Chapter 10

"Seriously," said Lucy, in awe as she spun in a loose circle, "How did you find this place?"

Loki chucked as he walked the bike into a small shed, lovingly covering it once again by a thick, heavy cloth. "By chance, actually. As a teenager, I was a bad kid. I think I broke something important once? My father cast me out into the human world for a couple months to teach me a lesson and I ended up here."

Lucy made a funny smile. "Punishment for me was a broom closet," she said matter-of-factly, "Definitely not a place like this…" She flung her arms out, gesturing at their surroundings. Although the motorcycle ride was short, it was twilight by the time they had reached their destination. The bike had brought them through empty fields and a dark forest or two, finally bringing them to a beautiful lake, quiet in its isolation. There was one lonely cabin on the shoreline, with an unparalleled view of the neighboring snowcapped mountain—this was to be their home for the weekend.

"I think he was aiming for there instead," said Loki, pointing at the very top of the mountain. It seemed like a very lonely and desolate place. "But its alright. I've kept coming back here whenever I needed to get away, to think or whatever."

Nodding, Lucy pointed at the cabin. It was a beautiful, small wooden building that seemed well-taken care of but it was clear that no one had lived in it for a while. "So you were lucky enough to stumble on someone's…really fancy fishing hut?"

"No, actually," said Loki picking up their bags and walking up the stairs to the front door, "I built this place with my own two hands! Not bad, eh?"

"I'm sorry if I don't believe you," she said as she followed him inside, trying her hardest not to gape at the interior. Having been raised as a Heartphilia, Lucy was proud to know that she could spot quality when she saw it, and she was definitely looking at it. The cabin was essentially a huge studio built with the highest level of craftmanship—huge, picture windows took up one wall and there was a very modern kitchen in one corner. A fireplace was recessed into a wall next to an opening which snaked towards the closets and bathroom.

Loki rolled his eyes as he put their stuff down, shrugging out of his jacket and walking into the kitchen. "Time isn't really an issue, for spirits. I had a lot of time to perfect my technique. A lot of time."

"So what," teased Lucy as she sank into one of the sofas, holding up a pillow, "In all your years, perfecting your technique, did you sew these too?"

"Maybe." That smug grin was back. "Actually, from what I've been told, I've learned to do something else extremely well…"

A smile started to spread on Lucy's face, turning into something sweet that was also what Mirajane called, 'impish.' "Oh reaaaaaaally," she said, raising one eyebrow.

A box of noodles was instantly thrown at her head. "Hey you, get your mind out of the gutter," he scolded.

Lucy giggled as she followed him into the kitchen. "You set yourself up for that one." She clapped her hands, as she saw the ingredients that he was pulling out of the surprisingly well-stocked cabinets—It looked like he was going to make lasagna!

Loki pointed a silicon spatula at her, shaking it in a threatening manner. "If you say, 'that's what she said,' you cook your own dinner."

Lucy, who had a fondness for all foods Italian, was in heaven. Not only had he cooked for her, he had given her an impromptu cooking lesson in which she could show off at the next Fairy Tail stay-home girls night, which proved that not only was he an amazing cook (he wasn't kidding, his food was literally to die for), he was also a stellar teacher.

After dinner, she had received a quick tour of cabin, which included a lengthy rundown of long it took Loki to build each part (Lucy stood with her arms crossed. "Really…it took 10 years just to build this coffee table?" Loki lovingly caressed the wood surface, "Yes! Look, it's a perfect right angle. Isn't it beautiful?" The '…' above Lucy's head were almost visible.)

Once Lucy remembered that she wasn't in a fancy hotel ("OMG the bathroom is so pretty"), she had taken a quick shower. It was currently Loki's turn in the bathroom, and she stood at the window, admiring the view.

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, Lucy heard the slight hiss of steam as the bathroom door opened. Lucy turned toward the sound as Loki turned the corner—hair toweled dry but damp, and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

Lucy didn't notice the color creeping up her cheeks (or that she was staring) until Loki made a funny face, leaning over to grab a cotton t-shirt from one of the bags. "You alright? Something on my nose?"

"Oh, err…yeah. I mean, nothing! You're okay. I'm, um…good." She turned around, half cursing herself for getting caught looking and half praising her luck. That must have the first time she'd seen him shirtless, he was always in a suit or civilian clothes or something. His form was lean, yet cut, like a jungle cat. He had toned muscles, functional not bulky, that allowed him to move fast yet be strong at the same time. It was very, very nice to look at.

"So anyway, its past midnight, are you tired?" He very distractedly stood up straight, ruffling his hair.

"Oh, um…actually… yeah. I'm pretty beat," said Lucy, after some thought. Although she hadn't realized that time had passed so quickly, she felt the tendrils of fatigue creeping up on her. It had been a long day.

Loki snapped his fingers, "Alright. Ready for a magic trick?" As Lucy watched, he threw all the pillows off of the couch, pulling the frame of a fold out bed from the innards of the sofa.

Before Lucy could make a comment, Loki had held a hand up, disappearing around the corner. "I know you," he huffed, reappearing from the closet with a queen sized sofa, "I realize this is a hideaway bed, but don't judge until you feel this mattress."

Lucy wore a skeptical grin as she helped him make the bed, tucking the soft cotton sheets into place. Then, the moment of truth—she slowly lowered herself onto the bed.

"Oh, sweet…holy…wow. This is amazing," she uttered, at a lack of words. It literally felt like being enveloped on a cloud…except there was the right amount of support for her back. "Hey, don't tell me that you made this too."

Loki gently bopped her with a pillow as he sank into the bed himself, "Ah ha, you're so funny. Actually, I earned this! There's a family in the House of Gemini that is famous for making these mattresses. I don't even know what it's made of, but they are very hard to obtain. They say the Spirit King was on a waitlist for years to get one."

"Really? So what did you do to get yours?" Lucy was intrigued.

"I had to wander through this super isolated forest looking for a certain type of apple," explained Loki, making very big, animated hand gestures, "Apparently, the ladies of the house will do almost anything for one of those. I slept in a cave, cut my way through foliage and then three years later! I finally found it. It was worth it."

"Oh, yes," mumbled Lucy, who was drifting off into a dream in which she stole the mattress and took it home, "Very much worth it."

Sensing that sleep was soon upon her, Loki turned off the lights, allowing the room to be lit by the soft reflection of the moonlight on the lake. "Too bright?" he asked.

"Nah, this is perfect," said Lucy. She felt one of his arms snake under her head, propping her head up like a pillow. Everything just felt so natural, like she'd known him for a long while. Almost by instinct, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You know, I've been watching you fight this internal struggle of yours for a while now," mused Loki thoughtfully, "Why the change of heart?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "It's like…when you try to convince your heart that it doesn't want something, even though you know it does. You can only fight it for so long, otherwise its like you're lying to yourself."

"So? What is this big revelation that your heart knows but your brain doesn't want to believe?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her cheek. The slight stubble on his chin sent a shiver down her spine.

"That I'm…" She stopped, embarrassed. "I don't know," she mumbled, turning her head away to stare at the lake.

"Oh come on. Say it." This time, he kissed her neck, right below her jawbone.

Lucy exhaled sharply. "Okay fine. I'm…" she paused, "I'm falling for you."

Loki laughed, very amused at her discomfort. "Oh really? Why such a dilemma?"

"The best way I can explain it is that feeling when you're in free fall. You know? You're just…falling," Lucy explained, her mouth set in a frown, "There's no gravity, you don't have any control. You don't know if someone'll be there to catch you at the bottom."

"Love, don't worry," he said, his lips on his collarbone, "I will always catch you if you fall."

Lucy felt like she should have felt touched at his words…but instead, she stifled a giggle. "That was kind of cheesy. Very sweet, but cheesy."

"Whaaat? I'm here, pouring my heart out to you and you're teasing me," said Loki, wearing a fake pout, "Why you—"

Lucy began to laugh as she felt fingers fly to her sides, seeking her ticklish spots. After defending herself from her attacker, they lay comfortably on the bed, his arms wrapped firmly around her middle. It felt like they'd been doing this for years.

"You know, I've never brought anyone else here," Loki mumbled into her hair. His eyes were closed and his face was relaxed.

"Ever? It's so beautiful here, you didn't want to show it off?" Lucy asked, as she stared at the moon. It shone bright and full in the sky, the stars clearly dotting the evening sky.

"No."

Lucy smiled. It felt nice, being the only person that he'd shared this place with—like sharing a secret. Then, she felt him fumbling with her fingers. At first, she thought he was intertwining them together, but she felt something slip onto one of them. It was warm and heavy metal…a ring? Lucy held her hand up to see what he had placed on her finger, blinking in her tiredness. The moonlight shining upon the giant ruby winked back.

A/N: I can't believe how many drafts I wrote of this. I would write one and save it on my external hard drive. And then a couple hours/days later, I could never open it! So frustrating!

I hear there have been categorizing problems? I'll look into it and hopefully get it fixed! :3