A/N: I own nothing. Enjoy! :)

11. The Moon Shines For You

Lucy was sick of everyone treating her like she was a glass doll. Although it was all Erza's plan's fault, the blond could not blame her for the misfortune that came falling down on her. It was a late evening and everyone in the guild was drinking, even the team currently guarding herself. She was glad for that and draped a dark cape over her shoulders. She covered her head with a hood, looking carefully around in case someone noticed her. No one did.

She blended to the shadows, walking towards the door. When she exited, she breathed happily the light air of night. It was getting colder. She kept her face hidden and started walking towards her home, calling Plue out midway to home. She kept glancing behind her, certain she'd heard the steps of another, but no one was there.

She checked over her shoulder once again, no one there, but when she turned again, she nearly died from fright. "Laxus!" she cried. "You scared me!" She put a hand to her heart, hoping it would calm down quicker, if she did so. The boy stepped out of her way and waited until Lucy started walking again, he following next to her.

"What brings you here?" she asked, hiding her face deeper into the hood. "I thought you were out with your team."

"I was," he admitted tersely. "Just caught a whiff of you." He didn't see the need to lie to her, unlike other dragon slayers who kept pretending they met her on the street "by chance" or offered her protection, although she kept claiming she could do a fine job by herself.

"Oh," she replied dumbly. She smiled to herself. Laxus noticed the curve of her lips hidden in the shade and stared at it wordlessly. They kept walking in silence. Lucy threw another glance behind her back. Again, no one was there. Laxus, noticing her strange behaviour, breathed deeply in.

"Don't move," he said quietly, pulling the girl closer to him. "Close your eyes." Lucy did as he ordered and shocking the young man, hugged him tight, hiding her face into his chest.

"Got you," he whispered, kissing her hair. Lucy opened her eyes wide and tried to push him away, but no luck. They stayed in the embrace for some more time. Laxus breathed in her lovely, intoxicating scent and Lucy dared not move in fears the electricity running down her spine would cause serious damage. It didn't occur to her that it was not Laxus' doing at all.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered, letting her go. Lucy stepped back on wobbly legs and admired the handsome man before her. The moonlight danced on his hair, making it look even blonder and spikier. She stifled a giggle.

Laxus raised a hand and pulled off the hood of her cape. Lucy's skin was paler than it had been before, certainly the fault of malnourishment of an energy-needing body. "Has anyone told you how sickly you look these days?" he blurted, earning a shocked look from the girl. "Do they even feed you?"

"I can feed myself, thank you very much," she answered sharply. Laxus chuckled and ruffled her hair that shone like all the stars in heavens had nested in it. He put his hand in a pocket and brought out an energy bar that he threw at her. Lucy couldn't react fast enough and the bar landed on the ground. The girl picked it up with a sigh.
"It's not like you need to diet," the boy muttered. Lucy spared him a smile.

"Thank you, Laxus," she said kindly, reading what was written on the bar he'd given. It was unfamiliar to her, but what she gathered, it was high in calories and had a quick energy-restoring quality. It had probably cost a lot. Laxus shrugged it off.

"You shouldn't be walking around alone," he added. It was rare he spoke so much in her presence and she loved it now. Hearing his voice helped calm her reckless heart.

Suddenly, he pulled her closer again and this time, Lucy heard a loud sequence of curses coming from his mouth, followed by a hiss from somewhere a bit farther. The girl froze in fear, recognizing it. "Cobra," she muttered with anger. How could this be? Only then she remembered he, too, was called out by her. This was truly a curse.

The poison dragon slayer flicked his tongue. His eyes glinted dangerously and he looked terribly pleased with having found the girl. Albeit the moon made his ears look fairy-like, the pointedness of them scared her more than she wanted to admit.

"I can hear your fear," he hissed with a widespread grin. "Come here, Lucy, and I'll make it quick." His sharp teeth taunted her and Lucy gripped her companion's arm. Laxus smiled at that.

"What do you want, Cobra?" he lazily asked. Cobra sent him a look containing same feelings and shrugged.

"Just wanted to see the blondie here," he replied with boredom evident in his voice. "And tell her, the world would be much easier a place to live in, if she weren't around."

"Tell me about it," the girl muttered to herself. Getting even a night's sleep was a feat these days with Natsu and Sting competitively crashing at her place. She couldn't believe it. She'd asked Rogue and Erza many times to help her keep them at bay, but even those two had hard time keeping an eye on the frustrating duo of fire and light.

Cobra flashed her another smile, having heard of her. "I might as well lend you a hand in that," he hissed, before turning to go the way he'd come. Laxus took Lucy's hand, as the girl contemplated the hidden meaning behind Cobra's words. They walked hand in hand, Laxus tugging her fingers roughly to make her look at him. When Lucy did, his eyes promised her to keep her safe.