Lucy woke up the next morning, curled on her side with Laxus spooning her, one of his arms around her waist. She turned to face him, and saw that he was still asleep. She gazed at him, taking in every aspect of his face. She noted his high cheekbones, full, pink lips, his slightly crooked nose, the faint scar across his eye, his dark blond eyelashes that were long enough to brush the tops of his cheeks, his soft blond hair that fell across his forehead. She raised her hand to brush his hair away from his face when she felt him stir. She cupped his cheek as his eyes fluttered open.

"Morning, gorgeous," he rasped. "Sleep well?"

Lucy smiled, remembering their phone call from the previous day. "Extremely. Even more so because you were next to me," she said, kissing him softly.

"Mmm, you're such a good sight to wake up to," he mumbled against her lips.

Her heart tightened, and the butterflies in her stomach suddenly reminded her of her crush on him from ages ago.

"Laxus?" she began.

"Hmm?" The man had his face buried in her neck and was tickling it with feather-light kisses.

"You remember Bacchus's party, don't you? The one where we met?"

Laxus grunted in affirmation.

"And you remember we kissed then?"

Laxus pulled back, looking at her wide eyed. "We did? Shit! I completely forgot the time I made out with a total babe," his jaw dropped in mock horror. "Of course I remember, Lucy. How could I forget?" he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Lucy smacked him before continuing, "You never texted me."

"I didn't know your name. I figured it out a few days later, but by that point, it just seemed weird. Plus you were a freshman, and I was graduating in a few months. Also, in my defence, you were drunk off your ass. I didn't think you'd even remember the kiss," he said with a nonchalant tilt of his head. "How come you brought it up though?"

Lucy considered admitting that she had a crush on him - then and possibly also now - but given everything that they'd done so far, admitting to a crush seemed a little silly.

Instead, she said, "Who knows, man? Maybe if you'd texted me, we could've been doing this a long time ago," she smirked.

"Well, then I guess we need to make up for lost time," laxus said huskily, pulling her in for a kiss.

They made love again that morning, this time gentle and slow. They wrapped themselves around one other and gazed deeply into the others eyes. They moved slowly and tantalisingly, in perfect harmony. They kissed each other gently, and stayed locked in their embrace as they came undone together. They kissed for a long time, with Laxus buried in her, and soon, she felt him harden again.

When they finally managed to get out of bed, they went into the shower together. Laxus gently washed Lucy's hair, massaging shampoo through her scalp before rinsing it out. Lucy rubbed soapy hands across his muscular chest and defined abdomen. When she reached down and gave his member a gentle tug, she felt him grow hard. She continued pumping his dick while her lips met his, and soon her chest was pressed against the shower wall while Laxus smoothly thrust into her from behind.

They stayed in the shower long after the water had run cold, revelling in each other's nudity. It was close to lunchtime when the pair managed to separate long enough to put on clothes. Even then, Lucy wore only one of Laxus's T-shirts, and he wore solely a pair of boxers.

Laxus was putting something together in the kitchen when Lucy saw his laptop open on the table.

"Laxus? Could I look at some of your photographs?"

Laxus looked over his shoulder and noticed her by his laptop. He nodded saying, "Open the folder 'Lucy'."

She excitedly navigated there, and was awestruck as she clicked through every photo. She stayed standing as her stomach fluttered, looking at the pictures of herself. She hadn't even noticed him taking many of these. But there she was, at the beach, sprawled on the sand looking golden and glistening; or at the hilltop, skirt swaying around her legs in the breeze; or in Makarov's garden, eyes twinkling as she raised a glass to her lips.

Lucy didn't hear Laxus walk up behind her, but when he slipped his arms around her waist, she leaned against him.

"Laxus… Th-these are stunning…" she whispered, unable to take her eyes off the screen.

"I've been saying it all along, you're so beautiful," he bent down to kiss her neck, "This is all you. I just pressed a button."

Lucy shook her head, "No. You're amazing. These are amazing. Laxus, I…." Overwhelmed, Lucy didn't know what to say. She tipped her head back and let Laxus kiss her lips before she continued gazing at the photographs. His hand moved from her waist to fondle her breast, and waves of pleasure began to rise with the stimulation, spurred on by the sight of herself through his eyes.

She spun around within his arms and kissed him, his hand floating to her butt. They maneuvered towards the couch, where Lucy nearly tore his boxers off. His T-shirt was on the floor moments later, and soon, Lucy's moans coupled with Laxus's grunts filled his house.

When satiated, the pair lounged naked on the couch, until Lucy's stomach audibly rumbled.

She grabbed it with an embarrassed expression. "Oops," she said sheepishly.

"Time to get some food into you, beautiful," Laxus stood up and pulled his boxers on. Lucy wriggled into the T-shirt and planted herself at the dining table, occasionally sneaking glances at the photographs on the screen. When Laxus put the food in front of her, she scarfed it down. She hadn't realised how starved she was, but it was only to be expected given the number of times they'd had sex that morning alone.

I could probably go another round after lunch, Lucy thought to herself as she drank in a shirtless Laxus, but the dull, tender ache in her centre told her that it needed a break.

Right on cue, he asked, "What do you want to do after lunch?"

"I should get home and jump into a fresh set of clothes. Maybe shower again, given the state you left me in after our last one," she smirked at him playfully.

Laxus let a short laugh and nodded. "If you're up for it, there's something fun we can do tonight," he said.

"Hmm, I'm sure there is," she said coyly, running a finger down his forearm.

"Not sex, pervert. Something that requires us being fully clothed," he teased.

Lucy sat back with a scowl. "Fine. I guess. But only if we also have sex after," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"You're a handful. You know that, right?" he waved his fork in her face.

"You better tell me the dresscode right now, because if I put on a dress and you take me to the beach again, then baby, I'm coming in the dress."

"Something casual. You could even afford to go a little dressy if you wanted."

Satisfied with his answer, Lucy smiled before continuing to tuck into her food.

After lunch and a steamy makeout session, Lucy was back in her shorts and blouse, slipping her feet into her sandals. Laxus offered several times to walk her back, but she insisted that she was fully capable of going by herself.

"I know you're capable," he groaned, "but that doesn't mean you need to."

"I'll be fine, Laxus," she said, waving away his concerns.

As she stepped outside the door, he grabbed her wrist and turned her. She noted just a hint of hesitation in his features.

"If you want to pack a change of clothes, to bring over to my house, that would be cool," his casual tone almost perfectly masked the slight nervousness. Lucy blushed furiously and nodded, before wrapping her arms around him. She squeezed him tightly and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. In turn, he kissed the top of her head, before they whispered their goodbyes.

As Lucy walked home, her mind reeled as she replayed everything that had happened since the night before. She was shocked not only at how much she physically desired him, but how much she craved his company, and how comfortable she had become around him. Being with him was just natural. Not to mention, Lucy couldn't remember the last time one person made her climax that many times in a 12-hour period.

The physical side to their relationship had turned out to be a huge plus - Lucy smirked to herself at the word huge - but what made him special was the way he made her laugh, and the fact that she didn't feel like she needed to hold back with him, or the way he could talk to her like a friend, while still making her feel incredibly beautiful and sensual.

A small part of Lucy's brain screamed at her, telling her they'd only spent less than a week together. It told her that she was being idiotic and jumping into something that she should've taken her time with, but then she remembered the softness in his eyes when he looked at her, and their comfortable bickering, and the way she felt entirely at ease with her head against his chest. The warm Grecian sun and cobbled path reminded her that being stuck together on this small island urged them towards comfort and familiarity far quicker than it would have happened had they met back home.

Why am I even rationalising this to myself? She asked. Because if I'm being honest, I sure as hell can't explain how that blond man got me to not only stop grieving Natsu, but also carve a space for himself in my heart in such a short amount of time. But he did, and if I overthink this, I'll push him away, which will be devastating, she told herself with finality.

She made a quick stop at a grocery store to pick up some essentials before arriving at her doorstep. Once home, Lucy took a long shower to ease her muscles that ached after the strenuous activity. She then wrapped herself in a soft towel and crawled into bed and pulled out her laptop, drafting out a new story.

Hopefully this is the one I see through to the end, she thought ruefully.

She managed to get a couple rough chapters out before hitting a creative wall, and so, with an exasperated groan, she slammed her laptop shut, picking up her book instead.

Her steamy romance novel seemed tame in comparison to the memories she now held in her head. She read through it hungrily, as if the words on her page made her memories more visceral. Her body was tense as the characters in her book found their release, and Lucy briefly contemplated relieving some of her own tension, but a quick look at the clock told her she didn't have the time.

She pulled out an inky blue, strappy dress that fell just below her knees, and was split up either side to nearly the top of her thigh. She brushed on mascara and ran a deep red lipstick over her lips. A dull silver necklace sat in the hollow of her throat, and matching silver hoops decorated her ears. She pulled her hair into a bun, before changing her mind and shaking it out, letting it fall loosely down her back. She slipped on a pair of flats, and eyed herself in the mirror, ensuring everything was in place.

She took a seat in her living room, returning her eyes to her book, and soon after, Laxus knocked at her door. She picked up her phone and a tote bag she'd packed earlier, at the bottom of which rested two neatly folded dresses and matching underwear. From the fridge she pulled out two mini bottles of sparkling wine, and rushed to the door, just as Laxus knocked again.

A/N: Just your avg cute romantic day, but I was also quite happy with Lucy's internal monologue as she tried to justify her relationship. As the writer, I'm having the exact same struggle because on the one hand, it might seem like it's unlikely that she might be developing feelings for someone so soon out of a breakup, but on the other hand, it isn't impossible. I want this story to be somewhat of a reflection of a real relationship, and I think a struggle like this is staying true to that.