Ch. 9 – 'Tis the Season for Lovers
Autumn seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Gray had been keeping himself busy by taking on a bunch of solo missions. He hadn't even taken notice of the streets that were once covered in fallen leaves had now been replaced with a blanket of snow. Before Gray knew it, the end of December was nearing.
"Juvia feels as if Gray-sama hasn't made much progress with Erza-san."
Gray had been minding his own business until Juvia made her way over to him. However, Gray wasn't expecting that to be the first thing to come out of Juvia's mouth. It kind of ticked him off how she acted as if she knew it all.
"What makes you the expert here?"
"Since Juvia and Lyon-sama are together now, Juvia thinks it's about time for Gray-sama to act on his feelings as well."
"Yeah, yeah." Gray shrugged off her response and laid his head back down on the table. His head sprung right back off the table after realizing what she said. "Wait, you guys are dating?!"
"Yes, Lyon-sama asked Juvia out on a date earlier this month." Juvia's face turned red and she held her hands up to her heart, sighing happily. "It was at a candle-lit dinner in a fancy restaurant that Lyon-sama proposed we start going out. It was so romantic~ "
Are you kidding me?!
"Gray-sama should tell Erza-san how he feels." Juvia snapped out of it and stared seriously at Gray. Her eyes were sparkling as if she was cheering him on.
"Idiot! Don't speak so loudly!" Gray frantically looked around the room to see if anyone close by had heard their conversation. The last thing he wanted was for Erza to be right behind him and hear every last word of it.
Gray had half expected her to burst into tears or tear him a new one because of how rude he was being to her, but she stood her ground. She didn't seem the least bit offended by his words and continued to speak about him and Erza. Yeah, she was definitely over him. "Gray-sama is planning on going on a mission soon, correct? Why doesn't Gray-sama invite Erza-san?"
"Huh? Why?"
Juvia sighed. "To get closer to Erza-san, of course!"
The two hadn't spoken in a few days. Gray had been so busy with earning money for the holiday season that any sort of contact with his guild mates was rare. And it had been awhile since Gray and Erza went on a mission alone together. The thought actually made him really happy.
"Christmas is in just a few days. I heard that in a foreign land, Christmas is considered a day for lovers! You spend time with your special someone on such a romantic evening. Juvia can't wait to spend it with Lyon-sama!" She spoke in a sing song voice and seemed ecstatic at the thought of being with Lyon. She tried to hide her flushed face in her hands.
"Okay, lovebirds. Have fun." Gray spoke in an irritated voice. He wondered how Lyon was able to get a girlfriend before him. He had known Erza for over eight years now and never even confessed; yet Lyon, who had only known Juvia for about nine months, was now dating her. It didn't make any sense to him.
Juvia could hear the jealousy in his voice and giggled at it. "Is Gray-sama somehow jealous? Juvia is telling Gray-sama this information for his benefit. Juvia thinks something good might happen if Gray-sama puts in the effort."
"I'm putting in plenty of effort!" He clicked his tongue and looked the other way.
His words didn't match the truth and he knew it. He was honestly lying out of his teeth. Gray hadn't been putting in much effort in pursuing Erza. He had held off on it because of Jellal's death. It didn't matter if it had already been half a year since his passing; Gray wanted Erza to be ready before he confessed to her. It didn't stop him from feeling spineless about his decision. He was only doing what he felt was right.
Instead he had focused on spending time with her to help her out after the death of her beloved friend. They had spent a lot of time together recently and he was really enjoying it, but there was one problem. Even though he had told her she could come to him when she needed someone, she hadn't cried to him once since then. He felt it was his fault that she didn't even think of him worthy enough to comfort her. He tried his best not to think about it and to just continue to move forward. He would continue to wait in silence for the right moment.
Juvia looked sad as she watched Gray who seemed deep in thought. She hadn't meant to make him angry and only wanted to help him. Juvia looked up and noticed someone making their way over to Gray. A smile rose to her face and she realized it was her time to leave.
"Juvia needs to go make preparations for when Lyon-sama visits. Maybe now would be a good chance to ask Erza-san out on a mission."
Gray couldn't help but raise his voice once again. "Knock it off!"
"Gray-sama." Juvia stopped and turned around to Gray one last time. Her eyes looked as if they were shining and she held her fists close to her chest enthusiastically. "Fight on!"
"Hurry up and go!" Juvia skipped off in a good mood as Gray yelled back at her. He just wanted this conversation to end.
"What are you doing?"
The ice mage froze when he heard a voice. He had no idea Erza was actually behind him. He laughed nervously as he tried to hide his tracks. "Nothing!"
"You should try to be a little nicer to Juvia."
You don't know what she was even talking about! Why do I have to be pressured about this by everyone?!
"I'll make sure to apologize the next time I see her then." Gray relaxed back into his seat and sighed heavily. This only confused Erza and she gave him an inquisitive look. She didn't understand the reason for Gray showing such a wide range of emotions so early in the morning.
After Gray cooled down for a moment, he thought back on what Juvia had told him. Now was a great opportunity to spend time with Erza. Being absent from the guild because of all his missions was making him realize how much he missed her company. And who knows, maybe something good would come out of it if he tried to pursue her. If it ended in failure, then he didn't care. He didn't have anything to lose and plenty of time to try again.
"Hey Erza." Gray's voice was slightly shaking when he called out to her.
"Yes?"
There was an apparent blush on his face, though a small one. "Do…you want to go on a mission together?"
"Just the two of us?"
"Y-Yeah…"
He was ready for her to turn him down at any time, saying she had something to do or some sort of excuse. The warm smile she gave him wasn't the kind of reaction he was expecting. "Sure. It sounds like fun."
Gray's mouth dropped open from shock. "…Really?"
"Is there something wrong with that?" The curious look on her face drove a blush across his face.
T-Too cute! "N-No, there's nothing wrong with it…"
"When were you planning on going on the mission?"
"Tomorrow. I still need to pick one out."
A big grin appeared on her lips. "I can help you with that."
"Eh?"
"So…why are we doing this kind of mission, again?"
The mission ended up being one where they had to decorate the nearby town with Christmas decorations and lighting. With all the bad weather the town had had lately, they had no time to worry about putting up Christmas decorations. The ones who usually put up the decorations had gotten sick or called in. Erza had been the one to pick the job, of course. It was just like her to swoop in and save the day.
Gray was busy creating various constructions with his magic. He had arranged his own little winter wonderland in the town square. There were large candy canes and presents with huge bows, trees covered in Christmas lights, snowmen of many sizes; all made out of ice. It was nothing short of spectacular.
Erza had been sitting back and watching Gray create everything, giving pointers and suggestions on what to make. "I thought it would be a simple mission for us. Using magic, it could be done in no time."
"Then why am I the only one doing all the work?!" Using so much magic was making Gray slightly irritable.
"Your magic is perfect for this kind of thing." Her smile had an air of sadness to it. "My magic can only create weapons used for killing and destruction. But Gray, you can create things that aren't just for killing. You can do so many things with it. It's full of life and freedom. I've always thought your magic was beautiful."
Erza looked envious as she spoke of his magic. Gray never thought he would see the day Erza envied something of his. He wanted to do something for her. He looked back down at his hands and formed the image of a sword. Erza looked up at him and watched him walk towards her and stop right in front of her.
"But you know…swords aren't used only for harming others." He changed the form of the sword into one of a single rose and held it out to Erza. "They can also protect. It's something you stake your life on as a mage of Fairy Tail. And you, Erza, do it just as well as any other magic user."
Erza was stunned by his response. She gave him another soft smile and accepted the rose from him. Gray's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't handle her showing that kind of smile so many times to him. It wasn't good for his heart. "Can I watch you work for a little while longer?"
Dammit, why does she have to be so cute?!
Gray did his best to remain calm and smiled back at her. "Sure."
Besides, how could he say no to her?
Erza gave a small laugh. "I'm expecting a lot from you, Gray."
"Just you wait; I'll make the best damn display you've ever seen!" Gray changed his stance to prepare for some magic molding. He was starting to get really excited about this job now.
Erza laughed again as Gray started to put an even greater amount of effort into his work. She enjoyed seeing this eager side to him. "Only you are doing all the work, so feel free to accept all of the reward for the request."
"I plan on it!"
"Sorry to interrupt, but may I have a word with you?"
The two turned around to find the mayor of the village was behind them. She was tall for a woman so it confused them how they weren't able to notice her sneak up on them like that. She gave the two of them a smile and began to speak. "I have a request for you, Gray-san."
The mayor of the town was so thrilled with Gray's ice arrangement that she wondered if he was interested in putting on a show for the townsfolk. The mayor did some snooping around and heard about his performance for the Selazade Theater a few months back. He would be performing using his ice magic to dazzle the crowd and raise their spirits after the harsh weather they had gone through. She was sure the children would especially enjoy it. The mayor promised to raise the reward for the mission and even throw in a free room at the town inn for the night. Her offer only tempted Gray even more to accept it.
Gray also thought it would be nice to treat all the little children to a show. He remembered being excited as a child waiting for Christmas morning. He would run to his parents' bedroom to wake them up early in the morning before rushing to the living room to open presents. It was one of the few memories he still had of his parents. Now whenever he thought of family, Fairy Tail was usually the first image to pop up in his head.
"It was a fantastic performance, Gray." Erza was side by side with Gray as they walked down the street. "The fireworks finale was exceptional."
"Thanks." Gray let out a small yawn as he started to speak. "Geez, all that magic molding really tired me out. I can't wait to relax!"
The two Fairy Tail mages were heading to the inn where they would be staying the night. It was already too late for them to leave, so they decided to head back to Magnolia Town in the morning. It coincidentally worked well with their mission's reward, especially being that they were getting it for free. They might as well use what they could get.
The two had assumed they would be sharing a two bed room. It wasn't uncommon for Team Natsu to share rooms when out on missions, though this would be the first time Gray and Erza were alone in a single room. It made Gray slightly nervous, though he wasn't expecting anything to come of it.
Gray held the hotel door open for his companion to walk in first before following in behind her. They strolled up to the service desk in the lobby and were greeted by the smiling receptionist. "We're the ones who took on the mission for decorating the town. The mayor should have informed you on our stay."
The receptionist giggled to herself, which only confused Gray and Erza. "Yes, I was told about you two. The one bed suite, yes?"
It took a while for Gray to regain his voice due to shock. "Eh? N-No, we wanted a two bed room."
The receptionist's face turned completely pale. "I-I'm so sorry! I only assumed-! The mayor had said you two were…close…"
Gray's face turned a dark shade of red. He remembered the mayor was there earlier when they were talking. She must have interpreted their banter as them being a couple. He wondered if him and Erza really seemed that way to strangers. The ice mage didn't want to upset Erza, so he outright denied it. He had to steady his voice and try to act calm.
"W-We're not like that! Right, Erza?"
Gray looked back at Erza to get confirmation from her, for her to reassure him that he was correct in his choice of words, but Gray was even more surprised when he saw just how red her face was. Her head was slightly tilted down and she looked…flustered.
Huh?
Erza never did respond to him. She remained silent while Gray was the one to fix the misunderstanding. He had no idea what was going through her mind. The receptionist had apologized repeatedly and assigned them to the two bed room like they had originally planned. It wasn't a fancy suite like the mayor had originally assigned, but it was all they needed. It was better for them this way and made things less troublesome after the whole ordeal.
Right as they got to their room, Erza decided she was going to take a shower before going to bed. Gray had to leave the room while she was taking her shower. Not because she told him to, but because he couldn't deal with being a thin wall away from a naked Erza. The thought and images alone was killing him. He wasn't going to take her offer to shower together seriously. That was a big no. He took a walk around the inn to clear his head before coming back to the room; the image of Erza's flushed face in the lobby still clear in his mind.
Erza was already out of the bathroom by the time he returned to their room. She was sitting in one of the chairs in the room and was organizing all of her luggage. All she was wearing was a white towel that covered all the important places. Gray had to stop himself from gawking at her. "Where did you go?"
Gray quickly shifted his gaze away from Erza. He didn't want her to know he was looking at her in such a way. "Oh, I uh, just wanted to take a look around the place, you know."
"Ah okay. The shower is open for you now."
"'Kay." He quickly slipped into the bathroom without another word.
She was the only thing he was thinking of while in the shower and it was driving him crazy. Gray wasn't sure how to go about with this situation ever since the receptionist thought that they were an item. Should he act normally, as if nothing happened? But that blush she wore on her face really confused him. He finished his shower and dried himself off, hoping to strike up some sort of conversation with her to lighten the mood.
When Gray exited the bathroom, he found the lights were turned off and the bed by the window was already occupied. She was asleep.
I should have suspected something like this.
Gray could see her silhouette in the moonlight and her body was facing the wall. Gray took this moment to get ready for bed as well and got into the bed across from hers. He stared up blankly at the ceiling, the silence filling the room.
This scenario reminded him of the time they were on a mission together. While waiting for the bandits to return to their base, they took the time to get some rest and slept side by side. Erza quickly fell asleep without a care in the world and Gray was stuck awake with butterflies in his stomach.
Maybe it was only me overreacting to everything. I was making a big deal out of the tiniest things when nothing had really changed between us.
"Gray."
What? She's awake?
He turned his head towards Erza, who was still facing the wall. He thought he had heard her voice, but he wasn't sure if he was only hearing things or not. It couldn't hurt to answer back. If she didn't reply, then it was merely his imagination.
"Yeah?"
"You still owe me that piece of strawberry cake you promised."
Gray was left puzzled for a few moments. He had to go back into his memory to finally recall it. He had promised to treat her to the biggest slice of cake she could eat when she was sick. It had completely slipped his mind until now. It was just like Erza to not forget something that involved cake.
A smirk spread across Gray's lips. "…Along with some hot chocolate, right?"
"If you're a man you'll keep your promise." There was a slight stern tone to her voice.
"Now you're sounding like Elfman." Gray laid back down and rested his head on the pillow. He situated himself under the covers and made himself comfortable. A huge grin was present on his face. "Don't worry, I promise. We can stop by that cake shop tomorrow on our way back to the guild."
Gray could hear a soft laugh coming from her direction. She sounded happy. "Sounds like a plan…Goodnight Gray."
"Night Erza."
As Gray happily closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep, Juvia's words suddenly rang through his head.
"I heard that in a foreign land, Christmas is considered a day for lovers!"
…Lovers…lovers…lovers…lovers…
It wouldn't stop echoing through Gray's mind.
His eyes suddenly shot open.
Wait…is this considered a date?!
While Erza slept soundly with a big smile on her face, Gray didn't get a wink of sleep that night. And how could he? The mage would be going on a date with the Erza Scarlet tomorrow, on Christmas Eve.
Author's Notes: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! I thought it would be nice if I could get another chapter out for Christmas. I can't believe I was able to submit three chapters this month!
When I mention the "foreign land", I'm talking about Japan. Thanks to the magic of shoujo manga/anime, I've learned that Christmas is usually celebrated as a day for lovers in Japan. Since Fiore isn't Asian influenced but there is mention of it with Bacchus and Minerva, I thought I'd add it in. Also I referenced to episode 129 near the end of the chapter. I wanted to do a sort of parallel to the scene to compare their relationship from then and now.
