”

She almost giggled at his small huff, easily catching his not so subtle meaning. It was true that the guild and their work prevented them from having too much ‘quality time’ together. But if he had his way they’d never be apart, they’d also never get any work done. Sadly it seemed his guest didn’t quite catch his meaning.

“No one’s stopping us from being together” She patted his arm, a small smile on her face. “In fact we could have some fu-”

He shot up, cutting her off. There was a brief panic that he was going to take her up on that offer, but his eyes remained trained on Mira. There was a shared beat of confusion until she belatedly realised she’d heard the kettle ding.

“Not yet Loke, now I have to prepare the drink, this will take the longest amount of time”

He flopped back onto the counter in defeat, puppy eyes doing nothing to convince the demon in front of him to speed up.

“But Miiirraaaa”

“Nope, you know whining doesn’t work on me, you’ll have to wait”

He let out the loudest, most overdramatic sigh she’d ever had the pleasure of hearing, he was so stupid it was amazing. But it was also completely endearing so who was the true idiot here?

“A-are you ok?”

She had to give this lady credit, him acting like a child hadn’t completely discouraged her. She knew lesser people who would run the moment they realised being with Loke took a bit of patience. 

“I’m fine, just this awful woman over there keeps tormenting me”

“Oh dear Loke, don’t you know words can hurt?”

“...I’m going to pay for that aren’t I?”

“I’ve added an extra minute onto your waiting time”

He let out a deep groan as his forehead landed on the table, lamenting his own stupidity. He should have known by now not to mess with the S class mages of Fairytail, so he garnered no sympathy from her, unfortunately that wasn’t true for others.

“Aww, it’s ok. I’m here to support-”

Time slowed down as she raised her hand, clearly intent on ruffling Loke’s hair, then probably gently rubbing  his head to soothe him. What if he purred and looked at her all soft eyed and-

No. This was where she drew the line, this was where war was declared. Jealousy spiked once more inside her and even though she hated it, she let it motivate her into crossing the rest of the way over to them.

“Loke, what’s taking so long?”

His head raised back up, cutting off the other woman’s advances. He didn’t even seem to notice how close she was, completely focused on giving Lucy his best pathetic look.

“It’s Mirajane Lucy, she’s being mean to me”

There was a snort by the kettle as Mira finally started properly making her drink, clearly more amused by the entire situation then she should be. She’d argue that her husband wasn’t free entertainment, but such bravery was a lost cause against her. Besides she had a message to send, an assurance of what was hers. Her hand went into his hair, soothing him as she gently rubbed behind his ear in the way she knew he enjoyed. Predictably he leaned his cheek into her palm, demanding more attention and pity.

“My poor Loke, getting bullied so terribly, don’t worry. I’m here now”

“Who are you?”

She moved back, hand leaving Loke’s hair and doing her best to not give in to his pitiful whine. He straightened up a little, still relaxing against the bar but his head was fully facing her. His bright, expressive eyes were silently pleading for her affection but she refused him. She would not give in, she would not give this vixen the honour of hearing him purr! Such cuteness was reserved for her only! There was a small staredown between them as she replied.

“I’m Lucy Heartfilia, his favourite girlfriend”

He frowned, finally moving away from the bar to properly stand before her, arms crossed as he stood in defiance.

“You’re my only girlfriend- I mean you’re my wife. You’re the only one I have eyes for”

“Well perhaps you should act like it”

“What?”

Well she hadn’t intended for him to hear her mumbling, so she was too caught off guard to reply. He tilted his head, looking at her in abject confusion. Wait a second, had he been ignoring other people’s advances on purpose? He hated to be rude to a lady, so maybe this was his way of letting them down nicely? It was a sweet gesture but he had to be more proactive, people were taking it the wrong way, thinking they had to work harder to catch his attention. Still, at least he was trying, she supposed. She probably shouldn’t be too harsh on him.

An awkward feeling rose up inside her as she tried to avoid his inquisitive expression. He more than likely was trying to work out exactly what he had done wrong and she wasn’t exactly sure how to word the fact she was just jealous that beautiful women felt they could drape themselves over him.The fact she had believed that there was any sort of threat to their happiness. But of course there wasn’t and she was just being stupid and-

“Here you go! Order’s done!”

“Finally! I thought I’d somehow age and-”

He paused while she thanked the stars for the interruption. He let out a small hum of confusion as Mira didn’t just put her mug  on the counter. Next to it was a large glass bowl. Inside said bowl was several large scoops of strawberry and chocolate ice cream. She’d decorated it with a strawberry on the top and a ring of them around the base, she’d also drawn a heart over the scoops in a dark chocolate sauce. Mirajane put two spoons down by the bowl and smiled innocently at the pair of them, like she wasn’t a devil in disguise.

“Enjoy!”

‘Um, what’s this?”

“Surprise?” His head whipped back to face her, eyebrow arched and a small smile starting to creep on his face in understanding. “I thought you needed a treat too, you’ve been working so hard, even staying in this world more to help me out. I know it makes you more uncomfortable than you’re letting on, so I wanted to thank you”

She found that she suddenly couldn’t look him in the eyes, suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that he might not actually like this idea. That it would put too much spotlight on them, that it might-

“A treat for me huh? Well we shouldn’t let it go to waste. It was good foresight to give us two spoons Mira, since I of course want to share this gift with my one and only”

“Oh, am I off your hit list?”

He gave a small nod to her as he picked up the cup in one hand while holding the bowl in the other. The pair of them grinned at each other, like they were simply sharing in a friendly joke.

“For now, yes you are”

There was a short giggle before she returned to her work, calmly striding out of the bar to hand out the drinks she’d made, shooting them a wink as she passed.

“Well, then, should we go sit back with our friends Lucy?”

She paused for a moment, too swept up in what had just happened to react. He’d so nonchalantly accepted her gift then even declared he was going to share it with her. She should be used to it by now, but his oh so proud to be in love nature still caught her off guard, still caused her mind to pause. She must have looked as unsure as she felt because he stopped in his walk back to their table to glance at her with obvious concern.

“Uh, are you ok?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, sure just…”

She was just so unsure how he was so easily able to sweep her along into his natural rhythm, to so easily find a place for her beside him. Her broken brain was unable to do anything but share a confused glance with her would-be rival, seeking some comfort in the fact she looked incredibly like a fish out of water. His eyes darted between them, immediately coming to a wrong conclusion.

“Oh, right! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t treat a lady with such poor manners. It was a pleasure to talk to you, I hope we see each other again, I get a little caught up in my love for Lucy, so I hope you’ll forgive my rudeness. I know a certain old goat who’d give a scolding if he saw me”

He bowed his head slightly, unable to do his normal over the top routine with his full hands. He shot her a wry smile, but the poor girl was already shocked and confused. The tiniest amount of pity went out to her, he could be a little hard to follow when he got going.

“Uh...sure, we’ll see each other again?”

“Good! I look forward to chatting with you again, thank you for being so considerate with me”

She looked stunned as it seemed to finally sink in that Loke had no idea she had been flirting with him, that she had been doing her best to take him away from this place, away from where she now knew his wife was. She looked like she was abou to say something, before she turned away in a flustered huff, cheeks a bright red. Part of her felt guilty she had been upstaged in such a way, another, more sinister part, hoped the shame taught her a lesson against flirting with her husband. She followed him back to their table, ugly feelings sated in her the moment he smiled softly at her. He placed her cup in front of her before putting the bowl down between them. Excitable energy rolled off him in waves and it wasn’t hard for everyone to pick up on them and join in.

“So what have you got there buddy? Feel like sharing?”

“Not on your life Gray, this was a treat from Lucy, so don’t get your dirty hands all over it”

The not so subtle roll of the eyes in response showed just what the ice mage thought of that,

“Of course, you’re right, excuse me. Still, if you care so much what about Lucy thinks and does, surely you should’ve stopped her from so blatantly flirting with you”

They were right to scold him, she just wished she knew the right words to say to tell him off too. Though in his defence, he looked extremely offended.

“Who?Stop Lucy flirting with me? Never, it’s too cute”

The automatic rebuttal died on his tongue as something in that sentence made him pause. He shared a certain look with her friends, one that made her shiver.

“Wait a minute, Lucy flirts with you?”

The cheek! Just because it wasn’t as over the top as Loke didn’t mean she didn’t flirt! She huffed, ready to defend herself, but she wasn’t fast enough for her knight.

“Yeah, what do you think this is?” He pointed down to the ice cream in question. Huh, where was he going with this? “Lucy flirts with her actions more than her words. She’ll sneakily hold my hand or stare into my eyes or rub my cheek or make me things or-”

“We get the point, Lucy’s more subtle than you are. A bit strange that isn’t it?”

They gave her a look and she knew what they meant at once, that the two of them were so different yet they managed to work so well. But they were also kinda suggesting she wasn’t interested in being affectionate with him, intentionally or not, and that had to be addressed! 

“It’s not that weird! I just...I’m not ashamed or embarrassed of our love I promise! I just…”

Loke put up his hand silencing her, she was worried he felt the same way but his eyes gleamed with love and joy, the smile never leaving his face.

“It can be a bit overwhelming, I get it. Your love language is different to mine, my love. We’re so lucky it didn’t cause us issues, but it turns out we can read each other quite well. I’m happy to gush about you all day, while you’re happier to make me a warm drink on a rainy day. Both are valid and I’m very well tuned to you by now. Honestly if you flirted so overtly you’d catch me by surprise, I wouldn’t be looking for it”

Well at least he understood her, that was all that mattered. Wait a second, something about what he just said buzzed in her brain. She looked up at him, trying to understand. If this was true, that he was so completely fine tuned to her way of flirting that he ignored everything else, then...

“...Which is why you didn’t notice the flirting”

He raised an eyebrow at her, upset that she apparently wasn’t listening to him.

“Lucy? I very much noticed this lovely-”

“No, your friend over there by the bar. Didn’t you realise she was acting a bit strange?”

He struggled a moment to remember her name, unsure of where this was going exactly.

“Lola? She seemed really friendly...Wait a second! She was flirting with me”

The penny had finally dropped, creating a wave of relieved groans around the table. She on the other hand, was berating herself. She had really over thought when it came to his own thought process. Once more she should have realised the simple answer was the right one.

“Yes, yes she was, you big idiot. It was so obvious we  could tell from over here”

Understanding dawned for a moment, before he slowly started to look so smug she wanted to punch him.

“...Which is why you came over, not for the ice cream, but because you were jealous. Well you know, jealousy is its own type of flirting”

“It’s really not”

“Please don’t make excuses for your wife Loke”

She was fuming now, prepared to defend her own actions.

“She was going to pet your head! That’s our thing! What if she had made you purr?!”

There were a few snickers and the urge to maim was rising, not helped by the fact Loke looked about ready to laugh out loud in his joy. He shouldn’t be so happy, she was so jealous over him! His hand went to her hair, rubbing it as he looked at her fondly.

“So the very thing that would have clued me on to the fact she was flirting, was also the thing that crossed the line for you, makes sense. But Lucy, I would have asked her to take her hands off me, as you say, only you are allowed to flirt with me in that way. It’s your special way of loving me and I won’t allow anyone to try and get in on it. You don’t have to worry Lucy, you’re stuck with me forever”

He beamed so brightly at her she had to look away, away from his way too understanding nature. She caught a glance of Lola at the bar, being consoled by Mira as she filled her glass. In that moment her heart went out to her and the rest of the fanclub, they couldn’t have him anymore. She didn’t share.

“I suppose I can put up with that”

Despite her words, her hand found his under the table. She held it tightly, trying her best to express everything she couldn’t put into words. He seemed to get the message, practically thrumming with joy as he started to eat his treat, gently squeezing her hand in response.This was enough for the both of them, and she’d never appreciated him quite the same way as she did in that sweet moment.

Then he had to spoil it all by offering to feed her a few spoonfuls, he really needed to read the mood a bit more.    

Chapter Text

Who in their right mind had let Erza drink? Sure she’d had a bit herself but Erza’s current level of alcohol intake was insane. Natsu and Happy had claimed once upon a time that she was a terrible drunk but honestly she was nothing compared to this. The dark and terrible force that was a drunk Erza demanding they play a king’s game and refusing to take no for an answer, egged on by a much too enthusiastic Happy. The weak argument that there weren't as many people this time had been quelled when an equally joyful Loke had summoned himself. He’d been doing his best to be more included in Fairytail as of late, partly using it as an excuse to be with her and partly because he geniunely missed his friends. He was trying to balance his time with her and the guild, but she really wished he hadn’t butted in. It was sweet that he wanted to try something new out with them, but Erza at the wheel was terrifying. 

As anyone could predict, it had been a terrible time, with Erza, Happy, and an overly eager Loke, making everyone else miserable. There had been tame and fun pranks when anyone else was king, but the moment one of those terrifying trio got it… Stripping clothes, secret telling, stupid poses and things she’d rather not think about lest she lose what little sanity she had left. It was all par for the course but made her promise herself to never share an inn room with these idiots again. Celebrating a recently hard earned win be damned.

She’d gone through some bad things herself, to the point where the only clothes she was wearing now were her bra and skirt, everything else was in a pile beside her. Frustratingly, Loke had gotten off lightly, only losing his jacket and having to unbutton his shirt near the start of the game, revealing his chiseled abs but not much else. He’d really had the lion’s share of the luck tonight, getting a lot of the tamer ones they’d thrown about, though he’d also somehow passed all of his kind ones to her. It was stuff like, 'compliment me', 'say something funny', 'Hold my hand' etc. The worst he’d made her do was cuddle with him for a few minutes, which she’d take over whatever storm Erza was brewing next. She wished she knew how he was aiming all his dares so each was a bullseye for him, maybe she could get some revenge. On him, Happy, Erza, the creator of the King’s game and the inventor of alcohol for good measure. 

The only upside to this whole thing was getting to spend more time with her crush, Loke. The strong, gleeful (on his part) cuddle had almost killed her dead with love but she’d do it again in a heartbeat. She could also admit it was cute to see him enjoying himself, even if it was while teasing and punishing the others. She even got to sneakily check him out every now and then, having her own personal fun in seeing some tanned skin. If she got caught well then she could always blame it on the loud buzz in her veins, so she tried to be sneaky as she snuck glances away from the loud antics and towards him. Drinking him in and drowning in his amused laughter.

About ten minutes into her own personal challenge, she realised she must not have been as sly with her movements as she first thought. He had started stretching his arms a lot, claiming to be tired, but catching her attention. She swore he was flexing a little too when the others weren’t watching, was he putting on a show? For who? Her? She wasn't completely sure, but it wasn't getting harder to look away. It was becoming a game within the game, she wanted to catch him showing off without getting caught staring at him herself, it was more entertaining anyway. A warm pool of sinful emotions was slowly building in her stomach and she found it hard to lie to herself about her motives, Loke was hot and she maybe wanted him to kiss her. 

Maybe? Oh please, you’re totally ignoring everyone else for him!

Ok fine I definitely want him to kiss me, where’s the shame in that?!

Was it alright to blame Erza for it? Because she was going to, her and her drinking enough for all of them. Returning to her own game, she knew she had been caught again, his smirk coupled with a flirty wink proved that. She flushed, embarrassed that he could easily make her feel this way. She heard a cough and they turned to see the hellspawn Erza herself, giving them a grin that would send smart mages running in terror, shame that she was stuck here in hell then.

“I said, number 3 and 5 have to kiss each other”

A quick glance down confirmed her growing fears. She was number 5, well better get this over with. She quickly scanned the others, each one shaking their head, eyes landing on Loke last, who was currently looking at her in some strange mixture of concern and anticipation. Oh, lovely, he was number 3, may the ground swallow her up. She might want his lips on hers but having such an inebriated audience wasn’t her idea of a fun time. She heard snickering at her plight and swore to swap all the sugar in the guild for salt, have a nice cup of tea with your cake now Erza!

Loke caught her attention by peeking over her shoulder, confirming his hopes and suspicions. She watched as he slowly read her number, a grin forming on his face, one he couldn't fight if he tried. It was sweet that he was that excited, she just wished it did anything to quell the butterflies in her stomach. It didn't last too long though, for once he seemed to sense the mood, her own anxiety mixed in with the other’s very clear amusement at her torment. She could almost swear that Erza had set them up, she had earlier threatened to stop her moping over her lion once and for all. 

Satisfaction swelled up inside her as he glared at Erza, perhaps trying to defend her pride. All she saw was someone she could share her revenge plans with. He sighed, glare slipping off his face to become a neutral resignation that just didn't suit him at all, before slowly moving over and sitting in front of her. She tensed up, probably not for the reason he was thinking of, he was so damn close and partially naked and this was going to go so wrong she could just feel it and-

“It can only be a small kiss Lucy if you like, a quick one second affair”

He...even though  he was always flirting with her, acting like a kiss from her would be the greatest thing he ever received. He was putting her first, letting her lead and she felt a surge of affection for him well up in her chest, grateful for his understanding.

“R-r-right! Let’s get this over with”

Oh no, she had stuttered, again giving him the wrong idea. He seemed downcast, his smile too fake but he leaned over anyway. Determined to at least make him happy again (and perhaps make him realise she wasn’t completely against this, not really) she moved to meet him, giving him a small and gentle kiss on the lips. It was over and done in seconds but she was floored by her heart's outpour of love at such a simple action,it threatened to burst and flood her in her held back feelings. Pulling back slightly, she was caught off guard by his soft smile, pure bliss in his eyes.

“Lucy....”

He said her name so tenderly, like she was the most precious thing on this Earth. In fact he was looking at her that way too. The small tilt of the head, the way his eyes crinkled and shone as he stared at her. He made no move to retreat, clearly enjoying being close to her. He couldn’t leave her, wouldn’t move unless she asked, respecting her every wish. Her heart sped up, she couldn't deny her adoration for him. He was right here, within her reach, clearly content to be there, why shouldn't she try? Would it be so bad if they both got what they wanted? If she pursued this further and found out where they ended up? If this was a sin, for the Celestial and the Earthly to bond in this manner, that they weren’t allowed to fall in love, then who knows? Maybe they’ll burn together forever.

Something in her snapped at that moment of understanding, perhaps it was all this time spent denying how she felt for her spirit finally bursting through, maybe it was some liquid courage or perhaps some strange mixture of them both. She gave into her feelings of desire and pushed forward to kiss him. She clearly hadn't given him enough warning, or maybe she had been too forceful, because he fell backwards, though neither of them registered any pain. She was too busy kissing the life out of him and he was too busy...not responding? Was this not what he wanted? Or had she gone too far in her assumptions, placing her own desires onto him while not truly listening to his heart.

She felt stupid, self depriciating thoughts clouding her mind as she pulled herself up, murmuring apologies, desperate to go hole herself up in her house and never be seen or heard from again. Suddenly he grabbed her waist and pulled her down, kissing her desperately. She groaned as she was submerged in his need, his love and his lust, pulling at her and refusing to let go. Well if he insisted, she pushed him down back against the floor and licked Loke’s lips, demanding more than asking for entry. She must of hit a secret turn on or something because he moaned again, opening his mouth so she could proceed to kiss him stupid. Her tongue explored him, eager to make him moan again, she vaguely felt his hands at her sides, rubbing them up and down, but she focused on making this the best kiss of his damned life. 

Unfortunately for them, air is a thing you do need, forcing her to break the kiss to breathe. But she refused to lose contact, pressing herself completely against him, feeling his chest against her own. A small growl in her ear was all she had for warning before Loke grabbed her back in for another kiss. He was hungry, desperate for everything she was and she returned that in spades. She wanted to deepen the kiss again but his tongue met hers. There was a fierce battle for dominance before she conceded and was immediately rewarded for it. The feeling of his tongue in her mouth shouldn't feel this good but she wanted him to keep doing whatever it was that made her want to moan. She tugged on his hair, pleading for him to continue. Something boiled over between them, sweeping them both away. He pulled at the hem of her skirt and she took that as an open invitation to go for his trousers.

“While I hate to break you two up, I said one kiss, remember?”

She froze, oh right there were other people here, how in the world did she forget that? ‘Well, it was probably due to the sexy man underneath her, he had a nasty  habit of short circuiting her brain at the best of times. She pushed off him, quickly getting up. Erza had a shit eating grin, joined in by Gray, who was no doubt going to tease his best friend endlessly from now on. Natsu looked confused while Wendy thankfully had turned away. So they still had some decency left.

This was going to bite her in the ass tomorrow, she could already hear the guild gossiping about them. But if they actually got together after this, then maybe the embarrassment would be worth it? Erza held out the box of sticks and she grabbed one before fleeing from Loke. She got as much distance as she could between them, though she had to resist against a pitiful whine from Loke. Her heart went out to him, she really didn't want to get off him and she hoped he knew that but it was for the best if they didn't give the rest of the team more ammunition. He got up in a huff, she thought Erza’s glares were bad, but the look on Loke’s face was the darkest she had ever seen, it was almost a little scary. The air in the room dropped rapidly in temperature as he snatched the last stick, frustration dripping from him before morphing into…confusion? And was that joy? He hadn't just pulled that had he? A chill ran up her back, hinting at a presence behind her, looking over her shoulder but they disappeared when she turned to face them. Her eyes moved back to Loke and the grin on his face was scheming, what in the world was he up to?

“Number 6 has to take me back to their place, right now”

Number 6 has to what?! That was a bit provocative wasn’t it? Also, that could be anyone here! What was he up to? He shot her an overly confident wink, while the others looked at their numbers and shook their heads. The realisation dawned on her, his plan becoming more and more apparent. She slowly looked down and was only slightly surprised to find that he’d called her number. Had that weird presence been him? Wasn’t it a bit much to take advantage of your spirit ability to teleport anywhere to cheat at a drinking game? Is that how he’s been pulling affection from her all evening?! That conniving...wait, back to her house? Did he maybe want to finish where they’d left off? Or perhaps maybe talk about their future together, now that she was more willing to have an open discussion about it, more willing to accept the fact she wanted him in hers.

“Oh Lucy, is that you? What a weird coincidence, well we best go, can’t disobey the king after all”

He used the Kings game for the sake of his love life, she almost couldn't believe it, but then she remembered it was Loke. He picked up their stuff chuckling to himself, he seemed really pleased, like he’d somehow outsmarted them all. The strange thought hit her that this had all gone the way a certain requip mage had planned.

She was trying hard to get upset at being so thoroughly manipulated but all she could feel was longing, she wanted to continue as much as he did, she wanted to cuddle up in bed together as much as he did. He handed her their stuff then made her squeal in surprise as he picked her up bridal style. She wanted to argue the point that she could walk…but he still hadn't buttoned up his shirt, so maybe she could let him off this once.

“Well gotta go everyone, enjoy your night, I know I will!”

She rolled her eyes habitually at the one liner and made a show of not wanting to go, though she feared it fooled no one as he carried her out the door and back home.

Chapter Text

It was a lovely day outside, the sun was shining brightly, she could hear faint birdsong outside the window. She could only imagine the expression of pure freedom that was going on outside, such a shame she was stuck in here then.

Her prison was a gorgeous one, pristine from top to bottom and decorated with ornate and expensive furniture. It had the softest bed she’d ever slept on and an endless amount of dresses in a vast walk-in closet. But a gold cage was still a cage. Perhaps it was the writer in her, but she felt very much like a bird vying for its freedom, the day it could spread its wings and fly, and she’d only been trapped for a week. If she was stuck here forever, like her captor intended, she’d go mad. She’d escaped from high society for a very distinct reason, she absolutely refused to return to this hell.

She looked out her window at the large territory in front of her and planned her next escape. The fact the window could open was one of the few luxuries she had left, the rest taken from her as she attempted failed escape after failed escape. No heavy objects, no sharp objects after that one incident with a poor guard. Though, in her defence, he shouldn’t have reached out his hand to grab her while she was holding scissors. She was only allowed one quilt  after she’d tried to bail out the window, a maid now changed her bed covers every day, accompanied by a guard. Which she felt was a bit much.

She knew Fairytail were probably on their way by now, her spirits had probably alerted them if they weren’t already suspicious of the fact she hadn’t turned up at the guild. It was just a matter of time before they worked out who had nabbed her and how to get here. She sighed, hand going to her side, devoid of keys. They were still resting on her bedside table, she hoped they were all alright, she hadn’t talked to any of them for days and it was making her more than a little restless. She knew they were coming, but that didn’t mean she had to wait for a rescue. She continued her examination of the grounds below her, noticing the guards patrolling beneath her. 

Now what would be the correct timing to-

“Lucy dear, I’m coming in”

That was all the warning she got to stumble away from the window ( long dresses were not made for quick turns) before he  opened the door. In walked Duke Sawarr and she immediately had to repress a shudder. Who had known he’d been so enthralled, so obsessed, with her, that even when her father’s deal and money fell through, he still wanted her? It would almost be flattering if he hadn’t ordered his men to steal her from her bed. Then he forced her to wear clothing he felt more ‘suited’ to her new position, since apparently they were going to be married soon. No chance in hell that’s happening. She did her best to force a polite smile on her face as she greeted him, though it probably seemed a little strained.

"Hello Duke Sawarr, a pleasant morning isn't it?"

Pleasant as a day in hell more like! She kept her inward grimaces to herself as he strolled over. Casually sitting on her bed like he had the right to.

“It is a lovely morning, there is just one problem however. I’m here to talk about the fact you keep trying to escape, surely after the...I’ve lost count now, but still you’ve failed so many times surely you see it’s pointless now? It’s hard trying to plan our eventual wedding and keep the guards happy you know? They’re starting to demand hazard pay”

“Well then hey shouldn’t try to stop me. Besides you keep me trapped in this room all day, breaking out is the only exercise and freedom I have, I’m getting wound up just circling this tiny room.”

There was no point arguing that she wasn’t going to be his wife, she’d tried dozens of times and he just seemed to ignore her. She sighed as she sat down on the bed, as far away from him as possible. He gave her a once over, appreciating the long silk dress she was forced tto put on today before nodding sagely to himself.

“Yes I suppose it is best you get out all this reckless energy now, can't have you acting like a lowly guild member when we’re married. No, we shall put a stop to your tomboyish attitude for sure”

She held back the sarcastic comment on her tongue, which she thought was incredibly generous of her. This slimy man was starting to get on her very last nerve. A familiar tension that rose up whenever he was around started to creep up into her veins, stretching her patience thin and threatening to cause her to snap. All it would take was one little push.

“If you say so…”

How could one man be so annoying? It would be best for both of them if he just left, before she did something she only sorta regretted. 

“Of course I don’t blame you. It’s clearly the work of that terrible guild you were a part of. They’ve clearly done traumatising things to you to make you act out in such a way”

“E-excuse me?”

She couldn’t have just heard that, there was no way he was that dumb surely-

“Being with those animals couldn’t have been good for you. Or those disgusting monstrous things”

“...things?”

“Those awful spirits of yours, I’m glad the guards had the presence of mind to leave them behind. Without the influence of them or that infernal guild you should turn into a lovely proper lady any day now” 

“...I enjoy my time with my family, they won’t be happy you kidnapped me you know?”

A torrent of rage swirled on her tongue, threatening to lash out at him, but she had to hold it back. Striking out at him would only cause her more problems. They wouldn’t want her to get hurt defending them. To help her calm down her mind turned to her spirits, reminding her of their warm presence. 

Think of them. Chatting with Cancer as he does my hair. Taking long walks with Plue. Teasing Loke for his newest terrible-

“Let them try. I quite enjoy the idea of your little friends getting here just to be turned back at the door. They shan’t get to you Lucy, they will find my guards undefeatable and these walls impregnable, how disheartening for them! It would be what such lowlives deserve, especially if they felt some intense pain as well”

Something snapped, lying broken on the floor of her psyche. Once more she was a prisoner of some rich jerk who thought he could control her future. First her father, now this Duke. Who was next? This needed to end here, she was going to send a message they wouldn’t soon forget. What had her manners, her patience, gotten for her? A one way ticket to rotting in this hell. No, now was the time for violence.

“If you hurt them it will be the last thing you ever do”

“...What?”

She’d caught him off guard, good. She was tired of playing the perfect little princess.

“You heard me, don’t pretend you didn’t”

“If you think they can get to me, that they can hurt me, you’re mistaken. They will be stopped at the door and physically stopped with extreme force”

“Oh please. If you hurt my guildmates or my spirits they will have to get in line. I will have broken you before they get through that door!”

“W-what?”

Her voice was getting dangerously low, anger and vengeance seeping in.

“Sorry, did I stutter? I said you would be a broken husk of a man, begging and weeping at my feet to be spared while I contemplate if it is worth the trouble to place your head on the nearest pike”

She had leaned closer and closer to him as she spoke, glaring at him with an expression so dark it was the only one, beside Erza, who could stop a guild fight in its tracks. The temperature in the room dropped as she promised pain with her eyes alone. Her breathing came out in sharp pants as she’d yelled at him. Taking the moment to calm down, she wondered if it had been the right thing to threaten him so harshly.

“Y-you...You have no power here!” He nodded to his guards, standing up so as to tower over her. “You can't threaten me, you couldn’t even lay a finger on me. So you are going to play nice and calm that attitude of yours. Your father was right when he warned me you were so strong willed, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe you belong here at my side. So you’re going to help me plan our wedding and you’re going to enjoy it!” 

Nevermind, the man deserved to be hit. She stood, not about to give in to his poor intimidation tactics. All it took was a single glance at the two guards at the door and one noticeably flinched, turning his head away and subconsciously grasping his hand. The other stood firm however, staring her down with a cold professionalism. Too soon for that idea huh, guess it was plan B time then. Time to get him ranting.

“Not yet, but if you force me to stay then I will get power here and it will be the worst thing to ever happen to you! The difference between us when it comes to actual life experience is laughable. You’d be crying in a corner in seconds while I leave through the front door of my own free will because you couldn’t stop me. I will take your power from you and flaunt it in your face, I will become ruler of your land before stomping on you and throwing it back to you. I don’t want a greedy husband, I want someone who actually has a shred of decency!”

“Silence!” Predictably he turned from her in his rage, perfect. Just about now she should be able to- “Whether you like it or not, you will become a good little woman. Without the awful influences in your life and proper teaching you will be the perfect wife. You will live here with me and you will be happy. Now will you please promise to-”

“Uh boss, she’s gone”

“What? Of course she is. Why didn’t you stop her?”

“She just leapt out of the window sir, we weren’t expecting that”

“WHAT?”

His loud cry followed her as she fell. She trusted in her instincts, in her understanding of the guards patrols. So she wasn’t too surprised when a body caught her fall, softening it. She quickly scrambled up but she needn’t have bothered, the force of her fall had knocked her poor victim out. She had no time to congratulate herself on her plan though, chaos was sounding out from inside and she could already hear the charge being led to find her, she needed to run, now.

She bolted, pushing herself as hard as she could when she heard her name being yelled, never once looking back to see how close her pursuers were.

Strangely, it was Plue of all spirits that tipped everyone off to Lucy’s problem. Lucy had given her word the day before that they’d walk together to and from the guild and the poor little canine had been terribly upset when she hadn’t kept that promise. Terrified that she was ill he’d ran to Leo, the only spirit who could find out what was wrong with her, or if perhaps he’d done something to upset her (Maybe he’d been too greedy for sweets?). His leader had calmed him down, swearing that there was no way Lucy was upset with him, but an attempt to sense her and her emotions had come up with nothing. Which then threw them both into a blind panic, catastrophizing that they had both somehow upset her and now she hated them, until Virgo pointed out Leo could just visit her and find out the truth. Which he absolutely did, willing to take her potential rage to see if she was ok.

What he found was her bedroom torn asunder, her quilt thrown off her bed and furniture tipped over, a clear sign of a struggle that had not gone well for his owner. He had picked up her keys from the floor, a deep, primal fear reaching levels he didn’t think it could get to anymore, before immediately going to Fairytail. He’d need the backup if she was in intense danger and he wouldn’t risk her safety over his pride. He wouldn’t let his new owner and saviour down at any cost.

It turned out her team had also been confused about the previous days absence and were about to head out to break into her room themselves. Their anger at this attack did nothing to calm anyone down and it was a whirlwind of vengeance until Levy and Cana pointed out they didn’t know who had taken her. They were angry for their close friend, but blindly raging everywhere would get them nothing. So, after a quick scolding from the guild master at getting too emotional, Loke and Cana combined their magic to find her. A spirit’s knowledge of their owner’s general location plus her cards proved to be a killer combo. They worked out her exact location and situation within the hour. But despite her team and spirits protests they weren’t allowed the immediate go ahead. This was a Duke they were attacking and she seemed to be in no immediate danger, otherwise her spirits would all be frenzied. Without that reason, it took calling in a few favours to make some higher ups turn a blind eye first. They didn’t need Lucy going from one prison to another after all.

So it was an agonisingly long week until they were finally allowed the go ahead to charge the Duke’s mansion. Evidence slowly piling against him that he had indeed kidnapped Lucy to the point where the council said they’d allow them this chance to bring him in, as long as they weren’t too reckless. They had clearly forgotten who they were dealing with.

Which led them to where they were now, racing along in a magic run carriage being driven by Erza. Despite her breaking any and all road laws, she wasn’t going fast enough for the passengers inside, especially now they could see their target looming in the distance. The tension rose as they fidgeted, agitated with the need to move. Various nightmares about what was happening to their spirit mage and teammate hitting all of them. It hit a breaking point pretty quickly with Loke slamming open the carriage door.

“I’m sorry guys, but I can't do this, I need to get to Lucy now, you guys can play catch up”

He jumped out of the carriage and, to no one's surprise, started to outrun it, celestial magic giving him the speed and agility of a lion. His actions created an immediate domino effect however, with Gray and Natsu jumping out next.

“Hey, wait for me buddy, you ain’t leaving me behind!”

“Happy! Let’s catch up to him! We can't let him have all the fun!”

“Aye Sir!”

Gray bolted after his friend, skating on a path of ice to keep up. Natsu wasn't far behind, Happy easily catching them up as he sped through the air. Erza sighed as she parked the carriage, it was no longer needed. She hopped out and requiped into her flight armour, it was a little chilly to wear but boosted her speed. She took off and, despite the head start her team had, swiftly caught up to them. They blazed forward, a charge to save their friend and willing to beat back anyone and anything that tried to stop them. Though that would be a suicidal thing to do. They were a formidable line of power, until the spirit suddenly surged forward, breaking away from them. 

“Loke? What are you doing?”

“I must be close now! I can feel Lucy’s emotions. There’s a strong rush of rage coming from her, the urge to maim her captors rising to dangerous levels. If he’s doing something awful to her I’m going to snap his neck, Duke or not”

The others wouldn’t have said it outloud, but they all agreed with him. Motivated by their friends' apparent stress and the stark reminder of why they were here, they did their best to keep up as Leo took charge and led their sprint forward. As they got closer, the mansion in clear view now, they heard loud cries and curses. Something was causing a ruckus up there and they couldn’t tell what. Their confusion did not slow them down and was pretty quickly answered. Lucy appeared from the side hedges, barreling out onto the main path. Relief drowned both sides as they spotted each other, easily closing the distance between. 

She couldn’t have been happier to see her team if she tried, Loke was a nice surprise too. A powerful spirit already summoned would save her some time as plans of revenge started popping up in her brain. An easy smile came to her lips as she came to a skidding halt in front of them.

“Everyone, you came!”

“Of course, we wouldn’t have left you here!”

“Though it looked like you didn’t need us to help you!”

“Yeah, perhaps we should have slept in instead?”

The normality of her teammates teasing her released the stress that had been consuming her and fueled her vengeful flight. She caught Loke's growing grin, unable to put up with that right now she held up a hand.

"Please don't compliment this dress, he forced me into it. Also don't call me princess for a while, he's ruined that word"

He frowned and for a brief moment she was worried he'd argue against her, but she shouldn't have feared that. 

"Remind me to give him a good punch for mistreating you. Thankfully I come bearing gifts to help you get your own revenge, my warrior queen?"

He tilted his head in a silent question of her acceptance, while holding out her whip and keys. She took them gratefully, appreciating the concern he was showing.

"Yes, that will be perfect, thank you. Feel free to do what you like with him after I've dealt with him." She attached her keys to her hip, giving her whip a quick test lash. "He needs to learn what happens to those who cross me"

"I pity him, it's a lesson I learnt the hard way, to not try to stop you when your mind's set on something. Though I did gain my love for you from the experience"

"Ok, down now boy"

He nodded dutifully, a smirk still infuriatingly on his lips. Her friends all stood proudly beside as she turned, facing the oncoming force that had kept her locked up in that gilded cage. They were outnumbered yet there was no fear in any of their hearts. With power like theirs, how could they be? Her reinforcements did cause her pursuers some pause, before loyalty and pride kicked in. 

"Lucy, if you don't return we will have to bring you in by force"

"Just try it, I'm not going back to that prison!"

She felt Erza at her side in an instant and felt stronger from just being in her presence and knowing she was there to support her. She felt her body stand a little straighter under that influence

"And we're not about to stand aside and let you take her!"

"Right! It's time to get fired up Happy! No one kidnaps a member of Fairytail and gets away with it!"

"Let's burn them down!"

Flame, ice and light magic pulsed around her, while Erza drew her sword. They nodded to each other before they let out a confident battlecry and charged forward.

It was a clash that lasted all of ten minutes and finished with the mansion in flames. Perhaps a bit overkill, but she wasn't about to stop the boys having fun. Natsu experimenting with different ways to use his flame with the other three cheering him on. She was calmed by the fact she got to keep her promise and showed the Duke the sting of her whip, and the fact she was now back in her preferred clothes. They'd left him tied up outside, waiting for his family to come pick him up. They left together and her pride in herself and her friends was never stronger. Plus, with a quick reminder from Loke, she’d even gotten that walk with Plue she’d promised him. His happy noises and chittering kept her mood high all the way to the carriage. Yep, this is where she’d much rather be.

Chapter Text

It was a big day, not his, but his best friend’s. Gray was soon to be at the altar, waiting for the lovely Juvia to walk down the aisle and promise him forever. It was so romantic, or it would be if he ever came out of his room. As best man (Best man! He still couldn’t get over the glee that brought), it was his duty to coerce the groom to actually come out in time for the wedding, no pressure then. He sighed as he knocked on the door, waiting patiently for some form of response. After a few minutes of silence he huffed, crossing his arms. He wasn’t going to wait forever and they couldn’t anyway, the wedding would be soon. He knocked again.

“Gray, if you don’t open this door or at least let me come in, I’m just barging in. You’re dealing with me one way or the other”

He heard a loud, over dramatic sigh coming from inside the room.

“Alright, come in Loke”

Appeased by his acceptance of the situation, he allowed a cheesy grin to overtake him as he opened the door. Gray was standing in the middle of a private waiting room for the groom. It was appropriately cheesily decorated with an over the top wedding theme. He was in front of a standing mirror fidgeting with his cuffs before messing with his tie. 

“How do I look?”

He gave himself a moment to check Gray’s outfit. He actually looked suave in a deep blue suit with a matching tie and pants. They’d gone out suit shopping together and if he did say so himself, he knew a good fitted suit when he saw one. He nodded approvingly,  mentally clapping himself on the back on this one. 

“More than ready. And if at any point you’re not, I’ll be standing right there beside you. As your best man”

A wide grin spread across his face at the reminder. The memory came back to him and renewed the excitement he’d been feeling. He remembered the day Lucy had summoned him with barely contained joy. She’d shoved him in Gray’s direction before stepping away herself. He hadn’t known at the time but she’d been giving Gray the space he needed, talks of a wedding had still overwhelmed him back then. Yet he’d stood his ground and asked if Loke wanted to be his best man, well, there was only one answer to that right? He’d been ecstatic for his best friend and had dove right into his duties as best man. Though perhaps he had been a bit overzealous at times. He was brought out of his musing by a small voice.

“Yeah, you will be” Gray finally fully faced him, suddenly confident. “Better make sure I don’t do something stupid right?”

He tilted his head, happily taking in and sharing Gray’s rising enthusiasm. He felt the smirk on his lips as an easy jab came to him.

“I’ll be there if you forget your lines or your clothes. Perhaps I should get a screen? I’ll be the first best man to have to shield the guests from the grooms stripping”

His immediate response was a playful swipe, one easily dodged by a casual lean backwards. Gray snorted as he faced the mirror again, fixing his tie after his fidgeting had messed it up.

“I’ll be on my best behaviour, so you better be too. No flirting with the lady guests”

He gasped, scandalised before he broke and shared a chuckle, even though it was at his expense. If he was teasing him then he was relaxing, which was the most important thing. He understood the nerves, he’d seen owner after owner balk at the altar, it was his duty as best friend and best man to stand by his side. He idly watched as Gray patted himself down, doing his best to make the suit flatter than physically possible. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was being narcissistic the way he was looking himself over constantly. But he knew his friend wasn’t like that. His movements were thoughtless, distracted as he quietly did his best to put his thoughts in order. He knew he needed to give him time and space and was rewarded for his patience a few minutes later. 

“I’m just worried it’s too soon...I’ve worked so hard for so long to be someone worth her. I was slow at the start of our relationship because I wanted to take the time to prove myself to the both of us. I knew she’d wait forever, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to make her wait either. But, I’m not rushing things am I?”

A sensitive question. One that needed a good answer. He could only hope that he could step up to the plate and soothe his frayed nerves.

“I don't think there is anyone in Fairytail who would accuse you of rushing things. You’ve spent several years improving yourself. I’ve watched you training, pushing yourself to be someone who can protect her. You have literally run yourself through to prevent her from being hurt. No one can doubt your love or if this is the right time. Besides, a wedding isn’t a one person thing, Juvia said yes. Would you accuse her of rushing things? Of not knowing her own mind?”

He wasn’t surprised when Gray snapped at him. So slow to care when he was insulted, so quick to defend Juvia. Anyone who couldn’t see the light that burned in his eyes whenever the conversation turned to her was either blind or willfully ignorant. From the very start his interest had been obvious, though he had tried to vehemently deny it.

“Of course not! She’s incredibly clear about what she wants”

“Then it’s not too soon. In fact I think it’s about time”

Unfortunately Gray turned away, not convinced or impressed. It turned out convincing someone a wedding wouldn’t end in disaster was more difficult than he first thought.

“Course you do, you’ve been overly eager from the start”

And who could blame him? This was Gray and Juvia’s wedding! It came second only to Lucy being in his life when it came to important Earthland events. The lovely women of the guild had decided Gray and Juvia shouldn’t have to lift a finger when it came to their wedding. This had left them to not worry about a thing and spend their free time together. He’d eagerly agreed to this plan and had thrown himself into helping to organise and fund everything. He and Mirajane were a dynamic duo in the belief that no expense should be spared and perhaps the two had gone overboard with the decorations and the private venue, but they deserved it! He’d been worried about Lucy’s energy at first but she’d encouraged him the entire way. He’d caught her a few times subtly looking his way, eyes bright and filled with an emotion he hadn’t been able to place. But that was something to think about another day, right now he had best man duties to fulfill!

“I’m only eager so you have the best day ever”

“Yeah...Well as long as she’ll be happy, it will be the perfect day. Are you sure about this suit? She hasn’t seen it yet so she might not approve”

He sighed deeply, standing next to Gray to look at him in the mirror.

“Buddy, between you and me. You could strip at the altar and she wouldn’t mind. Considering that isn’t the best idea, this will do perfectly, She’ll love you in this. Besides, I’m sure the moment you see her in her dress all thoughts of what you're wearing will fly out the window. Along with all your worries”

“Oh? You’ve seen it?”

At this he let out a small huff, offended at the reminder. His arms involuntarily crossed as he shook his head.

“No, it was the one part of the wedding planning I was excluded from. Something about ‘You’ll only blab to Gray if we tell you’.”

His voice took on a whining tone as he impersonated Mirajane, a bit childish perhaps. But it had been insulting to be turned away. He could easily assume that Juvia looked stunning but still, it was the principle of the thing. To his shock and annoyance, Gray just barked out a laugh in response. No sympathy here, just betrayal. 

“They’re probably right. No doubt you’d get overly excited and babble about it without meaning to. It’s nice that you get so excited for others, but I imagine it would mean none of the wedding secrets would stay a secret”

He frowned, doing his best to ignore Gray’s snickering and failing. Where was the brotherhood? The camaraderie? Was it so hard to agree? He snorted, shoving his so-called friend lightly. 

“Oi, you’re supposed to agree with me”

“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to lie on your wedding day”

Such a witty and quick response, he’d learnt too quickly about how to sharpen his tongue. He slung an arm around Gray’s neck, pulling him in despite his forced grin.

“Listen here you. I was going to say that I’ve seen it before. The groom is all nerves until the love of his life walks through those doors and down the aisle. Then suddenly, it’s like all brain function switches off. They only focus on their partner walking down the aisle and the happiness they’re going to have. I promise you, the moment you see Juvia in that dress, walking your way, what will there be to worry about?”

He held out his arm toward the future in what he hoped was an awe inspiring gesture. He’d slipped away from his original goal after all, to get Gray out of here and to the altar, by any means necessary. He’d come here fully prepared to carry the ice mage over his shoulder but now he didn’t think he’d need to.

“I suppose you’re right” 

“You suppose?! Excuse you I am completely right thank you very much” Once more the laughter from his friend refreshed him. It spoke of a confidence that was there, it just needed to be encouraged. “Let’s go, you’re stalling, and if you’re late Juvia won’t need to punish you because I will”

Despite his lighthearted tone, the threat was a real one. Juvia had become a close friend, someone he could gush to about Lucy and receive no judgement or discouragement. So he would not, under any circumstances, allow her heart to get broken.

“Alright, let’s go, guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be”

He stepped back, looking his friend over before nodding along. 

“Finally! I was worried I was going to grow old waiting for you”

Satisfied with the outcome he turned, intent on leading his friend to the altar to make sure there was no sidetracking, but also to run away from the thoughtful grin slowly appearing on his face. There was trouble brewing and he almost got to the door before a hand landed on his shoulder.

“What can you tell me about the wedding?”

He stopped, the door so tantalisingly close yet so far away. They just needed one last push.

“You don’t want it to be a surprise?”

“The bigger details yes, but maybe  if you tell me some of it, it’ll soothe me? If I know what I’m going into it’ll be better”

It made sense, under any other circumstance it would even be rational. But approaching a wedding like he was staking out a guild mission? Yeah that spoke more of panic and a need to have some semblance of control. If you looked at him he'd seem his normal cool as a cucumber self, but inside he could tell there were alarm bells blaring.

“Well, I handled the decorations, with Mira’s expert help. So you know everywhere is going to be decked out properly”

“...You won’t be able to move around for the ribbons, got it. What else?”

His finger was on his chin, like they were simply going over the rest of the day, he was such a good actor. But if this helped him then he’d play along at the cost of his own pride, 

“Excuse you I think you mean, beautifully decorated. It will take your breath away! Anyway, Erza led the catering team, Natsu got placed under her supervision so he didn’t wreck the place. Thinking about it, they’ve kept the final menu a surprise”

“We’ll be eating meat and cake, alright. At least I can guarantee the wedding cake will be the best in the universe.”

He was painting a very vivid image here, a room filled with balloons, ribbons, cake and food. Yet it pulled a smile from him. Honestly it wasn’t too much of a stretch to imagine a wedding cake that rises to the ceiling. 

“Levy was the seat planner, so there shouldn’t be any problems with who's sitting where. The chairs themselves were actually made by her and Gajeel!”

“...Huh that’s actually a little wholesome”

“Right?! Anyway, best for last. Lucy and Lyra have been teaching the others the wedding march. Lyra is going to be leading them in a very stirring rendition so I’ve been told. The spirit king was apparently very happy to help all his ‘Old friends’ in the human world and has allowed this extra use of power. I wonder if he’ll allow it for all of Team Natsu...Anyway Cancer absolutely demanded to help out too. I fear he’s going to take my role as your best spirit friend”

It had been a joke but the moment it left his mouth he realised it was a very real fear of his. He was about to drop into his own spiral when Gray waved him off, grinning ear to ear.

“Not a chance, it’s us two for life. This wedding sounds like it’s going to be an absolute disaster, let’s do it!”

Of course, that was what finally tipped him over. He wasn’t sure if it was meant to be an insult or not.

“You owe me for all his trouble you know?”

“I know, I’ll repay the favour.So, when am I going to be your best man, eh Loke?”

He was more than likely trying to get past his own nerves with a little joke, but it was in very bad taste. All it did was pull the smile from his own face. Him, getting married? Not likely in Gray’s lifetime.

“I don’t think you will be. I’d want a woman that was ok with me being a spirit and didn’t mind how overly affectionate I can be”

“And how silly you are”

“Yeah and well, most only want me for one or two nights if you get my drift. Or they want me as eye candy, something pretty to drape on their arm. Even if I find someone nowadays though I’d tell them no, I can't marry anyone right now because my heart is very stubbornly set on one woman.”

“Lucy.” It was a statement, not a question. There was no argument to be had and all he could do was nod. "I’m surprised I’m marrying Juvia before you even asked her out. I thought for sure we’d marry our loves at around the same time. I liked the idea of working out married life together, the four of us” 

What an image that was. They’d missed out on double dates and now they were missing out on acting like newlyweds together. He was missing out on big days out, on the exuberance of being married around the same time as his best friend. It felt wrong, but there was nothing he could do about that.

“It’s not likely to ever happen since that requires Lucy loving me back. I would never force her into something she didn’t want”

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye, one that should have set off red flags in his mind. Instead he stood firm, defiant towards him, even if it was his wedding day.

“I wouldn’t ask you to. Instead, how about a bet?”

Intrigue mixed with caution as he stood on the precipice of something dangerous. Gray didn’t just make small bets out of nowhere. Despite his better judgement, he gave into his curiosity like the oversized lion he was.

“A bet?”

“Yeah. I bet that you’re going to marry someone in my lifetime. As for the reward for the bet I’ll leave it up to the victor since who knows how long it will go on for. Anything I set today might not be what we want tomorrow”

He snorted in disbelief, an easily won bet then.Not that he’d be able to call on it.

“Very clever Gray, it’s not like I can call on you for a reward after you’re gone”

It stung him to say those words, to put it out into the world that this was just a mere moment of his own existence. Gray would slip through his fingers soon enough, he couldn’t quite suppress a shudder at that. 

“Alright, fair point. We’ll make my lose be if Lucy marries someone else. Since your heart is so set on her, it’s not like you’ll marry anyone else for a long time”

If he thought the previous blow to the heart was bad it was nothing compared to the mental image of Lucy marrying some faceless man while he’s left behind, unable to make her happy or be the reason she finds love and joy in everything. Defensively he walked through the door, leaving Gray to stumble and catch up. 

“Fine. It shouldn’t be long before someone whisks her away. She lights up the world with her mere presence alone, someone is bound to be worthy enough to at least be with her. No one will ever be fully enough for her in my eyes though”

“Except you?”

He shook his head, a familiar sadness welling up in him.

“Not even me”

Gray paused at that and thankfully pushed the conversation on, he really didn’t need to dip into those thoughts today.

“Well anyway, no sabotaging the bet alright? I want you to focus on wooing Lucy. I won’t have you standing on the sidelines and let her move on. In fact, I want you to have taken her somewhere before my honeymoon is over” 

It was clear he was focused on this, if the mention of a honeymoon didn’t faze him like it should have. Well if it got him where he needed to be, then he could play along.

“I’m not going to force her on a date Gray, that’s awful”

“And I’m not asking you to. You can go somewhere as friends, you know? Start a spark. If she seems interested in you then you can go further. If not, well then you’re spending more time with her anyway, win win right? I thought you were supposed to be good at this?”

“I usually am but when it comes to Lucy…”

“I get ya, when it comes to Juvia all my cool just flies out the window. I’ve said and done some very stupid things while she was around. But still, get on this”

He waved him off, not amused by the verbal pushing. While spending days out with Lucy as friends seemed like an amazing idea, she was a very busy woman. She also had a lot of other friends, would she even say yes? He couldn’t blame her if she didn’t...Shaking off those thoughts, he wouldn’t fall into Gray’s traps, he pulled himself back into the here and now. 

They were stopped in front of a large wooden door. Soon the bride would be walking down the aisle from here, but for the moment it was Gray’s turn. He stopped, looking up at it like it was the most imposing thing he’d ever seen. 

“So, you really think I’m ready?”

“I know you are”

“No chance I’m taking this too quickly? That she is going to regret this down the line?”

“None at all”

They were both thankful for this empty space and for the loud chattering on the other side. It covered their conversation and kept Gray’s worries hidden, it was the only way he’d express them. If this got back to Natsu he’d bury himself.

“You know...I’ve fought terrifying monsters that wanted to kill me and I still felt calmer then than I do now.”

Thinking it over, that made sense. Or at least, it made sense for his friend.

“You’ve also defeated them time and time again, there’s a confidence there. You’re not overly boastful but you’re pretty good at squeezing out of life or death situations. You also have Fairytail at your back if you stumble or fail. Here, right now, it’s just you and Juvia. This is a life changing event that you’re participating in together. After this you’re going to spend the rest of your lives together. It’s a big moment”

“No pressure then”

A small grin was forming on Gray’s face, encouraging an answering one from him. He nodded along, rolling his shoulders back like they were just leaving the guild instead of entering a grand hall. 

“Absolutely none at all so don’t mess this up. Get your butt in there. I don’t think I need to remind you that I will hunt you down if you ditch her”

Predictably the temperature dropped as Gray glared up at him, anger streaming through him. It was almost too easy to rile him up sometimes.

“I’d never do that!”

“Then prove it”

The challenge was exactly what he needed. The most obvious way he could think of to help Gray let go. If it was to prove him wrong then he’d do it. So focused on the challenge he didn’t even flinch as he pushed open the large doors and took the first step towards the rest of his life. Pride swelled up inside him as he watched his best friend face his nerves and walk down the aisle. He walked behind him, there to support him if he asked for it. Though he got a very distinct feeling as he watched him take his place, that things were going to be just fine.

It was a fine morning that saw Gray walking to the groom’s waiting room. But this was not for him, his own wedding had been a few years back, No, this was for his best bud Loke. The small smile came easily as he stopped outside his door, he knew this day would come. It was nice to  be proven right, but it was even better that he was finally getting the life and love he deserved. He’d never say such things out loud, he would never give anyone a chance to call him a sap, but he’d been starting to worry about Loke. He and Lucy had been dancing around each other while getting more and more wound up the longer they believed their love was unrequited. To finally be free of that tension was one thing but now, to finally be here, it was an entirely new feeling. A different sort of pride and joy for his friend had been gradually nursed inside him, ready to burst today and potentially overwhelm him. It would be all he could do to not grin like a loon all day.

Shaking his head and trying to school his expression into something more normal for him, he knocked on Loke’s door. His response was a loud curse as he clearly scrambled around in the room.

“Is it time already?”

“You’ve got a bit of time but you should get ready sooner rather than later”

There was more scrambling around inside and he took that as the only invitation he was going to get to come inside. Loke seemed much too preoccupied to be polite. He stepped inside to see him circling, digging a path in the carpet under his feet. He was mumbling under his breath, reading off a pack of cards in his hands. He waited a few moments of no acknowledgement before he spoke up.

“You alright there buddy?”

“And from the moment I first saw your voice- No smile, blinding smile! I- Oh I’m never going to remember this! Gray I’m totally going to flub my vows!”

“I thought you had them memorised?”

He was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and shook as Loke somehow crossed the room in a split second.

“I did! Yet it’s all muddled up and I can't remember a thing!”

Strange as it may seem to his spirit friend, but humans couldn’t think while their brain was rocking around inside their head. He pushed Loke’s arms off him, trying to regain any sort of coherent thought. After a moment the dizziness wore off and he was able to recognise where he was again. Loke had moved away from him, standing in front of the mirror and fretting with his hair. 

“I’m such a mess Gray! I can't remember my vows, I almost showed up late to get ready, I'd lost my sunglasses! And now my hair is an absolute nightmare!”

He wasn’t sure it was a safe bet to mention that Loke’s hair arguably always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. He’d once again summoned himself to save Lucy’s energy, so it was in his old short haircut. It looked fine in his opinion, but Loke still pocketed his card to run his hands through his hair. What he thought he was doing no one could ever know, but he decided to put a stop to it.

“Your hairs fine Loke. You’re fine. The only reason you’re forgetting things is because you’re stressed. You need to chill, then everything will come to you”

Loke swirled on his foot, facing him and huffing. His hands were out of his hair now, but he was instead fidgeting with his clothes, ruffling them slightly. Honestly a more annoying habit.

“You don’t think I know that? It’s not exactly easy to relax when everytime I do I’m reminded I’m marrying the most breathtaking woman alive. She is the stars own gift to this world and I’ll admit the pressure to match up to that is starting to get to me” 

“I get you. Don’t you remember how I was at my wedding?”

There was a small snort before he finally looked something other than panic. A small smile at the reminder of that day a few years ago.

“Yeah, you were freaking out, I’d never seen you so dishevelled”

He sighed, the memory wasn’t the most proud one. He’d really shown an overly frantic side to Loke that day, but thankfully he’d never mentioned it to anyone else. He’d been able to trust him with his emotional outburst and to be able to steady him, now he wanted to do the same.

“Exactly but it was easier to relax when I remembered Juvia was probably just as nervous. As excited and in love as we were, we were also nervous about messing everything up. We both wanted the day to go perfectly. To be perfect for each other. You need to relax, you’ll get through this together. Remember, Lucy is human, I can guarantee she’s worried about whether she’s going to trip down the aisle or if she’s going to mess something up. But everything will go as planned, I promise”

“It’s easy for you to say that...but I'll try. This needs to go perfec- I’ve messed up my clothes! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

He rapidly faced the mirror again, patting down his clothes. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure why he was bothering. Giving him a once over he shook his head. 

“You look fine. Well, fine for a day out, can you finally explain this?”

There was a small shrug from his friend, his reflection smiling sheepishly at him. He was in his old clothes, that familiar green jacket, orange shirt and black pants. It was a little baffling to be honest from a man who usually demanded style and perfection. 

“Lucy always sees me in a suit. I’m always taking her out to places so she’s seen me in suits of every colour with every type of matching tie. Even joke ones worn only to embarrass her. When she looks at me from across the aisle she’s going to see something incredibly common, she’s only going to think ‘Oh, It’s Loke’. But I haven’t worn this in a long time. I wanted to make the day special for her”

“By looking like you’re simply going for a walk on the town?”

That had been the wrong time to crack a joke. The realisation came to him the moment Loke cringed, he’d started to panic again before he’d even had the chance to apologise.

“You’re right, she’s going to hate it, what was I thinking?! There are traditions for a reason! Quick, which suit do you think looks best on me?”

He held out a hand to hold back the torrent of questions and let him get a word in.

“Why don’t you first tell me why you chose that getup, then we’ll see if you should change it. “

His response was a heavy sigh as Loke’s shoulders dropped, his slowly building confidence dashed with one misplaced sentence. He silently cursed himself for that, he hadn’t wanted to upset him.

“This outfit is very special to me. I don’t wear it anymore because I don’t know what I’ll do if it tears. I was wearing it when I first met her that day she came to Fairytail. She blew me away even back then'' There was a small, derisive snort from him before he continued. “I should have realised then I wouldn’t be able to stop her, nor resist her pull. I was wearing it my first day back as a spirit, when I returned to my Celestial duties and had to leave behind my guild. I basically proposed to her back then thinking about it… ‘Let’s discuss our future together’...I was already a lovesick fool for her. It somehow only got deeper as time went on”

“...There’s more to this isn’t there?”

He’d prided himself on being able to read Loke, read his expressions. His unusually sombre smile bellied more to this story, so he wasn’t surprised when the spirit nodded.

“I wore this through everything in between too, through all her quests, through her father trying to take her away. And I wore this when she saved me, when she pulled me from my guilt and gave me a reason to keep going. I know to a lot of other people it’s just a casual outfit but…”

“There are a lot of memories connected to it huh?”

“Yeah…”

He reached forward, putting a supportive hand on Loke’s shoulder, he was looking more and more unsure by the minute, which wasn’t something he should be feeling on his special day.

“She’ll understand. You’re someone who can change what he’s wearing in an instant, so she’ll work it out. She’s a smart woman, so she’ll see you down the aisle and just get it”

“Yeah..she gets me”

He went quiet again, looking away into his memories. He had been expecting a happier reaction to his words than that, that had meant to be encouraging...

“You alright buddy?”

“I am it’s just...there’s till this overpowering fear she’s going to get to the altar, realise she’s dating a massive idiot and run off”

“That’s quite insulting to her, you know?”

“I know that! But I can't help thinking she’s going to regret this. You can know someone too well after all”

He let out a soft sigh and looked so thoroughly defeated. He hadn’t realised his friend’s nerves had chewed away his usual confidence  like this, he should have noticed this sooner and shut it down. Who would have thought the great love master Loke was terrified of being turned away? Well, actually when he thought about it, it made too much sense, his heart was a bit too big sometimes. Mix that in with a desperate need to love and be loved and you had someone who bordered on nerves. He was confident in their love but needed to have everything perfect for the one he devoted himself to, he needed to prove himself. Lucy was going to have an interesting life as his wife for certain.

“Loke, buddy. This is the woman who just laughed and encouraged you when, during your first week together, you boasted to anyone who would listen about how lucky you are. She’s the woman who just shook her head and grinned when you filled the guild with red roses for your first year anniversary of dating. She knows who you are and she loves it, loves you. So don’t worry”

There, that was the right thing to say. His own confidence returned with Loke’s small smile, finally looking up to meet him.

“True...As long as I remember that flushed smile I think I’ll be alright...Until I see her in her wedding dress”

“If you melt I'll pick you back up again, or I’ll try. You may end up too far gone”

“You certainly were when you saw Juvia, I had to push you to remind you to speak. And to pick your jaw up off the floor”

He lightly pushed him away before stepping back himself, revelling in their new found humour. Laughter was good, laughter meant the nerves were forgotten for the moment.

“I will neither confirm or deny that. Besides, this is your wedding now, remember? Let’s get moving. I believe you once threatened me if I was late for Juvia, well the same stands to you.”

His very honest and stern threat was met with a dismissive snort as Loke waved him off. His confidence was absolutely back as he walked to the door, his natural swagger returning as he straightened his jacket.

“Please I’d never do that to her. I want to marry her, she wants to marry me and I want to make her happy. Three very big reasons as to why I won’t walk out on her” 

He paused at the door, tilting his head in thought. There was a moment's silence and he decided to take the bait. He stood next to the groom to be and waved him on,

“Yes?”

“I was just thinking about your wedding, about what you told me. How did you know she wanted to marry me?”

Was that really a question? Apparently. He couldn’t almost believe Loke hadn’t known Lucy had been interested in him for a long time, but he was pretty dense when it came to that. It’d been obvious to everyone else in the guild. The way she’d shot down anyone elses flirting immediately but allowed him to go on a bit first. The not so subtle looks his way, the secret smiles, how much happier she was when he walked into the room, when he summoned himself. Oh how she’d act put out by his silliness yet she stuck so closely to him. Mira had noticed much more than him, but this much had been obvious, at least to him.

“Well it had been obvious for a while but planning mine and Juvia’s wedding really cinched it. It was obvious she was vicariously living through us, she was constantly daydreaming while she looked at you, clearly imagining what her wedding would look like if she was given the chance.”

“...Really?”

“Really”

He nodded, thoughtful as he opened the door, finally showing he was ready to face his future.

“I’ll have to apologise for not noticing. I hope this wedding doesn’t disappoint, that it meets every fantasy she had while she waited on me. I need this to have been worth it for her”

Despite the nervous edge to his words, he hadn’t ever looked brighter. It had hopefully finally sunk in properly that he was getting married today and nothing was going to go wrong. If not, then he’d happily remind him.

“Trust me, it will be. There’s no chance she won’t look back on this day with fondness and love”

“Awww, you getting sappy on me Gray?”

“If it gets you through that blasted door and to the altar, yes, fine. I’ll be sappy”

The laughter that followed should have annoyed him and he made it seem like it did. But in reality, he could not be happier for his best bud, the life and energy that flowed through him now was unlike anything before. Lucy had truly changed him for the better, she made him look forward to each new day. He’d always thank her for that, for saving his closest friend. But perhaps he really was getting too sappy. It was probably the spirit’s bad influence. He shook his head, clearing his mind of those thoughts, doing his best to lead Loke through the halls to where he was supposed to be right now. When suddenly his mind tripped over something he’d forgotten. He remembered being helped out of his own nerves, of realising that his bro didn’t realise his love wasn’t unrequited. There, that will help him realise that he still had it, his heart wasn’t melting thank you! He wasn’t an emotional mess, definitely not to the level of Loke anyway.

“Now, about that bet…”

Chapter Text

She let out a small groan as light shone in through her window, waking her up from the what, three hours of sleep she got last night. She tried to push her body up and out of bed but was met with heavy resistance. Her stomach turned and weakness dragged up back down into her bed. She absolutely needed to get up, but by the stars her body was fighting her today. She was wondering how she was going to fight her exhausted, sicky body, when a voice entered her mind.

You’re awake?!

Yes, she was awake. It was a marvel to her that Loke didn’t need his key anymore to talk to her, their marriage and growing bond seemed to have allowed that, but it did mean he could talk to her whenever he wanted. Which was a blessing and a curse. With an easy confirmation sent his way he was at her side in an instant. His travel between their worlds had also become so much easier after the Celestial Spirit King had blessed their bond, he claimed it was like walking through an open door constantly now. Rather than forcing it open like it was before. This made summoning himself with or without her power easy too, again a blessing and a curse. He was soft and slow as he made his way over to her, gently sitting down on the bed near her.

“Hey Lucy, how are you feeling today?”

“Like I just want to go to sleep forever”

“Ah, well sorry, I can't allow that. I’d miss you too much”

He kissed her forehead, before nuzzling her cheek. She could feel his grin against her skin and she let out a small sigh.

“Then help me up would you? I feel a little pathetic asking but I can't sit up” 

“You’re not pathetic Lucy, but of course I will”

She reached out and his shoulder was there for her to pull herself up on. Her free hand took one of his own and he steadily helped her sit up in the bed. She immediately leaned forward to rest on him as her head swam for a moment. She rested her head on her shoulder as she recovered. The covers had fallen off her, revealing her large, loose nightdress. She patted her round belly and hummed. 

“When I have this child I'll be sleeping for a month. I hope you’re ready to look after them”

He chuckled by her ear before placing an affectionate kiss on her cheek, clearly enjoying this too much.

"We both know that won't happen. You'll love our little treasure too much. Plus without supervision, a month is plenty of time to spoil them rotten."

She groaned again, knowing he was right. 

"You wouldn't be able to walk for the baby toys"

"Exactly my love. So, you're just going to have to stay awake, but don't worry, I will be here to support you"

"You're lucky I love you, but I will take you up on that offer"

He hugged her as tightly as he dared, pulling her in closer to him. The beginning of a purr was starting up in his chest. She adored that even more now, since the vibrations actually seemed to subdue her pain. It was a blessing.

"I'm incredibly lucky to have married the kindest, sexiest woman alive"

He punctuated his compliments with another kiss. His affection had somehow soared the further along she'd gotten. Now that there was an incredibly clear bump in her belly, she swore adorations spilled from his lips more than anything else. It was mortifying but also addicting. She craves his words just as much as she snubbed him. 

"Loke, I'm sweaty, greasy and sickly. I'm not exactly at my prettiest here"

"I highly disagree, my lioness" He nipped under her ear before kissing her neck, slightly teasing her with his tongue. His hands rubbed her belly and his voice deepened as he spoke. "Seeing you with our child is incredibly attractive. If it wasn't for the fact it could hurt you, I would ravish you and make you feel good and loved. I would make sweet lo-"

"I get it! You're a horndog for pregnant women"

"You think I look at pregnant women in the street and become this undone? Oh no, no, no. It has to be you, with our child. Our family. You fill me with so much love I can't contain it."

By the stars, she married a giant dork. But she'd known that when she said yes, so really she only had herself to blame. His nose was against her neck, his cheeky grin against her skin. He was a menace, but she loved him. Plus, the reassurance was actually nice.

"Sweet talking your way out of trouble again are we? It's a good thing I like your flirting then." She reached up to rub a hand through his hair, relishing in the way he relaxed into her. It was such a tender moment. Shame her body had to ruin it. Pain shot through her and she leaned heavier on Loke as she pulled herself through it. She needed to get up. “Loke, can you help me stand up?”

He was up on his feet before she could blink. Hands immediately out to support her. There was no hint of annoyance, just understanding and affection. She smiled in return as she took his hand and pulled herself up. His arm was around her back, helping her keep her balance. It was hard to not feel safe and loved while he held her. It was also hard to not feel like a complete bother to him as her baby bump grew. She was relying on him more and more to get around safely. She knew she was far into her pregnancy now, but it felt like such a poor excuse. She heaved a heavy sigh as she awkwardly hugged him the best she could. 

“Thank you. I’m sorry that I’m basically summoning you every day now to help me. You should rest too”

“Lucy, I’ve wanted you to summon me consistently since I became your spirit, nevermind when I became your husband. I’m currently living my best life being with you everyday, please continue to even after this. As for the increased chores, I’d rather be doing them than fighting some villain of the week given your current state. And I get the feeling you’re doing the harder job here. So, it’s no skin of my nose, use all of my time on you and I’d adore every second”

She flushed a bright red, ignoring his amused chuckling. How can he be so positive when he was no doubt tired from the repeated summons? Did he run on nothing? How did he manage it and could he teach her?

“How in the world do you have the energy for this? I want to go forward by the way”

He dutifully helped her waddle along the room, towards the bathroom so she could get her morning routine done and perhaps feel a little more human.

“Your love for me powers me in a way this world could never stop. I could be here forever powered only by your kisses and devotion”

She could gag, not just from his honey sweet words, but physically if her stomach didn’t stop flipping. She frowned, eyebrows creased in pain as she shooed him away. 

“I need privacy. If you really want to help me I need something to drink”

“Aye, ma’am! One Loke special on the way!"

He spun around, rushing to the bedroom door to quickly answer her request. She shook her head, he was much too eager for his own good. A tiny voice in the back of her mind told her he was going to get sick of this one day, sick of her. She frowned, shaking her mind against such thoughts. They helped no one. She was about to step into her bathroom when she felt an urgent kiss against her cheek. Her head instinctively turned to face this new attack and felt lips press insistently against her own. She paused, shocked for a moment, before melting into a soft kiss. It was light and slow, but very sweet. Something she'd needed. He hummed as he pulled away, a warm smile on his face.

"Forgot to say good morning. Good morning Lucy-love"

"Good morning silly. Thank you"

He gave her a cheeky wink before he was gone again, rushing to actually get her what she'd asked for. With a fond shake of her head, she finally entered her bathroom and got some privacy.

She came out some time later feeling more human. At the very least her face and hair were washed and there was less pressure against her stomach too. She made her way very slowly across her bedroom. She was awake now, she could walk by herself, her pride demanded it! It took longer than she was used to, but she was soon in the living room. Her husband was on the couch, jumping up immediately when he saw her enter the room.

"Lucy, do you need-"

"Sit back down, love. I can do this at least"

Hesitantly,like he was expecting her to fall, he sat himself back down. His gaze never left her. His brow furrowed in worry but he obeyed her. He stayed in his chair as she made her way over to him. She regretted it about halfway over, the pain in her feet making it feel like she was trekking miles not simply walking across a room. But she pulled herself along on pure pride alone and when she made it, slowly lowering herself into the couch beside him with his support, she let out a mental celebration. She patted herself on the back and her elation pushed her to grin at an unimpressed Loke.

"Told you I was fine"

"Perhaps, but I wish you weren't so stubborn" He sighed, knowing straight away it was an argument he would never win. She did appreciate the care though. "I know you always will be, however, so let's move on. I've made you your drink"

He was restraining against the urge to pout, the fight to stay upset with her clear on his face. She looked to the table in front of them. He'd made them both a fruit smoothie using her blender in the kitchen. She'd been told to cut back on the caffeine, so a healthier energy boost was needed. Thankfully, she had enough money to really experiment with different tastes and Loke had enjoyed them so much he'd started partaking in them with her. It was easier to stick to a good diet if someone you trusted was doing it with you. She reached out for her smoothie bottle, taking a sip through the straw and enjoying the smooth, sweet taste. Honestly, even after her pregnancy, she was most likely going to keep these in her everyday life.

"It's lovely Loke. Thank you" She looked back to him, catching him watching her intently. Worry aged his features still, she sighed softly. She understood, she did."I'm not going to break Loke"

A small gasp from him at being caught, before he quickly turned away. Shame warmed him and she knew she'd embarrassed him.

"I know you're not, you're stronger than that. I just…get nervous. That you're going to fall or need me and I won't be there. As much as I love our little treasure, it leaves you so vulnerable"

"It may make me weaker in some ways, but no child is going to stop me walking around my own damn house" That earned a small giggle from him and she let one hand leave her cup to hold one of his in solidarity. “I’ll be ok. I can do things, thank you for worrying. But I’ll do fine”

It was quiet for a moment before he scooted closer to her, resting his head against hers. He squeezed her hand, closing his eyes slowly. 

“You will, I know you will. I need to stop having a heart attack every time I see you doing anything slightly strenuous, that’s on me, but I can't. It was bad enough when I could lose you at any moment, but now I could lose both of you!” His grip on her hand tightened. She could only assume he was imagining it. “I couldn’t deal with that, Lucy, I couldn’t. I want my family safe…and happy. I want you to live as stress free a life as possible. The next few years are going to be a hurricane of running around and sleepless nights. I want you to actually relax before that”

“And this isn’t relaxing? Lazing on the couch with my husband, smoothie he made in my hand, not moving an inch. A perfect afternoon if I do say so myself. I just need a little bit of physical movement, can't be too lazy”

“Be as lazy as you like, I’ll fight anyone who says you shouldn’t be”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. I’ll fight the entirety of Magnolia, all of Fiore. All of Earthland even if they dare insult your right to lay about on the couch like an oversized sloth!”

She was offended for a brief moment, before he properly faced her, a cheeky grin on his face. His eyes twinkled with mischief and she broke. She only giggled at first, but when he joined in with chuckles of his own, well, she burst into laughter. She planted her forehead on his shoulder, unable to stop as he egged her on with his own laughter. How was she supposed to be upset with him when his pure laughter was so infectious? His arm wrapped around her, pulling her in for a large cuddle. Her joy overflowed, only to be interrupted by a sudden sharp feeling in her belly. She stopped still, causing Loke to pause, looking over at her in concern. There was a tense moment before there was another sharp pain in her stomach.

"Was that a kick?...Loke it's a kick!"

 She quickly leaned forward to put her bottle down. Her hand pulled his over to her belly, while her now free one joined them. There was another moment before they both felt it. That jolt as their baby made themselves known. Joy and love bloomed in her chest, which only increased when she caught Loke's expression. Pure awe shone through as his lips curled into a soft grin. He rubbed her belly absently, eyes crinkling with love. 

"Hey there little one, did mummy and daddy forget about you? Don't worry, we both love you too" He leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her belly. "It won't be long now, then we'll finally get to see you, so be patient and stop terrorising your mother"

She clasped a hand over her mouth to keep in the giggles threatening to wrack her body. He nuzzled her belly before sitting back up again, leaning against her, a loud rumble vibrating through him. His hand stayed by hers on her belly, feeling for the slightest movement.

"It really won't be long Loke, then we'll have a little terror to love and care for"

His purr somehow revved up, encouraged by the reminder he would soon have a little cub all his own. They’d forgone knowing the gender, both of them wanted to be surprised. They also both didn’t really mind if their child was a boy or a girl, they’d be drowned in love either way. But she knew for a fact if their baby was a girl, he’d start the fatherly doting before she was even born, which would make him absolutely unbearable, and really damage their budget. No, this was for the best.

"They can make me as exasperated as they like, I'll still spoil them. I'll see it as a challenge"

She snorted, more than willing to call his bluff. She patted her belly, in some strange attempt to get her baby's attention.

"Hear that little one, you could be a criminal and your father will still support you"

He tsked at her, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Our perfect child wouldn't be a criminal for no reason, clearly they're in the right"

"Loke!"

"I'm kidding. Obviously I don't want them to abuse anyone or commit heinous crimes, just that they don’t feel pressure from us”

“Pressure?”

“Yeah, I mean. I’m the leader of the Celestial spirits and you’re a famous author and member of the legendary Fairytail guild. We’ve both helped to save the world on multiple occasions, it’s a lot to live up to”

“I…I hadn’t thought of that”

And to be honest, she hadn’t. She knew she didn’t want to be distant like her own father. She’d never put work first unless it was literally an end of the world scenario. She wanted both her and Loke to give their child the full childhood she never had. So focused on that she hadn’t thought about the shadow they both unintentionally put over their child. It was a heavy weight. Nerves consumed her as she slowly rubbed her belly for comfort. 

“We’ll prove to them that they don't need to win our love, right?"

He placed a tender kiss on her forehead, offering her support. She willingly leaned into him, allowing herself to sink into his embrace.

"Of course Lucy. We'll make sure they know that if they join the guild but only want to do small, local jobs. That's fine. If they don't want to join the guild, that's fine. They could reach for the stars or choose quieter life, we'll be proud of them either way. And if anyone dares to say they aren’t living up to our legacy or some other bull, they’ll find themselves at the business end of a Regulus impact”

His hand glowed with power for a moment to punctuate his point and she could easily guess that he was already getting annoyed at a situation that potentially would never exist. It was probably for the best that she pulled him out of that spiral. 

“You’ll have to wait in line, Loke, I get first dibs. I am their mother after all.”

He pouted childishly at her and she swore she heard a small whine coming from him.

“No fair playing the mother card Lucy”

“All's fair in love and war, and this is both. I love you and our child so deeply I can't possibly ever find the words to express it. And it’s war against anyone who would dare to harm or upset either of you, so it’s doubly fair to use the mother card, since I’m also using the wife card too”

He huffed loudly, trying and failing to pretend he was upset with her. Professing her love had done him in and wiped away his moodiness, they both knew that.

“What an awful wife, not allowing me to protect our child. It’s a disgrace”

“Hmm, or maybe I just don’t want you destroying Magnolia on the daily”

“...I fail to see the problem here”

She let out a small groan, free hand coming to her forehead as it hit her how much of an idiot he was. She could hear him giggling childishly to himself, really proud of that comeback. She shook her head and did her best to hide her own smile, this man would be the death of her. One way or the other. Now that the conversation had run his course, he idly reached for his own drink and she was glad that would placate him for a while. She’d wanted to rest and relax, not worry about their child’s future. Though, they were due soon, so if they didn’t plan now, then when? Thoughtfully, she looked down to her bump, thinking about the future. Whichever way they went, whoever they were and whatever they became, she’d stand firmly beside them. She made that silent pledge in that moment, that she’d help her child build their future and shower them in her pride.

Chapter Text

Lucy Heartfilia stretched and did her best not to fall asleep. Today had been a quiet day with no work, so she was more than a little bored. Despite being in the guild famous for fights and flagrant destruction, it was a really chill day. Which did nothing for her restlessness. Usually she’d hang out with Loke on a day like this, but Gray had practically begged for some one on one time with his best bro. She couldn’t say no to that, she had been hogging all his attention lately. They needed some brotherly time together, but that meant she was currently sitting alone. Gray and Loke looked to be having fun together, Natsu and Happy were sneaking closer and she could feel a challenge in the air. Levy was on a job with her team, Cana was actually spending some time with Gildarts and Erza was busy on an S-class quest. It was like the fates had come together to specifically make her bored and lonely. 

She sighed, about to grab herself another drink, when Juvia heavily dropped herself into the seat next to her. She was surprised for a moment before she took joy in the distraction. And in seeing Juvia herself of course. 

“Hey Juvia, having a good day?”

She let out a small huff, glance only darting to her for a second before returning to Gray. Her arms crossed as she pouted fiercely.

“Juvia was going to have a great day out with Gray, but then Gray said he wanted to spend time with Loke…that was so mean!”

She frowned darkly at the table, no doubt muttering to herself about how Gray had betrayed her. She could sympathise, their plans had only been dropped on her this morning. She reached out and held Juvia’s shoulder in a supportive gesture. The glare she would have received a long time ago was long gone, instead there was only a sigh. They’d connected incredibly quickly without the ‘love rivals’ thing blocking them, they’d become even better friends she thought. But that meant she was one of the only ones who could be as blunt as needed with her. 

“Did you tell him you had plans for today, or did you just assume he’d be free?”

Nevermind, apparently she could receive a death glare or two as well. Still, it looked like she’d hit the nail on the head. Juvia had come up with grand plans of a fabulous day out without consulting the other half of those plans first. She reminded her a lot of Loke and dreaded the idea of those two ever being bored together, her and Gray would not be able to handle whatever fantastical event came from that. 

“Well, I’m free and would appreciate the company. I know I'm not Gray but we can have fun without him"

Juvia seemed to think over her proposal, that was something at least. The conversation probably would have taken a positive turn, had they not been interrupted. A loud shout caught their attention as they looked over at the boys in question. Natsu was actively goading an increasingly frustrated Gray, doing his best to start a fight. It was incredibly clear to her that he wanted to ignore his new pest and focus on his conversation with Loke, but the insults were starting to chip away at his patience. Finally, he turned to snap at Natsu, a cold wind swirling around him.

"Fine! We'll win in a fight against you and Happy, and then you'll leave us alone!"

"If you win! Me and Happy are an awesome team!"

"Aye!

"We're not slouches either you know?"

Gray stood quickly, getting in Natsu's face in an attempt to intimidate him. Loke heaved a dramatic sigh before standing up himself.

"Perhaps I'm being dragged into this, but don't think I'll go easy on you both. It’ll almost be nostalgic, beating you into the ground I mean"

“That’s not how I remember it! Let’s go!”

Predictably, sparks started to fly as the double battle began right there in the guild hall. She told herself right there and then that she wasn't paying for any damages Loke incurred while he let loose. She heard an upset scoff beside her and her attention was pulled back to her friend sitting beside her. 

"Lucy is nothing like Gray, Lucy won't ditch Juvia for a guild brawl"

She flinched at the dark tone in Juvia's voice, if she didn't save this conversation, Gray was in serious trouble.

"H-hey now, he didn't want to get into a fight. He wanted a day out with his 'bro from another world', something he doesn't often get to do anymore. He just wanted time with someone dear to him, you can't deny him that"

"No… But Gray is still cruel…and unable to read the room"

Ah, so it was time to complain a little was it? Well if it stopped her yelling at Gray, she'd go along with it. She didn't think for a moment Juvia was truly upset with Gray, it was more likely that disappointment was clouding her judgement. She paused, trying to think of something that frustrated her about Loke, a little upset with herself that something immediately sprang to mind.

"I can relate. Loke is very much the opposite, but he can go a bit far sometimes. His loud declarations in public can be badly timed and embarrassing"

"At least Loke does show you affection. Sometimes Juvia wonders if Gray said yes to shut Juvia up"

What? Yes Gray was much subtler than Loke, but she thought he was incredibly affectionate. 

"He's not Loke levels for sure, which is a good thing, but he does get clingy too"

"Only if someone else is flirting with Juvia. It shouldn't take jealousy for Gray to admit he likes Juvia"

She had a point that his love was much more obvious and even possessive when someone flirted with her, but to say he was never affectionate was a bit strange. She didn't think it was an argument she was going to win however. She needed to be calmed down first.

"It is true that he shouldn't let his jealousy motivate him to be needy, Loke can be quite the same. He gets overly clingy if he thinks someone wants to take me away. He completely doesn't register the appreciative looks he gets though"

"Gray's the same! Gray doesn't believe Juvia when Juvia mentions it! It's so unfair!"

"They're two of the most attractive men in Fairytail, it should be obvious! Loke's fanbase still glare at me and act like his will to be faithful is my fault"

She was perhaps getting too heated, too into this topic, but it was like a cork popped from a bottle. She couldn't stop this new flow of frustrations. Loke needed to do something about them, if only he acknowledged them.

"Are we supposed to act jealous? Because that just sounds overly exhausting, no offence"

"No, Juvia is embarrassed about thinking Lucy wanted to steal Gray. Attacking everyone all the time like that…would be tiring"

"They probably wouldn't get why we were angry anyway. They're both as dense as a brick"

"They only have fighting and getting stronger on their minds"

"Right! Complete, self sacrificing morons. Like I'd be happy they got hurt for me"

She huffed moodily, that particular problem a real sticking point for her. Juvia nodded along and she was glad she agreed. The noise across the guild got louder and her attention was once more grabbed by the fight. Natsu and Gray were battling it out, neither losing ground to the other. But she was amused to see the Loke and Happy fight had gone about as expected. Loke was watching his buddy fight with Happy held casually under his arm. The Exceed was struggling and kicking, but nothing he was doing was fazing Loke. Clearly bored, his gaze turned to her at nearly the same time she looked at him. He immediately perked up, smiling as he waved at her with his free hand. His sudden and undivided attention caught her off guard for a moment. A pleasant warmth dusted her cheeks as she gave him a short smile back. He somehow lit up brighter, beaming at her like she'd given him the world's treasures. For the most wonderful second, it was just them. Their reverie smashed apart as a rogue fireball caused Loke to flinch and duck. Back in the fight again, his attention left her, and left her feeling it's loss. Yet, she was happier for having shared that with him. She let out a soft hum as she turned back to Juvia, hoping that now they could move the subject of the conversation.

“But even if he’s the biggest idiot I’ve ever known, he still lights up my life. His smile alone is enough to cheer me up on awful days. I know for a fact we will love each other forever. Isn’t it the same with you and Gray?”

Juvia seemed to contemplate this for a moment, finally cooling down as she no doubt thought about all her favourite moments with Gray. She smiled lovingly and she couldn’t help a slight shock of jealousy. She wished she could be that affectionate without feeling overwhelmed. If she got bombarded with memories of everything Loke had done for her, she usually hid away from him. She feared how embarrassing she’d act in front of him in such a lovey dovey state.

“Gray did keep the scarf Juvia made…and Gray always eats the cakes Juvia makes, even if Juvia has just made up a reason to celebrate. Gray also fights alongside Juvia and tries to protect us. Gray picks Juvia all the time…Juvia forgot how much Gray likes to just exist by Juvia”

"They're both like that, haven't you noticed how close he sits to you?"

"No…Gray does like a lot of physical contact…"

"And, as said before, they are beautiful inside and out. Willing to lend a hand wherever they can, but also look hot while they do it"

Her friend let out a sharp laugh in surprise, that had been a little forward for her. She could feel the blush warming up her cheeks, but she’d stand by what she said!

“Gray is very easy on the eyes, yes”

Ok, now she was being teased, it was time to get them back on track. At least the sparkle was back in Juvia's eye she supposed.

“And he genuinely cares for you, he’s just more subtle about it. Your ways of loving each other are different, but no less valid. It always confused me how you couldn’t see that he loved you, when the looks he sends your way are so obvious”

“...Juvia thinks Lucy and Gray’s love language is similar, but so different from Juvia and Loke’s. Lucy-” She was startled as Juvia reached forward to grab her hands, staring into her soul earnestly. “Please teach Juvia how to read Gray’s love language!”

She froze for a moment, not sure in the slightest how to respond before tentatively nodding her head, deciding to just go along with it. 

“Sure, I’ll do my best! In return, can you help me make sure Loke knows I love him?” Seeing Juvia struggle with picking up Gray’s subtle declarations of his adoration for her, made her panic about her own relationship. Was Loke like Juvia? Did he think she didn’t care in the slightest about him? “I don’t think I can run around yelling my love, but if you spot me being lovey could you nudge him? I don’t want him to think I don’t want to be in this relationship”

“Of course! Loke seems like he knows though”

“I hope so, but you never can tell with those two” 

“No, better be extra clear then!”

They both giggled at their boyfriend’s expense, though she didn't want to actually encourage Juvia to plan something, that girl had big ideas that she was not ready for. While she wanted Loke to absolutely know in his heart and soul that they were forever, she wasn’t that desperate.

“Uh oh, the ladies are giggling together, that’s a bad sign for us, eh Gray?”

And here were the troublesome terrors themselves, bruised from their fight but clearly not terribly upset. It must have gone alright then, though she couldn’t claim to know whether they’d won or not. She looked up at her boyfriend, her previous thoughts still clouding her mind. He smiled at her and she momentarily froze, panicking about what he expected from her, before she managed to pull a smile onto her face. She must not have been as convincing as she hoped as he slowly frowned, tilting his head in silent confusion. He examined her and was about to speak up, when she was saved by Juvia.

“That’s a mean thing to say Loke! We weren’t doing anything!”

Oh thank the stars, a topic change she could grasp onto. He was about to be very disappointed in her, but oh well. 

“Right, honestly that’s a little disrespectful. Two friends can't chat and have fun without raising some eyebrows?”

His frown only deepened, the dodge obvious to the both of them. For all she'd just admitted he was a bit dense, he could be annoyingly perceptive at the worst times.

"Perhaps Loke doesn't want Lucy to have friends of her own. How controlling, Gray should do something about him."

It was impressive to see how quickly he went from suspicious of her to freaking out at Juvia’s accusation. A split second later and he’d moved to stand opposite Juvia, across the table from her but no less aghast. Pure, overdramatic anguish radiated from him as a hand went over his heart.

“How could you?! I’d never do that to Lucy! Why I’d rather die first! In fact-”

He launched into his usual spiel of how amazing she was and how he’d never abandon her for any reason or anyone and how insulted he was that it was implied he would. He’d rant Juvia’s poor ears off for at least the next five minutes, and that's if he was in a good mood. She sighed, already tuning it out, having heard it a million times already. She definitely had no reason to worry about how he felt for her. No, the only worry is if he knew she returned that love. Her gaze drifted away before getting caught by Gray looking at her, doing his best to quietly catch her attention. Intrigued, she tilted her head in silent question and got a silent response in turn. He glanced slightly at Juvia, trapped now by an overly excited Loke, and frowned slightly. It was the most subtle twinge downward of his lips, you wouldn’t notice it if you weren’t looking for it. But he was also clearly asking her a question, one he was unable to vocalise. She could sympathise with him there. With the smallest nod and smile she responded in a way that clearly relaxed him. He may not fully understand why Juvia was upset, but hearing she was better now took an almost physical weight off his shoulders. He was doing his best to act like his normally cool self, but she could see the clear signs of joy in his eyes.

Pleased and distracted by her pseudo conversation with Gray, she almost jumped out of her seat when Loke leaned in near her, face to face she could tell he was displeased with her.

"Why are you flirting with Gray so openly in front of me Lucy? If you're trying to make me jealous you're succeeding"

He pouted at her and she had to resist the urge to pinch his cheeks, but his words hit hard and they did more than just slightly upset her.

"Loke, he was asking me a question and I answered him. Don't be so cruel and have some faith in me"

He froze for a second before completely deflating. He looked as unhappy as she felt.

"That was a tasteless joke, I'm sorry. I know you only flirt with me, it's a problem with me, not you. I get very needy for your attention, I'll do better"

He's only needy because you only give him scraps to work with!

This was what she'd been dreading, that he'd completely misunderstand her and how she felt. She wished she could be as energetically and unabashedly loving as him, but she just couldn't. She wasn't ashamed of their love, it just overwhelmed her to be so overt. She could feel panic start to swirl up within her and he automatically responded to her new negative emotions.

"Are you alright Lucy? You were a little off earlier, do you need me to give you some space? What do you need?"

He tenderly held her hands and she gasped at his touch. He was so soft with her, it was incredibly unfair. 

"I'm sorry Loke"

He frowned, openly puzzled with her. She was more than a little frazzled, she just couldn't vocalise out loud what she wanted to say, and it probably showed. He straightened up, gently tugging her up to stand with him. He pulled her in, lips by her ear, he softly whispered.

"Why are you sorry?"

Noone would hear them, Fairytail weren't so daft as to eavesdrop on them, she could speak in confidence. She silently pulled herself up and reassured herself that all was ok. 

“I…I’m not as good at this whole romance thing as you or…” She couldn't stop her thoughts turning to the likes of Juvia. “So I am sorry I’m not so open like you are”

“Is this what’s been bothering you? You know, I’m not as young as I look, I’ve been around for more than a few trips around the sun. I’d be a little strange if I couldn’t notice that different people have different ways to show they care. I see you and I hear your love loud and clear. Yes the way you tell it is quieter, but it is no less meaningful. Besides-” He leaned back slightly to rest his forehead against her own, his smirk dripping a certain something into his lowered voice. “I’m not in the slightest bit upset that most can't see your flirting. It leaves it all for me and that is incredibly satisfying”

She blushed darkly, his hint of possessiveness coiled tightly in her stomach. Satisfied with her response, he kissed her cheek before standing back. She could feel him marvelling at her flustered reaction, he’d always said she was beautiful like that. She tripped over every word she was trying to say. He shot her a wink before trying to catch Gray's attention. She noticed absently that Juvia was much happier and Gray seemed a little flustered himself. Clearly he’d also cleared up any worries.

“Come on, I believe we had a day planned? Unless you want to chill with Juvia? I don’t mind taking a rain check on our day out if you two need some private time together. I’ll be hard pressed but I suppose I could spend the time with Lucy”

Hey now! She did her best to seem annoyed at the light ribbing while fighting down her rising grin. She was much more comfortable in this kind of atmosphere.

“Oh please, you love your time with me”

“Hm, I suppose you’re right”

He had the absolute nerve to wink at her and her eye roll was more than justified. She heard a small sigh from Gray as he pulled himself away from Juvia and walked over to them.

"No, we planned this, we're doing it. Besides, that would mean dealing with you two flirting all day"

"Whatever is wrong with that?"

"In small doses? Nothing. But we both know neither of you are able to limit your flirting"

She didn't think she was that bad, was she? Both Gray and Loke seemed to think she was a flirt, was she more obvious than she realised? She felt like she should be more offended, but Loke just shrugged nonchalantly, nonplused with the accusation. 

“Well obviously, we’re the sexiest, most fabulous members of Fairytail, so of course we’d flirt with each other. I don’t think I could be in Lucy’s marvellous presence for more than a second without needing to dote on her”

He dramatically held his hands to his heart, but got nothing from Gray but a derisive snort and a shake of the head as he started to walk away.

“You’re disgusting. Let’s get out of here, away from her, before I gag”

Loke paused, looking at her and seemingly waiting for something first. Gray stopped, waiting for his bro. She felt a rising pressure to do something, but what could he possibly- Oh!

She leaned over to place a quick kiss on his cheek. She refused to allow him to stop her, otherwise they'd be there all day, so she used her new momentum to sit back down by Juvia once more. Only then did she let herself peak up at Loke and, rather predictably, he had a goofy smile on his face. He bounded his way to Gray, joy in every step. He was half floating in the air and Gray had to drag him along to get him moving towards the exit. He stumbled along, more focused on waving to her than walking straight. As amused as she was by his goofy antics, she still caught a small blink and you’d miss it, wave from Gray, no doubt aimed at Juvia. A small gasp by her side told her the reciprocate caught it.She snuck a quick glance and was happy for her friend to see her so ecstatic. So warmed by their clear love and devotion, she didn’t have the presence of mind to stop Juvia standing up from her chair. So startled by the sudden movement, she couldn’t stop her from shouting out.

“We should plan a double date!”

Loke froze in place, Gray stopping seconds later with a look of extreme panic on his face. She didn’t need to wait very long to see why. Loke turned around with the most conniving grin she’d ever seen on his face. There were a million plans going through his head at that moment and Gray’s dread filled her too as she realised Juvia would fully support every single one.

“Let’s talk later Juvia, that’s a great idea!”

“Ok!”

Gray thankfully saved the situation before it got world destroying by finally pulling Loke out of the guild. Juvia sat down, satisfied and not aware at all of how much chaos she’d just thrown into their future. Or maybe she did and was happy to revel in it. You think you know people…

Just as her suspicion was starting to rise that Juvia was going to play Loke to get the exact date she wanted, the minx herself turned her head to grin at her. 

“You know, they really aren’t so bad”

“No…”

They shared a brief look before bursting into chuckles. This was lighter territory and an absolute truth. Their boys were the best, if not a little weird. She scooted her chair closer to Juvia, relaxing into an energetic conversation as they spoke on everything and anything they could think of. Well, she vehemently swerved them away from any talks of dates or planning anything for the boys, that was a bit too wild a conversation for her, and she actually wanted to relax for a change.

Chapter Text

She stared down at the test in shock. Was this really happening? It would explain a lot of how she'd been feeling lately. Her stomach had been rebelling over every little thing, but still…did it hurt to check? She didn't want to jump to conclusions after all. One good answer didn't mean anything.

Some time later and multiple tests showed her the exact same thing. Two lines. She was pregnant. For a brief moment she was stunned still, her mind working frantically to puzzle what she was looking at, before it hit her like a tidal wave.

She broke down as tears of joy poured down her cheeks. Relief and love flooded her and filled her with warmth. She was going to be a mother! Something she’d wanted for a while now, now that she and the world were both steady and she could think about such things. Her legs were weak and she had to lean on the wall to hold herself up, but by the stars she was blessed. She slowly binned the tests, letting her new future sink in, letting it build and fill her heart with joy. She could already imagine doting on them, showing them around the guild, showing them off to her friends so proudly. They'd have days out together constantly, she'd make sure they knew they were loved. That they were a miracle that she wasn't sure she'd have. Loke had no idea if Celestial Spirits could have children with humans, so this was- 

Loke! She needed to tell him! She slipped on her bedroom floor as she scrambled to her keys, almost landing flat on her face but managing to catch herself. Eager to see his face and take in his own reaction she sloppily pulled his key out of the pouch before pausing. She put the pouch down before rubbing her tears away. She did her best to squash her grin but wasn’t sure she didn’t look as manically overjoyed as she felt. He could probably feel her joy anyway, so she just needed the reason she was happy to be a surprise. With a deep breath, she shoved a lid onto her explosive energy and called her power forth.

“Loke! I have something I need to tell you!”

His key thrummed in response, telling her quite clearly that he could feel her joy. That was confirmed when he showed up with a large beaming grin of his own. He rocked on his feet as his own frantic energy rose to meet her own. She couldn’t wait to see it all pop and fizz out of him.

“Hello my love! What do you want to tell me?”

Straight to the point. She couldn’t blame him, they were currently feeding off and fueling each other's excitement and anticipation. She wondered which one of them would burst first and who would be the most over the top in celebration. She was practically buzzing herself already but she would try and draw this out to hype him up. 

“It’s something very important, but also the best news I’ve ever heard in my life”

His eyebrows rose into his hair as he leaned back and whistled. He leaned from one foot to the other, curiosity increasing.

“Even better than knowing you were going to marry me?”

She wasted a few more seconds pretending to think it over. Though this was an easy enough answer. How could you compare gaining a husband to gaining a child? It was a family member that you loved with your whole heart. There was no comparison to make, you loved them completely in two completely distinct but no less meaningful ways.

“Hmmm. About the same I’d say”

“Woah, this is amazing news!”

“Yep!”

The seconds ticked by as he stared down at her, clearly waiting for her to elaborate. She stared up at him, keeping his gaze while feigning ignorance. The tension mounted, laying thick in the air. It curled around them, rasing higher and higher until-

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

His nose scrunched in displeasure and impatience, his arms crossed in a huff as he frowned down at her. He was twitching, nervous energy almost sparking off him. Now was the moment. Gleefully, she pulled herself together to give him the news. 

“Sorry, I wanted to give this the proper weight it deserved. I’m pregnant”

His eyes widened. A sharp intake of breath, he froze still for a moment. Idly, he licked his lips before his mind seemed to restart and process what she said. When he finally spoke up, he was quiet, hesitant.

“Sorry…Did you just say…?”

“Yes Loke, I’m pregnant”

He reached out for her before pulling back, eyes still blown wide. He was on the precipice of just rushing up to her, but something pulled him back. 

“Y-you’re sure? I mean I am a spirit and I’ve never heard of this happening before and-”

“Loke, I’m sure”

She cut in as soft as she could manage given the circumstances. He looked deep into her eyes, looking for a lie or hesitation. He found neither as a large grin finally crept across his face. A high pitched noise escaped him as he lept at her. He hugged her tightly towards him, vibrating with pure adrenaline. He kissed her cheek repeatedly, over and over before going in for her lips. She kissed him back as they pushed all their love for each other into their kiss. She clung to him as all her pent up worrying released itself into aggressive kissing. He broke apart for air before shoving his nose into her neck. A laugh bubbled out of her, pleased by his positive reaction and more than willing to share in his joy. There was a second of calm where they just cuddled, holding onto each other to get through the sheer waves of euphoria crashing into them. A stress that had been building between them was removed. 

It was never an argument of birth vs adoption. It was the not knowing that drove them insane. No spirit knew if Loke could have a child with a human, or at all. Piscis had been her hope to find out, but they were born as a mother and child, they could be an exception, not a rule. They’d apologised and left them still unsure of what to do. They knew her time was limited on Earthland, so did they wait for a potential birth that would never happen, or should they go straight to adoption? They wanted the most possible time with their child as a family before Loke outlived them, so they’d been back and forth on this for a good while. Though, with Loke wanting a large family and her refusing to give birth to lots of kids just for him, adoption was more likely going to happen either way. She would just need to convince him to not choose every child in there. A hard task.

“I’m really going to be a father?”

“You are, we’re going to be parents!”

An embarrassing noise escaped him, somewhere between a squee and a scream. He lifted her up suddenly, surprising her and causing her to mimic him. Her shocked squeak instantly mortified her. He didn’t seem to notice it as he spun her around. 

“I’m a father! You’re a mother! Lucy! We’re parents!” He pulled her in, squeezing her and pouring his love onto her. Before he put her down, breaking away to rush around the room. “We’re going to have a family! I could have a little boy or a girl. Oooohhhh I can't wait!”

She watched with more than a little amusement as he bounced around the room, making laps around their furniture, barely preventing himself from rolling across the floor. He did little jumps, cheering loudly and she couldn’t resist joining in. All their waiting and worrying melted away as she ran over to join him, crying and celebrating together. She tackled him into a hug of her own and he happily cuddled her close, though he still wanted to bounce. 

“Lucy, you were right, this is amazing news. The best news since you said yes to me. Does anyone else know?”

“No, I just found out myself and I thought you should be the first to know”

His eyes shone and he pulled back to grin at her. 

“So, I can be the one to tell Gray?!”

“Of course!”

How could she deny him that right? Obviously he could be the one to tell Gray. Capricorn and Aries too. They were the ones dearest to him after all. He bounced as he held tightly onto her hands, able to power a whole city right now by his joy alone, she was right behind him on that. She gripped him back, cheeks hurting from smiling so much but unable and unwilling to stop the flow of love and relief moving her.

“Can we go now?! He better be at the guild, I need to tell him right now! We need to yell it from the rooftops. We have a little miracle Lucy we need to let the whole world know”

“Both worlds, all the spirits need to know too!”

“Of course! They should be sick of hearing me go on and on about how proud and excited I am!”

“Let’s do this!”

He pulled on her, tugging her along towards her front door before stopping short. She almost bumped straight into him but managed to still herself. Still, she was incredibly unimpressed as they both turned to face each other. 

“What are you-”

“I should carry you!”

“...What?”

What in the world did he mean by that? Carry her to Fairytail? Why? She frowned at him, confused and hoping he had some form of explanation. He nodded at her, getting into his own idea incredibly fast.

“You’re pregnant with our baby! You should rest and not exert yourself. I’ll carry you to the guild so you don’t have to struggle”

She sighed audibly, she should have known this would happen. He was an overprotective idiot. 

“I’m not that far along Loke”

With a tsk he casually strolled around her and picked her up princess style. She was more than a little ticked off at the ease with which that came to the both of them. She never resisted him carrying her anymore and she’d had a decline in winning arguments ever since. 

“Better to be safe than sorry my lioness, my queen, my adorable wife who is about to be a mother-”

“Loke”

“Sorry!” Yeah right, like he was actually sorry, he was bouncing on his feet too much. “We’re going to have a child! A child! I’m a father! Oh, I can't stay still!” 

He was out the door in an instant, legs pumping as he ran through the street, doing his best to burn this excitable energy. With a small roll of her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, though she couldn’t hide just how much she couldn’t wait to tell everyone. 

“Shall we pretend everything’s normal then loudly declare it in the middle of the guild or something?”

“YES! Absolutely Lucy! Though, you’re going to need to get rid of that manic grin if you want to seem like it’s a normal day”

“So do you!”

“Nah, I’m holding you in my arms. It’d be weirder if I wasn’t over the moon”

She wanted to be upset that he had a point, but his lovestruck reputation was really coming in handy for him right now. Well, it was also a hindrance in one aspect.

“I suppose we just have to worry about you yelling about your new child before you’ve even opened the guild door”

“I would never” He cut himself off. They both knew that was utter nonsense. He had no filter or restraint when it came to Lucy and that behaviour would now also be bestowed onto their child. He’d want to brag before he even saw them.”...Yeah I might do that…”

“How about a lap around Magnolia? Just to tire out that extra energy you have”

“...Ok”

He turned abruptly, leaving her to cling tightly to him as he started to run away from the guild. She saw the town in an entirely new way as he took every excuse to parkour over walls, through alleys and even on roofs, much to her fear. But he never dropped her, his grip never loosening as he rambled about everything he was looking forward to now, so he didn’t talk poor Gray’s ears off. That she didn’t mind so much. In fact she encouraged it as they daydreamed up their new child’s bedroom and perhaps even a new playroom too. 

All that, and in the end, she was the one who immediately blurted it out the moment they walked in through the door in response to Natsu’s greeting. Eh, what could she say? Strange way to respond to “Hey Lucy!”, but who could blame her? Loke could groan all he wanted about ruining the surprise, but she was too proud a mother to care. Besides, he got to ramble to Gray instead, as a treat.

Chapter Text

“Can you believe this?!”

Team Natsu flinched in fear as Lucy Heartfilia slammed down a magazine in front of them. Well, calling it a magazine was generous, it was more like a gossip rag. The guild did its best to not seem interested, but her pure rage flowed through the building, stifling the normally positive atmosphere. Her friends sat around a guild table, mentally preparing themselves for the barrage they had been expecting since this morning, when a certain article was published. There’d been the expected outcry from everyone at the time, but the master had managed to cool everyone off, reminding them that Loke’s past trysts included some influential people that could damage the guild if everyone went after them. Any further objections were shot down by his desperate pleas for everyone to act normal, to placate Lucy. For most of her spirits weren’t just loyal to her, but friends with Loke and so the article would anger them even more so. With that understood, the guild managed to calm down to a low thrumming anger, but it was starting to rise again.

Erza, brave and strong Erza, hesitantly held out an olive branch, desperate to calm her down before she exploded. Lucy had only grown in power over the years and while she may not be physically strong, most of her spirits were happy to cause trouble at her command, and they had grown much more powerful.

"We know Lucy, we know. It's just the mindless dribble of someone with too much time on their hands."

"She's right Lucy, they're just jealous that Loke was lucky enough for you to ask him out. His little fangroup has always been annoying, somehow even jealous of me and him being bros. Don't think about them"

"But have you seen what they've written about him?!"

That caught everyone off guard. Her anger wasn't soothed at all, as apparently the awful description of her being some money grubbing harlot, with a side note that she also probably only liked him for his looks, was not what had upset her. The confusion was palpable, you could feel it in the air as her friends tried to regain control of the conversation. Needless to say, they had the guild's full attention now.

"W-what do you mean?"

Lucy angrily flipped the pages until she stopped and violently slammed down on the article in question. 

"Have you read this tripe?! They're acting like he's some mindless idiot who can't think for himself! Like he's a poor naive baby who doesn't know he's being taken advantage of. Excuse me?! How dare they insult his heart like this? He's a grown adult filled to the brim with love and care! I will not let them step all over his feelings like this!"

"Um…You do realise they're insulting you too right?"

She waved them off, too angry and driven by her own sense of justice to care. She was also getting more and more annoyed at them, especially Gray. How could he not defend Loke at a time like this?

"I knew that when I started dating him they'd come after me, they did that when we were just friends. I couldn't care less about that! At best they actually care about him but think he's an idiot. At worst they want him to think I'm awful and forcefully change his mind. Probably so they can further use him as a trophy to drag around. He's more than an attractive piece of eye candy, how dare they try to manipulate him!" 

"He's not stupid enough to fall for this Lucy. We all know he thinks the world of you and wouldn't believe such blatant lies. They'll get bored eventually, just ignore them."

"They're trying to get under your skin Lucy, they want you to blow up"

"But-"

"They will pass, they will get a new obsession. Don't give them a reason to keep insulting you"

Why was Erza so convincing? Her calm and understanding nature should be infuriating. Instead she found herself cooling off, lulled by her soothing words of wisdom. She heaved a heavy sigh and slumped dramatically into her seat at their table. She couldn't just be left to stew in her rage could she?

"Fine, I guess I'll leave them be. But they'd better not do this again."

"I'm sure they won't"

"Good! Cause I'm going to fight the next person to insult Loke!"

If they thought she couldn't see them flinching or rolling their eyes, they were so wrong. But their opinion didn't matter, she would make absolutely sure Loke was protected. She'd seen the way they were making him increasingly uncomfortable, the way he’d slowly come into the guild, watching every corner just in case. They were making him miserable with their refusal to listen to him and there was only so much she was going to take.

“I guess we have to accept that huh?”

They would have to and they all knew it. She didn't know why they were so worried about her getting angry, they did all the time! It was hypocrisy at its finest. 

Before she could get too deep into that spiral she felt the telltale comfort that came with a Celestial Spirit door opening. She didn't have to look behind her to guess who moved a seat to sit next to her.

"Morning beautiful"

"Good morning Loke"

"It'll be a great morning now that I've seen you"

That was so cheesy, yet she couldn't stop her responding grin, even as she rolled her eyes. Maybe one day she'd let him know how gooey on the inside his kind words made her. For now however, that was her little secret. She was wondering how casually she could reach out and hold his hand when he finally noticed the article in front of her. He visibly froze for a second and the good mood they’d started to create vanished. His nose scrunched up as he frowned down at it, eventually muttering to himself.

“My past keeps coming back to bite me” He turned his head away from her, clearly not meaning for her to hear him. “I was so annoying back then. When I think of those stupid mistakes, I really hate myself”

Sorrow poured through her, weighing down her heart as she sympathised with him, before being joined by a burning hot rage. He did not just say that! Her earlier promise came back to her and the need to defend him rose up within her. She pushed herself up, her chair scraping loudly on the wooden floor, so she could stand over him.

"Alright, square up!"

"We'd just calmed her down"

She ignored the disappointed grumbling behind her, focusing solely on the slowly growing confusion on Loke’s face.

"W-what?!"

“You heard me! Noone gets to insult you, not even you, under threat of a fight they're going to lose. So either take that back or square up mister."

He looked behind her imploringly, but apparently found no support as he was forced to look her in the eye. 

"But, isn't that proof of how much of an idiot I was? I'm here to say sorry for the things they said about you"

There were low hisses of sympathy throughout the guild as most realised that was the wrong thing to say. Sadly, Loke never really did have much self preservation.

"No! All it is are terrible opinions that aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Also don't apologise for loving me unless you regret it-"

"Of course I don't-”

“Then why do you need to apologise? You’re not insulting or hurting me, their actions are not your fault. No, the only thing you did was insult yourself, which you need to apologise to you for”

"But-"

"No buts!" She grabbed the corner of his chair, pushing it so he now fully faced her. She leaned down so they were face to face and he could feel her glare. “You are amazing and someone I cherish dearly. I love you with every fibre of my being and you are someone of worth. I will drill that into your skull as much as I have to, now say sorry”

His eyes widened in shock, and maybe partially in fear. He wasn’t trapped really, they both knew he could push her away and yet he seemed frozen in his chair, like he was waiting for something. Or maybe something was already happening and she just hadn’t clued in on it yet.

“I’m sorry for insulting myself”

She nodded, leaning back and catching a small smile of relief from him. Well, he shouldn't get too comfortable because she was about to come in for round two. 

“Good, if you ever start to even think about insulting yourself you just talk to me and I’ll set you straight! Now, I want you to compliment yourself”

He froze for a moment before looking up at her, pleading. 

“Lucy, you’ve heard me compliment myself before”

“No, I’ve heard your over the top nonsense. I mean a genuine compliment from the heart. Like...how funny you are, and how adorable you are when you're physically enthused by everyone's reaction, even if sometimes the jokes are bad. You love to laugh and I could listen to it all day"

A light blush darkened his cheeks as his eyes widened to an amazing degree. He openly gaped at her before shaking himself off. He fidgeted under her gaze before sighing softly.

“I’m not getting out of this am I? I suppose there has to be something amazing about me if I caught your attention… I’m very loyal, I’m proud of the way I instinctively protect and support you. You bring out the best of me and I'm happy with the person I've become. I'm constantly improving every day and I suppose that's something to acknowledge."

"See, now was that so hard?"

He let out an exaggerated small cry of pain as he slumped in his chair. His whining dropped into groaning.

"Awful, that was the worse experience of my life"

"And yet you did it, thank you." She reached out to pat his head, finding comfort in the feeling of his soft hair raking through her fingers. "You're so good"

He huffed loudly and childishly, looking up at her through his lashes with more than a hint of annoyance.

"I'm not a child Lucy"

"Oh, so you don't want me to pat your hair and call you a good boy?"

As she tried to lift her hand away, one of his came from nowhere and pushed it back down into his hair. Somehow he seemed even more upset with her, like this was an even worse crime.

"I never said that"

She couldn't help it, she giggled at his exaggerated pout. He was probably trying to win her sympathy but her heart soared at how stupidly cute he looked. She couldn't take him seriously. 

"Stars I love you Loke, so just this once I'll forgive you. But if you ever are so hard on yourself again, I will kick your butt around this guild hall"

He stared at her in awe, grip tightening as his fingers curled around her hand. When he spoke, he was breathless. That alongside the way his pupils had widened when she'd praised him were both facts to tuck away for later.

"You were serious about that?"

"Completely my love." She slipped her hand from his, mourning the loss of his touch. Not to her surprise, he didn't seem to be amused either. "But there are a group of people who also need to say sorry and I've decided I need to make them"

She heard her team gasp and sputter behind her, with only Natsu yelling his support for her choice. Regretfully, she turned away from Loke to face their opposition.

"You just said you'd let it go"

"Right, I know Fairytail always causes trouble but the master is going to an early grave if we keep troubling him"

"This won't get back to Fairytail." Despite the ease with which she waved them off, she was more than a little worried for their master. "Besides, they've come after me before, I was expecting this kind of idiotic behaviour"

She heard the scraping of a chair behind her and wasn't surprised by arms wrapping around her stomach and pulling her into a firm chest. There was a small, contained growl by her ear and she was forcibly reminded that he was angry for her too. She looked up into the concerned and fretful eyes of her boyfriend.

"They've done what to you?! Do you need me to come with you?"

"They just tried to chase me off whenever I 'got too close to you', even after you became my spirit. Nothing all that threatening. I can take them on my own, I'm fighting for your honour Loke! They can be petty enough to call me whatever, I’ve heard worse from enemies of the Heartfilia family, but to suggest that you're either too stupid or sleezy for our relationship to last is a step too far. I will fight them to prove our love and your loyalty!"

She watched with a mixture of satisfaction and wonder as he blushed a dark red, pupils fully wide. His grip on her tightened as his smile turned dopey and love filled. Common sense was fleeing him as his heart was winning out, it was incredibly cute but made him very clingy.

"You're sure I can't come along?"

"I'm sure, be a good boy and stay here. Then I can take you out on a date and forget all about this dumb article"

"Alright. But if you're going to fight for my honour, maybe I should pa-"

She reached up to place a finger on his lips, silencing and also baffling him.

"Love, I know you're an intelligent man. Use that brain of yours, think about how I'm currently feeling, and decide if what you're about to say is wise"

She took her finger away, waiting expectantly for the gears in his brain to start turning. He opened his mouth in the beginning of an argument, before promptly losing it in defeat. It took a second, and he looked so pained, but he finally spoke up.

"You're going to treat me"

"Exactly. I have to go, so can you let go of me?" He let out a small whine of protest, squeezing her against him for a moment, pouring his love into her, before resigning himself to his fate. He made a show of reluctantly letting go, allowing her to turn around to face him. "Thank you. Sit down and relax, I'll be back soon"

"Promise?"

"I promise"

He finally relaxed, soothed by her assurances. He plopped back down on his chair, fully lax and cheerful. He beamed up at her, his previous crimson blush died down to a steady pink.

"Then go for it. I'll wait up for you, my lioness"

"Thanks my lion"

She felt a glare burning into her back, pulling her attention. Erza was making her displeasure with the whole situation known. She could do her best to salvage Fairytail's reputation, but surely everyone knew that wasn't going to happen? Besides, this was about setting a boundary, to make it clear that she would not tolerate them upsetting Loke anymore. This would be light compared to what would happen if they ignored her and made him uncomfortable again.

"What are you planning?"

She tilted her head, doing her best to seem innocent. 

"Just a chat. If they ignore me, then I'm sure they'll accommodate Gemini, they can be so convincing"

“You’re going to set Gemini on them?!”

Erza and Wendy both turned pale as it hit them both the pure chaos Gemini could bring down upon their victims, incredibly willingly too. She wouldn’t even need to push them and they’d do anything from subtle sabotage to outright destruction. Anything goes with Gemini.

“Only if they challenge me after I tell them off. If they’re going to start a war, I’m going to win it."

And with an air of finality she turned away from them, back to her love. This was all she was going to say on the matter. She was saving them really, because if they had continued insulting Loke, she'd be much angrier and much more willing to brawl. Or perhaps the Lucy who grew up in a society where there were daggers behind every word was a worse enemy to face, who could tell really. 

"See you later love" She leaned forward to kiss Loke softly, revelling in the smile she felt pressed against her lips. She pulled back but not before whispering in his ear. "If you stay and be a good boy, we can kiss and cuddle on our way to our date”

“...Can I carry you?”

“Sure, as a treat, but only if you stay”

“Yes ma’am!”

Now secure in the knowledge he wouldn’t follow after her, Lucy Heartfilia confidently strutted to the guild’s entrance. Her team may not all fully agree with her, but none of them would stop her, they all knew what it was like to be angry, to want a little revenge. She would just have to deal with their not so subtle silent judgement later. But for now, with a casual wave and a quick goodbye, she was off to see a certain fangroup about a certain article.

While she knew she’d left Loke off kilter, she didn’t know just how much he’d been completely destroyed by her. He stared after her for several minutes, brain full static with his head empty of coherent thoughts. He finally zoned back into a heart bursting with love and a face burning from an emotion he couldn’t quite name or understand. He was mortified that she’d gotten him to examine himself so thoroughly, even more so at these strange feelings that had bubbled up within him. Had he actually enjoyed being told off? Or was it more the praise and stern encouragement? Either way it was embarrassing and not something he would be revealing to Lucy, she did not need to know she had this power over him. Though it was possible she already knew. 

“You’re really not gonna stop her are you?”

He startled out of his thoughts, cringing at the sight of an overly smug Gray. He would absolutely defend himself however!

“Of course not. She’s going to scold people for insulting her. Why would I stop that?”

“You were listening when she said she was fighting for your honour right?”

That strange emotion curled in his stomach, clogging his throat. Why was he reacting like this- No, he wasn’t that dense. He scrunched his nose in displeasure, what a time to find this out about himself. He sighed, pushing his hair back and trying to ignore the permanent warmth spreading through his whole body. 

“I did , but if I pretend it’s for her and not me it’s easier to just sit here”

His supposed best friend tilted his eyebrow in a clear sign of disbelief. What was this betrayal? 

“Are you sure it’s not just because she promised to basically further compliment and dote on you?”

Such a good boy.

His mind unhelpfully supplied the image of Lucy smiling at him lovingly, her hand scritching that bit at the back of his head just right and-

No, he wasn’t doing this, not in the guild. He can daydream about Lucy and his newfound love of her heaping genuine and thoughtful praise on him later. He could also question this apparent love of her commanding him too, that was new and baffling to him. The defending him part at least made sense. Right now, he needed to be- Nope don’t say the G-word, he could feel his body tingling just thinking about it. He put all his frustrations into glaring at Gray.

“Gray, unless you want trouble, I suggest you drop it”

“Alright dude, stay in denial all you want. It’s nice to be able to tease you about your repressed feelings for a change”

He almost got out of his chair, almost swiped at him, but he stayed put, Lucy's expectations tying him to the chair far tighter than any binds could. Thankfully Erza came to his rescue, letting out a heaving sigh as she pushed herself up and out of her chair.

“I’ll go warn the master to expect some complaints”

Guilt swarmed him, reminding him the only  reason Lucy was angry in the first place, was due to his own past stupidity. Not for the first time, he wished he could go back in time and slap himself.   

“I’m sorry Erza, I’ll make it up to you. They don’t listen to me too much, but I’ll keep shooting them down”

“It’s fine Loke” She finally showed him a small smile, amusement shining in her eyes. “Besides Lucy’s going to have some company. Haven’t you noticed Cana isn’t here?”

He blinked before quickly looking around the room. As she’d humoursely noted, Cana was nowhere to be seen. He really should have noticed that sooner. Even among the usual din, she made her presence known.

“When…?”

“A little bit before Lucy burst in. We managed to keep Levy from charging out, but in all that commotion, no one noticed Cana slipping out. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d teamed up to allow one of them to escape”

“So…you’re telling me my persistent little fangroup is going to have the combined anger and power of Lucy and Cana raining down on them?”

“Yes, I suppose I am”

He could laugh, he really could. As it was it was a struggle to keep in the giggles. If Lucy really did summon Gemini as well, they were done. He shouldn’t be so cheerful, but their possessiveness was bordering on obsession and it had been really making him uncomfortable. He’d tried to mask that and subtly deal with them, but he should have known Lucy would notice, she was too good at that. He leaned back in his chair, utterly relaxed and calm in the guild for the first time in too long a while. 

“Guess I won’t have to do anything after all.”

There were small bubbles of amusement and agreement around the guild before it slowly went back to normal. They could all be so nosy sometimes, but it came from a place of care, so just this once, he’d ignore it. 

Loke’s prediction turned out to be correct. With no warning or reason given, Loke’s fanclub officially disbanded, with the added declaration that all members should stay away from him. The whole ‘for their own safety’ bit could be heard between the lines, but as long as they were both happy and safe, neither Lucy or Loke cared what that group thought of them.

Chapter Text

Cleaning was boring without Lucy, but it had been part of their deal. If he was going to live with her, as her incredibly lucky boyfriend, he was going to help with the chores. She refused rent money from him and wasn't going to accept anything, but he lived here more than his own home, he couldn't just take from her. It wouldn't be fair. It was an easy enough bargain to make (for him, Lucy still complained that he wasn't a servant), the Celestial Spirit world couldn't ever keep him from her. There was no majesty in the stars he couldn't find in her. She'd called him a dork when he expressed that, but it was the truth. If staying here permanently wouldn't kill him, she'd never be rid of him. His heart ached that he had to miss weeks of her life at a time, so the days he stayed he desperately tried to stretch out a smuch as possible.

Today he was cleaning the living room while she was out getting groceries, she again refused payment for them, but he had snuck some jewels in her purse anyway. He hoped she used it to treat herself to something nice she wanted to eat. He stretched his back and arms, muscles tired and worn, and looked around, he had done a good job if said so himself. His hands were covered in dust though, so he was glad he had taken his jacket off, getting dust out of that would have been a nightmare. The dark green hoodie, despite being celestial in nature, was an absolute dirt magnet and refused to listen to him when he tried to clean it magically. It was bothersome in its own way that he had to handwash it, but he'd never throw it away, Lucy loved him in it. It was a small price to pay to see her eyes light up every time he showed up in it. He didn't quite understand her approval of it, but whatever made her happy was fine by him. After a quick trip to the kitchen to clean up he moved to the couch, ready to put it back on, only to find it gone. Had he moved it somewhere subconsciously while he was cleaning? It’s not like anyone else could have, he would have definitely noticed either Lucy returning or an intruder breaking in. He would just have to check everywhere, it was going to bother him in the back of his mind until he found it.

He started off slowly at first, checking all the most logical and obvious places a hoodie should be, but strangely, it wasn't out in the open. It was big and green, he should be able to spot it anywhere, but he went through every room in the house and couldn't eyeball it anywhere. He was starting to get a little frantic, it held precious memories to him too after all. Maybe it had gotten under something as he moved furniture around? It seemed to be the only way it was hidden. Mind made up, he bolted back into the livingroom and tore around the room, opening cabinets, looking under tables, lifting up furniture. But it didn’t seem to be anywhere. He felt his stress levels rising as, even after turning the room upside down, he couldn't find it. 

“I asked you to clean, not destroy”

He froze from where he was, currently rechecking under a table. Well she sounded unimpressed, all his hard work had gone to waste and Lucy definitely wasn’t going to praise him now, damn it all. He let a groan as he got up.

“ I’m sorry Lucy, I did clean I promise. It’s just-”

He cut off as he finally got a good look at her. She was glaring at him, clearly demanding he continued with his explanation. But for once it was hard to focus on her pretty face. He gulped and felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

“Y-you……you’re wearing my jacket”

She raised an eyebrow at him and huffed. She had no right to look so good in a baggy jacket that was clearly too big for her. It swamped her, going down past her hips. Her fingers only just peaked out of the arms. It was the most adorable thing he had ever seen, which was something since he saw Lucy every day. He knew he was staring but he couldn't help it.

“Yeah? It’s cold out and you had thrown it on the couch, so I thought you weren’t using it?”

He couldn’t deny that but he also couldn't get his brain to work, all he could do was stare at her, though he could feel her starting to get nervous.

“What's with that look?......Do you not want me to wear it? I can take it off if-”

“NO!”

She jumped, startled, as he slapped a hand over his mouth. He didn't have a reason for his sudden outburst, but he really didn't like the idea of her taking it off. He knew his face was probably a dark red, looking anywhere but Lucy. He hoped his thoughts weren’t being projected on his face or through their celestial bond, because right now they were in a dirty place that she would not approve of. He fidgeted, desperate to touch her and a look of understanding dawned on her face. A feeling of dread crawled over him and only heightened when a smug grin appeared on her face.

“Ooohhh this isn’t a ‘I don't want you wearing my jacket’ problem. This is a ‘I want you to be wearing only my jacket’ problem” 

He whimpered around his fingers at the particularly lewd images that response brought to mind. Part of him was embarrassed by his own need for her. Another, much louder part was yelling at him to just touch her already. He was surprised  to find he was already reaching out for her, she was still at the door! He looked so desperate he knew, but he went for it and crossed the distance to her, pulling her close.He rested his head on her shoulder, mumbling into her ear.

“It’s unfair how good you look in that you know?”

“I know, but I make everything look good to be fair”

He joined her in her quiet laughter, the shaking bringing his attention to the bags she was holding.

“Do you want help?”

“Well sure, if you don't break the bags”

“.....I was looking for my jacket...you could have told me you took it”

“Yeah I could have, but then I get the feeling I would never have left”

He sighed, she was probably right. Her in his clothes was a killer combination, she wouldn't have left the house untouched. He pulled back and took the bags off her.

“I can’t deny that I suppose…...What’s mine is yours Lucy and I’m happy to lend you anything, just maybe a word next time?”

She at least had the place of mind to look sheepish as she nodded, which was good enough for him. Already forgiven and forgotten, he turned round to at least get one chore right when she spoke up again.

“While you do that i’m going to get changed, do it quick enough and you might catch me in just your jacket”

He jumped and spun around to her, but she was already rushing to the bedroom, flushed red. Well that sounded like an invitation he couldn’t pass up.He knew he wore a manic grin as he quickly put the groceries away, but he really didn’t care. If Lucy looked that great already, her in only his clothes was going to be downright sexy, he just knew it.

Chapter Text

"I need you to shut your pretty little mouth for just one second."

Lucy Heartfilia hissed out a sharp command, quiet, but no less threatening. They were supposed to be gathering information on some illegal trading, specifically they were going to be watching a stolen weapon being sold tonight. A dark guild had taken to stealing whatever a client asks of them, for the right price. And she did mean everything. The magic council had connected all their crimes to them but couldn't pinpoint exactly where they were hiding, which was where she'd come in. 

They'd gotten a tip that a trade for a magical weapon was going off in Fireweed forest and she'd immediately volunteered for the job. Not only was there a nice paycheck but with Loke to keep an eye and ear out with his improved senses, she'd been certain they’d have this in the bag. And she’d been right, for the most part. 

Loke had indeed led her through the shadowy trees with an ease she was jealous of. She’d watched him sneak around in the shadows, making not a single sound as he knocked out the lookouts. It was a different side of him, he was fully in his element and it had only boosted her confidence in their success and it granted her new respect for him. However, it seems their joint confidence might have gone to his head. 

Now without anyone around who was trying to thwart their sneaking, Loke had become far too relaxed. As they were sneaking to where he heard voices, his joy had reached a fever pitch. He was excited about them finally doing a job as a duo, since they’d never done one when he was actually in Fairytail all the time, and it had devolved into him praising and flirting with her. Hence their current situation, getting closer to her target with her hissing out a plea for him to shut up. Unfortunately for her, a bit of the fact she enjoyed his flirting  had slipped out with her command, and his grin had just grown wider, morphing into a victorious smirk. 

“You think my mouth is pretty? Why, Lucy, you flatterer!”

Her frustration and embarrassment mixed together into a dangerous concoction that bubbled up with her and made her grumble. 

“I think a lot of you are pretty, but I need you to be quiet right now.” She heard a small squeak and glanced up at him. In the dark she couldn’t tell for certain, but she swore he was blushing. As cute as that was, she needed him to focus. “Loke, look, we need to focus. We’re almost there.”

They came upon a clearing and she put a finger to her lips, pointing towards the open space in front of them. They’d arrived at the clearing in question. A light tap on her mind requested she open their bond and, with a resigned sigh, she did. 

A lot of me is pretty? Are you trying to make me swoon? Because you’re succeeding.

She let out a low groan. Well, that was expected. His emotions flowed freely, it always surprised her just how much he trusted her with his entire being, and his amusement and affection swirled around her. 

Loke, I didn’t start this mental conversation so you could keep flirting, or tease me for my own terrible attempts. We’re right next to the target, any conversation should be as quiet as possible and we have an advantage in that regard.

He shuffled slightly, seeming to think her response over. He glanced out into the clearing and finally seemed to acknowledge the dark guild member walking over to his mark, the trade was about to take place, they needed to be ready to move when it was over.  

I get it, I’ll be quiet. They were silent for a moment, but he kept their bond open and his agitation came through. She got the notion he had something he wanted to add, so wasn’t surprised when the silence lasted barely a second more. I wasn’t trying to tease your flirting, not a chance. Your heart is so kind, so pure. I'd never prevent you from speaking from it.

She almost let out her own flustered squeak when his earnestness reached her heart through their bond. This had been the exact opposite of what she'd asked. It was sweet, something she’d keep close to her heart, but she really needed him to shut up before she did something unwise.

I'll kiss him quiet if this keeps up. That'd shut up both his mouth and his thoughts.

…It would probably do that, yes.

Shit. She hadn’t meant to send him that thought, it was supposed to be an inner grumble. This was always the issue when she connected to him, he was unguarded, nothing blocking every thought and feeling. It showed a great amount of will from him that most things sent her way weren’t on the topic of how perfect she was. Still, that safe space, free of judgement, lowered her own walls. It would really have only been a matter of time before something slipped, but did it have to be now? Comfort blanketed her and a hesitance she wasn’t used to exuded from him.

It’s ok Lucy, I can tell that was just frustration at the situation and that’s partially my fault. I know you wouldn't ever really kiss me, let's just focus on the job.

He was subdued, anxiety sparking through their connection. He was trying to claw it all back, but it wasn't in his nature to be closed off with her, so the attempt failed. 

If she was honest with herself for a change, it was his timing that annoyed her. The flirting itself was fine, flattering even, and she didn't want him to believe he'd ruined the possibility of them ever partnering up again. She glanced at the argument happening in the clearing, it seemed there was a problem with the agreed upon price, she had time to fix this. It was time to dive deep, make herself clear and see if he still wants to partner up with her afterwards.

Loke, if it wasn't for the fact you'd be disgusted, I'd kiss you.

Thankfully, that seemed to shake him out of his spiral. He looked at her in pure abject horror, mind stunned into silence. At least he wasn’t beating himself up anymore, even if his mind was now restarting with a sharp displeasure. He fidgeted, wanting to hold her, so his magic reacted and she could feel his presence more in her heart and soul. She could hear secondary thoughts from him, hear how he needed her to believe him.  

Disgusted? Me? Surely you have to be kidding? There's no way in hell I'd reject you! I appreciate you're trying to make me feel better, to distract me from being angry with myself, but you don't need to lie about being attracted to me for my sake.

Lie? Lie?! Oh forget the mission! She wasn’t going to embarrass herself and accidentally put her desires on display for him for nothing! If she was going to humiliate herself then it was going to be drilled into his brain so he understood. She wasn’t going to confess anything like this again outside of a relationship, it was too terrifying, so she needed to roll with this. She needed to make it crystal clear how she felt so he could react accordingly. 

You really think I, the woman who just blurted out the fact you’re pretty, has no interest in kissing you? Look, I  struggle with this stuff. I can't be as loud and upfront about how I feel as you can. I try but I end up wanting to dig a hole and bury myself in it. So when I say I like you, listen to me! This might be the closest thing you get to a confession from me and I know it’s not romantic but please run with it. If you ignore how I feel I don’t know how long it will take before I’m relaxed enough to just say it again.

Drained, she heaved a heavy sigh. Her friends were so lucky they didn't understand how uniquely draining a conversation with an open spirit like Loke was. While she mourned the lack of closeness with more stubborn spirits like Aquarius, there was something to be said for him not being able to see her entire heart. When she put herself out there it was scary but also it felt like such a weakness, an embarrassment. He could see all the good and bad, for better and for worse. It was rare to see human connections as close and personal as that of mage and spirit. She was just glad she could trust them all with everything she was.

Lucy…I could never ignore this, especially not now that I can feel it all around me.
There was a light chuckle in her mind, filled with his joy and love. It swirled between them, strengthened by their bond. She quietened, equally happy, relieved and excited for their new future, but clumsy and awkward with her words. She had to rely on the fact he could easily now touch upon her love and be content with that. A not so small part of her was comforted by the fact there was a similar nervous energy coming from him, they were stepping into this new territory together and she was grateful for that at least. He paused, humming to himself, before his gaze caught hers and she could see the way his eyes were lit up with mischief. There was no way to prepare for whatever he was about to drop into her lap. 

Still, I’m not convinced you’d kiss me. Your love for me is clear but, as you say, you’re so nervous, you’d freeze before you could. I’d bet on it even.

She blinked, stunned before becoming increasingly annoyed with that stupidly pretty smug face of his. That sounded like a challenge and he knew her well enough to know she'd rise to it. He wasn't coy, wasn't subtle, but she appreciated his consideration nonetheless. Earnestly spilling her heart? No thanks. A challenge on the other hand? That she could work with. If this was how he wanted things, she found it far easier to dive in when she thought about proving him wrong. 

She reached out, sparing only a quick glance at their target (the argument had finished so they were on a timer, a shame), and grabbed Loke's tie and some of his shirt to pull him towards her. They were nose to nose but his strong humming of desire and anticipation told her he didn't mind the fact she'd been a bit rough with him.

Loke, I'm going to kiss you now, ok?

His pupils widened for a moment and he swallowed heavily (An ‘ I must be dreaming ’ flew briefly through their connection) before an, in her opinion, adorable smile overcame him.

…Uh, yeah, ok. He recovered annoyingly quickly, leaning in with a confidence she felt he hadn’t earned. Go ahead, my princess.

That was all it took to push her to close the tiny distance between them and finally kiss him. A shiver of pleasure shook through her and as she closed her eyes she could hear fireworks going off in her brain. She smiled against his lips, the world melting around them as her heart soared. All her worries felt meaningless in that blissful moment.

Because they were connected mentally by her magic, she got the pleasant sensation of feeling his mind alight with love and euphoria, before shifting into a hazy buzz. He was completely gone to the world and she wouldn’t lie, it felt good to be the one able to do this to him. His mind went quiet apart from how much he enjoyed being with her and how much he wanted the kiss to not end. She pushed her lips against his fiercely before pulling back to witness the result of her kiss. 

His eyes were blown wide open and shining, he was now sporting a wide, goofy grin and not a single sound was coming out of him. She wasn’t sure he could speak, he clearly hadn’t expected that, even if he’d wanted it. He was dead to the world, good. He swallowed and slightly opened his mouth, concerned he was about to forget the very illegal thing happening a few feet away from them, she reached out and placed a finger on his lips, shushing him. She refused to think about how soft his lips were against her skin, she was just trying to quieten him. She pulled slowly away and he kept his mouth closed, staring openly at her and not noticing anything else around him. It was better than nothing she supposed. She gave a curt nod, satisfied he was now going to be well behaved and turned her attention back to the situation at hand. 

She watched as the stolen weapon was sold for more jewels then she’d care to count. As much as she wanted to dive in now, she needed to be patient. Besides, Eza had gathered enough information about the buyer that they wouldn’t get far. She was pretty sure Team Shadow gear were waiting at their home in fact. No, what was more important now was the seller. They’d finished counting up their jewels and were on their way. Where they were going, she had no idea, but it was up to her now to find out. He started to turn and for one terrifying moment she was convinced he was going to come their way, but he made off towards her left and she was able to start breathing again.

She was about to get up and follow him when she paused, taking Loke in. He was still staring at her, his body trembling as he tried to keep in all his hyped up energy. She prepared herself, opening up their mental bond once more and cringed as she was bombarded by a huge swell of his love.

Lucy! I love you so much! That was an amazing kiss and-

She put up a hand and a mental block, silencing him. Heat returned to her cheeks and she cursed her impulsiveness, now was absolutely not the right time to talk about this, as much as she maybe wanted to. 

“Listen, Loke, we can talk about our feelings and what that kiss means for our future later. As in, much later , like when I’m back at home and not stalking a criminal. I need your mind in the game right now. Admittedly, I've made that a lot hader, so if you need to scream out your feelings in the Celestial Spirit world, go for it. He’s probably going towards a carriage so I need you to help me track and keep up with it. If you can't, understandably, then I’ll summon Taurus or something.”

Predictably, that last bit shook him out of his blissful haze. He frowned, pouting cutely and she almost kissed him again. 

“There’s no way I’m giving up our first mission as a pair in so long to Taurus, or any spirit for that matter. I do need to temporarily leave however, because if I don’t get to jump and celebrate this momentous occasion I think I’m going to vibrate a hole to the centre of the planet. Call me back the moment you get to the carriage, ok? I promise I’ll be quiet and as focused as I can be.”

That was about as much as she could ask from him given how she wasn’t doing much better. Everything she wanted to say or at least send to him across their bond was becoming a massive lump in her throat. But if she let even the tiniest bit of this excitable love thrumming through her, to flow into him, they weren’t going to ever get their job done. She still partially blamed him for all this anyway, he’d been flirting so heavily he’d set a certain mood, she’d just reacted accordingly. 

She slowly stood up and he followed her lead, the two of them, standing hidden in the brush. There was something private and intimate about it, it was just the two of them after all. Something deep down inside her pushed her to do something with this excess energy brimming through her. He was about to leave for a bit anyway, nothing she was about to do had to be discussed later, it was fine. She reached out and, after only slight hesitation, patted his cheek. 

“Good boy, now you’d best go before you alert someone.”

He leaned into her touch, pupils widening in joy. Her thumb caressed his cheek and an evil idea came to her as his eyes became half closed and he fully relaxed into her. She leaned in close, so that their noses were almost touching. She could see the way he lit up in anticipation and she couldn’t stop the smirk that came over her as she activated her magic.

“Close, gate of the lion, Loke.”

He gaped at her, shocked, as he disappeared into golden stardust. Her slight entertainment at his reaction only increased when his aghast voice spoke out in her mind. 

Hey! That was cheating! Unfair! I demand a do over!

She shrugged, doing her best not to laugh out loud at his indignation and attract attention. 

Perhaps it was, or maybe you just need to up your game? You’d best get to calming down otherwise…

You’ll summon someone else I know… Though that has given me the great idea of rubbing this in that stupid bull’s face. Be back in a moment, my love!

And just like that his presence left her. There was almost a loneliness to it, an emptiness that could only be filled by good company. She mentally shook herself down, reminding herself that he was going to be back soon. It would literally be minutes. Yet, it always felt lonely when Celestial magic left her. Whether it was a spirit returning home, a conversation across worlds ending or her dress vanishing, that magic leaving her was such a cold experience. She put this down to her missing her Celestial family and being surrounded by their magic and not missing Loke specifically, for her sanity if nothing else. She could spend this evening before she went to bed overthinking how this was the dumbest confession she could have possibly done. Loke better lie to the guild about how this went down or she’d scream.

Desperate to keep the mortification at bay while she was working she stubbornly walked off in the direction she’d seen her target slink away to, carefully following him until he predictably came to an armoured carriage. She hid out of sight, taking note of the fact he wasn't alone and it sounded like they had a huge haul in the back. They'd been busy tonight, busier than even Fairytail had realised. She gritted her teeth, they couldn't get away with this, tonight would be the last night they'd trade blood for profit. 

Fully back into the job, she stayed silent as they packed up and set the carriage moving. It was slow moving and she figured it was because their load was precious. They probably didn't want to risk breaking their carriage, either via the very bumpy path or against the trees themselves. Sure this area was out of sight usually, but it seemed to have its own issues. She slowly followed, keeping it in sight but also at a distance. It probably wouldn't speed up until they were close to the edge of the forest, this gave Loke time to cool off…and maybe herself too.

Her mind wandered back to how soft his lips had been against hers, how freeing that kiss had actually been for her now it set everything in motion. It'd been a heck of a kiss considering she'd surprised him with it. And maybe she'd let herself daydream a little as she tailed her target, to imagine future kisses and if they'd make her heart pound in the same way. If she did do that during the quiet walk to the edge of the forest, it wasn't like there was anyone around to tease her for it.