Natsu was standing at the train station, studying the time schedule of trains through squinted eyes. He was, again, willingly, deliberately, and voluntarily choosing a train ride over walking. Yes. He, the natural enemy of transportation, decided it was the best and fastest way to reach a port from where he could have been transported to Joya. The Dragon Slayer knew the duo must have been halfway to the destination by then, therefore, stopping at some other place was not reasonable.
Natsu found an appropriate train and nodded his head. The express departure to Akane was in half of hour. Maaaan, what am I gonna do? There's not even a bar to eat something… He pouted and put his hands behind his head. There were not many options left; there was no restaurant, nor there actually were people to talk to. Moreover, thinking was considered as excluded since the beginning due to a huge headache which was catching the pinkhead after the process.
The Fire Mage sighed heavily and sat on the ground with his arms crossed and an angry face. A thought of the Ice Mage and his best friend came across his head, leaving a mark of determination and anger with himself. Therefore, there was only one thing constantly hammering in his mind.
He was an idiot.
He was stupid to come here.
He was stupid to chase after Lucy.
Also, he was a dense bastard to let Gray take her on the mission.
And he still had no idea how to fix what he had done.
"Tell me again, why do I have to do this?" Grunted Gray, clenching his teeth and making a few heavy steps. They were about to reach the next port to find a ship, which could take them to Stella. Yet, some time ago, Lucy had told Gray that she would not have made another step unless they'd rested. The brunet had not commented on that, yet, when the girl had been about to sit down, he had approached her and forcefully took her on his back. Ignoring the protests, he had kept on moving, not willing to waste any time more.
"It was you who converted himself into a camel, you know" Lucy sighed, petting his neck delicately. "Gray, enough. I can go by myself."
"Well, then. Get down" He groaned and when he stopped, the blonde slipped down his spine. "Sweet Mavis. My back's dying."
"Are you assuming I'm fat?!" Asked Lucy with a warning tone, crossing her arms.
"N-no…"
"Very well. Ah, and thank you, Gray. I really appreciate it. And…" The blonde hesitated, then approached him and put her palms on his back in a feather-like touch. "I don't want to be ungrateful, so I'll have something…" She moved her hands delicately and took them away. "For you on the ship."
Gray only raised his brow and said nothing, clearly not believing his partner. Lucy only shook her head with a smile. Let him deliberate 'bout it a bit, she told herself. He will so be racking his brains! Then, she pulled out a map she borrowed from the Fairy Tail's library and checked the distance. "We're almost there. The harbor should not be farther than an hour of walking."
"That's good news" The male shrugged. "Luce, do you have anything to eat?"
"Mhm." She murmured and started to look for the prepared sandwiches. Finally, she pulled the bag with them and grabbed one. "Watch out!"
Gray reached out and caught the snack. "Gotcha!"
They ate in silence, each one deep into thoughts. Suddenly, a loud crack was heard right next to the blonde, who shrieked and jumped towards her partner. The Ice Mage set himself up in front of her, ready to protect the woman.
"Who's there?!" He yelled.
"Well, well, well. Look who's 'ere." A sharp, raucous voice reached their ears. Lucy shivered and caught Gray's arm. "Two people in the middle of nowhere! Just when we need new commodity. Perfect."
"Lucy, stay close to me." Whispered the brunet, glaring at the place from where the voice was coming. She nodded, too nervous to reply.
Very slowly, several creatures were coming into light from the shadow. Lucy trembled in disgust at the sight of filthy bandits in raggedy clothes and dirt covering their skin. The scary faces were grimacing in toothless smirks. Gray watched the people rounding them, calculating their number and chances. There were around twenty fiends. He sighed and turned partly to Lucy.
"I think it's high time you called Loke or anyone else."
She murmured something in response and held her keys. She summoned the Lion Spirit and Taurus since both of them were the best in fights. The thugs screamed.
"Mages?"
"The better quality of the commodity, the higher price!"
"Catch them!"
The Fairy Tail mages started defending themselves, Taurus staying beside Lucy, swinging his axe in every direction and Loke going wild somewhere further, calling loudly Regulus' power. Gray was Ice-making weapons, which were almost impossible to stop by the enemy. Soon enough, the left hand of the attackers ran away in fear, leaving the fallen behind. The blonde squealed and ran to Gray to high five with him. The man looked at her and smiled, giving her what she wanted.
"We did it, Gray!" Lucy exclaimed happily. "That was fast!"
"Sure it was, we're good, right?" He smirked and turned to the Spirits. "Thanks for the help, Loke, Taurus."
"Always, brother. Especially for my precious Lucy. Take care of her, Gray!" The Lion Spirit winked at his master and disappeared, taking Taurus with him to the Spirit World.
"Always am." Murmured the brunet and picked his bag up from the sand. "Anyway, Luce, let's go. We need to move or else they'll come back with double force or something…"
"Yup. You're right."
The duo sped up and, without any more difficulties, reached the harbor within an hour. Gray immediately went to talk to the marines and ask about a ship going to Stella, leaving Lucy behind. Not that she complained; Heartfilia sat down on some rock and closed her eyes, resting a bit. They had been going in a shrilly fast tempo and all of her muscles were pleading for some relaxation.
However, her easefulness did not last long. Soon, Gray returned to her with a stony face and Lucy tensed up. "What's wrong?"
"Those…" There, he used an appropriate epithet for the marines he had been talking to. "don't wanna sail today. We must wait till tomorrow at least."
"No! Seriously? Oh, come on!" The blonde pouted, crossing her arms. Later, she sighed and stood up. "So, we need to find some inn."
"I guess we ain't have no choice." Spat the brunet. They both started to move towards the city when Lucy spotted a ship which was slowly putting its sails up. She squealed and caught Gray's arm, on which he turned to her with a questioning expression. "What?"
"Look! Someone's setting off to the sea tonight!"
"Seems like it…"
"Gray, I don't know how you were trying to get us on a ship, but apparently they lied to you."
"They told me… Ah, it's not important. But I doubt you'll do anything about it. See? Doesn't look like a kind of craft to take passengers." He shrugged his shoulders, at which Lucy clenched her fists, then changed her attitude drastically; she threw her hair back, smiled a bit, and told him:
"Just look and learn, Ice boy."
The brunet cocked an eyebrow, but crossed his arms and gestured her to go on. The blonde straightened her back, fixed her head and started walking towards the marines standing next to the ship with a hand on her swaying hip. Gray was watching her approaching the sailors and how they turned silent after her arrival. It seemed like Lucy laughed on some kind of remark one of them had made and started a friendly conversation. Suddenly, the looks on the marines' faces changed. First, into an interested expression which turned into surprise, then amusement. Finally, Lucy turned around and showed her companion: the now-grumpy-looking brunet. They all laughed for the last time and she went back to Gray with a triumphant smile on her face.
"What, so you had some fun? Laughing at me helped a lot, I suppose." He grunted grumpily.
"Oh, come on! I just showed them which guy was the one I was talking about." Lucy pouted. "Besides, they'll give us a lift. The ship sails off in three hours, so we need to find all the supplies we need. Later on it's going to be hard with the shops and stuff…"
"Yeah, yeah."
The blonde gritted her teeth. She could not understand why he was acting like that. She just arranged them a transport and yet… "Okay. What's your problem?"
Gray, who started to walk away, turned around with a cold face and hands in his pockets. "Huh?"
"I asked you…" Lucy said in a calm voice, controlling her rage. "Why're you behaving like a prima donna during the time of her life?! You've started to be so cheeky and moody, and I want to know why! Like right now, I wanted to help and you're acting like a jerk about that…"
"Lucy…"
"Don't Lucy me! You know how much I want to get to the goddamn destination place and…"
"Hey, hey, hey!" The man had an expression of shock and dropped his bag just to quickly approach the annoyed Celestial Spirit mage. Gray cupped her face in his free hands and caressed her cheeks with thumbs. She became completely tense in response to the gesture and gazed into his dark eyes. Despite wanting to stay angry at him, she caught her thoughts on caring for his touch too much which was, indeed, confusing. Her caressed cheeks slightly flushed. "Lucy. It's not… I mean… It's just that… Those men…"
"Wait, what?" The blonde blinked a few times. Then, something clicked inside her mind. "Are you possibly… Jealous?"
"N-now, why would I be jealous?" Lucy frowned a bit — well, actually tried, her face still trapped in his palms — and observed his features. The brunet shifted uncomfortably and laughed nervously, turning his sight away. "Don't be silly!"
"Am I, now?" She whispered and broke free from his touch. The girl turned her back on him and crossed her arms, blushing more than a moment ago. She was a little bit hurt by his remark — after all, she was almost positive about him being envious! Especially when it would have made her a little happy when she thought like that… Stop. What're you even thinking of?
"Tsk. Whatever. You can pout all you want, I don't give a damn!" Gray snorted and picked up his bag. "I'm going to the grocery shop, with or without you."
The blonde's jaw dropped when she heard her companion speak to her that way. What did she ever do to him? He was the one who acted like a jerk… Moreover, were they not together in that shit called mission anymore? He suddenly was behaving so childishly… So coldly. Like the old version of him… What was more, why did she feel like crying out of blue? Due to his actions, or because of her aching heart… Wait, what? Why does it even ache, she thought in panic. Then there were tears. Oh, no. I won't be crying all over again. I won't give him that satisfaction. But…
"Gray!" In spite of her thoughts, Lucy yelled after him with a shaky voice, holding back her tears.
The Ice mage grunted under his nose. He did not need any super extra sensitive hearing to catch the desperate and sad note in the girl's voice. Furthermore, in reality, he was not angry at her. Gray just acted like a complete idiot because… Well. Because she was right. He was damn jealous. But it did not mean he was going to tell her that, right? And, after all, leaving her in the middle of the harbor was a pretty nasty thing to do, therefore, he sighed and turned around. "Are you actually coming or not?"
Just as he had expected, Lucy ran to him without hesitation. She stopped next to him and looked at the ground. The brunet nodded and they continued the walking together in silence.
Just as he predicted, the ship which Lucy had arranged was not naturalized to haul passengers. The Fairy Tail mages received one cabin to share and an invitation for the evening's little supper and a party on the deck. Gray cursed the fate which made them sleep together again on one bed. He was also positive it was not the last time they did so. Of course he enjoyed having her close, but was it not too much? Heck, they were not even together…
"Gray?" Lucy's weak voice broke him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to her.
"Yeah?"
"Are you… angry?"
"No, Luce. I'm not." He admitted, scratching back of his neck. "And you?"
"No." She whispered and smiled slightly on him. The brunet gave her a small smile as well and they both laughed. "Nee, do you know how long will it take to reach Stella?"
"No idea. But I guess we'll spend here some time." Gray said while looking around.
The cabin was small, but quite cozy. It had one bed, two small round windows, one table, and a mirror hanging over the table. Not too bad, he thought. At least we have some place to sleep and talk while travelling. That's the meaning of being lucky, I suppose. What was more, he spotted a hanging sword under the huge amount of nets. No shit. They're prepared for everything.
"I think we should go outside. Captain asked us to pay him a visit, after all." The blonde said and got up from the bed, stretching her back. Suddenly, Gray remembered something.
"Lucy? What was that you wanted to do on the ship?"
"What?"
"You know, you said something like that when I put you down after carrying you…" He snickered.
"Oh!" She spanked her head and laughed while going to the door. "You'll see after the little party, okay?"
"Guess I can wait a while longer…" He murmured and followed his companion outside.
Gray went out and was standing beside their cabin, letting his thoughts flow freely while observing the marines. The ship was enormous. It turned out that the craft was the belonging of the queen of Stella. The mages did not even know there was such a queen. Not to mention bigger agglomerations in Stella itself. The marines were partly the guards and partially mere sailors. The Captain was a man who was told to be born on the sea — even his name was connected to the love of his life. As far as they were concerned, he was called Captain Squall.
"Come on!" Lucy giggled and took the Ice mage's hand in hers. "We need to go to the Captain and thank him for accepting us here."
"Sure." He tried to play it cool, ignoring the summoner's fingers clenched on his wrist.
The duo climbed some stairs and ended up in front of the heavy oaken door with a sign 'Cpt. J. H. Squall'. "So, that's the room."
"Yeah." Answered Lucy and cleared her throat. "Ready?" And without waiting for his response, she knocked three times on the door. They both expected to hear some older man's voice, maybe a bit shaky… To their surprise, a nice baritone reached their ears, signalizing them may come in. The mages exchanged a confused sight and Gray pushed the door.
There was a huge table in the middle of the cabin on which there were some maps and papers, all covered in black ink. Moreover, there was an old oil lamp in the middle of it — by the sight, it must have been spilled on the maps, assumed Lucy. She raised her eyes and met another pair just in front of herself. She yelped and jumped back.
The Captain was standing beside them with a pipe in his hand and a genuine smile on his lips. He had long brown hair and green, enchanting eyes. His face had obvious marks of sailing since forever, he was tall and slim and… And that was all Lucy could have said objectively. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized why.
Squall was a young man in his best years. Moreover, it would not be any exaggeration to state he was one of the most handsome people the blonde had ever met. The happiness and accomplishment were visible in that man's whole posture. He was just… Like a Greek sculpture. Perfect.
"Welcome, travelers. I'm captain Josh Henry Squall, call me whatever you want." He said with content and, to her embarrassment, caught Lucy's hand into his. He had hard skin — well, as expected. "My beautiful lady."
"I-I'm Lucy Heartfilia, a mage of Fairy Tail. It's a p-pleasure to meet you, captain." She almost whispered and let him kiss the top of her hand.
"And you, young man?" Squall turned to the brunet and held his hand in a hard squeeze.
"I'm Gray Fullbuster, also a mage of Fairy Tail guild." Gray answered, a little grumpily. Why was Lucy acting so shy? Sure, the guy was good-looking, but… But she has me, his mind finished the thought for him, although it was not fully the truth.
"Well, then! Since you've never sailed before and you're our special guests… I assume you won't be of much help on the ship." Josh joked and sat down on his chair. "However, please, do come in the evening when we're having supper and a little fun. I'd love to…" There, the young man looked at Lucy, who blushed under his intense gaze. "Know some more about you."
"Of course we will." Gray nodded and frowned at Lucy. "Can we be on the deck when we're sailing off?"
"If you find a place where you're not disturbing anyone, surely. And now, my dear mages, please, pardon me. I have much work to do. I'll see you both later." The captain smiled once again and stood up. Lucy and Gray nodded their heads and left the cabin.
The brunet caught a glimpse of the blonde just to find her at loss. He sighed and took her hand like she had done before. "Let's get back to our cabin."
"Uh-uh. Sure." She answered unsurely.
Gray rolled his eyes and pulled her after himself. When he opened the door to their room, Lucy went inside with a worried face. He gave a small cough. "Luce."
"Yes?"
"You do realize you're obvious?" He grimaced and looked anywhere but her.
"I can't help it! I don't know, normally I don't react on men like this, you know me well…" She pouted and started defending herself. "Besides, doesn't it seem like he has a charm ring or something?"
"Haven't seen one." Gray grunted and sat comfortably on the bed.
"Oh, seriously? You're mad at me again?" Lucy face-palmed.
"Who said I'm mad."
"I did. And you are."
"Well, then, if you know better, do me a favor and don't ask me 'bout it." The Ice mage growled and turned his back on her.
"Fine! I can shut up and not talk to you at all!"
Perfect, he slapped himself mentally while on the outside he was keeping it cool. What have I done…
Lucy did not talk to Gray since the return from Josh Squall's cabin. Even when the ship was sailing off, only Gray went out to see it. She was angry and fed up with his acting like before. Now, she caught a glimpse of his figure sitting in front of her and nodded. Maybe he'll learn something.
Then she turned her gaze on the other man. The mages were sitting on the both sides of Captain; it was after the meal, thus dancing and singing with an accompany of the rum was all over the place (she had been wondering how come the faltering deck was not a hurdle…) They had been talking since the beginning of the feast and currently had a small pause in chatting. Squall was humming along the shanty and was smiling at Lucy, probably knowing well that she was intimidated by him. He chuckled and asked. "So, Lucy. What's your magic? Gray has already told me about his Ice Making magic, but I haven't heard about that Spirit one."
"Oh, probably because it's rather rare due to the limited resources of the keys." The blonde explained with a shy smile. "Actually, it's amazing. You collect the keys of Celestial Spirits. You have a few variations marked by the colors of them. See," She took Plue's key in hand and showed it to Josh. "This one is silver. It's not strong, because it's not supposed to be. The silver ones are more of pets and friends to you, however, they do have some useful abilities. Like, for example, Crux can do a research about any Celestial Spirit or an owner ever."
"Interesting." Admitted Squall nodded, waiting for continuation.
"The golden ones are extremely rare and there are only one of each on the world. They're Spirits of Zodiac. I bear ten of them." Lucy bit her lower lip to suppress a triumphant smile.
"Amazing! Can I see any spirit of yours?" Josh took her hand in his and looked her deep in the eyes. The summoner blushed and stuttered:
"W-well, I g-guess you can…"
"Thank you." The young captain winked and backed away. Lucy was so busy looking for a Spirit that she did not notice Gray's expression. Maybe that was for the better…
"Okay, Josh. This one is Lyra — she's the Spirit of Art and Music. She has an amazing voice and if you'd allow, she can sing…" The woman questioned and when she obtained the agreement, she chanted. "Open, the gate of the Lyre! Lyra!"
The key turned glowing gold and the Spirit of a young woman with a harp landed next to her friend. "Lucyyyy! It's good to see youuu!"
"Hi, Lyra. I have a request; could you sing for us?" The blonde asked with a smile.
"Oooooh, of course! What would you like to hear, then?"
"Captain?" Lucy turned her sight at him.
"Umm… What do you like to sing?" Josh was confused.
"Oh! I love singing about feelings." Lyra confessed.
"Uhh, you see, Josh, she's perfect at it, but she really sings about one's feelings… So just be careful with what you want to hear." Warned the girl. She did not understand why she was so reluctant to hear her friend sing about true feelings… But it was not her decision to make, not that time.
"Go on, Lyra." Apparently, Squall was determined to see the Spirit's abilities. Lyra squealed happily and gave herself a right note, then started to sing and play her harp. The marines and the guards stopped their loud… Whatever they were doing so loudly, and gapped at the singing girl.
The Spirit of Lyre was singing about the sea, the loneliness and awaiting treasure, which appeared to be unspoken love. Gray, who had experienced the Spirit's ability in singing before, was listening carefully. At some point, his gaze stopped on Lucy and he was unintentionally staring at her in some kind of expecting. Meanwhile, Lucy was smiling and swaying to the rhythm with closed eyes. She had shut her eyes on purpose, knowing that looking… Okay, staring at one of the men would have been impolite and simply troublesome. The song caused her to think about her feelings. Her mind was analyzing carefully the last week, adding a few events from that day. However, the more Lyra was singing, the more Lucy was sure of herself and her feelings with which she had been fighting lately. Now she understood. Sure, Josh Squall was the most handsome guy she had ever met, but her heart was already taken not too long ago. She giggled to herself. Not too long ago by the man she had met so long ago. Suddenly, she saw everything clearly. Maybe even too clearly. And the abrupt fear hit her heart.
Oh, God, what am I gonna do, she thought and stopped smiling.
Lyra was finishing her song. She felt an intense gaze on herself and knew whose eyes were on her. She figured out how twisted and complicated her situation was. Yet. Despite all that, right in the moment when Lyra sang the last note and stopped, Lucy's eyes snapped open and she looked directly at Gray, meeting his dark mysterious eyes while one thought was hammering in her head.
I'm in love with Gray Fullbuster.
"Nee, Gray." Lucy chatted him up, fighting with embarrassment. They returned to their cabin and until then were sitting there in silence. "I'm not mad anymore… Are you?"
"A bit." He answered quietly, avoiding her with his eyes.
"But… Don't you wanna know what was that I wanted to do to thank you?"
The brunet bit his lip. That was not fair. He was dying to know what she had in mind the whole time, especially when the way she had made the promise was pretty interesting… Damn, Lucy.
"Okay. I do." He sighed and finally looked at her.
The blonde clapped her hands and stood up. Gray observed her and rose his eyebrow. "So?"
"S-so…" She laughed nervously. Was she really that stressed? What was she planning? "You need to lay down… W-without your s-shirt."
The Ice mage's eyes widened and his heart started to race — damn, he became turned on just by his partner's words. But… Wait, what?
Lucy saw his eyes widen in unspoken shock. She sighed and her voice trembled when she repeated her request, adding he should be laying on his belly.
"What is it you're planning?" Asked Gray, not moving an inch.
"Gray… Don't you trust me?" She whispered, a little hurt.
The man threw her a long look before he slowly pushed himself from the bed — still not turning his gaze away — and stood up. His shirt landed on the floor in a blink of an eye, then Gray slowly moved towards the bed again. He braced himself on his hands and laid down as he had been told.
Lucy took a deep breath and approached him wobbly. His dark eyes were watching her take off the boots and stretch her hands. Then Lucy stepped closer and hesitated. Now that she was aware of her emotional state towards the Ice mage, it was somewhat risky to sit on him… But, on the other hand, she needed full access to his back. Therefore, she braced herself.
"Don't freak out, I'm sitting on you."
"What? Lucy, no, don't… Oh, shit." Gray growled when the blonde sat on his butt and made herself comfortable. The rocking of the ship on the waves was not helping him either.
"Don't complain… Yet." Lucy leaned down and told him straight into his ear. "If I'll be doing it too hard, tell me, okay?"
"B-but…" Little did she know that Gray was already pretty aroused and she was making things worse for him. First, she had told him to strip and lay down, then she had sat on the half-naked man and rocked her hips… Gray, stop. Right. Now.
The Celestial Spirit mage put her palms on his nape and squeezed it. She heard him moan and she smirked. Seriously? Was he that sensitive? Lucy moved her hands on his neck and started massaging his tensed muscles from the top. After a while, she returned to the back of his neck and shoulders, then moved lower and rubbed the visible muscles on his back. When Lucy hit some place on which Gray moaned or grunted, she paid more attention to it until the tension was gone. Finally, she reached his lower back and took care of his loin. To end the treatment, she massaged him lengthwise the spine and checked his muscles once again, making sure they were free of tension.
During the physiotherapy, her moves were decisive and strong. She couldn't help but admire his sculpted figure; it was definitely perfect. That was why Lucy felt slight disappointment when she finished her job.
"Gray. I'm done." She leaned down again and told him into the ear. He shivered and nodded. Lucy braced herself on his bare back before standing up. The girl looked at Gray and wondered if he liked it. Well. I did, she snickered and turned around.
"Thank you. I… really enjoyed it." She heard quiet voice of the brunet and smiled.
"No problem. Now, could you, please, cover your eyes? I want to change."
Making sure he did as she had told him to, Lucy quickly changed her outfit into the night one, then turned around. "Thanks."
"It's cool."
"So, what now? Are we going to the bed?" The blonde asked casually.
"I guess." Gray murmured and let her get inside first. Sleeping beside the wall she was sure to remain on the bed and not fall on the floor. Moreover, if he had to leave the matting for a moment… It would be just easier.
When Lucy was under the quilt, she heard the man getting on the bed as well. The blonde wanted to ask him something, thus she intended to change her position to be laying face to face with him. Yet, when she did so, she did not expect him to be so close. Lucy opened her eyes further and stopped breathing for a moment.
Gray was surprised as well, but handled it better than the blonde. However, when he became aware of the lack of space between them, the Ice mage stopped thinking soberly. He adjusted himself so that he was hanging over Lucy while looking her straight into the eyes with a few thrown glances on her lips. She did not protest nor closed her eyes — she was watching his actions, visibly at loss of words. Gray slowly started to get his face closer to hers. She froze. He was so close… Her heart demanded some air. When she inhaled, it started to race. He was almost there… She could count his freckles. She could see the slight tremble of his upper lip. Only a little bit more…
Suddenly, he stopped. His face seized up a few millimeters from hers. Lucy felt his hot breath on her lips. They were looking into each other's eyes like they were seeking for an answer to some unspoken question.
Should I close the distance?, she thought absentmindedly.
Should I move?
Finally, Lucy blinked.
Gray winced and lowered his sight. Then he receded, turned his back on her, and lied down, leaving her in the same position, confused and madly blushing.
8/18/16 edited and posted