"Are you bringing Karissa with you?"
Gray stiffened at the question. Slowly, he turned back to look at Mirajane who was smiling at him with contained excitement. How the hell did she know that? He didn't even mention her once.
The white haired wizard only folded her arms on the counter and leaned on it. "It was just a hunch." She revealed, his reaction was enough to give away the answer to her question.
Gray frowned at that. "We've been training a lot. I was thinking of getting us a well earned reward or something…"
Plus, it seemed like a good idea to earn some money to. Two birds with one stone.
"For her birthday too, right?"
"…"
"Aww."
Gray scrubbed the back of his head, embarrassed at how she was cooing and gushing. "So what?"
"Nothing, nothing. I just think it's romantic~"
"R-Romantic?!" Gray sputtered, face flushing red from the blunt description. He froze. With narrowed eyes, he watched the Take Over mage carefully who only smiled at him cheerfully. Did she know? If so, how long has she known? He was sure he didn't reveal his affections for Karissa with how conscious he was in public.
He wanted to ask, but at the same time he didn't want to know.
Mirajane looked around cautiously while motioning her hand for him to come closer.
Okay, he'll bite.
"You know, Karissa once told me that she finds you attractive."
Gray blinked in surprise, stilling at her words. She found him attractive? Since when? It made him think about when she called him handsome at his house and how he wondered what it meant she called him as such. Almost immediately, he asked Mirajane when she told her such a thing.
"When you guys came back from Novera." She replied. "She didn't say the word attractive but she agreed when I asked her. I think she was just too shy to say it. And she certainly didn't deny it when I mentioned it the second time."
Gray just stared at Mirajane who gave him a nod to help him believe what she said, he must have been looking at her suspiciously. The white haired mage then stood up and wandered away from him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He turned around and started walking towards the exit of the guild while trying to figure out what to do with this new piece of information. Karissa most likely wouldn't appreciate Mirajane telling him judging from how embarrassed she got when she called him handsome. What she doesn't know won't embarrass her.
He needed to do some more thinking.
"She thinks I'm attractive, huh?"
…
…
…
Being the mother that Pandora was, when Karissa told her about how she needed to wear something nice for the auction, she refused to let her little sister wear the clothes she brought to Akane Resort. It was also her excuse to drag her out to do some last minute shopping for something nicer. She couldn't waste that opportunity when it could only be a once in a lifetime one with how her sister never went shopping for nice clothes like the average girl. Despite insisting she didn't need to; Karissa was still dragged out of the house and to a store with her brother and sister. Yes, her brother wanted to tag along and see the once in a lifetime event as well.
Van walked next to Karissa who just clutched his sleeve when she saw the amount of clothes piled on top of Pandora's arm, horrified. Her older sister was happily humming while snatching clothes that could possibly fit her. It seemed like every three seconds, she grabbed another hanger.
"I'm going to be trying all of that…?" Karissa groaned silently.
"It's just clothes." Van sniggered, patting her head.
"You're not the one wearing them! She has like fifty on her arm! How the hell is she carrying all of that?!"
"I don't know." Van shrugged with a laugh as his little sister stared at their oldest sibling with a look of utter disbelief.
Two minutes later, Pandora grabbed her arm with an iron fist and brought her into the changing rooms. Van went out to buy himself a drink before returning with some candy as well to keep him busy while he sat in a small couch. He was going to have a little fashion show so he might as well get comfy.
For two hours, Karissa had spent her time trying on different dresses. Yes. Dresses. In a way, her aversion for dresses wasn't as strong since she actually wore one during the Fantasia Parade. She just didn't like having something that exposed so much of her skin. It felt so exposed. Thankfully, her sister kept that in mind and was picking out clothes that wouldn't make her feel so vulnerable. Pandora and Van were actually glad their sister had this attitude towards when it came to her skin since they didn't have to worry about her dressing like a hussy one day.
Karissa looked at herself in the mirror with a nervous face. She then smiled at her reflection to give herself a confidence boost. Ever since Edolas, she made the effort to look at herself in the mirror and simply smile at herself to help her self-esteem. At first, she honestly thought the idea of smiling in the mirror was stupid. But that simple routine in the morning helped her lessen the strain on her face when she smiled, and oddly enough, it made her feel a little more positive about herself.
"Are you done?" Pandora's voice called from the other side, causing her to tense a little.
"Um, yeah, just a sec."
Karissa took a small deep breath before turning around and shyly tugging the curtain enough for her face to appear. Pandora heard the rustle of the curtain and whipped around to see her sister poking her head out while trying to hide herself.
"Come on." The oldest Sinclost laughed, gently pulling away the curtain to reveal her.
"Wow." Van cooed.
"Look at that, you look very pretty in that dress." Pandora said with delight.
Karissa blinked and averted her eyes away. "… You think so?"
"Absolutely. This also suits you."
She was wearing a dark blue dress that ended just below her knees. Blue lace with rose patterns covered her shoulders and arms just until below her elbows.
"Do a little twirl." Pandora almost squealed.
Van gave his sister a look from behind. She must be having a blast dressing up our sister…
Stiffly, Karissa shuffled in a circle much to Pandora's dissatisfaction and was told to do it properly. When Pandora saw the fabric swish around, she clapped with glee which affirmed Van's thoughts.
I think this is going to weird him out… Karissa thought grimly.
"You're going with Gray on this job, right?" Van said after taking a sip from his second soda. "Geez, him dressing in a suit and you in a nice dress almost makes it seem like you're going on a date." He said with mirth coloring his tone.
Pandora scoffed and smoothed down her dress. "Oh please, he'd have to ask me first."
Karissa skittered her gaze away. "Don't you normally ask people on a date? That's how a date is planned, no?" she said as Evergreen's words echoed in her mind.
"Well, there's also an unofficial date." Van pointed out, plucking out his chocolate bar from his pocket. "Y'know, when two people go somewhere but don't openly say it's a date?" he looked at his sister and smirked. "Just like when Pandora and Laxus used to hang out together after their job."
The oldest Sinclost stiffened and then turned to shoot her brother a look. "You don't know that."
"Oh? I guess seeing you two at a café was just my imagination. My bad."
"Van!"
Karissa turned away from the sibling quarrel to look at herself in the mirror again. Inwardly, as she continued looking at her mirrored self, she decided that she didn't look bad. She was just embarrassed because she wasn't used to it.
I really hope he doesn't think I don't look weird…
They got onto the cruise at around 4 PM which was three hours until the auction according to a staff member. It was a long train ride. Karissa couldn't believe she let Evergreen and her brother's words get to her. She understood that this was not a date whatsoever but a part of her was secretly hoping that it was, and because of that, she was a little nervous. Absolutely ridiculous.
Currently, they were being led by a female staff member after they revealed who they were. Gray looked over his shoulder to see Karissa looking around, taking in the sights she never saw before. It made him smile a little discreetly to see some childlike sparkle in her eyes. Upon sensing eyes on her, she looked at him silently with question marks in her eyes.
"Nothing, nothing."
"This way please." They both turned to find the staff member leading them down a hallway where a single door was found at the other end. The woman knocked once and informed the person inside of the arrival of the mages who took their job request. It was probably their client. When Karissa and Gray entered, they found a middle aged man in a suit sitting at a desk, he smiled at them and ushered them to sit on the two chairs situated in front of his desk.
"Thank you so much for taking the job… er..."
"Gray."
"And Karissa."
"Right, Gray and Karissa, thank you." He smiled and then tilted to the side to look at one of the drawers of the desk. They watched him pull out black box with a single red gem on top. Once he opened it up to them, they found two identical necklaces nestled inside.
"As you know, there's been a local thief that's been after the items of the auction. However, we learned that they have their eye on this one." He pointed at the necklace on the right that was a gold chain with a beautiful emerald gem hanging from it.
Gray leaned closer to peer at it. He didn't know much about jewelry but it seemed quite normal. He glanced at the client. "Why are there two?"
"A replica?" Karissa guessed.
"Precisely." The man nodded and took out the one was pointing at. "I'd like one of you keep it with you at all times. We'll display the fake one during the auction. It's called Steiner's necklace named after the jeweler Steiner."
He probably doesn't want to risk leaving it alone either even if we place it somewhere safe. I don't feel comfortable leaving it either.
"Sure, we can do that." Gray leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "We just keep an eye out for the thief and take him down we he comes out, right?"
The client nodded as he shut the box after handing the real necklace to Karissa who was staring at it curiously. "Exactly. The auction will begin at seven so in the meantime, you two can do what you want until then. Oh, and before I forget," he opened another drawer and pulled out two room keys. "These are the keys to your rooms."
Gray and Karissa took the keys. They were given the rooms 501 and 502. They were neighbours.
After the client said a few more words, they were dismissed.
Side by side, they walked down the hall. "What should we do—" Karissa instantly planted her hand on his mouth and kept a finger up to her lips, shaking her head vigorously. He just squinted his eyes, perplexed. With a roll of her own, she tugged him down to her height and cupped her hands around his ear.
"You never know if the thief if hiding nearby. Let's talk in private."
With that said, they hurried to their rooms and went inside Karissa's who started setting down her bag. He locked the door behind him and sat down on a couch and took a quick glance at the window. She motioned him to follow her into the bathroom which was farther from the door. If they were going to discuss, then they were going to do it as far away as possible from any potential eavesdropping.
She sat on the edge of the bathtub and pulled out the necklace while he sat on the toilet seat.
"Anyway," Gray finally spoke. "What should we do?"
"Do you wanna wear it?" Karissa held it up to him. "You're wearing a suit, right? So, you could just keep it tucked away from sight."
"But I don't wanna wear it." Gray frowned.
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "I just don't want to. Besides, I'm already wearing a necklace if you forgot. I'm not going to wear two. Why don't you wear it?"
"I'm scared I'll lose it or something." Karissa admitted with a grimace. She didn't want to be the reason why they failed their job. What if it just flew off and fell into the ocean? That was a scary thought.
"Don't be silly. How can you lose it if it's attached around your neck?"
"You never know!"
"You're being dumb."
Karissa pouted and looked away from him. She was just being careful. Also, if Gray were to lose it, it wouldn't be her fault. Yeah, she could be evil. An upset client was not one of her favorite things to witness. They went back and forth about the necklace but Gray still wouldn't budge on his decision. He eventually got tired and huffed, swiping the necklace from her fingers.
"What are you doing?" He didn't answer and just tugs her up on her feet, spinning her around so that she could stand in front of the mirror with him behind her. That's when she realized what he was doing. She slightly turned around and found him unclasping the necklace. "Why are you putting it on me?"
He just chuckles and grabs her head to turn it back in front of the mirror. Puzzled, she stared at his reflection with narrowed eyes which he ignored with a grin. "It'll look much nicer on you anyway."
She looked unimpressed. "Meh. It's green."
"Yeah. Blue would have been a nicer colour on you."
He put the necklace in front of her and set it on her collar before working on clasping it together.
"Move your hair, it's annoying."
"Could have said please." Karissa grumbled before taking her hair and setting it on her left shoulder. But it's only when she felt his cool fingers brush against her skin did she regret moving her hair obediently. It was sending shivers down her spine. And why did it seem like she forgot how to breathe?
Gray's dark blue eyes looked up and stared at her in the mirror. He let out a chuckle again when he saw the tense expression on her face. "What's with that face? You look like you're scared."
I kind of am to be honest.
"And you look like a stripper."
"Mean." He clasped the necklace and stared at her reflection. "See? Looks better on you." he patted her head.
"You say that as if you took a turn wearing it." She shot him a look before whipping her hair back and purposely hitting his face in the process. He sputtered and shot her an irked look when he saw the satisfied smirk on her face. "Fine, I'll wear it since you're being a princess about it."
The ship then signaled the departure with a loud horn. Karissa hurried out of the room to peer out of the window. He just followed her out of the bathroom to watch her look outside curiously.
"So what'll we do in the time being?" she asked while watching the boat move away from the port.
"I think I'm going to look around." Gray said, picking up his bag from the couch. "You?"
"Maybe I'll just stay here and take a nap."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. The auction is in three hours, so I'll probably wake up and walk around later." Karissa sat on her bed and began removing her shoes.
Gray trudged his way to the door. "Alright. I'll see you later." He told her and she only replied with a simple hum of acknowledgement. As soon as the door closed, she let out a sigh that she didn't realize she was holding back. Her hand automatically reached up to touch the area where she felt his fingers brush. It felt hot.
THREE HOURS LATER
…
…
…
Gray checked his watch while slouching on the railing of the boat. It was already five minutes after seven. He was suited up and ready to go, but it seems like she was taking a little longer to get ready which was odd considering how she was pretty fast when it came to getting dressed. She doesn't take an eternity like most girls he knows. He honestly didn't mind waiting a little longer but he was hungry. There was a party going on in addition to the auction and he was looking forward to eating some good food. With a bored face, he began humming lightly as he stared at the dark waves, drumming his fingers against the railing.
He mused to himself that waiting for her like this almost felt like a date.
"Hey, there handsome."
Gray's eyebrows knitted when he felt a hand rest on his forearm. He found an ash blonde haired woman smiling up at him seductively. Judging from the fancy dress she was wearing, it seemed like she was going attend the party as well.
"Um… hey."
His eyes watched her fingers trail up to his bicep, making him quirk an eyebrow. He looked back at her just watching as she batted her green eyes.
"Do you want to grab a drink with me?"
…
…
Wearing a dress wasn't as bad as she dreaded, it was actually kind of growing on her. Just a little.
After fixing herself up and taking deep breaths, Karissa left her room with her hand fidgeting with her earlobe. She was wearing the earrings Gray gifted her since she thought it would be nice. She was wearing black flat dress shoes that had straps; she never wore heels so she couldn't wear them (it's not like she wanted to anyway). She was also wearing spandex shorts under her dress so she could feel comfortable moving around and avoid exposure while she fought. She felt very comfortable and satisfied with herself, especially with no damn make up on.
I wonder what he'll say though…
I hope it he doesn't think it's weird that I'm wearing one out of nowhere…
When she came close to the corner, she spotted Gray, making her feel a little timid, except that he wasn't alone. There was a woman wearing a purple dress that did a damn good job at revealing her cleavage. It made Karissa's mouth taut. Right. Gray Fullbuster was an attractive guy. Of course, this would happen.
Unwilling to disturb nor having the courage to get closer, she chose to stay where she was and simply wait until the woman left or if he blew her off, or anything at all until he was free. Gray wasn't the kind of person to blow off the job for a woman, he wasn't Loke, so she didn't have to worry about him deviating from their job to go hang out with someone. And silently, she reminded herself that she had no right to be jealous as well.
Gray's droopy eyes just watched the woman talk with immense disinterest; he isn't even sure what she's saying anymore. He was in the mood for food. He just wanted Karissa to meet up with him so he could get away and eat with her. With a sigh through his nose, he looked past the woman when he noticed someone just standing in his peripheral vision. Then he looked back at the woman who was chatting him up. Wait. He did a double take and realized that Karissa was standing there with her hands tucked behind her back. His eyes grew wide at her attire and his feet were already moving to get to her.
The busty woman blinked in confusion. "Ah—! Wait!"
"Not interested." Gray said, shaking her hand off that tried to stop him, not tearing his eyes away from the object of his affections. Karissa lifted her head up curiously when she heard his voice and saw him taking long strides to join her. She caught the woman grimacing at her before storming off somewhere.
Geez, who put a stick up your ass?
"Don't tell me you were standing there the whole time." Gray stopped in front of her. "You should have said something."
"I… uh, didn't want to interrupt." Karissa rubbed the back of her neck.
He slightly cocked his head at that. "There wasn't anything to interrupt." He waved his hand dismissively. "She just came out of nowhere." A smile graced his features. "Anyway, I didn't even realize it was you. I wasn't expecting you to wear a dress."
The shorter ice mage shifted her feet and bit the side of her bottom lip. "It was Pandora's idea… and I agreed to it." She looked up at him with a shrug. "Is it weird?"
The hell was she talking about? Of course not. She looked so pretty. "No." he answered fast. "You look great. It suits you." He could see the earrings he gave her which only made his heart stutter.
"Thanks." Karissa felt good. He was making her feel giddy from the compliment. "It's… actually not so bad."
He put a hand on his waist and tipped his head. "You never wanted to try wearing them and was dead set on having an aversion to dresses." He reminded bluntly, recalling the amount of times she just scowled every time someone suggested she wore a skirt of a dress.
She puffed her cheeks which only made him snort. "Come on, just admit you like it." He cooed teasingly.
"Like is a strong word." she crossed her arms. "I'm not going to wear them often. I like wearing pants and t-shirts."
"Do what you want." Gray shrugged and then raised his hand to scratch his cheek with his finger. "You look good either way."
As much as she liked the feeling of being complimented by the guy she loved, there was only so much she could take. She eyed his attire curiously. He was wearing a black suit, a white dress shirt, a blue tie and brown shoes. He looked so good in it. Gray always did know how to dress up and look good. A little lightbulb went off in her mind when she remembered something. Gray was embarrassed when she called him handsome back at his house, wasn't he?
A mischievous smirk appeared on her face. "And you look very handsome right now, I like it." she said innocently and tilted her head.
Gray stiffened; eyes growing wide by a fraction at the compliment. He still didn't expect it. For a second there he just stood there, staring blankly until he blinked and uttered a quick word of thanks as his hand dropped to his side.
"Aw, does Mr. Fullbuster feel embarrassed because he likes it?"
His clicked his tongue. "Are you just teasing me?" he asked her, eyes squinted due to feeling unsure on how to take her compliment now.
"Nope." Karissa patted his shoulders, smoothing the fabric. "I do like it." Then she pulled her hands away and huffed. "And you should already know I wasn't lying when I called you handsome." She said with a sheepish laugh. She was already over it since it was out in the open now.
Karissa quirked up an eyebrow when she saw a little smirk on his face. He looked a little smug too. What was he thinking about? Was he getting big headed? She lightly pinched his cheek to get his attention which worked since the smirk fell off his face and he looked at her, eyebrows slightly knitted.
"You getting cocky?"
"What makes you say that?"
"You just looked so smug just now."
"So what?" he took her hand off his cheek. "I'm allowed to feel pride in my looks."
"Not if it's going to inflate your ego!" she poked his chest.
"The size of my ego is normal thanks." Gray scoffed, feigning offense, and then took her hand in his to pull her along with him. "Now, come on. I'm hungry."
Only a little after she fell into step with him did he pull his hand away and play it cool. He had grabbed her hand on instinct after doing it so many times while training. The feeling of her hand in his felt so natural that he couldn't help himself. He mentally scolded himself for it, unaware of how the hand he held was repeatedly brushing its fingers against the palm. She ended up fidgeting her hand as she felt the warmth of his still linger despite only having contact for measly five seconds.
...
...
...
Together, they sat a table to eat while they watched the auction take place from afar. The current mood was filled with slight annoyance because of the presence of a number of bodyguards around the corners. Gray was the one who was mostly annoyed as he ate his food in front of Karissa. The reason for them being somewhat annoyed was the fact that their client decided to underestimate them by hiring bodyguards. Even though Karissa reasoned that it was the client being overly cautious, Gray was still left being slightly miffed by the sight.
With a slight tug of her mouth, Karissa reached over and gently poked Gray's cheek who just turned to her with a little frown. "Come on, stop looking like that."
"Aren't you annoyed too?" his irritation was evident.
"I am." Karissa pulled her hand away and rested it on the table. "But I'm not going to waste my energy getting annoyed. If they're good, then that's fine, but if they turn out to do a poor job at being guards… It'll be satisfying to see them lose against the thief." She spoke in a nonchalant manner with a smirk on her face. "I'll try not to show my amusement." She added before putting her fork in her mouth.
Gray just snorted at her. "Why am I not surprised?" He said and lifted his hand up to her face, taking out the hair she was accidently chewing on. "Don't eat your hair, dummy."
Upon hearing that, her hands flew up to her cheeks to lightly drag her nails to remove any more hair. "It's not like I did it on purpose..."
"Who cares, you still got it into your mouth."
With a huff, she just brushed her hair behind her ears and then turned her attention back to the client.
His index finger rubbed his glass and then he glanced at her while she looked over at the auction. The right side of her hair was curled behind her ears, revealing the ice blue earring he gave her. He was admiring how pretty she looked tonight, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight until she looked back at him and met his gaze. The way she quirked up a brow and looked at him with a question mark above her head, completely clueless, it was all so cute. It makes him realize how bad he has it for her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
She gave him an unconvinced look that he just returned with a mysterious smile.
"Anyway, the client spoke to me when I bumped into him earlier while you slept." Gray started as he chewed on some beef. This was his fourth serving of beef and he just couldn't seem to get enough of it. "He told me that our target's a mage with the ability to use some type of magic to help him escape. That's why they couldn't catch him yet."
"You think he can escape from us with all this water around us?" Karissa motioned her fork at the side, pointing at the dark waters.
"We can assume that he can or else he wouldn't bother trying to show up here. I doubt he's going to swim back with the stuff he's trying to steal."
"Big deal if he can use escape-like magic. All we have to do is catch him before he can try."
"Exactly."
She pushed her plate aside and then folded her arms on the table to lean on them. "By the way, I just have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"I've been wondering about it when you asked if I wanted to come with you on a job." She started, staring at the table. "So, my birthday is tomorrow. Did you choose this job because of that?" she met his eyes and saw a tenderness in them.
She was a smart girl. A move so obvious like this wouldn't slip her by even if he never mentioned it. He folded his arms on the table as well and leaned closer.
"And if I did?"
When she was unable to contain her smile, she lowered her head and let out a quiet content giggle. He was so sweet that she wanted to give him a hug right across the table, but she managed to control her impulse and look back up to meet his eyes. This was only making her fall even deeper in love with him.
He chuckled in amusement at the goofy smile on her face and just brushed the side of her hair behind her ear when it fell from looking down. He wanted to see her smiling expression clearly, that was all he wanted to see in this moment, to burn the image in his memory, the image of her looking so pleased and bashful because of him. A sight for his eyes only and no one else, a precious memory.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Does it make you happy that I did?"
"Very much. I like it here." Karissa smiled at him and grabbed his arm, tugging with little strength. "I literally want to give you a hug right now, but we're busy with," she nonchalantly waved over to the auction. "this long ass auction." She finished with a whine in her voice.
It provoked a brief laugh out of him and he grinned heartily. He put his hand on hers and stared into her eyes with another tender expression on his face, lightly tipping his head to the side. "Go ahead. You can hug me all you want."
Karissa's hand stiffened underneath his warm one. Her heart decided to accelerate after hearing those words and she felt a sudden of desire for something. They were so close. She strangled it, quick and painless, baffled at how she dared to think of such a think.
Realizing what he just said, Gray blinked and looked away. Flirting so shamelessly…
"I mean..." he started removing his hand.
"And now, Steiner's necklace!"
A blink. Gray and Karissa were pulled out of their small world and immediately shifted gears to focus on their job, she paid no mind to her restless heart. The taller ice mage scanned the crowd for anything suspicious, but the only people moving around were the waiters and waitresses. The Sinclost eyed the bodyguards just in case the thief was disguising as one, any sudden movements couldn't be left alone.
All of a sudden, a hand dropped on Karissa's shoulder, causing a startled sound to slip past her lips. Gray looked over and did a double take at the person behind Karissa.
"Juvia?!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight with his eyes wide.
Karissa eyed her hand, finding it somehow offending that it just grabbed her so suddenly. She casually moved away as if to tell her to get off. "What are you doing here?" she then asked her. She didn't even seem fazed at the seemingly angry look on the water mage's face.
"You two look very fancy." Juvia complimented. She was wearing an ice blue dress with snowflake patterns on them. "Especially you," she directed her dark blue eyes at Karissa who just stared back at her with disinterest, mildly annoyed that she followed them. "That necklace fits you well. Do you mind if I take a look?"
'Do you mind if I take a look?' she said.
Immediately, Karissa sensed something wrong, and she was right to feel suspicious the moment Juvia's hand came for her neck. She was faster though. Rapidly, she got out of her seat and grabbed the shoulder strap of Juvia's dress. The water mage's eyes widened in shock and she let out a shout when Karissa suddenly threw her into the nearest table filled with food, causing the people from the party to look over at them when they heard plates shatter. Gray's jaw dropped at the sudden violence and then held her back when she tried to go after her.
"Karissa! What are you doing?!"
"Imposter." Karissa answered fast, keeping her eyes on Juvia who was getting back up while glaring at her. "Juvia never uses first person to talk. She always uses the third person."
Gray's hold loosened around her and looked at Juvia who just sighed at being discovered, scratching the back of her hair in frustration, teeth gritting and eyes narrowed. This caused Gray to glare his eyes and step next to Karissa. "Who the hell are you?"
The fake Juvia scowled and lazily pointed a thumb across the deck. "The real one looked like she was stalking you so I thought she was your friend." Gray and Karissa turned their heads, and lo and behold, Juvia was standing there, hiding behind a table.
"She's here…" Karissa sighed.
"What the hell is she doing here?!" Gray said, shocked.
"Guess I was wrong." The imposter said as they unleashed a green cloud of smoke. "Anyway, the client was predictable."
He undid his transformation, revealing a man in a suit with a mask over his face. He grinned and lunged at Karissa who readied herself. Gray slipped in between the two and caught his hand.
"Don't touch her." He glowered at him.
"Tch."
The thief whipped out a sword from his back and slashed at Gray to break free. The taller ice mage yelped and back stepped just in time to avoid the tip of the blade.
The thief then sped off towards the group of bidders his sword and a bag, scaring them out of the way with screams. The client was also scared away and scurried away from the items when his bodyguards proved to be no match against the thief.
He was grabbing personal belongings from the bidders and the auction items.
"We have to stop him." Gray got into his stance and fired off ice arrows at him, but to his surprise the arrows were deflected and directed at the fleeing bidders.
"Reflection type magic?" Karissa drove off the arrows with wind which sent the arrows diving into the ocean. She attacked him with wind but it also just repulsed.
"Damn it, there's too many people here. Our magic is just going to endanger them!" Gray gritted his teeth in frustration, watching the thief as he continued to take whatever he pleased. An onlooker who happened to be nearby screamed when the thief demanded they hand over their purse with his blade pointed at them. A gush of water flew between them and carried off the onlooker, the water formed a person which revealed the real Juvia.
"Gray-sama! Juvia will provide support!" she announced.
Gray hurried over to the thief with an ice sword. And just as Karissa was about to follow in suit, a hand clamped down on her arm. She whipped her head back and found the client looking at with distress and fear.
"No, you musn't go near him! He'll take Steiner's necklace!" he said, begging with an iron hold on her arm, growing the seeds of irritation inside her.
"I'm not going to sit here and do nothing! You hired me to catch a thief." She pointed at the thief that was reflecting Gray and Juvia's attacks.
"But Steiner's necklace is much more important! Its value is beyond your imagination! We can't lose it!"
Her right eye twitched with immeasurable annoyance. Did he really think so little of her?
"Fine, I'll do both then!" Karissa yanked her arm away from him and proceeded to unclasp the necklace. She didn't even bother to think of the way her tone turned rude when speaking to him, timidity flew right out the window for this guy.
"Wait… what are you doing—!"
She put the necklace in her mouth.
With a wave of her hand, she bolted off to face the thief with Gray and Juvia. The thief was situated in the middle while Gray and Juvia were preparing to attack. When Gray saw her coming, he quickly told her to stop and just attack from where she stood once Juvia attacked first. The thief looked alarmed at this and tried to move but Juvia was quick to use Water Lock on him.
Karissa created an ice polearm and pitched it at his face. To her surprise, it didn't reflect, the polearm hit him square in the face followed by an ice fist that sent him barrelling towards the rail behind Juvia. Gray had attacked at the same time as her.
The thief's forehead knocked against the metal and he slumped on the rail once he blacked out with a groan, prompting a number of stolen belongings and auction items to fall off the boat through the gaps when he couldn't hold the bag anymore.
"The items!" Gray freaked, making a mad dash for the rail.
Karissa used her wind magic to rapidly fly off the boat and downwards to where the items were falling. She put her hands together to mold ice, creating a giant tray that was used to catch everything that fell. Juvia gathered the items that were close to falling out of the man's bag and brought it away from the rail while Gray just yanked the man away from the edge just in case he carried something in his pocket that would also fall into the ocean.
Afterwards, he went back to the rail and looked down. "Karissa! Did you get all of them?"
"Mhmm!"
"What?!"
Oh never mind.
Gray blinked and watched her carefully fly back up to the boat, balancing the tray with absolute focus. The fear of dropping something in the dark ocean was not something she wished for. She had no desire to go diving in the water at night. After she made it on the solid floor and set the tray down, Gray breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Nice catch." Gray praised.
Karissa gave him a thumbs up.
Karissa silently glanced over at Juvia who had tied up the man with some rope that she found nearby. Juvia held her head up proudly and smirked at Karissa, taking a step closer as she placed a hand on her chest. "It was Juvia's plan that helped Gray-sama and Karissa-san take down the thief! Juvia and Gray-sama could have done it as a two-man team too!"
The black haired female mage deadpanned at obvious show of trying to prove her superiority. I want to spit this necklace on your face, saliva and everything.
Gray ruffled the back of his hair. "Yeah. She thought that he couldn't deflect two attacks at once, so she figured at we should attack simultaneously. Good thinking."
Karissa watched Juvia squeal at the praise given to her. That simple praise made it seem like Juvia was over the moon. Without saying anything, she watched Juvia move closer to Gray and thanked him flirtatiously for the praise. He sweat dropped when she came close, unsure how to respond until he remembered something important.
"Didn't you say that you had a job?! Why did you abandon it to follow us?!" Gray suddenly yelled when he realized what she did. "Your client is going to be angry! Go back!"
The blue mage let out a small squeak and nodded rapidly. She jumped over the edge of the boat and started swimming back to the shore to go do her own job, leaving Gray and Karissa to watch her swim away.
Gray sighed exasperatedly; he couldn't believe Juvia seriously followed them. Perhaps he shouldn't be too surprised though, it wasn't exactly unbecoming of her. "That girl…" he turned to look at Karissa who was looking at him without saying anything, not a single coherent vowel had left her mouth in the last four minutes.
"Why aren't you talking?" Gray wondered, puzzled. Did the thief cast a spell on her?
The shorter mage exhaled through her nose and slightly turned away from him as she lifted her index and thumb towards her mouth, sticking them inside to pull out Steiner's necklace that was coated in her own saliva.
Gray just stared in astonishment. "You put it in your mouth?!" he exclaimed; his eyes flickered to her bottom lip that glistened with the saliva.
Karissa scowled and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "No, I obviously put it up my nose if you couldn't tell!" she looked at the necklace with a frown. "Stupid client wanted me to sit back and protect the necklace, but I didn't want to so, I shoved it in my mouth where it was safe."
He gave her a look with a frown before stepping closer to her and bonking her head lightly. "You idiot. Don't put it in your mouth. It might be dirty." He scolded her.
"… Urk." Karissa grimaced. "You're right." She stuck her tongue out and sputtered to the side as if it would cleanse her palette.
"We should probably get that cleaned before the client and the bidders return." Gray suggested and looked around for a water pitcher that was abandoned by one of the waiters. He urged her to follow after her as he swiped a glass from a table. After pouring water into it, they just dumped it in the glass and deemed it clean.
They exchanged sheepish grins at their little secret.
They received their thanks from the bidders and the client for stopping the thief that was now in the custody of the bodyguards who were flying back to shore to get him arrested. The client was overjoyed to find Steiner's necklace safe and sound. Karissa basically stared at him darkly, daring him to say one complaint about the way she protected his beloved necklace. Gray had to stop her by pulling her aside.
Their reward would be given tomorrow in the morning before they left. They couldn't enjoy the full cruise because they were done with their job. The boat was going to stop at Canaen, the closest port in their route which was going to be their destination before heading home. Honestly, that was fine with them since they could still enjoy the cruise before arriving in Canean.
They ate a bit more before leaving the party to walk around the boat. Earlier, Gray pointed out that they were serving vanilla cake at the dessert table which made her instantly fix the table with her eyes. It was quite entertaining to see her react so fast.
They didn't walk very far. Glowing blue light emitting from the other side of the boat caught their interest when they walked down the hall, guiding their feet as if it was calling them. It was a large empty pool. Not a single presence was found there. It was just them and their fed curiosity.
"Feel like taking a dip?" Gray looked over his shoulder with a smirk.
"No thanks." Karissa quickly replied. She didn't even remember the last time she went in a pool. Ice baths with Lyon and Gray didn't count. The pool at Fairy Tail was not something she partook in either. It really has been years since she got inside a pool. Obviously, she didn't have the best swimming skills since she never practiced.
Gray looked around and noted how dry the floor was. It had been a while since someone was in the pool let alone hanging around it. He took a seat on one of the tanning chairs, sitting on the side edge, and looked at Karissa who decided to plop herself on the chair near his. She sat back properly into the chair while leaving her hands resting on her stomach and then exhaled a sigh.
"Tired?"
"Not really. I slept earlier in my room. I'm just relaxing now."
He chortled. "There's no sun to tan you."
Karissa lolled her head to show how she rolled her eyes. "As if I'd want to get dark." She turned on her side to look at him. "So we get off at Canean, and then what?"
His eyes flickered to her legs that were being a little more exposed from the way she was positioned. She has nice legs.
Good grief. He just wanted to pull it down just in case someone happened to walk by. He didn't fancy the idea of a passerby looking at her right now.
"I guess we can just chill over there for your birthday. It's a nice place, you know."
"Ooh, I heard the climate gets affected by the lacrima there. The skies look purple and light blue at night… at least that's what Warren told me."
"It's true." Gray looked up at the sky. "I've been there once. I caught a glimpse of it before just knocking out in my hotel room. There's also nice restaurants there, I'm sure you can find some place to stuff your mouth in." he said with a look of anticipation on his face. He was looking forward to arriving in Canean himself which did not go unnoticed by her. One of the things Gray liked to do when visiting a new town was pinpointing the best restaurants so he could easily find a place to eat the next time he visited.
"Hey," she broke the brief silence. "Can I give you that hug now?"
He blinked his dark blue eyes at her request, staring at the way she looked at him hopefully, but then laughed inwardly, she didn't even need to ask. He did his best not to stand abruptly so eagerly and held out his arms. Her face brightened and she immediately got up on her feet, practically tackling him in a hug, holding him tightly. Her arms were looped around his neck while he looped his around her shoulder and waist, holding her almost just as tightly as she did. An embrace filled with affection for each other.
"Thanks for bringing me out here. Cool surprise."
"I just thought it would be nice. It's too bad it's a day early though."
"Doesn't matter, I still appreciate it."
"You like hugging me, huh?" Gray teased her when she held on tighter when she thought he'd pull away.
"I won't deny it." Her laugh was music to his ears.
His eyes looked up at the starry night as he held her in his arms.
It didn't take a whole month for him to know what he wanted now. It only took a night and a sight that was basically the result of an alternate universe for him to know. The idea of Lyon or anyone else having her to themselves made him feel bad. He didn't like it. He didn't like how it felt like the air was being sucked out of him when he saw her counterpart all snuggled into Edolas Lyon's embrace. To be satisfied with just being her friend was not something he could be content with. He's aware of that now.
Recently, he's been a bit bolder with his actions to try and see her reactions since he knows she's not always explicit in how she feels. That was another reason why he chose to be alone with her on this job. He's trying his best to give her signs.
He wants to be so much more than just her friend. It's crazy how much he wants it.
He loves her, he knows he's loved her for a long time. He seriously loves her. He wants her to be his.
But only if she gives him that privilege.
After holding each other for a while, he gradually pulled away and held her by the shoulders for a moment, searching her eyes. Only when she's given him her attention does he let his hands slip off and fall to his side.
"Can I ask you something?"
With a cheeky grin she said, "You just did, but go ahead."
She watched him look to the side for a moment. He looked as if he was figuring out how to ask his question. Patiently, she watched him and tipped her head, wondering what he wanted to ask. And then, he finally looked back at her.
"What am I to you?" he finally asked.
She just fell silent for a moment, blinking at him. "… What are you to me?"
"Yeah. It's just question."
The way he spoke. He sounded serious yet casual about it. The way he stared into her eyes almost made her want to spill the truth and let him know, but the chains of restraint held her back to prevent her from making a mistake. That's fine. She could give him his answer without revealing her feelings. She didn't mind letting him know to satiate his curiosity.
"Well." Karissa tucked her hands behind her back. "You're my best friend who's sweet and kind."
Gray could feel an arrow pierce him through the back. It's not like I wasn't expecting it though…
"You're someone I can go to without feeling like I'll be judged or feel like I'll disappoint…" she looked to the side for a second, bringing back his attention to her. "I can really relax around you or else I wouldn't even agree to be here. I trust you a lot and obviously care a lot about you so you're very important to me. I'm grateful to have you by my side… You're kind of… um, like, how should I put it? Maybe an umbrella or a bed comforter?"
Gray blinked dumbly. "… An umbrella? Comforter?"
The hell does that mean?
Karissa closed her eyes and frowned a little, unsure how to proceed. She put a hand on her chin while propping her elbow up with her other arm. "… I guess, you make me feel safe and at ease, that's what I mean. That's the best way I can put it…"
This was the best way she could sincerely tell him how she felt without revealing how much she loves him. She could only hope it doesn't reveal too much.
She opened her eyes and peeked at him. His face was dusted in light pink, a sight that made her blink. "Sorry, is that weird?"
He snapped out of it and did a rapid shake of his head. "I just wasn't expecting that umbrella comparison."
She crossed her arms. "That was the first thing I thought of!"
He rolled his eyes. "I didn't say it was bad." He sat back down on the chair and leaned back when he put his hands behind him. He's glad she didn't just stop at 'best friend' and continued on, but he still isn't quite sure what to do with that.
"What about you?"
The taller mage blinked. "Huh?"
Karissa held her left arm behind her back. "… What am I to you?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. She was curious. If he was going to get an answer then she wanted one as well. It felt fair.
He held her stare silently and before skittering it away to look at the bright blue pool, fidgeting his hands. " Isn't it obvious?" he reached behind his head and ran his fingers in his hair. "It's almost the same as you. You're important and special to me. I'm also grateful that you're here by my side. You're... precious to me."
Her eyebrows slightly shot up and her eyes widened at his answer. To say that she was precious to him out and the open made her heart stutter. She didn't know to what degree he meant by special or precious, but she was just content with hearing like so.
"Oh okay." Karissa smiled with a nod stupidly, the only thing she could manage to do. She sat back down on the chair and lied back down on her back.
"But anyway, what do you want to do tomorrow before we get to Canean?" Gray changed the subject after he cleared his throat, leaning forward on his knees. "Did you even take a look around?"
Karissa grinned sheepishly. "Kind of… I started walking around and just ended up sitting somewhere and spaced out since the breeze felt nice. I almost fell asleep in that chair too."
"Again, why am I not surprised?"
…
…
…
After talking about what he had seen on his own and suggesting what they could do, they just ended up deviating from the topic and talking about anything that came to mind. The usual. No one else had come wandering to the pool area, it was just them. It was only after Karissa let out a small yawn did Gray decide it was the best time to stop. They always lose track of time when they talked like this, especially at night.
"Come on, we should go to bed." He tousled her hair when her eyes became half-lidded.
Rubbing her eye, she just stood up, wobbly on her feet, and walked with him. "It's a miracle you haven't stripped your clothes off yet…"
"… I did a few hours ago and security wasn't happy about it."
"Heh."
She settled with walking near the edge of the pool. A bad idea that she didn't realize it was until Gray told her to watch her step. Her right foot didn't meet the floor and she ended up crashing into the pool after surprise spiked inside her. He was left on the surface with his hands outstretched, he was only able to graze her wrist with his fingers before she fell in.
There was only thing he could do now.
Laugh.
She moved up and gasped for air while keeping herself up above the water. That certainly woke her up now.
Gray was laughing his ass off.
She deadpanned at his amusement.
"Why did you walk there with your eyes closed?!" he cackled. This was definitely one of the highlights of their night.
Keep laughing, you damn stripper and watch what happens…
Gray just kept laughing, slapping his hand on his knee as he bent over.
"Can you just help me up?" she groaned as she swam to the edge and planted her hands on the floor to try and push herself up.
Snickering, he decided to be nice and assist her. Her eyes glinted evilly. She firmly planted her foot on the wall of the pool and grabbed his arm. She met his shocked eyes and then kicked back against the wall, pulling him into the pool. His shout was muffled by splashing water.
Karissa threw her head back, laughing loudly at his karma.
He resurfaced a little farther away from her and shot her an annoyed look. "What the hell was that for?!" he spat, wiping the water off his face.
"For laughing at me, jerk!"
"God, you can be so petty!"
"Aw, there, there." She reached over and patted his cheek while he scowled. With a cackle, she stuck her tongue out and moved back to the edge to finally get out of the pool.
Gray's dark blue eyes glinted, then a smirk stretched on his face. He waited until she had one knee on floor to grab her elbow and yank her towards him, she flailed with a squeak and was once again plunged into the water.
Revenge was oh so sweet.
When she resurfaced, she grabbed his lapels as he laughed and glared at him in annoyance. "You…!"
Gray just sniggered at her, unable to take her seriously when she was soaking wet with her hair all over the place, and just lazily lolled his head to the side. "You started it."
"And I finished it until you decided to be petty too!" she dropped her hands and opted to splashing water on his face, making him sputter.
"Oh shut up, you didn't need to pull me in too." He lightly pinched her cheek in retaliation which just made her pinch his nose as a response. He pulled his face away and let go of her cheek, wrinkling his nose.
Curiously, he lifted his arm and checked his watch.
It was midnight.
Karissa saw him smile at his watch before dropping his arm back in the water. He looked back at her with a gentle expression, using the other to brush away the hair on her face that was out of place.
"By the way, happy birthday." he said, voice soft akin to a whisper so that only her ears may hear the words he uttered.
She gave him a slight pout.
"Thank you."
Abandoning her feigned anger, she chose to hug him, tightly, selfishly indulging herself in her first chosen gift of her day. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and closed his eyes as he relished in the feeling of holding her close to him.
For just that moment, they both felt like they belonged to the other.
All nice and fluffy...
Steiner's necklace. Totally not named after Weisz Steiner.
This chapter could have been much longer but I don't want to write over 10,000 words. It's amazing enough that I somehow just keep writing over 5,000 words. I hope long chapters aren't a hassle to read... if they are, I'm sorry.