It has been a while since I have just sat back, relaxed and did one of these, always a fun time (even a bit of fun despite the small stress). And anyway, since I am a bastard, I want to do these for the 'in-between' of arcs in TRE: S2 so get used to maybe 6 or nine of these if I can be bothered to do these. XD
Anyway, I remember this one popping up twice. One from Yungsun and then again from a guest. This is a Gray X Wendy chapter. But do not worry, this isn't a romance. I am not a creep. XD This is more of a cute crush sort of thing that Gray helps Wendy get over.
This takes place after Alvarez.
Anyway,
LET'S READ!
:::-(())-:::
She didn't know what to do…
Never in her entire life had she come across such an awkward, difficult, embarrassing and Intimidating situation- and that was saying a great deal, considering the absolute hell that she had gone through during her fight with Dimaria, Erza's blood mother and Achnologia himself. It had all ended a year ago and now, the thing she wanted was a nice, simple and relatively danger free life.
Of course, fate had to throw more crap at her, why did she have to end up in such a state? Why her? Why now of all times? There wasn't anything wrong with now, she was just sitting in the guild hall, watching Natsu get thrown around like a human dodge ball after ruining Erza's prized cheesecake. But still- why now?!
Why did she, Wendy Marvel, Sky Dragon slayer, have to develop a huge damn crush on Gray Fullbuster?! The Devil Slayer. The Ice Mage. The one who destroyed Invel, The Winter General with a vocabulary as bad as Rusty-Rose. One of the strongest Mages in the Fairy Tail guild.
'Okay Wendy stop thinking about it?!' A furious blush adorned her pale cheeks as she tried to shake the invading thoughts away, to little in the way of success.
Unconsciously, she looked around, secretly trying to locate the Ice mage in question, she hoped to Mavis that he wasn;t here, she had no clue how she could act normal around him right now. She was confused, she didn't know what to think, or say, or feel and her attempts to understand were met with even more questions. It was unbearable!
Looking around, her face slightly lit up when she saw no hide nor heel of Gray anywhere. He was probably still home, sleeping or training, or perfecting his amazing Ice-Make Magi-
'Ahh! You're doing it again, idiot!' Her inner voice berated. Wendy could almost picture an angel on her shoulder waving her tiny arms in the air frantically, as if trying to get her attention and was having a difficult time doing so.
It was almost worthy of a laugh, and she would have…
If now wasn't such a scary and serious situation, because it was! Definitely! Maybe… Ok, maybe it wasn't world ending. But it was important dammit!
"That's it..." She whispered, a sudden blanket of wave of confidence washing over her. "I need help… And who better to go to than Lucy and Erza!"
Somewhere, within the universe, at the mention of Erza and Puberty. The universe became a physical being just to weep its eyes out… What had it done to deserve this fate?
:::-(())-:::
"Hey Wendy!" Lucy waved at the approaching form of her cute little friend.
Wendy gave a shy wave back, feeling once again like the girl who had just came straight out of Cait Shelter as she looked at the blonde and the Redhead to her Right. They had been sitting at the other end of the Guildhall, Lucy getting into Erza's good books by giving her the slice of cake that she was going to eat before.
"Good morning Wendy." Erza chirped, her eyes only meeting the little girl for a second before greedily focussing back onto the attention of her beautiful cake before her.
Clearly, she was not going to be much help…
"Hey Wendy, you okay?" Lucy asked, looking at her with concerned eyes as she saw the red dotting her cheeks. "You seem a little red. You ill or something?"
Was she really THAT easy to read?
"Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine… Sort of.."
The Celestial Spirit Mage frowned, noticing her change in attitude. Going from moderately shy to how she was when she first ever laid eyes on the girl. Something was bothering her.
"What's wrong?" Her eyes searched Wendy, trying to look for the answer within her orbs. Of course coming up dry in the end.
Wendy tried to think of how she could explain this complicated feeling to her friend. But she only came up blank, but she was expected to answer or she'd look dumb! Oh, what a world!
"Uhh, I-I..."
"Hmm?"
Wendy's cheeks blushed harshly once again.
"I-I-I think I...Uhh." Why couldn't she get the damn words out!
"Wendy?"
'Oh, Mavis sake!' She huffed, her cheeks never growing less red as she walked over to Lucy and brought herself close to her ear so that Erza couldn't hear.
Then she was able to, albeit timidly- tell Lucy her dilemma.
"What!?" She exclaimed, shock entering her system like a Dreamless Sleep potion. However, in doing so she attracted the attention of the redhead next to them.
"What's happening?" She asked…. Okay, demanded.
Wendy suddenly found the thought of hiding under the floor boards to be a rather interesting concept… Or just straight up dying…
Maybe coming to Lucy was a terrible idea after-all…
"Wendy is going through THAT stage of her childhood..." Lucy replied, putting emphasis in where it was needed. Wendy literally see Erza's brain explode and it was actually a rather fun sight to see if it wasn't focussed on HER situation.
"S-She is this late for her peri-" Erza was cut off by Lucy shaking her head vigorously. Attempting to explain to Erza seemed impossible, Wendy found this out after fifteen full minutes of trying to explain to Erza in the vague and unhelpful way that she had expected from the blonde.
Trust Erza to be just as clueless about this as she was…
"Oh screw it." Lucy sighed, face-palming after another failed attempt. At this point Erza was confused and slightly red from the mere topic and Wendy's face was practically on fire. "Wendy is experiencing her first crush."
Again, Wendy could almost visualise Erza's brain going 'boom'…
"What?!" Erza stood up in her surprised stupor. Taking a moment before looking at Wendy with an odd gleam, as if she were genuinely interested. "Who is the lucky guy Wendy?" She eagerly asked.
"It's an idolisation type of crush Erza, not a romantic one." She meekly correct the re-quip mage. Almost sighing in frustration at the confusion adorning the redhead's picturesque face. It hit Wendy right then that Erza was just as much a child on this topic as she was, maybe even more so than herself and she barely understood anything now (thanks to Lucy.)
"Oh, what is the difference?" She asked, her face going slightly red.
"What's the difference between what?" Came a familiar voice…
'Oh no… Not him! Not now! Why must fate treat so badly!' Wendy felt herself shrivel up on the inside at the cool and deep baritone of the one person she couldn't be around right now.
Although Lucy had different plans, if her sly smile was anything to go by.
"Oh Gray, thank goodness you're here." She sighed over-dramatically, really putting the act on. A hand flew above her head as an over-done expression of hopelessness filled her features to the brim, baffling the Ice Mage. "Erza wants to know the difference between an idolisation that borderlines a crush and a romantic crush. Would you know anything about that?" She gave Wendy a wink, making the small girl gape.
Had Lucy saved her the embarrassment of the question she asked? She looked over to Erza and she was looking at Gray intently, as if trying to force an answer out of him.
"Yes Gray, in fact I implore you to answer this question for us." She ordered, however Gray spotted the odd look she was sporting, it looked like a mix between curiosity, hope and some other emotion completely foreign to him.
But he knew better than to question the almighty Titania, he wanted to live thank you very much…
"I uhh, don't know why you'd think I have the answer to this, you know my uhh- 'history', with romance. I don't think I could give you a proper answer." He stammered, feeling slightly bad when he saw Erza's and Wendy's eyes dull in an upset disappointment.
"But I could try if it means that much to you both." He quickly added on. Giving the two girls a smile. Causing both to look at him like he was some sort of higher being.
'Freaky...' He inwardly chuckled.
He looked towards Lucy, who gave him another over-dramatic act but also offered him an encouraging smile…
Okay, he knew he could do this, probably… Maybe... potentially… he didn't get his hopes up..
"Uhh, where to start..." He groaned.
"Start with idolisation." The eager redhead interrupted, almost jumping up and down in her seat it seemed, at the very least she looked excited or interested.
"Okay..." He laughed nervously. 'I can't let them down now...'
"If you idolise someone so much that you think you like them, it is likely that you don't. But you see them and regard them so highly that you want to try and be like them as you get on in life I think..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Geez, this is harder than I thought."
"Um, I guess you can kinda get confused on the way to your inspiration, wondering if you like-like them or you are just seeing them as something bigger or better than what they truly are, not to take away from there ability or their personality, but they Probably attract you to them because they hold a desired trait or ability or object that you aspire to be, have or achieve."
"Or at least that is the simple version… I don't know. Maybe they have done something for you that you appreciate a whole lot, or maybe they did something for someone else that you respect or wish to mimic. That is the best I can really give in terms of Idolisations type crush thingies. Sorry."
Wendy had listened on, awe and amazement obvious on her face. But then she noticed Lucy's face as well as Erza, both with varying degree's of amazement and respect for the display of wisdom and intelligence that Gray had shown. He may act like Natsu when he was around him, but when on his own Gray really showed his true self to others, well as much as he allowed.
He and Natsu were truly different, yet the same. Idiots around each other, prideful to a fault and stubborn as hell. But both startling genius' at certain things.
Wendy understood him, clearly… But she wasn't sure yet, she simply needed to hear more. And clearly Erza did too.
"What about the romance part Gray?" Lucy asked, getting over her shock.
"That's the tough part." he laughed, trying not to curl in on himself at the faces being aimed at him. Erza looked like a student sponging every syllable that left his mouth and Wendy looked to be in deep thought. What was going on?
"I guess, romantic crushes are sort of… intense? Like a combination of all the things from the idolisation but all at once and much more stronger? You don't only feel respect for the person or aim to be like them for the most part, you just feel the need to be near them and you want to constantly be with them no matter what. At least that's what I get from all of this stuff. Heh..."
"How do I put it? This is so confusing! I guess you just 'know' that the person you are crushing on is someone you literally couldn't live without, like losing them would be the one thing that would cause you to lose any form of happiness and any form of 'life' from your life, so you'd do anything y any means to keep them safe, protect them and be with them until it is physically impossible to get any closer, and even then you'd still try to overcome that limitation."
He finished his speech, looking over at the girls and was shocked to see them all looking at him like he was some noble and wise scholar from the ancient times of Fiore. He he overdone it?
"Y-you all okay?"
They all nodded.
"O-Okay then, I am gonna go and order some food, I'm uhh, hungry." He stuttered, slowly walking away from the scene. Not before casting a lingering gaze on Erza who stared right back. After a second, he turned his head around and left for the bar…
The girls sat in silence for a while, pondering on what Gray had said so expertly. Wendy finally understood, all this time, she hadn't 'crushed' on Gray in the typical sense, but he had been a terrific brother to her, almost as much of a parent her dragon-parent was. He had been there for her when she was shy, when she was upset or angry. He just seemed to know when she needed someone or when she needed some alone time. Carla helped too, but that was expected now.
She didn't like-like Gray, she wanted to grow up to be like him, to be as smart as he seemed to be, as powerful and as wise. He was her idol, surprising her but also not at the same time. It was a very complicated matter, but she was sure of one thing.
She now understood herself tonnes more better now…
"Thank you Lucy… for the help..."
"Yeah, I don't think he would have said anything if I hadn't goaded him into it." She replied breathlessly. As if she had witnessed the second coming of God.
"Thank you. I'm gonna go now, bye!" Wendy pulled herself off her chair and began to make her way through the messy guild, barely catching the 'bye!' from the Celestial Spirit Mage.
She needed to take a job, start beginning her mission to become as great as Gray was. Maybe starting small would do.
With that in mind, she smiled and walked out of the doors and out into the brighter world beyond…
:::-(())-:::
As Lucy watched Wendy skip out of the guild, she turned to Erza who was sat, staring into the guild. But upon further inspection, she noticed she was staring at Gray.
And as much as she tried to hide it, she was definitely not looking at him with 'just' respect…
"Learned something too Erza?" She asked, testing the waters…
"Yes, definitely..." She said, not paying attention. "Today has been very educational." She smiled after a while. Lucy studied the redhead, finding her filled with a sense of confidence and what seemed to feel like a self-understanding and determination, which she demonstrated soon after.
"Excuse me Lucy, I think I might take a mission." She smiled apologetically. Lucy smiled back letting her go, but noticed one thing.
"Erza!" She called, getting the Re-quip mages attention. "The bars that way! The mission board is over their remember?"
She only got a knowing smile in return.
"I know." Erza responded, confidently. "But I need to discuss what mission to take with my tag-along." She smiled, before turning around and walking towards the bar, where a certain Ice Mage was eating his usual dish.
Lucy smiled slyly. Something told her that Gray would be experiencing an interesting next few months or years ahead of him.
:::-(())-:::
One of the only chapters I have ever written in one day. :D
Anyway, I know you two probably didn't want to see a Gray/Wendy pairing in this kind of aspect. But please do realise that whilst I am very nonchalant and shameless I do have my limits. And Gray/Wendy in a romantic relationship just irks me, so I settled for the next best thing.
I hope you enjoyed either way, I had fun writing this and I hope it shows. XD it was fun writing Wendy again after soooooo long. I think the last time I properly wrote her was back when I was doing the first season of TRE.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. As is the par for the course of this series, leave a review tell me what you liked, disliked, mistakes, etc. Also tell me what pairing you want to see next. Although I do have another one in mind for the next one as it is another request I thought would be interesting.
Stay cool my home slice, bread slice dawg things...(?),
-Viperhat