The morning came all too quick for the Blonde mage, she had mentally called to Horologium before going to sleep to wake her promptly at 6:30 am so that she could be ready to meet Cana for breakfast at 8:00am. So with her silver key violently vibrating on her hip she jumped awake and immediately fell off the couch. 'Uggghhh I should have taken the bed when it was offered, why am I so stubborn'. With that thought Lucy glanced over at the bed to see a still very sound asleep Bickslow. 'Good he is still out, so I can call Virgo for a change of clothes and get a shower, no need for him to see the bed head I must be rocking right about now.'
Lucy then made her way to the bathroom and closed the door quietly behind her. She brushed over Virgo's key and with a shimmering light the pink haired maid appeared. "Punishment Princess?" she offered with a bow. Lucy just sighed and shook her head, 'Really when is she going to stop asking that, o right probably when Aries stops apologizing and Loke stops proposing.' "No, Virgo, no punishment, I need some clothes, Cana locked me out last night and I stayed with a friend, I need something to wear to meet up with her for breakfast and shopping afterwards." Lucy stated to her spirit friend.
The maid nodded, but not before she noticed the very male clothes her master was sleeping in, and she wondered just who they belonged to. She knew a certain spirt that would be just as curious and if you had been paying attention you would see the slightest bit of mischief glint in the eyes of her stoic face. When you live for so long you need to do something to amuse yourself from time to time, and her current master's reactions were always entertaining. "Yes Princess I will fetch you some clothes right away." With that the maid spirt bowed and left in a puff of smoke.
"Alright then so I guess I'll get my shower ready then." With that thought Lucy turned the knob to adjust the temperature of the water and began to lift up the hem of her borrowed shirt. Just as she got the garment to the bottom of her breast a familiar glow filled the room. "Thanks Virgo, set them on the counter that will be fine you can go." Lucy said without sparing a glance towards the light.
Just then strong masculine arms wrapped around her waist from behind and a low husky voice purred into her ear, "Are you sure you don't need any assistance undressing Princess, or perhaps with washing your back, you know I live to serve you."
"KYYYYYAAYYYY" Lucy screamed while simultaneously pulling down her shirt and kicking her Lion Spirit to the wall. It took all of ten seconds before the bathroom door was swung open and an almost panicked seith mage stood at the door.
Loke groaned and Lucy kicked the spirt in the ribs for good measure muttering, "Stupid pervy Lion." under her breath. Bickslow who was not fully awake when her heard the girls scream was trying to make sense of the scene before him. "What's going on Cosplayer, are you alright?" he asked with his babies chiming in behind him. "Cosplayer" "Cosplayer" The totems began swirling around Lucy's head.
Loke began to come to at this point and stood up straightening his jacket and tie and looked between the two mages confused. He had come because Virgo said Lucy had stayed with a man, but he was not prepared to see Bickslow of all people, and was she wearing his boxers? He decided to inquire into the situation, "I should be the one to ask what's going on here, what are you doing with my Master."
"Uggggghhhh it is too early for this shit." The blonde spoke up. "Bickslow sorry I woke you, I summoned Virgo for clothes, and I guess that Loke intercepted her on her way back, I wasn't expecting him and I screamed and kicked him into the wall, not that he didn't deserve it." She gave a pointed look towards her spirit, who gave her a wounded expression in return. "And as for why I'm with Bickslow, Cana sort of ditched me and he let me crash on the couch. So if you will both excuse me I would like to take a shower."
"Oh no, I need a better explanation than that Lucy, my dear. You are wearing his boxers for Mavis sakes." Loke whined and Bickslow just smirked highly amused at how put off the spirt was. His totems feeling his amusement started to giggle and whirl around the zodiac leader as if they were taunting him.
Lucy huffed but relented none the less, "Since I assume you are here on your own, I guess I can't force you back. I'll tell you the whole story after my shower and you can wait outside you giant perv, and when you do return to the spirt world, let my precious little maid know that I am not amused at her idea of a prank, and no matter what she thinks it's not going to make me want to do any of that weird punishment shit she is always going on about."
"Fine." Loke said indignantly and stomped out of the bathroom. Bickslow raised an eyebrow at his guild mate before addressing her, "Did I just walk in on a lovers spat?" "Spat Spat" his babies echoed
"He wishes." She scoffed, "But no, he was probably just coming out of concern of who I was with, and I think he just lays on the playboy shit to get a rise out of me, I doubt he was serious on his offer to wash my back."
Bickslow just shook his head and laughed, 'Ohh I'm sure he was serious, if you'd give him half the chance, any man would have to be gay to not jump at that shot' and with that he shut the door behind him to let the girl take her shower, trying not to think about the way the water would be dripping down her breasts.
Lucy sighed and locked the door this time, even though she knew if Loke really wanted to he could just pop back in, but risk another Lucy Kick and this time it would be aimed at his pride. She slipped out of her clothes and into the shower. 'Well so much for him not seeing my bed head'
On the other side of the door the two men were staring each other down in silence. Both refusing to back down from the unspoken challenge as they waited for their blonde companion to come out of the bathroom.
Bickslow broke the silence first. "I don't know why you are here Loke, Lucy isn't in any danger. She said herself she didn't call you here, so why don't you just head on back to the spirt world."
"Yeah" "Leave" the babies chimed in.
"I don't answer to you, and I am not leaving until I hear from her how she came to be in a room with you, and in your boxers." Loke spat back with malice dripping from his tone. With that the two went back to glaring at each other.
Lucy had just stepped out of the shower and grabbed the clothes that she assumed Virgo had sent with Loke. She slipped on the lacey powder blue underwear and matching bra, she blushed when she realized that Loke was the one that brought the rather skimpy undergarments to her, and wondered if he was picturing her in them. Her blush grew even more when she realized that in the middle of her bra was in fact a little metal charm that resembled the zodiac symbol for Leo. 'God did he pick these out, or is Virgo really fucking with me today?' She decided not to think on it right now and have a talk with her lion spirt in private, while she finished getting dressed in the powder blue sundress that had little stars scattered around the bust and tied behind her neck. She called upon Cancer to quickly braid her hair, she figured if she let it dry in a braid she could wear it wavy for her date and the club tonight with little effort. Satisfied with her look she took a breath and reached for the door, to face he spirt on the other side.
Hearing the door creek both males looked at the emerging celestial mage. Loke was quick to make his way to his master and in his usual flirtatious way he spoke, "Lucy, looking radiant as always, I hope you like my choice in clothing for you. I just wanted to let you know that you can call on me for whatever your needs may be."
Lucy blushed 'Oh so it was him huh, pesky pervy lion what does he think he is doing' She shook off her thoughts as the area in front of her was all of the sudden empty. Turns out one of Bickslow's babies knocked into Loke's head sending him to the ground for the second time that day.
"Hey what was that for" the lion spirt yelled out, "Lucy are you going to let him attack me like that."
Bickslow was laughing, but was also perplexed "Hey I didn't tell him to do that, he must not like you is all."
Lucy got her thoughts back and spoke up. "Loke get up you are fine, and I guess thanks for the clothes, though you and I are going to need to have a talk about what is and is not appropriate later, in private." She said as she glared at the ginger headed man who just gulped at her seriousness 'Guess she noticed the charms huh' he mused to himself.
Bickslow took a moment to assess her outfit 'Not really sure what she means by 'not appropriate', that dress covers more than what she usually wears. Unless she means the whole popping in on her in the shower thing, but can't really fault the guy. What I wouldn't give for that power.'
"Fine Princess, but can you let me in on what's going on here, why are you in Clover with Cana in the first place. Where is your team, and how did you end up with him of all people." Loke spoke.
"First of all Loke, I don't like the way you are behaving towards Bix, he is our nakama, I mean you do still wear the mark of Fairy Tail don't you." She said while staring him directly in the eyes. Bickslow didn't expect her to stand up for him like that, not that he was even put off by Loke's remarks. It wasn't an attack on him as a person he knew that. He knew that the spirt would have been that way with any male, save for maybe the girl's team. Everyone knew that the playboy spirt and a genuine thing for Lucy and no one could really blame him, she did save his life after all.
"Of course I'm still Fairy Tail, Lucy you know that, but my ties to the guild are second to my ties to you. I only have your best interest in mind." Loke said slightly miffed at the insinuation that he was not aligned with Fairy Tail.
"Well as a Fairy Tail mage you should know better than anyone that we don't hurt our own, so your worries are unfounded. But to answer your questions I am here on vacation with Cana and the team are otherwise engaged. Last night at the club I ran into Dan Straight, and to keep him off my case I asked Bix here, who just happened to be around to act as my date to keep him away. Cana ended up with the Drunken Falcon in our room so Bix let me crash on the couch. That about sums it up." Lucy stated.
'Didn't stop him from hurting you before Princess' Loke thought bitterly in his head, but thought better than to speak on it. Lucy was way too forgiving and he knew that if he said it out loud it would piss her off and she was already irritated at him so instead he went with his next thought. "Why did you not call on me, if a date is what you were in need of I should have been your first choice, it wounds me Princess that you would not even think to ask" he said with a pout.
"She couldn't call you out dude, the club had magic restrictors, they draw in a lot of mages and decided that they needed it for protection from destruction, I mean magic and alcohol aren't always the best of combinations." It was Bickslow that spoke up. Not that he wanted to inflate the spirts already large ego, but he knew that Lucy's bond with her spirits was precious and she would have been sure to call on one of them if she had been able.
"That's true Loke, you were my first thought actually but I couldn't call you, I was really lucky that Bix helped me out. You know how much of a creep that guy is. He would have been on me all night, you wouldn't want that now would you." Lucy knew that this would be the best way to pacify her spirit, he meant well, but his jealousy was super annoying, especially when she can't even imagine how many notches are on his bed post.
Loke cringed at the thought of Dan all over his Lucy, "Well ok as long as he didn't try anything on you, Lucy, sorry I over reacted. I just worry about you."
"He was a perfect gentleman Loke, and besides, I can hold my own and you know it." Lucy replied. "So you've heard the story and you see that I am fine so you can go now, but we will be having that talk later mister." And with that he nodded and disappeared, he knew she was pissed and didn't want to push her one kick a day was enough.
Turning her attention back to her other companion she just realized that he was still shirtless, and she had to resist the urge to rake her eyes over his body, she was sober and this was the morning and she would not be caught ogling him, so she focused on his face and eyes instead. "Sorry about that Bix, for waking you up like that and all. And for him being an ass to you."
"Well waking up to you screaming was a little unnerving" 'and not the way I want you screaming anyway' he added mentally before continuing. "But as long as you are ok that's all that matters, and as for Loke, I don't take it personally, he is jealous because he thinks that I'm moving in on his claim,"
"Claim? Loke has no claim to me, he flirts with everyone he is just annoying that's all" She said rolling her eyes.
"You keep telling yourself that Cosplayer" 'She really can't see it can she, how many guys already fighting for her attention, well I'm certainly not going to point it out to her. The only one that has the balls to step up and say something to her is Loke, and she doesn't take him seriously. But hey their loss is my gain. I just need to talk to Ever about how to go about this.'
"Well I got to go meet Cana, so we still on for Five?" the blonde asks.
"Yeah I'll pick you up at your room, I got to meet with my team and let them know I'm staying" Bickslow said in reply. "Ok then. I will see you then." Lucy started as she reached for the door after scooping up her clothes from the night before. But just before she left she turned to him and said "Oh and Bix, I know you like to cover your eyes in public and all but could you not wear your visor, I like looking at your eyes." And with that she left a frozen Bickslow staring at the closed door to his room.
He stood there for a couple minutes until one of his babies hit him upside the head to bring him back to reality. "Oww, Pippi what the fuck was that for." He yelled at the totem while the others giggled and joined in a chorus of "You like her" to which he couldn't argue, he did like her, a lot. So with the giggling of his babies in the background he decided to get ready to face his team, already knowing there was no way of getting out with just Ever knowing. They all saw him with the blonde last night, and Laxus was expecting answers, so when he drops the bomb that he is staying another night that is sure to raise more questions.
'Well this is going to be an awkward conversation.'
A/N: So finally some of Lucy's spirts show up, since her team isn't the only ones protective of her. The next two chapters are going to be during the same time period as each other, the first is going to be with Bickslow and his team, while the next will be with Lucy and Cana.