Chapter Three: First Date, Second Thoughts

The walk to Bar Sun was a mostly quiet one for Lucy and Gray. Not an awkward quiet, but a calming, peaceful quiet as both were not only enjoying what peace there was before entering the chaos that was their guild, but also preparing themselves for what was to come afterwards. Gray was still trying to wrap himself around what had happened.

'I can't believe it,' his mind kept repeating as he looked to the young woman walking beside him, 'Not only did I finally get to tell Lucy how I felt, but now we're actually going out.'

A month ago, if one were to tell him he'd get a chance to take the one girl he had been eyeing for the better half of a year out on a date, he'd call them crazy right then and there. Now, he felt like the crazy one, questioning if what happened really happened at all and if he was going to wake up from this dream any minute. Lucy on the other hand... she was having different thoughts.

'What the hell are you doing!? There is no way you are ready for any kind dating!' she internally screamed at herself, 'Aside from the fact that this could mess things up for the team, but we're all in the middle of a tournament and falling behind, you're still dealing with Dad being gone, and you are terribly underdressed for a date! What were you thinking you idiot?!'

"So, um," Gray's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "Any ideas of what to do?"

The question lingered in the air. Lucy, despite her wishes, never even went out on a date before. The closest being that one guy she met at the library, which she had canceled at last minute. Gray had actively avoided dating for the same reasons he avoided getting close to another. With neither party having any prior experiece, they didn't really know what to do.

"I mean, dinner seems like an obvious choice for a first date, right?" Lucy recommended.

"A-alright, yeah," Gray agreed, "I found this nice place yesterday with Lyon and Juvia."

"Great, sounds like a plan," Lucy responded, beeming a smile, "Sounds like a date."

Finally reaching their destination, the two wizards took a deep breath, preparing themselve to act normal and begin their secret for the foreseeable future.

"Ready?" Gray asked.

"As I can be," Lucy replied as she reached for the doorknob.

Opening the door, it took merely an instant of time for the roar of the bar to momentarily startle the duo. Natsu and Gajeel were going off about how they'll be entering tomorrow's challenge, wanting to best the other. The master was already several drinks in and laughing like a happy idiot. Amongst the chaos, Mira and Erza were casually chatting like the borderline riot wasn't right next to them. And Juvia was...

"She's probably taking her chances now, lunging herself on him!" the rain woman went on with her wild imagination, "But my darling Gray will hold her off, saying "I can't, my heart belongs to Juvia"!"

The secret couple both grew an awkward sweat at the statement of the lovestuck water mage. They moved in closer, wanting her to know they weren't up to anything, and to decrease the chances of anyone, particularly her, finding out how not far off she was.

"But just like her heart, she won't stop, and will beg "Give me a chance, that's all I ask"," she continued, "She could be confusing my beloved and taking him all for herself!"

'If only she knew,' the two couldn't help but think.

"We're right here, Juvia," Gray spoke with a deadpanned expression trying to get his admirer to stop her crazed fantasy.

"Her imagination must not have an off switch," Lucy remarked, somewhat annoyed at how forward and pushy she had been portrayed as, "Neither does her mouth."

A good number of guildmates took notice of the announced arrival, most of which looked to them to see how they have been handling the events of the day. Lucy was approached by Levy, whom she assured that she was doing just fine and was ready for anything the games threw at her. Gray, making sure to draw attention away from him and Lucy showing up together, asked Lisanna about Wendy and Carla, who told them that they were both still in recovery and being watched over by Porlyusica.

The night went on like any other for the Fairy Tail guild. Master Makarov gave a rousing speech that got everyone fired up, which unsurprisingly lead to Natsu picking fights with anyone who'd step up, and poor Max just had to try and prove himself. But despite all the nights fun and commotion, every now and then Gray would take a glance at Lucy from across the room, and find her looking back to him with a warming smile and signing nod. It was a good time as any to go on with their night. Now just to disappear from the group seperately to avoid suspicion.

As Gray was unable to escape Juvia's overbearring affection and Natsu egging him on for a fight, Lucy defaultly became the first of the two to leave. Claiming to be tired and turning in early, she waved off to Levy as she made her way to the door, only to be haulted by sudden crash behind her followed by shoutting. Turning around, she saw a man with dark blue almost purple armor plates on his arms and shoulders, drunk on his back on the ground. And beside him were Macao and Wakaba, writhing in pain as their heads were caved into the now broken wooden floor boards. Before Lucy even got a chance to question what just happened, Erza had approached the stranger.

"Is that you, Bacchus?" the knight asked the drunkard, as he quickly jumped to his feet upon seeing her.

"Well well, if it isn't Erza Scarlet," he responded with a light laughter followed by a slight hiccup.

"Still a drunk," Erza stated the obvious, with a tone that showed disappointment but no surprise.

"And when I'm sober you still be smokin' hot!" Bacchus retorted in what he believed to be a clever one-liner.

"You know how to flatter a girl," Erza sarcastically remarked.

"You know him?" Lucy questioned her friends familiarity with the drunk.

"I heard you went into hiding awhile back," Bacchus continued on with his conversation with Erza, bringing up her seven year dissappearance, "It seemed like such a shame."

"Something like that," she avoided going into specifics, "What about you? I hear you're actually competing in the Magic Games."

Erza's statement got quite a bellow from the drunken mage, as he let out an amused laugh before he got back in her face and went on.

"At first I saw this little trip as an excuse to get hammered and sample the local color," he explained his original intentions, "But after seeing Warcry make a fool out of himself and our guild, my manly spirit got thirsty for vengence! So I'm entering the games as a reserve member and I plan to cause all kinds of trouble."

The tension in the air could be fealt by anyone in the bar. Be it Lucy merely a couple feet away from the two powerful wizards, or Gray and Natsu, who were currently trying grapple eachother into submission near the corner. It was felt even as Bacchus turned away and began walking off toward the door.

"My soul is shaken and stirred!" he cheered with a hiccup, "Maybe we'll have our own little party in a battle round, it'd be nice to settle the score. Y'know what we say in our guild; You will always be!"

"Wild," Erza finished with absolutely no enthusiasm.

"At least you're still good for a chuckle, Erza!" Bacchus let out one more bout of laughter before leaving the bar.

As Bacchus left, the whole guild couldn't help but watch as he walked right off the docks into the river, laughing all the way down stream. It didn't take long for Lucy to resume her questioning, which Erza answered to the fullest. Apparently, the man known as Bacchus was an S-Class wizard of Quatro Cerberus, as well as a former opponent of Erza's, with neither as of yet to be named the victor.

Of course, the news that someone as strong as Erza was competing in the games came as a shock to Lucy. And it didn't take long for Natsu to claim he'd be no match for Erza now, only for Gray to point out nobody stated they were even going to fight, which just lead to Natsu wanting to have a shot at him on his own. The two wizards of fire and ice continued their mix of fighting and bickering, with them gaining an audiance with the bar. Lucy sighed at the scene that had grown all too common to her before again excusing herself to turn in.

While she left the bar itself, Lucy did not return to the inn. Instead, she waited around the corner for the moment Gray could slip away from the crowd. It took a bit a time. Lucy stopped keeping track after about half an hour, almost dosing off a few times. Eventually though, her ice maker of a date had arrived... with a swell on the side of face that seemed to be... burning.

"What happened to you?!" Lucy asked in an obvious worry.

"I'll give you one pink haired guess," Gray replied, not too pleased.

"Wow, Natsu really got you good," Lucy commented as she looked the swell over, "Here, let me-"

"It's fine. I'm used to getting bruises like this, especially with that flame brain," Gray reminded her of how they've always been, "Still though, I'm actually surprised how much more stronger than me he's gotten. Kinda pathetic how far I've fallen behind."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You're still one of the best fighters in the guild," Lucy stated, as she continued to check his swell despite his comments, "No need to downplay it."

"No, I wasn't being self-depricating," Gray tried to assured her, "Just reflecting on how it seems Natsu has gone above and beyond to grow stronger. One of the few things I can actually admire about him."

"So there are other things you admire about him?" Lucy pried, "Pray tell?"

"Ugh, can we change the subject?" Gray asked in annoyance, "The last thing I want to do on a date is talk about Natsu."

Both wizards fell silent at that. With all the talk of the childhood rivalry and its ever growing power gap, the two had almost forgotten that the entire reason they had slipped away from the bar and their guild in the first place was so they could have a chance at their first date.

"Hey, Lucy?" Gray spoke up.

"Yeah?" she responded.

"Are we absolutely sure about this?" he double checked.

"What is there to be sure of?" Lucy asked back, "As far as I'm aware, we both want to. We're not too serious yet, so one date to see if we work can't hurt, right?"

While he couldn't disagree with her line of thought, something about this just didn't sit right for Gray. Sneaking behind their friends, acting like this wasn't a big change in their relationship, it just felt off. Gray did what he could to ignore those feelings, believing his nerves were just getting to him and perhaps a quiet night out in the capital could do him some good. That, and he really didn't want to let a chance like this slip by.

"Yeah, okay," Gray finally agreed, "Miss every shot you don't take and whatnot, right?"

"Now that's what I like to hear," Lucy said as she strapped herself around Gray's arm, "Shall we then?"

Hope you enjoyed my first upload of 2020 and I hope to upload more soon. Feel free to leave a review on how anything can improve or any your thoughts.