For Graylu Week, Day Four: Drunk
Moonlit Vodka
Lucy hated losing bets. Especially ones she was certain she would win. It was common knowledge that she was the brains of the Team Natsu outfit, so why was it that Gray was now stocking up on vodka for the evening?
"Hey, Sore Loser - Orange Twist, or flavourless goodness?" Gray asked, holding up the two bottles for Lucy to see. Also, annoyingly unable to hide his I-totally-won smirk usually reserved for a post Erza-yelling Natsu.
Lucy was about to respond, when -
"Actually, y'know what? I'm in the mood for both tonight."
Lucy glared at the ice-mage who in turn only coolly walked over to the counter and paid for the booze - with her share of the reward money.
Lucy grumpily swore to never make bets with the ice-mage again.
Walking out of the town, the clinking bottles between them acted as a constant reminder to Lucy of her loss.
'How could I have been so stupid?'
"Hey now," came Gray's voice. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Besides, you had it till you took that wrong turn."
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Lucy said through gritted teeth.
"Nope," Gray chuckled, stopping at Lucy's glare. "Hey, this was your idea. I may have been a step behind solving the clues, but you're the one who said the winner was the one who reached the thieves first. So the celebrations go my way, with your money."
Lucy cursed herself for being so overconfident. Or not wording the challenge in a different manner. And suddenly she wasn't so much pissed as she was sad. Disappointed in herself.
"Hey," prompted Gray with a bump of his shoulder against hers, his voice no longer teasing. "I promise it'll be fun."
Lucy looked at him a bit sceptically for a moment, but seeing that he was being genuine, decided to give up on her sour mood.
She knew that if Gray said it'd be fun, it would be.
"I'll hold you to that promise," she said, a small smile creeping on her face, prompting one on his as well.
Sunset, and Gray was mysteriously leading her out of the inn they were lodged at, towards what seemed like the outskirts of town.
Lucy had given up asked where they were headed after the first five times, so she settled on guessing games instead. "You're taking me to a pond to freeze it over so we could skate."
"Do you see skates on me?" Gray answered, amused with her impatience.
"You'd make us some?"
"Your ankles wouldn't take the cold."
"Fine. You're gonna make me an ice-sculpture."
"Now why would I do that? You lost a bet remember?" He responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, well, I'm trying to be positive," Lucy huffed, pouting more when Gray only chuckled in response.
Some more walking and bantering ensued as Gray led Lucy through a winding path through a small forest which opened up to a gorgeous, now moonlit lake.
Lucy took in the sight with wide eyes, before a large grin took over her face. "Oh this is beautiful, Gray! And see? I was right about the lake!"
"Yeah, yeah," muttered Gray, quietly speeding a small sheet on the ground and laying some snacks, two glasses and the bottles they'd bought earlier.
"Drinking in the moonlight? That's oddly romantic of you," said Lucy, hoping her smirk was doing a good job of hiding how quickly her heart was racing.
"A, you wish; and B, I resent that. I can definitely bring forth the charm when I want to."
Lucy ignored the small pang disappointment in favour of her growing curiousity. "So what are we going to - "
"Switch to your Sagittarius form."
"Huh?"
"Sagittarius Stardress. Now, please."
Lucy offered him a puzzled expression, but transformed nonetheless, relishing in the feeling of her Spirit's power flowing through her.
Now all decked up, she cocked her hip to the side, rest her bow-weliding hand on it. "And now what?"
Gray simply offered her a grin before using Silver on himself, and creating an elaborate ice-bow.
"Archery. Whoever gets the less impressive shot, takes a shot."
"You know your tolerance is better than mine," deadpanned Lucy.
"Hmm, that's true," Gray nodded before picking up the unflavoured vodka and chugging a good five shots, before slamming the bottle and clearing his throat. "A head start should help?" he rasped.
And with that any apprehensiveness Lucy may have had melted away. "You're on, ice-stick."
"Wow, Lucy. Even the flame-brain comes up with better names."
Lucy simply chose the most eloquent response and stuck her tongue out at Gray, who couldn't help the grin it caused.
"Alright, what are we hitting?" Lucy said, flexing her shoulders. It was her second challenge for the day and she was determined to win this one. As unlikely as that may have seemed.
"I was thinking I'd set up ice-made targets."
"Or you could use these," said Virgo, popping out of nowhere, scaring both mages.
"Virgo! I told you reportedly to not do that!" yelled Lucy, laying a hand over her frantically beating heart.
"I apologise for interrupting your date, Princess, but may I offer you these targets? They're Aries' wool and can move, but aren't alive. Perfect for target practice. Or you could punish me." Virgo explained with her usually impassive tone.
"I-I'm not gonna punish you, Virgo!" yelled Lucy, ignoring Gray's sniggering. "But the wool does sound perfect, thank you," she said, now smiling gratefully.
"You're welcome Princess. Maybe next time?"
"How about never?" mumbled Lucy at the cloud of stardust left behind by the spirit.
Soon enough, however, small balls of pink wool were visible in the distance, moving around but never straying too far.
"You're right, there perfect," Gray approved.
"Yes they are," said Lucy smugly, raising an arrow to her bow. "So Gray, ready to put your skills where your mouth is?"
"Bring it on Lucy!" said he, bracing himself with an ice-make arrow now ready to be launched from his own.
And so their game began.
Contrary to Lucy's own expectations, they really were pretty neck-to-neck, Gray having to take shots nearly as many times as Lucy despite having used a bow for much longer.
Though, he hadn't expect anything less from her.
One and a half bottles later, Lucy and Gray were lying flat on their backs, both tired and panting giggly messes.
Oh, and not to mention drunk.
Neither of them were quite sure of what was so funny, but they continued laughing anyway until both their stomachs ached.
"W-we should definitely do this more often," Lucy managed to say, wiping away the moisture in her eyes.
"Definitely," Gray sighed, his voice raspier and deeper with all the yelling, drinking and laughing that had been a result of their game.
Lucy, way more than simply tipsy, turned to look at Gray.
Really look at him.
She took in his big smile, and the handsome line of his jaw, how soft his hair looked despite the spikes and that scar she remembered him getting.
Feeling warmth of a kind not quite induced by alcohol, Lucy quickly steered her sight away from his handsome face and even quicker away from his naked chest, to the bow still in his grasp.
She couldn't quite remember how, but before she knew it, she was running a finger over the beautiful, intricate patterns decorating the icy weapon.
"Whachu doin'?" rumbled Gray, sounding far closer than he should be.
And Lucy realised, after a fleeting glance, that that was because he was. Apparently she'd rolled over closer to let her hand reach the bow, not that she registered any of that.
"Mmhmm," she mulled, not quite bothered by their proximity like she would have been without the vodka running in her veins. "It's beautiful."
She felt Gray's forehead softly rest on hers while he turned to look at what she was admiring, as though the thought of simply lifting it hadn't occurred to him.
"Yeah," he concurred a moment later, eyebrows furrowing.
"Wha's wrong?" wondered Lucy, looking up at him through his eyelashes.
"Nothin'," Gray sighed and Lucy felt the cool air on her chin. "I didn't really pay attention before."
Lucy's eyes widened and sat up in her surprise, pulling away from him in the process. "How could you not? It's so obviously beautiful! So intricate, such pretty designs!"
Gray sat up too, resting his weight on his elbows. "I guess… Probably because this is usually only out when I'm fighting."
Lucy pondered over than for a moment. "Makes sense…maybe also because you always make pretty things?"
Gray's eyebrows rose a notch. "I do?"
"Yeah, dummy," giggled Lucy.
"No, I know I do, but you see it?"
This puzzled Lucy. "I do have eyes, don't I Gray?"
"Yeah no one else seems to notice," he explained nearly pouting his displeasure.
"Well, that's their loss," declared Lucy, looking at Gray right in the eyes, "or maybe their distracted by who's making them," she speculated, eyes now sultrily half-lidded.
"Is that so?"
She offered a brief nod in reply.
"Lucy," said Gray, mirthful smile curling his lips, "are you flirting with me?"
To which she simply shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time," she replied, eyes momentarily darting to the scar on his forehead, an action he didn't miss. "Does that bother you?"
Gray shook his head. "It's nice having pretty girls flirt with me," he said before taking a swig of vodka.
"Is someone missing Juvia?"
Gray spluttered.
"Jeez, Lucy! I said flirt, not worship."
But Lucy was too busy laughing. She did feel a little bad for the obsessed water mage, but it was a good card to pull against Gray.
"So what kinda girl did you have in mind?" Lucy asked, leaning closer to him.
Gray observed her change in mood and decided to play along, making quite the show of thinking. " Dunno… Someone cute, someone smart, some really pretty, buuuut - " He quickly looked Lucy up and down, before sighing dramatically " - definitely not a princess."
He smothered a satisfied grin when he saw her eye twitch, before her pseudo-seductive façade was back on. "That's simply because a true Princess would be way out of your league," she challenged, smirking while reaching over to the remaining vodka, foregoing her cup. She took a sip right out the bottle, before wiping her chin and offering some to an amused looking Gray.
"So the Princess chooses the peasant's way, does she?" he said, accepting the bottle.
Lucy snorted in response. "This Princess is not just happy doing things the peasant's way, she owns the peasant's way. And…she now orders you return her wine."
"This is vodka, Lucy, how drunk are you?"
Lucy rolled her eyes before reaching out for the bottle, her own tipsiness getting the better of her causing her to land her smack on Gray forcing them both back onto the sheet.
Lucy rose immediately, only to stare deep into Gray's eyes, mid-move. She was rather proud to find him staring right back though not without a blush.
Liquid courage worked its magic and Lucy pulled herself enough so that her face was now hovering over his handsome one, her hair falling around them in a moonlit gold curtain that seemed to shield them from the rest of the world.
She dropped her gaze to the his lips, licking her own as she did, and watched with mild satisfaction as his Adam's apple bobbed in a flustered gulp.
She leaned in..
..and ripped away in peals of laughter, bottle now in her hand.
Gray sat up in surprise, more than a little embarrassed at letting his guard down so easily, watching her with narrowing eyes as she made a show of taking a long sip from the bottle.
"That's what the peasant gets for not sharing," Lucy laughed and despite everything Gray couldn't find it in him to be mad, not with that happy sound enveloping him.
It didn't stop him from being a little mischievous himself though.
Without warning, Gray effortlessly pulled Lucy so that she was now sitting facing him on his lap, feeling quite thrilled at her squeaked "eep!" as he did so.
"You should know, Princess," he breathed, voice dangerously low and eyes alight in warning. "Peasants don't care for what's proper."
It was Lucy's turn to gulp now, raising her free hand to rest his cheek. "Maybe this Princess doesn't want proper," she whispered.
"Lucy," Gray nearly struggled saying. "I'm not really joking anymore."
Lucy only leaned in closer to him, as though drawn by the orange she could smell on him, wanting so bad to just taste it. "I know."
Neither knew who moved first, but the next thing they knew they were caught in a sensual dance of lips and tongue, as they struggled to eliminate any and all space between them, soft moans and grunts adding to the palpable heat now in the air.
There were no soft kisses that graduated into the full-blown make out session that happened, just an all-consuming, raw, primal need to feel more of each other.
Pushing themselves as much as they could, they only broke away when the burning of their oxygen deprived lungs got too much. They panted, struggling to catch their breath as they took in every detail of how dishealved the other looked. Swollen lips, red cheeks, messy hair.
To him, Lucy had never looked more beautiful.
To her, Gray had never looked so handsome.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time now," Gray confessed between pants.
"Me too," Lucy breathed, a small, happy smile twitching at her lips.
Gray leaned in once more and but pulled away just as quickly. "Can I, er, again?"
Lucy's only response was to pull him back to her, the heat of the vodka now replaced by their own, the bottle they had been fighting over now long forgotten.
Gray woke to find the sun shining right into his eyes. In a most painful manner.
"Ugh, how wasted did we get last night?" he asked aloud, looking around for Lucy, taking in the sight of their messed up drink-fest.
The woollen clouds had disappeared, probably gone back to the Spirit Realm, and their picnic spot was in shambles - bottles broken, cups strewn and blanket currently wrapped around a still reclined Lucy's head.
"Graaaay, switch of the sun pleeeease!" she groaned, holding the blanket closer to her face.
"Clearly very wasted," he murmured to himself, before crawling over and pulling the blanket from Lucy.
"Ugh, nooo, Gray!" she protested, but Gray was suddenly preoccupied with an image of Lucy, on his lap, red faced and panting.
"Gray?" She sounded concerned now.
He shook the extremely distracting image from his head before helping Lucy onto her two feet.
Him and her? Yeah, like he stood a chance.
"I'm never drinking again!" Lucy declared, helping Gray by holding onto the things he was picking up.
"You say that everytime, you lightweight," he reminded her, though secretly hoping the same for himself.
"Mmmhmm, but I mean it this time…only…"
Gray glanced at Lucy who seemed to be pondering over something. "Only?"
"Only, I feel like something happy happened this time?" she said, not quite certain about what she was feeling or why.
Gray though, was once again assaulted with these weird images of a clearly aroused Lucy and couldn't hold back the shudder the images caused.
"M-maybe you dreamt something?" he offered, hoping she missed his weird behaviour.
"I guess.." she said uncertainly. "Or maybe last night was just that enjoyable."
Gray nearly fell over right there.
"Who knew archery could be so much fun?"
"Yeah, right, archery."
"You alright there, Gray?"
"Y-yeah. Bit hungover that's all!"
Lucy didn't look entirely convinced, but didn't push either. "Ugh, me too. Can we please rest at the inn today? I'm really not up for travelling like this."
"Definitely," Gray agreed as they made their way back into town.
Both far more cheerful than their hungover selves should have been.
It wasn't years later, after months of flirting and a few days of dating when they shared what they thought was their first kiss, that they finally remembered what went on that fateful night by the lake.
Thank you for reading! Do let me know what you thought of it.