Lucy had spoken to Laxus only once, under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol, and yet she remembered every second of their encounter. Before she and Natsu had begun dating, back when she was a freshman in University, she had her heart set on Laxus Dreyer. He was a senior, and while he flew under the radar, everyone seemed to know him. He walked around campus with headphones on and a bored expression that was occasionally replaced with amused arrogance when he overheard snippets of conversation around him.

"You did WHAT?!" Levy shrieked, nearly rupturing Lucy's eardrum. Lucy giggled as her best friend shook her, demanding more details.

"Well, I was feeling very brave, given the amount of alcohol I had in me. And so I walked up to Laxus at the party and asked him what music he was listening to. He played some of his stuff for me, and it was actually very good. We talked for a little bit, and then he got up and left." Lucy smirked.

"Fuck you Lucy, tell me about the main bit!" Levy continued shaking the pretty blonde.

"Before he left, he stood in front of me…"

"Yes?"

"Grabbed me by my waist…"

"Yeees?"

"And leaned down to kiss me!"

Both girls squealed in excitement.

"We made out for a couple minutes before he pulled away, winked, and left. He whispered 'this was fun, beautiful' in my ear before leaving."

"Oh my god! That's so hot. Do you think he'll text you now?"

"I doubt it. I never gave him my number. Come to think of it, I don't think he even knows my name. In any case, he's graduating soon. But it really was an amazing night," Lucy finished dreamily.

Lucy had always secretly hoped that Laxus would text her, but eventually she found Natsu, and Laxus graduated without the pair ever meeting again.

"You know my name?" Lucy wasn't sure why that was the first question out of her mouth, but they had 'talked' only once, and it had been four years since that eventful night.

"Of course I know your name. Senior year, Bacchus's annual fall bash. We talked about music." He didn't mention the kiss, but his smirk and the glint in his eye told Lucy that he hadn't forgotten it.

"Impressive memory, Laxus," she congratulated. "What brings you to this tiny island?" she asked him.

"I'm a photographer. A magazine I freelance for sent me here, but I decided to stay on. Grab some shots for my personal portfolio."

It was only then that Lucy noticed the camera bag on the chair next to his.

"What about you, Ms. Heartfilia? Why are you on this tiny island?"

"I… Uh… I needed to…" Lucy struggled to form sentences, unsure of how to tell him that heartbreak brought her here.

Laxus noticed her discomfort. "Hey, don't worry about it. We can talk about it later. Or not at all. It's not a big deal," he smiled at her, hoping he successfully calmed her down.

"Thanks. It's still a little fresh," Lucy let out a shaky laugh, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Were you planning on eating here?" Laxus asked. When Lucy nodded, Laxus titled his head towards the chair across from him, "Feel free to join me. I haven't ordered yet either."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose…" Lucy trailed off.

"Not at all." Laxus pushed the chair out with his foot and gestured towards it once more. Lucy took her seat, dropping her bag on the chair next to her. When the handsome waiter approached them, Lucy ordered a glass of their house wine.

"Actually, can you make that a carafe? I'll do some wine as well," Laxus amended her order. Shortly after, the wine appeared on their table, alongside an appetiser of olives and feta.

Conversation had been a little awkward at the start, but with wine and olives serving as lubrication, it began to flow more smoothly.

Lucy learnt that, upon graduating, Laxus worked a corporate job at a large consultancy firm for two years.

"A corporate job? Really? I cannot picture you in a suit and tie every single day," Lucy said, giggling.

Though I don't doubt that he would look damn fine, she thought. Laxus had just gotten more attractive in the four years since she'd seen him.

"That job was…" Laxus struggled to think of a word that could possibly describe how heinous it had been. "Okay, picture yourself tied to a post, in the middle of an Indian summer, planted straight into a red ant colony, and on top of all of that, you are suffering from the most brutal case of constipation known to humankind."

"Wow, was it really that bad?" If Lucy had any thoughts of finding a job before, they quickly vanished from her mind.

"Nah. That would have been a walk in the park compared to the shit I had to deal with." Laxus allowed himself a small chuckle, pleased with his wittiness.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the blond man in front of her, ruefully shaking her head.

It was soon after quitting his corporate job that Laxus took up photography, quickly rising to become an extremely 'in-demand' freelancer.

"What about you though? I assume you're not here for work, so what are your plans, now that you've graduated?"

"I don't have any. I knew I wanted a year off, just to get away from my routine. I wanted to spend this year travelling, volunteering, teaching, writing. And when next year rolls around, I'll take a call then. I might go back to academia. Study some more, get my PhD, but for now, I'm pretty much letting the universe decide." Lucy shrugged. She didn't want him to think she was lazy or lacked ambition, but she was confident that this gap year was exactly what she needed.

"I think that's great. Honestly. If I hadn't thrown myself into the first job I got, I may have discovered photography sooner. It's important for you to figure stuff out for yourself, and you can't rush that." Laxus looked at her encouragingly. Their second carafe of wine was nearly empty, and the attractive waiter was bringing over a third, completely unprompted.

"And, for what it's worth, I'm glad the universe chose to drop you off on this island. Tell Her I say thanks," Laxus winked.

It was only when the sun began to set that Laxus and Lucy realised how long they'd been sitting there. They had steadily made their way through several carafes of wine, and multiple plates of food. They both had pink flushes tingeing their cheeks, though neither was drunk. Laxus asked for the bill and pulled out his wallet. Lucy reached into her bag and retrieved hers.

"No, no, no. This is on me," Laxus insisted.

"Not a chance, Dreyer. On a first date, I may be swayed into letting the guy pay, but otherwise, we're going dutch. Fifty-fifty." Lucy yanked the bill away from him, and quickly calculated fifty percent, factoring in a tip. She pulled the required amount out of her wallet and placed it on the table, looking at Laxus, almost daring him to present a rebuttal. Laxus grumbled incoherently under his breath, his eyebrows pulled together in a deep frown, but he behaved himself and dropped his share onto the table.

He stood up first and picked up his camera bag before offering Lucy his arm. Slinging her bag across her body, Lucy accepted, slipping her hand through his arm and wrapping it around his bicep.

The pair walked down the pier, eventually turning off and heading towards the town centre.

"So, Ms. Heartfilia, what exciting plans do you have for tonight?" Laxus secretly hoped she'd spend the rest of the evening with him. He'd had a fantastic time with the young woman.

"I did get in only a couple days ago, so the jetlag is still taking its toll," Lucy's tone was almost apologetic.

"Of course. Well, then, Lucy, I suppose the gentlemanly thing to do would be to walk you to your doorstep."

"Ah, Mr. Dreyer, I am much obliged," Lucy returned in a high, affected voice, which sent her careening into a fit of giggles. Laxus merely smirked.

Lucy led Laxus to her home, at which point she let go of his arm.

"I had a great day Laxus. Truly." She leaned in and gave him a hug.

A surprised Laxus returned the hug with one arm before awkwardly patting her on her shoulder.

"Goodnight Laxus," Lucy said, turning away from him.

"Lucy, wait," Laxus called. "Be ready at 11am tomorrow. I'll swing by and pick you up."

"That's awfully self-assured. What if I already had plans?" Lucy asked, placing her hands on her hips and sticking one side out.

"Okay. Do you have plans tomorrow, Lucy?" Laxus asked slowly, dragging out each word.

"No, I don't Laxus," Lucy mimicked him, dragging each word.

Laxus let out a "hmph" through his nose before saying, "Alright. 11am. I'll see you then." He turned and walked off. Lucy waited at her doorstep watching his retreating figure. He hadn't looked back once and yet, he knew she was still standing there.

"Goodnight, Heartfilia," he called, with a wave of his hand.

"Cocky jerk," Lucy whispered to herself, smiling as she entered her home.

A/N: LaLu cuteness! If Laxus if feeling OOC, that's because he is. I want to retain his cockiness, but we're not really gonna do the asshole aggressive thing. I'm a firm believer in Laxus's redemption. I'm trying not to rush the story, because I do want to really unpack and develop it, so right now, it is probably going to be a slow burn. The whole thing is playing out like a movie in my head, so I'm going to try and follow that romcom-esque vibe. Feedback is always appreciated!