Paper Moon

Chapter Eight

"Wouldn't you rather go back to the inn?"

Laxus sneered down at the other mage, "Why" his arms crossed, "does it seem like you're trying to get rid of us?"

Elfman was sweating bullets, "Well who knows when they'll get here? I'll wait here for them. I'm sure you wouldn't mind a bath."

"Are you saying I smell bad?" Laxus was fucking with him, Lucy could tell but she wasn't sure Elfman could.

"NO!"

"Whatever. Fine, Lucy and I will go back to the hotel and you can wait for stupid times two here, that work for you?" Lucy stared at Laxus. What were they doing now? Why were they waiting for answers? And why did Elfman get to stay, he was the shadiest one there!

Well, a shower did sound promising.

But it was so out of character for Laxus to be this amenable. Lucy just hoped Laxus knew what he was doing.

Laurel Grove

Fiore

I can't believe Laxus went along with Elfman! Just like that, with no threats or anything. It's so unlike him. Lucy was certain Laxus was going to murder Elfman but gave in very easily. Elfman had suggested that they head to the inn to wait for Natsu and Gray and Laxus had been completely complacent. He didn't even seem to care what happened to the house! The house melting away freaked out Lucy and made her wonder what was even real. As much as she trusted in her guild and her nakama, there was a sneaking thought that Elfman was there for a reason and Lucy couldn't tell what kind of reason it was.

If there was some kind of plot, Laxus knew something was up, why else would he actually listen to Elfman of all people. For whatever reason, Laxus wasn't sharing.

To add to that, Laxus had been silent since they left Elfman behind, Lucy had a lurking suspicion that he was sulking. Whatever it was, she was being ignored and that didn't sit right with her.

Feeling cheated and childish, Lucy grumpily followed behind Laxus, dragging her feet as much as she could before Laxus turned around, looking just as annoyed as she did.

"Are you going to do that the whole way back to the inn?"

Lucy played dumb. "Do what?" She asked innocently.

She could tell Laxus didn't buy that for a second. "You know exactly what you're doing." He rolled his eyes at her blank stare. "You're acting like a child."

"I'm acting like a child?" Funny, she wasn't the one that was all pouty. "I'm sorry if I'm not cheerful enough for you. In case you didn't notice, the house of our so-called-client vanished into nothing!" Lucy gestured wildly, had he already forgotten? Natsu was the same way and Lucy was certain if she asked Levy, she would say Gajeel was the no exception. Are all dragonslayers this useless?

No, not Wendy. That girl is amazing! She's too precious.

"Tch, you really dwell on things." Laxus crossed his arms over his chest, Lucy darted her eyes, trying to avoid staring at the area. He would know. "There's nothing to worry about."

He was so unbelievable. "So you're saying you aren't at all affected by all this?" Lucy huffed, even Laxus had to be aware of how much this whole situation sucked.

Laxus shrugged, "Oh I am, but the way I see it; the sooner we get the other two morons here, the sooner we get answers. We can't change what we can't change. Simple as that." It made complete sense but Lucy was still feeling petty. So she continued to follow behind, dragging her feet again; if only to piss him off. It wasn't much longer before he stopped again. Laxus sighed, "I can get us to the inn much faster. That is if you're done with your tantrum."

That caught her attention. She was so done with all this walking. A smile crept along her face, her rotten mood instantly in the past. "Why didn't you say so before? Yes, let's go!"

Her smile widened when Laxus cracked her small grin. Would she ever get over how utterly gorgeous he was? Probably not. Just being around him made her happier. He gestured for her to get closer. "We need to be touching," he explained. Lucy nervously got closer to his side, the last time she had gotten that close to him, she had tried to kiss him.

Twice now, actually.

Her heart was racing and she was certain Laxus could hear it. Lucy moved slowly and then stood a few inches away from Laxus, too nervous to get much closer.

With a roll of his eyes, Laxus tugged Lucy until she was nestled into his side. A small "eep!" escaped her. He leaned down to her ear, "nervous Blondie?" You have no idea...

Lucy blinked and before she finished, her surroundings changed completely. No longer were they on the dirt road on the outskirts of town, they were right in the lobby of the inn. All the air felt like it had been squeezed out of her. So that was the way Laxus got around so fast, it was literally a blink of an eye.

She stumbled a bit but Laxus grabbed her hand before she fell. He gave her a small tug and she followed behind, her face beginning to redden. She ignored the astonished looks from the employees. They had after all, just suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.

She also tried to not let him notice how much his hand holding hers really affected her.

Laxus led her to her room and sat down on one of the chairs. His large body barely seemed to fit in said chair, giving him the appearance of a giant squeezed into a child's seat. Lucy plopped herself down on the bed and for a moment just breathed.

She stared at her feet before glancing up and catching Laxus's eyes. They were completely alone now. No interruptions, no Natsu, no Elfman, and no woodland creatures set on attacking them. Maybe Erza would show up on the back of a dragon.

"So." His voice was low and his eyes watched her every movement.

"So." She felt nervous again. Will I ever be able to talk to him normally? I know he's hot and all but I'm being ridiculous. This crush is very inconvenient.

"Are you hungry? We could order something while we wait." Okay, so she wasn't expecting that. Food would be good, all that walking certainly made her hungry.

"Um, yeah that would be good." Lucy was a little surprised that Laxus was this calm. The old him would have hunted the boys down and demanded answers usually with brute force.

As if he read her mind, he answered. "Oh believe me, if I could hunt those two idiots down I would. In fact, I would never get myself this this type of situation. The old geezer assigned me and I don't really feel like pissing him off right now. I've been good."

Definitely a matter of opinion, but Lucy couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. "Do you think it was a good idea to leave Elfman behind?"

"I don't really see a problem with it. He is part of Fairy Tail so I doubt he would leave. And if he did, we can always go back to the guild. We don't have to wait too long. I'm just giving them some courtesy. I'm sure whatever is going on isn't anything malicious."

Lucy exhaled loudly. "Well I'll be damned." At his questioning look, she elaborated. "You've really matured. Not that you weren't mature before, you were more rash. I can't believe you're being this patient. You were a dick when I first met you." She smiled again, "you're getting old."

"Is that so?" His tone was teasing now.

"Oh yeah, in fact I'm surprised you managed to keep with me without getting a heart attack."

"Oh, I can keep up with you any day."

When had he gotten up from the chair? More importantly, when had he gotten this close to her? She didn't give it much thought as he stood right in front of her, his head slightly tilted down. Laxus was inches away from her face, not moving any closer, waiting. Lucy bit her lip, hesitating. Laxus wasn't going to move any closer. "Really? Prove it." Lucy whispered. Did I really just say that? What is wrong with me? Wh-

Laxus took that as an answer and quickly closed the distance between them.

He was kissing her. Lucy froze under the foreign feeling, not quite done processing what was happening. Laxus was kissing her! His lips pressed a bit harder, demanding her focus, and Lucy finally responded. She closed her eyes and stood on her toes to hold his shoulders.

She couldn't help the inevitable blush that was rapidly spreading over her body. The world was spinning and her toes were curling.

Lucy moved her lips with his, it was a little clumsy at first, the angle made it a bit awkward as she craned her neck up, and his nose bumped into hers a bit. It was perfect.

Enthusiasm more than made up for it. Lucy swiped her tongue over Laxus's bottom lip and his hands tightened on her hips. She opened her mouth slightly, and Laxus took the invitation to press his tongue against hers.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as they continued kissing. Laxus gently reclined her back on the bed before crawling over her, never breaking the kiss.

Lucy pulled away to gasp for air and Laxus didn't hesitate to attach his lips to her neck. His tongue swirled over sensitive spots which he then would lightly nip. Her fingers brushed against the bottom of his shirt before slipping her fingers just underneath it, resting them on his bare skin.

Laxus gave her one more nip before looking up at her, his pupils were darker than normal. His eyes were unreadable before he kissed her again.

While the other kiss was softer and more cautious, this one was rushed, deeper, and messier. The mood shifted to something much more urgent and seductive. Lucy had no intention on stopping it or slowing down, consequences be damned.

She clenched the bottom of his shirt again and ripped it over his head. Lucy sat up just examining and admiring his body. Oh Mavis, this guy is a god! Her eyes scanned over every muscle and the intricate lines of his tattoo. She wanted to lick him.

"You good Blondie? You're staring again." Lucy reluctantly tore her eyes from his chest and to his amused face. A laugh bellowed out when he saw her awed expression. It's not like he could blame her, she only dreamed about this oh, every other night for as long as she could remember.

He didn't laugh long as Lucy launch herself at him, knocking him backwards and putting her on top, straddling his hips. Her lips slammed onto his, taking him by surprise at her boldness. Whatever Laxus had thought about Lucy's inexperience was wrong, she was no blushing virgin. Lucy's fingers trailed over his chest, tracing invisible circles. She flashed him a wink before dropping down to his waistline; she unbuckled his belt and toyed with the button. The mood picked up along with the small sense of urgency they had.

"Shit Lucy, you're beautiful." Laxus said as he rid her of her top. It was his turn to ogle at her generous chest. His hands moved up to cup her breasts through her bra. Lucy moaned quietly and unconsciously started to rock herself against Laxus's hardening member.

One of his hands found itself up her skirt, getting dangerously close to her heated center. Their eyes met again and for a brief moment everything slowed down and they were the only people in existence. She gave him the warmest, fondest, most sincere smile she had, trying to get her feelings across without actually saying them. Maybe she didn't have to wait until they got to the guild after all. It seemed like a good time to say something now.

Lucy cleared her throat, she gathered her thoughts and used all remaining courage she had. "Laxus, I-"

"Room service!" A loud knock made Lucy jump up and fall off the bed in surprise, effectively ruining the mood. "Room service!" Really? Right now? Can't I catch a break?

Lucy heard the bed rustle and a belt click. "Don't need any, now get lost!" Laxus stood up and pulled his shirt on. He tossed her her shirt and Lucy looked down at the material she was holding. "If you don't wanna wear it, that's fine by me, I don't mind. However, I don't think you would appreciate eating dinner in public." Laxus paused, "unless you're into the whole exhibitionist thing."

She blushed and rapidly tugged it on. She accepted the hand Laxus stretched out and reddened even more when he didn't let go of her hand. What does this mean? Lucy looked up and returned his easy smile. We'll figure it out as it goes. There was definitely a shift in the relationship they had and though not everything was crystal clear right now, there was that glimmer of hope.

Heart leaping internally, she moved to follow behind Laxus and grumbled a bit when she slammed into his suddenly still body. He had the most annoying habit of doing that. "Everything okay Laxus?"

He slowly turned to look at her, his voice filled with barely contained rage. "I can't get out."

"What?" What's he on about now?

"Look for yourself." Lucy looked around his body, her jaw dropping. Sure enough there was a rune over the door and the walls; a very familiar magical signature was coming off them. "Yep. It's Freed's work." Laxus gritted.

"Are you sure that's him? It could be anyone…"

He merely gave her a pointed look. "I would know Freed's magic anywhere. It's his and we can't leave the room." Lucy allowed her jaw to drop. What the heck was going on here? She was sick and tired of questioning herself. No job should be this complicated.

Now she was certain, there was something happening and the guild was definitely involved.

"Are you KIDDING ME?"

You can probably guess what's going on.

There is some more juicy parts but its not really a full fledged lemon yet. But I know it's confusing right now but everything will be made clear! As always I hope you like this chapter as it was one of my more favorite ones to write. I don't have a beta so some errors may have slipped by