"A bowl of rice would be sufficient for now," Lucy said realizing that her hunger was not going away. Laxus withdrew, and she let her hand fall onto her lap. She stood and followed him back into the kitchen, wondering how much she should eat. Until she had some sort of guide, she wasn't quite sure what to do. If she thought logically, it was entirely possible that she was only hungry because she never managed to keep her breakfasts down. Then eating extra calories at dinner wasn't a big deal. If possible, she'd like to not gain any weight before her theoretical wedding (should everything go well). She didn't realize that she had already eaten the rice until Laxus spoke.

"I can make more if you're still hungry," he offered. She looked down, and saw that she was holding an empty bowl and a spoon. How much had she just eaten?! She set it aside, and decided that the mystery of the empty bowl was not the most important thing right now.

"No, that was enough. Thanks. I'll head back home now, and we can meet up for dinner again." Lucy said, standing. She was surprised by Laxus moving to stand behind her before wrapping his arms around her. Lucy felt her body react by relaxing into him, and she wondered why it never felt new or unusual to be embraced by him.

"Stay for tonight." he requested quietly. Although she really did need to start her investigation, she supposed letting him spoil her for one night wouldn't be so bad. What did it matter where she spent her morning anyway? This toilet, that toilet, whichever bathroom it was she wasn't going to be able to get any information during those hours.

"Well, maybe just for tonight. I do have to go home eventually if only to get my things." she warned him.

"Fine." he agreed, scooping her up bridal style. She bristled a bit and wondered why Laxus had such a preoccupation with carrying her around. She wasn't going to run away, she thought as he carried her up a set of stairs that she hadn't seen before.

"You have a bathroom on the second floor, right?" she asked.

"Yes. Why?" he asked as he carried her through one of the doorways.

"Oh, you know. The joys of making another human being can be really rough in the morning." She joked.

"Ah. While I think it's good that you want to know more about our house, I think you should concentrate a little more on the present." He replied while setting her down on her feet. It finally registered for Lucy that she was standing in Laxus Dreyar's bedroom and her cheeks warmed considerably. The furniture was all new, and she could guess why. There was a queen size bed with a convenient shelving built into the backboard and under the bed, though she was distracted by the bed sheets. For some reason she had expected them to be black silk or leopard print, but they were instead a vibrant royal blue and looked like cotton. It certainly looked like nice cotton, but she'd never seen Laxus wear blue so she had no idea that he even knew the colour existed. He also had a black night stand that matched the bed frame and a window covered by black curtains. He probably used them to block the light so he could sleep in after long missions she mused. Moreover, he had called it 'our' house as if it was already settled.

She almost jumped when she felt him run his hands down her arms, and realized that as much as she wanted Laxus to make love to her, it would feel too deceitful. She already felt guilty as it was, this would just make the burden worse. That's what she was thinking anyway, when she turned to face him. His eyes weren't grey, and they weren't blue either. They were a dark mix somewhere in between, and there was a ring of brown around his midnight black pupils. How beautifully complex, she thought, placing her arms around his neck so she could pull him down for a kiss. He lifted her up, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist to stabilize herself. He broke away from the kiss first, only to initiate a deeper one. Lucy ran her hands through his hair, deciding that this much was probably fine. Their tongues were dancing, and it amazed her at how everything felt so natural with Laxus. She broke away for air, and began placing kisses across his jaw and eventually along the lightning scar over his right eye. She wanted to imprint his face and body into her mind for the rest of time, just in case. His muscled shoulders were hard and showed tiny white scars from healed wounds. She began to trace her fingers along his tattoo when she realized that he had somehow removed his shirt without her noticing. She rubbed her cheek against his, kissing his earlobe. He was matching her slow pace, dragging his tongue enticingly along the area between her neck and shoulder.

He moved them to the bed she had been previously admiring, and planted his lips firmly on hers. She tightened her grip on him, forgetting that her legs were still wrapped around his waist. Though she was on the bed, he was holding himself slightly above her. She'd been trying to close the space between them using her arms and legs when she felt something distinctly hard where their bodies met. She moaned softly, pressing herself as close to him as she could get. He pressed his nose into her jawline, and his tongue was making a trail down her neck. He was about to reach the scar, she realized, and unlocked her arms from around his neck to push at his chest.

"Laxus wait." she breathed, and he lifted his head so that she could see his face again.

"For what?" he drawled, then kissed her nose. Lucy realized that she had to come up with a really good answer to that.

"Can we wait until we're married to go any further than this?" she asked, painfully aware that she was the one with her legs wrapped firmly around his waist. Based on how affected she was by him at the moment, she realized how difficult this was going to be for her.

"What's one week?" he said, laying her on the bed and unhooking her ankles from around his waist. He moved to the drawers below the bed and retrieved a large purple shirt. He handed it to her before disappearing into an ensuite bathroom she hadn't noticed before. Once he closed the door, she realized that she was supposed to wear the shirt. She stripped out of her clothes and pulled the button up shirt over her head. It was way too big, so she folded the sleeves up a bit before diving into the bed and pulling the sheets over herself. Laxus was so much stronger than she was. She needed to find her answers fast, because a whole week of this was going to drive her insane.

(Author's Notes)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.

Thanks to my beta reader, Gangzta4life5, as always. Surprise! An extra chapter to make your Monday that much more LaLu.