Not Even A Chance?

Summary: 'Yosh.. I won't back down and propose to her,' he thought entering the doors, his fingers rubbing the ring he bought. But as soon as he entered, he saw her, the girl he loved, in the arms of his best friend, her left ring finger shining in dim light.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, not me

xxx

Gray stepped out of the department store, the cold wind greeting him cheerfully. His hands went into his pocket, where his small gift slept. He had chosen a simple ring, with a heart-shaped pinkish fluorite decorating its top, wrapped in a red box. Today, the first day of the month of July, was his beloved blonde friend's birthday, Lucy Heartfillia. Unbeknownst to the said celestial mage, her ice mage nakama has had feelings for her for God knows how long. Today, he would no longer wait. Today, he would propose to the girl he loved dearly. He had not slept the whole night, thinking of the best way to propose to her. He could go down to one knee in front of the whole guild and propose to her, but that sounded too cliché. Gray also thought of bringing her to the nearby forest and froze the lake for an ice skating session and propose to her then. But knowing the Fairy Tail girls too well, there's no way they would let her get away so easily. After hours of tossing and turning on his bed thinking, he finally decided to just propose to her his own way – say his best wishes first, followed by a simple speech to propose to her. He had spent the rest of the night practicing his routine to prevent him from stuttering. Without realizing, Gray had reached the guild entrance, his heart pounding in his ears.

'Gray Fullbuster, come on dude! Don't back down and propose to her!' his so-called 'muse' encouraged him.

'Yosh.. I won't back down and propose to her!' he thought entering the guild doors with a grin on his face, his fingers rubbing the box of the ring.

But as soon as he entered, he heard cheers. Loud deafening cheers from the whole guild circling the centre of the said place. Then he saw her, the girl he loved, in the arms of his best friend, her left ring finger shimmering in the dim light of the guild. Lucy had her infamous warm smile on her face as Natsu lifted her up in the air, a proud grin plastered on his annoying face. He started to make out what the whole guild was shouting then.

''Congratulations Natsu! Lucy!''

''I knew you guys would be a wonderful couple!''

''Its a MAN to propose so beautifully!''

CRASH! Gray's heart shattered instantly as his mind processed the scene before him. Natsu had gone one step ahead of him. He had proposed to Lucy first. And she had accepted his proposal. Gray should have known. Of course, Lucy loved Natsu, he wouldn't stand a chance after all those times the said couple spend time together. The two noticed Gray coming in and Lucy bounced towards him, cheerfully showing her ring and saying how romantic Natsu was when he proposed. He didn't let Lucy see his painful expression and be sad, so he forced a smile at her.

''Congrats Luce, Natsu had finally awoken from his denseness huh?'' Gray smiled at her, though inside, his heart had crumbled from shatters to dust ready to be swept away.

''Thanks Gray! Really I never expected..''

Lucy's words was no longer audible in Gray's ears. His eyes were focused on the overjoyed lady in front of him, his own emotions overwhelmed his senses. Hurt. Pain. Sadness. Heartbroken. Gray decided he had heard enough. He couldn't take another word anymore. Bidding farewell to her, using the lame excuse of leaving something behind, he exited the guild doors and walked his lonely path home, tears streaming down his handsome face, the sudden downpour covering it for him.

Gray sat on the white rug on the floor and leaned his back at his bed in his apartment. The rain was still pouring cats and dogs accompanied with occasional thunder and lightning. His clenched fist lay on his side, firmly crushing the ring he bought. The fluorite on it shattered and scarred his now bloody hand. His other hand covered his eyes as tears continually flowed out of his eyes, not listening to his command to stop. His heart ached so much he could not bear with it anymore. He just sat there in the room crying and shouting, not caring if his neighbors would get mad. In his mind, he could only scold himself for having hopes. He wasn't even sure Lucy put himself as her friend outside mission. Maybe she only thought they were acquaintances, nothing more than that. She was even closer to Wendy, whom she had known after himself. That thought had shattered the remains of his broken heart. He didn't knew it was this hard on Juvia when he rejected her some time ago. But she was able to move on, but could Gray move on as well? His bond with the blonde mage was too strong, his love for her too deep. He couldn't help the pain stabbing him in the chest. If a one-sided love can kill, Gray must be dead by now.

'I didn't even had a chance to speak up, did I?'

Gray, filled with hopelessness, wished for the new couple's best. Even if he would lose the only person who possess the key to his heart...

xxx

Serena's talking corner: Hi guys! Sere-chan here. Its my first fic here, so I hope there's no grammar errors or anything.. So how was it? Is it okay? Its a bit tearful to me, this one-shot about Gray. Can totally feel for him. Its always hard when we get rejected before confessing. Anyone experienced this too? Anyways, please review!

10.05.12 - I edited the chapter and made some changes. First is the ring, as Anon stated, yes I forgot that diamond is the hardest substance so I changed the stone into Fluorite, the colorful gem. It comes in many different colors, pink being one of the rarest colors. Though its somewhat soft its still sharp.