When things go horribly bad

Yes, I own Fairy Tail. Do you want to know all my evil plans?

Chapter 11

Lucy was curled up on the lounge trying desperately to write some smut secretly, only taking small pauses to zone out and allow her mind to go blank before returning with some ideas. She had closed the window above the couch, the heat of the sun had faded, and now the dying yellow light was falling down behind the Alps in the distance. Her bare arms and shoulders prickled against the cold that was left by the wake of the sun. Gray, who was seated on the ground in front of the TV, was unfazed in the change of temperature.

The raven haired man, flicked through the channels with no look of interest, having no real desire to do anything. He had been staying at Lucy's house for the past three days, since he had been away to train he had been temporary booted from his own apartment, not having paid his rent. And Lucy, the good team mate she was extended her hospitality to him. It was more of a return of favour really, since she too had been kicked out of her apartment at one stage in her new and inexperienced independent life, not having been able to collect enough money from past jobs in time. Gray had lent her his couch until she found enough money.

In that short time period where she was 'homeless', she wasn't sure if she was able to stay with Erza – who, at the time, she knew very little of and was relatively new to her. And Natsu, he would have been her ideal choice to go to, but after being in that house for several minutes and making the safe conclusion that it wasn't safe, she asked Gray.

The house was void of any disruptions; its peace was strange yet nicely settling. She hummed in delight, jotting down ideas for her draft as the flow of ideas were coming to her.

Gray peaked at the blonde through the dark strands of his hair, watching her relax in contentment. She was wearing a white singlet that pulled tight around her bosom, and cotton black shorts. Like him, she had also opted stayed home. The last of the yellow rays had turned her skin a beautiful orange in the light, turning it ivory.

His eyes travelled down, and looked at the soft curves of her body, he took it all in. She wasn't muscled from all her missions with them that it would mar her femininity, but he could see the sculpting of where she was toned.

He felt a twitch in his pants, and decided it was time to get up, and was thankful he was wearing lose pants.

Raising his muscled arms above his head he stretched, the bottom of his shirt lifting to reveal his taunt abs, and below the peaking top of his V-line, the skin rock hard but smooth on the surface. He had his eyes closed, and Lucy stared at him, taking him in. It almost felt wrong to look at him, with desire? She shivered slightly, trying to shake the thoughts in her head that were trying to corrupt her mind. And rubbed her thighs together gently, feeling a small quiver inside her. A hunger.

Damn her smutty writing.

Gray left the room, and headed for the kitchen and out of sight. "What are you thinking Lucy?" She hissed to herself.

He bent forward, looking in the small fridge that was almost bare; he would have to take a mission tomorrow, for him and Lucy. Wanting to at least be able to repay for all the food he had eaten, he was sure Natsu hadn't done that, or even thought of that. Plus, he had to get some more money to fix this month's rent. He was usually good at remembering things like this.

Pulling out some butter, eggs and bread, he begun to heat up the stove. Using a wine glass, he pressed the top of it in the middle of the bread, cutting out a circle, doing this to four pieces of bread; he placed the bread in the pan.

"Gray, are you cooking?" Lucy hollered out. A worried note to her voice, and Gray found himself smiling. He also bet Natsu didn't cook either.

He cracked an egg on the ridge on the metal rim, and let it fall into one of the holes of the bread. French toast - one of the easier ways of doing it. He did this to each piece.

"You can cook?" To see him in the flesh actually cooking seemed to be a rarity, on missions it was either herself or Erza cooking, and Natsu would start the fire, and Gray would … what would he do? She had never seen him make anything more complicated than 2 Minute Noodles.

"French toast, something that I often make myself, and one of my favourite meals to make."

"Is it the only meal you can make?" She teased.

"One of three." Gray gave her one his more genuine smiles, and made sure to keep his eyes up. There had been too many occasions when he almost got himself killed while staring at those boobs while they bounced.

"Sad."

"Well, who taught you to cook?" Defensive of his toast.

"Me."

His argument quickly melted away, and forgot that Lucy was an Heiress, and never had to cook for her before running away. And then there was him, who even when moving around with Ur had never taken the time to learn to cook. And suddenly felt very inadequate standing next to her.

Flipping the bread over for the other side, he kept his eyes on the toast. She had taught herself everything, with no experience, cooking, paying bills, jobs … it was true wonder how she had managed to handle all these new hurdles with diligence.

"Could you teach me to cook?" Gray wasn't an impudent person, but was flattered that he had asked her. Lucy grinned evilly.

"I know a thing or two."

XXX

Natsu's POV

The guild was closing and the only people that were left behind were the Strauss siblings, and Lisanna had finally convinced me to do one of the scariest things to date. Though mind you, she was incredibly drunk, and heavily so. But that wasn't what had me sitting frozen on my high chair, it was, what she had convinced me to do – sort of.

Ask Lucy Heartfilia out.

"Need any help?" Mira sang over the bar, grinning happily like she was told Christmas was coming early. Lisanna was giggling beside me, her cheeks turned rosy from the alcohol, and I could smell the sour taste of wine from her breathe – wine, something I would never find myself drinking. I scrunched my nose in disgust. Elfman was putting up the chairs, laughed in bemusement of his two sisters. Mira was dangling a bottle of Fire Whisky at me tauntingly. This was more my style, hot and heavy and would leave a burning after taste in me and run through me like fire.

"A man is never afraid to ask for help." Elfman boosted.

"Not too much, but just enough to take the edge off," The barmaid eased.

I turned the offer over in my head, a little would have no harm. She placed down a shot glass in front of me after I nodded, though I was smaller it was still simple enough to hold up – but, maybe a little awkward.

The hot sting of it ran down my throat, and I sighed out. And my cheeks felt warm, but this wouldn't even take effect on me, I was too accustomed to it.

"Well, I'm off." I made sure to keep to all the bright places walking back to Lucy's house the long way, trying to beat away the doubting voice that harboured itself in the back of my mind. I hadn't seen her much today as she had opted to write her day away, and Gray would have gone out and done a job or something?

Her house came into view, the bleak crème concert walls, and the large foliage covered the front of the exterior house, green and brown full of dying leaves.

Opening Lucy's front door and heard no acknowledgement that I was home. On the wall across from me, were two shadowy figures, a man and women.

Lucy and Gray.

Her curvy body had been painted against the wall in its dark shadows, showing the full nature of a women's body. Gray was on his knees in front of her, one hand gripping at her hip, pulling her forward, and the other hand … I couldn't see it. It was hidden behind her silhouette. His head poked out in front of her, turned up to her face – probably smiling. They weren't saying anything; they were just staring at each other in a silence that felt deafening in the apartment.

And I had a rolling sensation in my gut that something horrible was happening. I felt my body begin to heat up at the moving shadows, spreading through me like a wave fury, moving through my body in a spiral of torment and confusion. And my small attempts of self-calming slipped through my fingers in feeble grasps to gain control, and when I saw their shadows clash together like two storms, a winter blizzard and a golden thunder, I felt the air leave my body.

My body grew cold.

Emotions of hate and uncoiled anger gripped at my limbs, and felt like they began to control me - moving me without a sense of conscious thought. I began to step forward.

The fire within me came close to seeping through my skin, and I knew I wouldn't be able to restrain myself with this one, the force behind it was like a taunt on my skin, trying to break free.

My small bodies gathered in a small bunch, and I couldn't tell if I was all or if I was separate to them in a new state of mind. In my ears I could feel the pounding of blood and could hear nothing else, and over that was the emotion of anger driven with the desire to create pain.

I edged closer to the room, my footsteps light and padded across the wooden floorboards. Everything seemed to moving slowly, and I could I only just start to see the first peeking's into the kitchen. The stove was on and there was a mess of broken eggs and bread, flames just flickering from the stove.

I saw the back of Gray, in black slacks and shirtless, on one knee the other holding Lucy close, his eyes closed, one hand disappeared just under the hem of her shirt, the other still hadn't moved from her hip. Lucy was leaning against the counter, her face turned upwards in pain, and griped into the counter top, and lips clamped shut.

"What the fuck is going in?" Both their eyes snapped open and they both stared at me in surprise, and in alarm – Lucy even ignored the fact that I cussed, she was heavily against crude language in her house. Her hair fell around her face, her brown orbs stared at me in shock, worry etched on her face.

They didn't move apart, and Gray's hand remained under the hem of her shirt, a light hue of blue was shining through the thick material of her shirt – magic. "Natsu!" Lucy gasped, and winced when she went to move forward.

"Don't move yet, I can still feel the heat in on it," Gray whispered to her, and the light under her shirt intensified, and so did the look of pain on Lucy's face. My anger rocked.

"What the hell is going on?" I repeated, the initial shock of me arrival had evaporated, and their attention was placed back on the 'situation'.

"Gray," Lucy simpered, "to, cold. Stop." The blue light lowered, but otherwise stayed pressed against her skin. He was trying to cool down something.

"The oil and the metal hit too hard on the skin, may even leave a little scare, shit, I'm sorry." He looked like he was retaining a bad memory, and indeed, looked sorry. Even a little miserable.

"We all have our cooking failures."

"Will either of you tell me what is –"They completely ignored me, but the anger from before was quickly beginning to dwindle down, analysing the situation.

His eyes were enlarged with worry. "I bet you haven't scorched someone!"

"No, but I did set a kitchen on fire once learning to cook – this isn't nearly as bad. Natsu, can you clean that up?" Stupid ice mage.

I began cleaning the remnants of what was once French toast, and chucked it in the bin. Unclenching her fingers from the bench she lifted the bottom of the shirt where Gray's hand was pressed against her, the skin was red and angry looking. It indeed looked like a big piece of heated metal had made contact and burned her.

This turned out to be the case. Gray wouldn't stop apologising until he had got the skin to cool down, and Lucy said she would see Wendy tomorrow so she could heal the scar.

Soon, the kitchen was clean and Lucy said she was going for first shower.

I marched into the living room where Gray was lounging on the couch, feet kicked up on the small table.

"What happened," I drawled out. Gray raised an eyebrow, and looked at me up and down, and I had the sudden feeling like he was regarding me with something – and I didn't like the feeling. He was up to something.

"I picked up the pan, went to go put it on the table, but turned around and it accidently pressed into Lucy and burned her."

Gray was the epitome of a cooking failure. "Smart move ice cones."

Gray sneered, "And what would you have done cooking? Burn down the house, leave her homeless? At least I contribute being here."

"At least she likes me here," I growled out. There was a sound from the bathroom and we both paused, afraid for a moment she had heard us.

"Who said she doesn't like me here, or is it that, you don't like me here?" His eyes glinted. "Do you think I am in the way of something?" There was a dangerous note to his voice, and I had to make sure I keep an even expression.

I could only stare at him, a look of annoyance and a little bit of frustration. I couldn't start anything, not with Lucy in the house, not when she could so easily hear. But I realised that was Gray was right, I did feel he was in the way of something.

"Just get off her couch quick, you can't stay here forever, "I hissed. In truth he was getting under my skin. He wasn't making much effort to find some enough money.

Gray smirked, "And what is it that you're doing? You haven't even turned back to normal yet; it's been over a week. She was only meant to care for you for a week." Everything that came out of his mouth wasn't a line, and it really did bother me. Why hadn't I turned back yet?

And I could always stay over at Lisanna's at any time needed, but after last time was there … and the towel incident … I really didn't want to go there.

"You're turning red, faggot."

I was going to reply but the door to the bathroom door opened, and a large puff of heat came out and Lucy was wrapped in a towel, her hair pinned up while some stuck to her back, the rolls of water sliding down her shoulders and onto the floor in small droplets.

"If anyone wants to use the bathroom while the water is warm, go now." Lucy said before quickly trotting off to her room, she made brief eye contact with me, and I knew she was thinking about the towel incident as well, and she hurried away.

Gray was stripping clothes as he went, and was almost naked before he got to the bathroom.

Asking her out was going to be more difficult than I thought. And if Gray wasn't going to get some jobs soon to leave her couch, I was going to have to take matters into my own hands.

XXX

The next morning I awoke to a scream, Lucy's scream. I was pulled out of a bizarre dream about Gildarts, that had something to do with me seeing something I wasn't meant to see, and I bolted out of my small bed in a flurry of movements, bare feet and shirtless I ran into Lucy's room and saw Lucy standing by her bed, pointing at her sheets with an accusing finger, almost shacking with anger. This all felt way to familiar …

She looked at me, and then at her bed again and me again before turning to her bed one final time. And screamed again. The many me's all winced, our keen ears sensitive to the sound of her high pitched wail.

"Who ….?" She started, leaning forward and ripping the cover off her bed, and dropped heavily on the floor.

And there was Gray. Lying face down and sleeping in his silver silk boxers, opened one eye halfway and stared at Lucy sleepily. I felt a launch in my chest.

"Why are you screaming?" His arm was stretched out across the bed, probably from trying to wrap it around her waist.

"What are you doing in my bed?!" her arms stiffly by her side, trying to understand his ethical motive, and Gray looked like he couldn't understand his disposition.

I would watch this one unfold with jubilation.

"Ahhh, it's a bed. And the couch was cold and uncomfortable."

"You've told me you don't feel the cold." There was a small pause before he recovered, from his small lapse of what-the-fuck-should-I-say-face. I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled.

"But, it was uncomfortable!"

"So you got in my bed." The blonde jabbed a finger at her chest.

Just 'Lucy kick' him already, you never give me time to explain.

"Natsu does it!"

"Natsu is different," She looked cornered, and her ears were going red. On second thought, please continue Gray. I thought.

"Why?" Gray challenged, "What makes him different … is it because you think he is oblivious to your eyes? Because, not all men are. And Natsu is a guy. I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

An awkward pause fell over the room, and I had the overriding urge to shove my foot in his mouth, my small enjoyment from their bicker was quickly fading away, and soon I felt their eyes looking at me in sideways glances.

"Well, I'm gonna go to the guild. See you all later!" And I ran out of the room. Not bothering with clothes, I busted out onto Strawberry Street, startling a few early risers walking past; they grabbed their chest in shock.

Today was an interesting start, and I felt this was only the beginning of a very long day.

XXX

Mirajane was already at the guild and starting up for the day, and I was barely a foot in the door when she saw me waddle in unsuspecting to her preying and watchful eyes, I was quickly scooped up in strong slender arms, and not so carefully, plunked down on a random table with little care. She was probably was waiting for me this whole time.

A pale face, and big bluey grey eyes loomed up on me excitedly, Mirajane. No one else would give me a welcome like that.

She looked excitedly anxious, "I want details, and lots of them. Lisanna hasn't even told me what happened on Lucy's date, so you HAVE to tell me about this. What happened?"

"Ahhh?" I was lost, but she hardly seemed to notice that.

"And I was thinking last night what your two names would be like together, and Lisanna said it should be Nalu. And I don't mind the ring to that, I was originally thinking something like, Latsu, or Nucy … but that just sounds weird." She brattled on some other names, and I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but didn't bother to interrupt her excited rasping voice as it eagerly jumped to different topics.

"But, I guess it's up to you to decided, since you know, YOU'RE the couple!" She tittered; she tapped her index finger on her chin thoughtfully. She was crunching on her balls of her feet so she was on face level with me who was sitting on the table. A kind gesture from my small state.

My mind skipped back to last night, when Lisanna was pursuing me to go after Lucy. It suddenly all made sense of Mira's behaviour of me today.

"Mira –"

"And I was thinking your first official date should be –"

"Listen to me –"

"On the meteor shower coming up next month –"

"Please stop –"

"I think she would just adore it, and it would give you a great excuse to warm her up-"

"Oh my god you're obsessed –"

"No that you need the excuse since your dating –"

"Mira!" She stopped and stared at me, like she was looking at me for the first time today. "Were not dating."

There was a small paused before she exploded, "What do you mean you're not together! I even thought of baby names – and by the way, I'M the first godmother – do you not see how much of a serious problem this is?"

"You're more obsessed about this relationship then I am."

"Natsu, do you see how vital it is that you two go together, if you don't …. You'll ruin all my other pairings …."

"You have other pairings?" I cocked one eyebrow, and I realised that with her heightened insanity of all her possible candidates of match-making, she has probably been planning everyone's relationships here, was there really no more free will to date here? Have we all been compromised without realising it?

Her eyes suddenly looked red and strained, like she had been up all night plotting. And probably had been.

"Gray has been staying at Lucy's the last few nights, and been in the way – the whole time. I can't do it while he's there. And, last night Gray crept in Lucy's bed –"

"He did what now?" Her eyes bugged out. And the people who were about to walk in retreated walking backwards.

A sudden idea occurred to me, "It was also a really awkward night as well, Gray just basically kept on getting me in my way … it seemed, as though … he was doing it on purpose." And that seemed to do it.

Pulling up her bright yellow sleeves and standing at her full height, a powerful demeanour came over her. She had a look of determination. "I will be back," And she began to tie back her hair, and had a don't-piss-me-off-face, "I have a little bitch to sort out." And promptly walked out of the guild.

"And that is how you get Gray Fullbuster back."

XXX

Author's note.

How did you like, this chapter. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review; this story will finish in the next chapter or two!