Laxus was the first to awake. Thought it was a hour or two from sunrise, light from a street lamp out side the window gave the room a soft glow. Though his arm was was sore from both the gash he had gotten from battle, and the blondes head laying on it, he had gotten the best sleep he had had in months.

Laxus lifted his head, stretching out his stiff muscles, careful not to move the arm Lucy was using as a pillow. However, he did untangle the leg he had resting on her ankle.

"D-Don't..." The small whisper drew Laxus's attention. It was almost too quiet for him to hear, even with his Dragon Slayer hearing.

Lucy was faced away from him, one hand on her chest and the other stuffed towards her mouth. Her breathing was even and he was sure she was just talking in her sleep.

"Lucy?" Laxus asked, his voice cracking slightly from sleep. He cleared his throat and called her name again.

Lucy moaned, this time it was more annoyed. "No... I wanna sleep more..." A small pout tipped her lips.

Laxus snorted his amusement, careful not to wake her.

Laxus had noticed Lucy Heartfilia before. Hell, it had been before the Phantom Lord incident that he noticed her. It was reason he asked her to be his when she was in danger, the reason he acted so... idiotic and argent towards her was because he noticed her. It was such a stupid reason, he knew, but even while he thought of her as a weak link in his guild, he had noticed her golden hair, her chocolate brown eyes that squinted shut when she smiled big and bright at something Natsu or Erza had said. Sure, she hadn't been more then a passing thought during training with Freed and his team, but it had been a good thought. He thought about her laugh, how part of him wanted her to smile or laugh at something he said.

At the guild, leaning against the side of the second floor railing, he would seek out her blonde hair among the sea of Fairy Tail mages, watching her interact with the others. He sneered at their laughing faces, at her laughing face. But she was one of the people he watched when he was board.

But then he stopped thinking about her when he was cast from Fairy Tail. What good would it do for him to think of the people he would never be able to be family with again?

Then, during Tenru, she had congratulated him. She had smiled at him. She had spoken to him. For what it was worth, she excepted him back into the guild like all the others. But he never felt like he should be able to be their family again. He had hurt them in so many ways.

So he kept his eyes away.

There were days they would pass on the street. When he was with his team heading out for a mission, or when he was going home. Lucy would smile at him and say hello. She didn't stop to chat with him, she didn't ask him how he was in depth. She would greet him at the guild. But it was always in passing.

He wondered now just how many times he had watched her just to pass the time. He wondered how he knew she liked strawberry shakes. How he knew she always scowled in a curtain way before 'Lucy Kicking' Natsu when he broke into her house. How often he took a breathe in as she passed just to get a small breath of that vanilla. How often his eyes followed her as she left the guild at night.

Laxus had no idea how he knew knew those things. But he wasn't at all upset that he did. They were always there, stuffed behind memories of his father and Nab at the request board. Just there.

Laxus chuffed at himself and rolled to lay on his back.

Lucy rolled with him, snuggling her nose deep into the chest of his purple shirt. Her body stretching out in her half awake state. "Hmm..." Her eyes slowly peaking open, lazy smile tipping up her lips. It brightened the dark half moons under her eyes considerably.

After a few moments, Lucy turned her head up to look at Laxus' face. And then she blushed, her face practically glowing in the new sunlight. Slowly, she pushed herself away from his chest, a hand rubbing at her cheek- mostly to hide her face from him.

"I'm sorry," She said, she just have been used to Natsu's super hearing because she didn't try to change her small tone for him. "I didn't mean to crowd you..."

"It's nothing." Laxus shrugged and watched her slid off the mattress. Her bare feet touched down on the cold stone floor with small 'tsp's. She pressed down her blue blouse, her hands freezing in place when he spoke next; "You only held me like a stuffed toy the whole night."

Laxus watched the tips of her ears turn red. She lifted a hand to her mouth and she bent slightly as she turned most likely a small tell of how mortified she was with her actions. She made a squeaking noise as she opened her mouth. "Oh my Kami-sama," She whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Laxus couldn't help the tough bark of laughter that bubbled up while watching her. "Your embarrassing yourself more then it bothers me."

Lucy huffed and turned away from him again. She shifted her white and blue skirt around on her hips to sit straight, pulling the ribbon out of her hair to fix the long strands. She combed them with her fingers and pulled them back up into that side pony tail she always kept.

He wondered if she would do the same thing if she had woken up in his home, in his own bed. Maybe after a tough mission together they would end up in the bed at his place- or maybe even hers- under blankets that smelled like vanilla and rainstorms. She would wear one of his shirts, preferably one of his purple button ups, so big it dwarfed her shoulders and reached her thighs, just the tips of her fingers visible as she tried to roll up the sleeves.

Would she take a shower in his overly large bathroom, steam clouding the glass? Would she have to wear the same things she wore the day before home, or would she have thought enough ahead to bring over a bag? He would gladly give her the right side of his closet, where the clothes from four years ago sat now, too small for him to fit into. Hell, maybe she would keep a few of them to wear at his place.

He thought she would be so very attractive in his clothing. Laxus didn't even want it to be sexual. The thoughts were... pure... he didn't just want her naked in his bed like he did every other girl he had been attracted to- though he wouldn't dismiss the thought. He wanted her to be asleep in his bed when he got home from drinking with Bixslow. He wanted her waiting with dinner when he got home from a mission, a keg of beer when it was a hard one.

"Laxus?" Lucy's sweet voice broke through his thoughts. He stashed them into the farthest part of his brain like all the other thoughts of her. "What is it? You were staring."

Laxus shook his head. "It's nothing, Blondie."

Lucy huffed back at him. "And here I was going to invite you out for breakfast as a thank you. Well, forget it, asshat."

Laxus snorted out a laugh at her colorful words, genuinely amused that the sweet blond had chosen that name over something more simple and mundane like... asshole, or jerkwad. But, he supposed Lucy was a writer, she would know many more insulting names then him.

Lucy huffed even louder, annoyed at him and spun on her heels making it to the door before she realized she was shoe-less. She turned around and gave him a nasty look as she grabbed her boots. "Wait, wait," He laughed. She once against stopped just before the door, turning to look over her shoulder at him.

"What?" She puffed out her cheeks in a way even Laxus would say was a cute manner.

"I'd like to get some breakfast if you would still like to."

Lucy's face turned to one of surprise, a breath whooshing out suddenly. She stood there watching him for a moment, then slowly her head began to nod.

Laxus couldn't help but chuckle at her. She was just so cute. "Just let me get dressed Blondie."

"UGH! You're blonde too!"

I hoped you guys liked it. Once again, I'm sorry for it taking so long. But anyway, I might make it another chapter or two, but they might be just as long of a wait as this one. SORRY! (Did you know asshat is not actually considered a word? I sure didn't!)

SINDER-CHAR OUT~!