PLAN C: CAKE
"The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach!" Mira had exclaimed to her happily when she gave her a rundown of her newest plan.
Lucy had been crestfallen when she heard of Plan B's failure, not because Gray and Erza were still not together, but because she was still going to have to stick with Mira's outrageous plans. She truly did wonder why she had forced this situation onto herself. Why couldn't she just have kept her mouth shut and not told Mira anything? At least then, she wouldn't have to be forced to take part in rather nonsensical plans.
"But Erza's not a man," she retaliated.
"Erza's more of a man than anyone else in the guild," Elfman responded, backing up his sister.
She sighed. Honestly, she didn't even know how Mira got her brother to participate in these plans but she did. Maybe she had threatened him or something; it seemed plausible considering that it was Mira and all. So now she was stuck with two overly enthusiastic Strauss siblings, and she praised the heavens that Lisanna wasn't there to join them. Lucy didn't have anything against Lisanna, it was just that when all three Strauss siblings joined together for a common cause they were unstoppable.
Mira hummed in agreement. "The phrase relates to Erza too doesn't it? The quickest way to Erza's heart is through cake!"
"Now you're just taking shortcuts," Lucy muttered to herself as she watched the two siblings helplessly.
No sooner after she had said that, a certain ice mage came strolling into the guild with his shirt gone as always. A certain water mage squealed in delight as soon as she saw the object of her affections, causing the three to turn to Gray's direction where they saw him helplessly trying to push Juvia away from hugging him. Lucy saw from the corner of her eye the Strauss siblings giving each other a devious wink before Mira nodded for Elfman to make his move. She inwardly sighed, this was definitely going to give away their schemes, not that Mira even did a good job of hiding them. Practically half the guild knew, except well the most obvious two and a few others who were either too enticed on getting one of them for themselves, or didn't really care.
The blonde watched as Elfman marched up to Gray before practically hauling him over his shoulder like a potato sack, bringing him outside just as quickly as he had carried him. No one noticed the strange occurrence except for Juvia (who was too wide eyed to speak), a smug Mira and an exasperated Lucy.
Gray on the other hand was too shocked for words as the large takeover mage began carrying him to who knows where. It was uncomfortable. Usually girls would be carried like this by a guy or something but his situation was a lot different and much worse. It wasn't just everyday you saw a grown man, particularly Gray, being hauled by Elfman after all.
"What the hell are you doing Elfman? Put me down man!" Gray shouted in annoyance, trying to figure out a way to get off his shoulder without harming the mage. Elfman was his friend after all. He wasn't someone who would just easily beat up his friends, well except for Natsu but Natsu was a different case so he didn't count.
Elfman continued walking, ignoring Gray's shouts. He was surprised at how light Gray was. Considering his muscular body which he had no problem showing off, it was particularly surprising to see how much the ice mage actually weighed. He felt as though he were carrying a slightly lighter version of his older sister. If Gray was this light, he was curious as to how light Natsu would be.
"If you're a real man, you'd shut up and let me carry you," he finally responded, Gray grumbling at his usual man preaching, as he liked to dub it. Even in times like these he was still going on about being a 'real' man.
But Gray, being the man he so graciously was, heeded Elfman's words, instead opting to inwardly curse at the man instead as he laid limply on the mage's broad shoulders. Wherever Elfman was taking him, he was sure that it wouldn't be anywhere good.
Gray was spot on with his prediction of course. Having been acquainted for more than half of his life with the Fairy Tail guild, he had come to expect the craziest and most ridiculous practices they had to offer, which was why he was not surprised when he found himself suddenly being thrust into a ridiculous situation.
Elfman had brought him over to the Strauss home, a place he hadn't been to in ages. Being siblings and all, Mira, Elfman and Lisanna lived in a house of their own, rather than Mira and Lisanna living in Fairy Hills and Elfman living by himself. After all the time they had missed with Lisanna disappearing in Edolas, they took every chance they could to stay together.
As soon as they entered the Strauss abode, Elfman literally dropped him on the hard ground, causing Gray to groan in pain after his fanny hit the floor first. He had trouble sitting up, his hand going down to massage his backside as he glared at the beast takeover mage towering over him. "What the fuck Elfman?" He shouted angrily, still trying to sooth the pain coming from his bottom.
"I apologise for Elf-niichan's actions Gray," a voice replied from the hallway, causing both males to turn their heads simultaneously toward the source. They were greeted with the gentle smile of one Lisanna Strauss who was watching the two with an amused twinkle in her eye. Her smile got wider when she noticed Gray's stunned reaction as she walked toward the both of them casually, not leaving any room for Gray to arouse some suspicions.
"Uh, it's fine Lisanna. You really don't have to apologise," Gray stated awkwardly after realising he had not yet spoken. He was still sitting on the ground, the pain in his behind slowly subsiding as he massaged it.
Lisanna held out a hand for Gray to take after seeing him still on the floor. He took her hand gratefully, pushing himself up before almost wincing at the sudden sharp sensation that shot through his spine. Elfman, who had caught this, placed a hand on Gray's shoulder in guilt. "Sorry about that Gray. I didn't mean to drop you onto the floor," he apologised sincerely.
"Really, it's fine," he replied curtly, making his way over to the couch so that he could finally rest comfortably. Their couch was surprisingly fluffy that it felt as though he were sitting on a cloud. It seemed to do wonders on his bottom because as far as he could tell, the pain had fully subsided after sitting down.
"So uh, why am I here?" Gray decided to bring up the topic after making himself comfortable on the couch. He stared expectantly at the two Strauss siblings who were now communicating with their eyes in a rather anxious exchange. It made the ice mage all the more curious on their answer.
Gray watched as Elfman suddenly left the room, leaving him all alone in the living room with Lisanna. She turned to him, her gaze turning uncharacteristically stern. It reminded him a lot of Erza when she was ready to get down to business. To see the same expression on Lisanna didn't seem to process well in his mind. It was just plain weird seeing that look on her face, which was probably why he had a gnawing feeling that something bad was going to happen.
And something bad did happen when Lisanna decided to speak. "You're going to wear this outfit and you won't complain about it," she announced as Elfman came back into the living room with what was supposed to be his outfit in his hands.
Gray stared blankly at the clothes in Elfman's grasp, his mind malfunctioning completely. "Uh, what?" He blurted, still in an uncomprehending daze.
Lisanna took the clothes from her older brother's grasp before tossing them onto Gray's lap, her eyes still shooting him a stern look. "Put them on," she ordered in an Erza-like fashion that Gray couldn't help but oblige. Anyone who could pull off an 'Erza order' could easily manipulate him to do whatever they wanted. It was pathetic but it was a habitual thing; obeying Erza's orders had become second nature to the ice mage, unless he disagreed completely and decided to rebel but that happened only once in a blue moon.
He was about to put his arm through one of the arm holes of the shirt when he finally took a good look at the piece of clothing in his hands, his arm pausing abruptly. It was a dark blue shirt he noted, and had matching blue pants as well as a blue cap to finish the outfit. His brows furrowed at the ordinariness of the clothing; why had Elfman and Lisanna gone through all that trouble to bring him to their house in order for him to wear these three pieces of clothing? It didn't make sense; coming from experience, he had learnt that there was always a hidden intent when it came to the Strauss siblings, always.
Gray decided to twist the shirt around so that he was able to see if anything was written on the front and something sure was. Placed on the right chest area of the shirt was a clear logo, one that was all too familiar to him. It was only then that he had been able to put two and two together. His dark blue eyes widened substantially as he snapped his head to look at the Strauss siblings who were observing him, a look of surprise and defiance burning in his eyes.
"What the hell? Why are you making me put on a Piece of Cake delivery man uniform?" He exclaimed incredulously, shaking the pieces of clothing in his hands. Elfman and Lisanna shared a look before Lisanna decided to smoothly lie. She needed to get him to wear that uniform whether he liked it or not. Mira-nee was counting on her, she had reminded herself determinedly.
"We were given a job request by Mira-nee to become delivery men for Piece of Cake for a day. However, since this was the only uniform given to us and neither of us could fit it, we opted to ask you for help instead," the youngest Strauss lied smoothly, her facial features carefully contorted into one of innocence.
Gray scanned her face carefully, searching for any lies. When he could not find any traces of dishonesty, he sighed to himself. He was still suspicious however, but he guessed that her answer seemed logical enough. But still, he had to at least get some more information out of her. He didn't like it when he had more questions than he had answers.
"If that's the case, you could've just asked me instead of hauling me over here. I would've accepted anyway," he pointed out earnestly.
Lisanna looked sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess we didn't want Juvia finding out because she'd definitely try tagging along when the job request specifically asked for one mage, so I guess you can thank us for hauling you over here instead?" She lied unsurely, spouting out whatever came to mind. It appeared that the fib had won him over for he had flashed the two a grateful smile in relief.
"Ah well thanks for that. I've had enough Juvia for one day," he sighed. It was true; earlier that morning the said water mage had been extra clingy toward him, something that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't that he disliked her or anything, he just didn't like her in that way. Whatever he felt for her was strictly platonic, especially since he had had someone else in his heart for the longest time now.
Elfman shot his little sister a rather surprised and amazed look. He never knew that the girl could lie so well, especially because she was always so honest and never seemed like she'd do anything of the bad sort. Maybe her time in Edolas had taught her a few more things.
"So you'll wear the uniform?" Lisanna asked rather eagerly, hoping he would say yes. If his reaction hadn't told her that she'd won him over, she didn't know what would.
Gray scratched the back of his neck as he stared intently at the clothes in his grasp. He wanted to help his friends but at the same time, he really didn't want to wear the uniform. It looked kinda tacky, and he would never be able to live it down if Natsu ever caught sight of him wearing something that made him look like a cheap loser. "Yeah about that, can I just do the request without wearing the clothes?" He tried bargaining, hoping they would accept.
Lisanna frowned. "Why would you do that? The job request specifically stated that you had to wear the clothes," she answered rather forcefully.
"But I don't like these clothes. I don't get why they'd ask for me to wear this specifically. Why can't I just wear what I normally wear?" He complained childishly.
"You don't even wear anything," Lisanna muttered under her breath.
Elfman decided to interject after seeing how they weren't getting anywhere. "If you're a real man, you'd follow what the job request asked and wear the clothes."
The ice mage shot him an irritated glare. "But–"
Before he could continue, Lisanna cut him off with a glare of her own. "Wear the clothes Gray, or we'll have to force it on you," she threatened, looking a lot like Mira did in her younger years.
Gray gulped but he decided not to back down. He didn't want to wear the stupid clothes for the life of him. "No. I don't c–"
It was then that Gray realised his big mistake. He had learnt after that horrible, horrible experience to never mess with the Strauss siblings. If you wanted to live life peacefully without having to go through some nasty things, you had to obey the words that any Strauss gave you.
Gray had eventually worn the darned uniform after Elfman and Lisanna forced it onto him with methods he'd rather not relive. And soon after that small accomplishment, the ice mage found himself being tightly blindfolded by Lisanna and hauled over the shoulder of known other than Elfman. He groaned when he realised that he was being manhandled again before relaxing his body so that he laid limp the whole way.
It felt like decades when Elfman had finally stopped, arriving at their destination. Gray couldn't see a thing out of the blindfold so he didn't know exactly where they had gone but judging from the way he seemed to elevate higher, Gray guessed that they were climbing up some stairs. He had his ears pealed out for anything that gave their destination away but nothing seemed to ring a bell. All he heard was the squeaking of doors and the sound of footsteps here and there, nothing that would narrow down his guesses.
Finally Elfman stopped in front of something before he literally dropped the ice mage onto the floor again, chasing him to groan in pain as he rubbed his bottom. Even though he was wearing a blindfold, Gray glared at him, a scowl etched onto his face. "You bastard Elfman!" he cursed out, ready to offer some more colourful insults when he suddenly felt a large hand cup over his mouth.
"Shut up Gray. She'll hear you," Elfman hissed, keeping his eye on the door. He didn't want Gray to cause a ruckus so early on in the plan. They hadn't even gotten to the main event yet.
Gray creased his eyebrows as he tried looking at Elfman questionably, but the blindfold was making it hard to convey his emotions through his eyes. She? There was a girl involved? Why the hell was Elfman so insistent on keeping him quiet? She was a customer wasn't she?
He was about to say something when he suddenly found it a little too hard to breathe after he accidentally took a whiff of Elfman's sweaty palm. It smelt of perspiration, really stinky perspiration that the takeover mage would deem as 'manly sweat'.
"Gerrof meeph," he tried shouting but Elfman's hand has his words muffled, causing him to blurt out utter gibberish.
The male Strauss frowned at Gray's words, unable to work out what he was trying to say. "What?" He asked, to which Gray started shouting again, his words muffled.
Sick of trying to get Elfman to try and understand, Gray used some ice magic to slightly freeze Elfman's hand, causing him to let go with a startled jump. The ice mage sighed in relief, breathing in as much fresh air as he could in order to rid himself of the abominable smell of Elfman's sweat. Some things were meant to be shared between guys, and this wasn't one of them.
Elfman glared at the mage as he cradled his slightly frozen hand. "What was the for?" He asked gruffly.
Gray tried glaring back but the stupid blindfold was obscuring his vision so he probably looked like an idiot if he was glaring at something other than Elfman. "Your hand stinks."
"It's the smell of a real man," he replied proudly, to which Gray rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah yeah," he waved him off, "now tell me what I'm doing here."
Realisation dawned on Elfman as he remembered his purpose, looking to his right hand where he was currently holding a large box. Things seemed to click as the takeover mage suddenly thrust the box into the hands of a dumbfounded Gray. "Knock on the door and deliver this to the person inside," Elfman explained hurriedly before running off, leaving Gray behind.
He was confused. What the hell just happened? Elfman didn't even have the courtesy of taking off the damned blindfold. Some man he was, Gray spat out in irritation as he untied the blindfold. The cloth fell down as Gray surveyed his surroundings; he noticed squeaky clean timber flooring as well as numerous doors around the above floor which were all decorated with individual colours. There were vases filled with carnations littered around the area and the whole surrounding seemed to give off a prominent feminine vibe.
Gray's eyes wandered back to the door he was supposed to knock on. It was a mahogany brown which was properly furnished and polished. It looked plain enough but Gray couldn't help but feel like the door seemed pretty familiar to him. He finally lifted himself off the ground after he had realised he was still on the floor when Elfman dropped him, and fixed his clothing, holding the large box in his hands. He knew it was cake given his uniform but he couldn't help but wonder what type of cake.
Shrugging, Gray took a deep breath before lifting a hand to knock on the door. He just had to deliver a box of cake but oddly enough, he felt strangely nervous. Before he could even knock on the door however, the door had immediately swung open, revealing a slender woman who had luscious red locks for hair.
Gray felt as though the air had been knocked out of his windpipe when he realised who the woman was. It was freaking Erza, and he was dressed up as a delivery man who was supposed to deliver her her cake.
She had her hair down but it was surprisingly wavy for a change as it cascaded down her shoulders and behind her back. She was dressed in her usual casual wear, being a blue pleated skirt and white blouse but even so, he found her to be stunningly attractive in that moment. Perhaps it was because she was standing in her own home which made her look enticing.
Her honey eyes widened for a moment when she realised who was standing behind her door. "Gray? What are you doing here?" She asked curiously when she took note of his clothes. A Piece of Cake delivery uniform huh? She wondered where he had gotten it.
"Uh, I'm here to deliver you this cake," he replied nervously after realising he had not yet said anything. Gray thrust the cake box into her hands, unaware of the confusion that graced her features.
She accepted the box unsurely, lifting her eyes to meet Gray's when she was now carrying the box. "But I didn't order any cake Gray," Erza pointed out uncertainly.
Gray raised an eyebrow in astonishment, suddenly perplexed. "You didn't?" He repeated, his voice unsettled.
The redhead nodded. "I'm sure I didn't. I always order my Piece of Cake cakes in person rather than call for a delivery," she explained, hugging the cake box close to her. It was still cake, though she was hoping it was strawberry cheesecake.
He scratched the back of his neck in befuddlement, his mind going into overdrive as he tried to properly comprehend the situation that had been thrust upon him. So she didn't order the cake? And he just delivered her the cake because Elfman told him he had to. What on Earthland was going on? Was this whole job request even real?
His mind hurt from all the thoughts and questions that kept piling up in his brain. "I uh, I'm sorry then. Maybe I should take the cake back and tell Elfman and Lisanna that they got the address wrong," he finally responded after trying to clear his thoughts. He held his hands out to take the box from Erza but was surprised when he found Erza hugging the box particularly closer to her body.
He cocked his head to the side, confused at the girl's actions. "Erza?" He asked, still holding out his hands.
The redhead shook her head, protectively hugging the box. "I can't let this cake to waste. You came all the way here for my sake after all," she replied.
He gave her a sheepish grin. "Well if you say it like that, maybe I could leave you the cake," he began, to which Erza started to smile. "But it might be someone else's Erza. I have to take it back," he insisted, moving his hands forward to take the cake. Erza immediately reacted, a sword now in her grasp as she pointed it toward Gray's neck as if challenging him to take a step closer.
Gray abruptly paused at the sudden threat, beads of sweat beginning to build up on his forehead. It wasn't the first time he had been a similar situation, being at the receiving end of Erza's sword, but the last time he had, he had rebelled and even though he was able to get his point across, he was still severely punished afterward.
"Not one step closer Gray," she growled, an intense glare directed toward him. He gulped as he tried to stand his ground, ignoring the nervousness he was feeling. Gray stared right back into her eyes, keeping his expression stoic as he placed a hand on Erza's sword, pushing to lower it down.
"I have to take it back," he said calmly, ignoring how Erza pressed the tips of her blade into the base of his neck. He could feel the cool, metallic touch of the blade pushing into his skin that he couldn't help but rethink his actions. Maybe he shouldn't rebel after all. Erza could easily slit his throat if she wanted to and he really wasn't willing to take chances right now.
Erza kept her glare on Gray's composed face. "I won't let you take it. But tell me what flavour it is first," she demanded, lightly pressing the blade deeper into his skin. She was careful not to draw blood however. She wasn't really thinking of injuring him, just trying to threaten him if he disobeyed her. Erza wanted this cake; it came so willingly into her arms that she couldn't let it get away. Though she was more prone to eating only strawberry cheesecakes, it was a cake from Piece of Cake, plus Gray was the one who delivered it to her so she couldn't not take it.
Gray was confused about her sudden inquiry but didn't bother questioning her. He just wanted to get out in one piece after all. "Uh, I'm not sure. I think it's strawberry cheesecake since I gave it to you and all," he guessed unsurely, eyeing the box. Since Elfman and Lisanna were the ones who gave him the cake, he was guessing that it was strawberry cheesecake. They wouldn't have given him the wrong cake on purpose, but they did give him the wrong address though.
The requip mage slowly lowered her sword, but only to check if Gray was telling the truth. Luckily for her, the raven haired male was smart enough not to take the chance to run away, just nervously waiting for her verdict. She slowly opened the lid of the box and was pleasantly surprised as she closed the lid and gave him a bright smile, her eyes twinkling like it was Christmas morning.
Gray guessed from her reaction that he had guessed correctly as he gave a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping after all the tension that had built up in his muscles. "Since it's strawberry cheesecake, there's no way I can give you this back now Gray. Just ask the cake shop owner to get another one. I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Erza proposed, her eyes still twinkling. It amazed Gray at how the girl would take a 180 degree personality transformation when it came to her cheesecake. For someone who was so hellbent on sticking to the rules, it was amusing how she wasn't afraid to break them if it involved getting some cake.
"Okay then Erza. I guess I'll do just that," he replied in uncertainty, scratching the back of his neck. As he was about to walk away from the girl, ready to take off the delivery uniform he was surprisingly still wearing, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist tugging him back. He stumbled from the sudden force that pulled him back, quickly regaining his balance when he felt the hand pull away.
Gray turned to look at the redhead in confusion, becoming more flummoxed by the second when he noticed the rather shy look on Erza's face. "Erza?" He asked when he noticed her biting her lip.
Her honey brown eyes moved up to look at him, the ice mage becoming speechless when he found her eyes looking particularly tender. "Do you want some cake? I don't want to make you leave on an empty stomach."
His eyebrows shot upwards at her sudden proposal, his mouth hanging agape as he felt his heart beat getting faster by the second. "S-Sure," he stuttered, a bright smile curving on Erza's lips.
The redhead dragged him inside before shutting the door, an overjoyed Lisanna peeking from behind the corridor wall after hearing the entire conversation. They did it! Mira-nee and Lucy were going to be so happy when she told them of the good news.
As Lisanna practically skipped across the corridor to the front entrance, she didn't hear the loud commotion that was brewing inside Erza's room the moment she dragged him in.
"But you said I could have some Erza!"
"I didn't say you could have that big of a piece Gray!"
"I'm hungry though! You can't keep a man away from filling his stomach you know."
Some knuckles cracked. "And you can't keep a lady from getting her share of the cake either."
"More like you can't keep Erza from getting her cake," came an annoyed mutter.
"What was that?"
Then came a gulp as beads of sweat trailed down a face. "Nothing!"
PLAN C: SUCC–FAILURE?