I'm not an expert on tattoos. I'm not a tattoo artist, I don't have a tattoo (I really want one), and I was never close to the only person I've known with a tattoo similar to Lucy's in size and placement. All I know about tattoos I've gotten from the internet...so some things might not be correct.

(Also, Lucy's tattoo is cliché but don't hurt me because it was the best thing I could come up with for her.)

With a sigh, Gajeel looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend, who was hiding behind him. "Come on, Bunny Girl. You said you wanted to get one."

Pantherlily, more sympathetic since Lucy was squeezing him to her chest nervously to her chest, said, "Don't push her, Gajeel."

"Tch." the Dragon Slayer rolled his eyes. "It was her decision."

Lucy ignored them both as she peeked around Gajeel's arm, staring wide-eyed at the tattoo parlor that they were standing in front of. She knew that she'd told her boyfriend about her desire to get a tattoo, but she hadn't expected him to take her, with the promise to pay for whatever she wanted to get. It wasn't until they'd arrived at a shop in the next town over from Magnolia - which was too family oriented to have a tattoo parlor that would thrive - that she'd started to really think about what a tattoo involved...namely, needles.

With a squeak, she closed her eyes, trying as hard as she could not to think about it. She heard Gajeel sigh again, and then a hand cupped her cheek, gently pulling her up until she was standing completely. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Gajeel had turned to face her, and was now looking into her eyes intensely.

"You don't have to do this if you don't really want to." he told her. "If you really want to but you're too scared, then you've forgotten that I'm going to be right there the entire time. You could just get words. If you want something more complicated, you don't have to get it all done now; you could get the outline today and we can come back later to get it filled in. Alright?"

With a swallow, Lucy nodded. "Okay."

Slowly, Gajeel started to lower his face to hers, and they both moved a little bit closer...

"Um, I'm being squished." Pantherlily protested, and Lucy hopped away from Gajeel, blushing down at the cat.

"Sorry, Lily."

"So what were you thinking about, sweetheart?" the woman at the front desk asked Lucy politely, when the blonde stepped forward, looking nervous.

"Something on my upper back," she replied, half glancing over her shoulder at Gajeel, whose attention was occupied with scale patterned tattoos on the opposite side of the wall. "It's a little cliché, I know, but..." she blushed, then pointed to one of the tattoo designs displayed on the wall behind her.

With a smile and a way of her hand, the woman projected the image of a feminine-looking back, from just above the shoulders to about midway down. Another wave of her hand put a small version of the tattoo on the 'skin.' "Adjust it as you'd like."

Lucy hastily touched and dragged the tattoo to the size she wanted it, cringed when she realized how long it would take and how long a - shudder - needle would be pressed to her back, but nodded with determination to the woman when she was finished.

One more wave of the woman's hand sent the projection flying down the hall behind the desk, darting into one of the doors. "I have the feeling you want to keep this hush-hush from your boyfriend here, so he'll memorize the design before you get back there. If you feel sick or anything, just say something, and we'll get you some water. Okay?"

Lucy, reassured by the genuine kindness on the woman's face and in her voice, smiled and nodded. "Thank you." she said. Glancing over her shoulder, she found that Gajeel had wandered a little further. "Gajeel? I'm going back in a second."

He appeared at her side in an instant. "Okay. Let's go."

Gajeel looked rather disgruntled as he sat down in front of Mira, barking out a request for a drink.

"What's wrong, Gajeel?" the barmaid asked, as she sat the mug in front of him. When he didn't reply, she glanced quizzically at Pantherlily, who was sitting on the bar next to his friend.

"Gajeel is upset because, when he went to take Lucy to get her tattoo, she wouldn't let him see it while it was getting done, when it was finished, or before it was bandaged. She's even refused to let Wendy go ahead and heal the skin so he can see it." the cat replied helpfully.

"How long does it take to heal normally?" Mira asked.

Pantherlily couldn't help but smile a little. "Four to six weeks."

Five weeks later, Gajeel was sick and tired of Lucy wearing high-necked yet loose shirts and refusing every date idea that would show the tattoo at all. He wasn't even sure if she was doing it just to annoy him, or just because she was overly anxious of fading or otherwise messing up the tattoo.

"Quit pouting, Gajeel," Levy rolled her eyes at the Dragon Slayer. "Her skin should be almost healed by now, so you'll get to see it soon. Especially since she agreed to come to the guild pool-party and actually swim."

"Pool party?" Gajeel perked up, looking at Levy with interest rather than a blank stare. "When is that?"

"Today's Tuesday, right?" the bluenette asked, and Gajeel grumbled in frustration before answering with a nod. "Cana said it was in four days...so Saturday."

"I've been asking to see her damn tattoo for more than a month and she was planning on showing it off to everyone else, first?" Gajeel bristled. "Tch."

Levy giggled. "It'll be okay, Gajeel. She told me what it was, and I think you'll love it! Although, I suppose it's a little cliché..."

Lucy hummed happily to herself as she tied the strings of her new bikini behind her neck. Pulling the bow tight, she moved on to the strings that tied on her back, trying to pull them a bit lower than normal. Once finished, she turned her back to the mirror, then angled her neck to see the tattoo on her skin.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, in delight, when she found that the strings tied it just the right places, the excess from the top ties the only thing that rested over the ink, and only just so. She was rather proud that she'd managed to sit still for the design, but she suspected it was only because the artist had rubbed a magic ointment on her skin to keep in from hurting as badly.

"Oh, whatever," she shrugged it off as she checked the ties on her hips, which she'd done first. Finding them secure, she nodded to herself, grabbed her towel off of the side of her bathtub, and opened her bathroom door.

"KYAA!"

The pouting Dragon Slayer rubbed his head where he'd Lucy kicked. "Luce," he whined, "I just wanted to see your tattoo!"

Lucy - a habit she'd picked up from Gajeel - said, "Tch." as she readjusted her swimsuit cover up so it covered her whole back. "Natsu, I thought we'd already gone through the 'stop breaking into my house' thing. Gajeel nearly killed you that one time, and if he knows you've been here again, he'd try to fight you again."

The salmon-haired boy frowned. "But I'm your best friend, Luce! Why can't I be in your house?"

"Because - you know what? Ask Lisanna. The next time you see her, ask her why you can't break into my house just because I have a boyfriend. Okay?"

Natsu crossed his arms and continued to pout. "Fine."

"Wow," Levy put her hands on her hips and examined the pool and back patio with a smile. "I don't think I've ever seen so many people out here at once."

Cana grinned proudly. "It took a little convincing, but I got everyone to agree. Good thing we have such a big pool!"

"SWIMMING!"

The scream made both girls freeze, and, a few seconds later, a pink and red blur sped past them; Natsu in his bright red swimsuit, who was apparently ready to swim.

"Wait, no, don't jump in, you idiot!" Gray, already in the pool, cried out, but it was too late. The Dragon Slayer did a cannonball, and water splashed everywhere, so far that it hit even the furthest members from the pool and the guild's back wall.

Erza, who was closer to the pool than most, glowered, for the chlorine filled water had ruined her large slice of strawberry cake. "You..." she growled out, as a dark aura began to cloud the air around her. "You idiot, NATSU DRAGNEEL!" There was a flash of light as she requipped into a navy blue bikini before leaping into the water, swimming angrily after Natsu, who swam away screaming.

"I told that idiot to be careful," Lucy sighed, making Levy and Cana jump, for they had not heard her come up behind them.

"Lu-chan, you're here!" Levy jumped at Lucy, hugging her around the neck.

The blond laughed and hugged her friend back. "I'm happy to see you, too, but you act like you haven't seen me in weeks rather than less than twelve hours!"

"She's kissing up because she wants to see your new tattoo before Gajeel does." Cana said.

"Cana!" the bluenette complained.

"What? It's true." The Card mage shrugged. "Anyway, I'm going to go drink. Bacchus came for a visit and I'm going to beat him, this time." With that, she walked off.

"Were you really just trying to get a look at my tattoo first?" Lucy asked, and Levy smiled sheepishly as she backed away, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Maybe."

"Levy-chan!"the blonde scolded, hands on hips.

"Sorry! We're all just really curious, especially since Gajeel hasn't been allowed to see it yet." Levy explained. "Have your Spirits seen it?"

"Virgo and Aries have, because they've been helping me take care of it. The others haven't, but Loke's been bugging me about it just as much as Gajeel." Lucy rolled her eyes, and tugged at her cover up.

"Can you blame me? I bought the damn thing and went with you when you got it." Arms wrapped suddenly around Lucy's waist, and Gajeel rested his chin on her shoulder.

Levy grinned. "Hi Gajeel."

"Hello, Shrimp. How have things been with you-know-who?"

Levy blushed. "Nothing's happened. I'm too embarrassed."

Lucy grinned at her friend. "We could help you with that, as a thank you for putting us together." she pointed out. "You'd just have to ask." She reached up and smacked Gajeel's hand, which had moved from around her waist to the neck of her cover up, trying to see her tattoo. She blinked in surprise, then said, "Sorry, Gajeel. Habit."

"So I get to see it, then?" the weight of his head disappeared as he asked this, and Lucy replied, "Sure. Just let me take off my cover up."

"Gladly. And not just because of the tattoo."

Levy, who'd walked around Lucy to join Gajeel, slapping his arm. "There are children around!" she scolded, nodding at Asuka, who was eating something happily while sitting in Wendy's lap a table over.

"Aw, that kid doesn't know what I'm talking about. And Wendy's doing her best to ignore us." As if to prove this second statement, Wendy blushed beet red, but did not look over at them.

"Oh, hush, both of you." Lucy scolded, and the two looked back at her to see that, while they were talking, she'd taken off her cover up and was facing them, draping the fabric over her arm. With a smile at them, she turned around, pulling her hair over one shoulder. "Ta-da."

"Whoa!" Levy exclaimed, and, a moment later, Lucy felt her friend touch her back. "Cool. But a little cliche, huh, Lucy?"

"Yeah, I know," the blonde laughed. "I thought it kind of fit, though. What do you think, Gajeel?"

Gajeel took a step forward, studying the creature drawn on his girlfriend's skin. It was a black dragon, wings spreading almost from right below one shoulder to the other. It was drawn mid roar, head turned to the side. "Damn." he said.

Lucy glanced at Levy from the corner of her eyes. "Was that a good 'damn' or a bad 'damn?'" the blonde wondered aloud. "I couldn't tell."

"Well, I can see his face. I think it was a good 'damn.'" Levy replied, with a small shrug.

"Huh." Lucy turned back around, and Gajeel just kept staring, lifting his eyes so that he was looking at her face rather than her chest. "So you like it?"

"Hell yeah," he said, after a moment. "I thought it took a while for you to get that; I'm surprised it didn't hurt enough for you to call it quits." He reached out to grab her hand. "Come on."

"Hey, wrong way. The pool is in the opposite direction." Lucy protested, as Gajeel tugged her towards the guild's back door. "I promised Cana I would spend the day here."

"I promised nothing, and anyway, you'll be otherwise occupied." he replied, insistantly pulling her along.

"Otherwise occupied doing what?" she asked, as they marched through the slightly cooler and less populated guild, straight out the front door.

"I, for one, will be getting to know that tattoo very well."

Lucy's eyes widened, and she blushed bright red. "Oh."

This is another thing I just feel 'eh' about, but I know a couple of people wanted it, and I was inspired. I know people also wanted some LevyxBixlow development, but I'm doing a few too many things right now for that. I do know that another No Regrets chapter should be up in a few days (most likely, if not I'm sorry) and I'll finish up the LoLu (Loke x Lucy) one shot I've started on. I hope you look forward to it!