standard disclaimer applies.

eight

He has tricked her. Alright, that's not necessarily true. The fault actually stems from her blunder. The actual agreement should've lasted a week. But because of the intense emotions brewing inside her body that fateful, rainy night (not to mention the growing sexual desires), Juvia has made a mistake in honouring her agreement with Laxus.

She should've been a "slave" for only a week. It has now been fifteen days since she's "serving" the dragon slayer. And the bewildering part? Laxus is being a complete celibate gentleman to her. Apparently, the young Dreyar is all business and no play when in the middle of a mission.

Juvia watches the blonde mage from afar. He is in deep conversation with the head officer of the Magic Council. The two of them have just completed eliminating vile creatures pillaging a village some miles away from Magnolia. Though the beasts were easy to kill, it has taken the two mages almost two hours to finish the job.

"Thank you so much for another mission success," the head officer bows down. He looks around the deserted village. Every corner is littered with carcasses of the creatures the two Fairy Tail mages took care of. "Any leads where these mutated beasts came from?"

Laxus sighs out loud. It feels like a recording whenever he meets the head officer. It's always an inquiry about the mutants' origins or whereabouts.

"We're told that the Council is responsible for the investigations. I just go where they tell me to go," he nonchalantly answers. "You should be the one telling me why these mutants are appearing more and more."

The head officer gives him an awkward laugh, and then shrugs his shoulder. "I'm only here to collect samples for the researchers. All I know is that these creatures are man-made." In a yet awkward manner, he extends his hand to pat Laxus on his shoulder. "Good work like always, Master Dreyar."

Laxus grits his teeth. "I always tell you that I'm not a master." Without waiting for another word from the head officer, he walks away and heads to where Juvia remains standing. He probes her appearance once more from head to toe, aware that she's basically sending him the death glare.

She isn't saying anything, but he could very much hear her thoughts. He wonders though if his name's stuck with a profanity rather than an honorific. It's understandable if she's cursing him at the moment. After all, she's currently covered in greenish goo that exudes a putrid stench.

It is a job well done, for sure, but it ain't a glamorous sight.

"You didn't tell Juvia that this job involves being smelly and disgusting!" she finally snaps.

"Can't you just clean yourself? Aren't you like equipped with your own self-cleaning ability? Like, use your own water to clean yourself?"

Juvia makes a growling noise, which Laxus has to admit, sounded sexy and creepy at the same time. "No! Juvia's concerned it might corrupt her water composition. Yuck!" She flings her arms in the air, trying to get rid of the goo clinging onto her skin. Some of it flew off and landed on the ground, barely missing Laxus.

"Hey, watch out, woman!"

"How come you're all clean, Laxus-san? Juvia doesn't understand that."

Laxus smirked, arrogance masking his whole face. "I fought with these mutants multiple times. I know my way around them now." Upon hearing this, Juvia sends him an angry glare. She stomps her feet alternatively, still trying hard to get rid of the gunk on both her legs. He takes off his jacket and throws it at her. "Here, slave, carry it for me."

As if a form of rebellion, Juvia instead wears the jacket. It's oversized, but it hides her goo-covered clothes. She sends Laxus a deathly glare. "Ha! Now Laxus-san's jacket is all gooey." The response she got is a snort, annoying her more. "Our original agreement was a week of slavery," she says through gritted teeth.

Laxus laughs out loud. "It's not my fault you're the one who flubbed with the duration. I gave you the chance, if you so recall," he tells her with a smirk, stooping down to level with her height. He stares straight into the water mage's eyes — trying hard to intimidate her.

Juvia knows what he's trying to do. He's always looming over her as if trying to make her feel weak. Sure, she gets that butterflies-in-the-tummy feels, and she could feel her knees buckling. But, she's not going to let him have the enjoyment of teasing her. No, this time she will be the one to catch him off guard.

And indeed he gets caught off guard with Juvia's bold move.

Tiptoeing, she places a quick peck on his lips, and then steps away immediately to walk away. The lightning mage is left rigid in his awkward position, momentarily forgetting that they're surrounded with officers from the council.

"Hey Master!" Juvia hollers. "Have you been turned into stone?" she asks with a note of innocence, but the look on her face is similar to those of Medusa's!

'You little vixen' is all Laxus could think of.

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The two of them have barely stepped inside the hotel room when Laxus received another call from the Magic Council. Another group of beasts are heading towards a rural village. Officers are on their way, but Laxus's location is actually closer to the targeted area. Laxus informs Juvia without giving further details. Of course the water mage is miffed.

"Can't you create some kind of water vehicle that could take us there faster?" he asks her as they settle in their train seats. The village is about ten stops away.

"Sorry that Juvia's magic is not that advanced," she replies haughtily, rolling her eyes. She's not sure if this is banter, but Laxus has been quite nonchalant around her since the start of their journey. She sort of figured that, when he asked—no demanded of her— to join his mission, some form of intimacies would be happening between them. One thing Juvia has realized is that Laxus is a serious man with a mission.

He takes his job seriously, and he performs them without complaints or anger. She has noticed a few times that Laxus gets exasperated whenever talking to officers from the Council, but he keeps his cool. Also, he always insists he's not the master of Fairy Tail. Juvia has noticed, though, that many from the Council have already acknowledged the grandson of Makarov as the successor. As expected, Laxus is adamant about not being worthy of the role.

Thanks to this mission, Juvia sees Laxus in a more elevated light. Perhaps this is why she "obeys" his "commands". She also acknowledges him as the next master of the guild, but won't say this to his face. He hates it! As for being obedient, and him being commanding, it's really not the case. Laxus gives her orders, but his tone is casual and cool. His delivery doesn't sound as if it's a superior talking to an inferior. It's always mixed with hints of teasing, but there's a caring subtlety to it.

"Why don't you buy us lunch, servant? You're probably hungry too."
"Give me that bag, slave! You're too short and fragile to carry it."
"Kill those tiny monsters, woman, and I'll handle the big guy there!"

Thinking back to some examples, Juvia couldn't help but smile.

"Is there anything amusing?" Laxus asks.

Juvia shakes her head, trying to erase the grin on her face. She gazes at him, and then there's a sudden sensation in her chest. It's as if her heart wants to burst from some sort of joy. She's not sure if she wants to admit what it is. Juvia's not dumb; she is aware of her growing feelings for Laxus. It's the same stage she had with Gray but quite different.

With Gray, she feels obliged to give and never receive. She owes him a great deal for taking away the literal and figurative gloominess. Even until this very day, Juvia believes that Gray is her soulmate. Laxus's entry into her life has indeed changed her outlook. Juvia has suddenly wanted to be sassier, more revealing, and a bit more demanding. At the same time, she wouldn't mind being a bit submissive (as long as she doesn't feel forced) and weak.

Laxus snaps her back to reality by waving his hand in front of her. "Be ready, servant. We'll reach the village after the next stop."

"Juvia's prepared. This time she won't be covered in goo anymore!" she declares, pumping up her fists.

Laxus snorts, amused. "You said that the last three times we've fought them." Without asking for her permission, Laxus grabs Juvia's bag along with his. Juvia would protest she could carry her own luggage, but he'd just bark at her that she's weak. Laxus walks towards the train door, waiting for the train to halt soon. Juvia follows behind.

Feeling a bit confident, the bluenette snakes her arm around his chest, resting her forehead on his back. It is an intimate move, and she's sure Laxus would chastise her. The blonde mage frowns, side-glancing at the shorter mage. He doesn't know what to say. Awkwardness, or maybe embarrassment, is blanketing him since there are many train riders seeing this display of affection. Yet, he doesn't say a word or make a move to repel her.

"Thank you for carrying Juvia's bag," says Juvia in the softest tone. The train screeches to a stop.

"Let's go," he tells her, tapping the hand placed on his waist. But instead of removing it, Laxus takes the hand, bends a little, and kisses the tips of her fingers. Screw those watchful eyes. He is just happy to have Juvia by his side.

Juvia blushes, her heart swelling. The train doors open, and the cool wind caresses her warm cheeks. Laxus steps out of the train, stretching his arm for Juvia. The latter smiles and reaches out her hand. She has barely touched him when out of nowhere Laxus is pummelled to the ground. From somewhere, continuous blasts and explosions are heard and seen.

Juvia stares at the huge creature caging Laxus. He is unconscious, barely breathing, and she could see blood trickling down his forehead. The beast looks at Juvia and snarls. She couldn't even make a movement, as if she's frozen in place.

a/n: I can't stress enough that I am truly sorry for not updating for a long time. I just hope that many of you readers didn't lose interest. This fic is nearing its end, and that's why I struggled with where I want to take it. Anyway, my deepest gratitude to those who left reviews, followed, and favourited. Do tell me of what you guys think with this latest progression.

GraySnowie - i hope this answers your question about slave for a week/month. Well, actually, it was my own blunder. heh. thanks for pointing that out. instead of editing last chapter, I figured it's better to rectify it here instead. sorry about that!