She never ended up going to the park after all. Loke had offered her a ride home, though she refused, she didn't even allow him her phone number, only the time and place to meet tomorrow to help lecture her for her novel. Loke surprisingly didn't fight her on that, he bowed and left her to walk by herself.
Mostly, her thoughts worried about Natsu. She had sent him a text when she returned home, but he messaged her back saying he wasn't able to come over. That left her thinking about the stranger she had become acquainted with, Loke. She only was with him for a short amount of time, but she already knew he was a player; the king of flirting. He honestly would be perfect in helping her novel, she just didn't know how to tell Natsu she was asking another guy for advice and help.
True to his word, Natsu met with her in Fairy Tail's pub and she was pleased to see he looked much better, he was like his old self again. Lucy had noticed something was off between them, Natsu wasn't talking to her about yesterday at all. She was worried what had happened, but she knew Natsu would tell her when he was ready.
"Do you remember that guy that paid for our wine?" Lucy started, knowing she couldn't keep this a secret from her best friend, she owed it to him to be truthful to him.
"Yeah, what about him?" Natsu wasn't paying much attention, he had gotten distracted flipping off Gray at the other side of the bar who had brought Juvia back once more, it was nice for Lucy to see Gray trying with someone.
"He bought me dinner." That caught Natsu's attention, he whipped his head around to look at her, and look affronted.
"Even though he knew you were there for a date with me?"
"Yeah, I told him that it wasn't a date, he's a total player, I wouldn't let him near me." Lucy comforted him, she knew that was what Natsu needed to hear, that he had Lucy's trust and vice versa. "I actually think he could help me in my novel, he does have experience in flirting."
"You just met him Lucy!" Natsu sneered, clearly not impressed by her suggestion. "Look, I'm sorry, I trust you, I do, I just think he's going to just try get in your pants." Lucy smiled softly at him, she didn't want to remind him they weren't really dating, she liked seeing him this passionate about protecting her.
"I know, I'm just going to use him for his knowledge instead of him using me." She said, winking at Natsu who seemed to understand her situation with Loke and he grinned at her to show he wasn't annoyed at her, that everything between them was still okay.
"You think Gray's banged Juvia yet?" Came the voice of Cana as she slid in next to Lucy. Lucy's face flushed as she hid her face with her hands.
"Ew, I do not want to think about that!" She screeched as she looked over to Natsu who looked disgusted himself.
"I don't even think the Ice Spewer had a sex life." Natsu spat, glaring at the shirtless man who wasn't even looking at Juvia, though she seemed to be talking to him. She must have said something as he looked at her to respond. Lucy had never seen Gray with a woman before, sure he and Cana flirted when they were drunk, but it had never gone anywhere serious, Gray had a drunken flirtatious nature, but he was casual about it like most things in his life.
"I can tell Juvia's really into him." Cana added in, "She's giving off so many signals."
"If she keeps talking about Gray having sex, I am definitely burning my ears off." Natsu slouched himself down in the booth as Lucy and Cana giggled amongst themselves. Lucy looked to Natsu, she wondered if he had thought about them engaging in sexual acts, she hoped not, something about having sex with Natsu felt odd to her.
Natsu made a point to the girls that he was going to find out the gossip between the pair, hence he sauntered over to them and interrupted their conversation. It was clear from her face that Juvia wasn't at all impressed with Natsu and his attitude which just seemed to make Gray be more interested in her.
Lucy was annoyed she hadn't gotten the chance to see Erza or Levy at Fairy Tail yet. She had wanted to tell them her plan about Loke, especially now Natsu was okay with it. With a sigh, she let herself say her goodbyes to Cana as she made her way to the neighbouring park, she oddly wondered why Loke would choose here as a place to talk.
She noted how she couldn't see him anywhere and would only allow herself to wait twenty minutes at most for him, if he forgot, so be it, she would forget him completely and find another way to learn about flirting. Lucy found a cosy bench to sit down on and begun reading, it was tranquil for her to read like this, the weather was starting to get nice again as Spring was creeping back upon them.
"What are you reading?" She looked up and gave a polite smile as she closed the book and made to put it in her bag, yet Loke didn't say anything, he simply repeated his question.
"Oh, it's just some fairy tales." Loke smiled, not expecting that answer.
"What kind?" His questions were odd, they were here to discuss on how he could help with her novel, but it was nice for someone to be interested in her reading besides Levy.
"A princess gets turned into a dragon and none of the townspeople know that it's her, so they try to hunt her by sending the prince after her, but it's a stable boy who is kind to her." There was something alluring in the idea of forbidden love, Lucy had always adored fantasy, even as a young girl when her mother would read to her.
"That sounds wonderful, you'll have to send me the title." Lucy nodded as Loke held out his hand for her to take, she rolled her eyes and ignored it, getting up on her own and moving to where he led them, beside some trees, she had to admit, the view around them was nice. "Romance is all about things, the things we buy for someone, the things we do and say." Lucy was almost tempted to write that down, she didn't want Loke laughing at her though, so she resisted and relied on memory.
Loke positioned a hand on her waist and watched her for any sign of reluctance of refusal as his other hand came up to cup her chin. "Flirting is all about signals, passion is all about feelings through touch." Lucy could feel the warmth of his hand on her, it was enough to make her gulp. The warmth was electrifying as it twisted something within her nerves.
All she could do is look at him. He was gorgeous, a true personification of a handsome gentleman. Like yesterday, he wore a suit, this one was darker and had a red tie. The thing she couldn't tear her eyes away from was his eyes; truly beautiful. Shades were tucked away in his vest and she was pleased, she didn't want to see these eyes hidden, she was jealous her eyes were so plain compared to his.
A mini universe swam in his iris', golden and vibrant sparks jumped out from the hazel eyes he bore, Lucy had never seen such sparkling eyes. He seemed to sense her thoughts and let his hand leave her chin, to trace the soft skin of her cheek, it was then she seen him pulling himself towards her and she snapped back to reality.
Loke was doubled over in front of her, clutching his stomach where her leg had kicked him.
"I can't believe I have to verbalise that you are not kissing me." She wanted him to be ashamed, apologise for his behaviour, but he laughed.
"You are an amazing woman; not once have I ever been turned down like that." He seemed to recover fast, though Lucy knew she had definitely bruised his ego.
"I liked the move, but you don't get to kiss me." She winked at him which just seemed to stir him even more. "No more touching, only talking." She said, making the intent between them clear, he wasn't winning her over with simple charades. He grudgingly accepted as the pair of them settled beneath the trees and Loke gave her his signature lines he liked to use.
"That does not work!" Lucy laughed, shocked that the idea of these cheesy lines could work for him.
"It does, I promise." Loke was laughing with her, he knew the lines he used would never work on Lucy, it was nice someone was able to call him out like this.
"They're so soppy, they actually fit well into my piece." She said, she knew she had wanted the characters to hold an elegant and Victorian theme, where balls and gowns were still common era.
She caught Loke staring at her numerous times that afternoon, he never once was ashamed of being caught, instead he would dangerously smirk at her and she would be the one to blush and look away. It was nice for Lucy to receive attention from someone, but Loke wasn't her type; he was a lady-killer. "All right, think you can help me differ the words used for lust and love now?" Lucy wondered if Loke had ever been in love, he didn't seem like it,
He stopped and tapped a finger on his chin, in thought.
"Lust is the attraction, the want you get from seeing someone." Lucy watched as he reached for his shades and put them on, she was slightly disappointed; he had lovely eyes. Though now he wasn't able to stare at her so intently which made her slightly more relaxed.
"And love?" She asked, she knew this was a dangerous question to ask, it was a confession she wasn't in love with Natsu, which could have given Loke hope to continue to pursue her.
"Love is when there are no words." Loke's voice was softer, sincerer. "Love is sacrificing everything to make another person happy; even if it means sacrificing your own." Lucy was startled at Loke's words, perhaps the person he appeared to be was just an act, there was a gut feeling twisting inside her that Loke knew more about the feelings of love than he was willing to admit.
Lucy and Loke didn't spend long discussing words and phrases she could use, Lucy was astonished to find that Loke also had a passion for literature, hence why he knew how to convey feelings into words, a lot better than she could.
"My friends have finally showed up at our local bar, I'm going to go meet them now." She explained to him as she started gathering up her things, Loke only nodded, he didn't say much, he knew he would miss her fierce talk. "Want to come as well?" Lucy knew the dangers of introducing Loke to her friends, she didn't want them to presume anything between them, but she was mannerly, it felt right to at least give him an invite.
"I would love to." Walking to Fairy Tail caused Lucy to get anxious, she didn't really know Loke, yet she knew they were now acquaintances, they had surprisingly gotten along quite well today.
When they walked in through the doors, Lucy almost pushed Loke straight back out of the doors, they were all fighting! Loke moved her to the side of him where he led them around the side, a safe spot in the scene. Levy called for her and Loke guided her safely to the push.
She couldn't hear anything due to the sound of wooden chairs being thrown across the room, the loud crashing of wood breaking caused Lucy to duck on instinct, despite having Loke's body on her side for protection.
"Eh, Lucy who's this?" Came the voice of Levy, eyes wide at seeing such a formal-dressed man at Fairy Tail; most were shirtless Lucy had to admit.
"This is Loke, he was a playboy who asked him out when I was with Natsu." Lucy giggled at the thought of their situation now, Levy looked embarrassed for her whilst Erza was glaring intensely at him. Poor Loke didn't know what was coming. "I thought he could help me with dialogue in my novel." That didn't seem to ease Erza's death-stares.
"And I am in your debt, you have introduced me to such pretty ladies." She didn't have time to warn Loke, Levy seemed to blush and hide in her seat whereas Erza, ever dominant as always reached into her leg strap and stabbed a knife into the wooden table. Lucy mouthed an 'I'm sorry,' to Loke, but he didn't look fazed, in fact the sorry man looked like he was going to challenge Erza's power move.
"If you dare touch Lucy I will see to myself that when Natsu comes to scorch you, there won't even be a body for him to find." There was no sarcasm or joke in Erza's tone, even Lucy was scared, and she wasn't even the one being interrogated. Loke adjusted his glasses, bringing the shades down slightly to see the woman in full vision.
"Would you rather I touch you instead?"
There were no words next, Erza had grabbed the stuck knife and yanked it out with such a ferocity that wooden splinters flew off from the motion. Lucy gulped as Levy made a move to grab her back, but Loke accepted the punch, lucky for him the knife was a threatening tool only; she hoped. Erza had her hand grabbing his shirt, gripped so tight not even Loke could over-power her. For someone who was half on a table, Erza's stance was as strong as ever. She had no shame in her actions.
"This isn't a game, Lucy is precious, and she doesn't need a troublemaker like you."
"Erza!" They had all looked over and were now aware that they were now the main attraction in the bar. Levy looked away, not tearing her eyes away from Erza, who had reluctantly let go of the play-boy as Mirajane yelled out to her. Natsu and Gray had even stopped their fighting, in fact both of them were glaring intently at Loke; Natsu remember him.
"I think it would be best if I stepped out." Loke stood up and brushed off any grime or ruffles made in his shirt; he was a proper man after all. "I will see you soon, Princess." He purred out the nickname and even Lucy couldn't stop blushing from the name, he was shameless. She watched as he walked out, he wasn't running, he was strutting. Lucy wasn't convinced he could walk out from a situation like that so easily, something about it told her there was more than Loke was letting on. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of following him though, she was focused on Natsu's form walking over to their booth.
"Good work, Erza!" Natsu cheered as he went for a high-five, Erza didn't respond to Natsu, she looked at Lucy, trying to read her expression, unfortunately even Lucy didn't know how to feel. "What is that creep's problem?" He sneered, looking over to the door where he barely caught a glimpse of Gray leaving after him.
Lucy seemed more distant than normal, they all noticed. Erza suggested that her and Natsu get a drink, which left just Levy and her. Levy moved to sit next to Lucy. She didn't like the sullen look on Lucy's face, it wasn't usual she saw the blonde so down, she was always smiling. Levy didn't have to say anything, Lucy sighed and looked at her friend, looking disappointed.
"I know everyone's got this perception of Loke, but when we were out at the park talking, he was like a different person." Levy seemed to soften at those words and placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder.
"Don't you think that was part of his play?" Lucy's eyes widened, as though she was so trusting that the thought hadn't ever occurred to her, she was too innocent for her own good.
"I don't know." She confessed, everything about Loke just defined him as a player who had made some internal challenge in which he would eventually bed Lucy.
Outside, Loke was struggling to light up a cigarette, his stupid lighter must have been out of fluid. He didn't look up as people entered and left, what did he care for the locals here, they were set in their ways, he knew they wouldn't accept an outsider like him into their little clique.
"Need a light?" A voice asked, causing him to look over at the stranger, and Loke felt himself groan as the stranger had a lit cigarette. He grunted as he moved close and positioned his hands over the cigarette. The man didn't say anything, which Loke appreciated, he simply lit the stick and continued on puffing out his own.
Loke didn't thank the man properly, he nodded and turned away, fully intent on leaving this pub behind him, yet part of him wanted to keep returning for Lucy, he had enjoyed talking to someone like a normal person and not someone who looked at him like he was just something for them to fawn over.
"Lucy doesn't like smokers." The man beside him said and Loke glanced over, he was a tad startled when he noticed the man had no shirt on; just shorts and a pendant. And Loke decided the pendant he wore definitely wasn't covering much to even be considered part of his apparel.
"I usually don't smoke." He confessed, the sensation was just nice. When the smoke he exhaled danced in front of him, it was as though he was exhaling his stress as well. The feeling of smoking was helping numb the sharp burning pain on his cheek, he knew he had deserved it though.
"She tells me off about it all the time." The man was definitely going through his own cigarette fasting than Loke was; a regular at it, he decided. Loke smiled, it made perfect sense to him that Lucy would hate smoke, it seemed to fit well against her doe persona he had built for her. He was still amused that she had even asked him to help her write flirting for her romance book, it was such an innocent and sweet request; he couldn't refuse.
"Is that why she is dating the other guy and not you?" He wouldn't be Loke if he didn't poke some buttons, but to his surprise the man laughed. He put an end to his smoke and crushed it under the heel of his boot.
"Natsu's a dick. It won't last." He shrugged, it wasn't Gray's normal business to deal in other people's affairs, but Lucy was the kind of person who helped other people, him included. He honestly didn't want to see her unhappy, and all personal vendettas against Natsu aside, he just didn't see the pair of them working, he didn't want either hurt in the long run.
"So, you are supporting me and her?" He joked, the man chuffed at that and shook his head.
"Lucy's not an idiot, she doesn't go for playboys. If she's hanging around you, it means she sees something likeable and good about you." That's exactly what Loke was afraid of, that this one woman could break down the walls he had built so long ago. There wasn't many that knew Loke's secrets, but he found that conversation had naturally flown with Lucy, there was some alluring charm the siren had about her.
