Lucy POV

It was good to be back in the guild after the mini vacation we took. The five of us, plus the two Exceeds, walked in together, and immediately, Natsu started shouting about the job and the free weekend at Akane resort. People began crowding around us, asking for details, which Natsu and Gray happily delved into, eager to gloat a little. I managed to slip out when everyone was distracted, making a beeline for the stairs. I darted up, walking quickly towards Laxus's office. I really hoped he was in today. I tentatively knocked on the door. Thankfully, I heard him asking me to come in.

I opened the door just enough for me to squeeze through before quickly shutting it behind me.

Laxus POV

I still wasn't sure if Gajeel's theory was a hundred percent true, but when Blondie walked into my office, it became instantly clear why the other women just did nothing for me. Fay, May, Lila, none of them held a candle to Blondie. She was fucking stunning. I got out of my chair and walked over to her, pressing her back against the door.

"Did you miss me?" I whispered. I heard her breath catch.

"Did you miss me?" she countered.

"So… Fucking… Much," I admitted, punctuating my response with kisses.

"I missed you too," she purred, wrapping her arms around my neck. Then, all of a sudden, she pulled away.

"I need to talk to you about something," she said. I hated that fucking sentence. I took a step back.

"Okay, what's up?" I asked casually.

"Laxus, I… I hope we're on the same page…" she said hesitantly. Same page about what?
"Elaborate, Princess," I requested.

"About not being… You know… Exclusive," she finished.

"Are you saying we are or we aren't?" I wanted to double check.

"I'm saying we're not. If that's okay with you," she said softly.

She might as well have punched me in the stomach. It was one thing if I was whoring around, but the thought of another man's dick in her made me see red. I recognised the double standard, but my awareness of it didn't make me hate the situation any less. But what could I say? To say I wasn't okay with it would mean asking her to be my girlfriend. Would that necessarily be a bad thing? My head was spinning as I tried to get my thoughts in order. She didn't want to be exclusive. But that didn't mean that it wouldn't change one day. And maybe, when we were both ready to commit, we'd give up this damn idea of non-exclusivity.

But you are ready to commit to her, aren't you? I probably hated my brain more than I hated my dick. I was not ready to commit to anything or anyone.

I focused my gaze back on her. She was looking at me expectantly.

"Yeah, we're on the same page about that, Blondie," I said flatly. It may have even been a little curt. I saw hurt flash across her face, and once more, I felt like I'd been suckerpunched in the gut.

"Hey," I said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I leaned down to kiss her gently, cupping her cheeks. "Do you want to get out of here?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded.

I opened the door, ushering her out, before we walked down the staircase together. As we walked through the main floor, I slung my arm over her shoulders. Expectedly, she elbowed me in the ribs.

"Laxus! We're not exclusive, remember? People will get the wrong idea!" she hissed.

"Relax, Blondie. I know we aren't exclusive," I said loudly enough for neighbouring tables to hear. Then I dropped my lips to her ear. "Doesn't mean I can't show them who their competition is," I smirked, before tipping her head back and kissing her. She kissed me briefly before shoving my face away with a laugh.

The guild broke out into hushed murmurs.

I paused, swiveling to face everyone. "You guys can all shut up now. I don't want any dating rumours or anything floating around. What's happening here," I gestured to the two of us, "is none of your business. Everyone got that?" My voice boomed across the main hall.

Keeping my arm draped over Lucy, we walked out together.

"You know I'm going to kill you for that, right?" she grumbled.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, babe," I chuckled.

She swatted my ass as we walked in the direction of her house.

Gildarts POV

I caught enough of the show and Laxus's speech to know that I was entirely fucked. Lucy and I agreed on non-exclusivity, and I could only imagine she'd made the same deal with Laxus, but I did not want to have to run into him everyday. I had hoped she'd be banging some other loser on the side who I'd never have to meet or talk to. But it had to be Laxus fucking Dreyar.

I felt a strange wave of jealousy wash over me, and I gritted my teeth. The urge to wrench Lucy out of Laxus's arms and kiss her in front of everyone was so strong that I retreated to my office, locking myself in.

And then I remembered the conversation we'd had. Was Lucy his semi-mate, whatever the fuck that was?

I was royally screwed. I wondered if I should end things with her. It would certainly make everything simpler. But I was a selfish bastard, and I knew I wouldn't be able to walk away. Not yet, at least.

That wave of jealousy was still going strong, and with it came ugly thoughts. I wondered when Lucy would come to me. Was I her second priority? Was I the guy she went to when Laxus was busy? Why hadn't she knocked on my door, and why wasn't it me she was walking out of the guild with now?

It was my turn to punch a wall. But, unlike Laxus, when I punched the wall, I punched through it. A very confused Erza looked at me through the new hole between our offices.

"Sorry Erza, I'll get that fixed," I mumbled.

"It's okay," she said smoothly, returning her eyes to her paperwork.

I stalked out of my office, letting Mira know of my recent wall destruction, before heading to a bar.

A few hours later, I was multiple drinks down and crammed into the bar's small bathroom. I had a brunette babe pinned against the wall, her legs around my torso, as I fucked her into oblivion. Was this angry, hateful, jealous sex? Yes. Did I care? No. I fucked her until she came, shuddering around me, and then I pulled out so that she could suck me dry.

When we were both done, she tried giving me her address, but I flatly refused. I kissed her again to pacify her, but before she could say anything else, I walked out of the bar.

At least I no longer wanted to beat the shit out of Laxus.

I made my way home, the orgasm having left me significantly calmer. Lucy'd be by eventually, I was sure of it

A/N: A relatively short chapter, but things are getting spicy! Also, a super fun chapter to write? Like this played out exactly like a teen drama climactic moment in my head as I wrote it. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with the way it shaped up.

As always, please review! It makes me happy, motivates me, cures my acne etc.