When Gray finished getting dressed and fixing his hair he went down to the juice bar to meet up with the girls. Juvia and Lucy weren't there yet so it was just him and Erza. He decided to take this time to find out a little more about Wendy.
"So Erza, if I may ask would you mind telling me a little about your sister Wendy?"
"Why?" She replied.
"Well it's occurred to me that I don't know that much about your family. I know about Lucy's, Natsu's, and I obviously Juvia's. I mean we share the same family but I know nothing about yours."
"Maybe I don't want you to know about my family."
"I'm not asking for anything personal I just want to know what she likes."
"Well she likes to ride her bike in her free time, sometimes she'll tutor other students in handwriting, she likes Violet flowers, she's a nut for any kind of gummy candy, she's always wanted to go to the marine park but we can't afford to take her. She's really girly and prissy which makes people often doubt that we're related."
"And how does she feel about boys?"
"Why?" Erza said getting suspicious. "Gray you're not developing a special interest in twelve year old girls are you?"
"No! No! No! Not me! Gah! And not anyone my age but well you see...Okay I tried to keep it a secret to avoid humiliating him but looks I'll have to come clean or you'll boil me like a lobster." He said nervously. "My foster brother Romeo has a crush on her and he wanted me to talk to you about her likes and dislikes."
"Oh...Wait why is he crushing on my sister?"
"Well his exact words were it's because she's the prettiest, the smartest, and most talented girl in his entire school and because her hair smells like strawberries." Gray repeated.
"What's he doing sniffing her hair?" Erza asked. "Little creep."
"It's not like that. He sits in front her in class. Anyway it's his first crush and he doesn't know what to do. He wanted me to help him but I have has much experience in dating as he does so I need you to help me."
"How cute. But it's so not going to happen." Erza said.
"Why not?"
"Wendy's not allowed to date. Mom says that she's too young."
"Isn't she almost thirteen?"
"Yes but according to Mom that's still too young. In our family sixteen is the legal age to begin dating. She says it's to make sure that we don't go boy crazy and do something stupid with them. Like she did when she was a teenager."
"What did she do?"
"She never goes into details about it but apparently the reason she married our father is because she starting flirting at an early age. She would have sent both me and my sister to an all girl school if she could have afforded it."
"Not very fond of the opposite gender is she?"
"If you knew my father you'd understand why. It's nothing personal she just doesn't want us to be taken advantage of or mistreated."
"But Romeo's thirteen. What harm could he do?"
"He's a boy and he's hit puberty. That's all my mother cares about. Besides even if she did allow Wendy to start dating now, what makes you all think she'd go out with Romeo or even like him for that matter?"
"Well he's a good kid. He helps around the house, gets good grades, he's always polite. His dad is in the military so heroism is in his genes."
"Just what does he want to do with Wendy?"
"Right now he just wants to find out if she would like him or consider going on a date with him."
"I already told you my mom won't allow the latter."
"Could you talk to her about it?"
"No point. She never listens to me."
"So what do I tell Romeo?"
"You just tell him that my sister is not ready to date. That way his feelings don't get hurt but he can still move on."
"I guess that could work."
Later at the end of the day when Gray came home he told Romeo everything Erza had told him.
"So I can't date her?" The boy asked.
"Erza's says that her mom thinks she's too young to date. I'm sorry Romeo but hey there are other girls or you could just wait three to four years."
"Yeah I guess." He sighed.
Romeo sat down on his bed and started to do his homework in hopes that it would take his mind off of how disappointed he was. There must've been someway he could spend time alone with Wendy without it technically being a date. But how? It's not like he could just go over to her house and ask her to play. That was the oldest trick in the book and all strict parents knew what preteens really meant by that. However as he was erasing his poorly printed name at the top of his paper the perfect idea came to him.
"Gray, Erza says that she tutors in handwriting right?" He asked.
"That's what she said."
"What a coincidence. Just the other day my teacher said I had very sloppy handwriting that was in desperate need of improvement."
"Is that a fact?" Gray said skeptically.
"Yes. Do you think Wendy might be able to help me fix that issue?"
"Really, you're gonna use that cliche?"
"Why not? We'll be working on a school subject so her mom won't suspect anything but we'll be alone it will give Wendy an idea on what would be like to go on a date with me. It's perfect."
"Huh..." Gray said thinking. "That could actually work. You know Romeo you may have bad handwriting but you're pretty smart."
"Thanks. Maybe you could try that tutoring bit with Juvia."
Gray glared at him in annoyance.
"We've been through this Romeo. I don't see Juvia in that way."
"Then why do you dream about her?"
"How did you know I dream about her?"
"I didn't but I do now." He grinned.
"Ah!" He turned red all over. "It's not what you think okay? It was just a random dream that's all."
"Uh-huh. Sure. Did you know that you talk in your sleep? Before I woke you up this morning you kept saying Juvia, Juvia, Juvia. You called her name like six times."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Gray and Juvia sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The boy teased.
"Shut up you little twerp!"
"Hey is that why you two have been acting all secretive lately? Is it because you're secretly dating or something? After school do you sneak off somewhere private so you can kiss each other with tongue?"
"No, no, and heck no! We're just friends and anything we do together is strictly platonic."
"Hmm...Yeah you're probably right. What was I thinking, you're too scared to kiss with tongue."
"I am not."
"That's not what Ur says. She says that girls have always made you nervous and that if you were ever alone with one in a closet you'd choke. I'm not entirely sure what a closet has to do with anything but that's what she says."
"Why would she tell you that?"
"She didn't tell me that. Ur was telling Porlyuscia and Chelia was eavesdropping and she told me."
"Then Chelia's lying! Or she misunderstood!"
"She also told me that she heard Ur say that the first time you saw Juvia in a two-piece after she hit puberty you were like a deer in the headlights."
"It's lies! All lies! And don't you go around telling other people this crap!" He said sweating like a sinner in church. "This what I get for helping you? You have a funny way of showing gratitude."
"I'm just teasing. You tease me all the time. In fact you've done it to me since I was five. You didn't think that one day the dog would bite back?"
"I know that I'm about to bite you back if the subject doesn't change in the next three seconds."
"Okay, okay. Geez. Take a joke once in awhile."