Intrigue

. . .

Gajeel kept pace with Jose as the pair walked through the front gate of the Heartfilia Estate. The pathway up to the manor must have been nearly a mile long and Gajeel rolled his eyes as they walked past perfectly manicured gardens. "Fucking rich people,"he thought.

He flexed his shoulders as they finally approached the grand house. Looking up at the structure, the dark haired mage noticed the intricate stone columns rising three stories high into towering peaks. His attention was drawn away from the structure as his Guild Master reached up and grasped the large brass rings on the door.

As soon as the first click sounded, the grand oak door swung open revealing an exceedingly well-dressed man. "Welcome to the Heartfilia Estate," he said, bowing slightly before motioning the two to enter.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the formality of everything. Ever since Jose had made him his de facto bodyguard, he had been forced to accompany the Guild Master to more and more uncomfortable business meetings. It grated on his nerves but he was learning to just keep his mouth shut. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"The Master will receive you in his study," the butler said, once again motioning for the pair to follow him. Gajeel watched their surroundings carefully as they walked through the foyer. Rich silk cloth lined covered the walls on their path to the study. "This whole place is so overdone,"Gajeel thought to himself. "Fucking rich bastards hoarding all their money so they can put clothes on their goddamn walls."

"Master Heartfilia is just through here," the butler indicated as the trio arrived into another foyer.

"Thank you," Jose replied with a sweeping bow. "My attendant will wait out here."

The butler bowed, directing the Guild Master behind another set of large oak doors before leaving. "Jude Heartfilia!" Gajeel heard Jose say in a boisterous tone before the doors muffled the sound of the pairs brown nosing.

"Attendant,"Gajeel sneered internally at the way Jose referred to him. He owed the man a lot, to be sure. Jose had found Gajeel in the woods living on scraps he found in dumpsters after running away from the orphanage when he was just a child. He had taken him in, taught him how to fight and given him a purpose but still, "I'm no one's fucking attendant."

Gajeel surveyed the large hall with some disinterest. The chances that someone would attempt to attack the Guild Master inside the Heartfilia estate was slim to none, but he was a creature of habit. His crimson eyes moved from each corner as his mind calculated where threats could surface and how he might defend the Guild Master if necessary. His eye ticked slightly as he considered the large columns creating hideaway nooks. "Once again, designed for looks rather than functionality."

But as he gaze moved across the last corner, he noticed movement behind the column. A flash of pink was all he saw and anyone without his heightened senses would have missed it, but he was on it in a second.

Crouching low, he rushed forward, his boots silent on the marble floor. Within seconds he had the intruder pinned against a column, his right forearm pressing against her neck as he transformed the medal in his arm into spikes that reached dangerously close to her neck. He felt the intruder breathe air in to scream and he quickly brought his left hand up to cover her mouth as he pushed his body into hers further to pin her down.

Having successfully restrained the trespasser, he took stock of whom it was he was facing. Crimson eyes widened uncharacteristically as large brown eyes stared back at him. The fingers of his left hand flexed as he realized it was pressed against a pair of soft, plump lips. His body tensed as he felt the silk and lace of the pink dress pressed against him.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, loosening the fingers of his left hand slightly.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

. . .

"You're not to leave your room when the Guild Master from Phantom Lord arrives," Jude said dismissively as Lucy stood before him in his study.

"Yes, father," the daughter responded with a heaping dose of attitude. She swept a piece of bright blonde hair that had escaped the perfect bun sitting atop her head back into its prison with a white gloved hand.

"Lucy," her father admonished with a raised eyebrow.

Lucy internally rolled her eyes. "Apologies, father," she said in an equally exasperated tone. "Sometimes this corset squeezes me so tightly, I know now what I'm saying," she said, referring to the bright pink dress that was her daily wardrobe.

"It's a good thing you won't be receiving our guest. With an attitude like that, I'd be embarrassed to introduce you as my daughter," her father replied, his eyes fixed on the folders in front of him.

Lucy couldn't hold back to scoff. "No doubt this particular gentleman isn't of noble enough blood to warrant a marriage proposal."

Jude looked up briefly to consider his daughter before finally saying, "Enough, you're dismissed." Lucy bowed clumsily before walking through the oversized doors, not caring that the oak slammed behind her.

"Who the hell does he think he is, telling me to stay locked in my room like I'm some prisoner?"Lucy fumed as she paced the foyer outside her father's study. "I don't trust it. I bet the reason he doesn't want me around is because he's up to something less than legal." Lucy had heard of Phantom and their reputation was less than gilded.

As she heard Claude directing their guests towards where she was standing, curiosity got the better of her and she slipped silently into one of the darkened corners behind a column.

She peered out from her hiding place as Claude opened the door to her father's study and directed one of the men inside. He was an odd looking man with an interesting appearance. Purple hair framed a narrow face, matching the oversized cape he was sporting. "Master Heartfilia is just through here," she heard Claude say.

"Thank you. My attendant shall wait out here." That was the Guild Master. As her father stepped forward, she heard this man boom his name and waited for the door to click shut behind them.

She watched from the corner of her eye as Claude exited the space, waiting for his footsteps to disappear down the hallway before she risked another look from behind the protection of the column. Holding her breath, she finally peered out from behind the structure to look at the man who had accompanied the Guild Master.

Even from her limited vantage point she could see he was tall—easily over six feet. Black hair was pulled back off his forehead and fell in waves down his back. Billowing khaki trousers were tucked into heavy combat boots and Lucy could see thick cords of muscle stretched along his arms, which were dotted with metal piercings. Simply put, he seemed dark, fierce and animalistic—so very different than the types of men Lucy was used to. Wanting to get a closer look, she risked learning out from behind the column further and internally cursed as she watched the large ruffles of her skirt slide forward, exposing her location.

Lucy didn't have a moment to process what had happened before she felt a strong body pressing her against the stone. Before she could even draw breath to scream, a hand came up to cover her mouth as his forearm pressed against her throat.

Lucy's brown eyes widened as his crimson stared back at her. For a moment he seemed frozen, almost as if he was taken off guard. "Who are you?" he finally asked in a deep voice.

His fingers loosened against her mouth slightly so that Lucy could speak. "Lucy Heartfilia."

. . .

"Fuck," Gajeel cursed as the girl announced who she was. He quickly stepped back, releasing her. As he did so, the warmth of her body left him and he crossed his arms to hide the slight shiver that moved through him. "You spying on your old man?"

The blonde huffed. "What? I—," she stumbled over her words. "I'm a member of this household. I don't need to spy."

"Sure thing, bunny," the dark man laughed.

"Bunny?"

Gajeel walked back to the front of the room, wanting to keep an eye on the entrance to the study and Lucy followed. "Yeah," he said, leaning against the wall beside one of the doors. "Locked in a cage and wearing something fluffy."

"Hilarious," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like I want to be in this situation."

"Must be so hard, being as rich as you are," Gajeel almost sneered.

"Yeah well. Every situation has its own set of unique problems," Lucy said, her words trailing off slightly. "So are you just the Guild Master's dog then?"

The dark mage growled low. "I ain't no dog."

Lucy had hit a nerve and she couldn't help but press it. "Walked on a leash and made to wait for his Mater."

"Careful bunny," Gajeel said in a menacing tone.

Lucy huffed, before taking a seat on the ground in the middle of the foyer. "Jeez, can't take a joke," she said before falling back to lay out with her arms spread wide. "What's your name anyways?"

"You often just go around laying down on floors?" the man said with an almost chuckle.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "When you're forced to be formal on an almost nonstop basis, meeting someone you can relax with is a rare treat." She snapped her fingers. "Name?"

Her words shocked her. No one had ever said they felt like they could relax around him. If anything, people had expressed the opposite. Gajeel nodded. "Gajeel Redfox." He hesitated before finally adding, "Sorry for earlier, by the way."

Lucy giggled. "Are you kidding? That was the most thrill I've had in my entire life," she said with excitement in her voice. She lifted her hands above her head. "As you've probably already been able to tell, life around here is incredibly boring."

Gajeel chuckled. "Prolly because the house is too big. No one has to bicker for their own space."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, it's pretty lonely just being me and the old man."

Gajeel's eyes widened. "You're the only two people that live in this fucking castle?"

Lucy giggled at his foul language. "Yeah. I mean the servants are here during the day but they have quarters on another area of the estate."

"Geez," Gajeel said. "This girl's house has its own house."

"So, what do you think the two farts are in there talking about anyways?" Lucy asked, not really expecting Gajeel to know.

As anticipated, the dark mage shrugged his shoulders. "No clue, and don't really care anyways."

Lucy propped herself up on her elbows to consider the man in front of her. "So, what is it you do anyways?"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "Why you wanna know?"

Lucy motioned dramatically to the empty hallways. "Cause I'm always bored, remember?" she huffed.

Gajeel chuckled. "I'm a mage. So I do mage stuff."

Lucy jumped to her feet, running towards the man to stand in front of his dark combat boots. "You're a mage? Really? I've never been able to have a conversation with one before. Tell me everything!" Lucy knew that technically she was a mage but she wasn't anything like the mages she read about in Sorcerer's Weekly.

"Slow down, bunny," the man said. "What's got you all excited?"

"You!" she exclaimed and Gajeel couldn't help but feel his pride swell slightly. "You see, my mother was a celestial mage and she passed a few keys down to me. But other than that, I don't really know any true magic.

Gajeel shrugged his shoulders. "I'd say being able to summon spirits is pretty real magic."

"Meh," Lucy said of herself dismissively. "So what type of magic do you use?"

Gajeel considered the girl in front of him before finally saying, "Dragon Slaying magic."

Lucy's eyes widened. "So do you know the Salamander of Fairy Tail? I read about him in Sorcerer's Weekly. I think he's a dragon slayer too."

Gajeel tisked. "Fuck that guy, stupid fairies," he said, closing up a bit. "Why do you read that garbage magazine anyways?"

Lucy threw up her hands. "What else am I going to do with my time? Besides," she said in an exasperated tone, "It's the only magazine that covers wizards."

Gajeel thought about what she was saying for a minute before nodding his head. "Okay, I get that."

Lucy was about to say something else but Gajeel shushed her. "They're approaching the door. Better get out of here unless you want to get in trouble," he warned.

"Damn," she cursed and Gajeel raised the corner of his lips into a slight smile. Before he had a chance to push her away, Lucy invaded his space, moving in close and planting a kiss on his cheek. He reveled in the feeling of her body close to his just for that split second before she pulled back. "Thanks for the conversation, Gajeel. I really enjoyed myself," and before the iron dragonslayer had a chance to respond, the girl was running down the hallway, her pink skirts billowing behind her.

END CHAPTER 1

. . .

Hello lovers!

Welcome to another fanfic! I know, I can't help myself. I always need to have about three going at the same time apparently. This will be a GaLu which is something I've never written before so we'll see how it turns out.

I'm hoping that this won't become such a serious and intense fic like Swipe Right did, but it's me so who knows.

Thanks for being along for the ride! Love you all!

Mus

*"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your fanfiction."