Lalu One-shots

by ThornsandRoses12

A compilation of Lalu one-shots. Pairing Laxus x Lucy. I will post all my one-shots here because it will be easier to manage.

12. Chapter 12:Who Else Knows?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Friends.

AN: Inspired by the Friends episode "The One Where Everybody Finds Out." This was originally supposed to be short and sweet but it just kept going on and on and on. Again, writing this during my internship! XD

Natsu climbed through Lucy's window, entering Lucy's apartment. In his hands were Lucy's cardigan that she forgot at the guild. He was intending on returning it back to Lucy, but discovered something interesting in the process.

Team Natsu was in the guild hanging out the bar when suddenly Lucy got a text on her phone and announced she had to leave for her job. It was a job entailing helping her next-door neighbor because she broke her leg, being unable to perform basic house chores. Lucy has been helping her until her leg healed and kept her phone on in case she was needed. Today was another one of those days, and Lucy had to do the laundry. An hour when Lucy left was when Natsu noticed Lucy forgot something.

Natsu thought it was a good idea not to disturb Lucy from her job and just sneak into her apartment. He would place the cardigan on her coat hanger and leave the way he came in. This was the plan as he perched himself on his windowsill, when he suddenly heard a giggle coming from the bathroom. A few more giggles and squeals, followed by a female and male voice talking.

"Stop it!" Natsu heard Lucy giggle, a smacking sound following afterwards. Maybe Lucy finished her job early?

"Make me." Natsu heard a male voice. A voice he swears he heard somewhere. Natsu moves closer to see if he can discern the identity of Lucy's mysterious male guest.

Hearing the voices come closer, Natsu tries to find a place to hide when all of a sudden Lucy comes out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel around her body and a twisted towel in her hands. Lucy halts in her place and stares at Natsu in shock at his sudden arrival. She was just about to say something when Lucy's male guest came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist and another towel twisted in his hands.

Natsu's mouth drops wide open in shock when he finally sees Lucy's 'friend'. "L-Laxus," he stammered out. Out of everyone in the world, Laxus was the last person he expected to be in Lucy's bathroom! Heck, even in her apartment! He didn't even know they knew each other outside of the guild!

Feeling a bit light-headed, Natsu took a seat in a chair. This was big news! Laxus and Lucy were together, or at least he hoped they were together, judging by their current state of attire, or rather the lack of it.

"I need to tell someone," Natsu muttered under his breath, still in a daze at the shock of catching Laxus and Lucy together. He needed to get it out of his chest. He had a hard time keeping secrets. Natsu made a move to get up from the chair when he felt someone push him back onto it and something wrapped around his body. "Hey!" Natsu let out a cry of protest when Laxus held him in place and Lucy tied him up with her whip.

"You're not going anywhere," threatened Lucy with a glare, making sure her whip was tied extra tight. This was the kind of situation she and Laxus were trying to avoid! And they had to get caught by one of the biggest blabber mouths in the guild!

Their whole relationship started when they drunkenly hooked up at Ren and Sherry's wedding 6 months ago. What started as a friend with benefits situation turned into a meaningful boyfriend girlfriend relationship after they realized how much they had in common and enjoyed each other's company.

Both agreed to not tell anyone about the relationship until they felt they were ready because they didn't want to make a big deal out of it and how everyone would react, especially their teams. Team Natsu and The Thunder Legion were very possessive and protective of their team members, and the two blondes liked their peaceful dates. Thank you very much.

And there was the perverted side of them that liked the idea of sneaking around behind everyone's back.

"Listen carefully, Natsu." Laxus approached Natsu. He quickly put on his clothes when Lucy finished tying Natsu up and stood in front of her so she could put something on. "You can't tell anyone, especially Freed or Erza." He knew very well how Freed was devoted to him and would overreact over the whole situation. Same with Erza regarding Lucy, especially if they found out how they got together in the first place. Saying one took advantage of the other. It would be mayhem.

Interestingly enough, complaining about how their teams ruined their dates for the sake of protecting them led to Laxus and Lucy getting closer.

"W-when did this happen?" Natsu still had trouble accepting the fact Laxus and Lucy were together. He should have noticed something with his dragon senses. How the hell did they manage to hide it so well that no one else found out? Especially the dragon slayers and guild gossipers.

Lucy laughed awkwardly, and Laxus rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Ren and Sherry's wedding," he murmured, hoping Natsu didn't hear it.

Unfortunately Natsu did, and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at this revelation. "Ren and Sherry's wedding," he screamed. That was almost six months ago! The relationship must be serious since Laxus never stayed with a girl this long. He must really care about Lucy, judging by the way Natsu noticed the two looking at each other with fondness.

Suddenly, Natsu sported a goofy grin. "I'm so happy for you guys," he exclaimed happily. This was a great thing to hear. His best friend finally found someone she can be happy with, and Laxus found happiness as well. His favorite people are together now. Now he can ask Lucy to convince Laxus to fight with him. Heck, maybe she can even convince Laxus to train with him.

Natsu opened his mouth to make that request when Lucy glared at him, giving a firm no.

"But you don't even know what I'm going to ask!"

"You're going to make me ask Laxus to fight you." Lucy put her hands on her hips. He was her best friend, for God's sake. Did he really think she didn't know what he was going to ask?

"Dammit," cursed Natsu under his breath. He really thought he could get away with it. Then an idea sprung into his head. "Hey Laxus, think you can train me? If not, I'll tell Mira that you have a girlfriend. And you know she'll do anything just to find out who it is." Natsu grinned cheekily at Laxus. He wasn't technically betraying Lucy. Plus, once Mira has that tidbit of information, she'll figure out the rest.

Before Laxus could say something, Lucy placed a comforting hand on his chest and gave him a look that said I got this. "Then I suppose you don't mind Mira finding out that the recent cake thefts from the kitchen was not Erza but you and Happy." Lucy gave Natsu a sugary sweet smile with an evil glint in her eyes. She knew very well what Mira would do to Natsu if she found out Natsu and Happy were responsible for eating all the cakes at the guild. Mira was very protective of her kitchen and would punish anyone who violated her rules. "After all, I just have to say it was a dragon slayer and an exceed and she'll figure out the rest." Lucy stared at her nails without a care in the world.

Natsu audibly gulped in fear. Laxus as well, but for a different reason. Seeing this side of Lucy always turned him on. Laxus brought Lucy close to him and wrapped his arm around her waist, caressing her bottom with the other. "Have I told you how much I love it when you use that big, beautiful, smart brain of yours," said Laxus as he nuzzled his nose against Lucy's.

"À chaque fichue fois. Mon cher dragon," Lucy whispered back, cupping Laxus's cheeks, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. (Every damn time. My dear dragon.)

Laxus let out a groan of pleasure and visibly shuddered. "Hmmm. I love it when you do that as well." Lucy grew up learning multiple languages. Hearing Lucy speak another language was another turn on for him, especially when it makes her voice low and husky. Laxus roughly pressed his lips against Lucy, with Lucy responding back, wrapping her arms around his broad back.

"Ewwwww." Natsu tried not to gag as he saw the two blondes going at it. He looked away in embarrassment when he saw Laxus putting his hand under Lucy's skirt. He cleared his throat to get their attention. He didn't want to see them making babies. "Ahem! I'm still here!" Did they forget about him?

Laxus and Lucy jerked away from each other at Natsu's scream. "Whoops." They actually forgot he was there for a second.

"So do we have a deal," asked Lucy as she untied Natsu. "Please," she begged when Natsu looked hesitant. "We're just waiting for the right time." They could handle everyone else, but it was Freed and Erza's reaction that worried them the most.

Natsu let out a sigh when he saw Lucy's desperate face. He had a pretty good feeling about why they were hiding it. They were afraid of how everyone would react and whether they would approve of the relationship. He and his teammates are partly to blame since they did ruin the dates Lucy went on because they did not approve of the people she was going out with. But this time he did approve, and when they were ready to come out as a couple, he had their full support.

"Okay," Natsu gave a tiny smile, standing from his seat. "I approve of you guys being together." He patted both of them on the shoulder. "I'll see you later." Natsu left through the window.

Seeing that Natsu was gone, Lucy faced Laxus and gave him a playful look. "Now. Where were we?" Lucy smacked Laxus's ass with the towel and tried to run when he tried to retaliate.

The Next Day

"So gentlemen, what do you think?" Loke opened the curtains and let light into the studio apartment. It was a studio apartment perfect for a bachelor and the view outside was just as breath-taking, the sun setting over Magnolia.

"I don't understand you getting an apartment when you won't even be here most of the time." Gray muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the interior. He had to admit it was a great place for a single man to live, but it seemed like a waste of money since Loke was a celestial spirit.

"I think it looks great, Loke." Natsu gave Loke his thumb of approval as he laid down on the couch.

"Thank you for your support, Natsu. After all, it's what friends do. Give their support." Loke directed his sarcasm towards Gray. "Let's celebrate moi with a few drinks." Loke headed to the kitchen to gather some alcohol and glasses.

Natsu turned on the TV with the remote and started surfing through the channel. It seemed his butt was firmly planted on the couch and was going to stay that way for a while.

This left Gray to explore the rest of the apartment. He noticed a telescope on the balcony and decided to have some fun with it. Why not soak in some of the sights of Fiore.

Gray closed one eye and peeked into the telescope, using his other. He immediately recognized the place the telescope was facing and jerked back in disgust. "Seriously Loke! Why is your telescope directed towards Lucy's apartment?!" He knew Loke was protective and cared about Lucy but this was going too far. "Besides, can't you spy on her from the Spirit World."

"I am Lucy's knight in shining armor. I must keep tabs on my beloved to make sure everything is alright," Loke called out as he bought a bottle of champagne and some glasses. "Love has no boundaries and I want nothing more than to see Lucy think about me and burn for my love." He poured a glass for himself, Gray and Natsu.

Gray shrugged his shoulders and went back to scoping the apartment. Maybe he'll find out if Lucy finished writing the chapter of her book. He'll just have to find the right moment to read it secretly.

Lucy was currently at her writing desk, typing something on her laptop, with music blasting out loud. She bobbed her head to the beat and got up to get a drink when she felt thirsty, doing a few dance moves along the way. Laxus, who was sitting nearby but out of the view of the telescope, playfully grabbed her hand and spun her around.

"Huh. That's strange," said Gray out loud as he adjusted the telescope to zoom further into the apartment. He could have sworn there was someone else in the apartment with Lucy, and it wasn't one of his teammates.

"What's strange?" Loke walked up next to Gray, holding both of their glasses. He already gave one to Natsu.

"It seems there's a man in Lucy's apartment," replied Gray, trying to switch the angle so he can see the man who just spun Lucy around.

At this, Natsu froze in his seat and panicked. He knew exactly who the man was. "Maybe you're seeing things, ice butt. After all, we know you can't see things well." Natsu said nervously, insulting Gray in the process, hoping it would distract Gray.

"Shut up squinty eyes. My eyes are fine. Lucy's dancing with some dude in her apartment." Gray looked away from the telescope to glare at Natsu.

"Maybe she is giving dance lessons," Natsu continued his lie hoping none of them saw through it. "Lucy is an excellent dancer."

"Let me take a look." Loke pushed Gray to the side and looked in the telescope, leaving Gray and Natsu to squabble. He gasped out loud, and his jaw dropped wide open. "Nonononono," he yelled at the scene in front of him.

Gray and Natsu stopped their rough-housing at this. Gray's hand was pulling Natsu's vest and had Natsu in a headlock. Natsu's fist was mid air as he was about to punch Gray. "What's wrong," they both yelled at the same time.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY MASTER!" Loke screamed when he saw Laxus and Lucy kissing each other. From the way the kiss was going, he knew what direction they were heading.

"Move over! I want to see!" Gray shoved an angry Loke to the side so he can see what made Loke so upset. He peered in the telescope and jumped back. "My eyes!" He covered his eyes as he tried to will the image away. Seeing Laxus naked was the last thing he wanted to see, especially when he was doing the deed with Lucy. His magic started growing out of control, causing the apartment to become frozen and spikes of ice popping up, ruining the furniture.

"Gray stop it! You're ruining my house!" Loke tried to stop Gray but slipped on the ice, bumping into Natsu.

"Watch it, you pervy lion," exclaimed Natsu, engulfing his fists in flames. All he had to do was melt the ice. "I'll handle this." Natsu took a stance and chanted. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

"Sorry about your apartment Loke." Natsu patted the man's shoulder as he sulked on the counter of a random bar. After the destruction he and Gray caused to the place, they decided to bring Loke to the bar to cheer him up.

"I worked hard in finding a place where I can freely spy on Lucy," wailed Loke dramatically. "Now there's no point because my beloved Lucy is single no more and with that brute," he continued to sob.

"I can't believe Lucy didn't say anything." Gray chimed in, sipping from his beer glass.

"I know! This is SUCH a shock. I can't believe Lucy didn't tell us her boyfriend was Laxus." Natsu shook his head in disapproval. He mentally patted himself on the back for still managing to keep the secret. Maybe this lying thing wasn't so hard.

Loke stopped his wailing to look at Natsu. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion towards him. "How did you know Laxus is Lucy's boyfriend?" Loke didn't mention who the man was, and neither did Gray. Natsu was the only one who didn't look through the telescope.

Natsu laughed nervously. "Because you said so," he lied lamely.

Gray stopped drinking at this and looked at Natsu in suspicion as well. "No, we didn't. Besides, you didn't look through the telescope, so how did you-?" At this Gray realized something and glared at Natsu. He grabbed Natsu's collar. "You ass! You knew the whole time didn't you?!"

Knowing he had no way out of this hole he dug himself into, Natsu confesses the whole truth. He raised his arms in surrender. "Okay. You're right. I knew they were together. But in my defense I only found out yesterday and they made me promise not to tell anyone."

Gray let go of Natsu's collar, satisfied with his answer. "So, Laxus and Lucy, huh? How long have they been together?" He might as well get all the answers from Natsu.

"6 months."

"6 months," yelled Gray and Loke simultaneously. They lowered their voices when they noticed other patrons looking at them. "How did they manage to hide it so long," whispered Gray.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I didn't have time to ask. All I know is that they've been sneaking around and spending time together when they have time."

Loke rubbed his chin in thought. "Makes me wonder how many of her errands and missions were excuses just to meet up with Laxus."

"Cut them some slack, okay. They really care about each other. I saw it firsthand," stated Natsu, defending his best friend and guild mate.

"But why hide it," demanded Loke. He was more hurt at the fact Lucy didn't tell him than at seeing her with Laxus.

"I can kind of understand why she didn't," said Gray, smiling wryly. "We did ruin those dates she tried to go on." He remembered a discussion he had with her once. After Alvarez and with her almost dying, she said wanted to try to look for a meaningful relationship. He tried to help by making sure she was dating the right people.

"But we were just protecting her!"

"And in the process, we lost her trust," exclaimed Gray. He rubbed his temples to soothe his headache. "So what do we do now? Confront them?"

"If you do that, you'll have to explain how you found out," pointed out Loke.

"If I were you guys, I'd not say anything to them and have a little fun." A familiar voice joined in on the conversation, causing them all to freeze.

Gray, Loke, Natsu all looked up from their drinks and saw Cana and Bickslow standing there with wide mischievous grins.

"Now, what was it you were talking about? Laxus and Lucy screwed each other's brains out." Cana gave them a playful wink and sat next to Natsu.

She and Bickslow were bar hopping when they noticed Gray, Natsu, and Loke hanging out at a bar. Gray and Loke hanging out was normal. There was even a benefit of the doubt when they saw Natsu there as well, but what made her and Bickslow suspicious was how civil they were acting towards each other, especially Gray and Natsu. Then there was the whispering and talking, so something must have been up so Bickslow sent one of his babies to spy on them. In the process, she got some interesting news and needed the rest of the story.

Gray, Loke, and Natsu explained everything they have learned so far about the two blondes to Cana and Bickslow. It was just easier to tell them, since they already overheard everything.

"Wow. Bossman and Cosplayer," said Bickslow in an awed voice. "I'm surprised Laxus managed to hide it from Freed all this time."

Everyone gave him a look that said explain and he did. "Freed knows almost everything about Laxus like almost everything," he emphasized the word everything. He was too afraid to ask how Freed managed to obtain information on Laxus's whereabouts. How did he know exactly where Laxus would be or do?

"This explains so much," exclaimed Cana. "Lucy had this glow and I'm sexually satisfied look on her face. She claimed it was this new cream she got from the celestial world." Cana took a swig from her bottle. "I knew she was banging someone!"

"Can we stop talking about Lucy banging people, please?" Gray says with a frown. "She's my teammate for God's sake." He was trying to drink away the image of Laxus and Lucy having sex.

"By the way, what is this plan you guys said you had," pondered Loke out loud. Plans involving Bickslow or Cana always ended in fun and chaos for the victims.

"Well, first we need to observe the two. Once we gather enough intelligence, I'll tell you my plan." Cana rubbed her hands together and cackled loudly. She couldn't wait to annoy the blondes.

A few days later

"Awwww. Look at them," gushed Bickslow, sitting next to Gray, Cana, Natsu and Loke at a table in the corner from the guild. They made sure to sit far away so Laxus wouldn't overhear them. To make them less conspicuous, they were playing cards to mask their planning. "It's like their star-crossed lovers." Bickslow drew a card from the deck.

"Now that you know what to look for, it's kind of obvious they have the hots for each other. Uno," yelled Gray when he had one card left in his hand.

For the past few days, they have been observing the two blondes, the secret looks, the secret touches, and the ridiculous excuses they would make just to sneak out to meet each other.

"So, Cana, when are you going to tell us about your grand plan?" Natsu rolled his eyes at the word grand. He was not fond of having to keep more secrets.

"Patience, young one. Red." Cana placed a draw 4, causing Gray to draw 4 cards who let out a groan. "First, we are going to go with Bickslow's plan."

"Which is?" Natsu wasn't sure he was going to like the sound of it.

"Operation sabotage, sexy time. Uno!" Bickslow yelled and dropped his voice into a whisper. "Since we've observed their habits, all we have to do is to prevent them from seeing each other, make it seem like the universe is out to get them. It's going to frustrate them to the point where they have no choice but to reveal their relationship to the guild." After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"Are you kidding me," hissed Natsu. He looked around to make sure no one heard him. "Laxus will kill us for cockblocking him."

"I'm in," declared Gray with a grin. "Sounds like fun." He didn't have anything else to do.

"I'm in as well." Loke piped up. "Just tell me what to do."

"But guys!" Natsu tried to protest, but everyone ignored him.

"No buts! You better not tell them we know or else." Cana warned Natsu in a threatening tone. "Better yet, don't do anything. Lucy's sharp and she'll immediately realize something is not right if you participate."

"Fine," grumbled Natsu and slumped in his seat. He didn't want to get involved, anyway.

"What's your plan," asked Loke, playing a skip on Natsu.

"Uno," yelled Cana, placing her final card in the center. Everyone groaned and paid Cana money. Whoever lost had to pay the winner cash. She dropped her voice to a whisper and smiled. "Watch and observe."

Everyone watched Cana walk towards Lucy, who was sitting at the bar counter chatting with Mirajane. She just so happened to sit next to Laxus because it was the only available seat in the crowded guild, which was a bonus for Cana, since both blondes needed to witness what she was about to do.

"Hey there Lucy babe," called out Cana causing Lucy to pause her conversation and look back at Cana.

"Hi Cana," greeted Lucy with a smile. "How is everything?"

"Good, especially with you here." Cana noticed Laxus was discretely listening in on the conversation. "Hey, Lucy. Have you been working out lately? Your arms look so toned." Cana lightly fingered Lucy's biceps.

"Actually, yes I have. Lately I have been doing some hand to hand combat training with Capricorn." Laxus was actually the one that got her into training and tried to teach her how to box. Unfortunately, they barely got any 'training' done and their sessions always ended in sex. Lucy was still committed to the idea and asked Capricorn for help instead.

"You wouldn't mind showing me a few of your moves?" Cana massaged Lucy's arm. "In exchange, I'll show you a few of mine. Alone. Just the two of us." She gave her a playful wink, her grin growing wider at Lucy's flustered face.

*crash*

The beer mug in Laxus's hand shattered when he gripped it too hard. Both girls looked at Laxus, whose hand was stained and dripping with beer.

"Oh, my God. Are you okay?" Lucy takes out a handkerchief from her bag and hands it to Laxus. Lucy tried not to sound too concerned. She was relieved when she saw his hand was fine and not cut by the glass.

"Yeah." Laxus wiped his hand. "Sorry about that." He was momentarily caught off guard when he overheard Lucy and Cana's conversation. Being friends with Cana, he recognized the voice and tone she was using. She was trying to flirt with Lucy and pick her up. He knew that Cana didn't have a preference when it came to her partners, but he never realized she had an interest in Lucy. "Mira, can I get another beer?"

Mira handed another beer to Laxus. This time she gave him a bottle. Cana continued to work her charm on Lucy. She grabbed a strand of Lucy's hair and caressed it. "What do you use in your hair? It's so soft and luscious."

"Oh, you know the usual shampoo and condition. Nothing special." Lucy laughed awkwardly. She was wondering if Cana was drunk and just messing with her.

"Smells amazing as well. Like strawberries." Cana sniffed the strand of hair. "You know you remind me of a strawberry. Small, sweet, delicious." Cana licked her lips, staring straight into Lucy's eyes, whose face was currently resembling a strawberry.

*crash*

The beer bottle in Laxus's hand shattered again because he gripped it too hard. His jaw was rigid as he cleaned his hand again. Cana, flirting with Lucy, was really getting to him. She was his girlfriend, for god's sake.

"Laxus, stop breaking the beers and making a mess. You're wasting the product." Mira scolded Laxus with her hands on her hips.

"Sorry. Won't do it again." He grumbled. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take? Then his saving grace arrived.

Lucy's phone alarm rang. She looked at her phone and shut off the alarm. "Sorry Cana. But I have to get to the bookstore. They're bringing this new book I've wanted to read and I need to get my hands on it before it sells out again." Lucy looked apologetic. This new novel came out and the day it first came out, it quickly sold out. Luckily the bookstore owner was a good friend of her and Levy's and informed her of the restock time and date which was today.

"Laxus, where are you going?" Mira called out when she saw Laxus get up from his seat after Lucy gathered her things to get ready to leave. Were he and Lucy in a secret relationship and bookstore is their code word?

"I have to change my pants." Laxus gestured to his tan slacks, where there were some drops of beer. It was dangerously close to the crotch area. "I don't want people to think I pissed my pants." This was half-true. He also wanted to go to the bookstore with Lucy. It was one of the few places they can hang together without encountering someone familiar since everyone with the exception of Levy and Freed avoided the bookstore or library like the plague. He was familiar with how often Freed went there and she was familiar with how often Levy went there.

Lucy gathered her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "See you soon Mira, Cana… Laxus." Lucy bid each of them goodbye and was heading towards the door.

"See you soon gorgeous." Replied Cana, smacking Lucy's butt when she faced the other direction, letting out an eep. Cana bit the side of her mouth to keep herself from laughing when she saw a tic form on Laxus's forehead. Lucy scurried away, with Laxus following not long after.

Cana headed back to the table where all the guy's jaws were wide open. Bickslow and Loke had blood trickling down their noses with pervy grins on their faces.

Bickslow whistled appreciatively as he reached to get a tissue and wipe his nose. "That was quite the show you put there." It was every man's dream to see two beautiful women touching and groping each other. Although in this case it was one-sided.

"Are you insane," growled Natsu. "Flirting with Lucy in front of Laxus is suicide."

"I know. But out of all of you I'm the least likely to get killed." Cana took Loke's beer, ignoring his cry of protest, opening the bottle with her teeth, and spitting the cap out as she proceeded to drink from it. "Loke and Bickslow would have been electrocuted. Juvia would have drowned all of us if Gray flirted with Lucy. And you Natsu, they would have immediately been suspicious if it was you."

"Bicks! Send one of your babies after them. We need to see if they are really going to the bookstore," says Gray.

"No problem." Bickslow made sure one of his babies was following Laxus and Lucy from a distance, so none of them detected it. It seems they were actually going to the bookstore, to Bickslow's surprise. Laxus rarely went there unless Freed needed something for research and would ask someone to get it for him if he couldn't. Laxus was whipped.

Speaking of Freed, Bickslow had an idea. He took out his phone and scrolled down his contacts. Finding a familiar name, he typed out a message and pressed send.

Seeing the glee on Bickslow's face, someone had to ask what was making him so happy. "What did you do," asked Gray.

"I might have told Freed that his precious Laxus-sama may not be feeling well. I was on my way to the guild where I spotted him in the bookstore," explained Bickslow, batting his eyelashes innocently. "Willingly going to a bookstore without being asked is so uncharacteristically of Laxus."

"Bwahaha I can't believe you did that." Loke wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I wonder how they are going to explain their way out of this."

At the bookstore

Lucy finished purchasing the books at the bookstore with Laxus next to her. She was so happy. She was able to get all the books she wanted to read. She couldn't wait to go home and read them. Lucy clutched the bag with a smile.

Laxus looked at her fondly. He wasn't one for reading much but enjoyed Lucy talking about her favorite stories. The look she would get after passionately explaining the plot and her predictions was so cute. "What did you get this time?"

Lucy showed the first book in her hand. "I originally came for this." The cover read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. "I heard great things about it. It's a crime and a thriller. I purposely avoided all the reviews so nothing gets spoiled." She showed the rest of her books. "The others are dystopias and crime novels." She was really getting into those types of books. There was something just fascinating about reading possible futures of society and what ifs.

"Dragon tattoo?" That got Laxus's interest piqued.

"I'm not sure if this is related to the novel, but I heard that dragon tattoos symbolize strength and wisdom," explained Lucy, giving the novel to Laxus so he can get a closer look at the book. "There're other meanings as well such as having control over oneself."

"Well, it seems to me you're describing me," said Laxus with a cocky smirk. He used the bag as a shield to defend himself against the smack on his shoulder. He was about to grab Lucy's hand when a familiar face stopped him in his tracks.

"Laxus-sama," said Freed in shock when he saw Lucy and Laxus walking together. What was even more shocking was the bag of books from one of his favorite bookstores in Laxus's hand. Bickslow was right! Something wasn't right. "Miss Lucy," he greeted Lucy. "What are you doing together, coming from the bookstore?"

"Um uh, well you see." Laxus tried to come up with an excuse as to why he and Lucy were currently together. Unfortunately, his brain shut down and the section of his brain where he had excuses stored in was currently empty. Luckily, his beautiful, smart girlfriend came to the rescue.

Lucy let out a dramatic sigh and shook her head. "Oh Freed! You ruined the surprise!"

"Surprise," said Laxus confusedly. "What surprise- oomph?" Laxus scrambled to lie when Lucy jabbed her elbow into his side. "That's right! Freed you ruined the surprise."

Freed narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the two blondes. "What surprise are you talking about?"

Lucy explained herself. "Laxus told me your birthday is coming soon, and he wanted to get you a present. He wasn't sure what books to get you so he asked for my help as an avid book reader." She gave herself a mental pat on the back for coming up with this excuse and remembering Freed's birthday was this month. "See." Lucy grabbed the bag from Laxus and showed Freed the books.

Freed got teary-eyed when he saw the books in the bag. "Laxus-sama," he cried dramatically. "How did you know I wanted to read this novel?" He lifted The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. "And the others look great as well." He stared at Laxus with sparkling eyes. "Oh, I can't thank you enough." Freed hugged Laxus as tight as he could.

Laxus awkwardly patted Freed on the back as he sobbed uncontrollably. "You know I value our friendship. Anything for my best friend."

"I shall treasure this for the rest of my life," declared Freed. He tried to grab the bag from a hesitant Lucy, not willing to let go of the book she wanted to read. After some force, he managed to get them. "I'm sorry for ruining the surprise but I want to get a head start on these." Freed hummed happily away with a skip in his step.

"My books," muttered Lucy sadly as she watched Freed walk away with her purchase. At least their secret was safe, but at a cost. She let out a sigh. She might as well wait for the next restock date.

Laxus, seeing that his girlfriend was upset, wanted to do something to cheer her up. He told Lucy to wait one second and headed back into the bookstore. After a few minutes, he came back with a bag in his hands. "I know it's not everything you wanted." Laxus shyly rubbed the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink. He was cut off when Lucy pressed her lips against his.

"I love it." Lucy grabbed Laxus's hand and guided him towards her apartment. He was able to get the majority of what she wanted to read. "I think someone deserves a reward, don't you think?" Lucy gave him a flirtatious wink. Laxus always said he wasn't romantic, but when he did, things like this made her think otherwise. To her it meant he listened to her, and he cared. He had his own way of showing he cared for her, and that was enough for her.

"I definitely deserve a reward," said Laxus with the biggest pervy grin on his face. "I should do this more often. Buy you books in exchange for sex." Suddenly Laxus had an idea and voiced it out loud. "If you want, I'm up for reenacting scenes from your favorite novels." Laxus wiggled his eyebrows playfully. They had yet to try out role-playing in the bedroom, but he was up for it if she was.

"Why do I feel like you have something specific in mind," replied Lucy playfully. She trailed her fingers up and down his chest. She once caught Laxus reading one of her smut romance novels. He got really into it and read the rest of the series.

"You know me so well, babe. So are you up for it?" If Lucy didn't want to do it, he'd drop the subject. He wasn't about to pressure her into something she was comfortable with.

"Maybe for next time," hummed Lucy, unlocking her door, setting her things to the side. "Right now, there's something else I'm up for." Lucy grabbed the collar of Laxus's shirt and pulled him close to her. They both leaned in for a kiss when someone's phone rang, groaning in frustration at the interruption.

"I think it's mine." Lucy pulled her phone from her pocket and answered the call. "Hey Gray, what's up? A mission right now?" Lucy raised her brow and looked at Laxus. "Erza wants the whole team?" Lucy was about to refuse when Laxus mouthed the words, It's okay. You can go. "Let me get my things and I'll meet you at the train station in 10 minutes. Bye."

Lucy ended the call and let out a sigh. She gave Laxus an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about that. I got to go and…" Lucy was cut off when Laxus pressed his lips against hers.

Laxus gently caressed her cheeks as he stared into her eyes. He heard the whole conversation. "It's fine. Go and kick some ass. I'll be here. Waiting for you."

Lucy smiled. "You better. Or else I'm going to find you and drag your ass back here with my whip." She wouldn't actually do that because Laxus gets unexpected calls for S-Class jobs and emergencies.

"Hmm. Is that a threat?" He brought Lucy closer to him, caressing her hips. He wouldn't mind her tying him up with her whip. It's not like she hasn't before.

Lucy hummed before she answered. "Depends."

"On what?"

"If you've been a bad boy."

Two Weeks Later

Lucy let out a tired sigh when she entered her apartment. She locked the door behind her and threw her things on the couch. Usually she was meticulous, making sure all her things were in their respective places, but she was tired today and couldn't care less. She even skipped her bath, just stripping down to her underwear, throwing herself on her bed. She was exhausted. 5 back-to-back missions really tuckered her out, and she wasn't able to see Laxus for 2 weeks for no more than 5 minutes.

Every time she and her team came back from a mission, Laxus headed out for a mission either by himself or with his team. Then, the opposite happened. Him returning and her leaving. The most they said to each other in person was hello and goodbye. Thank Mavis for phones, but hearing his voice wasn't enough. She wanted to see him.

Lucy fluffed her pillow and laid her head on it. She was about to close her eyes when she heard a clatter in her room. That got her alert. It better not be another member of the team demanding to go on another mission. She needed a break and some well-needed rest. She raised her head and was about to yell at the intruder when she noticed it was.

"Laxus!" Lucy could barely contain her excitement at the sight of her boyfriend. She hopped out of bed and ran into his open arms, embracing him. When she finally finished hugging him, she noticed he was in his pajamas. "What are you doing here?" She remembered telling him she was arriving tomorrow, but they finished early, so she arrived in the evening instead.

At Lucy's question, Laxus's cheeks flushed red. He looked away from her in embarrassment, staring at her wallpaper. When she repeated his name again, Laxus confessed the truth. "Actually, I've been sleeping here the past few days." He missed seeing her, so he decided to sleep in her apartment because her scent was all over, helping him sleep. "Your bed's comfortable," he lied lamely, his cheeks turning redder.

Lucy let out a chuckle at Laxus's clear lie. "Whatever you say," she gave him a peck and snuggled further into his chest.

"What do you think of a late-night picnic," asked Laxus abruptly. He looked down at Lucy. "We don't need much. Just some drinks, food and a blanket." He wasn't sure when he was going to get called for another mission, so he wanted to take this opportunity and spend some time with his girl. Laxus suddenly remembered his girlfriend was currently half-naked and about to go to bed. "Unless you just want to sleep."

Lucy shook her head. "That sounds great, let me put something on." She grabbed a sweatshirt and sweatpants from her draw, putting them on with her fuzzy slippers, heading out with Laxus.

"You're like a sharpie. Super fine," stated Laxus in a serious tone as he matched Lucy's intense gaze. They were sitting under a tree in South Park, with Laxus's coat wrapped around them, drinking wine.

After a few seconds of staring, Lucy couldn't hold it any longer. "Pfft. Hahaha," she snorted, trying to keep a straight face and stop her unladylike snort. The sound of it always embarrassed her.

"You laughed," Laxus pointed out with a grin. He liked Lucy's snort. He thought it was cute. He grabbed the wine bottle next to them and handed it to Lucy. "Now you have to drink."

After a midnight snack, they decided to play a drinking game. Each person had to say a corny pick up line. Whoever laughed had to drink from the wine bottle Virgo brought from the Celestial Spirit World. It was stronger than Earth wine. Currently, Laxus was in the lead with one point.

Lucy grabbed the bottle from Laxus' hand and took a swig. "Guess it's my turn."

"Why don't you use that writer's brain of yours and come up with something on the spot," suggested Laxus. He was curious about her work, but she rarely showed it, insisting that he wait until she finished and Levy finished reading it first. "Maybe something like how awesome and handsome I am." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Okay. Give me a minute." Lucy placed her finger under her chin and thought about what to say. She contemplated a bit more before opening her mouth. "Your eyes, blue like the summer lips fit so perfectly against mine. Your hair, gold like the rising sun. I can't stop craving you, no matter how far I run." Lucy leaned in and whispered against Laxus' lips as she caressed his cheek.

"Oh, wow." Laxus in awe. He never knew Lucy thought of him like this. He was deeply flattered. His heart actually skipped a beat at those words.

Lucy gave him a playful and leaned back. "Did you fall for me all over again?" It wasn't her best work, but she was surprised she came up with something during her drunken state.

"Definitely." Laxus nodded in a slight daze. "Why don't you let me read your work? And don't give me the excuse that you're waiting to finish it. You let Levy read some of your chapters." Sure, he wasn't a bookworm like Freed or Levy, but he was still interested in Lucy's work. He wanted to show his support for her career.

"Laxus. I love you and all, but I'm aware of your aversion to books. It's sweet you want to support me and that's great. I just don't want to force you to do something for my sake." Lucy lifted the bottle to take another sip when she froze. She tended to forget she was an honest drunk. She just realized what she just said and prayed Laxus didn't catch it.

"What was that you said?" Laxus was pretty sure Lucy said she loves him.

"Nothing," muttered Lucy, looking away and placing everything back in the picnic basket. She avoided Laxus's question.

"No, you said something at the beginning," demanded Laxus, not satisfied with that answer. He wanted confirmation of what he just heard. He wanted to know if it was true.

"Your aversion to books?" Lucy laughed nervously. She just screwed everything up by saying I Love You. Laxus was probably going to break up with her. In the beginning of their relationship, he wasn't interested in I Love Yous.

Laxus shook his head no. "Before that?" His heart fluttered when she said she loved him. He wanted to hear it again and hoped it wasn't a joke.

"Forget about it, Laxus. I'm drunk." Lucy tried to get up, but Laxus pulled her back down into his lap.

"You said you love me," he stated, looking at Lucy with adoration. "Do you love me," he inquired, gazing into her eyes with a hopeful look.

Maybe it was the look in his eyes that compelled her to say it or the fact her drunken self that gave her confidence, Lucy repeated what she said before. "I love you, Laxus," she said softly, looking at the grass. "I had for a while."

Laxus gently tilted Lucy's chin. He runs his thumbs over her temples and then strokes the shells of her ears.

Lucy stays quiet, savoring the attention. Her blush spreads to her neck as he cups her cheeks in his hands. Finally, he leans in and kisses her.

Just as Lucy was about to respond to the kiss, Laxus breaks the kiss and kisses her knuckles. "I love you too, Lucy," he stated, peering into her brown eyes.

Suddenly, Laxus flips their position, Laxus on his back with Lucy on top, straddling his lap. He ran his hands up and down the curve of her spine until he placed them firmly on her ass, giving it a squeeze.

"Laxus, what are you doing?" Lucy tried not to moan at Laxus's ministrations.

"Showing how much I love you," stated Laxus with a wolfish grin without an ounce of shame, continuing to massage her ass.

"In a public park where we can easily get caught and arrested for indecent exposure." Lucy raised a brow as she glanced down at Laxus. "I'd rather not get lumped with Gray in that category." Gray was fined too many times for indecent exposure because of his stripping habits. She wasn't about to have that on her record.

"We've had sex in public places before." Laxus retorted back. They've done it at the guild plenty of times, the library, hot springs, forest, and even at the council headquarters. The last location was his favorite.

"Which is why we should break that habit," countered Lucy. "Besides… " Lucy's tone turned playful as she placed kisses on his neck. "... the thing I want us to do requires us to be inside." She batted her eyelashes innocently as she rubbed her hands up and down his chest. "Oh no, sir. It seems you are quite injured," said Lucy in a French accent. She knew how much he liked it. Out of all the languages she spoke, French, Russian, and Arabic really seemed to get Laxus off, especially the accents. "As a nurse, I must give you a thorough physical exam," she said, continuing the act. "Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere," replied Laxus, playing along. He decided to break character for one second to say something on his mind. "It's going to be 6 months of us being together. I want to take you out to that new restaurant. We both deserve a little treat, don't you think?"

Laxus had a point. These back-to-back missions really tuckered them out. Why not treat themselves to a night out? "I did buy a new dress the other day. Ever since I bought it, it's been begging me to wear it," teased Lucy with a wink. "This is just the occasion to take it out for a spin."

"Color?"

"Blue."

"Like my eyes." Laxus wiggled his eyebrows playfully at Lucy. "What a coincidence."

"It was on sale," lied Lucy lamely, avoiding Laxus's shit-eating grin. It was a half truth. It was on sale, but it did remind her of Laxus's eyes. "Look at you asking for the color of my dress." She playfully nudged his shoulder with her elbow. "Are you trying to coordinate with my outfit?" This was a first. Laxus, even when he dressed up for dates, would wear black, wearing his typical dress shirts and slacks.

Laxus shrugged his shoulders. "Thought it was time for me to elevate my fashion game. Can't let you upstage me every time we go out in public."

"Laxus Dreyar, fashionista." Lucy giggled at the thought. "Has a nice ring to it."

"Not everyone is as amazing and talented as I am," bragged Laxus. "So is next Friday at 10 good for you?" It would be after a mission for him but he can make it in time using his lightning teleportation and get dressed quickly.

Lucy mentally checked to see if she had anything for that day. She was free and Team Natsu isn't scheduled for any missions. Unless it was an emergency, she was going to decline any future invitations. "I can do Friday. At Jouir's correct?" She assumed that was the name of the new restaurant Laxus was talking about.

"Yep. See you there."

Next Friday

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit, thought Laxus as he rushed towards the restaurant he was meeting Lucy at. The mission ran later than he thought, finishing at 9:30. Without warning, he left his team and teleported home where he took the quickest shower and dressed the quickest in his entire life. It was currently 9:59, and he hoped to make it before 10. Laxus told Lucy he might run late so she agreed to meet him there at the table.

After entering the restaurant after telling the host his reservation name, Laxus scanned the room to look for Lucy. She waved at him from a distance at a velvet booth in a corner. Good. They could have their privacy.

"Wow," said Laxus in awe as he took in Lucy's appearance when she stood up to greet him. She really went all out.

Lucy's hair was in a side part, with long curls falling to the side. Her dress was in the color sky blue. Mermaid style with a v neck in the front and a low back. The dress shimmered under the light every time she moved. She looked like a live jewel, something his dragon side greatly enjoyed. His favorite was the red lipstick she was wearing. There was just something about a woman wearing red lipstick, the way it enhanced a woman's natural beauty into something sexy. He couldn't wait to mess it up.

"Not bad," complimented Lucy, as she took in Laxus's appearance. For once, he didn't wear black and opted for a navy blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath. Of course, it wouldn't be Laxus if he didn't leave a few buttons open at the top, exposing that wonderful chest he had. "I took the liberty of ordering for us." Lucy sat back down and gave Laxus the dessert menu. "If you don't mind." She hoped Laxus didn't get upset at that. The waiters mostly spoke French and it would have ended up her ordering for them.

"No! It's fine!" Laxus snapped out of his daydream. Gosh, Lucy looked so beautiful today and he couldn't stop looking at her. "I mean, we don't want a repeat of the last time when I tried to order off a menu, and I didn't understand anything."

"Don't worry. I ordered your favorite. Meat." Lucy giggled as she recalled that incident. It was when they decided to go on an official first date. Laxus took her to a French restaurant. Like most traditional French restaurants, everything on the menu was in French. Laxus didn't want to admit he couldn't understand the menu, so he pointed to one page and asked for everything on it like he usually did. Unfortunately, he ordered the seafood section and forced himself to finish everything because Laxus didn't want to admit he made a blunder in front of the girl he wanted to impress. Laxus ended up getting food poisoning from it and was sick for a week. The one good thing that came out of that was his girl nursing him back to health.

The blonde duo was browsing through the dessert section when the Maitre D came up to them. "Monsieur, Mademoiselle. I hope that you are enjoying your evening. Before your meal arrives, may I interest you in something special we are doing this evening?"

Lucy glanced up from her menu to look at the flier the Maitre D was holding up. "Oh! That sounds interesting!" Lucy turned to glance at Laxus, who was reading the flier as well. "It says we can try wine from the year we were born. What do you say? Should we try it?" It would be interesting to taste wines from their birth years. There was the saying that wine tastes better with age.

Laxus nodded, and Maitre D smiled. "Monsieur, please follow me to the wine cellar and you can look at wines from your birth years." He turned to Lucy. "Mademoiselle, we will only be a moment." The wine cellar was a bit cool for the lady.

Laxus followed the Maitre D to the wine cellar. He looked in awe at the stacks of bottles of wine on the wine rack. He heard the Maitre D ask. "What years were you and the Mademoiselle born?"

"I was born in x761 and Lucy was born in x767." Now that Laxus said it out loud, he was technically 30 years old, according to the time skip. Sometimes, he still couldn't believe 7 years just passed by like that. Just the one year when the guild disbanded felt so long for him and everyone changed, especially Lucy. He almost didn't recognize her. She looked more confident and more sure of herself. He couldn't help but be proud of her accomplishments. Lucy told him stories of how she used that one year to train and improve her magic. Sometimes Laxus couldn't help but wonder how much her team was holding Lucy back. He knew Lucy told him she started learning magic at a later age and her father didn't allow her to practice much. Seeing how much she grew impressed him.

Laxus was brought out of his thoughts when another person entered the wine cellar. He was surprised to see Elfman wearing a white tuxedo. If Elfman was here, that meant that Evergreen was here. Dammit. Evergreen can't keep her mouth shut. At least Elfman caught him alone so they can easily part ways with no problem. "I'm guessing you're here with Ever." Elfman was a good man and Laxus trusted him to take good care of his friend.

"Yeah," nodded Elfman. He was surprised to see Laxus here. Ever would have told him something, especially because they took great care into making sure no one from the guild knew they were coming here. He must be on a date with someone. Well, at least it was Laxus who caught him alone. Laxus knew how to stay silent and not bother anyone. "You're doing the wine promotion as well?" The Maitre D approached his table as well and Elfman wanted to try as well.

"Yeah. Thought it would be interesting. I'm told the older the wine, the better the taste. It'd be interesting to taste the difference between two years." Laxus was happy to see the Maitre D back carrying two bottles from x761 and x767. "Well, it was nice to see you. Gotta get back to my girl."

"Likewise, man," replied Elfman, gathering his bottles and heading back to his table to his date. He whistled happily when he sat down. He was really looking forward to the wines. The Maitre D chose cherry and orange. Both are known to be acidic, so he was curious about the taste.

"You seem to be in a good mood," stated Evergreen, taking a sip from the cherry wine Elfman had just poured. "Oh my! This is delicious," she said in elation, her eyes lighting up. She expected it to be sour, but it was quite pleasant, a perfect balance of sugar and spice.

Elfman chuckled at Evergreen's child-like smile. "It's manly to make your girlfriend happy. By the way, I didn't know Laxus had a girlfriend." He was surprised Evergreen didn't mention it to him. She told him of his older sister's relationship with Freed. Evergreen caught them kissing at a restaurant. So far, they didn't know that he and Evergreen knew before they revealed the news to everyone at the guild. It was good timing too, because they weren't sure how long they could keep the secret.

Evergreen was in the middle of cutting her steak when she paused in her task at the statement Elfman just made. Alcohol made Elfman's lip loose. "What makes you think Laxus has a girlfriend?" Laxus didn't have girlfriends and even if he did, either she or Freed would have known about it.

Elfman shrugged his shoulders, taking a bite of his rib. "I encountered Laxus in the wine cellar and he mentioned being on a date with his I quote, girl." Elfman used air quotes to emphasize his point.

Evergreen's eyes went wide at that revelation. This must be serious. She must know who it is. "Did you see which direction Laxus went," demanded Evergreen with fire in her eyes. They were sitting at the upper level near the railing, so they had a perfect view of the patrons downstairs.

Evergreen scanned the room until she spotted a familiar sight of spikey blonde hair. She tried not to squeal excitedly or else Laxus would notice her position. Dammit! I can't see her! Evergreen cursed when she couldn't discern the identity of Laxus's girlfriend. They were sitting in a U-shaped booth so Evergreen could see the side of Laxus's face but only the back of his date's head, which was blonde as well. Evergreen continued to observe the two.

"U-um, Ever. Maybe you should drop it. When Laxus is comfortable, you will be the first person he will tell." Elfman was gazing at the two blondes as well. It felt like they were invading their privacy because Laxus was whispering into the blonde woman's ear, caressing her hand, and would sometimes kiss her neck, a tiny love-struck smile on his face whenever the waiter wasn't around. He never saw Laxus like this and it felt wrong watching everything behind his back. Putting his guard down in front of a woman he clearly cared about.

"I just want to make sure this woman isn't playing with Laxus's heart, okay," Evergreen defended her actions. "You might find this to be a surprise, but Laxus can be quite sensitive at times. He believes in going all out for the girl he cares about. Which is why we must find out who she is and what her intentions are." Laxus was hurt badly by a girl in his teen years and Evergreen always regretted not noticing her two-faced ways, intervening in the relationship before Laxus grew too attached. It was partly why Laxus always mentioned his intentions when pursuing someone, that he didn't want anything serious. Probably to avoid getting hurt again, but she is seeing Laxus break that vow as he laughed at something the blonde woman must have said, scooting closer to her, whispering something that caused him to laugh again. Gosh, she wished she could hear the conversation.

With Laxus and Lucy

"I can't tell what's more ravishing. You or this dessert in front of me." Laxus let out a wolfish grin and laughed when he saw Lucy's cheeks flushed red.

"And you say you can't be romantic." Lucy fanned herself when Laxus made that statement. Guess the room was getting too hot. Who was she kidding? This hunk of a man always made her hot. He knew the right things to say to make her feel good or laugh.

"I'm only romantic when it comes to food innuendos," joked Laxus, scooting closer to Lucy. He lowered his voice, making it huskier. "And based on what I've observed, I've come to a conclusion. I know what I want for dessert."

Lucy almost forgot to breathe when Laxus used his ultra deep sexy voice on her. It always turned her on and wanting to jump his bones. Damn it! Laxus was attractive, and he knew it. "And what is that," she replied, staring back into his stormy blue eyes, playing along.

"I want to eat you," declared Laxus, looking at Lucy with a smoldering gaze. He tried to control himself but seeing Lucy in this outfit, letting out moans of satisfaction at her food, he lost all reason. There was a hotel right next to this restaurant. He got a room key just in case.

Lucy visibly shuddered. She couldn't wait to leave the restaurant. Lucy raised her hand in the air to call a waiter. When he arrived, she tried to maintain her composure. "Check, please," she squeaked with wide eyes and red cheeks.

Back to Evergreen and Elfman

"Oh my God," shrieked Evergreen, promptly clamping her hand on her mouth and looking around to make sure no one heard or was staring at her. "Elfman! I know who it is," she whispered harshly, beckoning him closer so Laxus wouldn't overhear. "It's someone from the guild!" She noticed the pink guild mark on their hand when they raised their hand in the air to beckon the waiter towards their table.

"What?!" Elfman was shocked, to say the least. He peeked over the edge and saw the pink guild mark as well. "Oh, man!" There was only one person in their guild with blonde hair and a pink guild mark on their hand. "It's Lucy!"

"OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD!" Evergreen tried very hard not to squeal or freak out. Too late for that. She couldn't believe it. Laxus was going out with Lucy. Lucy was Laxus's girlfriend. Holy shit.

"Ever. Calm down and take deep breaths." Elfman put a comforting hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and helped her control her breathing before she hyperventilated or passed out in shock. Seeing that she was calm and quiet, Elfman continued. "I never would have guessed those two were going out together." They barely interact with each other at the guild.

"Actually, now that I have time to think about it, it makes sense." Seeing the perplexed look on Elfman's face, Evergreen continued. "He did try to make Lucy his woman during the Fantasia incident, so there was interest in the beginning. Gosh. I didn't think he'd actually pursue it." Evergreen always suspected that the blonde celestial mage caught Laxus's eye since the day she joined the guild and he tried to make her his woman. After coming back from his exile and banishment, she thought Laxus moved on from his crush since he didn't show that he still liked her or was embarrassed about pursuing her since he did something like that.

Evergreen let out another gasp and clutched Elfman's arm in a vice-like grip. "Now it all makes sense! Ohhhh, Laxus, I didn't know you were that serious."

Elfman was confused as he saw Evergreen daydreaming and muttering nonsense to herself. "What makes sense?"

"I saw Laxus in a jewelry store last time. I didn't think anything of it at first because Laxus replaces watches on a constant basis. The metal can't withstand the force of his magic so he continuously searches for new material that can handle his lightning." Evergreen took a sip of her wine and continued. "However, this time he was in the jewelry department, specifically rings." She emphasized that last part while still trying to contain her squeal.

Elfman's eyes went wide. "You don't think…"

"I think he might propose," Evergreen finished for Elfman. She swayed back and forth in her seat with happiness. "Finally. Another girl on the team. But, you don't think he might propose without telling us first, would he?" The Thunder Legion were Laxus's closest friends. She was surprised that Laxus did not say anything about being in a serious relationship. At least if Laxus did not tell Freed, he would tell her or Bickslow. Her feelings were a bit hurt, but she understood at the same time. Evergreen was hesitant to tell people about her relationship with Elfman because of people judging and due to wanting some time alone.

"I don't know. Laxus can be unpredictable sometimes." Elfman wished he could give a precise answer to Evergreen. "Maybe keep it to yourself for now and find a moment where Laxus can share the news with you. Make the atmosphere comfortable. He's probably afraid of how you guys will react."

Evergreen will forgive Laxus for now and keep his secret, but she isn't sure how long she can stay quiet to Freed and Bickslow. Sooner or later, they will know something is up. But for now she will enjoy dinner with her boyfriend.

The Next Day with Laxus and Lucy

The light shined through the window of the hotel room. Laxus and Lucy were laying on the bed after taking a shower. Laxus's head lying on Lucy's bosom while she lazily combed Laxus's hair with her fingers. He would let out purrs of content as Lucy hummed a song. Lucy was wearing one of Laxus's dress shirts while Laxus was only in his sleep pants, lying shirtless.

"Haaa. I wouldn't mind waking up to this every day," thought Laxus as he shifted his head to glance up at Lucy, who gave him a lazy smile. Yep. Definitely can get used to this. Maybe I should make this permanent.

"Lucy."

"Yeah."

"You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too, Laxus."

"Lucy," repeated Laxus, snuggling further into her bosom, turning his head away to hide his embarrassment from what he was about to ask. He murmured something under his breath, but Lucy couldn't hear it.

"Can you repeat that?"

"Marry me," he murmured once more, burying himself further into Lucy's chest and wrapping his arms tighter around her waist. He was thinking about it for weeks and it felt right. Those days apart from each other and his near-death experiences made him have an epiphany. He loved Lucy, and she loved him. People might say it too soon, but Laxus never felt like this with anyone except Lucy and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Waking up together, eating together, laughing together, etc. He couldn't care less what the guild would say. He loved her.

"Laxus," gasped Lucy softly, lifting Laxus's head so she could look at him. She could feel her eyes water, overwhelmed with emotion. Lucy gently caressed Laxus's cheek with her hand. "Do you really mean it?"

"Of course I mean it." Laxus sat up and grabbed the hand Lucy was caressing his face with, placing it on his chest. The spot right above his heart. "I've never been so serious about anything in my life." Laxus gestured to the room and to themselves. "This feels right. Waking up next to you, lazing around. These tiny little moments mean so much to me. I want to continue to do that. Together." He interlocked his fingers with hers, bringing them to his lips and pressing a kiss against her ring finger. "Besides…," murmured Laxus in a serious tone as he gazed longingly into Lucy's eyes. "...you're always complaining about the closet space in your apartment." His eyes shined with amusement when Lucy giggled and he continued. "My closet has enough space for the both of us."

Laxus leaned over to grab something from his pants pocket. The object in his pocket was the reason why he was running late. He received a call on his lacrima cell that his custom order was ready. It was one of his favorite jewelry stores that was able to customize watches that could withstand his magic. When he found out that they customize rings, Laxus took the chance and asked one for Lucy. He just wasn't expecting to ask her so soon.

"Hmmm. That is quite the offer," hummed Lucy, amusement in her voice, her heart spiking when she saw Laxus pull the box out of his pocket and open it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. She was surprised that she didn't burst into tears at this moment. "Yes," she nodded, continuing the joke, choking back a sob when Laxus placed the ring on her ring finger. "I'll do it for the closet space."

Lucy holds her hand up toward the ceiling, gazing at her new engagement ring. She was staring at it with tears in her eyes, as if it was the most precious thing in the universe. "Jokes aside. I would love to be your wife," Lucy sniffed slightly overcome with emotion. If only her parents were alive to meet Laxus and see her walk down the aisle. She looked back at Laxus who was staring at her with adoration in his eyes. She looked so beautiful to him at that moment. This moment was perfect.

Laxus pressed his lips against Lucy's, giving her a soft, chaste kiss as they both sat up, gazing at the engagement ring on Lucy's finger.

"I wonder how your grandfather will react to us getting engaged," murmured Lucy as she snuggled into Laxus's side. He was always so warm and comfortable. "He almost had a stroke when he found out we were dating." Other than her spirits and Levy (she couldn't keep it from Levy, her reasonable minded best friend who understood Lucy's feelings) Master Makarov was the only other person who knew of their relationship.

"Just to be safe, let's have a medic on standby." Laxus couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he recalled the day he introduced Lucy to his Gramps as his girlfriend. He knew his grandfather suspected he was in a relationship with someone but he never would have thought he was going out with Lucy. "Gramps might have looked like he was having a stroke but he thought I was holding you hostage. He told you to blink twice if you were here against your will after laughing for 10 minutes! He really thought we were joking. But this time it's real and I think his heart will really stop."

"Laxus!"

"Out of happiness!" Laxus countered, raising his hands to duck the playful smack from Lucy. "But in all seriousness, Lucy, Gramps will be very happy and will be VERY involved in the wedding planning. I am his one and only grandson, after all. And he's getting a cute blonde like you as his daughter-in-law. We deserve to go all out."

"As long as you don't become a groomzilla. We BOTH know you tend to get a big ego sometimes and things have to be particular." Lucy crossed her arms and raised her right brow as she gave him a pointed look.

"If I'm going to spend a lot of money on the wedding of the century; yes babe the century, I expect the best and Gramps will agree with me on this."

"Hey! It's two against one here."

"Guess you better start choosing your maid of honor and bridesmaids."

"I can already think of a few. You're going to have to do the same, Laxus. When should we break the news to your grandfather and the guild?"

"Gramps first. Let's tell him on his birthday next week. I can't think of a better surprise."

Same Day With Bickslow and Evergreen

"I have something to tell you," blurted out Evergreen and Bickslow simultaneously when they met up for a coffee. It's been a while since the two of them were able to sit down and have a chat about anything. They would always confide in one another and share guild gossip.

"You go first."

"No, you."

"Please. I insist. Ladies first."

"It's about Laxus."

"My thing is also about Bossman!"

Evergreen let out a gasp. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The chances that the both of them were able to find out Laxus's secret.

"I think so." Bickslow nodded in response. "So you know," said Bickslow in a vague voice. He didn't want to give away too much in case Evergreen was talking about something else. Either way, tea from Evergreen was always juicy. Tea from women in general was juicy, and he was shameless enough to admit it.

"Of course I know," spluttered Evergreen. She was being stubborn as well and did not want to play all her cards at once. "I just want to know if you know what I know!"

"Of course I know what you know! I just wanted to know if you know what I know!"

"Ughhhh!" Evergreen wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. They were not getting anywhere. "Look Bicks. At the count of 3 both of us are going to say what we know about Laxus okay? One, two, three."

"Laxus and Cosplayer are screwing like bunnies!"

"I think Laxus is going to propose to Lucy!"

"What?!" Bickslow screeched, slamming his hands on the table in astonishment. All he knew about the blondes was that they were going out. Nothing about marriage! "He's going to propose?! I thought they were only dating!"

"You knew!" Evergreen pointed an accusing finger at Bickslow. "I can't believe you! Did our friendship mean nothing to you? How could you not tell me about this?"

"I was going to tell you when I had the chance. I never got the time! We were too busy messing with Bossman and ruining sexy time." Uh oh. Bickslow didn't think it was possible for Evergreen to turn any redder. Well, she did.

"We?! We?! Who else knows?" Evergreen was feeling very betrayed at this moment. How could he not include her in the scheming?

"Natsu, Gray, Loke, and Cana. But forget about that. How could you not tell me?!" Bickslow turned the tables on Evergreen. "I just recently found out. You must have known the whole time if he's thinking of proposing?"

"I just found out the other day too!" Evergreen stood her ground and raised her chin. "And I said think! I saw them together in Jourir's. They were celebrating something. It certainly didn't look like a first date to me."

"Oh, ho! Jouir's! That place ain't cheap and certainly not a place someone will go on their own. Who did you go with? Elfman." Bickslow raised his eyebrows suggestively and gave Evergreen a teasing look.

"Don't change the subject," scolded Evergreen, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Bickslow another glare. "All that matters is that Laxus and Lucy are probably engaged and our leader neglected to tell us!" Evergreen was feeling very hurt and betrayed by the following revelations.

"That's why we've been messing with them." Bickslow gave her his signature mischievous grin. "We've been hoping to get one of them to explode and spill the beans to the whole guild. I guess we haven't been doing that good of a job if he's thinking of proposing." He muttered the last part under his breath.

"That's because you are thinking too basic and from the male perspective," said Evergreen in a haughty voice. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder. If anything, their feelings grew deeper." She stared at her nails without a care in the world. "You need a female touch in your plan."

"Cana is a female," stated Bickslow as a matter of fact.

"Ugh! I know that," huffed Evergreen in an exasperated tone. "What I mean to say is that you've been thinking about targeting the two of them and how they would react, from a purely physical standpoint. However, you failed to take into account the emotional and social side."

"Go on," inquired Bickslow, his curiosity piquing.

Evergreen gave Bickslow a mischievous grin. "Call the others for an emergency meeting. We'll need quite the audience for my plan."

The Next Day

"Lucy, babe, you ready for our date later," called out Cana as she slid into the seat next to Lucy at the bar. Evergreen's plan was to set the respective blonde on blind dates with another person. The plan was for someone to take Lucy out on a date because she had a harder time saying no to people when backed into a corner. Cana volunteered for the task because she knew Lucy best and how to make her crack.

"What?!" Lucy almost choked on her shake at those words. "Date?! What date?! I didn't agree to a date." She had the best morning of her life. Call her sappy, but every time she saw the ring around her neck made her feel giddy. She was afraid of losing it and until they were ready to break the news to Makarov, she was wearing it on a chain around her neck. Although she wanted to announce to the world, she was Laxus's fiance, they were already deep in trouble by keeping secrets from their loved ones. Mind you, she loved her friends, but Lucy can already imagine the reactions. That she's jumping the gun. She didn't process her near death experience properly. However, it's precisely because of her and Laxus's near-death experiences that they didn't want to waste time. Life is too short to worry about the unknown and they loved each other.

"You said you were going to show me a couple of your moves," whined Cana, placing an arm around Lucy's shoulders, hugging her close. "Don't you remember?" She glanced at Laxus's reaction from the corner of her eye and almost smiled in glee at the sight of his clenched jaw. There was no way Laxus was going to let his fiance go on a date with another person, whether it was a male or female. Cana knew Laxus was aware of her conquests and although she doubted Lucy would get seduced by her, the whole thing was going to bother him.

"Yeah, but I didn't think that concluded as a date," countered Lucy, wiping the spill she just made from her drink. "You could always join my weekly sessions with Capricorn or observe a yoga session with Plue. Just let me know in advance."

"I mean, I was kind of hoping that the two of us could hang out. Alone with no distractions. Come on, Lucy babe, don't leave me hanging." Cana looked at her with puppy eyes. "Can you see I'm trying to take you out to dinner? I'll make sure you have a great time and if things don't work out, we can still be friends."

Crash.

Mira let out an excited squeal at Cana's request. She was so excited she dropped the mug she was cleaning. "How cute! Go on, Lucy! Say yes! What's the worst that can happen? It's just a date and like Cana said if there's no romantic chemistry you can remain as friends."

Plenty of wrong can happen. Laxus and Lucy thought simultaneously. Laxus was extremely tempted to step in because it looked like Lucy was backed into a corner.

"Yeah. Cosplayer just say yes." Bickslow wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Who knows? You might discover some things you might not know about yourself."

"You know I heard same-sex couples have more compatibility in the bedroom, especially the women. Something about having a better understanding of female anatomy which translates well into the bedroom." Loke popped in from the Celestial World to give his two bits and gave ladies a playful wink.

"That's funny, Loke because I heard the exact same thing." Gray joined in the conversation and was in the process of taking off his shirt. "But I was more interested in the emotional connections they are able to form and being able to empathize about their struggles."

"Gray. Loke. Did you guys forget that I'm straight!" Lucy pointed out to the guild.

"There's nothing wrong with a little experimenting Lucy," Evergreen's voice chimed in from behind, joining the group. "I mean I'll be frank, I did dabble a bit in my teen years." After a long string of bad relationships, Evergreen did some experimentation with the same sex. Her team was already aware of this so it wasn't a shock to them.

"What?!" Elfman abruptly yelled out but quickly closed his mouth when Evergreen glared at him. Evergreen never disclosed this to him. Not that it was a big deal, but he felt it was something he could have been informed of. He wasn't going to judge her but respect the fact that she felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable and disclose sensitive information about herself.

"I'm pretty sure Gildarts will be happy with this arrangement," grinned Loke, giving a discreet wink to Gray. "He always says that no man is good for his daughter. Never said anything about a woman. He'll totally approve of this." Lucy was genuinely a nice girl. Any parent would be lucky to get to know her and know that their partner is with such a loving and kind person.

Why are they pushing this? Lucy couldn't help but think to herself. It's not like this wasn't the first time her guildmates tried to push a date on her, but something about this situation smelled fishy to her.

Aha! A lightbulb lit in Lucy's head as she continued to observe the chattering guild members. She was a people person for a reason, knowing how to read them and gauge their reactions. Sometimes her friends tend to be open books and have lousy poker facers once their tell is revealed.

Natsu was avoiding all eye contact with her and staring at the floor. Loke and Gray were failing at discreetly throwing winks at one another. Bickslow and Cana would look back and forth between her and Laxus, grinning when they would see Laxus visibly upset.

"Fine," said Lucy in a confident tone. Leaning back in her seat in a lazy manner and wrapping her arms behind her neck. "How about tomorrow? Dinner at my apartment at 6. I'll cook us something delicious, just bring the wine." She threw a playful wink at Cana, who looked gobsmacked at her reaction. Cana wanted to make her crack and spill the beans? Well, she would have to work harder than that. She would just have to confront Natsu later and find out how many people knew and were working in cahoots.

Later in the day

"Um. Lucy. Last I remembered you were my fiance and we are going to get married sometime within the year." Laxus was trying to figure out why Lucy agreed to the date with Cana. He was about to step in and announce their relationship when Lucy gave him a sharp look that said I will explain later. He ran through multiple possibilities in his mind; there weren't a lot of positive ones but that was mostly due to his insecurities. That Lucy was too good for him and finally realized that. "By the way, why are we walking to Natsu's house? You could have just talked to him at the guild."

"Because that punk couldn't keep his mouth shut," muttered Lucy darkly. "He better have a good explanation for this step up. Cana was trying to dupe up," declared Lucy loudly, stopping momentarily to turn around and let Laxus be aware of the situation. "She knows! And I think other people know!" At least they didn't have to worry about the hassle of their friend's approval but she just knows that this is a form of revenge for not telling her friends sooner and Lucy wasn't about to lose that game.

"Who are the other people?"

"We are about to find out once Natsu gets home." Lucy let out a grin as she marched into Natsu's house that he shared with Happy. "Ugh! Why can't he clean up!?"

Natsu knew something was wrong when he walked into a clean house. There was only one person in the world that he knew would clean his house because she couldn't stand messes and that was Lucy.

Dang it! I shouldn't have let Happy sleepover at Charle's and Wendy's! Natsu hesitantly opened the door of his house, the squeak echoing throughout the dark living room. If I die tonight, no one is going to know!

It was hard for him to tell if Lucy was still here because her scent was always in his house from the souvenirs he collected from their missions. It was a symbol of their friendship and he also kept tokens from his missions with his other friends. Laxus knew how to mask his scent if he happened to join Lucy for the murder of Natsu Dragneel.

Natsu let out a sigh of relief when he turned on the light when he didn't see Laxus or Lucy. The nerves were getting to him. Just when he thought he was in the clear, a familiar female voice called out.

"Welcome home, Natsu!"

The Next Day

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Laxus marveled at the binder Lucy put together to freak Cana out. It was filled with pictures of her and Cana, wedding planning, and life plans. It took her most of the night and Laxus helped glue some of it. Lucy's plan was to make Cana extremely uncomfortable during the date. Despite how flirtatious Cana may seem, she would never go as far as to actually make a move on someone in a relationship. She had morals and followed the girl code. Lucy was going to push her buttons until Cana revealed the ruse and how Bickslow, Natsu, Gray, Loke, and Evergreen found everything out. Although Lucy learned everything from her "nice" chat with Natsu, it wouldn't long before they found out that Laxus and Lucy knew of their ruse because Natsu easily crumbles under pressure.

Lucy walked out of the room and showed off her outfit to Laxus. "What do you think," she said as she did a little twirl to show the front and the back.

"Y-you look amazing," said Laxus breathlessly, admiring his girlfriend in all her glory. She looked amazing in that little black number. It must be new because he has never seen it before. He added, "Actually, you look too amazing." Cana might actually fall for Lucy at this point. Who wouldn't? "How come you never wore this for me?"

"Because if I wore this on one of our dates, we'd never leave the room," replied Lucy, as she applied her lipstick in the mirror.

"Damn right we won't." Laxus grinned wolfishly, ducking when Lucy chucked a pillow toward him.

"You'll need to find a place to hide so Cana doesn't find you." Lucy puckered her lips once she finished applying her makeup and gave herself a wink, nodding in satisfaction at her appearance. Two can play at this game, Cana. I won't be the first to break.

"If you stop seducing me every few seconds, maybe you'll realize I'm not exactly the best at hide and seek. The hell am I gonna hide." Laxus gestured to his huge frame and to Lucy's tiny apartment. The only logical place he could hide and listen to everything happening on the date was Lucy's bathroom.

Lucy walked towards her bathroom and lifted the curtain. "Go on, Mister," gestured Lucy, indicating to Laxus that she wanted him to go in. Cana was going to come any second now, and she just had to finish setting the table. She was confident in her cooking and that will ease the mood, making it easier for the deception.

Laxus let out a long sigh. "I so deserve a treat after this, babe." Once Lucy put her mind to something, all the convincing in the world couldn't stop her.

"All of this will be worth it, Laxus! I can't let them win this game. At this point, it's a matter of pride." Lucy's eyes burned with passion and a desire to win. She will not be the one to cave first. The doorbell rang. "Coming," Lucy called out, pushing Laxus into her bathroom and reminding him to stay quiet.

Lucy smoothed the bottom of her dress and fixed her top so her chest was in place. She was wearing a backless halter dress that showed off all of her curves. She walked towards the door and opened it. "Cana."

"Lucy," stately Cana as a matter of fact, holding a wine bottle and two champagne glasses in her hands. She was wearing her hair in a high bun with her bangs framing her face. Her dress was red with a draped collar and a low back with chains as the straps. If she was going to put pressure on Lucy on this date might as well look good doing it.

"Come on in," said Lucy in a sultry voice, hoping she didn't overdo it, moving to the side to allow space for Cana to come in.

"I was going to," replied Cana back in a flirtatious manner with a smirk, purposely sticking her chest out and sashaying into Lucy's apartment. The boys were standing on either side of Lucy's door, making sure they were out of Lucy's side. They wanted to witness the whole thing. The Fairy men tried not to let out a groan of disappointment when Lucy closed the door on them, obscuring their vision.

"Dinner is served. I hope you like Italian. It's my mother's recipe." Lucy gave Cana her perfect lady smile. She knew the boys were somewhere around the vicinity of her building because Laxus sniffed them out beforehand. Sucks for them that she's a step ahead of the game.

"Oh what a coincidence," said Cana in an innocent voice. "The wine I bought is also Italian. It's like we were fated to be together." Cana said the last part out loud intentionally knowing that Laxus was probably hiding somewhere in the apartment. Her best bet was the bathroom. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, please." Lucy hoped that the wine would calm her nerves.

"Pops recommended this," stated Cana as she set the glasses on the table and popped the cork. She began to pour wine for the both of them, filling it to the brim. "He was ecstatic when I said I was going on a date with you. We should be lucky. He only brings this brand out when there's a special occasion and he considered this to be one. Pops would like it if you came over sometime." Cana smirked behind her wine glass.

"Charmed." Lucy clinked her glass with Cana. "Actually, that would work out because I still need to get his blessing." She hid her smirk behind her wine glass.

*cough * Cana almost choked on her drink at Lucy's comment. "Blessings," she repeated slowly.

"Yes." Lucy went to grab something from her bookshelf. "What everyone in the guild said got me thinking. Maybe it's time for me to plan my future with you. Soooo I took the liberty of doing that for us." Lucy wished she had a camera so she could take a picture of Cana's face when she saw the scrap-book. "Our ship's name is Lucana, and I made plans for EVERYTHING. We can wear matching t-shirts so everyone knows we are a couple. I made a timeline from where we had our first date which is today. Then I will meet with your father and get his blessing. We can debate back and forth about who proposes to whom." Lucy chattered on, her imaginary smirk getting bigger and bigger with the look of dread on Cana's face. "We'll have a romantic dinner and get engaged on our 3 month anniversary and after 6 months of dating, we'll get married at Kardia Cathedral. Our love story will be for the books. And I already picked names," squealed Lucy in excitement, clasping her hands together with a dreamy look on her face.

"Names for what?" Cana felt she was going to regret the answer.

"Our children," replied Lucy. "I was thinking of having 2 kids. One boy and one girl. You can be pregnant for one and I can be pregnant for the other. Everything is explained on page 49." Lucy flipped through the pages and stopped at page 49, pointing at a specific section. "I took the liberty of finding a sperm bank that can accommodate mages. We can pick the most appropriate genes for our children. Which reminds me, we'll have to discuss roles around the house but we'll save that for another date. So what do you think? Should I show this to your father and get his input? It's only right to have my future father-in-law as part of the planning process." Lucy had an evil glint in her eye when she suggested that.

"Oh look. I think I might have lost one of my rings. It must have fallen in your hallway. Let me go and get that." Cana scurried out the door and slammed it breathing heavily. And she thought Mira's scrap-books on ships were scary. The one Lucy made was on a whole different level. If her pops saw that he would actually start planning her wedding with Lucy.

"She's talking about having kids and doing couples activities. This is too much commitment for me," said Cana in a hushed voice to the boys. "She had a binder! Our whole life was planned to the detail! That's some psycho-level stuff!" There were pages filled with collages. Cut outs of their faces pasted onto images and backgrounds.

"You need to be more psycho! Take off all your clothes! That'll freak her out," suggested Gray, in the midst of taking off his shirt. "She always freaks out when I do it."

"That's because you are an exhibitionism and a perv, you freaking stripper." Bickslow was tempted to smack Gray on the head.

"No, wait! That might work! Other people's nakedness freaks her out." Cana lit up in that situation. "I'll say let's cut to the chase and do it. Then I'll lay on her bed naked if she agrees! That'll make her crack. Thanks, guys! We can't lose this!" Cana headed back inside.

"Hey." Cana walked back into the dining room. She noticed that Lucy looked surprised to see her back. "I found my ring. You know, I thought A LOT about what you said and what was in the binder." Cana started to get closer and closer to Lucy. "Made me have an epiphany." She threw a flirtatious wink at Lucy.

"R-really," replied Lucy, audibly gulping at Cana, who was coming closer like a predator trying to catch its prey. Lucy thought that was going to work and Cana was going to run for the hills. She was actually really proud of the work she put into it even though the process of making it freaked her out. Lucy was inspired by Juvia's room in Fairy Hills. Who would have thought her obsession with Gray would have some use? "What kind of epiphany?"

"That I need to become serious and think about my future," replied Cana cooly, staring at her perfectly manicured nails. "I'm not getting any younger. Pops is not getting any younger. So let's take things to the next level. The sooner we establish ourselves in a relationship, the faster we can bring your Fairy Tail wedding dreams to life!"

"And what's your idea of taking things to the next level," asked Lucy nervously. She was afraid to hear the answer.

"Let's go to the bedroom, Lucy. I want you to rub lotion all over me," said Cana in a dramatic voice. She reached out to grab Lucy's hand to guide her to Lucy's bed when Lucy jumped away.

"Let me go get some lotion from the bathroom. I'll be right back." Lucy's cheeks flushed red as she marched to the bathroom to consult with Laxus.

"She wants to take things to the bedroom and for me to rub lotion all over her!" Lucy raised her hands in disbelief.

"That sounds hot. Ow!" Laxus rubbed the spot on his shoulder that Lucy punched. "Don't take her too seriously. She's probably bluffing. Play along! Worst case, just scream my name like you always do. Ow!"

Lucy grabbed her favorite lotion with the scent of Japanese Cherry Blossoms and marched back into the room. "I got the lotion," she called out, grabbing Cana's attention and showing the bottle in her hand. "I-I am going to r-rub lotion all over you." Lucy took a hesitant step towards Cana.

Before Cana could respond, there was a bang by the front door. Master Makarov ran into the living room with comical tears streaming down his face, with Gildarts right behind him sporting the same expression. "Nooooooo. Lucy. Please don't leave my asshole grandson," he begged on his knees by Lucy's legs. "You were the best thing that happened to him! I'm sorry I didn't believe you were dating at first. Asking if you were a hostage was a joke. You are the only one who makes sure he doesn't act like a spoiled brat! Give him another chance."

"Move it, old man. Laxus had his chance." Gildarts shoves Makarov to the side and grabs Lucy's hands. "I just want you to know that I approve of you and Cana." Somehow Master Makarov and Gildarts were told of the 'date' and have a severe misunderstanding of the situation.

"Don't listen to him, Lucy. My child. I'm not getting any younger. I would love to see grandbabies before my time is up." Master Makarov let out a few coughs to gain sympathy from Lucy, who raised a brow at the pathetic attempt. "Especially with my weak and fragile heart."

"Pfffft. I'm pretty sure you can survive a couple of hundred years." Gildarts guffawed at the sight. "Or else you wouldn't be lusting after women half your age."

"I take medicine for it, obviously! Gotta delay the inevitable, you know."

"Gramps! Is this seriously how you are going to react if Lucy leaves me?" Laxus asked in disbelief as he walked into the room. He knew had to step in because if his grandfather and Gildarts started to fight, Lucy's whole block would be destroyed.

"Oooooooh, did they start making out yet?" Bickslow walked into the room with Gray with his signature grin. "Ow." Bickslow let out a yelp when Evergreen hit him with her fan. "I don't know how Elfman handles you."

"Ha! Take that Lucy. I win! Your boyfriend made you lose." Cana pointed at Lucy with her finger and let out a victory cry.

"Laxus!"

"Sorry babe. Forgive me."

"You know I can't stay mad at you. Thank you for supporting me through this craziness."

"Takes one crazy blonde to know another crazy blonde." Laxus gave Lucy an amusing grin and gathered her in his arms in a hug.

"Awwwwwww," cooed the bystanders, seeing the blondes hugging it out.

"Cana. I have to say you were a worthy opponent." Lucy peeked out from Laxus's side to give Cana a respectful handshake.

"I hope you guys aren't too upset at us." Laxus rubbed the back of his head nervously as he gave everyone a nervous grin. "It was hard keeping our engagement a secret from everyone." They still had to break the news to the guild.

"Nahhhhh, Bossman. It was kind of fun. But if you really want to make it up to me, I better be your best man at your wedding."

"Of course you need a fairy such as myself as a bridesmaid."

"Flame breath and I are basically Lucy's brothers, so we have to be part of the wedding party."

"Wait, so Cana and Lucy weren't actually on a date," asked Gildarts in a disappointing tone. "Awwww, it would have been nice to have a hot daughter-in-law and I would have been the perfect GILF."

"Just stop talking, old man." Cana shook her head in disbelief at the words coming out of her father's mouth.

"I'm just happy I don't have to keep a secret anymore." Natsu pointed out in a relieved tone, stretching out his arms.

"We still have to tell the rest of the guild though," Lucy pointed out to Natsu.

"Don't worry. We are here to support you. This is going to be the wedding of the century! I can't wait to help with the wedding planning." Evergreen was already coming up with some themes and decorations.

"Master's been awfully quiet."

"Gramps? Holy shit, he fainted!"

"Master!"