A/N: Hey everyone! It's time for Day 4! Can you believe the week's already halfway done?

So, without further ado, I give you...

Day 4: Soap

Deep purple eyes gazed across the canal, a small, nearly imperceptible smile on his face as he walked away from the train station with the sun setting behind him. These trips to Magnolia came too few and far between for his liking, but his work with the Magic Council kept him in Era, or travelling most times. Then, with Lucy's insane schedule being in a magic guild - especially in Fairy Tail, and most especially as a member of Team Natsu - it was a wonder he was able to see the sweet blonde that he'd been engaged to for six months at all.

Six months. It still amazed him that she had said yes in the first place. More so that they had been a couple for nearly three years. Doranbolt was perpetually pestering him about his relationship with the Celestial mage, but it only served to remind Lahar that death via papercuts was still a viable option for the Direct Line mage. Especially since Doranbolt had resorted to locking any spare office supplies in a cabinet, so Lucy couldn't make anymore weapons with them.

Still, Lahar loved the woman fiercely. She was a breath of fresh air in his life, in every sense of the word. The perfect combination of compulsive cleanliness, intelligence, beauty, and sultry vixen. She brought him further and further from his comfort zone every time they were together, but always made sure they were grounded in some way. He was a creature of habit, and Lucy understood that about him. But, she also understood just how to get him to stray from his set path, to let loose (at least, for him), and to have fun. His days with her were filled with laughter and with life. And his nights with her… Well, he was most definitely not complaining about their nocturnal activities. And it wasn't always at night, but that wasn't the point.

He rounded the corner, stepping off of the bridge that led to her quaint little apartment, and froze in place as he watched the glass of her bedroom window shatter out into the street. The glittering shower that rained down on the pavement was lost on the Captain, however, when he caught sight of a pink head of hair. And watched as the bearer of those salmon locks crashed to the ground. Head first. This was going to be an interesting night with his fiancee, he could feel it.

There was no shrill screeching coming from her apartment though, Lahar realized. Natsu, in all of his bumbling glory, simply rose to his feet and brushed himself off, then hung his head and walked glumly away from the scene. Not a single word passed the pyromaniac's lips. There was no shouting up at the window, no apologizing for whatever it was that Lahar was sure he'd done to upset the blonde within the confines of the building. He already knew that Lucy had most likely kicked Natsu out herself, literally. And, based on the fact that her window was now broken, she was going to be exponentially more agitated about having to pay for the repairs.

With a subtle shake of his head, Lahar walked to the building and pulled open the door for the small lobby. What awaited him just on the other side let him know just how precarious the situation was for the Fire Dragon Slayer's continued existence. Gallons upon gallons of laundry-scented bubbles cascaded down the stairs from second floor. From what he already knew was Lucy's apartment. They crept along the dull green carpeting, frothing wickedly while caressing the corners of the room and the door jambs, and slowly creeping up the ankles of his boots.

He carefully waded through the mess - something the Captain had never once thought would be the case where something as glorious as soap was concerned - and up the stairs, then blinked in surprise when he saw that, in fact, they were pouring from beneath the closed door of Lucy's apartment at a steady pace. Well, it wasn't too surprising, actually. The blonde's team, specifically Natsu, had quite the penchant for causing complete and utter mayhem where her home was concerned. It had always been the case, from what he'd been told. If it wasn't a lack of privacy - which had, thankfully, been nipped in the bud when Erza broke in to find Lucy bent over the dining room table with only a feather duster in her hand and the black heels from her previously discarded maid outfit draped over Lahar's bare shoulders - then it was overall destruction of the building or its foundation. He was sure her walls were now completely new. Every single one had been replaced - not even patched, just outright replaced - at least once.

Slowly, he inserted the key he'd been given to her apartment a year before, and unlocked the door. Lucy always said it was pointless for her to lock the door in the first place, considering just how proficient her team (and a few other guild mates, as it turned out) was when they decided that they wanted to be inside. After a rather lengthy, statistic-filled lecture from him concerning the crime rate in Magnolia, along with adjustments of her likelihood of being attacked in her home based on her age, gender, and status as a Fairy Tail mage and significant other to a man that had made quite a few enemies by working for the Council, Lucy had shakily agreed with her previous standpoint that it was a good idea to keep her door locked.

The sight that greeted him actually had his eyebrows lifting in horror, and his glasses sliding down to the end of his nose. Bubbles. Everywhere. Not a single inch of the floor was visible. He could feel water soaking into his boots as it rushed past him and out into the hallway, but it did nothing to decrease the pure white puffs that floated around the common area. He shut the door quickly and pushed through to the open wide open door just off to the right when he realized that the washing machine was still running, groaning loudly and shuddering so violently he was sure it would break through the floor at any moment and crush an unsuspecting neighbor. A few turns of the dials, while fighting off the thick foam and spewing water from the top, proved fruitless. Instead, Lahar reached behind the rogue machine and pulled the plug from the wall - thanking the stars above that it was set at shoulder height as a safety precaution.

A hiccupping sob shattered the brief moment of silence that ensued once the machine let out one final keening wail of discomfort, and Lahar turned slowly to find its source. He knew from experience just what Lucy sounded like when she cried, but this… It was more than from frustration or anger or sadness. The sound tore at his heart, and he ached to have her in his arms so he could quiet her fears, wipe her tears away, and make sure that everything worked out. "Lucy?" he called out softly into the otherwise still room.

Instead of an answer, she only cried harder. Lahar saw her though. Well, he saw her head and shoulders while she sat in the middle of the living room floor, soap bubbles coming up to her chest. He didn't hesitate once he saw the shuddering form of his fiancee on the floor. In only a few strides, he was at her side, kneeling in bubbles and water and pulling her into his arms. He would need to get his white uniform pants dry cleaned, but that really didn't matter to him. What mattered was the blonde that was clutching herself to his shirt, curled in on herself and searching for some sense of comfort in the wake of this most recent Slayer-induced disaster.

"Lucy," he whispered, tenderly stroking her hair and feeling the difference between her dry roots and bubbly, soaked tips. "What happened?"

"F-Fucking N-N-Natsu," she sobbed brokenly. "A-And his stupid b-bullshit… Wanna help… Ass…"

He let out a soft sigh. "I'm assuming Natsu touched the washing machine?"

She nodded. "M-Muddy mission… C-Clothes… I wasn't even home! I just… I came h-home to… And th-then he… And the w-w-window… Floor's r-ruined... C-Cappy, what am I gonna do?"

"Well," Lahar said calmly, his fingers dancing along her scalp to try and soothe her. "I would suggest you take a shower to clean yourself up - because high levels of laundry detergent can be considered a skin irritant - and I will handle this mess." Large, tear-filled, chocolate doe eyes peered up at him in confusion, and Lahar smiled gently down at her. "Don't worry, Lucy. Just take a shower. I will make sure it's handled."

She nibbled her lip for a moment, then rested her head on his chest. Her eyes slid closed when she felt his chin on top of her head, and the way his arms tightened around her just slightly. "I l-l-love you," she whispered into the fabric of his shirt.

"I love you, too," he whispered back.

It was several hours later, while they were lying in a hotel bed just down the road, that Lahar surprised her. Her head had been resting on his bare chest, with her fingers drawing random, lazy patterns across the expanse of pale flesh.

When she'd come out of the steaming bathroom, the bubbles were gone. The carpet was still soaked, and everything up to mid-calf had taken some serious water damage. The bottom shelves of her three bookcases, and the books on them, were ruined. Along with her writing desk. Thankfully, her manuscript was kept on the top shelf of her closet. Her couch, her bed, the dining table, her oven and the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. It was all ruined. The wallpaper was peeling up and bubbling. Everything was in shambles. Lahar had packed a bag for both of them, and they had left her apartment.

And now, as they laid in a bed that neither of them really wanted to be in, Lucy found herself staring in shock at the man she loved as he hovered over her. His deep black hair, streaked with small greyish-green highlights was down and draped over one shoulder. His wire-rimmed glasses were on the nightstand, folded and sitting in the spare case he always kept at her apartment. They were a tangle of naked limbs beneath the sheet, with Lahar gently toying with the end of a lock of her golden hair, waiting patiently for her to answer him. "You… want me to move in with you?" she whispered.

"I do," he nodded with a gentle smile. "I own my home, but… if you'd like to find another house, then I can put it on the market. We'll be getting married in another six months, so it would probably be best if we sorted out living arrangements, anyway. Tonight's events…"

She sighed and looked away. "Better now than ever, right?"

Her gaze shot back up to his when he chuckled. "I was planning on asking you tonight, regardless," he answered. "I wanted to broach the subject, and give you time to think about it… But, considering what's happened, maybe we should really discuss it now."

She nibbled her lip nervously, letting out a slow breath. It wasn't that she didn't want to live with Lahar, because she really did. It was just that Lahar's home was close to the Council, which was an hour's journey north of Crocus in a carriage or SE vehicle. It was a two-hour trip from Magnolia to Crocus alone, and she didn't know how she would make it work, remaining as a member of Fairy Tail while being so far away. "I don't want you to sell your house, baby," she said carefully. "But… Well…"

He nodded in understanding. It was the reason he had waited so long to bring it up in the first place. Lucy would have to make a choice on the matter. They would either find a place that was close enough for him to commute to the Council on a daily basis with ease that she could also deal with getting to Magnolia, or… Well, he really wasn't sure what other options there were for them. He knew she loved her guild, and he - as a result of spending the last several years in her, and their, presence - had grown mildly fond of the Fairies. He still thought the guild needed to be shut down, but he also knew from experience, and after seeing their inner workings and the camaraderie that resounded through them, that there was much more to the rambunctious, destructive guild than he'd previously thought.

He would never ask Lucy to leave her guild, let alone give up using her magic so he could continue on with the life he'd been leading before she came barreling into his world. If he thought that she would be willing to do it, he would offer to get her an interview with the Magic Council, working in one of the dozens of departments that could use someone with the plethora of skills she possessed. But, Lahar already knew Lucy wouldn't leave Fairy Tail. He knew just how much her guild meant to her. They were her family, after all.

So, he was truly at a loss on what they would do if they didn't try to compromise, no matter how much he loved his house. He loved Lucy more than the pile of bricks he'd bought a year before she even joined the guild. If being with her meant selling it, then he would do it in a heartbeat.

Lucy sighed and brought his head down, letting his tender, perfect lips caress hers. "You're not selling your house, Lahar," she whispered against his lips with a smile. "And I'd love to move in."

He couldn't help but let out a wide, ecstatic grin for only a moment. It would have stayed in place much longer if the dozens of questions that needed answering hadn't popped up right then. "That's wonderful," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers briefly. "But, how exactly will it work? Your guild-"

Lucy shook her head with a tender smile. "We - or I, if you have to be back in Era tomorrow - can go talk to Master in the morning about how to make it work." A sly grin split her lips when she saw that he was ready to protest. "Lahar," she whispered, lifting her head and sucking his lower lip into her mouth. "We'll worry about the details in the morning. For now…"

His breath stuttered when the silken skin of her legs brushed over his as they moved to hook over his hips. "You're truly insatiable, Miss Heartfilia," he rasped.

"Only for you, Captain Rainier," she replied huskily, gasping when a low groan slipped past his lips before they sealed over hers in a heated caress. She knew just what that official title, the use of his last name that way, did to him. At least, when it was coming from her. He was ravenous, just the way she liked him. "Oh god, Lahar…"

"Not tonight," he chuckled darkly, watching the moment when realization flashed in her darkened eyes.

"Yes, sir," Lucy whispered with a sensual shudder making her voice quiver. "Captain Rainier." It was a good thing Lahar always put up runes when they were staying in a hotel; otherwise, no one in the building would be sleeping that night.

That's all for Day 4! So, Lahar finally has a last name! Honestly, I had to make that his last name. Anyone who can tell me why gets extra Gem points (made with love).

Poor Lucy can't catch a break on the apartment situation, but… Well, she gets to move in with Lahar! YAY!

I'll see you all tomorrow for…

Day 5: Enabler

So! Review, Follow, Favorite! I love you, guys!

~~GemNika.