A/N: Ok SO -claps hands together- this is my very first Fairy Tail fanfiction c: I really hope you enjoy it, and I'd like for you to point out any grammical errors I may have made. No, I'm not telling you to tell me to re-arrange an entire sentence, I just feel like I may have misspelled a word or two -cries- Anyways, it's VERY possible that this story is going to be continued (but it's not certain yet) so I'd like for you to tell me if I should do so or not c: Of course, the final decision lies with me, so if no one answers then I may just decide on my own -sighs- It's likely I will, but you never know (I'm a very lazy person)

Word count without A/N: 2,761 -pats myself on the back-

It was quiet. Not a lot usually happens at 1 in the morning, but this was just weird. No crickets, drunkards, heck, there wasn't even a black cat passing by in the night. And it was peaceful.

Golden blonde hair shimmered under the flickering streetlights. Sure, it was peaceful, but the night was creepy as well. And this girl with her chocolate brown eyes was trying to get back to her apartment as soon as possible. She felt like a pair of eyes were following her, stalking her every move, not letting a single breathe of hers go by unnoticed. With her thin tank top and shorts, the night was chilling her to the bone.

She held her arms while letting out a sigh, watching the cloud of air come forth and disappear before her. This girl didn't know she would be staying over at the guild so late at night, but the place had been so cheerful and partied so much that everyone ended up passing out from exhaustion. She had only woken up recently to see the after effect of what the drinks and the laughter had done to everyone. With a sigh, she rubbed her arms, hoping that the friction would do its trick.

After a few minutes, she finally arrived at the door of her well-sized apartment room. With a quick sigh of relief, she opened her door with a large smile plastered on her face. Closing her eyes, she started to hum a tune as she set down her stuff and headed to the bathroom. Soaking in some warm water before going to bed always helped her sleep well. After quickly drawing her bath she stepped in cautiously, and then sank into the water relishing the warmth against her cold skin.

She stayed there for a while until she was completely satisfied with the warmth, and then got out to wrap herself with a towel. While continuing her little tune she opened the door of her bathroom, only to see a half-naked ice mage stripped down to his boxers reading her manuscript. Upon hearing her footsteps he looked up and grinned at her.

"Yo, Lucy" He said, one hand lifted up gesturing a hello.

"THIS IS MY ROOM" was her only reply, along with a roundhouse kick that smacked him in the face. He fell to the floor, holding his cheeks while looking up at her with a dazed stare.

"What are you doing here Gray? Why are you reading my manuscript? And PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! DON'T GO STRIPPING IN OTHER PEOPLES HOUSES!" She screamed, blush crawling into her cheeks as she eyed his open chest.

"Hey that's rude!" He frowned. "I was like this before I came here" His eyes darted to the side, his face pouting as he messed with his bangs. "And shouldn't you be the one to put some clothes on?" He retorted, eyes glancing back to her. She felt the heat from her body rush up to her face when she realized she was still only in a towel. She marched over to her drawers, quickly snatching some pajamas and hiding in another room to change. He chuckled as her door slammed shut, deciding to continue reading.

A few minutes passed and she emerged into her room once more, a frown obvious on her face.

"So what are you doing here Gray?" Lucy asked, throwing herself onto her bed. She hugged her pillow while curling up in a ball, delighted by the comfort. Gray raised an eyebrow at her pose, a smile creeping onto his lips. He found her actions cute and amusing.

"I dunno, I was just bored I guess" He said, his fingers lacing together so he could rest his chin on his hands. She mumbled something in response, but the pillow stifled her words, making them inaudible.

"Huh?"

"I said go back home. I'm tired and I want to sleep" She said softly while looking at him through the corner of her eyes. He chuckled in response and laid back on the couch he was sitting on, releasing a large sigh in the process. Lucy stared at him, a little angry that he didn't leave but too tired to say anything to him. Her eyes started drifting shut, her breathing becoming slow and heavy. She was right about to fall asleep when she heard the door creak open. Was Gray leaving? Oh well, she didn't really care. But then she heard something crash.

"Gray, what the hell are you-" She didn't finish her sentence. The man she was looking at wasn't the ice-mage she was looking for. This man was dark and shady, a hood covering his face with a knife in his hand. Lucy tensed, terrified as to what the man might do next. He slowly crept closer to her, hands reaching out and the worst part was- Gray wasn't anywhere to be seen.

She must've fallen asleep before he left, and now she regretted telling him to go. She backed as far away from him as she could, but the wall behind her kept her from going anywhere.

"It's ok, Lucy-chan. I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to get to know you better" He said smoothly in a very creepy way. Tears lined her eyes as a sob escaped her lips. She was horrified when she remembered she had accidentally left her keys in the bathroom. Her lip quivered and trembled more and more as the man gradually got closer. His hands reached within inches of her face, and then …

"Lucy, get down!" She heard someone yell. She looked up to see Gray at her doorway, obviously pissed off. She flinched, and threw herself to the ground as he ran up to the man and kicked the side of his head hard. She heard a grunt, but other than that the hooded man didn't make any signs of getting up. Gray ran up to her, one hand caressing the side of her head so he could make her look at him.

"Are you alright? Did that bastard touch you?" He said, worry showing in his onyx eyes. She looked at him and was about to say she was fine, but her tears decided to say otherwise. They streamed down her cheeks as Lucy sobbed.

"I-I was s-so sca-scared." She cried out, her hands frantically wiping the tears away. She sniffed, she cried, she sobbed, but Gray had no idea what to do. He was never good with tears, no matter how many times he might see them. He frowned, pained that he couldn't do anything for her, and then wrapped his arms around her. She flinched, a bit surprised by his actions, but nonetheless fell into the hug, throwing her arms around his neck as she continued to cry. In a few minutes she calmed down, letting out a shaky breath. She pulled back a little, but not enough for them to break the hug. She sniveled again, her eyes half open and a little swollen from all the crying.

"Sorry, I got your chest wet" She said lazily. He laughed, happy that she was feeling better enough to stop crying.

"Don't sweat it" was all he had to say. She smiled, a soft laugh escaping her lips before her eyes widened and turned her head to the side.

"He's gone" Lucy paled. It felt like her heart constricted in her throat, and tears started lining her eyes again.

"W-what'll I do?" She stuttered, now starting to panic. "H-he knows where I live, so he can j-just come over whenever he w-wants. Gray, what should I do?!" Her voice started to rise, and she started to shake from fear. She refused to cry again, but they both knew she wouldn't hold out for long.

"I can't believe I let him get away" He moaned, holding the side of his head. He watched her with mixed emotions. Agitated with himself for being unable to do more for his friend, and fearful for her, who would most likely get targeted again. Then he got an idea.

"Stay at my house" He blurted out, his eyes gazing into hers. She looked back at him, shocked by the sudden idea.

"W-what are you saying? I'm not that kind of girl!" She sputtered, heat rising to her face. He rolled his eyes at this.

"Not like that. If you stay here he'll most likely come back again. If you stay with me, I'll be able to protect you" His eyes were unwavering. Lucy felt herself calm down as she wiped away the tears in her eyes, and slowly started to nod her head.

"Thank you, Gray" She smiled softly. He smirked, happy that he was able to cheer her up. He scratched the back of his head and turned his head to the door.

"Well then, we should get going. It's really late" He got up and reached a hand out to her. She looked up at him and held up a hand to grab it, letting him help her get up. As soon as they made contact, Lucy felt something. Her cheeks went pink, and she felt a little flustered. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest and worried if he could hear it, as loud as it was in her ears. His hands were cool and warm at the same time, and they were bigger than hers. They were rough and masculine, with veins a bit more prominent than they would be on a girl's hand. She didn't even realize she was staring until he called out her name.

"… cy … Lucy?" Her head snapped up to meet his dark eyes looking down at her.

"Uh, y-yeah that is … Um I'm f-fine" She managed out while looking slightly to the side. She didn't mean to stutter so much, but for some reason she couldn't calm down.

"Well let's go then" He said, doubt dripping into his low voice. He cared about her so much, and he hated it when she kept things from him. He wanted to be as close to her as Natsu was, but he couldn't tell her that.

They walked away from her house, neither of them making an effort to let go of the other person's hand. She walked behind him, glancing down at their hands from time to time, a blush staining her cheeks. Her eyes slowly lifted up to look at his arms.

Lucy hadn't thought about it then, but the idea of being embraced by those strong arms made her heart skip a beat. She'd never really taken the chance to examine his well-toned body, even though she'd had countless chances with that odd stripping habit of his. He had defined shoulder blades, shifting and moving slightly with every step he took. She looked up to his head, wondering what kind of expression he was wearing right then. All she could see was his dark raven hair though, but it looked nice and soft, and it made her want to run her fingers through it.

Unfortunately, due to her being so observant so suddenly, she stopped paying attention to what was in front of her. Her foot got caught on the uneven ground, making her gasp when she noticed the falling sensation. Before she could hit the ground, Gray managed to catch her. His strong arms wrapped around her thin waste, holding her close to him.

"Lucy, are you alright? Are you even paying attention to where you're going?" He asked, looking at her. Her eyes met his and her cheeks flushed as she noticed the embrace. Both of her hands were placed on his chest, making her extremely self-conscious of the close proximity of their faces.

"I, er that is, uhh. No, it's j-just umm" She couldn't gather her thoughts. She stopped talking when he put a hand on her head.

"It's alright, I'll protect you if that guy comes again, so you can stop worrying about him" He smiled down at her, ruffling her hair. She looked down and then back up at him, at a loss for words. He just chuckled and continued leading her to his house.

Once they finally arrived, they went inside and Lucy stopped in her tracks. It was pitch dark in his house, and she couldn't see a thing.

"G-Gray? Where are you? I can't see anything" She asked, fumbling around in the darkness trying to find the ice-mage.

"Sorry, I'm trying to find the breaker. Apparently the electricity went out while I was gone" She heard him call out to her. She continued feeling her way around the room, arms stretched out ahead of her as she tried to find her way to a couch or a chair. She heard him mumble something inaudible, and then stubbed her toe on something hard. She cried out, quickly dropping to her knees to rub her aching foot.

"What happened?!" She heard him shout. It sounded like they were in the same room now.

"Nothing, I just stubbed my toe. It hurts" Lucy whined. "So did you find the breaker?"

"Yeah, but it didn't work … I don't know why unless- AH SHIT I FORGOT TO PAY THE ELECTRICITY BILL" He cried out. He must've heard her giggle, because he growled to himself.

"That's not funny." He grumbled.

"No you're right. It's hilarious" She smirked. Of course he couldn't see her do so; as it was dark and neither of them had a light. "Then what are we supposed to do about this? I don't really like being in the dark for longer than I have to be" She asked, a little worried. It's not like she's scared of the dark, it's just that after the whole man-with-a-knife incident, it made her a little uneasy.

"Hold on, I think I have some light lacrima laying around here somewhere" He mumbled. She knew he was looking for some with all the sounds of things being moved around. Lucy waited patiently, not wanting to move for fear she might fall over and hurt herself.

"No, that's not it. Now where did I … AH! Found them!" He grinned to himself. Gray lit up one with his magic, making it cast off a bluish tint. He made his way over to Lucy and let her light one up herself; hers giving off a more golden glow as a side-effect of her magic. She smiled and held the orb up to her shoulders, helping Gray look for more.

After they finally found and lit enough, the house was filled with a dim, but cozy light. Lucy plopped down onto his couch, heaving a big sigh as she recounted the events that had just unfolded. She was definitely going to sleep well tonight.

"Hey Lucy, come here. I'll show you to the bedroom" Gray smiled warmly. She got up and walked over to him.

"Ok but where are you going to sleep tonight?" She asked, tilting her head to the side with a frown showing on her face. Gray smirked and chuckled inwardly. The dim lights from the lacrima made it seem as though she was glowing, and it only enhanced her beauty.

"I'll be on the couch tonight. And tomorrow if I'm not able to find that scumbag soon. In fact, if I'm not able to find him then you just might have to stay over for a while" He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.

"Hey, it's ok. I don't want to be a burden …" She started to say, her heart sinking at his agitation. She felt him ruffle her hair again, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Of course you're not a burden! I wouldn't ever think otherwise, I always help my friends with they're in need" He chuckled. Her cheeks reddened as she bid him good night and dove into his bed. She curled up into a ball and hugged his pillow. Lucy laid there for a few minutes, unable to sleep, her golden locks tumbling over her cheeks and shoulders. This whole room had his scent, it was intoxicating yet exciting. The scent of a guy was definitely different from a girls, and it made her feel so safe. When she pulled over the covers, she felt as though he was embracing her again. The thought comforted her, and her eyes quickly lulled shut, drifting into slumber. Lucy fell asleep with a racing heart and a wondering mind. And she knew why. She just wouldn't tell him yet.

To be continued (maybe …)