Author's Note: So this is my first GraLu fic. This just came out of the blue and I don't know, I just thought that I had to write this. The characters here are definitely OOC so I'm just warning ahead of time. I'm trying so hard to stick to their characters but there are just some things that I need to alter with their personality or I wouldn't have any story to write. So with that, I hope I can justify the OOC-ness of the characters. This is rated T because of language. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Fairy Tail that you might read in this story.

Chapter One

It Started With the Wrong Foot

It was not love at first sight. No, he actually disliked the girl. He disliked how she used to treat him like he was nothing but a normal teenager boy with normal looks, normal body, and no charisma. He was disturbed of the thought that she seemed to find him normal and actually admitted that he's boring to be with. Boring? Well, for one, a lot of girls would do everything just to trade places with her right now. He's not dense and oblivious and he knows what the looks of other girls mean: They want him. He has a lot of fan girls waiting for him outside the class or even at the lockers or even outside his own house. He has a lot of date calls and letters and chocolates every Valentine's Day. And now, she tells him he's boring to be with?

So, since he's boring, the most sensible thing that he could do is to just stand up right now and leave her to rot away for all he care. But he didn't. Instead, he just sat there, staring at the park in front of him, feeling contented at the weight on his right shoulder and the smell of a strawberry-flavored shampoo lingering in his nose. Then, he felt a slight tug on his right hand and realized that somehow in the middle of his thoughts, her hand had already clasped his own, sending a rush of heat on his cheeks.

He gently shifted his position to look at her face. He breathed out softly as he took in everything he saw – her chocolate brown eyes hidden behind those lids, her long lashes adorning it, almost touching her smooth and somehow pink cheeks, her slightly open pink lips, all of them contributing to the lovely face of the girl sleeping comfortably on his shoulders. He mused at how lovely and angelic she looked right now which is contrary to what he believed when he first met her. The first time he met her, he thought of her as a demon inside an angel's body. A monster.

For a while, he chuckled at the thought causing a slight movement that made the girl on his shoulders groan in irritation with still-closed eyes. Another chuckle came out of him but this time he made sure that he minimized the movement. He suddenly felt her shift into a more comfortable position until she was like totally depending on him for support. One move and she would be out of balance, he thought. It didn't annoy him though. Actually, he wants her to be like that – to depend on him, to be her strength, to be someone she could always turn to. She's a very independent and brave girl and he loves her for that, but sometimes, he just wants to prove to her that not all the time, she could act all tough and brave. That there would be times in one's life when she needs to learn to seek strength from others and that it's okay to be weak sometimes.

Because everyone is vulnerable. Everyone is fragile. And she is not an exception.

"Dammit, Natsu! Just tell them I won't be coming! What's so hard in that?" Gray Fullbuster hissed on his phone as he turned to the table filled with laughing girls and boys his age. One of the girls turned his way and gave him a look accompanied with a smile that tells him she's waiting. His pissed off expression turned into an apologetic and charismatic grin before he turned her back on her and pulled back the mad expression he had a while ago. "If only you told me earlier!"

"But it was so sudden and I don't know it beforehand, too!" the voice on the other end of the line said, his pitch a little higher than the usual. "Stop whining and deal with this. Or we'll be both dead."

"You blockhead, I told you–"

"As much as I want to argue with you right now, I really can't. So just get your annoying ass back here or my dad will kill me."

"I really wish he will," Gray muttered darkly. Before he could speak further, he heard Natsu said something like 'Your mom is already fuming, Droopy Eyes!' before the end of the other line went dead. "Dumbass!" he cursed as he clutched his mobile phone tight and placed it back on his pocket. That airhead really knows the right buttons to push, the raven haired thought as he let out a heavy and exasperated breath before turning to the table with a fake smile on his face.

"Finally! Gray, come sit here," the girl from before grinned at her and patted the vacant seat beside her, looking all flustered and excited.

Gray caught a glimpse of her long tanned legs since she was wearing a skirt that's shorter than what her father might approve of and fought the urge to really take the offer. So he looked on her face instead and then showed his practiced charming apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry, I have something to attend to. As much as I want to stay here guys, I really have to go."

"Aww!" The girl pouted and Gray thought of grabbing the girl and bring her home, lock her in his closet and get back to her later when he's done dealing with the business problems his stepdad is shoving on his face. The other girls pouted, too, and exclaimed their disappointments but Gray wouldn't even bother.

"That sucks, man," one of the boys said and he just dramatically scratched the back of his head still wearing that apologetic smile.

"I'm off then," Gray said and saluted to all of them, then turned around.

"Will you call me?"

Gray turned around to see the hopeful look of the girl that's supposed to be his partner in the mixer and again the thought of bringing her home crossed his mind for the second time. "Of course," he replied and stalked off. He was already out of the restaurant when he realized he didn't have the girl's number but he just shrugged it off. She would definitely be a waste but then there are a lot of girls surrounding him so it would just only take a wink to replace her. Or even find a better one. He smirked at the thought of how easily he can control them and turn them into a lump of nose bleeding girls just by the sight of him half-naked. They are predictable after all, and it's not his fault they come to him. They just did.

Now, to the reason that he had skipped the mixer is because of the flamehead's call about his father looking for him. He's still studying and three years away from graduation in college but he's already his stepfather's assistant in their business. He normally doesn't mind at all, but then, he had long planned this event. Besides, the one he's going to face right now is the Locksers who are truthfully a pain in his well-built ass. The chief executive and owner himself is fine but his daughter is the one he's concerned about, who actually likes him. Well, in all fairness to the girl, she's not ugly or hideous or something of that sort, actually she's pretty. But she just gives him the creeps. Because she doesn't like him. She's downright obsessed with him, that girl, and it's freaking the hell out of him. The way she stares at me, ugh!, Gray thought as he rubbed his arms at the thought of her, and it's summer, mind you.

So back to his stepdad. Well, he is Natsu's real father. His biological father is already dead, leaving his mom with two kids: him and Lyon, who by the way, is not a Fullbuster. He's a Bastia, and he's currently working at Shirotsume and basically living on his own. Natsu's dad had a bad marriage with Natsu's mother and that resulted to a divorce and by twist of fate as what his mom would always say, she and Natsu's dad met and they got married and they are happy and – again, his mom's favorite line – they are in love. So simply put, he and the dolt that goes by the name of Natsu is basically step siblings and is living together under the same roof for already six years now. He's still carrying his father's surname and Natsu's dad didn't seem to be a bit bothered about it. Lucky for him, he didn't have the same stupid situation of being hated by the stepparent just because he's not his or her own flesh and blood. They go along just well and if Gray would be asked, he'd actually prefer to be with Natsu's dad than Natsu himself. Igneel is a lot more sensible to talk to than his idiotic son.

Gray then went back to his dilemma of going to the company and trying to deal with the Locksers. Igneel knew about the situation of that Lockser's daughter and shrewdly (though Gray kinda admit that he can be cruel sometimes that at times he really felt pity for Natsu) Igneel uses Gray more than ever to be the negotiator between their company and the Lockser's seeing that the latter is a very important client and investor of their company. He had confirmed that one day when he suddenly barged in Igneel's office with a pile of documents in hand and heard him say over the phone (Gray's sure it was her mom on the other end of the line) 'Yup, he made Lockser agree. See? No harm done.'

Remembering the details, Gray huffed as he boarded a bullet train towards the company just in the heart of Magnolia City. His mother would strangle him if he didn't go there fast and he could already imagine her reprimanding him again for not bringing his car with him. Not that he doesn't know how to drive, he just doesn't feel like bringing it at that time. Just because..

As he settled on a seat at the far end of the train, he felt a vibration somewhere near his thigh and realized his phone is ringing. It better be not that dolt again or I might scream at his ear this time, Gray thought as he fished his phone from his pocket. However, he took back what he said earlier when he saw his mother's name registered on the screen. Oh heck no, I'd rather talk with Natsu right now. "Mom?" he asked after pushing the Accept button.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Gray flinched violently at his mother's outburst in the phone and felt suspicious eyes staring at him. Trying to ignore these odd and curious looks, he continued, "I'm on my way, mom. You don't have to damage my eardrums," he scowled.

"Well, you better hurry up, young man, or your eardrums would not be the only thing that would be damaged!"

Even though he couldn't see his own face, Gray knew he paled at his mother's threat. Exaggerating as it is, Gray knew better than to think his mom's threat as an empty one. No, she definitely mean it. "O-Okay, okay!" Heck, the great Gray Fullbuster just stuttered. He heard the other end of the line went dead and he felt anxiety starts to build within him. God, how can his mother be so darn sweet hopeless romantic and scary-as-hell-like-he's-about-to-pee-on-his-pants at the same time?

He felt the train stop but he didn't noticed the new passengers that are filing in the train since he was busy blaming his grandparents for creating such an extremist daughter who is his mother right now. Nor did he notice a half-conscious and wobbling blonde sit beside him until she rested her blonde head on his right shoulder. He was surprised by it, making him snap out of his thoughts and instantly irritated. "Hey, woman, watch it!"

The blonde slowly raised her head to look at him with half-lidded eyes, "What? I'm just sleeping here," she said lazily.

"Sleeping?! On my shoulder? Miss, I don't even know you!" he shrieked, finally snapping probably because of his anxiety. "How would I know you wouldn't rob me?" Now, Gray wouldn't be as rude as this, but having an almost heart attack due to his mother's demands made him a little rude than what he actually is.

The blonde looked offended by this and she rose up from her seat and walked away from the red Gray and headed towards the front. Everyone's eyes are on him and he almost wished there's a hole somewhere to crawl in to. Damn that stupid blonde!, he thought and swore to himself not to date any blonde girl even if she's the cutest one he ever laid his eyes on.

He broke his promise two months later, however, when he encountered the very same blonde that made him swear to himself that he wouldn't fall for a blonde girl like her.

Two months later..

A dark-haired boy in his twenty's looked at his corrected testpaper with a pair of knitted brows. There was an A mark on the upper right hand corner of his paper and he was wondering why didn't he get an A+. Where the heck did he got wrong? And he thought he was perfect in the exam. Gray Fullbuster scanned through his papers and finally saw his mistake. Darn carelessness.

Oh well, at least I didn't get an F unlike the unfortunate person beside me, he smirked when he caught a glimpse of the paper the pink-haired boy beside him was holding. He heard his long time friend click his tongue while scanning through his papers that he let out a 'What a shame' that the rosy-haired boy glared at him. "This is your fault," he said.

Gray looked at the very unfortunate person he's talking about. "What? What did I do, Flame Brain?"

"Well, smartass, if you did not barge in my room two days before the exam and played that shitty videogame of yours, I would have passed the exam!" Natsu Dragneel said, his squinty eyes narrowing into slits but even so, Gray still find it annoyingly squinty.

"It's not my fault, you dumbass. If you want to review, you have to be firm with your words and review," Gray said leaning back on his chair lazily, unconsciously unbuttoning two buttons of his polo, and of course, completely unaware of the squeals of his ogling fan girls just a few chairs away from them.

"The hell with your lecturing. I've always told you that there shouldn't be any distractions before and during exam week but you brought the distraction and now I'm in a very deep shit," Natsu mourned while looking at the very fat F scrawled on the upper right hand corner of his paper. "How am I going to explain this to my pops?"

"Tell him you played the shitty videogame all night long without reviewing," Gray suggested.

"Fuck off," Gray heard Natsu muttered just as the doors flew open and their paling professor went out of the room saying he has to attend to 'some things'.

"What's this exchange of foul languages, gentlemen?"

They both glanced up to see Loke in front of Gray, looking back at them with his purple sunglasses perched on top of his nose. Gray was always wondering about the reason why the hell Loke loves to wear that particular pair of sunglasses. He tried to put it on one time just to piss him off, but he felt like a total idiot himself so he dismissed the thought and left the cursed sunglasses alone.

"Shut that womanizer mouth of yours, Loke," Natsu snapped. He really is in a bad mood. Gray gleefully clapped inwardly for Natsu's sour mood. That's what he get for embarrassing him one time with his date just for the hell of it. That darn pink-haired dolt. Does he think he had forgotten all about it? No, for the love of their university's founder Mavis, he can't forget the day that his fan-base has declined, thanks to the said dolt. It's still not his fault, so he mustn't get all mushy and guilty because he wouldn't get low grades if he had just studied instead.

"Foul language and foul mood, not the kind of combination any girl would like," Loke said shaking his brown head. Natsu muttered an 'I don't care' at this and proceeded at looking at his papers, then snatched the paper of the girl beside him and compared the right answers to his, completely oblivious of the blush that spread across the girl's cheeks. Really, this guy is not only a dolt, but a dense dolt at that, Gray thought shaking his head.

For years, Gray knew that he had this appeal that girls get crazy over with. He knew he's not dense unlike the very same unfortunate person beside him and he takes pride in that. It was Loke who was always on the go with him when it comes to girls and it was Natsu who's always the inexperienced one. They had tried one time giving him a 'gift' on his birthday but it hadn't ended too well. The girl wearing a two-piece bikini that they had put in a giant cake made of board had just gone as far as touching Natsu's chest before giving up and lost her face to everyone when Natsu blatantly blurted out that he was so disappointed that the giant cake was not real, without even noticing the girl who was trying to get his attention by massaging his biceps. So much for being a 'helpful friend and step-brother'. And he and Loke cost them a fortune for that birthday party, too. The poor guy is just too hopeless.

He sighed and turned to look at his left; at the window. He was surprised (but not really, he's used to this, remember?) to see a group of girls looking at him three floors below. There was that blue-haired girl again. He knew her and her gang since he had always seen her ogling at him. He remembered how one time he had purposely helped the other blue-haired get the book and smiled his winning smile. Nah, just for fun. He knew they would then be talking behind his back and squeal at how he had reached the book for her and smiled or how he had winked at the white haired girl beside the blue-haired one. He knew also that among them, it was the other blue-haired, whom he hasn't had any 'encounter' with, who had a huge crush on him. Anyone with eyes can see that. But it was not their presence that surprised him though. It was the presence of the somehow indifferent and familiar blonde who was also squinting at his direction (but he thinks she doesn't know where to look) with a pair of purple headphones plugged in her ear. He always sees her with them in normal occasions but rarely in this stalker-ish ones. Actually, it was the first time he had seen her with them while stalking him. It kinda felt strange but he's feeling smug nevertheless. His fan-base is increasing.

"Who are those?"

He turned in time for Natsu to lean his face towards him to look at the window, which made them almost kiss each other. "You gay, get away from me!" Gray yelled at the equally disgusted male and made a face.

"Smooch smooch," Loke teased as he puckered his lips and closed his eyes which Gray found to be more horribly revolting that he kicked Loke's chair forcefully earning an irritated 'Hey!' from the guy.

"Hmm.." Natsu was still looking at the window with brows furrowed before he asked, "Aren't those your fangirls, Gray?"

"Of course," he replied smugly, still trying to remember from where had he seen the blonde aside from being around those three loyal fan girls.

"But who's that blonde chick? It's the first time I've seen her, though she's not an unfamiliar face," Natsu muttered still peering below. "I know I have seen her before, but where and when was it…?"

"Oh? And she's one hot chick, dude, she's pretty cute. Waaaay too cute to be your stalker," Loke hooted as he, too, looked below.

Gray smirked and watched as all three of them (with a blush on their cheeks, he noted) hurried to get out of the scene, maybe realizing that they have been seen. The blonde, however, was rooted on the spot with her arms crossed over her ample chest before the white haired pulled her away. "I have a lot of cute fangirls, so you don't have to be surprised about it," he said.

"She looks irritated and bored though, do you think she's really your fangirl?" Loke asked doubting. "And she didn't even blush! She's definitely not one of your fangirls, Gray, I swear, she had just been dragged."

"I don't care," Gray said turning back to the blackboard. He has a lot of those cute girls ogling at him anyway, so why care for just one girl?

"Ah, I remember!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed.

"What do you remember?"

"I knew it, I knew her, that blonde chick!" Natsu grinned, "She's in my class in Advanced Mathematics that time! What was her name again? L.. Lu.. Sounds like.. hmm.. Ah right, Luigi! It's Luigi!"

Gray and Loke both deadpanned. "Idiot. Luigi is a guy's name, Pinky."

"Whatever, she's Luigi," Natsu said. "Hm, strange, I never knew she had girl friends such as those."

Loke seems interested, "Hehhh, what do you mean?"

"I thought she was more on the tough side," Natsu said, his forehead creasing.

"Do you mean, like Erza-tough type?"

"No, a little less than Erza, I think."

"Hmm, she doesn't look like it though," Loke said. Gray could already see his mind running. Sometimes, he already knew what that guy's thinking. "I mean she's the kind of wimpy type of girl even though she's the only one who's not ogling at Gray."

Natsu clicked his tongue, "If I were you, I wouldn't be deceived by her looks."

That was when Gray decided to butt in after seeing that Natsu had temporarily forgotten his problem with his exam. "What do you know? You're a dense dimwit after all," he smirked.

"What, picking a fight with me, exhibitionist?" Natsu glared referring to Gray's strange habit of stripping unconsciously.

"Who are you calling exhibitionist, moron?" Gray retorted. And as he said this, Natsu smirked and when he looked around, he saw that all girls are blushing and are looking at him. Some had even blood running down from their nose by just looking at the raven haired guy. He looked down and his eyes almost fell out of his sockets at seeing his bare chest (with only his necktie left), his polo, thrown on the floor.

Just as he screeched an 'eep' and Natsu and Loke both laughed their asses off, the door swung open, revealing their now-cured-and-seemed-to-be-up-and-about-in-seconds professor. His eyes went as large as saucers when he saw Gray half-naked (not that it's the first time he had seen him stripped though) and shrieked, "Fullbuster, you better put your polo back on or I'll make sure you lose your pants, too, and walk around the campus COMPLETELY NAKED!"

At that said, all the girls in class started to nosebleed massively and some had even passed out on the floor. Gray hastily grabbed his polo and buttoned it back all the while thinking, Well, at least this is what makes me popular.

Oh heck, I could feel it coming, Gray thought to himself as he felt a familiar and unpleasant feeling on the back of his neck. It's going to be a stiff neck, dammit.

Now, he's waiting for Natsu and Loke to emerge from the bathroom as he leaned against a wall. At first, he's pissed at how her friends always take their sweet time in a public restroom as if they're some sissy girls, especially that vain-head Loke.

"Loke, you dumbass!"

Gray heard Natsu's voice getting louder and he sighed, Finally. As the two emerged still on a heated discussion about something he doesn't care and wouldn't dare to, Gray followed them, walking beside Natsu.

"What? I definitely believe that yours is much smaller than mine," Loke said.

Natsu squealed like a school girl, already red in the face. "Stop it, you stupid pervert!"

Gray grimaced at what he's hearing since he definitely knew what the two idiots are talking about. But he decided to remain silent as he felt his neck starting to feel a little awkward and painful. Besides, he doesn't want to engage in such shitty perverted discussion about who's longer.

When they were almost at the gate of the campus, Gray noticed that the exit is a little deserted save for the couple of girls sitting on the benches near the gate. He suddenly felt a bearable yet disturbing stab of pain on his head that he frowned unconsciously.

"Oi, are you okay?" He heard Natsu beside him nudge him by the elbow.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh, hey, look, it's your fan girls again, Gray," Loke said.

He did not respond however, but he just looked at the direction where their heads are turned to, just 20 degrees Northeast, and a wrinkle creased his forehead when he saw a bunch of girls looking back at them and recognized the blue-haired stalker girl and her gang. The blonde was also there, too, he noticed. "Hey, let's just get a move," he urged, after he gave them a wave and what he believed was a dazzling smile. Natsu just shrugged and Loke winked at them. When they were not looking, and the other girls are busy squealing for the attention, that was then that Gray saw that one of the girls, the blonde one, smirked at them smugly as if she had seen something so pathetic. Tch, smug blondie, he thought wryly. He did not mind to hide the contempt in his face when he saw this, so without his knowing, he also somehow pissed the same blonde girl.

Gray was busy thinking of going home because of the coming headache and stiff neck that hhe failed to see the evil face of the blonde as she formed a plan, as well as the foot that was sticking out of the way, just for him. So when he passed by, he was surprised, when he suddenly tripped over something and before his mind could register everything, he found himself on the ground, flat on his face.

"Gray!"

"What the hell, dude!"

He all heard them call his name, along with the loud synchronized and dramatic gasp as he raised his head from the fall but what he heard the most was the horribly annoying guffaw just a foot on his right. Dramatically and in slow motion, he turned to face the only laughing girl who turned out to be that smug blondie (no surprise in that).

Damn her!, he seethed as he glowered at the still laughing girl, and in one swift motion (everyone almost see him as a blur), he grabbed her right arm and pulled her up, bringing her face just three inches closer to his. Tightening his grip on her, Gray looked at the blonde straight in her caramel eyes and smirked earning a very murderous glare from her as a warning. Piercing chocolate brown eyes meet smug charcoal ones. He knew just how to get back at her.

Then without another word, he lowered his head down and smashed his lips against hers so suddenly that he felt the girl stiffened against his lips. Before she could recover and slap him on the face, Gray pulled back and watched as the blonde flushed a thousand shades of red because of anger and embarrassment. In that instant as he was victoriously watching her face, he remembered the event in the train two months ago: The swaying blonde resting her blonde head on his shoulders and the blonde he had scolded and called a robber. This blonde in front of him was exactly the same blonde he had encountered two months ago.

Before he could say anything however, he felt her shift position and suddenly kneed his precious thing between his legs. He howled in pain and jumped up and down. He heard gasps some more and a loud laughing somewhere behind him, but he was sure it was not the blonde since she was still glaring at his crouching figure.

"Serves you right, you bastard."

Author's Note: Any errors? Constructive criticisms and feedbacks are very much highly appreciated! And I kinda need a beta now, since, I admit I'm not really good at constructing sentences. English is my second language, so please understand. :))

-Blue