Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

Chapter 5 - Shifting

"You know, when Mest said 'get some rest', he meant back to the inn."

"I know, but this is too good to pass up. I wanna see what's in here before the Rune Knights confiscate everything."

Gildarts sighed, continuing his search through another set of drawers. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for. Lucy had simply said to keep an eye out for anything suspicious

So far, all he'd found are receipts.

They were back at the Dupont fabric shop in search of evidence. He didn't think it was necessary as the Rune Knights had already caught everyone - well, almost everyone - involved in the illegal operation. But Lucy insisted, believing there could be a chance that some of Sera's secrets could be hidden within the shop.

He was… slightly intrigued by that. So he agreed.

Now here they are.

"Anything back there?" he called out, closing the last drawer.

Lucy's voice floated back from the storage room. "Just a bunch of papers so far."

He followed the sound of rustling papers and found her standing in front of an open safe, a thick ledger in her hands. She was flipping through its pages, her brow furrowed in concentration. He raised an eyebrow at the scene before him.

"Did you crack that safe yourself?" he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Lucy shook her head and gestured towards her spirit, Cancer, who was snipping at rolls of fabric nearby with his scissors. Cancer gave a casual shrug and continued snipping away, entirely unbothered.

Gildarts moved closer, glancing at the ledger in her hands. "What's that?" he asked, curiosity in his tone.

"It looks like a list," she responded grimly, flipping to another page. "A record of people she's auctioned off."

She turned another page, and his gaze followed the rows of neatly scrawled names, numbers, and signatures. The entries filled each page from top to bottom, the ledger's thickness suggesting countless victims.

Lucy's fingers hovered over the worn page. "There are so many…"

Gildarts' heart sank. "Are there dates?"

Lucy nodded, flipping it back to the very first page. "Yeah, right below the signatures."

He read the very first date written - it was dated two years ago.

"Two years…" he murmured, his voice grim. "For two years, they've been trafficking mages, and the council is only now catching wind of it?" He shook his head. This was unbelievable. "How they hell did they get away with this?"

Lucy closed the ledger, unable to read any more. Her mind raced with questions.

Two years.

That was far longer than she had originally thought. They were under the impression that this operation had been running for six months, maybe a year at most, according to what she initially got from the townspeople.

Where are these mages right now?

And what were their buyers doing to them?

"Virgo," she called out.

Virgo appeared beside her in a flash of light. "Punishment, Princess?" the spirit asked, tilting her head.

Lucy shook her head and held out the ledger. "Can you make a copy of this? And make it quick, if you can. Please."

Virgo simply nodded and disappeared, ledger in hand.

"I'll check the other side," Gildarts volunteered, glancing at Lucy as she carefully placed items back into the safe. When she didn't respond, he took that as his cue to leave. He wanted to finish up quickly so they could get out before any of the Rune Knights showed up.

Left alone in the storage room, Lucy turned her attention to the walls and corners, scanning for anything that's out of place. She began checking behind small pieces of furniture and lifting paintings. Rich people always seemed to have some kind of hidden room or compartment.

After several minutes of thoroughly searching every corner, Lucy came up empty-handed. She decided to leave her spirit, Cancer, in the storage room to finish up and headed towards the other side of the shop to join Gildarts. As she stepped through the dark archway, she accidentally bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry," she said, startled.

"It's alright," he replied with a small smile. "It's dark in here anyway."

Lucy crossed her arms, looking at him expectantly. "Well? Did you find anything?"

Gildarts shook his head. "Nothing important - just a bathroom and a small kitchenette."

Lucy's gaze shifted to a steel door at the far end of the room. "What about that?" she asked, pointing behind him.

"Oh, that?" Gildarts said with a shrug. "Emergency exit. I already checked it out - nothing unusual."

Before either of them could say more, the sound of a door clicking open followed by the jingle of a bell echoed through the shop. Both of them froze, exchanging wide-eyed looks.

"Alright, let's bag everything. Take anything that looks like evidence," a gruff voice barked.

They didn't need to guess - it was the Rune Knights.

"Shit," Gildarts muttered under his breath.

Lucy motioned towards the emergency exit. "This way, c'mon," she whispered, urgency clear in her voice.

Keeping their movements as silent as possible, they dashed towards the exit. Once outside, they found themselves in a narrow alley blocked on one side by a tall firewall connected to the building. Their only option was to head to the other side and pray the Rune Knights weren't already patrolling the area.

Gildarts cautiously peeked around the corner, his eyes scanning the dimly lit area. His jaw tightened. "Four of them," he murmured, stepping back. "They're heading straight here."

Lucy bit her lip, weighing her options. Gildarts' magic was off the table - breaking through the firewall would draw too much attention and likely get them arrested.

They don't want to give the Magic Council another excuse to pin something on Fairy Tail.

Summoning her spirits wouldn't work either. She had already called on multiple spirits earlier, and maintaining her Taurus Star Dress for the past two hours had slowly been draining her magic container. She was running on fumes at this point.

A strand of Lucy's blonde hair drifted across her face as a soft breeze swept through. Then, out of nowhere, a memory surfaced - a scene from a movie she'd watched months ago. It was bold, absolutely embarrassing, and probably the last thing she wanted to do.

But desperate times called for desperate measures. She just hoped it would work.

"Do you trust me?" she asked, keeping her voice steady despite the nervousness brewing inside her.

Gildarts turned to her, his expression softening. "You know I do," he replied without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy let the magic of her Star Dress fade as she slipped back into the black lingerie Anna had dressed her in earlier.

Gildarts' face flushed a deep red. "What are you -"

Lucy stepped closer, her fingers curling around his tie as she pulled him towards her. "We have to makeout," she said, her voice low but firm.

He stared at her, completely dumbfounded. The serious expression on her face only made the situation more surreal. He could hear the Rune Knights' voices drawing nearer, their footsteps growing louder.

"Now!" she hissed.

He didn't need to be told twice.

He was going to trust her - completely.

He was going to trust her not to freak out later.

He was going to trust her enough to follow through on what might be the most outrageous plan he'd ever been a part of.

Because by the Gods, if this really was happening, he was going to do it right.

He surged forward, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. His arms wrapped around her instinctively, lifting her off the ground with effortless strength. Lucy responded in kind, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pressed her back against the wall.

At that moment, he had never felt more alive than ever before.

Lucy was supposed to feel self-conscious for even having the audacity to ask an experienced man like Gildarts to makeout with her, but instead, she found herself lost in his arms. The heat between them grew and intensified as Gildarts' hands roamed all over her body, igniting new sensations within her that she had never felt before.

Gildarts pulled back slightly, his lips hovering over hers. "You know, I'm kinda liking this undercover mission of yours. Sweet and soft-spoken by the day, a complete bad-ass by night," he said in between ragged breaths, both hands boldy gripping her almost bare underside. "So tell me - what's Lucy Heartfilia like in the throes of passion?"

This man was taking it too far.

But she started this and Lucy was a woman that does not back down.

With a newfound confidence that she didn't know existed, she found herself gripping his hair tightly and pulling him even closer as his lips trailed down from her lips, to her neck, then down to her bare shoulders. Every kiss sent shivers down her spine and added more to the heat that was building within her. Her breaths came out short and ragged as she surrendered herself completely to this man's touch.

Wanting more, she cupped his cheek and dove back into another heated kiss.

"He-hey! You two! Sto-stop right there!"

And their bubble broke.

Lucy hesitantly broke the kiss and met Gildarts' heated gaze. Her mind was so clouded by the ache building between her thighs, it made it so difficult to focus on anything else.

For some reason, she wasn't ready to let Gildarts go.

"I-I said stop!"

Her logical brain finally kicked in, urging her to stick to the plan and leave without any complications.

Lucy turned to the group of Rune Knights who were all openly gaping at her. "Sorry," she smiled sheepishly.

"Thi-this building's under investigation," one of the younger-looking Rune Knights said, who was making the valiant effort of not staring at Lucy. "Ple-please leave immediately."

"And go get a room!" shouted another.

She wiggled herself out of Gildarts' embrace and quickly composed herself, a sweet smile on her face. "My boyfriend and I just got carried away," she explained sweetly. "We'll be on our way now."

Gildarts shrugged his coat off and draped it over Lucy's shoulders. He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and gave the group a grin. "Sorry about that."

They weaved through the scattered groups of Rune Knights hand in hand until they finally reached the familiar cobblestoned path. But just as they thought they were in the clear, Lucy caught a snippet of a hushed conversation behind them.

"Wait, doesn't that blonde woman look familiar?" one of the Rune Knights said.

Lucy's grip tightened around Gildarts' hand and she leaned in. "Run," she whispered.

And so they did, with huge grins on their faces.

CRASH!

Lucy woke up with a startle. She immediately sat up, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, to see what was going on. It sounded so close, but when she looked around, nothing seemed out of place. Gildarts was sound asleep… so what made that noise?

"Oh fuck yes…"

She turned her head to the source of the sound, and her eyes met nothing but a white wall.

It was the occupants of the room next to theirs.

"Oh god… Yes…"

An image of her and Gildarts making out in a dark alley suddenly appeared in her mind.

She felt heat rush to her cheeks and she could feel that burn within her start to flicker.

Without hesitation, she shrugged off the covers, retrieved her SoundPod from her bag, and stepped out onto the balcony. The cold air bit at her skin, but she ignored it, slipping on her SoundPod and allowed the music to distract her. She let out a long sigh, tilting her head back to gaze at the stars, tracing the constellations scattered across the night sky.

Her eyes landed on Aquarius' constellation.

Her heart felt heavy and her eyes brimmed with tears at the sight.

In her mind, she started telling her long-time friend of the things that had happened so far in her mission. 'And guess what? I finally got kissed. No, he's not my boyfriend. I hope you're not disappointed. I don't know what's gotten into me to actually think that the plan would work, but it did. They all probably just thought we were some horny rabbits trying to do 'it' in public places.'

Lucy was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a figure quietly joining her on the balcony. He stood there for a moment, studying her thoughtful expression. When she didn't acknowledge him, he gently draped a robe over her shoulders, the gesture finally pulling her from her inner thoughts.

She turned to him with wide eyes, slightly startled by his presence. "Gildarts…?" She slid her SoundPod off. "Why are you awake?"

He hesitated for a bit. He was not about to tell her that he woke up to the sound of a woman screaming in orgasm and thought that it was Lucy. "Our neighbors aren't exactly the quiet type," he said, a smirk on his features.

Lucy sighed and gazed back at the stars above. "They're still at it, huh?"

Gildarts leaned on the railings. "It got quiet before I got out, so hopefully they're both spent."

Lucy just hummed in response. She glanced at the corner of her eye to find Gildarts staring at the sky. After what happened earlier, she wasn't so sure about her feelings towards the Crash mage anymore. She's had crushes before and she knew exactly why she liked them. But with Gildarts, she couldn't. Sure, it could probably be just the shock of finally being kissed for the first time, but there was just something about him that made her thoughts gravitate towards him.

Speaking of which, she should probably apologize to him about that.

"Lucy? Are you okay?"

She snapped out of her own thoughts and felt heat rising to her cheeks. She spaced out while staring at him. Again.

She looked away instantly. "Ye-yes," she stuttered. "Sorry about that."

Gildarts tilted his head. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She looked down and started fiddling at the robe, nervousness clearly creeping in her system. "I… I wanted to apologize, by the way," she started, her voice soft as a whisper. "About what happened earlier."

He sighed and patted her head. "Next time, when I say to wake me up, wake me up, okay?" He smiled at her. "You're forgiven, Princess."

Lucy looked at him and blinked.

Was he not upset about her forcing him to kiss her?

"That's it?" she asked all of a sudden.

He looked down at her with surprise in his eyes. "What do you mean 'that's it'?"

Lucy shook her head slightly. "I mean, that's all you're mad about?"

"To be frank with you, I wasn't even mad," he said, crossing his arms in front of him. "Maybe upset, yes, but mad? No."

"You're not mad or upset about anything else?" she prodded further.

"Lucy, you have to be more specific -"

"Are you not mad that I asked you to makeout with me?"

He blinked.

Oh Mavis, he was not mad. Not mad at all. In fact, he would gladly do it again if given the chance to.

He had this plan of screwing another stranger in a new town just to shake Lucy off his system, but now? Nope. He'd had a taste of heaven, and he wanted more of it.

"No."

Lucy tilted her head. "No?"

"No."

She didn't know what to say after that. "Um, okay," she responded unsurely, still fiddling with the hem of the robe. "Still, sorry about that. I just thought of it and -"

"Can I ask you something?"

Lucy nodded, her gaze meeting Gildarts' as his expression turned serious. "Did you regret it?" he asked softly.

She didn't even need time to answer. It was clear as day to her. "No," she admitted. A wave of fear suddenly washed over her. Admitting it to him made her feel vulnerable in a way she wasn't used to.

Gildarts shifted his slightly, his eyes studying her for any hints of dishonesty. "Hypothetically," he began, his voice steady. "If we were put in a situation where we had to do it again, would you do it?"

Heat rushed to her cheeks at the thought of another repeat. Her heart raced, but she knew the truth. "Y-yes," she stuttered, her own voice shaking.

Gildarts felt warmth flood his veins. He took a step closer. "One more question," he said. "What if we take out the hypotheticals? Would you still want to?"

Lucy gulped, her throat suddenly dry. Her mind started to replay everything and the startling truth was just right there in front of her.

She wanted more.

She wanted more of the man that was standing right in front of her.

"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

But Gildarts heard that. Loud and clear.

He closed the gap between them, gently placing his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. An arm around her waist brought her closer to him, and the mere sensation of her body against his made a satisfied groan escape from his lips. Lucy reciprocated by wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to deepen the kiss.

Gildarts' other hand trailed down her waist, resting on her hip before sliding up and down her back. The kiss was slow and gentle, and yet it instantly filled Lucy with a burning desire that she couldn't help but moan under his touch.

If they don't stop soon, he's not going to be able to stop himself and he didn't want Lucy hating him pretty early on. With reluctance, he broke the kiss and gazed at the stunning blonde in front of him.

Lucy truly was a vision of beauty - her hair and skin illuminated by the moonlight made them glow, and her brown eyes shimmered with hints of gold, just like her magic.

"We'll figure this out along the way," he said softly, his hand gently stroking her cheek.

Lucy leaned into his touch, her eyes closing briefly as she nodded. She understood what he meant - they were both willing to navigate this uncharted territory together. It wouldn't be easy given their circumstances, but if he was willing to work things through with her, then she would do the same.

A cool breeze swept past and she shivered as the cold seeped through the robe. Wordlessly, she moved closer to Gildarts, seeking his warmth. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her snugly against him. "We should head back inside," he said.

She nodded. "They should be done by now, right? We've been out here for quite some time."

Gildarts slid the glass door open and Lucy quickly stepped inside. Thankfully, their neighbors were finally quiet. "Thank Mavis," she muttered under her breath, hastily slipping under the covers.

Gildarts chuckled softly as he followed suit. This time though, he moved closer to the center of the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist and gently pulling her towards him.

Lucy's cheeks burned at the sudden closeness. She'd never had a boyfriend before and she wasn't entirely sure if this was appropriate - or if they were moving way too fast. But then again, maybe this was her fault for skipping over 'getting into a relationship' and going headfirst to 'making out'.

"Lucy, relax," he tightened his hold on her, his voice low and reassuring. "I'm not going to do anything you're not ready for."

She instantly felt relieved at his words. She shifted closer to him and closed her eyes, his comforting presence and scent pulled her into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

"And she's okay?"

"Yeah, she's okay," he glanced through the glass door and found the blonde still asleep.

"I knew that she could do it."

"Did you really have to send her all by herself though?"

"For the record, if I had gotten wind of Sera's shady assistant, I wouldn't have sent her alone."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucy's maid spirit pop out. "You do realize that at this point, she might end up in more trouble, right?"

"If this Claude person is smart, then they'll back off for the meantime. They don't wanna mess with Fairy Tail, especially when these brats find out it's Lucy they're after."

Oh, those idiots will definitely raise hell alright.

"Has the council called?" He snuck another glance and saw Lucy finally awake, sitting on the edge of the bed with a notebook in her hand. It seemed like her maid spirit had finally finished copying the ledger.

He can see her fighting off sleep, her head constantly nodding off. She was kinda cute like that.

"Gildarts?"

He blinked, realizing he had zoned out. He turned his attention back to the thought projection of their Fairy Tail master who had a puzzled expression on his face.

Ah, he hadn't heard a single word he'd said.

"Is there a woman with you? Stop fooling around. We don't know how many babies you've spawned."

Gildarts simply grinned in response. "Hey now, that seems a little too harsh."

"You should try settling down for once. I'm pretty sure Cana would be happy to have you in Magnolia for longer periods."

He glanced over at Lucy, watching as she straightened out the bed. When she looked up and their eyes met, she gave him a soft, warm smile.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Maybe," he said, his gaze still on Lucy as she flitted around the room.

"Oh? That's new. Someone finally caught your eye?"

Gildarts saw Lucy summon another one of her spirits, the one with crab legs attached to his back, and started working on her hair. It seems like she has plans on heading out today.

"Maybe," he repeated and gazed back at Makarov's amused gaze. "Any message you want to give to our summoner?"

"Tell her to tie up loose ends and to come back as soon as she can. There's a job request here that's specifically asking for her."

"Alright," Gildarts straightened and gave Makarov a smile. "Catch you later." He immediately dropped the call and stepped back into the room.

He was greeted with a black-haired Lucy. "Heading out?"

Lucy nodded. "I don't just wanna up and leave my other boss you know," she said while picking up a towel. "I'll think of something but for now, I'll continue playing 'Eris' and see how the town's faring after yesterday."

"Don't take too long on that other job though," he said, stepping closer to Lucy and running his fingers on her now-black tresses. She still looks really good in this, but her blonde hair suited her better. "Master says there's another job waiting for you back at the guild."

She sighed. Well, there goes her plans for a quick vacation. "Alright, I'll shower up real quick."

"I think you're forgetting something," he said, amusement dancing in his green eyes.

She tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "My contacts? I'll put them on later after I shower," she responded.

Gildarts chuckled. "Not that. This," he leaned down and pecked her on the lips. "Good morning, Princess."

Lucy blushed at the contact. She was not expecting that, but she found it very sweet. "I-Good morning, Gildarts," she mumbled.

"I'll head out to get us some food," he said while taking his usual brown cloak and draping it across his shoulders.

Lucy nodded. "Don't take too long," she said. She had to remind him because the last time she got out to get food for the both of them, she got kidnapped and almost got sold.

"I won't. I've got a beautiful girl waiting for me to feed her," Gildarts winked. He turned on his heel to start heading out, but he felt her tug on his cloak. He turned back around and found her staring at him with a blush on her face. "Lucy?"

"I… Can you lean down a bit for me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her odd request, but he gave in anyway.

As he leaned in closer, Lucy reached out, her fingers gently brushing against his cheek before leaning in and pressing a small kiss to his lips. "Take care," she said softly against his lips.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a glimpse of a distant memory opened up of a beautiful brunette gently kissing him on the lips and said 'Don't take too long this time, okay? Take care.'

He had a lot of favorite memories with Cornelia, but this one small glimpse of memory, he couldn't even remember when or why it happened. But it felt familiar and warm.

He mentally shook off the thought and nodded at Lucy. "I'll be back with food." And with that, he finally headed out and left Lucy to prepare for the day.

As he made his way to a nearby restaurant, a smile tugged at his lips. Maybe Makarov was right. Maybe settling down wouldn't be so bad after all.

'Eris' wiped a trickling sweat off her forehead and exhaled. Oh, she was going to be so sore tonight.

When she clocked in for the afternoon, her employer, Arthur, pulled her aside with a solemn expression. He explained that he had finally decided to accept Madame Justine's offer now that the town was safe again. The only reason he held off was because he wanted to keep an eye on his younger sibling who was born a wizard and wanted to made sure that Sera's minions where nowhere near his family. Now that Sera Dupont was finally behind bars, he can continue his business in a different town with better clientele. He had planned on traveling first to set up shop and a month later, bring his family with him.

He said that he felt bad for deciding to do the move, not when he finally found a really good assistant to help him. So now, here they are in this conversation that Arthur can't seem to drop.

"Eris, are you sure you don't want to come to Margaret Town with me?" Arthur prodded again, bringing out large boxes to the main area of the shop.

'Eris' chuckled and started packing up some of the fabrics in the boxes. "I'm sure," she said, her voice steady. "I've heard about Margaret Town and I'm pretty sure it's a lovely place, but I've spent most of my jewels just to travel here. And besides, I'm liking Lunaris."

Arthur sighed for the umpteenth time. He really did like Eris. She seemed to know what she was doing most of the time and that made his workload easier. "If by any chance you change your mind at some point today, let me know, alright?"

The raven-haired woman simply smiled in response and continued on with the packing. They spent the next couple of hours sorting through fabrics and making sure that everything was accounted for.

She was working on some checklist when she heard the bell ring, signaling that there was a customer.

"Ah, Haru! What brings you here?"

'Haru?' Curious, she peeked out of the storage room and saw Haru, talking to Arthur with a plastic bag in his hands. 'What's he doing here?' Just as she thought that, Haru's gaze shifted to her and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back in response.

"Oh! You two know each other?" Arthur commented, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

'Eris' nodded. "I met him at the bookshop."

Haru nodded in agreement. "I think she only went there to ruin our day, honestly. The librarian wasn't too happy with her."

"Hey!" 'Eris' pouted, glaring at the brown-haired man who had a playful grin on his features. "I told you it was an accident!"

Haru simply chuckled in response and held out a plastic bag. "My mom made some snacks for tonight's party, but it seems like she made too many so we're giving these out."

Right on time, she was starving.

"Please have some, Eris," Arthur said, pulling out two pieces of bread. "We've been packing the entire afternoon."

'Eris' stepped out of the storage room and gladly took the bread with 'thanks'. "What's the party for?" She asked, curious about the occasion.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Haru sat on one of the unoccupied chairs in the shop. "The mayor is holding a town party by the river. He seems pretty happy now that Sera's in prison, so he wants to celebrate the town's freedom, I guess."

"Did they ever figure out who busted the operation?" Arthur asked from another corner in the shop.

'Eris' looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Haru shook his head. "The mayor's pretty determined to find out though." The man stood up and looked at 'Eris' with a smile. "You should come and join the party tonight. It's not going to be grand, but I'm sure you'll find something interesting."

"Hmm, I'm still settling in but I'll give it a try," she said. She didn't wanna promise anything because honestly, she's feeling a little tuckered out from today. She'll probably take a quick peek though and maybe buy trinkets for her friends back at home.

"Well, I hope to see you there, Eris," he waved to Arthur. "I'll be heading out now!"

Arthur looked at his assistant with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Arthur's a fine young man, isn't he?"

'Eris' eyebrows twitched at Arthur's tone. He was starting to sound like her father who kept pushing her to accept any marriage proposals that get sent their way. "He is," she responded blankly and stood up, smiling at Arthur. "I'll go ahead and finish filling up the boxes."

Arthur blinked, finding the shift in her aura slightly odd. He shrugged it off though. She was probably just tired.

Gildarts sighed as he walked through the hall of the inn. He spent the entire day checking the outer perimeter of the town just to make sure none of Sera's people were lurking. While it was a big celebration that Sera's trafficking operations had been stopped, this could also mean that people in Sera's circle had gotten wind of Lucy's intervention and are either now wary of her, or putting their targets on her.

Reaching the room, he pushed the door open, feeling slightly excited to see Lucy after not seeing her for most of the day… and found her staring at herself in front of the mirror. She had on a simple white shirt and denim shorts and her now-blonde hair fell in loose waves.

Her gaze fell on Gildarts as she heard the door close. "Oh, hey," she walked up towards him and grabbed his hand with a grin on her face. "You're right on time."

He tilted his head in curiosity. "For what?"

She started pulling him back out of the room. "There's a party tonight by the riverside," she closed the door behind them and started pulling him again by his hand. "I wanted to see what's in there. And maybe buy gifts for everyone back at home."

He chuckled and gripped her hand. "Alright, alright."

A few minutes of walking around Lunaris, they finally found themselves just right outside of the town. In front of them were different stalls all lined up perfectly with balloons and streamers as decorations in between.

Lucy's eyes lit up at the sight. There were so many people! "Oh wow…" she trailed off as she slowly walked towards one of the food stalls. "It's packed."

Even Gildarts was slightly shocked at the amount of people that were in the venue. "Are all these people residents here?"

He felt Lucy let go of his hand and walked up to a nearby food stall that sold what looked like chocolate-covered strawberries. He smiled at the sight. He remembered Gray carrying a huge box of strawberries in the guild and he asked Mira why the guild was ordering so many strawberries when almost everyone in the guild drinks alcohol. Mira had a soft smile on her face and said, 'It's for our Lucy!'.

Lucy was so loved by the guild, he was starting to feel nervous about how everyone would take it if they found out that he's dating their one and only Celestial Wizard.

"Would you like to try some?" He looked down and saw her smiling up at him, holding a stick with three pieces of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Might as well enjoy these next few days with just the two of them.

He took it with a 'thanks' and held her hand in his. They spent the rest of the night flittering from one stall to another, trying out different nibbles that were on display and buying gifts for their friends back at Fairy Tail… well, mostly Lucy anyway.

When they finally reached the last stall, Gildarts looked up at the sky. "I think we should start heading back," he said.

Lucy slid a slender finger over Horologium's key. "It's currently 8:43 PM, Lucy-sama."

She nodded. "It's not that late, but we can head back. I've got another long day tomorrow."

As she turned to leave, she suddenly felt an unwelcome squeeze on her ass. Shock rippled through her and quickly realized that it wasn't Gildarts as she could see him right in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man strolling past her with a smug smirk on his lips and Lucy's instincts just screamed at her.

She didn't know why but she was so pissed off that she dropped Gildarts' hand, spun the pervert by grabbing his shoulder, and decked him straight to his jaw.

Gildarts was so floored with what Lucy just did that it took him a while to recover from the shock. "Lucy?!" he asked, disbelief clearly laced in his voice. "What's wrong?"

He eyed the slouched man warily. Lucy was not one for violence.

"How much did he pay for ya', darlin'? 'Coz I'm sure that a pretty li'l thing like ya' don't just hang with an old man like him."

Lucy was aware that what she did pulled in a crowd, but she absolutely hated men constantly taking advantage of women simply because they think they're superior. Just as she was about to shout at him for implying that she was a prostitute, the man was suddenly knocked unconscious, a crater appearing beneath his now unmoving body.

Lucy's wide eyes drifted from the unconscious man to Gildarts who had a terrifying glint in his eyes. Gildarts had moved so fast that Lucy barely even registered that he even moved at all.

Gildarts dusted off his knuckles with his cloak and flashed his usual carefree grin at her. "Let's go?"

Lucy blinked. Wasn't he angry just a second ago?

She nodded wordlessly and trailed behind him, leaving bewildered onlookers. The trek back to the inn was quiet and in the midst of it, she started wondering if that old pervert was even alive.

"Are you okay?"

Lucy looked up and found Gildarts looking at her with concern in his eyes. "Y-yeah," she said. "How about you?"

"I'm okay as long as you are."

She tilted her head, not quite satisfied with his answer. His voice sounded… hollow, almost. "Are you sure? Because it doesn't sound like it," she responded lightly, trying not to sound too privy.

Gildarts gazed at her for what felt like a minute. "Are you not bothered by what that man said?"

Lucy's features softened as she finally understood what was bothering him. She immediately took his non-prosthetic hand and gripped it tightly, a soft smile on her lips. "I hate that he copped a feel and called me a whore, but I'm not bothered by being with you."

Her small smile turned into a full grin. "You're freakishly tall and super strong, which I find pretty convenient, honestly," she winked, a playful glint on her brown eyes. "So, nope. I'm not bothered at all!"

Lucy Heartfilia was just full of surprises.

And he was an idiot for even doubting her.

Relief coursing through his veins, he chuckled in response. "You wound me, Princess," he said, feigning a look of hurt in his expression. "Do I not have any other redeeming qualities?"

They both resumed their walk back to the inn, the air between them feeling a lot lighter.

"Nope!" She chirped, emphasizing the 'p'.

"Now I'm starting to feel bad for all the men you've dated before," he said teasingly.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at his statement. "I don't know what sort of stories Cana or the others have been spinning, but last time I checked, I've never had a boyfriend."

Gildarts stopped in his tracks and blinked owlishly at the blonde. "Say that again?" He wanted to make sure he wasn't hearing things. Because there was no way -

"I said I've never had a boyfriend…?"

"But… what about Natsu?"

Lucy's face suddenly twisted in what looked like disgust. "I love him, but not like that. He's my best friend, and that's all he'll ever be."

"Gray?"

Her face suddenly paled at the thought of her other best friend. "I don't have a death wish, Gildarts."

"You've never dated other guys?"

"I did, but it never went past the first date," she admitted. "I just… was not interested, I guess."

"Consider me the luckiest old man then," he said with a smirk on his face.

Lucy just laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're not old, age is just a number anyway, and yes, you are with Lucky Lucy after all."

His eyes softened at the sight of the happy blonde in his arms, his teasing smile turning into a soft one. He leaned down and gave her the most gentle kiss that he could muster, hoping that it would convey all his feelings at that moment.

"That, I am."

Author's Note:

And there you have it - I will be posting the last chapter for this story next week which is an epilogue.

And to lavi, yes! You got it right! I'll be making a sequel for this story which will definitely be much more longer. I'm so happy that you caught that in the last chapter!

I'd like to give a quick shoutout to FairyMama624 | kuroshiragami0 | Tryori for taking the time to put a review. I don't expect for reviews because I truly do enjoy writing, but still, y'all have warmed my heart. So, thank you & I appreciate you!

Love lots,
- nana