Lucy had never figured Laxus for the clingy type. Certainly not with his general aura of 'if you even look in my direction wrong I will fucking curb stomp your ass into next week'. And it wasn't like Lucy didn't think there weren't people out there who would yearn for her attention, because, um, yes, she absolutely thought that. Lying to herself wasn't going to get her anywhere. But really. This level of 'let's do literally everything together' wasn't something she could have predicted from Laxus Dreyer of all people. If anything, she thought she might be the one who wanted to spend a little too much time together...nope. It definitely wasn't her.

It had started the first-night Laxus had stayed at her apartment. The more mature details of their little sleepover aside, it had also been the first time Laxus had seen Lucy's skin-care routine.

She was fairly confident that there wasn't much entertainment to be found in watching her cleanse and moisturise but by Mavis was he intent on doing so. Leaning against the door frame of her bathroom- too small for them both to fit inside comfortably- as she carried out her routine with practised hands, he tracked her every movement with keen eyes.

Sure, they were also mid-conversation at the time but he didn't need to be standing two feet away to hear her and he hadn't needed to follow her across the apartment in the first place.

In the beginning, it had made Lucy a little nervous. She'd only done this in front of friends. Team Natsu, Levy, Mira. All people who either had nothing to say on the matter or whose opinion on her skincare routine didn't mean anything (Natsu didn't even remember to wash his face half the damn time). No one had ever seemed to be analysing what she was doing so closely and yet not remarking on it at all. He simply played his part in the conversation like he wasn't examining her toner an absurd amount.

Lucy's nerves lessened however as it quickly became just another part of her routine when he was there. Even when she stayed at his and bought her stuff with her because she wasn't about to let her skin suffer just so he could sleep in a bed more suited to his size. Cleanser, toner, the occasional serum, moisturiser, tell Laxus about how her day. It had simply become a given that Laxus would stop whatever he might be doing to watch her dab some products on her face. And he knew what the products were too as Lucy had once asked him to hand her the coconut moisturiser and he hadn't even blinked.

They went on like this for weeks. Lucy never asked why Laxus found her self-care process to be so fascinating because, well, he really was rather clingy at times. When neither one of them were out on a job, he insisted upon seeing her at least once a day, even if just fleetingly at the guild. And that was in public. In private, he was always lingering within a four-foot radius of her, watching her make lunch, reading over her shoulder. This seemed to be his trade-off for not being able to hold her hand at all times- and not for a lack of trying when he had first gotten comfortable with her- as that really wasn't practical in everyday life. So, given all of this, Lucy had started to find it much less strange for Laxus to follow her to the bathroom mirror.

Sometime after she'd grown used to it, Laxus finally spoke on the actual topic of her skin-care in the form of-

"What's that gunk? Smell's fruity."

Lucy arched a brow at him and glanced down at the small tub and at the pale green paste inside. He could probably smell it better standing by the door than she could even if she shoved her face right into it.

"Well, genius, that's probably because there is fruit in it."

"Smartass. Avocado?"

"Yep. And Payaya extract."

She went ahead, applying it to her skin in a thick coat and then leaving it there, nudging Laxus out of the way so that she could exit her bathroom.

"You're leaving that on your face?" Laxus seemed bewildered and mildly amused.

"You're supposed." Said Lucy. "It's a face mask. That's the point."

"It looks ridiculous."

"Well, I'd rather look a little green now than all dry and flakey tomorrow." Lucy prided herself on only bristling a little. "It's a true sacrifice."

"How long do you leave it on?"

"At least fifteen minutes. Sometimes I forget it's even there though and I almost fall asleep with it on."

"Doesn't that hurt your skin?" Laxus frowned.

"Nah, not this type of mask, at least. Hey, do we have any leftover pancakes from this morning?"

"What do you think?" He scoffed.

"That if you really love you'll make some more?" She batted her lashes innocently.

"That's manipulation, Lucy."

"Yes." She replied seriously. "A totally justifiable tactic in the name of pancakes."

It was another month until Laxus spoke of her routine again, this time also on the night of her next face mask. Watching from the door of what was his bathroom next time, he seemed to be thinking on something for a moment before saying;

"Can I try?"

Lucy blinked at him in surprise. She thought he might have been joking but no, he appeared perfectly sincere.

"Uh. Sure?" She gestured for him to step into the bathroom. "First you should wash your face."

She held a wet face towel out to him expectantly and was met with silence.

"Do you...want me to do it?"

"This is stupid." Pink ever so slightly tinged Laxus's face and he started to turn away.

"Hey, hey! No!" Lucy grabbed his arm to stop him. "Commit Sparky."

Before he could protest she was reaching up and wiping his face. Relenting with a quiet grumble, he leant forward a bit so she wouldn't need to stretch so far.

"This'll get rid of some of the dirt and dead skin cells so the mask can really penetrate- do not laugh at that or I will gouge out both of your eyes."

He stood still and silent until she was done and then obeyed when she had him sit on the closed toilet seat lid. Applying the face mask took a little longer but it was hardly any great task. She dipped her finger into the tub and smeared it across his upper lip, snickering at the makeshift moustache. Laxus wasn't half as impressed as she was.

When she was finished with that as well, she smiled and pulled his head down to plant a kiss on the top of his head.

"All done. Now we match."

As she put her products away, Laxus studied his now pale green face in the mirror.

"I look ridiculous."

"Oh? And how is that different from usual?"

"Well, now I look like you."

"Rude!" Lucy laughed incredulously, heading out of the bathroom first.

"Don't dish it out if you can't take it, Blondie."

"We're both blonde, Laxus!"

"And green." He snorted.

"Yeah." She couldn't help but laugh again herself. "Yeah, we are."