Lucy clutched her pillow tighter, dabbing her eyes dramatically with a spare tissue. In front of her, a lacrima TV played a cheesy romance film.

A ceramic maroon bowl sat unceremoniously in her lap, half empty from her constant snacking. The buttery popcorn seemed to help soothe her blubbering sobs.

"Damn you!" She wailed, tissues tossed messily around her blanket-clad body. She sniffed, watching the main character cry because her boyfriend had gotten amnesia and had forgotten her completely.

She was a real sap. Seriously. In real life, she was a tough nut. She would do her best, and meander through life unaffected by its cruel graces. But, put a cliché movie in front of her or a sappy, tragic book in her lap, and she'd turn into a sobbing mess.

Books especially made her cry. They just had such meaningful words and descriptions. Lucy sighed heavily, taking a sip of her sugary soda. The soft drink fizzled in her mouth, and she swished it back and forth.

"Wha...What are you doing?" A voice piped up, an eyebrow raised. She nearly spat out her precious carbonated beverage at the disturbance.

Lucy scrambled, turning the Lacrima TV off in a panic. Hastily shaking her mess of tissues onto the floor under her navy blanket, she slammed the dark red bowl on the coffee table.

"M-Me!? I wasn't doing anything," She stammered, smoothing her crumpled band T-shirt in a haste. Her black shorts rode up on her legs, and she tugged them down lower. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, the strands tucked away unceremoniously as she obviously had not cared about her hair.

Laxus gave her a sour look, not at all convinced. Noticing the tissues half-hidden by her blanket, he burst into peals of laughter.

"Who knew such a strong person could be such a sap! Not to mention a dork..." Lucy twitched.

"I'll have you know, I accidentally turned that movie on!"

"Sure, sure, Blondie. Then why were you crying like a baby?"

She stuck her tongue out, flashing him an irritated smile.

"I have a lot of emotions, thunder thighs. Unlike you."

A smirk crawled its way up his face and Lucy shook her head in horror at his cat-like grin.

He slinked closer, scooping her up into his arms when she tried to dash away.

"Laxus!" She protested.

"I have plenty of emotions," A deep, husky voice whispered into the crook of her neck. She shivered unconsciously, tightening her grip.

He leaned closer, and time seemed to slow to a crawl as his face pushed past the distance. She could hear her own heartbeat thrumming in her ears, loud and erratic. She swallowed thickly, gulping away her anxiety.

When he was close enough that she could see specks of chocolate brown in his deep blue eyes, her breathing halted. The brown reminded her of islands in the rambunctious sea. Meanwhile, Laxus noticed that her eyes were the opposite of his own. A honey brown, with an amber glow. Offset by swirls of ocean blue, tinting her eyes in a unique and beautiful way.

When they finally closed the distance, all thoughts of the outside world vanished. They forgot about the abandoned bowl of popcorn discarded on the coffee table, about the lack of money, they even forgot about the simple, stupid problems they faced daily. Like how Lucy couldn't seem to muster the motivation to wash her overflowing laundry, and Laxus didn't want to buy a new coat even though his current one was old as hell, and covered in holes and severed seams.

As their lips touched, Lucy swore something inside her fluttered. She remembered the feeling of thinking he was lost forever, of thinking he was dead. As she clung onto him, her mouth melting against his, she tangled her fingers in his spiky blonde locks like he may disappear any second.

Everything was passionate, as she poured every bit of emotion she felt into the kiss. All her pain, all her loneliness, all her love, her adoration, her devotion, her fear. He returned her feelings with equal fervor, making her light-headed.

"You're in love!~"

They broke apart, albeit reluctantly on Laxus's part. He glared at the cheeky sapphire colored exceed, who was giggling smugly into his tiny paws.

"What the hell, fish breath?" He gritted out.

Lucy chuckled, and Happy flew into her arms with a snide smile at Laxus.

"Lucy, it never ceases to amaze me on how you put up with him. He's got a lot of issues...you must have a kind heart," Happy said, his sly grin making Laxus want to ring his little neck.

"You damn cat!" He snarled.

Lucy looked straight at Happy and nodded glumly.

"I know right?! He just doesn't seem to appreciate the sacrifices I make to be with a hooligan like him. Oh, bless!" She blusters dramatically, making the mood lighten.

Happy thanked her mentally, as she had just miraculously saved him from a very bloody, very tragic death by lightning. It would have been a very sad funeral. He'd probably ask Lucy to decorate his funeral with fish.

"So...was there something you needed Happy?" Lucy asked, rolling on the balls of her feet.

Laxus muttered under his breath, "Before you so rudely interrupted."

Happy brushed his comment off, knowing he was just disappointed his love time was cut off. He was a real leech when it came to Lucy.

"It's Levy. She has something she wants to tell you or something. I wasn't exactly listening..." He said sheepishly.

Lucy sighed but looked down at herself. She was feeling too lazy to go change normally. Is this how Erza felt daily?

"Requip, normal clothes!" She flashed into a pair of soft skinny jeans, and a black and vibrant green sweatshirt with a cat design on the front. Her shoes were black hightops since she loathed heels with a passion.

"Let's go." She motioned for the two to follow her, as she abandoned her mess of a living room to go to her favorite place. Well, other than her bed and kitchen.