Good lord this is late. Sorry guys! I'm trying to get into a schedule, and well… I think you can guess what happened. I hope stuff will get easier after like the first week of May. I should be all yours after that so yay! Anyway, here's the chapter!
"Can you explain why I must wear such trivial attire?"
"Because I'd rather not have you walk around my apartment half naked all the time."
"Is that a… blush? So you are enjoying it."
"S-shut up."
The t-shirt Lucy bought for him lay loosely on his chest. The demon lord gave the smiling blonde a scathing look. "Is this really what humans wear?" Mard asked, shifting uncomfortably in his black jeans. "Of course," Lucy responded, chuckling lightly. He scowled, but waved her off with his hand. "Fine then. Bring me more of these modern garments."
The demon had opted to stay in the apartment while Lucy left to bring him clothes. The blonde was wary of his interaction with any member of the human race, plus Mard detested the thought of socializing with such "inferior" creatures. An hour later, Lucy was dragging several over crammed bags into her home.
"Well that's as much as I could afford with my spare money," Lucy sighed, placing the bags near the dresser. The demon didn't look up from the book he had been given. "I'm going to go out for awhile," she said, grabbing her keys from the table. No response. Good. I'd rather not tell him I have to look for another job to pay rent…
Not a single one.
Lucy slouched in the aisle she was in. Hours flew by and not a single person had given back a reasonable response to her need for work. I guess Magnolia's more peaceful than I gave it credit for. She let out a long, tired breath, before a familiar blonde head popped into her peripheral. Hey isn't that…
"Jason!" Lucy heard herself yell. The enthusiastic man looked over and lit up. "Lucy! Nice to see you, cool!" He ran up to her and shook her hand vigorously. "I heard about Fairy Tail's disbanding. So tragically uncool!" he yelled, tears rolling down his long face. Lucy rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Yeah," she responded. Something flipped in her head. "Hey Jason," she started cautiously. "You wouldn't happen to be hiring, would you?"
The reporter stroked his chin, making a face that somewhat resembled one in thought. "I don't think so…" he trailed off. Lucy's heart sank. How am I going to pay rent now?
"Wait! There is one opening that you'd be perfect for! Cool!" he yelled suddenly, making Lucy jump. "R-really?!" she yelled back excitedly. The store owner yelled at them to be quiet. Jason nodded. "Come to this address tomorrow at 12:00 pm," he said quietly, handing her a slip of paper. Lucy nodded and smiled thankfully. Quickly, she left the store, finally free of the shop owner's sharp glare. Thank god….
Her apartment door opened easily when she stepped into the living room. "Mard, I'm back," Lucy called. No response. "Mard," she called again, alarm edging her voice. The window before her was open, a cold breeze chilling her skin. He wouldn't… right? Her body lunged at the opening. Nothing awaited her at the bottom. Where-
The door suddenly opened for the second time that evening. Loud footsteps distracted her panicked mind. Her brown eyes sought out the source, forcing her to gasp in surprise. No way!
"Mard!" The celestial mage yelled, rage and relief washing over her exhausted mind. Her prisoner stood in the doorway, adorned with bags in his arms and a rather bewildered look set upon his face. "What is it human?" Mard Geer asked, an arrogant smirk forming on his lips. "You idiot! I thought you tried to k-... r-run," Lucy broke off, looking away.
"What idiotic prattle is this?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Do you honestly believe I, the king of the demons, would run from a little girl like you?"
"I'm seventeen!"
"And I was created about ten times that long ago,"
The frustrated blonde grit her teeth, holding back the rancor boiling in her blood. "Remind me to never worry about you again," she muttered, glaring darkly at the corner.
A hissing noise came prior to an enticing aroma that filled the homely apartment. The blonde's head whipped to the source. Pale chicken meat sizzled in an oil-filled pan, her raven haired prisoner standing at the end of the handle. "What are you doing?" Lucy asked, confused and alarmed at his sudden action. The "chef" looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Am I not allowed to cook a meal for my… gracious hostess?" Mard said mockingly. "W-well, it's not like you can't, but-"
"But?" The man's tone was teasingly arrogant, a victorious smirk adorning his proud features. "U-uh," Lucy stuttered, unable to form a decent argument. The burning shame left an acrid taste in her mouth. Wait a second…
A loud curse came from the esteemed chef's mouth. The once delicate golden flesh had blackened considerably and gave off a large cloud of foul-smelling smoke. "Damn it!"
"Have you ever cooked before?" Lucy asked, staring at the black charcoal that was formerly chicken. The demon cleared his throat uncomfortably. "As a demon," he started, feigning arrogance. "I never required such trivial things like sustenance. Humans are so… needy."
He just randomly started cooking… Hmmhmm… To try to look cool… Haha… And this happens… "Hahaahaa," Lucy laughed loudly, catching the embarrassed former demon off-guard. "W-what are you laughing at?" Mard yelled, a pale hue of pink dusting his cheeks. The laughing crescendoed.
The crumpled scrap of paper trembled slightly in Lucy's hand.
1269 Magnolia Ct.
This is it… My first job since Fairy Tail.
Mard had hastily retreated to his bed after his crushing culinary failure. When Lucy left, he remained wrapped in his sheets.
"LUCY!" Jason yelled from a window higher on the building, his blonde head sticking out of the window. "Head on up! We're on the third floor," he yelled, his head disappearing. I guess I should have expected that. Calming her racing heart, Lucy walked into the building.
"What the-" Lucy explained as the door closed behind her. Mannequins stood around the studio, each of them scantily clad in provocative nightwear. "Lucy! You made it!" Jason ran over, completely unfazed by the oddly decorated workplace. "Jason, would you mind explaining what's going on?" Lucy asked, her voice cracking from the surprise. "Hm? Oh!" Jason exclaimed suddenly, palms slamming onto his cheeks. "I forgot to tell you what the job was! Not cool!" His fist clenched in dramatic agony. "Jason…" Lucy attempted to regain his attention.
"Anyway," he jumped up, his former enthusiasm regained. "You'll be modeling some of these sets. Sorry for not telling you earlier. Not cool!" Lucy stared at him in frozen shock. You've got to be kidding me.
"I'm home," Lucy called. The apartment sat silent, only the faint stirrings of her bedsheets reassured her of Mard's presence. Well at least he didn't try another escapade. The celestial mage yawned and stretched. "Girl, come here," commanded the muffled voice under the sheets. "I have a name," Lucy replied in exasperation. Regardless, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Do humans honestly subject themselves to such idiotic rites of passage everyday?" A pair of black eyes peered out from beneath the covers. "I'm sorry?" Lucy replied, raising an eyebrow. "Cooking, doing… mundane things… Is this normal for humans? To feel this need?" Mard questioned, a contemplative shine in his black orbs. "The need to be… useful? Well, I wouldn't necessarily say it's specific to humans, but, yeah, it's normal."
"I hate it," Mard said bluntly, his eyes narrowing. "I always feel like I need to do something, keep myself busy, and fill my head with such compassionate blasphemy." Lucy sighed in exasperation. "You know, it isn't bad to feel like that," she said. "And aren't you normally fascinated by human behavior?"
"Only when it's happening to humans. Not me," he replied blatantly.
"You're one hell of a weirdo, you know that?"
"At least I'm not some silly little girl trying to do what's best for her 'family'."
"What did you say to me?!"
"You heard me, little girl."
The duo glared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Lucy finally broke eye contact and sat down on the adjacent couch, crossing her legs and arms in the process. "By the way," Mard said suddenly, making Lucy look up at him. "Where were you this afternoon?"
Lucy sat still for a moment before releasing a sigh. "I was at my new job," she responded, continuing to avoid eye contact. "Which is?" Lucy looked up at him with hesitation and regret in her brown eyes. "... Lingerie modeling." Mard stayed silent, making Lucy look away again. I knew it. He's totally going to slam me for this.
"Lingerie? What is that?" Mard asked, his face clearly annoyed at his lack of knowledge. Lucy's head snapped up again and she only just suppressed a laugh. "It's basically skimpy underwear," Lucy explained briefly. "So like this?" There was a pause and, much to her own shock, Lucy felt a cold breeze nipping at her stomach. "Mard, what the hell are you doing?!" Lucy screamed, fruitlessly trying to pull her shirt back over her exposed chest.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't just go up to people and lift up their shirts!"
"I don't see why not. You humans and your bashfulness."
"Pervert!"
"I'm not."
"I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure people who lift up girl's shirts are considered perverts!"
"You haven't seen anything yet."
Lucy felt her back collide with the soft mattress of the bed, the former demon king hovering above her half-naked body. "I could do much worse things," he breathed into her ear. Lucy shivered. "Much worse." He quickly nestled his face into her neck, his hot breath making Lucy develop a heated shade of scarlet. "M-Mard, get off!" She struggled under his strong grasp before pushing him out of her neck. The two locked eyes for a second, a dark shadow in Mard's and a glint of terror in Lucy's. And even with all of the fear that the blonde felt, she couldn't resist the kiss he planted on her lips.
They collided in a passionate lip lock before pulling away slowly, inches away from each other's faces. "Wha-" Lucy started. Mard had climbed off of her and quickly locked himself inside the bathroom. She brought a porcelain hand to her lips, feeling the heat radiate from them. "What in the world just happened?" She gently closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep.
I'm sooooo sorry for the wait. Life caught up to me (even if this is a bs excuse). Not gonna make any promises about next chapter's deadline, just that I will try my best to get it out by 2 weeks from now. Jeez, I'm pushing that T rating... On to the reviews:
PrettyChelsea: Thank you
Adelene900: Well, uh, they didn't go shopping… Sorry!
shadow miko: Here ya go! And thank you!
Guest: It's here. And thank you!
Yuraookami: Thank you Reader-chan. I hope you enjoy!