a/n: So I promised that there would be more romance coming, and here it is! Things will only get more heated from here after a trip to the beach! Sorry about the slow build up, I thank anyone who has read up to here!
Chapter 7
The next morning Loke was there waiting for Alaya and Wendy to finish their meditation. She blushed furiously when she saw him but tried to play it off like nothing was different. Wendy didn't seem to notice and cheerfully greeted him. Loke surely didn't mean what he said last night. Alaya was sure that he was just that smooth.
At breakfast, Loke did he usual act of stealing her bacon, except this time when he licked his fingers, she felt more than just slight embarrassment. When he noticed her reaction he smiled slowly. She blushed and looked down at her plate. She tried to keep her composure while she chatted with Wendy and when they left the cafe Alaya put some space between herself and Loke, letting Wendy walk between them. She needed some air to relax a little and clear her head.
When they arrived Lucy and Levy greeted them. "Hey! We're all taking a group trip to the beach today!"
"That sounds nice," she replied. Outside sounded refreshing so she could focus on something other than Loke's flirting.
"Come on, we're all gonna get ready, do you have a suite with you?"
"Ah, no. It's fine, I'll just go like this."
"No way! I'll let you borrow one of mine," Lucy said pulling her towards her apartment. Alaya tried to assure her that it was fine but Lucy wasn't having it. "I think you should fit into one of mine." Alaya let Lucy drag her away from Loke. At least she'd get a breather. Erza, Levy, Mira, Lisanna, Cana, and Wendy followed them and helped pick out a bikini for her to wear.
"Come on! Let's see it!" Cana encouraged.
Alaya slumped into Lucy's bathroom with the skimpy bikini in hand. "So you have been spending a lot of time with Loke," Mira said from the other side of the door. Alaya was thankful they couldn't see her blushing.
"Yeah, you have," Lucy said, thinking about it.
"Anything going on there?" Cana asked.
Alaya almost tripped while changing. "You know Loke," she said trying to play it off cooly, "he's just a big flirt."
"No kidding," Lucy said.
"What about you and Natsu?" Mira asked, apparently believing Alaya. For once, she was relieved Loke had such a reputation.
"Mira!"
"Oh come on Lucy, we all know you like him," Levy teased.
"I… it just doesn't seem like Natsu likes anyone," Lucy finally said.
"Trust me, he likes you," Alaya said from her side of the door. "I've seen you two together. He likes you."
"I think she's right," Mira agreed.
"I want a boyfriend," Cana sighed "I've been single too long."
Alaya hoped the conversation would distract them as she reached for her shirt to cover herself. "Come on! You've been in there forever!" Levy called. Alaya sighed.
"I'm just getting dressed..."
"No! Come out so we could see!" Alaya looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. She didn't feel comfortable showing so much skin. She didn't think she'd ever revealed so much skin in her whole life. It wasn't that she was a prude it was just she had never really shown anyone the numerous scars that covered her torso. She had earned most of them in the facility while being experimented on, or forced to fight. Some had faded over time, but most were big and obvious.
She sighed again. She had told Loke last night that she did need to start opening up to her new friends. Perhaps this was the next step. She opened the door and watched the shocked expressions form on her friends faces. "Alaya… what happened to you?" Mira asked.
Alaya looked down in shame. "These are from the facility," the all seemed to understand from there.
Cana was the first one to shrug. "Whatever, battle scars are sexy and you have a hot body."
"Thanks Cana." Cana flashed her a smile and offered her a cover to walk to the beach to.
"If anyone says anything I'll kick their ass."
"Right," Lucy agreed. Lucy found and held out the matching bikini cover for her, which wasn't much more than a sheer long shirt.
Alaya genuinely smiled. It went over better than she could have hoped for. Maybe letting friends in wasn't the worst thing, even if it was strange and a bit terrifying. They walked together chatting away, Alaya was feeling more relaxed.
They met the rest of their guild mates at the beach and most of them were already splashing in the water or playing volleyball. The girls all pulled off they bikini covers and a few of the boys whistled. "Looking good Mira!"
Alaya was hesitant but Cana winked at her and Alaya relaxed a bit. At least she did until she saw Loke. His long spiked ginger hair gleamed in the sun, his double bridged glasses shading his eyes from the sun a bit. And he was shirtless. His chest was muscled and his abs were cut and toned. She felt her mouth fall open a bit. Even she had to admit he was hot in his suit, but like this, it just wasn't fair.
Just like that she didn't want to remove her cover. At least she didn't want to until Levy snatched it off of her, leaving her standing there feeling exposed. Loke had been smiling at her but as his eyes fell on her skin, the smile faded from his lips. Alaya watched his eyes take in every scar that marked her. She could almost feel herself shrink under his gaze. It wasn't even until she turned away from his gaze that she realize he wasn't the only one staring.
Everyone seemed shocked. None of them had probably expected such a sight, but Elfman was the first one to break the silence. "Real men have scars!" he cried and everyone seemed to agree with him. Everyone continued what they were doing, and greeting the girls, except Loke. Alaya turned away from him, trying to ignore the eyes and decided to shield herself in the water.
Getting past the eyes burning into her, the water felt good on the hot day. It had been a long time since she had actually been in the ocean. Usually when she traveled she focused on her studies and didn't take time for leisurely activities such as going to the beach. She enjoyed the gentle waves hitting her skin and the smell of the salty sea. Alaya closed her eyes and leaned back in the water, trying to forget the look Loke had just given her.
Loke had deeply enjoyed her reactions at breakfast. This time his flirting had been rewarded with a full flush of her face and a flustered expression. It was nice to see he had, in fact, had an effect on her, even if she had rejected him again last night. He was good at seduction, but he didn't want her to think he just wanted another hookup. However, he wouldn't mind getting her into bed…
He just liked her. It may have taken him a little while to realize it, but he hadn't felt genuinely interested in someone in a long time. He felt like he had known her all of his life, even though he felt like he knew nothing about her. She captivated him and the more he found out the more he wanted to know. He loved her company, her sweet scent, and she was absolutely gorgeous, even under the concealing clothes she wore.
When he found out everyone had planned a beach trip he waited for her return excitedly. While he was fixated on more than just her looks, he couldn't deny that he was excited by the idea of seeing her in a swim suit, especially if Lucy was the one dressing her. He himself changed into swim trunks in the spirit world before quickly returning, hoping that she would like what she saw as well. It was the first time Loke ever felt concerned that a girl may not find him appealing.
When they arrived, Alaya had taken his breath away in the thin cover. He wanted to be the one to take it off of her, but it had been Levy who snatched it. He supposed he should thank her since it seemed Alaya was having second thoughts about removing it.
Loke had been right. She had ample breasts, a perfect hourglass figure with a muscular ass and toned abs. However she was covered in scars, so much so he couldn't believe it. He understood scars generally were going to happen in this line of work, but scars covered her torso, even her arms and legs, like her body had been shredded. She had a deep one going from the left side of her rib cage, all the way to her right hip like she had been torn open.
He felt the smile disappear off his face and felt a rage he had never felt before. He had been angry when Karen had abused his friends but this made him seethe. Who had done that to sweet little Alaya? He felt the lion inside roar. He wanted to hurt whoever did this. His own reaction surprised him but it burned through him. It appeared he cared for her more than he thought. The beast in him had already claimed her, and no one would hurt what was his.
It wasn't until she started to turn away from him that he realized she had been watching him. Hurt shown through her eyes and he realized that his staring probably tore apart any confidence she had. She had obviously been insecure about being so revealed and he had stood there nearly glaring at her.
Loke mentally hit himself. He started to understand her more though and it seemed that there was more to her than even he had thought. The pain he had picked up on last night was more extreme than he had first thought.
"You should talk to her," Mira said suddenly appearing next to him. She seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to anything romance related. It was something he noticed about her within his first year at Fairy Tail, though he usually wasn't the one in her cross hairs.
Loke nodded and started walking towards her, wading into the water. She looked… peaceful floating in the water and at first he didn't disturb her. But, within a couple second the pale blue eyes opened and locked on him, the peace leaving her face. "I'm sorry I looked at you like that," he said lamely.
She stood and shrugged defensively. He saw the walls close around her as the smiling mask returned to her face. Loke glanced around, noticing they were too far out for anyone to really see or hear them, any they all seemed to be distracted anyway. He knew she liked her privacy and if he was going to try to get the walls to drop again, it'd help if they didn't have an audience. He stepped closer to her.
Alaya didn't even flinch. "Now I suppose you have a better idea of how messed up I am," she said. Loke blinked in surprise. Yes, seeing the scars did make him realize there was probably much more to her past than she led on, but he didn't expect her to say it.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"Don't be. I assumed more people would look at me like that. Cana talked me into wearing this. She said she'd kick anyone's ass who said anything."
"I think she'd right. I'll help if anyone says anything."
Alaya raised an eyebrow at him. "You had the worst reaction." He could see even through the wall he had clearly hurt her feelings.
"I think you are misinterpreting it, but I am sorry for making you feel bad."
"What do you mean?"
"I admit I was surprised to see… this, but I wasn't staring because of that. I just feel… angry." Confusion flooded Alaya's face. Loke was doing a crap job of explaining himself. He'd never been in a situation like this. Usually his charm flattered any woman he wanted straight into bed, but this was different. Alaya was different. "When I saw them, I was angry." He gave a short laugh. "I'm still angry. I felt like I wanted to hurt whoever did that to you. I didn't mean to stare at you I just, wasn't thinking."
Alaya stared at Loke, her expression unreadable as she searched his face. "You were angry?"
"Very." They stood in silence for a minute while Alaya took in what Loke was saying. "Who did this to you?" The lion was tense inside him, ready to strike at whatever target she named.
She gave a humorless laugh. "The individual scars are made by different people, different ways. Most of them I got while at the facility."
"Alaya, please tell me what happened to you."
She shrunk into the water a little and Loke pulled her over to a small group of rocks so they could both sit in the water instead. They were also more out of the line of site of the rest of the guild, which he was sure would make her feel more comfortable. "When I was young, I was taken to this magic facility. Abducted really. They had taken many young wizards with a lot of magic potential to test on them, improve their magic. Most of the scars are from the experiments, but some," she paused and closed her eyes.
"Show me," Loke prompted. She looked up at him in surprise. "Please, show me then I'll understand."
Alaya looked like she wanted to refuse, but after a minute she nodded. "A lot of it is hazy, but I'll see what I can do." She placed her hand on his neck again. "Stop me if you need to, it'll probably be a lot."
Loke nodded, though he had no intention of stopping her. He wanted to understand what had happened to her. He felt the hum through his body and then his vision went dark. She was just showing him flashes, not the whole story, but he could feel her fear and pain. First is when she had been brought to the facility alone and scared. Then the numerous machine she had been hooked up to, the surgeries she had been subjected to, and the harsh training. He felt battered and pained as all of the procedures were designed to enhance her power. Alaya showed him flashes of her fighting fellow young teens, all of which she won, but each time it tore her up to fight a friend. The machines were terrifying and the memories of the procedures were hazy and full of confusion and pain.
Suddenly his vision returned and he saw Alaya trembling next to him. "I'm sorry," she said. He realized she was on the verge of tears. "I'll tell you about it some day but..."
Loke pulled her into his arms. "It's fine. I understand a bit more now, thank you." He stroked her damp hair trying to comfort her.
"It's hard thinking about everything but I'll tell you one day," her voice was small and quiet.
"Thank you." He held her while she calmed, stroking her hair and back. He noticed a near white Fairy tail symbol on her left shoulder blade. He had wondered where her's had been.
As she calmed down he started to become more aware of her pressed against his bare skin. He had wanted this, but not under these circumstances. As she hugged him back, the shaking coming to a stop, he smiled. He felt his chest rumble as the beast inside him was pleased.
Alaya hated thinking back to the days at the facility, and seeing the memories had been overwhelming, but she wanted Loke to have a better understanding of her. Eventually she wanted to entrust this information to all of her friends at the guild. His hug was warm and sweet. As she calmed down, she started to notice his scent and his bare chest her face was pressed against.
Then she heard a deep rumble coming from his chest. She pulled back and looked at him. "Are you… purring?"
He chucked. "I am Leo the Lion after all," he said. "And I like holding you."
Despite everything, she felt her face go red and was suddenly very aware of their skin, his fingers running down her back, pausing to trace her guild mark. Alaya felt her breathing go shallow and she looked up at him. His eyes were catlike, watching her, holding her in place.
Loke trailed his finger back over her shoulder and up her neck to cup her cheek. "Have you thought about what I said?" he asked, his voice lower than it had been just a minute ago.
"I, uh," she stuttered as his face leaned in closer to her. Soon their noses were touching and the breath caught in her throat. "Loke..." she started. She was trapped in his spell, the hypnotic hazel eyes watching her behind his glasses, his hand pulling her closer. She couldn't think straight anymore, with him so close and looking like that.
He seemed to wait for her to continue but her brain was so frazzled that she didn't quite know if she should push him away or keep going…
Loke pressed his lips to hers and it was like all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the air. Her head spun as his soft warm lips moved on hers. She started to kiss him back, her hands moving hesitantly around his neck. When she felt his hairline she let her finger tips play with the silky ginger strands. He sighed in please and pulled her closer.
The world spun from his kiss and when his hands slid over her back and into her hair she gasped. Loke took full advantage and started to explore her mouth with his tongue, teasing her. He nibbled on her lower lip and she surprised herself with a small moan. None of her other few kisses had felt like this. She couldn't believe just kissing could feel so amazing.
Loke groaned in response and it tore through her. She never knew someone's reaction could make her feel so turned on. Alaya allowed one of her hands to travel down his muscled back. His strong hands were doing much the same and it made her melt.
He deepened the kiss, taking what little of her breath she had left away before kissing down her chin and neck. He stopped at her collar bone and gave her a wide lick up her jugular. No one had ever done anything like that to her before and she gasped. Loke growled, literally growled in response.
Then Alaya remembered that all of their friends were still on the beach and could possibly see them at any moment. Not to mention she had never gone farther than a simple kiss before and didn't want to out in the water. "Wait… Loke!"
Loke's teeth grazed her neck before he looked up at her through hooded eyes. His eyes held so much heat, and he had the look of a predator. "I..." she panted. The world was still spinning and she couldn't think straight. "I think we should stop," she said finally, not that her body wanted to. In fact, she really didn't want to stop. She had hardly heard the quiet sensible voice behind her head whirling a million miles and hour. But, all of the reasons she squashed any sort of feelings or reactions to him hadn't gone away. He was still the Fairy Tail playboy and she was still, well, herself.
At first, Alaya didn't believe he was going to stop. There was heat in his eyes that were now more catlike than she had ever seen before, but he straightened away from her. The space between them started to clear her head.
She wasn't sure what in the world she had been thinking. She should have stopped him before. She shouldn't have led him on. This would never work for so many reasons. She wasn't fully convinced he wasn't interested in just a lay either. He was a noble, and quite desirable spirit. And she was just some scarred mage. A monster. She wasn't even sure if she was human anymore.
Alaya waited for him to be irritated with stopping them, but he wasn't. He still had desire in his catlike eyes, but she didn't see anger. "I think we should join everyone else," she said lamely. She didn't trust herself. She wasn't sure she'd be able to stop him the next time.
She heard him chuckle softly. "You go ahead. I will join you in a minute." She looked at him confused but nodded and turned to leave. She supposed it would look less suspicious if they came back to the group separately.
Before she got a few feet away, Loke picked up her hand and stopped her. "Think about what I said," he said before letting her hand go. She blushed and kept walking. Even if he offered more than a one night stand now, she was sure he'd tire of her when he realized just how inexperienced she was, among all of the other reasons.
When she got to the beach she walked by Natsu who smiled and waved. "Hey!" Then he paused and a strange expression passed over his face. "Why do you smell so… never mind," he said and then continued to play with Happy.
Alaya turned beet red. Did she smell? Surely she didn't smell that bad. She hurried over to where the girls were lounging on beach towels.
As Alaya started to relax, so did Loke. He liked the feel of her in his arms and holding her small frame against him. He felt himself began to purr and he let it happen. Very few people ever saw this side of him, and he decided if he was going to make a move on her, he would have to reveal the beast inside him.
She noticed almost right away and questioned it. "Are you…. Purring?"
He laughed a little. "I am Leo the Lion after all." He wasn't simply associated with the lion, he was the lion and that encompassed more than just the cute aspects like purring. "And I like holding you," he admitted, enjoying the blush that spread across her cheeks. He wanted to show her that he wasn't just looking to bed her… well, he wanted to do that but he wanted more.
Loke noticed when she seemed to become away of their skin to skin contact. He had noticed it after she had started to calm down. Her bare skin was pressed up against his chest and her fingers on his back. With the hearing of a lion, he heard her breathing quicken and her heart beat speed up. He started to move his fingers on her toned back, feeling her smooth skin and the indents and bumps of the many scars.
He let his finger trail up and over her shoulder to cup her cheek. He tipped her head up to look at him. She had such delicate features and full lips that begged to be kissed. Loke leaned in closer, reading her reactions. "Have you thought about what I said?" he asked. He wanted to know if she would accept him after admitting he wanted more.
"I, uh," she stuttered. He loved that he had such an effect on her, especially since she had an effect on him. He let their noses touch and he heard her breath hitch. "Loke..." she said breathlessly. The way he said his name made him burn. Desire coursed through him, but he restrained himself to wait and see if she had more to say. When she said nothing, he closed the distance and kissed her. She tasted just as sweet as she smelled with just a bit of a salted flavor of the sea. He felt his head spin and he reveled in it. In all of his years, a simple kiss had never given him such a reaction.
At first she sat unmoving, but she didn't take long to respond. She hesitantly put her arms around his neck. When her fingers touched the sensitive hairline on his neck he gave a sigh of pleasure. It made him wonder how she knew to put her hands there. He burned in jealousy remembering she had admitted to having some experience with at least Mystogan. For all he knew he hadn't been the only one. He hated knowing that another man had kissed her, touched her…
He pushed the thoughts aside and focused just on her. Loke pulled her closer and put his fingers into her damp hair and she gasped. He took advantage of her open mouth and slid his tongue in, tasting her. He loved her reactions, and they were just for him. His tongue slid against hers and he pulled back only a little to nibble on her lower lip.
A small moan escaped her throat and it felt like fire in his veins. He groaned in response and felt his shorts start to feel tight on him. Loke deepened the kiss before kissing down her chin and down her throat. He noticed how sensitive her delicate skin was and he gave her a long lick back up her throat. She shivered and gasped. Loke growled, the beast underneath surfacing. Her reactions were like a drug to him. He wanted to hear more. He wanted to bite her, mark her as his, claim her so no one else could touch her. He held himself back though. He didn't want to scare her away.
Instead he grazed his teeth against her neck, earning him another gasp. "Wait… Loke!" she stuttered. He paused, looking up at her. He was sure his face was full of lust but he waited to see what she had to say. "I..." He was positive that he say the lion in him, at least in his eyes. His inner lion had scared the few who had managed to bring it out of him. "I think we should stop."
He didn't want to stop. He wanted to push her against the rocks and make her his. But he didn't. He would never force her into anything. It just meant he would have to keep trying.
Loke straightened and as the cool air hit him he did have to admit taking her in the beach within view and shouting distance of their guild mates was probably not the best idea. When he took her, he wanted to hear her, see her.
"I think we should join everyone else," she said. With his catlike senses, he could smell her hormones, and he knew she didn't want to stop this either, but he didn't acknowledge it. He knew that Natsu and the other dragon slayers would be able to smell the hormones as well, most likely better than he could. He just hoped they wouldn't say a word to her to embarrass her.
Loke laughed a little. "You go ahead. I will join you in a minute," he said. While only the dragon slayers would be able to smell the hormones, everyone would see the tent in his shorts.
Alaya looked at him with confusion but nodded and turned away from him. Before she got out of reach, he grabbed her hand. "Think about what I said." He wanted her to think of him, realize that he wanted her, and he wanted more that a one night stand. She blushed and kept walking to the beach, pulling her fingers out of his.
