Lucy POV
I got to the guild slightly sore from my activity-filled night. And morning. Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Wendy were already there and crowded around a table, sifting through fliers.
"Hey, Luce, what the hell? You've barely been around the past couple days and now you're oversleeping?" Natsu called when he caught sight of me.
My face flushed with guilt. He was right. I slid in next to Erza and shot everyone an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, guys. I've just been… dealing with some stuff," I said sincerely.
"It's okay, Lucy. Is everything alright?" Wendy asked sweetly.
I nodded. "There's nothing to worry about! So, what are we discussing?" I asked, changing the topic.
"We've found a job. A man two towns over has been getting robbed every night for a week now. He's tried everything, but still can't catch the thieves. He's suspecting it's a dark guild. We're going to go look into it," Erza explained.
"Not to mention, he's loaded. The dude lives in a mansion three times the size of our guild hall. The reward is amazing, even if we split it five ways," Gray added. Erza leaned across the table to smack him on the forehead.
"Ow! Yes, I know, we're not doing it only for the money! Jeez, Erza…" Gray mumbled, rubbing the spot where she hit him.
"Sounds good! When do we leave?" I asked excitedly. My rent was due soon and I could use a little extra cash.
"Tomorrow at 4am," Natsu chirped.
"Four in the morning?!" My eyes bugged out of my head.
"Be quiet, Natsu. We are not walking. We will take the train, and so we don't have to leave until noon," Erza said, pacifying me. I let out a sigh of relief.
"What's the plan for today, then?" I asked, eager to make up for dropping the ball the past couple days. The rest of the group all looked at each other, puzzled.
"Nothing, actually," Wendy finally said.
"Yeah, we have a job, we know when we're leaving, there isn't really much left for us to do today. You could have totally taken today off as well," Natsu mentioned. I rolled my eyes at the subtle dig.
"I'm actually going to go with Carla into town, if anyone wants to come with," Wendy offered. Happy immediately jumped up, pulling Natsu along by his scarf. The four waved goodbye.
"Gray. Juvia, 9 o'clock," I hissed, noticing the blue haired woman walk up to us purposefully. Gray bounced out of his seat.
"Can't deal with her right now. Apparently it's our anniversary," he choked out before sprinting behind Natsu.
"He should really be more upfront with her," Erza commented.
"He has been. She just refuses to listen," I came to Gray's defence.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. If you'll excuse me, Lucy, I need to go start packing for tomorrow." Erza swung her legs off the bench and marched towards the doors. It made sense that she'd start packing a whole 24 hours in advance, considering the amount of luggage she carried.
"Okay, then. I guess I'll go ask Mira if she needs any help," I said to no one in particular, leaving the table.
Mira beamed ecstatically when I approached her at the bar and offered my services.
"Lucy, you're a lifesaver! Kinana is a little ill and is resting so I could really use an extra set of hands serving drinks! Would you mind?"
"Not at all," I said, walking around behind the counter. Mira put me in charge of pouring drinks while she flitted back and forth between the bar and the kitchen.
I spent an hour carefully making milkshakes and pouring beers, chatting amicably with whoever happened to be sitting at the bar. From where I stood, I saw Gildarts walk in before he noticed me behind the bar. I drank in his muscular shoulders and the shadow of stubble that graced his face. His cloak fluttered slightly, revealing a sliver of toned chest. Spotting me, he walked over.
"What're you doing back there, Lucy?" He asked bemusedly.
"Mira needed an extra set of hands so I offered to help," I chirped.
Gildarts leaned over the bar, bringing his face closer to mine. He dropped his voice to barely a whisper, "Aren't you such a good girl?" he breathed seductively.
My thighs instinctively clenched together and I exhaled heavily through parted lips.
"I believe I still owe you a night together?" he continued in his breathy whisper.
I nodded numbly, the haze of lust clouding my brain once more.
"You know the cherry blossom trail? That leads into the woods?"
I nodded again.
"And if you follow it, you get to the little cliff?"
I managed to choke out a soft "yes".
"Meet me there. Let's say, 7:30?" he confirmed.
"7:30 is great," I rasped. I hadn't been able to tear my gaze away from his lips. It took every ounce of self-control to not lean over and capture them in my mouth.
Gildarts leaned back. "Just a beer, please. Thanks, sweetheart," his voice returning to normal.
He reached over when I handed him his mug, our fingers brushing.
"See you then, darling," he whispered, winking as he pushed himself away from the bar.
"I didn't know you and Gildarts were friends." Mira's voice cut through the filthy daydream I'd begun playing in my head. I startled at the sudden sound.
Quickly composing myself, I put on an innocent smile, "Well, I spend a lot of time with Cana, so… I don't know if we're friends but I have had a few conversations with him while the three of us were hanging out," I shrugged. It technically wasn't a lie.
"That makes sense," Mira said sweetly. "If you wouldn't mind sticking around for a couple more hours, I'd be really grateful!"
I happily obliged, the next two hours flying by as I mechanically served drinks, my mind solely trained on Gildarts. When Mira relieved me of my duties, I rushed home to pack for tomorrow before jumping in the shower.
As I got ready, my gaze fell on my bed, and for an instant, I could see Laxus there, hovering over me as I moaned his name. My cheeks burned at the memory, and I hastily zipped up the dress I planned to meet Gildarts in. As I walked towards the cherry blossom trail, I couldn't help but feel confused. And stressed. It was difficult sleeping with two people, and then having to keep both relationships a secret. I knew it was just sex, but a part of me couldn't help feeling like I was cheating on one when I was with the other.
Well, what's to say they aren't sleeping with other women too? It's casual sex, no strings attached. I'm not cheating on anyone. My inner voice sounded like Cana.
And I want them both. Equally. Even if I was forced to choose, could I? Gildarts… He makes me feel protected and he's so passionate, but on the other hand, Laxus… I feel adventurous and brave when I'm with him. Hell, I had sex in the guild with him! Ugh! I know I shouldn't complain about sleeping with two stunning men, but why is this so difficult?
I groaned, smacking my forehead as I walked up the trail.
A short stroll later, the trail opened up to the cliff, and as promised, Gildarts was waiting there, sitting on a tree stump. Wordlessly, I closed the distance between us and straddled his lap. I crushed my lips to his, tangling my fingers in his hair. His hands flew to my waist, pressing me against him.
"Hi," I purred, breaking away.
"Hi, darling," he responded with a deep chuckle.
"What are we doing here?" I asked, still on his lap.
"We're not staying here, sweetheart. Let's go," he gently smacked my butt, prompting me to hop off his lap.
He intertwined his fingers with mine, pulling a duffle bag that was resting behind the stump onto his shoulder.
"But, Gildarts, the trail ends at this cliff…" I looked around in the darkness, wondering if I'd missed something. I was certain that there were no other trails. Still, I asked, "Is there another trail in the area?"
"Uh, trail might be a bit generous…" he said with a laugh. He turned to look at me, "You'll be okay, I promise." His voice was warm and sincere. I reached up to kiss him.
He pulled me towards the trees, and as we entered the thicket I saw a narrow, beaten path. In reality, the only thing even differentiating this strip of land from the rest of the forest floor was that the grass growing there was patchier, as if it had been trampled on once in a while. Gildarts wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
"It's gonna get a little dark, but just stick by me, alright, baby?" He whispered. I nodded, slipping my arm around his waist. I stuck close to him, not because I was scared, but because I loved feeling his body pressed against mine. It was difficult to feel any real fear when the strongest wizard on the continent had his arm around you.
He wasn't lying about it getting dark. As we walked through the forest, I could see virtually nothing. The thick canopy of leaves obscured the moonlight. Gildarts seemed to be moving through the trees on memory alone.
Though who knows? He's freakishly strong. Maybe he has freakishly good eyesight too… I wondered to myself.
Just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any darker, I saw the trees begin to thin. We walked into a clearing and I was assaulted by the bright moonlight.
The clearing was grassy and open. It partially overlooked the town, and I could see the warm lights from people's homes twinkling. The area was bathed in white moonlight so vibrant that every blade of grass stood out.
I looked at Gildarts in awe. "Where are we?" I gasped.
"The side of the hill. The cliff we were overlooks the town; we're now to its left," Gildarts said, dropping the bag.
"How did you find this place?" I wrapped both arms around his torso as I looked around. The night sky was flooded with stars.
Gildarts scratched his head in embarrassment. "I kind of got drunk and wound up here. Woke up the next morning entirely confused, but managed to find my way back. Since then, I come up here every time I'm back in town. It's peaceful," he finished with a sigh, gently playing with my hair. He pulled us both to the ground, and I nestled into his side.
"By the way," I spoke, looking up at him, "Cana knows. About us, I mean."
Gildarts laughed. "Yes, I'm aware. She threatened to burn my house down if I did anything to hurt you. Actually this whole thing," he gestured vaguely to the clearing, "was kind of her idea. She said I had better do something nice, and, as she put it, "not take you to a dirty pub". As if I'd take you to a dirty pub," he scoffed.
"Gildarts, we met in a dirty pub," I reminded him.
"Yeah, but there's no way I'd take you there on a date. You deserve something nice," he said gently, stroking my cheek. My heart swelled and I leaned into his touch. "My daughter has no faith in me," he continued with a grumble. I giggled, stretching up to kiss him.
"Though, if I'm being honest, it's probably been years since I've been on an actual date, so maybe her lack of faith isn't fully unfounded," he said with a nervous laugh. It was endearing to see him a little nervous.
"The last date I went on was to a stuffy restaurant with a Blue Pegasus guy, where the portion sizes were miniscule and the wines were far too fancy for me. This date is already infinitely better than that one," I assured Gildarts with a laugh.
"Blue Pegasus are just the worst, aren't they?" he laughed. "Also, speaking of wine…" he reached into his duffle bag and pulled out two flasks.
"Okay, not wine, but Cana told me you enjoy a vodka cranberry," he handed me a flask, "and this one has whiskey for me."
I excitedly unscrewed the top of my flask, clinking it to his before taking a sip.
"I've never drunk out of a flask before," I admitted with a giggle.
Gildarts looked at me in shock. "Darling, I'm honoured to be sharing your first flask-drinking moment," he chuckled.
We sat on the grass, sipping our drinks and nibbling on the food he'd packed as we talked. There were no moments of awkward silences or generic questions that normally plagued a first date. However, I kept sidestepping a crucial question, nervous of what his answer would be.
Eventually, when I knew I couldn't avoid it any longer, I hesitantly asked, "Gildarts, this is a date… But does that mean we're dating? Exclusively? Because I was under the impression that…" I trailed off, unable to bring myself to finish that sentence.
"Lucy," his voice had an edge of seriousness to its warmth, "I was also under the impression that we weren't exclusive," he said, reading my mind. "Baby, you gotta realise, I am much, much older than you, and the kind of life I lead… It doesn't support a committed relationship." He choked at the end and I knew he was thinking about Cornelia. "I love what we have, and I enjoy spending time with you, and I don't want to change it. I hope that's something you're okay with?" He asked, looking into my eyes.
"Yes, I'm okay with it," I nodded. "I just… I don't know if I can do the whole boyfriend thing yet, so I wanted to make sure we were on the same page," I said with a shrug.
"Sweetheart, I appreciate you having this conversation with me, and I also want to point out that, at my age, the term "boyfriend" is no longer appropriate," he smirked.
"You need to stop calling yourself old, Gildarts," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Do you not see how fucking hot you are? Literally, I know of at least twenty women in the guild who want to fuck you," I pointed out.
"Is that so?" Gildarts whispered seductively.
"Yeah, it is," I said, leaning into his mouth.
"Are any of those women a gorgeous blonde with a rack to die for?" he flirted as I languidly kissed him.
"Mhm, and she can't wait to see what's under this cloak," I undid his fastenings, pushing the fabric off his shoulders. Gildarts wrapped his arms around me, falling back as he pulled me up onto his chest, his tongue intertwining with mine.
A/N: I wanted to really put some effort into Gildarts and Lucy doing more than just fucking. I feel like I've been a little partial towards Laxus, giving him a couple more romantic moments, so hopefully this chapter has helped even the playing field a little.
I hope you're liking the story so far! Please leave me your gorgeous reviews! I love reading them so much! I get so excited whenever I get an email saying someone's reviewed this!