"And all of this happened right after I left?" The gingerhead questioned, stress evident in his voice.
The trio was slouched on Lucy's bed, having a heartfelt conversation about what Levy had to go through just two days ago. They were filling Loke in on everything.
Loke and Lucy were always the closest to each other since Levy was always either at work or at the Library, but the three of them made a fundamentally great group.
The lawyer, the cook, and the writer.
Loke, being in his field of work, wasn't so surprised by all of this since he dealt with criminal cases all the time. This was normal news to him, especially in their town. Stuff like this always happened.
Little did they know, it was 'cause their town was where the Head of Japan and Asia's mafia, the Don, Natsu Dragneel, lived. How unlucky.
What if these men were at the restaurant looking for Lucy? Loke couldn't help but think.
He drifted his gaze from the bluette and looked into the blonde's brown orbs like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Lucy..." he began. "Do you think they were..."
"It's a possibility," she interrupted, instantly understanding, for that thought has lingered over her mind ever since Levy told her everything.
"They were what? What's a possibility?" The bluette intervened, confused as ever.
The blonde sighed.
"Well you're definitely not going to the Palace today then," Loke spoke up after a brief moment of silence, being dead serious.
She could be in constant danger for all they know. She needed to take precautions for God's sake.
She leaned her head back on her bed frame.
"Let's not," she said, referring to the multiple conversations she had to go through with him about this.
She was sufficiently paranoid, she believed. Loke was just overboard.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead in stress. She really knew how to push his buttons.
The bluette laid her small hand on Lucy's,
"Lu-Chan, please, don't put yourself in harm's way. Don't go out with this man since you just met him. At least until we figure everything out,"
"She won't listen to you, Levy. Don't waste your breath. Her head is as hard as stone." Loke said, annoyed and drained.
"No, look, we can all go to this event today!" Lucy encouraged. "Let's have fun together and I'd like you both to get to know Nathan. You have no idea how much of a great guy he is. Trust me, you won't regret it." She looked at the both of them with pleading eyes. "C'mon! Pleeaasee~"
Loke groaned in annoyance, knowing he couldn't refuse her.
Not with that look she was giving him.
"Fine," he said, lighting sparkles in the blonde's eyes. "But you're not leaving my side, however annoyed you might get." He said firmly. "You too Levy. You're staying with me." He looked towards her.
She was always been a pain in the ass, but he'd still do anything for her. As long as she was happy.
The blonde smiled widely as the bluette nodded nervously.
Did she really feel safe to attend an open event after what she witnessed at her restaurant? She didn't know. But she would go anyway. Maybe it was good to start living normally again.
"Perfect!" Lucy cheered. "Let me just let Nathan know I'm bringing a few friends with me." She said excitedly before picking up her phone from her nightstand.
As Lucy began dialing in his number, Loke shifted his attention to the bluette seated crisscrossed next to him.
"I will be handling this case, Lev. Don't you worry. You'll get your restaurant back in no time and I'll make sure the media doesn't get involved in this. I'll keep your restaurant's reputation intact. Just let me be your lawyer on this one, okay?"
She nodded with a small smile.
"I'm so grateful for you, Loke. You really are the best."
"I know," he smirked cockily.
.oOo.
Dragneel's Tract
Ring-ring Ring-ring
The Don scanned the document before him with narrowed eyebrows, ignoring the buzzing phone on his work desk.
He was currently seated on his majestic black chair, getting his work done in his office.
He asked for no interruptions and for some alone time today. He needed to get some things straight in his head.
Everyone from his team was in the hall known as Fairy Tail, where they always hung out. It was placed at the far end of the mansion. No one really knows of its existence other than Natsu and his trusted members. It was where they would spend their day and night talking, laughing, planning, killing, torturing, deceiving, winning... everything.
It was their spot.
And everyone in there, today, will be joining their Don at the Ball & Gown event. They were all currently preparing for it. Planning, scheming-doing what they do best. Being the mafia they are. Living up to their wicked reputation.
They all had one goal. To extract information from Lucy about her father.
This wasn't the Don's plan, though, it was just theirs.
He specifically knew she wouldn't open up to anyone but him, in due time.
Ring-ring Ring-ring
He sighed in annoyance before dropping the paperwork on his dark-hard-wood desk.
He answered the call and placed his phone against his ear.
"Who's this?" He initiated, his voice calmer than he felt.
"O-Oh it's me, Lucy," she said nervously from the other end of the line. "Did I call at a bad time?" she asked, sensing his dark demeanor, not knowing this was how he usually was.
"Ah, no you didn't, what's up?" he went into character.
Pretending wasn't his cup of tea. But the results he was seeking were worth it.
"Would you mind if I bring a few friends with me to the Ball & Gown event today?"
He paused.
"Of course not,"
"Great! I'd love for you to get to know them,"
"Let me guess, Loke?" he asked, casually leaning back on his chair.
She giggled,
"Right. And Levy too,"
"Ah. Well, if that's the case, then I'll bring a few friends with me too."
This worked out. He didn't have to pretend he didn't know the people at the party after all.
"Sure, I'm excited to meet them already,"
He let out a false chuckle.
"What will you be wearing tonight?" he asked flirtatiously.
"Hmm...a red dress," she said with a smile. "It shouldn't be anything too extravagant, right?"
"Anything you choose to wear will be perfect," he responded. "How am I to wait till seven to see you, though..." he stated rather than asked.
She giggled as her cheeks turned rosy, feeling her stomach flutter at his heartwarming cheesiness.
"It's only an hour from now,"
"I'll be there sharply," he said before hanging up the phone, not waiting for a response, unknowingly leaving her flushed and tingly.
Girls love sweet talk. And he's pretty good at it. Effortlessly good.
But that's not the issue.
This Loke guy is going to be a problem...
.oOo.
"So what did he say?" Levy questioned after the blonde dropped her phone on the bed.
"He didn't mind," she responded with a smile plastered on his face.
"Good," Loke responded, standing up from the bed and slipping into his work shoes.
"Wait where are you going?" The blonde questioned, sitting up on her knees.
"To change. I'll meet you there," he grabbed his wallet and belongings.
"Could you drop me off home on your way? I wanna change too," Levy said.
"Sure," he picked up his phone from the nightstand.
"Okay then, I'll meet you both there," the blonde spoke up, sitting again.
"Alright," Loke ruffled up her hair playfully, farewelling, right before he and the bluette walked out the door.
The blonde got under her covers with a smile, looking up at the ceiling as she laid her head on her fluffy pillow, with only one thought emerging in her mind.
Nathan.
He was all she could think about for a while now.
.oOo.
7:01 PM
The blonde brushed through her locks of silky hair, leaving it down to reach her snatched waist.
Just in time, she received a ding on her phone.
She picked it up, popping her glossy lips and blinking more than usual due to her heavy eyelashes.
_
(xxx)-797-2655
Nathan: "I've arrived."
Read 7:01 PM
_
She smiled at herself in the mirror, feeling all sorts of tingly emotions in her tummy. He was just so...different. He'd embark new feelings in her that she couldn't imagine she'd have. A sort of thrill.
He was someone she could relate to on a deep level. Although they'd only been on one date, she felt like she had gotten to know him pretty well. She was definitely excited to see where their relationship is going.
She placed her hairbrush down and sprayed elegant, rich perfume all around her entity.
Afterward, she grabbed her sparkly silver purse that matched her dress and began walking to her apartment door as her heavy black heels clicked on the ground.
She hadn't been to such a classy event in a long time, but dating someone like Nathan, she'd expect no less.
Once she opened her door, she found Nathan standing on her mat, holding a bouquet of roses that flawlessly complimented her dress.
His eyes slightly widened, admiring the radius of her body. He looked her up and down, exploring every inch of her heavenly hourglass figure.
"N-Nathan?" She said with raised brows, surprised to see him here.
"Beautiful," he only said, looking back up into her brown orbs, holding back from glancing at her uplifted, round, exceptionally large cleavage that was just calling for him.
However dark and murderous he might be, he was still a gentleman. Maybe not gentle...but a man with a code. A man with honor. Honor he betrayed every time he shed blood, but it was never for no reason at least.
All of that didn't matter right now as he looked at her curled lashes, bright brown orbs, long gold-ish hair, and curvy figure with that standing-out dress.
He'll have to kill that? Hm. What a shame.
She blushed heavily at his genuine compliment.
"Th—"
"Beautiful," he said again, whispering this time as he took a step closer to her and handed her the bouquet, looking deeply into her eyes.
Her eyes that held so much trauma, darkness, light, and love.
A mixture of everything.
Maybe he'd want to understand her more. Maybe she can be relevant to him with those eyes. Maybe he can find a way for her to be.
"Thank you," she replied, her cheeks flushed, overruling her soft blush.
She brought the roses close to her nose, taking in a deep breath of their scent.
"They're beautiful..." she said.
"Beautiful things belong to beautiful women," he smirked slightly, leaning in with his hands in his pocket, landing his lips against her soft cheek, giving her a delicate kiss.
She lightly giggled, her heart pounding, looking back into his olive orbs as he backed away.
"A lady mustn't walk alone," he held out his arm for her to lock with.
And so she did.
He led her out of her apartment and to his limo.
"Gajeel, take us to the Palace," he said as he closed the Limo's door.
"Will do, boss," he replied, driving off.
"I'm excited, I haven't been to a ball in so long," she said, turning to the salmon-haired man next to her, wearing an all-black suit that perfectly matched his dark aura. The one she always feels hanging in the air, but ignores it.
"You've been to a ball before?" He questioned, knowing damn well the answer already.
She fixed her throat, realizing her slip-up. She doesn't want him to know she comes from a rich family. The Heartfilia family. The one and only. A family was known by all of Japan.
"I mean...I use to go with my friends sometimes, back in the day. For fun, you know?" She covered up.
He hummed, nodding.
"You'll like this one better," he looked into her eyes and smirked.
.oOo.
Palace
"This is it?" the blonde questioned with a smile, getting out of the limo and closing the door shut.
"Yes," he replied as she walked to where he stood, right in front of the building.
He held her hand,
"C'mon," he led her in.
"This is..." she paused, bringing her free hand to her chest. "This is beautiful..."
He smiled, swaying his lips to her ear.
"I've prepared all of this for you," he whispered, tickling her with his breath.
She caught her breath in the midst of a gasp, turning to him with slightly widened eyes.
"For...me?..."
He nodded, straightening his back again as he looked straight ahead.
"No one knows this but I'm the host of this event every year. I like to keep tabs on our town and it's an easy way to make connections," he paused, roaming his eyes around, looking for his people. "Everyone just thinks it's the Palace hosting this event, though. I'd like to keep it this way."
"But...how is this for me?"
"The theme is based on you, beautiful. Golden decorations that match the golden locks of hair and a red-colored theme that matches your dress." He looked towards her with a smirk and noticed her extremely flushed face with sparkly, grateful eyes.
"So that's why you asked me what I'm wearing tonight..." she said with that smile still stuck on her lips, looking around as she unconsciously tightened her grip on his hand and hugged his shoulder.
"This is so kind...you're so kind," she looked up at him with glowing eyes.
"Thank you," she said, those words coming out of her heart. She rested her head on his shoulder as she explored around, and noticed no one else wearing a red dress or a red suit. He must've set a code for that. Just for her. So she could be special.
He's so...amazing.
He smiled, resting his hand on her head as he brushed the locks of hair with his fingers.
"Are you ready to meet some people?" He whispered.
She nodded against his body, feeling her heart beat fast just being this close to him.
She has to be careful. She can't get too consumed by him. Not this soon, at least.
She straightened her back and took in a deep breath.
"Let's go," he swayed her into the crowd.
Everyone around them had subtle, lingering eyes on him. Him, being their Don, and her, being the special lady he'd so like to kill yet was keeping alive for some reason.
She was too oblivious to notice, but he felt every stare on his back.
He was used to it, though. Being the Head of Asia's mafia, after all, anyone worthy knew him or of him.
She roamed her eyes around, looking for her friends.
"Oh! They're right there!" She said a little too excitedly.
He didn't usually deal with people who had so much energy...so much light in them.
"Where?" he asked, following her gaze.
There were so many people around them, but the crowd seemed to move out of the way as Natsu walked, leaving him space ahead.
She hadn't noticed that either. She just thought people were being sweet.
"Right there!" She dragged his hand towards them yet his heaviness made him stay still. "Come on!" She looked back at him when she noticed he wasn't moving.
He sighed as he allowed her to drag him towards her friends' table. They were seated at a red-clothed round table placed at the far corner of the area. They probably didn't want to be in the center.
His eyes finally met Loke's.
He noticed something in those hazel eyes in the distance. Something he didn't quite identify until they reached the table. Some sort of hatred lingered in Loke's orbs as he looked at him. A loathing.
He innerly chuckled, finding it cute how he thinks he thought he was all that.
"Nathan, this is Levy, and this is Loke," she gestured to her friends. "And guys, this is Nathan!" She said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around his shoulder.
He never let anyone touch him. Especially not in this way. But for some reason, he didn't mind.
"It's so nice to meet you again, Nathan, Lucy's told us so much about you." Levy stood up from her seat and lifted her hand up for a shake with a genuine smile on her face.
She hadn't seen her best friend this happy in so long.
"You too," he shook her hand.
Loke stayed seated.
"Right, good to meet you," the gingerhead said with an empty expression and a cold tone.
Lucy gave him a look, which made Loke curl his lips into a false smile and stand up.
If anything, he'd have to act normal for her at least.
He lifted his hand for a shake.
"Lucy's talked about you quite a lot,"
He said, earning him a hit on his shoulder from his blonde best friend.
The Don stayed silent, looking into his eyes, not reacting or saying a word.
"Nat—" he cleared his throat, "I mean Nathan, some guests would like to meet the star today, your date." A black, spiky-haired man interrupted, coming out of nowhere, sparing Natsu the small talk with Loke.
Levy took a good look at him, feeling his hair being familiar. But she brushed it off quite quickly.
"Oh, you're the little shrimp chick," Gajeel said with a mocking tone as he looked towards Levy with a smirk. Feeling her stare.
"Huh?! The name's Levy!"
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes as he walked away.
"How rude!" She turned towards Loke and complained.
The Don chuckled.
"Don't mind him, my bodyguard doesn't know what he's saying half the time," Natsu spoke up to the three of them.
"Lucy, would you like to have small talk with strangers or would you like to join me in a dance?" He fully turned towards her with a smirk, causing Loke to roll his eyes.
He's not sure why he said that. It's not like he likes dancing. But he doesn't wanna hang around her friends any longer, and he certainly doesn't want her talking to his friends. So what better choice.
She felt her heart flutter.
"Well, I'd love to join you in a dance, Mr. Dryer," she smiled, bowing her head slightly, role-playing the formalities. Dryer. Right. He almost forgot that was his name.
He held her hand and led her to the dance floor, ignoring Loke yelling out "Wait!" in the background. Lucy didn't hear him though.
Standing in the middle, everyone on the dance floor spread out a bit, giving their Don space.
A slow song started playing.
He held her waist with one hand and interlocked her fingers in the air with the other.
He slammed her body against his, leaving no distance between them.
She laid her free hand on his shoulder as they both looked deeply into each other's eyes. Her head reached his shoulders as she looked up to him and he looked down to her.
Their bodies moved with the rhythm of the music, blocking out all outside noises.
It was only the two of them, there, looking into each other's orbs, dancing together like a unit, flowing with the music.
The longer she looked into those jade orbs, the more one thought consumed her heart and mind.
He might just be the one...