"Would you look at the little guy? You think going clothes shopping was as good as winning the lottery," Cana smirked, trading comments with the white haired beauty behind the counter and the old man sitting on top of it.

Master Makarov hummed in amusement under his breath, examining the man in question with a soft smile. Loke was circling the guild, the smile on his face and the light in his eyes bringing joy to everyone. His mood was so potent that pretty soon almost everyone gathered looked ready to burst into song. It was early yet, just about 10 am, but the energy and vigor the guild mages had to take on their jobs now was easily doubled by the lion's friendliness.

A couple of the men were making jokes like "Someone must have got laid!" but Loke would correct them every time saying, "Man I wish!" It would get a few laughs but it did not go unnoticed by the master how Loke was very clear to keep any such implications from gaining ground. It wasn't a secret by now that the spirit and his master had assisted in a very high profile mission that required them to go deep cover, so everyone knew about the Ball. The last thing Loke wanted was some asshole starting rumors that Lucy was a one night kind of woman.

"He certainly has changed his tune," the old man mused, "and I can't say I'll miss the skirt chaser he was before. One less pretty boy around heh-heh-heh."

"Master!" Mirajane scolded, but shook her head, knowing the master's ways could only be contained, not eliminated.

Suddenly, Loke stopped in his socializing and seemed to zone out, focusing on something no one else could see. He tilted his head as if he was listening to something, when a smile broke out on his face and a strong surge of magic could be felt. No one had ever seen a summon from the other side before, but it looked like a strong golden wind swirling around the spirits feet, picking up speed and power.

"Gotta go Lucy's calling!" Loke managed to shout before giving a wave as the wind overtook him and he vanished in a flash of light.

"Mm…" the master hummed, a pleased smirk on his face, and the old man hopped down from his seat on the bar and sauntered off to find his office.

…

The lion appeared in Lucy's apartment, opening his eyes to find himself standing just besides her dining table with the lovely woman herself stood on the other side with his key in her hand.

"Hello gorgeous!" he greeted her cheerily, striding quickly around the table to her side. As he walked he examined the cute bleached white short shorts and her collared light blue blouse with a kind of dizziness he had come to accept whenever he saw her attractive figure. The top was sleeveless and showed off her toned, slim arms, and it certainly wasn't helping his sanity that the fabric the blouse was made of was slightly see through. He wondered if she always wore that lacy white bra, but he quickly came to realize that continuing on that with that particular train of thought would soon present him with a very real and hard to conceal problem. He resisted the urge to pull something in front of him as an 'In-case-of-emergency' cover up.

"Hello Loke, you're looking sharp," she complimented him with a grin, knowing it would puff his ego but enjoying the confidence boost her comments always gave him. She looked him over and liked the white button up and dark jean combo, always loving the casualness rolling up the sleeves gave him. With his shades back in their normal place and his hair all handsome and wild she had to forcibly remind herself of the task at hand. 'Down girl,' she scolded herself, cursing the blush that never failed to put that killer grin on his face. "Sorry in advance, this really might be boring for you. It's seriously just getting mail and picking up orders and all of that stuff. If you decide to ditch out at some point trust me I won't blame you." She looked away from him, running a hand through her side ponytail to sort out the tangles. "But I appreciate your company. I bet it will be more fun with you along."

"I will do my best and trust me I have zero intentions of leaving your company any time soon," and he crossed his arms to emphasize his certainty, not missing the way she gently tucked his key away.

"Here's your reward," Lucy gestured to the table, and he saw for the first time the generous stack of bills on the table, along with the ruby ring. His eyes widened in shock when he realized he had left it behind, but even though it was of such importance to him he couldn't help but feel a little sad that she was no longer wearing it.

"Much appreciated beautiful," Loke was quick to thank her, shoving as much money as would fit in his wallet before sending the rest to the spirit world and slipping the ring in to place. He would try and give the money to her but he knew it would probably just earn him a slap in the face, so he resolved to just spend it all on her one way or another. He had no need for human money anymore, not that that would have stopped him.

"Well let's go!" Lucy bounced to the door, grabbing a list from the kitchen counter on her way, examining it as she swung the door open. "First stop iiiisss… Oh! Easy, I've got the pick up my books from Levy at Fairy Hills. Or would it be easier to do that later so we don't have to carry them the whole way… Well okay I guess let's go through the magic shops in downtown for my usual scouting, then we will be right next to that little store with the dress I was going to buy. Theeen we can just get through the rest of the list however, don't let me forget the books though!"

"Yes mam!" He saluted her, muttering a "Moshi moshi," to make her laugh as they left. It was already so surreal, doing the little things. Reminding her to lock the door, holding her purse as she rummaged for her keys, arguing over whether she should wear something warmer or not. It felt so… Loke searched for the words as they got out on to the street, making their way to the livelier consumer sections of Magnolia. Relaxed? No… comfortable. Settled. It quickly turned out that Lucy was right in her choice of outfit, the sun making a vicious comeback after the cold weather they had been having.

They were only a few minutes in and Lucy was pretty sure she hadn't laughed so hard in a while. "How can you laugh at that!? I was humiliated. There I was, in a speedo with five girls and a slinky in my hand with no way to talk my way out of it in front of half of the guild masters in Fiore."

Lucy was struggling for air, shamelessly laughing at him even as they got in to more crowded streets.

"Okay like you haven't done anything embarrassing," Loke huffed, pretending to be insulted, "It's your turn."

Normally she would have outright refused but she felt the need to give a story back after such an uproar. "Well it's nothing close to that but there was this one time-"

As she shared her tale Loke ribbed her mercilessly, laughing so naturally and with such ease it was like no other time in his life he could recall. It reminded him of Aries, when the one or two masters they had shared were busy and they would sit together talking, but even then it was nothing like this. He was the big brother figure then, always having to be a little reserved or have some kind of front. With the spirits he had to be a leader, and with the fairies he had to be a human, but with Lucy he was something else. With a slight shock he realized this must be his true self, the one Lucy had seen at the dance.

Was this what love was? The skip of his heart when she smiled and the ease of his laugh when she was by his side? The way he felt a deep need to reach out and brush the skin of her cheek with his fingertips like it was as vital as the air in his lungs? God even his thoughts were pathetic at this point, how overwhelming this whole thing was.

The chime of the bell as they entered the first magic shop was enough to bring him from his reverie, choosing to look on as Lucy strode confidently up to the counter.

"Ah Miss Lucy! I had a feeling you would be by soon, you can always sense when I have something new." The middle aged shop keeper was already reaching from a small wooden box somewhere out of sight.

"What have you got?" she asked with genuine intrigue, eagerly reaching over the counter to grab at the box when offered, tilting back the lid and looking inside. Loke came up behind her and was surprised to see a silver gatekey settled in velvet. "Dorado," she whispered, picking up the key, "The swordfish huh?" Lucy held up the key for Loke to see. "Know him?"

Loke tore his eyes from the key, happy to be consulted but was cut off by the store owner.

"Oh yes! A powerful combat spirit, very skilled with water magic you can't go wrong with-"

"Uh no actually," Loke interrupted, "Not even close. Think more like big fish who is so full of themselves they would probably stop to pose in a mirror before actually fighting. Is one hell of a swimmer but is next to useless on land, and can't manipulate water last I checked. He's usually too busy talking to his reflection to have a conversation with anyone else so I don't know him well personally, not that I'd want to."

The shopkeeper looked murderous, his whole face red and the vein in his neck bulging as he demanded to know, "And who are you to be such an expert young man?"

Lucy shot the man a look that convinced Loke to let her handle it on her own, just listening as she said fiercely, "He is actually a celestial spirit himself so I would think twice before lying to the people you are hoping to scalp for a gatekey. Do you seriously think I have 60,000 to drop on a key just like that? I'm one of the last celestial wizards there is right now you should probably rethink your tone."

Lucy turned on her heel, about to storm out all together when the business man desperately fumbled for two more boxes beneath the counter, knowing she was the only one he really had a hope of selling these to and calling out, "Wait miss please!"

He opened the boxes and Lucy slowed, her curiosity about celestial spirits almost too potent to ignore, but Loke was still stood near the counter and looked at the remaining two before shouting happily, "Corvus!"

Before Lucy could even turn around the lion had snatched up the key in excitement, ignoring the store owner's protests and taking the key to Lucy.

"Corvus would be great on your team! Hes very noble, and a great flyer. He could carry you about as far as Happy could and isn't bad with scouting and thinking on the fly. He isn't much for combat but he's a great dude… bird. Funny when he relaxes a bit, I've been contracted alongside him before."

Lucy took the key of The Crow and looked it over, more interested in the prospect of allowing Loke to work alongside another of his friends then the combat advantages. The idea of ending a hopefully great day with meeting a new celestial spirit made her smile, and she went to the counter with a determined smile.

The door chimed again as they exited, Lucy holding the box with an accomplished grin. "40,000 isn't terrible, and I'm excited to meet him. He's a friend of yours?" she asked, hoping for conversation as they moved on to the next magic shop down the way.

"Yes he's a good guy, a bit obsessed with ranking though. It took a lot of work to get him to relax around me, because in the natural hierarchy of the spirit world I was the highest ranking spirit he had ever encountered, mostly because I AM the highest ranked besides the King. Technically even higher than the Queen and Princess though I don't like to brag." It sounded very much like he did like to brag but Lucy couldn't say as much before he continued. "He's professional and very conscious of who's in charge. Man I can't wait to see how he reacts to how you run things, not being able to call you master is going to be a struggle for him." Loke laughed at the image of the large bird searching for an appropriate word for her. 'Princess,' would undoubtedly become a crutch for him. He looked forward to seeing the old crow.

The next two magic shops were uneventful, Lucy not letting Loke linger in any section that contained anything he knew she wanted but couldn't afford, knowing him too well for that. The duo entered a clothing store Lucy obviously was familiar with, moving quickly through the sea of clothes to a long line of dresses on the far wall near the dressing rooms. With a heavy sigh of relief Lucy pulled a short red dress from the line and held it close like she was codling a baby.

"I'm finally back beautiful don't you worry, you'll be coming home with me this time," she cooed, twirling to hold the dress out for Loke to see. He honestly wasn't sure what he was looking at, it just looked like fabric but it was obvious from the contrast between the dress and the woman standing behind it that it was going to be very tight fitting and very short. All in all he was on board.

He gave a nod and a thumbs up, and with just a hint of hope in his voice, "It's sort of hard to imagine how you would look in it though, would the top be to low? You have to consider it with dresses like that."

Lucy looked down at the dress in consideration, for the first time thinking of how the tight chest might make her bust spill out too much.

"So," Loke continued, attempting to be casual, "you should probably ya know, try it on first."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, immediately catching on to his game, but couldn't deny that it wasn't a bad idea, even if he was only asking for the wrong reasons. The price was a bit daunting so it wouldn't hurt to know for sure.

"Fine, but you have to be good and actually be constructive!" she warned, already heading to the dressing rooms.

"Absolutely wouldn't dream of anything else love," but even then he couldn't keep the eagerness from his voice and it made her roll her eyes.

It really was tight but she knew it made her figure something else, plus it's the way these sorts of dresses were meant to be right? And she could still move and bend and breathe so she figured it was fine. She examined herself in the mirror and decided to let her hair down, watching as the locks fell on her shoulders and she knew she looked great. She wondered if she should be so excited to see his reaction but didn't feel like trying to restrain herself, she knew when she looked to die for. It hugged her body so tightly and the long sloping cut was just right to drive a guy crazy, showing off one of her favorite features of herself which was her neck and shoulders for all their beauty. The dress ended high on the thigh, and she walked out of the dressing room with confidence, striding over barefoot to where the man she was looking for was zoned out looking up at the ceiling.

"What do you think?"

Loke looked down at the sound of her voice and wasn't at all prepared for what he saw, despite his vivid imagination that had been entertaining him as he waited. God it was the confidence that really put it over the top, the way she stood with her feet splayed slightly apart and one hand on her hip with the other playing with her hair. She stared him down, like she was challenging him almost. She was so confident and alluring, he was sure he was going to go insane. It was a wonder his nose didn't erupt in a fountain of blood though the shade of his face was nothing he could stop. He was vaguely sure he was nearly drooling, and when he was suddenly aware of a terrible problem he quickly crossed his legs, trying desperately to keep his eyes from tracing the lines of her slim gorgeous neck, and the curve of her breast and the dip of her- oh STARS keep it together asshole.

"You should buy it," he managed in a strained voice.

"I dunno…" she played, turning for him and showing him the curve of her behind.

"Luucy..." he whined, damn near pleading at this point, pride be damned.

At the stress in his voice she decided she was pushing the poor guy too far, the white of his knuckles making it clear he was all but jumping her at this point. It made her feel insanely powerful, to have an influence over a man in this way. The cheeky grin on her face was there for her entire journey to change and purchase the dress, leaving the lion in peace for a moment to gather himself. She would have to remember that.

…

They were well on their way to the post office before he was finally all together, using the Lucy of the now to drive out the image of her in the red dress at least long enough for him to calm down. She was glowing, her mood heightened for the experience which he was relieved to see. He was afraid his intense unavoidable show of attraction would frighten her, but it was quite the opposite. The power in her eyes had only intensified when she saw him react. What that meant for the future he had no clue, but his imagination had high hopes.

"So I just need to pick up these packages, put in that order at the furniture store back downtown and pick up the books from Levy then we can probably grab lunch. Then it's a free day for whatever you would like!" She beamed up at him and he was elated, excited to learn his company wouldn't be terminated once the errands were completed. They moved through the next few errands with easy conversation, Lucy only poking fun at Loke once or twice for the incident at the dress shop which he took without complaint. They had picked back up their game of rapid fire questions when they closed in on Fairy Hills, the lion's arms filled with small but weighty packages.

"So," the spirit mused, "you don't care for horror, what sort of movie do you like?"

"Romance," she answered without hesitation, then tacking on, "comedy, adventure. Musicals as well. Do you like plays and things like that?"

"Yeah, I like live shows of any kind really I always enjoy the venue. The environment is cool, finding your seat and watching the curtain go up and all that. Do you have a favorite musical?"

"Into The Woods!" She shouted excitedly, and he made a note to find out if it was being performed in any town nearby. "You?"

"The Lion King, obviously."

"Obviously."

They had closed in on Fairy Hills, Loke obediently waiting outside with the purchases as Lucy went inside to find her friend. She found her way to the room with relative ease despite only being there a few times before, but stopped just short of knocking when she heard a deep male voice coming from inside. She suppressed a squeal of joy when she recognized it as Gajeel's, straining to hear what was being said while also wondering if she should respect her friend's privacy.

"… you really are a whiz shorty, I don't get half of the crap in these books."

There was a shuffle of paper and a thud of a stack of heavy books being dropped to the ground.

"It's nothing, I do this kind of stuff in my sleep," Lucy recognized her friends voice, the girl obviously proud but a little nervous. "Thanks for coming by to help anyways though."

"Still don't understand why I'm here, I can't help with any of this."

There was a span of silence before the deep tone of a male chuckle was heard.

"Why you so red shrimp? Don't want to admit you just wanted my company? Aww isn't that cute."

There was an indignant sputter before Levy rebutted with, "Well you're here so what does that say about you?"

There was another span of silence as the dragon slayer searched for an answer before grunting and grumbling out, "Yeah well maybe keeping you company didn't sound like such a bad idea."

Lucy was beside herself in the hall, beyond excited that her friend was finally making headway with the thick headed brute she was so infatuated with. She snuck away, grinning happily as she made her way outside, her thoughts trailing to the man she sought company with herself before he came in to view.

Loke was sprawled out in the sun, his eyes closed and the packages placed beside him on the grass. His arms were behind his head and there was a soft smile on his face, like he was just enjoying the heat on a nice day. She just stood there for a moment on the path, looking at him with a fondness she couldn't shake, but she should have known he would have heard her coming. He cracked open an eye and looked at her, his smile strengthening as he met her gaze.

"No books?" he asked, his voice calm and relaxed.

Lucy shook her head as she walked over to him, crouching beside him in the grass. "Levy was busy and I decided to leave her alone." She gave him a suggestive smirk. "Gajeel is over."

"Ooooo," Loke hooted, "Scandalous. I bet she brings books to bed."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh at that, even when she punched his arm lightly and reminded him that Levy was her friend. They sat together in silence for a moment before Loke pulled on her arm, ignoring her protests until he pulled her down into lying beside him.

Lucy huffed, but rolled onto her stomach, propping her chin up on one hand and looking at the peaceful spirit. He kept an eye on her and a smile for a moment before closing his eyes again. He looked so happy, so at peace with a perfect day. She soaked up the image, hoping to remember it for a long time to come. For the first time she decided to ask for permission before she acted.

"Can I pet your ears?"

As soon as she said it she realized how weird it was, but couldn't bother to feel embarrassed over it. She smiled at the way his eyes shot open and he turned to look at her. He considered it, then with a hint of pink to his cheeks and a small smile he nodded.

So they lay there, Lucy using her other hand to pet him, laughing quietly at the way he rolled towards her, leaning in to her touch. His purr was a constant background and it soothed her, cherishing the moment as she looked out over the gently swaying grass and the view of Magnolia. It was a deep and interesting sound, and it was quickly becoming one of her favorites. Perhaps even more so than the pounding of rain on a rooftop.

The pair were unaware of the red headed warrior watching from her window, a touched and happy smile on her face as she watched the scene before her. Erza raised a knuckle to her lips, considering the chemistry she witnessed.

"Good job you two," she said quietly only to herself, smiling still as she moved away from the window to give them some privacy. Just barely missing the soft and loving gaze Loke gave his master when she wasn't looking.

((A very fluffy chapter but very fun to write. Next up let's find out how Loke chooses to spend the rest of his free day with Lucy. Maybe she will have a reason to wear that new dress? And we can meet Corvus! Also couldn't resist a splash of Gajevy haha.))