A/N: It has been a while! Have you guys read the FT sequel that came out last week? I am so down for more adventure and I hope the fandom will be revived. This chapter is btw supposed to serve as a buffer between the next and previous one. Enjoy!

It felt surreal and so wonderful to finally show Gray what she felt about him and the experience of kissing him would be burned into her memory for a long time. He still had his arms wrapped around her and was grinning widely, his expression contagious. Lucy couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her and hid her face in his shirt to avoid his eyes.

"I can't believe it," he breathed. Lucy felt him pull her closer and his chin came to rest on her head. She felt him take a shuddering breath and loved the exhilarating feeling she got when he moved to kiss the top of her head.

"I know." She replied and breathed deeply. His scent was another one of his attributes that she found incredibly appealing. As foolish as she felt for secretly breathing in his scent, she couldn't deny that she loved how it seemed as though Gray's essence enveloped her.

"I was starting to lose hope that you didn't feel the same way about me as I did about you." Gray pulled back with a chuckle. He loved the way her cheeks were flushed from the cold and once again found her nickname extremely befitting of her.

"I just had to get over the potentially-lose-our-friendship-to-pursue-you part first, the rest was easy." Lucy teased with a twinkle in her eye, which made him smirk approvingly.

"To think that you would actually pursue me," he paused dramatically, "I am the luckiest man alive." He grinned wolfishly and released her from his embrace. She felt her heart flutter again and mentally scolded herself for acting like a teenager. Instead, she decided to keep the ball rolling and casually leaned back over the railing.

"Yes, I am quite the catch." Lucy grinned triumphantly. She sobered when Gray turned his gaze to her and his entire face softened along with his words, "That you are." Damn, she had not seen that coming. His sudden compliance to her statement took her by surprise and she felt her face heat up slightly.

"Shut up." Lucy grumbled in embarrassment and turned back to the waves lapping gently against the sides of the hull. She was just joking, he didn't have to agree with her and make her all flustered. His chuckle that followed made her want to elbow him for having fun at her expanse. With a sigh the blonde realized that she would have to get used to it, there was no way back now.

"What's on your mind?" Gray asked. Again, his tone so gentle it made her heart ache with affection. He always knew when to joke around and when to be serious and she appreciated it greatly. Turning towards him, she thought carefully about how to verbalize her thoughts.

"We're a thing now, right?" Lucy asked slowly, feeling stupid for having to hear it. She knew they were together, all of their actions leading up until now had already confirmed it. Gray nodded as he stepped closer and turned sideways to shield her from the bite of an incoming breeze. The blonde sighed contently.

"I am so happy, you won't even believe it." Lucy shook her head with a small smile and locked eyes with him, hoping he would read her mind and know what she was trying to say.

"But?" He prompted gently. Gray reached out a hand and cupped her cheek to encourage her to continue. He could tell that Lucy was happy, he had caught her discreetly pinching herself twice within the past ten minutes, but something was on her mind.

"I just… I haven't been in a relationship for so long and the other ones barely lasted a month. I don't want to rush headfirst into something with you and mess it up because we were acting on impulse. I want to take it slow and properly treasure our time together. You're one of my best friends Gray, and I don't think I could ever stand losing our friendship. It's too important to me." She paused and leaned into his touch, before looking up and meeting his eyes. When she saw understanding cross his features she exhaled shakily, and when Gray opened his mouth to say something, she held up a hand and continued.

"But at the same time, I know my feelings for you run so much deeper and I don't think I could ever go back to just being friends. I don't want to deny myself a shot at something so wonderful that I know we can have together." She explained quietly. While speaking she had reached for his free hand and was playing with his fingers, caressing them lightly.

Gray could see the tension in her shoulders and knew she had considered this before. It was probably why she had been distracted for a few days now and he felt a twinge of guilt for not realizing it sooner. He understood what she was saying perfectly.

He had also considered the possible consequences of pursuing a future together, but he had realized that it was more important to him that Lucy become a bigger part of his life. She understood him like nobody else, she knew when to push him, when to support him silently and was all in all an incredible person, who Gray didn't want to miss out on. Suddenly, he felt extremely grateful for the captain allowing him to stay on the Empress – otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to spend so much time with Lucy and discover all of the little things that made him adore her. His attraction to her that previously had felt like platonic admiration had gotten free reign over the past few weeks and Lucy was slowly, but surely peeling away all the protective layers around his heart. She knew things about him that he had never admitted to anyone and she didn't ever judge him for any of it. He felt safe with her and he was okay with how he longed for her to discover all of him. Looking at her made him feel at ease, and that he took as a good sign.

"Hey." He said quietly and got her attention. Her warm brown eyes were still showing hints of confusion and doubt, and it took all his strength not to pull Lucy against his chest again. Instead, he opted for lacing their hands together and squeezing them.

"I know what you mean, I've also thought about it. But it's like you're saying Lucy, we're best friends and we click like no others. I would also hate to lose that, but I don't think we ever will. Even if things don't work out between us, which I know won't happen, we're still nakama and we'll always have each other's backs, yeah?" He searched her face to see if she was following him, but he kept getting distracted by the wind tousling her bangs. When she finally nodded, he saw her posture relax and an easy smile graced her lips.

"We'll take things slow, don't worry about it." He assured her and brought their entwined hands up to kiss her fingers. Her smile widened and she blinked at him with her doe-like eyes, and Gray knew he was a goner.

The next morning, Lucy could be found leaning against the railing with a blinding smile just after the sun had risen. It was a peaceful morning and most of the crew was not awake yet, so she had the deck almost to herself and all the thoughts buzzing around in her brain. After their heart-to-heart last night, they had returned to the cabin they shared and Gray had lingered in the doorway with a thoughtful expression on his face. When she asked him what was on his mind, he had offered to stay in one of the other cabins or below deck to not push her or make things weird between them since they decided to progress slowly.

Lucy had been surprised that he had considered it and had told him that she was fine with sharing the cabin since they had separate beds. Gray had not been convinced at first, but eventually he believed that she wouldn't feel awkward or anything with him around.

That night it was hard for Lucy to fall asleep. She kept replaying their kiss and the conversation that followed and found herself smiling stupidly in the dark. Eventually, she fell asleep, but was awoken by an odd prickling sensation in her body like someone was in the room with her. When she looked over, Gray had been fast asleep so she decided to get up and do some early exercises to clear her mind. That was the reason she had ended up watching the sunrise and wondering how they would break their new relationship to their friends when they returned. Telling Juvia was a separate matter that had to be dealt with very delicately, but there was no easy way to broach it.

A golden light took over Lucy's field of vision and out stepped Loke from his gate with a knowing look on his face. "Ah, young love." The spirit of the lion sighed dramatically and grinned cheekily when Lucy groaned and thumped her forehead against her arms.

"What do you want, Loke?" Lucy mumbled and looked at him sideways. He looked dashing as always complete with his suit, rings and shades.

"Why, aren't I allowed to visit my princess on my days off?" The spirit asked playfully. Lucy couldn't help but feel grateful that he had appeared at that moment. He probably came to check up on her after she rebuilt her magic reserves.

"Sure, you are." Lucy sighed and gazed over the calm waves. Watching the water gently lap against the hull made her drowsy and the rising sun warmed her face. She could have fallen asleep then and there, had it not been for her spirit and his rumbling laughter.

"What's on your mind princess? Your emotions are a mess." The lion spirit stated nonchalantly. Lucy knew that was his way of asking if she was alright and she felt blessed that her spirits were so caring.

"I don't know how I'm going to handle Juvia finding out about me and Gray." Lucy put her chin in her hand. She had considered different approaches, but they all seemed to end with Juvia being heartbroken. Although she felt bad that her friend was going to be hurt, she also didn't want to keep the water mage in the dark and Lucy refused to keep Gray a secret.

"You know, to me it looks like you are worrying for no reason." Loke replied pointedly. At this Lucy raised her brows and straightened up.

"What do you mean?" She asked slowly, the gears in her head turning.

"You're afraid of hurting Juvia's feelings, I get it, but don't you think it's silly when she never considers other people's feelings when it comes to Gray? Or his own for that matter." Loke ran a hand through his hair and watched Lucy carefully. He had nothing against the water mage, but Lucy was fretting for her sake and he was not going to let Lucy guilt herself into keeping quiet or avoiding Juvia.

"Did Gray tell you what happened between them?" Lucy asked curiously. Loke and Gray had always been close and the ice mage might have confided in him during the time they hung out on the Empress. While she was curious as to Loke knowing, Lucy just wanted to make sure she didn't overstep and reveal something Gray had told her privately.

"He did, but that's not why I am telling you not to overthink it. I honestly think it would be better to straight up tell everyone. Sure, Juvia will suffer a broken heart for a while, but she'll get over him eventually. Actually, it feels like she isn't in love with Gray, but what he symbolizes for her," Loke paused, "anyways you should talk to Gray about it if really bothers you that much."

"Yeah. Thanks Loke." Lucy smiled ruefully, promising to think about it. Loke bowed deeply before dispelling in a flash of light. Lucy was left alone with her thoughts again for the next twenty minutes.

She was spacing out and didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind her. When she felt someone grip her arms from behind, she jumped a foot into the air and nearly screamed. She also nearly stomped hard down on someone's toes on impulse, but stopped herself when she heard Kai laugh. He let go of her arms and stood next to her.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Lucy punched him on his arm and felt some satisfaction when he winced and rubbed the spot with his other hand. Her aim had gotten better and she was also stronger than before, so it was bound to sting.

"Ouch, woman! That bloody hurt!" He complained, but followed with an apology anyway. After apologizing, the youngest pirate casually leaned on the wooden railing next to her.

"Soo, you and Gray?" Kai waggled his eyebrows with a teasing smirk on his face. Lucy was actually not surprised by his question nor was she embarrassed to admit that it was true. She and Gray had been outside for quite some time the previous night, so it was entirely possible that someone had seen or heard them talking. She was fine with having been overheard – it wasn't like she was going to keep it a secret. She only hoped that no one had witnessed the kiss – that was something she wanted to keep for herself and Gray.

"It just sort of happened." Suddenly feeling shy, she turned to overlook the sea and noticed that the sky wasn't as bright as normal, but it was still early in the morning and weather could change in the blink of an eye. Footsteps and mutters could be heard throughout the deck, so the blonde guessed her alone time was up. She could almost feel the pirate smirking beside her and mentally counted to five to calm down.

"Aye, it's not like ye've been making eyes at each other the whole time." Kai rolled his eye and ducked out of the way right before Lucy smacked him again. So much for calming down.

"We haven't been making eyes at each other." Lucy denied with a huff and turned away when she heard him snort. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, hoping to get a hit in, but he wisely kept his distance.

"I'm happy for you. Gray's a great lad, he'll be good to ye." Kai sobered, but still wore a playful grin. The wind rustled in his hair, making him look a bit younger, but his words were those of someone much older.

"You sound like an old man." Lucy laughed and pictured him with wrinkles and a bad back. He would probably be like Dagger and trick people into pitying him before attacking viciously.

"If not, the scallywag will become shark bait." Although his tone was light, Lucy didn't miss the insult or thinly veiled threat towards Gray and felt warm knowing that Kai was protective of her. Loke would likely say something even worse, so she let out a small laugh. It was kind of funny hearing him threaten her teammate on her behalf.

"I don't think you have to worry about him breaking my heart. Erza would skin him alive and Natsu would roast him over a spitfire if he ever did something to upset me." Lucy explained and was amused by the admiring expression on his face.

"Good'ta know."

"Anyway, we're taking things slow." Lucy told him. As much as it wasn't his business, she didn't want Kai to worry about her like he was prone to doing.

"A'ight, I hear ye," Kai looked over her shoulder and suddenly dropped his voice to a whisper, "hey, don't look, but I think Gray is watching us and he doesn't look happy." Lucy couldn't help but turn and look, but didn't see anyone. Annoyed, she whirled around but Kai had already retreated to a safe distance and cackled loudly as he made his escape.

In the blink of an eye, Lucy's whip whizzed through the air and caught his ankles, making him fall face first and thump heavily to the floor. A pained groan left Kai, but instead of feeling bad for him, Lucy felt smug. The nipper started dragging himself across the floorboards, moaning pathetically when Lucy heard a chuckle behind her. She didn't need to look over her shoulder – she could feel Gray's presence way before she could see him. It was like she had become hyperaware of him in the past few days and could sense him whenever he was near.

"Do I even want to know what he did?" Gray's footsteps came closer and Lucy felt her side warm where he stood next to her. She had it bad for this guy.

"Nope." Lucy replied, popping the 'p'. Gray shook his head, amused by Kai's dramatic antics. The pirate had probably deserved it, and the ice mage wasn't about to get on Lucy's bad side by prodding too much.

"Let's go get breakfast." Gray suggested and started walking towards the galley. Lucy hummed in agreement and her light footsteps followed right behind him. A breeze made her scent waft around him and the ice mage discreetly took a deep breath, while he made sure to avoid looking at the blonde.

"Loke woke me up after you left." He told her lightly and laughed when he heard her groan.

"Please tell me he didn't do or say something stupid." Lucy pleaded and reached his side again. She was going to murder Loke. She had been grateful that he had appeared when she was troubled, but he apparently had a hidden agenda. She could already imagine her hands closing around his throat and flexed her fingers in anticipation.

"Nah, just the usual." Gray replied casually. He wasn't going to reveal that he was woken by Loke's glowing fist right in front of his fist and a promise of an extremely painful death. He knew the spirit meant well. Kind of. Lucy only frowned in response – she knew her spirits better than that.

"Don't worry about it." Gray sneaked an arm around Lucy's waist and planted a kiss on her forehead when she squealed from surprise.

The following days passed slowly and without incident, and the two mages spent their time training, fishing and talking. Of course they did their job by guarding, but more often than not the two mages could be found together. Gray would keep an arm around her waist or sit with their legs pressed together and Lucy would lean against his side and sneak in a kiss when she thought no one was looking. Their evenings were spent pouring over books and trying to find evidence that sirens had existed, but so far they had only found mentions of them in ancient cultures and in folklore. Captain Bart had allowed Lucy access to all his books and even then they came up empty. The more days that passed without any attack meant that they were safer, but there was no telling when the enemy would strike and it drove Lucy nuts.

By the fifth day she had started growing increasingly anxious. There was something in the air that kept her on edge all day and she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was. Gray was also feeling it and was even quieter than usual. They had been outside for a while, watching as the sky slowly darkened and clouds started forming. The Empress was rocking a lot harsher than what the two mages had gotten used to and they felt unsteady on their feet.

"Something is wrong." The ice mage mumbled and reached for Lucy's hand. She nodded and squeezed his hand, which felt surprisingly warm against hers. The wind had picked up during the day and it wasn't as sweltering hot as it had been previously. Gray was even fully clothed.

"Nay me bucko, the waters here get rough. Ain't nothing t'be worried about." Ed assured them as he passed them with an armful of rope to tie down the sails. As soon as he was a few feet away, Gray and Lucy exchanged looks and weren't comforted by his words.

Romano chose that time to appear and came to a stop next to them. "The currents here a stronger than what we've travelled through already. Ye'll be in for a wild ride." He grinned, before hurrying back to whatever he was doing. The rest of the crew seemed equally unfazed by the rough waves thumping against the side of the Empress, and were steadily preparing for even worse weather.

"They seem pretty used to it." Gray remarked quietly after Kai dropped by and reassured them as well. The waves around them were increasing in size and it was making him uneasy. This was why he didn't like deep, open waters. There was so much that could go wrong if the currents became too strong, and he felt powerless surrounded by masses and masses of water.

"I don't even think Aquarius would be able to do anything about the waves." Lucy replied absentmindedly. She discreetly reached for her keys and the hum of magic beneath her fingertips made her feel a little better.

Still, she was haunted by the feeling that something terrible was about to happen, so Lucy fished out Plue's key and summoned him, hoping he would calm her nerves. He did, for a while, but the poor spirit was shaking so badly Lucy had to send him back after a couple of minutes. Gray noticed this and put his arm around her, offering support in Plue's stead. Lucy indulged herself for a moment and leaned her head on his shoulder, but soon pulled away from the embrace. She appreciated the gesture and drew strength from it instead of letting herself be spoiled. She simply prayed for the strength to overcome the ordeals coming her way.

An hour later it started storming.

Ah yes, a storm at sea, such wonderful timing. Hope the chapter didn't disappoint, I actually split it into two since it got too long, so all the action comes next week. Hope you are all doing well (=w=)/