After a harrowing bike ride back into the town centre, Laxus brought his bike to a halt. Lucy quickly clambered off, grateful to be on solid ground again. She rid herself of the helmet and thrust it into Laxus's arms, as if being near it would mean getting back on that bike.
"Come on, Lucy," Laxus groaned in exasperation. "It isn't that bad."
"Listen, you try sitting behind a maniac who insists on hurtling you at break-neck speed down a road on a dinky contraption that has only two wheels and no walls. It's fucking terrifying."
Laxus's eyes grew wide with shock as he grabbed his chest in feigned hurt. "How dare you call my bike dinky? Take it back, hag!" he exclaimed, acting thoroughly offended. He pulled his camera bag off the back of his bike and pulled it onto his shoulder.
"I said what I said." Though Lucy did feel a little bad about calling him a maniac. "But, I will add, if I had to sit on a dinky bike behind any maniac, I'd want that maniac to be you," she said lightly.
"That's more like it," Laxus said slinging an arm across her shoulders and pulling her towards the action in the town square. Lucy was surprised by how comfortable she felt with his arm around her. She tentatively wrapped her arm around his waist, expecting him to look at her in surprise at the very least, but he had no reaction. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and though the sky was still deep pink, it slowly darkened as nightfall set in. The pair walked into the town square with their arms around one another.
Upon reaching their destination, Laxus slowed down.
"Give me a couple minutes, okay?" he asked. When Lucy nodded, he dropped his arm from her shoulder and walked off into a side street.
Lucy stood patiently where he left her and watched the scene unraveling in front of her. The square was bustling. Lights had been strung up, music was blaring, and people everywhere were talking, drinking, and dancing. Lucy could've sworn that there were more people in the town square right now than there had been on the entire island the day she had arrived. After about five minutes, Laxus reappeared, minus his camera bag.
"Sorry about that. I just wanted to keep my camera somewhere safe, so I dropped it off at a friend's house. She lives just down that road," he pointed at the street he'd come from.
She? Lucy wondered with mild curiosity. She immediately pictured a buxom, tanned, young brunette, with seductive almond shaped eyes and plump red lips. Why should I even care? Lucy scolded herself looking back at the crowd.
"What is this?" she asked her resident tourist guide.
"In the summer they have a week of festivities to celebrate the island's patron saint. There's a big party on the first day and the last day, while the rest of the week passes by fairly uneventfully. There are a couple of important church events, but it's mainly family dinners and quiet celebrations at home until the last day. People have come from all over to be with their families around this time."
"It's a pity Makarov's wife couldn't be here," Lucy sighed, feeling bad for the old man.
"Yeah. But he's used to it now. He's learnt to enjoy the solitude."
The pair stood with their backs against a wall as they watched the merriment. Music continued to float through the air, and several people congregated in the middle of the square, dancing in synchrony.
"So what is the plan now, Laxus?"
"We're going to dance," he said coolly, not meeting Lucy's gaze.
"Huh? Wh- what? No no, I can't- I can't dance, Laxus!" Lucy protested.
Laxus drew in an exaggerated breath, and exhaled with a big sigh.
"Lucy, shut up, Trust me. You're going to have fun." He grabbed her hand, pulling her to where the crowd had gathered.
Lucy did like dancing, but that simple fact didn't erase her embarrassment at having to do it in the middle of a group of strangers.
"Will you stop overthinking this?" It was as if the blond man could read her mind. "Everyone is drunk, everyone is dancing. There's no need to pick this moment to get self-conscious."
He did have a point. They neared the middle when Laxus suddenly changed direction, dragging her towards a bar.
"Shit, sorry, forgot. We need alcohol in us before we do this. And maybe some food," he pointed out.
"Oh, thank heavens. Yes, alcohol is a good idea." Lucy sighed in relief. She couldn't imagine dancing in front of everyone, but she had no problem imagining herself drunk and dancing in front of everyone. In her mind, drunk Lucy was another person entirely.
The bar was packed when they walked in, but Laxus managed to find them a couple stools to sit on. Laxus caught the bartender's eye who approached them.
"Ten shots of tequila and two beers, please," Laxus ordered.
Lucy's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Ten shots of tequila?! Are you crazy?!" she screeched above the cacophony.
"Yes, ten shots, because we need a healthy buzz before heading back out there. Don't worry, six are for me and four are for you, given that I am considerably larger."
"Okay, four shots isn't so bad," Lucy said, placated
The bartender returned with their order, and the pair quickly downed their respective shots in record speed before chasing them with a swig of their beer. Lucy continued to cringe as the heat from the tequila made its way down her throat and into her chest. They sipped their beer slowly, giving the tequila time to kick in. Soon, a plate of skewered meat and flatbread was placed between them. Lucy hadn't heard Laxus order, but then again, she couldn't hear much at all over this noise. They finished their beers and ordered seconds as they nibbled on the food. Through dinner they attempted idle conversation, but the deafening noise made it impossible to hear the other person, and so they resorted to sitting in silence, watching the excitement.
Lucy had finished most of her second beer and could definitely feel a buzz when Laxus tapped her on her shoulder. She looked at him and saw him mouth something.
"What?" she shouted.
He repeated himself, but Lucy just couldn't hear.
"What? I can't hear you!" she screamed.
Laxus rolled his eyes and dipped his head towards her. His lips brushed against her ear, causing Lucy to involuntarily shiver.
"I asked if you were done and ready to head outside," he spoke into her ear.
Lucy turned her face to look at Laxus, and though he hadn't sounded drunk, his enlarged pupils told her that his buzz had kicked in as well. She nodded and knocked back the remainder of her beer before setting the bottle down onto the counter. Laxus opened his wallet and fished out cash, dumping it on the bar top. Lucy didn't bother fighting it, mainly because getting Laxus to hear her felt far too cumbersome.
He grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet. They both swayed a little as they wove their way through the crowd.
While the town square wasn't quiet by any means, it was significantly less noisy than the bar. Lively music surrounded them, backdropped by the low din of people talking. The crowd had thickened, with more bodies swaying to the melody.
Laxus pulled Lucy towards the centre of the throng. With tequila coursing through her veins and the heady smell of summer in the air, Lucy felt herself slowly move to the music. She had her eyes closed, gently rocking her hips and shoulders from side to side as the music consumed her.
She opened her eyes to see Laxus watching her, his hands in his pockets and a small smile playing on the corners of his lips. When they made eye contact, he pulled his hands out of his pockets and placed them on Lucy's swaying hips. She instinctively brought her hands up onto his shoulders and continued to gaze into his eyes. Laxus kept a respectful distance between their bodies as they moved to the music together, without breaking eye contact once. Lucy had a bashful smile on her face, no doubt influenced by the alcohol and Laxus's lopsided smirk.
A voice broke through the music, and the pair turned to see a lady standing on a chair. She spoke excitedly in rapid Greek into a microphone, as the crowd cheered every few seconds. With a flourish of her hands, she ended her short speech, and the crowd broke out into loud applause and cheering.
Lucy looked up at Laxus in confusion. "What did she say?"
"No clue," the man replied. "But it seems like we're getting free booze," he said, pointing at the line of people walking towards the square balancing trays loaded with plastic shot glasses. A young lady handed Lucy and Laxus a glass each. The pair raised their drinks before downing them. Lucy winced as the taste of licorice preceded the strong alcohol burn.
"Oh, man. What was that?" she asked Laxus.
"Traditional Greek liquor. Careful, this stuff is potent as hell," Laxus cautioned, as Lucy was handed a second shot glass. Laxus accepted his second glass too, watching Lucy throw her shot back. He took his second shot before relieving Lucy of both her empty glasses. He spotted a bin at the edge of the crowd and walked towards it, leaving Lucy in the middle as she continued to undulate to the music. Lucy closed her eyes, feeling the bodies of other dancers brush up against hers. She started to sway more intensely, slowly turning in place as her buzz heightened and the music grew more sensual.
She felt hands on her hips spinning her around, and she snapped her eyes open. Laxus was holding her much closer this time - close enough that their chests were nearly touching. Lucy was able to wrap a forearm across Laxus's shoulders while her other hand rested on his bicep. The pair moved sensuously to the music, swaying their hips in perfect synchrony. After dancing like this for a few minutes, Laxus pulled Lucy in closer. He placed one of his legs in between hers and wrapped an arm around her waist, with the other hand resting low on her back. Lucy tightened her hold on him as he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. They stayed in this intimate tangle as song after song played. Maybe it was the alcohol, or possibly the inherent eroticism of their position, or it could have just been his gorgeous face, but Lucy felt prompted to lift her hand from his bicep and cup his jaw. She gazed deeply into the grey-blue eyes that never left hers.
It was only when the crowd started to significantly thin that the pair broke apart. With some distance between them, Lucy's face immediately flushed at the memory of their intimate embrace.
"It's getting late. Do you want to head back?" Laxus asked quietly.
"Oh. Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Lucy was a little sad at having to part ways, but was quickly consoled when she realised that she didn't live close by and they'd be able to talk some more as he walked her home.
At least I hope he walks me home, Lucy prayed.
Naturally, she was right. Ever the gentleman, Laxus gestured in the general direction of her house and they began strolling down the dimly lit path. At some point, Laxus reached down and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. They talked mindlessly about everything and nothing at all, ambling down the narrow street. Every now and then Laxus would crack a joke with a straight face, and Lucy would burst out into peals of laughter. Other times, Lucy would say something ridiculous and would be on the receiving end of a Laxus Eye Roll.
Though they walked slowly, Lucy felt like they had arrived at her front door all too soon. It was only then that she remembered.
"Laxus! Your bike!" She mentally chastised herself for not realising it sooner.
"It's not like I could've ridden it anyway. I'm still buzzed. It'll be fine, though. Plus it's a rental. I'll pick it up in the morning. My camera is safe, and that's really all that's important," he waved away her concerns.
"But how will you get back home?" she asked.
"I'll walk. Obviously. The island's so tiny that it won't take me long anyway," he assured her.
"Are you sure?" Clearly, Lucy's worries hadn't been abated.
"Yes, Heartfilia. Don't worry about me. I don't live far from here, so I'll be home in no time."
"If you insist…" Lucy wasn't entirely persuaded but decided not to push the matter. "Hey Laxus," she continued, "I had an amazing day today. Truly." She wrapped both arms around him and pressed herself to his chest in a tight hug. She felt Laxus wrap his arms around her and squeeze gently.
"I'm glad, Lucy. And I had a great time as well. You make for wonderful company."
Lucy broke away from the hug and impulsively got up onto her tiptoes, giving Laxus a peck on his cheek. "Goodnight, Mr. Dreyer," she said, blushing furiously at how forward she had been.
Laxus's eyes softened and he said "Goodnight Ms. Heartfilia."
He turned around to leave when Lucy called, "Hey Laxus. What time tomorrow?"
Laxus looked over his shoulder and chortled. "Same as today." He smirked as he waved goodbye.
That night, Lucy lay in bed, playing the day over in her head. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun in one day. Lucy pulled a pillow over her face and squealed into it, kicking her legs in excitement. She continued to replay moments from the day over and over until she fell asleep.
A/N: Some mild LaLu steaminess yum! Also, when Lucy says that four shots isn't a lot, is it just me who feels like that? I know my tolerance is decent and four shot of tequila definitely wouldn't put me on the floor, but is that the norm? Finally, are you having fun? Is it progressing too slowly, or do you like the pace? I want their relationship to build gradually, especially since she's just gone through a breakup, but let me know what you think!