It was the same old thing that he had to deal with whenever he came to the guild and whenever the four of them were on a mission together. They were always so close to each other and for some reason when he saw that, he wanted only to freeze the Dragon Slayer right where he stood. Of course he wouldn't dare say a thing about how he felt for fear of rejection and pure humiliation.

Gray Fullbuster was watching the girl he loved spend her time with Natsu Dragneel and every moment seemed like a shot to the heart. How else was he supposed to deal with this type of situation other than confessing? The most logical choice he could think of was to stop going on missions with them in order to stop the pain that started in his chest.

At first it was one mission and soon that turned into three and then that became ten and finally he just stopped showing up around the guild when he knew they were there. Of course his former team was worried about him, but when Lucy offered to go by herself to go check in on him, the other two made no comment about the act of kindness from the blonde Celestial mage.

"Gray…?" A simple greeting came passed her lips as she made her way over to where he sat. He didn't respond nor look her way when she finally did sit beside him in an attempt to get a closer look at his face. What she saw was an absolute shock to her: tears were streaming down his cheeks only to fall down onto the tops of his now clenched fists. He had no clue that he was still crying despite having wiped away his earlier tears. How was he supposed to explain himself to her? Perhaps it would be better if he kept quiet and said nothing at all to her.

"Gray…!" A faint pause. "What's wrong? You suddenly stopped coming with us on missions and no one has seen you at the guild in a while...-" Lucy's voice cut off as she looked down at her hands which became clenched into small fists. It hurt her not knowing why someone she cared so much about was in pain while she spent her own time smiling. "I was worried about you." Slowly she reached one hand over and gently grabbed Gray's own hand. She could feel him tense up with the sudden action, but that didn't stop her from holding on.

A bright pink color soon formed across the ice mage's cheeks as he tried his best to hold back any feelings of need that he had to simply grab Lucy in his arms and hold her, wanting to never let her go. "You shouldn't have come here Lucy." His voice seemed cold, but it was only for his own safety. He knew that if he fell deeper into love with her, it would end with his heartbreak. It would remind him of the loss of Ul and he never wanted to live through that pain again.

What surprised him though was Lucy doing exactly what he wanted to do: she wrapped her arms around his body and held tightly, hiding her face into his chest. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her voice was hoarse from all the crying she was doing at this very moment. Gray could feel the moisture seeping through his shirt and it broke his heart. How could he possibly hurt the girl he loved in such a way? His entire body felt so cold, but having her in his arms made him warm up. Perhaps this was the feeling of being in love.

"Lucy…-"

When she brought her face up to look at him, what Gray did next surprised not only himself, but Lucy as well. He had pressed his lips against her lips only to pull away a few seconds later. "This is the reason why I don't show myself around the guild anymore…" He had prepared himself for the pain of heartbreak to come, but this is what needed to be done. The way she looked right now was too cute and he couldn't help be react to how she looked.

"I love you Lucy."

His voice once again grew that strength that everyone knew him for. If he was going to confess, he was going to do it with that very strength. "I thought you should know because I can no longer hold this feeling of love that I have for you. I know you love Natsu, but I thought you should know." Her silence was exactly the reaction he was expecting. Of course, Gray had convinced himself that Lucy was madly in love with Natsu, but what she did next completely caught him off guard.

Lucy Heartfilia was now kissing him with the same passion he had given her with the first kiss. He was so shocked that he couldn't kiss back and only sat there in complete awe. When she did pull away, a small sound that was similar to a whimper escaped passed his lips. It was childish, but the warmth of her lips felt better than the one he received from her hand.

"Don't be stupid Gray! I always thought you hated me and you were tired of me being around you…-" It was obvious that she shared in his feelings of love. "I love you too Gray and I could love no one else other than you."

His heart was now racing in his chest, pounding against the inside. It felt as if it was close to exploding, but it was amazing to have the person he loved loving him back. Gray wrapped his arms around her body and promised himself never to let go. With this confession, the two mages were soon a couple and everyone was not surprised about it in the slightest. They all knew of their feelings for one another and were silently cheering them on, even Natsu.