Holy shit, I finally got this one done! So very sorry it took me so long - I just didn't have the inspiration for it, and as you know, I absolutely will not post lack-luster work. That being said, this still went an entirely different direction than I'd planned and honestly than the other chapters, but maybe that's okay. You can let me know. If it doesn't work, then maybe I'll revisit it and we can go from there.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you the chapter and remind you that I don't own Fairy Tail. Our esteemed Hiro Mashima does.

Lots of love to my bestie, Nicole4211 and my Triplet Sisters, Gemnika and LittlePrincessNana for reading over this and giving it the pervy seal of approval. I love you guys so much!

The Twelve Months of Fairy Tail

Chapter 5

Lucy stood there, refusing to move a muscle until she heard the distinct sound of the door clicking shut, and even then, she was too terrified to move. What if Gajeel hadn't actually left? What if he was faking the whole thing and he was actually still standing there just inside the door like some Adonis come to demolish her by way of her lust riddled mind?

She was a mess, the quintessential hot mess people were always talking about, and it was all their faults. These men were supposed to be her friends - they weren't supposed to enjoy her pain so much. Well, to be fair, she wasn't actually in pain, though she had doubts about that for the end of the day. She had a feeling that should this trend continue, she'd be in a world of hurt once it was time to head home. Already, her body was a mass of sensation, the space between her legs throbbing like she'd just endured a profoundly long bout of foreplay. Should she have the desire to engage in a round of hot sex, she'd be all fired up and ready to go - no further actions required.

But she wasn't. Or rather she was, but she shouldn't be.

Mavis, this was all so confusing...and frustrating. She almost wished she was the type to hop into bed with a random guy if for no other reason than to alleviate the ache between her thighs and settle the disturbingly erotic things in her mind.

She really needed to start dating again...like today.

Expelling a shaky breath, Lucy pressed a hand to her chest and tried for another pep talk. The last one hadn't worked out so well, but she was certain she could do better this time. She still had two more guys to get through, and quite frankly, she had a feeling she'd be needing the extra bolstering.

"Okay Lucy, you can do this. Just two more guys and then you're home free." she muttered softly.

How sad was it that she didn't even sound convincing to herself? She just couldn't seem to believe that the other two men would play nice. Neither were all that professional in their usual routine, and with one being a massive perv and the other an incurable flirt, she couldn't imagine her day was about to get easier.

Thankfully though, she got to pick who went next, and if her choice was between someone who enjoyed a bit of harmless flirting and someone who went straight for the groin, she was going with harmless. She could use a bit of that right now.

So, she drew in a steadying gulp of air and reached for her keys only to have a burst of light appear just in front of her. She blinked rapidly as the sparkles faded, revealing the very spirit she was about to call. How he'd known she was ready for him, she didn't know, but it was something he did on a continual basis. He always seemed to show up just when she required his assistance, and sometimes, much to her annoyance, even when she didn't.

Still, it was good to see him. First and foremost, they were friends, and she loved spending time him. Plus, he was her loyal Spirit, and as such, he would surely take pity on her.

"Princess!" he gushed, reaching for her hand as he folded himself into a low sweeping bow. He peered up at her from his bent position and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "You look positively stunning as always."

Lucy couldn't repress a grin even as she rolled her eyes at him. It was just as she'd expected, and it served to settle her nerves right down. Had he come out acting out of the norm, she'd have been worried that he intended to put her through the wringer just like all the others had done before him. But he was just as he always was, and Lucy finally felt like she could breathe easily.

Even so, it was a bit odd to see this version of Loke behaving in such a way. He'd appeared much like she'd seen him on her first day at Fairy Tail with that fur-lined coat and three piercings in his left ear. It had been a while since he'd brought out the old look, and though it was a strange contrast with his behavior, she had to admit, he looked just as good as he usually did. And it would actually work really well with the first pose she'd chosen for him.

"Hi Loke. You ready to get started?"

Just like she'd known he would, her orange-haired Spirit pouted. "You didn't even acknowledge my compliment."

Lucy just laughed and spun on her heels. "I never do. You know that."

"But...but this is a special day, Princess."

She glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Why's that?"

"You're taking pictures of me, of course...with nearly nothing on," he purred, his voice sliding into the tone he adopted every time he tried to sweep her off her feet. "It'll be so romantic, so...sensual."

The blonde drew in a sharp breath and whipped around to face him. "What in the world are you talking about?"

This could not be happening. Not Loke too. She'd chosen him because she thought he'd be safe, and now, here he was spouting nonsense about this activity being sensual. Romance she could have handled. It was what he was constantly chasing her with, but sensual...that was something else entirely. And with her brain taking a backseat to her libido, she had no idea how she'd react.

Loke moved in a step and flashed her a grin. "It's just like the scene from Titanic where Jack draws Rose naked."

"Loke!" Lucy gaped at him as she recalled the incredible sexual tension between the characters in that moment. And he was acting like it would be the same with them! Instantly, she regretted that she'd ever shown him that movie. She couldn't believe he was using it as a reference to compare with what they were about to do. Okay, so he was losing some clothes so she could take his picture but that wasn't the same thing. She and Loke weren't like that, and she most certainly wasn't taking his picture just to see him naked.

Though a part of her would admit to a slight bit of curiosity over the reason for so many Magnolia women fawning over him. It was purely clinical. She wasn't curious about what he looked like under his clothes. She just wondered what it was that had swept so many girls off their feet.

Yes, that's exactly what it was. Nothing naughty to see here inside her head. This time, she was innocent.

Only that wasn't exactly true. She hated that she was always so honest with herself because that meant admitting that she did wonder about Loke's physique. She couldn't exactly help it. All those women had fallen all over themselves over him, and it made her crazy not to know why. The dirtier parts of her mind asked the questions she simply couldn't voice. Was his body deliciously formed like the other men she'd seen today? Was he perhaps hung like a horse? Or was he somehow impossibly good in bed? The latter would make sense considering the sheer amount of time he'd been around.

Shaking her head at the path her thoughts had taken, Lucy frowned at the Leader of the Zodiac, noticing that his grin had widened even further. It was as if he had noticed where her mind had gone and had taken complete credit for the direction.

"Don't look so worried, Princess," he went on cheerfully, seeming to have not a care in the world. "We'll wait on the naked parts until you're ready."

Lucy huffed. The man was incorrigible. "That is not happening here, Loke."

His response was nothing more than a smug look and a quick wink, and Lucy felt her nerves take a distinct dive. He was planning something. It was written there across his face, but what could it be? She'd told no one about the positioning she'd chosen for each of the men, so it wasn't like he could figure out some way to change things in his favor.

But she knew that look. It was one she'd seen nearly all day, one that said clearly that they knew something she didn't know. Laxus, Gray, Gajeel...they'd all had that same expression, and look what they had done to her. Suddenly, she felt a bit like the fluffy little bunny Gajeel called her.

Her knees trembled as his lips quirked, and he turned to the side, giving her an excellent view of his profile. "What do you want me to take off first?"

Finding her voice, she muttered a soft, "Shirt," as she forced herself to back away under the guise of getting things prepared for his shoot.

"Don't you want to watch?"

No, she most certainly did not! And yet, she couldn't seem to help herself. She turned to find him with that same cocky grin on his face as he elegantly shrugged his coat from his shoulder and then reached for the hem of his t-shirt. Lucy watched with bated breath as the orange cloth inched its way up his torso, and she felt her eyes widen as she got her first glimpse of his exposed flesh. His pants were snug around narrow hips, curving around an equally tempting butt, and Lucy swallowed hard as her eyes traveled up his side. She knew she shouldn't be studying him this way. It was so very wrong, but she couldn't pull her gaze away, not when he was pulling the shirt up over his head, causing the muscles in his side to tense and bunch so deliciously. He was lean, and yet he still managed to look sturdy...like he could hold her up against a wall and...

An amused chuckle sounded from the man she'd been ogling, and Lucy coughed, her face going bright red as she realized she'd been caught.

What the hell was she doing? She wasn't supposed to be drooling over Loke. The man was completely off-limits - he was her Spirit for Mavis' sake! And yet, there was something liberating about knowing she couldn't do anything with him. That was one line she knew she would never cross, so Loke very well might be the only man she could legitimately fantasize about without the worry of giving in.

Still, it was best not to take any chances.

"Okay, let's get to work," she announced with as much aplomb as her current state would allow. She was shaken. There were no two ways about it. He was getting to her, and they hadn't even gotten started yet. The only thing she could do was keep pressing on and pretend like hell to be as unaffected as she normally was. She only hoped she had somehow gotten better at faking shit in the last 20 minutes.

Yeah, that sounded promising...

Lucy waited for Loke to turn, and like the professional she was trying to be, threw a hand out to indicate where she wanted him to go. Now that he was facing her, she was tempted to take a quick peek at the full view, see what all the fuss was about, but she denied herself. She'd read somewhere that was good for you, but as far as she was concerned, it was damned near impossible. Everything insider her wanted to scroll down his body like the pages of a book, and the longer she stood there, the worse it got.

Needing a moment, she closed her eyes and just for caution's sake, pressed her hand against them.

"Everything okay, Princess?"

His tone was light and teasing, and Lucy had no doubt the irritating man knew just what her problem was. But the joke was on him, because she refused to be bated into drooling over his admittedly hot body. At least she'd try not to. Like really try.

Still, she was just a woman. And she had a job, one that required her to at least look at him. But she couldn't avoid staring. Certainly she was capable of that.

Giving herself a curt nod, she opened her eyes and forced herself to meet his eyes. It took only a moment for her gaze to try to ease down past his face, but she very deliberately pulled them back to where she'd started.

Loke watched her struggle with an almost self-satisfied smile. There was no doubt he knew what she doing, but Lucy couldn't worry about that right now. Her battle was with herself, and she was determined to win at least once today. Too bad it was proving to be a pain in the ass.

Drawing on the memory of what she'd planned, Lucy approached the half-naked man before her, trying like hell to forget that he was in fact half-naked, and said with all the authority she could muster, "Alright, turn around backwards. Not all the way, kind of angled." She waited until she'd moved into the position she wanted, and then added, "Now twist the top part of your body around and turn your head so that you can see me. Good, now I want you to do what you do when you call for the Regulus power."

Loke arched a brow at her over his shoulder. "And why am I doing this with my back turned?"

"So your guild mark will show."

"Mhmm..." he hummed, a grin morphing his face with glee. "You sure you didn't just want a peek at my butt?"

Lucy drew back with a flush. "No!" It was a quick denial, one that would easily prove her innocence of such a statement...if she hadn't then let her eyes drop to do exactly what he'd suggested she was trying to do.

A loud laugh brought her gaze back up to where it should be, and the blonde nearly groaned at the pleased look on her lion's face. He was enjoying this way too much.

"Oh shut up and do what I said!"

This was supposed to be her easy one, but Loke was making everything more difficult. Damn men and their amazing bodies. They were going to be the death of her.

Another snicker slipped out, and then Loke got serious. His upper body twisting to the side, he raised one arm in a perfect 90 degree angle and closed his fingers into a fist. His ring glinted off the lights Lucy had rigged in the room, and Lucy felt a rush as she watched his set his other hand at the inside of his other arm's elbow and then whisper the incantation for his right to shine. It was just what Lucy had been looking for - right down to the fiercely protective expression on his face.

He looked just as he did the day they'd faced off against Bickslow, and Lucy had known then that as long as she had Loke, she would never be alone in a fight. It was the first of many times he'd saved her life, and a day didn't go by that she didn't think of it. He was her friend, her Spirit, and right now, with that look staring right out at her, he was suddenly so much more.

The man she'd never considered more than a playful buddy was becoming a sexual force to be reckoned with right before her very eyes, and she felt the zing of attraction hit her like a ton of bricks. The air stalled in her lungs, and it was only by sheer force of will that Lucy was able to shut it down enough to do her job. Hurriedly, she brought the camera up and clicked off a series of photos, stepping to the side once or twice to gain another angle, and then she was done.

She let her arm drop beside her, her camera still held tightly in her clutches and sighed. She didn't know how she was going to make it through the rest of this day, especially considering what she'd planned for Loke next. There was no way she could do it. Her hormones would spontaneously combust if she went through with that particular pose. Already her mind was spinning, imagining him in such position.

But if she didn't use that, what was she going to do? She was in no position to be thinking up new ideas for this job. These guys had done something to her, messed with her head to the point she could barely think straight. So how on earth was she going to come up with something new - not to mention safe for her - without it losing its sexy edge?

"You alright there, Princess?" Loke teased, moving out of his stance and coming to stand close to her.

He reached up, combing both hands through his hair, and Lucy felt something catch inside her. Her eyes dropped of their own volition, taking in the way his skin stretched tight over the muscles in his arms, chest, and stomach, and before she could school her reaction, she licked her lips. There was no stopping it, not when he began lowering his arms and she could see the play of each and every one of those finely honed muscles shifting back into place.

She was in awe, downright stupefied that she'd somehow missed the fact that he had such an extraordinary form. Now that she'd seen the sort of shape he was in, she found herself wishing he'd show it off more often. Of course then she'd probably get herself into trouble...the way she was doing now.

Blinking rapidly, Lucy lifted her head, trying valiantly to keep her eyes firmly above neck level. That was innocent territory. Anything lower was going to cause her an arrhythmia.

Loke's lips twitched with mirth, but he didn't call attention to her gawking. He just asked, "How about I take my pants off and we get busy?"

His words brought to mind all sorts of carnal things - positions that had nothing to do with photography and everything to do with satisfying the ache blooming between her thighs. Only that was dangerous and naughty. She was supposed to be a good girl, and good girls didn't imagine their friends in such delightfully sinful situations. Or maybe they did. Who was she to judge?

"Yeah. Let's do it." Her agreement flew from her mouth amid a shaky breath, and then she blanched when she realized what it sounded like she was agreeing to. Oh Mavis, come and kill her now.

Loke closed the gap between them, shooting her a look of profound heat as he ran a finger down the side of her face and then her neck. "Anytime you're ready, Princess. Anytime."

The innuendo was there. It was real and pulsing like his very own stars in the sky. The man was serious...and heaven help her, she was seriously tempted. But to her credit, what woman wouldn't be? Loke was a wonderful man with an unbelievable body, and if the scores of women obsessed with him were any indication, he would be damn good in bed.

But that was a big no-no. In her mind, Lucy found every raunchy thought she'd had of her lion Spirit and stuffed them all into a box where she mentally drew a big fat X. Nope nope nope...

In the next second, before she could formulate a response, Loke detracted his hand and reached for the button on his pants.

Lucy swallowed hard, fearing that he was indeed going to get naked and try to seduce her. "What are you doing?"

The orange-haired man chuckled, his smile easy, as if nothing had just transpired between them. "I'm getting ready for the next picture. Mira said we'd all be down to just our underwear for the last one."

"R-Right...Right. That's what you're doing. Okay..." She fumbled for words as relief flooded her system and warred with a healthy dose of shame. What in the world was she thinking, that he was just going to make a play for her right here? In the back of the guild?

But now she was faced with the problem of his second pose. She couldn't let him do that one...not now. After what had just happened, she couldn't take the risk that her ovaries would detonate inside her. "What to do..." she mumbled.

Loke caught her soft murmur and asked, "About what?"

"Y-Your next position."

"What's wrong with the one you picked out before?"

Lucy's head snapped up at his words. How had he known there was another one already planned?

Loke arched an eyebrow at her as if to remind her of who he was. "I've known you long enough to know you always plan everything. So what's the issue with what you already had planned for me?"

Now that he'd put her on the spot, how was she supposed to tell him it was too sexy? Oh it's nothing, Loke. I just think it would cause me to melt into a puddle of goo. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. She sighed. She still had no idea what else she could do with him. Her mind was firmly, and irrationally, stuck on the image of him crawling across the floor. So basically, she was screwed. She had no choice but to go along with what she'd intended to do from the beginning. She only hoped she had more control than she thought she did.

Bracing herself, Lucy pushed a smile on her face and directed him toward a section of the room where a jungle backdrop hung the entire length of the wall and a black silk fabric lay in waves across the floor. "It's...nothing. Let's go with that one."

He moved across the room to the spot she'd indicated, and Lucy followed behind him, trying not to watch the globes of his ass moved beneath the soft orange cotton of his boxer briefs. She'd already peeked enough to know that they were fairy new and that he had two of the most delectable little dimples in his back just above the elastic waistband. But that was what anyone would notice...or at least that's what she told herself.

"Enjoying the view?"

Lucy flushed a brilliant sheen as she caught Loke's eyes on her, those hazel orbs that saw entirely too much. "I don't know what you're talking about." She was stubborn, and more than anything, she believed in self-preservation. So what was a girl to do when caught in the act of scoping a guy's derriere? Lie like a rug, no matter how badly she was as it.

"Right," Loke hummed, his lips curling with laughter as he stepped onto the black silk covering the floor. "Now...where do you want me?

So many answers slipped into her mind at that. Anywhere...in my bed...against the wall... But she said none of that. Her treacherous thoughts were kept under firm lock and key where they would remain until she died. "I want you to get on the floor."

The Spirit chuckled. "That wouldn't have been my first choice, but I'm yours to command."

While she appreciated that he wouldn't argue you with like Laxus had or ask tons of questions like Gajeel had, she certainly didn't know how to address his statement. Hers to command? What was she supposed to do with that?

A million things came to mind, none of them particularly helpful to the situation or her shaky control, and she immediately pushed them aside in favor of simply shouldering through this photograph. "Alright...you're going to um..." Her temperature spiked as she realized how this would sound, and she paused. How on earth could she say this without it coming out dirty? Honestly, she didn't think there was. She could only lay it out there and get through this as quickly as possible and hopefully without doing anything she'd regret later on. Drawing in a deep breath, she continued, "You're going to get on your knees..." His eyebrow winged up at her command, but she rushed to finish before he could comment. She had it coming with what she was going to make him do, and she'd rather get it all out in one shot. "...And crawl towards me like a cat."

Just like she'd known would happen, a smirk appeared on his face. "Princess, I had no idea you liked such...primal things," he purred, causing her cheeks to flare once more.

It was beyond embarrassing - not only making him do such a thing in a photo, but also having been the mind to think it up in the first place. It did nothing to prove the innocence she actually possessed. It instead showed quite vividly the filthy depths into which her brain could descend.

And that was precisely what Loke noticed. He moved toward her, a knowing look on his face. "I'd always thought you to be so innocent, so...sexually naive; when in reality, inside that brilliant mind of yours, you are quite the naughty little minx."

If there was a way for her face to reach the level of red past what Erza's hair was, it would have happened right at that moment. And yet Lucy couldn't deny what he'd said. He'd hit the proverbial nail on the head. She everything he said - naive in body, naughty in mind. And that combination seemed to intrigue him in some way, and Lucy had no idea why.

Not knowing what to say, Lucy waved a hand toward the place she wanted him to go and turned to prepare what she needed for the shot. She dimmed the lights, having decided ahead of time that the lower light would add to the overall darker feel of the picture, and then grabbed both a mat and her camera. She'd need to get low to the floor to capture the right angle, one that would force women the country over to imagine Loke crawling right through the calendar to seduce them. She only hoped she survived the encounter herself.

Without a word of appreciation at him following her commands, she laid the mat out and stretched herself on top of it, settling in place on her belly before raising the camera in front of her. "Alright Loke. Imagine you're in the jungle, and you're stalking your-"

He cut her off with a growl as he lowered himself on hands and knees. "I think I've got the idea."

"O-Okay."

Lucy swallowed hard, her pulse suddenly jumping in her throat when a bright light flashed around him, transforming him into the Loke she normally interacted with. Gone was carefree smiles, the glasses, and the short hair, and in its place was the Lion from the stars. His hair spiked out around his head, a pair of feline ears the same size as each lock of unruly hair standing to attention atop his head, and his eyes glinting a deep gold, the color of the large cat he represented in the night sky. In a word, he was gorgeous, jaw-droppingly so, and Lucy could scarcely find enough air to make a sound.

He angled his head down, his back dipping as he starting slinking his way toward her. It was like something out of a movie, that pivotal point just before a man shifted into beast and devoured the woman whole. And like many a woman before her, Lucy felt her panties moisten. What was it about him, that balance between man and lion, that so enticed her?

"Do it, Lucy."

The use of her name and the slight rumble in his voice was all that was needed to prompt her into action. Her discipline was shaky at best, and if she didn't get this done now, there was no telling what was about to happen. Fumbling with the gadget in her hands, Lucy felt for the button she needed and finally began clicking off the photos. Shot after shot went by, and Lucy even managed to get a few different angles before declaring the job done.

"Okay Loke..." she said breathily, almost afraid to move with the way he was still watching her. "You can go back now."

As if he too knew the precarious situation they'd found themselves in, Loke nodded stiffly. "Until next time, Princess."

He disappeared in a burst of light, and Lucy waited until the last spark faded before slumping to the floor. "Holy shit."