~Lucy~

"Do you think he's gonna be ok?" Gray asked, looking down at Val who I'd tucked into my bed. He was smiling in his sleep.

"Of course he will. I'll make sure of it," I said, though my uncertainty showed in my voice. Natsu patted my shoulder, "We'll help you Lucy. You two aren't in this alone."

I smiled, "Yeah." I sat down beside Val on my best and brushed his pink hair from his face. He mumbled and grabbed my arm, pulling it close like a teddy bear.

"It seems we should leave you two to get some sleep," said Erza, smiling. I nodded gratefully, "Thanks, you guys." Val squeezed my arm tighter. I watched as my friends filed out of my room. They were much quieter today than usual. I was grateful for that, too.

"Lucy," Val mumbled. I look at him and realized that he was still asleep. "I'm glad we're friends," Val breathed, sighing deeply.

I leaned down and kissed his forehead, lying down beside him. I stared at him and realized that I wanted to protect him more than I'd ever wanted to protect anything before. I let my head fall onto my pillow and my eyes slowly slid shut.

I fell asleep with him in my arms again.

It was morning again. Just like yesterday, I felt warm and comfortable. I smiled, "Val, wake up."

There was no answer. "Val?" I asked, my eyes drifting open. I was not mentally prepared for what I was about to see. I rubbed my eyes, my vision returning to me bit by bit. When I finally realized what was sprawled out in front of me…I can't say I didn't freak out.

"What the F**K?" I screamed. I tumbled out of my bed and fell on my butt. I was too surprised to cry out in pain. I stumbled to my feet and stared. Passed out in my bed was probably the most attractive man I'd ever seen…and he was naked. I looked away, my face on fire, and then couldn't resist the urge to look back.

His olive skin was flawless. His chest and arms were chiseled, (I wasn't sure about what was under the blanket…thank god). I stared at his face. His eyelashes were dark and long. His face looked peaceful. I reached forward to touch him. His eyes snapped open and I yelped. He grabbed my wrist and stared at me, his violet eyes boring into mine, "Who are you?"

"I should be the one asking you that question! Why are you in my bed?" I shot back.

He looked me up and down, most likely to determine if I was a threat. "I get in a lot of women's beds," he said, winking. My face lit up. He was definitely not 'determining if I was a threat'!

He sat upright, his muscles tensing. I stared at him. "See something you like, girlie?" he asked, grinning devilishly. His disheveled pink hair fell over one of his gorgeous and mesmerizing eyes. I ripped my eyes from his and he released my wrist. I rubbed it, realizing that he was pretty strong…then again, who wouldn't be strong with all those muscles. I mean…he was like a rock. He stood up, tying my sheets around his waste. I was glad he didn't plan on perusing my apartment stark naked.

"Where is my armor?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Why would I have your armor?" I asked, stepping back a little.

"Look, I know it looks expensive, but it's really not. You don't have to steal it," he said, crossing his arms over his ripped chest.

"I didn't take it!" I yelled.

"Well, the only person who would have it is you. I mean, if we slep—" he began. His eyes went wide as I whipped out my trademark Lucy Kick. My foot would have collided with his face if he hadn't dodged expertly.

"Damn, you need to calm down," he said, laughter in his voice, "We only slep—"

"I did not sleep with you! I slept with Val!" I shouted. That's when the panic struck me, "Oh my god! Where is he? Val?" I shouted his name, looking around the house. I grabbed my keys and pulled on a jacket. I didn't need to change—thank god—in front of this stranger because I had the clothes I'd worn yesterday on still.

"Where are you going?" asked Gorgeous, (my nickname for the stranger who had invaded my apartment).

"I need to find Val. He could be in danger and I won't let him get hurt," I said, ripping the door open.

"That's touching," he said, smiling. I stopped and turned to stare at him.

"Whatever," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I took a step out of my door before he called back to me, "I don't know if you care, but my name is Val." I froze up and turned back to him again.

I took a few steps forward and then stared at him. I had an epiphany. It hit me like a train…or maybe like a two-ton weight and lions. Why lions? I thought it would make my point clearer. I was damn surprised.

The blood drained from my face and I clapped a hand to my face. My eyes bugged out of my head and I pointed at his face. My finger was inches from his nose. I stared at it and then looked back up at my face, raising an eyebrow. "Y-You're Val!" I shouted.

"Well, actually, my full name is Valaymier…but most people do call me Val," he said, nodding his exquisite head.

I fell to my hands and knees, "Oh. My. God. I've been sleeping with a grown man for two nights! No! He was a kid then. Shit! The curse. This must be it. She did say that it was breaking! I should have expected this!"

Val crouched beside me, propping his elbows on his knees and cocking his head, "But seriously…where are my clothes?"

I looked up at him, "We need to get to the guild."

"Guild? Are my clothes there?"

"No…wait, you don't remember Fairy Tail?"

He laughed out loud, "There's a guild called Fairy Tail? That's ironic."

"Shut up, Val," I growled, "Now is not the time to whip out the tail…where am I going to find you clothes?"

"What'd you do? Burn them?" he asked, leaning closer.

I shook my head and stood up. He looked up at me and I felt a pang in my heart. God, his eyes are amazing. NO! Stop it Lucy! This is Val! Cut it out! You're being creepy! Alright…I'm cool…I'm over it.

"These are your clothes," I said, walking over to my bed. I picked up the shredded clothes that Val had been wearing when we went to sleep last night.

He stood up and took them in his hand, "That's not funny."

"It's not supposed to be."

He stared at me. "You have a curse. I don't know who put it on your or when or even why it's breaking now, but you do. Apparently you were trapped in kid's body for a long time. That's how I met you. Shadows were after you and you flew into the guild. Then you said you loved me and we became friends. I promised that I would help you find your friend, Otto, who is a flying squirrel. You sleep here with me because you're really attached to me and you had no other place to sleep," I said, taking a deep breath after reciting all of those words in a completely monotone voice.

He kept staring for a few seconds and then nodded, saying, "That makes sense."

I blinked, "Seriously?"

"Yup," he said, folding his arms behind his head, "I do need clothes, though, if we're going to this guild. They'll break it for me, right?"

"How do you expect me to get man-clothes?" I demanded, stomping my foot.

"Your boyfriend doesn't leave his clothes here?" Val asked, sitting down again.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I said and then immediately regretted my words.

Val grinned again, flashing his pearly-whites, "All the better for me." He stood up and walked closer to me. I stuck out my hands, keeping him at arms length. Unfortunately, that meant that my palms pressed against his chest.

"Cut it out. You're just a kid in my eyes," I said, looking away.

"That's hurtful," he said, his voice tempting me to look back. He was smiling. I scowled and said, "We need to get you clothes, asshole."

"Oh that? I was just kidding around," he said. He took a step back and bright, golden light shimmered around him. Soon, his entire body was glowing. His long hair was whipping around his face. When the flow finally died down, he was standing there wearing full armor. It was bright golden and wrapped around a majority of his body, (except for his chest, which I figured was just a way to vainly show off his rock-hard muscles).

I frowned, "You suck."

"What are you talking about? You aren't impressed?" he asked.

"No."

"Should I tone it down?" he asked, grinning smugly. He glowed again, but this time when the light disappeared he was wearing a normal pair of jeans and a vest-like shirt that left little to the imagination, "So, where is this guild of yours? I'd like to meet the guild that's named after me."

"It's not named after you!" I hissed, walking towards the door and pulling it open. He followed after me, "Who else would it be named after?"

"Someone needs to kick the shit out of you and then maybe that ego you lug around would deflate."

"You have a foul mouth."

"It seems that my mouth is only like this when I'm around you."

"I don't mind that." He smirked at me and winked as we walked out of the building.

I scowled, "That's creepy. Stop doing that."

"Can't. It's a habit."

"So you're a player?"

"I like to call myself a lady-charmer."

"Yeah, well, you're not that suave."

"We'll see about that."

"Guys, we have a problem!" I shouted, pushing the doors open.

"I don't fancy being called a problem," Val mumbled. I fought the urge to punch him in the face, but held back. How had I been attracted to this guy…even for the brief moment that it was?

"Who is that? He's B. E. A. UTIFUL!" squealed Mira.

"Don't encourage him!" I shouted, but I was too late. Val was already all over her, "Why thank you. You're not so bad yourself. What's your name?"

"Luce…why are you with a player?" Natsu asked, standing beside me.

"That's not just some random player…it's Val," I said, rubbing my temples. I walked over to him and slammed him on the head, "Stop being a little d—"

"I don't know what you were about to say, but I assure you that it is not small," Val said, interrupting me. He leaned close, his face inches from mine, "I'll prove it to you, if you'd like."

"Oi! What are you doing to Lucy?" Laxus asked, looming over Val. Val was tall, but Laxus was taller by a few inches. Val turned and stared up at Laxus, "Are you on steroids?"

Laxus growled. "Don't do it! You seriously don't want to piss Laxus off," I said, trying to warn Val.

"Yeah…I'm sure he's really terrifying," Val scoffed, striding past Laxus casually. No doubt he was looking for more women to seduce. I frowned. Oh, god. Val, what have you done?

Laxus's eyes lit up with rage, "Are you ignoring me?"

"Pretty much," Val called over his shoulder.

"Well, I won't let anyone do that to Lucy without paying the consequences!" Laxus shouted. Lightning crackled around him and he lunged for Val. He raised his fist, ready to strike. Val turned around just in time to see Laxus flying towards him. I screamed out. What if this Val being beaten would hurt my Val? I wasn't about to let that happen.

I was too late, though. I stared in horror as Laxus's electrified fist descended upon Val. Strangely, though, Val looked completely calm. Val raised on arm and did the unbelievable. Laxus's fist collided with Val's palm, Laxus's magic disappearing. Laxus's eyes were wide.

Val grinned, his other arm still at his waste, "That was stupid. You'll regret it."

"Wait, Val! Don't hurt him!" I called out, stumbling forwards. Val hesitated, his brow furrowing. His arm tensed. He looked like he really wanted to hurt Laxus, but that he couldn't. Laxus stepped back before Val could do anything.

"Lucy, why isn't my arm moving?" Val yelled.

I smiled and walked forward. I wrapped my arms around him tightly and he relaxed a bit. "Because the Val I know is still inside you," I whispered. I hugged him tight.

He wrapped on arm around me, the same one that had just stopped Laxus effortlessly. "I swear, I'm not hugging you," he whispered back. After a few seconds I pulled away and smiled up at him. He frowned, "Why do I feel like I've known you for a long time?"

"Because we're friends," I replied. He looked puzzled, but didn't argue with me.

"For some reason I fell like I could really l—" he began. That's when his eyes went wide. His face contorted in pain and he fell to his knees. He started sweating and breathing hard. "Val! Are you alright?" I asked, really worried. He nodded, "I'm alright, I just think I'm—" His words were cut off as he cried out. He looked up at me, his eyes desperate, "Lucy, I—"

He vanished. The only thing left were a pile of his clothes. I stared at the pile in disbelief. I raised a hand to my face and tears started to fall from my eyes. "Val?" I squeaked. Had I lost him? Had Val left me for good?

The pile shifted a bit. A tiny pink head peeked out of it. Violet eyes peeked out at me. They filled with tears, "Lucy!"

I gasped and immediately pulled Val close to me, keeping him covered in the older Val's clothes. He was shaking and sobbing, "I'm sorry, Lucy!"

"It's ok. You're back. That's all that matters," I said, crying myself.

"I'm sorry that I said those things to you!" Val whined, hugging me tightly.

"You remember everything then?" I asked.

He nodded, "I really didn't want to prove it to you!"

I laughed and hugged him tighter. A chorus of laughter surrounded us. I came back to the present, realizing that everyone had been watching.

"Are you two alright?" Mira asked. I nodded and so did Val. I got to my feet, Val still in my arms.

"That's good…I just have one question," Natsu said, "WHY IS VAL A GROWN MAN!?"

"And why is he so sexy?" Cana added, ever the helper.

"I'm not sexy! I'm not!" Val cried out. I smiled. This was going to be a strange conversation.

A/N: Thanks for reading, (yet again). Please remember to leave a review! I'm in love with reviews. I review-stalk my stories. Just thought you should know that little tidbit about me. It's not creepy unless you make it creepy. :|