Hey! Look who's posting stuff! lol So sorry it's taking me forever to update my stories, but as you can see, I'm not giving up. I promised you I'd keep at it, and I will. Until every single one is finished. I love each of them (and each of you) too damn much to abandon them. So please bear with me while I battle my muse into submission.

I hope you all know how much you mean to me. Your support and encouragement are honestly more than I could have ever hoped for, and I appreciate it so very much. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it - I have the absolute best followers.

And now, I'll quit with the sappy stuff and simply say I hope you enjoy!

Remember, Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, but he doesn't own my imagination where my love for Gajucy will always live.

LAST CHAPTER:

"I meant what I said Lucy. I know I'm no good at this shit, and I've fucked everything up. But you should know me well enough to know I wouldn't say something like that to fuck with you. I meant it. I love you. It scares the shit outta me, and maybe that makes me a big ass motherfucking pussy, but it's the truth."

She stared up at me, eyes wide and mouth hanging open, clearly at a loss for words. But at least she'd stopped crying. Still, I wish she'd say something.

"You're serious."

I nodded my head.

"You love me."

I nodded again.

Slowly, her lips began to curl, and I had a moment to wonder what it meant before her hands shot up to pull my face down to hers. Her lips met mine in a brief press, and then she was whispering again. "You love me."

CHAPTER 42: FOR THE FIRST TIME

"Gajy...time to wake up..."

The teasing voice came just a second before something cool brushed against my lips and a familiar scent hit my nose. Instantly, my eyes opened, and I found myself looking up into the grinning face of Lucy holding a small bit of iron. The same iron her kinky spirit had brought me during our job. My mouth watered as Lucy inched forward, the top half of her body coming to rest on top of my chest.

She pressed the tiny piece of metal to my lips. "Open up."

I obeyed without question, and then groaned at the taste of her finger mingling with the iron. Easily my two favorite flavors. "God, that's so fucking good."

She giggled. "The iron? Or me?"

"Both," I hummed, pulling her up for a kiss.

Her lips met mine with a soft moan, and I had to fight not to deepen the kiss. It was taking everything inside me not to take things further, but like last night, I was trying to show her that I wanted more than just sex. And so far, it was working. I'd made it through the night before without jumping her bones, but it damn sure wasn't without consequence.

This morning though, I wasn't sure how I was going to make it. Sleeping with her curvy body next to me without acting on it all night had done a number on me. She was just so damn tempting, and it was fucking hard as shit to resist.

Gritting my teeth against the urge to tug her over my body, I pulled back and tried for a grin. "Mornin'."

"Good morning," she said, lips curling slowly as she moved back in, taking my lips for a second time and pressing a bit harder.

I could feel my cock stirring beneath my pants, but I tried to ignore it in favor of just enjoying the taste of her. But when her tongue slipped between my lips, there was no stopping my body from responding.

But even with my dick becoming a tent pole, I could still do this. I could still just kiss her. It didn't have to be anything more than that. Or at least, that's how it could have been if she hadn't eased a leg over mine. Instantly, my hand reached out, catching her knee and slowing its upward progress. I couldn't risk her feeling what was happening in my pants.

Forcing the curse from my mind, I pulled back and said the first thing that popped into my head. "So breakfast?"

Her brow wrinkled. "Breakfast?"

"Uh...yeah." I wanted to slap myself. Why the hell did I say breakfast? There wasn't a chance in hell I could walk into that kitchen without her seeing my hard on. And how the fuck was I supposed to sit across from her at that dinner table and not think about the last time we'd eaten there.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her head tipping to the side as she studied me.

I nodded quickly. No sense making her suspicious. "Yeah sure, just...hungry." For you, I wanted to add. Of course, I kept that part to myself. I eased myself out of the bed and away from her grabby little hands, but it took some really fancy footwork to keep her from seeing how much I wanted to crawl back in bed with her. "Be right back. Gotta take a piss."

It took everything I had not to run to the bathroom, away from her suspicious eyes. And how fucking pathetic was that? Running from my own damn girl. I shook my head and glared down at my crotch. My fucking cock refused to go down, in spite of all the silent threats I sent it, and it was starting to piss me off. I couldn't go out there like this, not if I wanted to prove to Lucy I wasn't after sex.

Groaning, I leaned forward and grabbed onto the counter. This was harder than I thought. In more ways than one. I glanced down at my cock and considered my options. I could walk out there and make a beeline for the door. I could come up with something to tell Lucy, right? Only she was fucking smart as hell. She'd know I was full of shit, and then, what? She'd think I was up to something.

No that wouldn't work. Maybe I could just rub one out real quick. I'd only been in the bathroom for about a minute. If I was fast, it might work.

Tossing a look at the door, I reached for the nozzle and turned on the water before tugging my pants down. I leaned back against the sink and, taking a moment to spit in my hand, I grasped my aching cock. I gave it a few slow strokes to spread the moisture and then, I got down to business. The motions were routine by now, nothing especially cum-worthy, and for a moment, I was worried this was gonna take too long. But once I let myself imagine Lucy sinking to her knees in front of me, everything changed.

I pictured her the way she'd been that day in her shower, her lips spread around my cock, her hot mouth pulling me in deep, and suddenly, I could feel the heat building in my gut. Gritting my teeth, I closed my eyes, remembering the way she'd moaned around me and the vibrations that rippled all the way down to my balls.

Fuck…

It took biting my lip to keep from making a sound as I fisted my cock harder, faster. I was close, so fucking close. I could already feel my balls drawing up, tightening.

I imagined reaching for her, my hands sliding into her blonde hair and holding her in place as I fucked her mouth. My hips arched forward to meet that mouth, desperate for the warm wetness it offered. I could almost feel her tongue curling around the underside of my dick, stroking me to my fucking end.

And it wasn't long before I was done. I couldn't hold it back, not with Lucy in my head, and with a barely audible grunt, I came.

It took me a few seconds to get my shit back together, but once I did, I wanted to curse again. I'd forgotten to grab something to catch my cum, and now, I had a fucking mess.

"Fucking idiot," I mumbled, yanking my pants back up.

There were a couple spots on my pants, a spray on the side on the tub, and probably the worst, several small puddles on the rug at my feet. How the fuck could I have been so damn stupid?! Now, I was going to be in the damn bathroom even longer! She was probably going to think I was in here taking a fucking shit.

Annoyed, I shook my head and grabbed for a washcloth out of the cabinet and ran it under the water. I squeezed the excess out, then bent to clean the spots from the floor.

I'd gotten most of the spots off the rug when the door opened, and Lucy stuck her head in. "Hey, are you almost-" She paused, her forehead wrinkling with confusion. "What the hell are you doing?"

I wanted to hit something. I really fucking did. Could I not catch a goddamn break? Just one fucking break! That's all I was asking for! But no, of course not, and now I had to find a way to explain why I was on my fucking knees in front of her damn toilet.

"Sorry, I...missed."

And that was just fucking perfect. What the fuck was wrong with me today?!

She eyed me for several long seconds, long enough to have me panicking, then pointed at the dirty clothes bin in the corner. "Just throw it in the hamper, and I'll wash it later."

Not knowing what else to do, I followed her instructions and hoped like hell that she'd close the damn door and give me a few more seconds to clean the cum off the side of the tub. But I should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

Her brow arched as I continued to stand there, and then she opened the door wide and stepped to the side. "You staying in here all day or can I pee too?"

"Yeah, I...sorry." I took one last look down at the tub and inwardly winced. Maybe she wouldn't notice. "I'll just get out of your way," I said, moving around her and turning just in time to see the door shut in my face.

I was doomed. I could feel it. Defeated, I sank down on her bed, dropping my head into my hands. What a fucking mess. I opened my eyes, figuring I should get all my shit together so I could beat a hasty retreat once she came out of the bathroom, but one look at my pants reminded me I hadn't gotten around to cleaning them either.

"Son of a bitch!" I hissed, jerking up off the bed and hurrying to the kitchen. Maybe I could clean up before she came out.

I'd only just grabbed a handful of napkins and started dabbing at my crotch when her voice broke the silence. "You piss on those too?"

My head whipped up at that, and I knew I was caught. What I didn't know was how much fucking trouble I was in. "Lucy...I-"

She cut me off with a sharp look. "Don't. Don't lie to me again. I'm not stupid, Gajeel. I know what cum looks like. So why don't you tell me why you were in there spraying it all over my bathroom instead of inside me?"

My eyes went wide at her bluntness for whatever reason. It shouldn't have surprised me. She hadn't ever had a problem calling me on my bullshit before. "Look, it's not what you're thinking."

"Really?" she asked, head tipping as she drew in a deep breath. "Then what is it?"

Yeah, that was the fucking question. What the hell was I trying to do? Piss her off? Cause that's what was happening. Why the hell had I ever thought that was a good plan?

She didn't wait for me to figure out how to respond. Instead, she took a step closer and shook her head. "I thought...I thought we were okay. Last night...what you said-" she said, her voice wobbling as she looked up at me. "But you barely even touched me! Then this morning, you push me away. And now, I find you in the bathroom-"

"It's not like that, Bunny! Not like you're thinking!" I wanted to punch myself. Here I was trying to make sure she knew I was serious about her, and I'd made her think I didn't fucking want her. I sighed. I was so fucking bad at this. "I just...I didn't want you to think I was just tryin' to fuck you, okay? That's not what this is."

Her head lifted, and I watched her expression change again. "What?"

"I wanted to...you know? I still fucking want to, but I didn't want you thinking I was just after your body. Like before. I thought if I could just keep it in my pants, you'd know I was telling the truth."

Understanding dawned on her face, and she took two steps forward, raising her hand as if to stop me from saying anything more. "Wait...you've been avoiding sleeping with me because you were worried I'd think you were lying about loving me?"

I nodded my head. It was all I could do right then with her repeating my words back to me. That was bad enough, but the fact that she hadn't said it back made me feel even more exposed than before.

"Gajeel…" She sighed, closing the distance between us and reaching up to cup my cheek. "You don't have to keep trying to prove it to me. I believe you. And if you haven't figured out by now that I want you, then you're not as bright as I thought you were."

Her words sent heat straight to my groin, causing my cock to twitch in my pants. I knew it wouldn't take much to have me hard again. But just cause she could get me there didn't mean we should do it again. Look what I'd already done to her. I damn sure didn't want to do it again."But-"

"No buts," she hummed, setting a hand on my chest before tipping her head up for a kiss. "Do you want me?"

"Of course, but-"

"And I want you," she continued, shooting me a fierce look of challenge, then pointed behind her . "So get your ass in there and give me what I want."

And that was all it took. Just those simple words had my dick springing to life again.

Taking my hand, she led me back to the bed and gave me a little push. I fell back against the pillow and watched with my heart hammering in my chest as she crawled up over my body. She climbed over my hips, then raised up and dropped lightly over top of my dick.

I nearly hissed as she rubbed herself over me and couldn't resist a curse when her head fell back and she moaned.

"Fuck Bunny..."

"Please, Gaj." She licked her lips as she stared down at me. "You feel so good. Please fu-"

I knew what she was about to say, but I wasn't sure I ever wanted to hear her calling this 'fucking' again. "Bunny..." I cut her off with a shake of my head. "Don't..." How was I supposed to explain it? How was I supposed to say I wanted her to call it...something else? Shit, I couldn't even say it.

But leave it to Lucy to know exactly what I was thinking. She leaned down, pressing her core tightly against my cock and kissed me again, hard. "Okay, then make love to me, baby."

I'd never heard those words before. Hell, I never thought I'd enjoy hearing them. And now...now, hearing them from her lips had me harder than I'd ever been before. Steeling my arm around her waist, I rolled us, using my body to pin her to the bed and grinding my cock between her legs.

She gasped at the contact, her back arching even as she hissed, "Yes! More!"

Over and over again, I pressed into her until I thought I might explode. But this was Lucy. This was the woman I'd just realized I loved, and I couldn't just give her a quick fuck. She deserved better than that.

Backing off, I reached for her pajama shirt, slipping the buttons through the holes. "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right."

"O-Okay," she breathed, hands easing between our bodies to tug on my pants. "Take these off."

I moved back, pushing her hands away. "Not yet. Let me take care of you."

Once I knew she'd stay put, I moved back to her shirt, undoing the last button and spreading the cloth apart, and then there she was, finally bare. At least halfway. I watched as she drew in a breath, her breasts lifting with each intake and sinking with every exhale. She was fucking gorgeous with her rosy nipples pearling under my gaze.

"Christ you have beautiful tits."

She giggled, "Why don't you touch them, then?"

"You don't have to tell me twice," I mumbled, propping myself up on my elbows to either side of her body and closing both hands around her breasts. She was more than a handful, but with a quick sweep of my palms around the perky globes, I had covered the entire area.

She moaned as I brushed my thumbs across her nipples, and the sound hit me straight in the groin. Suddenly, I was starving for a taste of her. Dipping down, I sucked one stiff peak into my mouth, flicking it with my tongue before giving it a long slow draw.

Her fingers sifted into my hair as she arched upward, pushing her tit further into my mouth. "God your mouth."

"Hmm?" I hummed the question at her. Who the hell could bother with words when there were much better things to occupy my mouth?

"Feels so good," she groaned, shifting beneath me as I flexed my hips into the space between her legs.

I gave her a few more tugs, then let her damp flesh slip from my mouth. "Want some more?"

Her eyes opened, her pupils going wide at my offer. "Oh hell yes..."

Slipping down her body, I grabbed hold of her shorts, and waiting for her to close her legs, I gave them a quick pull, taking her hot pink panties with them. It left her gloriously bare to me, and the minute her scent hit me, I groaned. "Fuck you smell amazing."

Giving her no time to adjust to what I had planned, I spread her legs and sank down, letting the aroma of her sweet pussy take me. Her legs quivered over my shoulders, but I kept her in place as I dipped in and swiped my tongue along the seam of her sex. "Like fucking honey..." I hummed, using my fingers to pull her lips apart. "I'm gonna take every drop."

She jerked against my mouth, and I clamped my arms around her legs. Looking up at her, I pressed a kiss to her damp curls. "God, I've missed your sweet pussy."

She shuddered at my words, then whimpered, "Please Gajy…I need you."

I leaned back in, drawing in a deep breath and sighed. "So fucking sweet." Head dipping, I slipped my tongue between her lips, drawing a long slow line around her entrance then up to her clit. I took my time touching her, savoring her in a way I never had before. And it didn't take long before she was writhing beneath me. But it wasn't enough. I needed her breathless, desperate for release. Then, and only then would I take her. Only then would I allow myself to sink balls deep into her fucking heat.

I laved over her swollen clit, tonguing it until she was gasping my name, and then I drew the sensitive bit of flesh into my mouth and sucked. Once, twice...over and over again until she could no longer keep her back on the bed. Letting go of one of her legs, I eased my hand beneath her ass and slipped my thumb into her sex. She was so wet, her walls already quivering with her impending orgasm. Between that and my mouth, she was about to lose it.

"Oh God...oh fuck!" she shouted, her hands clawing at the sheets beneath her as she thrashed under my assault.

But I didn't let up. I kept pushing her higher and higher, my thumb making wet squelching sounds with every pass between her lips. "That's it, Bunny. Cum for me," I called to her before taking her clit back between my lips.

At my command, she let out a sharp cry, her legs going rigid around my head and her body jerking wildly around me. It was easily the hottest fucking thing I'd ever seen, and when her pussy began gushing, I couldn't help the pride I felt at bringing her to this. And now, I finally felt like I could take something for myself.

Drawing her legs apart, I climbed up her body, and lining my cock up with her still spasming sex, I drove myself inside. She was so fucking hot inside, so tight, I thought I might cum right there.

Breathing hard, I dropped my head on her chest, fighting to hold myself back. I couldn't go out like this. I wouldn't. Not when there was still so much left to do to her. So much left to do with her. Steeling myself against the feel of her body pulsing around me, I gave an experimental thrust and nearly groaned at the feel of her.

"Fuck, you feel so good."

I pushed back inside her, driving a whimper from her throat.

"Oh Gaj...right there!" I repeated the motion, and she panted, her hips arching up to meet mine.

We moved as one, our bodies coming together and pushing apart, and for the first time, I watched her, really watched her. And I couldn't stop. I didn't want to because there was something there in her eyes, something I'd been looking for my whole life and never thought I'd find.

Love.

It hit me straight in the gut, and my breath caught. Could she really feel the same way? Could she love me the way I loved her? Even after everything I did? But if that was true, wouldn't she have said something? Wouldn't she have said it back when I told her last night?

It made sense, but I didn't want logic right now. I wanted her to love me. I wanted her to feel just as desperate for me as I did for her. Was that too much to ask?

I shook my head and closed my eyes. What did it matter if she loved me yet? She was mine now, and I'd do whatever it took to keep her. It didn't matter how long I had to wait. I had all the time in the world to earn her love, and I would. Starting today.

Leaning down, I kissed her, putting everything I felt for her into it. She needed to know it was real, that what I felt for her was real. Nothing had ever been more important to me.

Lucy moaned against my mouth, her hand lifting to tug at my neck and pull me closer. Did she feel it too? I felt like I couldn't get close enough, that nothing would ever be close enough to satisfy me. The need to be inside her heart was too much.

I held her tight and bore down, thrusting into her with a renewed sense of purpose. She was all I wanted, the only fucking thing I'd ever really needed. Maybe one day, she'd feel the same way about me.

Her insides fluttered, and she clung to me, her legs wrapping tight around my waist, but I didn't let her go. I held on, driving up into her heat, determined to push her over the edge again. She was already there, right on the edge, so I angled her hips and pushed back inside, dragging my cock over the spot I knew would finish her.

Her body jerked beneath me, throwing her head back and away from mine, and she gasped as the pleasure took her. She rippled around me, her sex squeezing my cock so fucking tight. It was too damn much too fast.

"Shit Lucy!" Three short, desperate strokes later, I was done, my muscles drawing up tight as I emptied myself inside her.

My body dropped limply over hers, my head falling into the crook of her neck, and I found myself drawing in a deep, shaky breath. How the hell could I have ever thought I could live without this? Without her? I was a fucking idiot.

Shaking my head, I lifted my head and was surprised to find her staring up at me. There was something different there, something I didn't recognize.

Of course, I didn't have a fucking clue what it meant. I was like a damn child when it came to this shit, and she wasn't saying a word. Nervous all of sudden, I frowned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Lucy tipped her head and reached up, pushing my hair back from my face. Then she smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing's wrong."

"Then why're you looking at me like that?"

She grinned again. "Like what?"

"I don't fucking know. Like you know something I don't."

Laughing, she hummed, "That's because...I do."

Wrapping her hand around the back of my neck, she pulled me down for a kiss, but I was stubborn. What the hell did she mean by that? What the fuck did she know that I didn't? Was it about me? About us? Annoyed, I tugged her hand away and leaned back to scowl at her. "What the hell do you know?"

I expected her to get frustrated, but she just smiled again and raised up to press her lips lightly to mine. "I know you love me-"

Was this her idea of funny? Was she fucking with me? "What the hell, Bunny?"

Biting her lip, she scanned my face with her eyes, then added. "But what you don't know...is that I love you too."

I froze at her words, my mind completely unable to process what she'd just said. It felt like a fucking dream. Here I'd been thinking how much I wanted her to love me, to need me, and she just says it? "You...you what?"

She giggled. "Did I break you?"

"Lucy…" I warned. This was no laughing matter. It was fucking serious. It was everything I'd ever wanted.

Her smile softening, she angled her head to the side and stared up at me. "I love you, Gajeel."

"You love me?" I couldn't believe it. I wanted to, but after everything that had happened between us, it didn't seem possible. How could she...

She cut me off with a gentle kiss. It was like she could hear where my thoughts were going. "More than I ever thought I could," she whispered, her hand finding its way back to my face. "That's what I was trying to tell you the night-"

"The night I fucked everything up," I finished, dropping my head back to her chest. God, I had to be the biggest fucking idiot in all of Earthland. I could have had all of this back then.

"Hey," she called quietly, her hand pulling my head back up. "Don't. It's over, and everything's okay now."

I shook my head. "But what I said to you-"

"Doesn't fucking matter anymore," she said sternly, forcing me to meet her eyes again. "I don't care about all that. I care about this...what we have now. No more looking back." She waited for the beat of a second, then smiled up at me. "Now, let's try this again. I love you."

Looking down at her, I knew I didn't deserve her. I never would, but I also knew I'd never be able to give this up. I was hers for however fucking long she wanted me to be. "I love you too, Bunny."