TOP EDIT MUST READ. Oh gods, am I embarrassed. This has dragged on way past holiday season and I just completely dropped the ball. Guys, I'm sorry. A heartfelt apology to every single reader and reviewer, because I never meant for this much waiting. It was not my intention to make you beg for a chapter. However, as I am still pressed for time, I'm going to post this. This is the un-edited version of the next installment. I was dragging my feet on posting primarily because I wanted to change this chapter quite a bit. I'm not at all happy with it. I'll probably replace this when I finish, so consider this the...the I-had-my-beta-do-her-thing-on-it-several-months-ago-and-she-liked-it-but-I-got-picky-and-decided-that-it-wasn't-fit-for-reader's-eyes-so-I-putzed-around-and-now-I-feel-guilty-and-have-to-give-you-something rough draft. Also left my author's notes from the original.

I'm rushing to do this and I'm not quite sure how to accomplish it, but what's actually new about that? I decided to time-skip swimming, and start with Laxus at his house, getting ready for Lucy! Because this was kind of pivotal in my planning, and part of it would be lost if I tried to write it any other way than I'm about to. Credit to CupCakesYummeh. Because she's CupCakes! And I like cupcakes. (Sorry, dear. Sorry, sorry, sorry.)

Disclaimer: Be serious, now. What do you think would be happening right now if I were in charge of Fairy Tail? And what's actually happening? Yeah. Thought so.

Another morning, another day of training the princess, Laxus Dreyar sighed silently. He rolled over in his giant bed, letting the air-conditioner hit his bare chest, creating goosebumps. The action made the thin sheet that was his only covering twist low around his hips. It's really too hot to be doing this, he thought miserably, lamenting his recent change of occupation from S-Class mage to patient instructor. If he'd been free to do as he wanted, Laxus would be on a snowy mountaintop right now, happily shocking the fur off some monster for easy cash. The dragon-slayer savored that image for a moment, and then gave up. Even with the cool air turned on full-blast, there wasn't enough cold in all of Magnolia to hold that icy thought in his head.

He disentangled himself from the sheet, swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood, blindly stumbling his way to the bathroom without opening his eyes.

While in the shower, Laxus took the time to silently curse his grandfather again. The words had become a ritual, repeated every morning since Makarov had dumped Lucy on him with the demand he make her S-Class worthy.

"This is impossible, old man," Laxus insisted. He leaned his back against the closed oak door of Makarov's personal office, and crossed his arms for emphasis.

"It won't be that bad," his grandfather told him, inordinately cheerful. The younger man could practically hear him grinning, and rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you're playing at here, but I won't do it." There was no way he was going to teach the smart-mouthed newbie, order or no order. He also ignored the fact that she'd been a Fairy Tail member for over seven years. New was new, time-gap or no.

"Yes, you will," the master said, sounding so unconcerned that Laxus squinted, trying to see his face in the dim light. Dawn hadn't come quite yet, so he could barely see Makarov's silhouette against the window.

"No, I won't. I refuse to train her."

"Then leave." Two short words, but Laxus stiffened as if they were physical blows that he couldn't block.

"W-What?" the dragon-slayer choked out, past his surprise.

"If you refuse to train her, your alternate punishment is a forced leave of absence," Makarov said seriously.

"So, you'll expel me again. Just because it worked once, doesn't mean you gotta use it all the time, y'know," Laxus said, scowling. He stood away from the wall and uncrossed his arms, prepared for anything.

"No, I won't expel you. An expulsion is indefinite. You would be able to come back...after a year or two," his evil grandfather added. There was a long beat of silence where he actually considered it.

"Fine." And with that, Fairy Tail's newest instructor swept out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him. Makarov beamed and turned to watch the sunrise paint the sky. A new dawn, the master mage thought, full of glee.

Lately, his old man had to be feeling the wrath all the way from the mid-sized house sitting modestly on the edge of the Magnolian forest. Laxus's curses only got more creative with time, and today was especially brutal. Finally, he turned off the water and grabbed his favorite bathing suit; black with yellow lightning bolts. He remembered he'd worn the same outfit months ago, and smiled at the memory. Taking Mavis to the amusement park, seeing the rest of Fairy Tail there... His smile widened as he recalled the widespread destruction that Natsu had caused, and his eyes darkened slightly when he remembered the state of Lucy's bikini in the aftermath. Not that he'd noticed much, at the time.

The impromptu mentor had spent the last few days in a kind of hellish torture that Makarov would have found hilarious, unless he were in similar circumstances. Three days of teaching Lucy to swim. He'd wanted to call it off the moment he'd let her set foot in the water. Lucy in her white one-piece that was somehow more tempting than the skimpiest bikini, floating and sighing in pleasure at the cooling effect of the water, her mood untouchable despite the deliberately high amount of laps he set for her.

For three days.

He'd been swimming with her by the end of the first, half of him trying to drown himself, and half of him hoping that all the laps he made her do would compromise her suit.

Laxus dressed and decided to introduce her to something different, something that most likely wouldn't come up in the exams. Something that he needed desperately, because, quite frankly, his nerves were a little frayed, and he was blaming it all entirely on his diabolical grandfather. The man couldn't take another day of willing torture.

He glanced at the clock and bolted out the door, keeping up a string of curses as he hopped one one foot, pulling on his boots. Laxus would never hear the end of it if he was late.

He's late, Lucy thought, irritated. The one day she decided to be nice and not force him to drag her out of her house, and he was late. The young spirit mage sighed and covered her eyes with her hand to check the sun's position. If her calculations were correct, Laxus was over an hour late. Lucy sighed, sinking into the soft earth, arms and legs stretched out.

Her 'mentor' surprised her every time she turned around. Whatever she thought of the man (and the two sides of her brain were still in an enthusiastic wrestling match), Lucy certainly wasn't expecting him to find such beautiful places to train or for them to still be there. She was so used to the idea that power equaled destruction that it was hard to wrap her mind around someone as powerful as Laxus training in the forest without utterly decimating the surrounding area.

It would have been a shame to lose this place, Lucy smiled. When he said he was going to take her swimming, she was confused at first. She hadn't known something this pretty existed so close to their – because Lucy had started to think of that giant oak training ground as theirs – training ground. Laxus had led her to a break in the trees; she'd stepped out onto a stretch of green grass that served as a barrier between the woodland behind them, and the pond that lay beyond. Lucy rested on her elbows to admire it again.

The pond was a rarity, full of crystal clear water that lapped gently against the grass, clean despite being deep and cold. There must have been a rockslide at one point – natural stepping stones dotted the surface, some big enough to sit and rest on, like tiny island chains in a miniature sea. Behind the pond was a steep cliff of dark stone. Smooth, excepting the random gouges and scars that were the only hint that Laxus actually trained there, it reached up against the bright blue sky devoid of clouds. Shame, Lucy thought. I would have liked some more shade... Soft footsteps interrupted her train of thought, and she tilted her head back to see her companion, her view of him upside-down. His canvas pack was slung over one shirtless shoulder, and she giggled quietly when he shed his pants. He wore his bathing suit underneath, and those shorts never failed to amuse her.

"You're late," Lucy said accusingly as he walked closer. She pointed a lazy finger at his face, reaching with her arm, unconcerned by his minor glare.

"No, you're early. I went to your house first," he told her, pulling off his boots and tossing them backwards without seeing where they landed. He'd walked all that way, only to find her gone, and assumed she'd hid from him, trying to avoid training. Laxus was dripping in sweat, and went to wipe his face with his pants. He stopped, noticing that Lucy made a face at him, and proceeded to dry his jaw and neck with exaggerated motions, smirking at the way her nose crinkled.

"You probably ate all my food again," Lucy pouted. He raised one eyebrow, and grabbed the stolen food from his bag. Stuffing the last of her leftovers from the night before in his mouth, he sat down cross-legged behind her.

"I've decided I'm not letting you have all my skills for free," he tried to say with a full mouth. It came out muffled, but she seemed to understand anyway.

"What?! You're making me pay you, too?" Lucy whined and flapped her arms, too lazy to spend any more energy on rage. She rested her head back on the grass and tilted it farther to see his face.

"Yes. You're cooking for me," he demanded arrogantly, eyes wandering against his will. Her current position gave him a rather good view of her...assets. Weakling she may be, but that didn't mean she was hard to look at.

"Sexist pig. I refuse." It's not like he doesn't raid my fridge anyway, Lucy reasoned. At least this way she'd get to decide what he ate. He flicked her nose, hard, for her insolence.

"You don't get a choice," He said simply. Laxus stood and waded into the pond up to his knees, barely slowing from the cold. He looked back at her, and Lucy saw a mischievous grin split his face right before he dove in, dousing her with the freezing water. She shrieked angrily and dove in right after him, grabbing his ankle and pulling him underwater before she broke the surface, grinning triumphantly. He surfaced a second later, sputtering and shoving his hair back from his face.

Laxus stared at Lucy, who was busy laughing and throwing her fist in the air in victory. She wasn't the least bit afraid of him anymore. Had she ever been actually scared in the first place? If she was cautious, it was only to make sure he wouldn't lose his temper or toss another rock at her head. Which was wise, because he was half-tempted, the annoying, defiant little newbie that she was.

It wasn't that the woman next to him was courageous, pushing through her fear, but that the fear was absent. Non-existent. Lucy stopped celebrating long enough to look at him, questioning. The man realized his thoughts must be showing on his face, and ducked under the water to yank his companion under as well. Lucy launched a full assault in retaliation.

The war lasted a long time, but finally, on opposite sides of the pond, both mages dragged themselves onto stones, dripping and barely able to breathe. The water had flattened Laxus's hair, and Lucy couldn't stop laughing, he looked so ridiculous to her.

"Minx!" He called, throwing his strangled voice toward her across the water.

"Troublemaker! You started it!" was the strained reply, coming back in pieces from the breathless woman. He grinned.

"Okay, okay," Laxus gasped, "Time to train-" His speech was broken by small bursts of amusement. "Meditation on the rocks." He glanced in her direction, saw that she was on all fours, and averted his eyes. I'll end up with a nosebleed if I'm not careful, he warned himself. I thought I was less of a pervert than the old man, dammit.

"Fine," Lucy managed to get out. She slowly regained her breath, and knelt, legs tucked neatly under her and hands in her lap. "How do we do this?" There was a single moment where both blonds realized at the same time that they'd settled into a teacher-student routine. She was voluntarily looking at him for help, and he was going to give it just as easily, whether to save his own skin or genuinely help her, even he didn't know. They looked at each other, and Laxus nodded.

"Come out into the center," he told her. She hesitated.

"Truce?" she called. Smart girl, he thought approvingly before he could remember he didn't want to have any positive feelings towards her at all.

"Truce, just get out here," he said, the words coming out laced with impatience. They both slipped into the water again and clambered up onto two stones side by side, facing the edge of the trees, the cliff behind. The water continued to ripple gently as Laxus looked to his left and saw that his trainee was giggling again. He scowled deeply and shoved his hair out of his face, back into its usual gravity-defying state. Lucy was finally able to catch her breath and settle into a kneeling position

"No, sit cross-legged like me," he corrected, patting his own legs. "That will kill your knees." She switched her stance on the smooth stone without a word.

"Close your eyes and don't think," he told her, closing his own before adding, "Shouldn't be too hard, for you." He just couldn't resist an opening like that. She copied him, but not before reaching over to smack his shoulder. He flicked her again for having the gall to hit him. We're not close enough for that, Laxus grumbled to himself.

"I feel stupid," Lucy complained after a few seconds of silence, and opened her eyes a sliver.

"No peeking," her 'mentor' ordered. "You're supposed to be quiet. And still. Which gotta be hard concepts for you, but-"

"Oh, shut up," Lucy muttered, making him open one eye.

"That's the point," he said smugly, and closed his eye. She slapped his shoulder again, hard, and he chuckled softly this time, too calm already to bother hitting back. They sat there, silent and still, as the water flowed against the stones and the sounds of the forest just barely reached their ears. Laxus opened his eyes after a minute or two. Lucy's face was blank, betraying nothing, but her body was still and relaxed. He wondered briefly if this was how he looked when he meditated.

"You're getting it," he said slowly. "Just stay like that and remember to breathe, 'cause I'm not pulling your drowning ass out of the water when you faint." Lucy cracked a smile and then settled again, breathing deep. Laxus also smiled, where she couldn't see. She hadn't risen to the bait, so it was working. Now to get back to his own...Laxus adjusted with the ease of practice, and almost immediately fell into a kind of trance.

Lucy hated this, but what was new? Drops of water slid down her back making her itch. The sweat started again, and the sun beat down on her shoulders. She was sure her skin was turning red, and cracked her eyes open to check. They flew wide in shock. It's almost sun-down! she gasped. She'd thought she wasn't doing well, but time had passed without her even noticing. The spirit mage looked at Laxus, her mouth open, ready to exclaim her happiness, and stopped.

Laxus was still sitting beside her, their knees nearly touching. His skin glistened from sweat, but he didn't seem uncomfortable. He looked as if he were in his own world, a small smile gracing his relaxed features. The younger mage smiled just to look at him, his hands resting limply on his knees and a contented aura surrounding him that she could practically feel. It was a rare sight, to see him so unguarded.

She supposed, seeing him this way, so relaxed and happy, so different from the self-serving bastard that had wanted to kill her about a week ago, that he was kind of attractive. Okay, very attractive, Lucy conceded, watching a drop of sweat slip down his jaw and past his neck, drawing her eyes down to his unique tattoo. There was something about the swirling ink that captured her attention. Before she knew what she was doing, Lucy's hand reached out and touched the stained skin closest to her, trailing her fingers along the three spikes on his shoulder.

Laxus flinched from the sudden contact and opened his eyes, dazed at first but quickly focusing on the person next to him. Chocolate-brown eyes studied the skin under Lucy's fingers for another moment before darting up to his face.

Lucy pulled her hand away quickly and flushed pink, unable to move her eyes away. She stammered, "Um...it's sunset?" Her trembling voice turned the statement into a question. Laxus stared at her, eyebrows raised, before he answered.

"Food's on the bank," he said quietly. She nodded and dove into the water, a convenient avenue to hide her face; she was sure it was red, and not only from sunburn. The water sloshed against his rock softly. He took a deep shuddering breath, and exhaled. Meditation was exactly what he'd needed, but she'd managed to undo nearly all of it by simply touching him. What possessed her to do that? he wondered.

And more, when did a fleeting contact with one person suddenly become so huge for him? He wasn't a young teenager; he'd had a few girlfriends over the years – well, more like flings and one-night stands. He'd found he couldn't stand any of them for long, no matter how huge their chest was. Lucy was one of the exceptions. He could tease and mock her and she wouldn't cry. She'd fight back; give him more than he gave her, sometimes, and in return he prodded and poked at her, trying to make her snap at him again.

Laxus didn't just tolerate Lucy; he accepted her. Why? Why did this, this princess, get special dispensation to mess with him? He had never let anyone be so free and casual with him, excepting his Raijinshuu, and that wasn't even voluntary. He'd given up trying to get it through his thick-skulled team's heads that he didn't want to be touched. But Lucy understood. Understood, and ignored him entirely.

And that touch? Why were they stuck in his head, these innocent touches? And why the hell did it have to be her that's messing with my head? Laxus grumbled, glaring fiercely at Lucy's smooth form as she swam underwater to the bank. The princess, the weakling, Fairy Tail's little mascot spirit mage. So annoying. It must be her fault somehow, he growled. But no matter how he sifted through his head, some part of him doubted he'd find proof of that. She didn't seem devious enough to play those kinds of tricks.

He wasn't angry with her (other than the usual, he meant. When was he ever not angry at her?), but he was definitely confused, his mind in a jumble from both her actions and her lack of fear. He rubbed the area she'd touched roughly, attempting to rid himself of the feeling before he slipped into the water, using long, powerful strokes underwater to reach the shore and join Lucy for dinner before they parted ways to begin it all again tomorrow.

If he knew what he'd done, old man would pee his pants, he'd be laughing so hard, Laxus thought grumpily. Maniacal old geezer.

Maybe this is good place to stop again? I think I packed too much into each chapter when I was planning, not realizing that most stuff would flesh out on its own. If the past chapters are indicative of how much I'll have to split in the future, we're all in for a long haul. -insert resigned long-suffering feelings here-

Soooo, what'd ya think? Hmm? HMMM? Review, because I like it when you do. -makes lovely snowflake for each reviewer-

~Tory.

PS. An especially long haul, if I keep taking this long to update. Tell me, are they getting too close, too fast? I don't think so. The overall plot has them falling quickly, since I only give them a month to both get ready for the exams and to stumble into a relationship. I'm not going to change this entire fic to give them a little more time. So what I'm asking you is, are they falling too quick specifically? Like, flirting too much too quickly? Not enough confusion? Not enough denial and feeling rebellion?