Chapter 2

The fragrance that greeted his sense of smell was sweet and gentle. Berries and vanilla; such a teasing combination that will always be a welcome any time of the day. It was refreshing and delicious.

He could also faintly hear the distant pitter-pattering sound of rain, combined with the rolling grumble of thunder. Near him was a soft vrrrrnggg echo from the air conditioner.

And though such noises would be expectedly fucking cacophonous, surprisingly it is not.

It was a hum telling him to wake a little later than usual. It did not help that there was a decided coolness washing over him every time he intended to sit up. The blanket that draped over him was like a caress, and the bed below him hugged every nook and cranny of his muscled body like a fleece of heaven.

Laxus' eyes bolted open, staring widely at the ceiling. 'Fuck! Don't tell me I really slept with Lucy!' he ran both of his hands over his face, groaning as the effects of last night's alcohol made itself known like the mother of all bitches.

Mechanically, he turned over to both of his sides - despite the constant nagging of his growing headache - to confirm whether he screwed with their resident Celestial Spirit Mage.

He did not, and Laxus heaved a large sigh of relief before straining to stand up stark naked inside his rented room. He held the white sheets just below his torso to keep himself private in case someone decided to take a peek.

Below the bed littered his clothes from last night, including his black boxers and his coat. He slowly bent down and snatched the underwear, and immediately put them on. After that, he took the coat and draped it over him.

He threw the blanket on top of the bed and surveyed his surroundings. The room which he currently occupies was dark, and comparatively small, with wooden walls on all sides. Small cracks form on its unpainted surface, while bits of spider webs hang from the corners of the ceiling. The floor seems to be made from hardwood as was the bed. On its right was a closed window, showing the water dripping from the rain, and on the left was a simple nightstand. On top of it lies a Lacrima lamp glowing with dim light. Laxus turned the light brighter to see better.

At the foot of the bed stands a wooden table facing another set of windows. There was a single chair. A white formal coat hangs on the top rail of the chair, while a neat stack of parchment paper, a closed bottle of ink and a feathered quill were arranged properly on the top of the table

Laxus immediately understood. He ran his fingers against his hair, pacing back and forth. Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck!

That there was him. There was Lucy. And there might be a…

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sudden knock interrupted his thoughts. Like the Lightning-element Mage he is, he rapidly puts on all of his articles of clothing, all while his head violently screaming at him, reminding him that he has downed far more alcohol than his body could handle. He gave himself a once over before the wooden door gently opened.

And Lo and behold! Their resident Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy Heartfilia!

Through the fucking headache, he could see that the woman is eying him with innocent yet wary eyes, eyes as if accusing him of such a despicable deed that he has committed. Laxus raised an eyebrow, and she glanced away from him.

"Yo," he greeted but his voice came out harsher than what he intended it to be. Lucy's eyes widened as her eyes went back to him.

"Hey," she squeaked. "Uhmmm…"

Laxus grunted in response, giving the woman the cue to continue her sentence.

"A-About…d-did you…" Lucy trailed off, blush evident in her cheeks, only emphasized by the soft golden glow from the Lacrima lamp.

Did he what? Did he remember how he had screwed her? Fuck, no! Laxus was not able to find the words to explain himself to this respectable woman, as his already compromised brain failed to process all of these confusing thoughts and situations.

"Ummm…" he seemed to have found his voice.

"Did you read them?" Lucy asked, her voice a little more assured than what it had been a while ago. Her brows knit together as her eyes stared firmly towards his, as if to ascertain the truth from his pupils and irises.

Laxus felt a swelling sensation emanating from his fucking skull, and he grimaced as he said, "Did I read what?"

"My draft," Lucy said, her voice was ice. Her eyes glanced behind him towards the neat stack of parchment placed on the table.

Ah. Laxus, realized. If this was their topic this early in the gloomy morning, then all of those worries about him sleeping with her like a sick fuck was nothing more than that… a worry. He heaved a Category Five hurricane of a relieved sigh, and that somehow eased the growing hangover headache.

Laxus massaged his temples, content that he did nothing ungentlemanly. He did, in fact, intend to do right by her.

"Well?" Lucy asked again, her eyes this time bore more worry than accusation.

"No," Laxus managed a pained smile.

Lucy's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding before walking towards the small nightstand. As she passed, Laxus noted that she was holding a large steel tray full of food items. She set it down, and sat at the edge of the bed. "Let's eat."

Laxus took the wooden chair, placed it in front of Lucy and sat down.

"Here," Lucy handed him a large-sized porcelain bowl. He took it with both hands, noting that it was relatively hot but not enough to scald his palms. Inside was a congee with bits and pieces of chicken as toppings. He scooped with his spoon, to find that the taste was subdued, with minimal traces of chicken savor to complement it. It was not bland. It was what he needed after last night's date with countless beer bottles. And coming from Lucy, it was perfect. The bowl was emptied before he could even notice.

He put the bowl down, coughing to hide his embarrassment. He avoided Lucy's eyes, and gruffly said, "Thanks."

Lucy giggled, her voice like a clear bell. "You're welcome," she answered before going back to eating her own food.

"So, how were you able to enter my room?" he said after a few moments of silence.

Lucy set her own bowl of congee at the tray, finally finished with her meal. She paused for a while. "Hmmm…last night, you were pretty much lucid…or so I thought. In fact, you were the one who booked this room on your own. We walked up the stairs until we reached this," Lucy spread her arms as if to emphasize her point. "Then, as you were entering, ummmm…" Lucy avoided his eye again.

Laxus could feel the heat beginning to creep up his neck. "What…What did I do?"

"Ummm…you handed me the key, saying that I uh…that I'm," she gulped nervously, still avoiding his gaze. "That I'm free to join you for the night."

Lucy pursed her lips after that, the blush still present on her cheeks.

Laxus felt banging his head on the table, just to make him forget everything that he has heard now. He gulped, but the way the sound came out was more like a clumsy grunt bordering into a whine.

It was another few seconds of impregnable silence before he was able to muster the voice to speak. "I-I'm sorry for that. I'm normally a sane kind of drunk."

Lucy shook her head. "It's alright. When I met you last night, it seemed as though you had a lot on your plate. And we all need to take a little breather from time to time." Then she smiled, and Laxus felt as if a wave of fresh air blew over him.

"Thanks," Laxus offered.

Lucy hummed in response before taking a banana. She peeled it, held it vertically before her mouth, and ate it.

Laxus' headache, along with all of his mental processes, suddenly came to a halt. He caught himself staring a few seconds later.

"Shit! Evil thoughts, begone!" he chastised himself for openly gawking. He immediately changed the topic to distract himself from all of his perverted thoughts. "So, I gave you the key to my room," he began, finding the topic shifting to be effective. "Then, why are your things in here?" he asked, his inner S-Class experience on piecing information through interrogation taking over his earlier embarrassment.

Lucy pondered for a moment before she spoke again. "Well, I did take your offer last night," she said.

Laxus' eyebrows shot up.

However, the moment those words left her mouth, she immediately realized something. Her blush intensified as her eyes widened. "N-No! No! It's not like that, Laxus!" she hurriedly defended herself. "I-It's not like that at all!" she cried between blushes and panicked gestures. She began covering her face with her hands.

"So, that's why my clothes are all over the place," he teased through grinning teeth.

"N-No!" she exclaimed.

Laxus decided to stop the teasing. "Relax, relax. I'm just messing with ya. You were saying?"

Lucy coughed to recompose herself, then began her explanation. "I went back to my room, but I found myself unable to sleep. So, I decided to write an early draft of Iris's Adventure. I went here because I felt lonely. And I was able to write a solid nine-chapter draft since this room feels so relaxing, and the rain helps me compose the story better."

Laxus could not argue with that. Sometimes the environment helps one to use pace oneself.

"And I did not have anything to do with your clothes," Lucy added, her cheeks puffed up. Laxus' mind drew blank at such an endearing image. "I was here only until four-thirty in the early morning."

Now that Laxus could see it, Lucy did, in fact, have some bags under her eyes. She must have spent the wee hours writing her sequel.

"After that, I went down to the inn's cafeteria. There were a huge number of customers, and the meals weren't prepared yet, so I was late coming back," she said with her arms crossed over her chest.

Once again, Laxus caught himself smiling at her actions.

"Ne, Laxus…Laxus to Earthland…Hellooo…"

Laxus snapped back to the present, now well aware that his blonde-haired companion is currently staring at him with concern.

"You sort of blanked out there," Lucy conferred, brows still knit together.

"Nah, happens all the time," he deflected, offering a smirk as if to warn her that the topic was done.

"Well, okay!" Lucy mocked surrendered with her arms, obviously copying his mannerisms from last night.

Laxus kept his silence and deliberated for a moment. Here they are. Him. Her. Alone. Together. In a room. Away. This may be his chance to convey his feelings of admiration towards Lucy…definitely away from the gossipy and meddlesome ears of their guild...and most especially, her team.

"Hey, Lucy," he called in a serious tone, his voice lower and deeper than what he has intended. However, he did not find any fault in it since it conveyed that what he was about to utter is not something to laugh about.

Lucy picked on his tone, and somewhat cannot help but pause. She stood in place, eyes boring into his. "Y-Yes?" she squeaked, as she began twiddling with her fingers while biting her lips.

"Lucy, let's g-"

Riiiiiiiinggggg! Riiiiiiiinggggg! Riiiiiiiinggggg!

Fuck! Laxus mentally cursed. The Miniature Communications Lacrima rang like there is no tomorrow. Calming himself with an exhale, he excused himself to get out into the hallway.

Lucy stared widely at the empty space that has been Laxus. The sound of his deep baritone voice suddenly calling out to her in such a sincere manner caught her off-guard. She could feel her heartbeats hammering thunderously against her chest. WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT WAS THAT?!

Her eyes went to her side, now consciously aware of the growing warmth emanating from her nape to the tips of her earlobes. Also, she could now realize how close of a distance she and the man has shared a mere moments ago. She inhaled, trying to still her heart but it did nothing.

She paced back and forth, biting her nails in anxiousness.

"Oh, gosh," she whimpered to herself. This is not good, she told herself. This is not the right for her to entertain these kinds of feelings. Especially now.

The doors opened again but instead of the sociable Laxus, it was the Laxus that wore a very, very stoic expression. He was staring at the floor, eyes wide and brows contorted and troubled. His lips parted slightly as if he is trying to muster any coherent thought. His shoulders slumped as if he has been defeated by an enemy. And the overall ambiance of the room took on a spine-chilling silence.

"Laxus?" Lucy voiced her concern, taking a step towards the man. She stopped before him, and as they have quite the height gap, she looked up at his somber expression. "What's wrong?"

He was mouthing something but Lucy could not make out the words. Finally, Laxus grunted, "I have to go."