Okay, so I wasn't sure I would do anything for GrayLu week, but once I saw the prompt for the first day, this idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave. I realize this is over an hour late, but it will have to do. lol This is unedited, so I apologize if there are any mistakes. And, without further ado, here's my version of Day 1:
Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.
BREATHE
"No...no, I just can't do it," Lucy declared, flopping back against the bed in defeat. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her breathing going erratic as if she'd run a marathon. She was exhausted, completely and utterly done in, but all of her hard work had been for naught. It hadn't brought her any closer to the end of this frustratingly painful road.
"Come on, baby. You can do it. Just breathe like the doctor showed you," Gray urged in his deep, soothing voice.
He reached out, brushing several strands of her blond hair from her face and smiled. He could scarcely believe it was time. In a matter of minutes, he would meet his son for the first time, and though a part of him quaked at the thought of being a father, he was beyond excited. He would finally have the family he'd always wanted, the one he'd dreamed of since he'd finally found the guts to ask Lucy out.
He could remember it like it was yesterday:
Gray stood before her door, his hands moving shakily together. He looked down in surprise, finding his palms slick with sweat, and swiftly dropped them to wipe down the sides of his pants. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. Lucy was his friend – it wasn't like she was going to hate him, right?
He groaned softly, dragging jittery fingers through his dark hair, and scolded himself. You can do this, Gray. Stop being such a wuss!
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and knocked sharply before he could change his mind. I can't do it, he thought, already considering something else to say. He couldn't leave now. He could hear her coming towards the door. He had to think of something else to say to her, some other reason for him to be here.
Then she was there. He was so lost in his frantic thoughts, he hadn't even seen the door open. Oh, he was a dead man. His mind was completely blank as he looked down at her surprised face. He tried to find some words to say, just one word, anything, but he was tongue-tied.
"Hi Gray!" she chirped happily, a smiled lighting up her face, "I didn't know you were coming by today. And you knocked! I'm impressed!"
Gray stood there rather dumbfounded, watching silently as she giggled at her joke. He wanted to tease her back, return her merriment, but he was stuck. Why couldn't he think of anything to say? "Hi Lucy."
He wanted to smack himself in the face, but that would make this whole mess even worse. She tilted her head cutely, her expression puzzled at his unusual reaction. Then again, maybe smacking himself would go along just right with the rest of the stupid stuff he was doing. She probably wouldn't even find it odd after all this.
"Are you alright, Gray?" Her expression changed again, this time to concern, as she moved closer.
The nervous ice mage gulped at her nearness, and nearly stepped back. Thankfully, he'd managed to stop himself in time. That would have definitely gotten her attention. "Um...yeah. I'm fine. I uh...just came to see if you wanted to hang out."
The urge to slap himself surged within him again. Hang out? He needed to get out of there. He was far too wired to be around her anymore. He should have said that he had come by to ask about a job or something. God, could he be anymore stupid?
Lucy's face brightened, her smile making another appearance as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. "Sure, that sounds great! What do you feel like doing?"
He glanced down at their connected hands and hoped she wouldn't feel the dampness that had returned. That would be far too embarrassing for him. Breathe moron, he thought. She's just holding your hand – it doesn't mean she likes you. Out loud, he mumbled, "Whatever you want to do is fine with me."
She tipped her head again, and asked, "Gray, what's wrong?"
"I...Nothing. I'm fine." For a moment, he wondered at her knowing look. Could she see it? Did she already suspect why he was here?
She dropped his hand and crossed her arms, saying nothing, as she continued eyeing him, simply waiting for him to spill his guts. She gave him that look, the one that said she'd be getting the truth from him, but it was his choice if it was the easy way or the hard way. He knew that look well. It promised nothing good.
Suddenly, his tongue loosened, and he began babbling, "I wanted to ask you something, you know? But it's probably stupid, and you 're probably going to smack me when I ask it. I should probably just go anyway."
Her mouth twitched, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Okay...why don't you just ask me already?"
Before he stop it, his traitorous mouth opened again, and the babbling continued. "I just don't want you to be upset at me. I mean, we're friends, right? I don't want that to get messed up. That would really suck. But that wouldn't happen, I'm sure."
"Gray!" she called loudly, getting his attention. "Just ask your question."
"I uh...I was wondering if you'd go out with me." His voice was so low, he'd barely heard it himself. He wanted to turn to the wall beside him, and bang his head over and over again. God, he was so stupid.
She arched an eyebrow at him and leaned in and asked, "I didn't catch that. Can you say it again?"
Her cherubic face was so close to his now, and it took everything he had to keep from closing the distance for a kiss. He shook the foolish thought away. No way he was that stupid. That would be a sure-fire way to die quickly.
He looked down at her patiently waiting, and decided. He couldn't believe he was going to do this, but he'd already come this far. He took a deep breath and then, rushed the words out. "Would you go out with me?"
The moment stretched out, and he panicked. Would she reject him? If she didn't feel the same, would she pull away from him?
The fears had plagued him for months, and that had helped him resist asking her for a date. He didn't want it to ruin their friendship, because that would hurt even more than her turning him down. Now, the words were out there, and he couldn't take them back if everything went wrong.
He could admit it. He was afraid, his stomach clenching tightly as he waited for her response. The air stilled in his lungs, his anxiety rising as soon as the question slipped from his mouth, and he found himself praying she wouldn't deny him.
Finally, after what felt like years, but was actually only moments, Lucy giggled and teased, "Is that all? Of course, I will. I was wondering how long you'd make me wait."
Gray smiled at the memory. He'd been flabbergasted at her response. All that time he'd wasted being terrified of changing things between them, and she'd been simply waiting for him to come to her. He shook his head, and once again thanked his lucky stars he'd found his nerve that day. It had been the start of every dream he ever had coming true.
Looking down, he found his wife panting tiredly, struggling to find the strength to continue pushing. Her labor had been hard thus far, and he could see the toll it was taking on her. His brow furrowed as he watched her shift restlessly on the bed, never quite able to find a comfortable place to rest her body.
"Okay Lucy, you've got a contraction coming up. Get ready," the doctor called, settling herself between Lucy's spread legs.
The blond groaned as she fumbled forward in the bed, trying to get into position. She felt so weak, but she had to do this. She had to be strong for her baby, she thought as Gray wrapped his arm around her back. She offered him a slight smile as he supported her, knowing that as long as he was here, everything would be okay.
He had been amazing all through her pregnancy, taking care of her, making sure she had everything she needed. The poor man had put up with her mood swings, run out at all hours of the night for whatever weird concoction she was craving, and given her far too many back rubs to count. He couldn't have been more wonderful to her than he had been.
Lucy knew she had it good, not just because of everything her husband had done for her, but simply because she had found her true love. Not many people were that lucky, and she knew it. So she had made sure that Gray always knew how she felt about him. She didn't let a day go by without giving her heart to him again, because she knew – love didn't get any better than this.
She glanced over at him again and felt that familiar tightening in her chest. He was her everything, and now they were going to have a child. They were finally going to be a real family. It had been her dream for so long, to have family again, and now that dream was about to come true.
Suddenly, she felt a twinge of pain in her belly and she bit her lip on the cry that threatened to come out, as she waited for the doctor's signal.
"Here we go," the doctor warned, peeking up to nod at the pregnant woman, "Push!"
Lucy latched onto her legs, grasping tightly as she pushed for all she was worth, leaning into the motion with gritted teeth. Her stomach had hardened, the contractions drawing it up into a painfully tight ball. Spasms shot up her back and down her body as she fought the need to scream. It hurt so much, but she refused to show it. She'd endured pain before, and she'd get through this too.
Gray looked on with a mixture of sympathy and immense pride. He couldn't decide which was greater. All he knew is that he hated to see her in pain, especially pain that directly related to him, and he was so immensely proud of her for being so brave.
He was astounded by her strength, as he watched her fight for their child, her body trembling with fatigue. She'd take a breath and then she'd be right back in there, marching straight through the pain and giving it all she had. She was amazing.
"Come on Lucy. Little harder! I can see the head," the doctor instructed, her tone raising in excitement.
Lucy nodded wearily, leaning back up with a hiss and pushed as hard as her worn body would allow, and was rewarded with a cheer from her physician, "Great job! One more hard push now, and we'll have him."
Lucy had a moment to glance up at her husband and smile weakly, then her belly tightened painfully, and she gathered the last bit of her strength, putting everything she had into pushing one last time. The pressure built between her legs, and she cried out, her hands clamping down hard on her legs, as she put the last of her reserves into her effort.
Gray glanced att her with a tearful smile, praising her, "You've almost got it, baby!"
The ice mage looked down just in time to see his son's shoulders finally push through, and then the doctor was there, easing him out the rest of the way. She suctioned his tiny mouth, and then he heard it, the most incredible thing he'd ever heard, the sound of his tiny voice.
He turned to look at his wife, his smile wide as tears trailed down his cheeks, "He's perfect, Lucy."
Lucy smiled back up at him tiredly, her eyes bright, leaking her happiness down her cheeks. She had never felt so much at once. The emotions were flying through her, and her mind couldn't keep up, couldn't name them all. She just knew she finally had everything she'd ever wanted.
The doctor wiped over the baby's head gently, cleaning him just a bit before wrapping his wrinkly red body in a warm blanket and lifting him up into Lucy's waiting arms. "Terrific job, Mommy."
"Hi, my beautiful boy. It's mommy," Lucy cooed, sniffling with her soft words. She looked up at Gray, her eyes so full of joy, and reached for his hand. He had given her this moment, given her all her heart had desired.
Gray took her hand and leaned down to her, kissing her head and then his son's. His son. God, he couldn't believe it. He had a son.
He stared down at the quieting infant, and whispered, "I'm your daddy."
He glanced back at Lucy, not caring that he was crying or that he could only offer her a tremulous smile. He was happy, happier than he'd ever been before. He loved his little family so much. He'd never loved anyone more.
"I love you, Lucy."
His whispered words tugged at her heart, taking the joy she felt in this moment and spilling it over. It filled her up so full, it leaked out, and she gave out a little laugh and cried, "I love you too, Gray."