Let's Stick Together
Gray and Lucy
Lucy strolled down the walk, humming a song and hardly paying attention. Said blonde girl didn't even flinch when a nerdy-looking boy ran down the street screaming something about "killer clowns from outer space." She was on cloud nine. She couldn't imagine a way this day could get any better. For months now, she had been receiving letters from a random pen pal somewhere in the city, a guy she had grown close to via the letters they had sent back and forth. They had made a solemn promise not to find each other until they were ready so as to protect each other in case of a communication break, but they had now decided to meet tonight. She couldn't stop the blush that had spread all across her cheeks; she had a date!
"Lucy, wait up!"
That voice, however, could distract her from her euphoria. She stopped on the sidewalk, grinning broadly at her friend Gray that was now sprinting to catch up.
"I feel like you pop up out of the strangest places, Gray. Where'd you come from this time?"
"Escaping Juvia. She followed me to the diner and I didn't feel like dealing with it. You walking by happened to be very convenient."
"So I'm only good for saving you from your fangirl? I resent that, Gray."
"No you don't. Come on, Lu, I know you way too well to think you resent saving my ass. If you resented saving my ass, you wouldn't do it on every mission we go on."
"That's only because you charge in without thinking about the situation, though. I don't really have a choice, dumbass."
"Would you love me less if I sat around and stared at the monster instead of protecting you?"
"Hell yeah."
The two threw back their heads laughing, linking arm-in-arm so as not to lose each other in the midafternoon crowd. The laughing suspended when Gray ruffled her hair up; a chase ensued instead. Gray, being the faster runner, had a serious advantage, but Lucy thanked whatever God there was that she was gifted with more strategic intelligence. Waiting for a break in the crowd, she pulled her whip out of her purse and struck. Gray crashed to the ground in a tangle of curses and limbs, leaving Lucy to laugh til she cried.
"That's not fair, Lucy! I didn't use my magic!"
"Neither did I. Does this whip look magic to you?"
He grumbled as she helped him to his feet, dusting off his black pants. Frankly, she was surprised he still had all his clothes on.
"Hey, Gray, something on your mind? You haven't stripped. I'm concerned."
"If it wasn't me you were talking about, I would seriously question your sanity. Yeah, I got something on my mind, my oh-so-perceptive friend, and after I'm done sharing, you're going to tell me why you look so happy you're practically skipping."
They waited until they reached Lucy's apartment and got comfortable with glasses of water to start the sharing. Gray cleared his throat, and began.
"So, I have this girl, and I really like her. However, I'm not sure how she feels about me, and I worry that if I do anything about it, she's going to pull away. I don't know if I should just go for it or play the waiting game to see if she likes me back."
Lucy couldn't help her look of shock at Gray's explanation. It was so . . . not Gray. This was Gray, the oblivious, slightly cold, quiet guy that never seemed to have an issue with things like this, but here he was, having a perfectly normal crisis. He waved a hand in front of her face, mocking her surprise.
"Wow. Sorry, the normality of the situation was refusing to set in. To give my opinion on the matter, I think you go for it. If she pulls away, she wasn't the girl for you. It's gonna hurt, but you have to try while you have the chance. When do you see her?"
"Tonight."
"Well, good luck. I wish you all the best of luck. Your situation is kind of similar to mine, actually. I'm meeting a guy tonight and I'm not sure where we stand. I think I really like him, but I'm not sure how he'd feel about it. I'm mostly just hanging on to the excitement of meeting up."
Gray leveled his gaze, scooting a little closer to her on the couch so he could slip an arm around her.
"Well, I say go for it, but if this guy hurts you, I'm going to destroy him."
"Right back at ya. Deal?"
They shook hands on it, grins splitting both of their faces. Lucy felt her worries easing as she sat and talked with Gray, just as it always was. He was such a calming presence, not at all like the element he controlled. Hiding under a stiff, cold exterior was a warm heart that she felt fortunate enough to hold a place in.
Several hours later, Lucy exited the small restaurant trying desperately to hold in the tears she so wanted to cry. The meeting had gone terrible. He had not only rejected her feelings, but had decided they should end their correspondence. He had all but ripped her heart out. What was worse was that she had nowhere she could go to get any peace. Fairy Tail was out; as comforting as they all were, she didn't want this to be everyone's business. Gray couldn't; he was still on his date with mystery girl.
"Lucy? Is that you?"
Her shock stilled the tears for a minute, giving her enough clarity to run forward and throw her arms around Gray before she began sobbing uncontrollably. He pulled her close, trying not to cry himself, both for his own sake and hers. Glancing at the rose in his hand didn't help.
"He said . . . he said he never wants to see me again."
"It's okay, she didn't see me at all. I got stood up."
After standing on the sidewalk for a minute, he dropped the rose and scooped Lucy up in his arms, carrying her to her apartment. Thankfully, she had left it unlocked, so it was easy to carry his distraught friend into her room and tuck her under the blankets.
"I'm sorry, Gray. I feel like such a wimp."
"You're fine, Lu. It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Then again, I didn't get blatantly rejected."
"I would've rather been stood up. At least then I wouldn't feel insulted."
She cuddled a little closer, so he decided to indulge one of their childhood habits they had slipped out of when they moved out of the Fairy Tail house. Shrugging his jacket off, he laid down next to her; she instantly cuddled closer and hugged him.
"Most people would think we were together if they saw us like this, you know."
He considered the truthfulness of her words; he didn't fully understand this situation right now, anyway.
"Yeah, I suppose they would. What do you think, Lucy?"
She scooted a little closer, deeply inhaling his scent for the first time in a while. She had almost forgotten what it was like. He smelled fresh, probably due to a shower, but with just a hint of what could be honey. So sweet. She had forgotten how sweet he was. She had almost forgotten how close they were.
"I think that as long as we are together, everything is going to be alright."
With that, she slipped off into sleep, leaving Gray to mull over her words. He gently rotated his body, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"I think so too, Lucy. I think so, too."
