My one-shot for WolfieANNE's one-shot contest, enjoy ^-^

P.S. this is my first time writing a Fairy Tail fic in general o.o so please be kind :)


Not At All

He was attracted to her. It was an obvious fact made by Gemini that he never denied it, not that anyone asked that is. His eyes always followed her, not that he made it obvious; and if anyone saw, they didn't say.

She was his complete opposite in every way. Her eyes sparkled with cheer and happiness while his expressed sorrow and grief. Her blond hair reflected the sun's light while his dark blue hair embraced the moon's beam in the night. They were too contrasting for anyone to think they would attract one another, and they were right, but Gray was never there to contradict them.

Mira would catch him occasionally, but he would always brush it off; she, of course, knew better. Whenever she saw Gray stare longingly at Lucy, she would call her over to discuss a "mission" that was perfect for her. Gray, not being as slow as everyone thought he was, always silently thanked Mira; and would jump into the conversation to help Lucy in the mission.


"Lucy!" called Mira.

"Yes, Mira-san?" responded Lucy as she neared the bar.

"I've found the perfect mission for you!" the barmaid replied with a wink.

"Really?"

"Yep, all you have to do is catch band of thieves! Simple, right?" she said smiling.

"Eh! B-but I can't do that! What if I end up getting kidnapped by them?"

"In that case, why don't you have Gray help you?" the Take-Over Mage suggested.

The blonde looked to her right where the Ice Mage was sitting near the other end of the bar, shirtless, playing with the bit of ice left in his drink.

"I don't know, I don't want to bother him. I mean, he already helps me enough at it is," she replied.

"Oh, come on, Lucy! I'm sure he doesn't mind helping you," the barmaid said with eyes that twinkled with mischief.

"But Gray–"

"-Yes?" said a deep voice behind Lucy.

"Gray!" she exclaimed as she spun around.

"What's up, Luce?" he asked innocently.

"Oh! Um, n-nothing," she said shaking her head and hands.

"Actually, Lucy needs some help with a mission," interrupted Mira. "Would you mind helping her with it, Gray?"

"M-Mira-san! I don't think Gray would be able to. I mean, you must be really busy, ne, Gray?"

"-I actually don't have much to do right now. I don't mind helping you, Lucy. Just say the word and I'll be there for you."

"But–"

"-Besides, you need the money for your rent, ne, Lucy?" intervened Mira once more.

Lost for words, Lucy just smiled and nodded before agreeing to meet Gray at the station early for their mission. Once the two left the bar, Mira noticed a paper napkin where Gray's glass stood; she picked it up and read:

'Thanks, Mira.

-Gray'

Mira smiled to herself as she looked at her two nakamas chatting to the rest of Team Natsu.

"What do you have there, Mira?" asked a green-haired man that sat recently at the bar before her.

"Oh, nothing much," she replied to the Runes Mage.

"It must be pretty special since it has amplified your beauty," said Freed as he stared at her longingly.

"You're not jealous are you, Freed?" she teased lightly.

"And if I am?" he replied as a small smile graced his handsome face.

Mira blushed slightly. "Well, there's nothing for you to worry about."

"Then what's in the napkin?"

"It's a secret," she replied as she winked at him before going to serve some drinks to Team Natsu.


His scars had increased ever since he joined Team Natsu. It was inevitable that they did because every time it looked as if Lucy was defenseless, he would rush to protect her, even when Natsu was nearby. Then again, he would only look at them as proof that he was getting stronger with each new mission they took on. Never would he say that they were proof that he was strong enough to protect Lucy from a powerful attack; nope, not all at all.


Lucy had just finished showering when she entered her room to continue writing her manuscript. She had come up with a new bright idea during her bath. Upon entering, the first thing she noticed was a bare chest and her manuscript in the hand of said bare-chested man.

"My manuscript!" she yelled on impulse as she grabbed her precious writing from the cold hand holding it.

"Hey! I was getting to the good part," he said.

"And you! What are you doing in other people's homes half-naked!"

"I'm not – whoa! When did that happen?"

"Geez, Gray, at least keep your shirt on," she replied as she looked through her drawers to find one of the shirt's he had left before and giving it to him.

"Thanks, Luce," replied the Ice Mage as he put it on. "Hey, at least I'm not the one sporting nothing but a towel," he smirked at her.

Instinctively, the Celestial Mage hugged the towel closer to her body and turned a bright red, before pushing him towards the door.

"Out!"

"Ouch! Easy there, Luce, I think I'm still sore there," winced the brunet.

Lucy stopped pushing Gray towards the door when she felt him flinch against her soft, delicate hands. She didn't hesitate for a single moment before she grabbed his hand and led him to the couch in her room.

"Lucy?" he asked puzzled by her change of attitude.

"Wait here," she said as she went back to her bathroom for a moment.

Gray did as he was told and waited for the blonde to return.

He looked around rather confused and noticed the different furniture that surrounded the bubbly Celestial Mage's room. It fit her personality perfectly; delicate, soft, and girly but refined with dignity, grace, and one of a kind. From his seat, Gray saw a picture of her mother in her desk and couldn't help but marvel how Lucy was basically an exact duplicate of her.

The door to the bathroom opened and Lucy entered the room wearing her pajamas with a first aid kit in her hands.

"Did you get hurt, Luce?" he asked slightly worried.

"Baka," she replied as she sat down next to him on the sofa. "Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? You have bruises all over you, Gray!"

"Pfft, I do not," he scoffed, but then Lucy lightly tapped his back. "Ow!"

"I told you so!"

"Okay, fine. So I may have a couple of bruises here and there, it's no big deal," he grumbled.

"Yes, it is!" she said as she took out some gauze along with some heat and cold pads. "Geez, Gray, if you want to become an S-Class Mage, then at least take care of yourself," Lucy pouted.

"Why would I do that, when I have you to take care of me?" he replied cheekily.

Lucy blushed lightly but continued, "b-because…"

"Because?"

"I…I might be in a mission with Natsu the next time!" she thought quickly before hitting herself mentally.

Gray's grin faltered for a second before turning around to let her take care of his bruises. Her delicate hands massaged his shoulders as he relaxed at her touch until she stopped to bandage some of his new scars. She stopped when she spotted a stinging red mark on his back; she traced the mark lightly with her fingertips.

"Luce?"

"This is from the blade that was slashed towards me, wasn't it?"

Silence for a minute.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Luce–"

"If only I was stronger like Erza, then you wouldn't have to get hurt because of me…"

Gray turned to face her. Her eyes were downcast, but he could tell she was on the brink of tears. Not knowing what to do, he followed his instincts. He hugged her to his chest and patted her head softly, while at the same time enjoying the fragrance of her shampoo.

"Gray?"

"You're fine just the way you are, Lucy."

"But–"

"-No buts," he said firmly putting her at arm's length. "You're Lucy, not Erza. If you were like Erza then I wouldn't be able to crash into your home," he smirked.

Lucy hit him lightly on his chest and smiled. "Then maybe I should roommate with Erza then."

Gray looked scared for a minute, but smiled afterwards.

"You and I both know you wouldn't be able to survive that."

Lucy opened her mouth to contradict him, but realized he was right. Erza had a habit of hugging her pillow or anything that gave of warmth and was soft really. Besides, her hugs were to die from, literally.

"Okay, so maybe Erza isn't my light of hope," she sweat-dropped.

"Besides, you like it when I come over unannounced," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes.

"Sure, I do. It's not like you coming to my house half-naked is weird anymore."

"Exactly!"

Lucy giggled before telling him to turn around and continue bandaging him.


On Christmas, he made her a cute charm bracelet with his Ice-Make, but it didn't mean anything. So he didn't get really happy when he saw the look of her face, oh no, not at all; and when she hugged him, he didn't embrace her back tightly just to let her know he was glad she liked her present.


Gray had managed to spot Lucy in the middle of the gift exchange mayhem. She had gotten various presents: Erza had given her a coupon special to her favorite cake shop, Levy had gotten her a limited edition romance book series, Natsu and Happy had given her money for her rent, Lisanna and Mira had gotten her new winter outfit, and Wendy and Charle had given her a cute pair of earrings.

As for the rest, they were still wrapped in their seasonal wrappings when Gray reached her.

"Hey, Lucy!"

"Gray!" she said after putting down one of her gifts. "Merry Christmas!" she greeted as she handed him his present.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," he replied as he gave her a small wrapped box.

Gray opened his gift to find a new white coat. He smiled. The last one he had had been ruined in one of their missions, and Lucy wouldn't let go of the fact that it had been her fault. No matter how many times he had tried to tell her otherwise, she wouldn't listen to reason. Gray looked up from his gift to thank Lucy, but when he saw her, he saw tears streaming down her face.

"L-Lucy?"

"It's beautiful, Gray," she said as held an ice-cold charm bracelet with a single snowflake charm in her hand.

"It's nothing," he said nonchalantly. "Now you have a piece of me with you wherever you go."

"Thank you," she said as she rushed towards him and hugged him.

Blushing a little, Gray embraced the petite blonde tightly.

"I'm glad you like it, I wasn't sure what to get you."

Lucy shook her head against his chest.

"No, I love it, honestly," she said, her voice muffled by the Ice Mage's strong chest.

"Here, let me put it on for you," he said as they let go of each other.

He picked up the delicate piece of art from her hands and clasped it around her wrist.

"It really is a wondrous piece of work, Gray," she said admiring it on her slender wrist.

"Thanks, now for each Christmas, I'll give you a new charm for you to add to it."

The smile Lucy had given him then and there had been the best Christmas gift he could have received from anyone.


Whenever he was in doubt of himself or when he felt ready to give up against an opponent, he would always recall her smile from that Christmas to remind himself that there was someone waiting for him after.

As the months passed, February arrived and so did Valentine's Day. The day of romance and friendship wasn't his favorite holiday out there. He couldn't stand the pink, frilly decorations at stores or the couples walking around that used the holiday as an excuse to show their public displays of affection everywhere they went. However, that Valentine's he didn't mind it as much as the others, considering a certain Celestial Mage was there with him.


He was walking around the city of Magnolia, gagging at the immense display of affection from couples around him, when he spotted the familiar head of a white-haired maiden. Gray hadn't meant to stare, but couldn't take his eyes off of the couple that was walking in front of him a couple of meters away.

Mira, the Mirajane, was strolling through the streets while holding hands with Freed Justine. It wasn't that the fact that it was Mira and Freed strolling the streets together, it was the fact that they were closer than most of the couples surrounding them. They had gone from handholding to Mira hugging Freed's arms to Freed holding Mira by the waist as the strolled about.

Gray hadn't intended to follow them, but he couldn't help it as he walked, shocked, as the mages acted so intimately with one another. As soon as he realized that he had followed them all the way to the plaza, he turned left and made a U-turn to go home. Although it was still early, he didn't feel like torturing himself with the nauseating PDA of the couples around him.

On his way home, he passed by Lucy's house out of habit. He was thinking about entering her apartment through her window when he heard a voice behind him.

"Gray-sama?"

He turned around to see Fairy Tail's water mage blushing as she held something in her hands.

"Juvia…"

"Ano," she avoided eye contact with him before putting the heart-shaped item in front of her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Gray-sama. Juvia has made these just for you."

He was rather surprised by the declaration, but accepted the chocolates either way, "Thank you, Juvia."

He was about to walk away when he felt someone pull his coat, he turned. "J-Juvia?"

"G-Gray-sama, what are your feelings towards Juvia?" she whispered while looking down on the ground, blushing.

"My…feelings?"

"Y-yes! Does Gray-sama feel the same way as Juvia does?" she looked up at him with expectant eyes.

Gray's eyes widened at the realization of the blue-haired mage' implied words, blushing at the confession. No words that formed in his head wanted to roll off his tongue, he just stared at her opened mouth before saying, "Juvia, I–"

"Gray? Juvia?"

The two mages both turned around to sound of the new voice that emitted from the steps of Lucy's apartment building, only to find the Celestial Mage in them with a cute, pink bag in her hands.

"L-Lucy…"

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said looking away for a moment. "I-I didn't mean to interrupt. S-sorry, I have to go somewhere."

With those final words, Lucy sprinted into a run and left the two mages alone before anyone could oppose.

"Wait, Lucy!" he made to go after her, only to realize he couldn't just leave Juvia without a reply.

"Listen, Juvia–"

"It's okay, Gray-sama," said Juvia with sad eyes. "Juvia understands. Juvia already knows her answer," she smiled while holding back tears.

Gray gave her an apologetic smiled before leaving in the direction Lucy ran off too.

It was hard accepting the non-spoken rejection from her beloved savior, but Juvia knew the answer all along from the beginning.

He had fought for Lucy when he saved her, it was a fact she never wanted to accept. But there was no choice today, she had spoken directly to him about her feelings towards him and had gotten a direct answer from.

Tears streamed down her face as she walked away only to find the Ice Mage from Lamia Scale. Somehow she didn't feel like she was crying because she was heartbroken, but rather because she had taken a burden off of her shoulders. Lyon smiled at her as he silently offered her a rose, which she good graciously took while smiling at the white-haired mage before her.

Meanwhile, Gray had searched every place he could think of finding Lucy. He searched the guild, the plaza, the church, every single place he could think she would be at. It was nighttime by the time he concluded that she might have gone home. He wanted to go to her house but thought it would be awkward considering she misunderstood the situation.

He sat down in one of the benches by the park he had wandered to.

'Lucy,' he thought to himself before he heard a sigh from behind him.

He looked behind him only to find a familiar blonde's head down casted.

"Stupid Gray," he heard her murmur.

She looked to her side, not noticing said person in the bench behind her, and took out a simple box of chocolates. She frowned as she took out the tag that said: 'To: Gray,' and opened the box.

"This has to be one of worst Valentine's ever," she said as she picked up one of the chocolates. "I worked hard on these, too, but I guess he'll never taste them anymore."

She stared at the candy for a while longer, putting it high so that it shone in the moonlight before directing it to her mouth. Moments before the chocolate reached eye level, a hand grabbed her wrist pulled it behind her. She soon felt warm lips touching her fingers where the chocolate once was, she turned around.

"G-Gray…"

Gray savored the chocolate specially made for him by Lucy. He tasted the sweet bitterness of the chocolate along with a fresh taste of mint.

"It's good," he said while staring at her.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked as she retracted her hand from him and stood back from him. "What about Juvia? Shouldn't you be with her considering you–"

"-You misunderstood!" he cut her off.

"Huh?"

"I rejected her."

"You're lying," she said as she stepped back.

"Lucy," he said as he hopped over the bench. "Why would you think I'm lying?"

"Because she likes you and–"

"-But I like you!" he froze in where he was and looked away quickly as a blush spread through his cheeks.

Lucy felt her cheeks burn as she heard his unpredicted confession. "What?"

"I…I said I like you," he said as he looked at her. "I-is that wrong?"

Lucy recovered from her stupor and shook her head. "N-no, it's just…"

"Just…?"

She looked at him in the eyes and said, "I-I like you, too."

Gray didn't know how it happened but he remembered hugging the blonde in his arms tightly before picking her up and spinning her around, hearing her joyous laugh echo in the dark before his lips claimed hers as he put her down on the ground.


He remembered every moment they shared and he would always remember how lucky he was to have met her. So as the two sat down with the rest of Team Natsu, he didn't look away, or keep his hand off her waist. Not at all, because there was nothing to deny anymore, not that Gray ever denied anything, because let's face it; Gray wasn't the type of guy to deny what he felt.


Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

~Karie