Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters: that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.


Monday, August 6th - Morning

Arriving a bit earlier than he had intended, Makarov stood outside the 8 Island restaurant with Freed next to him. The morning looked like it would lead to a warm and clear day. The breeze coming in off the ocean was light but not carrying a lot of humidity with it. Glancing up, he saw Freed standing there, hands clasped behind his back as if standing at attention for some military function.

Coughing softly to get his attention, Makarov spoke up. "Relax, child; there is nothing here. And no need to be so formal with Yajima; he doesn't work on the council anymore."

Giving a silent nod of understanding, Freed let his hands drop to his sides; though his body still looked stiff, he stood there gazing out at the street. Shaking his head softly, Makarov heard a door creak open, and turning, saw Yajima step out onto the road before closing the door behind him.

"Well, start talking Macky. Tell me what is going on and why Freed is also here." Yajima gruffed at him before shuffling to stand beside them.

Sighing softly, Makarov began to walk towards Lucy's apartment, clasping his hands behind his back, as he thought about how to put it all.

Finally deciding, as he left the front of the restaurant, he replied. "Well, to put it simply, Natsu is going through a special type of puberty specific to Dragon Slayers, making him a bit volatile at the moment. Freed is here to be Lucy's bodyguard for the day. There is a different one for each day until the fourteenth of this month. After that, Gildarts will be back and taking over until the end of the month," He took a deep breath before finishing his long-winded speech. "As for Lucy, you know her current state, even though you are not a guild master. She was saved by Rogue yesterday, and he took some damage. I am still not too sure how he ended up in her apartment, but Lucy is taking care of him until he leaves due to the severity of his wounds. Before you ask, it was Sting, Rogues' teammate, that he saved her from. He was going to mark her as his mate by sheer force. Does that cover it for you?"

There was silence for a few minutes before laughter could be heard coming from Yajima. He had known Makarov for a long time and had been a part of the guild back in the day, but this was the first time he had heard Makarov sound so frustrated and confused while explaining something. His friend being this honest with what was banging around in his head, let Yajima know that Makarov was at a loss to some degree.

"So, I take it all Dragon Slayers go through this ….puberty, if you will. Is Laxus or Gajeel going through this state of being? Also, is it safe for Lucy to be taking care of Rogue? He is a Dragon Slayer, which means he will go through it, yes?" Yajima asked after he stopped laughing and calmed down a bit.

They walked a bit more in silence before Makarov replied, "Yes, they all do. As far as I can tell you, my other two are not. Wendy is too young to go through it. Gajeel told me that if one Dragon Slayer is near another, it will trigger the cycle earlier than it should. So, both are avoiding Natsu. From what Gajeel sensed about Rogue, he isn't in heat yet, but if that young man is awake, I will ask him when he roughly goes into heat. That is, if he hasn't already. Their whole purpose in heat is finding a mate, which is far-fetched for Natsu; he is as dense as a box of rocks in that area. More so, with two beautiful women who are interested in him."

Once he finished, he raised a hand to scratch at his balding head.

Yajima just listened in silence as Makarov talked. Nodding his head, he absorbed what was being said, processing it and putting it where it needed to be in his head.

Once more, laughing at the last few sentences from Makarov, he took a quick peek up at their ever-silent green-haired companion, who had a rather comical smirk on his lips.

"I do concur with you on that one. I believe Lisanna, Mirajanes and Elfman's sister, has a crush on him. Lucy is the other one, and hers is very obvious, so as this plays out, it should be interesting to see who he chooses," Yajima's voice trailed off as he looked forward, enjoying the light breeze in the morning sunlight.

They still had a few blocks before Lucy's house, allowing them to arrive roughly at 10 am.

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Lucy's P.O.V.

Feeling rather fidgety, now that she knew Frosch was a boy and a rather curious one, she silently cursed Rogue in the back of her head for not being transparent with the poor exceed. Her eyes still looked into Frosch's as he stood there, chest puffed up proudly at being a boy.

He was just too adorable, making her want to pick him up and cuddle close to her chest. Sighing plaintively, she dried herself off and dressed in her clothes for the day.

"Alright, Frosch, time to leave the bathroom. We can go see if Rogue is awake yet, and get some breakfast, okay?" She said to the small green exceed as she reached out to pick him up, only to have him step away from her hands. Wrinkling her brow in confusion, she tried to grab the exceed once more.

"Frosch wants Frosch's suit back. Frosch won't leave the bathroom without clothing on," he stated clearly, as he jumped down from the sink, darting for the laundry hamper and suit.

Spinning quickly, she snapped him up just as he grasped his suit.

"No, Frosch, you can't wear that. It is dirty and smells bad. You said that Rogue likes things to be clean, so please smell that and tell me if Rogue would be happy that you put that back on after getting a bath," she said quickly, seeing his rebellion.

Frosch had narrowed his eyes at her, making small growls, attempting to be threatening, but coming out cute, but they stopped when she suggested Rogue. Frosch lifted the suit to his tiny nose and practically threw the frog suit on the floor, gagging.

"Rogue would be upset if Frosch wore that, but Frosch won't leave this room until Frosch has clothes to cover Frosch's nakedness," he said with a slightly sad, whining voice. The look on his face was dismal defeat.

Understanding and feeling for the small exceed, Lucy sat Frosch back on the sink. Bending over, she picked up the foul-smelling suit and placed it quickly in the hamper.

"Well, how about I make you a deal? I have an outfit I bought for Happy, Natsu's exceed, a while ago, but he didn't like it. You can wear that while I wash your suit, so you can put it back on today. Does that sound okay to you?" She said, hoping and pleading with her eyes at him.

Frosch stood there, with one paw on his cheek, as if in deep thought. Slowly Frosch let out a sigh.

"Yes, that will be okay, but Frosch likes things that cover Frosch's whole body," he said softly.

A huge smile curving her lips at the last of his words, Lucy didn't wait. Turning, she threw open the door, half running to her dresser. Lucy was so focused on what she was doing Lucy didn't see Rogue awake and smiling. Opening her bottom drawer, she pulled out a yellow and orange duck suit before returning to the bathroom.

"Here, Frosch, I know it isn't a Frog suit, but it is a Ducky suit. Will this work for the time being? And if you want, you can even come with me to make sure I wash your froggy suit right, okay?" she asked him.

Frosch seemed to eyeball the suit as if it might jump out and bite him.

"Frosch thinks that will do," he said as he reached out, taking it from Lucy and stepping into it.

When he realized that it zipped in the front, Frosch was a bit more relaxed with the suit, as he zipped it up. With that done, he once more jumped down from the sink, marching past Lucy out of the bathroom. Intent to see if Rogue was awake, he made his way to the bed, leaving Lucy in the bathroom, just taking it all in.

As she watched Frosch get to the bed and jump up, she gathered all the stuff in the bathroom so she could wash it, glad that the landlady had installed an updated washer and dryer. It would take only a half hour to do both, and it was all in one machine. Thanking the gods for magically enchanted machines, Lucy lifted the laundry hamper, walking out to catch Frosch talking to Rogue.

"Look, Rogue, Frosch has a new suit. It isn't as nice as the one Rogue gave Frosch, but it keeps Frosch from being naked. Do you like it, Rogue?" He chattered at his best friend.

Now that Rogue was awake, Lucy let her eyes dart to the table at the head of the bed, knowing she'd have to give him the medicine. She hoped he would take it, even if he could smell how bitter it would taste, as Polyusica didn't believe in medicine tasting good.

Walking over to her apartment door, Lucy set the basket down and continued to listen in on their conversation.

"Did you tell Lucy to thank you for letting you borrow that suit? I like it; you make a very cute duckie, Frosch." Rogue replied as he let his eyes lift to look at her.

When their eyes met, Lucy flushed a light red, averting her eyes. Turning and walking into the kitchenette, she got down two glasses, filling them with water. Before taking them out with her, Lucy turned and opened her fridge, grimacing at how little was in there. Bending down, she looked on the bottom shelf to see if she had left any sweet, red bean paste buns.

Finding two of them, she grabbed those out. Now set with all the weapons she could need, Lucy gathered up everything and headed back towards the bed.

"Good morning, Rogue; I hope you slept well last night," she said softly as she set the stuff on the nightstand.

When she got no reply, she looked back towards Rogue, staring at her with wary eyes and a knowing, amused smirk on his lips.

Wondering what the smirk was for, she looked back at the table, ensuring she picked up the bottle with his medication. Opening it, she caught the bitter and sour smell wafting out of it, and knew that even she wouldn't want to take these pills.

"So you are not going to talk to me. That is okay, but you must take the medicine that Porlyusica left here. I have a glass of water here for you, so please open up and say Ah!" She spoke as she shook out a little green pill and picked up the glass of water, turning to face him.

The first thing she saw was him narrowing his eyes further, as his nose wrinkled from the smell the pill was putting out.

"No!" she heard as he turned his head to the side.

Sighing softly, she just looked at Rogue as she spoke up. "You need to take this. It will help fight off infection from bacteria and other things. I know it smells horrible and most likely tastes like crap, but you must take it. So be a man, and face me, Rogue Cheney."

When he refused to face her and take the pill, Lucy turned to set the glass back on the table. With her free hands, she picked up the small blowpipe that Porlyusica had left there. She didn't have to be told what it was for, as she fitted the pill into the end of it.

"Fine, be that way. Frosch, honey, I need your help. Can you do me a big favor? Later, I will give you a treat, okay?" Lucy spoke in a sweet, cajoling voice to the exceed.

Frosch's eyes lit up as he looked at her.

"Frosch would like to help for a treat. What does Frosch have to do to help Lucy?" he asked as he eagerly paced up and down the side of the bed.

Grinning ear to ear, she replied to him. "I want you to get on the other side of Rogue, curl your body around his arm, pinning it beneath you. Simple, right!?" She said in that sweet, cajoling voice, watching as Frosch walked down to Rogue's legs and jumped over them.

While Frosch was doing that, Rogue whipped his head around to face her, His eyes wide open and blazing a panicked yet dangerous look at her.

When she noted that Frosch was in place, Lucy scooted herself so that her hip was pinning the arm closest to her, lightly against his side, so as not to cause more pain to the wound. Her grin shifted from sweet to pure devilment as she put the blowpipe to her lips.

Noting that Rogue had started to turn his head away from her once more, with a quick hand, she reached out and pinched his nose. Slowly counting to ten in her head, a smug look came to her eyes when by the count of eight, he opened his mouth gasping for air.

In that instant, she bent down and blew hard through the blowpipe, watching as the small green pill shot out into the back of his throat. Out of reflex, Rogue instinctively swallowed the little pill to keep from choking. Letting go of his nose and placing that hand alongside his head as she spoke in a low soft tone.

"This will happen every time you refuse to take the pills, Mr. Cheney. I suggest you put on your big boy undies and take the little offensive thing."

Standing up, she reached back to the nightstand and picked up the other bottle with little yellow pills before opening it and popping one into her hand. Pulling her face into a grimace, she quickly threw the pill into her mouth and, snatching up the nearest glass of water, chugged it all. Once it was empty, she set it back on the nightstand, gasping for breath. Her brown eyes met Rogue's in a silent challenge before she spoke up.

"You are not the only one who has to take that old lady's nasty pills, okay? I have been taking those pills since July 9th. So deal with it, though I do like...Never mind." She said to him, as she picked up the other glass of water, handing it to him.

After a few seconds of having another challenging staring contest, he took it and swallowed some.

"It isn't much, and I don't know if you like sweet things, but it is all I have right now a sweet, red bean paste bun. It helps get the taste out of your mouth and throat." With that said, Lucy handed him the bun before getting her own and biting into it.

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Rogue's P.O.V.

As soon as Frosch had come out of the bathroom, he saw what she had meant by Duckie suit. It looked adorable on Frosch, and he told his exceed as much when asked, though his eyes remained trained on Lucy as she came out of the bathroom toting a small wicker basket, she had termed the clothes hamper. When their eyes had met, he took great pleasure in seeing her blush, knowing what caused it.

The fact that she was acting so self-conscious would make him teasing her later, that much more enjoyable. He knew he wasn't the best of bed patients, but he could cope with it if need be. He watched as she went about her kitchenette, getting a few glasses of water. Curious about where this was going, he recalled that the old lady had left a bottle of pills here, giving Lucy directions to give it to him.

He was not happy about taking the pills, but he would if it would help him get better. At least, that was his thought as he watched Lucy warily as she put the food and drink on the nightstand. When he caught the rather rancid smell from the pills, his stomach turned over in rebellion.

So when she spoke to him, Rogue instinctively responded with a resounding "NO!" and turned his head away. As he looked at the wall and not Lucy, hearing her speak, a sinking feeling descended upon him.

He heard her place the glass back on the nightstand and picked up something else when he felt Frosch move to his other side, wrapping his small body around his arm. Rogue whipped his head around to stare at Lucy just as she put a blowpipe in her mouth.

Silently he screamed to himself, "Are you freaking kidding me!" Then he felt her body pressing lightly against his arm, so if he moved it, there would be pain.

In a last-ditch effort, he tried to turn his head away, only to have her small hand pinch his nose hard. Pressing his lips in a thin line, Rogue willed his body to hold out, only to give in after a few seconds, which was all it took for him to watch as she brought her face closer to his.

With one strong breath, the pill left the pipe, hitting the back of his throat, his gag reflex forcing him to swallow the little offensive pill. Gasping, he stuck his tongue out, the taste seemingly sticking to it. His body stiffened, as Lucy took the blowpipe out of her mouth, and leaned closer to him. Her breath was warm and slightly ticklish on his ear as she spoke low to him. If he had been a cat, his back fur would have risen.

She was insulting him, plain and simple. She insulted him by telling him to put on his 'big boy undies.' Soon enough, he felt her stand up, watching her with angry eyes as she pulled out another bottle of pills, a different color. He curled his lips up in a fanged snarl in case she thought she could get him to take another pill, noticing as she popped one into her mouth and slammed a whole cup of water.

Her face looked rather green once she was done drinking the whole glass. Once more, she spoke to him in a friendlier voice. When she offered him a glass of water, Rogue reached out to take it, sipping carefully from it the best he could. Rogue's eyes softened when she offered him a sweet red bean paste bun.

"That will do just fine. Thank you!" Rogue said as he took it from her. As he bit into it, he realized that Frosch was still wrapped around his other arm, and looking up at the bun, drool running from the corner of his mouth onto Rogue's arm.

Smiling jovially, Rogue spoke up, "You may have half of the bun, Frosch, but first, you have to unwrap yourself from my arm."

That was all it took for Frosch to let go and sit beside Rogue. Ripping the bun in half, Rogue handed the other half to Frosch, who began to munch on it happily.

"So, what are your plans for today? Do you intend to stay here the whole time?" He asked, trying to keep his voice as plain and neutral as possible.

As he continued to watch her, he noted that she seemed to be avoiding meeting his gaze after the last few times since he had tried to intimidate her greatly. When she didn't respond immediately, Rogue took a closer look at her to note that she was shifting from foot to foot as if nervous.

"Do you have something you want to say to me? If so, please speak your mind," he said, knowing that he was showing a slight bit of annoyance in his voice, which got her attention.

As she met his eyes, he heard her mumble softly what sounded like an apology.

Raising an eyebrow, Rogue coughed lightly before speaking, allowing a bit of humor to color his voice, "Can you speak up? I didn't hear you, Lucy."

Lucy narrowed her eyes until they were only half open and flashing sparks at him.

"I said I am sorry for calling you a coward last night, Mr. Cheney, and for having to be rough with you just now. But I said that talking and working together will make your time here more bearable." Her voice was tight and somewhat soft when she mentioned the words sorry to him.

Lifting his right hand, he rolled it at the wrist as if to tell her to go on, enjoying the fact that she was now trying to keep her temper in check. He knew that she wouldn't openly hurt him while he was technically helpless, and seeing the wide range of emotions and expressions on her face was fascinating.

"Also, I don't have any plans other than cleaning my apartment, waiting for Master to come by with Yajima to discuss possible work while you are here, and seeing who my bodyguard will be for the day," she said, plastering a tight smile on her face, with an overly polite voice.

Once she was done, Rogue watched as Lucy turned her back to him.

"Well, I agree that it might make the time here more bearable. I won't guarantee that I will be a good bed patient. Sting always whined that I got too bored and became mischievous. So, don't complain when I am being cantankerous," he said while he watched her gather up all the dishes from last night, taking them to be washed in her sink.

He was candid with her, but he didn't feel he had to get along with her since she was a fairy from his guild's rival guild.

TBC!