Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.
Lucy felt Loke's hand rubbing her back. She kept her eyes close, reveling in the warmth of his body. She nuzzled her face into this shoulder, tightening her arms around his waist, intertwining her legs with his. She sighed with contentment.
"I can get use to waking up like this." Her voice still laced with sleep.
Loke smiled, kissing the top of her head. "You have eternity for it you know." His fingers traced lightly down her bared back.
They laid in comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying the presence of one another. Lucy propped herself on her elbow, her eyes roaming the messy haired ginger spirit. The covers slipped down her side, exposing her heavy chest.
"What's on the agenda for today?" she asked as she admired his bared, muscular chest.
Loke smirked, sliding his hand up her side, cupping her gently. "What should we be doing or what do I want to do?" He leaned in to kiss her, pressing her back into the soft mattress, hovering over her. "Because those are two very, very different things." He nipped her bottom lip.
Lucy let out a small giggle. "I'm pretty certain I know what you want to do, I was asking what we should be doing."
"Are you sure? I could just show you what I want to do, just to be positive that you know. I want you making informed decisions." He kissed her again, softly bringing his hand to her face.
Lucy sighed out of contentment again, allowing him access, their tongues mingling and dancing once again. He felt her resistance melt away, his hands sliding along her naked body, wrapping her leg around his waist. She could feel him react against her thigh. She wrapped her small hand around him, gently stroking. He smiled down at the celestial mage, who rolled her eyes at him.
"Don't think you'll always get your way."
Before their morning escapade could continue any further, the house shook and a booming voice sounded from outside his window.
"Lucy, are you avoiding seeing me, my old friend?"
"Impeccable timing." Loke muttered under his breath. He rolled his eyes at Lucy, knowing there was no sending the Spirit King away.
"I wasn't avoiding you, I wasn't sure when I was supposed to come and see you." She snatched Loke's shirt off the floor, sliding it over her head as she got out of bed. "Can I get ready first?" She asked without waiting for a response, headed towards the bathroom.
Loke fell back onto the bed after sliding his boxers on. He was tempted to join Lucy in the shower, but since the Spirit King already interrupted once, he wasn't trying for a second time.
Lucy hurried through her normal morning routine, excited to learn more about what her future would hold. She had received a message from Levy while she was sleeping. She was excited to tell her best friend about everything that was going on. She thought briefly about Natsu, hoping that her rejection had helped him. She really thought Lisanna was his mate, and she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather her best friend be with. She hoped for the silver haired take over mage's sake at least, that Natsu had come to his senses. She finished brushing through her hair, taking on last look in the mirror, admiring the baby blue sundress that Virgo had brought by at some point while she was asleep. She was still amazed on how little the Spirit World affected her.
She walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, briefly teasing Loke, and out onto the balcony connected to the master bedroom. She came face to face with the Spirit King, which startled her from being so close to him the moment she walked out.
Loke popped his head outside of the door. "I'll join you in a few minutes." Winking at Lucy before he disappeared back into the house.
Lucy looked to the Spirit King, giving him her most Lucy like smile. "Good morning, it's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you again too, old friend. Especially on such good news. Let me see the rings."
She held her hand out, proudly displaying her rings on her left ring finger. The Spirit King smiled, recognizing the rings. "The first ring he gave you, do you know what that is?" he asked her
She hesitantly shook her head. "Only thing I know about it is that is what each Lion gives his… mate. To show that she belongs to him."
The Spirit King nodded. "It's called The Lion's Heart. Given to the Lion's partner as a bond. The other ring that he gave you, is The Lion's Promise. It represents the Lion's loyalty, protection and power. You will be able to access his powers without needing to don the Leo Stardress, but it will enhance its powers when worn with it. "
Lucy stared at the rings on her left hand in admiration, completely awestruck with the information. She looked back to the Spirit King. "He never told me any of that. Not that I'm surprised by any of this information though. He's incredibly loving, loyal, protective and stronger that I ever imagined, especially since he gave me the Lion's Heart a year ago. As Leader of the Zodiac's, I expected nothing less. It's still hard for me to believe that I was lucky enough to be made for someone like him." She hugged herself, her emotions overwhelming her.
The Spirit King chuckled at his blonde friend. "Do you accept the responsibilities that come with being not only a spirits bonded partner, but as a bonded partner of the leader of the zodiacs as well as next in line as the Spirit Queen?"
Lucy smiled nodding her head. "Absolutely. There's not a doubt in my mind that Loke and I are a perfect team."
He smiled hugely. "That relieves me to hear that. I'm so very glad Loke has finally found his partner. Maybe you can keep him in line and prepare him to become a real King." He looked to his small friend, who currently looked like she was pondering another question. "Did you have other questions Lucy?"
She nodded her head. "Loke mentioned something about me joining him, here in the spirit world. He said I could come whenever I was ready. I think I'd like to wait a little while longer before joining, I feel like I have many more adventures to go on before my time, but I was wondering how it all worked. Would I be able to visit Fairy Tail and my friends if I decided to come now? Would I need my own key? If I did, do I get to decide who holds my key?"
"When you decide to join us, you can choose your spirit form. With council, you choose what kind of spirit you become as well as your constellation. Unless you're joining under house Leo. If you join under the Leo household, you will not have a need for your own key, but you would not be able to return to Earthland. If you decide to join now, and not under the Leo household, you'd receive your own key, and you'd be able to give your keys you currently own as well as your own to whom you choose. If you decide to wait until your time on Earthland comes to a close, you will not choose who your keys or your own key will go to. You will not have living family to pass them on to. The keys will be spread across the world to be found again. As a result, you need not to worry about them going to bad owners. When your key is discovered, you will be able to "feel" what kind of person they are, and can decide whether or not to allow them to pick up your key. Same with the other spirits." He watched her mull over this information.
She felt arms wrap around her waist, his lips at her ear. "There's no need for you to join now. Natsu will be fine, this will blow over, just give it a little time."
The Spirit King nodded. "If you choose to join now, there's no chance to return, but your keys and your own would pass to Yukino if that's what you so choose… Though it makes me wonder why you'd want to leave Fairy Tail."
Lucy smiled sadly. "I don't want to leave my family, but things are complicated and we aren't sure if or when they will be uncomplicated."
"You are always welcome here my old friend, just keep in mind, once you're here, you're here for eternity, there is no returning." He looked to Loke, grinning widely. "I apologize for interrupting this morning. Come to me when she is ready to join us."
With a bright light, he disappeared, his chuckles still echoing.
Loke grumbled half-heartedly, hugging Lucy a little tighter. She kissed just under his jaw, her eyes sparkling. "Want to call Levy with me?" She was excited to talk to the solid script mage.
Loke smiled, giving her the card. "I'll let you talk with her, I have a few things that I need to do while I'm here anyway, come find me in the study when you're done." He kissed her lightly before heading back inside.
Lucy smiled, she took a seat on one of the chairs, holding the card in her hands. She closed her eyes, thinking of the guild and her small bluenette friend, calling out to them. She smiled brightly as her friends face appeared on the card.
"Lucyyyyyyyy" She squealed in excitement.
"Levy! How's everything? I know it's only been a day and a half since I left, but I feel like it's been forever."
"I miss you anyway! It seems like forever here too, it's been whiplash with everything that's happened."
"I'll be home in a few days to get a job. I know Loke was just going to grab a job but I'll miss everyone too much so I just want to stop in and say hi."
"Actually… I have good news. You can come home sooner than expected. Like, whenever you're done in the Spirit World."
Lucy looked at her friend in surprise. "What do you mean? What's happened with Natsu that I can come home already? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more, but I want to make sure that it's not going to mess anything up."
Levy's smile faltered. "I'll let Natsu talk you, but he's not here right now, tell me everything that you've been doing!"
"Well, the whiplash isn't over for me yet. Not only did I find out that Natsu thought that I was his mate and get engaged to one of my spirits, who is leader of the zodiacs, I also found out that he is next in line to be Spirit King. As if that wasn't enough, I've found out that there are a whole lot of new things that are happening because I've bonded with Loke. Being in the spirit world doesn't hardly affect me, we can speak in each-others minds, I'm apparently able to use his powers without using a Stardress, and we'll be able to find each other easily if we are separated. To top it all off, he's asked me to join him in the Spirit World when I'm ready." She spoke a mile a minute, pausing to catch her breath.
Levy went through different reactions to what she was told. She decided to start with the first bit of information given to her. "Spirit King? So you'll be Queen? What happens to the Spirit King now?"
"Yeah, yeah I guess that would make me queen. It won't be in any of our lifetimes that this changes. Because they are all immortal, no one stays on the throne forever. Same with the keys, no one celestial spirit always has their keys. They have "families" that it gets passed around."
"That's so cool "Your Highness"." Levy giggled. "The rest about the bonding part is really cool, it's similar to being a mate of a dragon slayer. Granted, we can't speak to one another per se, but we can hold a silent conversation without a word being spoke. Finding one another is easy, and we can tell how they are feeling." Levy paused, not knowing how to ask her next question.
Lucy sighed. "I'm not sure when I'll join him. I was thinking when my time comes, but with this thing with Natsu, if it doesn't get better, I might join him. It'd be easier on everyone. Plus, Yukino could have not only my keys that I hold, but my own key, if I choose not to join under his house. Then they could be passed down through her family, since I won't have one of my own pass down too."
Levy snapped at the blonde "It would NOT be easier on anyone, except maybe Natsu. Even then, he'd still miss you Lucy. We all would. You're the light of this guild, losing you would affect everyone. Natsu will be okay." She stopped before addressing the last statement, studying the celestial mage through their connection. "Does this mean you and Loke won't have a family?" she asked quietly.
Lucy looked away, shrugging. "I'm not sure what it means. If that is the case, then it's okay. I never really saw myself as a mom type. I've been far too focused on becoming a writer and a stronger mage." She hoped that her bluenette wouldn't detect her half-truth. She had been far too focused on becoming a writer and a stronger mage, but children was something that she always thought would come eventually when she found the one. Now that she had, not being able to be a mom was something that she wasn't quite sure how to process yet.
Levy nodded solemnly. She knew that this bothered her friend, but figured she would talk when she was ready too. "Well come home soon, we all can't wait to see you and I'm sure everyone is dying to hear about the celestial world and to get a better look at that ring." She looked to her side, a small blush creeping on her face. "And Gajeel says hello too, talk you later!"
"Ciao Levy" She smiled. She sat for a few minutes, taking in her surroundings for the first time. She could see the path they had strolled the night he had asked her to marry her off to her left. Directly below her was the massive pool, which thankfully, was large enough to do laps in. The shallow end had seating in the water for the bar and outside kitchen that was connected to it. A large, Jacuzzi hot tub connected on the other side. To her right, she could see a small area that was used for fires, along with patio furniture and a hammock that sway in the twilight breeze underneath the cherry blossomed trees. She looked to the starry sky that was familiar, considering her options. Levy and Loke were right, she shouldn't leave Fairy Tail early because of Natsu. It was an easy decision. Whether or not she wanted to join under the Leo household was another story. She wanted her chance to help Earthland long after her time there had passed. Having her own key meant that she could do that. She also wasn't sure she wanted to be a fighting type spirit, like the Leo's. It also meant that she would be the only one to hold her key. She wouldn't have a family to pass it along too. Eternity with her own house.
The celestial mage pushed those thoughts from her mind. She had a lot of time before she needed to make those decisions, and Loke would help her every step of the way. She thought again how lucky she was to have him in her life. She grinned devilishly as a thought crossed her mind. 'We did get interrupted this morning, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little distraction.'
The blonde called out Virgo, who appeared quickly. "You called Princess?"
"I need something to wear for Loke…"
The pinkettee nodded, disappearing briefly before reappearing with scraps of material. Virgo changed her in her whip like fashion, stepping back for Lucy to admire. She thanked the spirit who bowed slightly before her departure.
With one last look in the mirror at her reflection of the lingerie that Virgo had brought her, she strutted out of the bedroom towards the study.