Schedule
Oneshot
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Also. I don't smoke. So if you find any inaccuracies, please do forgive me.
If you want, I suggest you all listen to Ed Sheeran's Hearts Don't Break Around Here, Perfect, and How Would You Feel (Paean) from his new album Divide as you read. I think that it really sets the mood because that's what I was listening to as I wrote. Hehe. Thanks and happy reading everyone! :)
Lucy Heartfillia liked routines. She liked having everything planned out. She liked following time tables. She liked maximizing every second she had. She liked being organized. Of course, being in Fairy Tail—a guild as spontaneous as it was—kept messing up her beloved schedule. Many times have Natsu and Happy walked in on her during her shower period. Many times have she caught Erza rifling through her underwear drawers during the unearthly hour of 5 in the morning on weekends. Many times have Gray stumbled upon her manuscripts during her dinner time. And while she loved her guild so dearly, her routines were something she valued as well. Being a writer, after all, needed strict time allotment for writing.
That was why, when Lucy was sure everybody was asleep (since her team usually preferred sleeping over at Lucy's rather than their own homes), she would rise at 3 in the morning, write for an hour (two if she was feeling particularly inspired), and then sleep again until 8 'o clock. That short time was what she considered her peace period.
So when a certain ice mage woke up just a few moments after her during her writing session one night, Lucy, of course, was thrown off guard.
It was 3:07 AM.
"Luce?" Gray's voice was hoarse from sleep so he had to clear his throat to get it back to normal.
Lucy, who was pacing by the kitchen that time, jolted at the sound, causing her to unceremoniously bump into one of the chairs. She hissed a curse as she struggled to catch the chair before it crashed to the floor and woke everybody else up. "U-Um, hi Gray?"
Gray snickered as he rose from his mattress on the floor and helped Lucy from the chair she somehow miraculously caught. "So, what's got you up so early in the morning?" He yawned. "Bad dream?"
"What? No." Lucy gave a shaky laugh, shifting so that she would block her teammate's view of her manuscripts on the table. "Of course not."
Gray raised an eyebrow at the movement. He peaked behind her, gently pushing her away. "So you were writing?" he observed while Lucy, with red cheeks, hastily piled her papers away from his view.
"I, uh, yes."
"At," Gray glanced at the clock, "3:13 AM?"
"Yes."
Gray shrugged, yawning once again. "Okay." He retreated back to Lucy's room, kicking Natsu's foot out of the way to get to his spot.
Lucy gaped as she watched her teammate. "You're not saying anything?" she asked.
"What is there to say?" Gray asked before closing his eyes and going back to sleep.
It took a moment of confusion before Lucy turned back to her current problem: she was having a writer's block.
The second night was no good either. As well as the next. And the next. Lucy would open her eyes at exactly 3 AM, think for a while, and then shuffle about in frustration for the rest of the hour before going back to bed. She'd lay, irked at her lack of ideas, tossing and turning until the sun rose and never getting a wink of sleep anymore.
On her floor where her male teammates slept, midnight blue eyes would watch her exasperation.
When Fairy Tail's resident celestial mage came almost crawling to the guild hall, Mirajane knew at once something was off. "Did something happen, Lucy?" she asked with worry. "Here. Your breakfast is on me today."
Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Mira!" She heaved a breath before she took a bite. "You're the best."
Mirajane reached over the counter to carefully tuck a lock of Lucy's messy hair behind her ear. "Something's wrong."
It was a statement.
Lucy gave the take-over mage a slightly wary look, which Mirajane matched with a stern yet concerned gaze. Lucy sighed. "You're sharp as ever, Mira." She picked at her waffles. "I can't write. I mean, I can. But I can't. Y'know what I mean?" She let her head bang on the table. "Damn, I hate writer's blocks."
"It must be really serious, huh?" Mirajane concluded from the circles under the girl's eyes and her lifeless demeanor.
"Yeah, it is." Both women turned to see Gray sit beside Lucy. "The usual, Mira. Thanks. She was pacing last night. Woke me up."
"I woke you up again?" Lucy asked in dread. She hadn't wanted to disturb any of her friends. However, her anxiousness to write couldn't be pacified at all unless she walked around.
"Yeah," Gray nodded, "But it wasn't your fault I chose to stay overnight."
Mirajane couldn't help but tease at Gray's choice of words. "What were you doing at Lucy's last night, huh Gr-aaay?"
"Mira!" Lucy sputtered, turning bright red. "The whole team was there! We were planning for our mission next week."
"I see..."
"You're not very convincing," Gray pointed out as he dug into his shaved ice.
Mirajane turned back to Lucy, grinning her signature match-making grin. "So. What's your story about? Perhaps, Gray here would be willing to help give you a little inspiration?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively to make an implication.
"M-Mira!" Lucy complained, blushing again. "I'm not even writing about romance this time!"
"Oh my! I never mentioned anything about romance this time," Mirajane countered, winking at the younger girl, "Though I understand now that you consider Gray helping you as something romantic."
Lucy sputtered, burning deep red. "What? No! I-I—"
Gray, on the other hand, snorted. "I don't mind helping out," he said, surprising Lucy, "If that would make you let me read your stories legally."
"But you don't have to—"
"If that would help stop your sleep deprivation, Lucy, then I think you should agree," Erza interjected, entering the conversation and sitting on Lucy's other side. "Good morning, everybody. Mira, my cake please." She gave Lucy a pointed look when the girl opened her mouth to object. "We're going on an S-class mission next Tuesday and we need everybody to be in tip-top shape. You can't be tired. I would normally ask you to stop waking at 3 in the morning so that you could rest. However," Erza pointed at the girl with her fork, "I respect your love for writing so I let you be. But if writing would become a hindrance to the mission, then we need to put a stop to it."
"I could never say it better," Gray commented, finally finishing his shaved ice.
"Gray, clothes," Mira reminded, causing Gray to gasp in shock, wonder out loud where on earthland it went, and begin his search for his clothes.
Sweat dropping at the ice mage's antics, the three women continued their chat. "It's not very evident, but Gray's also quite the reader," Erza said, "If you need writing inspiration, I think Gray could help."
The mage in question was now unceremoniously dragged into a quarrel between Natsu and Elfman. It wasn't long before their shouts lead to fist fights and magic, Gray's clothes now long forgotten.
"I'll, uh," Lucy cleared her throat, "Thanks but I think I'll pass." She stood, thanked Mira and Erza for their concern, and left the guild to wander. The two shared a glance before Erza rose not long after to stop the ruckus on going.
It was 10:37 in the morning. Lucy left the guild around half an hour ago. She sighed as she rolled on the bed again and again and again. She couldn't remember why she ever chose to write a story set on the sea. She's barely sailed. She's yet to fully understand seamen's jargon and she's still trying to figure out a ship's mechanism.
Lucy rose and pulled out a book from the pile under her bed. Wearing her magic reading glasses, she tried to absorb as much information as she could about the history of the first pirates—to no avail. Tossing aside another book that bored her, Lucy dragged herself up from the bed.
"I think I'll be going to the bookstore," she mumbled to herself as she hurriedly slid her house keys in her pocket and put on her boots, "Bookstores are nice."
She was in the shop in a flash. Lucy immediately headed to the aisle that held books about the sea and ships and the like. After quite a while contemplating, she finally headed to the counter with two books in hand—a novel about a love that was tested for the woman had to journey on the vast oceans and a guide book about manning a galleon.
"That would be 1, 123 jewels, miss."
"1, 123 jewels!" Lucy repeated in shock. "B-But how can it—" She grabbed the novel and checked the price tag. "849! When I first checked it, it was only 349 jewels!"
The cashier girl rolled her eyes at Lucy. "You need to have your eyes checked, miss." The lady raised her eyebrow. "So are you taking both?"
Taking a deep breath, Lucy gave a shaky smile. "Um, please give me a moment," she requested as she held both books in her hands and began to frown at them.
She only had a thousand jewels with her right now. If she really wanted to do some reading at home, she'd have to sacrifice one book. But which? Lucy narrowed her eyes at the novel. It was the last one. After much contemplation, she then sadly thumbed its hard bound cover, sighing. Well, she still had a lot of unread fiction books at home so…
Lucy smiled sheepishly at the irrate cashier, handing the over the guide to sailing a galleon. "I'm sorry, I'll be taking this please."
After recieving the receipt, she dragged herself out the bookstore with much difficulty—especially when she was unable to buy the book she longed for the most. Lucy was frowning at her watch when the shop door opened before she even had her hand on the knob. She coughed as wisps of smoke wafted in the store. Oh, did she hate smoking and people who did. Opening her mouth to give the stranger a piece of her mind, she looked up—only to find a nonchalant looking Gray Fullbuster with a lit cigarette hanging from his lips.
"Yo Luce," he greeted with a nod, walking past her. However, before Lucy could even have the chance to speak, Gray turned again. "Hey, would you mind if you waited for me outside? Thanks, I'll just be quick."
Thoroughly speechless, Lucy couldn't help but numbly did as told. A few moments later, Gray stepped out with his own paper bag in his arms and blew out a breath. Lucy recoiled, holding back the urge to clamp her hand over her nose and mouth. "You—" she choked, "You smoke?"
Gray frowned. "You didn't know?"
"If I did, then I wouldn't be reacting this way!" Lucy exclaimed, angrily snatching the stick from his mouth and tossed it in a nearby trash can.
Gray's eyes widened at the sudden gesture. "O-Oi—"
"Smoking. Is. Bad. For. Your. Health!" Lucy scolded, jabbing a finger in his chest at every word. "It's bad for you. Bad for me. Bad for the people around you. And, most especially, bad for the environment!" She threw her hands up. "Dear Mavis, I can't believe this!" Turning around, she stomped a few feet away from him. Then—much to Gray's surprise—crouched, hugging her shins and burying her face in her knees.
Gingerly, the astounded male approached Lucy. "Er, are you okay?" The girl nodded, though she refused to lift her head. Gray groaned, rubbing his nape awkwardly before crouching beside her as well. He cleared his throat, cheeks colouring with a little pink. "It's, um, not that time of the month, is it?" At the statement, Lucy peeked at Gray, revealing tearful eyes. Immediately, the young man sprang up, backing away in fright. "I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pry!" he exclaimed frantically. "Ah, shit, what do you do when girls cry? Um. Umm. Ah!" He took out his handkerchief and began wiping her face. "Here, here." When the tears didn't stop flowing, Gray cursed once again. "As you can see, I'm not very good in dealing with crying women," he mumbled as he tried to get Lucy to stand up. "Argh, dammit Heartfillia get yourself together! Is it because I smoke?" He shuffled around until he found the pack of cigarettes in one of his pockets. "Look, look. I'll throw this away now." Gray tossed the pack into a garbage bin. "See? No more! Now please, please stand up. That damn fire-brain would kill me if he learned I made his best friend cry."
"You didn't have to throw your cigarettes, Gray," Lucy then managed to say in between hiccups. "Y-You didn't make me cry." She chuckled as she wiped the remainder of her tears with the handkerchief he lent her. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." She let him pull her up and lead her to a nearby bench. "I'm okay now."
Gray didn't look so convinced. "If you need me to get you those—what do you call that—um, napkins? Then I'll go run," he said, frowning, "Jeez, you girls and your spontaneous hormonal rages."
Lucy shook her head vigorously. "You don't need to buy napkins!" she exclaimed, flustered. "It's, er, not that time of the month so…"
"Then, what happened?" Gray turned to face Lucy, "Are you sure you're alright?" He gave a nervous chuckle. "Because I swear to Mavis, another episode will be the death of me."
"W-Well, I suppose it because I'm having a writer's block right now," Lucy replied.
"A writer's block?"
"Yeah," Lucy sniffed, "I hate it. It throws me off schedule and I couldn't sleep at night and I can't think and it makes me sensitive and one thing leads to another and—" She burst into another round of tears.
After around half an hour of Lucy's on-and-off crying and Gray's frantic efforts to calm her, the ice-mage was finally able to get Lucy off the bench and drag her away from the bookshop. "I'm really, really sorry, Gray," Lucy groaned, eyelids swollen and head aching, "I'm such a nuisance to you."
"A bit, yeah," Gray shrugged, "Apology accepted though, so we're cool." His grip on her hand tightened as he quickened his pace, "However, we can't have you in that condition when we go out for the mission."
"I'm sorry." Lucy meekly wiped her tears away. "Where are we heading?"
"A place where you'd be able to think," Gray answered. "But my place first."
The pair reached Fairy Tail's boys' dormitory. "Fairy Grove?" Lucy remarked, lips twitching to a smile, "How manly."
"Shut up," Gray snapped, pink colouring his cheeks, "Gramps' said that the First named the buildings." He led them to the dormitory's garage where he got on an electric blue motorcycle. He grinned, attaching the SE plug to his wrist. "Hop on."
Lucy couldn't help but be impressed. "I didn't know you had such a ride," she said as she settled to sit behind him.
"It seems that we both don't know a lot about each other." Gray passed Lucy his helmet.
"What about you?" Lucy asked, tightening the helmet. She realized how petite she was compared to the young man before her. "This is a little big, to be honest."
"Don't complain." A helmet made of ice formed to fit Gray's head. "Would you rather this or that?" Seeing Lucy give a small shiver, he snickered. "Thought so. Just a warning though: I can be a little speedy. I suggest you hang on tight." As the girl wrapped her arms around his torso, the motorcycle roared to life.
Lucy shrieked as they sped out of the guild's premises and through the town. "'A little speedy' is an understatement!" she yelled, holding on to Gray tighter for dear life, "This is way over the speed limit!"
Gray laughed. "You'reexaggerating! Is it just me or you're actually challenging me?"
Lucy paled. "No, no, no! Definitely not—AAAAH!" Closing her eyes and screaming, she held on to Gray with all the strength she had as the boy sped up even more.
"You can let go now."
Hesitantly, Lucy opened her eyes and scowled at Gray. "You don't deserve to have a license!" she snapped once she had made sure that they were already stable. She took the helmet off and began hitting him with it. "You shortened my remaining years to half, dammit!"
"You enjoyed the ride though, admit it," Gray countered, laughing as he dodged Lucy's blows.
"Well, not really." Lucy cleared her throat, letting the blush that formed on her cheeks to disappear. "Anyway, where are we?" she asked, squinting at the lush green forest before her. She then crossed her arms, nodding thoughtfully. "The change of scenery is actually very nice," she commented, gesturing at the surroundings. "It's peaceful and tranquil. The air is fresh and I like how the leafy canopies shade us from the noon-time sun—"
"You're looking the wrong way," Gray said, chuckling. Placing both hands on her shoulders, he turned the girl around. He grinned as Lucy gasped in awe. "Cool, huh?" They stood on a high, high cliff overlooking both the towns of Magnolia and Hargeon, the sea sitting by the horizon.
"We're so high up!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, "I can see Fairy Tail from here! And the cathedral and—oh, my, is that? Wow, I didn't think that I'd be able to see Hargeon bay anywhere here in Magnolia. And I must say, it's great how the air isn't so thin." Lucy then looked at Gray. "But of all places, why here?"
"You mentioned when you were sobbing how you were writing a story set in the ocean." Gray headed to a tree and lifted a large rock beside its trunk. From there, he produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "The beach could have been a nearer destination, but since it's a Saturday, there would be a lot of people and you wouldn't be able to think." He shrugged. "So I figured that maybe an ocean view would give you inspiration." He blew a small puff of smoke.
Lucy studied the man's profile, nodding. "Thank you." She turned back to take in the sight before them, inhaling deeply. "It's really beautiful."
Gray took a quick glance at the girl. "Yeah."
The two then fell into a meaningful silence. It wasn't long before Lucy had settled on an Indian-sit on the ground, notebook and pen in hand.
Blue.
Seagulls.
The horizon.
The way the waves continued on and on, in a never-ending journey across the vast expanse of the waters.
Lucy continued to jot down random words and phrases that would come to mind, not really writing in a particular sequence. Gray had shortened his cigarette to half before finally giving in to the urge to peek at the girl's notes, flicking off the ashes as he did so.
"You're being obvious, you know," Lucy said, raising an eyebrow at the boy, who began coughing to hide his fluster. "And come on, we're outdoors, you shouldn't be littering as you please." She gave a pointed look at the ashes that fell on the ground.
Gray shifted on his feet, unable to hide his sheepish smile. "Oh, yeah, I shouldn't, sorry," he muttered, conjuring a small ice ash tray. He raised his brows in question, which Lucy returned with a nod of approval. "So what's the novel about?" he asked, bringing his lighter up and lighting his cigarette once again.
Lucy paused from her scribbling and looked up at Gray. She pursed her lips in thought, eyebrows meeting. "Well, it's about a sea monster who antagonizes herself to give the kingdom's champion a reason to become a hero," Lucy explained, "She's confused about why she exists and finds a purpose by taking on the bad guy role."
Gray inhaled, blowing out a smoke ring after. "What a smart sea monster."
"She has the physique of a mermaid and the voice of a siren!" Lucy then made a face. "She turns rabid when the moon is full and kills anything moving in sight."
"You definitely need to let me read that," Gray said. "It's cool. But what's got you all stumped though, to the point where you couldn't even sleep at night and you'd cry all of a sudden?"
Lucy sighed, shrugging. "I-I don't know, to be honest." She ran her fingers down the collection of phrases she'd written on her notebook. "I'm at that point of the story where I already know what the perfect ending is, but I just can't simply write how I'll get there from my current standing in the plot." She placed her notebook down beside her. "Maybe it's because she's confused. She's raised to become a predator, but then maybe there's more to killing and eating—something like that."
She tried to ignore the way Gray was looking at her so intently, hanging on to every word, as it made heat rise to her face. Whenever Levy would listen to her, she would be a bouncing ball of energy and excitement. Lucy definitely didn't whenever the girl would begin rambling on her own, fantasizing. It was so unlike now, with all of Gray's undivided attention on her. While she would always catch the young man reading her manuscripts without permission, she never realized how much he was so interested in her work.
When the smell of smoke came again, Lucy was snapped out of her short trance, coughing a little. "Anyway, enough about me. I never knew you smoked."
"I didn't know that you didn't know. Everybody in the guild knew I smoked once." Gray responded. He took the butt hanging from his lips and froze it, putting the smoke out. He chuckled as he took out his pack once again. "That's why I was surprised when you scolded me earlier—aw, shit! It's the last stick." He held out the open box to Lucy, smiling slightly. "You can have it, if you want."
Lucy leaned away. "Thanks but no thanks," she replied, wrinkling her nose. "I don't usually show it but I don't like smoking and smokers."
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out earlier at the bookshop," Gray said, causing Lucy to blush.
"S-Sorry about that, by the way."
"You're hanging out with me right now, though, and I'm currently lighting up another cig," Gray looked at her from the corner of his eye, "Is that okay?"
"You're my friend first before I found out you smoke," Lucy answered, "And while I hate the act, I won't stop hanging out with you just because I found out you do."
Gray blew out a breath. "You don't say…"
"However, I'd very much prefer it if you stop," Lucy continued. "I believe I've mentioned earlier how smoking is bad for your health, yes?"
"Thanks for the concern." Gray sighed as he tapped his cigarette on the ash tray he made and put it back in its carton. He dropped so that he could sit on the ground beside Lucy. "I don't usually smoke anymore," he began, "Erza and the others—they already made me quit a long time ago too."
"Is that why I never see you smoke in the guild?"
"Yeah." Gray gave a small shiver of fright. "Erza would go nuts if she knew I still did, so," he raised his little finger, "Keep a secret for me?"
Lucy hummed teasingly, "Should I? Or should I not?" When Gray flicked her forehead, she laughed. "Okay, okay." Linking her finger with his, she smiled as the thought of sharing a secret made her feel warm inside. "Pinky swear." She then narrowed her eyes at Gray, pulling away. "I still disapprove though."
Gray chuckled. "There's a reason why I put the cigarette back, y'know."
Lucy blinked, before blushing. "Oh." She cleared her throat. "A-Anyway, why do you still smoke?" At the question, the mage beside her fell into a solemn quiet. She touched a sensitive topic, she realized as the playful look he had in his eyes hardened. She bit her lip, cursing herself for being so tactless. "Look, if you don't want to tell, its fine."
"No, no, it's just," Gray ran a hand through his hair, "The day Ur defeated Deliora is approaching again. It fills my head with nightmares and I couldn't sleep at night." His gaze found the horizon, where the sea met with the sky, and he heaved a breath. "The taste of tobacco and euphoria—it lifts the weight off my chest somehow." He looked at Lucy, whose eyes were wide with empathy. He snorted and ruffled her hair. "Hey now, don't get all emotional on me. I'm alright, really." He shrugged. "Aside from this time of the year, I don't smoke at all. I swear."
Much to Gray's surprise, Lucy's eyebrows met to glare at the view before them. "Now, look what you've done," Lucy snapped, but her tone was somewhat light, "I'm torn between scolding you for smoking or letting you smoke." She turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you ever need somebody to talk to, remember that I'm always ready to listen." She then gave a dry smile. "And then maybe I could change that vice of yours to something else. Like, say, lollipops or something."
"Alright," Gray sniggered, "I'm looking forward to those attempts of yours."
Lucy nodded. "You should."
"Okay, okay. We went here for you to get over your writer's block, not for me to tell my sob story," Gray reminded, standing up and lighting his cigarette again. "Get to work. I want to read your novel soon."
"For your information, Levy will be my first reader." Lucy stuck out her tongue teasingly.
Gray shrugged, tapping the cigarette on his ash tray. "I don't mind being second."
"What time is it?"
"I don't have a watch." Gray made a face. "It's been a long while since I finished my last stick though, so I guess it's already late." he said from the throne of ice he was sitting on. "Are you sure you don't want me to make you a chair and a table?"
"No, thank you." Lucy shook her head, standing up and holding out Horologium's key. "The ice would be too cold for me and it would burn my skin. And I don't think it's very late; we just arrived here. Gate of the Clock, I open thee: Horologium!"
Out popped the celestial spirit from Lucy's magic circles. "Good afternoon, Ms. Lucy," he greeted.
"Hi Horologium," Lucy said, "I just wanted to check the ti—4 o' clock? It's already 4 o' clock? Is that Earthland time or Spirit world time?"
"This is Earthland time," Horologium clarified, "Do you want me to show you the current time of the Celestial Spirit realm?"
Gray whistled. "I told you it's already late."
As if on cue, Lucy's stomach rumbled. "That explains why I'm feeling hungry." She groaned, "I am sooooo off-schedule!" She couldn't believe that she lost track of the hours the whole time she was together with—ehem—the whole time she was plagued with her writer's block. Yes. That was it. She'd blame it all on that damned writer's block.
Massaging her temples, she waved her other hand at her spirit. "You're great help, Horologium, thank you. You can go back now." When the spirit disappeared with poof, she turned to her companion. "We better go," she said, "And clothes, please."
Gray gasped as he found himself, once again, stripped off his clothing. "Give me a sec," he said, going off to search for his shirt.
Lucy felt her sweat drop at the antics of the boy. Collecting her things, she made herself comfortable sitting on the motorcycle as she waited for him. She sighed as she gazed at the view they had from the top of the cliff. It was so breath taking. She raised her hands to form a camera and peered through her fingers, pretending to take a photo. "This really is a nice place," she said.
"We could always come back here if you want," Gray offered, now clothed. "Nobody comes up here so consider this spot ours," he declared proudly as he neared.
"Oh yeah?" Lucy challenged, "How did you find this if nobody comes up here in the first place?"
Gray shrugged. "I was looking for somewhere where I could smoke freely," he explained. "That and I somehow ended up here when I first drove my bike for a ride." He tossed his helmet to Lucy as he settled on the motorcycle. "It's sort of like my secret hide out."
"It's not a secret anymore then," Lucy replied, wrapping her arms around Gray's torso as the motorcycle started to life.
"Well, true; it's not my secret anymore," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. He then glanced at her, smiling. "But it could always be our secret."
Lucy blushed. She buried her face against Gray's back, nodding. "That would be nice," she muttered.
"What was that?"
"I said that it would be nice," Lucy repeated.
"What would be nice?" Gray asked playfully.
Lucy raised her head, pouting at the fact that he was obviously teasing her. "Our own secret place would be!" she snapped, cheeks hot, before burying her face against his back once again. She pinched his side, making the boy yelp. "Now drive! I'm hungry."
Gray snickered as a helmet made of ice formed around his head and they began zooming back to the town. "I think it'd be nice too," he said, though he doubted he'd be heard against the roar of the wind.
"Um, thank you for today, Gray," Lucy said sheepishly as she went up the front steps of her house. "You helped me out a lot and I'm really sorry that you had to deal with my crying earlier."
"It's no big deal." Gray smiled. "Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at the guild?"
Lucy handed back Gray's helmet. "No, thank you. I'm good. I'll still go eat there though," she replied.
"I'll just return the bike back at the Grove, then I'll see you there." Gray then paused, raised at Lucy, before gasping and shuffling around his motorcycle. "Oh right. Here." He handed Lucy a small paper bag. "The stuff you bought earlier."
"Ah! I did, didn't I?" Lucy took the bag and opened it to peer inside. "Thanks again. Wow, to think I'd actually forget this." She then frowned, finding two books inside instead of one. "Hey, Gray, I think one of your books got mixed in—" She raised her head to find the man in question already speeding away. She sighed, shaking her head before going in the house. "What is this anyway?" she muttered, taking out Gray's book. Her eyes widened when the title of the novel she was so wanting to buy earlier at the shop greeted her. She turned to glare at the doorway. "He beat me to buying this!" She then chuckled. "He has good taste though." Lucy headed to her room and placed her writing materials on her desk. "Gray probably wouldn't mind if I read a few," she told herself, unable to resist the urge of opening the book. As she flipped through the pages, a small piece of paper fell to the floor. Lucy blinked, before picking it up and seeing the familiar, angular script of a certain Gray Fullbuster.
You're welcome.
-Gray
Lucy felt herself blush. Carefully, she returned the note back inside the novel and sat on her bed to stare at it. What exactly was up with Gray today? Motorcycle rides, sharing secrets, and even buying her a novel! Gray could really be great boyfriend material if he wanted to. No wonder Juvia liked him so much.
"Aaaagh! Lucy, stop thinking like that!" she screamed into her pillow as her face burned bright red at the thoughts.
But her mind couldn't help but turn.
The ice-mage had always been handsome. And not to mention his—ehem—figure that he usually displays all the time. And they'd always been close. And he liked reading her manuscripts. And he'd always go out of his way if it'd mean helping her. Not to mention that Gemini had told her before that Gray thought of Lucy as "pretty damn cute". So, could it be…?
"NO!" Lucy shot up from her bed and she stomped towards her kitchen to get herself a glass of water. There wasn't any food in the fridge (No thanks to Natsu and Happy) but since she figured that she'd more or less explode if she had anymore encounters with a certain ice-mage, she found no energy to spare to go to the guild. Instead, feeling strangely elated to write, she settled on her desk and began to continue her novel despite her hunger.
The next morning, she woke up starving yet satisfied. She had written until 9 o' clock last night, slept, and had woken up at 3 in the morning. It had taken her two hours writing before she slept and woke up again. Lucy was more than happy to say good bye to that damned writer's block.
It was 9:43 AM.
A bit off-schedule, yes, but considering how she had just gotten a decent sleep after nights of writer's blocks, Lucy let herself off the hook for today. She took a quick shower and made a beeline to Fairy Tail.
"Good morning, Mira!" she greeted the bar maid cheerfully. "Can I have that super large breakfast meal Natsu always gets? I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday, you see."
Mirajane chuckled. "For someone who's supposed to be hungry, you sound quite energetic today," she remarked, quickly giving Lucy her food. "Eat up! I guess you're able to write now, huh?"
Lucy nodded through mouthfuls of food. "Yeah, it's totally refreshing, to be honest," she said, just as Cana crashed into the seat beside her. "Hey, you alright?" Lucy asked, helping the girl up.
"Thanks, Lucy." Cana stood, spitting blood before charging to pounce on a guffawing Gildarts. "You bastard old man!" she screeched. "Why won't you let me have a smoke, huh? I'M NOT A KID ANYMORE, DAMMIT!"
Lucy giggled as the girl tried to land blows on her father. "I see Gildarts's back," she said, sweat dropping as Natsu and a few others joined into the fray.
Mirajane nodded, smiling at the scene. "Everybody is lively as always."
"Look, look, it's not that I don't want you to smoke," Lucy heard Gildarts say, "Heck, you drink barrels of booze and I don't say shit about it." He dodged a stream of magic-fused cards sent to his way. "But, you see, this is my last stick and I ain't giving it to anybody." He childishly stuck out a tongue at Cana. "Not even to my cute daughter."
"You're purposely pissing me off, aren't ya?" Cana yelled, lifting a barrel of beer and throwing it at Gildarts.
Natsu cackled as Gildarts blocked his punch but got hit by the barrel instead. "Dude, Cana, you're drunk so early in the morning!"
"I'm not drunk, Natsu, what the hell!" Cana snapped, though her cheeks were already quite pink from the alcohol she's consumed. "I want a smoke!"
"You just can't bum the last stick of the pack," Wakaba declared from where he and Macao sat, "It's a universal truth between smokers, y'know."
At the words, Lucy's ears twitched as she recalled how Gray offered her his last cigarette yesterday. "And why is that?" Lucy asked, swallowing her bacon.
"Ohoho! I didn't think little Ms. Lucy here would be interested," Macao exclaimed, Wakaba nodding in agreement beside him.
Lucy blushed and immediately shook her head, waving her hands in front of her. "O-Oh, no, no! It's just that, I'm curious," she stammered out, "I mean, I could also use that bit of info for my writing too…"
Wakaba shrugged. "You just don't," he said. "Maybe because cigarettes are expensive. But basically, you just don't," he repeated.
"What if, um, hypothetically speaking," the pink on Lucy's cheeks deepened to red, "Somebody offered you their last cigarette? What does that mean?"
The two middle-aged man shared a look. "I dunno, maybe he's a good kid?" Wakaba said, before frowning and taking a swig from his beer. "Nah, that ain't it. I know many good kids who don't give out last cigs. Maybe if he fancies you, he'd offer. Right, right?" He elbowed Macao, who nodded. Wakaba turned to Lucy. "More or less, that's how it is. Why, were you offered one?"
Lucy's face burned. "O-O-Of course not!" she said, "No, sir. T-This is for my, um, writing references."
"What's for your writing references?" Lucy froze at the sound of the voice. She turned to see the ice-mage sit beside her. "You weren't at the guild last night," he said.
"Good morning, Gray!" Mirajane smiled. "The usual ice scone?"
"Yo, Gray!" Wakaba called, "The fella here used to smoke too, Lucy, but he quit now, didn't you?"
At the mention of his habit, Gray glanced at the girl, who was doing her best to avoid his gaze. "Yeah, I used to," he said, "What's up?"
Wakaba recounted the past events. "…And then Lucy here is wondering why you can't bum the last cig. It just doesn't happen, right?" he said, to which Gray nodded. "Right. And now, she's asking what it means if somebody offers you their last cigarette."
At that point, all Lucy wanted was to melt and sink into the ground. Why, oh, why did she ever ask in the first place?
"Well, doesn't that mean that they like you?" Gray answered smoothly, making Lucy freeze in her seat.
"Yeah, but not just the 'I like you' kind of like," Wakaba said, "I like you brats, but I ain't gon'na let any of you bum my last cigarette. It's got to be the 'I like you' kind of like." He turned to Lucy. "See? Even Gray agrees. That's how it is, Lucy. It's basically a declaration."
Lucy, who had already begun shrinking into nothingness, nodded. "E-Er, yeah, okay, thanks, Wakaba, Macao, Gray," she blabbered, her head spinning. Regaining what little composure she had left, she fished out a few jewels from her pocket to hand to Mirajane and rose from her seat. "I-I've got some stuff to do, so I'll be taking my leave now. Bye-bye." At that, Lucy darted outside, heart pounding.
It couldn't possibly be! Gray couldn't possibly have a thing for her, now could he? He's just kind. And sweet. Or maybe he was just teasing. Yeah. That was it. Gray got along with Natsu and they both have the tendency to joke around—
Lucy stopped in her tracks as she felt a hand grip her wrist. Mind still a mess due to a certain ice-mage, her first instinct was to drop a kick at the person who dared to grab at her.
"Hey, wait, Luce, it's me!" Gray exclaimed, yelping in pain as the blow landed on his side. He crumpled into a ball on the ground, groaning, "Man, those Lucy Kicks of yours sure will be handy during missions."
"G-Gray!' Lucy dropped beside him in horror. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Gingerly, she helped in up. "For the love of Mavis, you surprised me!"
"Yeah, I noticed," Gray mumbled, before straightening and rubbing his nose awkwardly. "Look." Was that—? It couldn't be. Was Gray blushing? The boy cleared his throat. "Did you figure it out?"
Lucy flinched, heat beginning to creep up her face. The ground suddenly seemed so interesting to look at. "F-Figured what out?" she stammered, unable to meet the boy's eyes.
Gray groaned, turning around. "Man, I didn't think this day would come!" he said, probably to himself.
Lucy chanced a peek and saw that his ears were bright red. He really was blushing! Lucy scolded herself for thinking about how cute he was being.
Gray turned again to face her and took a deep breath. "Lucy Heartfillia, I li—" CRASH!
The two of them whirled around in shock to see how the rest of their fellow guild members had fallen into a heap by the guild entrance.
"What? What? Did Gray confess already?" Lucy heard Mirajane ask.
"Get off me, fire brain!" Gajeel snapped.
Natsu guffawed. "About damn time!"
Juvia was wailing in a corner.
Erza was stuck under Cana and Lisanna. "Be quiet," she scolded, "And get up! Goodness, you all are being obvious!"
As the rest of them continued to bicker, Lucy couldn't help but bury her red face in her hands due to embarrassment. Gray looked as equally flustered, veins emerging in his temples as he cursed the rest of Fairy Tail. He turned and froze the rest of them in a fit of anger. Knowing that their comrades would be able to quickly free themselves from being encased in ice, he grabbed Lucy by the hand and broke into a sprint. "Run!"
"Where are we going?" Lucy asked, doing her best not to stumble as she let him pull her along.
"Anywhere they won't be able to eavesdrop!" Gray said, gritting his teeth in annoyance as the heat in his cheeks remained. "I'll murder them all the moment we get back."
Lucy giggled. "Well, they were lively."
Gray gave a snort in reply, causing the both of them to laugh.
The two of them ran until they found themselves in front of the bookshop. The sat on the bench as they caught their breath. Gray covered his face with hands and yelled out in frustration, causing Lucy to start.
"Er, are you okay?" Lucy asked tentatively. Was her heart pounding so much just because they had run quite a while? Or was it because of the presence of the young man with her? She cursed herself for being so fickle.
Gray brought down his hands and pouted at Lucy. "So much for being smooth," he said dejectedly.
Lucy blinked. "Um—"
"Alright, let's get this over with," Gray declared, running a hand through his hair and standing up. He sighed. "Er, I like you, okay?" he blurted out, looking away and blushing hard. "I believe that I made that obvious to you yesterday."
At the sudden confession, Lucy sputtered, head beginning to spin once again. She stood up as well, shaking her head. "W-Wait!"
"Don't convince yourself otherwise," Gray interrupted. He managed to finally meet her eyes and he couldn't help but snicker. He reached out and lifted her chin to close her gaping mouth. "Am I that unbelievable?" Lucy, who was redder than ever, nodded immediately, causing Gray to laugh. "Honestly? Truth be told, I thought I was doomed when Gemini told you stuff back when we were fighting against Oracion Seis, but I guess I wasn't." He tone then turned a little sadder. "I suppose that's because you haven't thought of me as anything aside from a friend." Gray then grinned, much to Lucy's confusion. "Now that you know though, I won't be holding back at all." Before the girl could even react, he stooped down and pecked her cheek. "I'll get you to like me back sooner or later," he whispered. Retracting, he stuck out a tongue. "That's that and I'm out. Prepare yourself!" he called as he quickly made his exit.
It was 11:10 AM.
Lucy Heartfillia's mind was blank and face burned brighter than it ever had. Regaining what little composure she had, she chased the laughing Gray. "Oi, come back here, dammit!" she yelled, waving a fist to jokingly threaten him.
11:11 AM.
Knowing so well that her routines would even be more greatly thrown into disarray, Lucy cursed herself for looking forward to what Gray Fullbuster had in store for her.
He didn't need to know so soon.
But she liked him already.
Author's Note: SUP GUYYYYYYYS! DID ANY OF YALL LISTEN TO THE SONGS I SUGGESTED WHILE YOU READ? HOW WAS IT? DID YOU LIKE IT? MEHEHEHE (~OvO)~ Wow, I can't believe the last time I uploaded stuff in FFN was last May, 2016! I didn't think grade 10 would be so stressful! Oh, well. What do you all think? It's been a while since I've written so but I believe that I did quite well. I don't know if anyone of you noticed but I think my writing style has changed a bit? IDK hahahaha. Also, if any of you are going to ask, I'll try to update CWMFC soon again. BUT NO PROMISES, OKAY? Mehehe. I missed you all though.
REVIEWS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED! PMS TOO! ;)
THANK YOU FOR READING! UNTIL MY NEXT UPDATE FAM! LOVE YOU LOTS XOXO