-Love Triangle-

I can stand her

Not loving me—

I can't stand her

Loving him.

Lucy held tight onto the fishing rod—trying her best to pull the enormous fish on the other line out of the lake. "Why… is this thing… so… strong?!" She grumbled out from between clenched teeth; the strength of the nearly-caught fish almost pulling her into the water.

The creature threatened to overpower her as her heels dug into the dirt ground. "You can do it, Lucy," Natsu snickered as he watched his friend continue her battle with the fish. "Put some back into it!" He yelled from a few feet away, comfortably sitting on the forest ground with his calm, water-bobbing fishing rod.

"The damn thing's too strong!" She shouted, just as her wrists began burning and heels slid a bit closer to the lake's edge. "Help me already."

Natsu laughed cheerfully as he got up and went over to Lucy. "These things aren't that tough. Here, let me try,"

But she didn't dare let go of the rod. She knew that if she did, the sudden movement would throw her over backwards. Natsu soon got behind her and placed his arms around her waist. "Now pull." He instructed, as he tugged on her waist to put more strength into the rod.

With the added power, the fish instantly gave up the fight and flew out of the lake. Water splashed all over the fishing spot as the enormous creature was pulled out, and landed with a thud onto the dry forest floor.

The loss of the extreme weight on the other line caused both Lucy and Natsu to fall over backwards in a heap. "Ouch!" Lucy groaned, once she fell to the ground.

"Hey, we did it!" Natsu yelled out gleefully, eyeing the huge 8-foot fish.

Lucy looked around, and noticed she had fallen over him. Her lower back was between his spread legs, his back against the forest ground. "No, you did it." She pouted, getting off him and standing up.

But he didn't hear her as he jumped up and ran full-speed over to the fish. "Happy's gonna be so jealous~!" He sang as he lifted up the fish and roasted it with a breath of his fire.

Lucy sighed, and walked over to him. This fishing trip had been nothing but boring. Being around Natsu was fun, but sometimes it just felt like plain baby-sitting. She hadn't even wanted to try out the fishing rod, but he had forced her into it. "Just try it, you'll have fun!" He had encouraged. No, more like begged, after the fifth time she said no.

Her mind was still stuck on last week's mission. She still felt like she was the 'weak' one of the team, and wanted to change that. The long gap in strength between her and Natsu was terrifying. She couldn't even pull a damn fish out of the water without his help.

"Hey, Natsu?"

He continued to devour the roasted fish. "Yeah?" He responded without looking up, his mouth full of fish.

She sat down next to him. Well, not too close—she didn't want pieces of chewed-up fish to splatter over her. "I've been thinking. Should I start training?" She asked innocently.

"Wha kine'a trainin'?" He mumbled with his mouth full.

"What kind of training? Oh, I mean like, just to get stronger," She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "Both physically and with my magic."

He momentarily paused eating. "Huh? You don't need to do that."

Her head snapped up to look at him. "Yes, I do. You saw what happened on our last mission. I'm… I'm weak, Natsu…" It pained her to say it—mostly because it counted her Spirits too. But she knew they specifically weren't weak; she just needed better strategies to control them. And, she needed to strengthen her physical abilities. Without her keys, she knew she was vulnerable.

Natsu shook his head. "No, you're fine the way you are. No need to train,"

"But…" She paused. Did he really mean that? If she thought of it in a certain way—it was kind of sweet. But it normally wasn't like Natsu to be-

"I mean, that would be a waste of time, y'know? It would take a long time for your body to get stronger," He finished without thinking it through.

He grinned cockily, putting his fish aside to flex his muscles. "You ain't got nothing on th-"

He stopped when he noticed Lucy stand up suddenly.

Her hands were in fists, her blonde bangs shading her eyes. "Lucy…?" Natsu asked in surprise. Smack.

He rubbed his aching cheek as Lucy ran off, yelling, "Natsu, you idiot!" as she left the forest.

Huh, I wonder what's up with her, he thought to himself.

"She's so weird." He laughed out loud.

-F-R-O-Z-E-N-F-L-A-M-E-S-

Gray watched as the guild doors slammed open, and a pissed-off looking blonde stomped in.

As she got further inside, he noticed it was none other than his comrade, Lucy. He chuckled to himself, What did that fire-breathing idiot do this time?

He watched her sit down at the guild's long counter and order a drink from Mira. She looks cute when she's mad like that, he couldn't help but admit. Thanks to Natsu, she looked like that a lot.

But then again, she always looked cute. Ever since he met her, he felt an attraction to her just like basically every other guy in Fairy Tail. It was no secret that she was gorgeous.

Guess I'll go make her feel better, he thought to himself as he moved away from the guild's entry and walked over to the counter.

The setting sun cast a bright orange and red glow through the windows of the guild as he got over. It was getting late; most people had already left Fairy Tail for the day. But the bar was still open, and serving Mira's weekly special; which was Lucy's favorite.

Sure enough, as Gray approached her, he noticed she was sipping on the strawberry smoothie. "What's up, Lucy?" He asked casually as he plopped down on the stool beside her.

She looked over—as if making sure he wasn't Natsu—and then responded, "Oh, nothing. I just ditched Natsu on our fishing trip is all." He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was still annoyed.

He chuckled a bit, "Finally you have the right of mind."

She snorted. "Hey, at least I don't fight with him twenty-four seven," He caught sight of her cute grin.

"Yeah…" He smiled, looking away.

She eyed her drink. "Want some?" She sweetly offered the brim-filled beverage to him.

He glanced down at it, "Sure." He took it and sipped lightly on the straw.

"…Hey," She pouted after a moment, "You're getting your germs on it."

He laughed, setting it down. "What are we, in first grade?"

She giggled, taking back her drink. "I meant you could try it from the glass." She said, as she looked down and mindlessly swirled the red-and-white striped straw around.

Gray lightly cleared his throat. "So… how'd Natsu piss you off this time?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh, he was just being an idiot as usual. He technically called me-" She paused, not wanting to say Natsu had called her weak. "-He said it would be a waste of time for me to train."

Gray's navy eyes widened a bit. "He did?" Wow, I never knew he was on that level of stupid, he thought to himself.

She nodded solemnly, "Yeah. That's what he said after I suggested doing some training."

Gray chuckled, now fully recovered. "Well, do you want to?"

She looked up at him, a bit of surprise in her chocolate orbs. "Oh, well…" She glanced back down, "I really want to, actually…"

Grinning, he responded, "Well it's a great idea. Not that you completely need it, but a little training would never hurt anyone."

Lucy grinned back. "I'm glad you think so,"

With a cute smile, Gray reached over and patted her soft blonde head. "Then let's do it."

Not that she wanted to admit it, but Lucy was actually thrilled about how well Gray took the suggestion. Unlike Natsu—that idiot always spoke before thinking. "'Lets'?" She echoed curiously.

He nodded, "Yeah. I can help train you, if you want?"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Of course!" She pressed her palms together and placed them against her left cheek, grinning.

She knew that with both Gray's and Loke's help, her training could improve immensely and she could get a lot stronger. She knew Loke was a good teacher, and Gray had those strict and intelligent traits that were required to train another.

"Ah, you'll be performing some training, I see?" Mira appeared on the other side of the bar, and set down two drinks. "Then enjoy your last day of these. They're on the house~!" She exclaimed gleefully as she walked away, leaving the beverages in front of Lucy and Gray.

"I needed this." Gray murmured as he grabbed the alcoholic beverage and took a swig.

"A-Alcohol…?" Lucy looked down at the cup, unsure of whether or not to drink it.

"It's just one cup. Have some already," He said as he took another drink of his own.

"Well…" She knew Mira was right—no more of this during her training. But, she'd never even tried alcohol before. Now was her only chance for a long while. "okay," Before she could change her mind, she took a sip.

Gray laughed, "You call that a drink? Have some. Really. It'll make you forget about Natsu," He joked.

She chuckled, swallowing the substance. "I don't care about Natsu right now."

He laughed again, "That's my girl."

She took another careful drink. "What, so you've never had anything like this before?" He questioned, a bit of surprise in his expression.

"Nope."

All traces of emotion immediately left his face. Wait, what kind of drink was this anyway? Mira had served them, so it couldn't be too strong. He had recognized the taste from something he'd tried a long time ago, but-

Oh shit.

He almost snapped his neck as he instantly turned his face to look back at Lucy. Surprisingly, she had already drank about half the cup. "Hey, I never knew alcohol could be this good~!" She sang gleefully, throwing her thin arms up in the air.

Gray looked down at his own cup, and facepalmed. The color was purple. And that meant it was a magical kind of beverage that practically gave the effects of crack. "…What now?" He grumbled to himself.

Lucy giggled cutely, "Why are you talking to yourself, Gray-kun~?"

He flinched, a tiny blush making its way to his cheeks. "Give me that." He growled as he snatched away the drink.

"No no, that's mine, you silly." Her words were already starting to slur. She reached over him to take back her drink, her chest nearly pressing to his.

His cheeks flushed furiously, and he began glancing around for Mira. But she was nowhere in sight. He slightly wondered to himself why he hadn't began feeling the effects yet, but that could be because he'd already tried it and wasn't a newbie like Lucy.

"This is so yummy. I wonder why I haven't tried it before?" She giggled again, face flushed, as she took another swig.

"No… that's enough, Lucy." Gray tried to speak calmly—who knew how she'd react if he acted out harshly?

Besides, he knew how she could be. She may have said she's never tried alcohol before, but he could prove her wrong. After all, hadn't she gotten drunk (or drugged?) like this back before the Grand Magic Games? She had been all over Natsu that night, while Juvia wouldn't leave Gray alone. In fact, it was right before Team A's training, too.

"Here, let me help you stand up," Gray gently removed the cup from her hands—it was almost empty anyways. How could he have let this happen? He should have recognized the beverage sooner. Curse that Mira for bringing out such wicked voodoo shit anyway.

"Gray-kuuun~! You've never held me like this before, y'know?" She giggled as Gray pulled her off the stool and stood her up. He kept his arms around her to keep her from falling.

"Oh shut up." He grumbled under his breath, his cheeks burning.

She clung to his chest, and rubbed her head against his throat. "Ooooh, you're so chilly. It feels nice~" She whisper-sang, her mouth in a cute little '3' shape.

He inhaled sharply as she pressed more of her body to his. Dammit, why did she have to act all cute when she was drunk? "…Don't." He said, as if instructing a pet. He carefully peeled her off him.

"But Grayyy…" She looked up at him with adorable, pleading brown orbs. She clasped her hands together and gave her best puppy-dog look. "Carry me please?"

He felt his face burn again. This was usually not like him—getting all hot and embarrassed. But it was a different story when it came to Lucy. "What—no. You can stand just fine," He pouted, crossing his arms.

She reached forward and—to his surprise—gently touched him. She grabbed his chin with her thumb and pointer finger, pulling him close. "…Pretty please~?" She whispered seductively.

His blush deepened. Her gorgeous face was so close. Her cheeks were a rosy shade of pink, brown eyes half-lidded, and sweet lips parted mischievously.

How could he say no to a face like that?

His eyes scanned the guild—it was now even less filled than before. The sun had already set and it was now evening. Not even Mira was in sight—the guild was probably going to close in a few minutes.

"Well…" He figured he might as well take her home anyway. Besides, he couldn't let her walk home alone in her current state.

Before he could continue, Lucy jumped up and bear-hugged him. "Yaaay~!" She laughed another annoyingly-cute drunken laugh.

He stiffened as she kept her thin arms around him. She snuggled into him; his cool skin kept her nice and chilly. "Gray-kun, you're so nice." She slurred, a big smile on her face.

"I'm gonna kill Mira." He muttered.

He moved her away so he could pick her up. He turned, "Now jump," he instructed—and surprisingly—she did. He moved his hands up to place under her thighs, trying to ignore how soft and smooth her skin felt.

She pressed her chest to his back and laid her head on top of his. "Your back is so muscle-y." She happily mused, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Whatever…" He grumbled, trying to fight his blush. It wasn't like him to act like a red-faced idiot in front of girls—especially ones like Lucy—but her drunken state and cute behavior weren't helping. "Now, in which direction do you live again?"

A while later, Gray found himself wandering around random streets. Of course, Lucy wasn't in the right state to direct him. But, somehow, he came across a familiar area. "Strawberry Street, right?" He asked, more to himself then Lucy—who was still riding on his back.

"Sounds familiar, yep!" She sang.

She was still pretty messed up. Whatever Mira added to that drink, it was strong. Maybe she'd thought Lucy had tried it before—after all, those beverages mainly affected people who had never drank them before.

She had been giggling and humming the whole walk to her house. Once in a while, she'd let out a silly comment, and then go back to playing with Gray's hair. After all, it was 'so soft and spiky' like she had put it.

Gray let out a deep sigh of relief once he finally found her house. He hadn't been there in a long time—since Lucy often kicked him out for breaking in. It made sense to him… kind of. He just didn't see why she had to force him to leave. What was so wrong about coming in his boxers anyway?

"Okay, here it is." He mumbled as he set her down in front of her doorstep.

"Awwh, you're leaving me already?" She pouted, still behind him. She kept her arms around his waist as she hugged him from behind.

He stiffened again—he still wasn't used to feeling her chest press against him like that. It felt… awkward. And nice in a way, of course—there was no denying that. "You can make it inside can't you?"

She giggled, though it was hard to see her in the dark. "My house keys are somewhere on me…" She pulled away from his back and faced him.

"'Somewhere'?" He repeated, confused.

She smirked, which made Gray gulp nervously. "I think they're in my bra. Could you get them for me, please~?"

He felt his face break out in a cold sweat. "W-What? No! Get them yourself." He crossed his arms defiantly and looked away, trying to hide another blush.

She laughed. "That's so cute, Gray-kun. Maybe I'll just find Natsu-"

His eyes widened, "-Natsu?" He wasn't sure if he heard right. And besides, he didn't want to hear the rest of that sentence.

She nodded. "Mm-hmm," She hummed out. "He would do it. Besides, he's felt my-"

Gray didn't pay attention to the rest of that statement, and went in for the keys. Trying to ignore his sense of touch, he felt around strictly for something cold and solid.

She giggled and threw her head back in pleasure, "Your cold hands feel so good~!" She continued laughing until Gray found what he was looking for—in the left cup of her bra.

"There you are you piece of shit," He grumbled under his breath as he pulled out the house key and immediately put it into the lock.

Once inside, he led Lucy over to her bed. He paid no attention to her comments about sitting down and having another drink with him—that thought alone made his head hurt.

"Shhh. Just go to sleep," He told her gently as she laid herself down.

"But Gray-kun, I thought-" She began.

"-No, it's okay…" He whispered, bringing up her covers. "Just go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." And freeze Mirajane solid, he added within his mind.

She pouted, the drunken blush still on her face. "Where are you going?"

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. Things better not lead to where he was thinking they would. "I'm going home now."

She eyed him as though he'd just broken her heart. "Don't leave me," She whimpered.

How did I know she'd say that, he thought to himself bitterly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, I promise," He was as careful and gentle with his words as he could be.

She frowned, and tugged on his sleeve. "Don't go." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Gray felt his heart speed up. It thumped in his chest, as if threatening to jump out. He didn't know what to do or say. He didn't want to hurt her and make her cry. But then again, he couldn't stay here. When she'd wake in the morning she would no doubt kick him right out.

"…I have to." He mumbles, and gently removes her hand from his sleeve. After all, if she remembered anything in the morning, she'd thank him for politely leaving. Wouldn't she?

Though just as he began walking away, he felt a strong force pull his wrist and drag him into the bed. He let out a cry of surprise as he landed on the bed next to Lucy.

"…What the hell?!" He yelled out in surprise.

She giggled. "Sleep with me, Gray-kun."

He gulped. She'd said that so casually.

"Pleaaase? Just for tonight?" She begged cutely, already moving closer to him.

He blushed bright red. Just thinking about that made him… uncomfortable. Yeah, 'uncomfortable'. Let's just go with that. "I can't. No way," He responded, trying to sound full of authority. But it came out more like a little boy refusing a new video game.

She yawned, and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Gray took that moment to sit up, ready to get out of Lucy's bed. "Wait," She stopped him, and he internally sighed. Truth is, he—like any other healthy male would—wanted nothing more than to accept her offer. But she was a friend; he couldn't do that to her in her current state. If only she truly meant it…-

"Just stay here until I fall asleep?"

Gray's navy blue orbs widened in surprise. That was a reasonable request. Wasn't it?

Ignoring the sirens in the back of his mind telling him to just get out of there, he reluctantly nodded. "…Okay." She smiled and lay back down.

"But only until you fall asleep…" He repeated in a low whisper. He wasn't sure if he was telling that mostly to himself or to her.

Unsure of whether or not he should lie down, he remained sitting up—his back against her room wall. As time went by, he watched his comrade's resting face. She looked so serene and at peace with the world—like an angel. He thought she looked… perfect.

He didn't know how much time had passed. He continued on watching her until she was well asleep. But he never laid back down. He kept watching her until the sun started to rise again—when he realized how long he'd been there and bolted from her house.

A.N.: This chapter was pretty rushed, sorry :0

Fluff overload, anyone? Ahahaha, I thought we could use some, since there was all of zero NaLu or GraLu fluff last chapter. c;

All we really got in plot development was Gray offering to train Lucy. That'll be important later. Anyways, we'll get more of Natsu and Loke next chapter, so I hope you stay tuned (:

See ya! And don't forget to review~! ( LOL at drunk Lucy, I just couldn't help it XD)