Laxus lost sense of how long he had been waiting in the store room, though he suspected he was going to be there for a while. Had the impulses remained at the same level, he supposed he could have just waited patiently, but as the time went on it was becoming more and more difficult. He hadn't seen Lucy in a while, and it was taxing on his nerves. By the time he heard her soft footsteps outside the door, he was barely holding it in. He wanted to see her so badly, but he willed himself to remain still and keep his eyes closed as the door opened and then shut behind her.

"Laxus? Are you here?" Lucy called, and he briefly lost control of his powers. The lights flickered, betraying him. She was looking for him! He thought, mildly happy. She was on the move, and he realized that it wasn't going to be difficult for her to find him. She was getting closer, and this might be his last chance to save her from himself. He pushed himself to say something to make her leave. Something eloquent, that made her realize what danger she was putting herself in.

"No, I'm not here, just go already!" he managed to grunt. So much for being eloquent, he thought, hearing a quiet giggle nearby. She was standing right next to him now, and it was all he could do to keep his powers in check. He focused on his breathing with a renewed vigilance when he sensed her kneeling next to him.

"Laxus, I need your headphones to save the world." She said seriously. His heart plummeted. Curse Mira! She wasn't here to see him at all. Mira had been asking to see his headphones since they met as children. Lucy was moving again, and he was brought back to himself when he felt the lightest touch run across the back of his neck.

"Please, take them and go." he begged. He pulled them out of the pocket of his coat, and put them down in front of her without opening his eyes. The barest of touches had been too much, and she needed to leave, now. Where was Natsu? That stupid brat had said that everything would be fine if he just stayed here. Natsu hadn't warned him that this scenario was a possibility.

"Thanks Laxus." she answered brightly, taking the headphones. Pushing his hands into the floor to keep from grabbing her, he waited for her to leave. Her breathing suddenly changed. What is she doing? He turned his head slightly as if to look at her, even though his eyes were closed. Then he felt her soft lips on his, and he was lost again. Just a kiss wouldn't be so bad, he reasoned. He felt her wrap her small arms around his neck for the second time that evening, pressing her lips harder against his and he decided he didn't care anymore. He pulled her into his lap to deepen the kiss, and from there he understood that he had no power to defend against her. His skin practically felt like it hummed where she touched him, and he didn't dare to open his eyes lest he take her there and then. Things were getting out of control, and he knew he needed to stop before it was too late. She was almost completely naked, and he couldn't rationalize it away any more. He pushed her off his lap, looking at her surprised expression in the darkness. Then, as if mesmerized, she was moving towards him again.

"Lucy please," he grunted. "You have to run. I can't stop myself. Please." He had no sooner uttered the words than Lucy's features changed. Before his eyes, his sweet Lucy had turned into a devil, intent on consuming him. It was in her face and the way she moved.

"No," she said huskily slowly moving toward him on hands and knees with the grace of a black panther. He felt himself shiver in response. "you're mine Laxus." The last thought he had before completely losing himself in her was that she was absolutely right. He was strangely certain that even if he had run from her, she would have chased him.

"Lucy already went home!" Freed said loudly from the hallway, snapping him back into reality.

'Shit, Natsu is going to kill me this time.' Laxus began pulling his clothing on in a haphazard fashion, feeling the need to escape. The footsteps were getting closer, so he picked up Lucy and threw her dress and his shirt over her before escaping out a nearby window. The door to the store room itself was never opened, but Laxus continued to run, having no clue that he had left Lucy's panties behind until they had arrived at her apartment. Lucy was half asleep anyway, so he laid her on her bed before fixing his clothes. Looking down at the girl who was still naked as the day she was born, he felt a pang of guilt and began the arduous task of slipping her dress onto her before tucking her into the bed properly. He sat on the floor next to her bed protectively, taking the opportunity to watch her sleeping form. He could smell Natsu on the wind coming in the open window, and stood up. Laxus rolled his eyes, of course Natsu would come looking for her here. Besides him, there was someone else too. Probably Grey. Laxus placed a quick kiss on Lucy's forehead before disappearing in a flash of lightning a few minutes before Natsu and Grey entered the apartment from the front door.

Although it would have been immensely safer for him to go back to the guild and pretend that he had stayed put, he felt tethered there. He was sitting on the rooftop of the building across from Lucy's apartment building so that he could still see her through the window. He rolled his shoulders, realizing how stiff he was from this adventure. He would stretch properly later, once Natsu was less alert.

Sometime later, he was lying as comfortably as one could on a roof when he smelled her scent on the air. She was standing in the window, looking for him. He was downwind so there was no way she could smell him, but he knew she knew he was there. She went back to her bed, and he wished more than anything he could be there with her.

(Author's Notes)

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

Thanks as always to my beta reader Gangzta4life5.

Just a warning, this is not the last Laxus chapter. "Why/when/how did Laxus do _?" are all legitimate questions that will be answered.