Thanks for all the support so far! I'm sorry it takes so long between chapters. I wish I had a good excuse, but honestly getting myself to sit down and write is the hardest part of writing. XD I hope y'all enjoy, and like always I appreciate any feedback!

Lucy could see the afternoon light streaming through her window curtains behind her eyelids as she roused from the deepest sleep she'd ever fallen into, but was still too exhausted to fully wake. She shifted her body slightly, groaning at the soreness that permeated each limb as a spiteful reminder of the previous night's activities. Suddenly, she became aware of a weight pinning down her waist and a warmth most indecorously pressed against her bare back. She flung her eyes open without hesitation (a decision her pupils punished her for until they graciously adjusted to the midday light) and looked behind her to see the quite naked lightning dragon slayer still fast asleep in her bed, his arm draped across her. She promptly blushed a deep crimson as if she still possessed the right to blush after her wild night. However, she couldn't help feeling a bit startled; she hadn't realized he was actually staying over.

He was probably just too tired to leave, she thought. After all, why else would he stay?

Lucy smiled slightly as she looked down at him. Despite his thunderstorm personality, he looked so peaceful and uninhibited as he wrapped around her. His normally tensed face was relaxed and he looked…cute. Laxus cute? she scoffed at herself.

Determined to stop acting stupid (a noble, yet hopeless quest), Lucy lightly crawled out of the bed and headed to wash off her sins…or at least some of the dried sweat and Mavis knows what else. The hot water threatened to put her back to sleep so she quickly scrubbed down before turning it to a temperature only Gray could find enjoyable, brutally jolting herself awake. After her shower she dressed herself in some comfortable house clothes then headed out to make breakfast, praying Laxus was still asleep; she wasn't quite ready to face him.

To her relief, the dragon slayer was still asleep and didn't even stir when she accidentally slammed the bathroom door shut. If not for the light snoring, she might have thought he was dead. She walk to the kitchen and began making a simple breakfast (I guess it's lunch, isn't it?) for two, using the few ingredients she could always trust Natsu not to touch: oatmeal and fruit.

As she worked, her mind kept replaying the scenes of the night before. Laxus had said it was punishment (and surely her body was sore enough to testify in his favor), however she had not found it unbearable. Rather, she shamefully admitted, she had really liked it. As their bodies had weakened over the hours of taxing pleasure, she felt that their souls, if you will, bared themselves to one another. What was supposed to be meaningless sex, mere payment for a key to the celestial world, had been a key to the heavens in itself, an almost spiritual, intimate experience that left her both exhilarated and confused.

I'm not in love with him, she protested. It's just a chemical thing, a sex high. At least, that's what she told herself, so that should Laxus wake up completely unaffected she wouldn't break her heart over a man who truly just saw her as a hot, convenient piece of ass. She couldn't place herself in the line of fire by admitting how afraid she was he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings. Besides, they were so…different. Not quite opposites like Natsu and Gray, but just an odd pairing, like two foods that don't quite belong together.

"What are you making?" a deep voice asked from the doorway, making Lucy jump and drop a piece of mango on the floor.

"The only food Natsu was kind enough to leave me," Lucy said as she picked the fruit off the floor. Laxus frowned at the mention of the fire dragon slayer. "It's almost ready. You want some?"

Laxus nodded curtly and sat down at her table. He looked like an adult in a child's playhouse amongst her things, but she politely stifled a giggle and ladled two bowls of oatmeal, topping it off with the fruit.

"He comes over often, then?" Laxus asked, trying to sound nonchalant and succeeding…mostly.

"More often than I probably know," Lucy said, trying to pry at the hint of jealousy she thought she may have possibly detected in his voice. "I'm pretty sure I feed the two of us and more than once I've gone to bed only to find him sprawled across it. He claims it's more comfortable than his bed, though I suspect that's because he sleeps in a hammock."

"Hm," Laxus replied.

"Although," Lucy continued, "Natsu can't take all the blame. Gray also steals my food, and has an awful habit of reading my manuscripts while he does it. They're like rats that poke around your personal life as well as your pantry." Laxus chuckled at that.

"How do they get in? You didn't…um…give them keys, did you?" Laxus stared at his oatmeal as he spoke.

"The fools climb through the window, though how they do that is beyond me. I suspect Happy flies Natsu up and Gray makes an ice ladder, but I haven't been able to catch them in the act."

"You're all very close, aren't you?

"You could say that. Natsu helped me join the guild, and Gray's been with us since the beginning. We work well together, even if Natsu and Gray act like idiots most of the time."

Idiots. Laxus liked hearing her describe her young, attractive male partners as such. "That's because they are idiots," he muttered under his breath.

"What about Raijinshuu? I suppose you are almost like family at this point," Lucy asked.

"We're definitely a tight squad, though I sometimes wish the others would learn to be a bit more independent. I often feel less like a friend and more like some kind of ruler," Laxus grimaced.

"I'd have thought you'd prefer to be a ruler to a friend," Lucy said.

"Well you'd be wrong." Laxus gazed straight at Lucy, making her blush and shove her face into her food. Lucy's head was spinning with the surrealness of the moment: the oversized lightning mage squished into her dainty kitchen eating oatmeal and interrogating her on her partners. "Go put on some shoes, we're going out," he said suddenly, jolting Lucy out of her daydreaming.

"Out?"

"Yes, as in outside. We're going to the guild so people don't think you've been kidnapped. Or are you too sore to walk that far?" he asked deviously, with his face straight but a slight cock to his eyebrow and a mischievous gleam in his eyes at the prospect of his prey too weakened to move.

"I'm fine!" Lucy declared, making a point to walk as normally as possible as she dumped their dishes in the sink and headed to her closet. She changed into her normal skirted outfit and took deep breaths as she met Laxus by the door, determined not to show any weakness. Pain? Who's in pain? Not me, that's for sure.

The odd, blonde couple walked down the canal towards the guild in silence, each step an uncomfortable reminder that Lucy hadn't fully obeyed the powerhouse next to her the day before, something she decided she would blame Natsu for since he was such an easy target after delaying their trip. Laxus glanced down at her every few minutes with an irritating smirk on his face, but Lucy was resolved to let nothing show, completely forgetting about the dragon slayer's heightened senses that caught her subtle sharp breaths, nearly silent groans, and pallor complexion.

"You sure you're alright?" Laxus asked again as the guild came into sight, eyes still grinning but with a hint of true concern in his voice.

"I'm wonderful," Lucy replied stiffly.

"I'm not sure we should walk in together. Y'know, if we wanted to keep…this… quiet…" Laxus said.

Lucy's heart fell slightly. "Quiet, yes that's probably best. But nobody will think we're arriving together if I just head over to my friends. Just that we got here at the same time."

"Right," Laxus said, sounding a bit off. Surely he hadn't actually wanted to walk in together as a couple… It's just a temporary arrangement, nothing more—to him anyway. She shook her head slightly as if to rid the thought from her brain as they walked through the guild doors.

She scanned the room and found her team lounging in their usual spot in a very idle way. She sometimes wondered if they ever actually did anything when she wasn't around. As she headed over to them, still focusing on making her stride as unremarkable as possible, she saw Laxus head over to the second floor, stopping briefly at the bar to talk to Mira.

"We were starting to think your date kidnapped you," said Gray as the celestial mage walked up.

"How'd it go?" Erza asked, mouth full of cake.

"Better than expected," Lucy said as she took her place next to Natsu, feeling her answer was true enough. The pinkette immediately sniffed her (Hadn't anyone ever told him that was rude?), and glared slightly as he noticed the other slayer's scent hiding under her shampoo.

"So who's the mystery man?" he asked, turning to Lucy and plastering his trademark grin on his face as the others continued their earlier conversation.

"That's none of your business," Lucy replied, aware the fire mage already knew who it was.

"I just want to make sure he's good for you!" Natsu replied innocently, draping an arm across her shoulders and ruffling her hair playfully. "Y'know, someone who's not too old or too rough. Too…lightningy," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, it's none of your business," she said defensively.

"Of course it's not. I just don't want to see you get played over by some man-whore," he said quietly. Lucy pushed his arm off of her roughly and glared.

"I can take care of myself," she said, loud enough to catch the other's attentions.

"What's going on?" Erza asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Natsu's just poking in where he's not wanted," Lucy said blushing fiercely. Erza glared at the dragon slayer admonishingly while Gray gave him a look Lucy couldn't quite read.

"I just don't want her to get hurt," Natsu said, trying to downplay the situation. Despite his unwarranted interference, his voice sounded sincere.

"That's none of his-" Lucy began, but was cutoff.

"Blondie!" a deep voice rang over the hall. The startled group looked up to see Laxus leaning on the second floor railing and summoning the celestial mage with a coaxing finger. Lucy felt Natsu stiffen slightly, but ignored him and (as quickly as her sore arse could move) ran up the stairs. She waited hesitantly at the top of the stairs, unsure if she was welcome to the S-level lounge.

"It's fine," Laxus reassured her and she stepped in. It was nothing particularly outstanding; just a few tables and chairs with the S-level quests posted on the wall. Still, it felt so exclusive.

"I thought you didn't want to associate yourself with me," Lucy said with a slight bite in her voice.

"We're going on a mission. Tomorrow," he said, handing her a piece of paper that she quickly scanned over.

"Celestial summoner requested," she read and looked up. "That's not very specif-"

She broke off as Laxus suddenly attacked her mouth, his lips crashing against hers. One hand snaked around her waist while the other laced into her golden locks, both working to eliminate any space between the two mages. He pulled back for a breath, his blue eyes staring hotly down into her dewy brown ones. He walked her backwards until her back hit the table, then went in again, this time much gentler. He sucked on her bottom lip and traced it with his tongue before pressing back into her mouth. Meanwhile, without giving much thought to any of it, Lucy reached up and wrapped her arms around Laxus's neck, pulling on him as if they could possibly get any closer.

Laxus pulled back again for another breath, then returned, this time kissing along her jawline to her ear, which he bit lightly making Lucy gasp before trailing down to her neck. He attached himself to her, sucking hard so that a small purple mark would soon follow.

"L-Laxus! Someone might walk in!" Lucy said, attempting to hold on to some sense of decorum. After all, they were in the guild of all places!

"No one ever comes up here but me," he said into her neck. Slowly he lowered her down so that her back was on the table and he towered over her. "But today you're gonna come up here," he taunted, then went back to work on her neck.

Lucy stifled her light moans and gasps as he clumsily unbuttoned her shirt and then lowered his kisses down her torso to her flat stomach. She was taken aback by his tenderness, but still groaned slightly as her sore muscles protested her position. Laxus moved his hands lightly up and down her body, massaging her gently.

"I know you're sore," he said. "You were so amazing last night there's no way you couldn't be, but I don't think I like having you in too much pain." His hands continued down her torso to her legs before stroking back up along the outer thigh while his lips sucked up small red marks on her stomach. "I prefer to watch you drown in pleasure," he said into her lower stomach.

Suddenly his fingers hooked around the sides of her panties and he fell to his knees, pulling them down with him. He lifted her legs up onto his shoulders, making Lucy gasp loudly.

"La-Laxus! What're you—"

"Ssshhhh," he said, his pale blue eyes glinting up at her. "You wouldn't want to alarm the poor people downstairs," he smiled before leaning in and burying his face in the patch of blonde curls that surrounded her core.

"Laxus! Don't! It's em-embarrassing!" Lucy turned as red as Erza's hair as she watched the blonde head nuzzle into her most private parts.

"Do you really want me to stop?" he said, his voice deep and lusty. Lucy somehow blushed deeper as he gazed up at her from underneath her skirt. He looked damn sexy, she had to admit, but despite all his confidence she could sense a slight hesitation. She knew if she asked him to, he would stop like he said he would. That thought made her relax a bit. She looked down at him and shook her head slightly.

She felt rather than saw him smile. He promptly licked up the length of her core, stopping to suck on her little pearl of sensitivity. Lucy could feel herself getting wetter by the second, but it felt too good for her to care. He ran his tongue all over her, sucking, licking, and nipping at her clit while he worked. She reached down and laced her fingers in his hair, pressing him closer against her with one hand while the other lodged itself against her mouth, trying to quiet her crescendoing moans.

Laxus lavished in her scent. He'd been down on a few girls before, and while their scent had been bearable Lucy's scent was more than just tolerable. She smelled so…good! And he wanted that scent all over him. He breathed her in deeply as he kissed her wet opening, then stuck his tongue into her soft folds.

"Oh god!" he heard her moan above him, and couldn't help but to smile. He kept his tongue inside of her, diving as deeply into her warmth as he could while he heard the busty blonde try to stifle her sounds above him. He wished they weren't in the guild so he could hear her scream openly at the pleasure he lathered up and down her slit. Remembering they were in the guild, he pulled back slightly to sniff the air and make sure no one decided to start visiting the second floor now of all times. He wouldn't let anyone else see Lucy like this.

"Aaah…nng…haa…"

Lucy's poorly stifled moans washed over him, making him groan as he felt his arousal harden. The vibrations against her core had an immediate effect.

"Laxus, I'm gonna—" He groaned his approval into her, sending her flying over the edge. Her orgasm shook her down like an earthquake originating deep within her. She pressed her hand against her mouth and tightened her throat in a vain attempt to quiet herself. Laxus continued to lick her clean, sending jilting aftershocks as his tongue teased her sensitive clit.

Lucy relaxed against the table and stared at the ceiling as she fought to catch her breath. Laxus, meanwhile, pulled her panties back up her legs to their original resting place over her ass, kissing her one last time before standing up. He leaned over Lucy and buttoned her shirt back up, then grabbed her hand and pulled her up until she was once again sitting upright on the table. Unsure of what to say, Lucy just stared into space, her cheeks burning.

"Meet me at the station tomorrow morning at 7. There should be a train leaving around that time," Laxus said, folding the mission paper absently. Is he blushing? "I'm going to go tell Mira."

Lucy watched in awe as the big, scary dragon slayer headed downstairs, his cheeks blazing through the scowl on his face. She also didn't miss the hardened member he tried to conceal. Was he afraid she was too sore to do anything else? It seemed so different from the man who ordered her to suck him off two nights ago. Yet Lucy smiled to herself as she straightened her clothes and walked down to rejoin her friends, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't so unaffected by their night together after all.