"What did you and Gray-sama do when Juvia left for her job?"

Karissa impassively stared at her.

"Why?"

Juvia pursed her lips. "Juvia just wants to know because it concerns her darling Gray-sama."

Her darling Gray-sama? Man. That made her want to give her the most 'what-the-fuck' face she could pull.

And frankly, it was really none of Juvia's business. She didn't want to share her precious memory with her.

"But I don't need to tell you." Karissa said flatly. The tone she might have used might have been rude, but she didn't really care. Why the hell did Juvia need to know what she and Gray did with their time? She wasn't supposed to be following them in the first place. "I don't owe you anything."

Juvia looked incredibly jealous as if Karissa just insinuated that she had a tryst with him on the cruise. She took the bag that Karissa nonchalantly held out to her and stood tall.

"Karissa-san may have won this round, but Juvia will remind you again that she will come out on top. Juvia knows that you and Gray-sama are childhood friends so she knows that Gray-sama may have been acting nice because of their history." Karissa narrowed her eyes at her. "But Juvia will still win because she is determined to win his heart!"

…

…

…

Maybe she was right about him acting nice.

Because why the hell would he reciprocate?

Gray blinked at her reply. Her response came almost without missing a beat. She acted like he just told her a dumb joke.

She hate to admit it… but Juvia's words made sense to justify his reply. She didn't believe him for a second. Why would she? Her heart refused to be swayed by some unbelievable lie. With a tired nod of her head, she pulled her door open. "Right. Of course, you do. Gray, that's not funny." Her tone carried a warning. Even he should know that she didn't appreciate jests like that. That was crossing a line that she always found displeasing when she witnessed other people do it.

He didn't expect this response. And he also didn't like the way her tone sounded. Gray's brows knitted. "I'm serious."

Did he think she'd deny it? Yes. Optimism was never her best friend. Pessimism seemed much closer to her. He remembered her saying that it was better to be pessimistic rather than the opposite to avoid being too disappointed by whatever the circumstance. Rationality.

But he didn't think she'd reply with a tone that basically called him a liar, dripping with discontent.

She was getting borderline upset.

With a scoff, she stepped inside her room and waved her hand at him without looking back, wishing him goodnight. She could see the water bottle and her tome sitting near the small table. Her bag was sitting in a corner, right next to the closet where futons normally hid. She could just study a bit more… But sleep seemed like a great idea right about now.

She nearly rolled her eyes when she heard her door open behind her. The moonlight blanketing the floor and her back. Gray slid the door closed behind for some privacy and didn't even bother opening the lights. Moonlight from the window made her glow in the center of the room. He'd consider it a beautiful sight if it weren't for the current situation.

"What, you think I'm lying?" Gray asked, absolutely confounded.

Karissa's mouth twitched. This was not how things were supposed to go. It was just getting more complicated. Her body turned to him. He could see her eyes become almost half-lidded as she apathetically stared at him. But he could feel annoyance radiating off her. "Did you hear me?" she retorted. "I said that I like you. Like as in that love shit. So why aren't you saying 'uh sorry don't feel the same'? Why are you lying to my face? Think it's funny?"

As if she'd let herself get humiliated.

He could feel himself getting a little irritated now. After all this time, she thought he would openly mock her? Him? The guy who was patient and understanding of her issues, and would most likely deck someone for mocking those parts of her if he couldn't control himself like Natsu? He'd rather scoop up dog shit with a spoon than hurt her. Where was this sudden downgrade image of him coming from?

"What, you suddenly get to decide how I feel? Think I'm just chatting out of my ass?" Gray frowned deeply. Why was she suddenly getting so upset like this? He stopped in front of her and she maintained a straight face, not even the slightest intimidated by his height.

"I'm serious."

It almost stirred her heart. Almost.

It just didn't make sense to her.

And she was someone who relied on logic.

Karissa's eyes lowered. They were wavering. Her fingers flexed. Gray felt her place a hand on his chest to gently push him back. "You would never say that to me. Never." She moved away from him to look at her things. She randomly picked up her water bottle and fiddled with the cap to avoid looking at him. "You don't like me like that."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you so sure of that? You literally just beat me to it. I was thinking of telling you after the S-Class Exam."

She almost let herself get carried away and got her hopes up over his honesty.

I'll humor him.

Karissa nodded, unconvinced. "Okay. Sure. Pretty sure you don't want to be with me though. At least we're on the same page because I didn't get my hopes up at all."

Okay. Now it was just getting even more confusing. This was the biggest nonsense he's heard ever since he came out of being frozen in time. Everything she said, she sounded so sure as if she had heard him say those words to her face. What the hell was going on?

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm freaking lost. You keep saying all this stuff and I have no idea where it's coming from! Enlighten me, would you?!"

"Dude, I heard you talking with Lyon!" Karissa raised her arms, causing her to fumble with the water bottle and then accidentally flung it at him when she tried to get a hold of it, uttering a 'oh shit' when she failed. He didn't seem to fazed with it though since he kept staring at her, slowly making sense of what she was saying.

His eyes widened.

"You told him nothing was going to happen between us!" Karissa reminded him. "I won't do anything and you certainly don't want to, so I think we're good."

So that was it.

That was fucking it.

She heard them!

Fucking Lyon!

This was basically his fault for annoying the hell out of him!

He suddenly felt like he should have slammed his cake he ate that day right into his face, maybe even thrown his fork at his head for good measure.

… Okay, he shared some of the blame too, but that's only because Lyon doesn't know how to mind his own damn business.

Gray groaned and scrubbed the back of his head when he realized what exactly she was referring to. "You've got it all wrong! Lyon's just an annoying ass who won't stop butting into my love life. I just said that to get him off my back." He rapidly dropped his hand down and looked at her seriously. "You mean everything to me so... " He closed his eyes. "Why the hell wouldn't I like you that way?! Seriously, after everything that happened?! I don't do that with other girls in the guild, and I won't say or do any of those things just because we're freaking childhood friends! I was deadass flirting with you on that criuse but," he flicked his arm in her direction, face incredibly red. "You friendzoned me and called me an umbrella!"

Karissa paused. That's why he asked that question?!

"HA?!"

"YEAH." Gray huffed and raised his arms as if to say 'well?'.

This had to be the most unromantic love confession of the era.

"You believe me now?"

"I-I... I don't know! I guess…?! " She looked away and slapped her palm on her mouth. It was her turn to blush. "I didn't think my dumbass confession would end up like this. I was prepared for a rejection and be done with it! I was planning to move on from all of this! I wasn't expecting you to feel the same... now my whole plan went to shit!"

That's why she was gone for a whole week.

Gray dragged his hand across his face. "You and your damn logic plans."

The room quieted down.

All they could hear was the chaos coming from the room they were both previously in. If they listened hard enough, they could still hear Levy laughing.

"… So, what now?" Karissa broke the silence. Her fingers fidgeted with her sleeves.

That was a good question.

What now?

Gray was back to his calm self again. He lowered his head and looked to the side. It was so easy to reply to her confession. But whatever came next… he wasn't sure he was ready for it. Not with the way he was. The trauma from the incident in Novera continues to haunt his mind. His confidence took a hit. But he did become stronger and more confident. Seeing her scar on the trip home made him doubt though. He became hesitant, backing out of wanting to confess to her.

He still might not be good enough to protect her with it counts. Has he reached a point where he could do anything to keep her safe? If not, when will he?

Worried about his silence, Karissa lightly tipped her head to the side. There was one thing she got from it. She took his silence as confirmation that he didn't want to do anything with his feelings. "So, we just let our feelings wither away?"

We're never going to be together, right?

He could hear it behind her words. Always the pessimistic one she was.

But he couldn't tell her what was on his mind. It was his own personal problem. It was about his own worth. It would—

"If you wait too long then she just might move on with that logical mindset of hers. I mean, if she did feel the same of course."

Gray's body stiffened when Cana's words echoed in his mind. If he hid it from her, there was a high possibility she might she move on. After all, that's exactly what she was planning to do. Someone won't be patient for something they don't know about. Now that he knew she felt the same way, he couldn't assume she would wait for him if he didn't say anything.

He just wanted to be someone who can definitely protect her.

That's all.

"I don't know If I'm ready enough to be there for you." He didn't know if he had the right to hold his held up high. He didn't know if he was good enough yet. And that worried him.

His eyes watched her come closer to only pick up the water bottle she let go of. Then she stayed next to him while uncapping the bottle. "Ready enough for what?" As if on cue, he could feel his own scar from the incident burning on his hand, a constant reminder.

"When I couldn't protect you in Novera."

Oh.

"Gray…" she started. "We agreed—"

"I know we did." Gray sighed and held up his scarred hand. "But I just can't let it go. I always wonder if I'm good enough to protect you next time." He fisted his hand, a grimace on his face. "Am I still lacking in confidence or more strength? I've been wondering about that a lot this week after I saw your scar."

Karissa watched him.

"I just want to protect you. That's it. That's all I want." He wanted to be strong enough to deflect any danger she couldn't protect herself from.

Her softer smaller fingers went up to clasp his hand and then gently opened it. Her finger gently traced the faint line, bringing him back to that night of the Fantasia Parade. He looked at her softly. She was looking at his scar blankly.

"I'll be blunt... When exactly will you be good enough? If you continue to set the bar higher, it will only drag on. If what you said is true and you've become stronger, then it's not a question of being ready. It's a question of being willing and able. If you think you can't protect me yet, then someone else certainly will."

He was literally wondering the same thing. Where exactly was the bar to be good enough? Was it when he could easily topple Master Makarov? Just when would he be satisfied?

If he wasn't strong enough to protect her.

Then someone else was.

Karissa let go of his hand and went over to the table. "That's something a little like Pandora used to tell me when I was too shy to go on jobs or chicken out of doing stuff." It was some great needed advice she needed to hear back then. To this day does she always remember her words whenever she feels troubled about her inability and confidence. Sometimes her timidity may win, but her sister's words usually pointed her in the right direction.

"So, think what you will, but I think you're good enough for me."

If he kept wondering and wondering, then he will keep waiting and thinking he isn't good enough. It might just drag on forever. He might never be satisfied. If he wanted to keep his word, then he needed to prove it. Danger won't wait for him to get ready. He needed to fight and protect, and keep on fighting. Only then will he truly feel like he could live up to his own vow. His feelings and confidence would be fine.

"Karissa." She looked back. "I will protect you next time."

She blinked at the resolve in his voice. It wasn't just a resolve to her; it was for him too. An unwavering conviction. It was in his eyes too. It brought a small smile on her face. The sight somehow just made him more attractive, the confidence.

"Don't tell me. Just do it." A playful smirk came on her face. "Unless you're just all talk?"

He huffed with his head held up high. "I'll show you I can do it."

That's good.

"I'll also show you I can have your back too." Karissa put down her bottle and then straightened up. "Not that I don't already. Anyway, so, what now?"

Right, I forgot we were on that subject, Gray thought sheepishly. He breathed through his nose and lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Er, you said that you didn't have your hopes up. You didn't want to… be with me?"

Karissa suddenly found interest in the floor. Like him, she rubbed the back of her neck. She was getting nervous now. Funny. She wasn't nervous at all before when she spat those words. "I don't know…? I mean, I've never had a boyfriend before so it's hard to say. We're awesome as friends… but are we compatible as a couple? It would be so easy to say yes but…"

She basically 'studied' relationships by reading books, observing, and listening to Cana. She was familiar with romantic relationships in theory. She knew that some people would agree that they were better off as friends instead of boyfriend and girlfriend. What if that was the case with her and Gray? And how does one cross into the territory of romantic relationship after being friends for years? Is there some stage where someone dips their toe in the pool to test the water?

"I'm just overthinking because I'm worried. There's so much to think about." Karissa sighed. "I don't know the first thing about being in a relationship myself…" she admitted to no one's surprise.

Gray observed her for a second. He knew her well to know just what kind of thoughts she was having. She always thought about details, worrying over things she couldn't quite understand when faced with it.

Of course, she thought about wanting to date Gray because a part of her sitting in the back of her mind was actually longing for a connection like that after witnessing examples. But when faced with it, the subject somehow becomes much more intimidating and serious.

After basically hearing her think, Gray moved. He stepped closer to grab her arm and tug her into him. He circled his arms around her as if it was the most natural thing to do while Karissa blinked with surprise. Being engulfed in his warmth was surprising but not unwelcomed. She had the sudden urge to coil her arms around him too. Her head shifted a little to try and peek at his face.

"Personally, I want this to work out." Gray said in low decibels. "What about you?"

She couldn't explain it. But hearing him admit that he basically wanted to have a relationship with her made her flush uncharacteristically. Was that her more feminine side reacting strongly, or the giddiness she was feeling causing it? Maybe both?

"I want to try." She softly said in his embrace. Then she held him close. His arms held her tighter in response.

Why did it feel so right to just hold each other?

He rested forehead against her temple in an attempt to control his thoughts. "There's no rush. If you're not ready, we can take it slow if that's what you want." He really didn't mind. It was out in the open. The cards were all in her hands.

"You really don't mind? I mean, if I need it?"

"Nope."

She hid her face in his chest. It made her want to hug him tight and just never let go.

He dropped his chin on her head.

A sound of disappointment wanted to crawl out of her when she felt him pull away. Her arms automatically fell to her sides when he removed his arms. Squish. His hands instead fell upon her face, her cheeks. Her eyes blinked. What was he doing? His face then carried a grin as he pretended to scrutinize her expression.

"That's a new expression." That was new type of embarrassment he was seeing on her. However, he couldn't miss the spark delight dancing in her eyes, the windows to the soul. And he was the cause of it? Yeah. That definitely pleased him. After all, Karissa never wore her emotions on her sleeve.

This made her stiffen. But she just had a pout on her face in response. Cute.

"Whatever."

She didn't deny it. Why would she? It's not like she could hide it now.

"Thank you for telling me how you felt, by the way. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

Upon hearing this, Karissa lightly scoffed and pulled her face away from his hands to give him a side glance. "You have no fucking idea. It was annoying." Gray sweat dropped. He could relate. When he thought about it, he had his own problems with it. He saw her hold up 'ok' with both hands and grinned smugly. "But I'm proud that I did it. I had the balls to do it unlike someone~"

Gray half-heartedly glared at her. "Shut up. You just beat me to it."

"Nah. You still might have pussy'd out because you were like," Karissa dramatically held up her hands to pretend pushing him away." 'oh I can't protect you'."

He stared at her while she gave him a teasing grin. Just as he was about to retort, his stomach growled in the empty room, giving them pause. There worst damn timing. It evoked a sigh from Gray and a small snort from her.

"Okay, we can talk more tomorrow. You have to get some food in you before the service closes for the night." She patted his shoulders while he frowned. It looked like he didn't want to leave. That's because he didn't. He grabbed one of her arms gently in one hand and rested his forehead on her shoulder. There was still more to talk about though. But he did remember Karissa saying that she was retiring for the day right before she confessed to him. Today was a long day. He didn't want to rob her of rest.

Unless she was lying about that too?

But the food was important. He didn't want to sleep with an empty stomach.

"Alright." Gray sighed and pulled away from her. "You just get some rest."

He would regret this the moment he slid the door open.

"GRAY-SAAMAAAAA!" Juvia.

"DAMN IT, GRAY! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO?!" Natsu.

"THAT DAMN DESERTER!" Jet.

"HAHAHA!" Levy.

"GRAAAAY! WHERE'S MY BOOZE?!" Erza.

The door slid shut.

…

Gray slowly turned to Karissa.

His eyes were basically pleading for mercy.

"Please."

Laughter escaped from her.

Gray had absolutely no intention of sleeping nor eating in that room. Thankfully, food service was still available and there was an extra futon in the closet. The service was actually ten minutes away from closing from how late it was. And he was going to sleep in her room and leave the other guys to fend for himself. Because why the hell would he go there when he could be having a good time with the person who shared his feelings? Maybe someone dense like Natsu.

Currently, Gray was finishing up his meal while Karissa sat on her already ready futon. They somehow got onto the topic of 'when did you like me?'. Karissa was the one who started it. Now that she had her first confession and reciprocation, she was going to milk it while she could.

… It was exciting.

Gray paused and looked up the ceiling to think, skimming through the archive of his memories. "I'm not sure." His feelings only became prominent after that terrible ordeal. "I just knew I had thing for you after we skewered each other."

"Why?"

Gray met her curious gaze. "Uh." He set down his chopsticks to reach for his water. "Well, you nearly died… so I guess that made me realize that I liked you a lot…?" He drank his water while trying to hide his blush. It made him feel a bit abashed to admit it.

That made sense to her.

The question was reflected.

Karissa grabbed her pillow and hugged it. "When we returned from Edolas. I realized it. Pretty sure I liked you before that. I just didn't know."

So it's been… not that long since they realized. But not realizing? Damn. It might have been a long fucking time.

Took some time for everything to fall in place.

They could hear Cana's voice now "About goddamn time!"

"Oh?" Gray propped his chin up with a smug smirk. "You sure it wasn't when you admitted to Mirajane that you found me attractive?" He laughed at the way she just froze. "Yeah. She told me."

"She was the one who asked me if I found you attractive. What was I gonna say, you're ugly? Puberty was nice to you, dude."

Gray snorted. "Yeah, I know."

"Someone's getting big headed."

"'m not." He took another bite of his food. "I know what I am." He was proud of his looks and physique. It certainly strokes his ego well when he hears compliments. But he doesn't let it get to his head.

Just as a he was about to add another comment, he paused mid-chew and dropped his chopsticks. It startled her. To Karissa, it looked like he was going through a mid-life crisis. She crawled a little closer to him to snap her fingers in front of his face. He didn't flinch. He just looked at her with a grimace. "Think Pandora won't try to hit me in some way if we started dating?"

He was just a bit afraid after what happened last time.

Just a little.

It makes him almost regret confessing too.

"Of pfft, she won't murder you. You already know she loves you."

"She has a real funny way of showing it." Gray grumbled and resumed eating. His mind illustrated different scenarios for him to dread. Pandora could verbally roast him alive or downright have him prove his worth. She might have him prove that he was sincere after everything that happened.

But he'd face it, all of it.

Because he loved her.

Karissa fingered one of the bowls with a smirk. "But y'know, I actually want to hide our relationship from everyone else. Like maybe two years?"

"Two years." Gray repeated. That definitely seems like something she would like to do. He chuckled when he saw the excitement shinning in her eyes. "And why is that?"

"I think it'll be funny to casual slip in the truth mid conversation and be like 'oh yeah, we've been together for two years we just didn't tell you sorry'." Karissa couldn't stop a giggle as she thought about Mirajane and Cana's reaction. The first would probably be excited while the last would probably be offended that she didn't tell her.

"I don't mind hiding it. I'm not really one to shout out my business to the world anyway." Gray said casually. This wasn't news to Karissa. And there wasn't a rule saying they had to announce it. It's not like they were getting married. "But we're not in a relationship yet, are we?"

"Oh. Right…"

Gray saw how she looked down at the table, her finger stopping, face looking troubled. Maybe it would be best to discuss more about her concerns. Anything concerning their relationship should be properly addressed. He didn't want another moment of one of them operating under misconception. He folded his arms on the table and gave her his full attention. "So, you're worried we might not be good."

Karissa slid her eyes towards him. "Don't people have to like go through a stage between being friends and couple?" She made hand gestures to emphasize the two categories.

Ah, now he understood her concerns. She was worried about the order.

Gray nodded slowly. "But I think that's mostly for people who haven't known each other that long. We have ten years plus worth. You still want to try dates first?"

"Dates…" Karissa cocked her head. "But we've done that a lot on jobs."

His hand lifted to gently flick her forehead. "Jobs and dates are two different things, dummy."

"But wasn't the cruise… basically a type of date? Y'know? Just not said out loud?"

He paused. "I guess." That was kind of his intention lowkey.

Now that they thought about it properly. Karissa was right. They've done so many things together. Job or not, they've done a lot. A trip to another town to check out a festival, hanging out for lunch, late night talks over dinner, going to an arcade after their job. There were a lot in their memories.

Gray lightly chuckled. The memories filled him with affection for her as he remembered their moments. "I guess we've already done half the work, most even."

Gray and Karissa were like two children, cautiously exploring a new path called love for the first time. They were holding each other's hands and making sure neither got lost. The two of them don't even realize they were suitable for each other, but also shared the same apprehensions and concerns.

"Yeah, you're right."

The female ice mage could see a bit more clearly now. The advantage of being childhood best friends is that there was so much investment between them that it was hard to say that they still needed time to know each other. Sure, there might be some little things they've hid from each other (like her dumb interest in the same genre books as Erza…) but nothing too major. They care and understand each other.

The two of them could literally jump right into it.

"We can wait and see how things go."

Karissa pursed her lips and played with the bowl. "But are you really okay with me? I mean, there are plenty of prettier girls than me." This was not her downgrading herself. This was her basically asking if he was okay with someone like her compared to Lucy or Mirajane. Someone more pleasing to look at.

"Are those girls you?"

"No, but—"

"Then I don't need to even consider it." He raised an eyebrow and reached out to pinch her cheek. "You think I'm superficial?" He narrowed his eyes, causing her to avert her gaze with a sweat drop.

"I didn't say that! I was just asking!"

"Stop asking dumb questions! I like you! That's it!" He was holding her other cheek, basically stretching her face. She whined at him and held his wrists. "You seriously need to work on that self-esteem!"

"Hey! I've been working on that!" She insisted, her hands flying up to his wrists just in case she had to rip off his hands if he dared tug harder. "I'm pretty!" Her declare came out proudly. She gradually raised her self-esteem on her own, but it was just above the borderline where a serious insult could easily kick it down. But weren't some people easily affected too? Feeling low by an insult is normal, she thought.

A grin came on his face hearing that. "Yes, you are, dumbass. And my relationship with you is worth more than a pretty face. You got both, so it's a bonus." He eased up on her cheeks, giving her more leverage to speak if she wished.

His love for her was solid. He knows that very well. No one could make him doubt it, not even her.

Karissa schooled her expression to remain passive after he said that. It was so embarrassing. But then her expression tensed when he shuffled closer to her from his spot. He didn't let go of her face. And she didn't let go of his wrists.

He looked hesitant.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question just blew her away. He saw her mouth fall open a bit at his ask for consent and immediately started blushing.

"What?!" She half yelled and half whispered, it came out more like a squeak though.

Gray scowled. The tip of his ears were starting to redden. "Come on, the question isn't hard. Yes or no?"

He wasn't about to just lay his lips on her mouth and offend her if she didn't want it. He was being respectful of her boundaries and her worries. He wanted to treat her nicely.

Her eyes blinked a few times while her gaze skittered around, her thoughts in a little mess after the straight forward question. She turned even redder when he thought she couldn't. He was right. The question wasn't hard at all. Did she want to kiss him or not? He was giving her power over what would happen next.

"I'm asking for your permission because I really want to kiss you right now. But if you don't want to then that's fine." He did a little grin. "I'll live but I'll be a little sour. Just a little."

She gave him a look. "Trying to guilt trip me?"

"A little." He smirked.

Her eyes slowly moved away from his eyes and they set its sights on his lips. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was slowly giving herself permission to simply let go of the reins because deep down she wanted from him what he wanted from her.

Warmth.

Gray watched her attentively as if he could almost see the gears in her brain turn for her. And then he asked her again. "Can I kiss you?"

"O-Okay."

She wasn't expecting him to readily go for it. One second she saw him come closer and the next second she felt something on her lips when she squeezed her eyes closed, suppressing a surprised sound from her. His hands were holding her face gently. It was different from kissing that Edolas Lyon. That one felt… a rush?

This one felt tingly and floaty.

Funny first kiss.

She tasted like mint

He tasted like beef.

And it was brief.

God, he didn't realize how much he was craving this until he finally had it.

The air was just a little awkward as they stared at each other. Both their hands fell to their sides when they let the moment sink in after pulling away from the other.

"That was… nice." Gray tried, looking away.

Karissa bit her lip and hummed, nodding once.

They were both freaking red.

It was done. They officially crossed the line of what friends do and don't do.

When he resumed eating, she couldn't help but feel the urge to hold him. She tried to resist. Really, she did. But she was just so happy by everything that just happened that she couldn't help herself. She plucked out his chopstick out of his hands, confusing him, and wrapped her arms around him after she placed them on the table. He didn't have time to look at her. He yelped when he felt himself topple back, only to land safely on his folded futon behind him.

Blinking, he stared up at the ceiling with his arms up.

He could feel her smiling against his collar bone.

It brought his own smile on his face.

He tapped her shoulder.

"Karissa. I still wanna eat the rest of my food."

"Shut up and let me hug you."

"But I'm hungry. Just a lil' more left."

"Shh."

"Man, you're selfish. Is this how it's going to be when we get together? You're gonna let me starve?"

"You eat later."

Gray wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent. This was nice. No, it was perfect. They weren't official yet, but they were taking slow steps to make it so. This did nothing but show how serious they were about it.

He was satisfied with this moment.

"Where were you this last night?!" Natsu barked at Gray. The ice mage's eye twitched when the pyro kept trying to get an answer out of him. Obviously, it wasn't Natsu's business what he did last night.

"Away from the chaos." Gray turned around and butted heads with him. "You think I was gonna stay there and suffer? I got myself a room and slept there!"

"You freaking traitor! You left us to fend for ourselves!"

"Yeah!" Jet exclaimed with Droy.

"Ah, shut up!" Gray rolled his eyes and pushed Natsu away. Obviously, this just incited another one of their brawls that Jet and Droy were useless to stop.

Gray and Karissa slept in separate futons that night and ate breakfast together. They both agreed to keep their night a secret from everyone, mostly for Karissa's own enjoyment. And for some reason, Gray could feel a certain thrill in hiding it. He could do without Natsu's constant yapping though.

As for Karissa, she was as cool as ice and didn't have to hide much from those who were too drunk to comprehend the events of last night.

"My head…" Lucy moaned, her eyes squinting with her hand on her temple.

"I feel sick…" Levy covered her face with her hands.

"Guhh…" Wendy stayed put on the floor with a pitiful face.

Erza, Juvia and Carla were also suffering in their own way by mumbling incomprehensible words. Karissa was sitting on a chair with her legs crossed, smiling at everyone like a fox. When Juvia saw the mischievous expression on the ice mage's face, she felt like a fool for falling for her words. Once more, she couldn't read Karissa properly.

…

…

…

The next day started off different from how anyone expected. Aside from the hangovers and the complaints, something else happened.

They were currently in the world of the Celestial Spirits. Why? Oh, because Virgo basically tricked them into thinking that their world was in peril but was actually throwing a celebration for their return.

Cool. A party first in the morning.

But still…

Karissa grimaced when Gray ruffled her hair with a smile.

She was wearing the same clothes that Virgo forced her to wear before. She didn't exactly associate these clothes with a good memory. Gray was wearing an attire that was obviously a matching set to hers.

Loke pointed out her sour look and pinched her cheek to have her change expression on such a joyous occasion. She quickly told Loke that if her clothes weren't returned her later, she would grab his key and turn it into dog food.

"Now, now," Loke poked her between her brows. "Lighten up. You'll get your clothes back. For now," he picked up a cupcake and proceeded to feed her, surprising her grimace away. Her words were muffled. Her body stiffened. Her hands went up to hold the cupcake, chewing all while looking rather pleased. Seeing this Loke, smirked with satisfaction. "Enjoy the party, Karissa. Forget about everything else and just have fun."

Gray watched her nibbling the cupcake with fervor. It made him wonder what kind of spirit ingredient was in it for her to enjoy it so much. While Loke was walking away to join Lucy, Gray took the cupcake from her and took a bite on another side.

Karissa deadpanned.

"Oh damn, this is good."

"HELLO?!"

"'Sup?" Gray licked the corner of his mouth and handed the cupcake back to her. Internally, he couldn't help but laugh at the way she eyed him as if he committed a major sin. Her hands held the cupcake when he gave it back but she still didn't look away from him. It was priceless.

Karissa glared at the way he laughed at her.

She decided to drop charges when Lucy and Erza beckoned them over to the table that was covered with food. They were quick to get over there and find out what kind of things they could taste from this world. Karissa ignored the way Juvia clung onto Gray, begging him to wear an outfit that Virgo found that looked like a matching set to hers.

"Gray-sama!"

"I'm fine with these clothes!"

"But…!"

Evilly, Karissa grinned knowingly when her back was turned to them. She was definitely feeling good about sharing the same feelings with Gray now.

While she was busy making herself a plate, she didn't notice Aquarius moving closer to also grab something to eat. However, the moment she came close to Karissa, she paused. Her head turned to observe her which didn't go unnoticed. Karissa felt compelled to look back at the Celestial Spirit. When she did, she was met with a grimace of disgust.

"You stink." Aquarius huffed before floating away.

"…"

Karissa blinked several times.

"I stink?"

No, I don't.

I haven't done anything sweat worthy ever since the baths last night. I'm clean.

What the hell was that lady's problem?

Other than that, everything went well.

At some point, she, Lucy, and Gray was greeted by a bunch of Plues, especially Karissa, when they were speaking with the Spirit King. They just kept coming up to her and nuzzling her body, leaving her at a loss.

To answer her obvious confusion, the Spirit King gingerly pinched the back of her top and proceeded to lift her up.

Karissa stiffened and she started jerking around when she noticed that her body was being lifted up from the floor. Gray and Lucy were equally surprised by how casually the Spirit King picked her up. The Plues around her body began falling off and bouncing on the floor when they landed, prompting Gray and Lucy to catch them.

Karissa came face to face with the Spirit King.

He gazed at her curiously.

"They seem to like the way you smell."

Karissa deadpanned at this. Oh yeah? That's not one of your golden keys said.

"Even I feel nostalgic in the presence of the blood of old friends."

Now, she became confused. Her body laxed as she tipped her head.

Blood of old friends? Ancestors?

Oh right. Lucy isn't the only Celestial Mage to exist. There must have been plenty before her. That's what he meant by blood of old friends, Celestial Mages of yore. Wow. That was an interesting fact to learn. She has the blood of Celestial Mages.

…

…

…

Eventually, the time came for the party to end and for everyone to return to Earthland.

Their little party in the Spirit World lasted one day.

Which was the equivalent to three months in Earthland.

Karissa crossed her arms while the others despaired on the sand.

"I knew coming here was a bad idea."

Ngl the Spirit World thing was rushed since I just wanted to include the important parts. Next chapter is the start of GMG.

Oh, I forgot to mention something in the last chapter. The title Dry Flower was inspired by the song of the same name sang by Yuuri. I was listening to it and was like ayo... this kinda fits Karissa's thoughts in this chapter. You can give it a listen if you want.

Anyway, if you want, please tell me your thoughts on this chapter or the overall story so far, I'd really like to read them :)

See you in the next one!