When Lucy woke up the next morning, her eyes hazily scanned the room for Laxus, but his broad figure was nowhere to be seen. She sat up, feeling a surge of panic in her bones.

"Where is he?" she whispered out loud.

Heart racing, Lucy quickly jumped out of bed to look for him in the kitchen; he wasn't there. She knocked on the bathroom door, but there was no answer either.

So, he decided to leave the house without telling her, did he?

She walked toward the glass window and peered through it. The sun was already shining brightly outside, its rays illuminating the plants surrounding the treehouse.

She should probably hang her clothes outside so they would dry quickly. She couldn't wait to change back into them since the bathrobe made her feel cold.

Laxus was probably wearing the same clothes as yesterday, she mused. Gross. She had promised to wash them today, but since he got up and left early, then it was his fault that he would be stinky all day.

Not that it mattered, Lucy thought. They were probably the only people left alive. Who would care about one stinky person roaming around Fiore?

Spirits, don't think like that.

Sighing, she turned around and stopped as she caught a glimpse of a folded piece of paper on the desk table. A note from him, she presumed, walking toward the desk.

As she picked up the note, she flipped it open and read the writing out loud:

Out gathering supplies. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.

Pressing her lips together, Lucy dropped the paper on the desk and vowed to give the lightning dragon slayer a piece of her mind once as soon as he gets back.

Using his thought projection ability, Laxus was able to confirm that the coast was clear in Hargeon in case he needed to drop by and gather some supplies.

Like Magnolia Town, Hargeon was almost in ruins; he could see burnt houses, shops, boats, and even corpses everywhere, giving him nausea.

Without wasting any more time, he teleported to the destroyed town and then jumped from one wrecked shop to another, grabbing what he could, ignoring the wave of anger and grief he was feeling. He just couldn't afford to give in to his emotions right now; he needed to get moving.

By now, Lucy should be awake, wondering where he could have gone. He would bet his lightning magic that she was pissed off at him for simply leaving her all alone in Porlyusica's place with a note.

Before, he would usually wait for her to wake up and let her know that he was heading out. However, he wasn't in the mood to exchange words with her before he departed.

He knew how it would always go; she would be asking him when he would come home or begging him to take her with him. He had seen enough of her worried expression and panic attacks to be dealing with any of those today.

Still, he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. This was Lucy, after all.

That woman, he thought. She'll be the death of me.

He remembered her falling asleep in his arms after crying about Natsu during the wee hours of the morning. It had taken all of his remaining energy to soothe her distress until he was finally able to tuck her to bed and went back to the floor to get some sleep.

But Laxus wouldn't be sleeping on the cold floor tonight; he decided to find a sleeping bag from one of the shops in Hargeon. He should look for new clothes, too, thicker ones, for the both of them.

And underwear, he thought sarcastically.

"So, you just couldn't wait until I woke up, could you? How could you leave me here all day?"

And there it was, as Laxus expected, Lucy hurling nonsensical complaints at him. She was already dressed in the same clothes she had washed yesterday. He, however, had found a new pair in Hargeon, which he had donned quickly, happy to have gotten rid of the dirty clothes he had worn since yesterday.

While Lucy continued to rant about what he had done this morning, he did his best to keep his cool. Having lived with the celestial wizard at the Fairy Tail guildhall for over a year now, he knew that this was her way of masking her fears and worries.

"Look," he said patiently, trying to keep his temper in check. "I already said I was sorry, okay? It won't happen again."

Lucy huffed and looked away, folding her arms across her chest. She knew she was acting childish and petulant, but she couldn't help it. She had been scared to death that Laxus didn't come home until late in the afternoon.

Laxus cleared his throat. "Anyway, I brought us some new clothes," he pointed at large sack sitting on the floor. "There are also some canned goods in there if you're hungry."

"What's that you got there on your back?" she inquired.

Grinning, Laxus finally dropped the large bag that was hanging on his back. "My sleeping bag," he replied. "Found it in one of the shops in Hargeon. Now, I don't have to sleep on the floor tonight."

Lucy suddenly felt a little guilty. Well, Laxus did offer her the bed last night even before she could bring up the subject. It was then she had realized that she wouldn't actually mind sharing the bed. But she had been too embarrassed to say anything, so she had let him sleep on the floor.

"What's the matter?" Laxus asked, noticing her expression.

"Nothing," Lucy muttered. "It's just…"

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "It's just what?" he prompted.

"I'm sorry I let you sleep on the floor last night," she apologized.

"You don't have to apologize," he told her. "Anyway, I got a sleeping bag now, so I'll be warm and snug tonight."

Lucy just nodded, still thinking about how he had comforted her last night when she had been crying. She wondered if he has grown tired of always having to do that every time she was having those terrible dreams.

"Have you already eaten?" Laxus inquired.

"Yeah," Lucy answered. "I kinda ate all the tomatoes you brought yesterday. The bananas weren't ripe yet so I let them be."

"Don't like the mushrooms?"

"Nope."

Laxus chuckled. "Alright," he said, glad that she no longer seemed angry. "Fix me some dinner?"

"Sure."

Laxus smiled and walked toward her, closing the gap between them. Then, he pulled her close, resting his chin on top of her head. "Thanks. You're the best."

Glad to have an excuse to touch him, Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, enjoying the warmth that radiated from his body.

Moments later, she pulled away from him slightly, raising her head to look at his face. She could feel his hands sliding down to her elbows, gently holding her there. As she watched his eyes gazing at her so intensely, she could feel butterflies in her stomach.

They were in that moment before a kiss usually happens. Lucy patiently waited for him to make a move, but he continued looking at her while caressing her elbows with his thumbs, sending tingles throughout her body.

A minute passed, and he still hadn't lowered his face to kiss her, leaving her confused and impatient. But then as she looked at him more closely, she saw that his lips were curved into a smirk.

They were back in that ridiculous game again.

Irritated, Lucy placed her hands on his chest to push him away, but Laxus quickly bent forward and wrapped his strong arms around her small waist.

"Why are you trying to push me away?" he teased, watching her squirm in his embrace. "Aren't you going to kiss me?"

Lucy could feel her face burn in embarrassment. "No, you jerk," she snapped. "Let go of me."

"Come on," he murmured playfully, "kiss me already. I'm waiting."

Although Laxus could feel himself harden by their proximity, he knew how Lucy's mind works. If he continued to tease her, she would back away, saving them both from giving in to their attraction and making things more complicated between them. She would be upset, of course, but that was something that Laxus would have to put up with for both their sakes.

When he finally dropped his arms, he watched Lucy took several steps back, her face looking as red as those tomatoes he had brought yesterday.

"You can forget about dinner," she spat, pointing her finger at his face. Then, she stomped toward the bathroom door, opened it, and then slammed it shut after she was inside.

Lucy was still hiding in the bathroom when Laxus was setting up his sleeping bag on the floor. She had locked the door. It's been over three hours, he thought, starting to feel worried.

"Lucy?" he prompted, knocking on the bathroom door. "I need to take a leak. Would you please come out?"

He was answered with a cold silence.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he said with a sigh.

Nothing.

Laxus decided to press her buttons to gain a reaction. "You know, if you really wanted a kiss, you should've said something."

It worked. The bathroom door swung open, revealing a red-faced Lucy. Her brown eyes were stormy and murderous that Laxus stepped back nervously.

"You jerk," she loathed.

It happened so fast. Lucy was banging her fists on his chest, then she stood on tiptoes to reach for his face and punch him there. The punches didn't hurt Laxus one bit, but they did irritate him.

Finally grabbing her wrists, Laxus loomed his face over hers and growled. "Stop it," he commanded.

Without a word, Lucy decided to kick him on the shin. Then, she whimpered loudly when it almost broke her toes. Laxus immediately scooped her into his arms and carried her to her bed. After dropping her there, he climbed on top of her and pinned her hands above her head.

"Get off me!" she raged, trying to wriggle hands free from his grip.

"Not until you calm down," Laxus snarled at her, now lowering his body against hers so that they were pressed together firmly.

Lucy took several deep breathes but continued to glare at the dragon slayer on top of her. How dare he toy with her feelings?

"I'm calm," she said flatly moments later. "You can get off me now."

Laxus immediately did and sat on the bed, pulling her along with him. They both stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Lucy averted hers.

"Let's just call it a night," the dragon slayer suggested to which the celestial wizard nodded.

Lucy vowed never to expect anything from him ever again.