Author's note: Something a little different this time. One-shot, but that should be obvious by the end.
Neither of them knew how it had started. He had always been teasing her, of course, but that wasn't anything serious. A celestial spirit and its owner were not supposed to become involved. Both Loke and Lucy knew that. But there was no such law about guild mates, or comrades in arms, or just really close friends.
It was Loke who noticed first. He had always told her that he loved her, just to tease her, but lately he found that he really meant it. She was pretty, of course, but she was also cute. The way she got angry with him at his teasing, the way she freaked out over the tiniest things – it was not always helpful, but damn if it wasn't cute. More than anything, though, she was strong. If things got tough, she would never hesitate to lay her life on the line for a friend. Come to think of it, how could one not love her?
Lucy was not completely oblivious. Of course she noticed how he suddenly blushed when he told her that he loved her, or how he would stand closer to her on every encounter, and she did see how he was looking at her when he thought she did not know he was there. And she noticed her heartbeat whenever he stepped through the portal, her own personal lion, there to save her and protect her from any harm.
The party was just like any other. A job well done, a crisis averted. At Cana's insistence, Lucy had drunk maybe just a bit too much, and Loke had joined her. Somehow, they found themselves in each others arms. Somehow, they ended up kissing. And they liked it.
Fairy Tail was not a place where things staid hidden for long. Happy was convinced that he made it happen. Juvia was ecstatic that Lucy was no longer her rival. Erza was so touched that she actually cried a bit. Gray congratulated Loke. The only one who seemed to have a problem with it was Natsu.
"Ever since you and Loke got together, you don't go on missions with us anymore!" he pouted. "And if you do, you're always hanging out with him. It's boring!"
"Are you jealous?" asked Happy. "You liiiiike her!"
"Don't be stupid!" shouted the dragon slayer. Silently, he added, "A stellar mage and a spirit, isn't this forbidden or something?"
"Aye!" said Happy. "Normally, it is, but they got permission from the Celestial Spirit King himself!"
"That guy with the nose hair? He was funny!" said Natsu. He looked around, bored. "Hey, Lisanna, wanna go on a mission together?"
Lucy felt slightly guilty about leaving her friend like that, but he would get over it. In fact, considering the way he looked at Lisanna, he might get over it far sooner than he expected…
Loke and Lucy were dating. He had no money, of course, but he could access the best places in most dimensions just by stepping through a door. And no earthly restaurant could ever compare with the food prepared in the spirit world. It was also great for training her magical abilities. Loke might not be a stellar mage himself (wouldn't that be weird?), but he had picked up more than a few tricks from watching his owners. They trained tactics, Urano Metria and even Selenographia, the only spell that had ever managed to kill a celestial spirit, or so it was said. They were in no hurry to try it.
He continued to declare his love for her at every turn, whether appropriate or not. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world when her reply went from joking to saying, "Me too".
Loke was as old as magic itself, if magic even had an age. Additionally, he had had literally dozens of girlfriends over the years he lived as a human. Still – and he would never admit this to anyone but Lucy – there were lines he had never dared to cross, afraid of real feelings, of hurting others or getting hurt himself. So when he found himself in Lucy's apartment, at night, while she was undressing him ever so slowly, it was hard to say who was more nervous. But then she kissed him, and what followed was a very different kind of magic.
It was the next morning when things started to change. They were lying in her bed, too much in love to get up. Suddenly, Loke's arm moved.
"Huh? I didn't mean to do that!," he blurted out.
"No? That's funny, because I was just going to ask you to. It was getting a bit inconvenient."
"Maybe I love you so much I read your mind," he teased.
"That would be creepy."
"Or you used your stellar mage powers to control my arm."
"Don't be silly! I would never do that! I don't think I could; you opened this gate yourself, remember?"
Suddenly, she got very quiet. "Is everything alright?" he asked.
"What… what if I did? I mean, I can sort of control you in battle. But in here… I didn't mean to do that!"
"Most women would be happy if they could," he said, unimpressed. "What's the big deal?"
"Loke, you are a person! I cannot just… use you like a toy!"
He shut her up by kissing her. "Lucy, I love you. All I ever want to do is make you happy, in the big things and in the small ones. I really do not mind if you tell me how I can do that, nor how you tell me."
She shook her head. But as she looked into his eyes, she couldn't stay upset, even if it was about herself. They still had some time before they were needed in the guild…
He really did not mind. In fact, he was glad that he was getting instruction on how to treat Lucy straight from the source. For some reason, it only happened in bed. They theorized that it had something to do with the emotions, the passion and the love that were running through them and bringing them closer together. At first, Lucy apologized every time it happened, but then they started to experiment. After a few weeks, she was able to control it.
Three months after they had started dating, Lucy had finished her book. Three months and a day after they had started dating, Loke had finished reading it. He was sworn to absolute secrecy, so that Levi would not get jealous.
As he returned it to Lucy, she was both radiant and nervous, alternating between screaming to tell her what he thought, and begging for his mercy. It was really cute.
"…and?"
"I loved it! It was the best book I ever read!" Of course, he might have said the same thing even if it had been a horrible romance about sparkling vampires, just to please his Lucy, but it wasn't that. He really meant it. "And I have read quite a lot of books, you know. I actually helped with research for Hamlet, as an expert on lions."
"Oh, shut up! Hamlet has nothing to do with lions!" said Lucy and kissed him.
Later, when he was back in the stellar world, something occurred to him. He did not actually love the book. Oh, sure, it was nice, but it wasn't really his style or the genre he usually went for. He remembered skimming sections that he later told Lucy were his favorite. But back when he had said it all to Lucy, he had meant it. He was convinced, in the deepest corners of his mind, that the book was amazing. Was he loosing his mind? After three years in the human world, it was still impossible to say what the side-effects might have been. Or was it something else altogether?
"What? I cannot control your thoughts!" shouted Lucy as he confronted her with his theory. "Even if I could, I would never do that! I really wanted your honest opinion on the book."
"Maybe it is not conscious, just like making me move? Stellar spirit and owner share a special link. You were really excited about this book, maybe some of that just seeped through."
"Don't call me your owner. That sounds creepy." She pouted. "I guess… it might be possible. I don't know. We are spending more time together than normal for a stellar spirit and mage. We are doing… things together that are not… usual." A wicked smile flashed across her face. "Speaking of…"
She pulled him onto the bed, and he followed her. "But please… try to keep it under control. I love you taking charge, but I want my head to be my own."
"Of course" said Lucy, and turned off the lights.
It was a week before Lucy's birthday, and Loke had done all he could to organize the best possible party ever. As part of that, he had found his bank account again, called in some old debts, and was about to buy the best possible present for her.
He was standing in the checkout line with the present when he noticed something odd: He had absolutely no idea what it was he was holding in his hands. It looked like a nice dress, in Lucy's size. She had never told him her size, of course, but Virgo was very forthcoming with that kind of information. But why was he holding a dress for Lucy that he had never seen before? He looked around him. Apparently he was in a Heartkreuz store. So that made sense, sort of, if he could only figure out how he had gotten here.
Lucy was cooking dinner when he returned to her home, carrying the bag.
"Hey, Lucy, do you know why I bought this?", he asked, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. He showed her the dress.
"My guess is that it is for my birthday, and now you ruined the surprise," said Lucy, clearly unsure how to take this. "But thank you, that is exactly what I wanted!"
"I know. But how do I know?", he asked. "You never told me. At least not verbally."
"Uh-oh…" said Lucy, confirming his suspicion. "It was just a joke!"
"A joke? You promised me to never manipulate my head. You swore!" Loke was furious. Lucy was starting to get angry, too.
"So what? I am your owner. You do as you're told anyway!"
She stopped, in shock. "Wait, no, I didn't mean…" But Loke didn't hear her. He was already gone.
For the next three days, he did not return to her, even when she tried to open a gate. He was pushing the boundaries of their contract, of course, but he knew she was not in any actual danger. When he returned, they had a long talk, and at the end of it they kissed. By the time of her birthday party, they were back in love, as if the only thing that happened had been the make up sex. Lucy had promised to never influence him again voluntarily, and try to stop doing it subconsciously as well. All was fine. But in the back of his mind, a tiny amount of doubt lingered on.
It got worse. Oh, sure, Lucy did not mean to steer him, but she was not able to control it either. He found himself in the weirdest of places with no recollection how he got there. He started liking upbeat pop musing, sung by girls that had won casting shows, even though he had previously abhorred anything but classic (he was old enough to remember when it had been pop). At first, it had stopped when he entered the spirit world, but lately the suggestions were following him even there. Now he was no longer able to tell his own thoughts from Lucy's, and while he might have found that idea romantic at one time, in reality it was hell.
So they fought. They fought over her suggestions, and they fought over breakfast. They fought about the spirit-mage relationship, and over what jobs to take. At the end of the day, they always made up, but something inside them felt broken.
It was not too long before their friends started to notice. Their constant bickering had managed to push Natsu's travel sickness from the top spot of the "Most annoying thing on every single mission" list that Happy was keeping. Finally, Erza who suggested that they could do with some time apart from each other, to clear their heads. All the others around her nodded, thinking the same, but too scared of Lucy's reaction if they said it out loud.
As it turned out, their fear was justified. Lucy's skill did not even begin to approach Erza's, but with her stellar whip and the element of surprise, she managed to inflict a few nasty cuts on the knight. When her friend had finally requipped and managed to stop her, Lucy ran out of the guild without saying another word. Erza tried to hold her back and talk about it, but it was no use.
Later that evening, Lucy and Loke were lying in bed. For the first time in what felt like ages, she actually had to ask the question, "Do you love me?"
"Of course I love you, Lucy! You are the most amazing woman I have ever…"
"Shush. What I mean is: Do you really love me, or am I just using the link to make you feel that way? I want an honest answer. I need an honest answer!" She started to cry.
He fell silent, unsure of what to do. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and tell her that everything was fine. Or did he? It was hard to keep a clear head these days.
"Loke? You haven't answered." Lucy said, quietly.
He sighed. "I… I really don't know."
Loke could see what was going inside of Lucy, but he could not help. She loved him; that much was clear. And she really, desperately wanted him to love her back. But how could he, if she potentially dictated his every thought and move?
It started to break her. She began to get angry at him for no reason whatsoever. Their behavior in bed had changed from making love to a battle. He would have loved to say that it was all her fault, that she was just stupid, but the truth was that he was just as guilty. He really wanted to love her, and the doubt was tearing him apart. So he started as many fights as she did, and nobody ever won.
More and more, she started to control him deliberately. She calmed him down when he was angry with her and she could not be bothered to talk with him. At one point, they had started a magical fight which ended with him punching himself repeatedly, at Lucy's commands. There was a grim satisfaction on Lucy's face that day. Maybe she could not have true love, but apparently it was a tiny comfort that she could control him.
Their one year anniversary was coming up. Neither of them felt like celebrating it, but they started preparing for it with an enormous effort. Anything else would have meant admitting failure of the worst kind, and they were not prepared to go there.
Two weeks before the big day, Lucy came home drunk. It was the only remedy Cana knew, it wasn't good for her, but just for a while, it seemed to work. Loke was not there, so she summoned him.
"Lucy, you're a mess!" were his first words. She did not protest. Frankly, it was a minor miracle that the dog catcher had not taken her in. Not that he was doing any better – as she knew, the Celestial Spirit King was a great believer in solving problems through wine, too.
"Look who's talking. That's what you made!" she slurred. It wasn't fair, but it wasn't meant to be either. Right now, Lucy needed someone to blame. "I should punish you!"
Loke's hand started to move on his own account, making a fist, getting ready to punch him in the face. He used his other arm to keep it down.
"Oh? You don' wanna play, big cat?" He tripped and fell down, even though he was standing perfectly still. He growled, "Stop it! After all I did for you, that's how you repay me? Bitch!"
He regained control over his hand. Alcohol always lowered her powers. Now apparently he thought that she needed to be punished. Well, bring it on, kitty, she thought. He started with a hook to her face. She was fast and ducked away in time. Or was it that he was slow and had terrible aim? It was getting harder and harder to tell.
They sparred for a few more minutes, kicking over the tables and destroying a chair, until he had brought her to the ground. Both were bruised and beaten, and he was about to kick her, when finally, his brain kicked back in.
"Lucy, we have to end this," he said with considerable difficulty. "Look at what we both did to ourselves, to each other. We have to quit while we still can."
She knew that he was right. She knew that they should have stopped a long time ago, that they never should have come together in the first place. But she also knew that she was drunk.
"Is there someone else?" she shouted and got back on her feet. "Am I not good enough for you? I am your master, and I command you to love me!"
He took a step back from her, scared.
"I bet it's that whore Aries, right?" she continued. Suddenly, she took a key from her pouch. "Open the Gate of the Ram!"
Aries had brought the innocent, scared look to an art form. But this was something else altogether. Lucy could just about imagine her surprise at the destroyed apartment, in it her friends, full of wounds, growling at each other. Her "I'm sorry…" was quieter than it had ever been.
Lucy really liked Aries. How could you not? She was adorable, and she had been hurt more than any other stellar spirit before her. Lucy had been willing to die to allow Aries to be happy. But right now, the sake was talking, and it was talking a different language. Without warning, Lucy began to beat on the shocked Aries.
It took all of Loke's strength to stop her. "Damn it, Lucy, you're worse than Karen!"
He should not have said that. Anything but that. Lucy would have accepted if he compared her to Zeref. But Karen? Lucy turned around to face him, got out her keys, felt their power and let it flow through her. She shouted "Selenographia!"
His face was full of shock as the force of the spell hit him right in the chest. His legs were the first to go, dissolving into what might have been stardust. He fell over, screaming in agony, as his arms went, too. With a quick flash, it was all over, except for a tiny bit of dirt on Lucy's kitchen floor.
Lucy looked up, as if she had awoken from a bad dream. She almost whispered. "Loke?"
His key was… cold. The shine had gone away, the warmth that emanated from it had stopped. There was a huge difference between the feeling of a house key and that of a stellar spirit key, but not with this one, not anymore. Lucy tried to open a portal, but nothing happened.
She began to weep. "Loke? Loke! Loke!"
Aries had gotten Lucy team members as fast as she could, which was several orders of magnitude faster than humanly capable. But she never stood a chance to begin with. Now Erza, Gray, Natsu and Happy were standing in Lucy's ravaged apartment, teasing the story out of the traumatized spirit.
None of them dared to go near the lifeless form on the bed, or the pile of dust in the middle of the room. In the end, they never found out where she got the poison from. The only message she left was a letter on the desk, with only a single word: Sorry.
Author's note: …and that's why I think the Loke/Lucy pairing is a bad idea! Yes, of course this story is an exaggeration. But no matter how nice Lucy herself is, the stellar spirits are too close to being slaves for my comfort, and a healthy relationship of equals is not going to come out of that. Agree? Disagree? Something else? I'd love to read your reviews!