Category: Romantic Fluff
Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster
Requested By: mynameistakensohavethisinstead (Tumblr)
The sweet scent of gingerbread wafted up Lucy's nose, preceding the arrival of a serenely smiling Mirajane delivering a plateful of the artistically crafted, frosted little cookie men to the table where Lucy was in avid discussion with Natsu, Gray, and Erza. Mirajane's cooking in all capacities was always delectable, and so Lucy's mouth was watering in anticipation before she had even plucked one of the cute pastries off the plate. As she bit down onto the head of her choice, she instantly melted into a contented sigh as the sugary-sweet icing mingling with the sharp taste of ginger spread over her tongue. She mumbled her approval around the half-eaten head of the little cookie man, because truthfully, she didn't even want to remove the yummy treat from her mouth to speak. Erza, Gray, and Natsu were in similar states of rapture approaching food nirvana.
"Teehee! Thank you, you guys!" Mirajane flushed under the praise. With her composure so sweet and innocent, sometimes it really was a wonder that it belied such a dominatrix, murderous alter ego. Lucy munched happily on the little cookie, simply savoring it, before the white-haired woman's continuation piqued her interest. "I just wanted to get feedback on the new recipe I'm trying before Elfman, Lisanna, and I start on our annual gingerbread house!"
"Oh, right!" Natsu grinned as he scarfed down his fifth cookie. "Your gingerbread houses are always awesome, Mira!" He looked at Lucy with child-like delight. "Lucy, you've never gotten the chance to see it, have ya? Mira and the others make this huuuuuuge gingerbread house and then we eat it!" His sharp teeth glinted in ravish desire as he likely imaging tearing them into the side of a gingerbread mansion. Lucy looked up at Mirajane with a bright smile.
"Wow, Mira! You're so talented. I can't wait to see it- and taste it, if it's as good as this!" she laughed while licking gingerbread crumbs from her lips. Following another giggle of glee, Mirajane chatted with them for a few minutes before wandering off with her plate of remaining cookies to gather more opinions from the other members of the guilt. Now that her mind was absorbed with dancing visions of little gingerbread men and their candy houses, Lucy suddenly realized something. "Hmm… Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever built a gingerbread house."
"Really, Lucy?" Erza looked at her in mild shock. She then frowned slightly. "Well, it is tradition here in the guild… Many members have helped with the process in some capacity over the years… But that doesn't mean it's every family's holiday tradition, I suppose."
"My family didn't have many holiday traditions," she sighed while pursing her lips in a pout of self-pity. "My father didn't really believe in them… He said they got in the way of productivity." Though she and her father had since made amends before (and after, thanks to Lucy's soul-searching) his passing, her childhood still stung in many ways, including it seemed her lack of holiday cheer. The three of them looked at her with owlish eyes and gaping mouths. Erza's arms then surged forward to wrap around Lucy's head and literally pull her across the table to smother her into her chest; it would've been comforting, if Lucy's cheek had not instead met the cold and unforgiving surface of her steel armor. Oblivious, she nuzzled into Lucy's blonde waves while crooning supportive encouragements. After a bit of worming about in her iron grip, Lucy was able to push herself up onto her hands with a huff. "It's not that big of a deal! Honestly, guys, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything!"
"I am totally missing out!" Lucy wailed in dismay as she flopped face-down onto her bed. Ever since the conversation about the gingerbread houses, Lucy had been plagued with a blue feeling that made everything less sunny to her. Upon arriving home, she had tried soaking in a bubble bath, putting on fluffy pajamas, and working on her novel notes, but nothing had alleviated her mild depression. With a frustrated shout, she had slammed down her pencil and jumped up with angry tears in her eyes; no matter how much she had tried to deny it, missing out on the holiday tradition got to her. With a low, miserable whine, she turned her head to the side to stare miserably at her bedroom wall. Lucy was not normally one to be melancholy over trivial things, but as she thought about it, it really wasn't trivial; the gingerbread house was merely a representative of another aspect of her rough, soulless childhood following her mother's passing. She knew there was no use sulking over it, but somehow she just couldn't will herself to crawl out of bed and stop entertaining the gloomy feeling.
That is, until she heard the doorbell ring.
She knew it wasn't Natsu, because he never bothered with the door and much preferred breaking in through the window like some common vagrant; her next logical conclusion was Gray. He stopped by from time to time by himself when he needed a change of pace, and would enjoy a cup of coffee and some small cookies with her every now and again. It had grown to the point where she had begun bouncing ideas for her novel off him, and though he didn't really read for fun or know the intimate details of her story, he always listened attentively and gave her his honest opinion. Sometimes he had some really insightful things to say; she had incorporated quite a few of them into her work in progress.
"Coming!" she called as she retracted herself from her cozy, warm covers like an inchworm moving backwards, throwing her head back with a small sigh and a jiggle of her shoulders as if she could literally shake off the gray cloud of dejection around her. It clung annoyingly to her, like a heavy cloak. The sky outside wasn't helping, as it was eclipsed by oppressive dark clouds that sapped the light and life out of everything and made the winter chill seem even deeper. Still, she couldn't keep Gray waiting too long or he would impatiently start pounding on her door, so nonetheless she slid from her bed to walk barefoot down the hallway and to her front door. She swung it open right at the moment Gray was going to start knocking wildly, as she caught him with an embarrassed expression and his arm raised in a fist. "Hey, what's up?" She tried to push as much false cheer and her usual optimism into her voice as possible, not really wanting to talk about her issues at the moment. Gray gulped slightly and then looked shyly down at his feet, which was unusual for him; it was then that she noticed he was hiding something behind his back. "Whatcha got?"
"Here!" he grunted and suddenly thrusted it into her hands, pushing her back out of the doorframe onto her hallway rug. Reeling at the abruptness of his action, it took her a moment to recover and actually look down at what he had presented her with. Her heart instantly scrunched in her chest with gratitude. In her hands was a small make-your-own gingerbread house kit, complete with all the decorating essentials. The gesture was overwhelmingly thoughtful. She found tears of a different kind brimming in her earth-brown eyes as she looked up at him with a genuinely moved smile.
"Gray, I… Thank you so much…" Apparently he had surpassed his initial timidity and awkwardness, because he now flashed her a pleased smirk. He slid one hand into the pocket of his coat while he raised the other arm to prop himself up against the doorjamb, and if one happened to pass by, it would not look unlike a man flirting with his lover. Lucy was too touched by his simple but considerate gift to even consider such notions.
"Of course. You didn't think I wouldn't notice how sad about it you were, did you?" Lucy's smile warmed and now she was the one who shyly cast her gaze to her toes, which were digging into the fluffy fibers of her rug as happiness sang through her nerves. Gray really did have a way of seeing right through her. Natsu did too, a lot of times, but there were also instances where she had been able to conceal them well enough for it to go unnoticed by her best friend… But somehow, Gray was able to sniff out her melancholies or worries like a bloodhound. He would appear out of the blue like this to present her with some little trifle or words of encouragement; in fact, one such occasion had been the springboard for his afternoon and evening visits. He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reach out and very gently rustle her tousled blonde hair, causing her to look up at him. The smile on his face was so impossibly sweet that Lucy practically melted on the spot. Her heart rate quickened and her body temperature climbed a few notches as a little voice in the back of her mind quipped that the emotion he was wearing could only be loving adoration. "I just can't stand to see you so sad, Lucy. You're the sunshine of our guild, you know." Lucy had to look down again because her face was crumpling as she fought back tears.
"Thank you," she whispered again with a voice like a fleeting breeze. She was just so overcome by all this, her emotional responses heightened due to her already tumultuous state. Gray just continued to soothingly comb through her blonde tresses with his fingers as she recollected herself. After a few minutes, she was able to take a deep breath and raise her head to smile sweetly at him. "Gray, will you make the gingerbread house with me?"
"Of course," he smiled back at her and walked inside. As he brushed past her on his way to the kitchen in an action that could only be deliberate, Lucy breathed in a sharp, barely audible breath as electricity skipped over her skin where his coat had lightly made contact. Clutching at her heart as it refused to still, she stared at the winter scenery beyond the ajar door. She had the feeling then that tonight, things would change…
After regaining her senses, she shut the door and joined him in the kitchen; he had deemed it necessary to strip off his coat and assemble the house bare-chested. Given it was one of his personality traits she had long since grown used to it; however, to her shock and mild horror, the sight of his shirtless stole all the breath in her lungs and she had to use all of her willpower to keep from ogling at his sculpted body. Of course she had always known Gray was attractive; many of the men of the guild were- but this was the first time that it was painfully apparent and threatening to derail her focus. Gulping, she attempted to redirect her energy on opening the gingerbread house kit to inspect its contents. It wouldn't be a fancy, homemade creation like Mirajane's, as the gingerbread sheets came pre-cooked and packaged in plastic to ensure freshness alongside a sizeable container of frosting and various varieties of candies. Her anxiety was just beginning to subside as she anticipated the revelry of assembling the thing- that is, until Gray leaned over her shoulder to likewise inspect the goods and involuntarily pressed his abs into her back. Surely he must've felt the shiver that crawled up her spine, but if he did, he made no mention of it.
I'm going to die before this is over, she lamented with a small groan. If Juvia doesn't bust down the door and kill me for crushing on Gray first! Lucy was not oblivious to what was happening to her. She almost wished that Juvia and Gray were a confirmed item so she could squash all hopes of shenanigans happening her, but though Gray cared very deeply for the water mage, so far he had refused her many advances… Meaning that devilish little voice in her head could sing that she had a chance with him. Oh my, she just sighed silently and began opening the gingerbread packages with a quick prayer to preserve her sanity.
A floor, four walls, and two panels for a roof were contained in the packages. Lucy cracked open the jar of frosting and gave it a sample. It was surprisingly good considering it was in a cheap cooking kit, and she held up the jar for Gray to sample. She tried to keep her hand from trembling violently as his head dipped down next to hers to stick his finger into the frosting and scoop some up, looking at her as he very unnecessarily slowly drew it over his tongue.
"It's good," he remarked casually as if he hadn't done the most seductive thing Lucy had ever seen in her life. She turned stiffly from him as she felt her soul leaving her body. She wasn't going to survive this, no sir. All she could manage was a weak, shaky chuckle as she set the jar down, gripping it so hard the plastic would crack any second. I can't tell if he's flirting or just so comfortable with me he doesn't care! She wailed silently. She inhaled deeply as panic began to bubble up inside her. Calm down, Lucy. Just treat this like any other night with Gray. Yeah.
That was so goddamn hard to do with Gray looking like a bigger snack than the gingerbread house.
Lucy's hand was trembling the entire time she piped the icing across the gingerbread. It didn't help that Gray decided that the easiest way to put it together was for him to stand directly behind her and reach around her on either side to hold up the pieces while she generously applied frosting glue. Lucy knew for damn sure they looked like the intro to some cheap adult film, but what could she do? Gray was either completely ignorant of the implications or thoroughly enjoying playing her like a fiddle, but she didn't know, because his face remained stoic the entire time, except for when he would smile and make some comment that had no suggestive undertones whatsoever. By the time she finished icing white tiles onto the finished roof, she was exhausted- and they still had a heck of a lot to do!
When it came time to apply the candies, Lucy was able to relax just a little bit, because it was actually kind of difficult. Sometimes the candies were a little heavy- especially the gum drops, those annoying squishy bastards- and would fall from their spot, requiring her to stop what she was doing and apply more icing to try and secure it. Little by little, they applied the rainbow of candies, and when they were finished, she stepped back to admire their handiwork while sweeping the back of her arm across her forehead with a tired "phew."
It was actually pretty cute, now that she got a good look at it. They had a little gumdrop fence leading up to the front door, which had a window of glass-like candy and a little chocolate-chip doorknob. Gummy flowers decorated a small garden with a gardening gingerbread man (which she had iced herself and thought she had done damn well with all those little lines!). The roof tiles were made with the same glass-like candy as the windows, in a menagerie of colors to make an effect like stained glass. Finally, cotton candy puffed from a small chimney. Lucy could not help but beam broadly at their creation. She whirled around to throw her arms around Gray's neck in a hug, forgetting the earlier sexual tension in her glee. "It's wonderful! Thank you so much for this, Gray. I feel lots better!" Indeed, the cloudy gloom had finally subsided and she was her sunshiney self again. As she fell back onto the pads of her feet to look up at him, he smiled and swept a stray hand of hair from her face.
"No problem. I'm glad I get to see that smile of yours again." Ba-bump! went her heart like a drum against her ribs. The tension didn't take long to return. A blush dusted her cheeks like sparkling pink sprinkles that shifted further toward red with each second he spent staring thoughtfully down at her. Suddenly, he grabbed her lightly by the chin to turn her face to the side. "You've got frosting on your cheek," he remarked with amusement. Oh my God, I really am in some cliché teenager's fantasy, Lucy groaned inwardly but secretly relished it. She expected him to sweep his finger over it and pop it into his mouth and look hella fine while doing it, but instead he did something that no cheesy teenage novel could prepare her for: he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss into her cheek. Lucy's breath rattled as she drew it in, chocolate-brown eyes going wide.
"Gray…" she whispered. The longing in her voice called him forth, peppering kisses over her skin before arriving to her lips. His mouth feathered lightly over hers for a moment as stormy gray eyes greeted her, silently asking permission. She indicated such with her eyes fluttering closed and leaning her body against him, hands pressed against his chest. Despite her knowing it was coming, it was still such an explosive feeling once his mouth melted over hers like chocolate over her lips, soft and warm and sweet with the faint hint of the frosting. She inched herself up onto her tip-toes as she leaned dramatically into the kiss, simply drunk on the sensation of his mouth moving rhythmically over her own. He reached up to clutch a fistful of her hair to very gently twist her head to deepen the kiss, and though she thought it not possible, she swooned even further. They kissed like that for several minutes, deeply, passionately, before he pulled back. Her eyes opened to see him smiling wryly down at her, and his fingers teased through her hair in loving caresses.
"You're my sunshine, too, y'know," he breathed in a low voice aching with honest, raw emotion. Lucy's eyes scrunched up as she smiled so hard her face hurt, but she simply couldn't help it; God, she loved him, she loved him for what he was doing to her and saying to her. She circled her arms around his neck and fondled the ends of his dark hair, her eyes never leaving his for a single millisecond. Still on her tip-toes and unsteady, his other hand gripped her hip to keep her stable. Tracing a finger across his sharp jawline, she smiled cutely at him.
"You've really got some smooth things to say, y'know? Do you know the things you do to a girl?" she asked teasingly. He snorted in laughter before bringing her into another soft, sweet kiss, and Lucy shined brighter than the burning sun to chase away the gray clouds and winter chill to make a little warm space just for herself and Gray to inhabit…