A/N: Hey guys! For the people who were wondering why I'm such a slow updater…. I need inspiration. And more often than not, a story I was really looking forward to writing turns out to be total crap. So updates are very rarely planned and new stories kind of pop up randomly all over the place :/

Anyhow, this story is GraLu… When I first wrote it, I wasn't sure which pairing to ship in Fairy Tail, so I acted on impulse, and this is the result. Now, I totally ship GrayxErza and NatsuxLucy… So a story that was supposed to be a bunch of GraLu one-shots/drabbles became a single one-shot. Oops :P

But enough with my ramblings…

Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, especially not its characters.

Popsicle

Lucy loves Popsicles.

She loves the numbness that the cold, sweet ice-crystals created in her mouth. The shivers that ran down her back, a cold so strong that her teeth started stinging when she let the frozen treat rest in her mouth for too long. Then, she would quickly rip it out and blow a visible cloud of breath into the air.

More specifically, Lucy loved ice-cold numbness.

That's why, after the first time she kissed Gray, she never enjoyed Popsicles again.

It was after a mission with Natsu, Happy and Erza, on the day it was devastatingly hot outside. They were arriving at the guild, sweating like pigs. Natsu had plowed through the doors with Happy, yelling something about returning and being awesome. Then, he had collapsed onto the floor, crying and whining loudly. Erza had walked in beside him and let out a sound of disapproval.

"The AC is broken." she explained shortly.

Both Lucy and Gray let out groans and the three friends exchanged looks of fatigue. It was a long trip, and they were dehydrated and exhausted.
Natsu suddenly got back up and jumped excitedly, ordering the rest of the crew to meet him and Happy at the pool. They ran off, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in their wake. Erza had then huffed and walked off, claiming that she would never in her lifetime go swimming in a pool with that flame-head.

That had left Lucy and Gray standing in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall. Lucy turned to meet Gray's gaze at the same time he did, and both looked away quickly, blushing slightly. Lucy had hurriedly blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I think I want a Popsicle. I just love how cold those things are!"

She had laughed nervously while Gray looked at her questioningly. He sighed and reluctantly agreed to take her to the closest corner store to get one. The little bell above the door had tinkled as they walked in. Lucy made her way to the coolers situated in the left hand corner of the store and let out and exclamation of excitement.

"Mmm, raspberry, my favorite!"

She slid the door open and reached in to grab one. The treat now captured, she headed to the cashier, purchased it, and promptly walked out of the store. Gray quickly caught up to her and found her unwrapping the sugary frozen treat. She tossed the paper into a nearby trash can and popped the treat in her mouth.

Gray could practically hear his perverted thoughts echo on the walls as Lucy started licking the pink ice. He looked away, trying to find a suitable distraction. A man was having trouble unlocking his car so he quickly focused his attention on that. His relief was short-lived though, as he heard Lucy say his name. When he met her eyes, she gave him the cutest concerned look.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Gray's eyes widened and he stared into the blonde girl's chocolate brown orbs. He was pretty sure his hormones took over, because the next thing he knew, he was knocking the Popsicle from Lucy's hand onto the ground, and her protests were drowned out as his lips collided with hers.

Lucy gasped. It was freezing. Gray's lips were as cold as ice, and she quickly became consumed by the numbness spreading to her mouth. As his tongue slipped past her lips, she almost fell over. This was the cold of a Popsicle ten times over. No, twenty. Make that forty.
She kissed him back, loving the shivers that were creeping up and down her spine. As Gray's mouth left hers, she sucked in air that felt burning hot after the taste of his tongue. His lips. Even his teeth. He had shyly looked away, a little out of character for him. Lucy smiled, her mouth still cool, but quickly gaining warmth. Her lips were tingling with the remnants of the too-short kiss as she started to notice the heat once more. And she was sweating again.

"Is it just me, or is it really hot right now?" she happily pointed out.

Gray's eyes had snapped back around to lock onto hers and he smirked.

"Yeah, it kinda is."

She leaned in once again, anticipating the rush of the feel of his unbelievably cold lips against hers.