Chapter 3! Thank you for the reviews and I hope that you continue to enjoy!

Invitation

Chapter 3

Lucy blinked as Cobra opened the door to his shared apartment, and covered her mouth at the disaster that greeted them. Beer bottles and cans littered the floor, paper was thrown everywhere, and there were even a few articles of clothing laying about.

Not to mention, she saw a few stains soaking into the carpet which she really hoped was only beer or soda. It seemed that they no longer had a lamp, since it was shattered on the ground, making her wonder briefly if that was what had been the crash that they heard.

A groan caused her to look into the living room, and raise an eyebrow as Laxus slowly sat up on the couch. His chest bare, his neck covered in bruises, and his face...She bit her knuckle to keep her laughter at bay, but it seemed that Cobra had no mercy and barked into laughter.

"You look like a rejected hooker!" He got out, grasping the edge of the door frame, before yanking out his phone and snapping a quick picture of the man. Lucy smiled at her cousin, who really did look bad. Apparently someone had thought it to be a good idea to tie his spiky hair into multiple ponytails, apply make-up badly to his face, and then top it all off with glitter.

"Where did they even get the make-up? And glitter?" She whispered, looking up when Cobra gave a huff.

"Probably got it from Midnight from the look of the shade. He's gonna be pissed." He laughed.

"Which one?"

"Both." He laughed out, before turning and heading closer to the bedrooms. She followed after, leaving a very confused Laxus to try and figure out why they were so buddy-buddy, and why the hell they were laughing at him.

"Pincushion, you better be decent! If I see anything, I'll poison you!" Cobra snapped, rasping his knuckles against a door before pushing it open. Lucy peeked in, finding a blush settling on her cheeks, as Levy's boyfriend glared at them while hugging a sleeping Levy close to his chest.

"What the hell do you want?" Gajeel rumbled, his voice husky from sleep as Cobra approached.

"Your key making kit." Cobra muttered, turning slightly and started moving papers on Gajeel's desk when the man waved toward it. Giving a grunt when he found it and exited the room, shutting the door behind him, and Lucy turned when he stared down the hall from where they came. Giving a small smile as she saw Laxus standing there, still looking a little hungover but more aware of his surroundings.

"What are you up to, Cobra?" He growled, rubbing his head and giving her a worried look. She shook her head, thinking that it was crazy that he was so protective over her, even though they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"Easy, Spark Plug. I'm just making a copy key for Lucy." Cobra stated, turning on his heels and headed toward his room. Lucy followed and nearly laughed as Laxus trailed after them.

"Where did you two disappear to?" He asked, causing her to look over her shoulder.

"Calm down Laxus, you're acting like the big brother I never had." She teased, blinking when he frowned and met her gaze with a serious one.

"You're family Blondie, and while I trust Cobra, that doesn't mean I like the idea of him sneaking around with you." He muttered, causing her to blush slightly. Honestly, he made it sound like they were having an affair or something! Then again, she and Cobra had stayed in the hidden library room for a long time, just talking with one another or reading from the collections. Hell, she even had two of the books stuck in her purse for later reading!

"It's not anything, we just snuck into the library." Cobra muttered, and she smiled when Laxus gave a choked sound.

"Lucy! You broke into the library!?" He hissed, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"No, we walked through the front door." She stated, watching as he gaped as Cobra chuckled. Stepping into his room as he held open the door for her.

"You are not giving her a spare key to the library!" He announced, and she watched as Cobra gave a sigh before turning to glare at him.

"Who said that I was going to give her a spare key to the library? For all you know it's a spare key for here. Or a spare of her own key."

"Well, which is it?"

"None of your damn business." Lucy felt her jaw drop as Cobra shut and locked the door on Laxus, who snarled from the other side.

"You just..."

"He doesn't scare me, Bright Eyes." Cobra muttered, stepping over to his desk and pulled out his key to the library. She plopped onto his bed and looked around his room as he fiddled with the key. He had explained to her how copying a key worked, but it all went over her head.

She was surprised about one thing though. His room was plain! There was no decorations on the wall, nothing on the hard wood floors, and the sheets on the bed were just a faint green that matched the walls. His room gave her nothing to go on about him, and it made her wonder why he kept everything so...hidden.

Even when they were talking in the library, he didn't give much about his childhood. Just saying that it was crappy, and then talking about role models that shaped him into who he was. Sure, he came across a little strange, especially whenever his humor came forth. It was a bit dark, but still funny.

Whereas with herself, she nearly blabbed her whole life story to him. The only thing she left out was the fact that she ran away from home after her mother's passing, and stayed with Levy. Which was all the reason that she had became such a bookworm, but she hadn't wanted to explain how bad her father was after the passing of her mother. Maybe his life had been something like that.

"Alright, just have to let it set for a day and then you'll have your own key." Cobra stated, pulling her from her thoughts and causing her to smile. The thought of being able to go to the library on nights that she couldn't sleep were making her giddy, and she shifted off of the bed and approached where he sat.

"So, have you copied the key for anyone else?" She asked, watching as he sat the kit to the side before looking over his shoulder at her.

"Midnight." He admitted, causing her to give a hum while thinking of the quiet man that she shared her drama class with. The man had the whole rock glam look going for him, but was always nodding off in class. Cobra had told her that they had been friends since they were young, practically brothers.

A lot of people kept away from him, saying that he was just too weird, especially with his bouts of insomnia. She had never really given it a thought, and had always admired the fact that he could deal with make-up better than anyone else she had known.

"Whenever he can't sleep at night he'll go to the library. He doesn't know about the hidden room, though." He added, and she gave a frown.

"Why haven't you told him about it?"

"Don't know."

A silence stretched between them, it wasn't uncomfortable but it had them thinking about the other more and more. A sudden knock on the door caused both of them to start and look.

"Oi, Lucy! Levy is ready to go home." Laxus barked, and Lucy smiled as she heard an embarrassed squeak. Shaking her head, she smiled at Cobra.

"See you in class tomorrow." She announced, giving a little wave before bounding to the door and opening it. She smiled at Laxus before turning to Levy. Only to blink as she was peeking over at Cobra, an uncertain look on her face before giving her a small smile.

"Ready to go back?"

"Yeah." She whispered, wondering why he friend was so worried about Cobra. Hell, usually if Lucy talked to anyone else she was thrilled. Even she had to admit she didn't have that many friends, and Levy was always trying to bring her out of her shell. She had thought that becoming friends with Cobra would make her happy for her, so why was she looking at Cobra like he was the snake he was called?

Cobra released a small sigh, more than used to the look he had received from Gajeel's woman. It was making him think that he should just kill any thoughts of getting with Lucy. Especially since the looks he was getting from his roommates were enough to make lesser men back off.

"You two just gonna stare, or finally say what's on your mind?" He growled, watching as Laxus gave a sigh and slumped his shoulders.

"I don't want to tell you how to live your life..."

"Then don't."

"However! I don't like the idea of Lucy hooking up with someone like..." Laxus trailed off, his face become a little sheepish as he tried to find the right word without offending him. Too late on that shit.

"With someone like me." He ended for him, scowling as the man had the audacity to flinch and give a nod.

"It's not that we don't trust you. We just don't..."

"You just don't trust me with her." He snarled, watching as Gajeel looked away. Releasing a hiss of breath, he grabbed the key and settling copy before standing and moving by the two men.

"I'm staying somewhere else tonight. This shit better be cleaned up before I decide to return." He growled, kicking an empty beer bottle before leaving the apartment.

The morning air did nothing to cool his agitation, as he stalked back toward campus. His intention of hiding away in the secret library, but found himself slowing as he allowed his mind to catch up to the events of the day. A sigh finally escaping him as he realized that they all had the right to protect her from him. That anything with him would only bring her pain. Yet, something deep within him seemed to plead not to give up on her.

When he had seen her in the kitchen, reading a book instead of getting drunk like the other girls, his interest had been sparked. Talking with her only inflamed that curiosity, until he knew that he was hooked. He liked being around her, and wasn't even phased that it had developed in only a few hours.

Her reactions to the smallest things amused him, and had him teasing her about anything and everything just to see them. Yet, no reaction beat her smile when he had offered them meeting up to study together. That beaming smile...It had nearly stopped his heart when she directed it at him. He had seen it a few times in their shared classes, whenever she was reading a book and something amused her. To actually be the reason for that smile...

All he could bring her was smirks, dark humor, and baggage. She didn't need someone like him bringing her down. The rumors and looks alone would get to her. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out the key copy, and debated on throwing it away. No, he had made her a promise, and he wasn't about to break it. He'd just have to make sure to keep distance between them, and continue watching her from a distance.

Hope that you enjoyed!