Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. If I did, GrayLu would cause the earth to expose itself *trying to be funny* I don't own the beautiful fanart, Milady666 (deviantart) does. In-fact, most of my stories' fanart are by her, I love her art a lot.
Summary - What I want is not a friend. It's not a lover either. I want a soulmate and I see one in you. The question is: Do you see one in me?" Written for GrayLu week. Two-shot.
Genre - Romance, Drama, Light Humor, Mystery
Prompts - Myth, Team Up
x
The Blue Flower
"Boring."
The stellar mage whispered irritatingly as she dropped her head low on the table. It couldn't be helped. After-all, this marked the fifth day of her being the only "jobless" member from her team– Team Natsu. It didn't help that the guild itself was nearly empty, now that most were busy with their respective missons. A few of them had gone to visit their family. This left the blonde in a company crisis.
How did things even lead up to this...
It just seemed like yesterday. Natsu was kidnapped by a certain reequip mage, who had coaxed him into joining her, promising she would fight him if he did well on their mission. The simple-minded pinkette agreed without thinking twice. And thus, the two set on their mission to find the "best cake to ever exist in the history of humanity."
Truly, a holy expedition.
Lucy clearly remembered the distressing look on his face, when she saw him pleading to his "master" for clemency. Oh, the despair! Even he, the great dragon slayer (who had the solution to every problem) realized the mission was impossible– no such cake existed. Judgement day was bound to come earlier before the redhead could be satisfied from these monstrous creatures in the shape of round sorcery i.e. cakes- she was just too greedy when it came to these monstrous creatures.
She even remembered Natsu (and Happy) giving her a terrified look, as if desperately seeking her help. She wanted to, she really did. but it was Erza she was up against. No thanks, she still held her life dear. Not when the redhead was so determined and serious.
"That was scary." Lucy mumbled, chuckling.
This left only Gray: the ice maker, infamous among the town for his stripping habit, he had a knack for it. Oh, the nimbleness! Each layer coming off one by one like there's no tomorrow. As for where he went, that much was obvious. He had went with Juvia to save some town from a viral disease, they had to discover the cause of it and if possible, find the cure as well. Well, Gray was levelheaded, and Juvia and him together were an efficient team due to their compatible magic and developing bond. As a result, she wasn't particularly worried about them, she believed that they would do a decent job at it. Yup, nothing to get anxious about, that there was one thing which kept her from attaining true serenity: Gray's exhibitionism might cause the disease to become worse than it already was.
That would be the worst.
The worst was, the guild itself was nearly empty. It was a rare sight, but not an unbelievable one. Summer had always been a season of "jobs" and money for their guild. Lucy knew it, and she did fight against her fate at first. She tried to take as many one-man and comparatively easier jobs, but it didn't work for long. Sooner or later, she was out of options. There were still some, but they either involved fighting, or going out of the city: She wanted neither of that. It only felt right handling such missions with her friends; except that there weren't anywhere near.
The blonde arched her back, only to slam her face on the table again. She looked sideways at the entrance door, nothing but lucid light caught her eyes. She grew restless.
"These two- three- no five... must be causing trouble as usual. Seriously, these idiots..." The blonde whimpered with knitted eyebrows. For a moment, she felt too sad to care. She wanted to cry. How dare they leave her behind. It was all so stupid.
"Hmm, you have better not include me in that list."
A familiar cool voice caught her attention, and she arched her neck. She saw him, and after a short span of observing, beamed at him.
"What, so you are back.. Thank God." She chirped, pushing the chair behind as she strolled towards him with a big grin on her face.
"To think Lucy would wait for me... So this day has arrived, huh." Gray remarked, acting dramatically.
"What- t-that's not it!" She rushed forward, landing a weak punch on his chest.
"Sorry, sorry. It's fun to tease you, I couldn't help it." He sneered.
"Hmph."
"Don't be so angry, you know. You will become a grandma soon if you continue-"
"Or you can go ahead and become a grandpa first. Juvia is always available, you know. By the way, where is she?" She remarked wittingly.
"Oh she is with Lyon." He answered quickly with a smile which quickly turned into a dumbfounded expression, "More like, don't divert my attention! And don't bring Juvia in it either. Besides, is that how you receive someone whom you have met again after so long? Not very nice of you."
Crap. Did that sound wrong? For the star mage looked as if she was about to cry. That was not the least bit of his intention. He just wanted to continue this fun, little fight for entertainment purposes.
"Bad, bad, Gray."
"I didn't mean it that way..." There was sincerity in his tone, and she felt it.
"No, it's okay..." She whispered, wiping away her tears.
"Hey, you can always share with me, ya know."
"Nothing big. I just miss everyone so much... No one is here, you know.." She stated softly, pouting. Gray found it very endearing of her, or so could be felt from his gentle smile.
At that moment, he felt like protecting her. He wanted to make her smile, the desire to do so was bursting inside him.
"In that case, let's go." He declared, smiling. Lucy found it strangely mysterious.
"... What do you mean?" Lucy uttered after a long pause.
"Like I said. Let's go on a mission of our own. Don't make me repeat now..." He voiced his opinion, acting annoyed.
Then he extended his hand towards her. The celestial spirit mage stared at it as if he was handing her some kind of bomb.
"Hey..." He coughed, a little embarrassed.
And she finally grabbed his hand, muttering a small "ah-" as she did. Surprisingly, it was comfortably cold (not freezing as she thought it would be) In-fact, it felt good to hold his hand when it was so hot outside.
He instantly walked (causing to blonde to push along, and almost stumble) and ambled to reach the request board. He moved his eyes around, deep in thought. No doubt, he had completely forgotten about something.
"Um..."
This was embarrassing...
"Gray... How to put it... If you would be so kind of you if you let go of my hand..." She said awkwardly. But he was too concentrated to listen.
She wanted to sigh, but felt the opposite. She felt happy. Then she did something awkward and unreasonable.
The blonde had tightened her grip , and was now applying pressure on both the calloused and delicate ares with her thumb, forefinger and middle finger; as if she was confirming his existence. Her cheeks turned redder by second until she began to feel tingly. It felt wrong, but at the same time, doing it with someone who was her friend, her comrade... her heart raced even by thinking along. True, she had never really went to share her thoughts with him, or asked for his advice on some of her problems. She knew, she always had alternatives. But that didn't mean she never considered him. It just never happened, there was just simply no reason to do so. Usually, by the time she would need his help, the problem would have most likely already been solved.
It was strange.
Truth was, she had observed it. She had felt strongly how similar they both were, how much she connected to him. Usually, they would voice their opinion on a particular topic, and she would be awestruck to notice how much they had in common. It had become a habit of hers, comparing their answers and pretending to get surprised (even when she had started to foresee it) Despite all of that, something was always missing. There was a gap, a hole. Knowingly or unknowingly, she had craved for a connection: Something more stable. Something unbreakable.
That's exactly why it felt right. Touching him like this. Feeling him. Caressing him. Yes, as if it was forbidden. She liked the excitement. As if she was cheating on someone, the someone who might not even exist.
Intoxicating.
"Lucy!"
She opened her eyes abruptly, her heartbeats already irregular. She glanced around swiftly, only to find a huffing raven-haired guy in front of her.
He was blushing, it was visible. And then he coughed.
It took her a few more seconds to grasp the situation, but as soon as she did, she jolted away her hand.
"You... are a huge pervert.I didn't expect." He stated quietly but with a peculiar curiosity. He didn't dislike the contact, it seemed.
"Hey, i-it just happened! I have never held a guy's hand before... A-at least not for t-this long. So I couldn't help but... want to f-feel it..." She paused,"Come to think of it, it's your fault! You held my hand first and now you dare complain!" She marched on a complaining spree. She was puffing hot air, her face just as red as her male partner.
Alluring.
"You know... I didn't exactly hate it. Just that you need to be more careful... Not everyone is as tolerant as I am!" He gruffed, looking straight into her eyes. The blonde felt goosebumps while the ice mage was startled at his own words.
"What am I even saying?" He laughed nervously,"Look at this job. It's. perfect. for. us!"
He sounded terribly monotone, and sadly, he was conscious of it. Curse the (bad) luck!
"I. know. right. Let's go. Ha. ha. ha."
The blonde wasn't any better, that much was reassuring, if not any better. Heck she wasn't at the paper as she responded! at least, It helped the male get his confidence back.
"I-it's decided, then. Wait, we forgot to inform Mira. H-haha..."
Not a bad effort. And it somewhat helped Lucy in regaining her senses.
"W-what are you saying, Gray." She laughed nervously, poking him with her elbow,"You forgot she is out? Gravure magazine stuff..." She informed him.
"I-is that so?"
"That is so..."
A quiet reply to a quiet question. Well, not exactly smooth but it worked.
In the end, Gray decided to leave a note on the counter. It wasn't even needed, but he needed a distraction to improve to mood.
Both of them were silent now. Gray had no idea how to handle the situation, nor did Lucy. After some pondering, the taller mage took the lead, and left the building first. This, while not exactly helpful, at least woke up Lucy enough so that followed his footsteps.
And she still didn't know what kind of job they had got their hands over. Brilliant.
x
Walking helped. Both of them grew less tense minute by minute. By the time, they had caught the transportation vehicle, they were feeling good enough to talk about necessary stuff. Chatting casually still impossible though. It cost them the end of ride in order to open up to each other again. Gray started it first by a cliche question i.e. commenting on the weather (luckily, it was cloudy) and Lucy commented how clean the air was, and that it was just what she searching for, having grown tired by the dull routine of her city life. Within moments, both of them were back in sync. They still avoided the earlier topics and focused on the mission instead.
The vehicle stopped at their destination, and they felt paved path neath their feet again. The two of them began to walk side-by-side, observing around. They were heading to some kind of mountain, or so Lucy could gather from the scenery around her.
"So... Where are we?" She inquired.
"You don't know?" And as he discerned the reason "why" she didn't, he quickly added,"At the foot of Azurea Mountain."
"I see..."
"Come to think of it, what is the job about, anyway?" She asked curiously.
"Ah- yeah. It is about." He held his finger high, as she observed it moving around. "Wait-I don't remember either..." Gray's face grew dark, he had only been able to memorize the location after that disaster. She just had to facepalm.
In the meantime, Gray took out the poster from his bag (thanking God that he didn't throw it away) He then began to read it attentively.
"So... What does it say?" Lucy asked, facing him sideways.
"Heh. Apparently, they want us to bring them a rare flower or something. Middlemist Camellia, it says." He explained with a smug smile.
"Eh- really?!" She exclaimed.
"What- you know about it?"
"Of-course I do! It's one of the rarest flowers existing right now!" She twinkled, sharing her knowledge.
"Heh. Ain't that cool." He said nonchalantly with his eyes stuck on the papery then his eyes widened.
"What- what does it say?" Lucy asked in a hurry.
"It says we will get 1 billion jewels as a reward...!" He awed, mouth wide open.
"Are you kidding? No thanks, I am not falling for that" She looked at him with distrusting eyes.
"It's written here, see." He pointed, and she leaned onto him until could the font clearly.
He wasn't lying.
"... That's amazing, Gray! We hit on a jackpot! That means I won't have to work for a while! I can dress up all I want, buy anything I want... Just wow." Lucy cheered, high-fiving the black-haired fellow of hers.
"Yeah, I am happy, too." He gave her a wide smile. From then on, his expression gradually grew somber.
"Hey... don't you find it strange that we are getting paid such a large sum for a mere flower?" He snorted.
"A mere flower? It is a rare one though, the rarest as I said earlier." She narrowed her eyes.
"But it still smells fishy no matter what. " He said, throwing his arms back on his shoulders.
"Oh Gray, you don't know to what lengths plant lovers can go. They say only 2 of its kind exist in the world. I say, 50 million is a nice enough reward for it." She tweeted, staring at him with her big, brown eyes.
"When you put it like that, I can't help but agree..." He said thoughtfully, and she grinned at him as if it was her victory. As naive as you can be, you sure know your deal." He smirked at her.
"What is with that condescending line." The blonde looked displeased.
"I am complimenting you, of-course. Don't feel down over nothing." He grinned, ruffling her hair as if it was the most natural thing... only to jerk back impulsively.
"... Thank you." Lucy said quietly, looking down as a pretty red color tinged from her cheeks.
"Mention not." The ice mage said swiftly, clearing his throat soon afterward.
Another wave of silence, yet not as bad as the ones they had faced before. This gave the blonde some time to ponder. She had heard about these flowers in the guild library just a couple of days ago. Being bored helped. It was pretty interesting, reading information she never knew about. She would never say no to some quality knowledge. at that time, she also happened to relate a myth related to it.
Something about a flower which is so rare that it is thought to be extinct. It is said that the pairs who touch it together, and inhale its aroma, shall be blessed by the goddess of flowers. Their bond will never break, and no hurdles will ever get their spirits down; and that they will always stand by each other during the time of needs...
"If I remember correctly, the flower mentioned there was..." She stopped talking and walking altogether, standing still as if a revelation had just hit her.
"What happened, Lucy?" Gray asked with concern.
"Gray, tell me. Does it say anything more about the flower's appearance?" She asked calmly.
"Hmm... Let me check." He unfolded the wrinkled surface again, and read it thoroughly once again.
" Something about the color of flower-"
"The color of flower?" She asked impatiently.
"...Blue, it says. More like, what's gotten with you all of a sudden?" Gray inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"... N-nothing."
There's no way she could tell him about it. Not when they were finally able to talk comfortably again. Besides, it's just a myth. Who in the world even knew if it was true or not. Yup, yup, no need to share.
"Hmm. Is that really it?" He emphasized, leaning in. And she realized that their faces were just a few inches away. She gazed at him, but realizing how he was gazing back at her, broke off he eye-contact and fixated her vision on a nearby tree.
"Tch! Can't be helped, as long as I avoid the actual topic and somehow manage to fool him. It should work!"
She sighed.
"... Normally the flower is either pink or red. The blue ones don't exist." The star mage said calmly, or she wanted to be perceived as.
"And? What is your point?" He inquired, lightly touching his cheek.
"Exactly what I said. It's the blue flower which they want, hence why the job is so rewarding! It is almost impossible to search for it, you know?!" She laid stress, but ended up sounding a tad more fervent and rushed than she intended to. And she realized that she had made a mistake.
"Right. But that's not all to it, is there?" He emphasized.
"Give me a break..."
"You still are hiding something. I want to know what." He persisted.
"What should I do? Should I tell him? But no, it's too embarrassing! And what if he takes the wrong idea... Too risk-worthy..." She tried to glance at him, but knowing how quick-witted he could be, decided not to take a risk.
"Hey... tell me... I won't tell anyone, I promise." He said sincerely. She could feel his words reverberating inside her head.
"Please."
She immediately gulped. It was going to take guts to say no to that. Unfortunately, for Lucy, she didn't possess such courage, not in-front of him. So she chose to be brave, and instead of gulping down his words, and running away; she gulped down her fear instead.
And she finally managed to do it. She looked forward, clenched her fist and inhaled quickly.
"A-actually...!" She stammered.
.
.
.
[To Be Continued]
Rain Corner
Ah man, I didn't want to end it on such a dramatic note... The original version was supposed to be more toned down and flowed better imo, but for the sake of making it a two-shot, I decided to do this... Well, I sure hope you guys won't let it get in the way of your enjoyment. I say the best has yet to come, please wait for it.
So yup, feel free to discuss. And please review! Reviews are amazing, you know. Perfect way of boosting the author's mood. And I welcome any kind, positive or negative (tho I'd say please keep it constructive if possible) And that's it... Look forward! ^^
