Chapter 1
Gray inhaled the fresh January air and smiled. This was his natural environment, his home. It was nice to be back again.
He quickly rushed inside, grabbed his iCom and texted the rest of Team Natsu. I'm going sledding. Anyone wanna join?
Almost immediately, he got a reply from Natsu. HELL YEAH ICE BASTARD! WE'RE HAVING A SNOWBALL FIGHT FOR SURE!
He shook his head and smirked. You sure, flame brain? Well then, get your flaming brain have a brain freeze.
ARE YOU TWO FIGHTING? came a reply from Erza.
Gray cringed. He could almost hear her booming voice and see her looming over him.
No ma'am!, both he and Natsu sent in unison.
Good. Well, it's been a while since I had some fun, I guess I'll join you two. One thing though, you'll teach me how to sled, right Gray?
Gray almost wanted to facepalm but he resisted. Of course, she wasn't from a cold area, so she probably hadn't played in the snow before she came to Fairy Tail.
Of course,he replied, eyeing the sweat dropping emoji that Natsu had sent just a second earlier.
Erza's only reply was a happy-faced emoji. Gray felt a surge of happiness at the sight of the smiley face. When Erza was happy, he was happy.
A ding from his device interrupted his thoughts.
Awesome! I'm coming for sure, Lucy said.
That only left out Wendy and Carla.
Soon enough, Gray heard another ding.
Ooh fun! I want to play in the snow too! , came her reply.
Alright. Everyone meet me at the guild, maybe we can get some others to come, he texted.
Already there, Ice Prick! HAHAHA WE BEAT YOU, came an instant reply from Natsu.
Gray rolled his eyes. He decided not to argue back as soon as he noticed that Erza was typing.
Gray, I'm here too! Where ARE you?
Gray lived near the edge of Magnolia, so it took him longer to get to the guild. 'I should probably get moving,' he thought.
He slid the iCom into his pocket and opened the door, stepped out, and locked it. As soon as he confirmed that nobody could break in easily, he jumped into the fresh snow.
It felt so good.
"Ice Make: Snowboard!" he yelled, and a perfect ice snowboard appeared in his hand.
He dropped the snowboard, got on, and began to glide down the snow at a rapid pace.
Gray gazed around at the winter landscape as he zoomed down the streets. Children played outside their homes, laughing and rolling around in the soft, fluffy snow. He felt oddly joyful.
He continued to race down the side of the un-shoveled road, turning expertly at the bends and curves.
Finally, he reached the guild. He quickly dissolved the ice and ran inside.
To his surprise, everyone was patiently waiting.
"Wow! Um, okay…" he said, unsure of what to say about the guild's unusual behavior.
"Erza's doing. She didn't want to be the awkward person who didn't know how to sled," Natsu said, cracking up along with the other guild members.
Erza bonked his head, fuming. Natsu and the rest of the guild immediately shut up, the former hissing in pain from Erza's iron fist.
"Well you're finally here. Let's go play outside!" Erza said, cheerfully jumping into the air in a very un-Erza like way.
Gray smiled at her cheerful demeanor. He didn't even realize he was blushing at her until Erza snapped at him for stalling.
He shook his head and ran after the enthusiastic redhead.
"Okay, so the first time, I'll steer. Next time, I'll sit at the back and help you steer," he told Erza as they climbed into the sled.
Erza nodded, her face displaying both nervousness and excitement.
Since they were both already in, Gray decided to get the sled moving by pushing off using his hands.
"Alright! Here we go!" he shouted as the sled gained enough speed.
They flew down the hill, Gray steering them out of the way of other sleds and guild members.
Erza laughed and cheered over his shoulders, hugging him tightly from behind.
'I wish I could see this side of her more often. She's so happy and innocent. So cute,' he thought, his cheeks turning a light shade of red.
Finally, they came to a halt at the bottom.
They both got out of the sled and tugged it away to the side of the hill.
"So, how did you like it?" he asked, turning towards her.
"That was incredible! I could do this all day," she exclaimed.
"I'm glad, Erza. It's been a long time since I've seen you have fun like this," he said, smiling.
Erza smiled back. "Thanks for sledding with me, Gray."
"Of course," he replied. "I'd sled with you anytime," he added, blushing lightly.
Erza seemed touched by his response.
"Most people don't want to hang out with me outside of missions because of, er, my temper. So thank you for doing this," she said happily. He just have a short nod.
Gray suddenly felt awkward under her gaze. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked mesmerized by his eyes.
"So, uh, wanna give it a shot this time?" he asked, breaking away from her gaze and staring at the sled instead.
"Sure," she said, picking up the sled but still sneaking looks at him.
They walked up the hill side by side in silence.
That look she had given him earlier had ignited a burning, raging flame of need in him. His gaze settled on Erza's beautiful face. He suddenly wanted to kiss those red, luscious lips, and hear her moan under him.
'Damn, what am I even thinking?! Get a hold of yourself, Gray!" he scolded himself.
His perverted thoughts escaped him as a voice tore through them.
"Gray! You spaced out for a minute. Are you okay?" Erza asked, looking concerned.
"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine."
He blushed, hoping that she wouldn't notice the small bulge in his pants.
'Oh man. If she can turn me on this easily… that's a big problem,' he thought nervously.
"Hey Erza, I need to use the bathroom. Ask Lucy to help you, okay? The flame brain knows how to sled too but he won't be patient at all, and both of you will most likely end up in a wreck," Gray said, smirking.
"Ok. Come back soon!" Erza said as he turned around to leave.
Gray waved in acknowledgement and broke into a sprint. Soon, he reached the guild hall.
'Ugh. I gotta get this over with quickly,' he thought, chagrined.
"Oh well, I hope Erza's having fun," he muttered to himself as he disappeared into the bathroom.