Oh man, I know these were supposed to be posted ages ago, but that didn't happen. They're all done though, have been done, so I'll finally be posting them now that I have the time. I do not own Fairy Tail. That is Hiro Mashima's baby.

Thank you DeniMarie31 for following CoLu Week 2016!

Day 1: Eternity

Erik was sure the world hated him.

How could it not? It was always one thing or another.

He had been a slave, forced to build that cursed tower as a child. His only friend the snake he so desperately wanted to hear. Brain offering him his freedom had been a dream come true. He'd been a dark mage, sure, but he'd held no loyalty to the Magic Council or Fiore.

He'd become one of the six members of the dark guild, Oración Seis. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he still considered those years one of the best of his life. No laws or unyielding rules to bring him down. He could have any girl with the snap of his finger. They were unstoppable, nothing could beat them.

Then Fairy Tail had come, and destroyed that life.

Looking back now, Erik could say it had been for the best, and mean it. Back then, it had been every man for itself. They'd trusted each other not to fail, but that was about it. He had trusted no one, but Cubellios to have his back. The comradery he now had was missing back then, their only goal death and destruction.

He'd resented Fairy Tail for years, but the time he spent in jail had given him time to think. They should have been defeated, but their belief in each other had given them the strength to win. He'd started to want that belief, that feeling of being in a family. Losing Cubellios had fueled his rage for the interfering guild, but their key members had been lost, leaving no one for him to take his rage out on.

When they'd returned, he'd wasted no time in agreeing to reform Oración Seis. The Infinity Clock had been the perfect excuse to get his revenge on Fairy Tail. They'd taken the most important thing in his life, and he'd been determined to return the favor. He'd figured taking away their precious 'Light of Fairy Tail' would even the score. He'd sacrificed his eye for more power, his comrades doing the same.

Of course, they were defeated again. Really, he should have just realized how impossible it was for the guild to be taken down when one of its members was in danger, especially the blonde. Of course he hadn't been thinking about anything Fairy Tail related once Cubellios had returned to him. For those few moments he'd been happy, a state his friend had always been able to bring him to.

Being arrested again after finally finding her had brought pain to his heart, but he'd noticed her guild mark. Fairy Tail, the very guild he hated, was taking care of her. He'd worried, because he knew bad things were coming their way, but he could only trust them to keep her safe. The worry had intensified with the dragon attack, but she'd helped evacuate the citizens, being nowhere near the fight. His resentment towards Fairy Tail loosened after that, even when he'd been escorted back to jail for the third time.

Erik knew joining Jellal once he'd secured his comrade's release was the right thing to do. He too believed that they needed to atone for their past sins if they were ever going to move forward. Taking down dark guilds gave him a purpose in life. No longer did he have to kill, and cause havoc. He knew he couldn't fully face Cubellios if he didn't atone.

It wasn't until he'd had an actual conversation with the blonde that he realized he hadn't really been living.

He knew Jellal had a thing for the redhead, especially after they kept bumping into each other on missions. Of course, that meant her destructive team also tagged along. The Celestial Mage had mentioned it in an attempt to tease them, and he'd added to it. After that, they'd had a conversation that still left him awed at how forgiving she was. It was naïve, and he'd told her so, prompting their very first debate. He'd had so much fun that he'd looked forward to every time they would cross paths.

They'd gotten to know each other pretty well as time went by. He was never bored with her, and she was beautiful both inside and out. It came to a point where he would seek her out on his down time. It had been hit or miss until she'd gotten a communication lacrima. Meeting up after that was much easier with him no longer having to start sniffing her out once he got to her place.

Erik was no fool. He knew what his instincts were telling him even if he had no dragon parent. He'd claimed her as his mate without knowing it. His scent was always on her, even to the point Salamander had thought they'd slept together. He's learned from the idiotic Dragon Slayer that when he scent marked someone that hard, that person was definitely his chosen mate.

He'd had his doubts, but he'd decided to confess to Lucy anyways. The worst she could do was reject him, which had been a worry. To his surprise, she'd admitted to having feelings for him. She'd never said anything, because she hadn't wanted to ruin their friendship.

That was a year ago.

They'd had their ups and downs. The distance at times sucked, but as long as the redhead continued to help Jellal, he got to see Lucy frequently. He'd found the woman he wanted to spend eternity with.

The world hated him, because spending eternity with Lucy meant spending eternity with Fairy Tail.