Lalu One-shots

by ThornsandRoses12

A compilation of Lalu one-shots. Pairing Laxus x Lucy. I will post all my one-shots here because it will be easier to manage.

7. Chapter 7: Case of Mistaken Identity

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

AN: This is a modern AU. I wanted to write something like this so tell me how you feel about it. I don't know why this took me so long to write XD. Layla is alive and things are a little different for the sake of the plot in which you will soon find out. Regarding how long Laxus was in the force, in New York you can take the police entrance exam at 17. Laxus is 27, Lucy is 24 and Loke is 25. I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I AM OPEN TO REQUESTS OR THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE WITH THIS PAIRING. I think it would be an enjoyable challenge for me and it will make me push myself. As always, enjoy and I love hearing any feedback.

"Hey man, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think your mom is cheating on your stepfather," Laxus told Loke over the phone, as he looked at the scene in front of him incredulously. Normally he would mind his business, but since this involved two of his close friends, he knew he had to say something.

Laxus's superior officer, Captain Gildarts Clive, recently got married a few months ago to a woman named Layla Heartfillia who was a nurse. They met when he had to get his appendix removed, and she was the nurse in charge to look after him while he recovered. Both were smitten with each other and bonded over how difficult it was raising children in a single household. After months of courting the woman and dating, they finally got married. He had one child from his previous relationship; a daughter named Cana, and she had two children from her previous relationship: a daughter named Lucy and a son named Loke. He knew Cana because she was the owner of the bar police officers liked to frequently go to after work hours, and he knew of Loke because he worked in the precinct with him. To this day he has not met Lucy but has heard of her from Loke, Cana, and Gildarts.

Laxus thought things were going well between the two, with him constantly gushing on and on about how beautiful and wonderful Layla is to the point it annoyed everyone in the precinct. If she made him a packed lunch, he would show it off to everyone and brag how lucky he was to bag a woman like her as his wife. Despite being a nuisance sometimes, Laxus was glad to see him settled down again after losing Cornelia and was finally happy. Imagine his surprise when he went to get his morning coffee from a nearby cafe and saw her hanging out with another man. His first reaction was to call Loke and let him know what was going on.

"What do you mean," he heard Loke say. "My mom's supposed to be on her shift at the hospital. You sure it's her?" Loke was puzzled. His mother was not the type of person to commit adultery, nor would she play hooky. Plus, she was very much in love with Gildarts, so this situation made little sense to him.

"I'm pretty sure it's her. I recognize her from the millions of wedding pictures Gildarts texted everyone." Laxus knew what Layla looked like. Beautiful curvy blonde woman. Her picture was in Gildarts's wallet, along with a picture of Cana that he would constantly show everyone. Although this time she was wearing glasses, it didn't mean he couldn't recognize her.

Loke was leaning back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the desk in front of him as he mulled over what Laxus just told him. He had an idea. It was probably his sister, Lucy. It wasn't the first time people mistook the two. "She wouldn't happen to be wearing glasses," he asked, deeply hoping it was Lucy because he wanted to mess with her.

Laxus was perplexed. Why is Loke's mom wearing glasses important to him? "Yeah," he said, unsure of why this was significant to Loke.

"What about her earrings? Are they heart-shaped," Loke inquired further, trying to contain the glee in his voice. Loke gave those earrings to Lucy for her birthday, and it was something she wore all the time.

"Why do you want to know what kind of earrings she's wearing," asked Laxus, exasperated, getting fed up with Loke. "Your mom is with another man, is this seriously the question you are going to ask me."

"Trust me. It's important," Loke insisted.

Laxus let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. He took a quick peek at 'Layla' and saw that she was indeed wearing heart-shaped earrings. "Yes, she's wearing heart-shaped earrings." He could have sworn he heard Loke mutter 'perfect'.

Loke shifted in his seat and leaned forward. He tried to contain his excitement at what he was going to make Laxus do to his sister, who was obviously on a date from the way Laxus described the situation. Something needed to be done about that.

"Okay, man. Here's what you are going to do. You are going to confront them," Loke instructed.

"What," yelled Laxus loudly. When he saw people staring at him, he lowered his voice and whispered harshly. "Why am I going to confront them? She's your mom."

"Because I'm at work. You know I take my job seriously," answered Loke.

"Yeah, if you count lazing around most of the time and flirting with our co-workers, working," said Laxus sarcastically.

"I'm gathering intel so that I can do my work efficiently," replied Loke and changed the subject. "Anyway, enough about me, let's get to the matter at hand. I need you to confront them and put her in her place so that she would never think of committing such infidelity ever again." He added, "And don't hang up, I need to hear the whole thing."

"Fine," sighed Laxus and looked at his now cold coffee. Might as well put it to good use, he thought, heading towards the 'couple'.

Lucy's P.O.V

Lucy sat nervously in her seat by the window, waiting for Jiemma Orland to show up to their meeting. After many calls and requests to meet him, he finally agreed to set a meeting up with her in person. She hoped things would go well with him and he would agree to donate money to the school she works at.

"Miss Heartfillia," a gruff, impatient voice called, causing Lucy to look up at the speaker. She raised her head to see Jiemma Orland wearing an expensive suit with a scowl on his face.

"Yes, that's me." Lucy internally winced at how high and awkward her voice sounded. She raised her hand for a handshake, but he brushed it off, sitting down in the empty seat in front of her. "How rude," thought Lucy with a neutral smile on her face. Just bear with it till the meeting ends. No reason to make a potential donor upset.

"Let's get this over with," said Jiemma, apathetically, who clearly looked like he didn't want to be there. "I'm a very busy man and I have more important things to do and important places to be."

"Of course," said Lucy, plastering a fake smile on her face. She couldn't believe how rude this person was, but he was one of the candidates the school came up with that was eligible to provide more funds for the school. He had the money and the connections they wanted to get. She was just unlucky that the school tasked her with this job.

Lucy took out a binder from her tote bag and placed it on the table, facing Jiemma's direction. She opened the binder to a certain page and started her proposal. She explained what she does for a living, the history of her school, the programs it wanted to offer and how important his contribution was to the school.

"... and that concludes my proposal," finished Lucy, mentally cheering herself when her voice didn't waver once. "Questions," she asked, hoping she piqued his interest and would offer a hefty contribution.

"Yes, I have one," said Jiemma, crossing his arms across his chest, scowl still present on his face. "How does giving your school money benefit me in the long run?"

Lucy, who was prepared for this type of question, was about to respond, when suddenly a rude blonde man walked up to their table and dumped his coffee all over her. It spilled not just on her, but on her binder as well, staining them, making it soggy and sticky. Some of the liquid splashed onto Jiemma's expensive suit, who looked absolutely furious.

Lucy was frozen in shock for a few seconds, trying to process what just happened. Pure rage displayed on her face at the audacity of what this stranger just did, and she stood up from her seat to give him a good earful. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you blind? Why would you purposely dump coffee on us?"

"That's what you get for being a whore," the stranger glared at her. He pointed to Jiemma and continued. "Gildarts gave his heart to you and you just took it, smashing it into a million pieces. You couldn't be satisfied with the best dude in the world and latched your claws into this ugly buffoon. What does he have that Gildarts doesn't? Is it money? If that's the case, you're a greedy bitch."

"What on Earth are you talking about," snapped Lucy. This guy was ruining everything, and he was accusing her of cheating on Gildarts, her stepfather of all people.

He shook his head in disappointment at her. "Your true colors have been revealed. I was not expecting this from you, Layla," Laxus spat out, venom laced in his voice.

Lucy was about to argue that her name wasn't Layla when she heard Jiemma scream her name in anger.

"Miss Heartfillia," yelled Jiemma, causing the two blondes to stop arguing and look at him. "Not only have my clothes been ruined, but your acquaintance has also insulted me. If you are like this, I can only imagine how the rest of the staff at FTES are." He took a bunch of napkins and started wiping the coffee off his jacket. "I'll take my business elsewhere, good day." He left the cafe.

No, no, no, no, no, thought Lucy frantically as she watched Jiemma leave. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go.

She turned around to face the stranger again and poked his chest with her finger. "I can't believe you! You ruined everything," exclaimed Lucy.

Laxus gave her a smug smirk, infuriating her further. "You're just upset that I scared your boy-toy away, Layla."

Lucy wanted to throttle the man in front of her. She never met him, and she's pretty sure her mother doesn't know him either, or else he would have known the difference between the two of them. Why the hell is this douche accusing her mom of adultery. She's certainly not going to let him get away with it. "First of all, I ain't cheating on no one. Second, my name is Lucy, not Layla. Layla is my mother. Third, how dare you accuse my mom of cheating on Gildarts. She loves the man," she says, poking his chest after listing each point.

Laxus swats her hand away from his chest, her poking annoying him. "Nice try, lady. I've been a cop for almost 10 years. I've heard better lies than this. Shame on you for using your daughter's name. You're gonna have to try harder to fool me," he retorted.

Lucy growled at him in frustration. Why isn't he listening to her? "I'm not lying and I have proof." She goes through her bag to get her phone and starts swiping through her photo album until she finds the picture she's looking for. It was a picture of her mom's marriage to Gildarts. It had all of them together in it, her, Layla, Loke, Cana and Gildarts. "See," she says, putting the phone in his face. "That's me and that's my mother," explains Lucy, pointing to their respective pictures.

Laxus paled when he saw the picture of the two blondes. The resemblance was uncanny. They almost looked like twins. If one wasn't careful, they could easily mistake the two. "Oh my god," said Laxus, feeling embarrassed at what he just did and tried to fix the mess he just caused to a stranger. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were Layla, and you were cheating on Gildarts."

"Well, I'm not," huffed Lucy crossing her arms across her chest, feeling sticky. "And my mom's a nice woman. She would never do something like that." Lucy paused when she heard laughing coming from his shirt pocket.

"Um. I think your shirt is laughing," pointed out Lucy. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion because that laugh sounded very familiar to her.

Laxus quickly whipped his phone out of his pocket to berate Loke. As he brought the phone to his ear, he heard Loke laughing his ass off. "Loke! You asshole! Look what you made me do," he chastised, mentally plotting different ways to kill the ginger.

Loke wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, trying to calm his laughter. "Hey, all I said was confront them. I said nothing about pouring coffee over them." His voice suddenly turned serious and threatening. "By the way, I don't appreciate you calling my sister a whore or a bitch." He quickly changed back to his cheery disposition. "But I'll let it pass this time because I got what I wanted," he chirped happily.

Lucy's eyes widened in recognition when she heard Loke's name come out of the stranger's mouth, confirming her suspicions. She snatched the stranger's phone from his grasp, ignoring the hey of protest, and yelled at Loke. "That wasn't funny, Loke! You have no clue what you just did! You better hide because if I find you, I'll make you wish you were never born," she warned and hung up the phone.

Loke gulped, feeling terrified for his life. Maybe he went too far. She wouldn't actually kill him, right? Nahhhhh, he thought, leaning back in his chair, his hands behind his head. She always forgave him after a prank. What made this any different?

Lucy hung up the phone and handed it back to the stranger, who was still gaping at her in shock. She grabbed the front of the jacket and pulled him out of the cafe. "You're going to come with me to Loke and you will hold him down while I ruin his precious face," said Lucy darkly. "Because knowing him, he's going to run away like a little bitch."

Laxus gulped. He so did not want to be Loke, feeling slightly afraid but strangely aroused at the same time. Okay, he had a thing for headstrong women that liked to take control sometimes. He let her drag him all the way to the police station where he worked.

"Loke," a high-pitched voice echoed throughout the precinct. Loke jumped from his seat and tried to find a place to hide, but to no avail. Loke flinched every time the sound of stomping came closer and closer to his office. He quickly hid under his desk when he heard the doorknob jiggle.

"I know your cardboard pasty white ass is in here, Loke," baited Lucy, knowing that Loke's vanity will cause him to slip up and reveal his location.

Loke scoffed and slightly rose his head to glare at Lucy, "How dare you call my ass a cardboard! Do you not see how firm and muscular it is?" Loke was so busy explaining to Lucy why his ass was the best that he did not notice the hulking blonde behind him.

Loke was cut off from his explanation where a pair of hands grabbed him into a Full Nelson. "Let go of me, you brute! This is assault, you hear me. Assault," yelled Loke.

"Have at it, lady," a familiar voice called out causing Loke to struggle even more. "How could you Laxus? I thought we were friends," wailed Loke, knowing fully well that he couldn't get out of that hold and that Lucy was going to ruin his face.

"Sorry Loke. It was either going to be you or me. And I'd rather it be you." Laxus tried to sound apologetic but failed to keep his smirk at bay. He was finding the whole situation to be funny. Loke, self-proclaimed lover of the female race, was terrified of his little sister.

Very hot sister, Laxus mentally added. He took the chance to fully admire her. Even though she was covered in his coffee, her beauty still seemed to shine through. Looking closer, he could actually see the differences between Lucy and Layla.

Knowing that trying to convince Laxus was futile, Loke turned towards Lucy, hoping she would spare him when he saw her raise her fist in the air towards his face. "Come on, Lucy. Not the face! It was just a joke! You can go on more dates in the future!"

Lucy lowered her arm, to Loke's relief, but she was strangely quiet. She lowered her head, looking at the floor, her bangs covering her eyes and fists clenched on her sides. She mumbled something, but it was too low for anyone to hear.

"What did you say," Loke asked Lucy to repeat herself, straining his ear to make out what Lucy was saying.

"I said it wasn't a date," yelled Lucy, causing Loke and Laxus to flinch. She said in a lower voice, "He was supposed to be a donor for my school. But like always, you can't mind your own damn business, interfering with everything I do."

"Lucy I was just looking at for…," protested Loke trying to explain himself. He really didn't know that she was meeting a donor today.

"For what Loke! I'm a grown woman. Not every guy I interact with is trying to get into my pants! Will it kill you to trust me for once?" Lucy took a deep breath to calm herself and kept her tears at bay. "I can't take this anymore. I can't let you get away with this. You went too far this time. We're through." Lucy swung on her heel and left the room, heading towards a bathroom so that she could somewhat salvage her appearance.

Lucy entered the bathroom and wetted some paper towels to try to get rid of the coffee stains, but to no avail. She let out a cry of frustration and threw them in the trash can. She leaned against the wall to think.

The stressful events of the last few hours finally caught up to her and slid down the wall until her bottom hit the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head there, attempting to muffle the sobs that escaped her mouth. She never felt so humiliated in her life. This was the final straw. Loke constantly interfered in her life, claiming it was for her protection. She's a grown woman for crying out loud, how much more protecting does she need.

It was worse when they were young though, but he softened over the years. Although she knew where Loke's protectiveness came from, she still required some room to breathe and needed him to trust that she could make rational decisions.

Their father belonged to a wealthy family who did not approve of Jude being with Layla, and he cut off all ties with them to marry their mother, taking on her surname. When their father passed away in a car accident when she was 12, they were all a mess. His family members came by to the funeral to offer their condolences, but none of them offered any assistance. Those who did wanted to solicit their mom for sex or be their mistress, which she quickly refused. It's where Loke's distrust of people, specifically of men, started and where he vowed to take care of them as the man of the house.

Lucy appreciated all the sacrifices he made for their family, which was why she was quick to forgive him and his antics. The only time she stepped in was when Gildarts was dating their mother and wanted to propose. He differed from other men, and he made their mother genuinely happy, something she wasn't 100% since Jude died.

Feeling a little chilly, Lucy finally got up from the ground, taking off her glasses that were stained with tears, and washed her face and hands. She decided to head home to her apartment and take a proper shower there, washing the events away. She left the bathroom, and saw the stranger, whose name she found out to be Laxus, standing in front of the bathroom door with an anxious look and a pair of clothes in his hands.

Before she could say something, Laxus quickly cut her off. "U-um, I brought you a change of clothes. Their mine. Don't worry about them being dirty, they are clean. I always wash my clothes, with the good stuff. Wouldn't want you to leave here with ruined clothes. Of course it's my fault your clothes are like that. Although now that I think about it, they may be a bit big on you, actually very big, but I didn't know what else to get on such short notice," Laxus finished his ramble, looking slightly flustered.

He didn't mean to hear her cry. When he saw Lucy storm away, he told Loke to stay put and reflect on what he did because he was the last person she wanted to see. He himself would deal with Loke later. Knowing that it would be difficult to get the stains out without proper cleaning, he took his spare clothes out of his locker to give it to her. He headed towards the women's bathroom and was about to knock on it when he heard the sound of her sobbing. He felt heart twist in pain because he knew he was partially responsible for those tears. He didn't know what to do, so he just stood there waiting for her to come out.

"I can understand if you don't want my clothes. I bet I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I really am genuinely sorry for what I did. If I knew what was going on, I would have never done it. I'm actually not the type to do these things. I usually mind my business but when I thought it was something to do with Gildarts but I had to do something for my friend," Laxus continued to ramble when he saw Lucy stare blankly at him.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Lucy finally did something. She moved forward and hesitantly took the clothes from his arms, which were a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. She whispered, "Thank you", staring at the ground. Laxus didn't know what to do, so he also stared at the ground.

After another few seconds of silence, with Lucy looking at the ground and Laxus rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, she continued to speak. "I know I should be angry at you, but I can't bring myself to do it. You were also a victim of this prank. And for what it's worth, Gildarts is lucky to have a friend like you who cares about him." She slowly looked up and gave him a small smile.

Laxus felt his breath hitch at the smile Lucy gave him. To be honest, her reaction caught him off guard. He was expecting her to scream and claw at him, going all Rage of Sparta on him. He even braced himself for it because he deserved it. He continued to stare at her in shock, causing her to giggle at him.

"I get the feeling that you are not used to dealing with rational and emotionally stable people." Lucy bit the side of her mouth to prevent the smirk from showing on her face.

Damn. She had him all figured out. Not just the people he put behind bars, but even his coworkers had eccentric personalities. Laxus finally decided he had a mouth and should use it. He joked back. "Yeah, it's part of the job description. Dealing with irrational and emotionally unstable people." He was bold with his next request. "Let me take you home. It's the least I can do. After you change, of course," Laxus said quickly when she gave him a questioning look.

Lucy tried to protest because she didn't want to keep him from doing his work, but he assured her that today was a lazy day, he was doing paperwork and he could afford to take an hour off to bring her home.

When Lucy changed and left the bathroom, Laxus couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked in his sweatshirt, which was oversized for her and shorts that were baggy on her. She also had her hair in a side braid with her glasses off, and Laxus could get a clearer look on her face.

She really pretty is, thought Laxus, continuing to glance at Lucy from the corner of his eye as they walked out of the building towards his car. Although Loke's methods are unorthodox, I don't blame him for trying to keep guys away from her. If I had a sister who I cared about, I probably would have acted just as ridiculous.

Contrary to want people believed, Laxus had little experience with women. It didn't mean that he wasn't popular with them or had a girlfriend or two. He just wasn't the playboy people expected him to be.

Growing up, he was too busy trying to do well in school so that he could get away from his abusive father that he didn't have time to date or care about girls. When his father passed from a drug overdose, he was sent to live with his grandfather, so things got a little easier. However, things were still busy for him because he was trying to achieve his goal of becoming a police officer.

Even then, because of his job, he found little time to date. Those he did date never stayed long. None of them understood his job was demanding, complaining that he never spent a lot of time with them. He tried, he really did, but none of them appreciated his efforts, so he's been out of the game for a while.

Laxus led Lucy out to the parking lot where his car was parked and opened the door for her like a gentleman. She thanked him and gave him another small smile, causing his heart to beat faster. He had a weakness for pretty blondes, well those without a criminal history.

God dammit. I'm acting like a fucking inexperienced teenage, thought Laxus as he sat in the driver's seat, buckled his seatbelt and drove out of the parking spot. He pulled into the street and realized he didn't know where to go. Laxus cleared his throat, hoping his voice didn't waver. "So where should I drop you off?" This sounded way better than hey where do you live.

"I live on Strawberry Street." Lucy kept her eyes in front on the road.

Laxus recognized the place. It was a good place to live, and he lived around the area. "With Loke or…"

"No, by myself." Lucy shook her head. "I started living alone when Gildarts married my mom, and I've been wanting to become more independent for a while." She actually wanted to move out earlier but was worried about leaving her mom alone since Loke had a place of his own as well. When she married, Layla moved in with Gildarts and Lucy knew her mom was in excellent hands.

"That's good. Being independent is good," said Laxus, trying to make small talk with Lucy and the atmosphere less awkward.

"Yes. Yes it is," she responded, looking at the hands in her lap, and after that there was silence in the car.

After a few minutes it seemed Laxus couldn't take the silence, so he decided to ask something that was in his mind. "Excuse my language but how the fuck are you related to Loke." Laxus kept his eyes on the road. "He's so… unique and you're so nice and normal. You sure he's not adopted." Loke was the biggest flirt on the planet but was fiercely protective of his family. He heard stories from Gildarts of some of the shit he made him go through.

"Well, we came out of the same womb so if that doesn't prove we're related then I got nothing for you." Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "You're the cop. You could conduct a DNA test if you're still not sure," she joked, causing him to grin.

"Hmmm, it's quite tempting." Laxus continued the charade. "But I'm afraid of what I will find."

"Which is?"

"He might be a certified weirdo."

Lucy let out a few giggles, causing him to feel proud. It was nice to find someone who understands his sense of humor, and he wasn't exactly known as the guy who can make girls laugh.

Lucy lightly smacked his arm. "Stop making fun of him! He's my brother, you know!"

"But you laughed at him right now."

"I'm his sister. I'm allowed to laugh at him. But I'd rather you not tell him that."

"And why is that?"

"Because then I'll have to kill you." Lucy tried to hold back a smile. "This is a good place to stop." Time flew by so fast that they almost passed her apartment building.

Laxus stopped in front of an apartment building. The car ride was too short for Laxus's taste. He enjoyed talking with her.

Lucy thanked him for the ride and got out of the car. Before she left to go inside, Laxus had something to say. "Umm. I'm sorry for calling you a bitch and a whore. Actually, I should apologize to your mom since those words were directed towards her, but I said them to you. Meaning I should apologize to both of you. I'm sorry," he finished with a burn in his cheeks. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him today. He couldn't even speak properly to a girl. He wanted to bash his head against the wheel. "If you want, I can make Loke suffer by giving him extra paperwork."

Lucy shook her and smiled at his awkward but sincere apology. "No thank you, but I appreciate the effort. Plus, I plan on making Loke suffer a different way."

"Oh, really. How?" He was curious.

"By giving him the silent treatment." It might seem simple, but it was the most effective punishment. Loke was a social butterfly who loved to rant and gossip. He hated when people ignored him. She planned on not talking to him until he learned his lesson.

That did not surprise Laxus, and it seemed like a Lucy thing to do. Loke was that one person in every workplace who had the tea and loved spilling the tea. You deny him this right; it drives him nuts. "Can't wait to see him squirm and hey for what it's worth. Loke may be crazy but I know he has a good heart and is a hard worker. You're lucky to have a sibling that looks out for you."

Laxus felt a little jealous. It was something Laxus himself wanted as well. A sibling bond. Maybe it would have made his time with Ivan more bearable, having someone have his back. However, at the same time he was grateful he didn't have a sibling, so they didn't suffer like he did.

Lucy bid him goodbye, and he watched Lucy enter her apartment building. He started his car and headed back to the station to finish his work for the day. He mentally planned different ways to make up to the beautiful blonde and hopefully meet her again.

A few days later

Laxus felt like the biggest jerk in the entire world. He felt further worse about himself when he found out what Lucy does for a living and what she was trying to accomplish by convincing Jimena to donate to the school she works at. Cana told him that Lucy taught kindergartners at the local elementary school. The school board planned a lot of different school trips to expose the kids to different cultures and occupations. It was to help them motivate and develop interests in a subject to help them learn and experience firsthand the information they learn in the classroom. Due to lack of funding; they weren't able to fund a lot of the school field trips, nor did they have connections to those institutions. They gave Lucy the task to talk to potential donors and convince them why they should donate.

Of course, I ruined the whole thing by opening my big fat mouth. I should have minded my own business. But most of all, I shouldn't have listened to Loke, he thought bitterly.

"Hello," chirped Gildarts when he strolled up to Laxus's desk, who had his head slumped on the desk. Laxus felt further irked by his appearance. He was part of the reason he was in this situation.

"Go away." he murmured, not moving an inch. Laxus was in a foul mood, and Gildarts's cheery disposition was making him angrier by the minute. Plus, it was never good news when Gildarts came to you. It meant that he wanted something done.

"Geez. Nice to see you too, Laxus. I'm doing just as well. Thank you for asking," responded Gildarts sarcastically.

"Whatever it is you're asking me to do, I won't do it. Be it joining you for drinks, writing up your reports, or helping you kill time," rejected Laxus immediately. Laxus had far more important things to worry about, most importantly how to make it up to Lucy. Although he was told that Lucy found another donor thanks to Cana, he still wanted to make a proper apology because he embarrassed her in public and called her not so pleasant names.

… And he may or may not want to see her again.

Gildarts takes the rejections with a chill smile on his face and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, your loss," he sang. "I was going to offer you a suggestion that will get you in Lucy's good graces, but if you want me to leave, I'll do just that," he said as he turned around to walk away.

Laxus perked up when he heard that. He decided to swallow his pride and ask Gildarts for help, since he probably knows Lucy best after Loke. "Wait," he pleaded. "Tell me how I can make it up to her."

Gildarts looked at him with a big grin on his face, causing Laxus to feel worried. I don't like that smile; Laxus thought.

Gildarts had the perfect idea. It was killing two birds with one stone. One, it was going to help Lucy and two; it was going to upset Loke, something Gildarts was looking forward to. Loke made him suffer a lot when he was courting Layla, being against it from the beginning, and went to great lengths to cause problems for him. Loke was very protective of his mother and sister to the point he would deliberately scare guys away from them or sabotage their dates.

Gildarts owed a lot to Lucy because if it wasn't for her, him and Layla wouldn't have gotten together or gotten married. She supported the relationship from the beginning and would rein Loke in whenever he tried to go too far or got too overprotective. She even convinced him to accept the relationship, which he did eventually with a lot of reluctance.

Laxus looked up to see Gildarts placing a cardboard box on his desk. The feeling of dread grew as Laxus ruffled through the box, pulling out a familiar costume and headpiece. His eyes went wide open in shock when he realized what Gildarts was asking him to do.

"Congratulations," chirped Gildarts, patting Laxus on the back. "You are now officially Officer Leo Lionheart." Gildarts bit the side of his lip to keep himself from laughing at Laxus's gaping mouth. "Lucy is so grateful that you volunteered."

Lucy would do safety week for her students. On different days of the week, different people from different fields would come into her classroom and teach the kindergartners the importance of safety in different situations. A doctor one day, a firefighter on another, a police officer on another, and so on. It was pretty popular among the parents and faculty, so Gildarts always sent an officer representing their precinct.

Officer Leo Lionheart was a skit Loke would put on for the kids when it was his turn to present. It was very well received among the kids and he's been doing it for 3 years straight now, 2 for Lucy's class.

Laxus was still looking at the costume in shock. There was no way on Earth he was going to sing and dance about how cool cops are, like a fool. That was Loke's thing. He shook his head to break out of his stupor.

"Look, I'll do the gig," explained Laxus, putting the costume away and pushing the box as far away as possible without it falling over his desk. "But I am not going as Officer Leo Lionbutt." He pointed to the box in disgust. He already had to talk to little kids, something way out of his comfort zone. There's no way he's embarrassing himself in front of them. If he was going to teach them about safety, he was going to do it his way.

"Lionheart," corrected Gildarts.

"Whatever." Laxus waved him off. "When is it," he asked. He needed to know how much time he had to prepare for something appropriate and engaging. It looks like he had a lot of research to do.

Gildarts shrugged his shoulders and picked his ear as he looked away from Laxus. "Tomorrow around 11:30," he responded.

Laxus's eyes bulged once more. He looked at the clock on his desk and it read 10:30 pm, his eyes widening once more. At this point he felt his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets at all the unknown information he was receiving.

Laxus glared at Gildarts, who didn't have a care in the world. "And you couldn't tell me this earlier." All he got in response was a shrug. He was going to have to pull an all-nighter. He couldn't head in blindly. This was probably going to be the hardest assignment in his career.

The Next Day

Laxus was standing outside of the Fairy Tail Elementary School's entrance in his uniform. "I'm here," he whispered, looking at the empty playground. He looked at his watch and read 11:00. He arrived early so he could meet up with Lucy to discuss what he was supposed to do for the kids. He felt nervous at the thought of meeting all those kids and hoped that he could make a good first impression on them. He took a deep breath and entered the building.

Laxus made his way to the visitor's desk and got a visitor's pass from the person sitting there named Bisca from the name tag he read. She had long green hair and was wearing a cowboy hat, but who was he to judge what people should or shouldn't wear. He was about to leave to head towards Lucy's classroom when he realized he forgot to ask for her room number. He hesitantly asked for help from Bisca. "Um, excuse me. Do you know where Miss Heartfillia's classroom is? I'm supposed to meet up with her and give a presentation to her students."

Bisca gave him a kind smile. Lucy already informed her she was having a police officer come and talk to her students about the importance of safety. "Luckily, you're on the right floor." She pointed him in the right direction. "Just go down the hall. It's the last room on the left numbered 130. She should be in there right now."

Laxus thanked her and went to room 130. He knocked on the door and saw Lucy open the door with a smile. "Come in. Come in," she beckoned and moved to the side to let him inside the classroom. "I really can't thank you enough. I'm just cleaning up after them and setting everything up. Things tend to get messy at this time," she said sheepishly.

Laxus couldn't but look around the room. There were pre-school size tables and chairs with a big rug near the front of the chalkboard that had the alphabet and numbers written on it. It was very colorful, but neat at the same time. He saw the kid's bookbags hung in their cubby in the corner and their art displayed in different parts of the room. It was something one would expect from a kindergarten classroom.

"I dropped the kids off at lunch and they will arrive at 11:30. It gives us 30 minutes to prepare. I printed out some worksheets and activities the kids had to work on," she said as they headed towards her desk. "So they have some knowledge of safety rules."

"Is there anything you need me to do regarding your presentation," Lucy says as she turned to look at Laxus expectantly. "Today's a half day, so when you're done, the kids will be dismissed to the cafeteria where the parents will pick them up."

"Actually, I was wondering if we can have the demonstration outside," stated Laxus, continuing to look around. "I noticed the crosswalk in front, and there isn't a lot of traffic right now." Laxus wanted to smack himself. Of course, a school would have a crosswalk right in front of it. "After we go over a few safety tips, they can actually act it out with supervision, of course."

Lucy smiled at his suggestion. "It sounds like a great idea! Let me run it by the principal first and get his approval. If he gives us the thumbs up, we'll proceed." Lucy was about to leave the room when she added, "There are some markers in the top drawer of my desk. You can write whatever you want on the whiteboard." Lucy skipped out of the room.

Laxus went to her desk and pulled out a blue marker. He headed to the board and wrote Safety Tips To Follow. He turned around to the sound of the door opening and saw Lucy enter the room with a smile on her face.

"The principal gave us the go. As long as you and I are there to supervise them, things should go well," explained Lucy as walked closer to him, standing beside Laxus, watching him write on the board. "And again, I can't thank you enough. The children are very excited to meet you."

Laxus snorted. "You're just saying that so I won't feel bad. Most kids run away or are uncomfortable around me." He was a little hurt when tried to comfort a lost little boy who was crying. All he did was make the kid cry harder. He was told it was because he mostly scowled and had a scary smile.

Lucy shook her head and smiled. "No. I'm serious. The children here love safety week. They love seeing their heroes in uniform, explaining their job and how they help people. Children are the future of our society. Who knows, you might inspire a kid or two to become a police officer?"

Laxus paused in his writing as he remembered his kindergarten experience. What Lucy was saying was correct. It was how he became a cop in the first place. A cop came into their classroom explaining his job, how he wanted to help people, put the bad guys away, and keep them safe. He inspired Laxus, and he ended up becoming a cop just like him.

"And for what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't come in as Officer Leo Lionheart. The costume head scares the crap out of me." Lucy giggled, causing Laxus to chuckle as well. She looked at the clock and gasped. "Oh, look at the time. I have to get the kids." She placed a comforting hand on his arm. "Just be yourself and don't overthink it." She gave him another smile and left the room.

Laxus gulped. This is it. He better not screw this up. He gave himself a once-over and fixed his appearance, making sure everyone this was in place.

The children shuffled in, chattering, and took their seats, settling down when their teacher told them to. They all stared at Laxus in awe and curiosity, causing Laxus to feel slightly nervous.

Laxus cleared his throat and adjusted his cap. "Good morning class, my name is Officer Dreyar. I am a police officer and I am here today to teach you all about safety." He provided eye contact with his audience. Good. It seemed they were paying attention and focusing. "Ms. Heartfillia told me you have been learning about safety all week. Can anyone tell me some safety tips people need to follow?"

At his question, a lot of tiny hands were raised in the air, waiting to be called on. He called on the little girl in front of him who was wearing a cowboy hat. Maybe she was related to the woman in the front. "Yes, Asuka," he read off her nametag.

"Hello Mr. Police Officer. My name is Asuka Connell. We are very happy to have you here today in our class," she stated excitedly, causing his heart to melt a little. "One safety tip my mommy and daddy told me to follow is to not talk to strangers."

Laxus nodded at that. "Yes, Asuka, that's correct." He went to the whiteboard and wrote it there. "Does anyone know why you shouldn't talk to strangers?" He turned around and saw tiny hands raised again. He decided to call on someone else this time. A boy this time. He pointed to one and read his nametag, "Yes, Romeo?"

The little boy rose from his seat and saluted Laxus to his amusement. "Yes, sir! My name is Romeo Conbolt!" He stood straight with his hands at his sides. "Because they can be evil monsters in disguise. They'll try to take you away from the people you love and eat you!"

At Romeo's monster and eat comment, a lot of the kids started to panic and tear up to Laxus's dismay.

"I don't want to be eaten!"

"I don't taste good!"

"I'm a good girl!"

"I want my mommy!"

Lucy tried to soothe the kids who were crying, but to no avail. She sighed. Romeo was a great kid but had an overactive imagination. This wasn't the first time something like this happened.

Laxus internally was panicking as well, but stepped to the plate and calmed the situation. "Don't worry, monsters aren't real, and if they are, I am here to protect you." He pulled out his handcuffs and displayed them to the class, who's crying quieted down at the sight of them. "It is my job to put bad guys in jail. I use these handcuffs to make sure they won't run away."

"Really," called out one kid in a hopeful tone.

"Really," he responded with a small smile. He put his hand over his chest. "I swear on my badge to protect the good guys and put away the bad guys." He really meant it, and it was something he swore when he first got his badge, following it ever since.

A lot of whispering happened amongst the children, and Laxus could hear bits and pieces of the conversation since the whispers were pretty loud.

"He's a cop! He must be telling the truth!"

"Plus, he swore! On his badge!"

"Yeah! He even pulled out his secret weapon, his handcuffs!"

"Maybe he'll let us touch it!"

"Let's ask him!"

A blonde by the name of Eve spoke up. "Hey Mr. Police Officer, can we see your handcuffs?"

"Yeah! We want to see them!"

Laxus looked to Lucy for permission, who nodded her head. With her approval, he passed his handcuffs and a spare around for the kids to look at. They were all muttering words like 'cool' and 'awesome'. He was a little surprised at how invested they were in the cuffs. Guess kids find the strangest things interesting. Then he had an idea.

"Do you want to see a real police cruiser," asked Laxus when he got his cuffs back. He tried hard not to laugh at the children trying to contain their excitement. Bouncing in their seats, their sparkling wide eyes and gaping mouths.

Simultaneously, they all turned around to their teacher with puppy eyes and begged. "Please! Ms. Heartfillia, can we see?"

Laxus covered his mouth with his hand to muffle his laughter. He was having a lot more fun than he thought.

Lucy shook her head in disbelief at her students' actions and smiled. "Fine!" She raised her finger in the air. "But you must form two lines, single file, and pair up with your buddy! Officer Dreyar will show you some safety tips to use outside, so please pay attention and listen to him!"

"Yes, Ms. Heartfilia!" The kids scrambled to the front of the room to do what their teacher told them. One boy was paired with one girl and they held hands together.

"Hurry up, Ms. Heartfillia! We're ready," shouted Romeo, who was holding hands with Asuka.

"Okay, okay," said Lucy, laughing. She grabbed her phone and keys and put them in her pocket. She turned to Laxus. "If you could go to the front and guide them outside. I have to lock up so I'll be in the rear making sure they don't lag or stray."

"No problem," he nodded and went to the front. He opened the door and let Lucy hold it as the kids walked out. He guided them outside to his police cruiser, which he parked in front of the school. He explained a few more safety tips, such as buckling a seatbelt and not putting their head out the window.

"You guys want to see the inside?" Laxus felt smug at all the awestruck looks the kids were giving his police cruiser. It was his pride and joy because he customized it to his tastes and made his work more efficiently with his own money.

"Yeah!"

Laxus opened his door and showed the interior of his cruiser, explaining the different devices and areas. He pressed a few buttons and turned on his siren. He pulled out his walkie and said, "you're under arrest."

"Cool!"

"I want to try!"

"Settle down class! Officer Dreyar was kind enough to show us his vehicle, but we still have to go over safety rules," Lucy reminded Laxus and her students who let out an aw.

Oh yeah, I was supposed to be teaching about safety. Got a little sidetracked there, thought Laxus as he turned his siren off and closed the door.

"Question time! What do you do when you cross the street," asked Laxus and the kids started yelling their answers.

"Look both ways!"

"Check the traffic signal."

"Hold hands!"

"Correct. Now hold your buddy's hand and let's cross the street." Laxus stands in the middle of the crosswalk as a lookout in case any cars wanted to pass through. He looks on as the children adorably follow his directions.

"Miss Heartfillia, where's your buddy," called out Asuka from the other side. "You need to hold someone's hand to cross the street."

"You're right, Asuka, but I'm an adult. I don't have to hold anyone's hand," Lucy tried to explain as she walked beside them.

"But my mommy and daddy are adults, and they hold hands when they cross the street," replied Asuka with a pout and the other students nodded in agreement.

"Why won't you hold hands with Officer Dreyar?!" Eve yelled out. "He's a boy and you're a girl, so it works out," he explained as if it was the most obvious solution in the world.

"W-what," spluttered Lucy with red cheeks as she reached the other side with her students. When did her students get so bold! She glanced at Laxus from the corner of her eye and noticed him sporting the same color on his cheeks. "Anyway, it's almost time for dismissal, so let's head back to the classroom."

Lucy led the kids back to the classroom where they gathered their stuff for dismissal. She addressed her students. "I know our time was cut short, but we are very grateful to Officer Dreyar for coming in and teaching us about safety. Please give a warm farewell to him."

"Bye!"

"Come again!"

"It was nice to meet you."

"Thank you for coming."

The kids waved farewell as they stood outside the classroom, waiting for their teacher to take them to the cafeteria for pickup.

She walked to Laxus. "Thanks for coming! The kids really had fun!" She turned to her students. "Let's go!" She walked out of the classroom with her kids, leaving Laxus standing there by himself.

He stood for a few minutes contemplating whether he should leave or wait for Lucy. "Oh. You're still here," he heard Lucy call from the door. "You could have left, you know." Lucy shut the door and walked towards her desk, gathering her things to leave for the day. "I mean you were done for the day."

Laxus tried to look nonchalant and shrugged his shoulders. "You're done. I'm done. Thought we could leave together." Internally, he was nervous. He actually wanted to ask her something, which was why he waited for her.

"Oh. Well, that was rather nice of you." She grabbed her bag and motioned to him she was leaving and he followed her. She locked the door. "But you didn't have to. I'm sure you 're busy and have to head back to the precinct."

They started walking down the hallway. He responded. "Actually Gildarts gave me the rest of the day off and I didn't really have plans so I have time on my hands."

Lucy giggled. "Every time we meet, you seem to have time on your hands." They left the school and walked towards his cruiser. "I'm guessing you're going to take me home again." She gestured to his car.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Thought we could go over my performance. What do you think?" He opened the door for her and she thanked him. "I'll be honest I thought everything was going to go wrong for me."

"You should have more confidence in yourself," Lucy gently chided him as she entered and seated herself. "I think you did a superb job. They usually lose interest quickly, so it was quite impressive you kept their attention."

"You're the impressive one. I don't know how the hell you manage to handle 20 kids in one room 5 days a week," praised Laxus as he turned the key in ignition to start the car. He was impressed. Her students were very well-behaved for their age.

"Is this custom-made," asked Lucy as she felt the armrest. It didn't seem like the standard interior for a police cruiser.

"Yeah. A friend of mine did this for me," responded Laxus, stopping at a red light. He leaned over to lift it, revealing a small table that can slide out and unfold. "Sometimes I end up working here, so I try to make things comfortable and efficient." The red light turned green, so he continued to drive. "I got everything in my trunk in case of an emergency. You never know what situation you might encounter." He even had a scuba diving kit, which he got certified for a few years ago after an incident at the beach.

"The person who did the custom work wouldn't have to have shaggy black hair," asked Lucy. She had a good feeling who it was but wanted to confirm it.

"Yeah. With red eyes," he responded. Seemed like she was talking about Gajeel, who was a pretty close friend of his. He was the only mechanic he trusted with his vehicles.

"Piercings all over, grouchy," she continued.

"You know Gajeel?!" Gajeel and Lucy didn't seem like the type to know each other. Then again, who was he to judge?

"Yeah. He's dating my best friend, Levy McGarden." What a small world.

"You wouldn't happen to be bunny girl by any chance." Gajeel would sometimes rant about his girlfriend's blonde bestie who he nicknamed bunny girl. She would recommend books to her causing his girlfriend to get so invested in them, she doesn't pay attention to her surroundings, including Gajeel.

Lucy let out a groan. "He really calls me that to other people?! I'm going to have to have a talk with him." She really thought he would stop calling her that.

Laxus chuckled. "Why bunny girl?"

"Because my other best friend lost a bet, and I was part of it. He made me wear a bunny costume as he performed a song for karaoke night so the name stuck." She leaned close to him to tell him a secret. "Trust me when I say this, but that man can't sing to save his life. I've never heard anyone sound so bad before and the sad thing is he doesn't realize it."

Laxus stopped in front of her building let out a boisterous laugh at that. It was true. Gajeel had a tendency to sing when he would work and sounded horrible. First time he heard it he thought the garage was haunted when he went to pick up his cruiser. Turns out the horrible moaning was Gajeel singing the blues.

"Thanks again for the ride," said Lucy as she got out of the cruiser. Just as she was about to close the door and head inside, she heard Laxus call her name. She cocked her head to the side and blinked owlishly. "Yes?"

So cute, Laxus thought, looking at her deep brown eyes. He felt his heart thumping in his chest and sweat running down his back as he nervously wondered how to ask her something without sounding like a fool.

"Do you um do you want to go out sometime?" Laxus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he felt the cruiser grow warm. Maybe the heater was too high. Or was it just him? "There's this restaurant called 8-Island. The owner is a friend of my Gramps. I was thinking you and I can go there to eat," he asked. He wanted to smack himself again. Of course people go to a fucking restaurant to fucking eat. "You know, get to know each other since we started off the wrong foot," he said in a somewhat hopeful tone.

After what seemed like an eternity to Laxus, Lucy opened her mouth to respond. "Sure, I'll go," giving him a bashful smile. He seemed like a good person and he regretted his previous actions towards her. Why not have a fresh start? Plus, she found him very attractive.

"Wait, what?" He couldn't believe what he just heard. He was pretty sure she said yes.

Lucy giggled at his reaction. "I said yes. I'd like to go out to dinner with you." She started shuffling through her bag to get something. "Which day?"

"How about this Saturday at 9?" It was his day off and he was pretty sure Lucy wouldn't teach that day.

"Sure, I can do that." She pulled out a notepad and a pen, scribbling something on the paper. "Here's my number." Lucy ripped it out and handed it to him. "You can text me your number and any details." She closed the door and looked at him through the window. "See you then," waving goodbye and heading upstairs.

Laxus continued to gaze at Lucy's retreating figure as it disappeared into the building. Checking to make sure no one was around, he did a victory fist pump. She said yes. He couldn't believe she said yes. He was looking forward to their date.

Saturday Evening

"Hey, Laxus, you want to go out for drinks later," called out Sting, one of his co-workers. He was standing with Gray and Bickslow, who were also officers of the law. They finished early for the day and decided to hang out at Cana's bar.

"Can't. I have a date I'm meeting there. Maybe another time," said Laxus as he put away everything on his desk. He only came in today to send in a report his partner forgot to hand in. It was very important for a case, so it had to be sent. The precinct was on the way to the bar and he had plenty of time to spare. He texted Lucy if it was fine if they met at the bar first, and she agreed.

"What," yelled the three of them as they looked at Laxus. Now that they had a clear look at him, he looked a little dressed up. He was wearing all black; a jacket, a button up and slacks, compared to his usual t-shirts, hoodies and jeans.

"D-did you put gel in your hair," spluttered Gray, looking at Laxus in astonishment. Laxus rarely went on dates, and when he did, he never put this much effort into his appearance.

"And cologne," added Bickslow as they walked over to Laxus. He leaned forward and sniffed him, jumping back when Laxus tried to swat him with a folder. "The expensive kind too."

"It's called personal hygiene," growled Laxus when the others try to sniff him too. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get to. See you tomorrow." With that closing statement, Laxus left the precinct.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking," asked Bickslow as he watched Laxus's retreating figure.

"Yep," responded Sting.

"We're going to follow him and see who this date of his is," continued Gray. She must be pretty special because it looked like Laxus was trying to impress her with the efforts in his appearance.

"Seriously, guys! Did you have nothing better to do?" Laxus scowled at the 3 idiots next to him who were watching the entrance with bated breath. "There's plenty of room here. I don't understand why you're sitting here next to me."

"We wanted front row seats in your romantic quest for love," replied Bickslow cheekily, slurping his Long Island Iced Tea quite loudly.

"Guys. Babe alert," informed Sting as a beautiful blonde in an off shoulder short burgundy dress walked into the bar. She seemed to be looking for someone as she scanned the room, holding her clutch.

Bickslow lifted his sunglasses to get a better look and whistled appreciatively. "If being sexy was a crime, she'd be guilty as charged."

"Wait a minute," said Gray as he squinted to get a better look. His eyes widened with recognition. "That's Loke's sister! Lucy!" Loke's his best friend since they were in high school so of course he'd know Lucy. He watched her perk up with a smile and waved at Laxus, who waved back with a tiny smile. "Your date is Lucy?! Loke is going to kill you!" He whispered in a horrified tone as he watched Lucy walk towards them. "Owwww," he cried out in pain when he felt someone pull his ear.

"If you know what's good for you and Loke, you'll mind your own business," called out Cana from over the counter, her hand still on Gray's ear. "You will not interfere and make this like high school where she ended up dateless/boyfriend less for three years." The four of them attended the same high school. She and Lucy were freshmen while Loke and Gray were sophomores. Loke and Gray threatened the whole male population in high school if they tried to go after Lucy, which resulted in Lucy staying single until Loke graduated.

"B-but," Gray tried to explain but got his ear pulled again as a warning.

"No buts. You are not ruining this for her." The day Laxus asked Lucy out, she called Cana excitedly that she had a date on Saturday with a cop and needed help to choose an outfit. Imagine her surprise when she found out it was Laxus who asked her out but helped Lucy choose that little number she was currently wearing.

"I'll deal with Loke if he tries to stir up trouble. It's high time he accepted the fact his baby sister grew up and can make her own decisions as an adult. That includes associating with the opposite gender," called out Lucy as she walked up to them. "Hey Gray, does Juvia know you don't have overtime today," she asked with her arms crossed over her chest, giving him a pointed look. She worked with his wife Juvia, who was a lovely woman but could get extremely paranoid at times when it came to her husband.

"Oh, hey! Look at the time! Gotta get home to my wife, who I love very much! You know what they say happy wife happy life," said Gray nervously, scrambling out the bar faster they can blink.

"Hey Cana," Lucy greeted excitedly. "Hard at work, I see." She turned to Laxus, her voice turned bashful. "Hi Laxus. Are you ready to go?"

Laxus sat there speechless, staring at Lucy. She looked beautiful. He broke out of his stupor when Cana nudged his back with her elbow. He looked back to glare at her, but got a knowing smile and raised eyebrows as a response. He cleared his throat and stood up from his seat. "Y-you look amazing, Lucy."

"Doesn't she," chirped up Cana with a grin.

"Thanks. You don't look bad yourself," responded Lucy with a blush. She noticed two people she didn't recognize watching them. "Are they your co-workers?" She pointed to Sting and Bickslow.

Laxus was about to respond when they both bumped into him and stood in front of him. Sting grabbed Lucy's hand in the air and kissed it. "Yes. We work with Laxus at the precinct. Lucy, right? My name is Sting." He gave her a wink, causing her to raise a brow.

"And I'm Bickslow," he bumped Sting to the side and grabbed Lucy's hand, shaking it up and down. "Loke failed to mention he had a sister as beautiful as you."

"And we're leaving," growled Laxus, pulling Bickslow's hand off of Lucy's. He clasped Lucy's hand with his own. "Let's go." He walked out of the bar with Lucy.

At the restaurant

After dinner, the two blondes were drinking wine at 8 Island as they shared funny stories from their line of work.

Laxus chuckled. "Tell me he didn't."

Lucy laughed. "He did. I didn't know how to grade him! Technically, he wasn't wrong. He named all the shapes, just not the way he was supposed to." She took another sip. Lucy was talking about the time she assigned homework to her students. They had to name all the shapes and Romeo took it literally. He gave actual names to the shapes. She had mixed feelings of amusement, impressed and appalled. "That kid is going to go far in life. Your turn."

Laxus took a moment to think about something funny that happened on the job. "I've encountered a lot of weird shit, but this one takes the cake. We got a call about a customer refusing to pay at a spa. He got massaged, oiled up, everything. When we tried to apprehend him was when things went downhill. I tried to grab him but he threw his robe at me and ran into the streets, naked." He heard Lucy laugh. "That's not even the worse part." Laxus chuckled as he remembered the rest of the story. "Because he was so oily every time we'd tried to grab him, our hands would just slide off and he would slip off running again. It took us two hours and 4 guys just to arrest the guy." He took another sip of his wine, chuckling.

Lucy let out another laugh. The server came over to their table with the bill. Lucy was about to open her clutch when Laxus stopped her. "I got it." He took his wallet out.

Lucy tried to protest. "But-!"

"It's fine. It's the first date, anyway."

"It's because it's the first date I want to take care of it." The notion that men had to pay for the first date was stupid to Lucy. "Or at least split it. You can take care of it next time." Her statement had an underlying message that meant she was open to going out on another date with him.

Laxus surrendered. "Fine, we'll split it." He almost didn't catch the last part of her sentence. This is good. He screwed nothing up or made a fool of himself. She was willing to go on another date with him.

They split the bill and headed out of the restaurant. He lent her his jacket because the night was cool and noticed her shivering a bit. "I have another place I want to take you if you're still up for it."

Lucy nodded her head. "Sure, let's go." The night was still young, and she wanted to spend more time with him.

"The shooting range," asked Lucy, surprised as she looked at the sign in front. This was unique. A guy never took her to a shooting range before as a first date.

"Yeah. I mean, since I saw you in your element. I thought you could see me in mine." Laxus guided her inside and showed his pass to the worker behind the booth. "This is where we practice." They walked to one booth where gear was already prepared for them.

Laxus helped Lucy put on the glasses and headphones for protection. Then he handed her a gun and showed her how to stand. "Put your hand here. Stand like this so you'll be more centered," he explained from behind, correcting her posture, placing his hands on top of hers, correcting her placement. "Focus on your target and shoot."

A few seconds later

"You sure you've never done this before," asked Laxus in shock when he saw Lucy's paper silhouette target. She almost hit all the numbers. She only missed the target on the head, which was a little reassuring. If she got that one as well, he would have thought she was secretly a professional hitman.

"Oh yeah. Despite having an overprotective brother and slightly protective stepfather in law enforcement, they have never thought of taking me to shoot guns before," she said in a monotone, trying to hide the smile that threatened to form on her face.

Laxus realized she was being sarcastic and pulling his leg the whole time. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, now I feel stupid explaining all that." He even gave her a hands-on demonstration! She was probably laughing at him the whole time as he tried to show her the proper way to shoot a target.

"I don't know about that. I thought it was quite chivalrous of you trying to help a lady in need." Lucy gave him a mischievous wink. She could see a light dusting of color on Laxus's cheeks, rising on the back of his neck to the tips of his ears. She tried to ease his embarrassment and gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, I never thought of you as stupid. I know that you had good intentions and the tips you gave were very useful." She pointed towards her target to show him what she meant. "See, this is the first time I almost hit all the targets in the first round. I haven't been able to do that under Loke's or Gildarts's guidance. It usually takes me a couple more tries."

Laxus brightened at that. So he didn't make himself look like a complete fool in front of her. So far, so good. "In that case, let's have a contest. Whoever shoots the most targets gets to choose the next location for our next date."

"You're on," Lucy smirked as she reloaded her gun like an expert.

Oh, my god that was so hot, thought Laxus as he put his own safety gear on. "And go!"

"Of course you'd win," muttered Lucy with a pout as they walked upstairs to her apartment. What was she thinking when she agreed, going up against an expert? She blamed her competitive side.

"Well, I have years of experience under my belt. But you are pretty good for someone who doesn't actually have to use a gun in their field." They stopped in front of her door. "I had a good time," he admitted truthfully. He had a great time getting to know her, and she agreed to participate in one of his hobbies.

"Me too." She had fun as well, and it was nice getting to know someone without her brother constantly hovering over her. Lucy peers into his eyes. She unlocked her door and before she headed inside, she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Caught off-guard and before he could say something, Lucy squeaked with flaming red cheeks 'good night' and closed her door.

Laxus placed a hand over the cheek Lucy just kissed and grinned. He walked out of the building whistling happily as he made his way home. This could be the start of something meaningful to him.

A few weeks later

This became a common routine for them. They'd go out, and he'd walk her home like a gentleman. However, Laxus had a feeling that things were going to be different for him as he saw Lucy distracted, deep in thought.

Lucy started playing with the keys on her key ring. She bit her lip as she contemplated something and decided to just go with it. She shyly looked at Laxus with red cheeks. "Umm, do you want to come in a nightcap and spend the night?" They have been going out for a few weeks and she wouldn't mind taking their relationship further.

Laxus's eyes widened in surprise at her bold request. They've only dated for a few weeks, so he didn't want to rush into anything. He really liked Lucy and respected her boundaries, which was why he was willing to wait. Having two family members in law enforcement and a mom in medicine, she understood his job and never once forced him to choose between his career or love life. She was very patient with him and would find other ways for them to spend time together, such as having takeout in his office. He never cared about a girl more than Lucy.

Laxus grabbed Lucy's hand that was fiddling with her keys, causing her to pause her action. She looked up at Laxus, who gave her a soft smile, gently squeezing her hand. "Yeah," he said softly, looking straight into her eyes. "I'd like that."

A few seconds later:

Their lips crashed against each other. Her fingers digging through his hair, his arms wrapped around her waist as they moved their mouths over each other relentlessly. No one knew who started the kiss. Somehow, through their impromptu kiss, she opens her door and maneuvers them inside. She shook off her cardigan in the doorway.

"Mm," Laxus heard Lucy moan as he slid his hands down her back to cup her ass and lifted her up in the air. She wrapped her legs around his waist in response, locking her ankles in place. He unzipped the zipper on the back of her dress, caressing the soft skin of her back.

She could feel his arousal pressed against her core and ground her hips against his, causing him to hiss in pleasure. She took that opportunity to break the kiss and nibble his jaw.

"Down… the… hall ...," she panted. "To… the… right," she said, trailing kisses down his neck, unbuttoning his shirt after each kiss.

Laxus shrugged off his shirt somewhere in the hallway. He grabs her by the back of her head and pulls her face close for a kiss once more, biting her lips. He maneuvers them in the room she talked about and tossed her on the bed. He observed Lucy's current state as she panted; her disheveled appearance, flushed skin and swollen lips. Laxus straddles her and Lucy wraps her arms around his back in response where they drowned themselves in pleasure.

The Next Morning:

Laxus woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon being cooked. He turns to the side to see the spot Lucy was sleeping in empty. Scanning the room to find his clothes, he located his boxers and pants but couldn't find his shirt. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he walks down the hallway towards the kitchen where he was greeted by the sight of Lucy prancing around the kitchen in his shirt.

"Don't you know it's a serious crime to impersonate an officer of the law," teased Laxus from the doorway. It was his shirt from when they first met that he gave to her that read FTPD. He didn't know she still kept it. He walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his front to her back, planting small kisses on her neck.

"What are you going to do about it, handsome," breathed Lucy, turning off the stove. She shifted in his arms to face him. Her voice turned sultry as she ran her fingers up and down his chest. "Punish me?"

"As much as I would love to do that, trust me, I really do, I have to get to work in an hour," replied Laxus regrettably. He really wanted to continue this act to see where it would take him. He glanced at the clock. "And so do you."

"May I propose a solution to this little conundrum you have in your pants," Lucy pointed to his obvious erection poking her stomach.

"My conundrum certainly isn't little but shoot." Laxus gave her a wolfish wink and grin when she scoffed and lightly smacked his chest. It was such a turn on when she used fancy words.

"For time purposes and the environment, of course, we can share a shower together. After all, two heads are better than one when it comes to cleaning." Lucy traced circles over his tattoo and batted her eyelashes.

"Mmn. Bad and eco-friendly. What other aspects of your personality are you hiding from me?" Laxus playfully nips her jaw, continuing the charade. "Guess I'm going to have to do a thorough body search." He added, "In the shower of course."

Laxus picks Lucy up and throws her over his shoulder. Lucy squealed when he smacked her bottom as he maneuvered them to the bathroom where they thoroughly cleaned each other.

Half an hour later, Lucy was drying her hair wearing only a bathrobe while Laxus dressed himself and brushed his teeth with a spare toothbrush she gave him. She paused in her actions when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Expecting someone," asked Laxus as he closed the sink and dried his face with a towel.

"No," replied Lucy in confusion, hanging the tower on the rack. Everyone she was close to knew not to visit her in the morning because she would be busy getting ready for work or sleeping in. "Stay here. I'll check who it is."

Lucy padded to the entryway and opened the door halfway. She internally groaned when she saw Loke standing there unusually quiet and defeated. She knew she said she would take care of Loke if he and Laxus met face to face but now wasn't the best time considering what they just did a few minutes ago. Loke would have an aneurysm.

Lucy spoke loudly as a warning to Laxus. "HEY LOKE, MY BROTHER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" She hoped Laxus heard her, or else she was looking like an idiot yelling like that.

"Jeez Luce! We haven't seen each other for weeks and the first thing you do is make me go deaf." Loke winced at the volume Lucy was using. "Speaking of not seeing each other." He looks at the ground, ashamed. "I'm sorry for what I did and for all those incidents." Loke whispered. He missed and cared about his sister. Mulling over his actions, he realized he went overboard and had to accept the fact his baby sister grew up. She didn't always need his protection. "I'll try to be less intense and less involved, so can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Lucy's gaze softened at Loke's sincere apology. She did miss him as well, and she could tell that things were going to be different this time. "Of course, but on condition. Please, just trust me to make the right decision." She smiled when Loke nodded.

"Thanks Luce." Loke gives her a hug. He walks into the apartment, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "I smell something good. What's for breakfast?"

"Loke I have to get ready for work. Maybe next time." Lucy tried to convince him nicely to leave.

"Don't worry I won't take long." Loke pops a piece of toast in his mouth and raids her fridge.

Dammit, thought Lucy as she watched Loke make himself at home right there in her kitchen. Laxus had to go to work, and she couldn't exactly explain why he was here without blood being spilled. Then she had an idea. "Well, since you're here, can you help me with something?"

"Sure Luce," he grabs another spoonful of eggs and bacon and gets up from his seat. "What do you need?"

Lucy walked him over to her supply closet. "I need those markers up there, but I can't reach. Can you get them for me," she asks innocently.

"No problem." Loke walks into the closet where the door was shut on him. "Luce, this isn't funny. Open the door." Loke tried jiggling the doorknob.

"I'm trying Loke but the door is stuck. You were supposed to put the door stopper, remember," called out Lucy from the other side. In reality, Lucy locked the door on him. "I'll get the screwdriver. You stay put okay. Don't move."

Lucy rushed to the bathroom and gave Laxus the signal to move. He tried to muffle his laughter as they walked towards the entrance. "Did you seriously just lock your brother in your closet," he whispered, putting on his shoes.

"Yes, I did," she whispered back, quietly opening the door. "Now hurry up. You're going to be late." She gave him a peck on the lips. "Have a good day at work." She giggled when Laxus gave her another kiss. "Go!" She watched Laxus leave with a smile.

Lucy was brought out of her stupor when she heard banging from the closet. "I'm coming Loke!" She almost forgot her brother for a second as she walked to let him out.

The Clive House

It was Friday evening and everyone was having dinner at the Clive House. Layla, Gildarts, Cana, Loke and Lucy all sitting in their respective seats, the sounds of utensils clinking against the plates as everyone ate the delicious meal Layla prepared.

Lucy was about to finish her plate when she noticed her mother staring at her with a strange, knowing smile. "Is there something you need Mom," she laughed nervously.

Layla's smile grew wider, causing Lucy to feel nervous. "As a matter of fact, yes. When can we meet this boyfriend of yours?" Layla couldn't hold it in anymore. She was waiting for Lucy for almost 6 months to come to her and tell her, but she was one impatient woman. Surprisingly, Gildarts was the one who provided this tidbit of information.

Loke choked at the word boyfriend. He quickly gulped down the glass of water in front of him and thumped his chest, clearing his throat. "Boyfriend," asked Loke in an eerie voice but everyone ignored him.

"Oooooh. She wouldn't happen to be talking about that tall glass of hunk you came into the bar with," teased Cana by lightly nudging Lucy's side with her elbow, her grin growing at Lucy's flustered state. "You really should bring him. Let him meet the family."

"What boyfriend," demanded Loke, slamming his fists on the table but everyone ignored him again.

Meanwhile Gildarts who was quietly watching the situation unfold was having the time of his life seeing Loke squirm. Usually he would have made a big deal as well, but he knew Laxus, working with him for a while and he knows Laxus is a good man. He also had a little one on one 'friendly chat' with him after their first few dates and from that found out how much Laxus cared about Lucy, so he supported the relationship.

"Oh, I can finally use that china set Grandma Anna left me," chirped Layla excitedly, standing from her seat to get the object in question. "I should start preparing in advance."

Lucy tried to say something but was constantly interrupted by everyone else.

"But mom you only take those dishes out when there's a special occasion," protested Loke. "You never took them out when I brought a girl home."

"That's because you always bring a girl." Layla gave Loke a fierce glare, causing him to squeak in his seat. "This counts as a special occasion. Lucy rarely brings a boy home, so I will not let you ruin my chance of becoming a grandmother. Is that clear," warned Layla, pulling Loke's ear. Whenever Lucy brought a boy home, which was rare, Loke would scare them off. This time she would not let him.

"Yes, mom," said Loke in a defeated voice. It didn't matter how old he was. Whenever Layla used that tone with him, he knew better than to fight back. He valued his life. Thank you very much. His butt still remembers that sting from the ass-whooping she gave him when he was a teenager, when he decided to boldly call his mom by her first name. It was probably the first and only time she spanked him.

"That's a great idea," praised Cana, raising her fork up in agreement. "You know what would be better? If you made your famous star fruit upside down cake. That'll make him marry Lucy on the spot." Cana was hooked since the first time Layla made it for her and her father. However, Layla's family recipe required a lot of work, so she couldn't make it frequently. This was killing two birds with one stone.

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea," clapped Layla. Her face turned into a worried one. "But I need to know when to make it because it takes me almost two hours to make it, plus I will also have to make dinner as well." Layla faced everyone. "When should we invite him?"

"How about the end of the month," suggesting Gildarts, finally putting his two cents in. He was familiar with Laxus's schedule, and if he remembered correctly, that was Laxus's day off. Layla had the early shift and he could shift some plans around so he can come home early.

"Great. Everyone can come here for dinner so we can meet the future member of our family," declared Layla, causing Lucy to groan in disbelief. No one bothered to ask for her opinion. Her mom was already rushing everything, and she hasn't even met Laxus yet. She was planning on bringing Laxus over but didn't know when he was free.

Which reminds me. I have to text Laxus and tell him he's attending dinner with my family at the end of the month. Something we both had no choice in the matter, thought Lucy as she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, swiping it unlocked and opened the messenger app.

~Hey babe. Are you free on the last day of this month? Apparently without our permission, my family invited you for dinner. Think you can make it?

~Lucy.

Lucy heard a chime come from her phone and went to check it.

~Hey beautiful. I don't have any plans that day. I'd love to meet the rest of your family. Should I bring anything as a peace offering?

~Laxus

Lucy thought for a second and replied.

~My mom likes spring star flowers. As for the rest, bring booze.

P.S. Compliment the tableware.

~Lucy

~Gotcha!

~Laxus

The Family Dinner

Laxus exited the flower shop with a bouquet of spring star flowers and Egyptian Stars. He had a pack of beer and a bottle of wine in the trunk. He was about to enter his car when he noticed Loke on the side of the road, talking on his phone. He walked over to him to see what's up. "Hey, man, is everything good?"

Loke hung up the phone and shook his head no. "I was supposed to go to my mom's for dinner, but my car broke down. A mechanic is coming to pick it up but it won't get fixed until tomorrow."

"I'll drop you off," offered Laxus. He was heading in that direction, anyway.

"You sure? I'm heading towards Main Street and I don't want to keep you from your destination."

"Yeah, it's cool. I'm heading there, anyway." It was an excellent opportunity to score brownie points with Loke and slowly ease the idea that he was his sister's boyfriend.

"Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver. I owe you one." Loke entered the front seat. "Look at you all fancy," he praised, complimenting Laxus's appearance as Laxus started the car and drove. "Big plans?"

"Yep, I'm meeting my girlfriend's family, so I want to make a good first impression," replied Laxus.

"Meeting the family? Wow. Things are serious then."

"Yeah. I care about her a lot. She means the whole world to me," confessed Laxus, keeping his eyes on the road. "But..."

"But what," asked Loke in a concerned tone.

Laxus kept a straight face. "She has this brother she cares about very much. He's very overprotective. I'm afraid he won't approve. I don't want to create a situation where she has to choose between me and her brother."

"That's crazy, man. You're a good guy. What brother wouldn't approve of you? Tell you want I'll vouch for you," declared Loke, patting his arm.

"Really?"

"Really," nodded Loke.

"Well, in that case you better start now and I want to redeem that favour you owe me." Laxus pulled up to the Clive household and got out of the car, with Loke following him. He grabbed the flowers in one hand and the drinks in the other. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer.

"Uh, what are you doing here," asked Loke, confused. What was Laxus doing here?

"Meeting my girlfriend's family," replied Laxus with a cheeky grin.

Before Loke could respond, his mother opened the door. She brightened at the sight of Laxus. "Oh, hello! You must be Laxus! We heard so much about you."

"Good evening, Mrs. Clive. These are for you. Lucy told me these were your favorite." Laxus handed the bouquet to Layla.

"How thoughtful of you. You're certainly a keeper. Look at me keeping you here outside in the cold. Come in. Come in." Layla gestured Laxus inside, grabbing his arm to guide him to the dining room.

"Laxus you made it," called out Gildarts as he came into the foyer. "And you brought my favorite." Gildarts took the pack of beer from Laxus's arm.

"And I'm guessing this is for me," called out Cana from behind him as she snatched the wine bottle from Laxus's hand. She opened it and took a swig straight from the bottle. "Wow. This is some good stuff."

Laxus scanned the room to see if he can find Lucy. He saw her coming down the stairs in a light blue maxi dress. At the last step, she greeted him with a smile. "Hey there, handsome," she whispered.

"Hey there beautiful," replied Laxus, giving her the flowers he got for her.

Before Lucy could respond, Loke interrupted her. "Can I talk to Laxus for a second?" He gestured to the door. "Outside, alone."

Lucy looked worried for a second, but Laxus reassured her. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him." Laxus followed Loke outside to the yard where they stood there.

After a few seconds of silence, Loke finally opened his mouth to speak. "Before my father passed away, Lucy and I weren't close. I found her pesky and annoying. Especially that smile, that fucking goofy smile. Whatever I did to keep her away, she would still chase after me. She was the golden child, always doing well in school, very nice to everyone while I was the troublemaker, constantly screwing up. I had no ambition at all, whereas she knew what she wanted to do from the beginning."

Laxus stayed silent through this entire exchange as he listened attentively to Loke's story.

"After my father was in a car accident, he was still alive. They brought him to the hospital, where they tried to save them to the best of their ability. I think he knew he would not make it, so the nurse called each one of us one at a time to say our goodbyes. When it was my turn, he told me he was proud of me and told me to take care of mom and Lucy because with him gone I would become the man of the house. Things were going to get rough, but it would turn out okay as long as we all had each other. I promised him I would, and to this day I did not break my word." Loke glanced at Laxus. "To this day, I haven't told this conversation to my mother or Lucy. You're the first I've told."

Suddenly Laxus realized why Loke would act the way he did. His father unknowingly gave his only son an immense burden to fill in the patriarch role. Because Jude wasn't around to do the things a father would, Loke took it upon himself to do just that. Loke also found it as a way to redeem himself for treating his mother and Lucy the way he acted prior to Jude's death.

"If you really are serious about Lucy. I'll back off. She looks so happy with you and I won't ruin that. Because her happiness is my happiness," stated Loke.

Laxus put a firm hand on Loke's shoulder. "Loke. I promise you with all my heart that I will love and cherish Lucy for the rest of my life." He meant every single word.

Loke let out a small laugh. "You sound like you're asking for her hand in marriage."

Laxus hummed. "Maybe sometime in the future."

Loke jabbed Laxus's side with his elbow. "Don't push it. I still have to get used to the fact that you're dating my sister. Let's go join the others."

And the two men headed back inside where everyone had a wonderful dinner.

THE END