Lucy groaned as she collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion. She had spent the last three days on a job getting some lord's signet ring that had been stolen. She didn't think it would take that long, or be so exhausting. It was late, she still needed to take a bath and she could smell the importance of one as well. She sat up, her exhausted body complaining as she did so. Ignoring her aches and pains she went to the bath and ran the water. She was a few minutes into her bath when she heard a crash in her bedroom behind the door and she jumped. Was someone in her room? What would someone be doing here? Was it a thief? Who would be stupid enough to break into a celestial wizard's house? Lucy gulped as she realized her keys were on her nightstand. She practically leapt out of the bath and threw on her clothes as fast as possible and threw open the door, only to see Loke standing there and looking guilty. "Loke!?" She exclaimed, looking at him as if he was crazy, "I get that you open your own gate whenever you want, but why on earth are you here at this time of night!?" She exclaimed, the celestial spirit looking sheepish, "Hey Lucy, you're looking radiant as usual." He commented with a flirtatious smirk that he was obviously using to hide him from suspicion. Lucy crossed her arms, "You didn't answer my question." She said, her eyes glaring at him as he underwent a thorough inspection. "Hey, you keep looking at me like that I might have to do something about it." He said with a flirtatious grin. Lucy turned flustered, "Shut it you creep and just tell me what you're doing here at eleven o'clock at night!" She yelled. Loke laughed nervously, "Well it's a funny story really, see Happy told me you were a heavy sleeper and I figured you'd be asleep by now so I could come here unnoticed. I guess I was wrong." He said, still laughing nervously as he waited for Lucy's reaction. "Why in the heck were you sneaking around my room in the middle of the night!?" She screamed at him. Loke smiled, "You're cute when you're angry." He said, quirking an eyebrow at her with a flirtatious grin. Lucy groaned and put her face in her hands, "A+ avoidance techniques, I'll give you that." She said before looking up at him, "Now tell me why you're here or I swear I will summon cancer to give you a mullet." She hissed at him. He gasped and tried to look affronted by her empty threat, "But why beautiful? Not my hair!" He exclaimed dramatically before Lucy gave up. "Fine, whatever. Don't tell me. I'll just send you back to the celestial spirit realm so I can sleep." She said with a groan, her posture stooped with exhaustion. Loke's expression softened to concern when he saw how tired Lucy was. "You okay gorgeous?" He asked as he stepped closer to put his arm around her. Lucy stepped back, her heart starting to pound and her face turning a faint hue of red as she realized how close she was to Loke, "I'm fine, just a really exhausting job is all." She said, slightly flustered and when Loke saw that he couldn't help but smile. "Well then you'd better get to bed." He said before scooping her up in his arms with a small shout of protest from Lucy before her deposited her gently on the bed. Loke's chest seemed to swell as he inhaled her intoxicating scent. Lucy looked up to see that Loke hadn't moved away, in fact, he was closer. "Loke?" She said, her heart thumping wildly as he looked up at her. He sighed, "Lucy, I'm afraid I've fallen in love with you." He stated, knowing that with Lucy's opinion of him she wouldn't take him seriously and would simply brush off his statement. But everything he'd ever said was true, and so was this. Lucy looked up at Loke with a smirk on her face, "Have you now?" She asked with a laugh, which soon died when she saw the pain in Loke's face. Had he really meant it? Before Lucy could think on it further, Loke responded, "Yes, I have. And though I'm sure you don't believe me let me tell you that my words are true." He said, staring directly into her eyes. He was bordering on her actually believing him, and he wasn't sure how she might take it. Lucy's heart pounded at a million beats per minute as she stared at Loke. He was still so close, his lips just a few inches from hers. Loke was just as aware of this fact as Lucy was and his eyes flitted between her lips and her beautiful brown eyes. Loke had always been a flirt, but Lucy had never seen him go this far in flirtation, and his words seemed so heartfelt that she couldn't help that her cheeks lit up bright red when he said it. Loke couldn't take it anymore as he closed the distance between them and kissed her gently. Lucy's eyes were wide with shock, but she didn't pull away and soon her eyes closed and she pressed her lips against his, returning the feelings that Loke had so brazenly expressed to her. Loke's chest swelled with pride that this beautiful woman could want him even a fraction of how much he yearned for her. His hand drifted up to her cheek to cup it delicately and stroke it lovingly with his thumb. Lucy's heart was pounding in her chest as her hand moved to grasp the material of his shirt in her hands as she tenderly pulled him closer. Her lips parted and the kiss deepened and their lips found a comfortable rhythm to move to as Loke's hand went from her face to have both of his arms snake their way around her waist and holding her close. Lucy's arms wrapped around the back of his neck and her fingers teased a lock of his long, ginger hair. Loke was the one to break the contact and stare in wonder at the woman in his arms, who looked up at him in a way he thought she never would. Lucy didn't know what to do, she'd never had so much as a boyfriend before and all of this was new and exciting to her. Loke cleared his throat, "You're stunning." He said breathlessly as he stared unabashed at Lucy who's cheeks colored at the compliment she'd heard hundreds of times but only just now realized that he meant it. "You're not so bad yourself." She said, knowing Loke didn't need anyone to tell him how attractive he was. He already knew. Loke grinned, looking down before looking back at Lucy, "I don't suppose…" He couldn't finish the sentence so Lucy finished it for him with what she hoped was what he was about to say, "That I'd be willing to date a celestial spirit?" She asked him, looking up at Loke who nodded in confirmation. Lucy smiled so brightly Loke's breath caught. Lucy's smile could give the stars a run for their money. "I suppose I'll have to say yes as this celestial spirit was just kissing me on my bed." She said with a teasing tone in his voice. Loke smirked, "Well can you blame said celestial spirit? He's very much in love." He said, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers once more and now Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck almost instantly. Loke tenderly bit down on Lucy's bottom lip and she had a sharp intake of breath that made Loke pull back, "I'm sorry, I just… want you." He said, his throat constricting at the confession. Lucy surprised him by laughing, "It wasn't bad, just unexpected." She leaned forward, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "And I want you too." Those words made Loke's heart pound and his breath quicken. Lucy hoped this was right; her inexperience was embarrassing at this moment in time. Loke leaned forward to kiss her briefly, a much shorter kiss than she was wanting. "I should go." He said, lamenting the words as they escaped his mouth. But he needed to be good enough for Lucy, and taking her right there in a dark room on her bed was not the right way to go about it. Lucy nodded, though she wanted more, she knew she wasn't ready for it. "Yes, I suppose that's for the best." She said quietly, looking down at her hands, now folded in her lap. She was surprised to find two large hands covering them gently and when she looked up, she was met with Loke's lips on her own once more and she sighed with contentment before he pulled away and grinned at her, "I'd better go." He said before standing up, but turned back to Lucy, "Oh and you should call me Leo. It's my real name after all." He said with a soft smile before he disappeared back into the spirit realm. "Goodbye… Leo." Lucy whispered into the darkness.