There is not enough of this pairing. At all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Lucy decided it was a good day. Well, morning and afternoon; the sunset was almost ready to set, getting dangerously close to the horizon. As she sat on her bed and looked at the window, Lucy reflected on her day and all she had done.

She had gotten up early and made a beeline for her beloved Fairy Tail guild. Oh, how she loved that place! It was like everyday was beautiful when she woke up and walked through those doors. Her dream of becoming a fully-fledged mage in a guild- the guild she absolutely adored- was so gratifying. Granted, her acceptance into the guild was by sheer coincidence of meeting Natsu… but she figured it justified the means in this case.

She wanted nothing more than to be a part of Fairy Tail. Now, she could proudly wear the mark on her body that she so dearly wanted to have.

Unfortunately, Mirajane explained to her that nothing new on the mission board was up and try again tomorrow. Lucy had dejectedly started walking back out the doors she so happily strutted through earlier, then realized she really needed groceries. Her pink-haired teammate depleted her stash... And his damn, flying cat refused to use the scratching post she had gotten him. But no. Happy only liked to claw her walls and furniture. Never mind the post she got him to stop doing that!

After hunting down various food items, she somehow made it back to her little apartment, and dumped everything on her table. Wiping her hands against each other, she smiled at her good fortune. There had been massive sales on several of her favorite foods! How could she go wrong? She had splurged on the groceries and bought more than she really needed… but with Gray and Natsu constantly around, her tolerance of those two bickering was truly reaching its threshold. She felt she really needed those chocolate strawberries. Seriously.

When her task of putting away her food items had been completed, she decided she had surely earned herself a nice, relaxing soak in her bathtub. By far, it was one of her favorite items in her apartment. The massive tub was fantastic to sit in… and sometimes, when the water got cold, she would drain the tub, and fill it right back up.

Lucy did enjoy her baths; to just be by yourself… just you and your thoughts… no one else… It was a small slice of heaven that she could give herself. And when she decreed that her stay in paradise was done, she dried herself off and put on her pajamas: shorts and a t-shirt. It was close enough to evening… Besides, she wasn't planning on going out anywhere. And it was her apartment! She could dress in pj's all day if she wanted.

So she found herself sitting on her bed, contemplating her exploits today, when Lucy finally decided to get a small snack. Yes, those strawberries seemed awfully yummy right now…Opening her bedroom door, she walked into the main area of her apartment and found her stupid, infuriating, girly-haired partner sitting at her table, stuffing his face and his stupid, infuriating cat that looked hypothermic eating the fish she had purchased.

Rage boiled inside of her. There was no saving them this time. Lucy noticed Natsu was currently eating her strawberries… the ones she was planning on eating this very moment. Reigning in her anger, because she knew this would not be healthy for her, she opened her mouth and yelled.

"Get out! Now!" Lucy shrieked as loud as she dared without getting a sound ordinance… she didn't need to be giving away more money than she needed. But she was damn close to not caring. Enough of this! Why did her partners love to show up with no rhyme or reason? Why couldn't they give her a heads up? Is "Hey, Lucy! Can we come over 'round 4?" too much to ask?

Really. This was getting ridiculous. This was wrong. They always ate her food. Never said "Sorry for dropping in so unexpectedly…" or even cared to let her know they were sitting in the other room! It was always a surprise and who knows what could happen in the future? They were going to start using her bathroom any day now! She already knew Natsu had slept in her bed before. Creeper.

She turned to Happy and saw him now raising his paw to swipe at her furniture. "No! Stay away from that!" Why her? Why? She bought all of this stuff. She paid the rent. She paid for her furniture. She paid for her food. Then these jerks decided to scratch up her stuff, eat her food and strawberries, and then pretend like it's no big deal?

Enough was enough. Without a word, she grabbed that damned cat and the pink-haired boy, and dragged them through her front door. Still silent, she threw them into the street and slammed the door behind them, locking it. Lucy looked at the thankfully still intact chair that Happy wanted to claw, then turned to face the less than intact fridge and pantry.

Most of her groceries were gone. Lucy sighed and lowered her head to look at the table, only to see all of her chocolate strawberries eaten. She walked over to her small couch and sat on it, wondering what on earth she was going to do.

She really needed to have a talk with them all. Especially Natsu and Happy. They were the worst. Even more so than Gray walking around mostly naked in front of her. For Christmas, that man was getting a straight jacket. He wouldn't be able to ice make his way out of that.

Hopefully.

On second thought, he could. Lucy groaned. At least Erza didn't grace her presence over here too much- it was only if something big was going down.

Still, none of them bothered to tell her they were here. They always left it to surprise. It was getting old, it was getting annoying, and it wasn't good for her well-being. How did they get in here anyway? She had a lock on the door and hardly ever left the windows open. Did they have teleportation magic or something? Really, this was mind boggling.

It was now getting close to dinner time and Lucy belated noticed she now didn't have anything to eat, courtesy of a dragon slayer she knew. Honestly, next time she saw him, she would put his head in her coal stove. Or tell him to play with matches… Just far away from her home. Maybe he would believe there was a volcano nearby? His Christmas gift would consist of a blow-torch or candles…

Lucy sank farther into her couch and her stomach started aching. It needed food… but she had nothing left… Well, maybe that wasn't true. There had to be something… Now willing herself to sit up on the couch, the stellar spirit mage decided to look through her pantry and fridge. Surely that scaly, food bulldozer left a thing here or there?

Yeah, there had to be something… There had to be. Lucy was now pushing herself onto her feet and began the slow trudge over to her kitchen.

Seeing all the empty wrappers and crumbs on her table turned her optimism into realism. Just like his fighting style, when Natsu was finished, everything was completely destroyed. Lucy moaned in agony and fell into one of her chairs. She spent all that money on groceri-

A knocking came at her door.

Lucy looked up immediately at the door. The sound was so foreign to her; she almost didn't know what to do. Someone… was knocking? Someone was asking permission to be let in? To tell the owner of the house that there was a presence outside, asking to be acknowledged?

The knocking came again and Lucy stood up this time. As she walked over to the door, she wondered who it was. It sure as hell wasn't her team… She was just complaining about them…

Lucy unlocked the door and grabbed the door handle, turning it. She then slowly swung the door open and the first thing she saw was a basket.

It was slightly below eye level to her. A large, wicker basket, with a checkered blanket on top, being held by two hands, one of which had a ring a finger.

Well, that answered that question. Now knowing who it was, she looked up the hands, to the white sleeve cuffs, underneath the black jacket… following the black jacket sleeves, which joined at the neck of the white shirt, with a jagged-striped tie fastened at the base.

Lucy then flicked her head up to look straight in the eyes of her friend and Celestial spirit, Loki.

He had a soft smile on his face; the smile someone gave when they weren't sure if what they were doing was right or not. But on him it was particularly charming. His eyes were behind his trademark, tinted sunglasses and looking down at her. Loki's mess of ginger hair was going all over the place, standing up in all different directions. Oh, he was looking debonair as ever. But Lucy didn't notice this. As soon as she recognized his face in her doorway, she immediately turned back down to face the basket.

There were smells coming out of it… Food smells. She eyed it with most desire and it didn't go unnoticed by the lion standing in her doorway.

Loki wanted to laugh at her antics and his unsure smile became one of genuine happiness. He honestly didn't know if what he was doing was right or not. In his past adventures of female pursuit, he wouldn't have hesitated. But for some reason, with Lucy, he felt the need to be cautious. She did mean a lot to him. Yes, he told her often in dramatic ways and always telling her of his loyalty…

But he decided to try another route with her. Instead of the flashy "Lucy, let's get together" and other renditions, he thought she might prefer the subtle ways of what he was going to do now. He really hadn't been sure about it. In fact, it was completely new territory. Taking it slow? Showing restraint? This would be a challenge, but completely worth it. Besides, she looked hungry and this would surely prove to be worth it in some respect. A quiet evening with his master? Sounded good to him…

So, the handsome lion spirit chose the path of a perfect gentleman tonight. He knew the hellions she had as teammates. Natsu and Gray were always fighting with each other and that was sure to wear down anyone. And while it was nice to have another female on the team, Erza's demeanor didn't help either. Her mood could change rapidly and put people on edge with simply a look. How Lucy managed to stay in one piece around these three constantly was a mystery to him.

He had been in the spirit realm and could tell she had been upset at something. His guess was that it had to do with a certain dragon slayer and his flying feline. Upon closer inspection, he realized he was correct and that they had once again intruded in her apartment and eaten the groceries she had purchased just hours ago.

He liked to watch her from the other realm. It was how he knew when she was in trouble or just living day to day. Lucy Watching was a fantastic way to spend time in the Spirit world and tonight, when he found her depressed and hungry, he made his decision.

Loki knew the most important part of tonight was taking place right now: Entrance to her home. Knocking her door was incredibly important to her. He knew why- the other members of her team seemed perfectly ok with entering her apartment when she was there (or not) and happily helping themselves to whatever was inside. Of course, he also knew that Natsu, Gray, and Erza were aware of the spare key Lucy had hidden underneath the potted plant to the left of her doorway… But Loki was not going to use this information tonight. No sir, it was going to be a gentleman's pursuit.

"May I come in?" was the first thing he said to her, in the gentlest voice he could muster.

Lucy heard him and looked up at his face, noticing his smile turning sheepish and eyes showing hesitation. She almost got lost looking at his face when part of her remembered him asking a question a moment ago- asking to enter her home. He was asking? Not just barging in? This was certainly a welcome change in events!

Lucy weighed her options. Loki was always trying to get with her. Was this another one of his ploys? Nah, this seemed different. He would have knocked, probably, but not come with a basket of food. Loki would have said, "Let's go out for a bit, shall we?" and gotten in her comfort zone.

The Loki in front her was asking to be let into her home, with food, and looking nervous? This was new… Lucy supposed he was trying to be sweet and subtle for once. And she was a romantic. Besides, she was hungry, the food smelled good, he looked impossibly handsome, and she could use some proper company. Company that didn't claw her couches.

Loki watched her think about what was happening. He probably sent her reeling with his change in behavior. No worries, it looked like she was smiling now- and not one that was forced. That was a good sign… Maybe this would work out all right. Or she was desperately hungry.

Lucy stepped out of the doorway and replied with a hearty, "Sure! Please, come in!" Loki nodded and stepped fully into her apartment, just on the other side of the door. He noticed her mood turn quickly into panic.

"I'm sorry about the mess, I am! It's not usually like this, it really isn't. Natsu and Happy came over, ate my food, left everything out, and didn't clean anything up…" Lucy was clearly upset. She always kept her home clean and tidy. Then the dynamic duo of destruction came over and left it a mess. Well, the kitchen was at least. Wrappers and dishes were strewn about on the table and counter. Empty bags were all over the floor, crumbs of food were all over the place, and Loki belatedly thought Natsu was getting a muzzle for a Christmas gift this year. One that was fire proof.

Instead, the lion replied, "It is no problem, at all. Besides, I wasn't planning on using your kitchen table. May we use your living space?"

Lucy blinked. What was going on? Loki was being polite and controlled. And he didn't want to use the kitchen table? She looked at her living space. It was a couch against the wall, with Happy's unused scratching post next to it. There was a big open space in the middle of the room. She hadn't bought a coffee table yet…

"The living room? There's no table in there… you sure?" She was confused and he surely had noticed the lack of furniture there. But at least it was cleaner than the kitchen. What was he up to?

"I'm sure. This is perfect. If I may use it?" The lion asked permission once again. He was sure she was completely confused at this point. No matter. He loved to surprise her. This would be hard to top in the future.

"Of course," Lucy replied hesitantly. "Whatever you need, go right ahead."

Lucy watched Loki put the basket down on the couch and pick up the checkered blanket off the top. He lifted the blanket up and shook it open, laying it on the open floor space. The lion then picked up the basket and placed it in the middle of the blanket. With his task finished, he held out his hand for her. Understanding entered her mind and she took his hand as she used to keep her self from falling as she sat down on the floor, with her back against the couch.

He made a picnic? Oh, this was getting good. Lucy was now incredibly awed at her attractive friend. He was trying hard and it was working. This was absolutely wonderful and no one had ever done this sort of thing to her. Then she realized she was still wearing her pajamas.

She started to get back up, saying, "I'll be right back. I just need to change…" when Loki stopped her, "It's fine, Lucy. We're not going out anywhere tonight. Just here. Besides, you're comfortable. Never mind it." With that, Loki kneeled on the blanket and started to unpack the basket. Lucy sat back against the couch and watched, as the food scents wafted throughout the living room.

Lucy was looking at him now. In his suit and tie, his sunglasses, and gravity-defying hair. She was now realizing how attractive this man was. God, if he looked like this back when he was in the guild, he would have legions of girlfriends. But no. Loki gave up all that. She was his master now and he only looked at her. Granted, he was never restrained in his declarations about his want to be with her… But now he was showing this romantic side of him. Lucy found that she really did love this persona he was showing. And it certainly was a plus that he was so ridiculously good-looking. She thought that if Charming Loki came around more, he was certainly welcomed in her home. Lucy stopped thinking about Loki's physical appearance for the moment to watch him unpack the basket.

The first thing he took out was a bottle of wine and two glasses. Damn. He was really buttering her up and going all out with this dinner. And it was working. Really working. He then pulled out a three containers and placed them all on the blanket. He opened the first to show a few bread rolls, which smelled delicious. The second container was opened and some sort of pasta with shrimp was revealed. Oh, dear this couldn't get any better, Lucy last container was opened and the air filled with roasted chicken. She could actually see the steam still coming off of it, showing that it was still hot.

Lucy's mouth fell open, "Wow. Loki, you did all this?"

Her lion chuckled and replied, "Yes, this was all my doing." He smiled and realized that his girl did love this kind of attention. He'd remember that for a long time to come. This Gentleman's way of flirtation was really working. Taurus had no chance with Lucy with his perverted ways. But that was fine. Taurus was a bull. Loki, was all man and with sex appeal. And he was using it. Just, on a different level than usual. He just might make this change long term…

Lucy didn't believe Loki cooked all of this fine smelling food. No way he did this all by himself. "How did you make it," she asked.

That sly smile of his made its way on his mouth.

"Magic."

With that, Loki then took out some butter, napkins, silverware, and plates. He then picked up the wine bottle, and pulled the cork out. Grasping one of the glasses, he poured some wine into it. Loki followed that motion by holding the glass out to Lucy, who took it. The lion then repeated the action with his own other glass and put it on the floor.

The Spirit wordlessly picked up a plate, putting a bun, some pasta, and chicken on it. Lucy reached out to take the plate when he handed it to her, and put it on the blanket in front of her. Utterly confused, mystified, and charmed, she said a 'thank you,' and kept watching him do the same for his plate.

Once Loki finished getting his plate together, he put in on the blanket next to Lucy's. He then sat down on the floor next to her, with his back against her couch. He looked over at her, with her bewildered facial expression and smiled. He picked up his wine glass and said, "To Fairy Tail!"

Lucy shook her self out of her daze, picked up her own glass, and said "To Fairy Tail!" and clinked glasses with him. Both of them took a sip from their wine and placed their glasses back on the floor.

Loki was the first to talk. He cheerfully said, "Please, dig in!" and smiled at her.

Completely enthused by the smell of all the food in front of her, Lucy took some of the butter and smeared it on a roll. She bit into it and almost cried with the freshness of it. Freshly baked rolls were always welcomed to her stomach. Who could argue with that? Looking at her sexy friend next to her eat his own roll caused her to finish hers quickly. What could she say? There was pasta next to eat!

Lucy wiped her hands on a napkin and picked up a fork. After rolling the pasta around its prongs, she stabbed a small shrimp on the end. She put the utensil in her mouth and slipped the food off.

Loki watched her first devour the roll, which tasted amazing, if he said so himself. He also watched how she picked up her fork and twisted the pasta and shrimp onto it, then placing it into her mouth. But there was no way he missed her eyes light up in delight as she chewed the food he prepared for her. It put a warm feeling in his chest. It was nice…

At last, Lucy opened her mouth, but not to put food into it. "Loki, why did you do this?" The question had been probing her mind for the entire evening. Surely she didn't deserve this attention. He had to have better things to do. But how did he always know when she was upset? Though this was the first he did something like this. And how did he always manage to get into this world without her calling him, anyway?

She looked at the bright side of this situation: This food was incredible so far and the wine was delicious. She was hungry and upset at the beginning of the evening, but nowhere near so much now. And this was the most romantic thing any guy had done for her. Plus, her nosy neighbor was always wondering why she didn't have 'any nice young men stop by…' Lucy hated her. Perhaps tomorrow, that woman would inquire about the ravishing ginger who stopped by last night…

Lucy took another sip of wine and started to eat the chicken, which was seasoned perfectly and roasted just as well. She swear she was never so excited to eat…

Loki finally answered her question. "Why not? You certainly deserve it," He said simply. She truly did. Maybe not from him. But from someone. He could only try. Hopefully, one day, she realize how much he cared for her.

Lucy had finished her chicken to look over at her friend. She deserved it? Why? She wasn't special. She really hadn't wanted-

She wanted to laugh. Loki was plowing his nails on Happy's scratching post. His face had the expression that whatever he was doing, felt really good. He looked over at her with a simple, "What?"

Lucy did laugh. A hearty laugh and smiled again at him. She certainly was smiling a lot this evening, she noticed. Clearly her Spirit friend had something to do with it. And not the flirtatious side of him which he was known for.

The lion stopped scratching and his smile turned into knowing smirk. "I have one more surprise for you, Lucy," he said smoothly.

With that, Loki kneeled once more and leaned over to the wicker basket. He reached in and put his hand on something, pulling it out. He placed the last container on the blanket and looked at his master. He watched her expression as he lifted the top off to reveal what was hidden.

The Stellar Spirit mage didn't know what to say, what to do, or even what to think. He lifted the top up to reveal chocolate covered strawberries… She wanted to cry. Loki was making this so special for her. She always thought him to be an arrogant flirt, never tied to anyone. But this… this was so different. He was really showing her his sensitive side and she didn't know how to react. But she knew one simple way that always worked:

"Oh, Loki!" Lucy cried out, and leaned forward to wrap her arms around him, in a hug. She nuzzled into his warm, strong chest, whispering "thank you's" and the like. It was the least she could do and half of her didn't want to leave the close proximity.

But there were strawberries to be eaten…

Lucy stopped her hug, smiled at him, and sat back against the couch. She picked up a strawberry and started eating it.

The Leo certainly hadn't been expecting that reaction. He watched her as he opened the box, saw her gasp and start holding back tears. Then she pounced on him, embracing him in a monstrous hug. It took all he was made of to not hug back… He had to show restraint. Control. Subtle. Gentleman.

He watched his master eat the strawberries one after another and finally picked one up for himself. Since when did she eat this much? Oh well. He'd take it as a compliment that she loved his cooking. And there was no problem with that in his book.

Eating his strawberry, he noticed Lucy had finished devouring the rest and was finishing her wine. As he completed the strawberry, he smiled at her.

"I hope you enjoyed everything I made, " he asked her. It didn't take long for a response.

"Oh, Loki, it was absolutely wonderful! The most fantastic dinner I've ever had, on any level!" She was beaming now with happiness. That was an improvement from what she was previously this evening…

"I only hope I can do you this honor more often. But, please, it is getting late, and I do not wish to overstay my welcome," Loki said smoothly. And before she could protest, he started to pack up the dishes and boxes.

"Please do cook again, Loki. It was amazing. I never knew food could taste like that. But you don't have to go so soon. You only just got here," Lucy mumbled. Loki admitted he did want to stay… but he did need to go.

"I will anytime you need it. Just let me know, ok?" Loki finished putting the dishes in the basket and was standing up now. He held out his hand once again and his beautiful master put her hand in his. He lifted her up onto her feet and with a smile, he bent down to pick up the basket and blanket.

He lifted the items up, and opened his mouth for a few final words, "I'll always be here for you Lucy. All you have to do is let me know what you need, and I will come. Now, I will see myself out. Please sleep well tonight." The lion then started walking to her door. "And by the way, Lucy, your teammates know about your spare key. I suggest you either move it, or not use one at all. If they still persist in finding some other ways to get in, I will let you know. I hope you enjoyed yourself this evening, Lucy. Good night." With one last grin, he opened the front door, walked out, and shut it behind him.

Loki walked out the door, and smiled, waved, and winked at the woman next door. She was probably eavesdropping. No matter. He knew from tonight that Lucy was falling for him on some level. He could feel it. Time and patience was all he needed, and it was worth all that. With a poof, he went back to the Spirit World.

Back inside, Lucy was left staring stupidly at the door.

What had just happened? Who knew her lion could be romantic? It had most certainly worked on her. Now, she wanted to see more of him. A lot more of him. This was the most extraordinary dinner she'd ever had. Or was this a date? Lucy didn't want to think about those details. What mattered was she realized how charming Loki could be when he desired, and be subtle and a perfect gentleman! He really was something… wasn't he.

Lucy thought about it. Loki was dangerously handsome. That suit fit way too well on him and it looked way too good. His sunglasses added a hint of I'm a bad-ass, and what girl didn't like a bad boy? Lucy then admitted, that when she hugged him, he even smelled good. He smelled like the earth after it rained and she'd be damned if that wasn't delicious.

But, Loki was a spirit. Her spirit. One she made a contract with… Wasn't there some rule about that? She supposed she never heard of one… but still. Didn't he live for a long time? Never aged? She would. Then what? Lucy sighed. This was going to go nowhere. Why is he trying so hard? Did he know something she didn't? Well, some people were going on about her and Natsu getting together, but he apparently is already over 80 years old. What was going on there, too? Her mind went back to Loki. Back to Natsu. Loki. Yeah. Leo was definitely more handsome and sexy. And tonight proved he was nothing short of a gentleman.

She supposed she would tell Mirajane about it tomorrow. The take-over specialist loved gossip with her and this would send her reeling. Maybe Mirajane knew something about Celestial spirits that she didn't? Lucy figured she didn't need to be up half the night worrying about this. Besides, she could always ask Loki herself.

In the mean time, the mage looked at her kitchen and groaned. It was still a mess. She needed to pick it up, badly. Lucy did not need mice in her home. She turned her head to look at the living area. Pristine and Loki free. Lucy sighed. She missed him. He really did make her happy tonight... Wait, she had something else to take care of.

Lucy walked over to her front door and opened it. She reached outside and pulled out the spare key under the plant. She didn't need a spare key… She never used it, anyway and was responsible enough. Lucy looked at the key in her hand, wondering if this was really how her friends kept getting into her apartment. Well, it seemed plausible.

Smiling at the tip Loki gave her, she walked back into her home, shut the door behind her and locked it, still staring at the spare key. She didn't need that key, what was she thinking, putting it out there?

Lucy lifted her head from her palm and looked to the living space. Just a couch and scratching post was there. That was all. No lion. Lucy sighed. But with her friend and this night's events in mind, perhaps she wouldn't need a coffee table anyway.

So, how was it?
-Kiwi