For Loke and Hibiki, two of the most renowned flirts in all of Fiore, being surrounded by giggling—and sometimes drooling—women was not really an uncommon spectacle. So it was that neither of them were surprised at the gaggle of spectators that watched with baited breath as the two sat side by side—a rare occurrence—and sipped from their glasses, inhaling liquor as though it were their lifeblood.

"That's your fifth shot; maybe you should lay off for a while." Loke's gestured toward the glass that his companion had just knocked back, now sitting empty on the bar in front of them. Said companion scoffed, rolling his eyes and yelling to the bar attendant to fetch him a shot of something a bit stronger.

Now Loke rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his drink and feeling the sharp burn as it cascaded down his throat. There was a collective—and not entirely female—sigh as he swallowed, the movement enough to inspire poetry amongst a select few. He, of course, ignored them all as he was not in the mood for female company tonight; or rather, not in the mood for just any female company. He too ordered another glass.

Loke's problems were many and quite boring—but obviously necessary to the story—and he was quite aware that they were what had caused this drinking binge. You see, dear reader, that Loke had just been refused—yet again—by his beautiful, blonde, incredibly unattainable master for the fifth time in as many days. Thus the reason he found himself in this bar, about an hour before the other mage arrived with his merry band of fan girls, bringing yet another problem for Loke.

Because of course, everything these days was a problem for Loke.

Hibiki, that other womanizing, ginger haired man at the bar was, in fact, the ex lover of Loke's former master. Or, shall we say, his dead former master. Needless to say, the details are somewhat sketchy, and I won't go into how she died, but Loke does still harbor some grief and a lingering feeling of guilt for the woman's death—though everyone else who knew the story thought she'd deserved it, just a little.

The mage wanted to blame him as well, though that was more from a sense of having no closure than from any real aversion to the celestial spirit beside him. And, because he found himself unwilling to harbor a grudge any longer, he'd refrained from making any of the biting comments he'd practiced and perfected countless times in front of his full length bedroom mirror. Karen would probably pull her hair out if she could see him now, not blindly cursing at the spirit that was supposedly her downfall. Perhaps her disappointment was yet another reason not to act on his impulse—he raised his glass in agreement with that thought.

Besides, it looked to him as though Loke was doing enough damage for the both of them.

"Do you ever miss her?"

Hibiki's question startled him and Loke glanced, confused. Did he ever miss her? He turned back to his drink, realizing that ever since Lucy had saved him from utter destruction, he hadn't really thought over Karen much—if at all.

Hibiki seemed to take his silence as an answer in itself because he chuckled darkly and sipped his drink again, the double action causing him to choke and half the surrounding population to lean forward in panic. Luckily, within a few moments he waswas better, waving his fan girls away and turning back to the other man.

"I keep trying to get over her, you know. It's like no matter what I do, I keep seeing her standing there and smirking at me, like she used to."

Loke nodded in understanding. Before Lucy, the same had happened to him on a daily basis, and he'd managed to find distraction in women and alcohol—much like Hibiki seemed to be doing. Now he chuckled—all of his thoughts and emotions seemed to be separated into 'Before Lucy' and 'After Lucy' categories. Not surprising with how influential she was to everyone who happened to be near.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

Hibiki glared, or tried to glare at both Lokes sitting next to him, but the effect was ruined with his rather cute pout. The spirit laughed freely at the other, again ignoring the startled intake of their audience.

"I just had an epiphany, that's all."

An eye roll was the first half of his answer. "Enlighten me."

Loke swirled his drink in the crystal, looking thoughtful, trying to word his thoughts in a way that wouldn't upset the archive mage.

"The first three years after Karen's death, I was pretty much useless. My gate was closed, and I had nowhere left to go. Joining Fairy Tail turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done, and I spent all my time focusing on womanizing and taking jobs—and avoiding celestial mages. It was like living in limbo, slowly dying. And then, after three years of existing like that, I met Lucy and she… Well, she convinced me that allowing myself to die was no way to atone for Karen's death, especially not if I felt responsible for what happened.

In the end, she changed me; she saved me, and I love her for that." He chuckled here, this time in a more self-deprecating manner. "Now my problem becomes having to convince her of my sincerity."

Hibiki stared, thoughtful. Sure, he'd wished pain on Leo, but he'd assumed the spirit had no remaining guilt toward his part in Karen's death. Obviously he'd been wrong, and he'd had enough liquor tonight to make him want to be honest with Loke, in return for his seriousness.

"It was partly my fault as well." Loke looked up at this, a bit shocked because he'd known how much the man despised him for hurting his beloved. "I knew what had happened, and I knew why. Even so, I didn't stop her when she tried to go on her mission. I should've locked her up until she agreed to release the both of you, and because I didn't, she…" Hibiki glared into his glass, sullenly tipping it upside down and swallowing it in one large gulp. "At any rate, I've decided to forgive you for your part, if you'll forgive me for mine."

Loke nodded. It was pretty much a given that he hadn't held any negative feelings against the blonde. Sure, he'd felt bitter at times, but again, that was all pre-Lucy.

"She sure is lucky. Lucy; not Karen."

Loke cocked his head, unsure of how to respond.

"You're her knight in shining armor. And all of her friends…you forget, I was there in the fight against Oracion Seis. She's just…lucky."

"You know, I don't think its all luck."

"You're probably right."

They both sat in silence for a while, Loke sipping his drink and Hibiki drawing intricate designs with the sweat from his glass.

"Hey. Why are you here, anyway?"

Loke grimaced. "Lucy's mad at me."

"Can't you go back to the spirit world?"

"The beer tastes better here. Besides, I'm here under my own power; it won't adversely affect Lucy."

Hibiki nodded, deep in thought. "What happened?"

With a sigh, Loke gave up, downing the last swallow of his drink and placing it on the counter with more force than he'd intended. His head dropped to the countertop and he turned to face Hibiki. "She seems to have an aversion to me flirting with her."

Hibiki nodded sagely, head still horizontal, as he pondered this. "She probably thinks you aren't serious."

"Yeah, that's what she said too."

Again, they were silent. The other patrons seemed to have lost interest in the pair, for the most part, although a few hopeful individuals kept sneaking peeks, chomping at the bit for something to happen.

"You should do something for her that you've never done with any other girl."

Loke rolled his eyes, at once proud and disgusted with himself. "How long do you think I've been this attractive? There isn't really much of anything I haven't done at least once. Well, except for…"

Hibiki's eyebrow quirked upward—though it was really more to the left for anyone but Loke. "Except for what?"

"No, never mind; it's something perverted that Lucy would never be ok with."

"Don't be so sure; women are mysterious creatures."

They both pondered his statement with all seriousness, having had previous experience with the odd ways of the female sex.

"So what is it?"

"Hmmm?" Loke glanced back to the mage, aware of what he wanted to know. "Sex, Hibiki. I've never had a threesome with another man involved."

"Ah." Hibiki nodded his head against the wood, his fingers taking a break from playing with the condensed vapor. "You know, I've never done that either, but Sensei says he enjoyed it."

"Again, I don't think Lucy would ever be into that kind of perverted thing."

A shrug and then: "You should ask her anyway; she can't hate you any more than she already does, right?"

Now Loke rolled his eyes. "That's very comforting."

This all, naturally, is what led the stumbling pair three shots later to Lucy's apartment door at two o'clock in the morning, piss drunk and banging on her door to 'Open up!'

It took a while, but eventually she opened the door, rubbing her drooping eyelids and squinting at them in the low light.

"Loke? And…Hibiki? What are you both doing here?"

"Luthie!" Loke smiled at his beautiful princess, attempting to lower himself to one knee and nearly bringing the other man with him when he stumbled. He settled for throwing a bright and cheery grin her way. "I hath to athk you thomthik, Luthie!" He frowned, experimentally licking his lips. His tongue seemed swollen, probably accounting for his terrible lisp, on top of the drunken slur his words held. "You thould have a threethrome with uth!"

She merely rolled her eyes, already exasperated, not even giving a second thought to his words. "You're both drunk, aren't you? Never mind, just come in before you wake my neighbors."

Lucy moved aside, allowing them to stumble past. They barely made it to her sofa before collapsing in a disheveled heap, Hibiki somehow landing sprawled atop Loke and the latter not seeming to care. She stepped in the kitchen, taking a glass from the shelf and filling it with tap water. Honestly, the nerve of those two…!

But then she sighed, knowing that at least Loke's sorry state had probably come from their argument that afternoon. She'd even admit to feeling a little bit guilty for the hangover he'd have in the morning. At this she laughed and brought the glass to her couch, only to find the two boys cuddled up together, both sleeping peacefully.

Now that she looked at them together like this, they looked so similar that Lucy would've thought they were related, had she not known any better. Of course that couldn't be true, but still. They even had the same type of personality! And, of course, they were both more attractive than any man had a right to be. Put them together like this and any normal girl would start to develop more than a few lewd fantasies—and Lucy was nothing if not a normal girl.

Shaking her head at herself, Lucy retreated to her warm bed, thankful that for once it hadn't been invaded by either Natsu or Happy. She'd just have to wait until morning to decide how much groveling to make them submit to.

"Mmm, Lucy, you're so warm…" Loke snuggled his head closer into Lucy's chest, frowning when—instead of encountering plentiful mounds of cushion—he found nothing but hard, firm muscle. "Lucy, have you been working out?"

A derisive snort and a short slap across the back of his head was enough to rouse Loke from the remainder of his slumber. His eyes shot open and he jerked back wildly at the sight of short, spiky ginger hair. He flailed wildly, practically throwing himself off of the couch in his surprise, before he was caught by Hibiki's surprisingly strong arms.

"Easy there, tiger."

Loke glared at the other man. "You do realize that I'm the spirit of the lion."

Hibiki chuckled, teasingly running his fingers through the other's hair. "I know, but you're so amusing to mess with."

The lion sat up, finally taking note of his surroundings. "We're at Lucy's house? How did we get here?"

The other boy joined him in his vertical position—a bit slowly, albeit—before chancing a reply. "I can honestly say that I have no clue." He winced as the morning sun flowed through Lucy's lacy curtains and straight into his face.

Loke grimaced in sympathy. "Hangover?"

Hibiki nodded carefully, clutching his skull. "I haven't had one this bad in years."

"Have no fear; I know where Lucy keeps her Aspirin." He grinned cheekily before jumping up and heading to the bathroom, where Lucy's medicine cabinet held a small variety of over-the-counter painkillers. He returned to find the man in exactly the same position as he'd left. "Here you go; it looks like Lucy left some water here last night as well."

The mage accepted both, nodding thankfully. "Why aren't you in the fetal position?"

A chuckle greeted his question. "One of the perks of being a celestial spirit; I rarely ever have hangovers."

Hibiki glared hatefully. "I really dislike you right now."

Loke tsked quietly, wagging a finger in the air as he strode toward the kitchen. "Now, now. Play nice or I won't make you breakfast."

"That's fine with me; whatever you make will probably end up on the floor, anyway."

"I'll make you some coffee then, alright? Come in here when you think you can move."

Loke set to work, pulling out a small skillet and eggs from the refrigerator, along with milk, cheese, and a few other spices. Bread went into the toaster, and hot water into the coffee pot. There wasn't any bacon, so Loke settled for boiling a small pot of rice next to the eggs. Hibiki joined him in a few moments, and Loke wordlessly places a mug of coffee and a plate of toast with butter and jam in front of him. The mage didn't say a word, but he did take a few sips of coffee, nodding his approval before nibbling on the toast.

"The omelets are almost ready; are you sure you don't want one?"

Hibiki grimaced slightly. Everything smelled good and yet he wasn't confident that he could keep it down. "If there're any extras, I'll eat them in a bit."

Loke nodded, waving his spatula around in the air. "Will you go and wake up Lucy for me? I don't want to leave our food."

Nodding, the boy stood from the counter and forced his feet to walk toward the girl's bedroom. Hibiki had spent time with Lucy during the epic battle with Oracion Seis, but they'd both been too concerned with defeating the dark guild than really taking the time to appreciate each other's physical attributes. Now, Hibiki found himself staring unabashedly at the sleeping celestial mage.

She'd thrown her blanket to the side, so now everything except her tiny feet were bared to his gaze. Her hair rumpled and her mouth open a tad, Lucy resembled the picture of innocence, even though she had a figure that could paralyze a weaker man.

She was cute, he realized; cuter than he was used to dealing with. Even Karen had never held the ability to paralyze him, and she'd never made herself this vulnerable before him, either. He smiled as he entered the room, crossing to sit on the edge of her bed with his back to her. He bowed his head, thinking.

Yes, he remembered most of his and Loke's conversation last night, though parts were blurry and parts were missing altogether. He remembered his insane suggestion to Loke that he should try to get them both in Lucy's pants—though with nicer words—and he was pretty sure that suggestion was why'd they'd ended up in her home.

He also remembered Loke telling him at one point that Lucy had the power to change people, just by being around them long enough and he knew that somewhere deep inside himself, he was hoping that maybe she could change him, just a bit. How, he didn't know, and he knew he couldn't expect much but… Maybe he was beyond help anyway, and this was all a moot point.

A gentle tugging on his shirt roused him from his thoughts and he found that Lucy had apparently sensed his presence because she was pulling, quite insistently, on his clothing. He smiled, leaning back on her bed beside her, and his eyes widened when she pressed her face to the place where his neck met his shoulder and cuddled in to him, sighing contentedly. "Loke…"

That's right, we slept together; I must smell like Loke.

Well, at least the spirit had nothing to fear as far as Lucy returning his feelings.

Content to lay there, unmoving for the moment, it was with a start that Hibiki found himself yanked out of bed a few moments later.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Opening his eyes, he found a face that looked entirely too much like his own staring down at him in annoyance. "Whaa?" was his eloquent reply.

Loke pointed to the bed behind him where Lucy lay, still miraculously asleep and sprawled mostly on her tummy as if she'd lost her body pillow—which, in a way, she had.

"Oh. I was sleeping." Loke continued to glare at him. "Sleeping…with Lucy?" The glare worsened, and Hibiki almost feared for his safety. "She pulled me down; I figured it was ok for a minute, considering what you wanted to do…"

Loke's eyes widened marginally; apparently he'd forgotten his suggestion of the previous night. "Just go into the kitchen while I wake her up."

Hibiki stood, saluting the spirit sarcastically while he exited. He'd barely left the room before he heard a loud screech and a few successive crashes.

Eventually, they all made it to the table where they ate, surrounded by a tense atmosphere. Hibiki noted with a smile that Lucy seemed to genuinely enjoy Loke's cooking and made a note to remind him of that in the future. He was chewing on his toast when Lucy finally asked the question she'd apparently been mulling over.

"So why are you two here?" Loke froze altogether and Hibiki choked on the mush in his mouth, suddenly wishing that he remembered even less of the night before. With their reactions, Lucy sighed. "So it was that nonsense you were shouting last night then, eh?"

Hibiki, the less aware of the two, frowned at the man across the table. "What did I miss last night?"

Lucy's face suddenly broke into a fiery blush and she quickly tore off a piece of her omelet to chew on while Loke reached back to scratch his head.

"I uh…I asked her to have a threesome with us."

Her eyes widening, she swallowed before yelling at him. "Don't just say it so openly like that!"

He looked down, apparently in shame. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I shouldn't have said it at all."

Hibiki, watching the whole encounter, didn't fail to notice when her blush increased after his apology. He wondered if, perhaps, the pretty young miss had entertained the idea herself. Deciding that it was time for him to step in and salvage the conversation, since it didn't seem like either of them were up to saying anything, he stood from his chair.

Hibiki walked behind Lucy, leaning over her shoulder while rubbing gentle, concentric circles on the back of her neck. "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. You should really be more open minded. Do you realize what Loke is trying to say to you?" Said lion looked extremely uncomfortable, and just a bit annoyed with their contact. Hibiki smiled, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"You see, he told me last night that that is really the only thing he's never done with a girl. Now, that may be because he doesn't know very much," at this comment, Loke growled a bit, "or it could be that he really is that much of a perv." Again, Loke's reply was to growl at the mage currently hypnotizing his master with expert fingers on her neck and shoulders.

"Loke's a pervert." Lucy's voice was breathy and they almost missed her comment. Loke sat down from where he'd partly stood, looking depressed, and Hibiki let a surprised grin grace his features. "So are you, Hibiki. I really shouldn't be letting you touch me."

Their positions reversed and Hibiki's ego suitably deflated, he cleared his throat, continuing on with his speech. "You see, Princess, Loke has immense feelings for you, which is why he wants you to be special; that's why he asked you for that favor, not because he was trying to be crude."

Hibiki wasn't even sure why he was trying so hard to convince this girl to open her arms to them. True, it pained him to see these two so obviously in love and yet separated, and true, he wanted a bit of Lucy for himself. Even truer, the thought of Lucy being that close to him, even for this one time, gave him a sense of hope that he hadn't felt since Karen's death. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking or foolishly misplaced faith, but his heart was convinced that his life rested on whether or not he could have Lucy open up to him.

Loke seemed to finally understand just how much Hibiki had placed on this trial—moreover; he nodded his acceptance to the boy, moving to kneel beside Lucy's chair. "I want to prove to you that you can trust me." His hand gently stroked her cheek, bringing her attention to him.

Her answer had been decided even before he opened his mouth. The second she'd looked in his eyes, she'd known how much she wanted to be with him—and surprisingly, for just this once, she didn't mind having Hibiki there as well. He was like a buffer, preventing her from falling into any unseen ditches and yet steering her to the cliff her heart was so desperate to jump off of.

"I love you, Lucy."

His mouth was inches from her own then, obviously not wanting to move too fast for her, but Lucy was ready to be kissed and she knew that if he didn't do so soon, she'd lose her nerve. So, she did the only thing she could do; she made the first move. Her lips met his in a sweet, tangy kiss that made her tingle in an odd way, meanwhile Hibiki's mouth came down to plant gentle kisses on her neck and shoulders. She stopped caring about all of the reasons she'd decided not to do this; instead she kissed him with everything she'd been hiding for so long now.

He broke the kiss awhile later, while Hibiki's hands trailed down her arms, creating goose bumps. "Let's move this to another room, shall we?"

Lucy knew she should feel uncomfortable. At the very least, she should feel self-conscious, embarrassed, even, but she felt none of that. In fact, having the two boys surrounding her, touching her, she lost herself and yet, she'd never felt more at home. They were comforting as they pulled her between them, pressing her on her back as they removed her clothing with reverence. Hibiki teased her lips with his own, not as outright demanding as Loke had been, yet seeming to ask for something she had no idea how to give.

She pondered this in the back of her mind until she felt fingers ghosting over her sensitive areas, cold drafts of air aiding the sensations. Hibiki bit down gently on her lower lip, his fingers lightly tugging on a nipple and she cried out, surprised at the foreign feeling. His tongue entered her mouth and at once she was overwhelmed all over again.

While Lucy was distracted, Loke's roaming fingers slid over her thighs and lower abdomen, neatly avoiding her core as he took a good, long look at her pink flower. Lucy was beautiful in every way, and staring at her while she writhed in pleasure from his new friend's fingers, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed himself.

His mouth glided forward to take a taste of her center and she gasped, arching her hips in pleasure. A moan escaped her lips as Hibiki gently flicked a nipple with his tongue, squeezing the other with his fingers. Loke lapped up her spilled juices, savoring the unique taste while she twisted and turned, searching for something he was sure she'd never experienced. Lucy thought she'd died and gone to heaven when Hibiki returned to her mouth, pulling on both of her nipples at the same time that one of Loke's fingers entered her moist heat, curling to press against her walls.

For his part, Loke felt that he was slowly being driven insane with her lustful cries and the way that her inner muscles were clenching frantically around him. He thrust his middle finger in and out of her for a little while, curling it every now and then, before adding another, to which she groaned, a bit uncomfortable. Loke circled her clit with his tongue, doing his best to distract her from her discomfort and, of course, succeeding. Not even full minutes later, Lucy felt something crashing over her, like a wave of pleasure, and her voice rose without her consent. Lucy mewled in pleasure and the two boys continued their ministrations, satisfied with her response.

When Lucy finally stopped shivering, the two of them turned her on her side and lay her between them, still rubbing gentle patterns on her skin. Loke and Hibiki, communicating silently, nodded to each other before Loke's lips sought out Lucy's and Hibiki's hands went to her breast and thigh. They were both aware of Lucy's virginity, and neither wanted to hurt her, but she was prepared as best as they could manage and hopefully that would suffice.

Hibiki lifted Lucy's leg over his own, reaching around to spread her slit with his fingers before pushing his head up against her. She squirmed a bit at first, but otherwise did nothing as he slid in a bit more, and then a bit further until he felt her trying to break free from them both. Left with little alternative, he pressed his nose to her neck and whispered a small apology before thrusting forward, immediately breaking her hymen.

Lucy shuddered, her fingers clutching Loke and her inner muscles adjusting to the intrusion. He tried his best not to move, instead tweaking her nipple and circling her slightly swollen clit. When he pressed down on it, she rocked back on his erection, causing him to groan before she lid forward again, whimpering a bit—whether in pain or pleasure he wasn't sure.

"Hibiki…please move." With a gentle kiss on her shoulder he began rocking in and out of her warmth. The friction alone was enough to make him blissfully happy, but she massaged him with a vice like grip as if she was reluctant to let him escape her. Momentarily forgetting himself, he pulled almost completely out before surging back in and she moaned loudly, back arching as if she'd enjoyed his deep stroke. He repeated the process several times, hands joining Loke's in roaming over her body.

Lucy was quickly racing toward her second orgasm, and she felt the need to say something—thank him or compliment him, she wasn't sure—but she couldn't speak, could hardly breathe, and she settled for reaching back to sink her fingers in his gorgeous ginger hair, bringing his lips to hers and tasting him yet again.

Maybe it was the kiss, or maybe it was Loke teasing her body while Hibiki stroked her insides with increasing velocity. Whatever it was that made Lucy cum, she couldn't say, but she again mewled into Hibiki's mouth, her pussy clenching even tighter than before while Hibiki continued to thrust inside her. After riding out her orgasm, he could feel himself ready to burst and so, with one last, deep thrust, he pulled out and let go, sending ropes of thick semen across her back.

Hibiki rolled onto his back and Lucy followed him, rolling over onto her knees so that she knelt above his prone frame. It was odd to her that even though he didn't love her, he could still make her feel so comfortable, and she felt horrible for not knowing how to make things better for him. Loke had told her before about his relationship to Karen—that other, crueler celestial mage—and Lucy wondered if he too was still suffering under her influence.

A quick glance to the side showed Loke with his head propped on a hand, staring at the two of them with more than a little lust. His erection was prominent and dripping precum, which reminded Lucy of why her back felt so odd.

Naturally, being a good girl and all, Lucy had never seen a penis before—except Gray, but then she'd never actually seen anything. Now, she was surprised to find that, though they looked extremely similar in face and form, their members were oddly different.

For instance, Hibiki had a slip of skin that rose up to cover the plum shaped head on his tip, whereas Loke's had none—unashamed and clearly basking in her open speculation. Even so, Loke's was covered in a thin smattering of ginger hair that trailed down from his stomach in an almost arrow-like fashion. Hibiki's, however, had none.

Feeling the need for a closer, look, Lucy scooted down a bit, picking up the mage's semi-engorged cock in her hand. He grunted at the contact, still sensitive from having cum only moments before, and she looked up at him, smirking evilly. Her tongue slipped out in an amateur version of something she'd read about in a magazine, but to Hibiki, the feeling of her tongue flicking against the back of the head was causing him to rapidly inflate again.

Loke, tired of being left out, crawled silently behind her and placed his hands on her hips, tilting her up enough to easily slide himself inside of her wet passage. They both groaned and Lucy's hot breath on the second boy's cock sent a shiver up his spine. Loke bent over, carefully balancing himself so that his arms bore the brunt of his weight and lightly nipped at Lucy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I promise to make our next time gentler." She nodded as if she understood even as he began rapidly thrusting into her, slowly pulling out, and then repeating the process again. His rhythm was disjointed, but even so, she found herself enjoying the way he slammed into her womb, pushing her mouth further over Hibiki's cock. It was like he was controlling the both of them and for a celestial spirit mage who was used to giving orders to her spirits, she found herself strangely turned on. Hibiki felt the same. Lucy on her own was amazing, but Lucy without control was something he hadn't known he wanted, and he liked it so much that he found himself losing control all too quickly.

His cock exploded in her mouth, right as Loke thrust forward and she had no choice but to swallow the majority of his release, some of it sliding down her chin. Loke, having bitten her shoulder and stayed there this whole time, seemed to sense his friend's release and pulled back, bringing Lucy with him. The sudden change in position coupled with Hibiki's hand on her clit caused her slowly building release to shower over her full force, and she met Loke's searching mouth with her own.

He couldn't stand the delicious way she squeezed him during her orgasm and, just like Hibiki, waited until the last second before pulling out—reaching a hand down to point his dick toward the mattress instead of at Hibiki. The two of them collapsed to the side, spooned together peacefully. Lucy was so exhausted that she was unaware of when Hibiki stood to leave, but Loke grabbed his arm, communicating his thanks with his eyes when the boy turned back around. Smiling, he left before putting clothes on in the living room and letting himself out of her apartment.

Lucy had—unknowingly, of course—provided Hibiki with something that he'd desperately needed. True, she had barely said anything to him other than to call him a pervert, and true, she had already been asleep when he left, but she'd given him comfort when she was too vulnerable to know him from her true prince and shown him what true love between two people really looked like—as opposed to what he'd shared with Karen.

Perhaps three years was too long to mourn for his lost love, or perhaps it was just long enough. Either way, he didn't intend to give her a fourth year of bitterness, and he stepped out into the afternoon sun with the sense of closure he'd been seeking and, in addition, a newfound hope that eventually he might find his own Lucy.

He chuckled to himself, knowing that Loke would have his hands full keeping her pleased for as long as they were both able, and he crossed his fingers that Lucy would finally admit to the both of them exactly how she felt about the womanizing spirit.

Lucy sighed, snuggling into her warm pillow. But no, she was awake enough to realize—and to remember—that the man she was cuddled up to was not, in fact, her pillow. Rather, he was one of her many stellar spirits and—most importantly—he was the one she'd just given herself to, wholly and without a doubt.

His even breathing told her he was still asleep, even though she could feel his eyes burning holes in the top of her head. "I love you, you know."

Lucy felt her cheeks grow hot—odd considering what they'd done earlier that afternoon. "I know." She wanted to say it, she really did. But honestly, she was terrified. Even after everything that had happened—after everything she'd been a part of—she was still afraid that he would leave her, or get bored with her.

And one day, when she died, he'd forget all about her.

Somehow, in light of that, telling him she loved him seemed entirely too painful.

"Do you trust me?"

It was as though he'd read her mind. That was, after all, the center of her worries, wasn't it? Lucy wasn't sure how to trust this womanizing, lovable, incredible spirit, and she didn't know how to trust herself either.

She trusted him with her life; why was it so hard to trust him with her heart? Was it really that much more fragile?

She loved him. She wanted desperately for him to love her back. Lucy even knew that she was the only thing stopping them from being together, happily ever after.

"Yeah, Loke. I trust you."

And she'd probably kick herself for that one later on. For right now though, Loke seemed to be purring, his head resting on her head and she grinned, snuggling closer into him. They were still naked, she realized, and she had some dried…substance on her back that she really needed to clean off. Her blankets needed to be cleaned off as well.

That could all wait; for now, Lucy was going to cuddle with her lion king, and maybe eventually she'd work up the courage to tell him how much she loved him.

Eventually.

Notes: Ok, some of this was a bit OOC, even for me. Apologies for any and all grammatical/spelling mistakes, but I wanted to get this posted before I chickened out, so I'll fix it tomorrow. At any rate, this was inspired by the endnotes on Lukinari's ficlet 'Flirt Fest'. So, there ya go. And yes, I did make this rated M, sue me. Actually, please don't.

On another note, I don't even ship this pair, so will someone tell me why I keep turning out LoLu fics? What's wrong with a stinkin Grucy or even a crack fic like Nuvia? Although, I'd love to write some for Cana and Gray. (My two fave characters... *sigh*) Anyway... I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to review. I'd prefer if you left a name cause I promise to check out your stuff too, but if you don't...then you don't. *shrugs*

Ok bai bai! :D:D:D