Summary: Because love should never be rushed even though sometimes it's annoyingly slow. This is my entry for the Graylu Week.
A/N: So after days of contemplating whether I should join or be contented to being an audience, I've finally decided to create one since this week is especially dedicated to my forever favorite OTP. I've also been torn if this should be multi-chapter or just series of one shots. Well, to hell with it! Just hope this will turn out the way I imagined and hope that y'all will like it.
Disclaimer: Sadly as always, FT does not belong to me TT_TT
Prologue: It was one of the things Lucy did not imagine how her love life will happen. She had always dreamt of a very beautiful story and everything is magical. Love at first sight was very ideal for her. When with just one look, love happens. But what never crossed to her mind was that she will fall for him out of all people. And to top it all, they fell in an agonizingly slow pace. To her surprise, she does not regret any of it all. Why would she when everything in between was just amazing?
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Day 1: Myth/Legend
Bloody Mary
It was just a usual day inside the guild with all the usual brawls and happenings. Lucy entered the guild hall with a bright smile. She was feeling unbelievably happy today.
"Lu-chan! Over here!" her blue haired best friend called out to her as soon as she saw her.
"Hi Levy-chan!"
"You seem perkier today, what's up?"
"Of course! I just came from the library"
"And?"
"I just found something interesting, that's all"
"Do tell!"
"Do you know about the myth of Bloody Mary?"
"I kind of heard of it. I think it's some of kind of ritual or something. What about it?"
"Yes. It's a ritual that'll tell you who are you gonna end up with"
"Really? You mean it will tell you who will be your future husband?"
"Correct and the ritual is so easy. You just have to hold a lighted candle while walking backwards to stand in front of the mirror when midnight strikes and say "Bloody Mary" three times then it will give you the face of your future husband"
"That's it? But why Boody Mary? It kinda sounds creepy"
"Well, there's also a chance that the Grim Reaper may appear instead of your husband which means you'll die before you even get the chance to get married"
"That's a bit awful. But, are you gonna do it?"
"Yeah, of course. I wanna know if I'll end up happy. Don't you wanna try it and see if Gajeel is your future?"
"No, of course not. What? So if I don't see Gajeel in the mirror what do you want me to do? Break up with him and tell him it will never work because the ritual says so? That's ridiculous"
"I guess you're right. Well I don't have a boyfriend so I don't have to worry right? I just want to know if I'm going to have someone in the future"
"Don't be silly Luchan. Of course, you'll not end up alone. I'm sure there will be a guy that will love you truly. You just have to be patient for the right one to come along"
"You think so?"
"I do so. So do not worry too much okay? Love will come to you. Maybe in the most unexpected time and way. But I'm sure it will. You're a great person who is capable of loving so much so I can guarantee that there will be a man meant truly for you"
"Right. Thanks so much Levy-chan"
"Anytime Lucy. Well I have to go now. Gajeel said he will take me somewhere tonight so I better prepare. See you around"
Lucy watched her friend exit the guild happily but somehow her smile faded when her thoughts were brought back to the ritual she just discovered. A part of her is saying it's a ridiculous idea but a larger part of her is curious.
She was left to ponder on the pros and cons of doing it. And they say curiosity kills the cat. She really wanted to know. So she has decided to do it tonight.
When it was almost midnight, she was a bit anxious. She had repeatedly practiced walking backwards towards the large mirror in her room beside her bed so that she can ensure she won't trip while doing the ritual. She had also set her alarm clock so she can be reminded of the time. When it was five minutes before midnight, she has switched off all the lights and was already standing at the edge of her bed with a lighted candle. She heaved a sigh because for some reason this made her nervous. She mentally counted the seconds ticking and when it's time the alarm went on and she is ready to take her first step and then ….
BAM!
The sound startled her to death but was quickly replaced with annoyance when she heard familiar voices calling out her name.
"OUCH! LUCY, WHY IS IT SO DARK IN HERE? DID THE ELECTRICITY WENT OUT?!"
How did she forget the usual intruders? With so much disappointment, she flicked the lights on.
"Natsu, how many times do I have to tell not to enter my house without knocking?"
"Pfft. Where's the fun in that?"
"Well, it's never funny intruding one's home in the middle of the night idiot! And besides, what are you doing here?"
"SLEEPOVER! Right Happy?"
"Aye Sir"
"No, no, no. I won't allow –"
"Hi Lucy!"
"Erza, you too?"
"Hey Lucy!"
"And Gray?!" who gave her his infamous smirk.
"Well, it wasn't long since we have a sleepover and we thought it'd be fun to do it again" Natsu said with a grin on his face.
"But it was just last week since you guys stayed here"
"Let's just say we missed your comfy bed so much" Happy reasoned out.
"and your food" Natsu added.
"or your nice bathtub" Erza commented.
"or basically YOU" Gray ended with his back on Lucy. Lucy blushed a little but it dissipated quickly when she saw him reading it. He was already positioned in the chair in front of Lucy's desk with her manuscript in hand.
"Gray, put that down this second! I told you not – " Lucy was interrupted by Erza's query.
"Actually Lucy we will have a mission tomorrow and we need to leave early. That is also why we have decided to stay here so we can all go together to the train station instead of meeting up because some people over here might oversleep again" Erza was eyeing Natsu and Gray who tried their best not look at her.
"Why am I only informed about this now?" She was a bit enraged that they are making decisions without her.
"Because Natsu here is an idiot and forgot to inform you before you left" Gray explained.
"What did you say Popsicle?!"
"Exactly what you heard Flamebrain"
"Enough, you two! By the way Lucy, why is it so dark in here earlier when we came in? What are you doing?"
"Uhmm,. I was uhmm.." Team Natsu looked at her with raised eyebrows which made Lucy suddenly conscious and gulped before answering. "I – I was preparing to sleep! Yeah that's it. I was going to sleep when you guys came in" and she smiled awkwardly towards them. Please don't ask again.
"Really? Well sorry about that Lucy. I guess we just need to inform you ahead of time" Erza said calmly.
You will never inform me ahead of time, is what Lucy thought but will never voice out. Who would dare go against the Titania? Not her of course. Lucy silently let out a relieved sigh when everyone seemed to buy it. "Well, I guess you all make yourselves comfortable which I'm sure you'll do. I'll go ahead and sleep then. Goodnight minna!"
She let out a relieved sigh when she was out of their sight and went straight to her bed. I guess it can wait till tomorrow night and she fell asleep.
She was not able to do the ritual the next day as Team Natsu finished the mission later than expected so they were not able to board the last train and was forced to spend the night in the requestor's house. Lucy was a bit disappointed but decided to not get too worked about as there will be other times.
But that other time seem to never come as events occurring the following days seemed to go against her. One, it was Elfman's birthday so a party was held at the guild and party means a lot of boost which means Cana is the happiest and when Cana is in her happiest she seemed to only find Lucy to share that happiness with. She was not able to go home as Cana never let her go and Lucy got tired eventually and decided to spend the night at the guild together with the others.
The next day she received an invite from Mira for their regular girls' sleepover at the Strauss house. And because it was Mira, she can never decline because she loves her life so much.
With Natsu and Happy's constant unwelcomed visits, she never had the chance to do the ritual. Just when she was about to give up, she heard from Mira that Erza took Natsu out on an S Class mission out of town which will take them about two-three days. On the other hand, Gray was sent on a separate mission with Gajeel and Juvia. Mira told her not to be bothered by them leaving her behind because the missions were received on short notice. Unexpectedly, Lucy beamed at her and told her that she is absolutely fine with it. Why not? Now that her intruders were not around she can already do the ritual and stop the bugging curiosity in her. She bid her goodbye and went to straight to her apartment to prepare her big plan.
She was too excited when she realized that it was too early. She decided to clean her home while she is waiting for midnight. She thought that this will also be another opportunity now that she is sure Natsu will not come to mess up herr beloved place. Problem is when she started to clean she seemed to not have the will to stop. Being overly detailed, she dusted every corner and turns of her house. She lifted and moved aside furniture to make sure that they are sparkling and squeaky clean. She finished at eleven and she was already dead tired so she decided to take a nap to ensure that she is well prepared at midnight.
When she woke up, she was startled to see the clock reflecting the time as one in the morning. She groaned when she realized she did not set the alarm so she overslept. She was too exhausted from cleaning and she just wasted an opportunity to do the ritual.
She let out a frustrated cry and was pulling her hair out for feeling so stupid when someone spoke.
"You'll hurt yourself if you do that, you know" came a cool voice from her bedroom door and she quickly turned around to find an amused Gray with his shirt missing.
"Gray!" She called out and he chuckled.
"Yeah it's me. What are you doing not sleeping at this hour?"
"Shouldn't it be ME asking what are YOU doing here at THIS hour at MY place? Without notice, if I may add" Lucy replied with a bit of irritation at her intruder.
"I just came back from the guild to report and was on my way home when I saw your lights still on so I thought you were not yet asleep and turns out I was right"
"Wait a minute, this is out of your way right? Don't tell me you already moved"
"No. I was just uhmm"
"Did you came here on purpose?"
"Well, alright. Okay, yes I came here on purpose"
"But why? Do you need anything?"
"Well, Mira told me that Natsu and Erza were on a mission out of town. Then I also left on a separate mission. So basically you were left behind. I thought I need to check on you coz I thought you might feel that we abandoned you or something which is not the case by the way. So I wanted to explain so you will not be mad at us. And by the way you are reacting to me now I guess you're really mad so I'm sorry"
Lucy blinked. She was never mad at him but at herself. However, when she recalled her actions, she did seem mad but not for the reasons Gray was thinking.
"No, I'm not mad. At least I'm not mad at you or Erza or Natsu. Sorry for the way I acted earlier. I was just.. never mind. But anyway, I am not mad at anyone. I completely understand"
"You sure? Because I am sure Natsu or Erza would want to bring you along if given the chance. As for me, I would always want to go on a mission with you" Gray looked at Lucy directly in the eye and saw Lucy blushed so he added "and team Natsu of course!" What the hell was that Gray? He scolded himself.
"I said I completely understand. No worries, really" she assured him.
"Okay if you say so. But why do you look so mad earlier? Getting worked up over something?" Gray asked after he had seated himself at the chair near her bed.
Lucy lowered her head "Aaahh, I was just a bit frustrated at myself for being stupid. You see I was planning on doing something on midnight these past few days but because of certain circumstances mostly because of intruders I was not able to do it" she shot a glare towards Gray which he returned with shrug so Lucy decided to just continue. "So when I heard that Team Natsu will be out of town, I thought this will be the perfect time to do it. So I went home early but was too early so I decided to clean my house to past time but I got so into it that I ended up tired so I decided to take a nap. But when I woke up it was already past one and the opportunity was gone to waste and I might never be able to do it ever unless Natsu will be sent out of town again making my house intruder-free again"
"Oh I see. But what is it that you have to do that requires Natsu or us to be out of the picture? Also, why does it have to be at midnight?"
"Alright, I'll tell you but promise me you won't laugh okay? This is kind of embarrassing, you know"
"Ow...kay" was Gray's sarcastic response.
"Can you be a bit sincere? Or maybe we can just call it a night and you get out of my house? What do you think?"
"Fine, fine. I promise I won't laugh. Geez, you're really worked up at this hour"
"Shut up. Okay here it goes. Ever heard of Bloody Mary?"
"Uhh nope"
"As expected"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray pouted and Lucy found this cute which makes her giggle a little but cleared her throat to continue.
"Nothing. Anyway, Bloody Mary is a ritual commonly done by young girls like me to see their future"
"For real?"
"Could you just shut up?"
"Alright, go on" said an amused Gray with two hands up in the air. He loved teasing Lucy when she is so serious about something.
"As I was saying this ritual will let you see your future. This is what I am trying or planning to do these past few days. It is actually relatively easy. All you need to do is hold a lighted candle in a dark room and walk backwards towards a mirror and when you're already in front of it say Bloody Mary three times and it will let you see the face of your future husband/wife. But when you see an image of a skull or the Grim Reaper, it means you will die before you even get the chance to get married"
Lucy waited for Gray's reaction and internally counted to three before she heard him laughing his heart out. She knew this will happen.
"Hey, you promised!" Lucy was now pouting but Gray can't seem to stop himself as he found it too funny.
"Whatever! This is why I never wanted to tell anyone" Lucy yelled, flopped on her bed and covered herself with her blanket as she was really embarrassed.
Gray's laughter slowly died down but was still grinning seeing Lucy's reaction. He went and sat next to her covered body and nudged her a bit.
"Hey, Luce I'm sorry. It was just a bit funny"
"Liar" Lucy mumbled and Gray chuckled a bit at her childlike attitude.
"Okay, it's really funny. But don't you think it's a ridiculous idea?"
Silence.
"Look, how can a mirror know your future?"
"It's a ritual, dumbass" came a mumbled retort.
"Okay, I'll rephrase it. How can a ritual WITH a mirror decide your future? I mean who would actually know one's future? And why would you want to see it?"
Silence again so Gray continued.
"And besides, if you know what your future be like, what will you do? Let's say you saw your future husband, what will you do? Find him and tell him that you and him are destined to be together? That that is how your future is written so both of you don't have a choice? Would you rather choose that than, I don't know maybe actually fall in love and be really in love before marrying each other?"
"Or what about if the skull appears then you know you'll die before you get married, what will you do then? Live miserably knowing your time will be up soon? Wouldn't it be better to actually live today, savor every moment without knowing what will happen in the future? I think I'd rather live today and write my own future coz I think that will make life more exciting, don't you think?"
Lucy listened carefully and gave them a thought. When she realized that Gray is right she slowly removed the blanket over head. Gray sensing her movement turned to look down at her innocent face. He knew he hit a spot.
"I was just curious"
"I know and we all are. But don't you think life is like seeing a gift under a Christmas tree. You wanted to be surprised so you won't open it until Christmas even though you're dying to know what's inside. You may be disappointed in the end but at least you got a gift than nothing at all, right?"
"I never actually thought of it that way. I was just dying to know if I'll end up alone or be with someone in the future. I never thought that not knowing it was actually exciting and give you something to look forward to"
"Well, that was just my thought. I like things exciting anyway and in Fairy Tail everyday is an adventure. So stop worrying about the future. We're all here. You'll never be alone"
"You're right. Thanks Gray"
"No problem Lucy" Gray smiled at her and somehow she felt warmth radiating from him and she felt at ease. When she looked at the clock it was almost three in the morning. Gray saw it too so he decided to let Lucy rest.
"I'll go ahead now Lucy" he was already standing up when Lucy grabbed his hand and he looked at her curiously but she was hiding her face behind her blanket.
"Can you stay here for a while? I just.. I think I'm no longer used to being alone" Lucy did not know why she's acting like this. But she knew that she did not want to let go of the warmth she was feeling from being with Gray. At least not yet.
Gray though confused just nodded silently and he moved to lie down next to her. This is the first time they will be together alone in her room but he is not feeling any awkwardness in him at least.
When Lucy felt that Gray had made a comfortable position, she moved a bit closer to him cuddling his arm. This surprised Gray a bit and when he looked at her she was smiling with her eyes closed.
"Goodnight Gray" she whispered.
"Goodnight Lucy" and both let sleep take over.
A/N: And that's done. I got the info on the Bloody Mary myth from Wikipedia but sort of eliminated some details as I don't want to associate this with devils or witchcraft so there.
Wow this by far is the longest I've written and it was such a pain. I've written this starting at 1am and finished at almost 3. Now, I am really thinking of how will I finished the other prompts. But I want to. I have all the plots planned out but due to busy schedule and poor time management I wasn't able to finish them. So for now this will be a one-shot but since I really like the title "Slow burn" I will really try my best to add in other prompts even though I am way behind the Graylu week. The other chapters will be a continuation of this since I would like to show the development of their relationship but will emphasized on the prompts. So I hoped you will stick around and wait for it.
Please do R&R. I did not proofread this as usual and was written during the time when I should be sleeping so for any mistakes, do let me know. I know it is easier to read than actually write. So for most of the Graylu stories posted this week, I tried to read them all and leave reviews so the writers will know that I appreciated their works and to give them motivation to continue. So please, please leave one also for me so I would know your thoughts on this.
And finally, thank you so much for those who supported my other stories and for adding me on the list of authors they follow/favorite. You all give me a boost of confidence even though i am still a beginner in writing. I will make a shout out to all of you once I completed this I promise!
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