This is one of those stories that didn't like me much. I swear, it fought me the entire way. This may not be what you wanted, Gray to Black, and if it's not, I sincerely apologize.
Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.
THE END OF HIS ROPE
It was hot, far too hot in Gray's opinion to be out working a job. It wasn't exactly that the temperature bothered him. He just hated this type of weather. Being an ice mage, it kind of came with the territory, and the heat could drive his clothes from his body faster than anything else. It was simply a reflex.
But nothing could deter Erza when she got her mind set on something, and now here they were, trudging their way back home after a long mission. The insane woman was still wearing her armor, not a drop of sweat to be seen. It was strange to be sure, but that was their team, he supposed.
They were all a little off to be honest, and Lucy was no different. She was a mess of inconsistencies. The way she dressed insinuated things – and he would never say it to her face – but it often gave men the wrong idea about the kind of girl she was. She was actually pretty innocent when it came to dating and stuff, and she was usually the sweetest girl you could ever meet. That was until you pissed her off, then she was nothing shy of a raging woman on the warpath.
Thankfully that didn't happen all that often. He wasn't sure he could handle two Erzas on his team all the time. Lucy was actually probably the most normal of them all, but sometimes, she was far too oblivious.
Like with Natsu. It was perfectly clear to everyone around them that the guy liked her, but Lucy hadn't noticed a thing. She was still happily going about her business as if nothing had changed.
And it wasn't as if he was secretive about it. Like now, as they walked through town, the pink-haired man was snapping and snarling at any man that dared to eye the pretty blonde. There'd even been a time or two when he'd almost gotten physical with the guys, but Lucy had always thought it had to do with some imagined insult and had dragged the dragon slayer away before he could cause any trouble.
But he could tell Natsu was getting impatient with her. His obnoxious attitude had hit a new high on this last mission, and he could clearly remember what had started it all.
They'd had to pose as ordinary people just hanging out in a small bar that had been plagued with visits from a band of troublemakers. So they'd split up, he and Erza moving off to occupy a booth near the back of the building and Natsu and Lucy setting up at the bar.
Just after 8, people started pouring into the tiny business, and it had taken no time at all for men to notice the petite blonde. One guy after another approached her, but Natsu had been quick to run them off - a fierce scowl here, a well-placed balling of the fist there.
But there were always more, especially after they'd started drinking. Suddenly, their confidence was high, their brawn far outweighing their brains, and they had become certain they could take Natsu. And that had been the beginning of their end.
But while Natsu had been dealing with a set of well-muscled twins on one side, another man had crept up to Lucy, taking advantage of the pink-haired man's distraction. Of course, Lucy, being the sweet girl she was, struck up a conversation with the man, not knowing that her actions would bring a wealth of hurt on the unfortunate jerk.
Still, he supposed it wasn't all her fault. Natsu probably should have just come right out and said something. Considering how long this had gone on, it was wonder to everyone that he hadn't done just that. It would have saved them all a lot of trouble.
But Natsu hadn't told her anything, and consequently had completely lost his mind when that guy had attempted to kiss Lucy's hand. He'd stepped in immediately and all but ripped the guy's arm out of socket trying to move him away from their blonde team mate. And the whole time, Lucy had been puzzled at Natsu's reaction. The poor girl hadn't had a clue what had stirred her partner up so badly.
It was quite literally the most asinine thing Gray had ever seen. How could such a smart girl like Lucy be so damn stupid when it came to this?
Looking over at Erza, he found her rolling her eyes, her expression showing she was just as dumbfounded as he was, and then they were moving to salvage their job as much as they could.
Some day soon, Natsu was going to have to make a solid move, and when he did, Gray would be the first in line to say, "About damn time!"
